Hey everybody! Me again, how ya doin'?

This chapter has a much longer flashback in it, due to the fact that I feel like the story needs some serious progression to start happening. If I keep you guys in suspense too much longer, who knows how many of you are going to give up on my story here? So hopefully, I'll start moving things along a bit faster.

Or, if you prefer, let me know in your reviews—or a PM if you want—whether I should speed up the pace of the story, slow it down, or keep it kind of at the pace it's currently going.

This story has gone on for too long and it's too popular out of the rest of my stories for me NOT to finish it, so don't worry. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can check that 'Completed' box at some point in the future!

Also, I want to apologize again for the uploading schedule I DON'T have in place. I write as I can find the time and the creative inspiration, but I feel bad sometimes that I can't seem to pick a story up off the ground every now and then. I'm doing my best to try and finish these stories before I post some of the other ideas I have for fanfictions, but it just kinda comes and goes, y'know? Anyways, what I mean to say is I'm trying, and I'm sorry for the long waits that last between chapter uploads! Please hang in there with me! :)

Chapter Twenty-Three: First Strike

Bella's POV:

The vampires that had come were mostly ones that had joined us last time. There were a few new faces, but more faces that seemed to be missing; either in hiding from the Volturi or already taken…

There was everyone from the continents of both Northern and Southern America, since the Volturi were still in the Europe/Asia portion of the planet. For now.

When the time came, we amassed in Carlisle's house, like last time. We gathered, preparing for the battle we felt in our bones; it wouldn't be long now. Carlisle, with Edward and I by one side and Esme and Alice by his other, stood at one point, gathering the attention of all the other vampires present.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, calmly for the tense air all around, "you've all come with one purpose, and I won't try to hide it from those of you who may have come for other reasons. The Volturi are marching on our covens one by one, most likely taking prisoners along the way, but I couldn't say for sure."

He glanced at Alice for a minute, and she nodded. Well, that was… some relief, I guess… If worst came to worst, and the nightmare I had dreamt of—us losing the battle— came true, at least there was a slim chance Aro might take Edward and Renesmee and leave them alive…

Carlisle continued. "Even still, you know how Aro feels about our kind; as long as it gets him more power, he will try to overthrow any rebellion he feels threatens his empire. You all recall when we stood against him two winters ago, and for those of you new to this crowd, you only need know that Aro felt threatened by us.

"We don't have as many allies as we did last time, and in all likelihood we will be outnumbered, and outclassed. There is hope, though, that we will be able to out-skill the Volturi with the various gifts among us. Zafrina, your illusions will blindside the Volturi, while Bella protects our own with a mental shield. However, once the attack begins, she won't be able to save all of us, if we intertwine ourselves into the ranks of the Volturi. She also has a secondary gift that all of you have already seen.

"We have yet one more chance; from the Egyptian coven is a vampire who has sided with us in the past. He is coming to join us as fast as he can, but he will have little time before the Volturi will be on his tail; we may have hours between the arrival of Benjamin and his mate, or we may have minutes. We don't know, but Alice feels confident that Ben will make it safely to the ground in the Washington Airport. It is our job to get to Ben as fast as possible, before the Volturi do.

"If we can manage to strike efficient and precise blows, we may yet be able to have a fighting chance," Carlisle summed up his short little speech. "And for those of you who came to aid us, I can't thank you enough."

There were a few nods, and a few chuckles through the small gathering of vampires, until one nomad in the back raised his hand.

"Well, I have something that I think needs to be said—" he said, glancing at the other vampires around him before turning back to face Carlisle. "—I suppose it may not have occurred to anyone else here, but this is the final battle with the Volturi. No more Volturi, period."

There were a multitude of wry grins from the other vampires and even a few small cheers, when the nomad continued on.

"Now, I'm no Volturi sympathizer; I wouldn't have stayed if I was. But I have to point out; without the Volturi, who's going to, y'know, keep other vampires in line? To keep the secret safe?"

The revelation spread through the crowd like wildfire, and the unnamed nomad who now held the floor—and the attention of everyone there—continued. Wry grins disappeared into concerned frowns as everyone began pondering his words.

"Who'll be there to monitor vampire situations… around the world? And I'm not suggesting anything, but what I would like to know is who's going to take their place, when they're all gone?" The nomad asked.

