Moving on Chapter 23: Villainy & Vengeance, a twilight fanfic

Chapter 23: Villainy & Vengeance

Life has a funny way of bringing things about. In the back of our minds, we expect it. We all know what to expect. But it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Man has understood that every action has an equal and opposite reaction; it is the magnitude of this reaction that we often overlook in our daily lives and the choices we make.

It was what ran through Isabella's brain as she clutched his cooling body to hers, his life's essence pouring in rivulets from the fresh wound in his side, brown eyes wide and searching. He had gone suddenly ashen, his usual exuberant yet reserved demeanor reduced to nothing more than agonised gasps. In that moment, Bella questioned every decision made, every action taken and every path chosen. What if? What if she could prevent this from happening? What if she'd been more alert, not gotten into that fight with Alec, not been so foolish? What if her father hadn't been there? What if she was the one, laying in the trampled dirt with mere moments to live?

In a daze, Bella managed to lift her teary gaze from the crumpled form in her arms, barely aware of the ensuing chaos around her. Somewhere to her right, there was the resounding crack of a collision, but she couldn't muster enough energy to care. Nothing but the thought of her dying father ran through her mind, and she wondered how she was ever able to think of or agonise over anything but him. This was the man who'd tried his best her entire life, made sure that she could make sure that Renée was kept alive and the bills were paid.

She didn't register the intricate dance of Jasper and Alice as they effectively cut down the savage newborns, hardly batting an eyelid as heads were ripped off and chucked into the blazing pyre. Jane was fixing her heated gaze on several of the more vicious ones, smirking as Xavier and Felix ripped them apart. On the far end of the clearing, far from the chaos of the battle, stood the three ancient kings, as regal as ever.

They stared with a cool nonchalance, milky yet sharp gazes watching the carnage unfold before them. One newborn who'd managed to evade the guard growled as it came up behind Caius, outstretching it's clawed hand to grab at the midnight cloak draped over his shoulders. In a move more graceful than half the vampires alive could achieve, the snow-haired king reached behind him, lips pulled back in a feral snarl, and decapitated it, tossing the still-shrieking head into a blazing fire. He returned to his previous stance, observing the fight as if nothing had occured.

Bella didn't seem to have seen it at all. Her gaze continued, until they fixed on a specific point just within the tree-line.

There he stood, in all his undeniably beautiful glory. Bella felt her heart stutter for a moment as their eyes locked, brown on a startling yet familiar scarlet. His bronze hair looked windswept, and as if he'd tugged on it a few times in the last few minutes. He seemed as frozen as she was, rooted to the spot and unable to move. Of course, he hadn't changed one bit, except for the eyes. He was still as brilliantly perfect as a year ago, when he'd so callously abandoned her in woods so similar to the ones he now hid within.

Six hours ago…

Mandy squeaked at Charlie's words. "Are you serious? We're fighting Victoria and Edward now?" Alec shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. Despite the severity of the situation, Bella couldn't help but admire his physique, and marvel at how this vampire was really all hers. As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, said vampire cleared his throat, throwing a pointed look to Jasper who'd faltered in his steps.

"We-the Volturi- will be fighting, along with Jasper and Alice. The rest of you are to remain here at the castle and await for our return. We should be gone for one day, maximum." A scoff at the door tore their attention away from each other, watching as Kate sauntered in.

"You've got another thing coming if you think that I won't be joining in. Eddie boy has got it coming to him, and this time, he won't just think that he's burning." She laughed suddenly, gold eyes twinkling. "Maybe we can finally find out if Jane's power is more painful than mine…" her musings trailed off as a maniacal smile stretched across her angelic face, eerily resembling the petite blonde in mention.

At the name of his twin, Alec scowled before quickly schooling his features. Jane may be many centuries old, but he would always be protective of her, sadistic power or no.

"Yeah, and don't forget me. There's no way this fight is going down without me being there." Charlie's tone was matter of fact, morphing from amused playfulness to deadly serious. His face was stony as Alec turned to look at him, an unspoken message passing through the two of them. They both nodded in unison.

"Yeah, but why is everyone going? The Volturi could send only the Elite Guard to clean this mess up and you'd still be done in a day, so why the theatrics? What's different?" Tyler's uncommonly pointed question stopped everyone, turning to face Alec. He shifted slightly.

