The materials and characters of this story are property of Stephanie Meyer. I have moved, changed and altered the characters and story for my own entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Thirty-Six
The End

Isabella

It was a concept that still baffled me; never sleeping. My life had been like one endless day since I became what I am now. Five-hundred and seventy-three days all joined together into one seemingly endless dream.

We had spent a wonderful year away from the world with our family on our large property against the Nicolet National Forest. It was something the entire family really needed, because when I thought of it, compared to what they had told me about their lives before our paths crossed, so much had happened over the last few years. We all needed the break, and Elizabeth had been growing too quickly to allow her to be seen by a human population. The hunting was bountiful, our home and lands exquisitely beautiful, and our family had been contented.

After that one year, when my daughter had been nearing a year and a half in age, she looked closer to the age of four, but by that time her growth had slowed to that of almost a human. She was so beautiful, not just on the outside, but her soul. She was such a sweet, caring person, and her aura would always been one of my favourite things to see. The brilliant mixtures of deep violets and royal blues, always flickering with the bright lemon yellows of her gift that she still preferred to use over talking aloud. It was quite breathtaking.

The most amazing one to date though still belongs to my husband. The way his colours shift when he looks at me… there are no words.

We had spent a lot of time trying to search for some sort of information, myths or legends that might tell us more about her, but there was really nothing of substance that we could go off of. Alice couldn't see her future, just like she couldn't see mine. Emmett had suggested maybe travelling the world, maybe looking for any possibilities, but my husband and Jasper had both quickly agreed with me that it wouldn't be safe. I had learned much about vampire history, and at Elizabeth's age, we didn't want her to be seen by another vampire, and have them mistake her as an immortal child. We had found traces of Victoria's scents a few times, but she never made a move to come too close to us. It seemed she was just keeping tabs on us- on me- and we were concerned enough about the possibility that she had seen Elizabeth.

But since her growth had slowed so much, we had decided as a family to once again join into a human community. I felt slightly guilty that I had ruined my family's moving pattern in Forks when I had been human. They usually came into North America from the West Coast and travelled to the east before going to South America. Esme had told me about her second-favourite home in British Columbia that they had to skip over, and since Alice saw problems arising from previous human acquaintances of theirs in the other two cities they had left to go to, we had decided to move there before leaving North America for the next sixty years or so. We weren't sure quite how long we would stay, because Alice did have some blind spots, but we decided to play it by ear. I really hoped we could stay for at least two years; though it didn't bother her, it bothered me that my daughter had still yet to live in one home for more than a year.

The house Edward had purchased for us was stunning to say the least. It was a hundred acre lot so we still had our privacy. The land was on a bit of an incline, and to the west of the house we saw the Pacific Ocean, and to the North and West of us we were backed by breath-taking, snow-capped mountains. The house was very new, having been built in the last ten years, and we had all fallen in love with the artwork that was the carpentry and masonry of the log mansion, for lack of a better word. It was a three level home with a cavernous five car garage.

So now, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose were once again in High School, and Edward and Carlisle were back to working at a hospital. We had given Elizabeth the option of attending an elementary school if she so desired, despite her actual age she was more than mature enough to make the decision herself. She declined, and I really did not blame her. Her father and I had been homeschooling her, and I know it would have been incredibly tedious, and most likely depressing having to act at a maturity level so much lower than the one she had. So I was continuing with the homeschooling, and my daughter accompanied myself and her grandmother while we worked.

Esme, as a 'young mother of four teenagers' didn't exactly have time for a full time job, and I was posing as a stay-at-home mother myself, but we had quickly gotten bored and gone into business together. Maybe it was a little early to be saying that, as we were just finishing flipping our first house together. It was definitely a dream job for the both of us, seeing as neither of our own homes needed any repairs. Elizabeth wasn't very into home renovations though, so she spent the time while we worked in her studies, reading, or drawing.

Edward had been working overtime for the past few weeks, and although he didn't sleep, and therefore didn't get tired, it was still hard. After having him constantly by my side for so long, I missed him terribly during his long hours. He texted me once again, saying he had to stay late again tonight as I finished painting the trim in one of the bedrooms, and I replied that it would be fine with a frown on my face.

He sent me another message, saying he was sorry and that he missed me, and I once again told him not to worry about it.

I decided then to see how much he missed me, and went to find Esme on the main floor.

"Hey Esme?"

"Yes dear?" She said, turning around from her window frame with her comforting smile.

"I need to head out for an hour or two, do you mind watching Elizabeth while I'm gone?"

I don't need a babysitter mom, she said to the both of us, making us laugh.

"I know sweetheart, but you look like you're four, which you technically aren't yet. It would be neglectful parenting to leave you on your own," I said with a smile, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. She rolled her eyes at me, looking so much like her father as she did so.

"Ellie and I will keep each other company," Esme said with a wink, and went back to her painting.

Are you going to see dad? She asked, giving me a tight hug. I hugged her back just as tightly. It was another one of my unique, strange qualities. About three months after I'd been changed, Emmett beat me at my first arm wrestle. A month later, I couldn't even win against Alice. I was still stronger than Elizabeth, I could bend steel like paper and crush rocks like marshmallows, but I wasn't nearly as strong as any of my vampire family members.

"Yes, I'll be stopping by the hospital on my way," I hedged, because I definitely wasn't going to tell her what I planned on doing when I got there.

Give him a hug for me? She asked when a small frown. I kissed her again on her cheek.

"Of course I will. I love you."

Love you too, she said with another eye roll, but she was smiling.

I went back home and got changed, putting on a nice lacy black number and my three-quarter-length tanned leather jacket with a nice pair of black heels. I stopped off in our barely-touched kitchen, grabbing a paper bags, and throwing a pair of socks in it before jumping into my Ferrari and making my way over to my husband's hospital.

I went up to the fourth floor, and down the long hall towards his office. I'd stopped bothering with the sunglasses. It was strange, how my brown eyes made humans more uncomfortable than my family's golden eyes. They were never left to suffer long though, because what was even stranger was the fact that humans never remembered me. I could have a full conversation with someone, and as soon as I walked away from them they'd forget everything I said until I talked to them once more. It was definitely strange, but useful for the fact that rumours wouldn't be spread about me. Humans didn't talk about me behind my back.

Edward must have heard their thoughts, because he came out of his office with a dazzling smile as I made the halfway point in the hallway. He met me half way, grinning at me as he slid his arm around my waist and looked into my eyes for a long moment before kissing the hell out of me.

"So, I take it you don't mind surprise visits?" I asked with a chuckle when he finally released my lips, shooting a glare at someone behind me. As we stayed in one spot, I started seeing the muddy colours of unease spreading through the people around us when I blinked, and tried to fish out my sunglasses because I really hated causing those colours.

"Quite contrary, I'm ecstatic. To what do I owe this immense pleasure though?" He said, stealing my sunglasses when I tried to put them on.

"Edward-"

"No, don't hide your eyes from me love, they're the most beautiful eyes on the entire planet. Don't worry about what they think, I don't want them looking at you anyways," he said, tightening his grip on me.

