Hey guys! I didn't have much time with this because I have a family to visit shortly. Thankfully I am well again, and it was not Corona, so yay!

Please excuse the short chapter. I will post as soon as I can again!

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for letting me know of your thoughts! I truly appreciate it!

Anyways, please read on with caution. This chap contains violence and mentioning of blood.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Marcus' POV

He smelled the blood almost immediately, and glanced down at the exposed throat of Charlie. He saw the bite marks she must have left on him, trying to save the man. Marcus was unsure if she had succeeded, as he could hear no breathing and no heartbeat. His body was completely still.

"My love," Marcus said softly, his mind almost unable to believe that he was holding her at last.

"What happened?" He finally managed. Bella was shaking violently, her body not able to completely contain her sobs. He waited patiently for her to speak, knowing that she was beyond shattered. Eventually, she calmed down somewhat.

"I tried to save him," she said. She spoke quietly, her voice filled with shame.

"It might have worked," Marcus answered gently. He was reluctant to let her go, but he reluctantly allowed his hands to fall from her still trembling form, then he calmly began to examine the body of Charlie. Bella didn't say anything. She just held her father close, rocking slightly as she waited for Marcus to finish his examination.

"We should get him back home, that would make it easier to observe if he will make it," He spoke softly, trying to be gentle with her, knowing full well she must be traumatised by her ordeals.

A long silence, and then she nodded. She got to her feet, lifting Charlie, cradling him gently in her arms. Marcus did not try to take him from her. She would not allow her father from her sight, and Marcus knew it.

His examination had yielded no results. Charlie seemed dead to the world. As they started to make their way back, a voice sounded behind them.

"Not so fast!" It was angry, furious and ferocious. They both spun around, and they saw the figure as it towered above them. His black eyes were almost impossible to spot in the gloom of the night.

"Bartolo," Bella whispered darkly. Marcus frowned somewhat - not knowing what had happened, he had assumed that the fae were dead. Apparently he had been mistaken.

"I thought I told you to back off," Bella snarled, still holding on to her father.

"I warn you, I will not spare you this time around," she added. As she spoke, she gently lay her father on the ground, then stepping towards her enemy, she growled softly.

Bartolo looked at her, then he turned to Marcus.

"Your mate killed my mother. I will now have to kill you as revenge. Then I will take Isabella for my own, and make her mine. But do not worry. She will not suffer, as she will not know that she ever had you, I will make sure of that," The way he spoke, it was eerie, how he could feel so certain of himself, when he had seen what had happened to his mother. Marcus had no chance to reply, before Bella had stepped in between them, a low menacing growl coming from her.

"You will not kill anymore of my loved ones," She said darkly, her fists clenched.

"The death of your mother is your own damn fault, Bartolo! You made me what I am, and that was what made me capable of ending your mother. She killed my father. She had it coming!"

"You watch your mouth, wench!" Bartolo spat. Marcus' head shifted between them as they spoke, his frown deepening. It sounded like they knew each other well.

"Listen, Bart! I will give you one last warning. Get out or you will get what your mother got. Don't underestimate me! After all, you were the one who made your mother's downfall possible. You better learn to watch your mouth, or the same will happen to you, and sooner than you think!" The creature in front of them hissed, readying himself for the confrontation. Bella snarled, clenching her fists, as she braced for his assault.

"You should know, my beautiful vampire, that I was the one who beat your father. He somehow saw straight through my illusions, and I could tell that you got your attitude from him. That angered me, so I beat him. Besides, he's nothing but a filthy huma-,"

His words were cut short as Bella's anger flared, and suddenly she flew at him, her fist making sharp contact with his oversized teeth. The fae stumbled back, twisting his arm in an elegant gesture. Marcus was suddenly engulfed in a huge ball of flame, and he began to scream, as he felt the flames licking his cold skin with a fierce intensity.

Bartolo gave a satisfied smirk, glancing at Bella. Then he froze.

Bella simply shook her head at him, as she seemed to pulse once. Bartolo saw as Marcus was freed from his illusion, his screams abruptly halting, something shattering it into a thousand pieces. He looked back at Bella, and this time she smirked, her eyes blazing with anger. Then she came for him. Soon he found himself pinned beneath her, her knee pressing into his neck. His form flickered, and he slowly reverted back to his human guise.

"How?" He croaked, his lungs straining for breath.

Bella leaned down, her mouth an inch from his.

"You should have kept your mouth shut," she whispered angrily.

"But your ego needed to be fed. You let too much slip, Bart," she hissed. And with that she grabbed his head, twisting it, like she had done with his mother, snapping it like a twig. His horrified scream ended in a ringing silence.

Bella got up, watching as the body slowly turned to mulch, becoming one with the dirt beneath it.

Then she turned around, finding Marcus just beside her. His face showed nothing but awe, as he gently grabbed her, and pulled her in for a hug. He knew she was resourceful, but he had not been prepared for just how powerful she would be. She seemed to be able to channel her anger, using it to her advantage. He had never seen anything like it.

"How did you do that?" Marcus finally asked, releasing her, his hands on her shoulders.

Se shrugged.

"In my captivity, this idiot couldn't resist talking to me, and he didn't realise that he gave me far too much info. He told me of his mother, how powerful she was, how she had this power over fate. I suspect he lied, or that she at least had lied to him about it. He said something about my gift, that she wanted it for herself, but that it had not surfaced yet. His words made me examine myself, searching for it. I discovered that they kept me there by illusions, my prison was never even there," She sounded weary as she spoke, her mind on other things.

"I discovered I had this thing - a shield I guess you could call it," She glanced away, towards where the body of her father lay.

"I was just too late with it," she added sadly. Then she stepped away from him, walking over to pick up the body of Charlie.

"Let's go home," she said, her voice a low whisper. He nodded, and grabbing her hand, they began to run.

Marcus' POV

Marcus led the way, and they were back within 40 minutes. As they stepped through the double doors to the throne room, Marcus caught the eye of his brothers. Their impassive faces took in the broken human as Bella carried him, her jaw set.

Aro went to his brother, touching his hand swiftly, gathering all the information he needed. The silence in the room was deafening, and the smell of blood lingered on the air.

Having gathered everything from his silent brother, Aro was beside Bella in flash, his fingers gently grasping the chin of Charlie to turn his head sideways, Aro's gaze lingering on the bitemarks. There was no blood leaking from the wound, which was usually not a good sign. However all was not as it appeared.

Aro let go, and he looked at Bella, taking in everything. She was clearly distressed, though she did not show him her face. Her body and clothes were filthy, her hair matted. Her shoulders were hunched as she carried the weight of her father and her loss.

A look of pride flashed briefly across Aro's features. She did not catch it, as her gaze was intently on the floor.

"Bella," he said softly, studying her frame and face. She refused to look up at him.

"Please look at me," he said gently. She shook her head slightly, her jaw clenched so tight it nearly creaked.

"You did well." His words sparked a fury in her, as she felt her insides being crushed with her grief.

"I did not!" She spat hotly, her anger at her failure needed to be aimed at something.

"My father is dead!" She growled, her voice filled with menace and stark grief.

"I failed to save him!"

"If I had only been quicker in discovering my gift, I would have been able to get to him sooner. Instead I wasted time!" A sob escaped her as she spoke, and she swallowed it angrily, bitterly aware of how weak she must seem.

Aro shook his head slowly, a soft smile around his lips.

"But, you did not fail," he said, gently touching her chin with his slim index finger.

How do we like it so far? I am not sure if this whole story works, but at least it contains smut, so there's that.

-Pancakes