Disclaimer: So Yeah... I can't believe I'm still doing fanfic of Twilight... but in my defense this doesn't even resemble twilight anymore...
Disclaimer Deuce: Black Mages... if you've never heard of them check them out.
Bors' POV
I paced back and forth outside of the room. I couldn't let Gwen see me like this. I suddenly felt awkwardly calm. I looked to where the sensation was radiating from at it was Jasper. I growled and threw a punch at him. He caught it easily in the palm of his hand.
"Right... let's get a couple things clear. One: you may be bigger and stronger than me, but I am so much faster than you. Two: I've got over a thousand vampire kills under my belt, you have what? Ten? Less? Three: We're helping you here, not that I can tell why you seem like you want to kill every one of us, but be sure you can't, and you better realize we're trying to save this girl you have an awful lot of feelings for." Carlisle walked out of the room met face to face with me.
"How is she?" I asked almost pleading.
"This doesn't look good... there is a chance she'll survive but without changing her to a vampire I make no guarantees. I walked in the door and saw Gwen. She looked pale... more pale than before, as if the color had drained from her. I slowly approached her bed.
"I'm scared Bors." she said. I gently wrapped my fingers around her hand.
"I know but I'm here."
"Please don't hate me for not wanting to be a vampire." she pleaded. Her mood swings were expected but I was still taken aback by it.
"I don't hate you. I could never hate you, I love you Gwen." She smiled weakly.
"And I you... but I'm not strong like you." she shook her head.
"No... I can't resist it... even if I could I don't think I could live my whole life knowing everyone I've known for all my life will die and I'll never see them again."
"I'll be there for you!" I pleaded. She smiled weakly at me.
"Before I met you I was an alcoholic. I'd been able to stop every once and a while but every time I kept coming back.. it's how I know I'll never been strong enough to stop myself, and every time I keep coming back... it's so hard for me to fight... and to think if I was a vampire slipping up would mean I'd murder some poor person..." I was grasping at straws.
"We've got a serum... It takes the thirst away." She shook her head with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I can't live knowing any moment I could take someones life... promise me you won't change me." She looked me in the eyes. It was a mixture of determination and fear that made my heart catch in my throat.
"And if I live out my days as a human... and I survive... I need you to protect my baby..." she said gently rubbing her stomach. I wrapped my second hand around hers and nodded. She smiled at me.
"Don't worry my love... it will be alright." she said again as tears rolled down her face. And for the first time I smiled back.
"Of course dear... everything will be fine." Carlisle reentered the room with gloves on.
"Doctor... how is this going to work." He looked uncomfortable answering it but I wanted to know and I knew Gwen did also.
"Truthfully your child is more likely than not safe, but you may not be... we're going to want to get the child out of you as fast as possible."
"Why Doctor?" Gwen asked slightly worried. I was much more than slightly worried.
"The only other child scratched her way out of her mother's stomach." I didn't even try to hide the disgust and fear from my face. Her stomach and body already looked like it'd been beaten to hell but we all knew she could never survive a child clawing out of her stomach. I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath reassuring myself everything would be alright until I heard Gwen scream a bloodcurdling scream.
"Jasper, Edward, Alice, get in here and help me hold her down." Three vampires flew in to the room and a calmness struck over all of us. Alice gently held down Gwen's shoulders reassuring her, while Jasper and Edward took her sides. Dr. Cullen reached deep in to her to pull the cause of all this pain from her. I wanted to growl but resisted the urge. Why did I agree to look after the child? It's Arthur's bastard.
I watched in horror as Dr. Cullen was pulling and fighting trying to get this thing out of Gwen. All the while she was screaming in pain.
"One last push and I should have the child." Dr. Cullen called. She pushed and screamed tears streaming down her face. Carlisle pulled and fought and the blood covered bastard came out. I didn't even look at the thing. I just kept looking in to Gwens eyes. She was still crying out in pain. Carlisle handed the child off to one of his children and returned to Gwen. The bruised on her body were brutal and she was bleeding.
"It's a boy. No... something's not right." Dr. Cullen said worried.
"You mean besides the broken ribs?" Gwen looked at me in shock.
"How did you?"
