Disclaimer - I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

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Supernatural

Part 2

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Previously...

Bella looked away from him and locked eyes with Sam. "Why are you here?"

"We need your help," he admitted, though he looked as if it were physically painful to acknowledge it. "A war is being fought. A war that is encroaching on our territory and endangering everyone on the reservation and the people in Forks."

"And you need me, why?"

"Vampires," Jake croaked, still rubbing his neck, standing back up. "It's vampires, Bella." The way he said it, the way he searched her eyes, almost as if he were apologizing, Bella knew. She knew who they were, one side at least.

"No," she said, shaking her head, both her answer and in denial.

"All you have to do is get them away. Lead them somewhere else. Preferably away from humans."

She turned to Sam, who had spoken, and frowned. She looked into his eyes, then Jake's, and sighed. "Fine." It was all they could do to not cheer. "I'm doing this for the humans, not for them. Once I do this, you won't contact me again?"

"I doubt we'll be able to find you again," Jake grinned his lopsided grin.

In the corner of the room, Paul snorted, alerting Bella to his presence for the first time. She looked at him, her eyes roving up and down. When they went up the second time, her eyes met his and everything between the both of them froze, neither of them hearing Jake's, "Did you just- Fucking hell!"

Present...

For Paul, the world stopped spinning on its axis. Bella was the sun and he was the earth, a mere planet in her orbit. She was the center of his world. It sent a thrill through him. It terrified him. He felt everything all at once. Fear. Excitement. Euphoria. Anger. Happiness. It was an overload of a system that had never felt so alive. It was like seeing the world for the first time after living a life in the dark.

"What's happening?" Alice asked.

"I think-"

"They mated," Edward whispered, his voice colored with disbelief. "He mated with her." He looked up at the screen, heartbreak in his eyes. "And she with him."

"Of all people," Rose said in annoyance. "Of course the dog would imprint on Bella. Because of course!"

Bella could only stare, open-mouthed, at the wolf on the other side of the room from her. Somehow, without anything ever explained to her, she knew what had happened. She watched the conflicting emotions flit across his face, almost as if she felt them herself. The largest, silliest grin grew on his face. That is until a punch landed right on his lip.

"You dick!" Jake shouted, knocking them both over and punched him again. "How dare yo-"

"Jacob!" Sam yelled, which froze the young wolf. "Get off Paul. Right now." He obeyed, unable to fight the alpha command. "This is not his fault. It is no one's. His spirit wolf has chosen." He glanced at Paul and Bella who were lost in their own world. "And wisely. She'll make a fierce protector."

"What do you mean? She's coming back with us?" Jacob suddenly sounded appalled at the idea of seeing the two around.

"She's an imprint. They won't be able to be apart. He can't stay here as his duties are with this pack." He looked at the youngest wolf, frowning in sympathy. "We'll get through this."

Jake turned to his alpha. "We?"

"Did you forget about Leah?"

That elicited a bark of laughter from him. "It's been four years. It took her a year just to be in the same room as you."

Sam clapped Jake on the back. "It'll get better." He glanced behind him and rolled his eyes. The two were still frozen, staring into each other's eyes. He walked over and stood between them, breaking the connection. He crossed his arms and stared at Bella, taking on the intimidating persona of every dad, brother, and overprotective friend to ever exist.

Bella laughed, realizing what he was trying to do. She smirked. "I don't need your approval."

Sam glanced at the three of them and smiled. This is going to be quite the adjustment, he mused. "Bella?" he said, then gulped. He knew the power she had and feared saying something to set her off. "Are you coming back with us?"

To his surprise, she nodded, smiling up at Paul, who now had his arms around her in a hug. "Of course."

Packing what few belongings Bella had wasn't hard. Getting her across several states, alternating on different backs of the wolves, was hard. They stuck to forests and when they ran out of trees, they had to transform and dress, forcing them to take off their clothes each time they phased. The hassle was one of the main reasons why the only thing they wore on the reservation was cutoff shorts.

For the entire journey to Washington, Paul never left Bella's side and vice versa. Even when she was on the back of Sam - Paul's wolf would not tolerate Bella anywhere near Jacob - he ran next to them.

Finally, they circled around Forks, entering through Ozette instead and crossing into the wildlife area of the Quileute lands.

When they ran past the sign stating they were nearing the Quileute Reservation, Bella's breath hitched. She hadn't been back- or anywhere near here or Forks since Charlie. She had vowed never to step foot into Washington again, and here she was, though she hadn't actually touched ground in the state yet. But she would soon.

