Chapter 15:

Read and Review (you'll get a snippet of chap 16)

Previously on Memories of Me:

Aro tried to move his head to nod, but her grasp was unbreakable.

Letting her arms drop to her sides, Isabella watched as he took a cautionary step backwards, already ready to run.

Before his eyes left hers through, she spoke again. "Whether or not the prophecy comes true, is up to you now."

And with that, she turned and left.

~M~

"Storms are relentless and unforgiving. You know it's there, you feel it surrounding you, threatening to consume you should you dare to look, dare to behold the captivating wonder..."

― Virginia Alison, poet

~M~

Riley had been the one to urge them to follow him as the chaos broke out around them; had been the one to shake them awake as the weightless fog lifted.

Edward had seen how Isabella had shot up like a bullet, matching her movements with Jasper's expertly. By the time he came around, Edward had wanted to turn back and repay Chelsea for the weaving she had done within his head, but he had found himself numb. One look at Alice as they moved, and he could see that she felt the same bitter sweetness for their new-found freedom.

He couldn't remember how he had ended up in Esme's embrace, Alice squeezed in between them, but he was grateful for a tether to the real world.

The quaintness of Carlisle's Volterra apartment came rushing back to him when he once again woke from the quiet that he had fallen into on their escape route that Jasper had no doubt told Riley to take.

The couch was soft beneath his legs, but all he could feel was the soul-crushing worry that both Bella and Jasper were not in the room with the rest of their family. In his mind, he kept replaying how he had just left them without even stopping to think about what it was he was leaving behind.

Riley, as if hearing his thoughts, held up a hand slightly to gather their attention. Starting at Carlisle who was standing behind the couch with his arms crossed, Riley moved his gaze around the room, making sure they were watching him. By the door, Rosalie and Emmett were also standing, almost as if they wanted to run to the missing members of the family and drag them back to where they knew they would be safe. His eyes stopped moving around the room when he knew that Edward and Alice were looking at him from where they sat on the couch, hands wrapped tightly in each of Esme's.

Starting his tale, Riley took in a deep breath. "Isabella returned to Forks when she realised that her two lives were coming to ahead. The time had come to take back the control that had been stolen from her when Alistair turned her."

The rage that rolled in Edward's chest at the sound of his name was enough to make him move from the couch before even registering that he wanted to. Turning away from his family, he stared out of the window.

"Isabella and Jasper were prophesied to end the Voltori's reign." The silence that followed was somehow loud. "Her creator, whether the gift was real or not, had somehow convinced Aro that it was true. Everything that happened since then, occurred as a direct consequence of Alistair fanning the flames in Aro's mind. The fear that a small-town girl, turned vampire fighter and her war hero of a friend would be the end of the Voltori."

Edward stopped listening; his back to his family as he stared, unseeing, out the window of the small apartment. The memories that Aro had greedily run his fingers through, wouldn't stop playing in his mind; the suffering he had seen stayed in his mind's eye. He had felt every single lash of pain she allowed Aro to pull forth from the darkest places in her mind. The girl, no, the woman, that he had been getting to know was so much more than the tree-climbing, piano loving, loyal friend he saw in her memories. She was a fighter, a warrior, a survivor and he was lucky that she had ever considered giving him a second glance.

He didn't have to look around to know that his family was watching him, didn't have to tear his eyes away from the horizon to know she wasn't here with them; that neither her nor Jasper was here.

The memories rushed at him all at once suddenly, a second lasted a lifetime as he recalled leaving with Chelsea, how unfeeling he had been, how many lives he had taken under the influence of that newborn. Nausea that he couldn't possibly feel rolled within his soul and all he wanted was to hold the one person that wasn't in this room.

Riley swallowed hard before continuing. In his mind, Edward could see how hard it was for him to continue speaking about his sire, but he also knew that without Isabella's permission, Riley would not be in this room, letting their secrets free at last.

