Author's Note: And I DO mean, The End. Before you dive into possibly the longest chapter in the book, I'd like to say:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you all kept me going when I wanted to stop. Thanks to you guys, I've written over 300 pages of Twilight goodness! I can't believe how well this story turned out, and it's all because of my wonderful readers.

I'd like to personally thank BracefaceFreak and MissAsian; you two were the ones who were fans from the beginning, and fans to the bitter end. I am forever indebted to you for your support and encouragement. God Bless You.

I hope you enjoy the very last chapter of Without You. Please read and review.

Songs:

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor -- Drowning Pool .com/watch?v=e8-sMJZTYf0&feature=PlayList&p=BEFB26B0B2F15AE3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=46 (I just couldn't resist)

Game On -- Disciple .com/watch?v=kcM0MJXYGAQ (this is a very heavy rock song, but it's good for a fight)

Supermassive Black Hole -- Muse .com/watch?v=INoAivR-zJ8 (while I don't at all support their strange worldviews, I just had to put this song in here, since SM loves this band)

Already Over, Part Two -- Red .com/watch?v=CkAYvv-rL84 (this will be for after the conflict)

That's all!

39. The End

"ALICE!"

I saw Jasper in my mind's eye, racing to beat the figure to me, his hands stretched out to seize her.

What a ridiculous, adorable, overprotective boy.

"Oh, Jazz," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Alice--!"Whatever Emmett had to say was cut off as I threw myself to one side, just as the woman in white came barrelling toward the spot where I had been standing. I landed neatly in a roll, coming up on my feet on the other side of Tanya.

That was when I saw it: Jasper, running to save me, and leaving Bella unprotected, crouched behind the warehouse wall. Well, I couldn't let that happen. "Jasper," I said, even as he put his foot forward, ready to dash, "stay!"

Thank you, Jazz, for listening to me, despite the fact that I'd just addressed you like I would a dog. My beautiful husband paused, his lean body hunched to attack at the least provocation. As my last word died on the late night air, his eyes widened in comprehension at what he'd almost done. Edward would have killed us both if anything happened to Bella-- shoot, I would kill us if anything happened to my sister. Ever so slowly, Jasper eased back onto his heels, his upper body still rigid.

In relief, I saw my next vision. It wasn't the most comforting thing to witness, but at least it didn't end in tragedy. "There." I wiped my hands unconsciously on my jeans, getting rid of the imaginary sweat on my palms.

The woman in white, an Italian vampire with strong, hawklike features, snarled in frustration at my escape, her muscular figure low on the ground. She seemed unbothered by the hostile vampires separating her from her friends. I wondered how she had managed to jump that high, over Adelaide's head and across the space between our parties. Her fierce expression went well with her sleek body, and her fingers stuck an inch into the dirt. She had been a good choice to send as the one to tip off the hostilities that would follow such a bold move.

Esme didn't spare one look for the Italian woman, but kept her face turned toward Adelaide. "That's twice you've tried to assault us," she told the nomad. "I'm going to take that as your answer."

Adelaide had an evil glint in her scarlet eyes as she motioned to her men. "If that's how you want this to end, so be it."

I saw the four men lunge for Carlisle before they moved at all, and I screamed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Carlisle, watch out!"

My adopted father spun around, right on cue, and back-flipped out of the uncoming threat. I was impressed, I have to say; I didn't know Carlisle was capable of those kinds of gymnastics. He evaded the four men again, slipping cleanly out of the ring they'd been trying to form. I didn't have much more time to watch for Carlisle, for the woman in white chose me as her personal target, hurtling toward me at breakneck speed. I pivoted, so I wouldn't obstruct the path that would take her into the other nomads, but she turned at the last second and clawed me. I flew backwards into Emmett; he steadied me with a grin, then shoved me back to my opponent.

This time I had the advantage, and saw the woman's figure descending on me a milli-second before it happened. I took her shoulders in my hands and leapt over her, dancing out of her biting range and yanking her to the ground. She was too strong for me to keep her down for long, but it afforded me time to catch glimpses of my family's movements.

