The Bear

Chapter 16: Didyme-ish

Victoria was in torment. She was too terrified to follow James as he returned to the Volturis, but she couldn't force herself to obey her instincts and flee, either. So, she ran in a great arc, circling the location of her soulmate, but not coming any closer to him—or the others. She moaned with apprehension and despair, knowing that she would lose him,…she was losing him.

Then suddenly, he was gone. A great emptiness opened inside her and she crumpled onto the forest floor, screaming her agony into the loamy earth.

"James! My James! Ooohhh…" she wailed, wishing she could cry real tears for the first time in her vampiric life. She stayed there for a long while, in anguish, as complete emptiness settled upon her soul. But soon, there was a change. The emptiness filled with another all-encompassing passion: hatred. She lifted her head with a new, deadly resolve. A stone-cold determination insisted she get retribution on the one who took James from her.

"I must be clever. I must be deliberate but I will destroy him," she muttered as she rose from the forest floor and, like a deadly vapor, wafted through the forest towards her nemeses.

Have you ever been of two minds?

I was, at the moment. My head was screaming, "Edward, I told you not to do something stupid!" but my heart was rejoicing that we were together again. I jumped next to him onto the cab of the truck and reached for his hand. He stood from his crouch and took it, but at the same time tried to pull me behind him, to get me out of Jane and Alec's line of sight.

"I'm fine," I assured him. "Look at those two. They are now harmless."

Edward looked at the evil twins and was surprised to find Alec writhing on the ground, his arms splayed, his eyes bulged, and his mouth agape in a silent scream. Jane had an enraged look on her face as she stared harder and harder at me, Edward, and the wolves. Her hands were in fists and her feet were spread, stiff legged as she strained to torch us, but to no avail. Suddenly she screamed, fell to the ground, and started to twist like a worm impaled upon a hook.

I heard a little voice in my ear. Evidently, Beetle Leah had crawled up my body to sit on my shoulder so that she could whisper to me. "Well, this is unexpected," she said. "Seems your reverse shield reflects their powers back on themselves. Nice touch, Bella."

"I didn't know," I whispered. I didn't want the Volturi to hear us. As close as he was only Edward could, but he was looking at me like I was crazy.

"Edward," I whispered, "this beetle here is Leah, the Quileute's Walalo. She's a shapeshifter, too. She's not usually a bug." I said this behind my hand, hoping the Volturi wouldn't eavesdrop, but it seemed they were too shocked by what was happening to their two prize bullies.

"Bella," Leah's buzzy beetle voice said, "take care of Chelsea and Corin. I'll catch Edward up."

Nodding, I looked over at the confused vampires in front of me and picked out one who looked like 'Betty Crocker'—she did for real, hairstyle and all—and another who looked like 'Endora from Bewitched': Corin and Chelsea, respectively. I fashioned two reverse shields and easily slipped them around the unsuspecting ladies. As I did so, I noticed that Aro was stomping around chivying Demetri and Felix to get Jane and Alec on their feet and functioning, but that wasn't working. The rest of the Volturi just stood there, completely stunned at what was going on. Evidently, something like this had never happened before.

Suddenly, an arrested expression came over Marcus' face and he looked around in angry confusion. I heard him say, "Why am I here? What are you doing, Aro?"

I guess Chelsea and Corin's interfering talents were no longer effective. I stood on top of the cab and watched as the Volturi fell to pieces.

Caius, whom Leah had described as being a washed-out version of 'Aunt Fanny' Aro, was swishing around yelling, "Punish them! Punish them!" I wasn't sure who he wanted to punish, or even who he wished to do the punishing, as he was equally shouting at Aro and the incapacitated twins. Finally, he picked up a torch that had been prepared and left next to the pyre, lit it, and drove it into the middle of the stacked wood. Grotesquely, James' severed head became dislodged and rolled off, but Caius didn't notice. He turned his back on the burgeoning flames and purple smoke and dusted his hands as though he had done his duty, though no one else seemed to be doing theirs.

