Unknown Time Later
Forks, Washington
"Bugger," John Call cursed as he started dashing across the Forks cemetery towards his work truck while the rain poured down on him. He wrestled with his umbrella against the pouring rain and wind for several minutes before deciding it would be quicker to make a dash for the truck – umbrella be damned! He was already drenched at this stage. He collapsed the umbrella down and continued to battle against the weather as he made his way to the truck.
John had been completely caught off guard by the rain.
Though in hindsight he should have known that the brief sunlight the town had that morning would only be temporary.
He was almost at the truck when a flash of red caught his eye through the heavy downpour. He slowly came to a stop because this rain and wind was definitely not visiting weather.
"Who on earth would be visiting a grave during this downpour?" he muttered to himself.
Concerned that maybe something was wrong, John put his umbrella up and walked towards the mysterious stranger standing underneath the red umbrella.
"Ma'am?" he yelled out as he approached, "Are you okay?".
As John got closer, he was surprised by the fancy looking clothes the person was wearing. John was no fashion expert, that was his daughter's area, but he could tell that the dark maroon coat was expensive.
What surprised him most was the person's appearance. Once he was closer, he saw that the person was a teenager. A very beautiful teenager. She had dark brown eyes, flawless pale skin and shiny chocolate coloured hair.
'Is she some type of model?' he thought, temporarily stunned by her beauty.
Whoever this person was, she was definitely not a local.
Though the longer he stared at the teenager, the more he started to feel uncomfortable. Something deep down was telling him that this innocent looking teenager was dangerous. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it but something was off with this young lady.
The teenager studied him, "Can I help you sir?".
'Gosh even her voice is out of this world,' John thought to himself but a shiver went down his spine. It reenforced to him that something was off but he would feel horrible if she did need help and he didn't offer any.
"I wanted to make sure you're okay," John responded, "This weather is only going to get worse so you should head inside".
The teenager laughed softly, "Thank you for your concern. I am almost done with my visit and shall be leaving shortly".
John's gaze drifted towards the graves the young woman was in front of and he was slightly surprised by what he saw.
CHARLIE SWAN
CHARLOTTE SWAN
It had been a long time since he saw anyone visiting those graves.
"Are you family?" he asked unsure. Last time he was aware, there wasn't a Swan left in town once the police chief had passed.
A small smile appeared on the teenager's face, "You could say that".
John didn't know how to respond to that answer.
"I retraced my family tree and found these two names," the teenager further explained, almost as if she knew she was making him uncomfortable, "I wanted to pay my respects to them".
The answer put John slightly more at ease. It had become a big trend in the last few years to trace one's family tree.
"I don't know how much you were able to find about these two but Charlie Swan was the beloved police chief of Forks for many years. He even let me ride in his police car several times when I was younger," John recalled fondly, "I can't give you much information about Charlotte. My grandfather was best friends with her when he was younger before she passed away in a car accident. Despite her short life, she had a massive impact on her friends because he and Uncle Q would visit every couple of months to leave flowers".
John felt two eyes burn into him, causing every fibre of his being to start pulsing with adrenaline.
"What was your grandfather's name?" the teenager asked, her eyes piercing his.
John felt like a deer facing down a predator.
"Embry Call," John eventually, though hesitantly, responded.
"Did he and Quil live a good life?" the teenager questioned.
John frowned slightly at the strange question.
The teenager gave him what one could consider a charming smile, though it made his skin crawl even more, "In my family's belongings was a diary belonging to Charlotte Swan. She wrote highly of Embry and Quil and I feel like I owe it to her to learn more about her best friends".
John was silent.
The only sound was the pouring rain around the two.
'I don't know why but I think…she's lying,' John thought, 'Though I am a stranger so maybe she doesn't want to tell her life story straight away…I don't see what the harm is in telling her though'.
"I would say Grandpa Em and Uncle Q lived a good life," John began, "Grandpa Em met Grandma Morgs in a bar in Seattle. He said it was love at first sight for him and he was right because they were married for many, many years. They had four kids and several grandkids…though I definitely was the favourite grandchild. After Grandma Morgs passed away, Grandpa Em followed shortly afterwards".
Tears pricked at the corner of John's eyes. It had been several years since his beloved Grandpa had passed but he still missed the old man dearly.
