Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. As always, I just like playing 'what if'
SLCh23
"Bella! Oh just look at you, what have you done to yourself?"
The relief in the bookstore was palpable as the women behind the counter had looked up to see Bella enter the bookstore. They quickly crossed to her to exchange hugs and reassurances. I stood to one side with a polite smile on my face, surreptitiously scenting the air to see if James had returned. There was perhaps the faintest trace but the trail was obviously old.
"I'm fine, it's just a break," Bella smiled away their concern. "I just wanted apologise for what happened the other day."
"You just up and disappeared! When your friends came looking and we couldn't find-," one of the woman broke off looking distressed. She could've been taken, could've been killed and we didn't even see …
"Thankfully she came home safe and sound," I commented with a careful smile. The woman's concern was strangely reassuring although her distinct lack of assistance at the time had been frustrating.
"Well, kinda," Bella hefted the cast with a wry smile. "I guess this will affect my hours here for a couple of days."
I shot her a sidelong glance at this. We had agreed that Bella would step back from her job at the store. I wanted her to withdraw from anything that would have her in public until the threat of James had been dealt with but of course Bella would fight that in her own inimitable way.
"Sure, we can re-work the roster. Keep us posted on when you'll be free and we'll work something out."
Their eyes kept flickering to where I stood behind and to the right of Bella, a silent watchful presence.
Angela was right, he doesn't say much. Still, maybe conversation isn't everything.
"Thanks," Bella nodded. "Listen, can I just say again how sorry I am that-," Bella began but her apology was waved of. They stood chatting for a few more minutes until interrupted by customers approaching the register with purchases in hand. That was our cue to leave, and I automatically put my arm around Bella's shoulders when we let the store.
"Feel better?"
"Much," she nodded, "but still guilty for what happened. They were really worried about me."
"Why? It wasn't your fault," I replied. It was true. Bella had been going about her working day when Jacob and Sam had appeared on the scene and hustled her out of the store with no time for any explanations or even a backward glance. Bella had furiously demanded an explanation to a largely silent pack that had gone unanswered until they were well into the forest.
By the time Jacob began to offer what little information they had, Bella's temper had distilled into a single-minded determination to get home. I had to hide a smile when I heard this. I had known Bella for a comparatively short period of time compared to Jacob, but even I knew that there was no negotiating with her stubborn temper.
"So did you find anything interesting while the girls and I were talking?"
"Nothing new," I admitted. "James hasn't been back."
"Good," Bella said.
"To the store at least, but he's still in the area."
"Ah," Bella's optimism dimmed. "So now what?"
"Now I take you to class."
"Huh?"
"You've got class this morning, right?"
We set off across the campus green, Bella's arm around my waist and my arm around her shoulders. Although she had refused Carlisle's offer of a sling she walked with her injured wrist up against her chest
"Yeah, but it's not one of your subjects. Are you telling me that you're going to sit in on a class you don't need?" Bella was looking puzzled, although a smile was tugging at her lips as she began to realise the level of my protectiveness. "Are you going all bodyguard on me?"
"You're the one that wanted a normal routine, and look where that got you," I admonished.
"I'm never going to live that down am I?" Bella muttered as she glanced at her cast.
"Probably not," I agreed in a serene tone.
The crowds increased as we drew nearer to Bella's lecture and we were stopped numerous times so that people could say hello and exclaim over her injury. To my surprise I was included in the greetings as well. It seemed that my relationship with Bella gave me a certain level of entry into the social norms of campus, even if many of them didn't know what to make of me.
Once inside the lecture hall Bella sat down and huffed in quiet annoyance as she dug through her bag to retrieve a notebook and pen.
"You don't have to take notes, I can write you some after class," I suggested.
"Do you think I'll have perfect recall once I'm changed?" Bella asked carelessly as she stowed her notebook back in her bag. The ease with which she asked the question took my breath away.
"Highly likely," I replied.
"It must be good, having all that information at a moment's notice," Bella observed.
"At times, yes."
"And sometimes not?"
"Perfect recall doesn't mean perfect moments," I admitted after a long pause. I reached out to gently trace the vein in Bella's wrist. "The look on your face when I deliberately hurt you and left you alone in the forest that afternoon is one that will haunt me forever."
"But you came back," Bella pointed out in a gentle voice. "We're together now."