The "big-boobed brunette," Sulpicia, was clinging to the "horse-faced blonde" Athenodora, and screeched over and over, "Aro, save me! Save me!" at the top of her lungs.

Now that both Chelsea and Corin's influences were gone, Athenodora seemed to grow more and more impatient with her hysterical coven-mate. She finally smacked Sulpicia across the face, knocking her to the ground. "Get away from me, you crazy fool!"

Sulpicia, who evidently had never been treated so disrespectfully, seemed to lay in shock for a moment; then, clearly enraged, flew at Athenodora, nails and teeth snapping. It was as if she had suddenly realized that she had hated that blonde bitch forever, and now she was finally going to beat the living shit out of her. At the same time, it must have dawned on Athenodora that she felt the same about Sulpicia and, with seeming relish, grabbed old vampire tits by the hair and swung her around like a lasso. As they used to say in my old high school in Phoenix, "Hands were throwing."

Totally dumbstruck at first by this catfight, Aro roused enough to clutch Corin by both shoulders and cry, "Do something!"

Corin swayed gently, smiled and said in a sing-songy voice, "Chillax, dude! Everything is beyouuuutiful, it its own way…!" and she started giggling like a loon.

Aro shoved her aside, turned to Chelsea, and demanded, "Fix this!"

Chelsea haughtily stared at Aro and then curled into a little fetal ball at his feet. He kicked her, but she just laid there like a rock. We heard a muffled, "Go away and leave me alone." Evidently, a reverse shield on Chelsea's talent made her incredibly anti-social.

"What in hell is going on?" Aro looked at Demetri and Felix. They shrugged in dumbfounded amazement.

As this confusion was happening, the front door of the Cullen mansion stealthily opened, and Esme and Rosalie ran out at vampiric speed. They swept the gaping Bree off her feet, and in three seconds had her back inside the house, safe from any malicious vampires. I saw Carlisle watching all of this with a growing gleam in his eye. His focus shifted from the Volturi to Edward and me as we stood on top of the truck. I was positive he wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he seemed to deduce that we had something to do with it. He smiled proudly at us. I grinned back.

Meanwhile, Leah had got Edward up to speed. Though plainly astonished, I knew Edward was wise enough to realize that somehow Leah and I had this under control. He gave me a reassuring smile and nodded. I could tell he felt it was best if he let us run the show, helping as he could. He did, however, have my hand in a death grip. I had a feeling that he was absolutely determined never to let me go again, under any circumstances. Fine by me. I squeezed his hand and heard him sigh contentedly.

Leah was saying, "Now, Edward. I know Bella–and everyone else, by the way—had told you not to do anything stupid but coming out here was exactly what I wanted you to do, just not before we got here. That would have been stupid, indeed. Coming out at this time was smart. I need your powers. Can you read Marcus' mind?"

Edward squinted towards the tall Vampire who was becoming more and more agitated. "Yes. He's mad, confused, and grief-stricken, all at once."

"Can you get a clear picture of his dead wife?"

After a moment, Edward said, "Yes."

Leah flew—I didn't know beetles could fly; that was a disturbing thought for future reference—into the truck's bed, out of view of the Volturi's fracas, and two seconds later she had transformed into a beautiful, dark Grecian beauty, complete with bound corkscrew curls, pouty lips, and wearing a long white tunic with a key design that Grecian ladies wore back in the day, called a peplos . "Do I look like Didyme?" she asked.

I could tell Edward was shocked at Leah's sudden transformation, but he scrutinized her and said, "Her nose was a little longer." The appendage in question grew a bit and Edward nodded. "That's her exactly as Marcus remembers her."

"Good, good. Now, Edward, I'm going to show myself—or, actually, Didyme. Let me know what Aro thinks about it."

Leah/Didyme climbed up over the cab and onto the hood of the truck. She stood there silently waiting to be noticed. It didn't take long.

