Previously
Bella POV
"He escaped from jail this morning."
The phone slipped from my fingers hitting the ground with a crack. My vision blurred in and out of focus over and over. I swayed unsteadily.
"Bella are you alright?" Edward's velvet voice asked from behind me.
I could hardly hear him through the blood rushing through my head.
"Bella?"
I fell towards the floor, darkness swallowing me.
Edward POV
The phone hit the floor with a loud cracking sound. It split in two, the battery rolling away across the floor.
Bella swayed back and forth on her feet.
"Bella?" I asked worriedly. "Bella are you alright?"
Her knees crumpled underneath her. She crashed towards the floor, her eyes fluttering shut. I reacted on instinct, dropping my plate with my sandwich. My arm shot out, winding around her waist. My other hand supporting her neck, cradling the back of her head.
"Dad!" I yelled. "Dad get down here! Hurry! Something's wrong with Bella!" I scooped her up, one arm behind her back, the other under her knees. She was light, easily one hundred pounds. I carried her to the living room where Jasper and Emmett were playing video games. They looked up, shocked. Jasper was on his feet, standing next to me.
"What happened to her?" he asked sharply, glaring at me.
I shook my head. "I don't know," I said hurriedly. "I was making a sandwich when she dropped the phone. She just collapsed."
As I lay her on the couch her cell phone began to ring. Jasper snatched it from her back pocket, flipping it open. "Who is this?" he demanded flatly. "Roger… What did you say to her?" He paused for a minute, the second hand on the grandfather clock ticking.
Carlisle and Esme came running down the stairs. Esme screamed, seeing Bella lying lifelessly on the couch. Carlisle flew into action, one hand taking her pulse, the other digging through his bag.
"Oh God," Jasper gasped breathlessly. "Oh my God." His hand brushed across her hair affectionately. "When? How?" He paused again. "Does he know where she is?" Jasper's head fell into his hand and he groaned dismally.
"Jasper, what's wrong?" Alice begged, appearing next to him, taking one of his hands.
He ignored her. "How long do we have? … Thank you Roger." With shaking hands, he closed the phone. "Oh God," he murmured to the floor.
"Jasper what happened?" Carlisle demanded, still working. "Alice I need a cold cloth. As far as I can tell she's just in shock."
Jasper looked at all of us, his face as pale as the snow beginning to fall.
"Jasper tell me what happened," Esme ordered. "Now."
"James Anderson," he choked. "James Anderson escaped a top security prison in Arizona last night. Killed eight guards unarmed."
The entire room fell into silence. Rose drifted dazedly to Bella's head. She touched her forehead in a motherly fashion.
"So?" Emmett asked suddenly. "Who's James Anderson? What's he got to do with us?"
"Em," Rose said unsteadily. "James Anderson murdered Bella's parents when she was seven."
"Oh," was all he could say. "How?"
"She won't tell us," Jasper said quietly. "We tried to ask but she started crying and shivering so we never brought it up again. It took the police two months to get her to talk to them."
"What happened to her?" Alice asked.
"James went after her. He was a serial killer. She was the first to ever get away from him. He chased her for two years," Esme muttered. "He tried to kill her. He almost did. Does he know where we are?"
Jasper looked at her. He looked lost. He looked scared. "He knows. He's coming."
Tears poured down Rose's face. She hugged Bella tightly to her as if her life depended on it. Gently Emmett pried her arms from their chokehold around Bella's still unconscious body. She buried her face in his chest, sobs shaking her tall frame.
Subconsciously I took Bella's hand, stroking it gently with my thumb.
A scream shattered the quiet. Bella's eyes bugged open, her mouth open wide as she screamed.
Everyone jumped startled. I moved in a flash. I leaned forward over the back of the couch where I was sitting. I grabbed her shoulders, halting her writhing. I pinned her down, surprised by the strength she had in her. With one hand I held both of her wrists away from her face, trying to stop her from clawing across it.
Carlisle pulled a syringe from his bag, taking one of her arms. I flinched as Bella screamed again when Carlisle inserted the needle into the crook of her elbow. Her frantic squirming calmed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
The doorbell rang. Bella stiffened, her mouth opening to scream again.
