Six: I'll Save You

"Both a little scared. Neither one prepared. Beauty and the beast."
Beauty and the Beast

I groaned in exasperation as I sat back in the stiff, too small chair of the international airplane. Alice sat next to me, her eyes closed and her hand clutched Jasper's on her other side. In front of us were Emmett and Rosalie, and next to them across the aisle were our parents.

I grabbed at the armrest, accidentally denting it in my impatience. I had to get to Bella now. Why must the plane wait to take off? What were the captains doing?

I tapped my foot against Emmett's chair with impatience and he turned around to glare at me.

"I swear to God, Edward," he muttered, his eyes dark and threatening. "Knock it off, or I'm throwing you out of the plane when we're high enough."

I ignored him and resumed tapping, this time on the floor. I felt Alice's gentle hand on my arm and I looked at her for reassurance.

"It's faster than running," she reminded me, and I nodded. Her thoughts showed me that she was remembering when she told Bella, my love, those same exact words as they travelled to the same place we were going now to do the same thing. To try and save the one we loved from the unthinkable.

I took deep breaths and closed my eyes, blocking out the thoughts of every person, every vampire around me. I leaned my head against the back of the itchy upholstery that was me seat and thought of my love.

I could see her face perfectly, her beautiful pale skin turning red whenever I touched her or murmured her name, her soft, chocolate brown eyes sparkling with happiness every time I looked into them, her amazingly smooth, glorious brown hair blowing wildly behind her...

I thought of all the times I've heard her laugh, smile, and say she loved me. I reminisced about our time we spent in our meadow. I thought about all the nights she slept in my arms, mumbling my name as her dreams flew inside her unreadable mind.

My unbeating heart ached.

And for the first time since I've been immortal, I wanted to cry.

I couldn't lose her. I just couldn't. I knew what I would do if... I wasn't able to think of the utmost evil. I would follow right after her, I would take my own life if I could. But just the fact that Bella (I gasped and bit my lip) would no longer laugh or cry or live was too unbearable to process.

I didn't realize I was shaking until there were several hands on my face, my arms, my chest. I opened my eyes to see Esme and Alice over me, concern radiating from their eyes and minds. Esme wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek.

"Everything will be alright," she murmured, patting my hair. I squeezed her back and let out a dry sob, something I would never normally do in front of my family or humans I didn't know. I was a tough, strong man.

But not anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out many dry sobs against my mother's shoulder. Alice's hand was on my shoulder for comfort, but Esme's body against mine was all that mattered. My mother comforting me was all I needed.

Besides Bella.

BxExBxExBxExBxExBxE

After we transferred planes in New York to get on one to Rome, my mind started to drift further into my past. I remembered living without Bella for over eighty years, not knowing what I was missing, nor thinking I would be heading to the home of the most evil vampires in the world to save a human.

The worst years of my life.

I knew I could never be that person again, and I knew I didn't want to be. I wanted Bella now and forever, and as soon as I found her, I would give her anything she wanted. I would make love to her, I would change her immediately, I would do anything for her. Anything she wanted.

There was an inhuman gasp. I looked over at my family to see Alice shaking her head furiously, clutching at her hair and groaning in protest. Jasper was trying to calm her down, but she was out of control. I delved into her mind to see what was going to happen.

Icy fear shot up my spine as I watched Aro kneeling before my Bella.

So it was the Volturi. I watched as Aro played with Bella's wrist, and terror was written on her perfect features. My heart broke as I watched her fearful face.

Slowly, almost tauntilizing, I watched Aro spread his lips and place him mouth on Bella's skin.

His teeth sunk into her arm, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. She collapsed to the floor and hugged her arm to her chest, Aro's ancient venom spreading throughout her immediately. Her body shook with the pain and her cries were anguished.

"NO!" she screamed, her eyes squeezed shut with tears leaking through. "EDWARD!"

My breath caught.

Aro was up and walking to the door, a triumphant smile on his lips. He lingered in the doorway for a moment, then turned to watch Bella suffer.

"At last," he whispered, his voice undetected by Bella's hurting ears. "You will finally be one of us."

Bella gave another tormented scream.

Everything became black.

"NO!" I screamed, pulling out of Alice's head, shaking. Carlise was in front of me, his hands on my shoulders and trying to restrain me from who knows what. I lost all sense of control or thought or reason.

Bella was being killed.

I wasn't there to save her.

I yelled again.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" I roared to Alice, who was shaking in Jasper's strong arms. She whimpered in pain and turned away from me.

"Edward, you have to calm down," Carlise's voice whispered, soft yet filled with authority. "You have to calm down and tell us what happened without scaring the passengers."

Anger coursed throughout my veins, anger and hurt. I looked around to see almost everyone on the plane, including the stewardess' staring at me with fear. They all thought I was having a conniption.

I ignored them and struggled against Carlise.

"I have to get to her now," I moaned, the sobs starting to build up in my chest again. "I have to save her, I need her, please-"

"Edward." Alice's small voice broke through my haze. I looked at her suddenly fragile face, so small, so sad, and the sobs started.

"What h-happened?" I cried again, reaching for her as best as I could with Carlise on top of me. "W-why did it-t become d-dark-k?"

Alice let out a cry of pain at the tone of my voice. Jasper flinched at the distress radiating from me.

"There's only one reason for the future to become black," Alice whispered, clutching Jasper closer to her, while my mind reeled. No, it couldn't be... Bella can't be...

"No," I whispered, my body frozen. Alice nodded.

"She's going to die, Edward." Her voice was barely audible to my ears, but they found a way to repeat inside my head over and over. "The venom is going to kill her."

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, my breathing stopped and I lost all feeling in my body. I vaguely remembered the last time, a little less than a year ago when I had thought Bella was dead. I remembered the pain, the helplessness I felt... and this was so much worse.

I had seen it firsthand, seen what will kill her, and there was nothing I could do.

A new bravado filled my hurting body, and I glanced up at Carlisle. He brushed my hair in affection.

"I will save her," I announced, my voice cracking. My entire family said nothing, did nothing, but their minds told me they weren't going to give up on Bella, my love, my reason for existence.

I'm coming, Bella, I thought, wishing that somehow she could hear my thoughts and try to hold on. I'll save you.

Whoa. Poor Edward. Poor Bella.

Now we're getting somewhere, huh? Review!