Title: Poison
Genre: Angst
Rating: T?
Pairing: Bella/Paul
Words: 524
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Prompt: You've helped make me who I am.

AN: This is another one that I'm not sure will make sense. I got about five different plot bunnies from this week's prompts, this was just the first one I wrote, and the darkest.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Poison

His mind worked feverishly as he walked at a brisk human pace through the hallways. His escort was silent, but it was impossible to mistake the malice radiating from his overheated body. His presence here was clearly a last resort.

"Here." The gruff word was spoken reluctantly, and needlessly. There was no mistaking the scent and sound of the group gathered behind the thick wooden door. He took a deep, unnecessary breath and braced himself to enter.

Despite the words spoken on the phone and the more detailed information given in the parking lot, nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted his eyes.

Three wolves stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the door, blocking his entrance until he looked up and met their warning gazes. Even then, only a growl from their alpha put their feet in motion. With his view unobstructed, he turned his eyes toward the bed.

The girl he knew was practically hidden, curled as she was on the lap of her mate. The dangerous wolf sat with his legs crossed, his arms covering the center of his world as if he could somehow protect her by shielding her from view. His pack mates knew his bravado covered the suffocating feelings of helplessness that threatened to destroy him.

The man took a step forward, only to stop when a large russet head raised up beside the bed, locking eyes on the perceived enemy with bared teeth and a menacing growl. Her oldest friend was too distraught to hold his human shape, but he couldn't bear to be away from her side.

"Shh, Jake." Her voice was weak, gravelly, nothing like he remembered. Every eye watched as her frail, bony fingers reached out of her warm nest to tangle in his thick fur. Much to the man's surprise, the wolf relaxed and leaned into her touch, laying his head on the bed so she wouldn't have to reach as far.

She looked up into the warm, familiar eyes of her mate and pressed a dry kiss to the scruff on his chin. He was exhausted, nearly as depleted as she was since he refused to leave her side and miss even a single heartbeat.

Sensing his brother's struggle, Jared sat down beside them, taxing the limits of the flimsy hospital bed. "Paul? You gonna be able to handle this?" he murmured quietly, firmly gripping his best friend's neck.

Paul crumbled for a second, tucking his face against Bella's hair, then he sat up and gently turned his imprint out to see her visitor. He held in his cringe as he revealed her diseased arm—the old poisoned bite at the wrist radiating streaks of deep silver up the fragile veins directly to her weak heart.

She turned surprisingly clear eyes on the vampire in the doorway she hadn't seen in more than a year and gave a cocky smirk that she learned from her lover. "What's wrong? You look a little sick—don't like what you see?" Her voice darkened as her eyes narrowed in a venomous glare. "Too bad, Carlisle. You've helped make me what I am."