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Chapter Text

2016 -:- Present Day

I closed the journal slowly, wondering if the words might shatter if I didn't. I felt like I was standing on a piece of glass which had started to crack and beneath me was nothing but a bottomless abyss. There was nothing I could do to turn back the hands of time and save her from what she had suffered through, and yet, I didn't know how to move forward. Either way, the delicate balance I was maintaining would falter, and send me tumbling to the unknown. Anger was surging inside of me, and the only person I had to be angry with was myself. I was tired of always feeling this way.

"Edward," she said, feeling the tension in my body.

The crack in the glass had started to spread. Any words I could say would only add to the weight and the pressure that was already there. Placing the journal gently beside me, I extricated myself from underneath her with the pretense of stoking the fire. My back was to her while I played with the coals much longer than what was necessary. The fire was blazing now, and the edges of the flames were coming out and over the lip of the chimney.

"We need more wood," I said in a clipped voice, turning to leave the cabin.

"Edward," she repeated, "there's enough wood." Her voice was strong and demanded respect. "Look at me," she said, as though I had no other option but to obey her. I stopped with my hand resting on the doorknob, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around and face her.

"Are you going back on your promise already?" she said, taunting me.

I snapped around to look her, the hurt evident in both of our eyes. She was standing now, with her arms crossed and her chin raised defiantly as if she was goading me into a fight.

"We haven't even gotten to the tough stuff yet, and you're ready to run again." She scoffed, with her lip turned up. "You know I died a violent death. Was there ever any doubt that I didn't?"

"I know damn well you did," I said with tension in my voice. "I've known it for the past decade. That's not—that's not what this is about." I looked down at my feet, ashamed and frustrated with who I was right now.

"I can't read your mind, Edward, and if this is going to work we have to be honest. That's why I'm letting you read this, not because I want to hurt you. I want there to be no doubt in your mind as to how I feel. The least you can do is show me the same courtesy," she said. "I think I've earned that."

"Believe me, I know, you have. Yes, I'm angry. But not for the reasons you think," I finished with barely a whisper.

"Then what is it? Please, tell me." I heard her walk toward me.

I stared at the crack in the floor boards with only feeble words flying through my head while I desperately searched for a way to explain how I was feeling. The tips of her boots were in my eye line now, standing in front of me waiting for me to explain how inadequate I felt … because of him. How was I going to tell her that he did for her, what I was never brave enough to do in the first place. This man, this Garrett, was her savior, not me, and I couldn't help but wonder what else he had been to her. Jasper said Garrett was her maker, but I didn't want to believe it. A part of me had wanted Victoria to have turned her, because I knew what it was like to share that bond with someone you love. Despite all of my misgivings in the beginning of my new life, I loved Carlisle, just as each one of my family members did. There was an undeniable connection to him, and that meant Bella and Garrett would have that forever as well.

"I'm angry because someone did for you what I couldn't!" My fists were clenched and I desperately wanted to hit something. "I was the one in that same predicament not a year earlier. In that same place!" I said, my voice rising to a shouting level. "I was too much of a coward to let you live—like me. All that pain, all these years, it's my fault what happened to you!" I bent down, placing my head on my knees, trying to spare her from my expression. She always was stronger than me. "If I'd just …"

"Yeah, if you'd 'just,'" she said with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you think I haven't asked that for the past ten years, Edward? What's the point? If you'd just let James' venom change me—if you'd just changed me. It's the same 'if.' It didn't solve anything then, and it won't solve anything now." She kicked at a piece of the floorboard that had come up. The resounding crack broke me out of my stupor and caused me to look up at her.

"I've tried to tell you. I'm not the same person, and I'm not going to stand here and think 'woe is me.' A few hours ago, I was ready to fall back into that same routine. But I can't go down that road again. I can't be her again. She lives in this journal," she said holding up the book in her hands. "And if you think this same girl is here now, you're wrong. Reading this again makes me realize this, and reading this with you makes me sure of it. We can't go back."

