A/N:

So, what will happen in this chapter, well, do you guys remember the small clues Bella has collected on the island since day 1? The note behind her pillow at The Ethereal for example? Seemed rather insignificant, right? Well, let's see what that's all about shall we?

I'm gonna continue putting the disclaimer here just be sure that everyone is aware of where this story originated.

This story isn't 100 % mine. I have transformed it into a story from an interactive story app called Choices and the creators are Pixelberry Studios.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

{Chapter 7}

I reached out frantically for something, anything, to grasp, but I was falling through intangible light and color.

Another time rift opened below me and through it, I was able to see a field. It wasn't Quarr'tel; that much was obvious, but where I was … or when was impossible to determine.

I emerged and began plummeting toward an opulent garden party. Peter landed safely in the grass below me until I dropped on top of him.

"Ow! Damn, what did my kidneys ever do to you, Bella?"

"Sorry," I told him, somewhat embarrassed by my heavy, ungraceful landing.

"Guys," Garrett called for attention, and I turned to him. "Where are Edward and Jazz?"

I spun around in a circle, trying to find the guys, but they weren't with us, and a surge of fear ran through me. Where were they? Were they okay? Was Edward?

Leah stared at the wavering rift next to me. "I saw them go in," she said, convinced. "They should have already come through by now."

Victoria gasped. "Oh god. Are they still with Cullen?"

"I think they got dragged through another one of those holes after everything went swirly," James suggested and looked over his shoulder at the rift.

"Uh … guys?" Benjamin said in an attempt to gain everyone's attention.

Alistair braced his hands on his knees and winced at the pain of his burns. "Then they must be in an entirely separate time period," he explained and then groaned. "This is all my fault."

"Guys—"

Rosalie pulled the first half of the Island's Heart out of her bag. "We still got this, at least."

"Guys!" Benjamin exclaimed angrily and pointed at a man in a threadbare suit.

He was staring at us and visibly shaking. "W-where did you come from?" he asked with a trembling voice. "Who are you?"

I blanked out and I couldn't come up with a good lie. "Uh, we're..." I scrambled for words but nothing came to mind. "Time travelers?" I said, but it was said with such uncertainty it sounded like a question.

The man choked. "Time travel—" His expression immediately morphed from shock to anger. "Oh, please. You work for Barnaby, don't you! You're here to rough me up?"

Garrett held up his hands in surrender. "Hold on. I don't know what's going on here, but—"

"Well, you can tell your employer that I'm reporting him to the authorities!" the man raged and ignored Garrett. With those last words, he turned and dashed through the entrance of a nearby hedge maze.

The sound of live music drew our attention away from the disappearing man. Across the garden, guests in formal attire were dancing an sipping champagne, their faces concealed behind elaborate masks.

"I don't think anyone else has spotted us yet," Benjamin said in a hushed voice.

Rosalie violently pulled on Peter's and Emmett's arms. "Hey idiots, can we hide now?" she asked sarcastically with apparent frustration. "Unless you want to cause a time paradox."

"We could follow that man into the hedges, but we might scare him even more," Victoria said worriedly.

"Well, it's pretty much our only option right now," Peter said and moved toward the maze. The rest of us rushed after him.

In the carefully tended foliage of the hedges, electric lights twinkled. That decoration together with the man in his suit and one of the women among the guests who appeared to be a bride, I guessed we'd landed in the middle of a wedding.

"So where … or when are we, do you think?" I asked the others. Something itched in my brain. A memory. A part of me believed I had seen these people somewhere before.

"Judging from these lightbulbs—" Tanya started, but Alistair spoke over her.

"Filaments like this were only produced for a few years after World War I. That would place us—"

"Ahem!" Tanya glared at him. "I was speaking," she said and he looked down at the ground sheepishly. She took a deep breath and then turned to me with a smile. "We've probably arrived in the early 1920s."

The awkward silence between Tanya and Alistair stretched over us all, but then he made a small coughing sound.

"Yes. Very astute," he said quietly, and I wanted to tell him to shut up. His attitude would not help him to get back in Tanya's good graces.

Peter groaned. "Yo, we'll be older than the Endless when we finally catch up to our own time."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "We're not gonna just wait ninety years, you dork."

"Absolutely not. Whatever we do, we need to find a way back, and then figure out where Edward and Jazz went to as well. Who knows where they ended up?" I said determinedly. There was not a way in hell that I would just give up and do nothing while my soulmate was somewhere in a different time period with a former best friend who might not even remember him.

"What? What is this?!" Jacorel exclaimed and looked down at himself in confusion. His body was shimmering eerily and then various items on his person began to fade from view.

Benjamin turned to him with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" He grasped Jacorel's shoulders. "Please don't disappear. Please," he pleaded desperately.

"Not me," Jacorel said as he helplessly watched the items vanish. "Objects … made by my friends. My family. My subjects. Sether gave me that bracelet … Emilyne that ceremonial knife and my mother designed those tattoos."

"Wait!" I gasped when I remembered something. "We've seen this before."

