DISCLAIMER: I own Twilight (and 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner') as much as I own a personal, lime green, stretch Hummer Limo. (which means I don't own it... at all :/)

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait... I hope this oneshot can hold you guys over. I'm working really hard on chapter 24 of TADN and it seems that the gods of literature don't want me to make it out alive :/ (Oh, & The Last Airbender was pretty good, nothing like the series... the special effects were amazing, though. And the music is phenomenal.) But anyway, this is my interpretation of what would have happened if Jane had actually given Bree a first chance and not killed her. I don't really like the ending... but oh well. Please review! (& I guess it would sort of help if you read 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' but I guess it's okay if you didn't... you probably just wouldn't get the names.)

"Jane, please understand," the one named Carlisle said, "She doesn't know our laws."

We have laws? I didn't understand any of this. They were trying to save me when I was a monster.

"Yes," the one called Esme said, "She was taught wrong. We could bring her in and make sure she knew the right things."

This didn't seem right… they were willing to take me in after what I was trained to do?

"She was part of the very army of newborns that caused Seattle's death toll to rise rapidly. This cannot go unpunished. The Volturi do not offer second chances."

"But you haven't even given her a first chance!" the small, black haired girl piped up. Jane looked taken aback and then glared at her. I was expecting her to use the horrifying gift on her. But she didn't.

"Alice, please be quiet," Carlisle said. Alice looked disgruntled and glared back at Jane.

"We are prepared to take full responsibility for her," Esme said.

"She can be taught right," Carlisle said.

I finally decided that I should speak up for myself. Maybe if I talked for myself, this Jane would believe me and let me live.

"I didn't want to fight…" I whispered. Everyone turned in my direction to see me speak, "It's what we were told to do. I was going to run away… but I needed to see if my friend was still alive."

I immediately thought of Diego and then of Fred, who promised me he'd be waiting in Canada for me. Did I have to stay with the yellow-eyes? Fred had said he'd wait a day for me and then he'd be gone.

Could I even make it out of here alive?

"Alright," Jane said, "You will teach her our rules whether she decides to feed on humans or animals as you do, you will teach her and she will learn."

Jane looked at me.

"I expect you to learn quickly and not to make the same mistake again. Again, we do not offer second chances, young one."

She turned back to Carlisle.

"It was nice meeting you Carlisle," she said, "Felix, Demitri, let's go."

The redhead vampire whispered into Carlisle's ear something too low for me to hear. Their human looked at me curiously. How could he stand being so close to her? She smelled so… enticing and mouthwatering! I almost couldn't stand it. If the redhead wasn't there, I'd have her already.

Carlisle walked over and knelt down.

"Are you willing to stay with us and learn?"

"Yes," I said, "I had never wanted to be a part of this."

"If you're willing to learn, child, we will help you."

"But… I've got a friend who's waiting for me in Canada. We weren't going to participate in this fight… we didn't think it was right. I was going to get my friend Diego out of here and we'd go up to Canada and ditch. I've got twenty-four hours before he leaves me behind."

Carlisle seemed to explain every last detail of being a good, law abiding vampire in a very short time. He explained to me that the whole 'blowing up in the sun' lie that was fed to us was indeed a lie and that there aren't four days in the year where we can go in the sun. We can go in the sun all the time and now burn, but we do sparkle.

"I don't have much to teach that you don't already know," Carlisle said, "unless you wish to feed upon animals like we do."

I didn't know how to answer that without sounding like the bad guy.

"I-I think I'll pass."

"Then you are free to go, child," he said.

I stood up and dusted the ashes of my coven off of my jeans.

"Thank you…"

"Carlisle Cullen," he said, shaking my hand. I smiled gratefully at Esme.

Please give everyone my thanks, mind reader.

Whichever one the mind reader was. I took off north to Canada.

It wasn't long before I found Fred. He was the only bench that I couldn't look clearly at.

"Where's Diego?" he asked, "I thought you were going to get him out of there."

"He didn't make it," I said, "I surrendered and was let go."

"I'm sorry, Bree."

I nodded and we took off out of Canada, leaving our past behind.

OoOoOoOoO

It had been thirty years since we've been back to Washington. We entered Forks city limits about an hour ago and I was starting to recognize the forest that we ran through as the path I followed to the war.

"I recognize this place…" I said. I stopped and Fred and his mate Sabrina, slowed down.

"What is it, Bree?" he asked.

"I recognize where we are."

"From when?"

"The war."

I inhaled deeply, trying to catch the long faded scent of the coven that saved me. I caught something and it jumpstarted something in my brain. I ran in the direction it led.

"Bree, wait up!" Sabrina called. But I didn't slow down, I wanted to find them. I stopped at a gorgeous house in the woods. The entire wall facing the river was made of glass like some huge window. The familiar scent was thick around the house. I walked up and knocked on the door.

The familiar face of Carlisle Cullen answered the door.

"Bree," he said, "It's good to finally see you again."

"Hello, Carlisle," I said.

"All is well?" he asked, "I see you found your friends, have you been listening to all I've told you?"

I nodded. Even though I only knew Carlisle for a matter of hours, it seemed as if he was like what my father never was. He was compassionate and caring. My father didn't care when I ran away… his last words to me were, 'you'll die of starvation, just watch!'

We stayed for a while; I learned everyone else's names. The human, Bella, had been changed long ago. She and the redhead, Edward who was now her spouse, had a child. I also learned about the strange Native American werewolves.

When we left, I had learned all about the strange vampire kinds out in the world. It seemed that I got the lesson that I was supposed to have gotten thirty years back. We headed south to Oregon with more knowledge about our world than we had ever known before and we were ready for what the future had for us. I still mourned Diego; he had perished such a horrible way. He was the first friend I had made in the coven.

I'd keep my, now golden, eyes towards the future. Never again would I be manipulated and lied to. Never again would I be used for the wrong reasons. Never again would I have to be crammed in a basement with other newborns that were dregs off the streets like me.

I was free at last.