My eyes narrowed while I really looked at her this time. She was furious with her hair in disarray, standing in front of me with the flames from the fireplace behind her. Gold, yellow and red continued to shoot up around the edge of the bricks, almost as if they were dancing behind her, some sort of plumage that engulfed her or was a part of her. Her face was cast in partial shadow and she looked wild. For the first time since laying eyes on her, she was not my Bella. I finally saw what she had been trying to tell me. She was this Phoenix, almost as if she had risen from the ashes. Slowly, I stood up straight to come face to face with her. She was so much more than the Bella I remembered. So much more than the Bella I loved, and it was time to be worthy of this beautiful mythical creature.

"I know I can't change any of it, because if I could, I would never rest until I found a way. I can't turn back time. I can't take back all that I've done to you." She made to protest, but I raised a hand to stop her. "Please …" I said softly, "if I could change it I hope you know I would." I reached out to take the hand that held the journal. "I see how you've changed, I do, but that doesn't mean I can't ache for you … for your pain … for the Bella I knew. She suffered because of me." She squeezed my hand, while I placed my other over top of hers. "Her pain was real, as is yours. As is mine." I cleared my throat, as the next words seemed to stick in my throat. "If it's Phoenix you want to be, if it's easier to forget, then … I accept that. I understand now," I finished with a whisper.

"Bella," she said. "I still like it when you say it."

We stood in silence for a few minutes when my thoughts turned and I blurted out, "It was him." All the pieces to the puzzle finally slid perfectly into place.

"Him, who?" she asked.

"Garrett! He was the one I smelled in your house. He was the vampire in Victoria's head. I recognize it all now." I grinned, finally having solved that little mystery that had been burning in my brain all this time.

"You were in my house?" She pushed herself away from me, frowning thoughtfully. "When?"

"The day before the bombs," I said absently, my thoughts distracted by finally being able to link everything together. "I smelled her there, tracked her to the realtor and the lawyer where I finally found her."

"So close," she whispered. The same words I had said all those years ago.

I drew her back to me. "So close," I mirrored her words, interlacing our fingers, and brought them to my lips. She stiffened, but not from the kiss, I realized, more from astonishment.

"But, wait…" she said, shaking her head, "what were you doing in Phoenix?"

"It was me your mother was running from. Not Charlie. I went to him to find you and he called to warn her I was on my way," I explained in a rush.

"Wait, what? No, it was Charlie. She didn't want me going back to Forks."

"Bella, love, why on earth would your mother run from Charlie? It was me. We were coming to find you. Charlie was trying to protect you from me."

"No," she said abruptly, and began pacing the room.

"Look back," I lifted her journal toward her, "here, at what you wrote. It all makes sense. I was on my way to Baltimore when Alice saw you were already in Phoenix. I went as quickly as I could, but it wasn't quick enough."

"Why then? Why not sooner?" She was standing across the room with her arms folded, with an accusatory look on her face.

"I asked Alice not to look for your future, and for once in her life she actually listened to me." She laughed in spite of her agitation. "As soon as we saw the vision, you were our first priority. We left to find you. Alice hasn't had another clear vision since that day."

She blinked in disbelief. I could see it from across the room and it was frustrating not being able to hear someone's thoughts after all this time. Her eyes were the only indication she heard what I said, for her face was a mask of indifference.

"There has been the odd flash, or she still gets these feelings, but it's like she lives in a haze, just waiting for her visions to return. If we had known you had…" I lowered my head, not able to finish the rest of my sentence. "If we had just…" I tried again.

Her hand touched the top of my head, and I jumped, startled that I hadn't even heard her move.

"We didn't know," I finally managed to choke out. "She didn't see it. Please believe me, Bella, Alice didn't know. She's been living with the grief for so long. She feels responsible for your death."

"I don't blame any of you, at least not anymore," she added with a laugh. Her eyes were intent, all humor cast aside while she sat down pulling me with her. "I think you better tell me what happened in Phoenix," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

We spent the next hour walking through the timelines, and matching up what had happened. It was painful knowing we'd missed each other by days or hours really, but she was right, there was nothing that could be done to change that now.

"You killed Victoria?" she asked timidly.

