*Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable; all those rights go to Stephenie Meyer. All song rights go to the listed artist. I only own any original characters.

What have you done now?

Would you mind if I killed you?

Would you mind if I tried to?

'Cause you have turned into my worst enemy

You carry hate that I don't feel

It's over now, what have you done?

Artist~ Within Temptation

Song~ What have you done now

The shifter's golden gaze never left the lugubrious girl as his form began to shimmer. Bones were reconstructed, and fur was rescinded, revealing bare flesh to once again take a man's anatomy.

'comfort, our kindred,' the all-consuming thought propelling the hybrid forward from the camouflage of the nearby dense foliage surrounding the small cemetery.

But instead of feeling the neatly trimmed grass of the graveyard beneath his feet, he felt weightlessness as his body was propelled back into the dark environs from which he had just emerged.

As quickly as the buoyant feeling started, it was replaced by an excruciating pain that radiated throughout his whole body. Its sheer intensity almost made him deaf to anything outside of the sound of cracking bones as his body impacted against the ancient tree's trunk.

This caused his listless form to fall at the base of the tree, only groans from the agony of the impact, and his already healing injuries proved he was still alive.

Paul could feel his body trembling under the torment of his pain; he was always taught pain is weakness leaving the body, and if that saying held true right now, he'd be considered an utter frailty with how much pain radiated throughout his whole being. The impact was agonizing, but the healing was excruciating torture as he felt each pop and snap as his body reconstructed itself.

Gritting his teeth, he fought to shift the focus of his mind. This wasn't about him; his pain was temporary; his body would heal... is healing. His kindred was suffering and wilting away every minute she was left to her emotional torture. If there was one thing Paul knew, it was that while the body can heal, one's mind is much more challenging to mend.

A sense of resolve suddenly set in. Digging his fingers into the damp earth, Paul fought his aching body upward in an attempt to right himself. His concern for the injuries fighting to heal meant nothing; his only drive was to get to the girl.

Pushing through the pain of mending bones and weakened muscle, the broken werewolf planted both feet underneath him, giving him the confidence to stand.

With a ragged breath, he pushed his arm against the tree that shattered his body. He took a moment to prepare himself, using its sturdiness as a crutch to steady himself. With a deep breath to fuel his determination, his arm slipped away, allowing him to stand under his own power, but only to stagger in his attempt to walk. His mending spine gave under the pressure of gravity in its fragile state of reconstruction, causing his large frame to buckle and sink down to the soggy earth.

His body was only mere inches from impact with the cool earth when an icy grip clamped around his throat, preventing his descent, but only for him to be forced into a new direction upwards before being slammed back into the tree that had just broken his back.

Paul could feel the tree taking more punishment out on his body as its rough bark grated into his skin like a thousand little razors. Somehow, his inner strength stifled a groan of discomfort. Instead, a growl reverberated throughout his chest as his golden eyes snapped open to meet the fierce expression painted on the veneer texture of Rosalie's face as she kept him pinned to the tree.

Rosalie squeezed her grip a bit harder as her amber eyes met the golden ones. To her, she wasn't dealing with the man; she was dealing with the wolf. The wolf was primal and did not comprehend rational reasoning; it relied on instinct, and she couldn't allow pure instinct to control it. No, she needed the man to be awake to see reason before a rash decision caused more trauma to the young girl.

"I suggest you let go," snidely bit out as Paul hung limply in her grip.

"And allow your impetuous nature to control you by walking out there threadbare? I think not mutt," she hissed. Rosalie's only concern was for the young girl she held close to her heart. "She has had enough trauma for one day."

A jeering smile pulled imperceptibly at Paul's lips, exposing the tips of his slightly elongated canines. A snicker escaped his throat, and his golden gaze leveled to the amber one before him.

"You think you know, but you don't," he chuckled. "You only see the exterior, but a vampire's vanity is nothing new." he chortled a bit at how his words seemed to slightly wound his advisory with the slight tick in her jaw.

