Have A Little Faith

Chapter Seven: The Sentence

*Six Months Later*

It was a calm, quiet evening following a day of rainfall. The people of Volterra were settling in for a calm night's sleep as the vampires wandered about at leisure, safe from exposure under the moon's ivory glow. At that moment, there was a sudden rushing breeze stirred. Its cause was seemingly unknown, as it continued through the city, disturbing the still of the air but not the peace that had taken hold of the city's inhabitants upon the sun's exit.

Demetri and Addiso ran quickly, gracefully, and quietly from the Volturi's hidden underground tunnels, through the Main Plaza, and to their usual hide out underneath the trees by the river. The trees and other plants that grew around this segment of the lake were so thick and inhibiting that Addison wondered if anyone else had ever found this secluded space that she found shelter in underneath the stars. Addison found herself looking upwards, a common thing for her, gazing at the sky above them to stare at the millions of stars that dotted her sharp, clear view with their bright twinkling.

At that moment, Demetri wound his arms around her waist and spun her around. Addison laughed, and when he let her down she turned to face him, and she wrapped her arms around his marble neck as he leaned down to rest his smooth forehead against her's, the soft expression and the serene smile lingering on his glorious immortal face. Ah, to be able to witness this side of his character when the Cullens believed him so cold...

They moved in time with inaudible music that vampires and humans alike were deaf to. They were the only exception as they twirled about in this hidden area where the water rushed beside them and the moon and the stars above them lit everything up.

And they needed no words as they did so. Because in the calm of the night surrounded by all sorts of geographical shelter, they were free to be anything at all.

.oOo.

In the Cullens' new large, impressive mansion, all was normal. The sun's light was fading from the sky as the sun began to emerge in Volterra, Italy. It was peaceful around here, though not quite as calm as it had been during the evening within Volterra's borders. The birds were singing shrilly, yet beautifully, into the open windows of their home. Even the birds that sang from a good long distance away rang clear as a bell in the ears of the vampires inside this elegant home.

Here, Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on the couch together, watching some horror flick and laughing at how stupid it all was and how funny it seemed to them that humans found this sort of thing absolutely terrifying. Edward and Bella were conversing with Jake and Nessie, just before Jacob and Nessie were preparing to go to end the day with a good night's rest. Alice was dancing about the room before she would make her way upstairs to her bedroom. Carlisle and Esme sat on a couch on the other side of the room, deep in discussion, while Jasper flipped through a book he was reading on an armchair by a window.

Suddenly, Alice froze. Her expression was absolutely vacant. Her eyes stared off blankly and at nothing in particular. Edward tensed immediately, his eyes focused on the back of Alice's head as Jasper rushed to Alice's side, hands on her shoulders, his expression frantic as he watched her.

"Not again..." she groaned.

By now, everyone was watching her.

"Oh, God," Edward said quietly.

"Alice? What is it?"

"It's the Volturi..."

"What?" Carlisle said. "No! We haven't done anything!"

"It's the werewolves," Edward said, glancing at Jake, who growled.

"Apparently, the vampire coven that went through La Push wasn't completely destroyed. The boy got away and he's gone to the Volturi to make a complaint, request vengeance for his fallen friends. The Volturi has decided to grant his request. All werewolves- or rather, shapeshifters- are to be killed as punishment for the crime."

"What?!" Jacob exclaimed, "But they-"

"They're calling it 'unjustified slaughter' and-"

"'A danger to all vampires, and our world must therefore be purged of them for the safety of our kind.'" Alice finished quietly, leaning against Jasper.

Everyone in the house was speechless as they processed this horrid new information.

.oOo.

Addison and Demetri had just heard the order. When the boy, Lawson, had come forward with this information of what had happened to the rest of his coven, the Volturi immediately made the decision to annihilate these shapeshifters. Upon Lawson's official complaint, the desicion was made that these creatures were a danger to all vampires. Therefore, they would all have to be sentenced to death for the unjustified slaughter of Lawson's friends, Elwood and Norma.

"These shapeshifters are a danger to all vampires," Caius said when the ancients deliberated.

"Our world must therefore be purged of them for the safety of our kind." Aro agreed.

And so it was that the Volturi were going to make a trip west once more.

.oOo.

Sam! Jacob shouted with his thoughts as soon as he had made it to La Push in wolf form and upon hearing the thoughts of another wolf, present in the area and within the depths of his mind.

Hey, Jake. What's the emergency?

It's bad, Sam, it's really bad. Jacob said, and the official sentence from the Volturi flashed through his mind as he went over all the things that had just happened. What Alice had just seen the Volturi decide.

Hey, guys, what's- Seth's thoughts were cut off as he, too, heard the news.

But they can't! Seth's thoughts spluttered. We were just protecting our land!

That's not how they see it, kid, Jacob thought heavily.

How they see what? Embry's thoughts asked.

Yeah, what's going on? Quil thought as he, too, joined them.

The Volturi's coming again. Except this time, it's for us. We've been sentenced to death for- Jake flipped through the reasons in his thoughts.

But we were just protecting our land! The filthy bloodsuckers were on our territory! They hunted here! Quil thought indignantly.

That's what I said, Seth thought.

They don't care, Jake thought in reply to his pack's indignity, they're doing it for 'the safety of their kind'.

Sam remained silent as he communicated with his pack.

Seth, Quil, and Embry growled in unison.

So what are we going to do? Sam asked Jacob.

What can we do? Jake asked. All we can do is fight, and hope for the best.

There was a silence amongst all of them as the weight of their sentence and impending fate pressed down on them, smothering them, and threatening to take their lives before the Volturi even started leaving their sacred, and beloved home, Volterra.

AN: Thanks for reading, and thank you for all your reviews and support. I appreciate it. There's a specific direction that I'm taking the story in, so that it involves more then Addison and Demetri, but in the end it will come down their fate. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, I'm sorry this chapter has taken a while. I meant to have it up days ago but I just started up school again, and I don't seem to have time for anything and it's only the second day back. So please be patient with me as I try my very best to keep consistent. Thanks!