I looked up from her wrist to regard her as she sat beside me. The lecture hall was dim in preparation for a presentation, but to me Bella glowed with vitality. The overhead light picked out the auburn highlights in her hair and her breath made the dust motes in the air jump and dance around her like a halo. I felt the sudden need for her to understand.
"If I ever leave your side again I won't go willingly." The words sounded like vow, which I suppose they were.
"You think it's any different for me?"
I gazed at Bella's warm brown regard.
"No, I suppose it isn't."
Bella smiled at my admission and made as if to reach up and touch my face, stopping with a slight wince.
"Problem?"
"This thing is making me feel even clumsier than usual, I hate it," Bella admitted.
I frowned at this, wondering if her discomfort with the cast was symptomatic of the larger situation.
"You don't like feeling confined," I ventured at last.
"Talk to Angela about the summer I had a broken leg. I was unbearable," Bella snorted.
A wave of sadness swept over me at her words. Bella casually made comments about her human life, seemingly unaware those moments would become a distant memory. Confinement would become her new existence until she could get her newborn thirst under control. If she was chaffing at a cast on her wrist now, I doubted she would look at me with love in her eyes when we had to sequester her from the world for her own safety.
I was about to respond when a faint beep came from Bella's bag. She twisted in her seat to retrieve her phone.
"Huh," she sighed as she looked at the screen.
"Problem?"
"Angela wants to catch up," Bella replied as she tapped the handset against her chin as she considered the message. "Good to see that she's finally embracing the technological age."
I raised an eyebrow at this.
"She hates abbreviated text-speak with a passion, so she usually calls and leaves a voicemail instead." Bella looked at the screen and gave a sad little smile. "She's freaked out from my vanishing act and wants to catch up soon."
"She's a good friend," I observed, "she has a good heart."
"You noticed, huh?" Bella nudged me with her shoulder as she laboriously typed out a response.
"Beyond the obvious," I conceded with a droll smile of my own. "Her thoughts are always kind, which makes a refreshing change."
"Unlike mine at times." This time Bella's smile was impish. "It's probably a good thing you couldn't read my mind when Jacob had me."
"Didn't have to, your body language was screaming at me," I slouched down in my seat as Bella gave a small sound of amusement. "I should probably be thankful that you couldn't read mine."
"Impure thoughts, huh?"
"Something like that," I grunted. "Homicidal might be another word for it too."
Bella managed to turn her gurgle of laughter into a discrete cough as the lecturer began to speak.
o * o * o * o * o
"Someone wants a word with you," I sighed. Emmett had sent me a text message during the lecture advising that he had picked up a familiar trail.
"Huh? Where?" Bella glanced around and then back up at me in puzzlement. We had only just exited the lecture hall when I had caught the distinctive scent on the wind. By the time we had crossed campus towards the library I had a bead on exactly who it was and where they were most likely waiting.
"The boy. Jacob," I clarified. "He's waiting for us in the parking lot."
Bella's expression shifted from curiosity to surprise and then resignation. "I guess I can hear him out before I catch up with Angela."
When we reached the parking lot it was starting to empty out for the afternoon. Amongst the comings and goings of cars we could see Jacob standing beside my Volvo. Although his face had lit up with a smile of relief when he saw Bella, his expression hardened when he saw I was with her.
"You go talk to him, I'll wait."
Bella hesitated and shot me a look of amusement.
"Homicidal thoughts again?"
"I'll be right here," I repeated, not wishing to acknowledge that her teasing had been a little too close for comfort.
I watched as Bella approached Jacob, hiding my smile when she took a step back from his proffered hug of greeting. My phone began to ring and I dug it out of my pocket to answer it, turning to scan the parking lot as I spoke.
"Alice."
"Edward, where's Bella?" Alice sounded anxious.
"With me of course, why?" I turned to see Bella leaning against my car, her arms folded across her chest as Jacob spoke. As if sense my gaze she looked across at me and offered a brief smile.
"I can't see her, she just vanished."
"Alice I'm looking at her right now."
"Who else is there?"
"The dog," I answered, wondering if Jacob would be able to hear me. The scowl he shot in my direction gave me my answer.
"We've got to keep Bella away from him," Alice stated, the words almost sounding like a hiss. "I can't see her when she's with them."
"Interesting," I ventured. I gave Bella and Jacob another glance and then turned my attention to the dissipating crowds on campus. James could be anywhere.
