A/N: Hey I'm back. Guess what, Bella's going to be attacked. !
For You, A Thousand Times Over
EPOV:
I woke up at around five. Bella was curled up in my arms, her back to my chest. I sat up gently, running a hand through my hair and yawning, careful not to wake her. When I looked down at her, she had adjusted her position by scooting closer to me, closing the little distance I'd inadvertently put between us. She had turned over so that she was now facing me.
Her hair was long and tangled around her shoulders, the circles were still under her eyes, but they were fading quickly. Her long, gently curving lashes were dark against the pale ivory of her skin and a small smile touched her lips. She looked peaceful. And beautiful.
I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and she sighed softly at my touch. I suddenly wanted to hold her, just for a minute, before I had to go home to get ready for school. Carefully, I slid my arm under her torso, and pulled her onto my lap. I made sure she stayed covered by the blanket as I leaned back and let the pillows against her headboard prop me up. I tucked her head under my chin and wrapped my arms tightly around her. She was tiny and delicate, like a flower or a snowflake. She was a princess, but not the ice cold, heartless girl everyone imagined her to be. Not an ice princess, just a princess. My little porcelain princess.
"Edward," she murmured in her sleep and I smiled down at her softly.
I thought of her story; crazy, abusive boyfriend, the death of a little boy who was practically her baby brother. She blamed herself for his horrible demise. She was always so hard on herself, constantly shutting everyone out. She was an amazing person, my little porcelain princess, so strong, surviving everything this stupid horror of a world threw at her. How could anyone even think about hurting her? Before her life became this miserable haze, this deep dangerous ocean that had forced her to develop her hard shell, I could only ever imagine her as being the perfect, enchanting, benevolent fairy that she is when she isn't hiding behind her walls.
I was filled with rage as the thought of that bastard hurting my Bella wormed its way into my thoughts. My vision turned red and my pulse started to pound as adrenaline flew through my veins. My hands curled into fists against Bella's shoulder as I tried to contain my fury. Suddenly, I hated him with a passion. Never mind that I'd never met him, that maybe he might have changed after all these months. At that moment, I dearly wished that I had been there, when it happened, just so I could rip him to shreds the moment he took a step towards her.
My breathing was speeding as my heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to kill him. Jacob. I wanted to make sure Bella never hurted again. I was imagining him spitting up blood and bone splinters, lying broken on the ground, stabbed and bloodied…Wait, no. I needed to calm down. Bella was in my arms, safe, and she needed me. I held her tightly, burying my face in her hair, using her scent to call myself down. Gradually, my heart calmed, thanks to the soft, warm, fragrant girl pressed against me. Once I was calm, I gently put Bella back onto her bed, tucking the covers around her the way she liked, before rolling off the bed. I took a piece of paper and a pen from off of her desk and wrote her a note. I put it on her pillow, where she would invariably find it when she woke up and pressed my lips to her cheek, inhaling and lingering there, before I whispered in her ear. I stood and stepped back, watching her as she slept, hating to leave, but knowing I would see her later on this morning. So I slipped out the window, into my car and drove home, only to sneak into my bedroom window.
BPOV:
I awoke to the usual blare of my alarm clock. I was groggy at first and my eyelids felt glued shut. Something felt wrong, and after a moment, I realized I was missing the heat of another person beside me. Edward? I sat up and he was gone, a note in his place. I picked it up, smiling at Edward's script:
Dearest Bella,
I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up, but I really needed a shower (smile). I'll be back as soon as I can to pick you up for school. See you in a bit.
Truly Yours,
Edward
It was endearing how he managed to get me to smile even without being there. Happily, I hopped out of bed and headed to the shower. After I toweled off, I put on a simple blue dress that stopped near the middle of my thighs with some black leggings and black ballet flats. I put on a black headband to keep my long curls back.
When I looked in the mirror, I realized my sense of style had gradually changed. Instead of dressing as the tough, badass chick everyone was used to, I was dressing sweeter, cuter, according to my moods. Another way Edward had influenced me.
I left the house when I heard his horn hunk outside. His silver Volvo was idling in the driveway and I opened the door and smiled as I got in. "Morning,"
He smiled back. "Good morning. You look nice."
Of course, I blushed. "Thanks."
"Sleep well?" he winked at me when I looked at him and I laughed.
"Nah, somebody kept kicking me and trying to push me out the bed. How about you?" I grinned at him.
"I don't know, someone kept me up with a bunch of talking in their sleep." He smiled at me mischievously and I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Oh no," I whispered.
"Oh yes," he said, over exaggerating the evil 'muhhuhahahaha' laugh.
"What did you hear?" I groaned, holding my head in my hands.
"Oh, not much," he said, innocently.
"That bad, huh?"
"Not really, you just said my name."
"That can't be good."
"It depends on how you look at it," he said, smirking.
