AN: Is anyone still reading this? I've had this chapter written for a while and I have the next one started. Sorry for the delay.

Chapter 10

Garrett POV
While Bella started in on the meddling midget, I kept my eye on my old friend, her worthless mate. He and his brother stood ready—deceptively calm, but prepared to attack at the slightest provocation.

I knew he could feel my anger—the raw fury that had been simmering since I first laid eyes on the Volturi scum that killed my mate. I was better at concealing my feelings than Bella, but that was understandable given her age. So it irritated me to know that this smug bastard could tell exactly what I was feeling. Maybe I could use that gift of his though—he had no idea how to handle the pain of losing a mate.

"How could you?"

"Bella, please. You don't understand what I saw! I–" As fast as she spoke, Alice still couldn't get a full sentence out before Bella interrupted her.

"No! I don't know what you saw! You only shared that with my husband! You once again made the decision for everyone, not thinking of anything but saving your own ass!"

I didn't even attempt to hold Bella back when she pounced toward her clairvoyant sister-in-law. Alice deserved whatever my best student could dish out. I did keep my eye on Jasper and Peter, however. If they made a move toward the girls, I would make sure they didn't reach them.

I could feel the Major's attempt to push a false sense of calm on the group, but my emotions were too strong to be swayed, and I had a feeling Bella was outright blocking him completely. She was really good at compartmentalizing her emotions, and while I had managed to break through to her with the right (or wrong) words, his gift would bounce off both her shield and her iron will.

Without her own gift to help her, Bella had Alice pinned in seconds, with one hand around her throat and her knee pressing on the seer's sternum with enough pressure to crack the bone. Jasper's snarl was the only warning I got before I saw him feint to the left.

I was ready, moving right to block his way to the girls. I shot Peter a glare as I bounced off his sire and warned him to stay out of this if he knew what was good for him. "Major, you don't want to get involved here. I promise you I'll make you regret it."

He sneered and I knew he was getting ready to use his gift to get me out of his way, so I attacked first. I put myself right back in that living room, feeling the gaping hole in my chest crack wide open as all my hope was lost. I focused on the empty feeling of knowing my mate was no longer walking the earth.

I don't know how long I sat there, but Bella once again grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I looked from her solemn face to the Major curled up in agony beside me. Bella and Tanya were the only ones still standing in the face of Jasper's emotional bomb.

"That's enough, Garrett. I think they get the point," Bella murmured as she brushed her hand through my hair. "Let's get on with what we came here for."

I took her hand and pulled myself up to stand over the scattered Whitlocks. Their shocked pants and whines were a sort of sick music to my ears. As I had already tucked my pain back in its dark little hole, so we just had to wait for the others to try to recover.

Alistair was the first to bounce back, probably because he'd never felt a mating bond to begin with. He appeared from behind a tree where I guess he'd hidden at Jasper's attack. He was such a little cockroach.

Once the others were at least sitting up, though they were still clinging to their mates and breathing heavily, Bella stood in front of them with her arms crossed. Her dark eyes were fixed firmly on Alice, and it was clear who she held responsible.

"Well, Alice? You want to talk? Talk your way out of this one, why don't you?"

Alice swallowed heavily, eyes flicking around as if she were trying to force a vision. I didn't think she would see anything, since none of us had decided anything past coming there. She must have realized that, because her eyes finally focused on Bella.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I looked at it several different ways. If you and Edward were together, you both would have been captured, along with Renesmee. Most of the wolves would have died, and the family as well.

"If you weren't in Alaska, everyone there would have been exterminated. I knew the family could fight against Jane, but not Alec. Demetri was tracking Edward, so that's why Alec went to Alaska."

Bella flinched every time Edward's name was said, but I resisted the urge to comfort her, knowing she needed to stand strong. She kept her eyes locked on Alice's, staring her down as only a vampire can.

"I called Edward and told him what I saw. He was the one that decided you needed to stay away. He knew they had a chance to beat them but the fight was too unpredictable in the end. They lost their concentration when Carlisle…" Alice stopped abruptly with a choked gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. For a brief moment I felt a pang of sympathy at what she must have seen, but it passed as quickly as it came.

"Anyway, I'm sorry, Bella. I'm really sorry. I did what I could to save Renesmee. It's so hard when I can't see her or the wolves." She stopped again, shaking her head at Jasper when he took a step closer to her. "Bella...I lost them, too. I lost them, too…"

Bella didn't move for a long minute, but then her face crumpled. She must have finally realized that Edward wasn't the only one gone. I knew she had pushed away the rest of her grief when she was with her daughter, but faced with her only remaining siblings it finally broke through her anger.

She took one step toward Alice, then opened her arms and was hit by a tiny black blur as the seer flew into her arms. They held each other tightly, wailing together as they mourned the loss of the Cullens.

We all stood watching them for a while, until Tanya came to slip under my arm. I held her close, knowing she was mourning Carlisle as well. He was one of her dearest friends and she regarded him as family, completely respecting the way he lived his life. Jasper finally walked over and offered me his hand.

"I'm sorry, man," he didn't offer any more words or accompany those words with his emotions so I guessed he must have learned his lesson. I didn't respond to him other than to take his hand and squeeze it a bit harder than he probably liked. Wuss.

Peter was smirking as he watched us, probably knowing exactly what I was thinking. I didn't have a problem with the other Whitlocks, so I just nodded at him and winked at Charlotte. Her eyes were shiny with venom but she gave me a watery smile at my usual greeting.

Alistair finally walked up and stood a little closer to Bella than I liked. I wasn't sure what Jasper felt from me, but he looked between me and the roach and then walked over to crouch down near the girls. Bella looked up and then fell into his arms when he offered. Alice curled up under his other arm and kept her hand on Bella's shoulder while she continued to cry.

I couldn't tell if Jasper was able to use his powers finally, or if Bella just cried herself out. She sniffled with her head on his shoulder, then pulled herself up and stood. Looking around at all of us, she raised her eyebrow when her eyes fell on mine.

"Are we going to kill Aro now, or what?"