A/N: Phew! I'm glad you guys liked my conclusion to the battle. Now, there are more cleanup efforts in this chapter. I hope you stick with me! After this chapter, only two more to go, along with an epilogue.

Also, thank you for the birthday wishes! It was a wonderful day, filled with fun movies and getting a new tattoo (safely, I promise!).

Chapter 23: Consequences

Esme

I knew the smoke was billowing from the battle site, having started it with the remnants of the newborn army, so I focused on getting back to that spot. My nerves were getting the better of me; I was so scared at what we would be getting back to. Seth kept up an easy pace next to me, running as fast as I could. I wasn't sure how fast he was at first, but he never looked to be straining so I just kept running.

We rounded the bend on the forest, seeing the opening of the meadow in front of us and I had the urge to stop. I needed to calm down. Seth saw me slow, and turned to face me, cocking his head to the side.

"I'm ok, I'm, um, just worried, is all," I said, lamely, looking up into his concerned face. He lightly grabbed my shirt, pulling me toward the meadow, indicating we needed to keep going. I nodded, and started running again.

At the edge of the meadow, I stopped again, taking it all in. The fire had grown tremendously, and the battle had definitely stopped. Everyone was milling around, huddled in groups. What surprised me the most was that I could see Sam's pack almost all human, except one light brown wolf. Seth turned around and backed into the forest again, before coming out as a human wearing the shorts again. He smiled and ran over to his friends. I caught the look of sadness on Sam's face, and began to wonder who we had lost.

I wandered around the clearing, looking through the groups to determine who I couldn't see. The Irish coven was sitting the closest to the fire, Maggie being attended to by Liam. She was missing her leg from the knee down, but he was licking the wound letting the venom patch it up and heal it. Alice and Jasper were close by, heads together. Rose and Emmett were on the other side of the fire sitting with Kate and Garret. Kate appeared to be distraught, and they were trying to calm her down.

I glanced around a little more, focusing on who else was around me. Eleazer and Carmen were sitting with Carlisle and Liz, Tonya and one of the nomads I didn't know right next to them. Peter and Charlotte were sitting off to the side by themselves, with Benjamin and his mate Tia between them and Sam's pack. I didn't see any Volturi guard colors anywhere, but I could feel that something was off.

I made my way over to Carlisle and Liz, who looked up at me with small smiles. "Charlie?" I asked them, glancing around.

"He's fine, dear," Liz said, reaching her hand out to me. "I told him to go hunt. He was having a really hard time with everything from today. He'll be back shortly." She looked up at me, calling Alice softly. Alice appeared, smiling widely, sitting down next to Liz and Carlisle.

"So, Bella's on her way, then?" Alice said, indicating she knew everything already.

I nodded, slumping down next to them, suddenly exhausted. "Edward has her in a ranger station several miles away. Her heart is faint, but the venom is healing her. I think she'll be ok." I glanced around again. "Who are we missing? Did we lose anyone?"

Eleazer and Carmen glanced at each other. "We lost a few." Eleazer sat up straight, putting his arm around his mate. "Irena and Laurant gave their lives to save mine. When Carmen was putting my arm back on, we missed that four guards were about to attack us. They were split apart and thrown into the fire before we could help."

I bowed my head, wishing for the hundredth time that I could cry. Irena had been a good friend, and Laurant had been good for her. I knew how much this would cost my Denali friends, and I wanted to weep for them.

Benjamin and Tia walked up to us at that point, sitting down next to us. "Amun and Kebi, also. I was focusing on a small group in the back when I heard their cries. I couldn't get to him fast enough. They died together, at least. It is a small comfort, though."

I reached out and put my hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Benjamin."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Amun was against fighting as a rule. His history with the Volturi made him shy away from anything dangerous. I did not expect him to fight, but he did. He died a hero in my mind."

"Yes, he did," I whispered. I glanced around again. "Alastair?"

"He ran off shortly after the fighting started. He didn't want to be a part of it, and I cannot blame that." Carlisle looked up at me, tightening his grasp around Liz. "We could have used him, but I would not ask someone to fight who did not want to."

Nodding, my eyes caught movement to the side of the meadow. I got to my feet and ran as fast as I could, throwing my arms around Charlie as he stepped out of the forest. His arms fastened around me tightly, lowering his forehead to mine. I held on as tight as I could, keeping us in that position. I breathed in his scent, hands wandering down his back to make sure he was still whole.

"Esme," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "Thank god you are all right."