"I played hockey a very long time as an enforcer... I know the sound of a breaking bone." she bit her lip as the tears continued to flow. Carlisle called for a light. He examined her. He was shaking his head.
"No... there's to much damage, not enough time, she's bleeding from too many sources inside her."
"What do you mean Doctor?" Dr. Cullen looked at me regretting what he had to say.
"She's dying... she has a couple minutes before she bleeds out..."
"but... but... there's no blood coming out." Dr. Cullen shook his head.
"If only that were the problem... her blood is going to a dozen places it shouldn't go inside her body. If they were open wounds I could attempt to close them... but we can't because they're inside, to do the job correctly would take hours or to cut her open and she doesn't have the blood for that."
"Can't you give her the blood?" I said grasping at straws. Dr. Cullen shook his head.
"No... she's going through it far to quickly and we don't have a large enough supply of her blood type." My breathing became unsteady.
"We'll let you be alone with her." Dr. Cullen noted and everyone left the room. I turned back to her and my throat felt dry. She smiled at me through the tears.
"Please... please let me turn you in to a vampire... we can raise the child together... please." She slowly shook her head. My hand gently wiped the tears from her face. She leaned in to my hand.
"You promised." she reminded me.
"I... will... not... turn you... if you... say... no." I said choking on the words. I hoped she would tell me yes, more than anything I'd ever wanted... I wanted her to live.
"No." she said plainly. I wanted to cry but couldn't. I felt her warm hand on my face.
"Why not." She didn't even take the time to wipe the welling tears out of her eyes.
"You know why not... But know this... no matter what happens in the today, no matter what happens tomorrow... I love you..."
"Then stay with me." I pleaded. She shook her head.
"Sometimes love isn't enough... but I beg you... keep this one promise to me." She could have asked me to destroy the entire human race and I probably would have done it. But she wouldn't.
"Promise me... you'll take care of my baby... our baby... as your own. Promise me you'll raise him to be as gentle as you are... promise me." I'd already promised her but now that she was dying she needed to know I would do it. I nodded slowly.
"I promise you this... I will protect your boy..." I leaned in close to her and kissed her. She kissed me back... then she stopped... and leaned back slowly."
"Goodbye my love... Never forget... you... are... a... good... man..." she sighed as life left her body. My throat became tight as I forced myself not to bite her... but now I knew it was too late... she was gone. My love was gone.
Adrian's POV
Buying cleaning supplies in Germany was a real trick until Ulrich arrived and started helping us with set up, but he was the only other person to arrive. Zuri and Themba both wanted to join us but we realized they would be more trouble then they were worth. Yuki wanted to help as well since he had become friends with us but we couldn't hardly tell him yes then explain to Themba and Zuri the reason they couldn't come is they were women and women complicate things. Well they do. I smiled to myself. The room that had became a pool of blood had been sterilized and smelled heavily of floor cleaner. Dr. Cullen called to say he was on his way. It had been nearly a week since the fight, three days since Ulrich arrived. For lack of better things to do we sparred most the day and Embry did next to nothing that we could see... he went for runs in the middle of the night, he always explained that he couldn't push himself when people were watching. As per Dr. Cullen's word we didn't touch anything else but put him on a gurney Ulrich helped us acquire.
The door opened and I recognized the two who came through the door but I stopped the second. She was younger, very attractive, with blond hair but was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
"You're Rosalie aren't you?" I asked as neutral as I could.
"Yes, why?" I growled.
"You should leave."
"Ahh you newborns are so cute when you think you're protecting someone." she patted the side of my face. I bore my teeth.
"Rose, don't provoke Adrian." I heard Embry coming in from the other room. He nodded at Dr. Cullen as he came through the room. We were all waiting outside the room, none of wanted to be in the room staring at Iverson's mangled body.
"Where is Michael?" Dr. Cullen asked obviously not wanting this arguing to continue.
"In here." Embry opened the door he came from and we went in first followed by Dr. Cullen and Rosalie. We took off Michael's shirt because it was blood red literally. We put a new par of shorts on him that covered him modestly but didn't cover any of the marks on his legs. Lastly I looked at his face which always looked worse than I remembered it. Rosalie made her way through the door with a smirk on her face, which quickly turned to horror in an instant as she raced over to him. Her hands examined him gently. We'd moved his cut off appendages to their respective places on his body. Her fingers gently touched the large holes in his body where the sword went in one side and out the other, twice. Dr. Cullen appraised him.
