A/N okay, first off, DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER! I knew if I didn't put that, people would be asking if the next chapter is the last one, which it isn't. We still have a few more until *sniff* MVA is finished for good!
I've decided what I'm going to do after, though, but it requires some help from you, or I simply won't do it. Either review this story, or send me a PM of which outtakes from these stories or parts that I haven't included you want to read. For example, I've written one about the day Bella gets scouted by Caleb...but yeah, if no-one suggests anything, I just won't do it – sorry!
Soundtrack: Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold
Simultaneously, Caleb sank his teeth into Simeon's neck, causing him to scream in pain, whilst I clawed him anywhere I could, having Changed mid-leap. Everyone else ran past us in a blur towards the demons that were surging forward at the attack of their master.
Caleb snarled in his face as he pinned his arms down, my paws on his chest and growling as well.
Then he started to laugh.
"You think that a little bit of drawn blood and a few bites can kill me? Ha! You haven't seen the world as I have, you don't understand that it's not that easy to win." He grinned, shaking his head. "You don't know how to kill me."
"But I do." A dark voice said from behind me. Caleb kept his eye on Simeon as I craned my neck, seeing Edward with a large iron bar in his hands. It looked deadly; it looked sharp. "Bella, please get out of the way and help pin him down."
"I can give you power!" Simeon yelled, struggling against my body weight on one side and Caleb's steel arms on the other. So Edward did have something that could destroy him. "You don't have to do this!"
"Oh yes I do!" He snarled. "You kidnapped me and my family, threatened to take my girl as your own, killed innocent people, injured me and my brother, and caused Bella to be in pain for the past 2 years to name only a few! So yes, I do have to do this." He said simply.
Edward brought the bar down, hard.
Simeon's screams seemed to last a lifetime, light bursting from his dark-clothed body, his arms becoming harder and harder to hold on to.
"Get out of the way!" Caleb and Edward both yelled, all three of us jumping as far as possible before the light swelled, seeming to take over the entire clearing...
And then he was gone.
There was just...nothing.
All that was left of the millennia old demon was a scorch mark on the grass, and a handful of light-bleached, smoking rags. He had literally vanished into nothingness.
Don't just stand there! A voice in my head yelled. There's a fight going on – so fight!
I didn't need any more convincing, forgetting Simeon and throwing myself into the huge mass of black and grey, biting and tearing at anyone who came my way. They were relatively simple to kill, only needing one major injury to go down – but they weren't going without a fight, and they were absolutely everywhere. I was completely surrounded, but I couldn't watch my front without protecting my back, and vice versa...
We were horribly outnumbered.
But still I didn't let it stop me, carrying on, making my way through the crowd leaving destruction in my wake, just wanting to end all this before one of us were seriously injured or killed. I caught a flash of long blonde hair somewhere to the right of me. Casey? Rosalie? Naomi? I couldn't tell – in a second it was gone, and all I could see was an endless pool of black, trying to drown me.
"NO!" I span towards the voice behind me, and for one stupid second, let my guard down, letting a flash of white hit me yet again in the chest and send me flying backwards, landing painfully on the outskirts of the fight as a human.
And was filled with hope.
In the beginning there had been thousands of the swirling, misting shapes that I had no idea were so easy to destroy once their leader once gone. Now, there were perhaps hundreds left – now we were getting somewhere!
"Are you okay?" A coarse voice said to the left. Jacob was doubled over, breathing heavily with his eyes swimming with tears.
"Oh my God, Jacob!" I scrambled to my feet and grabbed his arm. "What happened, did you get hit?"
"No, it's, it's...Sam." I felt the blood drain from my face. "He's dead. Bella, I had to get him out of there!" he said quickly, leaning on me heavily. "But I'm going back in."
"I'm so sorry, Jake." I whispered. "Be strong, I'm coming with you."
Without looking at the broken figure on the ground behind us, we dived back into the fight. We didn't even manage to stay together 5 seconds before we were separated.