I nodded, unable to speak. I just tightened my arms around him and breathed a huge sigh of relief. We had losses, but overall, we were ok.

"Bella?" Charlie asked, leaning back so he could look at me in the eye. "Is she ok?"

I hedged. "Did Alice tell you what she saw?" He shook his head. "Demetri followed Edward, along with two other guard. We killed them, but not before Demetri bit Bella."

Charlie's eyes were wide. "Is she safe? Is she turning?"

I nodded, placing my cheek against his chest, his arms tightened around me. "Edward is with her. Yes, she is turning, but at least she's alive. We were almost too late."

We stood in that position for some time, just taking in everything that had happened that day. The sky was dark, the only light coming from the fire still blazing in the center of the meadow. I watched Sam's pack hovering near the fire, eyes sad and not talking.

"Did Sam lose anyone? They all look so sad."

"They are mourning Bella's human life, like they did for me when I turned. They are also devastated by the loss of one of their own." Charlie shifted to look at the pack. "I don't know who it was, but I watched him be crushed by one of the guard."

Hearing us, Sam got up and started to walk toward the edge of the meadow where we were standing. Seth followed him. "It was Paul; that's who we lost. He got cocky and wasn't paying attention behind him." Sam looked devastated as he looked at us. "Charlie, I'm glad to see you are all right," Sam said in greeting. "I wanted to speak with you before, but we didn't want to shift to human form until the threat was handled."

"I understand, Sam."

Sam hesitated for a minute before bringing his hand up. He pushed it toward me, though, not Charlie. "Esme, I want to apologize for Jacob and his actions. I know that this life isn't what you wanted for Charlie; I can see how much you love him. I know how much it hurts to watch someone you love be hurt."

His eyes were on mine, and I could tell he was speaking the truth. I held my hand out and grasped his, only mildly shocked by the heat this time. "Thank you, Sam. I know that you do not, um, like our kind. But I appreciate your words regardless." I stood up straight, stepping away from Charlie slightly, though he kept his arm around me. "No, I didn't want this life for Charlie. I don't know any of us who are happy with what we are; but, now, I get to keep him. Forever. That's a selfish reaction, I know, but it makes me happy."

Sam nodded. "I understand. Believe it or not." He shifted a little, looking down. "I also want to apologize about the treaty. I know that we ruined it first, and that the doctor just did what he had to in order to save Charlie's life because of one of us."

I felt Liz before I heard her. She pushed past me, Carlisle right behind her, walking up to Sam. "We never wanted to break the treaty. I assure you. But," she said, glancing at me, "we couldn't let Charlie die. He's too important to all of us. Bella, too. I hope you understand why we did what we did." Sam nodded, so Liz kept going. "I think it's time to reinstate the treaty, Sam. We should not be enemies any longer."

Seth grinned, looking around at us. "To hell with the treaty. Can't we all just be friends now?"

Sam laughed, placing his hand on Seth's shoulder. "Let's not get carried away, kid." He reached his hand out to Charlie this time, who took it without hesitation.

We all laughed, but stopped short as we watched Jacob – in human form – walk up to stand next to Sam and Seth. Sam dropped Charlie's hand, his eyes shifting to Jake, a warning on his lips. Jake held out his hand as if to stop Sam from speaking.

"Since we are all apologizing," Jake began, taking a step toward Charlie. "I need to do that also."

I glanced at Charlie and held up my hand at Jake, mirroring his actions with Sam. "I don't want to hear it, Jacob."

His face fell, and he looked at the ground. "I guess I understand why."

I shook my head. "No, you misunderstand me." I took a tentative step toward him, placing my hand very lightly on his arm. "How long had it been since you started shifting when you tried to attack me?"

"Um, that was my third time or something." He didn't raise his eyes, but he didn't flinch away from my touch either.

"Do you feel that you were in complete control over yourself? Over your shifting?"

Now he raised his eyes to meet mine. "That's no excuse. I killed him! My actions forced your hand at this. This is my fault!"

I shook my head again. "Do you blame a child when they spill milk? Because they haven't learned full control over their arms yet?"

"That's not the same thing!"

"I think it is. You were brand new to this life, Jake. I know how much you care about Charlie. He's been in your life longer than he has in mine." I took another step closer, biting back the stench of wolf as it entered my head. I put my arms around him slowly, giving him plenty of time to react. "I forgive you. For acting rashly, for not talking to us first...but also and most importantly, I forgive you because you feel you need it."

