Chapter XVIII
Scatter

They seemed to just appear out of the forest around the house. They melted out from between the trees before us. Aro was before everyone else, Caius, Jane, Alec and the Volturi guard stopped on either side of the four.

Carlisle stepped out onto the front porch to join Edward and Jasper. As Aro approached, he held his arms out in a welcoming gesture. He seemed to be expecting the same from Carlisle and appeared affronted when Carlisle didn't respond in kind.

He spread his arms out as though his intention all along had been to gesture to the whole family, which now spread out before him on the porch. Caius smiled smugly as the last of us; Esme, Alice and I, came out the door. His expression said this was happening exactly the way he'd imagined it.

As terrified as I was, some rebellious part of me wanted to grin back, as if to convey that he didn't know what he was dealing with. Something of my feeling must have shown on my face, because he suddenly looked to Aro, his smile faltering just a little.

Good, I thought to myself. Let him keep thinking that way. I realized though, that this line of thought could endanger Jake and the pack, and relaxed my face, allowing the fear I felt to return to my expression.

I stood watching their approach as I felt Edward and Jasper step behind Alice and I. Jasper stood between his wife, and me.

Coming to a stop on the driveway before the house, Aro finally spoke, "Carlisle, my old friend. We meet again. It's such a pleasure to see you once more." He grinned as though this were a conversation between two former friends meeting in a market place.

Carlisle's eyes briefly scanned his following and said, "I'd be more pleased if this were a call of courtesy, old friend.

"Alas Carlisle, even you cannot deny that recent circumstances make that impossible. There are too many unanswerable difficulties on both sides to be ignored."

Carlisle never broke his eye contact with Aro. He shook his head slowly back and forth. "No, there are many things which cannot be forgotten, however that doesn't change the fact that I wish other circumstances could prevail."

Aro opened his mouth to speak, only to be distracted suddenly. The Volturi guard tensed, and silence fell over the entire area around the front of the house. After a moment, even I could hear the sound of breaking branches.

Remembering the charade Jasper had recommended, I did my best to look nervous. I noticed the family all crouching low, in their defensive postures, and looking towards the forest as well.

Aro spoke suddenly, "But what nonsense is this?"

I realized quickly that the pack was not approaching slowly or cautiously. They were moving through the trees fast enough to crash through bushes and branches, and the sound was overwhelming in the sudden silence before the house.

Something black sailed out from the surrounding trees and launched at Aro. There was a tremendous thud as Aro's body slammed into the ground hard enough to make a noticeable dent in the surface. Other shapes launched themselves out, and suddenly the spot where Aro's body had been was a writhing mass of fur and flying body parts.

For some reason Aro was not making any sound. His head flew out separately from the rest, his long black hair a curtain billowing through the air. His mouth was frozen in mid scream, and his eyes were locked in eternal surprise.

A moment later, I realized the body parts were being thrown towards a single spot on the ground before us. When the mass of fur moved back and stood at the bottom of the porch, opening the Volturi's view of Aro's disassembled body, a match struck the heap.

As the onion-skin like flesh began to burn, the wolves howled simultaneously and the world erupted. Suddenly the wolves launched themselves back into the woods and the Volturi left their careful formation to give chase.

Jane turned to run after Sam and Jacob. Her face was a mask of livid fury. I touched Edward, "Jane!" I said, pointing to her. I was on Edward's back and moving through the forest before I even knew what was happening.

I had a moment of recall just in time to turn around and see Rosalie and Emmett running after Caius, and Alice and Jasper circling Alec in low crouches. I heard a sudden howl, and then whimpering howls followed by snarls.

Somehow the hollowness of the last two sounds told me one of the pack had been hurt. I had trouble keeping myself coherent. I began a rhythmic chant, "Please don't let it be Jacob, please don't let it be Jacob." I wouldn't know until much later of course, but it drove me wild to wonder, and my heart ached.

We came into a clearing a moment later, and Jane was battling with a sand colored wolf, my heart stopped for a moment as I realized it was Seth. Edward was running up behind Jane, and he pulled her off Seth and threw her across the clearing. He turned to check on Seth, and as he did Jane picked herself up off the floor and stood a moment before moving forward towards him. She was snarling, but Edward was concentrating on Seth. I hadn't even realized I'd followed Edward, but I consciously stepped between Edward and Jane as she turned her smile on Edward. Edward was leaning over Seth at that moment. Seth was lying on the ground where Jane had left him, whimpering.

It took Jane only a moment to realize her power wasn't working. It took less than that for her to step forward and with one hand, launch me across the clearing exactly as Edward had thrown her. I flew through the air, and then struck something. I heard an ear shattering snap and fell to the ground, all the breath knocked out of me. Trying desperately to regain control of my breathing I could only listen to the sound of Edward's animal scream and Seth's howl. There were other sounds as well, loud and thunderous sounds, mingled with the sounds of Jane screaming. It sounded at first as if the whole forest around me might actually explode. Then I heard snarling and repeated scratching, tearing and ripping sounds. Eventually I smelled the familiar scent of sulfur, last came the sickly sweet smell I associated with the fires which followed the battle with Victoria. It was the smell of burning vampires.

I was finally able to breathe again, but I realized I couldn't move. My back hurt and though I could lift my chest off the ground, my legs weren't responding. My fear overwhelmed me. "Edward." I whispered, too scared to speak any louder.

I heard footsteps, then Edward's face lowered into my view. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, but made no effort to help me up. "Love, are you in pain?" He asked quietly. His expression hinted that my problem was severe. His voice confirmed it. He was speaking softly to contain the hysteria. I heard padded feet approach and then whimpering. Edward snapped at him. "Hush!" Oh God, Seth was Edward's friend. The only one of the wolves he'd really ever taken a liking to, if he was speaking to him like that…I couldn't even face the thought that threatened to come forward.

"Edward, I want to go home." I said, realizing as my voice broke and fragmented that I was crying.

"Bella, Bella, don't cry, it will be fine. Somehow, it will be fine." The desperation in his voice, the need to believe what he was telling me undid me. I began sobbing. My breath was coming in great hitching gasps, I was hyperventilating. I twisted a little trying to bury my face when there was another small snap and everything went dark.