AN: The saga continues… What has become of our Bella and her captor? Dun dun dun…. Eh, I'm in a corny mood right now. Enjoy the chapter!
Love to Zhivago3 for being my second pair of eyes and catching mistakes for me. Whatever is left is my fault…maybe I need reading glasses. :o)
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, just borrowing them from SM.
Chapter 21 – The Tunnels
BPOV
I awoke with a jolt. My body was trembling, but I soon realized that the ground was shaking and there were deep rumbling sounds nearby.
I couldn't move. I didn't know what was going on, but I couldn't move. I tried to stretch my legs, but I couldn't feel them. My arms were tingling, but they weren't taking direction from my brain.
My eyes fluttered open, but it was so dark, I couldn't tell if my eyes were really open or not.
Where am I? I thought to myself. How did I get here? Suddenly, the memories came flooding back. I had been at the tennis match with Edward, Emmett and the rest of the gang. I told them I was stepping out because I wanted to buy souvenirs. I went to the bathroom…James!
I attempted to scream but my sounds were muffled by the tape covering my mouth. The tears began to stream down my face. James was going to kill me and I would never see Edward again. I wasn't one to pray, but I did at that moment.
Dear God… no, Dear Dad,
Please watch over me, please keep me safe. Don't let James harm me. Please, dad, please let Emmett and Edward find me. I know you miss me and I miss you just as much, but don't you think it's a bit soon for me to see you?
I had to make light of the situation, right? Keep the spirits up, that's what my father always said.
Char-dad, please help me.
He must have heard me because from a distance I could see a wavering light. Someone was coming. I heard the pounding footsteps as the person drew closer. I began to scream again, the back of my throat getting a workout. I was hoping the person would hear me.
Then I heard the cackling. This wasn't good.
"Oh, it looks like my sweet Bella is awake," James said bending down in front of me. I was lying on my side facing him. I averted my eyes from his gaze and that was when I noticed that my legs were also taped together and my arms were bent backwards also taped. It was no wonder I couldn't feel my extremities, he taped them so well, no blood was circulating.
I took the chance to also look at my surroundings. I was in a dark tunnel and there were train tracks everywhere. That explained the rumblings earlier. I wasn't sure if these tunnels were ever used, but I was sure if he was walking around nonchalantly then they weren't. The trains passed through too often for him to just wander through the tunnels with no concern of getting crushed.
The ground began to shake again as another train approached. This time, however, the tunnel was illuminated with the headlights and the train was quickly barreling towards us. My eyes widened in surprise.
James shut off the flashlight he was holding. I pulled against my restraints as best I could. I could barely make out his laughter over the roar of the train as he watched me struggle for my life. He was planning on having the train run me over. I could feel my body going into shock; this wasn't how it was supposed to end.
The train was almost to us. I chanced a glance at James who had a stupid grin on his face. That was the last thing I saw before the train was on top of us.
JamesPOV
I drove back into the city, Bella still knocked out in the seat behind me. Victoria was turning out to be a better woman than I thought. She certainly appreciated me, which was more than I could say for the Bella.
I had my plans for Bella. She would see that she belonged to me and only me. Her doctor, I was sure, could find anybody else, but this one was mine. I would teach both of them a lesson. I was never to be denied and she had held out long enough.
Victoria was waiting for me in the parking lot on Sixtieth Street. What many people didn't know about the subway system was that it was vast. There were secret tunnels throughout the city and plenty of unused tracks and stations that would be perfect to hide in. But, I had different plans for her. After I was through, she would be begging for my forgiveness…and protection.
I opened the back door to my car and dragged Bella out, checking to be sure she was still unconscious. Victoria helped me pull Bella out, only realizing then who we had in our arms.
"I can't believe you kidnapped her. Are you crazy?" she whispered angrily. "When you told me you needed to hide someone, I didn't think you meant her!"
"Really? Who did you think I would need to hide?" I answered smugly.
"I…I don't know, but not her. My god, we are going to hell for this," she gasped.
Victoria was quickly becoming a pain in my ass. "Vic, calm the fuck down. Don't ask questions, just keep your mouth shut and help me get her out of here," I gritted. I really didn't need to deal with her bullshit. However, I knew if she didn't help me I would have to take care of her as well and I didn't need two missing women on my hands.
