Ok, I know what you're thinking. You're looking at this page, then you're looking at your calendar, and you're thinking NO FREAKING WAY. She did not update in only a month's time. Not the queen of the missed deadline and the three month wait. This must be some epic ass author's note. Leave it to Ava to write a 5k excuse about why the next chapter isn't here yet.

But really, it is a chapter. A WHOLE chapter! I came back a little earlier than I expected from vacation with my creative well all replenished and despite the fact that I had a wonderful time, could not wait to get back to writing. It is true the chapter is shorter than my normal never ending story, but it is for good reason.

Thanks again to everyone who has read, reviewed, wrote with me, and listened to me babble on endlessly about this story. As always, is appreciated so much more than any of you will ever know. And I do apologize to anyone who has not yet received a review reply. I am woefully behind, but shall immediately devote myself to catching up.

And here we go…

Chapter 17:

Repercussions

Elisa:

NO.

It was the word that kept coming back to my lips, to my mind, echoed over and over again. This couldn't be happening; none of it. This was just a bad dream, my imagination gone haywire. My mind refused to accept the truth of the situation, as if the force of my will could freeze everything in an instant. If only wishing could turn everything back to the moments before Dax had lunged at me. Before Bella had tried to intercede. Before the hands that had been reaching for me ripped into her instead.

What happened had been far too fast for me to understand. Dax and Bella had collided as I'd fallen back, pushed out of harm's way. Almost instantly she had crumpled to the ground and at first I didn't realize how bad it was. Not until I saw the blood spurt from between the fingers she had clasped over her throat. Her own expression was bewildered as she struggled to rise.

The soothing haze of shock abated all too quickly and I was ripped back into the living nightmare of this new reality.

I didn't remember running to her, or how I had managed to lift her upper half onto my lap without hurting her more. It seemed I was just instantly there. The sight of her ravaged throat up close was an appalling sight that I would never be able forget. It was instinct that had me covering the brutal gash with my hand, trying to hold it closed. She choked and gasped in my arms, flailing as she struggled for breath.

"Bella, please, hold still. It's going to be OK, everything will be alright…" I was babbling in a nonsensical attempt to soothe her, but it was foiled by the tears that were streaming down my face. Never had I felt more helpless than I did at that moment.

Bella's eyes had been locked onto me but abruptly her gaze left mine, a look of utter horror crossing her face as she stared at something over my shoulder. I was slow to catch onto the danger; had almost forgotten what a precarious situation we were still in. A shadow fell over us, and I screamed when I looked up to see Dax closing in, a wild cat circling his wounded prey. On one of his hands, his razor sharp fingernails were crimson tipped. He looked at them with a feral grin, deliberately bringing his fingers to his mouth, sucking Bella's blood off of them. All the while he stared down at us, a predatory smile twisting his mouth.

We were out of options. Escape was impossible. There was nothing I could do but huddle myself over Bella, a useless, weak human shield, and wait for the inevitable.

"NO! No, no, no, no! You imbecile! Not her!" The hysterical, banshee like wail had my head shooting back upwards. Dax froze in place, turning slowly to look at Irina. She ran forward, leaning down to stare at Bella. Her face was enraged, so twisted with fury that she looked like she had gone completely mad. Dax seemed stunned at the force of her reaction as she whipped around to face him.

Bella jerked in my grasp but I couldn't take my eyes off the two of them. Dax was taking the defensive now. He was no longer Irina's cowed lackey. He was a ferocious predator willing to fight to the death to protect his kill. Irina advanced on him and he snarled, crouching, a clear invitation to battle.

It was an idiot move on his part. He should have run. Irina launched herself at him with a wild shriek so loud my eardrums ached with the sound of it. He went flying with the force of her blow, slamming into the garden wall. It exploded with a near sonic sounding boom, bricks and dirt spraying everywhere. I had to duck to protect Bella and myself from the flying rubble.

Before Dax could even attempt to rise, Irina was on him, screeching words in a language I didn't understand. They melded into a blur of tangled, struggling limbs.

The cacophony of shrieks and howls was unrelenting, accompanied with a sound like cracking stone.

Even as I cringed away from what I was seeing, another part of me, a cold, vengeful part, wanted to keep watching, rejoicing remorselessly every time Dax screamed. He was getting what he deserved, and I was glad of it. If he managed to mortally wound Irina before he died, so much the better.

My fractured attention snapped back to Bella. Her spasms had stopped, her face becoming oddly slack, almost peaceful. Terror shot through me.

"Bella!" Instinct kept my voice a low hiss. To my great relief, her eyes slowly turned back to me, awareness – and pain – returning to her expression once more.

