~Chapter 25~

I'm angry, I'm ragin', I'm breakin' through the pain.

The monster is loose and now, you know the truth.

Tell me can you feel it as you hit the wall?

The monster is loose and now, you have to choose.

And prove that you can take it to the top before you fall.

Alice was sitting in the living room of the Cullen home. She had spent most of the day alternating between being furious and floating on cloud nine. The knowledge of what Edward had told Isabella still infuriated her. She wasn't good enough? Alice couldn't figure out why he would tell Bella something so hurtful. Those weren't the words of someone trying to give her the best chance at moving on with her life. Those words were intentionally hurtful to Bella.

When she wasn't stewing on how angry she was at Edward, Alice was at the opposite end of the spectrum. She'd been so hurt after the initial conversation with Bella. She'd stumbled upon her scent by accident the evening before and had briefly considered avoiding Bella, giving her the space she so clearly desired. In the end Alice couldn't resist going to speak to her. She had been totally prepared for another curt dismissal. No one could have been more surprised than Alice when Bella told her she could stay. Well, Bella hadn't really said that at first. She'd sort of acquiesced via her failure to protest... but it was better than the "fuck off" Alice had expected.

Alice had gotten to say what she had wanted to for so long. She had gotten to apologize to Bella. Their ensuing discussion was enlightening if nothing else. Bella hadn't gone so far as to forgive her, but she had agreed to an attempt at friendship. Alice was determined that there was no way she was going to screw it up this time. The night before worked out far better than she'd ever hoped.

She'd avoided the house for most of the day. If Edward picked up her thoughts and confronted her about them, she wasn't sure what she'd end up saying to him. Edward had been explicit in telling all of the family that they shouldn't go near Bella until the two of them could "patch things up." Well, he'd told everyone but Emmett and Alice. Every time Alice got a vision of Edward coming to talk to her she made herself scarce. While she was absent the previous evening, Emmett had apparently told Edward off; an action that surprised Alice. An action that also apparently drove Rosalie wild. The two of them had barely been out of their bedroom all day.

Alice was currently focusing on the videogame Emmett was playing. Rosalie was apparently in the shower; and Alice knew Edward wanted to talk to her one on one, she knew he wouldn't approach while they were gathered like this. She'd been careful not to let her thoughts drift to Isabella, with Edward still seething from his encounter the day before. The entire family was in the living room, except Esme and Adara who were off feeding, though they were expected back soon, and Rosalie who was just making her way downstairs, a very satisfied smile on her face.

Alice suddenly gasped and straightened, her eyes going blank for a few seconds. Carlisle and Jasper both looked up from the books they were reading, and Emmett paused his game. After so many years they all knew the signs of one of Alice's visions. She gradually focused again, her eyes and expression startled.

"What is it Alice?" Jasper asked.

Edward who pre-empted her, having read Alice's vision out of her mind, "It's the Denali Clan, they're coming."

Carlisle smiled and stood up, "That's wonderful news, when will they arrive?"

Alice shook her head, "No... They'll be here tonight, very soon. But they're... running from something. They're scared. I don't know why. I can't see it. Garrett is hurt."

Carlisle frowned and closed his book, setting it aside. "Rosalie could you-" He was cut off by Edward.

"They're almost here. I can read their minds. They're... terrified. They're being chased by a... " Edward blinked, his expression shocked. "They're being chased by an army of newborns and wolves."

"Rosalie, call Adara or Esme, get them back here." Carlisle commanded.

"They're here." Edward announced, just before their front door slammed open wide, without the harbinger of a knock, and seven vampires ran into the home.

The Cullens were stunned by the distressed appearance of their visitors. Tanya, the blonde leader, was looking around frantically as if glad to see the group. Behind her was the dark haired Carmen and her mate Eleazar was close upon her heels. The blond haired Kate and her mate Garrett came in together. The darker blonde Irina and her mate, Laurent entered a half second later. Their clothing was ripped and torn, still drenched and dripping water. Before Carlisle could speak, Tanya spoke up.

"Carlisle, you have to get out of here. There's a newborn army on its way; and they intend to kill us all." Tanya said desperately.

"We know Tanya, Alice and Edward saw." Carlisle attempted a calming tone.

