Fred thought about where to start. "Carlisle is right. I didn't choose this, and I would never have volunteered for Victoria's army. I was minding my own business when this guy, Riley, grabs me off the street and the next thing I know, someone is biting me and I'm in hell for what seems like eternity and I wake up a vampire. How is it right that I should be punished for that? What did I do wrong?"

"We heard about the raids in Seattle. Newborns running rampant in the streets, attacking humans out in the open like barbarians," Caius leveled an accusing finger at Fred. "Are you saying you never participated in these illegal acts?"

"I never went out with the others. Not even once. They really were barbarians and I wanted nothing to do with any of them. I hunted discreetly, like Riley told us, even though he never told us why. I didn't even know there were laws for our kind until I met the Cullens."

"For what it's worth, I can verify that he's telling the truth," Edward added. "He had no knowledge of the law or the Volturi. His maker failed in her duty to him as a newborn."

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it," Caius barked.

"But I didn't break the law, even when I knew nothing of it," Fred shot back. "The only humans who saw me were the ones I drained."

"Humans certainly saw you in Vancouver! Every television and website in the entire world broadcasted your little stunt. That one event could have cost us everything!" Caius exclaimed.

"Seriously? Come on! No human would look at what happened in that park and think 'Aha! This must be the work of a vampire!'" Fred mocked rather boldly.

"Watch your tone with me, child," Caius threatened. "If you hadn't noticed, we make the rules around here. And enforce them."

Fred was starting to get agitated, and I was starting to get nervous. Of this group, Caius wasn't the one I'd want to challenge. Not that I'd want to challenge any of them, but still…

"But don't you see? I'm agreeing with you. You made the rules and I'm saying I haven't broken any of them! There's nothing to enforce."

"You were created as part of an illegal newborn army. One rule broken," Caius sneered.

"Victoria and Riley broke that rule, not me. I was a victim… a pawn in their game. I took no active role in breaking any vampire laws. It's not fair to blame me for something someone else did! I didn't even know vampires existed until I woke up as one!" Fred cried out in his frustration.

Caius' voice lowered to nothing more than a sinister whisper as he narrowed his eyes. "Are you insinuating that our law is unjust? You've been a vampire for all of what… perhaps a year? At best? Who do you think you are, making such accusations! You know nothing of our history, of the wars, of the struggles we've seen in the past three-thousand years. You are barely a zygote in comparison. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Everything but the zygote part," Fred said, trying to hold back a snicker. I saw Emmett's shoulders shake as well. I'm sure Rose would have popped him one if it wouldn't have attracted unwanted attention.

"Insolence!" Caius yelled.

Carlisle quickly stepped forward. "Caius, please understand that Fred is very young and he really doesn't understand the gravity of the situation he's in. You're right – we've shared some of our history with him, but since he has no personal experience, he has little genuine appreciation for the great work of the Volturi."

I wondered how much Carlisle would have to scrub his nose to get the brown off of it.

"However, I don't want to lose the key point," he continued. "Fred, himself, by his own choosing, has not broken the law, even though he was ignorant of it."

"So, we're supposed to just excuse this young upstart who comes in here trying to tell ME how things should be done? Is that what you're saying, Carlisle?" Caius scoffed

"Yes, if he has done nothing wrong," Carlisle answered back. "And aside from his impudence, my assertion is that he is innocent. I WILL be talking to him about his lack of respect, however." He shot Fred a scathing glare. "That being said, I was led to believe we were invited here for a visit. I didn't realize my son would be on trial."

Aro finally cut in. "Carlisle is correct. This is not a trial, although you, young Fred, would do well not to be quite so impertinent in this assembly. With one nod from me, my guard could subdue you and your entire coven. Do not forget your place."

"With all due respect, is that a threat?" Fred asked with a bit of threating tone of his own.

Aro looked him over. His eyes flashed to Jane, but then he threw his head back laughing. "Oh, my… you are a spirited little thing. Carlisle told me he doesn't control you, but I had no idea to what extent he was speaking. You should listen to your 'father,'" he said with quote marks in the air. "He's known us for a very long time. He knows our limits."

