A/N: Ok, here it is. *Tingles running up my arms*
I wish you all good luck while reading… might want to grab your tissues. Edward said that he'd borrow you some of his, but they are all used up.
Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. I own the Halloween candy that should be passed out to the trick-or-treaters here in a few days, but instead my husband ate.
Chapter 21: Never Again
BPOV
"Oh and get me some chocolate covered peanuts to, Emmy!" Rose had her pregnant ass plopped on the couch out front in the shop and was insisting that Emmett go out and get her the most recent belly craving.
Right now it's chocolate covered peanuts, later it's gonna be a Caribou coffee. And knowing Emm, he'll run at the drop of a hat to get it for her.
Emmett gave her a kiss on the cheek and was on his way to meet Prego's needs. Emmett was going to be such a great daddy. He took care of Rose in every way possible wanting to make sure that she was happy and comfortable and that little Emma Rose was getting whatever she wanted. That little girl is going to have him wrapped around her little finger in no time. Emmett surprised Rose by painting the nursery while she visited a friend last week and did some monkey artwork on the walls that she melted over. Rose let is slip a time or two that she refers to Emmett as her 'monkey man' in the bedroom, and he thought it would be funny to incorporate that into their little girls bedroom. This is Emmett, need I remind you?
Rose was now a little over 7 months pregnant and the beach ball also known as her stomach was filling out nicely. It was the beginning of May, and winter was finally behind us. The ground was starting to turn green again, and I welcomed the fresh air that spring had to offer.
Alice, Esme and I had thrown a small shower for Rose yesterday, and we were all shot. Between the organizing and the actual party, I had no energy left for anything else in my own life. I was physically burned out from Rosalie and her needy belly.
There were several times in the last month or so that I felt dizzy and short of breath, but I knew I was running on empty with everything that was going on. Between Rose, the baby, the shop, wedding plans, and working on my book; I was spent.
As much as we all loved Rose, she was the worst pregnant lady in the world, and we wanted our old friend back. She could be a bitch at times, but usually she was great.
She hadn't done any modeling shoots in months, and was left to nag us daily, as I continued to work on my book, and the rest of the guys tried to run their shop. She wasn't the typical shop girl that some guys like to have around for good looks and smiles.
Jasper had finally 'manned up and grew some balls' and popped the question a few nights ago. He and Alice were riding high on cloud nine, sappy smiles across their faces and all. We were all so excited for the happy couple, knowing that there were now two weddings in the works. Carlisle and Esme were overwhelmed with excitement, mostly Esme as now she had two weddings she could plan. We knew they were happy for us all, and the adventures that were to come. Alice and Jasper getting engaged was the icing on the cake we were all waiting for.
Jasper and Alice had decided on a New Years Eve wedding. This year it fell on a Friday night, and they wanted to do an evening ceremony, and a party after to bring in the New Year with everyone. Even though Alice had only been engaged for a matter of maybe 72 hours, she already planned out the whole affair.
Every. Single. Detail.
Our wedding was set for late August. We were having a small ceremony in Central Park, inviting only our close friends, Esme and Carlisle. That's just how we wanted it. Small and intimate. And of course we would have a party afterwards so that Carlisle and Esme could invite their friends and co-workers, which Edward was really excited for.
Edward didn't care much about the details of the wedding, but said that he wanted me to ride up in a horse drawn carriage, and I melted in the thought, remembering our first date.
I was starting to count down the days to the wedding and when I would officially be Mrs. Edward Cullen.
Seriously, that has such a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
I couldn't wait for my Cullen tattoo. Edward had asked me about it a few weeks ago; to see if it was something I was interested in getting. Are you kidding me? Of course I was interested. The smile he wore didn't leave his face for days when I told him that I had been thinking about it pretty much since we met. I wasn't lying. The first time I seen his, I fantasized about where mine would go.
Edward had even gotten me a smaller size of his 'Cullen' sweatshirt with the crest on it, saying that he thought I would like one in my own size. But to be honest, I still wore his most of the time, loving the way it smelled like him, and loving wearing anything that was his. He noticed the way I always smelled his clothes, and started spraying my sweatshirt with his cologne so I would start wearing it more. God bless the man.
