A/N Uh-oh. So I totally did a My Vampire Romance by not updating in months...sorry! Lots of shiz has been going on here, and quite frankly, writing this wasn't a priority.
This chapter is kind of a filler, but it does explain some things. I don't feel that great, so if I ramble, bear with me!
Soundtrack: Breaking The Habit – Linkin Park
Casey wasn't as fast as Tammy, so I slowed down a little to match her pace, not minding that it was a little harder for me to keep going like this. No matter what I'd said earlier, I was pretty dang glad actually that she was coming with me. Not that I wanted to drag her into all this shit, but it was better than running off to meet this guy on my own like a total martyr. Just running beside her helped me, knowing that I wasn't alone, and I could do this.
How are you holding up? She asked maybe 30 minutes after we'd left.
We were like the 'shifters in the way that we could talk through our minds, but only what we wanted them to hear could be heard.
Kinda scared, I answered, but I know I'm doing the right thing.
Are you sure? It isn't too late to turn back, you know.
So the rest of my family can be killed? Casey, there are two kids back there, as well as plenty of people that I love and won't stand to be hurt. Can't you see that this is the only way?
She sighed, mentally. Did that even make sense? I've said it before and I'll say it again – you're too selfless for your own good! Someone should lock you up in a padded cell with a special jacket that allows you give yourself a big hug on how self-sacrificing you've been.
Oooh, with the sarcasm! Look, if you don't want to go, then turn back, but this is something I have to do. And yes, I've kicked my own ass plenty of times for being self-sacrificing. It does my head-in as well. I grumbled.
I couldn't help it; it just came naturally to me. Guess I was just a glutton for punishment.
Just like Uncle Jon and my dad – they'd do the same thing you are if it was up to them. I'm just saying, they'd be really proud of you, you know. I think everyone is, actually. You've made us see that there is such a thing as a good person, and that person is you.
Wait, what?
I'm not a good person, Case. I sighed. I've killed and hurt people, ran away from situations I shouldn't-
Bella, for once, just agree with me and let it go. She laughed. You're a good person, end of!
I came to a sudden stop, putting everything I had into planting my feet firmly in the ground, practically going head over heels in my haste. Casey quickly copied, growling in a low voice as she sensed what I had already picked up, and bracing herself.
Quick, change back and climb up into that tree. Someone's coming.I said quickly, hurrying to change back, scanning the area around me in anxiety.
They were coming. I could smell them.
"Come on, hurry up!" Casey hissed, yanking my hand as we jumped in a way that no human would've been able to into the huge oak beside us, only a split second before masses and masses of figures in black drifted into the clearing below us.
Please don't see us, please, just carry on. Don't stop.
My stomach plummeted as the leader held a hand up to the others, who all stopped behind him, crowding the space below and beyond, covering the ground below us in a thick black cloak.
"Someone's been here very recently." My eyes narrowed as the werewolf by his side spoke in his gravelly voice, eyeing the bushes around him greedily, his tongue caressing his teeth as though in hunger. "In the last few minutes, in fact." There were hisses all around. Casey grabbed my arm before I could launch myself at the wolfs throat – selfish bastard.
"Are they still here?" The leader hissed gleefully, staring around wildly, as if we were just going to jump out at him. "Or rather, is she here?" there were laughs all around, and this time it was me who had to hold Casey back. "Find her, and whoever she's with! I've had enough of the games – tonight it all ends."
I held in a gasp and a curse word, waiting until they had all run off in different directions except the way they'd came, before turning to Casey, with a shocked expression that mirrored hers.
"Tonight it all ends..." she whispered.
"We have to warn the others!" I said quickly, leaping out of the tree and changing as I did so, running as fast as I could back towards the Cullen house. Come on, Casey. It'll hurt, but you have to keep up with me!
What happened to going to head them off?
Casey, he wants me dead. He wants us all dead, and we still have no idea why! We have to get back before-
I was thrown back at least 20 feet, slamming into a tree and slumping at the bottom as a human. A white burst of light had hit me square on in the chest, leaving no mark, but feeling like I'd slammed into a brick wall.
I looked to the left of me to see Casey in a similar state, but with blood trickling down from her left eyebrow where she'd gotten caught on a branch above her. She grimaced at me as she struggled to sit up, glaring at whoever was opposite us.
