FIC: Heavy Limbs (Bella/Edward) Twilight
Title: Heavy Limbs
Author: Niki Jane
Characters/Pairing: Bella/Edward
Rating: PG
Category: Angst!
Spoilers: All the up through the fourth book.
Summary: There was something desperately wrong. Something incredibly wrong. Her limbs were heavy, her movements sluggish.
She woke up, yawning. Stretching her heavy limbs to the four corners of the bed. Flexed her toes and let it work all the way up to her calves. Bella's eyes snapped open, her fingers twisting in the bed sheets.
There was something desperately wrong. Something incredibly wrong. Her limbs were heavy, her movements sluggish. She dragged herself to the edge of the bed, every movement was slower than it should have been. What should have taken her a fraction of a second dragged on painfully.
Her heart pounded and it felt wrong. So incredibly, horribly wrong. Her heart should have been dead and silent in her chest. The way it had been for months, now.
With a growing horror, she stared at the familiar walls of her bedroom at Charlie's with dull, human eyes. Bella blinked, dragged her fists across her eyes. She should have been able to see every pock mark, the grain in the paint. She should have been able to see every speck of dust floating in the sunlight slanting through her window.
It felt like wearing sunglasses in a dark room.
Bella stumbled to her feet, dragged on her jeans and a t-shirt that had been laying across her desk chair. She was too desperate to worry about what she looked like. She didn't bother to drag a brush with her hair, to wash her face. She stumbled into her shoes and time dragged on. Everything felt like it was moving at a snail's pace.
The Chevy sat on the curb, like it had every morning up until recently. It should have been comforting, familiar. But seeing it twisted Bella's stomach into knots. It shouldn't have been there. What should have been there was the uncomfortably flashy car that had been a wedding present from Edward.
Carefully, Bella slid across the ice and dragged the door open. The truck rumbled to life and she pressed the accelerator down as far as it would go.
Thick tears ran down her cheeks, and she fisted them away angrily. If she were keeping a running catalog of things that were missing, she would add: her wedding ring, Edward and her daughter to that list. The burning thirst that was always in the back of her throat.
The drive to the Cullen house was painfully slow. She was pushing the decrepit truck as hard as she could, the rumbling engine working overtime. It should have taken seconds, but everything was dragging like she were underwater.
Bella's breath caught in her throat. The mail box was gone, the one that stood at the end of the driveway, always empty. The Cullen's received no mail, but they were meticulous. Re-creating every mundane human detail. The fully stocked fridge when none of them needed to eat. The toilet paper in the bathroom. They were always so careful.
Subconsciously, Bella turned the truck's steering wheel. The drive to the Cullen's sprawling house was second nature. Gasping, she stomped on the brake and the truck slipped across the icy roads before rocking to a stop.
The driveway was gone. There was nothing there but trees and thick brambles. She threw the truck in reverse and climbed out into the freezing cold, she'd forgotten her jacket. When she'd left the house, the only thing she'd felt was blind panic. Horrible, crippling fear. It was threatening to overtake her.
Edward! Inside, she was screaming. Alice! Desperately, she dove through the brambles. She could barely feel their needle sharp points ripping her skin. Tearing the thin t-shirt she wore. She ran until her legs ached, until she had a stitch in her side and her dark hair was plastered to her forehead.
And when she couldn't run any more, she sank down to her knees on the hard, damp ground and sobbed. Her fingers dug into the ground, tangled in the grass that she ripped out by the roots.
Edward was gone, they were all gone and there wasn't even anything left to prove that once, they'd been there. That they would come back for her. Everything she had loved, everything that had been hers had disappeared overnight.
The cottage she had shared with Edward and their child, the glass and steel house that she knew like the back of her hand. Everything was gone.
When the horrible pain had receding into an ache, rooted deep in her chest, she stumbled to her feet. Bella picked her way through the brambles, the scrub brush that twisted around her ankles and threatened to trip her, back to her truck. Still idling in the middle of the road.
The drive back was slower, the urgency she had felt was still there but now there was something else. There was a listless feeling of panic. All Bella wanted to do was curl up in bed, go back to sleep. Hope that when she opened her eyes again, she would see the now familiar walls of the cottage. She would see Edward's face and hear her daughter, their child, giggling in her bedroom.
Charlie was on the couch when she got home. A can of beer in one hand, the television remote in the other. The game was playing softly in the background.
“They're gone,” she hung around the doorway to the living room like a ghost. She felt transparent, Rene had always called her an open book. Her face always gave her away.
“Who's gone, honey?” Charlie looked up, and concern flooded his eyes. She wondered if he was remembering the last time. When Sam Uley had found her, curled up in the woods, completely lost.
“The Cullen's,” she said, she forced the words out. With them came a sudden resurgence of pain, it tasted like blood in the back of her throat.
“Who?” Charlie's eyebrows knitted together, confused. “Who are the Cullen's?”
Bella's eyes widened with sudden horror. No, it was impossible. She remembered every touch, every word that Edward had ever spoken to her. “The Cullen's, dad,” she spoke slowly.
She was waiting for recognition to dawn on Charlie's face. Waiting desperately. But there was nothing.
The emptiness grew inside of her, threatening to choke her. This was not happening. It wasn't. She remembered Alice, she remembered her daughters eyes. Everything, the last two years spread out behind her, and she remembered every minute.
She lifted her wrist, the crescent moon scar where she'd been bitten once, it felt like another lifetime ago.
