Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn. These books, characters, and associated materials are the property of Stephenie Meyer, and they are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Description: 20 years after leaving Bella alone in Forks the Cullens learn of an underground plot to overthrow the Volturi. Will they join the plot? Will Edward ever rejoin the family? And what did happen in Forks after they left all those years ago….

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Chapter 1

Alice's POV

It's been twenty years since I've said goodbye to my best friend, and I still think about her every day.

I thought about her ability to make my brother truly happy-complete even. We had long ago accepted that Edward would never be as happy as the rest of us, he would simply be happy enough. Esme often feared that he was changed too young. I had always wondered if he wasn't too arrogant. Not that I didn't love my brother, but his ability to read other's thoughts placed their weaknesses and negatives on open display to his mind before he was able to even have a chance to fall in love. His own weaknesses and negatives were always carefully hidden behind his reserved, cautious demeanor. It simply wasn't fair. Then Bella came along, and we all dared to hope.

It thought about the times we spent together as friends-no, as sisters. I was ecstatic every time she let me dress her up. Her dislike of shopping always amused Edward and baffled me, but I always knew that one day, she would love it almost as much as I did! Not that I had seen it in a vision, which was disappointing, but how could she not grow to love shopping with me. There is no better satisfaction in life! Well, as long as you exclude the time I spend alone with Jasper anyway.

I thought about her clumsiness, a topic that used to bring Emmet to tears of merriment whenever he thought about it. Thinking of her lack of coordination-no it was more than that. Thinking about her magnetism for danger and accidental dismemberment, made me think of her selflessness and how she would often apologize for accidently falling or bleeding. If she even thought that she had slightly inconvenienced anyone at all, her brow would furrow and Jasper would begin to feel waves of guilt coming off of her. She had spent so long taking care of her mother that she had no idea how to let herself be taken care of, not even for a birthday. She had a kind heart, a fragile heart. I often wondered if we broke it when we left.

Mostly, I thought about how much I missed her. And I always, always wanted to know-where was Bella now? Was she safe? Was she happy? Could she ever forgive me? Did she forget about us?

"You're sad." Jasper's voice was soft, his eyes questioning. His words weren't a question though. My emotional reflections must have disturbed his reading.

"Are you thinking of Bella again?" He finished crossing the room and sat next to me on the chaise lounge, a piece of furniture normally only used for displaying different outfits I was piecing together.

"It's silly, Jazz. Stupid, really." I replied in a quiet voice. I held up the small blue scarf I had found wrapped around one of my summer dresses. "Bella always looked so good in this color. Sometimes the smallest things get me thinking about her again."

I gave him a weak smile to show him that it was ok. "I told you it was stupid."

"It's not stupid, Alice." He replied in his slow southern drawl. Jasper's accent had all but disappeared in recent years. He practiced speaking like the rest of the family to avoid drawing attention and unwanted questions but I missed his Texan drawl. Hearing him revert back every once in a while never failed to make me happy.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my forehead before continuing, "I think about her often too. I know that I never got a chance to know her like you did but she was good for our family, good for you. I know you don't want me too but I still wonder how much would be different today if I could have just controlled my hunger more."

"You know that this isn't your fault Jasper." I said as I softly caressed his arms. "She had already forgiven you before the night was even over. Even you knew her well enough to know that she would never blame you and neither do I."

"I know that darlin', but sometimes I can't help but wonder all the same." Sometimes I wondered if he didn't reserve that accent for cheering me up when I was sad.

"If you're looking for anyone to blame, then blame-" My body suddenly went rigid. Colors, flashes of movement, and voices began appearing before my brain could interpret them. Before even a millionth of a second passed, my brain caught up to the visions that had intruded upon my thoughts and I saw what would soon come to pass.

The Denali clan was deliberating how to handle what appeared to be a very tense situation. Irina stood with her arms crossed over her body, obviously disliking the direction the conversation was taking while her sisters sat on the couch watching Eleazar speak.