"Well, well, how surprising." A familiar voice said. I whipped my head around to see the man and the woman from the warehouse stood opposite us. He was smirking, like he had just won something important, and she was rigid, her hands over her hooded mouth and her posture frightened. I frowned at her in confusion, but he started to talk. "We haven't formally introduced ourselves, have we? My name is Simeon, and this is my wife, Lilith. Of course you're Isabella, and you must be Casey, am I correct?"
"I don't care what your name is." Casey growled. "You've killed enough people; we're going to stop you from doing it again."
He laughed, sending gooseflesh across my arms. "Is that so? Let me guess – you're going to kill us, then run back to your supernatural families for reinforcements, kill my army, then live happily ever after?" as he laughed at her, I sat up a little further, trying to get in a good offensive stance.
"Simeon." The woman said stiffly, tugging at his sleeve. "There's something I have to tell you about-"
"Not now!" He growled, pushing her away roughly and starting to curse at her.
Casey caught my eye, and I saw she was in the same stance as I was. "NOW!" I breathed, leaping for his throat at the same time as she did. He put up a pretty good fight, and starting muttering an incantation, but a hefty punch to the jaw soon shut him up. We had overpowered him, but suddenly there was another brilliant flash of light, and we were laid flat out on our backs again, grimacing in pain.
"I'm getting sick of you two!" He growled, lighting a huge ball of fire in his hands and heading towards us...
FLASH!
I shielded my eyes as best I could from the new, red light that seemed to surround the entire area, swallowing me whole until it vanished without a trace. Ignoring the aching throb in my chest and back, I leapt up to see Lilith breathing heavily opposite us, having blasted Simeon off to God-knows where.
"He's not dead." She said in a cool voice, lowering her palms and standing up straight. "He'll be back soon, and you need to get out of here before that happens." Her voice sounded so familiar, but it was lost in my thoughts of why the hell she had saved us instead of letting him finish us off.
"What's the matter? Decided killing isn't fun anymore?" I spat, grabbing Casey's hand and preparing to run for it. "You'd better get out of here – I don't ever want to see you in these woods again, do you hear me?"
To my surprise, the part of her face that wasn't in shadow turned up in a smile. "I thought I raised you to have better manners than that, Bella." Casey's gasp of shock beside me might not have existed, as Lilith pulled her hood down and showed me her face.
Renee.
I shook my head, taking several steps backwards. "No, that's impossible! Renee is dead, I saw her get hit by the lorry!" I hissed, glaring at the woman who was smiling sadly at me. "You're Lilith, and you killed Eleazar, and Paul, and- and my fucking best friend Catherine!" I yelled, my blood boiling, Casey forgotten.
"Renee, Lilith, what's a name?" she sighed. "I wasn't killed by the lorry, Bella, Simeon made sure of that." She said in disgust. "And I've been bound to him ever since. I guess he thought killing my daughter would make me finally give myself up completely." She glared in the direction he'd gone, her hands balling into fists.
"Bella!" Casey hissed, squeezing my arm. "We haven't got time for this! At this moment, he's recovering, and possibly sending reinforcements! We have to get back to the others." She looked urgent, and I nodded my head.
"Lilith, Renee- whatever your name is. You're in danger. Either come back with us so you can tell us everything you know, or get the hell out of here." I said coldly, sprinting past her, not bothering to change back into my form.
"Is this a good idea?" Casey asked as she caught up to me. "I know she's your mom, but can we trust her?"
"That woman is not my mother! If she's even following us, and if I feel we can't trust her, I'll kill her."
"If you feel you can't trust me, I'll let you kill me." She sighed, suddenly behind us. Casey glared behind her and sped up a little; I could feel her anxiety at the newcomer, and this time I fought to keep up with her.
We broke through the trees into the Cullen's back yard only 15 minutes later due to our haste, where everyone was gathered, and by the looks of things, heading out as a hunting party.
"CASEY SWAN! ISABELLA SWAN!" Uncle Ty roared, marching forward and grabbing his daughter's right shoulder with one hand and mine the other. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Why the hell would you run off into the woods without telling anyone at a time like-" he stopped short, his eyes enlarging as he took in the figure behind us. "Renee?"
"We can't trust her." I said brusquely, moving past Ty to address the others. "She'll tell us everything she knows, or I'll kill her." I shrugged, heading over to where Edward was leaned against the house, glaring at me. "What's up?" I asked in a low voice as everyone crowded around the supposed Renee.
