Bella stepped into her room feeling relieved. Her weekend with Alice was fun, but it was good to be in her own room again. She went to start a load of laundry, but was confused when she couldn't find her red shirt. "Dad, did you start the wash?" She called down to Charlie. He said he hadn't, so she continued to look. After a few minutes of searching, she gave up and went to strip the sheets from Charlie's bed. Tossing them into the hall, she went to grab her own sheets. She stepped into her room, and froze. A vampire was standing across the room next to her wide-open window. But it wasn't Edward. It wasn't even Alice. She'd never seen this vampire before. Before she could blink, the vampire was across the room, her cold hand closing around Bella's throat. Her grasp tightened, choking Bella.
"Stop." Bella looked up to see Edward, his face a mask of fury and terror. "Let her go."
"Can't!" The vampire gasped. But her hand loosened a bit. "Must take her." Her head was strained away from Bella, trying not to get too close. She was trying not to inhale, Bella realized. Edward moved a fraction of an inch closer, and the vampire stiffened. "Stay back!" Edward stopped, not taking his eyes off her.
"Georgiana." He whispered. She gasped. "You don't want to hurt her."
"How-" She said. She stopped. She pulled her head further away from Bella.
"No!" Edward said. But all Georgiana did was inhale sharply through her mouth.
"How do you know my name?" She pulled Bella closer. Edward kept his eyes trained on her. He slowly put his hands up, and took a small step forward.
"I know a lot of things. Just like I know you don't want to hurt her. And I know that it wasn't your choice to abduct her."
"Ed-Edward." Bella's voice shook. His eyes flicked to hers, then back. But in that glance, she knew to be quiet.
"Just let her go, and we can figure this out." He said.
"Can't!" Georgiana said again. "I need her." Edward shook his head.
"She lies." He said. "Victoria lies about everything to get what she needs. You've seen her do it. She's lying about this, too." Georgiana shook her head frantically.
"No!" She wailed. "She can't be!" Her grip tightened around Bella, and she pulled her back a few inches.
"She is." Edward said. He lowered his hands until they hung by his side. Georgiana moaned. Bella felt her grip sliding. It loosened until she no longer held Bella. Bella ran across the room until she was safely in Edward's arms. She turned to get a proper look at her would-be captor, and was shocked. Georgiana's face, while it was beyond beautiful, was rippled with anguish, her long blonde hair hung in dirty strands around her shoulders. If vampires could cry, Bella was sure tears would be spilling down that face.
"Please help me." She whispered. "I'm not a murderer. But I don't have a choice!"
"You always have a choice." Edward said. Georgiana shook her head. "Trust me." Edward said. "I will try to help you. But you must promise not to come near Bella again." Georgiana nodded silently. Edward slid Bella behind him, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed. "Alice. Come to Bella's immediately. Bring Jasper and Emmet...Ok, good." He hung up the phone. "They're already here." He whispered to Bella. Looking back at Georgiana, he moved Bella away from the window. "You'll find a car waiting for you outside. There's no danger to you as long as you cooperate, I give you my word. But if you try to fight, I guarantee you will lose." She looked at him, her eyes narrowing. Edward stiffened next to Bella, but tilted his head toward the window. Georgiana swallowed, gave one last glance to Bella, and was gone. Bella started to move, but Edward held her back. He waited a moment, then relaxed.
"They're gone." He said. Bella stood for a second, then collapsed into Edward. He held her, brushing her hair back, whispering into her ear. "It's alright, I've got you. You're alright." He said again and again. Bella was finally able to compose herself. She had to swallow a few times before she was able to speak.
"Charlie?" She asked.
"He's fine." Edward said. "Still watching the game, in fact." She rushed over and closed her bedroom door.
"What was that?" She asked. "Who was that?"
"The only things I know are what I was able to decipher from her thoughts, and they were racing. She was terrified." Edward explained. "Victoria made her." Bella gasped, and was in Edwards arms instantly. "She's not the only one, though. Apparently, Victoria's been making an entire army of vampires."
"What?" Bella didn't know what to think. "But-but..." Was all she could say.
"She's been looking for someone with enough self control to either abduct you, or at least take some things with your scent on them. If the abduction didn't work, she was willing to go further." Edward was stiff beside her, his hands clenched into fists. Bella was completely confused now.