"Interesting?" Alice's voice went up half an octave and I could hear Jasper making soothing noises in the background. "I've just told you that we've discovered a flaw in my abilities and that's all you can say?"
"It's another factor to consider, but I'm more concerned with finding James."
"Whatever," she huffed. "Just … don't take your eyes off her, and get her away from Jacob."
"That's a given," I replied. Bella looked across at me and then made a show of looking at her watch and making her apologies to a reluctant Jacob. That was my cue. I strolled back to where she stood and managed to repress a smug grin when she slipped an arm around my waist.
"Leech," Jacob muttered.
"Pup," I nodded, watching him wince as my barb struck home. Two could play at that game.
"C'mon guys," Bella sighed. "Enough with the pissing contest."
"You sure you want to stay with him?" Jacob asked as if unable to help himself.
"Yup," Bella declared, looking entirely unrepentant even as Jacob looked dismayed at the speed of her response. "That's something you could've found out back at the store instead of doing your grab and run routine."
"It kept you alive," Jacob muttered.
I had to admit he had a point. Even though James hadn't been in the store when they had taken her, he had clearly been spending time there. Perhaps he had been acquainting himself with Bella's familiar haunts, or planning to lay in wait at a future date. According to Bella's account of the situation when I had gotten her home, Jacob and Sam had picked up on the vampire scent and reacted accordingly. No matter how much I disliked the wolf pack, they had served an admirable purpose that day. Unfortunately for Jacob, they had mishandled their communication of it to Bella and now their relationship was deteriorating as I watched.
I gave an inward sigh at this. There was no way of knowing if the enmity between us could ever be resolved but perhaps a strategic alliance against a common enemy could be negotiated if and when the need arose.
Jacob was tripping over himself with clumsy apologies and resentful questions as Bella refused to give in to his wishes and return to the Reservation. It was time to wrap up the conversation.
"What time did you say you were going to meet Angela?" I ventured, my modulated tone a direct contrast to the snarl that was building up in Jacob's voice.
Bella blinked and picked up on the exit I had provided.
"I'll give her a call and let her know we're on our way," Bella flashed me a brilliant smile before she got out her phone and began to dial. "See you later, Jake."
"Bells-," Jacob began and then stopped as Bella put her phone to her ear. I was surprised to feel a momentary pang of sympathy for the pup. They were both as stubborn as each other. Jacob looked at me with a clenched jaw, obviously trying to collect himself before he spoke in a low voice. "I don't care what Bella thinks you are. I won't stop looking out for her."
"That makes two of us," I replied in an equally grim tone.
Jacob matched me glare for glare until he finally shook his head and marched off to a nearby motorcycle. He got on and revved it furiously before wheeling it around and speeding away. I stood watching him go before Bella's low sound of distress got my immediate attention.
"Oh honey," Bella was saying, "I'm so sorry, what can I … of course," Bella was already reaching for me as I crossed to her side. "Of course I'll be right there. Do you need anything?" This time her smile was sad. "Done. I'll get some on my way." She closed her phone and sighed. "Angela and Ben just broke up."
"What?" I was surprised at this; they had seemed entirely enamoured of each other.
"Ben dumped her this afternoon. Angela said he sounded really weird and wouldn't tell her why. She's at home alone, Edward." Bella looked up at me as if willing me to understand. "I've got to be there for her tonight."
"Of course," I nodded as we began to walk towards my car.
"With ice-cream," Bella added.
"Right," I said, a little less certainly this time. Clearly this was a female twenty-first century social development I was unfamiliar with.
o * o * o * o * o
"He didn't say why?"
"No, he just sounded so …," Angela's voice trailed off into an incoherent sound as she blew her nose again.
"Angela I'm so sorry," Bella's voice was rough with exhaustion and empathy. "I don't understand it either."
Sitting in the next room on Bella's bed I sighed and leaned forward, my elbows on my knees as I studied the thread count on the floor rug. I had mild aspirations of spending an evening at home with Bella, although this recent development had delivered an entirely different result.
It was a few hours and a pint of Baskin Robbins before Bella finally slipped into her bedroom. She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment before offering me a tired smile. I sat up and opened my arms, and she crossed the room and sank onto my lap with a quiet sigh.
"I can't stay long," she whispered.
"Why?" I kissed her hair and gathered her closer with a quiet hum.
