A/N: Hello guys!!!! I am back in action and ready to supply you with another chapter!! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything of that nature. :'(

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EPOV

The scent itself was easy to find. The putrid reek of the dogs path weaved through the forest, as noticeable as a bright beacon in the dead of night.

But it was…unbelievably difficult to follow it, knowing my love was worrying over me.

Crying over me.

Hurting over me.

I cringed at that thought and slowed down slightly. Embry could take my place, I could very easily protect her just as well as he could, if not better! Why exactly did I have to leave her?

Because we need to know what they're thinking. Came Owens solemn mental voice. I knew he didn't like leaving his loved ones behind either, but he knew that this would be for their own good.

He appeared at my side, his snow white fur sticking out against the dark wood. Together we ran along the path, hoping to end the war that had been surrounding my Bella. Hoping that it would end quickly.

Hoping it would end quietly.

The scent, that wretched accursed scent, suddenly became more than that. Stronger, more potent, with the added scent of a vampire. Then, before I had run even five more yards, the vampires scent was all that remained of the trail.

Owen growled suspiciously. I don't like this. he said. I shook my head. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Suddenly I could smell my families scent intermingled with the trail. We were close.

Close to the meeting.

Close to the judgment.

Close to the verdict.

Close to the end.

We entered a clearing, my family huddled in the center. Owen whined once before bolting back into the forest to join the rest of the pack. I started towards my family, finally getting a good look at our location.

The baseball clearing. The place where the danger my kind and myself posed towards Bella was first emphasized. Looking around, I could almost see James and his small ruthless coven enter from the trees.

In a sadistic kind of way, it made sense that we should be having this meeting here.

I joined my family, taking in their stiff positions. Everyone was facing in different directions, clutching onto their complete others arms, Bianca standing behind Emmett.

Alice had a vision that they're be here soon. Came Carlisle's voice. Then the wolves arrived and…he trailed off. I raised my chin slightly. Everyone was frozen, the only moving part were their eyes scanning the area.

Waiting.

I froze, extending my mind to its maximum to try and detect even the faintest whisper of an enemy.

I caught the wolves. Sam, having abandoned his mission for immortality for this cause, was quickly running the perimeter trying to find a single trace of them. Owen was trying to get into Bella's mind, and was very frustrated that it was blocked to him.

But, it was the mind of Embry-whom I could hear through the interconnectivity of the wolves-that worried me the most.

How dare he even think of coming near here!!!!!! he thought, and I saw dark blurs pass through his mind as he ran, following a trail much like the one I had been traveling. I growled quietly, turning to go either yell at the dog for leaving his post, or to take over for him. Before I could really take a step away from the group, I was stopped…

…by the sudden ongoing of mental voices.

They were here.

It was time.

I quickly composed myself and returned to my spot. As long as Embry was keeping him away from her and that they were here…she was safe.

" Get ready." I muttered. They all stiffened and turned to face the way I was. The wait was short, but still it felt like a lifetime. But sure enough, after a few seconds the first him of their black robes seeped beneath the fog that had very lightly spread along the ground.

There were more than I had expected to come. More than was necessary to…dispose of…one human. They were definitely up to something.

First came Aro and Caius, flanked by Jane, Felix, Demetri, and Alec. Behind them were more of the guard, all tensed and ready to spring into action if the need be. No Marcus. Odd, why did they decide to have only two of the three here?

I tried to get into Aro's mind, see if there was anything that could possibly explain this to me. Edward, we only hope that things will go smoothly and quietly. He addressed towards me. I growled quietly at that. He only hoped, meaning that he really didn't think that that would happen.

I tried Caius' mind. What is that horrible stench?? They didn't know about the dogs. Hmmm.

Carlisle stepped forward slightly. " Aro. Caius." he greeted them shortly. Caius nodded to us curtly, while Aro took an exuberant step forward-flanked by Jane, Felix, and Demetri.

" Hello Cullen's." he called, before running his eyes over our group. " I see you have grown since the last time we met!" he noted, glancing at Bianca. I noticed her shudder slightly.

