I generally don't like overlapping POVs but I felt like the last chapter kind of required it. So here is what Bad Ass Bella was up to during the rescue.

Chapter 15 - Snakes, Scars, Surprises

Approximately 20 miles outside New Orleans

11:58pm CST

BPOV

The hot, wet bayou was familiar to me. A good portion of my training had taken place in these swamps. Though the natural hazards were numerous, I knew what they were and how to avoid them. The knowledge gave me a boost of confidence. I was almost at home here.

We weren't far from the warehouse now and I was alert for the guards that I knew would be around, though I doubted there would be many. Volturi was a cocky son of a bitch and he would feel secure in his out of the way location. He thought he was so much better and smarter than everyone else and that would be his ultimate downfall.

I skirted slightly to my left when I heard the tell-tale rattle of a water moccasin warning me away from her hideaway. Even though we each had anti-venom on hand, those little bastards hurt like a bitch and they left a pretty good scar. I had one behind my left knee from one that nailed me during a training mission two years ago. No thank you for a repeat of that experience.

I saw the guard walking in our general direction just before I heard the click from either Edward of Jasper to warn me about it. I hunkered down and hoped that the snake agreed that this was far enough away to keep us both happy.

He passed by me at a good twenty feet and kept obliviously moving on. I turned my head slightly in the mud to watch his progress. He passed by where I thought Edward might be and then stopped suddenly as though he sensed something.

Right behind him a black shadow rose up from the grass. The height and build gave him away as Jasper. He made quick, silent, albeit slightly messy work of the guard before he dropped back down to the ground.

I lifted my head up to canvas the area as I waited for Edward's signal to move on. A few seconds later I heard it and I continued my belly crawl though the mud. So much for my bath this morning. At least I got to leave the worrisome snake behind.

Once I got up along side the warehouse, I did a quick check to make sure I had everything I needed while Edward checked the area. Last thing we needed to happen was for me to get inside and realize I left something in the mud.

Lock pick…check. .45 caliber with silencer, fully loaded…check. Archangel butterfly knife…check. Radio…check. Mini first aid kit…check. Good to go.

I looked up and locked eyes with Edward. He gave me a nod to let me know to go in but I couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. While his face itself was completely stoic, for that brief second, those green depths betrayed his fear and worry. Not for himself, never for himself, but for Anthony, Jasper, and me. Even for Jake, Alice, and Garrett.

As much as I wanted to comfort him, now was not the time. I gave him a quick thumbs up as I made my way around the side of the building. I moved as quickly as I could without making any noise because I knew no one else could move until I had Anthony secured. I also knew that until Edward heard my final signal, his mind would be in turmoil.

I approached the small window that was my point of entry and looked around to make sure that I was alone. Once I was sure no one was around to see me, I stood up and peered inside the window. The small supply closet on the other side was empty, but I could see that the door off to the right was open. I was going to have to make sure this was done without a single sound.

I checked the edges of the window for alarms and breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to take the time to deactivate any. Lucky for me the window was even unlocked. Aro was even more sure of himself that I thought.

I slowly eased up the window, holding my breath when it let out a slight squeak. I ducked down and waited for a moment, hoping that no one had heard it. When I knew it was relatively safe, I grasped the top of the window frame and pulled myself so I could ease my legs through the window. It was a tight squeeze and I had to wiggle a bit to get my ass through, losing my hat in the process, but I managed it and landed under the window in a crouch. I reached down to the radio hooked into my belt and pushed the button once to signal Edward.

Staying semi-crouched and only using the balls of my feet, I made my way along the wall to the door. Only a short way down the hall were two guards in front of a pad-locked door. Jackpot.

Unfortunately, Aro hadn't skimped on his guards. These guys were definitely not bored armatures. The were alert and very much in shape. I was going to have to actually enter the hallway in order to get a shot which meant I would only be able to take out one of them before the other was on me.

I rolled into the hallway coming up with my gun in my hand and fired, hitting guard number one square in the chest a split second before guard number two tackled me to the ground. My gun flew out of my hand and slid down the hallway out of reach.

The guard landed a fist in my ribs. I heard a muffled crack before all the breath rushed out of me, but I managed to keep my calm and my elbow up into the side of his and my knee up into his groin.

He rolled off of me and I shot to my feet ignoring the pain on my left side. With the guard's obvious training, he was able to function even with the cock shot and was up with me.

