AN : Here's goes nothing. Please read and enjoy (or not). We're nearing the end and I'm glad I've stuck with this story. One reviewer asked me why it was so dark - and I had to stop and think and then realize that a lot of it is cathartic. I was in a really dark place in my personal life whilst writing this and getting my pain on paper has helped me move on. Once more, I know this chapter will upset a lot of you but again, have faith.

I wrote this story precisely because I didn't want a Bella who was weak, who would throw herself off a cliff because basically…her boyfriend broke up with her, one who needed protecting by everyone.

Chapter 31

Where the Last Dance Begins

BPOV

"Are you going to be…uhmm.." Embry asked, turning towards me as he pulled my truck over into my driveway. Strange that I had been staring out the window the whole drive and had not noticed we had reached my house.

"Ok?" I asked, finishing his question for him. Embry's shoulders slumped and he looked old, weary. "I guess that was a stupid question." He said quietly, returning his gaze to the windshield.

"Why Embry?" I asked.

"Why what?"

"Why does it matter…why do you care so much?"

"Because Jacob could have been me - it could have been me! I could have had everything I ever wanted, everything I've ever dreamed of and this stupid tribe—this stupid curse could have taken it away…"

I sat back, surprised and alarmed by this Embry – this angry, bitter man who was so different from my calm, easy going friend.

"This imprinting…this curse…it destroys people…it's destroyed lives…because it destroyed the girl I lov… I mean it could have happened…"

"Because it destroyed the girl you love." I said, again finishing what was unsaid.

He was silent for a long time, his hands gripping the wheel until his knuckles were white.

"Does she know?" I asked. And for a brief moment, my heart leapt – as if it still lived, or beat or existed. A moment of fleeting happiness for the friends I had regained with my return to Forks. Friends that I would have always, even if Jacob was gone from me.

"God no!" Embry said, his voice thick with frustration "I didn't know myself…not until now."

"She'll be ok." I assured him, "I'm not sure about me, but deep down I know Leah will get through this. She'll be ok. This thing…this ceremony, maybe it will free her…"

"Or maybe it will destroy what's left of her." Embry said.

And then with a brief, tight embrace, and a whispered "Don't worry, we'll be close by." He leapt out of my truck and loped off into the woods behind my house.

The telephone rang as soon as I entered the house and I was unsurprised to hear Edward's voice on the other end of the line. "Alice saw – could suddenly see you...you were on the cliffs again." he said in lieu of a greeting. And the velvet of his voice wrapped around me like a blanket. "I'm ok." I hastened to assure him but even to my own ears, my voice sounded dead and lifeless. "Where are you?" I asked. "It doesn't matter – if you need me I will be there, wherever I am."

I paused, and asked myself if it was right to do this. But then at that moment, I felt nothing I did mattered. That I had to do what I had to do just to get through with freeing Jacob.

"Do you still love me Edward?" I asked.

"You know I do." He answered, his voice musical and gentle.

"I need you." I said simply.

And I closed my eyes as pangs of guilt that I was betraying Jacob assailed me. Yet, I convinced myself that that guilt was unnecessary now – I was betraying no one. I was not Jacob's any longer.

And then in what seemed to be mere moments.

Or lifetimes.

It was the night of the betrothal.

And I found myself in La Push with no clear memory of how I got there, or where the past two weeks had gone. Or how I had lived to reach this moment.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Leah asked, her voice low and urgent. And I knew that with a single word, she, Seth, Quil and Embry - my only friends here – would take me away, back home. Where it was safe.

But I knew what I had to do. I had to cut the tie that bound me to Jacob so that he could be with the woman he loved – his imprint – Aliya. I felt Embry, Quil and Seth fall in behind us, and I felt heartened because I would not be alone. I said a silent prayer of thanks – for the four people I had not really expected to take my side today.

Even as we were already at the border of La Push where they had met me, and where Edward waited for me now, Quil and Embry continued to try and convince me not to go, they said they couldn't protect me from Aliya. I guess they didn't realize that Aliya couldn't hurt me anymore – nothing could possibly hurt me more than Jacob's betrayal did – and they could not protect me from that.

