The call came completely out of the blue.

The family had, of course, been expecting the Volturi to attack. But they had been sure that the confrontation would occur in Canada. They had been so sure that Aro, Marcus and Caius knew that they had relocated.

Carlisle had been closest to the phone when it began to ring. He picked it up nonchalantly, expecting it to be one of his colleagues or students.

"Hello?"
"Dr. Cullen, this is Sam."

The entire family (except, of course, for Henderson) froze, whipping their heads around to look at the stunned Carlisle. After a split-second pause, Carlisle cleared his throat.

"Hello, Sam. What can I do for you?"
"I realize that this is unprecedented, but we need your help. A band of cold ones has come to Forks, looking for you. They killed one of our brothers last night."

Carlisle's eyes closed, and for a second he said nothing. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering which of the shape shifters had been killed by the Volturi.

"Of course, we'll come," Carlisle said. "Would we be allowed to reside in our old house for the duration of our stay?"
"Yes," Sam said grudgingly. "Make no contact with the humans, of course, but you will be free to hunt as you need. Anything else you need will be provided for you. Please hurry."
"We'll be there as quickly as we can," Carlisle promised before hanging up.

For a moment, he merely took in the faces of his family, weighing the necessity of going against the health and safety of his daughters.

"They need us," Roxanne said, looking stronger than she had since she'd been rescued. "The Volturi are killing them to get to us. We have to help them."
"We will help them," Carlisle said. "I'm only wondering how much you and Henderson can take, so soon after-"
"I have strength enough for this," she cut him off, standing and slowly walking to hers and Emmett's room to pack.
Carlisle nodded, then looked at Edward and Henderson. "Edward? Henderson?" he asked softly.
Edward shook his head, anguish in his eyes. "Carlisle, I don't think-"

He cut off, though, upon seeing Henderson turn her head for the first time in days. She looked at Carlisle silently, her eyes firmly trained on his face.

"I'm going," she said clearly.

Then she stood and headed for her room.

The family stared at each other in shock, but had no time to wonder how fully Henderson had recovered, or how permanent the recovery was. They broke as one, each heading in a different direction to prepare for another confrontation.

Carlisle had called to the Cullens' "cousins," the Denali clan, and asked them to stand with them for this showdown with the Volturi. They had readily agreed, and now Eleazar and Carmen, Irina, Kate and Garrett, and Tanya stood beside their friends, waiting.

At Alice's suggestion, they had chosen to meet the Volturi in the clearing where they used to play baseball. Henderson and Roxanne stood in the middle, Roxanne holding Emily close. Edward and Emmett stood by their mates. Jasper and Alice stood beside Emmett; Carlisle and Esme stood by Edward. The Denalis arranged themselves on the outer flanks. The shape shifters stood off to either side, waiting in the tree line.

Alice stood waiting, her eyes trained on a certain spot on the opposite side of the field. Carlisle glanced at his daughter.

"How long?" he asked quietly.
"Now," she replied, her voice dead.

Right on cue, lines of black-cloaked figures glided through the forest and began walking towards the two families and the pack. They stopped as if responding to a silent order, parting ranks to admit a small cluster to advance. Aro, Marcus, Caius; Alec, Jane, Chelsea, Corin, Demetri, Felix, Heidi, Renata, and Santiago.

Edward tensed upon seeing the entire Volturi family facing them. "Execution without trial," he whispered, so low that only Henderson and Carlisle could hear him.

Aro stepped forward, holding his hands out. "Carlisle, my friend," he sighed in his high, breathy voice. "How delighted I am to see you again, and so soon!"
Carlisle stepped forward, seeming perfectly at ease. "I was surprised to hear that you had come here, Aro. I wasn't aware that there was an emergency in the area. It's good to see you again."
"And here are Henderson and Roxanne, safe and sound!" Aro continued, smiling. "I must confess, I was horrified when I learned that they had been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped," Emmett scoffed. "Liberated is more like."

Carlisle threw his brawny son a warning glance, then turned back to Aro. Aro's smile faltered, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Jane, seeing her master's expression, leaned forwards slightly, an expectant smile on her face.

