Leah

I feel like I'm gonna be sick. I thought to myself, circling the Swan house with my paws crunching softly in the light snow that had fallen. Seth murmured an agreement in my head.

Did we eat something weird? I shrugged. My mind absently wandered to Angela. I had sent her out of town with her parents, needing her to be as far from the fight as possible but I still worried. Being so far from her was hard.

Jake's phone started to ring, muffling a snarl I thought I heard in the trees. He had stayed in human form to be closer to the house, keeping a watchful eye on Charlie. The shrill clanging of Jake's phone did nothing to ease my anxiety and I was glad he answered it quickly. I stalked toward him to get a better listen to his call but as soon as Jake put the phone to his ear, something hard and fast took him down. The phone flew from Jake's hand and smashed against a tree, shattering to pieces.

The tumbling black mass of fur and pale skin crashed into the ground with a hard thud, creating a small crater in the ground where they landed. Jake had turned mid-way to the ground, ripping from his skin in an explosion of gray fur, and was snapping and snarling at his attacker. When Jacob's paws caught the guy in the chest and sent him flying back, I saw a glimpse of his face but didn't recognize him. A pair of blood red eyes let me know exactly who had sent him our way though. Seth leapt from his position to grab the newborn from the back but the guy was too fast and we all felt too slow. He whipped around and knocked Seth against a tree so hard the wood splintered and bits of bark exploded in every direction. My body reacted before my mind could. I crashed into him while he was distracted by Seth, feeling a heavy nauseating rumble in my stomach as I collided with his solid frame, almost retching. He fell to his back but quickly leapt back up and swung his fist full force into my jaw. I felt several bones break and blood pool in my mouth, making me gag again, doubling over from the increasing pain in my head and stomach. The closer I got to him the worse it was. Touching his cold skin was like pouring curdled milk directly down my throat and shaking me up. But even being close to him was tough. Like a black hole, the closer you got the worse it was and the weaker you felt. My head was aching like it had been rolled over with a truck. I could see Seth and Jake were suffering the effects too and the guy smiled when he saw how sick I was. I wretched.

Seth, run! I screamed inside my thoughts. I wasn't sure what the hell was going on but I knew if someone didn't help soon, we were going to die. Seth, just run. Get as far away as you can. I begged him. The pale and grinning vampire stalked toward Jacob's heaving form and picked him up by the back of the neck. Seth struggled to get up, heaved, fell back to the ground.

Angela, I love you. I whispered the thought in my mind hoping she already knew, squeezed my eyes shut, and prayed it would end quickly.

Bella

Trees whipped past me, my feet felt like they hardly touched the ground as I raced toward Charlie and the wolves. But still I didn't feel fast enough. I was dimly aware that Aro, Jane, and a few others had followed but couldn't be bothered to check and see who. I used every bit of strength I could find inside me and pushed myself as hard as I could. Please be okay. Please, Charlie, I'm so sorry. Aro kept up with me easily, faster than I would have thought and I could sense Jane right on my heels. When I got close enough to hear snarling and smelled blood, an anguished cry erupted out of my throat.

As we got closer I felt Jane slipping back. I pressed forward anyway, no time to wonder why. But when I felt Aro draw back a bit, I did glance over. He was slowing a little, a peculiar and uneasy look on his face. I smelled the familiar scent of home wafting through the trees. I could smell Charlie's aftershave and the scent of stale beer from the table beside the couch. But those pleasant memories were washed away with the smell of blood. Not like the sweet and mouth watering way the man in the throne room had smelled. This had the dank smell of an animal and I knew it had to be one of the wolves. The closer we drew to them, the more uncomfortable Aro looked. He looked weak and almost… queasy. Can vampires get sick? I thought, rushing to Aro's side.

"Something's wrong." He croaked out, the frailty of his voice scaring the hell out of me. I looked back to Jane who had all but collapsed, a panicky look in her eyes. Felix and the other guards who had followed struggled to keep going but looked like they were all about to lose it too. None of them were accustomed to feeling weak, and that's exactly how they looked. Weak. Even Felix in his towering frame looked like a baby deer on new legs. "Isabella, are you alright?" He still attempted to take a defensive position next to me, always my protector.

"I feel fine. I have to go save Charlie." I tried to take off again but he grabbed my arm.

