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Yes, I wanted to say. Anything. But I couldn't find my lips.

As I drifted, I dreamed.

And then I knew I was dead.

Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted.

Behind that longed-for sound was another noise -- an awful tumult that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a shocking snapping sound, and a high keening, suddenly breaking off…

"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" he begged.

"Carlisle!" the angel called, agony in his perfect voice. "Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" And the angel was sobbing tearless, broken sobs.

I tried to concentrate on the angel's voice instead.

Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up -- as beautiful, as uplifting, as it was ghastly. It was another snarl; a deeper, wilder roar that rang with fury.

"Oh no, Bella, no!" the angel's voice cried in horror.

I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my upraised hand, but I couldn't find my way back far enough to open my eyes.

"Some ribs, too, I think," the methodical voice continued.

"Bella!" the angel cried.

The angel shouldn't weep, it was wrong. I tried to find him, to tell him everything was fine, but the water was so deep, it was pressing on me, and I couldn't breathe.

"Edward." I tried to tell him, but my voice was so heavy and slow. I couldn't understand myself.

Someone was burning me.

I felt a sharp stab in my side. This couldn't be heaven, could it? There was too much pain for that.

But the sharp pains were fading. There was a new pain, a scalding pain in my hand that was overshadowing everything else.

There was a point of pressure against my head. It hurt. Then, as that pain broke through the darkness to me, other pains came, stronger pains. I cried out, gasping, breaking through the dark pool.

A howl of rage strangled on the angel's lips.

"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep," a calm voice informed me. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you."

His voice was frightened. "Bella?"

"The fire! Someone stop the fire!" I screamed as it burned me.

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop."

I heard Edward catch his breath in horror.

"She's here, she knew where to find you."

"Alice?" I groaned.

"My hand hurts," I tried to tell him.

"Edward," I tried again. My voice was a little clearer.

"He bit her." Carlisle's voice was no longer calm, it was appalled.

"Yes, I'm here."

"My hand is burning!" I screamed, finally breaking through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. I couldn't see his face, something dark and warm was clouding my eyes. Why couldn't they see the fire and put it out?

"My bag, please… Hold your breath, Alice, it will help," Carlisle promised.

"Carlisle! Her hand!"

"I know, Bella, I know" -- and then, away from me, anguished -- "can't you do anything?"

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"Edward, you have to do it." It was Alice's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.

"No!" he bellowed.

"There may be a chance," Carlisle said.

"Alice," I moaned.

"Carlisle, I…" Edward hesitated. "I don't know if I can do that." There was agony in his beautiful voice again.

"Will that work?" Alice's voice was strained.

"I don't know," Carlisle said. "But we have to hurry."

"What?" Edward begged.

"Edward!" I screamed. I realized my eyes were closed again. I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain.

"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand."

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." As Carlisle spoke, I could feel more pressure on my head, something poking and pulling at my scalp. The pain of it was lost in the pain of the fire.

I writhed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement making the pain in my leg flare sickeningly.

"Alice, get me something to brace her leg!" Carlisle was bent over me, working on my head. "Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late."

Edward's face was drawn. I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers on my burning hand, locking it in place. Then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin.

At first the pain was worse. I screamed and thrashed against the cool hands that held me back. I heard Alice's voice, trying to calm me. Something heavy held my leg to the floor, and Carlisle had my head locked in the vise of his stone arms.

"Edward," I tried to say, but I couldn't hear my voice. They could hear me.

Then, slowly, my writhing calmed as my hand grew more and more numb. The fire was dulling, focusing into an ever-smaller point.

I felt my consciousness slipping as the pain subsided. I was afraid to fall into the black waters again, afraid I would lose him in the darkness.

"Stay, Edward, stay with me…"

"He's right here, Bella."

"I will." His voice was strained, but somehow triumphant.

I sighed contentedly. The fire was gone, the other pains dulled by a sleepiness seeping through my body.

And I was in his arms, cradled against his chest -- floating, all the pain gone.

"Is the fire gone?"

I frowned; I wanted to sleep. "What?"

"Where is your mother?"

"Alice." I tried to open my eyes. "Alice, the video -- he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from." I meant to speak urgently, but my voice was feeble. "I smell gasoline," I added, surprised through the haze in my brain.

"Bella?" Carlisle called to me.

"I love you," he answered.

"You can sleep, sweetheart, I'll carry you," Edward soothed me.

"I know," I breathed, so tired.

"Yes," I sighed. "Thank you, Edward."

"Her blood tastes clean," Edward said quietly. "I can taste the morphine."

"It's time to move her," Carlisle said.

"Is it all out?" Carlisle asked from somewhere far away.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked again.

"In Florida," I sighed. "He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos." The outrage in my voice was pitifully frail.

I heard my favorite sound in the world: Edward's quiet laugh, weak with relief.

I tried to answer. "Mmmmm?"

But that reminded me.

"No, I want to sleep," I complained.

"Sleep now, Bella" were the last words I heard.