Twilight: Until the Break of Dawn (Edward/Bella)
Title: Until The Break Of Dawn
Author: Jane/phoenix39
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death, drama, angst, possible spoilers. This fic is my theory of what ‘Breaking Dawn’ means.
Summary: How far will Edward go to save Bella?
Word Count: 1,950
Status: Complete
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. I just own my overactive imagination at 3AM.
Author’s Note: I am very new to the fandom and I am only part way into New Moon, so if this fic contradicts anything that’s happened in the other books, please do not point it out to me.
Crossposted: abstract_angst, lion_lamb
It was one of those rare sunny days in Fork, Washington, my home for the past year. That meant that Edward, the love of my life, wouldn’t be seen today. He’s probably already off with Jasper and Alice hunting in the woods for grizzlies.
I hung my head and turned away from the window, knowing the kind of day ahead of me. Days without Edward are lifeless. He is my life. What I had to look forward to today: going to school, hanging out Jessica and all of them, coming home to Charlie, make dinner, do homework, and then go to bed. I hoped Edward will be here after the sun goes down.
I quickly dressed, went downstairs, and poured some Corn Flakes into a bowl when suddenly the phone rang. I picked it greeted the person with a simple “Hello?”
“Hi Bella!” Jessica said in a tired voice.
“Hey, Jess. What’s up?”
“Umm, I need a favor.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“My car died, so I need a ride to school. Would you mind picking my up?”
“No, not at all. I’ll be there in maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Great! Thank you! You’re the best, Bella!”
“It’s no problem. See you.”
I hung up the phone with a sigh. I wouldn’t have time for a real breakfast now. Jessica lives in the opposite direction that the school is in. I poured the Corn Flakes back into the box and grabbed a granola, stuffing it in my mouth in two bites.
I ran for the door, grabbing my rain coat out of habit and just in case. I arrived at Jessica’s house right on schedule. She ran out of the door and hopped into the passenger seat.
“Thanks again, Bella.”
“What are friends for?” I replied.
I turned my truck around and headed toward the school. I figured if I took the Highway, we’ll get there five minutes early and I’ll be able to grab a danish from the cafeteria.
Jessica was talking about her new boyfriend, Davie, and how she believes this is the one for her. I responded properly after the right sentences. Just then, I noticed a black mustang in my rear-view mirror. Whoever this guy was, he was a little too close. I sped up a little bit to get him off my tail, but he continued to speed up as I did.
“What is this guy doing?” Jessica asked rhetorically.
“No idea. Maybe he’s just crazy,” I responded.
I proceeded to accelerate, pushing 50 which was about as fast as my truck would allow. But the mustang continued to follow. I noticed the red light was not too far ahead and this guy would surely rear end me if I slowed at all. I pushed on my turn signal and attempted to switch lanes.
The next thing I took notice of was the sharp pain in my left side and Jessica’s screaming in my head.
***
I was alert, but not awake. I was numb, but the pain in my gut was overwhelming. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t open my mouth. I tried to move my hands, but I paralyzed.
“She’s in a coma,” I heard a familar voice say from a few feet away.
“What are the chances of her waking up?” I heard a voice that obviously Charlie’s.
“Very slim. I’m sorry, Charlie, but we did everything we could. Even with her on life support, it’s up to Bella if she wants to wake up or not.”
Charlie didn’t respond. He probably had his face buried in his hands.
“Thank you, Doctor Cullen. Has Edward been informed?”
“I just called the house. He’s on his way.”
“And about the other girl in the truck with Bella?”
“We haven’t identified her yet. And we haven’t found the intoxicated driver yet. All we know is that he was driving a black car.”
Charlie let out a sound that seemed like he was holding back tears. He probably didn’t want to cry in front of Carlisle.
“I’ll leave you alone with her. I’ll check up on her in a bit.”
I tried to tell Charlie that everything was okay, but I couldn’t move a muscle, not even my eyelids.
I heard a chair near my bed shift under Charlie’s weight.
“Hi Bells,” he greeted, his voice distorted. “I got this call this morning. A hit and run accident. The suspect was believed to be intoxicated when he hit a red truck and fled. I should have known from that second what I was going to deal with, but I figured there were plenty of red trucks in Forks. I was the first on the scene and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I saw you. I saw you, Bella. You were half-dead in your seat. If you hadn’t been wearing your seatbelt, you definitely wouldn’t be on this floor. You’d be-”
In the morgue? I wondered.
“But that girl you were with. She wasn’t as lucky as you.”
Jessica? Jessica’s dead?
