A/N: Hello, awesome readers! I hope everyone's enjoying the holiday season.
Some more interesting revelations this chapter, but it will be a while before there is a resolution and reunion.
A sparkly Edward under the tree for my pre-readers, Keye and Sandy (The Enablers); you guys rock!
Thanks to my super-fast awesome beta, Jess (jkane180), who always manages to impress me with her speed and never complains when it looks like I was drunk or used a trained monkey when typing a chapter. Hehe. Best beta ever.
Chapter 35
~Spot's in Her Eyes~
~*Alice*~
Blackness surrounded me; I was dowsed in it, enshrouded in it, as it pressed upon me from everywhere at once. Vampires have excellent vision, but I couldn't see a thing; nothing of my physical location and no visions. I'd lost track of all time—which was another non-existent occurrence for a vampire—we could normally tell you the time to within minutes and seconds; there was nothing normal about what was happening to me.
Somewhere nearby, I could hear a slow but steady drip...drip...drip as water leaked against stone. At first, the sound had been comforting because I was so sensory deprived that I welcomed anything, but soon it was grating on my nerves to the point I wanted to tear at my hair and claw my eyes out.
My sanity was hanging on by a slim thread of hope—the hope that Jasper was still alive. One of my captors, James—the cruel one with the evil chuckle—informed me that they'd torn Jasper limb from limb and burned him after they'd gained my cooperation. He said he didn't want Jasper coming after me because I was never going back home. They continued to assure my good behavior by listing the names of the rest of my family members and threatening to slowly and painfully kill each one if I didn't do as instructed.
My chest clenched painfully whenever I allowed myself thoughts of Jasper. I longed for his soft, honeyed curls to bury my fingers in, the sexy drawl of his voice, his gentle, easy ways... the knack he had of always assuring me that everything would be all right. This was so not fucking all right.
Over and over again, I relived the events leading up to my imprisonment, wondering if there was something I could have done differently. Due to the fact that the wolves were present, I was unable to rely on my visions, which rendered me off balance from the get go. I never realized just how much I relied on my gift until it was stripped away.
Standing up on the dais, handling the auction of Bella's art, I was interrupted by one of the gallery employees. "Ms. Cullen, there's an issue with one of the pieces, and your assistant is waiting to speak with you. Jeanine will direct you, and Mr. Brant said he'll take over the auction until you return."
I nodded, making my way over to where Jeanine was waiting for me. Before I left, I glanced over to where Jasper was sitting and winked. Nobody told me he was in the room, but I could feel him; our connection created an almost magnetic physical field, and I knew right where to look to find his golden eyes staring back at me. It was the last happy moment I had before the freak show started...
Jeanine brought me to a storage room near the back entrance of the gallery.
"Why are we in here, Jeanine?"
She shrugged, appearing a bit confused herself. "I'm not sure, Ms. Cullen. I was instructed to bring you here to meet your assistant because there was an issue with one of the pieces. Perhaps it was damaged, and they're bringing it back here. Let me see what I can find out for you."
"Okay, thanks."
Still, I wasn't feeling that anything was wrong. Maybe I should have been more suspicious. Wandering around the room, I peered in the semi-darkness at all the crates and plastic-wrapped packages. This must be their shipping and receiving area; it was too messy for public viewing.
A few minutes later, I hissed as the scent of a vampire wafted over to me. Wrenching the door open, I stalked into the hall, intending to get back to a public area, when I was grabbed and held by two burly vampires that rushed me from either side.
"Hey! Let go of me!" I snarled.
They laughed. "Feisty," one said to the other. They laughed again as I continued to struggle. Both of them were about six feet tall; the one who had spoken had greasy black hair pulled into a low pony-tail, a stringy length of which had come loose and was hanging over his forehead, and the other had neatly groomed, short blond hair.
The blond leaned toward me. "Alice, you need to consider your options."
Ceasing my struggles, I looked up at him, tilting my head. "How do you know my name?"
