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"remember my face"
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"He's only focused on Bella," Hayley said. "He'll be too distracted, too sloppy to take all of us on."
"All of us?" Emmett questioned, looking at Jasper.
"What? Did you really think I'd just sit this one out?" Hayley asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jasper sighed as he looked at his family. "Will you give us a minute?" He asked and they all left the room.
After they were gone, Hayley looked to her boyfriend. "Did you really think I wouldn't fight?" She asked.
"I don't want you getting hurt," Jasper said.
"It's my job to get hurt, Jasper," Hayley told him angrily. "It's my job to protect Bella!"
"And it's my job to protect you!" Jasper yelled. "Don't you get it? You are my life, Hayley."
Hayley walked closer to the vampire and cupped his face. "And you are mine, Jasper," she told him quietly. "But you have to let me do this. It's what I was born to do."
Jasper sighed and placed his forehead against hers. "If you get hur-"
"I heal extremely fast," Hayley assured. "I'll be okay, Jasper."
"I love you, darling," Jasper said.
"And I love you," Hayley told him.
*
When Bella arrived at the Cullen's house, Hayley was quick to bring her into a hug. While Hayley and Jasper were having their moment, Bella was breaking Charlie's heart to protect him.
"Everything's gonna be okay, Bells," Hayley assured.
Bella sniffed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I know," she said, her voice shaking.
The four walked into the Cullen house, only to run into Laurent and Florence. Edward and Hayley quickly stood in front of Bella, the vampire growling while the dhampir's eyes glowed.
"Wait," Carlisle told them. "He came to warn us about James."
"And what's she doing here?" Hayley asked, looked at Florence.
"She's come for Alice," Carlisle said, his lips slightly upturned.
"This isn't my fight, and I've grown tired of his games, but he's got unparalleled senses, absolutely lethal," Laurent told them. "I've never seen anything like him in my 300 years. And the woman, Victoria. don't underestimate her."
With that, the dark-skinned vampire left the house. Hayley and Edward shared a look before the dhampir sighed.
*
"I've had to fight our kind before. We're not easy to kill," Jasper told them as they walked into the garage.
"But not impossible," Emmett said. "We'll tear them apart and burn the pieces."
"Or I could use this," Hayley said, holding up her stake.
Emmett chuckled. "I don't think a little stake is gonna-" He was cut off with a cry of pain when he attempted to grab the stake. Just like Ellen said, the metal of the stake burned Emmett's hand. "What the hell, Buffy?" He groaned.
"I'm sorry!" Hayley quickly said.
Carlisle looked at his son's hand before sighing. "I don't relish the thought of killing another creature, even a sadistic one like James," he said.
"What if he kills one of us first?" Rosalie asked as she sat on the counter.
"Not gonna happen," Hayley told her.
"I'm gonna run Bella south," Edward told Carlisle. "Can you lead the tracker away from here?"
"No, Edward," Carlisle said. "James knows you could never leave Bella. He'll follow you."
"I'll go with Bella," Alice volunteered. "Jasper, Hayley, and I will drive her south."
"I'll keep her safe, Edward," Hayley assured.
"Can you keep you thoughts to yourself?" Edward asked Alice.
"Yes," Alice answered before grabbing Bella and walking towards the car.
Alice and Jasper climbed into the front seat while Hayley and Bella were in the back. Hayley was directly behind Jasper, so she placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him and herself.
*
Once Jasper thought they were a safe enough distance away from Forks, he pulled into a hotel so his girlfriend and Bella could rest. They all sat in an uncomfortable silence in the hotel room and Hayley bounced her leg up and down anxiously. Jasper tried his best to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work.
Alice suddenly gasped from her place on the couch and Jasper turned to her. "What is it? What do you see?" He asked.
"The tracker, he just changed course," Alice said.
"He figured it out," Hayley mumbled.
"Where will it take him, Alice?" Jasper asked as he got a piece of paper and a pen.
"Mirrors," Alice said, drawling on the paper without looking at it. "A room full of mirrors."
"Edward said the visions weren't always certain," Bella said.
"She sees the course people are on while they're on it," Jasper explained. "If they change their minds, the vision changes."
"Okay, so the course that the tracker's on now is gonna lead him to a ballet studio?" Bella questioned, looking at Alice's sketch.
"You've been here?" Alice asked.
"I took lessons as a kid," Bella said. "The school I went to had an arch just like that."
"Was your school here in Phoenix?" Jasper asked.
"Yeah," Bella said before her phone began ringing.
"He's here in Phoenix already," Jasper said with a sigh as he turned to his mate.
"What are we gonna do?" Hayley asked, leaning into him.
"Kill him," Jasper said bluntly.
"It's all we can do," Alice said.
"I guess you're right," Hayley said with a sigh.
*
Alice and Jasper left the hotel room to check out, leaving Hayley and Bella alone. Since they knew where James was going to be, they decided it was best to get Bella out of the area.
