Chapter 9 – When the Levee Breaks

Hey my fellow readers! Hope u have all been well! My brain has been conspiring against me! Every time I try to do assignments its reminding me that I should play KINGDOM HEARTS 3 ! (which I JUST got in to! -_- I KNOW I SUCK!) Anyway here is chapter 9! Ive made it super longggggg BECAUSE I didn't want the anticipated meeting between Crista and Leah to be soo far away! SOOO it will be in the NEXT CHAPTER! PROMISE! This chapter should hopefully answer some questions – as well as make new ones -_- heh sowy! Thanks again for the wicked reviews! I only write because of you guys! So, thankyou heaps! Hope you like this! ^_^

Disclaimer: I've already mentioned that I don't own Twilight (except for 'Crista' ™ and 'Malila' ™) but I should also mention that I don't own the chapter title! LED ZEPPELIN does! (well the version i'm thinking of, other artists have songs with the same name as well)

Warnings: Maybe some swearing! (And YES it is FEMMESLASH! LAST TIME IM WARNING ANYBODY ABOUT IT! HATERS WOULD HAVE STOPPED READING AFTER THEY READ THE DISCLAIMER ON CHAPTER TWO! IF YOU DONT LIKE FEMMESLASH THEN I RECOMMEND YOU NEED THERAPY!) :3 ^_^

P.S SORRY about the weird page breaks and re-updating of the same chapter, my page breaks aren't working, so ive resorted to letters.

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Jacob's POV -

I hadn't seen the Cullens like this since the Volturi were here. Tense, angry and scared. Tense because we had no idea what we were facing. No idea what our enemy was capable of.

Angry; because our enemy would dare to hurt one of our own. Even though she hasn't been with us long, Crista already felt like part of the family, and was viewed in that way. From the day we met her, I guess you could say that we all felt it, felt that she belonged with us, belonged with our unique and crazy little clan. Our unique clan of vampires and wolves. Enemies turned friends.

Last, we were scared, because we had no idea how Crista was, and could no longer keep an eye on her. Why? Because Alice cannot see the future when my kind are involved in the mix. Though, it is weird that Edward can read our minds, even when we are wolves, yet Alice cannot see our future or a future that involves us. Strange.

We were all travelling. Heading towards our nation's capital. Washington D.C. And by the speed we were going we would probably be there by nightfall. Crazy vampires and their suicidal ways of driving. Don't they remember that some of us aren't immortal? Okay, let me rephrase that, don't they remember that some of us don't have a body as strong as steel, even though we are sort of immortal?

I was in Emmett's Jeep, (though I would have preferred we had taken the Vanquish) Emmett was obviously driving, even though I greatly protested, I was a much better driver. But that's for another time and place to discuss. Blondie was with us, along with Sam.

Behind us, in Edward's car, were Edward, Bella, Carlisle and Esme. Alice and Jasper were driving behind them, in the Porsche.

Seth wanted to come too, but we all protested that that was a big NO. I didn't want the kid to fight in unchartered territory. Nessie wasn't even allowed to come. She was at Sam's house with Emily and the rest of my pack, all staying together, just in case that whatever we were facing got out of control. And we couldn't endanger Nessie by bringing her.

Especially if Carlisle was freaking out, muttering something about this new enemy being more powerful than the Volturi themselves. I guess he was freaking out about Alice's premonition, I guess we all were.

FLASHBACK -

Alice POV –

"Jacob! That was an illegal manoeuvre!" Emmett yelled, as he pressed the buttons of the game control furiously.

"Was not! I beat you fair and square! You just won't accept that!" Jacob yelled back, engaged in yet another car race on the PlayStation. They had gone though almost all of our car games.

Boys. I don't get them. Thank God for that. At least Jasper was normal.

"How many times have you played this game?" Emmett asked astounded when Jacob yet again, beat him.

"My first time." Jacob stated arrogantly with a grin.

"Liar!"

This will probably end messy, as long as they take it outside. I don't want them ruining the flowers I just replaced around the living room. I'll kill them.

"Just admit it Emmett, I race cars better on PlayStation than you. Probably in real life as well." Jacob had muttered that last part, yet Emmett being a vampire had heard every bit of it.

"Oh really? That's it! Rose get me my keys, I'm gonna race circles around this wolf!"

"Get your own keys." Rose answered, as she flipped though a Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Aw babe! Where's the love?"

"Apparently on that stupid game machine!" Rose answered back hotly.

"You really wanna race Emmett? 'Cause I'd hate to see you cry when I beat you." Jacob said standing up.

"When you beat me? In your dreams! I have 120 horse power and 140 torque in that jeep! And I shall use it to kick your ass!" Emmett said, standing up and facing Jacob.

"What? I'm driving the Vanquish you idiot! It's got a V12 6.0 Litre engine, 400 torque and 510 horsepower!"

"... Rose! I'm borrowing your car!"

"No you're not. My car is a V6 Em, he'll beat you by a long shot." Rosalie answered smugly.

"You could use my car Emmett." I answered happily. Edward finally got me the gorgeous yellow 911 Porsche that I've been wanting since Italy.

"No thanks Alice."

"It's turbo!" I said glaring at him.

"It's a Porsche!"

"You bastard!" I yelled, how dare he insults my Porsche!

Oh woops...good thing Esme or Carlisle weren't here, they would've confiscated a few of my credit cards for using bad language.

"I'd give you my Volvo Emmett, but a) I don't want it totalled, and b) it's only a 2.5 litre, turbo charged, 5 cylinder. Just accept that Jacob has the biggest engine out of all of us and move on before you embarrass yourself." Edward said from the kitchen.

Emmett's eye twitched. He had, without a doubt, taken Edward's comment in two ways and felt that his manhood was at stake.

"Never! I'm gonna buy myself a Vanquish so that the race is fair and then beat you!"

"It's not the car; it's the driver that counts!" Jacob said.

"Spoken like a true driver." Bella added in, grinning.

"Bella! You too! Will know one support me around here?" Emmett asked, looking around. "Well if my girl Crista was here, she would've supported me!"

Doubtful, very doubtf-...oh my God...

I froze.

Jasper's POV -

Alice gasped. I was at her side in less than a second, with Edward not far behind me. Alice's eyes were unfocused, looking at something that was not of this place and time. I held her hands as she had her vision.

I could feel so much emotion radiating from her. Pain, sorrow, anger, hurt, betrayal. Edward, who appeared next to me, had the same far off look in his eyes. He was seeing her vision as well.

"Alice what do you see?" I asked her.

"Crista, she's gone..." Alice started saying.

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Emmett asked.

"She is going to Washington..."

"Why?" Rosalie asked impatiently. I growled at her, if everyone stopped interrupting Alice we may get our answers faster than this rate.

Rosalie got the hint and stopped herself before she rushed Alice, though not without glaring at me.

"She is running through the city...now the scene changes...I see her running into a building...she's angry...really angry...she opens the door and then..." Alice shook her head and looked down. "And then I see nothing."

I frowned at the situation. Alice's vision was oddly vague, not very detailed like all of her other ones.

Suddenly Alice stood up with an air of determination. "We have to save her!"

"Why?" Rosalie asked again, this time in search for a different response. "She's gone, she left us and she can take care of herself. She survived over 70 years without us. Let her go."

"You don't get it do you Rose? Think why I cannot see her all of a sudden." Alice growled, angry at Rosalie's words. I concentrated on Alice's aura, calming her down. When Alice was angry, she could get out of control if it was left to happen.

"How should-..."

"Wolves! The wolves have got her!" Alice yelled, though this time without anger in her voice.

"The wolves who have been hunting her?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes!"

Rosalie shrugged indifferently, "As I said, she can take care of herself, you remember that she is a vampire right?"

Alice growled at her, and I hadn't been concentrating on calming Alice down, I too would have gotten angry at Rosalie. I looked to Edward to explain what no one other than he, Alice and I seemed to understand.

"Rose, Crista barely made it out of her last encounter with them. She gets paralysed by wolves; she can't go near them, doesn't trust them and can't even be around Jacob on her own." Edward told her.

"It's true. She will only stay around me and Seth if Emmett or any one of you is around her." Jacob added in for good measure. "She can't defend herself against them."

"Oh..." Rosalie said, with a faint hint of shame gracing her features.

"Which means that if we don't go after her now, she will die."

END OF FLASHBACK –

Jacob's POV –

I hope we get there in time. It looks like we are going to have to teach some wolves a lesson, for forgetting that we only hunt red eyed vampires.

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Leah's POV –

This is so weird, weird and awkward to say the least. We both have so much to say to each other, yet neither of us will talk first. She dragged me here, so I will wait for her to speak.