"Lets see... there is a clean cut on the knee, another on right arm... then a stab through the other arm at the bicep. If we wrap up the bicep it should be fine... same with the two large holes in his torso, also these large gashes on his stomach will need to be wrapped. We're going to need extensive gauze, his face will heal for the most part on it's own... the trick will be getting enough blood necessary for him to start the healing process. Rosalie, please reset his nose." Rosalie reached down carefully and a heard a cracking sound and his nose was in place.
"Ulrich isn't it? Could you please secure gauze for us shirts will suffice these are very large wounds to have bandages for... just get some preferably dark shirts to hide the color of blood... oh and three or four rolls of duct tape."
"Duct Tape?" Ulrich asked.
"Um... Isolierband."
"No... I know what duct tape means but why? And you speak German?"
"Well we're doing to duct tape his body parts back on him... I know it doesn't sound like a great idea but it will keep the blood from pouring out while his body mends itself, if we sew him together we have to take out stitches. And I spent a couple years working in a hospital in Germany a long time ago so my German is a little rusty." Ulrich nodded and left.
"Ulrich won't be long the general store is just around the corner." I stated. Dr. Cullen nodded. Rosalie looked Mike over one more time and turned to Embry.
"Xavier did this? The guy he blew the head off of easily?" Embry shook his head.
"No... It was Xavier but he didn't fight like the same guy... he was playing with us... he broke my ribs... beat up Ulrich's partner... and you can see what he did to Mike."
"He brought a sword?" Embry shook his head.
"No... That was Mike's sword."
"You mean he disarmed Mike and did all that to him?" Rosalie asked incredulously.
"No I think he handed it to him." Embry sneered.
"So is he really dead?" I asked breaking up their arguing. Dr. Cullen turned his attention to me.
"He can't hear, he can't think, he can't anything right now... by all definitions he is dead... but he might be able to come back... so maybe it's closer to a coma." Dr. Cullen explained. I heard Urlich coming back from outside the room. Dr. Cullen must have heard it as well because he stopped what he was saying.
"Good... I assume you've been collecting animals?" Dr. Cullen asked. Embry nodded.
"Yes, we've got six deer, ten squirrels, and a couple rabbits as well." Dr. Cullen looked at Embry Appraising the situation.
"Yes... that might be enough, but if you could get a couple more deer we should be in the clear." He said to Ulrich and I.
"But first lets stitch him up."
"Won't doing this with duct tape mean his bones won't grow back together?" I asked.
"Yes... you're right... after his arm reattaches we'll need to break some bones or readjust them... it'll hurt a lot." Dr. Cullen grabbed this arm and brought to close to the elbow stump. He wrapped him with duct tape.
"Rosalie, could you please start dressing the wounds?" he asked as he wrapped Mike's arm in duct tape. Rosalie started covering the wounds as Dr. Cullen finished with his arm before moving to his leg. I watched as my friend had a job done that looked as half assed as something I would do, but I would have to trust Dr. Cullen, Embry did. My attention turned to Rosalie who had moved on to Mike's stomach. Her fingers gently ran over the large sword shaped hole. It didn't seem like she was just examining it... it looked like she was almost... caressing it.
How Iverson talked about her he'd thought she was simply leading him on but I could see it in the way her fingers moved delicately over his wounds, or the way her eyes stared in to it, as if she wanted to cry. He told me she'd been married for fifty years to the big one named "Emmett" even though Emmett wasn't that much bigger than Iverson if I remembered correctly. He thought she was heartless but he could never say it. He cared too much for her to say anything horrible to her. No matter how angry he was he couldn't say anything to vicious about her. I admired his passion. He didn't see it... but maybe it was better that way... Maybe it was better that he didn't see how much she hurt for him. Maybe it was better he didn't know she had real feelings for him. It is better this way... some things can never be. They haven't even seen the back, it's even worse than the front, the gashes from the sword slashes are even worse. Rosalie's fingers slid across the long gash on his front. She started gently putting gauze in as if Mike could still feel it.
