"In your love, my salvation lies" – 'Orange Sky' Alexi Murdoch

'What are you doing here?' she thought, letting an instinctual growl lose beneath her chest.

"You looked like you needed a bit of help with this one," he responded out loud as he gestured to the girl pinned down by his arms. She thrashed violently against his grip but it was no use, she was trapped. "Are you alright? For being covered in fur, you looked like you were turning blue."

'Fine,' Leah retorted, angry and a bit embarrassed. 'Two more seconds and I would've had the situation under control if you hadn't come along.' She got up to her feet, a bit wobbly at first but made her way behind a tree so she could phase back to her human self while maintaining the last bit of decency she had. She quickly dressed in the clothes she kept in her pouch. When she returned, Edward was trying to talk to the girl he held in his grip.

"Where are the rest of your people?' He demanded, but all he got in return were her cries and wails to let her go. "Fine, have it your way," and he let the girl go. She stumbled at first, confused by his reaction before fleeing off into the woods.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Leah demanded, charging up to him as if she were going to attack. Edward didn't flinch but Leah could see he looked tired, even for a vampire.

"Don't you see the type of mind games the Volturi are playing on us?" he hissed back. "She was an innocent girl once, an innocent girl who made the mistake of walking down the wrong street on the wrong night. They know our soft spot, they know we're vigilantes and there's nothing we can do about that."

Leah sighed in return; she had obviously hit a soft spot in Edward's cold heart. She looked at him before looking shamefully down at the ground. She had to remind herself that this wasn't just the werewolves' battle; this was the Cullens' war too. They didn't ask for the Volturi to hate their very existence and their influence over other vampires. Then something clicked and Leah let the words tumble out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"But there is something we can do, isn't there? We have to put them out of their misery, right?" Leah said and saw the reflexive jerk of Edward's head at her words. "Edward, there's no saving them, there's no turning them back. These people were already suffering before they were changed. It's harsh and unfair and cruel but it has to be done." Leah hadn't realized it before but she was now speaking softly to him, like he were an old friend who needed comforting. "They can't help who they are or what they've become, it's our job to set the situation right."

Her mind wandered to Nessie, she couldn't help who she was or what she was made of. She was just another creature, an anomaly in nature that could never be duplicated. They were a tiny bit alike in cosmic and universal terms.

"You're right," he returned, looking down at the forest floor before looking up at her. It was the last thing she had ever expected to hear from Edward. "You are absolutely right."

An awkward air hung between them. Leah knew she should apologize and openly accept that this was not only the werewolves' fight but a fight for the entire city of Forks and La Push. She knew she had to say it but the old Leah that continued to live on inside of her held back the words with all her might.

"Come on," Edward said, softly patting Leah on the shoulder before turning back to the empty field. "Let's get this over with."

And that was all the apology and amends Leah needed to hear. She gave him a tiny smirk as she turned and made her way to the field.

--

"What took you so long? And what are you doing with him?" Paul asked, giving her a curious look as she joined the group. Standing closer, Leah could see everyone was accounted for except Jacob and Nessie. This worried Leah momentarily before she returned to reality.

"Never mind that, where the hell were you guys when I needed your help? I was just attacked by-"

"Attacked?" Quil stepped forward, his face was a sickly colored white and glistened with a fine coat of sweat. It wasn't like Quil to be nervous, Leah thought to herself.

"Yes, attacked but I'm fine," she said with a quick glance at Edward. "Where's Jake? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

"He is" Edward said, nodding to the forest lining that stood twenty feet before them. As if the woods had magically produced him into existence, Jacob stepped through the dark trees followed by Nessie and another being followed closely behind them.

"Hey, isn't that the kid from South America. The one that's like the demon ch-I mean, like Nessie." Leah said, craning her neck as soft whispers erupted around her.

"Yes, Nahuel. I had no idea he was here." Edward said stepped forward and meeting the group of newcomers half way. "We had no idea you heard our invitation, I was sure it was lost in your native land," Edward said politely to the newcomer. The young boy looked up at Edward and blinked kindly, like an elder regarding someone lower in class.