Leah had added her pleas, begging me to stay away, bravely forgetting that she would be facing the same heartbreak as I and setting me free of the promise I had made to her on the beach that night - what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Leah pleaded with me, tried to reassure me that she would be fine – that she had weathered countless Saturday bonfires before this. But I had known that the formal announcement of Sam and Emily's betrothal – the death knell to any hope Leah may have had – was something that even she could not stand through alone.

It was only when I learned from Leah the exact details what she needed to do – or rather, what we both needed to do - at the betrothal ceremony that I fully understood why Leah, who was always so fearless and brave, had made me promise to be with her on the night the elders officially announced Sam and Emily's engagement. What I had thought would be a simple announcement had turned out to be nothing of the sort – for the tribe had certain rites that must be observed, especially when the engagement involved the breaking of a previous commitment to another. And especially for Leah who held a special place in the tribe.

A year ago, I would have refused to go – and promises be damned. But then a year ago, I had been a weak effigy of a girl, a spineless creature who lost all will to live simply because I had lost a boyfriend. A doll that needed to wound up and told where to go, to be protected.

But I was older now. And stronger. And I would, for one, keep my promises – even if it seemed that everyone else had forgotten their promises to me.

So I would go. And I would stand by Leah in her moment of humiliation. And I would face my own with the same stoic grace that Leah did. At the very least, we would not be alone.

By tradition, I had to formally release Jacob from our engagement in the presence of the elders and witnesses. It seemed that when Jacob had given me the Chief's ring, we had become as good as engaged in the eyes of the tribe – an engagement that now needed to be ended. Otherwise, he would not be considered free to marry another girl of the tribe. Leah had walked me through the steps – and sleep eluded both of us late into the night and until dawn started creeping up, bathing my room with weak light. She was dry eyed, her face drawn and harsh – and I know she too was dreading having to do the same thing, to release Sam. To formally free him for his marriage to another woman.

It was simple really. The council would formally ask me if I was freely letting Jacob go and I would answer "yes". And then they would ask me if I freely agreed to renounce all claims to Jacob and I would answer "yes". Then I would return Taha Aki's promise ring and it would be over. Simple it seemed. But even then, I already knew that saying those two short syllables would be the hardest thing I had ever done in my life.

"God Bella! Don't you get it? You don't have to do this!" Embry railed at me last night in my living room. "You're not even Quileute – it's not expected. Don't you understand it's just some sick power play?" He paced the room back and forth, hands twisting in his hair, muscles taut, as if he would phase any moment.

I had shaken my head at him, determined to do this. "I know that Embry. I also know that Sam and the…the others…they expect me to run away again. They think I'm too weak to do this. To let Jacob go – to let him be happy. I want to show them I'm not. And I'm going to do this. For Jacob."

"Fuck Jacob!" Quil suddenly erupted. "Don't you know what they plan to do? This is all just Aliya's scheme to humiliate you – so that she can save face with the tribe – because otherwise, she knows they'll all always think she was only second best. Do you really want to give her that satisfaction?" Quil said, joining the fray.

I said nothing. I would do what I had to do. And I needed to see Jacob – needed to hear him deny me – so that I could know for sure if this nightmare was real. Because I knew that if I didn't do this, I would forever hold on to the hope that maybe…maybe, it wasn't really over. And I would never be able to move on.

"God Leah - you talk to her…you need to make her see…" Quil said, running his hands through his hair in frustration and moving away to stare out the window, as if he could not bear the sight of me anymore.

"Actually, I think BOTH of them need to see sense." Embry suddenly said. In all the years I'd known him, I had never really seen the easygoing Embry act this way – and I was touched again but his unexpected allegiance. "Leah, you know better than Bella what's going to happen – and you don't have to be there. Screw Sam, screw Jacob and screw the freaking council!" he exclaimed.

"Bella, Leah – you need to listen to your friends." Edward added his voice to theirs. Then addressing me directly, he said "You don't have to do anything. You don't owe that dog Black anything." He had been silent through this until now, only lending me his support by his mere presence. "He doesn't deserve anything from you - not this, not a single one of your tears, not your time, not your pain."