"Carlisle, I think we should just duct tape these wounds." the doctor shook his head.
"No... we'll need to wrap them normally and we'll need him to keep from moving at least for a day just for his body to close his wounds... then move slowly for a week or two after that." Rosalie nodded after placing two layers of gauze on she took the wrap and wrapped it across his body and lifted him only to find in horror her hand had hit bloodied skin on the back. Her eyes widened. And she gently put him down.
"he got slashed in the back didn't he?" She asked afraid of the answer.
"Many times." Embry reported gravely. Rosalie gulped in pain. Her eyes turned to me.
"Weren't you supposed to be to help him?" she accused me.
"Yes I was, until I heard there was another Xavier... meant just for me to keep me away from Mike."
"Maybe you could have killed him faster." she snarled at me.
"Maybe you could have been here." I snarled back.
"Stop your bitching both of you, it's not helping anything. Rose, keep working on his cuts." Embry commanded. Rosalie sneered back at Embry. Dr. Cullen had reattached his leg by now. Rosalie finished putting gauze pads on his front before I gently flipped Mike on his back with Dr. Cullen's help.
Rosalie gasped. His back was painted with large gashes from shoulder to hip making an X and another the bottom of the shoulder blade to the top of the opposite hip, along with another matching one.
"Let's get started."
Shifter's POV
"I don't trust you." the large werewolf growled. I forced myself to stand my ground even though I was slightly terrified. Standing in front of me was the father of all werewolves, Lycan himself.
"I know you don't."
"You're a shapeshifter... I don't trust people who constantly try to fool me." he growled. I hadn't revealed that I was a shapeshifter but I'd met him as a different face before.
"How?" I asked.
"I trust my nose, and you... you reek of the same vampire who tried to approach me before... you would try to trick me."
"Indeed he would... he is a snake, but he is my snake." The giant werewolf turned his head to face my master and mentally I relaxed slightly. He took two large sniffs and bore his teeth at my master.
"You... Vladimir's offspring." He growled his body cowled as if he was ready to pounce. I feared irrationally for my master. Lycan was nearly twenty feet in size.
"You can smell bloodlines? Fascinating."
"All Werewolves can... just none other can speak." he growled.
"I don't trust you either." He said once again baring his teeth.
"Indeed of that we are of the same mind... Yet perhaps we meet a mutually beneficial agreement." Lycan breathed in deeply and stopped short and relaxed.
"I'm listening."
"I have no good feelings of my great grandfather, in fact I'm hoping he's dead as much as reports have shown since he hasn't been heard from in the last thousand years. That is in fact irrelevant because what we intend to do is end the Volturi. The same Volturi that have nearly eradicated your entire species. Turn twenty humans for us and join us in battle. Once they have been slaughtered we will never look for you again and your race can live on prosperously." I watched Lycan trying to decipher his intentions.
"I shall join you... for this battle alone." I nodded but waited for my master's word.
"For this battle alone."
Mike's POV
The first thing I felt was cold metal running down my throat. Then I realized I could think. Slowly more things came back to me, slowly, each second five more things came back, and quickly pain returned. I wanted to scream but didn't make a noise, didn't move an inch. Once I regained my senses I took a moment to plan what I was going to do. My right eye still swollen shut but I knew I could open my left eye. My right arm and left leg felt unnatural until I realized I lost them both. I felt tape on them. They are back. I resisted the immediate urge to see if I could move my arm and leg. I took a slight sniff just small enough that it wouldn't be seen or heard. The scents smelt familiar but I couldn't be sure so I took another smell this one slightly bigger. The first scent that hit my nostrils I immediately recognized. Rosalie. I almost moved immediately but stopped myself once again making sure. I took another breath in, while still not giving away my consciousness. Oh no, wet dog... Embry? I took another breath in to think about it. Carlisle? If we're captured something really bad happened because they're on the other side of the world... or... I'm alive... Did I kill Xavier? Is he gone? No... I don't believe it. He could be. Pretending I wasn't conscious wasn't helping so I slowly opened my left eye. I looked around but none of of them were looking at me. There were multiple IV's set up though just one in to my mouth at the time. I breathed in and they all turned to me at once.
