A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been swamped with finals and family problems and even though this whole thing was written back in July, it takes a good amount of time to format it for web and post it online.

This is the last chapter, but I think it needs an epilogue, so that will be written and posted eventually… hopefully by the end of the week.

Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed. I love you all.

Chapter 13: The Hunt

Ten wolves and twelve vampires were standing in a circle discussing how to save her life. For a moment, Bella was incredibly humbled. She had never, not once in her life, thought she was this important to anyone.

This quickly faded though, and Bella was annoyed she had nothing to do.

"I'm not useless you know."

"Beagles could mush a sled across snow," Emmett said affectionately. "But why not let the huskies do it?" The wolves moved a little agitatedly on the other side of the circle at the reference to dogs. Bella grumbled that she wasn't a beagle, but everyone ignored her and continued discussing Jasper's plan.

Considerately, Edward made sure to stay a few feet away from her in the woods. It was annoying reminiscent of piling pillows between them when they shared a couch, but it was painful enough seeing Jacob's big, brown wolf-eyes watch her from across the circle. She knew it would be so much worse to see his reaction to her in Edward's arms, no matter how much she'd like to feel him near her.

"Though, if you really want to help, if you were actually in the clearing—"

Jacob barked. "No, Jasper," Edward said.

Laughing a little uneasily, Jasper said, "Of course not. Just something I considered."

Why couldn't she be in the clearing? If it was going to be as easy as everyone said it was, she could be easily protected. Watching her with a tight mouth, Edward slipped his hand beneath her hair and squeezed her neck, making her shiver, both a comfort and a warning. "Don't put your errant thoughts into her head."

"So I'll take her around now, leave the false trail," Edward said. "And then—yes, Jacob, you will take Bella to her campsite." He grimaced.

"What?" She said, touching his shoulder.

"Jacob is creating a rather lurid fantasy involving carrying you through the woods. At least the other wolves hate it, too—of course it's just a fantasy, dog."

Was Jacob trying to convince him that they had done whatever he was imagining? Bella rolled her eyes, making Edward relax. They had done very little of the woods and none of it over long distances – or short distances for that matter.

"No, it's not driving me crazy," Edward staid, gaze locked with Jacob. "I trust her. And just look at her – if she had really done what you just described, she'd be blushing as bright as the sun."

"Anyway—" Jasper said.

"You need to okay with Charlie that you won't be home tonight," Alice said.

"Edward, you can't come," Bella said quickly. Charlie would never let her go and then start sneaking condoms into her underwear drawer.

"Right," Rosalie said. "I'll take you." Bella tried to conceal her shock. It would have been stranger if Tanya had offered, but this was still plenty strange.

Alice's eyes widened for a moment. "Um—I'll tag along, huh!"

Rosalie shrugged, turned, and started running from the clearing.

Edward moved to stand in front of her and lifted her on to her back. "I'll just—take you down." His voice indicated that he wanted to check Rosalie hadn't been taken over by a pod person.

"Let me handle this," Rosalie said, pushing the gearshift forcefully into park, and strutted up the steps to the front door. Her hair billowed around her like a wind machine followed her around. Bella scrambled out of the backseat to follow her inside. Alice smirked and stretched her back out to listen.

"Hello, Chief Swan," Rosalie was saying, giving a wonderful impression of Edward's crooked grin. "I'm Rosalie Hale, one of Carlisle's foster kids."

"Of course!" Charlie said, blushing. "I'm Char—it's a pleasure—hello."

She giggled. "Chief Swan, our cousin Tanya is in town for the weekend. She and Bella got along so well the last time she was here—" Bella covered her sudden snort with a cough into her hand and a bright smile at Charlie. "I know she's still recovering from the bear attack, but we'd really love it if she could come over tonight and have a little sleepover."

"Well, sure she can, she—wait, now, is Ed going to be there?"

"It is his house too," Rosalie said, licked her lips. "But he'll be all the way down the hall. Besides, we're all terribly old-fashioned."

Charlie mumbled something about old-fashioned meaning something different twenty years ago, but he couldn't refuse her wide-eyed gaze. "Okay, okay. You girls have a good time."

