Chapter 11: April Part 2
All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Changing the timeline a bit.
Warning: mention of self harm, swearing, minor character deaths
There were two of them, Bella noted absently, head spinning as she glanced from one to the other. Neither of whom was the redheaded maniac she had been hoping for. Nomads, stumbling upon an easy meal, most likely.
Bella bit her lip, resisting the urge to scream, and instead used her last seconds to examine her future murderers.
The male stood within arm's reach at an impressive height, although he still showed the lanky signs of boyhood experiencing its first growth spurt. Several feet away stood a female who looked even younger than Bella, though it was difficult to tell as she crouched low to the ground, brown hair snapping in the wind despite her unnatural stillness.
Bella dearly wished they were simply two teens skipping school to go necking in the woods, but she could not ignore their red eyed stares, nor the millions of rainbows dancing off their skin in the growing morning light.
It was just her luck to get killed by the wrong monsters. She only hoped they would leave her body behind so Victoria knew someone had already beaten her to the punch.
Bella closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she waited for death.
Several seconds passed in unbearable silence.
A twig snapped. "Uh, miss?"
Had they already done it? Well that was certainly efficient. Painless too.
"Miss?"
She cracked her eyes open, incredulous to find the pair still standing before her very much alive self.
"Perhaps you could use your blanket to stop the bleeding? That god awful smell is masking your scent well enough for now, but I'm not sure how long either of us will be able to resist."
She had to be dead. There was absolutely no way she heard correctly. "E-excuse me?"
The male didn't bother answering, instead snatching the blanket she had stuffed in her open backpack and thrusting it into her hands with a little too much force.
She stumbled backwards, automatically gripping the blanket for balance.
"Better," the male said. "Although, not quite. Tell me, where are your... guards? Their presence will help cover the allure."
"What do you want with them?" Bella's voice was hysterical. "Leave them alone! I know who you're with so just take me and be done with it!"
"Good lord, are all humans this excitable?" the male stage whispered to the female, rolling ruby red eyes while he was at it. He raised a still sparkling hand to point to himself and the female in turn with exaggerated slowness. "My name is Diego. This is my mate, Bree. Please listen closely, we don't have much time before the wrong people find us. We wish to make an alliance with your furry friends. A deal of sorts."
Bella stared. The male, Diego, looked back patiently.
"I think you broke her, D," the female, Bree, said breathlessly, as if using a limited air supply.
"You're here to… help?"
"Help ourselves, and in turn help you out. Please, we don't have much time before the rest of the army notices we're missing."
As if in confirmation, the sound of heavy footfalls echoed throughout the forest seemingly out of nowhere, charging directly to where they stood.
In one second, Diego launched himself in a defensive crouch in front of Bree. In the next, they were surrounded on all sides by three familiar wolves and one very familiar friend.
Bella threw herself at Diego and Bree just as the first wolf lunged forward, catching both of them around the neck and hanging on for dear life.
Absolute silence.
Bella peeked up to see the frozen wolf forms of Sam, Paul, and Seth, all poised to leap even as their eyes darted frantically over the huddle to spot an attack avenue that wouldn't kill Bella in the process. Beside them in shorts and a t-shirt was an open mouthed Leah.
As luck would have it, she recovered first.
"Bella, you idiot!" she screamed, storming forward to yank Bella back with enough force to rip the now blood soaked blanket. "What are you thinking? Do you have a death wish?"
"Don't kill them, please, they can help-" Bella rambled, clutching tighter at the marble necks.
"Let me save your dumbass before they kill you!"
"Just hear them out-"
Diego cleared his throat noisily. "Actually, if you could release us. Your enthusiasm is pushing our limits just a little too much right now."
Bella looked down to see their pinched faces, wild eyes glued to her flushed arms clutching their necks in a death grip.
"Wait!" Bella said desperately. "Leah, you have to promise me you won't hurt them!"
"You bet your bloody blanket I'm going to k-"
"Promise me!" Bella begged. "They're here to help. Trust me, Leah, please, you've gotta listen to me. Just hear them out."
Leah's face was anxious even as her gaze was calculating. Her hand twitched as if preparing to pluck her from the vampires once and for all.
"Leah, guys," she tried, staring imploringly at the three wolves surrounding them. "They haven't killed me, you see? I'm bleeding and practically touching their mouths and they haven't killed me. Don't you think there's something going on here that's worth listening to?"
Leah's face was unreadable as she continued to stare from Bella to the vampires. Her head snapped to where Sam stood, sharp gaze piercing his as they stared each other down for several long seconds.
The black wolf huffed, low and angry, but dipped his head in a curt nod.
Leah's eyes fastened back on the awkward death trio Bella landed herself in. "You have twenty seconds. Bella, come here."
The moment Bella's grip loosened, Leah wound an arm around her waist and hoisted her behind her back as the wolves closed in, teeth bared.