I don't like him. She thought. Yeah, who did? Aro's thoughts were more malicious than that though.

They're still growing! We must stop that! Was that why they came with such an army? To separate us? I almost laughed at the impossibility of the idea. The bond the my family had was so strong that not even the strongest storm could tear us apart. Aro should know that from hearing not only my thoughts back then, but Alice's as well.

" Yes, Bianca is a huge part of our family now." Carlisle answered him quickly. Aro heard the tone of Carlisle's voice, and chuckled quietly.

" Yes, well, down to the reason we are here." he turned to me, and smiled sardonically.

" We had a deal Edward. We had said that we would allow Bella to leave with you and Alice eighteen years ago, unharmed. While, you said that you would changed her in return. We held up our end of bargain. You on the other hand…" he trailed off suggestively. I inhaled once before speaking.

" She did not tell anyone." I said. In truth, I had no idea what argument I was going to hold. At the moment all I was doing was pulling at any loose threads I could find. Aro smiled, and even Caius cracked a smirk.

" Ah, but you know that that is not true, Edward." Aro said, shaking his head…sadly I think. " You know as well as we do that she has told her children about our kind."

Tell him about me being a wolf. Came Owens voice.

I can't. Your mother will kill me. I answered. I knew that this was one thing that scared her, them knowing that her children were different.

She can't kill you if she's already dead! he snapped. DO IT!! I sighed.

Come here. I told Owen before addressing the group. " Her children deserve to know about us just as much as we deserve to know about them." Right then, Owen ran out of the forest and stopped at my side.

I was disgusted to see Aro's eyes widen in amazement while Caius' widened in disgust.

" Her son is a shape shifter. Vampires are found in their legends. All Bella has done was warn him that the legends are true to get him to be careful when it came to his other half." I said, hoping that they would just leave it at that.

Aro spoke, not taking his eyes off of Owens white form. " And what of her daughter?"

If he tries to hurt Al I swear to God…Owen trailed off maliciously, his fur bristling slightly.

Calm down. I told him before addressing Aro's question. " Al's soul mate is a shifter. Therefore, she is as much part of the super natural world as her brother or her mother…" I was tired with this conversation. I needed to know why they decided to let the devil out of his pit. "…And her father?" I suggested. Caius' smile widened at that, though he shuddered as well. Aro, though, looked genuinely upset.

" Yes, Jacob." Owen, my family, and the pack all growled in response to his name. I kept my composure though. " We really didn't want to resort to that, but…" he shrugged.

" We have a deal for you." this was it. This was why they were here.

Don't take it. Owen said. Whatever they say, don't take it. He urged me. I lifted my chin slightly towards him, not looking away from Aro.

I don't like this. Came Alice's voice. The rest of my families voices followed around that line. But I just waited for Aro to elaborate his plan.

" See, we don't want there to be any bloodshed. We don't want to have to take care of Bella-"

"-So you got Jacob to do that work for you." I guessed, almost gagging over my own words. Aro stopped, and looked at me for a second before nodding.

" He's waiting for our signal right now. But, like I said, we don't want there to be bloodshed. So, we have a compromise for you." There was a thick tension in the clearing. Everyone waited to hear what they had to say. Everyone waited to hear their way of keeping Bella alive.

But we all knew that there was always a price to pay when it came to a compromise with the Volturi.

" What kind of compromise?" I asked. Caius snarled at my bluntness, while Aro shrugged patiently.

" A simple trade." A hush fell over the minds of our side. We suddenly knew what he was going to ask. We knew. He was going to ask for the same thing he had when the first deal was made.

Back then I had said no. But…would I put Bella's life on the line just because I didn't want to be part of their evil?

They're lying. Owen said with a snarl.

" Bella lives, we put Jacob Black back in jail, and you, dear Alice, and maybe even Jasper come and join us." he said, as if it were the simplest most generous offer ever.

THEY'RE LYING EDWARD!!! Came Al's voice. LISTEN TO THE GIRL…JANE! I tuned Al out, and homed in on Jane's thoughts. Well, she was still holding a grudge against Bella.