Rosalie frowned and hissed, and seemed ready to defend the family honor from what she seemed to hear as an underlying threat—that some of us were planning on overthrowing Aro simply to gain power for ourselves—and I was about to help. But Edward held my hand and Jasper held Rosalie back.

"He's speaking with genuine concern," they both said. "He truly isn't suggesting what you think he is."

The nomad quickly nodded apologetically, evidently of a character who did not like to offend, especially in the midst of a mob of potentially hostile vampires. But with that, he continued. "Who's gonna be there to keep our secret safe from the humans? If they caught wind of our existence, you know there'd be war, or worse; another Dark Ages sort of witch-hunt. And it won't be long before other people begin to learn our secrets and our weaknesses.

"Whoever takes the place of the Volturi—will the power get to them too? Like Aro? I may not agree with the Volturi's decision—and I know that even by associating with you lot
I've already condemned myself—but I'd rather be a condemned man than find out I've dethroned a dictator only to crown a tyrant."

Carlisle nodded, his brow furrowed as he was deep in thought. "You raise a good point, Tyrone, and I wish I had thought of this sooner. It raises valid concerns, and I suppose for the time, we must each take the burden to carry on the purpose of the Volturi on ourselves. But again, we are getting ahead of ourselves, I believe. We are preparing for the effects of the battle afterwards, but if we are to have a chance, we must prepare for the fight itself. Consequences will have to be dealt with afterwards, due to the short notice of our coming battle."

The nomad, Tyrone, nodded. He still looked plenty concerned about his questions, and worried that he had not received an answer. But he agreed that for now the fight was the most important thing to survive. The world could wait a little longer.

Invigorated and ready to prepare themselves, or perhaps just to relieve stress for some, the vampires began splitting up, heading outside to spar with each other and try to learn battle tactics from each other. Emmett and Jasper both went out with these vampires to learn what they could and teach where they were needed. Alice, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Renesmee and I all stayed in the house as we continued to discuss.

Tyrone had definitely raised a couple of good questions, for sure. Who was going to lead the vampires, if we took out the Volturi? Certainly, a good leader could be found among the vampires; one that wouldn't be easily corrupted.

And we also talked of Ben's arrival. Could Alice see anything more recent? Could she place a certain time? What about the Volturi, could she see them arriving? The answer to all these questions was the same as it had been previously; no, nothing had changed yet.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted our discussion, and Edward grinned, his expression undergoing various other changes as well as he heard the thoughts of whoever was outside the door.

"I believe you have some visitors, love. Visitors with… extremely interesting news," he said, before he looked back down to me, smiling. "Be safe, and have fun with them, all right?"

I was confused, but walked to the door under Alice's confirming nod. At least she didn't think anything was the matter, or dangerous. And Edward wouldn't have thrown me into a dangerous situation casually. He would've fought tooth and nail to protect me. So I trusted them, opening the door.

Jacob, Seth, and my mother were all standing outside the door, expectant grins on their faces.

"Um, hey… guys… what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Bella," Renee said, moving towards me and wrapping her arms around me in a hug. I could hear the tenor in her voice that told me she was upset, and yet also excited. Two emotions that were strange. "Well, I suppose I should start with an explanation or two. The other day, I couldn't help but overhear—"

"By which she means that she intruded on a conversation—" Seth chuckled. Renee shot him a playful glare, before turning back to me.

"Leah told me that—that the Volturi were coming? Evidently she heard it from that boyfriend of hers. Rye, I think she said his name was?"

"She said she heard it from Rye, when I went to go talk to her about it," Jacob confirmed.

"We're here to help, and since seeing your wolf form, Seth, Jacob, and I all agreed that you need to learn how to fight like a wolf, if you'll be directly involved in the fighting. We need you to come with us, so we can teach you."

"Yeah, and we don't want all these other vampires to be worried about us being here, so for now we have to take you somewhere else," Seth agreed.

I turned and glanced back at Edward, gauging his reaction. Last time, he hadn't wanted me to fight. This time, I could tell he still felt the same. But this time, when we all knew the fight was coming for me, he wanted me to be as prepared as possible for this fight.

I turned to my mother and the other wolves, and nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

Renee walked back to a nearby car that had been brought, and I scoffed.

"Mom, you know it'd be faster for us to run there, right? All of us can run faster than a car."

"I know, sweetie, but Jacob wanted to see your face when we took you. And as a matter of fact, so do Seth and I."

"Where is it?" I asked, getting into the car.

