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.

A/N: The songs in this chapter are 'Please Don't Go' by Barcelona and two Alkaline Trio songs - 'Buried' and 'Hating Every Minute'

Chapter Twenty-Five: Keep Breathing

Bella POV

I'd always thought out-of-body experiences were a load of crap, but I definitely felt like an onlooker, observing my life from the outside that day – the day I was shot.

I knew I'd lost a lot of blood. I could barely keep my eyes open as Jacob ran with me in his arms for endless miles.

"Hold on, honey. Keep breathing... fuck. Bells, please don't leave me now... I can't- Please..."

More than anything, I wanted to reassure Jacob. I wanted to tell him, 'it's okay, I'm not going anywhere without you.' But my limbs felt so heavy, my mouth was dry and I just couldn't form words. For the first time in Jacob's embrace, I was so cold.

"We'll get you to a doctor, baby, and they'll fix you right up. You'll see. You have to be around for Charlie to kick my ass for letting this happen to you. You want to see that, don't you Bells?"

He was pleading with me, and I was aware of something warm and wet peppering my cheek. Was Jacob crying? That didn't make sense. Jacob was sunshine in a bottle. He didn't cry. Why was he crying? I tried to talk again, but it just came out as some pained groans. Way to be articulate, Bella.

"Shh, sweetie, don't talk. Just breathe for me, Bells. I need you to breathe."

I didn't know why he sounded so worried. I didn't plan on dying today. Not when Jake had spent his life keeping me alive. He'd kept my blood flowing through my veins and kept air in my lungs when I didn't even have the self-preservation to do it for myself. When I had one foot in the grave, Jacob had been the one to yank me straight back out of it.

I'm awake.

It was a half-bad dream,

That was way too long,

My whole life it seemed.

Then someone started digging me up,

Turned my headstone into dust.

Why was everything so dark? It had been daylight a moment ago. All I could make out was rapid slivers of light in my vision, interrupted by the canopy of trees and Jacob's tortured face, his eyes willing me to just stay.

The sun was swallowed by the trees,

The night was here for good.

You pulled my hand and my head up,

You put oxygen into my blood.

Over the years, I'd come to the conclusion that I'd die at the hands of some supernatural creature. I never thought a bullet would be the thing to end my life. There was still so much more I had to do. I had to spend my life with Jacob. I wanted to wake up every morning in his arms, safe in his warmth. I wanted to see the look on his face the day I told him I was carrying our child. I needed to hear him tell me he loved me when it didn't sound so final.

Jacob POV

No.

NO.

She's mine now. She's finally mine and we're finally able to be together and I'm not letting this happen. We fought for each other. We overcame all obstacles. She beat my imprint. I beat her fucking vampire. We need each other. I need her. I can't survive if she leaves me. She just needs to keep breathing.

All those arrows you threw, you threw them away.

You kept falling in love, then one day,

When you fell, you fell towards me.

When you crashed in the clouds, you found me.

I ran with her in my arms to the hospital. I don't know where I found the wherewithal to actually drag on a pair of pants, but I did. It's funny, with all my wolfish talents, it can sometimes feel like I'm being over-run with sensations. Not today, though. In those moments, all I could see was the light dimming in Bella's eyes. All that could touch me was the cold, clammy feeling of her skin. All other scents faded out compared to that spine-chilling, copper smell of her blood. Her rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing was the only sound in my world.

"Just hold on to me, baby. You just hold on and you stay with me. Please, don't leave me, Bells."

I knew in the very depths of my soul, that if Bella didn't survive today, neither would I; not really. Sure, there would be a ghost of a shell of a guy who used to be Jacob Black hanging around, but it wouldn't really be me. She owned too much of what made me who I was for that, and if she was going to go, she'd take it with her. I guessed I wouldn't care all that much. I couldn't face reality again if Bella wasn't in it.

Oh, please don't go,
I want you so.
I can't let go,
For I lose control.

She just had to keep breathing.

Embry POV

I had so sure what I was going through was really important. Now, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with Jake and Alex, waiting for Bella to get out of surgery, I felt like a complete asshole. Jake was a mess. He wasn't even forming full sentences any more – just kept shaking his head and muttering, like he was challenging whatever deity that was listening to dare to try to take Bella away. It had only been when he finally let the doctors pry his arms off her that we noticed the near-healed bullet wound in his side. The bullet that shot Bella had gone right through her and hit Jake too. He didn't even notice when he saw her go down.

The guys were still back in the forest, apprehending the two fuckers who did this. I told them not to do anything to them yet – Jake wasn't in a place fit to be making decisions and even then, he'd probably want to exact punishment himself. Seth was trying to get a hold of his mom and Charlie while Leah had gone on a coffee run fifteen minutes ago. I had a feeling it was taking her so long because she couldn't deal with the atmosphere right now. Hell, I was fucking jealous if her.

Alex wouldn't look at me. She'd just been told Bella was shot, nothing more, and I realised she hadn't asked any more questions because she knew, whatever we told her would be half truths and lies. It killed me to admit it that she was one hundred percent correct. Jake mumbled something about getting an update and wandered off in the wrong direction. It was probably best to just leave him be – he'd probably forget where he was going anyway.

That left me and the love of my life – who couldn't even meet my gaze – sitting opposite each other in that horrible room. She was so freakin' beautiful. I could tell she hadn't slept much – I knew how she felt. Her hair was pulled back from her gorgeous face in a messy bun-type-thing. She had no-make-up on, which was rare for Alex but it wasn't like she really needed it. She was wearing yoga pants and my Led Zeppelin shirt and I'd never seen a girl look so stunning in my entire life. I had no idea what the hell to do when she spoke.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said. I'd never heard her sound so dejected before. I just shook my head. I didn't know I was looking at her any certain way. "You're looking at me like you're so sorry for everything. Well fuck you, Embry Call!" she spat, trying to sound angry but the tears in her eyes were stabbing me in the gut. "It took my best friend getting shot for you to bother to be in the same room as me. Now she's hurt and cut open and I wasn't talking to her over you, and you don't get to look at me like that!" she said, her sweet voice wracked with sobs.