Alice was in full planning mode, and even though we wanted to keep it small, she had other ideas. Alice helped me pick out my dress, and gave me suggestions of what Rose and her should wear. And by suggestions, I mean she picked the exact dress and color. They were my bridesmaids, and Emmett and Alex would be Edward's groomsmen. Jasper would of course be walking me down the isle. Little Emma Rose was going to be our honorary flower girl, even though she would only be about a month old. We picked her out a fluffy white dress with lots of lace and layers of tool.
I couldn't wait to become a Cullen. Not much was going to change in reality, we already lived with each other and shared a bed, but just the thought of permanently being locked with Edward for the rest of our lives was what I was looking for. We were in the process of getting my name put on the shop, and his on a few things of mine for liability purposes and we were good to go.
We were ready for this and now the wait was on.
Life was really starting to take shape over the last few months as the drama settled down. Lately I found myself reflecting over the last year a lot. With the baby and the weddings to come, I felt my head spinning with everything that had happened.
Only a year ago, Jasper and I were still in Chicago, working on my book tour and not sure what we wanted to do when it was all over. And then we moved, and I met Edward. And then the James thing happened, and Mama died. There was just so many up and downs, I couldn't wait for some normalcy in my life.
I was ready to take the next step with Edward and move forward in life.
Edward had been playing around with the open mic nights more and more and Jasper and Emmett would play along with him. They were starting to make a name for themselves with a lot of the locals in town and the three of us girls went on a nightly basis to support our men and make sure the cougars and teenagers that snuck into the bars kept their paws off of them.
Literally the Cullen family band. I gave them shit left and right for being like the Partridge family.
They were getting pretty good and were even starting to write some of their own music. Edward had talked about getting some studio time and trying to put together a CD, but said that he was only thinking about it. I think he was still too nervous to have to many people here this personal side of him.
******
It was late Friday night and I was psyched up on caffeine, drinking my 3rd pot of coffee of the night. Edward was over at Emmett's working on some new music; Rose and Alice were having a movie night at Alice's, while Jasper was sleeping. He had a cold and hadn't been feeling well for days. The guys gave him shit for being a pansy, but it didn't last long seeing as how they all know what it's like to be sick and what shit you feel like.
I didn't go to the movie night as I was really inspired and was pumping out chapter after chapter of my book. It was almost finished and I was proud of myself for all the energy I had put into it. No one was allowed to read it yet as I wasn't ready for any negative comments with my unfinished work. I figured when it was finished they could critique it and tell me how bad it sucked. Well hopefully not, but you never know. I have been known to write piles of shit before. Those are the one that have been burned so no one could use them against me.
I had a craving and it was bad. I couldn't think of anything else and found myself writing about the damn shit, almost tasting it I was salivating so horribly. I knew I shouldn't have gone out by myself but I didn't want to bother anyone, especially at one in the morning on a Friday night. Jasper was sleeping, and Edward was with Emmett and I didn't want to bother Prego or Tink. At this stage in the game, you didn't bother prego for anything, not knowing when she was going to snap or not.
I needed some ice cream, and the store down the block was open all night. Yay me for living in a city that never sleeps! They had the best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and I had to have it. I don't know what possessed me, but after watching Rose get whatever she wanted for the past couple of months, I felt that the ice cream was calling my name and I needed it.
I grabbed my cell and left a note on the counter letting Edward know where I was going in case he came back in the 10 minutes I planned to be gone, and walked down to the corner. It was really dark out tonight, but no one was out but me. It was almost peaceful as it was so quiet. And the May weather had just the perfect breeze.
I grabbed my ice cream secretly wanting to start eating it right there in the store and made my way up to the check out. I thanked the cashier and grabbed my quart and started towards home. The faster I get home, the faster I get into that tub of creamy deliciousness that's been calling my name all night!
As I walked, I could feel someone behind me. At first I didn't think anything of it, probably psyching myself out for no good reason. It was just my imagination playing games with me.
But as I kept walking I realized it wasn't my imagination.
My heart rate picked up, my palms started to sweat as I tried to make my feet move faster with anxiety creeping in with who was behind me.