I looked at him again, convinced that his way of looking at things wouldn't exactly make me feel any better. "Like I said, that can't be good."
We pulled into the parking lot, just missing a couple of people and narrowly avoiding screwing up a silver Sentra's paint job.
I frowned. "If you keep this up, you're going to have to pay for a few medical bills and pray you don't get sued by people who don't have car insurance."
"Don't be ridiculous," he said, laughing. "I would never pay for anyone's medical bills!" I hid a smile and rolled my eyes as I opened the car door and hopped out. I put my messenger bag over my shoulder and we walked towards the school together. Lauren and her slew of sluts gave me the Evil Eye as I passed but I no longer cared enough to even acknowledge her existence anymore. I no longer felt the need to prove that I was unbothered by their crap. I was happy and it wasn't my problem if they weren't.
"Bella?" Edward asked me, somewhat cautiously.
Uh-oh, "Yes, Edward?"
"You know our project is due in like, two days, right?"
Oh MY GOD. "It's January 13th already?"
"Um, yeah. Have you started your project, yet?" he ran a hand through his hair, and looked down at me with those giant green eyes of his.
"Yes, I have." I didn't ask him about his. There wasn't anything about myself that I didn't already know, and most of it I didn't like to think about anyway.
"What did you do?" He asked me. We stopped outside of our classroom door and I leaned against the wall and folded my arms stubbornly.
"Not telling," I said, smirking at him.
"Please, Bella?" He leaned towards me, eyes wide. He really was gorgeous, his reddish gold hair was falling over his forehead as usual and his voice lulled me and I almost gave him the answer.
I let my eyes go wide and my lips parted. I lifted my hand like I was in a daze and brushed his hair away from his face then let my hand drift down his cheek, and around to the back of his neck. I pulled him down to me gently and whispered in his ear.
"No," I grinned at him as I let him go and he took on an injured look.
"Bella," he whined as he held the door open for me.
"I love yoouuu," I sang as I flounced in. I sat at our desk near the back of the room and smiled brilliantly at him as he followed.
It was Wednesday, January 15 and Edward was setting up for his presentation. Earlier he'd told me he had created a video about me and when I asked him where he'd gotten the footage, he just smiled. Turns out Alice got it for him. I should be totally weirded out, right? But I'm not.
Right before he dimmed the lights, Edward walked past me with a small smile, putting his hand down on my desk briefly and leaving a delicate white buttercup in its place. I picked it up, blushing of course, and twirled it in my fingers after inhaling its sweet scent.
Edward started the film and stood to the side, running a hand through his already tousled hair.
The screen showed a picture of me laughing as I danced around with Sebastian in my arms and the giant title that flashed across the picture read:
Isabella Marie Swan:
Under the Mask
After the title, Edward started to narrate.
"Isabella Marie Swan is a seventeen-year-old girl that obviously lives here, in Forks, Washington. She prefers her nickname, Bella, to her full name and her favorite color is blue. She has a Siberian Husky puppy named Sebastian and her father is the chief of police. She likes Italian food, especially chicken parmesan, and is allergic to mushrooms." The video flipped through pictures of me and Edward at La Bella Italia, me dancing around with Sebastian and me hugging my dad before I left for school. How Alice got a hold of these, I will most likely know as soon as school ends. "Bella doesn't like driving fast and constantly refers to me as 'the blind maniac'. She loves the beach and hates the rain. Bella also finds it hilarious to wash people's hair with ocean water and have them smell like seaweed for the next two weeks. She's very ticklish and likes to cook for her dad. She's opinionated and witty and strong and she loves the classics. One of her favorite books is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. She doesn't care what people think of her and is not afraid to be herself. She's gentle and smart and kind, when she wants to be, and loves watching scary movies so that she can laugh at them." There was a video clip of me on top of Edward that day at the beach, my dark hair flying behind me and a giant grin on my face. I was trying to rub a bunch of sand, water and seaweed into his hair and laughing as he was tried to catch my arms. Then there was a picture of me at the stove in our little kitchen at home, and one of me at Edward's house on movie night with Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. "Bella writes poetry, loves roses and flowers in general and loves to draw. She's a gifted musician and though she's mostly into rock and heavy-metal, she also enjoys some classical music. Her favorite is Claire de la Lune by Debussy. Bella is annoying, mean, pessimistic, stubborn, grumpy in the morning, and a devious thinker, but she's also selfless, sweet, beautiful, intelligent, dependable, has a great sense of humor, even if it is a bit dark sometimes, a great cook, a wonderful dancer, a responsible person, respectful, respectable, and my best friend. This is the Bella behind the mask." The screen went through pictures and pictures of me and Edward, laughing, arguing, and hanging out. There were pictures of me with my eyes narrowed in concentration as I sketched in the park, with me on my bed, engrossed in a book, me twirling, laughing smiling, frowning and in one case, attacking Edward with one of those giant noodles that you play with in the pool (don't ask, long story). There was me rocking out with an electric guitar, my hair flying wildly as I played Home by Three Days Grace, and me with my earbuds in. It finally ended with a picture of Edward and I at the winter ball, my dress swirling out around me as I danced in Edward's arms, both of us looking very happy.
