This isn't beta'd. Any mistakes are my own.
Edward carried Bella's limp body to his car.
Her weight was insignificant to him and he focused on her steady beating heart. Her arm was still bleeding and he needed to take her to Carlisle. He slipped her into the backseat and streaked to the driver's seat. Ignoring the howl of agony from the house, he sped away. He made it to his house in eight minutes, Bella was still unconscious in the back as he pulled into the garage. Calling for Carlisle, he carried Bella into the house.
"Edward, what's happened?" Carlisle asked as he came into the living room.
He beckoned Edward to follow him into his office. Edward laid Bella onto the leather futon; fretting over her.
"Her father... Carlisle, her father did this, he isn't well," Edward stammered, stressed.
Carlisle removed the towel from around Bella's arm and began cleaning the deep gash. To his relief, no arteries had been severed. While she was still unconscious, he began closing the wound. With steady hands, he made the stitches straight. As he finished, patting the area dry, Bella moaned.
"I'm here, baby," Edward assured her, stroking her face.
As soon as his skin touched her, she settled back down.
"She feels at peace with you, calms at your touch," Carlisle noted.
Edward stroked her cheek and she sighed happily.
"I love her," Edward admitted aloud for the first time.
Carlisle smiled, "I'm happy for you, son, you've waited for this for so long."
Edward shook his head, "I'm afraid to drag her into this lifestyle," He said quietly.
Carlisle sighed. He checked Bella's pulse and then patted her hand when he was happy with it.
"She's already in this life, Edward, you've told me that her father is no longer human," He reminded.
"Yes, but that wasn't her choice," Edward returned.
"No but she chose to be with you, that means she will accept you no matter what," Carlisle reasoned.
"She shouldn't have to, she should have a normal boyfriend who doesn't crave her blood," He said ashamed.
"You are strong, Edward, you haven't acted on your urges, give yourself more credit," Carlisle said sternly.
"Carlisle, it was horrible, her father was drinking her blood, he was going to attack her again when I arrived," He retold.
"And what did he look like? Poor Charlie," Carlisle said sadly; shaking his head.
"Pale, bald, red eyes, tall and skinny, gaunt like he was ill, long fingers with sharp claws at the tips, and serrated teeth," Edward described.
Carlisle's thoughts went to a creature he saw back in England. Hiding in the underground sewers. It looked as Edward described. At the time, Carlisle didn't know what he had seen but after much research he had found the creature that had haunted his mind for years. A Nosferatu. A creature similar to a vampire but not the same. A creature of night. A disease-carrier. A demon.
Reading Carlisle's thoughts, Edward nodded, "That's what Charlie has turned into."
Carlisle shook his head sadly, "This isn't good, son, I don't know of any cures for this disease, I'll have to do more research and see if we can help Chief Swan," He said; looking down at Bella.
His thoughts turned soft as he stared at the sleeping girl. She was beautiful. Soft and warm. Perfect for Edward as Edward was perfect for her.
Edward smiled, "We are perfect for each other," He agreed.
Carlisle clapped Edward's shoulder, "I'm glad you finally realize that, maybe now you'll start to realize that you do deserve peace and happiness too," He said.
"One step at a time, dad," Edward teased, his eyes still focused on Bella.
Carlisle chuckled and grinned at Edward, "Why don't you take her to your room until she wakes? She'll need patience as she'll be confused," He warned.
Edward traced her jaw slowly, "My poor, sweet human," He whispered before gently lifting her into his arms.
She didn't stir as he thanked Carlisle and headed towards his room. He laid her slack body down onto the new bed he had purchased earlier that day. He then removed her shoes; taking extra care around her thin delicate feet. Next, he removed her leggings. He studied her shirt and decided to change her into one of his shirts. He stared down at her for a long second, his heart would have been thudding if he had one, before he pulled the gold comforter up and around her. She sighed sweetly and settled in.
Edward left her to sleep and went back downstairs. His family were in the living room; talking quietly.