The scar was gone.
Author: Niki Jane
Characters/Pairing: Bella/Edward
Rating: PG
Category: Angst!
Spoilers: All the up through the fourth book.
Summary: There was something desperately wrong. Something incredibly wrong. Her limbs were heavy, her movements sluggish.
She woke up, yawning. Stretching her heavy limbs to the four corners of the bed. Flexed her toes and let it work all the way up to her calves. Bella's eyes snapped open, her fingers twisting in the bed sheets.
There was something desperately wrong. Something incredibly wrong. Her limbs were heavy, her movements sluggish. She dragged herself to the edge of the bed, every movement was slower than it should have been. What should have taken her a fraction of a second dragged on painfully.
Her heart pounded and it felt wrong. So incredibly, horribly wrong. Her heart should have been dead and silent in her chest. The way it had been for months, now.
With a growing horror, she stared at the familiar walls of her bedroom at Charlie's with dull, human eyes. Bella blinked, dragged her fists across her eyes. She should have been able to see every pock mark, the grain in the paint. She should have been able to see every speck of dust floating in the sunlight slanting through her window.
It felt like wearing sunglasses in a dark room.
Bella stumbled to her feet, dragged on her jeans and a t-shirt that had been laying across her desk chair. She was too desperate to worry about what she looked like. She didn't bother to drag a brush with her hair, to wash her face. She stumbled into her shoes and time dragged on. Everything felt like it was moving at a snail's pace.
The Chevy sat on the curb, like it had every morning up until recently. It should have been comforting, familiar. But seeing it twisted Bella's stomach into knots. It shouldn't have been there. What should have been there was the uncomfortably flashy car that had been a wedding present from Edward.
Carefully, Bella slid across the ice and dragged the door open. The truck rumbled to life and she pressed the accelerator down as far as it would go.
Thick tears ran down her cheeks, and she fisted them away angrily. If she were keeping a running catalog of things that were missing, she would add: her wedding ring, Edward and her daughter to that list. The burning thirst that was always in the back of her throat.
The drive to the Cullen house was painfully slow. She was pushing the decrepit truck as hard as she could, the rumbling engine working overtime. It should have taken seconds, but everything was dragging like she were underwater.
Bella's breath caught in her throat. The mail box was gone, the one that stood at the end of the driveway, always empty. The Cullen's received no mail, but they were meticulous. Re-creating every mundane human detail. The fully stocked fridge when none of them needed to eat. The toilet paper in the bathroom. They were always so careful.
Subconsciously, Bella turned the truck's steering wheel. The drive to the Cullen's sprawling house was second nature. Gasping, she stomped on the brake and the truck slipped across the icy roads before rocking to a stop.
The driveway was gone. There was nothing there but trees and thick brambles. She threw the truck in reverse and climbed out into the freezing cold, she'd forgotten her jacket. When she'd left the house, the only thing she'd felt was blind panic. Horrible, crippling fear. It was threatening to overtake her.
Edward! Inside, she was screaming. Alice! Desperately, she dove through the brambles. She could barely feel their needle sharp points ripping her skin. Tearing the thin t-shirt she wore. She ran until her legs ached, until she had a stitch in her side and her dark hair was plastered to her forehead.
And when she couldn't run any more, she sank down to her knees on the hard, damp ground and sobbed. Her fingers dug into the ground, tangled in the grass that she ripped out by the roots.
Edward was gone, they were all gone and there wasn't even anything left to prove that once, they'd been there. That they would come back for her. Everything she had loved, everything that had been hers had disappeared overnight.
The cottage she had shared with Edward and their child, the glass and steel house that she knew like the back of her hand. Everything was gone.
When the horrible pain had receding into an ache, rooted deep in her chest, she stumbled to her feet. Bella picked her way through the brambles, the scrub brush that twisted around her ankles and threatened to trip her, back to her truck. Still idling in the middle of the road.
The drive back was slower, the urgency she had felt was still there but now there was something else. There was a listless feeling of panic. All Bella wanted to do was curl up in bed, go back to sleep. Hope that when she opened her eyes again, she would see the now familiar walls of the cottage. She would see Edward's face and hear her daughter, their child, giggling in her bedroom.
Charlie was on the couch when she got home. A can of beer in one hand, the television remote in the other. The game was playing softly in the background.
“They're gone,” she hung around the doorway to the living room like a ghost. She felt transparent, Rene had always called her an open book. Her face always gave her away.
“Who's gone, honey?” Charlie looked up, and concern flooded his eyes. She wondered if he was remembering the last time. When Sam Uley had found her, curled up in the woods, completely lost.
“The Cullen's,” she said, she forced the words out. With them came a sudden resurgence of pain, it tasted like blood in the back of her throat.
“Who?” Charlie's eyebrows knitted together, confused. “Who are the Cullen's?”
Bella's eyes widened with sudden horror. No, it was impossible. She remembered every touch, every word that Edward had ever spoken to her. “The Cullen's, dad,” she spoke slowly.
She was waiting for recognition to dawn on Charlie's face. Waiting desperately. But there was nothing.
The emptiness grew inside of her, threatening to choke her. This was not happening. It wasn't. She remembered Alice, she remembered her daughters eyes. Everything, the last two years spread out behind her, and she remembered every minute.
She lifted her wrist, the crescent moon scar where she'd been bitten once, it felt like another lifetime ago.
The scar was gone.