"No, you don't understand, it's a bigger army than I've ever seen or heard of." Tanya said urgently.

Jasper spoke up, "How many are in this army?" He asked his question while sending everyone a wave of pure calm in an effort to soothe the room.

"We counted between fifty and sixty. Plus they're working with wolves. Quand on parle du loup." The uninjured Laurent said, lapsing into his native French for a moment out of frustration. His French accent was tinged with both fear and disgust. He was a darker skinned vampire, wearing dreadlocks, more than a hint of predator about him.

Jasper's jaw dropped open. "Laurent... Fifty? That's... insane. There hasn't been an army near that size since the Volturi put down the rebellions 200 years ago Anyone with that many is just begging for the Volturi to step in and destroy them."

Tanya spoke urgently, Jasper 's wave of calm only taking the worst of the edge off of her near-panic. "We have to go; they could be here any minute."

Carlisle shook his head, "We can't leave without Adara and Esme." He looked at Rosalie who was just hanging up the phone.

Rosalie shook her head, "No answer, probably no reception. They should be back any time though." She glanced at Emmett with a very irritated look on her face. Alice briefly wondered if Rosalie was more pissed off about her 'plans' for the evening being ruined than she was the possibility of being attacked. "Elle en mouille pour lui," Alice thought, stifling a giggle. Edward scowled at her, reading her thoughts and not approving of the moment of levity, but she pointedly ignored his glare. It served him right for reading her mind.

"We can't wait." said Garrett, his injuries obviously affecting his movements as he shifted around. "If we stay here, they'll destroy us. They're obsessed. The way they chased us, they had no concern for self preservation. All they cared about was trying to get to us and kill us."

"We won't leave without my entire family." Carlisle answered, his tone final.

Jasper spoke up. "We can run when they get back."

"Run where?" Rosalie said, "Just keep running with an army on our tail?" The scorn of following that sort of plan plain in her voice.

Jasper shook his head. "There's no way we can defeat numbers like those."

Alice had gone silent for a moment, her face blank before she snapped back to reality, cursing. Everyone turned to look at her. "Esme and Adara are on their way back, but everything just went blank."

Carlisle frowned, "The wolves interfering with your visions again?"

Alice frowned, but any response was cut off by a sudden and surprisingly gentle knock on the glass of the back door. The entire house turned as one where a black hooded figure politely rapped on the door. Crouched on the handrail of the back porch behind her was another black clad form, facing away from the house.

"Mon dieu! Gendarmes!" Laurent exclaimed, "fils de salope."

"Who the hell is that?" Tanya asked laconically, surprised by the new arrival and Laurent's outburst.

"Volturi." Eleazar said in a calm murmur as he frowned at the two figures. He suddenly stiffened and let out a small gasp, rocking back on his heels in surprise, openly staring.

"What is it, Eleazar?" asked Carmen, concerned at the expression on her mate's face.

"A large coven in Italy, but that's not important right now," Eleazar deadpanned. Carmen blinked in surprise and then swatted his arm lightly, in no mood for his attempts at humor at the moment.

"It's okay, we know her, you're right, she's a member of the Volturi." Carlisle said, though he frowned at Eleazar's reaction. Eleazar had been a member of the Volturi at one point, but he left after meeting Carmen. They had joined the Denali coven, after they'd left the Volturi with the blessing of Aro; Eleazar had no difficulties interacting with the Volturi since.

Jasper made it to the door before anyone else, opening it. Eliza pulled back her hood as he answered the door and grinned. "Hey, sorry to drop in uninvited."

Jasper couldn't help smiling, stepping back to let Eliza in. The other figure kept her back to the house as she crouched on the railing and made no move to enter the house. When Eliza stepped in and violet eyes met those of the new arrivals, the entire group let out a small gasp, and Tanya spoke up first. "The Executioner."

The Cullens were confused, but Eliza just shrugged. "I prefer Eliza rather than being burdened with the nomenclature of a truly horrid series of books, or a lame X-Men villain, but whatever floats your boat."

Jasper was the first to get past his puzzlement. "Sorry, we don't have a lot of time. The Denali's have a huge number of newborns following them, and they could be here any minute."

