You guys rock, seriously. Thanks to everyone who's with me on this and hi to all the new faces :)

Looks like there's one more chapter and an epilogue, maybe 2 chapters depending on what the characters say when I start writing, they have a mind of their own, especially Elena. I sit down to write her knowing what's going to happen and that's it, she's off on her own doing her thing paying me no mind.

I own nothing.

I do get cookies from Angela though who is awesome and deserves love and whiskey. It's thanks to her that this chapter didn't spiral away somewhere strange.

Enjoy :)

Firework

Freaky Weird

Caroline knew something was terribly wrong. Stefan and then Damon had disappeared. There weren't many Cold Ones left, about seven, Caroline wasn't much of a fighter though and all of them had started to circle her. Fear travelled down her spine and settled in her mind.

Maybe she should just surrender? After all she only had to give them Isabella then they'd all be safe.

Her head snapped up and her face changed back into her vampire visage once more. She knew about their gifts and this was obviously one. Caroline was many things, she knew she had many faults, but loyalty? Not a chance. She'd rather go down fighting then give over one of her friends. And since when had she called Bella Isabella? Even in her own head? Nope, something was freaky wrong. One of the Cold Ones had obviously got a gift similar to compulsion. She had to figure out which one it was and end them first.

Caroline spun on her feet snarling while looking at all the Cold Ones. Her eyes eventually latching on to a pretty and small brunette. She looked to be no more than sixteen when she was changed.

Caroline's heart went out to the girl, maybe she could help the young one? Help control her blood lust. If she helped get it under control, then maybe this one wouldn't have to die. That was it, she'd go get this girl a drink, Isabella had the sweetest smelling blo…

Caroline lunged at the girl and tore her head easily off. Tiny bitch. She'd have to worry about the limbs later as two of the other Cold Ones had lunged at her.

Damon had been right, they were a lot slower than her type of vampire. It was literally no issue to grab the lunging vampires and rip off limbs as they were mid-flight, so to speak.

Unfortunately, the other five all pounced as one. She was fast, but she couldn't take these numbers alone.

"Bonnie!" She shouted hoping her friend would hear and could help. Even if she only took down one.

Where the hell were Stefan and Damon? And Bella's friendly Cullen's?

"Ahh!" She screamed as three of the Cold Ones bit into her, she could feel their venom burning her and their teeth ripping.

The Cold One that had her neck dropped down to the ground screaming and Caroline was able to wrench the male who had her arm and was trying to bite it off's head off. It tore her skin and she screamed again. Tears were pouring down her face as she tried to fight off the remaining four vampires. She was losing though.

Just as she opened her mouth to scream for help a giant wolf, bigger than anything she'd ever imagined came running over almost as fast as she could run.

The giant wolf ripped off a vampire and started eating it then spitting out the pieces.

The Cold Ones backed off in fear, Caroline could smell it on them.

When the wolf, Jacob, was done with the Cold One he looked over Caroline before nodding and running after the fleeing Cold One's.

Breathing deeply and gathering her courage Caroline followed. Now she had help the Cold Ones would be ash in no time. She just hoped that Stefan and Damon were okay. She'd have to check after she was done with the giant puppy.

~0~

Stefan wasn't enjoying himself. The Cold Ones were easy to take down, but he wished he didn't have to. Surely some of these could be saved? Surely, they could help some of them get over their bloodlust.

He wanted to but then his thoughts would turn to Elena and he knew that he could never risk her like that or leave her for the time it took for the newborns to be sane enough to be round people. He wouldn't put her at risk and he wouldn't willingly leave her. With a heavy heart he followed his brother taking down the odd one that Damon had missed and helping Caroline dismember them to burn later. Every kill tugged at his blackened soul.

They had got the majority he thought when he heard it. Elena's scream, her anguish. She was hurt!

Without a thought for the others Stefan ran into the house as fast as he could from the back door. Elena was the kitchen sat on the counter, her wrist very obviously broken, and a large egg was already forming on her head. Jenna and Jeremy were tending to her, the others were shifting from their posts to try and look but obviously not wanting to get too far away.