I heard the clicking of their shoes and the loudness of their breathing. There were no streetlights and it was dark, but I could see shadows.
I was being followed.
I started to walk faster realizing that I wasn't just paranoid, there really was someone following me. The faster I walked, the faster the footsteps got. I began to panic, knowing that I had put myself in a very dangerous situation. I should never have gone out by myself! What was I thinking? How hard would it have been to go up and get Edward or Emmett to take a walk? God I was so stupid!
I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Edward's number praying to God he would pick up as I kept moving as fast as my legs allowed. At least he would know where I was if something happened, which by the feeling in the pit of my stomach, there was definitely something about to happen. My fingers were clammy; shaking with every button I pushed, knowing that someone was indeed behind me and that we were all alone.
As my shaky thumb pushed send, I felt arms wrap around my waist, fingers digging deep into my hips, pulling me with force into the dark alley. I cried out, dropping my bag and cell phone on the sidewalk as a large hand clamped over my mouth to silence my voice as my attacker pulled me further into the darkness. I tried to kick my legs and shift myself out of his grasp but he was too strong, and I wasn't going anywhere.
My back was too my attacker and I couldn't see who it was, making my entire body trembled not knowing who it was or what they were going to do to me. I hit my head back against him, hoping that if I hurt him, he would release me, but I only made contact with something hard, his chest. He was tall and I did no damage.
Fuck.
This was bad.
This was really bad.
I was thrown hard against the brick wall of my apartment building, knocking the wind out of me. As I tried to catch my breath, I looked up to meet his eyes. I felt myself backing up into the building wall, obviously unable to go any further, but so terrified I was willing to try. His eyes glared back at me, full of revulsion and disgust.
My breathing picked up as my entire body started to shudder in fear of what was happening and who was standing in front of me.
I started crying and yelling, hoping someone could hear me. I was almost home, and everyone that I knew was so close, yet so far away.
I was hit hard in the face as he attempted to silence me, but the blow only made me shriek louder from the pain that was inflicted. My face stung from the hit and tears formed in my eyes from the pulsating ache in my cheek.
He kneeled down in front of me and slapped me across the face before clamping his hand over my mouth, which silenced my cries. I bit down on his hand with everything that I had and was hit again, this time in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me making it hard to breathe.
"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled as he grabbed my arms and shook me to get me to look at him. When I didn't look up, I was hit again, instinctively causing me to cry again in pain.
"No!" I tried to scream from under his hand, begging my eyes to be wrong. He couldn't be here. This wasn't possible. Ben said that it was over. His hand muffled my voice barely making it audible.
"You asked for this Isabella!" He screamed as he shook me, my head making contact with the brick wall several times, causing his face to go fuzzy. My breath was becoming shorter and I was having a hard time sucking in enough air. I think I was having a panic attack.
My nightmare was coming true. Why was he doing this? Why couldn't he just leave me alone? He was supposed to be in prison. What the fuck was going on? A thousand questions made there way in to my head and I had a hard time concentrating on them as my body throbbed in pain.
"James! Please! Please stop!" His hand muffled my words again. I was confused, disoriented and couldn't contemplate how he was standing in front of me at this very moment. "You're supposed to be in prison!" I yelled as his hand moved to my neck allowing me to take a deep breath and swallow back the small amount of blood in my mouth.
I looked at his face in the dim light. He was wearing street clothes and his hair was back in its usual ponytail. If he had escaped, he wouldn't have normal clothes on, right?
"Not everything is as it seems Isabella. Nice try though, I give you an E for effort." He pushed my head roughly to the side and ran his dirty finger down my neck. "Although I see you already got an 'E'. Stupid little slut!"
I felt his grimy hands run themselves up my thighs inching closer to my zipper as his nose skimmed my hair and his breathing picked up. I heard him moaning at the contact he had with my body and felt physically ill.
"Please, please don't do this! Don't you think you've put me through enough James?" I begged, as tears streamed down my cheeks and his hands continued to touch me in ways only Edward was allowed.
My heart was beating a mile a minute and I was becoming short of breath as I continued to panic with every move he made. I was becoming dizzier by the minute and prayed that I didn't faint.
