Karrett: The single best part of Breaking Dawn.

Twilight belongs completely to Stephenie Meyer, as do certain lines of dialogue which appear in this story.

BEWARE OF BREAKING DAWN SPOILERS! Proceed at your own risk.

Aftershock

Irina's death took place over a matter of seconds. By the time I—we—had regained our senses, there was nothing anyone could do for her. I don't think this fact registered with me at the time. I was so far beyond rational thought that I didn't even recognise the piercing screams in the air as my own.

I lunged, my fury blinding me, lashing out as violently as I could at the resistance I encountered. Unfortunately for her, Rosalie didn't move quickly enough; I shocked her where she stood as she reached out to restrain me. Emmett got a grip on my arm but only managed to push me to the ground before he was forced to let go, his nearly invulnerable body crumpling before me. Instantly I was on my feet again, pure rage pounding through my veins.

Before I could comprehend it I was on the ground once more: Garrett had tackled me, pinning me to the snow-covered earth. I struggled and shocked simultaneously, but he only gripped my arms more tightly. I shocked him again and again, trying to will him into letting me go. I barely cared about how much I was hurting him. Selfishly, I wanted everyone to suffer as I was suffering. Everyone to feel the pain consuming me.

"Zafrina!" Edward shouted urgently.

Genuinely blinded this time, I realised that on top of me, Garrett had stopped shaking with the effort of withstanding my shocks.

Bella.

I struggled helplessly now. Without my gift, it was far easier for Garrett to hold me down. Despite everything, I continued to thrash wildly, as if I could still free myself from his strong arms. I didn't care that it was a futile effort.

"If I let you up, will you knock me down again, Katie?" Garrett whispered, much more tenderly than I deserved.

With one last show of energy I fought to escape—failing, I fell mostly still. I listened numbly to Carlisle as he warned Tanya and I that if we attacked, everyone present would die. Though I was still mad with grief, his words managed to make it through to me. I didn't want them to die. I didn't want him to die. I ceased to struggle at all.

Edward must have silently communicated my defeated thoughts to Zafrina, because my sight returned to me then. One moment I was alone in the darkness and the next I was staring up into Garrett's anxious eyes. His hair had fallen into his face, and he was still quivering slightly from the powerful shocking I had given him. Finally I began to feel remorse. I had hurt him.

Garrett untangled our arms, entwined as they had become, but otherwise did not move away from me. Instead, he reached down and gently brushed my cheek with his thumb, whispering rapidly as he did so. "Kate. Katie, you have to listen to me now. There's no helping her, not anymore. We can't give them what they want—you know Carlisle's right. Please," he begged me.

I continued to stare at him dully. Didn't he see I had given up? That I would do anything to keep any more of my loved ones from dying? A half-thought flickered in my mind, urging me to tell him so, but no words presented themselves to me. He would have to figure it out on his own. I didn't feel like telling him.

Tanya's dry sobs caught my attention, and once more I was aware of the world beyond Garrett and me. I focused, and saw the Cullens' witnesses being called forward. Aro launched into a discourse on how Renesmee, that precocious child, was a potential threat to not only humans, but the exposure of all of our kind. Garrett, incensed, stood up. For all I had wanted him to free me, I hadn't realised how tightly I had been clinging to him.

He challenged Aro, and I brought myself to my feet. Perhaps I would be fighting after all. I listened to him speak, and he was everything I was not. Calm. Rational. Collected. He looked back at me once, probably to convince himself that I would not recklessly leap forward. But when he finished, he returned to my side and adopted the same stance as I—he, too, was prepared to fight. Any moment until we would know if that was what it would come to.

Aro, Caius and Marcus drew together in counsel, and we might as well have been holding our breath. There wasn't much time left. Tearfully Bella hugged her daughter goodbye, Edward doing the same, and suddenly the tension on our side was broken. All around us people were saying the things that needed to be said: Goodbye—I love you—Be strong.

