"Falling"

Don't...

Marriage bliss. That's the best way Bella can describe the last four months. Well, at least the first three months of her marriage. The last month has been a bit more complicated, with Jensen leaving for the war camp, Josh and Jared with him.

After that first night as a married couple, and for the next three months, their lives went back to normal. During the day, Jensen would be busy getting everything ready for war, while Bella spent her days learning all she could from the healers, but at night, it was just them and they left all that happened throughout the day at the door of their room, wanting to be with each other as much as possible before the war started.

At the request from Jensen, Bella had agreed to stay behind at the Castle with Donna and Mackenzie. Jensen had told her that they would be sending the soldiers that had the worse wounds back to the Castle and that she could do more good there than at the war camp.

Bella knew he was trying to protect her, and even though she wanted to argue with him, to try and convince him to let her go with him to the war camp, she knew that he just wanted to be sure she was safe, just like when he had begun teaching her how to use a dagger for her protection.

Now, a month later, she is busy in the healers' wing, helping wherever and however she can, and getting updates from the injured soldiers that arrive almost everyday. She can't think of all of those who don't make it back, the thought being enough to almost making her stop in her tracks. Bella shakes her head and focuses back on the soldier in front of her, praying that she never sees Jensen being carried in through those doors.

Donna rushes through the corridors, Mackenzie right behind her, a letter clutched in her hand, headed for the healers' wing. She sees the doors up ahead but doesn't slow down. Bursting through the doors, she scans the room and finds Bella helping a soldier in a back corner of the room.

Donna makes her way through the maze of beds, dodging healers and injured soldiers as she walks past, and as soon as she reaches Bella, tells her they need to talk immediately. Bella looks up at her and Donna can see the worry in her eyes, her heart tightening even more.

She asks what's happened, but Donna knows they can't talk about the letter there. Telling her so, she leads her out of the room and into the corridor, Mackenzie waiting there for them. They stop where Mackenzie is and Donna knows this can't wait any longer. Donna hands her the letter and tells her to read it.

Bella takes the letter from her and immediately recognizes Josh's private seal on the back. She has a bad feeling about what she is about to read but opens it anyway. Reading through the words on that piece of paper, her hand shots out to her mouth, and Bella has a hard time processing what she just read, swaying lightly against the wall behind her, Mackenzie holding her arm to help steady her.

-"Please, tell me this is a mistake." - Bella pleads with Donna.

-"It isn't." - Donna has tears in her eyes. Bella shakes her head, trying to clear her mind so she can think clearly. She knows what she needs to do and she can't do it from the Castle.

-"I know what I have to do." - Bella tells them, determination in her eyes.

-"Bella, don't. Jensen wouldn't want you to."

-"I have to, Donna. I'm sorry."

Bella rushes off, Mackenzie calling out her name, and makes her way to her room. She knows she is taking a big risk, but given the circumstances, she has no other choice. She will do whatever she has to do, no matter the consequences.