"L-Lottie?" Bella asked in disbelief as I watched her study me, "Y-You're alive".

"I am," I replied bluntly. Every lesson my mates had taught me at the forefront of my mind. I was a leader of the Volturi. This was my first official introduction to the outside vampire world and I was determined to make my mates proud. I refused to be considered the weak link amongst my mates.

I watched as my twin's eyes filled with anger as her eyes roamed over the cloaked figures of the Volturi, "But they said…they said you were dead!".

"I would suggest that anyone who doesn't want to get involved in this…family matter…should leave now," I called out to the Cullens' witnesses. It appeared none of them needed to be told twice as I watched all the witnesses leave, meaning only the Cullens and shapeshifters were left in the field.

I turned to the hybrid and Huilen, "Demetri and Felix will escort you back to Volterra. Please make yourselves at home, we will be along shortly". The two foreign vampires were smart enough to know that it wasn't a request, it was an order.

"Lead the way," the male hybrid smiled politely. I watched as the two disappeared along with the cloaked figures of Demetri and Felix.

"Jane and Alec, you both stay. The rest of you can wait nearby. We will be done shortly," I ordered the remainder of the guards. The other guards quickly left while the two cloaked forms of Jane and Alec remained. I looked at my mates and Aro nodded his head slightly, signalling that I had handled the situation well and how the rest of it unfolded was up to me. An eerie silence fell over the field. The Cullens and shapeshifters stared at me in disbelief while my mates, Jane, Alec and I stared right back at them completely unfazed. I could hear snippets of conversations that was happening amongst the Cullens but they quickly stopped when Bella shouted.

"She said they killed you," Bella broke the silence, "She said it was a mercy!". My eyes lazily surveyed the Cullens and the shapeshifters before they landed on my twin.

I studied her for several moments, only really now noticing the subtle differences since she had become a vampire, "The Volturi are under no obligation to answer your questions. It was a curtsey that Jane even told you that".

"But you're my sister!" Bella hissed, "Why didn't you come? You would have known about the Cullens being vampires! We could have helped you! Just because he's your mate-".

"Mates," I interrupted.

This seemed to completely throw her, "M-Mates?".

"Mates," I confirmed as I watched in glee as the Cullens started to squirm, "My wonderful mates, Aro, Caius and Marcus". The sheer panic that appeared on every Cullen's face except Bella was priceless. It made me truly appreciate having a vampire memory, I would never forget how shocked and worried they looked. They knew they were treading on very dangerous territory and with Bella struggling to maintain her composure, even they knew this was going to potentially go very, very bad.

I watched with interest as Bella seemed to struggle even more to process what I had just told her, "That's impossible. You're not Lottie! You're not my twin! You can't be! She would never do this to me!". I raised my eyebrow at Bella's behaviour.

"It appears Mrs Cullen is struggling to cope with you being alive," Marcus noted as he moved closer to me, "Tread carefully i kardiá mou, your sister is dancing with madness".

I hummed in acknowledgment at his comment, "Is her behaviour normal?".

"For a newborn, yes," Caius softly piped in, "The news has overwhelmed her reasoning and her inner beast is taking over. She can be killed for threatening you if you so choose".

"Bella," I heard Edward warn her, "You need to calm down. As a newborn, you are more likely to be controlled by your emotions. You need to relax".

"Prove it!" Bella screamed at me, "Prove to me that you're my sister! Who did you have a crush on?".

I studied my twin carefully as it was becoming more and more apparent that she was descending into madness, "Paul".

My answer seemed to enrage Bella even more, "How could you not return? You became a vampire! You didn't die like we thought! Like I thought! I cried for you! I mourned you! At least tell Dad-".

"Do I have to remind you Bella that there is a law that no human can know of our existence?" I swiftly interrupted her rant, "You haven't told Dad what you are have you?".

Bella seemed to turn more animal like the further our conversation continued, "What if I did!".

"Because I would be most displeased if I had to kill our father because you couldn't follow the rules," I snapped back. I was so determined to make my mates proud but I refused to let Bella walk all over me. There were rules and the rules had to be followed. Why she thought she was exempt I had no idea. She was starting to behave like an unruly child and it was getting on my nerves. Her daughter for heavens sake was behaving better than her!