"Son, we were just discussing the issue at hand," Carlisle greeted once Edward was in eye-view.
Edward looked around at each of his family's faces and sighed heavily.
"What are you thinking, Edward?" Carlisle wondered.
"He wants to take Bella and leave the state," Alice stated.
Alice Cullen was pixie-like with black, spiky hair. She had so much energy she was like a small tornado wherever she went. Like Edward, Alice also was gifted. She could see the future. It was definitely a handy gift.
Edward's eyes cut towards hers, "That was definitely the first thought I had," He said truthfully. In their family, there was no point in lying.
Carlisle pursed his lips, "How would Bella feel about that?" He questioned.
Edward rolled his head around, his neck stiff with stress, "You already know, she won't leave her father," He answered.
Carlisle sighed, "So that leaves us with no choice, we must find a way to help Charlie Swan."
Esme Cullen, Edward's adoptive mother, wrapped her arms around Edward's shoulders, "Oh, Edward, how is she? She must be so scared," She said sadly.
Esme was the kindest woman Edward had ever known. Her caramel hair curled around her delicate shoulders and her heart shaped face was soft. Even with everything she had gone through in her human years -an abusive ex-husband, the death of her child, a suicide attempt- she was still hopeful.
Edward leaned into her for comfort, "It was horrible, Esme, her father slashed open her arm and drank her blood off the floor like an animal, he was rapid, he would have killed her if I hadn't gotten there in time," He told her.
She gasped and rubbed his back, "We will show her compassion and love, she'll need it even more during this time," She said firmly to the group.
Even the hardest of their group, Rosalie Hale, nodded in agreement at that statement. If anyone knew about compassion and understanding, it was her. Rosalie was beautiful even before her change and that was her curse. She attracted attention from all kinds of people and sometimes it was the wrong kind of people. It was her own fiancé that had caused her demise and forced her to change into a vampire. It wasn't what she had wanted, to be frozen in life. She had dreamed of marriage and children and grandchildren but it wasn't in the cards for her. She had been fortunate enough to meet her soulmate, Emmett, and that was what had gotten her through it all.
"How-"
Alice's eyes became unfocused as a vision screamed through her brain.
Behind her eyes, Charlie Swan was on a rampage. He destroyed everything in his path, looking for Bella. His goal was to get Bella and turn her into the monster that he was. In his mind, they would be together forever. They could kill together and be a family.
When the vision ended, Alice gasped and looked at Edward.
"No!" He snarled; taking a defensive stance.
"Edward!" Carlisle exclaimed and looked at Alice, "What's happened?" He demanded.
"Bella's father is coming after her, he wants to take her and turn her so they can be together," Alice explained.
"He is farther gone then we thought, I fear," Carlisle exhaled loudly.
"We will protect her, Edward," It was Rosalie who had assured him.
Edward looked at her in surprise but softened his expression, "Thank you, Rose, you don't know what that means to me, especially coming from you," He told her.
She rolled her eyes at him but offered a small smile, "She's innocent in this, she just moved here and her life is falling apart, I think we all can relate," She replied.
"You don't think there's a chance she'll want to be turned and go with her father?" Emmett asked suddenly.
Emmett Cullen was the trickster of the family. He was a giant, looming over the rest of his family, and physically the strongest. Contrary to his looks, he was a giant teddy bear. His dark brown curly hair and dimples made him look quite childlike. He had the reputation for being brawny instead of brainy but he had his moments.
"I will not allow it!" Edward growled.
"You can't make her do anything, Edward," Emmett argued.
Rosalie put a hand on Emmett's shoulder, "I agree, Edward can't make her do anything but with how he described Bella's response to her father, I'd say she's traumatized and I don't think there's anyway she'll want to turn into the monster she saw," She said gently.
Esme nodded in agreement, "I think you're right, Rose, after witnessing what happened with her father; him almost killing her, there's no way she'll want to be apart of that, especially if she thinks she can save him," She said.
"We will just have to wait and ask her herself," Carlisle finally spoke.