"No," I hushed. "Bella it's alright. It's okay." I rested one hand on her shoulder soothingly.
The doorbell rang again.
"Stay here," Carlisle ordered Esme. She nodded. He kissed her cheek gently before sweeping into the hall. Jasper and Emmett rose to follow him. I attempted to go but Bella's hand locked around my wrist, her eyes going wide.
"It's okay," I murmured again, stroking her hair.
Two police officers walked into the house, each had a hand on their guns. Their eyes flicked back and forth over the living room.
"We're here to take Ms. Swan into the Arizona State Witness Protection Program," the first one stated calmly. (A/N. I'm not sure if that's exactly what it's called. I watch things like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Phsych, Monk, and stuff so I know some stuff. I think this is right but please correct me if I'm wrong. I've never studied law.)
Bella cringed into me. "I won't go with you," she whimpered into my side. "Not again."
"What happened last time Bells?" I whispered into her hair.
"They were mean," she murmured. "They yelled at me. They were angry with me. They wanted what I didn't know."
I stiffened angrily. No one would hurt my Bella. I wrapped an arm under her shoulders lifting her gently off the couch. I steadied her at my side, not taking my arm away. I glared at the two police officers. "I'm afraid Bella will not be going anywhere with you," I hissed furiously. I flashed a look to my family, a challenge.
"Edward," Carlisle began slowly.
"Please," Bella pleaded. "Don't make me go with them again." Her shoulders shook violently, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
"I'm taking her upstairs," I said stoically. I brushed past the police officers without even looking at them.
"It's vital that we get Ms. Swan into the Witness Protection Program as soon as physically possible," one of them said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You want Bella send Roger," I said stalking up the staircase. I pushed Bella's bedroom door open. Her room was just across from mine on the third floor. I guided her through her room, settling her on the queen sized blue bed. "Sleep," I ordered. "We'll take of this."
She grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. "Don't let them take me," she whispered, dread in her eyes, looking for the first time like a lost child, hurt and scared. I squeezed her hand comfortingly. With my other hand I wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
"I promise," I vowed gently. "No one will take you. We'll get Roger or Jason was his name? We'll get either of them up here if they want to take you." I began to hum softly. It was a tune I had made up just a few days ago. Images of Bella had come to mind while I had been playing the piano for Esme. The song had changed halfway through to a sweeter melody. A soft song.
A sad smile touched her lips. "Thank you," but she was already fast asleep. Hesitantly, I brought her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the wall next to the staircase. The two policemen stared straight back. "You aren't taking her," I said flatly.
"We have to have Ms. Swan under our watch at all times," the taller one insisted.
"Watch her here, until Roger McKales arrives here, Bella will not be going anywhere," I said. I gazed at them stonily.
"Edward they are right," Carlisle argued.
"They abused their rights as police officers, yelling at Bella when she was only seven-years-old," I hissed. "She doesn't have to go through that again. Until there is someone she trusts, she will stay in this house."
"We are going to take Ms. Swan with us," the short cop stated.
"Do you have a warrant?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
His face purpled and he glared.
I smirked. "Get a court approved warrant or Chief Roger McKales." (A/N. I know this part is real. I remember studying the amendments and this one falls under the fourth.)
"I'm going to have to ask you both to leave," Carlisle said, opening the door for them. He waited until their car vanished before turning to look at me. "Edward, what was that about?" he demanded.
I ignored him. "Jasper, Rose, I assume you've both seen the scar on the back of her arm." They both nodded. "Have you ever thought to ask where she got it?" My tone of voice suggested what none of them knew. I had asked. She had told me with plenty of stuttering and nervousness. They gaped, stunned. "She hates police men because of them," I snorted.
"How… How did you get her to tell you?" Jasper stuttered.
I shrugged. "Last summer when we were swimming I saw the scar and so I asked her about it," I answered simply. "Why?"
"We asked her about years ago but all she did was mumble something," Rose said, pursing her lips at me. "She didn't talk to us for the rest of the day."
I shrugged again, slightly surprised. "I don't know. Maybe she got over it."
"Not Bella," Jasper disagreed. "She's mild tempered but I don't think she'll ever get over what happened." He shook his head. "Maybe if she talked about it, it might help, but we've been trying and she won't talk to us."