Yes, he'd become slightly territorial since we joined the public once more, but it was harmless. He was still adapting.

His words had been too quick and quiet for our sudden audience to hear, so when I gave up I went back into my louder voice. "You said you needed to work late, I thought I'd bring you something to eat," I said, holding up the paper bag and shaking it. The corner of his mouth twitched as he raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you," he said, trying not to laugh. "I think I'll take a break right now, would you like to join me?"

"I was hoping you'd ask," I said, handing him the paper bag as he led me into his office with his hand on my back. We walked over to his desk, and as he went to sit down, I turned back to the door and locked it. I then smiled at him, leaning against the door as he opened the paper bag curiously.

"Socks?" He said with a laugh. "Very appetising. Why are you all the way over there?" He stood back up, that crooked smile still playing on his lips.

"I never said lunch was in the bag," I purred, opening up my coat and dropping it to the floor. He was in front of me in the same second, a low growl vibrating in his chest as he ran his hands down my sides, then trailed his nose along my throat, then his tongue.

"Mmm," he hummed into my ear, making me shiver in pleasure. "Delicious."

I pulled his face to mine, kissing him fiercely before he pushed me up against the door, his hands holding me up by my waist. I moaned, wrapping my legs around him as my hands slid into his hair.

"I missed you," I murmured into his mouth between kisses, and his mouth left mine, moving down my throat, along my collar bone…

"God, Isabella, I missed you too. Every second away from you is agony," he moaned.

"Edward, I missed you inside of me." He growled, snapping the strap of my bra with his teeth. "Please," I moaned, gasping as he ripped my bra right off and took my breast in his mouth.

"Someone might hear," he warned, his voice dripping with want.

"I want them to. I want them to know you're mine, Doctor Cullen." He hissed and I ground myself against him, his grip bordering on painful.

But I didn't bruise, and I loved how tight he held me.

In the next second he'd ripped off his belt, and my panties were shredded before he thrust into me against the door.

No one interrupted us. We did try to keep it down, and when I eventually left I couldn't hide the shit-eating grin I had on my face. I stopped by the house first to get changed, checked my phone to make sure I didn't have any messages then stopped at my dresser when I got a whiff of a curious scent. It was sweet, but had an almost burnt quality to it. It was oddly familiar.

I stopped in front of my mother's little cubed box, and picked it up. The smell was gone now, but I was sure it had come from here.

Curiously, I opened the box and laid out its contents on my dresser, sniffing and inspecting each one almost hectically because the more I thought about it, the more certain I was that the scent was that same as a burning vampire.

I stopped last on the deck of tarot cards, my brow furrowing when they felt almost warm.

"What are you doing mom…" I whispered into my empty house. This wasn't the first time by far that I'd held these cards since becoming a vampire, I loved the hand-painted pictures and I got the strangest urges to touch them sometimes. I'd thought they'd felt warm before, but it was slight enough to give me a thousand excuses for the anomaly.

Not today though, the cards were warm. I shuffled through them, and stopped when I reached one in particular.

The beautiful heart with wings. My mother had looked so happy when she'd seen this card but… I had no idea why. I'd gotten books on tarot to try and figure out the messages the cards had apparently shared with her, but this wasn't a normal deck. It didn't have the usual cards, so I didn't know what a lot of them meant.

I started shuffling again, and one of the cards somehow managed to slip of the deck. I caught it easily.

The picture on this one was black, but it had an almost shattered-glass look to it. Then it felt like my body started moving on autopilot as I set the card on my dresser, shuffled, then stopped and flipped the top card onto the table next to the other. Its picture was dark too, a cluster of ominous shadowed figures on the upside down card.

I felt uneasy, on edge. This meant something, and I had no damn clue what it was. With a sigh, I put the two cards back in the pile, and put everything else back in the box except for the cards.

I put the deck in my pocket as my phone buzzed, and I grinned when I saw Alice's message.

Giant sale tonight, want to pick me up from school? Bring Ellie, she needs more summer clothes!

She didn't really, I'd have to get rid of one item in her huge closet for every new thing we bought, because there just wasn't any room left. She loved shopping with her aunt though.

I'll ask her first, but I doubt she'll decline. See you soon.

After shooting that off, I grabbed my purse and jumped back into my Ferrari to pick up my daughter.

. . . . . . . . . .

I was crammed into a dressing room with Alice, helping her with another zipper on another dress. We'd been here for three hours and it was wearing on me. I refused to put my shield down when I was out with my daughter though. If I couldn't see her with my eyes, I watched her colours in my mind. I couldn't really define what I saw. Unlike with Jasper, I couldn't actually feel what people did, but her over-all colours were their usually bright, happy ones that I loved. She was fine.

Alice's dress looked awesome, and she ordered me out of my jeans to try on a skirt.

"What's in your pocket?" She asked curiously, eying the large rectangle object.

"Oh yes! I've been meaning to ask you, have you ever read tarot cards before?" If I was going to ask anyone about looking into the future, she was my obvious choice. She groaned.

"Yes, actually. They're completely ridiculous. I studied them for a while just out of boredom, and it wasn't often they matched my visions."

"Hmm… Well, the thing is, I'm pretty sure my mom made these cards, because it's not a normal set. I have no idea what some of them mean…" I opened up the parcel, and took the two cards that I had pulled earlier off the top of the deck.

And ignoring the memory of my mother saying you should be careful of who you let touch your cards, I handed them to Alice.

"Do you know what these mean?"

She reached out, and as soon as her delicate fingers touched the cards, she gasped, and I caught her as she collapsed.

Vampires don't collapse, so I was understandably freaked out. Her eyes had that far-away, almost glazed look, but they were combined with fear and pain. This was not good.

"Alice? Talk to me sweetie. What do you see?"

She didn't seem to hear me, so I just held her tighter. Elizabeth heard me, and slipped into our changing room worriedly.

"Is Aunt Alice okay?"

"She will be, it's just a vision, it will pass and she'll be fine," I assured her in calm voice. She was worried though, and curled herself against me, under my arm as she held onto me tightly and watched her aunt.

"They're coming," Alice whispered two minutes later.

"Who's coming?"

Alice eyed her niece worriedly, but she decided to say whatever it was she needed to say. "The Volturi, and their guard."

"Why?" Elizabeth whispered.

"Victoria went to them."

That didn't make sense, they had told me… "I thought she was in hiding from them?"

"She decided your death was worth hers, even if it meant she couldn't do it herself. She told them that you were still a human and that… Ellie is an immortal child," she whispered. A low growl escaped my lips as her story sank in. They wanted to destroy my daughter. We left our things in the changing room and hurried out to the car so we could speak in private.

"I thought Aro could see every thought though if he touched someone? Wouldn't he have seen that she was lying?"

"Yes, but it seems he's decided to keep that information to himself. I think…" She shook her head, trying to clear away a thought, but it didn't work.

"It's okay Alice, tell me your theory," I told her in a soothing voice. I didn't like my daughter hearing this, but I knew if I didn't include her in this she probably have a tantrum and then find out later on anyways.