"Angela's still upset so I told her I'd sleep in her room tonight."
"Right," I nodded. If I succeeded in keeping the disappointed sigh out of my voice Bella was a spectacular failure. I eased myself over the windowsill to wait outside while she changed, trying to think unexciting thoughts as I listened to the rustle of cotton over her bare skin. The door opened and closed, and by the time I reappeared in the room I could hear Bella next door. Sitting on the bed once more, I resigned myself to an uneventful night.
o * o * o * o * o
I was standing by the window watching the sky change colour when Bella appeared in the early hours of the morning.
"Hey," she greeted, her voice rough with sleep. She got into her own bed with a groan and patted the mattress for me to join her.
I didn't need to be told twice, and kicked off my shoes before laying down beside her. Bella yawned and snuggled against me with a heavy sigh.
"How is she?"
"Maybe a little better," Bella mumbled.
"How about you?"
"Tired. I sleep better with you. Angela kicks in her sleep," Bella groused in an undertone.
I opened my mouth to reply but Bella was already asleep. I watched her chest rise and fall with reassuring rhythm and fell to counting her heartbeats while she snatched what rest she could.
It had been three days since Angela's news and Bella had been keeping her company every night since then. I was unwilling to leave the two women alone in the apartment and so unbeknownst to Angela I had been spending the evenings in Bella's room. We had fallen into a routine of sorts. Bella and Angela would talk in bed until they fell asleep, while Emmett and Jasper patrolled the area around the apartment building. In the morning Bella would creep back into her room and we would snatch a couple of hours together before it was time to start the day.
"She's made of stronger stuff than she thinks," I observed watching Bella select her clothes for the day before she had her shower. Every morning she invited me to join her in the shower, a familiar mischievous glint in her eye, and every morning I somehow managed to decline. Perhaps I was made of stronger stuff too.
"Maybe," Bella yawned again. "It just hurts to see her like this. I wasn't much better."
"I know," I stared at my hands, blinking when Bella suddenly appeared in my field of vision to give me a hurried kiss.
"Enough of that," Bella breathed. Another kiss and then she disappeared into the bathroom. "Won't be long."
When Bella was ready I would appear on their doorstep to escort both women to college. We were careful not to flaunt our relationship in front of Angela while she was so fragile, and of Ben there was no sign. He had apparently sent a few text messages here and there to people but was nowhere to be seen on campus. Perhaps that was a blessing, although Angela still looked for him whenever she could.
"Have you got much coursework today?" Bella was asking as I followed them towards the café.
"Some," Angela shrugged, "but I'm not sure what-," she stopped with a curious look on her face as she studied the cell phone she was carrying.
"Problem?" Bella asked.
"It's Ben," Angela replied, sounding distant.
That got our immediate attention.
"What does he say?" Bella leaned forward to look at the phone.
"He wants to see me. He says we need to talk."
"Well that's good, right?" Bella was watching carefully to gauge her reaction.
"I think so," Angela was still gazing at the phone, two high spots of colour blooming on her face. Her thoughts jumped wildly from one scenario to another; of Ben dashing her hopes; of Ben telling her he had been mistaken; kissing her. Any negative thoughts were banished almost instantly and I hoped for her sake that she was going to be proven right. She seemed too kind a person to be rejected in love at such a relatively young age.
"When?"
"After his lab class," Angela looked at the phone again as if worried the message would disappear.
"So late?" Bella looked puzzled at this and then brightened. "Maybe that's so you guys can go out for dinner or something."
"Maybe, I don't know," Angela gave a trembling sigh and then tucked the phone away. "Will you come with me?" she asked Bella.
"Sure," Bella didn't hesitate. "Just tell me where and when and I'll be there."
The afternoon passed in a haze of mild tedium for me, and an agony of suspense for Bella. At lunch time Bella had at least succeeded in persuading Angela to go home and get changed into an outfit that made her feel more confident than she was feeling. Once she had passed inspection Bella had let her return to campus and then had taken me up on my suggestion of some peace and quiet elsewhere.
"What if he really breaks her heart this time?" Bella was fretting as she paced my room. She didn't have any afternoon classes and so she had time to kill before Angela called. I found myself admiring her nervous energy, watching the pulse in her throat jump, the way she fidgeted before she spoke. She was so alive, so vital.
"We'll just have to wait and see."
