A/N: The rescue will take place in two chapters from Phoenix's POV then Jace's. So some blanks will be filled in next chapter.

No copyright infringement intended of Stephenie Meyer's work

Chapter 34 – Rescue

PHOENIX

As soon as my pizza was done I had taken it and some other snacks and water upstairs where I currently was locked away in the bedroom. I had the chest of drawers pushed up against the door so she couldn't easily get in. The bathroom was too small to stay locked in there, so it was acting as my panic room for now.

I had done nothing but eat and sleep a little. Although I had tried to sleep I kept waking up from the nightmares of being eaten by a vampire. Wrapped in a blanket, I had this permanent chill caused by worry, panic and more worry. I was trying to keep it together, I was really trying not to cry too much, but I was still really scared.

Honestly, I wanted Jace. He was the one person who cared about me besides my parents, he was my wolf. He cared about my safety and my happiness. I wished he could make everything better with his bright smile and playful ways. Feeling like I could die at any moment I was filled with regrets. I wished I hadn't pushed my family away when Avery died. I wished I hadn't pushed Jace away and hurt his feelings so many times. I hadn't valued his presence in my life. Instead I had hurt him by comparing him to Avery all the time. I wished I could tell him I was sorry, that I cared about him too, that he really did make me happy over the last week.

Celine came back as promised, by dinner time. I figured she had been hunting or something. I heard her opening and closing the heavily bolted front door before there was suddenly a polite knock on the bedroom door. "I'm back Phoenix, I brought you some Chinese food if you're hungry!"

"No thank you, I had some pizza."

"Oh, that's what that awful scent is. Well, glad to know you made yourself comfortable then."

I didn't respond, only waited to hear what else she had to say.

"Well I hope to hear from Avery soon?"

So did I. I didn't know if he was still my best friend or now my enemy, but I needed Avery to get me out of here if Jace was far away.

"I'll check back on you later, then."

I still said nothing and heard nothing for a while after that. I curled up on the bed in fetal position and sighed, waiting.

XXXX

"Aww little sleeping beauty!" a voice cooed in my ear causing me to scream as I opened my eyes and saw Celine's red ones staring back at me. I must have fallen asleep again.

"NO! Get away from me!" I shrieked. She had pushed the chest of drawers and the door open – rather quietly it seemed.

Shit, these vampires were really creepy.

"Relax, I told you I'm not going to eat you, are you deaf? I prefer men anyways, obviously." She rolled her eyes and I didn't get what she meant.

"What do you mean?" I asked while she watched me calculatingly. I was full on panting and pushed back up against the wall with the blanket, as if the soft wool could be a shield. But her body was so cold that I needed the barrier.

"I wanted Avery, he was so good looking. He just made it easier for me by hitting his head on a rock when he dove in the water that night. He was knocked clean out, would have drowned in a flash if I hadn't been there already waiting for him. I had followed you two from the restaurant actually. It was a perfect catch, showing how meant to be it was that I'd find him."

I shivered at the thought of her stalking us that night, of her stalking me. "Why did you change him?"

"He aroused me in a different way. I wanted him in spite of the weird smell – the wolf smell."

"Oh!" I stiffened. They were lovers?

"Does it surprise you that he's intimate with me?"

I nodded, trying to swallow passed the lump in my throat. Celine was blonde and tall, with long hair and a good body, but she didn't strike me as Avery's type at all. I guess because he had grown up on the Reservation, I felt like I knew his type would be a girl like me.

But it had been a whole year, I didn't know what he liked anymore – maybe being a vampire limited his options anyways. Regardless, Avery was a new person to me now, and it was uncomfortable to think about.

"Are you jealous?" Celine asked, and by her tone it kinda sounded like she wanted me to be.

I shook my head. I honestly didn't know how I felt but I wouldn't admit it to her if I was jealous. Avery was a vampire, I wasn't so sure how romantic I'd feel towards him when he got here. Was he still MY Avery? Could he be? He had basically lied and cheated on me.

"Is it because of that wolf you were with at the mall?"

I nodded. Jace was a good excuse, of course. But this wasn't about Jace really, even though a part of me knew that I had started to develop deeper feelings for him recently. And Celine had come and ruined things with Jace like she had with Avery.