"She's trying to be subtle, but it's a surprise," Seth said. "Be a sport, and let us handle this. Just wait."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. Fine. I waited patiently as we drove along, from the Cullens' driveway to the asphalt of the highway. Switching the asphalt for dirt and gravel roads, and still we drove along. The scenery was getting pretty familiar.

"Mom," I began, kind of nervously. "We're coming up awful close to the border of—"

"I know sweetie," Renee said, looking back at me in the rearview mirror. "Just stay in the car, would you?"

Jacob nodded enthusiastically, and so did Seth. I grew more nervous as I was brought along.

With incredulity did I watch as the unthinkable happened. I crossed the line.

I was in the Quileute reservation. La Push was being unintentionally invaded by me, who was evidently being kidnapped by a group of wolves. The treaty was certainly broken by now. What… what were these crazy wolves doing?!

"Welcome to the reservation, Bells," Jacob said, grinning at me.

The two other wolves were also grinning at me expectantly, waiting for my reaction.

"Are all of you insane!?" was the first reaction I had. "The treaty—"

"Since we heard about the fight, Jacob, Seth, and I have all been fighting with Billy and Sue and Quil Sr. to make a certain amendment to the treaty."

"If Jacob weren't the Prime Alpha," Seth said, causing Jacob to sigh and roll his eyes at the term, before Seth continued. "—we definitely would've gotten laughed out of the meeting. But Billy and Old Quil and even my mom finally agreed to let you, specifically, into the reservation."

Jacob took his turn to speak, turning around in the passenger-seat to face me in the backseat. "They agreed after an intense debate that you and you alone would be allowed into the reservation, because of your Quileute blood and the fact that you are actively a wolf like the others.

"There are, however, a few limitations. You are supposed to be accompanied by at least two wolves at all times, and you're not allowed near groups of ordinary human Quileutes over the number of three. You are not allowed to come into the reservation if you're even a little thirsty, and you won't have any voice in the reservations business meetings or anything. And technically, you're not allowed to spend a night inside the reservation, but I think that was kind of already implied," Jacob finished up.

I processed this. I was the first welcome(ish) vampire, since—basically since never. Even their first legends of 'Cold Ones' were based around the idea that the intruder was an unwelcome one, though she was beautiful enough to stun the guardians of the tribe. Taking that into thought, I was the first welcome 'Cold One' into the midst of the Quileute tribe.

I wrapped my mind around the idea that I would be not only able to follow Renesmee into the reservation from now on, but also that I would be able to casually go to the beach again, or go see Jacob and Billy again almost whenever I wanted.

"But—" I said, still wanting to know where the catch was. "—what's the catch?"

Jacob took a breath through his teeth. "Dang, you don't trust us, do you?"

"Probably best if I didn't, but yes," I said, jokingly.

"Eh, probably," Jacob said, looking ahead. "But you're right, there is a little catch."

I waited, and he continued. "You're the first Cold One welcome into the reservation, and because of it the pack is going to be extra cautious. Sam wasn't happy that he had to stand down and let you in, but you can be sure that He's going to be within a hundred feet, just to make sure you don't try anything. And the rest of the pack is likely going to be circling you as well."

Looking out the window, I saw that indeed the other wolves from the La Push pack were already following along in the car. I waved, and though I thought I saw some of them thinking about trying to politely greet me with a head toss, the others looked at me still a little too warily to be friendly. Protective as I knew they were being, it did kind of sting not to at least get a head-nod or something.

I let my mom and my two packmates drive on as I looked out the window at the passing Quileute reservation.

Leah's POV:

I heard the telltale sounds of a certain someone's imprint approaching, as the grass on the lawn flattened every few moments. Rye landed outside, walking steadily towards the door. He looked troubled by something.

I opened the door as he neared, gauging his expression carefully. He seemed deep in thought, and his whole expression showed it.

"Rye, what happened?" I asked.

He seemed to snap out of it as I asked him this question, and he looked at me.

"Just… found someone I didn't think I'd ever see again," he said.

Instantly, the imprinted wolf within me felt a flash of jealousy, but the human part of me immediately ignored it. Rye's allowed to have some friends outside of me, I didn't have to be so possessive. Unlike some imprinted pairs I knew of…

And who's to say this someone's a girl? It could be another human guy he knew or something? And even if it was a girl—

'—we'll eat her—' my wolf seemed to growl for a second.

