Disclaimer: Twilight belongs first and foremost to Stephenie Meyer. I OWN NOTHING.

THANKS A MILLION to the few who sent in reviews!

Also, not much longer now and I think this story will be finished (finally). Though for now, this is Chapter 19.

Enjoy reading!

Chapter 19: Pain

THE WOMAN'S POV:

"Check mate" I whispered fiercely, before lowering my lips to her jugular.

"Victoria!" my name was called before I could so much as touch my lips to the girls tempting neck, and pushing her away violently I turned in anger.

"Idiot!" I screamed hitting Riley away from me as he rushed forward, "I told you no names!"

"Oh please!" he replied sharply. "You think it's going to matter anymore after you kill her?"

I heard the girls sharp intake of breath from behind me as Riley revealed her fate, but payed no attention and focused on the young vampire before me, moving towards him slowly.

"You dare talk to me like that?" I questioned quietly, furiously. "After all I've done for you, you dare to look me in the eye and question my motives? I gave you a life actually worth living! I gave you power, I gave you beauty, I gave you a family, and yet you-"

"Family?" his voice was laced with sarcasm. "No Victoria!", he spat my name "You gave me a group of bloodthirsty, self centred and animalistic creatures who know nothing better then to follow your example for survival. That's not family. Heck, that's not even sane-in every sense of the word! I'm through doing what you tell me to. You want to kill the girl? Then fine! But after this, I'm gone."

Throughout Riley's heroic little speech my anger, like my proximity to him, was growing, and by the time he uttered his last few words, I was standing with my face less then an inch away from his.

But, before I could take any action against Riley, I was interrupted for the second time that night. Only this time it was by the pathetic little human cowering behind me.

"Please…" she gasped. I fisted my hands beside me to stop me from reacting to Riley's smug expression and turned to face the girl as she gasped, "Please" once more.

"Please, don't hurt me. I don't know what I've done or why you hate me so bad, but if you let me go I swear I won't tell anyone. I swear…" she was shaking now, her voice breaking at frequent intervals.

I was pleased to see her suffer.

"Hush…." I extended the word in a long, patronizing whisper as I crouched before her. "Hush, my dear one. Bella, is it? Well Bella, all will be over soon…no need to worry, no need to cry. Soon you will be no more then just a memory, and the fear you are feeling now will be no more. Hush…" I lifted my hand and turned her head forcefully so that her gaze would meet mine. And was surprised , to say the least. Though her fear was evident through her gasping breathes and quivering frame, her gaze met mine with unfaltering confidence, daring me to kill her there and then, and warning me silently of what would come if I did so.

I released a breathy laugh of both frustration and dark humour, "Stubborn, aren't you? Well as much as I would love to kill you now, I also want to have some fun with you first. Play around…muddle with your mind, however you like to phrase it." as I talked, I waved my hand in a gesture of indifference.

"Edward will-" her voice broke, but still her gaze never faltered, "Edward will-"

"What?" I questioned, smiling wryly, "Edward will what? Come riding from behind the trees on a white horse, sweep you off your feet and drive a stake through my heart?"

Still her gaze held my own with confidence. I threw my head back and laughed loudly, listening to the powerful echo travel through the surrounding woods.

"I hate to break it to you honey, but your knight in shining armour, and all his fellow family members, are a far way from coming to your rescue. Trust me when I say I have them all wrapped around my finger, and very, very tightly at that. So if you want to pray or hope or whatever, then its fine by me. Just make sure you prepare yourself for heartbreak." I pouted mockingly at her and yet she continued to stare at me, her gaze a bond of strength and idiotic hope that was unbreakable and extremely frustrating.

ALICE'S POV:

"Edward calm down!" I said, frustrated.

"Alice, I've never been strong enough to resist that manipulating woman, which is annoying in itself! Though on top of that I had to lie to Bella, drink human blood, and almost lose my family. Not to mention Bella just had to find out about my deep dark secret, and run away to go and get herself killed- and I can't do anything about it! All that and you want me to be calm?"

The sarcasm and self hatred were distinctive in his voice, and I had to resist the suddenly strong urge to literally slap some sense into him.

"Edward, we all understand how hard all this has been for you- do not tell us we don't! We are your family, and we understand more then any other people in the world possibly could. But acting like a child and blaming yourself are not going to fix anything. Alice is right; you need to calm down." Esme's reassuring voice came from beside me, and Edward, unable to see past her reason, slowly began to compose himself.

"If there's one thing we know it's that we need to think of a plan to save Bella-and fast." Emmett's voice came from the direction of the sofa he was sprawled across, and Edward grit his teeth and muttered a frustrated "No kidding?" in response to our brother's bright comment.

