All characters except for Annabelle Causley and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.
This is an AU out of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. This story starts after Eclipse, two weeks before Edward and Bella's wedding.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
"Did you honestly think you'd be able to escape from me?"
Annabelle stood rooted to the ground, her mind short-circuiting, making it unable for her to think, to react, to even…
"You belong to me, Annabelle," Aro cocked his head to the side, his long white hair fluttering softly around him, the pale moonlight causing his papery white skin to shimmer softly…like sterling silver, "You can never get away from me."
"How…" Annabelle stopped, knowing that wasn't the answer she wanted, "Why? Why did you wait this long?"
"I had to wait," Aro moved closer, his burgundy eyes glittering, "Wait until I could come alone…I wasn't going to let Marcus and Caius know that you've escaped…they would have tried to convince me to let you go, to leave the Cullens alone. I knew where you would be once you remembered what I've told you…I knew with time you would end up here, with the Cullens, with your Edward. And I decided to let you stay…for a while…so you could suffer as you watched Edward with his Bella…so you would finally realize that he doesn't love you…not like I do."
"You don't love me Aro," Annabelle moved back a step, not wanting to be close to him, "You're a sick bastard, obssessed with what you can't have."
"I have you, Annabelle," Aro moved swiftly and unexpectedly, not allowing Annabelle to escape as he grabbed her hair, pulling her head back and forcing her to her knees, "You belong to me in so many ways…but the most important one…"
Aro bend over Annabelle to whisper into her ear, the fingers of his free hand brushing across the cresent moons on the left side of her neck, "You belong to me because I created you…because it is my venom that changed you…that gave you immortality…"
Annabelle stared into Aro's burgundy eyes as his words slowly sunk into her stunned mind. She realized that, in a way, she had known…she had known Aro had taken her family, her life, her future, her everything…
Without thinking, she moved quickly, shoving her hard fist through his chest, shocking him enough that he let go of her hair to look down, giving her the opportunity to quickly rise to her feet, grabbing his hair, her teeth sinking into his neck, ripping it off his shoulders.
She calmly and methodically tore him to pieces, smaller and smaller, until all that was left was a pile of small crumbling pieces of marble laid at her feet. Taking a step back, she frowned, knowing that without a way to set him on fire, Aro would reshape himself withing hours.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pale hand extended, a box of matches perched in the middle of the palm. Without looking to see who the hand belonged to, she took the matches, lighting them all one at a time, dropping one after the other in the middle of the pile of marble pieces and shredded fabric.
Stepping back until she stood next to the Cullens, she quietly watched as the purple sweet smoke slowly thickened, rising towards the dark sky.
"That should take care of our Aro problem," Emmett muttered, unable to stand the silence any longer.
The corners of Annabelle's mouth lifted into a smile as she breathed in deep, the sweet smell of Aro burning bringing a sense of true freedom to her.
"But it doesn't take care of our problem with the Volturri," Rosalie murmurred, unable to feel angry over Annabelle's actions despite the consequences, "Aro told Jane when he would return…and she knows where to look when he doesn't."
"Just because she knows doesn't mean she'll find us here," Alice turned to look at Rosalie, rolling her eyes. She shouldn't have told her about the vision she had seen minutes before Edward heard Aro's thoughts.
"We'll just head to New Hampshire a few days earlier," Jasper shrugged as he draped an arm around Alice, turning his face to kiss her temple.
"They won't be coming," Annabelle closed her eyes as she realized the ramifications of her actions.
"Why do you say that," Edward gave Annabelle a sharp look, his eyes widening as he saw what she was thinking, "Annabelle, no."
"It's the only way to keep them away," Annabelle turned to face her family, "If I don't go back to Italy and tell them it was I, and I alone, who destroyed Aro, Jane will find a way to bring the Volturri down on all of you. I can't let that happen."
"Annabelle, you can't do this," Esme frowned as she realized what this meant, "We can hide…they'll never find us."
"They will also never give up," Annabelle gave Esme a sad smile, "And they have eternity…just like us…you will always be hunted…will always have to look over your shoulder…I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."
"Annabelle –"
"I love you," Annabelle interrupted Edward as she looked into his eyes before looking at each Cullen in the eyes, "I love all of you. And this is my choice. And I don't mind…I don't mind giving up living so that you may continue to live as you choose."
