A/N: Before we get started, I should probably mention that I'm not a massive fan of Twilight. I read the books when I was 12 and I've seen the movies, but I'm not what you'd call dedicated to the franchise. Because of this, I may get a few facts wrong throughout the story, so I will apologize for that now.

I know I'm not the first person to write a story about Bree surviving her little stand-off with the Volturi, but still I'd love for you to give this a try. I will be using a lot of information from the little novella 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' so it might help you if you've read that already.

I'm not going to lie, Jasper is my favourite character, but I don't intend on making an obvious pairing between Bree and Jasper, although... I may consider it for the future. This is just a preface, a taster of what you can expect if I get some good feedback and decide to keep the story going. I'd love to hear about what you think about this via reviews and I'll try to make this read an overall pleasurable experience for you all. Well, that's enough said. On with the story.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight.


Broken Mirrors

PREFACE

Diego was dead.

Riley had been murdered…

…And so had she.

There was nothing left for me in this life any more. I clenched my fists as the dark cloaks approached me, closed my eyes submissively and waited for the darkness. In a way, I almost welcomed it. It was strange, but I couldn't help but feel relieved at the peace that would soon overwhelm me. Maybe I'd even see Diego. That thought made an unconscious smile tug at my lips.

The big vampire with black hair was approaching me; Jane had called him 'Felix.' I knew what was going to happen to me the moment that the dark cloaks had entered the clearing, but I still felt entirely human as I waited for the end. My dead heart leapt into my throat as I swallowed venom convulsively. This wouldn't be a pleasant experience, but hey, it would be fast after all…

But you didn't do anything!

I had to bite back a growl to myself. I had my chance to run but I didn't. I decided to kid myself into believing that Riley was telling the truth about Diego. That he was alive and kicking and leading the fight. But Riley was a liar and I was stupid.

What are you expecting to happen in death? You think vampires go to that bright light in the sky?

I'd never been particularly religious, but the voice in my head apparently had other ideas. I had to give it points there, what was I expecting? The best I could hope for was a peaceful darkness for the rest of days. Anything else would be torture and I knew it.

But it didn't matter. I was going to die, I couldn't change that.

Survive.

The voice was so quiet, if it hadn't been in my own head I would have gone as far as saying it was beyond human hearing. The meaning was all the same. The ultimate instinct to survive in a vampire was strong and I had to fight the growl that was attempting to rip out of my throat. But what was I supposed to do? These vampires were beyond anything I'd ever seen and none of the yellow-eyes were going to do anything about it. I didn't blame them, these… Volturi didn't seem like creatures to be messed with.

Still, the fear had been set inside me and I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of remorse. I'd been in this new life of mine for less than a year and I was already going to lose it. I'd been close to death before, in fact closer to death than any human could ever imagine. The pain of venom coursing through your veins is something you never forget.

Why should I give up?

And what about Fred?

Yes. Fred. I hadn't forgotten about him. He'd offered me a chance to catch up to him and I had allowed him to believe that I would. He'd easily get along fine on his own, but it wasn't just about that. He hadn't just offered me to be by his side, he'd offered me invisibility. His gift was truly something incredible and if I had just run away with him right then and there, chances were even these Volturi couldn't keep us in check.

What if I fought now? What if I got away? What if Fred was still in the area? What would I give to be invisible now?

That was a nice thought and it was the last one that came to mind as I felt Felix's presence overwhelm me.

An empty clearing.

If I had never have been here… if the Volturi had never seen me in the first place.

And suddenly, my mind relaxed.

Just like that, the oncoming footsteps of the vampire that was supposedly my executioner abruptly halted. I should have felt something, anything, but for some reason my mind was held in a state of relaxation. All I could do was imagine that empty clearing. Just the yellow-eyes and no one else.

And suddenly, Jane began to talk again, "Come Felix," her voice sounded oddly strained, as if she felt as though she were missing something, but couldn't remember. She carried on, "I'd like to go home." And just like that, Felix's presence lessened as he turned away from me and moved back to Jane, and as one, I felt them leave.

My mind remained calm for some minutes until I was positive that Jane and the other members of the Volturi were gone for sure. As soon as their footsteps had cleared, the strange almost dream-like stance I had been locked into diffused and I sank to my knees. I knew vampires couldn't sleep, but for some reason I felt exhausted. I panted heavily for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had happened, but I knew I wasn't going to have enough time to do that. It was almost painful to feel so many eyes on me all at once and as I looked about myself, my fears were confirmed. All of the yellow-eyes were staring right at me, even the little human. My throat didn't even burn for her scent at that moment, I was too confused to do anything but stare.

What the Hell had happened and why was I still alive?