Moonlight in Forks

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

At Edward's Mercy

It didn't sink in at first. Bella stared at Edward blankly as his words one by one clicked into place inside her head like a ghastly puzzle. She was barely conscious of her heart accelerating, as her breathing intensified, along with her anger. She was aware of the sharp pain in her palms as her nails bit into her skin because her fists were clenched so tightly.

Edward didn't say anything further, just watched her face warily as the rage slowly built up inside her.

And then another nurse walked purposefully into the room before she had a chance to say anything. Edward sat as still as a stone as she took in Bella's expression with a practiced eye before turning to the monitors.

"Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?" The nurse asked kindly, tapping the IV feed.

"No!" Bella said more sharply than she intended. "I'm sorry. I mean I'm fine. I don't need anything." She couldn't afford to close her eyes now, not when she had to deal with Edward.

"No need to be brave, Bella. It's better if you don't get too stressed out, you need to rest." The nurse waited, but Bella just shook her head.

"Okay." She sighed. "Hit the call button when you're ready."

The nurse gave Edward a stern look, and threw one more glance at the machinery, before finally leaving.

"You should have taken the pain medication, my love." Edward's cool hands were on Bella's face immediately they were alone again.

Bella stared at him with wild eyes. There was a scream from deep within that made its way from her mouth, as if her terrified soul had unleashed a demon. All she felt was anger, her frustration with Edward spilling over, so that she could barely force the words she needed to say past her lips.

"Sssh, Bella, calm down." Edward whispered frantically. "You'll have the nurse back in here."

Bella unfurled her fists and clawed at his hands on her face. "Get out, Edward." She gasped. "I don't want you here."

"I know you don't mean that." Edward begged in a broken voice. "Now relax before I do call that nurse back in here to sedate you."

Bella's heart rate intensified. She tried to swallow down the fire seed of her anger, but it grew in her belly until it came out as hot as any dragon had ever flamed. Bella knew she would never forget Edward's eyes, how that fire burnt him to ash. He had never heard her speak with such fiery passion, the way her words sizzled, the inferno more than his deadened heart could manage.

"The only one who has ever been a danger to me is you! I rue the day I ever met you. You've caused me nothing but misery. The biggest favor you ever did me was leaving, even though you did it in the cruelest way possible. It nearly broke me, but it also allowed me to flourish, to meet the one person who completes me."

"Bella, please, I – "

"Shut up, Edward. Just shut up!" Bella interjected angrily. "I am sick and tired of you. Not just of you, but you're whole family. There is no reason for any of you to be hanging around anymore. Your continued presence here is causing harm to those I love. And I won't stand for it any longer!"

"No, I don't want to be without you, Bella. Be rational. You need me. The dog can't look after you the way I can. He can't keep you safe. I'm not the reason why you are in hospital. That is down to one of his own."

"Yes, you are the reason." Bella frowned. "It starts with you and ends with you. It always has. I don't love you anymore. I don't think I ever really did. You took advantage of a shy, insecure human girl. You controlled who I was allowed to associate with, isolated me from my friends and family, threatened to kill yourself if anything happened to me and frequently scared me in a variety of ways, like driving too fast and abandoning me in the woods after breaking up with me."

"Bella." Edward winced at the vicious onslaught, a haunted light shining in his eyes. "It wasn't like that. I love you. I was trying to keep you safe. You attract danger – "

"The only time I attract danger is when you are around. And, yes, it was exactly like that." Bella was in her stride now. "You display all the stereotypical hallmarks of an abuser. I just refused to see it. But I see through you now, Edward. I see you for exactly what you are!"

Bella knew she needed to calm down…. but she could see he was already trying to convince himself that she was just hysterical, that she didn't mean what she said. The panic fluttered in her lungs, trying to get out. There was only one more thing left for her to say. "Leave! And never come back."

"What?"

"You heard me! I said leave and never come back. I never want to set eyes on you ever again!"

Edward heard the change in her tone. His eyes tightened, his voice bleak. "Bella, you don't…"

"Mean it? I do, Edward. I really, really do."

Edward cringed as if she had physically slapped him. His expression was tormented. "I don't seem to be able to stay away from you…I can't…even when you say such cruel things to hurt me. I suppose I deserve them." His eyes turned flat black.

Bella kept her expression hard, unyielding. She was not going to feel sorry for him. He didn't deserve any of her sympathy. "Go now." She said again, quieter this time.

Minutes passed in silence as Edward stared at Bella with pitiful eyes. Her own gaze remained stony, unshakable. There was no denying her resolve. She had made up her mind, there was no changing it, but still Edward remained in his seat, refusing to leave her side.

Bella took a deep breath to calm herself, ignoring the spasm of pain it triggered. She wasn't going to give Edward another justification to add to his bizarre list to ignore her wishes and force his company on her.

"If you don't leave, I'll call the nurse."

"You should call her." Edward agreed, taking Bella by surprise.

She stared at him. He stared right back. It was quiet, except for the whirring of the machines, the beeping, the dripping, the ticking of the big clock on the wall marking the time. Finally, his expression softened, as did his stance.

