AN: This is it. The end of the line for this one.

I decided not to add a bunch of filler to make this story longer than it needs to be. Not when I have so many others to finish.

Thank you to, catgrl, and charverv, for reviewing last chapter! Good to know a couple of you are still out there.

"The Undeniable Truth" is leading in my profile poll now, so I'll be working on it next!

Warnings for this one…*mass destruction*, I guess?

And now I give you, Chapter 17, the final chapter!

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

T. S. Eliot

Chapter 17

Pete's POV

We took Jasper into the house an' I got a bath ready fer him while Isa unlocked the panic room an' let out the occupants.

Carmen was desperately tryin' ta comfort Sofía, who had evidently been cryin' ever since Em got his leg ripped off. Rose raced off ta find Tanya so they could have a big emotional reunion. Apparently, facin' a hundred an' fifty newborns was enough of a wake up call fer Tanya ta remember what was important an' what wasn't. Baby Vasilii was not the same child who got her mother killed all those centuries ago. So, with nerves an' reluctance, she held their lil' boy fer the first time an' I know Rose was elated.

But my own mate was still sufferin'. I was worried about Isa's plan, but I needed to hope it would work. My gift was bein' awfully silent about it.

When she came back from the panic room, she had one of the street kids with her. I knew she was shieldin' his emotions from Jasper, who was sittin' listlessly in the bath facin' the other way from the door.

Isa went up behind Jasper, sliced the boy's wrist and held it out to his mouth. Without even thinkin' he took the offered gift and began ta drink. His eyes opened wide an' he became startled as he realized what he was drinkin'.

"I'm usin' my shield," she explained in answer ta his unasked question. "I'll pay Ramone back fer the kid an' let him know it was an emergency. He had ta kill his own sire once upon a time, so he will understand. I needed ta do somethin' ta bring ya back ta us. I couldn't just let ya suffer in limbo indefinitely," she justified.

When Jasper had drained the boy (who was about our physical age an' prolly shoulda been in college if he hadn't had such a shitty life) he set him down gently an' turned ta face her.

"Thank you, Isa. Ya can't know how much I needed that. I think I'll be more like an omnivore goin' forward. I'll still drink animals whenever there is no other option fer guilt-free blood, but I think it can't hurt ta be at the top o' my game, physically an' mentally." He smiled fer the first time since Maria's arrival.

"But I do have one complaint fer y'all." He pouted.

"Oh? What's that, Major?" Isa inquired. He pulled her down, fully clothed, into the tub with him.

"We need a bigger bathtub!" He laughed, motionin' Char an' I to join them. It was indeed a mighty tight fit, unlike the shower which fit us all nicely.

"I'm glad yer back, Major." Char beamed, kissin' him passionately.

"Me too, Sugar. But can y'all cool it with the 'Major' business fer a while? I don't wanna think about war right now until we have to." He sighed.

"Good idea," Isa agreed. "An' now, I have an even better one!" she beamed.

"What's that, Babe?" Char asked her.

"Well...we never did get ta go dancin'..."

Jasper's POV

About two hours later, everyone was dressed to kill an' ready ta head back south to El Paso ta visit Ramone's bar an' return his remainin' feeder human. Alice an' Em offered ta stay with the babies so Carmen an' Rose could come party with us, since it might be their last chance ta really get out without the babies fer a while.

But Alice, bein' Alice, decided the babies needed some new designer baby clothes since they were gonna be growin' so fast. So she an' Em decided ta take the jet ta California an' hit up some baby boutiques on Rodeo Drive while the rest of us went dancin'. They assured us they'd be back the next mornin'.

Meanwhile, Isa was practically vibratin' with excitement fer the evenin' ahead. She hadn't actually seen Ramone since her change an' was chompin' at the bit ta see what her ol' friend would think o' her new self. In fact, she was so excited, she never even scolded Em fer singin' the backpack song from Dora while he packed Sofía's diaper bag fer California.

"Hasta luego, Mija." Carmen cooed to her, kissin' the top o' her lil' baby head while she said her goodbyes. "You be a good girl for Emmett. Okay, Mija? No llores, por favor."

"You too, Little Man." Rose smiled at Vasilii. "Try not to be too upset with Alice when she insists on dressing you up like a little doll in a million different outfits. That's just how Alice expresses her love."

"Oh Rose. You underestimate me. You make it sound like I have no chill." Alice frowned.

"Uhh, Ally? Ya don't. Ya have like zero chill." Isa snickered.

"Ugh, that's enough out of all of you. Here, I will prove that I can be just as laid back as the next vampire. I won't send a single baby selfie the entire time we're gone. In fact...here, Jasper, just to make sure I can't take any pictures, here is my phone. Emmett will have his if you need to get ahold of us." She said, thrustin' her cell into my hands. "Come on, Em, the pilot is waiting for us. Bye all!"