"Leah!"
"No funny business," Leah spat at the vampire pair. "One toe in her direction and you lose your heads, got it? Now speak before we rip out your tongues."
"I am Diego, I escaped the army with my mate Bree about a week ago and we have been looking for you ever since," Diego said, still crouching low in front of Bree. "We want no part of their suicide mission, but we will be killed as deserters if we're caught leaving. We want the army eliminated, just as you do."
Leah's voice mirrored the cold mistrust shining in Sam and Paul's canine eyes. "So you came to do what? Hide under our beds until the big mean army is dead?"
"We came to offer our services in ridding the area of the army," Diego said, eyes darting towards the three wolves uneasily as they crept closer the longer he spoke. "Their numbers are greater than yours and their youth will give them an edge you can't beat without risking casualties of your own. Having two newborns will better your odds and give you the upper hand as they would never in a million years expect it."
"Give me one good reason why we should believe any of this."
"We kept her alive," Diego said, raising a glittering hand to point at Bella. "We found her a solid three minutes before you arrived, plenty of time to act if we so wished."
"There are no brownie points for not murdering someone," Leah snarled.
"Please," Bree said, barely visible behind her mate's defensive position. "Our scents are mixed with yours, and by now they know we aborted the mission. Our loyalty to them is broken."
"Which begs the question as to why," Leah said. "Bit suspicious to abandon the stronger side."
"I overhead our maker, Victoria, speaking in confidence with one of the older newborns. She only came here for the girl. She plans to destroy us all herself if we're not killed in battle. But they have set up camp in the ocean and the surrounding states on all sides. We cannot escape them while they're alive, so we must leave only when they're dead."
The forest grew unnaturally quiet once more, no doubt a side effect from the two undead creatures in front of them. Still, it was unnerving given the lumbering forms of the three wolves, monstrous in their own right, holding completely still as they listened to Diego's plea and communicated silently amongst themselves.
Bella was still tucked behind Leah, being clutched uncomfortably tight as if to keep from running off again, but she was certain the pack's mental link had to expand to Leah even in human form. It was the only explanation for the slight movements of Leah's back at whatever she read in Sam's somber eyes. They were having an entire conversation through one look.
"Take my blood," Bella blurted out.
Five pairs of eyes stared at her.
Leah jerked back, mouth hanging open as she studied her face. "You're… serious, aren't you? What the actual hell, Bella?"
"If you take enough of my blood you can lure the army to one place instead of having them come at you from all sides," she said quickly. "It's me they're after, they no doubt know my scent by now. Seeing a pool of it will draw them in before they can think twice. Please, take it!"
"And you think I just happened to pick up a blood bag on my way here?" Leah said, shaking her head incredulously. "Be reasonable."
A curt bark from the black wolf.
Leah whirled back around to face it, clutching Bella tighter as she showed her teeth. "Samuel."
Sam's black eyes bored into Leah's, silently communicating something that made her haunches raise even further.
"Bella is not bait."
The wolf on their left growled softly, drawing Leah's attention.
"Shut up, Paul."
"Or bring me personally," Bella suggested breathlessly around Leah's grip. "If I just ride with one of you-"
"Enough," Leah ground out. "We're not bringing you as a sacrificial lamb."
Another growl.
"There's no need to threaten me, I said I will handle it," Leah hissed. "Bella. You got one minute to bleed on that blanket and then hand it over."
Sam and Paul stepped forward to stand behind the vampires, open mouths just inches from pale necks.
"They will be holding you back in case the scent of blood proves to be too much." Leah's voice was terse, eyes narrowed. "Cooperate and you will not be harmed. One twitch and you're done."
The vampires, who had raised their hands automatically, lowered them slowly, not quite hiding their recoils as Sam and Paul moved their mouths and paws closer to their uncovered necks, ready to decapitate them at a second's notice.
Leah released her grip just as Seth trotted over, shielding Bella with his sandy bulk.
"Seth's scent will mask yours for now," Leah said. "When we're done here you two are going back to the house."
"But I can help," Bella said. "Please, if you just let me come to the beach. I know my scent alone will be enough to distract them for long enough to take them out."
"Bella," Leah said through clenched teeth. "I'm standing here in my human form while you and my baby brother are five feet away from two leeches who are clearly not vegetarians. Right now I am fighting every instinct I have to not kill them on the spot. Please don't make this more difficult than it has to be."
Bella flushed as shame burned in her chest. Of course. The last suicide mission she had gone on involved no one but her supposedly kidnapped mother, and even then the Cullen's easily outnumbered James. Now, here they were between two newborns with lord knows how many lying in wait.
"Let me give you more blood at least," she insisted, rummaging through her backpack before Leah could protest. She found two semi full water bottles and emptied them before pressing her bleeding palms into both.
Leah stiffened. "Bella."