"Stay with me, Bella. I'm going to get us out of here." My whisper was more hopeful wishing than reality. This was the time for escape, while Irina and Dax were diverted, but what could I do? How could I move her? I wasn't strong enough to carry her. If I tried to drag her, I could hurt her. Where would I even go? The house, maybe…if I could get to a phone, surely the fear of human discovery would force Irina to flee. It seemed an impossible task, but I had to try.

I tensed, preparing to move, when a low voice sounded in my ear.

"Going somewhere?"

My cry of alarm strangled in my throat. I had almost forgotten Sebastian's presence. When his voice sounded only the strong instinct to keep Bella still prevented me from jumping. He had come from seemingly nowhere to kneel down next to us. I wanted to pull away, but I didn't dare move.

"Well, this is bloody inconvenient," he murmured as he looked at Bella cradled in my arms. At the look I flashed him, he grinned. "Pardon the pun."

I stared at him warily

"You'll never make it anywhere with her, you know. It's such a waste, really. She'll die for nothing now."

Bella moved again at his words, her eyes agonized. Her lips parted but she was still unable to speak. Sebastian shook his head in mock sympathy. His face betrayed nothing but casual interest, as if he was a blameless observer rather than an accessory to what had happened. I was amazed at how calm he was in the presence of so much fresh, flowing blood.

As I returned his stare, my heart began to pound with something like hope.

"You can help her," my voice was hoarse, desperate. "Save her. Please."

Sebastian arched a black eyebrow. "What exactly is it that you are asking me to do?" He knew full well, but his expression said he wanted me to say it.

I looked down at Bella before I spoke again. She stared from Sebastian back to me. Her chin moved the tiniest fraction, but I understood what she was trying to tell me. I looked back at Sebastian.

"Change her."

Sebastian looked at me, waiting for more. I moistened my dry lips. "Save her, and you can do whatever you want with me. I won't fight you."

Bella's eyes betrayed alarm now. I ignored her frantic gaze, choosing instead to look directly into Sebastian's golden eyes.

His low laugh sounded. "Do you really think you have anything to bargain with? I can do whatever I want with you regardless. How do you imagine you could fight me? Still…" he looked at Bella contemplatively. "Having Edward in my debt could be quite useful some day…"

"Then do it!" I begged, looking frantically over my shoulder. We were running out of time. Any second now, an enraged Irina could descend on us. She was still screaming incoherently in the distance but Dax had long stopped making any noise at all.

Sebastian hesitated, looking at Bella, so blood spattered and pale as she gasped for breath that she looked like a corpse already. "You're too far gone, you must realize. This is probably just going to kill you," he informed her in a tone so cavalier that if he hadn't been in the position to be Bella's savior I would have wanted to claw off his face.

"Do…it…" Bella's soundless whisper was still clear to both of us. Sebastian inclined his head and reaching down, picked up her wrist. He brought it to his lips.

I held my breath as his mouth grazed her skin. Bella flinched and gritted her teeth. I tightened my grip on her, trying my best to keep her still.

It was both terrifying and fascinating to watch the change in Sebastian's face as his teeth pierced Bella's skin. His features tightened, became more animalistic, and a grunt escaped his lips. As I stared, red began to flood his eyes, overwhelming the gold.

It seemed as if his lips had barely touched her, however, when his head suddenly jerked up and her limp arm dropped to the ground beside me.

"NO!" I cried. "Don't stop –"

Bella was writhing in clear agony and it was harder to keep my grip on her. I opened my mouth to scream at him to finish what he'd started but my words broke off as I saw what he was staring at. Irina was only a few feet from us, completely still. Her attention was focused away from us, as she stared into the forest.

Whatever held her attention had captured Sebastian's as well. He shook his head, as if trying to shake off the lure of Bella's blood, and inhaled deeply. His features darkened and he groaned.

In a flash, he stood up, ignoring my desperate protests. "Sorry, love. Company's coming and they're sure to be put out with me. I can't take you…you'll slow me down and in the interest of not being dead, I need to move quickly."

His face sobered as he looked downward. "My apologies, Bella. It was worth a try."

I grabbed for his pant leg as he moved away and instantly he was kneeling again, his face next to mine. "Don't waste your time on a lost cause. I didn't give her enough. Leave her and run while you still can, before Irina takes out her disappointment on you as well."

With what seemed to be a single step, he was several feet away, turning to look at me one last time. "Take my advice, Elisa. Save yourself. I am very much counting on seeing you again."