The screen went black after the credits and the lights flickered back on. The classroom was silent and everyone was either staring at me or Edward in shocked disbelief. I could feel my face heating up, but I kept my head held high and shot Edward a grin which he returned.
Mr. Banner stood up and cleared his throat. "Very nicely done Edward. It seems you've really gotten to know Ms. Swan during the past two months. Nice job. Next up, Ms. Stanley, if you please?"
Jessica looked confused. "Huh?"
Mr. Banner sighed, obviously finding her apparent stupidity extremely annoying. "Please come up and present," he translated.
"Ohhh. Okay!" she bounced up and went to the front of the room. Edward came and sat next to me.
"What did you think?" he whispered in my ear.
"You really think I'm beautiful?" I whispered back.
"Of course not, you're no where near beautiful," he said back. He took the flower from my fingers and when I turned to look at him, feeling as if he had slapped me, he tucked my hair behind my ear with the little buttercup and trailed his fingers down the side of my face, gently. "You're radiant,"My face and neck flushed with pleasure and I'm pretty he could feel the heat coming off my skin from the way he smirked.
To cover my embarrassment, I went on the offense. "Apparently I'm annoying, mean, pessimistic and stubborn as well. Anything to say for yourself?"
He shrugged. "Remember when I told you I don't lie? That still stands."
I rolled my eyes and put my head down on the desk. "How did you know I played guitar? I kind of don't do it when there are other people around."
"Like I said this morning, Bella, you talk in your sleep. Oh, and Alice told me." Curse her and her love of Truth or Dare!
When the bell ending the class rang, Mr. Banner looked at me. "You're presenting first thing tomorrow, Ms. Swan. I hope you're ready." I hoped I was too.
That night in my room, I took out my electric guitar and practiced my song one last time, making sure I wouldn't embarrass myself tomorrow. It had taken a lot of courage to make the decision, but when it came right down to it, a song was the perfect thing for me.
When I went to bed that night, I had the same nightmare again, since Edward wasn't with me this time. My past had come back to haunt me. I saw a tall dark silhouette. His eyes glinted red and I saw a little boy, bleeding and bruised, standing next to the silhouette, staring at me with solemn eyes.
"Run, Bella," The boy said. "Run." The silhouette came for me and light hit his face. It was Jacob, swinging his knife at my face.
I sat up with a start. I looked at my clock on my bedside table, saw that it was three in the morning, and went back to sleep. Needless to say, my night sucked, and I woke up exhausted. I put my hair in a messy pony-tail, threw on black leggings, dark-washed ripped shorts and a dark purple long-sleeved shirt which I rolled up to the elbows after I put on one of those black puffy vest jackets. I put on my converse boots, grabbed a pop-tart and my bag and went outside to my truck. I was halfway down the street before I realized I'd left my guitar in my room. After I backtracked to get it, I drove a little faster than usual to get to school.
Edward was leaning against his car, waiting for me as usual and after I parked, opened the door and jumped out, he raised his eyebrows as his eyes ran over me.
"Wow, you look rough." He observed.
"Thanks, girls love hearing that in the morning," I snapped at him, trying to pull the stupid guitar from my backseat without damaging it while juggling my bag, books, an amp and a gym bag. I had a guitar cord wrapped around my neck and my hair was escaping my pony-tail and falling into my eyes.
"Hey, slow down, Bells," Edward said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shook him off furiously, frustrated, tired and late.
"No, go away!" I said, finally getting the thing free from the seat belt (don't ask) and pulling it out. I tried to slam the door shut, but the guitar cord got caught and as I tried to walk away, it tightened around my neck, choking me. Angrily, I stomped back over to the car door, opened it, yanked the cord out and shut the door again. As I tried to walk away, Edward blocked me.
"Bella, c'mon, when you're like this the sky gets all cloudy and rainy,"
"Well I'd certainly hate to ruin your perfect day with my emotional and mental instability." I retorted harshly.
"Okay," Edward replied, taking my bag off my shoulder and taking my gym bag from me. "There is a fine line between sarcasm and outright hostility and you seemed to have crossed it. What's wrong?"
I looked up at him for the first time today, I mean really looked. His eyes were dark green, his face open and earnest. I felt terrible for snapping at him when none of this was his fault.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I've had a really bad night and I got up late and this morning just sucks," my voice cracked and broke and all of a sudden I was blinking back tears.
"Well, first things first," He replied, unwrapping the cord from my neck. "It'll probably help if you're not strangling yourself. Now, was it the nightmares again?" he put his arm around my shoulders as we walked.
