AN: Here it is, as promised. It would have been up sooner, but fanfiction wouldn't let me upload it with the Document Manager. Every time I tried, I'd just end up with a blank screen. Luckily, I figured out a way to work around it.

xxxxxxx

Chapter 46 - Life or Death

BPOV

I listened to Billy's carefully whispered description of what Chief was seeing, as we circled back around behind the new threat. I pushed myself further than the others, wanting to come in closer to where my family was lying unresponsive, hoping to be able to protect them.

I noticed the strange fog, hovering just above the ground, over all the prone bodies and leaking into the forest. I felt something seem to prod at my ankles, causing a numb kind of feeling in my mouth, as if I had squirted some Orajel on my tongue. It only lasted a second but left the bitter taste of anesthetic behind. What's Orajel? My brain told me that's what it felt like, though I didn't have any memory of what it was or why someone would put it on their tongue. It was weird, just a one word response to the sensation. Must be a human thing, I guess. Looking down, I saw the fog surrounding my legs and climbing up my body. It suddenly dawned on me that this was Alec's power.

During one of the briefing sessions, Carlisle had filled us in on the abilities of the different Volturi guards he had known in the decades he spent in Volterra. The others had spent some time discussing whether or not I would be immune to those gifts, due to my shield. I understood now, for the first time really, how important my shield was, and why everyone had been so excited about it.

I had intended to have words with everyone to express my displeasure at being tricked into manifesting my shield by having me believe Esme was in danger. Once I had recovered from all the emotions stirred up by protecting her, I was hurt they decided to play with my emotions. I was also rather disappointed that Carlisle had no plans to retaliate against Kate. I really wanted to see that. It would have made me feel vindicated, to have him serve justice to her for her actions.

Now, in light of our current situation, I couldn't be angry with the family anymore. They had apologized for hurting me, but cited the greater good. I hadn't understood then, why it was so critical. Seeing them helpless and vulnerable, at the mercy of Alec's power, which had no effect on me, I was beyond grateful to have that memory of how my shield could be expanded to protect others too. Without a second thought, the moment I realized my shield protected me from Alec's gift, I had thrown it around my family. I knew I should probably protect the Denalis too, but for now, I needed my family to be okay, especially my mate.

Looking at the film of the bubble as I expanded it to surround Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Peter, and Charlotte, I was fascinated to watch as it pushed the fog away from them, leaving them in a fog-free zone. I wondered how long it would take them to awaken from the effects of Alec's mind numbing and looked over to see how the rest of my group was faring.
I knew Billy had expected us all to work together to take out the Volturi, but I did my own risk assessment and decided on a different plan. Our ragtag team had been expected to only be backup against Victoria and her army. We had very little fight training and, as newborns, were easily distractible.

I was all for Billy's plan to use Chief to spy and then take out Alec, but if they failed for some reason, we would all die. That's why I came for my family instead of sticking with them. If they failed, but I had awoken the family, we still had a chance of surviving. The Whitlocks could kick major ass, and I'd rather have them fighting for me than a bunch of newborns and shape shifters any day. I hadn't been sure I would be able to help them, but I had to try. Perhaps my subconscious had been alerting me that my shield was all I needed.

Looking at the cluster of cloaked vampires, I was just in time to see Chief tearing into Alec's neck. The other two tried to grab him to pull him away, and were shocked to find their hands passing right through his body. I wished I could see their faces, but their backs were to me. I watched a few moments more, just long enough to see Alec's head hit the dirt, and Chief pick it up and throw it into the woods, presumably to one of our people.

As the head left his mouth, he crumpled to his knees with a howl of pain, which then disappeared as quickly as it occurred. He jumped back to his feet and shook himself, giving the other two a wolfish grin. I smirked as I raced over to kneel beside Jasper. Jane had clearly attempted to use her power on him, but he'd simply gone 'ghost', and she could no longer affect him. Unsurprisingly, the fog was now dissipating all around us. It'd be quite remarkable if Alec was able to keep up his gift, even with his head severed from his body.

I clung to Jasper, kissing his face and rubbing my hands over his body, searching for any injuries. I continued watching the fight evolve in front of me, thankful that in their distress, the Volturi didn't seem to even notice me sneaking onto the field. Chief began circling around them and taking off after them when they dashed away to chase whomever had Alec's head. I wanted to chuckle when I realized Chief was not so subtly herding them toward the fire Billy was building, but I couldn't relax when my mate was in such danger.

