A/N: This week's chapter is told to us from the POV of Emmett. I know outtakes are usually separate from the story itself and are posted as an individual story but I just can't bear to pull them apart and in a selfish way, I would like any reviews received for this chapter to be included in Spellbound's overall count. Is that bad of me?

AcrossTheSkyInStars is my beta and I adore her. She has become a truly treasured friend of mine and not a day goes by that I don't speak to her. In fact, more often than I do with friends who live 2 metres away and she lives more like 2000 miles! Tanya, move to Cambridge! Please! Thank you sweetie, for being you xx

Spellbound Outtake

Heaven & Hell

Emmett's POV

I watched Rosalie and Ava play in the tub. The steam from the water had curled their hair, both golden blonde and beautiful; one the image of an angel, her cherubic cheeks pink from the heat and her small rosebud mouth open with a grin of pure delight. The other, a vision of ecstasy; her hair sprung up into ringlets, framing her face which shone with the sheen of water. Her eyes were on her daughter, mine were on my girls. To watch them play in the water with total abandonment made my heart swell with love. They were everything I had ever wished for, the only thing I'd ever need. More than the air I breathed.

I packed my bag as I watched. Committing to memory the image of them whilst I pushed the few items I would need into the worn out sack that would tie around my shoulders and waist. In it would be my provisions, clean clothes, and some personnel treasures from home.

I picked up the pocket portrait I'd had commissioned for Christmas just past. Three had been made, identical in their sentiment but differed for each individual. Rosalie's had an image of Ava and me whereas Ava's had her mummy and daddy in, side by side. Mine had my girls; one the picture of pure innocence, the other of pure beauty, and it never left my side. I took it with me on every trip away from home. I slept with it clutched in my hand and I carried it in my breast pocket during the long daytime hours I had to spend apart from them.

I sat on the edge of the bed and opened it. The pictures were more faded than the ones belonging to Rosalie or Ava and I considered it was because I had thumbed their features day and night, feeding my need to be near them with only their images to sate me.

"Emmett, Baby, come and give your girls a kiss," Rosalie giggled from behind me. I turned my head and spotted them both wrapped in white robes standing beside the tub. Rosalie was drying Ava whilst humming a song. The glow of the fire illuminated their faces with a golden light and I watched them momentarily before closing the pocket portrait and walking across the room to their side.

I felt the love I had for my daughter and my wife build inside me like a fountain, and cupping their faces, one in each hand, I kissed them in turn on the cheek.

"My babies," I addressed them and was rewarded with a smile from each.

I wrapped them both in my arms and closing my eyes; I held them so close, so tight and inhaled their scents.

"Emmett, let me get the baby to bed, ok?" Rosalie pushed at my chest and looked at me strangely as I released my hold.

She dressed Ava and put her in the crib, bending to kiss her forehead and sweep her hair back.

"Sleep tight, baby girl."

"Seep tie, Mama," Ava replied, sucking her thumb and closing her eyes. "Seep tie Daddy," she mumbled round her digit.

"Sleep tight Ava," I called back to her and waited for Rosalie to join me in front of the fire. The cottage was small and housed only two rooms. The bedroom and kitchen diner; it was cosy and all we needed.

The fire heated both rooms adequately. The warmth spread throughout the cottage and kept the mild air outside at bay.

Rosalie came over and sat on my knee, and wrapping her arms around my neck, she buried her face in the crook of my shoulder. I closed my eyes and allowed her free reign of the sensitive skin there. Her lips felt so good and I felt my body react to her, as usual.

I wanted her, I always wanted her. I was never satisfied. Not because my desire was too much for her, but because she created a need in me that burned so deep, it would never be extinguished. I couldn't get enough of her.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said as her teeth nibbled across my collarbone. "Is it because you're going away again tomorrow?"

I nodded. I had been deployed six times in the past four months. James was relentless in his quest, and although he never fully disclosed his ambitions to us, he still drilled us and drove us regardless. All we knew for certain was that he was searching for someone and wouldn't rest till he had found that being and brought him or her back here.

For a while, we had believed the search was for Victoria, his sister, who had vanished one night six months previous. James had been obsessive about her, and it was a very unhealthy addiction, one that had seen him furious beyond belief when she'd announced her engagement. His temper was unrivalled and frightened me, hell, it frightened us all. James was not a match for me in size, his frame was slight and he stood four inches shorter but his mind was so twisted, and his demeanour so sly, I felt trepidation every time he was near. I disliked the way he eyed Rosalie too and had regretted challenging him on it once.

