A/N: Huge thank you to all for the support & feedback from the last chapter, I was amazed, really fantastic, thank you so much guys

Hugs'n'kisses to kikikiki, lightan117, Ravebclaw Slytherin, NeedCoffeeINeedItOrI'llExpload, rae-rae89, LoneWolfPack, MintCcIceCream, SasoLOVE111, brightglo, Puckabrina Alee, Relly LALA, 'Lil Obsessed, Happy2BeeMe and TempusSimia for the reviews! Love them :D

Hope you like this one as much…

. : Chapter 21: My Broken Wings : .

I drove all the way back to New York, all three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five kilometres. I did it in one, only stopping for the necessities. Didn't worry about sleep-I don't think I could've even if I'd tried.

All I wanted was to get back into bustle of the city, a world away from La Push.

Benny and Mutt somehow managed to sleep through eighty percent of the trip, for that I was thankful.

I tried not to let my godson see me cry. I was supposed to be the strong one, the adult. He was supposed to be safe with me.

I felt hollow, defeated. Like I had lost some huge battle within myself. Every time I thought about it, the tears came again. And again and again and again….

Poor BB was confused and fretted when he was awake, and I did my best to comfort him, but I wasn't as successful as I'd have liked.

I left my phone off, not wanting to talk to anyone, and knowing there would soon be a dozen trying to contact me.

It was past midnight when we pulled into my driveway, the only sources of light on my out-of-the way street coming from the street lights. Hitting a button on the dash activated the roller door to the garage and my baby was soon shut safely inside.

I slid out, feeling stiff and exhausted, and scooped BB into my arms. Mutt fell out of the Enzo, then stumbled to his little feet and wobbled after me as I went into the house from the adjoining door.

He went straight to his elaborate doggy bed that was set up in the lounge room and collapsed. Too tired to make the journey up the stairs to my room, where he usually slept. Not that I could blame him.

My home isn't very big, it's two stories, but more tall then wide. There were two bedrooms with private bathrooms and my rather large study up stairs. Then the kitchen, lounge room, laundry, another bathroom and rec room on the bottom floor. The garage connected with the lounge room, and out the back there was a small yard. Just room for Mutt to get his exercise by harassing (or being harassed by) my neighbour's cats.

Ironic, a dog getting his arse whooped by a cat, but these cats are about twice his size.

I softly closed the door to the garage, leaving our bags where they were for now, then ascended the set of glass stairs to the white, fuzzy carpeted hallway above.

There were two doors on the right and one at the end. I took the first door and entered the guest room. It wasn't overly decorated as I had a few people stay, just the double bed, little tables etc. I settled Benny under the soft blankets, tucking his toy in beside him and kissing his forehead before creeping back out.

From there I went straight to the next door, my room, and collapsed on my bed. The many black and white pillows bounced and even fell off as I curled myself into a ball and cried until the sun began to rise.

oOo

JACOB'S POV

I stood there, in the rain, like a complete idiot, watching my life drive away.

But at the same time that the despair and agony filled my heart, my soul, a tiny piece of hope flickered in the darkness.

"I believe you."

Three little words. Simple, short-maybe not the best three words around-but they were enough. I don't think she really expected me to hear her, but I could even hear her erratic heartbeats. Each breath she took…over the rain, the wind, my own panic. I might as well have been standing right in front of her.

Why do I always screw things up? I'd only had Evie for a few days, no, scratch that, I didn't even have her for that, and now she was gone.

I was torn between the wolf and the man. The wolf wanted to race after her, bring her back and never let her out of our sight ever again. But the man in me, how ever much of him was left, forced the wolf down.

I wanted her, more and air itself, but I saw the fear in her eyes. All the panic and terror. My mate was so lost, so hurt, that I denied myself what I wanted in getting her back, and respected her enough to let her go.

But damn if it didn't hurt like fuck.

The Enzo wasn't even out of sight before my paws hit the ground.

oOo

NO ONE'S POV

The normally lively home was quiet enough to be able to hear a pin drop as the pack watched Jacob disappear into the trees, and Evie vanish from their lives.