I gasped softly, when I felt curiosity and love emanating from my Jasper, knowing he had felt my momentary amusement. I couldn't resist giving him a kiss, a real kiss this time, on his lips, his taste and scent calming me considerably. Just like in a fairly tale, the kiss seemed to bring him back to life, as he was suddenly embracing me, jumping up to a standing position with me in his arms. Some romantic portion of my brain was drawing allusions to the story 'Sleeping Beauty' I had read when I was younger, even though the sounds of my family reviving all around us clearly showed it wasn't the kiss that awakened him.

The Volturi were now out of sight, but not hearing, so we were careful to use sign language to share information and make a new plan.

xxxxxxx

Jasper POV

Suddenly, my mate's emotional signature was on the move, filled with determination. I knew she was planning to try to save me, but at least she'd taken the time to think about it, instead of charging in blindly and recklessly. I could tell she was taking a circular path to get to me, because she actually got further away before she got closer. I monitored her closely, waiting anxiously for some indication of her success or failure.

I mentally cheered when I felt her triumph and knew she was close, closer than the Volturi scum who caused me to be trapped and vulnerable like this.

I can't believe you let the little shit get us like this, Major grumbled.

I wasn't expecting him just yet! I thought we'd have time to deal with the whole Victoria situation before they got here, so they weren't exactly factored into our plan, I returned, exasperated. He'd been rebuking me, blaming Peter, and ranting about everything ever since we went down.

Well, obviously they should've been factored into the plan, asswipe! Major sneered. Now our mate is out there with a bunch of newborns, likely to be captured, kidnapped, and tortured, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.

Bella's got a plan, I reminded him. We need to trust her. She's got her shield, remember? If she can block Alec's gift and protect us, we can defend her.

You damn well better hope her plan works, because if anything happens to her, I'm gonna lock you up in the little cage where you kept me for the past few decades, he threatened.

If anything happens to her, I'll gladly hand over control, so we can get our revenge, I assured him.

Before he could respond, I felt our mate have an epiphany. She was filled with joy, hope, and understanding. Whatever she just figured out boosted her confidence and determination as well. Her hope fueled my own, and thankfully, the Major perked up as well. Finally, something's going right for our side!

I bet she just figured out she's immune to Alec's gift, Major decided. She's close enough that she might be within his range. Now if she can wrap it around us, we can get the hell out of here and kick some ass! I don't know how much more of this sensory deprivation I can handle before I fly off the deep end.

At least we have our gift to give us some information about the outside world, I agreed. At least we know our mate is safe. Think how much worse it would be without that.

I mentally shuddered and realized the rest of the family were all in that boat, except perhaps Peter, whose gift probably let him know his mate hadn't been touched yet. I knew I'd be completely freaking out if I wasn't able to keep track of my mate and family right now, and indeed, their emotions were full of panic and terror. I was blocking them to the best of my ability in an effort to retain my own sanity. I sent them a wave of hope and reassurance, which did way more to help them than the calm I had been sending periodically to take the edge off for them.
Suddenly, I felt a blast of shock, pain, confusion, and fear from the Volturi, followed by smug victory, excitement, anticipation, and relief from our ragtag team of newborns and wolves. My mate had moved right next to me, but the Volturi seemed too caught up in whatever the others were doing to even notice she was there.

I bet she's using her shield on us! Major crowed.

I rejoiced as her worry, concern, and love covered me, and my senses began slowly returning. Soon, I could feel her gentle hands skimming over my skin again as she instinctively checked for injury. There was no lust this time though, as the danger was still looming over us, and we couldn't afford to be distracted.

There was a brief burst of pain from Chief, before he disappeared, though I could tell he had returned to his spirit form, rather than perished. His emotions left a slight trail when he went in and out of the physical realm. Then they were all moving, the Volturi and our guys, all traveling in the same direction toward one who was lying in wait.

My sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste were returning more rapidly now, as were the rest of our immediate family's, which told me it was indeed a result of Bella's shield, for the rest of our group and Victoria's were still panicking. I felt a small spike in Bella's amusement and sent her my curiosity and love, wondering what she could have found funny here on the battlefield. I wouldn't judge her though, as everyone has different coping mechanisms for stressful situations.

As much time as I'd spent at war, I'd seen a wide range. Some get drunk, some get high, some talk it out, some turn off their emotions, while others seek to lose themselves in the pleasures of the flesh. Some joke, like Emmett, while others cry. Some puke, some get ill, some pick fights, some destroy things around them, others turn to the arts - writing, composing, painting, building, sculpting, etc. Bella seemed to appreciate Emmett's humor more than the rest of the family in tense situations, so it wouldn't be surprising to find that's one of her ways of releasing emotional tension.