"It will be the only way to better the odds without dragging the entire reservation and all of Forks into this mess," she said desperately. "Please, Leah, just let me do this one thing."
Two low growls had Leah grounding her teeth together, but her hands were clearly tied. What argument could there possibly be to refute such a promising asset? She pushed Bella more firmly behind Seth before striding out and standing in front of the pair, legs apart and hands clawed. She would phase on the fly if she had to.
Bella squeezed the tops of the bottles tighter, watching her blood ooze out until they were nearly overflowing. She capped both bottles, more than aware of the eerie silence waiting just beyond the two Clearwater's wall of protection.
By some miracle she also found a small plastic cheese ball container, courtesy of Leah's many gifts from Aaron. She emptied the cheese balls onto the forest floor and filled this as well, ignoring how her vision blurred.
"Stop it, Bella. We don't need you draining yourself."
Bella looked up into Seth's warm brown eyes, shifting nervously as she realized he was still completely shielding her but the others no doubt saw every mood she made through his eyes.
Bella squeezed out a few more inches before capping the container and placing it gingerly into the backpack with the blood bottles. She folded the blanket around them for protection, making obsessively sure all lids were secure before closing the bag and holding it up to Seth's eyes like an offering.
"That's more than enough, Sam sends his regards," Leah translated brusquely. "Seth?"
Seth took the offered bag gingerly between his teeth before kneeling down until he was practically lying flat on his stomach, allowing Bella to climb clumsily onto his back. She clutched to him as her head swam at the movement, resisting the urge to dry heave over his back.
He placed the bag on one of the bushes behind her before turning them around to face Leah's back and the others. At someone's command, he began backing up slowly.
Leah's back was still to them but Bella could tell by her stance that she was giving the newborns that infamous withering glare of hers. The newborns paid her no mind, instead staring hungrily in Bella's direction despite the two muzzles at their necks.
"We will escort you to a meeting place further away from our land. Cooperate and you will not be harmed." Leah's voice was clipped. She turned her head slightly to regard her brother. "Seth, get you and Bella home."
"But Leah, I thought-"
"Bella, please," Leah breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and seemingly counting to ten. "Please just do this for us. Hasn't there been enough close calls for one day?"
Bella cringed at her weary voice. It would have been easier if she had shouted again. "You'll tell me what happens later?"
"Sure."
"And you'll be careful, right?"
Leah smiled wryly. "Wouldn't want to be careless now, would we?" she said pointedly.
Bella ducked her head, flushing.
"Go. Before you tempt them further."
The last thing Bella saw was the formidable forms of Sam and Paul practically teething the anxious vampires' necks with a grim faced Leah staring after them. Seconds later, she heard the tell tale rip of clothing as Leah phased. Seth ran them deeper into the forest, the sound of one long howl echoing through the trees as he brought them closer to the safety of the reservation.
"The rest of the pack heard Sam's call and explained everything to the others," a human Seth said to her and Sue through the living room window, bare shoulders tensed in anticipation to phase back and not miss a single moment. "Jacob, Kim, and Claire ditched and are driving to Billy's to have him call another meeting."
"And your sister?" Sue said urgently.
"Sam took them to the Port Angeles beaches until the meeting with the elders."
Seth caught her widened eyes and nodded uncomfortably at her unspoken question. That was the closest checkpoint they could have gone to without going to Seattle.
"He called Jared to them to keep a better eye on the vampires and sent Quil, Embry, and Colin on patrol around the res and Forks. Brady is being sent here so he can help translate during the meeting."
Sue inhaled sharply. Bella felt her stomach clench. The one thing Sam and Leah ever agreed on was keeping Seth and his friends away from the action as much as possible given their age. For Sam to order Colin on patrol during all this excitement… the very notion that he would be so indisposed as to deem it acceptable to put Seth and Brady in charge of the elder meeting…
Bella shuddered, pacing a hole into the carpet as they waited for the others to arrive. She fiddled with her newly wrapped hands, resisting the urge to undo all of Sue's handiwork just for something to busy herself with. She instead fingered the mountain of food and water Sue had insisted she eat, suddenly relieved that she had neglected to tell Sue exactly how much blood she lost. This was no time to be bed bound.
It turned out, waiting anxiously back in the comfort of the Clearwater's living room was even more nerve wracking than standing in front of two red eyed vampires with bloody palms.
Bella and Sue seemed to have an unspoken agreement to forgo social niceties. They moved around each other like ships in the night, silently taking turns peering out windows and listening intently for any sign from the others.
The phone rang and Sue sprang up, exasperated as she answered Evelyn Young's call but making no move to end it as she usually would have. Bella understood. Anything was better than this awful waiting.
She wandered out to the edge of the yard where Seth was pacing with a newly arrived Brady, eyes glued to the path they had just returned from.
At last, the cars came, and with it Sue and Bella very nearly ran to the backyard to meet the growing crowd.