"Yes."

She took a deep breath, and said, "Good," while she leaned her head back against the wall.

I had to laugh at her, even though it wasn't a laughing matter. Up until that point, I didn't know how she was taking the story. She had been quiet for the most part, only asking questions when something needed to be clarified. She was patient with me as I recounted the desperate trip across the country, essentially a race against time to get to her, and she was horrified while I explained what I had found at the lawyer's office.

"How did it feel?" she asked.

I had spared her from most of the details of what we'd gone through, and the extent of what my emotions had been, only telling her of the facts, the fight and Victoria's last thoughts. I was ashamed of how I had reacted that day. If I hadn't been weak, maybe I would have been the one to go back to the house, not Emmett, and I would have known she was still out there.

"You really want to know?" I looked down at her with eyebrows raised.

"No, I guess not. It's just, I've never killed a vampire in a fight before," she admitted with a shrug.

"Really?" I asked skeptically. "I would've thought you would have, well, from what Jasper told me."

"I never really needed to." She grabbed my hand holding it up to hers, eyes narrowing in concentration while she pushed her power on me, just a little. It was like trying to put two like charges of a magnet together. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get close to her.

"Neat party trick," I said laughing.

"Garrett always did the dirty work when needed," she said sadly, looking out the window, lost in a memory and again, I wondered what thoughts were racing through her mind.

Knowing what was headed our way, Bella would have to learn to fight, especially if Emilia was going to be in her vicinity to take away her powers. I placed my hands on her shoulders and leaned forward until our foreheads were touching and said smiling, "Well, we're going to have to teach you to fight, then."

Her mouth turned up on one side, in what could only be described as a wolfish grin. Before I knew it, I was pinned beneath her, flat on my back and, with a solid grip on my wrists, she kept me from moving.

"But see … I never said I couldn't fight." She winked, flashing her teeth while she held me in place with a combination of her strength and her power, daring me to try to move. And I was trying. I writhed and jerked under her while she remained straddled over my chest with her legs hooked around mine to keep me from kicking out. Eventually, I gave up, thinking I didn't mind the position I was in and instead, sighed longingly with a smile on my own lips.

"I could get used to this," I said laughing, lifting my hips ever so slightly.

"Oh, really?" she responded, quickly moving so her knee was now directly on my chest, pushing down. The pressure of it was only slightly painful, like she was testing me to see how far I would let her take this.

"If you want to do this, then you have to fight fair," I wiggled my fingers at her, "no powers."

"Fat chance! I've waited ten years to have a go at you, I'll take it any possible way I can." I felt the effects of her ability pressing down all around me, and even my fingers were barely able to move.

I let out an exaggerated sigh, relaxing my body. "Fine," I said with amusement in my tone. "Have your way with me, I give up. I only ask that you be gentle."

I would forever remember the scandalous look on her face, torn between shock and delight, and definite disbelief.

"You have changed, Edward Cullen," she finally said.

"You know, your father said the same thing to me not too long ago. As to why I'm bringing up your father at a time like this, beats the hell out of me." I couldn't help but laugh, and then wished I could take it back the instant I saw her face.

Immediately, she let me go, leaning back on her heels, and if I thought her skin couldn't get any paler, I was definitely wrong. She looked as though she was going to be sick.

"He's alive?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course he's alive. So is half the town of Forks." I scrambled to a sitting position, trying to recover from our little tussle as best I could. "Didn't Jasper tell you?"

"No," she said, "he didn't."

I didn't need to read her mind this time to know the thoughts that were running through her head. They would all be about Charlie and whether it would be the right thing to want to see him or not.

"He's amazing, Bella. He pretty much saved the whole town and La Push." I realized I should have told her this sooner, it should have been the first thing I had confessed to her, but I had just assumed Jasper would have mentioned it. "They're thriving, more than any other District we've ever come across."

"But how?" she asked, cocking her head in disbelief. "I've seen the Districts, how is that possible?"

"Carlisle," I said simply. "He made the provisions to see they were taken care of. They had a huge shelter and supplies, but it was Charlie who did the rest."