"Of course this won't be easy, but this may be the solution we've been waiting centuries for!" He exclaimed.

"You mean the solution that you've been waiting for! We've already lost too much in this family. Our mother, our baby brother, Laurent," her voice faltered for a moment, "and we haven't heard or seen from the Cullens in god knows how long, what do you think they will say? What will Carlisle say when he hears that you have even considered this! How much more do you want us to lose? You cannot possibly think that we would even stand a chance-"

"We wouldn't stand alone. They already have an entire coven, a golden coven! And think of how many others would join us once we started, it's not as though the Volturi haven't made their share of enemies over the years! The world would be a better place; we could help make the world a better place, by simply removing them from existence. You don't know what they do, what they are capable of!"

Tanya interrupted his vehement explanations from her seat on the couch. "We damn well know what they are capable of." Her voice was quiet and full of venom. Irina and Eleazar froze to listen to Tanya, their coven leader, speak.

"I remember that moment clearer than any other. It drove me mad with grief. I've never fully recovered. I begged for Sasha's life. We all did. We knew that Sasha would never make the same mistake again. We vowed responsibility for her future actions. I scratched and clawed my my face and arms until I thought I would shatter as I watched them tear her limb from limb and burn her remains. She was my mother. She was all I had for so long and they destroyed that without a second thought." Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, but her coven had no trouble hearing her every word. Her body crumpled against itself as she slumped on the couch. She stayed that way for several minutes. Carmen and Kate tried to soothe her, but she was unresponsive.

Tanya suddenly sat up straight as a board; her eyes had a steely look behind them. Her next words were spoken loudly and with conviction, "I have heard enough Irina, Eleazar. Each of us has argued ourselves hoarse for three days straight, constantly changing our own minds. I will vote to meet this Vixen and her golden coven. The meeting alone cannot prove harmful. We will make up our minds after we see them for ourselves and discuss their intentions."

"This is folly! I remember our mother too; it is for her that I would have thought you to disagree to this. I am surprised at you, Tanya!" Irina was furious. Her voice was almost breaking from wanting to sob the angry tears that would never come. "They will kill us all for even considering talking to this coven and for what? Our mother made a mistake. We have no other quarrel with them! Please don't do this, sister."

Irina looked around the room, seeing if her words would have any affect. Carmen would follow Eleazar's decision, as anyone could easily see and Eleazar would never let an opportunity like this pass him by. Tanya's eyes and demeanor were still rigid and steeled. She looked as though she were preparing to march against the Volturi that very night. Kate looked somber and uneasy.

Her soft voice was heavy with sorry, "I'm sorry, Irina, but if they are as bad as Eleazar says, then I couldn't possibly forgive myself for not trying to protect others by eliminating them. Even if we fail, at least we tried."

Irina turned and walked out of the room, visibly shaking from anger and grief.

"What about the Cullens? Surely we owe it to our family to inform them about what is going on?" Carmen broke the silence reluctantly after Irina left.

"We will meet with Vixen first before we call Carlisle." Eleazar said slowly, holding his chin in his hand while he began to slowly pace back and forth. "We should at least get a good sense of what this clan is like before we call him up. Besides, we wouldn't want to start on bad terms with Vixen's coven. It was clear that this invitation was for our ears only at the moment." He pulled a small envelope from his pocket and read it to his family.

"To the Compassionate Deserter,

We would welcome you, friend, in open arms, if you would only give us the opportunity to meet. We are your golden eyed brothers and sisters. A new age is upon us. The Red-Eyed Night will soon be over. It is time to usher in the Golden Dawn.

If you and your associated coven should be interested in our radical ideologies and consent to meet, place the horns of your next kill on the doorstep of your estate before the week is out and we will gratefully send you more information. If you do not, please feel free to continue on with your lives in peace.

If, however, you feel the need to repeat these words to any other outside of your family, you shall feel our reluctant but absolute wrath. You will understand of course, that these are needed precautions.

Best Wishes,

Vixen"