Rosalie's eyes widened when she realized what I meant. "The helicopter back at MASADA. It was jumping between realities because the past was in flux."

Victoria frowned in confusion. "But if things given to Jacorel are fading away, that means … what?"

I sighed. "That the Kaarii are at risk. Think about it. The helicopter almost disappeared because Edward hadn't turned himself in. So if everything Jacorel has that he didn't make is disappearing then a paradox in this timeline might be erasing the people who did make them."

"That can be the only conclusion, yes," Alistair agreed sadly.

Jacorel stared at me, distraught. "N-no! My people! I must do something!" He clutched at the items and his chin quivered when his hands passed right through them.

"Let's think for a sec," Rosalie said. "If we didn't show up here, what would have happened?"

Victoria looked into the maze. "We wouldn't have made that man fear for his life."

"And he probably would've gone to that party," Kate pointed out and nodded toward the feast in the garden.

"I don't know if it was us he was really afraid of, though," Garrett mused. "He said a name."

Tanya peeked around the hedge toward the festivities. "Did anyone notice that one of the guests looks kind of like a bride?" she asked, observing what I'd noticed before. "And why are they all wearing masks?"

Suddenly, Jacorel looked up, stunned. "Masks are a sacred part of Kaarii culture because they were worn by the very first of our people."

Benjamin's eyes widened. "Ohmygod. It's that wedding. The one in the creation myth of the Kaarii!" he exclaimed, and I finally remembered the memory that itched in my head.

The bride was the same woman as the reclining funeral statue by the Kaarii temple in the Valley of Tombs. The one with the wedding ring I had joked with Edward about when he knelt to pick it up. The carvings around the statue had been of the guests wearing the same masks they were wearing now.

"So it all started with a masquerade themed wedding..." I said mostly to myself.

Garrett shifted uncomfortably. "Alright. We should probably—" He gasped and grabbed his thigh.

Kate rushed over to him. "Please, Garrett, sit down so I can remove that bullet from your leg."

He did as she asked and while she worked, I noticed Emmett was straining to reach under a hedge.

"Something's … down here..." he muttered and strained further. Then with some effort, he pulled out a weathered suitcase. "Hello. What's this?"

"Looks forgotten," Tanya observed. "As if it's been there for a while."

Peter helped Emmett bust open the rusted latches and revealed the contents, which turned out to be lavish fabrics glittering in the soft light. Emmett grinned.

"I think we just scored a disguise or two, dudes!"

Victoria inspected the contents of the suitcase. "This looks like your size, Bella. Try it on!"

The dress was in the flapper girl party dress style and blush pink. It glittered with each movement, and I was absolutely enamored with it. I walked in behind another hedge and changed into it, and when I came back to the others, Victoria helped me with my hair.

"Damn, Bella!" Benjamin gaped. "You look straight out of The Great Gatsby!"

James smirked. "Gams lookin' real nice!" he complimented.

The unfamiliar word caused Peter to stare at him with confusion. "Bro, what? Are you into teeth?"

Alistair rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Peter, for the love of … He said gams, not gums. Gams is slang for legs." He then turned to me. "And you do look quite smashing, Bella."

"At least I'll fit in," I said and blushed at their comments, but then sighed. Their comments made me think about and miss Edward because I knew he definitely would have had something to say about the dress.

Victoria went back into the suitcase. "It's obviously a woman's luggage. There are two more dresses in here, but that's it," she said and handed Leah and Kate a dress each. "The rest of us will have to go as is."

"Alright," I said while Leah and Kate changed. "If we can fix the paradox we created here, maybe it'll stabilize whatever's going on with that time rift."

"Worth a try," Leah said and came back around the hedge in a champagne-colored dress similar to mine.

"The three of us can sneak in as guests and split up," I suggested. "The rest of you can pose as servants."

Tanya grimaced with uncertainty. "Messing with the past might be asking for trouble."

"Then we'll take every step with care," Garrett reassured her. "It's all we got right now."

Jacorel took a step back. "I'll wait here," he said. "I can't risk my connection to Kaarii history creating any more problems."

Benjamin grabbed his hand. "I'm staying with you."

I nodded in understanding. "Okay, you two. We'll be back as soon as we can."

As we approached the party, a few eyes danced over the ones without disguised attire, but our presence was otherwise unquestioned. When Leah, Kate, and I split up, a few of the others followed each of us while they tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

At a banquet table, a waiter was carving an entire baked pig while a group of masked guests conversed nearby.

"So he let her go!" A man with an adorned wolf mask said with a shrug. "Why the Rosencrafts were keepin' staff who couldn't even polish silver, who the heck knows?"

"They were unaccustomed to service, Ralston," a second man with an elephant mask told him patiently. "Rosencraft Sr. knew as little about leading a household as he did about leading a family."

I stepped on something that crinkled under my feet and glanced at the ground to see it was a pamphlet in the grass.

A Schedule of Events for the Marriage of Flora Sullivan and Arthur Barnaby

Another memory flashed in my head.