Paul knew Rosalie was protective of the girl, while some part of him could appreciate that. That protection was small compared to what surged through his body regarding Isabella's well-being. She was clan; she was pack.

"You see my eyes and believe I am nothing but feral... impetuous as you say," he mocked. " But how wrong you are. Like I said, you only see what is on the outside. That is your nature because your kind is nothing short of vain. Only taking purchase in what you see, not what you don't." He could feel her grip tighten that much more as his words took purchase down to her core.

"the truth hurts, doesn't it" Paul gritted out, his malice hanging on every syllable as he watched his words slightly crack the mask she wore. "You see my golden eyes and believe I am nothing more than the wolf in the man's body. You see, though, we are not wolf nor man... we are one." he paused, a rueful smile now playing at his lips as he stared down the vampiress.

"Now, Can you say the same for yourself? Can that bit of humanity that remains that you pride yourself so highly on be one with the beast inside?" he jeered as his right hand rose up, snatching the cold forearm of the hand that held him in place. Applying pressure caused a whimper from the vampire while an amused sneer pulled at Paul's features. He knew he had finally formed a crack in the perfect veneer facade she proudly wore.

Rosalie for a moment wasn't sure if the whimper that escaped her was from the deathly grip on her forearm or from the words that broke down to the core of her very being. She'd like to believe it was a bit of both but she knew it was from what the dog had said.

Rosalie had always struggled with what she was, that something between human and monster. The vampiress hated what she had become, but took pride in her control of the beast that lurked just underneath her beautiful facade. Her few memories of humanity and desire to be anything but the worst part of the creature she had become helped give her the determination to suppress the haunting instincts of the beast inside.

Rosalie never wanted this life, and so many times, she wished that she had just died in that alley. Even after all these years, she still hasn't forgiven Carlisle for creating her, but she couldn't walk away from him or the family he had built. The Cullen's pretense of being human helped her control the animal inside that much more, so she chose to stay with her sire and his makeshift family.

Rose lifted her eyes to glance at the wolf's smug expression. At that moment, she envied the dog. He didn't have to fight his two natures he was able to live as one with both sides of himself. The proof was right before her in his actions. The wolf would have just fought her to get what it desired. That was its animalistic nature, after all, yet here the beast stood with the strength and instincts of the wolf yet with not only the body of the man but the consciousness of him too.

Her eyes shifted away, attempting to hide her envy and pain, knowing she could never be like him to live as one with the creature you shared your body with. It wasn't for her lack of trying as her memory shifted to the night she had tried, but once given freedom the beast took complete control, pushing her restraint to the back of their shared mind.

She could feel the animal's joy in its ability to do what it was made to do, to hunt, torture, and kill. If she was honest, the part of her that was pushed to the furthest regions of their mind found some enjoyment in what the monster had done to that despicable human.

While Rose wasn't in control that night she felt everything, She still remembered the smell of their blood and fear, but when Rose had chosen to exact revenge that night, she never planned on killing or drinking from them. The controlled, reserved part pushed through the haze as the screams grew louder. Rosalie finally could see through the monster's euphoria as one person lay dead and another was about to die. God knows how many more would have died that night if it wasn't for Emmett, who had restrained the wild animal she had let herself become.

After that night, and so many more nights of seclusion away from any type of humanity and always with a babysitter, she was able to detox her system enough to allow that repressed morality to overthrow the weakened beast, once again allowing herself to lock the worst part of herself away.

However, those restraints were again tested, as her diet had gone from animal to human. When she had chosen her current path, Rosalie had not only joined Sarah but the Volturi, and with that came no substitutions, and in return for her inner beast to rattle against its restraints.

This time, though, she vowed to keep it locked away and slowly transition into her diet. While Rose had no choice in her diet change, she did have a choice on who she drank from. So, like Sarah, Rosalie only chose the worst kind of people. In her mind, it justified the killing and helped her believe she kept a bit of her humanity as she fed the monster inside her.

