I promised myself, and probably you guys, that I wouldn't do this, but I kind of want Rosalie to show off a bit and match Bella's insanity? Defensiveness? Whatever.
But this chapter definitely gets dark. There's murder! (finally.)
Vincent and Jax share a bag of chips while they wait outside of the bar. Their orders were simple: get Maurice out of the picture. Much to Jax's displeasure. He used to respect Maurice and wanted to be like him, but after what they discovered… he wants nothing more than to watch him bleed out at his feet. The Queen saved Jax's life, and he would've been dead ten times over if she hadn't snatched him off the streets and placed him in the guard. The same could be said for many of the boys – men – that served with him side by side. Maurice, Laurence, and Vincent were some of the older ones, and Jax is hurt that Maurice broke his oath.
If he ever honored it, to begin with.
"He's here," Vincent mutters, shoving a few chips in his mouth.
Jax pushes off the wall. He keeps his hands out in front of him and strolls right up to Maurice, who blinks in surprise at his arrival.
"Jax?" he says.
"You have been summoned. Hand over your weapons and come with me."
Maurice removes a gun from his waistband and points it at Jax. Jax nods his head. This was an act of guilt, and the small glimmer of hope he had in his gut fades away, replaced by a burning rage. Jax snatches the gun from him, using a move he taught him, and smashes it against the side of his head. Maurice drops to one knee, blood pouring from the cut on his temple, and Jax throws his hands in the air.
"You turned on the Queen for a fairy?!" he shouts.
Maurice shields his face and exclaims, "I love her!
Jax scoffs and presses the gun into Maurice's temple. He asks, "How long?"
Maurice closes his eyes briefly and says, "Since the Enchanted Forest. I found her after the curse broke."
Jax lowers the gun and snaps his fingers. Several men – including Laurence – emerge from the shadows with various weapons. Maurice reaches into his jacket, but a blur of black takes whatever it is he was out of his hand. Emmett holds the phone in the air and crushes it in his grip before he steps behind Jax.
"You fucked up," Emmett growls.
"The Queen's reign is over. It should have never even begun," Maurice sighs heavily. "Why can you not accept that?"
Jax lets out a breathless laugh and hands the gun to Emmett, who bends it in half and tosses the pieces to the side.
"She wants to see you," he said.
"Good. I want her Majesty to look me in the eyes when she kills me."
"I never said it was the Queen who summoned you," Jax murmurs.
Bella stands in front of the mural with her hands behind her back. She stares at her father's image, looking into his frozen eyes, and she clicks her teeth when she hears the grass crunch behind her. Bella rocks back on her heels and cocks her head when Emmett steps up beside her.
"Did you know he was afraid of butterflies?" Bella says. "I remember when we lived in the Forest, and Gina was taking us for a walk. I was barely walking, but I specifically remember this loud scream from him when this butterfly flew onto my shoulder. Gina laughed so hard she started crying, and Charlie refused to touch me until I took a bath."
"You miss him."
"Of course," she replies. Bella glances over her shoulder. "I'm shocked he's alive."
"By the skin of his teeth. There were a few close calls, few bumps, and accidental drops."
"Darn. I was kind of hoping to avoid killing him." Emmett side-eyes her, and Bella adds, "Well, mostly."
"Can we move this along?" he snorts. "Your girlfriend said she wants you home by dawn."
"So needy."
Emmett nudges her forward, and Bella winks at him. When she turns to Maurice, she straightens and holds her hands behind her back.
"Well, good evening, Captain."
"You had no right to summon me."
"I do. Considering your girlfriend made me hurt my mother."
Maurice attempts to keep a neutral façade, but it fails, and the satisfaction is in his eyes. Bella leans over and removes a dagger from her boot. She flicks it mindlessly at Maurice's thigh. He cries out in pain, and Bella thinks through what she wants. The answer comes to her very quickly.
Death.
His death.
Bella whistles sharply, and Laurence strolls around the group. He hands Bella a sheathed sword holstered at his hip, and she inclines her head in thanks. Laurence bows at the waist before he leaves. Out of everyone, Vincent and Laurence were the most betrayed by Maurice's betrayal, and Bella knows they get no pleasure in what's about to happen. She removes the sword and holds it under the moonlight. It's solid black, and it has her initials etched into the hilt. She should have known Jax would go above and beyond when she asked for a sword nearly a week ago.
"Holy shit."
Bella hums at Emmett's declaration and points the blade at Maurice. She makes a motion with it, and Jax kicks out Maurice's legs. Maurice falls to his knees but keeps his chin high. Bella saunters over to him, dragging the sword against the grass, and she cocks her head curiously.
"How long?"
Maurice doesn't answer.
