A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fic for Blood and Chocolate! I loved the book, and I really wanted to give this a shot. People find this totally insane, but I really like Rafe in the book. I was really devastated when he died. Weird I know.

Disclaimer : I do not own Blood and Chocolate. I used a little excerpt from the book, but that's only so this would make sense. The bold italicized parts are what I used from the book, the other italics are my ideas.

Chapter 1 - Turning Point

Vivian felt as if she could do nothing but just lie on her back, and stare at her ceiling. She noticed a few cracks in the foundation that she could have sworn were not there before. She sighed as she noticed this, and suddenly began comparing this to her own life. Before, everything wasn't as hectic- definitely not easy- but not near as complicated. She felt as if her life was slowly breaking into pieces, and would eventually crush her under the weight of it all.

She could remember the entire scene, still fresh in her subconscious. It was strange that it had shocked her so much. Eventually, she knew that one of the pack would go overboard, but she had never expected that Astrid and Rafe woulf both be the ones to do it. They seemed very..solitary in their attempts to slowly hinder the pack to its knees. Then again, they were never truly alone, Rafe had always had the Five, and Astrid always had the power to take advantage of whomever was foolish enough to fall for her tricks. What shocked her the most was what finally brought everything full circle. She could still hear Astrid's wicked cackle in her ears, which sent tremors down her spine even now.

Flashback----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Why did you really set me up, Astrid?" she had asked.

" Because I hate you," Astrid spat. " And I think I'll kill you too. Oh, dear," she continued in a singsong voice. " We came upon her slaughtering the boy and had to stop her. She must have been on the rogue."

Vivian remembered how she was silently chuckling to herself the whole time.

" And how will you explain the deaths that keep happening after I'm gone? You don't think she's going to stop, do you Rafe? She's crazy. Can't you see that?"

" Hey, come on," Rafe said, starting to look worried. " It's a joke, right?"

" You're such a tool Rafe."

She sighed, remembering the words that came out of her mouth. She thought about the way his face had suddenly turned to stone, his eyes becoming hardset, and penetrating. But it wasn't out of hatred for her, but confusion. His eyes and expression became even more intense as Astrid continued with her rant. Astrid had clearly, and verbally expressed how much she had loved Gabriel, and Vivian had seen it tear Rafe apart. When he turned to face Astrid, she honestly had no idea what he was going to do

" I could have had him if it wasn't for her," Astrid glared.

" But he didn't want you," Rafe said, hurt and rage in his voice.

" I would have changed his mind," Astrid answered, turning on Rafe.

" But you've got me now. Why should it matter?" Rafe cried.

" It matters that my chance was stolen from me! I could've brought this pack out of its dark ages , and to its true potential!" Astrid explained.

Rafe's face grew more agonized, " You don't need Gabriel to do that!"

Vivian couldn't believe her luck. Maybe, if this kept up, she could keep them distracted long enough to tell Aiden to run. Realizing that he was still standing beside her, she glanced at Aiden. The gun he held was still barely clinging to his shaking fingertips. His eyes were wide with fear, yet were completely alert, all the same. She couldn't blame the human for being weak at the knees. She heard Rafe's voice raising more in tone, as he became more frustrated, and was denying everything he knew to be true.

" We don't need the pack to teach the humans a lesson! They're useless!"

" If the others aren't with us, then they're against us," Astrid explained. " We must be united in order to take back our place in dominance. Also, if something goes wrong, then we'll have an alibi."

Rafe backed up, " Whoa! Now we're talki'n world domination? We can't do that! It's too risky."

" Yes..but necessary."

Rafe blinked and briefly stared at the ground, " You did use me."

" Oh, come now Rafie," Astrid cooed, " It's only because you're the only sensible one around here. I mean, why couldn't you compete in the Ordeal? You'd be our best choice for leader. You supersede all of those other useless.."

" C'mon Rafe!" Vivian said. " You're not honestly gonna fall for that shit, are you?"

Rafe looked at Vivian with a pained expression, and winced at her words. Vivian had never seen him like this before, so shaken. Rafe had a heart after all.

" Just look at her," Astrid flexed a finger towards Vivian. " She's just trying to turn you against me. She's turned everyone against me.

Vivian snorted, " Yeah, right. You did that on your own."

" Kill her Rafe, put an end to the treachery. Silence the one who has put us all through so much misery, let death be the traitor's punishment."

Rafe stared from Vivian, to Aiden, back to Vivian. Then he peered at Astrid, and it seemed as if he was sifting through her words in his mind.

" Alright," he shrugged, a smug grin emerging on his face. He crouched and looked Vivian straight in the eyes.

Vivian prepared herself for the change. She knew she could put up a fair fight against Rafe, but she wasn't sure how long it would be before Astrid decided to finish her off herself. Vivian also crouched, and looked intently at her apponent. She didn't dare to look at Aiden, knowing that he had a gun in his hands, and obviously got frightened easily. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and the cool breeze pricked her bare throat. Rafe growled and lunged, but only…he wasn't going for Vivian.

She stood up in astonishment, and she had a very hard time believing her eyes. Rafe had tackled Astrid in mid- air, catching her off guard. She redeemed herself within seconds, and phased without a second thought. Vivian could barely blink as she watched the two of them go at each other. Astrid, tackled Rafe by grabbing his leg with her teeth, but he went straight for her throat. Astrid yelped, and slammed him to the ground, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Aiden's trembling grew more audible from behind Vivian.

" S…should we do something?" he asked.

Vivian tried to shake her head, but was in a state of shock that had paralyzed her completely. Merely seconds later, a victorious howl ripped through the air. Astrid laydead at Rafe's feet. He'd torn open her stomach. Aiden quickly looked the other way. Rafe looked up at them, his expression hard to read. Slowly, he began to gradually change back to human form. He just stared down at Astrid. So quietly, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, Vivian swore she heard him whisper:

" Death shall be the traitor's punishment."

A/N: At the risk of making this chapter too long, I think I'll stop here. What do you think? Yes, I am making more chapters after this. You don't think I could stop here, do you?

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