I had been punished for my retaliation by being chained to the dungeon wall. Ice cold water was thrown on my naked body, after which I had been beaten with rushes, their length made them almost whip like as they struck my numb skin two hundred times. I had been thankful for the icy water until my skin had thawed and the gashes had awoken me to their sting. I was raw and bleeding, and I had remained strung up like a turkey for three days, infection eventually wracking my body and heating the wounds with a gaping intensity that I had cried like a baby till the chains were loosened and my sores dressed.

I had never challenged James again.

I had told Rosalie the truth behind my scars as she fingered them tenderly, lying on our bed. Her fury remained controlled but I could see the wrath burning behind her eyes and every time James was near, I feared for her life should she not keep that anger to herself.

"How long will you be away?" She whispered.

"I don't rightly know, baby," I answered. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn't want to weep in front of her. I was so scared, I'd had dreams for many nights leading up to this, and for some reason unknown, they had left me with this awful feeling that I would never see my home again.

"Will you miss me?" She playfully tugged at my earlobe and I nodded, unable to speak.

"Show me," she purred, pulling away and standing in front of me. She loosened her robe and lifted it from her shoulders, exposing her perfect and naked body beneath. I watched as her skin glowed in the light of the fire. Her hair had dried in a lustrous halo of yellow curls. She was truly beautiful and simply took my breath away.

I reached out and tugged gently on the robe and she complied, letting it fall into a pool of white at her feet. I followed the curve of her hip up and over her rib cage, the pronounced definition reminding me that my wife ate far too little for my liking and my job should provide more for my family.

I stroked the small curve of her breast and watched as her nipple puckered into a tight pink bud and I licked my lips, ready to taste her. She let her head fall back and sighed.

"Touch me," she begged and I was too far gone to resist. I leant forward and captured her nipple between my teeth, nipping then licking it to soothe the ache I'd started there. She shuddered under my mouth and I felt ignorant for neglecting her other breast, so I cupped it in my palm and stroked her with my thumb.

"Oh please," she moaned. "Touch me. I need you to touch me."

Without breaking away from her, I moved my hands and gripped her bottom, tugging her forward and then pushing my hand between her thighs, instructing her in silence, to open for me.

I moved my finger against her and she felt so wet, it slid along her slick folds till I reached her core. I didn't push inside straight away; I wanted to tease her a little, to bring her to brink of pleasure until she begged me to consume her. I moved back along her outer lips and found the little mound, swollen and sensitive and screaming for attention.

Rosalie shuddered again as I toyed with her clit, and grasping my shoulders she looked down at me, her eyes hooded with desire.

"Touch me," she whispered. "Touch me again."

My eyes held her own as I stood, and picking up her slender frame by her hips, I turned and placed her on the seat I had vacated. I lifted her legs and spreading them wide apart, hooking them over each arm of the chair. She moved down a little so her bottom was near the edge and the sight she presented to me was delicious.

I knelt and moved towards her, tasting her essence slowly and tenderly, kissing her down there as I would her mouth. Rosalie wrapped her fingers in my hair, tugging it slightly and moving her hips up, seeking more friction from my mouth. I used my teeth again, nipping her and sucking her into my mouth and I groaned as she tugged harder, at the same time flooding my mouth with her own personal taste.

She was sweet and I drank her down greedily.

"Emmett," she moaned and I grew harder at the sound of her whispers. I ached for release but always let her find her own first.

Moving faster against me she moaned over and over again, as I gripped her inner thighs and pushed them wider apart. Shuddering against me, I felt her convulse, once, twice, three times. I glanced up to see her head thrown back and her mouth open in a silent scream.

Her pleasure was splendid and I struggled to contain my own as I watched her, felt her, and tasted her orgasm.

Stretching she looked down at me, and smiling, she bucked against my tongue, her nerves so sensitive she couldn't stand the touch. She needed me inside her and I needed to be inside her, so I unbuttoned my pants, my erection springing free; so hard and so tight, it bordered on painful.

Gripping her hips, I thrust forward and entered her in one long, perfect stroke. The heat and damp contours of her vagina possessed me and I had to stop and breathe to maintain control.