Shit, she was on a streak of wrecking my life!

"Well, it's best that you move on with him anyways. Avery is with me now."

"So why am I here then?" I snapped, really annoyed by her cocky attitude and the realization that all my suffering was because of HER.

"Because he misses his best friend of course! And he didn't want you suffering so much." Celine seemed immune to my attitude as she continued to smile.

"He knew about that?" I asked skeptically. How could he have known?

"Of course he did ma chere!" she smiled in such a feline way and her eyes never left mine as she soundlessly paced in front of the bed. I could barely breath, worried that she was about to pounce on me at any given moment. "You really need to relax, fear is a turn on for vampires, so please stop it. I'm not going to eat you, for the last and final time!"

"How did Avery know about me being sad?"

She waved her hand around and pouted her lips in a way that told me such details didn't matter. "It wasn't hard to guess, obviously you'd be upset over his death wouldn't you?"

I nodded. I felt even more uneasy, and pressed myself into the wall, wishing it would just let me in already. Celine continued to stalk the room, filling me in on their adventures in the last year. Apparently she had taken Avery all around North and South America and even to Europe where they'd hunted, took in the culture at night and "made passionate love." I wanted to gag. She was over eighty years old!

But honestly her words got to me, how could they not? While I had been so sad, while I had been grieving, while I contemplated suicide, Avery had been touring the world and having fun with a leggy blonde? It was like a punch in the gut. And if he had moved on then why was I here? Why would he be missing me? Why would he come back and ruin everybody's lives? We were obviously better off thinking he was dead rather than a vampire! He should have stayed away with her if it meant that I, and everyone else, would be safe from Celine.

I was more confused than ever, and I just wanted to be alone.

No, I just wanted to go home and pretend that my worst nightmare hadn't come true.

XXXX

That night I locked myself in the bathroom with a pillow and blanket when Celine refused to let me close and barricade the door. The shower was good enough if she wanted to be like that. We were not friends, and I had heard enough about her, her life, Avery's performance in bed, and all the plans she had made for them for eternity.

What a bitch! She was just gloating and rubbing it in my face, but refused to answer my questions. I still had no clue where I fit in all of this. I fell asleep finally when outside grew really quiet. I figured it was near midnight or something but I couldn't be sure.

"She's locked in the bathroom? Why would she be in here?" the sound of Avery's voice jumped me awake and I immediately stood to my feet and pressed up against the tiled wall.

He was here. It was really his voice.

"Nix? It's me Ave! Why are you locked in the bathroom, girl?" he was teasing but even I could sense the nervous tension in the way he did it. "Come on, open it, I don't want to have to break the lock. I'm dying to see you!"

"What's going on, why am I here Avery? Are you really a vampire?" I asked shakily.

"Yes I am Nixie, I'm sorry. I'd be really dead if it wasn't for Celine. But I'm still me! I promise that nothing's changed about that."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. I wasn't so sure about that.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his tone ridiculously sweet.

I sighed, I didn't want to see him in his new body but I couldn't avoid it much longer. I had to trust Avery this one time. I slowly walked to the door and unlocked it, then pulled it back slightly. He was standing there on the other side, dressed in expensive clothing.

Seeing him standing there in the flesh hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Avery?" I whimpered. It really was him. His eyes were still brown but with red flecks in them. It wasn't so bad. He just was just really pale and stony looking. His jawline and shoulders were so angular they seemed sharp.

A mixture of disbelief and relief flooded through me and I found myself crying into my hands. Avery was still alive…he wasn't dead.

"Oh Nixie, I missed you so much," he whispered and pulled me into his arms which tightened uncomfortably around me. I jumped away from him, burned by the cold. It was like being hugged by a block of ice. Avery's hugs would no longer be the same. "Sorry, I guess I'm not warm anymore," he grimaced and I could see how hurt he was.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, it just caught me off guard." I tried to smile but it was hard. My entire body was tense and part of me kept chanting "RUN!"

But still I tried to remind myself that this was AVERY.

"You don't look like you anymore – or smell like you for that matter," he commented with a chuckle, after letting his eyes assess me.

I snorted, "Neither do you Ave." No, he was no longer my Avery at all and it hurt.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm not hurt Avery but I really want to go home, or at least let me call Momma and Daddy now and tell them I'm okay. How long have I been here? How long do you plan to let her do this?"