"Uncle Q was awesome. Him and Grandpa Em would hang out often and our families got along great so we hung out often as well," John continued to recall, "Uncle Q married Aunty Claire. I know there was a bit of a controversy about it. I'm not too sure why but I think it was due to the age difference. They had two kids and five grandkids. While Uncle Q and Aunty Claire passed away several years ago, our families are still quite tight. Myself and the Ateara grandchildren pretty much catchup every single week".
The stranger's face lit up in delight at his response, "How wonderful!".
The two stood in silence for several minutes as the rain continued to pour around them. Though John noticed that the rain was starting to get heavier.
"I would recommend coming back another day Miss," John advised, "This rain is only going to get worse. Did you need a lift somewhere?".
The teenager smiled at him, "No thank you. Please take care Mr Call".
John watched as the mysterious teenager adjusted her red umbrella and walked away.
He grunted in an annoyance as his umbrella turned inside out due to the sudden gust of wind. He re-adjusted his umbrella and when he looked back to where he saw the teenager leaving…she was gone.
"You seem disturbingly happy," Jane commented as I approached her, "Find everything you were looking for?".
Jane had decided to wait at the edge of the Forks forest underneath her own red umbrella to shield her from the pouring rain. While I was initially disappointed I wasn't able to show Jane my hometown, it ended up working out quite nicely. Family was still a bit of a funny topic for Jane and I had no doubt I would not have had the enlightening conversation with Em's grandson as I did.
It was my first time returning to Forks after the passing of my dad so many years ago.
My twin had been kind enough to provide updates on my father's life until his death. I was ecstatic when he married Sue Clearwater. His radiant smile showed me all that I needed to know. His wedding photo showed me that he was at peace and had moved on for the better. Apparently, Isabella had included a family photo of everyone but my mates destroyed that before I could see it.
"A photo of your father and his bride is enough," Marcus kissed me, "There is no need to include a photo of an incomplete family".
Marcus had made the right decision in that regards.
I was devastated and heartbroken when I could not be there on such a special day for my dad. I knew myself well enough that I would not resist the urge to talk to him. The Volturi were not above the law and I would not ever put my mates in a compromising situation. My dad deserved all the happiness in the world and I would not risk that for anything!
Though I was beyond touched by a gesture he had arranged for the wedding.
"These are rather beautiful photos little swan," Aro passed me several photos. The first was a picture of my dad standing next to an empty seat in the front row of the wedding ceremony with an enlarged photo of myself from my high school graduation ceremony placed on it. I could see the tears in the corner of his eyes but he had bravely held them in for the picture. The second was a picture of him and Sue standing either side of the chair that had my photo on it. The third was Em, Q and Jacob crowding around the chair with gigantic smiles.
I felt venom start to gather in my eyes, "They included me".
Dad had been incorporated into the shapeshifter pack shortly after the Cullens left town and according to Nessie, since the Cullens were strictly not allowed anywhere near La Push, acted as a father figure to many of the shifters. He continued to spend the rest of his days being the police chief, as a dotting grandfather to Nessie and loving husband to Sue.
When he was on his death bed, I made the trip to Forks. I sat by his bedside and held his hand while I slowly saw him pass onto the next world.
"Lottie," he coughed harshly as he weakly squeezed my hand holding his, "You look exactly as I remember! Are you an angel here to take me away?".
His eyes stared into mine.
"Of course," I had no doubt that if I was human, I would be a mess of tears, "I love you dad. I missed you so much. You can rest now".
His signature rugged grin appeared on his face and he closed his eyes.
Dr Cullen had declared him dead not long after that.
Mum and Phil lived a very happy and uneventful life. She never knew of Nessie and my twin faked her death after a few years once it started to become harder to explain why she was not aging. While my twin had completely cut our mother off from her life, I made sure to get updates every few months from a Volturi spy.
She was still my mother after all.
I saw her one last time on her deathbed but unlike dad, I did not make my presence known. She had completely moved on from my death and was surrounded by her loved ones. My existence would have only caused her unnecessary grief and suffering.
Over the last few decades, the relationship between Isabella and myself had started to become quite strained. It had only become more strained once our dad had passed.
I knew from my end there was still some resentment over how she could still have dad in her life while I could not. I had come to peace with this long ago but whenever she would make comments about him or if she found it 'difficult' to see him, I was thoroughly not impressed. Combined with the very different outlooks we had about a vampire's diet and her unique opinion on how the Volturi should be run, our relationship started to seem doomed.
If not for Nessie, I had no doubts I would have nothing at all to do with the Cullens.
I think the Cullens were somewhere in Norway these days.
