Chapter 8

Zach grinned down at his mate as they held each other on top of a mountain and watched the sunrise. They were sitting up against a boulder and resting comfortably together after hours of passionately making love. Allie played with the curls at the nape of his neck as the sun began to ascend and its rays washed over the region.

"I can't believe we did that," she mumbled to herself with a bright smile and he nuzzled her neck.

"Which time," he teased.

"You know what I mean. We had this plan in place to make sure our first night together was spent as husband and wife and I sort of ruined that by pouncing on you."

"I wasn't exactly complaining, nayeli. Besides, we are mates. It is natural for us to need to connect on every level." She turned to face him and bit her lip nervously.

"Do you regret it," she questioned and he grinned dimply as he shook his head.

"Not one bit, it isn't like I have never thought about it in the past. It just wasn't an option if we wanted to be safe. Now that you are a vampire, I can be completely free with you and I am more than happy to explore this new side of our relationship."

"Me too, if I would have known it would be like this, I would have demanded to be changed even sooner. I knew it would be amazing, but that was just….wow."

"I agree, wow," he whispered and moaned as she peppered kisses along his neck.

"You have made me so happy, Zach. This is the happiest day of my life."

"Mine as well, nayeli. We should head back. I am sure everyone is waiting on us. We can swim this time," he suggested as he stood up.

"What about our clothes? They aren't exactly intact anymore," she reminded and picked up a piece of her shirt. He smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that."

"Well, since I shredded yours first, it was only fair," she assured and flipped to her feet.

"We can swim to the north shore of the island and scale up to our cottage without being seen."

"Good because I really don't want to have to explain why we are naked to our family. Wait, my dad is at our cottage."

"I am sure Aunt Alice will tell him to clear out now that we are on our way back," he said with a nonchalant shrug, but her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my God, that means she will see us. She will know what we have been doing! Zach, how can I ever face her again," she groaned as she covered her face and he smiled at her as he removed her hands to gaze into her eyes.

"You are so cute when you are nervous."

"Stop charming me, Cullen. That is how we got into this mess!"

"You are the one that seduced me, remember or has that vampire memory not kicked in yet," he teased and she let out a whine.

"This is not funny! Zach, I really like Alice. What if I pissed her off by defiling her nephew?" He rolled his eyes.

"First off, I am not a fair maiden. You can't defile me. Second, we are mates and I am more than happy to finally get to show that. Aunt Alice will not make a big deal out of this. It isn't our fault she can see our paths. It will be fine," he assured.

"Promise," she asked and he kissed her tenderly.

"I promise." She held out her hand to him and he beamed with happiness as he took it.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be you this soon after you woke up. You don't know how happy I am right now," he confessed as he pulled her into his arms and she leaned her forehead against his.

"Yes, I do, because I am just as happy and relieved to still be me. I love you, Zach."

"I love you too. Now let's go home." She happily nodded and followed him back down the mountain, ready to get back to the island.

Sam took a sip from his mug of coffee as he sat on the front porch of the main house waiting for Allie and Zach to arrive. The sun was rising and the cool ocean breeze calmed his nerves. He was surprised when Alice woke him up and notified him that Allie and Zach were not home yet. He assumed they would be back hours earlier, but she assured him they were just fine. Emmett walked out onto the porch and sat down beside him in a rocking chair.

"They are on their way home," informed Emmett. Sam glanced down at his watch.

"Looks like the hunt took longer than expected. I hope they didn't run into any humans."

"Oh trust me, they were too preoccupied to worry about that," said Emmett with a snicker.

"What?" Before Emmett could respond, Rosalie glided onto the porch and slapped him upside the back of his head.

"The kids will be back soon. Have you told Emily about how well Allie is doing," asked Rosalie as she took a seat beside her mate.

"Yea, she is relieved. We both agree that she should steer clear for a bit until Allie gets used to her surroundings, but she is happy it won't take as long as we both prepared for."

"We all are," said Edward as he and Bella emerged from the house with Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme.

"Allie is going to be just fine. I have seen it. She will still need some time to get acclimated to her new abilities, but she is off to a great start. It will certainly not take a year for her to see Emily again," assured Alice. They could hear the pitter patter of feet racing toward them and Allie appeared with Zach.

