Chapter 36: Intervention

A/N: I own nothing. The characters all come from much more brilliant minds than mine. I am just playing with them, the way others may play with dolls.

*****

Aro called his guard over to him rather than returning to them. Meaning that the distance between us was lessened. Edward pulled Emmett's and Bella's arms almost immediately to bring them back to us. Jacob retreated the slowest, his hackles raised and his teeth bared. If it wasn't for the fact that Renesmee grabbed his tail on the way past and pulled him with it like a leash he probably wouldn't have moved.

There was no more than fifty yards between us and them now. A distance that could be covered in less time than it takes to blink.

Caius began arguing with Aro at once. "How can you abide this infamy? Why do we stand here impotently in the face of such an outrageous crime, covered by such a ridiculous deception?" He didn't touch Aro to share his question, which told me this was likely to be either a ruse or a division in the ranks. Only time, and words, would tell which.

"Because it's all true," Aro told him calmly. "Every word of it. See how many witnesses stand ready to give evidence that they have seen this miraculous child grow and mature in just the short time they've known her. That they have felt the warmth of the blood that pulses in her veins."

The mention of the word witnesses seemed to make Caius nervous. The witnesses they had bought with them were no longer a frenzied, angry mob but rather a confused gathering. Murmurs and mutterings filled the air as they discussed what they had seen. Caius inspected them and frowned, seeming deep in thought.

"The werewolves," he finally murmured.

"Ah, brother..." Aro answered Caius words with a pained expression.

"Would you defend that alliance, too, Aro?" Caius demanded. "The Children of the Moon have been out bitter enemies from the dawn of time. We have hunted them to near extinction in Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle encourages a familiar relationship with this enormous infestation – no doubt in an attempt to overthrow us. The better to protect his warped lifestyle."

Edward cleared his throat and drew Caius' attention.

"Caius, it's the middle of the day," Edward pointed out. "These are not Children of the Moon, clearly. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world."

"You breed mutants here," Caius spat back at him.

Edward seemed to set his jaw a few times before he answered in that tone filled with a calm that belied his panic, "They aren't even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it if you don't believe me."

Aro murmured in response, "Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me your thoughts. Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shape-shifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made." I could hear the Doctor's words in his speech. "These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. It's genetic – they do not continue their specifies by infecting others the way true werewolves do."

Caius looked at Aro incredulously, but I still wondered if this was an act or a genuine discussion. "They know our secret," he said flatly.

Aro spoke quickly, before any of us could answer, "They are creatures of our supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon our secrecy that we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere."

I could see the meaningful look they shared. Combined with the words Aro and chosen I knew what he meant. He wanted me dead and the rest of my family either dead or collected but had to continue to charade so the witnesses wouldn't retaliate against him until it was too late.

Caius turned abruptly aware from Aro and towards Irina. "I want to talk to the informant."

Irina was staring at her sisters, Tanya and Kate, with a look of horror in her eyes. She could see that her accusations had been false and that they would now be used and twisted to destroy the rest of her family.

"Irina." Caius barked, his voice cruel. He was obviously unhappy that he had to address her. I wanted to protect Irina, had known her for long enough to count her as a dear friend, as family, but to step away from our line towards her now would end in punishment. Irina slowly moved towards Caius as he snapped her fingers at her as if calling a dog.

"So you appear to have been quite mistaken in your allegations," Caius began.

I heard movement behind me, I looked briefly, Tanya and Kate were leaning forward – their desire to protect so much stronger than even mine.

"I'm sorry," Irina whispered, she turned her head marginally and met my eye. "I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea..." She gestured towards Renesmee, unable to complete her sentence.

"Dear Caius, could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible?" Aro asked. "Any of us would have made the same assumption."

Caius silenced Aro with a hand gesture.

"We all know you made a mistake," he said harshly. "I meant to speak of your motivations."

Irina looked nervously from Caius to us and then whispered, "My motivations?"

"Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place."

Irina flinched back and looked quickly in our direction at the word spy.

"You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?"

She looked openly into my face and met my eyes, hers were filled with regret and sorrow. "I was," she admitted.

