A/N: As promised, I'm updating again, to make up for the long wait last time. Thanks so much for all of your reviews, I got some really helpful suggestions. Keep them coming!!
I was even more reluctant to have my family partnered with the villainous creatures, whose ulterior motives frightened me even more than their past attempts at claiming my life, when they revealed their conditions which we would have to agree to in order to have them fight with us. Demetri insisted on being put in charge of our army, Carlisle, desperate for a chance to prevent his family from being harmed, aquiesced. Admittedly, Demetri was a good leader, and evidently had experience in the field. He immediately set out to make preparations, having troops sent over from Italy through frequent contact with their leaders and placing spies on werewolf territory. In fact we had no disputes whatsoever concerning the running of the army until two days before the war was scheduled to begin.
"I've drawn up some diagrams regarding strategy," Demetri announced, impressively quickly after the boundaries had been established, "I want your family to look them over before they're finalized." He always made a show of acting as though we had some measure of influence over the commandment of the army.
"Now, naturally, I thought it best to have some of our finest members in high positions, but of course it is your war, so I've divided the army into groups with one of us and two of you at the head of each. Theyre fairly small groups. I've colour coded each group. Blue is Carlisle and Esme, red is Edward and Bella, purp-"
"What? Did you say Bella?" Edward's thunderous roar shook the house nioticeably.
"Yes…" Demetri continued slowly, clearly confused and wondering whether Edward was insane.
"NO," Edward snarled, "Bella's not fighting. You can't do that!"
"Sorry, we need her for numbers," Demetri shrugged, nonchalantly. I gaped at him, too appalled to express my feelings on the matter.
"Carlisle! Surely you won't let them do this!" Edward protested.
"what do you want me to say, Edward? I can't put Bella before the rest of us! Look at our current situation. If they don't help us we will all die. I think I've indulged your overprotective nature quite enough." Carlisle snapped.
Edward stood up, the powerful movement sending his chair speeding backwards into the wall, creating a dent. Punching a gaping hole in the wall to indicate his frustration on his way, he stormed out of the house , breaking into a run in the front yard. I stood more slowly and carefully, but I did damage the house further as I leaned on the table for support. I backed away from everyone, nervously, shooting furtive glances at each of the solemn faces around the room. Then I turned and darted out after Edward, ignoring the uproarious argument commencing as I sprinted away.
I didn't know which way Edward had gone, so I distracted myself by hunting small, easy prey for an hour or so. While stalking a young buck, I heard a distant crashing sound. Curious, I headed towards it until I found the source of the noise. Edward was there, knocking down trees, his fists a white blur as he unleashed his intimidating fury on the defenseless forest. He turned when he caught my scent, his eyes softening quickly to the warm golden yellow that made me trust him so completely, but not before I caught a glimpse of the passionate anger and helpless frustration burning deep within them.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you there." He apolgized.
"You did what you could," I replied quietly.
:"I just can't understand it!" he seethed, "How could they expect someone who has only been one of us for a few days to fight werewolves? You have no experience, no time to even experiment with your abilities. And now they're separating us into groups. I won't even be able to protect you if we're supposed to be ordering people around"
"You don't need to protect me. I'm stronger than you are anyway. I can fight better than you can, probably," I mumbled dully.
"It's not that simple. It's not about who has the most strength. I was a new vampire when I fought my first werewolf and I'm sure that I would be dead if Carlisle hadn't been there to help me. I don't know what to do. I can't let anything happen to you!" he shuddered ad pulled me close, and I could tell that he was afraid to let me go.
"The world just isn't going to leave us alone, is it?" I speculated with a touch of bitterness, "Every time I turn around there's some new danger tring to force us apart. This war scares me so much. I wish there was a way out of it."
"It's not the fighting that you're worried about, is it," Edward percieved.
"Yes and no," I admitted, no longer meeting his eyes, "I am terrified. I'm completely terrified at the thought that a werewolf could be ripping my throat out in two days" Edward cringed and looked nauseous. "But to me, the enemy isn't just the enemy. They have lives and families and they were really good to me last spring. And Jacob…I know I won't have to fight him, Our friendship means that much to him at least, but anyone else on our side could be fighting him. He means as much to me as any one of you…well, I do care about you a little more Edward, but if anything happens to Jake, I can't deal with it! And I don't know if he can ever forgive me for fighting his brothers."