"We have cause to believe that the Romanians are assisting Victoria and Edward in the hope of drawing us out and cutting down our numbers in small groups. If we send only the Elite Guard, we run the risk of walking into an ambush."

"Romanians? Weren't they the ones who ruled the vampire world before you guys?" Angela had a skeptical look on her face as she asked, one brow risen in apparent disbelief. Alec frowned at her and her knowledge, to which she simply shrugged. "The library is pretty big."

"Yes, the Romanians were the...rulers, if that is what you could call them. They allowed humans with the knowledge of our existence and lived in a perpetual state of chaos. The only factor they counted on for the humans not to turn on them was fear. Aro knew that, while we vampires were reluctant to change, humans were not, and before long they'd find a way to kill us all." He opened his mouth to say more, but a flicker of emotion passed over his face. Bella frowned, instinctively rubbing his arm soothingly. He grasped her hand in his grip, ruby eyes finding her brown depths after having gone glassy.

Angela cleared her throat. Alec's face tightened slightly. "There was a massive fight something like half a century after my sister and I were saved," Charlie snorted at Alec's choice of words, to which the vampire shot him a warning glace. Charlie raised his hands in surrender, indicating for him to continue. "Aro had deemed it the right time to strike, considering the newfound power he'd been graced with and the complacency of his enemy." He was silent a moment before his hardened red eyes fixed on Angela's frown. "Let's just say it wasn't much of a fight." There was silence for a tense moment as they all digested this information, the vampires having been well aware of all this before.

"Stefan and Vladimir, the only two survivors from the original coven of Romanians, have been plotting the Volturi's downfall ever since. They would like nothing more than to see everything we stood for destroyed." It was Jasper who had spoken then, and Bella felt her brows draw nearer to her hairline.

"We?" She stared at the golden haired warlord in disbelief. Alice slipped her hand into his, giving him a brief smile before the pair turned to face the rest of the room. Jasper gave a stoic nod.

"We have pledged our allegiance to the Volturi and its cause for as long as Aro deems is worth it, putting you in such obvious danger and in knowledge of our world for so long and unsupervised." Disbelief swelled in Isabella, grip going pale as she clutched Alec tighter, as if she felt like she was about to be swept away in a torrent of emotion.

"You chose to stay? For me?" The incredulity in her voice caused Alec and Charlie to frown. Did she honestly still doubt her self-worth? Jasper simply shrugged.

"Well someone has to help you dress yourself when you're changed, Bella. T-shirts and jeans won't cut it in Volterra." Alice's cheery voice cut through the wave of tears that had stung the back of her throat, eliciting a half-choked laugh.

Kate glanced at her watch. "Sunset's in an hour. I give it about thirty minutes after that for night to fall completely." Alec turned to address his mate and her fellow band of merry humans.

"You'll all stay here, preferably in your rooms. The Queens may come down and keep you company, but other than that it would be best to keep your wondering confined to your quarters and the kitchen. Your scents are still...tempting, to the lesser guards." He shot Bella a pointed look, to which she responded with a curt nod. Her eyes were steely, and jaw tensed, but she appeared to comply...for now.

There was silence for a moment before a flurry of movement. Jasper murmured something about strategizing with Caius, Alice trailing behind him and offering Bella a brief hug before the two disappeared. Kate engaged Charlie in a conversation on the best ways to dismember vampires and effective ways of distracting newborns. Tyler and Ben were grumbling about missing out on the action, while Angela and Mandy traipsed back to their room in strained silence.

Alec offered Bella his hand, and she wordlessly accepted it. The two left the conference room, starting down the winding halls of the castle. They were silent for a moment before Bella spoke. "You do know that I can't just let you go, right? I mean, if my father can then I definitely can-"

"Bella, your father has been fighting for longer than you've been alive. And I will be much better out there knowing that you are safe and sound in here."

And the moment of fleeting admiration was gone, replaced with a sudden, ferocious anger so black she felt her shield literally pulse with energy. A sound to her right dragged her gaze away and she watched as two lesser guards talked about the impending battle, scarlet eyes ablaze with excitement. Bella scowled, nudging her shield over one of their feet. He fell unceremoniously, and struggled to regain his footing. Every time it seemed like he had his balance, something knocked him down again, and a frustrated growl was building in his throat.

"Bella…" Alec sounded exasperated. Bella pointedly ignored him, narrowing her eyes. The vampire was now slowly floating off the ground, dipping every now and then as her control slipped.