Every day, Rosalie played with fire whenever feeding. The action caused the beast to rise up. Forcing her to fight more to control it. She could still hear Emmett's heartbreaking concern as he pleaded with her when she had chosen this new life, "why take the risk of playing with not only fire but the devil himself" but for Rose, his words fell on deaf ears because this risk was worth it if it meant she could protect the girl that had somehow felt knitted to her very soul.

Not a day went by that she didn't mourn the loss of Emmett, she had loved him, but he couldn't accept the path that they were asked to walk. It broke her to watch him walk away, to not choose to stand by her side. Though as much as it hurt to lose him, In the end, her decision would never change, she would always risk everything for Bella.

Paul watched in amusement as the vampiress warred with herself. He didn't move a muscle while patiently waiting for his opportunity. Finally, he felt it causing a crude chuckle to escape him as his spine finally knit itself back together.

With a lightning-quick movement, he struck. Catching his captor off guard as he twisted away from the tree, wrenching the arm already in his grasp from his throat, with a snarl, he flung the stunned vampire to the side and made a break for the tree line.

It was like de-ja-vue. Just as Paul about broke the plane, he again felt himself being pulled back into the cover of the surrounding forest and again for him to feel a burning and intense pain as he was roughly shoved up against the trunk of a tree as a hissing growl echoed causing him to look down into the amber eyes of the vampire he had just rid himself of.

Paul quickly applied a mask to his features as he swallowed his discomfort from the impact. All while he keenly assessed what was mirrored in the sea of amber before him, he could see the hardness Rosalie projected to the world. If not for his acute eyesight, he would have missed that flicker of vulnerability his earlier words had caused.

Paul pushed himself forward slightly off the tree, fighting against her hold.

"You really are a tick. Once you latch onto something you just can't seem to let go," Paul's voice harshly bit out before resigning to her grasp. With a slight lull of his head, his eyes narrowed as he continued to access his Adversary while contemplating his next move. After a quick study of his attacker, Paul lifted his head up out of a submissive position to meet the vampire head-on. He knew there was only one card to play, as he felt the pressure of her grip increase after his last jib and his aggressive head positioning.

Paul knew Rosalie hated what she was that was why he had chosen a verbal assault over a physical one.

Her curse was her weakness. It was one the hybrid knew all too well. Being forced into something otherworldly without any say on whether it was something you wanted for yourself. Paul knew how a life-altering curse could weigh on you and pull you in many directions as you war with an infliction that fought to control you.

While he was at peace with it now, Paul never claimed to be overjoyed at being a monster in a world full of fragile ignorant mortals he was entrusted to protect.

What differed between the two was acceptance of what was and is and a purpose. Paul eventually found acceptance and a purpose in the type of monster he had become, however when it came to Rosalie, she found herself on the other side of the spectrum as she struggled to find acceptance and a purpose.

A dark, muted chuckle escaped him as Paul found his voice under the pressure of Rose's grip "those kernels of truth really tear at you, don't they?" A slight mirth could be heard as he threw out his redundant question.

"You truly hate what you are," his words fell short as he rethought his choice of words "no, hate isn't a strong enough adjective. You despise what you are." Rosalie's sharp, low hiss only confirmed his words to be accurate, spurring his verbal attack on

Using the tree for support, he bucked against her iron grip as he fought to keep his face stoic and his rising frustration hidden.

"It's comical, you know," grunted from his taught lips, "you sit on such a high horse believing yourself superior to me," he mused darkly. "And what exactly makes you better than me, Rosie? Is it because you hold your human form? Does that lone fact in your mind make you and your species less impetuous and more righteous? You're more closely human because you don't become a physical animal?" He growled out he could feel his anger rising closer to the surface

"Yet for someone who is so much more human and righteous than me by their own definition because they keep a humanoid body. The truth, though, is you are no less animal than me, I just show my inner animal while you repress yours and brag about your impeccable control. Yet you hate what you are, and you judge my animal, my nature like it's yours" he bit out with a dark laugh "but my animal isn't the same as yours, it doesn't need iron-like control, it doesn't need a cage, and that leaves you not only feeling enmity but envious. You believe losing your humanity to the beast means you don't have morality because how could an animal be caring, loving, and compassionate? By your definition it can only be feral and incompetent," his voice strained but vehement in his conviction.