Just as everything was coming back online, enabling me to move again, my mate leaned over and kissed me on the lips. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her back for one brief second to express my delight in being reunited with her and pride in her coming to our rescue. Then I jumped to my feet, pulling her up with me, ready for battle. The rest of our family were jumping to their feet as well, quickly reuniting with their mates with relief, before warily searching for the biggest threat to our security.

As soon as they realized only our immediate family was revived, they came to the same conclusion I did, that Bella was shielding us. It was then I noticed the fog, hovering over the remainder of the unresponsive vampires, was dissipating. I knew they would start awakening all too quickly as soon as the fog was gone, so I frantically began gesturing to the family, working on a new plan at top speed.

I could feel the abject terror coming from the area where our team was struggling with the Volturi and glanced over where our cloaked nemeses had been. Seeing a headless body stumbling around, bumping into trees, I asked Bella what happened. She informed us Chief had taken off Alec's head. Screams of pain ripped through the air along with agonized howls of distress. Jane was busy with her gift, and I realized the mind link Jacob, Billy, and Chief shared was now working against them.

The others now recognized that a beheaded Alec was unable to concentrate on maintaining his gift and now the newborn army would be ready to fight against us very shortly.

No longer worried about the Volturi hearing us, Peter urgently declared, "We can't fight a battle on two fronts. We need to take out this army now, or our side will have casualties."

"I agree, Captain," Major responded. "Come, my Bella, I will teach you how to rip apart a vampire, starting with this redheaded cunt who should've been destroyed six months ago. Rose, Esme, it's time to light the fire."

"Awesome, Major," Bella trilled cheerfully. "I'll gladly help you burn this bitch who dared try to bring harm to my family."

"I'll take out the male next to her. He was clearly the one who was training the newborns," Peter decided. "So he's the biggest threat."

"Don't kill any of the others yet. The rest should be offered the opportunity to surrender," Carlisle asserted.

"What?" Rose shrieked. "They're here to kill us all and you want to set them free so they can try again later?"

"Are you serious?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Carlisle, I understand you hate to kill, to take any unnecessary lives, but are you willing to risk your mate's life, your children's lives, on the off chance any of these newborns are rational enough to think past Victoria's brainwashing?" Major demanded. He's a naïve fool!

He's only dealt with newborns one at a time in a family setting. He has no idea of the brutal conditions of war and the torturous tactics needed to keep a newborn army in line, I reminded him.

I will not risk Bella to salve his conscience! We did not create these newborns! We have no responsibility toward them. In fact, it would be in the best interests of both the vampire race and the human race to kill them, rather than send a pack of unrestrained, unsupervised newborns out to ravage the countryside!

I don't think he's planning to just release them into the wild on their own, I scoffed.

So, what? He's going to adopt them? Major sneered. All of them? How many 'kids' does he want? A fuckin' dynasty? How is that going to help him keep under the radar with the humans? You don't think they'll be curious about someone adopting so many kids, especially ones that all have pale skin and golden eyes? He's delusional!

I was at a loss for words as I thought about it. What if even five of them surrender and accept his terms? What the hell was he gonna do with five fucking newborns, picking fights, trashing the house, and trying to eat any humans they find in the vicinity? Has he gone insane?

He's naïve, innocent, optimistic, idealistic, and he's gonna get us all fuckin' killed! Major growled. Well, not on my watch! They better be fuckin' angels before I'll accept their 'surrender'.

Carlisle gasped and flinched at the Major's words, but then squared his shoulders. "They didn't ask for this life, Major, any more than you did. You escaped from a vampire army, from enforced, endless war and look at you now! Would you deny them the same opportunity? I look at you, Peter, and Charlotte who chose a different life when finally given another option, and I can't help but wonder, what if one of them is as special, precious, and wonderful as you? I have to try, or I'll always regret it."

Well, fuck! When he puts it that way, how the hell can any of us argue against him? Major protested. At least I'll be able to detect their deceit, most of them anyway. If I sense they're playing him, taking advantage of his kindness, I'll force the issue. Anyone who survives will then have to pass Charlie's test. We won't suffer traitors in our midst. Never again.

I was thankful vampires could multi-task, as during this whole discussion, Bella and I had been dismembering Victoria and tossing her body parts into the fire, sending up the sickeningly sweet incense of burnt vampire as a distinct warning to all the rest.

"Save the head, darlin'," I warned Bella before she could toss the last part of Victoria into the flames. Peter and Charlotte had done the same with Riley, and he tossed Riley's head on the ground near where the family waited. The other vampires on both sides were starting to stir.

