Bella's Point of View
"No! Please!" I screamed. I could feel the tears wet on my face, dripping slowly down my cheeks, but I made no move to rub them away.
The vampire in front of me laughed mercilessly, and pulled my poor Lyra's arm back so that she screamed. Her arm was split open from Victoria's razor sharp nail.
My mouth was dry, and my mind was blank as I struggled to think of a way to get Lyra away from that monster.
I had tried running from a vampire before- the very same one that Victoria was here to avenge- when I was seventeen years old. I had gone less than a meter before James had leapt on me, and broken my leg. I would try running for it again today, but I was terrified what she would do to Lyra if I tried anything.
Victoria stared down at me with cold, heartless eyes while my baby sobbed helplessly in her arms.
"Watch her!" Victoria hissed. "Look at her! Watch her die- watch the light slowly fade from her eyes!"
She clenched her hand into a fist as scraped her nails across Lyra's face. Blood welled up in the deep cuts, and Lyra screamed out again, struggling against Victoria's unbreakable hold, her arms stretching out to me.
"Shush, Lyra, shush." I murmured, my voice shaking as I attempted to soothe my screaming child. "Please Lyra- shush, baby. It will all be over in a few moments."
I looked up at Victoria, forcing myself to meet her blood red eyes. "P…Please- let m-me h-h-hold her one l-last time." I stuttered, gasping for breath through my tears.
Victoria snorted. "Allow you that pleasure? I don't think so." She prowled forward.
I fixed my eyes on Lyra, drinking her in, trying to remember every little aspect of her. If I was going to die- I wanted her on my mind.
Lyra, I'm so sorry. I thought desperately, even though it was pointless. I love you, and I'm so, so, so sorry that I'm putting you through this.
But there had to be something I could do. I was her mother! I was supposed to protect her from people who wanted to hurt her. I had to.
I struggled to my feet- then leapt at Victoria. She was so surprised that she didn't react before my body smashed into her ice cold form. I stumbled backwards, tripped over my own feet and fell heavily to the floor.
I was on my feet again in a second, but Victoria, being able to move fifty times faster than me, had already grabbed me my the neck and sent me flying backwards. I hit the back wall and landed in a crumpled heap.
This was it.
This was the end.
After all that I had been through- Edward wanting to kill me, then James, then Jasper attacking me- this was how I would die. I had thought that it would be the end of the vampire attacks when Edward left- but I had been wrong.
This was how I was going to die, with my heart screaming as it broke in half in my chest; alone and crying.
Always so alone.
My head was spinning, my senses dulled.
But I could feel the throbbing in the side of my head.
And I heard the door fly open, bouncing back against the wall with the force it had been pushed open with.
My eyesight was fuzzy as I looked up, still slumped against the wall, my daughter's screaming echoing over and over again in my head. My eyes went straight to the door, where a lean, tall figure was stood. His clothes were plain, fitting smoothly to his perfect body. His dark mop of hair fell into his face, almost, but not completely, obscuring furious amber eyes with dark, tired smudges underneath them.
My heart stopped.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
It was him.
It couldn't be him.
There was no way that the vampire that I had been missing for seven years, the man who was in my every thought, my every dream- could not be stood, towering with rage, in my bedroom.
I barely had time to register his appearance, though.
In a second, he had pounced on Victoria. She was half turning when he reached her, and she screamed out in anger.
"You!" Victoria hissed.
Edward opened his mouth to reply, but I stuffed my fingers in my ears. I didn't want to hear his beautiful voice. The memory of its smoothness, of its perfection, was just starting to fade. I couldn't afford to have that healing hole ripped wide open again.
The two vampires twirled around the room, lost in their own game. I couldn't work out who was who…whose arm it was that flew across the room, who was screaming out in pain…
Lyra lay, abandoned and forgotten, in the corner. My terrified eyes searched her limp form, and with a gasp, I started to crawl over to her- but before I had moved more than an inch, a second after the thought entered my mind- Edward was crouched in front of me, his arms stretched out in a pose of protection.