Pain shot through my neck as I was struck again. My body was pulsating with insurmountable pain. "Shut your mouth, you stupid bitch! No one's hear to protect you this time are they Isabella?" His voice was laced with venom as he continued to stare at my body like he used to. Nothing good came from that stare.
He wrapped his hands around my arms tighter than he ever had before forcing me not to move. I closed my eyes not wanting to see him, praying this was all just a dream. This is just a nightmare that I will soon wake from, and Edward will kiss me and make it all better.
"Look at me you filthy whore! Look at me!" James was screaming in my face, the pain worsening in my head as his face and the alley became a complete blur.
I looked up at him blinking my eyes, trying to focus and seen the fire in his eyes telling me that he was not in the best mental state of mind.
"I'm begging you, please just let me go! Please don't do this James. It doesn't have to be this way." Reason and James weren't two things that went well together but I couldn't just give up. Not this time. I didn't want to go through this again. I couldn't go through this again.
"It doesn't have to be this way? Are you fucking kidding me? You're my property Isabella. I've been trying to make you see that for years. But you're just to damn stubborn to see what's right in front of you. You always were stubborn. Maybe you'll start wising up. I can make you wise up if that's what you need." His eyes were crazed looking as he smiled at the pain he was inflicting on me.
"What do you want James?" I barely squeaked it out through the tears, my body trembling in fear knowing exactly what he hunted. Me.
"I want you, Isabella. That's all I've ever wanted. I'll show you we're meant to be together. You'll see. I'll make you see." His hold never loosened and my arms were growing numb with the lack of blood flow.
He let go of my right arm, his hold on my left arm tightening so I couldn't move. His free hand went for my zipper again, and as he pulled it down, I kneed him in the sack. I hit with all my strength as he fell to his knees and his grasp on my arm loosened enough for me to get away. I got to my feet and tried to run.
I only made it a few feet before I felt him pull at my ankle tripping me, as I fell flat on my face to the hard cement. He dragged me to him and slammed my body against his own.
"You are going to pay for that Isabella!" He turned me so I was facing him and grabbed my throat chocking me. I could barely breath, and could only whisper begging for him to let me go. "You're going to pay for everything you have ever put me through."
I pushed against him with all my strength, but little by little my energy was running out, his hand against my throat to tight. I couldn't breath and the lack of oxygen was starting to take affect.
"Where's your boys now Bella?" He laughed at me, tightening his fingers over my throat. "I'm going to make you pay for every time you sicked your dogs on me. It was you! You're the reason I was in jail. You're the reason for all of this!" He yelled shaking me with force. "You brought this all on yourself, and now you are going to pay."
I tried to pull away from him again with no luck. I tried to kick him in the crotch, but he caught my knee mid air and pushed it back down. I felt a searing pain in my ribs and the hold he had on my neck loosened. I gasped for breath while I could, sucking it in greedily. I couldn't help but cry. Cry in pain, every inch of my body was throbbing. But most of all cry because I was petrified of this man.
His voice became muffled and I was becoming incoherent. I could feel something warm seeping into my eyes, and closed them so I wouldn't have to see his face any longer.
I felt my shirt ripping under his hands and him feeling my chest. The sound of the fabric ripping was deafening. My entire body was trembling as his hands touched me. It hurt, I was sobbing with pain, but new the sooner he did it, the sooner he would leave. All I wanted him to do was leave. I thought that he was never coming back. I was sure of it.
And here I was, feet from my home, my safety, and felt like I was being killed slowly.
He kissed my lips, and down along my now exposed collarbone before making his way to my chest as I shivered at his contact.
I started to lose consciousness, feeling every bit of pain he was inflicting but unable to do anything about it.
James was too big and strong compared to me, and I had nothing left in me. My mind was hazy; it took every ounce of strength to not faint. I didn't want to even think about what he would do to me if I passed out and couldn't fight, even if it was a weak fight.
I prayed to myself that he would just take what he wanted and leave.
I prayed for Edward to come find me.
I prayed for this all to be just a bad dream and that I would wake up in Edwards loving arms.
I love you Edward. I pray you find me soon. I'm so sorry Angel.