"We know a lot about you, Alice. If you don't want Jasper, or the rest of your family, to end up dead, you'd better come quietly," he leered. His handsome face was twisted into a fiendish sneer, and I was taken aback by the pleasure he was taking in this. Turning my attention to the black haired one, I found another cruel face and knew I would receive no break from either of them.
"Please don't hurt anyone. What is it you want? I'll give it to you if I have it!" I stamped my little foot in frustration.
"You. Just you, and we already have you. Let's go!" dark hair growled at me.
They led me out to the marina. The fog in the air created an eerie feeling, and even vampire vision couldn't completely cut through the swirling mist. We walked all the way out to the very last of the boat slips, and a dark figure strolled out of the gray dampness; I could tell from his swagger he was cocky and self-assured—most likely the leader of this band of hooligans.
"Boys," he drawled in a low rumble, sounding extremely pleased. "Ah, our little one comes home to the fold. Welcome."
He came into view then; he was tall with a medium build, black trench coat, dark-wash jeans and steel-toed black boots. His sandy hair was pulled into a neat pony-tail at the nape of his neck, and he had a handsome, almost-boyish face, complete with full lips that turned up into a smug smile. I didn't need my powers to tell that he had the capacity to be cruel. With a start, I realized that my gift should be working again; we were far enough away from the wolves now, but I still saw nothing but a swirling black cloud whenever I tried to 'see.'
Glaring up at the newcomer, I spat with more confidence than I felt, "What do you want? Who are you?"
"I'm insulted, Mary Alice. You don't remember me?" he asked with a self-depreciating grin, pressing a hand to his chest and making a sad puppy-dog face, as though injured that I'd forgotten him.
"I've never seen you before." I frowned. Had I? Vampires remembered everything, and he didn't seem familiar at all. Yet he knew my given name. A frisson of fear crept up my spine.
"It'll come back eventually. I'm James, by the way. You'll be coming home with us, Mary Alice."
"No! Please let me go."
"Afraid that's not possible, sweetheart. You will be coming with us. I need your gift."
"My gift isn't working right now." I had the absurd urge to stick my tongue out at him but, instead, allowed my lower lip to jut into a pout like a petulant child's.
"I know." A smug smile spread across his face. "Would you like to know why?" he asked, moving in closer.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I nodded.
James walked right up to me, and I still didn't recognize him, although somehow I felt I should. Reaching into his shirt, he tugged out a silver chain and dangled it in the air. "This is why." On the chain was a pendant which looked like some kind of claw suspended in amber.
Looking up at him in frustration, I huffed, "What the hell is that? You're telling me I can't see because of a claw stuck in some amber?"
Leaning in close to me, James ran a finger along my cheek and whispered, "Not just any claw, Mary Alice; a werewolf claw."
A werewolf claw! Jesus. That meant he knew the major weakness of my gift was werewolves. How could he possibly know that? Left speechless, I just stared up at him with wide eyes.
"Cat got your tongue?" James purred.
"How did you -"
"Oh, I got it from Spot." He waved his hand as if it was no problem to procure a werewolf claw.
"Spot?" I asked, wrinkling my brow in confusion.
"Yes, my dear. Spot is the... family pet, so to speak. I have an endless supply of claws since he heals so quickly."
"But how did you know?" I persisted.
"Can't give away all my secrets, now can I, Mary Alice?" He reached out and tapped me on the nose with his index finger. My eyes followed his movements in awe; he was very confident and seemed to know exactly what he was doing. For a few minutes, I forgot to be upset about my predicament, until he reached into my pocket and snatched my phone.
"Hey!"
"You won't be needing this where you're going." He wiggled his eyebrows and then flipped my phone open and started going through my contacts. "Ah, here we go..." James' fingers flew over the keys for a moment, and then he snapped the phone closed, placing it in a hidden pocket in the lining of his trench.
"What did you do?" I demanded.