She waved an' sped off toward the Escalade they'd be takin' ta the airport fer appearances sake. Em shrugged an' followed after her carryin' Sofía an' all o' her baby stuff.

"Okay, People, time's a wastin'! If we move now, we can get ta El Paso by Happy Hour!" Isa instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am." Char nodded, grabbin' her purse. Y'all heard her, let's move, People!"

Isa's POV

I was so fuckin' excited ta be takin' my family ta Ramone's bar! I had so many memories there, it had basically been a second home fer me when I came south.

I'd had a lil' bit o' money, of course. Enough ta get by on. When my dad had taken up with Sue on the Rez, he decided ta sell his house. He had given me half the money from the sale, statin' that I could use it fer school or travel or whatever I wanted. The other half, he had accumulatin' interest or somethin' in one of those special accounts.

So, I'd told him I wanted ta travel, an' I came south. I knew from talkin' to the Cullens that there were more vampires in the south because o' the Southern Wars, so it had seemed like a good place ta start searchin' fer an immortal willin' ta change me once I got sick o' bein' a wolf groupie.

I'd gotten a job tendin' bar when I first came south. It was by total fluke that I'd met Ramone. His bar was down the street from the one I was workin' at. I'd noticed we were losin' business to 'em, so I'd suggested ta my boss that we undercut their prices an' try to drive 'em under. So he did an' we were busier than ever fer a while.

Imagine my surprise though when a couple weeks later, Ramone's sparkly ass showed up at my bar with jet black eyes an' unnaturally pale, porcelain skin. I took one look at him an' muttered under my breath, "If yer here ta eat me, at least wait 'til we close up fer the night an' stalk me like a proper predator, sheesh. Didn't whoever sired ya teach ya anythin'?"

He looked startled an' then chuckled. "Well...I was just here to discuss business with the owner of this establishment, but since you seem to know what I am, I suppose I will have to eat you after all."

I sighed, throwin' my bar towel down on the counter. "I guess that's fine. I haven't found anyone willin' ta change me, so I should prolly be eaten. After all, those are the rules."

"Oh! You are looking for someone to change you? That solves it then. I do not have to eat you for knowing about us if you plan to become a vampire." He smiled.

"I do, but first I need ta find someone ta sire me. I know it's a one year commitment, so I know I'm askin' a lot." I reasoned.

"I suppose it is a big commitment, yes. But I have faith you will find someone. I would turn you myself, but I run a bar that caters to both human and vampire clientele. As such, it wouldn't do for me to have a newborn around." He told me apologetically.

"Your bar serves human customers and vampires? Can I come by an' check it out? Maybe one o' yer vampire patrons would want ta turn me," I pleaded.

He thought about it fer a moment. "Alright, but no soliciting my customers. You can tell them you are looking for someone to turn you, but you cannot ask them to do it, unless they offer. My customers come to my establishment to drink in peace, not to be harassed," he insisted.

"Also, you need to be careful that no one thinks I told you about vampires. We must make sure it is clear that you already knew the secret when I met you. In fact...who did tell you about vampires?" He puzzled.

"Oh boy, is that ever a long story, Mr…?" I laughed, realizin' I didn't know his name yet.

"Ramone. And you are…?" he stated, extendin' his hand.

"Nice ta meet ya, Ramone. My name is Isabella, but I don't like my name. I don't really like 'Bella' either though, so I'm not too sure what that leaves." I shrugged.

"Hmm, I see. Well, I will have to call you something...how about...Isa?" he suggested.

"Okay, sure. Isn't that a cartoon lizard or somethin'?"

"I am not aware of such things. But I like the name Isa. It sounds sexy and powerful." He shrugged.

"Oooh, okay! Isa it is!"

And thus was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. For two years, I had sat in a bar stool at Ramone's every night, pourin' out my life story ta him while he poured the drinks. Fer two years he watched as I cozied up ta one vamp after another in the hopes o' findin' someone ta change me.

Lil' did I know then that my quest would lead me ta Jasper, or that he n' Pete n' Char would turn out ta be my mates. But now that I was finally a vampire an' no one was comin' after us, I couldn't wait fer Ramone ta see the new me. He sounded so happy over the phone when I'd told him 'bout my change. I knew he'd be over the moon when he saw fer himself just how happy I was. An' boy was I happy!

"Ready, Darlin'?" Jas asked as we arrived on the outskirts of El Paso.

"You bet I am! We finally get ta go dancin'!" I laughed.

"Lead the way, Lil' Filly," Pete grinned, spankin' my ass as I moved ta lead our group toward Ramone's bar.

We'd called ahead ta let him know we were comin' so he could shut the place down an' we would have the whole bar ta ourselves fer the night.

It was gonna be awesome!

Char's POV

The music was hoppin' as we entered the bar through the back entrance, as per Ramone's request, since this was a closed function.