I began to feel numb as James continued to assault my body. I heard his belt buckle coming undone and I knew that the end was near. With my eyes closed, I leaned my throbbing head against the building and waited for it to be over.
Edward would find me when it was all over. If I made it, he would make everything ok.
I swore to myself this would never again happen. And here I was, back where it all started.
I felt him going for my pants again and new it was almost over.
I kept my eyes shut and waited.
EPOV
It was late Friday night and Emmett and I were just finishing up on a new piece of music that we'd been working on. I was trying to get some of the last notes down and was having trouble.
Bella had said that she wanted to work on her book tonight. The last couple of days she had been really pumping out the chapters, and I didn't want to bother her. I figured if I was up at Emmett's, then she could have the place to herself and really get some work done.
Fucking Jasper was sick with a cold and had gone to bed a few hours ago, complaining of a stuffy nose. Pansy.
My phone rang, and I looked down to see Bella's picture pop up. I immediately began to smile thinking of my Angel.
"Hey Baby...." I was cut off by the sound of the phone being dropped and heavy breathing.
I heard screaming, and then everything went quiet.
My stomach dropped knowing that it was Bella's screams on the other side of the phone. My heart was racing in anticipation, not knowing what the fuck was going on.
"Bella? Bella?" I screamed into the phone, praying like hell that she would respond, but heard nothing.
I continued to listen as I threw down the sheet music in my hands, bolting from the apartment to take the stairs down to our apartment. Emmett was yelling at me, wondering what the fuck was going on, but followed right behind me, knowing that something seriously was wrong with Bella from the way I was reacting.
I heard more screams on the other end of the phone as my hand began to shake. Then she spoke.
"Please. Please stop. Don't do this!" She was screaming, I could tell she was crying and my hands went to my hair pulling at the roots begging for some Goddamn answers. Oh my God, please let her be ok. She has to be ok. What the fuck is going on? My mind was going a mile a minute, and my legs couldn't move fast enough.
"Fuck!" I screamed as I hit the last stair and pulled the fire door open, bolting for my door.
I reached for the handle and it was locked. Of course it would be locked. We always locked the door. I grabbed my keys and let myself in as my hands shook like I was having a fucking seizure. I ran around the apartment looking for her, screaming out her name, but the apartment was to quiet, and the screaming continued on the other side of the phone that was coming from… outside? She wasn't here.
"There's a note E!" Emmett yelled from behind me, pointing to the kitchen, looking just as lost as I felt.
I ran to the island in the kitchen and seen a note in her chicken scratch.
E. I will probably be back by the time you get this, but if for
some reason I'm not, I just ran to get ice cream quick
at the corner store. Lets have a naked ice cream date in bed!
Love you,
-B
I heard more screaming coming from the other side of the phone. I felt powerless. My mind was racing with scenarios, not a single one pleasant. I looked up to find Emmett just as panic-stricken not knowing what the fuck was going on.
"Call the police!" I yelled to him, as I continued to listen, hoping that she would speak again.
I ran across the hallway and barged into Alice and Jaspers. Alice and Rose were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie and jumped up as I entered.
Still holding the phone to my ear, hearing the screaming, I looked towards the girls.
"Where's Jasper?" I frantically yelled as helped Rose to stand.
"In the bedroom? What's going on Eddie?" Alice looked freaked out wondering why I was acting like a fucking mad man.
"Get him! Now!" Alice jumped and ran into their bedroom.
Jasper came out a few seconds later, pulling on a pair of jeans. Alice threw him a shirt as he made his way towards me unsure of what was happening. He gave me a 'what the fuck' look as I was clearly not in the right state of mind barging into their apartment in the wee hours of the morning.
"Bella." was all I was able to choke out, on the verge of tears and trying to swallow the knot in my throat. Jasper went pale at the realization that something was very wrong with our girl.
Emmett explained to him what I heard on the phone and the three of us made our way out of the apartment.
Alice and Rose followed, and Emmett told them to wait downstairs in the lobby for the cops.
Bella had to be close. She was just going to the corner store. We ran down the flights of stairs knowing that it would be faster than the elevator
"She's gotta be close. We gotta fucking find her!" I yelled to Emmett and Jasper, phone clutched so tightly to my ear that my lobe went numb.