James whirled suddenly, his face coming within an inch of mine. "Don't push me too hard, Mary Alice. I'm trying to be patient with your incessant chatter, but we're done talking for now. Let's just wait for events to unfold, and then we can be on our way."
A moment later, the redheaded vampire from my visions skipped up to us. "Hey, lover! It's done." She laughed throatily then pulled James into a face-mashing kiss.
"Good girl! Is she dead?" James asked.
"I'm pretty sure she is, but I didn't hang around to find out. There were werewolves up there, too! Some blonde bimbo was chasing me for a while, but I managed to give her the slip."
"Hey, Vic, let me introduce you to Mary Alice..." James turned their bodies in my direction, his arm wound possessively around her waist. "Mary Alice, would you like to see Victoria's special earrings? Show her, baby."
"Oh, yeah! These are special." Victoria leaned in toward me, flicking her long, spiral curls out of the way so I could see her ears; there was a werewolf claw threaded onto a wire hoop dangling from each ear. "Totally awesome, huh?" Victoria flashed a set of perfect white teeth at me.
"Yeah, totally." I rolled my eyes.
James pulled a vibrating phone out of the pocket of his trench, glancing down at the text message. "Okay, boys, it's time to get this show on the road. You know what to do."
And then Jasper was being dragged down to the marina by more vampires. No! Not my Jasper! "Jasper! Jasper!" I keened, struggling as hard as I could. "NO! Let him go!"
James' sinister laugh reverberated around me, snaking its way inside me and giving me a chill I shouldn't have been able to register. "If you want to see your precious Jasper again, you'll do as we say, little one."
Just the few minutes I'd spent with this crew let me know they meant business. Jasper's only chance for survival was my cooperation. Defeated, I stopped struggling, allowing them to easily lead me away. Turning my head back, I mouthed to Jasper, "Love you."
My last visual was of Jasper's horrified eyes as he watched me being taken from him, but I knew the first thing he'd do would be to plot a way to get me back. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing if James kept his word and let Jasper go or if he'd killed him in the way he cruelly threw in my face once he had me imprisoned.
The journey was a blur. I was blindfolded, they had their werewolf talismans to keep my visions at bay and they kept changing directions and modes of transport—which usually wouldn't throw me, but in my current agitated and unbalanced state, I lost all track of my whereabouts.
At my best estimate, I'd been here in this dark, dank basement catacomb for a few days with my only known companion being the steady drip...drip...drip... of water. Since my senses were so keen, they either had a humongous private compound, or they'd left me somewhere extremely remote.
My mind stopped its whirring when I heard the sound of metal chains clanking from quite a distance away. Muffled voices drifted through the dark, and I moved closer to the source, listening carefully.
"Don't give me trouble, Spot!" James growled. "You worthless mutt! Scratch me like that again, and I'll kill you even if it does mean I have to find myself another pet."
There was a scrabbling sound, and then I heard the distinct snarls of a pissed-off werewolf.
"Easy, boy. Just one, okay?" James' voice was cajoling. "Hold him, boys."
A loud, wounded shriek echoed against the stone walls. It sounded as though a door was being chained shut, and then I could hear the fading voices and catcalls of James and his buddies as they left.
Sitting in the darkness, I listened hard, trying to sense if I was alone or if the werewolf was still nearby. After about five minutes, I was rewarded with a groan as he phased back into his human form.
"Son of a bitch!" he moaned hoarsely.
"Hello?" I called out, loud enough for him to hear me, but hopefully not loud enough to alert James and company. There was a pregnant pause. "Hey! Can you hear me?" I tried again.
"Who the fuck're you?" a wary voice asked.
"I'm Alice. And you are?"
"Spot." His tone was sardonic.
"Surely you have a real name?" By this time, the stench of werewolf had wafted into my cell; the stench of werewolf on adrenaline—ick.
"Nobody's ever asked me before. Why would you give a shit? You're a vampire," he said with distaste.
"I'm a nice vampire, and I'm not calling you Spot!" I shook my head, crossing my arms—as if he could see me in the dark all the way from his cell.
