"What do we do about Mom?" Tori was sat on the floor by my feet, her makeup spread out around her as she used the wall length mirror to help her apply her makeup. 

"We need to confront her, but we need to do it in the calmest way possible. Be as reassuring as we can." I sighed as I unscrewed the lid to my mascara, then brushed the excess liquid off the wand and onto the top of the bottle. 

"Let's do it tomorrow, give her the night to let loose and forget whatever he has done to her." Tori considered, pausing her makeup routine to try and stop herself from crying. 

I bit my lip to stop my own tears and dropped to the floor to sit beside her. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and her head dropped onto my shoulder. "I know what he's done to her... but okay." The words left me in an exhausted breath. 

It was our last night before we were due to fly home tomorrow morning. It had been an eventful weekend with a few downs to ruin the ups. Tonight, we were going out clubbing, dancing away the issues that had surfaced and just trying to celebrate what we were actually here for. 

Our mother and Aunt Renee had joined the party just after noon yesterday. They were all hugs and kisses, asking how we had been since the last time we had seen them. We kept quiet about how things ended last time, and I made no effort to ask how Scott was doing, I didn't even want to think of that man. It would've just ruined my happy weekend. 

Shortly after their arrival came the task of introducing both my aunt and my mother to our 'newest' family member. Renesmee was brought before my aunt and mother as Esme's newest adoptive daughter. Bella stood back a little reserved and she admitted jealous. Seeing her mother fawn over little Nessie not knowing it was her granddaughter was a little heartbreaking. Aunt Renee was a bit thrown off by the resemblance between Ness and Bella, especially with Bella's contacts in, though she assumed it was just a coincidence. It was weird seeing her with brown eyes again, it was also a bit strange looking in the mirror and seeing full blue eyes on myself. And though Renesmee was an intelligent girl, her mind so much more developed than her body, seeing her finding it a little funny calling Bella her name instead of 'mom' was a little amusing. 

The day was spent catching up on anything we had missed in the last two months, with my mother and Renee getting to know Nessie and her fake back story. It included never knowing her real parents, going straight into foster care as soon as she was born. I think she made up her story as she went along, I knew for sure that Bella was going to be very interested in how she came up with some of the details... I'm pretty sure Nessie said something about being left in a box by the side of a road. 

Once everything had calmed down, we went back to lounging around the pool, alcohol again being shared around as if we had an unlimited supply available. Mom and Aunt Renee went to their rooms to change into something a little more comfortable to join us outside, Renee emerged in a cute one piece with a loose, lacy kaftan to wrap around herself. Then came Mom, dressed in denim shorts that stopped just above her knee and a long sleeve cotton t-shirt.  

"Mom, aren't you hot?" I asked her, noticing her pulling on one of the sleeves of her shirt. I could even see the perspiration building on her forehead. 

She made her way over to a free sun lounger that was placed in the direct sunlight. It was so hot today even I could feel myself getting a little too hot. All of my guests turned to look at my mother in surprise. 

"No, I'm fine sweetheart, don't worry about me. Go have fun. I just stupidly forgot my bathing suit, that's all." I watched her uneasily as she seemed to be getting slightly nervous with me looking over her. 

"I have a spare suit if you'd like to borrow it, Lily?" Esme offered, standing from her chair in the shade ready to pop into the house and get it for my mother. 

"No, no, don't trouble yourself Esme. I'm fine really." She waved Esme off; Esme gave me a sympathetic glance before taking her seat again. Mom then waited a few minutes before moving her sunlounger into the shade to sit next to Esme, she was clearly getting too hot in the burning sunshine. 

As I watched her a little more carefully, slightly drunk, dazed and confused, something turned in me when I saw my mom look towards the sun as she pulled the lounger across the decking. Under the heavy makeup I could see the fading yellow and purple tinge of her skin around her eye, the slight bloodshot veins in the whites of her eyes... 

He had hit her. 

That disgusting, revolting man had laid his hands on my mother. 

I wanted to kill him, destroy him. Rip him limb from limb. Scarlett noticed my anger first, I was stuck stoic on the patio, staring at the place where mom had been sitting in the sun. I was breathing deeply through my nose, trying to hold everything together before I punched my way through a wall or got on the next plane to Miami and killed Scott with my bare hands. I hadn't felt like this since we faced off with the Volturi. 

