AN: YAY! THIS IS THE MAJOR PLOT-TURNER I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT! WHOOT! IT'S HERE!

Ahem…anyway…this isn't my best chapter, admittedly. Gah, I just think it's kinda corny and slightly to majorly OOC. But it's the best I've got. And I've been so excited to get this one out there because…well, it changes things. In a good and bad way. Muahaha.

But yes, here it is. Thanks again for all your reviews—I will reply to them ASAP, it's just that FF is being a dingus (love that word) and not letting me reply. It'll tell me there's an error blah blah blah try again later. So I will get to you soon, I promise!

Anywho, I'd like to say Victoria's reasoning is uncertain, but explained a bit more below. I hope you like the chapter, because I did work hard on it.

And this is the best I put out—how sad. :'(

Oh, by the way, I don't own On Fire by Switchfoot, Savin' Me by Nickelback, or Yankee Doodle by…uh…yeah, I don't own them. Just wanna make sure that's out there. :D

Immolation Chapter 14: Swords

"And there are always times when you just don't know what to say…"

"Why did you grab the boy? And why did you bite him?"

Riley looked almost angry as he gazed at Victoria, but truthfully, he was worried. Having never met nor seen the Volturi, the stories she had told him of seemed scarier than they probably were—he didn't want to die for a mere child.

"I…don't know," she whispered softly, which was quite unlike her. She gazed down at the child with an emotion akin to discomfort. "I could just…sense that he was special. I knew it somehow. Trust me," she snapped at him in the end, sending him a glare that made him think twice about speaking and walk out of the room.

She looked down at the boy and he whimpered, letting out yet another scream. What had driven her to taking him? It was an unnecessary risk she really, in her current situation, didn't need to take. But there was something she could just feel from him—was this an unexplored aspect to her heightened instincts? Normally they just served her well in getting out of trouble, but this time there was a sixth sense of sorts, telling her to take him, that he would aid her.

And she was a wild, free vampire. More advanced than a human and yet closer to an animal—it was hard to resist her instincts as it was, and when the call was that strong…she no longer controlled her body. She just did.

He screamed again and she winced. It was loud and obnoxious, but it was just beginning.

III

Today was still a school day, so I had to get up and face Claire even though I had a feeling my will would crumble. I sighed and ran my brush through my hair, looking into the mirror with disdain. I was just disgusted with the fact that I didn't even know who I was anymore. It all started with him. He had sheltered me and smothered me and I had allowed him to slowly cut down my identity until without another I didn't know who I was. That was why his leaving was so painful and still was—he didn't just take himself, he took me too. And I couldn't cope.

Then Claire and Peter came along and made me simultaneously weaker and stronger. I knew now my major flaw, but I had no idea how to fix it. And not only that, but they were the ones I relied on most—I couldn't see me without Claire as my best friend, or even without Peter as a confidante. Sure, I'd always been a blend-in kind of person, but not to this point. I disgusted myself.

Dressed and ready, I gave myself a pep-talk on the way to school…"Relax, Bella. Just distance yourself from Claire and Peter slowly and…who am I kidding? I won't be able to do this…no, I've gotta. I need to find out who I am—me alone, not me and Claire. Not me and Peter…" Well, that has a bit of a ring to it, eh? Bella and Peter, Peter and Bella…traitorous thoughts!

I pulled into the parking lot and rested my head on the wheel. What a fat lot of good this did me. Way to throw in the crush aspect, Bella. I thought you couldn't get any more hopeless, but way to surprise us all. Pat yourself on the back why don't you?

I sighed and dragged my book bag out of the car and Claire met me immediately. "Hey Bella. You alright? You don't look so good. Like, you're really pale and…"

I smiled at her. "I'm fine. But I'm really running late and need to ask the teacher a question, so…" She nodded in understanding.

"I'll get out of your hair. See ya!" And then she walked off to her part of the building. Well, that was slightly easier than I expected it to be.

"Bella, hey," Elle said, walking over to me. I gave her my best smile.

"Hey Elle. How are you?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, I'm fine. But hey, I've got a few questions to ask you…"

I began walking toward the school building and she fell into step next to me. "Yeah?"

She whipped out a piece of paper and unfolded it. Her eyes were trained on my face as a huge smile broke onto her face. "You may not have guessed, but I'm a huge vampire enthusiast." I couldn't help but take in a sharp breath as my eyes stung slightly.