He surprised me by laughing, and it was a pleasant, deep baritone. "Hello, Alice; I'm Joshua."
"Hi, Joshua. It's nice to meet you. Do you know where we are?"
"Italy."
I gasped. "Italy?"
"Yeah, does that mean something to you?"
"Um... it might. Do you know what part of Italy?" I asked carefully.
"Nah, they don't let me know much, Alice. They just throw me enough small animals to keep me alive, and yank my claws when they want 'em. I have no fucking idea why they'd want my claws... hurts like a bitch having 'em pulled."
Wincing, I volunteered, "I think I know why, Joshua."
"You do? Why?"
"Because of me. I'm so, so sorry! You see, I have visions of the future, but they don't work in the presence of werewolves. Somehow James found this out, and that's how he's been getting around me and my family when he wants to. It's all my fault that they've hurt you!"
"Nah. James and his ghouls are evil—it's their fault that I've been hurt, not yours."
I could hear the sound of something scraping against stone, and I surmised that Joshua was sliding down the wall to a seated position. The yawning darkness pressed in on me, and I realized that talking with him had momentarily distracted me from it.
"Does it hurt, terribly?" I asked.
"It's okay; I heal quickly. So... why do they have you here?"
"I only know they want me for my gift, but they want to be able to control it. They had jewelry made out of... um, your claws," I answered apologetically.
"Jewelry?" A string of expletives followed that would make a sailor blush.
"Sorry; sorry! See? Your pain is all because of me!" I wailed.
"Alice? If we're going to be roomies, you're going to have to stop blaming yourself for my situation. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? We've got nothing but time down here. At least now I have someone to talk to."
And so we started learning about each other during our many hours in the dark.
I learned that Joshua was an orphan with no knowledge of his ancestry. He met and fell in love with Joselle, a lovely Italian girl, and they married at the tender age of eighteen. They had two beautiful children, a boy and a girl, and life was wonderful. Then one day, Joshua started feeling ill and short-tempered. This continued for a few weeks until he finally erupted into wolf form one night. Horrified, he left his family for a time to ensure their safety and to search for answers to his 'condition.'
As he roamed the Italian countryside, he came close to Volterra and caught the sickening-sweet stench of what he later discovered were vampires. A vampire attacked Joshua out in the woods, and he phased automatically into wolf form, tearing the vampire to pieces. At the time, he didn't know vampires could reanimate if the body parts weren't burned... imagine his surprise when he came across the same vampire again. Said vampire was foolish enough to taunt Joshua, asking him why he didn't burn him when he had the chance. Needless to say, Joshua was a fast learner, and the vampire found himself as bonfire fodder.
Eventually, he gained control over phasing and returned to his family. Joselle was very understanding of the situation, welcoming him home with open arms after delivering a sharp slap across his face. Things pretty much went back to normal until James captured Joshua, threatening to kill Joselle and the children if he failed to cooperate.
"Shit, Joshua! So, you're basically stuck doing James' bidding for as long as he wants you to. Now I really feel like this is my fault—he wouldn't need you if it wasn't for me."
"Don't blame yourself, Alice. It's not your fault that you're a psychic vampire any more than it's my fault I'm a werewolf. Let's just hope that asshole lets us both go when he gets whatever it is that he wants."
"Do you have any idea what he wants?"
"Power."
Italy... visions... Joshua was from the outskirts of Volterra... power... Italy... power... Italy... POWER!
"Holy shit... this has something to do with the Volturi..." I whispered.
~*Edward's POV*~
After Jacob left to meet with the elders, I heard the sounds of Seth and Quil taking up sentry duty outside the house. Through Seth's mind, I could see that Sam and Jacob were both concerned about Paul's unhealthy fixation with their allowing a vampire on Quileute land. I bit back a growl as I thought about Paul and his continued ignorance starting with when he wanted to use Bella as bait out in the woods. He was volatile and unstable, and I wouldn't hesitate to put him down like the rabid dog that he was behaving like if he got in my face.