The padlock Garrett and I found while we dove for the Island's Heart. Flora's name had been engraved on it, but the other name had not been Arthur's. It had said Eugene.

To keep up our ruse, Alistair lead Peter, Rosalie, and Victoria in setting a table. "For pity's sake, Peter, all of your forks are out of place. It's salad first, then entree..."

"Why do rich people need more than one fork?" Peter muttered. "What's the difference?"

Rosalie chuckled and smirked mischievously at him. "One's for going in their mouths and the others are for sticking up their—"

"Okay then!" Victoria hurried to interrupt her. "Wanna explain that again for me, Alistair?"

Just then, I heard sniffling near a secluded tree. I walked over to investigate and a few of the others noticed and subtly followed me.

On the other side, I discovered the woman in the bridal gown I'd seen earlier. Flora Sullivan according to the pamphlet.

"How am I to even go about this?" I heard her ask herself. "I can't possibly—" She pulled off her mask and began to weep into her hands.

I approached her tentatively, but she still gasped in fright when she saw me.

"Oh! W-who—" She paused mid-startle to look me over. "Forgive me, I'm not sure we've met."

"We heard someone crying," I explained gently.

Alistair sided up next to me. "It's not in our nature to ignore the sobs of a lady, Miss Sullivan," he said smoothly.

She sighed. "Ah! You … have me at a disadvantage, then. I do not know you."

"I'm Bella," I introduced myself and then turned to those who had followed me. "This is Alistair, Rosalie, and Victoria."

"Pleasure to meet you," Victoria said with a kind smile.

"Flora Sullivan," Flora replied even though we already knew who she was.

I took a small step toward her. "I know it's hard to face a decision like this," I told her and hoped I wouldn't scare her by knowing she didn't really want to marry Arthur. All the clues I had found around the island all pointed toward her being in love with Eugene. "If there's anything you want to talk about, I can at least listen."

"Yes," Alistair vouched for me. "You're speaking to one of the most morally sound people I know, madam."

"Was a man supposed to meet you here?" I asked. I suspected the man we scared away could have been Eugene.

Flora stared at me in astonishment and then confirmed my suspicions. "Eugene? Where is he? What do you know?"

"He's fine," I hurried to reassure her. "But I really need to know more about what's going on if I'm going to help."

She considered it for a long moment, and then finally relented. "I'm not even sure where to begin. You probably wouldn't believe me, anyway."

I smiled at her. "I don't know about that. I've been through a lot."

"Tomorrow..." she started and then shook her head. "I'm supposed to marry a man I don't love." She rubbed her arms as if she felt cold. "Arthur is very practical, I'll give him that. But I suppose my heart doesn't exactly swoon for practicality."

"I'm guessing there's someone impractical in the picture?"

She smiled wistfully. "Well..." Then she sighed heavily and brushed away the glistening remnant of a tear from her cheek. "So foolish!" she despaired. "I should've known after Neptune Cove that he wouldn't come." She met my eyes as she tried to explain. "He'd bought a ring, but it was just … It was too soon. So I tried to make it up to him at the cove and he never—"

That was when I heard a woman's voice shouting insistently over the music. "Flora! Flora, where are you?"

Flora's eyes widened as she looked over my shoulder toward the party. "I must leave!" Her gaze urgently met mine again as she refastened her mask. "Please keep Eugene out of harm's way … Arthur wants him dead." Without another word, she hurried off.

When we returned to the party, the gentleman in the elephant mask approached me.

"Ah. Good evening," he greeted pleasantly. "I hope the travel to our venue wasn't too stressful, what with that storm over the sea," he said, and I realized this was Arthur.

"Not at all," I told him politely. "You must be Mr. Barnaby. Congratulations, I'm sure you'll both be very happy."

He offered a slight nod in thanks.

After an awkward silence, my gaze drifted toward the imposing manor house. Arthur noticed and followed my eyes.

"Quite a place, no? Thanks to the Rosencrafts' poor judgment, this entire estate was practically owned by the banks," he told me with a hint of a sneer in his voice.

The man in the wolf mask from before, who I think was named Ralston, joined us. "Quack job who lived here before thought he could 'enhance humankind' with his little pills."

Arthur's hand clenched into a fist at his side and his arm quivered with rage. "We'll not speak of him," he bit off. "Eugene is a fool and a miscreant. How dare he try to place himself between my beloved and I!"

"Knows better now, doesn't he," Ralston said and finished with a less than pleasant chuckle.

I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the two men and looked around. Among the surrounding guests, an uneasy silence hung in the air.

I cleared my throat to gain the men's attention. "Well, seems like everything's sorted out. I'll leave you to it." I feigned a smile and turned away, and that was when I saw him staring through the shrubbery.

Eugene.

When he realized that he'd been spotted, he took off at a sprint.

"Not again," I moaned and then hurried up my step to go after him. "Wait!" I called after him with as little volume as I could muster. I didn't want to alert Arthur or his friend. "I need to talk to you!"

He ran back toward the hedge maze, and I followed closely behind. The others rushed after me.