"Since the Enchanted Forest," Jax says instead.
"Ah." Bella stops just short of Maurice and gets down in front of him. "Do you remember those nights I asked you to save her? When I begged and pleaded for you to make her stop crying? To help her with her pain? Because I do."
Bella removes the thigh from Maurice's thigh and pushes him on his back. She straddles his stomach and twirls the dagger between her fingers.
"I remember the sound of my Mother's heart as it broke-" Bella stabs him in the chest repeatedly and continues, "-over and over and over and over until one night she just stopped."
Some guards look away as Maurice struggles to breathe, and even though his eyes are solid black, Emmett remains in reach. Bella watches the shallow wounds bleed through Maurice's shirt and places her hand on his chest. The blood seeps through her fingers, and she stares at it. Part of her can see the appeal in being a vampire, and that thought alone scares her. Bella's teetering at the edge. She feels it, but Rosalie's not there to bring her back. Neither is her mother or Emmerson, or even Ruby. Bella's alone in the darkness, and she sinks into it willingly.
"Do you love her?" she asks without emotion.
"Y-yes," he stammers.
"Does she love you?"
Maurice cries in response, and Bella lifts off his body. She picks up her dropped sword and stares blankly at the man before her. She thinks about the first time she came to Miller Heights, how all the guards paraded her down the street in celebration, and how Maurice stood there and pretended to smile and laugh with them. Bella tightens her grip on the hilt and walks beside his body. She belatedly realizes everyone else is gone, minus Nathan, Vincent, Laurence, Jax, and Emmett. Maurice still struggles to breathe, and Bella finally understands what she felt from Emmerson not too long ago. She feels the anger, the pain, the betrayal, and the fear. Bella lets the emotions fill her soul. Their eyes lock, and she sees his resignation, his anger, but no guilt. Even in the face of death, he stands by his actions.
Bella slips into his mind with little effort, and she watches his entire relationship with Blue through his memories. Bella removes each one until the only thing left is the moment Regina meets him. She slips out of his mind. Maurice's eyes widen as the guilt hits him all at once as he's forced to relive the act of mercy Regina showed him as a man. Bella grabs the hilt with both hands and raises the sword above her head. With no fanfare, Bella thrust downward. The life leaves Maurice's eyes, and she removes her sword at a slow pace. Bella wipes the blood on her pants. She turns around, and Bella looks Emmett in the eyes. Through the reflection, she sees the small flame behind her. The fire grows in intensity. Bella feels the warmth against the back of her neck, even as Emmett takes a step away.
"Are you going after the entire town?" Emmett whispers.
"I am my mother's child after all."
Regina is the only one awake in the house. Emmerson fell asleep a long time ago, and he sleeps upstairs in her room. Everyone else left to see to their respective homes and business after the power was restored. Dr. Whale was already back to the hospital, tending to his patients, and Alia is out hunting. Rosalie is somewhere outside, having received a phone call that needed her attention, and Regina's left alone to her thoughts. She bows her head and wraps her hands around her tea.
She tries so hard, and it seems all her hard work is for naught. Regina feels as if she's been doomed from day one to live a life of violence and bloodshed with only glimpses of true love and family. Regina's head snaps up when she hears someone enter the room, and she freezes. Isabella stands in the kitchen, covered in blood, and a lost look in her eyes. She wavers before she rights herself. Regina slides off the stool and comes to stand in front of her. Isabella barely reacts to her presence. She takes a second to look Isabella over, and she cringes at the amount of blood that covers her child. Regina knows it isn't Isabella's blood, but still. Who on Earth did she kill? Emmett comes in a moment later and folds his arms. It's clear he isn't breathing as he leans against the doorframe.
"I promised to deliver Bella safely. But I can't-
"Go," Regina says. "I got it from here."
Emmett bows his head and speeds out of the house. Regina hears the backdoor open, and Rosalie appears at her side. Regina puts an arm out.
"Wait," she says. "She is not hurt, just lost in her head."
"Lost?"
"Isabella has a dark side," Regina mutters. "Just like I do, and possibly like Emmerson as well. If she goes over the cliff, so to speak, she gets lost. It takes something drastic to bring her back."
"Why can't I feel it?"
"Now that, I cannot answer. However, I do have a way to bring her back, but it is stupid."
"How stupid?"
"You may want to wake up Emmerson."
Rosalie shoots her a look before she goes upstairs. Regina flexes her fingers before she steps up to Isabella and hovers her hand over Isabella's chest. Taking a deep breath, Regina presses her hand on the spot where the other half of her heart rests. Isabella and Regina both collapse as Rosalie and Emmerson return.
Regina rolls over in the bed and comes face to face with Emmerson. She sighs heavily and pulls herself up against the headboard.