Angela brought some food out to the boys, leaving me alone with Bella. I looked down at her angelic face, which appeared deceptively peaceful considering what must be going on within her. I shuddered to think of the damage all of Jasper's emotions might have done.
Stroking her hair, I whispered to her, "Bella, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to know how much I love you. I just found you; I can't live without you. Please don't make me try." A sob stuck in my throat as I thought about what my days and nights would be like if there was no Bella, and I pulled her body in tighter against my own. "Bella, please; I need you."
No response.
Scrunching my eyes closed, I prayed to a God I'd rarely, if ever, spoken to. I asked for His mercy; I begged Him to allow Bella to return to me. I didn't promise I would never turn Bella into a monster like me because I didn't know what our future held. Bella was so sure she was going to become a vampire, and a huge part of me wanted that, too—a huge selfish part.
The front door opened, and I heard heavy steps. Jacob walked into the room, his hands jammed into his charcoal gray hoodie, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "You're in, Edward."
Relief flooded me. "Thank you, Jacob."
"Any change?" He nodded his head toward Bella.
I shook my head, my heart heavy again.
"There are some conditions, Edward."
"Okay. What are they?"
Jacob crouched at the side of the bed, so we were almost eye to eye. "You understand it was really tough for these old-timers to accept you here, right? Well, they'll allow you to stay, and they'll allow Carlisle to come to the house to examine Bella since he's a physician. The rest of your family must stay off our land. You and Carlisle have to be in the presence of a werewolf at all times while you're here."
I nodded. "That sounds more than fair, Jacob. Thank you. I'd like to get Carlisle over here as soon as possible to check on Bella, if that's all right."
"Sure thing, Edward. I'll give you some privacy; just let me know when and where to meet Carlisle, and one of us will fetch him."
Jacob left the room, and one of the many knots in my chest uncurled. One hurdle down. Maybe Carlisle would have some idea how to rouse Bella. I tried to slip off the bed, but Bella's fingers gripped at my shirt reflexively, and she pulled in closer. On some level, she must have sensed my presence, so I decided not to distress her by leaving.
"Hello?" Carlisle's smooth voice came over the line.
"Carlisle, I need you," I blurted out.
"Edward! Son, how are you? And Bella?"
"Bella's still unconscious. I need you here, Father. Please come." For the first time in decades, I felt like a child needing his daddy. I rarely called Carlisle 'father;' in fact, he usually posed as my uncle due to our close proximity in age.
There was a slight hesitation, and I think Carlisle was slightly taken aback by my demeanor toward him, but he quickly recovered himself. "Yes, of course I'll come, Edward. Where are you?"
"That's another thing; you can't tell anyone where we are. Promise me first, and then I'll explain."
"You have my word, of course, but Jasper's doing better now. He doesn't even remember running off with Bella, son. He's so very sorry."
That was Carlisle; always the peacekeeper that tried to smooth the way for everyone. It was a quality in him that I admired for the most part, but in certain circumstances, it could be taken to an extreme. I harbored no ill toward Jasper; if someone had snatched Bella, and I thought Alice might have the answers, I probably would have done something similar in my distressed state.
"Carlisle, I'm not angry with Jasper. There are extenuating circumstances, and I need your word."
"You have it, Edward. Tell me."
"I'm in La Push."
After a shocked silence, Carlisle whispered, "What did you say?"
"I'm at Jacob's. When I ran with Bella, I didn't know where to go to be sure she was safe, and I ended up here. I spoke to Sam and Jacob, who spoke to the elders, and they've agreed to allow me to stay here with Bella. The only other of us they will allow on their land is you, so you can examine Bella."
"I'll be right there, son."
"Someone will meet you at the treaty line. That's another condition—we have to be accompanied by a werewolf at all times."
"Understood. I'll see you soon."
After hanging up the phone, I called out to Jacob to let him know Carlisle was on his way.
