A/N: Haha! The chapter you've all been waiting for! This is it, my friends, the climax, the big hurrah! Okay, it's actually kind of short, but my hopes are you'll forgive me for that cause it's so good, right? ...right? Anyway, I really hope you like it. I've been sick for the past couple days, so I started writing a oneshot about Bella getting a cold and the Cullens completely overreacting. It's really just me trying to be silly and pass the time, but if I finish it I might as well publish it and see what comes of it. So keep your eyes open for THAT. Enough of my jabbering, check out this next chapter! Allons y! Oh, and review too!

A tear slid down my cheek as I started running, and I pulled my cell-phone out of my coat pocket, dialing the number I knew so well.

He picked up on the first ring. "Sean? It's Tessa."

Chapter 29

Ten Minutes

I had done the right thing. I hoped I had. What else could I have done? I had always believed in making a choice, rather than waiting for choices to be made for me. Now, here I was, choice made. It was the only way I could save his life, and I knew I wouldn't be able to live with his death on my shoulders. This was my only choice.

I kept telling myself this as I paced the edge of the woods, waiting for him to show. He had been in the town, just off campus. Logistically speaking, he could be here in less that ten minutes, if he didn't worry about drawing attention to himself. I knew they were going to be the longest ten minutes of my life, the last ten minutes I would be free, the last ten minutes I could breathe the fresh air, feel the warmth from the setting sun, feel the pinch of my sneakers when I was running.

Yes, I had made my decision, but that didn't change the heart breaking sadness that filled my entire being.

In that ten minute period I must have played the short, pivotal phone conversation in my head fifty times.

"Sean? It's Tessa." My voice was shaking, but the hand that held my cell-phone was steady, and that was all that mattered.

"Tessa? Tessa!" Sean screamed into the phone. "I'm so glad you called! Please tell me what is going on, please tell me that I imagined the past week and that you still love me. Please-" He was already begging, and I had barely spoken a full sentence.

"Yes, Sean, I changed my mind. I want to be with you."

"Thank God!" He hollered into the phone. "I knew it! I knew no crazy vampire sister of mine could make you change your mind-"

"Sean, you need to come get me now. Right now. I can't explain, but we don't have much time. Alice Cullen is here, and she'll know soon-"

"I'm coming," he said firmly. "Where are you? I'll be there in ten minutes."

"I'm at the college, but Sean- there's something more." It killed me to say what I said next. "The only way for us to be together is if you change me. Tonight."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." The line went dead.

Now that I was stuck waiting, my senses were ultra aware. I felt every direction the wind took as it blew past me. My heart beat was so loud, I swore I could hear it echoing of the trees in the woods that surrounded me. How many heartbeats did I have left? My breathing increased.

A crunching leaf behind me made me whip around. My eyes were prepared to see almost anyone. Sean, finding me at last, or Jasper, hearing my thundering heartbeats; Lisa, hot on my trail, or Jacob sensing that something was wrong and rushing to my side. What I was not prepared for was Lindsey, standing there looking like a ravishing image of life, with blood and air pulsing through her.

For the first time, I was really scared.

"Lindsey! What are you doing here?" I couldn't hide my fear. All I could think was that I had a hungry, stressed vampire heading towards me at hat very moment, and here was a beautiful, young, vibrant girl, who would probably smell delicious…

She was surprised to see me so out of sorts. "I was walking back to the dorm and I saw you out here, I thought I'd see if you'd like a jogging buddy…" She trailed off in confusion as my face blanched and I nearly screamed.

"No! Lindsey, you have to get out of here, now! I can't explain, but you have to get back to the dorms where you'll be safe-" The sounds of the distant road made me reconsider sending her to the dorms and I pulled her by the wrist into the woods instead, behind a large tree, pushing her onto the ground so that she was somewhat sheltered.

"What are you doing?" She cried out, trying to stand back up under my forceful hands. "What are you talking about, Tess? You're not making sense-"

"Not now, you have to stay still-" A whistling wind caught my attention. For that second I had the ears of a vampire and a wolf combined. I heard a solid body moving towards us. I raced out of the woods to see the ghostly vision of Sean McNally, and my life was over.

No, Lindsey's life was over.

"Tessa," Sean sighed, wrapping his arms around me. "I've missed you so much. How could you break my heart like that?" There was that familiar pained look in his now black eyes. "It's no matter, we're safe now. We can be together, just like we always wanted."