"Bella. Let him go." His voice was sharper now, and as Isabella whipped her gaze around to meet his, her shield snapped back to the comfortable security of their bodies. She frowned as she took this in, slightly bewildered. When had that started happening? Her shield seemed to recognize him, almost like an extension of herself, molding to his very sinful shape, draping itself along every strand of hair and hugging every last molecule of his being.

A sudden fear, sharp and acute, shot through her, stabbing at her heart. She drew him to her then, and kissed him. Bella was unabashed about it as well, unapologetic as she spoke to him with no words right there in the middle of the hall. She kissed him with an urgency that she could never fathom to translate into words.

Or maybe she could. Maybe she knew exactly what she was asking him with no words at all.

Don't go. Don't leave me.

And as he kissed her back, just as urgent, just as desperate, just as forlorn, he seemed to answer her unspoken pleas.

I have to. I must.

And then there were the words neither needed to hear spoken out loud; that they knew rang around their heads every waking moment and that was tattooed on their hearts, inscribed within the stars.

I love you.

Four Hours Ago...

They'd been convened in Sulpicia's reading room, which she shared with her brothers, sisters and mate. Isabella was sat on a plush cushion between her legs, staring idly into the flickering flames of the fireplace. Angela and Mandy had retired to their room about an hour after the fighting party had left.

"I can't bear the wait," Mandy had said, fighting back tears as she recalled her heartfelt goodbye to the burly vampire. He'd simply smiled at her, kissing her soundly. A wink and wave and then he was gone. Angela had taken pity on her and accompanied her. Her cinnamon gaze was accusatory as she asked Bella if she was coming. To which, the Hunter had shaken her head, almost absently.

"I'll see you guys in the morning…" Her wispy voice had trailed off, eyes glued on the spot she'd last seen her mate. She didn't seem to register the worried looks Athenodora and Sulpicia had thrown each other. Which lead to them being cooped up in this room of silks and tapestries and books and board games and everything and nothing.

Bella probed her shield, trying to get it to expand. It had become comforting in the past few weeks to know that she could control one thing in the sea of unpredictable changes. But now it didn't even budge, stubbornly snapping back to its place around her mind when she tried to move it farther than an inch away.

Her knees jittered incessantly, fingers tumbled over each other as they played with the pendant Alec had given her a few weeks ago.

"What's this?" she'd laughed, throwing her hair out of the way to examine the simply elegant box laying in the centre of the bed. She'd just come back from a romping in the huge garden with a few members of the guard and her friends. The two had snuck away when they thought no-one was watching. Felix had made sure to highlight their escape with a loud wolf-whistle and suggestive jokes. Jane had shut him up with a pointed glare and a mutter about 'not needing a visual about her brother'.

Alec simply shrugged, nudging her closer to it. She threw him a weird look before flopping onto the bed, scooping up the delicate box. Excitement tingled through her as she slowly undid the bow, taking off the lid with bated breath.

Inside, on a cushion of emerald velvet, was a crest. At first glance, it looked just like the one every member of the Volturi wore, an elegant but notorious 'V' with three rubies and the latin inscription of 'ponere pacem; praesidio omnino costs'- to maintain peace; to protect at all costs. But as she continued to stare at it, she noticed that there was a dragon intertwined with the standard phoenix.

"The phoenix symbolises rebirth; immortality and self-renewal due to its ability to be born again. That's the standard Volturi creature." Then he'd reached around and traced the form of the dragon, almost reverently. "But the dragon...that's from my own family's crest. It symbolises growth and expansion. The dragon is most useful in connection with fame, reputation." Then he'd offered her a weak smile. "Seemed ironically fitting, considered Jane and I's untimely death." He tapped the glistening emerald jewels, one in the eye of the dragon and the other at the bottom of the 'V'. "That's the colour my eyes used to be. When I was human…"

Isabella had simply shaken her head, tracing the crest lovingly. "It's beautiful…" Then she'd turned in his arms to kiss him deeply. The two had toppled back in the bed, but before it could get too heated, Alec pulled away, attaching it to the necklace Charlie had given her what seemed like decades ago. She caught sight of more latin words on the other side. "What's it mean?" He'd looked at her then, really looked at her. His eyes didn't hold the usual joke, or amusement or even annoyance when she chose to pester him. No, this time his eyes held an insurmountable abundance of love and sincerity and something darker...something like the promise of fire and brimstone in its most chaotic form.