Jacob was the first to arrive as he wheeled Billy to the center of the yard and then immediately pulled her into his arms.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he chanted into her hair. She would have been offended if he didn't sound so panicked. He jerked back, taking her chin in shaking fingers. "What if they hadn't found you in time? What if you had cut your palms too deeply and bleed out anyway? What if-"
"I know, I'm sorry," Bella said. "You don't have to worry, Sue gave me the full lecture the moment I came home." She flinched slightly at the reminder. Her father might have been chief of police but Sue Clearwater had a way of making you feel two inches tall without ever raising her voice, even if it did come from a place of genuine concern.
Jacob nodded, seeming to accept this as punishment enough. He kept his arms wrapped around her as they stood next to the newly dressed, human Seth and a still phased Brady. A look of regret marred his handsome features as he watched the two stand at attention with uncharacteristically grim faces, for once looking as severe as the older members of the pack.
Kim sat with Emily and Rachel, who had apparently both been pulled out of their jobs for the day. Claire stood just out of earshot of them, leaning against the tree she and Quil always managed to sneak off to every time they were at the Clearwater's.
Finally Harry and Old Quil entered the yard with five newcomers flanking them, all of them with faces lined with age and worry.
"The elders from Claire and Emily's reservations," Jacob whispered to her. They shared a significant look. Emily's reservation was relatively close, but Claire's…
Bella's grip was borderline painful as she clutched at Jacob as the meeting began.
It turned out, the pack link did in fact work without phasing if the human shapeshifter was looking directly into its phased brethren's eyes. And so there Seth was, staring dead into a wolf Brady's eyes as he translated everything Sam and the others were apparently saying in response to the elders' discussion in the Clearwater's backyard. It would have been comical if they weren't negotiating over a vampire alliance in preparation of a very imminent vampire attack.
"This is ridiculous," Seth said about an hour into the conversation, voice deep and unnerving in its accuracy to Sam's. "Billy, with all due respect you know our hands are tied. I don't like this any more than you do."
"I agree," Billy said, resignation deepening his already low tone. "We have the numbers, and with their help we might have the victory at hand."
"This is preposterous," Everett, an elder from Emily's reservation, insisted.
"We have circled the issue to the point of redundancy," Carla replied serenely. As an elder of Claire's reservation she wasn't as familiar with the area but she still stood with the regality of a queen. "If that is what is decided to be best, so be it."
"You're only agreeing because you won't be neighbors to our new vampire allies," Everett snapped. "Are we really to trust these leeches not to turn on us the second they're able to?"
"We have no other choice," Billy cut in. "They have proven their loyalty in sparing Bella, and have cooperated thus far despite uncomfortable circumstances for themselves. We will not turn down help when it is given, even from the most unlikely of places."
"Hogwash! You're signing our death sentences with this, mark my words."
"Forgive me, Everett," Sue said through clenched teeth. "But it is La Push's youth who have been the only ones to phase in the last generation. It has been our children who have been going out on countless missions and returning with enough wounds to make your head spin night after night. And it will be our children who will continue to phase if this monster army is allowed any closer, nevermind that it will be ours who will be the first to die considering their proximity and involvement. The council of all three reservations have spoken. You will deal with it or you will be silent."
No one dared speak afterwards, though Bella swore she could see Harry suppressing a proud smirk as he rubbed a hand thoughtfully over his mouth.
"Very well," Everett said tightly, nodding his head reluctantly. "Billy. Sue. My apologies. Please proceed with the leech negotiations."
"Thank you very much," Sue said, looking uncannily like her daughter as she fought an eye roll.
"Sam is calling Embry and Quil back to the reservation to stand guard until he gets there," Seth said, though he too sounded amused. "He says the vampires are telling them the attack is happening today, that was the only reason why they chose to make their move this morning. They - they're coming from the ocean. They'll be at La Push beach before sunset."
"And the others lying in wait?" Billy asked. "I don't like the idea of multiple phases of attack, especially when we are so outnumbered."
"Sam says they've taken out over a dozen from the surrounding states already," Seth said, eyes slightly unfocused even as they bored into Brady's. "It was quicker than expected, apparently. Bella's blood made them even easier targets."
All eyes turned to Bella, who flushed but couldn't bring herself to feel ashamed. She only wished she had finished filling up that damn cheese ball container.
"Do they need more? Perhaps we can send the girl out to restock their supply," Everett said, ignoring the dark mutters from the gathered crowd.
"Yes, Sam, do tell us if they need more blood," Sue said tightly. "Everett has kindly volunteered his services."
"He says it's fine," Seth said. "They only used the smallest container. He's confident the two full bottles will be more than enough."
Jacob's arm tightened around Bella, as if assuring himself she was still there. She caressed his bicep in soft, soothing motions until he relaxed.
"The coast is clear," Seth continued to translate. "Sam's confident they took care of the entire section of the army that had been in the surrounding states. All that's left is the beaches, where they'll be ready."
