CHAPTER SIXTY

AFTERMATH

LEAH LUCIER:

My visions had shown me a small spark of life beginning inside Kat the day the wolves killed Quinn Taylor. It was barely there, not even a proper embryo yet, but most definitely going to become one. Kat had saw her crazy ex boyfriend raise his gun and point it at her beloved Embry. She tried to put herself in harm's way instead of him. What a brave human she was! Luckily Etienne had stepped in but a deadly shard had pierced Kat's temple. The metal had lodged into her head. She was limp and unresponsive but had a weak pulse. Embry was holding her close to him as he sobbed. Rebecca was stroking her sister's hair as she cried. Etienne stood gazing around him in disbelief. Everything had happened so quickly. I felt useless because I hadn't done more. The visions had led us here but they had rendered me incapable of any real action. What use was that to a powerful vampire? I felt so sad and low. Etienne dragged Quinn's mangled body away to bury it in the woods. " Tell my husband I'll be back, please Embry. I am going to run like the wind to Carlisle and bring him back here as quick as I can! I need to do something useful!" I cried out my voice full of self loathing. Modern technology appeared to fail in this area, I had to do something right away! Before Embry or Rebecca could turn around I was gone. Now I had been here once I knew the road back home quite easily. I flew in a blur back to Forks and straight to the Cullen's house.

Carlisle was a brilliant doctor but luckily he was also a qualified and accomplished pilot and he had a helicopter waiting to be used right here in the grounds. Bella and Edward were home when I flew into their house at high speed. Bella was shocked when I told her what had happened. She hugged me close to her. "We need to ask Alice to speak to you Leah. These visions are taking their toll on you!" she said sympathetically. Edward ran to get Carlisle who was upstairs in his study. After saying goodbye to Mr and Mrs Cullen I was soon in the air with Carlisle. We arrived at the cabin in no time. Embry and Rebecca were where I had left them. Etienne was standing beside them as they cradled Kat. Carlisle examined Kat quickly. "I need to get her back to Forks. I have equipment at my house which will help sustain her life. She is very weak but there is no blood loss which is good. She appears to be in a coma though. I will know more when I get her to my home. " the doctor said sombrely. Embry looked up at Carlisle with tears in his dark eyes, "Please Carlisle, save her!" he cried. Rebecca held her head in her hands and sobbed her heart out. Carlisle looked down kindly upon the brother and sister in their united grief as my strong, handsome husband swiftly swept Kat up into his arms and made his way into the helicopter. "I will do everything I possibly can" Carlisle stated with a reassuring smile. "She is pregnant" I blurted out. "It's simply impossible for you to know that!" Embry snorted. "She is. My visions have never been wrong yet, Embry." I smiled weakly. Embry began to cry again. I put my cool hand on his head. "Don't worry, go with Kat now. We will all follow on in the Jeep. If I see anything else I promise to tell you" I reassured him. The helicopter left and we assumed our previous positions in the rental Jeep.

Rebecca had stopped crying. Her face was sad and desolate as we approached Vancouver. Twilight was approaching fast and the city lay in front of us, her lights twinkling like stars. We would be bypassing the city tonight though. I had just come out of a vision. I had pretended to close my eyes and drift. As a vampire I couldn't sleep but we could sit in an unmoving state as if we were. "Don't be sad Rebecca. I see a dark haired boy. He is Katherine and Embry's son. It must all turn out okay if he is in my thoughts." I smiled softly as I gently squeezed her hand. She smiled weakly at me, "I'm not sure I believe in your predictions of the future Leah but thank you for trying to cheer me up" she said in a monotone voice. I frowned. How could she doubt the visions? She noticed my expression, " You didn't tell me about the gun!" she hissed. I sighed. "I only found out through Embry that Quinn even possessed one!" she added. "I didn't know about the gun until the last few minutes Rebecca!" I said. Oh this was all I needed! An angry wolf girl on my case. "Events got beyond our control, that's all." Etienne spoke sagely from the driver's seat. Rebecca sighed but turned to me and squeezed my arm, "Sorry Leah. I'm just upset about Kat. I know you did all you could! Things could have been much worse without your visions." she said quietly with a small shudder. Etienne smiled at me in the rear view mirror. It was times like this I needed to be alone with him. Only he could make me feel better. I needed his arms around me, his lips on mine, our cool skin touching seductively. I wanted him right now but we had to wait until we got home. I guessed that wouldn't be for awhile. We had to get to the Cullen's house right now.

Rebecca and I were deciding what to tell her parents. We decided that we would tell them that Embry and Kat had been out for the night when Kat had suddenly suffered a fit. Embry had taken her to his own private doctor rather than the hospital because he believed she would have better care. Unfortunately Kat had slipped into unconsciousness on arrival at Doctor Carlisle Cullen's private surgery. Rebecca reminded me that Embry was meant to be visiting Vancouver so why would he not phone Mike and Angie Constantine right away? Trust my devious husband to come up with the perfect explanation. He raised a perfect eyebrow at me in the mirror, "Of course Embry wouldn't want his fiancee going to the regular hospital here in Vancouver would he? She is pregnant and they are not married yet. Her parents might flip out and Embry hasn't even met them yet! The dates of her pregnancy can easily be made up." Etienne smiled slyly. Perfect! Rebecca nodded and smiled. "That sounds plausible actually. My parents would not be happy about their youngest daughter being pregnant out of wedlock. They are cool in most ways but old fashioned in other ways." she said.

So our story was decided on. Rebecca phoned Embry to see how Kat was and to tell him the ruse we had set up. There was no change with Kat, which Rebecca was sad about but also happy because at least she was still alive. She decided she would tell her parents face to face. She would tell them she had only found out about Kat, so they could all drive to Forks together as a family. I told her we would pay for the Jeep for as long as they needed it. She squeezed my hand gratefully. It looked like we were now going into Vancouver so Etienne indicated right and moved over to the lane which would take us back into the city. My husband and I would run like gazelles to Forks to see Kat and Embry before the Constantine's descended with Rebecca. We had to get everyone's story straight at the Cullen's end. I felt so sad for Kat's parents. They were about to receive devastating news. At least for now Kat was fine. There had been no more visions since the last one featuring the dark haired boy. Although Rebecca was sceptical I could tell my description of the child pleased her no end. I didn't want to tell her the boy was with his Father in my vision but Kat was nowhere to be seen. That didn't mean anything though did it? I hoped not. For now we would pray Kat would survive this. She was in the best place, of that I knew for sure. We were almost at Rebecca's family home. All I could think about was being alone with Etienne. I needed him. We dropped Rebecca off and made our way fleet footed out of the city and into the forest. We both stopped running at the same time as we fell into each other's arms with the divine intent of devouring and possessing the other. Etienne was as essential to me as the blood we needed to survive. He made the visions in my head recede for now. He made me forget everything else.

All I could see, taste and feel was him and him alone.