I had to remain inside for a few hours to calm down, the blood red ring of rage that took over my eyes when I was angry was fully aflame again. Without Jasper, I couldn't calm myself down enough to make the red seep back into the liquid gold fast enough. It didn't help that when my eyes were red the venom coating my eyes burned through the coloured contact lenses almost instantly. 

Just as I thought I was ready to go outside again, Tori came running in, her own dark brown eyes filled with unshed tears or anger and hatred. The information fell out of her mouth in the next instant. Mom had got up from her lounger to get a snack and her top had risen up ever so slightly. In the few seconds that it took her to pull her shirt back down, Tori had caught a glimpse of the blotch of deep purple skin that covered her hip bone. 

Alice was up the stairs and into our bedroom in less than a second, her tiny body pinning mine to the floor as I fought to control my rage. She shouted at Tori to get Rose and Bella to help keep me sane as I tried to think of calming thoughts instead of images of myself ripping Scott's throat out with my teeth. 

Why was my mother with this horrific man? What hold did he have over her? Why hadn't she called the police, why hadn't she dumped his ass and left him? The questions were swirling so violently around like a tornado of madness inside my head that I had forgotten how to breathe. I was shaking, physically shaking, as my anger pumped through my veins, I had squeezed my hands so tightly into fists, my nails cut into my skin and drew blood. 

Eventually I became calm enough for the girls to let go of me, I started breathing again and stopped shaking. I demanded them to let me go and see my mom; to let her have a piece of my mind about Scott and let her know we were here to help her get away from him. 

Alice stopped me with a firm hand on my shoulder saying: "Do you have no idea how hard it'll be for your mother to admit to this? If that is indeed what happened." 

"Of course it's what happened! You saw what he was like!" My voice was trembling. I wanted to cry for my mother, she was going through this all alone. 

"You have no idea what she's going through! Why she's doing what she's doing?" Alice snapped, trying to knock some sense into me. 

"She's right Ari." Tori sighed, stepping around Alice, her watery eyes looking up at my face. "We need to be delicate, wait for the right moment." 

"How can you say that—" My outburst was cut short by my own mind registering what my sister was trying to say. I couldn't put my mom under the spotlight like that, she needed to be comfortable, be willing to tell us. We couldn't put her under pressure, we needed to be fair. 

So that's what we were doing, waiting for the right moment, making sure we asked Mom what was going on the right way. 

The rest of yesterday's events included a glamorous dinner where we got all dressed up and enjoyed expensive cocktails and spoke about the impending wedding. After the dinner we moved onto some bars, unfortunately that cut short Esme and Nessie's night as of course Renesmee wasn't allowed in. Though, we all got as drunk as the night before and brought the party back to the villa for Esme to enjoy... not that she could get drunk herself. Bella would be missing out tonight's events to look after Nessie. I think she was just missing her mother-daughter time. 

For our last night we all ate dinner together in the grand dining room that the villa provided, with private chefs cooking the celebratory five course meal for us. Then, as some hired help cleared up, we got ready for the second part of our night with quick outfit changes and touch ups to our makeup. 

Alice had insisted I celebrate tonight wearing the only colour that was suitable for a bride: virginal white... though we all knew that wasn't true. The dress was beautiful. It came to mid-thigh, slightly on the shorter side, with thin spaghetti straps and a short thigh split filled with diamanté chain accents. 

Speaking of Alice; "Girls, you'll wanna come down here now!" She called up the stairs, a tinge of excitement in her voice. 

"What does she have planned now?" I asked Tori as the rest of the girls poked their heads out of their bedroom doors before, we all descended down the marble stairs, our heels clacking against the floor. 

Tori shrugged at me with true unknowing as we filed into the foyer where Alice was waiting. "So, this is a surprise for all of you. Well, not you Ness, you need to go back upstairs, but I'm hoping the rest of you are going to enjoy it." She looked at us all with a huge beaming grin on her face and then threw her arms into the air, she waited until Renesmee was out of sight and then called out. "Okay boys, come on in!" 

My eyes widened and I spun on my heel just as a group of smartly dressed, muscular, tall men strode in through the glass doors and swarmed towards us. "Alice, you didn't!" I gasped, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. I wasn't sure if I was excited or not. Did I want to see some guys getting naked in front of me? Was I even allowed? 