"Talking about me," she asked as they stepped onto the porch. Sam hopped to his feet and hugged his daughter. She giggled as he kissed her forehead and Jasper gauged her emotions with a small smile.

"Amazing, she is completely in control. Her vampire senses should have kicked in. Sam is still a wolf and she can sense that."

"But he is her father and the love they share is far stronger," said Esme. Edward nodded in agreement as he read Allie's thoughts.

"She is able to rationalize her emotions. Her mind works in ways I did not anticipate. It is hard to explain, but fascinating," informed Edward. Allie looked around at the group.

"Where are the Denalis? I can hear Josh, Jacob, and Leah asleep inside, but where is everyone else. It is odd being able to hear so much now."

"The Denalis departed while you went to hunt. We will see them soon at Caleb and Sofi's wedding in Italy, but they wanted to give you time to settle into your abilities. Renesmee and Nahuel are in their cottage and so are Seth and Kaya. They stayed up for a few hours after you left, but decided to get some sleep," said Edward.

"You two took longer than we thought you would. It must have been some hunt," said Emmett with a knowing smile and Zach wrapped an arm around his mate.

"Yea, we decided to go exploring for a bit," covered Zach.

"I'm sure you did," mumbled Emmett.

"Emmett," hissed Rosalie. Zach eyed his parents carefully and slipped his hand into his mates.

"We are going to head to the cottage. It has been a hectic few days, so we just want to spend some time together. We will see you later," said Zach.

"I am about to head home. I was going to leave last night, but wanted to make sure you made it back without any issues. I will come see you again next week," said Sam and Allie gently hugged him.

"I love you, daddy. Thank you for being here for me and give mom a hug for me."

"I will," assured Sam. Suddenly, Connell and Tia appeared on the porch and Alice nodded appreciatively as she glanced down at her watch.

"You are on time for once. Maybe I should keep the threat of using the jet looming over your head for a while. The competition makes you more punctual," said Alice.

"Keep that hunk of metal grounded, wee one. Alright alpha, are you ready to head back to Pup Island?" Sam hugged his daughter one more time and shook Zach's hand.

"See you two later," called Sam before stepping closer to Connell. He disappeared with Connell and Tia. Zach smiled adoringly at his mate.

"How about we go relax in our cottage," he suggested and she happily nodded. They darted off toward their new home and Rosalie groaned. Alice winked at her sister.

"Don't worry, Rose. The whole place is sound proof. We won't be able to hear them," assured Alice and Rosalie pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I need to go hunt. Em, are you coming?"

"Of course, babe," said Emmett. Edward frowned as a stream of thoughts caught his attention and Bella noticed his change in demeanor, as did Carlisle.

"What is it," asked Carlisle and Alice looked down as Edward spoke.

"You should go speak with Merek. He is waiting for you in the study," replied Edward. Carlisle and Esme went inside and Jasper hugged his mate.

"It is for the best," assured Jasper and Bella frowned in confusion.

"What is going on," asked Bella. Edward smiled sadly at his wife.

"Let's head to the cottage. I will tell you there," he answered and the four of them ran to Edward and Bella's cottage to give Merek, Carlisle, and Esme some privacy.

Carlisle and Esme entered the study and found Merek tossing vials of liquids into a metal box. He pushed a button and it roared to life. Fire spewed into the box for several seconds before being extinguished.

"Compact incinerator, great for destroying evidence, now we just need to delete all the files from these machines and it will be as if the experiment never happened," informed Merek and Carlisle's eyes widened.

"Why would you want to do that? Merek, it worked. This is what you have been waiting for. All these centuries and you finally figured it out."

"We figured out, mate, and I am relieved that we could do this for Zachary and Allison. That doesn't mean it needs to be replicated ever again."

"But you could save future vampires from so much pain and suffering, isn't that worth replicating," asked Esme.

"Dear Esme, your kind heart and ability to love are so inspiring. You remind me of my Aleida. The two of you would have fancied each other. While I agree that the serum has the ability to do great good, it could also do a great evil, and we cannot allow that."

"Merek, this is groundbreaking. No one has ever accomplished such a feat," said Carlisle.

