Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: I am EXHAUSTED! I drove 2 and a half hours each way to watch Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse and then had to wake up at 9am when my kids got up. So worth it! I got to meet Dalloway5906's best Twi-mate DianeCourt and one of her good buddies. Forgive me for posting this so late, I am still all hopped up on coffee and Red Bull.
I apologize for the brevity of this chapter. I wanted to keep all of the action together. I do think you will enjoy what is in here!
Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter. They are all still sitting in my inbox waiting for me to reply, which I will. I love you all!
Dalloway5906 did her magic with this chapter as always. Make sure you have her story 'Bittersweet' on alert cause things are about to get real over there and if you saw Eclipse and enjoyed Rose's flashback, you will REALLY enjoy 'Bittersweet'. I'm just sayin'.
Please remember that the Fandom Gives Back auction is running until Sunday. I have been bid on (Yippee!) so Dally and the hubs will not have to buy me. Head over there and see if any of your favorite authors are up for grabs!
http:/www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)?
BPOV
Time, time… not enough time. An hour, that was what Alice said. If I were driving it would take me nearly 5 hours, but of course vampires were not dependent on cars for transportation. They would be able to run through the thickly forested area undetected. The weather report said that the sun would be hiding behind heavy clouds all day, so there was no chance of their shimmering skin giving them away to the unsuspecting humans. Not that there would be anything a human could do against a wild pack of newborn vampires out to follow their master and decimate any coven that would not join with hers.
The entire family was still standing, staring at me as I cringed against Edward's side. I had always been the wall flower, never wanting to be the center of attention. I skipped my high school graduation because I did not want to have to walk across the stage and risk falling on my ass in front of my classmates. How was I going to be able to handle the fact that if I did not get my shield working, then every person standing in front of me would die?
Esme was still laughing quietly, sounding like she was sloshed out of her mind. How could she think our imminent death was amusing? I think she was just hoping that they would kill me and the rest of her family would be fine. Hell, at this point that was all I was hoping for. My worst fear was that I would only be able to protect myself with my shield and be forced to watch my family brutally killed right in front of me.
Jasper turned towards me as those thoughts were running through my head.
"Don't you dare. We will stand united and whatever happens… happens. You don't see Alice beating herself down because she did not see this earlier. You don't see me worryin' that I won't be able to weigh them down with fatigue when they get here in order to try and immobilize them. Yes, we have gifts that could help us defeat Maria, but if we don't trust in ourselves then no one will. I think it is fucked up that they are layin' this all at your feet, but if that's what Alice sees, then that is what is goin' to happen. Now you go out with your man and take a few minutes to hunt till the blood is oozing out of your ears. Carlisle will have the donor blood in a cooler on the porch in case we need it." He said as he shooed us away and turned towards his still snickering mother.
"Get it together or get out. You know I love you, but right now you are more of a liability than anything else. Get your head out of your ass and realize that if our family stands a chance at defeating Maria, we need to do it together."
He shook his head slightly as he whipped around towards Alice.
"Great God damn woman, we are facing death and you can't get your mind out of the gutter? Put the lust away for a second and help me down some trees to make barricades." He said fondly as Alice ducked her chin to her chest, no doubt embarrassed that Jasper picked up on her horniness. Can't say I blame her, Jasper giving orders is about as hot as Edward getting pissed.
Edward all but dragged me out of the clearing and into the woods. I allowed him to lead me towards a grazing herd of mule deer, and after taking down three, I felt like Jasper would have been proud. I stood from burying my last kill and was suddenly thrown down against the ground. I whipped my head around to find Edward standing above me, his nostrils flaring with each deep breath he took.
"Get naked… right now." He growled. I was in a daze as I complied, sliding my pants and shirt off without getting off of the ground. I never broke eye contact as he removed his clothes as well and reached down and grabbed my arms, dragging me up his body. When I was standing upright, he tugged me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist and I took the opportunity to grind my wetness against his straining cock. I tried, unsuccessfully to choke back a sob as I felt his tip poised at my entrance.
"I know baby, I know." He whispered in my ear as he thrust into me. His kisses were punishing, as if he were trying to devour me. I met him thrust for thrust, kiss for kiss, and bite for bite. I cried out as he reached places inside me I didn't even know existed. Our pace was frantic, knowing that time was short. I could feel my body falling into ecstasy, but wanted him to come with me. Knowing that this could very well be the last time I was with him, I wanted us to come together. I whispered nonsense into his ear, biting down on his earlobe and dragging my teeth down his neck. His body tightened and I could tell he was just a few more thrusts away from coming. I squeezed my legs around him and threw my head back, as colors exploded behind my eyes and my body contracted around him. I could feel him coming inside me as he called out my name, burying his face in my neck.
