Disclaimer:: I don't own the original characters, just Evelyn and the storyline...
I woke the next morning, groggy, and rolled over to find Edward. He wasn't where I thought he would be. I reached my hand out further until I had reached the edge, and my fingers grasped my mattress. I started to panic. How could he leave me, after everything that we had been through, and after everything last night? My breathing picked up speed and I could feel the tears well and pour from my eyes. I felt a sense of loss, abandonment, and rejection wash through me at the speed of light. I didn't want to believe he would leave me, not now. A sob broke through my throat.
"Bella?!" Edward's voice was panicked and anxious. He hadn't realized I'd been crying.
He got up from the rocking chair in my room and ran to my side, cradling me in his arms, arms tight around me, pressing his lips into my hair.
"What's wrong? What is it?" his voice grew anxious as I continued to have a hard time breathing.
Another, louder sob broke through my throat and I tried to stem the flow of tears but they just kept coming.
"I..I-I…I thought you…left…m-m-me!" I shaking so badly with the sobs that I was stuttering horribly.
I heard Edward's intake of breath and he started to run his fingers through my hair trying to calm me.
"Bella, Bella. I won't leave you I promise. I'm here as long as you want me. I'll be here forever if you want me. I'm not leaving you again."
His voice had turned velvety and his words soothed my sobs. I tried my hardest to stifle the tears and I was pretty close by the time he spoke again. He pulled back slightly from our embrace and looked into my red eyes and splotchy face.
"Are you alright, love? Can I get you anything, do anything?"
I shook my head, trying to clear it before answering.
"No, thank you. I'll be ok. I just need you right now. Just you."
He pulled me tighter against his chest and I felt myself relaxing into him. I turned my head slightly to look at the clock and saw that it said 4:30. It was Saturday if I did my math correctly and I had all day to sleep, if I so chose. I yawned, involuntarily, and I felt Edward pull us both down into a vertical position. I snuggled closer to him and fell asleep again. This sleep wasn't a troubled sleep. It was deep and I dreamt of good things. I saw Alice and the entire family, sitting in the Cullen's living room, just talking. Edward and I were sitting with them. He had his arm around me and it felt nice, just to be there with everyone and feel a sense of belonging. It was the feeling I knew I had been craving ever since it had been taken away from me. Knowing I could have it and get it back was one of the best feelings in the world.
I didn't realize how true the statement "you shouldn't take things for granted" was until I had actually experienced its meaning. I had always taken for granted the fact that Edward and I would be together forever and that he and his family would soon become my family. When that future had been taken away, I realized just how much it all meant to me. I had taken it for granted. I vowed, even in unconsciousness, to never take anything for granted ever again. Every moment I got with Edward would be one I would treasure. Every glimpse of his face, and every moment I spent with him and his family would be cherished. I had learned my lesson, and I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
I woke later that day with a clear mind. Edward was lying beside me, as I had hoped he would be. He noticed me waking up and his face lit up into a smile. I looked over at the clock and gasped. It was 3:00 in the afternoon! How could I have slept for that long? I got up and stretched and took Edwards hand and walked him down to the kitchen. Charlie wasn't home, his cruiser not in its usual spot, so I took that to mean he had gone fishing with someone from the station, or with Billy. I pulled out my usual bowl of cereal and started to eat. We sat in silence for a few minutes before either of us spoke.
"Bella, I was thinking that today we could-" Edward stopped mid sentence and sat bolt upright. His nostrils flared and his lips pulled back over his teeth. I low growl erupted from his chest and he stood up and ran to the back door. He was back in half a second, pulling me into his arms, and running out of the house. He took us into the forest and started to run towards his home. I had no idea what was going on.
"Edward? What's wrong?" I tried to yell as the wind whipped past my face.
Edward shook his head and ran faster. I couldn't see an end to the trees at all. Edward turned his head around to look at something, and growled again, more menacingly this time. He tried to speed up again but he was getting close to his limit.
