A/N: I am sooooooooo sorry for taking so long with this! I went back to uni the week after the last chapter went up and things got rather hectic - the nights I scheduled for writing turned into 5 hours nap nights! I really do apologise and hopefully all my lovely readers are still with me on this one.

Bella's POV

Embrace

I suddenly became aware of how clear my vision was, as even in the overwhelming darkness Victoria truly was a sight to behold. Her hair was a long mane of loose red curls and her eyes burned with blood lust. She was terrifying and yet simply breathtaking, holding your attention with her mere presence. I realised then that no human stood a chance against her.

Did I?

"Well, well, well…Isabella isn't it?" she asked mockingly.

Victoria began to edge forward at human pace in calculated and deliberate moves.

"It has been a while since our last encounter." she paused, seemingly for effect, "Oh, but where are my manners? How have you been?"

Apparently she liked to play with her food before eating it. She was taunting me, toying with me before finishing me off.

I did not answer her. I refused to give her the satisfaction.

Her steps were so silent and imperceptible I was barely aware of her movement until her face was mere inches from mine.

She smirked at me knowing that the many years she had to fine tune her skills made her infinitely more refined than me. An icy chill hung in the air as we stood together in the echoing silence.

Again her lips curled into a sneer, "You know I've got to hand it to Carlisle," she said "at least he actually had the balls to change you! More than I would have given him credit for."

She was growling at me, her face much too close.

Then, out of nowhere, she abruptly pulled back, as though scared she would go too far before she had time to enjoy herself, to savour the moment of finally being able to avenge her mate's death.

Composure slowly trickled back to her.

"Not something Edward was ever capable of, was it Bella?" she paused momentarily, enraged that her mention of Edward had no effect on me. She continued to circle me never taking her eyes off me.

Before I knew what was happening she was right behind me, purring in my ear.

"Begs the question really…what were you two up to before dear Eddie kicked the bucket?" My head spun to meet her face on. As she came to face me once again there was a hint of a malevolent glint in her eye at her implication. She was ecstatic to finally get a reaction out of me and sensing her advantage she pressed on, a twisted smile playing about her lips.

"You know I've always thought Carlisle to be a bit of a dirty old man underneath that façade of Dr. Fantastic...or should that be Fangtastic?"

Clearly this woman was unhinged, cackling away at her own joke. Then, as though suddenly realising I was there she said, "Tell me Bella, was Carlisle giving you everything Edward couldn't?"

I snapped.

"Leave him out of this!" I growled, and I mean actually growled, at her.

She rolled her head back and cackled like some sort of pantomime villain. Almost instantly she brought her head back up to meet mine.

"You seem a bit touchy on the subject." she smirked.

Choosing to ignore her I repeated my earlier words, "Leave him out of this!"

This time it sounded like I was hissing at her. The sound even frightened me and for the first time something in Victoria's triumphant air seemed to slip ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable but I caught it.

I could feel the courage begin to burn within me. There were no differences between us now and I had nothing to be scared of. Her years of practice brought with it an over zealous cautiousness whereas I was fresh but lethal.

There would be only one way to settle this for I would not bring Victoria and all the misery she trailed in her wake back to Carlisle's door.

This was between me and her.

Silence hung heavily between us in the starless night sky.

Without saying a word we both quietly began to move in the same circle Victoria had traced earlier. On and on we circled until her patience faltered and she lunged, utilizing all the strength at her disposal, slamming her body against mine. We landed in a not so sophisticated crumpled heap on the floor, hands clawing at skin and yanking hair, and began to roll each other over, fighting for dominance.

She was skilled but I was by far the strongest and I easily over powered her, crushing her shoulders into the cold damp earth, pressing my weight down on her.

To my surprise she smirked up at me, her eyes alight with defiance - I knew this was not over.

"Very good Bella," she hissed, impressed against her will, "but you're forgetting one little thing."

I paused, intrigued by her words but not such a fool as to be taken in by them. This had to be a trick…right?

I waited for her to finish her sentence but she left her words hanging in a cloud of mystery above us.

It pained me to do it, I was sure that whatever she had to say would be a lie, but I had to know and so I asked her - giving her exactly what she wanted.

"What am I forgetting?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

Satisfied she smiled her sickly sweet smile and continued.

"While we're here frolicking in the dirt you have left a very broken man at home…alone."

She casually lingered on the word 'alone' and, even though it wasn't possible, I was sure I felt my heart sink.

"How do you know…" I trailed off, a more pressing question coming to mind than how she knew what I had said to Carlisle, "why should it matter that he is alone?"

She chuckled, her cackle echoing through the clearing, piercing me to the core.

"A few new…friends and I have been keeping an eye on dear old Carlisle. We heard your little lover's tiff and saw you storm off. Now they've gone to...pay him a little visit."

I could feel my eyes widening as realisation coursed through me. An image of Carlisle, broken and alone flickered to the forefront of my mind, and slowly I became all too aware of the creeping blood red eyes steadily moving in on him. I shook my head trying to disentangle myself from my thoughts which seemed much too clear to me. I only closed my eyes for the tiniest fraction of a second but I should have known better. She seized her opportunity before my eyes had time to focus she had me held by the neck up against an ancient, knotted tree.

"It was five against one Bella," she moved in closer, so close I could feel the words she whispered on my skin, "it would have been quick."

I struggled in vain against her, desperately longing to go to Carlisle's aid. Her grip around my throat tightened.

"The more you struggle the longer this will go on for!" she was getting angry now, her eyes edging towards black.

For a moment she stood perfectly still drinking in every sublime detail of the night. Revenge at last.

A sense of hopelessness washed over my as the thought of losing Carlisle seeped through my veins. Without him would I really want to live on? At that precise moment I felt part of me give in, laying my life into the hands of fate.

I closed my eyes, anticipating what was to come and my thoughts wandered not to my own well-being, nor to Edward or even my Maker who I was surely about to meet, but to Carlisle. The kiss we shared that night which simultaneously felt like eons ago and as though it had happened just a second before. It would get me through this.

I wanted my last thoughts to be of him.

In a whirl of noise and confusion I fell to the floor, eyes pressed firmly shut waiting for the end but it never came.

Perplexed I looked up to see a mass of figures fleeing deeper and deeper into the forest, so far away that even my intense sight could not make sense of what my eyes were witnessing.

Sitting up I felt a pair of warm, welcoming arms lift me to my feet and without hesitance draw me close into a tight embrace.

I allowed them to hold me, not caring who they belonged to.

What had become of Carlisle?

I buried myself deeper into the embrace, trying to hide myself from the niggling voice whispering unthinkable thoughts to me.

Several cries pierced the still night air as the moon cast its glow over me.

I sparkled but my heart was dull with fear.

What good was sparkling without Carlisle there to sparkle with me?

A/N: Did I mention I'm sorry for taking ages with this? =P Also I tried to make Victoria to Twilight as Bellatrix is to Harry Potter…hope that comes across ok.