"They're coming."

Everyone stilled, and then all at once everyone was moving. The Pack started running out of the house, shift and phasing mid stride. Howls filled the air as the Pack converged on their Alpha's home. In the distance more howls, new howls joined in. The Pack had grown again.

Hillary stood clutching Caleb to her chest and trembled. She fought back tears and the terror that was rising in her. How had it come to this? How had things gotten to this point? She couldn't understand what would drive someone to cause such pain and distress to others.

Jake returned to her side and drew her and his son to his chest. Leaning down he gently kissed his child before capturing Hillary's lips in a kiss that left her breathless and wanting. He poured everything he felt for her in that one kiss and rested his forehead on hers as he drew back.

"Please stay here," he implored. "I couldn't survive if anything happened to you."

"Jake," she cut him off. "How can you ask that of me? How will I be able to survive without you? How can you expect me to just sit back here and wait for them to come for me?"

Closing his eyes in pain, Jake nodded and signaled the Pack to move. Part of the Pack would be guarding the Elders and imprints at a central location. Another part of the Pack would be Patrolling the tribe, while the rest would stand and face the Volturi. The Cullens and their allies were on their way, hoping to meet up with the Pack just outside the edge of town in a clearing facing east.

Hillary held Caleb to her and looked at Jake in panic. They knew that there was nothing that they could do to stop what was coming. Hillary instinctively knew that she could not run, she could not hide from this. She knew that the Pack would do everything they could to save and protect their people, but the Cullens explained the Volturi to them in great length.

Carlisle stepped forward with his coven and the Denalis as well as others that had come to stand witness to protect the Pack and Quileute people. Hillary wished there was more time, that they had more time. With tears welling in her eyes she held he son to her chest and tried to soothe him.

A thick mist swirled towards them through the woods. Dark figures moved swiftly through the shrouded mist. They stepped through the woods, gliding towards them. The cloaked figures fanned out across the clearing facing off against the Pack and their allies. Three figures stepped ahead and one moved forward with a vicious smile that didn't meet his eyes.

"Carlisle, my dear friend," the king known as Aro cooed, "my, my you have gotten caught up in another mess it would seem. Your coven was warned when dear Isabella was turned and her daughter born that we would not accept any other mistakes on your part."

"Brother," the king known as Marcus whispered stepping forward. His hand brushed against Aro's as he looked across the clearing at us.

"You cannot be serious," Caius sneered. "They're mongrels!"

"Silence!" Marcus barked out. "It is our law to never harm or separate mates, true mates. Even though these shifters stand against us, they are either mated or destined to meet their true mates!"

"Oh dear," Aro smirked sinisterly. "It would appear that our witness, Isabella Cullen has lied."

"No!" Edward shouted in heartbreak.

"Yes," Aro hissed. "She came to us claiming that one of the shifters was hers and that he had been stolen from her. That there was a mere human that knew about us and our kind."

"Please," Edward implored.

"Silence!" Caius shouted. "If you had kept a better eye on your mate, who I highly doubt she is after her actions, then we wouldn't be in this situation. She's feral and needs to be put down."

"She is not his mate," Marcus stated firmly. "Young Edward needs to learn the difference between being drawn to someone because of their blood and being drawn by the mating pull. Carlisle, you have much to answer for."

"Are there any truly mate pairs in the Cullen coven?" Aro mused with a smirk.

"Carlisle and Esme, as well as Rosalie and Emmet, but the others are not mates," Marcus said in a firm and final tone.

"No!" Alice hissed. "I saw him, he's mine!"

Jasper stared at his wife and companion and stepped away from her. He knew that there was something off with their relationship, something lacking, but he had always thought that perhaps it was him because of his past. He looked over to where his brother Peter and his mate Charlotte were standing and slowly walked over to them. They had been trying to tell him for years that Alice was not his mate. He did not want to believe them because she had saved him in so many ways. The betrayal hurt, looking down he fingered the bracelet with the Cullen crest on it and tore it off his wrist and threw it at Carlisle's feet. With that action Jasper Hale died and Jasper Whitlock resurfaced and was reborn.

Edward looked over at his wife in horror. Glancing down at his daughter, he nodded to Marcus and held Renesmee. He tucked his daughter's face into his side and closed his eyes as two of the Guard dragged Isabella screaming to the front.