"Eugene, wait!" I called again. "Flora sent me!"

At the sound of her name, he froze and turned. "Flora? Is she alright?" Benjamin and Jacorel rounded a corner behind Eugene, and he realized that he was trapped. "If you're working for Barnaby, just get it over with already!"

"Relax, okay?" Benjamin told him. "We don't work for anybody."

I stepped forward. "I know about the ring and Neptune Cove," I said since that would hopefully convince him we were on his and Flora's side.

It appeared to have the opposite effect, though, for he looked even more scared of me. "How do you know about that?!"

"She told me." I took another step. "Please, we're all friends here. Let's just talk about this."

He nodded with some hesitation still lingering. "A-alright … Alright." A flood of emotion twisted Eugene's features. He ran a trembling hand over his face. "I would've given her everything. I told her as much … and she turned me away." His eyes hardened with rage. "And then that bastard Barnaby swept in and took my everything. My home, my business!" A heavy sigh escaped him. "And now Flora."

"She's clearly trying to protect you," Alistair insisted and Eugene turned to him. "She knows what Arthur wants to do to you."

I nodded. "She tried to make it up to you." I dug through my bag and then handed him the padlock I'd found in Neptune Cove.

"What is thi—" he started, but then he saw the engraving. "'No land, no sea, no one will keep us apart.'" He looked up at me. "She made this?" He gasped and sobs welled up in his throat. "Oh, Flora! I had no idea! I'd thought she was going to tell me never to see her again." He turned the lock over in his hand. "That was over a year ago, though. Look at the wear on this. She may not still feel that way."

"Listen," I said. I knew I'd have to convince him. "Tomorrow's the ceremony, right? This is your last chance. You've got to be there to tell Flora how you feel."

He nodded in agreement. "You're right, but Arthur would sooner have his men kill me than let her go."

"We'll take care of Arthur and his goons," Garrett assured. "You just show up and do what you need to do."

"I..." Eugene said, still hesitant, but then nodded. "Yes, I will be there. Thank you." On the verge of tears, Eugene rushed past Benjamin and Jacorel and headed deeper into the maze.

"Hopefully that'll do it," Victoria said, and Jacorel frowned worriedly.

"We will find out tomorrow, it seems," he said.

I looked over my shoulder at the entrance of the maze. "I'd better go let Flora know."

"I'll go with you, Bella," Benjamin said and then looked to Jacorel, who nodded permissively.

At the party, we found the wolf-masked man talking with Flora.

"I think your household staff ain't dressin' right," he huffed.

"Well," Flora said timidly. "I told them to wear costumes. Only appropriate for the occasion." She noticed me and Benjamin and quickly turned back to the man. "If you'll forgive me, Ralston, I should probably make another round with the guests."

Ralston nodded. "Do your duty, Miss Sullivan … And remember who's watching your back."

Flora sent a furtive glance in our direction and headed toward the tree. As soon as we joined her, she turned to us and removed her mask. "Well? Did you find out anything?"

I smiled. "Good news. He'll be there tomorrow."

Her eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together joyously. "Oh thank god! My Eugene!" she took a hold of my hands and stared into my eyes. "Bella, you've no idea how much this means to me." From her purse, she produced a small brass key. "Have you already secured accommodations for the night?"

Benjamin shook his head for the both of us. "Not really."

"Well, you and your friends are certainly welcome to the servants' quarters," Flora said with grateful eyes. "There's also a special, private wing of the manor accessible by this key. A couple of you could perhaps stay there if don't mind sharing a bed."

I accepted the key and thanked her. The only one I wanted to share a bed with wasn't with us, but maybe one of the others would want the chance to a private wing. Garrett would be my choice because of his leg.

Flora rose up and donned her mask once more. "The servants' quarters are to your left. I will see you tomorrow. You'll be expected in the ballroom by dawn," she said and went back to the party while Benjamin and I went back to the others.

"Looks like we're spending the night," I told them and then looked over at where Garrett was sitting, clutching his leg. "Hey Tiny Tim," I said and then laughed when I realized I sounded like Edward. "You want to sleep in a soft bed tonight?"

Garrett grinned at me with amusement. "Did … you just give me a nickname?"

I held my finger to my mouth. "Shhh. Don't tell Edward."

"You have my word," he promised. "Now what was that you were saying about a bed?"

I explained what Flora had told us, and his eyes shined with so much gratitude I feared he would attempt to kiss me. I put the key in his hand. "I'll sleep in the servants' quarters and you can have the wing and share it with whoever you want."

Garrett glanced sideways at Kate, and when she met his gaze, he showed her the key. "What do you say, Kate? My leg might need to be looked over," he said, but the last part was obviously a way to smooth over his want to have her with him.

I hadn't noticed until then that the way he was looking at her had changed. Maybe his dormant feelings for her had awakened once she told him that her friends had lied about her cheating.

She looked down at the ground shyly and then nodded.

Garrett smiled widely. "Shall we?"

At the manor, Garrett and Kate separated from the rest of us, and we headed left, hopefully toward nice beds.