"Emmett," she called to me and I opened my eyes and took in the sight of my sweat glistened wife. She looked remarkable and I started to move inside her. I shifted my hand so my thumb pressed on her clit, and moaning she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me in tighter with her heels against my bottom. I needed her so much; I had to fill myself with as much of her as possible. I feared the dawn, I feared the new deployment. My heart ached for the need to stay here, in her arms, in her body, and never leave her side again.

I watched her and felt tears prickle my eyes. I didn't want to go. I never wanted to be without her again.

I thrust harder, pushing Rosalie back into the cushions. She glanced at me, my roughness unusual in our lovemaking, but thankfully she didn't question me. It was almost as though she understood my fears and allowed me to abuse her, imprinting her every noise, every facial expression and every moment to memory. I never wanted to forget.

"Don't stop," she told me, her eyes finding mine. I let my tears fall and she narrowed hers in silent question. Leaning forward, I kissed her. She swallowed and accepted my tears as they fell from my face onto hers.

"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to change position so she could grasp my face. I didn't allow it, instead I took her hands and raised them above her head, holding her still and pounding into her harder. I needed to do this. I needed it my way, lest she ever forget the primitive lust we stirred in each other. I needed her to hold on to this as desperately as I would.

"Don't ever forget," I begged her as I thrust into her over and over again, my orgasm building. "Don't ever forget what I do to you, no-one will ever make you feel like this."

She nodded in agreement.

"I am yours," I told her, releasing one hand to caress her breast. "And you are mine. No-one will ever make you feel like this."

I trailed my hand down to her clit again and as I thumbed it back to life, both our mouths hung open slightly as the pleasure surpassed our breathing.

"No-one," she murmured.

It overwhelmed me, and when she clutched at the arms of the chair and mouthed my name, her body twitching beneath me, her inner walls gripping me, I came.

As if in apology, immediately after I gathered her up in my arms and lay with her in front of the fire. I stroked her lines from her shoulder to her thighs.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"I'm scared," I finally admitted to her.

"Scared of what?" She turned her head to look up at me and I kissed her. When she pulled away she asked me again.

"I'm scared of what tomorrow may bring. I have this terrible feeling. It doesn't feel right."

"Then don't go."

She made it sound so simple.

"We have no choice, I cannot defy him. It will cost us our lives."

"Then we'll leave."

I watched her and considered her words. It seemed possible for us to pack up only our essentials and take Ava and run. We could find a farm somewhere and live our lives free and together. I sat up and looked over towards the window; the sun was beginning to rise.

"We have to pack."

"We're leaving?" Rosalie sat up, her eyes wide with surprise and excitement.

I nodded. "We need to hurry."

She looked at the dawn tinting the horizon a pale orange and stood quickly. "You get our things, Em; I'll sort out the baby."

We dressed and hurried; it took only ten minutes and we were ready to go. As I stood at the door, watching my wife and child descend the stairs, a sense of happiness and fulfilment exhilarated me with the possibility of freedom so close.

A dull knock rapped behind me, and in that single moment, everything changed.

Rosalie stopped and hugged Ava close, her eyes darting to the door and back to me. They had come for me, ready to leave, and our opportunity had passed.

"Don't open it," she begged me, but they knocked again and I knew I had no choice. I beseeched her forgiveness as I turned and unlocked the door.

James brushed past me and into the room. He observed Rosalie and Ava standing near the bottom of the stairs but as his eyes travelled back to me, they landed on the few bags and belongings we had gathered, and lay resting at my feet.

He looked up at me and raised one eyebrow. "Are you ready to go, Lieutenant?"

I nodded; my mouth too dry to speak. I prayed that he would not demand to know why Rosalie and Ava's bags were also waiting by the door.

He turned to my wife and walked over to her, his hand reached out and her caressed Ava's hair. I clenched my fists, unhappy to see him touch my child, but unable to warn him away.

Smiling, he turned and walked back to face me. "Don't worry; they will be taken care of in your absence."

His words seemed sincere but his eyes remained dead. It no longer sounded like a promise but threat.

As I turned to close the door, I glanced up at my wife and child. Rosalie stood holding Ava at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted. A single tear rolled down her cheek and I ached to rush across the room and wipe it away, to take them both in my arms and close the door to the world outside. I wanted to run with them and live our lives happy and unabashed. I never wanted to leave them again.

"Take care," she whispered.

"Lieutenant," James called from behind me.