"You can do that, I'll check my options," Bella said. "Alice!" She had barely finished calling before Alice appeared in the doorway.
"She'll be okay," Alice offered in a peremptory tone and a quick smile. "I think."
"You think?" Bella stared at her. "That's the kind of caveat I'm not used to hearing from you. What gives?"
"She's kinda … blurry," Alice admitted, "but the little I can see she seems okay."
"I guess that's good enough," Bella allowed in a doubtful tone. She glanced out the window. It was late afternoon and the sky was ablaze with colour making the forest look as it if was on fire. "Maybe I should get on back to campus soon."
"I'll get the car," I offered instantly.
"Do you think you need to?" Bella asked absently as she stared out the window.
"Do you really need to ask that?" I raised an eyebrow at her naivety.
"Point taken," she muttered, "but maybe you should hang back a bit."
I stared at her as she shrugged on a striped hoodie and then pulled her hair back into a careless ponytail. She gave herself a quick inspection and then raised an eyebrow at me in silent query. I grinned back at her; it didn't matter what she wore, I always thought she looked perfect.
"Oh Bella," Alice appeared in the doorway, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."
"You'll have plenty of time to work that out," Bella laughed as Alice took in what she was wearing. Standing there barefoot in her jeans she looked younger than she was. It was something I realised would come in handy the next time we had to pass ourselves off as freshmen.
"At least you and I both know what you're wearing underneath," Alice said with a cryptic smile that turned decidedly wicked when a tide of colour swept up Bella's neck and into her cheeks.
"Alice," Bella hissed, flapping at her to be quiet.
"Am I missing something?"
"Oh most definitely," Alice went on in an airy tone as she stepped into the room, "but it's something you'll love finding out later. Right, Bella?"
"Whatever," Bella mumbled as she snatched a fresh pair of socks out of the drawer where she had taken to keeping various items of clothing for when she stayed over.
"What-," I began and then stopped as my mind flashed to the bags of shopping Alice had produced when Bella began to settle into our family. Bags and bags of lacy wisps of under-wired confectionary all designed to seduce and beguile. All unnecessary as far as I was concerned, but it seemed that the girls had been having fun. "Never mind."
"Good call," Alice patted my cheek indulgently. "The fun will be in finding out later." She turned to Bella. "In the meantime, there's this."
"What've you done now?" Bella's blush was still staining her face but she accepted the proffered bag with a wary smile. She peeked inside and then gave Alice a delighted grin. "I don't believe it."
"Neither do I," Alice sighed as Bella gleefully produced a pair of turquoise blue converse sneakers. "Let's just put this moment behind us and never speak of it again."
"Like hell," Bella was already pulling them on, "these are fantastic. Hey, did you know that you can get glitter-,"
"Oh give me a break," Alice sighed, shaking her head when Bella laughed. "You really like them that much?"
Bella stood up and stamped her feet a couple of times.
"I really do. They're just a cheerful kind of shoe."
"You know, stiletto heels can be pretty damn happy too," Alice said in a hopeful tone.
"Maybe. Too bad I can't walk in them though," Bella retorted.
"It's something to work towards," Alice promised, looking thoughtful.
"And on that note, I'm outta here," Bella vowed. "Coming?" She held out her hand for me and I took it as she tugged me determinedly towards the door.
o * o * o * o * o
"Where the hell has everyone come from?" Bella frowned through the windscreen at the influx of cars in the parking lot.
"There's a concert on the main green tonight," I answered as we circled to make another lap in a vain bid to find a vacant space.
"That must be it," Bella agreed. "Perhaps Ben's going to take Angela to it after they've had a talk."
"Maybe," I allowed.
Emmett had offered to come along for the ride but I had instead asked him to run another perimeter check around the house and surrounding forest. Rosalie was keeping him company and Jasper was going to be circling the campus area while Alice kept watch. The family was occupied and on full alert, and yet I still like I was missing something.
Bella checked her watch and made a quiet sound of frustration.
"We're late, and Angela's going to be stressed enough as it is." She gave me a hesitant glance. "Listen, can you hear anything weird?"
"No more so than usual," I allowed, "what's your idea?"
"How about I get out here and run straight over to the lab building while you find somewhere to park?"
"How about you don't?" I wasn't impressed with this suggestion at all, and my flat tone made it abundantly clear.
"I'll keep my phone in my hand at all times," Bella countered.