Without a warning, we were both thrown to the ground. The speed we had generated sent me flying fifteen feet into the forest, before colliding with a tree, still going the same speed. I cried out involuntarily when I hit the tree, my midriff colliding with the trunk. I tried to breathe deeper but I couldn't. The wind had been knocked out of me and all I could feel was the horrible searing pain in my ribs. One or more had to be broken after a hit like that. I knew there were other things to focus on but I panicked as I tried to breathe. I regained some semblance of normal breathing quite quickly, and I looked up to see what had happened to Edward. What I saw was horrifying. Edward was locked in a battle with three other vampires, newborns by the looks of them, and he wasn't winning. I pulled myself off of the ground and tried to think of something I could do, something to distract them to save Edward. Then a thought flashed through my mind. Maybe, just maybe, I had an appealing scent to them too. That would surely be enough to get their attention long enough for Edward to gain some ground. So I whistled. All vampires have exceptional hearing, or so I've seen, so I figured they would too. I was right. Their heads whipped around at the noise and their eyes grew a deeper red as my scent coursed through them. Edward was able to back away from them before they charged at me. I hadn't thought about this part. I had just known that I needed to save Edward, but I had never thought of the price; my life.
"No!" Edward shouted as the vampires closed in. They slowed their run to a walk and started to circle me, like an animal circling it's pray, which this was, essentially. He charged at one of them, but they were too fast and too strong. One whipped around and sent a kick towards Edward's stomach. It hit him and he was sent barreling backwards at an alarming rate, too far into the trees for me to see him anymore. The three newborns drew closer in towards me and they all crouched. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to come.
"Stop!"
This was not Edward's voice, as I thought it would be. It was a female voice, very high, almost soprano, and sounded quite young. I opened my eyes a bit and saw my worst nightmare; Victoria. She was standing before me, eyes glowing crimson, her flaming hair blowing behind her from the breeze.
"She is mine. No one touch her."
This command seemed to anger the newborns and they reluctantly sank back behind her. She came closer to me and picked up a strand of hair that had fallen from my messy bun. She leaned in and sniffed it, savoring the scent as it filled her head. A roar rang from somewhere behind her, and I saw Edward leap from the bushes fifteen feet away. The three newborns grabbed him and held him tight. She backed away from me a few paces and it was only then that I noticed that another vampire had followed her from her place among the trees. She was a small girl, looked to be around my age, maybe a year younger when she was changed, and had glowing crimson eyes. She looked slightly scared, like she wasn't sure of her purpose here and looked to Victoria for guidance.
"Ah, Bella. It has been too long since I have seen you last."
I shuddered as Victoria spoke to me. Her voice wasn't right, it was too high, yet filled with malice and hate. I could guess why.
"And Edward! So nice to see you as well. Neither of you have changed much. Well, for you, Edward, that is to be expected. But for my dear sweet Bella here, I can't fathom how you can't have changed in the course of a year. Still the same plain, insignificant girl who has won the interest of many of my kind. Edward, his family, Laurent…James." Her voice caught on the last name.
James, her mate, was killed by Edward. I remembered the day back in the ballet studio all too clearly. James on his rant of how I was just an insignificant girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the worst memories of my life. Edward saved me from death that night. I wasn't sad to see James go in the least.
"So, my lovely Bella, I know that you spoke to Laurent before his demise, am I correct?"
I didn't speak so she took that to be a 'yes'.
"And I also know the he informed you of my plan. So I am assuming here, and please correct me if I am wrong, that you know your fate, and that you have told Edward of such a thing as well?"
Again, I didn't speak.
"Lovely, now I don't have to go through all of the pleasantries of explanation on either part. Mate for mate. A simple concept I think. Revenge in a fantastic form, watching the pain slide across our dashing Edwards face here, as he watches his beloved human drained slowly, tortured in the process, and then ripped to pieces. I, myself, have always been one for the dramatic, always over the top. I think that will make for an excellent show, don't you agree Evelyn?"
The small girl that was standing behind Victoria threw anxious glances all around the circle, first at Victoria, then to Edward, who bared his teeth and snarled at her, and then finally, to me. She took in my horrified expression and her eyes grew a tad bit more anxious. Perhaps she had some compassion, maybe she would stand up against Victoria. But her glance returned to the menacing vampire in front of her, and her decision was clear in her eyes. She would side with Victoria, if for nothing but a fear for her own existence.
"So my dear, to get this show on the road, I say we have a little fun." She turned towards me. "Evelyn, here, has quite a special power. Lets test it."