Ignoring him, I did what I had thought about doing moments earlier and strode across the room. I gathered them close and kissed their foreheads.

"My girls," I sighed.

"Emmett, you're being foolish. Just go." Rosalie tried to brush off my bizarre behaviour with nonchalance. She made me smile.

"I know, I know," I said, brushing her hair away from her face. "I just feel –" I stopped myself, unsure of how to admit that this time my departure felt different. That I felt anxious and scared and almost certain that this would be the last time I laid eyes on my family.

How could I admit that this strange sense of foreboding had haunted me for days now and it took all my strength not to hide away from the responsibilities that awaited me outside the safe confines of these four walls? Our cosy home was no palace yet it was my haven; it contained my wife and child for which I considered myself the luckiest man alive.

"You feel what?" She reached up and traced her finger down the length of my nose. It tickled but the gesture was born of sentiment and never failed to remind us of our youth and the beginning of our courtship.

"Scared," I finally confessed and swallowed, carefully watching for her response. Rosalie was good at hiding her true feelings. She was like a closed book and even after all these years together I still struggled to find her hidden meanings. It was never in malice that she contained her emotions. Rosalie was complex and had been hurt by her father. She couldn't help but protect herself and her heart. I had to admit it hurt me that she still felt a wall was necessary between us at times, but when I was patient with her, she eventually emerged from her shell and I was satisfied with the knowledge that I was the only man she could ever be real with; even if it did take time.

"What are you scared of?" She looked past me to the front door, her eyes finding James as he waited outside. He hadn't called me again but I knew he was not a patient man, and his frustration with me would find a convenient time or place to make itself known.

"I've had this feeling –" I paused again. I was a big man with a respectable position in the Captain's guard yet I struggled to tell Rosalie I was afraid of dying. She waited for me to continue. "I've had this feeling that I'm never going to see either of you again."

Rosalie reached into my pocket and pulled out the miniature portrait. She flicked the catch and held it open for me to see.

Ava pulled her thumb from her mouth and pointed. "Va!" She announced happily.

I smiled at her and stroked her curls, "Yes Ava and look, Mama too." I pointed to the other side and she grinned, popping her thumb back in and nestling her head under Rosalie's chin.

"See," Rosalie said. "We will always be with you; in here," she placed her hand over my chest, "and when you can't see us in here," she touched my forehead, "then look in here," she held up the portraits. "We'll always be close to you."

Her words were sweet but I could hear fear in her voice too. This did not quell my worries.

"Now you should go." She stepped back and indicated with her head that my men and superior were waiting. "Come home safe to us, ok?"

"Rosie, I will always come home to you."

"Promise?"

"I promise, I was being foolish, like you said. It's just that I hate to leave you both. I'm sorry." I kissed her goodbye and walked to the door.

"Promise!" She said again.

"I promise, Rosie, I promise." I closed the door and picking up my bag, I walked to my horse and mounted. Pressing my heels into its side, I trotted over to James' and stopped.

"Ready?" James asked. He smiled but his eyes remained hooded and I knew he was angry at being kept waiting.

"Yes Sir. Thank you for waiting."

"I understand a man needs to say good-bye, Lieutenant. I'm not heartless."

I didn't respond; I didn't agree. He was cold and calculated and always had an ulterior motive for any of his actions.

James rode on and herded the troop through the city square and out the gates. Children ran along the road side and waved us off on our newest adventure. The stallholders paused and some threw fresh fruit and loaves of bread at the guards on foot for them to pack and enjoy during our excursion.

The sun shone brightly overhead and the birds could be heard chirping to each other in the trees surrounding us. I glanced around at our men and noticed the general mood was light hearted and positive. We didn't know what was required of us; James was very secretive and only gave his orders when it was absolutely necessary, which meant that most times when we left the safety of our homes, we were blind as to what his orders entailed. Yet we followed without question and remained loyal without dispute.

We were too scared to question him.

I rode behind Hale and watched as he took paper from his backpack and started to sketch using charcoal. I clicked at my horse and drew alongside him.

"How you can ride and balance that shit is beyond me." I nodded at his sketch. It was the outline of a face, and although the only features visible were the eyes I could see it was female by the contours of hair and the shape of the chin.

"Practise," Hale responded, "too many months of riding alongside our Captain here."

We had been on numerous expeditions in the past few months, it had become routine. No true reasons given to us. It felt like a hunt although we never came home with our prey.