"Isabella, be careful. It looks like you're likely the only one who's immune to whatever this is, you'll be alone against whoever is out there." I knew who was out there and I was not about to let him hurt Charlie. His voice lowered, a tinge of fear clouding it like I'd never heard before. "I can't let you go alone." I kissed his forehead softly, and he almost felt warm.

"I'll be back, baby." I tore my hand from his and rushed off toward the sound of a large crack followed by a pained yowling. I heard Aro calling after me but I couldn't look back, I had to do this. I was not about to let Mike Newton ruin everything.

I was about 300 yards from Charlie's house when I heard my dad snoring on the couch. He had the tv up loud, clearly not hearing anything happening in the woods just behind him, but I heard the faint sound of his breathing and smelled his all too tempting blood. I was thankful the wolf smell was stronger.

I swept left, searching for Jake as I skidded to a stop in a small clearing of trees. The first thing I saw was blood, and knowing it wasn't Charlie's didn't help at all. That animal smell clouded my nostrils and I whipped around to see Leah and Seth huddled together next to a tree. Leah was trying to stand, huffing at me like she was trying to warn me, but looked too weak to change back or even stand fully on her four legs. Then I saw Jake, his crumpled form lying on the forest form in a heap of blood still seeping out from beneath him, coloring the snow in a pool around him. My heart broke right there in my chest, knowing but not wanting to accept. An ache so deep and awful began to swell and swallowed me whole, drowning me. Time stilled and I willed it to turn back, wishing I'd never gone to that damned baseball game in the first place.

I heard no heartbeat beneath the soft fur of my now dead best friend. Jake, no please, Jake, Oh god. I placed a hand on his back and felt the heat quickly leaving his still body.

Mike crashed into me with all the force of a toppling mountain. I felt air rushing past me as we flew back and then we landed hard on the ground with him on top of me. I jumped back up and tried to get a hold on him but he was fast, faster than I anticipated and he was back on me in an instant. I started to scramble and panic, thrashing, and he got his arms wrapped around mine, pinning them to my sides. He was almost as newborn as I was and matched me in strength. But I had panicked and now I wasn't sure there was a way out.

"Hey, Bella. I missed you." His voice slithered out, still sounding boyish as usual but with a mocking undertone of authority he'd never had before. But he'd never had this much strength and power before. His eyes gleamed red and peared down at me hungrily.

"Get off me, Mike." I struggled against him, my brain racing to find a way to slip through his grip. If I could get one good hand on him, I could rip him apart and be done with it. I had been a fool running in the way I had but what else could I have done? Dammit it, why am I the only one immune to everyone's power? If Aro had been with me, this fucker would already be dead. But instead I was alone.

"Oh, I will. After I've had my fun." He laughed a sinister cackle as he leaned down to kiss my neck and the feeling of his lips on my skin was like acid. I froze, my mind wanting to shut down and leave my body completely. This isn't happening. I tried to tell myself, this is not happening. I closed my eyes and prayed for Aro, wished beyond all hope that he was the one that could be protected from this stupid gift Mike had. I used every ounce of energy I could feel inside me to call out to him, to reach him somehow.

I felt something then, like static electricity all over my body, clinging to my form like a protective barrier. As Mike's mouth continued its unrelenting exploration of my skin I tried to block it out and focus on that static, relying on instinct to tell me what to do. I used all my anger and pain to throw that barrier as far as I could, hoping it would reach Aro. It felt like the tightening of a bow string as the thing expanded and shot out of me. Aro, please help me.

I waited. Time slowed. A beat. Two.

Mike was hoisted off of me then and in a flash Aro had Mike on his knees in an instant, his hands grasping the upper and lower parts of his jaw and ripping his head in half. Mike's eyes stared in a look of frozen horror and confusion and Aro dropped both parts unceremoniously to the ground and struck a match.

Back at my side, he laid a hand on my cheek and I reflexively flinched from his touch, still not over the sickening feeling of Mike's arms wrapped around me.

"Isabella, miele, are you alright?" I nodded but ran to the spot where I had found Jake. Leah and Seth had changed back to their human forms and were kneeling beside Jake's still unmoving body. I dropped to my knees next to him, placed a hand on his soft fur, and cried. No tears came of course, but my body was racked with sobs of anguish. Jane and the rest had gathered behind me, the effects gone the second Aro popped the top half of Mike's head off. Felix tended to the fire and I focused on the crackling pops as Mike's skin burned and melted away. Jane's hand reached out and rested on my shoulder, and I appreciated the consolation. But the pain never dulled..