She was on Paul's back again, and she was pretty sure the wolf that slowed, falling behind, was Jacob. He howled behind her and she glanced back just to see him disappear into the trees.

Bella turned again and watched as the houses on the reservation grew closer. It's like jumping in a time machine. She remembered riding wolfsback for the first time and meeting the pack; a bright young Seth, a moody Leah, an impressionable Collin and Brady, a sour Paul, an energetic Quil and Embry, a commanding but kind Sam, and a smiley Jared. She shook her head, bringing herself out of memories. The past is the past. The present is the future.

Paul and Sam slowed to a stop near a campfire, with people surrounding it. They didn't get too close since some people were not pack members and would likely freak at the sight of the large wolves. Bella hopped off Paul's back and looked at the people listening to an old man speak as Sam and Paul went into the forest to change. There was something familiar about the old man, but she couldn't place a finger on it.

Paul and Sam emerged from the trees with Jacob. She smiled, proud of herself for knowing which wolf was which even though she saw them once before.

Sam led the group to the fire and the people on the logs slowly looked up, recognition lighting up their eyes.

"You're back!" Two boys cheered almost simultaneously.

Bella stood behind them all, uncomfortable and uncertain on how she fit in. The last time she saw them was not on good terms. Bella had just walked into her house to find Victoria standing over her father's body. It was the same day she discovered her powers.

"Interesting," Carlisle noted but did not elaborate even though he felt the curious gazes on him.

When she pushed her truck to its limits on the drive over and stumbled her way, not to Jake but Sam's front door, she had already been pulsing with energy.

So many things happened that day. Her truck died. Her father was murdered. She nearly killed every Quileute pack member. And no one, no one except Sam understood. He was the only reason she didn't explode.

"Bella!" She jolted and looked up to see Emily running down the steps of her house and to her, Rachel on her heels. Before she could process what was happening, she was engulfed into two sets of arms. Both were warm but one had many more muscles than the other. She squeezed a bicep and pushed herself out of the hug, still holding an arm.

Bella trailed the arm to a sheepish face. "Rachel?" she asked incredulously, taking in the toned arms and tank-top, revealing an impressive six-pack through the thin material.

"Yes?" Rachel squeaked, sounding very small, unlike what her body presented.

"I'm glad you know," she said, pulling her back in. "Even if it is like this."

In the corner of her eye, she saw Emily pouting so she switched arms, playfully shoving Rachel away and holding Emily in a tight hug. She couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged someone. Had I really grown so cold? Was it because I was alone?

When they separated, Rachel and Emily each grabbed one of Bella's arms. They stood, looking at each other, specifically at Bella, in silent understanding.

Rachel was a shifter.

Emily was an imprintee to the alpha.

Bella was a supernatural-killing monster who was also an imprintee.

Three peas in a pod.

"Bella!" Her head whipped in Sam's direction, where everyone stood behind him in shock. Slowly, one by one, a smile grew on each person's face. Leah, Collin, Brady, Jared, Quil, Embry, Kim...but she stopped short at the sight of the teary old man who had stopped his telling of the tribal stories. The fire hit his face just right and she gasped. He was not as old as she thought he was. The man was Billy Black, a man who seemed to have aged decades in only five years.

She walked forward, almost as if something was pulling her in, and gingerly sat on the log next to Billy's wheelchair. He reached down and gently grabbed her hand, a million silent thoughts between them. The others gathered around, pack members and Quileutes alike listening as Billy resumed the story.

"And so the warrior left home, venturing into the world promising vengeance on the monster who had taken too many from her, from everyone."

Bella squeezed his hand. Though others might not, she easily understood the meaning behind his words. For years she believed she had brought her father's death upon herself, but Billy was saying that it wasn't true. He was saying that he understood why she had to leave and that he forgave her for going after Victoria. She looked into his eyes, conveying her words silently, Thank you.

He continued the story and Bella's eyes watered. Not only had he forgiven her for everything she had done, but he had also included her as part of the tribal legend.

Paul, who had sat next to her sometime during Billy's story, leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded and stood up, setting a hand on Billy's shoulder before turning away and heading once again into the trees. Paul didn't bother stripping before shifting and Bella immediately climbed onto his back.

It was only the two of them. Paul ran and Bella clutched his fur tight, trying her hardest to not let the wind knock her off. As he ran, she wondered how he could move at such a speed in the dark and not run into anything. Perhaps it was an extra ability that came with being a wolf; night vision.

All too soon he slowed to a stop and Bella hopped off his back. Though she couldn't see, she knew where they were. She had been here before.