Marcus' eyes grew huge as he caught sight of his long-lost love. "Didyme!" he shouted and took a step towards her. The wolves that stood between them growled in unison and he paused. Aro and Caius had been unsuccessfully trying to separate their wives with the ineffectual help of Felix and Demetri, but all commotion stopped at Marcus' awestruck exclamation.

Even more awestruck was Aro's expression when he beheld Didyme/Leah. "Impossible!" he cried. Evidently, he was just beginning to realize that this situation was totally out of his control and it quite possibly had never been in his control, in the first place. He seemed to be feeling two very unfamiliar sensations for him—dread and fear.

Urgently, Edward whispered to Leah/Didyme, "Aro had Didyme murdered. No one else knows about it, as he had the vampires who killed her done away with, as well. He's kept that secret for centuries."

Leah/Didyme chuckled softly and gracefully stepped off the truck as though she was gliding down a stairway in an old time Hollywood movie. She drifted over towards Marcus, but was careful to keep the wolves, and my shield between him and herself.

A look of utter joy suffused Marcus' face and, disregarding the wolves, he walked towards Didyme/Leah until he came to an abrupt stop against my shield.

"Didyme, you live!" Marcus cried.

"No, my love," Didyme/Leah replied. "I no longer live, for I was cruelly slain and I cannot return."

The joy on Marcus' face faded as he asked, "Then, how are you here?"

"I have been summoned. There are magics in this place greater than we ever knew."

"Why were you summoned? What do you wish?"

"To seek justice!"

"Justice for what?"

"Betrayal. I was callously murdered." The pathos that trembled in her voice, and even her body seemed to wilt with grief. I'm telling you; Leah deserved a Golden Tomato for her performance.

"By whom?" I could tell Marcus' joy was turning to rage. He seemed to grow taller and more menacing.

"Whom do you think, Marcus?" Leah/Didyme maintained eye contact with the vampire, willing him to take the next logical step on his own.

Marcus' eyes narrowed as he came to, what was to me, an obvious conclusion. "Aro!"

"Yes. My own dear brother, jealous of our bond, had me slaughtered—for the sole purpose of gaining power and control over you and the rest. He has had all of you enthralled since then by his talented vampire stooges. I want justice! After all these centuries, we all deserve justice!" Her sense of outrage was obvious and contagious.

Marcus' eyes blazed with fury and he swung to face Aro, who stood there in stupefied terror, his arms clasped about his shocked wife. One-by-one, the Volturi coven turned to look at Aro in growing realization and revulsion, except for Corin who was staring at the blazing pyre, muttering, "Sooooo, pretty" under her breath and, of course, the still writhing Jane and Alec. I wasn't going to release their reverse shields anytime soon, that was for sure.

Aro carefully set Sulpicia down and put his hands up. "Now Marcus, that was a long, long time ago. Let's let bygones be bygones, eh? We've done well since, haven't we?" He tittered nervously, stepping backwards as he spoke, trying to distance himself from the infuriated vampire.

Marcus let out a roar and leaped at Aro, bellowing, "She was my soul and you killed her!"

In the past, Aro would have been protected from any attack by Renata's shield, but that was now gone. Barring that, there had always been Felix who had acted as his personal bodyguard, but with Chelsea now bonding with no one but herself, Felix felt no inclination to protect Aro from any danger. In fact, he seemed to relish his freedom from that particular overweening sense of duty, and stood back with his arms crossed, watching Aro with a jaundiced eye. So, it was a simple and quick matter for the larger vampire, Marcus, to overcome and slay the smaller one, Aro.

Unlike Felix' twist-off technique, Marcus used his thumbs like he was popping the cork from a magnum of champagne and suddenly Aro's head went soaring through the sky like a bottle rocket. It landed a good way up the hill but then gently rolled down, landing at Sulpicia's feet. She screamed in rage and grief and flung herself at Marcus, who had turned back towards Didyme/Leah only to find her gone. Leah had shifted back into her beetle form and had flown to my shoulder again.

