Author's Note: Last Chapter. But don't worry. I have a small epilouge, and this is only the first of three stories in this line. So, if you liked this one, keep an eye out for the second. I'm sure i'll have it posted soon enough. Thanks for sticking with me! :)

We stood around for what seemed like an endless run of hours. Firemen came and went; our clothing was soaked through from the heavy stream of water that was used to extinguish the blaze. Seth was openly crying, the tears ran through him, and he shook with every breath. No one had a single word of comfort.

"I'm sorry, Seth" I whispered, feeling the urge to end the stifling silence. "I never wanted-"

He looked up at me, eyes wide, unshed tears glimmering in the moonlight. "We came voluntarily. Don't blame yourself." He turned away, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Exhaling loudly, Jake ran a hand through his hair. "It's my fault. I got the pack involved in this. I killed Leah."

"Stop it Jake." Bella commanded, opening her eyes for the first time. She had a distinct look of exhaustion etched upon her face. I wondered if it would ever fade. "The Volturi killed Leah…the pack saved our lives."

Sam nodded in agreement. "We came because you're Jake's family. That made this as much our fight as it was yours. We all wanted to be here, including Leah. And she died a hero's death." There was unmistakable depression in his words.

There was a general murmur of assent. "I think she would've wanted it that way." Seth said slowly, his voice shaky.

"Undoubtedly" Edward whispered, and wrapped his arm around Bella's waist.

"I'd like to go home now." Seth asked quietly of no one in particular. "I have to tell my mom…"

"We can do that for you" Jake said simply

"No, I'll do it myself." He sniffled a little "But I'd be grateful for a ride. I'm too tired to run" he admitted.

"Of course, Seth" I looked around. Arielle had scooped him into her tiny arms. He dwarfed her with his sheer size, but she made it look effortless.

"Carlisle, come with me? I don't know where I'm going." She said quietly.

"And you can't drive stick either." I quipped halfheartedly. Everyone smiled, Bella forced a laugh.

"We'll all go." Jake stated decisively. "Paige and Renessme are at Charlie's, and our home is burnt to the ground."

"There's a perfectly good one in Forks." Alice reminded us.

"It'll work for now." Jasper agreed "We can figure the rest out as we go."

We were short one vehicle, for Jake had left Rosalie's BMW in Charlie's driveway. But eventually we managed to fit everyone in.

"Thanks for taking me home, guys." A soft voice came from the backseat, stifled by a yawn. Arielle laid him in the backseat, Quil climbed in the car after us. The interior of the Mercedes held a faint odor of smoke and I fought to ignore it, fought to suppress the recent memory of tragedy. The stinging feeling that deep down, I had caused this. I'd destroyed his family, to save my own.

Rosalie drove the Volvo, Edward wasn't quite solid on his feet, and Bella seemed far too distracted to be capable behind the wheel. She wanted to ask her what had happened in that basement. What had led to her clothing being reduced to rags? Led her normally happy personality to be reduced to complete and total silence? Her hand now held a fresh crescent shaped scar. He'd bit her. Vaguely, she wondered what else he'd done. Had it been like Royce? Did the cement of the basement floor even register as pain against her hardened skin, like the bricks of the Rochester wall had done against Rosalie's human skin? She didn't want to think about it, for she feared the worst. Men like Preston had no control as humans. She imagined the restraint would be far less, as a newborn vampire. Edward cradled her in the backseat, completely absorbed in her, oblivious to Rosalie's thought. Now, she thought, was not the time to ask questions. So she drove in silence, as Jared flicked the radio dial, lost in her own thoughts.

The Miata was a useless car. Jake mumbled to himself. He felt as though his knees were squeezed to his chest, and the clutch stuck slightly when he jammed it down.

"Damn it straight to hell."

Paul opened one eye, letting out a breath.

"Dude, it's not your fault."

"Really?" He swerved around the black Mercedes, shifting into fifth gear, pushing the speedometer past seventy. "Please enlighten me as to how" He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat before continuing. "If I hadn't come to get you tonight, Leah wouldn't be dead. Really, it's quite simple."