"Yes," I said, miserably.
"Maybe they mean something," he suggested.
"I know what they mean," I told him. "I'm a murderer." We were at my locker and I took my guitar and other things from him and threw them in.
Edward caught my face in between his palms. "Bella, no you aren't. Please don't ever say that again. It wasn't your fault." He said, fiercely. He hugged me tightly and when he let go, I tucked the escaped strands of hair behind my ear and smiled up at him.
"Thanks Edward." I said sadly. But it's still my fault.
He put his arm around my shoulders again as we walked to class. "Anything for you." He replied. "Oh, and before I forget, why the guitar?"
I shook my head. "Ah, ah, ah, that would be telling." He opened the door of our first period class for me and ushered me in after shaking his head.
After art, Edward and I walked to lunch together as usual, going with the flow of the crowd and laughing and joking. We dropped our stuff at the table we shared with Edward's family and got into the line. I wasn't exactly hungry, who am I kidding, my stomach wouldn't have been able to hold a Tylenol pill, so I just got an apple to roll around the table while everyone else ate, and plopped down next to Edward. Of course he decided to say something about my lack of nutrition.
"Bella why—" He started, but I cut him off.
"If I eat, I'm going to throw it back up, so don't bother trying to shove anything down my throat, Edward."
Alice giggled and Rosalie snorted. "He's probably going to try to stick you with an IV needle, Bella." They laughed together as Edward rolled his eyes and sat back from the table, leaving his pizza untouched.
I caught his eyes and raised an eyebrow when he didn't eat. He smirked back at me, saying that if I didn't eat, neither would he. Oh so it was going to be like that, was it?
I sighed, pretending to give in. "Fine," I picked up my apple and took a slow bite. He took a bite of his pizza, watching me the whole time. I watched as he chewed and swallowed, then sneakily spit the bite of apple into my hand. We continued like this until I'd gotten him to eat all of his food without me consuming a single bite.
On the downside, however, I had a handful of half-chewed, slimy, wet apple flesh in my hand and to add the icing on the cake, Lauren was coming over in a really, really low-cut tank-top, and a mini mini-skirt that looked about three sizes too small. Her bra was so obviously stuffed since her chin practically got caught in her boobs every time she turned her head and she was swaying her hips ridiculously in a failed attempt to appear sexy and seductive. I almost choked on my spit with laughter. When she stopped at our table, she stuck her chest out even more and smiled down at Edward, who cringed into me. I patted his knee under the table in sympathy.
"Poor you," I murmured into his ear, giggling, and he gave me a 'Really? That's the best you can do?' look, before he turned to face the boob-tastic bimbo.
"Hello Lauren," he said in a voice that, though was exceedingly polite, ineffectively hid his distaste.
"Hey, babe," She said, trailing a finger down Edward's shoulder. Her voice was all husky and scratchy sounding. I guess she was trying to sound like a cat purring, but in actuality her voice more resembled a dying horse trying to cough up a very painful hairball.
Emmett snorted milk out his nose as he burst out laughing and even quiet Jasper couldn't hold it in. There Lauren was, standing there, looking completely ridiculous, in front of a table in the middle of the cafeteria, with every one of the table's occupants laughing at her. The best part? She didn't know why we found her presence so hilarious. Just the way I liked it.
Anyway, she decided to ignore us and turned back to Edward. "So I was thinking, there's this really scary movie I wanted to see, but I don't want to go myself and since nobody will go with me—"
"Oh, I can imagine that," I muttered. Edward heard my remark and grinned.
Lauren obviously thought the smile was for her and she smiled back. "—you can come instead!"
I felt it as Edward shuddered. "Sorry Lauren, Bella and I have plans."
She exaggerated her pout. "I didn't even say what day."
"Yeah, we still have plans, whenever your movie-whatever is." I decided to step in and save my best friend. Lauren was cruel and unusual punishment.
"I don't remember speaking to you, you fugly little whore," She snarled at me. Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward all made to stand up, but I held up a hand, never looking away from Lauren.
"I may have changed just the tiniest bit, Lauren," I said, getting up slowly. "But the fact that I can kick your ass still remains. I'm warning you, like I've done so many times before, to kick rocks, get out of here, make like a freaking banana and split, disappear, get lost, go away, get thee gone demon, Lauren go bye-bye and whatever else there is. Capichè?" I stepped away from my seat and stepped towards her.
"You don't scare me, Bella," she spat. "You may act like some big bad wannabe G.I. Jane, but you're just a snivelly, stupid, bitch with anger management issues."
