Chapter 15 Traitor to the Covenant

Third Person POV

February, 22nd , 2003

Bella's scream was furious and agonising. It held every second of pain she and her sisters had felt at the hands of this woman. Blinded by her rage, she threw a ball of raw magic at Victoria. Her sole focus was on killing the woman who had turned them into the church. Who had burned them.

Only the moment the magic collided with Victoria, it bounced off her as if she were protected by a shield. The wild magic bore into the ground, doing no damage to its intended target. Victoria threw her hands out in front of her with a snarl. Like pins in a bowling alley Bella and the Cullens around her were blasted apart. Still a distance away, Alice and Rosalie planted their feet into the ground and grabbed Esme as roots wound around their legs, securing them.

"She's a witch," Jasper breathed and he immediately realised how much danger that added to this fight. Three vampires they could take, but a hybrid? An old hybrid? He'd seen whole armies torn to shred by a single hybrid—and they were no army.

He, Bella and the rest of the Cullens were up in the blink of an eye and amassing again, just as the roots that had grounded the girls sunk back into the ground. Bella was already moving; she planted her hand firmly on the ground and rocks immediately encased the three completely. Bella enforced it with magic to give them a minute to figure out a plan before hell broke loose.

"But she's a vampire." Rosalie was focused on Bella's movements, but Jasper could sense a rising panicked anger inside her. "She can't be a witch."

Jasper shook his head. "It's rare, but there are occasions. Permissions can be granted."

"No!" Rosalie insisted and Jasper frowned slightly in her direction. "If she's a witch…"

"If she's a witch, then it means she was a witch when she had us burned," Alice explained in a soft voice that didn't disguise the rage boiling inside her.

"That bitch," Rosalie growled. "She's–"

"Hold on," Emmett said. "Why is her being a witch so bad? Like I get it makes her harder to kill, but you're acting like it's a crime or something."

Bella's face was more thunderous than any of them had ever seen it. "Thou shall not harm thy Covenant sisters; neither by blood of life, nor hair of head," she hissed.

"To do so is treason of the highest order," Rosalie continued.

"And the traitor shall be judged by magic herself," Alice finished.

"It's the Witches Creed of War," Bella growled. "It goes into effect during times of great peril for our kind. It was in effect during the vampire wars and the Age of Fire—the most dangerous times for witches everywhere. The code has been in place since the creation of the Covenant, it is our most sacred law."

"That Victoria broke the Creed—and during the Age of Fire no less—is treason beyond redemption. Turning us into the Church should have seen her turned into the Covenant and judged by magic to receive her due. That it was the Age of Fire means that she would have suffered a fate worse than death," Alice snarled.

At that moment cracks began to spread across the stones.

"Okay, well that's fucked up and all, but right now we have bigger issues: like how the fuck do we defeat her if we can't kill her?" Emmett questioned.

"We treat her like a vampire. Dismember her and call the mutts," Bella said immediately, her vampire-killing plan at the ready. "Dismembering her will work temporarily. Even removing her head won't invoke the treaty since that's not really killing her."

"As long as none of us set her on fire…" Rosalie trailed off.

Everyone nodded. It was a good plan. Now they just had to worry about everything else. Hybrid and magic aside, these weren't ordinary vampires. Based on the scars on James and Victoria, they were skilled fighters, and that alone was an issue, but when paired with Victoria's magic, they were in serious danger.

With one spell she had scattered everyone. And while the newcomers were outnumbered eight to three and three witches against them, the odds were still in their favour. Because as old as the Cullens were, only Jasper was decent in a fight. The rest were likely to get themselves torn apart trying to help. And so, another idea was needed.

"If Justice were invoked…" Alice whispered.

Bella's head snapped to her sister. "You're not suggesting…"

"It could work…" Rosalie nodded, her thoughts racing.

"It requires us to be too still and too concentrated for far too long." Bella protested.

They all watched as the cracks in the stone grew. They were running out of time.

"If what you need is time, we can give that to you," Esme interrupted their arguing.

"What will you be trying to do?" Carlisle questioned.

"An old spell in our grimoire—it's called Justice. It's the first invoking spell any McKinnon learns. The spell invokes olde magics and it would essentially cripple her for an hour," Bella explained.

"That gives us enough time to dismember her and deliver her to the dogs," Edward nodded along.

"Will they help us though?" Esme asked, fretting as the first pieces of stone cracked and splintered off the trio of rocky prisons. "And will the spell work?"

Bella flashed her teeth. "I'll ask nicely."

"The spell was to incapacitate any witch who harmed the McKinnon line so they could be taken into the Covenant," Alice added. "Every old family has a similar spell."

"It'll work," Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "But we can't go for it right away. We need more upturned dirt."

"When you're fighting them, disturb the earth as much as possible. We need to expose a large amount of soil beneath the grass to properly incapacitate her." Bella held up her hand when Emmett started to ask why. "Don't ask, just do."

They all turned to the stone prisons as a large crack resounded across the field.

"Good luck," Alice murmured. "The Morrigan be with us."

They all readied themselves as the prisons shattered and the three broke free.

Before they could so much as snarl, three balls of raw magic zoomed past the Cullens' heads and burst at the feet of Victoria and her lapdogs. Victoria and James rolled into a crouch while Laurent was sent flying. The couple spared not a glance to their coven mate as the Cullens and Swan girls rushed towards them.

