Jesus Had a Crown of Thorns

I sat by her bed side and examined the damage. This wasn't supposed to happen. Her bulging, pale stomach- almost as pale as my own skin- stood still above her thinning bones. No, it wasn't supposed to happen like this. Naturally, the one real mistake I'd made in over 100 years would end this way if only to punish me. I was just so lonely. I wanted to feel human warmth. Now, that warmth was cold; ill. Bella Swan, a plain human girl was lying on my bed, having the life sucked out of her by my spawn.

I had to kill her. I had to protect my family from the danger this thing would pose. I held the dagger in my shaky hands, preparing myself. I'd never killed before. I'd never wanted to.

Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from outside my bedroom door and I dropped the dagger and rushed out of the room to behold the most astonishing sight I'd witnessed in my long-lived existence. A gorgeous but very human girl stood in front of our broken window, knife in hand, demanding her sister. Her vibrant green eyes were also hard with empty threat as she dangled her thin arms at her sides, gripping tightly to her knife. Her dark hair hung in a messy pony tail and strands slipped from the tie to her flushed cheeks as she glared at the others who had arrived to investigate the noise.

Alice's book was on the ground below her. I suppose she was reading by the fire when the girl arrived. Her modern book was open to page 50. I could make out a few words that seemed to, ironically enough, fit the situation, "She entered the room like thunder, attracting the attention of anyone nearby.." It wasn't as if the girl couldn't have just knocked on our front door. As far as she knew, we wouldn't bite.

Carlisle eyes Jasper who returned his glance with a defeated one of his own. Jasper couldn't control her emotions; calm her down. Curiously, I listened hard. Silence. I couldn't hear her thoughts. Immediately, I grew angry.

"Miss, who is your sister?" Carlisle asked, keeping his voice calm although he was in the same state of shock as we all were.

Her hard gaze shifted to him and she replied, "Bella Swan. Which of you knocked her up?"

All eyes glanced over to me. I felt myself grow hot. The spot light was on my mistake. The girl moved her hard eyes to Carlisle once more, relieving me of my stiffness. Rosalie looked terribly angered- more uncomfortable than any of us were. The girl seemed completely unaware of the tension that was building up in Rosalie.

"Where is she?" the girl asked, her voice a bit softer as she shoved her knife into her back pocket as if it would protect her from us anyway. Vampires can't be killed.

"Bella is in safe hands." Rosalie replied. "We're protecting the baby."

"Where is she?" the girl repeated, sternly.

"In that room." Carlisle answered, pointing to the door behind me. The girl advanced on me, causing the heat I'd felt before to return. She pushed passed me, avoiding eye contact and entered the room where Bella lay. I heard a nearly inaudible gasp and the girl's heart skip a beat. The image before her couldn't have been what she was expecting. There was no tiny bundle of joy to add a light glow to Bella's cheeks. There was only a monster to feed off of any glow she'd ever obtained.

"What the hell did you do to her, Cullen?!" the girl screamed, causing arousal in Bella's weak body. She whipped her knife towards me, her dark hair falling from her tie in waves and screamed, "What's wrong with her?!" a question even Carlisle, a medical genius could scarcely answer,

He spoke up, stepping between the girl and I as Emmett's arms encircled her waist. Before Carlisle could speak, however, the girl screamed, "Let me go, you disgusting blood-sucker!" She already knew.

"Will you just relax for a second?!" Emmett cried, strained, as he tried to keep hold of her struggling frame. Why was it so difficult for him to contain her? She was obviously no normal human being. Not with those eyes.

"The vampire baby is too strong. Bella's life force is sustaining its. She won't give us permission to take it from her." Carlisle, explained. Her harsh eyes became dark as she hissed, "Do it anyway." Carlisle wouldn't. It was against his morals. He told me he wasn't disappointed in me when he found out and I trusted that. However, I was disappointed in myself. Bella wanted this thing more than her own life. Rosalie agreed.

Rosalie protected the thing. Unlike Bella, Rosalie knew Bella would die if the creature were to live. After decades of not being able to bare her own child, she decided that Bella's would suit her just fine- something I have yet to forgive her for.

"I can't." Carlisle responded. The girl huffed, as outraged by the statement as I was. "Carlisle Cullen, " she began. "man of medicine- You fucking can- but you won't. I was told you were different from my assumptions. You were supposed to be the gentle vampire. Vegetarian. This is worse than feeding off of the blood of humans. You feed off of the pain. You are just as much a monster as they all are."

"Ironic how the monsters I'd spent the majority of my life ridding Arizona from would impregnate my sister as soon as she left." she mused, eyes still dark.

Before I could ask for elaboration or why she brought a knife with her, knowing what we were, Rosalie spoke up again. "She is safe here." she repeated.

The girl glared over at her. "Then, what's the dagger doing on the ground?" she growled, her voice foreboding. Rosalie's eyes flicked from the dagger to me in pure outrage. I felt ashamed. Yes, the monster had to die but Bella didn't deserve to. If anyone did, I deserved it. Not even- I deserved to never have the freedom death could grant me.

An exhausted voice croaked, "Alacrity?"

The girl ran to Bella's bed side. "I'm here." she whispered. That is when her eyes finally lit.