"Wait!" My cry was useless. The place where he stood was empty, only the leaves still rippling in his wake giving any sign he'd been there at all.

Frantically, I used my free hand to pick up Bella's arm, praying. My heart leapt wildly, actually hurting my chest, when I saw the small, bloody wound. It had to be something, right? Even a tiny bit of venom…

My own gasp interrupted my frantic internal bargaining. The small wound was already healing, the tiny rips in the flesh sealing before my eyes. It still looked pink and raw, a cut a day or two old, but it was enough to make my fragile hopes soar once more. Desperately, I looked down at my hand covering the tear in Bella's throat. I didn't dare remove it to check for signs of healing. It felt as gaping and mortal as ever. Blood still oozed between my fingers and underneath my palm, but had it slowed? There was already so much of it on both of us it was impossible to tell.

Another breathless hiss from Bella caught my attention. She was staring up at me again, her face straining as she fought to communicate with me. I read her lips clearly. "Go…run…"

I pressed my lips into a defiant line, realizing what she was asking, and shook my head. "I won't leave you, Bella."

Her responding glare was fierce, her eyes urgent with her need to convince me. It was a lost cause. She was lying here because of me. There was no way I would abandon her now.

"Irina!"

The nearby rustling, and the quiet footsteps although I registered it dimly, was not enough to distract from my fervent musing, but the voice that sounded was. For a single instant, I thought we were saved, until I realized why the voice was so familiar.

Tanya had appeared, streaking out from the tree line like a comet flying across the sky. Running with her was another vampire, a woman with long, auburn hair. The third sister – I had no idea what her name was.

"Irina!" Tanya spoke again, her voice tinged with shock. She had come to a stop in front of Irina. The auburn haired one hesitated for a moment, then with a blur of speed she appeared at my side, kneeling down next to Bella. I reared back, holding Bella tighter as wariness flooded me. Were they here to stop Irina – or to help her?

Tanya's face was aghast as she looked from Irina to Bella crumpled in my grip.

"Bella?" The auburn haired woman spoke with a faint accent, her voice questioning as she looked at Bella's limp figure.

I nodded numbly and the vampire moaned softly, shaking her head. Her cool fingers were suddenly on top of the hand that I had against Bella's throat, repositioning my own before I could object. "Put pressure here," she ordered quietly.

I felt the difference immediately. The seemingly never ending flow of blood slowed instantly underneath my skin.

"You must be Elisa. My name is Kate. Don't be frightened now. We're here to help." Her voice was clearly meant to be soothing, but I heard the falseness beneath it. She could not quite mask the dread in her eyes every time she looked at Bella.

Bella blinked up at her, looking as though she were struggling to comprehend her words. My stomach clenched at the confusion on her face. She was barely hanging on.

"Irina," Tanya's voice sounded again, and the note of pure anguish in it pulled my gaze to them again. "What have you done?"

Irina stepped away from her sister, tense and wary. She looked torn between fight and flight even as her face was furious and defensive. "What you wouldn't!" Her shout was thunderous.

"But why? Why did you do this to our friends? To Edward?" Still on her knees next to me, Kate glared up at her sister. "You've betrayed us and everything we stand for! How could you do this to an innocent? She was not to blame for Laurent's death! It was Victoria - "

"Don't say her name!" Irina shouted. The hysterical tone was back in her voice. "She is dead, but the dogs live, thanks to the two of you and Eleazer and Carmen as well! None of you stood by me when I needed you! You all were too weak, too afraid to break with Carlisle and his clan, to stand with me and avenge Laurent. My own people refused to help me when I needed you the most. You forced me to act! Bella's blood is on your hands just as much as mine!"

"Irina, you have to stop this now. Don't you realize the danger you're in?" Tanya's demeanor as she spoke to her prodigal sister was in stark contrast to Kate's angry tone. Her face was pained, pleading. "This will not be forgiven. Edward will kill you and none of them will lift a finger to stop him!"

Irina sneered now. "Do you think I'm afraid to die? Every second of this cursed existence seems a century without Laurent. The only thing I have left is my promise to avenge him and I won't let anyone take that from me. Not even you! The dogs are our enemies! They must die, and if it takes Bella's death to start a war, so be it, even if I have to do it alone!"

"But you weren't alone, were you?" Tanya stared down, her expression full of disgust. In the dim light of approaching dusk, I couldn't see what she was staring at until she reached out and picked up something long and white…something that wriggled sinisterly in her grasp. Bella's eyes bulged and I gasped. It was Dax's arm, disembodied and yet, somehow, still inexplicably alive.