Victoria sent her own ball of magic towards the group, directly at Rosalie. Bella, seeing the spell's intended course and not having enough time to cast a shield, bodily pushed her sister out of the way. And not a moment too soon as the spell smashed into the centre of Bella's chest, sending her flying. She hit the dirt heavily and slid backwards, bringing up a strip of grass as she did so. She rose with a dark smile as she shook off the pain. Just what she wanted.

Alice and Rosalie snarled viciously as they sent beams of dark violet magic directly at Victoria and her mate who jumped out of the way.

Not being experienced fighters, Carlisle and Esme focused on upturning as much dirt as they could. They darted around the clearing while everyone else distracted the newcomers, exposing as much soil as they could.

Emmett took the opportunity to start throwing clumps of dirt and mud at Victoria. The fight may have been serious, but he was never one to avoid an opportunity to cause strife.

"Esme!"

She and Carlilse both looked up towards Bella who nodded at them as her sisters rushed to her side and immediately clasped hands with her.

James threw himself at Edward with a snarl, tossing him to the side as he focused on the sisters. There was a vicious delight surging through him. He might not have come here for a fight, but he was relishing how everything had devolved. Emmett and Jasper took off after him.

There was a faint violet dome of light shimmering around the sisters as they, with their eyes closed, chanted in a language long since forgotten. The Cullens prayed it was a sort of protection field, but James passed through it easily. He dove for Rosalie, but Emmett grabbed him and yanked him back, leaving only a deep scratch on Rosalie's cheek. She gasped, her concentration broken and the dome flickered.

"Keep them off us," Bella snapped at them.

Jasper nodded tightly and turned towards where Emmett and James were locked in a stranglehold. As he did, he felt a surge of furious hatred behind him and watched as Laurent broke away from the mass, aiming for the sisters. Jasper switched direction and tackled him. Gripping him tight around the throat so he couldn't get away, Jasper snarled and tossed him into the open field. He landed in a crouch, and darted back towards Jasper who almost smiled; he fought like a newborn.

Edward joined Emmett in grabbing hold of James. Victoria muttered something under her breath, and with surprised shouts James and Laurent slipped out of the death grips the Cullens had them in. It was as if they were butter.

Using the momentary distraction Victoria sent a wild blast of magic towards the sisters, headed straight for Alice. At the last moment Alice's eyes snapped open and she dived out of the way, the spell missing her by inches.

But this shattered the dome entirely. Bella and Rosalie hissed as they dropped their hands and dived out of the way of another magical blast.

"Right, she wants to fight, I'll give her a fight." Bella hissed from her spot on the ground before she sunk into the ground.

Not a moment later she appeared behind Victoria, her eyes glowing eerily violet with murderous intent and her face devoid of emotion. Victoria spun quickly just as a flash of vicious yellow light appeared between them. This sent Victoria flying across the clearing. Bella stalked after her, her hands smoking with the residue of the spell.

James, seeing his mate get hit, attempted to run to her side, but he was tackled by Carlisle who slid right off him. Emmett and Edward appeared and managed to grab hold of his shirt, tossing him away from the sisters.

Alice and Rosalie stood together in the centre of the field, eyes intent on James and Laurent. They were countering the spell Victoria had cast to make the pair slippery. This made it easier for Emmett to grab James's, but before he could, James ducked out of his grip and grabbed Emmett's own arm.

The sound of stone splintering mixed with Emmett's scream as Jasper ripped his arm off. It shattered Rose's concentration and the slippery spell was back on James as he grabbed Emmett's throat to finish the job. Blinded by the pain of losing his arm, Emmett could only scrabble at the grip on his throat, crying out as cracks formed. But before James could, a dark mass of energy hit him square in the chest, blasting him across the field. Rosalie appeared above Emmett as he dropped to the ground, and she snarled, "Piss off."

Dazed by his pain and her brilliance, all Emmett could think about was how angelic she looked. Eyes glowing violet and her hair a wild mane around her, she looked every bit as heavenly as his mother had taught him. His guardian angel.

Meanwhile, Jasper was keeping Laurent occupied. He ducked beneath Laurent's obvious swing and grabbed the vampire's throat. His fingers dug into the granite flesh to prevent him slipping away, and slammed him into the ground, hard enough for cracks to splinter across his skin. Laurent clawed at Jasper's face, desperate to get away, but Jasper slammed him into the ground again, stunning the vampire. His grip tightened, intent on severing his head when Alice's scream tore through the air.

Searching for a way to distract the furious witch stalking her, Victoria had thrown a ball of fire at Alice. Bursting on impact, the flames licked along her skin and she collapsed under the agony of it. Her scream tore through the air and Jasper's heart. Waves of heartstopping terror arched across the field, and Jasper couldn't tell if it was his, hers, or her sisters'. All he knew was he had to get to her.

Victoria, knowing Bella was distracted, threw a spell at Bella that impacted and broke her arm. Bella's scream was pure fury, and she threw herself at Victoria like the pain didn't bother her. Her fists were wreathed with violet mist as she rained blows on the redhead. Victoria dodged most blows with snarls and returned fire with matching ferocity, but James let out a scream of pain that distracted her enough for Bella to land a blow.

Bella pulled back, a chunk of Victoria's torso in her hand and her grin was feral. Victoria snarled in pain and fury and sent a wave of magic at Bella, knocking her backwards. Before she could get up, she threw another blast of magic at Alice in retaliation.

Bella's heart dropped in horror and Jasper darted forward in panic, both of them desperate to get to her before the spell. Except Victoria used her distraction to grab Bella by the throat and squeeze. Not too hard to kill her, just enough to make spells impossible. She then threw the witch deep into the forest. Darting forward, Jasper threw himself towards Alice, only to be grabbed from behind as a furious Laurent threw him further back.