"H-how-"
"I told you to shut the fuck up, didn't I?" I seethed. At this point we had Bella out of the car, leaning against me.
"Y-yes, but…" she stopped, looking around the garage.
"But what?" I asked.
"How are we going to get her out of here? There are cameras at the corners and near the elevators and you didn't exactly park in the best of spots," she pointed out. Fuck, she was right. This was the one of the only self parking garages in the neighborhood and I had managed to find a spot on the fourth level.
I pushed Bella onto Victoria. "Hold her for a second." I walked to the back of my car and opened the trunk. I removed my shirt, leaving me in only my white undershirt. I took out the flashlight I always had stored in the trunk, but nothing else was useful in there except the duct tape. It would have to do.
I checked Bella for any signs of her slipping back to consciousness. She was still out. I removed the tape from her mouth and bent down to remove the tape from her ankles. I had the blanket I could use to cover her hands, but I still needed to have her legs immobile. I couldn't have her kicking me or Victoria. I taped her calves right below her knees. Luckily, the blanket was long enough to hide the tape.
I shut all the doors on the car and lifted Bella into my arms. If we were stopped, I could resort to the old "she's sick" ruse I had used earlier.
"Let's go," I directed Victoria. We walked to the elevator bank and took the stairs down. There was no time for waiting and risk getting seen by anyone. We continued down past the main exit, occasionally stopping when we heard noises.
This particular garage had an emergency entrance/exit to the subway tunnels in case there were any disasters. Victoria, being a supervisor had the keys to the door. We each did a quick sweep of the surroundings to make sure no one was around and I nodded to her to continue opening the door.
There was a draft that followed bringing with it a stench of rust and mold. I was sure I was breathing in asbestos as well, but I couldn't think about the quality of air at the moment. I turned the flashlight on illuminating the ocean of darkness that was ahead.
"Go back to the station, I can take it from here," I told Victoria. "I'll meet you there in a few and don't speak a word to anyone!" I gave her a quick, meaningless kiss for her troubles and sent her on her way.
I threw Bella over my shoulders and began the trek through a long passageway listening for the sounds of scurrying rats and the deep rumbles of the passing trains. They were my clues for which direction to go. I saw the tracks soon enough and knew I was close. These tracks hadn't been used in ages; they were the source of the acrid, rusty smell. I stepped over them continuing towards my destination.
I was finally near the newer tracks and my location was confirmed when I saw a train pass ahead of me. There were a set of unused tracks, used only for holding trains during the late night hours or the garbage trains. Currently, they sat empty and I laid Bella down between them. I made sure to lay her close to the opposite tracks; she would be almost nose-to-nose to a passing train if she woke up and tried to move.
She was a beautiful creature. So sweet and innocent looking when she was knocked out. I gently pushed her hair away from her face. Yes, beautiful. I began to imagine that beautiful face looking down at me as she rode my cock. Those beautiful red lips around my hard length as she brought me to orgasm, I was sure she could suck a good one, too.
"Oh I almost forgot." I ripped off a piece of tape and placed it over her mouth. I wasn't sure who was around in these tunnels this time of day and I couldn't have her screaming for help. I took the time to tape her ankles again too. She was a vision bound, something to consider in the future.
I stood up, wiped the sweat from my brow, and sighed.
"Soon, Bella, soon. It will just be us, no one else. I'll be sure of that. No more doctor, no more friends, you belong with me only," I said to her. She couldn't hear me, but she would soon enough.
I shined the flashlight against the wall. Within the tunnels, the walls were covered with signs showing subway workers the right direction toward a station. I found the one I needed and headed towards my old station.
When I could finally see the lights from the platform ahead, I turned off the flashlight. I crossed the tracks, staying mindful of the third rail. The clearing between track and wall was narrow, but there were no trains coming. I climbed the steps leading up to the platform and found myself at the door to my old office.
I didn't knock as I knew Victoria was the only one inside. I swiftly entered and shut the door behind me.
"Everything okay on your end?" I asked. Victoria jumped. She was edgy and I needed to calm her down. I sauntered over to her, took her head in my hands and kissed her. "Calm down. Things will be over soon. You did good. Thank you, baby." My words soothed her and she relaxed.
"What…um…what are you going to do with her?" she asked timidly.
"Well, she belongs with me, but I have to teach her a lesson first," I stated. I saw a flash of different emotions cross Victoria's eyes.