"Not at all, I hear everything and see everything. I've come to regard Reneseme as one of my kind, a rare and exceptional creature. I've come to join the fight to protect her and her family," he replied. Edward didn't respond to this compliment as Leah stood behind him, staring at this new creature. Rare and exceptional? Leah laughed inwardly, this child talked about Nessie as if she were some rare jewel or lost artifact.

Leah tried to make eye contact with Jacob but he stubbornly kept his eyes to the ground. It was the first time she had seen him since their kiss and it took all her strength to keep herself planted and not throwing herself into his arms. His posture and small grimace on his face told her he was not happy about this new turn of events. Nessie and Nahuel stood next to each other closely without touching, they reminded Leah of a smaller, paler version of Bonnie and Clyde.

"Come on, guys! They're going to be here any second," Carlisle said, stepped forward and breaking the awkward tension. "Jacob, I need your pack to shift, you're going to be on the outside to make sure none of them try to break out and run off to Forks. How many are there of you?" The question snapped Jacob out of whatever trance he was in as he shook his head before looking at Carlisle.

"Uh, last time I counted we had just about 2 dozen. That should be enough, we're a pretty resourceful bunch," Jacob said with a small smile Leah was sure was meant to be reassuring but failed. "Come on, everybody shift," he said and everybody made their way to the outlining forest to remove their clothing and change. Leah made a beeline for Jacob, his strides were so long and quick, which made it difficult to catch up with.

"Jacob, what hap-"

"Not right now, I can't talk about it right now," he said before abruptly turning and leaving Leah standing alone just outside the forest. She looked back at Nessie and Nahuel who stood closer together, their heads ducked together as if sharing a secret. Leah shook her head before stepping into the forest and shifting into her wolf form.

--

The surprise arrival of Nahuel threw Jacob off. If anything could make him angrier so close to such a dangerous battle, it would be surprises. Jacob had gone off to the Cullens' house where Nessie was being safely kept with her aunt Rosalie and uncle Emmett. When he stepped through the front door, Nessie bounded joyfully down the stairs and into Jacob's arms as if they were about to go off on one of their adventures. However, what came out of her mouth next changed everything.

"He's come, he heard daddy's message and he's just arrived. Come, Jake, I want you to formally meet him," she grabbed Jacob's hand and lead him upstairs. They found him in Carlisle's study, looking at the large mural that was painted on the walls. He was looking closely at the images of the old Volturi when Jacob and Nessie stepped through the door.

He formally greeted Jacob, shaking his hand and saying it was a pleasure to make his acquaintance but something about this vampire threw Jacob off. The way he looked at Nessie, as if drinking in her presence whenever she was in the same room. He would not be jealous of this small child; there was no time for jealously in a time of potential warfare.

However, as they ran to the clearing to meet the others, Jacob's thoughts continuously strayed to Leah. Hoping, praying that she was okay out in a forest filled with so many dangers and enemies. A small amount of remorse grew in his chest, knowing that at some time he would have tell Nessie the feelings he had for Leah. Feelings that were stronger than an imprint in a way, deeper and more natural than anything he's experienced in his entire life. He knew at some point in the future, they would need to sit down and have that conversation.

If there was a future for them.

--

The werewolves stepped out of the forest one by one, several remained on the outside and stationed themselves for battle. Jacob, Leah and Sam returned to the Cullens and their vampire companions who remained huddled in a small group. Each were wishing the other good luck, partners were hugging and kissing loved ones and Carlisle briefed his family.

"We may not all make it out of here alive," he said with a touch of sadness in his voice. "I love you all."

"Carlisle don't speak that way," Alice said, holding tightly onto Jasper's hand.

"Honey," Esme said, wrapped her arms around her husband and kissing him softly along his jaw line. Carlisle momentarily closed his eyes, letting the moment sink in before opening them again.

"I have all the faith in all of you. I know I've raised you in a way to know what to do and I just want you to know I'm proud of what we've done and what we're standing up for here," he said, a small smile on his face. He looked down at Jacob as he approached him and let his cold hand pet the top of his head. "Good luck to you and your brothers and sister."

Jacob blinked kindly at him before trotted over to Nessie who stood with her parents and Nahuel.