This time it was more intense, because try as I might, I just couldn't change back into my form. Jake had, straightaway, but the magic that had been used on me was far too strong, leaving my tiger form paralyzed.
Instead, I fought hand-to-hand, using the knives I had taken to carrying with me everywhere since the day Cathy offered me a job. And because of the type of metal used on the blade...let's just say it was actually easier to kill this way than by trying to attack with my razor sharp teeth. If I could just find one of my own, then it would be easier to keep myself and someone else protected whilst taking down as many of these things as possible.
No matter how many I thought we'd taken down, there were still plenty left, and in the crammed space, none of them wanted to die. I became dizzy from spinning around to kill those who tried to grab the back of my neck, but still I carried on, knowing that the more I killed, the less chance that someone else I cared about would die. There had already been too much death today, far too much...
"Leave her! I want her." A gravelly voice snarled behind me. Before I could turn, I was pinned flat on my back, with the weight of a wolf in his half form crouched over me.
"So you're the bastard who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for paws." I snarled. "Oh what's up, kitty-cat got your tongue?" I smiled.
He grinned, yellow-white teeth flecked with blood and spit showing past lips that were curled up in a huge smile. "I heard, that before he died, my brother got the chance to the taste the flesh of a pretty little human girl that his boss had kidnapped. And you know what, princess? He would've finished her off if it weren't for the fire and the vampires." A growl started deep in his chest, his wolfish eyes narrowing into slits. In a few moments the moon would come up, and he'd be able to transform completely into a werewolf...
Jake's pack were different, they were shapeshifters that just happened to turn into wolves. Real wolves, werewolves, were much more deadly – slaves to the moonlight. When they turn, they lose themselves completely, forgetting who they are, who they love.
The clouds started to reveal the moon.
"If you mean me, he almost killed me. I watched him die – quite pathetic, really, when you think about how much he threatened to kill me." I grinned. "Oh, and I'm not sure if it was your brother, but I managed to trick one of them into letting me go! It was only because his boss came that-"
The punch to my face sounded hollow, and for a moment, I didn't feel anything. Then the pain came, and drew in breath with a hiss.
"For that, I'm going to kill you slowly." He said softly by my ear.
And then the moon shone through the clouds.
The wolf-man reared back, his face tilted upwards as he did something that I have only ever seen in movies. He howled. As he did so, his features changed. His deformed, hair covered nose became a muzzle; his eyes becoming less round, more yellow; his body shrinking, yet becoming more powerful.
In a surge of energy, I kicked its chest with everything I had, sending him flying backwards and landing painfully once, twice, three times before lying in a heap. There was no doubt about it, since the Change, I had gotten stronger and stronger.
But there was no way to finish him off! "Come on Bella, think! You've fought a werewolf before! What weapon works best?" I muttered to myself; then suddenly, it all came back to me.
"Here," Cathy said to me just after I was initiated. "Take this."
In her hand was a silver knife, with my first name in fancy writing on the handle. A mini sheath she had in her other hand, engraved with jewels and my last name in the same font as the blade handle.
"A silver knife?" I asked in confusion. "What's this for?"
"Trust me," she smiled. "It's always a good idea to have one of these close to you at night – especially at a full moon..." she grinned wickedly. Trust Cathy to be into folklore and mythology!
She had been right. She was always right, why had I ever doubted that? As the wolf got to its feet, growling and stalking towards me, I pulled the same silver knife from the small strap just above my Converse, hiding it with my forearm until it leapt.
Then I slammed it into him with all my force, pulling it out before the wolf could destroy it.
The 'were staggered back, clutching the gaping wound it in its chest, suddenly in its half and half form. Human eyes stared accusingly at me as he fell back, his penetrated heart weeping blood.
I ran.
