WARNING: This chapter contains violence and character deaths.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all the characters involved in Twilight and subsequent books are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer.

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Chapter 29

Sam's Point of View

I completely understood where the others were coming from. I despised the treaty that our ancestors forced us into, but it was done. We couldn't undo what was set in motion, even though it was done so before our time. They had to break it. There could be no doubt as to whether they broke it or not. As it stood, we did not have any concrete proof that they did anything to Bella. It was easy to automatically assume, but assumptions never prove anything.

Bella was quite the oddity. I couldn't figure her out. The first time I crossed her path, I knew something was off. I found her when I came across an odd scent. It was sweet, but not sickly so like a leech. Strawberries and something else...

I followed the smell, not even conscious of it at first. It just seemed to compel me forward. When I came to a clearing, I was surprised to find a girl there. She sat unnaturally still with vacant eyes. They were peculiar eyes, red and brown that seemed to flow into one another. I watched her for half an hour, not once did she move, not until I moved to get closer. She jerked her head to look towards me, fear frozen on her face. Suddenly, an overwhelming desire to protect her fell over my mind.

It wasn't for several minutes that she moved, stiffly, to stand up. An invisible force compelled me forward, closer to her. She heard my movements and suddenly took flight through the woods. Her running was sloppy at best and she nearly tripped several times before gravity finally took her down near the outskirts of the forest. I had followed, but stopped when she was still. She laid there for several minutes and then slowly crawled out of the confines of the trees.

It was when she ran into the chief's house that I realized this was Bella, Chief Swan's daughter.

Even the next day at La Push, there was that strange invisible force about her. I had instantly felt compelled to draw nearer to her even though I was in my human form. It was similar to how a magnet attracts metal. I couldn't figure it out. What was so different about her?

Was she a threat? She seemed to have an effect on everyone around her. The guys seemed to stumble over themselves to be near. She was pretty, in a natural way, but not so much to warrant this type of attraction. Even Jacob was smitten with her. I was drawn to her, but not in the same way. Perhaps it was because I had already imprinted that I didn't fall victim to the spell.

When Jacob phased, I only became more confused about Bella. I saw such intricate details about the girl I hadn't noticed before. Seeing her through Jacob's mind, she was far prettier than I had initially thought, but then again, the boy was in love with her. His mind revolved around the girl. The way he obsessed about her reminded me of an imprint, but that couldn't be the case. He hadn't seen Bella, no one had, for weeks. Imprinting happened after phasing began, according to legend at least.

Jacob didn't listen to that tidbit of information. He was so crazed about his "soul mate" that he defied my Alpha command. With Paul's coaxing, he overreacted and ran blindly into the enemy's camp.

I'm not even sure he realized what he did. I didn't even understand what he did at first. Right before he took off, I felt a break and then a territorial threat. When he ran off, Paul followed shortly after. It took a few moments for me to realize that he had claimed his birthright. It was his to claim, but he was just a kid of fifteen. He hadn't even been able to phase back yet.

'What just happened?' Jared watched in disbelief. Even though I had figured out what happened, I was a little dumbfounded still. 'Sam?'

He claimed it. He claimed his birthright.

'Aw crap!' Jared said a mouthful.

We chased after them. I tried in vain to reach Paul, to command him to stop. My thoughts fell on a deaf mind. I could reach Jacob's mind though. Again, my thoughts went unheeded because he was so stubborn and Paul had worked him into a frenzy.

It was left to me and Jared to control the situation, but Paul didn't make it easy. When he attacked the big leech, we had to act.

The female had leaped towards Paul. Jared took the girl on. I expected the other to join in the fight, but he spoke to the others to cease with their involvement. I told Jared to back off, but had to physically stop Paul. I may not have been his Alpha anymore, but I was still an Alpha. I managed to latch onto Paul by the scruff of his neck and pushed his snout to the ground. Paul fought to move, but I was the dominant wolf.

While I held Paul down, my ears perked as all the leeches disappeared into the house. I released Paul and ran in too, realizing Jacob was in there alone. Paul and Jared followed on my heels.

All I saw was red. Rage coursed through my veins as one of the bloodsuckers clamped his teeth over Jacob's throat. My whole body began to tremble out of control. Treaty be damned. This was a direct violation! Without another thought, I leaped at the disgusting, evil creature. Before I could sink my teeth into it, the big bloodsucker managed to snatch the offending creature away from Jacob.

Jacob only fell limp to the ground. A low whine wheezed from him as he landed with a thud. Suddenly I felt pulsating anger that did not belong to me. I instantly recognized the hum of Paul's anger. That couldn't be a good sign. I leaped towards Jacob I am going to check on Jake, you two, don't let any of those disgusting things near us.

Both Paul and Jared took up the flank on either side of Jacob. I took that moment to push on Jake with my snout. His breathing was labored and his heart slowed. He didn't react Come on Jake! You have to get up!

Nothing came from him. It was just emptiness. That couldn't mean anything good.

'Jake, get up or I'll kick your ass!' Paul glanced back as his ears twitched. Worry and guilt were overshadowing the anger slightly.

Again, nothing.

We didn't have any more time to tend to Jacob, because the leech that did this to him had managed to evade both the big guy and female and was running straight back at us.

