Chapter 14 – The Final Showdown
A/N – I seem to be in one jam after another. I had to fly halfway across the world for a family emergency. A 24 hour flight did not do wonders for my muse. Hence not being able to finish, let alone update the next chapter. But here it is. Finally. I haven't proof read it though so I bet there are a ton of typos and spelling errors. I'll fix them when I get back home. Again, sorry for the delay. Enjoy.
Jasper bounded over a massive moss-covered boulder, his movements sleek and graceful, as they were predatory. Eyes the color of pitch roamed the forest, intelligent and alert though they were no match for his sense of smell. The former soldier picked up the faint trace of deer; the scent of fresh blood, alive with heat and dusted with the tangy taste of iron, hung onto a tailwind that blew straight at Jasper. He took a precursory sniff and it was enough for his beast to roar with wanton need. Hunger clawed at his belly, jagged nails scraping over his stomach walls. The unbearable thirst scratched at his desert dry throat, causing a burning sensation that refused to be ignored. The blonde haired vampire suppressed a growl though it rumbled within the confines of his chest. Seven miles east; Jasper used a jutting tree root as leverage to jump into the air where his hands grabbed an overhead branch. Swinging lithely, he twisted sideways, planted both booted feet onto the tree trunk and pushed off, somersaulting twice in the air before torpedoing off the path and past two gnarly trees where he forward tucked and landed neatly on his feet. Without a moment's pause, Jasper began a sprint that rivaled a cheetah's, his lanky frame shooting forward, dodging tree branches and roots.
The former soldier arrived at a clearing, his boots coming to a halt without so much as a sound. Shrouded behind a wall of bushes, his coal black eyes burned out from his face as he surveyed his prey. The deer were oblivious, too busy grazing at the sweet grass that was enriched with dew and moisture from the consistent precipitation. Their mouths worked, slanting sideways as they pulled stalks of grass into their mouths, chewing contently. Jasper's body lowered into a crouch, his knees bent. He gave the deer no hint nor warning as he sprang forth, emerging through the bushes like an elegant panther, a snarl bursting from pulled back lips. He landed right on target, leeching himself to a particularly large deer and snapping her neck viciously sideways before the creature could swallow what had become her last meal. Rock hard teeth latched itself onto the side of the creature's broken neck and ripped through skin and muscle; blood starburst through the tears, gushing in torrents into Jasper's hungry mouth. The red liquid, so rich with life and sweet with adrenaline flushed down Jasper's throat, soothing the despicable ache. He practically purred in genuine relief as the blood traveled down his esophagus before settling to the bottom of his empty stomach. His beast lapped at the offering, greedily sucking at the precious liquid, allowing it to sooth its ragged nerves.
However, one deer was not enough to satisfy. Jasper tossed the drained deer aside and scanned the clearing, his mouth painted a grotesque red. He ignored the carcass, which had a gaping hole at the side of its neck; sinew and muscle hanging off in shreds, a dark abyss yawning from the tattered skin. But Jasper paid the carcass no mind; he had already spotted his next quarry across the clearing. Deer were not particularly smart animals; they scattered but never far enough. Jasper tore a determined path through the grass, leapt and bore down on another deer, this one a smidgen smaller. Again, he yanked at the deer's neck, twisting it to its side. The bone shattered, the animal breathed in its last breath. Jasper's head ducked down, mouth already infused to the deer's neck, teeth gnashing through the corded muscles that lay under the furred skin. Blood sprang forth spitting into Jasper's eager mouth, bouncing over taste buds that jiggled in primal delight. The blonde vampire suckled at the wound he made, swallowed intermittently, his tongue randomly peeking out to lick residue droplets of blood. His cheeks caved with the effort of his frenzied feed and his hands worked furiously, squeezing at the deer's sides, coaxing as much blood as he could to the open wound. Finally, when there was no more blood to be had, Jasper released his hold on the second deer carcass; it fell limply to the floor with a soft thud.