"And no one ever should again. We both know what can happen when remarkable scientific discoveries fall into the wrong hands. Besides the fear of the Volturi, the only thing stopping an all-out war in our world is the time and inconvenience of transforming a human into a vampire. Newborn armies are unsustainable because newborns cannot be controlled for long. If vampires knew of this technology, it would change far too much. We have to destroy everything and remain silent about what Zachary's DNA is capable of. It all must go."

"You are right. We cannot trust that the technique would be used responsibly and the only venom known to complete it is Zach's. It all must go," agreed Carlisle.

"The lab in Alaska has already been destroyed. I cleared it out and incinerated the inside for good measure. No one will ever know I was even there besides your family. I made sure of that. The only evidence left is in this room. We just need to erase the files." Esme handed Carlisle the external hard drive and he looked down at the small device in his hand.

"We never placed the information on our computers. We wanted to make sure it was untraceable except for from this. It is hard to believe that centuries worth of research will be destroyed once this is crushed." Carlisle handed the small machine to Merek and he immediately crumbled it into pieces before tossing it into the incinerator. Only dust was left in its place.

"What will you do now? Where you will go now that your research is over," asked Esme and Merek walked over to the window to gaze out at the ocean.

"I will join my sweet Aleida in a peaceful slumber now. I wanted answers why we could not be together in this existence. I wanted to conquer the formidable circumstances that allowed it not to be so. I know everything I need to know now. Her heart was not strong enough to maintain the venom and her body gave out from the illness. I found the serum that could have saved her. I got my answers and saved two mates the pain and suffering I endured. My existence is complete," confessed Merek. Carlisle furiously shook his head.

"You don't just get to give up now. There are so many adventures to be had in this existence…."

"As long as you have your mate," interrupted Merek and Carlisle glanced over at Esme before looking down in defeat. Merek clapped him on the back.

"Do not mourn for me, Carlisle. I am not giving up. This is what I want. This is my choice. I get to decide when I leave this existence and that is something most do not. The only thing that kept me here for so long was my obsession. That is over now and I can move on. It masked the pain for far too long. I can feel it seeping in now. It is as powerful as they say. I held onto her memory through my work. Now I have to let her go and I will go with her. It is the way."

"How are you going to do it," asked Esme.

"I have already made arrangements. Fear not, it will be swift."

"Merek, you don't have to do this," pleaded Carlisle. Merek held out his hand to Carlisle, but Carlisle refused to take it. Instead, he pulled the man in for a hug and Merek smiled.

"Take care of your family. We both know it will be royalty someday. Just make sure that when legends are told of your grandson, he mentions that I helped him and his mate."

"Legends," asked Esme and Merek hugged her.

"You are an amazing woman, Esme. He is lucky to have you."

"At least stay until the end of the day. It will give us all time to enjoy a few hours together," suggested Esme and Merek bowed to her.

"As you wish," he stated.

Leah and Jacob heard Josh in the game room and entered to see their son staring blankly at the massive flat screen as he played a video game alone. Leah sighed and sat down beside him with her husband.

"What are you doing," she asked and Josh shrugged.

"Trying to beat this level. Dad, it is really hard. You should grab a controller and help me."

"Sure thing, but first how about you talk to us," suggested Jacob. Josh paused the game and tossed the controller on the couch. He sat back and crossed his arms in a pout.

"What is there to talk about? Zach and Allie are happy now. They don't need me. No one does."

"Sweetie, that isn't true," said Leah.

"Mom, do you realize that I am the only one here that doesn't have a mate? I know Zach is my best bro, but he needs time alone with Allie and I don't feel like I belong anywhere anymore. Ever since I became a wolf, I wanted to graduate high school so I could get out of there and hang out with Zach. Now we have graduated and I am left in the dust."

"Zach and Allie do need to spend some time together, but that doesn't mean you aren't important to him. It is going to take some time for everyone to adjust but it will happen and everything will work out," assured Jacob.

"Yea right," grumbled Josh.

"It is true. When Bella decided to marry Edward, I felt alone. I didn't think there was any room for me anywhere in La Push or Forks or with anyone I cared about, but I was wrong. I did belong and everything happened for a reason."