The Cullens and Denali shifted uneasily upon seeing the demonic little Jane so anxious to use her torturous gift. But Henderson merely narrowed her eyes and focused, spreading her mental shield over the group easily, protecting them from anything Jane might try to throw at them. Roxanne, upon feeling what Henderson was doing, reached over to take her sister's hand and began to hum, just loudly enough to manipulate everyone into calm. Bolstered by her sister's support, Henderson redoubled her efforts, feeling stronger than she had in months.

"They were our welcomed guests, Emmett," Aro stated, folding his hands.
"You imprisoned them," Edward said, malice barely restrained beneath his velvet voice.
"They were disobedient," Marcus supplied, sounding as bored as always.
"Disobedient?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean they refused to join you? Refused to surrender Emily into your hands?"
"It seems to me that imprisoning Henderson and Roxanne serves two purposes," Alice chimed in, her voice deceptively sweet.

Aro's eyes narrowed further; he knew exactly what Alice's gift was, and it was obvious that Alice had information about why Henderson and Roxanne had been so heinously abused.

"One, imprisonment could be used to force their compliance, to coerce them into joining the Volturi guard," Alice said. "Both have gifts that could be incredibly useful. All Aro would have to do in order to force their compliance in producing the immortal child would be to find the right form of imprisonment. Second, upon hearing that their wives were imprisoned, Edward and Emmett would surely come to Volterra, raising hell and demanding that Henderson and Roxanne be freed. That would give the Volturi a very convenient reason to state that the Cullen clan had become too large and powerful, and would allow for their complete extermination."

There was silence when Alice finished speaking. The Cullens and Denali remained quiet, but the looks on their faces were incredibly accusatory. The shape shifters growled as they appeared in unison from the forest and arranged themselves around the Cullens and Denali. The Volturi army shifted uneasily, waiting for commands from their leaders.

Aro's eyes narrowed, but he didn't deny the accusations. "I am sorry you see us in that light, my dear," he said, his voice hardening. "We merely came to assure ourselves that Henderson and Roxanne had been returned safely home."

It was a bald-faced lie, and everyone knew it. But no one spoke, waiting to hear what Aro would do next.

"Carlisle, my old friend," Aro said, trying a different tactic. "I must confess, I have been dreadfully worried since hearing about the birth of little Emily. If you could assure me that she poses no risk…"

Roxanne's eyes widened drastically, and the rest of the family got defensive. Would Aro really try to exterminate Emily, on the basis that she was an immortal child?

"We have already told you numerous times, Aro," Carlisle said patiently. "Emily is not an immortal child, but a half-vampiric one. She is half human; surely you can hear her heartbeat, see the blood pumping through her veins. However, if you cannot be convinced in any other way… Roxanne?"

Roxanne clenched her jaw; she was seeing her worst nightmare come true. Allow Emily so close to the Volturi? Never!

Emily wriggled in her mother's arms until Roxanne fearfully set her on her feet. Emily walked right up to Aro, her hands swishing the skirt of her blue velvet dress around, quite unafraid. She looked up at him, her big blue eyes wide and innocent.

"You're Aro?" she asked in a beautiful siren's voice. "I'm Emily Adrienne Cullen."

Roxanne stared at her daughter, hearing her voice for the first time. Emmett wrapped his arm around Roxanne's waist, supporting her.

Aro smiled and bent down until he was on one knee, eye to eye with the little girl, looking like a delighted grandfather. "Yes, my dear. I am Aro Volturi. I am very glad to meet you at last, Emily."
"Daddy told me that you were worried that I was a vampire," Emily said, emotion making her voice tremble. "But I'm not. I drink blood sometimes, but only when Daddy lets me. He and Grandpapa make me eat human food too. And I still have a heartbeat, and I don't really sparkle in the sun, not like Mama and Daddy and Aunt Hendi and all the others do, and I'm not as cold as they are. I'm not as strong, either. I'm still partly human, honest! I won't hurt anybody. I know how to keep secrets, and I never bite people, because Daddy said it wasn't polite." Emily tilted her head up to Aro, her eyes welling with silver tears. "Please, I don't want my Mama and Daddy to be in trouble because of me. I'm not dangerous, I promise!" she cried.
Aro smiled at Emily, utterly enchanted. "My dear, your parents aren't in any sort of trouble. I merely wished to be certain that you were not an immortal child. I see that you are not. Therefore, there is no dilemma."