Much to Isabella's horror, Nessie and I had become very close. Nessie would visit the Volturi coven often and while my mates initially had kicked up a fuss (particularly Caius), she had become an honorary member of the coven. Though whenever she visited, Jacob had made the wise decision to stay in accommodation in the city. There was only so much my mates were willing to put up with.
While the friendship between Jacob and I had mended, it was not ever the same as it was in our youth.
I was a vampire and he was a shapeshifter dating my niece. Our friendship had taken a hit when he turned into a shapeshifter and cut me out of his life and the gap seemed to grow even larger once blood became my diet. We could catch up and still have some banter between us but the closeness was no longer there.
It was why the unexpected surprise of meeting one of Em's grandchildren today had been so wonderful. Jacob, for better or for worse, never told me anything about Em or Q. Whether it was to protect my feelings or try and shield me from the fact they had moved on with their lives, I would never know and I very much doubted he would ever say. While I'm sure I could have obtained the information in some manner, part of me also didn't want to overstep boundaries.
Our goodbye in the snowy field that day so many years ago would sometimes pop into my head and I wondered how they were doing. Had Q and Claire married like I thought they would? Did Em ever find his imprint? Questions I didn't realise that had been haunting me all this time had been answered.
To find out however that Em and Q had lived happy lives, particularly from a product of the result of that love, filled me with such joy. I could tell that Mr Call was uncomfortable during the duration of our conversation, likely due to his dormant shapeshifter genes, but he would never know how incredibly happy our short conversation had made me.
Even after all these years and the very small role I had played in Em's and Q's lives, our friendship had lasted long after my departure.
"Very much so," I smiled at the blonde-haired guard, "More then I could have ever hoped for. Let's return to the plane".
Jane and I put our umbrellas down and dashed the short distance to the private plane waiting at Seattle's airport.
"Welcome back your majesty," Alec bowed in greeting at the foot of the plane.
"Grazie," I smiled in response, "Let us return home. I do not miss this dreary weather".
Alec smiled slightly, which in Alec language was a beaming smile, "It is rather horrible".
I boarded the plane and greeted Abrax and Ahura before taking a seat. Alec and Jane quickly followed suit, each taking a seat opposite me.
Over my many years with the Volturi coven, the twins and I were often paired up. Our powers complimented each other, and I also knew that it eased the fear of my mates having two such powerful and experienced guards with me. While Alec had warmed up much quicker to me then Jane, I liked to think we were all friends. I would never forget the first time Jane laughed at my joke.
My mates heard nothing but that for several months.
"Give it another few years my little swan. She may even tell you a joke," Aro teased me.
That had yet to happen but I eagerly awaited the day she would feel comfortable enough to do so!
The strength of the Volturi had continued to grow and flourish under the leadership of my mates and myself. I had slowly been able to change the perception of the Volturi from ruthless leaders to fair and just leaders. We were certainly still ruthless when needed, as one coven found out the very hard way when they thought we had gone weak, but the perception that the Volturi would rule fairly had given more encouragement for vampires to report crimes. Where the messenger would have been shot, circumstances were analysed and I'd like to think fair rulings were given.
My phone started vibrating. I pulled it from my coat and was delighted to see Caius' name.
"Ma force," I greeted warmly as I answered my mobile.
"Your niece and the mutt are here," was Caius' blunt reply.
I was taken aback, "Already? I thought they weren't arriving until tomorrow".
"Hi Aunt Lottie!" Nessie's cheerful voice echoed through the phone.
I was annoyed with myself as I had hoped to be there to greet my beloved niece.
"Go away," it was evident that Caius was thoroughly unimpressed with her, "You smell disgusting".
"But Uncle C," I heard Nessie whine, "I haven't seen you in ages".
"Get better taste in men and then you can visit all you want," came Caius harsh yet very agreeable opinion. The distained looks that crossed Alec's and Jane's face showed that they agreed with my mate as well.
Not that I blamed them.
Despite all these years, I struggled to fully accept Jacob's role in my niece's life. I understood that the bond between my former best friend and my niece was the same bond I shared between my mates and there was nothing the two could do about it…though it didn't mean I liked it.
Caius, who for some unknown reason had become Nessie's favourite uncle, had become more vocal about his dislike for the shapeshifter in recent years. Had he planned 'chance' encounters between Nessie and other very respected vampires who were unmated (and in his mind the only acceptable vampire he would deem as a suitable suitor for Nessie)...he would deny it but yes, yes he had. It was almost as if he was trying to subtly show her that she could do so much better. Jacob was a shapeshifter and therefore, would never be good enough in his view for Nessie. It was actually quite sweet really. Though Caius would rather die I sensed then ever admit it aloud.