"Oh, but I did!" She grinned happily, placing a white and gold bride to be sash over my shoulders. "Now shut up and enjoy it!" She shoved me forward right into the arms of a very good-looking man in a tux.  

Oh god, I feel like I'm cheating on Jake. 

The guy stepped forward, his tall and muscular frame was impressive but not as impressive as Jake's of course. He had a typical golden L.A. tan but had dark brown hair and dreamy green eyes. 

Oh lord, someone stop me. 

"So, you must be the lucky girl." He winked at me, and it took everything in me to not smile like a silly little schoolgirl. I had never seen a stripper in real life before, I felt all giddy and stupid, I shouldn't be feeling like this right? I'm an imprint for goodness' sake, how was Jake going to react to this? 

I glanced back at Alice, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, come on, let loose! He can take it out on me when he gets back! You needed to have the full bachelorette experience unlike this one over here." She pointed her thumb at Bella with a bored expression on her face. 

"Hey!" Bella complained just as she was swept up into the air by her guy. "Oh my god!" She squealed before being carried off into the den. 

I turned back to the man before me and decided Alice was right. I needed to let loose and forget my troubles, even if it was just for a few hours. "I guess that's me." I smiled a little unsurely at the stripper and his grinned widened. 

"Well, you're in for a ride!" He announced before hoisting me up and over his shoulder just as the slow beat of Take You Down by Chris Brown began to echo through the house. "My name's Ethan by the way." 

Okay, this song was my one of my favourites, this was definitely going to get me in the mood. 

"Here we are all alone, in this room." 

Ethan carried me into the lounge where a few other girls were being chosen to take part in the show. I could hear my mother squealing in protest as she was slung over some man's shoulder and I smiled, happy she was enjoying herself. 

"And girl I know, where to start and what we gonna do." 

I gasped in surprise as Ethan swung me back over his shoulder and dipped to lay me across the floor on the plush grey rug in the centre of the room. His hands moved to his suit jacket, undoing the buttons before pulling the jacket off his shoulders and down his arms before letting it drop to the floor. 

"I'll take my time, we'll be all night girl. So get ready babe, I got plans for me and you." 

He positioned my legs, so they were together and brought my arms up to stretch out above my head. He then stepped over me, legs on either side of my own as he looked down at me. For some reason my cheeks flushed, though I suspected it was mostly from the embarrassment of everyone watching what this man was about to do to me. He then removed his bow tie and added it to the pile. 

"It ain't my first time but baby girl we can pretend, let's bump and grind, girl tonight will never end." 

In one swift movement, his shirt was off, and he was dropping to the floor, holding himself up on his hands ground his hips down over me, leaving only a small gap between our bodies. My hands flew up to my face as covered my eyes, it was exciting and weird and embarrassing all at the same time. I didn't know what to feel.  

"Let me take you down. I really wanna take you down, and show you what I'm about." 

Everyone cheered around me as Ethan stood back up, giving me the chance to glance sideways at my sister who was sat in a chair with a guy grinding his hips in a circle on her lap. As the chorus of the song continued, Ethan ripped his pants off before sliding back to the floor to wrap his arms around me to hoist me back up and into his arms. 

Ethan set me down in a free chair and sat himself on my lap, giving me the same treatment as Tori was getting. I squealed just from the pure experience of it, I had no idea what to do with myself! He stood and then thrust himself in my face, I was thankful at that point that he still had his shiny silver thong on. 

The dance continued; I couldn't help the flush in my cheeks by the time he was done. If Jake had any idea about what was happening tonight, he would lose his mind! 

We all cheered as the song finished and the guys rotated around to some guys that were already dressed for the next song, this time clad in sweatpants and vests and t-shirts. As Bounce by Timberland sounded through the speakers, I somehow got roped into being part of the main show again as the girls that didn't get attention before were now getting seen to. 

After another five songs, and me being forced into untying one of Ethan's g-string thongs with my teeth, the boys unfortunately left allowing for us to cool down, take some shots of tequila and move on to the next part of our night. 

The club Alice had chosen was in the middle of the city along a strip of bars, clubs and restaurants that I couldn't wait to make my way through. She had definitely gone all out, and I assumed the fact that Bella deprived her of all this made her go even more crazy than usual. 

We only waited to get inside for a few minutes, Alice has somehow got our name on the list, so we managed to slip right in and not put a stop to the night's festivities. The bass was so loud that the floor and walls of the club were thumping right along with the music. It was madness, a good madness. The lights were blaring, and the excitement began to course through my veins as I danced my way through the dark entrance way and onto the floor. 