"Vic, you've got something to tell me?" I frowned. I couldn't have her jealous or angry. A jealous Victoria meant a vindictive Victoria.
She blinked and her eyes were neutral again. "No, nothing."
I hummed in response. "Well, take care of me then," I said gesturing to my crotch. "I think you deserve it for doing so well, don't you?" Her jaw clenched, but she stayed quiet. Interesting. "Well?"
"Of course," she plastered a smile on her face, a fake smile. She wasn't fooling me and I knew I had to be careful with her.
Victoria lowered herself onto her knees, her mouth aligned perfectly with my hard cock. She looked up at me, giving me a genuine smile. She thought she made me hard. No, my dear, that was all Bella.
Just as she was about to unzip my pants, the shrill of the ringing phone interrupted her.
"Ignore it," I commanded. I was going to have some sort of release.
"I can't," she whispered after the second ring. She stood up, reaching for the phone, but I was faster and moved it away from her. "I'm on duty. If that's the station manager I could get-"
"I don't fucking care!" I yelled. I startled her. A third ring came from the phone. She glanced at me and quickly ran around the desk to pick it up.
"This is Victoria," she answered, slightly out of breath. She was quiet a moment and then her eyes widened. She mouthed one word to me, "Caius." I made a move to hang up the phone, but she pulled it away from me and shook her head. I knew he was calling to find out about me. Since I hadn't returned back, he was probably calling to find out if this was normal behavior for me.
She paced back and forth and when she turned to me, I held my index finger to my lips and shushed her. No matter what he asked her, she couldn't say anything about me.
"Umm…not really. What's up?" She was playing it cool. Good girl.
I wasn't sure what Caius asked her next, but she stopped pacing and looked at me. He was definitely asking about me. I needed to get out of there.
Before I left though, I grabbed the box cutter from one of the desk drawers; I needed a little extra incentive for Bella to cooperate with me. I stepped out, slamming the door behind me. I had to trust that Victoria wasn't going to say anything. She had been good up to this point and I had always been good to her. I hoped our past history together would be enough.
There was a train in the station which served as perfect cover for me. No one would see me heading back down the stairs to the tracks. I stayed close to the wall again, avoiding the rails. Once the train was gone and the tracks were powered down, I crossed them and headed back to Bella.
I jogged back to her, knowing my way a little better. As I got closer, I slowed and started whistling. I was excited for what was to come. I had my sweet Bella and I couldn't wait to show her what she had been missing all this time.
I made sweeping passes with the flashlight until I was finally able to see Bella in the distance. I quickened my step; I didn't want to be away from her any longer. As I drew nearer to her, I was able to see her chest moving rapidly. She was awake. I laughed. Playtime had begun.
"Oh, it looks like my sweet Bella is awake," I said as I bent down to her. She was so scared. I took back my previous statement, sweet, innocent Bella was beautiful, but scared Bella was stunning.
I tried to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't look at me. She glanced around taking in her position, her tied arms and legs, her taped mouth. The tears were falling from her eyes. So beautiful.
I felt the ground shaking, the first sign of an oncoming train. Then the headlights appeared. I watched as Bella's face contorted in fear, her eyes widening. My heart raced in anticipation.
The train was fast approaching and I could tell Bella knew she didn't have a chance anymore. I shut off the flashlight, letting the lights from the train illuminate my face.
Bella fought against her bindings to no avail. I couldn't stop the laughter coming from my deep within. She was so helpless, just as I wanted her. She would learn to never reject me again. I grinned at the thought.
The train was right on top of us and at the last second it switched tracks and kept rolling on its path along the track next to us.
No, I wasn't going to let Bella die…not like that.
EPOV
Victoria gave us the details of James whereabouts. He had taken Bella into the subway tunnels using an old entrance that was now only used as an emergency exit. She didn't know exactly where, but she knew that it was accessible through the platform on Fifty-Ninth Street. He took her back home.
Before we hung up with her though, I asked her why she was helping us if she and James were supposed to be close. I could hear the hurt in her voice as she explained that she loved him, but it was now obvious that her love was never returned as he only had eyes for Bella. Victoria was tired of the way James used her and tired of playing second fiddle.