Bella was frantically packing her bag when her phone rang. "Hey, mom, I'm glad you got my message. What are you doing home?" She asked.
Hayley was leaning against the couch with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her protected talk to her mom. She was still worried about Bella's safety, even though they knew where James was going to be.
"Calm down, everything's fine," Bella assured her mother. "I'll explain everything later. Mom, are you there?"
Hayley slowly pushed herself off of the couch, uncrossing her arms as she walked towards Bella. She watched as the Swan girl's eyes widened in fear, making her even more worried.
"Don't touch her! Don't!" Bella yelled.
"What's going on, Bella?" Hayley asked.
"Where should I meet you?" Bella asked, completely ignoring the dhampir's question.
*
James had Bella's mother. After the Swan girl got off the phone, she turned to Hayley with a panicked look. After she explained everything to the dhampir, she insisted on going alone so her mom wasn't hurt. Hayley wasn't having it.
After arguing about the matter for a good while, the final decision was that Hayley would go with Bella. After writing a short apology note to Jasper, the two girls snuck out of the hotel and raced off to save Bella's mom.
*
It was dark outside by the time the taxi dropped the two girls off at the Ballet studio. They both thanked the driver and got out of the yellow vehicle, staring up at the building in fear. Hayley squeezed Bella's hand for reassurance before placing a hand on the stake that was secured around her thigh. The Swan girl offered her a small smile, pulling out a can of pepper-spray.
"If this gets ugly, I want you to get out of here," Hayley told her protected.
"What?" Bella asked, her head snapping towards Hayley. "I'm not going to leave you to fight a vampire who's after me."
"I'm not giving you a choice," Hayley said sternly. "It's my job as your dhampir to protect you and fight for you. He can't kill me, Bella, but he can kill you. I won't let that happen."
Bella nodded her head. "I love you, Hayley," she told her.
"I love you too," Hayley replied with a small smile. "Now let's go get you mom."
The two walked into the empty studio side-by-side. The sound of Renee's frantic voice called out, echoing throughout the room. Hayley and Bella shared a look before running towards her voice.
"There you are. What are you doing?" Renee said.
"Everyone makes fun of me," A child's voice answered.
Hayley and Bella shared a confused look before opening the closet door. Renee was no where to be found inside of the closet. Instead, there was a TV playing an old video of Bella and Renee. Realizing it was a trap, the two girls turned around to see James.
"That's my favorite part," James said with a sadistic smile. "You were a stubborn child, weren't you?"
James walked closer to the two girl, reaching out to touch Bella. Before the vampire could even get close to her, Hayley quickly pushed Bella behind her.
"She's not even here," Hayley stated.
"No," James said, roughly grabbing Hayley by the neck and pushing her against the wall.
"Stop!" Bella cried.
James looked at Bella. "I told you not to bring any of your friends," he said, tightening his grip on Hayley's throat. "You know, you really made this too easy. So to make things more entertaining, I'm gonna make a little film of our time together."
The vampire let go of Hayley's neck, causing the girl to take a large inhale. She quickly grabbed a hold of the stake that was in the holster around her thigh, gripping it tight and waiting for the right time to attack.
"I borrowed this from you house. I hope you don't mind," James told Bella as he pulled out a camera. "And, action."
James took the camera and pointed it at Hayley. The dhampir was still pressed against the wall, a glare on her face as she still secretly gripped the stake. He then pointed the camera at Bella. The Swan girl was looking down, breathing heavily and trembling with fear.
"That'll break Edward and Jasper's little hearts," James mocked.
"You have- Edward has nothing to do with this!" Bella shouted.
"But he does," James told her. "His rage will make for more interesting sport than his feeble attempt to protect you. And let's continue."
Bella pulled out her bottle of pepper-spray, going unnoticed by James. Hayley watched her protected carefully, slowing taking steps towards James as Bella readied her weapon. The Swan girl sprayed James in the eyes, distracting him long enough to run away.
"Bella, go!" Hayley screamed at her protected.
With her eyes glowing a bright yellow, the dhampir jumped on the vampire's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. With her enhanced strength, cracks began to form in his marble skin, causing James to slightly panic.
The strigoi vampire grabbed Hayley's arms and pried them off of his neck before throwing her. Hayley flew across the studio and slammed into a giant mirror. The glass shattered on impact, some embedding itself into the dhampir's skin. She hit the ground with groan, her stake landing out of arms reach.
With Hayley out of the way, James went after Bella again. He used his vampire abilities and jumped in front of the Swan girl, making her gasp. He gave her an annoyed look before grabbing her shoulder and throwing her. Bella slid across the wooden floors and into the corner of the wall, cutting her head open. Not only did Bella groan in pain, but Hayley did as well.
James looked back at Hayley, a smirk on his face. "Beautiful. Very visually dynamic," He mocked. "I chose my stage well."