"You're alive." Rosalie smiled. My heart ached. I swallowed silently breathed in painfully and forced myself to put on a front.
"Why are you here?" I said angrily as I could.
"I came to help Carlisle put YOU back together."
"And it had to be you?"
"Me or Edward, and I figured you'd rather wake up to me than him." I stifled a laugh because she was right. Then it struck me. She wasn't in a revealing top. She was wearing a sweatshirt. It wasn't anything amazing... just a black sweatshirt. She even makes that look good.
"You're... dressed... funny... Did someone die?" I tried to say. She smiled.
"You mean besides you?"
"I was fine... I took care of Xavier..."
"Your brain hasn't been active for over a week. Damn it Mike!" she said angrily but I could see she was scared to, she punched me in the chest right above my heart, one of the few places I wasn't in pain. I tried to get up but I was immediately pushed down by five sets of hands.
"Easy there speedy... you kind of need to heal before you move." Embry chided me. I felt childish as they held me down. I looked down at my arm and lifted it I hadn't gained control of my right hand. I looked at the duct tape.
"Really duct tape? That bad huh?" Carlisle nodded.
"I would have suggested you come back to St. Cloud with me for proper medical treatment but that would have been difficult. I turned my attention back to Rosalie for a moment. I wanted to hate her, I wanted to be angry at her but I couldn't. I still had some real feelings for her but more than that she came here to help me. That meant she at least cared for me as a friend right? Maybe she feels responsible for putting you in this mess. I turned my attention back to the real problem on my mind, the one that was causing me fear.
"Will I ever regain the ability to use my hand and leg?" I asked straight out. I didn't want a sugar coated answer so I didn't ask a sugar coated question.
"Yes you will... but it will be very... very painful. I need to let the appendages reattach before cutting open your arm and realigning them."
"Oh joy." I said. I felt Rosalie trying to comfort me which made me more uncomfortable but I couldn't really move away and I didn't feel like making this whole situation awkward. Am I being unfaithful to Zuri? Are we a thing? I'm being unfaithful aren't I? What are you doing wrong? I don't know I can't help it I still have feelings for Rosalie. This is why I didn't want to go out with Zuri...But I still want to go out with Zuri. I argued as feeling returned to the rest of my body.
"This is going to take a long time isn't it?" I asked.
"Yes Michael, I'm afraid it will." Carlisle answered. Rosalie's fingers worked up the inside of my left arm. It wasn't innocent, it was flirting. I knew it.
"You should come back with us to Minnesota." she said still playing with her fingers. I growled.
"No."
"Why not, this wasn't even your debt to pay, you can come back, Embry will be back too when his time is over. Will he? Neither of us had said it outloud but every day it seemed like this life was getting a little better, and our lives in Minnesota seemed like something of the past.
"No... I'm staying here."
"Why? You don't need to." Rosalie nearly pleaded. I felt my resolve falter a little under the pressure of her beautiful face but I wouldn't break.
"Firstly you missed your chance to stop me. You and Tanya let me go, fed me to the wolves, something I wasn't obviously ready for, I'm here now can't you see that? But it doesn't matter because this is where I am I gave my word and Honor actually means something to me." I bit the last words. I could see they hurt.
"I might die in service to the Volturi but it was my choice and as you two made it clear, neither of you wanted to stop me. So go back to your perfect life with your perfect husband, and I'll stay here and try to protect you from all the horrible things you don't know are here."
"What do you mean?" Adrian squeezed my arm.
"They can't know." I stared at him with my one good eye determined to go through with it either way.
"There a good reason the Voltrui don't trust you. There is a shapeshifter whose been trying to get the Volturi and the Cullens to go to war, we're going to kill him and whatever army he has. So you go back to playing dress up and house with Emmett, I'll keep putting myself in harms way to protect your ungrateful lot." Rosalie seemed at a loss of words for a moment.
"I've apologized for what happened with you and Emmett."
"What happened? You mean the part where you led me on passed me off to another girl who didn't want me AND ruined my life? Oh yeah just apologize that will take away the fact that I'll never see my family again." I was finally yelling trying to sit up when the Adrian and Ulrich were trying to holding me down.
