A/N… Thank you for your patience. See me at the bottom…

~oOo~

Chapter 28

EDWARD

"You stupid sumbitch!"

The sound of fist meeting flesh echoed throughout the police station before Jasper or I could stop it. Two of Caius's raiders were getting a little stir-crazy in the jail of the police station. The fight started over breakfast, and they'd been bitchy all damn day.

"If I was a betting man… That little one is scrappy," Jasper muttered.

With a deep sigh, I snatched up the keys before the two boys could beat the piss out of each other. The door clanged open just as the smaller one tackled the bigger one to the concrete floor.

"That's enough!" I snapped, reaching for Lane – the one Jasper deemed scrappy – while he grabbed the bigger guy, Cash. "I will light you both up if you don't settle the fuck down!"

I held up one of the police tasers. The threat proved more effective than guns and bullets because that shit hurt like hell. The first time they decided to fight us, Emmett zapped one of them so hard that the guy pissed himself.

Jasper took Cash and shoved him into an empty cell, slamming the door shut. We didn't use this cell much because there weren't mattresses on the bunk, just cots of metal for them to sleep on, not to mention the plumbing wasn't exactly working properly. However, it worked for calming them down after a scuffle.

"You'll stay in there and cool off. Maybe if you hadn't stolen food from him this morning, he wouldn't want to rip your head off," Jasper grunted out, turning to me as I took a seat at the desk that faced the three cells. "You sure we can't let them just rip one another apart? It'll be less fucking work."

Grinning, I shook my head and set the taser on the desk. "Marcus wants them alive… All of them," I told him, my eyes drifting to the quietest prisoner in the station.

Caius had stopped resisting – or even really speaking – after a long conversation with Marcus. We'd offered them privacy, but Marcus had said that he had nothing to hide. He didn't yell, threaten, or ask for any explanation. He simply said that he was disappointed in his brother. His baby brother. The only thing he told Caius was that as a lawyer who once defended people, he should've known better.

"I'm just sayin'; if we didn't have the two feral ones, then this one would be no big deal," Jasper whispered, but he tipped his chin Caius's way.

Chuckling a little, I nodded. "Maybe."

The cells went quiet for a bit, and Jasper picked up a novel he'd been reading. I didn't exactly hate guarding the prisoners. It was better than what Marcus had put others to work doing. There were sections of living spaces in what used to be the other side of the wall that were in chaos. Now that the walls were down, a few groups decided to steal from Caius's building and Marcus's men. The people of Atlanta were floundering. And that uncertainty was making them angry and anxious, which resulted in fights and panic.

We were still waiting to hear from Leon's son about the farming in Florida. I was pretty sure once they were on board, then we could get these people set up with trade and security.

I gazed down at a picture of Bella and Emily that Valentine had been kind enough to print out for me. It was from one of the video meetings and in black and white, but it didn't matter to me. It was nice enough just to be able to look at my girls every now and then. Valentine kind of knew that; she and Fowler had meshed with my team so well that they wanted to come back to Oz with us when this was all over.

The picture was a brief moment of my Bella pressing kisses to Emily's head. My baby was starting to look like an adorable blend of Bella and me. Deep, dark-brown eyes, unruly auburn hair a slight shade darker than mine, and a sweet, round face with a crooked smile.

I shook my head at just how much I was missing with my daughter, but my dad had been correct a few weeks ago when he said that we should finish here so we didn't have to come back to do it again. When I went home, I wanted to fucking stay there.

Marcus had put my team to work around the area. Emmett and Rose were working the areas of the broken-down walls. Alice and her sister Cynthia were helping dole out food and supplies to those who had been struggling. Sam, Jake, and Seth switched between patrolling the streets and scouting for supplies. Charlie stayed by Marcus's side, and I wasn't sure if it was to stay on top of everyday events or if he was protecting the most valuable member of the new free world.

And that left Jasper and me to make sure that Marcus's brother and his little followers were fed, safe, and remained locked away for now so that no one decided to take revenge on their sorry asses. At least until someone came up with a final decision on what to do with them. However, despite all of that, I was pretty fucking sure that Marcus – and possibly Charlie – put me in here because I was a new father.

I honestly didn't think we could charge Cash and Lane. They were merely doing what they'd been told by their leader.