Before any of them could stop her, she quickly hugged each one of them, finishing with Edward and stopping long enough to whisper into his ear, "Now may be the time for you to change her."
The Cullens stood in the field, silent, watching the smoldering pile of ashes left behind, all of them wondering what to do.
As soon as Annabelle had hugged Edward, she had taken off running, heading east.
"We can't let her do that," Bella looked up at Edward, "We have to stop her."
"They won't destroy her," Alice's eyes were unfocused, "Jane has no intention of making it easy for Annabelle. She'll ask Marcus and Caius for permission to keep Annabelle locked up…she'll torture her in every way she can..."
"We can stop her before she gets to Italy," Emmett looked at his family, taking in the quiet look on Carlisle's face and the deep sorrow in Esme's, "We're fast..."
"And what," Rosalie looked at Emmett, crossing her arms over her chest, "Force her to come with us? Spend the next hundred years hiding and moving, unable to live normal lives like we have been for the past hundred years?"
"Are you suggesting we let her sacrifice herself," Edward turned to glare at Rosalie, his lip rising in a snarl, "For us?"
"No," Rosalie arched an eyebrow, "I'm saying we let her go to Italy…then we go after her…and destroy the Volturri."
"There's a reason the Volturri exist," Jasper shook his head, "Without them, humanity does not stand a chance. Vampires all over the world will attack, day or night. We can't destroy the Volturri."
"Is there a way to rescue Annabelle without destroying the entire Volturri," Bella looked over at Alice, her eyes flitting to Carlise and Edward before they returned to her.
"Yes…it'll take some planning and some days…Annabelle is strong enough to hold out that long," Alice turned to look at Edward, her eyes wide as she shared something with him.
Edward's breath hitched as he glanced down at Bella before looking at his sister, shaking his head slightly.
"You're not leaving me behind," Bella looked back and forth between her husband and her sister-in-law, "I'm coming with you."
"Bella –"
"Alice says we need to plan and that will take some days…enough days to change me."
"But you'll be a newborn," Jasper turned to look at Bella, his eyebrows rising in surprise at Bella's naivetee, "You can't be around people."
"Bella will be fine," Alice turned, walking purposefully towards the house, "We'll do it tonight, give her the three days, Edward will take her hunting and then we'll head to Italy. What we need to do is figure out a way to rescue Anna without having to destroy the Volturri."
"Or have the Volturri destroy us all," Emmett muttered cheerfully as he took Rosalie's hand and followed behind Alice, the rest of the family trailing along, "It seems we've forgotten there are twenty times more of them than us."
"We'll find a way," Carlisle said quietly as he took Esme's hand to tuck it into the crook of his arm, squeezing her fingers in comfort.
DAY ONE
Jacob punched the tree trunk, so angry he wasn't able to feel as three of his knuckles cracked. Opening his hand, he walked away, knowing it would take a matter of seconds for his knuckles to heal.
He couldn't believe she had left…she was actually leaving Forks with her family, leaving him behind…
Growling, he moved deep into the trees, wanting to rip something, anything, into shreds.
He shouldn't care…should see it is something great…her leaving, getting the hell out of his life…but he was having a hard time breathing…he was having a hard time thinking…
He grabbed a low branch, ripping it off the tree so he could throw it, wanting to release the anger and desperation in him.
He would to find a way to live without her…he would survive…he didn't need her…
DAY TWO
Jacob stared out at the crashing waves, his eyes wide and aching from lack of sleep. He took in a deep breath and grimaced at the sudden pang of pain in his chest.
Lifting his hand to run it through his hair, he stopped to stare at it, remembering the silkiness of Annabelle's hair…the strands sliding through his fingers, leaving behind her raspberry scent, leaving him with a tingling…
Shaking his head, he rubbed his hands over his eyes but no sooner did he tell himself to forget about her that her face flashed through his mind, her butterscotch eyes bright as she stared into his, her lips slightly opened, begging him to kiss her…
"Dammit!" Jacob growled as he turned away from the ocean view, needing to find a way to release his anger…
It would take time, but he was going to survive without her.
DAY THREE
Running up the mountain, Jacob's ragged breath echoed as he stumbled over a rock, sliding down the mountain, jagged stones and branches ripping at his skin, leaving him scratched and bloodied.