James bent down in front of Bella, grabbing a hold of her hand that was covered in blood. Hayley pushed herself to her feet, loose glass shards falling to the ground. She looked around for her stake, but didn't see it anywhere.
"It's too bad he didn't have the strength to turn you," James said. "Instead, he kept you this fragile little human with a weak dhampir. It's cruel, really."
Hayley was running over to the two when James suddenly snapped Bella's leg. The bonded girls both screamed out in pain, but Hayley refused to stop.
"Tell Edward how much it hurts," James said. "Tell him to avenge you. Tell him! Tell hi-"
Hayley ran up to the vampire and body slammed him with all of her strength. James went flying across the room, but landed on his feet. Hayley looked back to at Bella, surprised and relived that Edward showed up.
"Get her out of here!" Hayley yelled, her eyes glowing as she turned back towards James.
James quickly charged at the dhampir, grabbing a hold of her throat and pushing her against the wall again. Hayley grabbed a hold of his wrist, fighting against his grip so she could breath.
"I've killed dozens of dhampirs. Ones who were stronger than you, faster than you, better than you," James said, slamming her head against the wall. "You're just not good enough."
Hayley looked at him with her glowing orbs. "I'm good enough to kill you," she panted before pushing his hand off of her throat and using her enhanced strength to kick him across the room and through a mirror.
With James incapacitated for a moment, Hayley used the opportunity to search of her stake. Seeing that Hayley had the situation handled, Edward picked up Bella bridal style. "I'm sorry," He apologized.
The moroi vampire jumped, attempting to leave the ballet studio when James grabbed a hold of his foot. James slammed the two into the ground, causing Bella to roll into the shards of glass before throwing Edward into a glass window.
Hayley found her stake and turned to kill James, but before she could, the strigoi vampire grabbed a hold of Bella's wrist and bit her. The excruciating pain of the bite caused both Bella and Hayley to scream out in pain.
Listening to the screams made Edward snap. He tackled James with as much strength as he had, causing the two to break through the floorboards. He picked up James by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall before throwing him across the room.
Though she still felt the white-hot pain all throughout her body, Hayley composed herself and raced over to help Edward. The two male vampires were growling at each other before Edward bit into James's neck and ripped a piece of skin off.
Hayley placed a hand on Edward's shoulder, catching his attention. "Go to Bella, she needs you," she panted, but Edward still stood there, holding James against the wall, refusing to move.
Carlisle appeared with the rest of the Cullen's, minus Esme and Rose. "Remember who you are, son," he told Edward. "She needs you."
Edward complied, letting go of James and running over to a screaming Bella. Alice was already over there, trying her best to help Bella without letting the blood bother her.
Hayley pushed James against the wall again, pressing her hand against her his throat with as much force as possible as she held her stake in the other. Jasper and Emmett both stood beside the bloodied dhampir, watching her closely.
"You hurt someone that I love today," Hayley told James as he struggled under her grip. "Unlike you, she's going to survive today and move on to live a very happy life. You are going to die and be forgotten because you are nothing. I hope you remember my face, because it's going to be the last one you will ever see."
James didn't say anything as he still struggled against her. He looked into her yellow eyes fearfully, a gasp escaping his lips as Hayley shoved the stake through his chest and backed away from him. James's skin began to glow a faint orange color as cracks spread across his entire body.
Hayley stared at him with an emotionless face as she watched him die. Jasper and Emmett looked horrified as they watched James scream out in pain before his entire body erupted into flames.
Hayley's eyes returned to their normal brown color as the adrenaline wore off and the pain returned. She backed away from James's burning body, slightly staggering as she felt Bella's pain.
Jasper quickly ran over to her and hugged her. "Are you okay?" He asked her with a concerned look on his face as he looked over her injuries.
During the fight with James, most of the wounds she sustained came from the the glass shards of the mirror she was thrown through. There was a large gash above her left eyebrow, blood seeping down her face because of it. A stream of blood also ran down her chin, it's source unknown. Throughout her body, she had more cuts from the glass and a large bruise on her neck from all of the strangling.
"I, um, yeah," Hayley answered. "I can feel Bella's p-pain right now."
Jasper cupped his girlfriend's face, careful not to touch any of her cuts. "You did good, Hayley," he told her.
"Yeah?" Hayley asked with a small smile.
Jasper nodded his head and smiled at the dhampir. Hayley looked away from her boyfriend, and to Bella. She noticed how the Swan girl was no longer thrashing and screaming in pain, and she noticed Edward biting her arm and drinking her blood.
As Bella stopped moving, Hayley felt herself grow weaker. Edward was killing her. Hayley took a step towards them to stop him, but before she could get any further, she collapsed. Jasper was quick to catch his mate, a scared look on his face as he held her limp body in his arms.
"I'm.. sorry," Hayley whispered before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she lost consciousness.
"Hayley!" Jasper shouted, absolutely terrified.