"Morning," Emmerson greets. "Enjoy your nap?"
"Passive aggression is not your strong suit, Swan."
"Then I'll go for the opposite." Emmerson grips Regina's chin and turns her head to the side. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Regina grimaces at the volume and says, "Question of the hour, I suppose."
"You split your heart," Emmerson hisses. "And you didn't tell me!"
"I had little choice," Regina mutters, still a little dizzy. "She was dead, and I was not going to allow her-
"Not that," Emmerson interrupts. "I know why you did it, and I can't blame you. I'm talking about the fact you never told me!"
"You are upset I kept it a secret from you more than the fact I actually did it?"
"Obviously, Regina. Rosalie and I had no idea what to do last night! You were both unconscious for ten minutes!"
"I apologize," Regina yawns. "It was one of those moments I had little choice."
"Listen." Emmerson crosses his legs and releases Regina's chin. "I will set the world on fire if it makes you happy. I will kill anyone you ask of me, and I will lay my life on the line whenever and wherever. I adore you more than words can express, but I swear to every deity on this fucking planet and in the goddamned universe that if you ever pull some shit like that again without thinking it through, I will smack you."
Regina blinks hard at the comment, and Emmerson gives her a blank look in response.
"You are not the impulsive one in this relationship, Regina. I am. We both know I cannot handle being the responsible one. I panicked for eight of those ten minutes because I don't think things through. I run headfirst into the fire because I know you are right behind me with a fire hose and some kind of magical salve for my burns."
Regina blinks again, and Emmerson tilts his head to the side.
"You have no idea how to respond to any of this, do you?" he asks.
Regina shakes her head.
"Are you angry I threatened to smack you?"
Regina shakes her head again.
"Are you going to speak anytime soon?"
Regina's mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Emmerson sighs and grabs Regina's hand. He kisses her knuckles and smiles.
"I love you, Regina. Eternally, infinitely, and permanently. I need you around for a long time because you are my happy ending. Please do not scare me like that again, okay?"
Regina grunts in response and leans forward into Emmerson's chest. He runs his fingers through her hair and kisses the top of her head.
"Do you want some tea?"
Regina nods.
"You're going to milk this the entire morning, aren't you?"
There's a moment of hesitation before she nods again.
"Of course."
Rosalie decides to wait until Isabella gets out of the shower before she asks.
"What happened?"
Isabella exits the bathroom in a pair of boxers and a sports bra. She looks at Rosalie briefly before she enters her closet. Rosalie examines her nails, and Isabella returns fully dressed. She crawls onto the bed and stretches out length-wise across Rosalie's body. For a moment, Rosalie doesn't think she's going to get her answer. Then-
"I killed someone."
The 'and I enjoyed it' goes unspoken but heard in the recesses of Rosalie's mind. She replays flashes of Royce and his friends before she vanishes them back to her subconscious. Running her fingers through Isabella's hair, she lightly scratches at her scalp and tries to come up with the best way to say she doesn't care.
"You don't?"
Rosalie pauses, and then she realizes Isabella read her mind.
"Sorry. My magic's on the fritz."
"It's fine. It just caught me off guard. And why would I care? I am a vampire, dear."
"Please don't call me that. It reminds me too much of my mother."
"Okay, sweetheart."
"Now you're being cruel."
Rosalie glances down at Isabella and says, "All I'm saying is I have had my share of murders. I will not judge you for what you did. Who was it?"
"Maurice."
"Who?"
"My mother's cap- former – captain. He was sleeping with Blue."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Immensely," she sighs.
"Are you planning on doing it again?"
"I have a list."
"Oh." Rosalie tightens her grip on Isabella's hair and tugs her head back. "I'm coming with you."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good girl."
Isabella barks out a laugh and smacks at Rosalie's hand until she lets go. Rosalie traces the mark on her mate's neck and grins, but it falls the moment she remembers her phone call.
"Jazz? What -
"Edward's gone."
"What?"
"Alice had a vision of Edward in Maine somewhere, and then it goes black. She thinks he's going after Isabella and finds her." Jasper pauses and clears her throat. "He went to the Volturi, Rose. He claims you stole his mate. They sent Demetri and the twins."
"He can't get to us."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I need you to be sure cuz Pete, Char, and I will be stateside with only a request. So, Imma ask you again, Rosalie. Are you sure?"
"Edward and the others will not be a problem. I promise."
Jasper hung up after she promised to call him with updates. Deep down, Rosalie knows Edward and the others would arrive where they are. While he might not be able to get into town, he will make things difficult in the long run. Rosalie glances down at Isabella, who has fallen asleep, and she makes a note to talk to Regina.
She's going to need permission to let down the barrier and end this herself.