Quil and Embry looked askance at Edward, and I was sure they would start an argument to defend Jacob. Surprisingly, although their mouths were set in grim lines, they said nothing.

They had been taken aback to find Edward at my house that night – but they made no protest, said nothing. Perhaps they were afraid that any further conflict would push me over the precipice of sanity I seemed to be holding onto somehow. Or maybe they knew that I needed him – this - if not as a lover then as a friend, or at the very least, an accomplice for a quick getaway when the difficult deed was done.

Leah came to stand next to me. "Bella, I'm releasing you from that promise you made me – don't worry about me, I think I can…you know…I can do this alone. You don't need to suffer with me."

I just shook my head. I refused to be dissuaded. "If you're going" I told her, "…then I'll be there with you." I told her. Absently, I stroked the little wolf charm on my bracelet, thinking of the day, it seemed so long ago now, that Jacob had given it to me. My fingers brushed the Chief's ring – and recoiled, for it was cold, almost freezing, to my touch. I wondered what Jacob was feeling – but then, I guess I had no more right to know. I would not– I already DIDN'T- have the right to be wearing the ring for much longer.

"Why are you really doing this? Are you really doing this for Jake…or is it because you're hoping he'll still change his mind? That if he sees you there that he'll leave her for you?" Leah probed gently. And I didn't answer No because half of me would have been lying.

I saw three werewolves and one vampire exchange worried looks over my head. At any other time and in any other situation, a detached part of mind told me, this would actually be funny – or at least one for the books.

Leah looked at me long and hard and then nodded, perhaps seeing something in my eyes that convinced her - "Bella and I are going." Leah finally said, her voice soft but firm, brooking no argument. "We're not cowards."

"Auurrrgh!" Embry just growled in frustration while Quil slapped his hand against the windowsill, causing the window frame to shake and the glass to rattle.

We heard a loud keening howl - Seth was outside running perimeter around my house, to warn us if any of the pack came near. Jacob was Alpha now, but Embry said that he had not used his authority since that day that we last spoke. Was it only days ago?

Jacob may have been Alpha, but Sam was still giving the orders – and the orders were for all of them to stay the hell away from me.

Yet, here they were.

And they had stayed all through that night, keeping vigil with me and Leah as we prepared ourselves for the coming day and the coming heartbreak.

- 000 -

"Bella…Bella.." I heard Leah repeat my name. I looked owlishly in the direction her voice seemed to be coming from and realized I had been staring off into space the past few minutes, reliving last night and wishing I had allowed Quil and Embry to convince me not to go. "Bella, it's time." she said.

I nodded. And heads held high, we walked out of the shadows of the woods and towards the light of the massive bonfire – where we were awaited. As I walked to my place, I found myself noting the details around me with detachment – as if it were a film I was watching, one where I was not a part of the scene, just an observer.

I saw Charlie next to Sue on the blanket near the fire. Charlie's face was hard, and tense, set in grim lines although he was making an effort to keep his expression blank and neutral. He too had threatened, cajoled and even begged me not to go today. But realizing that I had inherited his stubborn streak and would go with or without his blessing, he insisted on going with me.

I knew how hurt Charlie had been by his fight with Billy over this – they had been friends long before Jacob and I had even been born. I had overheard him yelling at Billy on the telephone. Charlie had been refusing to take Billy's calls for days and that afternoon, he must have been caught off guard and answered the telephone inadvertently.

"Damn you and your precious tribe!" he had shouted into the phone "This is my daughter you're hurting. No! I don't want to hear it – your fucking explanations mean fucking less than bullshit to me Billy! I thought you were my friend for Chrissake. I'm not having Bella go to that farce for all of you sick sonofabitches to laugh at…so fucking leave her alone or God help me…"

I had grabbed the phone from his hand. Charlie looked as if he was about to fight me for it but perhaps, the look of acceptance and calm stoicism on my face convinced him that I knew what I was doing.

"Don't worry Billy" I had said "Tell the council I'll be there. Your son will be free."

And then I hung up the phone, cutting of a stream of explanations from Billy – not really hearing one word. I wasn't ready to listen to Billy – to face him again – the pain ran too deep, so deep that I wondered if I would ever be ready to face him again.

