Chapter 16

Ultimatum

"NO!" I shouted as I burst through the familiar front door.

Jane wheeled around from her position at Charlie's throat, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of me. Charlie collapsed to the ground, shaking in fear, his eyes wide with horror.

"You know the rules." Jane snarled. Hunger lacing every one of her features as she eyed Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Myself. "He knows too much, he can't live. We cannot be revealed."

"Leave him alone." I growled deliberately.

"Ohh, Bella…. You may have been able to save your little werewolf buddy, but you're not getting away with this one." She mocked. "If I had the patience to deal with the awful stench, I would go off him myself, but its just not worth it. Your father on the other hand has a distinctively pleasing aroma…"

"Don't." I set my jaw firmly, preparing to spring if she made any movement towards him.

Her eyes became alive with a glint of cruelty as she flicked her gaze to Edward. Edward let out a moan of agony and collapsed to the floor beside me.

"STOP!" I shrieked!

Edwards pain ceased as her vile laughter filled the room and she broke her contact with his mind.

"Bella, Bella… I thought you were smarter than this. The Volturi aren't ones for making deals and making exceptions…. Unless of course you are one of us." She smiled deviously.

Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle burst through the door behind us at that moment - their eyes wide with panic as they surveyed the situation.

"Carlisle, pity you had to arrive." Jane frowned. "I did so hope to keep our dignity in your eyes at least."

"Jane, leave Charlie out of this." He pleaded softly.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that." She denied. "Unless of course you want to take him on as a vampire also…"

"Leave him alone." I growled again.

"No? Bella doesn't want parental supervision again?" She chuckled coldly. "It seems he is not such an asset to you after all."

"Jane, this is a bad idea." Esme stepped forward. "Charlie is the police chief. His disappearance would be followed by an extensive search and investigation. If your purpose here is to protect our existence from mortal knowledge, you would be farther ahead to leave him alive and save yourself the trouble."

"Oh, silly Esme. You know perfectly well how capable I am of fabricating the evidence and placing false leads. I would have no problem concealing Charlie's death." She gestured behind her to my father. Charlie was sitting upright on the ground, looking more frightened than any human being ever should. He was practicing slow breathing techniques to calm his already weak heart.

A strong pang of guilt ripped through me and I snarled viciously. "Jane, why are you doing this!?"

"What, Bella… my job?" She sneered heartlessly. "The way I see it….. You have two choices. Choice A, I take Charlie now and your husband and…. Say we throw the boyfriends life in too…. Jacob and Edward can live, or Charlie can live. Your choice dear." Her eyes flicked to Edward again - sending him into another spasm of pain on the ground beside me.

A dry sob escaped me. How did this come to be? I went from being happily married with everything I ever wanted in front of me to standing in a house full of vampires being forced to decide between my husbands life and my fathers.

"Bella, just let me die."

The tortured voice came from behind Jane's small body. Charlie's eyes were full of compassion and fear. "Just let me die, Bella. You have eternity ahead of you, you have all you need with Edward. Don't waste it on me." He choked weakly.

"No." I closed my eyes. "This is not a decision I will make."

"Really?" Jane smirked. "Well, I guess that gives me full rights to make the decision for you."

"That gives you rights to nothing!" I screamed. "You're a sick evil bitch and you will not dictate me like this!"

Her melodic laugh echoed through the kitchen. "What are you going to do, Bella? Kill me?"

"You are outnumbered." I said pointedly.

Another evil smile played across her lips. "We'll see." She whispered.

I was mildly confused at her confidence for a moment. The area was clear. All vampires in a 40 mile radius were in this house, she had come alone.

She answered my confusion by closing her eyes and wrinkling her brow in concentration. All around me my family collapsed. Writhing on the ground, paralyzed with pain, they were rendered immediately useless to me.

"Now, Bella." She opened her black eyes again. "You were saying?"

Every fiber of my being wanted nothing more than to just rip her head off, but the more sensible part of me knew that she outwitted me. It wouldn't be like fighting an inexperienced newborn, it would be like fighting Edward. Fear welled in my stomach as I looked at the poised and arrogant vampire before me. Angry as I was, I new my chances were limited. But stepping back and looking at the situation.. What other choice did I have? I would not make the decision between the lives.. Or existences of the people I loved the most. What else was there but to fight?

My mind then ran through the consequences. I could die, that was the first and worst consequence. On the bright side, I wouldn't have to make any choices, but its what I would leave behind that would be the real consequence. But if I were to mysteriously kick her ass, what would the Volturi do to avenge her? She was after all one of their most valued members, right?

