A/N: I apologize about the wait. I've been trying to write this chapter, the sequel for another story, beta for a friend at JBNP, work on coursework for my master's, and still teach. So yeah, there's my life right now. Plus, this was hard for me to write, because it has to be very descriptive, and I found it difficult to write the fight scenes. I hope you will enjoy it and as always,

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Disclaimer - What I say about South Park, a neighborhood in Seattle, is purely conjecture. It's the poorest area of the city, and that's about all I could find out. However, the information about the pollution is true, to my knowledge. But my apologies if you live there, have lived there and know someone who does. I don't mean to make fun of any one in any way!

I can feel a phoenix inside of me
As I march alone to a different beat
Slowly swallowing down my fear
I am ready for the road less traveled
Suiting up for my crowning battle
This test is my own cross too bare
But I will get there
It's never easy to be chosen, never easy to be called
Standing on the frontline when the bomb starts to fall
I can see the heavens but I still hear the flames
Calling out my name
I can see the writing on the wall
I can't ignore this war
At the end of it all
Who am I living for?

- Katy Perry "Who Am I Living For?"

They made an intriguing duo - the vampire and the werewolf. If no one looked at them closely, they might not have noticed the 6'6" native, his dark eyes angry, his body tensed, as if he were perilously close to the edge of sanity. If no one paid attention, they might not have seen that the man with the unusually bronze hair, his skin so pale he almost glowed, his eyes a strange color of topaz. They did not look like they came from the same world, one light and one dark.

If no one focused on the strangers that walked by, they might not have detected the tension between them, walking side by side, but so obviously not together. Sometimes they would walk on opposite sides of the street, but always returning to one another, never speaking, never making eye contact. Only occasionally would they stop, eyes closing, as if to focus. But then they would continue, their gaze never leaving the sidewalk as they moved quickly onwards. They seemed sure of their destination, and if asked, they could have provided one, but no one cared to stop them.

An aura of fury, anger, and despair radiated from them, causing bystanders to shiver against the icy fire of their presence. They made people uncomfortable, their power overwhelming. They moved in the darkness without fear, without trepidation, and didn't worry about interference from others. South Park was the seediest area of Seattle, its' occupants poor, homeless, drug-addicted, lost to themselves and the world around them.

It was located just south of Georgetown across the Duwamish River, and just north of the city of Tukwila. South Park connected to Georgetown by two bridges, but recently the city closed one due to "safety" concerns, and the terror of entrapment hung heavy in the night air. Surrounded by Seattle's industrial area, South Park's soil and air had been polluted; heavy metals had contaminated the top soil and the nearby Duwamish River had been known for unhealthy levels of toxic waste. The air was thick with the smell of chemicals, leaving most of its occupants with a permanent foul coating on the back of their throats, the disease of their poverty giving them a constant physical reminder of their hopeless situation.

Typically, perhaps, two obviously gorgeous men would have drawn attention, but this pair only drove observers away - not even the most disturbed of minds considered them a likely target.

The sun had vanished from the sky hours before, but the wolf and the vampire took no notice. Their eyes were no longer their most important tool, instead focusing their talents on their olfactory and auditory senses, hoping that a trail of Bella's scent or the sounds of Victoria's sadistic thoughts would lead them in the right direction.

The aroma of vampire was pungent in Seattle and Jacob struggled to discern one smell from another. He fought against the heavy growls that rumbled in his chest at each new vampire smell, and his arms shook with the effort it took to keep from phasing. He had difficulty maintaining his focus to concentrate on Bella, and to his relief, Edward remained quiet about his personal battle. He was frustrated with himself - all these superhuman senses and he couldn't control them enough to find Bella. They only had hours of darkness left, and the heavy ache in his heart thumped in warning.

Edward mostly listened, closing his eyes occasionally to narrow in on one particular thought, but savagery was a common theme in Seattle, so violent intentions were plentiful. The scent of human blood was everywhere, sour and dark, none of it calling to him the way he knew that Bella's would. It terrified him - they all knew that this rescue might have come too late, that they may have waited too long.