Edward said nothing,. He simply tightened his hold on me and I felt, for the first time, that he was truly beginning to accept my friendship with Jake,
The night before the battle was scheduled to begin, everyone was far too nervous to focus on their everyday occupations and everyone sat idly around the house, in tight, anxious little groups. Edward had finally given up trying to play his piano when he hit his fifth wrong note that evening. We all saw this as a bad sign. He had joined me, Alice and Jasper and we were all crammed together on the small loveseat. We all took comfort in each other's presence and nobody was willing to move. Alice and I were seated on Jasper and Edward's laps, but the lack of space was still such that Alice and I overlapped and her arm was overtop of my shoulder. For a long time, no on made any attempts at conversation.
"What is wrong with me," Edward burst out suddenly, "How can this be affecting me so much?"
"Calm down, we're all nervous," Alice told him kindly, "You're no worse than anyone else."
"I am!" he persisted, "I can't hear your thoughts Alice." He paused, "Or Jasper's!" What are we going to do? Now we won't know wat the werewolves are planning?"
He concentrated intensely, his eyes narrowed, ignoring the rest of us, but it wasn't until Alice and Jasper got so annoyed with his sulleness and stood to leave that he finally regained his mental link with them.
The battlefield was a vast territory, mainly composed of the Cullens' hunting area, which was far enough away to prevent us from being heard by the humans in Forks. The discussions between our leaders did not last long and I took this to mean that they hadn't established a lot of rules. This did nothing to comfort me. I stood rigidly at the front of the group that Edward and I led, staring fixedly ahead, unseeing. Edward brushed my hand gently, his kind touch sending a jolt of warmth radiating up my arm. Then, Carlisle gave the signal for the fighting to begin and the various mythical creatures surged towards each other with a ferocity I wouldn't have thought possible.
An unfamiliar wolf leapt at me, obviously thinking me an easy kill and I was overcome by a putrid stench which assaulted my nostrils and rendered me temporarily paralyzed with shock and fear. I closed my eyes and let him come, unable to do otherwise, but the powerful jolt that knocked me to the ground did not come from the direction I was expecting.
"Bella! What the hell are you doing? Defend yourself!" Edward roared as he sprang up and attacked the wolf who had tried to kill me, murderous with revenge. I ran into the shelter of the trees, and scaled one of them, hoping to ambush one of the wolves from above. I figured the element of surprise could give me a much needed advantage. As I surveyed the little individual skirmishes scattered throughout the forest, from my perch, I deduced that the groups that Demetri had designated for our army were meant more as an insult to the enemy than any kind of real strategy. The organized ranks of our side were meant to suggest that we were more civilised than the enemy; once the battle really got going, the speeds at which both sides were capable of traveling made it impossible to stay together in groups.
I failed dismally in my attempts to surprise the werewolves. They could smell me from so far away that I had no choice but to meet them head on. I managed to fend off three or four of them, avoiding fatalities on either side. The fifth was so ferocious, that I was forced to destroy him in fear for my own life. I was horrified with myself and could barely face everyone when the battle ended for the day.
While we enjoyed the luxury of not needing to sleep, the werewolves were not so fortunate and we extended them the courtesy of stopping to let them rest each night at seven o clock. Every morning we met at the same meeting point as the first day. Each day, I grew more and more miserable as the deep hate that I naturally felt towards he wolves drove me to kill more and more of my opponents. They all seemed to think I was weaker than I was. No one anticipated my strength, which surpassed everyone else on the battlefield's. I Got the feeling that the werewolves from LA Push didn't trust their foreign mercenaries very much but whatever the reason for their ignorance, it made it simple for me to destroy all the monsters that crossed my path without assistance. It's a god thing I was able to manage so well on my own, since the rest of the family was constantly busy fighting their own battles elsewhere, even Edward, who I had expected to tail me persistantly, no matter how hard I tried to be independent.