My eyes drifted up from the photo of my girls to the man in question. He spent most of his locked-up days reading. There was a small library in the building where he'd been living, and occasionally, Alice would bring a stack of books for all of us. It kept everyone from going stir-crazy. I looked at the two men we'd just separated. Well, most of the time.

He met my gaze, raising an eyebrow in question.

"What did the old laws say about your employees following your instructions? I mean, I'm just curious as to whether you should be in here alone." I tried to keep my tone easy and calm, but I think it came out a bit sarcastic.

He snorted, marked the page of his book, and set it down beside him. "The old laws," he muttered, shaking his head a little. "It doesn't matter much now, does it?"

"No, not really. The more they fight, the more Marcus seems to think it's better to keep them behind bars."

"The fuck?" Lane started to stand, but Caius shot a glare his way.

"Quiet," he told him, and then he faced me again. "You in a hurry to get somewhere?"

"Yeah, I am, so answer the fucking question," I said harshly. "Would they have been charged? Or does just working for you deserve a death sentence?"

Caius nodded, standing up from his bunk to pace what little he could in his cell. "I suppose that they'd have been charged with accessory. Maybe conspiracy. Those laws are too complicated and detailed for times like these." He leaned against his cell door. "What… Were you just an infant when the virus went out? When we put up walls?"

"Yeah, pretty much. We've only ever known this world." I gestured to Jasper. "Your men, too, if I'm guessing their ages correctly. They've only ever known death, starvation, and hate. That's all we knew under your other brother."

"Yeah, he was a fucking peach too," Jasper piped up derisively.

Caius frowned, but he didn't argue. "How'd you do it? Take Aro down, I mean."

I smiled a little, leaning back in the chair behind the desk and folding my arms across my chest. "It wasn't like this. We didn't have an army at our disposal back then. It was years of sneaking around, small acts to stop trade or sneak slaves over the wall. Things started to pick up when we put a man in the raiders' barracks.

"We created an underground railroad of sorts to rescue slaves, steal medical supplies, and destroy ships, trains, and Hummers," I went on, shrugging a little. "See, beneath the Sound – what you call Seattle – is block after block of an old city that they built over. We could get over the walls and underground, and no one was the wiser. In fact, even at the end, I'm not sure the underground was ever discovered. And Aro's lead raider didn't exactly read books, so they didn't truly know the city's possibilities."

Jasper snorted. "Do you think Demetri could read?"

"Maybe." I grinned, but it fell quickly when I glanced back to Caius. "Here's the problem with people like you and your brother… You can't control everyone. You can't hurt people or starve people or declare that one section of people are better than others, because desperate people will fight back, and when you give them a common enemy, you wouldn't fucking believe what people will do to keep their families safe and fed and healthy."

"The tighter you hold, the more everything slips through your fingers," Jasper muttered, shrugging when I glanced his way. "Something my dad use to say."

Nodding, I gazed over at Caius again. "We stopped your trains, we freed your slaves, shut down your network, and we sank one of LA's ships. It took most of fifteen years to get those things done."

"Then Marcus shows up, and we took you down in less than two damn days," Jasper stated with a wide grin. "Along with a bit of cooperation from New York and Boston."

"And you trust my brother, Marcus?" Caius asked derisively.

"I don't trust anyone outside of Oz." My statement came out harshly, but it wasn't a lie. "If I hadn't witnessed his actions with my own eyes or heard about his treatment of the people he gathered over the years, then you'd have starved yourself and your people, because coming here wasn't on my list of priorities." I raised an eyebrow his way. "But he asked my people for help to remove the last threat."

Caius frowned and shook his head. "I bet I'm not the last threat," he snarked. "You took back New York, Boston, and Seattle. But I hear that LA isn't free."

"LA is burning." Jasper kicked back in his chair, crossing one ankle over the other with his book still in his hand. "Rumor has it that they escaped, but so far, no one's seen them."

Caius smirked, sitting back down on his bunk. "Yeah? Let me know how that works out for you. Those two assholes were the ones who gave my brother the idea for the virus in the first place."

"And you funded it," I surmised.

"I did. But apparently, James and Victoria were looking at big judicial trouble for some things they did. They wanted it to go away, so they thought if they distracted the world enough, then they'd get away with their nefarious activities," Caius explained.

"What did they do?"

"Human trafficking, drug smuggling, and a plethora of other disturbing things. They had the support from the streets back when the walls went up, and those people became their security – raiders, as you call them." Caius grinned. "If they've left LA, then they'll just settle in somewhere else."