I pushed away my memories and quickly composed myself. "I didn't know."

She scrutinized me. "Yeah, well…I found a cool book about them is all, and I was wondering if you liked them." Oh I've more than liked them. And they're more than fairytales…not that I could ever tell you that.

"Oh, I've never really been a fan," I lied, turning my face away to hide my blush. Thankfully, we had reached the doors, so I held open them and hid behind the metal, allowing her to get swept away into the oncoming crowd. Because I couldn't place it, but there was something like suspicion on her face, and maybe I was just paranoid—okay, I definitely was paranoid, but still. I wasn't delusional…was I?

I shook my head and walked in after the group of kids at the end and Elle was standing there, her arms crossed. She smirked at me. "Any specific reason vampires seem to be a sore spot for you?"

I shook my head. "No…I was just scared of them as a little kid. But then I realized they aren't real." She paused and I could tell she wanted to say something, but didn't. Instead we began to walk. I had all the books I needed and apparently so did she, so we passed up our lockers. Though we had time, and our pace was not a fast one—which I would be fine with me if she stopped questioning me about vampires.

"So Bella. Wanna hang out today?" she asked, and there was an odd tone to her voice. It was something I hadn't heard from her…was that hope or excitement of some sort? I was delusional, I suppose, because Elle always kept it cool and a constant cold shoulder. I looked over at her.

This is the excuse I need…I can make other friends besides Claire and Peter…though I need to go over there tonight because of Jason… "I'm sorry Elle. I have other plans. How about tomorrow?"

She looked at the floor briefly but then smiled again, "Yeah, whatever. I was just wondering, you know, because we don't see each other much."

I turned the corner and opened the door to the classroom. "That's…really nice, Elle." I didn't have anything else to say, so we walked to our seats and the silence was, dare I say it, comfortable.

III

School passed quickly and soon I was walking out the door. I saw Claire ahead of me, but she must not have seen me. She just went over to her car and unlocked it. I caught up to her. "Hey, Claire. So are we going to your house today?"

"Oh, so you wanna go to my house, huh?" She didn't sound like a happy camper and it was confirmed as she rounded on me.

"Well…we kind of have to catch the bad guy," I pointed out dumbly.

"Oh, so that's all it is, huh, catching the bad guy? Bella, what is up with you today? You practically ignored me all day. I kept trying to talk to you but you weren't really listening. You'd just make up some dumb excuse." She crossed her arms angrily.

"I…" I could share my thoughts with Claire, couldn't I? That was what best friends were for, to listen, right? And if it made her not mad at me anymore, well, I'd go for it. "I'm so sorry Claire, it's just…I'm pathetic."

Her eyes softened only slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…I've become like, dependent on you guys," I gushed. "My crush on Peter coupled with the fact that you're like a sister to me…and I'm like, the most dependent person on earth and…and the thought of you guys leaving terrifies me…so I thought if I distanced myself from you it'd go away and I'd be me again." Well, that sounded better in my head.

She sighed. "Bella, you're really not that dependent."

I furrowed my brows. "Are you kidding? I'm at your house all the time and always hanging out with you."

She rolled her eyes. "Get in the car, Bella."

"But my truck—"

"We'll get it. And Bella, you don't see us complaining when you come over. We like you, you know."

"I…I know…but Claire." I hardened my face. This was another reason—I was too much of a pushover. I needed to stand up for myself at least once in a millennia. "I need to do this. For myself."

The look on her face was a stunned one. I sighed… "When this Jason thing blows over, I need to take some time off." She smiled.

"Don't worry Bella. I understand…I guess I just didn't think you felt that way. Really, we like having you over so often. I really don't have anyone to talk to."

"You have Peter, you know." I walked over to my side of the car and got in.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah…and don't get me wrong, I love Peter, but it's weird talking to him."

"Why?"

She sighed and glanced behind her, pulling out of the lot. "It's just…I used to have a crush on him. Before I knew he was blood. And Bella, a crush on Peter is a hard one to shake. Sorry I'm mentioning this now."

I gaped at her. "Do you…do you still?"