It had never been Victoria's intention to hurt anyone, let alone another man's woman. She realized James had played her for a fool and was using her feelings towards him to his advantage - or so he thought. She had been quick to rat him out.
Armed with this new information, we contacted the police. Officer Riley was still in the vicinity and informed us that he was deferring the case to a Detective Jenks since this was now out of his jurisdiction. We spoke to the detective, filling him in on all of the details and what we just found out. He offered us a ride in his cruiser which was surprising considering how easily we had been dismissed earlier. I assumed since we found James's location we were now valuable sources. We phoned the girls as well, they decided to take a cab and meet us at my place. I could hear Alice screaming that she wanted to be a part of the action. My feisty sister seemed ready to rip off James's head if she ever saw him. It was best she stayed away.
Being in the cop car had its advantages. What would normally have been an hour ride was done in half an hour. I couldn't have been more grateful for the speed. I needed to get to my Bella before James did anymore to her.
We rushed into the station, immediately finding Victoria in the dispatch booth. She was handcuffed and being watched by another officer. Apparently she was being charged with aiding in the kidnapping. I saw the shame in her tear-streaked face. I couldn't help but feel bad for her.
All trains were stopped from entering and exiting the station. I heard the announcements over the loud speakers.
"Due to a police incident, we are being held momentarily."
Momentarily, my ass. The few times I had been subjected to taking a train, I knew that police incidents caused up to forty-five minute delays, depending on the situation. Curious straphangers were standing around trying to figure out what was going on and, oddly enough, taking pictures.
"Fucking tourists," Detective Jenks muttered. "All right, we're going in. It's imperative that you stay here and don't follow. We don't want to cause unnecessary harm to Ms. Swan. Do you understand?" he asked, directing his statements to me. So much for being valuable.
I didn't care what Jenks said, I was determined to get my Bella back. I'd let the cops handle James all they want. But…
"I really should go with you," I began. He began to protest, but I held up my hand to let him know I wasn't finished. "I am a medical doctor. I promise to stay out of the way, but I am here now and I can quickly assess any physical harm that may have come to Bella," I stated neutrally. I held back the cringe at the thought of my beautiful girl damaged. It was bad enough that she would be mentally scarred from this already.
He thought about it a moment. Letting out a deep breath, he relented. "Fine, but stay back. We don't know if this lunatic is armed or not, we don't need you getting hurt as well." I nodded my agreement. Emmett tried to come along as well, but he was firmly denied citing safety again.
I followed Detective Jenks down the steps leading to the tracks. I was flanked by two other officers, both with their guns out and at the ready. I kept my composure as best as I could, but I was scared shitless at what I would find. We were silent as we made our way to where we thought James and Bella would be. It seemed like forever before we finally saw the light coming from James's flashlight.
Jenks motioned for us to turn off our lights and keep quiet; we didn't want James to be alerted to our presence. We slowly slinked closer until we finally saw them. I had to contain myself when I saw Bella. I was ready to charge forward and beat James senseless. I wanted to put my hands around his throat and strangle him. The sick motherfucker didn't deserve to live and at that moment I craved nothing more than to see him dead by my hands.
I had never felt emotions like that before, but my Bella…my poor, poor Bella. James had her sitting up against a pillar, ankles and arms bound by tape. Her mouth was taped shut as well, stifling her screams. I could see the tears running down her face along with a bright red bruise on her cheek. He had hit her. That asshole dared to put his hand on her. I saw red.
I took a step forward but was held back by the officer on my left. I turned to him and he shook his head letting me know it was too dangerous to move on. With clenched fists, I acquiesced only for Bella.
James was speaking to Bella, so close to her that his lips would graze her face as his mouth moved. He raised his hand brandishing something in front of her. On further inspection, it looked like a box cutter. Bella's eyes opened wide when she saw the cutter. She tried to move away, but James held her head close.
I was getting anxious, I wanted to save her. I didn't understand why the cops weren't storming after him. It was obvious he didn't have anything more than a knife. What were they waiting for? For James to actually cut her into pieces?
I watched as he dragged the cutter down her top around her breasts and nipples. She whimpered and that was all it took for me to push past the cops and run to her.
"James!" I yelled. He slowly turned his head and smiled as if he had been expecting me. The maniacal gleam in his eyes scared even me. This man had lost his mind a long time ago.
