Leah was just closing the bedroom door when she heard the kitchen door open again. "It's Mom, Leah," Sue called out. "Emmy and I came to see if you need us."

Leah hurried out to the kitchen. "Thanks, Mom. I need to be there, whatever's happening."

Sue kissed her older daughter's forehead. "I know. Godspeed, Leah." Leah bent to hug her little sister and sped out the back door. She flew down the steps, phasing as she leaped, disappearing into the woods before her shredded clothing had fluttered to the ground.

Sue picked Emmy up and kissed her dark curls. "Let's see what Tommy's doing in there." She conjured up a half-hearted smile, but her mind was on her older children and the rest of the pack.

Sam was the first to arrive, and his howl of pain and rage brought the others running, their ears and noses alert for any hint of danger. The young wolf had obviously put up a fight before being bitten. Sam hoped that the broken neck had rendered Embry unconscious before the final humiliation of those awful fangs tearing into his throat.

Another wolf had fallen just a few feet from Embry. Jared's crushed and broken body had been tossed carelessly aside, his legs bent at an impossible angle from his body. As Sam tenderly brushed his hair back from his face, he detected a slight sound, a muffled groan. A quick examination revealed that all the damage to his body was internal, with no sign of bite marks. On closer inspection, Sam could see that he was barely breathing, his pulse faint but steady.

One by one, the other wolves arrived, their sensitive noses stinging with vampire scent. The individual Cullens had familiar smells, a result of their constant patrols, but an acrid, overpowering stench permeated the air. Wolf lips drew back, baring deadly glistening teeth, as the pack quickly surrounded the house.

A door opened directly behind Sam. He whirled to find Carlisle by his side. "Emmett and Edward left when the commotion started," he breathed softly. "They disappeared into the woods. It's the Volturi, Sam. Somehow they've shielded their thoughts, and they took us by surprise." He looked sadly at the fallen bodies.

"Jared's still alive," Sam snapped. "Take care of him. Please." As Carlisle lifted him and started toward the house, an unearthly scream rang from the nearby forest.

As the wolves descended on the clearing, they found Emmett standing over a pile of ash, all that was left of Felix. Across the clearing, Aro stood frozen, his ancient gnarled fingers tightening their grip on Edward's throat as the wolves hesitated, their huge paws kneading the underbrush.

"Enough!" Aro thundered. In one swift motion, he plucked Edward's head from his shoulders and pointed a bony finger at the headless body, igniting a spark that quickly consumed both it and the head he tossed carelessly on the pyre. "No more. An eye for an eye."

"NOOOOOO" Seth sprang toward Aro, his teeth bared and claws unsheathed. His breath was expelled with a "whhmph" as Leah tackled him in midair, knocking him to the ground. His body continued to thrash as she pinned him to the ground.

"Seth. It's over. I'm sorry," Leah said softly. She knew he was no match for the ancient vampire, especially with only three paws.

The other wolves moved closer, avoiding the smoldering remains and growling deep in their chests as they circled the remaining group of Volturi. Emmett stood rooted, his face contorted with rage, as Carlisle stepped out into the clearing. His shoulders slumped as he directed his gaze to the largest black wolf. "Call them off, Sam. No more killing."

Sam telepathically addressed the pack. "I agree with Carlisle. We need to stop this before anyone else dies. Phase back, but be on your guard."

One by one, the remaining wolves phased and dressed in whatever clothing they had thought to tie to their ankles. Sam asked for volunteers to carry Jared. Carlisle had straightened his legs and splinted them quickly, and he fashioned a litter to avoid jostling him as much as possible. Seth and Jacob lifted him gingerly and started back toward the reservation.

Sam knelt before Embry's body and gently lifted him into his arms. This was a job he couldn't delegate. His jaw was set, eyes straight ahead, but a stray tear, born of pain and frustration, coursed down his cheek as he stepped onto the well worn path with his grievous burden.

Sue's face was ashen as she held the door open. Thankfully, Seth was the first one through. Sue directed them to the couch and quickly folded Seth into a tight embrace before kneeling beside Jared's still figure. She knew he had to be immobilized for only a matter of hours before the bones would begin to knit together.

Jared began to stir. His moans quickly escalated into an agonized scream as consciousness returned and Embry's name tore from his throat.

Sue pulled Sam aside. "What can I do for him, Sam? I don't think an aspirin is going to help," she hissed as she pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I'm a nurse, Sam, not a doctor. And this boy needs a hospital."

Sam shook his head sadly. "Just do your best, Sue. We don't have any other options right now. You know as well as I do that if we took him to the hospital he'd end up in a zoo." Sue knew he was right, as did every member of the pack, but that didn't ease her frustration.