Bella looked shell shocked by my comment, "You…you would have really killed our dad? But you're a leader of the Volturi, you could-".

"It's because I'm the leader of the Volturi that I need too. There can't be one rule for us and another rule for others," I glared at my twin. Was she really that dense about this? Dread filled my being. Had she really told dad she was a vampire? If so, I knew as part of the law he would have to die…or turn into a vampire. I wasn't sure what was worse.

"Charlie knows nothing," Carlisle quickly assured myself and my mates, "He is none the wiser about vampires. He knows about shapeshifters but not of us. I promise you on my family lives, Charlie knows nothing about vampires". Internally, I sighed in relief. Externally, my facial expression didn't change.

"Good," I responded, "I'm glad that no laws have been broken".

"How can you be so unfazed by this?" Bella suddenly screamed at me, "You just threatened to kill our father!".

I looked at Bella in annoyance, "Correction. I was willing to uphold the rules that all vampires follow. Thankfully you were smart enough not to break them". I watched as Bella's eyes filled with fury as you could practically see her beast completely take over. My inner beast roared inside at the challenge and braced itself for a fight. However, unlike my sister, I pushed my beast down and kept in firm control of my thoughts and emotions. I would make my mates proud.

"Careful Bella," I warned her, "You won't win this fight". Reason seemed to leave Bella completely as she went to lunge at me but Edward quickly locked her arms around her waist, trapping her against his chest. I watched as cracks started to appear on Edward's body due to the squirming newborn in his arms.

"My apologies your highness," Edward managed to grunt out as Bella ramped her efforts up, "She is still learning to control her inner beast and this news…understandably is extremely shocking for her to process".

It was then I became aware that Caius was right beside me, he was shaking slightly in rage at the boldness of my twin's actions, "Watch yourself Cullen. We could have your wife killed for trying to attack a leader. Charlotte need only give the order". I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated for a moment. While I knew exactly what Caius wanted me to do, what order he wanted me to give…I couldn't bring myself to agree. She was still my sister…she was still my twin.

"Because I am merciful," I said as I watched Bella squirm in Edward's arm, "I believe our business here is done. No rules by either party have been broken. Leave. I can't promise my mates will be as understanding".

Bella roared, "Don't you dare Edward!".

"Mummy," I heard Renesmee whisper to her mum, "Please…can we go home?". Bella seemed to calm down slightly at this and stopped her struggling in Edward's arms. The Cullens shared concerned looks before they and the shapeshifters scattered…except the dark chocolate wolf and the greyish white wolf remained. I stared at the two wolves for several moments and watched curiously as the dark chocolate wolf started to slowly approach the Volturi. I saw the guards and my mates start to react from the corner of my eye and quickly signalled them to stand down. The wolf must have realised approaching in this form was causing unease amongst the vampires as seconds later, he shifted into the very familiar form, although be it naked, Quil.

"Quil," I greeted politely. I watched as tears filled his eyes and he continued to stagger forward through the snow towards me.

"Lottie," Quil whispered, "You're…you're alive".

"Do not attack," I warned the Volturi guards softly, "I trust him".

Caius hummed beside me as he watched the naked boy continue to stagger towards us, "I do not believe that is your call to make vasílissa mou".

"Well then," I promptly replied, "I'll take it out of your hands". I quickly dashed forward before Caius could stop me and stopped in front of my former friend. I had to keep my face in check as I almost reared back due to the horrible wet dog smell that penetrated my nostrils. Quil just stared deeply into my bright red eyes for several moments before I suddenly found myself engulfed in a hug from the naked teenager.

"You're alive!" Quil started to sob into my shoulder, "I'm just so bloody happy that you're alive!". I then felt another pair of arms wrap around Quil and another person crying.

"We're so sorry!" Embry apologised through his tears, "We should have told you everything! We should have bloody answered our phones that day so we could have saved you. It's our fault that you're like this".

With my vampire strength, I easily pulled my arms free and lightly squeezed each of their shoulder's in comfort, being very mindful of my strength, "It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourselves. This was my fate. I'm happy".

"B-B-But," Quil managed between sobs, "You're a v-vampire".

My heart clenched at the self-hatred I heard in Quil's voice, "I am…and despite how everything happened, I wouldn't change a thing".