Paul let a deafening howl let loose as he leaped at the creature. The vampire moved too quickly and was able to avoid Paul's attack. Jared was quicker than Paul though and managed to sink his teeth into his arm. He jerked at it, trying to free the arm from his body.

The rogue vampire hissed at Jared and slapped his free hand onto Jared's snout. I heard the distinct sound of bones break and then a yelp echoed through the room as the rogue batted Jared off of him.

I stood in front of Jacob and growled. He was after Jacob for some reason,; I had to protect him. That was my job. I have to keep them all safe.

The rogue's purple eyes bore into mine. There was only hunger there. He blurred to the side to move around me, but Paul took that moment to leap at him.

I too lounged at him. If we were going to bring it down, it would have to be a united front. He was fast. I missed him but Paul managed to knock him back. Before Paul could take a chunk out of him, the bastard knocked him into the far wall. In less than a blink of an eye, the leech was back on his feet. He blurred to Jacob's side. It was then that I noticed that Jacob was back in his human form. That couldn't be good at all!

I lunged back at him and was surprised to see the blonde female there in a flash. She had a face of pure hatred. "How could you do that to Esme! We let you into our home… you ingrate!"

He turned sharply to the girl and hissed through clenched teeth. "She got in my way. I suggest you avoid doing the same." This only seemed to infuriate the girl further. Suddenly, they were in a blur of motion. Then the girl was flung back, only momentarily.

"No one messes with the Cullens!" A bellowing voice seemed to cause the walls to vibrate. The big leech jumped into the chaos of wild movement. The girl regained her composure and was also in the mix.

It was hard to keep up with their movements. If I were human, I probably would not have seen any of this. But the sounds, the sound of metal meeting metal in a deafening echo that bounced off the walls of our tight confines, would call attention if we were anywhere near town.

'I want a piece of the bastard!' Paul had recovered and stalked around the flurry that took place around us.

Where is Jared? I traced the room and easily found the mound of brown fur that was Jared. His chest heaved to and fro. He had no thoughts, just pain radiating through our connection. I knew his jawbones were broken. The unnatural shape of his ribcage told me that he had broken ribs too.

I need to get them out of here. Better to retreat and keep their lives intact.

'Oh, hell no! That prick is going to pay.' With that declaration, Paul leaped into the fray of battle. How odd it was that we were working with the Cullens instead of against. Paul's mind was focused. He wanted to dismember the one we were all fighting against.

How was that possible? Two leeches, and three wolves and the damn bloodsucker was still besting us?

Again, the girl flew back from the wild motions, crashing through a glass window. The big guy had the rogue by the head. All he had to do was pull its head off and it would be over. Just one motion.

Suddenly a horrible smell permeated the room. It was putrid and made the leeches smell like roses in comparison. The burning in my nose spread down through to my lungs. I couldn't breathe. I put my nose to the ground and whined as I scraped at my nose. What was this smell?

Another yelp filled the air as an unbearable pain shocked my mind. I looked up with great effort. The combination of the pain and stench caused my stomach to shift uneasily. The big guy looked absolutely stunned. He seemed vacant, like no one was home. He no longer had the rogue. I noticed that the two leeches that had been off to the side also seemed empty. Paul hung limply in the rogue's arms. He tossed his body aside like it was trash as he made great effort to move towards Jacob again. I could see a strain in his face as his eyes seemed to darken in color.

I had to stop him before he reached Jacob. I pushed myself up with great effort. The smell was almost physical, as oppressive as it was. One step in front of the other. I was moving…too slow. I had to get to him. He was my brother. Jared was hurt. Paul… I could hear a faint heartbeat, but he was critically injured. Jacob, again, a faint heartbeat, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen to him. I couldn't recall any of the legends mentioning one of us getting bitten without the damn thing killing us. Was their venom poisonous to us? Would it kill us out right or maybe a fate worse than death? Turning into the one thing we were made to kill. If that were the case… we would have to end Jacob…

The rogue reached Jacob. He put his lips to his neck and I heard the slurping. He was drinking his blood.

Rage. Pure rage coursed through my veins then. The adrenaline gave me the extra strength I needed to fight through whatever trick he was using. I pounced onto the rogue. I sunk my teeth into his shoulder and yanked him away from Jacob. Jacob's body, again, fell to the ground like dead weight. I didn't have time to decipher if his heart was still beating. The rouge and I were rolling on the ground. I pulled at his shoulder, finally pulling a chunk away. I released it just as his arm circled my chest. I, again, snapped at him. I felt his arms tighten just as I snapped my jaws at his neck.

My teeth sank into a part of his neck and shoulder. I ripped it away as he threw me nearly effortlessly away. I rebounded off the floor and leaped back at him, rage still coursing through my veins.

Hatred. Pure, chaotic hatred. As our eyes locked, that was the only thing I saw.

Carlisle's Point of View

I was lost on what had happened. One moment I was tending to Esme. I was using my venom to reattach her arm and wrap it so that it would heal. Rosalie, Emmett and the wolves were having a hard time with McAlister. We had been right to be weary of trusting him. In just a matter of moments, he managed to put our treaty, which had existed for decades, in jeopardy. He had harmed the boy, perhaps even worse, Esme had grown so fond of. He defiled our home and the thing that angered me the most, he hurt Esme. It was unforgiveable, all of it was. I knew I had to hurry so I could help my children. I couldn't allow him to hurt anyone else. As it stood, three wolves were down. Rosalie was flung through the glass window. Emmett managed to grab him by the head.

