Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.

Rated M for several reasons.

Chpt 40 Missing in Action

DPOV

Gone.

The Master and Mistress are gone. Missing for almost 48 hours.

I cannot sense them, only feel a vague pull towards her. At least I know she is still alive, for now.

I lift my eyes to survey the sober group gathered around me in the hangar at SeaTac.

Peter and Charlotte are already on their way to Forks with the younger Cullens who are hoping their treaty with the wolf pack will allow them to negotiate for the peaceful passage of us, the large number of angry vampires who are about to descend on their territory. It is a hugely risky undertaking but one the Whitlocks are doing gladly, desperate to save our family. The young Cullens are less sure, and probably less aware of the danger, I think they seek in some way to atone for the apparent actions of their father.

In addition to 'losing' the Master and Mistress I cannot feel Cullen or his missing mate. Since my gift is working perfectly in all other respects I have to assume this is due to the lost ones being in close proximity to the wolves.

A thought which makes my stone heart clench. I will know in approximately an hour, if Peter and Charlotte also disappear from my radar, although at least they have a cell with them.

Dio! What a fucking disaster.

That Cullen is far more devious than I would have given him credit for. Realising the human was a weakness, timing her abduction perfectly for when half the Guard was out of the country and then hiding her somewhere that would expose any searchers to the danger of werewolves. He was always poking about in the libraries at Volterra, he probably knows as much about the deadliness of the wolves and the unpredictable nature of our gifts around them as I do. Somehow he has managed to put the Master and Mistress in the direct path of probably the only thing that could end them and they don't even know.

"It is understood then?" I ask.

The Guard nod. It has been a short lesson in battling werewolves but in all other respects they are well trained, if they remember what I have taught them then there is a chance that most of us will escape intact. At least Ksenyia has some experience, like Caius Vladimir had a bit of a problem with wolves. The existence of something that can kill you is an uncomfortable feeling for vampires.

"Then we are leaving. Now."

I rise and they fall silently into step behind me as we cross the apron in front of the hangar and blend into the shadows.

Immediately I break into a run, fear giving me wings.

PPOV

I can only remember feelin' like this once in my entire existence, when J called Char out of Maria's underground lair an' I thought he was gonna kill her.

I'm pushin' my leaden legs as fast as they will go an' yet it isn't fast enough.

If anythin' happens to J an' my little sister, so help me god, I'll fuckin' . . . . This is a nightmare, a total fuckin' nightmare.

I'd no idea werewolves, shape shifters, whatever, were so dangerous. Come to think of it, I obviously don't know shit about danger because as much as I've always distrusted him I never thought of Carlisle bein' dangerous either.

I just pray we fuckin' survive long enough to help them. Our plan ain't great. We're just gonna parade up an' down main street until a big bad wolf pops out an' demands to know why we're there. Then we're gonna play the 'take me to your leader' card an' hope for the best.

I can't lie, I'm terrified we won't get past the end of that sentence. How different is this visit to last time? Not the cartoon puppies we thought they were. I really wish Char wasn't runnin' beside me, if this all goes to shit I don't want her anywhere near it. But unfortunately she's the same as me, our sire an' his mate are in danger and we'll do everythin' we can to help them, no matter what the cost, just like they did for us.

Shit, I wish we actually knew somethin' about what's going on. I haven't been able to find any intel that suggests that fucker's working with other vampires so I'm guessin' he's come up with this all on his own. Demetri nearly dismembered Ksenyia when he found out she'd told Carlisle he an' half the Guard were on their way back to Russia with her. Char did punch her, which I'll admit was a bit hypocritical but she was upset, an' shit happens. Anyway none of us think she's actually in cahoots with Doctor Death, just that he took the opportunity when he saw it. Motherfucker must have been plannin' this for quite a while.

Evans traced him to Seattle, he hired a car there an' the desk clerk said a young woman was with him, she fitted Lisa's description.

I can't believe Esme's involved in this. Shit, even I was jealous she wasn't my mom. Still, Nicholas has been traipsing around the continental US after her an' he hasn't fuckin' found her yet.

Maybe no news is good news. Maybe J an' sweet thing are tucked up safely somewhere with little Lisa an' the dogs are sat around lickin' their balls an' waggin' their tails.

Fuck me. If we survive this I'm gonna start writin' fairy stories.