Jasper looked as if he was going to be sick. It was the same way I felt.
We made our way to the front doors and bolted out running in the direction of the corner store was in. My heart was beating to fast, and I was sweating to beat sixty. I had to find her. I had to find her.
It was so dark out that you could barely see a few feet in front of you. The streetlight wasn't working and I didn't know where to go. We had made it only a few feet from the building when I seen Bella's phone on the side walk and a bag with ice cream. Thank fucking God. I'm so close. I have to be!
My stomach fell, as I knew we were close. Please Lord, I don't ask for much, but I am begging you to let me know where Bella is and that she is safe.
I listened closely and heard crying. Light crying.
I threw my phone to the ground and ran into the dark alley following her screams. Thank God she was still alive. She had to be ok. Oh God please let her be ok!
We made our way a bit further, and in the dark I seen her. She was on the ground, pushed up against the building with her bare legs hanging out from underneath a large shadow.
There was a guy standing over her pulling his pants down.
Fuck no. This was not happening to her again!
I picked up my speed and launched myself onto the fucker. He tumbled to the ground face first with me on top of him.
I rolled him over and seen that it was James. Are you fucking kidding me? Is this some kind of a fucking sick ass joke?
I punched him hard in the face, my body full of rage at the mere thought of the fucker putting my girl through this fucked up shit yet again.
"What the fuck? You're supposed to be in fucking prison!" I yelled as I punched him square in the mouth with every ounce of strength I had. I felt my fist colliding with his teeth, pushing several back, blood spurting everywhere. I felt no pain even though my hand was sure to be fucked up.
He pushed me in the chest and I fell backwards from the force but caught myself. My adrenaline was running and I wouldn't be stopped this time.
Jasper had yelled for Emmett to help me, as he was still further down the alley. I looked over towards his voice and seen that he was taking care of Bella. I wanted with every bone in my body to go to her, to make sure that she was ok, but Jasper was with her, and I was going to take care of James once and for all.
I got to my feet faster than James and pummeled him to the ground and we were rolling.
Emmett pulled him off of me and slammed him up against the building. He punched him in the nose breaking it on contact, and then several times in the stomach until he fell to his knees gasping for breath.
My rage continued to boil over, when I seen Bella propped up by Jasper. Oh God, this is bad. This is really bad. She can't even sit up on her own. Motherfucker! Her shirt and bra were in tatters, breasts exposed, blood running down her body, pooling on the ground. Jasper was taking his shirt off to cover her the best he could.
Her entire body was bruised and bloody, and I was done for.
The rage could not be held back.
Not another fucking second.
The sick sadistic fuck touched my girl. He fucking hit her and made her bleed. She was naked because of what he had planned for her.
He was going to fucking pay for ever laying a single finger on her.
James was still on the ground doubled over when I ran up next to him and kicked him repeatedly in the ribs. My foot made contact with bone, crunching with every kick. The feel of his bones breaking under me only egged me on to continue.
I wanted to hurt him.
I wanted to make him pay for what he did to my girl.
I wanted to kill him.
My shoe made contact with the side of his head and he fell head first to the ground.
I stomped on his hand listening as his fingers broke under my weight, a smile forming across my face as he screamed out in pain.
The sadistic fuck liked to hear my girl scream out in pain, well now it was his turn.
Emmett pulled my chest back, and held my hand behind me as I went for another hit.
"Enough E! Enough!" He screamed at me. I was still raging and couldn't calm. I didn't want to be calmed down. Not now, not ever. "You're going to fucking kill him E! Enough!"
I fought against his grip; he was having a hard time holding me even though he had a good 50 pounds on me.
"I don't fucking care. Let me go! He deserves to die!" I screamed. "Did you see her Emm? Did you fucking see what he did to my girl? Let me do this for her!"
Emmett took one look at Bella and his face twisted in pain.
Emmett released me knowing better than anyone that I had to finish him as I kicked James in the ribs again. The little punk was so fucked up that he couldn't even fight back. Fucking pansy!
I knew Emmett was right and that I really was going to kill him, but I couldn't stop.
