『 chapter xlviii : BRING HOME the RAREST FLOWER. 』

IN ALL THE HOPE SHE HAD, JUNIPER NEVER did give much thought onto how she'd die. It's like when you prepare for something so much and then the day gets there and you're left underwhelmed. It doesn't go how you pictured it, but you don't really know what it was your pictured anyway. That's how Juniper feels. Standing on the mountain top, snow all around her, melting as soon as the flakes fall on top of her burning skin. Her blue eyes are almost the shade of the snow, icy and calm, nothing near the blizzard that occurred the night before. The snow crunches underneath her snow boots, Seth in his wolf form near her looking unbothered by the snow under his paws. Seth looks at her and she smiles half heartedly. She knows he can hear the battle raging on below them.

       June tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, a puff of warm air leaving her lips as she parts them. She sees an icicle hanging on the tree in front of her, she walks up to it, and can barely see herself. If she were to look at her reflection right now, she'd probably think, huh, pretty enough.

But what she'd really see is a girl who's taken too much from herself, from others. Who expected great things and horrible things. Tragic or heroic or ambitious are the three things they'll struggle to decide what to label her as. Will she be Macbeth? Will she be Julius? Or will she be Juliet? For one thing, she'd be what they all ended up as: dead.

        In the reflection of the icicle, she sees Seth. With her magic, she sends a mental message to him, opening the communication. She turns to him.

Sorry you couldn't join the fight, bambino.

Seth huffs, Leah wasn't gonna let me fight either way. Besides, I think you might be harder to guard than it is to fight down there.

June grins, You're keeping up.

The young wolf gives her a wolffish smile. He stops and she reads his thoughts as they pass; Leah's fast, catching a few newborns that had been ahead of the group easily. Sam's flanking her with Jared and Quil who catch he split group of newborns. Jacob and Paul are already helping the Cullen's, tearing off heads of a few cold ones as they run through the field.

"Everyone's OK," June assures herself and Seth.

       The air around the young girl chills though; even more than what it already was. The flakes don't fall anymore and all June can hear is her breathing and Seth's. She looks to the wolf, "Keep an eye out," She says and turns. "I don't think we're alone anymore—"

And then she hears a growl, a yelp, and by the time she turns around, Riley Biers has the young wolf in a headlock. Her heart beats faster.

     "Don't try anything or I snap his neck," Riley says, in a voice that isn't his.

The blood in June's veins chills. She sees Seth struggle but she shakes her head at the teenager, Riley's a newborn, he could crush him easily. "Seth, don't fight, just calm down I'm gonna get you."

"You might be too late," Riley chimes.

     "Riley," June addresses him, her eyes steady, she shakes her head. "You don't want to do this."

     "Oh, he'll do anything I need him to," Another voice erupts.

     It's the red. Everything June has painted since she got her nightmares was red. Her death call. Red. Red. Red. Red eyes and red hair and red lips. It was all red. Red in the veins and blood spilled with immense pain. Red. Victoria. She had been the one that they overlooked; the one they didn't count for when June ripped James apart.

      "Victoria," June breathes out.

Of course she wouldn't join the fight; they were foolish to think she would. She didn't need to fight the Cullen's or the wolves, she needed to find June. Secretly, it's what June counted on. What she had been waiting for. Victoria's revenge.

The vampire jumps down from the treetops. She lands perfectly, gracefully, right in front of June. Her smile is pure beauty, "It's been a while, Juniper."

"Not really," June says. "I've seen you around here and there."

"My apologies for not making myself known sooner," Victoria doesn't sound sorry. She gestures to the Seth, who's still whimpering, "So that's the awful smell I've been running from? Wolves? I'm sure there's more where this one came from."

"They don't have anything to do with this," June argues back. "They were just protecting the tribe, they don't care about the Cullen's."

Victoria nods in thought, "But they care about you. Don't they? Pack loyalty, I suppose?"

"Something like that," June nods. Her eyes drift to Riley. "Did you ask to become like this, Riley?"

"It's the only way I can be with Victoria forever," Riley says gruffly. "She promised forever."

June felt a clench in her heart, she did t know what was gonna happen to Riley after this. Seth might have to kill him, or June herself. Either way, the short second life of Riley Biers was gonna be tragic. All for this manipulative woman.