The same one he had used all those years ago at my eighteenth birthday party.
Don't think, don't feel, don't remember.
"Bella? Bella! Are you okay?" Edward demanded, his voice layered with anxiety.
"I…I'm fine- but what about Lyra!" I tried to push past him, but he shook his head sharply, his amber eyes still flashing over me, searching for any injuries.
"Stay where you are, Bella." He ordered.
"But she's my baby!" I screamed, and tried to shove at his arm- but I did about as much use as I would have done pushing on a concrete wall and ordering it to sing.
"Stop it!" Edward insisted, pressing me even further back into the wall, so that I could feel the cold ice of his skin against mine.
I furiously opened my mouth to reply- then we both froze.
Victoria was stood on the other side of the room, Lyra suddenly in her arms. Seeming to sense danger, Lyra fell quiet- and the silence was eerie.
There was a wild glow in Victoria's eyes. "I will kill you, Bella Swan!" She shouted, "You and your brat child!"
I heard Jacob before I saw him. There was the sound of the front door slamming, rushed footsteps and heavy panting- then the door flew open for the second time, and a red faced, wild eyed Jacob stood in the doorway.
"Get your hands off my baby!" He bellowed- and threw himself at Victoria, not even bothering to change his form in his anger.
"Lyra!" I screeched, and Edward responded at once. He threw himself head first into the fight. There was a terrible ripping sound- then an arm landed beside me. I shuddered and turned away, vomit rising in my throat as I took in the still twitching fingers.
Jacob detangled himself from Victoria, and instead launched himself at Edward. "You!" He roared.
"Isn't there a priority here?" Edward yelled back as he dodged Jacob and reappeared behind Victoria.
"YES!" Jacob was beside himself with his fury. "KILLING YOU!"
"Jake- please!" I screamed, "Lyra!"
Everything seemed to come rushing back to Jacob at once. Mid way through an attack at Edward, he launched himself instead towards Lyra, who had been discarded in a corner.
Victoria noticed his change in direction, and dashed forward at the same time. Her arms curled around my baby at the same time as Edward disappeared from the other side of the room, and, using his inhuman speed- reappeared beside Victoria.
He ripped Lyra free of Victoria, and almost threw her at Jacob, who caught her, and held her tight to him, pressing her face into his chest as his tears rained down on her head.
"I will kill Bella!" Victoria howled, and lunged for me again, but Edward met her half way, shoving her backwards so that she fell out the room and toppled down the thin staircase.
I don't know what happened next, but I could guess. There was a ripping sound, the echo of the front door being slammed shut- then Edward swore loudly, shouting words I had never heard him use before.
I stumbled to my feet and tripped my way across the room. Jacob met me half way, his warm arms wrapping around me, but I fought against him, reaching for Lyra.
"Lyra, Lyra, Lyra!" I sobbed as I pressed her to me. Her hair was matted, her face wet with tears, and blood was running down her arm.
"She's bleeding, Jake!" I cried, my voice raising to a scream as my shaking hands ran along the deep, jagged cut.
"I know, I know!" Jacob moaned. "I need to call an ambulance."
"I've already done that." Said a quiet voice from the corner.
Jacob span around.
I didn't.
I didn't want to see him again. Already, he just seemed like a distant dream. Had it really been him? My mind questioned my sanity, but my heart knew I was right.
It had been him.
I would have recognised him anywhere. I knew every line of his face better than I knew my own. His wide, innocent amber eyes, the straight line of his nose, his hard, cold lips…
"You again!" Jacob growled, his hands curling into fists. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"My name is Edward Cullen, and I…" Edward began, his voice smooth and as perfect as ever.
Jacob swore loudly, cutting over him. "I know who are you are!" He hissed. "You're the stupid boy who broke Bella!"
