Chapter 15
A/N: Long waits suck, I know. I apologize. You name it, it's happened. But, without further delay, here's the new chapter and I hope you guys didn't give up on me.
It was in the middle of the night. The halls were eerily quiet. Wanting to make sure that nothing went wrong with the pregnancy, Pumpkin had been moved to the hospital bed and had all kinds of monitors hooked up to her. Dawn was sleeping in the other bed. For the last few hours, Pumpkin hadn't been feeling well. She felt hot and feverish and there was a dull ache in her back. The ache had gradually intensified. She was starting to feel nauseated from it. She had tried to sleep through it, but it had worsened so much that she couldn't sleep anymore.
"Dawn," she croaked into the darkness. There was no answer. Her stomach twisted, but she swallowed against the bitterness.
"Dawn!" she tried again.
She heard, rather than saw, a stirring from the pile of blankets.
"What?" Dawn snapped. She didn't like to be disturbed while sleeping.
"Dawn, I don't feel good. Something's wrong."
The blankets shifted and Dawn sighed. The room became bathed in an orangey glow as she lit a candle.
"What's the matter?"
"I-"
Pumpkin's stomach heaved again, only much more forcefully. Dawn managed to get the trash can to the bed before she threw up. Dawn gave her a cup of water to rinse her mouth out when she stopped.
"I hurt," Pumpkin gasped.
For once, Dawn didn't say "suck it up". Instead, she tied the garbage bag closed and set it aside.
"I'll get Carlisle."
She found Carlisle sitting on a couch reading a book.
"Carlisle, I need you to check on Pumpkin. She just tossed her cookies."
He closed the book and got up.
Dawn didn't show it, but he knew she was worried. Her hair was still mussed from sleep and one strap of the light blue nightgown she wore was sliding down her shoulder. When she was in the light, he could see the silhouette of her curves underneath. Some unusually heated thoughts entered his brain, but he pushed those aside. Now was neither the place nor the time.
Pumpkin was curled up in a fetal position when they returned to the room. She was moaning into her pillow and a few of the monitors were moving in jumpy waves.
"Go get Edward," Carlisle told her, "we need to make sure that the child doesn't start trying to tear its way out."
It was the wrong thing to say in front of Pumpkin. The heart monitors suddenly sped up rapidly. Dawn moved much more quickly this time, nervous.
Edward and Dawn returned as quickly as they could. Pumpkin was pale and her eyes had a glazed look.
"Dawn?" she asked weakly as Carlisle got the surgical instruments ready. Dawn was at her side at the snap of a finger.
"I'm here," Dawn said, sounding a little choked up.
"If I don't make it, I want you to take my baby."
Instead of reprimanding her for talking that way, Dawn just nodded. Edward told the baby not to bite, that they would be getting it out as quickly as possible. Carlisle uncovered Pumpkin's belly and cleaned it off with some strong-smelling stuff that made Dawn dizzy. He had Pumpkin sit up and injected some stuff into her spine to make her numb. As soon as it kicked in, the surgery started. There was a wet noise as he cut through Pumpkin's skin, then the grating, harsh sound as he cut through the vampire membrane.
"Almost there," he told her, "you'll see your baby in just a minute."
Pumpkin smiled faintly. She watched him cutting into her with a detached air, not showing any fear or disgust. Dawn felt utterly useless, so she just stood there not knowing what to do. Edward handed Carlisle all the instruments he asked for and mopped away Pumpkin's blood.
"Here it comes," Carlisle said, "Dawn, get a towel."
She did and was at his side in an instance. A slippery, shiny blob appeared in his hands. He pulled away the slick membrane to reveal a squalling baby.
"It's a girl," he announced. Happy tears filled Pumpkin's eyes. Carlisle handed her to Dawn and started stitching up Pumpkin's belly.
"Wow...I wish the light was better," Dawn commented, "look at her! She's almost glowing!"
In the dim light, the baby's skin shone softly. It was pearly white with a golden sheen. She stopped crying and looked up at Pumpkin. A little hand squirmed its way out of the towel and rested on Pumpkin's heart.
"She wants to know why you're crying," Edward said, "she doesn't understand. She thought you would be happy to see her."
"I am happy," Pumpkin sniffed.
"As are all of us."
Aro stood in the doorway. Dawn inched closer to Pumpkin instinctively as Carlisle bandaged her up.
"You can't take her," Dawn said defensively, "that baby needs her mother. She already recognizes her."
Aro swept into the room, his dark cloak and robes billowing in a draft.
"Do you really think me that heartless? I've decided to take you up on your offer."
"Dawn, what's he talking about?" Pumpkin asked.
"Never mind," Dawn said through gritted teeth.
"You don't know? Your spoiled, selfish cousin has volunteered to exchange her life for yours. Apparently, she has a noble streak in her."
Pumpkin gasped.
"Dawn, you can't!"
Dawn turned to Pumpkin, but she shot Aro a dark look before she did.
"Look," Dawn sighed, "my mother made me promise I would take care of you. Well, I'm taking care of you. But you have to promise me that you won't leave the Cullens and that you won't do anything stupid, like going back to Alex or being with anybody else that will hurt you or the baby."