Jasper ran over and grabbed my shoulder trying to stop me as I kicked James in the stomach. He stared me in the eyes, to get my attention and after another kick I looked up at him. His eyes were blood shot, and desperate looking.
"Enough Edward! You can't hear her because she can barely breathe, but she's begging you to stop!" I looked down at his blood-covered chest and fell to my knees knowing that it was Bella's blood he was covered in. "You gotta fucking stop for Bell! She hates that motherfucker, but she doesn't want him dead. Please E! Look at her!"
Emmett hovered in front of James making sure he didn't move as I made my way over to Bella. My Bella.
She was leaning up against the building with her eyes closed. Her hair was wet and blood was running down her face, into her eyes. I took my own shirt off and tried to absorb some of the blood. She winced in pain as I fell to my knees in front of her.
"Oh my God baby! I am so fucking sorry! I broke my promise. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I love you B, I… Oh my God!" I started to cry, looking at her swollen face unsure if I should kiss or touch her anywhere afraid of causing more damage. She put her fragile little hand on my chest and I felt a small amount of calmness come over me as I always did when our bodies connected.
"E… Stop. I'm… here. I'm...ok." She couldn't even open her eyes or put together a full sentence. "E. I.........I lo...love...you..."
"I love you too, baby. So much!" I grabbed her hand squeezing it tightly wanting her to feel my love. I couldn't kiss her, but I would show her how much I loved her.
I tried to wipe more of the blood as I stared over her body. Jasper had gotten his shirt on her. But her pants were off too. I lifted the hem of the shirt praying to God that her panties were still on. I was having a panic attack as I lifted the shirt and seen that they were still in tact. I blew out a deep breath of air. I don't think he raped her. This was bad, but it could have been so much fucking worse. Even her panties were covered in blood, every part of her body was.
Her hand fell from my chest as her breaths became shallower. I picked it up, but it was dead weight.
"B? B talk to me!" She said nothing. " Baby come on! You gotta talk to me Angel!"
I looked over at Emmett who was pale as a fucking ghost. James tried to get up but Emmett stomped his foot down on his chest as he wiped away a tear in his eye.
"Jasper?" I yelled. He had been at the end of the alley waiting for the cops. "Jasper!"
He came running down the alley and kneeled beside Bella like me. "She's not breathing well. We need to get her to the hospital."
"Alice called 911. They're sending an ambulance. Do you think we should move her?" Tears spewed from his eyes as we stared down at Bella's lifeless body.
"We have to. We have to do something. I can't just sit here and wait. She could be dying Jasper! Look at her!"
He nodded his head and watched as I lifted Bella's lifeless body in my arms and began walking towards the street. I cradled her to my chest wanting her to feel my body and my warmth. She was so cold and I had to help her. Skin on skin, make her feel better.
"I'm here B. I'm taking you to get help. And then you'll be fine." I kissed her life less cheek. "I love you my angel. I love you so fucking much. Don't leave me! Please don't fucking leave me Bella!"
Her head slumped back at an odd angel, and Jasper held it as we walked, afraid of further injuries. I kept my cheek up against hers and could feel the slight noise of breathing coming from her nose.
When we got to the sidewalk I laid her down flat. Rose and Alice ran over and fell to their knees around her.
"Oh my God! Bella! Edward is she ok?" Alice screamed through her tears.
"I don't know Allie. I don't know! She was talking and then she passed out!" I sat down and put her head in my lap and caressed her blood soaked hair.
Rose was on the phone with the dispatcher and yelled that they would be here any minute. Bella had not regained consciousness, and I was getting more scared as the minutes passed.
"Damn it! Damn it B! You gotta wake up baby. You gotta fight!" I screamed at her as I rocked back and forth.
Two cop cars showed up and Jasper lead them back to where James and Emmett were. He was giving them a run down of what had happened as they walked.
I held Bella and told her how much I loved her over and over again. I had to have faith that she could hear me, and that she was going to be ok.
She had to be.
I wouldn't survive without her.
She was my life.
My love.