"You love fucking with peoples lives don't you, Victoria?" June snaps suddenly. Her eyes turns to the female. "Is that your job? Making the last couple of months of my life and everyone around me, hell?"

"Try to amplify that times a hundred," Victoria sneers back. She's right in front of her. "You know what you did, Juniper ..."

"OK. Kill me. But to what end?" June says with a growl. "What will you do to Riley after you complete your mission?"

"Victoria?" Riley asks. "What mission?"

"Nothing, my love," Victoria scowls at June.

"Tell him," June urges. "Oh, I'm assuming honesty hasn't been the best policy. Tell Riley all about why you hate June Swan so much. Why you created an army of baby vamps to come murder everyone she loves? What did a person do to deserve your ire that much? Did you ever ask, Riley? Go on. Ask her."

Victoria snaps her head to Riley, "I told you she'd try to get into your head. She's nothing but some witch, Riley." She says urgently. "Don't let her ruin what we have with her lies."

"Think about it, Riley. She knew you were from Forks, she knew you knew me," June goes on. "You know me. You've known me since I was a girl, Riley."

"All monsters were children once," Riley counters. His red eyes dark, "Look at me now."

"You're not a monster," June says. "You're jusr ... confused. You've been manipulated by Victoria, you're scared and that's OK. Just let me help you."

"Riley," Victoria croak out. "Don't let her ruin what we have."

"All she wants is revenge for her ex."

"There's only you, my love, Ril, you know that."

There's a long silence after that. Each female is waiting to see what Riley will chose. June can see the wheels turning in the man's eyes but it's not gonna be enough to convince him, she knows. Victoria is too good at a game that June never had the right rules to follow. She can't beat Victoria. But she can try.

God forbid if she doesn't try.

Seth, listen, June calls out mentally. The wolf shoots his eyes to her. Stay focused, Seth, I'm gonna get us out. On my count, OK?

One ...

"She doesn't love you Riley," June says. "She's loves James. She's only ever loved some man named James. You're nothing to her. I killed him ... only because he tried to kill people that matter to me. She's using you."

Two ...

"Riley," Victoria's hypnotic voice is urging, the flame red curls around her face seemingly alive as she faces her false lover. "You know I love you."

June knows which person Riley will believe. She knows it. Victoria's way too good at her own game. Riley smiles sinisterly, his eyes on June, "You're dead."

THREE !

June shot her hand out and instantly the ground underneath Riley cracked and he momentarily lost his footing, giving Seth the perfect chance to kick Riley back with his hind legs and tear the vampires hand in the process, a blood curdling roar of pain erupting from Riley's lips. He held his arm and got up, but Seth was ready. Riley balances himself and snarled at the wolf. Seth pounced on him.

"Victoria!" Riley cried out.

June shot her hand out again and vines appeared at He vampires feet, holding him in place as Seth made his attack. Riley kept ripping out of them but another came to replace it.

"NO!" Victoria cursed out in disappointment. She turned to flee, the survival instincts kicking in before the urge to kill June.

"Victoria!" Riley called out again as Seth snapped at his shoulder with his razor sharp canines. "HELP!"

The redhead vampire hissed and was already running when June screamed, "You'll never get another chance like this!"

The vampire stiffened in her place. June kept her eyes on Seth who was holding his own against Riley. She had to keep reminding herself he was made to kill creatures like them. He's OK. He's OK.

Victoria faced her. June glared, "Isn't this what you've wanted?" June asks. "I'm right here. No protection. I know you're good at escaping, surviving. I am, too. I mean, if you don't believe me, ask James."

The woman snarled, "I'll kill you."

"You can try," June nods.

Victoria seems confused, her eyes dart to June's stomach. "I won't just be killing you, will I?"

June holds her ground, "Let's see if you can try at all." She says firmly.

Anger floods the woman's eyes and she runs towards June but the Mender is ready; her pals glowing, she tackles Victoria back and they fall on the snow. Victoria is more graceful in her descent and swoops back up, her hand around June's neck as she holds her down. June grunts, fighting the vampire wig all her strength, touching the cold skin with her glowing palms that start making cracks on the marble surface of Victoria's wrist.