If I could move, if my brain could send signals, I’d be crying and curled in the fetal position right now. It was my entire fault. I should have been smarter. I should have just pulled off and taken the first turn I came up to when I saw that black mustang. I knew that car was bad news. And now Jessica was dead and here I was, knocking on Death’s door. I’ve been on the welcome mat of Death’s porch before, but ‘he’ didn’t let me in before. This time, though, I didn’t see any way of avoiding this, unless-
But why fhadn’t Carlisle done it yet? Why hasn’t he bitten me? Maybe he didn’t want to do anything until he spoke with Edward.
Edward…
“So Bella honey,” Charlie continued. “Please, wake up.”
I’m trying, Dad.
He wrapped his big, strong fingers around my slender, dainty ones and held on for several minutes without saying anything.
“Mr. Swan, sir?” I heard a voice speak. His voice. Edward’s voice.
“Edward, I’m glad you’re here,” Charlie replied. I could hear that he got off the chair and walked toward Edward, who was probably standing in the doorway.
“Edward, listen to me,” Charlie spoke. “I’m not sure how much your father has told you, but Renee is going to be here within the next three hours. And shortly after she arrives, we’re going to pull the plug.”
“My father told me, Mr. Swan, but I can’t say I agree you,” Edward replied. His voice was as broken and distorted as Charlie’s, if not more.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but as Bella’s parents, we’ve made our decision. We’re going to take her off life support, and if it is… you know, time for her…” he paused to sniff back some more tears. “We just want her to be with God instead down here on Earth, suffering.”
Wow.
I couldn’t help but be amazed. That was the first time I’ve heard Charlie speak of religion in years.
“Now is your chance,” Charlie said, “to say your final goodbyes to Bella.”
Charlie left and the door closed behind him. I heard Edward’s feet softly brush against the floor as he slowly made his way toward me. He was so close now, I could feel his breath on my face.
“Bella?” he asked in a dead whisper, barely audible. He placed his hand on my face, his cold skin soothing to the touch and began stroking my hair. “I love you, Bella. You need to wake up. Not just for me, but for Charlie’s sake. And Renee. There are too many people you can’t leave behind. We already lost one person today. We don’t want to lose you, too.”
He sniffed and his breathing was hard. Was he crying? I had never seen Edward cry and I had no idea what to imagine in my mind’s eye. Were his eyes red and puffy like humans? Can vampires even cry at all?
“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I spoke to Carlisle and he said there’s just one option left. He would have done it the moment you were rushed into the ER, but he also knew how I’d feel about that. It took lots of convincing, but it’s the only way. I don’t want you to die, so I’m going to save you, Bella.”
He leaned in even closer. I felt his cheek against mine, his lips against my throat. Finally, I felt a sharp bite.
Ouch!
Then a familiar sensation started boiling my blood. But it was much worse than I remember. It was over a year since James bit me. My mind had blocked out a lot of that pain. Now it all came back to me. The inferno, starting at my neck, made its way through my body like an explosion. It spread through my head and brain. It made its way through my shoulders, chest, lungs, arms, fingertips. My whole body was engulfed in flames and, in my head, I was screaming. Shrieking in agony as the venom from Edward’s teeth infected me and started turning me into an undead being.
Once the fire had reached every inch of my body, it subsided and was replaced with ice. If I were still human, I’d shiver and chatter my teeth, but instead I found it rather soothing. The ice filled my lungs and veins.
It felt rejuvenating.
My eyes burst open and I looked over at Edward. Everything was darker than before. My senses were sharpened. I could hear a heart beating in my head, but it wasn’t my own heart. My own heart wasn’t even beating anymore. It was the heartbeat of Charlie. He was standing right outside the door. I could hear him standing. I could hear his heart beating and I could smell his blood running through his veins. I was thirsty.
I wanted so much to just get out of bed, pounce onto Charlie, and suck his bones dry of every drop of blood. Edward had clearly seen a change in me and it freaked him out.
“Bella,” Edward hissed as he pinned down on the bed. “You have got to calm down. That’s one of the reasons why I never wanted to turn you. You never had any idea how hard this is going to be. The first several humans you meet, you’re going to want to kill. But I’m going to help you. If you want, you can live with my family now. You’re one of us.”
“I don’t think Charlie will agree to that,” I whispered.
“We’ll figure something out. You won’t be able to be left alone for awhile.”
“How long is ‘awhile?’”
“Years. Maybe a hundred or so.”
A hundred years. My mind could not grasp that.
“I’m here with you,” he finished as he raised my hand and kissed it.
Charlie opened the door and came back in. His face was flooded with shock as he ran toward me and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Oh my God, Bella,” he mumbled. “Thank God you’re okay. Thank God.”
My face was right was right up against his neck and I could smell his blood. I wanted a taste. I had to taste it. I opened my mouth and wanted to sink my teeth in.
“Bella!” Edward snapped.
I pulled away from Charlie and lied back down, closing my eyes. This was nothing like I had imagined. Edward was right. I had no idea this would be so hard.
“Bella,” Charlie said, “you have more lives than a cat.”