"She's not raising my baby."
Alex entered the room, looking more vampire-like than Dawn had ever seen him.
"Yes, she is," Dawn hissed, "if you want her, you have to go through me."
Aro looked from Alex to Pumpkin to Dawn, then at Victor, who also entered the room.
"Huh. Ironic that you'd be the last place I'd ever expect you," Victor said, "I'd love to be the one to slice your heart out."
Carlisle opened his mouth to say something, but Aro raised a hand and cut him off.
"I have an idea that would suit everyone," he said, moving between them, "we have a little show of power. Victor and Alex against Aurora. Aurora loses, Alex gets the child and Victor gets his petty little revenge. Aurora wins, the Cullens take Pomona and the child and everyone escapes with their lives. If the two of you pursue them after it is over, I will be forced to execute you both."
He looked at Dawn first.
"Fine."
Alex and Victor looked at each other, then at Aro.
"Deal."
Aro looked into the baby's eyes. She trembled slightly, but did not look away.
"The duel takes place in three days," he said to all of them, "until then, stay away from each other and do not disturb me with your petty arguments."
He swept out of the room, pushing Alex and Victor out as well. Pumpkin clutched the baby close to her chest and began to cry. Dawn, visibly shaken, sat down in the nearest chair.
"I hate those two," she mumbled.
"So, how about a name?" Edward asked.
She looked down at the baby, whom she could swear had a concerned expression on her face.
"Victoria," she answered, "for victory."
Carlisle immediately set to work on learning about Victoria. He examined her inside and out and charted her growth. She grew almost as quickly as Renesmee did and proved to have amazing mental capacity. She had an affection for music just like her mother and would wave her little hands and smile when there was music playing. She drank Pumpkin's milk as well as blood but disliked baby formula. It also appeared that she would one day have wings grow in. She had a very fast metabolism and needed to be fed constantly. Not wanting to risk her killing someone, Carlisle had managed to bring donated blood to the Volturi's place. Victoria was very careful not to bite anyone. Carlisle discovered that she was also venomous, though her venom was weaker than theirs.
Dawn didn't talk much about the deal she'd cut with Aro. For the first three days of Victoria's life outside the womb, she was very devoted to taking care of Pumpkin and Victoria. Pumpkin was showing signs of depression, which worried everybody.
On the night before the proposed duel, nobody could find Dawn. Carlisle decided to go look for her. Aro was getting ready to send guards out.
"Don't," Carlisle pleaded with him, "I'll bring her back. I think I know where she is."
Aro's eyes narrowed, but he didn't call in any of the guards.
"See that you do. I won't have her breaking our deal."
Carlisle nodded.
"Thank you. I assure you I'll have her back before daybreak."
He moved quickly and quietly. The streets were relatively quiet except for a few drunks and homeless people. They were all too busy either staggering or sleeping to notice him. Sniffing like a bloodhound, he finally caught her scent streaming out of a nearby nightclub. He could smell her in her vampire form; she must have needed the extra protection. Fighting against the clash of his excellent hearing and the horribly loud music, he went in.
The dance floor was packed. It nearly made him claustrophobic to squeeze through the jumping, spinning, swinging bodies. The smell of beer and cigarette ash was heavy on the air, nearly masking Dawn's scent at times. He finally found her where he knew he would: on the stage. He stopped at the front. Dawn gave him a sad smile. He could sense the waves of energy being sucked out of the humans as she fed. As the song ended, many of the people rushed to the bar for a drink and a rest. Dawn slid down off the stage.
"Good timing. That was our last song."
The other members of the band were beginning to pack up.
"Aro thinks you tried to run away," Carlisle warned her.
"I may be shallow sometimes, but I'm not stupid," Dawn muttered.
Deciding against getting defensive, he tried to remember that Dawn wouldn't admit that she was afraid.
"Why don't we go somewhere else? I wanted to talk to you anyway."
Dawn's stomach sank towards the center of the earth, but she followed him outside. The air was cooler, more refreshing. Dawn's bandmates waved to her before taking off in their van. They walked until they reached a nice meadow in the middle of nowhere.
"Just getting a last minute feeding in before...well, you know."
Carlisle wondered just what Dawn was so afraid of. She was more than capable of beating Victor and Alex if she could get the sword away from them.
"I don't want to do it," Dawn admitted, "I'll have to kill them both just to get them to stop bothering us. I'm tired of it. I just want to..." she trailed off. The moon glowed on Carlisle's vampire skin, even though the special cream was there to prevent exposure in the sun. He was so...beautiful. She knew she didn't deserve a compassionate man like him.
Carlisle leaned in to kiss her. He was very gentle, very caring. Dawn's eyes closed and her arms tightened around him. Her normally speeding thoughts crashed to a halt.
Nothing over PG-13 happened, but their make-out session got very intense. Knowing he would take her there if he didn't let her go, Carlisle mumbled a quick apology. Dawn, seeing that his eyes were dark, released him and stretched out in the grass to wait for him. Laying her head on her arm, she fell asleep.