Roxanne and Henderson exchanged glances. They could see Caius' anger, Aro's disappointment. Emily and Alice had trapped the Volturi, rendering them unable to act without breaking their own laws and revealing themselves as tyrannical despots. But was it enough to secure their safety?

Emily rushed back to Roxanne and Emmett. Roxanne bent to gather her distraught daughter in her arms; Emmett wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them close. Everyone was silent, waiting for Aro to speak.

"I can see that my fears were unfounded," he finally said. "How wonderful! And now we can take our leave, assured that our friends are our friends still."

Everyone exchanged glances, hoping that it truly would be that easy. Aro looked closely at Carlisle.

"But, my old friend," he said, taking a long look at the Cullens, "your coven truly is getting large. Large enough, perhaps, that you could draw yourself undue attention?"
"We've been lucky so far," Carlisle said neutrally. "It hasn't been a problem yet."
"Yes, of course," Aro said. "But of course, you aren't going to add to the coven any time soon…?"
"I can't promise anything, Aro," Carlisle said. "Not when I hadn't counted on Henderson, Roxanne and Emily. But as far as I can, I can give my conditional promise that no more will join my family."
"Of course," Aro said, a strained smile on his face. "Well then, goodbye, my friend."
"Goodbye, Aro," Carlisle said.

The Cullens and Denali stood and watched silently while the Volturi and their army left. When they were gone, everyone visibly relaxed, shaken and weak with relief.

"They'll be watching more closely from now on," Alice said. "We'll have to be extra careful to cover our tracks, and to not make anyone suspicious."
"Which we can do," Carlisle said. He turned to the shape shifters. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

The wolves turned around and melted into the forest once more. A moment later, Sam and Jacob appeared in the field. They stepped closer to Carlisle than usual, but still kept a healthy distance between them.

"Thank you for your help," Sam said. "Will they return?"
"I don't know," Carlisle said honestly. "I would hope not, but I can't be certain."
"If there is a risk that they could be back, and return in those numbers, then perhaps we should re-negotiate our treaty, so that you can help us guarantee the innocents' safety," Sam said slowly.
"I would be happy to, if the elders would allow it," Carlisle said.

Emmett shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day that we'd be cooperating with dogs," he muttered.
Alice laughed. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day when you wound up married and a father," she said. "Nothing will ever surprise me after this."

The treaty was arranged to everyone's satisfaction. The Cullens would be allowed to remain in the American Northwest, as well as in Canada. They would even sometimes be able to return to Forks, but the entire coven could never come together again- it caused too many werewolves to reappear among the Quileutes.

Carlisle and Esme immediately moved back to Forks. Carlisle returned to the hospital, to the delight of the humans. They settled in for a quiet living for as long as they could stretch it, with many visits from their children.

Edward and Henderson left for the East Coast, to attend night classes at Harvard. Edward was studying medicine (again); Henderson decided to tackle law. After the Volturi had left, Henderson had slowly begun to come out of her shell once again. She would always bear the psychological scars of her imprisonment- she would always be a little quieter, a little less brash- but there was finally hope that she would be alright.

Jasper and Alice went on a long trip down South and to Mexico, tracking down old bits and pieces of Jasper's history… and so Alice could get her fill of her latest passion, turquoise jewelry.

Emmet, Roxanne and Emily settled down in Seattle. Emmett worked as a political bodyguard while Roxanne went to school for dance and Emily discovered a passion for car mechanics.

It wasn't the kind of life that Henderson and Roxanne had pictured for themselves.

It was better.

Forever young, forever strong, forever happy… they would always be in the dawn of their lives, and they welcomed forever with open arms.

Author's Note: And I'm sad to say that that's the end! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. This is Forever Dawn, signing off.