PETRICHOR , paul lahote.

020. the end

ONE MONTH LATER.

THE ROOM WAS SILENT apart from the occasional sniffle or shuffling. For one day only, the Cullen Clan and the Quileute Tribe put their differences aside and threw away the laws of the treaty, allowing the wolves to pass into their territory for this event.

Bella curled into Edwards arms, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her hands shook and she avoided everyone's eyes. She blamed herself.

Alice sat next to the two, her hands shaking in Jasper's. The two vampires were paler than usual, and frowns adorned their faces. Alice's eyes would be teary if she could cry.

Sam and Emily sat next to each other, grasping onto one another's arms for some form of solace. Their eyes were red, and Sam's tough exterior had been let down. Emily held a tub of cookies in her shaking hands—Lena's favourites.

Next to them, Jared stared at nothing as Kim stared at him worriedly. He sniffled every once in a while, using his sleeve to wipe his face. In his hands, a photo he'd printed off not too long ago. In the photo, he stood smiling next to Lena. He couldn't look at it without crying. He folded and unfolded it continuously.

Quil's hands were in fists, and his jaw was set. He was holding in his tears, unlike Embry, who let his fall silently. The sound of them dripping onto the floor echoed in the silence. His throat constricted as he attempted to hold in his sobs.

Leah's eyes were closed, but her face was red and stricken with grief. Next to her, her brother Seth sat. Usually, the hyperactive boy struggled to sit still in his seat, but now he hardly moved. His eyes were glazed over and a frown was set on his face. There were tear tracks on both siblings' cheeks.

Jake stood stiffly next to Bella and Edward, his jaw clenched.

Far from the rest of them sat Paul. His face was pale, tears rolling down that he wiped away quickly. In his hands, a bouquet of flowers. Roses and sunflowers, Lena's favourite. His hair was untamed and his clothes were wrinkled. His dad sat beside him, frowning at the floor.

Theodore Parkinson stood stiffly, a flower of his own in his hand. In his other, another hand gripped it, a tall man with dark curly hair. He looked tough, but his smile showed you he was a teddy bear. Although he wasn't smiling now.

The rest of the Cullens, Charlie Swan and Rebecca Masters were all there too. Each of them showing their own signs of sadness and grief.

Suddenly, a door opened and all heads snapped to it. Carlisle Cullen stood in the doorway, clipboard in hand, doctors coat draped over his arm. His eyes moved to that of Theodore, and he smiled slightly.

"She's awake."

A collective sigh ran through the room, and all of a sudden, multiple people were on their feet and ready to head in. The older vampire held up a hand, "Only Theodore may go in at the moment. Afterward, anyone Lena allows can visit her."

Teddy nodded with a smile and quickly pushed past Carlisle, closing the door behind him. He stood frozen for a moment, looking down at the hospital bed his niece lay in. She was pale, and she was connected up to a bunch of different machines.

"Teddy?" Her voice was hoarse, but she was smiling nonetheless.

The man stepped forward, "Lena.."

"Hey, man." She smirked, but then her face fell. Memories from the battle flooded back to her, the vampire, the scratch, Paul finding her and then...nothing. "What happened?" She asked.

Teddy stepped forward, sitting on the chair beside her bed and holding her hand, "You passed out from the blood loss. The boys carried you all the way here but you kept burning through the morphine. You slipped into a coma."