"Because..." Caius prompted. I wished I could see what the reasoning behind his questions was. All I knew was that he was trying to find a new line of accusation.

"Because the werewolves killed my friend," she whispered. "And the Cullens wouldn't stand aside to let me avenge him."

"The shape-shifters," Aro corrected quietly, looking over at the wolves again with a slightly wistful expression, no doubt still idly fantasizing about guard-dogs.

"So the Cullens sided with the shape-shifters against our own kind – against the friend of a friend, even," Caius summarized. Edward's reaction to his words was what I expected and confirmed it was almost like Caius had a long checklist in his mind and was running through the accusations one by one to see what he could make stick.

"That's how I saw it." Irina's shoulders stiffened and a new resolved crossed onto her face. I realised if Caius continued down this path he would not find the result he desired. But I think he had underestimated the bonds of family and friendship that we could develop when we didn't allow ourselves to become slaves to the lust for blood and power.

"If you'd like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shifters – and the Cullens for supporting their actions – now would be the time." Caius hadn't noticed the shift in her mood, or perhaps thought her desire for revenge was stronger than it was.

"No, I have no complaint against the wolves, or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy and immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here." She turned to look at me again, "I'm so sorry." She turned towards the Volturi witnesses, "There was no crime. There's no valid reason for you to continue here."

Caius raised his hand and I recognised the signal. I was frozen in horror for one fraction of a second and it was too late. By the time any of us could stop it, it was already over. Three Volturi guards surrounded Irina, a horrific keening sound filled the clearing and then flames leapt into the air. By the time the guards fell back into line there was nothing but a sudden inferno where Irina had once stood.

A gasp came from the Volturi's witnesses at the swift and deadly nature of the attack.

Caius looked down our line before finding Kate and Tanya, "Now she has taken responsibility for her actions."

I realised I was wrong. He'd never underestimated the bonds of family. He was using those bonds to extract a reason for revenge, an excuse to attack. He'd used a feeble excuse to punish her, hoping to ignite the powder keg of tension that was brewing on both sides.

Everything was so strained the slightly violent act could set off the violence. Which would escalate then until the one side was annihilated. And there was no doubt that would be our side. Caius knew this. And so did Edward.

"Stop them!" Edward cried out, jumping to grab Tanya's arm as she tried to charge past him, a primal scream issuing from her throat. She tried to shake Edward off and I tried to help by snaking my arms around her waist.

"It's too to help her," I reasoned to her urgently as she struggled to break loose. "Don't give him what he wants!"

I heard a struggle behind me as everyone worked to contain Kate, but her ability to give people a shock making it difficult for anyone to get hold of her and, more importantly, to keep hold of her. I saw Garrett throw himself on top of her, his body rocking with spasms from the shocks that Kate was sending into him. His eyes rolled back and he issued small whines but he kept his arms tightly around her.

"Zafrina," Edward shouted.

Kate's eyes went blank and her screams turned to moans. Tanya stopped struggling against me.

"Give me my sight back," Tanya hissed.

At no specific sign, with no apparently reason Garrett's senses seemed to return to him. He whispered into Kate's ear, "It I let you up, will you knock me down again, Katie?"

She snarled in response, thrashing madly at blindly, but seemingly no longer shocking him.

"Listen to me, Tanya, Kate," I said as quietly as I could while keeping my tone authoritive and urgent, "Vengeance doesn't help her now. Irina wouldn't want you to waste your lives this way. Think about what you're doing. If you attack them, we all die."

Tanya's shoulders hunched and she leaned against me. Kate finally stilled beneath Garrett. I kept my arms around Tanya, but now in a supportive gesture. I continued to whisper urgently to her to try to keep her calm. I couldn't even pay attention to the rest of the line or what the Volturi were up to now.

Finally I heard the murmurs growing from the witnesses the Volturi had bought to the clearing. They were still unaware that their death warrants had been signed as effectively as ours now. There was nothing that would stop the Volturi sending Demetri to hunt down every last one of them.