"Please forgive us Lottie," Em continued to cry, "We failed you! We were your friends and we failed you!".

This time I pulled myself away from the two of them and cupped Em's face so he was forced to look into my eyes, "There is nothing to forgive. You both didn't do anything wrong".

"But if we had told you-," Quil began.

"Victoria would have still attacked and I would have still been kidnapped," I interrupted.

Em frowned as he's crying lessened a bit, "You would have been prepared-".

"How?" I once again interrupted, "Even knowing about vampires and shapeshifters, I was still human. I didn't stand a chance against Victoria and those newborns. Please don't beat yourselves up over something you had no control over".

"But…," Quil began as he choked on a sob, "What they did to you…that's forever on us".

I pulled my hands away from Em and placed them on Quil's cheeks, forcing him to look at me, "Did you break my bones?".

"No but-," both instantly replied.

"Did you rape me?" I continued.

Both the boys looked horrified, "No!".

"Did you watch in delight as I suffered and begged for mercy?" I asked again.

"No we didn't-," I interrupted the boys once more.

I pulled my hands away from Quil and smiled at the two, "Then what are you apologising for? You didn't hurt me and we established that one way or another, with the knowledge of vampires existing or not, I would have been kidnapped by Victoria. You both have nothing to apologise for…maybe for being a bit of a crappy friend and not telling me you were shapeshifters but again, I'm sure Sam probably forbid it…and completing Baby without me…that was pretty crappy".

"You're right. Sam gave an alpha order not to tell you so we couldn't…we physically couldn't. We actually did Baby up for you. It was going to be our apology gift once Sam gave us permission to tell you," Em whispered softly as he wiped away the last of his tears, "…you've always been too good for us Lottie". My heart warmed at the thought. The boys hadn't completed Baby to show that our friendship was over, they had completed Baby as my apology gift. I was so touched by that gesture. Baby was originally going to be sold and the profits split between us. Gifting Baby to me meant they were forgoing all of that.

I smiled cheerily, trying desperately to bring the mood up, "Of course I have been!".

"It's good to have you back Lottie," Q smiled as he too wiped some stray tears away.

"More importantly though," Em chuckled just like old times, "You had a crush on Paul?".

I laughed at Em's comment, "Oh gosh don't remind me. I never told you boys because I knew the amount of teasing I would get".

"You're not wrong," Q chipped in, "We would have given you hell for it! At least he didn't imprint on you". I looked at Q in confusion about what he meant by imprinting.

"It's like having a mate," Em quickly filled in upon seeing my confused face, "Sam imprinted on Emily, Jared imprinted on Kim, Jacob imprinted on Nessie".

"So…Jacob imprinted on Renesmee…I'm sure Bella would have loved that," I trailed off in amusement as I could just picture my sister's wrath.

Q smiled, "Oh it was! Though that's why Jake isn't here. Trust us when we say he wanted to be but because Bella is upset, Nessie wanted to stay with her mum and Jake wanted to stay with her".

"Might be for the better," I confessed, "Part of me is actually a bit relieved that Bella psyched out. I imagine once she calms down, she will come to Volterra and then we will have no choice but to have the awkward sit down".

Em chuckled as he pulled Quil into a one-arm hug, "Let's not bring the mood down. More importantly, this guy here failed to mention that he has imprinted too. It appears I'm the last eligible bachelor left".

I smiled at Q who looked embarrassed, "You imprinted?".

"I did. Claire Young. She's the niece of Emily. She's only a toddler so obviously there are no romantic feelings there at all. I just…I'll be whatever she needs me to be. I just want her to be happy," Q confessed.

"I'm so happy for you Q," I told him, "You realise being a toddler she's going to come to you for everything when her parents say no?".

Em snorted in amusement while Q somehow even managed to look further embarrassed, "It's already happened. Claire knows he's wrapped around her little finger".

"I hope you find your imprint soon Em. You deserve to be happy too," I pulled him into a hug, which was quite easy to do with my vampire strength.

"We're…we're never going to see you again are we?" Q asked as Em and I pulled away from our hug.

"Not likely," I responded truthfully, "My home is in Volterra with my mates and my coven".

Em shifted uncomfortably as he looked at myself, then my mates and then back to me, "Do…do they make you happy?".

I smiled at him, "More than I could have ever thought possible".

