It had been almost two months since I'd seen Lise. I was working my hardest to be prepared for the next time she came. I knew she would come. I knew that at some point Lise was going to come back to me and everything would be alright. At least that's what the rational voice in my head kept telling me. Every time I received an email from her I was secretly hoping she would open the box of chocolates and receive me as I am. But she didn't. Ever. All her emails were about life, events, friends, just everything about her and Beijing and the generic questions about me and the pack in all its annoying glory. I would try to respond and drop little hints here and there if we could talk about it but she never allowed the conversation to veer in that direction. Any phone conversations we had were short and pleasant not short and sweet. There was always a distance in her responses making it so that I wouldn't back her into a corner or so the topic would never come up.

It came to a point where I gave up dropping hints and decided to wait. Wait till Melisandre decided I had become a better person, wait till she needed me the most. I didn't realize at the time that it was turning out to be the other way around. We were having trouble on the reservation and in Forks. There was someone, a vampire to be exact, attacking and changing Hikers. The Cullens had no information to bring and they had were tracking like we were but there were no leads. Every scent seemed to dead end by us, every new born seemed to be unreadable by Edward, every attack seemed untraceable my Alice. We had Carlisle and Charlie giving the public lame ass excuses, that there was a virus going around, that it was rabies or something but we all knew the truth. If we didn't get a hold of this our little sleepy town wouldn't be so sleepy anymore.

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It was a Friday evening when Embry and Seth were out on patrol around the reservation and Jared and Paul were supposedly patrolling the areas around Forks. It went as it always did, picked up scents and then they would dead end. There would be no clues, maybe a footprint but anyone could have left it. The two chatted away silently in their heads until they stumbled along a campsite of about five hikers. At first it seemed like the normal gathering but the scent was slightly off. There were two females and three males. One male and the other female each sat separate on either side of the campsite, finding thing to preoccupy themselves. Two of the males and one female chatted gaily and laughed. They were cooking, but one didn't seem to feel the heat from the fire on his hand. There was a rank smell coming from what Embry supposed was from the pot but he could not pin point the animal. There was also the faint smell of blood. Embry nudged Seth for him to retreat and howl for Jared and Paul to join them. It would not be strange for a wolf to howl at a safe distance.

It could just be a false alarm. Seth hoped in vain.

Safe than sorry, I'd say. I want to go home just as much as you do. Embry answered at Seth silent stealthy retreating figure.

From the corner of Embry's eye he saw a flash of black. Turning his head swiftly he saw a slender figure in all black, crouching about 40 ft away from him in a tree. At first he was alarmed, thinking that it was more to the hikers but this person was not with them. He could tell the figure was of a woman with a black scarf swathed like a hood, but she had no scent, which worried him. If something went wrong he wouldn't be able to find her if they needed to. As if reading his worry the female looked at him. It was brief, annoyed glance but she didn't move from her perch. In the distance to the east Seth gave the call, every single hiker turned their heads in that direction but the female looked at him again.

He could only see her eyes because everything else was covered in black except for the few silvery wisps of hair sticking out from under. She had small backpack that sat flush on her back and on her hip was a gun, and some sort of coiled rope. The female pointed to him and then jerked her hand back in the direction him came. Embry bared his teeth. Within minutes Seth told him that he and the other two wolves were in position. Embry focused on the campsite before him. One of the males by the pot was standing now. He looked anxious. He said something in a language that Embry didn't understand but the others did. They all started arguing. A quick glance in the direction the female was in told Embry that she was gone. Nowhere in sight, not even a clue.

Annoyed a growl emitted from Paul's throat unconsciously and all five party members suddenly turned very… angry. Their eyes turned blood red and they bared their teeth becoming sharp. Paul was the first into the clearing, Jared following not too far behind. The problem was it took at two or three wolves to get one newborn under control. These things weren't exactly newborns; they were different. Embry howled before charging into the clearing with Seth. The fight had begun and things were getting messy. The females were stronger and more lethal than anticipated. None of the four wolves could focus their attention on one sole enemy because there would always be one idle. Embry could hear Jacob on his way with Sam.

Jacob and Sam bounded into the clearing with aggressive force and the intent to kill. Embry angled wrong as he tried to move out of Jacob's way, leaving his entire ribcage open for attack. A flash of black leapt over him, collided with the oncoming newborn and tumbled. The figure slipped between the newborns arms as it lunged at her again. Embry watched the swiftness in the kill as the female pulled the arms out of socket, leaning back enough for her left leg to kick and break the neck of male newborn and then pierced her hand through the hard flesh, ripping the heart clean out. Splattering her lightly with blood, gloved hand soaked. A second black figure, her black hair uncovered, leapt into the clearing, katana in hand and in fluid motions she cut between both werewolf and newborn. Cutting the newborn down from the head and then the waist. Seeing their comrades being cut down in swiftness, the last two tried to flee the scene.