I tried to avoid the Quileutes whenever possible, since they were the only ones aware of my superior strngth and also because they were furious about my betrayal to their kind and to Jacob. I had several close calls, but one in particular stands out in my memory. I was creeping along in the forest hoping not to run into any wolves, when I caught the faintest scent of an enemy and then something smashed into my chest and hauled me backwards sending us both tumbling silently into the bushes.
"Don't move," growled a low voice, indiscernable through clenched teeth. A white hand clamped over my mouth and I realized that it was, in fact, another vampire hoding me firmly down. Suspecting one of the Volturi, I writhed and struggled fiercely against my captor.
"Are you trying to get us both killed?" he hissed irritably in my ear. He released his grip on my mouth as I ceased my thrashing, and I was able to turn to face him, confirming what I already knew. It was only Edward, trying to protect me from whatever was coming.
"Don't breathe" he commanded, almost silently and I obediently cut off my oxygen source, His arm was still across my chest, restraining me, but I no longer attempted to fight him. Instead I pressed myself as far back against his chest as possible, staring in the direction of the danger, frozen with terror, After a minute or so, the tension of watching what was coming became too intense and I turned my face away and buried it in Edward's shirt without making a sound. He lifted his arm equally soundlessly to stroke my hair gently. As my pursuer passed by the place where we were concealed, Edward stiffened digging his fingernails into the skin on my bare arm. I could hear the werewolf sniff cautiously, danerously close to were we were hiding, but surprisingly, he gave a snort of disgust and then I could hear his footsteps gradually receding. Edward began to relax his death grip on me, finally letting go and rising gracefully to his feet. He scanned the surrounding forest, watching and listening before extending his hand to help me up. When I'd take a moment to restart my normal breathing pattern, Edward looked me over carefully.
"You're alright?" he inquired quietly.
"Um, I think so," I whispered, afraid to speak aloud, knowing I couldn't trust my voice not to break.
"He didn't smell me,"I observed with incredulity.
"No. I was blockng you. It's all about angles," Edward explained.
"But he could easily have gone after you!" I gasped. He shrugged.
Could have. At least you could have gotten away," he said, pressing a figner gently to my lips$ when I opened my mouth to yell at him, "I could have handled him, Bella. Anyway, I wasn't expecting him to come after me. I was right. They're hunting you. Your friend does't seem to have much influence in the pack" HE looked troubled.
"But how did you know I was in trouble?" I asked him.
"Alice. We were fighting fairly close to each other, thank god. She warned me mentally that she was about to see something, so I went to ward off the wolf she was fighting so she could concentrate. I saw the whole thing through her mind. Oh, god it was so awful. Of course, I couldn't see him, you know Alice can't see werewolves, but I saw you falling and I was so afraid that there was nothing I could do. I thought when I got here I wouldn't be able to stop him."
HE was silent for several minutes and he didn't move except to grasp my hand, but after a while, he spoke again.
This can't happen again. We have to protect you somehow"
I suppose I shouldn't have expected t be working alongside the Volturi without fights breaking out, but I had grown accustomed to their presence by the time the harmony was dissolved. We used the nights that we weren't hunting (which were fairly frequent since many of our side weregetting extra sustenance in battle through their victims) to plan tactics for the next day with regular meetings. The night after the incident with the Quileute wolf, Edward was insisting that I be protected, since the wolves had a particular interest in me, but Demetri seemed to consider it unecessary.
"She's more at risk than any of us. Bella deserves to be protected. It won't cause you much trouble at all. Our family would be hapy to take over the task," Edward suggested.
"No, there are too many wolves for that. If you're off trailing after Bella like some stupid pathetic puppy, not only are we stuck with more wolves, but we're missing our mind reader. Add the loss of the rest of your family's service and youcan see where the problems would lie. This is your war, remember, we can't fight it for you," Demetri said.
"So we should just offer Bella as a sacrifice to the cause?" spat Edward contemptuously.
"Ooh, I like his plan," Victoria piped up, with a cruel grin. I scowled at her, but kept quiet.
"This way I don't have to kill her myself," she commented, "I still haven't worked out how best to accomplish that now that the stupid filthy thing is one of us".