"For your lies and deception you are deemed guilty," Aro said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Punishment for this and your other crimes is death."

Isabella Cullen was frothing at the mouth with venom dribbling down her chin. She snarled and fought to get away as she was torn apart in front of all their eyes. Jacob held Hillary to his side and tried to shield her and his son. The rest of the Pack shifted restlessly. They knew that this wasn't so simple and could not be over.

"We bear you no ill will shifters," Marcus said softly. "You are not Children of the Moon and for that we will not harm you."

"You cannot be serious!" Caius hissed. "They are our enemies, wolves!"

"Peace, brother," Aro stated silkily. "We will leave them. They have only protected their people and families. They have kept the secret of our kind, even I can see that. Besides we cannot risk open war with the shifters. Although…" his voice trailed off. "Might I see?" he asked holding his hand out to Jacob.

"Jacob," Carlisle addressed, "he would like to touch your hand to read you."

Jake stood and gently pushed Hillary and Caleb to Leah, where she was immediately surrounded by the Pack. He walked towards the vampires striding purposefully and proudly forward. The vampires shifted uncomfortably as he met Aro in the center of the clearing.

"Remarkable, simply remarkable," Aro said in delight. "Brothers, they fully keep control of their minds when they shift. They can speak to one another in their mind when they're in their wolf form. Their mates are as our mates are to us. Such strength, such courage. True warriors."

The Pack shifted uncomfortably having their secrets shared to freely. Jacob took his hand back and slowly backed away from Aro and returned to Hillary's side. Aro murmured to his brothers and fellow vampires as they looked across the clearing towards the Pack and their allies.

Hillary sagged against Jacob and Caleb cooed at him. The Cullens and their allies stood beside the Pack and glances towards the Volturi. While the Pack was exempt from retaliation, their fate wasn't decided yet.

"For the crimes of the Cullen family, Edward and his charming daughter, as well as Alice will accompany us to Italy." Aro stated firmly. "The will be assigned positions within the Guard for no less than a century and given instruction on vampire etiquette and society. I invite the rest of the family to accompany us. There is much you need to learn in the way of our kind. I'm disappointed in you Carlisle."

Jasper stood beside Peter and Charlotte and looked towards the Cullens who turned to follow after the Volturi. He stood still and watched them beginning to walk away, ignoring their pleading looks.

"Alice," he called out. "I'll be sending divorce papers just as a formality. In case you hadn't seen or were wondering we're done."

His expression was blank as he watched her nod and her face crumble in grief as she was dragged away. She would face her fate and punishment for her actions alone. He turned towards the Pack and nodded at them before turning towards Forks with his own Coven. The other vampires that had come to their aid also nodded to the Pack and turned to leave.

Jacob called out to them, "If you ever have need of us you only have to ask. We won't forget what you did for us!"

The vampires turned and gave slight smiles and nodded before blurring away. The Pack stood still and watched as the vampires, both friend and foe disappeared from sight. Many stayed in their wolf forms, unsure of what would come next. Jake held Hillary against his chest and dropped a kiss on her brow.

"Paul! Embry! Take four of the newer members of the Pack and run a perimeter. Brady and Collin patrol the beach with two. Quil and Seth, take two and follow the Volturi at a distance, do not engage them or antagonize them." Jake barked out orders. "Hillary, love, please go with Leah and get Caleb home. I'll meet you there as soon as we're sure the danger has truly passed."

Hillary could see how stressed he was. She leaned up and kissed the underside of his jaw and slipped out of his grasp to follow Leah. She was flanked on each side and walked in a protective circle towards her home. At her house the rest of the imprints were waiting with the Elders. She went upstairs to change Caleb and brought him back downstairs. She handed him to Leah who took him to feed him. Hillary start moving about her kitchen and working in tandem with the other imprints to get a large meal prepared for the Pack. A few hours had passed when they began returning in groups of twos and threes. They ate quietly before they returned out to their patrols. Jake had told them that there would be increased patrols for the near future to make sure that the threat had indeed passed.

Standing at her sink looking out the window towards their backyard, Hillary washed the dishes by hand. Though they had a dishwasher, the act soothed her frayed nerves. Jake had stopped in briefly before returning to patrolling and meeting with the Elders.

