AN: Thank you all for reading and to The Lemonade Stand for having it in the TLS Nursery.

Mauigirl60 made this chapter lovely. Many heartfelt thanks to her.

This story is dedicated to my husband, because he likes the scary stuff.

Chapter 4

Why wasn't I dead?

Oh, God, why aren't they killing me?

Where are my babies?

These thoughts were on repeat in Bella's head as she was pulled though the forest. Edward's cold hand was holding tightly to hers.

The sun was lowering slowly, casting a pink, golden glow over the sky. Little, jetting onyx bats littered the sky. Bella glanced up and thought of how the vampires were in the air and the ones on the ground were pulling her through the woods.

"We don't turn into bats, Mrs. Black," Edward announced, interrupting her thoughts. "That was simply a myth manufactured by Mr. Stoker."

"I figured. Dracula doesn't sparkle," Bella said. Her temper was short and she was worried about her children. "Call me Bella. Mrs. Black was left behind on that beach. Bella Swan is the one who stabbed her furry husband in the back."

He chuckled at her, making Bella frown. "You are a little tiger. What claws you have."

At first, Bella was astonished that he seemed impressed. She shouldn't have been surprised, she decided. He was a vampire, after all. They were blood-thirsty monsters. The other one, whom she'd internally started calling Billy the Kid, had zoomed off to find dinner. Bella was frightened to see what he'd be bringing back. She was certain it would have a pulse and a command of the English language.

"We need to go faster," Edward stated. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "They're getting close."

"Who?" Bella glanced around her.

"Your husband, the wolf, and his friends. They reek. Now, here's something that smells much nicer." Edward looked down and Bella's eyes followed to where he was staring. Her leg was dripping with blood, which looked like tiny streams running down her skin. She had felt the thorns piercing her skin, but didn't even think about what the aftermath would be. "Stand still. Very still."

Moving onto his knees, Edward lifted Bella's leg and placed it gently onto his thigh. She looked down and saw his long tongue snake out of his mouth and lick upward on the wounds. Bella swallowed thickly and willed her heart to stop beating so quickly. She didn't want to die.

"Calm down. You don't want me to enjoy this too much." He looked intently into her eyes and suctioned his mouth on another scratch.

"You're not killing me?"

"Not today, anyway. The wolves can smell your blood. I need to get your wounds to stop flowing." He returned to his task. The movements of his mouth were surprisingly soft.

"Oh."

He pulled away and Bella started moving back but, before she could move too far, he swung her up into his arms. It bordered on being intimate, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. Bella found it terrifying in so many ways to be held so tightly in his arms.

"What are you doing?" she yelled.

"Making you so much faster," he pointed out.

Then, Bella realized that they were leaving the violent southerner behind. "Your friend?"

"He knows where to find us." Edward started walking toward the setting sun on the horizon.

"Fuck!" Bella muttered, so softly that she hoped Edward didn't hear her. She needed to seem brave. Her mind, however, was betraying her. Visions of the blonde man's red eyes staring into her own brown ones, his bared teeth ripping into her neck...

Edward chuckled. He had heard her clear as a bell.

That man has ears like a vampire bat, she thought.

Her depressing gallows humor made Bella laugh maniacally, which then turned into a sob.

She had begun to feel hopeful that maybe Jasper would be gone. It was apparent that with only Edward, she had at least a glimmer of a chance of survival. That was now snuffed out like a barely flickering candle. She was certain if he were around she would never see her children again.

Their speed picked up significantly, as Bella clutched to his dark t-shirt. Leaves slapped Bella in the face as they traveled, making her wince. Edward continued on, barely noticing. He did notice the wetness pooling on the fabric of his shirt as they sped through the trees from the woman's tears.

Bella continued to cry, her handle on her sanity over the last few months finally breaking. She had to be so strong for Sarah and Jason as Jacob spiraled into madness and now she was being spirited through the trees by a blood-drinking fiend.

Before she knew it, Edward had lowered her gracefully onto the grass next to a log cabin. She wiped her still-leaking eyes and took in the view.