Eliza nodded, "We know."

Jasper blinked and Carlisle spoke up. "There's 50 or so of them. Far more than we're able to handle. They also have wolves with them."

Eliza shook her head. "No, they don't."

Garrett stepped forward, despite the restraining arm of his mate around his waist, his voice growling. Normally he didn't lose his temper so easily, but the night had been a long one for him and his frustration was mounting."Young lady, I can assure you there are. We saw them."

"Yes, you did. But they're not here now. And they won't be here." Eliza grinned.

"What do you mean?" Edward finally asked scowling. He seemed to do that a lot lately, Eliza noted. Despite the serious situation, he seemed unable to get past his distaste for Eliza.

Eliza looked as if she were thinking of something clever to say then Isabella snapped from outside, "For once in your sorry life just shut the hell up Edward." Eliza gave Edward a taunting smirk at her mother's comment.

"Eliza." Isabella's voice called out again seriously.

Eliza rolled her eyes, and looked back at the group her voice going from sarcastic to overly sweet. "If you'd be so kind as to stay in here, we'll take care of this."

"You want us to stay in here? You're going to handle all of them by yourselves?" Edward stated, looking puzzled, still smarting from Isabella's casual dismissal.

Eliza sighed and rolled her eyes again, turning her head, obviously addressing Isabella. "You were right, the absolute grasp of the obvious some of these people have is breathtaking." She shook her head before turning and going back outside to join her mother.

She stood next to the rail looking out at the forest. "How do you want to handle this one?" She asked her voice turning serious for a moment.

"I'm still working it out." Isabella admitted, her eyes searching the trees slowly. Her mind was flitting through possibilities and strategy, trying to come up with an effective plan that also allowed for the possibilities of wolves somehow making it through to join the battle.

"Excuse me." Carlisle stepped out to join them.

"Stay in the house." Isabella's voice said coldly without turning around.

"The safety and survival of our family is all of our concern." Carlisle protested stubbornly.

Isabella whipped her head around, but kept her position crouched on the railing. She pulled back her hood to fix Carlisle with a glare. "You're right. It is your concern. The best thing you can do for them is shut up and get inside."

"Don't you dare speak down to him!" snarled Edward's voice as he stepped up to glare at Isabella.

Isabella didn't even bother glancing his way as she addressed Carlisle, her red eyes slowly darkening to a obsidian black as they burned intently into his. "Let me put it this way. You step out of this house to intervene before the fight is over, or we're both dead, and you become one of the enemy." She paused to then glare at Edward, "And if I want anything out of you I'll just squeeze your head until it bursts."

She didn't even bother to wait for a response turning to look back at the woods focusing her attention again. It was several moments later when she heard Carlisle retreating back to the house, pulling a resistant Edward with him.

Eliza spoke after a few moments, stretching out her senses for any sign of approach. "You know... it's a larger group than usual, but we could always try showing them a shiny object." Her voice sounded serious.

Isabella turned to regard her with a disapproving frown for several long moments. "Amazing," Her voice dripping sarcasm.

"Distractions tend to work well against groups. We've used it before." Eliza said defensively.

Isabella shook her head. "I'm not irritated at that. It's you distilling 'constant distraction of the enemy provides opportunity,' from a major principle of Sun Tzu's 'Art of War', down to 'shiny object.'"

Eliza sniffed with mock arrogance. "I said the same thing, just more to the point. I didn't need a few hundred pages to say it."

Isabella sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. She managed a smile before finally nodding slowly. "It's a good strategy. Let me guess. You want to be the shiny object?"

"I'm way better at it than you." Eliza snorted, "Besides unless you've got a better idea, it's our best bet."

Isabella shook her head. "No. I don't have anything better. Where do you want to do this?"

"Best place is in the clearing right here." Eliza replied.

"Okay, I'll position myself in the trees and remain cloaked. What're you going to do?" Isabella asked curiously.

Eliza grinned wide. "I dunno, I'll figure something out. I know you love it when I improvise."

Isabella sighed giving her daughter one final glance before she nodded and launched herself off the porch to the ground below and sprung into the trees.