"Hola, Mija!" He beamed as soon as he saw Isa. He wrapped her in a tight hug before takin' a step back to look her over. "Oh wow, Isa! Vampirism suits you to a tee," he approved with a proud smile. "Come in, everyone! Let me pour a round of our best blend on the house! There is much to celebrate!"

We all took spots around the large bar counter, fillin' the available seats almost completely.

"Now, please, regale me with the tales of your victory! I am curious to hear how the infamous Maria was finally defeated. Many have tried before, but your group are the only ones to have ever succeeded. It is quite an impressive thing. Though, with The Major and his best warriors in your corner, I shouldn't be surprised." He gushed.

"Thank you, Ramone, that's high praise. You were a mighty fine warrior yerself, if I remember rightly." Jasper smirked.

"Ahh yes, well, those days are behind me now. I hung up my proverbial pistols when I opened this bar to serve our kind. Now I much prefer to listen to the war stories of others than to accumulate my own." He smiled, pourin' out drinks fer all o' us.

"Alright, well, our defeat of Maria isn't exactly much of a war story per se." Isa shrugged, takin' a sip o' her drink. "Dang, that's delish!"

Ramone's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, Isa? She is defeated, no?"

"Oh, yeah, Maria is no more, don't worry, Ramone, Jasper saw ta that. It was hard fer him, of course, but he made sure she can't hurt anyone anymore. What I meant is...it wasn't really a war. Our side suffered no casualties an' the battle only lasted a few hours. I've heard enough o' yer war stories over these last couple years ta know it went a lot better fer us than it could have. We basically just took out her newborns an' then confronted her." Isa shrugged.

"Oh! But there was one unexpected twist. Remember that vamp girl, Anahi? Ya know, the one who stayed here a few months back an' said she was on her way north ta get away from the wars?" she continued.

"Yes, I remember. She was very skittish and feral. Looked like something the cat dragged in. You said she was surprisingly good in bed though." He laughed, which was met with the glares of me an' the boys.

"Yeah, well, apparently she lied. That was Maria, in the flesh. I guess she came north on a reconnaissance mission. I fell for her lies, hook line an' sinker." Isa sighed shakin' her head.

"Isa...are you certain? That woman looked nothing like Maria. I have met Maria, I know what she looks like," he puzzled.

"You know what she normally looks like, Ramone. I've seen her without all the makeup an' pretty clothes, covered in mud an not much else, an' it basically amounts to what Isa is describin'. She used ta pull that shit on rival coven leaders all the time ta get information outta 'em. She even did it to Rafe once or twice," Jas confirmed, referrin' ta the leader o' the coven Ramone used ta run with.

"No shit, really? She must have been a very good actress for Rafael to fall for that. He was always a very good judge of character." Ramone stated in awe.

"Yeah, that was the thing about Maria. She always was the best liar in the world. Hell, I'm an Empath an' even I believed she loved me." Jasper sighed, pushin' his hair back restin' his elbows on the counter.

"Maybe in a way, she did." Pete shrugged.

Isa chugged the rest o' her blood an' stood abruptly, tuggin' the three of us ta our feet one at a time. "Okay, enough o' this depressin' shit. We came here ta dance!" She smirked, pullin' us out into the middle o' the room. "'Sides, this here? This shit is my jam!" she said, pointin' at the speakers that were blastin' some kinda dance beat I didn't recognize.

She began movin' her hips in a way that made me wish we were alone with her instead of in public. Then she motioned fer me ta come dance with her. So I wrapped my arms around our girl from behind an' matched the rhythm of her swayin' hips with my own. Soon, I felt Jasper join us from behind an' Petey walked up in front of Isa an' began grindin' on her. It was nice ta just unwind an' experience my mates in all their raw, sexy glory.

I don't even know how long we danced for. With the loves of my immortal life in my arms, it was pretty easy ta lose track of time. I did know we danced until the sun started comin' up. That was when Jasper settled up the tab with Ramone, includin' a rental fee to cover the business he lost by closin' down fer us. Then, we all took turns thankin' Ramone fer a lovely evenin' an' assurin' him we'd be back ta visit soon.

"Stay safe, Mija," he said, as Isa hugged him goodbye.

"Oh Ramone, ya know trouble always finds me one way or another." She winked.

"That's what I am afraid of." He teased, shakin' his finger at her.

As we all filed out the back door of Ramone's club, I could feel somethin' in the air. Somethin' I couldn't quite place, but I knew it was a familar feelin' just the same.

"Ready ta head home?" Jas asked us, as we walked along, the four o' us holdin' hands, as we strolled at a human pace.

"Yep. It was a fun night out, but I'd like ta start shoppin' fer that bigger bathtub we really need." Isa grinned.

"That's just cuz ya wanna see us all soaped up an' naked." Pete smirked.