Night had not yet completely descended, so Bella could still see. It was old, but it appeared that the owners tried to put some pride into their home. A cheerful Welcome to Our Home flag hung from the door. The rickety porch was in disrepair with the planks of wood lifting upward, but faded pillows decorated the swing that rocked slowly in the breeze. The stone chimney still had smoke rising from it.

Bella sniffed, "Is this place yours?"

"It is now."

"Whose was it before?" Bella didn't really want to know.

"They're in the backyard," he explained pointing to the backyard. He was so nonchalant.

Bella couldn't help herself. "Can I meet them?"

He pulled her up the stairs and into the house. It was homey with floral couches and family photographs. She almost tripped on the stuffed animals and blocks strewn around the floor. She picked up a photograph of a smiling family - a father with his arm around the mother and two small children beaming in front of them. The eldest child had gaping holes where baby teeth had fallen out. "I don't think they're in any state to meet anyone. You would need a shovel."

They were buried in the backyard. The picture frame slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, glass shattering around her feet. Slipping down to her knees, Bella lost it. She started screaming and wailing. She could envision her own children lying on the floor, their throats ripped open and eyes opened wide but unseeing.

"Bella! Bella! Calm down!" He pulled her up and shook her gently.

"They were babies! Oh, my God! Sarah and Jason are going to die like those poor babies! Oh, God! Please, oh God!"

She was hysterical.

Edward clutched his head. The headaches had been getting progressively worse as they traveled and Bella's outburst was not easing his discomfort. He looked like he was about to strangle her to get her to shut up, but all of a sudden he felt calm and her distress filled him. He understood and her lovely, melancholy eyes made him want to weep.

He pulled her close. "We didn't kill them. The children. They weren't in the cabin. There were just two men, vagrants who had broken in."

Bella tried to calm down.

"Esme won't hurt your children. She's a mother to everyone; she'll protect them." He pulled her toward the couch and made her sit down. She was hyperventilating. "You need to stay calm."

Bella stared at the fireplace, its embers still burning. "Why? Why am I still alive?"

"I wish I knew," he admitted. "I just can't imagine you being dead."

He stroked her hair without thinking. Edward winced again at the drumming taking place in his cerebral cortex. He looked over at his fingers entwined in her auburn locks. Quickly, he moved his hand and stood. "I'll get you some water. There's a bedroom up those stairs. You need to get some rest."

Several minutes later, Bella was lying on a hard mattress, fast asleep. The day had taken its toll on her body and her soul.

XXXXXX

The boisterous, manly laughter woke Bella up first. The television was blasting the sounds of race cars. What the hell was Jake doing having the guys watch NASCAR so loudly when the kids were asleep?

Bella's eyes began to focus and then realization set in. This was not her tranquil bedroom in tones of light blue and rose, where she would escape to read and relax. This was a wooded prison where her captors were vampires, her husband a deadly werewolf out for her flesh.

Her dreams had been a blissful escape until she'd awakened to a living nightmare.

The noises were getting louder. Maybe whoever was down there could be her salvation? Maybe Edward had left? She stumbled up on weak legs and headed to the stairs, which turned out to be an awful idea.

Jasper looked up from the couch. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty! Get your little sweet ass down here and get your eats. I have the finest cuisine from the King of Burgers on the table, darlin'."

Two large lumberjacks turned to look at her from where they were sitting next to Jasper. Their faces were grizzled from hard living. They clutched cheap beers in their hands, as they leered at Bella. The dark-haired one patted his knees. "Come sit on my lap and eat, sugar."

Bella felt sick. Edward growled and, in a flash, took her arm, leading her to a small dining room table in the corner. She sat down, a limp hamburger in front of her, the lettuce already turning brown at the edges. Sipping at the sickly sweet orange soda did nothing to soothe her, either.

"We treat ladies with respect in this house!" he spat. His comment was directed to Jasper.