Neither of them would get to Alice in time. No one was close enough.

No one but Edward. He tore away from James and dove in front of the spell, taking the brunt of it to save Alice. Cracks splintered across his skin as he landed in the dirt.

He didn't get up.

Assuming Jasper was out, Laurent threw himself at Alice, mad and desperate fury burning in him. Only to be blocked by a snarling Jasper. There was a new crack along Jasper's cheek, but nothing short of burning was going to stop him from protecting his Alice.

And so focused he was on the furious vampire in front of him, Laurent never noticed Esme until she was on his back with her arms around his throat. Jasper threw himself at Laurent's legs, knocking him to the ground. Using that momentum, Esme rolled off his shoulders, taking his head with her.

Carlisle, Rose and Emmett had James cornered between them, but the vampire was grinning maniacally, like this was the most fun he'd had in centuries. There were splintered cracks radiating from his chest where Rose's spell had landed, but he looked better than the other three. Emmett's arm still lay in the grass, Carlisle looked out of his depth, and Rose looked exhausted.

Which was why Victoria appeared beside her mate with a grin of vicious glee. Jasper and Esme were too far away to help, and Alice and Edward hadn't moved since. It was too late.

Starting with the object of her hatred, Victoria threw herself at Rose, electricity sparking off her skin. The moment she grabbed Rosalie's wrist, the girl screamed. Emmett raced forward, but James threw him into Carlisle with a grin.

Rose screamed, sparks racing through her veins, and Victoria laughed. so distracted by her glee, Victoria didn't notice that death was knocking.

Bella rose from the ground directly behind her. While before she had been blinded by her fury, now there was a darker fire within her. The kind that could make the world burn.

"You're going to die for that." Bella's voice was cold and furious as Victoria spun around eyes wide as fear began to rise within her.

Rose dropped and Esme caught her before she could hit the ground, darting away from the battling witch and hybrid. Jasper joined Emmett and Carlisle in fighting Jasper.

"Then I'm going to take you bitches with me," Victoria snarled. She racked her brain for a spell, for something to distract the furious witch now radiating power and death. "Maybe I'll start with those sisters of yours. I've already got one. Best two out of three?"

The whole world flickered around Bella as her eyes darkened to a near black. "Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. My. Sisters."

With that Bella's hand flashed forward, a violently blood red aura surounding it. Victoria's eyes widened and she jerked her hand away. However she wasn't quick enough as Bella got ahold of two of her fingers. Victoria screamed in pure agony as her fingers turned to ash. She jerked back and managed to put a few paces between her and Bella, preventing the furious witch from taking her entire hand,

With a snap, Bella threw her hands forward and a blast of dark, crackling energy burst forward. Victoria darted to the side, barely dodging the blow as Bella drew back to throw another one. Blow after blow, Victoria dodged and Bella stalked, never wavering, never tiring. Several of the blows looked particularly vicious with one cutting off a chunk of Victoria's hair. The panicking Hybrid had just enough time to burn before it could be used against her.

Even as her energy dropped, even as blood dripped from the cuts across her skin, Bella stalked after Victoria, intent on ending this. Ending her.

Victoria glanced around a desperate fury rising within her as she searched for backup. Starting this fight she had been so sure of their win, but now she was desperate for an escape. Jasper snarled in satisfaction as Victoria watched the grass and roots strangle James while Emmett and Carlisle tore his arms off. Alice pushed herself off the ground, ignoring her pain as she used the last of her magic to hold James.

Her eyes darted around for Laurent. She blinked in horror at the headless body, before she ducked to avoid Bella's calculated and unrelenting torrent of furious magical blasts. Victoria was losing, and she knew it.

Except she wasn't the only one losing.

"Bella! Stop!" Edward pushed himself up with Alice's help, both their eyes focused on the furious witch. "The treaty will kill you."

The others froze in their fight, even James; all unable to turn away as they watched Bella seek centuries old vengeance. For the first time in three centuries, James felt real fear as he watched his mate losing.

"He's right." Victoria looked like she had found her way out, like she thought death would deter her enemy. She obviously didn't know Bella.

Bella didn't flinch, a blank look of murder in her blackened eyes. "For my sisters? I'd gladly burn."

"Poor bitty Bella, you're going to have to watch your sisters die again" Victoria taunted, but everyone could see she was stalling for an escape. "Though I'm sure you remember what that feels like."

"Stop her, Edward!" Esme pleaded.

"She won't listen to me!"

"Bella!" Alice yelled, and Bella's look of blank murder cracked.

Her eyes glowed brighter than anyone had ever seen them as she snarled, she threw a crimson ball of crackling energy at Victoria, the same that had taken her fingers.

However, at that moment Victoria hissed out an unrecognisable spell, and she along with James and Laurent—body parts included—vanished.

The spell passed through where Victoria had stood and The Cullens watched in muted horror as the spell hit the ground. Everything in the immediate area rotted instantly, and they stared blankly at the decaying patch of grass.

Variations of the same thought running through everyone's heads: If that's what happened to the ground, what the hell would that have done to a person?

Jasper POV

Silence echoed across the field as we stared at one another. Barely a minute had passed, but it had felt like half an eternity.

Bella was the first to move. Suddenly coming back to herself, her eyes abruptly stopped glowing as her magic dropped, removing the oppressing aura that had surrounded her, she darted to Alice's side.