"You fear what your beast is capable of therefore you fear mine is no different. Yet for someone who believes their morality so much higher, in all these decades, you have done nothing to stop future Atrocities by stepping forward and saving one life from sharing your fate," his voice holding steady with his truth as he fought the tightness around his neck for air.

"Just as you judge me, you judge those like you, yet never once did you lift one of your perfectly manicured fingers to change their fate or diet source. Your complacency with your self-righteousness lost so many of their humanity and others their lives by allowing them to become nothing but a juice box."

"SHUT UP," growled out between her tight lips as Rose took in a profound yet unneeded breath; as she cut the shifter off.

"Not a chance; it's about time you hear it," growled out as he pressed on.

"You secretly crave sympathy for being forced into what you are. You especially crave it from your coven leader. He's the one that turned you after all" a pretentious laugh escaped him as he watched Rosalie's eyes widen in surprise.

"don't be so shocked, did you really think I was going to travel with a bloodsucker and not know how you came to be one. You'd be surprised how many of the Volturi guards love to gossip," a jeering smile pulling at his lips as he closely watched her reaction while he bided his time, waiting for her emotions to overwhelm her. He could see the war within her playing out in her expressions.

"You know something?" he rasped out as his tone turned slightly genuine. "I just might have felt some sympathy for you if you weren't such a hypocrite and chose to find a purpose in your curse," pausing as he fought to take another deep breath.

"Instead, you chose to be nothing but self-righteous as you pass judgment on all of your kind, but yet made no effort to change a damn thing," his tone now changing, showing his pent-up irritation.

"Thing is, if you were truly so god damn self-righteous, you'd play the martyr to what you preach by taking a match, lighting your own pyre, and throwing your self-loathing dead body into it."

"ENOUGH!" snarled through Rosalie's taut lips while her fingers began to curl, causing her razor-like nails to slightly penetrate the thick flesh of the neck firmly in her grasp.

Deep down she knew, she had made a misstep. Jasper taught her never to let emotions rule your heart in battle. Still, here she was, failing miserably at that lesson as the dog's words had finally cracked away her carefully constructed armor with nothing more than legitimacy in them.

The words had chipped away, taking those once fissure cracks and breaking them into gaping holes before shattering them into pieces around her. Rose felt entirely vulnerable for the first time since she was bitten; it was unnerving and she hated it. What Rose hated even more, was feeling like she was failing Bella. How do you protect the one thing that matters most if you are unable to remain focused? Rose knew she had failed Bella once already, and in her opinion, that was one too many.

The sound of cracking pulled Rose from her introspective thoughts with a hiss of pain as her eyes shifted to where the discomfort radiated from. There instead of her lily white skin, was a light copper hand firmly engulfing her forearm just like it had in their earlier standoff, but this time long gone were the human nails they had now morphed into a wolf-like claw allowing Paul his own razor extensions to take hold of her granite-like exterior.

"I highly suggest you let go," vehemently spat from Paul's tense features as his lips pulled back to expose his elongated canines. At the same time, his fiery golden eyes flicked to the foreman attached to the hand that securely held onto his throat, causing A cat-like growl to flow from the vampiress.

She couldn't and wouldn't fail Bella digging deep. Rose pushed her discomfort aside, using her determination to protect herself; she mortared up what she could of her cracked inner veneer. "OVER MY DEAD BODY"

"In that case, let go and move the hell out of my way."

"I said enough!" Rose roared . She was tired of the mental games and unable not deny the truth in what he spoke. His desire to use all those painful truths as a weapon to gain unhindered access to Bella wasn't going to play out in his favor, yes, they had almost worked, but he underestimated Rosalie's inner desire to protect the young girl.

