Edward

I continued around to the front, keeping my eyes closely on the car. I could see the shape of the driver just sitting in the front seat, but they didn't make a move to get out. I ran my fingers through my hair and narrowed my eyes at my visitor as I came to stand in front of his car.

"Can I help you?" I asked, loud enough for them to hear me. The person in the car cocked their head to the side. "Hey!" I screamed.

The door finally opened and a younger guy stepped out. He didn't look familiar to me, but I didn't like him already.

"Who the fuck are you?" I asked.

He took a few steps towards me and started kicking at the stones in the driveway. "Do you really think she...loves you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean...look at you. How the Prince has fallen..." He laughed. "I mean do you honestly think she'll choose you over me?"

She? Bella? I shook my head. "Listen, I don't know what the hell you're talking about but you need to get the fuck off of my property."

"Not until I've finished my business."

I took a few steps towards him, feeling pissed off and possessive. "And what business is that?"

"Protecting what's mine."

I jumped backward as he swung his fist at me. I stumbled over my own feet and crashed to the ground, wincing as the stones cut into my back and hands.

He was on me in an instant, pounding his fists into my face as I struggled against him. I tried to get him the hell off of me, but his weight on my chest was so heavy that it was almost impossible.

I growled and threw all of my body towards his, fighting against his punches. I pushed his chest back and landed on top of him, struggling to hold his aggression back.

I felt the blood trickling down my face and I closed my eyes, shaking away the memory of my parents' murder. Blood. It was always the blood.

I felt a painful knee to my ribs and staggered back, stumbling to try and stand up straight. He laughed again and lunged at me again, hitting me square in the stomach. We both fell back, hitting the front of his car with a loud thud.

A sharp pain shot through my skull as it slammed against the hood. I forced myself up again, only to be thrown down to the ground. I landed flat on my stomach and felt a hard shove to my back as I tried to get up.

Tires screeched onto the pavement as I struggled against his the pressure of his foot.

"Edward!" Bella screamed. God, no. Please don't let her be here. Please let this be a dream. "Alec!" She shrieked. "Stop!"

There was a commotion above me and suddenly his weight was gone. I winced as I rolled over and tried to catch my breath. Bella screamed as she held onto Alec's back, pulling at his hair and hitting him.

I tried to scream her name, but nothing came out. Alec yelled and grabbed her tiny frame, hoisting it off his body. She fell hard to the ground and rolled away from him.

I scrambled to my feet and darted towards her. I only saw her.

"Bella?" I whispered. I touched her lightly, rolling her over to her back. There was a cut on her head that was already starting to bleed a little. I ran my fingers across her flesh, tender and soft. Her eyes fluttered open as the tears started to fall from her cheeks. She winced in pain as she reached for me.

Something clicked behind us and I shot to my feet. Alec was standing a few feet from us; his legs shoulder width apart as he watched. The click sounded again and again and I realized he was holding a switchblade in his hand, clicking the blade in and out.

"This ends now," he said.

I needed to protect her. All I could think about was him hurting her and it made my stomach turn. My chest ached, burning deep beneath my ribcage as I stood before him. I wanted to use it. That fire. I wanted to use it to destroy him.

I ran towards him, keeping an eye on the blade in his hand. He seemed a little surprised by my sudden attack and didn't have time to raise his arm before I hit him. The blade fell to the ground as I forced him back against the side of his car. He was stunned for a moment as his head lolled back on the window. I took the opportunity to reach down and grab the knife, only for my own protection. And hers. I could still hear her sobbing behind me and I wanted nothing more than to go and fucking comfort her, but I couldn't. I had to make sure he wouldn't hurt us. Ever again.

I held the knife up to his throat, barely grazing his skin. It was strange; I thought this would feel good. I was saving our lives. He obviously didn't give a shit about my life or ruining hers. I should want...to kill him for what he was trying to do. But for some reason I didn't. I had no hate, no urge to end his life. I didn't even want to hurt him. I just wanted him to leave and never come back, never hurt us again. That was all I wanted.

"Get. Out," I growled. I dropped the knife to the ground and stepped back.

"Edward?" Bella called softly.

I sighed and turned around. I tried to calm the ache in my chest as I watched her struggle to sit up. She looked relieved. Like maybe this was all over. And then everything changed. Her eyes went wide as a piercing scream slipped through her lips.

I barely felt it, the knife slicing through my skin. No pain, just pressure. Right in my lower back. Alec screamed and forced it deeper as I fell to my knees. I blinked, trying to sort through my thoughts. He stabbed me. I was bleeding. And I felt nothing. Except for her.

Alec huffed and stepped in front of me. His hands were smudged with a small amount of blood, but void of the blade. It was only then that I realized it was still in me. I tried to turn and twist my body, but that's when I felt it. The pain. It hit me like a brick wall, shooting through my entire body. Almost like someone stuck a hot poker against my skin, but no matter how much I screamed or protested they kept it there. Burning, stinging. Pain.

I fell forward onto my palms as I felt the blood drain from my body. I chanced one last look up. I just had to see her. One last time, if that was all I was given. I was met with him instead.

"I always win," he said clenching his teeth together. He pulled at the sleeves of his shirt again like he was fixing to hit me again. I barely noticed. Everything was starting to blur around the edges, almost like I was drunk. The world was spinning around me and I was powerless to stop it. So I let it spin.

The last thing I remember before everything went black, except for the fiery hate burning behind his eyes, was her. And just before he hit me that last time, I smiled. I fucking smiled. I was at peace. For the first time in seven years I felt a stillness settle within me.