For a moment I just held my ground, but slowly his arms came up and circled me. I knew it was just a gesture, that he was probably holding his breath as I was mine, now. I stepped away quickly, having accomplished what I wanted. Charlie stepped forward, reaching his hand out to Jake, who took it slowly, shaking it once.

Liz smiled at us, her hand entwining with Carlisle's. "Wonderful. We can discuss later if we must." She looked at Sam. "Sam, can you and your pack please keep an eye on this fire? I'd hate for it to get away from us up here."

"Yeah, no problem. I sent Leah and Emry to the cabin to get some food. We'll just hang out here and make sure it doesn't get out of hand." He looked down at her. "Where are you heading?"

Liz glanced at Charlie. "To Bella."

Edward

Bella was too quiet. I had watched enough people turn to know that much. She would moan every now and then, but it was quiet and didn't last for very long. I kept my arms around her, speaking with her quietly, just letting her know that I was there for her.

"I'm so sorry this happened, love. I'll forever be sorry that I didn't get here in time to help you. I know there is nothing I can do to fix this, but I am here for you. I'm not leaving your side unless you ask me to when you wake up. I'm here, and I love you."

I wanted to tighten my arms around her, but I didn't dare. I just hoped that the cool of my skin was helping the burning lessen in some way. Carlisle didn't touch me during my transformation, so I couldn't be sure if that actually helped, but it was all I had. That and my constant talking.

"When you wake up, I'll take you for your first hunt. I know you wanted to see me hunt, and while you were human that was a very bad idea. But I'd love to share that with you after you turn." I leaned down and kissed her head, she moaned slightly, so I sadly sat back up thinking I wouldn't be able to do that again. "I can't wait to show you things once you change. The northern lights are amazing when your eyes can see more clearly. Every speck of dust, every strand of light, and everything else in-between; all of it is so incredible it's hard to believe that you missed it as a human."

I continued babbling to her, just wanting her to hear my voice. It was a couple hours before my family showed up. I heard their thoughts as they got closer, and I was immediately calmed. My Mother was leading the group, right next to Esme and Charlie. All my siblings were coming as well; everyone was going to be here for us.

Mother walked in first, coming over to where I sat, leaning against the wall with Bella in my arms. She bent down and kissed first my forehead, then Bella's. "How is she, dear?"

"She's changing, Mother. I don't know more than that. She's very quiet."

"Listen to her heart, Edward. It's strong. She'll be just fine," Carlisle said, walking over to stand next to Mother.

Charlie came to sit down next to me, his hand lightly resting on Bella's arm. She was still covered in blood from Demetri's attack, and I could tell he was doing his best to ignore the burn in his throat. I glanced up at Alice and Rose, who walked in behind the rest of them. "Can you two please clean Bella up? We don't need to have fresh blood around."

They nodded, walking up and picking her up carefully. They took her into the bathroom in the back of the station, and I finally relaxed.

"Thank you for getting here in time, Edward," Charlie said, leaning against the wall in a human mannerism of exhaustion. "And thank you for killing the bastard that tried to kill her."

I hung my head in shame. "I'm sorry I was late, Charlie. I tried to save her."

His hand rested on my shoulder. "I know you did. Getting him away before she died is saving her, Edward. She could have died, but now she won't."

I nodded, though I didn't necessarily agree with him. Mother came to sit down next to me on the other side, putting her arms around me. I closed my eyes and breathed in, calming myself even more.

"You did the best that you could, and we will all be grateful, dear. You saved her life; we all think that." She kissed my head. "This is the way you needed to go. This is the start of the beautiful choice that I showed you all those months ago, when you first met her. You are on the right path."

This comforted me more than anything else, remembering how amazing that choice was that she had shown me. I remembered sitting in the forest feeling overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding the choice to get to know her. I remembered seeing the visions from Alice of Bella turning, and how we were happy together. There were countless visions, always crisp and clear like there was already a decision made. Well, I guess Bella would say that her decision was made a while ago.

"I didn't want this life for her, Mother..." I glanced up as she put her hand on my mouth.

"That's enough. That's the last time I want to hear you say that. Bella wanted this life; she chose, and you will respect it. No, it didn't happen the way I'm sure she wanted, but regardless it is what she chose. You will love her and be happy with her, no matter what." She looked at me sternly. "If you love her, and I know you do, you will stop feeling guilty about that."

I nodded, thinking back again to all the times I saw Bella as a vampire in Alice's visions. I knew it would be fine; that she would still love me, and all would be well. The doubt crept into my mind, though, and I couldn't stop the way I felt.