Em nodded to himself, "Good…because I would have to beat them up otherwise". I heard Caius scoff in the distance and it sounded like he muttered something along the lines of, 'As if I would be bested by that oversized door mat'.

"Your dad," Q blurted out suddenly, "He's dating Sue Clearwater. He's happy. He's really happy. She's helping him overcome your loss and he's helping her overcome the loss of her husband". If I had a heart, I'm sure it would have burst with happiness upon hearing that. I never got to say goodbye to my dad. When the time came, Bella would have the opportunity to do so. It would take many years before I got over that bitterness but I was so happy to hear that dad was moving on from my 'death'.

I smiled gratefully at Q, "Thank you for telling me that". The three of us stood silently, unsure of what to say next. Realistically, this would probably be the last time I ever saw Embry and Quil. With Jacob being Renesmee's mate and her longer life span…and the Cullen's ability to get in trouble, I would see them again in the future. My two friends who were mated to humans? Unlikely.

"One last group hug?" I forced myself to smile despite my heart clenching in pain over the loss of our friendship. The boys brawled into my arms. If I was human, I had no doubt I would have been knocked to the ground. As a vampire, I stood strong and easily dealt with the additional weight. We hugged each other for what must have been hours before I reluctantly pulled away.

"Goodbye Em. Goodbye Q," I whispered as I watched another round of tears fall from their faces.

"Goodbye your royal highness," Em teased as he wiped his tears away, "You best keep those vampires in line".

"Have you met our Lottie? Of course she'll keep them in line," Quil choked back a sob as he too wiped his tears away, "Goodbye Lottie". I had no doubts that if I could cry, I would be a sobbing mess. I smiled at the boys one last time before I ran into the forest, trying to put as much distance between myself and my friends as possible. I crashed into a pair of one of my mate's arms and, I didn't even care who it was, I buried my head into their chest and started crying. I knew no tears were coming out but I had to release the ache in my chest somehow.

"It'll be okay i kardiá mou," Marcus comforted me as he squeezed me tightly in his arms, "It'll be okay".

I pulled my head away from his chest and looked at my mate, another sob working its way up my throat, "Let's go home. I want to go home".


Sulpicia didn't know how long she had been wondering for. Ever since Aro had broken the news to her that he had found his mate and her services were no longer required, her world had shattered. She had given everything to him. He had courted her when he was a vampire and she but a human. She had lost her humanity for him. They had spent centuries together. While Sulpicia knew she wasn't his mate, she thought he had loved her like one. When Aro's mate did finally arrive, Sulpicia was discarded instantly. She envied how Athenodora took the news in stride and seemingly moved on with her life without issue. Sulpicia couldn't do that though. Aro had been her world and her being for so long…she had no idea what to do without his presence.

"Sulpicia?" a voice called out. The dark-haired beauty stopped upon hearing her name for the first time in who knows how long. It was only then that Sulpicia realised that her wondering had led her to an overgrown swamp in the middle of nowhere.

'Maybe I am in the Amazon?' Sulpicia thought, 'I had always wanted to visit so perhaps in my trance I travelled there'.

"Who wants to know?" she asked as she turned around and saw a blonde-haired vampire who she had never seen before.

Sulpicia's eyes narrowed as the mysterious vampire's scent filled her nose, "What are you? You smell vampire…and yet don't at the same time".

The mysterious blonde smiled, "My name is Serena. I came on behalf of my father, Joham".

"Never heard of him," Sulpicia replied bluntly.

"It means he did his job well then," the young woman replied, completely unfazed by Sulpicia's rudeness, "Hiding from the Volturi is certainly not an easy feat".

Sulpicia crossed her arms as she watched the vampire before her in disinterest, "So what does this mysterious Joham want?".

"He would like to meet you. My father believes you have a common enemy," she explained.

Sulpicia raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And who is this common enemy?".

"Charlotte Swan," she responded, "She took your mate away and ruined your life. She's the twin of the vampire my father has grievances with. He thought perhaps you could discuss bringing down the Swan family".

Sulpicia didn't immediately reply, "I suppose it doesn't hurt to hear what he has to say. After all, it would be very rude of me to say no when you've travelled all this way".


Hello everyone!

As always, thank you for your support and stay safe xxx