"Did you just want to flirt?" Alice said as they got back in the car.

Rosalie smirked and met Bella's gaze in the rearview mirror. "Not everything has to do with you, Bella."

Bella shuddered. She never wanted to think of her father as some sort of sexual pawn.

Jasper called a few minutes into the drive back to the woods to say that the meeting was over and Rosalie changed directions back to their house. For a moment, Bella felt guilty for not going to spend time with Jacob and was grateful to realize there was nowhere else she was supposed to be but with Edward.

Edward met them in the garage and helped Bella out of the backseat. "Hi," he said and kissed her. "I missed you." Rosalie scoffed as she passed by them and Edward called out, "He's fuming." That made her smile and skip towards the house. "Emmett's been very flirty with the Tanya, Kate, and Irina since they arrived. Irina walked into his room naked, pretending she thought it was the shower, so I don't really think she can blame him—"

This time Alice scoffed at him. Bella was sure Jasper hadn't looked at another woman since he'd first seen Alice. Actually, Bella wouldn't like Edward flirting any better if some incredibly hot girl was naked around him, either. She frowned at him. "He didn't like it! Anyway, Rosalie's been insufferably jealous and she wanted to give Emmett a taste of it."

It took Bella a few seconds to catch up. "With my dad?"

Edward shrugged. "If it was anyone more reasonable, Emmett might have hurt the boy." He turned to her as they walked into the house and took both her hands in his. "What would you like to do before we track your scent around the forest?"

"Just be with you… actually—" She blushed and looked down at their entwined hands for confidence. "Would you—play the lullaby? I—last week, I kept thinking that I'd never hear it again."

"Oh, Bella." He lifted her into his arms until their faces were even and rubbed her nose with his. "I'll never stop playing it."

"I think that's unnecessary," she sighed and took a deep breath of his scent. "You do still need to save me from the villain."

"I suppose I would need to take a few breaks." From the way his gaze moved down her body, Bella didn't think it was because his hands would get tired.

Inside, she walked ahead of him to the piano and ran her fingers over the keys. He had given her a few lessons, but she was still terrified of the gorgeous craftsmanship of this instrument. Edward blew on her neck and said into her ear, "Do you want to play it?"

Pulling her hands away from the piano, she jumped, but there was nowhere to go but up against Edward. "Oh, no, I couldn't—"

"I'll help you." His voice was low, reverberating down to her bones. He put his fingertips on the inside of her elbow and moved down her arm, so softly, then matched her fingers up with his, then did the same on the other side. "Move with me, like our hands are glued together."

He pulled his hand up and she hurried to follow, then moved the other hand. They were dancing standing still until the symmetry was effortless. Guiding her lower body with his hips, he moved her into sitting on the piano bench. She could feel every inch of him around her, encased between his chest, his hips, his thighs. He moved her hands to the keyboard and he helped her play scales up and down experimentally.

It was incredible, as if the music was coming from him, coming from her, coming from some higher power. She closed her eyes as he started the lullaby.

"The lullaby is you, Bella." He kissed her throat. "I may have written it, but it never would have existed without you."

"Should I make myself bleed?" Bella said as they made the false trail through the forest. I was slow goings with her cast, but apparently that was only better for leaving her scent. She looked around the vicinity for something to cut herself with. She did it enough on accident, it should be easy to do on purpose. "That would make the trail stronger, right?"

"No!" he said. "The whole point of this expedition is so you don't get hurt. Besides, it could well distract them too much, slow them down."

She tripped and broke open the thin scabs on her palms from the day before.

"You're impossible," Edward said, lifting her right ways and leaning her against a tree trunk. "I brought a first aid kit." He rinsed her wound in hydrogen peroxide, rubbed on ointment, put on bandages and kissed both palms.

"How are you okay doing that?"

"Not breathing." He helped her up and they started walking again. "And honestly wanting you to feel better more than I want to drink your blood."

"You are the strongest person I've ever known," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He kissed her temple and laughed. "You're young. And the clumsiest person I've ever known."

Jacob was waiting at the clearing in wolf-form when they arrived.