"There were many stories about them." In his mind's eye, he could see them again. "Back in those days, it was said that one look of the pair would send lesser fighters running. Newborns would hear whispers from older vampires and so forth. Rumours went around and before anyone knew it, it was common knowledge to fear them." Riley could see the day he realised who his creator was. "Each victory was almost too easy, too fast and soon Alistair and Maria had more territory than they knew what to do with. Alistair must have known that they were catching the wrong types of attention. Knew that if the guard came, he would lose all the power he had collected."

Riley relaxed his shoulders, moving slightly on his feet. "Their reputation was already legendary by the time I began to know Isabella, but the leashes that were around their throats," Riley shook his head before taking another breath. "I only saw what Alistair did to Isabella, I can't imagine that Maria was any different."

Alice didn't dare blink as Esme squeezed her hand softly.

"She told me how Alistair would unleash her back in those days. Let them run rampant into battle, free to do whatever it took to ensure another win. They still fought but they were free out there. Things changed though, quickly as well. The rules changed, they were to make their kills and return to their creator's sides. Just in case they got any ideas."

Edward turned from his place near the window. Riley was speaking in circles; taking them the long way to the end that they had nearly witnessed. "He was right though. He really could see the future."

The room was unmoving, not as Alice's heart squeezed in her chest and waited for more, not as Riley focused his eyes and began to respond. "Alistair's gift, whether they had believed it at the time or not, had consequences. Prophecies create fear and doubt. They make people choose paths that don't always make sense."

Edward saw the memories of Alistair in Riley's mind. That calm cruel that Bella remembered in a very different way.

"He saw that they would end the Voltori's reign. He told only those who he could benefit from." He didn't stop speaking as Carlisle leaned forward from where he was standing. "Alistair was a selfish man. Selfish enough that once he saw his grip on Isabella begin to fade, he ran straight to the only other people that he would gain something from. Once the Voltori knew what they were to do, whether Isabella and Jasper knew it then or not, they were dragged apart. Maria took Jasper one way and Alistair took her the other." Still as death, Riley spoke softly. "They were allowed to wreak havoc then, take as many towns and states as they wanted as long as the prophecy didn't come true. If they weren't together, both Alistair and Maria had the old guard out of their business. They did such a good job of keeping them apart that Isabella told me that they hadn't spoken or communicated again until the day she showed up in your small town."

Riley moved slightly. "She never spoke much of him if she could help it. I think," he hesitated before looking at Edward. "I think she was afraid of realising her friendships, her life outside of the wars, was completely gone." She never spoke of you; I don't think she could bear it.

Edward took in what he had said, remembered well how she had confessed in a small voice that she had been afraid to find out if he had moved past her. Clenching his teeth, he hated that doubt, as if she wasn't important enough to be remembered, loved.

"The Voltori grew afraid and had banished them from each other when Alistair had shown him what we were capable of." Riley paused for half a second, but it was enough to make the room drop even more silent somehow. "She told me, she tells me that when they fight together, really fight together, they were untouchable. She could lend her shield to Jasper without a second thought and he would become immune to mental attacks from both the inside and the outside."

Alice's mind was quick to process the information that was just revealed. She understood how that would have helped Jasper on the battlefield, how that would have been immeasurable. No longer would he have had to suffer alongside those he put through pain.

"She told me that when they fought together, she could feel the fear, and how she used it to push through, to persevere. Alistair twisted this when weaving his web for the Voltori. He told them that their gifts had found solace in each other and gave them an advantage unlike any other. That's why they were dragged apart. That fear ran deep in Aro, so deep that Alistair allowed them to be separated, gave up his guaranteed wins, gave up the certainty of having them fight together, all so he could manipulate the guard. And believe me, the fact that he was willing to sacrifice an unarguable win," Riley shook his head again in disbelief. "I would never have believed it if it wasn't Isabella who told me. That army was unstoppable, but he traded it for insurance."

Edward's mind threw the memories of Alistair never being satisfied with the towns she had given to him on a silver platter. His still heart threatened to crack into two as Riley continued the tale of why his mate was beaten and broken down.