Jasper then chose that moment to speak up, "Thank you for clearing that up Emmet." Emmet smiled in satisfaction, and Jasper continued, his calm façade cracking a little "But it would have been even better if you could have actually suggested a way to save Bella!"

Emmet moved his arms behind his head and scoffed, "Jeez Jazz, I can't do all the hard work around here! It would be good for you to pitch in with the battle plans every now and again!"

Jasper's shoulders slumped in a silent yield to Emmet's idiotic stubbornness, and he lowered himself heavily into an empty seat. "All the times which I've been asked to conjure some sort of attack or defence strategy, I've never found myself lost. But now that my family is involved, now that it actually matters, I'm useless. "He said.

"You're not useless Jasper, you're simply confused-we all are. In all my years I have never come across one of our kind with such a power as this woman's, and if I'm confused as to how to deal with her, then I can only imagine how everyone else is feeling. This situation is frustrating and difficult, but we will find a solution. For Bella's sake". Though Carlisle spoke words of inspiration (and cliché if you asked me), his attempt at raising Jasper's spirits was futile.

Actually, his attempt at raising all of our spirits was very much unsuccessful.

"We have to hit her when she is least expecting it." Edward said.

"But that's just the problem- she will be expecting it." Jasper replied, "By the way she ambushed us a couple of nights ago, she's well informed of the elements of stealth and how to use them."

"So then, where do we hit her?"

"Where it hurts!" Exclaimed Emmet excitedly, "And hell, I'm all for that!"

"Shut up Emmet!" Jasper and Edward said at the same time, "You know what we mean!"

"Yeah, sure I do…what ever floats your canoe."

"Their canoe? Really?" Rosalie's voice was full of lethargy and disbelief.

"A boat is just too typical!"

"Typical…" I whispered, "That's it!" I screamed, jumping up and down in pure bliss.

"Alice?" Esme's voice was full of concern, and as I glanced around at everyone else in the room I was aware that they too were looking at me like I was some sort of maniac. Everyone but Jasper, that is. He was able to sense my good mood, and his eyes alight with his own anticipation, he made his way in my direction.

"What is it?" he asked, his hands wrapping around my arms tightly to stop me from jumping. "Alice, what is it?" he repeated.

"Typical. That's what it is, it's typical. You and Edward said that Victoria would be expecting the unexpected- that she had prepared for it. But I think that she would have been so busy preparing for what most people can't see that she would have forgotten about the typical, ordinary methods of approach…" I paused briefly enough to see understanding dawn across his face. Then I continued, "Methods like a threat to scare someone, or a black out on a cold stormy night designed to catch people at their most vulnerable. Methods like an ambush for instance?" I spoke fast, full of exhilaration.

And then Jasper kissed me, long and hard and full of passion. When he pulled away his smile was so broad and bright I almost found myself exclaiming in relief.

"Mary Alice Brandon," he said, "I knew there was a reason I married you."

BELLA'S POV:

"What was that?" I heard Victoria snap from somewhere behind me and flinched at the sound. "What was that?" She shouted when no one answered her, and I just managed to suppress a sob. I wanted out. I needed out. And every moment I lay here on the cold, hard floor, listening to the threats and shrieks of this sadistic woman, 'out' seemed much further away.

"I'm telling you, someone is out there. If you would just let us-" Riley, at least I think it was him, started talking but Victoria in true style interrupted him.

"-stop! No. One. Is. There. I know, no one is there." She said obstinately.

"You know, or you hope?" Riley questioned. "Look Victoria, sweetie, baby, someone is there. We can smell them, and no matter how much you try to convince yourself other wise, they are not going to go away."

"And no matter how much you call me sweetie and baby, I'm not going to believe you. If someone is there, I would know. I've prepared for every technical plan and strategy for attack or escape that is known to man. So do not try and convince me someone is hiding in the bushes or lurking in the shadows, because no one is. It's not possible."

"Anything is possible." I whispered hoarsely. "You just have to believe it first…And I believe that Edward is-Argh!" I chocked off in a shriek of both pain and surprise as Victoria swung around in rage and slapped me across my cheek.

"Go to hell." I spat at her.

But all I got in return was an annoying smirk, a low, slightly insane sounding chuckle and a reply that made my heart skip a beat and my seemingly strong demeanour slip a little;

"Hell? Darling you are in hell."

EDWARD'D POV:

As the sound of skin against skin resounded through the surrounding forest, I barely managed to hold back a growl of anger, and Jasper's firm hold on my shoulder was the only thing stopping me revealing our hiding place and killing Victoria right there and then.

"Edward," Alice murmured. "The time will come-"

"-I know!" I interrupted, annoyed. "I know the time will come. But it's a different thing to be patient enough to wait for it to arrive."