The hooded female grabbed the rope on her side and lashed it out at the retreating female. Embry witnessed as the hooded female's whip wrapped around the newborn's neck and yanked her back. In the glistening dreary, drizzling light Embry could see the tiny blades digging into the neck of the newborn. He ran forward, sunk his teeth into the newborn's leg and ripped piece of it off. Jared, Sam and Jacob went after the second escaping newborn. Seth and Paul came to join Embry in tearing apart the prisoner when the female swung herself around a nearby tree. Dragging the newborn body into standing position, she wrapped the barbed whip around what was left of the body. When the hooded female emerged on a low tree branch, she looked down to see a Seth and Embry baring their teeth and her Paul keeping his gaze on the other similarly dressed female.

The one on the branch shrugged at her companion and pulled out her gun, a black and silver revolver, instead of pointing it at the wolves, she pointed it at the newborn her companion had cut in two. She shot the head and then the heart. It was a messy shot and her comrade got splattered lightly. Jacob, Jared and Sam came trudging back. Sam and Jacob in their human forms. The two looked in disgust at the newborn strapped to the tree, squirming and screeching, stupidly digging the tiny razors deeper into her skin.

"Who are you people?" Sam demanded. He kept his distance from both parties, especially the one in the tree. Jacob kept staring at her. It bothered him that neither of these girls had a scent. The woman standing closer to Paul and Jared looked at him, merely quirked her brow in indifference. Her green eyes held no answers to his question.

"Why did you keep this one alive?" He pointed a finger and the moaning newborn. "What are these things? They appear human but then when provoked take on the smell and strength of a newborn vampire. Do you know about them?"

Neither answered. Neither moved. Paul barked in frustration at the woman in front of him, her look betrayed nothing. She continued to stare Sam in the eyes, Jacob silently watched the exchange, Embry watched as the female in the tree silently and deftly slunk down the tree trunk head-first till she was eye level with the newborn. Embry couldn't understand how she was clinging to the tree. Shifting slowly so he could see what she was doing, it was nothing. The newborn kept wailing and stuttering but the girl was did nothing. The scarf that she had tied around her head accidentally unwrapped and a cascade of salt and peppered long silvery hair fell out, though her facial mask that covered her nose and mouth stayed on.

The motion caught Jacob's attention and his head snapped in that direction. The silver hair female flipped off the tree in one motion and pulled the hilt of the whip. The tiny razors began to do their work. In one swift move she jerked her arm straight across her body and instant the sound of grinding tree bark, flesh and bone serrated by the blades. All eyes were on her as her whip links snapped back into place giving the guise, once again, of a harmless steel cord. Hanging it back on her hip, blood still dripping from it, the two turned to each other and began walk back into the forest.

"Did you get it?" one whispered to the other. The silver haired female simply nodded.

The black haired woman walked over and kicked the turned over cooking pot. Everyone in the clearing cringed. That god awful smell was pieces of human flesh. The silver haired woman ripped the tent off the peg and there was an arrange of flies around the remains of a disemboweled figure.

"Ugh! What the hell?" Jacob exclaimed. They had to admit that it was the most horrific scene they had ever encountered. The two women exchanged responses quickly in another language then began to walk away.

"Melisandre!" Both females hesitated, then they resumed their walk.

"Wait, What?!" Sam exclaimed. "You knew something about this?"

"No." Jacob paused taking a few steps forward, "But I can't disagree with those eyes and this gravitational pull… Melisandre.".

Both females stopped and turned to face him. "Yes." They said in unison.

"This is not the time to get all love dovey!" Sam growled

Embry and Seth both disappeared into the forest.

"Mel..?" Jacob's eyes focused on the one with silver hair. The girl with thick, spiraled black hair and burnt sienna skin pulled down her mask and walked in front of her companion. "What?!" she stated.

Sam stared in astonishment. "Melisandre? What the hell is going on?"

Jacob shook his head. "No." he smiled. "You are not Melisandre."

"But look at her."

"Melisandre has a twin, remember. Identical. Although I haven't met her I am guessing you are Remi-Lise." Jacob extended his had to her. The woman just looked at him.

"Listen, boy. Just because you have imprinted on my sister does not make her your property!" The female snapped. Before she could start again, Jacob spoke.