Muscled hot arms wrapped around her waist, startling her from her thoughts. She was pulled back against the familiar form of her husband and mate. She shivered as she felt him nuzzle in the crook of her neck, nipping her lightly and chuckling deeply at her reaction.

"I take it you're in for the night?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he murmured into her shoulder. "We've set up a rotating schedule. Sorry it took so long, we've now got close to thirty pack members and some of them needed a little more guidance than others."

Jake turned her and pulled her flush against his chest. He looked down at her through hooded eyes before he slanted his mouth over her own, caging her in against the sink. It was desperate and needy, aching and urgent. They both moaned and were lost in the kiss.

A clearing throat interrupted them causing Jake to turn snarling. Quil stood with his hands up looking very uncomfortable. Jake sighed and pulled back from his wife.

"Report," Jake ground out.

"There are no new scents and the Volturi appear to have left the area," Quil said strongly. "We followed them to the airport in Port Angeles. They've left."

Jake relaxed visibly. "Thank you Quil. Sorry, man."

Quil smirked and winked. "No worries man, I'll just leave now and tell the others not to stop in unless they want their lungs ripped out, shall I?"

Hillary blushed, but laughed. "I know that I would be grateful if you relayed that message," she said sauntering past her husband towards the stairs. "I'll be giving Caleb a bath and putting him down for the night while you finish up."

Jake watched her go and had to shake himself to focus on his pack mate. Turning to his friend he found him grinning knowingly. Rolling his eyes Jake walked with him towards the door.

"We're certain it's clear?" Jake asked quietly.

"All clear, Jake," Quil said surely. "We've got the newer members staying phased for the time being. We're all too on edge to be able to get them to phase back. We'll all take turns rotating in and training them."

Jake nodded looking out towards the forest from his back porch. "There's never been a Pack this large before. I fear what it may mean for our people and our future."

"We're all concerned about that," Quil said softly. "Perhaps with so many vampires in the area the change was triggered for so many."

"We will have to wait and see," Jake mused. "For the near future we change nothing and keep on alert. I don't fully trust the Volturi."

Quil nodded and turned towards the forest. He shifted and took off into the night. The events of the day had been life altering in many ways. With so many pack members, the tribe now knew about who and what they were. There was no way to keep it a secret with so many of them phasing.

Sighing softly he turned back towards his house. He could hear Hillary upstairs getting Caleb dressed from his bath. His heart felt so full of love for his wife and son. He didn't know what he would have done if things had gone wrong today. Shutting the door securely behind him he made his way upstairs to help tuck in his son.

Entering Caleb's room he found his wife leaning over Caleb on the changing table. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on her shoulder looking down at their son. He reached down and ran a finger down his son's cheek and whispered softly to him in Quileute. They walked him over to his crib and tucked him in and switched on his nightlight.

Entering their bedroom, Jake gently shut their door as Hillary walked over to turn on the monitor. Jake crossed the room and pulled her to him. Fisting his hand in her hair he took her mouth in a deep kiss, pulling her flush against him. He groaned against her mouth feeling her soft curves as she shifted against him, into him.

"Please," she whispered softly. "Please, Jake."

Jake lifted her in his arms and gently tossed her onto the center of their bed. He followed her and began tugging her clothes off. Urgent and frantic hands caressed and stroked heated skin. They drove each other to the brink and over throughout the night. Both needed the contact and release. Later in the early morning hours Hillary slept deeply in Jacob's arms. He lay there looking down at his imprint and leaned down to breathe in her scent.

Nothing they had ever heard or trained for could have prepared them for what had happened the day before. He knew that had a battle erupted, there was a significant probability that their entire tribe would have been wiped out. While the Pack would have fought with their last breath, he didn't delude himself to believe that they were better than vampires that had been around for centuries or in some cases millennia.

It could have gone very wrong and he could have lost her. He could have lost his son. His eyes stung and his throat clogged at the thought. Clutching Hillary closer to his chest he tried to let sleep take him.

The following days and weeks passed quickly for the Pack. In that time the tribe was made aware of the Pack and sworn to secrecy. The entire tribe was on edge and more alert than it had been in decades. They were weary of outsiders, more now than ever. However, there was a positive side to the secret being out in the open. The Pack was now being fully supported by their tribe. With thirty of their young men and Leah phasing, they rallied to make sure that life for the Pack went smoothly.

