Author's Notes: Yay another chapter! Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day / bank holiday weekend.

Huge thanks to everyone who left me reviews: hotmessz, midtwilight, KMT06055, sammieleelee, MrsTaylorLautner.X, x-rayLady, Tashibi, mysteryfan09, o0dancer4ever0o, Miamore, sarlovesoccer, Lus-In (very good guessing skills there!), luv2beloved, a, ConradKCat, and R. C. Cullen 888/Nessie!


Disclaimer: The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter Twenty-Two

Ancients

On a blanket beneath the stars, I lay in Jacob's arms. He was snoring softly. I'd had a good nap – three hours – but I wasn't tired anymore. I was jittery, wondering what the morning would bring, knowing that we were waiting for the three elders of the Volturi to arrive.

The grass beneath us was soft and the air balmy. The rainforest cloaked us in the multilayered, foreign scent of a million creatures, living and dying. The quiet murmurs of vampires and the soft breathing of sleeping half-vampires substituted for what should have been the nightly chorus of insects and animals.

Trying to relax, I snuggled deeper into Jacob's embrace. I wondered how the newborn Nicole was doing. Would she join our family? She was related to Alice, after all… but even if she was learning to hunt animals, it would be years before she could be around people. She'd entered the vampire life totally unprepared.

As I stared up into the blackness, with the moon a descending half-circle almost grazing the trees, my sharp eyes traced a shooting star that flared and vanished.

Jacob's hands tightened around me, in his sleep.

I sighed.

There hadn't been any normal food on the compound, and so before resting, Jacob and the wolves had done a bit of hunting on their own and sampled the capybara, some kind of giant rat. Leah had refused, saying she would rather go hungry than eat what looked like a radioactive rodent.

I made a note that the next time we went on an expedition like this, we bring picnic lunches for the voracious wolves.

Listening to Jacob's breathing, I was finally able to calm down again, and I drifted back into a light sleep. My dreams were unsettled and anxious, and filled with the faces of the dead: the cold maroon eyes of Saul, the screaming pain of Heidi, the bright red orbs and yellowish teeth and paper skin of Betty the savage memory-stealer. I tossed and turned and finally awoke to Edward, patting my head.

"Dad?" I mumbled.

"The sun's rising," he said. "You were having bad dreams."

I blinked my bleary eyes and yawned. The space next to me was empty. Where's Jake?

"He had to transform and didn't want to wake you. The pack – and Aylen, who's now glued at the hip to Seth and won't leave his side – are running the perimeter. Alice and the others are back from hunting; she says the rest of the Volturi are arriving in a couple of hours."

Ugh. Great.

"She says it's going to be okay. She doesn't foresee them fighting us. They were coming only for a routine inspection. They have no idea what's happened in the meantime."

I stood up and folded the blanket. I found the rest of my family at the front of the compound, still standing around the prisoners, minus Carlisle. I could hear his footsteps in the ward, and I assumed he was checking on the humans.

I got my first good look at the newborn Nicole Goodwin, formerly a high school history teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Her blond hair was in a fashionable layered style, cut short so that it fell around her face. Her face resembled Alice's, elfin and heart-shaped. Her lips were a bow and her eyes the color of maraschino cherries. She looked overwhelmed.

"Nicole, this is Nessie," said Alice, gesturing at me. "She's my niece, too. I guess that makes you sort of cousins."

"Hi, Nicole," I said.

Nicole swallowed as if she had a sore throat.

"Yeah, Nessie isn't food," said Alice to Nicole. "Don't worry, Ness, she can tell the difference. And she did really well with the jaguar."

I felt sorry for Nicole. How bewildering it must be to be snatched out of your life and wake up as a vampire.

Edward's lips pressed together in agreement.

"A fascinating talent," Govinda interjected from the ground. "Fascinating."

Alice raised an eyebrow at him. "I knew what Nicole's talent would be, even before she woke up. So there."

Govinda got a sour look and crossed his arms, looking away.

"What is her talent?" I asked.

"The opposite of mine!" Alice said, jubilant. "She has visions, not of the future, but of the past!"

Wow. I looked at Nicole again, whose posture was tense, and her bright eyes jerked from one person to the next. "Nicole, that's so cool!" I complimented her. "So…" the possibilities began to occur to me. Nicole would be able to fill in the entire history of our lives, our world, through vision. She would know about the Cullens and our lifestyle, our struggle with the Volturi, and everything before I was born, even… Wow, I thought again.

The others were equally impressed. "How much have you seen so far?" asked Rosalie. She was a little sensitive about the past.