Edward growled savagely and sprang at her. Rosaie and I, the closest to him, leapt up from our seats to try restraining him, but before we could reach him, Jane had stood up and Edward was on the ground, in excruciating pain. His fists were clenched and his mouth clamped shut to keep from crying out.
"Let him go!" Alice cried angrily, "What's wrong with you? This is so unecessary, It's not like we would actually let him attack her.
"Edward…" I whimpered feeling sick. I took a step towards him and Alice grabbed my wrist, trying to hold me back. I shook her off effortlessly. I still don't know what my intent was when I knelt beside Edward and reached out to stroke his cheek. I never expected to be able to help him and I was not so naïve as to think that my being there could provide any comfort when he was in such agony. I wasn't looking at Edward at that point. I was actually glaring at Jane, wishing I could rip her to pieces or at least make her feel the pain of her own gift. To my surprise, she was no longer wearing that malicious satisfied look she normally had when using her twisted gift, instead she was glaring right back at me, looking as though she would like to rip me to pieces. I couldn't comprehend her peculiar expression, and I grew even more confused as I glanced around the room and noticed everyone staring at me. I was surrounded by a crowd of identical pale masks of astonishment. I turned back to Edward, afraid of what I might see, but to my relief, he was no longer in pain. He had obviously not seen whatever had shocked all the others because the only emotion I could see displayed on his face was burning livid anger.
"If you ever try to harm her," he panted, glaring at Victoria, "I swear I will never stop hunting you until there is no doubt in my mind that you are thouroughly destroyed."
But Victoria was too busy gaping at me to react to his harsh words
"How- How did you do that?" she stammered.
"What? What did I do?" I demanded, looking around at the amazed mob.
"You…he…it just stopped…" Victoria babbled incoherently. I frowned, trying to piece together some meaning from her fragmented half-sentences but coming up with nothing. Then I noticed that Jane was still focused on Edward looking as thogh she were excercising her powers on him. I looked down at my hand which had come to rest on his shoulder.
"That was amzing," Alice remarked, impressed, but not overly surprised, "That's quite a talent you've got there, Bella"
My talent was, of course, more of a hindrance that a useful tool in the war. I had to take care not to touch the werewolves any more than necessary, since the physical contact blocked their thoughts from Edward and prevented several of the other vampires from using their talents on them. Since the werewolves had no extra abilities, my gift did nothing against them. It did, however, prove very useful in settling disputes with our so-called allies. These usually ended favourably for us now, since there was little that the Volturi could do to us without their powers on which they relied far too much. Soon, Edward, Alice, Emmett nd Jasper were permitted to accompany me during the day, in case I was forced to deal with a large attack. For several weeks it proved to be an unecessary precaution and eventually I began to think that I would never have to encounter the Quileute werewolves at all. Sadly I was mistaken and the encounter was even more traumatizing than anything I could have imagined.
The day that they came for me, was fairly quiet by our standards. We had only seen a couple of wolves, which was unusual, since, being Forks vampires, we were all prime targets. I was in an uncharacteristically light and carefree mood, as were my guard. All morning, the five of us laughed and teased each other mercilessly, enjoying the rare happiness wholeheartedly. Alice swung daintily from the tree branches, as though they were monkey bars and the forest was nothing more than her personal playground. She hopped from tree to tree, finally dropping down and landing neatly on Jasper's shoulders. I was impressed by this little feat until Emmett snuck up and lifted the pair of them onto his back. Edward lifted me onto his back, joking about how I was still as light as a feather to him. I sprang lithely off his back and knocked him down, pinning him to the ground
"Excuse me?" I growled dangerously, breathing ominously into his ear. His perfect features creased into a frown, unable to determine whether I was serious.
"You're not stronger than me now," I sneered, lowering my face so that it was almost touching his, while his eyes darted anxiously back and forth and his face twisted into an expression that ressembled fear.
"Bella," he muttered uneasily, unsettled by my uncharacteristic aggression. His eyes widened as I breathed my appealing new vampire scent into his face.
Still glaring, as though I were furious with him, I pressed myself up against him, kissing him more deeply than I ever had before. When I pulled away, he was laughing.
"I see this transformation has done wonders for your acting skills," he chuckled, finally managing to pull one of hi arms free to entwine it in my hair.
