One

Chapter One

I sighed in relief, slumping to the dewy grass below.  It was finally over.  My emotions were clouded at best, not knowing how to feel about everything that had just occurred mere minutes ago. The battle had raged minutes felt like hours and when finally waned my friends and family were victorious. 

But at what cost.  One thing I had learned from surrounding myself with the supernatural is that you can not hang a price tag on life or death for the matter.  In such a black and white world; kill or be killed.  How do you ask yourself who lives and who dies?  Should I even ask at all, I was no great judge of character nor was I a divine entity knowing of the past, present or future.  But I ask myself that often, but never as much as I have today.

The clearing where I had witness my immortal family playing baseball for the first time, the place where this all had started was forever tarnished.  Every corner of the once beautiful field was littered with fires burning with plumes of thick purple smoke.  All that remained of Victoria’s army were billowing off into the morning air and washing away with the rain. 

The sickly sweet, acrid stench of our victory threatened to steal the meager breakfast Edward had all but forced me to eat.  MRE’s, not something I would be begging to eat in the future.  It was a bittersweet win, but a win no less and although I could see the relief and happiness in each member of my family, I could also see the sadness and I myself couldn’t find the will to celebrate as a few of the wolves were. 

So many lives had been lost to Victoria’s vendetta, so many that had to suffer the burn that immortality brought just to be struck down in this pointless crusade.  It brought nothing to Victoria but misery and in the end, her own death.  Maybe it was what she wanted all along, to be released from the pain of living.  I could understand the pain in losing someone she loved, but as far as I was concerned James had invited his own death long ago and it finally caught up with him. 

I could see it in all their eyes, the remorse and guilt.  I didn’t believe for one second that any of them truly enjoyed having to destroy so many, even Emmett who always seemed excited about fighting.  I could see the pain written clearly on Carlisle’s face as he bowed his head in silent prayer for all the lost souls burning away on the remains of our battlefield.  But it was Jasper I felt the most troubled for and I think he took it the hardest.  He was already so battle warn.  He had been coerced in to taking so many lives already, his past was grim and bloody in the time he spent with Maria and the Southern Wars.  His whole life seemed to have been nothing but bloodshed and I couldn‘t imagine what he had to be going through.  I knew he would do anything to save his family and mate, but it was clear by the look on his face that he held no joy from the countless lives he had to take, yet again, today.  And I couldn’t help but think it was my fault, or partly at least.  I wasn’t the type to play the martyr but somehow I couldn’t help but think if I had just stayed away my family wouldn’t have been burdened with such heartache.

The girls were solemn as well, with their heads hanging in respect and Esme’s arms around a young girl, the only life they could spare. 

Even Edward, in all his rage as he battled Victoria, in all his heroism I could still see remorse and pain behind his ocher eyes.  It struck me cold.  Victoria had threatened to take my life time and time again.  I couldn’t feel remorse for her annihilation the moment her head broke free of her body.  All of this carnage, this death and destruction was on her hands or should I say, her head.  She had rained this down on herself, and Edward, he looked sad and guilty.  Why would he feel guilty?  I didn’t have long to think on the subject though, through our hugs  and celebration Alice suddenly gasped, her eyes clouding with the vision that currently shown behind her eyes.

A forgotten newborn emerged from the surrounding forest, and Leah snarled and lunged. 

“Leah, don’t!”  Edward yelled, but it was too late she was already engaged and she was losing.  A flashback of Jasper’s warning flitted through my mind.  “Don’t ever let them get their arms around you.”  He had her by the neck and Leah was struggling to get lose.  Jacob who was standing close charged in knocking the raging newborn from Leah’s back but as they hit the moist floor of the clearing I could already see that something was wrong.  Jacob had landed on the newborn male and it was all he needed to get his arms around my russet friends.  Raising up on his hind legs, I saw it all happen in slow motion:  the carefully positioned hands at Jacob’s ribs and the sickening crunch that followed it.  And the painful yowl that came from my wolfs throat as his eyes rolled up, had my heart at a near stop.  And finally the rescue that came when Paul and Sam came to his aid. 

When Jacob’s body hit the ground it was easily discerned that he couldn’t get back up and as the air shifted so did he.  His face was frozen in a silent scream of agony and my heart broke. 

“Jacob!”  I yelled, frantically rushing to his side and Edward was already there when I arrived.

“Jacob,”  Edward said, carefully looking him over.  “Hold on.  Carlisle’s going to take care of you.”

“The bones on the right half of his body are shattered.”  Carlisle supplied.

I gasped, and Jacob even through the pain called to me.  “Bella.”

“Jake, I’m here.” 

I saw the others rushing from the woods, human and dressed.  Sam rushed to us with Leah, Paul, Embry, and Seth in tow.

“Jacob you idiot, I had it!”  Leah wailed in what sounded like anger, but I knew it was concern.