I shivered, not so much at Aro's words, but at his implications. Honestly, he could make an offer of milk and cookies sound ominous.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a young female vampire, beautiful of course, subtly gesturing. At first, I thought she was trying to get my attention until I noticed Fred nodding, hanging his head a bit. She had to be Amanda, because she looked worried and angry. I figured if I were her, I'd be wearing the exact same expression. It appeared Fred would be getting more lectures than just Carlisle's.

"So, enough of this silly posturing," Aro waved his hand dismissively. "We've gathered to see what our young friend here can do. What do you have in store for us?"

Aro and Caius returned to their thrones. It was only then I noticed Marcus was there, too, looking as bored as ever. He caught my gaze and I gave him a little wave and a smile. He lifted a single finger in response, which for him was probably equivalent to Alice doing back-flips all around the room.

"If I may," Carlisle stepped forward a little further, "Fred has made remarkable strides with the control of his gift; however he does not have anything near mastery of it, so his aim isn't exactly accurate. We've all ended up on the ground unexpectedly at one time or another… except for Bella, of course."

"Yes… of course… " Caius replied as he tapped the fingers of his tented hands together. He and Jane looked like they were competing in a 'Sneer at Bella' contest. Caius would have taken the gold, but Jane was no slouch in the 'evil looks' department.

"And he has no effect on Bella whatsoever," Aro stated rather than asked.

"Apparently not," Carlisle answered for me. I nodded in assent.

"Fascinating," Aro cooed. I didn't like the way he was looking at me, and Edward's faint growl told me I wasn't wrong.

"Fred?" Carlisle called, motioning him to the front of the assembly. The rest of the Cullens shuffled backwards to give him some space, obviously having been subjected to his gift a few too many times. There really wasn't a 'safe' place in the vicinity, but being behind him was the best anyone could hope for.

I remembered he'd said Bree used to sit behind him because it was safe back there. I didn't know why that hadn't occurred to me before. If Carlisle had thought about it, he had never mentioned it in my presence. I'd have to ask him about it later, since it might be just a tad counterproductive to point out a potential weak spot in Fred's attack while we were standing here surrounded by the Volturi.

"Anyone specific?" Fred asked, looking around the room. I wished I could answer, since I had a few in mind.

"Not it!" Emmett yelled rather loudly, looking at Jasper like he'd expected him to do the same. It was a game they played at home, but clearly not one to be playing in the Great Hall of the Volturi. Esme just shook her head in utter disbelief.

Since nobody rushed forward, Felix stepped up. "I'll do it, since the mighty Emmett has forfeited yet another opportunity to show his supposed strength," he smiled smugly. "He might not be able to handle it, but I've had worse. As you Americans like to say, 'bring it on.'" I didn't think it was a good idea to taunt Fred like that, or to insult Fred's best buddy, but since it was Felix, I figured it really wouldn't hurt my feelings if Fred took him down a notch or two… or ten. It would probably be entertaining, and I suddenly wished I had some popcorn.

Carlisle directed Felix off to the side of the room and asked everyone in his path to move out of the way. They seemed happy to oblige. Fred turned to face one of the two titans of the vampire world. Carlisle moved near Esme in a vain attempt to find the best possible place to duck and cover, and told Fred, "Go!"

Felix dropped like a rock and began convulsing and writhing under Fred's stare.

"Enough," Carlisle directed. A few beats later, Fred stopped and Felix leapt to his feet, fire in his eyes.

"That's not what happened the last time," he spat bitterly, crouching in preparation to attack. Fred just glared at him again and this time Felix dropped and didn't move. If it weren't for the horrendous screaming emanating from him, I would have thought he was just taking a rest on the floor.

Watching the attack on his friend spurred Demetri into action. Everything happened too quickly for my human eyes, but by the time things slowed enough for me to figure it out, I saw that Demetri was now a second crumpled, screaming mass on the floor. I covered my ears as quickly as I could and wondered how long this would be allowed to last.

I turned my attention to Aro, his eyes alight with what could only be described as lust. I knew he coveted talented vampires; I'd seen the way he looked at Edward and Alice, but even that didn't compare to his obvious thrill of finding a brand new toy. Jane could only attack one at a time. Fred's power had no such limits.