"We're the second largest coven in the world Belle. He didn't know that until Victoria showed it to him. Carlisle has tried to keep us a secret because he's worried about Aro trying to… recruit, Edward, Jasper and I. I think he sees us as a threat, and Victoria's silent confession gave him all the reasons he needed to prosecute. The Volturi don't hold trials, they rule with an iron fist and destroy what doesn't please them."

"How long? Do we have time to stop her?" Elizabeth asked in an oddly calm tone.

"No, she's almost there," Alice said curiously. "She must have been doing that thing where she only concentrates on you, because I didn't see her until…"

"Until you touched my cards?" She nodded, eying them warily. I had a feeling that I knew what one of them meant now. She touched the card with the shadows. The Volturi are coming for us.

"But how long?" Elizabeth asked again, sounding annoyed that she was being ignored.

"I… I'm not sure, but I think… Damn it! I can't see!"

Trusting my gut, I unwrapped my cards again, shuffling through the pictures until I found one that I was fairly sure I knew the meaning too.

It had a painting of an hour glass on it. I held it out to Alice.

"I, I don't know if I want to touch it," she said uncomfortably. "It was like… that card with the shadow forced the vision on me, I've never felt that before."

"There's no guarantee that it will do anything Alice. Don't you think it's worth a shot to possibly find out how long we have?"

She sighed, and nodded, but it was a full minute before she reached out and touched the card. She whimpered, pulling back her hand like she'd been burned.

"Five days. They'll be here in five days."

"How do they find us?" Elizabeth asked politely, still not seeming shaken.

I realized then that I wasn't exactly worried either. I just wanted as much information as possible.

"The Volturi have a tracker, Demetri. He has a gift; all he has to do is think of someone, someone who he has met at least once before, and he knows exactly where said person is. He's impossible to hide from."

"So, it would be Carlisle he'd be tracking then?" She nodded.

"Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"We need to go to the mountains, so they don't get too close to the city."

"I think you're right dear." I gave her a reassuring smile in the rear view mirror, and started the car. Alice was looking between us warily.

"Why are you being so calm Belle?"

I'm sure she already knew the answer to that question, but I answered anyways.

"Elijah."

Alice's face went from confused, to understanding, to horror, and then acceptance. She nodded, and I saw her visibly relax in her seat.

"Mom, who's Elijah?"

"He was a vampire. A vampire who sealed the fate of the Volturi five years ago."

. . . . . . . . .

Alice sent out the messages for a family meeting as we drove home, and we arrived at the main house to everyone sitting around the dining room table. It was used only for important family discussions now, which didn't happen very often. She took her seat next to Jasper, and Elizabeth chose to sit on my lap instead of her own chair. I didn't mind at all. Mentally, she had grown so much so quickly, I cherished these moments, because I knew too soon she'd start thinking she was too old for this sort of thing. The thought alone made me tighten my hold on her as I kissed her hair.

"So, what's this about?" Carlisle asked curiously, looking between Alice and I.

"I had a vision today," Alice started, and she had the room's complete attention. "Victoria has gone to the Volturi, telling them that not only are we harbouring a human who knows our secret, but that we created an immortal child." There were several gasps, and Edward quickly pulled me into his lap, but she kept talking. "Aro touched her, so he knows it's not true, but he's kept the knowledge of the truth to himself. I only know what he said aloud. It looked like she was communicating silently with him, and he agreed with whatever it was she asked and assured her he would. Then he turned to Marcus and Caius, saying that you had been busy Carlisle, and that they needed to visit you." She took a deep breath, and quickly blurted out her theory. "I think he sees the size of our coven as a threat, and he's using Victoria's false accusation as an excuse to eliminate us."

"Do you know how soon they'll-"

"Five days."

The room was silent for a few minutes, my family all as still as statues as they processed this information. Edward turned me around in his lap, cupping my face with one hand, and combing his fingers through our daughter's hair with the other.

"You understand what I have to do, right?" I asked quietly. His face was tortured, but Edward knew me better than anyone one in the world. He knew I didn't have a choice in this. He knew, even as a human, how much I had craved my revenge.

And this was my chance. I had waited for this, for five years, and now in five days the day would finally be here.

We gazed into each other's eyes for a long time, until he nodded his head the tiniest bit.

"Elizabeth," he said quietly. "It's almost your bedtime. We're staying here tonight, because we have to talk about things that aren't appropriate for you to hear." She narrowed her eyes at him, and if it was any other day that look would have made him laugh. "No, we're not going to keep secrets from you. But there are things you don't need to hear. When you wake up in the morning, we'll be able to answer all of your questions." She nodded, and she said goodnight to all of us in her special way before Edward asked Esme if she could tuck her in. She agreed, probably knowing that she wouldn't enjoy this conversation either. She was too loving.

Just like Carlisle, but really, I had no choice in this. As soon as they were clear he turned to me with slightly frantic eyes.

"Isabella, I know you harbour a grudge against-"

"No, Carlisle. You don't get to defend them! They're coming to destroy us, with accusations that they know are false," Edward growled. "They want to destroy our family, your mate."

"Only Aro knows, the others aren't at fault for his misgivings! She'll slaughter the entire damn guard!"

I flinched at his words. But held my head high.

"So, you would you prefer that these corrupt vampires live over a whole tribe of humans and shifters Carlisle? Because that's what's going to happen. If we can get them to stop and listen to us plead our case before they try and destroy us, no matter whose hand he touched, he's going to find out about the Quileutes, and you know he won't let them live. Especially knowing they killed Elijah. If they walk, it's the end of that tribe."

"You don't know that they're corrupt, they-"

"So, you're saying it is just to not let someone plead their case before execution? That it's just to live off of the lives of humans? To send out vampires to force this life on unsuspecting people? To live in a castle and dictate what's right and what's wrong because he thinks himself invincible?!" He stared at me, and I knew that that my words had finally gotten to him. "Carlisle, I'm not saying that I'm going to kill every red-eyed vampire I meet because I believe it's right. Aro doesn't get to live. No one that wishes us harm gets to live. I will only do what I have to, to make sure our family is safe."

"You know there's no other way Carlisle," Jasper said. "I'm sorry that he was your friend, but I agree with Belle."

"So do I," Emmett said, who was quickly joined by Rose. Alice leaned into Jasper's side and gave me a nod to confirm she had my back as well. Edward and Carlisle were locked in a silent conversation. Something looked… uncomfortable about his expression.

"I don't know what good that will accomplish Carlisle, is it really necessary?"

"They're family Edward, they've been cut off for too long, they deserve to know what's happening, it could only be beneficial to have some witnesses to prove Ellie isn't a danger, and if we're going to destroy the whole damn Royal Family they should probably know it before this all falls apart!" He glared at me, and it was the only time in my existence that I've seen Carlisle look mad. And it was directed at me.

Why couldn't he see that I. Had. No. Choice. It was them or the pack, and that was a damn easy choice for me to make. Did he really care about these murders more than human lives?