Inside the club it was like dancing on the Northern Lights; beneath the dry-ice smoke swirled an array of blues, acid greens, hot pinks and gold. The music played over the dance floor as if it had fused with the bodies, everyone swaying and jumping in time to Yeah 3x by Chris Brown.

You couldn't see the floor; it was wall to wall people dancing to the club music. There was no room for anymore but somehow when we all spilled onto the floor space magically appeared.  

The hours passed by, filled with countless drinks, drunken giggles and stupidly over the top dance moves. We all huddled together, dancing with our drinks in our hands and trying to ignore the ache our high heels were giving our feet. 

"Hey Tori, this is your song!" I squealed, spinning around ready to dance with my sister as Give Me Everything by Pitbull and Ne-Yo blasted through the speakers. I blinked in surprise; I could have sworn she was right behind me. "Tori!" I called, trying to make my voice carry over the music. I turned back to my girls, seeing if she had worked her way around me and got mixed up in the other end of the group... I couldn't see her. I could feel my palms beginning to sweat, my heartbeat was starting to beat a little faster. 

Alice was by my side in a flash. "What's wrong?" She demanded. 

I didn't look at her, I was too busy searching around us, trying to see my sister's face in the sea of people that were dancing around us. "Tori. I can't see her." 

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on her thoughts but there were too many people in here for me to locate her. I breathed in the air, trying to smell a hint of her scent but all I got was the pungent alcohol and puke. 

"What's wrong?" Scarlett asked, noticing the smile had left my face. 

"Tori's gone, did you see where she went?" I demanded, trying to search people's thoughts for her face. 

"No, erm..." It was like she sobered up immediately and then she began to look around us too. 

I focused on trying to find Tori's face, searching everyone's minds for just one clue. She couldn't have gone far, she was right behind me, I could feel her presence there. Then suddenly there she was, her body swaying uncontrollably as she was being hauled away by a complete stranger. I couldn't see his face, but I could see their surroundings. They were heading towards the back of the club where it was a lot darker and more private. The only light being that small spotlight that hung over the fire exit in the far back corner.  

"He's taking her." I blurted out, about to run towards the back of the club but Rosalie fiercely caught my arm. 

"What?" Rosalie spat, looking over my head towards the back of the club, watching what I had just seen through me transferring my thoughts to her. 

"Get Esme to watch to the girls and my mom. I'm going after him." I ordered, feeling the blood pumping through my veins as I shook off Rose's grip and rushed forward, breaking through the wall of people to get to the back of the club. 

Through the thumping of the music, I could hear the click of the fire exit door closing and a collection of men's laughter behind the door. My blood boiled and I quickened my pace, I wanted nothing more than to use my vampire speed, but I couldn't be seen, we couldn't risk the Volturi finding out. 

I slammed my hands against the push bar on the door and it swung open wildly, the metal striking the brick work of the wall behind it. The door opened out onto a dark alley way, no light from the street filtered down back here. The road was twenty yards to the right of me and my heart faltered as I thought about how they could have taken her anywhere if there was a car waiting, but then I heard the clink of bottles and more laughter to my left. 

I stepped out into the alley; the stench of vomit and trash made my nose twitch uncomfortably. I focused on the darkness, trying to find the vile bastards that had taken my sister back here. I hissed under my breath as I saw Tori unconscious, lying on the floor propped up against one of the club's dumpsters. There was a man standing over her, one hand on the belt buckle of his pants, the other holding a bottle of beer. Three more men stood around them, laughing, their thoughts making bile and venom rise up in my throat. 

I didn't give a fuck about the Volturi anymore, I was going to hurt these men. How did they think there was a chance in hell that they could get away with this? 

I took one step forward, a fierce growl rumbling deep inside my chest. "Step away from my sister." I kept my voice even, threatening. My hands were trembling with the need to clasp my hands around the guy with his hand on his pants' neck.  

"Oh, look Jack, another girl has joined the party." The man stood closest to me smirked, taking another swig of his beer. "And a bride to be at that." 

"Just means there's more to go around." The ringleader, Jack, the asshole standing over my sister, gestured to the group, a wide grin on his face. "Come on sweetie, I'm sure you'll love it. You don't even have to be out of it like this one." He motioned down to my sister, slumped on the cold, dirty floor.  