"Guilty as charged!" Isa laughed. "Race ya home?"

"Yer on!" Jasper yelled as we all took off runnin'.

It was such a large group o' vamps we had with us that we really couldn't hear much over the sound of our own footfalls as we tore through the Texas countryside. In fact, we were so focused on beatin' one another in the race that we didn't notice the lil' blurs lining the distant hillsides. Not until they appeared in front of us as well.

Jasper noticed first. He called us all to a stop.

"Are those people? They sure don't look like cattle…" he frowned.

"Maybe there's some kind o' march or rally?" Isa suggested.

"In the middle of nowhere? The nearest town has to be twenty miles." Eleazar frowned. "And they stretch off so far in either direction. In fact…" he spun around an' we all followed suit. "Whatever it is, we are entirely surrounded by it."

Pete winced. "Ah fuck. It ain't humans, Jasper. An' it sure as shit ain't cows. Check yer phones everybody. Did we miss any texts from the Pixie?"

"Yeah, an' several calls." Isa confirmed as everyone pulled out their phones.

"Fuck!" Jasper hissed. "The music must've drowned out the ringin'.

Volturi on their way to you! Use Charlotte. No choice. Love you all.

If I had any blood, it woulda run cold in that moment.

"Bullshit there's no choice!" Isa snarled. "We can't make her do this! Besides, there could be humans around!"

"We ran quite a ways from the city, Darlin'. I don't think there's any humans around. The Guard wouldn't approach us somewhere populated. They wouldn't risk the exposure." Jasper told her softly.

"How the fuck did they even find us?" Isa asked.

"I just listened to Alice's voicemail. She says they have Ravanica with them. That's why she wasn't with Maria. She must've seen that Maria would lose and gone straight to Italy," Carl explained.

"New York, my ass." Isa muttered. Clearly the lieutenant o' Maria's that we'd interrogated had some bad intel.

The lil' blurs in the distance were gettin' noticably closer on all sides. They were clearly gettin' ready ta move in on us. An' as they came toward us, it was easy ta tell there were more vamps with 'em than I'd ever seen congregated in any one place. They'd obviously called in every single vampire in the world who was loyal to the Volturi.

"There must be over a thousand of them! Maybe even two! I don't think there has been this big of a force assembled since they took out the Romanian covens." Eleazar stated. "I think Alice is right, I don't think we have a choice. Even Isa's shield wouldn't hold against the onslaught of that many mental gifts. It would overload and stop working entirely."

"Wait...if my shield won't work, could we even use Char's gift? How would I be able ta protect y'all from the blast?" Isa asked, panickin'.

"Isabella, I'm not even sure if your shield will protect anyone from Charlotte's gift anyway. It is unclear whether her gift is mental or physical in nature. Some gifts that seem like one thing are actually another, so we won't know until it triggers." Eleazar sighed defeatedly.

"So...we could all die anyway?" Isa frowned.

"No, anyone touchin' me durin' the blast will be fine fer sure, shield or no shield. That's what happened before," I said softly.

"Can someone please explain what the fuck you all are talking about?" Rose asked frantically.

Jasper sent out a wave of calm an' looked at me. I nodded that he could tell 'em now since we had no choice at this point.

"The Manhattan Project? Didn't quite do what people thought it did. There was no 'Little Boy'. There was no 'Fat Man'. There was only ever Charlotte." Jasper told everyone gently.

His words were met with only silence. But I did notice several o' the mated pairs began clutchin' each other, clearly knowin' this could be the end.

"Well, we'll just have to hope Isa's shield works. They're almost here." Ele said, holdin' Carmen tightly as we watched the Volturi an' a sea o' their countless witnesses arrive.

Reluctantly, I wrapped my arms around my mates, knowin' at the very least, they would be safe.

"Countdown from five...

"Four…

"Three…

"Two…

"One…"

The brilliant light was the last thing I remembered seein' before the blast knocked me unconscious. An' yes, vampires could go unconscious when they turned into what essentially amounted to a human atom bomb. It happened durin' WWII an' it happened again, today, on a field in Texas.

I wasn't sure what I would find when I dared to open my eyes. But I did know…

Our lives would never be the same again.

Well...here goes nothin'.

AN: I know, I know…

Ending the story with a cliffhanger?!

Cruel! Evil! Mean spirited, you cry!

Welp...here's where you have a say in what happens next.

Option #1: Isa's shield failed and everyone but the four mates is dead, in which case, all you get is an Epilogue of the aftermath, sorry!

Or…

Option #2: You liked this story, you want more, you'd like to see a sequel eventually. In which case, Isa's shield worked just fine and only the bad guys are dead.

So please…the fate of these side characters is resting on your shoulders! Press review if you want to save our lovely friends!

Blessings,

-BMW

ps: thanks muchly for joining me on this wild ride! XOXOXO