Victoria hisses back in pain, releasing her hold on June to give her enough of a chance to kick the redhead back. Victoria flips, landing easily. June yells in pain as the vampire comes and smacks her, the force of it hitting her cheek and cutting the skin. The warmth on June's face is enough to tell her that she's bleeding. All that was running through her mind was stay alive, stay alive, stay alive! Victoria is wasn't Riley though, she was lethal and experienced and each move was calculated and each mistake June made or each gain she had, was noted by the elder woman. June managed to leave cracks on the vampires marble skin with each hit.

In the midst of their fight, June would catch Riley and Seth still circling each other, though Seth was limping and Riley had a missing arm and half of his leg ripping out.

June just kept focusing on surviving; each knock to her body that Victoria took, each time that June had snow in her eyes from being thrown to the ground, she tried to get up. June grabbed Victoria's knee as she laid on the ground trying to catch her breath, grunting as she felt the heat in her palm worsen and a snap erupting and the vampire staggered back in pain, anger flashing in her black eyes. Victoria rounded her hand back but June caught it before it hit her face; June's lower lip was busted and she had bruises all over her body from the excessive amount of magic she was using.

June could feel her nose bleeding but she knew it wasn't because of any hit that Victoria had caused; through it all, June was using double the strengthen ensure she would live. June coughs when Victoria throws her back, angered, and vamp speeds to break June's leg like a twig. June cries out in pain and Seth momentarily stops, whimpering, but June urges him.

    "Don't worry, I'm fine—!"

    Victoria slaps her, making the side of June's head flare with a burning feeling. She's thrown again and the pain from her broken leg is excruciating. Finally, June felt Victoria get too cocky. She hears Riley's screams and almost feels sorry. She sees Seth rip his head clean from his body and growls in triumph. Victoria has no reaction. He turns his wolf head to June who's struggling under June's equally forceful. Flashes come back and it's just like James all over again. June knocks the redheads kneecap and she crashes down, June can feel her terror, the pain June is feelings from using her powers is so immense, she might throw up.

Seth helps June, biting Victoria's leg as she roars in pain. June grips her neck, using her magic, feeling he heat cut through the woman's skin like a thousand suns would. The ice melts, it cracks, it's going, it's going, and with one final rip, Victoria's head is ripped from her body.

   June yells out, collapsing on the snow as she does so, the head rolling away.

She did it.

She killed her.

The joy is almost as potent as the pain. June's alive, Victoria didn't kill her, she didn't hold her heart in her hands the snow was the diamonds, right? Right. She's OK. She's gonna live, she's gonna live and kiss the living lights out of Jacob and go home and sleep. She's alive! It's much better, June decides, than dying. She's okay. She's okay—

     She suddenly sobs as the pain from her leg is too unbearable. Seth immediately goes to her, she nods at him, "I'm fine!" She assures, smiling weakly. She listens closely. Heartbeat. "We're fine."

    Seth relaxes. June points to the tent, "The lighter. We have to burn the bodies," She orders, her voice sounding raspy and barley there.

The wolf does so, carrying the lighter in his muzzle before he drops it before her. June turns it on, throwing it on the body and standing, with the help of Seth, on one leg as she watches the flames eat away at the ice of two monsters.

    June holds onto Seth, "Let's get outta here."

Seth lowers his wolf body, signaling her for him to carry her. June nods, she cries in pain as she climbs on. She holds his fur the whole way, her consciousness fading in and out but she smiles, she's alive!

She's alive.

•—•—•—•—•

HER EYES BARELY CATCH THE BATTLEFIELD when Seth and she finally arrive at the bottom of the mountain. But she sees the green and her mind settles, no more horrible snow, which has made every inch of her clothes soaked and cold. Seth shivers under her freezing body despite his extreme heat. If Victoria didn't kill her, the weather surely might. He had to go extra slow because she kept loosening her grip on his fur each time and she could feel the anxiety from his body so she had to calm him down every so often.

Seth sets down and June gathers her strength to stand up. She sees the Cullen's all gathered tougher, they don't seem to see her yet, but they're pouring gasoline on a pile of bodies that make the air smell sickly sweet. June wants to gag.
  
Suddenly, she sees a large figure, a wolf, appear from the brush. It's that russet color, her wolf. Her Jacob. She's alive, she's okay, when she gets better she can find time to reverse what she did about the imprint. For now, she's tired. She just wants to go to sleep in her bed and feel Patrick Verona cuddle up next to her and Jacob on the other side.