"Wrong us, and we shall seek revenge. For where villany goes before, vengeance follows after; we have no qualms with being the villain." And though the words were dark, and laced with anger, black and pulsating and ugly, it was also the first time Bella had truly seen him as he were, a complicated combination of the witch twin the rest of the world new and her fiercely passionate mate. It was as he spoke those words, scarlet gaze darkening, that she realized how deep she was in, and as the pendant was secured to her, as the words were seared onto her brain, Isabella Swan realized that she would burn a thousand vampires, decimate entire cities, cull countless humans if anyone were to try and take her mate from her.

And it was now, as she sat with the boys' nonsensical chatter in her ear and Sulpicia's rhythmic brushing in her hair that she realised that she absolutely could not just sit there and do nothing. Not while her father was out there fighting millennia old vampires, while her friends laid down their lives for her, while her mate was faced with the very real and very possible prospect of death.

Just like that, a deathly calm had settled over her, calming her jittering knees and stilling her tumbling fingers. Like a flip had been switched, her heart settled back into a regular rhythm, and a small smile even stretched across her lips.

"I think I'll go to bed now." Her voice was still somewhat wispy, and her eyes slightly glazed over. But it was gone in a fraction of a second, and left the golden haired queens wondering if they'd seen it at all. Sulpicia placed the brush on the vanity, helping the girl to her feet. Her ruby gaze searched Bella's face in worry, brows drawn as her lips tugged upwards. Bella laughed, though it sounded somewhat strained.

"Honestly. I'm fine. But it's no use moping around here. At least, if I sleep, I'll be six hours closer to their return. I'll only have eighteen hours to worry about them after that." She tried a sarcastic tone, which fell flat as Sulpicia gave her a flat look. Athenodora barked out a laugh, before telling her fellow queen to let the girl go.

"Allow her time to herself, if only for the hour you'll stay away. She's experiencing the effects of the mating bond for the first time and doesn't know how to deal with it." Her eyes sparkled with something as she met Bella's gaze, and for a moment, Bella was stumped. Does she know? But then she had to shake her head. Of course not. She wouldn't let me leave if she did. Bella settled for throwing her a grateful smile before she turned and left.

The silence in the car was almost stifling, wrapping its invisible tendrils around Charlie's throat and yanking with every mile he put between him and his daughter. "You're good for her," he choked out finally. Alec, surprised, glanced over at him, but said nothing. "She's different when she's with you. Better. Happier."

"I love her, Charlie. More than I can let you know. She means everything to me. I just wish…" Alec trailed off uncertainly. Charlie frowned.

"What?"

"She kept going on about Lucas. Like he was as important. Like she…" Alec bit his tongue then, clenching the steering wheel tighter then, speeding up. He didn't like to think of it. Didn't like to entertain the thought of his mate having emotions anywhere near to what he felt for her, for anyone else. Didn't want to allow the idea that she may be in love with someone else.

"Lucas...he was the human that she initially wanted me to find?" Alec nodded, and Charlie grunted. "Figures." Then he started laughing. Perplexed, Alec looked at him.

"What's so funny? He's not human anymore." Charlie just laughed harder. Alec scowled, turning his attention back to the road. He would've run with the rest of his coven but Charlie, though abnormally fast, wasn't that fast. In that moment he wished that he'd taken up Alice's offer to drive the Hunter.

Charlie calmed down enough to offer an explanation. "Bella clicked with this Lucas boy."

"Clicked? What, the two get along? I already knew that, in fact they practically-"

"No, not clicked like that. It's a term for us Hunters, something like your mates." Fury rolled through Alec, followed quickly by icy fear and despair. Bella had already mated? He didn't realise that he'd spoken his despondent thoughts aloud. "Not exactly. It's more of a...suggestion, by nature. Allows us to choose the best person to…" he waved his hand in the air "procreate, if you will. It helps us recognize who'd be the best person to trust our secret with and produce the strongest heirs with. Lucas was human when Bella met him, and her Hunter recognized how suitable he would have been as a mate."

His words, though welcomingly explanatory, served to only shred his heart more, the demons whispering in his ears increasing in tempo to a deafening roar. "Of course, now that she's met you any connection she had to him has been severed. Whatever concern she has is merely how she naturally is."