Flipping onto his back, he grimaced as stones dug into his back but he didn't move…that pain was minimul compared to the constant aching he felt in his chest, his lungs, his mind, his very soul…
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath but stopped as that all familiar shard of pain sliced through his chest. Clutching his chest, he forced himself into a sitting position, panting for breath.
He wasn't going to make it…three days and he was a pathetic loser physically unable to survive on his own…
DAY FOUR
Jacob stood outside of Emily and Sam's house, his breathing shallow and quick as he forced himself to knock on the door when he normally just walked in.
"Come in," Emily's voice invited him in. Turning the doorknob, he stumbled in, having a hard time staying on his feet due to the lack of sleep…he hadn't been able to sleep for the past four days…
Not that he needed to sleep to dream of her…to see her face, taste her skin, smell her hair…to realize that it wasn't real…that she wasn't there…that he no longer had her…that he didn't know who he was anymore because his very center was no longer with him…
"Hey Jacob," Emily looked up from the quilt she was working on, "Oh, wow. You look horrible Jake."
"Don't feel all that good either," Jacob mumbled as he pulled out a chair, collapsing into it, "Sam around?"
"Somewhere," Emily stood up and went into the kitchen, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I haven't eaten in four days…I haven't slept in four days…I haven't been able to breath in four days…"
"What's going on, Jake," Emily poured a cup of coffee before sitting across the table from Jacob, "Why are you feeling so miserable?"
"Sam didn't tell you," Jacob's bloodshot eyes were having a hard time focusing on Emily's face, "About Annabelle?"
"He told me you imprinted on a vampire," Emily shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee, "But I thought since you were seeking her out, you were coming to terms with that."
"She left, Em," Jacob scrubbed his face before raking his fingers into his hair, "The Cullens are heading to New Hampshire and she's going with them."
"She's leaving you," Emily's eyebrows lifted in shock, "Even with you imprinting on her, she decided to leave you? Does she not care at all?"
"No…I mean, yes, she does care. In fact, she told me she loved me."
"Oh Jacob," Emily smile at him, her dark eyes glittering with happiness for her friend, "So the girl you imprinted on fell in love with you…that's great."
"She's not a girl Emily," Jacob squeezed his eyes tight, the throbbing headache moving from his forehead towards the back of his head, "She's a vampire."
"But you imprinted on her," Emily reached up to touch her face, her fingers slowly moving over the scars, "Nothing else but that matters. She was meant for you and maybe that's why fate made her immortal…so the day would come when you would look into her eyes and find yourself."
"Find myself in my enemy," Jacob rubbed the back of his neck, the pain in his head increasing to the point of making him nauseous, "That just doesn't make sense."
"If Sam finding himself in the woman he hurt isn't hard to understand, why should it be hard to understand you finding yourself in your enemy? Don't you know that to find yourself, you need to look in the last place you think you would be?"
Jacob sucked in a breath, grimacing at the ripping pain across his chest, "It doesn't matter anymore though…she's gone."
"She said she loved you but she left anyway," Emily frowned, placing her cup on the wooden table, "That doesn't make sense."
"She asked me to come along," Jacob looked up to watch Emily's face, "I said no."
"You said no," Emily's eyebrows raised in surprise as she moved away from the table, "What were you thinking?"
"What was I thinking," Jacob stared at Emily, surprised at her reaction, "I was thinking I have a pack to lead…a tribe to protect."
"You're worthless to us when you can't even sleep much less survive without Annabelle," Emily shook her head as she moved around the kitchen, her heavy braid swinging across her back, "The pack would not have asked this of you despite the circumstances…they all understand what it is like to imprint and what happens when you lose the one you imprint on."
"Are you suggesting I leave my people behind for one of them?"
"I'm suggesting you think it through…without her, you lose yourself…and we need a leader who knows who he is and where he stands."
"I know where I stand," Jacob shoved away from the table, wavering slightly as he rose to his feet, "And I will find a way without her."
"You don't stand on anything Jacob," Emily gave him a pitying look, "Not when your foundation's gone and left you."
DAY FIVE
Breathing in…
Breathing out…
Closing his eyes, Jacob tried to focus…
It's been…
Four…
Six…
What?
Shaking his head, Jacob rubbed his eyes as he tried to think…
Think what?
Patrols…boundary line…
Breathing in…
Breathing out…
He wasn't going to make it…
He wasn't strong enough…
Emily was…
Right…
He was…
Losing…
Himself…