Leah stood where she was, alone in the crowd of loved ones and families that surrounded her. She watched Carlisle take his wife's face and stare into it for an unaccountable measure of time. She turned her head and saw Emmett simply holding Rosalie in his arms, while she looked like she would have tears streaming down her face if she could cry. She saw Jasper and Alice continuing to gaze lovingly at each other before returning her attention to Jacob and the remaining members of the Cullen family. Edward held his two girls close to him, Bella on one side and Nessie in the other. As Jacob approached, Nessie broke away from her parents and latched onto Jacob's neck. In her thoughts, Leah could hear the tiny prayer Jacob was citing in his head for everyone to return home safely and for all this warfare to be done once and for all.

After a moment, Nessie let go and Jacob began to head for his spot on the outside of the clearing. Leah followed, and stood next to Jacob as they waited for the Volturi to finally arrive.

The clearing fell silent, the only sound that filled the air was the sound of bubbling water from a nearby stream. The werewolves all stood in the back, each looking around and waiting to catch the sound of the first Volturi members to arrive. Leah couldn't help but glance over at Jacob, who stood proud and tall as he overlooked the clearing. She could hear the faint buzz from the thoughts of the werewolves that surrounded her; each were occupied with their own thoughts of the upcoming battle that stood before them. She just wanted a few moments alone with him but why did she have to come realize that when they could only have moments left.

'Jake,' she thought in his direction. His ears perked momentarily as a clear signal that he had heard her but he didn't turn his head. She continued to stare at him as tears brimming her wolf-like eyes but she forced them down, now was not the time to get weepy.

'Jake, there's so much I want tell you, I never knew … I never knew until she came into our lives,' Leah was obviously referring to Nessie. 'You knew it was never Embry, it could never be him because it was always …' Now it was becoming difficult to form strings of thought to send to Jacob but at that moment, he didn't need words of images to understand what Leah was trying to say. It was the overwhelming feeling that was radiating off of her and soaking him.

Before Leah knew it, Jacob had his bent down to hers as he rested his cheek against her in the form of a wolf-like embrace. Leah breathed in a steady breath and closed her eyes, savoring the moment and knowing it could possibly be one of her last happy moments on earth. There were no thoughts, no words or images either wolf were trying to rely on each other; it was just the thought of safety and security. The warmth of feeling each other so closely and trying to make themselves believe that they will overcome and leave this clearing as victors.

There was a whisper of wind that drifted through the field that caused all the leaves to flutter and shake. Everyone's heads jerked forward, breaking Leah and Jacob's moment, and they all faced the forest that lay in front of them. For a moment, it looked as if the forest were bleeding as red seemed to dissolve from the trees into shapes. However, the blood soon took the form of people in red cloaks as rows upon rows of pale-faced creatures marched forward. It was evident as the first few rows appeared that the Cullens were outnumbered greatly. However, most of the scarlet clad warriors looked worried, not as confident as Felix and Demetri who were the next to step out of the woods. Leah soon realized, by the smell that now hung from the air like bleach, that most of these warriors were new and part of the army of mental patients the Volturi decided to target. Deep inside, she smiled at this knowing that some of them will be easier to take out than others.

Jane and Alec were the last to enter the field, each flanked with their oversized bodyguards on either of their sides. It took Leah all her strength to hold back a snort of a laugh, the two bodyguards looked like ex-wrestlers with their watery, beady eyes and heads too small for their over muscled bodies.

The twins stepped forward, parting the sea of soldiers like a hot knife through butter and were soon in front of their pack as they stood on the edge of no man's land. Jane, her dark hair smooth and slicked down, had a tiny smile on her face. She looked like a child who was looking at her Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Leah dug her nails in the ground as she fought the immediate need to rip that smile right off the little girl's face.

"We want to speak to your leader, Carlisle," Jane called to her opponents. There was an immediate wave of protests with whispers of 'don't do it' and 'suicide.' Carlisle turned to Esme, giving her a last squeeze of her hand, before parting from his group and striding confidently across the field. He stood ten feet in front of the small twins, his posture casual but on alert.

"We are willing to make an offer," Alec said, his smirk mirroring his sister's so closely. "You know what we want and we're willing to make this easy and peaceful," the last word seemed so unnatural coming from his lips, Leah thought to herself. Something wasn't right, she knew someone was lying. "Surrender your family and come with us and we'll leave without hurting anything or anyone. However, choose otherwise, and we'll make sure no one leaves this field alive."