"And if it's a trap?" Everett demanded. "If these convenient new allies are tricking them into cornering themselves?"
"Sam thought of that," Seth translated. "He doesn't think so. They've patrolled farther out than ever before. The only scents that remain are coming from the ocean. Sam's banking on this being true."
A murmur rippled through the gathered crowd, hopeful but still disliking the holes in that particular plan.
"Famous last words," Everett muttered.
"But if it's true, and the attack is truly from the ocean," Emerson said, putting a hand on his fellow councilman's shoulder. "Then sending the pack to all corners of the state would only be scattering them in all the wrong places, leaving the people of La Push defenseless. If there is even a hint of a sneak attack from La Push's beaches then we cannot ask them to ignore it. To do so would have devastating consequences."
"Of course not," Camille said. "Their community comes first. If the pack has seen no trace of the monsters, we must trust they will come from the sea."
"Sam, keep the new vampires from civilization when you bring them to the beach," Harry said, as if Sam was standing in the yard with them. "The last thing we need is a new werewolf shifting in the middle of battle."
Bella felt Jacob's arms tighten once more and looked up just in time to see his conflicted expression. She pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to start the ongoing argument they'd been having ever since hearing about the pack.
He could not phase now, not even for the good of the pack. The others drilled it into his head over and over, but it seemed he was still feeling guilty over his humanity in the face of their supernatural burdens.
He looked away and would not meet her eyes.
After that, the council from both allied reservations were quick to say their goodbyes. Whether their haste in returning home was because of the long meeting they had just endured, or due to the impending battle, it was difficult to say.
Not long after, a howl sounded in the hair, calling Seth and Brady to run full pelt in the direction of the La Push beaches. It was starting.
The Clearwater house was buzzing with activity as everyone scrambled to make themselves useful while simultaneously distracting themselves from imagining the gruesome battle underway.
Harry and Emily seemed to make it their personal mission to cook up a feast in preparation for the pack's return, and took more care than usual in preparing the fish fry, potatoes, and vegetables as they blocked out the world around them.
Sue was a little more grim in her expectations, and in true nurse fashion, went to gather every piece of medical ointment, wrapping, and over the counter prescriptions she could find. Kim and Rachel helped her, making up the couches and air mattresses in tense silence.
It was Claire that was most worrisome. She remained by the huge tree in the center of the Clearwater's backyard, face blank and eyes unfocused. Only the tensing of her shoulders indicated she heard Billy and Old Quil's terse conversation several feet away as they discussed the logistics of the fight, and the expected outcome.
"Come on, Claire, don't let these old men scare you," Jacob said, trying and failing to infuse some semblance of nonchalance in his voice.
"I'm staying here," she said quietly.
"Are you sure? Bella and I were thinking of putting a movie on while we all wait. You can choose if you'd like."
"I'm staying."
Jacob sighed, looking to Bella in dismay who merely shrugged helplessly. She didn't have the heart to fight Claire on this. Her mind was filled with the indestructibility of vampires, their speed, their power. Her memories were not forgiving as they regaled in great clarity how fearsome their foes would be.
Instead, she wordlessly sat next to where Claire stood, feeling Jacob take up his place on her other side.
She curled into his arms when he extended them, feeling the comfort of his warmth but also the guilt that came with it. No matter how much Jacob murmured his desire to help, his urge to phase so he could be out there fighting, she could not help but feel just the tiniest bit relieved to have him safe in her arms.
Followed of course by guilt. No one else had the same luxury. Her stomach churned at the thought of them all out there, fighting alongside their enemies to destroy the threat once and for all.
As if in agreement, Jacob kept silent as well. The three of them continued to stare at the edge of the forest, straining their ears to hear any hint of the battle ensuing.
It was raining by the time they got their first clue. Huge cracks of lightning flashed across the sky as a thunderclap sounded, not necessarily masking the sound of shattering rock in the distance.
They froze. All sound in the house quieted.
Another flash of lightning, another sound of broken granite, this time accompanied by a faint howl.
Claire fell to her knees now, shaking as the shattering sound continued with far too few gaps in between to be thunder. She flinched every time another howl made its way to their ears.
It was all Bella could do but pull her close, hugging her as she felt Jacob sling a long arm around her trembling shoulders.
She could not say how long they sat there, straining their ears for noise but recoiling at everything they heard. All she knew was the slow descent of the sun as it went, shrouded by clouds, steadily across the sky towards the horizon once more.
At some point, the others came to join them in turns, staring at the forest and flinching before hurrying back in the house and busying themselves with one task or another. No one seemed as masochistic as them, no one stayed to hear every sound they were offered.
It was dusk by the time the cracking stopped, soon after the howls went with it. Even the thunder and lightning faded off into silence, leaving the sky completely black and empty in the darkness of the new moon.