We must be gettin' close, my BFF, which has been twitchin' like a motherfucker for two days solid has suddenly gone numb.

Automatically we slow down, finally reaching a human walking pace in time to step out into the dimly lit street.

"Seriously?" Rosalie asks. "We're just going to walk up and down in the hope that the people we need to speak to will come and find us?"

"Blondie, in case your nose is too superior to register it, the recent scent of wolf is so strong here I'm surprised we haven't tripped over one of the fuckers." I growl quietly. "But if you have a better idea, now would be the time to voice it. Failin' that, I suggest we mosey down to yonder bar an' order a beer, they won't be able to attack us directly in there an' the wife an' I might get a snack."

"You're disgusting." She huffs.

I roll my eyes at Char taking her hand an' leadin' the way. If the wolves want a sacrifice to prove our good intentions I vote Blondie gets it.

The bar is smoky, steamy an' full of juicy low lifes. Normally my favourite combination.

We order beers an' settle into an empty booth in the deepest darkest corner. Very vampire.

Char reports in. Unsurprisingly we have fallen off Demetri's radar. What a fuckin' mess. I take my hat off to Carlisle if he planned all this, the vampire's a fuckin' genius. We're stumblin' around in the dark, almost witless with agitation, vampire killers all around us. An' because we actually care about each other there ain't no chance we'll back down an' walk away.

Evil. Fuckin'. Genius.

Without thinkin' about it I pull my wife onto my lap an' wrap my arms tightly around her, smirkin' when Bother Bear gets the same idea. He's never been as stupid as everyone thinks he is, he understands how fucked we are as much as Char an' I do.

It doesn't take long before two giant smelly men enter an' start scannin' the patrons.

Fixing my best wide innocent smile in place I beckon them over. Here goes nothin'.

SPOV

I run directly behind Demetri, trying very hard not to watch his ass, but I'm only a man and it is sort of hypnotic, not to mention fine. Even the knowledge that he would kill me if he knew does not diminish its perfection.

The distinctly uncharitable thoughts I have harboured about Carlisle since I first heard about him all seem to be finally forming a coherent refrain.

A half father. Someone who bombarded his offspring with possessions and homilies about how to live a good life and become a worthy person but never once did anything to re-enforce those teachings.

He provided the perfect mother, a beautiful and loving family and said all the right words. He even set a good example. And yet somehow he completely failed to prepare the son he loved so much for reality.

It is all such a waste. Such a terrible shame.

He left him totally unprepared to deal with the twists and turns that life and eternity would throw at him. He idolised him, gave him the impression that he was perfect in his beliefs and actions. Never once encouraged him to grow, to mature, or to think differently.

Of course it is very easy to pass judgement. But we talked enough and honestly enough for me to recognise the truth of it. Indeed he recognised it himself, as much as he was able to.

Certainly nothing that has happened in the last few months has done anything to change my opinion.

It is not fair to her to say that I love her because he did but there is an element of truth in it because it certainly drew me to her initially. He may have been flawed but he was more than able to recognise goodness when he saw it. Sadly not able to make the right decision, I think that made the knowledge of what he'd lost all the more poignant. He grew, but too little too late. And no thanks to his father figure.

Oh love, your whole existence was such a tragedy and unfortunately it is spilling over into hers. I know what you would want me to do and I am sorry, I will.

For her. For you.

CCPOV

I should leave now. Everything is going according to plan, as far as I can tell.

I regret biting the girl but by the time this chaos is sorted out it won't matter. The wolves will probably get her before she can cause any trouble, she certainly will not be in any shape to talk and perhaps with all the drugs I have given her she will remain blissfully unaware.

I am strangely reluctant to leave. For two reasons.

Firstly, I cannot help but wonder what use is this vengeance if I do not get to witness it.

And secondly. Perhaps I could start again with Lisa. She was such a sweet, innocent thing. Caught up in her learning, bereft of all family, thanks to them. And so talented, such a waste to let that go. A chemist, a scientist. What a magnificent child that would be.

I had assumed that my death would be the end to this particular production. Unless . . . .

I can do this. I have hardly injected her with any venom, the change will be slow. If I bury her in the ground I can check what is happening with them and still be back in time to welcome her into her new life. As my daughter.

There is plenty of time for me to work out a new cover story. When you are as old as I am, which only I know for sure, there is plenty of time to learn from your experiences and adapt. There is always a way you can wriggle free of your predicament.