The next morning, we all felt a bit more refreshed, but when we met up with Garrett and Kate in the hall outside of the ballroom, his face was thunderous.

"What's up?" I asked.

Garrett gritted his teeth. "Can you believe that snake? That self-centered, narcissistic piece of—"

"Who are you talking about, bro?" Peter clapped Garrett on the shoulder with a confused expression.

"Cullen," Garrett spit out. "He has all the powers in the world! He can stop wars, end poverty, and he decides to put himself in a goddamn painting!"

I still didn't understand what he was raging about, so I turned to Kate, who sighed.

"In the parlor outside the bedroom was a painting labeled Depiction of the Divine," she explained. "Cullen was in it wearing Roman attire, haloed by the sun like a Jesus painting, and he was writing down the Ten Commandments. It was quite ridiculous."

I huffed. "Wow … well, I can't say I'm too surprised, though. I've kinda started to expect stuff like that of him."

Garrett folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not surprised either, but the whole thing just makes me want to beat him even more."

"And we will, Garrett," I told him determinedly. "I know we will."

He cracked his neck and took a deep breath to calm down. When he looked back at me, the thunderous expression had been greatly muted.

We entered the ballroom and gathered toward the back. The guests were still in costume and the wedding decorations appeared to have a masquerade theme.

Victoria frowned as she looked around. "Something about this seems really familiar..." she mused, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, my! This is the same ballroom we found at The Ethereal our first day here," she told us.

Benjamin looked at her as if she had lost it. "How is that even possible? We're not in The Ethereal, are we?"

"Oh no..." Tanya said next to me. "I don't see Eugene."

Rosalie pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Guys, we need a backup plan. What if he—"

A man in a lion mask walked over to us. He discreetly lifted it and revealed his face. "What if I … what?"

"You made it," I said with relief.

Garrett grinned. "Go get her, man." He pointed at Flora who was positioned at the side of the ballroom with Ralston close behind her.

Even through her mask, I could see the resignation in her eyes.

Eugene swallowed hard. "W-what should I say? The ceremony is about to start!"

Tanya placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just tell her how you feel. All of it. While you still can."

He seemed to consider Tanya's words, and then took a deep breath, straightened his back, and strode across the ballroom. "Flora, I'm here," he said, and a hush fell over the crowd.

Flora pulled off her mask. "Eugene!"

"I know that we've been through a lot," he said, and his words were audible throughout the ballroom. No one said anything. "I've made my share of mistakes … but I've never once stopped loving you." The guests gasped. "I'm here to ask for your hand, at long last. Will you marry me, Flora?"

Ralston took a small step toward Flora and brought something against her back. He whispered something in her ear that I couldn't pick up from the other side of the ballroom, but it caused her eyes to widen in fear.

She sighed with obvious despair. "Oh, Eugene," she said. "It's too late. I've made up my mind."

"You have?" he asked dejectedly.

Arthur cleared his throat. "I thought I'd had taken the trash out, but it appears to have legs."

Nervous laughter came from the crowd of guests.

"We gotta do something!" Peter whispered. "We're gonna be stuck if we don't fix this!"

Leah narrowed her eyes. "All we have to do is take out Ralston." She curled her fingers into fists and glanced at me to await my permission.

"No need," Alistair insisted. "We can simply explain the evidence to the wedding guests and expose Arthur."

I agreed with him. "Yes, I think the least destructive and violent way is what we should do. Can you do it, Alistair?"

He nodded. "Leave it to me."

Kate frowned disapprovingly. "Of all people, you're going to let him talk?"

"He deserves a chance to redeem himself, Kate," I told her and she huffed.

Alistair calmly walked over to a piano at one side of the ballroom and stroke a G major chord. "If I may have your attention, please!" he called out and everyone simultaneously swirled to him. "It seems we've all been deceived by our host for today's ceremony, Arthur Barnaby! Not only did he hire someone to threaten this man's life, but he's clearly pressuring Miss Sullivan into marrying him against her wishes!"

"Looks like someone let the crazies in, folks!" Ralston called out in an attempt to smooth over what had become a nervous murmur among the crowd.

"Mr. Ralston, is it?" Alistair turned his attention to him. "Why don't you show the crowd what's in your hand?"

Ralston hesitated for a moment, then raised his arms. A derringer pistol was grasped in his left hand.

Gasps and astonished whispers filled the ballroom.

Flora ran into Eugene's arms and sobbed. "Eugene, yes! Yes, I will happily marry you! You're the only man I love!"

When their lips met, the objects on Jacorel's body reappeared.

"Guys, we did it!" Benjamin cheered.

BANG

Flora was pitched forward as a bullet tore into her side.

"Flora!" Eugene shouted in terror.

Ralston used the distraction to run toward one of the exits, his derringer pistol still smoking in his grasp.

A tremor passed through the floor, and suddenly everything began to warp and wave as though the entire ballroom was melting away.

Eugene gathered Flora in his arms and began carrying her to safety. "Stay with me, my darling … I'm going to bring you to something that will help." He hurried toward a window, through which I saw a grove of trees glistening with silver sap.