Jasper just winked at Bella, ignoring Edward. He turned to the visitors and stated, "You just hafta ignore Eddie. He can't hear his girl so he's awful possessive of her. Kinda obnoxiously sweet, boys."

"That girl deaf?" the other man asked before chugging his beer.

Liquid piss, Bella remembered her father calling it. She wanted to laugh at herself. The things that came to one's mind when their mortality was constantly being threatened.

"To Eddie she is. A pretty empty dolly, I think." Jasper grimaced and rubbed his head. "Fuck. Anyway, I think the boy's sweet on that empty-headed sweetheart. It's adorable."

Edward glowered and took Bella's hand. She had no clue what was happening, but Edward's hands on her made her fluctuate between comfort and terror.

"Jasper..." he warned.

Jasper grabbed his head again. "This shouldn't be fucking happening."

"Buddy, you all right? You wanna beer?" questioned the dark-haired lumberjack, holding out a can.

Jasper licked his lips. "I like stronger, thicker, redder stuff. Thanks for offering, Cherry Slurpee."

The man barely had a moment to register what was happening when Jasper pulled his head toward him, taking a savage bite from his neck. Blood rushed out, coloring Jasper's face and staining the pale roses on the couch's fabric. Bella stuck her fist in her mouth to muffle a scream.

The other man stared in shock for a moment and then let out a single scream. He stumbled toward the door. Edward cocked a single eyebrow and put a hand on Bella's cheek. "Close your eyes and stay perfectly still. If you run, you'll be prey. I can't protect you then."

Not listening, Bella watched as Edward flew out of his seat, pouncing on the man. He was like a cheetah pouncing on a gazelle. She took in Edward's every move as he ripped into the man's gut. It was horrifying.

That's when she heard the growl. Jasper dropped the man's corpse on the ground and stood. He smiled brightly, his eyes the same shade as the blood on his lips, as he crossed the room toward her. "Oh, honey, you are going to be a delicious dessert."

A roar filled the room as Edward, whose face was spattered with crimson, rushed over and tackled Jasper. "She's mine!"

"I want her, Ed!" Jasper screamed back.

"Bella! Run!" Edward bit into Jasper's shoulder.

He didn't have to say it twice; Bella burst out of the door, into the dark yard. The only light came from the windows of the house. She immediately tripped over a rock, landing on her knees. The lighter still inside her pocket tumbled into the grass, Bella's fingers searching until the raised edges that created the Phoenix bit into her skin.

Jason and Sarah.

They were the only important things in this world.

Bella ran up the stairs and lit the Welcome Home banner on fire, along with the curtains that were gently swaying out of the window. She was going to burn those demons into ash and protect her babies.

A moment of regret about Edward flashed through her mind, but his blood-drenched face replaced the innocent ones of her offspring. A mother always put her babies first. Always.

The flames flicked up the wood, making Bella stare for just a moment. The fire looked alive as it consumed the house. That was all she needed to see. Bella turned quickly and ran.

Her feet pounded on the dirt of the path leading away from the house. The sound of her steps echoed in her ears.

She needed to get to her children before Jacob could.

"Bella! Wait!" She heard Edward scream. He was still alive.

She ran faster.

Jasper's laughter surrounded her. That asshole!

And still faster.

A hand gripped her throat, making her skid to a halt.

"Who do we have here?" The man was beautiful, but his smile was cold. He wore a slate trench coat and a jaunty plaid scarf around his neck looking like a debonair professional, but those ruby eyes betrayed him. His were as monstrous as the men she'd just fled. "Mrs. Black, I presume."

She attempted to struggle to free herself from him, but his grip tightened making it so very hard to breathe.

"Why, oh why, are you still alive? You should be a pretty corpse, dear girl," he stated. "Jasper said our Edward was smitten with you. What is it about you, little one, to make him so protective?"

A moan came from the ground. Bella couldn't move for she was certain the man would snap her neck, but her eyes flickered down.

Beaten to a pulp, was the son of her father's girlfriend.

"That, Mrs. Black, will make the pain go away," the man stated.

Seth Clearwater was as good as dead.