I had never wanted to hold her more in my life. But I couldn't. I didn't know if she'd even want me touching her, and my hands itched to reach out. I so wanted to tell her everything – I was done trying to pull away. Looking at Jake now was a glimpse into my future without Alex in it. Who was I kidding thinking I could be okay without her? But I couldn't stomach the lying every day. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I'm waiting, for whatever better time

To evict these words that have rented out my mind.

And I'm hating every minute that I don't speak out loud,

like a year laying down

Alex got up and started pacing. I felt like she wanted to get out of here but her love for Bella was keeping her in this very room, refusing to go until she heard more. It just proved to me how much Bella meant to her – if she'd put up being here with my worthless ass.

Sit down, please make yourself comfortable.

I might need some time,

To dance around what I need to say,

I love you to death, I think I need a break.

"Alex, please, sit down... you need to relax," I said. She seemed so shocked that I'd actually spoken to her that she sat down immediately. I sighed. She was looking at me expectantly, like I was finally going to start talking to her about the secret. I pressed my knuckles into my eye sockets and groaned. I fucking hated everything right then. "Baby, I know I've got a lot of explaining to do, but I really can't get into it right now. I just want you to know that I'm sorry and the things I've been keeping from you – well, I literally didn't have a choice. It's tribal stuff; stupid outdated crap that I let get the better of me," I rambled, finally taking my hands away and risking a look at her. She was listening intently to everything I said. My heart clenched at the look on her face. She was so...trusting. How the fuck did I deserve that?

I got up from my seat and walked across the room to her. I kneeled down in front of her and I took her little hands in mine.

"Baby, you're all I'm ever going to want out of life. I'm going to fight for us. I was stupid to think I should let anyone or anything tell me who I'm meant to be with. You're mine, Alex, and I'm yours and I'm really fucking sorry I didn't say it before but I love you," I said, and she was really crying now. She grabbed me by the hair roughly with both hands and pressed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss. It was the best thing I'd ever experienced. Why the hell should I let a tribe who barely acknowledged me until I started bursting out of my skin on a regular basis to dictate who I should be able to share my secrets with? Look at us now. Alex was kissing me and I was drowning in her and we belonged to each other.

And I was going to fight for her.

Bella POV

I could smell him. I felt like pummelled crap and I was so damn tired but I could smell Jacob and the thought of seeing him was pulling me awake. I attempted to open my eyes twice before I could make out any definite shapes.

There was a dark mass of jet black hair on my lap. It was sticking up in adorably messy angles and looked like it had been ruffled a lot in the last few hours. Jake was passed out, sleeping on his folded arms. I reached out to wake him, but whatever drugs I was on seemed to be messing with my depth perception. His hair looked so soft. I just wanted to touch it.

I ran my fingers over his scalp, and he stirred awake. He took a second to look around and remember where he was before his gaze darted to me. His hair was completely flat on one side where he'd been sleeping. I'd never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.

"Bells!" he breathed, before attacking my face in kisses. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? I can get the nurse for you. Holy shit, baby, please don't ever scare me like that again!" he blurted out before my brain could catch up.

"Water?" was all I could say. I guessed I shouldn't be even attempting speech until I'd gotten rid of this damn cotton mouth.

"Of course, baby, sorry!" he said, reaching for the jug and plastic cup before I'd even had a chance to look for it. He pressed kisses to my temple, each of my fingers on my left hand and buried his nose in my neck. I guessed he found some source of comfort in my scent, like I did his. I never wanted him to let me go. I unconsciously moved into him, unknowingly pulling at what felt like stitches in my abdomen. I winced at the sensation. This was not fun.

"Careful honey, you just had surgery," he said, pulling back the blanket where I could make out dressings under my thin hospital gown. He traced the bandage over the material before kissing it softly. He kept his eyes trained on my stomach as he spoke. "It wasn't as bad as we first thought. You lost a kidney, but it was just an inch shy of your spine, so it could have been so much worse."

Leave it to Jake to put a positive spin on losing an organ.

"Will I be okay?" I asked, proud that I'd finished a sentence this time. He took my hand in his again and kissed it.

"You're going to be just fine. Doctor says people function completely normally with just one kidney. Besides, you're going to have twenty-four-hour servants at your beck and call until you're healed," he winked. I wondered how The Pack were going to feel about that one.

"What about... hunters," I questioned. I was starting to feel groggy again, but I couldn't help but worry that The Pack had done something terrible to them. After all, they were just humans who made a poor decision. And shot me. Jacobs expression darkened.

"I'm going to deal with them later," he said. Before I could question him further, he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"The hell you are, son. Human criminals are my jurisdiction!" Charlie made his way across the threshold to my bedside, giving Jake a steely glare the whole time. He took my hand then, and his eyes never left me as he continued to speak. "You mind telling me though, Jacob, how it is that you're the giant wolf and it's my little girl who almost ended up the trophy kill?"

A/N: Sooo.. Bella's okay! Horray! I really didn't want to do that to Jake. He'd probably hunt me down anyway – and not in a good way.

How were Embry and Alex for you? I couldn't exactly resolve everything in this chapter but the fact that Embry hasn't given up on them yet is something. And he said he loved her! D'aawwww!

Charlie knows about the wolves... Guess Bella's got some 'splainin to do!

Thoughts?