"Do not speak to my wife like that," Edward growled ferociously. "She's doing what's right, it's not her fault that your emotions are clouding your judgement Carlisle. You need to think about what you're defending more carefully before you open your mouth again."

Carlisle gaped at him, along with everyone else at the table. I was watching Carlisle though, as his face shifted to an expression of regret and embarrassment. The room was quiet for a few minutes while Carlisle took Edward's instructions to heart and thought long and hard about what he was defending.

"You're right, they aren't just. I know that. But they're necessary Isabella, without the threat of them the vampires of the world will be uncontrolled, it could be a disaster. I'm afraid… I'm afraid of something similar to what happened to you in the battle with the newborns happening again, because I believe that not all of them are guilty. Some might not even want to be there, or have no choice. I just don't want to see unnecessary bloodshed."

"I don't think that's fair," Jasper said, and I could see him influencing the rest of the room with something. "The newborns, that was an unseen, surprise ambush. We were about to die." He turned and looked me straight in the eyes as he continued, speaking to me. "You're powerful Isabella, there is no doubt about that. If I saw your sort of power in any other person, I would be afraid for not only my own life, but most likely the fate of this world. But you, we've all known you for so long now, and you're just… good. You could do so much good. Together, this family could do so much good. We could change the world for the better. That Christmas Isabella, you lost control. We all know that, but under the circumstances, I don't think anyone could blame you. And Edward was able to snap you out of it. But this, we know what is coming. We can control it. We all know their only way to track us easily, what they will do, is use Demetri to find Carlisle. In five days. We have an advantage for some semblance of control." He paused for a moment, looking at each of our family members' eyes before turning back to me once more. "This all really comes down to you though. They have numbers and powerful weapons, and our only chance for this is to be able to stop them once they reach us. Can you do that?"

I gave him my private version of a smirk. Letting him inside of my shield, so he was both covered from Edward and able to feel my emotions, showing him my utter confidence that I could accomplish just that. "I can shield our family from them, or I can trap them. Whichever is needed." I turned to Carlisle then, wanting to do what I could to reassure him, though his lack of faith in me had really stung. "I did lose control that day Carlisle, but I won't let that happen again. We have five days, we can plan this and be careful."

"Okay, let's back up for a moment and come back to this," Rose threw in. "Carlisle, were you thinking of contacting the Denalis?"

"I think they deserve to know, and they're only a day's run from here. We should contact them now, and give them enough time to decide if they will stand witness for us."

"I agree but… you know they're not going to deal well with being introduced to Ellie," Jasper said, and I saw his eyes flicker briefly to my husband with an amused smirk. Hmm.

"I would like to meet your cousins," I said, watching my husband's face as I spoke. "If they're family, I'm sure there's some way you can get them to hear us out. Even with their pasts, if they just listen, they'll see that she isn't like one of those children. They were destroyed because their minds were trapped in that young state. Elizabeth is intelligent, compassionate, and much more mature than Emmett. And she continues to grow, she blends in better than any of us."

"So, does anyone object to me informing them?" Carlisle said curiously, looking around the table. Everyone agreed, even Esme as she came back and joined us. Rose filled her in as Carlisle made the call. Then we all sat in silence for about… a minute before Jasper leaned forward with a determined smile on his face.

"So, this is what I was thinking…"

. . . . . . . . . .

We spent the night in deep conversation while my daughter slept, going over maps to find the best place to reduce human casualties. They were moving by foot because there were fifty-seven of them in total, to large an amount to not draw attention at an airport. They'd be coming to America through the Atlantic Ocean and running the entire way. I feared for any humans that might cross their path, as they'd be travelling such a long distance across the country it made the odds that they'd cross a human's path so much higher. There was nothing we could do now though but ensure that we were nowhere close to an inhabited area. Just as Elizabeth had said, we were going to go into the mountains. We'd wait there for the day that they'd come to help steer them in the right direction. None of us minded the snow.

When Elizabeth woke up, Edward and I talked to her alone about what was happening. That we were going to stop the Volturi and explain that Aro was misleading them, that she was not a full vampire, and therefore not one of their immortal children. And then we told her that the Denali coven would be arriving by the end of the day.

We went out hunting, the three of us. Elizabeth didn't need as much as blood as a vampire, but she needed to feed more regularly. We had gotten into the habit of sharing our kills just because it was efficient. Edward came with us on the days he needed to feed, like today, but we usually went out by ourselves. She had her music lessons with her father, I had hunting.

Once we were all finished, we ran back to our house, cleaned up and got changed, and Edward went in to work for a couple of hours. He needed to arrange things for time off for the next week. Elizabeth and I did our lessons before she took a nap. The Denalis weren't supposed to arrive until eleven at night, which was way past her bedtime, so she needed the rest. I kept busy with cleaning for the afternoon; the most annoying part of being a vampire, I found, was all of the damn dust that my weak human eyes hadn't been able to see. It was everywhere, always, and no matter how hard I tried it was unbeatable force.

Esme told me it took her about six years to come to terms with.

. . . . . . . . . .

Edward came home at ten to see us before heading over to the main house. Elizabeth and I waited at our house until midnight while they told them our story. Edward called us half past midnight giving us the okay. Elizabeth was sleepy, but it was overpowered by her nervousness. I hated seeing it affect her aura like it was, but I could feel it in her tense little frame as she clung to my back as well.

"Sweetie, you have nothing to be nervous about. Daddy explained what's going on, they just want to meet us."

But what if they don't like me?

I stopped for a minute at the edge of the property, and lifted her over my head to balance her on her hip. God, she's gotten so big. "Elizabeth, I guarantee you that, once they know you, they will love you. These people are family. I haven't met them myself, but if everyone else trusts them then I think we should too."

She let out a small huff, then tightened her hold on me before giving me a nod to go ahead. I kissed her cheeks again and again until she burst into giggles before walking up to the house. Edward was waiting for us on the front step, and gave us each a kiss before leading us in with a hand on the small of my back.

We walked into the room with six new vampires, and stopped as we regarded each other for a long minute. I looked around for someone to say something, but the room was tense. I let out a sigh, and elbowed Edward lightly before speaking.

"It's very nice to finally meet you. I'm Isabella, and this is my daughter Elizabeth. We're heard so much about you," I said with a smile. They were still watching me warily.

"Hi," Elizabeth said quietly, waving slightly with one of her little hands. I gave her a proud smile before I kissed her forehead. It was very rare that she would speak aloud in front of strangers.

The woman with the black hair, Carmen I assumed, was the first one to speak to us, her husband looking panicked as she walked over with a warm smile. Her colours were calm and happy, so I did nothing to stop her advance.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, both of you," she said sweetly. Elizabeth blushed as she smiled up at the new woman timidly.

Mom, can I talk to her like this? Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Why don't you ask?" I said hopefully, she was doing so well, but she just shook her head.

"Ask me what?" She asked curiously, and I smiled at the sweet woman.

"Elizabeth has her own way of speaking, would it be okay if she showed you?"