Eliza watched her mother go and looked around slowly. Her eyes came to rest on an old straw broom, leaning against the side of the house and she grinned as an idea came to her.

She turned around and walked back into the house. Carlisle was examining Garrett's injury and he looked up, surprised. Most of the rest of the eyes of the house were already staring at her.

"Sorry! Just need to borrow something!" She walked right over the fireplace looking at it for a few brief moments before she snatched a pack of matches off the mantle. "Thanks!" she said before she left again. The entire group watched her in stunned silence.

Eliza snatched the broom and checked to make sure the straw was dry. Once Eliza was satisfied she walked out to the center of the field to wait, keeping her senses alert.

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"Are we really going to let them get themselves killed?" Alice demanded watching Eliza walk out with the matches. Adara and Esme had returned just after Isabella half threatened, half warned Carlisle. They were quickly filled in on the situation.

"There's no way they're going to do anything other than slow them down for a few minutes, if we're lucky." Jasper asserted.

Tanya shook her head slowly. "I...I'm not sure... I've been hearing rumors and stories for years about them."

Carlisle frowned, and tilted his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"The Volturi have always had a habit of collecting powerful members. I know you're all aware of the 'witch twins" Jane and Alec." Kate said, looking around, seeing nods of confirmation. "Well, rumors have been floating around about a new set of twins they have. The Assassin and the Executioner. I've never heard them referred to any other way. Up until very recently anytime there's unrest it's always those two names popping up. They kill quickly and without mercy."

Tanya nodded and expounded. "We saw them once about 20 years ago. There was a vampire in Juneau, starting leaving a mess. We went to investigate because it was getting close to our home. We tracked them down only to find those two in Volturi robes leaving an old gym on fire."

"How do you know it was those two the rumors are about?"Emmett interjected..

Tanya smiled without a trace of mirth. "I know because of the description I've heard. It's very basic. 'The black eyes of the Assassin and the violet eyes of the Executioner.' I saw their eyes that night. Black and purple. I've heard that they're scary enough even other Volturi are uneasy around them."

"Anyone's eyes can be black." Edward scoffed and shook his head.

"No. Not like that. Not just the irises, the entire eye. It was like there was nothing there." Tanya shuddered a little bit.

"And then there are their abilities." Eleazar's voice was quiet as he stood watching the figure of Eliza in the field.

"What do you mean, love?" asked Carmen moving beside her mate. It was a known fact Eleazar had the ability to sense the abilities of others. He could tell what a vampire was capable of by being in close proximity to them.

"I mean I've never seen abilities like theirs. I can't even tell you what each one does. Their auras are all jumbled up together. Different colors flashing at different times. I will tell you, the one who stayed on the porch has... a great darkness inside of her. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, and I have no idea what it means." Eleazar's shoulders slumped slightly as his description got more and more confusing.

Edward suddenly spun around to stare out at the glass. "They're coming. There's... a lot of them." He frowned deeply. "They're all thinking the same thing. 'Kill the Denali. Kill the yellow-eyes. Over and over. They think of nothing else..." He winced and put his hands to his head, the refrain making him flinch in pain.

"We're sorry we led them to you." Tanya said quietly to Carlisle.

"Nonsense. No matter what happens, our families stand together." Carlisle said as he turned to stare out the window. "Besides... I think those two may have a trick or two up their sleeves."

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Eliza was standing in the middle of the small meadow, her senses alert, but she couldn't help grinning. She was always excited before a battle. The ocean air was blowing inward so she knew they vampires weren't close yet.

"Eliza, I'm just to the north of you. Jacob's here." Isabella's voice rang in her head. "They took care of the wolves coming down. Though he wants to talk about it afterwards."

"Is... Leah okay?" Eliza couldn't help herself from asking.

Her mother's voice chuckled dryly. "She's just fine. I've told Jacob to wait in the north until they attack then to circle around behind the newborns. The pack is going to catch the ones breaking and running away. He's promised not to interfere unless one of us whistles."

"It smells like the vampires got tired of waiting. They're getting closer." Eliza said seriously.

"I'm just about in position and ready." Isabella responded, her voice flat.