It didn't occur to me until I properly looked around that I shouldn't have been able to run, that masses of dark creatures should've stood in my way, barring me, making me unable to move, barely able to breathe. Instead, I had been fighting just inside the woods where the trees overhung, and no-one could see me. I walked into the clearing properly to see that it had maybe 50 or so creatures left, and they were barely trying to keep themselves alive now that their two commanders were dead.
Regardless at the loss of their leader, the wolves took down most of the rest of the demons, along with the 'shifters. The vampires were all scattered around the clearing, some looking grieved, some serious, some just glad to be alive.
But by some of the looks, I knew that someone other than Sam had been killed.
I looked around wildly, not wanting to go over and find out who it was that was dead. I couldn't – I'd go insane. I spotted Caleb, Jasper, Alice, Rose and Esme stood together talking earnestly, and I breathed out. Every 'shifter was accounted for, every wolf bar Sam and Paul, my mom, stood with her sister...the ones that I couldn't spot were Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, and the Denali sisters.
So where the fuck were they?
As fast as I could, I ran over to Alice and the others, all of them sighing in relief as they saw me. "Bella where have you been?" Alice cried, flinging her arms around my neck. "The fight was over, but you were nowhere to be seen! I've never seen everyone look so pale! No pun intended." She smiled self-consciously. "So where were you?" she demanded.
"Fighting an animal, by the looks of her top." Jasper frowned, pulling off his huge over shirt and putting it on me. "In human form!" he said in shock, putting the pieces together.
"Cathy came to the rescue once again." I sighed, showing the silver knife drenched in werewolf blood. "And it was a wolf – the werewolf that we saw being Changed that night, Caleb." He nodded seriously, taking the knife from me.
"You'd better go and see Carlisle, those cuts look deep. He's over there in the woods, tending to everyone else." He said before I could ask.
I gave everyone a quick hug before I ran, using the very last of my energy to get to Edward and the others, who I could spot kneeling on the ground a few metres away.
"Is there anyone else missing?" Carmen said in a dull voice, staring at something on the floor in front of her. Poor Carmen, I hadn't had a chance to speak with her after she'd lost her husband.
"We're just waiting on Bella." Carlisle said quietly, glancing at his son quickly. He, too, was staring at something in front of him, but not with sorrow, something more like guilt. I thought back to the cry of no that I'd heard just before I was thrown from the fight.
"No, I'm right here." I said softly, not even breaking Edward out of his trance. Carlisle nodded at me, his face full of relief, and even Carmen gave me a sad smile.
Without another word, I sat down by Edward, crossing my legs and leaning my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his strong arm around my waist and squeezed gently, probably sensing how achy I was.
"What happened?" I whispered to no-one in particular. There was a hole in the ground in front of me, in the eerie shape of a grave. I daren't look in case it was Emmett, as I had yet to see him. Who was lost?
"That demon magic is much more powerful than we first thought." Edward murmured to me. "Apparently, it can kill vampires straight on, without any tearing or fire."
"Please Edward, please don't tell me that it's...that it's-"
"No, no, no!" he said quickly, coming back to life and holding me properly as I tried to control myself. "Baby, it isn't Emmett! I promise you! It's...Tanya."
"Tanya?" I closed my eyes. Even though we'd gotten off to a bad start, we'd forgiven each other, and had wanted to protect each other at the end. I remember hearing her hiss loudly when Simeon threatened to take me.
"I couldn't get to her in time! She was just to the left of me, and she wasn't watching her back...honestly I tried! But I wasn't quick enough." He slammed a fist into the Earth.
"Stop that! You couldn't have done anything without being killed yourself, understood?" he nodded. "Good. Now where are the other sisters and Emmett? I haven't seen any of them!"
"Kate and Irina took off into the forest when they heard about Tanya, and Emmett went after them. He'll either get them to return, or follow for as long as he can before heading home."
"Sam's dead." I said softly. "Sam and Tanya. I don't think there was anyone else. But what happened to you? I didn't see you at all!" I looked up and saw that Carlisle and Carmen were gone, leaving Edward and I sat by Tanya's now covered grave.