"Of course," she said happily, which made my daughter beam, and then Carmen gasped.

Her mate was next to her in the same second. "Carmen, what's-"

"Shh," she scolded, holding up her hand to him as she closed her eyes and smiled. I wish I knew what she was showing her, and I looked over to my husband who smiled brightly.

"Oh! How lovely," Carmen cooed, smiling brightly once again. I could see it working all ready, my daughter was a very hard person not to adore. She held out her hands for Carmen to pick her up, who gave me a questioning, yet hopeful look before I handed my daughter over to her.

I looked at the others, two males and the three Denali sisters. They looked slightly more relaxed.

Except for Carmen's mate. He was watching me… nervously?

Finally, Edward remembered his manners and started doing introductions. "Love, this is Carmen's mate Elezar, Tanya, Kate, Irina, and Kate's mate Garrett." He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him while he spoke, and when I noticed Tanya's irritated look, I took a peak at her aura, but I didn't really see anything off.

Garrett came over first, and shook my hand with a big smile. "Nice to meet you Isabella. I have to admit, I didn't believe a thing Carlisle was saying until you walked in. Wow. You seem nice enough though." He gave me a wink, and then Kate walked over, looping an arm through his and shaking my hand with the other. She held my hand for an oddly long amount of time while she said hello, and I saw her trying to wrap me in yellow. I cocked my head to the side curiously.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked with a bit of a laugh, and my husband growled.

"Kate, was that really necessary?" He asked in an irritated tone. She just shrugged and gave me a smile.

"I just wanted to see if she was really immune," she said with a wave of her hand. "My gift, I can generate something that feels like an electric current all over my body. Like a living taser pretty much. I've never met someone who I haven't been able to put on their as-butt," she corrected, looking over at my daughter. I giggled.

"Don't worry, her uncle Emmett isn't good at watching his tongue. She knows not to repeat those sorts of words," I assured her.

Kate gasped, then looked at my daughter, then burst out laughing.

"You're cute, kid," she said with a smirk.

"Am I missing something here?" Irina asked with a grin.

My daughter's mental voice echoed throughout the minds in the room. If she says a swear she has to put a dollar in the jar, she told everyone, and I saw Elazar, Garrett, Tanya and Irina look at her wide-eyed.

"And what are you doing with that money?" Kate asked, and I laughed when I realized where they were going with this. Emmett was really bad.

I'm getting a Lamborghini, I only need five thousand more dollars. American. She told us seriously. Rose laughed the loudest.

"So what, next month?"

"It's going to be sitting in the garage for a while, because you're not driving until you at least look sixteen," Edward said in a light, but completely serious voice.

"So," Tanya said, stalking towards me confidently. She held out her hand to shake mine, and she gripped me so hard that I winced, and was surprised that my hand didn't shatter. "It's nice to meet you. I'm surprised Edward finally settled down. I'm sure he's told you a lot about me."

My husband's hold tightened on me, and that's when it clicked.

Someone has a crush on my husband, and she's not happy to see me. I was tempted to laugh at her attempt to intimidate me.

"Oh yes, of course. Everyone's told me so many stories about all of you. I'm sorry that we've had to wait so long to meet," I said sweetly, flicking her lightly with my shield to make her lose her grip on me. Her eyes went wide when she was hit with the invisible force. I grinned, rubbing my right hand with my left, and she sighed when she saw my beautiful rings.

"Well, it seems like we must catch up on lost time," she said, her mood a complete flip from a few seconds ago as she gave me a friendly smile. "But first, business. You said your family was in danger Carlisle, from the Volturi no doubt. But they have no grounds…"

"No, they do not. Aro knows the truth of our situation, but he is keeping the information to himself and still coming with the intent to destroy us. We can only stipulate as to why," Jasper said.

"Hmm, I don't think so Elazar. They don't even know any of us are gifted except for Isabella."

"Half conversation bro," Emmett said in a slightly annoyed voice, echoing my thoughts and making me laugh. Edward smiled at me, and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"It was just a thought. Aro is a collector and this is a very gifted family… but if he doesn't know, than this isn't about acquisition."

"It's about power," Tanya said. "As coven of eight, you're probably the biggest cover out there after his. And if you count us, which I'm hoping you do, then you're looking at fourteen… and a half," she said, shooting my daughter a wink.

"That's what we're thinking also," Jasper added.

"So, what can we do to help you? There's no way to fight the Volturi, not with the witch twins," Tanya said.

"We're not asking you to fight," I said cautiously, and then looked to my husband who gave me an encouraging nod. "When I was a human, before I met the Cullens, I was attacked by Aro's recruiter, Elijah." There were a few gasps at that, but no one interrupted me. "He killed my father, but I was protected by a pack of shifters in my home town. They're my family. My…" I took a deep breath to settle myself. Even after all these years, it was still painful to think of Jacob. "Elijah wanted me because of my gift, he wanted to turn me against my will and take me to the Volturi, and my pack destroyed him to protect me. We lost our leader that day. They're my family though, and as soon as Aro touches one of us, he'll know about them, and I have no doubt that he'll try to destroy them. I can't let that happen."

"Well, the only way to prevent that would be to kill Aro. And if you do that, you'll have to kill Caius too," she said casually, in a tone that said how ridiculous that possibility was. "Marcus won't put up much of a fight, he's been waiting for centuries for someone to end his existence."

That sounds kind of sad, Elizabeth noted with a frown. I couldn't help nodding in agreement. I'd heard about the death of his mate, Aro's sister, and what it had done to him. I knew it wasn't an easy thing to live after; losing your soul mate.

"Well, Tanya," I said in a tone that drew the room's attention back to me. "You guessed right. That's exactly what we plan on doing."

"Which is why we called you. We wanted to explain to you what was happening, because a lot of things are about to change. Either in our world, or the rest of the world. You're family, we thought you deserved to know."

"You're all mad," Tanya said in exasperation. "You can't just… it's impossible."

"We don't think it is," Emmett said casually, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and earning himself a glare from Esme. "You see, we have a secret weapon." He gave me his bright smile, and I rolled my eyes.

"I see that," Elazar said, giving me another wary look. "I've never felt anything like her before," he mused.

"What was that?" Edward said, sitting up and concentrating hard on Elazar.

"A mirror," he mused. "I've never sensed my own power before like that, it's like it's reflecting off the shield, but… absorbing it somehow? It's weird, I don't quite understand it," he said, moving his hands through the air and touching something that no one else could see. Curiously, I pulled my entire shield in towards myself, and grinned when his eyes opened in shock. "Extraordinary."

"My thoughts exactly," my husband purred in a deep voice, tilting my face towards him. His eyes were sparkling, and I got lost in them for a moment before he kissed me.

Moooommmm, Elizabeth groaned. I could tell from the flavour of her thoughts that she was tired, and starting to get a little cranky. I pulled away from my husband with a grin before scooping her up, and she settled her head against my neck. She was asleep within minutes.