She gulped, not liking the feeling of being vulnerable. Just beyond a thin layer of trees was a clearing. The very same where only seven years ago she stood with a group of people she once hoped would become her family. The past is the past. The present is the future. Only once in her five years by herself did she have to rely on those words, but today she repeated them like a mantra in her head.

"You can do this," Paul whispered. She nodded, took in a deep breath, and stepped forward.

She counted her steps as she walked, finding it easier to move with a distraction. The number vanished in her mind as she heard raised voices. Only for a moment, she froze at the sound of them. Bella knew they were going to be there, that she would see them, but she couldn't have built walls thick enough to withstand the bulldozer that was his voice.

But a wall doesn't fall under just one hit. She steadied herself, repaired her walls, thickening them, and marched forward. She decided a dramatic entrance was the best, most entertaining way to go. Bella spoke, knowing the wind would carry her voice to them before they would see her.

"I can admit that I wasn't expecting this," she said as she noticed the people on both sides. "But what can I say? War is unpredictable." Bella strode into the clearing so that she stood in the middle on the side, and she internally smirked at all the eyes on her. "Now, let's see if we can't resolve this issue, hm?"

Thirteen pairs of eyes bulged at the sight of Bella; seven in shock and six in confusion.

"And before you feel the need to confirm what your own eyes are seeing, yes it is me, no I am not dead, and yes. I know exactly what I'm doing." She took in the sight in front of her, briefly glancing at the Cullens before moving to the opposing side. She didn't recognize a single of the six non-Cullens but she did know who they were.

Edward had once told her of the beautiful Denalis; three 'sisters' with long, flowing blonde hair and incredible genes for people who weren't related. They lived with a Hispanic couple; Eleazar who had worked for the Volturi, and Carmen, a kind-hearted woman who was wise beyond her years. There was a man she didn't recognize, but from the way he had his arm around one of the blonde's waists, she knew he had to be her mate.

The two covens were allies, even considering themselves cousins. She couldn't for the life of her fathom why they would be fighting each other.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" demanded a member from the Denali side, the leader from the likes of it. She was the woman with curly, strawberry blonde hair. Tanya, her mind whispered. She used to be jealous of this woman, afraid Edward would realize she was so much better than old human Bella.

Well, old human Bella was about to respond, but a Cullen answered for her. "This is Bella. An old friend of ours."

"Don't be so careless with your words, Carlisle," Bella warned. Would a friend close the door in her face when she truly needed help? She should think not.

The coven leader had the audacity to look surprised, they all did. As if they hadn't expected her bitterness. As if she would trip over herself to win their approval after what they did. If anything it should be the other way around, but she knew that would never happen. Vampires at the feet of a human? Never.

"She's always so angry with us," Alice noted.

"Why wouldn't she be? As Esme said, no matter what we do, there will always be that blame, and perhaps, a little bit of animosity," Carlisle said regrettably.

Edward closed his eyes in frustration. Even if I hadn't left this still would've happened. One way or another. The thought did nothing to appease his guilt.

Bella turned to Tanya. "Think of me as a referee of sorts. A diffuser."

"And what would you do to stop us, human?" snorted the unknown man.

At that moment she wanted nothing more than to obliterate him but she knew she must wait. Revealing her gifts too soon would only ruin everything she was trying to do. So Bella clenched her fists instead.

She ignored the vampire, making a note to kill him first if things went sour, and focused on Tanya, waiting for a response. After an agonizingly long ten seconds, the blonde nodded to herself. "I'll play. Our dear cousins," she spat as if the title were a curse, "were responsible for the death of Irina's mate. Before we found out he was dead, he went missing. Apparently, he had allied with a woman called Victoria, who came after us when he didn't 'report back'. We barely survived with our lives."

The mention of Victoria caused her ears to perk up. "Pray tell, where is Victoria now?"

Another vampire spoke up, the one who Bella decided must be Kate since Irina wouldn't be attached to a male vampire if her mate was dead. "She got away."

Bella nodded. She knew that had Victoria, James, and Laurent never ran into the Cullens on that fateful day seven years ago, Laurent would be alive, the Cullens and Denalis would not be at odds with one another, Charlie never would've died at the hands of Victoria, and, perhaps in another world, Bella would not have been abandoned a second time, let alone the first.

Though everything happened because of her, she knew it wasn't her fault.

"Now?" Jasper asked incredulously. "Now she chooses to not blame herself for everything going wrong?"

"This version of Bella is certainly unpredictable," said Emmett. "From hardness, to childlike annoyance, to vulnerability, to mating with a wolf, to putting herself in the middle of warring vampire covens. She's about as predictable as Miley Cyrus."