"But, why?" She asked. "I mean, I get the abducting me part," She cringed, thinking how close it had just come to that. "But, why the army of newborns?"
"Georgiana was a bit vague on the details, but I assume to either defeat us, or use them as a distraction to get to you." He said. "But she didn't count on Georgiana's conscience. She's a good person, and like she said, not a murderer. Victoria controlled her by fear. I'm not sure exactly what Georgiana was so afraid of, but she cringed away from it everytime she got close to thinking about it."
"So, Alice saw her, and came to the house?" Bella asked. Edward nodded.
"She brought Emmet and Jasper with her, just in case." He said. "But this might turn out to be a good thing. I saw her mind, Bella. She really hated the thought of hurting anyone. Maybe we've found someone who'll help us finally get Victoria."
"No!" Bella said. "I don't want you anywhere near Victoria!"
"Now there's the problem of talking to her while still protecting you." He muttered, pretending not to have heard her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight anymore. But, I must talk to her, just to be sure she's not lying about anything." He rubbed his chin, thinking. His phone rang, and he picked up. It was Alice, telling him she'd arrived at their house safely.
"I'm sure it will be okay with the whole family there." Bella said. "Like you said, she doesn't want to hurt anyone."
"True, but she's only a couple of months old. She's volatile. Not entirely in control." He said. "But the family will be there, and I'll hear before she tries anything, and Alice will certainly know..." He sighed. "I need to know." He said. He scooped Bella up, and jumped through the window. In an instant, they were flying through the forest toward the Cullen house.
When they arrived the family was standing around the dining room table, Georgiana sitting between Emmet and Jasper. Bella felt an instant calm when she walked into the room. Jasper was watching the girl, but stood at ease. Bella was able to get a good look at her. She was short, almost as short as Alice, her strawberry blonde hair ran past her waist. Her clothes were tattered and filthy. She wore no shoes, Bella noticed.
"I didn't know what had happened." She was saying when they walked in. "Then, the pain began to stop, and I felt...strong. Stronger than I'd ever felt before. And I could hear and see...everything." She didn't look them in the eyes, but she told her story with a strong, pure voice. "Then I saw Victoria. She told me she had made me. Told me what I was." Her voice faltered. But she shook her head and continued. "She'd made others like me, she said. But I was to be her prized one. She knew about me, about my past. She told me that I had powers that would help her cause. But I didn't want any of it. If I could have jumped off a cliff then and there, I would have, but it wouldn't have made a difference. I refused to fight for her. So she...she..." Georgiana couldn't continue. She closed her eyes and put her head in her hands.
"She took him." Edward finished. Everyone looked at him, and Georgiana nodded. "Her boyfriend." He explained. "Victoria knew about her relationship, and took him. She wouldn't tell her what she did with him unless Georgiana agreed to fight for her."
"I didn't want this!" Georgiana cried, her hands still covering her face.
"Not many of us do." Rosalie said, kneeling beside her. "But it's done. There's no going back. Victoria is a monster, and will go to any lengths to make sure we're all dead."
"She told us about you." Georgiana whispered. "The strange ones with the golden eyes. She said you were going to hunt us down and kill us unless we got you first. The others believed her without question. But I knew different. Victoria is the one that must be destroyed." The last sentence came out as a snarl.
"You know much about what is happening with her plans." Carlisle said. "If you are willing, we'd much appreciate a hand. Tell us all you can about what she plans to do." So, Georgiana told them everything she knew. They asked a few questions, but mostly listened. In the end, they knew exactly what Victoria was planning.
"You said before, about powers." Alice said. "Do you have a special gift?"
"Yes." Georgiana said. "Before I was...well, before this, I was a world class martial artist. Fighting, learning to defend myself, was something that had come so naturally to me, even from a young age. I'd always been able to learn faster than the other students. It followed me to this life, I suppose. Except, it's like a thousand fold. I've fought almost all of the...newborns, did you call us?...and was never bested. Victoria saw that I wouldn't cooperate with her, and saw me as a threat. She and four of her best fighters came to kill me. I easily evaded them, even Victoria was no match. Just when I was about to defeat her, she told me she had him..." She took a breath. "I begged her to tell me where he was, told her I'd do whatever it took. She just laughed and told me to follow orders. So, I did." She looked at Bella for the first time since she'd arrived. "I'm sorry I frightened you, truly. But I was terrified for my..." She sighed. "But unless I come back with something, she said she'd...kill him."