"Well, if it isn't the good doctor," he said, his voice tainted with sarcasm. He stood up, bringing Bella with him and using her as a shield. He was about my height and build, so Bella's body wasn't protecting his head. I could take him if I needed to, but the police were right behind me. "Oh, you've brought friends with you. How quaint."
"Let her go," I demanded.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. She belongs to me and we all know it." He was delusional, certifiably crazy. I inched forward, but as I did so he brought his hand holding the box cutter across Bella's chest and up to her neck. Any quick movement on my part and her neck would be slashed.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Don't hurt her," I pleaded.
I stared at Bella who was blinking from the lights shining on them. I was able to get a better look at her and, aside from the bruise on her face and the marks that would be left behind from the tape, she was seemingly unharmed. I attempted to catch her eyes several times; I wanted to let her know that we would get her out of her safe, but she refused to look at me. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't look at me. She seemed almost…ashamed. Maybe, he did more to her than I thought, but she didn't have any more obvious injuries. Regardless, I let out a small breath of relief she wasn't too physically harmed and refocused my attention on James.
From my peripheral, the three cops were aiming their guns at James and Bella. I could see that Detective Jenks was pissed that I disobeyed his order and ran forward, now making the situation worse. I didn't care; all I cared about was getting Bella away from that psychopath. I had to think of something to distract him. I wracked my brain but all I could come up with was Victoria. From my understanding, he didn't hold her in the highest regard, but he still trusted her enough to ask for her help in kidnapping Bella, that had to mean something to him.
"So, do you know how we found you?" I asked, hoping to bait him.
"I would imagine that slut told you," he responded with disdain.
"By slut, I would assume you mean Victoria?" He quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'a woman scorned?'"
"Victoria has no reason to be upset with me. I never told her I loved her and I never led her on. She spilled to protect her own hide, nice one that it is," James retorted.
"Wrong. She loves you, or at least did. It took some convincing, but really the only reason she said anything was because she was jealous. Jealous that you didn't obsess over her as you have Bella-"
"This isn't an obsession. I am taking what is rightfully mine," he seethed .
"And what about Victoria?"
"What about her?"
"What were you planning on doing with Victoria once you had my Bella?" He stared intently at me when I used the possessive on Bella.
"She's mine. They are both mine."
I hated what I was about to say next, but I needed to get James angry enough to come after me. I only wish Bella would look at me so I could convey to her that I didn't mean anything that was going to come out of my mouth.
"Really? You just called Victoria a slut. I don't think she would appreciate that very much. But, if she really is such a whore, then you wouldn't mind if I took her for a ride, would you? She has nice lips, I bet they would feel nice around my cock. Mmm," I moaned. "I can just imagine wrapping her fiery, red hair around my hand and fucking her mouth." Bella's eyes finally found mine and the pain in her eyes just about floored me. Please don't believe anything I'm saying, I said with my eyes. Whether she got the message or not remained to be seen.
I did, however, have all of James's attention. I saw the hand he had around Bella's neck falter. I had him.
"I told you, fucker, that she is mine," he spat out. He was like a rabid dog now, foaming at the mouth.
"Greedy, aren't you? No, I think I'm going to try out Victoria. It's not like she wants you anymore after the way you used her and left her for someone else. She hates that you put her at risk. Yeah, I don't think she wants you back at all." I took a step back and he followed, bringing Bella along. "Oh, how was she in bed? Was she a good lay, I really can't wait to get-"
There was no chance to finish my statement as James dropped Bella and lunged at me with the cutter. I jumped out of the way, but he still managed to tackle me to the ground. Thankfully, I didn't have to put up much of a fight as one of the officers immediately pulled James off of me.
James dropped the box cutter and put his hands in front of him. "I guess this is the end of the road, then?" he smirked. I had a bad feeling that he would try something else, but he allowed himself to get cuffed. For some reason I found that strange. He went through all of that trouble to kidnap Bella and barely put up a fight in the end? I should have been grateful, but one look into his eyes and I could see his mind was still working.
"Edward," I heard a voice say meekly. Bella.
I ran to Bella and knelt down in front of her. Jenks had cut the tape from Bella's body and she was now rubbing her red marks left behind. I wrapped my arms around her and as soon as I did she began crying uncontrollably. I caressed her hair and back feeling her body tremble with her sobs.