Snivelly? "You're wrong on both accounts, Lauren. I'm not a wannabe G.I. Jane, I'm the G.I. Jane, in fact, she was based off of me, so unless you want to lose your tongue, you better watch your little HIV carrying mouth. Second, I don't have anger management issues, because I know how to control my anger and when you can do that, you'd be surprised at the things you can accomplish with it. So be a good little puppy and go back to whatever guy you're screwing this week and leave us alone, okay?" I shot back at her.
I stood tall, arms crossed across my chest, my gaze level and cool while she glared angrily at me. "Screw you, you dick-sucking hoe! SCREW YOU!"
I took another step, about to make a move and Edward stood up quickly, hooking an arm around my waist.
"Bella," he murmured, warningly in my ear. I sighed. And I really wanted to break that really fake, really obvious thing on her face she called a nose job.
"Fine," I huffed, turning to go back to my seat.
"Hey Edward, you do a really good job of keeping that animal on a leash. You've got to tell me your secret!" Lauren taunted.
Edward stiffened and went to make a move, eyes burning, but I put a gentle hand on his chest and he immediately calmed. I was still pissed. "Hey Lauren," I said. "Have an apple." And with that, I tossed the disgusting remains of my chewed up "lunch" right into her butt-ugly face. The wet peels and fleshy grossness stuck to her face and chin and fell onto her overly exposed chest. I laughed as she froze and looked down at herself in disgust. Suddenly, I was inspired. I quickly went back to my spot at the table and grabbed my apple core. I walked up to Lauren and stuffed it right into her overstuffed bra right between her boobs so that you could see it sticking out, but it wouldn't be easy to remove. "Here, add this to your push-up. You know what they say, 'the bigger the better'!" I laughed and watched in satisfaction as she ran away, screaming and cursing at me. Yeah, I was on a roll with this friend-making business. I turned to my friends. "Did she seem a little upset to you guys?" I asked. They stared at me for a second before we all collapsed, shaking and out of control. In fact, we weren't alone in our sudden mirth; the whole cafeteria joined us and the school echoed with laughter.
When we could speak again, Edward turned to me. "You tricked me," he breathed.
I shrugged. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." I said. "I told you I wasn't going to eat." The bell chose to ring at that moment and I left the lunchroom with an emotional mix of euphoria, anticipation, and terror with Edward by my side, shaking his head.
In Biology, I set up my amp and guitar at the front of the room. The butterflies were crowding my stomach as I went to the table Edward and I shared to get the lyrics to the song I'd written to go over them one more time. He put his bag on the table.
"You wrote a song about me?" he asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"No, I wrote it about Lauren. Of course I wrote it about you, Edward. It's my project." I snapped at him.
"Sorry I asked." He looked at me reproachfully with those big green eyes and I realized I was being mean again.
"I'm sorry, Edward. When I'm nervous, I tend to lash out." I apologized, meekly.
"Well, you did write me a song. The least I can do is forgive you." He gave me a crooked smile, hair falling over his face and as usual, he left me push it back for him. Once the class started, Mr. Banner called me up to the front of the room.
"Bella, please present your project to the class. Judging from the electric guitar I'm looking at, it's going to be pretty interesting."
I held my head up high, acting unconcerned and even comfortable with my audience. I picked up my instrument, slung the strap across my back and started to sing as I played:
He likes sleeping in, in the morning,
And playing piano in the noon,
He's the kind of guy who likes clowning,
And throwing people in the pool,
There's nothing weird about wanting,
To eat cereal without a spoon,
Cause it's just
Who he is and what he does,
There's no way to be wrong being yoouuu!
And it's what he wants and what he is,
There's nothing wrong with acting twwwooo!
He can't cook at all, but it's cute,
How he tries to anyway,
He hates dress shoes and wearing suits,
But he'll do it any day,
He's a selfless kind of guy,
Don't ask me to tell you why
He's just naturally sweet,
But not very neat,
And there's nothing wrong with that!
He'd rather have a dog any day than a cat,
Let me sayyyy,
There's nothing wrong with that cause
It's who he is and what he does,
There's no way to be wrong being youuuu!
And it's what he wants and what he is,
It's all in your own valuuuueee!
He likes walking in the rain,
He dresses nice,
But he's not very vain,
He'd rather have spaghetti than rice
And he doesn't like bad news,
He loves his family, his friends and his cars,
He sides against Hitler with the Jews,
And has so many happy memoirs,
Cause it's,
Who he is and what he does,
There's no way to be wrong being youuuu!
And it's what he wants and what he likes,
He can do what he wants to doooo!
I kept on through the whole song, which lasted about five minutes, describing Edward's habits, dislikes, likes, and aspects of his personality, finally ending with:
He's my best friend,
The one that I trust,
To him, my heart I would lend,
Cause he's who he is.
With that last note I stopped, and looked at Edward, who grinned at me and started clapping, followed by the rest of the class. Naturally, my cheeks heated and I quickly handed the lyrics to the song to Mr. Banner, for him to grade, and took my seat after disconnecting my guitar from my amp.