Why is she avoiding looking into my eyes? What made her go from 'bitch' to 'self conscious and shy' in a matter of seconds?

I should probably say something first. Malila is stubborn. Where do you think I get it from? My parents? No. Most un-stubborn people you will ever meet, Seth took after them in that department.

Mum always said that Malila was a bad influence, yet she said this in a fond kind of way, all the way back to the first day we met.

FLASHBACK –

"Come on Leah, come little one, it will be okay, you have nothing to be afraid of."

"Ma, I don't want to..." Said a six year old Leah, hugging her mum's denim covered legs, in an effort to remain unseen by the person who was meant to be her teacher.

"Shy I see." Said a woman's voice. "That's okay, everyone is like that on their first day of school." The woman kneeled before Leah's mum so that she was eye level with little Leah. "Hello darling, my name is Miss Imala. Why don't you sit over at the back there? So that no one can see you."

Little Leah smiled gratefully. She didn't want people staring at her back. Her mum led her to the back seat which was already occupied by another young Quileute girl, as the desks were made to fit two people.

"I will see you in a few hours, Leah. You'll see, you will have so much fun today that time will pass by so quickly. When I come and get you, you will be upset to leave." Leah's mother kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the class room.

The teacher started her class, calling out children's names for roll call.

Leah sat back in her seat and felt a prickling on the left side of her face as if she was being watched, she turned to her left to see that the girl sitting next to her was staring at her.

"Hello". Said the little girl, grinning at Leah.

"Hi." Leah whispered. Not wanting to get told off for talking in class as it was apparently a bad thing to do, a tip her father had given her this morning before breakfast.

The little girl pinched Leah's arm.

"Ow!" Why did you do that?" Leah asked with tears in her eyes.

The little girl shrugged, "Cos I felt like it."

"Everything all right back there?" Miss Imala asked curiously, eyes focused on Leah.

Leah nodded, rubbing at the spot on her arm where the girl pinched.

"Is something wrong Leah?" The teacher questioned further, not convinced, as she noticed the tears in Leah's eyes.

"Yes, I poked my eye. But I'm okay." Leah said, rubbing her eyes for good measure.

Miss Imala simply nodded, obviously being naive to believe that a little girl wouldn't lie, and that Leah was stating the truth, she resumed calling out the class's names.

"You are good at lying. I thought you were going to cry. Why didn't you dob?" The little girl said as she stared at Leah in surprise.

"Cos I felt like it." Leah answered back glaring, giving the girl a taste of her own vague medicine.

The little girl quietly giggled.

"I like you already! Wanna be my friend?" She asked excitedly.

"Maybe." Leah responded, for some reason she liked this girl, even if she did just pinch her and nearly make her cry.

"My name is M-..."

"Malila Anevay." Miss Imala called out, interrupting the girl's introduction.

"Present!" Said the girl, before turning her eyes back to Leah, "My name is Malila."

"Leah Clearwater?" Miss Imala called out again.

"Present!" Leah called out, mimicking Malila. "I'm Leah."

"Cool. Hey do you think Miss Imala would cry if we put gum in her hair?" Malila asked excitedly, as she blew a bubble with the gum in her mouth to emphasise her point.

"If she had to pull the gum out she would cry. I would laugh." Leah answered, picturing pink gum in her teacher's hair. "But that's mean, Miss Imala has pretty hair." Leah said, looking at the Quileute woman who had gorgeous, long, black hair that stopped at her waist and was being kept out of her face by a green headband.

"Put it on her chair instead!" Leah whispered excitedly as soon as the thought had struck.

Malila's eyes filled with amusement and mischief. "Okay!"

END FLASHBACK –

Narrator's POV -

Safe to say that on Leah's first day of school, she received her first 'detention' or 'time out' as it were. Leah remembered her mother telling her off, saying that you shouldn't put gum on nice people's chairs. Leah's mother couldn't believe that her innocent daughter had befriended the class mischief maker.

Though, as Leah got older, her mother couldn't blame Malila for her actions anymore; though her mother should've been happy that Leah did listen to one word of her advice.'You shouldn't put gum on nice people's chairs.'

FLASHBACK -

"What about Katy? Prank her or not?" Chloe asked, as she took another puff of her cigarette. "I did see her snap at Ellen today in English. It was completely uncalled for."

"No, we don't bully people like that, only the smart asses who ask for it. She may be bitchy and somewhat rude, but she doesn't go around hurting anyone, so let her be. Plus, I think she has PMS, hence the 'snapping'". Leah responded, as she took a quick puff of Chloe's cigarette and coughed. "Urgh! I'm never doing that again! I don't know how you can stand it Chloe. It tastes awful!"

Chloe raised her hand, to stare at the cigarette being held between her two fingers for a few seconds before shrugging and taking another puff. "You wanted to try it. I didn't force it on you."

"Yes I know, but it still tastes like crap." Leah responded, as she put a piece of gum in her mouth to rid her of the taste of ash.

"Whatever, I like it." Chloe said.

"You would." Malila and Kaya responded in sync.

"Yeah? Well, it will rot your pretty face." Leah said.

"So you've been telling me the past year. But as I keep saying in response, the day the rotting will be visible is very far away." Chloe answered.

The four girls were sitting outside of their high school, as it was lunch time. Chloe was sitting with her back against a tree, out of view of the teacher patrolling, so that she could smoke, Kaya and Malila were sketching the mountains that were taking up the distant horizon while Leah was lying on the ground, resting her head on Malila's lap.

They were known as the school's 'Justice League'. A nickname they had received in ninth grade for beating up one of the school bullies who was unnecessarily picking on one of the new boys in the sixth grade.

They were the four girls no one messed with, even though the group consisted of two art freaks, one blond bombshell and a wolf obsessed girl, they were all tough and very hard to intimidate. Different, yet alike and very loyal, this is what made them such a strong group of friends. Friends, being the only ones in the whole La Push high school, who happened to love wearing black jeans and nicely fitting flannel shirts or band t-shirts, it was the '90's after all, and they seemed to embrace it well.

For a while, Malila had been the leader, but when she attained a sudden interest in art, that role went to Leah. Kaya joined the group because her and Malila met in art class and became good friends while Chloe joined because she was saved by Leah.

A few years ago when Chloe had moved to La Push from New York City, one of the school bullies at the time, Tyson, had cornered her in an empty corridor and forced himself onto her, trying to kiss her.

*/*/*/*/*

Leah had just so happened to have forgotten a book in her locker, leaving Malila at the entrance of the school as she retraced her steps back into the building. Leah reached the corridor finding a scared Chloe pressed against the wall as Tyson was a mere few inches away from Chloe's lips.

Leah acted without a moment's pause. "Hey Tyson!" She said, standing behind him.

"What?" He asked, turning around, clearly not recognising who the voice belonged to.

Leah grabbed Tyson's shoulder's and kneed him in an area that would weaken any man for a good few hours.

"That's what." Leah said, before grabbing Chloe by the hand and leading her towards the exit of the school.

"Wh- why would you do that?" Chloe asked, astonished that someone had helped her.

"Why would you ask such a question?" Leah asked, astounded.

"I'm not Quileute, I'm only half Cherokee and I'm blond." Chloe said, looking down at her moving feet. "I've been picked on all day because I'm different."

"Well me and mine won't pick on you. It doesn't matter if you're Quileute or not. You shouldn't be bullied just because you're different. I'm Leah by the way. Hang with us, we'll protect you." Leah said smiling at Chloe. She could see why Tyson found her appealing. She was a blond Cherokee girl, very pretty and different indeed. And she was petite, making her an easy target.

"I'm Chloe." Chloe said, smiling back at the first person to be nice to her all day.

"Nice to meet you." Leah said as they exited the school and met up with a confused looking Malila who was expecting her friend to return with a book, not with a girl.

"Where did you get that from Leah? I want one." Malila asked amused as she eyed Chloe up and down. Malila had come out that she liked girls two years ago. Most people didn't take it as a surprise, saying that Malila did overcompensate with bad ass behaviour and attitude and that they saw it coming; especially because she was such a feminist.

*/*/*/*/*

"I might get my tattoo here Malila." Leah said from her place at Malila's lap, placing her wrist under Malila's nose. Malila, who was still sketching the mountains, paused for a moment, staring at Leah's wrist.

"Which one?" Malila asked.

"The wolf one." Leah answered.

All three girls rolled their eyes.

"Yes we know the 'wolf one'. All of your tattoos are going to be of wolves, but which one out of the five pictures that you showed me will it be off?" Malila asked.