Esme was trading sickening blows with Adelaide, two vixens locked in a tooth-and-nail fight. Carlisle had his hands full handling the four guards, who had a knack for being persistent to the point of stupidity. Emmett had taken on the big redhead holding Edward against the warehouse. To my conseternation, Emmett seemed to be losing in the brawl, his face twisted into a pained expression as he fought for control. Rosalie was literally tangling with a dark vampire and another man, a blonde. Edward was attacking the same vampire over and over, fruitlessly striving to break through the man's defense to reach Bella. Siobhan was engaged in a lop-sided fight with two latin vampires, with Maggie combating a lanky Greek man next to her. Jasper was still crouched in front of my sister, snarling threateningly at the two vampires looming up to challenge him.

The woman in white freed herself and hissed at me, her teeth more akin to the traditional vampire fangs than the normal, relatively blunt canines we all had. I hissed back, displeased with the situation. Why did this have to be so complicated? I could see that our friends would help my family in about three seconds, but it annoyed me that we would have so much trouble recovering Carlisle and Rose. We didn't often stumble upon a coven as large as ours, but when we did...

"Emmett, roll!" I yelled. He did, narrowly missing the whirlwind of scrap metal that had been hurled at his head.

"Now, Esme, to the side!" Esme knew to listen to my warning, and threw herself aside just as Adelaide put all her strength into a drop-kick that would have flung my adopted mother several hundred feet into the air.

My visions were so useful in a battle.

"Jasper, get her into the warehouse!" I had just seen one of the vampires dart past my lover, sinking his teeth into Bella's neck and brutalizing her. Jasper didn't hesitate: he rushed back, slung Bella into his arms, and tossed her gently into the warehouse interior, slamming the door behind her. The two vampires that had been harrassing him growled, dragging Jasper to the dirt. I hissed in fury, seeing them hurt him, but Jasper didn't appear to notice the bites raining down on his shoulders and arms. Hauling himself up valorously, the phenomenal boy rammed a piece of thick steel diagonally across the warehouse doors, barricading the building against the vampires. He'd made it his mission to keep Bella safe, and he would die before he failed his mission. His stubborn streak in the heat of battle was one of the things I loved about Jasper.

A moment after his heroic effort, the two vampires pulverizing my husband were yanked into the air, dangling from Liam's warrior arms. Roaring in their faces, the mighty Irish vampire dropped the smaller man at Jasper's feet, then took up a fight with the taller nomad.

The woman in white took another swipe at me, but I'd already forseen the move and darted away, coming up at her back. While she snarled in frustration, I latched onto her shoulders and stuck my teeth into her neck. I loosened my grip not a nano-second too soon; one of the Italian's hands snapped out to grab me and tear me to pieces, but because of my slack hold the hand merely glanced off my cheek, sending me off my perch. Recovering from the blow, I dove onto the woman's torso, pummeling her with my fists, seeking a place to start mutilating her.

I felt my hair lift into stiff spikes as a bolt of electricity sizzled past me. It wasn't lightning, like I'd first thought-- it was Kate, her hair waving in snake-like tenticles as she went to help Carlisle with his four guards. Tanya was ahead of her, leaping to take the first man by the throat. Once Kate got into the battle, with her ability to create electrical currents over her skin, the thugs attacking Carlisle wouldn't be an issue.

Metal grating on metal ringing in my ears, I listened for the sound of one of our enemies dying in real time, outside of my world of visions. There it was, from Edward's area of the melee. Clinging to the italian woman's back again, I looked toward my brother, and saw the remains of a vampire thrown into a haphazard pile, Edward's thin figure moving on to the next group of fighters. I allowed myself a thin smile. Congrats, Edward. You got fist kill of the night.

And, I observed to my delight, I was about to be winner number two.

Although I'd seen my opponent's next decision in advance, it was nonetheless startling when the woman in white gathered her feet underneath her and levitated into the air, with me struggling to stay on her back and both of us swinging above the level of the warehouse building's roof. The woman had, of course, been hoping I would lose my death-grip on her back. It had been a good plan, considering she didn't know anything about my power.