I glanced behind him and pleaded with her to leave it alone. I was okay with dying for her if that's what this was. She saw past all my indiscretions, all my scars and my demons. And she loved me. God, she loved me. If that was all I knew of love in my entire life it was more than enough. I didn't deserve it and I never asked for it. It's funny how things find you when you need to be found. I was so fucking lost and she saved me.

"Edward!" She screamed. I closed my eyes as she started towards us but it was too late.

"I love you Bella," I whispered. The last blow hit right below my eye and that was it. I was lost again to the darkness.

I always heard when you died, your entire life flashed before your eyes. Luckily for me, it wasn't true. I saw what could have been, what I should have had with Bella.

A bright light blinded me for a moment. When I opened my eyes again, I was warm and comfortable, lying in the grass of the gardens behind the house. The sun was high in the sky, but the breeze was cool against my skin.

A high-pitched laugh sounded behind me and I cocked my head to the side, trying to see where it was coming from. My eyes widened as a young boy, probably around three, stumbled toward me with a large grin on his face.

"Daddy!" He screamed, lunging towards me.

I was in complete shock. I knew I'd never seen this little boy before in my life, but I knew in an instant that he was my son. And it scared the shit out of me.

He finally reached me and jumped onto my stomach. I winced as his knee dug into my ribs and reached up to shift him over.

"Hey…buddy." I settled him on my chest as I watched him. I'd never seen anything so astonishing. And I'd made him. He was mine. I wasn't used to creating something so beautiful. He had my mother's deep eyes and Bella's dark hair, but that smile was completely like mine.

Even this strange, unfamiliar situation seemed shockingly natural to me. I'd never wanted kids, not just because I never thought someone would want me to be, but I was too scared I would fuck them up like I was. I knew the instant I saw his face that nothing could be farther from the truth.

"Where's Mommy?" I asked. I wanted to see her. I wanted to see Bella.

The little boy whipped his head around and pointed out to the roses. I sat up and put my arms around him as I lifted his both up from the ground. He crawled up and around to my back, like it was something we always did. And somehow I knew deep down in my heart that we did.

My breath hitched in my throat when I saw her. The wind was blowing her flowing white dress around her body, clinging tightly to her swollen belly as she sauntered up and down the aisles of flowers. She reached out and plucked a deep red rose and held it to her lips.

I started towards her, anxious to hold her again. The boy bounced happily on my back as we reached her. She turned towards us with a smile.

"There you are. I was afraid I'd lost you," she whispered. Her voice hinted on sadness and somehow I felt like she knew what this was. That it wasn't real.

"Down," the boy said. I laughed and bent down so he could hop off my back. He started running through the rows of flowers.

I reached out for her, running my hand over her belly before enveloping her waist and pulling her towards me. And I was complete.

"Am I dead?" I asked.

"Not yet," she said against my chest.

"Can I stay here with you?"

"No," she said. She pulled back and leaned up to kiss me.

"How do I…" I trailed off. I was never one to believe in Heaven, but if it existed this was it for me. I didn't want to leave.

She pressed her fingers against my lips, silencing my words. "Go back, Edward. I can't…miss you like this. And you can't miss this. You deserve to live." She reached out and put my hand on her belly.

"I don't know how," I whispered, my voice cracking. The tears prickled behind my eyes as I felt myself fading away. My fingers and toes started to tingle and go numb, almost like they were disappearing all together. I was disappearing. I looked at her with sheer panic as I slipped away. "Help me."

"Follow my voice," she said. "Hold onto my voice, Edward." I started feeling dizzy as the world darkened around me, almost like it was closing in on me. Something shot through my body as it enveloped me completely. I told myself to breathe. And to listen. Listen for her.

"Edward!" Bella's voice shot through the darkness like an arrow. It was different from before. She was terrified.

I tried to call out to her, but I couldn't.

"Edward, come back to me! Please!" She sobbed. Something soft and wet hit my face as another jolt coursed through me. My eyes shot open and I was back in the driveway, looking up at her. I blinked slowly as I took in everything.

There were two EMTs standing above me, one holding a defibrillator as they shouted instructions back and forth. I struggled to arch my neck and look behind me. There was a white sheet covering something a few feet away from us. Charlie was standing over it, looking in our direction with concern. There were several police cars in the driveway, their lights washing over the landscape. Two ambulances were parked behind them.

I glanced back at Bella, still unable to sleep. A small smile spread across her face as she caressed my cheek. The tears fell freely from her eyes as she reached for my hand.

"We need to get him to a hospital; he's lost a lot of blood. Thought we lost him there for a minute. Good thing we got here when we did." one of the men said.

"He's a lucky guy," the other said. He turned to Bella. "We were able to slow the bleeding from the stab wound. He's pretty beaten up, Miss Swan. Would you like to accompany us to the hospital?"

"Yes," Bella said.

I winced as they slid a body board underneath me and hoisted me up onto the cart. Bella held onto me the whole way as we started towards the ambulance.

"You're going to be okay, Edward. I'm right here." She leaned down and kissed my forehead.

In spite of the pain, I sighed in relief. Everything was okay. Sure I got stuck like a fucking pig and had some pretty strange out of body experience that I'd never tell anyone else about, but I was here. Bella was here. We were okay. And in more ways than having a fucking heartbeat, I was alive.

A/N: FYI this was the last regular chapter. I have one epi planned : )

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and supported me in this story. It was an absolute joy to write and I hope you enjoyed it.

I was thinking about possibly doing a Twitter watchalong of Beauty and the Beast so please follow me on Twitter and look for news in the epi chapter on when this will take place. :)