Jasper sat on his haunches, allowing the initial giddiness that resulted from feeding, fade. He licked at his lips, cleaning the blood off almost absent-mindedly. Finally, when the blood he inhaled settled comfortably into his veins, he stood. The forest was quiet and Jasper indulged in the serenity of his surroundings. Eyes now the color of molten gold scanned his premises, taking in the lush greenery. He sighed, content and full then turned to make his trek back to the house. He began a slow jog, enjoying the mish mash of forest smells that clung to the atmosphere and the way the ground tilted and sagged beneath his feet. It did not take Jasper long to see the house loom in the distance and he started to quicken his pace when he was suddenly assaulted with a barrage of emotions: despair, rage, pain, fear. There was a lot of fear; it seeped through the air, snaking and curling like a cobra waiting to strike. Jasper stopped mid-run and scaled a nearby tree, the slippery moss having no effect on the vampire as he expertly climbed high enough to observe. Perched on a sturdy branch, he easily dug into the tree trunk for support as his eyes took in the scene in front of him.
There were two strangers standing on the front porch. Correction, there were two enemies. Jasper's military trained mind noted the distinction by the way one of them held Alice. He choked down a guttural growl as the male threw Alice toward Jasper, bit down a wince as Alice hit the tree with a thud that would have broken many bones had she been human and resisted the urge to make his presence known by taking down the moustached vampire as he blurred forward, picked Alice up and threw her through the front wall of the house.
Jasper's nails burrowed deep into his palms, crescent shaped dents appearing and disappearing with each squeeze of his hand. He forced a calming breath down his throat, unnecessary as the action was. Then he pulled out his cell phone, sent a quick message to Carlisle and clicked his cell phone shut. He continued watch, grimacing as Bella's voiced out decision drifted over to tickle his ears. His muscles grew tenser and tenser until each bunch stood out starkly in dipped planes under his shirt as he continued to watch the female snatch Bella and the male kick Alice into the rest of the Cullens. A familiar scent drifted to his nostrils, and he dropped lightly from his perch atop the tree, onto the path of the two vampires that were making off with Bella. At the same time, Carlisle shot forth from beneath the foliage to Jasper's right, his shirt collar askew and his normally impeccably sweptback hair, falling in tuffs over his forehead. Without glancing at each other, they shared a silent communication as they both turned honeyed eyes, torqued up with rage, onto the intruders.
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Charlie slanted a gaze sideways toward his wife; Renée simply rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed with the two blonde haired vampires that stood in their way. She sniffed haughtily...and the smell of Bella's blood sank into her senses. She growled and shifted, an unseen force pulling her toward the brunette that was currently slung over Charlie's shoulders like a sack of flour. Bella's blood sang strongly, pulsing beneath pale skin. Its call was siren and Renée was helpless to resist. She jogged forward, her movements blurry in light of how her vampire agility allowed her to move so quickly and had her teeth clamped down over Bella's wrist before the three vampires could move.
"No!" Charlie was forced to drop Bella, barely acknowledging Renée following Bella to the ground, her mouth fused to the girl's wrist, as he needed both hands to block Carlisle's attack. He slammed both upturned palms onto the doctor's chest, shoving him back. Carlisle snarled, the sneer so unbecoming on the stoic doctor's face. He skidded back, his dress shoes creating two parallel grooves in the soft ground. Grinding to a halt, he charged back forward, sidestepping as he blocked a forward punch from the former cop, then using Charlie's outstretched arm to toss him into the air. Charlie flew into the fat trunk of a nearby tree, which groaned in protest. He was up on his feet and running headlong into Carlisle before he could fully hit the ground. The doctor was ready, leg striking out to kick Charlie's feet out from under him. However, the movement caused his arms to pull back, leaving his torso exposed. Charlie ducked the kick, spun and side kicked his boot straight into Carlisle's diaphragm. An ominous crack echoed, Carlisle grimaced in pain, feeling two of his ribs break.