Leah could see Carlisle's shoulders tense up, he was always one for peaceful resolutions where the obvious solution was to take this royal family out for good. The air in the field seemed to thicken as Carlisle remained quiet, his head bowed down in thought or prayer, or both. He could not seriously be considering their proposition, Leah thought to herself. She looked around at the other members of the Volturi, each with their eyes drilling holes into Carlisle.

"No," Carlisle finally responded. "You can't do that, you can't take my family without a fight." He growled, on his heel as he was about to turn around and head back to his side.

"So be it," Jane responded cheerfully. There was a flash of red that passed behind Carlisle and it was all over before anyone could utter a scream of warning. Felix passed behind Carlisle, ripping his head off and running to the other side of the field before Carlisle's head was caught my Demetri and carried off as well. Carlisle never stood a chance, no one saw Felix and Demetri sneak around or the attack that was coming. Soon there was a tower of smoke behind the Volturi and the acidic smell that told them Carlisle's body was already burning.

Edward was the first to make a sound, a gutted noise like someone had punched through his chest and ripped out his heart. He didn't hear the thoughts among the buzzing thoughts of the entire clan before them. He never so much of a warning of an attack or that any harm would come to his father. Shouts of protests and anger were issued from the Cullens. Esme screamed curses of rage and revenge, being held by Rosalie who's face was contorted in pain and anquish. Leah's eyes soon found Edward, standing still as a statue with his wide as saucers as he stared at the place where Carlisle once stood. Bella clung to Edward's shirt, burying her face and hiding it from the horror that happened before her.

Leah looked back at the Volturi, both Jane and Alec's smiles remained the same as they witnessed the aftermath of Carlisle's death. "Can't say we didn't warn you," was all Jane said. These words seemed to snap Edward out of his trance, he put his arms around Bella briefly before turning around to the group.

"For Carlisle," he spoke vehemently and with certainty. This straightened everyone up, including Esme who looked murderous and ready for revenge. Everyone turned forward again as a growl issued through the werewolves, showing their allegiance to the Cullens and Carlisle. Leah saw Alec and Jane back away through their crowd of soldiers, who were also beginning to grow restless with words and tears. They were hungry for blood and would not wait much longer for it. She stopped briefly at Felix who looked pleased and excited.

"Nobody leaves alive," she told him, keeping her voice loud and clear for all those to hear. Felix's smile grew wider as the twins disappeared the growing fire. Felix's eyes never left the Cullen family, who now all stood tall and proud as they looked at their enemies. Blood lust was strong in their eyes.

"ATTACK!" Felix belted and unleashed the hell that was the newborns.

"FOR CARLISLE!" Edward yelled at almost the exact same time and the Cullens and all their allies rushed towards the newborns. Somewhere in the middle, the two sets of vampires collided in a massive explosions of shrieks and blood. Leah could hardly tell who was fighting who or whether or not they were winning. Several newborns escaped from the main scuffle and made their way to the wolves sitting on the sidelines. Leah watched as one-by-one, each of her brothers were overcome by enemy vampires. Before Leah could run over to help Quil, who was fighting an especially feisty one, she was hit hard in the side by what felt like a boulder.

"You bitch," the female vampire yelled and Leah recognized the girl from earlier. "This is all your fault! All! Your! FAULT!" she screamed in Leah's face as she attempted to pin Leah's arms down. She could slowly feel the air being pushed out of her lungs as the young vampire's grip tightened around her. She looked around her for some help but her eyes were too watery to make out any shapes.

The pressure finally lifted and Leah took in her first, deep breath of air before spinning around and watching Jake tear apart the young girl. 'Fire' Jacob thought at her, Leah nodded and began gathering kindle and wood to get the fire started as quickly. Thanking her dad for years of camping and roughing it in the woods and with the help from one of the Cullens, she was able to have a small fire going and kept building it with more and more wood. Soon, Jacob was tossing pieces of the young vampire, causing the horrible, acidic smell to fill the area.