Because of my small size, my motto had always been that of a kitten surrounded by full-blown tigers: use your claws. My fingernails had torn through the nomad's dress and were digging into her skin. She howled in pain and spun quick revolutions in the air, jerking to shake me off her. I growled at her, waiting for my next vision. I knew I was going to kill her, but when was the question. Groaning, I squezed my eyes shut as I processed the Italian's next strategy.

With an effortlessness that was surreal to feel, the woman pointed her feet at the earth and shot downward, the wind whistling in my face. She pulled up short just before we hit the ground and scraped her heels into the soil, gliding to a rough halt. Her landing had the desired outcome; I tumbled off her back and over her shoulder. Little did she know, I'd been expecting the nomad's brilliant idea, so I let go of her willingly and rolled to a standing pose easily. I used the momentum of my fall to turn around and rush her, taking one arm in my hand and wrenching it behind her as I ran. The woman hadn't predicted that move, and resisted my momentum, inadvertantly pulling her own arm out of socket.

In one smooth motion, I pulled the dislocated arm off completely.

The rest of my opponent came shortly after her arm. She may have been an eager fighter, but she was not familiar with pain, and it had thrown her off balance.

"Alice, go help Emmett!" Carlisle yelled, holding one of the guards while Kate and Tanya took care of him, the screeching sound of death coming to my mind.

I blinked, a surplus of neglected visions surging to me. Emmett needed my help to defeat the hulking redhead, having gained no ground in ten minutes. For Emmett, ten minutes fighting anyone was an astronomical amount of time. What was worse, Emmett was actually losing. How was that possible?

"To the left!" I told Emmett, running to his side.

The redhead's punch went wide, a bewildered look on his face. Emmett came at him from the left, like I'd seen, and smashed into the massive vampire like a wrecking ball. It was clear now that although the two men were the same size, the redhead had something Emmett didn't, maybe an innate power my brother lacked. It would have to be an internal power, one that couldn't be detected very easily. I heard a grinding noise as Emmett was thrown onto the ground, grunting with pain. I got out of the redhead's line of sight and sprang lightly onto his back, fastening my arms about his neck.

"Oh," I gasped in surprise, wincing as my next view hit me.

Two crushingly powerful hands gripped my upper arms and peeled me off the man's back. I was awed by the raw strength in the redhead's fingers alone. He was five times stronger than Emmett, at the very least. The thought made me rather pessimistic.

The next thing I knew, I was flying.

"Alice!" Emmett called, and I sighed. Emmett would catch me, and bring me back to help him defeat the redhead.

My brother's large hand wrapped around my heel and pulled me out of orbit. He dumped me unceremoniously over his shoulders, like shepherds used to carry their wards. "Sheesh," he complained, "why didn't you see that one coming?"

"How far did I go?" I asked, disoriented. I hadn't flown for that long, surely.

"Never mind, we have to beat this loser." Hoisting me down, Emmett set me on my toes and faced his enemy, his mouth pulling up into an anticipatory smile. Emmett honestly belived he could take down the redhead, but I had felt the man's strength-- it was abnormal, even for a vampire. I surmised the redhead's ability was just that, an uncanny strength, or something like it.

For this fight, I'd need all my faculties, especially my sixth sense.

"Okay," I breathed, falling into the trancelike state that brought me closer to my visions. "Emmett, he's diving at you." Emmett evaded the redhead by jumping up as the nomad lunged forward and down. "Catch his wrist and throw him to the right," I ordered, and watched in satisfaction as my instruction was carried out. "Keep him down. Hold him down." Muscles straining, my brother pinned the redhead like a wrestler, trapping his opponent's wrists in one hand and kneeling on his back. "He's struggling." Emmett applied more pressure to the nomad's back.

"Good, Emmett." I could already see the result of our teamwork, and it put a grim smile on my face. "Hold him, I'll start with his head."

The sound of another vampire's journey into oblivion was fitting accompaniment to my actions as I put my hands on the redhead's temples, braced myself on my knees, and twisted.