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Jasper backpedaled the second he heard the skin on Bella's tear and blood spurt forth. The smell of it smoked up into the air, cloaking all other smell that made up the forest. Jasper stopped breathing as his back collided with a tree trunk. His hands wound behind him, gripping both sides of the tree until he felt the wood crunch beneath his palms. He fought despondently against the bloodlust that welled up inside him like a tsunami that threatening to break its waves over the thinly veiled wall of control that Jasper was desperately clinging to. He didn't need to see that his eyes were rapidly draining its caramel hue, replacing the warm gold with hungry black. His fingers dug deeper into the wood; at the rate he was going, he was going to snap the trunk in half. He watched through a cloud of red as Carlisle and Charlie battled, Charlie clearly having the upper hand as his police academy training gave him the needed advantage. His eyes skittered over to where Renée was hunched over a prone Bella, her lips wrapped around her daughter's wrist. Jasper could make out the thin trickle of blood that leaked from the corner of the dirty blonde vampire's lips, could hear the glug glug of Bella's heart slow down with each suck. He gritted his teeth, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek. Then he pushed forth and pounced, heading straight for Renée. However, though he made his mark, he did not calculate in the vice like grip Renée had on Bella. As he shoved Renée away, her body sliding against the soft ground, her teeth violently ripped out of Bella's wrist, peeling down a thick strip of skin. The hold Renée's hand had on Bella had tightened upon Jasper's collision into her, in an attempt to keep Bella to her. As a result, she shattered the girls' wrist bone, enticing a scream from Bella that snapped at Jasper's heartstrings.
Bella rolled sideways, the combination of her broken wrist and the feeling as though acid had been injected into her veins, making her crazy with pain. She screamed aloud, feeling the venom race down her veins, chewing at her nerves with razor sharp teeth that was intent on making Bella the most miserable she had in her life. When the venom spread further into her bloodstream, Bella let loose a blood curdling shriek that sent a flock of birds screeching from beneath a canopy of tree leaves. She curled up into a fetal position, holding her broken wrist, the flap of skin, torn from her wrist dangling limply as she tucked her knees into her chest. Another scream ripped itself out from the bottom of Bella's throat; the venom was spreading rapidly and it seemed to have reached the brunette's skull. It seeped in, gnawing at her brain, stripping her of conscious thought. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, darkness already beginning to wrap Bella up in a cocoon of unconsciousness. But the intense heat at the base of her wrist, an inferno of acid and fire, refused to allow Bella the refuge of fainting. It burned and flared, sending intense shockwaves of pain up Bella's arm. Bella's prolonged scream of unadulterated agony vibrated through the forest, making forest animals and plants alike quiver at the horrid wailing.
Jasper heard all this through dulled ears. He forced himself to concentrate, on everything and anything but the smell and sight of Bella's blood pooling in front of him. He spared Carlisle a fleeting glance. "Carlisle!" The name came out as a gravelly roar. "Swap!" The former's soldier's entire lanky frame was shaking with the effort of not falling to ground to lap up the blood that dripped so generously from Bella's abused wrist. He blocked an uppercut from Renée, who attempted to sneak up behind him, grabbed her wrist and threw her toward the house. "NOW!" In synchronized unison, Jasper blurred sideways as Carlisle ran past him after having managed to lure Charlie deeper into the forest, away from where Bella was curled. Jasper leapt, using the momentum to propel his body into Charlie's. His senses cleared as the stench of Bella's blood thinned, though it still permeated the air. Nevertheless, the meager distance was enough for Jasper to concentrate. He charged forward, his leg whipping out, slashing viciously through the air, only to connect solidly with the side of Charlie's face. A thunderous boom rang out as two granite hard limbs crashed against the other.
Charlie's head whipped back against the force of Jasper's kick. He felt a deep crack emerge on his cheek, felt the pain of it as his skin began stitching back together. The feeling only fueled his anger. He felt his mind blank, and his muscle memory kick into place. All of his police academy training were kicked into high gear. But as he went at it with Jasper, he noted that the blonde vampire had a combat skills that could only come from law enforcement. He smirked. A worthy opponent. A flurry of punches and kicks flew from Jasper but Charlie dodged and blocked each one. He observed closely for an opening but Jasper was good, almost to the point where he could predict Charlie's next move.
"You're experienced," Charlie noted. His forearm rose, blocking a potentially deadly punch to his throat. He used the arm to spin to the left, smashing his knuckles into Jasper's nose. Jasper snarled, feeling his nose break. He did not wait for it to heal. Instead, he tucked and rolled, one leg shooting out to connect with Charlie's knee. He sprung up upon hearing the kneecap shatter and grabbed hold of both of the former cop's arms, intent on yanking them off. However, despite Charlie's sudden handicap, he head butted Jasper, releasing another clap of thunder. Jasper felt the cracks yawn open on his forehead, deep trenches running down to his eyebrow. He grimaced but held on to the one arm his hand still clung to. Using his body weight, he threw his strength into his right arm, and vaulted his body backwards; Charlie's left arm was pulled clean out of its socket.