"Why would he do that?"

"Charlie?" I asked confused.

"Carlisle." She rolled her eyes, which clearly meant to question my stupidity.

"You still don't believe, do you? What more can I do to make you believe. We wanted to see you and your family safe. We were coming to get you, Renee and Phil and take you to Forks to the shelter."

"What's he like?" she asked, changing the subject. I felt her stiffen and realized she was clearly not ready to talk about all of that yet.

"You can find out for yourself when we go back."

"No."

"Don't you want to see him?"

"And how would I do that?" she snapped at me.

"It could happen, but only if you want to. We can make it work," I said.

"It's better if he thinks I'm dead."

"Is that what you think?" She nodded. "Well, you're wrong. He's had a tough time, Bella, he deserves some happiness. Things have changed with him, and I think he actually likes me. Shocking, I know," I said laughing at her wry expression. "I always knew he was a good man, but what he did for those people? He saved them all." I was a little shocked at the reverence I was feeling for Charlie and couldn't stop myself from smiling. "You should see the compound. It's unbelievable, nothing like we've ever seen. And the people … they're so … alive, and all because of your father. He gave our family a house!" I chuckled, shaking my head remembering the events from a week ago. "He deserves to know you're alive, Bella."

"If that's what I am."

"I remember you disagreeing with that argument once before."

"Well, it's not like I can go strolling up to him and wrap my arms around him, now can I?"

"We can make it work. It's easy to think you were stuck somewhere in a District all this time. That's easy. And Alice does this wonderful trick with makeup, makes us look a little more haggard."

"I can't explain these," she pushed up her sleeves to show her arms which were riddled with scars. "Or this," she pushed up her pant leg and I saw a large chunk a missing flesh in her calf. Horrified that someone had taken a bite out of her, I softly ran my hand over it curiously, and was surprised by the smoothness of her flesh.

"The scars are easy to explain. Carlisle will come up with something. And as for this," I said, placing a gentle kiss on her calf, "it's who you are."

"Yes. It is. And Charlie will never know. I can't, Edward," she said and pushed away from me. "I'm not going back." She stood up and walked out of the cabin, slamming the door

.

EDWARD?

Great, I thought, just what I needed. The boy wonder who can do no wrong to come and talk to me. The cabin door opened, and Garrett stuck his head inside.

"We need to chat," he said.

"I really just want to be alone right now. I don't need you to remind me of my failures, I'm well aware of them."

He started to laugh, and it only compounded my hatred of him. He closed the door and strolled over to the window resting against its frame.

"Look, I know you don't like me much, and I'm not taking it personally. I'd hate you too if roles were reversed. I only want to make sure this is what she wants, that's all. And if she decides she doesn't want you, then I'll be there for her and take her away from all this. And I'll make damn sure none of you follow us. But until then I want to give you some advice."

"I don't need your advice."

"No, you don't want my advice, but you definitely need it. To be honest, I'm not sure I like you. I'm not sure if you're good enough for her." That stung a little bit, hearing what I knew all along coming out of this man's mouth was like a cut to the jugular. "For some reason, at the mention of your name she changes, softens a little. You don't know her, Edward, and I'm not sure you ever did. But there are some things that even time can't change, and her loving you despite all that's happened, is one of them. I wanted to be that man for her but no matter how much time I spend with her, I never will be. So if you screw it up, I'll be happy to step in." He grinned at me, like I was a petulant child, and I guess I was to some extent. He was patronizing me, but I was letting him.

"So what do I do?" I finally said.

"She's going to need time. I know it seems simple, but she has serious trust issues, all because of—"

"Me. I'm aware." I rolled my eyes at him.

"To some extent, but it's you, your family, her father, but there's lots of other reasons. I'm the only one she truly trusts, and if we're being honest—if what I see in Forks is not in the best interest for her, I'm pretty sure I can convince her to come with me. That's where we stand." He was glaring at me and his thoughts had turned very protective of Bella. It was easy to see why he said what he did. He truly loved her and would do anything to protect her even if it meant lying to her.