"Elena!" He called, frantically he checked her over, her eyes were streaming with tears but seemed to be clear enough she didn't have concussion as far as he could tell. She would have a lot of bumps but there looked to be no further issued outside of her head injury and her broken wrist. He didn't think she'd take his blood, she never had done before, and he didn't think now would be the exception. However, there was no way they'd be able to get her to a hospital yet. For a brief second Stefan envied Damon, Bella would do anything to stay with him and be with him, even turn into one of them. Elena… It wasn't what she wanted, and he respected that, but it hurt.

"Take my blood." Stefan demanded, though he knew it was a lost cause. "Please Elena."

"I'm fine Stefan." Tears were gushing down her face.

"Your wrist is broken." He said as gently as he was able to. "What happened?"

"They… Victoria… She." Elena's tears came thicker and sobs heaved at her chest.

"What?" Jenna asked urgently, she was not liking this more by the second.

"She has Bella." Elena managed to get out.

"Damon's out there, he'll get her back, how did you get hurt?" Stefan demanded as Jenna gasped and ran into the living room where he could hear her talking to Ric and Tyler, he didn't much care. If Damon couldn't get Bella back then no one could and right now he had to look out for the love of his life, not Damon's.

"She had me Stefan… I… I... went out onto the balcony from your room, I needed some air and she grabbed me." Elena's clutched onto him with her good hand. "She said she'd let me go and wouldn't kill me if Bella went with her. She didn't even think about it. Stefan, we have to get Bella back."

Stefan's mind raced. If it wasn't for Bella then Elena would certainly be dead, he owed her and Damon, he'd kill everyone if something happened to Bella, he'd start with Elena.

He looked down, Elena was still sobbing, and her hand was holding onto him as tightly as she could. His mind was made up, Elena needed him. He was exactly where he should be.

"Damon will get her Elena." He held her tighter and soothed her hair. "Damon will get her, and I've got you. You're okay."

"What I said earlier… Something was wrong. I have been angry with Bella but not like that and I was thinking things that just weren't me Stefan. One of those other vampires, they must have a gift like Edward."

"Shhh…." He soothed once more. "It's okay Elena, Damon can handle it."

~0~

He had her. She smelt so, so good, his throat scorched but he had her, he could protect her. He just wished she'd stop screaming.

"Damon!" She screamed again, her throat sounding raw, her voice sounding heartbroken.

"Love, it's okay. He can't get to you anymore. I'm going to take you somewhere safe, somewhere we can be together again Bella. You don't have to put up with them anymore." Edward smiled down at his love, his hope, his mate. She was perfect. All she needed was a little time to go back to his docile lamb. "I have you."

Once again, she screamed her ex boyfriends name. Thank God he'd killed the savage. It'd been easy. All he'd had to do was take the monster by surprise. Guess he wasn't so fast and old and infallible now.

He could hear two of his family coming behind him. He hoped that Emmett and Rosalie would help, however he couldn't count on it. After all Emmett had fraternised with the enemy once. And Rosalie was always against his relationship with his Isabella. He couldn't work out why. She had that stupid oaf of a husband, she was happy, more or less. So why did she begrudge him love? Why did she think he not deserved it? No, he would out run his family until he got Bella somewhere safe and she came back around. Until they were back with each other fully.

After all a love like there's didn't just fade and die like Isabella claimed. They were it, eternal. Just like the couples he lived with. She was his happily ever after. The one he'd worked so hard for, the reason he fought his bloodlust, the reason he went through the monotony of everyday life. She was his. She just had to have time to remember that.

She screamed again, this time his name didn't fall form her lips, just a feral sound of heartbreak. Edward recognised it as it was one, he'd been doing for a year now. He'd left to keep her safe and happy, to give her a human life. She obviously couldn't stay safe, couldn't stay pure and wholesome. Not without his help. So, he wouldn't leave again. He'd stay with her till her dying day and passed away peacefully just as she should if they had never met. His perfect, human, Bella.

