Chapter 38: Collapse

Bella sighed as she walked down the stairs with Liam on her hip. The seven-month-old was making little baby noises before sticking his hand into his mouth. Smiling, she kissed the side of her son's head. "Let's go say hi to everyone," she cooed to her son. She walked into the living room where Rosalie, Alice, Sue, and Esme were sitting. Esme was cooing and playing with a giggling Alana.

"Well there's baby number two," Sue commented.

"Yeah, just woke up from his nap," Bella answered, handing her stepmother the baby.

Sue smiled, kissing the little boy's forehead. "How is everything?" Sue asked, sitting down.

"Alright, its still tensed around here, but maybe that's because we're waiting for that phone call that they caught James and he'll never bother us again," Bella replied with a small sigh.

"Well, your dad's working around the clock to search for James," Sue commented.

Liam let out a little noise before clapping his hands. "So Alice, when's the wedding?" Esme asked. Alice was beaming as she played with her engagement ring.

"Jazzy and I are still discussing that," she replied.

Bella was smiling when she suddenly had a feeling that someone was watching. Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she looked toward the window. "Bella, something wrong?" Rosalie asked.

"I thought…" Bella replied.

She got up and went over to the window when she saw someone disappear around the corner. "Someone's here," she whispered.

"Who?" Esme asked, pulling Alana close.

"I don't know," Bella replied.

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she let out a gasp when she heard the door break off its hinges. Sue and Esme held the twins securely, protectively in their arms while Bella felt her heart drop to the pit of her gut when two men walked in with guns in hand. "Who are you?" she exclaimed.

"They're with me beautiful," James answered walking in with a grin.

Bella suddenly felt sick to her stomach, moving back a few steps. "Hey baby, long time no see," he commented, his eyes moving up and down her frame. "Nice to actually see your face, since all I've seen the last year is your back," he added.

"How the hell did you find me?" Bella demanded.

"Not hard sweetheart," he answered.

He scanned the room, looking at all the women in the room as well as the three children in the room. Two-year-old Gabriel quickly crawled into his mother's lap while Rosalie took Liam, glaring at the man. "Well seems like we crashed a party of some sort guys," he commented. His gaze went back to the women. "Oh how rude of me, these are my friends. Riley and Laurent," he informed.

"Well nice to know your manners aren't dead," Rosalie muttered.

"Hey, hey, no need to be hostile Rosalie," James answered.

Rosalie felt her heart drop. "How do you know my name?" she asked.

"Oh I know everyone who's had contact with Bells," James replied.

Esme had stood up and was pulling Bella back to the couch. "Everyone?" Bella asked.

"I had to make sure my girl was surrounded by good people, since that fiasco with Victoria. Jealous bitch," James muttered.

Bella bit her lower lip as she looked at her children. "Well, if it weren't for Victoria none of this would've happened," he commented, gesturing to the twins. He walked over to the backside of the couch behind Rosalie. "Well they are kinda cute," he added, stroking Liam's head.

"Don't you touch him!" Bella snapped.

Rosalie pulled Liam closer to her chest, giving James a cold stare. "Hey be careful Rosie, your face will get stuck that way," he told her.

"Don't you call me that!" Rosalie hissed.

"Ah that's right only Edward can call you that," he added.

"What do you want?" Alice demanded.

James's glance moved over to the petite girl. "Well, the question is, Alice, what is Bella here willing to give up?" he asked. Bella stood up from her seat, glaring at him.

"You don't touch my family, James. You don't lay a finger on my babies!" she hissed.

"Could've been ours," he answered.

"What the hell are you rambling about you psycho?" Rosalie snapped.

James glared, raising his gun towards Rosalie. "No name calling, I'm talking civilly here!" he snapped.

"Leave her alone!" Bella answered standing in front of Rosalie.

His frown turned into the scariest smile Bella had ever seen in her life. "My haven't you grown," he commented. He started looking her up and down again. Bella felt violated just by his stare, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ah covering up the best part," he added.

"You disgust me!" she hissed.

"Ouch…" James started, he pressed his hand to his heart, "that hurts."

"That's what you are James! You have stalked me for too long!" she snapped.

She let out a shriek when James grabbed her arm, yanking her close. "No! I'm just claiming what's mine! What has been mine for fourteen years!" he snapped. Bella's eyes widened.

"F-Fourteen?" she asked.

"You were an innocent little girl…so beautiful and perfect. I was waiting for you to become a woman and claim you!" he snapped.

"You're disgusting!" Bella snapped trying to shove him away.

"But your stupid mother she ruined it by trying to keep you from me!" he snapped.

Bella felt her heart stop in her chest. "You…" she started.

"I had to get rid of her, I didn't know you were in the car with her! If I knew, I wouldn't have done it! But I had to find a way to get her out of the picture," he answered.

"YOU'RE DISGUSTING! A DISGUSTING MAN! I WAS A CHILD!" she shouted.

"I WAS WAITING!" he shouted back.

He grabbed Bella, shoving her against the wall. Bella let out a gasp, closing her eyes tight with a shaky breath. "But then you…when they took you away from me then! What Victoria did to you to get you taken from me! Oh how I hated her for what she did," he hissed, pulling her shirt up see the scar.

"Let go of me!" Bella hissed.

"I just wanted you! She didn't like that I wanted you," he answered.

"You are so disgusting!" Bella barked at him in disgust.

"As you keep saying," he answered.

He moved his finger along her cheek. "I would've treated you like the princess you were then. If it weren't for her you would've been treated as such," he commented.

"Let go of me," she jeered.