"Even if she would never admit it, not even to me, all she's ever wanted in this world was to see you and your family again. But if it means causing her anymore pain, I won't have it. I took a chance on your brother. I convinced her we needed to leave with Jasper. He wouldn't leave without her and if he stayed, Nix would have died trying to save him. I can't lose her. She's everything I have in this world. She's my family, you got that?"

"Yeah, I got that," I said reluctantly.

"Good, 'cause I'm heading back to Forks with Jasper and leaving you two here. So what I want to know, Edward, is how you plan on keeping her safe?" I knew exactly what he was expecting to hear from me. He had it laid out all in his mind, he just wanted me to speak the words. He wasn't just talking about me, he was talking about my family, too. He wanted to know how we planned on defeating Maria. He was worried we'd run, and abandon them to Maria and her army. The anger surged inside of me at his insinuations, short of calling us all cowards. I realized he would do anything to keep Bella safe, so how could I fault the man? We had a common goal.

"Bella's still our family, and we'll die trying to protect her. I give you my word and the word of my family, we'll fight whatever comes our way." I was standing in front of him, looking up slightly at his towering height. I was done being intimated by this man, I knew where we both stood. "I won't ever let her go. Bel-la," I said stretching out her real name, "is my life and it's forfeit without her."

He stared me in the eye. I knew he believed me, and he was a bit surprised by my conviction and pleased by it. He was starting to trust me.

"I'll protect her with my life," I added to convince him further.

He stood silent for a moment longer then his face cracked into a huge grin. "That's all I wanted to hear. Doesn't mean she'll let you, but that's good enough for me."

"What's good enough?" Bella asked as her and Jasper came through the door.

"None of your business, Nix. It's man's talk," Garrett teased.

"Mmhmm," she grumbled, eyeing us suspiciously. "What are you two up to?"

Everything okay, Edward? Jasper asked and I wanted to ask him that same question in return. She's fine, just a little freaked out about Charlie. Sorry, I should have told her.

"Nothing much," Garrett said. "Edward was just asking me how you got your name." I looked at him curiously and then quickly nodded, agreeing with him.

"Liars," she said.

"So, why Phoenix?" I asked her. "Well, except for the obvious, but there has to be something else to it." I thought back to the image of Bella earlier, standing in front of the fire, the flames rising up around her.

"Oh, no, don't let me stop you from your male bonding." She raised her hand in an open gesture. "Please, continue," she teased back, sitting down against the wall with Jasper joining her.

"Nothing gets past you, does it, pretty boy? It ain't exactly because of where I found her, but that does play some part, and now come to think of it, I think you might play a part in this story as well, we just didn't know it at the time, or somebody didn't want to admit it." He looked over at Bella and smiled, to which she bowed her head and picked at the fraying thread on her pant leg.

"I moved us from Phoenix right after the bombs hit. She hadn't fully come to, but there was nothing left of Phoenix, and the city was on fire. Not exactly a place a vampire wants to be, and besides, I didn't really know what the effects of the fallout would be so I didn't want to take any chances."

I hadn't known I was scowling, but I saw my face reflected back in his thoughts, and tried to relax my expression enough for him to continue.

"Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of moments I thought about leaving her." Bella laughed at that, but he continued. "I travelled alone, always had and I'd never had a companion, nor did I want one. I did try and leave her before she woke up, but there was something that just wouldn't let me. I knew she had ties to Carlisle, she screamed his name and a few others, including yours, while she was turning. Carlisle may not remember me. To him I'm sure I was just another unruly vampire the Volturi needed to put in his place, but he saved my life. He asked for mercy from the brothers when there was none to be given. I suppose I felt I owed it to Carlisle to find out what she meant to him."

"So where did you end up after Phoenix," I asked. As much as his past story interested me, Bella's interested me more.

"Not far, on the outskirts, but far enough to stay clear of the humans and their chaos. But we did go back after she woke the second time," he said looking back to her, and again I was confused.