June smiles widely as she sees Jacob, who hasn't seen her yet, but her eyes catch Leah then, who jumps out of the brush too. And before she can blink, there's one newborn left which Leah doesn't wait a second to attack.

"Leah, don't!" Edward's voice roars.

"Leah!" June's voice squeaks, her voice hoarse from the beating that Victoria gave her.

But it's too late. Leah got the newborn but missed her footing, which gave the bloodsucker the perfect opportunity to wrap its arms around her. Leah struggled violently, snapping her jaws in the air while the newborn snarled. A few seconds passed with everyone too in shock to move but then June saw Jacob's wolf barrel towards them, ripping the newborn off of Leah. Horror rushed through her being as she watched the newborn switch up on Jacob before he could tear him to pieces and June sobs in horror as she hears the sickening crunch of bones and the howl of pain that comes from Jacob as he spasms, crumbling to the ground as the rest of the pack finally comes out, taking on the newborn easily before he's nothing but pieces of diamonds littering the grass.

"JACOB!" June cries out, struggling to run to him with pain constantly shooting up her leg. She finally gets to him and crumbles to her knees, her voice hysterical, "Jacob! Oh my god, no not you, please not you, it's supposed to be me!"

June lays a hand on the wolf and just liked that, Jacob phases back into human form in his pain, cradling his side as he knocks back on the ground. June goes over, "Jacob?"

"J-June?" Jacob croaks out, still crying out in pain each breath he takes.

"Yeah it's me, I'm here," She doesn't want to hurt him by touching him. But he craves her touch, especially in pain, so she just touches his cheek. "Don't worry, I'm here, I'm okay."

June sees Carlisle rush to his side, feeling him beside her, his eyes examining the wolf quickly, "Bones in the right half of his body are shattered," the doctor tells her.

Edward and Bella come up behind them, looking down at the scene with sympathetic eyes. Suddenly the pack is back in their human forms, Leah coming out firstly, "Jacob! I had him—"

Sam snarled, "Leah!" His tone said not now.

June starts frowning as she feels Jacob's skin, feeling it get warmer with each second, "He's not healing right, his bones won't heal," She says helplessly, shaking her head. She feels panic in her throat. "Why isn't he healing?"

"The rapid regeneration isn't moving rapidly enough," Carlisle tells her, still examining him.

         "He should be healing!" June says frantically.

        "June, calm down," Sam urges.

        "He's dying, Sam!" She yells. She can hear his heartbeat. It's low, her lungs burn. "He's dying ... why is he dying? It's not supposed to be him!"

      Carlisle puts a cool hand on hers, "You can do this."

      June looks at him. She sees what he means. She's. It sure if she's even alive now but the pure adrenaline that's pumping her is keeping her frantic enough to act. But she looks down at her hands.

    The bruises are so deep, so purple and painful. She has scratches all over her skin, Victoria didn't go out without a fight. She wouldn't survive this—

Sacrifice. Oh. This is what they meant. Suddenly everything makes sense; hearing Jacob's cries of pain, everything became clearer. June breathed a little better and the pain throughout her body ceased for a moment. Sacrifice. Mender's aren't about dying, they aren't about dying for the safety of their pack. They're about being selfless enough to hold such power. It wasn't about dying for the sake of their pack, it was about being brave enough to deserve a soulmate. It wasn't about dying at all. It was about having the strength to be ready to die. It was about whether or not the Mender, the girl with the precious almighty blood, would be willing to sacrifice herself — not for everyone — but just for one.

Him.

"Carlisle," June's voice is barely audible.

The vampire flickers his eyes, hearing the emotion in her voice when she said his name. "I suppose it's now then ..." he says just as low.

She nods, barely noticeable. Her grandmothers voice rings in her ears. Suddenly, June's ten again.

June-Bug? You must live life as much as you can. For it'll end sooner than most peoples' do.

     Juniper puts her hands on Jacob, "Mind of mine, heart of my heart." She says in Quileute tongue, her power pouring out. "Heal."

      You'll die so beautiful I've seen it.

      She heals Jacob bone by bone and Carlisle sees June's beautiful skin be battered instantly, more so than it was, the cut on her lil bleeds and the shadows under her eyes are darker. Bruise after bruise appear and he hears Juniper's sister gasp in horror, moving forward, but Edward holds her back.