Aro touched Caius's shoulder softly, as he opened his mouth I could see his mind working to find an excuse for the slaughter of Irina. "Irina has been punished for bearing false witness against this child. Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand."

Aro swept forward towards our line, Renata, Felix and Demetri shifting with him automatically. "Just to be thorough," he said, "I'd like to speak with a few of your witnesses. Procedure, you know."

I saw Edward hiss, his hands balling up into tight fists. I glanced at his face and the anger and concern tracing his face made me worry. Aro had obviously decided a better strategy while Caius blundered through his false accusations. And it was obviously enough to concern Edward. And if it involved our witnesses I could only imagine it had something to do with our most reluctant visitors.

My suspicions were confirmed when Aro traced along our line until he hit Amun and Kebi. The wolves around them bristled but held, their hackles still raised.

"Ah, Amun, my southern neighbour!" Aro said with false warmth and sincerity. "It has been so long since you've visited me."

Amun and Kebi were both statues as Aro addressed them.

"Time means little; I never notice its passing," Amun said quietly without shifting his position at all.

"So true," Aro agreed. "But maybe you had another reason to stay away?"

Amun remained silent and still.

"It can be terribly time-consuming to organise newcomers into a coven. I know that well! I'm grateful I have others to deal with the tedium. I'm glad your new additions have fit in so well. I would have loved to have been introduced. I'm sure you were meaning to come to see me soon."

"Of course," Amun said, his tone completely neutral. Only Edward would know the truth or otherwise of his words.

"Oh well, we're all together now! Isn't that lovely?"

Amun nodded, his face black and the rest of his body still locked in place.

"But the reason for your presence here is not as pleasant, unfortunately. Carlisle called on you to witness?"

"Yes."

"And what did you witness for him?"

Amun continued, his voice still impassive, "I've observed the child in question. It was evident almost immediately that she was not an immortal child - "

"Perhaps we should define our terminology," Aro interrupted, "now that there seems to be new classifications. By immortal child, you mean of course a human child who had been bitten and thus transformed into a vampire."

"Yes, that's what I meant."

"What else did you observe about the child?"

"The same things that you surely saw in Edward's mind. That the child is his biologically. That she grows. The she learns."

"Yes, yes," Aro said, a strong undercurrent of impatience in his tone. "But specifically in your few weeks here, what did you see?"

Amun seemed confused by the question. "That she grows...quickly."

Aro smiled. "And do you believe that she should be allowed to live?"

A hiss erupted from over half the vampires in our line, and a low growl issued from Jacob.

Aro acted as if the noise had never happened, but Amun looked down our line apprehensively. "I did not come to make judgments."

Aro laughed lightly. "Just your opinion."

Amun's chin rose slightly, "I see no danger in the child. She learns even more swiftly than she grows."

Aro nodded, his mind working in overdrive again and then he turned away.

"Aro?" Amun called.

Aro spun back around, "Yes, friend?"

"I gave my witness. I have no more business here. My mate and I would like to take our leave now."

Aro smiled warmly. "Of course. I'm so glad we were able to chat for a bit. And I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

The threat that was thinly veiled in Aro's words did not escape Amun's attention. He nodded once in acknowledgement, then he touched Kebi's arm and the two of them were running.

Aro didn't pay them any more attention as he walked back down our line, his guards shadowing him completely. He stopped in front of Siobhan of the Irish coven.

"Hello, dear Siobhan. You are as lovely as ever."

Siobhan looked at him but didn't respond.

"And you?" Aro asked eventually. "Would you answer my questions the same way Amun has?"

"I would," Siobhan said. "But I would perhaps add a little more. Renesmee understands the limitations. She's no danger to humans – she blends in better than we do. She poses no threat of exposure."

"Can you think of none?" Aro asked, his voice mockingly solemn.

Edward growled, drawing my attention to him. His growl was long and ripped repeatedly from his throat.

Siobhan's tone was cautious as she answered, "I don't think I follow you."

Aro drifted back to the rest of the Volturi guard, Renata, Felix and Demetri following closely behind – blocking him from any direct attack.