"I told you not to do that." Leah snarled, whirling around to glare viciously at Sam. She shook, but fought to keep from phasing, despite how tempting it was to try and rip his godforsaken head of his shoulders. "I told you!"

"She would've left anyway, Leah." He snapped back, feeling his own tumble of emotions at watching one of his last family members run away. He hadn't missed the look on her face. He knew she wouldn't be back. "She deserved to know everything."

"Yes, she would've left. No, she would've never forgiven us. But the imprinting…I told you what it'd do to her! But you don't listen, do you? No. You're Alpha, you know fucking best! Well you know what? You've just killed what was left of her, she won't be the same."

"Leah, please." Tasha breathed. "Stop it."

"No! I fucking won't! You have no idea what you've done! You don't know her at all, and you know what? You don't have the right to." The female wolf growled, her eyes flashing dangerously at the older Hanson sister, before she stalked out of the house.

Silence befell them again as Tasha slumped into a chair, dropping her head into her hands.

Rachel put a hand on her best friend's shoulder and squeezed. "She'll come around, Tash."

"No." She shook her head, peaking at the beauty between her fingers. "She won't, Rach. She won't. Leah's right, I don't know her, and I don't deserve to. I've spent my life, trying to control her, change her. We've been strangers for a long time now, this is just the final straw that broke the camel's back."

"Nonsense. There must be something we can do, right, Sam?"

The Alpha eased his giant form into a chair also and sighed. "We can't force her."

"But, Jake…"

"There's nothing we can do, Rachel." His tone was final, and it rang true.

oOo

EVA'S POV

"Tell me, little jem, tell me your secrets." His voice, thick with accent and raspy, sent shivers down my spine. I could feel his hot breath against my ear.

He trailed his dirty finger across my collarbone slowly. He smelt like dust, cheap cigars and gun powder.

"Come, pretty one. All the hurt will stop, hmm?" An empty promise. I knew it'd never end.

I couldn't see properly out of both black and swollen eyes, my back felt like it was on fire, my shoulders and arms ached, and I had long ago lost feeling in my hands.

"Go. To. Hell." I whispered, through cracked and bleeding lips.

The fingers stopped. "Pity. Such a pity."

I felt him move away, then heard the swing of the whip again.

I gasped for air as the cold water hit my face. I splashed myself several more times before turning the tap off and daring to look up.

My reflection was horrible, just like I knew it would be. Eyes, puffy and bloodshot, pale and sickly looking.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw something else. Another thing I had thought I'd buried deep inside myself. Some other horror I had seen or felt or done, all come back to haunt me.

What happened…out there, had opened up this hidden vault, and everything was rushing out. Everything pent up was released and making up for lost time.

The sun was only half over the horizon. I could hear the city waking up, but it was all background noise. There but not sinking in.

I pealed off my clothes, one piece at a time, and watched myself in the mirror in my bathroom. Watched each scar appear, counting them, remembering how they got there.

"Duck, Hanson! Fuck! Girl, when there's a sharp object flyin' at ya, ya duck, alright?" Sarge cussed, inspecting the short throwing knife imbedding up to the hilt in the fleshy part of my upper thigh.

I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded breathlessly. I'd never felt pain like this. Ten year olds don't usually play with knives.

Sarge whipped the blade out in the blink of an eye, and pressed his hand heavily against the bloody wound.

I choked on my scream of pain. No fear, no pain, no weakness.

"Now, what're ya gonna be doin' next time, lass?" He questioned, in a much gentler tone.

"Ducking." I gasped.

"Atta girl."

I ran the pads of my index and middle finger over the two centimetre long scar now, shivering. Can't believe that once, I thought that was the worst pain I'd ever have. So wrong I was.

"Piece a piss, this'll be."

I raised an eyebrow at the burly dark-skinned man beside me. "Why's that?"

"It's recon, Muppet. Nothin' simpler then recon. We go in, we look, we leave. Done and dusted, home for dinner."

"I know what recon is, Max." I muttered irritably. He was the senior agent, and he took this to mean that I knew shit.

