leech and mutt (BoyXBoy) - A Jakeward Fanfiction

I NEED HIM

Edward's P.O.V

It was time for me to face the fallout of our battle. I had never intended for Bella to see me fight and I knew she must be horribly traumatized. I turned slowly toward her and my worries were confirmed. Bella stood with her back against the cliff, a stunned expression on her face—eyes wide, pupils dilated, and her breath fast and shallow, apparently in shock. She was clenching the sharp rock in her hand, holding it up as if she would strike me or anyone else who dared approach her. I saw that she was squeezing it so tightly in her hand that her fingers had gone bloodless. Would she cut herself again?

I stepped toward her cautiously, palms forward in a position of surrender as she stared at me with her mouth open. She was terrified of me and why not? I'd just torn someone apart with my teeth and bare hands! She must have seen Victoria's detached head bounce off the ground and roll toward the trees. That red hair had haunted Bella's dreams since I'd come back from Italy and probably for a long time before that. It probably would terrorize her with renewed force.

"Bella, love," I said softly, watching her eyes. "Bella, can you drop the rock, please? Carefully. Don't hurt yourself."

She stared at me woodenly, though after a few moments, her fingers loosened and the makeshift weapon fell onto a small pile of rocks with a clack. Otherwise, she moved not at all. I noticed that a few drops of blood had dried inside her elbow.

"You don't have to be afraid, Bella," I murmured. "You're safe. I won't hurt you."

I looked for some sign of recognition in her eyes, but they were still blank. If she was in shock, she could collapse at any moment. She could die within minutes from insufficient blood supply to her brain. I had to break through her confusion before the shock worsened. I kept speaking in a soft rhythm, hoping to diffuse her fear and bring her back to the present.

"It's going to be all right, Bella. I know you're frightened now, but it's over. No one is going to hurt you. I won't touch you. I won't hurt you," I repeated.

Her wide eyes continued to stare for a moment, and then she started blinking spasmodically. Gradually, her vision cleared and some awareness returned to her face. She looked at me in confusion.

"Why do you keep saying that?"

She took a tentative step toward me. The movement was robotic and her balance looked questionable. I leaned away from her with my palms still raised.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. "What do you mean?"

"Are you..." I began. She was asking me what was wrong? "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you? Why?" Bella's voice quavered. She took another step toward me and then started to fall. I leaped forward, scooping her into my arms. She seemed to flinch slightly at my touch, but then dropped her head against my chest and started to weep uncontrollably. The dam had burst.

I held her against my chest while the emotion that had kept her frozen drained from her body. Bella had witnessed things that no human should ever see. I knew her mind was struggling to process everything that had occurred.

"Bella, Bella, I'm so sorry. It's over, it's over."

"I'm fine," she choked out. "I'm okay. I'm just. Freaking out. Give me. A minute."

I hugged her to me. "I'm so sorry...so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Bella's sobs slowed and eventually she stopped gasping for breath. Then she began kissing my body everywhere she could reach...my chest, shoulders, neck.