"Who is she?"

Hale carried on sketching, paying specific attention to the detail of her small nose, slightly upturned and delicate.

"A beau?" I asked him again.

"I'd rather not say." Hale looked up and at James' back. He was riding a few yards ahead but other eyes and ears surrounded us. Hale was reluctant to admit his desire for anyone; James had a tendency to learn the secrets of your heart and never hesitated in using it against you.

"No problem," I replied. The conversation ceased but we continued to ride side by side.

An hour into our jaunt and James issued a halt, instructing camp be built immediately then called me over. I was confused as to the shortness of our journey so far. We had many hours of daylight left, twilight was still a while away.

"Lieutenant, I feel concerned about something and need to address this issue with you."

"Yes Sir."

James walked a little way into the woods, away from the fast, erecting camp behind us. I followed. That feeling of unease growing.

"Is Rosalie leaving, Lieutenant?"

"Sir?"

"There were bags by your door, besides your own. Is she leaving?"

"No Sir."

"Then explain the bags."

He turned to face me and waited for my reply.

"She feels lonely when I'm away Sir. She is merely staying with friends until my return." I felt pleased with my quick answer.

"Neither of you have family here?"

James knew the answer to this was no, so I felt his question was leading somewhere. I played along, curious as to his conversational destination. "No Sir."

"But you have family somewhere, Lieutenant?"

"Actually, no Sir, my parents died a long time ago and my Grandparents years before them. I am an only child. My family is Rosalie and Ava."

"You have family somewhere, Lieutenant."

I frowned at James. I had just clearly explained this wasn't the case. His repetition confused me. "No Sir, as I said –"

James held up his hand. "You misunderstand me. I don't dispute your answer, my good man. I merely state that you do, indeed have family."

"Not that I'm aware of, but yes, I suppose out there, somewhere, I do."

"What if I told you I knew of that family, Emmett, and where to find them?"

"I would not believe that was possible."

"How so?"

"My family, my close family, died a long time ago, Sir. If I am not aware of any others, how can you be?"

"I have my advisors."

"And these advisors tell you about your guards and their kin? Surely their job is to give advice on political aspects?"

"I take an interest in all who serve me and our King, Emmett. I am his Captain and his safety is paramount. I need to know that whomever works for me, is loyal and trustworthy and of course, flexible."

"Flexible?"

James smiled at me. "Let's just say I enjoy leverage."

"You mean blackmail."

James waved his hand in the air, as if to brush off my remark. "I mean what I say, Lieutenant, do not correct me again."

I swallowed my argument and held my tongue.

"Everyone has a price. When I find resistance amongst my guard, my advisors alert me to a weakness or possible levity. Sometimes I need to remind people who their superior is."

"May I ask who these advisors are?"

"That's not relevant, but what is relevant is the information I have been given regarding you and your family."

"You're not referring to my wife or child, are you?"

James shook his head. He walked around me but I remained stoic, not even turning my head to follow his steps. I waited till he had circled me completely and stood facing me again, but instead of stopping he continued another circuit. His game was to unnerve me. I knew the ploy, I had used it myself with criminals and the accused. It was an adequate trick for unearthing confessions but I was not on trial here and had nothing to confess, but his technique worked and intensified my concerns.

"Emmett, do you believe in the Supernatural?" I didn't expect this question. I didn't know how to answer him. James continued talking, undeterred by my silence. "Witches, werewolves, ghosts and goblins. Vampires?"

I swallowed. If I said no, would he berate me? If I said yes would he commit me?

"I have come to learn that there are forces beyond that which we can understand," he said. "Entities which scare us or surprise us and even harm us, but these entities can also aid us, if we can persuade them," he told me.

"So you believe in the Supernatural?" I felt brave enough to ask.

James finally stopped just behind my shoulder. He leant forward and whispered in my ear. "I believe in what I can see, hear, and touch." He stepped round my side to face me. "And I have looked upon, spoken to, and felt the presence of such creatures."

"You've met – Witches, werewolves...?"

"Yes, and more besides them."

"More?"

James nodded. "Emmett, I have encountered all of these beings and have found them not dissimilar to humans. They too have their price."

"You're considering bribing such beings into joining forces with us?" I decided playing along with him was the safest option, but I had also concluded our Captain was insane.

"Yes. I have ambitions and goals, and I have learnt that there are such creatures around that can help me. I will stop at nothing to get what I want."