Then a horrible smell filled the air. I had never smelled anything so putrid. Granted, the wolves had a bad odor to our kind, but this smell was beyond any odor they were capable of emitting... Then the next thing I knew, McAlister had managed to get away from Emmett, leaving Emmett looking very confused. McAlister, who was just uninjured, was missing chunks from his neck and a small portion of his right shoulder. Most of the other shoulder was gone, too. The big black wolf, the only one not injured, lunged at McAlister.

"Go Carlisle. I'll be fine. Don't let him hurt anyone else." Esme grabbed her arm close to her chest and nodded towards the others.

I wanted to stay with Esme. She hadn't healed yet and my heart told me to protect her. But she was right. Her injury was not life threatening. I nodded me head. "Please, stay out of the fight." When she nodded, I stood and rushed towards McAlister, noticing Emmett and Rosalie also converging upon him. I did not relish having to kill another living creature so unnecessarily, but he posed a danger to my family.

In the next instant, McAlister managed to grab onto the black wolf's head and with one clean motion, a loud snap echoed through my ears. I knew that sound, we all did. I winced with sorrow and heard Esme let out a sob. There was now murder on McAlister's head.

His eyes flashed up to us and he was not the controlled indifferent man we had been suspicious of. It was the cold black hatred of the monster that we fought on a regular basis.

In that same instant, he flung the dead limp body of the black wolf at Emmett, knocking him back before he could reach him. When I reached him, he was ready for me. "Do you realize what you have here?" He hissed at me through clenched teeth as we latched onto one another for dominance. He was stronger than me, but he was injured.

I did not answer, I had to concentrate. He was pushing me back with grunting effort of his own. "His blood is tainted by humanity, but there is something else in it. It may be the key! I have been searching for it for millenniums!"

His words distracted my mind for a moment. He was old, older than any other vampire I had come across. Older than the Volturi… even older than the ones who preceded them. Who exactly was McAlister?

That's when Rosalie jumped onto his back. She snatched at his head just as the horrid smell filled the room again.

I shook my head, slightly disoriented. I realized I was no longer holding McAlister. Actually, he was gone completely. Rosalie was on the ground, also shaking her head. Emmett and Esme both had confused looks on their face. Where had McAlister gone? What power did he utilize to incapacitate us in this manner? It was as if no time lapsed from my vantage point, but time did keep moving.

I didn't have time to question it too thoroughly. Instead, I sent Rosalie and Emmett to search around the house. I set to work on helping where I could.

I surveyed the other's to see who was the most crucial. Only one Quileute remained in his wolf form and conscious. I approached the brown wolf, eliciting a pitiful growl from him. Jacob was partially under the wolf. My assumption was that McAlister attempted to retrieve Jacob before leaving, but this one managed somehow to protect the boy. Apparently, the wolves were immune to whatever power McAlister had.

I put my hand up in a non-threatening manner. "I only want to help."

The wolf didn't deter, he only stared at me with both anger and pain. It was obvious that he was injured, but I wonder exactly how traumatizing this was on him.

I turned and took survey of the other two. One had a low, but steady heartbeat. The other…

I looked at the naked form of the young man… there was no heartbeat. It had to be the black wolf. I turned slightly to the brown wolf, who had laid his head down on the floor. His breathing was uneven and I wasn't so sure he would remain conscious for too much longer.

It was probably best if he wasn't.

I blurred away upstairs and grabbed a sheet fromone of the beds and blurred back down stairs. I gingerly laid it over him as I sent up a silent prayer that his soul was in God's hands.

A gust of wind blew through the house. "There is no trail to follow…" Emmett said surprised. "I can't pick up his scent at all. It's like that little short dude that took Bella. There is just nothing."

Rosalie hissed profanities as she left Emmett's side to go to Esme.

Esme had also blurred out and retrieved some sheets. She had managed to cover the other naked boy and looked down at him worriedly. "Carlisle… this one is hurt pretty badly. It feels like his ribcage was shattered. It is healing, but all wrong." She turned her sorrow-filled eyes to me.

This was part of my job I did not relish. I would have to break the bones again, to set them right. It would be very painful. The sooner, the better. I may be able to catch some before they started to heal.

Esme moved from the broken boy and moved towards the wolf and Jacob. I heard a very low growl, not threatening… just a warning.

I gently probed the boy's jagged torso. His rib cage had been crushed. Most of the ribs had already started to heal crookedly. Suddenly, I heard the distinct sounds of bones grinding… shifting. I turned my head to see the last wolf, or boy as it was now, fall unconscious. Now, the real work of mending what I could fell on me.

It had been six tedious hours. The pain reached the boys even in their unconscious state. Their agonizing screams filled the house, putting Rosalie, Emmett and Esme on edge.

The last one to fall to unconsciousness faired the best of them all. He had three broken ribs. His jaw had two fractures, but had already started knitting itself back together. I only had to reset the ribs.