Leah spun around, looking for Quil, and saw his body laying on the ground. A young male vampire was bouncing on top of the wolf's body in some version of a victory dance. Darting through the battle without being touched, Leah caught the vampire mid air and had his head ripped off and flying into the fire in moments. The fire was now momentous as its flames licked the sky. Leah turned back to Quil, expecting him to jump right up and get back into fighting, but the young wolf didn't move. His eyes stared blindly ahead and his body remained still. Leah nudged him hopefully, praying that he wasn't playing one of his tricks but his nose swayed before falling limply to the ground. Before Leah could turn around to get help, she was knocked over again by another young male vampire but this time she was ready and immediately kicked him off and into a near by tree, almost smashing it into bits.

--

Jacob stood back as he watched the terror unfold before his eyes. It was getting gruesome and he was beginning to have a hard time telling which side was winning and which side was losing. He saw Edward in the heart of the battle along side Bella, dodging blows but keeping both feet on the ground. It was too fast to keep track of, the vampires moved faster than the speed of light and Jacob couldn't keep up.

He saw his brothers were handling themselves quite well. He watched as Embry and Sam had attached themselves to each side of a vampire, tugging furiously as the vampire wailed in pain. Leah had had a little trouble before but Jacob couldn't focus too long on her, she was a strong fighter and he believed could handle anything that came after her.

Jacob realized he hadn't seen Nessie since before the battle. His eyes swept over the field but he could hardly tell the vampires apart. He raised his nose in the air and sniffed deeply but the smells of the Cullens and the Volturi were mixed so well together that it was too difficult to pull them apart.

Jacob watched as Edward freed himself from the hold of the vampire who had killed Carlisle, with a quick move that Jacob would've missed if he hadn't been staring, the large vampire's head was missing and Edward quickly threw it into the growing fire. He continued to throw bits and pieces of the body into a fire when Edward froze, staring ahead. Jacob followed his vision and saw the twins standing next to the fire, shock and dismay clearly evident on their faces.

The rage on Edward's face was nothing Jacob had ever seen before. He had always known Edward to be in well control of his actions and of his natural vampire instinct but while looking at the two individuals who were solely responsible for the death of his father, he seemed to forget everything. Edward began to charge forward but stopped almost immediately and jerked in pain. Jacob saw that Jane's hand was outstretched and curled, like she was grasping someone by the throat.

"NO!" Bella screamed, throwing off the rabid vampire who was trying to break her and ran towards Edward. Jacob forgot about his hiding place and ran forward, but before he could reach Bella, another wild vampire trapped her in her embrace and kept her still. She watched with horror as her husband jerked back and forth in pain on the forest floor.

That's when Jacob saw Nessie step forward with Nahuel by her side. Jacob was too shocked to see such a small, fragile little girl in the midst of death and dismemberment. Nessie paid no attention to Jacob and continued to stare ahead at Jane who looked bemused by the young girl's courage to face an enemy.

"You," Jane said, her smile wide and unnerving. "You are the reason this has all stared, your existence has caused death and war. Have you come to save your mummy and daddy?" she teased, laughing along with Alec manically.

Nessie continued to stare ahead, not saying anything. Jane immediately stopped laughing and stared at Nessie, but Nessie didn't drop to the forest floor withering in pain. Jane gasped in shock at this, looking wildly between Alec, Edward, Bella and her.

"You are not going to hurt anyone, anymore." Nessie demanded her voice steady but strong. She continued to stare at Jane, her eyes wrinkled in concentration. Jacob was about to step forward to help when he heard two gasps and shrieks of pain. His eyes immediately went to Edward and Bella but they remained where they were, eyes wide with shock as they stared ahead.

Alec and Jane were gasping in pain, doubled over as they wrapped their arms around themselves. They both stumbled backwards, seemingly being pushed by invisible hands until they stood at the edge of the fire that had burned so many of their victims including Carlisle. They struggled to remain standing against whatever force was trying to push them into the fire.

"How?" Jane gasped, her eyes meeting Nessie's briefly. Nessie didn't answer, instead she took a step forward that sent Alec and Jane flying into the fire where their painful shrieks heightened to unbelievable level before dying out in the cracks and sparks of the fire.

AN: Thanks for your patience! NaNoWriMo was a complete success (with 50,366 in 30 days! Woot!). There's one more chapter and this story is complete. I'm going to make it as juicy as I can so stay tuned! Again, I appreciate all your comments and constructive criticism! It helps out more than you know - Nicki