A sense of relief flooded through me. Carlisle was a doctor, my mentor, the one we always looked toward to make things right. I had to believe he could help my Bella. Hugging her to me, I refused to contemplate what I would do if Carlisle had no answers for me.
As I continued to stroke Bella's hair, I sensed a change in her heart rate. Her body grew slightly restless, and her brow creased with concern.
"So dark..." she mumbled. "Annoying dripping water." A frown tugged her face down.
Hope rose in me. Perhaps Bella was not awake, but she was talking in her sleep—a common occurrence for her. Since we had written off previous dreams that turned out to be meaningful, I decided to pay close attention to her musings in case we could make sense of it later.
"Jasper... Oh, Jasper!" she wailed, her body writhing around.
I just held her in my arms, knowing when she dreamed like this it was as though she was in another place.
Bella's eyebrows shot up. "My God, Spot's in her eyes! That's why Alice can't see!"
Spots in her eyes? What did that mean?
"Mm-mm... Italy... power... Italy... power..." Soft whimpers escaped Bella's lips as her heart raced faster.
"Bella, love, it's okay. It's me, Edward. You're right here with me; nothing can hurt you."
"Werewolf..." Bella muttered.
"Yes, there are wolves here, but they're protecting you."
"The wolf is good." Bella's respiration slowed to a more regular rhythm, and she curled into me again.
There would be no problem recalling her strange dream talk; vampires had photogenic memories. Making sense of it was another story. I could hear the sounds of footfalls approaching the house, and I picked out Carlisle's concerned thoughts. Breathing a sigh of relief, I stroked Bella's hair lightly.
"Carlisle will be here soon, love."
"The wolf is the key," Bella said in a louder, insistent voice.
"Bella, what wolf are -"
Bella's heart started to slam in her chest, reaching dangerous levels, and her eyes rolled back.
"No! Bella! Bella, please!" I sobbed hoarsely. "Carlisle!"
Hurried footsteps ran up the front porch and through the house. Carlisle appeared in the doorway with Jacob, and they both looked worried as Bella's heart continued to race. Her body started to shake uncontrollably in my arms as she went into convulsions.
"No! Bella, please. You can't leave me," I moaned.
"Edward, you have to let me in here. I'm going to have to shock her. Bella's tachycardic—her heart can't withstand an accelerated rate like that for long."
Carlisle dropped to the floor, opening a large black case he'd brought in with him. Moving quickly, he set up the defibrillator that was nestled inside. Jacob watched with wide eyes, his heart galloping in his chest.
I felt so helpless in that moment. Even my venom couldn't save her right now; if that little machine made by human hands didn't do the trick, my Bella might die right here in my arms. Her heart would never make it through the change right now.
"Edward! Focus!" Carlisle snapped as the defibrillator charged up. He rubbed the paddles together. "Jacob! Open her shirt for me."
A low growl rumbled in my throat, and Jacob halted mid-stride. "Shit, Edward; I'm trying to help Bella stay alive. If you don't want me to do it, then you have to!"
Coming back to my senses, I ripped Bella's shirt open, the buttons clinking in different tones as they hit the walls, the floor, and the base of the lamp beside the bed. I used my sharp nails to slice through her bra, pulling it wide open and exposing her chest. Jacob had the good sense to avert his gaze and turn away.
"Hold her still, son!"
My hands pressed Bella against the bed, her body still shaking violently, and I knew this would leave bruising—I could deal with that as long as she opened her beautiful chocolate eyes for me again. Her legs still trembled, but remained fairly close to the mattress, so I concentrated on keeping her upper body immobilized.
"Ready!" Carlisle called out.
I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, not wanting to have the visual of this moment burned into my mind for all of eternity. As Carlisle applied the shock, I could feel Bella's upper body lift with the intensity, although it merely felt like a tingling as it went up my arms.
Her heart continued its wild racing.
Thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thumpthu-thump
"Shit, Carlisle! It didn't work!"
"Charging again..."