Nicole spoke up for the first time, hesitantly, like she didn't know or trust her own voice. I was surprised: it was a great contrast both to her ethereal appearance and her aunt Alice's voice… throaty, rich, with an undertone of authority. "I – I first saw her," Nicole said, nodding at Alice. "Her human life in the institution, and how she was turned, bitten by the old one. I've been seeing other things and people, too, but I don't know who they are." I think if she would have started crying, if she could have.

"It's all right, dear, I know how much it is to take all at once," said Esme, stepping forward. "Do you mind if I give you a hug?"

Nicole paused, then nodded once. Esme embraced her and patted her on the back. "Welcome to your new life. Everything will be all right." Esme pulled away and looked Nicole in the eyes. "I'm Alice's mother – I mean, in this life. You're always welcome with us."

Nicole couldn't bear being held for too long; she jumped away, skittish. Jasper tensed and then I felt the waves of calm as he worked on Nicole's wildly fluctuating emotions.

"I—I'm so thirsty," said Nicole, looking around, pausing on the half-humans, and then staring with longing toward the hospital ward, where the human mothers were under sedation. "I don't want to hurt anyone." She gulped again. "I saw how you people live, resisting the thirst."

I remembered Edward telling me about the day, last century, when Alice had shown up at the Cullens' home with Jasper in tow… and how one of her first visions (after seeing Jasper's face) had been of the "vegetarian" lifestyle… how without those visions to guide her, untrained as she was, she might have gone wild.

I hoped Nicole would be guided in the same way. Our lives were too complicated to be taking care of some newborn and training her to be a vegetarian. Maybe the Denalis could take her on.

"Ness, come here," said Alice, beckoning me. "Show Nicole how nice our lives are. The house and everything." She turned to Nicole. "Nessie can show you her thoughts with touch."

I approached the newborn. Edward and Bella hovered at my shoulders, ready to intervene. With a slow hand I reached out and took hers, closed my eyes, and imagined our house in Rochester, the front porch, the autumn leaves, the lovely pale antique furniture and our garage full of cars. Fast cars, I thought, fun cars! And we all go to high school! You could teach again someday, once you're able to be around humans!

"Don't get carried away," said Edward, "you're overwhelming her."

"No, no, it's all right," said Nicole shakily. "I just – everything's changed so fast."

We retreated to leave Nicole with Alice. I stood with my parents off near the forest; I wished Jacob would be done with his paranoia patrol and come back to me.

"She's doing all right," said Edward, his eyes on Nicole. "She just wishes for someone very experienced to guide her. She has a mind centered around authority, a respect for it. It's good we got here when we did; otherwise, she would have been unquestionably loyal to the Volturi."

"Maybe Tanya can teach her?" said Bella.

"Maybe," said Edward.

"How are the Volturi getting here?" I asked.

"Helicopter, according to Alice," Edward said.

I reflexively turned my attention to the sky, half-expecting to hear the 'soi soi soi' of rotor blades.

"Ten-thirty, give or take a few minutes," said Edward. "According to Alice."

"I'm gonna go run with Jake," I said, hearing his unique pace through the woods beyond us.

"Have fun!" said Bella.

I dashed through the forest, using limbs of trees to propel myself like a monkey, and a few seconds later I was running alongside Jacob's russet wolf self. "Hey," I said, falling into his pace.

His eye rolled up to look at me, a greeting.

We ran a few wide circles around the compound. Jacob stopped when we were satisfied there were no vampires on the ground running our way. I could not imagine Aro, Caius, and Marcus running pell-mell through the rainforest, muddying their black robes. I giggled at the picture and passed it to Jacob; he huffed a laugh. Then he whined at me and looked pointedly at a tree; that meant he wanted to transform. I turned my back.

"Hey," he breathed in my ear, placing his bare hands on my shoulders. I leaned into him and his arms moved down and circled my stomach, pulling me back. I tilted my head and he placed a single kiss where my neck met my shoulder. "Alice must be proud of you. Your clothes are intact."

I looked down at myself for the first time; he was right. Aside from a few spots of reddish mud on the wide brown skirt, my outfit was in fine shape. My ankle boots were coated with dirt, however. Not the shoes so much.

"One more excuse for her to buy you new ones," said Jacob.

I remembered the times when I was a little kid and Jacob would go with us on our shopping adventures, usually at the department stores in Portland or Seattle. I would change into some adorable dress or another, and twirl around to Alice's approval and Jacob's applause.

Jacob chuckled, remembering with me.

Then I imagined something different: me modeling lingerie for him.

"Things sure change, don't they?" he said, his voice suddenly husky. "You shouldn't tempt me like that, Ness."

And why not?

"I might not be able to resist you before we get married. And then Edward will kill me."

