it's a little shorter than the other chapters by about a thousand words, but this is the natural end to the eclipse chapters. we'll be shifting into breaking dawn after this.

also, i'm getting ready to go back to school and have a lot to do + plus will be working literally every day for 2 weeks once i get there so updates may not come as quickly. please be understanding bc my job is very time consuming

hope you enjoy !

Valeria stood anxiously in the door of Carlisle's office as he hurriedly threw things into his medical bag. Her mind was racing with horrible images of Sam's mangled body, terrified of the condition Carlisle would find him in.

"Please let me know when Sam is alright," Valeria said in a quiet voice.

"You'll see for yourself," Carlisle told her, zipping up his bag. "Jared is allowing you to come with me."

Valeria was taken aback by the offer to cross the border, it going against everything the treaty stood for. Just allowing Carlisle was pushing it. She immediately shook her head. "No, I'm not allowed—"

"Valeria," he interrupted in a calm but urgent tone. "The longer I wait, the worse the rebreaking will be for him. Just follow me."

And so Valeria did follow him. Perhaps if she hadn't been so concerned about Sam, then she might have hesitated at the treaty line. The pair ran as fast as they could until Carlisle was stopping outside a small, red home.

The entire pack was gathered on the porch, including Billy Black and Sue Clearwater, and they all looked worried. Jared almost sighed in relief when he saw Carlisle, hoping that Sam wouldn't be in pain for too much longer.

"He's not getting any better," Jared told them. "I'll take you to his room, Doc."

Valeria was left standing there as Jared led Carlisle into the house. No one said anything for several moments, on edge from all that had happened and would happen. Finally, Valeria looked away from the door that Carlisle had disappeared through and to Paul.

"What—"

Valeria was quickly cut off as her ears picked up on a sickening crunch followed by an agonizing scream — Sam's scream. A quiet whimper left Valeria's lips as she looked back at the house.

The first scream was only the beginning, and soon, another one followed. Then another and another and another as Carlisle rebroke the bones over and over again, forcing them in the right position.

"He shouldn't be going through this," Valeria mumbled. She had sunk to the front steps and covered her ears for each pained sound that came from inside. "He shouldn't have done something so reckless, and I should've been paying more attention."

"Val, that tick was about to rip your head off," Jacob reminded her. "No one blames you, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

"Speaking of getting your head ripped off," Quil muttered. He was sitting on the step above Valeria and pointed to the crack in her otherwise blemish-free skin. It ran from her left cheek and down her neck. "Is that, like, permanent?"

"No, it—" Valeria paused, and they all winced as Sam's screams echoed once more. "It was a lot bigger an hour ago. It'll be gone by morning. I'm not the one you need to worry about."

"We can worry about both of you," Leah grumbled, leaning against the side of the house. She was mad but not at Valeria or Sam. She was pissed at the newborn who had hurt them both.

"Doc's been at it for a while," Seth whispered, clenching his eyes shut as another scream sounded. He had been crying, and he wasn't the only one as they were forced to listen to Sam's bones being broken. Sue had him wrapped in her arms, doing her best to comfort him.

It was almost unbearable to hear their leader, their brother, forced to endure something so horrifying — as if the initial injury hadn't been enough. They also knew that it was causing Valeria pain. Perhaps it wasn't of the same nature, but for the imprintee, to see him in such a broken condition was agonizing in a different sense.

With each scream, her chest ached in a way that it never had since becoming a vampire. She didn't need to breathe and yet it felt almost impossible as she imagined Sam inside the house, laying on the bed as Carlisle snapped his bones over and over. Valeria would have given anything, even her life, if it meant Sam never had to feel pain again.

After what felt like hours to them all, the screaming finally came to a screeching halt.

Everyone turned abruptly when Carlisle exited the house followed by Jared. They both had grim expressions on their faces, and the whole ordeal had certainly traumatized Jared who had sat through it all, helping to hold Sam down.

"The worst is over," Carlisle said, looking to Billy. "He'll be alright." Everyone sighed in relief, and Sue wiped at the tears under her son's eyes. "I gave him some morphine, but his body temperature will burn it off soon. I'll come back to set up a drip."

"Thank you," Billy told him, meaning it. They had never been more thankful to have Carlisle's help.

Valeria stood up, prepared to leave with Carlisle after he shook Billy's hand. But she did look back at Jared. "Thank you for letting me wait with everyone. I needed to know he'd be alright."

"Val, he's asking for you," Jared told her.

Valeria's eyes widened and she looked over at Carlisle, who nodded. "Go," he told her. "I'll be back shortly with the IV set up."

Valeria's mind was racing with a million different thoughts and questions, but they all went away when she walked into Sam's room. Her heart sank to her stomach as she took in his condition.

Sam was lying in bed, the entire right side of his body covered in braces and bandages to hold everything in place. He was drenched in sweat and his red eyes told her that he had been crying through the rebreaking process.

"Hey, Sunshine," Valeria said weakly.

It took a great effort for him to turn his head and look at her, and her sensitive ears picked up on his ragged, labored breaths. But then he somehow managed a smile when he saw her. Valeria didn't know it, but just having her in the room made him feel better — or at least comforted because of the imprint bond.

"Hey," Sam said, the pain evident in his tone. Valeria moved to his side, being sure to keep to his left and away from any broken bones. "I was worried about you."

Valeria couldn't help but scoff in disbelief, unshed tears welling in her eyes. "You were worried about me?"

"Yeah." And then Sam slowly lifted his uninjured hand and brushed his thumb over the crack on her cheek.