"What can we do?" Bella asked before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it. She felt so sorry for this girl. The look in her eyes, the hopelessness, the loss, reminded Bella of a time in her life when she'd lost something precious. Georgiana just looked at her, her crimson eyes bleak.
"You should go back." Edward said. They all looked at him. "Listen, Victoria is expecting you to come back. But she doesn't know that you've met with us. Doesn't know that we know all her plans. So, go back, follow her as you normally would, and report back to us."
"Makes sense." Carlisle said. "But we wouldn't want to put you into danger."
"The only one in danger would be my Riley." Georgiana said. "I wouldn't dare risk anything if it means putting him in harm. But, I will try to keep you informed. I'll need something of the girl's, just to be certain she doesn't suspect anything." Bella shrugged out of her jacket at once. She went to hand it to Georgiana, but Edward grabbed her. He pulled her back, took the jacket, and handed it to Georgiana himself. She took it.
"Thank you all." She said. "I'll do my best to come back. But know this, if the fight comes to your door, I know which side I'll be on." She looked at them all for a moment, and was out the door.
"That poor child." Esme said. They all stood for a few moments, then Jasper sighed.
"She was quite in control for one so young." He said. "It makes me wary."
"It was that Riley of hers." Edward said. "All of her thoughts came back to him. It's the fear of losing him that makes her so capable of seeing things in the proper perspective. She's tied to him in some unexplainable way. She's known him since childhood. They've been inseparable since they first met. Like I said, she's terrified of losing him."
"Well, this changes things." Jasper said. "An army of newborn vampires made solely to kill us."
"The only thing it changes is the amount of fun." Emmet grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Can't wait to get a piece of those newborns."
"None of that." Rosalie said. "I won't have you putting yourself in needless danger." Emmet just shrugged.
"There is much to discuss." Carlisle said. "Edward, you've seen into her mind, what do you think we're dealing with?" Edward ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't think it's anything we can't handle. Honestly, losing Georgiana as a fighter will nearly cripple them. She was in charge of disciplining the young ones. Victoria will lose the upper hand without her. Although, I don't know how far she'll be willing to go as long as Victoria has control over her." Bella listened to them, her fear rising steadily with each word.
"You're not seriously considering fighting them, are you?" She asked, horrified. "Someone will get hurt, or worse..." She couldn't make herself think it. Edward just brushed her cheek with his fingers.
"Don't worry, love. Without Georgiana, it won't be much of a fight." He said soothingly. He turned back to the others. "But it will be a fight. Jasper, we'll need your help."
"Of course." He said. And that was it. They spent the rest of the day discussing plans, and whether or not they should involve the werewolves.
"Absolutely not!" Bella said.
"It will be too close to their land not to include them." Jasper said. "Besides, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to make a few adjustments on the territory to accommodate the inevitable battle." Bella couldn't listen anymore. She didn't want to hear them making plans to fight a battle with newborn vampires. She went outside and stood on the porch, staring into the distance. Somewhere out there, Jacob was running around. She was almost positive of what his reaction would be when he heard the news. He'd be thrilled to finally get to see some action. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing heart. Living in constant fear for the ones she loved was starting to wear on her.
"Bella, love?" Edward appeared beside her. "What's the matter? You know I won't let anyone hurt you."
"But how far are you willing to go?" She asked, already knowing, and hating the answer. "You'd die before I was put in harms way. But what about how I feel about that? I can't take this anymore, Edward. I- I lost you once. I don't think I could live through it again." She hated hurting him, but had to let him know how she felt. "If something happened to you..."
"Nothing will. I promise." He said. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. "This is something that's necessary if we want to finally be rid of Victoria." She still didn't want him to fight, but didn't want to argue about it anymore. So she let it go.
That wasn't the last time they saw Georgiana. She came back two weeks later, showing up dripping from the rain, still in the filthy clothes from before. She was hysterical, and it took all of Jasper's concentration to calm her before she could speak.
"She killed him!" She cried, crumbling into a chair. "I know it! It's been too long, and I know she wouldn't show the compassion to keep him fed! I wanted to kill her then and there, but they were everywhere! She's made more, and they're strong!" They listened patiently, and waited for her to calm down a bit.