"The one where it shows only the head of a wolf howling at a full moon, and it has a tribal tattoo added to it." Leah answered happily.

Malila rolled her eyes again. Leah loved wolves way too much.

Yet it was probably because Sam Uley, from the other class, wore a wolf pendant that caused Leah to sigh like a love sick puppy every time she spoke about wolves.

"Okay, I'm officially bored. Can we hit anyone today?" Chloe asked. The girl had changed a lot since joining the group. She wasn't as shy and introverted anymore and she actually enjoyed fighting, yet she didn't ever hit anyone unless they hit her first. She may enjoy violence but she wasn't an idiot to start a fight.

"I don't think so..." Leah began but was interrupted as a girl named Nara, from a year below came running towards them.

"Leah..." The girl huffed as she tried catching her breath. "Jacy from the 12th grade is about to beat up Istu!"

"'Sugar Daddy'? Why?" Malila asked. Chuckling at her nickname for Istu, as 'Istu' literally meant 'sugar'. Something that, because of Malila, he would never live down.

"Because Istu 'came out' a few days ago that he was gay and Jacy is a homophobe!" Nara yelled in panic.

"Oh hell no! That won't do!" Malila said, seeing red, as she slammed her art book shut and pulled Leah up with her.

"Ladies, it looks like we do get to beat someone up today, after all." Leah said.

"Oh hell yeah!" Chloe yelled, excited, as she took a long puff of her cigarette before butting it out.

Kaya simply rolled her eyes, and shut her art book, "Great. I just bought this t-shirt as well".

"Can it sister, we got some ass to kick!" Chloe said to her. "And there are plenty more Guns n' Roses t-shirts where they came from."

"Not in this neighbourhood." Kaya muttered.

"Nara, lead the way." Leah said, as the girls ran after Nara, leading them to a bully who soon won't be able to walk for a week.

END FLASHBACK -

I was brought back to the present when I heard Malila crying. I did a double take. Malila crying? Malila rarely cries. She has only cried a few times in her life and according to Malila I was the only one who bared witness to all of them.

Now I felt helpless. How do I comfort someone I have bad history and unresolved issues with? What if she doesn't want me to comfort her? Why is it I feel uncomfortable about doing so?

'This isn't about you.' Said a voice in my head. I sighed, I guess not, for the time being.

I slowly approached Malila, making sure that my footsteps were noisy so that she knew I was approaching her, as she had her back turned to me.

"Malila?" I asked, with uncertainty.

"Malila." I tried again. I was right behind her now. I was so close to her I could almost feel the heat radiating from her body.

I raised a shaking hand and gently placed it on her shoulder. The contact must've brought her out of her revere, as she landed on her knees onto the floor, crying. I retaliated how I always use to during those rare moments when Malila cried, I landed on my knees behind her and hugged her, resting my head on her shoulder.

Some people don't want to be touched when they are this upset, some want to be left alone, yet the ones who are so insecure and unsure of their worth, always appreciate physical comfort, just like Malila, they like to be reassured in their weakest moments, that someone will always be there.

This was how it had always been between us, we would always touch each other, hugs, arms around the waist, rest our heads against each other if we slept during class, there wasn't a physical boundary between Malila and I.

It used to be second nature to me...yet...not anymore, for obvious reasons. Funny though, with Malila that I could easily slip back into old habits and feel comfortable about doing so. In that moment, I felt like me again.

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Narrator's POV –

'She isn't putting up much of a struggle if you ask me.'

'Well we didn't, so shut up.'

The wolf pack was carrying a petrified Crista through the dark halls of a building that has long been abandoned.

The leader was walking in front, leading the pack to the room their boss would be in. Two wolves had their teeth sunk into Crista's arms, securing their hold on her, while two other wolves had the same secure grip on Crista's legs. The four wolves worked together in carrying the vampire, whose eyes were staring up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself down.

Another wolf was walking behind, just in case Crista had found a way to break free.

'We are here.' The leader spoke, his voice heard in the minds of his pack. The leader halted in front of a large wooden door, he froze as he concentrated on turning back to his human form.

The man then opened the door, without hesitating to knock, he knew his boss knew they were there, the boss knew everything. He gestured with his hand for his pack to follow him inside the dark room.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here..." a handsome voice said, its' source hidden in the shadows. Suddenly every single light in the room ignited, revealing an incredibly large meeting hall, with a long, oval shaped table situated in the centre. The table had fifty chairs surrounding it, at the head of the table stood two vampires, a male and a female, the male looking straight at Crista, with a small evil grin gracing his features.

They looked like every vampire the wolves had come across, pale, beautiful and evil. The male's hair was breathtaking; it was extremely long and layered, reaching his waist and was silver in colour. His silver hair contrasted well with his pale skin and blood red eyes. He had a strong, tall build and muscular upper body.

The female was equally as breathtaking. She had the same blood red eyes and pale skin, golden blonde hair that was just as long as her mate's and she was just as tall as her mate as well. Side by side, the pair projected an air of oppositeness - ying and yang, different, yet equally as powerful.

The wolves holding Crista let out a low growl, the male vampire nodded in confirmation, eyes never leaving Crista's face. The wolves released their hold on Crista, throwing her on the cold, hard floor.

Crista winced in pain, her arms and legs had punctures from the wolves' teeth; but that was the least of her problems.

She knew she was in major danger, her senses kept going haywire, like alarm bells that won't stop ringing. Her survival instincts were telling her to appear threatening, show the enemy that you are strong, don't show them your fear. Yet her mind was telling her to run, because she was way out of her league here, and will probably end up dead.

Crista chose to listen to both. She had landed on her back when the wolves threw her, so she rolled over and balanced her weight on her knees and palms, like an animal crouching before it attacked. She let out a low lion's roar, her most powerful sounding animal, as her eyes and ears helped her brain find the closest exit route.

"My, you are intriguing aren't you?" the male vampire questioned, as he continued to run his eyes all over Crista, analysing every inch of her.

Crista let out another roar, her eyes boring into the vampire's, showing him that she wasn't afraid.

"But you are, aren't you? And unfortunately it's not of me, it's of them..." The male vampire said, nodding his head in the smallest of gestures towards the wolves standing behind Crista.

Now Crista's fear of the vampire was starting to become existent, how did he know what she was thinking? Was he just like Edward?

The male vampire smirked as if confirming her thoughts. The female vampire looked towards her mate, and he broke his gaze from Crista to look at her too. They kept staring at each other, but not in love or admiration, it was as if they were in deep concentration. It was as if they were conversing through thought, just like the wolves were able to.

Suddenly the male stepped forward, approaching Crista without caution or care. This startled Crista; no one ever approached her with so much confidence.

Since becoming a vampire, Crista was always approached as if she was a vicious animal. Caution was taken and one's guard was up, in case she would attack. That all changed with the Cullens, yet it still was something she wasn't use to.

The vampire stopped within a meter of Crista, arms at his sides, open and unguarded, as if waiting to see what Crista would do.

Crista did...nothing. She waited. If you want to take down an enemy, examine them, watch their every move, allow them to make the first move. First move indicates what fighting style or position they prefer, it can help you to identify their weakness, (or weaknesses if you were lucky).

The vampire kneeled down before Crista, which surprised her even more, as well as making her even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"I'm Aramis, Crista." The vampire said confidently, showing Crista that his position of apparent vulnerability did not bother him in the slightest.

Crista was scared, that much was obvious, but she was now scared for a different reason, just how did Aramis know her name, when she had yet to speak it out loud?

Aramis smirked at Crista and then nodded with his head towards his mistress who was still standing where he had left her. "That is Simara."

Crista did not look away from Aramis to glance at Simara, not once. She had already seen what the vampire looked like before, there was no need to glance back at her and let down her guard, all for the social form of introduction where one normally glances at an introduced person to acknowledge them.

Aramis stood up, and circled Crista, examining her even further.

"You don't say much, do you?" He asked from behind her.

While he was behind her, Crista used the opportunity to glance around the room subtly, trying to spot a possible exit route. She found one. Now she just had to calculate her odds of reaching the open window without the wolves, Aramis or Simara reaching her in time.

The chances? A million to one.

Aramis reached to the spot he had stood moments before, in front of Crista.

"You haven't changed yet, have you?" Aramis asked, while looking into Crista's eyes.

What did he mean by that? Change? Yet? Crista had to get out of here, she felt as if those eyes could read her, read right through to the core of her soul. And she didn't like that one bit.

"Not much of a talker? That's okay, I can fix that." Aramis smirked with confidence, as if he knew exactly how to make Crista talk.