"There is no broken law," Aro said in a placating voice. I knew no one was fooled – you could hear the qualification coming. I heard Bella snarling behind me.

"No broken law," Aro repeated. "However, does it follow then that there is no danger? No. That is a separate issue." He shook his head slightly as if to demonstrate his point.

The silence and tension in the atmosphere settled again. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Maggie's red curls bouncing as she shook her head to his words.

"She is unique.... utterly, impossibly unique. Such a waste it would be, to destroy something so lovely. Especially when we could learn so much..." He sighed, his act fooling no-one in our line. "But there is danger, danger that cannot simply be ignored. How ironic it is that as the humans advance, as their faith in science grows and controls their world, the more free we are from discovery. Yet, as we become ever more uninhibited by their disbelief in the supernatural, they become strong enough in their technologies that, if they wished, they could actually post a threat to us, even destroy some of us."

I could feel his eyes boring into me. He knew of Jack, of the guns that Jack owned. Of the discoveries of Torchwood and no doubt of the Doctor. That I counted them as friends was no doubt weighing into his decision to press on with these false charges.

Aro continued, his eyes leaving me and sweeping around again, "For thousands of years, our secrecy has been more a matter of convenience, of ease, than of actual safety. This last raw, angry century has given birth to weapons of such power that they endanger even immortals. Now our status as mere myth in truth protects us even from these weak creatures we hunt.

"This amazing child," he lifted his hand to indicate Renesmee, "if we could but no her potential – know with absolute certainty that she could always remain shrouded within the obscurity that protects us. But we know nothing of what she will become! Her own parents are plagued by fears of her future. We cannot know what she will grow to be." He paused, looking meaningfully down our line and then along his own. It seemed he was putting on a good enough show to convince his own witnesses.

He was still looking at his own witnesses when he spoke again, "Only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable. The unknown is... a vulnerability."

"You're reaching, Aro." I hissed.

"Peace, friend." Aro smiled, his face as sickeningly kind and voice as sickeningly quiet as ever. "Let us not be hasty. Let us look at this from every side."

"May I offer a side to be considered?" Garrett called in a level tone, taking a step forward.

"Nomad," Aro acknowledged his request.

Garrett's chin lifted. He showed no fear and addressed the Volturi witnesses the same way Aro had. "I came here at Carlisle's request, as the others, to witness. That is certainly no longer necessary, with regard to the child. We all see what she is.

"I stayed to witness something else. You." He jabbed his finger towards the other witnesses. "Two of you I know – Makenna, Charles – and I can see many of you others are also wanderers, roamers like myself. Answering to none. Think carefully on what I tell you now.

"These ancient ones did not come here for justice as they told you. We suspected as much, and now it has been proved. They came, misled, but with a valid excuse for their action. Witness now as they seek flimsy excuses to continue their true mission. Witness them struggle to find a justification for their true purpose – to destroy this family here." He gestured towards myself and Tanya.

"The Volturi come to erase what they perceive as the competition. Perhaps, like me, you look at this clan's golden eyes and marvel. They are difficult to understand, it's true. But the ancient ones look and see something besides their strange choice. They see power.

"I have witnessed the bonds within this family – I say family and not coven. These strange golden-eyed ones deny their very natures. But in return have they found something worth even more, perhaps, than mere gratification of desire?"

He could have been borrowing the Doctor's voice the passion he infused in his speech.

Garrett continued, "I've made a little study of them in my time here, and it seems to me that intrinsic to this intense family binding – that which makes them possible at all – is the peaceful character of this life of sacrifice. There is no aggression here like was all saw in the large southern clans that grew and diminished so quickly in the wild feuds. There is no thought for domination. And Aro knows this better than I do."

Aro's face was impassive while Garrett delivered his passionate speech.

"Carlisle assured us all, when he told us what was coming, that he did not call us here to fight. There witnesses," - Garrett pointed to Siobhan and Liam – "agreed to give evidence, to slow the Volturi advance with their presence so that Carlisle would get the chance to present his case.

