Disclaimer: Thank you Stephenie Meyer for your world and to Guy Andrews for giving me the ideas to play with it. This all stems from your creativity mixed with mine.

A/N: We're coming to the end of something that I've worked on for…who knows how long. As always forgive me for the terrible things I put Ashley and Edward through, and my very bad grammar. Also, fair warning, I haven't had much experience with action scenes nor the time or patience to stay and go through it to make improvements in my draft. This chap is a little longer than the previous so sit back and enjoy the ride.

Return to Meyer

22. Battle

I glanced around the clearing, searching for some sort of method of escape. Looking back, it all seems a little stupid considering if I'd tried to run somebody would have probably grabbed me by my hair before you could shout 'stupid shiny Volvo owner' in a panicked voice.

Near Alice loomed two vampires I'd never seen nor read about before. One was an extremely built guy who seemed to be even taller than Emmett. His eyes flashed a bright crimson as they drank in the scene around him but widened in longing as they zeroed in on my bare neck. Uncomfortable, I reached up to cover it with my hair.

Beside him was a woman. Strawberry blonde, small, lithe and edgy. She appeared to buzz in place, the idea of remaining fixed in one spot impossible for her. The word go and she'd be tearing into any one of us without a second thought.

Victoria stood in the middle, her long, red hair blowing slightly in the breeze. At the sight of Edward her face expressed a hate I was surprised she could be bothered maintaining for so long. It must have been exhausting to put every part of her being into one emotion and directing that towards Edward.

Looking at her now, in some ways I recognised a deep sadness beneath all that anger and resentment. As much as I wanted to and had definite, justified reasons to, I couldn't hate her. She'd lost the most important person in the world to her in only a short period of time and in her eyes, Edward deserved to be punished for what he'd done. Over the years, I'd had many dreams involving the death of my family members, even Edward in recent times. I always seemed to wake up crying without having a clear idea of why. They were only dreams, they weren't reality. Yet, in those small moments of waking up, I felt a sense of loss and absolute pain. The idea of what it would feel like to lose those people that meant everything to me. It was…excruciating. Victoria on the other hand, she was experiencing the real deal. Even worse, she was a Meyer vampire and never slept. She would never dream about James. After being separated from Edward, I'd always, at the very least, had that.

I eyed Victoria sympathetically. No. I could never hate her. Not the way she hated me.

"Better make your move now Victoria, you won't have another chance like this," Edward said calmly, his voice breaking the silence amongst our mismatched group.

She smiled revealing her exceptionally white teeth. It was a movement that sent a shiver down my spine. "I'd be careful Edward," She spoke his name as though it were poison springing from her lips. "You don't seem to be in the best position to aggravate me." She warned, gesturing with her fingers to her companions.

Where was a damn werewolf when you needed one?

"We are not too far away from our home. This was not the most suitable choice of location at which to face me." Edward stop being stupid. Close to home or not, the others can't hear this far away and they don't have either Alice's or your gift to listen in to know there's a problem. And she knows it.

"Somehow I don't think that will be too much of a problem," Victoria replied, confidence oozing through every word.

Despite the tension between Edward and Victoria going on to my right, I was more focused on the blonde vampire beside Victoria. With every moment she was desperately trying to restrain herself. With his ability, I was sure Edward was aware of this but his attention appeared to be elsewhere.

"I'm sure you didn't come all this way to stand and talk things through with me," Edward shot out, keeping the conversation flowing.

"Remember this?" Victoria asked, ignoring his comment as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a yellow plastic lighter. "This is the lighter that you used to send James up in flames."

Edward showed no reaction to the reappearance of the weapon he'd used to save my life a few months ago. I did. I could still hear the sound of James's scream as the flames engulfed him and turned him to ash while I lay bleeding and broken on the floor of my Tae-kwon-do hall. I could still see the look on Edward's weak face as he'd lifted me into his arms and rushed me to hospital, both of us human beings for the first time. Vulnerable.

"After I kill your human, you're going to get it back." Victoria threatened as she twisted the lighter between her fingers. Finally she placed it back inside her pocket. "Now, I..." Victoria began but she was soon cut off as the blonde newborn broke. She leapt towards me in a blur of movement as Victoria cried out, "NO!"

Throwing herself in front of me, clearly already aware of what had been about to happen, Alice met the newborn head-on. Together they moved in and out as the blonde lunged for her but a few moments late each and every time. Jasper was a newborn expert and as a result, Alice was perfectly aware of how to fight one. The male vampire remained rooted in place, responding to Victoria's murderous glare. This was not going the way she'd planned.

Edward clearly wanted to help his sister but with two other vampires still waiting to attack, there was no way he was going to leave me open. I watched as Alice twisted and moved around the newborn, the fight barely intelligible to my weaker eyes.

Seeing this as an opening to set her diversion into place, Victoria nodded at the second vampire. A second later he rushed forward towards Edward, reaching for his neck. I resisted the urge to close my eyes. In a few moments, Edward would be so busy trying to fight off the other newborn that Victoria would have a clean path straight to me. I'd be dead and bleeding before Edward could even blink.

He moved out of the path of the vamp, throwing him out of the way but keeping his ground in front of me. Growls filled the air from multiple directions followed by a snarl as Edward effectively threw his newborn opponent into the trees. Victoria lunged forward, meeting him where he stood. Hearing the thought moments before she acted on it, he dodged and threw a fist into her side.