"When we came to Forks, Isabella told me that she wanted to finish this once and for all. It was clear that they were getting stronger so she would let them come and try to collect more gifts. She would take down Chelsea, send her body back in ashes, a warning for Aro that she was coming out from the shadows and was to be left alone." His eyes darkened as the unspoke or else, filled the room.

The sun poured in through the windows, letting Edward's skin shine. "It was never because of chance that Isabella and Jasper met, or at least that's what I've gathered. They were always meant to stand and fight together; to stop the Voltori from evolving further into corruption we all know them to be. When we came to you, there was never the intention of ending up here. The plan shifted, the game changed when Edward and Alice were taken and suddenly the prophecy didn't seem so far down the line anymore."

His eyes left Alice's before sweeping past Edward's to look out the window that he rested upon. "Isabella chose to stay back while we escaped, delivering the message she had wanted to send when we were in Forks. She wanted to hammer home, make it clear that if they ever overstepped again, the prophecy that they had been so afraid of would be fulfilled. They wouldn't get another warning. A warning that is a blessing in disguise, if you ask me, compared to what those two could have chosen instead."

Edward turned to look out the window again, hoping that she was running to them as he looked. Running from those monster's clutches, the message delivered, Jasper by her side so that their lives could return to normal. Edward's sharp eyes could not see them, and he tried not to let his heart crumble.

Carlisle's voice echoed through each of them. "A prophecy doesn't just go away because you threaten it to stop."

"No, it doesn't." Riley's voice was somber. "Before the plan today we were discussing that very point. Was it enough to leave them with a warning when they could very well just try again?"

No one seemed to breathe as they realised that while they were safe today and probably for a good while, this problem would very likely occur again.

The silence swirled around them before Esme's voice filled it like honey, warm and sweet. "I would rather have them safe with us while the Voltori plot and plan." Eyes cut to her. "They are slow to act; they will heed this warning and take their time to think." Give us time to act as well.

Edward looked at his family, saw that they would accept what Isabella and Jasper had chosen; leave the fighting for another day. He saw the favours Carlisle was already considering calling in to ensure that they had the numbers for that fateful day. In his heart, Edward knew that that whether it was today or in hundred years, he would not be accept that Bella still more to give in exchange for her happiness.

~M~

The thing about second chances, is that you seldom get a third.

So, when Aro moved to tackle her to the ground, to no doubt try and surprise her before ripping out her throat, she had little choice but to turn around and meet him in the middle before taking him down. Her eyes gazed into the snarling monster beneath her, arms pinned to his sides as she held him down with her body. She could tell the exact moment when he realised that he had made a mistake that would not be forgiven. But before he could open his mouth to beg or channel energy into his arms to break free and hurt her, she moved. Isabella, the woman who had weathered a thousand storms on the battlefield, the girl who had been forced to become a monster to outrun all the monsters chasing her, leaned down faster than light itself and ended the life that was beneath her in so many ways.

When she stood back, letting their bodies separate, only a single moment had passed from when she had offered him peace, a way for both of them to live their lives without fear.

His head, though no longer attached to his body, seemed to gaze back at the castle that he had been so desperate to keep, even during the final seconds of his life.

There wasn't a word spoken as Jasper appeared at her side, almost out of thin air. His hand brushed her shoulder softly before he was gone, lighting Aro up at their feet. The ashes stained their clothes and the smoke threatened to choke them, but as Jasper looks over to his friend, there was no denying the feeling that was in her eyes. Without having to say anything, they turned towards the castle and moved forward to finish this chapter of their lives, once and for all.

~M~

They had heard the snarling and the words, but it was clear that they hadn't been expecting Isabella and Jasper to walk in again. Especially without Aro, not with black ashes on them, marking them like battle paint. It was nothing and then it was all at once. Jane started screaming, agony shredding through the room. Caius stood from his throne, pointing at them as his screams joined Jane's. "Kill them! Kill them now!"

The red cloaks fell into formation at his order. Vampires came at them from nearly every angle possible, but Jasper only smiled as Isabella stepped forward, staying close but ready to start the battle.