The one with the shattered ribcage, I am not sure if he will survive or not. It's a touch and go, only time will tell.

Jacob's state was unknown. He was unconscious and his heartbeat and breathing were too erratic. I didn't like it. I wasn't sure what it meant for his fate. Would he change? Was his body currently in an agonizing state of burning? Was the venom killing him?

I couldn't do anything else for them besides make them comfortable. We placed Jacob and the boy with the few broken bones on Alice and Jasper's bed. We moved Edward's small bed into the same room, and put the nearly completely broken boy on a bed of his own. Once that was done, I tried to call the chief of the Quileutes, but to no avail.

The Quileutes were a fascinating people. Their ability to shift into giant wolves, to protect their loved ones, was intriguing. Even their healing… they were healing at such an incredible rate. It had only been twenty-seven hours and one of the boys had already regained consciousness.

Esme opted to try and talk to him, being the least threatening. She brought him food and kept her distance.

It had become too much for him; two of his brothers fallen at his side and then the knowledge that his third brother was no longer living.

He phased in the room, shifting his bones that had not fully healed. The sounds of his bones breaking all over again was gruesome, just as gruesome as his howls that filled the air. It was so sudden, the pain, that he had only stayed phased for a moment before reverting to his former shape.

I moved quickly to reset his bones again, before they had a chance to start healing.

Esme's Point of View

The boy didn't wake up again until the next day. I cautioned him about phasing, that his bones had not healed completely yet.

He was actually quite civil, considering. I could see the slight tremble to his body, but he maintained his form. He asked about the others, Jacob and Paul. Carlisle assured him that they were stable, for the moment. I knew Carlisle was right about their current state, but not even he could predict what would come.

"Why are you helping us?" Jared asked through clenched teeth as he shifted in the bed uncomfortably. I wonder if he or any of the others could ever be comfortable in our presence?

I dabbed a cold washcloth on Paul's sweet dampened forehead. It was obvious by the grimace on his face and the moans that slipped from his unconscious lips that he was in pain despite the morphine Carlisle had been pumping into him. Apparently, their bodies burned through the morphine too quickly.

I sighed. "Because it's the right thing to do." I turned and gave him a pointed look as I dipped the rag into a small bowl I had placed on the bedside table. "He's suffering…" My eyes fell to my hands as I rung the washcloth. "I hate to see anyone suffer." There was already so much suffering. I had a feeling that the suffering would only increase in the days to follow, when these boys were well enough to go home. Their parents were probably worried sick. One mother and father would be devastated.

"Why would you even care?" He shrugged his shoulders and then winced. He wouldn't allow Carlisle to give him any morphine, not that it was doing much good for Paul.

I frowned. "Because I am not a monster." I looked back up at Jared. "What I am has nothing to do with who I am. I cannot help the fact that I am a vampire any more than you can help being a wolf." I sighed again placing the cool rag on Paul's head. "When I was human, I lost a child." Pain throbbed where my heart was. "It grieved me to the point that I flung myself off of a cliff." I turned and looked at a wide-eyed young man. "Carlisle saved me."

"Could you really call it saving you?" There was no hostility in his question.

"Yes. I am here, alive in some form or manner… I have a family, a husband and children. Perhaps it isn't conventional, but are we really all that different from one another?" I asked in return.

His frame began to shake again. "I am nothing like a bloo-vampire!"

I smiled sadly. "Perhaps…" I stood and went to Jacob's side. I brushed his long hair away from his face. He looked so young and vulnerable. I worried for his fate. I was able to accept this life because of my husband and family, but it wasn't an easy life.

"Is he going to die… I mean… Is he going to really die or turn into one of you?"

I smiled sadly. "I do not know."

Jared grimaced again and I stood slowly. He responded better to slow motion. I suppose it was less threatening. "I'll just leave so that you can rest…" I moved to leave the room.

When I walked into Carlisle's study and made my way to stand by his side, he frowned. I quickly ran my fingers through his hair as he put the phone receiver down.

Carlisle leaned his head into my side and sighed. "I cannot help but fear that this… All of this is the beginning of something… something… I don't know." He looked up at me, his eyes weary.

It was surreal to see him like this. Carlisle had always been so sure and confident. He was a very educated and kind man. Even when he did not have answers, he was able to find them. Research and mysteries were exciting to him. But not this time. I had first noticed it when he got back from Ireland. The weariness in his eyes was too pronounced. I was weary, too. Exhaustion wasn't something we vampires experienced, but that was what I felt. Not physically, but emotionally. I was an emotional wreck and everything seemed to keep piling up. I had a feeling that it would continue to pile up, too.

I cradled his head to my waist and continued to run my fingers through his hair. "I feel it, too." I couldn't bring myself to say anything else about that looming future. There were too many unknowns, too many forewarnings.

Carlisle shook his head as he pulled it away from me. He looked up at me again. Slowly he stood and wrapped his arms around me and then pulled me snuggly against his chest. "That was Johanna on the phone. She said Charlie took a turn for the worse. I am so sorry sweetheart."

I stiffened in his arms. "Does that mean…"

Carlisle quickly shook his head. "No. It can all turn around again. Don't lose hope just yet."