Kate looked stunned as well. In a flash she was on her feet, her figure blurring from place to place. I realized she was helping Tanya pick up the rest of Dax's body. It was a sickening sight, all of those trembling pieces, and I was glad I couldn't see them clearly. They tossed him into the empty fountain as if he was as inconsequential as trash on the highway. There was a snapping sound, and Tanya's hand seemed to flame until I realized she held a lit match. She tossed it into the fountain and it lit up like a bonfire, flames and sparks shooting high. The smoke smelled sickeningly sweet.

"Who else helped you, Irina?" Tanya's face was betraying anger now. Irina didn't answer, her fists clutched at her sides. Both Kate and Tanya took simultaneous, deep breaths, testing the air.

"Sebastian," Kate breathed. She looked furious, but it was nothing compared to Tanya's expression.

"That traitorous bastard," she snarled. "I'll kill him for this!"

Kate shook her head. "'We have time enough to deal with him. We have other priorities now," Her head turned towards me and Bella once more. "Help me get Bella inside. We have no time to waste." Her gaze included Irina as well as Tanya.

"Help you?" Irina snarled, her words dripping with malevolence. "Help you save her? No! A thousand times no! It's time for both of you to show your real loyalty now! She is nothing to us! I am your sister. Help me! I can still start the war. I can take Bella's body to the Quileutes, and if you both stand at my side we can begin to cut them down." Her voice quieted, becoming cracked. Seeming to give up on Kate, she turned back to Tanya. "I have to do this, for Laurent. He deserves it. Please, I need you! Don't abandon me again. Help me destroy the dogs. It's the only way I will ever know peace!"

Tanya stared at her sister. For a moment, an endless moment in which my heart threatened to pound right out of my chest, she looked torn. Finally, her face cleared, though it was full of sorrow. "Irina, no! Let your hatred go before it destroys you. We have to get you home before the Cullens return. They'll kill you if we don't. Please, see reason! Let us protect you!"

"We can't just run!" Kate protested, kneeling once more next to us. "Not with Bella hurt!"

Tanya whirled to face her, her eyes suddenly blazing. "It's too late for her, Kate! She'll be dead in minutes, if she even has that. The damage has been done. Irina is right on one count. She should be our priority. Our loyalty is, and always has been, to each other above all others. We cannot forget that now."

She turned back, holding out her hand to Irina. "Come with us, sister. Come home."

For a moment, I thought Irina would weaken. She stepped forward, her face drawn with indecision. Her hand fluttered upwards, towards Tanya's outstretched one. Abruptly, she stepped back, her eyes hardening.

"I can still do it," she hissed. "I can claim retribution for Laurent without any of you! I'll kill them all myself!"

"NO!" Kate and Tanya cried out at the same time but it was too late. Irina was already gone. Tanya's figure blurred for a moment as she started after her and stopped just as abruptly.

"What are you waiting for?" She demanded of Kate. "We have to stop her, or she'll destroy herself!"

Frantically I grabbed Kate's arm with my free hand before she rose. "Don't leave us! Bella will die! You have to change her!" I was close to hysteria myself, my voice breaking.

Kate hesitated, turning to look up at Tanya. "Tanya, please. We have to stay and do what we can!"

Tanya looked at us. Bella lurched in my arms. A gurgle came from her throat, perhaps her own attempt to plead for her life.

"And leave our sister to the mercy of the wolves? Or to the judgment of the Cullens? Are you truly choosing to just let her go?" Tanya's voice was thick with outrage.

Kate bent underneath Tanya's accusing stare. I saw her waver and dread began to weigh me down even as she spoke for us. "Tanya, how can we leave them?"

"You can't!" I cried out and for the first time, Tanya's gaze met mine, and quickly traveled lower to look at Bella.

"I'm truly sorry." Tanya's voice was gentler now. "But we can't help you and I won't let my sister die too." Her gaze settled on Kate. "You have to make your own choice, the choice you can live with. I am."

There was no time to bargain, to call her back. With a rush of air, Tanya was gone. I dug my fingers into Kate's stony skin, the pleas spilling over my lips so quickly I could barely make sense of them myself. She had to save Bella. We were out of chances. There was no one else.

Even as I begged, I knew it was too late. Kate's eyes were regretful, but resolved. She had made her choice.

"I can't," she shook her head and with a swift motion she was out of my grip and on her feet. The pity on her face revolted me. We didn't need her sympathy, we needed her action.

I was struggling to speak over her worthless apologies, frantic to make her understand, but she wasn't listening. "I've never changed anyone. I don't think I can by myself. I'm sorry. Please, believe me. I'm so, so sorry."