Aro and Marcus had a fantastic relationship with my niece but her relationship with Caius reminded me of a situation with a father and a dog. The father would deny ever wanting a dog but when the dog was bought into the house, the father and dog would form the greatest bond out of all the family.
"I swear I had managed to wash his scent off," I heard Nessie mutter to herself.
Caius scoffed, "You are greatly mistaken".
I chuckled at the banter between the two, "The plane is about to take off so I will be there in a few hours. I love you both".
"I love you vasílissa mou," Caius' voice was filled with warmth.
"Aw," Nessie said in the background, "That's so-".
And Caius hung up the phone.
My phone buzzed again.
This time Aro's name appeared.
"I just heard from Caius mio salvatore," I answered the phone, "The plane will be taking off shortly so I will see you soon".
Aro sighed, "Thank heavens. Our dear mate is pouting about the shapeshifter's scent being in the castle. Marcus and I decided to retreat to the sanctuary of the library to avoid the oncoming temper tantrum".
I hummed, "Very smart. It's only a matter of time before something sets him off. Please make sure my antiques aren't destroyed. It's taken a while to build that collection".
"Rest assured i kardiá mou," I heard Marcus in the background, signalling that the phone was on speaker, "Aro and I have taken precautions for when Cyclone Caius finally breaks loose. That shapeshifter has not been helping the situation either".
I groaned and rubbed my head in annoyance. Jacob was only allowed to drop Nessie off at the castle and that's as far as he was allowed to go. Knowing Caius, he would have smelt Jacob the second he stepped foot in Italy (his immense dislike for the shapeshifter somehow made his scent of smell stronger when it came to Jacob) and would have been laying in wait for the two to come to the castle.
One would think that after all these years, Jacob would hold his tongue better and not antagonise Caius…granted though Caius had been alive for much longer and really shouldn't react to Jacob's baiting.
Maybe today would be the day that Nessie would become single.
An announcement was made that the plane would be taking off.
"I will see you soon my loves," I pushed all my love and happiness through the three bonds I shared with my mates and received their burning love back, "I love you".
"We'll see you soon. We love you i kardiá mou," I heard Marcus in the background.
"Love you little swan," Aro farewelled before hanging up the phone.
I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face as my chest filled with a tingling warm feeling.
Not that I wanted too.
Even after all these years, I was still head over heels in love with them and the passion between us seemed to somehow continue to grow.
I would have never pictured my life turning out like this when I was younger.
While my entry into the vampire world was anything but pleasant, my found family with the Volturi and the discovery of my mates made everything so unbelievably worth it.
I never knew it was possible to love Aro as much as I do.
I never knew it was possible to love Caius as much as I do.
I never knew it was possible to love Marcus as much as I do.
I never knew it was possible to love all three of them as much as I do.
I would have never known it was possible to love and be as protective over the Volturi coven members as I am.
I would have never known that while Nessie was my niece, I would come to view her as the daughter I never had.
I would have never known about the positive impact I would have on the vampire world.
I would have never known about the praise I would receive among covens for the change I created within the vampire world.
The plane touched down on our home tuff without much hassle.
As we exited the plane, there were hundreds of butterflies flying around, signalling the start of spring.
"How beautiful," Alec noted while Jane battered the butterflies away in annoyance. Our shimmering skin in the sunlight would always attract butterflies.
I hummed as I held out a finger and a lone butterfly landed on it, "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty".
"Aunt Lottie!"
My gaze snapped towards my niece's voice and a giant smile appeared on my face seeing Aro, Caius, Marcus and Nessie standing a short distance away.
I was home.
That's a wrap!
For the longest time I was unsure how to end this story. The last two chapters went through several re-writes but I hoped with this final version I was able to give a satisfying conclusion for you. I'll be the first to admit that I am a perfectionist and I really wanted to wrap everything up nicely but after several months of re-writing and hesitating over what I had written, I know you all deserved a conclusion sooner rather than later given how long you had been waiting already.
The butterfly quote at the very end is from Maya Angelou. Fun fact, this quote actually inspired the writing of this story.
Finally, I honestly cannot thank you enough for your love and support over the course of this story! I have been so incredibly touched and moved by your support, kind words and constructive criticism (I will never drop two chapters of flashbacks before a key moment ever again – lesson learnt XD).
Again, thank you so much!
Stay safe xxx