'We'll calmly accept it, since we know that Rye is my imprint and I am his, and therefore he loves me like I love him,' I reminded the wolf.

I zone back in as I realize that while I was dealing with what must be imprint-hormones or something, Rye was speaking.

"—don't exactly know how you're going to take this, but I hope you take it well," he was saying.

Those were famous last words of boyfriends everywhere. If I didn't know for certain that Rye would not leave me because of our connection, I probably would've already collapsed from worry right now. Then I might've gone for a gun, if I thought it would've made much of a difference to him.

"So, when I was really young, my birth-mother and father didn't really like… whatever it is I was becoming—" Rye began. "—I ran away, to cut things short, and was not prepared to live on my own for a while. One night, a vampire found me, and instead of attacking me, she was taking such good care of me… I kind of thought of her as a surrogate mother, of sorts."

I stared at Rye, confused. Perhaps I should have been listening to the context. And hoping what I said next wouldn't be insensitive, I blinked.

"So?" I asked. "What's your point?"

Rye looked extremely nervous to tell me whatever it was, but he struggled with it until it came out slowly. "Rosalie is sort of—my mother, and I've known her since I was a little boy, six years old."

The wolf was flaring up in me, howling at the injustice of it all. The bloodsuckers had even gotten to my imprint before me.

Reason told the wolf that I had already knew that Rye had had run-ins with vampires before. But I supposed it might've been a bit much to wish that all his previous experiences had been non-favorable (and with all-male bloodsuckers as well), since it made me feel a bit better about my past standing in what I thought of bloodsuckers. Now Rosalie, the supermodel leech from the Cullen residence, was supposedly caring for Rye better than his real mother before I was even able to properly understand my own heritage.

I ignored this complaint from the wolf as well. Rye was allowed to have a mother as well, be it surrogate, from birth, human, or bloodsucker. Although I could tell some extremely uncomfortable and rather awkward conversations with Rosalie were coming up in the future.

That wasn't going to be fun.

Rye's POV:

I went to see Leah about what Rosalie had been telling me. She had tried her hardest, and despite her best efforts, she had been taken from me. Not only that, her family, despite their best intentions, had accidentally done the deed that separated us for so long.

And finally, after over ten years of me wondering what I had done that she left me so suddenly, I finally knew who the real culprits of the story were; the ones I had to get some revenge of my own against.

The Volturi.

Wanna know why? Well, as it turns out, they're mainly the reason responsible for the prolonging of the separation between Rosalie and I.

You see…

Esme was horror-struck as Rosalie began to recount to the rest of the family what she'd been doing for the past few days before she had been moved to Alaska, and they all listened intently. Each of them knew Rosalie's biggest human regret was that she had not had children, nor the ability to have any now in her immortal lifetime; and now that she was immortal it was highly improbable that she would have ever been allowed a child. Acute pain and guilt struck all of their hearts as they realized that it was for this reason Rosalie had been struggling so hard, earlier. And the thought that they had been the reason that she had been restrained from retrieving the child she had cared for.

That wasn't the part Esme was particularly horror-struck over, though. Though she was shocked enough to drop a plate, and heartbroken that Rosalie had been unknowingly denied this chance, what truly horrified her were the conditions in which Rosalie had been forced to leave this young boy in. In a damp cave, with a high fever. He had, Rosalie told them, just been coming back from nearly starving to death, and he was still very weak. She shouldn't have left him alone for this long, she had to get back to him, ASAP.

Esme put a hand over her mouth, as her mind began to wander as she thought of what might be happening back in Montana, to this poor scarlet child. What was becoming of him? She didn't' know, and couldn't know. Esme out of the rest of the family was able to sympathize with Rosalie, since they had both wanted to have children of their own.

Esme, realizing that not only was Rosalie being denied her motherhood she had craved for so long, but Esme herself was also being denied playing the role of the grandmother. This, at least, could be the next best thing to having her own children.

And she sympathized with Rosalie about the fear lurking in the back of their minds; what could've happened already? How long had she been gone? Had his condition worsened, or was he still stable?

Carlisle asked a few questions regarding the boy; did he have parents still, what was his physical or mental health like before Rosalie had left, was there anybody else who might notice him missing?

Rosalie replied that she didn't think so, he seemed to be getting much better under her care, and again she didn't think so. She had found him unconscious in a cave, starving away, so she doubted there was anyone left to care for the little boy.