His legs collapsed and we fell in a heap of limbs on the dirt. He brought his hand up to my face, tracing the path my tears would have fallen. I did the same with him, and could not help but follow my fingers with my lips. The thought that I would never again be able to see the love reflected in his beautiful eyes was more than I could stand. If I had my greatest wish, it would be that he would run as far away from this mess as he could. But I knew he would never desert me or his family. I just hoped that by some miracle, this would not be the last time I was wrapped in his arms.
EPOV
I can't do this. I can't face the army that is coming for us, knowing that Bella is going to fail. Alice had seen it happen, over and over as she replayed the vision in her head, looking and praying that this time something will have changed and we all survive. But no, nothing changes.
In a little over an hour, Maria and her army of newborns would come marching through the woods. Along with her, she had a pair of vampires with special gifts. She had only succeeded in destroying as many covens as she had because of them. Zafrina was originally from Africa, before Maria found and changed her. She had the ability to project a vision directly into your mind, whether it be complete darkness or a vivid landscape. She had used this power to completely disorient her adversaries, making it easy for the newborns to come in and start ripping heads off.
Maria's other pride and joy was a young vampire named Benjamin. He had the rare power of being able to control the four elements of nature. With a flick of his hand he was able to bring a flood or tornado from out of nowhere. Earthquakes and brush fires were easy as pie for him. Maria kept him very close to her because he could act as a flame thrower and set fire to anyone who dared come close to her.
In Alice's vision, that is how Emmett died.
In Alice's vision, Rose followed after Emmett, rage distracting her from the fact that Benjamin now had his eyes set on her.
In Alice's vision, Zafrina forced Esme and Jasper into complete darkness, and without the ability to sense that an attack was coming, the newborns were able to dismember them in seconds.
In Alice's vision, Bella tried hard to keep Alice, Carlisle and I behind her, hoping that she would be able to protect us through touch.
In Alice's vision, every one of us perished while Bella was forced to watch. Maria left me for last, subjecting me to the most brutal kind of destruction I had ever witnessed.
It was not for my sake that I was praying Alice's vision not come to fruition, it was the agonized look on Bella's face as I died that kept my hopes alive. Maria wanted Bella as her newest pet, and she would stop at nothing to keep that from happening.
I was brought out of my horrific thoughts as Bella snuggled deeper into my embrace. I had not meant to seduce her after we finished hunting, but knowing that Alice's vision was a distinct possibility made me crazy. I was rough, I knew I was, but I was unable to stop myself. I needed her to know how deeply I loved her.
I slowly got up, helping her back into her clothing and putting on mine as well. I encouraged her to climb onto my back, wanting to prolong our intimacy. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and I took off running. Her hair blew back from her face and she laughed loudly. Her laughter turned to sobs as we got closer to the house. I gently pulled her around me so she was facing me. I slowed to a walk and cradled her head in my palm.
"We will find a way to stay together. And even in death I would find a way to get to you. I'll be the first vampire ghost." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Not funny you jerk. I don't want you to haunt me forever, I want us to be together forever." She whined.
The mood shifted as she teased me and I ran the rest of the way back to the house. Alice and Jasper were stacking tree trunks along the driveway, hoping to be able to disorient the newborns and give us some time. Emmett and Rose were practicing hand to hand combat, but I think it was just an excuse to touch each other. Rose's face was a mask of calm, but Emmett was devastated by the thought of losing Rose. He was concerned that he would be eliminated first and not be able to protect her. He also worried that even if some of us survived, we would blame Bella for the loss of the others. I had to admit that I had not considered that. It made me think that even if we survived, our coven would not. Bella and I would be forced out because it would be too hard to look at her every day and know she had not been able to save everyone.
Carlisle was stuffing bags of blood into an ice filled cooler on the side of the porch. The smell was potent, but eased when he shut the lid. I did not think it would distract anyone when the fighting started. Esme walked onto the porch with Tanya following on her heels. Irina and Kate were helping Alice clear the surrounding area of brush, hoping that if there was nothing to catch fire, Benjamin would not be able to start a blaze. Bella eased her death grip on me and I lowered her to the ground. With one last chaste kiss she went off to help Alice and the girls. I whistled lowly at Alice and she projected her latest vision to me. And…
Nothing had changed. It was still the same, and they would arrive in less than 20 minutes.
A/N: Part one of THE FIGHT comes on Sunday! Hold onto your hats, things are about to get crazy.
Are you reading Little Fish, Big Fish yet? If not I am gonna come kick some ass!