AN: Don't get used to this, I just thought you needed the next chapter to really get into the story. I actually meant to post both today (July 4th and all) but I got ahead of myself yesterday. I'm so excited by the response to just the prologue alone! Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows!

Disclaimer: SM owns all, I just screw around with them.

Chapter 2- Day of Reckoning

"Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning."
-Martina McBride, Independence Day

Garrett POV
I was sitting on the front porch of my isolated cabin in Montana, trying to figure out what to do- so bored I was starting to count the leaves around me, and with my vampire sight I could see a lot of trees. I was up to 12,367,495 when my phone rang. That stupid little device still manages to scare the shit out of me every fucking time. There was only one person who called me, the same fucker who bought me the damn thing and showed me how to use it.

"Hey, Pete. What's up."

Hey, Gar. You need to head west. Get your ass to Carlisle's house in Forks as fast as you can. You need to watch out for the dogs but you know how to get around them. Let me know when you get there.

And, he's gone. That man drives me crazy with his stupid "feelings" he gets. He is so cocky because he just "knows shit." Whatever. Well, he may be irritating but he's also usually right, so I guess I'll head out. I pull my boots on and set off toward Washington. I don't know why I would go there unless Carlisle was in some kind of trouble or something, but I haven't seen my old friend in several years so I guess it was time for a visit anyway.

I really hope his "kids" aren't there. I'm a pretty social guy, but they keep way too many vampires in one house for my taste. I'm not sure which one is more irritating, the stuck up bitch that Emmett is mated to, or the prissy little mind-reading eunuch, Eddie. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will just be Esme and Carlisle at home. Esme is a sweet woman, someone I love to joke around with. We were always playing pranks on Carlisle, trying to get him to lighten up and act his real age, instead of his pretend human age.

Well, it's not like I have a schedule to keep. My life consists of hunting and sitting around. Fighting when I get a good challenge, or visiting with my friends when they stop by. Maybe there will be something in Forks to keep me occupied for a while.

~*ID*~

I ran in from the southeast, trying to stay as far from the wolf border as I could. Approaching Carlisle's house from downwind, I was slightly worried when I picked up on the smell of wolves and blood on the property, and no fresh vampire scent at all. I broke through the clearing to find the house abandoned, the weeds were grown up and the shutters were drawn; it was clear that the Cullens weren't living here.

I started to pull my phone out to call Peter when I picked up on a faint heartbeat inside the house. What was a human doing here? I slowly approached the half-open front door, that smelled heavily of werewolf and human blood. There was only one heartbeat and the wolf smell was fresh, but not concentrated, so I knew it was gone now.

Slipping silently through the door, I stopped still at the sight that met me. On Esme's pristine white couch was a fallen angel. The smell of her blood drew me to her side instantly, but it didn't ignite my thirst, and not because it was tinged with the stink of werewolf either. Looking her over, I briefly wished for the human ability to vomit, and my temper flared to levels higher than it had since I left the wars.

Her frail little body was broken beyond repair. She was bruised, crushed, and ripped to shreds so that she was barely recognizable as a human. Someone, a wolf by the smell of it, had attempted to bandage her torso with strips of material that seemed to be keeping the last of her blood in her body. Her hair was dull and matted with dried blood, but it was fanned out behind her as if someone had placed her here with the utmost care.

My hand was drawn to her battered face like a moth to a flame. I brushed her hair back from her forehead, smearing her blood in the process, and was shocked when her eyes opened. I felt my dead heart stutter in time with hers when I looked into the deep chocolate of her weary, yet innocent, eyes. This was why Peter sent me here. This was my mate.

"Fuck, little one. What the hell happened to you? Does Carlisle know you're here?" Her eyes tightened with pain, leading me to believe that she did know my old friend, but then she closed them, hiding her soul from me. I couldn't resist brushing a kiss to her forehead, and as I did I realized a wolf had done the same thing, not too long ago. It was the same wolf I smelled at the house, but a different one from the scent that rose from her injuries. One wolf had hurt her, while another brought her here.

My venom froze when I heard her soft voice whisper, "Please, just kill me." I couldn't move a muscle and I couldn't pull my hand away from my extremely fragile mate. I knew what I had to do, and I hated to be the cause of even more pain, but there was no way I could let her go after finding her like this. She was going home with me, and I would love her for the rest of eternity. After we tracked down and exterminated a wolf pack, that is.