Torture? Already? Crista had figured this as much. That by the end of this she would be either brutally tortured to the point where she can't even move, or dead. No one would save her. She liked the Cullens, but she hadn't been with them long enough for her to be deemed as important for rescuing. And she couldn't blame them.

If Crista had to choose, she wouldn't rescue herself either. Between the Cullens and herself, Crista would have chosen the Cullens. She wasn't worth saving. She was broken, damaged beyond repair. But if this was going to be her last few moments on Earth, if this was going to be her end, then she was going to make it such an end.

There was no way she was going without a fight. Closing her eyes, Crista mentally prepared herself, and her body. She could feel her senses tingling, as if they were over exerting themselves, awakening to the complete capacity and potential, ready for battle.

She felt the inner animal that she was, she was going to lose herself to this animal, and let it take over her. She was not going to fight fair, but fight viciously. Every animal that existed was waiting for her call, locked up inside of her, waiting to come out.

Crista could feel them, and they were angry for being threatened, for being put in such a situation as this. Crista opened her eyes, and smirked, there was no way she was going to die without leaving her mark on this Earth, if she had to take this building down with her, along with the Aramis, Simara and even the wolves, then she would.

Aramis walked back towards Simara, who held out a piece of paper to him, which he took. Before he turned back around to face Crista, her last few thoughts were that she wasn't afraid of the wolves when she let herself become her inner animal.

Pity, if she had figured this out beforehand she could have killed the wolves before all of this, before running into Forks, before meeting the Cullens, before dying.

But Crista figured that maybe dying wasn't so bad. She would hopefully see her family again, or maybe she won't, considering that she is damned. She may not have killed them, but she had wanted to. She figured that in God's eyes, that wasn't acceptable. And she was okay with that.

It was what she deserved. Crista didn't want forgiveness, or mercy, such things didn't matter to her now, she just wanted more than anything to wipe that smirk off of Aramis' face.

Aramis was facing Crista once again, paper in hand. "I wonder, if seeing this will cause a reaction from you?" He asked, flipping the paper around to show a coloured image. It wasn't paper, it was a photo.

Crista froze upon seeing the image. She studied it and then put two and two together. She saw red...

Crista let out a loud lion's roar and leapt into the air, aiming for Aramis. Just as she was a mere inch from him, he lifted his free hand, his palm facing Crista, and Crista froze. Yes, she froze in mid air, Crista couldn't feel anybody touching her, holding her in place, for a second she actually thought she was dreaming, or even dead.

She tried looking as far over her shoulder as possible and saw that the wolves were indeed not holding her, though they were crouched, ready to pounce.

Crista turned her head back to look in front of her. Aramis had an evil smirk on his face.

Aramis curled his fingers inwards, towards the center of his hand and Crista felt one of the worst pain's she had ever experienced in her life. It was as if an invisible force was going through each bone in Crista's body and breaking it.

Crista was thrown to the floor where she writhed in pain, she would not scream, no matter how bad the pain got, she wouldn't scream, because screaming would make this real.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Leah's POV -

"Damn you, Clearwater, damn you..." Malila whispered as she shed the last of her tears.

She had gripped my arm the entire time I was hugging her, when she retracted her hands, you could see half moon marks from her nails, embedded into my skin. I could see them from over her shoulder.

Malila noticed them as well, and gently ran her fingers across them, as if memorising yet being sorry for what she caused on my skin.

However she stopped when my werewolf abilities healed the marks, leaving my skin smooth again. Malila frowned and shook her head, as if deciding to not ask me how that happened, as if deciding it didn't matter, as if she knew.

My eyes went wide as I was too scared to move. Shit! She saw me heal! She saw me heal! It was so fast and done within a matter of seconds, that there was no way I could lie my way out of it if she questioned me about it.

"Relax Leah, why so tense?" Malila asked, with a small trace of venom in her voice.

"No reason." I responded nervously. "Are you okay?" I asked trying to change the subject.

Malila scoffed, "Don't try and change the subject." Damn, she still knew me too well.

I breathed out a sigh and placed my forehead against her shoulder blade, "I...it's just that...this...this here...it's been too long..." I said, indicating to our current positions on the floor.

Luckily I was also a good liar, not even Malila knew when I was lying.

"Yeah...it has." She answered back with a sigh. I instantly relaxed, grateful she bought it. I kept my arms around her. I didn't want to move, so I buried my face in the crook of Malila's neck and breathed in. I had missed this, missed her scent, missed her voice, missed everything about her.

"Leah..." Malila whispered softly, "Don't...please...stop..." she said, practically begging, her voice strained, as if she was in pain.

"Malila?" I questioned. What was wrong with her? Why did being this physically close suddenly disturb her? It was never like that between us before.

"I can't...I just can't..." Malila said, I couldn't believe how broken she sounded, what was causing her this much pain?

I stayed silent, too scared to move.

"You have no idea, do you? You never did...you have no idea how much I'm hurting inside..." Malila whispered. She then turned her head so that she could look over her shoulder and into my eyes, "Do you know what it's like to love someone you shouldn't? To love someone you know you could never have?"

Before I could frown, or move, or question her, I felt more than saw Malila's hand hold onto my chin and bring my face towards hers.

"Do you know how painful it is?" She whispered, before closing the gap between us, our lips touching in the most tender kiss I have ever been given.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Narrator's POV –

"Scream for me Crista, the pain is only going to get worse, so I will eventually torture it out of you. Come on, I want to hear that pretty voice of yours." Aramis said.

Crista wondered what the hell Aramis would gain from hearing her voice. Whatever the reason, she was not going to comply.

"Crista!"

Crista heard her name being called, but it was her imagination. That voice...that voice wasn't here. That voice was miles away, back in Forks, safe.

"Crista! Are you okay!"

Great, now the torture was racking her body so much that it was causing her brain to malfunction and give her hallucinations. Just perfect.

"Stop it! You're hurting her!"

Bella? Why the hell was Crista having hallucinations of Bella for, of all people? Shouldn't her dying moments be with her seeing her mother or father, or someone from her old life? Isn't that how it worked?

"Obviously, isn't that the point of torture?" Asked Aramis' voice.

Crista heard Bella give out a growl. Or was that Crista herself? She wasn't sure, the pain was becoming far too much, there was a moment or two a few seconds ago when Crista was handling the constant ongoing pain to her body, 'mind over matter' right?

Crista had shut herself off mentally so that her brain wasn't attuning to what was happening to her body.

Bloody Bella had to bring her back out, damn it! Why couldn't Aramis had just killed her already instead of torturing her in hopes of hearing Crista scream.

Crista wouldn't scream, no she wouldn't. She would not make a sound, because that would mean Aramis had won.

"Bella! NO!"

Edward too? Just what in the world were they doing here? Couldn't a girl die in peace?

Crista then snapped open her eyes, Bella and Edward's voices had fully re-awoken her senses to what was happening around her, she had just heard six more footsteps enter the room, which meant that there was ten people who didn't belong here, who should've been far away from here.

This was a rescue! Crista had not for one minute anticipated a rescue, she looked after herself, had saved her own hide countless of times, no one had ever rescued her.

Crista was still on the floor, curled in a ball, as pain was coursing through her body. She could feel her skin cracking even more, from the pain, from her muscles tensing. Crista wondered if her body would actually fall apart from all this broken skin.

Aramis raised an eyebrow at the new company.

"How did you ever find this place?" Asked Aramis with amused curiosity.

"You aren't great at covering your tracks. Let's just put it that way." Esme said with a little arrogance.

The Cullens all glanced at Edward for a moment, and anyone who knew the family would know that they were waiting to see what he could read from Aramis' thoughts, but all they were met with was a disappointingly confused Edward. They knew that face by now, they knew Edward couldn't read Aramis' thoughts.

"Hmm, seems your arrogance can be justified Esme, I guess I was rather sloppy."

Carlisle didn't like the fact that Aramis knew Esme's name, not at all. He stepped forward, standing in front of her.

"Calm down Carlisle, I won't hurt your precious mate. It's not Esme I'm after, it's her." Aramis indicated to Crista who was still struggling with the pain. "In fact, if you all leave now, me and my own won't hurt any of you, and that's a promise."

Aramis eyed all of the Cullens, who seemed to have paused at his words. 'Good, they are thinking things through.' He thought. Little did he know, they were all thinking of a plan to get out alive, Crista included.

Crista was noticing that the pain was subsiding a little. It seems that for it to be completely effective, Aramis' attention would need to be solely on her.

Carlisle was doing some very fast thinking. 'There is no reasoning with this man. We need to leave from here. There is Edward and Bella, they are the closest to Crista, if they could pick her up and carry her out. We are covered with the wolves. We just have to watch out for him.'