The ambulance came; Alice and Rose were pushed out of the way. The EMT tried to push me back, but I didn't budge. I held her head in my lap as they put a tube down her throat and worked on her. Jasper and Emmett finally pulled me away when the EMT's were putting Bella on a gurney and loading her into the Ambulance.
"She has to be alright!" I screamed as Emmett put his arm around my shoulder. "Tell me she's gonna be alright! I.... I.... cant lose her!"
Rose and Alice were holding each other crying just as hard as I was. I fell to my knees, my adrenaline wearing off and I had nothing left to give.
Jasper kneeled down in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders.
I was crying as I looked up at him, and seen that he was crying too.
"She's going to be ok E. She's a fighter. You have to have faith. I'm just as scared as you. We all are." He said as he tightened his grip. "But we gotta have faith. We got there in time. I know we did."
James was in handcuffs as was escorted to the police car, being literally pulled by several officers, as he couldn't walk. They could have put him on a stretcher and probably should have, but let him walk letting him know that what he did wasn't being taken lightly with these guys. He glared at me as two officers shoved him in the back of the car and drove off. If I had even an ounce of energy left, I would have tackled him to the ground once more, but Bella was my priority now. Bella.
"What the fuck was he even doing out? I thought Ben said this was it? What the fuck happened?" I glared at Jasper waiting for some Goddamn answers feeling my second round of anger flaring up.
"I don't know man, but we'll find out." Jasper said getting to his feet again. Emmett pulled me to mine and we stood there holding each other in the most un-guy hug ever.
I watched as they loaded Bella into the ambulance. My heart broke and I felt like they were taking my life away from me. Bella, my life. My soon to be wife. I was absolutely nothing without her.
I couldn't breath thinking of a life that Bella wasn't a part of and began to have a panic attack. I tried to slow my breathing, but had no luck. I cried harder knowing I was doing nothing to control my breathing and gave myself over to my emotions.
Jasper wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind trying to comfort me. He held me there like that as I continued to watch through the open doors of the ambulance.
One of the EMT's came over to us with a concerned look on his face.
"We can have one person ride along, but we have to go now." He said looking at Jasper and I.
Jasper gave me a knowing glance and a nod.
"I'm going. She's my fiancé." I said with a shaky voice taking a step forward.
The EMT nodded and we made our way to the ambulance.
"We'll follow behind E, and meet you there." Emmett said as he pulled me into another hug. He kissed the side of my head as I wiped my tears away. "She's going to be fine. Keep telling her you love her. Now more than ever she needs to hear you. We'll be there in a minute."
I nodded to him and made my way into the ambulance as they shut the door and we were off. The lights and sirens flashed, and I knew it was serious. If it weren't, then they wouldn't be on.
I sat there naked from the chest up covered in Bella's blood. I had to explain that there was nothing wrong with me, and that it was Bella's blood I was covered in.
I looked at Bella who was now strapped down with a neck brace, and an IV in her arm and the tears came again as my body shook not knowing if she was going to make it out of this.
"She's going to be alright, right?" I asked with a shaky voice. My eyes never leaving her.
"She's really banged up. We'll do everything we can for her." The EMT said.
That wasn't a yes.
He couldn't tell me if she would be ok.
My Angel.
My life.
And now I had to wait.
Only time would tell if she was going to be ok or not.
My life stood still.
And all I could think of was my Bella.
She had to be ok.
We had to be ok.
A/N: Well, if you didn't have your tissues out, I bet you do now. What the fuck is going on, and how did James get out??
I know that there were a lot of brutal scenes in this chapter, but if I just skimmed over it all, you wouldn't have had the same knowledge as you do now or feel the emotions. I'm just guessing that you didn't want me to just write "I looked up and seen that it was James" and cut to Edward's POV. That would have left way too much to the imagination. And for this chapter, I wanted to lay everything out.
Wow. Ok. Don't hate me for leaving such an awful cliffy! If I kept going, we would have had a 30-page chapter, and I had to break it off somewhere. Please don't kill me!
You all know how much each and every review means to me and that I respond to EVERY one. Give me some love, Edward's a little occupied at the moment and I need a hug.
Review for a teaser of the next chapter. I'm just guessing you'd like some kind of a sneak peak right now.