"Nice, Bella. Very nice. I didn't know you could sing! Wonderful, just wonderful. You really have a gift!" He gushed.
This really wasn't helping my face cool down. "Thanks," I muttered, nearly dying and wanting desperately for the bell to ring.
"Brilliant, Bella!" Edward whispered loudly. "That was awesome! You should have told me about your talent before!"
I pinched his lips together with my thumb and forefinger when he kept talking. I tried to ignore how soft his lips felt underneath my fingers, but it wasn't easy. "Edward, you're making me blush," I said playfully. "Stop it."
I released his lips and he pouted for a second, before brightening. "I liked the song," He said. Mentally, I rolled my eyes.
"Really? I had no idea," I replied, poking his nose. He laughed and swatted my hand away.
Edward drove me home late that night after watching a movie with his family. It was about eleven and Charlie was working late. When we pulled up to the curb, all of the lights in the house were out and the porch was surrounded in darkness. Edward walked me all the way to the door and went with me as I walked around the house turning on lights and making sure there was nobody there. After the place checked out and I walked Edward back out, he looked down at me, the headlights from the car reflecting in his eyes.
"Are you going to be okay tonight?" He asked me, tugging playfully on a strand of my hair. "I could stay until Charlie gets home,"
I raised my eyebrows. "Three O'clock in the morning?"
He grinned down at me. "Like I've said before, anything for you, princess,"
I really wanted him to stay, but he had school tomorrow just like me and there was no way I was letting him stay up with me until three. Furthermore, how would I explain to Charlie when he came and found Edward in my bed? 'Oh, hey Charlie, remember Edward? Well he's staying the night because I have nightmares about my old ex trying to kill me and things are better when Edward's here'? I don't think so.
"No, I'll be fine. Be careful on the roads; I don't want you to end up wrapped around a tree," I said, wryly.
"Well, okay. See you tomorrow, Bells," He trailed a finger down my right cheek, leaving a trail of heat, before softly kissing my left. I blinked, feeling warm all over, and then he was gone, leaving chill in his place. I watched him as he honked once, before driving down the street and disappearing. When I finally closed and locked the door and turned back to the inside of my house, the lighted rooms seemed empty and creepy. A tingle went down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck lifted. The house was way too quiet and I hurried upstairs to my room, changed into my PJs and curled up on my bed. My eyelids drooped and closed as I dozed. I was floating in a between state, not quite asleep, but not quite awake, when I heard a noise in my room. I opened my eyes slightly. If there was someone in my room I'd rather they didn't know I was awake, that way I'd be able to surprise them.
I saw a giant, humanoid silhouette, lumbering towards my bed. The silhouette seemed familiar and after a bone chilling realization, I understood why. It was the giant silhouette I'd seen every night in my dreams. The one who haunted my waking thoughts, hiding and slipping and sliding in my subconscious mind like a slimy snake. It was Jacob Black. He smirked at me. "Miss me, Bella?"
Before I could tell myself not to, I screamed.
EPOV:
I hadn't wanted to leave Bella tonight. I mean, even more than usual. I had a bad feeling that wouldn't leave and it revolved completely around Bella. It made me anxious, sick with worry and near panicked. On the ride home, I was debating turning around and going back to Bella's, whether she was fine or not. By the time I reached my front porch, I'd decided to stay home. Bella would call if something were wrong after all, right? But by the time I went through the front door, I was already turning around to get back in my car. As I neared her street, the feeling of dread grew stronger. When I reached her house, I threw open the car door and rushed to the front door. Just as I was about to knock, I heard a bloodcurdling shriek come from inside.
"Bella!" I threw my shoulder into the door and it crashed open. I ran into the house and up the stairs. I threw open Bella's bedroom door to find her curled up and shaking on her bed with a tall figure in front of her. From the way that she cowered, I knew exactly who it was. Jacob Black.
"Edward!" Bella stared at me, terror, the dominant emotion on her face.
"No, I'm Jacob. Remember, babe?" The creep said, advancing on her. Before he could do anything else, I launched myself at him, knocking him to the floor, face-first.
"And I'm Edward. Nice to meet you Jacob and can I just say that you have got to be the biggest asshole in the world." I grabbed him by his hair and slammed his face into Bella's bedroom floor. He writhed struggled until he threw me off of him and swung a fist at my jaw. I ducked and threw a punch at his face. My fist connected with a crunch as I broke his nose. He came at me, yelling in fury more than pain. "Bella! Run!" I shouted at her. She jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. At least she was away from here. Hopefully she was calling the cops.
Jacob pulled out something shiny and pointed it at me. Damn it. He had a freaking gun. "Bella is mine," he hissed as he pointed it at me. "She belongs to me and now you're going to know what happens to guys who think they can take her from me." Just as he was about to pull the trigger, I heard a crash and the bastard's eyes rolled up into his head as he collapsed. Bella stood in his place, holding a broken beer bottle and breathing hard.