I rolled my eyes. Oh, yeah. That's right. Marriage.

Jacob twirled me to face him. "You're okay with that, right?"

I avoided his eyes. I guess I'll have to be.

"No," said Jacob, knowing me better than I knew myself. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We can be like this for as long as we want. There's no rush."

My body thought differently; in fact, the wanting of Jacob was a slow burn inside of me. I let him know with the brush of my fingers across his cheek.

"So there is a rush," he said, leaning his face closer.

Do we have to get married? That's so old-fashioned.

"I think we do," said Jacob.

Will it mean I don't have to do high school ever again?

"I bet we can work out something like that. Sounds like a good enough reason to get married to me."

I pictured Jacob and me keeping our own house, all alone to do whatever we wanted. I could have a huge office with my computer, and there would be a barn where he could run his vintage car restoration business. There would be a shining kitchen, a living room with a stone fireplace and leather sofa, a bedroom with the biggest bed anyone had ever seen.

Jacob closed his eyes and sighed, picturing it with me. "Best of all, your dad wouldn't be there to read our thoughts."

Yeah, they'd have to be a couple miles away, at least. I wrinkled my nose. And I could think all kinds of things about you!

"Little minx," said Jacob, nuzzling my neck. It sent shivers down my spine and made my stomach flip. "I think your parents want you to go to college first, though."

Ugh, college. How boring.

"Maybe we can put that off, too. After all, Bells still hasn't managed to get to Dartmouth. I wonder if their offer is still open."

I laughed. It was true; my mother had opted out of anything but family life for the last sixteen years. At first it was to raise me, and then I guessed it was to spend as much time with Edward as possible. She couldn't put it off forever, though; Edward was convinced she would enjoy a degree in English literature.

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around Jacob's neck and our lips met. The world around me disappeared and there was nothing but him, nothing but us… I never wanted to leave his arms, not for anything… and then the moment was interrupted by the faint, rhythmic whine of a helicopter.

Through my love-fogged mind, I realized the Volturi were a matter of minutes away, and I protested against it, kissing Jacob even harder.

He pulled away first. "I have to transform," he said. "Unless you want to continue this, with me as a wolf? Might get too slobbery."

"Ew!" I laughed. "You're too much, Jake." I turned around and he was a wolf again. I climbed on his back and we ran into the clearing just in time to see the sleek lines of a black helicopter whirling against the sky above us. My stomach dropped. This was it.

I didn't remember anything about Marcus, and very little about Aro, and about Caius only that he was white-haired and frightening.

I slipped off Jacob's back to stand next to my parents. "Where are Nahuel and the others?" I asked.

"The hybrids are back in their common building," said Edward. "Except Aylen, of course."

Aylen stood at Seth's side, like I did with Jacob.

We watched as the black helicopter made a gentle landing in the center of the circle of white buildings. The patchy sunshine gleamed off its sides. The vampires around me sparkled, their faceted skin shattering the restless light.

I caught my breath as the helicopter door opened and a figure in a dark gray cloak floated out, feet touching the ground without a whisper of a sound.

It was Jane. I felt Bella tense, and I knew her shield was up, protecting us.

"Easy, love," Edward said, his hand on Bella's arm.

Next came a huge figure, bulky and tall, with a grayish-olive complexion. He stood to one side; he appeared ludicrous next to tiny Jane.

Then another man stepped out; he was thin and had medium-brown hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Chelsea straighten her posture.

The three guards stood at attention in a descending line as the next figure stepped out of the helicopter onto the grass. His white hair I recognized instantly: Caius. A low, pained growl came from Tanya's direction. The grudge she held over her dead sister Irina must be burning at the sight of Caius, who'd killed her.

After Caius came Aro, his face placid, his sharp eyes taking in everything around him. I heard his quick intake of breath at the sight of us, but he recovered and smiled as though all this was completely expected.

Aro's bodyguard, a suspicious-looking woman, clung to his robe like a shadow.

Finally, Marcus stepped out, a look of supreme indifference on his face. It was as though we weren't even there.

"Here we go again," Bella whispered.

Aro glided forward, black robe floating on the air behind him like a cloud. He looked out of place amidst the clean scientific buildings and the wild, tangled vines and trees of the rainforest. His eyes were luminous, liquid, as though someone had poured blood into milk.

Caius walked to Aro's right, wearing an ugly expression that darkened further when he saw the wolves. I could almost smell his fear of them.

Marcus followed.

"Greetings!" Aro said. "Carlisle, we meet again."

Carlisle took half a step forward and nodded curtly.

"And the rest of your family. Marvelous to see all of you so well." His pinkish eyes paused on me. "Young Renesmee. I last saw you as a toddler and here you've grown into a beauty."