"Why didn't you tell me, Bella?" he glared, towering over me as he fumed. "Or would've that been too much trouble? Why the hell would you tell me that you're going to stay close to home with Tammy, then run off to God-knows where with Casey? I'm sorry, but I thought you trusted me." He exhaled angrily, looking away with disgust clear in his eyes.
"Edward..." I began, dropping the hand that was stretched out towards him. "You would never have let me go." I said simply. "And I had to try something! Anything to get them away from us! Enough people have died – I was desperate to end things!"
He shook his head and turned back to me, looking at me like the enemy. "I get it. You think your life is nothing; that the world would be fine if you went and got yourself killed to protect your family, it wouldn't be the first time you've run off to protect others. You know, sometimes I wonder if you aren't just being completely selfish by doing things like that."
I reached up and gave him a huge slap, making his head whip to the right. There were plenty of gasps around; meaning attention was now on us instead of Renee. He turned back to me, one hand on the cheek I'd slapped, and shock on his face.
"I do it for you – for the people that I love, and you know that, because I've told you. So why don't you tell me the real reason that you hate me taking matters into my own hands?" I asked softly, toning down the rage and starting to feel bad about slapping him.
Instead of answering, he turned on his heel and strode back into the house, never looking back as he ran up the stairs. I winced as several doors slammed shut and several items in our room were smashed, then silence.
I turned to see everyone staring at me.
"Keep staring, and I'm gonna start charging." I sighed, heading over to Caleb, whose eyebrows were raised so high that they were invisible under his hair. "This should be interesting." I muttered, as everyone settled down and focused on Renee, who was about to speak. Ghost-like, Esme appeared on my left, taking my arm and smiling sadly.
"Everyone, I promise that I'm not going to harm any one of you. When I'm away from Simeon, I don't have my demon powers anyway." She said pointedly to Sam, where the entire pack stood ready to change in a second.
"We can't take that chance." He said simply.
She threw her hands up in frustration, but nevertheless floated to the ground, sitting cross legged and closing her eyes. "I'll start from the accident." Caleb tensed by my side, as curious as I was. He had witnessed the accident, taking me away with him when it became clear that it was deliberate.
"I threw a shuriken (throwing star) at the lorry windows, injuring the guy inside and causing him to swerve in the opposite direction. I was hit, but not by the lorry, but by a sort of powder that knocked me unconscious-"
"There was blood everywhere." I interrupted. "Explain that."
She smiled without humour. "Bella, have you learned nothing of magic in the short time we've been here? It's nothing you could ever imagine! It's real, and it can do extraordinary things. In the case of demon magic, practically everything is possible, even making a scene look more gruesome than it actually is."
I nodded, leaning back against the tree behind us. Caleb rolled his eyes at me, but I was more interested than ever to hear what she had to say.
"When I woke up, I couldn't move. I was in a dark box – which of course I had no idea was a coffin. Maybe a minute after I awoke, someone pulled me out and put me over their shoulder. I couldn't move a muscle, much less escape, so I concentrated around me. He took me to a warehouse where Simeon was waiting, having not changed one bit from how I'd known him all those years ago."
Memories of my conversation with Uncle Ty came back to me."The man who Renee left us for, his name was Simeon...Simeon was an awful man. I'd have killed him myself if it wouldn't have destroyed her."
"That jerk that made you leave your heritage?" Lily gasped, her eyes becoming slits. "I've always wanted to throttle him! And now you're telling me that he faked your death, kidnapped you and God knows what else?" she shrieked.
Uncle Jon put a hand on her shoulder to restrain her, though wearing the same loathing look as his sister. "Calm down, Lil, let her finish."
"I was bound to him," she continued, more subdued now. "He made me swear to be faithful to him, or he'd kill Bella – baby, you were being watched!" she said desperately, trying to find some reaction in my apathetic face. "If I'd have said no, he would've had you killed in a split second! You know you would've done the same!" her eyes glistened with tears, and I started forward an inch before freezing.
"Anything else?" I said stonily.
She sighed, glaring at the grass. "You can hate me, but I promise it was to keep you safe." She turned back to the others, who seemed more willing to trust her. Even Jake and the boys were out of their defensive stances. "I can tell you a spot by the river, a little way from here, where they're sure to track you. Today's the day they attack, there's no stopping them."