Again, I closed my eyes, but I couldn't control the inhuman wail that ripped out of me. It was so loud my family probably heard me back at the house. Certainly there was a sudden silence in all the chattering minds of La Push.
"BELLA! Damn it! Fight! I swear, if you die, I'm coming with you!"
Jacob squeezed my shoulder. He didn't speak, but I understood and appreciated the gesture. Angela was frantically banging on the door, crying hysterically, calling Bella's name.
At some point, I realized that Bella's body was still—no longer convulsing. Her heart rate was slowing down, and soon it was just slightly higher than normal.
Tup-tup tup-tup tup-tup tup-tup tup-tup tup-tup tup-tup
Lifting my head, I looked over at Carlisle, who nodded. "I think she's going to be all right, son. We really can't have more episodes like this though. Another one will likely kill her."
"Please, can I have a moment alone with her?"
"Sure, son."
They left the room, and I pulled Bella's torn shirt back together as best I could and covered her with the sheet. Crawling up next to her, I rested my head on her chest, listening to her heart beating steadily. I wrapped my hand around one of her wrists, so I could feel her pulse against my fingers, and my body shook with dry sobs.
"Bella, I don't know how I lived so long alone, without you, but I can't do it again. I thought I was immortal, but I'm not—if you die, that will be the date of my death also. God, I've never felt so weak and vulnerable, even in my human life. You hold my heart in your hands, Bella. My very soul belongs to you, and if you go, it goes with you."
The sound of her heart beating against the side of my face was comforting; its steady tup-tup tup-tup lulled me into a relaxed state, and the tension slowly melted away. I was so focused on Bella's heart beat that it took me a few moments to register that there were fingers running lightly through my hair. My head snapped up, and I was rewarded by the sight of Bella's beautiful brown eyes looking at me adoringly.
"Bella?" I whispered.
Bella nodded slightly, and I could see the pure exhaustion etched in her features. Stroking her face lightly, I peppered soft kisses over her cheeks, nose, eyes and forehead, whispering into her hair, "You came back to me."
"E-Edw-ard," she said on a sigh.
Placing a finger over her lips, I shook my head. "Shh... don't try to talk yet. You've been through a lot today."
Bella grabbed my hand with more strength than I would have expected. "I h-heard you," she whispered. "I love you."
Then her fingers went limp as her eyes fluttered closed, and Bella was fast asleep.
~*}{*~
A/N: Thoughts, theories, opinions? You know I love to hear them!
See my profile for an update on all the projects I've committed to with my abundance of spare time (insert sarcasm). As far as the outtakes I'll be writing, I'm taking suggestions from my readers, so feel free to put your ten cents in!
I'm nearly finished writing my one-shot for the Pick a Pic contest... and it will now be a two-to-four shot because Ms. Word-hOOr can't keep it short, LOL. I'm really excited about this story, and I hope you'll check it out. Put me on author alert if you're interested, and you'll be notified when it's posted.
I'm doing a 'Squeeze My Lemon' outtake from IWIPB on January 12th. Here's a link if you're interested (cut/paste and remove spaces):
h t tp :/ /dirtycheekymonkeys . Blogspot . Com /2010 /12/ squeeze-my-lemon-jan-12 . html
I'm putting together my own blog where I'll be posting all my stories, outtakes, news, etc. I decided to create one place that has everything of mine due to issues with some fanfic sites that I'm considering pulling my stories from. It's a work in progress right now, but if you're interested in following here's the link:
h t t p :/ / saritadreaming . worpress . com
Last, but not least, it was brought to my attention (thanks, Keye) that I was nominated in a few categories of the Twilight Walk of Fame Awards. Thank you to whoever nom'd me! They're apparently having some trouble posting their nominations, but if you're interested, voting is supposed to be opening soon.
h t tp :/ / www . Twinklingswfa . blogspot . com
Sorry for the long note! Lots going on.
May you all be richly blessed and enjoy this joyous holiday season!