"Or I could keep you in the car."
"Or how about-," Bella opened the car door making me tap on the brakes enough to get an indignant blast on the horn from the car behind us. The pause was all she needed, and she was out of the car and closing the door before I could snatch at her. Impressive given my inhuman speed, but with Bella's mind perpetually closed to me she of course had the element of surprise. She leaned in through the open window with an apologetic smile. "See you soon?" With that, she scampered off as fast as she could.
I gaped at her in astonishment before the car behind me tooted again, and I peeled out of the parking lot with an angry snarl. If Bella thought she was going to have a hard time living down her last act foolishness, if anything happened to her now it would be decades before I would willingly let her leave my sight. I was blocked in by slow moving traffic, making it feel like an age before I could get anywhere. I practically abandoned the car in the first space I saw and was on my way when my phone rang.
"Not now, Alice," I growled.
"Yes, now," Alice said. "She's gone again."
"I know, she just got out the car and-,"
"No I mean gone. The dog must be nearby because she just up and vanished."
The phone handset gave an ominous creak and I forced myself to relax my grip. He had said he wasn't going to stop watching her, although when he had kept his distance in the past Alice's visions hadn't been affected. Clearly it was a proximity issue that meant that he was close to her; too close for my liking. Chaffing at the human pace I had to maintain I broke into a light jog to try and get to the library as quickly as possible.
The concert was in the middle of campus and my progress was hampered by congested groups of students who milled in groups or wandered without any clear direction. I could have swept them aside with a gesture but made myself work through the crowd with muttered apologies when I was perhaps rougher than necessary. I looked ahead and saw the squat chemistry building; something was definitely wrong. The entire building was blacked out. The class – if there had even been one – had ended long ago. By the time I reached the building my sense of foreboding was getting stronger. My phone buzzed again.
Be there soon. A.
I shoved the handset in my pocket not noticing with the seams gave with a slight whine of tearing thread. I had to get inside. As I got to the front entrance I saw a sign advising that the laboratory was closed due to the concert that evening. I frowned at this, recognising the sign for the lie that it was. I flicked the lock on the door with the gentlest of pressures, watching the metal spring back before I eased the doors open wide enough to admit me.
Pacing into the small foyer of the building I stopped and listened, every sense of high alert. I could smell Bella immediately but something was wrong. My tongue flickered out to taste the air. Her scent had permeated my sense memory long ago but now I could detect a different undertone; something over-ripe and floral. It was someone else, and the moment I realised that I had my answer; Victoria. The scent of James threaded throughout it all, rich with decay and fear. Standing completely still I closed my eyes and searched with my mind, listening for thoughts and any other signs of life. Angela's thoughts bloomed in my mind almost instantly.
Oh god her eyes Ben what has she done to Ben Where did they take Bella I don't understand I .. Ben's moving and he's alive and Bella what are they doing to Bella I don't-
Of course; Alice hadn't seen James or Victoria anywhere because they had been hiding behind Ben for the last few days. Angela and Ben were alive, but it sounded as if the nomads had other plans for Bella. The two innocents had been used as little more than bait.
Sweet and ripe, good choice.
I snarled at the gloating tone of James' thoughts and could watched her through his eyes. He was touching her, running a grubby fingertip down Bella's cheek as she tried to flinch away.
"Now, now," he was saying, "play nice."
"Here's a tip, why don't you go fu-," Bella began but her words were but off with a hoarse scream of agony.
"Talk to me like that again and it'll be your other hand," James said in a low snarl. "Look at the camera."
My head snapped to the right at the sound of her choked sob. They were at the end of the building. The distance was a pittance but I had to move with extreme care. Should I reveal myself too soon there was the possibility that James would hurt Bella. She was already so very, very fragile; so breakable. I had to protect her as best I could.
"Beautiful, very visually dynamic. I've chosen my stage well," James commented.
"What've you done with Jacob? I know he was here," Bella managed at last.
"Victoria's busy laying a scent trail for your boy to follow," James replied.
I edged closer to the doorway and peered around it, watching James as he paced around Bella who was huddled on the floor with a small camera in one hand. He crouched down and took roughly cupped Bella's chin.
"What is it that makes you so special to Edward?" he mused as he turned her head this way and that as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Bella glared at him through her tears of pain but didn't say a word.