Jasper glanced my way, whispering, "You think they'll hit the Sound first?"

"What's left to take over? We burned Aro's building, and most of the hospital is cleaned out," I told him. "Everyone who wanted asylum came to Oz."

"No, they won't go to Seattle," Caius said, wearing a grin. "They'll find your Oz and take it over. They'll use your people as labor, and they'll kill anyone who tries to stop them. If you think some sort of resistance set LA on fire, then you're fooling yourself. They did that themselves in order to get out. It was always their plan should Aro's original idea fail and crumble. If the network was compromised, then they'd burn everything and everyone and move to the closest functioning community. And I'd be willing to bet there's someone already inside your Oz now."

"Fuck," I sighed, jerking my chin to Jasper. "Go get Marcus. He needs to know this shit."

Jasper tossed his book onto the desk and took off out of the police station.

~oOo~

BELLA

"She looks perfect, Bella," Carlisle told me above Emily's cries.

It was time for a checkup, and Carlisle had given her a few shots. Though the tears came to a halt when he magically produced some sort of stuffed jellyfish toy. It was purple with light-teal tentacles and a smiley face, and she was instantly appeased.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, Pops."

He grinned, and it was happy and sweet, not unlike his son's smile. "I found it in Flash's stuff. Apparently, they discovered some things in an old tourist trap of a store in Tacoma."

Emily's tears dried as he held her, but he turned his attention to me. "Now, how about you? How are you feeling?"

"I don't want a shot," I said, grinning at his chuckle.

"No shots. I promise. Just… Are you getting enough rest? Esme and I promised Edward that we'd help you and Emily." His voice was sincere and soothing.

At the mention of Edward's name, my eyes burned with tears. "I miss him. We've never been apart this long. A couple days, yeah, but not…this."

The team had left with Marcus over a month and a half prior. They were making progress, but it was slow going.

Carlisle smiled sadly. "Your dad told me when Edward first returned you to Oz that you two were inseparable. He called you soul mates."

A sniffly laugh escaped me, but I nodded. "I guess that's what we were…are. We clung to each other. Everything in Oz was new to him, but I was… I'd lost my mother and I'd been taken, not to mention my dad went undercover with the raiders not long after we showed up, so Edward was all I had. We just clicked. So, we went to school together, trained with Alistair together, and we had all these secrets and jokes. We still speak our own language."

Carlisle chuckled, but he turned to gaze at Emily. "I missed seeing my son grow up, but I can't deny what an amazing man – amazing father and husband – he turned out to be."

Nodding, I sighed deeply. "He was like that when he brought me home. Just this unbelievable and fierce ability to know right from wrong. That… Carlisle, that came from you and Esme. That never changed about him. He'd have these huge debates with the elders about what we should or shouldn't do, and he'd give reasons that made them all stop and rethink their plans."

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head at those memories. "His first mission alone over the wall was for me. I was really sick and needed medicine we didn't have. He just went. Emmett and Rose backed him up, but he was only fourteen. No one could stop him. And after that, he was leading teams alone. And most of the time, it was the two of us teamed up together."

Carlisle opened his mouth to say something, but there was a knock on the exam room door. He carried Emily with him to open it, and Tanya was on the other side.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have an emergency patient. Tyler from the docks is bleeding from a pretty severe wound on his head. He said someone knocked him out," she rattled off nervously, but she said that last thing to me.

"Someone knocked him out?" I asked, reaching for Emily so Carlisle could go take care of Tyler.

"Yeah, that's what he said," Tanya replied with a nod.

I followed the two of them to the other exam room, and Tyler was sitting up on the bed holding what looked like an old shirt or rag to the side of his head. His own shirt was covered in blood.

Carlisle immediately got to work, pulling that rag away from the wound. "Let's see what we have here," he said calmly.

"Tyler, who hit you?" I asked him.

"I dunno, Bells. I was helping tie off the ferry, and the next thing I know I'm being driven over here by Eric." Tyler's weary face flinched when Carlisle started to numb the area with a small needle.

"Is Eric still here?" I asked him.

"Yeah. He's in the waiting room. He said he'd take me home."

I shifted Emily higher on my hip, pulling my radio off my belt. "Bella to Chelsea. Come in."

"I'm here, Bella," Chelsea called back.