The silence was thick enough to slice through, but the minutes ticked on without a single twitch in the darkness.
Finally, it was broken by the crack of phasing and the wail of a human.
"He needs help!" Seth's frantic voice called before he came bursting through the tree line with Brady at his side, a bloody and moaning Colin between them.
Jacob sprang up, helping them as they made their way to the house, calling for Sue as he went.
Paul broke the tree line next, a limping Jared at his side as they carried an unconscious Quil between them.
Old Quil was at their side, taking the bulk of Quil's weight while helping straighten Jared out. Claire let out a choked noise and ran to get the door, shouting for Sue just as Jacob had.
Bella sprinted after them, taking in the mess that was the Clearwater's house.
Colin was sprawled out and squirming on one couch, his shoulder a bloody mess as Kim cleaned the wound. Quil was on the other couch with an ashen faced Claire squeezing his dangling hand even as Sue worked to revive him, speaking in short, quick sentences to Billy as they debated the extent of the shapeshifter healing powers.
"Paul," Emily said, tears running down her face as she ran into the sitting room and counted the new arrivals. There were three missing. "Oh please tell me they're okay-"
"Sam, Leah, and Embry are fine," Paul said quickly. "They're wounded but they insisted on checking the perimeter before returning. Sam had me make sure these guys got back safe."
Emily breathed in shakily, nodding her head once even as she closed her eyes.
"Jared and I need to get back."
"You what?!" Kim screeched, clutching Jared's shoulders. Rachel had a similar expression as she fussed over Paul.
"Sam won't let them up until he's satisfied we're not going to be ambushed, I need to go relieve them so they can come back here and heal properly," Paul said, looking pained as he removed Rachel's hands from his arm. He kissed her trembling mouth. "The sooner I go, the sooner I can return."
"Paul, we can help," Brady said, stepping forward. "Just let us-"
"You, Seth, and Colin are not leaving this house," Paul cut in sharply, the weight of his beta command hanging in the air. "Do not test me on this, and do not try to delay me with pointless arguments."
Brady's mouth snapped shut. He exchanged a furious look with Seth, fuming.
Paul sighed heavily. "You know I don't mean to be an ass. But can I help it if I don't want to risk more injuries? Sam and Leah are enough."
"Sam and Leah are enough for what?" Emily cried, sounding strangled.
Paul grimaced, realizing his mistake. "They're fine, Em. They just need to come home. Please, we'll both be back before you can miss us." With that he dragged Jared forward and took off out the door, the crack of phasing echoing a second later.
Emily spun on Seth and Brady. "What did he mean? What is he not telling us? Please don't tell me they're lying in a ditch somewhere-"
"No, no," Seth said quickly. "It's just that… neither of them wanted Brady, Colin, or I to get hurt and they sort of overdid it with the shielding during the fight. They've got a few broken bones and wounds between them but nothing life threatening."
"Should they really be out on patrol right this second?" Sue said sharply, her mouth a hard line. "Surely it makes them more of a target."
"Embry is fine," Colin said from the couch, already looking far better than he did mere minutes ago. His wound was nothing but a bright shiny pink mark on his shoulder. "Most of the injuries we all got were healed on the way back. The only ones that were really bad were Quil's, Sam's, and Leah's."
This was evidently not the correct thing to say. Sue froze where she had Quil lying on his side, the needle in her hand pausing in midair as she looked up from Quil's back to exchange a frantic look with Harry. Claire, who had been fussing over Quil's broken leg, shuddered, visibility biting back tears.
"He doesn't mean that," Quil said groggily, opening his eyes just enough to meet Claire's. "We're all going to be fine, I promise." He hissed sharply, looking back at an apologetic looking Sue.
"Sorry, hun, I need to set these bones right before they get healed the wrong way. Jacob, hand me my bag, will you?"
Jacob jolted forward, hurrying to bring Sue's medical bag. He stared wide eyed at Quil's back. "Quil," he whispered.
"Nothing but a little game of footsie with the leeches," Quil chuckled, though it sounded rather breathy as Sue began working on his back with needle and splint in hand. "Promise me you'll stop whining about not being a furry little monster. It is so not worth it."
Jacob cracked a humorless smile, saying nothing.
"And the vampires on our side?" Billy said urgently. "Have they left?"
"They're staying somewhere in Canada and will wait for one of us to retrieve them tomorrow to start taking care of the army's stragglers," Quil said.
"That is… nice of them."
"Sam thinks they just don't want to be caught outnumbered with any rogue vampires," Brady snorted. "Better to help us with clean up duty than be recognized as deserters."
But Bella had no desire to hear battle talk or deliberations on their new allies. All she could think about was Leah, bleeding and broken, likely limping her way back because of the gruesome battle she had she just partaken in, no doubt had helped lead given her position in the pack. She imagined an equally injured Sam, and an overwhelmed Embry trying to lug them both back. She shuddered, slipping out of the house and returning to the backyard.