"Perhaps we can work together to find out." James released Bella only to grasp her broken hand and squeeze. He watched her reaction as she screamed anew, raising the camera to zoom in on her agony. "Tell Edward to avenge you," he coaxed.
"He has nothing to do with this, you sick-," Bella choked.
"Tell him," James hissed as he squeezed her hand harder.
He leaned in a fraction closer to her, turning slightly so that his back was to the door. It was the opportunity I needed. The beast in me had been long caged, and he came out roaring. I body slammed James hard enough that we were both propelled across the room in a cacophony of tearing floorboards and tangling limbs.
James had barely time to flinch at my attack and now his snarl was cut short as my hands closed around his throat. His eyes glittered as he struggled and managed to push me away with a desperate heave. I skidded away but rebounded again, only to be pushed aside as I leapt. Now I was the one being restrained, my head slamming against the wall. A distant part of my mind registered the cracking of plaster and wondered how this was going to be explained away.
"Nice try boy," James snarled, "but you're alone, and I'm stronger."
"That's what you think," I grunted. I managed to get an arm free long enough to bring my elbow down sharply across his arms to break his hold. We moved in a blur, shifting and grappling, both on the same mission to destroy each other in whatever way we could. At one point I was close enough to sink my teeth into his neck and with a wrench of my head tore away a chunk of flesh. The sound of his scream gave me a rush of satisfaction as venom flooded into my mouth in preparation for anther attack.
Before I could lean forward for another bite James gave a sudden desperate buck o his hips that was enough to shift my centre of gravity. A moment's hesitation on my part, the barest fraction of a second, was enough for him to brace his hands on my chest and push me away. I flew across the room clawing at the air for purchase before impacting into a corner of the room hard enough to hear an ominous creak from the structure. Blinking as plaster dust showered into my eyes I tracked James to see him lunge towards Bella who was making a slow crawl towards the door. She was moving like a wounded animal and I felt a spasm of fear as I realised that he had managed to injure her even before I had arrived.
Bella shrieked as James grabbed her by the ankle and unceremoniously dragged her towards him. Her face was white with pain and I saw that her leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. I got to a crouch and launched myself across the room with a snarl, my bloodlust amplified with rage.
No matter how fast I was, James had the tactical advantage and he took advantage of it. Time slowed to an agonising crawl as I watched James grasp one of Bella's wrists, raising it to his mouth and smiling at me before he dipped his head and sank his teeth into her flesh. I heard a feral scream in the room and it took me a moment to realise that the sound had come from me.
I cannoned into James with so much force that Bella was swept aside. All of my rage and fear had distilled in this moment and I began to attack James with such ferocity that I saw fear bloom in his eyes at last. How long had it been since he had feared for his life? It didn't matter. Now he could see with perfect clarity that today he would die, and it would be at my hands.
Edward, we're here.
Emmett's mental voice sounded like a trumpet and I was dimly aware of hands batting at mine, shoving me away as Emmett and Jasper appeared at my side. Somehow they both shouldered me aside so that they could restrain James who was struggling wildly as he snarled his fury at us.
"Edward!"
This time the shout was vocal and I turned to see Carlisle crouching at Bella's side.
"I need you here, Bella's badly hurt," Carlisle added.
"We'll take it from here," Jasper added from behind me. My eyes widened as I saw Alice enter the ruined lab and pace deliberately towards where my brothers stood with their captive.
Go to her, Edward. Alice's mental voice was calm. I know what to do.
I had only taken a few paces towards Carlisle when Alice broke into a skipping run to leap at James. I shot a brief glance behind me in time to see Alice land with her weight on James's thighs before she grasped him by the head and pulled. James' incoherent scream was abruptly cut short and the mental din of his thoughts was silenced at last.
"Bella," I rasped as I dropped to my knees at her side.
"She's losing a lot of blood," Carlisle commented with professional detachment, "and she's been bitten. You've both got some choices to make."
"No … need," Bella managed. Her face was shiny with sweat as she smiled at me with the brittle brightness of a fever victim. Her temperature was building as her body waged war against an infection it had no chance against. Soon the venom would begin to attack her nervous system and the pain would begin.
"Bella please, we can stop this." I was begging, I could hear it in my voice. Even though this was a change we had both discussed, seeing her in pain was unbearable.
"Enough," Bella gasped and arched her back, her sneakers slipping on the blood that coated the floor beneath her.