At my comment, Alice along with Esme gave me a stern look and I sighed heavily, saying, "Relax, I won't suddenly decide to jump from the bushes screaming Bloody Mary without a good enough reason to. But I swear, if Bella is in trouble, I will attack. With or without you all."

"Oh! Preferably with us please! I want my chance to hit her where it hurts!" Emmet said.

"Don't worry, Emmett, you will…I swear you will."

BELLA'S POV:

I turned around and for the first time since I had arrived in the forest that night, pulled myself into sitting position. I found Victoria looking at me- watching me, like a vulture watches its prey.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, meeting her gaze with a steady one of my own.

"What I want from you is irrelevant. It's more what you should want from me…"

I frowned in confusion, and brought my legs up to my chest.

"Me? From you?" I asked. "What could I possibly want from you?"

"Knowledge perhaps?"

I shook my head, still perplexed.

"Memory?"

I shook my head once more.

"Bella, you remember the car accident your mother and father got into many years ago, when you were very young? The one you forgot to tell Alice, or even your dear Edward about?" Victoria questioned.

"How-how did you know about that car accident?" I asked, a tone of panic in my voice.

"Bella, I caused the car accident."

EDWARD'S POV:

"Bella, I caused the car accident."

I listened to Victoria's confident voice ring through the space surrounding us-bearing an unforgettable, unforgiveable truth.

A strong sense of horror shot through my body halted my breathing and focused my mind on one thing…

"Oh God," I whispered to myself "What have you done?"

BELLA'S POV:

I felt laughter begin to bubble and rise in my chest at what Victoria had just said to me and was unable to suppress it.

I laughed long and hard, all the while the vicious woman before me remained oddly patient and still; waiting for me to silence my fit of giggles.

Finally finding my way through my hysteria I was able to gasp a coherent; "You? Cause the accident? I think we would have been informed if it seemed to be a deliberate act…"

"Yes, well you would hope so…" she responded snidely. There was something in her voice, in the sure way she had answered my statement, that made me stop laughing suddenly and just stare; my heart pounding.

She was being serious.

"What's more," Victoria continued. "Is that not only did I start the accident, but I did so with full intention to kill you. What I did not count on, however, was that little boyfriend of yours interfering."

"Edward? He knows nothing of the accident, he couldn't have been there…he would have told me." I said, as pain at this unexpected truth slowly began to hammer through every inch of my body.

"Again, you would hope so." Victoria said calmly "Though if there is one thing I'm sure you realise by now, it is that hope is often meaningless- it gets you no where."

I inhaled a shaky breathe, bringing my legs even closer to my chest, and exhaled as I lowered my head to rest on my knees. Still, Victoria continued to talk- to inflict more and more pain.

"Yes, I caused the accident. Yes, I wished to kill you, you and your parents. And yes, Eddie just happened to intervene and spoil my plans. But I have recently been able to kill two birds with one stone; capture you whilst getting revenge on Edward and his family in the process. You see, I controlled him to get to you; ruined his life and still managed to get what I wanted. Finally." Her last word was said with so much malice that I glanced up abruptly to see her eyes darken suddenly and fill with a silent and unmistakeable threat.

Slowly, intentionally, as if to highlight how little time I had left, she moved closer to me and reached out to grab a fistful of my hair. Pulling harshly she turned so my ear rest in front of her mouth and she proceeded to answer the question that had been screaming through my mind ever since she began telling me the details of her plan; "I'm sure you're wondering why I am telling you all this?" she murmured. "Well you see, my intentions towards you since that day many years ago have not changed." She paused for a moment…

…

A moment that seemed like an eternity.

…

All you could hear was the ragged and overly loud sound of my breathing and the occasional rustle of one of Victoria's followers behind her. Finally she stated with what was harsh simplicity, "I am going to kill you Bella. Just in case you were unsure."

And then there was the unmistakeable sound of anger, of passion and of power. The sound that represented many memories of the Cullen's and many painful memories of what Victoria had inflicted upon me; growling.

EDWARD'S POV:

As I watched Victoria move slowly closer to Bella I suddenly became extremely aware of my surroundings; reacting to every sound, every movement. My instincts taking over.

As we watched the scene before us unveil, revealing more and more detail about its ending, we tried to convince ourselves otherwise. Tried to convince ourselves that it would not finish badly.

But as Alice bit her lip in anxiety, Emmett cracked his knuckles in anticipation, and as the rest of my family held their breath in silent dread, Victoria decided to reveal her plot's grand finale; "I'm going to kill you Bella. Just in case you were unsure." she said.

Then we pounced.

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So there it is; short and sweet.

I'm hoping to update again very, very soon so please keep checking!

Reviews are of course appreciated…VERY appreciated :P

Love always,

Krissy

Heart of Diamonds