"FUCK!" Charlie's holler, a jumbled mess of pain and anger rang out. He stared at his now useless left arm, then to the jagged edges that protruded from his shoulder. He turned raging red eyes, almost glowing with hatred, onto Jasper. "You'll pay for that."
"Oh I doubt it," Jasper retorted. He bounced on the balls of his feet, like a boxer in the ring. He gestured, two fingers waving toward himself as he egged the moustached vampire to come at him. "What are you waiting for, old timer?"
Charlie growled, his lips pulled back over his teeth. He bent and picked up his broken arm. Swinging it like a bat, he leapt into the air with his right leg, whirled mid jump…and brought down the arm onto empty space. Momentarily confused, he rotated too late as Jasper appeared behind him and shoved him face first into the dirt. He hovered above Charlie, bearing down onto the former cop like judgment day when a cry pierced the air.
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There was something off putting about this female vampire in front of him. Carlisle cursed the dirty blonde vampire's newborn strength as she elegantly danced out of his way, the momentum of his swing thrusting him forward into the spot where she had once been. Carlisle twisted around, swatting Renée's hand away as she attempted to grab him. For some reason she wasn't going on the offensive but was merely trying to seize him. Carlisle did not have time to ponder the strange tactic as Renée charged at him, running headfirst into his body. He used the force built up from her furious sprint to clasp her on either side of her waist, somersault her over his head and into the tree behind them. The wood split upon impact, shedding strips onto the forest floor. Pale brown bark was revealed as Renée slid down the trunk into a messy heap onto the floor. She seemed to remain suddenly motionless and this was when Carlisle made the mistake of using that to his advantage. As he inched forward to haul her to her feet, Renée's hand snaked and latched onto his arm. As a peculiar fog began entering his brain, Carlisle heard a distance yet familiar voice shout out as if from the end of a very long tunnel.
"Carlisle! Don't let her touch you!"
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Bella's cries, so encased in primordial pain and terror had Alice scampering to her feet and running out of the house, not even needing the few seconds to recover from being hurled through the air like a shot-put. Her eyes took in the fight, seeing it as though the scene were set in slow motion when in reality all four vampires were nothing but smudged shapes, appearing and disappearing at sporadic speeds at different parts of the edge of the forest. She could barely make out Bella, who had taken to wrapping herself at the base of a vine decorated tree, her dark clothing almost blending the girl in with the color of the tree trunk. As Alice ran, she saw the way Bella's body shook, the tremors that raked through her body. She could see the ugly bite mark, courtesy of Renée. However, as she neared the brunette something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. She yelled out a warning too late as Renée's hand made contact with the doctor's forearm, paralyzing Carlisle's actions.
"Carlisle! Don't let her touch you!" Alice knew it was too late even as the words, fraught with panic, tumbled out from parted lips.
Too late. Far too late. Alice watched in despair as Carlisle's face clouded over, toffee dipped eyes blanking. As she continued running, a vision suddenly stole her sight, robbing her momentarily of her senses. She continued pushing one foot in front of the other even as the vision ran rampant across her mind's eye. Consequently, as the vision ended, Alice found herself edging so close to Renée that when she backpedaled, she nearly stumbled under the momentum of her. She righted herself, near hissing at the dirty blonde vampire as Renée laughed at her antics.
'Patience,' Alice berated herself. She rewound the vision in her mind, hoping it would play out in time. Instead, she inhaled a deep unnecessary breath, hoping to sooth the livid wave of anger that was swelling within her, threatening to break form and crash over what remained of her self-control. It did not help that Bella's cries were spiking into her like vicious barbwire. She forced herself to tune out the girl's wailing, her heart shattering as she chose what seemed to be the greater of two evils. But fate seemed to conspire against her and for her vision to work, the pixie vampire had to stay where she was.
"Don't come any closer, Shorty," Renée warned sweetly. She coiled perfectly manicured fingers around the base of Carlisle's skull. "Or I'll make him twist his own head off."
