𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑. paul lahote ✓

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

┏━━━━⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆☾ ﾟ｡⋆━━━━┓

THE AFTERMATH

THERE WAS NO BATTLE, THERE WERE NO CASUALTIES (MINUS IRINA, BUT SHE HAD IT COMING), AND THE VOLTURI TOOK THEIR LEAVE.

Alice and Jasper had pulled through, bringing a man who'd been born in the same manner as Renesmee had, claiming these human-vampire hybrids were nothing new to the world. Renesmee was deemed as a non-threat, and a vision from Alice of a violent massacre apparently had Aro cowering away in defeat.

Epic.

Augustine's hospital room was filled to the brim, the space acting like a headquarters for everyone to hold aftermath discussions. Paul had somehow managed to shuffle into the bed behind her, making it so that the girl was sitting against his chest, as Emmett took up residence on one side where Emily had been earlier in the day, and the clairvoyant and empath were seated closely on the other.

Sure, visiting hours were well over, but Carlisle was still the head doctor around; and whatever he says ultimately goes.

It was as though everyone was telling her the events of what occurred like it was a bedtime story. Paul had been carding his fingers through her hair as her gaze filtered around the room, locking onto whoever was speaking.

They'd been in the middle of discussing Alice and Jasper's travels to Brazil when the door opened once again, revealing an incredibly distressed looking Carmen Denali.

"Oh, mi vida," she sighed out, and Augustine instantly felt her eyes well with tears. She all but leapt out of Paul's lap, tossing her arms haphazardly around the woman when she reached her bedside. "Lamento mucho no haber estado aquí antes."

I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner.

"Don't be silly," the younger girl laughed wetly, pulling back to stare at Carmen's pinched face. The woman's eyes were raking over her face, taking her in once more. No one mentioned the way her gaze settled on the black haired girl's pulse point for a second, before averting to those baby blues. "There were more important things going on."

"You are my most important thing," Carmen fought back, her hand cupping the girl's cheek affectionately. "You are my life, and your beating heart will never change that."

Carmen was the first vampire to really acknowledge the situation at hand— the situation involving what was about to happen next. Augustine was a human, and she'd witnessed first hand what having a human too close to her family would do.

But, there in lies the question of the hour; was Augustine willing to stay human, despite the bonds she'd formed with both the Cullens and the Denalis, or was she willing to risk it all and beg to be turned once more.

"No."

Edward's voice startled her, his looming figure leaning against the furthest wall of the room. Her eyes widened, a subtle shale to her head when Carlisle turned to his son. "What, Edward?"

She looked at the telepath, pleadingly. "Don't—"

"She's weighing her options," he revealed, crossing his arms over his chest. He evidently didn't like what he had heard swirling in her mind. "Either stay human, or try her luck at turning again. She wouldn't survive it, Carlisle— not a second time."