"I wonder where my dogs have got to." Said Aramis, sighing as he sat down on his chair and leaned his cheek against his knuckle, projecting boredom and nonchalance, when quite the contrary; Aramis was on high alert and having the time of his life, he lived for moments like these. 'This is fun...' he thought with relish.

Edward smiled mockingly, "You are not the only one with the wolves as allies."

"They are not allies. They are forced to be here." Aramis said with a hint of pride in his voice at achieving such a thing.

"That's not something to be proud of, that's just plain sad." Said Emmett, with disgust as well as determination, he was eager to kick this guy's ass.

Carlisle caught most of his family's eyes and they all nodded, and dashed out. Everything happened within a heartbeat.

Edward and Bella ran for Crista, and picked her up. Jasper and Emmet, as some of the strongest in the family, stood in front of Alice, Rose and Esme, as Carlisle ran straight for Aramis, hoping to distract him until Crista was safely taken through those doors.

Two things occurred to the Cullens at once. Number one - Aramis was a lot more powerful than he was letting on. Number two – they were all way out of their league.

All of the Cullens flew into the air and were pushed back by an invisible force, up against the wall, where they remained stuck and unable to break away. Aramis did this, without so much as lifting a finger.

"Good, now that playtime is over..." Aramis muttered. "The serious stuff can begin."

Aramis walked over to Crista, who had been dropped when Bella and Edward were thrown against the wall, and knelt beside her.

"Crista, we can do this in two ways, either you start talking now, or I hurt your beloved rescuers here until you talk. Either way, you will speak to me. I want to hear that voice of yours. Since you obviously won't scream, at least say something." Aramis spoke with a little impatience, the first sign that he was starting to crack; he hadn't expected Crista to hold out this long.

Crista kept her mouth shut, even when Aramis increased the pain going through her body, what was a little extra pain now anyway? Her body had received so much. It was almost a numb kind of feeling...almost.

Aramis rose an eyebrow at Crista's tolerance, "Very well, if you will not speak on your own behalf..." He started calmly, "...then you will for theirs!" Aramis stood quickly and rose his hand once again, except this time, there was no invisible force. No, this force was very noticeable, much to the Cullen's dismay.

A ball of fire had emitted from Aramis' hand, before moving forward at top speed, towards the direction of the Cullens. It surrounded them, covering them in a hollow ball of fire.

This was no comfort to them, as fire is one of the things that vampires are really afraid of, it was the one thing that could permanently destroy them. Every vampire knew this, and Aramis cleverly used it as a weapon against his own kind.

Crista's eyes went wide as she watched the Cullen's disappear from view as the fire covered them completely.

"My God, Emmett!" Rose whispered in shock, though it was at least two metres from them, the Cullens were in a cave made of fire, it was getting hot very quickly.

"Shh, it's okay." Emmett said, attempting to sooth his mate.

"How can you say that? We are all going to die!"

Emmett shook his head, "Have faith Rose, we'll be okay..."

"You are mature at the wrong times, you idiot!"

Emmett chuckled, "Love you too, babe."

Aramis was watching Crista's shock and fear with enjoyment, "Say something, or they die..."

Crista didn't say anything, she couldn't, after 70 years of not using her voice, she couldn't speak, it was almost like she had forgotten, and she was also scared.

Scared of what though? What was so scary about speaking again?

Aramis was now getting annoyed. He had not anticipated this entire event to take so long. He increased the pain coursing through Crista's body, a push for her to speak. Still nothing.

"Fine..." Aramis said, raising an eyebrow as he turned facing the fire ball, increasing the intensity of the heat surrounding the Cullens.

Alice and Rosalie gasped at the increase in heat, even though the fire wasn't touching them (yet), their clothes were starting to burn.

Bella had even tried to use her shield against the fire. She figured that if it was coming from Aramis himself, then it was just another vampire ability she could protect her family from, but no such luck.

The heat, it was too much, it was becoming unbearable. If the Cullens weren't so good at tolerating pain, they'd be screaming in agony by now. But honestly speaking, they had put up with much worse in the past.

From the day they were sired, to Esme falling from a cliff, Edward being tortured by Jane, Emmett being mauled by a bear or from Rosalie being on the brink of death, no thanks to her ex-fiancée and his friends, - the Cullens could handle the pain, it was just the goodbyes that were too painful to handle.

"We're going to die..."

"This is it..."

"I love you."

"Me too..."

Aramis kneeled before Crista again, and lowered his head so that he could whisper into her ear, "This, this right here, will be all your fault, it's not as if I'm asking you to do the impossible, but have it your way..."

Aramis lifted his hand towards the Cullens, to increase the fire for the last time.

"Say goodbye to the Cullens, Crista. There is no peace where they are going."

Aramis closed his eyes and opened his hand, palm facing the fiery prison.

"Don't."

Funny how one simple word can have so much effect when spoken by a particular person, especially when said sound was presumed to be a hallucination. Had that word really been spoken? Or was hope playing a trick on them?

It seemed the whole world had stopped at that point. Everyone froze. Time was on a standstill, taking a break for a moment or two.

Everyone just stared at a single point in the room, at Crista. Her mouth opened for the second time, moving and making a sound, they weren't hallucinating. Crista was actually speaking, for the first time in over 70 years.

"L-leave...my f-family...alone", It came out as a mere, weak whisper, but it was heard by the room full of vampires, nonetheless.

Good thing that when someone is frozen in shock, whatever they were doing beforehand stops as well. Crista wasn't feeling anymore pain, and the fireball? It had disappeared, revealing eight very stunned and very grateful Cullens. Who were no longer pinned to the wall, but were standing on their own two feet.

Aramis was frozen in disbelief. That was his second mistake, letting his guard down. The first, was threatening Crista's family. Crista had no self love, she couldn't care less what happened to her, but people she cared about were a different story altogether.

Crista jumped up and crouched on all fours. She threw her head back and roared her favourite roar, the lion again, the strong, proud lion. The king. It was about time Crista showed Aramis just who he was messing with.

Crista dived at him. Catching him off guard, this was convenient as it wouldn't have worked if he was expecting an attack.

She knocked him onto the ground, smashing a hole in the floor with his back.

Crista aimed a punch at Aramis' face, starting the battle between the two. As they fought, Carlisle and Emmett ran straight for Simara, as she had already started running to her mate's aid. The rest of the Cullens followed suit.

It was vampire against vampire, fighting like the animals they were claimed to be. All fighting in a cat like manner, with growls, and teeth and nails, with the speed and velocity no human could possibly muster.

"So, you are not completely useless after all?" Aramis asked as he pinned Crista to the wall, the same wall that had held the Cullens to face their almost fiery death, moments before.

Crista growled at him and swapped their positions, with Aramis facing the wall, his back to Crista as she grabbed a handful of his silver hair and pulled his head back, before slamming it hard into the wall.

Crista then brought her face close to his ear and whispered, "I don't even know why you are after me in the first place."

Aramis let out a soft chuckle, "Hn, perhaps we should get to that conversation then, shouldn't we?" He said before ducking onto his knees and swinging around so that he could push Crista by her legs, sending her flying across the floor, coming to a halt in the middle of the room.

"The sole reason I've been hunting you after all these years, Crista, is for revenge."

Crista glared at him, just what revenge was he talking about? She hadn't done anything to him.

"You see, the day you were sired, you killed someone who was, I guess you could say 'important' to me."

Crista remained still, waiting for Aramis to finish.

While this was happening, the Cullens had managed to corner Simara, who had proven that just because she was as elegant and graceful as she appeared, didn't mean she didn't know how to fight dirty.

Simara punched the floor, as the Cullens were nearing her, creating a seismic type of reaction as the floorboards came out of the floor in a wave, leading straight to the Cullens. It had happened so fast that it had managed to send Emmett, Jasper, Esme and Bella into the air. The faster ones were still standing as they had jumped over the floorboards in time.

Alice grinned at Simara, "You're not the only one who can fight dirty." She said as she pointed to the area at Simara's right. Simara knew before she even looked, Emmett, Jasper, Esme and Bella were standing right there.

They had purposely let themselves be thrown into the air, aiming their bodies so that they could fly against the ceiling, landing as close to Simara as possible.

As Simara processed this, Alice used Simara's distraction to grab a hold of a large log, which had a burning ember at the end of it, from the fire place that was right next to her (after all there was a reason why they had cornered Simara in this particular part of the room).