"You are not carrying her like that," Edward said, not letting go of her hand. Jacob growled, but walked into the cover of the trees and phased back into human form. Satisfied, Edward gave her hand a goodbye squeeze and she walked toward Jacob. "I'll take the long way and meet you there."

Not meeting Edward's gaze or hers, Jacob nodded and replicated how Edward carried her, taking a painful hold of her wrist and thrusting his hips until her legs held tight to his body. Edward stared at her spread thighs, straddling Jacob, with tight eyes and mouth.

I love you, she mouthed from behind Jacobs shoulder. So close to his enhanced hearing, Jacob probably heard the sound of the l, but that was better then the words in whole, she hoped. Edward's mouth hinted at his crooked smile and he winked at her. Without warning, Jacob took off running.

After a few minutes of silence, Jacob stopped and abruptly swung her around to face him. His grip was even stronger then before and she was sure she'd have bruises now. His eyes softened at her wince, but he didn't relax.

"It's been one day," he said. "Is it really better with him?"

Bella sighed and forced herself to hold his gaze. "Yes," she said, then, trying to soften the blow, "It has been much better than lying."

He wouldn't let it go. "Is it better than before he got here? Better than last summer?"

When you spent half your time practicing for a cause you hated and didn't understand and the other half talking about it? she thought and felt the strain of tears on her throat. They had never really gotten a chance together, had they? Things would have been so different in a world without vampires. The image of those three children waved from the side of her mind. And Edward was still, still better. "Yes, Jacob. This is better. You can't ask me this every day for the rest of our lives."

"Yes I can." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him.

"Please don't. The answer will always be yes." He moved to kiss her and she ducked as best she could. "Jacob, I'm so sorry I'm hurting you. But this will only make it worse."

"No," he whispered into her hair.

"Come on, Jake. I have to go camping." He took a deep breath, then swung her on to his back again and continued onward.

Edward was pacing when they arrived and caught her in his arms before she touched the ground from letting go of Jacob. He glared at Jacob and forced himself to spit out, "Thank you."

"Are you staying?" Bella said to Jacob haltingly. She didn't want it to seem to be an invitation.

"No," Jacob said. "I'm going to meet the pack and send Seth up here."

He looked at her pleadingly – for what? To go with him now? She couldn't have done that if she had chosen him. He sighed and ran, phasing on the way, back into the woods.

Despite the cold air, Bella was sweating from the nearness to Jacob's skin, the tension of being so close to him. She wrapped her arms around Edward's waist and clasped her hands behind his back, took in his scent and calming coolness.

"I'm so sorry this is so hard on you, Bella," Edward said, and ran little kisses over her cheeks. "And—on him."

"Edward, please don't be selfless about this. I'm sorry for you," she said. "I wish I only loved you."

"I know the feeling, love, but I don't blame you and you need to stop blaming yourself for your emotions." He ran his hands through her hair. "Besides, I wouldn't want to change one little thing about you."

"Even my mortality?"

He inhaled sharply. "Tonight is not the right time to talk about this."

Seth came arrived then, pouting with his head hanging low, and paws, still too big for his body, like a puppy, taking short, dragging steps.

Bella tried to stifle a yawn. "Oh, you must be exhausted!" Edward said. "It's been a difficult twenty-four hours and you slept terribly last week. Come on, let me get you settled inside the tent."

"Mmm," Bella said, leaning on him.

Inside, there were fuzzy blue heating pads lining the walls, the floor, piled under the sleeping bag, tucked into the pillows. "They're all connected to a generator outside the tent. I didn't know how cold it would be tonight, but I decided I would only be satisfied if you were overheated." She grinned. "Hopefully you sleep right through the fight."

Frowning now, she said, "No, I want to know what's going on," and slid into he sleeping bag. Edward zipped it around her, then settled against the nearest tent wall.

"There's no way unless Seth wants to phase in and out to keep you up-to-date…" Seth glanced at them and exhaled incredulously. Edward smiled. "No, I didn't think so. But I'll give you a play-by-play when it's all over."

"Or you could stay here with me and—" He shook his head ruefully and she shrugged. It was a fleeting thought. "Exactly how many heating pads did you buy?"