"I believe we have reached an impasse, my love."

"We have reached no such thing. Get out!"

Edward chuckled humorlessly. "In good conscience, I cannot. You need looking after, Bella."

"I'm fine! My mom will be back soon!"

"Ah, I doubt that. Renee has met an old acquaintance. The last time I saw her, she was in the canteen chatting away. She might be some time." Edward revealed.

Bella felt trapped. The fear became all consuming. Even if she called the nurse, she knew that Edward would just charm the woman into getting his own way. She was at a loss. No words of hers would make him leave. Only Jacob's reappearance would do that. She didn't understand what was taking him so long. Her fingers dug into the coverlet, stress pounding at her temples.

"Are you in pain, my love?" Edward asked, noting the tension in her body.

"I'm fine." Bella lied.

"I don't believe you." Edward said gently. "I'll go and get the nurse. She can administer those pain meds."

"I'm not going back to sleep!" Bella was beginning to panic. Who knew what he would do when she was sedated?

"You need rest. All this arguing isn't good for you." Edward crooned.

"Get out!"

"I can't do that." Edward reached for the call button.

"NO!"

Edward ignored her.

"Yes?" The speaker on the wall squawked.

"I think we're ready for more pain medication now." Edward stated calmly, ignoring Bella's furious expression.

"I'll send in the nurse." The voice sounded very bored.

"I won't take it." Bella vowed.

Edward flashed her an indulgent smile, he looked toward the sack of fluids hanging beside her bed. "I don't think they're going to ask you to swallow anything."

Bella's heart rate continued to climb as she finally understood how vulnerable she was. She was at his mercy. Edward was completely relaxed now he felt he was in control again.

"Bella, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now."

"I'm not afraid of the needles. I'm afraid of you."

Edward smiled his crooked smile, and took her face between his hands again. "Silly girl. How could you be afraid of me? Don't I always take care of you, Bella?" He stared deep into her eyes, with her face trapped in his hold, she couldn't look away. Her head began to swim, she felt dizzy, and confused.

Edward was laughing when the nurse came in, brandishing a syringe. Edward immediately began to charm the woman, just as Bella guessed he would.

"Aren't you the lucky one, having such a charming young man looking after you." The nurse said to Bella. "Here you go, sweetie." She smiled as she injected the medicine into the tube. "You'll feel better now."

Bella opened her mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't come out. It didn't take long for the drugs to take effect, soon she could feel the drowsiness trickling through her bloodstream.

The last thing she heard was the sound of another person entering the room after the nurse left. She heard muffled voices, rising and falling in volume, as if they were arguing, but she couldn't make out the words.

Then she knew no more.

Jacob's knees trembled under the weight of Sam's Alpha command. He struggled to hold himself upright, while the voice of the Alpha lashed at his will.

"We will reconvene here in twenty-four hours." Sam said aloud to the others. "I will go and talk to Seth myself and he can deliver the message to Leah to be ready."

The pack rumbled its nervous agreement. There were only a few standouts, one being Embry. The tension had everyone's fur on end. The pacing was quicker. Jacob continued to resist, a challenging snarl ripping from the back of his throat.

Sam stopped in front of him. He stared into Jacob's eyes and a deep growl slid between his teeth.

"Is this worth splitting the pack up, Jake?" Sam demanded, the double timbre in his voice blistering with the heat of his authority. "Because that is what you are doing. We need to pull together, not rip each other apart."

Jacob's shoulders hunched, his will bending as Sam pressed further and further. No member of the pack could refuse the Alpha.

"You, Jacob, you will do as I say. I have made my decision."

Another snarl ripped from Jacob's throat. He faced off against Sam, his whole-body shuddering as Sam's edict continued to crush him. Sam was showing signs of exhaustion himself as he battled to maintain his control over Jacob.

Jacob could feel the drive, the need, to get to his feet and lead the pack. The compulsion grew, and as it did so, so did Sam's hold over him begin to wane.

Embry whined quietly in his ear. He didn't want to think the words, afraid to interfere between the push and pull of the two dominant wolves, but his actions spoke for him. If the pack split, he was with Jacob.

There was fear in the pack, not so much for self, but for the whole. They could only function as one unit. Separately they were vulnerable. There could not be two Alpha's in one pack. If the pack split apart, then they would have to choose, and none of them wanted to make a choice like that. It would pit brother against brother, during a time when they had to be united to remain strong.

And it was this thought stirring within the pack mind that made Jacob pull back. His mind began to work with theirs again, to think in unison, as they dealt with these fears. Automatically, he pushed back and shook out his coat, letting Sam have his way…. this time.

Embry and Quil huffed in relief. Quil touched his nose to Jacob's side once in thankfulness. "You made the right choice, bro."

Jacob didn't respond. He was done with all the drama. A burning desire to get back to Bella's side rippled through him. He turned away, ignoring the coal black eyes of the Alpha wolf, as he took off at a fast run, soon leaving the watchful eyes of his brothers far behind.

A/N-thanks for reading!