Human life became sparser as they approached an abandoned area of the neighborhood. The wind blew gently, lifting and swirling the dead leaves that littered the broken sidewalk. Jacob lifted his head, inhaling deeply. His eyes snapped open, alive and sparking in fury -

Vampire.

Blood.

Their eyes met, briefly, faster than any human eye could have detected, and they spun, running, flying, leaping in the direction of the building that held the overwhelmingly promising smell. The heavy metal door didn't stop them, groaning in protest as Jacob's very large shoulder pushed it violently out of it's frame. They paused then as the resounding thud of the fallen door echoed around them. The building was silent, and so were they. Jacob's gaze once again turned to Edward's and he pointed up. They moved together, leaping effortlessly and elegantly up the darkened stairwell.

Maniacal laughter rang out as they neared the door marked "Access to Roof". Both froze momentarily, listening.

Shift? Jacob's thought tumbled into Edward's head.

He shook it in the negative and whispered, "She doesn't know the human you."

Jacob acknowledged the sound with the barest of nods. I'll go first, see if Bella's with her, distract her if I'm able. She might just kill her immediately if she sees you. He inhaled deeply. She's near, I can smell her… but barely.

Edward nodded in return, agreeing with Jacob's assessment. He too, sensed Bella, smelled her sweet blood, but it was very faint, and it terrified him.

Jacob wrenched the door open, and it fell off the hinges, showering them in flecks of rust and paint. He bounded up the stairs, taking 4 and 5 at time, his long legs pulling him quickly upwards. The adrenaline surged like lightening through his veins, and his wolf snarled viciously in his chest, fighting against the barrier of his metaphoric cage, desperately wanting released to begin the battle it knew was imminent. His body hummed with energy, its' thrill prickling down his skin, sending up goose bumps along his limbs like ants marching to the beat of his heart.

The sight that greeted him when he cleared the doorway stopped him in his tracks, although he was briefly pleased to see the utter surprise on Victoria's face. His focus was immediately drawn to the small, pale form cradled in the redhead's arms.

Bella.

His heart pounded painfully as he realized that it was Bella's blood that hung like a heavy curtain in the air. He felt his own lips pull back into a snarl as his eyes flicked across the red spatters that decorated Victoria's skin. His human teeth gnashed together in his mouth, growls pulling from deep within in his chest. He fought to maintain some distance between them, but he desperately wanted to cross the space and snatch Bella from the bitch's grasp. He reminded himself how fast she was, and that she could break Bella's neck in the fraction of a second it would take him to move the 20 feet.

Victoria hissed in defiance. "You smell…. Of wolf."

Jacob ignored the comment. "Give her to me, and we'll call it even." It was a lie, and they both knew it, but he said it anyway.

"Where is he?" She shrieked, her eyes flashing dangerously, and Jacob growled again as he watched her dig her sharp nails deeper in the skin of Bella's side, cradling the limp body closer to her chest.

Jacob shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. "I killed him."

Victoria eyes widened, and she stiffened, but he knew that she couldn't detect the lie – or Edward – his scent was simply overpowering when comparing it to the vampires'. "You didn't." She hissed, but her white shoulders trembled, and Jacob knew that she didn't know what to believe.

"He tried to keep from me coming." His lips moved into what he hoped looked like a grim smile. "I torn his head off. Come closer, and I can tell you all about it."

"Forget it, dog," She cried, her features twisted in fury. "I'll kill her anyway. The human bitch deserves it!"

It was then that Jacob saw Edward appear around the wall behind Victoria, and while he didn't know how he had gotten on the roof undetected, he also didn't care. It was two against one.

Jacob's eyes flicked to Edward before he could stop them, and Victoria saw, causing Jacob to cursed at his amateur mistake. He had blown Edward's cover. She whirled, giving Jacob her back. "You!" She screeched at the other vampire. "You kill my mate, I kill yours!"