Emmett finished the dirty work, his grin almost splitting his face in half. "I owe you, sis," he said, giving me a thumbs up.

"Don't you always?" I muttered.

I was jarred out of our victory by my next premonition. Carlisle in pain, stumbling into Kate...

"Emmett!" I shouted, sprinting toward the area where our father and the Alaska vampires were fighting. "Go to Carlisle!"

Emmett and Edward were a step behind me. But we were all too late; with a hiss of pain, Carlisle cringed away from the vampire he'd been fighting, his shoulders and back accidentally brushing up against Kate. His weight served to hold him onto Kate's arm for more than four seconds, an agonizingly long time. A continuous crackle of electricity made me flinch as Carlisle's body went rigid, then dropped to the ground, stunned by the current.

"Carlisle!" Horrified, Kate cut her electric shock, and was immediately slapped to the side by her opponent. Emmett was on him in a flash, his teeth bared.

By now Carlisle was up again, looking slightly punch-drunk. I could only figure that Kate's power had been set on its highest degree, enough to knock a full-grown vampire off his feet for almost a minute. "I'm all right," he reassured Edward, who was steadying him with a concerned look. "Rosalie needs you, Alice," he told me.

I knew it, but before I went to give her some backup, I touched Carlisle lightly on the arm. I had missed him, a lot. "We'll all be fine," I said, giving him some comfort. Although my visions were not very promising, I couldn't be a pessimist when my family needed hope.

Carlisle smiled at me. "We're together; we're fine."

We turned away from each other to pursue our own fights. I strode toward Rosalie, my mind whirling with foreboding. These vampires had a trick up their sleeves, and they were planning to unleash it any time. I could make out some instances, but not a definite image of what was in store for us. The single vignettes I could see did nothing to lift my spirits. Oh well, I resolved, like Carlisle said, we're together. Whatever came at us, I knew without a doubt that our family would face it as one entity, united. After so many years of loneliness, it was a soothing thought.

Rosalie was embedding her fingernails into a carpathian vampire's eyes, her mouth open, snarls pouring out. Unsuccessfully, the nomad had his hands around Rosalie's wrists, seeking to yank her away from his face. The pair was inside a miniature tornado of debris, and as I watched, the pieces of trash closed in, striking Rose on the back of the head and down her body. It was plain that the vampire standing nearby, free of any opposition, was the one generating the tiny storm. Sinking into my visions, I let myself crawl along the ground at a snake's pace. My hands grabbed the man's ankles, and I hauled on his legs. He fell, cursing, his small tornado dying down somewhat.

Rosalie took that opportunity to gain greater advatage over the carpathian man, putting him in a headlock with one arm and containing his struggles. The nomad I had tackled attacked me with fervor, kicking me in the ribs and shoving one hand roughly into my face. I rolled free of his body, predicting his next move, and leaped backward, drawing him ever so subtly away from Rosalie and the Carpathian. He took another swing at me; I dodged. Frowning, he feinted to the right, then came at me head-on. Of course I saw through his charade and dodged again, coming back with my leg and hitting him square in the chest. He did something then I hadn't expected, because it was a last-minute thought: he took my leg and jerked me forward, throwing me off balance.

I didn't try to right myself, I just flowed with the forward motion. My leg drove itself into the man's chest, knocking him over. We went down together, with me caught fast in the bigger opponent's hold. That's when his personal whirlwind collected around us, sand and rock thumping into me in a distracting cadence. I saw the nomad's movement just in time, swerving to avoid his heavy punch. Cursing violently, the man bared his teeth, meaning to bite me. "No you don't," I spat out, and bit him first, hard.

Another vampire died a few feet from us, and Rosalie emerged from behind the lifeless figure of the Carpathian, a manaical glint in her eyes. Contemptuously, she threw the nomad's head on top of his body, and set to work further dismemebering him. My enemy hissed in anger, bringing the whirlwind in to rain refuse on me. "Don't take it out on me," I said, and slammed my fist into the nomad's throat.