"She's lovely dear. You both are, it really is nice to meet you," Carmen said with a gentle voice before cupping my face in her hands. She had the same aura to her as Esme did, so loving and beautiful. "And such beautiful eyes. They reflect your soul," she said in a dreamy voice before giving her me hug. I gave her a tight squeeze back.

"You really think you have a chance at destroying Aro?" Tanya asked, her voice quieter now. I nodded to her. "Hmm. Well this I definitely have to witness. I'll stand by you, but I fear none of us have any way of helping you if it comes to a fight."

"It won't come to that, not for you. But I promise you, that of you that decide to stay, I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

And stay they did. Every one of them. As Elizabeth slept in my arms, while I was curled into my husband's side on the loveseat, we told them of our plans. They shared what they knew about the Volturi with us as well, but it had been over a century since any of our group had seen a member of the guard. We would learn all about their powers soon enough though.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was unfortunate how quickly the time went. There was so much to do though, so many different scenarios to try to plan for without the help of Alice's power. But with fourteen vampires we had a lot of thinking capacity.

And then there was getting to know our new family. I really wish I had met them sooner, it was easy to see why everyone called them our cousins. Our two family's just fit. It was easy, though the house did feel a little crowded.

What surprised me the most though was my new friendship with Tanya. She was a fierce, confident, and extremely loyal person. And she was hilarious. The first moment she'd gotten me alone she'd told me about how she'd been trying to catch Edward's eye for about seventy-five years, but he never really gave her the time of day, or anyone for that matter. She told me that he seemed like a completely different person from the last time she'd seen him. Hearing her say how happy he seemed now… well, it made me feel pretty damn good. She'd had a blast when she'd joined Emmett, Garrett, and Jasper for training sessions with my shield. I thought it was unnecessary, but if it would comfort them to test me then I'd do it with a smile. Garrett clicked with my brothers in an instant, just like Carmen and Elizabeth had. Irina and Kate got along with Alice fairly pretty well, though they told me afterwards that they were better with small doses like this.

Rose was polite with the sisters, but she definitely didn't go out of her way to talk to them. I didn't really think much of it, Rose just wasn't the type to force small talk if she just didn't have anything to say to someone. She wasn't nearly as bad as Elezar though, an oddly quiet person, who I'm pretty sure I caught watching me every once in a while. Whenever I tried to talk to him he seemed extremely uncomfortable. I didn't say anything about it, because it wasn't like he was being out-right rude in any way. He just seemed to not be comfortable around me. I tried not to let it bother me too much either, which was easier said than done.

. . . . . . . . . .

We weren't foolish, and weren't naïve enough to think ourselves completely vulnerable. They were a great power, of course there was a chance that something could happen to one of us. I wasn't perfect, which was my biggest fear. I could only do so much.

We knew we had to take precautions.

Before we had left, we'd turned off not only the water, but the gas and the main electricity lines. The house wasn't the important thing though.

We all hunted on the way, and it was as I laid curled up with Elizabeth in the small dome tent that last night on the flat, wide peak of a snowy mountain, that I confessed what would be happening to her tomorrow.

"Elizabeth, you know you're the most important part of my life, right?"

I love you too mom, she thought with a grin and an eye roll.

Baby, you won't be staying with us tomorrow. You can't.

What! No, I can't leave you here, I have to stay with you mom!

Elizabeth. I can't let you see what's going to happen tomorrow, but more importantly, I have to make sure you're safe.

But you need me here, I'm why they're coming, I have to show them I'm not one of those immortal children!

You will. You will stay with us until they come, and we will speak to them. When we are done speaking to them, Esme is going to take you away. We'll come to you when it's over. We'll be the only people who are capable of finding you. The bag was behind me. A black leather backpack than had an extra set of clothes for them, and about three million dollars in cash with some new identification. Just in case.

Saying she was unhappy about this news didn't begin to describe it, but she knew that this was non-negotiable. Edward came into the tent and joined us, curling up on the other side of our daughter. He recited poetry to her in his deep, velvety voice until she fell asleep and we lost the connection to her. Once she was out, he moved to the other side of the tent, and curled up behind me, spooning me as he held me tightly against his chest.

"Love, are you really sure about this?" He asked quietly.

"No, but do I really have any choice? Aro already knows the truth, just telling him isn't going to stop him from trying to destroy us."

"I know, it's just the idea of you-"

"I know Edward," I said, rolling over in his arms so I could face him. His hold on me tightened as I traced my fingers over the curves of his face. His forehead, his cheeks, his strong jaw, and the tendons of his neck. He was so beautiful, the most beautiful man I'd ever met, inside and out. It hurt me to think about it, but I know that even with Elizabeth, I wouldn't be able to live without him. And I know it was the same for him. He loved me just as much as I loved him. We'd either both survive tomorrow, or neither of us would. But no matter what, our daughter would be safe.

There was nothing left to say, because we'd already said it all. I spent the night in his arms, just being held by him as we got trapped in each other's eyes. In the background, part of my mind noticed the blackness of night slowly fade into the greyness of sunrise, then brightened as the sun crawled higher into the sky. When Elizabeth woke up, she started to cry, and it took Jasper's influence to calm her down enough to get her dressed. Once she was, we stepped out of her tent before Emmett broke it back down for us and tossed it away, seeing how far he could throw it from the top of the mountain.

Then, we waited.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was close to one in the afternoon when I first felt them, and the sensation of a group of vampires crossing into my range of feeling reminded me so much of that Christmas day.

Victoria was dead though. She died to get someone stronger to kill me. I hoped she was burning in hell.

We took our positions. Edward, Elizabeth and I standing in the front, with our entire family in a united line behind us. Our small group looked pathetic in comparison to theirs, but looks were very deceiving when it came to my family.

They didn't stop as they made it to the top. I felt the strangest pressure against my shield, the sensation reminded me of the pins and needles of an limb falling asleep.

A second feeling hit my shield then, and I forced myself not to cringing from the sharp pains that were being thrown at my family.

This must be those witch twins Tanya had told me about.

Sure enough, two small vampires lead the front. I could see the confusion on both of their faces as they neared, closer and closer, and we were unaffected.

You'd think they would have stopped when they realized we were protected, but their group just kept on coming.

Until they hit my shield, and came to an abrupt halt. I waited seventeen seconds as the group built up as they stopped, and as soon as they were close together, I flipped my shield, effectively trapping them in one spot.

Tell them that I have them Elizabeth, I instructed through the bond, and listened to her mental voice as she told our family in her silent way.

The vampires were banging against my shield, quickly realizing that they were trapped. I took a minute to inspect their colours.

They weren't the same as the newborns, but they were similar, most of them had this dry red, and dark muddy grey hues to them. There were other colours mixed too. At least half of them had the yellows and gold of gifts, and there were hints of bright colours that varied in some of them as well. I made a note of the ones whose colours didn't seem lost or ruined, but there was one in particular that caught my attention.