I was thankful that my father had come tonight despite my protestations. I was thankful he was with me to show the council and the pack that we were proud people too. That we were strong. That we could be gracious in our defeat.

- 000 -

EMBRY'S POV

"Come on man" I heard Paul's voice in my head. "Bring Quil and Seth.It's time."

I said nothing. Careful to shield my thoughts, because my choice to stand by Leah and Bella – and not by my pack – was made, and I knew it would arouse conflict. It was a small enough gesture. I would simply stand behind Leah and Bella, so they knew I was there, as if my presence would somehow help, as if by merely being there, I could give them my strength as they spoke the words that would free Sam and Jacob. A small gesture but one that to the pack, would be like a slap in the face, a denial of them and a betrayal what they stood for.

But I didn't really care. I planned to resign from the pack anyway – it had been something I had been thinking about for a while – and I would tell Jacob as soon as this God forsaken night was over. This - hurting people over some sick powerplay – was NOT what I had signed up to for. Hell, I never even signed up at all. It was a sick genetic experiment… some twisted cosmic joke that we were all the butts of. And I'd be damned before I too became a victim of imprinting and the suffering that came with it.

Nonetheless, it was painful for me to go against my brothers. If Jacob knew what we planned and had given an Alpha order for us to stand with the pack, I could not possibly have disobeyed. Or maybe I could have, for the anger I felt at this moment was so vast and deep that I felt I could have done anything. Even defy my Alpha.

Over the years since Sam first phased, I had often felt that the tribe was becoming too caught up in tradition, that they were valuing blood more than character and dead customs more than living people. But no one listened to me - who was I to question tradition?

For what? I once asked Quil, frustrated with Jared and Kim's heartbreak – a heartbreak we all had to share, a heartbreak we relived over and over along with Jared and his painful memories – when Kim's second miscarriage caused her to go into a near state of catatonia due to the trauma, not to mention the silent looks of disappointment and unreasonably, looks of reproach that she had received from the Elders after each miscarriage - as if she had deliberately miscarried, as if she had wanted it to happen.

What the fuck do they want?A whole army of super werewolves? Aren't there enough of us freaks already? I had ranted. Quil just shook his head. It was easier for him – he had already imprinted on Claire and had years and years to go before he had to deal with it.

I swear that if the day comes that I imprint – I will fight it to my last breath. No one will make that choice for me. I will not let the Elders or the pack control my life. And quitting now before it happened, maybe it would stop me from imprinting altogether.

I saw Quil at the western edge of the woods, maybe ten feet from the bonfire. The places for the Elders and the pack were still empty – and since their places were arranged with their backs to the sea, the "audience" who had already gathered for the bonfire were facing away from Quil, and did not see him there. He motioned to me, tilting his head in the direction of the woods and I knew that Leah and Bella waited there for me.

I was all for boycotting this whole farce. When I warned Bella and Leah of what the pack had decided and what the Elders had required, I thought that they would accept my offer to take them away. In my mind was some vague plan to just get into my truck, bundle the girls into it and drive off. Quil however was not surprised when the girls stood their ground; he said he knew they were made of sterner stuff. Nonetheless, he too had tried every trick he knew to convince Leah and Bella to stay away. Neither would budge.

So by tacit agreement, the most – the only – thing we could do was to stand behind them tonight. And take them away after, if need be. Fuck the pack. Not one of them had the right to do this…even Jacob…especially not Jacob.

I knew it would be doubly hard for Leah. Not only did she have to participate in the unbinding ceremony, she was the Tribe's spirit dancer as well, and had to perform tonight. As if it weren't enough that her heartbreak would be on display for all to see.

I wanted to run to her side and hold her there, as if I could shield her from the looks of pity, the speculative glances, the malicious whispers. It seemed only so recently that Leah and Sam had been on this same beach, at their own joining ceremony – yet it was over two years later and I was afraid that Leah had been damaged for good.

Yet, like Bella, Leah was adamant about doing what she needed to do. She said that she would not show weakness in the face of Sam and the Elders. And I marveled again at how brave she was – how she would put most of the men I knew to shame.