"Fifty. I had to go to a warehouse in Olympia. Are you warm enough?" She would have been warmer with Jacob holding her, but she had no complaints. She smiled at Edward. "I wish I could hold you."

She squeezed a hand out of the sleeping bag and wiggled her finger at him. He reached out to her and they hooked thumbs.*

"It's too bad you're too glittery to settle in the southern hemisphere for a while. You would make an excellent bed companion in opposite conditions."

"We can have an excellent time sleeping together, anyway," he said, stretching out beside her until their eyes were level. "I guarantee it."

With the hand not connected to hers, Edward ran his fingertip around the edge of her hand, between each finger, over every curve. "I don't think you could ever appreciate how gorgeous your hand is." Her fingers were stubby, her palm small, nails bitten, ragged in some places, there was even a crust of dried blood over one cuticle. Compared to Edward's long, elegant index finger, it looked like a troll's hand.

"I bite my nails," she said, inadequately.

"Have you ever reached the quick and pulled the off the nail from where it's attached?"

Bella pointed to her ring finger. She had pulled if off the quick just the day before. "I don't, usually. I try not too. I was distracted when I did it to this one."

He took that finger in both his hands and pulled it up to his eye line. "Hmm," he said. "The skin is more red than usual, lots of white blood cells underneath, but no blood. No break in the skin. That's good."

He painstakingly covered his teeth with his lips and put her finger in his mouth. First just the tip, running his tongue over the nail, then the rest of it, sucking it up slowly. Charlie had once taken her ice fishing in Canada with him. She'd slipped and her arm had dropped down in the water to the elbow. The feeling in Edward's mouth was very similar, but watching him do it was so sexy, she couldn't help but love it.

"It prickles," she said. "And it's—actually getting kind of warm now."

He pulled her finger out of his mouth and wrapped it in a heating pad.

"That's a sign of frostbite." She gasped, but he grinned to show her he was joking. "I'd never give you frostbite." His gaze became serious and he said, "I have something for you." Bella could see his hand move in the pocket of his pants, handling something. "I'm sorry—" He pursed his lips and she laughed, waiting for him to continue. "I'm sorry that you can't wear it. It was ostentatious when it was made and now, it's—but I want you to have it."

Edward pulled a red velvet ring box from his pocket. Was he proposing? She stared at his open hand, eyes wide. She couldn't breathe. "Oh!" he said. "It's not a proposal, not at all. Just a pointless gift. I have another ring for—" He cleared his throat.

She exhaled in a laugh and shook out her tense shoulders, then took the box from him. Inside was a stunning ring, one fat diamond surrounded by little rubies on a gold band.

"Take it out," he whispered. She took the ring between two fingers and noticed an inscription carved into the inside of the band. She brought it close to her face to read, mon coeur est tout à toi. garde le bien pour moi.

"What does it mean?" After three years of high school French, all she could definitely make out was heart and me.

"It was commissioned by the first Earl Spencer for his wife in the 1750s," he said instead of answering. "Esme found it at an auction many years ago and gave it to me. Carlisle called it my dowry. Does it fit?" Bella tried it on her left ring finger. It fit snugly. Edward took a deep breath. "It means, 'My heart is yours. Keep it well.'"

She cupped his cheek in her hand. The ring looked especially ridiculous against her bright red fingertips, her torn up nails, but Edward looked glowingly pleased to have her wear it. "At least I can keep something of yours safe while you risk yourself for me."

"It's really not a risk, Bella, I promise you. We're barely outnumbered and Emmett probably won't let me get two of the newborns at once."

"Will—will you watch over Jacob?"

Frowning, Edward nodded and tucked her back underneath the sleeping bag. "Of course I will. But he was built for this, you know? We're all going to be fine."

"I still see him like he was when I first fell in love with him—"

Edward nodded. "Skinny as a rail, full of piss and vinegar, energy that's not going to hold up against big, scary vampires—"

"Exactly," she said and yawned.

"I remember him like that, waiting for you to come back from James. That's just not how it is, anymore. At least in physical combat, the wolves are without equal."

"Except for you," she said, pressing her face into her heated pillow. She was beginning to feel very drowsy now.

He kissed her nose. "If I'm not here when you wake up, I'm at the fight—" was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.