The three leaders of the Volturi stood together, their black cloaks darker than the other members of their guars and signifying themselves as the leaders. Their skin had an almost translucent quality to them that made them look frail. The two with blond hair, their colours were completely taken over by the muddy greys and reds, but the one with the black hair was completely different. Looking at him… I had the intense urge to just give him a hug. His eyes were vacant, sad and broken, as was his aura. It had the deepest shade of blue I had ever seen, and the colour made me want to cry. This vampire was broken, he wasn't living, and he looked to have no desire to be here. To be anywhere.

How does he function with that sort of pain? I knew that sort of pain, and how hard it was to live with.

I had no desire to kill this vampire, though I'm sure he would except that fate with open arms.

Carlisle stepped forward then, placing a hand on my shoulder before he spoke.

"Aro, it has been so long," he said in a friendly voice. The vampires in the invisible dome all froze, and the mountain was silent aside from the sounds of my daughter's fast heartbeat as she rested on my hip, clinging tightly to my shirt. I saw a few members of the guard look at us closely, they could hear it too.

"It has Carlisle," Aro replied in a very calm voice. "I wish it were under better circumstances though."

"Ah, but see, that is where you are wrong," Carlisle said, his voice taking on a slightly angered edge. "We have done nothing wrong, and you are aware of that."

A dozen or so of their group looked around in confusion at each other, and us.

"We see the proof right in front of us. You have a human holding an immortal child Carlisle."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. I am not a human, nor is my daughter," I said in a clear voice.

"You will not talk to me as such human!" Caius hissed, and I smirked at him.

I looked to my husband, and he nodded before taking my hand. We moved at vampire speed to the edge of my shield, effectively showing them all that I was indeed, not a human.

When I spoke, it wasn't to Aro, or my family, it was to all the vampires I had trapped. They all listened intently. "Aro has come here today with secrets. He knows his accusations are false, and has kept this information from you to use you for his own reasons." I looked up to my husband. "Edward, what are his reasons for coming here today?"

"He sees the size of our coven as a threat. He doesn't like how large we've gotten. Victoria gave him an easy, yet false excuse to destroy us."

"You see Aro, my family has some gifts. My husband here, and the father of my child, can read minds. But unlike you, he needs not to touch someone for it to happen."

"I can hear all of your thoughts, every single one of them right now." He shot a dirty look at someone, which I chose to ignore. More vampires were looking increasingly worried.

"And my sister Alice, she can see into the future, which is why we know that Victoria went to you with her lies, and you kept her secret and lied to your coven to get them here under false pretenses. As you can all see, I am not human, though I am different from you. My daughter is not one of those immortal children that you speak of. She was born, not bitten, and grows every single day. I carried her inside of me until she was strong enough, and then my husband changed me once she was born. She is half human, half vampire. She has a heartbeat, and drinks blood. She has the mental capacity of an adult, and possesses none of the dangers that those bitten children had. You can hear her unique heartbeat, and you can see the flush of blood in her cheeks."

"Artifice! These are but-" He stopped when Aro put his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head slightly at his brother to stop his rambling. To deny what was right before all of them did nothing but made them look foolish. Their guard looked fidgety, suspicious, but it only lasted for a moment before they all seemed to go still, with a slightly glazed look on their faces.

One of them was influencing them with something. I could see her power, little yellow strings that seemed to be tying into the people around them, knitting them together.

And I don't think any of them had a clue that she was doing it, holding them to it. This was not free will, whatever she was doing to them was wrong.

She was going to die as well. We'll see how well they stick together if they're not being forced.

"Well, it seems that I have conflicting information," Aro said with feigned surprise. "Now, if only you would show me the evidence, so we may put this understanding behind us?" Edward growled, and I squeezed his hand to calm him down. "You, young lady, seem centered to all of this. Show me." He held out his hand expectantly.

This was it.

I kissed my daughter, who started to cry, and then kissed Edward, slow and softly, before I saw his heart break in his eyes, and he walked back to the others.

Esme took Elizabeth, and they left. A few tried to chase after them, just to run into my shield again.

I held out my hand with a small smile. I stayed still, waiting. He would have to come to me.

"Don't worry, I'll let you through," I said in a calm voice.

"I'm taking a member of my guard with me."

"No, you're not. You can step out alone, as I stand here before you now." My cold voice echoed around the silence of the mountain. Aro watched me for one long minute, before stepping out of the dome. He shivered as he passed through it, and stopped in front of me. A few tried to escape again, to no avail.

He took two steps closer to me, until we stood within arm's reach of each other.

"You even smell human," he mused, inspecting me slowly. "What an enchanting creature you are. What are you exactly?"

"I have no idea," I said, and held out my hand to him. His eyes flickered with excitement before he placed his hand in mine, and furrowed his brow when he heard nothing.

I could feel him though, pushing at my mind. I closed my eyes to steady myself, and just like I did to let Jasper feel my emotions, I pulled Aro into my mind.

It was only a second, but it felt like twenty years. Every single moment of my life, laid out like a movie for him to take in. He flinched, pulling in a painful breath when he felt Jacob die, when he felt what it was like to have your soul ripped in two, having your life destroyed once again. The sense of loss, emptiness, pain.

But when he got to the end, something else happened.

The connection didn't end.

Aro fell to his knees, and I lost control of my shield as I was pulled into his mind.

Pulled into hell.

Two thousand years of torture, bloodshed, manipulation, destruction, murder, murder, and more murder. Thousands and thousands of people dying. Groups of humans being herded under false pretenses into their castle for mass slaughterings. The destruction of covens that weren't strong enough to fight back, just because he wanted one of their powers. The memories of not only his life, but every thought and every moment of every life that he's touched. There was so much, distracting me from all of the vampires, friendly and otherwise, that had fallen to their knees as Aro had while my mind tried to absorb and process more than any person should ever see in their existence.

When it stopped at the moment he had taken my hand, I ripped my hand away from him with a gasp, and threw my shield around them again before they could rush me. I was gasping, though I didn't need the air, before I reached out and took Aro's throat in my hand. I wasn't as strong as a true vampire, but he felt like glass and I knew it would be all too easy to shatter his neck.

"You're a monster," I hissed. "You're fucking evil and you deserve to be destroyed." I turned back to look at his coven, who had no idea what sort of being they were being controlled by. I leveled my gaze with the knitter.

"Renata!" I hissed, making her flinch. She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Break the ties now, all of them, or you will die."

Just like that, the yellow strings of energy snapped and dissolved. I watched the group as they slowly seemed to wake up from a trance. As the seconds passed, their vacant expressions turned irritated, angered, and confused.

"Members of the Volturi guard. Renata here, under the orders of Aro, has used her powers to influence you. They've manipulated and tied you to them against your own free will. Do you think this is an acceptable way to control a coven?"

No one spoke aloud, though they all watched me as they shook their head is disgust and betrayal. No, they were not happy one bit, but there was someone who he hurt more than the others, and I was compelled to do something about that. He deserved the truth.

"Marcus?" He turned to look at me, and his eyes were so, so sad. Lost. Without Renata's influence, I'm sure he just wanted it to end. "Can you come here please?"