Before I could follow, a time rift opened next to us. Clockmaster leaned through and held out her hand to me. "Come with me! Quickly!"

We hastened through the rift as the room continued to quake and distort. One by one, we stepped onto a winding road, disused and overgrown, and it looked nothing like El Jardín.

Once everyone was gathered, Clockmaster adjusted her stopwatch, and the shimmering rift folded in on itself and vanished. "That's that, then," she said. "I'm sorry it took us so long to extract you … That particular time is rife with anomalies."

I looked at her gratefully. "I'm just glad you got us when you did!"

"But what happened to Flora and Eugene?" Tanya asked. "And the wedding guests?"

Clockmaster narrowed her eyes as she thought about it. "Hm, well, the first eruption of Mount Suerte caused a chronoquake that sent the wedding party far into the past," she explained. "Over time, and as a result of regularly consuming energy imbued sap, they became … feral, for lack of a better word."

"Feral?" Benjamin questioned. "Like the vampires in I Am Legend?"

Clockmaster nodded. "That's a close approximation, yes. It would take centuries before civilization reasserted itself in the form of the Kaarii tribes you're familiar with."

Jacorel snarled. "All because of the treachery of the groom."

"Man," Peter breathed out. "Wedding's are the worst."

I heard footsteps approaching us, and then the best sound in the world.

"Y'all went to a wedding and didn't invite me?"

I whirled around and ran up to Edward. He grinned swept his arms around me as I threw my arms around his neck. He took a deep breath and tightened his hold on me.

"Not gonna lie," he whispered. "You had me a little worried this time, Princess."

I leaned away somewhat, pushed his hair out of his face and brought my lips to his. The kiss was passionate, on the edge of desperate, as we clung tightly to each other. Neither of us wanting to let the other go. A lone tear of pure relief escaped the corner of my eye and fell down my cheek.

We eventually parted and leaned our foreheads against each other.

"Okay. That … was worth waiting for," he said with a chuckle, and I laughed with him even though my heart was still hammering in my chest.

Emmett made a surprised sound behind us. "I think I see Furball!" he exclaimed.

I looked down at the ground just in time to see a blue streak race from behind Edward's legs. "Furball! You're okay!" I said, astonished, and Furball yapped happily before stalking over to me. He swiped his tail across my leg affectionately. A purr vibrated from his throat.

Edward crouched down with a grin and scratched Furball on the head. "He showed up to give Jazz and I some company while we waited."

"What happened to you guys, anyway?" I asked seriously. "Where did you end up?"

"A fairly stable period in the recent past," Clockmaster explained. "Once we'd extracted them, coming to Rosencraft Manor in the current time helped us more easily reach you."

I looked at the manor and recognized it as the same manor we'd slept in during the night, just a lot more deteriorated. I could only assume we were still on the island, then, even though it looked more like the European countryside.

Furball skittered toward Victoria, who happily gathered him up.

A purple-haired Anachronist popped her head out of one of the windows of the manor. "I think your friend needs you, Edward," she called.

Edward grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers. "Come with me for this, Princess?" he asked uncertainly. "I don't know if I can face him alone."

I nodded. "I am right behind you," I told him and we entered the dilapidated manor together.

The ballroom looked like the one we had just fled from, only worn and tattered with decades of age. Jazz rested against a back wall, cradling a cup of water in his hands, which was full all the way to the brim.

"Hey, Jazz," Edward said cautiously. "How you feelin'?"

Jazz didn't turn, speak, or show any sign of a reaction to Edward's words.

Edward swallowed and tried again. "Jazz … are you in there?" He reached out to gently shake Jazz's shoulder. The cup slipped from his hands and spilled water across his legs, but Jazz remained motionless and staring blankly across the room.

Tears glistened in Edward's eyes, and his voice broke as he tried to find the words, but he couldn't. He turned and stormed out of the room, kicking debris out of the way violently when his sorrow became too painful to hold in.

"Edward!" I yelled after him and was about to follow when I saw Jazz's head turn slightly in the corner of my eye.

"Grandpa?" he said gruffly.

"Jazz?" I said and then looked over my shoulder to where Edward had disappeared. "Just … give me a sec to go talk to him, okay?" I asked and hoped with everything in me for a response, but his face was once again blank.

I hurried outside to find Edward kicking apart a decaying barrel.

"I almost killed him!" he yelled. "And when I thought he was dead, what did I do?" He fell down on his knees and hung with his head, his entire body wracked with spasms as he started to hyperventilate. "I turned tail and ran like the coward I am."

I approached him slowly. "Baby?" I said, and he flinched. "Edward, he spoke to me..."

He let out a maniacal laugh. "Great, well, you wanna tell him that all we did was for nothing?" he spat out angrily. "That everyone we know and love is dead?" The anger drained away as quickly as it had flared up. "You wanna tell him how small of a chance we have left?"

A heavy silence hung in the air, and I watched as Edward's tears slid down his cheeks and stained the broken pieces of the barrel.