She found she was not the first one there. Emily turned around at the sound of her approach, cheeks wet with fresh tears, a familiar dread on her face.
They nodded wordlessly to each other before looking back out into the forest, raking their eyes for any sign of their werewolves.
Seth and Brady joined them a moment later, unusually somber as they rolled their shoulders and bounced on their feet, as if readying themselves to dart through the forest and carry the others back the next time they heard so much as a twig snap.
Dawn was just beginning to light the sky by the time they heard it. The tell tale cracks of phasing and then, cursing. Loud, unapologetic, explicit, cursing.
Bella nearly cried with relief as Sam and Leah were dragged into view with Paul and Jared on either side and Embry in between. She and Emily moved at the same time to help Embry hold them up while Seth and Brady hurried to fill in the gaps. They were all hastily dressed, bleeding, and wincing with every step they took.
"Hey look, first moment back and I've got Sammy's fiance and Jacob's girlfriend running straight into my arms. I couldn't have asked for a better hero's welcome."
"Shame they didn't break your mouth," Paul muttered. "Lord knows why you were the one blessed with ridiculously quick healing."
"Why thank you, Polly. Although if you really wanted to carry me around I wouldn't object."
"Enough," Sam said. "Embry, keep talking and he's going to want to hit something. I won't stop him if he decides on your face."
Bella ignored them, clutching at Leah's side and then kicking herself as Leah flinched. "What is it? Are you okay? What can I do?"
They made it into the house by now. Quil was sitting up and looking anxiously back and forth between them, while Colin seemed to be completely fine and was bounding towards the door just as they entered.
"I'm fine, Bells," Leah sighed, allowing herself to be set down on the couch. "One too many vampire hugs. Shame. They didn't even try to buy me dinner first."
"They wrapped their arms around you?" Bella said seriously, dodging out of the way as Sue went to work, instructing Emily and Kim on how to tend Sam's wounds as she did the same for her daughter.
"S'no big deal," Leah insisted. "Honestly it probably sounded a lot worse than it was."
"Well, we did hear quite a few howls… and cracks."
Leah smirked before hissing through clenched teeth as her mother righted her collarbone back in place. "Well then. Looks like thunder is good for more than just stupid baseball."
Bella let out a hysterical laugh. Trust Leah to remember the infamous Cullen baseball game with half her bones broken. She had been none too pleased to hear she and the others had been forced to phase because of 'Ken and Barbie pretending to play America's great pastime.'
Turns out, werewolf healing truly did work wonders. Less than twenty minutes later Sam and Leah were sat up as well, bones set, blood being mopped up from various limbs. It was surreal, impossible really, for the battle to be done and over with in the span of one day, and the injuries to take so little time to heal. Bella was sure she would get whiplash if she thought too hard on it.
"What happened?" she couldn't help but ask.
"We used your blood to draw them out and made easy work of them after that. It drove them crazy, there was more than enough blood to work with. Too much, in fact," Leah said, giving her a reproachful look. "Then the majority of the army came from the ocean, where we were already waiting thanks to Fang One and Fang Two. Thirty, maybe forty? They were just as strong as we thought, and quicker than we gave them credit for, but they fought like a bunch of drunks. Sloppy and zero smarts, especially with your blood as a distraction."
"And - and their leader?" Bella asked breathlessly. "Victoria, is she still alive?"
The room paused in their conversation as those without the wolf link turned to listen. By now everyone knew of Victoria's obsession, and the great lengths she would go to enact her revenge.
Leah gave her a soft look. "The redhead is gone. Sam, Jared, and Quil took her down and we burned her before her minions could piece her back together. Watched the corpse turn to ash myself."
"I still can't believe we got two new leeches on our side during the eleventh hour," Jared mused. "The army was more shocked at seeing them in our ranks than I think they were at seeing their leader decapitated."
"Cheers, Bella, for our unlikely allies," Embry agreed, raising a cup in mock salute.
Leah pursed her lips, staring at Bella with an uncanny likeness to her mother.
Another fight for another day, she decided. She still had questions to be answered. "Where are they now?"
"They're in the middle of Canada somewhere near the coast. We told them to hunt marine life for now. No tourists could realistically reach them but they know if they so much as look at a human we'll be able to scent it and they'll find themselves missing limbs. We're keeping them to help with cleanup duty and then we'll see them on their way."
"And the others have definitely gone?" Bella double checked, plate of fish fry lying uneaten in her lap.
"Patrols all turned up empty." Leah shrugged. "We expanded our coverage farther than ever before returning, both in the ocean and the surrounding states. Smooth sailing for now."
"You three should have come home immediately to heal," Sue said reprovingly, obsessively mopping her daughter's now lightly scarred skin. "Gallivanting out there with broken bones and bleeding wounds. It could have waited a good hour."