All I had was to fight her. This time, I was the heroine and Edward needed me. I had been staring at him the entire time I had been contemplating my choices. His angelic face was pledged with so much agony. His features contorted into a heart wrenching display of pure torture. His eyes, fixed onto mine, begged me not to do what he knew I was going to do. He was afraid, but not for himself or his family… he was afraid for me.

"If the only way you can win is to paralyze my family - you're not worth beating." I snarled.

"Then who is it, Bella? Who do you value more?" She pressed.

A scream from Alice behind me forced me to turn once more. Alice and Jasper were clinging to each other on the ground. Pain covering their faces. Emmett and Rosalie were together too, as were Esme and Carlisle. Edward was alone. I turned to Charlie, curled on the ground in the same tortured expressions. This was my fault, it was up to me to stop it.

"I said it wouldn't be worth it to fight you, I didn't say it was unnecessary." The words ripped out of me with as much anger as I could produce as I sprang forward to meet her deadly attack.

She grinned madly as she dodged my attack and slammed her heavy fist into my back, sprawling me across the kitchen and into a wall.

I needed to do better than that.

She shrieked as she dove for me again, I rolled out of the way and lifted my foot to deliver a loaded kick to her head but her fast hand met my foot in the air and her fingers curled around my ankle deliberately. A slight twitch of her wrist flung me across the room. I managed to compose myself shortly before colliding with the ground and I writhed around quickly and landed in a catlike crouch. I breathed deeply and collected her identity through my nose. Eyes still closed, I sensed her approach. She flew through the air, aiming her foot at my chest as she neared. A split second before contact, I whirled around quickly, gaining momentum. I caught her foot securely with both hands just in front of my chest and flung her haphazardly into the staircase. The crunch of wood and bone echoed through the house and I tried to distinguish how injured she was. The answer was apparent as she shot out of the pile of wooden debris and tackled me again to the ground. I wrenched my feet up to my chest as I was hurled through the air and kicked out powerfully, catching her shoulders and effectively buying me some time.

I needed to get a big enough advantage over her to break her concentration on the minds of my family, then all I needed was to deny her any opportunity to regain her concentration, at least then I could have partial advantage from the tortured figures surrounding me.

I landed on my back and sprang up immediately. My whole body was sore but I fought through the pain.

She leapt at me again, I ducked out of her way, but a moment too slowly. Her teeth met my shoulder and A cried out as a searing pain tore through me. Her aim had been to rip off my arm, as I had done to the large vampire who had taken Jacob captive, my semi-escape had prevented her teeth from entirely permeating my flesh.

I scrambled back to my feet and jumped backwards as she flew at me again.

She skidded to a halt and turned to face me again.

"How much longer, Bella? You know you are no match for me. Is Charlie's life really worth this effort? He's only human, after all. His life holds no more promise."

"Shut up." I growled.

"Even Edward isn't worth all of this." She grinned. "You could be so much better without him. He is not as valuable as he has made you believe."

Without knowing it, she had sealed her own fate with her words.

With a scream of fury I launched my entire body forward at Jane. She moved to escape me but I anticipated her decision and made an adjustment to my direction and caught her full on. I sunk my nails into her throat and left angry gashes along her jaw line. The force of my attack knocked her backwards into the countertop and in a moment I had retrieved the butcher knife from the sink and thrust it through her back. She gasped in shock and her eyes glazed from black to red.

"Bella!" Charlie gasped.

I looked around. The butcher knife in my hand had placed an end to her concentration. Now I had to maintain her incapability to focus.

As the Cullens began staggering to their feet, her wild eyes darted around to each of them, sending wild spasms of pain every which way. Her concentration was not steady enough to place another solid hold over them. Attacks began flying at her from every direction. Jasper, Alice, and Esme first - tearing at her viciously with their hands and teeth. When a crippling glare from Jane halted their efforts - Edward, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmett took up the battle.

With my nonstop attacks combined with the shifting attacks from the rest of the family, Jane was finished in moments. Charlie had fainted - a fact I was pleased with. It was unnecessary for him to witness the battle taking place in his kitchen. And it wasn't until the flames in the fireplace had filled the house with the sickening stench of burning flesh that I gave in to weakness. I fell back into Edwards waiting arms shaking sobbing dryly. My entire body ached and my thoughts ran wild.

What now? What would we face now?

More of the Volturi? Charlie's failing heart being made even more endangered by the traumatic experience he had just been through? My perfect life had crashed into oblivion around me and I was helplessly forced to watch it.

"Bella," Edward breathed against my neck. "Everything's going to be okay."

And for the first time in my life, I doubted him.