Alec looked at his mate's father, brows drawn together. The man had a smirk on his lips, chocolate eyes swirling with mirth. A sudden laugh burst from Alec as he shook his head and returned his focus to the dark stretch of road ahead, Charlie's laughter beside him helping to lighten the heart that had darkened.

They watched, ruby eyes alight with the prospect of retribution as the newborns descended upon the unknowing mortals, rousing them from their peaceful slumbers to a waking nightmare. The screams of the villagers created a twisted chorus, sweet music to their ears. The newborns indulged unabashedly, not trying to conceal their inhuman strength as they tore doors off their hinges and effortlessly dismembered drained bodies in search of more blood. One of them started a fire in one of the houses, and they pair watched from above as the flames licked at the midnight sky, black smoke racing towards the heavens.

"What if the other humans find out? What if they get here before it's over?" Victoria's voice was uncommonly small as she approached the two ancients, scarlet eyes wary. They turned in unison, facial expressions eerily the same. A scoff cut them off before they could even speak.

"Please, you can't fight flamethrowers and nuclear bombs. If push comes to shove, and humans find out about us, you wouldn't be capable of stopping them from destroying us, and the entire world with us." Edward sounded bitter as he spat the words, drawing away from the cover the trees had provided. Victoria hissed at him, eyes holding both worry and warning. Don't push them. He only scoffed at her too. The two ancients inclined their heads at the same time.

"If you doubt our efforts, young Cullen," started the snow-haired one.

"You are more than welcome to scurry off with your tail between your legs," finished the other, thick accent dripping with sarcasm. Victoria watched uneasily, eyes flicking between the three before her. Edward hesitated. He hadn't actually planned on it going so far. He didn't mean for this to all spin out of control so fast. He'd just been so consumed with anger and rage and thirst when he'd heard that Bella was in Volterra. That she was once again in the presence of more vampires, who could have what was his. It was him that she'd fallen in love with, him that she'd wanted to give herself to forever; it should be him that finally got to indulge in the ambrosia of her blood.

As the thoughts churned through his brain, Edward felt a tinge of guilt. At some point, while he had courted the lovely Isabella, as he had watched her sleep and spent countless hours talking to her about everything and nothing at all, he'd fallen. Somewhere, while he'd been so completely focussed on testing his self-control, she'd wormed her way into his cold, unbeating heart. He hadn't been lying when he'd said to his family that leaving would be best; but it was probably better for him than for her.

Truthfully, he hadn't grown tired of her. How could he? She was so different, predictable yet impulsive, a beautiful enigma. How could he tire of that? How could he want anything or anyone else? But it had become crystalline clear that she wanted...more. That she wanted to spend an eternity with him, to be frozen as she is to spend the rest of their existences together. And while some part of him rejoiced at the thought of her being a permanent partner, another, darker, part was distraught at the thought of her eternal presence, the stillness of her heart, the lack of a blush or the stumbling damsel he'd come to enjoy saving.

He agonised over the constant reminded she would serve as something so close to his grasp, so orgasmically wonderful, but forever lost to him.

Edward straightened, meeting the ancients' gaze head-on. "When do they get here?" Lucas, who'd been watching from behind Victoria, cocked his head, lifting his nose to the air.

"Now."

The cold night air bit at her skin, the wind churning about her like an angry force. She didn't realise just how cold it actually was, but now she was too far to turn back. Besides, once she got there, once she saw that he was alive and well, she'd relax and warm up. She pretty sure this was all in her head. Hysteria.

Bella wore only a thin jumper over her standard training uniform, combat boots cushioning her feet. She didn't have any bags, but a sabre sword dipped in venom just like Charlie had showed her was strapped to her back, and an assortment of other weapons hidden about her body. Her chest tugged her west, and she followed blindly, up hills and down darkened roads.

I'm coming Alec.

They appeared to glide over the ground, unaffected by the scenes of horror around them. Their hoods were drawn, creating the illusion of darkness amassing, spreading like ink through the village. There were only five of them, but they had the auras of kings. The first threw back her hood, and like a ripple in a lake, the others followed suit. Jane's unblinking gaze flitted instantly to the group of five on the other side of the square, fixing on one of the ancients. He crashed to the floor, grunting in pain as his limbs thrashed uncontrollably. A sinister smile stretched across her angelic face, and she cocked her head to the side as her eyes narrowed, glaring harder at the vampire.

