She was dying. She had to be dying, what other explanation was there for her pain? Pain, ha. What a vague word. Torture and agony was more like it, but they still didn't scratch the surface of what Lillian was feeling. Before the pain started, the weirdest thing happened to her, one moment; she was running through the woods. The next thing she knew she was on the ground watching two vampires fighting over her life. Not the best thing to open your eyes to.
But that's when it happened. The hungry vampire bit her, and everything slowed down. Seconds became long, anguish filled moments that just wouldn't end. The pain came in waves, leaving brief moments where Lillian could take stock of what was going on around her. She remembered Jacob defending her in his "werewolf form" and she remembered him holding her in his warm arms, as a human of course. It was odd; Lillian could almost swear that she could feel his love for her through his touch. It helped her, slightly. A little bit. Not enough to stop her from screaming.
Why wouldn't it end? Couldn't it just stop already? Death really shouldn't be this painful, this torturous. Or should it? Had she done something to deserve this? She honestly couldn't remember. It didn't really matter anyway. It's not like remembering could change what was happening to her.
Vampires. The word kept crossing through Lillian's mind in between the bursts of agonizing pain. What did the old stories say about them? Everything that Lillian could recall about vampires was fuzzy, but she was pretty sure that she wasn't turning into one of them. It surely wouldn't be this terrible, would it? No, she had to be dying. She just had to be. Once she got her head wrapped around that fact, things seemed more… tolerable. Not better, but tolerable. If she was dying, then peace was near. Salvation was near.
But if she was dying, then why was she starting to feel stronger? Lillian flexed her muscles experimentally, and felt immense power within her limbs. She took advantage of the brief window of numbness to look up at Jacob.
"Jacob, what's happening to me?" Lillian asked, confused. He answered her, but she couldn't tell what he was saying because another wave of pain hit her. It hit hard, and forced her into a fetal position on the floor. Now she was seriously confused. Was she dying or turning into a vampire? She sincerely hoped that whatever was happening to her would hurry up and end soon. There wasn't much more of this that she could take.
Suddenly her head felt like it was splitting open; the pain was so intense that it actually blinded her. Everything hurt, but her head was the worst. She couldn't think, couldn't see, all she could do was feel. Feel her discomfort, feel her death, feel herself rapidly losing the will to live. Lillian started to shake violently, the tremors turning into something more like seizures. She felt strong arms hold her firmly and steadily, and for some reason she felt the urge to bite them. What was wrong with her?
The pain subsided a little bit. Lillian gasped, and tried to wipe her sweaty forehead with the back of her sleeve. She couldn't move her arm.
"How long?" Lillian wheezed, not bothering to look up.
"It's been two days." Jacob answered, his voice distraught. She could feel his warm hand in hers, and she tried to squeeze his back. Nothing happened.
"Jacob, I'm numb…" Lillian panted heavily. Something dripped on her cheek, and she glanced up to see Jacob crying. It was peculiar, she could feel the wetness on her skin, but she couldn't do anything to stop his teardrop from rolling all the way down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry, but Lillian you have to believe me when I say that everything will be okay. I'll take care of you," Jacob promised through his tears. His words were like a tonic, and Lillian felt a little more hopeful…
For about two seconds. Then the pain started up again. No more words, just feelings. But this time, Lillian had something to help her through it.
"I love him." Lillian thought. It would be her last thought that she ever experienced as a human being.
Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo Oo
Why couldn't it be him? He would die a thousand times for Lillian, and yet it was him watching her struggle through torturous agony. He was angry, frustrated, out of his mind with misery, and if her pain didn't end soon he would surely kill himself. But he didn't leave her side. Not once.
His true love was going to be a bloodsucker; he just had to accept that. They could make it work without ripping each other to shreds, right? She was his soul mate after all. Didn't that mean no obstacle was too large, too impossible for them to overcome together? Well that's what all the sappy love stories said anyway.
It was going to be hard, though. Every fiber of his being was telling him to phase into a werewolf so that he could destroy her, kill the bloodsucker. Protect La Push.
But her face… her pale blue eyes, even filled with tears they were so beautiful. He lovingly brushed a lock of her dirty blonde hair away from her face. Imprinting was a powerful force, but was it powerful enough to counteract his desire to kill her? Jacob sighed, and instantly regretted it. Lillian was starting to smell like a vampire, which certainly didn't make things any easier on Jacob when he inhaled. He felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around with a startled intake of breath.
"Maybe you should step outside for a minute." Sam suggested, his face contorted in a look of concern for his pack brother. He understood what it felt like to watch a loved one get hurt, at least for Jacob he wasn't the one who hurt her.
"No, I c-can't…" Jacob stuttered, wiping his face hurriedly. "I'm sorry Sam, but I won't be available for patrols for a while…"
"That's fine, that's not what I'm worried about." Sam sat down next to Lillian's quivering body. "Jacob… are you sure that you still want to be with her? Maybe she'd be better off with other bloodsu- I mean vampires."
"Never! You know me Sam; I can control myself better than anyone else in the pack! She'll be fine, I swear." Jacob vowed, his voice firm and resolute.
"Jacob, you really need to think of what's best for her right now. I know you love Lillian, and you'll make the right choice in the end." Sam persisted, his voice low and serious.
"Don't you think that she can make her own decisions?! I'll let Lillian choose what to do with her own life, thank you." Jacob hissed stiffly. Sam sighed and stood up.
"We'll talk later. How much more time until she's… you know…" Sam trailed off hesitantly.
"It should be a few more hours." Jacob croaked, glancing at the clock. Sam nodded and left the room quietly. He needed to see Emily, his Emily. Jacob envied him; Sam's love had no complications. Sam could just be with her. Jacob would give anything to be able to have that with Lillian.
"Hey, Jacob! There's someone here to see you!" Embry called from the doorway.
"Tell them to come into the living room!" Jacob shouted back, not taking his eyes off Lillian. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that it looked like her eyes were starting to clear… had her screaming quieted a little? He really hoped so.
"Jacob?" a tentative voice whispered. Jacob turned around to see… Bella Swan. He stood up slowly and deliberately, trying to tame the rage he felt just from seeing Bella's face. He wanted so badly to hurt her, to make her pay for what she had done to Lillian. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself, keep himself from losing control. She didn't seem to notice, and she took a careful step closer to him.
"Can I talk to you?"