Alice flung it into the air with as much speed and strength as she could, creating the glowing ember to become a flame once more. She then ran a semi circle in front of Simara, dragging the flame across the floor, making the broken floor boards catch alight. Now she was cornered, with four vampires and a high and fast growing flame.

Alice held onto the flame, just in case, and smirked at Simara, "Now what?" She taunted her.

Simara held her ground, and raised her hand, palm open, just like Aramis. The fire started to die down.

"What the...?" Emmett started saying, confused.

"You think I can't defend myself like Aramis can? We are equals after all..." Simara's alluring voice whispered, before she closed her eyes, causing large icicles to appear over the flame, slowly killing it.

"Alice, go!" Carlisle said, nodding to Alice.

Alice got the hint and ran, lighting up everything with the flame as she went. They couldn't win this, so they had to take down the building and get the hell out of there. Just like in war, if the situation cannot be sustained to your advantage, retreat to higher ground, or retreat to reform and then strike again.

Crista rose an eyebrow at Aramis' words.

"Not sure who I am referring to?" Aramis asked, "Surely you remember, he had hair as long as mine, black, he looked like me in a way. Deep voice, tall, strong and red eyes."

Crista wasn't putting description to a face just yet.

"Perhaps I should point out that he is the one who sired you, as if you could have forgotten your...killer."

Crista froze, no, she had purposely forgotten the vampire who had changed her, ruined her life for eternity. Now that Aramis had said it, she did remember his face, only barely. Though Crista preserved her human memories as much as possible, reminiscing on them nearly every day so that she wouldn't forget her happiest moments, she did block two days from her memories, so that she couldn't accidently stumble upon them.

The first was the moment she had realised she was no longer human, and the anger that she felt, and the other was of how her own family had looked when she found them mauled in their own home.

"Isn't it funny, how so many of our paths connect without us knowing?" Aramis continued talking, as flashes of Crista's buried memories were rising to the surface.

She was starting to remember, his long dark hair, his face, the shock on his face when she attacked him, his body in pieces, the fire, she even remembered when he introduced himself...

'"Crista is it? You can call me..."'

"Xiras..." Crista muttered under her breath, Aramis' ears perked at what he heard.

"So, you do remember...and his name was Xiramas. I don't understand why the idiot preferred Xiras."

So Aramis knew Xiras? Well enough to want to avenge his death?

"He was my brother you know."

Oh, guess that explained why Aramis was after Crista in the first place.

Aramis let out a sigh, "Yes, it was a pity he had to die, really inconvenient for me. You set me very far behind on my plans. You've caused me a lot of trouble the past 70 years, Crista."

A pity his brother had to die? Did he not care at all?

"You see, once upon a time, my brother was just as powerful as me, yet he didn't care for his powers as much as I did. He didn't see the importance of them, he was incredibly naive. We had a disagreement, so he left and pursued the nomadic lifestyle. This almost ruined me, as I needed what he had but didn't want. So, naturally, I sent the wolves after him. It was like a game of cat and mouse, so to speak. When my wolves did eventually return they came back to me with an incredibly amusing story. Crista... do you know what they told me? They said to me that my brother had sired himself a mate, who turned on him and killed him. You Crista were able to kill my brother. That is why you are here. You are a complete mystery. I intend on studying you. I want to see what makes you 'tick'. I want to know how a newborn was able to kill a vampire as powerful as Xiramas. Don't get me wrong I have my theories. I just need you here so I can prove them right or wrong. Then I have myself a powerful weapon."

So that's it then? That was why Crista was hunted for all those years. Not because she was alleged to have killed her family, but because her ability to have killed Xiras was something astonishing. Well, she wasn't going to be anyone's weapon, no way in hell.

"Oh, by the way, don't bother feeling any regret on killing Xiras. Call it an eye for an eye if you will, he did kill your family after all..." Aramis had timed it perfectly, he knew saying those last words would have an extreme effect on Crista. He was too right.

The Cullens paused for a moment, during their own battle, in disbelief, as Aramis' words reached their ears.

Crista eyes widened as her brain froze, processing Aramis' words, processing everything. It all came back to her now.

The way Xiras smelled. Now, with horror, Crista realised why his smell was so alluring to her after she had turned. He smelled like blood, yes, but it was blood she had known. Her family's blood, technically and literally on Xiras' hands.

It was that smell she had remembered, even after killing Xiras, which helped her to track her house, right where her family were.

Aramis and Xiras were brothers. Aramis would pay. In a way, it was partly his fault her family were dead.

Crista didn't think about it, because she knew Aramis could read her thoughts, she just acted. After all, an animal's motives were a lot harder to predict.

Crista crouched, and let out a low growl, before pouncing on Aramis once again. She fought with a new level of ferocity, tearing at him as much as she could.

"I'm sick of this..." Crista said to Aramis as she had managed to snap his arm, "...this ends now."

"I say whether we're done or not! You are going nowhere!" Aramis yelled, as he threw Crista at the ceiling.

Crista caught the chandelier, and prepared her body for the jump off. Aiming herself at Aramis, she leapt at him with such speed that she was a mere blur.

The fire that Alice had lit around the room was starting to pick up. During the commotion, Alice had slipped out of the room and started a fire in every other part of the building she could reach.

She made it back in time to see Crista throw herself at Aramis from the ceiling. Alice signalled Carlisle, who nodded in response.

The building was close to collapsing, they had to grab Crista and get out now. Plus it didn't help that they could hear fire engines in the distance, excellent; someone just had to report the burning building.

The Cullens all looked at each other before they fanned out; some working their way around the fighting Aramis and Crista in order to reach the exit and keep it clear, while some stayed with Simara, making sure she didn't move. This left Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett to handle taking Crista from Aramis.

Just then the floor beneath them cracked in half, creating a crater like shape into the floor as gravity was starting to affect the upper levels of the building. The sight they met froze all the vampires, except for Aramis and Crista who were too busy concentrating on each other.

The large hole in the floor revealed the burning lower levels. It was like staring into the pit of Hell itself. It sent chills down the frozen vampires, as they had never seen fire like this before.

"You think fire will scare me? My abilities circulate around fire, it is my element. I am not afraid of it!" Aramis said as he knocked Crista to the centre of the room, before pinning her to the ground, her head half hanging over the fiery pit. "But you are, aren't you Crista?"

The side of Crista's lips curled up into a smirk. She didn't think anything. No, she wanted to have the pleasure of telling Aramis herself.

"Actually, I'm not afraid of fire, Aramis. It's one of those things that I have never been afraid of...and never will. My star sign is a Leo after all, so fire..." Crista head butted Aramis, who flew back into the air, "...is also my element. It's going to be hard for you to kill me or intimidate me."

Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle ran as fast as they could, catching Aramis as he fell. They held onto him, waiting for Crista.

"Crista, now!" Emmett said, as he, Jasper and Carlisle snapped Aramis' limbs.

Crista ran and punched Aramis right in the centre of his chest. The impact causing the porcelain skin on his face to crack, resembling Crista's face, which had now accumulated even more battle wounds.

Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper then let go, as Crista held onto Aramis' shirt and fell on her back, taking Aramis with her. She drew her knees to her chest, so that her feet were planted onto Aramis torso, and she kicked, sending Aramis flying over her, and falling into the fiery pit.

"No!" Simara yelled as she watched her mate disappear into the flames. She ran after him, and Edward let her, as he watched her jump into the pit.

Somewhere below the building, there was another explosion. Carlisle sniffed it out straight away, his eyes widening, "The flame's hit a gas tank! Everyone run!"

Jasper and Emmett held onto Crista's arms and ran together, straight for the exit. Edward and Carlisle caught up with them. Thankfully Rose, Alice and Bella had remained at the exit, holding it open, as the ceiling was trying to cave in on the open doorway.

The Cullens and Crista ran down the long corridor, when they reached the end they bumped into two figures. They didn't attack. They recognised that particular smell anywhere, both parties did.

"Hey what's-..." Jake had started to say before Bella had grabbed him and Sam by the arms and pulled them along.

"Just run, talk later." Bella said with urgency, as they headed towards the back of the building.

Just as the Cullens, Crista, Sam and Jacob had reached the open door, the gas tank had exploded, sending the eleven of them flying through the door and into the air, as the building closed in on itself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Leah's POV -

After a moment, when my body finally caught up with my brain, I pulled back, gasping in shock. Actually, shock was an understatement. I was downright fucking gobsmacked.

I touched my lips, which were still tingling from the sensation of being kissed. Or were they tingling because Malila had kissed me? Whatever the reason, it had been the first kiss I had received in a long time, the first kiss since Sam, the only kiss beside Sam.