"We've had an incident at the docks. Someone attacked Tyler. You see anything unusual over there?" I asked as I stepped into the waiting room of the clinic.

"I'll take a look. I'm not far," Chelsea replied.

Eric was still in his security uniform, and he stood up when he saw me. "Is Ty okay?" he asked.

"Carlisle is looking at him now, but he looks like he only needs a couple of stitches. What happened?"

"I don't know! I was driving by to see if he was off. We're neighbors. Sometimes we ride together," he explained. "When I drove up the pier, he was already knocked out."

"Was the ferry coming in?" I asked, and when he nodded, I frowned. "From where? Tacoma?"

"No, they'd just come in from the Sound."

My eyes narrowed. "New people?"

"I dunno, Bella. I'm sorry. I'd been posted on the north lookout point all night."

Nodding, I patted his shoulder. The radio crackled again, only this time it was Flash.

"Bells, we may have a problem," he said hurriedly. "We just got a message from Edward. LA may be on the move. Maybe already here. We need to—"

The sound of rapid-fire gunshots came from outside at the same time the new alarm started to wail.

In the radio, I said, "I need every resistance and security member armed and on alert. And someone tell me who the hell started this shit!" I turned to Eric as calls of acknowledgement were called back to me. "I'm going to need your help." I pointed to the front doors of the clinic. "No one… Seriously, no one you don't know comes through that door."

He walked up to the clinic's glass doors and twisted the lock, pulling his gun from its holster as I toted Emily to the back of the clinic. Carlisle was just finishing up working on Tyler with Tanya assisting.

"You guys need to stay inside here. Don't go near doors or windows. And Carlisle, I need you to take her, please," I told him firmly.

"Bella, you shouldn't—" He started, but Tanya stepped forward with open arms.

"I've got her, Bells. I swear." She turned to Carlisle. "Bella's needed out there. And if anyone can stop them, it's her." She turned back to me. "What else do you need?"

"I know Reverend Weber used to keep ammo and supplies. Is that still in here?"

"Oh, yeah," Tanya said, shifting Emily to her hip and leading me down the hallway to the offices. "The cabinet in the corner."

I rushed to the metal cabinet and opened the doors. Inside there were a few rifles, several boxes of ammo, and a couple of smoke bombs, and I loaded myself down with what I'd need.

"Bella, what's your location?" Chelsea called over the radio.

"I'm at the clinic. You?"

"The docks. We've got hostiles moving in through the island."

"Copy that. I think they came in from the Sound on the ferry," I advised, walking to Tanya, but I cupped my daughter's face and kissed her forehead and cheek. "You be good for Tanya and Pops, okay?" She started to cry, and I kissed her forehead again. "Love you."

I had to leave her; I had no choice. My main resistance team was across the country. The ones left had no alternative but to step into action.

Making my way back down the hallway, I pointed to Carlisle when I reached him. "You have to watch her. You guys stay low and quiet. Don't let anyone in unless you're absolutely sure you can trust them."

"Bells!" Tyler yelled from the exam room. "You need help?"

"If you stay here to guard the clinic, then I'll take Eric with me."

"On it," he agreed, following me to the waiting room.

Eric turned the lock on the door, glancing back at me. "Where we goin'?"

"The docks."

We pushed through the doors and out into the parking lot. I pointed to his golf cart. "You drive," I told him, taking a seat in the back.

The alarms were still blaring all over the island. Most everyone had heard my radio call for help, so I could see various residents of Oz lying low, but they were armed and ready. I could hear gunfire coming from different directions; some were over by the docks, but there was some echoing up from the farms.

"Flash! Nolan!" I yelled into the radio.

"We're on it, Bella! I've got three drones in the air. Give us time to scope shit out, okay?" Flash answered immediately.

I glanced up as Eric pushed that golf cart as fast as it would go. Up the street toward the market, someone dressed like Aro's old raiders had a weapon up and aimed at two of the women who ran that market.

I aimed my own weapon, pulling the trigger, and he was down on the ground. "Take that weapon and seal yourselves in the building!" I told the girls.

I recognized one of them as Lauren – the girl Edward had brought over the wall back into Oz the same night as Alice.

"Okay, Bella!" she yelled back, pushing her mother back inside the market after she'd picked up the raider's weapon.

"Who the hell is this?" Eric asked over his shoulder as the docks loomed closer.

"Los Angeles," I told him.