My teeth were taking the nomad's head off when a horrible screaming filled my ears. I stiffened, the vision unraveling before my eyes. Kate was cowering on the ground, the pain that had afflicted Carlisle written on her features. Seconds later, the vision became reality, and Kate was screaming in awful torment. Valiantly, Edward stood in front of Kate, attempting to offer his body as a shield. His bravery was in vain-- Kate continued to scream.

"Edward," shouted Carlisle, "take down Conner! Conner is the one--" A good-sized vampire crashed into our father, and the two began to fight viciously.

Edward launched himself at the vampire I assumed was Conner. As suddenly as it came, Kate's pain vanished, and she sat up with an anxious expression, watching Edward.

My attention was abruptly diverted. Jasper was on fire! I gasped, and it seemed like I could feel the flames on my skin. "Jasper!" I screamed, flying over the ground, heading toward the warehouse.

Now I could see how it would occur: Bella would throw a vial through the warehouse window, it would shatter against Jasper, and then--

"Jasper!" My cries were lost on my husband, all his concentration set on the fight. "Jasper, move!"

He looked up at me, noted my panic, and took a large step forward. He didn't break his fighting stance, and the brown-haired vampire opposite him didn't stop the dance either. It appeared my frantic dash over had been unnecessary...but I knew better.

With a minor explosion of glass, a white, cylindrical object fell with a soft thud behind Jasper. Holding my breath, I watched in delight as the dear boy picked up the vial. He let the brown-haired man into his comfort zone, too close to retaliate should the nomad decide to double his attack. And just when the vampire was positive he would cream Jasper, my brilliant sweetheart pulled off the top of the vial and splattered it all over his enemy. The putrid smell of a powerful fuel accelerant invaded my nostrils. As the brown-haired man recoiled from the smell, Jasper whipped out a lighter and touched the tip to the man's shirt, flicking on the flame. The vampire shotued out in agony as the fire spread along his body.

"Thanks, darling!" Jasper called to me, grinning.

"Any time," I answered, smiling back.

Two more vampires entered the void, their corpses in pieces and the victors elated. Jasper and I stood, taking in the battle, looking for the places we were most needed.

Esme and Rosalie were working together to defeat Adelaide. Liam was lying by the warehouse door, unconscious. Emmett was insensate, too, and Maggie was crouched, ready to take on the tall vampire who had put the two men on the ground. "That one can make vampires faint," Jasper explained to me quickly. "Unless we all gang up on Reynard, I don't see how we can get rid of him."

"I see a way," I said, giving him a sly grin.

And I did see one, although we would have to be very fast, and very controlled, for my idea to work. I blinked my eyes shut, searching for the outcome of my plan. Luckily for me, my scheme would go off without a hitch.

"I'll go break that window in more," I told Jasper, speaking so rapidly I wondered if he could understand me. "Meanwhile, you'll have to keep Reynard occupied, draw him closer to the warehouse."

Jasper's eyebrows dipped as he thought. "You mean," he said slowly, "you want to bait him."

"Exactly."

"That's very risky, Alice."

"I know." Maggie folded under Reynard's ability, falling on top of Emmett's prostrate form. "Go!" I passed the nomad in a streak of black and white and brought my hand through the jagged hole in the window, popping the rest of the glass into smithereens.

"Alice?" Bella's face looked up at me from below the window.

"Give me your hand," I said, and took it without waiting for permission. "This is going to hurt."

Steeling myself before I could bail out of this stage of the plan, I raked Bella's hand over the rough edge of the glass. Beauteous, currant red blood ran in a broken line over my best friend's palm. Bella gasped in pain, and I staggered back, clamping my hand over my mouth and nose. "Sorry, Bella," I apologized, and turned to wave at Jasper.

Somehow, he had remained conscious, and was herding Reynard toward the open window. My visions told me he wouldn't have to goad the nomad much farther, and I was right. The moment he smelled the blood, Reynard forgot all about Jasper and arrowed toward the window.