Jacob knew Edward could be the perfect diversion, and took the opportunity to leap towards her, his human body phasing into his wolf form, his clothes shredding as he did so. A howl was ripped from his throat, and he closed the distance quickly. Victoria spun back around at the sound of Jacob's movements, and leaned down into a crouch, putting her hands up to defend herself. She dropped Bella in the process, and Edward flew forward to grab the unconscious body before she hit the ground, before disappearing back around the wall in the direction he had come.

Her red eyes darted between her two attackers for only a brief moment, as if to decide which was more important – her survival or her revenge. Reality reared it's ugly head at a Victoria, and she forgot about Bella, turning her attention back to the wolf. She leaned backwards as Jacob's large body collided with hers, kicking her legs up and over, her feet connecting with Jacob's ribcage and sending him flying backwards. He hit the roof with a thud, and the building shuddered with the impact, but if the wolf felt the crushing pain in his broken bones, he did not show it. Jacob only launched himself at her again, aiming lower this time, and his teeth closed around her leg. He snarled in victory, and yanked hard, disconnecting the icy appendage from her torso.

She shrieked in anger and reached towards his face, grabbed for his eyes, as if to pull them from their sockets. He snatched hold of one arm as it made its descent towards his head, and grabbed then the other, pulling them quickly from her body. She fell backwards, and struggled to get up again, fighting against gravity on her one good limb. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the separated limbs crawling across the gravel of the roof and he growled at them, a promise to burn them as soon as he was finished.

Victoria screamed at him, and the venom oozed from between her lips, her teeth snapping so hard that she tore at the skin around her mouth. "She's dead already, dog – you're too late! I may have lost this battle, but I won the war!"

Jacob roared at her, his anger and fury spilling from his lungs, and he opened his jaws wide, wrenching her head from between her shoulders before she could utter another word. He spit it out almost as quickly as he had removed it – her skin tasted vile, like death.

He wanted to take a moment, enjoy his triumph, but he knew there were more important things. His human brain chastised his wolf one, and the wolf moved quickly to gather to remains to be burned.

Once the pile was made, he phased back, choosing to ignore his nakedness and the pain in his chest for the moment. He searched the space around him frantically for the shreds of his pants. When he found them, Jacob sighed in relief, grateful that the ferocity of the change hadn't destroyed the matches that he had stored in the pocket.

He lit the stack of vampire parts, not giving a damn about the damage to the building. This neighborhood was better off without Victoria anyway. Jacob smiled a dark smile as the leech's skin caught, and a heavy, dark smoke began rise. The air around him fogged with the smell of burning flesh, but for once, he was pleased to relish in the scent of death.

A chorus of hisses and screeches broke him from his reverie and he realized that Edward was still in the building, and from the smell of things, he had met another vampire.

Phasing again, Jacob dove back into the building, his claws sliding along the laminated floors. It was difficult maneuvering in these small places, but he knew that he was better off in wolf form to help Edward than human. No matter how strong he was, Human Jacob was no match for a raging vampire.

He found Edward, Bella and another vampire on the third floor. His nails skidded along the laminate tiling as his body ground to a halt, recognizing Edward's attacker as the same vamp that had attacked him only a week before. The vampire had Edward pinned to the wall, and they were both straining, their arms wrapped around the others neck. The beast within him roared, distracting the blonde man momentarily, which was enough to gain Edward the upper hand. He shoved the vampire off of him, sending him flying into the plaster wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Get out!" Edward screamed at him, and Jacob was almost surprised by the twisted features of his former enemy. "Get Bella and leave! Do not wait for me!"

By this point, the blonde had bounced back from his slam into the wall and he launched himself at Edward again. Edward reacted, leaping at him, and they clashed in midair, the room echoing with a thundering crash. Their marbled hands clawed at each other, gripping and ripping and tearing at their enemy's iron flesh. Edward's jaws snapped dangerously close to the blonde's throat, straining to tear the head from the shoulders.