This sunny atmosphere continued, right up until the moment that our conversation was interrupted as we sensed the approach of a large number of foes. Before we had time to truly prepare ourselves, we were surrounded by the entire pack. Sam and Embry cornered Alice and Jasper who fought fiercely, together, in a strangely beautiful synchronised rhythm. Emmett and Edward fought three more, who I couldn't recognise from where I stood. I craned my neck to try and determine their identities, but there was no time. A crushing blow sent me flying, and I landed sprawled on the damp forest floor, my razor teeth cutting through the skin on my cheek and releasing a little of the blood that remained in my system. I raised my head and saw a large snarling muzzle coming straight at my head. I managed to get to my feet in time to be knocked down again. I rose quickly, annoyed at this messy attack which was preventing me from getting a real look at my attacker. And then I did see him. And I wished I hadn't. The soft reddish brown fur, now matted and cluttered with debris was as familiar to me as Edward's silky bronze hair.
"Jake," I shrieked, appalled, "What are you doing? It's me! It's Bella!"
He gave no indication that he had heard me; his only resonse was to give a wild snarl and launch himself at me again. He landed on top of me, trying to hold me down,, but as he raised a massive paw to strike, my arm shot out like a spark, trapping his limb in a vicelike grip. I rolled over, pushing myself off of him and retreating towards the bush. I couldn't escape fast enough, though, since he launched himself at me one more time, but I could make no move against him, while he was gathering himself up.
"Look Jake, I know I hurt you and I know you're mad at me, and I'm so sorry, but please, please don't do this!" I pleaded, willing him to listen.
I saw a little more of the old, human Jake, sneak its way into his dark angry eyes, and in the time it took me to blink away the tears that would have been there when I was human; the tears I expected, he had transformed back into the hulking teenage boy that I had once trusted.
"You're right Bella," he said quietly, "I can't fight you". I beamed.
"It'll be alright, Jake, we can work this out, right?" I asked him hopefully.
"Yeah, sure," he smiled and his face shone with sincerity, or perhaps that was just my wishful thinking. Either way, I was convinced that he no longer meant to hurt me, and I rushed forward to hug him, my smile growing as I realized that the werewolf reek seemed to be less potent in Jacob than it was in the rest of the wolves.
I wrapped my arms around my incredibly tall best friend and Jake reciprocated the gesture. After a moment, Jake wrenched me around painfully his hand in a very peculiar position at my throat. I wondered with a shiver, which one of his brothers he was trying to protect me from.
"Don't move!" he shouted harshly. I couldn't tell who he was addressing. Was it Sam? Paul? He turned, so that I could see what was happening. All of the wolves morphed back into humans and froze, along with the members of my family that they were fighting. Why was it that the wolves all looked strangely triumphant, while the vampires looked frightened and despairing?
"Don't move," Jake repeated, "Or Bella dies,"
My naïve delusions about Jake's forgiveness shattered instantly, leaving a throbbing wound in my heart.
"What?" I croaked.
"Shut up!" he snapped, digging his fingers threateningly into my neck. I wondered if he knew that I didn't need to breathe. It didn't matter. It still hurt, physically and emotionally. I knew the tears wouldn't come, never would again, but at that moment, my throat burned, my eyes stung and filled with imaginary tears and more of them spilled out, tracing phantom tracks down my cheeks. If I hadn't known better, I might have truly believed I was crying. I could almost feel the moisture. In my confusion and terror, my mind flashed back to my Romeo and Juliet metaphor from last spring.
What if Paris was Juliet's best friend? But then…what if he wasn't really?
"If you don't let her go…" Edward growled viciously, the words coming out strangled and strained.
"One more word, leech, I swear I will kill her," Jake threatened.
Nobody spoke or twitched or even breathed in the case of the vampires. Alice and Jasper had Sam and Embry trapped between them, holding them in a sort of cage formed rom their linked arms. Emmett had a new wolf, whose size suggested he was none other than Jake's friend, Quil, pinned to the ground. Edward was the only one who appeared to be fighting a losing battle as Paul and Jared's positions suggested they had been clawing at his arms and back before the interruption. Everthing was still and quiet for what felt like an eternity. I stared into the horror stricken faces of my family and waited or something more to happen. I can't be sure why, but for only a moment, Jake's grip faltered and I was able to pull away before he could regain his hold on my neck.