When she woke up, he wasn't there. She was sweating in the in the sleeping bag and she twisted her upper body out of the flannel stranglehold, sat up, and looked around. What time was it? She noticed a subtle glow in the darkness – Edward left his cell phone. The little analog clock read five o'clock. The fight could have been going on for an hour, it could have just started, or anywhere in between. Had she woken up because Edward left?

She crawled to the opening of the tent and pulled open the Velcro. It was very dark outside the tent, but suddenly, Bella knew something was coming towards her. It glinted orange for a moment in the moonlight and, although she had no idea what the vampire plotting her death looked like, she knew: Victoria. She was here, less than ten feet away from her, not in the clearing.

Was she alone? There were the sounds of scuffling, growling and thumping, near the edge of the rock landing and, squinting, Bella could make out the forms of Seth, long, light brown limbs against a muscular male vampire – glinting blond, she could see as he moved. There was no one else, as far as she could tell. She was thankful for that, at least. Seth could probably take the newborn while Victoria was killing Bella and then run. No one else had to die.

"Do you know what my original plan was, Bella?" Victoria purred. Her voice gave Bella an image of a cheerleader hunting her, somehow much more frightening than what she'd been imagining.

She was moving very slowly towards her. She was planning on stretching this out as thin and painful as possible. "I was going to follow Edward's scent. I thought wherever he was, you would be. But then Edward was there in the clearing. He didn't even care enough to stay with you. I suppose I overestimated his feelings for you. Too bad. I might have to kill him to make my point after all."

"No!" Bella whispered, as if she had any control in this situation.

"Bella… does it make you feel more beautiful to go by that name? I can see why you would need the encouragement. You could not have kept Edward for long… I'm really saving you from a lot of pain… makes me want to wait a little longer."

She was a foot from Bella now. Crouching down in front of Bella, she ran her fingernails down Bella's cheek very lightly and laughed. "C'est la guerre."

There was a growl. Bella wondered that Victoria sounded so much like the wolves when Jacob jumped on Victoria and slammed her on the ground a few feet from Bella. It could have been any of the wolves, she supposed, but she didn't doubt her instinct. A few seconds later, another body joined Jacob and Victoria – Seth, she realized. The rest of the area was quiet and still. The blond was nothing but scattered pieces she could just barely make out across the ground.

Bella fell backwards into the tent in relief. Taking a shuddering breath, her limbs relaxed. There was obviously no chance of Victoria getting the upper hand again. She was safe.

Should she start a fire? Her movement might just make Victoria more crazy, she decided, and she wouldn't be able to make out burnable pieces of wood, anyway. It felt ridiculous to just sit and watch the shadows of Jacob and Seth tearing Victoria apart.

Already shivering, Bella jumped when red curls rolled toward her. One step ahead again, Jacob was there before Victoria's head could reach her and he kicked it back to where Seth was finishing her off. He phased back into human form and crashed into Bella, pulling her against his ample chest and lap and wrapping her in his arms. He was blessedly warm, even as he trembled in time with her.

"Oh, Bella—" he whispered. "Cullen—Edward saw Victoria at the end of the group, saw her run, but he was ambushed and then I lost her because I wanted to get her before she got to you, but then I just ran here and she—she almost—"

"Hey, hey," she said, pulling away from his iron grip to see his eyes. He ran his calloused fingertips over the lines of her face and then he was leaning towards her.

She didn't want to kiss him, but his skin was so smooth and warm, he was so close and—movement took her gaze away from Jacob and there was Edward, somehow brighter than everything else in the rocky area. "Edward," she whispered and moved her face away from Jacob's, just in time for his kiss to land on her shoulder, through her down jacket.

"I'll just—" Edward said and looked out at the forest. "I'll build a fire—"

"Edward!" she said louder and squeezed away from Jacob. He looked at her, his eyes wide and sad and she leaped on him. Behind her, Jacob was whimpering, but Edward's pain was more important, had to be. "I love you," she said and kissed him. "I love you so much."

He gasped out a laugh. "Oh, I love you, too. I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, everyone's fine," he said.