"Tell us everything, Georgiana." Carlisle said, kneeling next to her. She took a breath, and exhaled slowly.
"She's made more vampires. At least six. Maybe more by next week, maybe less. They fight a lot. And without me there to check their behavior, they'll more than likely thin their numbers on their own. But I couldn't wait anymore. I confronted her, demanded that she tell me where he is. And do you know what she did? She laughed! Just stood there and laughed! I could have ripped her throat out! But, she must have known, because she surrounded herself with her 'protectors'!" She spat the last word. "She's coming sooner though. I don't think she knows if I'm relaying her plans to you or not, but she won't wait anymore. Not now that she's lost me. I'd give it three days. Four at the most."
"Alice?" Carlisle asked. Alice closed her eyes, concentrating.
"She hasn't made up her mind yet. I don't see." She said after a few minutes. "But there's definitely something coming, and soon."
"I'll fight with you. Whatever it takes, that monster will die!" Georgiana exclaimed.
"Good." Jasper said. "We're having a training exercise tonight, you're more than welcome to join us."
"I'll be there." She said.
"There's just one thing you should know." Alice said. "Do you know anything about werewolves?"
That night, the wolves and vampires were gathered. Bella sat on the side, watching nervously. She hadn't known that Georgiana would be there, but was glad she was. Alice had finally gotten her to change her dirty clothes, which Bella suspected were the same ones she was wearing when she'd been changed. Her hair was clean and she looked more elegant than Bella had first thought. Edward still didn't want Bella near her because she was only a few months old. But she'd shown incredible self-control, and had been taken hunting that afternoon by Emmet and Rosalie. Edward didn't detect any thoughts of thirsting for Bella from her, but wouldn't take any chances. He kept Bella on the far end of the field near the wolves, and kept a close ear on Georgiana's thoughts.
"Shall we start?" Bella heard Carlisle call. They paired off, one by one, fighting eachother. It was quite obvious that Jasper was the most experienced fighter, coming up even with Edward, and finally being bested by Alice. Finally, it was Georgiana's turn. She went against Emmet first, easily sidestepping his charge, and was on him in less than five seconds. Next, Jasper. It took a few seconds longer, but she was able to pin his arms behind his back. He looked agitated, but nodded at her. Edward tried her next. This one was tricky. Bella could barely keep her eyes on them, they moved so fast. It looked like Edward would get her, but at the last second, she flipped out of his grasp, bringing her hand around mid-flip, and grabbed his wrist. She wrenched it behind his back, bringing him to his knees. She wrapped her leg around his other arm, pinning it to his side. Her agility amazed Bella. She was able to fold and bend herself to make unfathomable moves. No one was more surprised than Edward when she brought her teeth to his throat.
"Whoa, man, how'd she do that?" Emmet exclaimed. Everyone seemed curious to know how Edward had been bested. He'd never lost a fight before, and he looked more than a little peeved.
"Her thoughts didn't sync with her actions." He said. His face was a mixture of astonishment and suspicion. "She thought one thing, but did something completely different."
"How could she do that?" Carlisle said. They all looked at Georgiana.
"I told you about my fighting skills." She said defensively. "I warned you that it was my 'gift', or whatever you call it." Edward looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
"Let's see how she does against Alice." He suggested. Alice just smiled and skipped to the middle of the clearing. She took a defensive pose, as Georgiana crouched down. She sprang, and the dance began. It was the same as it had been with Edward. It seemed Alice had the upper hand, but then Georgiana came at her from all over. She sprang, flipped, dove, and twirled until she had Alice's hands behind her. Jasper snarled, and took a step closer, but Georgiana had already released Alice.
"Jeez!" Alice said. "She's damn good. I saw what she planned to do, but then she did something else. I saw in the knick of time, but then all of a sudden, she's behind me. I've never lost before...Edward, it doesn't feel too great." She laughed and ran back toward Jasper.
"She's the best fighter I've ever seen." Jasper said. He didn't look altogether pleased. Georgiana just stood in the middle of the clearing watching their reactions silently. "I don't even think the Volturi have seen one as good. And she's so young. Her self-control is baffling. She hasn't once gone for Bella. I haven't even picked it up in her emotions."