"If we live through this," Garrett whispered to me, "I'll follow you anywhere, woman."

Words I'd been waiting so long to hear him say. "Now he tells me," I muttered to no one in particular. My throat felt strangely hoarse. I wanted to take his hand, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not because I was shy, but because I had publically exposed myself too much already today.

Uselessly, Jane attempted to pierce the shield Bella had cast over us. Her frustration was pleasing to watch; she was growing angrier by the moment.

Around me the others were beginning to discuss battle strategies and opponents. "Jane's mine," I told them grimly, my eyes on my target. "She needs a taste of her own medicine."

Time seemed to speed up then. We were awaiting Aro's decision, that final sentence, when Alice saved us. I was glad, mostly. I was relieved that no one else would die. I only felt differently about myself. I still wanted to confront the ancients for their unjustified murder. I didn't care what happened to me; I just wanted to punish them. I stared at Aro as he and his three pathetic guardians disappeared into the trees, reminding myself that we were too close to peace for me to jeopardise it. It wouldn't help, I repeated mentally.

"Is it really over?"

Bella was speaking, I thought.

"Yes. They've given up. Like all bullies, they're cowards underneath the swagger."

It was the truth. Their consciences wouldn't bother them tonight.

"Seriously, people. They're not coming back. Everyone can relax now."

They were… gone. I didn't know what to feel.

"Of all the rotten luck."

The cheers and howls exploded at the same time. Garrett lifted me right off my feet and swung me around happily. He set me back down on the ground and then pulled me into his chest, and I snaked my arms around him, leaning against him and listening to the celebrations around me. I didn't grudge them their delight. This would be my pain to bear—mine and Tanya's, and then Carmen's and Eleazar's as well.

Hours later, he caught up with me again. I had slipped away midway through the festivities and goodbyes—if anyone noticed, which they probably had, they most likely agreed that I wanted to be left alone for awhile. I didn't even know if that was the truth. I almost craved someone to comfort me; someone to seek me out and take away the sadness. I couldn't stop thinking about Irina and the last time I'd seen her. The last time before today, that was.

His hand on my shoulder was unnecessary. I had heard him coming. I knew his footsteps, even through this thick snow. I looked over my shoulder and he was there. He slid down beside me and we both leaned against the wall of the house, listening to the silence for a few minutes.

"It hasn't stopped coming down all day," he said out of nowhere. I assumed he was referring to the snow, floating down as far as the eye could see.

"It sort of reminds me of home. Except we didn't usually get this much snow in Alaska," I said with an attempt at a laugh.

He turned his head to face me. "Do you think I'd like it in Alaska?" he asked with a smile.

I didn't want to hold him to a promise he'd made with the threat of death hanging over us all. It didn't seem fair. And yet, I didn't want to go home without him. I tried to be honest in my reply, for what it was worth. "It's beautiful there. And… the bears are huge." I paused. "Would it be enough to keep a nomad from wandering?"

"Well," he said seriously, "I think you're forgetting one major source of appeal."

"Mhmm?" I kept my facial expression neutral.

"I don't see how anyone could want to be away from you." He was still looking into my eyes.

I wouldn't have blushed even if I could have. I knew that I wanted this, just as much as he did. So I leaned into him and his lips found mine, and my only thought was that we should have been doing this weeks ago. If only.

I broke the kiss for only a second.

"Come to Alaska, Garrett," I said. "Stay with me."

"I will," he promised. And then he kissed me again, so passionately that I felt myself forgetting everything else.

Together, we fell backwards into the snow.

So, if anyone wants to review this, that would be really nice, heehee. I haven't written anything in so long; I seriously need some feedback.

Also! If you like this ship I encourage you to join me in the effort for getting more Karrett fanfiction out there. See, I'm hoping that if Stephenie realises enough people support it, she'll write one of those upcoming books about them. Sound good? :)

-Hanneli (with love)