Granted, I hadn't spent as much time in the practice field as everyone else in the family, but I knew I had never seen Fred's gift cause someone the agony I was currently witnessing. I wondered if it always had the potential to be this strong, but perhaps simply didn't manifest itself with the Cullens because Fred didn't genuinely despise them.

I also wondered if Fred was showing Aro a little too much.

"OK, Fred, that's enough," Carlisle gently prodded. Fred didn't let up. "That's enough, Fred," he said a little more forcefully. No response.

My eyes turned back toward Aro, just to gauge his reaction. I thought he might be angry, but he seemed pleased and eerily serene.

"Jane," Edward hissed from my side at the same time Aro calmly spoke her name, and suddenly Fred added Jane and Alec to his group of victims.

Oh her way to the floor, however, Jane focused her gaze on Fred. He let out a blood-curdling scream, and I would know, being the only one in the room with blood, before being buckled at the knees. He didn't stop his attack, but I knew he was weakened when I saw Felix and Demetri start to move again.

Jane was on the ground, screaming in pain, but her eyes never left Fred. He was on the ground, screaming in pain, but he didn't let up, either. It was the showdown Felix had hoped for, although he was in no condition to watch it.

Other vampires in Jane's vicinity began to drop, including Caius, who actually toppled from his throne onto the floor. Who would have ever thought he might need a seatbelt for that thing? Aro, Renata, Marcus, Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper were among the next group as bodies dropped all around me. Soon, the only one left standing was me.

Time stood still in my head for just a few seconds as I processed the scene around me. I was a human in a room full of incapacitated vampires. I could have just sauntered over, lit a match to Jane, and moseyed on out the door and not one of them could have stopped me in that moment. It made me feel strangely powerful, even though I knew logically that none of the power actually came from me.

When I managed to gather my wits about me and remembered my loved ones were among those in pain, I yelled, "Stop it!" Nobody listened. So much for my big power-trip. "Jane, let Fred go, and Fred, you have to let everyone up. You're hurting… people you care about." Yes, I was referring to the Cullens, but also to Amanda, who wasn't immune to Fred's ability like I was.

I didn't know if they could even hear me over the din of screams, but in what was no more than a blink of an eye, vampires started rising to their feet. The only way to describe the collective looks on the faces of the Volturi was 'freaked-out.' They started the low murmured buzzing amongst themselves and I wanted to ask Fred to forget everything I just said and shut them up again. But the screaming really was worse.

"Apparently Fred's been holding out on us," Edward whispered to me.

I just nodded.

I caught a glimpse of Jane's infuriated face as she fussed over her brother for a moment, brushing off his cloak as he righted himself. A calm Jane was scary enough, but an enraged Jane was downright petrifying.

Aro sat back in his throne, smiling that insincere plastic smile of his. "Well, Carlisle. You told me Fred's gift was strong, but I had no idea."

"Frankly, Aro, neither did I," Carlisle responded in kind. "I've been pinned by him more than my fair sha…"

His words were abruptly interrupted by a keening scream. It took me a moment to figure out what was happening. Jane was happening. She was attacking Fred, and the surprise assault had obviously left him helpless.

"Jane!" Aro commanded. "Stop this instant!"

"But he was hurting you, Master. He needs to be punished."

"I decide who deserves pun..." but his words were abruptly interrupted by a collective gasp. Looking at all the heads turning this way and that like they were watching 22 tennis matches all at the same time, seeing Jane's astonished face as she childishly stomped and screeched while her eyes searched the room, watching Fred get up and wander around completely unaffected, noticing that nobody else was tracking Fred's movements, and seeing all the Cullens give me puzzled looks caused me to realize the source of all the fuss: Fred had disappeared.

**-…-**

A/N: This chapter is a little short, I know, but it just felt like the right place to cut off. I just realized this story is almost complete! That's a weird feeling… Anyway, please leave me some feedback, especially since it's my birthday month. I'll admit I shamelessly promote my own birthday at every opportunity. (It's the 14th, and I thank you in advance for giving other people cards and flowers and chocolates and going out to nice, romantic dinners, all in honor of my birthday!) :-)