There was a time to break down, but now wasn't it. Right now, Rosalie needed to remain unwaveringly for Bella. That inner fire began to burn more brightly by the second as it suddenly forged into a rage 'nobody was going to take her away again' furiously rang through her thoughts, causing Rosalie's adrenaline to spike and for her strength to grow as she pushed through the pain coming from her cracking arm as her grip tightened around the hybrid's throat causing his breath to hitch 'Good. If you can't breathe, you can't talk raged through her thoughts while a cold, devilish smirk took hold of her ruby-red lips.

"While the wolf, I'm sure, can be a bit much at times with his uncouth manners and callous tongue, I would highly doubt Sarah or his clan would appreciate any long-term damage," Old Quil muttered as he emerged from the darkness of the forest.

While she registered his arrival, Rosalie remained unmoved by the old fae's words as her iron-clad grip remained in place and her amber eyes locked with Paul's golden defiant ones.

"You know... you're right. Screw Sarah and the wolf's clan, what they think matters little in the grand scheme of things" his voice nonchalant as he moved in closer "BUT! What of young Isabella? Do you truly believe she would like or ever forgive you for killing one of her kindred, her clan, her pack... her protector?"

A roar of frustration cut old Quil short as his words wormed through Rosalie's red haze, causing her to pause. The old man winced as his keen gaze didn't miss the subconscious human trait Rosalie had begun for a brief moment as she took a few deep, calming breaths while she warred over the old fae's words.

With a deep hiss of annoyance, her deep human-like breathing ceased as Rose stepped back, allowing her grip to fall, causing the hybrid to drop roughly to the ground and for Paul to instantly gasp for air. Her deadly grip had denied him.

As the old man watched Paul's heaving chest, he couldn't help but shift his gaze to Rosalie as he remembered her doing that exact thing just moments ago. While the action of such a human trait from the vampire amazed the old fae, he wished she hadn't done it in fear that she would do it again and the repercussions it would cause if she dared to once again seek out her humanity to comfort herself.

"you cold-hearted bitch" wheezed through Paul's lips as he still greedily took in the air he had been denied. At that moment, the elder watched the vampiress's gaze dart back to the wolf who lay prone before her, her eyes seeping with anger as she again warred with her decision to let him go. Then the old fae saw that human trait again make its appearance. Unfortunately, this time the repercussions came too quickly as her look of fury turned to one of revolution. A heavy, sour, coppery scent invaded her senses, causing a glimpse of terror to take hold as she began coughing violently as if the air was choking her.

Her panic took control, causing Rosalie to drop to her knees as she began to claw at her throat in terror. Hoping to somehow stop the burning that was eating away at her. Old Quil didn't hesitate as he charged forward from where he stood, causing her fearful eyes to flick to him as he made his way to her side.

As he approached, he knew he had to be a man of action. Pulling the messenger bag's strap over his head and finally freeing himself from the combersion thing he had lugged through the forest. Turning his eyes away from the Rose, they caught the confused state of the hybrid rising to his knees, wincing slightly as his body was still knitting itself back together.

For the briefest moment, the old man wondered if the wolf honestly didn't know what was happening to Rosalie. 'Did the wolves truly not know this secret?' As much as that thought resonated in his mind, it was trivial and could be put away for another time and another lesson.

Wasting no more time, Old Quil threw the bag towards Paul just as Rosalie began to whimper in fear. Her body felt like it was burning once again from the inside out, just like it did so many years ago when she went through that horrible seventy-two-hour change.

Old Quil knew he needed the wolf gone, jerking his attention back to the wolfman. "In the bag, you'll find what you need. Now go," he bit out.

Paul's eyes were still locked on Rosalie in a deep curiosity, he had never seen anything like this before except when someone was bitten into the vampire covens and writhed out in pain as their curse ran its course.

"PAUL" Finally, the wolfman's eyes shifted to the elder.