He stepped out of my shield and walked over, not seeming frightened in the slightest. Once he was out though, I saw his eyes look somewhat surprised as he looked around at my family, no doubt seeing the strength of our ties with his gift. It was a pretty interesting gift. He approached me, and with one hand still griping onto Aro's neck, I placed one hand on his shoulder.

"Marcus, Aro has lied to you," I said in a calm voice, but he really just didn't seem to care. Aro was struggling with my grip now, and I tightened my hold on him. I narrowed my gaze at him. "Your own damn sister, your blood Aro. How could you?"

This caught Marcus' attention, a flicker of life lit in his eyes as he looked at us in confusion.

"What about Didyme?" he asked, his voice cracking painfully on her name.

"No!" Aro shouted, cringing from the sound of his glass neck starting to crack under my hold.

"Marcus, Didyme isn't dead." The look in his eyes were pain and disbelief as he shook his head.

"Two thousand years, two thousand years she's been dead… why am I still here?" He narrowed his eyes at Aro. "You kept me here! Why?!"

"Marcus," I said in a calming voice, because I don't think he heard anything I had said other than her name. "She's alive. She's being held in an underground facility in China. Aro told you she was dead, but he had her confined so that your only allegiance would be to him. He was fearful of you leaving him, so he lied and said she was dead so your loyalty was solely to him."

"She's… Alive?"

"Yes," I said, starting to smile.

"Where?"

Aro shook his head, and Marcus was next to me, so close he was touching me, as he fiercely glared at Aro. He was a completely different being as to one minute ago. He's just been giving back his reason for existence.

And he was pissed. Rightfully so.

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

Aro flinched, citing off GPS coordinates to him. Marcus then looked to me, and I saw a bit of fear in him as he took a step back, coincidently backing into my shield and becoming slightly trapped there.

"Are you going to kill me?"

I gave him a gentle smile. "Marcus, you have never sided with him to carry out his evil deeds. You always judged fairly, without malicious intent or personal game. You were always just outnumbered by these two." I nodded my head in the direction of Aro and then Caius. "You were forced into this. I have no reason to kill you, but if you ever give me a reason, I will find you, and destroy you. Do you understand what that means?"

He watched me for one minute, and I saw his eyes widen.

And then he gave me a bright smile, before surprising me by taking my free hand in his, and dropping down to his knees as he kissed the back of my hand.

"I understand, and I own you my life. My everything. If there is ever anything I can do, I am at your disposal… err-"

"It's Isabella," I said with a grin, pulling him back up to his feet. He gave me a tight hug, before disappearing. Aro watched him disappear with sad eyes.

"Caius, step forward," I ordered, not breaking eye contact with Aro.

To his credit, he didn't argue, and walked through my shield.

"Tanya?"

She was by my side in an instant.

"If any one wishes to speak on Caius' behalf, to give me a reason not to kill him, then speak now," Tanya said, stepping forward and wrapping her hands around Caius' neck.

No one spoke.

"You destroyed my family. I hope you burn in hell for eternity," she growled, before shattering his head and ripping him to pieces. I was concentrating on the pain in Aro's eyes, the pain I had waited so many years to inflict on him. It wasn't the same though, because Aro wasn't capable of true love, he also was not able to feel the pain of what it was like to lose it.

"Edward?" He was by my side in a second. "Who wants to attack?"

"There are only the twins. Everyone else feels betrayed, vengeful."

"What about Demetri?"

"I have no desire to be a part of this," the tracker hissed. "I'm not going to live my life as a puppet or a damn lapdog anymore."

He turned and sprang, too fast for Renata to stop him before he tore her to pieces.

"Err, he's telling the truth," my husband told me. Demetri screamed though, falling to the ground and withering in pain, and that was when I dropped my shield, wrapping it around the two smallest members of the Volturi guard. The others had no idea they were free, and thankfully stayed right where they were.

"Irina, Kate?" I asked, and they took the places along side of her sister. "You can reach through to them, but they can't escape."

"Thank-you," they both whispered, and the three of them circled the two small vampires. I was getting my revenge, and after hearing of how the Volturi had dealt with their mother, it was all I could do to give them their revenge as well.

As soon as their screams started, I pushed out my shield again, this time just to make sure they stayed to listen. When the sound of tearing metal came to an end, I watched Aro for a long minute.

"You don't have to do this. I can give you anything in the world. Your family would be taken into the Volturi with open arms, you don't have to-"

"Oh, Aro, but I do. You saw what you've done to me. You destroyed my life, and killed my family. You tore away half of my own soul. If that wasn't reason enough to kill you, you just gave me two thousand years' worth of other reasons. No one in history has deserved to die more than you."

And with that, I slid my hands up to cup his face, then shattered his head in my hands.

My family had already started the fire, and were now gathering the pieces of vampire to throw into it. Jasper and Carlisle came to stand with Edward and I, facing the crowd that was formerly known as the Volturi's Guard.

"You've been controlled for a long time. It's not easy for me to let you go, because I believe it's wrong to kill humans, but at the same time, our own diet of animal blood effects lives as well. We're letting you go, because you're not to be held responsible for Aro's actions. But I will tell you this, and you should listen well and heed my warning, as you have seen what my family and I are capable of." I felt Jasper's gift stretch out to them, filling them with fear and heightening their respect. "The Volturi may be dead, but their rules hold true. Only it will be us who are reinforcing it. We will know if you're lying, we will see it before you even do it, and we will destroy you for it." For added motivation. I flexed my shield, sending them all to their knees. "Does everyone understand this?" I asked, freeing them again quickly.

The way they looked at me, I would never forget that moment. The moment my family changed the world in one afternoon. We let the vampires go, telling them to spread the word that there was a new order in our world. Our life wouldn't be easy, but my life never had been.

But I had stepped out of the shadow of a curse that had followed me my entire life. My family was safe. I had finally been able to protect them, and it gave me a sense of pride that I'd never really felt before. The packs were safe. Victoria was dead. The Volturi were destroyed and their members freed.

Not all of them had left. Two vampires had remained, and they had surprised me by doing so. When our cousins from the north left, Felix and Demetri left with them, both glued to the hip of Tanya and Irina respectfully.

Elizabeth cried when we met her and Esme that night, before we all went back to the main house. We were all sort of dazed, having trouble coming to terms with everything that had happened. The position we put ourselves in. Our lives changed completely that day as we made plans for our new life, having to set up some sort of court away from humans, where the vampires of the world would be able to report the crimes of others to the Cullen Clan. No matter what came our way though, we knew without a doubt that our family could handle anything.

There was nothing stronger than my family. We'd be safe and together until the end of time.

The End.

Hey guys! So, that's it. I may do a future take some time, but I have no plans for one at the moment. I just want to say thank you to anyone who took the time to read this far into my story, and especially to those who reviewed, followed, or favourited. Please leave a review, so others might give it a chance to read!

A really big thank-you to two people though. kiwihipp and catharticone, your amazing reviews gave me the motivation to actually finish the story. Thank you so much, your kind words meant more than you could ever know.

Thanks again readers, it's been fun. Take care!

-Kitty