In amongst it all, I felt weak. The stupid human girl. Always needing to be protected. I'm no damsel! I can take care of myself but to try and fight creatures with ten times more strength and speed than I had would be suicide. I glanced down at a pointed rock on the ground below. I could….no, not happening. At least with James I'd been able to get in a few good hits before Edward had burnt him to a crisp but I wasn't about to slash my skin with something pointy. That wouldn't be a help at all. So there I was, the delicate little flower, waiting for her boyfriend to protect her, again. God the fictional world sucks.

Suddenly, I looked towards the trees. The male newborn had re-emerged from where Edward had thrown him but Edward so busy with Victoria, and Alice occupied who knows where with the other vamp, were unable to focus on him. He walked forward ready to grasp Edward's head between his large hands in the perfect position for Victoria to rip it from his shoulders like crushed marble.

The vampire rushed forward. "EDWARD!" I yelled, trying to get his attention but the words were quickly drowned out by a deafening snarl. From behind me, a large red-brown wolf launched itself from the trees, tackling the newborn to the ground and tearing into its torso with sharpened teeth.

Jacob.

I wanted to laugh with relief at the sight of his familiar form. He'd never gone home after I'd told him to, that stubborn idiot. My friend, the one I'd have to thank massively when we got through this. If we got through this. Jacob ripped into pale flesh as both supernatural creatures fought one another in a burst of teeth and claws. In the distance I heard an audible crack, the sound of breaking rock.

A few metres away, Edward remained circling Victoria. Despite the mix up in the setting and time line, their battle had not changed from the way Stephenie Meyer had written it. They moved and dodged, Victoria throwing herself into pointless moves of attack as Edward read them from her mind. Pushing against one another, they moved swerved around until Victoria threw Edward into the dirt. He dashed to his feet, reaching outward for her as she rushed instinctively up the closest tree. Eyeing her form as it clung to the branches, looking for another opening, Edward threw his body weight into the trunk. The world appeared to pause until a loud crack sounded through the air as the trunk snapped in half, the branches falling in a clump to the ground. Victoria jumped to the ground, fleeing the falling structure. Edward reached up and grabbed her, pulling her back towards him. I flinched as her form hit the ground below.

Breathing in, my brain registered the smell of something burning. It was a potent scent, flames tainted by something else. One I'd smelt once before. It wafted through the trees. I was willing to bet it was the sign that Alice had finished off her newborn. At least, I hoped so.

A loud, bloodcurdling screen filled the air as I watched Jacob dismember the final pieces of the other newborn, his head breaking off between Jacob's jaws with a loud crack. The body crumpled to the ground uselessly, a torso separated from all other limbs, the clothing a ripped mess. Satisfied with his work, Jacob looked over at me, his dark wolfy eyes visibly scanning me for any possible wounds. I gave him a grateful smile before looking back to Edward.

He now had the upper hand as both vampires moved around each other, darting in and out. I wished Jacob would go and help him but I knew he didn't care which of the two lived or died. There was no point throwing a fit over it. It was just the way things were. They were vampires, his enemies. One less vamp in the world was a good thing in his eyes. In my view, it was only a good thing if it was the right vampire.

In the time that it took me to blink, Alice had appeared by Edward's side. Victoria eyed them both, panicked. She glanced toward the trees and then to the white, fragmented corpse on the ground. She was alone now. Two against one.

"Don't even consider it," Edward said, aware of what path her thoughts were tracing. There was no way he was letting her get away to plan out causing more trouble. This was it. Make it or break it.

Alice and Edward rushed forward in unison, hoisting her downwards. Alice gripped one arm and shoulder while Edward had wrapped his arms around her head, ready to twist it free. The group paused, extending the moment as though purposely attempting to heighten the drama. My breath caught in my throat, waiting for the crack as Victoria's head severed from her torso. I was aware of the horror of the act but somehow I found myself unable to look away.

Her eyes caught mine, watching me with an air of resolution as to her fate yet something else I couldn't recognise. Then it hit me. It was triumph. Before the others could stop her, she had reached into her pocket with her spare arm. In those following seconds, several things happened one after the other. Edward twisted Victoria's neck off her shoulders in a blurred motion, throwing it to the ground several metres away but not before her hand had flicked on the lighter and held it to the base of his ankle, setting it alight.

As both Cullen's released the headless torso, Victoria's body remained standing momentarily before it slowly toppled over. My focus was on Edward.

Without warning, just as had occurred with James, the flames began to spread as though it were using Edward's skin as an accelerant. I screamed as Jacob emitted a loud whine at the sight of my horrified face, unable to do much in his wolf form.

I struggled forward, watching as Alice attempted to smother the flames with her jacket but to no avail. Edward cried out, his face contorted in pain as the fire covered his skin. It had been only seconds and already I could see him dying.

No. This couldn't happen. It couldn't. It wasn't.

This was it. This was the moment I would watch Edward die.

Frozen in place. The human, always completely and utterly helpless.

A/N: Yes, I know I'm cruel but don't worry, the next chap will be posted soon. I'm starting right after I post this one. Almost finished now, so very close. I hope you're enjoying the final chapters of Return to Meyer and are ready to see them reach their final conclusion. Remember to review, I love hearing your thoughts on the latest horrible ordeals I've put your favourite characters through.

Next Time on Return to Meyer: With Victoria having exacted her final revenge, Edward's life is in danger and Ashley is the only one who can save him. Can she do what needs to be done even though it may end up hurting him more than imaginable? Will the decision be made in time?

Next Time.