Eliza waited a few moments and felt her mother draw on her power, cloaking herself. With them this close she was barely conscious of it, and it didn't distract her or hurt her in the slightest. She waited until she heard the first movements in the distant underbrush before she lit a match and set the straw of the broom on fire. Eliza then stood there with it burning, holding it out in front of her like a staff.

"What on earth are you doing?" Isabella's thoughts echoed in her daughter's mind.

"Re-enacting a classic." Eliza responded holding the broom up as figures emerged from the forest. The group stopped when they came across this odd sight.

Eliza watched them silently as the group's numbers swelled behind him. The leader smirked and began to stride forward again, his group right behind him. "This would be so much more effective if I were wearing grey instead of black."

Eliza waited until she thought most, or all of the group had entered the clearing. Then she lifted the broom above her head with her arms spread wide and shouted with a voice that could probably be heard for a mile. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" and cracked the end of the broom down in front of her for emphasis.

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me…" Eliza heard her mother's reaction and couldn't help but smile. However, it had the desired effect. The advancing group stopped in surprise. There were several bewildered looks. None of the approaching mob seemed to know what to make of the seemingly crazy vampire wielding a burning broom.

Isabella took immediate advantage of their confusion and hesitation as she struck the group from above and behind. Her attack was sudden as a lightning bolt. Six vampires were headless before anyone realized they were under attack. Another three lost their heads as the first shouts of shock were heard from the back of the ranks. The leader and most of the vampires in front spun around at the sudden sounds of attack and death.

The dark haired male in the lead instantly realized his mistake and spun back around; just in time to see Eliza's fist as it parted his head completely from his body. The fight was on.

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"What the hell is she doing?" Rosalie asked as she watched the girl set fire to the broom she had taken. Her question was a general one but it was mostly directed at Jasper, but his look was just as puzzled as anyone else. The approaching newborns weren't the only ones questioning the sanity of the vampire in the clearing.

"I have no clue…" Jasper admitted.

They all watched in stunned silence when they heard the shouted phrase. No one understood, until Emmet started chuckling under his breath, a chuckle that broke out into a laugh as he understood. More than one person glanced to him as if to ask him to explain the joke, but their thoughts were derailed by the beginning of the fight below.

The astonished Cullens and Denali watched from above. Eliza and Isabella were circling the suddenly off balance group of vampires, disappearing and reappearing hitting or kicking and then disappearing again, without any discernible rhyme or reason. Both families stood at the back window and watched. Ready to fight or run the instant the army broke through.

"Holy..." Emmett said in breathless shock. He was disappointed at missing this fight, but secretly found it damned entertaining.

"Have you ever seen anyone move so fast?" Rosalie asked Carlisle. Carlisle just shook his head slowly, transfixed.

Jasper was frowning as he watched the battle. He was able to better follow it than the rest of the group, because they apparently weren't cloaking their emotions during battle, either intentionally or unintentionally. Even he was amazed at the speed of the performance before him. He watched them both with fascination. Rage seemed to course through Isabella, practically exploding out of her each time she struck. Eliza was angry, but only partially, she was equally excited. Jasper was astonished; she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Jasper frowned, becoming distracted by the emotions Alice was feeling. He kept peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. He could feel her worry and a growing sense of sorrow she could not wholly conceal.

Alice was pressed up against the glass, one hand on the window as she stared at the fight. Her eyes darted over the engagement, picking out the figure of Isabella each time she appeared following her until she disappeared again. She was worried each time she saw a swipe or random flail almost strike Isabella. However, as she watched Isabella and Eliza move in synchronization, she frowned and a feeling of hurt settling inside her began to grow. The two of them were so perfect together. Bella had obviously found her mate. How could she ever hope to compete?

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Less than one minute into the battle the element of surprise and the confusion had rendered fully half of the newborns incapacitated. The loss of their leader kept them from organizing an effective resistance. But as surprise wore off, the attacks from Eliza and Isabella became less effective. They weren't less accurate; the attacks were blocked or dodged more often.