I saw Lukas and Jared and looking at me expectantly. The Elders of the tribe, representing each of the major families, the Atearas, the Uleys, the Calls, the Clearwaters, the Beaulieus, the Crows – ten in all, with Billy at the head – walked to their seats before the fire. In the daylight, they were just ordinary men…our neighbors…friends…fathers…uncles - but at these Councils, they changed somehow. They gained a majesty that was bestowed by the office, by their pure blood. And I hated them all for what they were about to do. I turned away now. Leah and Quil would be looking for me.

"Where are you going?" I heard Jacob's voice.

"To stand by what's right." I answered bitterly. I had never been so ashamed of Jacob in my life. He was my brother. My best friend. And he was making the worst mistake of his life.

"Then you need to stop being an asshole and stand by us." Paul's harsh voice interrupted. He was suddenly there, in front of me, barring my way. Teeth bared, prepared to fight. And if it came to that, so was I. Bring it then. I was fucking spoiling for a fight right now. My hackles rose too, the tingling began in my spine, my hands shook and I could feel the change – I knew I was about to phase.

"If you're so convinced what you're doing is right, then do what you have to do - you don't need me or Quil or Seth to back you up. But don't you fucking decide what's right for me. I'll do what I have to do - our definitions of what's right are not even close you sick bastard." I retorted. I controlled my anger, realizing that Leah and Bella needed me more now than I needed to get into a fight with Paul.

"YOU ARE A TRAITOR!" Paul's angry thoughts thundered in my mind. "YOU AND QUIL AND SETH AND THAT BITCH LEAH!"

I just shook my head and began walking away. "You wouldn't know a bitch if it was standing in front of your face." I said quietly, grimly - staring Paul down and dragging my gaze to Aliya. She was standing between Paul and Jacob, a look of triumph on her face and God help me, I've never come so close to hitting a woman in my life.

"You get your ass in line now!" Paul hissed at me. The people nearest to us looked our way, uneasy – sensing the tension.

"Make me. Asshole."

I knew this would set him off and I really didn't care. I could hold my own with Paul any day - I tensed, prepared to phase.

"STOP." Jacob's voice intervened. It resonated with the double timbre of the Alpha. Something Jacob had not used before now. "LEAVE HIM ALONE PAUL." He ordered. And then in a calmer voice "You too Aliya. Leave us. I'll be there soon."

With a last glare at me, Paul left followed by Aliya, the smirk still on her face.

All the Elders were in place now and everyone was waiting for the pack to come in, followed at the end by the engaged couples.

"I think you should go too Alpha. Your…bitch…er…fiancée…awaits." I said mockingly, bowing to him. I knew it would make him mad. I wanted to make him mad. To hit me. So that I could hit back. I braced myself – but the blow never came.

I finally saw his face as he stepped closer to me. In the flickering firelight, it was the face of a man about to walk to the gallows. But I felt not a single shred of pity for Jacob Ephraim Black, and I offered him no words of comfort. He had made his choice and he needed to start living with it.

"Take care of her." He asked.

I almost laughed at the stupidity of his request. Take care of her? He was asking me this? The same person who was the reason for her being hurt in the first place?

I would never understand why he would subject Bella to this, regardless of the fucked up imprinting, it was unnecessary to hold this travesty of a joining ceremony – and to subject Bella to it. And he never offered any explanation - though in fairness to Jacob, we had avoided him and shut him out of our thoughts as hard as we could since it happened.

I said nothing, gazing at him impassively as the seconds stretched like an eternity.

"I'm sorry Embry." He said softly. I wavered in my anger and outrage for a moment. I had never heard my friend so broken, not even when he thought Bella had died. Nor had I ever seen him apologize for anything – at least to me and Quil – before.

But I was too far gone in my anger to reconsider my next words.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry too. You and Aliya, you sure made a lot of people sorry." I almost spat out at him.

And then he walked away without another word.

- 000 -

LEAH'S POV

It was time.

"Are you sure you want to this?" I asked Bella one last time. I knew that if we stepped out of the woods, once we were seen, there could be no turning back, no saving face if we ran away.