I didn't quite know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything.

"Where is Saul?" Caius hissed, getting to the point.

"Now, now," said Aro, patting Caius's arm. "I'm sure there's an explanation. Is there not, Chelsea, Alec?"

Our prisoners were at attention. "There is," said Chelsea. She looked troubled, conflicted.

"Good, good," said Aro, without bothering to ask her. I supposed he would just touch her to get the full story.

"Let us not avoid the questions raised here," said Carlisle. He took another step forward. I glanced at his face and was shocked: I had never, ever seen Carlisle look so angry. His features were clouded with thunder, his eyes intent, glancing between Caius and Aro as though deciding whose fault this was. "This place you've built is a monstrosity. A breach of every form of decency. You've gone too far in your quest for power and talent, and this will not stand."

Aro blinked and Caius licked his lips. "Carlisle, my friend –" Aro began.

"We are not friends," said Carlisle. "And we have not been since you set out to destroy my family sixteen years ago."

"I never!" said Aro. "We were merely doing our jobs, enforcing the law."

"You're lying, Aro," Edward called.

"And you're outnumbered," added Emmett.

Aro did not address any of these points. Instead he fastened on Alice and said, "Alice Cullen. How are you, my dear?"

"Never better." She gave him a perky smile that said she knew who would come out on top. I wasn't sure if she was positive, or just acting like she was to unsettle Aro, but it worked.

Aro looked away. "And some new faces, as well. A newborn and a lovely half-vampire. We've not been introduced."

"Nor will you be," said Carlisle. "You've done quite enough damage."

A line of frustration appeared in the thin skin between Aro's eyes. "Carlisle, please. I am truly confused. Surely as a man of science, you understand –"

"Science? You call it science, this… this breeding program? This violation of the sanctity of human life and culture?"

"We've done nothing we haven't done for centuries," Caius interrupted. "Cultivated talent. You saw nothing wrong with that before."

"I was mistaken to ever trust you," said Carlisle. "Clearly, you will go to any lengths to keep your power. Despite your pretense at civilization, you are no different from the Romanians you deposed."

Aro rolled his eyes; Caius hissed; Marcus stared blankly off into the jungle.

"They haven't seen the women," said Edward in an undertone to Carlisle. "I think its best if we show them everything."

"Yes, thank you!" said Aro, overhearing. "Show us. We are here for an inspection and I see no reason to delay it. But before I go with you, please tell me, where is my director? Saul? And where are the guards?"

Edward glanced over at Jasper and nodded, agreeing with whatever thought he had. "Chelsea, go, show him."

Looking frightened – possibly of her boss's reaction – Chelsea darted across the field and bowed her head to the elders, holding out a hand for Aro to touch.

It took several minutes. Aro's face showed a progression of anger, shock, intrigue, and fear. Chelsea quivered in front of him as he took in the entire story. He released her arm and she backed off; I noticed how the thin, brown-haired vampire (Chelsea's mate?) tucked her in line beside him.

"I see," said Aro. "Caius, my friend, it seems there was a battle. The Cullens attacked our facility. Saul has been killed. And so has Heidi, driven to vengeance by his death."

Caius said in a low, angry voice, "And they did it? Have they killed him?"

"It would seem the shapeshifter wolves did the job."

Now Caius was afraid. His eyes darted to the wolves, and he turned his face away as though not seeing them would make them go away.

I was sure that he and Aro realized they were outnumbered. They would not attack us. No wonder Alice was in such a good mood.

"Come then," said Aro, raising a hand. "We should see what all the fuss is about. Carlisle, if you don't mind showing us what has upset you so?"

"Not at all," said Carlisle in a clipped tone.

We fell into a loose group around Carlisle, Bella at the center. Govinda and Alec, seeing their chance, moved off to the side and Alec took Jane's hand in his own. They looked almost identical, twins in life, complements in eternity.

"You two behave," Bella shot at them.

Alec gave her a sweet smile, while Jane glared.

The crowd of us walked to the hospital ward. "Is anyone thirsty?" asked Carlisle.

"Are you offering us refreshment?" said Caius.

"No. There are humans in here."

Aro sniffed. "Barely alive, I would say."

Carlisle opened the door and stepped aside for the Volturi to enter first. Aro's bodyguard scurried along in his wake, and the huge tall vampire escorted Caius. Chelsea and the brown-haired vampire followed with Marcus.

The women's breathing was shallow and pained, echoing through the long sterile ward. Their chests rose and fell; their hollow cheeks fluttered. Their brown skin looked gray under the bright lights. The contusions that covered their abdomens were a sickly rainbow of color: purple and black, yellow and blue.

