Chapter 35

Bella watched as Edward fought the invisible forces valiantly. They would throw trees and rocks at him, hit him with lightning, and move the ground from out under his feet. He deflected nearly all of their attempts to derail him though. Only getting in a few hits every now and then. The invisible forces then suddenly changed tactics. They started to throw things at Carlisle while he worked over Bella. The spell Edward had conjured earlier held up though. The trees and rocks bounced off and fell to the floor.

However, his made the attacking force mad. The sky, which had already been whipped into a frenzy became a raging ocean of red and black clouds. And a tremendous rumbling could be heard in the distance. The clouds suddenly opened and an enormous bolt of lightning hit the shield around his father and Bella, right in the center. The lightning continued to stream down from above and Bella could see it begin to crack from the inside.

From inside, she screamed hoarsely, begging Carlisle to stop his work. He was currently etching the shield knot on Bella's arm after already drawing the lightning bolt for success and the pointed 'm' for augmentation. He had two more to go but he knew the shield would not hold.

He could see Edward desperately trying to fix the cracks as they appeared but the invisible forces were using the wind as a whip to keep him away.

"Get in here." Carlisle bellowed to Edward.

It took Edward a few moments but he was able to fight his way passed the wind and get behind the shield.

"I need you to help. Take the knife. You need to draw 'laguz' while I draw 'dagaz.' It's our only chance to finish before the lightning gets through.

Edward picked up the knife, looked at the journal for the correct symbol and began drawing. Carlisle had given him the simplest one. 'Laguz' was a long, straight line with a short diagonal line coming off it at the top. It would bring order to the physical and magical chaos running through Bella's body right now. It would heal her insides and give the magic order. What order, Edward wasn't sure.

When he placed the knife to Bella's skin she screamed out and begged him to stop.

"You must continue." Carlisle insisted, grasping Edward's wrist. "She will surely die if you don't."

Ignoring her screams, Edward and Carlisle continued to work over Bella. Carlisle's hands were slick with her blood, but he was nearly finished the 'dagaz' symbol which meant hope and happiness. Without it she would never be able to enjoy her new life. She would forever be in pain and would suffer until death.

When the last mark was made, the lightning stopped. The skin, which had been a turbulent mix of dark colors, cleared to a peaceful blue.

"Did we do it?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

The pair waited and were shocked when they heard Bella let out a piercing scream, different from the screams they heard earlier. A bolt of lightning had struck her and was currently baring down on her chest causing her back to arch into an unnatural curve.

"No!" Edward shouted, running to her side. "Stop!" He yelled, looking into the sky. "Please." He begged.

The lightning continued as did Edward's cries for mercy until suddenly Bella sat up, even with all the lightning pouring down on her.

She looked up into the bolt and spoke more clearly than either man could imagine possible given the amount of energy running through her fragile human body.

"He's my other half." She begged. "He will never live as he should if you kill me. I need him and he needs me."

"Please."

And with that the lightning stopped. Bella fell back onto the pile in a heap. Her head making a sickening crunch when it hit. But she was breathing. Edward clutched her to his front and wept with joy. She was alive. For whatever reason, the elves had decided to let her live.

"Edward." Carlisle said, coming up to his son's side. "Let me check her over."

Reluctantly, Edward relinquished his hold and let his father check Bella's vitals.

"She'll have a nasty headache for a few days, but I think it worked, son." He explained after a moment of nail-biting silence.

"We need to get her back to the bunker so that she can rest comfortably."

At Carlisle's request, Edward picked Bella up gently and the trio began walking back the way they came towards home.

"I wonder what she will think to the markings?" Edward asked as they walked.

"I told her what I would do before I started. And the effect it would have on her."

"Healing her, you mean?" Edward asked for clarification.

"To heal her, yes. But also…" Carlisle stopped walking and looked at his son. "But also, so that this would never happen again."

"How?" Edward asked bewildered.

"Edward, this never would have ended if I hadn't acted. The threat against Bella would forever hang over our heads forever and the elves would act whenever they saw fit. The marks we made, they will protect her for the rest of her life guard her from their magic and any ill will they hold towards her. But they will also prolong her life."

"You mean, she'll…"

"Yes. She'll live for longer than a human would."

"How long?"

"200 years." Carlisle stated calmly.

A smile came over Edward's face at his father's words. "For as long as me?"

"Yes son. For as long as you."

The pair began walking together and Edward couldn't help thinking of all the things he could share with Bella now that she had two lifetimes to live. They would've seen the world together with just one lifetime, but now they would have longer together.

"We need to put the world back together." Edward insisted, realizing that for his wish to be for-filled there would need to be a world from them to see.

"We'll start tomorrow." Carlisle joked, clapping his hand on his son's shoulder. "Together."