"But some of us wondered," – his eyes flashed to Elezear – "if Carlisle having truth on his side would be enough to stop the so-called justice. Are the Volturi here to protect the safety of our secrecy, or to protect their own power? Did they come to destroy an illegal creation, or a way of life? Could they be satisfied when the danger turned out to be no more than a misunderstanding? Or would they push the issue with the excuse of justice?

"We have the answers to all these questions. We heard it in Aro's lying words – we have one with a gift of knowing such things for certain – and we see it now in Caius's eager smile. Their guard is just a mindless weapon, a tool in their masters' quest for domination.

"So now there are more questions, questions that you must answer. Who rules you, nomads? Do you answer to someone's will besides your own? Are you free to choose your path, or will the Volturi decide how you will live?

"I came to witness. I stay to fight. The Volturi care nothing for the death of the child. They seek the death of our free will."

He turned his attention back to the brothers. "So come, I say! Let's hear no more lying rationalizations. Be honest in your intents as we will be honest in ours. We will defend our freedom. You will or will not attack it. Choose now, and let these witnesses see the true issues debated here."

I watched the faces of the Volturi witnesses, Garrett's words seemed to be having an effect if the expressions on their faces was to be believed. Garrett continued again, "You might consider joining us. If you think the Volturi will let you live to tell this tale, you are mistaken. We may all be destroyed but then again, maybe not. Perhaps we are on more equal footing than they know. Perhaps the Volturi have finally met their match. I promise you this, though – if we fall, so do you."

He stepped back into our line and sank into a defensive crouch.

Aro merely smiled at him. "A very pretty speech, my revolutionary friend."

Garrett remained in his crouch, "Revolutionary?" He growled, "Who am I revolting against, might I ask? Are you my king? Do you wish me to call you master, too, like your sycophantic guard?"

"Peace, Garrett," Aro said tolerantly. "I meant only to refer to your time of birth. Still a patriot, I see?"

Garrett glared back at him.

"Let us ask our witnesses," Aro suggested, "Let us hear their thoughts before we make our decision. Tell us, friends what do you think of all this? I assure you the child is not what we feared. Do we take the risk and let the child live? Do we put our world in jeopardy to preserve their family intact? Or does earnest Garrett have the right of it? Will you join them in a fight against our sudden quest for dominion?"

One black-haired woman, Makenna, gazed at Aro, "Are those our only choices? Agree with you, or fight against you?"

"Of course not, most charming Makenna," Aro said, with a look of mock-horror on his face. "You may go in peace, of course, as Amun did, even if you disagree with the council's decision."

She looked at her mate, Charles, and I saw him nod minutely.

"We did not come here for a fight." She paused, sighed and then continued, "We came here to witness. And our witness is that the condemned family is innocent. Everything that Garrett claimed is the truth."

"Ah," Aro said sadly, "I'm sorry you see us in that way. But such is the nature of our work."

"It is not what I see, but what I feel," Charles whispered, his voice high and strained. "Garrett said they have ways of knowing lies. I, too, know when I am hearing the truth, and when I am not."

He shifted himself closer and slightly in front of Makenna, waiting on Aro's reaction.

"Do not fear us, friend Charles. No doubt the patriot truly believes what he says."

I didn't miss the narrowing of Charles eyes at Aro's words.

"That is our witness," Makenna said. "We're leaving now."

She and Charles back away slowly, not turning before they were lost from view in the trees. A few other nomads followed their path. The rest of the witnesses seemed determined to stay, but the look on their faces indicated they were more interested in knowing the outcome than being involved in the fight.

"We are outnumbered, dearest ones," Aro said. "We can expect no outside help. Should we leave this question undecided to save ourselves?"

"No, master," the guard whispered in unison.

"Is the protection of our world worth perhaps the loss of some of our number?"

"Yes," the guard breathed, "We are not afraid."

Aro smiled and turned back to the elders, "Brothers, there is much to consider here."

"Let us counsel," Caius said eagerly.

"Let us counsel," Marcus repeated in a monotonous voice.