I had only been clinging to a small sliver of hope the last few weeks. I could feel the sliver threatening to snap, but I clung to it. I clung to it with every vestige of determination I had left.

"I will go visit him. Maybe having someone there will help him?" I untangled my arms from around him and looked up into his face. He looked conflicted. "What aren't you telling me?" I knew Carlisle enough to know when he was contemplating over something.

"We have to bring them back." Carlisle turned and paced. "I have not been able to reach the Quileute elders. Jared will probably be well enough to travel unassisted tomorrow with the rate he is healing. I will bring Emmett and Rosalie along with me to drive the boys back home."

"But what about Jacob and Paul?" I remembered the grimace on Paul's face and the unnatural peace on Jacob's.

Carlisle came to stand in front of me again and put his palm to my cheek. "I will speak to Jared. Perhaps we will keep Paul here a couple more days until he is more capable of travel." He let his hand slide tenderly back to encircle the back of my neck as he pulled me closer. He gently placed his lips on my forehead. "Jacob is stable enough to travel. I will have Emmett carry him."

I stiffened as a pang of anxiety ricocheted through my body. The idea that I couldn't look over him anymore caused an overwhelming panic to course through my veins. I knew I couldn't do anything for him, but the idea of not being able to take care of him. I wasn't his mother, but something in me felt protective of him as if I were. Perhaps it was his young age. Maybe because I had spent the last few weeks watching over him. Maybe in some way I was still trying to fill a void that losing my human child had caused. Then again, perhaps it was the need to take care of someone when my own children were spread apart and I could do nothing for them.

I wasn't sure, but one thing was clear. In my heart, I needed to care for Jacob… for all of them.

"Esme…they aren't ours." Carlisle whispered against my skin. "They belong at home. We can do nothing for them besides agitate their condition." He sighed. "Although they are not our enemies, we are theirs."

I shook my head. "No. Jared is doing better." I knew it wasn't true. Even just moments ago, I could see him straining to control the wolf inside.

Carlisle shook his head sadly. "He is controlling it better, but his body still trembles when we are near."

"Carlisle…we can't. They need our help."

I felt his lips turn upward as a small chuckle escaped his chest. "You are such an incredible woman. You have such a big heart… I love that about you."

I wrapped my arms around him as he too wrapped his around me. "They are just children… They need someone to watch over them."

"They have families and friends to do that."

That didn't make me feel any better about the situation. When a child is suffering, it doesn't matter that there is a mother or father sitting with that child. It doesn't matter that someone else is comforting that child. There was a maternal instinct to go and gather that child into your arms and give that child comfort of your own. To take care of that child.

"And I will try and visit them every day to make sure they are recovering properly, if they allow me."

I nodded my head hesitantly. Logically, I knew Carlisle was right. The boys should be at home, just like my children should be at home. I would want them here if anything had happened. I did want them here!

I tried to push down the maternal instinct and rely solely on my logical side. I stepped back away from Carlisle. "I will go on to the hospital to watch over Charlie…" I looked in the direction of Alice and Jasper's room, seeing with perfect recall, the boys. "Get them home safe."

Carlisle nodded. He gently kissed me before I blurred from the room.

. . .

I spent the entire night by Charlie's bedside. If I were human, I probably would have broken hours ago. He did not grimace and groan in pain like Paul, neither did he have the unnatural peace of Jacob. He was just withered and wasting away. His skin was sallow and hung loosely on his bones.

The second heart attack just hours ago completely wiped away any color and life he had left in his face. I recognized death, being a vampire, I was well acquainted with it.

I no longer clung to the hope that he would make it. I didn't believe he would. Thoughts of changing him passed through my mind for only a moment. Then it was gone. I couldn't do that. I didn't believe I could physically do it. The blood would be too much. I also couldn't break Carlisle's word. Besides, death was the natural progression of all things living. It was natural for him to pass, not to live forever unchanged.

No. I couldn't change him, but he wouldn't be alone. No one deserved to die alone. I would stay here with him, until the end.

. . .

Three days… Three short days… Three long days… That was how long it took for Charlie's heart to finally give out. I tried to give him strength in the last hours of his life. I whispered to him that Bella was alive and well. I told him that we would take care of her when he was gone. I whispered to him encouragements that he would be going to a far better place than this world. I whispered to him anything and everything I could think of to give him peace. I wasn't sure if any of my words mattered, if he could somehow hear them. I wasn't even sure how much of what I said would prove to be lies, but I never let that doubt creep in while I waited with Charlie. I stayed by his side and never once did I let go of his hand.

It wasn't until the doctor on duty pronounced the time, 2:24 A.M., as the time of death, that I left the hospital. I had heard his heart stop. I had heard the blood flow slower and then settle. But it wasn't truly final for me until that moment, the moment that would forever be marked as his death.

I ran all the way home. Tearless sobs racked my body as I weaved between trees. There was nothing big and dramatic that occurred with Charlie's death. He never flinched, never gasped, never fluttered an eyelid. His heart just grew dimmer and then just stopped. There was no agonizing cry to say it is finished. He was just gone. Life truly is so fragile.

. . .

No one was home when I arrived. Emmett and Rosalie were patrolling with Jared, looking for signs of McAlister. Carlisle was on the reservation, tending to Jacob and Paul.