They would have to find a doctor for the pack at some point, but their need now was immediate. He looked over his shoulder into the living room, where Jared's jaws were locked together as he valiantly fought the urge to scream. As Sam watched, his right arm swung out and caught Kim, who was bathing his forehead with a cool cloth, and knocked her across the room. She landed painfully against a metal floor lamp but picked herself up and returned to his side. Jacob knelt beside her and held Jared's wrist in an iron grip as she continued to bathe his face, murmuring softly to him. Jared's eyes were glazed over with pain and he didn't seem aware of their presence, though he seemed to calm slightly at the soothing sound of her voice.

"Kim, you need to get some rest. Please, honey. I'll sit with him, and I promise not to leave till you come back," Sue pleaded.

For the first time since Seth had roused her from her bed, the tears spilled over. "N-no, Sue, I can't!" Kim sobbed.

"Okay, okay," Sue soothed. She spread a sleeping bag next to the couch with a couple of pillows, and Kim allowed herself to be pushed back onto the pillows without losing her grip on Jared's hand. He had finally fallen into a troubled sleep near dawn.

When Jared woke, he was still in pain but Sue breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed to have passed through the worst of it, and he was hungry – a good sign, in her opinion. There were various pack members collapsed throughout the house, and Emmy carefully navigated between them as she made her way to the kitchen. Sue scooped her up and hugged her. Emmy smiled and looked around, asking "Party, Mommy?"

Sue simply shook her head, kissed her gently and placed her in her high chair while she finished making breakfast. She gave Emmy a bowl of cereal while she scrambled some eggs for Jared, then put them on a tray with orange juice and toast. She turned and found Kim at her elbow, holding out her hands for the tray. Sue smiled and shook her head as she handed the tray over. "He looks much better today," she assured the pretty, dark haired girl. "Did you sleep a little?"

Kim nodded. "Did I thank you for everything you've done for him?" she asked softly, the tears threatening to overflow again.

"Yes, you did," Sue smiled at her, "but it's not necessary. We're all family, Kim."

After Jared had his breakfast, Sam cleared the room. "I need to talk to Jared alone for just a few minutes," he explained. "He's the only one who knows what happened yesterday, and I suspect it won't be easy to talk about it."

Kim propped Jared up on a couple of pillows and agreed to leave briefly, but she warned Sam not to tire him too much. Sue had heaped the kitchen table with platters of food and left Emmy with Seth, then slipped out with a pie to go visit Tiffany Call. She found Tiffany surrounded by friends and family, but she looked drawn and haggard. Sue doubted that she'd slept at all. The two women embraced soundlessly; there were no words sufficient to contain their grief.

Jared looked at Sam, his eyes haunted. He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I can help you at all, Sam," he said miserably. "They were so fast they were virtually invisible. I never knew what hit me. And Embry…?"

Sam shook his head slowly, and Jared's shoulders shook as the reality finally punched him in the gut. Kim, who had been keeping an eye on him from the kitchen, rushed into the room and wrapped her arms around him. "Enough, Sam. He's had enough." She held him as he wept, sobbing for his lost brother.

Aro watched from the dark forest as Charlie's cruiser pulled away from the curb. "She should be alone in the house now," he whispered to Marcus.

Inside the house, Bella completed her preparations as if in a trance. Dry-eyed, she half filled the bathtub with warm water, then stepped in fully clothed. She lay back against the cool porcelain and breathed a sigh. It was such a relief to have made her decision.

Bella turned up her left wrist, mapping the largest vein with her eyes before lifting the razor in her right hand. She winced slightly at the sting as she calmly sliced through the pale skin, opening the vein from wrist to elbow. The red blood swirled into the warm water as she extended the arm, watching in fascination as the water quickly turned crimson. She sighed and lay back, vaguely aware of some commotion downstairs as her eyes rolled back in her head and her vision faded to black.

The pain in her neck was bright, sharp, and agonizing. Her head snapped up and she found herself looking into the empty eyes of a familiar vampire. "N-no!" she tried to scream, but only a feeble hiss escaped her tortured throat.

Aro stood in the doorway supervising the rescue operation. He clucked his disapproval. "You very nearly cost us our prize," he chided as Alec tore at her damaged neck, gulping greedily. Aro delicately licked his lips, lifting her limp right hand and sinking his fangs into her wrist with a sickening "pop." Her body burned, the venomous conflagration racing through veins and capillaries, as they lifted her from the tub and carried her out into the dark night and toward the waiting plane. "An eye for an eye," Aro repeated to no one in particular.

THE END

(I never expected to write War and Peace, so it was time to bring this story to a close. Stay

tuned for the further adventures of teenaged Emmy and Tommy in a new story…coming soon!)