Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer... I really got nothing else to say on the topic besides I'm not her

Disclaimer Deuce: "False tears can only hurt others, fake smiles can only hurt oneself"

Themba's POV

I stared down at the piece of plastic and wanted to cry. No... not like this. I felt my shoulders shuddering. I knew what it meant though... I knew what I had to do...

Zuri's POV

I danced in my room spinning around like a crazy person but laughing all the same. Mike was amazing... I'd never met anyone like him... How someone who could have been through so much could be so caring and gentle... how does it happen?

I stopped when I saw Themba standing at the door to the bathroom. Her body shaking. Her breath uneven. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. I ran over to her.

"Z-z-z-zuri... I-i'm p-p-p-pregnant." I immediately hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations!" I said hugging her with a smile. She pushed me back.

"Don't you get it?" she said between sobs.

"I... I still love him... the one I couldn't have." I gulped.

"You want to leave Embry for your sterile ex back home?"

"Th-th-that was the plan, wasn't it?"

"I thought you loved Embry... you told me yourself." I told her.

"no... but I still love my ex... it would just be easier for me to go back to him... it was our plan all along."

"But... I... I love Michael Iverson... I can't leave him." I pleaded. Themba smiled.

"Don't... bring him along... he can join us, once the child is born you'll no longer be my guardian... you can do whatever you want, go wherever you want. Be whatever you want." I nodded.

"Of course... of course he'll come."

Mike's POV

I heard a hurried knock at my door. I was half asleep at the time. Who would come knocking at this time of night? I wondered. I rolled off of my bed. I pushed myself to my feet and made it to my door. I opened it and Zuri walked in.

"Mike... I need you to do a huge favor."

"Anything Zuri... I love you." she smiled.

"Run away with Themba and I... we kept our contracted time... it's time for us to go now."

"What? Why?"

"Does it matter? Come with us. I love you I need you." You know what... yes... I will I am already giving up being a vampire for her I can leave with her I just need to get Embry... Wait a second... she didn't mention Embry.

"Yeah... I'll come... just let me grab Embry." I said tentatively. She shook her head.

"No... Mike... I'm sorry but he's not coming along."

"Why?" I asked honestly.

"Because Themba wants to get back with her ex... come on, we've all stayed here a month longer than we should have already." True... our time is done but we remain.

"So you want me to abandon my friend because you're leaving... you want me to run off with his girlfriend?"

"No... Mike it won't be like that... You'll be running off with me."

"What difference does it make? I can't leave Embry." even if I could would the Volturi let me live out my life as a human with you

"Michael... I love you... please... don't leave me." she cried. It was like getting punched in the stomach.

"I'm not asking you to leave your friend... your friend who needs you... you're asking me." I said holding out hope for one last moment.

"I... I..." she stammered.

"Stay with me Zuri... don't leave me."

"What... no... I can't."

"Please Zuri... don't leave me..." I begged. Tears finally streaming down my face. She grabbed my red hot cheeks and pulled me to her kissing me passionately. I felt her tongue attack mine with a fierce desire and desperation."

"I'm begging you Michael.. please... just... come... with me..." she said tears running down her face.

"I can't leave Embry." I said crying.

"Goodbye... I lo... goodbye." she said before she ran out of the room. I was frozen in time. In the moment. The woman I loved had just ran out of my life and I couldn't chase her. I must have stood there for five minutes before I regained control of my body. Once I finally could move I chased down the hall to where their room was. It was empty... abandoned... I knew they were gone... If I hadn't been so shocked, so hurt... waiting for her to come back... maybe I could have stopped them. No... they were already gone. I would have given up everything for her. All my power... but not everyone I know... does that mean I don't deserve happiness?

I ended up in the training room alone. I stared down at my body, covered in scars and I knew the truth. Deep down I'd always known it... take away my claws... and a monster is still a monster.

I walked without a goal but finally found myself in the training room... How could you Zuri? How could you make me choose? How could you not choose me? Was this all my fault?

my breathing hitched, and I started coughing as tears rolled down my cheeks, it became next to impossible to get a breath. I my felt my chest heaving uncontrollably. The tears poured out like a facet. I fell to my knees then back in to the wall sitting with my knees protecting my chest as I wrapped my hands around my knees hoping to protect myself. The sobbing became uncontrollable. I wiped my eyes clean only to have blindness from the tears return again and again, I saw movement at the opposite end. I cleaned out my eyes and stopped crying for a moment to see what it was.

Adrian. He could see all of it, and now he knew I saw him. He started approaching me, unable to act like he'd somehow missed the scene in front of him.

"Mike... I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?" He offered his hand. No! I'm not weak, I'm strong I'm feared, respected. I don't need anyone's help...

"I'm not weak! Stop pitying me!" I called out begging for dignity.

"I don't think you're weak Mike." He said trying to comfort me.

Adrian's POV

"I don't think you're weak Mike." I said trying to comfort me.

"This is who I'm supposed to be... the monster I've become..." He said quietly. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"No, you're wrong." His body started shaking under my hand.

"Get... away..." he growled. I pulled him to me and hugged him.

"Get the fuck away!" He screamed I felt my grip release and then my body flying backwards in to the wall. The entire room was shaking, cracks in the floor led up to the wall cracked the wall, up to the ceiling, Mike was making an earthquake.