Back to back, they slaughtered. The sounds escaping turned from battle cries to cries for mercy as one after the other they went down. All mental attacks were blocked, leaving the majority of the guard useless against the tidal wave that was the two friends.

Isabella spared only an extra second looking into Jane's eyes, seeing the effort behind them as her gift failed. The second passed and she was snapping her neck, popping her head clean off. Alec screamed, his voice catching as he saw the reality in front of him. The black smoke that erupted from him threatened to blind and damage, but Jasper had had enough of this place. Without turning away from the vampire he was peeling the face of off, he forced grief, so much grief down Alec's throat, causing the vampire to fall to the ground, hands trying their best to reach his twin. Isabella brought her foot down to his neck before grabbing his hair and finishing the job. She threw it in the witch's direction, not sparing a second thought as she moved on to the next wave of bodies coming towards her.

She could feel their anger as if it were her own but she didn't give in to it, no she fed it. With each body that dropped, she could hear Caius screaming louder. She approached him with nothing on her face, not glee, not sorrow, nothing. Jasper was lighting bodies as he went, knowing well that there would be no prisoners after today.

Isabella saw vampires lined up against the walls, a few unwilling to join in on the fight, others looking on with hesitation on their faces. They left her thoughts as quickly as they had arrived.

No, Isabella only wanted Caius. She wanted him to suffer the same way he had wanted her to suffer; make him pay for the whispers that only drove Aro. Before she could make her way up the steps however, ready to take his stone heart in her hand, Chelsea was there.

She didn't look cocky this time; she knew how this was going to end.

Isabella didn't take her eyes off of Caius when she curled her lips into a smile, knowing that he was hoping, praying for a miracle. Sliding those eyes, blood red, with no hint of mercy in them to Chelsea, Isabella saw only those moments in the field. Could see how smug she was when she walked away, Edward obediently in tow. Tilting her head slightly, she watched her prey, unsmiling.

"You killed Aro." Before her, the female vampire crouched down, twitching with the need to move her body, to defend herself. "That was a mistake."

Perhaps it was an eternity, perhaps it was only a second, but when Chelsea finally moved in, going for her throat, Isabella simply ducked low, and grabbed in between the cloak that covered her legs. Her fingers didn't hesitate as she used her entire body to pull her, feet first to her.

Chelsea, realising that she was being dragged, pushed up on her arms, trying to hold onto anything that would stop her fate. There was no foreplay, no words to be said, as Isabella smashed her fist into that cold face, cracks spreading like fire. The howling that echoed through the walls fuelled each punch until Isabella could no longer see him walking away, could no longer see how they had changed his eyes from that beautiful gold to that unforgiving red. No, when Isabella regained her vision, she could see that she each strike had been straight and true, leaving Chelsea split in pieces, the ground beneath her cracked like wings.

Running her tongue along her teeth, Isabella brought that smile back to her face as she set her sights on who she was really after. He hadn't bothered to run, no, instead he stood still, eyes on the body near her feet. Perhaps it should have disgusted her, that clear fear that radiated off his face and into what must have once been her soul, but instead, it called to her. It was a blur, the noises that Jasper caused behind her, each vampire dropping until eventually there would be no more. She had killed Aro quickly, ripping the life from him with her teeth. When she looked at Caius, she remembered how he had looked down on her over the years, how his face twisted with contempt.

No, she wouldn't rush with him. She allowed him to run, only managing a few paces before taking him down. Her hands were claws, her mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. She pulled each limb from his body, savouring the way his screams weren't filled with regret but with anger. The lovely crunches that filled her head as she sunk her fingers below his concrete-hard skin encouraged her to move even slower. What remained of his arms as he struggled to get away from her unforgiving hands were thrown into the pile of bodies at the bottom of the stairs. As she removed his legs, she kept contact with his eyes, savouring the feeling of marble cracking to her will.