I was alone with only my grief and thoughts. It was then that I let my mind delve into all the possibilities that I had for so long denied myself to think of.

I thought about what the consequences of not finding Bella would mean for my family.

Edward wouldn't give up. He would search till the end of times. I could deal with that, though. We could all follow him. We could help him search.

However, if she died…he would find some way to follow her. My un-beating heart clinched at that idea. I knew my Edward well and he would find a way. He would kill himself somehow.

New sobs escaped my chest with the thoughts of how our family would barely function with Edward's loss.

Then my mind went to Alice. Carlisle had let me know that Jasper was awake and well. They were trying to find some way to help Alice and find Bella. What if they couldn't save Bella or Alice?

I would lose four of my children. Jasper could not survive without Alice anymore than Edward could without Bella. It would be far worse for Jasper, because of his gift. His own grief would be devastating enough, but to feel everyone's…

"I cannot help but fear that this… All of this is the beginning of something..."

Carlisle's words echoed hollowly through my heart and mind. I hadn't wanted to let myself think too much on his words, even though I felt the implication of them even back then.

Now my mind was wide open. Visions of death surrounded me. Not only my children's, but the wolves. The Quileute tribe… Carlisle… How far would this ring of death spread? Were the humans safe from it? How far would it go? How far would McAlister go to get what he wants?

Jacob's Point of View

Her lips lifted and spread, showing bright white teeth. Her cheeks tinted pink as her eyes smiled too. Brown…chocolate…endless...beautiful. Then an explosion. A body changing shape, brown fur…a howl.

Edward seemed like a decent guy. Maybe a little stiff, but nice enough. I suppose girls would think he was attractive and he was rich. He was perfect.

Too perfect…

Bloodsucker! Leech! Vampire! Cold one!

Bella looks at him. He is the only thing she sees. Her eyes sparkle and come to life. She can't take her eyes off of him. She loves him. Why can't she look at me like that?

Stupid Cullen! If he hadn't moved here, then maybe Bella and I would have had a chance.

No. He shouldn't be with her. He's a monster. Bella… in danger. He'll hurt her.

Tears. She's crying… She is hurt. My heart thrums. She needs me.

Bloodsucker! Leech! Vampire! Cold one!

She's gone. He took her. They all took her. I have to get her back! She's mine. My Soul Mate.

I want to see her. Years wondering, will she come back? What does she look like, does she remember me?

She's falling. Déjà vu. Beautiful…

She looks at me, her lips lift and spread. Her cheeks are pink, alive.

Cold. So very cold. Her eyes are hollow, she's falling into darkness.

Darkness…

Then there were no more dreams, no semi-awareness, just complete darkness. It wasn't scary, just numbing, like nothing existed outside of the blackness.

Gravity…gravity existed. Every inch of my body felt weighed down, pressed further into the overwhelming abyss of darkness. Hours…days…weeks…maybe months it seemed I was bathed in the darkness.

Then, the darkness began to recede, fading away and leaving awareness in its wake. There weren't any noises or movement near me, but a medley of smells burned my nose. It was warm and comforting but there was a cold and sickly stench that invaded the space I was in. It reminded me of a time years ago, when I had woken up in the hospital. I had stayed there overnight when Dad first lost his legs. I could smell the forest that seemed to cling to him, but it was sterile and foreign at the same time.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself naked in my bed. I sat up too quickly, feeling my head spin, and put my hands to my temples.

My hands… I had hands. I pushed myself up, my whole body shifted uncomfortably. I stumbled to the mirror, weakness weighing each of my limbs down. I felt off, but I was me. I was human.

I turned and looked at my room, everything was completely normal, except for that smell. Maybe it was all just a dream…

I turned and peered at my reflection again. A fleck of white caught my eye. I rubbed my hand along my throat. White. There were two, crescent-shaped, white scars that wererigid and cold to the touch.

Pain pierced my neck and then radiated through my body.

It was all real. That thing had bitten me, what did that mean? Would I turn into one of them?

I lifted my arms, feeling drained with the small movement.

I wasn't one at the present moment. Vampires were strong… Something was off though. Maybe this was normal after phasing the first time? I needed to talk to Sam. He would know.

. . .

I felt like I should be seventy-five rather than fifteen. The mere act of finding clothes that would fit and getting dressed felt like it zapped me of what little energy I had. It took every bit of my will power to hobble out of my room and move toward the kitchen. My stomach snarled like an angry wildebeest, willing me to keep moving forward.

Before I rounded the corner to enter the kitchen, a ringing voice caught my ears. Recognition pulsed in my eardrums. It was a leech.

"Are there any instances in your legends that say what his fate is?"

Adrenaline started to pump through my body, pushing away the fatigue I had just been feeling. I rounded the corner into the kitchen in a flurry of motions. The blonde male bloodsucker, Carlisle, was sitting at my table, a sorrow-filled look on his face.

"Son! You're awake!" I hadn't even noticed Billy sitting at the table, too. It made sense though, this was my house and the bloodsucker was talking to someone.

The anger still pulsed through my veins, causing my heart to race uncomfortably, but my body remained still as did the expression on my face. Suddenly, the scar on my neck seemed to throb and felt even colder. Was that a figment of my imagination or did his presence cause it?

