A/N: This story is almost at its end! This is the last chapter, but I will be posting an epilogue. Thank you for reading and double thank you for reviewing! This was my first story and it encouraged me to finish it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a little bit longer than the rest. (:

Alice had a vision that very next day about the Volturi's arrival. We were all eager for her to see something, but none of us imagined that we would be meeting them mere hours from that moment. We walked through the thick forest, no one making a sound. Jasper was fidgety, no doubt from feeling the nerves of the twenty-eight other vampires around him. Our original number was thirty-one, but we thought it best that Irina stay back with protection of Vladmir and Stefan, who were always a little too ready for a fight. Senna and Zafrina had arrive that morning, too, giving us a little bit more of an advantage.

We did not have to wait long after we made it to the clearing in which Alice saw our meeting. Within minutes dark, graceful figures glided out of the trees on the other side, stopping just near enough to us that we could make out the facial features of our opponents. I recognized the leaders immediately, not only from their position, but from the stories I had heard over the years from different vampires who had met them. I reached out to hold Jasper's hand as I waited for someone to make a move from either side. Aro was clearly intending to conduct the meeting, as he had stepped slightly forward from the rest, with a guard flanking each side, of course.

"My friends, what a large gathering you have here. I am trying to believe that you are not looking for a fight, but I'm afraid I'm having a difficult time coming to that conclusion." Aro looked back and forth across our group. We were counting on the Volturi being surprised at our numbers. This was good.

"Aro, with respect, I understand what this must look like," Eleazar started, representing our side, "However, what you see is only a gathering of vampires that believe our Irina would never attempt to trick you or waste your time." I risked a glance up at Jasper, desperately wanting to know how Aro was feeling. What I saw was unexpected as my mate wore an expression of confusion and hope combined. Generally, he was very good at masking his own emotions.

"Ah, yes." Aro nodded, "Where is your dear Irina, Eleazar?" I could almost feel every single one of us stiffen at his question. He had to know how unlikely it was that we would tell him the truth.

"You must understand that we did not feel as though it would be her best decision to be here with us today. She has left for a short while as we come to a conclusion on this situation." Eleazar lied easily, making me wonder if he had practiced what he would say to the leaders of the Vampire world.

"I see your logic; however, I would have loved to speak with her. That is, of course, the only reason we came here today all the way from Italy." Aro smirked, turning to his court, "It seems we may have wasted our time once again dear ones." This statement was followed by small, irritated growls and hisses.

"You seem to have brought quite the following for simply a visit with Irina." I was surprised to hear Carlisle speak up like this, assuming that he would remain calm and quiet throughout the ordeal if possible.

"Yes, Carlisle, I suppose you would know that this is not normal procedure." Aro chuckled, "You must also know, then, that we do not take liars lightly. Especially when it causes us to move from the safety of Volterra for nothing of importance." His expression slid into dangerously dark territory.

It was Kate, then, that addressed the mass of black cloaks, "And what if it had been of importance? Would you have rather she ignored it and moved on if it truly were an immortal child? These people are here to show you that she is not one to embellish or lie, like you accuse."

"The vampire in question is old enough to control herself!" Caius snapped, taking a step forward to stand next to Aro, "Brother, we cannot let them get away with this. It took us a week to take the journey." I was reminded of a child throwing a fit with the way Caius was acting, and had a difficult time keeping my smile under control. Jasper must have felt it because he gave my hand a small squeeze.

Aro laid a hand on his brother's arm before speaking, "Yes, I am aware, Caius. However, we cannot go picking fights either. It would show a lack of control within ourselves which is not what we stand for, is it?" I was nervous to let myself feel relief at Aro's words, but the tension began to vacate my body all the same. "Eleazar, since your Irina is not in attendance, we would have you pass on a message to her, if you will."

Eleazar nodded quickly, "Of course."

"We do not give second chances, much less third." Aro wore a scowl on his pale, papery face, "She would do well to watch herself carefully from here on out."

"That is understood, Aro, thank you." Eleazar almost bowed at the leader, as he was much too far away for a handshake, which was exactly as we preferred it.

Without another word, the Volturi began to retreat, the guard closing in around the leaders and the wives. We waited until they were completely out of sight to begin our walk back to the Denali home. Similar to the walk we took earlier that day, everyone was completely silent. However, missing was the anxious feeling that coursed through the group with each step that we took. Instead, it was replaced by relief and happiness as we waited to tell Irina the good news.

As we approached the house, all of the vampires around us allowed themselves to smile and catch each other in a quick embrace or handshake as Irina flew out of the front door into her family's waiting arms. I heard her sob in relief as Carmen smoothed her hair and her sisters relayed what happened during the confrontation. I smiled and pulled my husband toward me, kissing him full on the lips for the first time in front of his whole family as a wave of gratitude that I did not come close to losing him took over my feelings. As I pulled back from him, a grin present on both of our faces, I noticed Edward holding one of Zafrina's hands between both of his own, speaking quickly and passionately as she laughed, placing her free hand on his shoulder. Others seemed to notice this interaction at the same time I did, and the slight roar of voices died down as we gained interest in what was being said.

"I'm completely serious, Zafrina, that was incredible! I don't think we ever would have come up with something like that, let alone figure out how to do it, and you did it all alone!" Edward's eyes were wide, waiting for her response.

"Well I couldn't go telling everyone, could I?" Her full laugh matched perfectly with her lovely accent. "What if Aro decided to touch one of you?" At this point Edward noticed the rest of us staring at the two of them and decided to clue us in.

"For those of you who don't know, Zafrina has the power to make others see whatever they want. Like an illusion or a hallucination." I looked around to see some vampires nodding in appreciation and others smiling, like Jasper and I, because they already knew. "During the meeting with the Volturi, she had the entire guard seeing double the vampires than what we actually had on our side!" Gasps and cheers immediately irrupted from the group as we all realized that Zafrina probably just saved all of our lives.

I notice that my hand had covered my mouth at some point during Edward's announcement. I let it fall back to my side as I noticed Irina sobbing again, pulling Zafrina in for a fierce hug. I leaned heavily against Jasper, feeling oddly exhausted as the build up from the past week caught up to me. I felt a kiss on my forehead as Jasper pulled us into the tree line, beginning to run as the group faded behind us. "We need to hunt, darlin', and then I'm finding some place for us to have some peace and quiet… alone."

I didn't need Jasper's gift to know what he was feeling in that moment. I was craving him, too, after a solid six days of having people around all the time when we had fifty years of just being together. Even though I was just as ready as Jasper was to be alone, I wouldn't change a single bit of what had transpired since that phone call.