A/N Heeey so here's the next chapter, it's nowhere near what I would like, but I need to finish this. So I hope it's not too bad.

Chapter 24

My hands were white, gripping the steering wheel with a strength that would have broken a few bones in someone's hand. Charlie sat next to me in the passenger seat, with Renee in the back seat, the gun aimed at him. I had to find a way to get him away, leaving me alone to deal with her, but nothing came to mind; the only thing I could do was stall. But stall for what? How would anybody know where we were? And for how long could I stall? Forks was a very small town, I couldn't just drive around forever, at the most I had about 12 minutes, before I had to take action. Part of me knew that something was up, I should have called Charlie, just to make sure he wanted to talk to me. I let my mind cloud with too many emotions, I slipped up, and now my family was paying the price.

"Remember dear, no funny business." She spoke up from the back seat.

"Don't worry, that's what I've got you for right?" I mumbled, peering at her through the mirror.

"Oh Isabella, out of all people I thought you'd understand where I'm coming from." she tsked, "You're grandmother lied to you your entire life, a father who treats you like any other one of his agents, and a mother who- well we wont go there. But you lost and then were shoved back into a life that you weren't supposed to have. You had people making choices for you, and then were threatened with death should you not agree with their decisions. Don't you want a bit of your own justice?"

"That's what you call this? Justice?" Charlie piped up next to me. I bit my tongue and concentrated on not running the car off the road.

"It's as close as I will get." She answered.

"I don't know why Nana didn't tell me about this, about my dad, but she cared for me when you didn't. Charlie didn't know about me and as hard as it is to believe the first 16 years are very important in a father- daughter relationship. But you, you had a chance at a new life, at having a normal life with your daughter. And instead you abandon her, you team up with the people who at some point were trying to kill you, and plot against the life of the only friends you ever had and the man who loved you." I asserted, "And now you want to talk about the justice you think you deserve?" I scoffed.

"Oh please he never loved me, there is no such thing as love. It is merely a game for the ignorant, a lie they tell each other to make their worthless lives easier to deal with." she spat grudgingly.

"And that's just a lie that people who've never experienced or have lost their love say to make it easier to bear." I retorted clenching my jaw.

The heavy feeling settled at the bottom of my stomach got heavier and heavier as I turned onto the isolated dirt road leading to my destination. Time was running out- fast. "This doesn't look right, where are you going?" She cocked the gun and pressed it against Charlie's temple.

"I'm sorry are you the one driving? No, I know where I'm going. If you knew where we were going I wouldn't be needed here, now would I?" 5 minutes. That's how long I had before I had a bullet embedded in my skull.

"Watch the tone Isabella." She warned.

"Yes mother." I mumbled under my breath. My heart sank the second I saw the outline of the large building in the middle of the forest up ahead. My time was up, we were both dead.

"Are we here?" Renee asked peering out the window as I parked in front of the large cabin.

"Do you see anything else around here?"

"Alright I've had enough of you." She answered removing her gun from Charlie's skull to my own. I gripped the steering wheel tighter than I already was and stared pointedly straight ahead.

"Renee don't do this, you still need to get inside, and for that you need the codes. Let her go and I'll take you in myself." Charlie stopped her as she was about to push the trigger.

It was silent in the car for a while, well actually it was a couple of seconds, but time tends to slow down when there's a gun pointed at your head. Finally she spoke up, "Alright both of you out."

Each step toward the house felt like walking through wet cement, it got harder and harder to walk. Charlie punched in the security code, and we stepped into the house. Now let me tell you, this was one really nice cabin. It was almost a mansion, there was nothing special in particular about it, it was simply nice. It kind of gave me a serene feeling, maybe my brain had just had enough at that point and decided to quit on me; because suddenly I had the thought, This is a nice place to die, a good place to begin the afterlife. And with that cheerful note I rushed at my mother.

I tackled her into the wall behind her, slamming my body against her right side-mainly her arm, trying to loosen her grip on the gun in order to get it away from her. But she was fast, she was top of her team for a reason. She quickly overcame the shock, and began fighting back. She swung at me, while trying to aim the gun at me. I managed to hang on to her hand holding the gun, keeping it aimed everywhere but me or Charlie; she shoved me against the wall and repeatedly slammed me against it hoping I would let go of it. Before I could stop him, Charlie grabbed Renee around the waist and threw her back. She slammed into the wall but that didn't stop her for long, "Run!" Charlie shouted.

I was having trouble processing his order quickly, my head pounding; that's when everything sped up. Renee stood straight gun aimed straight at my chest, she pulled the trigger and the deafening bang filled the house. Except I felt no pain, I stood frozen; but nothing seemed to ache, every part of me was intact. I saw the horror on Renee's face as Charlie slowly dropped to his knees, then to his side, her gun fell and clattered onto the floor.

"Dad!"

"Charlie!" Renee and I both screamed at the fallen man at the same time.

I ran to his side, trying to roll him over on to his back. "Dad- No please no. Dad answer me." I cried as I managed to turn him over, blood pooled around him. I looked down to his torso, a dark stain seeping through his shirt.

"Charlie." Renee whispered as she dropped to her knees, she extended a hand out to touch him and I nearly bit it off.

"Get the hell away from him!" I shouted at her. I had never been so angry in my life. I saw nothing but red, and she was right in the middle of it.

"Bells." I could barely hear him, but he was there. Immediately all of my attention zeroed in on him.

"Dad! I-I have to get you help, now." I looked back down at his torso and he was losing a lot of blood. "We need to go now." I tried lifting him but he groaned in pain and didn't dare move.

"Bells, listen to me. I'm sorry, I should have been more diligent about your safety. I should have ensured that you had a better life, send you to the finest school; instead I was selfish and I kept you here in my hell. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." He struggled to breath and started coughing up blood.