"News flash, I don't belong to anyone." She snarled down at him. "And I definitely don't belong to you, dickhead. Get it through your thick skull." She dropped the bottle and threw herself into my arms, sobbing. I rubbed her back, soothingly.
"It's okay, Bella, it's okay. You knocked him out, see?" I said, trying to comfort her.
She sniffed. "Mm-hmm,"
"Thanks, by the way. He was going to shoot me."
She laughed a little, a shaky, anxious sound. "Nobody kills you but me."
I reached down and picked the gun up from the floor and stared down at Jacob Black in disgust. His face was bloodied and his nose was smashed where I'd hit him. He had a lump growing on the back of his head. I shook my head in disgust before taking Bella's hand and leading her out of the room.
"Did you call the police?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "No, I was looking for something to knock him out with." Typical Bella.
"Well then, let's go." I went to her living room and picked up the phone. I dialed nine-one-one and told the lady on the other line what happened. Bella was tucked under my arm; there was no way I was letting her out of my sight at all. She leaned into me. The gun was on the lamp stand next to the couch.
After I hung up, I felt Bella stiffen and shoot up to her feet. I rose with her and followed her gaze to the staircase where the devil himself stood. Jacob was staggering, but very much awake. His face was bloody and he was quivering with rage. He stared at us, well, more directly at Bella, as if he could kill us with only a look.
"You bitch," He whispered, hoarsely.
BPOV:
Oh, no. He was back. I whimpered involuntarily. "Edward?" I reached for him.
"I'm here," he said, putting himself between me and my psychotic ex. I clung to him, scared out of my wits. My vision was clouding up as my mind went back to that night.
"Bella, I'm never going to leave you alone, you might as well give up. Come back to me, Bella," Jacob said as he advanced, threateningly. I held Adrian behind my back, trying desperately to think of a way out of this.
This time, I was the one being protected. Edward stood tensed in front of me, hands balled into fists at his sides, tendons standing out.
"Beeeelllllaaaa, come out to play," Jacob taunted as he stepped forward.
"If you touch her, I'll kill you," Edward said, almost as if he were commenting on the weather.
Jacob threw back his head and laughed. "I'd like to see you try," Edward lunged at him, knocking him back into the wall, throwing punch after punch to any part of Jacob that he could reach while I stood frozen. Jacob threw Edward off of him and jumped on top of him. I gasped in horror, and did a jumping roundhouse kick at Jacob's big head and he flew into the coffee table, his head snapping back. Edward jumped back on top of him and wrapped his hands around Jacob's throat, trying to strangle him. Jacob kicked Edward back and before he could recover, he leapt at him holding a very long, very sharp knife.
I saw it all in slow motion. Jacob flying, Edward, standing, flailing backwards, off-balance. And the blade, sinking deep into Edward's chest. Edward's face went blank with surprise and shock, and his eyes went wide as he stared down at the hilt of the knife sticking out of his chest and the pool of blood spreading around it. I heard myself cry out as Edward fell and Jacob yanked the knife out of his chest and lurched towards me.
He was coming fast and there was nothing for me to do. I would die and so would Edward, all was lost. Then I spotted the gun lying on the lamp stand right next to me. I quickly picked it up, cocked it back and then pulled the trigger. The shot went off loudly and Jacob went down like a sack of bricks. He was clutching his leg, his knee bleeding.
Dropping the gun, I ran to Edward's side. He was breathing shallowly and his shirt was soaked in blood. "Edward!" I gasped, choking on my own tears.
"Bella," he whispered. "You have…" He struggled to breathe. "…to stop the bleeding."
Stop the bleeding, right. I ripped his shirt down the middle, exposing the wound. It was deep and bleeding freely. I took off the oversized T-shirt I had put on over a tank top for bed, bunched it up, and pressed it against his chest. I heard moaning, and cursing from Jacob, and in a rage, I jumped up, grabbed the gun, and whacked him as hard as I could across the head. He slumped immediately, unconscious.
I went back to Edward after calling an ambulance and held his hand while I held my shirt to the knife-wound with the other.
"You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay," I kept saying it over and over again, trying to convince myself as well as him. Tears poured down my face and I was shaking. His lips were moving silently as he said something over and over again. I leaned down so I could hear him.
"Bella," He was saying. My name over and over again.
"I'm here, Edward I'm here," I cradled him in my arms, kissing his face and stroking his hair. "I'm here and I love you and you're going to be okay."
The ambulance ride was a blur. With the police, came my father, who insisted I get some rest after I told them what had happened, but I stubbornly refused. Instead, I rode with Edward, who was looking paler than ever. The jagged wound in his chest matched the one Jacob had given me not so long ago. I'd had the scar removed, but it still showed up faintly every so often in the light.