He kissed her once more, then quickly went to work gathering all the body parts and ordering Seth to gather dry pine needles, leaves and wood. Jacob helped without a word, his shoulders low, his movements almost sluggish. Once a fire was blazing, Seth ran away.

Watching after him, Edward said, "Jacob, go to La Push,"

"Why?" Jacob was pouting, staring at her with the most painful expression imaginable. It was making her joints ache to not go to him. But it wasn't her place to take care of him any more. It was only going to make cutting out the romance between them harder, like forcing it apart with a fork.

"Paul is hurt." Jacob stood up, pushing his shoulders back and hardening his gaze. He could be such a responsible adult, but only when he wanted to be. "A newborn was hiding and sneak-attacked Embry."

"Of course. Oh, Paul—" Jacob winced. "Okay. Bella, I love you."

"I love you, too." That would always be true.

"I'll see you—" Instead of finishing his words, he ran to the edge of the clearing and phased, not once turning back as he headed west back to the reservation.

"Why did Jacob say 'of course?'" She nuzzled her face into Edward's chest.

"Paul is in love with Embry," Edward sighed.

Bella blinked. It took a few seconds to make meaning from the words in that order. "What?"

"For all his temper, Paul very careful with the more delicate of human emotions. He's been almost hiding it from the pack, from himself, even. It exploded when a newborn child jumped on Embry."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He's going to recover physically, but…"

"Embry doesn't feel the same way?"

"Well, that's a funny thing. He's been feeling attraction to almost everyone in the pack – only in human form, thankful for him – along with girls at school, Victoria's Secret models, Abercrombie and Fitch models, you name it. He's convinced himself that it's just raging sixteen-year-old hormones, but… well, Quil only wants the girls and Paul only wants the guys. What Embry wants right now is what he'll always want."

"So, he's bisexual, but he doesn't realize it?"

"Yes. That doesn't quite add up to a happily ever after for him and Paul, but it might—" Edward shrugged and winced. "Well—"

"It might draw out the process painfully?"

"I think that's a guarantee, actually." He lifted her up from under her arms and settled her on his hip. She wrapped her legs around him for balance and he caught her cast to help her. He was holding her much like a father held his four-year-old, but Bella didn't mind. She felt protected by him. "Come on," he said and she rolled her eyes at him. Like she had much choice now. He grinned and slowly curved his head around, licked the curve of her ear. "Let's go join up with the rest of them."

She hid her face in the curve of his shoulder as he ran, nervous again by the change in position, but of course not even a leaf brushed her back.

Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper were standing in a circle talking, right when they entered the clearing. Alice smiled widely when Bella came into view and hugged her tightly – probably not very tightly, considering the extent of her strength. The clearing was bright behind them – the fire was enormous. Tanya, Irina, and Kate were facing the fire, their backs to Bella, Carmen and Eleazar sitting on the other side. It took Bella a moment to realize there was someone else there.

When Edward had said "child" when describing the attack earlier, Bella thought he was refereeing to a teenager, as he frequently referred to her and her friends at school. That was not the case. The boy sitting by the fire might not have been in school yet. Redheaded, freckled, and plump, he must have looked much like he had as a human, making his brilliant red eyes all the more startling and sad when he looked at her. This had to be the missing child of the murdered couple she'd read about in the paper. He had been through the terrible pain of transformation, killed his parents, and been lost in Seattle for a week before being attacked by werewolves. No wonder Carlisle had offered him surrender. Esme stood a few feet behind the boy, watching him with her arms hugging her chest, one hand over her mouth.

Edward sighed. "Carlisle should have killed the child quickly. Our kind have a tortured history with vampire children."

"But he's so young and sweet—"

"Yes, irresistible. With ferocious urges and no mature self control. He's outrageously dangerous."

The boy whimpered and leaped at Bella. Eleazar grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. Gasping, the boy struggled against the hold, looking like he would start crying at any moment. Of course, he couldn't. He didn't have any tears to cry. Bella understood the danger then. She wanted to offer her throat to the child if it would stop his suffering.

"You have to fight it," Carlisle said, taking the boy's round face in his hands and forcing him to meet his gaze. "You don't want to hurt her."

"Didn't want to hurt Papa," he agreed, his eyes wide.