"I'm fine," Alice said with a groan, and I was at her side in an instant, helping her sit down. "Really. My protection pendant took most of the burn. It just hurts a little is all. It looks worse than it really is."

"You passed out, Alice!" Bella said, hands darting frantically over her sister.

"Only for a second." She leaned against me and I pressed a kiss to the crown on her head.

You're okay. You're okay. I breathed in her scent and thanked every god I'd ever heard of that she was safe. She's okay. She's okay.

"You saved her," Bella murmured, looking up at Edward as he stood on shaky legs. "You saved my sister."

He nodded, too exhausted for anything else.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he smiled faintly.

"They look like first degree burns." Carlisle crouched in front of us, having darted across the field. He nodded at her left arm. "May I?"

She only hesitated for a moment before holding out her arm, flinching only slightly as he gently checked her over.

Between the pendant and her leather jacket, most of the fire damage was superficial. Her left sleeve was mostly burned away now—the charred holes baring reddening skin. It had looked far worse across the field, but closer, I could see that most of her was unscathed.

The damage was localised to her left arm, which had taken the brunt of the attack. At worst it looked like a vicious sunburn, but the sight still made me tremble. It made me want to scream, to crack into a thousand pieces. I could still hear her screams, still feel her unadulterated fear.

She's okay. She's okay.

Carlisle nodded. "Your pendant likely saved you. With a cold compress and gentle bathing, you'll be fine." He looked up at Bella and then Rosalie, whom Esme was half-carrying over. "But I would like to take a closer look at all of you back at the house."

The urge to refuse rose in Bella but she nodded stiffly, not taking her eyes off her sisters.

"It'll be quicker if we run," I murmured, watching Bella carefully. I knew she wanted to snatch up her sisters and never see us again, but not even Bella could keep me away from Alice right now. "Safer too."

"Be gentle," was all she said.

I gathered Alice into my arms, mindful of her arm. "Always."

Alice wrapped her arms around my neck, dropping her head to my shoulder. I pressed a kiss to her head and took off to the house. I didn't bother waiting for the others; Alice was my first priority.

Reaching the house, I was mildly surprised I'd beaten Edward, but considering he was with Bella, she might have strangled him out of displaced anger. But then again, with the way she'd looked at him when she thanked him…

I lay Alice gently on the couch, and she smiled up at me. "I'm not going to break, Jazz."

My mouth quirked into a half smile as I crouched in front of her. "I might."

"He's right, Alice," Emmett said as he came in carrying Rosalie. He carried her in his right arm, while she held onto his dismembered left. He sat her up on the kitchen counter. "He's as fragile as a flower."

I rolled my eyes as Alice laughed a little, winking at me. "I do like flowers."

Rosalie tried to hop down from the counter, her eyes on Alice, but Emmett caged her in gently.

"Stay there," Emmett murmured. "Please. You're hurt too. You can barely stand."

"Don't keep me from my sister." She pushed at his arm, but there was no force behind it, just worry.

"Angel." He cupped her face in his hands. "She's okay. You can see her. She's safe. Just give her some room, okay?"

She looked up at her sister who gave her a tired smile. "I'm okay, Rosie. Really. Just need a nap and I'll be great."

Rosalie nodded, slowly, after a moment, exhaustion and pain lining her moves. She dropped her head against Emmett's chest and sighed as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Angel," he murmured. "My Earthbound Angel."

I sat next to Alice on the couch and she leaned into me with a slight groan. I brushed her hair back from her face. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," she repeated automatically.

She was partially right. She had only a few scratches and bruises, and logically I knew her burn wasn't that bad. Really, she just looked exhausted.

But she wasn't fine mentally. She flinched against me at every noise and her eyes darted around the room, analysing everything. Her hands were clenched around mine and I could hear her heart hammering in her chest. She was exhausted, but I knew her body wouldn't let her rest for a long time. She held herself like she was waiting for another attack. It was a feeling I remembered all too well from my days with Maria. And it was one I'd never wanted Alice to feel.

"I'm fine." She pressed closer to me, and I realised that every time she said it, she was trying to convince herself of it too. "I'm okay."

"Okay," I whispered, kissing her forehead softly. "Okay." I kissed her nose. "You're okay." With every kiss I took some of that fear and replaced it with calm. "You're okay." I lifted her chin gently until she looked me in the eyes. "You're okay."

"I'm okay." She closed her eyes, dropping her head to my shoulder and I felt her relief and gratitude.

I lifted her gently until she was sitting in my lap and held her as tight as I dared. I rubbed my thumb in circles into her skin as I heard Carlisle moving upstairs. While she may have been willing to withstand his medical assessment on the field, I doubted she'd be as calm now.

"How is your arm, Alice?" Carlisle asked as he came down from his study with his medical bag.

She raised her head to watch him with wary eyes. "I'm okay. It stings a little, but like I said, my pendant took most of it."

"You also passed out for a few minutes there."

She shook her head. "That was just the magic. The pendant took most of the attack and then I used my magic to block the rest. It drained me too quickly and that's why I passed out. But I'm fine now."

He crouched in front of her. "May I see it without your jacket?"

She flinched back against me when he gestured to her jacket. He dropped his hands quickly but the damage was done.

"I can just look if you'd prefer?" His voice was soft but Alice was rigid in my arms. "I don't need to touch."

I didn't have to look at her sister to know she felt the same.

While they may have been willing to play a game of baseball on the same team, they were light years away from trusting him. There was an ache in Carlisle's heart as he watched each flinch, but outwardly he was calm as he waited for Alice to decide. He sat back on his heels and shuffled about in his bag, so she didn't have to have his eyes on her.

