"The Cullen's are coming back."

It takes only a second for my sentence to settle in, and then Bella clutches at her chest, and starts sputtering.

"How did you find them- they can't- I don't- but Jake-" I cut Bella off.

"Isabella." I say sternly, half shouting to break into her crazy. "Don't worry about the how. They're coming to fix their mess."

"They left me, Rayna!" Bella shouts, shocking me. "They abandoned me like garbage, like I didn't matter!"

"Bell-" I start, but she interrupts again.

"I finally have somewhere that I feel loved again," Bella continues as though I haven't said anything. "Jake put me back together. I can't hurt him, he imprinted on me! But I can't stay away from him."

"He imprinted on you?" Is my intelligent response, my mind wheeling.

"Yes," Bella is crying now, her head in her hands. "I wish you hadn't found them. They ruined me, but I won't be strong enough to stay away!"

"It's either I find them, or she kills you and my family." I snap out.

"I should be the only one she hurts!" Bella shouts, voice strangled with tears. "She wants me!"

"If you die, Jake dies too!" I shout sternly, turning into her driveway. "Especially if you're his imprint."

"I didn't ask for it!" Bella yells at me, her voice starting to go hoarse. It is then that she breaks down.

For a few minutes, we sit like that; Bella crying, me desperately wanting to fix the situation but not knowing how. Bella breaks it first, by opening her door and slamming it behind her. I'm quick to follow.

"Bella," I say, but she cuts me off.

"Just leave me alone, Rayna." Bella deadpans, walking into her house. Not wanting to, but knowing I have to, I follow. Bella is on the couch.

"I'm sorry." I say, at a loss for any other words. Bella nods tightly.

"When will they be here?" The words come out emotionless, like a zombie. I'm brought back to the Bella I had first met, the shell of a girl pining for her vampire.

"A few hours." I tell her, and she nods.

"Okay." Bella doesn't say more, and turns on the TV.

I take that to mean she doesn't want any conversation, and settle myself into the armchair. My anxiety has worn me out, and I find my eyes drooping as I watch the show Bella picked play out in front of me. Before I realize it, I've fallen asleep.

I wake up with a start, the skin on the back of my neck prickling. Bella isn't where I left her, so I stand,

"Bella, where are-" I'm cut short at the sight in front of me.

Victoria walks out from the kitchen, her hand pressed into Bella's mouth. By the looks of it, her jaw is already broken. She walks like a cat, her red eyes gleam as she looks at me, a smirk gracing her beautiful pale features. Her red hair is a wild, curly mess, and matches the blood dribbling down Bella's chin.

"This will be fun." Victoria's voice is musical, deadly, and as she steps forward she seems to merely twitch her fingers. There's a loud cracking, and more blood seeps out of Bella's mouth. Victoria allows herself a deep inhale, closing her eyes, and then looks back to me.

I turn around, run for the door. "Paul!" The scream tears through my throat as I get flung into the wall.

I crash against a picture of a young Bella, and fall to the ground. I haven't broken anything, not yet, but if someone doesn't help us soon I know I'll be dead and so will Bella.

I look behind me, pressing against the wall. Victoria has taken to breaking each of Bella's fingers individually, her other hand still pressed against her mouth. The woman's wild eyes darken, nearing a black, and she glances down at the ruby droplets now spilling out of Bella's mouth.

"I'll kill you first, quickly," Victoria purrs, looking into my eyes. "So I can have fun with Isabella."

She takes the first step towards me, and I run for the door; but a hard granite leg blocks me and I tumble to the floor. There's a stinging pain in my shin and a throbbing from my elbows, and I twist around to see Victoria standing over me.

Now, Victoria has one arm around Bella's elbow, completely crushing the bone with ease. She smiles at me for a moment, and kicks her foot towards my head. The result is a blinding crack that reverberates through my entire skull, and my vision fades away.

-o-

I don't wake up gracefully, in fact it feels as though ten pound weights are lying on my eyelids. It takes a few tries, but finally I manage to keep my eyes open. The lights are dim, but I immediately recognize my surroundings as my living room.

A loud snore interrupts my thought process, and I look to see Paul slumped uncomfortably in our small armchair. His huge body looks comical in the tiny chair, and I let out a raspy laugh that quickly fades as my throat aches. I must have been out for awhile.

I study Paul, my eyes lingering on the deep circles under his eyes. Even in sleep, he looks stressed. His body seems to be tensed, his jaw clenched even in sleep. As usual, he doesn't have a shirt.

A creak of the floorboard behind me startles me, and I crane my neck back to see who made the noise. Jared's eyes widen as he notices me awake.

"Paul," No sooner than the word leaving Jared's mouth does Paul jerk awake, his knees cracking as he jumps to his feet.

Paul is on the defense, until he notices that I'm awake. "Rayna.." He trails off, bending down to my eye level.

"What happened?" My vocal chords burn, my dry tongue scraping against the roof of my mouth.

"What do you remember?" Paul asks, his dark eyes hard.

"Red hair.." I think, hard, and the events from the Swan house come back to me. "Bella!"

I struggle to get up, but Paul's large hands prevent me from doing so. "Calm down, Rey."

"Is she alive?" I ask, my throat still reeling from lack of use.

"Not really." Jared mutters darkly, while Paul glances towards him.

"The Cullen's," The name comes off twisted. "Changed Bella. They claim she was too close to death. So they officially killed her."

"Oh, god," I bring my hands to my face, pressing them into my eyes. "Where's Jake? Bella said he imprinted on her."

"Naw, he didn't," Paul scoffed, gently moving my hands from my eyes. "He only said that so she wouldn't think he was going to abandon her like the leech."

"So how is he?" I ask.

"Not that good, but.." Paul says, shrugging. "Better than he would be if he had imprinted on her."

I nod, wince at the pain it causes. Paul moves fast, and suddenly hands me two excedrin and a glass of water. "Thank you."

"Jake hasn't phased back yet." Jared speaks up from behind me. "He's been running ever since the Cullen's left with Bella."

"Following them?" I guess, leaning my head back on the couch.

"He was at first," Jared says. "But they threw him off. Had blondie pull up last minute and take Bella, while the rest went through an airport. Jake followed them to the airport before realizing Bella wasn't with them."

"And then Sam alpha ordered him not to trail them anymore," Paul finished, slowing grasping my hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts, my throat is dry, my body feels stiff," I list off. "But I'm alive."

"Yeah," Paul nods, squeezing my hand. "You are."

so bella (and the cullens) are now out of the picture- for now. which means Rayna and paul can explore their relationship a little bit more without any distractions- for now. lol. hope ya'll liked this chapter! lemme know what y'all wanna see happen next as always!

-theflyinggraysons