Three things happened at the same, exact second.

Paul, the werewolf, was jumping fiercely, growling, thirsty with blood, at Bella and Jacob.

Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper ran towards Bella to push her away.

And Edward appeared out of nowhere, jumping towards the great silver wolf.

Bella stared, shaken with fear, from behind Jacob's body, how the love of her life and her adopted family had come to aid her. It all happened in slow motion for her – Edward grabbing Paul by the middle of his body, both falling to the ground heavily; Jacob jumping towards Edward, his reddish fur exploding from his back; Alice's hands grabbing her from behind and pushing her backwards onto the floor.

'Bella!'

The girl on the floor looked at the battle scene: Edward was backing away from the werewolf, and so was it (more like pushed backwards by the reddish wolf.) The Cullen family lined up, staring fixedly at their enemies, Bella still surrounded by Alice's arms.

Just in time.

Where were you, Edward?

So now you're trying to have her love again. She doesn't deserve a scum like you.

The boy glanced at his sister, but she was staring at the werewolves intensely, frowning. He turned away and tried to hide the pain that her words had caused him.

'Werewolves,' Carlisle spoke up, not moving from his position, tense, 'there is no reason for us to fight against you.'

The biggest wolf vanished and in an instant, Sam Ulley was standing in front of them.

'You have broken the treaty,' he said with a look of disgust in his face, 'the treaty our ancestors signed with you.'

'Bella means of no harm to anybody,' Carlisle said calmly, but a groan appeared from Sam's chest.

'Even the best vampires give in to temptation,' he snapped.

'Bella is not –'

'We will protect our people!'

'We do not intend to harm citizens from –!'

'We have the right to take you off your lands!'

'The Cullens will not leave Forks.'

'Have it your way then!'

Sam seemed out of control, as angry as Bella had never seen him before. And before anybody could react, Sam had vanished once again and a gigantic wolf was leaping towards Carlisle its teeth bare.

'CARLISLE!'

The general shout from the vampires alarmed the rest of the werewolves, and soon enough, every werewolf had jumped.

Bella felt herself being thrown backwards with intensity as Alice jumped onto a wolf she had never seen – Quil, perhaps. With desperation, she sat up on her place as she stared at the scene – a mess of wolves and vampires, blood, sweat, death – all because of her fault. She recognized the wolves as she stared at them biting furiously her brothers and sisters' marble bodies with fury, she recognized her beloved one's voices shouting in pain, she heard howls, groans, barks, screams – but her eyes focused on two silent, still figures.

Away from the central fight, Edward and the reddish wolf were staring at each other, several feet away, ready to attack

'Don't,' Bella whispered. 'Don't. Please, don't.'

…

It was the moment he had always been waiting for. The moment he had been expecting from the first time he had seen him with Bella in the silver Volvo – it was time. Edward Cullen, just right in front of him. The vampire from his nightmares, and the nightmare of his life. The man who had stolen his Bells. Who had hurt her beyond imaginable, who had left her alone, who had finally begged for forgiveness. The man who had bewitched Bella with his vampire spell, who had her in an eternal dream from which he could not make her wake up. He was there. Waiting for him. The time had finally come where he would confront him. And he was ready.

He had always been.

…

Bella was not far away from them. Safe from the fight, as long as none of his brothers fell – but he tried to clear that thought from his head. He stared into his enemies eyes, dark, hostile. Did he want to do this? He gave the quickest glance at Bella. He couldn't. He had already hurt her beyond imaginable, with something that had not even been his fault. And if he hurt her Jacob – she would never be able to forgive him. Never. The pain in his heart increased, and his hard expression faltered.

No. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

He relaxed his position.

'I'm sorry, Jacob Black,' he said, staring at the wolf. 'I will not do this.'

'Edward!' he heard Bella cry. He glanced at her, but turned back to Jacob. The response from the boy was a furious groan.

You will not surrender now!

'I will,' he said. 'I do not wish to fight against you.'

I've been waiting too long for this. I will fight – and win.

'I'm sorry, Jacob Black.'

NO! You've taken away from me the only thing I ever truly wanted – the woman I love. You have no slight idea how horrible it was, how painful it was – to – to watch her there, so beautiful, so amazing, by the side of a man who was not even human. Someone who left her to rot for months. Who was the one who took care of her while you were gone?!

The eyes of the wolf had become shiny, as if crying, and the groan was now mixed with a kind of painful howl.

It was me! I loved her, I made her happy again, I did everything you didn't – and yet how was I paid back? You come back and she thrusts into your arms, as if nothing had happened! As if I had never existed! I was the one who had been there for her – and yet I was the one forgotten. I was the one who had all the suffering. And now – now it the moment when I can have my payback. Now is the moment! And I will not let it pass – I have suffered, waited, loved, wishing I could some day have you in front of me to give you what you really deserve. And what do I find? You don't want to fight against me! What is that, Cullen, what is that?

'I'll tell you what it is!' Edward shouted, now getting angrier. How did that boy dare – 'It is for Bella! I care about Bella! I – I love her more than you could ever get to comprehend! I am doing this for her, because I love her, because she is the reason why I live, because if she were the tiniest bit of unhappy it would be my suffering! You, Jacob Black, are blinded by revenge and vengeance! You don't care how she feels as long as you get what you want – me dead. Completely dead. I will not hurt you no matter how much I want it – and believe me, I would rip you apart right here, right now – because I don't want to hurt the only person I love.'

He turned to Bella, who was kneeling on the forest floor leaning forwards towards him, ignoring the screams, the shouts, the howls, the groans, ignoring the fact that her brothers and sisters were injured just as much as the wolves were. Edward gave a deep sigh and turned to Jacob again.

'I know I have done the worst thing I could ever do. The worst. And I cannot blame her if she never forgives me and goes back to you – she has the right to do that. I have lost my Bella. I have lost my… la tua cantante. The girl that fills my life with joy and love. I have lost her. But not because of that I will continue hurting her. Go on, Jacob Black: if you want to have your revenge, here I am. I will not resist. I deserve it.'

And he opened his arms wide, staring at the red wolf. The canine mouth opened, but before it could even utter a sound, there was a flash that crossed the middle of the fight going on at their backs – both wolves and vampires stopped attacking and stood up immediately to stare at the two figures that had now appeared and were standing just behind Bella.

'Good night,' Sophie's angelical voice said, waving her fingers at the rest of the creatures. She gestured at her red-haired sister, and with another flash, they were gone.

With Bella.