We circled each other in the hallway and he gave me a smirk, ignoring the blood that leaked from his split lip. He obviously impressed that I was up with what was at least a cracked rib, and that I had manage to get a shot in on him.

I cocked an eyebrow at him just before he ran at me. What he never saw was the Archangel I had up my sleeve was now in my hand. As he came at me, I side stepped to the left and turned while spinning the knife open. His forward momentum made it impossible for him to stop as I rammed the knife up under his chin. In the same movement, I pulled out the knife and spun around behind him as he collapsed to the floor, a pool of blood forming under him.

I collected my gun and check the pulse of the guard I had shot to confirm that he was dead. While I wiped the knife off on his shirt, I sent two clicks to Edward.

I pushed on my injured side and hissed sharply at the pain. It hurt like hell, but the bone didn't move so I was pretty sure it was just cracked and not completely broken.

I tucked the knife back up my sleeve and pulled the lock pick kit out of my coat pocket. The lock on the door was fairly complicated so it took me a minute to open it. I went inside and looked around the dimly lit room.

Anthony was in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest. He looked up when he heard my approach. He was obviously scared, his bright blue eyes were wet and tears had cut a path through the dirt on his face, but he was alive and apparently uninjured. I sent my signal to Edward before I kneeled down about six feet away so as not to frighten him further.

Anthony looked at me and looked back at the door confused. Luckily the bodies were not in sight. "Who are you?" he asked timidly.

I gave him a gentle smile, hoping that my muddy appearance wasn't too scary. "My name is Bella. I'm a friend of your Dad and I came with him to bring you home."

His blonde brows drew in and he frowned in suspicion. At first I thought he maybe thought I was lying because he had never heard of me, but when he pointed at my arm I realized he had and just wanted proof.

I slowly slid a bit closer and pulled up my sleeve. He leaned closer to see the white scar that still stood out even in the dim light. I was suddenly surprise by the small boy launching himself into my arms. I hissed again at the pain in my ribs, but pulled him close to me anyway.

Just then I heard footsteps in the hall behind me. Unable to disentangle myself from Anthony in time I turned my head and upper body slightly and brought up my gun.

A gun slid into the room across the floor before a very big and very familiar agent filled the doorway.

"Felix?" I asked, shocked. What the hell was he doing here? Then it clicked. Felix was a notoriously good undercover agent. Right before we had gotten into the van out here Caius had pulled me aside and told me that he had managed to get someone in as a safety net. He never sent who or how, but he had been adamant that I tell no one.

Felix flashed me one of his famous grins and stepped into the room. "I've been working undercover on the Volturi case for the last year and a half. I got my shoulder injury while posing as one of his bodyguards. When your man's kid was taken they asked me to go back in early. Aro was too happy to have me back off…" He put his hands up to make little quotations in the air. " 'sick' leave to question it. I've made myself rather likable."

I lowered my gun back to the floor and felt Anthony bury his face in my hair. "Are you still gonna be working the case after this?" I asked.

Felix nodded. "Yeah, there's a few more family members of Aro out there that need to be brought down."

I nodded before I heard my radio cackle followed by Edward's voice. "Bella, are you okay?"

I felt Anthony stir at the sound of his father's voice and I found myself smiling slightly from hearing it as well. "We're good. Are you okay?" I replied.

"I'm fine. Job's done. Let's go home."

"On my way."

We heard Edward check in with the rest of the team while Felix helped lift me off the floor. Anthony still refused to let go, but I couldn't really say that I minded.

On my feet, I turned to look at Felix. "You better get out of here before Edward or Jasper spots you and mistakes you for one of them. If you head out the back way you might cross Jacob and Alice, but you'll avoid them."

"Thanks, Swan."

Without another words Felix was gone and I turned my attention to the boy in my arms. "Anthony, I want you to close your eyes real tight until we get to your Daddy, okay?" I didn't want him to see the bodies in the hall. Poor boy was probably going to have nightmares as it was.

A muffled 'okay' came out from somewhere in my hair. I hoisted Anthony up into a more comfortable position on my hips and he wrapped his legs around my waist. It hurt but that was okay.

Smiling at the innocent trust Edward's son had so quickly given me, I made my way back to Edward. Back to home. And hopefully to some painkillers.

So just to let you all know, in about 3 weeks I will be moving from here in Texas to Vermont. I'm going to try and finish this story before then, but I can't make any promises. If I don't it may be a while since I will be hellishly busy. I do promise try my hardest to be done first though, we are almost there.

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