"Jake, I'm not going to fight with you."

He fumed for a moment. Paul could always be counted on for a good argument, except it seemed, when you wanted one. "I regret everything I did tonight."

"Well, you shouldn't." He stated pointedly. "And if you think there's one person in this group that doesn't feel some guilt for what happened tonight, think again. Because we're all wondering if we could've done something differently, moved a little faster, or turned a little sooner. We can't change what happened. And stewing over it won't make anyone feel better."

"Paul, you got amazingly smart since I left. What gives?"

"It's your sister's influence on me." He joked; pleased Jake seemed to be calming down. "And this car sucks." He added as an afterthought.

"It really does." Jake agreed "I don't know what would possess anyone to cram themselves into it."

"It smells like bloodsucker…but for that matter, so do you."

Childishly, Jake stuck out his tongue. "You sorta get used to it, I guess."

"We'll sorta get used to everything." Paul said slowly, and they lapsed into silence.

Emmett drove his Jeep, at home behind the large wheel, lost in the chatter that filled the car. A lone vampire, in a car full of werewolves. He bit back the ironic laugh that threatened to boil over. The backseat was packed to the brim with Quileute boys. Using the mirror, he glanced over his shoulder, counting them. Seven, plus the one sitting shotgun, so eight total. Somehow they managed to look semi comfortable packed four in a row meant for three. Emmett only knew the names of two of them, Colin and Brady the youngest of the pack. They talked animatedly about a school soccer game that had taken place the previous night, their smiles forced, turmoil evident in their eyes. In the rearview mirror he could see the headlights of Alice's bright yellow Porsche. His sister's hand was linked with Jasper's over the gear shift. Their mouths were silent and unmoving. It was obvious they had no words between them, each simply thankful the other had survived. Emmett allowed his thoughts to drift for a moment, remembering that desolate second before things had gotten crazy. Bella's shredded clothing, the knowing, painful look in Rosalie's eyes. He thought of his wife. Her personal demons haunted him as much at night as they did her. He was no protector. He was a warrior. Emmett never had the right words, never the correct tenor. Instinct told him to make jokes. To try to lighten the mood. Common sense told him to shut up. For the first time in a long time, he followed common sense, and kept his mouth closed.

Sam drove last in the procession of expensive cars. He couldn't help but think how much they resembled a funeral dirge. The firemen had recovered nothing of Leah except the thick leather cord she tied around her ankle to secure clothing. The flames had burned too hot, they'd said, for anything resembling a body to survive. The roof had collapsed eventually, crushing any hopes of recovering bones. But her thoughts were gone from the pack. They'd known she was gone as soon as her lyric voice had disappeared. Always, he'd wanted to love her. The horrid guilt that somehow he'd forced her into this life, a life he'd always believed that women weren't destined for.

"Was this how it was meant to be?"

"Fate works in mysterious ways" Embry muttered sleepily.

The engine of Bella's despised red Ferrari purred under his gentle touch. He couldn't bear to speed, and quickly lost the taillights of the cars ahead of him.

"I never wanted this." He muttered "I couldn't control what happened…but I only ever wanted her to be happy."

"And Sam, you know that somewhere …deep down all she wanted was for you to be happy too."

"She was always so bitter…"

"She was hurting. And even you must've noticed that she was happier lately. More at peace with the way things worked out."

"I hope you're right." He swatted at the tears, ordering himself not to cry. "I hope you're right."

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, pinks and reds glossed the sky, like gentle brushstrokes against a flawless blue canvas. Jake had beat us to the Clearwater's, but respecting Seth's wishes, remained in the car. One by one, the vehicles turned into the driveway, the overflow pouring onto the street. Leaning over the leather console, Arielle gently shook Seth awake, softly calling his name.

"Sweetie, you're home now."

He woke as violently as his disrupted sleep had been, thrashing about until he realized where he was.