I nodded. I knew this was true; I had been witness to his goals.

"What does this have to do with my family, Sir?"

"That's a very good question, Lieutenant. You may have wondered at our excursions of recent and I admit I have kept most of you in the dark."

"Most of us?"

James nodded behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to see ten men standing close by. They watched us, waiting for a sign. I felt my stomach tighten and knew this confrontation would not end well for me.

"I have trusted some but others are here only at my command. Let's just say it's a need to know basis. Now you ask what the Supernatural has to do with you. I mentioned I knew of your family, Lieutenant, and I do. I mention the existence of creatures beyond our beliefs and you question their relevance. This is all connected to you because you have family, family who is close by and that kin is a Supernatural being."

I squinted at him. He was crazy.

"My missing family member is a Witch? Werewolf? Ghost?" I scoffed at the last word, this was beyond insane.

"No. Your family member is a vampire, Emmett, and I have found him. I need to convince him to help me and that is where you come in."

James motioned with a flick of his head, and before I could respond the guards surrounded me, two at my side, holding down my arms whilst another disarmed me. A fourth guard pushed at the back of my neck forcing me to lean forward, almost in a bow before James. I struggled against them, panic rising, forcing bile into my mouth.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, trying desperately to push away the men who held me. Their weight shifted and I felt helpless as my struggles ceased, unable to shake them off. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode.

I was going to die.

I was going to die.

"What do you want from me?" I cried.

James chuckled and stopped directly in front of me. His feet were visible from my crooked view point. I wanted to spit on him.

"Stand up straight." The guard holding my neck changed his grip, and tugging, he raised my head up. The guards holding my arms moved with him so I stood, back ramrod straight with my head held high.

I looked down the length of my nose at him. He unsheathed a small blade from his waist and held it up for me to see. I closed my eyes and prayed to God or anyone else who could possibly hear me, to show me mercy. I imagined the blade he held, slicing through my skin, and started to sweat.

Make it quick I prayed. Oh God, please make it quick.

"Open your eyes, Lieutenant."

I opened them but instead of looking at him, I stared up through the canopy of trees. The remaining sunlight filtered through the branches and splayed across the ground. Dust and insects were caught in the glow of the rays, as if God had given them spotlights to help us witness their miniature existence.

A flash of shadow moved high in my peripheral but couldn't turn my head to follow it and it slowly moved out of my line of vision.

"I hope you understand this is not personal," James said, "but I need bait. I will keep my promise to you and ensure your wife and child properly taken care of. Rosalie will be a welcome addition to my entourage."

The idea of my Rose lying in his bed and being treated so abhorrently made my anger bubble over, and crying out, I struggled against the confines of my fellow men. I pressed forward and surprised them, their grip loosening momentarily but they quickly wrestled me to the ground.

More men joined the fray, and lifting me, they held me tight as James advanced.

Without hesitation he thrust his hand forward and buried the blade in my midriff.

Holy fuck! It didn't hurt.

I stared at the knife, shocked that no pain emitted from its intrusive entry. I laughed at the lack of feeling but the heave of air up through my chest caused blood to fill my lungs and I sputtered, trying desperately to clear them. I felt like I was drowning.

The men released me and I staggered forward just once before falling to my knees. I looked down at the knife protruding from my chest. My hands hovered over the handle, afraid to pull it out but not wanting it inside me any longer.

I lifted my head and searched the crowd around me. Their faces were a multitude of emotion. Some looked terrified and couldn't look away from me. Others were blasé and acted as though I was a disease they needed to clean from their hands.

"Please, help me." I held out one hand to a young guard staring at me.

He was barely nineteen years old and his anguish at witnessing a cold blooded murder was clearly etched on his face. He looked nauseas and I empathised with him.

"Help me," I begged him again, but he looked nervously over at James then back at me. He shook his head and stepped backwards, away from the scene.

Behind him I glimpsed the shadow again. It was a man, and even though he was hidden by the shade of the approaching dusk, it was obvious he was not one of the guards.

"Lieutenant," James chuckled. "As I said before, this is nothing personal, I just needed bait. You see, I've been trying to locate a certain creature with the ability to tell me the thoughts of others and to also advance my army to strengths and capabilities beyond anyone's imagination." James knelt so his face was level with mine. I tried to swallow but the blood was thick and vile in my throat. With every breath I exhaled it became more impossible to inhale. He lowered his voice and spoke. "He will change my men and me and we will rule this kingdom, Emmett. We will rule undefeated because who can kill a Vampire?"