The rest of the tribe began to train with the Pack in their spare time. No one deluded themselves that they would be able to hold their own against a Cold One, but if they know how to hold one off long enough or to do enough damage to help the Pack it would be worth it.

Hillary worked part time in the office and part time from home with Caleb. As the weeks and months passed, she found that she was once again pregnant. While she was nervous to have children so close in age to one another, she was thrilled to share the news of their growing family. Jacob was elated and couldn't contain himself.

No new Pack members phased but the thirty that did phase continued to do so. Sam still phased part time even though he and Emily married and were expecting a child of their own. It was decided that they could not afford to stop phasing with the looming threat of the Volturi. Johnny H. contacted them soon after the confrontation and warned them that though all was quiet they needed to remain vigilant. He offered the assistance of the other shifters should there be another direct threat to the tribe and Pack.

Carlisle Cullen contacted them a year after the confrontation and assured them that they were safe, but it did little to relieve their anticipation of a possible threat from the Volturi. He told them that his family would be staying with the Volturi for the next century and after he would send word to the tribe. His family still made significant deposits to the accounts that were established for the Pack and tribe, much to the chagrin of the Elders.

Life settled into a routine, though everyone lived on edge, the lived. Pack members met imprints as time passed and families were started. Life went on, but they never stopped watching and waiting. They stood ready to defend their families, homes, and tribe from any Cold Ones. They expanded their patrol routes out beyond the reservation and Forks into the surrounding areas and territories. From time to time they would cross paths with Cold Ones. They left the Golden Eyes and their allies alone, but decimated any that posed a threat to the innocents of the world.

Jacob embraced Hillary from behind watching his sons and daughters running around their backyard playing with the other pack children. Here they were a decade after the Volturi had come to La Push and life was good. The tribe was thriving and flourishing under the guidance of Hillary. The Pack was successful in their business ventures.

"Do you think you'll ever be able to stop phasing?" Hillary whispered softly, smiling as Caleb held the hand of his youngest sister, Sarah.

"One day," Jacob replied. "One day we will find peace again."

He leaned down and kissed the nape of her neck. Jacob breathed in her scent and thanked his ancestors and the spirits for blessing him with Hillary in his life. She made life worth living and fighting for. She blessed him with four sons and three daughters and so much love and happiness that it took his breath away.

Thinking back to that day all those years ago he swallowed thickly. Closing his eyes he thanked God that she returned. He had been horrible to her and couldn't blame her for fleeing. Hillary may have walked away, but she had returned and with her she brought everything that he had ever wanted in life.

Shrieking laughter drew him from his thoughts. Jacob looked out as his children raced around the yard playing with the large group of children assembled. Today they were gathering and celebrating the day the Volturi left in a peaceful confrontation. They were celebrating the day that they survived.

"Come," Jake said tugging Hillary into the yard. "Let's get everyone gathered around the bonfire. Dad wanted to tell the legends to the kids as a treat."

Hillary laughed and followed him, calling to the kids. She turned and her heart stuttered seeing the look of love and heat Jake was giving her. Even after all these years he still had the ability to leave her weak in the knees. Laughing she gathered her brood and led them to where their grandfather was sitting. She grinned at Billy as he basked in the attention of all the children. Jacob and his sisters had given Billy fourteen grandchildren between them. The Pack had on average three children each, causing a bit of a baby boom within the tribe.

Hillary snuggled into Jake's side and watched her children looking to their grandfather in rapt attention. She knew how luck and blessed they were. Looking over she met the eye of Alani who grinned from beside Embry. She met the eyes of each of the imprints, even David, Leah's surprise imprint. Their lives weren't perfect, but they were blessed indeed. A hush fell over the group as Billy began to speak.

"Quiletes have had a small tribe from the beginning and we have always had magic in our blood…" (Billly Black in the movie and the books not mine, but important to know and remember.)

The Pack and imprints listened and watch their children learn of the legends of their people. Time passed and in the twilight of the night, the next generation of Protectors learned of their heritage. Their parents and Elders prayed that there wouldn't be a need for them to phase, but life and the future was uncertain. With that said there was no turning back, this is who and what they were. No matter what the future held, they would always be ready and stand guard, it was in their blood and their duty.