Max looked at me out of the corner of his eye as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Yeah?"

"Those things will kill you one day, you know." I said matter-of-factly.

He dropped the butt and put it out using the toe of his expensive leather boots. "Won't be them things that get me, Muppet."

"Would you stop calling me that? Jesus Christ, it's annoying."

He gently cuffed the back of my head. "Toughen up, Eves. You'll need a good stomach if your gonna survive out here."

Poor Max. Maybe if I'd been faster, done something different…maybe he would've still been here…only to see me fall apart now.

"Can't live in the past, Hanson." The boss said, his old hands clasped together and resting atop his elaborate wooden desk. Polished and looking like new, even though I knew it was older then he was.

"Can't think of all the but's, what if's and maybe's. You'll end up in a padded cell. You have great potential, Hanson, great potential. But you've got to keep that head on your shoulders."

I swallowed, and steeled myself. "Yes, Sir."

"Good…good. Take leave for a few weeks, cool off."

"With all due respect, Sir, I'd rather not have leave. I want to keep working."

He gave me a long look out of his wrinkled eyes. "…Very well. In that case," He reached into the top draw of the iconic desk and pulled out a manila folder. "Take a look at this, tell me what you think, and we'll go from there."

I reached out and accepted the folder without a second thought. "Of course, Sir. Is that all?"

"That's all, Agent Hanson."

I angled myself so I could see my back. The details of the wings tattoo did do a very good job of concealing the massacre of my back. The concept was fitting, scars through angel's wings. Fallen, battered, marked forever.

I wrapped my favourite white bath robe around me and ventured out of my room, pausing at Ben's door to listen, and only heard his steady breathing. When I stepped into the kitchen the red flashing of my answering machine immediately caught my attention.

Twenty-seven new messages.

With a barely audible sigh, I hit the play button and moved over to the kettle.

Something so normal I did it by reflex, but I wasn't there, not in it.

"Evie…its Tasha, please, just give me a call, or text me, even! Let me know your safe…it's all I want…I'm so sorry, sweetie. I love you so much. I'm so sorry."

"Evie, it's been hours, just…God, please, please…"

"Hey, Eves, it's Leah. I know I can't say anything that will make you forgive me, but I want you to know that I am," A shakie sigh. "Just know that I'm sorry, and I feel like shit for it, okay? Love you babes, no matter what."

"Baby girl…you wanna explain to me why I've got a dozen panicked messages from your sister…? You've gone home? What happened, are you alright? Give us a call, lemme know where you are." Jay sounded confused and worried. Trust Tasha to drag everyone into this. I made a mental note to text him soon.

The rest were all from Tasha, wanting to know where I was.

I deleted them all.

Sitting at the table, steaming mug clasped tightly between my shaking fingers, I stared out the window, past the neat, un-killable garden in the tiny front yard, to watch the city beyond wake.

I suppose they all thought of it as a new day, new light, new chance. I've lost track of how long I've been awake now. It was still the day in La Push, in the homey little kitchen…

Betrayal, to anyone, cuts deep, I think. When you give your trust to someone, and they shattered it…I don't think it matters if you're a spy or a receptionist, a hairdresser or a housewife…still hurts. Still makes you think…who will be next? Who can I trust? Who won't put me through this?

Would Tam, or Jay, Dan, CJ, Madi…?

No! Don't think that, they would never…

'Leah never would either.' The inner voice, whom I'm yet to decide is rational or just sadistic, whispered.

I shook my head. No. Not them, we were a team, we trained and fought together, grew, lost, won and grieved together.

'Adam was team, too.'

A tear fell and splashed on my wrist.

Broken wings indeed.

A/N: I'm actually in the time limit I gave myself-and am even early! Hah! Wonders do happen :P Not very long, I know. But I wanted it as a bit of a wind-down from the full-on of the last chapter. Also got a bit more history in this one. It's choppy, but I think it conveys how she's thinking at the moment. E.g. very erratic.

Thank you again so much for all the reviews on the last chapter, was incredible! Please please keep it up 3 :)

~Meg xx