He was such a liar. I never wanted this. Not for one second. But desire wasn't what guided my actions now. I needed to save his life, and that's all that mattered.

"Let's go," I said hurriedly. "We don't have a lot of time."

Sean laughed. He actually laughed. "Tessa, we have all the time in the world! You're with me now, nothing bad is going to happen!" Yeah, like I haven't heard that before.

"You don't understand, Sean. If they find you, they're going to KILL you!"

"Like they could! Darling, I've been around for a while, I know how to take care of myself."

"Stop being so damn cocky!" I barked at him, hysteria ringing in my voice. "Any second now, Alice will realize what has happened, and she and Jacob and Lisa will come rushing out here, ready to do whatever it takes to stop you! I risked everything to save your life and you're laughing!"

"The only life that's in danger right now is yours, and I'm going to put and end to that danger soon enough-"

I slapped him. My hand was freezing from the pain, but it was necessary. "Do you understand what I'm giving up to save your life right now? I left the one man I will ever truly love to be with you! Because the only options were that I choose a life with you, or your death! Everyone agreed that was the only way! Even your sister! I have never seen pain like I saw in her today when she told me that even she couldn't save you! Now, I have always believed that every life is worth something, even someone like you who repulses me to the very core, so I gave up every piece of happiness I had to come here tonight, to save your life. Please, don't make me regret this more than I already do, which is exponentially higher than any regret you have ever known!"

He stared at me with his blank, black eyes. "Are you saying you don't love me?"

"No! I don't love you!" I cried, spitting my words at him with every stretch of human venom I could muster.

Anger started to pulse through him, and I took a safe step back. "You don't love me!" He repeated, this time like an accusation. "After everything we've been through, you don't love me!" He threw the words at me like daggers, hoping they would stab me in the heart like I had done him, but my own anger was so much that nothing could hurt me now.

"I told you, Sean. I told you from the start."

He laughed, but this time with disgust. "I don't understand why you didn't let them kill me. I repulse you! Certainly, since that's the case, my life can't be worth that much!"

"Stop it! You know that's not true! You're right for someone! I just know that's it's not me!"

"Who then?" He screamed, waving his hands to the sky. "Who?" He fell to his knees, like a man begging with God.

My tears continued pouring down my cheeks, but I walked over to him and helped him up. He stared at me with the pained eyes of a burning man.

"Look, I already made my choice," I said calmly, trying not to see the image of Jacob that was fighting the my words in my mind. "I'm going to spend the rest of eternity with you, and you can deal with that, or you can leave."

He held his breathe, staring at me with his black eyes, and whispered, "I'm going to stay with you."

That was the plan. But if you look anywhere in history, in the myths and folk tales, you will find that even the best laid plans come to naught in the end. Achilles had that heel of his, and goodness knows that ruined just about everything. In Beauty and the Beast, it was when Belle saw her dying father in the magic mirror. We all have our moments when we know for sure, no matter how hard we tried, it was all for nothing. For me, it was that moment when Lindsey came charging out of the woods, and came into Sean's line of vision, his black eyes pulsing with hunger. In that moment, even I could sense how delicious her blood smelled.

The world seemed to freeze, just like in stories. I was just suddenly aware of several things at once. The first was that Sean was staring at Lindsey with a look I couldn't identify. It was a sort of lost gaze, like he had been looking for something, and here it was! It reminded me of one thing only, and that was the first time I saw Jacob's eyes, poring into mine.

The second thing I was aware of was that Sean had split away from me and was running at Lindsey at vampire speed, teeth bared instinctively, the hunger consuming his control.

Lastly, Jacob, Alice, and Lisa were all running towards us, Jacob screaming my name.

I saw Sean reach Lindsey, whose eyes didn't hold the appropriate fear- they didn't have time for that reaction.

I saw his pale, claw-like hand wrap around hers, immobilizing her.

I saw the shining white teeth bend over her crystal neck in a perfect arc, crushing down on her soft skin, red blood dripping down the collar of her pink sweatshirt.

I closed my eyes. I screamed. I fell to my knees. Jacob caught me in his limber arms.

And… Nothing, I heard nothing except a soft whimpering. It was Sean's voice, no longer hard like ice, or painful like knives. It sounded like the saddest remorse I had ever heard, softly whimpering, "No… no… oh, no… What have I done?"

Okay, this may be me in my author's world ivory tower, but how can you not review after an edinging like that? Come on, really? Review it!