"I've already told you once, leave my sister alone." The blood was thumping through my heart so forcefully, I could hear it in my ears. I could hear Alice and Rosalie rushing towards the door behind me, I could hear the sickening thoughts running through these disgusting creature's minds. 

"Come here, little lady, let me see what's under that dress." The one closest to me grinned, stepping closer to reach for me. 

I growled I couldn't help it, his smile widened at the sound. My hand shot out like a claw, catching the wrist of the hand he tried to grab me with. My lip curled up into a snarl and his smile fell away as I crushed his wrist in my palm. The cracking of bones as they pierced through his skin made him howl in pain, the fresh metallic smell of blood coated the air as I felt the warm liquid leak out over my palm. 

The other men became frozen in shock and fear just as Rose and Alice burst through the back door to the club, their thoughts filled with their own shock at what was happening before them. I released the man's wrist, his swearing and whimpering scaring the others as I shoved him back into the wall on the other side of the alley, his body crumpled and fell as he tried cradled his wrist. "I won't say it again." I warned, striding forward, closer to the next man as he smashed his bottle against the wall and held the sharp and jagged remains in my direction. 

"Aria, wait! Be careful about this." Alice warned, striding forward to take my arm. 

I shook her off, my rage was too strong. I was getting to my sister one way or another and no one was going to stop me. 

The guy with the bottle lunged for me, just as another moved to come up from behind me and tackle me to the ground. With my surprise Rosalie stepped in, kicking the second guy so hard I heard a crunch as hit the ground hard. Alice moved as fast as humanly possible towards Tori just as I swatted the bottle out of the guy's hand who was facing me and punched him square in the jaw, not enough to kill him but enough force to knock him out. 

"You little bitch!" This Jack screeched, charging for me. His hand already balled into a fist as he flew at me. Again, my arm shot out, catching him around the throat. I could hear the air escaping him as I forced him back against the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He seethed hoarsely before he propelled his fist forward, his knuckled connecting with my cheek just as his other hand collided with my ribs. 

I was cool as steel. I kept my face rigid as I hid the wincing that I wanted to portray on my face. I held my position, not even flinching as his hands slammed into my body, I just squeezed my hands around his neck a little tighter as I felt even more venom pool inside my mouth. 

"What are you?" He gasped, his face turning blue. I then felt the venom as it began to burn away my contacts, letting the red bleed its way across my eyes as my anger increased. 

"I warned you." I spat, tasting the acid of the venom on my tongue. "Maybe you'll think before you try to drug another girl and haul her back here for your sick games." And then I pulled my hand back slightly before forcing his head back into the wall, ignoring Alice's gasp. His body went limp and dropped to the floor, I knew he wasn't dead, just unconscious. I wanted him to remember what had happened here. 

The two guys that weren't knocked out had ran away, I knew for a fact they wouldn't go to the cops, then they would have to explain what had happened here tonight. "Are you crazy!" Alice snapped, blurring towards me, looking to see if I had any significant injuries. It was silly of her; she knew for a fact that my skin could only be pierced by vampire teeth or nails and the teeth of the wolves. If anything, I'd only have faint bruises that would be gone tomorrow anyway. 

"Leave it Alice, they got what they deserved." Rose warned, still carrying a sleeping Catori in her arms. There were no visible marks on her body just from looking at her. I think I got to her on time, thank God. I looked at Rosalie, knowing how something like this affected her too. 

Alice looked between the two of us, a silent understanding falling amongst us about the severity of what could've happened if it took me a few moments later to notice Tori was gone, and how deeply this kind of thing affected Rose and the toll it took on her all those years ago. "Why don't you two take her back to the villa." Alice offered, her face solemn. "I'll round the girls up and tell you both got a little too drunk and Rose took you home. I suppose it'll be Tori's decision if she wants everyone else to know."   

"Thank you, Alice." I gave her a small smile as I tried to calm myself down, blinking away the tears as my emotions came back to me. My poor baby sister! 

Alice smiled at me sympathetically. "You're welcome." And then she disappeared back through the door. 

"Are you okay?" I asked Rosalie, unsure about how she would be feeling about all of this. 

She gave me a hesitant smile, her grip tightening on Tori. "I'm fine, I just wish I was as lucky as Tori was to have a sister like you back then to save me."