James' coven still would've heard the Cullens game. They still would've posed a threat because of their feeding habits. The Cullens still would've been the ones to destroy the trio. It all would've happened even if Bella had never been born, albeit a bit differently.

She contemplated telling the Denalis exactly why Laurent was dead and why Victoria had gone after them. If she told them the truth, Irina would surely attack her and then the rest would attack after she killed Irina. Bella stood no chance against six- perhaps seven on top of that. If she did end up in a battle with one versus six, a part of her hoped the Cullens held a weakness for her. But she couldn't work with just 'a part'. She wouldn't take the risk with anything less than one-hundred percent. So, she ended up going a different route.

I can't believe I'm doing this, she groaned mentally. "Laurent is not dead because of the Cullens. He is dead by his own association with Victoria. They both chose their own paths; Victoria choosing revenge and Laurent choosing loyalty to her over you. You knew this but you did not want to accept it. If you want to kill everyone who led to this moment you might as well kill me, as well as the vampires who turned Laurent, Victoria, James, and James himself though the Cullens beat you to it." She paused, glancing at their faces, letting them take it in before continuing. "Do you see? Blame never falls on one single person. It is always a string of events leading up to a death or betrayal. There will always be that person who wronged someone else. It's hard to accept, but there is no one to blame for Laurent's death."

She stood, waiting, ignoring the cold as it threatened to chatter her teeth and make her shiver. Bella felt eyes on her from the other side, but she refused to look behind her. She'd already gone through so much today, facing them was something she didn't have energy for.

After several minutes of silence, Irina stepped forward. She walked up to Bella and stopped just in front of her. Bella called her energy, having it at the ready in case the vampire tried anything, and watched as the blonde stared into her eyes, searching. For what, she didn't know, but she had a good guess. Slowly, Irina nodded and took a single step backward, turning to her family. "Her words are true. Laurent-" she choked on his name, her voice breaking. "His number was up the second he met Victoria. Just none of us knew it." She cleared her throat. "There's nothing for us here."

Irina turned her back to Bella, a surprising show of trust, and walked the line between the two families into the trees. The Denalis followed after her one-by-one until all that remained were Bella and the Cullens.

"What a close call," said a sickeningly sweet voice.

And, apparently, Victoria.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Carlisle exclaimed, eliciting a chuckle from Emmett and Alice.

"Does she ever cut a break?" Rose groaned in exasperation.

Bella sprung into action, using her speed to cross the field in under a second, hands immediately charged with electricity. She collided with the red-head, the two of them rolling in the light dust of snow.

Both women were on their feet in an instant.

The fight was quick. Victoria got in only one hit to her jaw. Touching Bella was a mistake. Her entire body was electrified and the vampire's fist immediately became nothing but specks blowing in the wind. She took Victoria's shock as an opportunity to finally end the miserable life of her father's murderer.

She stood, kicking the pile of ash that had piled on the ground. Her head was still looking at the purple-flecked snow but her body was facing them. Bella looked up, eyes still glowing a brilliant silver, and met the face of each Cullen.

"Bella-" Edward started, likely to apologize or try to make amends. She didn't care.

She cut him off with two words. The same words she had said to Jennifer's ashes. They meant so much more now than they did before. "Never again."

Bella turned and used her speed to run into the forest, seeking out her wolf, her other half, her soulmate. He appeared, knowing what she needed, and they ran East, away from everyone and everything.

While they ran, her words repeated in her head over and over. Never again.

Never again would they manipulate her. Never again would they use her. Never again would they have a place in her life. Never again would they see her.

She sighed in relief, feeling a nearly decade-old weight lift from her shoulders. The Cullens were, at last, out of her life.

I dedicated my hunt to you, Dad. I know you would want me to live. Well, now I finally can.

Bella was chasing Paul in the forest as the screen faded to black.

"That vision had so many twists it could've been a book!" Emmett exclaimed, arching his back and stretching his arms.

Alice huffed, turning in her seat to face him. "Do you even read?"

"I read...stuff."

"Yeah?" she challenged, already knowing full-well that he preferred games over books. "Like what?"

"The..." he started, wracking his brain for book titles. "The Hungry Games! Harry Porter! To All the Boys I've Loved Before!"

"Emmett," Jasper sighed. "The only one of those you got right was the last, and it's a book widely read by teenage girls."

Rose, who had been greatly disturbed and upset by the vision, relaxed slightly at her siblings' and Emmett's usual banter. I wish Bella was a part of this.

Calista's voice came on overhead, startling them all. "Wish granted."

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15 - Written: 8/31/21 - 10/3/21

Posted - 10/4/21