“I don’t have nine lives, Dad,” I replied. “Just two.”
Author: Jane/phoenix39
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death, drama, angst, possible spoilers. This fic is my theory of what ‘Breaking Dawn’ means.
Summary: How far will Edward go to save Bella?
Word Count: 1,950
Status: Complete
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. I just own my overactive imagination at 3AM.
Author’s Note: I am very new to the fandom and I am only part way into New Moon, so if this fic contradicts anything that’s happened in the other books, please do not point it out to me.
Crossposted: abstract_angst, lion_lamb
It was one of those rare sunny days in Fork, Washington, my home for the past year. That meant that Edward, the love of my life, wouldn’t be seen today. He’s probably already off with Jasper and Alice hunting in the woods for grizzlies.
I hung my head and turned away from the window, knowing the kind of day ahead of me. Days without Edward are lifeless. He is my life. What I had to look forward to today: going to school, hanging out Jessica and all of them, coming home to Charlie, make dinner, do homework, and then go to bed. I hoped Edward will be here after the sun goes down.
I quickly dressed, went downstairs, and poured some Corn Flakes into a bowl when suddenly the phone rang. I picked it greeted the person with a simple “Hello?”
“Hi Bella!” Jessica said in a tired voice.
“Hey, Jess. What’s up?”
“Umm, I need a favor.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“My car died, so I need a ride to school. Would you mind picking my up?”
“No, not at all. I’ll be there in maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Great! Thank you! You’re the best, Bella!”
“It’s no problem. See you.”
I hung up the phone with a sigh. I wouldn’t have time for a real breakfast now. Jessica lives in the opposite direction that the school is in. I poured the Corn Flakes back into the box and grabbed a granola, stuffing it in my mouth in two bites.
I ran for the door, grabbing my rain coat out of habit and just in case. I arrived at Jessica’s house right on schedule. She ran out of the door and hopped into the passenger seat.
“Thanks again, Bella.”
“What are friends for?” I replied.
I turned my truck around and headed toward the school. I figured if I took the Highway, we’ll get there five minutes early and I’ll be able to grab a danish from the cafeteria.
Jessica was talking about her new boyfriend, Davie, and how she believes this is the one for her. I responded properly after the right sentences. Just then, I noticed a black mustang in my rear-view mirror. Whoever this guy was, he was a little too close. I sped up a little bit to get him off my tail, but he continued to speed up as I did.
“What is this guy doing?” Jessica asked rhetorically.
“No idea. Maybe he’s just crazy,” I responded.
I proceeded to accelerate, pushing 50 which was about as fast as my truck would allow. But the mustang continued to follow. I noticed the red light was not too far ahead and this guy would surely rear end me if I slowed at all. I pushed on my turn signal and attempted to switch lanes.
The next thing I took notice of was the sharp pain in my left side and Jessica’s screaming in my head.
***
I was alert, but not awake. I was numb, but the pain in my gut was overwhelming. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t open my mouth. I tried to move my hands, but I paralyzed.
“She’s in a coma,” I heard a familar voice say from a few feet away.
“What are the chances of her waking up?” I heard a voice that obviously Charlie’s.
“Very slim. I’m sorry, Charlie, but we did everything we could. Even with her on life support, it’s up to Bella if she wants to wake up or not.”
Charlie didn’t respond. He probably had his face buried in his hands.
“Thank you, Doctor Cullen. Has Edward been informed?”
“I just called the house. He’s on his way.”
“And about the other girl in the truck with Bella?”
“We haven’t identified her yet. And we haven’t found the intoxicated driver yet. All we know is that he was driving a black car.”
Charlie let out a sound that seemed like he was holding back tears. He probably didn’t want to cry in front of Carlisle.
“I’ll leave you alone with her. I’ll check up on her in a bit.”
I tried to tell Charlie that everything was okay, but I couldn’t move a muscle, not even my eyelids.
I heard a chair near my bed shift under Charlie’s weight.
“Hi Bells,” he greeted, his voice distorted. “I got this call this morning. A hit and run accident. The suspect was believed to be intoxicated when he hit a red truck and fled. I should have known from that second what I was going to deal with, but I figured there were plenty of red trucks in Forks. I was the first on the scene and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I saw you. I saw you, Bella. You were half-dead in your seat. If you hadn’t been wearing your seatbelt, you definitely wouldn’t be on this floor. You’d be-”
In the morgue? I wondered.
“But that girl you were with. She wasn’t as lucky as you.”
Jessica? Jessica’s dead?
If I could move, if my brain could send signals, I’d be crying and curled in the fetal position right now. It was my entire fault. I should have been smarter. I should have just pulled off and taken the first turn I came up to when I saw that black mustang. I knew that car was bad news. And now Jessica was dead and here I was, knocking on Death’s door. I’ve been on the welcome mat of Death’s porch before, but ‘he’ didn’t let me in before. This time, though, I didn’t see any way of avoiding this, unless-
But why fhadn’t Carlisle done it yet? Why hasn’t he bitten me? Maybe he didn’t want to do anything until he spoke with Edward.
