The sky was gray, thick clouds obscuring the sun. A light trickle of rain arted, quickling developing into a torrential downpour. The droplets plastered Isabella's t-shirt to her skin, hair hanging limp about her shoulders. Her face was gaunt, deep purple bruises staining the skin under red-rimmed eyes. She was stood silently in the rain, lips pressed into a thin line as she fought against the onslaught of emotion that attempted to drown her. It forced her to her knees, a broken sob escaping the cage of her mouth. Her face crumpled as the grief took hold of her, tearing its razor-sharp blades through her chest.

The pain she'd experienced when Edward had left her all those months ago was nothing in comparison to this. At least then she'd managed to numb herself to it all, managed to exist in a state of in-between. She could only wish for such a luxury now. The slab of rock with her father's name engraved in it did nothing to soothe the pulsating ache, the raw agony that surged with every breath.

He was gone. Her father. Her protector. Her kin. Taken, ripped away, pried from her grasp. She'd sat kneeling in that field long after his heart pumped it's last beat, after his body had cooled and his limbs had started stiffening. She'd sat, rocking absently, attempting to put his spilt blood back into the wound, attempting to hold him together by pressing on the fatal wound. She couldn't accept that he was just gone, couldn't accept that he'd flown halfway around the world to his death, couldn't face the fact that it had all been her fault.

"I'm sorry daddy." Her words were broken, choked by her tears, strangled by the guilt, smothered by pure, unwavering agony. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she sagged against the stones, the freshly turned dirt only serving as another reminder of the horrific event.

The Volturi did not bury their dead. After all, the only way to ensure a vampire's death is to burn them; they'd never had anyone to bury. Isabella had refused to let her father's body join the pile of twitching vampire limbs, promising to throw herself upon the open flames should they attempt to do so. It was bad enough that she'd had to watch Carrie and Mike get destroyed. She wouldn't lose her father that way. They had settled on burying him in a secluded part of the gardens, Marcus erecting a wall in half a day before laying his body to rest as the sun dipped below the horizon.

That had been two weeks ago. Bella hadn't known how to cope, choosing to resign herself to the confines of Alec's room, welcoming only the comfort of her mate and occasionally Marcus' silent presence. She couldn't face anybody else, couldn't stand the pitying looks or enamoured glances between the new couples.

A lot had happened. Lucas, who had been infatuated with the idea of Bella's rescue- having been led to believe by Victoria that the storm on the Volturi castle was just that- turned out to be mated to none other than the jubilant Mandy, who had been both elated and devastated; Felix hadn't said a word to her since finding out that she'd gained an eternal, all-consuming love.

That seemed like nothing in comparison to the absolutely screwed up situation Demetri found himself in. It was just as Alec had pulled Edward's head free of his body that his redheaded counterpart had tried to take advantage of everyone's distraction and get to Isabella. Alec's instinct had spurred him on, and jut as she touched down (she'd swung from the surrounding trees, having seen the effect of Alec's gift) he'd grabbed a fistfull of red curls before being slammed aside.

Demetri had barrelled into him, growling, teeth bared as he crouched protectively in front of Victoria. Alec had responded accordingly, and the two had engaged in a vicious battle, both fighting for the lives of their mates. Victoria had been too stunned to exact her revenge, instead watching with wide scarlet eyes as a man more perfect that she could ever imagine fought for her, put himself in harm's way in order to protect her.

To make a long story short, the two turned out to be mated, and the kings were still deliberating on how to punish her without sending Demetri into a catatonic state; Aro wasn't willing to sacrifice his best tracker and one of the most formidable fighters in his wealth of skilled vampires.

Arms wrapped around her, drawing her back into his broad chest. She couldn't stop the small sigh that escaped her before guilt instantly took its place. She had no right to feel anything other than crushing grief and shame. She had effectively killed her father.

"It is not your fault," he murmured, almost as if he could read her mind. Bella shook her head, eyes watering again. Or maybe they'd never cleared. She wasn't sure anymore.

"It is, Alec. He was protecting me. If I'd just listened…" Her voice broke as she once again replayed the events in her mind, agonising over every stupidly hubristic move. She wasn't indestructible, far from immortal. She had placed every vampire that fought for her in danger by distracting them. She had killed her father.

