A/N: This has so NOT been sitting in my laptop for actual months. At all. The ridiculous thing is that you're in for a double update tonight (triple, if you happen to read Seventh Year) and TwentySix was actually finished weeks ago. All I can do is apologise profusely.
Disclaimer: They'd never make a movie out of mine, would they?
I knew that the Cullens operated like clockwork, so it was no great surprise to me when Alice appeared at nine o' clock, precisely to the second, and tapped brightly on the front door. A feeling of foreboding that had been fermenting in my stomach all day increased exponentially, but I still managed to look my mom and Nick in the eye, smile at them, and chime at them that I wouldn't be home too late the next day. They both hugged me, before turning their attention back to a rerun of Grey's Anatomy. I don't know what I'd expected; tears, and wailing, and begging me not to leave were not precisely on the agenda, as they were completely oblivious to the fact that in one hours time, our local Abbey would be playing host to the Volturi, and that I would be there to greet them.
Emmett was waiting in the Jeep with Jasper, I could see Esme and Carlisle sat in the front of the Mercedes, with Bella, Nessie and Edward presumably squashed in the back. I clambered into the Jeep much less gracefully than Alice, and when all three of them had fussed sufficiently over my in-car safety, the two cars crept away sedately, neither Carlisle nor Emmett flooring the accelerator on either car until realistically out of earshot of my parents.
A light rain splattered the windshield, the frustrating sort which doesn't really necessitate the use of wipers, but which builds up annoyingly slowly.
"I have never known anyone to feel so irritated by raindrops, Kate" Jasper chuckled, simultaneously soothing my frazzled nerves. I shot a weakly grateful smile at him from the front seat, then returned my gaze squarely in front of me.
It stayed that way for the next fifteen minutes, until the Jeep rolled to a standstill in front of the Abbey car park. Despite usually being open to the public, it was completely deserted, primarily on account of it being after nine at night, and also because of the building work that was being done on it.
Entrance, however, was unproblematic, as Carlisle pulled an ornate looking key from his trouser pocket, and slid it into the equally decorative lock that adorned the great wooden doors. They opened soundlessly, a marvellous feat for a building so ancient, and he disappeared inside, to disable some of the more modern features of the English heritage property; security. He was gone barely a minute, before he opened the doors wider, and beckoned us in.
Renesmee skipped through the doors first, seemingly unfazed by the events that were about to unfold.
Edward indicated for Emmett and I to follow her, which we did, his hand clutched tightly in mine, until it seemed almost warm.
Alice and Jasper entered next, the look of concentration etched into both their faces easy to read; both looking out for impending signs of danger.
Esme's determined face then met the interior of the Abbey, before Edward and Bella brought up the rear, closing the door gently behind them.
Entry by door was not strictly necessary, of course, the windows of the Abbey, and its roof were no more, it was little more than a ruin.
The cliché would have been complete if only there had been a clear sky and a full moon, instead of the patchy clouds that loitered in the sky, and produced such pathetic drizzle.
The terrifying screech of an owl would probably have been appropriate too.
"Why are we here so early?" Nessie grumbled, exploring the ruins in her immediate vicinity with little interest.
"To get ourselves in the right frame of mind" her mother answered, keeping her eyes trained on her daughter.
"And one is never late to an appointment with the Volturi" Edward continued, his eyes scanning the ruined Abbey. "Yes, Jasper" he concurred, "It is a good open space, but that does rather leave the question of where to put Kate, should the need arise."
"The need shan't arise, Edward" Alice predicted, indicating us with a deft flick of her head, "You'll just worry them unnecessarily."
"Of course, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Edward apologised hastily, touching Emmett on the shoulder. "Less than an hour, and it'll all be over."
The waiting part was excruciating. You'd have thought that I'd have gotten used to it by then, but my impatience was almost as great as when I'd been waiting for Emmett to return to me.
I mostly passed the time with Nessie, who was not at all preoccupied by the Volturi's summons. Instead, she was a private cinema to me, showing me all the places she'd visited, the things that had happened in her life.
I loved her almost as much as I loved Emmett, during those moments in the Abbey.
An entirely different type of love, the protective sort, but it reminded me that I'd never look at a beautiful child like her and call her my own.
No matter though, I was willing to sacrifice absolutely anything for Emmett.
"Selfless, to a fault" Edward remarked, watching over his daughter and I, as a shepherd watches over his flock.
He was wrong, it was far from selflessness.
It was quite possibly the absolute opposite; I would never be willing to relinquish Emmett to any other woman, I wanted him to love only me.
Before Edward could comment on this latest thought of mine, Jasper stood up from his position beside Alice, and announced, "They're here."
Unlike us, who had used the door for entry, the Volturi appeared, one by one, in the empty windows of the desolate Abbey.
"Aro" Carlisle greeted the vampire I knew to be the true leader, from the Cullens' stories, and Nessie's memories, "A pleasure, my old friend."
"The pleasure is all mine" Aro returned, a genuine warmth in his voice, "And thank you for so kindly having us all."