He sighed and nodded. "I know, I'll tell them you're okay, don't worry about them now."

"Don't tell me not to worry Avery, we could have talked back home! I could have visited you in Forks or something!"

"I didn't ask Celine to do this Nix, okay? It wasn't supposed to happen like this, I was coming home to everyone. Uncle Jake and the Cullens have been helping me the last three months."

"How?" I was shocked to hear this. He had been up North all that time? Why hadn't they told us!

"They've been helping me be like them. I don't like killing people. I know it's natural to vampires but I felt bad knowing that I would disgrace my father and the pack. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't live with myself knowing that you'd all hate me for what I'd become."

"That's really good of you Avery. It was definitely the right perspective." I was happy to hear that at least he was trying not to be a monster.

"So you don't hate me?" Amazingly, he had that same sad puppy face that he used to when we he was human.

"No I don't." And I didn't, not for becoming a vampire when it wasn't his choice. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment and I couldn't help but dwell on the fact that we were actually here, talking like this. It was so surreal; I was actually talking to Avery. He wasn't gone, he was okay now - but he really had been hurt from the jump. I couldn't help but still feel guilty about that. "I'm sorry about that night. I should have never started that stupid game. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt, things might have been different."

He reached out and lightly touched my arms, though it was brief it was enough to totally freeze me up again. I inched back a little just because I couldn't help it, it was instinct.

"It wasn't your fault Nix, I was a total show-off. You know how I can get! I was just feeling so happy about my birthday, about us actually being a couple – I was an ass to do that. I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I should have been more careful."

As we looked into each other's eyes, both filled with a tsunami of pain, something in me broke - all the grief that I had been carrying the last year just felt like it was suddenly pouring out of my soul.

It was over. It was finally and completely all over. I didn't ever need to grieve for him again.

"My God Ave, I can't believe this." I collapsed against the doorframe and let him hold my hand even though I was cold and being burned by his icy temperature. His life had been taken by a demonic woman, but Avery was alright.

He gave me an awkward smile while stepping backwards into the bedroom. "Sorry, your scent was just a little too much."

"Oh!" I squeaked, instantly afraid for what that meant.

"I promise I'd never hurt you Phoenix, you know that don't you?"

I looked at him for a moment, then nodded. I had to try trusting him. I needed him to get me home still. "So, can we go now? We can talk back home. Are we far?"

"No, we're not far at all, a little ways between Seattle and Port Angeles."

"Oh." I nodded.

"Leaving so soon?" Celine drawled from the bedroom doorway where she'd suddenly appeared. I knew it was probable that she'd been listening all along.

"I need to get back to my family," I said, holding my head up this time.

"Oh really? Too bad because La Push is not part of our travel plan. Avery, I think we can get a move on. The plane leaves in four hours."

"What is she talking about?" I asked, feeling the panic rising instantly. I didn't want to get on a plane with Celine to fly anywhere.

"Relax Nix, your heart is racing, nothing's wrong. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"What? Of course she does, we had a deal Avery!" Celine roared.

"Celine, I never agreed to any deal and you know that. Right now she's going back to the Rez. You kidnapping her just made things more difficult for me."

"You seem to forget that I don't care about how things are 'back home.' That's not home anymore, the world is our home. I made you and so now you must stay with me – I'm never letting you leave me again. That's how this works mon cher!"

"Just let me take her home! I'll be back later damnit! I'll do whatever you want Celine, just let her go, please."

Celine let out a piercing howl in anger. "Did you not hear what I said? You can't leave me Avery, I won't let you! We had a plan and I'm not letting you mess it up! We are leaving here NOW."

As they argued back and forth I stepped back, bit by bit, just inching my way to the door. They were so upset that I was beyond scared now. I didn't want to get caught in the middle of two vampires fighting! From the looks on their faces they seemed about ready to do just that. I couldn't figure out this plan but it seemed to involve the three of us getting on that plane. Why was it so important to Celine that I be with them? She had made no mention of this when she went on and on earlier.

I was really scared now. What were they going to do to me?

"Nix, you should wait downstairs, I think I need a moment with Celine." Avery grabbed her by the neck and pulled her towards him, but his eyes met mine over the top of her head and somehow I could tell that he was actually giving me a chance to get out of there.