"Stop, Edward. You're killing me," Jasper said, taking a step closer. I felt a wave of calm settle on top of me, and I smiled gratefully at him. "She's going to be fine. You heard Liz. Stop feeling so guilty."

"I'll try. This is harder than I thought it would be." I sought out the eyes of Esme, knowing she had been through this recently. She smiled in understanding, coming to sit next to Charlie. She grabbed his hand as she sat down, holding tight.

We sat like that for some time until Alice and Rose came out, carrying Bella carefully. They immediately set her down so I could wrap my arms around her again, and she moaned quietly. For a few moments, we all just watched her, not moving and not making another sound.

"We need to take her back to the cabin," Alice announced, flitting over to where Jasper was standing. "The rangers just made a decision to come up here because of the smoke. They are concerned about a wild fire; they plan to stay here."

I nodded. "I'll carry her. Let's get going and see if we have the ability to stop the fire now. We need to make sure they don't come and visit." I glanced up at everyone. "We should start sending our friends home now. We need to make sure the rangers aren't in danger."

It's not as critical as you think, dear. I heard my mother say. She started to replay conversations in her head for me, and I almost gasped in surprise.

"How many?" I asked, still unable to believe what I had heard.

"Benjamin and Tia, Garrett, and possibly Charlotte and Peter. They are still deciding, but it's a good path for them. I encouraged them before we left. The Irish are not willing to even discuss, but are happy to return home soon anyway. Maggie was still being healed when we left, but I'm sure she's better now." Mother smiled down at me. "It seems we have started a sort of revolution with the vampire way of life. Now we just have to be careful not to entirely eliminate the animal population."

I sat there and mulled over what I had heard. So many of our friends were willing to give our lifestyle a shot, stating they wanted to try and exist with humans now that the Volturi threat was a thing of the past. It amazed me, once again, how successful my mother was in convincing people to try new things. This especially had seemed so far-fetched it never even entered my brain as an option.

Most of us started out toward the cabin, Alice and Mother stayed behind to clean it up so the rangers wouldn't know we had used it temporarily. Carlisle and Jasper lingered around the fire that Seth had started with the two guard that attacked us, making sure they could put it out with any problems. Demetri was still smoldering in the fireplace back at the ranger station.

I carefully avoided the meadow, just in case, and made my way with Bella to the cabin. Everyone but Charlie went to the meadow to start and douse the fire, if they could, and to advise the vampires still sticking to human blood that it was time to head home. Charlie opened the cabin door for me when we got there, letting me inside to carry Bella back to the far bedroom. I laid her down carefully on the bed, smoothing out her dirty clothes.

Once she was settled, I turned around and started rooting in the dresser to locate something clean for her to wear. Alice and Rose hadn't had any extra clothes, but at least her skin and hair were clean now. I found some jeans and a t-shirt and began to carefully change her. I knew that Charlie was still in the cabin, but was keeping a distance from the bedroom while I changed her. At some point soon, I would probably have to have a conversation about the extent of intimacy that Bella and I had shared, but I was putting it off. No reason to get into that right now.

Once she was dressed, I sat down on the side of the bed, shifting so that I could lay beside her. I put my arm over her stomach, causing her to moan slightly, and curled into her. Her heart was racing, as I knew it would, and I listened to it. Enjoying the calming beats as her human life began to drift away. Charlie came in after a few minutes, leaning against the wall watching her. His eyes flitted to mine briefly; he had a grimace on his face.

"I assume that I don't need to tell you what I'm thinking," he started, not moving from the position against the wall.

I shook my head. "I would never hurt her, Charlie. Never."

"And?"

"And I promise to always keep her close to me. As much as she lets me, anyway. I won't let her run off again, and I won't let anyone else put her in danger."

He nodded, making a grunting noise. I listened to his thoughts, still slightly muted, for a moment longer. I sighed, not moving from my position. "Yes, we have been intimate. I know you don't want to hear this, but it's important for me to tell you that I do plan to marry her. I just know that's not what she wants right now."

"Esme said you couldn't hear my thoughts that well. I guess that wasn't entirely true."

"I can't. Not as well as I hear the others, but more than I hear from Bella. I have just gotten good at reading people's moods after all these years of hearing their thoughts." I shifted closer to Bella, resting my head next to hers so they were touching. Out of nowhere, my mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, and for a moment I thought I was on fire.