She stopped, staring into space for a moment, the car stopping with her. "I…don't think so. No. I love him like an uncle, like I'm supposed to, but no. It was more like the 'oh, you saved my life!' type thing. But anyway, this is why it's kind of hard to talk to him—that and unless we have something prominent to talk about, I really don't know what to say."

I continued to gape. "But…have you ever tried? Peter has to be the most interesting, hilarious person on earth! I mean, his life is like a comic book…"

She giggled. "Yeah, I believe it." But then she quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, while we're talking about Peter and crushes." She wiggled her eyebrows before continuing—I sunk into my seat. "What type of crush do you have on him? Like an 'oh, it's just a crush' but it's really more, or the 'eh, I've got a crush on him…ooh, a hot guy over there!' crush or a 'oh, I think I'm falling for him' crush or the weird, 'I've got a clipping of his hair! Come smell it!' creepy crush?"

I must say, I'd never heard anything so ridiculous. But it was to the point where I believed it, and I could only stare at her. Finally my brain caught up and forced my mouth to say something. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're smart, Bella. You know what I'm saying."

How far do my affections go? Farther than I'd like to admit—another flaw. I fall for a guy in milliseconds. Look where that gets me. "It's just a crush."

She smiled. "The 'it's just a crush but secretly more' kind?"

"No," I snapped. "The 'I wish for once you would just take my words at face value' kind."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "It's just that I do pay attention to more than your murder of fashion—seriously Bella, skirts won't bite—"

I grumbled, "Skirts are the enemy Claire, end of discussion." Please get distracted, please get distracted…

She sent me a playful glare. In it, her thoughts were obvious. I could almost hear her mentally say them. Yeah, nice try. "Anyway, I know you. And you jump into things—you're an all or nothing type. So is this all, or is this nothing?"

I paused. "Nothing. I've told you Claire. It's nothing."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll get you to tell me the truth eventually."

I looked over at her. "Why do you want me to like him that way? Wouldn't it weird you out—your best friend liking your uncle?"

She hesitated and I could sense that she was really thinking about it, trying to give me an honest answer. She gives you an honest answer and yet you deprive her of one. Nice, Bella. Real smooth and best friend like. "Well…at first, I guess it'd be weird. But I mean, it's hard to judge because we're not normal and neither is our situation. We're a part of a world of special people with all kinds of spectacular powers—not to mention who knows what else…"

A moment of guilt washed over me. I know what else. I couldn't explain it, but I felt as if I was lying to them by never mentioning the vampire part of my life. I was just worried that they were going to call me crazy and run to the other end of the country—if not the earth. And yet, at the same time, after all they had told me they couldn't just react so rashly, could they? And yet in my life time, people's hypocrisy exceeded no bounds. But these are my friends! They've accepted me so far—which is a feat. What's one little vampire…or seven? But I couldn't bring myself to say anything as she continued.

"…so I have to remember that…and you can't help who you love. I'd be a little weirded out, but I'd get over it."

"That's…cool. I'm glad you wouldn't be mad," I said finally.

She nodded absently. We pulled up to the house and she parked. As we walked in, we heard the news. We looked over and saw Peter staring at the TV intently.

The woman was interviewing a policeman outside what seemed to be a break-in at a…gun shop? Not good. "…all the glass fell on the outside of the shop, like they were inside then jumped out…but the weirdest thing is all the tapes were removed from the security cameras. Although there's no evidence that a ladder was used and no fingerprints on anything. We really don't know how no one saw it, as the whole operation had to have taken some time…"

He continued, but Peter spoke. "It has to be Jason Mallory. There's no other explanation."

I furrowed my brows. "That would make sense…he could just bring the guns to himself, breaking the glass in the process…same goes for the security tapes…"

"Exactly."

"Where is this?" I asked, pointing to the television.

"Seattle. He's getting supplies together for something…I guess he's expecting the Company."

Claire's face was a mask of anger. "Then that's what we'll give him."

That was when the doorbell rang.

III

I looked at Peter with concentration, but it was hard to do with him—I wasn't sure why.

We had decided to practice my power after Noah had come along and dragged Claire away from us. He had said that every weekend he would be here and apparently he wasn't lying. She had had to do the fastest packing ever—or well, I had. Noah wasn't about to let her out of his sight, and I had offered to take care of it.

In no time they were zooming away in a nice-looking car, leaving me here with Peter. He had decided that Jason obviously works at night, so we would practice until the sun fell. Well, it wasn't falling fast enough.