Vladimir's responding growl set everything into motion as he launched himself at the smaller vampire, only to crash into a solid wall. Felix's growl was loud as he wrapped his arms around the ancient, chucking him in the air like a doll. But Vladimir was faster, flipping mid-air and stretching his arm out to catch onto the spire of the nearby church. The tiles from the roof crashed to the floor, inconsequential amidst ensuing frenzy. Victoria darted off, dodging all of Xavier's attempts to stop her. Edward had been rooted to the spot, leaping back as a newborn with his face buried in a human's neck staggered closer. Alec grabbed them, wrenching the human from their grasp as he simultaneously put his teeth to the newborn's throat and tore his throat out. The blood they'd been swallowing spurted out as if their own, and Alec couldn't help the shiver of satisfaction.

Demetri had been parrying with Lucas, who- frustratingly- seemed to know his moves before he made them. Vladimir slipped past Felix, clawed hands outstretched for Jane's throat. She simply turned her fiery gaze to him, and he slammed to the ground, writhing in agony. But with her attention diverted, Stefan was released, and jumped to his feet, engaging Alec in a fight. Felix made short work of relieving Vladimir of his head, ensuring to chuck the rest of his body into the burning building behind him.

Newborns crawled from the darkness, swarming the five and tipping the scales. In Stefan's blind rage, he didn't look to see who's head he was tearing off, and several of his own creations were destroyed in his oversight. Alec was fighting off three newborns intent to ripping his limbs off. Just as one got their claws into the side of his neck, a whistle through the air and the grunt of the falling newborn alerted him to the presence of their own people. Charles Swan stood, smile stretched across his face as he surveyed the scene. He marched over and yanked the knife out of the still-twitching newborn's neck, severing it completely.

"Show time."

The rest of the Volturi bled from the woods, and the sound of screaming humans was replaced by the screech of metal. Bodies encased in dark robes cut through their savage adversaries without much difficulty, barely losing any limbs in the fight.

Lucas had just landed a blow to Demetri's jaw, making his head snap back from the force. In his moment of weakness, he lunged for him, wrapping his arms around the tracker's head. Then, before he could sink his teeth completely into his neck, a pain, more intense that any he'd felt before, rivalling that of his change, coursed through him, sharp and cold but biting all the same. Kate smiled, grabbing his head and yanking it clean off. Demetri simply looked at her, wide eyed and nodded in thanks. The two discarded the body and continued on.

The smell of smoke choked her, climbing up her throat and filling her lungs. Bella coughed, bent over, clutching at her chest. Tears burned her eyes, and cold fear churned in her stomach.

Fire.

The blaze was bright enough for her to see, even as far into the woods as she had been. Her feet ached, and her legs burned but all she could think about was the flames that could be devouring her mate, the fate he could have met.

Fear spurred her on, and before long, she was stumbling out of the woods and into a scene out of a nightmare. Utter chaos and carnage was all around her, the faces of newborns buried in the throats of long-dead villagers. Bodies in black robes twirled, as if in a dance, decapitating, dismembering, burning. There were ruby eyes everywhere.

In front of her, on the other side of the street, she noticed a familiar head of golden hair, fighting desperately against two crazed newborns. He held his own quite well, fighting and scratching whenever he had the chance but it wasn't enough. Their combined strengths were enough to send him soaring into the air, and before he had even landed another came to tear him apart. He twisted, somehow remaining graceful even airborne, and ripped an arm off one assailant, throwing it into the burning house behind him. As he glanced around, Bella noted with shock that this man and clearly experienced fighter was Carlisle.

She didn't think, drawing her sword from the sheath and slicing cleanly through one of their head's. Carlisle looked up in shock, eyes narrowing before he flitted around her and snagged a vampire out of the air, throwing them entirely onto the pyre. "You shouldn't be here, Bella." His voice was silken, and just like how she remembered, calming and compassionate. Bella laughed.

"No Carlisle. I'm meant to be here. Duck." She threw a knife, handle over blade, until it struck a vampire in the eye, giving Felix enough time to wrap a thick bicep around their neck, flex, and rip their head clean off. He frowned, but nodded to Bella in thanks anyway, continuing to rip, shred and burn. Carlisle had been frowning, but accepted it anyway.