"When she woke the first time, she was silent. I was sure something had snapped during the process, affecting her head or something. Her eyes were red, but the thirst, the longing, the unpredictability, all of that was non-existent. She sat in the corner of the room with her knees up against her chest staring off into nothing. She never spoke, she never even asked any questions. She knew what she was, like she had accepted it. I understand it all now, but, man … back then … it freaked me out! I'd never seen anyone like her.

"The hunger eventually got to her, but she never cried out about it, she never did much of anything. She refused to drink from any of the humans I brought her. It wasn't until I thought of Carlisle and his diet that I figured her out, and sure enough, animal blood did the trick."

I watched Bella while Garrett spoke. Her head was still down, refusing to look at any of us, but it seemed as though she was happy, despite her obvious discomfort.

"I talked to her incessantly, about all kinds of things, mostly the war, but I also told her what happened to her. At first I wasn't sure if she understood me, but the day I mentioned the word 'Cullen' I saw a shift in her eyes, and her back straightened up ever so slightly. I had hit the heart of her with your name, I just didn't know why."

I saw it all in his mind, from the moment he bit her and tasted her blood, to him carrying her broken body out of the blazing demolished city. I watched her transformation through his eyes, heard her cries and felt her pain just as he had all those years ago. He let me see it all, Garrett held nothing back, and it was just another reason for me to want to hate the man, but instead, I found myself beholden to him. He was giving me something I never thought I would ever have: a look into the past and experiencing it firsthand just as he had.

When she woke as one of us, she was just as he said, silent but unafraid. She sat huddled in the corner, wrapped tightly in her arms and responded to nothing he said. He stopped calling her by her name, because it was the only thing that seemed to cause her discomfort, that, and any mention of our family. It was more than six months of silence.

.

"You don't want me to call you by that name? Fine…done. I won't, but you have to talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking, or at least tell me what you're feeling!" Garrett said, truly exasperated. "Do you want me to go?" He saw her flinch a little. "You don't like that idea, do you? No, you don't want me to leave, but you don't want to talk to me, either." He picked up a book and threw it across the room. "You and your books!" He let out a frustrated yell, which frightened Bella a little and she put her hands over her ears.

"We can't stay here anymore. It's not safe." He had walked over to pick up the book, sorry he had thrown it and damaged it. It was the only thing that seemed to give the girl some solace. "Where should we go? Where do you want to go? Huh?" He held the book out in front of her, waiting for her to take it. When she didn't, he dropped it against his leg and said, "What am I asking you for? As if you'll answer me! There's nothing left in this goddamn world and I'm stuck with a goddamn mute!" He turned from her, looking at the copy of Hamlet he held and mumbled under his breath, "O, woe is me, To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!"

A t first he wasn't sure if he had imagined it, but it sounded like a chuckle, and when he turned he caught a faint smile on her lips which disappeared at once. "Yeah, you know Shakespeare, don't you?"

He bent down, grabbing her hands. "Please, I can't do this alone. It's a mess out there, and for once in my life I don't want to go solo," he pleaded squeezing her hands gently. "Just give me something."

They stayed that way for a few minutes, until he realized she wasn't going to change, and he thought maybe she really couldn't speak and he was wasting his time trying to get her to talk. With a frustrated sigh, he stood up, placing his hands on the top of his head. Back to square one, he thought. He looked around the room, thinking about what he should pack and what he should leave behind.

"Phoenix."

It was a small whisper, but he heard it, and immediately turned to face her.

"D-did you…" he stuttered, "did you…what did you just say?" But she didn't speak again. "Did you just say Phoenix? Tell me I didn't imagine that. Is that where you want to go? Phoenix?" He was smiling widely with his hands on his hips and even though she didn't say anything else, his heart was filled with hope. "Well, we can do that!" He laughed and said, "You can talk!" He spent the next hour talking to her and himself, filling her in on any of the details he knew about the city. She didn't say anything beyond that one word, but it was just enough that he knew she could speak. With that little bit of knowledge he could finally rest easy knowing it was just going to take some time.

She allowed him to lead her outside for the first time, and he watched her carefully, looking for any signs she knew what had happened to the world. Her face was an emotionless mask, even when she first laid eyes on all of the destruction. He noticed she seemed curious about all the dust on the ground, and he explained as much as he could, and she listened. They walked in silence for most of the night, with Garrett occasionally asking questions he knew she would never answer.