      "June, stop!" Bella cries out. "June!"

     "Bella," Edward shushes lowly.

     But the eldest Swan thrashes in her boyfriends arms, crying freely as she watches her sister whittle away by the second, "Edward let me go! June? June, don't do this!" Bella cries out.

      "Get Bella out of here," Carlisle orders.

      "What? No! June! Edward let me go! JUNE! JUNE DONT DO THIS! JUNE—PLEASE!"

      June feels the pain of her sister's voice just as much as the pain in her own body. But she can't stop. She cries freely as she hears Bella's yells and pleas for her to stop. How June wishes she could. But she's already too gone, it's an old spell, it's not forbidden but it brings those on the verge of death back. Especially for spirit warriors. She can suddenly feel all the pain Jacob felt and she can't help the sob of pain that releases from her throat.

        She owes it to Jacob. He saved her life all those years ago, she saves his life. She's proof that he's a living miracle. He really does bring life to everyone. That's just Jacob. Everything about them comes in flashes as she falls to the ground next to him, holding his hand as she continues the healing, flashes of them at Bella's prom, under the gazebo and the shy smiles that passed them.

     Then it's June, in a cheer outfit asking for Jacob to commit a crime for her, stealing back her dog. Then it's her asking him to fix the bikes; their first kiss, how alive she felt, the way he held her and spoke her name the way devout people speak of their gods. Then it's him and her riding in his rabbit, kissing until the stars come out. It's the party where he almost killed a guy who she danced with. It's the day she confronted the pack and kicked Paul's ass which then added by Jacob kicking his ass as well for the threat against her. Memories of her going over to his house because she can't sleep alone and she doesn't want to worry her parents about the nightmares of red eyes she sees.

Love is having Jacob her, kissing her, the way he made love to her for the first time and June had never felt anything stronger than that. The way she needed him in every way, the way she only felt complete when he was connected with her, one of those moments being the one where the little wolf who rests in the stars was made.

He's loved her since he was a boy and she was nothing more than a girl; when she was all blonde curls and two missing teeth and he was exuberant and dauntless. When they were kids and that's all they needed to be. When life didn't give them a thousand deaths. She wished she would've loved him then, too. Not later. Not when she didn't have enough time.

       June can feel the imprint fading with each word she mutters as she heals Jacob. The thick golden wire has been whittled away since June's messed with it and what was once a brilliant gold is now a charred black. June cries.

Don't forget me. Please. I know I want you to be happy with April, but don't forget me. Don't forget me. Don't forget me. Don't forget me. June can't help but cry she's never hurt so much before, even if for a second more but he can't forget her, not yet, not yet, he's still hers. Just for a moment Don't forget how much I love you, I loved you so much I made sure you'd love again because the selfishness of taking you with me was too much to bear, Jacob, please, I didn't want to go, believe me, I wanted to live but I want you to live more, please, I'm sorry, I love you and I'm sorry, I'm sorry—

      June feels the breath leave her lungs, a glassiness covers her blue eyes as she feels defeated. She collapses beside Jacob as she holds his hand, his larger one clutching hers.

   You'll die with your heart in your hands.

  June catches the glimpse of the vampire remains in the grass as she falls, the minimal sunlight the eclipse gives off shines on them, shining like jewels.

      The stone people scatter the grounds of the meadow like diamonds.

      "I love you," Her voice sounds muffled to her ears, like she's underwater. "... I'm sorry."

Then, all she feels is warmth. It's so warm. June sees Jacob's eyes, they're so brown, she always loved the color of the earth and the color of ground coffee. Just a little longer ... there's never enough time. A wolf howls in the distance and there's a girl crying. It feels so warm, her eyes feel heavy, she can sleep for a few moments. No matter how much they'd prefer to see those blue eyes longer. Never enough time.

        The last thing June hears is someone say,

        I love you, too.

a/n: y'all knew this was coming

but thank you! thank you for loving juniper as much as I did and crying with her and relating to her, she's partly an extension of my own mental issues and it's a just lesson that no one can go through things alone!! talk my angels, words are so powerful!! I'm here if anything!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND CRIED AND RAGED AND COMMENTED!!! YALL ARE THE REASON I CAME TO WRITE AGAIN!!!
LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU SO MUCHH!

END OF TEEN SPIRIT.

or is it?