I couldn't concentrate on that fact, though. Forgetting the fact that a vampire was sitting in my house, Dr. Cullen was having a pow-wow with my dad.

Billy looked upset, but not angry. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Wh… What's going on?" I barely recognized my own voice. It was deeper and huskier than before, but not nearly as fierce as I intended.

I kept my hard glare on Carlisle. He seemed to study me, too.

"It's been a traumatic week. Perhaps you should rest some more." The leech spoke and then looked to Billy as confirmation. I couldn't mistake the concern in his eyes. Vampires didn't care about human life… That's what the legends said, right?

Uhg! I just couldn't really remember any of the details of the legends. Why hadn't I put much stock into them? Oh yeah, because they were silly superstitions and fantasies cocked up by old guys. Nothing about them was in the realm of reality. Yeah… Sure… Whatever. I knew that wasn't true anymore.

"I'm fine." I crossed my arms across my chest and held my ground. The adrenaline started to run low and I could feel the fatigue pulling at my muscles, but I wouldn't give the leech the benefit of being right.

"Are you sure?" Billy rolled over to me and looked up at me. He seemed smaller, frailer.

"What am I missing?" I looked between him and Carlisle. "Since when do the Cullens come onto the rez?" Again, it didn't come out as menacing as I had wanted.

Condemnation passed over Billy's face. Good.

"Jacob… I have some bad n-news." Billy's voice cracked.

It's funny how just six little words can change your life. I felt my head start to spin. The last time I had heard Billy say that, I had become an orphan for two and a half long weeks. Mom died in the car accident and dad… he couldn't deal with it. He had finally snapped out of it when I ran away to go find Bella.

A pang thudded in my heart thinking about Bella. The same yearning to find her back then vibrated through my body now.

I didn't say anything, only waited for Billy to finish. The worry that had been on Billy's face became overshadowed by pain. Again, the room seemed to spin. "Carlisle…" His lips straightened into a hard line. He looked down at his hands in his lap.

"McAlister escaped. He managed to hurt the others pretty badly." Carlisle interjected for Billy.

I surprised myself when I heard myself growl slightly at Carlisle. "He can speak for himself." I stepped forward only to be stopped by Dad's hand.

I looked down at him as he shook his head. "Son, Paul is in and out of consciousness. Jared has just recovered and well, you have been unconscious for nearly a week now." Again, he turned his head downward.

A trembling started in my body as I tore my arm from Billy and stepped to Carlisle. "What did you do!"

"I assure you, we are searching for him, the one who is responsible, now." Carlisle turned his head downward and took a deep breath. Did they need to breathe? Weren't they dead? "I am truly sorry for everything that has transpired."

I looked between Carlisle and Billy. "So what? Now we are all friends?" I looked at Billy accusingly. "The damn thing was at their house!" I felt an instance of guilt for cursing at my dad, but the anger quickly pushed the guilt away. "He…no, it did this to me!" I pointed to my neck animatedly. "He could have killed me!" The trembling from before became violent shaking.

"Jacob!" Billy reprimanded me. Then he seemed to think better of it. "Son, you need to calm down." He rolled closer to me again and put his hand on my arm.

"He has a right to be upset. We all are. We had invited McAlister into our home. You see, he was helping us to find Bella. We-"

That was all it took, him mentioning Bella and I felt my entire body feel like it was tearing apart. I could hear my bones crunch, shift and expand. In a motion too quick, Carlisle managed to pull Billy out of the way just before my giant paws landed where he had just been.

Billy's face looked whiter, and still, only concern seemed to be on the doctor's face.

I looked between the two. "Son…" Billy wheeled away from Carlisle and inched closer to me. He looked almost afraid. He was afraid. I was a damn monster!

I shook my massive head back and forth and made an abrupt turn. I ran and broke through the door. I didn't stop running until I found myself deep within the forest shadows.

Monster. Freak of nature. Stupid wolf!

'Yeah, I know the feeling.'

I hadn't noticed the vibration of Jared's mind until his thoughts hit me like a ten-ton brick.

'Paul and I both felt that way. I am sure Sam did, too, although he was better at hiding his thoughts.'

One of the bloodsuckers is at my house, I exploded… literally.

'Yeah, Billy told me.'

He said Paul wasn't doing too well.

'It was touch and go there for a little while, but Paul's too much of an ass to let a leech kill him. Too stubborn, you know.'

What was I missing? Something about his thoughts seemed off. Billy and Carlisle seemed off. Was it just me? Was I off?

'Emily's not doing so well…'

Images of Emily's tear stained face flitted before Jared's mind. Then she collapsed.

'I don't think a lot of people are doing too well. Sam was a leader… Our leader.'

A tightening in my chest made me lift my head from the ground I had been wallowing on. Why wouldn't Emily be doing well?

There was hesitation in Jared's mind, but images flashed before his mind unconsciously: Images of Sam's naked body lying awkwardly on white carpet, images of him in a tux and in a box and then images of Emily again, her eyes vacant, like she was empty.

No. No. Please Embry. Just...no.

'I thought Billy had already told you… I thought that was why you phased.'

