A/N: I decided to streamline the story somewhat and cut the original one-shot in half. The second half replaced the Author's Note on Chapter 2
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
As she tore around him, headed for me, Jacob started crying and smashed the table in front of him in fury. "Damn bloodsucking leeches! Filthy parasites! I'll kill them all!"
I couldn't focus too much on him, because Bella had violated everything that Alice had said and laid her hand on top of mine when she reached me. She was staring right into my eyes. "I love you, Edward Cullen, and nothing - nothing is ever, ever going to separate us again."
And at last, I let myself feel a tiny pinprick of hope.
But I'd had that before; the belief that perhaps things were as they were supposed to be. It was a trick, all of it, my mind rationalized. I had to resist. I didn't know if it was possible to destroy something that was a part of me, but I had to fight, and this was the closest I'd been to him in awhile.
Before he could escape, I latched onto his arm, using the strength borne by the blood I'd been fed. A blur of motion, and I was against a wall in the room, my arm wrapped around the monster's neck and the other grabbing its head, ready to separate it from the treacherous body. For a moment, I registered the silky feel of the hair sliding through my fingers. Something was wrong, but the chaos around me left me unable to discern just what it was.
I heard the screams of the women in the background, but my eyes were locked on Jasper as he slowly moved towards me. I snarled loudly, tightening my grasp on the monster's head, and I heard several gasps from around the room.
'Jasper' stopped, as if he sensed my desperation. These guards were good; they'd been tutored in every aspect of my hallucinations.
"Carlisle, he's going to hurt Bella if we come any closer. We have to hold back," he whispered.
He thinks that Bella is someone different. He doesn't believe she's real. Carlisle's thoughts were a roiling mixture of sorrow, compassion and horror.
A familiar scent wafted through the air, infusing my nostrils with something that called to me. Home, it seemed to say, and the word Peace echoed faintly in my mind. I shook my head, attempting to dispel the lies.
In that second, I saw the one called Jacob step even closer and I screamed at him, a snarling, hissing screech better suited to the mountain lions I had once hunted. The one impersonating Emmett threw his arm out, stopping the dark skinned man.
I lowered my mouth to the creature's neck, ready to slash open the skin in rage. I would enjoy tearing into my tormentor first before ending his life. Even if the guards destroyed me afterward, it would be pleasing to see the headless body thrown across the floor.
But when my lips touched the skin, I felt something lurch inside of me. The monster welled up, grappling for control. He wrestled the power away, shoving me aside, protecting her from me. I panicked, as I saw him turn Bella to him, to us. I saw her standing unafraid, her golden eyes staring back trustingly.
If he was still here with me, then…who was this person that he cradled protectively in our arms? He drew her in close, our every breath inhaling the strangely familiar fragrance in great gasps. I felt weak in the knees as the scent overwhelmed us. And then I heard her voice in my mind.
Edward, I know you're in there somewhere. Please come back to me. I need you. Nessie needs you. The whole family needs you. We'd never hurt you. Please read my mind! See that it's me. It's not a trick. I'll stand here with you forever if I have to, and if you have to hurt me to prove it, then so be it. But know this: I'll love you no matter what.
The words ended, replaced by a collage of images of the two of us together: our first kiss, our wedding day, the first time we held Renesmee together, our first night in the cottage. It was Heaven, after more than a year of Hell, and I closed my eyes and savored it.
In that instant, I was slammed against the wall, and she was torn from my arms. My eyes flew open, and I roared at Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle as they once again pinned me in place. I fought like a wild animal, trying to get back to her. I needed to see it again. It was imperative that I hold her again, but I couldn't quite break free. I heard Bella screaming for them to stop, but Jacob struggled to keep her away. He was keeping us apart, and with a flash of memory, I realized that it wasn't the first time. Oh God, could this be real…?
"Bella!" I rasped out in agony and need, and everything went still. Except for her. Bella tore herself free and ran forward to grab my hand again through the mass of bodies that were restraining me.
I was balanced on the edge of a knife. Bella was holding my hand, but was it really her or another phantasm, courtesy of the monster? I had let myself hope, and that had long been the slippery slope leading back to nightmares and madness. But she was still here. My family remained. The seconds continued to tick by, and nothing changed.
I wanted to bask in the light of this long forgotten emotion, but it terrified me. I had been so long in the darkness, and painful experience had taught me to fear stepping into the light. I feared the horror that I knew waited to snatch me up if I let my guard down, even for a moment. I began to withdraw, shutting down, welcoming the darkness, but held onto the hand clutching mine with all my might.
"Edward?" Jasper gasped.
"Jasper, what is it?" Bella asked.
Jasper was silent for a moment. "I felt hope for just a second, but then it vanished as though it never existed. It was almost like he consciously crushed it, like he refuses to believe this is real."
I heard Bella's voice. "Okay, Alice, enough is enough. I'm tired of the stalling. I need to know what happened."