I launched out of the bed, cowering near the door to the bedroom, staring at Bella with wide eyes. Charlie was alert immediately, standing up from the wall and whipping his head around trying to find the threat. I stood, still shocked.

"No, it's fine. Everything is ok." I walked toward Bella, crouching next to the bed. I leaned my head against hers, and the exact same sensation filled by head. This time I was prepared for it, though, and I didn't jump back in shock. "I can hear her!"

I couldn't focus on Charlie's shock, or what he was currently thinking. For the first time since I had met her, I could hear her thoughts. When I said out loud that I could hear her, immediately there was relief flooding from her mind. Then sadness. She didn't want me to know how much pain she was in. I couldn't get words, exactly, more like sensations and feelings. It was disorienting, quite honestly, as I had never heard anyone's mind in quite this way before.

"Bella, I'm here, love. I'm not leaving you. You will be ok, sweetheart, I promise." I kept my head against hers, and I felt her love and understanding. Wordlessly, she conveyed she was ok and expressed that she didn't want me to worry about her. "I love you, Bella. Don't worry about me, love. I'm here; I'm not going anywhere."

"Edward, what is going on?" Charlie finally demanded.

"I can hear her when I touch my head to hers, Charlie!" I said, excitement filling my voice. "She is communicating with me. She's in pain, as we knew she would be, but she's ok. She loves us both and is happy we are here with her."

Charlie made his way to the bed, on the other side of me. He sat down and carefully picked up her hand. "I'm here, Bells, just like Edward. We aren't going to leave you. We will be here the whole time, ok?"

I felt a rush of affection for Charlie, and I told him. Bella was grateful that we were both here with her, but sounded slightly embarrassed about the situation. I huffed a laugh. No matter what she was going through, she was still Bella.

"Don't worry, love. We will keep everyone else out, ok? Just Charlie and I will stay with you. You have no reason to be embarrassed. All of us have gone through this. We know how it feels."

She wordlessly told me she understood, and I felt an overwhelming feeling of love coming from her once again. I closed my eyes and reveled in her and how she felt; the feeling of being connected with her, through our minds. I basked in her love and I didn't move, for fear of losing the connection with her.

Then, she shocked me even more. I hadn't conveyed any of my thoughts or feelings to her, yet she answered every one of them. She felt the same about me, about being connected like this. She didn't want to lose the connection either, and was happy we were finally connecting on a different level.

Bella, can you hear me? I asked in my head. She wordlessly answered, and then it sounded like she was almost laughing at me. Of course, she had heard me. I could almost see her eyes roll.

Bella, love, I didn't say anything out loud. I'm talking to you in my mind. Then, it was her turn to be shocked. While she continued to burn, she started to sort through the fact that she could hear me talking in my head, just as I heard everyone else. For a moment, the burning overwhelmed her and she focused on that, but soon she came back to me and our situation. She didn't want to focus on the pain, and was more interested in listening to me.

Is it ok if Charlie brings in Eleazer? I asked her, hoping that she would agree. I'd like to get his take on this; it has to be your gift. But I've never heard of this manifesting so early in the transition process.

Her mind was focusing on the burning sensation again, but she pulled herself out quickly. She agreed to allow Eleazer to come in; she was curious about the gift herself.

"Charlie, can you please go get Eleazer? I want to talk to him about Bella's gift." I didn't raise my head, I had to stay connected to her.

"Is Bella ok with him coming in? We told her we would stay and keep everyone else out," Charlie reminded me.

"Yes, Bella has agreed to let him in. She wants to know what's going on also."

Charlie disappeared out the door, and we were alone for a moment. I pressed my lips against her head, telling her over and over again how much I loved her. Not only was she amazing at keeping the burning out of the forefront of her mind, but she could communicate wordlessly with me. The day had gone from horrible to amazing, in just a few short hours. I couldn't wait for Eleazer to come in so we could discuss just how amazing my mate was.

A/N: Well, thoughts? There were a couple of things when I started this fic that I knew I wanted. I wanted Bella's power to be a little different than in the books, and I wanted some of the new vamps to focus on being vegetarian. It was important for Elizabeth to be here to help guide them to that choice. All comes full circle, right? LOL.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying. More on her gift in the next chapter, which should be up on Saturday as usual. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!

My other story, Consuming Love, is also winding down. Chapter 8 to be posted today, with only two left as well. Will finish that one out by Christmas, no doubt. This one may not finish next week due to the epilogue (it's still being beta'd).

Thanks again to my sister and my beta zombified419 for all of your help!