"Sam, this is nothing," Valeria said. She placed one hand over his and another on his forehead, combing her fingers through the hair stuck to his skin. He welcomed her cold touch against his burning flesh. "Look at yourself. God, I thought - I—" She got choked up for a second but kept on, taking in a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I'm never gonna regret protecting you," he told her.

"Sam, that was reckless and dangerous. I'm not Bella and I'm not a part of the pack," she said, shaking her head and biting her lip. "I'm not worth... what you've been through because of it."

"Valeria, you're worth all the rebreaking done at once ten times over," Sam said, squeezing her hand with his good one. "I knew the risk as soon as I saw him grab you. Reckless or dangerous be damned — I was not gonna lose you before I've even had you."

If Valeria's heart could still beat, it would've stopped. "Sam," she began softly, "you—"

"Imprinted on you," he interrupted. Sam watched her face morph as countless emotions ran through her. "I lied to you and I never told you, but I can't go another day without you knowing. You have to - you have to know how much I need you — love you."

It took a long time for Valeria to say something back, and each second felt like an hour to Sam. But she never let go of his hand, and he took that as a good sign.

"You know, it never really made sense," Valeria whispered. "Letting me near the border. Taking the time to get to know me. I just never asked why because I was scared you'd stop spending time with me. Me falling for you never made any sense either."

Valeria could see the hope and love swimming in Sam's eyes but she couldn't dive in head first just yet.

"Sam," she said, her voice cracking. "Sam, this has to be a mistake. I can't be the one person in the whole world who is right for you. I'm wrong for you."

Sam shook his head, not caring about the discomfort it caused. "It's not a mistake. You're not wrong — you're perfectly right."

"I'm a vampire."

"And I'm a werewolf."

"Sam, I - I live forever. Forever forever."

"We don't age as long as we continue to shift," he told her, ready with his defense. "I'm alright with forever as long as it's with you."

"You can watch everyone in your life die? You're alright with that? Because I wasn't and still am not," Valeria said, thinking of her human family and friends. "And I can't have kids, Sam. We can't have a family. Is that something you can live without?"

Sam cupped her cheek and gently pulled her closer until her forehead was pressed against his. "All I'm ever gonna want is you. You're it for me, Valeria Alvarez."

Valeria shut her eyes and leaned into his touch, savoring it. Being close to him had always felt so right, and now she knew why.

"Then we've got a problem," Valeria said softly, causing Sam's eyebrows to furrow with concern. But his concern soon washed away. "Because you're it for me too, Sam Uley."

"I love you," he breathed out, meaning it more than anything he'd ever said in his life. "So damn much."

Valeria's hair had fallen over them as she knelt above him, like a curtain hiding them away for such an emotional admission. Her eyes were glued to the lips that had finally said the words she had only ever dared to dream about hearing. She was gentle as she leaned down, not wishing to cause him any pain with her movements.

Sam couldn't count the number of times he had imagined pushing her against a tree and roughly kissing her, and Valeria couldn't count the number of times her thoughts had wandered to that night after Prom, rewriting it to end with a passionate goodnight kiss.

But it was more than a fantasy as Valeria's soft lips brushed against Sam's rough ones. The first kiss was hesitant, shy. Then as she pulled back, Sam managed to lift his head and chase after for a second one.

Valeria kissed him properly that time, a kiss that would've bruised her lips if she could get bruises. She tangled her fingers in his hair, knowing it was one of the few places she could touch him that wouldn't hurt. His uninjured hand was gripping her jaw and pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss as much as he could.

Finally, Valeria pulled away so that Sam could breathe — had she not, he might not have had the self-restraint to do it himself. She brushed her nose against his jaw before placing a gentle kiss to it. He let out a breath and relaxed into the pillow, not taking his eyes off her.

"I love you too," she whispered — his girl whispered. "So damn much."

☽︎

Jane was unmoving as Aro held her hand, combing through her memories of the confrontation with the Cullens. Her mind was a flawless account of all that had transpired.

The leader of the Volturi's interest was piqued. Everything about Valeria Cullen filled him with curiosity from the way she held herself to the odd, almost human way she moved to her ability to manipulate fire.

Though, for a reason that Aro couldn't identify, something felt off about that claim.

But most importantly, he was curious about Valeria because he had now seen her in not one, not two, but three of the minds of some of the most powerful vampires in existence — Alice, Jane, and his replicator.

"You've done wonderfully, my dear Jane," Aro told her, nodding to his guard. Jane stepped back to stand by her brother with a pleased smirk on her face as Aro took a seat on his throne.

"I assume you're content for now," Marcus said in a dull tone. He had long since lost interest in the way of the Volturi and the horrid plots of Aro and Caius.

"For now," Aro stated. His beady, red eyes drifted across the throne room to a particularly new vampire, one who would become quite useful he knew. "We'll give them time to let precious Bella adjust to her new life."

"And then?" Caius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And then I believe a family reunion will be in order," Aro said, unable to hide his pleased grin. "I think it's time for the guard to gain another set of twins. Would you like that, Raphael?"

A deep voice sounded, one that Valeria Alvarez was convinced she'd never hear again. "More than anything, Master."

☽︎

i thought i'd add some ✨spice✨ given how relatively happy things have been going. plus i think we can all admit that the end of breaking dawn is a little anticlimactic, so this new character should liven things up!

don't worry besties, i'm still a slut for happy endings but i gotta make everyone sweat on the journey. and trust me, it will be a happy ending

i give you my extended cast, also known as the amplifier:

raphael alvarez

michael trevino

raph?

who is this, valeria?

look at that! valeria alvarez rendered silent for once in her goddamn life. and here i thought you'd be happy to see me.