"I'm aware of that. That's the last thing I want her to feel like." Seth and Embry came back half clothed.

"Yo!" Embry called out, grinning. The silver haired Melisandre skipped off to them, while her sister and Jacob faced off. "I'm not saving your sorry hide again, man! Next you'll be counted as collateral!" She said to Embry half serious.

"Yeah thanks about that." Embry started before his gaze went back to Jacob and Remi. "Um…" he pointed to the two.

"Then back the hell off. We've got work to do. What the hell are you waiting on?!" Remi growled.

"I just… you have a really short temper don't you. Already attacking me like I'm going to take your favorite toy."

"So what?! She's my sister!"

"I'm sorry aren't you 21 and not 2?" Jacob rolled his eyes. Melisandre shoved her way between them.

"Hey! Jake how's it going?! Listen, um I'm kinda covered in blood here and I really need a bath, so how about we all chill and talk about this another time!" She smiled up at him knowing he'd want to let it rest.

"How am I so sure you're not going to disappear again?"

"Trust me, I brought you this trouble I'll clean up the mess so quickly you won't have to lift a finger." She was talking way too quickly.

"Oh like you did now? What the hell is going on?" Sam interjected waving his hand across the bloody forest floor.

"Oh right!" Melisandre pulled out a box of matches, swiped one, tossed it in the box, and then tossed the whole burning box onto the bloody remains. The casual way she did it gave them all reasons to believe both sisters have done this before. "There." She reassured as the fire spread.

"And what about putting it out?" pushed Sam. That's when Remi interjected.

"We weren't planning on putting it out." Remi said in snide tone. "Sis, we just got here and already you're kissing ass."

"It's not kissing ass, it's their home." Melisandre stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, if they want to save it they'll put it out themselves." She cocked her head to one side smiling.

"Sis don't be that way!" Embry tried to help the tension. "We just need some answers."

"Yes, answers." Jacob seethed. Why did Melisandre seem so cold? Her warmth, false.

"Well if you want answers go call a council with your cripple old man and the vampires you're so fond of. We'll be there, tonight at 8 that gives you 3 hours. Suck it the fuck up if you don't like it." Remi snapped at him.

"I don't like your sister very much." Jacob hissed.

"I still have to work so Ciao!" Melisandre and her sister disappeared into the forest fast as any vampire would.

"You sure have a way of picking women…" Sam said walking in the direction of home.

"Don't you think I know that by now…" Jacob trudged, heavily.

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By the time the meeting time came around neither girl had shown up. Carlisle and Billy Black were talking amongst themselves and the others were agitated. Carlisle brought along Jasper and Edward to the meeting and the whole wolf pack was there. It was 8:20pm and Remi-Lise was now walking in. She looked weary and irritated. The rain had plastered her black hair messily to the sides of her face, there were goose bumps on her skin, her cheek puffy, a slight cut on the corner of her lip.

"Sorry, we're late." Remi- Lise stated simply, " Listen here, only going to say this once. You're treaty is officially null and void, this has just become no man's land. My sister and I will be taking the case from here on out. Have a good night."

Everyone gawked at her unbelievably. Remi-Lise turned on her heel to walk out the door, and as she walked out, Melisandre walked in looking baffled, cell phone to her ear, speaking in Mandarin. She paused upon seeing the expectant faces.

"Um… what just happened? W-why is she leaving?" Melisandre looked at them then turned around. "Can you just give me a second?" rushing back out the door Jacob and everyone else could hear her concluding the conversation on the phone. Seconds later she was back in the door with a tired Remi slumped against the door, sitting on the ground. She was dripping, silver hair tangled with bits of dirt in it, like her sister she had goose bumps and scratches, her shirt was ripped and there was a slight cut over her eye.

"Okay, so here's the thing. This shit is getting complicated. More complicated than need be. So to make things easier, my sister and I would prefer if all of you sort of… held down your own forts but don't venture out too far from that."

"But why exactly is it that you do not want us involved?" Carlisle asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to have more people to work with?"

"Well here's the thing about that. Our job… is to…" Melisandre bit her lip. These were her friends. How was she going to tell them that, "my job is to… exterminate vampires and werewolves." She finished quickly, cringing slightly as though someone was going to descend upon her and beat her.

The room was silent for a few minutes.

"What?!" Jacob exclaimed first, "WHAT?!"

"And when were you planning on telling us this?!" Billy Black yelled."

"Wait, were you planning on killing us?" Sam asked seriously. All the questions flew at her at the same time. At first she stood there taking the accusations until she could take no more. Melisandre eyes glowed and she stomped her foot, the floor seemed to ripple and shake. Remi laughed in the background.