Oh God! It's all my fault!

'No, it was that fucking leech! I am going to tear it to shreds, too! For Sam!'

I didn't respond to his thoughts, my thoughts swirling around Sam's pleas for me to stop, to turn away from my mission. He had warned me. He knew. I got him killed. Because I ran blindly into the leeches' territory, he was dead. They had to blame me. I was to blame!

I jumped back up to my feet and paced the forest floor. I wanted to growl in anger and howl in mourning.

'How is Billy holding up?'

Again, I did not answer, my thoughts overwhelming me. How had it happened? What was the last thing I remembered? Hitting the floor. A yelp. Pain. A lot of pain.

'Focus man!' Jared's thoughts yelled at me. I instantly turned my thoughts towards him.

Do they all hate me? Paul? Emily? His family?

'His family thinks it was a hunting accident. That he fell out of a tree or something like that. They never knew the truth. Paul hasn't really been awake enough to voice any opinions, but I don't think he blames you.'

Emily?

'She… She hasn't spoken since it happened. She's like a shell.'

Guilt pulsated through my veins. It was all my fault. I did this. My heart started to race wildly in a painful manner. My throat began to throb and my surroundings began to spin. Fire scorched my insides as I mentally screamed. It wasn't like fire burning, it was a cold burning.

'Jacob! Are you okay?'

I couldn't answer him because it was only a second later that I felt my bones shift and I fell to the earth. I wasn't unconscious, but I wasn't all there either. A cold pulsated from my neck and slowly moved through my body. It was excruciating and my body wanted to succumb to the pain, but I couldn't. I wouldn't! Instead my body convulsed with the pain.

I thrashed about for what seemed like hours. I tried many times to push myself up onto my feet. The furthest I got was to my knees; even then I only fell back to the earth. Then I heard a howl and I knew it was Jared. It had to be Jared.

I heard leaves rustling. "He's over here!" Jared's voice echoed dully in my ears.

"Jacob!" Harry? Was it really Harry I heard? It didn't matter, because it was enough. Their words were all the comfort I needed before I let the pain pull me under into oblivion.

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling the strain in that small movement. My neck was not throbbing anymore and the cold burning was gone. I looked around and realized I was back in my bed at home.

"I do not know what is happening to him. He isn't a vampire, obviously. His heart is still beating. Sometimes it is racing… Sometimes it is labored, but it is beatingnonetheless. I wish I could say what was happening or help in any way, but I can't. I am sorry." It was the doctor's voice.

"It's slowly killing him…" Billy's voice was bleak, nearly hollow.

"I don't know."

Silence prevailed for only a few moments before the doctor spoke again.

"I am sorry to have to bring you all of this heartache. I am sorry about Sam and Charlie. My family is eaten up with grief."

A grunt that could only have been Billy echoed outside of my room.

What alternate universe did I wake up in? A world where Billy and the leader of the leeches were friends? I felt the strain of fatigue begin to pull me into unconsciousness again.

"Any news about Bella?"

Bella? I strained to remain conscious, but the pull was too strong.

"Edward called. Jasper has recovered and they are following leads to find her. If I get any news, I will—" Then the darkness consumed me, yet again.

Emily's Point of View

Empty,: to contain nothing; to be vacant. If there was nothing, then why... Why did it hurt so much? It hurt to move, to breathe. The smallest movement only served to remind me that he was gone.

Sam, looking at me with a smoldering passion deep within his dark brown eyes, pulled me closer into his warmth.

Although Jared informed and tried to comfort me, it was pointless. I didn't need anyone to tell me, I just knew. The pain doubled me over and then I felt empty. It was a mind numbing emptiness. I could no longer feel his natural warmth radiating through my body. No comfort could break through the overwhelming pain of emptiness.

Sam... "I love you…" His warm breath caressed my ear, sending a shiver of want and desire through my body.

I didn't even try to stop the tears that spilled over my eyelids. It didn't relieve any of the pain; it was just a natural response.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jared shuffled back and forth between feet, uncomfortable. He looked lost and finally looked more his age than he had since he started phasing. He was just a boy right now.

I couldn't bring myself to respond. It was like I wasn't really there. I was empty... nothing... A void… just space. I needed... My mind searched for something that would give me comfort. The only word that came to mind was Sam.

Maybe if I could hold him one last time. Kiss him and tell him I love him. If I could just inhale his earthy scent one last time. Hold his unwavering, loving eyes. Maybe…just one more second with him, maybe it would be easier? Maybe then I could breathe. Maybe then my insides wouldn't be slowly dying from the pain.

He delicately put his feverish palm on either side of my face. It feels like home. "You are the most important person in my life. Imprint or not, I only want you for the rest of my life."

Just his name passing through my mind causes an unbearable pain to explode in my abdomen. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as my head started to spin. My stomach threatened to empty itself of what little content was there. Before I realized it, the room dimmed and then I felt warm arms wrapped around me.

Sam… He leaned his head to mine "Marry me?" I inhaled his breath, and he already knew my answer. He knew everything about me. He smiles as I do, then he eagerly finds my lips.

I knew it wasn't him, it couldn't be, but his face flashed in my mind regardless. It was too much; darkness claimed me but not peace. It would never be peace.