"DAMN IT!" he yelled as a blast of energy blew me back in to the wall. I'd never once heard Mike swear. Never once. Embry yes, everyone else, yes. Mike was so... proper... proper is the word... he never did anything wrong... even in his language, never misspoke.

Mike stood still, glowing in anger, a bright red hue glowing on his body as small sparks of energy coursed through him becoming visible occasionally. Demetri, Felix and Heidi entered the room from different sides. Mike's attention turned to Heidi. He was still boiling in anger.

"Come to say I told you so? That I shouldn't have opened my heart to someone? Taken your advice?" He said aiming it directly at Heidi. She seemed taken aback.

"I... I... No... I didn't mean it like that."

"Come to laugh at me have you?" he said his whole body shaking with power.

"No! I didn't... I admire you for opening up like that... I... I haven't been able to do that in so long..." She said innocently. Mike laughed darkly.

"Don't even try Heidi, you're trying to seduce me right now, trying to gain me like some pawn in chess, you would sleep with me right now if it insured I would stay with the Volturi, you'd be my dutiful wife if it made it easier, and you'd act the part so long that I might even believe it." She bit her lip at accusation.

"You're right... I would, I would do it all, but I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry you got hurt."

"I'm just a tool to all of you." Mike said about to explode.

"You're a damn headache for me." Felix said at the other side. Mike turned his attention to Felix and then laughed.

"Oh, you're not trying to convince me that you like me for my good intentions? And you're not just using me for my power?"

"Oh definitely, it's the reason we took you in."

"Felix." Demetri hissed from the other side. Of the room near Heidi. Felix made his way fearlessly towards Mike.

"It was the single reason we coveted, hell, we've even made a game of making you think we didn't need you as a part of the Volturi Guard to make you want it..."

"Felix... stop it." Demetri yelled trying to sway Felix.

"But there is something else I like about you more than all of that... You're a good person... better than me, better than Demetri and Heidi over there... it's the reason I know you won't kill me... because you're better than us, and I want to be your equal one day." Felix said walking until he was only five feet away from Mike.

"Really... you don't think I'm just going to blow everyone in this complex away right now?"

"Think it? I know you won't, because you've got control... even now you're calming yourself down, they might not notice it but you've saved so many vampire's lives it isn't funny."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mike said calming down.

"You killed five Volturi, there was well over a hundred warriors fighting in the war... and you managed to keep the casualties down to under twenty, and you could have easily wiped all of us out then too... You're worth more than your power Mike... now stop breaking my training room." Felix said. Mike finally laughed again... but it wasn't his dark laugh... it was lighthearted... genuine. He calmed down and stopped glowing... everyone left, I turned to leave.

"Next week... I get you." Mike said pointed at me. I nodded back at him. Next week.

Embry's POV

"I've moved on." that's all the note said. Three words. No explanation. I guess none were necessary. What's an explanation worth anyway? It wouldn't change what happened. It won't make it hurt any less. I stared down at the note not saying a word, rereading it over and over again. Again. I'm left like this. I wouldn't try to even lie to myself. Third girlfriend, third time I was left for another guy. I gulped. Why? Aren't I good enough? Aren't I good enough for anyone? She said she loved me. They all did. I breathed deeply trying to calm my shuddering air intake. No.

This was my lot in life. I breathed out heavily. Watching the loves of my life leave. Love? You barely knew her a year. I knew it was the truth but it didn't seem to matter. Time is relative. As hard it as it was for me to deny, Love only took a week, maybe less time to truly take over. Logic gets in the way, what I should and shouldn't be gets in the way. I saw it all and embraced it. And now I'm here embracing cold air. And a deep emptiness in my heart.

I'll survive... I know I will. I tell myself. Since when has survival been enough? Of course I'll survive, what did you expect, to curl in to a ball and cease to live without you? The world will not stop turning for me. I will continue as I have. I have no choice. It's both comforting and disconcerting. In the end, the world doesn't care what happens to me, it'll just keep spinning, everyone I know will keep living. I looked down at the sheet one last time before ripping it.

I felt tears finally coming down my face. I said nothing. Those tears betrayed my true feelings. I analyzed this break up from twenty angles but the truth of it all was simple, it fucking sucks, and it hurts like hell, and that is all there is to it.

I heard the door open and turned to watch it open, half hoping it was Themba, but not expecting it to be. Felix walked in.

"Hey Embry... I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you but I was ordered to let them go." Felix said. I just stared blankly at him without saying a word.

"Are you mad at me for it?" I rolled my eyes at him, even if there were tears he understood the meaning.

"Embry... say something." What do I say? "it hurts" no shit Sherlock. Those words, I've read, felt, heard a thousand times. They change nothing. Nothing I can say changes anything. He knows it hurts, he'd be a fool not to. He knows I miss her, he'd be stupid not to. Felix isn't stupid, none of the Volturi are. What's the point of speaking?

"I can see you don't want to talk." I didn't really respond, he could see it.

"I'll leave you alone." Alone... maybe that's what I'm destined for... how horrible a fate... but at least I won't have to suffer it for long... I'll be dead soon anyway.

Is Themba really pregnant? How will Lincoln take seeing a real vampire? Why is Embry not talking? How is Mike going to make it through the week? Tune in next episode to find out! Okay that was weird... but yeah, I think I've lost two reviewers over the last two chapters so it's going to be tough sledding for me, if you read, review I spend tons of time on these chapters the least you can do is give me your opinion. Remember high fives, knucks, rolls of twenties, and comments. Catch you on the flip side.