"Bella! Don't go to the docks," Nolan stated over the radio. "There are a few of our people pinned down over by Jasper's stables. It seems they're trying to take over the farms, the livestock, and the horses."

"Son of a… You heard him. Head toward the farms," I told Eric.

Eric cut across what used to be a golf course, crossing over a street and darting into a cluster of trees. There were a few members of Oz hiding just outside a newly erected barn that the farmers used for livestock feed storage. They were armed, pressed against the side of the building.

When they saw Eric and me, they held up their hands to stop us. Eric slammed on the brakes.

"On foot?" he asked me.

"Yeah, let's do this," I said through a deep sigh, trying to focus.

Before I could step from the trees, I heard my name behind me.

"Bells, wait!"

I spun around to see Garrett armed and in uniform, rushing up in his own cart.

"Let me help you," he offered, parking right behind Eric's cart. "Chelsea's got the docks with her people. We need to stop them from ransacking the farms."

Nodding, I said, "Thanks. They're on the other side of the barn."

"Then let's split up. You take a couple of people, and I'll take the rest. We'll catch them in the middle." Before I could walk away, he added, "And you watch those open fucking barn doors."

When there was a break in the shooting, I darted across the small open area toward the four people hiding against the barn. Eric and Garrett followed me.

One of the men was Paul – a survivor of Sam's old reservation. He'd arrived at the same time as Sam, Jake, and Seth. His parents once farmed, so he'd worked his way up to run Sector B in the old Oz. He was a bit older than my dad, but he was strong as hell, and he rarely put up with any bullshit.

"How many are there?" I asked him as he reloaded his shotgun.

"I think four? Maybe five?"

"Okay, we're going to split up, catch them in the middle," I stated. "You're with me. You, too." I pointed to the young man who was the son of one of the fishermen. "Cody?"

Cody nodded nervously, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants before gripping his rifle.

I looked to Garrett. "We'll follow your lead. Ready?"

"Ten-four, Bells. Take it slow and quiet. See you on the other side," he stated, giving his charming smile, but I could tell he was nervous.

I hadn't been in a true fight since I'd gotten pregnant with Emily. The last mission I'd been on had been to take the train, though I'd only been responsible for getting the slaves back to Oz safely. I felt different this time. I needed to stay safe for Emily's sake, but I needed to fight like before. These people needed to be protected. But with all of that came the old rush of adrenaline, the instinct to run toward the shooting and not away from it, and the pure hatred for the assholes hurting my people. It was a tidal wave of heightened energy, alertness, and strength.

My sweet, fierce Edward's voice came to mind as we moved down the side of the barn. It was the gorgeous, crooked smile he'd always give me when we were on a mission.

He'd nudge my shoulder, gazing over at me with love, faith, and the same adrenaline-filled glow. "Relax. We got this. Ready, Bella?"

Something about that memory centered me, and I peeked around the corner before slipping silently around it. Raised voices came from inside the open barn door. Moving slowly and silently, I peered around the door frame.

Four of our people were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Two more people I could see were pacing around them asking questions.

"How many live on this island?" a rather large man asked, coming to a stop in order to press the muzzle of his gun into the middle of a crying girl's forehead. "Tell me!"

The poor girl jumped at his raised voice and started sobbing. She could barely speak, so she simply shook her head, finally sputtering out, "I…I don't know! I just feed the animals."

The raider went to raise his hand to her, but apparently Garrett decided to intervene instead of keeping silent.

"Hey!" I heard him call from the other end of the barn. "You got fucking questions, then ask me. Or does it make you feel better to hit a girl?"

I followed his lead, stepping fully into the open with Paul and Cody. Garrett and Eric aimed their own guns, and the larger man aimed his back. The raider with him caught our movement and aimed our way, but for a moment they were outnumbered and outgunned.

The scared girl – whose name I was certain was Maci – met my gaze, along with the three other people with her. I motioned with my hand to drop to the ground.

"Bells," Paul whispered. "The loft."

I nodded because I'd seen the movement too. It wasn't raiders up there; it was kids. And one stray bullet could have devastating consequences. They'd probably been sent up there to hide, to stay out of harm's way, but now they were dangerously close to some ugly shit.

Paul and I shifted into the barn, and Cody held his spot at the door. Garrett and Eric did the same, leaving another man at the opposite door. The raiders couldn't decide who to watch, but they hadn't put their weapons down.