I've always found that I can be stronger for other people than I can be for myself. That I have the ability to bury my own fear and sorrow deep into the recesses of my heart, when I have someone to care for, to help.

When my father died, for days, I was able to stem my grief, able to numb myself – because Seth and my mom needed me. And I needed to be needed – because it allowed me to pretend my own pain didn't exist.

Bella would never know how much I owed her for her presence tonight – for her needing me.

Though with all my heart, I wished that Bella had stayed home, that she had decided not to come to this ceremony – a small, selfish part of me was happy that she was here. Because if I focused on distracting her from her pain, if I could somehow shield her from the stares and whispers, I would be able to forget my own pain and my own sorrow - I could forget that a lot of the stares and whispers, and the looks of pity were meant for me.

Bella looked at me, lost in thought for a moment. "Bella…Bella" I said again, "It's time."

She focused, and then straightened up her back and lifted her chin. Then she nodded at me and the moment had come upon us.

I knew what I had to do. And I would do it with pride and with grace. With the pride and the grace of a Clearwater. And I hoped that when the night was over, and all the ties the bound me to Sam were broken forever, I would finally be free.

I calmed my face into a mask of serenity, adjusted my mother's beautiful dress. She had worn it to her and my father's traditional joining ceremony, like my grandmother Crow, and her mother before her. I had not worn it to mine, I had wanted to save it for my wedding, to begin my new life with Sam – I supposed it was ironic that I would be wearing it to my own funeral, to end the life I never had with Samuel Uley.

But my mother had given the dress to me tonight to wear - for the good luck spirit dance she said – but I knew better. It was as if my mother had pinned all her hopes, and good wishes, and love for me in that dress and it would armor me tonight. Shield me from curious eyes, form pitying looks. From Sam and Emily's happiness.

And I would need it.

BPOV

I held my head high, looking neither left nor right. Taking comfort in the thought that in an hour at most, I would leave this place forever. I heard whispers around me, unintelligible, vague – rising and falling like waves around me but never really reaching me.

I felt looks of pity from some, daggers of resentment from others, and from a group I recognized as Aliya's friends and family, looks of triumph and condescension, as Leah and I walked slowly towards the front, to the right of the Elders. I straightened my back and lifted my chin. I would not cower or slouch – I had done nothing to deserve any of this.

I turned my head slightly to look at my friend. She was in native dress and she had never looked lovelier or more regal than she did at that moment. Leah's face was sad but determined – but also strangely detached, as if she were not here at all. And only I, who shared the same sorrow and who was looking forward to the same ordeal, had any idea how much pain she was going though. None of it showed in her face, and I prayed that mine too, if not as beautiful or regal, looked as tranquil and serene.

The bonfire was huge – burning with the intensity of the sun, all gold and red and orange, sending waves of heat towards us with each sea breeze, and yet I felt cold. I felt goose bumps rise on my arms but resisted the urge to wrap my arms around myself. I would not show weakness.

And then I saw him – them.

The pack strode into the circle of light cast by the fire. The proverbial cream of the Quileute crop - Jared, Paul, Collin, Brady, and the three younger boys. And then the crowd hushed expectantly and looked towards the darkness a little bit behind Joseph, the youngest one, who had entered last. Sam walked forward, Emily's hand in his. And I heard Leah's small gasp of pain. I wanted to reach over and squeeze her hand – but I knew she wouldn't want that – any visible acknowledgment of her weakness in front of the hundreds of eyes that were curiously looking her way. Like maudlin spectators watching a car crash or a train wreck in gory fascination.

And also, I was frozen in place, for I knew I was next.

He walked forward, one hand holding Aliya's, the other supporting her back as if she were a fragile china ornament in need of careful handling. As they walked forward, she leaned up to him and whispered something in his ear. Jacob whispered something back with a quiet laugh and looked down at her, his eyes lit up, his face glowing in the firelight. And I prayed to the God I worshipped, and all the other gods who may have been listening, that I would be given the strength to remain upright, to hide the pain from my face. And I prayed for the grace to forget that once upon a time, his face had lit up for only me.