He started shaking his head. "I can't do it, Bella," he admitted in defeat. "I just can't. Not after everything else." Suddenly, he froze and glanced around the area warily. "We ain't alone," he breathed out, and I tensed up as well.

Streams of green light came together in front of us and coalescing into Kaanu's transparent body.

Edward narrowed his eyes at him. "Slimer, I am not in the mood for this!"

Kaanu held out a burning helmet insistently and refused to move.

I knew it didn't matter that we all knew Kaanu only wanted to help us now. Edward didn't want help. He felt he didn't deserve it, and that was why I determinedly grabbed the helmet and thrust it in front of him. "C'mon, Edward. Take it. Please," I pleaded as my eyes welled with tears.

He stared at it for a moment and memories flickered behind his eyes. Then, finally, he reached out for it.

I was suddenly in a courtroom, empty except for Edward and Jazz.

Jazz looked different. A mix of his old self but still adorned with burns and scars, as well as his bionic eye. Edward fiddled absently with the dog tags around his neck, and Jazz looked him over.

"You're nervous," he said.

Edward scoffed. "Me, nervous? Come on, kid," he said, but he failed at removing the tremble in his voice.

Jazz grinned. "Grandpa, you're nervous."

With a groan, Edward released his dog tags and rubbed at his eyes. "Hell yeah, I'm nervous. Last five years of my life have led up to this one moment. If this doesn't work out, McKenzie gets off free and we lose everything," he exhaled sharply. "You're not nervous?"

"Nope," Jazz said, but then lost the humorous expression. "Just terrified."

A judge entered and sat at the bench. McKenzie was led in, handcuffed, and his scowl was more sinister than ever. A well-dressed attorney followed him to the defendant's stand and addressed the judge.

"Your honor, defense wishes to present another article of evidence."

He walked a stack of papers over to the bench and the judge examined them.

With a clearing of his throat, the judge turned to Edward and Jazz. "Witnesses Edward Masen and Jasper Whitlock, according to these documents you both purchased anti-aircraft weapons and delivered them to the Kharzistani government. Is this correct?"

"No, your honor," Edward replied and his eyes twitched with anger.

Jazz nervously addressed the judge. His voice was barely a hoarse whisper. "Those weapons were used against us on a mission ordered by Commander McKenzie."

McKenzie rolled his eyes. "And I guess I just accidentally filled out the wrong names on the report? Bullshit."

The judge glared at McKenzie. "I will not accept that sort of language in my courtroom, Mr. McKenzie."

"My apologies, your honor," McKenzie said and then fixed his icy gaze on Jazz. "Smearing a decorated officer has repercussions, son. Best to think before you speak."

"Jasper Whitlock, please repeat your testimony," the judge demanded.

"What?" Jazz stuttered. "I said … uh..." He fell silent and a rivulet of sweat trickled down his forehead.

Edward stepped forward to his aid. His anger had helped him squash down his nerves. "He said that the weapons we did not purchase were used on us during a mission ordered by Commander McKenzie, your honor."

McKenzie's face contorted with fury. "Now you listen and you listen good, Edward. I didn't get to the rank of—"

McKenzie's attorney leaned over and whispered something in his ear, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"Very well," the judge said with pursed lips. It was obvious he wasn't pleased with McKenzie's outbursts and lack of control. "I think my verdict is clear. Alec McKenzie, on counts of conspiracy against the United States, perjury, and first-degree murder we find you guilty. The court awards you a total of 180 years in prison, to be served consecutively." The judge snapped his gavel down. "Court is adjourned."

Jazz's eyes were wide as saucers as he turned to Edward. "I can't believe it."

A smile slowly built on Edward's face. "We … did it!"

McKenzie flew up from his chair and started to shout. "Your honor, I served my country for forty-one years … This is the thanks I get!? I made these boys who they are!"

Edward turned and looked McKenzie in the eyes. "I didn't become who I am because of you. I became who I am in spite of you! And now you've got plenty of time to think about what a spineless piece of garbage you are!" He suddenly laughed. "Oh, and one more thing … Jazz, give me a light?" He took out a Cuban cigar from his jacket and Jazz tossed him a lighter.

The judge held up his hand. "Sir, you can't smoke in here—"

"Overruled," Edward replied and lit the cigar, took a long drag and blew a smoke circle in McKenzie's face. "Jazz, let's go get a cheeseburger and some apple pie. I'm feeling awful patriotic all of a sudden."

Reality came back into focus.

Edward's hands were interlinked with mine atop the helmet. "Was that—?" Fresh tears fell from his eyes as he exhaled a slow, ragged sigh. "We can beat him," he whispered cautiously hopeful. "In the system … There's a way we can do it!"

I lifted my hand and stroke his cheek. "That's right," I said softly.

He pulled me in by my waist and kissed me slow and deep. When he broke away, his forehead rested against mine. "Jazz's sacrifice, all these years of running..."

"It could all turn out for the best, Edward," I encouraged.

"I guess," he said. "I only had one problem with that future."