Edward and Alice sat there, listening carefully. Alice spoke up. "Do you know his name?"

"He told me it was Rye," Rosalie said. Alice closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. "Tanner should be his last name, if I recall correctly."

Emmett got to his feet, his guilt beginning to turn into determination to make his previous mistake right. "Well, let's go get this kid then! What are we waiting for?"

"It's not as simple as that, Emmett," Carlisle said, pondering over this troubling dilemma. Emmett sat back down to listen. "By now the Volturi are sweeping the area, making sure there aren't any newborns they may have missed. But if we go back right now, we'll only manage to draw their attention to not only ourselves, but now also the child in question. If the Volturi even glimpse the sight of this boy, and based on Rosalie's description of him, there would be no convincing Aro to let Rosalie walk away with a creature like this."

"He's not a 'creature'!" Rosalie snapped suddenly, startling most there. "He's just a little boy, who's very confused and probably scared right now!"

Carlisle held up his hands in a placating gesture, still as calm as ever. "I only meant to say it how I believe Aro would see the child in question. He wouldn't see that it was a life, but only as a science experiment. And I think I can speak for Esme AND you when I say you'd rather be the ones caring and nurturing this child rather than Aro and the Volturi, back in Italy."

The thought of this abhorrence—Aro taking care of her little scarlet boy—was enough to temporarily quell Rosalie's frantic mission. She couldn't and wouldn't dare to bring the Volturi's attention to Rye. Despite the fact that she was willing to accept his oddities wholeheartedly, she could easily see Aro coming to take her newfound child away from her, by force if necessary.

She couldn't allow that.

Alice strained in the corner, and Edward was listening carefully to her thoughts as she looked through her gift.

"You said… his name's Rye, right? Rye Tanner?" Alice said.

"Yes?" Rosalie asked, sudden fear of the unknown striking her heart. What was happening? What could she see?

Alice strained a little more, her eyes still closed, before speaking again.

"You're pretty sure?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure! Why?" Rosalie said, walking towards Alice.

"I—can't see anybody with that name. Maybe I have to meet them first, but—I can't see him," Alice said, sighing as she relented the strain.

Rosalie was stunned for a moment into silence, before she continued. "What do you mean you can't see him?"

"Just that," Alice said, shaking her head. "Either I have to have seen them before or something like that, this person doesn't exist, or he's… he's gone."

"Oh dear!" Esme said, putting a hand over her mouth. None of those options sounded any good.

Rosalie was breathing hard, and everyone could practically feel the panic rising in her.

Rosalie was crunching the numbers in her head, calculating as fast as she could; how long ago would she say she'd left? What might've happened in that time? Did he have enough water? Food? Would he be alright?

What if someone else had found him, or worse—something? What if a bear had gone into the cave for it's winter nap?! What if some kind of mountain-lion had gone in there?! What if the fever had reached a new height, and he was calling for her right now?

Her thoughts began to escalate like this in a frenzy, as Edward tried to quell her fears for the moment.

"Rosalie, calm down. It's just a human," Edward said sullenly, though his attempt at comfort was rather badly worded to her raw emotions and panicked mind.

"You don't understand, Edward," Rosalie almost hissed at him, clutching her head. "He's only a human. How many things could've gone wrong by now? Even if it were as simple as someone coming to find him, he might be attacked! He doesn't look like anyone else, and he's a very weak little boy right now. He might be getting sicker, right now; he might be getting hunted down right now from some kind of predator. He might be out of water or food supplies, or he… He might be—"

But she was lost to the panic, and Edward could feel in her mind that it was only a few moments before she was ready to spring. To pounce on anything that moved with her overflowing worry. There was no stopping it at this point.

So, he sighed, and stood. Alice clearly saw what he was doing as he walked to the door, and opened it unchallenged by the rest of the family, who sat quietly in guilt.

"Go," he said, calmly and still sullenly.

And Rosalie didn't waste a moment. Even if someone had tried to stop her in that moment, her speed was almost enough to rival Edward's as she rocketed straight out the door, beelining in the general direction of Montana.

Carlisle watched Edward warily as he softly closed the door, and walked back over to his original seat.

"Are you sure about what you've done?" he asked Edward. "The Volturi are still in Montana."

"Rosalie will be careful," Edward said, sighing. "She's got to be."

