Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. I am having a lot of fun writing this fic. This chappy in particular was fun (and very difficult) to write.

Chapter 6 Cornered

"What are we going to do now?" I tried to keep my voice coherent.

""We have no choice," Emmett said quickly. "There's no time to run, and we're going to have to fight him. Alice said everyone is heading up here as fast as they can to help, but Alice and Jasper don't know when they can be here, and everyone else is at least a couple hours away."

Edward growled again at his words. "I need to find a place to keep you safe." His eyes searched around for a spot. Then he grabbed my upper arm and dragged me gently to a corner. "I still want you fairly close to me," he explained.

Edward and Emmett discussed how they planned to do things very quickly and quietly so I couldn't quite hear them. Edward stayed protectively in front of me the whole time. It looked like Edward would stay close to me, and Emmett would be in the front, ready to fight first. Emmett looked ready to fight, Edward looked furious and frustrated. I felt numb, the fear and panic left me frozen and unable to move. All I could do was watch, my eyes wide with fear, and my body trembling slightly.

All too soon I heard Edward growl again, and I figured they were close enough that Edward could read their minds. "It's only Victoria," he hissed. "She's being very careful to keep her mind very

focused on Bella," he snarled quietly. "I can't find anything about James, where he is or what he's planning."

By the time he finished saying this, Victoria was already coming in the door. I struggled to keep my breathing quiet, I didn't want to go into a panicked hysteria and attract more attention to myself. I

already wished I could be invisible. Victoria's face was very focused on me, and looked only to me. I guessed she was still keeping her mind to me, so thoughts of whatever James was planning could not sneak into her head. Edward stayed in his protective crouch, and Emmett looked ready to charge.

Then it happened fast enough that I could barely see it. Victoria lunged towards me, and Emmett crashed into her, knocking her away, and slamming in the wall behind her, breaking it down. I

could now see through the big gaping hole to outside, where Emmett and Victoria were struggling. Frigid air surrounded me as it blew through the the absent wall. I saw her leap away from him before they could start wrestling, and Emmett flew back inside, to keep himself between her and me. She jumped inside right behind him.

She tried the same thing again. Like the last time, Emmett stopped her and cracked some of the floor boards along with another small part of the wall in the process., and she pulled away to compose herself for another attack. She attempted to attack again and again, and every time Emmett stopped her. The house looked like it was ready to crumble. Edward stood behind Emmett, and in front of me, ready in case Victoria got passed. But at the same time, I could see some of his attention was somewhere else, and he was alert, no doubt listening for James, trying to find where he was or what he was thinking.

Suddenly, Edward snarled, and before I knew what was happening, I found myself in Edward's arms flying through one of the holes Emmett and Victoria had made. At the same time, I heard a loud crash behind me. Once everything stopped moving I found myself outside, about ten feet from the house. Through one of the gaping holes, I saw James, standing right where I had been, with a new gaping hole behind him. I struggled to keep from hyperventilating now, realizing how close he had been to getting me. I could see Emmett still fighting with Victoria, keeping her away. But nothing was holding James back.

Edward snarled again at James, and flung me, as gently as he seemed to be able to in his state, over his back. Then we were off, everything was a blur as he ran. Even though I couldn't see anything but a blur of yellow-green and brown, or hear anything except wind rushing past my ears, I was sure James was following right behind us. I just held onto him as tight as I could, and continued to focus on breathing. Everything still seemed too unreal to be happening, as if I were in some sort of dream.

I saw a blur of red hair in front of us, directly in Edward's path. He tried to avoid her, but she continued to be an obstacal. I felt Edward slowing slightly as he struggled to find a way around her. I thought my heart stopped, and I was surprised to hear myself scream as I felt a hand over my heavy sweat shirt crush itself around my arm, and rip me off Edward. I crashed to the ground, and James was facing me, his eyes only showed pleasure and excitement, it reminded me of a house cat tourchering a mouse. Edward spun around and lunged at James, throwing him further away from me.

Edward was on top of James, they both crashed into each other again and again, each time James was trying to get closer to me and Edward would push him back again. I felt frozen, and I was

vaugely aware of a sharp pain in my arm where James had grabbed me. On my other side I saw Emmett had followed Victoria, and he continued to keep her away from me. I turned my attention back to Edward and James. Both of them were snarling furiously, and Edward didn't even look like himself. His face looked so focused on fighting James it actually scared me a little.

I gasped as I felt a pair of strong arms scoop me up. I was about to scream, thinking Victoria must have got away from Emmett and grabbed me, but then I noticed black short hair, instead of the

expected flaming red. Alice had come out of nowhere, and had me in her arms. She looked around at the scene in front of her. I looked too, and saw Jasper next to James one second, then in another second I saw one of James' bloody arms in Jasper's hand. It still moved, and appeared to be trying to get back to its body. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Edward looked at us suddenly, and I shivered from the look still on his face. His eyes focused on me for a few seconds, and I saw the Edward I knew for a moment in the previously vicious face. He now almost looked apologetic, and if I had been closer to him he probably would have apologized again. I wanted more than anything to run over to Edward and let him hold me, but Alice still had her arms tight around me.

Edward's focus turned to Alice. "Get away from here," he said furiously. "We can handle this."

Alice nodded and swiftly ran with me back the way we had come from. I looked at her, and she looked like she was concentrating on something. I guessed she was trying to see future events. She ran with me back to the house, or what was once a house. The half where the fight had been had collapsed, after not having enough support to hold the roof up. But she wasn't going to the house, instead she went to the little rented car, and gently put me in the back seat behind the driver's seat. With vampire speed she ran to the front and got in.

Seeing Alice again, and getting away from the fight made me feel a little more real, and the pain in my arm was now searing and almost unbearable. I continued forcing my breathing into deep breaths, focusing only on breathing now, in an attempt to keep my mind away from my arm. Alice didn't seem to notice my distress, and she had her window rolled down, probably trying to listen to the fights.

Several minutes passed like this, and then I noticed Alice relax. "It's over, Bella. At least for now."

I processed her words more slowly than I should have. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion now, and I was having trouble concentrating, especially with the blinding pain in my arm.

"What do you mean, for now?" I managed to whisper.

"James is dead, you'll never have to see him again, but. . . Victoria did manage to get away." She looked at the horrified expression I must have had and added, "But she won't be coming back

right now. I'm sure of that."

This news was hardly comforting. I was about to ask if everyone I cared about was alright, when I saw all three of them running over. Edward immediately got in the back next to me,

and Jasper sat in the front. Edward gathered me onto his lap, making more room for Emmett as he slid in the other side.

"Are you okay," he asked intently.

I didn't answer him, as he had sat next to me, I felt the numbness dissapear entirely, and all the stress of the last few days hit me at once. I broke down, sobbing into his shoulder. I was dimly aware

that Alice had started the car and we were moving. Edward gently rubbed my back, trying to comfort me. I heard him mutter an apology now and then. I didn't know how long I cried into him, but the pain in

my arm was making it very hard to think about much anyway. I felt so exhausted, and everything seemed distant, except Edward since I had myself pushed as close up against me as I could.

I stopped sobbing and felt my eyes close. I snuggled into him, letting his comforting words sink into me. I couldn't believe James was gone. This whole ordeal felt like it had lasted years, rather

than just a few days. My consciousness was slowly slipping, and I fell into the first easy, calm, deep, and peaceful sleep I had in days, despite the horrible stinging pain still burning in my arm.