"All Things Pass" is a joint venture between Metropolis Kid and Lion in the Land.

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Disclaimer: We don't own any material contained within this story. All copyrighted content remains the property of the person, people, or organization that holds the copyright. This story is solely for fun.

A/N: What happens when a fanfiction writer with a strong distaste for the sparklification of vampires meets a confessed Twilight junkie with a morbid curiosity about the darker side of the undead? Well, there is much discussion, a spewing of opinions, an exchange of ideas…and then this happens:

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Prologue:

The End is Merely the Beginning

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The pride of your heart has deceived you, you that dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that said in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Obadiah 1:3

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The six vampires who pretended to be the adopted children of Carlisle and Esme Cullen came to the gaping maw of a dark and foreboding cave. "Stop," Edward called out. "This is it."

Jasper took one look at the cave and felt a rare chill run down his spine. After decades as a soldier immersed in combat, both human and inhuman, the scar-covered Cullen had learned that there was a certain air around places tinged with death, and he felt that now. Turning back to his brother, he asked, "Are you sure?"

Edward bristled slightly at the implication that he could be mistaken, but simply responded, "I am positive. This is the place that Carlisle was thinking of the last time I saw him."

Alice gave a slight gasp and pulled on Jasper's sleeve. "Hun, I've seen them come to this place sometimes in my visions."

"Then why didn't you tell us about it sooner?" Emmett asked somewhat accusingly.

"I didn't know it meant anything," Alice said, defending herself. "I just thought they found a special place where they could...you know…be as loud as they wanted."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Your wife's got a dirty mind, Whitlock. Congratulations," he teased, but the joke fell flat in the tension of the group. All traces of levity were removed from his voice when he continued. "Well, now we know that whatever happened to Carlisle and Esme must be somewhere in there, right?"

"We're very close to werewolf territory," Bella said in an anxious tone, though the warning wasn't necessary. They all knew where they were, and they were more than a little concerned about it. That was why the family of night-stalkers had yet to enter the dark cave.

Relations between the wolves and the Cullens had eased up after they'd joined forces in the stand-off with the Volturi years earlier, but ancient grudges ran deep, and more than a few members on both sides openly clung to their mutual distrust. All it would take was one misunderstanding to snap them right back to where they'd been – mortal enemies. And with Jacob Black off attending college with Renesmee, there was currently no one to smooth ruffled feathers should relations turn south between the two groups.

But it wasn't just the wolves they were worried about. This cave contained secrets, secrets they weren't sure they wanted to know.

Well, what are we waiting for?" Rosalie finally asked in a mixture of false bravado and genuine courage. "We're not going to get any answers standing out here like a bunch of frightened kids."

So saying, she quickly stormed into the cave before fear had a chance to once again play upon her mind and cause her to reconsider. With their headstrong sister already braving the intimidating, dark passageway of earth and stone, the other Cullens quickly followed.

The cave was almost impossibly large, and the tunnels within twisted and turned, like a winding serpent, occasionally forking off like the branches of a tree. Even though the Cullens moved swiftly through the darkness, they still wandered around for hours before finding anything that could begin to explain their parents' strange disappearance.

Eventually, they came to a large cavern − one that was very different from any area of the cave that they'd previously explored. The area was populated by three rows of cots, many of which had various small, personal possessions strewn about them − everything from books and pads of paper to articles of clothing and even the occasional bottle of medication. The walls of this cavern were lined with torches, though none were lit at present.

"My God…it's true," Edward murmured.

Well, we hope that little nugget whet your appetite for what's to come...

Thanks for reading,

-LiLa and Metropolis Kid