"If you're going to be here, at least stay close…" She'd gone. A flash of red hair had caught her eyes and she couldn't help but run to it, fuelled suddenly by anger and fury. The newborns between her and the redhead met a swift and painless death, their heads tasting the cold metal of her blade. From across the battlefield, Jasper had spotted her, and worked his hardest to ensuring that the vampires that went after her were hit with a large does of lethargy, making them more or less as feral as an angered human.

The redhead had run straight into a house, guttural growl deep as she sniffed the air. Bella got closer, and the sound of a faint heartbeat reached her half a second before the vampire located it, ripping the human child from where they hid under their bed and bringing them to her lips. She ripped into them savagely, ruby eyes rolling back as she relished in the euphoria of the kill. Bella felt bile rise in her throat, stomach churning at the sight. The little boy screamed and thrashed as hard as he could, even letting go of the stuffed monkey he had clutched in his grasp until finally his thrashings halted and his heart went silent.

A war cry was released from Bella's lips and she charged through the house, swinging her blade up in an arc to behead the vampire. But she wasn't fast enough, and the vampire spun, growling, face coated in the boy's life source. And as Bella got a look at the vampire she was about to behead, she felt her blood run cold.

There, as feral as a wild boar, with her hair clumped and matted and a growl rumbling in her chest and a sneer on her lips was Carrie. The redhead charged at Bella, causing her to drop the sword as the two rolled out of the house. Carrie punched her, and if it weren't for her shield, it surely would have punched straight through her skull. Instead, her head snapped to the side, blood trickling down her nose. Bella gathered all of her strength, returning the favour and sending Carrie soaring, though she flipped mid-air and landed somewhat clumsily a hundred metres away.

A cloaked figure barrelled into her then, and Carrie didn't stand a chance as a screech filled the air and her red locks went soaring straight into an open flame.

"No!" howled Bella, eyes brimming with tears. Jasper watched her, shaking off the newborn trying to chew through his arm. What the hell is she doing? She was just stood there, shoulders slumped, staring vacantly into the purple fire. A jaw ticked in his jaw as he saw Rosalie struggling to keep off the two newborns scratching at her.

"Charlie!" he shouted, appearing behind the Hunter. Charlie looked up, a half-deranged look in his eyes. Jasper nodded over to where the brunette stood, before going to help his 'twin'.

"Fuck!" He screamed, abandoning tearing apart the vampire at his feet. He started to march over to his daughter, anger and confusion broiling in him as he watched her stand motionless. Of all the times to break down...He looked around, eyes darting into the tree line as he tried to gauge how many more vampires the Romanians had brought, how long the battle would go on for. A blur coming towards him caught his attention, and he braced, smiling as he readied for the fight. But then he noticed the vampire's path, the way he seemed to angle slightly to the left…The smile drained from his face.

"Bella!" He pumped his arms, willing his legs to carry him faster over the ground. He saw Bella turn her back on the vampire. Run. He saw her shoulders shake in a silent sob. Run! He watched her stiffen, saw the alarm in her spine a moment before the vampire pounced.

Charlie launched himself up, knife out and glinting as he unsheathed it. He readied to plunge it into the vampire's chest, knowing that it wouldn't kill him but at least buy them a few seconds. Enough time to scream some sense into his daughter.

The two collided, and the vampire managed to get their arms around Charlie, squeezing until it was too painful to breathe. They reared their head back and snapping it forward, its jaw widening impossibly to release a screech as the sharp point of a steel knife was driven into their throat. It released a gurgled noise, eyes round and fingers digging into the flesh of his side.

Charlie let loose a strangled string of curses, gritting his teeth as the newborn's head was ripped from their body and tossed into the inferno blazing all around them.

Bella watched, helpless, as her father fell to his knees, sweat pouring from his head, mimicking the blood that now seeped from his side. She rushed to him, catching his head just before it could kiss the floor. He hadn't closed his eyes yet, and his desperate grip on her hand wasn't weaking much.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Hey!" Her voice, choked with tears, turned sharp "Keep your eyes open, Dad. Just look at me...look at me…" Her voice warbled, and she tried to deny the blood that was staining the ground beneath them, tried to ignore how his hold was weakening, tried to banish the suddenly chalky pallor to his skin.

