Edward' POV
"What the hell happened to her!?" Bella demanded from my side.
"Shit," I muttered- this was a rare occasion that I would.
'She is really going to die.' I snapped my head toward Jacob.
"No she isn't," I said. "If you even think she is, even for a second, you know who will die, Jacob. We don't have the luxury of doubt!" And he shut his mouth. And his mind.
Bella looked at me, and even though I couldn't read her mind, I could tell what she was thinking.
"I'll tell you later, Love," I said quickly. "Carlisle!" I called.
He was there within a second.
"What's wro-" His words stopped short as he saw why I called him. "What happened-"
"I'll tell you when we have time." I assured him. "But right now, we need to get her to safety."
I picked her up, and the four us ran back to the house. Well, the three of us did. Jacob walked slowly behind us, his head hung low, and he shook his head. I should have expected he would blame himself- it was natural, but to blame himself now- now, when she needed… all of us most. Ridiculous.
Renesmee groaned subconsciously, and it was then that the smell really hit me. Blood.
No. This is my daughter. I can't! But a smaller voice in my head disagreed. I want to, though.
'Edward… please don't. Let me take her.' Carlisle must have noticed what I didn't- he was studying the expression on my face, and through his mind, I saw the sick, twisted way my eyes watched her blood. I handed her over to Carlisle; ashamed that I couldn't even trust myself with my own daughter. But if it was to protect her, how could I decline his offer?
Bella watched me- a million questions in her eyes. I could almost hear it- I wish. Curiosity from 'Will Renesmee make it?' to 'Will you make it?' echoed through my mind.
"Yes." I accidentally replied aloud. Bella looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I wasn't sure myself.
We entered the house, and gained a bit of a train following us to the couch. Carlisle placed her down on the cushion. She took a few deep, shuttering breaths before her breathing slowed again.
A few shocked intakes of air followed by a growl informed me that Rosalie wasn't going to wait for my explanation.
"Rosalie…" I started, but of course, she didn't wait.
"Edward, what the hell did you do!?" she screeched.
"I tried to kill her. What the hell do you think? This is my daughter!" I replied.
We calmed down instantly.
"If you care so much about her, you will stop arguing and help her." Jasper said calmly. I sighed. Jacob finally entered. His eyes were glued to the floor.
"Now, calmly tell us what happened." He instructed. I sighed.
"Jacob's theory is right." I started, "But I don't exactly know how… this occurred. Jacob, care to fill us in?"
He had trouble finding his words… or where to start. I scanned his memory for what happened. I growled aloud.
"I'll kill him!" I promised.
"If you can beat me to it." Jacob said. And he sighed as he decided to start the story. "He said he was a 'Fallen Angel' or something like that. They come back because they die an unfair death. They look the age they are for the remainder of their life, but they aren't immortal. They have the rest of their lives to live and they start taking others. It's the… uh… kiss of death, basically. He knew she would live forever though. So he went after her."
"What else?" Alice asked.
"There isn't much else." He admitted, "Except… look, all I know is that she is going to die. Wait, Edward!" He looked at me clench my teeth and fists and continued, "he didn't get her life, though, because the Imprint interfered. An Imprint is there forever. But so is the… uh… Choice. Being Chosen insures she was meant to die. I guess the two clashed. So he didn't end up getting Nessie's life, but she's going to lose it anyway. He already took it, but he lost it. So now she is going to die for no reason."
"But there has to be a way out of this- a loop hole!" Esme said. She didn't believe it, though.
"Wait." Emmett looked as if he was thinking. If only he did that more often. "You said… uh… kiss of death, right? What if…"
"Emmett, no!" I growled. 'You didn't even let me finish the sentence, Edward. It could save Nessie's life. Just think about it.'
"What if," he continued, "It could be reversed? Possibly… uh, kiss of life, versus kiss of death?" I clenched my jaw, hearing all the approving thoughts.
"From what it sounds like, they go after the opposite sex, right?" I nodded at Carlisle's observation, "Then- this is just a theory- but maybe… it can't be passed on through someone of the same gender. In a way, it's like the flu- it is caught by contact, and passed on the same way…."
They were all thinking the same thing….
"But who would…" Rosalie started, and then growled. I would thank her later for being the only one who agreed with me.
"Jacob." Bella muttered under her breath, barely detectable to anybody. His head snapped up.
"What?" he asked. It was times like this it would be useful if he was the mind reader. He actually didn't know what we were implying. Then he got it.
"Oh…. OH." He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Y-you a…pprove?" He stuttered.
"No." It was a harsh snarl. He was not going to touch my daughter.
'You know it isn't like that.' Jacob thought, 'You know I'd do anything to save her. I don't care if I die so she doesn't.'
"It's too dangerous." I could hear everyone's thoughts; and everyone heard my teeth grind.
'If it was Bella, you'd do it, too. It's either… this… happens, or she-'
"Fine."
Emmett's POV
Did Edward just say 'Fine'? I didn't say fine! And if I didn't say it was okay, it isn't.
I couldn't watch. But I had to. I could use this against him, possibly. He took a few deep breaths, and looked as if he was about to be sick. He got down on his knees and knelt down to her level. Again, he took one last breath, closed his eyes, and…
My face must have distorted to quite a ghastly level, because I noticed Bella staring at me rather than unruly sight of- well, yeah. Some things are better left unsaid.
'Shall I dare take a glance?' I challenged myself. I never ignore a challenge. I looked over, hesitantly, not wanting to say some dog slobbering my niece. Fortunately, I was wrong. Something I would never admit unless it was for the sake of my sanity. Jesus, how could Edward stand this abomination?
Their lips finally broke apart. Not because he wanted to. Because he had to.
He couldn't breathe.
He keeled over, and he couldn't breathe.
"Jacob!" Bella called, and voices echoed. His name was like an alarm.
"What's wrong?" I demanded. But instead of hearing what I assumed to be Edward's answer, I got Jacob's.
"T-this is… exactly… what h-happened… with-" He was interrupted by a fit of coughs; by himself and Nessie. But she regained her breath. |Her eyes opened not a second later, and she stumbled off the couch messily. She tumbled toward Jacob with a mortified look on her face.
"W-what's happening?" She demanded. And I saw the guilt hit her eyes, but no realization. She had no idea what just happened, all she knew was something did occur. I put my arm around her to comfort her, and asked the stupidest question of all.
"Uh, he's not phasing, is he?" I asked to fill the silence that wasn't already taken up by Jacob's frantic coughs.
Carlisle shook his head, a horrified expression on his face.
"Then… what's happening to him?" She bit her lip. I squeezed her hand- not to hard, but hard enough for a reassuring gesture.
Edward looked down with a defeated expression.
"I… I'm n-not-" but he couldn't speak.
"He's trying to say he think he won't die." Edward said- key word being "think". Although he translated it for all of us, he was looking straight at Nessie.
"I won't!" Jacob somehow found the strength to deny it. And if he had the strength to do that, he could make it through this.
Nessie squeezed my hand. A flurry of emotions that I'm sure she sent out by accident surged through me.
He'd better not, she, apparently, thought, I love him.