"You're fuckin' sick," Alice spat out. She gritted her teeth and let loose a plethora of curses under her breath as Renée's high pitched laughter washed over her like a rain of glass grating down a chalkboard. Nails dug into palms; Alice could feel minute cracks open up and yawn as her nails dug deeper into her hands but she used the feeling as leverage, hoping to bid her time until her vision set itself in motion.
"Sick?" Renée repeated. She trilled out a giggle. "Oh no, darlin'. I may be a little bit crazy, but sick is a bit of a stretch." She grinned that smug grin of hers. It was a grin that Alice wanted to wipe off with brutal intent. Preferably with her fist. Rammed down the infuriating vampire's throat.
"I'm going to kill you," Alice vowed. "Painfully," she added. Her anger was simmering so close to the surface she could practically taste its delicious lure. It teetered just scant inches under her skin, begging, pleading and trying to bully its way out of the confines of her body like a volcano that had long been too dormant. The onyx haired vampire found herself growling loudly; it was as though she were gargling rocks in her mouth from the way the growls battered a path out from her throat.
"You can't," Renée pointed out. "Not unless you want me to make your daddy bear pull his own head off." She pressed a kiss to the side of Carlisle's neck; the doctor simple stood there, staring off into the distance. "It would be such a shame to kill him. He would make such a good toy."
There was an air of instability around Renée that had every hair on the back of Alice's neck standing erect. Nevertheless, she had no time to ponder the dirty blonde vampire's mental health as she heard Esme, Rosalie and Emmett charging up from behind her. Another pair of footsteps were missing. Perfect.
"Don't let her touch you! She has mind control," Alice called over her shoulder. She pulled Emmett to a stop with great difficulty as her hulk of a brother resisted, dragging her forward as he tried to bulldoze into Renée. "Wait," she whispered softly, too soft for Renée to hear.
Emmett turned to her, confusion abundant on his face. Alice shook her head, communicating with her eyes, telling him to stand down until she gave the signal. Emmett nodded tersely.
"Ah, the cavalry," Renée trilled. "How sweet." She tightened her grip on Carlisle; an ominous crack thundered out. "Still won't help."
"Three." Alice began her countdown. She could see the vision beginning. "Two." She ignored the way Renée's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Suspicious, yes. But clearly not smart enough to decipher what would come next. Her ego saw to that roadblock. "ONE! Grab Carlisle!"
The Cullens charged forward as a single unit as Edward dropped down from the tree above Renée. He landed lightly on the dirty blonde's back and latched both hands onto either arm and pulled. The messy haired vampire's face was a mess, a neat row of square like cracks running along the length of his bottom lip. He face looked caved in, as though someone had sat on him. However, that did not stop him from pulling furiously until Renée's arms were yanked out from their sockets. Her scream of fury rang out loud and clear but Alice did not give her a chance to finish that cry. Pushing past Carlisle, she rammed straight into Renée, shoved her so hard back into the ancient tree trunk that it toppled under the two vampires. Before it could fully crash onto the ground, Alice had wrapped her hands around the dirty blonde vampire's head. With grim determination, she wrenched the head sideways, twisting and pulling until a deafening roar akin to an avalanche of boulders sounded off in the forest.
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"NO!" Charlie watched in muted horror as his wife's head was torn clean off. A sudden silence filled him, as though he were in a vacuum. Then a bellow, a primitive cry that seemed to arise from the depths of Charlie's soul, burst forth from his mouth in such a holler that Jasper straightened up in shock. It was a vital mistake as he suddenly went flying into the air, crash landing in a canopy of trees and cursing a mean blue streak along the way.
Charlie did not spare Jasper the time to follow where he threw his quarry. He blurred forward, anger spouting from him in all directions. His incensed blood red eyes, burning so bright with the flames of anger that they seemed to glow, found Bella moaning about on the floor. With a fuming scream he detoured, stampeding straight toward the brunette, where he skidded to a stop, picked Bella up with one hand and threw her with deadly speed into the cover of the woods. Again, Charlie did not have the time to see where Bella's body went as the Cullens all closed in on him, a multiple hands gripping a limb before pulling in a different direction.
The last thing Charlie heard was a soul-shredding scream, echoing from the darkness of the forest. He managed a smile before his head was ripped off his shoulders. The scream was not his.
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