My gift had returned full force, and as Alice stood frozen, I watched a series of horrific images flash through her thoughts. She had seen everything that I had experienced, the shame, the guilt, the murder, the starvation, and she had kept it to herself for a year. Now another vision flashed through her mind, of the carnage that would ensue once she finally revealed the details of my captivity.
"Edward," Alice whispered, "I'm sorry."
Then she told them.
The living room was in a shambles.
Bella was pinned to the floor by Rosalie and Esme as she alternately snarled in rage and wept in tearless sobs. She had held my hand through it all, restraining herself in stony silence as Alice laid it all out. Externally calm, the rage flowing off of Bella had been palpable, especially through Jasper's senses.
When Alice finally stopped speaking, Bella had erupted like a volcano. She had ripped her hand from my grasp and literally gone berserk. Wordless shrieks of rage and vile threats against Aro and the Volturi accompanied a whirlwind of physical violence. There were several gaping holes in the walls, and a floor-to-ceiling window had been shattered when Bella threw a couch through it.
Through it all, I had slumped in the grasp of my father and brothers. They were hearing it for the first time, but I had lived it. Alice's visions were painful to watch, but nothing compared to having actually experienced it.
Jacob had vanished into the woods once Alice had finished. He hadn't even bothered with the steps, leaping off the porch and phasing in mid-air, striving to drown his rage and grief in the blinding instincts of a running wolf. There was no telling when he would be back.
Jasper was snarling under his breath as he absorbed the emotions of the room. Everyone was enraged, even Carlisle. Alice sat in one of the chairs with her knees tucked up to her chest, silent and wounded after finally divesting herself of the horrible secret she had kept for so long. Jasper longed to go to her and comfort her, but he knew that his duty was here, protecting his family.
Emmett was seething. He had always prided himself on his strength and his role as the defender of this family. Seeing me in my current state and hearing what I had gone through was like a knife in his heart. As far as he was concerned, he had failed us all, and wanted nothing more than to dash into the forest and demolish every tree and boulder he could lay his hands on. Rosalie's ire matched Emmet's in every way, and she pictured her teeth slashing at Aro's throat even as she worked to restrain Bella.
The thoughts of Carlisle and Esme, normally the embodiment of love and compassion, were almost unrecognizable. Their minds were filled with outrage and righteous indignation with the realization of what had been done to me, their son.
Only Bella's thoughts remained closed to me. That was both entirely as it should be and completely unacceptable. Even pinned to the wall, the monster was focused not on the immediate threat of my captors, but on Bella's prone form as she alternated been thrashing rage and catatonic grief. I struggled with him for control as he reached out to her, but he resisted me as always.
His outlook was so simple, almost pure instinct. He had no regret for anything that he had done. To him, it was about survival, plain and simple. His mate was in pain and needed comforting, and that was all he knew. I receded again into the shadows between the painfully bright reality and the darkness of the nightmares and watched as he held his hand out with a growl, his eyes locked on Bella.
"Bella…" Carlisle said tentatively
If she heard him, she gave no response, still wrapped in agony on the floor.
"Bella, come here. He wants you," Jasper said. "I think it'll be alright."
Slowly, she raised her head from the ground and looked up at us. I could see my face reflected in her eyes, expressing a combination of protectiveness and fierce watchfulness.
Esme and Rosalie released her as she stood up. With the utmost care, she made her way across the room, reaching out to touch the outstretched hand. Still growling, he pulled her closer into a protective embrace. Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper relaxed their grip and cautiously moved away as the growl shifted into a comforting purr. Bella collapsed into the embrace and began to sob with relief as she buried her face in our chest.
The monster buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply, radiating utter contentment.
I had to know.
All this time, I had resisted and fought for control. This time, I tried a different tack. He was so certain of whom he held in his arms, but I couldn't be certain until I asked.
I drew in another intoxicating breath filled with her scent, and as I exhaled, I whispered a simple question.
"Are you real?"
I heard my family's sudden gasps as Bella stiffened in my arms. She raised her head and looked up at me, enraptured.
"Yes. I'm real," Bella whispered back. "We're all real. I know it's hard to believe, but it's over. You're here with us, and you're safe, and I will never let them touch you again."
I sighed out a breath, and let myself fade back into the shadows. I had existed there too long to be comfortable in the light. I couldn't stay. I would let the monster hold sway for now, but perhaps the light was not as dangerous as I thought.
"Jasper, what just happened?" Emmett asked.
"Edward came back," Jasper said thoughtfully. "He's gone again, but for just a couple seconds, he was back."
"What about the rest of it?" Rosalie asked. "When we first got him back, he was ready to attack Bella on sight, but now he's changed completely."
It was Carlisle who answered this time. "As I mentioned on the plane, our instinctive side is very powerful, especially with regards to food, mates and personal survival. I think the starvation and the mental torture reduced him to madness, and he was ready to attack anything on sight. On top of that, for whatever reason, Bella incited powerful emotive reactions in both halves of his psyche. Now that he's been fed and he's home safe, the 'monster' is becoming more rational. Edward's human self may be hiding from reality, but the vampire self recognizes his mate and instinctively wants to protect her."