"No. Shush. Please don't say that." I cried cradling his head, tears sliding down my nose and splattering on his face like salty rain drops. "You were the best thing to happen to me, you showed me where I was meant to be."

"Renee." He whispered, his eyes searching for her without moving his head.

"Charlie." She answered crawling into his sight, she was shaking; her blonde wave bouncing along with her. I almost tackled her but a squeeze on my arm held me where I was, I looked at Charlie's hand wrapped tight around my arm.

"I know I should have done things differently, but believe it or not I did what I did because I loved you. I loved you then, I loved you when you were gone, I loved you when I thought you were dead, and I love you now as I die." I stared at him, incredulous. I had no words to say, no thoughts to express. This man had loved one woman his whole life, and even when she betrayed him, he still loved her. I looked at Renee, and watched as tears streamed down her face. My face contorted into an expression of disgust.

"Bella." Charlie spluttered, blood dripping down his mouth.

"Dad, please stop we have to get you help." I cried.

"Remember that we all make mistakes, decisions that affect our life and the life of the ones we love. I know it's hard, but family is family; and" he gasped for breath withering on the floor, he gripped my arm tighter, "no matter what, they will always be a part of you. Like it or not. You can choose to be better than them and learn from their mistakes, or repeat their history. It's up to you." His breathing slowed, his eyes shut in pain.

"Dad?" I whispered.

"You're my pride and joy Bella, even when I didn't know it, I was proud of you." he whispered, but his eyes didn't open. I waited, letting him catch his breath to continue, but he never did. I looked at his chest, and it wasn't rising or falling. My hands flew to his wrist to check for a pulse, but I found nothing.

"No. No Dad!" I screamed shaking his shoulders. He had to be alive! I must not be able to find a pulse because my hands were too shaky- at least that's what I told myself. Because my hands were steadier than they had ever been.

I slowly lifted my gaze, my eyes connected with Renee. Hatred bubbled within me. Before she could do anything, I had her gun in my bloody hand aimed directly at her head. "Get up." I spat through gritted teeth.

She slowly stood, I along with. She had her hands raised, wide open in surrender. "Do it." She whispered.

"What?" I asked, taken aback. Slightly lowering my gun.

"Shoot." was her only clarification.

"Why?" I asked suspicious.

She glanced down at Charlie's still body. "Because that's what should have happened years ago, that's how this all started. I plan on correcting the events."

I raised the gun once more, my grip on it tightened. My hand steadier than ever.

I couldn't push the accelerator any further, I was doing well over 100 but it looked like I was barely pushing past 15 miles per hour. I served onto the dirt road, the car jolting up and down over the uneven path. Ages later I came to an abrupt stop, I practically jumped out of the car and into the house. The first thing I saw was Charlie's body on the floor, surrounded but what I could only assume was his blood. "Charlie." I whispered, gun out and ready, I crouched beside him and felt for a pulse, but I found none.

With a heavy heart, I slowly stood and continued on into the house. Fearing I was already too late. Seth, gasped behind me; just entering the house.

"Is he-"He whispered, but before he could finish, I answered.

"Yes."

That's when we heard the shot from upstairs. "Cover me." I ordered as I ran up the stairs. I was about to turn left, when I heard the struggle from a room to my right. I silently signaled Seth, and hugging the wall, turned down the right hallway. I waited by the door, I raised my hand; on the count of three we burst in.

Gun raised and aimed, I saw Bella struggling with a hooded figure in the middle of the room. While Renee stood in the back corner, gun aimed directly at Bella.

"Drop it!" I shouted aiming at her. She looked at me, determination in her eye, she looked back at Bella and re-aimed. I stepped forward and just as I pulled the trigger, my hand shot up at the ceiling. Renee ducked and rolled out of my sight.

"Edward no!" Bella shouted holding my hand up.

"Bella what-" but I never finished asking. A bullet whizzed past my ear, and hit Seth in the shoulder. He fell to the floor as Ciaus aimed at Bella and me now, I grabbed Bella and shielded her with my body. But instead of hearing shots being fired, Renee's scream and glass shattering echoed in the small room.

I looked back to find the two gone from the room, and the glass window broken. "Noooooo!" Bella's scream pierced the silence. She pushed against my hold, and ran to the edge of the broken window. I followed and looked out to see to see to limp figures lying below on the concrete floor.

"Renee!" Bella shouted. She received no response, and as far as I could tell, she wasn't going to.

"Bella! What on earth happened?!" I grabbed her by the shoulders, she wouldn't look at me. She kept looking out the window, waiting for someone to answer her. "Bella!" I shook her, trying to get some sense out of her.

"Renee Dwyer just saved my life. That's what happened." She whispered slowly lifting her head to look me in the eyes. She smiled, a sad distraught smile. She looked insane, and I probably would have believed she was insane. If it weren't for the look she had in her eyes, when she looked into mine; some part of her was at peace. What part that was I had no clue.

She walked over to Seth and helped him sit up, he winced as she rested him against the wall. Sirens and car tires were heard outside the door. She looked up and in the direction of the sounds. "We're not done here are we?" I asked, recognizing the look settling on her face.

The look she always got when the hardest part of the storm was coming, "Not even close." she shook her head.

She stood and I tossed her my knife, knowing she was unarmed. "Actually," she said looking down at the blade in her hand, "I think I'm going to need more than this." I quirked an eyebrow confused.

She grabbed Seth's gun, checked the chamber, loaded it, and then helped Seth to his feet. "Let's go."

A/N Like I said, it's not the best. I wish I had time and ideas to make it better but I am stuck. What I figure I might as well do is finish the story then go back and fix it from beginning to end. So it might take me a while to get it where I want it, but I'll get it there. Thanks for the patience guys, and I'll see you next time.