"I'm so sorry sweet girl, but that is the one thing I cannot do. Please, forgive me." I leaned over and pressed a kiss to the blood-soaked skin of her neck before I bit down, pushing as much venom in as I could. I sat up, licking her blood from my lips, and watched her face twist with the pain of the change. "I'll be here with you the whole time, and I will explain everything when you wake up."

Her heart was picking up in speed and strength, so my venom was doing its job already. Her injuries would heal and her scars would fade, but I wasn't sure about her memories. Emmett's girl held on to her painful death, seeking revenge as soon as she awoke. Others retained nothing of their human lives, aside from their final few moments or bits and pieces of earlier memories. She might not even remember her name. Oh shit, I don't even know her name!

Right on cue, my phone rang again. She's gifted, and she'll remember everything. She also knows what she is becoming- she is familiar with vampires. You need to move her to your house as soon as she is stable, so the wolves don't find you there. Char and I will come up and meet you. And whatever you do, don't contact Carlisle. Wait until she wakes up.

"Thanks, Pete. Did you know my mate was here?"

Yeah, I did. She's a firecracker, Gar. You're gonna have your hands full!

"But she'll be ok, right? She's not too far gone?"

No, Garrett. She'll be perfect. Just get her cleaned up and head home with her. I can't wait to meet my new little sister and Char is bouncing off the walls already. We'll see ya in Montana.

As he hung up, I turned back to my mate to see the progress of her change. Her bruises were lightening and I could no longer smell blood leaving her body. I pulled back the edge of one of the bandages, shocked to see the deep gashes that marred her tender flesh. They had begun to close, clotting as they healed rapidly, but she was still too fragile to move yet.

I sat on the floor beside her head and ran my fingers gently through her dirty hair. As soon as her skin was healed more, I would clean her up and run her to my house. I thought back to the day three years ago when Peter told me to buy that house. I had no idea why, I had been a nomad for more than two centuries and never wanted a home of my own. He told me it would be needed, but he wasn't sure when. I guess this is what he was talking about. It was the perfect place to raise a newborn, far enough from civilization that she wouldn't go on a killing spree, or that our fighting would be heard by humans, and close enough to several large cities to satisfy her frequent hunting needs.

Looking at my tortured mate, I knew I wouldn't have any trouble motivating her to spar with me. I wouldn't train her harshly, like the newborns in the army, but I would make damn sure she could hold her own in a fight. My scars would warn off most opponents, but the rest would immediately target her as the weaker link. She had been hurt too much already; I won't leave her as defenseless in my world as she obviously was in this one.

~*ID*~

Too many hours of waiting, and I was getting really restless to move. I checked her wounds again and found her stable enough to be cleaned. I talked through everything I was doing as I lifted her carefully from the couch, grimacing at the bloodstains left behind, and carried her up to the master bathroom. I knew Esme had a garden tub big enough for a lot more than two vampires, and it would suit my purpose well today. I filled it halfway with tepid water; I knew she would be burning with the change so the cooler water would feel good to her.

"Little one? I really hope you're out of it enough not to know what I'm doing, but in case you're not, I just want you to know I feel really badly that I have to do this now. I'm very much a gentleman and I want you to know I would never dream of doing this under different circumstances. But you are covered in blood and you stink of werewolf, so I need to get you cleaned up before I take you home.

"I'm going to undress you now, but all I'm doing is washing you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with me, because I am your mate. I hope when you wake up we'll do this again and you will enjoy it more, but for now I'm going to do my best to treat you with respect." Feeling nervous about what I would find, I began to peel away the bandages and remnants of clothing that were stuck to her skin with dried blood.

As each piece of her body was revealed, my temper grew hotter and hotter. Even this far into her change I could still see how badly she had been mistreated. Old scars were crossed with new cuts and bruises. Her bones were broken and healing slowly, even the ones in her face. The worst of the damage was to her torso and legs. There were three parallell marks covering her body from her right shoulder to the top of her left thigh, and another on each arm. It was clear these were made by a large wolf. Had he beaten her as a man and then attacked her as a wolf?

I realized I was shaking with rage when I reached to pick her up. I stopped before I touched her and tried to calm myself so I wouldn't cause her more pain. I quickly shed my clothes, knowing I would need to find new ones for the both of us, and lifted my mate into my arms as I stepped into the tub. The water immediately swirled crimson and I knew we would have to rinse off in the shower too. I began with her hair, soaping it gently and rinsing several times to remove the blood that was caked in it. I carefully washed every inch of her body, but froze when I reached her left arm.