I wanted to calm the instinctive fear both the sisters felt, but I knew that was a line they wouldn't appreciate me crossing. While I trusted Carlisle entirely, they were struggling to be in the same room as him. I knew they had nothing to fear from him, but then he'd never sentenced me to burn to death.

So I didn't touch their fear. Instead I pressed a kiss to Alice's head and rubbed circles into her thigh. At some point in the battle Bella's illusion spell over them had vanished so not only could I feel Alice's fast heart rate, but I could also hear it.

Eventually Alice whispered, "No touching. If you need to, Jasper does it."

Carlisle nodded easily. "Of course."

I helped her remove her jacket so Carlisle could get a better look, freezing when she hissed as the charred pieces peeled away from her skin. She threw its remnants on the floor with a sigh—it had been one of her favourites. I kissed the crown of her head and she leaned back into me.

"Would you like something for the pain?" Carlisle asked, pulling out a packet of antiseptic cloths. "I need to clean your skin, and it will hurt."

"No, thank you." Alice shook her head with a grimace. "Besides, I doubt you have Advil in the bottom drawer of your kitchen."

"I have some here," Esme said with a soft smile as she came in carrying a shopping bag. "I bought some from the pharmacy on my way over."

"Best not," Rosalie called from where she sat on the kitchen bench with Emmett standing between her legs. He was reattaching his arm, slowly and painfully, whilst leaning into her. "Human drugs do weird things to our systems."

"Absolutely not!" Bella snapped as she and Edward came through the front door. I didn't know how either of them were still standing. Edward's skin looked barely held together, and Bella looked paler than a vampire. But he still managed to not leave her side, and she was still furious at everything. "Witch physiology is completely different to humans! Your drugs will be like giving a squirrel cocaine."

She dropped a bag of things next to Carlisle she must have collected from her house on their way back.

Rosalie snorted. "But that is a bit of Alice's regular personality anyway," she said with a weary grin at Alice who just poked her tongue out.

"Says the primadonna."

"You two must be feeling better if you're teasing each other," Bella said with an instant switch in emotions as she turned to her sisters. They were like an instant softener to her whenever she was with them. Even around in the presence of her worst enemy she was smiling softly.

Though Carlisle may have been pushed back to second place on that ladder with Victoria's entrance, I thought. Watching Bella interact with her sisters, I wondered what that meant for my family.

But after today, I didn't think there was a force on this earth that could tear Alice away from me. Not even Bella.

"What else is different medically?" Esme asked curiously.

I expected Bella's mood to sour, but she merely turned to Esme calmer. I eyed them curiously, wondering what they had talked about during the game that had so drastically changed Bella's feelings towards Esme. But then I remembered how Esme had caught Rose before she fell, and I knew that was ultimately it.

Just like with Edward whom she now looked calmly at, not a single glare in sight. Saving her sisters seemed to be the cure-all for Bella's dislike.

"For one," she started, glaring at Carlisle when she noticed the wipes in his hand, "Antiseptic gives Alice a rash."

Carlisle pulled back and Alice leaned against me, closing her eyes with a hum. "I'd forgotten that."

"What would you use instead?" Esme asked, her curiosity open on her face.

I hid my smile as I pressed my face into Alice's hair. As the most genuine and kind of all of us, Esme had been our first choice in calming Bella, and while it hadn't gone well the first time, Esme had apparently won her over entirely now.

"Calendula paste," she said after a moment of thinking. "It works best on Alice in place of modern antiseptics."

"Where can I get some?" Esme asked immediately.

Bella looked startled, and I wondered how long it had been since an adult had offered her genuine help. I met Edward's gaze at his flash of pain and knew I had the right idea.

"I have some here, but I don't think it'll be enough," she said slowly. "There's a metaphysical shop in Port Angeles that will have some, though."

"I'll be back shortly, then," Esme said, heading to the door. "Edward—come with me. You know what to look for."

I grinned a little thinking about the herbal remedy and pagan mythology books that had recently started appearing in Edward's room. Apparently his research would be put to good use.

"Wait!" Bella called out. They both paused and we all watched Bella deliberate before she removed her necklace and tossed it to Edward with a sigh. "Take this and tell Alvira the McKinnons sent you. Her wards won't let you in otherwise."

Esme's smile was brilliant and instant, nearly blinding her. "Thank you, Bella."

Bella avoided looking at anyone else as she started digging through her bag.

"Was that your protection pendant, Bella?" Rosalie asked, resting her chin on Emmett's shoulder with a sly grin, seeming to perk up from her exhaustion. The tips of Bella's ears reddened as she dug harder through her bag and Rosalie's grin turned more mischievous. "You know, I can only think of one reason a witch would give away her pendant…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bella growled, confusion and defensive anger mixing in with a new emotion blooming.

I turned to Alice, eyes wide and she buried her face in my chest to hide her giggles.

"Already?" I murmured.

She shrugged, still trying not to giggle. "Bella never does anything by half."

"Shut up the lot of you," Bella growled with no heat.

"I don't get it." Emmett frowned, turning in Rosalie's arms. She wiggled her brows at him and his eyes widened comically. "I knew it!"

"I hate all of you," Bella sighed.

Carlisle applied the cooling bandages Esme had left to Alice's skin and stepped back, watching Bella warily. I could tell he wanted to do more but also didn't want to upset Bella anymore.

"I believe Esme planted some aloe vera in the garden," I said after a moment of the two watching each other warily. "Perhaps those might help Alice?"