"I told you, I'm not a murderer. When I hunted before, I admit, I wasn't in control." She said, speaking to all of them. "All I could think about was the thirst. When I was calm enough to see what I was doing, I tried to be more...conscientious, I suppose. But I learned quickly, and your ways of hunting animals instead of humans has been quite eye-opening. I was terrified I would have no choice but to exist only to kill. But you've shown me another path. I thank you for that."
"It was our pleasure." Esme said. "I only wish we knew eachother under better circumstances." Georgiana only nodded.
After the wolves left, the Cullens decided to head home. Edward took Bella back to her house, slipping through her window. She lay her head on his chest, covered by her quilt. She had a lot to think about, and decisions to make. She knew Edward would be difficult, but she'd find a way to make sure he was safe. That, she knew, was the most important thing.
"Edward, what-" Bella's stopped mid-sentence. The tent was torn away, and Edward stood in front of her, his defensive pose familiar. The fight had come to them after all. Edward kept up a low snarl deep in his throat. Bella wished Seth would get out of there, but he stood feet away from them, matching Edward's snarl with his own growl. Finally, she appeared in the treetops above. Bella saw her flaming hair, her red eyes boring into her. But someone else was there, as well. Another vampire came into view not far from Victoria. He seemed unsure of his next move. His gaze moved between Victoria and Edward. Bella glanced at Edward, and saw him take a breath.
"She's alive, Riley." He said. The blonde vampire looked at him, his eyes widening in confusion. "Georgiana isn't dead like Victoria told you. She's alive and in the clearing." Riley's mouth stretched across his teeth, as he hissed.
"He's lying." Victoria told him. "I told you about their mind tricks."
"I'm not lying, Riley." Edward said, his eyes never leaving Victoria. "I've met her. Victoria controlled her with the same fear she used to control you. She told Georgiana that you were her prisoner and that she would kill you unless she did as she was told. She helped build an army of vampires so that you would come to no harm. She's in the clearing right now, fighting them." Riley choked out a snarl. He looked at Victoria, eyes full of rage.
"You told me she was dead!" He spat. "You told me they killed her!" He pointed toward Edward.
"Go to the clearing, Riley. You'll find her there. I swear to you." Edward said. Riley gave one last look at Edward, and then disappeared. He turned to Victoria. "Well, well. Seems you're plan isn't working out quite as well as you thought." She only snarled at him. She stared at Bella with a hatred that smoldered off of her. Edward sprang. Seth wasn't far behind, and it didn't take long to finish it. Bella was staring at a billowing purple cloud after only a few minutes. When he and Seth were sure there were no more parts, Seth ran off to join his brothers. Edward scooped Bella up, and they were flying back to the clearing.
When they arrived they came to a strange sight. A large mound with purple smoke, much bigger than the one they'd left behind was in the middle of the field. The Cullens were finishing cleaning up, Georgiana wasn't with them.
"Where is Georgiana?" Edward asked.
"She chased two into the woods." Jasper said, rubbing his arm. "I swear, Edward, I've truly never seen anything like her." He shook his head. Suddenly, he and the other Cullens turned, back on alert. Riley came into view.
"Where is she?" His eyes roved the field, wide with madness. "You said she'd be here!" He said to Edward. "Where-"
"Riley?" They heard Georgiana from across the field. She came closer, her eyes only on Riley.
"Gina." Riley breathed. And they were in eachothers arms. They stayed locked together for many moments, breathing eachother in, hardly able to believe they were reunited.
"I thought you were dead!" Georgiana whispered to him. He held onto her, unable to let her go.
"So did I." He said. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again!" He looked at the Cullens.
"Um, I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we've got a problem. And believe me, you do not want to be here when it arrives." Alice said.
"Yes, you should hurry away. Quickly." Edward said, hearing Alice's thoughts. Georgiana looked at them all.
"Thank you so much for my Riley. And everything else. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you. But I'm sure I'll find a way, as I'm sure this will not be our last meeting." She said. Riley just looked at them all, and nodded. She took his hand, and he looked at her, almost mesmerized. She broke into a breathtaking smile, and they ran into the woods hand-in-hand.
"Oh, they'll be back." Alice smiled, then turned serious. "But now we have a more pressing matter to deal with." They turned around just as cloaked figures emerged from the woods.