"I know you didn't," Carlisle said, his voice unbearably kind. "You have to fight it. Like a superhero."

"Like Batman?" the boy said.

"You're just like Batman, buddy," Emmett said, crouching down beside Carlisle.

Bella's own sob caught her off guard. The scene was too horrible. Victoria's plot to kill Bella was nothing compared to what she'd done to this little boy. Edward wrapped a hand around her neck and pulled her toward him. She buried her face under his arm. Instead of the body odor a human body would have produced with the exertion of the evening, Edward's incredible aroma was just stronger there and she breathed it in for comfort.

Edward looked around suddenly. "How far could I get you—? Jasper!"

"Oh no," Alice whispered.

"Fantastic timing, Alice," Edward hissed. "Your precognition gives us so much time to prepare!"

"Edward!" Jasper said, stalking towards them. "That's not helpful. We can't take her anywhere. A trail of human scent would just put them on a defensive chase. Get in the back of the group."

As if it was choreographed, the vampires reorganized, putting a guard around Edward and Bella, Emmett holding the boy in check, perhaps a little protectively behind himself, Carlisle set to greet whoever was coming, the Denali in front to confuse them. What was going on? Were there more to the army?

"Welcome, Jane," Carlisle said.

Bella squinted to see a child appear out of the darkness of the woods, flanked by two large men on either side. As she neared the firelight and her features became slightly more visible, Bella realized she was not a child, not exactly. She was a vampire, cherubically stunning, her presence ancient and cruel. In cloaks, the hoods pulled high around their faces, this group of five looked more like her old image of vampires than anyone else she'd seen.

"It's all over," the girl said, mournfully. She stepped forward, away from her shield and dramatically looked behind Carlisle. "Oh! Except for one. Why, you were even younger than I was." Her voice was sugary sweet, but she threw a terrifyingly hard gaze to Carlisle. "What's your name?"

The boy stopped squirming in Emmett's hold to get to Bella's blood and looked at Jane. "G-George," he whispered.

"What happened tonight, George?"

"Riley told us we had to fight or else, but I didn't—didn't want to, 'cause they're all like me now, but then I 'membered the lady, with red hair, too, but not like Mamma, and how she was so mean and I thought I had to, so I jumped on the big horse and then she—" He looked at Esme and smiled a little. "—took me up and ran 'way."

"How many were you?"

George stared at her, terrified, his mouth moving silently. Jane's eyes narrowed slightly and then George was crying, pulling himself into the fetal position on the ground.

"He doesn't know how to count!" Esme shouted. Her eyes widened, and she took a few steps backwards, into Carlisle's protective embrace.

Jane relaxed and smiled slightly at Esme. "You're probably right."

"There were thirty," Kate said, stepping in front of Jane.

Jane's gaze turned slowly to Kate. "And why aren't all thirty in the fire?"

Because he's a child! Bella wanted to scream at her. There was a moment of silence among the vampires, letting those silent words hang in the air before anyone spoke. Edward wrapped his arm all the way around Bella's waist, so he could tuck his hand in his own jeans pocket. She hid her face in his chest.

"He surrendered," Carlisle said. "I gave him the option."

"That was not yours to give, Carlisle," Jane said. "Especially in this case."

"He's only been a vampire for four days," Esme said. "There's no way to know how many he's killed—"

"Or how many any of them killed, Esme," Jane said. "Besides which, it's not the death toll that's a problem, it's the disregard for the indispensable rules of our kind."

"He didn't know the rules."

"That's not my fault."

"It's not his either."

"Someone has to take the blame—"

"Someone already has. Their maker is dead."

"Perhaps, then, I don't need a reason to kill one who displeased the Volturi. Need I remind you, Esme, that you, unlike the rules, are not indispensible."

Carlisle put his hands on Esme's arms and turned her around. She pressed her face against him, fisted her hands in the lapels of his jacket. "Do what you want with the child, Jane."

"You're too kind to give your permission, Carlisle."

For a moment, Bella was terrified she was going to attack Carlisle and Esme both. From the way he stiffened, she was sure Edward was nervous, too. Jane stared at Carlisle for some long moments, then smiled.

