A/N: Again I have to apologise for keeping you waiting this long. Things have been crazy and I've barely had time to write more than a few pages. I completely forgot that I had this chapter sitting on my hard drive waiting to be posted. Exams will do that to you. At least, it's going great and I'm doing much better than I expected, which is a nice change after the rather disastrous written part of my exams. Just one more month and it'll be all over. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to that!

And I'm rambling…

I'm sorry I haven't answered to any of the lovely reviews I've received and PMs are piling up in my in-box. But please know that all your comments are greatly appreciated. It means a lot to me that you're as much in love with this story as I am! I will get around to answering your PMs eventually—I promise! I can't exactly say when the next chapter will be up, so I'm hoping to get it finished before Christmas.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga is property of Stephenie Meyer. I'm only borrowing.

47. STORIES PART 2

EDWARD

In the next memory, Skadi was standing on a roof once more, only this time it was night. Her eyes swept across the skyline that was ablaze with millions of lights. For a moment her gaze lingered on a familiar tower that rose high into the overcast night sky. The Space Needle. Seattle.

"It was pure coincidence that we met." Regret coloured her voice as well as her thoughts. She was wishing she had never encountered Victoria again. If she hadn't, her life wouldn't be as complicated as it was right now. But she also wouldn't have met Freya. With that thought came guilt because having Freya in her life meant that the girl was now lost to someone else, someone who had loved her just as much as Skadi had come to love her. "Victoria had been in Seattle for a few days when she came across my scent and tracked me down," Skadi continued more briskly, cutting her train of thought off before it could lead her further into the darkness.

I wished I had that much control.

"I only see what has happened around the people and things up until the moment I touch them—I can't see the decisions that led them to where they were, to what they did. But I think she simply needed comfort. I was there and she knew I wouldn't harm her. So she came to me."

I focused on the memory again. Sensing movement behind her, Skadi turned, but her instincts told her that she wasn't in danger. The vampire hadn't tied to sneak up on her; in fact, she hadn't tried to be stealthy at all. Besides, the scent she caught on the cool breeze was familiar. Hello, Skadi said. She didn't bother to hide her surprise. She hadn't expected to ever see her again, mainly because of James. He disliked her as much as she disliked him. Her surprise was instantly replaced by concern.

This Victoria was nothing at all like the one I remembered. Her shoulders were rigid as she stood there, her eyes flickering this way and that way, searching for threats. Her face was blank, completely expressionless, but the fear flashing in her eyes ran deep. She was scared. Scared and lost. Her movements were jerky and unsure as she approached, lacking a vampire's usual grace.

Skadi had been moving towards her. Now she froze, arms by her side, her entire posture relaxed and non-threatening—she could look harmless if she wanted to. She could sense that Victoria was likely to bolt if she so much as blinked wrong, and something horrible must have happened to her. Skadi was determined to find out what because she couldn't stand seeing others suffer. What happened, she asked gently.

They killed James. A harsh, bitter whisper. Victoria wrapped her arms around herself in a gesture to comfort herself and in that moment she looked like a scared little child. He's gone. And then she began to sob violently, as if speaking these words had been some sort of release. Sympathy for her stirred inside my heart despite myself as I watched her rocking body; she must have hold on to her emotions, her sadness, her pain, for a very long time, containing them deep with in where they couldn't touch her. Now she couldn't hold them back anymore.

Oh sweetie, Skadi whispered and opened her arms. Victoria didn't hesitate. She flew into her arms, sobbing in earnest now. I'm so sorry. They stayed like this for a very long time. Eventually the sky turned pink with the promise of sunshine, the clouds all gone. Sweetie, we need to go. Skadi's voice was gentle, but firm. The sun's about to come up.

In the present, Skadi gave a frustrated sigh. Remembering the meeting, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Victoria—even after all this time, even now, knowing what she'd done or had others do in her name. "I eventually got the whole story out of her. A confrontation with another coven had gotten out of hand and James was killed as a consequence."

The scene in Skadi's mind changed. Colourless and one-dimensional. It was us I was seeing now, my family forming a line of defence to protect our weakest member. I caught a glimpse of myself behind Carlisle, crouching in front of Bella, who looked startled and uncomprehending. She didn't know what was going on yet.

"That is weird," Bella muttered beside me.

I agreed. "It is."