“Leah!”  Sam barked, eyeing her in silent warning that now was not the time. 

I could hear Carlisle muttering about having to set the bones in Jacob’s body before his accelerated healing kicked in, but my mind was lost in the pain in my friends eyes. 

“It’s already started.”

“Yeah,”  Edward agreed.  “We need to get him out of here, we don’t want a fight with the Volturi.”

“Well take him back to Billy’s.”  Sam offered, as Paul and Embry started to lift his naked and broken form. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  Carlisle offered, and Sam nodded his thanks.

“Hang in there, Jake.”  I told him in a wild breath as I smoothed my hand across his cheek.

“There coming.”  Alice said frantic, and as we all turned eyes to her, four dark figures seemed to float out of the shadows of the forest. 

I knew these figures from my unexpected trip to Italy last summer and I had no desire to see them now.  The walked with an unnatural grace and unity as they approached, dark cloaks covering their faces, but I still knew who they were. 

“Impressive,”  She said removing the hood of her cloak.  “I’ve never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude still intact.”

Carlisle, with more distain on his handsome face than I had even seen, spoke up in our defense.  “We were lucky.”

I remembered Jane of the Volturi, she seemed to me cold and very dedicated to her masters, I almost envied her for that.  Her cold eyes held no emotion as she simply replied,  “I doubt that.”

“It appears we missed an entertaining fight.”  Alec said with no more emotion than his twin, but something about his voice told me that they had seen everything, and it made me fear for the pack.  They had done this to protect me, Jacob had done this to protect me, and now I had delivered him to the Volturi on a silver platter.

“Yes,”  Jane agreed.  “It’s not often were rendered unnecessary.” 

“If you had arrived a half hour ago you would have fulfilled your purpose.”  Edward jumped in.  He was calm but the venom in his voice startled me. 

For the first time since meeting the witch twins I saw a flicker of emotion color her stunning ruby eyes.  I could hear the malice there.  “Pity.”  She replied, but it was as if she spat it at his feet.  Then with a small but brilliant smile, she cocked her head to the side.  “You missed one.”

I saw Jasper shift on his heels and stride behind me where little Bree, no more than 14, was visibly shaken and took a protective stand at her side. 

“We offer an asylum in exchange for her surrender.”  Carlisle explained. 

“That wasn’t yours to offer.”  She replied and I felt my heart sink into my stomach, the Volturi weren’t going to let her go.  She would die.  More death, more destruction because of me. 

I turned to look a the little dark haired girl and you could see the instinct to flee in her eyes, but I knew there was no where for her to run.   She took one last look at me before Jane asked in all authority.  “Why did you come?”  Just before the screaming started.  My heart lurched and Edward held my arm tighter to steady me.  “Who created you?”  Jane asked again, ignoring the piercing screams that rang through the damp field. 

“You don’t need to do that, she’ll tell anything you want to know.”  Esme said her voice full of concern.  

“I know.”  Jane said knowingly.  I couldn’t fathom in that moment what could have made such a beautiful girl so callous, so cruel.  She knew that Bree Tanner would tell her anything and everything and yet she didn’t care.  I had seen the full extent of Jane’s powers and they terrified me and once again I was thankful for whatever was wrong with me that stilled her from doing the same to me.

Jane must have released her or at least relinquished some the hold she had and Bree staggering back to her knees, gasping out several panted breaths.  “I don’t know.  Riley wouldn’t tell us.  He said our thoughts weren’t safe.”

“Her name was Victoria,”  Edward supplied through his teeth.  “Perhaps you knew her?” 

“Edward,”  Carlisle warned.  “If the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria they would have stopped her.  Isn’t that right, Jane?” 

I was growing more nervous by the second, fearful for my family’s survival.  I knew Jane would hesitate to have each and everyone of my family members ripped apart and burned, much the same way we had Victoria. 

“Of course,”  Jane replied, and for once she seemed sincere.  Her eyes held no malice and no hate.  I didn’t understand this though, not a few minutes ago Jane was reveling in the death of the child vampire at my back.  “Felix.”  She ordered and as the bulking man took a step forward Esme, our sweet mother jumped in.

“She didn’t know what she was doing!”  She said firmly, but back peddled when Felix‘s crimson eyes narrowed.  “Well…take responsibility for her.”

“Give her a chance.”  Carlisle added defeated, he already knew the outcome would not be as Esme wished it.  

“The Volturi doesn’t give second chances.  Keep that in mind.  Caius would be interested to know that she’s still human.”  She said with a smirk, looking over her shoulder. 

Everything happened at once.  Edward crouched low, growling louder than I had ever heard him, with Jasper following suit as Felix breezed passed us to take him head on.  “You will not!”  Edward spat.  Carlisle and the rest of my family ran to surround us, but looked as confused as I felt.

“Edward,”  Carlisle asked low.  “What is it?”

That’s when he snarled out the one word that forever changed my destiny. 

“Caius.”