Just then, Billy raised his hands and the crowd was silent. I heard him say some words in their native tongue – some sort of invocation it seemed, for everyone bowed their heads respectfully.

And then it began. With the calling of the names of the families. And the calling of the names of the pack. As each name was called, each of the pack members came to stand in front of the fire. There were long awkward moments when Billy called Embry's name and Embry remained standing behind Leah and I, silently yet clearly declaring that he would not move from where he was. I saw faces tense, frowns deepen in the faces of the Elders. I saw Paul take a step forward, as if to lunge until Jared put out a hand to hold him back. And yet Embry stayed where he was.

Billy nodded gravely, and seeing Seth and Quil standing behind us as well, no longer called their names. I tried to read his eyes from where I was, wondering what he felt – if he was as happy as the rest of the Elders, at this formal joining of some of the oldest families in the tribe, to carry on the purity of their lineage. I saw Sam's eyes narrow in anger, and Paul's fists clench, and I wondered how much hell my friends would have to pay for this act of defiance. Yet all I could only see in Billy's face was sadness and perhaps regret.

From somewhere in the back of the crowd, drums began to beat, and a young man I didn't recognize began to play a flute. As if on cue, the huge flames from the bonfire fire danced in the wind, casting flickering shadows on the faces of the Pack and their mates as they stood close to it, and illuminating Billy as he stepped forward.

A hush fell across the crowd, and beside me, I felt Leah leave my side and walk forward. Her glossy black hair shone in the firelight, her white dress glowed as if lit from within, the turquoise and coral beads decorating it making a rhythmic clacking sound as she walked gracefully to the center of the gathering. Despite the roar of the waves and the whistle of the wind, Billy's voice carried in the night, hushing the expectant crowd.

"This is the legend of the how The Great Raven Bayaq and how he stole the Sun, the Stars, and the Moon."

Leah moved then, the Raven's head Mask perched upon her head, and her hands fluttered about her, light as air, graceful and ethereal, like a bird about to take flight.

"In the beginning Bayaq was the most powerful being. He created all living creatures. He created men and women, and the animals and fish that they hunted, and all the plants and trees that grew on the earth. But all lived in darkness for Bayaq had not created the sun, the moon nor the stars in the sky."

Everyone stood rapt, their faces shining in the firelight, mesmerized by Leah's dance. She was the Raven soaring in the heavens, she was a gazelle leaping over a stream, she was a willow, a leaf falling to the ground.

"One day Bayaq looked down from the sky and saw a beautiful woman who lived on the banks of the river. She was the Chief's daughter and she possessed the sun, the moon, and the stars which she kept safe in carved cedar boxes. The chief guarded her and the treasure well." 1

All of a sudden, Leah was transformed. She was no longer Leah Clearwater but the Chief's daughter, as she acted out Billy's story with the lissome movements of her arms and hands, and the pendulous movements of her body.

"Bayaq wanted the treasure for himself, and knew that he must trick the Chief to steal it. Bayaq flew up on a tall tree over the Chief's house and turned himself into a hemlock needle. Then, as the needle, he fell into the daughter's pail when she came to fetch water. When the Chief's daughter drank from the water, he slipped down her throat. Inside the chief's daughter, Bayaq became a baby and the young woman bore him as a son. This little boy was dearly loved by the Chief and was given whatever he asked for."

The movements of Leah's arms, legs, hands and every part of her body blended seamlessly with Billy's voice and the notes of the drums and flutes. Leah brought life to each word with each flick of her wrist, each twist and each graceful bend of her head.

Though I could barely take my eyes away from Leah, I looked across the bonfire toward Sam, wondering what he felt at that moment. And then sorrow for my friend momentarily overcame my own sorrow – for on Sam's face at that moment was one of rapt attention, of regret – of a love lost that can never be regained.

"The Chief's daughter kept the stars and moon in a beautifully carved cedar box and the sun in a separate box on the wood floor of the house. The grandchild, who was actually Bayaq, wanted to play with them and wouldn't stop crying until the grandfather gave them to him. But as soon as the Chief handed him the box, Bayaq opened it and threw the stars and moon through the smoke hole. Instantly, they scattered across the sky. Although the Chief was unhappy, he loved his grandson too much to punish him for what he had done."