To his credit, Sam didn't cower under her disapproving stare, a truly impressive feat as he was still on the couch with Emily curled up in his lap. "I understand completely, Sue. Forgive me, I just wanted to be safe what with the recent battle and our ah, new allies. We can't afford any clumsy mistakes."
Sue sighed, seeming to deflate in the wake of the now healed pack in front of her.
Harry rested a hand on her shoulder before brandishing his fish fry tongs to the room at large. "Alright everyone who just fought vampires who aren't named Leah, Seth, or Quil need to call their parents. We tried getting in touch with them for the elders meeting but no one called back until about an hour ago and boy do they all have questions. They'll need to come over to have today's events explained."
The majority of the pack frowned, grumbling to each other as if explaining today's whereabouts was the most inconvenient part of the day.
"Bella, you'll want to give Charlie a call. He wasn't pleased with my excuse of letting you all skip for the day. Old man didn't seem to realize you lot are graduating next month. What more is there to learn?" Harry harrumphed, shaking his head even as he loaded up her plate with more fish.
Bella let out a shaky laugh, suddenly overcome with the normalcy of it all.
"Victoria's gone. Her army is dead but for a few," she said breathlessly. "It's really over, isn't it?"
"Yes, danger magnet," Leah rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. "It really is."
A/N
Here we are again! I didn't plan for April to be so long but at 19 pages for Part 2 alone what can ya do? I'm caught between disliking writing in Bella's POV but getting writer's block in anyone else's. So next chapter will also be Bella POV (I think) but hopefully with this mess behind us it will let up a little?
A few things:
1) If you haven't noticed, I'm keeping Emily's fam and the elders from her reservation with E names, and Claire's with C. Makes it slightly easier to remember who is who. I know Emily and Claire are from the same place in canon but in this one Claire lives significantly farther and thus on a different reservation.
2) So the fight itself only lasts a day but the same is true for canon. I'm really banking on canon Jasper, who stated that having Bella in the clearing would be enough to drive the newborns wild and thereby present an easy win for the pack. Besides, it was continuously said by canon Edward and Alice how easy everything would be even without the pack's help so hopefully having the pack beat the newborns in one go isn't too unrealistic.
More for my sake than because anyone asked: here's the current ranking of the pack by hierarchy with their wolf form descriptions. I tried to keep them in line with canon but I did go off on my own for some:
Sam(fur: black): alpha, mostly because he was the first to phase, second oldest, and was one of the big three
Paul(fur: light and dark gray): official beta, oldest
Leah(fur: light gray): rightful beta as a descendant of all of the big three, but turned it down. Still has a decent amount of authority.
Jared(fur: brown and black): He was actually beta in canon so I figured he should rank pretty high
Quil(fur: gray and black): one of the big three
Embry (fur: gray and white):
Seth(fur: sandy brown): ranks low because of age, but that may chance since he's a descendant of all of the big three
Colin(fur: white and black): ranks low because of age, is apparently a direct cousin to Jacob Black in canon
Brady(fur: dark brown): ranks low because of age, is apparently distantly related to Atera and Clearwater lines in canon
Notes:
1) I know they are all technically related to either the Black, Uley, or Ateara lines so when I reference it above I am referring to a direct descendant rather than distant.
2) In canon Leah and Sam are related. Idc about genealogy, here they are NOT. Let's just say the Clearwater's are made up of all of the big three (Black, Uley, Ateara) but by the time you get to Leah and them they are SO distant it can't really be considered relatives anymore, yes?
3) Smeyer had Embry's paternity up for grabs which means either Jacob, Quil, or Sam's fathers sired him (two of whom were married at the time). This was frankly unnecessary drama for the pack imo so we're just going to assume he's distantly related to one of them.
Responses to Latest Reviews
InesSL: Thank you for your constant support! I appreciate all of your reviews so much and I'm glad you liked Jacob and Claire being in the know as well as the cliffhanger. I only have one more cliff hanger planned but then again I never planned the last two haha so we'll see. Hope all is well, thanks again for your reviews!
Babaksmiles: "Oh my gosh, Bella!" was exactly what I was going for haha. I wanted to keep it close to canon, and Bella did do something similar for her mom AND there was a scene in Eclipse where she was basically like "JUST TAKE ME I'M RIGHT HERE" so I was like why not? Glad you are enjoying the story and thank you SO much for all your lovely reviews! Your continued support is so encouraging you have no idea!
SheikahLover: You don't know how happy your review made me! I appreciate your long, kind review. The fact that you think I am doing Leah justice MADE MY DAY! That is just about the nicest thing anyone could comment considering she's one of my fav characters. I agree with you, Bella and Leah are pretty similar and I think if canon was a little less laser focused on Edward/Bella they definitely could have had a meaningful friendship. So happy you like the changes I made and the story thus far, hope you enjoy this new update! :)