A muscle spasm around the blade stole my breath and my chest heaved harder and harder as I desperately tried to draw in air. I wondered again if I should attempt to remove the knife.

"And since you're related to this –" James waved his hand around, trying to find the right description. "Vampire, you were the ideal lure."

"You're crazy," I spat. Blood dribbled from my lips and sprayed the front of James' coat. He glanced down at the mess, and standing, he pulled a handkerchief from his inside pocket and attempted to wipe the stain from his clothes. He eventually gave up and glared at me before pulling back his hand and smacking my cheek; hard.

The impact was powerful and as I was already breathless and weak, I tumbled to the floor, my blood red spittle flying across the grass.

I lay still, struggling to draw air into my body. Panic was rife, terror was close behind. Help was not coming.

I would die surrounded by my fellow men. Guys I had led and commanded. Slept and ate next to and laughed and looked after. Should we go to war for our King, these men would be my comrades, but were now my foes, as I lay in the grass, dying.

I clutched at the long blades. They felt cool under my touch and I pressed my cheek into their comfort, the heat from James' slap tightening my skin.

"Yes." James sounded too pleased with himself and I tried to block out his voice and recall a much sweeter tone that had brightened my day on many a dark occasion. "You are dying, Lieutenant, and it would appear that there is no-one around who cares. I must've have been mistaken to believe he would come."

I tried to understand what he was talking about, but my chest felt too tight and I knew there wasn't much time left for me.

James snapped his fingers and the sound of numerous men walking through the grass and away from me echoed in the air, until the only sound that broke the settling dusk was my laboured breaths as I lay waiting for the struggle to end.

Quiet descended and it was eerie. Even the birds had hushed, and as the breeze blew gently against my skin, bending the grass to its delicate will, I felt a presence appear beside me.

I lifted my head and saw a young man. He was dressed in civilian clothes and crouching in the grass next to me. He seemed to be listening, but I couldn't fathom to whom or what as the forest had been so silent for a while now.

"Emmett," he whispered and his voice was soft, no hint of stress or tension.

"Help me," I begged him. "I have a wife and ch –"

I coughed up more blood and he averted his head, covering his own mouth as I tried to regain composure.

"I have a child," I tried to continue. "They are my world." My words were of such sentiment because I wanted to appeal to his humanity. I had been left to die, cold and alone in the woods by men I had considered comrades, and reduced to begging for help from a stranger.

"There's nothing I can do," he told me.

"Please," I tried again. I wasn't certain what I begged for; maybe I just didn't want to die alone. The pain in my chest tightened as I spoke to him. "James plans to use a – Vampire to lead his army. He claims I am related."

"Don't you believe in their existence?"

I ignored his question and started to cry. "Help me." I didn't have the energy or inclination to continue this conversation. I felt weakened and sad at the undignified ending to my otherwise happy life. I held out my hand to the stranger. "Don't leave me alone."

He hesitated before reaching out and taking my hand. His touch was cool and as I felt shivers wrack my body I concluded the night had drawn in, stealing the suns warming rays.

"I can help," he finally said. His voice was so quiet I almost missed it. "But it is not a life you can live with the love of your wife and child, Emmett. It will be the end of your marriage to them."

"Do you believe in heaven?" I asked him, as he edged nearer his arm no longer reaching for mine, but now relaxed as he sat on the grass next to me.

"I believe that's a nice image and has been known to offer peace," he told me.

"Do you know peace?" It was such an effort to talk, I wasn't even sure I spoke the words out loud anymore.

"I haven't known peace in a very long time," he answered. "Tell me about your life." His request seemed reasonable but there was so much to say. I thought about Rosalie and how she'd looked when I first laid eyes on her, she had stolen my heart in a matter of minutes. I had never looked at another woman again. I recalled the day we married and how she had glowed, repeating her vows and how she held my hand so tightly when I recounted mine, and the day she'd given me Ava and how beautiful she look when she nursed our baby.

I vividly remembered the day I'd said goodbye and how I had promised her I would come home, that she would see me again and my heart ached in that second as I realised for the first time in all our years together, I had broken my vow to her.