"the bag boy, take the bag," frustration hanging on every syllable as he watched Paul's eyes finally register the bag that lay before him. In what felt like it took a lifetime, old Quil watched as the boy took possession of the bag and ripped it open to reveal its contents, causing a look of surprise to cross the boy's features as he looked back up at the ancient fae as he stood and began to pull on the pair of pants from within

Old Quil watched as the confusion in the hybrid's eyes remained on him while he dressed. The look most likely came from what appeared to be a change of heart on his end. It was no secret that he, too, wanted Paul to stay away from the girl, and this gesture meant the opposite, but what the old man wanted and what needed to be done now had changed entirely. Right now, he needed Isabella calm and safe. It didn't change his initial desires but events leading up to this moment had caused a game-changer.

An icy feeling surged through the old fae causing his eyes to shift from Paul to his own hand where Rosalie's lily white hand had grabbed hold of his with a slight force as a look of caution crossed onto her features. He now knew Rosalie believed Paul was too much of a wild card with or without his wolf so close to the surface, but Paul needed to leave if Rosalie wanted to see another day.

The ancient fae also knew better than the protective vampire. Paul was balanced; his actions proved just that. He would never risk Isabella; she meant too much to the clan, the pack, and the fae race, and as much as the old man didn't want to admit it, Bella meant something to the hybrid.

Old Quil winced slightly as he watched Paul pull a large sharp ended branch from his kidney area as if it was nothing more than a toothpick before pulling the sweatshirt over his head. Unfortunately, the removal had caused his blood to poor more freely like a river. causing Rose to cry out in a strangled whimper as she finally lost her strength, falling limply to the forest floor as a loud, tortured scream filled the air causing Rosalie to fight her weakened state in an attempt to rise and answer the call. At the same time, Paul's golden eyes focused like a laser in the direction the cry had come from.

"GO! GO NOW! GO TO HER!"

Paul's eyes darted back for the briefest of moments, almost to see if he would meet any resistance before he disappeared from sight.

With the hybrid gone, the elder turned his focus back to a frantic Rosalie. Her body lay prone on the ground, her fingers clawing at the damp earth as her panicked eyes stayed locked in the direction of the distressed scream.

Slowly he lowered himself to take a knee beside her, pausing a moment, almost unsure of the action. The fae reached out his left hand and let it gently rest upon her shoulder in hopes of her becoming more aware of his presence and showing some form of comfort.

"We might not have always seen eye to eye. Though you know deep down I would never do anything that would lead to that child being harmed," his voice soft yet holding a firm edge as he brought his right hand down and placed it under her icy chin, her weakened state allowing him to guide it back to meet him.

"Paul is not a feral wolf, nor just a man. This might be hard to accept, but who and what he is, IS exactly what Isabella needs"

His dark eyes showed their wisdom and left no room for argument. Rose knew the old man was right. As much as she wanted to be the one Bella needed, Paul was kindred to her, holding a bond and a trust she could never have.

As acceptance of the truth flooded over her, the pain of what her body was fighting finally took full hold, causing darkness to call to her. It was an odd feeling one she faintly remembered, it had been so very long since she had felt this call to the peaceful darkness of sleep. Her eyes began to feel like weights as they started to heed the call and drift shut, all while she could feel the soft gesture of fingers running through her blonde locks to comfort her heavy-lidded eyes to shift to the dark ones in front of her.

"surrender to it," softly whispered from his pursed lips as his eyes darted away and into the woods where Paul had disappeared. "You have no need to worry. I will always watch out for her if the need arises" In all her years, she had never fully trusted Kear.

His kind was devious, shrewd, furtive, and ever so selfish. Yet even through her hooded vision, she could hear the truth and conviction in his words. This wasn't the fae she had encountered years ago. This entity before her now carried traits of humanity that he had gained from the years he had walked among them. It wasn't about him anymore; it was all about Bella and making sure she was safe, safe to lead them all into a better future.

With this newfound awareness, she stopped the fight and did as he said, surrendering to the blackness that called because she knew that he, just like her, would move heaven and earth to keep Bella safe.

I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.

Thank you all for reading and your support.