"So, Phoenix. That's your first word?" he asked laughing. "Well, I guess it's fitting for you. You did sort of rise up from the ashes just like the myth. And since you don't seem to like the name I know you to have, how about I just call you Phoenix, then? You don't mind, do you? No, of course not. And even if you did, you wouldn't tell me." Some minutes passed and then he added quietly, "At least you don't tense up every time I say the word."

.

THEY ARRIVED ON THE outskirts of what was left of Phoenix. It didn't suffer a direct hit, but suffered greatly from the surrounding bombs near the Hoover Dam. The city was ash and rubble, and for the most part deserted. Garrett knew where she wanted to go. As they neared her house, he had stopped talking, knowing the gravity of the situation. She wanted to see with her own eyes, to accept the reality that her mother was gone. Garrett had explained to her what happened. He knew she understood Victoria had killed her mother and her step-father, but she needed to see regardless. He was just grateful they were moving and she was starting to come around.

It was still dark outside, but dawn was approaching as they walked through the streets. Bella had started to recognize buildings and landmarks the closer they got, and her pace started to quicken, until eventually she stopped, afraid to go any further. The roof of the house had collapsed, and there really wasn't much left to it. Slowly, she walked around to the back, where the alley and garage used to be. Garrett was relieved to know she had been listening to him all this time. She had heard him tell the story of the three bodies in the garage; her mother and Phil, and a young, vagrant girl to make it look like Bella. Their violent deaths had to be covered up, along with any search for Bella by both the police and Victoria. Garrett's only thoughts at the time were to let the world believe Bella and her mother were dead. Of course, he had no idea what was to become of the world, but his only thought was to protect the young girl, and protect the way of their kind.

The garage was gone, flattened under piles of brick and stone. Bella stood at the edge of it, staring straight ahead, still as silent as ever.

"I'm sorry," Garrett said. "I did what I could, but we didn't have much time. I had to get you out of the city, away from Victoria." Garrett was speaking softly and raised his hand to her shoulder. He rarely touched her, knowing she didn't like to be touched, but this time he felt her relax under his hand. She leaned a little closer to him and he could hear she had stopped breathing. He watched her for a moment, sorry he didn't have any other words of comfort to give her. Her head turned, and he felt her shoulder tense. He followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at, shocked along with her.

Three large stones lay beside the rubble, all in a row. These had been placed there with purpose, they hadn't fallen like all of the other stones and bricks scattered everywhere. She walked closer, and gasped as she saw the words etched in the surface.

"Did you do this?" she asked with an edge to her voice.

Garrett wasn't sure if he was more surprised that she spoke aloud, or if it was the tone in her voice, either way, he joined her to take a closer look at the large stones. "No," he said clearing his throat, "these are new."

"How new?"

"Not sure, but I'd say a few months?" He rubbed his hand over her name and the date scribed below it. Each of the stones were the same: a name and the date of the bomb. They were grave markers he realized. "You know who did this, don't you?" he asked.

"No." She stood up suddenly, walking away from him. She was agitated, he could tell, but he wanted to keep her talking.

"You've got your reasons, I get it. You don't want to talk about it, but someone you know is still alive. They survived. Don't you want to find out who it is?"

She stood still with her back to him and whispered, "No." Moments passed and she finally added, "She's not dead, is she?"

"Who? Victoria? I don't know. I tried to go after her, but I didn't want to leave you. She could be. She probably survived."

"I want to find her."

"You don't think she did this?" Garrett motioned to the stones. "Do you?" he asked, confused a little bit.

"She didn't." The sun had started to rise, the sky was pink and orange, almost as if it was on fire, and when Bella finally turned to face him, her body was silhouetted by the light. She was glaring at him, with a hardened look on her face and she no longer looked like the timid, vacant girl he had known her to be all these months. She lowered her voice and said with determination, "But I want her dead."

"I think the name Phoenix is going to suit you just fine."