Scene change. Only James and Victoria now, alone somewhere in the woods; it wasn't a place I recognised. Laurent was nowhere to be seen. This must have taken place while Laurent was at our place, or sometime after. I want her. James was pacing like a caged animal. His voice was impatient, with a feral edge to it. The hairs on the neck of my back rose even though this was just a memory. When he faced Victoria again, his face was twisted in rage. How dare they? he snarled, driving his fist into the nearest tree. It went right through.

Calm down, Victoria said soothingly. You always get them, in the end.

That seemed to pacify him a little. He gave her a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. They remained hard and cold, focused.

You said you overheard her telling her father she was going to Phoenix, Victoria continued. She was reasoning with him, trying to get him to calm down. The way she didn't hesitate before she spoke made me think that she had a lot of practice with that. Any chance she really meant it? It's the first place you'd go looking for her, which they have to know. So you wouldn't be particularly inclined to believe them when you overhear them saying they'd take her to Phoenix. But what if they are because they're counting on exactly that?

James scowled. You think they're that smart? Somehow I got the impression that wasn't the reason he was scowling. Maybe he didn't like being outsmarted even by his own mate.

I think they want to protect this human at all cost. They were ready to tear you to pieces, James. Besides, since they don't seem to be planning on changing her—or she would be one of us already—getting her out of here is their only option.

You're probably right, James agreed eventually. He didn't seem happy. Because it hadn't been his idea or because it would it would complicate matters? I was leaning towards the former—James had enjoyed a challenge. Let's wait and see what they'll do next. Again he smiled, but this time it was real. I can be patient.

Scene change. It was dark, with only a hint of daylight left—the sun had set a while ago, but darkness hadn't taken over completely yet. Victoria crouched hidden in a narrow alley, staring at the orange-grey flames licking over the building in front of her. Behind the ballet studio was only darkness; apparently fifty yards was the limit of what Skadi's gift enabled her to see. Fire trucks, blue lights flashing madly, blocked Victoria's direct access to the building, but she must have known that going inside would have been suicide and so she stayed put. Besides, at this point, James had been dead for hours. There was nothing she could do. The firemen were doing their best of extinguish the fire, forming a loose line around the building and pouring gallon after gallon of water into the inferno. But they were losing the battle.

We had been very thorough.

A memory again. After the colourless—what had Skadi called it?—imprint it came as a shock because of its bright clarity. A hotel room. Victoria lay curled up on her side, the occasional sob tearing through her as she told Skadi what she thought had happened. Skadi had obviously gotten her to shower; she wore different clothes and her hair was still wet and falling straight down her back. They just killed him. It was barely a whisper, as if even now she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Perhaps the reality of it hadn't quite sunken in yet and she feared that by saying it out loud it would come crashing down on her. Again I felt sorry for her and although that irritated me, I couldn't quench the feeling. She was the enemy, she had done horrible things, she had hurt Bella and she wanted to kill us. But seeing her so broken and desperate reminded me of what Bella had been like in those first few months after I left—in the vision Alice had shown me a few weeks ago Bella had lain on her bed in a similar position, her chest barely rising and falling.

Only when Bella said gently, "Don't think about that now," did I realise that she had seen the dreadful memory as well. She pressed her lips against the edge of my jaw. "Don't ever think about it again. Please. It's past."

Murdered him. These words drew me back into the memory. For a human. A bloody human. Slowly, she sat up, legs folded underneath her, her hands clenched to fists on her thighs. Why would they do that? she choked. She rubbed her right fist across her eyes. They were dark, nearly black.

Because she was important to them, I suppose. Skadi's voice was calm, soothing. She spoke to her like to a little child. She was hoping to make her see reason, to get her to understand that James had brought it on himself, but she couldn't bring herself to say the actual words. That would have been beyond cruel and she couldn't do that to someone who was already in so much pain, already suffering so much. Her thoughts wandered to her daughter. She had killed the monster that had murdered Freyja and she understood perfectly why we had killed James. But despite all that she also understood Victoria's pain, knew the depths of a vampire's emotions, their capacity for suffering. And she liked Victoria. Quite a bit. She didn't want her to be hurting.

But she was only human, Victoria repeated desperately. She wasn't worth anything. Did she truly not understand why I had to kill James? Or didn't she want to? Then again, would I bee any different if our places were reversed?