Evelyn threw her gaze toward me and what I was seeing stayed the same. I figured her power had something to do with the mind, so I assumed her power wouldn't work on me. All of the sudden, Edward howled in pain. I flew my head around to see him lying on the ground, missing an arm. I looked at him, and he looked back with pained eyes. A loud cry escaped my throat.
"No!"
"Bella! Bella, what's wrong?" a voice drifted through the treetops. I hadn't come from anyone in the clearing, but I knew it was Edward's voice. I looked down at him and he had not spoken. His face was the same mask of pain as it had been mere seconds ago. One of the newborns walked over to Edward, bent down, and ripped off his other arm. Another cry of pain flew from his lips and he recoiled against the mossy ground.
"No, please! Stop! I'm begging you!" I was crying hard now, as I watched the reason for my life being torn to pieces. I tried pleading with the vampires but that only made them more intrigued with his pain. They tore off a leg and stepped back to watch him squirm and hear me shriek. I had dropped to my knees at this point, my palms flat against my temples, fists full of my own hair. The ghostly voice of Edward drifted back through the treetops, even though his lips did not move.
"What are you doing to her? Stop! Bella!"
The newborns got a kick out of this whole pain deal. In one swift motion, one tore his other leg from his body and threw it into the trees. I looked down at what was left of my Edward, and whimpered softly.
"Please, I'm begging you. Leave him be. Don't k-k-kill him. Take…me…instead. Please." My pleaded turned into deep sobs as I spoke.
I lifted my gaze to peer into Edward's eyes, contorted with pain. This time, he spoke, and his mouth moved, throwing his speech towards me instead of ghosting through the trees.
"I love you, Bella. More than my own life. There will never be anything that anyone will ever feel that will be greater than what I feel for you. I'm sorry it wasn't enough. I love you."
I knew what was coming before it happened. My breathing cut short just as I watched a newborn reach out and rip Edwards head from his body. The body parts had been collected by then and a small fire started. Edwards head was thrown into the fire and it burned along with the rest of his body. My own body was wracked with sobs. He was gone. I had just gotten him back and he was gone. There was no reason to fight against Victoria anymore. I had once tried to fight for a future with the man that I loved. He had been taken and so had my will to fight.
"NO! Please! Come back, Edward. Don't leave me! No!" the last word was contorted and elongated by my sobs. I looked up at Victoria and spoke with ferociousness. "You took him from me. There is nothing left. Kill me now. I have no reason to live."
The ghostly words rang through the trees again.
"Stop! Whatever power or spell it is you have her under, make it stop. Bella, please, fight for me, fight for us. Don't give up, not yet."
I heard Victoria's words ghost through the trees as Edwards had a moment before, though she did not move her lips.
"Alright, Evelyn, I think I've had my fun for the moment. Release her."
All too suddenly, the scene shifted. The purple plumes of smoke rising from Edwards burning body was gone, as was the pile that was the man I loved. I looked around and found him standing, perfectly intact, in front of me, looking horrified at what I had said. If only he had seen.
"Evelyn's gift is to make people see what she wants them too. In this case, Edward, if you hadn't already caught on, she had Bella live through your death, and let me tell you it wasn't pretty. Dismembered, am I correct, Evelyn? What lovely last words you chose for him. Would you like to hear them Edward. I don't believe you have a choice. I believe the words were something like 'I love you, Bella. More than my own life. There will never be anything that anyone will ever feel that will be greater than what I feel for you. I'm sorry it wasn't enough. I love you'. My, those words fit you quite well don't they. Something you would most definetly say. Well done Evelyn, that was quite entertaining to watch. Now Bella, is that request you made earlier still valid? Would you like me to kill you now?"
Edward answered for me.
"No! Please, don't take her from me."
Victoria snarled at his pleading.