Confusion passed across Edward's face. "Broke?" He questioned, then his eyes flashed to mine. For a moment, they met- and I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes, something alive- but I looked away before I could work out what it was. I didn't want to look into his perfect face and know that he could never be mine.
A sob rose in my throat as I pressed Lyra even closer to me. Why now? Why now, after seven years? Why- how- had he just turned up like that?
Lyra's cries mixed in with my own, and I remembered my priority with a jolt.
"Jacob!" I called, my voice shaking. "We need to get Lyra to the hospital. I think her cut may need stitches."
"I've called for an ambulance." Edward offered, stepping forward, but I stepped away from his open arms.
"No, thank you." I said smartly. I could feel his confused eyes on my face, but I ignored his gaze. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. "Jake- have you got the car? Can you drive us?"
Jacob glanced back at Edward, torn. He obviously wanted to carry on having a go at Edward- but there wasn't time for that. "Sure." He sighed, and held out his arms to Lyra.
I shook my head, my arms tightening around my baby. She was the only thing, her, solid and real in my arms, that was keeping me from screaming and crying. From running and yelling. From looking at him.
"No," I whispered. "I want to carry her."
Jake nodded silently, and put his arm around my shoulders. Part of my mind wondered idly where Leah was, and Jacob seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he removed his arm. He walked me to the door, and held it open for me to pass through.
"Bella!" Edward called.
I froze for a moment, then carried on walking.
"Bella- please wait!" Edward shouted, and grabbed my arm. For one, heart stopping moment, his skin was cold on mine and I was home again- but then a warm one hit it away with a growl.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Jacob shouted, spinning around.
"Jake, please!" I begged.
"I just want to talk to her." Edward said, his voice low.
Jacob's hand curled into fists. "Like hell you do!"
"Think of Lyra!" I said, grabbing Jacob's arm and pulling him away. I wanted to get out of there, get away from him so that I could finally think properly.
We managed to get to the front door, and out into the front yard before Edward spoke again.
"I'll be following in the car behind." Edward said quietly. I glanced up to see the old silver Volvo sat behind out old blue Ford. Seeing it there was like another stab to the heart. How many times had I rode in that car, next to Edward, feeling safe and warm? How many times had I sat there, with his hand in mine?
"You stay away from me and my family!" Jacob warned in a low voice, then yanked open the passenger door of our old car. It squeaked as it opened.
I climbed inside quickly, and cradled Lyra in my arms. A second later, the driver's door was flung open, and Jacob got in, starting the engine before he even had the door closed.
We sped out the driveway, Jacob driving much more carelessly and quickly than usual in his anger.
"Slow down." I whispered, as the trees flashed past my window. Lyra's crying was the only sound in the car.
Jacob sped up.
"I know you're angry," I began, my voice shaking. "I am too. But you've got to slow down. You're going to get us killed." My voice broke on the last word as I remembered how she had threatened my baby with death.
Jacob exhaled through his mouth, a sarcastic and disbelieving sound. "Angry?" He repeated scornfully. "Don't lie, Bella. You're ecstatic that the blood sucker is back. This is what you've always wanted, isn't it?"
"No." I said, stung.
He laughed cruelly, and swung off the quiet country lane to meet the faster main road.
Lyra's crying suddenly got an octave louder, and Jacob shot her a cold look.
"Can't you make her be quiet?" He snapped.
"I'm trying." I hissed back. I knew he was only being like because he was tense with worry- but I couldn't help raising to the bait. I hated him when he was like this- so cold and immature.
We couldn't reach the hospital fast enough. As soon as we arrived, I flung open my door and stormed into the hospital.
Somewhere behind me, I heard a door slam, and the whisper of light feet on the pavement- and I knew that it was him.
Clutching Lyra closer to me, I took a deep breath- then marched through the revolving doors, pushing away any thoughts of angry werewolves and beautiful, heart breaking vampires.