"Yes," Bella said, not taking her narrowed eyes off Carlisle. "You two go pick some."

Alice's hand strangled the front of my shirt and her snap of fear covered everything.

"No." I pulled Alice closer. I could feel Bella's eyes burning into the side of my head, but I didn't care. I brushed back Alice's hair, soothing the panic overwhelming her. I'm not going anyway. I pressed my face into Alice's hair as her trembling slowed.

Bella glared at me, but conceded. "Fine. You wouldn't know how to harvest it anyway."

"I'll come with you," Carlisle offered.

"I don't care."

Their tension coated the air even as they walked away in harsh silence.

"Thank you," Alice whispered after they were gone.

I pulled her closer and folded her into my arms. "I'm not going anywhere, darlin'." I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Your sister may terrify me, but even she can't tear me away from you."

Alice breathed out a short laugh "No, but she can hex you." I smiled, stroking away her fear until she was calmer. I ran my fingers through her hair and listened as her breathing evened out. I kissed her temple gently and shifted her slightly so that she could sleep in peace.

~Scene~

"You girls used a lot of magic today—you should eat," Edward said suddenly.

The sun had gone down a few hours ago and we were all now spread out across the living room. After Bella and Carlisle had come back in, they'd quietly worked on Rose's injuries next. By the time they were done, Edward and Esme were back. And that's when Carlisle turned to Bella.

Even exhausted, Bella put up a fight. The only reason she didn't scream the house down was because Alice was asleep for once and Rose didn't look far off herself. Carlisle had tried to examine her, but she'd quietly snapped at him not to touch her. It almost looked like she would walk out entirely.

It was until Edward stopped and pleaded with her to get checked. She had tried to tell him that puppy-dog eyes weren't convincing on anyone but Alice and Rosalie, but her emotions told a different story. The moment he'd asked she was already convinced. And so she sat down heavily on the couch, and in that moment it was clear exactly how much pain she was in.

That was three hours ago. She hadn't moved since.

Now, Esme was springing up and heading to the kitchen. The moment she had heard that the sisters used a lot of calories with magic, she'd started stocking up the kitchen for this exact reason. And now she was delighted to be right.

Bella shook her head and tried to stand before Edward pulled her back down. He hadn't left her side since he'd gotten back, and Bella hadn't even considered arguing.

"That isn't necess–" here she cut herself off and looked into the open kitchen door. "Is that alfredo sauce?"

"Yes, dear."

Bella was quiet for a moment. "Well, I suppose we can stay long enough to eat…"

Edward grinned at the new information. And the others in the room cracked a smile. Esme beamed and began to hum as she prepared the pasta.

Half an hour later three steaming plates of pasta were laid on the laps of each of the sisters. I watched Alice gleefully put parmesan cheese over her mound of pasta and I pulled her slightly closer. I could have lost her today, and so watching her shovel pasta into her mouth was the highlight of my day.

Although I did notice Rosalie and Bella waited for their sister before they began to eat.

The sight of three slight girls absolutely devouring shrimp alfredo and their large pints of coke blew my mind, and I could tell it shocked Esme and Carlisle too. The only ones who weren't shocked were Emmett and Edward who'd see their girls eat on their dates before. Out of all of them, Bella ate hers the quickest and I surmised it was because she had used the most magic.

While they were eating, Emmett asked, "Someone want to tell me what the fuck that was back there?"

I could tell he'd been holding onto that for a long time, only now asking the burning question.

"A fight," Bella said around a mouthful of food.

"No shit."

"That woman—Victoria," Rose leaned into him, pausing in her meal. "She was the woman from our village, the mother. The one who turned us into the church." Rose stared at her plate blankly before looking up at Carlisle. "The one who turned us into you."

"You don't remember her," Edward supplied.

Carlisle shook his head. "I never met her. All my father told me was that there were witches to burn."

The sisters flinched.

"But you said it was her kid that you saved," Emmett continued, no less confused. "Vampires can't have kids."

"They can't."

"No." Bella shook her head firmly. "She was mortal in our first life. I remember her husband was a man of the church and the birth of their son was a big event in the town." Her face soured. "Mother was there for the birth, and she brought me with her. The child was definitely hers."

"Then she was turned into a vampire sometime later," Carlisle reasoned

"But she was a witch first," Bella growled. "And she turned us in anyway."

"But why? I mean you saved her child, right? What'd you do to piss her off?" Emmett pulled Rosalie closer.

She was tucked into his side now that his arm had been reattached, and neither looked like they wanted to ever leave.

"That's what I'd like to know. Shame she ran like a coward before I could wring the answers from her neck." Even exhausted Bella managed to look murderous.

The conversation stopped there as the sisters turned their attention back to their food. Within ten minutes the plates and pints were empty. Alice let loose a large burp before patting her mouth clean.

"Excuse me," she said sweetly.

I stared at her, half expecting some monster to crawl out of her—as if it had actually been the one to swallow such a large serving of alfredo pasta. She just grinned up at me and I shook my head, amazed.

How did I get so lucky with you? I kissed the tip of her nose, mesmerised by her sleepy smile.

Bella looked at her watch and frowned. "It's getting late. Charlie will be expecting us home any minute, we'd best be going."

"No!" Emmett and I said simultaneously. My panic reflected in him at the thought of being separated from our loves.

"Excuse you?" She tried standing, but Edward pulled her back down.

Carlisle, seeing the potential for this to escalate, intervened. "What they mean to say is you are all still injured. I'd like you three to stay here for overnight observation," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Bella was torn. She wanted to grab her sisters and get the hell out of here but she also wanted her sisters to get the best possible care. And leaving them here alone was out of the question.