Leah paused, head tilted upwards, her face enthralled us all with her beauty as she curved her body, suddenly becoming the grandson as he began to cry, his misery apparent in every flick of her arms and wrists.

"Now that he had tossed the stars and moon out of the smoke hole, the little grandson began crying for the box containing the sun. He cried and cried and would not stop until finally, the Chief gave him the box."

Now Leah was acting out the opening of the box with fluid motions

"Bayaq played with the box for a long time. When he had tired of this, he suddenly turned himself back into a bird and flew up through the smoke hole with the box."

Leah's feet danced across the sand, gliding, as if she were Raven taking flight.

"Once Bayaq was far away from the village on the Nass River, he heard people speaking in the darkness and approached them. "Who are you and would you like to have light?" he asked them. But the people, who did not know him, refused to believe Bayaq. To show them that he was telling the truth, Bayaq opened the cedar box and let the sunlight out into the world. The people were so frightened by it that they fled to every corner of the world. This is why the Raven's people can be found everywhere."

Leah moved in flurry of motion now, as she sprinted across the sand, her hair whipping in the wind, the flickering flames making her look ethereal, mysterious. Her hands reached up to the night sky and her body stretched too as she scattered imaginary stars across the night sky.

"Now there are stars, the moon and daylight, and it is no longer dark all of the time."

Leah ceased moving. A still, magnificent statue.

I had never seen anyone as beautiful. Or as cold.

All eyes remained on Leah as she moved back to my side. She stood proudly and quietly, yet I could feel her body beside me drawn as tensely as bowstring.

The moment she had been dreading had come. And Leah knew.

"LeahBethanyCrowClearwater,stepforward." Old Quil Ateara said, standing up and taking over from Billy. His white hair shone in the firelight, like a nimbus on his head, he looked as ancient as an Old Testament prophet, and yet, his voice was strong and clear.

Of course, they would save Jacob for last. The mighty Alpha and his warrior princess bride.

Leah took one step forward into the firelight, her bearing erect. Looking like the princess that she was – but one made of ice and stone. Not a single emotion showing on her face.

"We have called you here tonight, to release Samuel Uley from your troth. Do you so release him freely and of your own accord?"

"I do so release him."

"Do you forever renounce your troth with Samuel Uley and waive any and all claims you may have him to in the past, the present and from this day forward."

"Yes. I do."

With that Sam and Emily stepped forward. Hands clasped.

Samuel Uley now that you are freed from your old bonds and ties, do you pledge your troth to Emily Jane Young in the witness of your tribe and the Elders gathered here today?

"Yes" Sam answered. His voice was clear and loud, carrying over the sound of the breaking waves. Old Quil stepped forward and tied Sam and Emily's hands together with a red rope, symbolizing the binding of their union. In the eyes of the tribe, they were as good as married now.

Emily Jane Young, do you pledge your troth to Samuel Uley in the witness of your tribe and the Elders gathered here today?

"Yes, I do." Emily's voice rang clear, melodious.

Then lifting one hand over Sam and Emily's heads in a benediction, and clasping their joined hands in the other, Old Quil chanted:

Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.2

I felt rather than saw Leah flinch. And behind us, Embry stepped up closely behind Leah – as if to lend her his strength.

I knew it would be mere seconds now…before my turn.

I searched across the fire and found Jacob's gaze trained on me, his eyes burning. I gazed at him and wondered if my torn heart was reflected in my eyes, but after a few moments, I had to look away.

For how long can you look at the sun before it blinds you?

And then Aliya lifted her hand, pulled his face closer to hers and whispered something in his ear. And the moment was broken.

And from a long, long distance I heard Old Quil, as he pronounced my death sentence.

"Isabella Marie Swan, step forward."

- 000 -

FOOTNOTES:

1 Adapted from "Raven Steals the Light" by William Reid and Robert Bringhurst

2 Anecdotally referred to as a traditional Sioux Wedding prayer. However, known origins point to it being actually written especially for the 1950s film Broken Arrow