"Sure, Major," Bella readily acquiesced, tossing the remainder of the redhead to the ground, beside her second in command.

"Ew! Why save the heads?" Emmett asked. "Are you planning to start a collection?"

"To show the newborns their leaders are dead so they know they don't have to fear them anymore," Char casually explained, as if it were common procedure.

Suddenly, I was distracted by an odd explosion of emotion coming from the trees where our guys were fighting the Volturi. What the fuck? It was an odd combination of positive feelings, including lust, love, acceptance, anticipation, excitement, awe, wonder, hope, joy, and more. Why the hell would anyone over there be feeling all that? Does the guard with Alec and Jane have a weird 'love' gift?

Rose brought my attention back to the situation at hand with her nervous shudder. Watching the twitching vampires all around us, she suggested, "Shouldn't we at least incapacitate them some while we still can, so they can't overwhelm us?"

Peter, Char, and I were all impressed, while Carlisle and Esme were a bit squeamish. "Good idea!" Peter cheered. "What do you think, Major?"

I could feel Carlisle's intention to object, so I quickly answered before he could say anything. "That would be the safest thing for the family." Carlisle hesitated, and the Major took advantage of his inner conflict to push the issue. "Quickly! Everybody pull off their feet before they recover. Don't burn them, just toss them into the forest at random. That'll slow them down long enough that we might be able to reason with them, and keep them from attacking purely on instinct. If they are willing to surrender, we'll give them back their feet. If not, at least we'll have the advantage. After all, they do outnumber us, especially with a bunch of our members knocked out and several more engaged in battling the Volturi."

Carlisle winced, but quickly agreed to our plan, not wanting to risk the loss or injury of any of his family. He couldn't deny the power of the Major's logic. After all, we weren't doing any irreparable damage unless they insisted on attacking us.

All of us instantly went to work at maximum speed, starting with the side that fell first and working our way across the group. Those of us with more experience were able to rip both feet off at the same time, tossing them in two different directions as we moved to our next victim. Those who weren't used to removing vampire limbs, struggled much more slowly. Emmett was having a blast, Rose was working through her rage and frustration, and Carlisle was resigned, but Esme was barely hanging in there.

"Just think about what they did to Irina and what they intended to do to Bella," I reminded her. My words reached her and triggered her 'mama bear' instincts. I knew she was picturing Bella missing limbs and tossed aside as Victoria had done to Irina, and she suddenly had all the strength she needed to get the job done. To my pleasure, my words had also worked on Carlisle, whose protective instincts had also been triggered, and he picked up his pace considerably as we hastily worked our way through the ranks.

Bella, on the other hand, was indifferent, working methodically, the same way Peter, Char, and I were. I wondered if it was because of our influence or if it was because she was much more in touch with her vampire side than her 'human' one. There was no regret, remorse, or guilt in her emotions as she twisted and ripped away at the flesh of the fallen. She was simply doing what was necessary to protect her loved ones. The Major and I were both awed by our mate, thinking she was perfect for us.

As the first of the unshielded vampires began struggling to their feet, I felt another emotional explosion over in the woods, close to the first one. They were less than a minute apart. What the fuck are they doing over there? Having a fuckin' orgy? In the middle of a battle zone? Major snarled.

I couldn't imagine what they could possibly be doing that would account for the emotional overload, but it was fuckin' distracting. It made me want to go frolic somewhere with my mate and cuddle her close while singing her love songs and spouting poetry.

Great, Major muttered in my mind. I'm turnin' into a pussy in the middle of a war. I swear, Jasper, if you start thinking' about burnin' flags, draft dodgin', and free love, I'm burnin' your ass out of here. We survived the sixties with most of our dignity intact, but I'm not goin' there again with your ass. Got it?

I mentally rolled my eyes. Fuck you, asshole. I only dodged the draft because I'd be exposed in a heartbeat, I never burnt the American or the Confederate flag, and now that I have my true mate, free love has completely lost its appeal.

Shut your trap, and stop distractin' me! It's time to show these newborns who's really the boss around here, he growled. I knew he was right, so I took a back seat and let him do what he does best.

xxxxxxx

AN: I know you want more - there's much more to come, so just hang in there and I'll update as quickly as I can.

For other authors, if you are having the same trouble as I am, here's what I did. From the Document Manager, I selected to Edit an existing chapter. Then I erased that chapter and used the copy and paste functions to copy the new material from my word processor into the frame of the old chapter. I hit save and then added a new chapter to the story using the 'old' chapter name as the choice of content. Hopefully this makes sense. Thanks, everyone!