Fortunately, I wasn't affected by Bella's blood so much that I couldn't block the vampire from entering the warehouse. He ran into me, and we would have broken through the warehouse wall, if not for Jasper. My husband snagged Reynard by the back of his shirt and jolted us both backwards. Reynard snapped at Jasper, his teeth just missing my lover's forearm. Still holding my breath, I slapped Reynard for almost biting Jasper, and we proceeded to take care of the rest of the ugly business of killing one of our kind.

"Good job, Jasper." I breathed in, glad the disgusting job was done.

The scent of Bella's blood, dripping onto the windowsill, flooded my nose.

I saw him drop the last part of Reynard and lunge toward the warehouse.

"No, Jasper!" I couldn't catch up with him, I saw to my horror. I wouldn't be able to stop him!

A flash of color sped past me, too indistinct for me to make out its shape. Something stopped Jasper mid-run, knocking him sideways. My husband snarled, slashing at some invisible force as he tried to secure his prey. The bits of color solidified, becoming the gaunt figure of Blaise. Tight-mouthed, the nomad held Jasper down, enduring four, then five bites on his arms.

I finally came to myself and ran to help Blaise. If Jasper knew what he was doing, he would have been ashamed. Pity filled me as I held my breath again, coming into the overpowering scent of Bella's blood. If I had a hard time coping with Bella's smell, it was ten times harder for Jasper. "Jasper," I tried to soothe him, laying my hand on his head, "Jasper, calm down." The bloodlust in my husband's eyes was gradually dimming, but I could see he still needed to be restrained. Blaise didn't let go of him, holding him in a safe position. "Jasper," I repeated, "you need to calm down, okay? Just calm down."

Discordant on the early morning air, the noise of yet one more enemy being torn apart knocked some sense into Jasper. He cut his supply of air, shaking his head to clear it of Bella's smell. "Alice," he said, rubbing his forehead, "I am so sorry. I didn't realize how strong it would be from here. I didn't know--"

"No, of course you didn't," I agreed, running my hand through his hair. "Just be glad Blaise was there."

Jasper nodded at the nomad. "Thanks."

Nodding in return, Blaise shrugged. "The girl seemed dear to you." With that, the strange man rushed back to the conflict, joining Maggie.

Jasper and I shared a glance of bewilderment. "He's bizarre," Jasper remarked.

"Yes he is."

"Alice!" Edward was curled up in a defensive ball, and Tanya was standing over him. "Help me!" she cried. "It's Conner!"

As we raced off to attack the dark-haired nomad, I heard Jasper sentence Conner to a fiery death. My visions informed me that this sentence was entirely accurate, and that it would be carried out in approximately seven minutes. But first, I would need an organized effort to pull it off.

"Emmett, Siobhan, Liam!"

The three responded to my summons promptly. I couldn't risk Conner overhearing my plan, so I just pointed to the spots where they should go. The spots I'd picked formed a loose circle around the nomad, who was busy bringing Tanya under his control. If all four of us went for the nomad at once, we could bury him with numbers and finish him off.

Jasper comprehended my attack plan, and aided me by voluntarily throwing himself at Conner. I tensed, knowing when I should strike. Soon Jasper fell, clutching at his side, and I pounced. Siobhan, Liam, and Emmett follwed my lead, Emmett roaring in exhilaration. Smoothly, just as if we'd practiced it, we constricted our ring around the nomad; Siobhan was the one who dealt the first blow, tearing off a chunk of our target.

Among four experienced vampires, Conner didn't have a chance, deteriorating into death bit by bit.

Maggie and Blaise tore their opponent to shreds just as we ended ours.

Jasper had risen, as had Edward and Tanya. The three of them were piling up the corpses of our enemies and setting them on fire, working in vampire speed.

I looked around, venom flowing in my mouth, expecting another attack. But I saw, to my amazement, that the only people still fighting were Esme and Rosalie. Our other allies were spectators to the fight, the most prominent onlooker being Carlisle. He was inching closer and closer to his mate, his eyes not missing a fraction of movement.