"Shush Isabella, we'll be out of this awful town soon. We'll go away for a bit, just the two of us." Edward said soothingly.

Her screams doubled, and her hands fisted her hair causing the wound on her head to open and blood to start flowing freely down her face.

Edward stopped.

Her blood.

Her heartbeat.

His raging inferno.

That blood would quench him, would sate him, would stop the burn.

The blood.

He couldn't resist. He couldn't remember why he'd ever wanted to.

He bit into to her slowly, he wanted to saviour the blood. The enjoy every sweet drop of ambrosia that flowed down his throat and cooled him. He would make this last.

~0~

Damon's eyes snapped open, his body full of adrenalin.

He ignored the pain in his neck. His chest ached to the point of driving the other pains he was feeling away. Her cry was ripping the air.

He ran so fast his feet barely touched the floor. He'd never been so angry, furious, livid. His Wildcat was hurt, and he'd given her his word that while he was around no-one would ever hurt her. Some bastard had made him break his promise.

The forest was a blur, he followed her scent and drops of her blood for three minutes twelve seconds before he came across them. Every second rang with her agony. Every second someone got closer to meeting their maker. Painfully.

A scrawny male was holding his, writhing, screaming Isabella in his arms. Two others, one male, one female were trying to get him to let her go.

He saw red.

"You!" Was all the red headed male managed to get out before his head was gone. Damon carefully took Isabella from his arms before his torso could topple and laid her on the ground out of harms way. He would tend to her in a moment. For now, he needed the threat to her safety gone.

He knew that Cold Ones could feel their limbs burn as long as their head was still intact. One by one Damon lit the male's extremities up, comforted by the look of exquisite agony across the male's face. First to go were the arms that he'd dared to touch Isabella with. Then his legs which he'd used to try to take her away. Then slowly, so slowly, chunk by torn off chunk, his torso went.

Damon's last moment of revenge was to set the little shits hair alight after giving his head a liberal coating of the males own venom. He'd be like a slow burning sparkling candle till it reached his eyes, then the head would go up like it'd been dowsed in gasoline. He didn't stand to watch that instead he turned back to his, still screaming, Isabella.

He noted the empath had joined the two other Cold Ones but paid them no mind. They weren't a threat. He could end them as easily as he'd ended the red head if he needed. He couldn't stop the low growl of warning though.

Damon looked over Isabella's injuries. A broken arm, a slash on her head, a broken ankle and…

"How long?" Damon growled out, his voice more beast than man.

"How long what?" The overly large male asked.

"How long has the venom been in her?" He hissed, his anger growing once more.

"About fifteen minutes." The female answered softly.

Damon calculated. It had been in too long for him to safely suck the venom out.

"Damon!" She screamed, her eyes shooting open, panic in them along with her agony.

"I'm here Wildcat, I'm here." Damon said, his voice soft and rich once more.

"I thought you…" A sob ribbed through the brunettes broken body.

"I'm here, it's okay." He repeated, trying not to let his emotions come through in his voice.

"He bit me! I don't want to be one of them!" She sobbed as involuntarily her body tensed from the pain of the venom.

"I know sweetheart." Damon muttered, his heart sinking.

"Please Damon." She begged.

There was nothing he could do. He'd have to let her change, she'd be a Cold One, one of them. No-one had ever tried…

"Isabella…" He said softly, trying to let her know there was nothing he could do.

"Damon… please." She pleaded once more. Her voice broken.

"I don't know if it'll work… I can't lose you… I can't." Damon said, tears leaping into his icy blue eyes.

"Please!" She asked of him once more her deep brown eyes shining with tears boring into his.

Gently Damon kissed her forehead, a tear dropping from his eye as he snapped her neck.

~0~

I hope that you all enjoyed that. Can I get a whoop for Eddy boys death?

If there is anything you'd like to see in an epilogue please let me know in a review or a pm. I have some ideas but happy to fit other things in if I can.

Hope you enjoyed, until next time TTFN :)