When he was just a body with a head, she leaned down close to him. "Tell your brother that I never wanted his crown, never wanted this bloodshed for you and your people." Caius spat at her. She dodged easily, nothing in her eyes as she said, "Tell him that the moment he ordered for my mate to be taken from me, it was over for every single one of you." She could feel Jasper at her back, could feel it when he brought his hands down and began twisted that golden head off a now useless body. "Tell him," she looked deep in his eyes. "Tell him I'll see him in hell."

~M~

She raised herself to full height, dust now lay at her feet as if they were on a battlefield again. Jasper had made every kill precise and deadly; she was proud. She met his eyes over the flames that were beginning to take the body he left on the ground, refusing to look down, never looking back.

Gazing behind him, she could see Demitri standing with two others. His eyes never looked anywhere but at her when she finally met them. Nodding towards the door, she let them escape into the wasteland that was sure to haunt them for a very long time.

Jasper watched them run before turning to meet her gaze with a smile that was small but lit up his eyes all the same. Words weren't needed after a fight, knowing that they were both still alive was enough.

"Are you going to kill me?" The old voice was patient and unfearing when it made its way to them.

On the third throne in the room, Marcus sat calmly, watching as his brother's killers smiled at each other before answering him.

Isabella could feel what Jasper was trying to say without him uttering a single word. She turned her body to face the third brother and offered him a smile that would have sent any other man to his knees. "Not yet."

He met that smile with eyes that could see, really see. He looked at her and saw the same ribbon of yellow that had curled within the vampire that they had stolen. He saw how it had woven through every aspect of who she was, and he was, not stunned, but rather taken aback for the first time in decades. The happiness, the love, it shone brightly from within her, even as she kicked up black ashes with her boots, almost dancing as she made her way through the piles, up the remaining stairs and into the throne that sat highest on the dais.

From where he stood on the steps, Jasper watched as his friend sat down, closing her eyes to the ashes that lay ruin around the room, marking every part of her skin, down to her soul.

~M~

The daylight was morphing into something else when Riley had finished telling them of the legend he had come to know. He had almost whispered the stories that he had heard being passed down the grapevine. He had never seen the two of them in action, so Edward only saw what he had imagined them to look like. Riley's mind took memories of Isabella and spun them to include Jasper in the stories he had heard.

The family had listened, taking in all that he offered them, trying to explain why they were feared, why the Voltori had good reason to be afraid and not stupid. To be grateful for today.

It was Alice that spoke first after the tales had finished rushing from Riley's lips. "When are they coming home? I can't see them."

Riley had explained that they were leaving them with a warning, a threat to fulfil the prophecy if they didn't behave. He knew that Isabella had dragged Aro out of that room to do just that, as well as ensure her own getaway. Edward and Alice knew that the confusion had to have led somewhere while they escaped; Aro had probably begged for mercy, begged for her to believe him at his word.

Edward looked out of the window as Alice combed through everything her gift offered, panic entering her mind. "I can't see them, if we go back we can meet them on their way here-"

Riley was already shaking his head, knowing that if Isabella was late there was a damn good reason. He moved to speak the thoughts out loud when a voice cut through the room.

"Alice."

Her head snapped so fast to the blond that had moved into the room that she would have cracked her neck if she were still human. Alice was a blur as she ran to him, letting his arms wrap around her frame, holding her close.

Edward had stepped closer when the rest of his family had, relief on each of their brows. But he didn't let go off the kernel of worry, not until he had her in his arms. Her scent didn't fill the room, dark hair hadn't followed Jasper into existence. By his side, Edward's fingers curled into fists. "Where is she?"

Jasper looked up, aware that their family was watching his every move. His eyes met Edward's and he chose to speak aloud. "You are to go home, without her."

She doesn't want you to see her like this.

Ice broke out in Edward's chest as some part of him registered what he was being told.

"We can't leave without her." Rosalie stepped closer.

"We won't leave without her." Esme insisted over her daughter before she had barely gotten the words out.

But Edward didn't hear what they were saying, didn't see who had wrapped themselves around him, holding him tight. All he knew was that his mate, his Bella, had chosen to leave him behind.

Again.

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brittney x

unforgiving : adjective

not willing to forgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings.

(of a place or situation) harsh or hostile