It hurt to imagine her alone, and our daughter growing up and meeting her one true love. How I would never get to meet him and scare the hell out of him just to make sure he was worthy of her affections.

"They're truly beautiful," the stranger said softly and I wondered if I had actually found the strength to talk of all the memories in my head.

Yes they are

Who are you?

"My name is Edward and I am your family, Emmett."

I didn't have the strength to argue, I just wanted to find my peace.

I closed my eyes and felt my hold on his hand loosen. I shivered and then sighed as I pictured Rose in my head. She was dressed in a light blue gown and ran through the meadow towards the stream where I sat fishing. Ava was chasing her, calling out "Mama," as Rose dodged her chubby little arms, dancing around her and laughing breathlessly as her eye caught mine.

She looked angelic and warm and I smiled at her for this was where I was happy. If heaven were a place on earth, I had found mine.

But then my thoughts turned dark as I remembered James' words, telling me Rosalie would be his whore, and what of Ava? When she was grown and no doubt as alluring as her mother, would he soil her too? I had no doubts he would and I thought of revenge and how sweet it would be to strangle the life out of his scrawny and putrid body.

Edward moved closer to me. I felt his hand tilt my head and his breath brush across my face as he edged nearer. I didn't question him. I didn't care.

"I want to help you," he whispered, and then pressing his teeth against my throat, he bit me.

The heat from his mouth ignited and then coursed through my veins as he tore himself off me. He scrambled away, clutching at the trees as I screamed with the intensity of the pain.

This was a thousand times worse than the knife wound. I had barely registered that James had stabbed me, but with this, the reaction was immediate.

I felt my body writhe and convulse, the flames coating me entirely now. The bite mark on my neck seemed more intense than the rest of me and I grabbed at it, trying to claw out whatever had seeped in there to hurt me.

I screamed and cried out, but my words were incoherent.

I wasn't aware of anyone around me, not even Edward now. I just knew I had been close to dying but not anymore. My body was more alive at this moment than I had ever felt before and I found myself wishing for the sweet release of death. I couldn't stand this torture any longer.

The distant sound of James re-emerging into the clearing where he'd left me, filtered through my conscious, but I couldn't concentrate on his words. I could only acknowledge the excruciating agony overpowering me.

Time passed by, but how much, I did not know.

I heard voices and crying and even dreamt that Ava was talking to me. Her sweet voice called out "Daddy," and I think I even responded.

I heard movement at my side but when I attempted to open my eyes, all I saw was a blur of green as the branches overheard merged into one block of colour, the tears in my eyes making it impossible to focus.

A strange sound started next to me and it was sometime later before I recognised the noise as shovels hitting the earth.

With this realisation came the knowledge that they were digging my grave.

I wanted to scream at them that I wasn't dead yet, I was very much alive, although I had no idea what was wrong with me. Whatever Edward had done to me, I was not dead.

Since arriving here all my nightmares had become reality. Death eluded me and I wanted nothing else but to feel no more.

I wanted it to end.

I did not want to suffer; to die in pain was everyone's worst fear. I imagined being thrown into the shallow pit they dug for me and it only intensified my terror.

Would this ever be over for me? What had I done to deserve this devastating demise?

I was a good man. I loved my family and respected those who commanded it. What had I done?

I felt hands start to lift me and I screamed again as I my body was sensitive to their touch. It hurt so much I had no shame in crying.

I felt them drop me and the earth was cold on my back. The light behind my eyelids darkened and I tried to open them to verify where they had placed me.

I was in a grave.

I was in my grave.

The sides were high enough that I couldn't clamber free, not in my current state, but they weren't so high that had I been fit enough, they couldn't contain me.

I held out my hand and thought I saw Ava watching me from a distance, her eyes so wide and tears staining her cheeks, but I blinked and she was gone, and then so was the daylight as shovel upon shovel of dirt was thrown over me.

I lay still, burning in my body as the cold earth covered me and the weight of the soil pressed me down, down into the ground until all I could smell was damp earth and all I could taste was grit.

I let it consume me as the light above extinguished and my cries were only heard inside my head.

To be continued...

Spellbound won "Best secondary character AU" for James in the Faithful Shipper Awards and I bow down to all of you who voted. I never win anything, ok that's not true, I won a Shakin' Stevens dance off when I was 9 and for anyone who doesn't have a clue who Shakin' Stevens is then 'you tube' him and think cheesy British version of Elvis! Enough said!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart x