I dedicate this story to switzerland and the one who made me think of it. She's the one who's idea it was to upload it, so I dedicate it to her.

Book 3 :(alice)

1. Vision

It was so utterly shocking that I lost myself for a fraction of a second. How could they be coming? And why? To any normal person the pause would have been unnoticeable, but Edward noticed. He didn't notice the pause so much as the thoughts, but he still sent a look in my direction.

The pause was not very long, but long enough for me to drop whatever I was holding. The flowers crashed to the floor scattering shards of glass across the room. Eight pairs of eyes were focused on me instantly. Vampires never dropped things on accident and they all knew that.

Everyone was still, no one dared to move. Another flash, the Volturi, all of them, the guard, the wives, even the ancients themselves, were coming. Edward gasped.

"What?" Jasper growled, suddenly at my side, glass crushing under his feet. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "What Alice?"

Emmet braced himself; teeth bared staring to the window, preparing himself for attack. Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Bella were silent, all frozen from the shock.

Jasper shook me again "What is it?"

"They're coming for us," Edward whispered with me, synchronized with my thoughts. "All of them."

There was complete silence.

"The Volturi," I moaned.

"All of them," Edward groaned.

"Why?" I whispered to myself. "How?"

"When?" Edward whispered.

"Why?" Esme croaked.

"When?" Jasper repeated, his voice cracking like ice.

I focused on the Volturi, my eyes going blank. I saw snow covering the forest, the town, everything. "Not long," Edward and I said together. "There's snow on the forest, snow on the town. A little more than a month." I said.

"Why?" Carlisle repeated for the third time.

"They must have a reason. Maybe to see…." Esme speculated.

"This isn't about Bella," I said. "They're all coming - Aro, Caius, Marcus, every member of the guard, even the wives."

"The wives never leave the tower," Jasper contradicted in a flat voice. "Never. Not during the southern rebellion. Not when the Romanians tried to overthrow them. Not even when they hunted the immortal children. Never."

"They're coming now." Edward whispered.

"But why?" Carlisle repeated a fourth time. "We've done nothing! And if we had what could we possibly do that would bring this down on us?"

"There are so many of us," Edward answered, his voice dull." They must want to make sure that…." His voice cut off.

"That doesn't answer the crucial question! Why?" Carlisle practically screamed.

I tried to focus on the why of the vision but I couldn't concentrate. "Go back, Alice," Jasper begged me. "Look for the trigger. Search."

I shook my head slowly. "It came out of nowhere Jazz. I wasn't looking for them, or even for us. I was just looking for Irina. She wasn't where I expected her to be…." I trailed off. I started searching for Irina again, frantic. When I found her I was shocked.

She was headed to the Volturi, she was almost there. But why? Why would Irina betray us? I had to tell the others. Now.

I jerked my head upright "She's decided to go to them," I said. "Irina decided to go to the Volturi. And then they will decide…. It's as if they're waiting for her. Like their decision was already made, and just waiting on her…."

There was a moment of silence as they tried to make sense of it.

"Can we stop her?" Jasper asked.

"There's no way. She's almost there."

"What is she doing?" Carlisle asked.

"Think of what she saw that afternoon," Bella said lowly interrupting Emmet as he tried to speak. "To someone who lost a mother because of the immortal children what would Renesmee look like?"

An immortal child! That would be something for the Volturi to fear, something for them to make an example of. But that still didn't explain that sense of finality, like they'd already made the decision.

"An immortal child," Carlisle whispered.

Edward fell to his knees, arms wrapped around Bella and Renesmee.

"But she's wrong," Bella continued. "Renesmee isn't like those other children. They were frozen, but she grows so much every day. They were out of control, but she never hurts Charlie or Sue or even shows them things that would upset them. She can control herself. She's already smarter than most adults. There would be no reason…."

While she babbled, I tried to figure out why I could see it before Irina told them; how they seemed to have made up they're mind before they were provided the choice.