I looked into Malila's eyes, she grimaced, as if she had done something wrong and was awaiting her punishment. I acted without pause. I placed my hands on her shoulders, turning her around so that she was fully facing me. Then I placed my hands on her cheeks, keeping her head from moving away.

"Why?" I whispered, placing so much meaning behind that one word. Why did you kiss me? Why me? Why now? Why, after all this time?

"B-because... I l-love you..." Malila said, closing her eyes as a tear shed down her cheek. I kissed her cheek where the tear was and then pulled her head against my chest, hugging her.

Malila was in love with me, somehow, I think I always knew that, from way back, after she came out.

"I'm sorry." I said, as I rested my head on top of hers. Its' funny how, with the right portrayal, the word 'sorry' can either mean an apology or a rejection. Malila could clearly hear that mine was the latter.

"I know...I always knew that that was the way it had to be..." Malila said. After a moment she tried to pull away, but I held on tighter.

"I'm sorry." I said again, this time meaning it as an apology. I'm sorry for never realising, I'm sorry that I left you for Sam then left you again for the pack, I'm sorry I put you through so much pain.

"I know." Malila said again, I could clearly hear 'I forgive you', laced into her words.

"You should've said someth-..."

"When, Leah?" Malila calmly questioned, "When you developed a huge crush on Sam, which also happened to be the year I 'came out'?" she said those last two words with distaste, "Or when you stopped hanging around with us to follow after Sam and his pack."

I froze, she said pack. She said pack! She could've used any other word, any word to describe Sam's 'friends' and she said pack. She knew, didn't she?

"I've known for a while, Leah." Malila said pulling out of my embrace so that she could stand up. I remained on the floor, eyes on the ground. I didn't want to see her reaction, her disgust. Her hand came into my line of vision, waiting for me to take it, and I did.

I stood up with her help, she then pulled me over to her bed, where she sat down, tugging on my arm for me to do the same.

Once I had sat down beside her, I finally lifted my face from the floor, looking into her eyes.

"When?" I asked her, when did you know that I could change into a fricken wolf?

"Two years ago. I did some digging and figured it out. It wasn't that hard Leah. Once you got over the whole thing being 'impossible' and actually started believing that in life some unexplainable things were possible, it was easy to piece together."

"Still doesn't explain how. What was your first clue? What made you want to investigate the situation?" I asked her, shaking my head slightly, I couldn't believe she knew, after all this time.

Though it wouldn't have made a difference, considering Sam ordered us with his almighty Alpha abilities not to breathe a word of this to any outsiders. Still, it would've been nice to be able to go to someone after a difficult day and just be with them, with the knowledge that they know what you're going through. I will get Sam for this.

"Well, firstly, you cut your hair. I remember how much you loved the length of your hair; it was nearly at your waist. Then, the next thing I know is that you've chopped it to reach a few inches above your shoulders!"

"Is that all? That's a vague clue, Malila."

Malila sighed, "No, it wasn't the clue that led me to the final answer. It was just a starting point that had me paying attention to your life."

I nodded my head, indicating for her to continue.

"I think what did it was that fact that you were different. You weren't yourself anymore, you were so...lonely and...and -"

"And a bitch?" I said, with dark humour. It was when Sam had dumped me and dad had died.

"No Leah, you weren't...you aren't a bitch. You were depressed. You weren't with Sam anymore and everyone heard that he left you for Emily, and then your dad died...oh God, Leah...your dad...I'm so sorry..."

I couldn't say anything, Malila's words were hitting home pretty hard...

Malila let out a long sigh, "What it comes down to is this...you are not a bitch, no matter what anyone says...what you went through must have been so painful for you...if that pack of yours says differently then let me at them, plus they are men, poor things that have going against them. How I found out? When Chief Swan's daughter...Bella is it?" Malila paused for my nod of confirmation,

"When Bella disappeared into the woods, a few years back, there was talk of the 'cold ones' leaving Forks. With Sam finding her, and with our local La Push idiots celebrating like the bunch of adolescent males they are, I figured that the stories must be true. That vampires and werewolves, and everything else that goes bump in the night, might actually exist. Plus it made sense from the book I read..."

"What book?" I asked, interrupting her for the first time during her speech.

"Some book on Quileute legends that I found at a bookstore in Port Angeles."

"You brought a book on Quileute legends?" I said with a teasing smirk.

Malila rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up, I knew the elders wouldn't tell me shit, so I had to, didn't I? I mean, it's not like my parents believe it, unless of course they kept it hidden from our generation with exception to the ones who have the wolf gene."

My smirk melted off of my face...

"Wait a minute Malila, if you knew, or had some vague idea of what was going on, why did you treat me like shit?" I asked accusingly, which was fair enough, she can't tell me that she knew what I was going through yet let the fact that she avoided me slide.

Malila's eyes widened at my question, "What? Hang on a minute Leah, you stopped talking to us, remember? You didn't show up for Chloe's birthday, or Kayla's, or even mine. You just stopped talking to us altogether, as if our friendship was something that never existed. Did we not mean anything to you?" Malila asked with hurt lacing through her tone and her eyes.

I looked down in shame. Yes, it was my fault, I could have put in some effort to even try, but with Sam, Emily, the newborns, everything...it was all too much. I made my girls think I didn't like them anymore...I am a bitch.

"I'm s-sorry..." I whispered, my voice breaking, betraying to Malila that I was holding back tears.

I felt arms wrap around me, hugging me, it's been a while since I have been hugged, again my own fault, I rarely let anyone touch me.

"There, there, none of that. I don't want you to cry Leah. It's okay. We are talking again now aren't we?" Malila asked, her voice soothing the tears that were trying to escape.

I nodded.

"Well, there you go...no need to worry."

I smiled, just faintly, but it was still there, on my face. Malila had forgiven me, now I just had to work hard to re-build this friendship. I wasn't going to keep things hidden from her anymore, plus I'm under a new Alpha's command, and Jacob would never force us into something like Sam, so I won't be betraying my pack.

"You seemed, just so... angry. I didn't think you wanted to see me ever again..." I let it out, because it's what I was thinking. I had thought Malila had stopped caring for me, caring whether I was alive or dead.

"Idiot, I was angry and hurt, because I missed you and we weren't friends anymore. Didn't mean I stopped caring Leah, otherwise I wouldn't have been so angry; instead I would've just acted indifferent."

"You did act indifferent."

Malila fixed me with a look, and I remembered that look, it was her 'this is the way it is and that's final' look. "I wasn't indifferent on the inside, just on the surface, end of discussion."

I nodded. It was all I could do. Malila's eyes were also starting to droop, she was tired. If I wasn't a wolf, this conversation and everything I felt in the last half an hour would've also tired me out.

"Someone's sleepy." I said, grinning a little in a mocking sort of way.

"Shut up, I am not." Malila said before yawning and looking away, in hopes of hiding her yawn from me.

"I saw it." I laughed at her.

Malila shook her head, "I don't want you to leave yet..."

"Who said I was going anywhere?" I asked.

Malila looked at me a little surprised, "You'll stay?"

"Sure, I can spend the night."

"It won't...weird you out in any way?"

"What?" I asked confused, just what was Malila referring to?

Malila looked down, apparently finding the floor interesting to look at while she picked on a loose cotton thread that was on her blanket, "You know, sharing the same bed, after you found out that I...um...you know..."

I rolled my eyes, "Malila! I still slept in the same bed as you after you came out! Why would it make a difference after what you just told me? If anything you should be uncomfortable, not me."

Malila shook her head, "No, the closeness won't bother me. I know you're off limits."

"Don't word it that way..." I said, frowning at her choice of words, 'off limits', I scoffed on the inside.

"Sorry..." Malila whispered, looking down again.

I sighed, I shifted my position on the bed and lay back, against her pillows.

"Come here..." I said to her, holding out my arms open for her, waiting for her to enter the embrace.

Malila looked at me and then raised an eyebrow as if asking if I was serious or not.

"Get your ass here Anevay!" I said impatiently.

Malila smirked and lay down on to me, her back against my chest. Her head just reaching my jaw, so that she could bury her face into my neck if she turned around. Malila always liked sleeping like that, it made her felt...'hidden', yes, hidden and safe, that was the best way to describe it.

I wrapped my arms around her so that they rested on her stomach; she placed her hands over mine. Unfortunately this was as close as we will ever get physically, it was all I could give her and that made me feel guilty, because Malila deserved to get whatever she wanted, even if it was something or someone as pathetic and broken as me.

I realised that we never reached the topic of why I was crying outside of her house in the first place. We went completely off topic; typical. But I guess the most important things got spoken out first. It is better that we both emotionally adjust to what happened between us tonight, before I spill anything else about my messed up life.

