Chapter 19: Battle

Jasper held two more sessions before he deemed us good enough to hold our own. During the last one, we practiced one-on-one fighting. It was always very fast, even by our standards; a whirlwind of motion that only ended when someone made a mistake. Alice was extraordinarily fast, seeing her opponent's moves in the future and reacting before they happened. The longest skirmish was between Edward and Alice, lasting half and hour before Jasper finally called a draw. By the end of Jasper's lessons, even Esme and I were apt fighters.

With Alice's help, we pinned down the location and time of the fight. We decided to go on a "hunting trip" so that the battle would be far away from the humans. This was in the interest of not only secrecy, but innocent lives. Nobody wanted to involve my old acquaintances, the Volturi.

We hunted together, on guard as we came closer to the place Alice said the fight would happen. It was hard to sneak up on a vampire, but another vampire could, if they really tried. Edward and Alice seemed more withdrawn then the rest of us as they turned to their gifts for advanced warning.

We arrived at the lake side where the battle was supposed to take place. It was quiet, any animals hiding away at our presence. The water in the lake was still. Not even a ripple from a fish fin broke the surface.

We paused, looking out over the lake, not sure what to do. Should we wait for them to come? Should we go, and risk changing the fight? Electricity was rampant, combining with the tension that was already building. They looked to Jasper and I to make the decision. Luckily, or unluckily, we didn't have to.

Edward and Alice turned simultaneously towards the east, crouching low and hissing. "They're here," Edward growled, low enough that we could barely hear him. My family tensed, closing into a tight semicircle, aimed where Alice and Edward were looking. Edward and Jasper were at point with Emmett and Alice right behind them.

Out of the trees came first the three, crouched and ready to spring. More south was the coven of four. They converged on our family, murderous looks in their red eyes.

"You're not welcome here," snarled a blonde-haired man in the lead of the group of four coven.

"Let us leave peacefully and we will never bother you again," I replied. I felt Jasper's calm wash over the lake shore. The other coven seemed to relax, but I knew it was artificial. One of the females in their group hissed angrily, as Alice had predicted. Obviously she recognized Jasper's skill and was able to fight it.

The blonde vampire looked back at the still angry female. He seemed calm, but her reaction reminded him why they were at the lake in the first place. "What are you doing?" he asked. The demand sounded odd in the calm, level voice he used.

"We merely would not want you to make a mistake because you let your emotions get in the way," Jasper replied.

"Stop," the female ordered. "Stop now!"

Jasper looked at me. We were really stuck. Jasper couldn't stay in proximity with them forever. I nodded for him to let go.

Immediately the other seven vampires crouched forward again as the artificial calm was lifted. There wasn't any time to reason further as they sprang.

My family collided with the allied covens with a great crash. The numbers were even. The blonde leader fell on me, obviously targeting me. He was very fast as we dodged and attacked. His offense was ferocious where I was still reluctant. I dodged as much as I could, but I still caught hits in the stomach and face. After getting hit the second time, I launched a counter offense that drove my opponent back on his heels. We broke apart with a shove, both of us glancing around. A detached section lay nearby, but neither of us could tell who it belonged to. The others were similarly engaged. I caught a glimpse of Emmett as he threw a body into the lake and then thundered in after it. The water splashed up in huge columns and the level in the lake receded. Alice was nearby, clinging to a large, dark-skinned vampire's back. She bit into his shoulder, tearing the arm of at the joint.

Something hard slammed into me from the side, knocking me back about twenty yards and slamming me to the ground. The blonde vampire grappled for hold on my neck. That's what I got for letting myself get distracted. His grip was hard and uncomfortable, but completely futile. The vampire didn't use his brain; otherwise he would've known to forget choking. Vampires don't need to breathe. I grabbed at his wrist, attempting to break his grip. With my other hand, I slammed the heel of my palm into his nose.

The vampire's head jerked back, causing him to loosen his grip long enough for me to break away. We were back on our feet quickly. He lunged, I side-stepped at the last second, grabbing his arm and wrenching it out and back, two directions it wasn't supposed to go. With the high-pitched keeling, like cutting a rock, the arm disconnected and the blonde vampire was thrown off balance. He growled and hissed in pain and anger as he turned quickly and fell on me. I was caught holding the arm and unprepared. He head butt me, leaving me dazed for a short moment in which he bit into my shoulder.

A feral snarl burst through my mother as I threw him off me. The bite burned as his venom conflicted with my own. A half moon shape, much like those that covered Jasper, was raw on my shoulder, but not bleeding of course. My shirt probably took more damage than I did, losing the part he vampire had bitten through.

I leapt at him across the fifty yard distance. Out of balance with only one arm, he couldn't avoid me. I tackled him, aiming for his neck to finish this. He struggled, but I bit into his neck on the side with no defense and made a quick jerking motion. Half of his neck came off and it was easy to take off the rest. After he was decapitated, his body still flailed, but I dismembered it, quickly and efficiently, not letting my thoughts wander. If I'd thought of him as a sentient being at the time, I probably would've tried to put him back together again.

The others had already finished off their opponents and were starting to burn the pieces. Jasper had a new bite on his arm, but everyone else was uninjured. Emmett and Jasper watched the burning pyre carefully as I added the pieces of my opponent to the group.

"Was that all?" Jasper asked. I nodded solemnly. The impact of our fight was sinking in, not just to me, but to Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Edward, even Emmett. Jasper was the only one who seemed cool and collected. Military. He was all business right now.

I walked over to Esme where she stood away from the fire, a hand clasped over her face against the sickly sweet smell rising from the burning pile. She was upset. Everything about her expression, posture, everything, told me how great the impact of the fight had been on her. I held her tight to me, resting my cheek on her hair, breathing in her sweet cinnamon brown sugar scent. I was almost able to mask the stench off the fire.

She leaned into my chest, her eyes travelling upwards until they fell on the bite on my shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" she worried.

"No," I replied truthfully. It didn't even burn anymore. All that was left was a small, half-moon scar. I tried to make my voice as light as I could manage in such a grave time. "I don't even feel it anymore. He just caught me by surprise."

Esme ran her fingers gently over my exposed shoulder where the fabric of my shirt had been torn away. I felt relieved. My family was safe. My angel was safe. And I knew I would protect her from anything that dared threaten such perfection.

And that, boys and girls, was why the Cullens are such bad-ass vampire fighters! I hope you liked it!

Only two more chapters before we get into the events of Twilight, but they may take some time because they're a bit more intricate. Don't forget to review me! I think it would be really cool if I could have 100 by the time I got to the events of Twilight! Real reviews though, not just fluff. Thanks a bunch!

-Wish