"Oh. Um, thanks." His response was muted and embarrassed.

"Seth," I whispered "you don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I do." He sighed a little; I think he hoped we wouldn't notice. "Thanks for dropping me off."

"You're not doing this alone." Arielle said firmly. "I can understand why you wouldn't want vampires helping you…but look around kiddo."

He did, arching his back to stare out the deeply tinted rear window. A line of cars, a mile long stretched out behind us. His eyes turned back to me, grateful.

"I doubt if any of them, especially Jacob, would even consider letting you go in there alone."

"As far as sisters went, Leah was a pain in the ass." He said quietly, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye "She never let me do anything…and was always trying to protect me from danger she was sure was around every corner. Maybe if she hadn't been trying so hard to prevent me from having anything to do, she wouldn't have died."

"Seth, dude, don't say that." Quil ordered

"Its just hard to think, she won't wake me up tomorrow morning, yelling at me to get in the shower…or asking me if I finished all my homework. It's hard not knowing if we…if I could have done something differently and prevented it. It's hard to know I won't be able to talk to her anymore."

I handed him the handkerchief from my rear pocket, he blew his nose loudly into it.

"Thanks, man."

I forced a smile, and opened my mouth to say more, but shut it again. In that instant, the door to the Clearwater's home was thrown wide open. The light inside her house was blocked by the body of Sue Clearwater, standing in the jamb. She had a distinct look of sadness etched on her face, and a knowing look in her eye. I felt that somehow, the news that one of her children had been killed, would not come as such a surprise to her.

"Ready, dude?" Quil asked him softly.

He wiped his nose again, and handed the dirty handkerchief back to me, looking sheepish.

"As I'll ever be…" he muttered and wrenched open the car door, letting it slam behind him.

One by one, people exited vehicles, moving towards the front of the house. I waited, giving them the privacy I was sure they would need. I probably would have left, but the seemingly endless line of cars behind me prevented that. So, I was stuck. I watched in horror as Sue Clearwater nodded at her son's words. She didn't cry. Rather, she embraced her son, looking thankful she had something left to hold onto. Seth took her arm, and began to lead her into the house. She touched him gently, and turned around, making her way directly to my Mercedes. A little surprised, I stepped from the car to greet her.

"Mrs. Clearwater, I'm sorry-"

"It's Sue. And please, I'll be having none of that." Her voice was gentle. "I wanted to thank you for brining Seth home alive."

"I didn't…he…" I stammered over my words, unsure how to respond to her.

"He's all I have now. He values his friendship with your family. It goes against the grain of what we know, of what our tribe has always believed in. But Seth is a smart kid. And I trust him, and value his judgment…You're a good man Carlisle. He speaks very highly of you."

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, for the guilt was incredibly painful, close to unbearable. "I truly am sorry." I repeated, mutely.

"I know you are." She whispered "And that's just one of the reasons why we've grown to trust you…" she paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Won't you come inside? It would appear I'm having guests over…" She gestured to her home, where all fifteen Quileute boys stood around, chatting nonsensically.

I looked around casually. My family stood behind me, a distinct sense of awkwardness among us. "I think, perhaps, we should be getting on." I replied

"I understand." She said, her face going softer. "Seth told me your home burnt to the ground in the fight…"

"He told you a lot in a very short amount of time." I said with a genuine smile.

"He's good that way. A big mouth has to come in handy sometimes…" She laughed "If you need somewhere to stay…Don't hesitate to think of us."

I shook her hand again, trying to put many unsaid things into the action. Sue nodded her head and turned around again, leading the pack of oversized boys into her house. The beginning, of what was sure to be, an endless day. There would be tears, I knew. But never in front of her son. Sue Clearwater was a fighter until the bitter end. I clamored back into my car, sinking into the driver's seat. Silently, Arielle took my fingers within her own. I brought her hand to my lips, pressing them to it gently.

"Where now?" she asked me softly

"Forward, and onwards. We fight through it."

Fin.