"And you guys think I have a temper! You just mad her mad." Remi paused thoughtfully. "We're bounty hunters. If your name isn't on the bounty list, then you've got nothing to worry about."

"Shut up, Remi!" Melisandre snapped. "Let me tell you people a little something about the job I do! I work hard, get beat up, bitten, insomnia, sickness, and what ever else you would like to add to that list of shit I go through! I have no intention of killing any of you because none of you have given me reason to do so unless of course one of you werewolves would like to go rogue and tear through Forks or maybe even one of you vampires! THEN I can say I am going to axe that ass! And as for helping us! Here what our number favorite rule is. Everyone and everything that gets in our way at their own risk and is destroyed is called collateral damage. If you want to help and you die or get severely injured it was your call, shit happens! Collateral damage we have no obligations to compensate anyone for anything… We don't even have to raise the dead if we don't want to!"

"What was that just know?" Edward asked shakily, trying to keep his anger and his fear minimal.

"That was only a fraction of what my sister and I can do to this freakin' peninsula!" Melisandre snapped. "I can do things you can only wish you can."

"How did you do it?" Billy Black seethed.

"Their Alchemists…" Jasper whispered. Heads turned in his direction.

"That's absurd, Jasper. No one's been able to prove any facts from alchemy." Carlisle said softly.

"That's because you haven't found the right components yet. People didn't understand it, ust like I'm not sure I understand it myself." Jasper finished looking at Melisandre.

Remi clapped her hands. "Well said, Whitlock. You're a wise man for sticking to Carlisle's wing. People have been looking for you. Maria has been on her toes… trying to keep things light, so she won't get caught. And how's dear Peter and Charlotte."

Jasper swallowed hard. "Leave my family and friends out of it. If you want me, take me. Maria can take care of herself."

"But see, we don't want you anymore. You're still on the list but there are problems bigger than you, now. We just simply know who you are…" Remi trailed off. She went over to her sister and ripped what was rest of Melisandre's shirt off. In only a sports bra Melisandre turned around to show the tattoo on her back.

"Its an Alchemy circle," Remi explained. "The law of equal exchange. We take what we have already and work with it. So for example we are on land. This floor is our recipient. We can make earthquakes and mudslides, with the ocean we can make tsunamis, thunderstorms, etc. Are you understanding me?"

"Every one still looks skeptical… okay. Billy, let me borrow your feather earring." It was already in Remi's hand by the time he nodded slowly. Remi handed it to Melisandre.

"This is a real bird feather, no?" Remi asked. Billy nodded. "Alright, Mel, take it away."

Melisandre close her hand over the feather, there came a spark like lightening and suddenly she released the hawk from her hands. The hawk flew around the room and then landed on her arm. Melisandre took the hawk and hid it behind her back, in a few seconds there was the electrical lightening again and from Melisandre's back spanned two huge hawk wings. She turned around so they could see that they came from her back. Closing them again there was an electrical spark and the feather was back to being an earring, which she then crossed the room and handed back to Billy. Who reclined slightly in his chair, as if she was going to bite him.

"There you go folks. Something basic. Have a nice night." Remi said.

Melisandre began to walk away and out of the room when she heard a voice.

"But you can do a lot worse can't you?" Edward hissed. Jasper placed his hand on Edward's back and whispered for him to leave it alone.

"I can." Melisandre responded, slightly looking over her shoulder at him. "Do you want to see?" it was a challenge and everyone in the room felt it. The wolf inside Jacob was clawing to come out, this was dangerous, this was a side of Mel he had not known.

"I think that's enough-." Jacob began to say when he was cut off by Mel's voice addressing Edward again.

"Each alchemist has expertise, and both fortunately and unfortunately for you m sister and I reside over life and death. Attack me, Edward." She whispered the last sentence, almost tantalizing. "Attack… me."

Edward lunged, Jacob was caught by Sam before he could go after him. Crossing the space between them, Edward collided with Melisandre and she tumbled with him purpose fully. Her elbow was in his throat, her legs pinned his to ground and she had one of his arms pinned. However Edward found himself choking, a feat that should have never been capable. Neon lines spanned out around him creating a circle on the floor visible for all parties to see.

"Edward… This is going to hurt a little." The lightening sparks flashed surrounding both Edward and herself. Edward's body convulsed in as a scream came from his mouth and in seconds it was over. Melisandre staggered to a stand and Edward breathed heavily on the floor, he tried to stand but stumbled. Melisandre suddenly laughed at his weakness. She walked passed the werewolf pack who all cringed back from her scent. She stopped in front Jacob and Sam, flashing them a mischivious smile, her teeth were razor sharp and glittered in the light, her eyes were ochre and her scent was that of a vampire. Edward stood up and steadied himself.