Jacob's huge body trembled, unsure whether he should trust his natural instinct and join the fight, or listen to his human logic and save Bella. He heard a whimper behind him, and he spun, his large wolf eyes finding the small frame of his love, curled into a ball in the corner. His decision made, he phased back instantly, completely unaware of his nakedness.

He scooped up Bella's limp body in his arms, racing to the exit. He paused when he reached the door, his gaze involuntarily moving back to Edward, who had the blonde vampire temporarily pinned down and he was unsuccessfully attempting to remove the head. "GO!" Edward screamed, without even looking up, and Jacob didn't hesitate this time.

He ran, naked, cradling the nearly lifeless body of Bella, into the darkness.

How he had made it back to the car without being stopped by the police or some other concerned citizen, Jacob wasn't sure, but he also didn't care. Holding Bella in one arm, he reached underneath the driver's side wheel well for the spare key he knew Edward had kept there for precisely this circumstance. He swiftly unlocked the doors, laying the still unconscious Bella in the front seat, making sure she was securely buckled in before carefully reclining the seat. Once he was sure she was as comfortable as he could make her, he reached into the back for his back, hopping into a pair of jeans before jumping into the front seat. As his hands slid over the carefully maintained interior, he normally would have been disgusted by the leech's Swedish piece of shit car, but today – today all he cared about was the 236 pounds of torque, the 277 horsepower, turbocharged engine and the fact that it would get them to the hospital much faster than anything he owned.

He slammed the car into first gear, revving the engine viciously, causing the tires to squeal against the blacktop before it carried them off into the night.

All Jacob could do now was pray.

Pray that they had come in time.

Pray that the bitch hadn't infected Bella with her venom.

Jacob's hands were sweaty on the steering wheel, and he gripped it tightly, ignoring as it groaned in protest. He flew through red lights, ignored stop signs, and disobeyed speed limits, all of which earned him some not so friendly gestures and the occasionally horn honk. All he cared about was the red sign he knew was only miles ahead. He almost prayed a cop would pull him over – maybe that would get them there faster.

Taking the turn into the hospital entrance faster than he should have, Jacob stomped on the brakes as he wound the car into the oval at the door to the emergency room. He leapt from the car, not even bothering to turn it off, and raced around to the other side to retrieve Bella's cool, limp body.

"HELP ME!" He screamed as the automatic doors opened. His senses were assaulted by the pungent aroma of death, blood and industrial strength cleansers. It made him gag, and his knees trembled. A dozen nurses quickly surrounded him, yelling questions and directions in his face as they hurriedly put her on a gurney. He growled at them and reached for her again, but they dragged her away.

Jacob started to panic and that familiar red rage washed over him. He fought for control, terrified he would phase right there in the ER, but a small, warm hand patted his rather large upper arm. He spun in the direction of the touch, his eyes wide, his mouth dry from panting. It was a brunette nurse, and his anger faded a little – she was small and petite like Bella. He felt like a child, being comforted by a stranger. His shoulders sagged and he allowed himself to be guided to a chair that was much too small for his frame, but he gratefully accepted the chance to sit down.

Jacob felt like his body weighed hundreds of pounds, and his back hunched over, aching in pain from Victoria's kick and from the terrible fear that Bella would not recover. Thoughts raced through his brain faster than he could begin to understand them, but he couldn't stop his eyelids from closing. His adrenaline was quickly fading, and in its place was incredible exhaustion. His arms slowly raised up to place his elbows in his thighs, his hands cradling his face. He wanted to cry, to scream, to destroy something – anything to release all of these pent up anxieties.

But now all he could was wait. She was in the doctors' hands now. So instead, he stopped fighting the overwhelming agony his body was in, and he welcomed the silence of sleep, if only because there he could dream of his beautiful, healthy Bella….