I tripped and fell, something I hadn't done since I was human, but I regained my balance more quickly than I would have when I wasn't a vampire. I ran as fas as I possibly could away from Jake, never looking back. Edward had broken away from the battle and he caught up to me fairly quickly. Paul, Jared and Jake were close behind us. I could hear their feral snarling as they gained on us, and it drove my legs faster and faster in my haste to escape them. The trees flashed past us, blurs of green and brown in my peripheral vision, but I barely noticed anything except the furious sound of my footsteps roaring in my ears. They pounded out a continuous rhythm in my head. Not fast enough. Not fast enough. Suddenly I was forced to come to an abrupt halt as I found myself on the edge of a dizzying precipice. I looked down, terrified. There was no escape now, from the wildly snapping jaws that drew closer and closer, maddened with thoughts of revenge.
"Jump, Bella!" Edward called. I could only stare at him in confusion. Surely he couldn't be asking me to throw myself off a cliff, the same thing he'd been so angry about me doing once before.
"You have to jump!" he yelled, but I was unable to take the tiny step that would send me hurtling over the edge. I looked down. The only reasonable explanation I could come up with was that Edward was insane. The bottom of the cliff was not covered in perilous crashing waves. No, this cliff was much, much worse. Jagged rocks were scattered across the area where I would land if I were stupid enough to jump off here.
Seeing that I wasn't going to do what he wanted, Edward threw one arm securely around my waist and dragged me over the edge. Knowing that watching our descent would drive me insane with fear, he pulled my face into his chest, where I wouldn't have to see anything. I clenched my eyes shut tightly anyway and screamed. I was sure we were going to die. I felt the wind whip past me, and clutched at Edward more tightly as I imagined the sharp lethal rocks waiting to swallow us, looming closer with each passing second. When the jolt of impact hit, I was still afraid to open my eyes, unsure of what I would see. When I did open them, I was gazing up into Edward's concerned face.
"It's ok, Bella. It's over. We're at the bottom," he told me, surprised by my reaction.
I couldn't believe that we were completely unharmed by the sickening drop. This vampire thing was going to take a LOT of getting used to.
Edward dragged me to my feet, leading me a little more roughly than usual into a nearby cave. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the inky blackness. After a few moments I found I could see reasonably well by the dim glow that emanated from the narrow fissure that was the cave's opening, a feat I would never have accomplished as a human. I glanced around, checking to make sure Edward was still beside me. That was when I noticed the ragged gashes that Paul and Jared had torn in Edward's skin. His shirt was ripped beyond repair, exposing the gaping wounds that looked strangely empty in the absence of blood. It made the holes look bigger and more painful, and I trembled as I surveyed the full extent of the damage.
"Edward," I whispered, "Oh my god…"
"It's nothing, I'm fine," he protested weakly as I examined his injuries in horror.
"Fine? How could you possibly be fine? They've practically ripped you to pieces," I exclaimed.
"Not quite. I'm still here aren't I? You're still stuck with me," he flashed me his trademark smile, but it didn't last as long as it would need to be to convince me and I found myself unable to smile back at him.
"But doesn't that kind of hurt a lot?" I mumbled, still staring at the angry red exposed flesh.
"I've had worse," he shrugged, but the small movement made him wince, ruining the charade.
Once again, I found myself the victim of countless tears that I could never shed. Falling back against the solid rock wall with a dull thud that echoed hollowly in my ears, I realised just how much everyone had paid to free me, to change me, to try and make me happy. Edward was looking at me, concerned. He had paid more dearly than anyone and I couldn't stand the way he seemed to cringe with every movement.
"Bella? Are you alright?" his voice sounded distant, as though heard through a great depth of water.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling completely wretched.
"Don't be," he told me.
A/N: Ok, I'm not sure how accurate that stuff about Edward's injuries is. I've read most of the background information that Stephenie Meyer has revealed, but not all of it, and though I've never come across anything that mentions this kind of situation, somebody else might have. If so, let me know and I can change it to make it fit better.