Edward…
“So Bella honey,” Charlie continued. “Please, wake up.”
I’m trying, Dad.
He wrapped his big, strong fingers around my slender, dainty ones and held on for several minutes without saying anything.
“Mr. Swan, sir?” I heard a voice speak. His voice. Edward’s voice.
“Edward, I’m glad you’re here,” Charlie replied. I could hear that he got off the chair and walked toward Edward, who was probably standing in the doorway.
“Edward, listen to me,” Charlie spoke. “I’m not sure how much your father has told you, but Renee is going to be here within the next three hours. And shortly after she arrives, we’re going to pull the plug.”
“My father told me, Mr. Swan, but I can’t say I agree you,” Edward replied. His voice was as broken and distorted as Charlie’s, if not more.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but as Bella’s parents, we’ve made our decision. We’re going to take her off life support, and if it is… you know, time for her…” he paused to sniff back some more tears. “We just want her to be with God instead down here on Earth, suffering.”
Wow.
I couldn’t help but be amazed. That was the first time I’ve heard Charlie speak of religion in years.
“Now is your chance,” Charlie said, “to say your final goodbyes to Bella.”
Charlie left and the door closed behind him. I heard Edward’s feet softly brush against the floor as he slowly made his way toward me. He was so close now, I could feel his breath on my face.
“Bella?” he asked in a dead whisper, barely audible. He placed his hand on my face, his cold skin soothing to the touch and began stroking my hair. “I love you, Bella. You need to wake up. Not just for me, but for Charlie’s sake. And Renee. There are too many people you can’t leave behind. We already lost one person today. We don’t want to lose you, too.”
He sniffed and his breathing was hard. Was he crying? I had never seen Edward cry and I had no idea what to imagine in my mind’s eye. Were his eyes red and puffy like humans? Can vampires even cry at all?
“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I spoke to Carlisle and he said there’s just one option left. He would have done it the moment you were rushed into the ER, but he also knew how I’d feel about that. It took lots of convincing, but it’s the only way. I don’t want you to die, so I’m going to save you, Bella.”
He leaned in even closer. I felt his cheek against mine, his lips against my throat. Finally, I felt a sharp bite.
Ouch!
Then a familiar sensation started boiling my blood. But it was much worse than I remember. It was over a year since James bit me. My mind had blocked out a lot of that pain. Now it all came back to me. The inferno, starting at my neck, made its way through my body like an explosion. It spread through my head and brain. It made its way through my shoulders, chest, lungs, arms, fingertips. My whole body was engulfed in flames and, in my head, I was screaming. Shrieking in agony as the venom from Edward’s teeth infected me and started turning me into an undead being.
Once the fire had reached every inch of my body, it subsided and was replaced with ice. If I were still human, I’d shiver and chatter my teeth, but instead I found it rather soothing. The ice filled my lungs and veins.
It felt rejuvenating.
My eyes burst open and I looked over at Edward. Everything was darker than before. My senses were sharpened. I could hear a heart beating in my head, but it wasn’t my own heart. My own heart wasn’t even beating anymore. It was the heartbeat of Charlie. He was standing right outside the door. I could hear him standing. I could hear his heart beating and I could smell his blood running through his veins. I was thirsty.
I wanted so much to just get out of bed, pounce onto Charlie, and suck his bones dry of every drop of blood. Edward had clearly seen a change in me and it freaked him out.
“Bella,” Edward hissed as he pinned down on the bed. “You have got to calm down. That’s one of the reasons why I never wanted to turn you. You never had any idea how hard this is going to be. The first several humans you meet, you’re going to want to kill. But I’m going to help you. If you want, you can live with my family now. You’re one of us.”
“I don’t think Charlie will agree to that,” I whispered.
“We’ll figure something out. You won’t be able to be left alone for awhile.”
“How long is ‘awhile?’”
“Years. Maybe a hundred or so.”
A hundred years. My mind could not grasp that.
“I’m here with you,” he finished as he raised my hand and kissed it.
Charlie opened the door and came back in. His face was flooded with shock as he ran toward me and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Oh my God, Bella,” he mumbled. “Thank God you’re okay. Thank God.”
My face was right was right up against his neck and I could smell his blood. I wanted a taste. I had to taste it. I opened my mouth and wanted to sink my teeth in.
“Bella!” Edward snapped.
I pulled away from Charlie and lied back down, closing my eyes. This was nothing like I had imagined. Edward was right. I had no idea this would be so hard.
“Bella,” Charlie said, “you have more lives than a cat.”
“I don’t have nine lives, Dad,” I replied. “Just two.”