Under the layers of blood and above the uneven broken bones, two scars drew my attention. They were both crescent shaped bite marks, nearly overlapping, aside from the fact that one was larger and therefore didn't line up with the other. The smaller bite I recognized clearly, as my own skin is covered with them. A vampire bit my mate and must have sucked the venom out so she didn't change. The bite felt cooler than her still-warm human skin, though soon it would match it in temperature.

The second bite was larger and looked like an attempt to cover the first bite. This scar was hot to the touch and slightly softer than the vampire bite. Was it possible? Did a wolf bite her in human form? The idea of my mate being marked by two other supernatural creatures made my skin crawl. I knew the vampire bite would probably remain through her change; our venom is the only thing that leaves a permanant scar. The werewolf bite was a different story. I had no idea if it would fade when my venom reached it, but I sincerely hoped it would.

Once I got most of the blood off her, I stood from the tub and walked us over to the shower, heedless of the blood-tinged water droplets covering the white marble floor. I rinsed us off in the shower and carried her to Carlisle's bed to lay her down before I searched out some clothes. Carlisle was a little shorter than me, but I could make do with his things. Esme was quite a bit taller than my mate, but she was the only female whose scent I thought I could handle touching her.

I found clothes that were nothing close to my style, and probably not my mate's either, but they were in good condition and sturdy enough to get us back to Montana. After thinking about it, I grabbed a few extra shirts and pants for my mate in case Peter didn't bring her any clothes. It wouldn't surprise me if the fucker knew her size and favorite items of clothing as well.

While looking for a bag to carry the extra clothes in, I found a framed picture up on the top shelf, and pulled it down. I had to sit on the floor when I recognized my much healthier mate, although she did have a broken leg, standing with the Cullens at the foot of their staircase. I pulled the picture out, knowing Esme's habit of writing on the back of photos, regardless of our perfect vampire memory. "Bella and Edward's Junior Prom" was listed at the top, along with the date of barely three years ago. The rest of the family was listed by name and I realized I had my answer. Bella. Her name was Bella. Of course, I had more questions as well. What was my human mate doing with a family of vampires? Why was she standing with that prick, Edward? Why was she here and the Cullens gone?

I don't like the Volturi, but I do agree with the idea that we need to keep our existence a secret from humans. So why would Carlisle break their highest law, leaving my mate here with the knowledge that could condemn his family to death? I wanted answers, and I hoped Bella could give me some when she woke up. For now, I had to get us both out of here and back to my cabin where she would be safe.

Carrying the picture with me, I searched out a pen in Carlisle's desk drawer and drew a circle around my mate in the photo. On the back, I wrote in large block letters- MINE. I licked two of my fingers and smeared my venom on the paper so my scent would be easily identified to those who know me. Picking up my mate, Bella, I carried her downstairs and tucked the picture behind the blood-soaked pillows where I found her on the couch. Satisfied that there would be no mistaking who had her and why, I turned and left Forks, finally realizing the weight of what just occurred in that big white house. After centuries on my own, I found the missing piece to my soul. I never really lived before today.

The multi-colored fireworks that heralded our silent escape told me what day it was. The holiday I gave my human life for: Independence Day.

~*ID*~

Seth POV
I finished showing the rest of the pack what Jacob had done this time. He was still balls deep in his trashy imprint, the one the gods supposedly chose to help carry on the Black family line. As if the Black family line deserved to continue after the shit he has pulled.

Sure, we were all caught up in the initial frenzy after Sam was killed by that fucking dreadlock dude, and then Embry went down trying to protect Charlie from the redhead, and Colin, Brady, and Billy were all tortured and drained, but Jake still took things way too far. We all knew he hit Bella, even the mighty alpha couldn't block all his thoughts, but what I saw today was a man without a shred of sanity left. He was trying to kill her in the most painful way possible.

So is everybody in? I asked, looking around the small circle of feral, snarling wolves. My brothers may not have been Bella's biggest fans, but she was still Pack, and they would not let her death go unpunished. They all answered in the affirmative, bowing their heads to me as the new alpha. By birthright it should have been my sister, but she was pregnant now and Paul wanted her to try and stop phasing for good. Jared, Paul, Quil, and myself were the last remaining members of our once-mighty pack.

As the fireworks exploded over the open water, his howls and then screams went unheard by the rest of the tribe. Jacob Black was formally introduced to Pack justice.