"What's the problem, Bella? It worked with Claire…what's the difference?"

I sighed. "Maybe…well, maybe you're more powerful and harder to suppress?"

He grumbled. "I'm not sure. Was there a different method when you did it to Claire?"

I looked skyward as I went over our procedures. "I'd take a deep breath, grab her hand, then…"

"That's it!" he interjected, before reaching over and grasping my hands in his. I gulped, my eyes darting from our hands to his face.

I tried to speak but it came out as a mere squeak. I cleared my throat before trying again—if he was going to hold my hands, we'd be two steps behind. "I…uh, here." Gently I pulled my hands from his and they hung in the air as I tried to think of a safe way to touch him without feeling like I was getting scorched. How is he so warm, I wonder?

Finally I resigned myself and slowly put my hands on either side of his face. He jumped at first but relaxed, his head tilted downward only slightly as he leaned, allowing me to not have to stretch to keep my hands in their current position. He looked at me with an intensity I recognized and hated…way to distract me, Peter. Damn you and your eyes…

I let out a breath. "Okay." And this time it was, admittedly, a little easier to force my shield over to him. It tried to recoil when it came into contact with him, but I forced it forward. Though it was a strain. I felt my brow furrow and I bit down on my lip, leaning forward to try and will it to go.

It snapped back around me like a rubber band.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Don't get so distracted, Bella! I opened them again and our gazes locked as I tried to push my shield to him, with better results, but I still didn't get it to him.

I tried a third time, and a fourth, but it wasn't until my seventh try I finally got it to wrap around his mind for a brief amount of time. But it was when he gasped and jarred from my grip it snapped back to its relaxed position around my mind, rippling like warm water.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at me intently. "I think I just…read your mind."

I felt my whole body stiffen and tense. You what? No! You're not supposed to hear what goes on in here! Get out!

But apparently he already was out, because he didn't respond in any visible way. Hesitantly, I spoke. "What…what did you hear?"

"Not much," he admitted. "You were happy we finally did it. Then when I pulled away it was gone."

I let out a huge breath of relief. Okay…so he didn't hear anything incriminating, which is good. Apparently he only hears my thoughts when my shield is around him? Strange.

"Weird," I said finally.

"Yeah," he agreed. I glanced up at the clock, but it didn't look late enough yet.

"So…" I began. But I didn't know what to say.

"I guess we keep trying?"

"Sure," I responded. He grabbed my hands and put them on either side of his face, and I took a deep breath. Please don't touch me. I might freak out and turn into a puddle. Then where would we be?

"Go." So I tried, pushing my shield toward him. It was rather easy and I got it around his mind, before carefully blanking my own. I tried my best to not focus on the burn of his skin or the way he made me feel—though I wasn't doing a good job. I nearly slipped three times before trying to sing a song. You're on fire when he's near you; you're on fire when he speaks…not a good choice. Prison gates won't open up for me; on these hands and knees I'm crawlin'; oh, I reach for you…oh dammit Bella…Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony…

He smiled. "That's definitely an interesting choice. Though I like the other two better." My shield snapped back—whether I called it back or I really just didn't have it in me to hold it up any more, I wasn't sure.

"Yeah, well, it's my mind," I grumbled. "No one asked you to read it."

He grinned at me and I brought my hands back to myself, resting them in my lap and ignoring the way they tingled. "Uh-huh. You loved it."

I rolled my eyes. "Says mister ego." I stuck my tongue out at him—a habit I think I picked up from Claire—and slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Ouch, Bella. That one hurt."

I rolled my eyes again. At least it didn't set you on fire. "You'll get over it. Wanna try again?"

He nodded. I didn't bring my hands to his face, instead trying it without my metaphorical training wheels. He looked confused and his question brought me from my concentrated state. "Are you gonna start?"

I shrugged. "I did. I don't think I'd be much help if I have to touch the bad guy in order to block him."

He nodded, allowing me to start again. My shield was hard to work with when it had no direct path, but I managed to work it out toward Peter. It was a hard game of tug of war, but I managed to finally get it around his mind. Can you hear me?

"Yeah."

Wow. That's actually really cool.

He smiled, "I guess it can be."