Alec was seething, raw fury burning inside of him which he let loose on the straggle of newborns trying to escape. They were ripped limb from limb, tendons flayed, marble skin like shooting stars as they were scattered about the battleground. The sight of his mate- his mate- had elicited white-hot rage and icy fear. He took in her relentless whispers into her father's ears, the desperation to which she clung to him despite the way his own hung limp beside him.

More vampires attempted to get closer. Everyone was still occupied. Nobody could stop them. Xavier was tearing apart those that Jane was incapacitating, Felix dismembering with Demetri feeding newborns into the open flames. The Cullen's and Denali's were holding their own, Jasper and Alice by far the most formidable pair with Kate and Emmett a close second, the blonde vampiress finding a morbid sense of joy in the convulsions of her victims. The entire guard was busy tackling newborns who'd discovered their gift, one in particular- who Alec immediately identified as Lucas- ducking a fraction of a second before the guard would strike, darting out of the way half-a-moment before another would pounce. Alec grit his teeth. He'd promised Bella that they would try and retrieve him alive, but if push came to shove, he'd have no problem ripping his jaw in half and chucking him into the pyre.

A dark, thick, fog started rolling across the land, inching its way closer and closer to the group. Yes, his own men would be rendered senseless, but they were replaceable, and the battle had gone on for too long already. He couldn't afford any more casualties.

It didn't take as long as it usually did, though Alec hardly noticed. His mind was too occupied with noting each and every threat that was around his mate and her shaking form, his heart clenching when he couldn't console her. Each tear that traced a track through the blood and soot on her face was a knife to his heart, each sob a punch.

Felix pulled Esme out of the way just as a tendril of darkness wrapped itself around her ankle and her vision started to fade, the sound of battle instantly sounding like it came from a far off land. Her golden orbs widened when she was yanked away, confusion creasing her brows before she noticed what was happening. Spinning, she called out to Emmett, but it was too late, and he stood with a look of perplexity on his face, eyes vacant, and for all the mothering instinct that burned in her chest, for all alarm bells that rang in her brain, her feet would not permit her to move. She couldn't bring herself to enter that domain of nothingness, so the rational part of her brain reasoned that it wouldn't help anybody. Her hand instantly sought her mate's, who had appeared silently by her side.

Bella didn't seem to be noticing the ring of darkness that formed around her. It was as if Isabella's brain had turned off as she clutched the cooling body to hers, his life's essence pouring in rivulets from the fresh wound in his side, brown eyes wide and searching. He had gone suddenly ashen, his usual exuberant yet reserved demeanor reduced to nothing more than agonised gasps.

She didn't register the intricate dance of Jasper and Alice as they effectively cut down the savage newborns, twirling dangerously close to the dark cloud and hardly batting an eyelid as heads were ripped off and chucked into the blazing pyre. Jane was fixing her heated gaze on several of the more vicious ones, smirking as Xavier and Felix ripped them apart. On the far end of the clearing, far from the chaos of the battle, stood the three ancient kings, as regal as ever.

They stared with a cool nonchalance at the dying of the battle, the alarm on the senseless, milky yet sharp gazes watching the carnage unfold before them. One newborn who'd managed to evade the guard growled as it came up behind Caius, outstretching it's clawed hand to grab at the midnight cloak draped over his shoulders. In a move more graceful than half the vampires alive could achieve, the snow-haired king reached behind him, lips pulled back in a feral snarl, and decapitated it, tossing the still-shrieking head into a blazing fire. He returned to his previous stance, observing the fight as if nothing had occured.

Bella didn't seem to have seen it at all. Her gaze continued, until they fixed on a specific point just within the tree-line.

He didn't seem to register his own movements, as if entranced by her presence, when he stepped out of the coverage of the trees and onto the battle field. His eyes never left hers, never glanced down to the body in her arms, never darted away to meet the accusatory glares that were all around him. He came to her like a man to a siren, and it wasn't until he felt his vision rapidly fading, the image of the only girl he'd loved going white and the sound of her strong heart growing faint did her realise his mistake.

The nothingness of Alec's gift hadn't engulfed him completely when he felt his head wrenched from his body.

A/N: So, this took long because, as you can see, it is a very long chapter. I had more but I had to majorly cut it down because it would have been ridiculous. It was originally 15,000 words but I cut it down to around 7,000. Anywho, any questions, don't be afraid to PM or review. Next time, my lovelies.

-Channie.B