Esme had been holding out well against Adelaide. After Rosalie had joined her, I thought the struggle would have lasted for less than two minutes. But the wild nomad had kept them both at bay all the time we'd fought the brown-haired nomad, Reynard, and Conner. Now the spat was going badly for our family members.

Crack!

Rosalie was out of the fight, soaring into the warehouse, pounding through its exterior. Emmett raced after her.

In renewed frenzy, Esme and Adelaide commenced their struggle, our mother earning several cracks on the nomad's head, arm, and leg. I grimaced as a vision flowered in my mind. Uttering a low growl, Adelaide curled her left hand into a fist and delievered a solid roundhouse to Esme's cheek.

Reeling, Esme lessened her ferocity as Adelaide intensified hers, losing ground. The nomad took a handful of my mother's hair and pulled Esme's head back, forcing her to her knees and exposing her throat. Although Esme fought her staunchly, she was at an extreme disadvantage. "Oh no," I whispered, wanting to banish my new premonition from my thoughts. It all would be for nothing if, at the last minute, one of us was killed.

Adelaide twisted Esme's head, driving a shriek of pain out of the gentle vampire.

The most feral snarl I'd ever heard erupted out of nowhere.

As swift and relentlessly as death itself, the nomad's arm was snapped off. Staring at her amputated arm in disbelief, Adelaide didn't have time to blink before she was efficiently decapitated. The head rolled off to the side; we all watched it, our faces wearing an identical expression of shock. The rest of Adelaide was thrown onto the head, where a match was tossed, setting the pile on fire.

At last, we looked back to Esme, and the one who had committed such an incredibly fast assassination. Cool as a scientist studying an experiment, Carlisle dusted his hands off, no sign of the predator who had killed the nomad in sight.

With one last pop from the fire, it was over.

My knees wobbled underneath me, and I grasped for support. Usually I didn't succumb to the more human sensations of relief, but this time, I could barely stand, I was so overcome. The world grew blurry, as if there were tears that were dying to be shed, but could never leave my eyes. I scrubbed my face with the back of my hand, blinking furiously.

It was...over? Just like that? All the pain, the nerve-riddled fears, the self-doubt? My anxiety for Carlisle, my guilt at not being able to prepare Esme? Was it gone? How could it be, when those feelings had been my unwanted companions for a whole, endless week? How could everything be fine again?

But, I realized, as I watched my friends and family members process the same emotions, it really was over. Our enemies had been destroyed, down to the last man, their smoking remains left in piles. As one unit, we had effectively crushed the threat to our family, our true friends rallying around us.

It was when I saw Blaise, staring into the flames of the newest mound with a lost expression, a single strand of hair in his hand, that the truth of our victory set in. Adelaide was dead, and she was never going to endanger our family's existence again.

"We're free!" With my arms held out in front of me, the whisper slipped past my lips, the two most intense words I'd said in my life. I was exultant as my next vision reached me.

Jasper looked at me from across the bonfires, his eyes alight. In a trice he was beside me, his arm encircling me in a fierce hug. His other hand planted itself on the back of my head, and he bent down to fix me in a kiss that could have set the warehouse on fire. My arms wound themselves around him as well, and I leaned into the kiss, pushing my other thoughts out of my head. For a moment, there was just Jasper.

But my vampire hearing couldn't be suppressed; I picked up the sounds of a rustling, as of someone's clothes moving. Then Carlisle began to weep. I closed my eyes, wishing the vision out of my mind, but I saw it, nonetheless: Carlisle was on his knees, his hands over his face, his shoulders shaking. I couldn't tell if his weeping came from relief, like my tears, or remorse over the lives lost to protect his family. Maybe, for once, our father was allowing himself to be overwhelmed with emotions that couldn't be ignored.

Esme began to cry, too, staring at the fires we had created. Our mother had never seen so much death, and she'd been a part of the grisly vendetta. We all knew there had been no other way to save ourselves, but it pained us to kill. Even if we had purged the earth of a destructive woman and her insane followers, it still hurt us to destroy living, thinking beings. Carlisle gathered Esme into an embrace, and the leaders of our family held one another.