She took a few steps towards George, then stopped. Bella couldn't make out her expression in the darkness – dare she hope for an attack of conscience? "Demetri, take young George into the woods and—" Her breath caught. "No. Take him home. Alec will help you. You and the boy will leave now." Bella swallowed rapidly, trying to silence bubbling sobs.

One of her hooded protection came towards George. Clearly not understanding what was going to happen to him, George smiled hesitantly at the man. He stared at Emmett and Emmett stared back, then finally let go of the boy and stalked to Rosalie. She took his hand just as Demetri took one of George's hands and led him into the woods. George's chubby legs skipped to keep up with them.

Distracted by watching them leave, Bella didn't noticed Jane calmly making her way through the maze of the other vampires until she was standing in front of Edward.

"Why is there a human with you?"

"She—is my partner."

"Edward," she crooned. "She cannot be your partner because she is not one of us. You know well that the law dictates that we must not tell any human of our existence. It would seem there is a threat to dispose of after all."

Edward said, "Jane—" but Bella barely heard him as the Jane caught her gaze and stared. The little rosebud mouth frowned. "She is unaffected." She blinked rapidly, looking around, then steadied a glare on Bella. "How can she be unaffected?"

"She is a very special human," Edward said, his voice almost calm. Jane turned her head to him and he collapsed to the ground beside Bella. She gasped and moved to touch him, but she didn't want to cause him any more pain. Trembling faintly, he cringed into his arm. What was happening to him? Why wasn't anyone doing anything! Bella looked back at Jane, still gazing at Edward and smiling just slightly.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, helplessly. Despite her knowledge that Jane could cause her much pain with her hands, if not her mind, Bella moved to lunge forward and stop her. It would be worth death to stop Edward's pain. Closest to Bella, Emmett reached his hand around her waist and held her in place. "Please, stop…" Her tears froze as they dripped down her throat.

After what felt like hours, Jane finally looked away from Edward. With one delicate raised eyebrow, she smirked at Bella. Edward stood unsteadily, and took Bella's hand in his. She squeezed back.

"I believe Aro would be very disappointed if she was destroyed," Edward said softly.

"Do you plan to give her immortality?"

Edward didn't speak. Well, shit.

"I do." Bella watched, open-mouthed, as Tanya came towards them from the front of the group.

Tanya slid in between Jane and Bella, over a foot taller than the other vampire, her flashing yellow eyes just as menacing as Jane's red. "As a courtesy, I recommend you do not even look at this girl again. Your business here is finished."

Jane's gaze passed over Bella's head and locked on Edward. "The masters will want you to come Volterra. Expect an—invitation very soon."

Edward nodded. Jane blurred back through the group and her guard smoothly followed her.

"Thank you, Tanya," Edward said into the sudden silence of the clearing. Bella could only stare at her.

"You complete him." Tanya smiled at her, achingly beautiful and kind. "As long as you accept that and stay by his side, you are part of my family and under my protection."

*"There have been five great kisses since 1642 b.c. when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertent discovery swept across Western civilization. (Before then couples hooked thumbs.)" –The Princess Bride, p. 58.

2) About the ring: I read Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (Amanda Foreman, Random House 1998. Highly recommended if you're interested in British history or biography, also a recently-released movie with Keira Knightley and the glorious Dominic Cooper) right before I read Twilight for the first time. Near the beginning, there's a throwaway detail that Georgiana's father gave this ring to her mother. I thought the sentiment was gorgeous, wanted to use the phrase, if not the ring, in some of my own writing, and then Edward says the exact same thing in Eclipse (p. 99). I thought it was right to use it in this. A few Google searches tell me that the ring isn't famous, so there's really no reason Esme shouldn't have found it at an auction.

3) About the Paul/Embry: my natural fanfiction habitat is slash (m/m), but Bella/Edward is just too sweet and perfect in Twilight, so outpoured this near 80,000 words of het. And I loved it. But there are homosexuals in Forks. I swear there are. And Breaking Dawn kind of made it impossible for werewolves to be gay because they imprint on the person that will give them the best babies, and Paul's imprinted, but whatever. This is an AU. I wrote it before BD. Paul loves Embry. Haha!