"My vision… it blurred." He looked down at his had to see that they had color. Looking at the reflection in the window his eyes were green.

"Not blurred Edward, human. Your vision is human. You have now reverted back to being Edward Masen." Remi clapped him on the shoulder. For the first time, Jacob felt like he was afraid of the woman he loved. She could do all these things, it would be so much trouble.

"How many centuries have gone by that you people have caused trouble?" Sam's eyes narrowed at the thought.

"Not caused, trouble… more like tried to stop it. But there is no doubt that a few o us have gone… a little awry." Melisandre answered resting gently at the foot of Billy's wheelchair. Who was secretly wishing he could kick her.

"And what does that mean when one of your kind goes awry…?" Billy asked. Melisandre sighed. She was handling being a vampire a little too well. Out of her pocket she pulls out a blood red card, simple business card and hands it to Billy who flips it over to see a name.

"Bane?"

"Yes. Bane…" Melisandre paused. "The root of your problems right now that I, inadvertently brought when I logged you guys into the system." She waved her voyager cell phone in from of them.

"Why would you log us in?" Jacob asked.

"Well its more like put you back in. Seeing as your grandfather already was there. It's just that I was letting others know that you guys were fine, just doing your jobs and that Dr. Carlisle had a treaty with you. Simple No crazy going ons, in fact no human could probably be safer… probably. Edward time to switch back, love." Melisandre added absently.

"I have got to show Bella!" Edward said excitedly.

"No, no. You aren't to tell anyone what I just did. NONE of you are. My sis and I are the only ones who can do this."

"Oh Mel, come on. I will love you so much if you let me show Bella!"

"Dear god, you've dazzled the bloodsucker." Jacob growled.

"Naw, he's just been itching to be human." Melisandre answered.

"Can you do that for everyone?" Carlisle answered.

"Yeah but I've never done it to more than one person. Its dangerous you know, screws things over."

"Who's Bane?" Billy Black yelled over the sidetracked conversations.

"Oh. Bane's like us but he's been breaking the rules. So the black card is the calling card for anyone who crosses him to kill him. Bane isn't so vulnerable though, he on his p's and q's. Sends out his zombie minions to act like regular humans and when he at a reasonable distance he turns them."

"So he was somewhere close by?" Sam asked.

"No he was somewhere in the area but he doesn't have to be within a certain distance of his underlings."

"So what are those things? Because they aren't vampires." Jacob questioned.

"Dead bodies…" she answered stoutly.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Seth said, dead bodies are just that… dead."

"Not necessarily. Vampires are considered part of the living dead. An oxymoron, but true. However, dead human- just plain human bodies- don't give resistance. They have already succumbed to the fate of what others can do to it because it has no soul. Now if you pull a plea bargain with your killer, he keeps your soul and you live then you do his bidding but he still has his strings attached to your soul…" Melisandre swallowed.

"Edward are you ready to change back?"

"I want to show Bella…" He whispered stubbornly.

"Well love I am getting thirsty. And I really don't feel like sinking my teeth in to wolf. Not very appealing, with the smell and all. So the next best thing would be you. And trust me, I don't go for animal when I am in this form." Melisandre stretched. "Fine, when the meeting is done."

He nodded. The thought of Melisandre drinking human blood disturbed Jacob but he tried to focus. Yet, his nostrils still cringed at the scent of her.

"We've found a way to make newborns stay human until we're ready for their use. Some things are forbidden though and that is one of them. There has got to be a justifiable for using humans for such things."

"There is nothing justifiable about that!" boomed Billy.

Melisandre merely shrugged it off. She began to walk across the room again, slowly, her hips winding like snakes. "We are also forbidden to create wealth, and the greatest taboo is bringing the dead back to life. Because as you may already know… sometimes what you bring back isn't always what you wanted." She looked at them over her shoulder. "We are witnesses to that." She placed her hand on Remi's shoulder.

Melisandre then outstretched her hand toward Edward. He took a deep breath and then took it reluctantly. This time there was no Alchemy circle only the sparks of light and in seconds Edward was back to being a vampire. The sadness in his eyes was apparent and Melisandre hugged him.

"I'm sorry. But you are what fate intended until your immortality runs out." She whispered to him. He simply nodded and turned away.

"Goodnight everyone. Hopefully the next time I see you we will be on better terms." Melisandre finished, her voice almost sounded sad, as her and her sister disappeared into the darkness and the rain.

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