Rosalie was darting through the forested area, approaching the state lines. She tasted the air continually as she ran, hoping to catch the scent of Rye as she rocketed across the frosty ground.

But as she ran, her throat insisted intensely that she still needed to hunt, or she posed a severe threat to the child, when she returned to retrieve him. And she began to automatically register not only the scents of the natural forest, but also those of the biological life within. She began to be drawn to each creature she smelled, and she knew that before she found her boy, it would be wisest to stock up on a source of blood.

Reluctant as she was to even pause in her endeavors, she stopped for a moment. If she approached Rye right now, there's no guarantee that he would remain safe the whole journey back to Alaska. And she wouldn't be as controlled as she would have to be, with the Volturi in the area. If Rye was even glanced at, her mission was futile, and Aro would claim the child as Volturi property. This was an abomination to her mind, and she could not allow it.

So she let her instincts have reign over her body, as it entered a hunting mindset. Rationality was quelled, as a beast within her took its place for the moment; a wild and thirsty vampire. What was left of her rational mind was preoccupied with strategies on evading Volturi senses, and safely transporting Rye out of the danger of the Volturi grasp.

The bear was an easy kill, though it did give her a run for her money; more so at least than some other creatures might. But it went down soon enough, and she drank her fill, her eyes returning to a shade of amber.

She stood up, brushing off her clothes from the powdery snow, as she turned. She stifled the yelp that caught in her throat.

There was a vampire a few paces away, watching her carefully, with interest. But she couldn't help but notice the red insignia on his dark-grey cloak. Volturi guard.

He grinned at her a little, though she did not return the favor. Her mindset, had Edward been there to hear her, was much alike that of a cornered animal. Should she flee? That seemed like it would only incriminate her guilt, though she had none. Well, aside from keeping Rye's existence secret.

"You're one of Carlisle's breed, aren't you?" the vampire spoke up, taking the initiative. "I heard stories about your kind back in Italy."

Rosalie kept silent, her entire body locked down in defense. Should she try and fight him? Play this all off as happenstance? Fake not knowing that there was a reason the Volturi were in the vicinity? Too many options, and time was quickly running out.

Her senses picked up that there was another vampire approaching from behind her. She tensed, at first, until she heard the familiar gait behind her. Her body relaxed a smidge, as she saw Emmett burst into view.

"Next time, Rosie, wait for me to come with you," Emmett chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife. But his eyes quickly zeroed in on the guardsman in front of them, and his arms tensed, now holding Rosalie protectively. "You didn't tell me we had company."

"Is she yours?" the guardsman asked nonchalantly, leaning against a nearby tree. "I just asked her whether she was one of Carlisle's, since I heard some stories about vampires over here who only drank animal blood. Can't say I would enjoy the taste enough to keep at the diet, though."

"It's not about the taste, it's about the morals," Emmett said, subtly moving around to Rosalie's side. She felt that her chances were increasing if they had to take down this guardsman. Although that would draw suspicion…

The guardsman nodded, though he looked uninterested. "Well, either way. I have to ask you to follow me, please."

Emmett tensed and sucked in a breath, Rosalie automatically took a step closer to Emmett. The guardsman rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Don't worry about it. We just have to keep you out of here. This is no man's land, right now, with all the newborns in the area. And I'm not an idiot. I can see you havn't bitten any humans recently. It shows in those peepers of yours."

"We were just leaving," Rosalie said, trying to turn to the right, where she was pretty sure the cave was.

"Actually, that's the wrong direction," the guardsman said, pointing to his left. "Since that's no-man's land. But even still, I have to ask you to follow me. We have to call it in that you two were in the area, and take you into processing for Aro. You know how it is—official processes and whatnot."

Rosalie took a step back, as the guardsman turned back around to guide the way towards the area outside of "no-man's land". But Emmett stopped her escape cold, giving her an apologetic look as he held her by the shoulders and steered her forward. As quietly as he could, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"They'll just hunt you down if you tried it, Rosie. Just let them have their fun, and we can go save him afterwards."

"Emmett—" Rosalie began, but Emmett placed a big hand on her shoulder.

"—I know, Rose. But he'll have to wait, or you'll lead them right to him," Emmett said almost silently.

Rosalie bowed her head as she was led away towards the Volturi camp to wait out their mission until it was over. Then she could continue on her quest.

She could only hope they'd be done and back in Italy very, very soon.