The Volturi went still. Disapproval was written on Aro's face. Caius looked irritated. Marcus had no expression, as always. The others, I supposed, were not paid to have an opinion. They all looked foreign, anachronistic amidst the medical equipment, belonging to the power of another age.

"Oh, dear," said Aro.

"I've done everything I could for them," said Carlisle. "Once the children are born, I will give the mothers a choice to die or be changed. More of a choice, I suspect, than they had getting into this situation."

"Carlisle," said Aro, spreading his arms. His cloak clung to his shoulders. "I apologize that you had to see this. I truly had no idea Saul had taken it so far. I would not have allowed this to continue."

"How else did you think hybrids were born? You know the history of what happened with my own family."

"Saul assured us there was no lack of choice. These women knew what they were getting involved with. They came willingly."

"Oh?" asked Edward. "Then why is there a grave out in the forest, with the drained and buried bodies of the other human mothers?"

"Is there?" Aro was the picture of innocence.

Caius put his hand over Aro's.

"Yes, I agree," said Aro. "We have seen enough here. The perpetrator of these crimes is dead. Saul was a mistake. You cannot expect us to go so many thousands of years without a single mistake! Carlisle, don't look at me that way. Remember that we are the civilized ones."

"Many human dictatorships have said the same thing," said Carlisle. "And many have turned to similar crimes to increase their power."

"Come," said Aro, placing his hands over those of Marcus and Caius, "let us speak of this out of doors. The smell in here…"

I wasn't sure if he meant the smell of sickness, death, or the ever-delicious human blood. When the Volturi glided past me, I got a close-up look at their faces, and I shuddered, remembering the same paper-like skin on geriatric Betty, who'd stolen my memories. The profiles of the Volturi were noble, proud, royal, and utterly compassionless. The black of their cloaks blended together so they resembled a floating three-headed monster.

Back outside, one of the wolves – probably Leah – growled at Caius and he jerked, startled.

"Come along, then, friends," said Aro. There was a note of panic in his voice now. This must have been the first time in centuries that he'd been truly outdone.

Against the backdrop of their helicopter, the Volturi looked both absurd and formidable. Everything about them said wealth and power, yet there were cracks in the façade. Caius could not stop glancing at the wolves and Aro forced a smile. Aro brushed his fingers into a signal and the guard formed around him.

We stood facing them, my family and I. Alice's face was calm and pert, so the tension in the air between our groups must not come to violence.

"So, Aro?" said Carlisle. "We're at an impasse."

"Give me a moment, please," said Aro, and he turned, dipped his head down, and spoke to the other two.

I glanced at Edward. "They're thinking of destroying the facility altogether," he whispered to us. "Taking the hit and retreating. Starting over with someone else, somewhere else. They have Govinda now. He can find them talent. Abandoning the hybrid projects."

"A weakened tyrant is the most dangerous kind," whispered Garrett.

"Chelsea is hesitant," added Edward. "She's disturbed by what she's seen here, by Saul especially. She's been one of them for so long, but she's only just now wondering who she's working for. Aro sees it in her mind and is wary of rebellion in his ranks. Without Chelsea, the coven would fall apart."

I thought to Edward, How long has she been with them? Chelsea?

"Fifteen hundred years," he whispered back. "Right now, she's remembering those years. She was from England, but her medieval name was unpronounceable, so they just called her Chelsea, after the area near London where she was born."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus were done conversing. Aro turned back to us and said quickly, "We quite agree that this project has gone too far. We humbly beg pardon and will be going now."

The huge vampire and Govinda were already on the helicopter when three things happened at the same time.

Alice gasped.

Nicole, who'd been holding arms between Alice and Jasper, fell to her knees, clutching her head.

Edward, reading both past and future unraveling in their minds, swore softly.

Uh oh. Something's about to go down. I inched backward until I felt Jacob's hot breath on my hair.

The Volturi, meanwhile, were astonished by newborn Nicole. "What's the matter with her?" Caius sneered.

"She sees the past," said Govinda, peeking his cowardly head out from the door of the helicopter. "She's the fortune-teller's descendant niece."

"Your blood relation!" said Aro to Alice, joy lighting his face. "And rather than seeing the future, she sees the past! How perfectly…" his voice lowered as if in remembrance, "…interesting."

"Aro," Edward breathed. "How could you?"

"What!" Aro glanced at Edward, then at Alice, then at Nicole. He looked as if he both yearned to know what had been seen, and dreaded to know.

"Someone better tell us what's going on," said Emmett.

"I think Nicole should tell it," said Edward.

"I think Nicole is going to," said Alice.