The bitch is going to die!! Whether they like it or not! I wouldn't be surprised if she were dead already.

I growled loudly, making my families heads snap my way. How DARE they?!?!?

" You're lying." I said, a feral sound leaking from my words. I opened my mouth to say something when Owen suddenly collapsed.

Pain. So much pain. Darkness. Darkness closing in. Edward…she's hurt…he's already there…not much time…he whimpered, getting to his feet slowly. I growled and began backing up, Owen shakily following my movements.

" He's already there." I said, before turning on my heel and running the fastest I had ever run in my entire existence.

The last thing I heard from the clearing were snarls and feet moving. I tuned it out, and pushed myself faster. If she…I couldn't think it. She has to be alive. She has to be alright. She has to be there. She has to be okay. For her children. For her family. For me. She has to be fine.

I heard Owen running beside me, flinching every now and then. I pushed the thought of how much pain she must be in out of my head, and made a sharp turn. I'm almost there Bella. Just hold on for me.

I pushed through the trees, just a few minutes away from her, when the scent of her blood hit my like a wrecking ball. I staggered a little under the force from it, but then pushed myself harder. She's bleeding so much.

So much.

We broke through the forest, and I scaled the wall of the house, while Owen went around to the front. The scent was all over the house, but came strongly from her room. As I broke through the window-not even bothering to open it-I vaguely realized that there was another scent of blood in the room.

But the thought of that was pushed away when I saw my love, broken, bleeding on the bed. Blood was pooling from her chest, from her heart. But she was alive. Barley, but truly her heart was beating.

Owen burst through the door, his paws stained with blood. He whined when he saw his mother on the bed, and then swerved his head to the right. Through his mind, I could see the body of Jacob Black, on the floor, bleeding slowly. But no heart beat.

I focused my attention back to Bella. She was dying. She was hurting. And I couldn't lose her.

I leaned forward, and placing a soft kiss on her neck.

" I love you." I whispered, before biting down. Her blood flew into my mouth, but I was too worried about her to really even think about the blood lust. I pulled away from her, and repeated the process on the other side of her neck, her wrists, her arms, her legs, anywhere I felt would be beneficial. I needed to get the venom flowing through her body before her heart gave out.

" Don't give up on me Bella." I whispered, tearing a piece of her sheet off the bed and wrapping it around her chest. After I had wrapped it up, I took in just how damaged she was. She was bleeding from her shoulder as well, her arm and leg were broken, a few ribs as well. Bruises were covering every inch of her body, each one outlined with blood.

It broke my undead heart to see her like this.

She killed him. Owen said, pushing a bloody knife towards me with his nose. The knife reeked of his blood. Lying beside Bella was another knife, covered in her blood. So much blood.

So much bloodshed.

I slowly and carefully lifted Bella's head and placed it in my lap, stroking her hair softly. Listening to the beat of her heart as it pushed harder and harder.

" Don't give up on me, love." Both Jacob and Bella had the same fatal injury. Yet, he was dead, and she was on the brink of death. " You have something to live for." I murmured. Jacob had lived for his malice. He lived to torture Bella, and then invoke his revenge.

" You have people who love you." He didn't. " You have people who would miss you." Her heart sputtered.

" Don't give up." I whispered one last time, looking out the window.

Over the horizon, over the forest, miles away, bloomed a field of purple smoke. And while the smoke prospered there, the venom healed here.

" Just keep your heart going for me." I whispered before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

Owen jumped up on the bed, still in his wolf form, and placed his head on Bella's unbroken leg, and whimpered quietly.

And so we waited.

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A/N: WHOO!!!! *wipes sweat off of forehead* That actually took a while. Anyway…*pouts* can you believe that there are only a few chapters left! :'( I can't so…..

Seeing as I can't possible stand to let go of the story…I was wondering what you guys felt about deleted scenes. Like little things from the past, present, and maybe the future-depending on how the epilogue comes out.

So, tell me about it, but don't worry…you still have about three to five more chapters left! So, REVIEW!!!!! :D