"There's nothing?" Carlisle asked sharply, his eyes flickering over to Esme beside me. "No way to stop their attack, or try to reason?" she was shaking her head even before he'd finished.
"He wants Forks – nowhere else on the planet has the supernatural element that he needs to keep himself alive. He's old, Mr. Cullen, older than you know. Killing all those people is only the beginning – if he manages to overpower you, he'll murder the entire town and take it for his own." She bowed her head in shame, shielding her face from the crowd of onlookers.
"This is all very storybook-like. Bad guy wants to take over, good guys have to stop him. Who will win? Does anybody know?" a sarcastic voice said from the back porch.
All eyes turned to see Emmett, very much healed, his eyes narrowed at Renee on the grass. He sought me, and after seeing me so far away from her, my expression ranging from curiosity to mistrust, he nodded, suddenly appearing on Caleb's right.
"We have to meet them!" Ty growled, his hand clasped on his son's shoulder. "We'll meet them, finish them, then get the hell out of here. We've been here too long." He muttered, striding back to the house, presumably to get ready to leave.
Carlisle sighed, but after seeing no disagreement in anyone else's expression, he nodded. "Everyone prepare yourselves, we leave in an hour. Alice, keep an eye out for their decision to come here." He added to the pixie girl I hadn't noticed beside him.
"No," she said firmly. "They aren't going to come here – they prefer the forest. When we get to the river, they'll be waiting."
Slowly, everyone dispersed, Esme running to take her husband's hand as he smiled weakly at her. Caleb mussed my hair, but headed off as well, leaving Emmett and I in the large back yard with our mother.
I gave Emmett a now what? look, and he shrugged. She was still sat on the grass, sobbing softly. I knew now why everyone had gone away; to give us a little bit of privacy. Holding my head up high, I walked briskly over to Renee, who only looked up a fraction when I was literally a few inches away.
"Do you know how it's been, learning to be a spy, and having to go through the worst years of my life alone?" I said roughly; she winced. "You were all I had, Renee, and thinking you were dead was bad enough; but now, knowing that you've been alive all this time...ugh!" I yelled, badly wanting to hit something.
"I couldn't take the chance that they'd kill you." She whispered desperately. "You have to believe that!"
"Not even a hint that you might still be alive; no letter – nothing!" I hissed, feeling just like I had when I'd burned down that Goddamn apartment. "You can't expect me to believe that you of all people, just surrendered to the enemy because someone you love was threatened!"
Slowly, she stood up, and with a jolt I realized that I was the same height as her now. "You weren't trained then, and I didn't know about Leslie and Emily's children recruiting you. It was my final gift to you – to protect you from my mess. I understand if you can't ever forgive me." She sighed.
As she turned to walk away into the forest, most likely to her death, I realized that there was no way I could lose her again. Before Emmett could speak, I ran around her and hugged her tightly, hiding my swimming eyes in her shoulder.
"Don't fucking ever think about leaving again." I whispered as she hugged me back. She smelt the same, she felt the same...it was as though nothing had happened, and we were back in New York. I felt Emmett wrap his arms around us both, kissing us on top of our heads as my mom and I cried.
"I'll never leave you again, sweetheart." She smiled, tears still running down her face. "We have all the time in the world to talk! You might have gotten me back, but don't lose him." She indicated the house behind her and I gasped.
Edward.
Leaving my mom and Emmett to talk, I ran back up to the house just as everyone else reappeared, talking urgently, preparing themselves to fight. I took the stairs three at a time, running up as fast as I could to the room on the third floor where I could hear him walking around furiously.
"I'm getting changed." He snapped as I flung open the door. He was halfway into a black t-shirt, with his back bare, showing the scars he'd gotten from the demons.
"Oh my God!" I gasped, running over, hardly daring to touch. "I thought these were healing!"
He pulled the t-shirt down and faced me, clearly still pissed. "Well they're not, and they're never going to. Something to do with their powers...Carlisle explained, but that's the gist of it." He shrugged.
"Edward...please. We literally have an hour left, maybe less, before we're thrown into a fight so big that it's doubtful we'll all make it out. Please...don't end everything like this; mad at me. I know running off was wrong! But I just love you too much to not do something!"
He span around, his eyes blazing, making me automatically step back. His expression softened a little bit, but it was still clear how he felt. "You love me? No, clearly you don't, Bella. Why the hell would you leave me here, lying to me when you told me where you were going? You must hate me." He scoffed under his breath.