"Wait, are you saying I have to imprint on a baby in order to feel like I belong because if so, sorry dad, but that isn't really my thing." Leah giggled.

"What your father is saying is that we all know that things work out. You will find your mate. Just don't be in such a rush."

"Maybe I should go home instead of spending the summer here again. I don't want to impose on Zach and Allie's time together."

"So what, you can go home and mope? You are staying," said Jacob and Josh gave a curt nod.

"Fine, will you at least help me get by this level? It works better with two players."

"How about three," suggested Leah as she grabbed a remote and Josh smirked.

"Uh, mom, I love you, but you suck at video games." Jacob laughed as she gasped and started tickling her son.

"Oh really, I suck huh," she laughed and Josh shrieked.

"Mom, I am too old to be tickled," he laughed.

"You are never too old," she said and kissed his cheek. He hugged her and Jacob kissed his forehead.

"Thanks mom and dad," said Josh and Leah winked at him.

"Any time, now show me how to work this controller thingy so we can kick some troll butt."

"Mom, it is just a controller, not a controller thingy and those are ogres, not trolls." She smirked.

"Yea, yea," she mumbled as he resumed the game and played with his parents.

After hours of spending time alone in their cottage, Zach and Allie headed back to the main house as the sun set in the distance. They strolled hand in hand down the beaten path toward the house and enjoyed the beginning of twilight.

"I don't think I am ever going to get enough of you, but you are right. We need to go hunt soon. I am starting to get thirsty."

"We have our whole lives together, nayeli. We have plenty of time and it is important that you stay sated. I must confess that I completely understand the urge to lock ourselves in our bedroom forever though. We will make sure our honeymoon is really long," he said before kissing her cheek and she nodded in agreement.

"I wonder why Alice wanted us to stop by here before we left for the hunt," said Allie as they entered the front yard.

"Because it is time for me to take my leave," announced Merek as he emerged from the house with the rest of the family. Merek turned to Seth and shook his hand firmly.

"I have never been around your kind before, so I was hesitant, but I understand why the Cullens take such a liking to you, Seth Clearwater. Farewell," said Merek before bowing to Kaya. He bowed to Renesmee next and shook Nahuel's hand.

"It was a pleasure to be in the presence of hybrids, especially one as powerful as you, Renesmee. Farewell." Renesmee hugged him and Merek looked around at the family.

"That is almost everyone. Thank you for your hospitality. You are too kind," said Merek before walking over to Zach and Allie.

"Where are you going," asked Zach.

"To find peace, but I want to thank you for giving me a chance to be a part of something great, something far greater than I could have fathomed."

"When will we see you again," asked Zach and Merek smiled sadly at him.

"You won't. It is time for me to fall into an everlasting slumber."

"You mean die, why? You don't have to go," urged Zach.

"Zachary, death is not to be feared for someone like me. It is to be embraced. I feel blessed to have spent the last days of my existence helping you. It has been a pleasure," he said as he bowed to Zachary and placed his fist over his chest in a formal salute. Allie hugged him.

"Thank you for helping us. You don't know how happy you have made us," said Allie.

"Be good to one another and make the most out of this existence. Live with love, honor, and valor. Everything else will take care of itself," assured Merek. Josh jogged outside and Merek grinned at him.

"Aw yes, Joshua Black, loyal companion to Zachary. He is lucky to have you as a friend. Keep your chin up. You will find everything you are looking for in due time. Farewell," called Merek and Josh awkwardly waved.

"Uh, okay, thanks, bye," said Josh in confusion. Carlisle hugged Merek again and sighed.

"Are you sure you have to…."

"I am ready to be at peace, mate. Let me be," encouraged Merek. Carlisle reluctantly nodded.

"Farewell, Merek."

"Farewell, Carlisle." With that, he darted toward the shore and Zach frowned in confusion.

"Where is he going? Is someone going to kill him? Grandpa, we can't just let him be murdered." Carlisle patted his grandson on the back.

"Let him be, Zach. If he wants to be at peace, let him find it in his own way," advised Carlisle.

"Let's go hunt," suggested Allie, noticing how distraught her mate was. He slipped his hand into hers and nodded.