"When you, Caleb and I ran into the fight, I lost both of you right away. I didn't want to look for you in case one, or both of us, lost concentration. Anyway, I just kept attacking them and trying to protect my back, when I saw Tanya fall to the floor." I froze. I caught a flash of long blonde hair somewhere to the right of me. Casey? Rosalie? Naomi? I couldn't tell – in a second it was gone, and all I could see was an endless pool of black, trying to drown me.It hadn't been one of them at all, it had been Tanya! She had been so close. I could've saved her as well...
"I found Esme and helped her for a little while, but soon we were separated, and I fought alone again. I knew we were winning, but then I heard the wolf, and saw the moon rising. Werewolves, true werewolves that can be killed with silver are the most deadly to vampires, and I started worrying for the others. But the fight was over, just like that!" he snapped his fingers and frowned. "I couldn't figure out where you'd gone, my energy was practically nothing..." he looked down and saw my ruined top for the first time, his eyebrows furrowing in question. "But I see that you had quite a fight as well."
I told him everything, from being hit with magic to killing a wolf, and he didn't look one bit surprised.
"You really are a trouble magnet, aren't you?" he grinned, kissing my cheek affectionately. "I'm just thankful that you're strong enough to fight all the trouble you attract!"
"You're only just figuring this out?" he laughed once, then looked back to the clearing, hearing something in his mind, because he answered 'yes'.
"Are we going back?" I asked as we stood. I gripped onto Edward's shoulder a little, my back killing from two throws in one day, and sheer exhaustion. It's not easy having to concentrate on absolutely everything around you whilst killing so you aren't killed!
The run home seemed to take forever.
Edward went to speak to a newly appeared Emmett about the sisters, whilst I caught up to Jasper, Alice and Caleb, who were still talking as they ran slower than we had to get to the fight.
"We should really have found out about the iron earlier, it might've made the fight a lot easier. I can't believe I didn't see something like that!" Alice hissed, striking her thigh with her fist.
"Darlin', don't blame yourself. The fight's over, we're alive, the people we care about are alive...just think of that." Jasper smiled, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"How are you holding up?" I asked Caleb. "I never saw you again after Edward killed Simeon; you aren't hurt or anything, are you?" Back in the day, it had always been me who had to ask Caleb if he was injured, because he was too damn stubborn and proud to admit that he'd slipped up and got hurt. The same applied now.
"I got thrown once, and almost got possessed by one of those things grabbing my neck, but apart from that, not a scratch." He grinned. "Anyway babe, as if I'd let them kill me! I'm too pretty to die." He winked.
"Once an ass, always an ass, even if you are technically dead." I rolled my eyes as he pretended to look hurt.
"Dead? Me? Pfft! When I'm dead, sweetheart, I plan on coming back as a ghost and scaring the shit out of you! Then I'll just follow you around all day everyday pissing you off." He smiled angelically at me, and despite everything that had happened, I couldn't help but laugh.
I was laughing so much that I ran into Jasper, who had frozen in the middle of the forest, his eyes wide. "Jasper?" Alice tugged at his arm. She looked at me wildly, and I put my hand on his arm as well.
"Jasper what's-?" I began, but then I sensed it as well.
"Come on, you two, what's going on?" Emmett asked wearily, looking between the pair of us.
The house couldn't be more than 5 minutes away, and without knowing how I knew, I sensed distress and panic there. "Charlie." I choked.
Without waiting for anyone to follow us, Jasper and I sprinted off towards the house as fast as we could go, ignoring the dull pain in my legs from exertion, and the throbbing in my arms as I tried to go faster and faster. Suddenly we broke through the trees, and were caught immediately by the black hole in the back of the Cullen's house, where the metal covers for the glass windows should've been.
"Oh hell." Jasper muttered as we ran into the house, leaping over the scorched metal and searching blindly, wildly for the cause of panic.