I could hear the ripping and tearing of flesh behind me as Jasper and Emmett began to dispose of James' body. Alice was ripping up pieces of floorboards and shattering desks to create a makeshift bonfire. They were moving with jerky precision as they tried to focus on the task at hand rather than the rich copper smell of Bella's blood that permeated the room and coated the back of their throats.
"All of you get out of here as quickly as you can," Carlisle barked. Edward we're going to have to get her out of here. We don't have much time.
"I'm not scared," Bella stared up at me with glazed eyes as sweat beaded on her forehead. Neither of us could be certain just whom she was trying to reassure. "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared," she curled in on herself as another wave of pain hit her and tried to crawl out of my arms.
"No, Bella," I tried to hold her to my side but she shook her head feverishly.
"Let go, I'm going to-," she doubled over before turning her head and vomiting onto the ground beside her.
"Carlisle," my plea sounded like a roar, "we've got to do something."
"There's nothing I can do," Carlisle replied as he checked her pulse. "You know what it's like." He reached up to smooth away the hair that had matted to her face with tears and sweat, shooting me an exasperated look as I growled.
"Oh," Bella shuddered again and turned back into my embrace, trying to burrow into my chest as if trying to crawl away from the pain.
"What are my options? There must be something-," I choked on the words as Bella clutched at my shirt, her hands nearly ripping the fabric in her desperation.
"You can suck out the venom," Carlisle was working on the gash in Bella's thigh, "but if you're going to do that you'll have to be quick. She's bleeding out, Edward." Carlisle jerked off his belt and wrapped it around Bella's thigh as a hasty tourniquet. I couldn't bear seeing Bella in pain; it had to be stopped. I bent my head to her arm and felt Bella's hand on my face. I looked up at her in time to see her swing her hand back and slap me again.
"Ow," she shook her hand, momentarily distracted from her other pain while her hand smarted, tears running down her face as she convulsed in my arms again.
"You hit me," I said wonderingly.
"To stop-," she grimaced, "you from being stupid."
"But the pain," I began and watched as she grunted and shook her head at me again.
"No ... different for you," she gasped. "Don't waste it, Edward."
Waste what? I looked at her in confusion but realisation dawned as she raised her other wrist to me in unmistakeable invitation. The skin was smooth and unmarked.
"Do it," Bella's voice was a whimper. "I want you to. Please, don't let me be changed by him." She sucked in a shuddering breath as another wave of pain rippled through her. "Make me yours. Please."
I hesitated as I cupped her wrist, raising it slowly to my lips as I watched her all the while.
"Are you sure," I croaked.
Bella could only nod, swallowing back a groan and blinking as sweat trickled into her eyes. Her lips moved and I leaned forward trying to make out what she was saying. No sound emerged but I saw her form the words 'I love you'. It was enough, and her skin offered no resistance.
Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. The glorious taste of her blood rushed to every cell in my body sending me spinning into sensory overload. I hadn't even realised I was clutching Bella's wrist to my lips until Carlisle's hand clamped on my shoulder. I paused long enough to snarl at him, not nearly done with my feast.
Enough. Carlisle was the voice of reason but I ignored him. The taste was glorious, making me feel alive in a way that nothing else had in the last century.
EDWARD, YOU'RE KILLING HER!
Carlisle's mental shout broke through and I paused long enough to give a careful nod. The grip on my shoulder eased slightly but Carlisle didn't remove his hand. I bent forward again and licked the bite mark to seal it closed with her venom. Next I picked up her other wrist and carefully sucked at it to remove the taint of James' venom before replacing it with my own.
Mine. I couldn't have stopped the possessive rumble in my throat even if I had tried. Gently clasping Bella's hands in my own, I kissed her palms and tried to offer her a reassuring smile. Bella's lips quivered as she stared back at me and tried to smile in return. She gave a low groan and I watched horrified as her eyes rolled back in her head and she went completely limp.
Carlisle checked her over and gave me a small nod. "She's passed out, it's a blessing. We've got to get her out of here."
A/N: Yeah I know … cruel to end it here, right? Swimom7's making all manner of dire threats. Oh and hey, wanna know why there was such a big lag in between the last few updates? Because the same SWIMOM7 gave me an idea for a oneshot that isn't finished yet either. She's a cruel woman. Blame her!
Actually, while you're chasing her with pitchforks, I'll start on the next update …