Everybody is worth something, Skadi said firmly. She sat down beside Victoria and put her arm around her waist. Victoria inched closer, seeking comfort. Obviously, the girl was important to them and so they protected her. It's unfortunate that James was killed in the process. He had it coming. The last sentence, she didn't say out loud. She didn't quite understand why. It was the truth. But the truth could hurt, so she kept it to herself, although deep down Victoria must have known what James was like. She wasn't stupid. But she was also in love and love tended to make people blind. Skadi refused to believe that Victoria was as evil as James had been.

I want him dead. Victoria sucked in a ragged breath. The one who killed James. She paused. No. I want him to suffer. I want him to feel the pain I feel. He had no right to take James away from me.

Skadi wanted to object because she knew I had had every right. But again she remained silent. A monster had slaughtered her family and she had killed it as was her right—and the monster that was James had been killed too. That was only right. No, it was more than that. It was just. There were already too many monsters in this world, too much evil. But despite all that Skadi could relate, could understand what Victoria was going through. It confused her.

But he didn't even want to kill her! Victoria cried, sounding desperate now. But there was something else in her voice. Something that didn't quite fit. Calculation. He loves to hunt, but he didn't mean to kill her. He just wanted to scare her a little. What's wrong with that?

A lot of things on many different levels. But Skadi kept her opinion to herself. Again. She highly doubted that James hadn't wanted to kill the girl—that's who he was, was what gave him joy. But maybe he had had a change of heart since the last time they met. Change was rare for vampires, but not impossible and Victoria had known James best after all. You know that's not true, whispered something deep inside her. You know she's lying. But Victoria was in so much pain and that was why Skadi made the offer, although she knew it was wrong. But she couldn't stand seeing another being suffer like she had suffered, couldn't stand seeing that much pain. She knew revenge wasn't the answer—and in this case wasn't even justified. But she made the offer regardless because she knew Victoria but knew nothing about us. Alright, she said and her tone made Victoria glance up hopefully. I'll help you.

"I have come to regret that." Skadi met my gaze levelly. She knew she had made a mistake and, contrary to me, wasn't afraid to face the consequences. "I knew it was wrong even as I offered, but she was hurting. I've always known that she used that to manipulate me into helping her. But I honestly didn't think my decision would lead to so much pain. I was wrong and for that I apologise, although there are no words to say how sorry I am for what had come to pass. Without my help things wouldn't probably even have gotten this far. In the beginning I might still have been able to stop Victoria. But I missed my chance and now there's nothing I can do. A few years ago she created a guard for herself, four vampires that never leave her side. Under normal circumstances they would be no match for me. But they are all gifted." A sad, bitter laugh. "I know because it was me who chose them. That's one aspect of my gift that developed only fairly recently. I can sense latent gifts in humans. It's just a feeling, nothing concrete. I don't even know what the gift is until the human in question is changed. I think Aro's guard served as an inspiration.

"Anyway, I can't get to her now. Besides, Victoria knows that I don't agree with her anymore, not as much as I used to. I could leave, but I'm at least partially responsible for what she has done. As long as I stay, I can do at least some damage control. I didn't find out about some of the things she's done until recently. Believe me, if I had known what she and Craig were up to, I would have tried to talk some sense into her. Sometimes she still listens to me. But the time for talking is past now." Her eyes were hard, cold. "I have Freya to think of now." She kept her thoughts deliberately vague. She wanted us to understand why she was helping us. She didn't think a guilty conscience was reason enough. Freya seemed to be the catalyst for her decision to help us. But why?

"What things?" Bella asked, just as I wanted to ask why Freya was so important, apart from the fact that she reminded Skadi of her daughter.

Instead of answering the question, Skadi showered us with yet more memories. They kept coming quickly now, image upon image rushing through her mind so fast I had to concentrate to catch them all. She didn't know how much time we had left. The others could return every minute. Most of what Skadi showed us were her own memories, things she had witnessed herself. Some were imprints. Victoria talking to Laurent, receiving information about our family. Victoria telling Skadi, frustrated and angry, that Laurent had vanished and that now she'd have to go back to Forks herself. Victoria underwater, the ocean a wall of greyish green around her. She came up, scanning the cliffs jutting out into the sea. Saw a tiny human figure on the edge. Bella. She jumped and Victoria immediately started towards her—then hastily retreated as Jacob flung himself into the churning sea not one second after Bella had gone in.