Edward, seeing the indecision on her face, leaned towards her. "Esme has chocolate cake," he murmured in her ear.

Her sisters snorted, knowing what Bella's decision would be. Bella perked up. "Well, I suppose we could stay, as long as my sisters and I are in a separate room from the boys," she said finally.

"There will be no funny business while my sisters are healing," she added sternly, but there was an undercurrent of amusement in her that belied that.

Emmett grinned as Esme hurried off to get the cake, looking like Christmas had come early. "Gee Bella, didn't know you were such a stickler for purity."

Edward choked on his laughter—as did her sisters—however everyone else looked at them in confusion, not comprehending what was so funny.

Bella's lips twitched. "Indeed, my sisters and I are hardly ones to allow a cow herd under our skirts."

Out of all of the Cullens, Carlisle was the only one who understood what she was saying and sighed in resignation. Apparently he'd already accepted that Bella would never speak without saying something inappropriate. No matter what phrases she used.

"I'll call Charlie," Esme offered, carrying in three large servings of chocolate cake topped with ice cream and whipped cream, much to Bella's delight.

"How'd you know how to counter that spell that made those parasites slicker than butter?" I asked the sisters after a minute.

Rosalie savoured the flavour of rich dark chocolate cake paired with pecan ice cream and cool whip before she answered, "Oh, we learned that spell and its counter ages… ago. In. our first life!" she seethed.

Bella and Alice were in the same boat as their forks clattered against the table. "That– that– that! Solve, inanimis, orabilis, cruoris exsecrator, daemonum meretrix!" Bella hissed, her eyes bleeding violet.

Emmett blinked in confusion. "What did she say?"

"You don't want to know," Carlisle and Edward said dryly.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow," Bella said, clenching her fists. The girls nodded in agreement before turning back to their plates.

A moment later Esme came back into the room with the phone to her ear. "No, Charlie, she's perfectly fine. It's just a fracture, but Carlilse would prefer if she kept the cast on for the full six weeks, why? Oh um, actually, Charlie, my husband would like to explain it himself." Esme shot her husband an apologetic look as she handed him the phone.

"Tell him I hid the injury and just said it was sore before stepping out of the game," Bella hissed under her breath.

Carlisle looked confused but nodded. "Hello Chief Swan." He paused for a moment, listening to Charlie.

"Well you see, even though it's just a fracture, Bella downplayed her injury and merely said it was sore. I wanted to examine her, but she refused. I truly only believed it was bruised. I'm awfully sorry I didn't notice until we all got back to the house, and because she went so long without treatment– ah, oh, this has happened before?" Carlisle exclaimed in mild surprise before furrowing his brow.

"How on earth did she hide a broken leg?"

"Splinted it with pieces of driftwood. And tied my jacket onto one of my belt loops to hide the bulge," Bella explained to the rest of us, pride lacing her voice.

"And you're proud of that?" Edward asked incredulously.

Bella blinked. "Of course I am, I managed to hide it for four hours so Ali and Rose could enjoy the rest of the bonfire in La Push. Then I told Charlie I didn't think it was broken. The doctors at Forks General think I have a freakishly high pain tolerance now." She snickered. "Go ahead and ask Dr. Gerald—or better yet, tell him about the fracture, he won't be surprised." Bella bragged.

Alice and Rose shook their heads and huffed in exasperation. "We were royally pissed off with her for that stunt—not a little freaked out. And we made her swear not to do anything like that again." Alice explained, still baffling us at how they didn't realise how wrong it was.

However, remembering how the last confrontation went, and not wanting to make Bella change her mind about them staying over, no one commented.

"Yes, of course, Chief Swan. Alright. Bella, your father wants to speak to you."

He held out the phone. Bella plucked it out of his hands and propped it against her ear with her good shoulder as she continued to devour the cake.

"Hey, Dad," Bella said brightly. "No, I'm not crazy. Well you should have seen our team! We were crushing the boys! Then I went to catch the ball and landed wrong—we would have had to forfeit! And I wasn't going to give Edward the satisfaction… Yes it was worth it! Edward looked like he was about to cry when we did our victory dance!" Bella smirked, looking straight at Edward who rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah, well the Doc is just being a drama queen. I hadn't realised it was a learned behaviour rather than inherited." She laughed and I wondered what Esme had put in that cake to make her so at ease. "Oh, it's fine, Dad—they can't hear me." Bella grinned devilishly and I snorted.

"Well it's not just cause of the fracture. The boys are shit at Home Ec, and we had this project due see. We had to split up the tasks, and Edward made this big stink about them doing the budgeting aspect, cause Allie, Rosie and I have always done it before—you know how good I am with numbers—only it's due Monday and they've 'spent' the entire budget! And we're still missing several key items."

Here she stopped to grin at us. Edward didn't react, instead drawing circles on her cast with his finger. Emmett grinned and I just rolled my eyes. Trust Bella to throw us under the bus.

Bella pouted slightly, seeing that she hadn't annoyed Edward. However, she didn't remove her cast from his reach. Nor did she pull away from where her thigh was pressed against his.

"Esme is refusing to help them because she thinks they should have admitted they couldn't do it earlier when we could have switched tasks. So now we're simultaneously teaching them how to properly budget while redoing all the work. Any tips on how to explain to Emmett it's not practical to make half your groceries be junk food?" Bella joked.

Charlie snorted and I knew I wasn't the only one marvelling at Bella's ability to lie.