"Rosalie... perhaps you should leave." Carlisle suggested softly. Rosalie looked broken. I wanted to comfort her more than anything... but the one thing that stopped me, the one thing that made it all unforgivable... was that she didn't want me to. She left looking like she was about to burst in to tears. I heard the doors shut behind her. My heart lurched inside me. I sighed heavily after she was gone.
"I shouldn't have said that... should I?" I asked out loud.
"Some times you need to tell someone how you feel even if it will hurt them... It's only yours to decide if you made the right choice though." Carlisle answered.
Embry's POV
It seems like it'd been so long since we'd been gone. My ribs still hurt a little bit, but I looked amazing compared to Mike who Ulrich and Adrian were helping in to the complex. He could walk but it was very painful. He walked with a pronounced limp. Every time his weight came down pain shot through his torso... we really should be rolling him in but he wouldn't have it...
"I'm worried." Mike said as we limped through night lit Volterra.
"About what?" I asked slowing down my pace so Mike didn't have to race to catch up with me.
"I was pretty mean to Zuri last time I was here. I wanted to apologize... I wonder if she'll accept it."
"That's one thing you don't need to worry about, you look like hell and are barely making it back alive, she's been worried sick about you... don't worry she'll forgive you." Mike smiled. Even that looked painful.
"Yeah don't worry... you've got pity on your side..." I snickered. He snorted at me. We entered the complex and standing in front waiting for us was none other than Themba and Zuri. Themba ran straight up to me and slapped me across the face.
"That's for putting me through that." I turned back to look her in the eye.
"And this..." She said before throwing herself at me kissing me. I caught her and forced myself not to cough when she connected with my ribs. She grabbed my head as if making sure I wouldn't try to get away as she continued to kiss me until I heard coughing from over by Zuri and Mike.
"Is for coming back."
Mike's POV
I stood awkwardly in front of Zuri as Themba and Embry started walking away. Once they were gone I stared down at my feet.
"I'm really... sorry... for... what I said before leaving to kill Xaver. I didn't mean to yell... I'm sorry." I said still staring at the ground.
"Mike?" she asked.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Can you please look at me?" I looked at her feet... then my eyes moved up her body to her face, but I couldn't quite look her in the eyes. I forced myself to look in to her eyes. She was on the edge of crying.
"You idiot! You stupid stupid idiot!" she said trying not to cry. She walked closer to me. I felt slightly uncomfortable when we were this close... it was closer than you would be for a normal conversation.
"You think I'm mad about that still? I thought you were dead." she said hugging me and started crying. I naturally wrapped my arms around her.
"I'm... I'm sorry Zuri."
"Demetri said your brain hadn't been active for a week... a whole week!" she said finally submitting to tears.
"I'm fine..." I said not sure what was the right thing to say.
"No you're not can barely walk."
"It looks worse than it is." I tried to comfort her.
"Damn it Mike!" She said before grabbing my head and pulling me to her. Her lips touched mine and it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Her lips were warm, unlike Rosalie's and Tanya's. I pulled her in closer not wanted to lose the moment. She stopped and pulled away coming up for air. I hadn't let go of her so she put her head on my shoulder.
"I've wanted to do that for so long." I was still at a loss for words.
"It would have happened sooner if not for 'Themba the cockblock'" I snickered in response.
"Umm..." I said awkwardly. She backed away from me but not out of my arms, just far enough that she could look me in the eye.
"Does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend?" I asked. She smiled a big smile.
"I'm yours."
I finished writing this chapter less than 3 days after finishing my last chapter... I wrote far too quickly... I think my last chapter took 3 or 4 weeks, not three or four days. Regardless I had to write this chapter because I knew exactly what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. Thanks for reading it. I'd like to thank Fusedtwilight, Laurazuleta18, and Alexandra1992 for reviewing... I'm also assuming I'll be thanking Elilovetwi for reviewing but I've already finished the chapter and she hasn't... so thank you for future review? Thanks for those coming back (hopefully) These chapters are much longer than usual, don't get spoiled I might drop them back down from 5k words to 2k remember to leave reviews, high fives, rolls of twenty dollar bills and knucks. Catch you on the flip side.