They took him to the emergency unit, and told me I had to wait outside. Those hours I spent aren't clear, but I know they were hell on earth for me. Edward Anthony Cullen could not die. I loved him. Maybe not the way I'd thought I'd loved Jacob, but I loved him. He was apart of me. Apart of my heart, my soul. And if he died, then so would I. I knew that I could never be Bella without him. I would be Isabella, the faceless, empty, nonexistent shell of someone who was once vibrant and full of life. I would be dead inside, the worst possible kind of death on this earth. And that would make me a killer, not once, not twice, but three times. Once for Adrian, once for Edward and once for myself. Three strikes and you're out.
I never fell asleep in the waiting room. Never answered anyone when they spoke to me, whether to offer me a pillow and a blanket or to suggest that I go home. No, I sat there, in that hard, plastic chair, in front of a low table filled with old magazines and a vase full of plastic flowers and stared straight ahead. To someone else, I might have looked perfectly calm, contained, perfectly fine and unaffected. But if you looked into my eyes, you would have seen me drowning, dying, hating myself for the things I'd let happen, for being born to hurt people, and wishing my and Edward's places were reversed. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. My mind was disconnected from my body. Edward please hold on… please…just…hold…on.
"Miss? Excuse me, Miss?" A rather short man in a white jacket with a stethoscope around his neck stood in front of me. He was balding and what little hair he had was a hard steel gray. He had big bushy eyebrows and a salt-and-pepper goatee. "Miss, I am Dr. Alan Tomislav." He reached down and shook my hand.
"I'm Bella Swan," I said, my voice empty. "It's nice to meet you."
Then he said the words I'd literally been dying to hear. Five little words. "He's going to be okay," My gaze was no longer dead, but alight with hope. I felt like I was burning. "The wound was deep, but it missed his heart. You did well stopping the bleeding the way you did," He spoke with a thick Russian accent. "We stitched him up, but we'll have to watch him for a few days. He did need some blood, he was AB positive and we were short on that, but we managed—"
"Why didn't you take mine?" I blurted before I could stop myself. I was AB positive and since it all my fault in the first place, it was only fair.
"We didn't need to; we had everything we needed. He's unconscious now, but you can go see him." Dr. Tomislav told me. I would have hugged him, but I was rushing down the hallway towards the room he told me Edward was in.
I eased open the door, peeking in, before entering. Edward was propped up on several pillows, an IV stuck in his left arm. He looked awful, pale with dark purple bruises blossoming across his cheekbones. His eyes were closed and his breathing was ragged.
I went to sit on the bed next to him, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I stroked his cheek, traced his pale violet eyelids, his nose and his lips. I picked up his hand, the one without the IV and intertwined my fingers with his. I bowed my head, closing my eyes and letting the tears roll freely. I don't know how long I just sat there, but it was about three in the morning when I came into the room.
After a time, I felt a hand trailing my shoulder lightly. I lifted my head to see Edward awake and staring at me. His eyes were the bright green I remembered and loved and I started to cry harder. He tried to sit up but stopped and cringed in pain, propped up on his elbows.
"No," I told him through my tears. "Lay back down, you need to rest."
"Bella," He started. His voice was raspy and he cleared his throat. "Bella," he said, his voice much clearer, "Bella, stop crying. Please."
"I-I can't." I told him. "This is all my fault," He didn't lay back down. Instead, he removed his hand from mine and circled his arm around my waist and pulled me down onto the bed with him. He scooted over a bit to make room and I curled into his side.
"This isn't your fault," He whispered, his breath tickling my ear.
"Yes it is. People are always getting hurt because of me," I sobbed.
"Shh, Bella, shhh. It's Jacob's fault." He stroked my hair and we were quiet for a while. "Bella?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes, Edward?"
"Did he hurt you? At all? Did he even touch you?" He asked me, his eyes burning into mine.
"No he didn't." I replied. "But I wish he had. I wish it had been me instead of you."
"Bella I swore no one would ever hurt you again and I'm glad I kept that promise. I'd do it again if I could. Again and again."
I put a finger over his lips. "No, no you wouldn't, no one would, don't say that,"
"For you, a thousand times over," he whispered. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine. "A thousand times over, for you. Only for you."
I leaned against him limply. I could feel his warmth, feel his hair tickling my forehead, feel his heart beating against mine. "Edward, you shouldn't," I whispered back.
"I love you, too," Was all he said back to me before we drifted off to sleep together with our fingers intertwined like children in a fairytale. As I drifted off to sleep with him, his words echoed in my mind. For you a thousand times over. For you. Only for you…
A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. I hope you loved this chappy. It's thirty-one pages long, believe it or not. The next one will be out soon. You guys know the drill, read and review! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Lot's of love ; )
-xoxo Sirena32