Isabella fought with cold precision, striking hard and fast in quick movements. Each strike delivered with a force that was calculated to inflict the most amount of pain and damage as possible, before moving on to the next strike. Her demeanor was completely detached, never showing any emotion. Despite the blank mask she wore, she was consumed by a cold rage that threatened to consume her. She fought like a machine, utterly aware of her surroundings, continually searching for the next place to strike. Each blow that connected, punishing it's victim, making them share her pain. The occasional lucky strike or blow coming from a quick newborn made her grunt, and occasionally roll with it. She didn't bother remembering who hit her, just accepted and absorbed the occasional physical punishment then moved on to her next attack.

Eliza was the exact opposite. Her movements were no less effective or devastating than Isabella's but she fought with a verve and energy that Isabella didn't. Her movements seemed more fluid than Isabella's. At times it seemed like a complicated dance. Eliza seemed to be dancing to music only she could hear as she darted and twisted between the vampires. There was a savage beauty to her movements. Eliza showed emotion as she moved, she grinned or laughed occasionally after a particularly effective blow. When someone struck her, they immediately became her next target. One vampire got lucky, punching her stomach, and was rewarded moments later when Eliza caught both of his wrists and ripped his arms off.

In a way their disparate fighting styles reflected their personalities, Eliza almost joyful in her hedonistic violence, Isabella sharing the pain which defined her. Despite the differences in their approach, the two of them were perfect compliments to one another. Every move both of them made seemed to be synchronized. A push from Eliza, would send one vampire stumbling forward right into the striking fist of Isabella. A trip from Isabella would cause another vampire to stumble into a neighbor, giving Eliza a perfect opportunity to kill both while they were distracted.

Their instinctive communication, their ability to disappear and reappear and the fact they were just plain faster, stronger, and more flexible than the vampires they were facing made it an uneven battle at best. If the newborns had achieved organization or cohesiveness, the attack wouldn't have been so devastating. They had been ready to attack a larger coven, not two fighters. They just weren't prepared for such focused primal violence. Four minutes into the fight the attackers (Though this begged the question… who was really being attacked) were reduced to slightly more than a dozen.

One of the vampires was fortunate enough to grasp Isabella's cloak. She felt herself jerked back mid-leap and slammed to the ground. She immediately rolled to the side to avoid the stomp of the foot smashing the ground where her body had just been. She jerked her arms out of the cloak, shredding it easily, and freeing herself. She swept her foot out, tripping the vampire who'd grabbed her and then followed it up with her foot slamming into the back of his neck, separating it from his shoulders. She stood up, and felt an explosion of pain in her shoulder, just as she heard a cry of surprise and pain from Eliza.

She turned as she saw three vampires forcing her face down to the ground. One was biting her shoulder while the other two had her waist and legs in deadly embraces. Isabella snarled and attacked the three vampires before they had a chance to react in any way. She kicked one of the two off Eliza's back then smashing the head off the one with her arms wrapped around Eliza's legs with incensed brute force. Isabella pulled the vampire with his teeth in Eliza's shoulder away from her and with a loud roar of rage quite literally ripped him in half. She tossed the legs away and then seemingly, just for the hell of it, ripped off his head.

Eliza didn't waste any time recovering, throwing herself on the nearest vampire who was still stunned by the sheer ferocity of Isabella just seconds earlier. Isabella didn't stop to ask if she was okay, slamming into two more newborns. The remaining vampires, tried to rush Isabella at once. She leapt, disappearing mid air.

The vampires looked around in confusion, but they didn't wait long as she reappeared behind them repeating her first maneuver and four of the remaining seven died before they realized what was happening. The other three died noisily within seconds. Two fell to Isabella, the third from an attack he didn't even see coming as Eliza hit him from the side.

Eliza looked around at the devastation they had wrought. Pieces of fifty plus bodies scattered across the meadow, all turning shades of grey. For several seconds she just basked in the sheer thrill of the fight they'd just had. The moment passed quickly and Eliza turned to her mother in confusion. "Why didn't any of them run?"

Isabella opened her mouth to remind her daughter what newborns were usually like, but then reconsidered. Yes they were used as cannon fodder, but when things were going like they just had, instincts for self preservation should have kicked in. "I don't know." She looked around at the scattered parts of bodies over the clearing, and thought for a moment it had seemed… almost too easy.