Alec sighed and turned her in his arms as he had done for the past two weeks, drawing her in to his chest and rubbing soothing circles in her back. He cooed words in her ears, lilting accent lulling her into a much calmer state. The two sat together, curled up, limbs entangled, until she fell asleep to the steady rise and fall of his chest, lungs filling with unnecessary air.

He carried her to their shared room, laying her in the bed that was useless until she came. He let loose a huge sigh as he watched her, brow furrowed as she twitched restlessly. It pained him greatly to see his mate so distressed. She couldn't find it in her to forgive herself while awake, and didn't seem to find any peace in sleep either. When she wasn't curled up under the crushing weight of threatening depression, she was working harder than ever before in the training room, sometimes forgoing meals until she learned a certain movement which took many humans decades to master. Her neglect of her own health made him unable to focus on anything but her, and he found it distressing himself that he couldn't convince her to take better care of herself.

His own relationship with Demetri had deteriorated rapidly since the big battle, and each time they were summoned to Aro, they had sent each other looks so black as he tried to ensure his looks did kill. He just didn't understand what Fate had against him, against her. The woman who had hunted her down for months, enlisted the help of the very being that had broken her so irrevocably, who'd been responsible for her father's death, was saved from her deserving punishment because she was mated to a man who's gift Aro valued above many.

Of course he felt Aro was wrong to not execute her simply based on this fact. She had broken the law, saw to it that an entire town in their very own domain was slaughtered without a care for the consequences and targeted his mate. She deserved to die.

He glanced over at his sleeping mate, feeling a heavy weight settle on his shoulders. He just hoped that she could learn to forgive herself. She'd been through so much already, and if she asked him to, he would gladly disregard Aro's wishes as see to it that the redhead burns.

Angela was staring stoically out at the gardens below, lip curling as she watched Alec pick Isabella up and blur inside. Here she was, cooped up in a room more grand than she'd ever known, surrounded by perfect beings while feeling all the crippling shame and doubt. Sure, she'd never been as religious as her parents wanted her to be, but she was still a pastor's daughter. The word of God had been instilled in her from a young age, the knowledge that going against God's wishes was wrong and yet here she sat, in a castle full of beings that were just so wrong.

Resentment churned in her chest as her hazel eyes narrowed. Isabella had never asked her what she wanted. She didn't ask her if she wanted this vampirism, whether she was okay with being offered the chance to live a life steeped in sin and blood, an unholy existence, cursed to roam the earth until she met her fate in fire.

A solitary tear traced her cheek as she imagined her parents reactions to her staged death. Felix had abruptly told her not an hour ago that the Volturi had ensured that there were no loose ends, and with Charlie now dead and the threat of Victoria and Edward gone, there was no reason for them not to be changed. Jane had told them of the unfortunate demise of Carrie and Mike, and though she was saddened that her childhood friends were dead, a large part of her was glad that they couldn't sully their souls any more than they already had.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she rose robotically to answer it. She was pleasantly surprised to find a nervous Ben on the other side. His eyes were red, hair dishevelled, hands clutching a near-empty bottle of Jack. He swayed unstably before leaning against the doorframe. "..." He opened his mouth but no words came out but instead a strangled sob.

Instantly, Angela reached out, catching him before he could fall. His tears soaked her shirt and she had to force the bile down at the vile stench of alcohol and body odour and sweat. "Oh Ben," her voice cracked as she backed into her room, kicking the door shut. The two slowly made their way to the couch, where Ben's quiet sobs became loud, chest-deep cries.

"He's dead, Ange. He's really gone." Fat tears leaked from his almond eyes, her own responding to the raw emotion. "Mike Newton ain't coming back."

The two stayed locked in embrace, their hearts mourning the boy who'd not had the chance to say goodbye.

In the silence, with the rain pattering against the window, Angela made a vow that she was determined to keep,

The vampires will get what is coming to them. They will all burn.

A/N: Hey guys. It has been a tumultuous few years and Moving On has had a fantastic journey. But all good things must come to an end. This will- at least for the time being- be the final chapter. There definitely will be a sequel, however I am trying to work on my writing style and ensure that half of the problems that I had/have with this story does not happen with the next.

That being said; Merry Christmas everyone. Feel free to PM me or leave a review with requests/questions/comments.

Thank you to everyone who has been there with me on this journey. It is all for you.

- Channie.B