Carlisle took his aggression out on the animals he was hunting. Fast and deadly, it gave him something to occupy his mind for the moment. When he had gotten as full as he would get, he went back to the meadow to wake Dawn. The morning was swiftly approaching.
Side by side, they ran together back towards the Volturi complex and were back inside just as Aro came looking for them.
"Are you ready, Aurora?" he asked. She gave only one nod.
"Very well. All of you come with me."
In a very careful procession through the underground tunnels, they emerged in a large clearing outside the city. The guards began to patrol the borders. Victor and Alex were on the other side of the clearing. Pumpkin was sobbing her heart out on Carlisle's shoulder and her baby was crying every bit as much.
"Don't cry, little Victoria," Dawn whispered, "it's going to be okay."
She kissed the baby on the cheek.
"Pumpkin, if something bad happens, take care of them."
She looked at Edward, Jasper, and Emmett.
"If something happens to me, feel free to play baseball in my castle," she joked. They all nodded.
She came to Carlisle last. He gave her a deep kiss.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear. Dawn's dark eyes welled with tears and she wordlessly told him that she loved him as well.
"Touching," Victor commented.
"Very."
She could see that Alex had forfeited his vegetarian diet. His eyes were a glittering red, exactly what she'd expected.
Victor was holding the dreaded sword. The blade seemed to glow with an almost evil light. The three of them sized each other up for a moment. Dawn stripped away her clothes and transformed into her natural form. The sun came out for a moment and the vampires glittered like diamonds while Dawn glittered like the purest gold.
All at once, it started. It was discovered that both Victor and Alex had gifts that no one knew about. Dawn launched herself into the air, preparing to strike when Victor sent a boulder up towards her. It knocked her out of the sky and she was momentarily stunned. Alex rushed towards her and Victor tossed him the sword. Just before he could strike Dawn with it, Dawn dodged out of the way and sent a ripple of earth towards Alex. It knocked him off of his feet and the sword went flying through the air. Dawn moved to catch the hilt of it, but Victor knocked her aside and snatched it away from her outstretched fingers. Dawn growled. Victor answered her snarl with one of his own. She punched him in the face, sending him skidding across the field. Just as she was about to come after him, Alex sent a jet of ice towards her. The shards broke on contact with her skin, but Dawn seemed merely annoyed. She dove after Alex, sharp teeth bared. The two of them rolled and tumbled as they fought, biting at each other. Victor took this opportunity to recover and rushed towards both of them.
"Dawn! Look out!"
Dawn turned her head just as Victor moved the sword to strike. She kicked the blade away and a trickle of golden blood came from her left foot. It hurt, but she was determined to ignore it. She sent a jet of flames towards both of them, but the flames were easily extinguished.
"Why isn't she killing them?" Carlisle wondered aloud.
"One vampire isn't a problem," Pumpkin explained, "but two are trouble. They're trying to keep her distracted until she tires out."
"Why isn't she draining them?" Carlisle asked.
"She can't. She's too distracted. It takes concentration to do that," Pumpkin told him, "she has to rely on her fighting instincts."
Aro was watching intently, as were the others. They seemed unmoved by this display.
Alex lunged at Dawn from the side just as Victor did from above. Dawn dodged, but it was a very narrow dodge. The two vampires slammed into each other with a thunderous BOOM! Dawn tried again to get the sword, but only managed to get a deep cut in the palm of her hand. She hissed angrily when Victor swiped at her. She launched herself up into the air again, wings flaring angrily. Alex and Victor both jumped towards her, but she was much quicker in the air than either of them. In the sky, she was queen. She flew up really, really high, then zoomed downward towards the earth, teeth bared. Alex looked up and Dawn took advantage of his exposed throat. Within a second, she had snapped her teeth deep into his vampiric skin. The sound was similar to a rock being split. There was maybe a half-inch of sinew still holding his head attached. Victor went to defend him, but Dawn snatched him away. She was going to get rid of Alex first. She bit through the last bit of sinew and Alex's flailing body stopped moving. She had to keep dodging Victor as she tore Alex apart literally. The limbs would re-knit themselves together later. All that mattered was that Dawn had incapacitated him. The Cullens began to cheer her on even more. Aro's face still showed no emotion.
Now that Alex was out of the way, Dawn began to concentrate on Victor. Unfortunately, it worked both for and against her. It worked for her because she wasn't as distracted, but Victor was guarding the sword much more carefully. He swung it at her and she got a bit too close. A deep gash appeared in her shoulder. Victor bit her, trying to get her to let go of the sword, but she wouldn't. The strange blueberry smell of her blood mingled oddly with the bitterness of the venom. Dawn wrenched the sword away from Victor. The blade sang out dangerously as she sliced at him. The vampires weren't dead, but they would take a long time to heal. Despite the sword cutting her hands, she concentrated hard and bent the blade into a swirl-shape so that it could never be used to harm Sirens again.
"There. Can we go home now?" she asked Aro.
"You may leave whenever you are ready."
He didn't smile. It was more like a smirk. She moved towards the Cullens, who were all talking at once, but she and Carlisle only had eyes for each other. They moved away from the battle ground scene, leaving Alex and Victor to put themselves back together.