I can't get to her. Victoria crushed a rock in her hand, hair still dripping. She was furious, her eyes ablaze with hatred.

Patience, Skadi advised calmly. Perhaps a change in tactics is in order.

Victoria seemed to take her words to heart, only watching Bella from a distance now, never venturing close as she was always protected by the wolves. With every conversation she and Skadi had, her impatience grew. She wanted to do something, anything, but she knew she needed a better plan. If the wolves killed her, she wouldn't be able to avenge James's death.

She left, she told Skadi one evening, water glistening behind her in the fading sunlight. She's going to college. But I think I have a plan. One that'll work.

Victoria leaning over unmoving bodies, screaming out her frustration. Damn it, why won't it work? Bodies over bodies, too many to count. Then, finally, a first success. The girl survived, woke up a vampire three days after Victoria had bitten her. So did the next. And the next. And the next.

"Victoria changed tactics more thoroughly than I had anticipated." Skadi didn't look very happy. She had envisioned something less drastic. Never had it occurred to her that Victoria would do what she had ended up doing. "By the time I found out it was too late to intervene. Since the wolves still protected you, even down in California, Victoria tried a new approach. She kept creating vampires and sending them to Forks to kill you. She knew you weren't there anymore, but the newborns didn't and as they were grateful that Victoria had given them the chance for a better life, they didn't question her. She only needed to tell them that the wolves would come after them if they didn't kill them first. That was all it took to make them obey her. They didn't want to die.

"Victoria still picks new recruits that way." Skadi paused, then corrected herself. "She has me pick recruits that way, I should say. By making them feel they owe her she secures their loyalty. And she's succeeded, at least with the ones who haven't met Craig. Those have shifted their allegiance to me as I'm the one who's responsible for their training. They know me, but most of them have only met Victoria once. However, they also know that Victoria will have them hunted down like animals if they defect." Skadi smiled, but this time it was a cruel smile and it reminded me of how dangerous this woman was. "Which doesn't mean that given the chance they won't try to get rid of her. They will, without hesitation. But back to the story.

"Victoria was hoping that by sending vampires to Forks and leaving you alone, she'd eventually make your friends think you were safe as long as you didn't return and they didn't lower their guard. Years later it finally worked. She also grew more… picky when it came to choosing people for her cause. By then she had her guard, but she wanted more. It seemed to me she didn't want to take any chances with you. She began creating an army. Not just newborns, who were strong but lacked discipline. A real army. That was the first time it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't just you she was after anymore. She stopped letting me read her about the same time. She kept secrets, which she hadn't before, and I grew suspicious."

"Who else could she be after?" Bella asked. She sounded as puzzled as I felt. Clearly, this whole situation with Victoria was much more complex than we had thought.

"I'm getting to that." Skadi gave her a brief smile, but it seemed strained. "Victoria asked me to find her human soldiers that were unhappy with their mortal lives. They knew about discipline, were familiar with being part of a chain of command and could follow orders if they believed in what they were doing. I always gave them a choice. I didn't want to force them into a life they would be unhappy with, but many chose gladly. Like Jackson and Sophie. Over the years, I have acquired forty-eight vampires for her that way, a third of them former military personnel and about a fifth gifted in one way or the other.

"Unfortunately, I suspect that she's created even more by now. But I don't know for sure. As I said, she's been keeping secrets from me for a while now. If I had to guess, I'd say the total number is ranges somewhere between seventy and eighty. They're scattered across the States and Canada in units of three or four. She keeps a small newborn contingent as well, but the numbers are constantly changing. They have a tendency of killing each other.

"I don't know why she came after you in California. My guess is that she was there to check up on you and couldn't resist. In any case, her failure seemed to convince her that she needed even more vampires. You were suddenly much harder to kill. Of course you wouldn't have stood a chance against her army, but Victoria tends to go overboard in everything she does." She made a face. "She likes to be in control."

I felt Bella's gaze on me, but I pretended not to notice. I knew I was being ridiculous; she was still reading my mind, so she knew what I was thinking. But I couldn't help myself. Skadi's words struck something deep inside me. To be like Victoria… The thought made my stomach churn. I did not want to be like her.

"Victoria had plans for you once you were dead," Skadi continued. Her face was blank and she was trying to keep her voice even, but her eyes were flashing dangerously. "She wanted to leave your body on your family's doorstep."

I clenched my hands.