Jasper Hale, who had been waiting silently, finally interrupted, "Do you know about their kind, Carlisle? Are they at their strongest after their turn?" He wanted to know.
Carlisle shook his head, "There's not much information on their kind, I'm afraid I'm limited," He replied.
"He didn't seem stronger when I pushed him off of Bella," Edward supplied.
"Could have just been an emotional response, maybe he broke through his haze and realized he was attacking his daughter and allowed you to push him," Jasper countered.
"Perhaps, I didn't stay to fight him," Edward agreed with a shrug.
Edward studied Jasper and found his mind to be the most interesting of their family's. Jasper Hale, with his honey-blonde hair and southern gentleman attitude, was always strategizing in his mind. Because of his military background, his sharp mind always went through different military situations no matter the situation. Jasper was also gifted with the ability to manipulate emotions around him.
"Does it matter? There's seven of us and one of him," Emmett said.
"We don't want to kill him, Emmett, we want to help him, the goal is to rid him of the virus and bring him back to his human state," Carlisle reminded him.
"Seems like more work," Emmett whined; cracking his knuckles.
Edward sighed in exasperation and before he could tell him how big of an idiot he was, Rosalie spoke first.
"Think of Bella, Emmett, she would be devastated if we killed her father, no matter if it was to protect her, because in her mind, we should have tried to help him first, and she's right, we should do everything we can to help him first, if there's a chance, we should do what we can," She explained calmly.
Emmett sighed heavily, "You're right, babe, if it was you, I would go to the ends of the Earth," He looked at Edward, "Sorry, man."
Edward waved him off.
Carlisle turned to face Alice, "Can you see anything about the creature that turned Charlie?" He asked her.
Her eyes unfocused and her mind sent her to a dark place. A cave, she realized. She had been in scary situations before but even this was spooky. Her disembodied mind floated through the cave and when she rounded the corner, she came face to face with the pale creature.
Alice gasped allowed and the vision vanished in a rush. She was left with a pounding head and she rubbed her temples as Jasper, her husband, rubbed her back soothingly.
"What are the chances that the creature's still in that cave?" Edward wondered.
"We will investigate it regardless," Carlisle responded.
Above them, sounds of a restless body penetrated the air.
Edward's eyes slid towards Alice and he raised a brow.
She smiled at him, "She'll wake in ten minutes and she will be very upset if you're not there when she wakes," She warned.
He nodded his thanks and then disappeared upstairs.
In her dreams, Bella was alone.
She was lost in the woods and running away from red glowing eyes.
"Edward!" She screamed until her throat was raw. "Please, find me," She sobbed.
But the only answer was a growl in the trees.
She continued to run for her life in the dark. When she looked over her shoulder, the red eyes were close. She screamed again and forced her legs to move faster. The creature caught her by the arm and yanked her.
She startled awake, heart pounding, just as her arm detached from her body with a sickening squelch.
"Edward!" She cried; sitting up and grasping her chest.
His cold arms caught her and pulled her carefully into his chest. She hid her face, gasping for air for a quiet second. The sound of her recklessly beating heart filled the room and Edward rubbed her back slowly.
"I'm here, baby, you're safe," He assured her.
She clung to him, never wanting to let him go. Her arm tugged painfully as she tried to get closer to him.
"Careful of your arm, love," He warned her gently.
She answered with a sob and he held her tighter.
"Am I dead?" She asked him, her body wracked with shudders.
"No, baby, you're alive, I got to you in time," He whispered.
"My dad was going to kill me, Edward, my dad," She told him in disbelief.
For a second, she thought maybe she had dreamt the whole thing but the pain in her arm reminded her that it was real.
"I'm going to protect you, no matter what," He told her.
She believed him and it made her cry even harder.
"Don't let me go," She begged him as she sat in his lap.
"Never," He promised her.
Edward started to hum, his fingers trailing up and down her back.
They sat like that, Edward humming and Bella clinging to him, until she cried herself to sleep.