But I mean…you can hear what I'm thinking! Which could be a disadvantage, I suppose… I brought my shield back to myself and finished my thought aloud. "I mean, you could find serious blackmail material in there." Or just find a little secret or two that'll send you running. Not preferable.

"Yeah, Bella, you're the least guilty person I know," he laughed. "What could you have done?" I could have possibly started to like you more than I should…I could have fallen for an immortal, blood-sucking creature…does that count? I think so.

I shrugged again, glancing at the clock…again. Seven is reasonable, right? "Do you think we should set off now?"

He sighed and looked at the clock also. "I think so, yeah. But won't Claire be made that we don't wait for her? She looked kind of excited about catching this guy."

I nodded. "Yeah…but he might do who knows what if we wait. But it's up to you," I rushed.

He stood up. "You're right. We should go." He held out his hand and I took it so as to not appear rude, although it tingled. Always…stupid hormones…perfect Peter Petrelli…gah!

I followed him out the door and we drove in a comfortable silence. It wasn't long until we had made it out to the shop where there was yellow tape and a few police officers wandering around. Though they all wore the same confused expression.

Peter pulled up to one of them, and he immediately came over. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to—"

Peter explained quickly. "I'd just like to know around what time this happened."

The officer scratched his chin. "We aren't sure, but we're guessing around eight or nine, right after the shop closed. Now, if that's all…"

"Thank you," Peter said, and we pulled away slowly.

I looked over at the clock and it was seven thirty. "So how are we going to find him?"

Peter sighed. "He's obviously going for weapons…so we'll just have to be on the lookout for those types of shops."

"Okay…" I began hesitantly, scanning the area for any suspicious activity. "But do you even know what he looks like?"

"Yeah," he pulled out an envelope. "Noah gave me these pictures." I took the envelope from him and opened it. "They're the most recent ones they have," he said.

In each there was a tall, lanky man with a buzz cut and five o'clock shadow. He had an uncharacteristically pretty face—as if he were meant to be a girl. He looked almost exactly like Lauren, which was odd, because upon meeting Lauren's mother I was sure they were exactly alike. I shook the thought away.

Hours passed. We drove through the area, but didn't see Jason Mallory or any kind of scene that suggested he was near. It was going on eleven and my eyes began to drift closed with boredom. We had exchanged random banter throughout the night, but I had quit after I was sure he was going to make me lean over and kiss him—Peter was just so funny and interesting. Everything he said and did left me hanging, waiting for more.

I had finally just said I was tired and looked out the opposite window, and my lie was starting to become a truth. That was, until Peter jarred me from my relaxed state.

"Bella, look!" I followed to where he was gesturing to and saw a man in a black hoodie. He had his hands in his pockets, but in front of him was a broken window, and out of it came…swords? By themselves they flew, gathering in the open air around him.

Yep, he's our guy.

I wasn't fully awake as I got out of the car. Peter followed and latched onto my arm. "Bella, be careful," he whispered.

I spoke in a hushed tone back to him. "We'll catch him by surprise. But first let me block him."

His pause seemed to last forever, but finally he nodded. He let go of me and we walked closer. I pulled on my shield and with each step my heart's pace quickened as the situation really began to set in.

This man doesn't care if we live or die, as long as he remains free…okay, relax Bella. Yeah, okay, that's easy. Take a deep breath…

We were mere feet from him and Peter tensed. I was already stiff, trying to force my shield to move. Though the quickly creeping fear that seemed to squeeze my insides with ice was making it difficult.

Peter made a small motion to tell me to hurry. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. Come on, come on…

Metal clattered. I snapped my eyes open to see the swords, one by one, falling to the ground. I looked at Peter in astonishment and they began to lift again—I pushed forward. They fell.

The man whipped around, panicked, and his face wasn't visible in the darkness. But I knew he had spotted us when he grew to his full height and stilled. Peter wavered, unsure of what to do when someone as dangerous as this Jason Mallory seemed to be was only feet from us.

That was when it happened, so suddenly.

I was on the ground, something warm and heavy on top of me. It jumped away but I felt my shield ricochet in my surprise—I cried out, I wasn't blocking him anymore. The world tilted and I felt warmth on my temple—but I had no time for that. I jumped up and swayed, but regained myself in time to see the swords rise into the air again.

I gasped as one went sailing for Peter, who was still looking at me, and paying it no attention.