Before she could react, he crashed his lips against hers, forcing his kiss on her. Bella struggled hard against him. After a few seconds of this torture, she was able to push him back and punched him. James hissed as his head jerked, reaching up, touching his cheek, and pulling it back to reveal the blood. He looked over to see the now bloodied ring on her finger. His face however, went from rage to extremely calm. "Laurent…Riley…how about you escort Bella's friends to the next room? I don't think they should see this, especially the children," he commented. They made them get up and forced them into another room. "No cell phones! Make sure none of them has their phones! Do not do anything else but search for the phones!" James ordered.

"Fine," Laurent muttered as they left.

Bella's heart began to speed up, it was just her and James. James began to pace the room. "I would've given you the world, Bella. Anything you wanted, I would've given it to you on a silver platter," he commented.

"What did you do to Victoria?" she asked.

"I got rid of her," he answered.

Her eyes widened. "Doesn't matter," he added. His eyes moved over to Bella. "You let him defile you," he hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked.

"Him you let him defile you!" James snapped.

Bella just stared at him. He grabbed a hold of their prom picture, practically shoving it in her face. "This man! You let this man touch you! Defile you!" he exclaimed.

"Out of the two men I know, which is you and my husband I think my husband was more deserving of that than you ever could be," she answered.

She stood up straighter. "Emmett is a better man that you'll ever be!" she snapped. James backhanded her, making her stumble and fall to the floor.

"Look what you made me do!" he snapped.

"Go to Hell!" she hissed, holding her cheek.

James just glared at her. "How can you let him touch you! Why Bella why?" he demanded.

"Because I'm in love with him. I married him. I vowed to spend the rest of forever with him," she replied.

"You stupid, stupid girl!" James snapped.

"I love my husband!" Bella exclaimed.

"If that is true what would you do for him? What would you do for those precious babies in there?" he asked.

"Anything," she replied.

James squatted down in front of her. "Then…give yourself to me," he told her. Bella's heart stopped.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"If you want your husband to live and your children to have at least one parent alive, you'd give yourself to me willingly," he replied.

She swallowed hard. "You'll leave Emmett and my babies alone?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied simply.

With shaky hands, she bit her lower lip with tears stinging her eyes as she started to undo the buttons on her blouse. James was watching with a grin on his face, he had won he knew he had. He grabbed her by the back of her neck, yanking her closer. "Trust me, you'll enjoy it," he sneered. Before he could do anything, he was suddenly knocked right off her.

"You are one disgusting son of a bitch!" Emmett snapped standing in front of Bella.

He turned around, lifting Bella up from the floor. "SHE'S MINE!" James shouted.

"She was never yours!" Emmett answered.

Emmett quickly put Bella down when James attacked him, shoving him into the wall. "EMMETT!" Bella shouted in horror.

"BELLA GET OUT!" Emmett answered, shoving James backwards.

Bella let out a scream when someone grabbed her. "Let's go, let's get out of here," Riley said suddenly.

"Let go of me!" Bella exclaimed.
"BELLS GO!" Emmett shouted.

Riley practically pulled her out of the house to her waiting family. Alice ran over, hugging Bella tight. "Are you okay?" Sue asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Bella replied.

She looked back at the house. "I have to stop him from hurting Emmett," she insisted moving to run back.

"BELLA!" Sue shouted grabbing her arm.

"LET GO! JAMES WILL KILL HIM!" Bella shouted back.

Emmett was trying to push James off him as his hands wrapped around his throat. "You don't deserve her! She's mine you hear me Cullen? MINE!" James snapped.

"She…not…property," Emmett gagged out.

Bella suddenly jumped on James's back, wrapping her arm around his throat. "GET OFF HIM!" Bella shouted.

"Get off me you crazy bitch!" James snapped standing up.

Bella winced when James slammed her back against a wall. She felt her head connect to a shelf and her head started to spin, making her lose her grip and fall to the floor. Emmett was back up and he threw a punch at James's head. James tucked and kicked Emmett in the stomach. Emmett grabbed his leg, throwing him onto his back. James suddenly pulled out a knife. Emmett grabbed his arm, throwing him over his back. "Fight me fair you son of a bitch!" Emmett hissed. Stepping on James's wrist, forcing him to drop the knife. James got back up off the floor, throwing two more punches at Emmett, one punch connecting to his shoulder.

Emmett dodged his other attack. He kicked James in the leg before aiming his fist at his head again. The fist connect to the side of James's head, making him fall back onto the coffee table, snapping it from the impact. Seeing that the man was unconscious, Emmett lifted Bella up into his arms and carried her out of the house.

At the hospital, Emmett was sitting on an examining table as the doctor was looking at the bruises beginning to form on his throat. "How's my wife?" Emmett asked, glancing at Bella.

"She will have some stitches in her head from hitting her head and a small concussion, but she'll be alright," the doctor replied.

"Can I have a minute alone with her?" Emmett asked.

"Of course," the doctor replied.

After Bella was stitched up, the tears were welling up in her eyes when everything sank in. "He killed her," she sobbed. Emmett walked over, hugging her gently. "He murdered my mom," she sobbed. He hushed her softly, stroking her hair without hurting her stitches. "He murdered my mom Emmett," she sobbed, her body shaking from her crying.

"I'm so sorry baby," he whispered.

He kissed the top of her head, hugging her close. "I love you and he can never hurt us again," he whispered. Bella cried into his chest.

"I love you too," she answered.

Emmett moved onto the hospital bed, hugging her close as he comforted her the only way he knew how, just by holding her and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.