I turned my face to look down at the head resting on my collarbone.

"Malila..." I whispered, half hoping she was already asleep, the other half hoping she was still conscious enough to understand and remember what I was about to tell her.

"Yeah?" she answered back sleepily.

"I just want you to know, in any other lifetime, any other situation or scenario, it would've been you. It would've been no one else but you." I said against her hair.

"Thankyou..." she whispered before completely dosing off, with a small smile on her face.

I felt bad that I didn't love her, that I couldn't when I had the chance, but you see, the thing is, even if I could go back in time, I still wouldn't have changed a thing.

Because in the end I would've become a wolf, ruined our relationship because I couldn't tell her, as she wasn't my imprintee, and then I would've broken her heart when I would have left her for Crista. Just like how Sam left me for Emily.

Meeting Crista was inevitable; it was our fate and destiny to meet, it was unavoidable. And I would rather I make Sam and myself suffer through the ugly ending of our relationship a thousand times over than ever leave someone like Malila for a girl I imprinted on.

I love and respect Malila too much to ever put her through that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Narrator's POV -

Crista opened her eyes after her hearing clarified that her surroundings were safe. Even though they were vampires, and even though Crista wasn't afraid of fire, it didn't mean she wanted burning embers flying into her eyes. She already couldn't heal, she didn't want to see what would happen if her eyes burnt.

"Crista?" Came Alice's voice, as she held out a hand to help Crista up, "Are you okay?"

Crista nodded and took Alice's hand, standing up, and then turned her attention away from the Cullens, Jake and Sam, who were all starting to form together next to her.

Instead, Crista watched the still burning pile of rubble that the fire fighters were putting out, where Aramis' and Simara's ashes were somewhere buried, as everything that she and the others had been through tonight accumulated her thoughts.

The blast had pushed them all into the small forest located behind the building, lucky, as the sun was starting to rise and it would have been very hard to explain the sparkling skin to any human who laid their eyes on them.

Standing there and watching those flames, Crista, somehow, felt free. Not happy, but like a few things were starting to make sense, which lifted some of the weight she carried off her shoulders. It was nice... a nice feeling.

"Yo Jake! You took your sweat ass time getting to us." Emmett said to the young wolf next to him.

"Dude, we went up against a pack of wolves, just Sam and I, two against five!" Jake said, defending himself and Sam.

"Yeah, and you have been up against newborns, so hypothetically speaking, you should've kicked their asses in no time at all." Emmett said with a triumphant grin.

"Emmett! They were at least sixty years older than us! That's sixty years of experience, of fighting you icy pale faces! Comprehendo?"

"Icy pale faces? Dude! That name sucks, even blood suckers or leeches has more charm."

Jacob rolled his eyes, "I will work on it."

"So, that battle was, uh, different." Bella said, as she made her way over to Edward, who placed his arm around her.

"'Fire...is also my element! It's going to be hard for you to kill me or intimidate me.'" Emmett said dramatically, causing everyone to laugh, and bringing Crista's attention back to the present. "Damn Crista, you talk tough! Nicely done girl!" He said before slapping Crista on the back with pride.

Crista rolled her eyes at Emmet and shook her head, smiling along with everyone else. Then a thought occurred to Crista, wiping the smile off her face.

What now? What will she do with her life, now that she wasn't on the run from anyone hunting her? Her whole vampiric existence had been revolved around her running, what does one do with themselves when they have nothing to run from?

She had nowhere to go, no one to go to. These melancholy thoughts really depressed her, hitting her like a massive wave.

Then Crista felt something else, a wave of happiness washed over her. She looked over at the Cullens, Sam and Jake and put everything together. She wasn't alone, not if she really wanted to be. But how does one ask such a question like the one that was lingering on her mind?

Jasper stood next to Crista and whispered in her ear, so that only she could hear him.

"You know, you could just ask." His southern accent voiced.

Crista turned her head to glance at him, and grinned at Jasper gratefully, before sucking in a breath of air and turning towards Carlisle and Esme.

"I...I know I don't... d-deserve this, but...I was wondering if...I-I mean only if it's okay, if I could be a part of..." Crista let out a sigh and looked back at Jasper, who just smiled at her and nodded for her to finish her sentence, she turned her head back around towards Carlisle and Esme again, "...of your f-family?" Crista asked, head held down.

"There's no need to ask Crista, you've been part of this family since the moment you almost out did Emmett in strength." Carlisle said gently, with a smile, his words causing Crista's head to snap up, eyes opened wide, holding disbelief and happiness at their acceptance of her.

"Hey! It was raining! And there was mud!" Emmett said, trying poorly to defend himself.

Everyone chuckled at this.

"Anyway, we have a habit of adopting trouble makers into this family, hey Bells? So you'll fit right in, you couldn't possibly bring as much trouble as Bella did anyway, so don't worry about it, now sweat new sis." Emmett said, with a grin, which was quickly wiped off his face when Bella stomped on his foot. "Ouch! Hey!"

"You did ask for it..." Rosalie said as she tried without much success to wipe the soot off her clothes. "Crap, this won't come out."

"Rose, picture it like this, at least now we have a perfect excuse for shopping!" Alice squealed with excitement.

"Like we ever needed a reason to begin with." Rose answered.

"Yeah well, still, and we can shop for Crista now too! Yes! A whole new wardrobe!" Alice exclaimed while fist punching the air.

"Don't worry, shopping with Alice isn't as bad as everyone says it is. But Crista, you are welcome into this family on one condition..." Esme said, causing Crista to stiffen from nervousness, "You let us hear that beautiful voice of yours more often." Esme smiled at her and lightly and quickly gripped Crista's chin, in a motherly and affectionate way.

"Promise." Crista said, her voice holding so much gratitude to her new family.

"Welcome to the pack." Said Jacob with a toothy smile.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Narrator's POV -

The sun was high in the sky by the time the burning rubble had died down completely. Ash starting lifting from the ground, moving like a vortex, in a circular pattern, until it started to focus at one point in its centre and glow, after a bright flash burst outwards, a solid body had formed.

A solid body made up of long silver hair, red eyes and extremely pale skin. Said figure looked at his surroundings, the burning rubble that once stood as a building.

He lifted his hand before him, palm out, causing a pile of ash to rise, and spin like a vortex, just like moments before. As he saw the sight of his mate forming from her remains, he smirked at his thought; his future was looking to be even better.

"You think this is over?" Aramis asked to no one in particular, "Not a chance..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Readers! I'm sooo sorry! I know this was waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy overdue! So much has happened the past few months, besides uni and exams driving me nuts, I was struggling with myself a lot, about the person that I am, I finally 'came out' to my best friend, she is the only one who knows now. Scariest thing I've ever done, ever. Only problem is, is that I told her when she was drunk because she knew I'd been telling her for ages that I had something important to tell her and when she's drunk, she is persistent as ...um anyone persistent you know, well times that by 100! -_- Anyway, she called me the next day and said, 'You know that thing you've been meaning to tell me? Well I remember you telling me it, but I don't remember 'what' you told me.' -_- seriously?

I have the WORST luck! I refused to tell her on the phone (no way I was going through THAT again anytime soon!) as she asked me what it was, and I said to her, it will come back to you, and when it does, if you are still interested in being friends, you know where to find me. She calls me two days later and that conversation lifted a massive weight that I've been struggling with for 2 years now, off my shoulders. I love my bestie, she is amazing and soo accepting and should be a psychologist for the advice she gave me was BEYOND her years! ^_^

So I hope this long ass chapter had made up for some of the wait, I will try and update more regularly, it's not like I don't write at all, i write snippets whenever inspiration hits! I've already written future scenes as well as the ending of this plus a scene that will surprise you when you eventually read it! Anyway, thanks for putting up with me. Obrigada! And HEAPS of love! ^_^

Ps. Character name pronunciations –

Aramis – A-rai-mis

Simara – Sim-ai-ra

Malila – Muh-li-la

And I would put one up for Xiras, but how the HELL does one spell the sound that the letter X makes at the beginning of a word?

I put these here because when I read fics i tend to pronounce names wrong and then when I learn the pronunciation correctly it annoys me because then I have to adapt to saying it the right way (which I force myself to do until I get it right).

For instance –

I use to read 'Sasuke' (from the Naruto manga) as Sa-su-key (coz i read the fanfiction for Naruto BEFORE I read the manga or saw the show), instead of Sas-kay.

And when I read Twilight for the first time (God this is embarrassing) I read Carlisle as Car-lis-lay, instead of Car-lie-il. -_- (I know I suck) :D