"But why did he want to attack her at first?" Rosalie pressed.
Carlisle sighed. "I don't think we can know that until we can get Edward to respond to us. Right now, though, I think the monster may actually be the key to getting him to open up. Edward's question indicates that he's aware of what's going on around him; he's just choosing not to interact with it. We need to get him involved in our lives, let him see that this is real and not some hallucination. It may be the only way to reach him."
Alice had been watching from her curled up position in the chair. Now her eyes went blank with the characteristic blank stare of a vision. I watched it through her thoughts.
Me, in the forest, crouched forward aggressively, my nostrils flaring as I catch the scent of prey, then I spring forward.
Bella and I, on the couch. I am sitting, while she lies stretched out, with her head on my lap. She is reading to me; I am staring at her, mesmerized.
Me, sitting at the piano, feathering lightly over the keys, not playing, just feeling. Bella stands behind me, her hands on my shoulders.
Bella and I, in our meadow, lying on the grass in each other's arms, eyes locked onto each other. We are speaking, but the vision is silent and the words cannot be heard. There is something different about my face…
"It'll work," Alice finally pronounced. "I can't say how long it will take, though. And he won't be the same Edward; with what he's been through, a change is inevitable."
They all considered that for a moment.
Predictably, it was Emmett who broke the silence. "So, when do we start? I say we take him hunting. If he's got the energy to pin Bella and hold her hostage, I bet he's ready to go out and take down some mountain lion."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jasper asked. "If he's running on pure instinct, we won't be able to stop him if he catches a human scent."
"We'll just take him up into the wilderness areas and make sure we scout it out in advance," Emmett responded. Then his smile turned mischievous. "Besides, what are you worried about, Dr. Phil? It'll be just like babysitting a newborn, but without the strength."
Jasper glowered at his brother for a moment before turning to Alice. "Want to scout for us?"
She stayed motionless in the chair as her eyes went blank for a moment. "All clear. You won't run into anyone, but I'll come along anyways." She picked herself up out of the chair and bounced over to him with a smile. I could sense Jasper's relief; apparently this side of Alice had been missing for a long time.
"I'll come, too," said Esme. "It'll be nice to see him hunt again."
"We'll all come," Rosalie chimed in. "We've been apart too long to separate again over a little hunting trip."
The familiarity was settling in. The monster was still a little wary, instinctively reacting to the presence of other vampires and constantly analyzing them for potential threats. Underneath it all, however, there was a sense of peace and familiarity, as though we belonged.
Bella pulled out of the embrace and took us by the hand. She did not pull me towards the door, but her intent was obvious.
"Come on, Edward. Let's go hunt," she said with a hopeful smile.
The monster moved towards her and she pulled away, guiding him out the back door as the rest of the family followed.
He took one step outside and was frozen in awe.
The sun had come out through the clouds, granting the rainy, mossy forest a rare blessing of light. The sun shone in rays through the mist and the trees and fell on our gathered family. Our skin sparkled under the sun's rays.
I had been stuck in a cell deep underground for over a year. Even during my rescue, I had been too dazed and weak to take in my surroundings. This was the first time I had truly seen the sky and the sun since the day I had been taken, over a year ago.
My family waited around me as I stood frozen, simply breathing in the gloriously familiar air of home. Bella approached me again and curled up into my side. The monster purred in contentment.
I lost track of how long we stood there, just staring into the sky. Finally, the persistent clouds of the Olympic Peninsula returned, concealing the sun once more.
"Come on, bro," Emmett teased as he punched me in the shoulder, "aren't you hungry?"
The monster growled in return, but there was no rancor, only a sense of familiar exasperation.
Bella pulled away again, and this time, the smile on her face was impish.
"Catch me if you can," she giggled as she darted into the woods.
The monster lunged after her, chasing her into the woods with gleeful abandon as our family followed behind. As he ran, I let loose and let myself fly with him.
Ok, so I can't blame writer's block on this one; I was just lazy. I waited three weeks to even start writing, but once I started writing, I banged out this chapter in less than 8 hours. I'm sure content1 would be chasing me with a cattle prod if she could. Regardless, here it is.
Welcome, one and all, to my new Beta, duskwatcher2153. Show your appreciation for helping make this story even better by reading and reviewing her completed Twilight fic, A Litany At Dusk (look for it on my profile).
Thanks to content1 for the jump-start. Thanks to Gleena for letting me play with her scenario, as well as the pimping she gave me on her latest chapter of Acts of Aggression. Thanks to the lovely ladies at PTB for their Beta services. I can't say enough good things about Harvest Moon by content1 and The Cold War / Acts of Aggression by Gleena. Both stories are on my profile, and you really should be reading them.