"Thanks, Dad, we'll see you tomorrow." With that she hung up the phone and smirked. "Done and dusted."

"How do you do that? Isn't your dad a cop?" Emmett asked in awe.

Bela's smirk turned into a grin. "It's all in the details; adding little things here and there, but not so many as to make it seem planned out."

Alice yawned as she pushed her plate away, and Rose did the same. Bella went to gather their plates, but before she could it was already done and Esme was carrying the plates to the sink. "I'll get these. You three head to bed. It's been a long day," she said.

Too tired to protest, Bella and her sisters nodded.

"I'll show you girls to your rooms," I offered. I might not have been able to sleep, but I was desperate to lie down with Alice firmly in my arms.

"Room," Bella said firmly, linking her arms with her sisters.

I opened my mouth to protest—I didn't want to sleep in the same bed as all of them!

"Or I can use the forest to get us home and–"

"You can sleep in our media room, if you like," Esme offered, forestalling Bella's threats. "We can bring our spare mattresses in there if that's fine with you. That way there's plenty of room for all three of you."

Bella nodded, and Carlisle and Esme left to grab the mattresses and dispose of the used medical supplies.

"You can't keep me away from Alice," I snapped, thinking they'd kick me out. I still couldn't get Alice's scream out of my head—I wasn't letting her out of my sight for the next century.

Bella scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Since when am I in the habit of denying my sisters their toys?" she sneered.

Catching her meaning, I looked down in embarrassment, realising I'd overreacted. Of course the girls would want to be together tonight. They'd almost lost each other. "Right. Sorry," I said sheepishly.

Bella huffed and rolled her eyes. "We're all exhausted. Just go to bed and pretend you can sleep," she snarked. "Your own bed that is," she added sternly when I opened my mouth.

"I'm staying with Alice." Even I could hear the whine in my voice, but I was wearing thin.

Bella's eyes took on a mischievous glint. "If you want to sleep with all three of us, all you have to do is ask."

Edward and Emmett choked on their laughter; I could feel the amusement rolling off them in waves.

"That was an option?!" Emmett exclaimed.

I took a deep breath. I was exhausted in every way a vampire could be and I just wanted to lie down with Alice. And if that meant cuddling with her sisters, then so be it. "I'd like to join you three in your bed," I said, with as straight a face as I could muster.

My brothers stared at me for a moment before turning back to the sisters hopefully.

"Can I come too?" Emmett asked, still holding on to Rosalie.

Even in her clear exhaustion, Bella let out a peal of laughter. "Respect, little cowboy. Come on, then. Everyone but Edward is welcome," Bella grinned.

At that moment Carlilse and Esme returned, carrying four mattresses between them and Bella sensed a moment to indulge in her favourite pastime—causing chaos. "Well night, Doc and Mrs Doc. Change in plans, my sisters and I are sleeping with your sons, well, two of them, adding Edward would just be too complicated."

Carlisle looked exhausted, while Esme looked stunned. "I'll let your father deal with that. Good night," Carlisle said with a sigh.

It truly was a testament to how shit today had been that Bella grinned at him, rather than yelled. But I also knew that this time tomorrow, when she was fully rested and magicked up, she'd be stringing him by his garters again.

We all made our way upstairs and it wasn't long before the beds were covered in pillows and blankets enough to drown in. Rosalie and Alice took a mattress each and fell into them with a plop. Wriggling into a comfortable position, Alice opened our arms to me and I crawled in with a sigh.

"Sleep well," Esme murmured as we all settled in. "Just give us a shout if you need us."

"Leave the door open," Bella said quickly, before she could close it, and Esme nodded.

The house settled into quiet and I wrapped my arms around Alice. I kissed her head. "Get some sleep, darlin'. I'll keep the bad dreams away."

But before her eyes could properly slip closed, Edward walked in with a book in his hand.

"The nerve of you," Bella said mildly. "Well, you're certainly not sleeping with me. Ask Emmett if you want to cuddle."

"Fuck off," Emmett murmured, Rosalie's snores softly filling the room.

As he lay down on the couch closest to Bella, he didn't say anything, but there was a faint buzz of happiness coming from both him and Bella. Alice pressed her smile into the crook of my neck, like she could feel it too.

I pressed another kiss to her head as she curled closer, already slipping into sleep, and murmured, "I love you, Jazz."

Pure happiness surged through me as I pulled her closer into my arms. "I love you too, darlin'."


Authors' Notes

Courtney: Hello again everyone. So we decided to do a double upload for you today because we're gonna take a break for a few weeks.

Joy: also cause I was sick, but mainly because of the break. This concludes the end of what is essentially Act 1 for WTW. don't worry, the story is FAR from over.

Courtney: Literally so far. I don't even think we're a third of the way in. But we're taking a few weeks break to recalibrate and write the next Act. We hope you've enjoyed everything so far, and we look forward to seeing you all again in a few weeks!

Joy: well, i'd like to see you all sooner, but unfortunately the chapters don't write themselves, and we are only human. Well, courtney is, i don't know what I am lol.

Courtney: Yeah, we haven't gotten the results back on Joy, but we'll let you know.

Joy: Tata for now! Leave comments and kudos if you are so inclined!

Courtney: We love interacting with all of you! Our next post will be on the 21st of July, so we're looking forward to seeing you all then! And with some new and exciting turns to come! Bye!

Joy: * Runs off with plans to write that thing I'm not allowed*

Courtney: Honestly, don't you dare. I'm too tired for this *flops straight into bed*