Edward was the first to speak. "It's not the kind of crime they hold a trial for, love," he said quietly. "Aro's already seen Irina's proof in her thoughts. They come to destroy, not to be reasoned with."

"But they're wrong," Bella persisted.

"They won't wait for us to show them that."

"What can we do?" she demanded.

"We fight," Emmet suggested.

"We can't win," Jasper growled suddenly protective.

"Well, we can't run. Not with Demetri around." Emmet made a noise of disgust at the thought of running away. "And I don't know that we can't win," he said. "There are a few options to consider. We don't have to fight alone."

Bella snapped to attention. "We don't have to sentence the Quileutes to death, either, Emmet!"

"Chill, Bella." Emmet said his voice thrilled at the notion of a challenge. "I didn't mean the pack. Be realistic though- do you think Jacob or Sam is going to ignore an invasion? Even if it wasn't about Nessie? Not to mention that, thanks to Irina, Aro knows about our alliance with the pack now, too. But I was thinking of our other friends."

Carlisle echoed Bella. "Other friends we don't have to sentence to death."

"Hey, we'll let them decide," Emmet said placating them. "I'm not saying they have to fight with us." He said while planning other ways of stopping them. "If they'd just stand beside us, just long enough to make the Volturi hesitate. Bella's right, after all. If we could force them to stop and listen. Though that might take away any reason for a fight…."

Emmet's idea was sound but it was missing one piece…. A piece that no one else could know about. Not if we were going to have any chance. Aro couldn't know about this, which means that I couldn't tell anyone but Jasper. Which also means I have to watch my thoughts as long as Edward is within range.

"Yes," Esme said, the hope back in her voice. "That makes sense, Emmet. All we need is for the Volturi to pause one moment. Just long enough to listen."

"We'd need quite a show of witnesses," Rosalie said, her voice fragile like ice.

Esme nodded ignoring Rosalie's sarcasm. "We can ask that much of our friends. Just to witness."

"We'd do it for them," Emmet said.

I could see their plan, but their was a darker side to it. What if the others took it wrongly like Irina did? They could end up making things ten times worse than it already is! I'll have to point that out to them sooner or later.

"We'll have to ask them just right," I murmured. Bella stole a glance at my dark eyes. "They'll have to be shown very carefully."

"Shown?" Jasper questioned.

Edward and I both glanced at Renesmee. "Tanya's family," I said. "Siobhan's coven. Amun's. Some of the nomads-Garret and Mary for sure. Maybe Alistair."

Jasper looked at me, his eyes pleading, "Peter and Charlotte?" he asked, I could hear the fear for his brother in his voice..

"Maybe," I replied.

"The Amazons?" Carlisle asked. "Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna?"

I didn't think I could answer and still hide my thoughts abut Africa from Edward,

but I would have to try. "I can't see."

"What was that?" Edward demanded. "That part in the jungle. Are we going to look for them?"

"I can't see," I repeated. "We'll have to split up and hurry- before the snow sticks to the ground. We have to round up whomever we can and get them here to show them." I paused to search for anything to prepare us for negotiating with the Volturi. "Ask Eleazar. There is more to this than just an immortal child."

I searched for a long time letting the silence hang there. I wasn't very successful, just random bits and pieces, a flash here, a flash there.

I was the one to break the science, "There is so much. We have to hurry," I whispered.

"Alice?" Edward asked. "That was too fast- I didn't understand. What was-?"

"I CAN'T SEE!" I screamed, tired of his constant questioning. "Jacob's almost here!"

Rosalie started toward the door. "I'll deal with-"

"No, let him come," I said, straining my voice.

I grabbed Jasper's hand and started to the back door. "I'll see better away from Nessie, too. I need to go. I need to really concentrate. I need to see everything I can. I have to go. Come on, Jasper, there's no time to waste!"

The reason I was in such a rush was because I didn't want to have time to think about what I was doing. "Hurry" I called back as we were going out the door. "You have to find them all!"