"And what's that?"

"You weren't in it."

I pecked his lips another time. "Don't be so sure of that," I said with a soft laugh. "I could definitely see myself eating cheeseburgers and apple pie with you and Jazz to celebrate." He laughed with me, and when I was sure he felt better about it all, I pulled out of his arms but kept a hold of his hand. "And I think someone deserves to hear that everything could be sorted out."

We turned our heads and spotted Jazz standing nervously in the manor's doorway, looking us both over. Giving my shoulder a squeeze, Edward broke from my side and walked up to him.

"Jazz, I'm sorry," he said. "I just needed a minute. So much has happened and I didn't know where to start. But now I know where it could end. And when it does, we're gonna win."

A slight smile crept onto Jazz's face, and Edward pulled him into a tight hug. When they parted, there was a light in Edward's eyes I hadn't seen before.

"Alright, kid. Let's find some beers, and I'll tell you all about it."

Jazz swallowed. "Sounds good," he replied shakily. "First I'd like to be properly introduced to your friend, though," he said and nodded in my direction.

Edward held out his hand for me and I accepted it so he could lead me closer to Jazz. "Kid, this is my girl. My Princess. Bella."

With a tentative nod and smile, Jazz greeted me. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Bella."

I stepped in under Edward's arm and smiled just as tentatively back. "Yes, it is."

"Jazz and I have some catching up to do," Edward said with a hint of apology in his tone, and I knew it was there because he wanted to be alone with his friend, but he didn't want to hurt my feelings either. "I'll join you soon, alright, Princess?"

"Take your time," I assured him with a nod.

As day turned to night, we finished a picnic dinner with the Anachronists. Furball sniffed at Victoria's plate and began nipping at scraps.

A male Kaarii studied us interestingly. "Doesn't traveling among only two or three time periods get boring for all of you?"

"I don't know if I'd call it boring," Alistair replied.

"I have photos of the Pleistocene Era inside the manor if anyone would care to see them," the purple-haired female said happily.

"Heck yeah!" Rosalie exclaimed.

I gazed out toward the moonlit cliffs before I got ready to follow everyone. A white corner peeked up over the edge, and I frowned. "Is that … a sail?" I mumbled to myself.

I ran over, and I heard a loud crack amid the water. When I looked down, I saw The Dorado. Angelique leaned out from beneath the rigging and called out to me.

"Ahoy, Bella!"

"Angelique!" I called back happily. "You're alright!"

"Mas oui, and look who I found!"

"I found you, you algae-covered hermit crab!" Janvier gritted angrily.

Angelique ignored him. "Bella, gather your friends and come aboard! We must talk, tout suite!"

There was a surprising urgency in her tone that I could detect even from far away. I nodded. "Okay!" I shouted over the crashing waves. "I'll get everyone!" I hurried toward the manor to round up the group.

A few minutes later, we were all gathered on the deck of The Dorado. Angelique cleared her throat.

"Mes amis, something foul is afoot," she said, and Rosalie huffed.

"What else is new?"

Angelique pointed out across the sea. A flickering crimson glow ran along the horizon.

"What about the sunrise?" Emmett asked in confusion.

"That isn't the sun, boy," Janvier told him. "Look closer."

I squinted into the distance and could see writhing tongues of fire rising from the glow. "The lava's getting closer," I observed with horror. "The barrier keeping this island safe must be shrinking."

Tanya started making calculations in her head. "Distance to the horizon is one point one seven times the square root of the viewer's height from sea level. In other words..."

"Not very far," Alistair finished for her.

Victoria gazed transfixed at the distant horizon. "It's the Heart," she said softly, and I turned to her.

"The Heart? What do you mean?"

"Think about how much has happened to it," she replied sadly. "Being broken for so long, Cullen draining its power … It's no longer strong enough to maintain the time anomaly that preserves the island."

Leah nodded. "So we have to join the two halves together. Soon."

Peter's eyes widened as he stared at her. "Okay, whoa there, Leah. Were you taking a nap when this dude fed the Heart to Cetus?" he asked and pointed at Janvier.

Janvier looked contrite. "A mistake I rue, believe me. But I'm willin' ta risk my life to see it made right. We must bring down the beast, and tear the stone from its gut! Are you with me?"

I stared at the horizon. "Guys," I said. "It's time to finish Cetus once and for all."

A/N:

So Cullen sent them to the wedding that was the origin of the Kaarii people? Why? Well, he hoped for them to destroy the past and that way eliminate the Kaarii. Without the Kaarii, Clockmaster couldn't have helped our gang out of the past, and they'd be stuck there.

For Cullen, that'd be two birds with one stone.

But they made it back! We got to see what Kaanu wanted to show Edward, and Jazz remembers again! Yay!

They still need the other half of the Heart, which Cetus has in his stomach, so let's gear up and kill the snake! ;-)

Your thoughts make the process of this story more enjoyable, and even thought I might not always reply, they all mean so much to me! Sometimes, my plate gets full and I forget to reply, so sorry about that :-P

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!