Isabella dismissed her thoughts as she looked up and saw the figure of a dark red colored wolf padding into the clearing, followed by a smaller grey wolf. The bigger wolf growled and gave a whine as he looked around. "Go home and get clothes Jacob. Then come back. We have to talk about this. This was a big deal."

Eliza smiled at the familiar form of the smaller wolf. "Go get clothes, I'm okay." The smaller wolf looked at her before turning and sprinting off quickly.

Eliza turned to look back at the house, both families were filing out. Their movements seemed both excited and cautious as they approached the field.

Isabella was kicking over the body of one of the larger vampires, shaking her head. Isabella then took a few steps and picked up the remains of the burning broom. She held it in her hands as she turned to Eliza. "Seriously? Lord of the Rings?

Eliza sniffed haughtily at Isabella's sarcastic tone, "I've waited forever to do that. Seriously, who's more awesome than Ian Mckellan in that scene?" She kept one eye on the approach of the Cullen and Denali as they looked around at all the headless bodies.

Isabella rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop a small smile from crossing her face. "You went with Gandalf as a distraction. You are such a geek sometimes."

Eliza laughed and shook her head slightly, "This from someone who quotes Sun Tzu. I bet he never used a burning broom to distract an army before."

Isabella shook her head wryly. "No, for the most part, his sanity wasn't in question." She began looking around on the ground again.

Emmett was the first person to speak up as they stepped through the carnage. He turned to look at Edward with a grin. "Dude, your ex is a bad ass."

Rosalie grinned as she looked around; the grin became a laugh as she saw the scowl crossing Edward's face.

Tanya turned to look at Edward with a look of surprise on her face. " The Execu- I mean, Eliza is your ex?" she asked, a glance at Eliza prompting her to correct herself.

Eliza immediately started making gagging sounds as Edward scowled further and shook his head speaking over Eliza's dramatics. "No, Isabella is my mate. She's the other one."

"God you're not only arrogant but dimwitted aren't you?" Eliza's scornful voice greeted them. "She's not your mate. Get it through your thick skull."

Edward scowled, a low growl escaping from his throat, as they approached "I wasn't talking to you, you arrogant bitch."

Eliza opened her mouth to reply but surprisingly was beaten to the punch by, not one, but several Cullens.

"Edward! You know better than to talk to someone that way!" Esme said in a scolding tone.

"That is no way to talk to a lady." Jasper's voice added immediately, his tone offended. Eliza wondered if he was still smarting from the discussion about southern gentlemen the previous day.

"Dude, maybe it's best not to piss off the two vampires who just took out fifty newborns by themselves… Just a thought" Emmett's reply was full of sarcasm.

Isabella smiled without humor as she slowly shook her head, "It's okay. Edward was never very good when he wasn't controlling those around him. He's just a little slow grasping I'm not, nor will I ever be his. He's really not a bad sort once you get past the arrogance, whining, total dishonesty and lack of anything resembling moral fiber."

Edward scowled at the opinions mounting up around him and wisely choose not to say anything further.

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Author's notes

1) YAY Chapter!

2)This chapter was a very frustrating one for us. DarkBella especially. In part because of the chapter and in part because of my own stubbornness. It would have been out earlier but I spent 3 hours dithering over one line of dialogue. Nothing seemed to fit right. And i was just rejecting everything i put out and everything DarkBella put out. I think if she could have, DarkBella would have reached through the computer screen and smacked me. In the end, she found something that fit. Rather than an awkward "clever" line that I was initially going for.

It's chapter's like this that drive home just how lucky I've been to find a co-author who can make my writing coherent. And take away my massive over use of the words "that", "little bit", and "curiously" She is absolutely amazing and I have no idea where I'd be without her right now.

3) I hope you all agree that Eliza was so... Eliza in this chapter.

4) For those of you worried about Mary Sue characters. Don't. I've got stuff coming down the point that will hammer that home :P I was just never all that impressed with newborns. they were so breakable _ Jacob was kinda a smeghead for letting one hurt him. (bonus points if you recognize the reference!)

4) DarkBella's author's notes: Wanted people to know that Kathryn and I may be doing another story together very soon. We'll start on it probably before this one is done.

5) It's an awesome idea :O

6) I hope you liked the chapter! Please read and review!

Next Chapter- This place is filled with mean ladies!