"But now that you're a vampire, things are a little more difficult. She can't kill you without destroying your body, so she needed to come up with a new plan."

"That's so sick," Bella whispered.

Skadi nodded unhappily. "I know. I found out about that only last week—after I finally got a chance to read Craig. I should have walked away then and there. I don't want to be a part of this anymore, but I'm afraid that if I leave, things will get even worse." She ran her hand over her braid, twisting it around her wrist. "Until last week I also didn't know that it was Craig's idea to make your family move to Anchorage. The plan was to destroy your family and take the two of you alive so that Victoria could kill you without having to fear retaliation." She made a sound of disgust. "I don't know why Victoria agreed to that. As I said, she won't let me read her anymore. Craig hasn't from the beginning because Victoria told him what I could do. A week ago he finally let down his guard." She bared her teeth a little. "Apparently, he convinced Victoria that it would be even more fun to play mind games with you before she actually attacked. He found the women and Victoria killed them so that her scent was on their bodies. Killing the children was his idea as well." Anger twisted her face and I took an automatic step backwards even as I nudged Bella behind me. "I'm sorry," Skadi said immediately. Her face went blank as she regained control. "I didn't mean to scare you. Craig also suggested digging around in your past. Victoria remembered from watching you that you were quite close to a human named Olivia. Since your father was impossible to get at and you didn't seem to be particularly close to your mother, Victoria had the leader of the Chicago unit, a vampire called Sarah, kidnap Olivia. Victoria instructed her to detain the two of you, should you show up in Chicago looking for the human, and bring you to her. That obviously didn't work out.

"I also didn't know up until last week that she had a human contact in Anchorage, someone who fed her information about you. She kept him in check by threatening his child. Craig hand-picked the vampire for that particular assignment. The man died last week. Victoria thought it was suicide, but since you're here, I'm assuming you had something to do with it?"

"I killed him," Bella said quietly; I could tell from her voice that it still bothered her, although Henry Lambert had had it coming. "I just… I was so furious because of what he did and then he tried to hit on me… Well, I pushed him out a window." She looked so unhappy that Skadi reached out to pat her shoulder, offering comfort. Bella gave her a tiny, grateful smile. "The vampire who was keeping an eye on his daughter is dead as well," she went on. "Which I guess is the reason why Craig knew me showing up here wasn't a coincidence. "

"How so?" Skadi asked sharply. "I've been out with Freya all day, so I'm not exactly in the loop. I mean, I guessed it wasn't because I don't believe in coincidences. But how did Craig know?"

"Apparently, Craig went to Anchorage this morning to check up on Austin and found that he was gone," Bella explained. "He seemed pretty sure he wouldn't have left on his own, that's why he thinks this is a trap. And if he knows, then so does Victoria." She took a deep calming breath. "Okay, so let me get this straight. If we hadn't come here today, Victoria would have come after Edward and me with her army, right?"

A nod. "Yes. But she has had the necessary numbers for some time now and if she had plans to attack anytime soon, I would know. She may not trust me anymore, but I'm still in charge of her troops. She would have told me. That's why I suspect that she's after more than just revenge for James. She could have had that a long time ago. I think I figured out what she wants and that's the reason why I'm helping you, aside from the fact that I find it increasingly hard to reconcile her actions with my conscience." Her eyes flicked to Freya and her grip tightened. Freya gave her a confused look. It was clear that she had no idea what Skadi getting at.

But I suddenly did. I almost instinctively rejected the idea. It was madness, suicide. But then, Victoria had nothing left to lose. "Oh God," I whispered, horrified, and saw the confirmation that I was right in Skadi's mind a moment later. She hadn't wanted to simply tell us because she'd been afraid we wouldn't believe her. And I wouldn't have. Not without seeing everything she had shown us first, starting with the execution of Victoria's sister.

It all made brutal sense now.

Beside me, Bella gasped. "No. No. She can't be serious. That's insane."

Skadi agreed. "Yes, it is. Believe me, I'm praying that I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. I think that once she's done with you, she plans to avenge the death of her sister." She didn't have to say out loud how she thought Victoria would go about that. All three of us already knew.

But she did anyway. "I think she wants to kill Aro."

A/N: And now I seriously hope that you don't think I'm crazy. But I do think that Victoria could be crazy—and desperate—enough to do something like this. Please review! I love hearing from you.