"NO!" I wailed. "No! Come back! Please, come back! Please!"

My cries were pointless. She had already gone, and with her, she had taken the last semblance of hope we'd had.

Bella's eyes were tearful, resigned. At least the pain had gone from her expression, but that was cold comfort. It only meant that she was too far gone to feel it anymore. I didn't even know if the venom was in her system anymore with how much she had bled out. Carefully, I cradled her head against one hand as I stared down at her, desperately willing her to keep fighting.

Her lips moved. She couldn't make any more than a gurgling sound but I understood the words anyway. "...Edward...tell Edward..."

"No," I whispered. I could feel my lips trembling. "You tell Edward! He'll be here soon; you just have to hang on!"

Her lips moved again and I read the soundless words. "...please, Elisa..." The strain on her face as she struggled to communicate with me was wrenching.

"OK," I whispered, defeated. More tears fell from my eyes onto her pallid face. "I'll tell him, whatever you want."

Her eyes stared at me desperately but she now lacked the strength to even move her lips. She was dying, whether I wanted to accept it or not. She wanted me to tell Edward her final words, but she was too weak now to talk anymore. The time that Sebastian and his venom had bought us was rapidly running out and she knew it. Her own tears welled in her eyes and spilled over her temples, mixing with mine as they made tracks on her grimy skin.

I did my best to stop crying. The least I could do was be calm for her. In response to the question in her eyes, I tried my hardest to guess what she'd wanted to say. I couldn't deny her this last, tiny bit of peace.

"I'll tell him you love him. I'll tell him that..." I struggled silently, trying to find the right thing to say. "I'll tell him that no matter what, you'll always be with him. That you were so brave, and now it's his turn, to be brave like you, to go on. He will, Bella. He'll do it for you."

I must have guessed correctly for her bloodied, battered face relaxed. I hoped that I would be forgiven for the massive lie I had just told her. It was kinder now to not tell her the truth. For I knew without any shadow of a doubt that if we lost Bella, we'd lose Edward as well. No matter what anyone said, how hard we pleaded, if I shed an ocean of tears, he still would not stay on this earth without her. They could not exist without each other.

Bella's eyes were dimming now, turning away from me to stare aimlessly up at the gray sky. Panic gripped me and I shook her as lightly as I could. "Bella, no…look at me, Bella, look at me!" I was so frightened in that moment I might have slapped her face if I'd had a free hand. Even as grim as it seemed, I couldn't give up that tiny part of me that still believed she would make it through this. She was the princess in our story. This was her fairytale. It couldn't end this way!

To my overwhelming relief, Bella's eyelids flickered and her gaze returned to me. "Good," I crooned to her. "It won't be long now. Edward is coming."

A light flickered in her face then, fanning the painful singe of hope within me once more. I hurried to keep going, to say anything that would keep her from slipping away. "He's almost here. I can hear him."

"You…can?"

I couldn't imagine the reserve of strength it took for her to frame those words. I nodded eagerly, losing myself in the comfort of the lie. I was dimly aware that I was pulling dangerously away from the truth of the situation, hugging my spun bedtime story close to shield myself as much as her.

"He's running. He's so close. So you can't close your eyes now. He'll be disappointed if he comes and you're not awake. Promise, Bella? Stay awake for Edward."

"…Edward…" Bella's crimson stained lips formed his name and slowly curved into a half smile that must have cost her dearly.

Her eyes turned towards the forest, and my gaze followed. The image my words had formed in my own head had been too comforting; the sight of Edward rushing in to save the day the nick of time had been a lifeline for both of us. The harsh reality that I was confronted with, the sight of the empty tree line, was too much. I sobbed loudly, despite all my good intentions. My vision was so lost in the blur of tears that I couldn't see what effect my breakdown was having on Bella. Where was he? Why didn't he come?

"Edward…" I sobbed as the shadows lengthened over us, the last dull rays of the sun swallowed up in the darkening sky.

And then I was screaming, unable to stop, something snapping within me. Over and over, I screamed Edward's name, knowing it was useless, knowing it was too late.

Knowing that even after my breath and my voice were gone, I would still never, ever be able to stop.

To Be Continued…

-ducks and covers-

I know, I know! I swear I actually wrote quite a bit beyond this, but no matter how I tried to justify it to myself, the rest of Elisa's chapter changed the tone too drastically and worse, it dragged. This had to be where I ended it. But I promise, the next chapter offers some resolution AND it is Edward's POV. I can't wait to get it out.

Thank you all for bearing with me. I would love it if you review and let me know what you think.