"Drop 'em, buddy," Garrett commanded softly. "You really don't want to test me."

The raider who had been threatening Maci huffed a laugh. "You won't stop us. We're taking this island."

"Maybe. But you won't be joining them if you don't drop that fucking weapon!" Garrett snapped harshly.

The other raider started to get twitchy and nervous, and Paul and I saw it, readying our weapons.

His brow was sweaty, and his weapon shook in his hands when he looked to his partner. "Chad, we're surround—"

"Shut the fuck up, Reed!" Chad ordered, but it was all over because Chad made the mistake of taking his eyes off Garrett.

Garrett pulled the trigger, and Chad dropped to the dirt floor of the barn. Reed started to turn, and I couldn't take the chance of anymore bullets flying, so I fired my own rifle, catching the guy in the shoulder. He, too, collapsed to the ground.

Garrett and I met at the two raiders. Chad was dead, but poor Reed wasn't, which meant he was in a whole lot of pain, and Garrett was about to use that for some information.

"Before you do that, Garrett," I said, holding up my hand and then pointing to the barn's hayloft. "We need to get them somewhere safe."

"Hoshit…" he said, trailing off and eyeing the ten or twelve kids ranging in ages from maybe six to thirteen or fourteen. "Actually, they're perfect where they are. We'll send everyone here. Eric, you and Cody will guard this barn. Bella, Paul, and I will send people your way until we clear this damn island."

"Copy that, sir," Eric answered as Garrett roughly grabbed up Reed, practically dragging his wounded ass out the barn door.

Reed found himself slammed and held against the closest tree with a very determined Garrett in his face.

"I know you're from Los Angeles, asshole. So, I'm gonna ask you one time… Where are James and Victoria? You tell me where they're hiding while you do their dirty work, and I'll make sure that this bullet wound is taken care of, but I'll also see to it that another bullet doesn't accidentally end up here," he threatened, tapping Reed right between his eyes so hard that he flinched. "If you aren't helpful, then you're really gonna fucking suffer."

Garrett started to put pressure on Reed's wound. He went slowly and gradually built up pressure until the raider was barely keeping his composure.

"Okay, okay!" Reed rasped out, practically sagging when Garrett pulled back his hand. "They came in on the ferry. They're dressed like you people."

"How many of my people did you kill to take the ferry, asshole?" Garrett asked, reaching to press his fist back onto Reed's wound again.

"D-Don't! F-Five or…or…six," Reed sputtered, and Garrett's hand paused its progression. "We kept one alive in order to gain access to…to…the dock."

Garrett sighed heavily, his nostrils flaring in anger as he glanced at me. "What you wanna do, Bells?"

"Leave him," I sneered, my head turning toward more gunfire in what sounded like another farm. "Tie his ass up, and if he's alive when this is all over, then we'll see if he can be stitched up. Right now, we're gonna keep going." I pulled my radio off my belt. "Bella to Chelsea."

"Chelsea here," she called, and rapid gunfire came over the speaker at the same time.

"We're working through the farms, but be advised… James and Victoria are in Oz. Look for civilian clothes, not raider uniform. Copy?

"Roger that," she replied. "We've pinned a few down on the ferry. And there's another team of these assholes trapped around the market and clinic."

"Copy that." I turned to Paul and Garrett. "Tie him up and gag him. Leave him with Eric. We need to go. Soon, everyone will start to run out of ammo, and that'll be a problem."

Paul pulled Reed from the tree, practically carrying him back toward the barn.

Garrett looked to me, saying, "If you want out…"

"Don't start. I'm okay, and I want this over. If we stop James and Victoria, then we will have completely freed this world from the assholes who decided to take over. So…let's get this done."

Garrett grinned, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "Boy oh boy, if you're not your father's daughter. Charlie would be proud."

I huffed a quick laugh. "Yeah, but it's Edward who taught me. C'mon. We've got to get to that next farm."

~oOo~

A/N… I had to cut things here, because it started to run a little long. I'll do my best not to keep you hanging too long.

For those that don't know, I entered this year's Eras: Reputation contest. If you want to check out my entry, it's posted on my profile. Love Never Dies a Natural Death is AU, so that means vamp. Go check it out. I've asked if you guys want to see it continued, so you can let me know. It won a few awards, and those are noted in the A/Ns of the story.

Okay, I'll see you when I see you. Until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)