As the show continued in front of us I heard Bella turn and whisper a goodbye to Jacob. She was telling him to take Renesmee, that she'd arranged documents for them both. Then she confirmed that Alice had given her what she needed to do it – that Alice had needed it to be a secret from Edward, from Aro. It was the final nail in the coffin. But if this was going to end, I would respect Bella's wishes and ensure Renesmee remained safe. My son, my family, would live on in her.

"Is there no hope then?" I whispered.

"There is absolutely hope," Bella murmured in response, "I only know my own fate."

I knew she meant both her and Edward. There is no way she would trust Renesmee to anyone else, not even Jacob, if Edward would survive. I turned to see Esme walking towards me, she briefly stopped and touched Edward's and Bella's faces in farewell and then linked hands with me. I refused to say goodbye. She knew how I felt about her and if I said goodbye it would make it real.

"Get ready," Bella whispered, "It's starting."

"Chelsea is trying to break our bindings," Edward whispered. Eleazar had explained how quickly Chelsea could break and reform bonds, the Volturi used it to bind their guard to them. Edward continued, "But she can't find them. She can't feel us here... Are you doing that?"

Then Bella issued words that gave me a stirring of hope, "I am all over this."

I felt Edward's hand at my back, "Carlisle? Are you all right?" His voice sounded frantic and concerned.

"Yes. Why?"

"Jane," Edward answered. Then a few seconds later he whispered, "Incredible." But didn't elaborate.

"Why aren't they waiting for the decision?" Tanya hissed.

"Normal procedure," Edward answered, "They usually incapacitate those on trial so they can't escape."

Silence fell over both groups again until Jane issued a high-pitched noise that was not quite snarl, not quite scream. Everyone jumped at the sound and then she sank into a crouch but Alec caught her arm to stop her. There were some mutterings from the Romanians but I tuned them out.

Slowly a mist started to ooze across the snow towards our group. Then a rumble murmured through the ground and a gust of wind blew the snow into sudden flurries between us and the Volturi but the wind had no affect on the mist. Then a groan issued from the earth and a deep, narrow crevice opened across the middle of the clearing. Benjamin was throwing everything he had at the creeping mist and still it didn't stop. I gasped in shock when finally the mist stopped. Because it was being held back by nothing but an invisible wall. An invisible wall that could only come from one person. Bella's words echoed in my head I am all over this. Indeed she was.

"Well done, Bella!" Benjamin cheered in a low voice.

Suddenly hope filtered through the group and everyone was selecting their targets

Aro eventually spoke, "Before we vote," He began. Then he paused. "Let me remind you, whatever the council's decision, there need be no violence here."

Edward laughed darkly behind me, it was almost a snarl.

Aro glanced over at him, "It will be a regrettable waste to our kind to lose any of you. But you especially, young Edward, and your newborn mate. The Voturi would be glad to welcome many of you into our ranks. Bella, Bejamin, Zafrina, Kate. There are many choices before you. Consider them." He glanced up and down the line, waiting for the effect of Chelsea's power to become apparent – but Bella was all over it.

"Let us vote, then," he said, sounding almost reluctant to continue. I wondered if it was because he could see our true strength now, strength that we'd not even known about.

Caius spoke eagerly, "The child is an unknown quantity. There is no reason to allow such a risk to exist. It must be destroyed, along with all who protect it."

Marcus continued to look bored at everything, "I see no immediate danger. The child is safe enough for now. We can always re-evaluate later. Let us leave in peace."

"I must make the deciding voice, it seems," Aro mused.

Then I heard a sound that was music to my ears. A faint whoosing that could only accompany a blue box.

Behind me I heard Edward hiss, "Yes!"

A/N – This fight is damn long! LOL

I promise the next chapter will be the end of the Volturi fight, if I keep going now I have no idea how long this chap will be or when it would get posted.

I finally saw the first part of End of Time & wow big change of pace from Waters of Mars. Almost comic relief for the first half. I've been spoilered but there is just somthing in seeing David Tennant work his magic on screen isn't there :)

Join me on twitter if you like – send me an reply letting me know you're from FF & I'll follow you in return. I love having twitter chats with ppl :) my username is mpg82