"She talked to Edward," Emmett pointed out. "Maybe she'll keep talking to him."
"I don't want Bella talking to him," Rosalie snapped, glaring at Emmett. "He's not going anywhere near my baby sister."
"I'm not a baby," Bella interrupted. We all turned to look at the staircase, surprised. Bella leaned heavily against the wall, her hand gripping the railing. I took two quick steps forward, placing one hand on her waist. I supported her gently, leading her to the couch. She leaned most of her weight against me. I helped her to sit, narrowing my eyes. "You're supposed to be asleep."
She smiled tiredly. "I was. I heard arguing."
"We didn't mean to wake you," Rose interjected, moving between Bella and I in a move that was meant to be subtle. I smirked. Bella bit back a laugh, her eyes sparkling with dampened amusement. "How do you feel?"
Bella raised one eyebrow at her. She stayed silent.
"Oh, well I guess that was a stupid question," Rose murmured.
"Yes," she agreed bitterly.
"Bella, sweetie, I'm so sorry," she whispered. "But it'll be okay."
Bella looked up at her, tears welling in her eyes. "That's what they said last time. That's what they always say."
"But we mean it Bells," Rose insisted, stomping on my foot. I winced as the sharp spike of her stiletto heel stamped down on me.
"Yeah," I agreed, rubbing my foot. I glared at Rosalie who rolled her eyes, annoyed with me.
Bella hardly noticed. She just gazed at her knees, pressed tightly to her chest, her arms around them. "I can't believe it's happening again," she murmured, almost to herself. "Why? Why is this happening again? Why me?"
"Hey, Bells," Jasper called soothing. He sat on the armrest next to her. He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. I felt a spark of jealousy flicker through me. I shrugged it off quickly, disconcerted by the emotion. "You've got all of us this time. We'll be with you this time."
She looked up at him like a lost puppy. "No," she disagreed vehemently. "No! No you won't! None of you will have anything to do with this!"
"You can't stop us," I argued suddenly.
"We'll take care of this as a family," Carlisle added.
She shook her head violently. "No! You don't know what he's capable of! You don't know what he'll do to you if he knows about you."
"So you expect us to just leave?" Emmett snapped. We all looked at him startled. He was glaring. He sounded serious. "You think we're just going to grab a bag and wave goodbye?"
"No, well yes, I don't know," Bella wailed. She buried her head in her hands, tears leaking from between her fingers. "I don't want anything to happen to any of you. Something always does to people I care about. First my parents, then my grandma, then my uncle and his wife, even his two kids. My little cousins. They were two and three months. They were murdered. He killed them because he couldn't kill me."
It was the most she had ever said on the subject of her parents' murder.
"What happened to them Bella?" Alice asked quietly. She burrowed into Jasper's side, fear in her eyes.
Bella's mouth clenched shut as her shoulders shook. Sobs wracked her form. I slid from behind Rose and rested a hand on her arm. Her sobs quieted an octave. Rose and Jasper eyed me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes at them.
"You don't have to tell us Bella," I murmured comfortingly. "You don't have to say anything until you're ready, okay?"
She nodded, allowing me to give her a small hug. I didn't miss the smug look Alice and Esme exchanged. Rose and Jasper looked disapproving but they kept quiet. Carlisle and Emmett however looked fairly amused, as if they were holding back laughter.
Bella's cell phone ruined the moment. It rang shrilly. She flipped it open, clicking speaker phone.
"Hello?" she asked shakily.
There was nothing but cold, maniacal laughter on the other end of the line.
"What do you want from me?" Bella screamed into the phone. "Isn't it enough that you killed my mom, my dad, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins and my grandmother? Isn't that enough for you?"
"No dearest Bella," the cold voice cackled. "No dear it never will be. Not until I have tasted your blood."
So obviously I continued this. I hope you liked it.
Review. I think I might have to put a story on hiatus and so if I get enough reviews it might not be this one. I really don't know. Everything is starting to build up again. Nothing is promised until it's done. It may turn out that I can work all the stories at once. The only thing that counts is the average of reviews per chapter so I might keep working on this one. No nothing will be discontinued, just on hold.
Love to you all
Sea of Topaz