"Take her from you! You mean like how you too James away from me? Now how could I ever do something so horrible? Oh, quite easily I think. Revenge is sweet. This is for James. You took him from me and now I'm going to take her from you. This will be fun, and worse for you and for her now that you decided to beg like this. You've struck a nerve in me, Edward, and for that, Bella will suffer greatly. You best thank him now Bella, and say your goodbyes, you wont have a chance soon." Victoria snapped her fingers and the newborns seemed to read her mind. They dragged Edward over to where I was immobilized on the ground and pushed him down to my level, still holding him tightly. "Now, last goodbyes are always so fun to watch. Better make it good, Edward has to live with this for the rest of his existence. Too bad his last memories of you will be so harsh. My last memories of you, on the other hand, will be delightful."**
Edward looked into my eyes and I into his. I was crying, still, from what Evelyn had shown me. I wasn't afraid for myself, for dying, or for the pain. I was afraid for what this would do to him, and how much pain I would cause him. I looked at him and spoke in a strangled voice.
"Edward, I'm so sorry you had to meet me. I've done nothing but cause you pain from the beginning. The very beginning actually. That thirst, and then the pain of what James did, and at my birthday, Italy, and now this. I've been nothing but a burden, but I want you to know that you have been nothing but pure joy and love for me. The best thing to ever happen to me. The phrase 'I will love you till I die' doesn't fit here, because that would mean I stop loving you today. That will never be true. I will love you until the end of time, regardless of the fact that I'm not here with you. I wanted nothing more than to be with you forever, and to be Mrs. Edward Cullen some day, and to sit beside you, a hundred years from now, and now that I have the rest of my existence with you. Just know that regardless of the fact that I am not physically here, in the flesh, I will always be with you in spirit. As cliché as that sounds, it's true. I will never leave you. I love you for eternity. I'm so sorry." I was sobbing so hard towards the end I don't know how he understood a word I was saying. I looked up into his eyes to see them wet with tears. I didn't know such a thing was possible. A tear slipped from the side of his eye and streaked down his cheek.
"Isabella Marie Swan, there is no way possible that you were ever a burden. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, the best thing that will ever happen to me, not matter how long I live, which, after today, I'm hoping is not long. I can't live without you, there is no possible way for me to continue on without your brilliant face to light up my day. There are so many things I want to say right now but none would sum up how I feel just right. You are my life, and without you there is not life to live. I love you more than life itself. I truly believe that all things happen for a reason. I know that I was destined to live in some form in 1918 so that I could find you. Every life has a predefined course and you were the course I was always heading in. If it all ends today, then at least I die knowing that I found my purpose and what I was looking for all of my life. You are the only thing I will ever need in this entire lifetime. You. I love you. I'm sorry that I can't keep you out of harms way. It's my fault. Please forgive me. I never meant any of this for you. I love you." He was sobbing as hard as I was by the time he was done speaking.
I looked up to see Victoria's face growing impatient so I hastily leaned forward and kissed Edward passionately. He kissed me back the same way, all of our emotions all wrapped up in one, too short, kiss. Victoria snorted and moved towards us, still locked in an embrace. The next thing I knew, there was a sharp pain in my stomach and I flew backwards, into a tree. I felt myself flying backward, and my head collided with a tree trunk. The tree was not huge, but not small either. I fell to the ground, trying to regain my breath as I heard the shouts.
"Stop! Don't touch her!" Edward was growling ferociously, and he was straining against his captors. I turned my head to the side to watch him free one of his arms and promptly decapitate one of the newborns. Another newborn latched onto his arm, keeping him steady. A small surge of hope sounded in my chest. Maybe if he could free himself from one of the other newborns, he could save himself and leave now. Leave me to Victoria. There isn't another way I would want this to happen. For him to be far away, and move on.
I tried to stand and got as far as standing before the black spots started clouding my vision. I wobbled and reached out to find something to grab for balance.
"Bella!" Edwards voice was high and anxious.
I couldn't find anything to hold onto. I swayed harder and fell to the ground, onto my side. I tried to get back up again only to find two cold hands grab onto my hair and tug me upward. I decided then that I would not scream no matter how much pain she caused. It wouldn't do anyone any good. Victoria pulled harder and I found myself on my knees, looking into her horrid eyes. She stared at me and I could tell this would not be an easy thing to deal with. No quick death for me. This would be slow and painful.
I tore my eyes away from hers and searched for Edward. I found him looking terrified and furious at the same time. Wrong move. Victoria grabbed my face with her free hand and made me move my gaze to her. Her eyes were delighted and horrifying at the same time. She released my hair and held my face tighter in her hand. There was no way I would be able to wrench myself away from her steel grip.
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