When I felt I had a bit more composure I stood, facing Leah and Seth whose puffy faces and red eyes held no touch of the accusations I thought they would have, and hugged them both.

"I'm so sorry about this." We stood together for a while, embracing and feeling each other's grief. Until the scent of Charlie's blood began wafting toward me and I knew I didn't have much more control in me.

"Aro, get me out of here." The others understood and stayed behind to take care of things. I'm so sorry, Jake. I thought and another sob hitched in my chest.

"You need to feed." Aro whispered and the burn down my throat intensified. I panicked, thinking about the sour animalistic smell from Jake and didn't think I could stomach deer blood. When I had been human, I was so adverse to the thought of killing a human I didn't even want to talk to Aro about it. I was sure I would commit to the Cullen's 'vegetarian' way, even worried that Aro would be disappointed in me. But actually being overcome with the bloodlust is an entirely different thing. I respected them all so much more, knowing how hard it really was. Still, the thought of drinking from a random innocent, from Forks no less… I wasn't sure I could live with myself.

"I can't." Was all I could manage. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Come with me, I have an idea." He lead to me the hospital that I unfortunately knew a bit too well, the place I had first met Carlisle after Edward saved me from that stupid van. I looked at him cautiously, wondering why the hell he would bring me here. I could faintly smell the warm bodies floating through the halls, a temptation almost too close to resist.

"Aro…" I started but he shushed me and left me standing about a half mile away. His dark form disappeared through a door in the back and I lost sight of him. He reappeared not a moment later with several dark bags in his hands and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they were until he was nearly right in front of me. They were bags of blood.

I laughed. And fell in love with him a little bit more.

Alice

We all mostly just stood in silence for a while, waiting to hear from Bella and Aro. We all knew they could easily handle a single newborn but still we waited. Alec's vapor quieted the few newborns that were left from Victoria's army but no one wanted to move until we knew Bella was safe. Even Marcus and the guard looked concerned. True she was their queen, but it was clearly deeper than that. Bella's hold on everyone was instantaneous and strong, I could see it in all their faces.

I was starting to get worried when my phone finally rang. It was Leah. A feeling of relief washed over all of us knowing Bella was okay, and Leah explained what had happened. My heart ached for Jake and I wished for a moment I could bring Victoria back to life just to watch Bella shred her apart again. I hung up and the guards finished out the last of the newborns, leaving only the kid who had been with Victoria when she'd been caught. I was sure Aro would have wanted to interrogate him but in the distraction of things I doubted he cared anymore. Looking closer, I recognized him as the kid on some of the posters around Seattle, and had even seen his photo on several news channels. Riley Biers. He'd been missing for over a year, his parents surely having given up hope long ago. As they should, their son was long gone now. The first year of a newborn's change is the most crucial time and how that goes can determine the rest of their immortal life. Someone isolated under the care of Victoria for a year was likely to end up as feral as she was unless…. But my thoughts were broken off by a small, fleeting vision flashing in front of my eyes.

The vision was hazy, blurred as hell and flashing like a strobe light. A lot of my visions started out fuzzy and cleared as people made final decisions and set themselves on certain paths. But this one was a shapeless mess and all I could make out at first was Edward. I tried to focus and saw another shape, approaching Edward from behind… in the meadow? I couldn't tell exactly but that's what I thought. After only a few seconds, shorter than most, the vision ended and when I refocused on Riley's face I immediately realized he was the other figure in the vision. Just before it ended, Edward had turned to him and it looked like they were about to…embrace? I threw a questioning look to Edward but he just stared back at me, bewildered. Demetri stepped toward Riley, who was still kneeling on the ground in a daze, wide eyes looking nowhere.

"NO!" Edward and I both shouted at the same time, and I don't think either of us quite knew why at first. Demetri's head whipped toward us, snarling.

"What?" He snapped. Edward looked to me, panicked and looking for help.

"Just wait." I stalled. "We need to talk to him. Alec, can you…?" I trailed off. They all looked at me like I was crazy. "One of you can hold him back of course, but just let him talk to us. For a moment." I still wasn't sure what I was arguing for or why.

"Why?" Alec barked with all the snottiness and arrogance of a willful child.