"Hate you? Hate you? Boy what the hell have you been smoking?" I glared, one hand on my hip as he rolled his eyes at me.
"Then why would you leave me behind when you went off to die?" he hissed, trembling through his rage. "Why would you leave me to face life alone by getting yourself killed?"
My breath caught, and I understood why he was so angry. It wasn't the fact that I was going to get myself killed (though he hated that), it was that I was going without him to get myself killed.
I ran over and hugged his waist tightly, ignoring the fact that he wasn't holding me back.
"I'm so sorry! I promise you, that I will never leave you behind again. I had no idea..." my breath caught, and it was all I could do to stop myself crying. "Casey was wrong, I'm an awful person – a selfish, selfish bitch!"
Finally, he relaxed, hugging me tightly, leaning his cheek against my head. "You are selfless – but I can be as well. If we die, we die together, understood?" he smiled weakly as he pulled back, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I nodded. "I love you too, Bella, and a world without you truly would be hell. And as for dying later...we'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that." He smiled, kissing me softly.
"Drama, drama and more drama." I sighed when we parted. "Is nothing normal anymore?"
He chuckled. "Were our lives ever normal?"
"Meh." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I wrapped mine around his waist, heading downstairs and outside, where everyone smiled knowingly. I simply rolled my eyes and got into line facing Sam, Renee, Carlisle and Uncle Jon.
"Alright listen up, people! Today's the day – we're going to finish this once and for all." Uncle Jon said, very much the proud warrior as he faced us all – the ragtag army that really had no idea what they were up against.
"They'll try and stun you, to keep you down whilst they finish you off. DON'T let them get to the back of your neck, because then you really will have no chance." Renee said firmly, the ghost of tears still etched on her face.
"We'll all be heading out as one big group – no-one separates until we start to fight. Charlie will be arriving at the house shortly – he's waiting until he see's us leave. He'll stay with the girls and lock down the house. The shifters will attack from the front – vampires from the back. Does everyone understand?" Carlisle asked, the figure of authority. There was a resolute yes, and everyone started to run, staying with their closest relatives as we all thought 'this is it'.
"Are you afraid?" Edward asked, his hand finding mine and squeezing.
"A little bit." I gulped. There was no point in lying. "Stay close to me throughout – we'll guard each other's backs. And whatever you do, don't let them see if you're weak or injured!"
He nodded. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
I couldn't say anything else.
I looked around me, at the faces of everyone I loved.
Carlisle, tired and anxious; Esme, still full of love as she watched everyone around her. Alice, her eyes cloudy as she held onto Jasper's arm; Jasper, deeply concerned as he watched his wife. Emmett, looking grimly determined; Rosalie looking like Morrigan, the Goddess of battle. The Denali's, afraid but strong. My uncles and aunt, all with steely determination and grit; my cousins, looking grim but ready. Jakes pack, fierce in their forms; and Caleb, the lone ranger in our pack that all cared about each other deeply.
I reached back for his hand, which he took gratefully, running a little faster to be beside me.
Is this how it ends? All of us running to fight a force we don't understand, trying to beat creatures we've already lost people we care about to? Where's the justice in that? I came out here earlier to give myself up – instead, I lead us all to our doom. How am I going to be able to look anyone in the eye if someone's killed? Which people will be lost forever...?
When we arrived, they were already waiting for us.
Renee had been right, that blast hadn't been enough to kill Simeon, who was grinning at us wickedly from his spot by the river across the clearing, in front of less hooded figures than I expected. They were all ready and waiting for someone to make the first move.
I stepped forward.
"We know what you want." I said powerfully, my voice ringing through the open space. "But you won't get it." There was laughter from the other side, and Simeon kept smiling.
"I admire your spirit, Isabella. I've had a change of heart! I was going to kill all of you, kill the rest of the town and stay here. Now, I think I'll do all of that, but keep you."
Practically everyone either growled or hissed behind me, and I fell back into line, bracing myself. This was the beginning; all it needed was a spark, and there would be death.
"You know, Catherine was strong, and she almost caught me in her office. But still, all it took was one push to end her." He grinned inanely. "Such a shame; but it was fun to watch her fall."
Caleb and I leapt for his throat.
I promise it won't be months for the next chapter!
Tell me it was good, or tell me it was shit – either way, it helps me. I hope you don't kill me for the next chapter! ;)
Charlie
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