And then we heard it – the bloodcurdling scream of pain from a little girl upstairs. "Savannah!" I yelled, Jasper close on my tail as we ran like lightening up the stairs, mentally locating which room the screams were coming from.
Rosalie and Emmett's.
The door was locked firmly, with several things blocking us getting in, and there was no time to start breaking the wall down on the other side. "Scarlett!" I pounded on the door with my fist. "Open the door, it's Bella! Jasper no! Don't barge in because she'll attack you, and she may be little, but she's still a newborn." He nodded stiffly, waiting impatiently for the girl to answer.
"I'm sorry, Bella!" she cried as she flung the door open and I barged inside.
On the floor was a stirring Charlie, with some form of minor head wound, beside him, rags that looked like they belonged to some form of demon, and finally, most terribly, was Savannah, screaming on the floor with a bite mark at her neck.
"Scarlett, what have you done?" Jasper asked sternly. "Quickly! If it was only a minor injury, we need to get the venom out!"
"He attacked her!" she wailed. "The man in black, he pushed me out of the window and went for her! When I got back up, Uncle Charlie was on the floor, and the bad man was sucking her blood! He wasn't a vampire, I knew he wasn't! Why would he do that?" she sobbed, letting Jasper pick her up as he went to check on Charlie.
"Draining her life energy to get stronger, I guess." I said numbly, falling onto my knees by the screaming girl.
"Bella, you have to make a choice." He said, dragging Charlie's arm over his shoulder. "If you let the venom spread, she'll be another child vampire, but if you don't, and have someone suck the venom out, she'll die as a human."
Desperately, I looked from the blazing golden eyes of Jasper, into the tear-filled green ones of Savannah. "I made a promise to keep you safe." I whispered, tears filling my eyes as she whimpered. No child should have to go through this. "And I failed! But I guess there's only one way to keep my promise." I whispered, pulling her onto my lap and crying into her hair. "I'm sorry, baby, but this is the only way to keep my promise..." I said as quick footsteps were heard on the stairs, and several people came bursting into the room.
I didn't recognize any of the horrified voices that I heard dimly. I just held Savannah in my lap, knowing what Cathy would've wanted most. People hurried in, and I cried all the while.
"Oh my God." I breathed, staring down at the unfamiliar sight in front of me. "Edward, how long until...?" I didn't finish, begging for an answer with my red-rimmed eyes.
He squeezed the arm that hadn't strayed from around my waist, or my shoulders, or my hand, for the past few days. "It'll gradually get better within a few weeks, at least mine did. But it's the control I'm worried about."
Carlisle patted my hand. "Don't worry, all of us will help you get through this – you're both family, you always have been." His eyes twinkled as he continued to watch.
"What do you sense?" I asked Jasper, who was stood with his arms folded, a brooding look on his face which softened slightly as I spoke.
"Fear...hunger...awe. The way it was for all of us." He smiled slightly and leant further over the bed. "How do you feel?" he asked.
"Can I have something to drink?" Savannah asked in a voice like smooth water.
She sat up, much more gracefully than the bounding she used to do – I'll miss that. Her creamy skin had become even paler, standing out against hair that truly was flame. But her eyes were what got me the most; I had been used to the beautiful green-eyed godchild that I had known only three days ago, not the crimson-eyed starlet she was now.
I reached over and took her hand. "We'll take you for something to drink in a minute, Savannah. We'll explain everything that's happened to you, and what's going to happen now."
"You have a very big family, child. We'll take care of you." Carlisle smiled, taking her other hand.
Savannah beamed at the boys, finally saying to me. "I love you, Aunt Bella."
"I love you, too." I smiled, hiding my tears in Edward's shoulder so that she couldn't see.
We won the battle, we won the war...and still they managed to get one over on us. Let's just hope that things get better, shall we?
*Read the A/N at the top of the page*