Sulpicia didn't use her hands, she used her teeth, and abruptly we were the observers of the third vampire beheading of the day. I couldn't decide which method I liked the most. When Sulpicia had ended Marcus, she threw his remains on the still burning pyre, screaming invective at him the whole time. Afterwards, she ran to Aro's severed head and, through her shrieks, ineffectually tried to stick it back onto his body. After several fruitless attempts, she gave up and gathered what was left of him and dashed into the forest, her siren-like wails fading until they were no longer heard.

The remaining Volturi coven stood and stared as their world imploded. Finally, Caius offered his hand to Athenodora, they turned as one, strode to the limo that had been parked at the end of the Cullen's driveway, got in, and drove off. I noticed they didn't offer rides to the rest, selfish assholes that they were.

Renata and Chelsea pulled Corin away from her enraptured fire gazing and led her off in the opposite direction. They probably were going to reunite with their mates. But before they left my sight, I removed the shields that had encircled them. I'm not sure they noticed, but eventually they would, I thought. I hoped they'd use more discretion when using their talents in the future.

It didn't take long for our Cullen family to appear outside, except for Alice. I found out later, she was left to watch over the now sleeping Bree, while she was still nursing a crushing headache. She couldn't stand to be closer to the wolves than she already was.

"Should I let the shield down around us? I don't think Felix and Dimitri look like they want to fight now, and Jane and Alec are still incapacitated. I don't think it is wise let them up, yet."

Leah had returned to the truck bed and shifted back into her Quileute woman form. She popped up on the cab next to us. "Yeah. Jane and Alec will be problematic. Let's keep them out of the action for the time being. I think we can reason with the other two. Go ahead and let the shield protecting us down."

Doing so, we all left the truck, including Harry. The wolves moved to a position that was less menacing but close enough so that they could snap into action immediately if the situation warranted.

"Where did you go Harry?" I asked. I really hadn't seen him during the stand-off.

He looked sheepish. "The minute I pulled to a stop and killed the engine, I got down on the floor and started saying my prayers. Looks like they worked, too." He gaped in appreciation of the blazing bonfire and the two disabled vampires on the ground. But I noticed, he kept a wary eye on Demetri and Felix who were standing alone at the edge of the pavement. I didn't blame him.

Carlisle approached the only two Volturi left standing and said, "We have no animus towards the two of you. From what transpired today, it was evident that you had no control over your actions as long as you had been under Aro's compulsion. You didn't realize how he manipulated you. You're welcome to join us, if you choose."

The two remaining Volturi guard shared a look and then Demetri said, "I think we'd best give ourselves a chance to figure everything out before we commit to anyone, but thank you for your offer."

Leah came forward with her old backpack. She said, "Well, in order to make good decisions, you have to have good information." She got one of the thermoses out of her backpack and handed it to Felix. "This is SdL. I think you'll find it preferable to human blood, if you give it a chance. Try it. If you like it, you know where you can get it."

Felix asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"My name is Leah Clearwater. I am what you might think of as the 'medicine woman' for the Quileute. My true title is Walalo. The magic you witnessed today is that of my tribe. As you can see, we are very powerful and have superb taste in music."

I had to snicker. Leah killed me.

The two vampires took the thermos, bowed to Leah and the rest, and were gone in the blink of an eye.

In surprise, Carlisle asked Leah, "Where did you get that SdL?"

"Oh, I made it. It's not bad, is it Bella?"

"No, in fact, Carlisle, she makes some that tastes like hot chocolate and some that tastes like peppermint schnapps."

Leah smiled bashfully, "And some other flavors, as well. You want to try?" She held the backpack out to Carlisle.

Taking it, he said, "You are a lifesaver, Leah. We had run out yesterday. I wasn't sure what we were going to do with the Volturi camped out here."

"It's only what good neighbors should do for each other. Enjoy that, but first we have to figure out what to do with The Bobbsey Twins over there." She nodded in the direction of the still prostrate Jane and Alec.

Yes, those two were problematic, indeed.

AN: I read on Facebook that Robert Pattinson had recently been awarded a Golden Tomato by the Rotten Tomato website. Hence...

Thank you for reading. I enjoy reading your comments. :)