He gestured around him, to his phenomenally frightening looking companions. None of them gave any greeting, but Aro continued to greet each and every member of the Cullen clan, fawning particularly on Renesmee, whom he referred to as 'that miracle of beauty and wonder.' He doted on her almost like a grandfather treats a favourite grandchild, and she beamed and giggled with him until Caius coughed audibly,
"This was not a social visit, Aro" he reminded his companion, his voice every bit as hard as the stones that formed the ruin we stood in.
"There is no reason why I shouldn't rejoice in the company of old friends long missed" Aro defended himself, gently patting Nessie on the head, and then stepping back. "But, if Caius insists-"
Here, he stopped, and I felt his gaze turn to me, and then the gazes of the whole Volturi guard, and then too the eyes of all the Cullens, until I could barely stand the attention.
"Katherine?" Despite the questioning tone in Aro's voice, he knew precisely who I was, not least because Demetri was with him, and we'd already met.
"Yes, I'm Katherine" I replied, determined to keep the fear that was in my heart out of my voice.
"Explain to me, my child" he demanded, the silky smooth note in his voice like a good quality Rioja, "What precisely you know about our kind?"
I hesitated for quite a few seconds, unsure of where to begin, or what to say, before Emmett nudged me gently.
"Well, sir-" I began, only to be cut off almost immediately by Aro.
"No, no, child, this will not do at all. I am not 'sir', not to a pretty young thing such as yourself. Please, just Aro."
"Well," I repeated, omitting his name, since I thought it'd probably leave a nasty taste in my mouth, "All of you are vampires, except Renesmee, she's half. The Cullens only hunt animals, whilst I'm led to believe that you follow a more traditional diet. Carlisle is about four centuries old, Jasper the next oldest, everybody else is much younger. You all live in Italy, and your main purpose is to ensure that nobody discovers the existence of vampires."
I stopped here, not sure what else I needed to say.
"Too much" Caius finally rasped, "She knows too much."
Aro touched the other elder, the one I knew to be Marcus, who had yet to speak. "Interesting" he murmured, "My dear, they would fight to the death for you. Which is a terrible shame, it is never particularly nice to have to annihilate friends on account of a human."
And then everything was a blur, as Emmett flew from beside me, pushing me back into Bella's embrace, where I knew my protection would be at its most complete. Jasper took up a defensive position, only to be provoked into combat by Felix, whilst my idiotic love rushed at Aro, as though he had a chance of hurting him.
"Jane."
Aro's lyrical voice had barely said the name before the dainty girl focused her attention on Emmett, who crumpled into a writhing mass on the floor.
I didn't understand, my brain wouldn't function properly, until, impossibly, I had torn myself out of Bella's vice-like grip and flung myself across the flag stoned floor of the ruins. "STOP!" My shriek was bloodcurdling, almost inhuman, and it certainly stopped Jane.
"Jane?" Aro's voice, this time, was not puzzled exactly, it was more dissatisfied.
Emmett, who had stopped writhing, was now getting back to his feet, albeit shakily, with one arm around me.
"I can't." The frustration in Jane's voice was palpable, as though she were liable to have a temper tantrum at any second.
"Don't be ridiculous" Caius snapped, anger etched into his very skin.
Edward advanced upon Aro, with no sign of trepidation, and held a hand out to him. The transference of information was almost as swift as Aro's realisation of the situation. He took a few amazed steps backwards before declaring, "Impossible. That level of power, and control? As a mortal? Simply impossible."
He made a sign at Jane, and turned towards me.
There was the slightest moment of the most intense pain imaginable, before my reflexes kicked in, and I screamed out, "Don't!"
Immediately, the pain loosened its grip on me, until it had entirely subsided, so that I could finally register the look of utter astonishment on Aro's face. Marcus, too, had an expression of disbelief. Caius, to nobody's surprise, continued to look surly.
"Katherine, I crave your forgiveness." There was a simpering quality in Aro's voice which disarmed me, and he held his arms out.
I stood, partially paralysed, simply staring at him, until Nessie nodded her head in his direction. I took a few uncertain steps towards him, until his arms embraced me, and his softly spoken words tickled my ear. "Should you ever need a home, my child, you are always welcome at my side."
The low rumbling from Emmett's chest confirmed what I already knew; Aro's whispering has been pointless, everyone could hear him anyway.
Letting me go, he turned to address Carlisle, "You'll see to it that it is taken care of with considerable haste my friend?"
"The plans are already in place" Carlisle replied sincerely, looking to Alice, who smiled cryptically.
"Then there is no longer any problem." Marcus' voice surprised me, it was the first time he'd spoken. Aro's voice was full of rhetoric, Caius' malice. But Marcus' was more like the deep rumbling of a thunderstorm, and oddly, vaguely comforting. It reminded me of the emotion people tend to experience when it's raining cats and dogs outside, and they're inside, tucked up under a blanket watching Friends reruns with tea and toast. It made me wish that he'd spoken more during our brief encounter.
"Come along, Kate" Esme chimed, bringing me back to my senses, "Time to go home."
The Volturi were leaving as they had entered, disappearing into the night sky. Alec threw me a reproachful glance, on his sister's behalf.
"You reacted faster in my vision" Alice informed me crossly, as we trooped back to the car, "You never should have had to feel that."
I didn't really mind that I had, I mused to myself, as the engine started. If Emmett had felt it, I needed to as well, because I wanted to share everything with him; the greatest joy, and even the most excruciating pain.