At least, it hurt most of us to kill people. Liam looked like he had enjoyed the fight a little too much.

Kate and Tanya hurried over to Carlisle and Esme, Tanya laying a hand on Carlisle's shoulder. She bent down and whispered in his ear, her hand tightening. I knew what she was saying, though not the specific words. Just as my vision told me, the two Denali sisters each gave Carlisle a kiss, then vanished, their figures heading toward the edge of France. Carlisle's weeping had ceased, and he cradled Esme gently while she cried, kissing her hair and murmuring to her.

Edward had shot into the warehouse the instant he could, no doubt bandaging Bella's hand and drinking in her presence. I figured we would see Bella emerge from the building pretty soon, on the arm of the one she adored. I hoped Edward had gotten over his fury at Jasper for putting Bella in danger, and if he hadn't I would tell him about the broken window plan to take his mind off my husband's military maneuver.

Emmett and Rosalie were reuniting in a more tender fashion. Rosalie faced Emmett, taking a deep breath and leveling her golden eyes at him. "Emmett," she said softly, "I'm deeply sorry for hurting you. I know it was wrong to keep the truth from you, but I thought I was doing the right thing." She swallowed. "Please, baby, forgive me."

Emmett pulled her into a hug. "That's all right, Rose," he replied, giving her a rueful smile. "I came on pretty strong out in the woods, didn't I? I was just worried, you know?"

"It's okay," Rosalie whispered. "I'm so glad we're alive, Emmett."

Laughing, Emmett kissed her. "Me too!"

"Alice?" Jasper swept a spike of hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah, Jasper?"

"I'm really, really glad we're alive."

I smiled at him. "That's good to know."

Black cloaks, blowing omiously around the piles of ashes. The pale faces with blood red eyes, and a tiny girl with blond hair, laughing.

"Ah," I choked.

"Alice, what is it?"

"We have to go," I said. "Carlisle, we have to go."

Carlisle looked up from Esme, his black eyes wary. "They're coming, aren't they?" I nodded, dread knotting in my gut. Pulling his wife to her feet, Carlisle whispered quietly to Esme, patting her hair and stroking her cheek. "We'll leave from Paris," he ordered. "There's enough time of darkness left. Siobhan, take your coven back to Ireland as quickly as possible. Deny having any involvement in this affair."

"Take care, Carlisle." Siobhan wasted no time; she kissed Carlisle on the cheek, waved to her coven members, and then they were off, in the same direction Tanya and Kate had gone.

Our father turned to the nomad standing by the fire, his tone growing more kind. "Blaise." Dazed, the nomad met Carlisle's gaze. "Come to America, Blaise. You won't have to fear for your life, there. You'll find a better existence."

Shaking his head, Blaise tucked the strand of hair into his pocket. "Europe is my home, Carlisle. I'll remain here. I won't let anyone or anything chase me from it." With a thoughtful glance at Jasper's golden eyes, he continued. "Perhaps if I pursue a different diet, life would be easier, here in Europe."

Chuckling blackly, Carlisle said, "If you cease hunting humans, Blaise, life is easier period." Taking Esme and towing her with him, he stood beside the nomad and put a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry for what we had to do."

Shuddering, Blaise closed his eyes. "She brought it on herself, I know it. I hold no grudge against you Cullens-- you did what you had to. So do we all, and that is how we survive."

"Carlisle," Jasper said, his tone strained, "we really need to go."

"Be careful," Carlisle told the nomad. Blaise didn't reciprocate the sentiment; he just nodded one last time, then ghosted away.

Our leader turned back to his family. "Let's go," Carlisle said.

Edward carried Bella out of the warehouse, her hand wrapped firmly in a piece of his shirt. Emmett and Rosalie linked arms, kssing even as they ran. Carlise and Esme joined hands and headed the procession.

Jasper and I were last, running beside each other in silence. I looked at him, my soldier. I looked at my other family members, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Bella. When my eyes found Carlisle--good, pure-hearted, strong, Carlisle--my heart almost beat.

Everything we'd been through this week had been worth it.