"Oh my god, Edward! I'm so sorry. I can't believe this happened. Please forgive," she cried, her voice raspy. Forgive her?
"Bella, love, shhhh…Don't worry about anything right now. I'm just glad you're safe," I whispered. I kissed her temple. I did have questions for her and I did want to know why she never told me about James stalking her, but at that moment all I could think about was having her safe in my arms again. I held her close to me, rocking her until she calmed.
"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Swan," Detective Jenks approached us. "We need to get out of here and we need to get Ms. Swan checked for injuries. The paramedics are at the station. Do you think you can walk back with us, it's not that far?" he asked Bella.
She didn't look up but nodded into my chest. I stood up and lifted Bella to her feet. My arm went around her shoulders and she held onto my waist. We began our trek to the station, Bella wobbling every few steps. I finally picked her up and cradled her in my arms before she could protest. She nestled her head into the crook of my neck. I felt the warmth of her breath and it was a pleasant reminder that she was still here with me.
James walked ahead of us with the cops surrounding him. He would turn and look at us, narrowing his eyes when he saw I was carrying Bella - he still had that damned smirk on his face.
We reached the platform and, after placing Bella back on her feet, her brother and Jacob came rushing to her. We led her to the waiting paramedics so they could begin taking care of her. I hadn't thought about where Jasper disappeared off to. The trains were running again; I supposed the MTA was satisfied enough with James being apprehended that they let the trains come in. The train on the express track left and I could hear in the distance the early rumblings of the next train approaching.
As I stood with Bella while her injuries were getting assessed, I noticed a small scuffle near us. At first I thought it was bystanders trying to get a better look at what was going on, but on second glance I realized it was James. He broke free of the officers and had stolen one of their guns. He was waving it around yelling at everyone to stay back. His finger was on the trigger as he trained on the gun on Bella.
"If I can't have her, then no one can!" he screamed.
Jasper came out of nowhere and tackled James from behind. I was waiting for the sound of the gun to go off, but instead it had been knocked out of his hands. James crawled out from under Jasper, his eyes intent on me. This time I was ready for him as he came running to me. He swung his cuffed arms my way and I used his new loss of balance to my advantage as I pushed him away.
Bella screamed. Other people screamed. I heard the sound of the horn from the train entering the station mingled in with all the yelling, and then the screech of the brakes as the train came to a sudden stop.
I looked towards my right where James should have been, that was when I realized what I had done. I felt the color disappear from my face. I hadn't realized how close to the edge we were when James came after me. When I pushed him he went over the platform, right as the train came roaring into the station. There was no hope for him and I had just killed a man.
~*~
Hours later we were home. Bella had been taken to the hospital and was monitored for a few hours for shock. She was responsive to stimuli and was deemed well enough to be released into my care. I was given prescriptions for mild sedatives for both of us as well as a cream for the abrasions on her wrists where the tape held them together. Detective Jenks allowed us to recover a couple of days before going down and giving our full statements.
I was grateful when I saw my sister and parents at my place. Rosalie had gone home with Emmett as soon as he was confident Bella was doing fine. Alice and my mother took care of Bella, helping her shower and laying her down in bed to sleep.
Once they were satisfied that Bella was settled – or as settled as she would be – they began the interrogation. What happened? How did we find Bella? Was James dealt with properly? Oh, he was most certainly dealt with properly.
I explained to my parents and Alice everything that happened from the time we split to the moment we came, excluding James. Unfortunately, Alice noticed my omission.
"What about James? Is he going to jail? How many years will he be getting?" I glanced at Jasper who had stood by me through the whole ordeal. He gave a slight nod, letting me know that it was best to tell them what happened. Alice looked at Jasper then back at me. "What happened?" she asked ominously.
I slowly began, "After we found Bella and the cops were able to apprehend James, we were all on the platform. James managed to get away from the cops holding him and came after me and Bella again." I shook my head. What the fuck had he been thinking to come after us? What was he trying to accomplish? These were questions that I didn't have answers to and the one person who did was dead by my hands.
"Oh my," she said sucking in a breath. "So, the cops grabbed him again, right?"
"Uh, no, not quite," I looked to Jasper again for strength and he gave me another reassuring nod. "James came after me, but, because he was cuffed, he didn't have enough balance. I took advantage and pushed him, thinking he would go down." I took a deep breath and let the rest of the words came out fast. "When I pushed him he fell onto the tracks just as a train was pulling into a station. He was crushed on impact. I killed him. He's dead."
