AUTHOR'S NOTE: - Hey folks, I am still in my college uniform, complete with shoes, it's five thirty in the evening, and I am writing this. I have a horrible cold, a searing headache, and still I am writing this. That, there, is dedication personified. Be grateful. Bow to me.

No, seriously.

Also, the standard: I have the (official) partial draft of Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer's sequel to Breaking Dawn. All you have to do if you want it is review me, and tell me your email i.d. when you do it. PMs will not be considered. Get it? Hope you do. Now, onward!

CHAPTER 6—FACE OFF

"Err… excuse me?" His sickly sweet smile made me want to punch his face in. The nerve of that inhuman bastard! Taking my Jake from me, and then pretending…

I hate him.

"Perhaps you would like to tell me what you mean," he said, extending his hand.

Both Mum and Dad snarled. So did most of our group. Ignoring the overprotective fools, I stretched my hand to his, completely ready.

We know you sent that letter, I told him as soon as I felt the connection. Don't bother with pleasantries, you son of a bitch! We have every intention of fighting for him. To the end of our existences. There's no one hear to see your pleasantries and face us, you masked monster.

An eyebrow rose. "Well," he said, "that's…enlightening."

Daddy sniggered behind me.

Aro probed my thoughts, scanning, searching for the intensity of my anger. He wanted to see how resolute we were, and by the tightening of his red eyes, I could tell he wasn't very pleased. Good.

"I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding," began Aro, but he was cut off by GZ.

"I seriously doubt that," he said quietly.

The entire guard started muttering, and we gaped. All of us. I mean, GZ interrupting Aro?

Aro regained his composure after an initial shock. His gaze told me he knew how serious we were about getting Jake back. His scrutiny was speculative, probing. He looked… I don't know. That kind of expression…

I gasped when I understood.

Aro was afraid.

Afraid of what would happen to his coven, of what the outcome of a War between us will result in. After an eternity of winning by foul means, he was not very eager to fight without the added advantages of his talented guard.

"Ah, but it's true, my dear friend," hedged Aro.

"There is no wolf inside these walls, other than the ones you bring," Caius backed him.

Marcus, on the other hand, remained silent.

Maggie hissed indignantly at the blatant lie, but held her tongue.

I snarled, and behind me, I could hear the werewolves' hearts start beating faster. They were going to change any minute now.

The strained peace of this summit already teetered more precariously than an elephant on a tightrope. Once the fight began, there would be no way to stop it. It would only escalate until one side was entirely extinct.

It was a do or die situation. We were no longer at their mercy, no longer the coven they had come to annihilate six years ago. I loved the man they had taken from me, and I wasn't going back till he came with me.

"Aro?" it was Aunt Alice. She was, incredibly, smiling. The smile was blinding, wondrous in it's beauty. It made me feel relaxed. "May I show you something?"

She danced gracefully forward, her hand outstretched, and Aro looked at her, a bit taken aback by that wonderous smile. I grinned. Something was very, very good for us.

Daddy laughed.

She didn't say anything, and Aro waved off his anxious guard as they moved to block her approach. Aro met her halfway, and took her hand with an eager, acquisitive glint in his eyes.

He bent his head over their touching hands, his eyes closing as he concentrated. Aunt Alice was motionless, her face blank.

No one moved. Aro seemed frozen over Aunt Alice's hand. The seconds passed and I grew more and more stressed, wondering how much time would pass before it was too much time. Before it meant something was wrong—more wrong than it already was.

Another agonizing moment passed, and then Aro's voice broke the silence. "Well," his eyes were speculative again, he was thinking of a way to get out of this mess without implicating himself. I didn't need Daddy's powers to know that. "I need to confer with my brothers. Please excuse us."

With that, the entire room emptied swiftly. Aro, Marcus, Caius, and both the wives were gone, along with their guard.

"What did you see?" about thirty of us asked Aunt Alice together, and she let out her trilling laugh.

"We will win, if it comes to a War," she said. "But…" her eyes strayed to Seth, then to Sam. "…some of us won't make it."

I felt something in my stomach turn. Will it come to that? Will we lose a kid who has just found his imprint? Will we lose a brand-new father?

I did not have time to ponder this over. The Volturi had returned.

"A young wolf did enter Volterra a few days ago. He was sick and injured," Aro informed us.

My stomach lurched. Was?

"Of course," said Aro. "He was a danger to the people of our city, so naturally we called him in, he has stayed in the Castle ever since. He might be the russet wolf I remember your Jacob was. He's pretty injured."

"Oh yeah?" Uncle Em imploded. "How much do you wanna bet that you almost killed him?"

"Emmett," GZ muttered. "We'll accept their story. For now. There are more important issues waiting for us here." He turned to Aro. "Take us to him."

"Certainly. Jane?" Aro's voice was it's usual self. Sickly sweet.

"Yes, master?"

"Show them Jacob Black's room, will you?"

"Follow me," Jane said to us, her childish voice a monotone. She turned her back on us and drifted silently out of the room.

We followed her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: - Hey folks, sorry it took so much time. Really. But gonna finish this, then stick to one-shots, okay? Sorry that there was no War scene, but I didn't have the heart to write one. You would have chucked rotten tomatoes at me. Hell, I would have chucked rotten tomatoes at me :)

Maybe, if I had a written version of the Newborn War in the 'Eclipse movie'…I could have tweaked it a bit and…

Nah!

I think Aro's chicken when it comes to actual war. Don't you? Plus, I didn't want Marcus hurt, cause he hasn't done anything directly against the Olympic Coven. So… er, I rest my case.

Review? PURRRRRLEASEEEEEEE? Virtual Hugs and kisses to any girl who reviews. A shiny new silver Volvo to all those who review. French kisses to any of the twilight cast and crew that reviews ;D