"Okay," he mumbled.

"Josh, are you coming," she asked and Josh perked up at the question.

"Seriously? Don't you guys want to be alone?"

"We have eternity to spend time together, but right now I want to see what you can do in the forest. Come on, we will take the yachts over to the mainland. I get to drive though, Cullen. I am not a human anymore so no more excuses for why I can't race that thing," she warned and Zach chuckled.

"Deal," he agreed. Josh jogged over to them and happily tagged along as they headed to the dock. Leah sighed in relief.

"Thank God, I was afraid they were going to forget about him. I really hope he finds his mate soon because Zach and Allie are going to want time alone. It is part of being a couple," said Leah and Rosalie smiled slyly at her.

"Oh, so now you want Josh to find a girl. This is a change," teased Rosalie.

"Well I wouldn't have to if your son didn't decide to find his mate before he is even old enough to vote," argued Leah and Rosalie huffed.

"At least my son found a mate that wasn't an infant. You better be careful what you wish for, Leah. That wolfy gene works in mysterious ways," warned Rosalie with a giggle and Emmett chuckled.

"Yea, wouldn't want him to imprint while walking by a nursery," added Emmett and Jacob threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Can we not go there for the millionth time," asked Jacob.

"Um, I don't know, can you not imprint on my newborn niece? Oops, too late, I guess we are going there," taunted Emmett and the others shook their heads in amusement as the four of them headed toward Rosalie and Emmett's cottage, arguing the whole time.

"Come on, love. Let's go pack so we can head to California to see your father and Sue. Renesmee and Nahuel are already packed. Kaya is pestering Seth about procrastinating on his packing right now and Leah and Jacob will meet us there in a couple of days," informed Edward.

"Alice was right. This will be a good way to keep Josh preoccupied while Zach and Allie spend some time on the island together. Seth is looking forward to surfing with him there," said Bella and Edward kissed her.

"I told you all would be well," he reminded and she wrapped an arm around him as they headed to their cottage.

Merek shook the water from his hair and wrung out his clothes as he made it to the Canadian shore. He looked up at the stars as night fell over the region and the moon shined brightly above him. He closed his eyes and listened to the serene sounds of the forest around him until the sound abruptly stopped. He opened his eyes again and was in a bubble as all noise ceased.

"You did well," called a voice behind him and he spun around to see Asa appear from thin air. He bowed his head to her.

"A knight always completes his mission," he reminded and she smiled at him.

"That you did."

"So will you keep your end of the bargain? Will you bring me my peace now? Have I righted my wrongs?"

"Yes, you may have made mistakes in the past, but you are a good man. You have more than made up for them."

"Are you sure they are going to be okay? It would have been nice to see him become king." She waved her hand and a vision appeared before them. Zach, Allie, and Josh were playing in the forest and outrunning an avalanche.

"You made this happen. Tonight, the three of them will enjoy their time together. Joshua will leave for his grandmother's house feeling as if he belongs and Allie and Zach will get to start their forever together. Their destinies were set far before you intervened, but you redeemed yourself by helping things along."

"At least my research wasn't all for nothing. It did a lot of harm, but I am happy it managed to do some good before it was time for me to go. So, what happens now? Does it hurt?" She smiled warmly at him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"No, it doesn't. Close your eyes," she instructed and he took in one last deep breath to inhale the scents of the forest around him.

"Farewell," he whispered as he closed his eyes.

"You did a noble thing by helping his mate join him in eternity, Sir Merek Dalton. You truly are a noble knight, who helped a future king be joined by his queen. All has been forgiven. Let go of your pain and guilt," she whispered. A familiar scent washed over him and he gasped as a picture of his love appeared in his mind.

"Aleida," he whispered in awe. A peaceful smile crept onto his lips.

"Fare thee well," said Asa and he disappeared from sight, leaving only a glowing white ball of light behind. Asa watched the ball float up to the sky and settle amongst the stars with a peaceful smile of her own. She disappeared into the silence of night, not leaving behind any remnants of her or Merek's existence.

AN: That's the end of Allie's Choice II and I hope you enjoyed! The next story will be up soon so be sure to check it out!