There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room except from Jasper.
"You…k-killed him?" my mother asked. I couldn't look my mother in the eyes when I answered.
"Yes, I did," I admitted. I had taken another man's life. I was a monster. I palmed my face in my hands. I still couldn't believe what I had done.
Jasper took over the conversation. "Edward was acting in self defense and it was deemed an accident. He didn't realize how close they were to the edge. We were all witnesses. James had taken an officer's gun, that alone would have gotten him killed, these cops were feigning for a kill when that happened. He didn't see me come up behind him and I was able to drop him, essentially knocking the gun out. He was relentless, though, in his pursuit of Bella. He was crazy and who knows what would have happened had Edward not stopped him. The police just about applauded when the fucker was dead." I never knew Jasper to curse, but I could see how angry he was in regards to the situation. He was as protective of Bella as I was. "Edward's a hero."
Hero. I hated that word just then. I was no hero. I took a man's life. I killed someone. I had lived my whole life taking care of people, saving people's lives; I wasn't supposed to kill. Granted, there were times I couldn't always save someone's life on the operating table, but that wasn't me killing anyone. That was the nature of the disease, wound or whatever other reason, but I had always tried my hardest to be sure they didn't die. This, this was blatant crime. He came after me and Bella and I pushed him to his death.
I was no better than James. I was a murderer.
My mother must have sensed my anguish and moved to sit next to me. I felt her wrap her arms around me. "Edward, darling, don't beat yourself up over this. You saved Bella, which counts for more than anything. You saved the woman that you love," she consoled me.
"If I had known about this sooner, he would still be alive. Hell he wouldn't have even kidnapped Bella." I stared across the room to my sister. "He was stalking Bella, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me? This could have all been avoided."
"I told her to tell you, she didn't want you to worry," Alice explained. "We tried different tactics to get him to stop and we thought he had, so there was no need to bother you."
"Right, except he didn't stop. He just bided his time and at the right moment, he pounced and kidnapped my woman!" I was yelling now. I was angry at Alice. I was angry with Bella for lying to me and keeping this all a secret. I was angry for myself for killing him.
"Edward, it may not have changed a damn thing if we had told you," Alice reasoned. "We just don't know."
"No, I know," I spat out. "If Bella would have said something to me, I would have taken the necessary precautions and none of this would have happened."
"Oh really?"
We all turned to the opening of the hallway where Bella stood.
"Bella, you should be resting," my mother said, standing up and urging Bella back into the room.
"No, I want to hear what Edward has to say." She stared at me expectantly. One eyebrow was raised and she was biting the inside of her cheek. Her arms were crossed in front of her. I have never seen Bella angry.
"There's nothing to say, Bella," I told her.
"Sure there is, Edward. You just told everybody that, had I told you, nothing would have happened today. You've basically blamed me for everything, including your guilty conscience," she seethed.
"I'm not blaming you for anything, but yes, you should have said something. James could have been taken care of sooner without anyone getting hurt. We would have had a nice time today on your birthday. Instead, we had to deal with a psychopath who kidnapped you," I said, my voice getting louder with each sentence.
"I can't fucking believe you!" she yelled, stepping closer to me. "What the hell would you have done, Edward? Played hero?" There was that hero word again.
"I don't know what I would have done, but you obviously didn't trust me with the knowledge. You kept it to yourself and that turned out great, didn't it? You got yourself kidnapped."
Bella's mouth opened and closed. "Blame the victim right? I don't need this shit. I'm out of here."
"Bella….Look, I'm just upset about everything. You have to understand what I'm going through here. I almost lost you and then I…" I couldn't finish the thought.
"Yes, I am fully aware of what you went through, I was front and center, remember?" Of course, how could I forget what she must have endured?
"Love, let me take care of you, please?" I pleaded.
She shook her head. "I don't want or need you playing hero now, Edward. Leave me alone. I've caused enough damage to you and your conscience." She turned to walk out. She stopped at the door and looked back at me. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused you."
I heard the door open and close. Bella left. All eyes were on me waiting for me to make the next move, but I didn't.
AN: Ruh-oh. Looks like there's trouble in paradise… Show me some review love since B & E seem to be on the outs right now… ;o)