"Fine but make this quick. At least the house is locked so she can't get out anyways." Celine chuckled and instructed me to close the door as she wrapped her arms around my ex-boyfriend.

Great. I hoped they wouldn't be loud about it. Then it struck me, did they want us to be some sort of threesome? Were they going to change me and then I'd have to join in their "fun?" Were they going to change me? Why else would they want me to leave the state with them?

No no no no no!

Celine could keep Avery if that was the plan! I didn't want to leave my home and live with two vampires! I ran down the stairs and tried the front door. It wouldn't even budge. There were no keys, no unbarred windows, nothing. How the hell was I going to get out? I slammed my back against the door and banged my head a few times.

What was I going to do?

"Wuff!" a bark sounded quietly behind me. For a moment I froze, thinking I had dreamt it. But then a quiet scratch on the door let me know that it was real.

Was it a wolf? My heart leapt with the thought and I rolled over to the window next to the door but it was covered in that black stuff. I ran to the kitchen and found a knife and then ran back to the window and started scraping at the glass between the bars. The black film came off and after a little while I made a big enough circle to see out of properly.

A nose popped into the window and I tried not to scream as I scrambled backwards. It was a wolf!

"Jace?" I instinctively whispered.

"Wuff!" it said again and licked the glass. I covered my mouth as I chuckled in my hands.

I couldn't believe it! Jace was here!

Relief flooded my body, but it was a different feeling this time than when Avery came and saved me from being alone with Celine. This time it felt as if I was truly safe.

"I can't get out!" I whispered loudly through the window glass.

He made a pushing movement with his head and nose and I found myself stepping backwards instinctively. A hard pound on the door had me backing up all the way to the stairs as Jace threw his wolf into the wood repeatedly. It was noisy but it would work.

"Jace!" I cried as his huge black and brown wolf tumbled into the room. I wasn't scared. I just ran to him and tried to hug him around his neck. He whimpered and licked at my back and wherever else he could reach. "I missed you too," I said, and I really meant it. I had missed him as much as my family. He was my family now too.

"Aww isn't that sweet? Surprised you found us, dog? Or did Avery fuck up and lead you to me?"

I jumped a little at the chilling voice behind us. Jace growled at Celine and nudged me with his nose, pushing me behind him. I found myself winding my hand into his tail and gripping it firmly. He didn't let on that it was hurting so I held on even tighter. I couldn't let him leave me.

Feeling a cool wind at my back I turned and saw that I was now in the busted doorframe. It was dark out, but I could tell we were somewhere with lots of grass or something. I couldn't see lights or houses nearby. No wonder I hadn't heard much around us. We were out in the middle of nowhere?

"Celine, he's dangerous, don't get too close, love. Just let him take her and you'll be safe. We don't want a war with the wolves," Avery said, coming up to stand behind Celine on the stairs. I almost rolled my eyes at his endearment of her. How could he? How could he after all the pain he put me through, disappearing like that? I couldn't help but feel betrayed, and yet it was obvious that Avery wasn't mine any more. He couldn't be.

He never was yours, I reminded myself, and it was actually for the first time, rather comforting to know that.

"Do you think I'm scared of that MUTT?" She snorted with laughter. "Come on Avery! Give me a little credit!" Celine tittered and bent slightly forward as she laughed.

It seemed to happen in slow motion before my eyes, even though in reality it was so quick that I thought I had imagined it.

As Celine bent over with her ridiculous laughter, Avery's face tensed and he pushed her forward so hard that she flew into Jace who immediately bit off her head and threw it across the floor.

I screamed so hard that I released his tail and took off running into the dark night. I was totally freaked out by the snarling, screeching and snapping that I was hearing behind me.

They were killing her!

I was relieved but horrified, absolutely horrified. I didn't need to see that part of my rescue! I dunno why but I couldn't stop running. I just needed to put some distance between me and the house where a vampire was being ripped to pieces. The house where I had been held captive for what, two days? I still wasn't sure but it couldn't have been more than that.

Not long after I reached a fence and leaned over to catch my breath. I felt cold air blow up around me. I knew it was Avery. His presence was ice while Jace was fire.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded quickly but I couldn't talk yet. "I'm sorry you had to see that but it was the only way. I had to get rid of her."