"Because I doubt Aro and Bella would be happy if they knew we had killed Victoria's accomplice without finding out if he has any more information or if she made more newborns." Valid point but I knew it wasn't true. Victoria wasn't holding back with this fight, she wanted to destroy as much as she could. But I still thought the mention of Aro would help. He pouted for a moment but eventually let his hold go after Demetri had a solid grasp on Riley.

He screamed as soon as he was able to again.

"What's going on?" His voice yelped. He thrashed uselessly against Demetri's hold, his eyes flitting around panicked.

"Riley." I spoke his name and he froze, eyes jumping to me.

"How do you…" He began but I cut him off.

"We know Victoria did this to you to help create this army to come and fight us. Is there anything else she told you?"

"What am I doing?" I thought, knowing Edward would hear but he just shrugged and prodded me on.

"She told me…" His voice was fearful and his eyes danced around the crowd.

"She's gone, Riley. It's okay."

"She told me she created me for a purpose and that I was her mate or whatever and she loved me. She told me she'd keep me safe but when you guys showed up and everything stopped… she just ran off.. I followed her but it was almost like she was trying to lose me. That's when that awful pain started." He shuddered and I understood. I'd felt Jane's wrath once before and that was more than enough. I could tell the others were getting annoyed and wanted to be done with the situation. Floundering and wondering what to do next, I finally turned back to Edward who was staring at Riley with a strange expression of a hundred emotions. When Riley's eyes finally locked with Edward's, my vision cleared to a brilliantly vivid image in my mind.

Edward stood in the meadow he'd loved for years, sunlight glinting off of his granite skin in sparkling rays. His back was to me at first but he turned as the other figure in the vision approached him and there was a contented smile on his face. The two embraced, kissed deeply, and stood with their arms wrapped around each other, facing the setting sun once more. Just before it ended, Riley's head tilted over and rested on Edward's shoulder.

I knew he had seen the vision in my mind, could hear him swallowing thickly as the implications of it set in, but he never dropped his gaze from Riley's.

"What the hell is going on?" Demetri said finally, breaking none of the tension. I tried to find the words but luckily Marcus stepped up and spoke for both Edward and I.

"It seems, as fate may have it, this young man is Edward's mate." He stated simply. Everyone stilled and looked at Edward.

"What?" Riley asked in a hushed voice. Everyone's gaze shifted to him and he shrank against it. He finally broke eye contact with Edward and stared at me instead. "I mean I knew Victoria was lying to me, I could see it every time she looked at me. But I was scared. I didn't know what else to do so I just followed along…" His voice trailed off as his gaze found its way back to my brother's. The silence stretched out as everyone processed Marcus's words and I began to wonder how I was going to keep Riley alive without Bella's authority when she finally ran up with Aro at her side.

She hugged me fiercely, not letting go when Aro started speaking to Marcus. I held her back just as tightly. Well maybe not as tight, she was damn strong and her hug was like a vice. It almost hurt. She laughed and let go like she could hear my thoughts. I quickly explained what I had seen and she smiled softly, looking at Riley and then back to Edward. She nodded her understanding and I could see some of the cracks in her heart heal a tiny bit.

Aro grasped Marcus's hand and let out a small gasp looking at Edward.

"Marcus, are you sure?" His voice sounded almost angry. He didn't want to let Riley live.

"Brother, you know I am. As terrible as the circumstances that have brought them together may be, it seems these two are fated to be together." Bella placed her hands on either side of Aro's face then and spoke softly, staring into his eyes and I could feel every ounce of love they held for one another radiating between them. I looked away, feeling like I was peaking in on a private moment but knowing everyone could hear anyway, no matter how low she spoke.

"Aro, I know this is difficult. And I know the rules say that Riley needs to be punished. But you know we can't." He started to protest. "Just listen to me, amore mio. What would you do if it were me in Demetri's grip right now? King or not. You know what this means for the both of them, and you know what it will do to him if you kill Riley. You might as well kill Edward too. And the rest of them because I doubt they'll let it happen without a fight. And even without the dilemma of it being my family you would be waging a war against, you know you don't want that. We have to let him go with Edward." He searched her eyes a long moment before looking at his brother for guidance. Whatever he saw must have been enough because he motioned for Riley to be let go. Edward helped him up from his knees and when their hands met, a sweet calm settled over the field. Riley leaned into Edwards chest and Edward's arms wrapped around him, the two of them standing there nestled together like carved statues.