" I thought you loved her," I panted.

"It wasn't love. She was my sire, I was bound to give her my loyalty and companionship. But eventually I ran away from her and went to the Cullens because I couldn't live like her, like them. She came to La Push and kidnapped you to get me back. I just couldn't let her hurt you, I couldn't trust her not to."

"What did she want with me?" I panted.

Avery shook his head. "You don't wanna know."

"Yes. I do."

He sighed before turning to look at me. "She wanted you to have my baby so that she could have a hybrid child."

"WHAT? Why?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"She had a child in France before she was turned and she kept tabs on her. Her daughter moved to America and had a family after Celine was changed and disappeared. Her daughter recently died of cancer and old age, and Celine wasn't taking it well. She wanted an immortal child she could truly have a family with, and naturally she wanted it to be my child as well. She knows about Bella and Nessie, like most vampires do now. And she thought you could play the role of Bella."

I scoffed. She was totally nuts! But some of the things she'd said to me now made sense.

"I couldn't let her kill you. She wouldn't have turned you like Edward turned Bella. You would have been dead after the baby was born." The thought chilled me to the core and I sucked in a sharp breath in disbelief. "I'm sorry Nix, I never would have gone along with it. I thought by leaving her it would have made everything alright. I didn't think she'd actually get you away from the Rez with all the wolves, I figured you'd be safe. I thought me being with the Cullens would have been helpful in keeping her away. Vampires know of their special abilities and they don't like to get close."

I didn't think I could stomach hearing anymore so I held up my hand and shook my head. "Thank you for helping me, she's really dead right?" I asked.

"Yes, she is, Jace did it..." The mention of Jace made me turn towards the house. What if she'd hurt him somehow?

"He's fine, he's just finishing up…So…um I heard he imprinted on you…you're together now?" he asked, seeming bashful and scared at the same time.

"Well I'm not sure it's official yet…but we've been getting close, hanging out a lot."

Avery sighed and nodded. "I came back for you Phoenix. I still love you with all my heart."

"What about Celine?" I asked cockily, I couldn't believe he was trying to tell me this now when he had been having sex with that woman.

"I had to do what she wanted. I had no choice. I never stopped loving you and I never loved her."

I shook my head, my body filling with resentment and anger. "All I know is that if you truly loved me, you would have sent me an email or something, you would have saved me from myself! I blamed myself all along for your death, and you were still alive! She totally fucked up my life and yours, can't you see that? You should never have stayed with her Avery! You should have known that the pack wouldn't turn you away! Uncle Jake would have protected you from her!"

"Nix I'm sorry! Honest! You're right I should have sent word, but I was ashamed of what I'd become…and if it wasn't for her I'd be dead because it was my stupid idea to jump! I've wished a million times that I hadn't jumped that night. I know I made some really bad choices and I'm sorry I hurt you so much, but I'll make it up to you, I promise." He red-brown eyes pierced mine and I felt a cold shiver down my spine, not the good kind.

All I could think was that he and I were never meant to be and he shouldn't have come back. Not like this. He had made his choices and I had made mine, I promised myself to move on with my life and now that Avery was back, I knew without a doubt that I had to keep looking forward, not backward. Him being a vampire changed EVERYTHING.

And also, there was someone else. "I need to go to Jace, I'm sorry, but I really can't talk about this right now."

"No Nix, please! Don't walk away from me, I'm begging you, you're my only hope! I love YOU!"

It was what I'd wanted for the last year and yet now that Avery was back I didn't want to hear him confess his undying love for me. No, I just couldn't think about what seemed like the impossible right now. "I'm sorry Avery, but everything's changed. We can't go back to the way we used to be."

"Yes we can if you just give me a chance!" He reached out and stepped closer.

I shook my head and stepped away, not letting him touch me. "I'm sorry." I turned and sprinted back through the darkness towards the house. There was a gross smoke filling the atmosphere now. "Jace!" I yelled.

I could see a man's form, broad and dark on the porch. He took a few steps down and started running towards me. Jace reached me a lot faster and scooped me up in his arms. His warmth immediately melted into my body and I collapsed onto his bare shoulder.

I was safe. It was over.