(Charlie's POV)
I stand completely dressed and ready in our small tent on the mountain looking out at the horizon, sometime within that moment it occurs to me that this is the last sunrise I will ever see. I pull my cell phone out of my bag and dial the number I've had memorized for so long, I listen as the phone rings on and on but finally there is an answer. "Baby are you ok?" My mother answers frantically knowing that I only call her in the case of an emergency.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry… for everything that happened or didn't happen between us and if I could do it over I would change everything about our relationship. I would visit more and call you every day. But life doesn't give you do overs so I just had to tell you that I love you mom, I love you so much." I whisper into the phone.
"Charlie what's gotten into you are you sick-"
"I have to go," I cut her off.
"Wait! Charlie!"
I press the end call button before she can say anything else and take a deep calming breath.
"We have to go," Emmett informs me popping his head into the tent.
"I know," I reply dropping the phone into my purse and leaving it there. I doubt a phone will help much where I'm going.
(Emmett's POV)
The world around us is perfectly still and silent; there is no wind or movement besides that of our feet. It's the calm before the storm; the snow blankets the ground making Charlie light up almost angelically, her blonde locks acting as a halo atop her head and flowing down around her face. We come to a stopping point in the clearing with Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Val, Charlie, and I closest to the center. The tension was palpable in the air as we waited for the Volturi to arrive, it was as though our entire relationship was building up to this moment. Every word, every glance, every kiss all for nothing but to die in the end except it wasn't for nothing it was for her, Valkyrie, she would live on. The best parts of us will survive, that's all that really matters.
(Charlie's POV)
Valkyrie tugs anxiously on my coat sleeve as the black cloaked figures move gracefully toward us. "Mommy," she whispers looking up at me with her blue eyes. I reach down and hoist her up onto my hip kissing her temple as I hold her tightly to me. Renesmee sinks back even farther between Bella and Edward almost disappearing from view completely as the Volturi get closer, Emmett takes a protective step in front of us when they come to a stop and remove their hoods in perfect synchronization. I'm unsure of when Jacob and the other wolves join is in the field but I can smell them there and the thought is almost comforting that our numbers have risen but I know Seth is here and I pray he will survive even if I don't. Carlisle is the first to speak, "Aro, my old friend, let us discuss this as we used to in a civilized manner."
"Fair words Carlisle considering the battalion you've assembled against me," Aro replies in his repulsive voice.
"I assure you that was never my intention, no laws have been broken."
"We see the children, do not treat us as fools," Cauis argues.
"They are not immortal," Carlisle's voice rings clearly across the field. "These witnesses can attest to that. Or you can look."
"I will collect every facet of the truth," Aro assures his coven. "But from someone more central to the story, Charlie, come here won't you darling." He smiles sickeningly at me.
I nod placing Valkyrie back on the ground behind Emmett and I give his hand a quick squeeze as I pass. The tension radiating from my family behind me is palpable in the cool air as I cross the distance to Aro and hold out my hand to him showing him everything. Emmett and I on the beach feeling her first kick, Bella emaciated holding her pregnant stomach, me drinking blood, the birth, holding Val as a newborn, my transformation, measuring Valkyrie and Renesmee side by side every day to track their growth. Once he is satisfied with the amount of information I've given him he looks back at my daughter and niece with renewed interest.
"I'd like to meet them," he says confirming my worst fear. I turn slowly to watch them come forward I'm not at all surprised that Jacob is with them. "Ah young Bella, immortality becomes you." Then he is silent for a moment as he looks over the girls before letting out a high pitched laugh. "I hear your strange heart," he tells Valkyrie.
"Hello Aro," Renesmee says taking a step toward him and holding her hand up to his cheek, his eyes glaze over mesmerized by whatever she's showing him.
"Magnifico," he replies breathlessly before pulling away and turning to his followers. "Half mortal, half immortal, conceived and carried by these newborns while they were still human."
"Impossible," Caius growls.
"You think they've fooled me brother?" Aro challenges. We take our chance to quickly walk back to our family and Jacob stops to growl at them.
"Bring the informer forward," Caius commands and Irina is brought forward by two of the guards. "Is that the child you saw?"
"I don't know." She replies shakily. "She's changed, this child is bigger."
"Then your allegations were false?"
"The Cullens are innocent," she confirms, "I take full responsibility for my mistake. I'm sorry," she whispers looking between Bella and I.
"Caius no!" Edward shouts as Felix moves to dismember her.
"IRINA," Tanya cries when he rips off her arms followed by her head before Caius sets her on fire.
"No," Kate and Tanya charge forward in despair, Bella lifts the girls up onto Jacob back with Renesmee in the front holding the fur of his neck and Valkyrie gripping onto her cousins waist. Rosalie getting in the way of Tanya but she just tears the restraining arm off and continues running. Garrett finally gets his arms around Kate but she shocks him. I want to take it from her but I don't want the Volturi to know what I can do, not yet.
"Blind them," Edward tells Zafrina and she does, both of them stare blankly into space.
"Give me my sight back." Tanya demands.
"If you attack now that's what they want and we're all as good as dead," Edward reasons with her and somehow gets threw to her. For no other reason but to show her power Jane utters out a quick, "pain," but nothing happens and I sigh in relief but I can't tell if it's me or Bella that stops the blow. I shoot a quick glance at her and she nods tightly signaling that the shield is up. Alec begins to unleash his much sinister luckily Aro stops him.
"Aro you see there is no law broken here," Carlisle reminds him.
"I agree but does it then follow that there is no danger? We have no idea what these children with become. Only the known is safe, only the known is tolerable."
Well so much for world peace I think sarcastically and Edward fights off a smile before a confused expression crosses his face. Aro gasps happily looking off into the trees behind us. "Alice." He and Edward say at the same time. I gape open mouthed as her and Jasper pass us and head directly for them. Demetri stops them before reaching Aro. "My dear, dear Alice we're so happy to see you here after all."
"I have evidence the child won't be a risk to our kind, let me show you," Alice pleads holding out her hand to him.
"Brother?" Caius asks and Aro motions her forward in another show of the Volturi's "great power" they take this opportunity to slap Jasper square across the face. Aro grabs her hand and they stare at each other, both seeing the truth.
"You won't change your decision no matter what I show you," Alice yanks her hand away and looks back at us mouthing "now," and I know it's time for Val to go.
"I love you," I tell her.
"Take care of my daughter," Bella adds and then they're gone, the three of them riding off to safety.
"Get them," Aro commands one of his minions. Without so much as a warning Alice kicks Aro and sends him flying back delaying the man's departure by a few seconds and giving Jacob the head start he needed. "Take her away."
"Let her go!" Carlisle yells sprinting across the field to her maneuvering past the people who try to stop him and meet Aro in mid jump, they remain airborne together for a moment as they switch sides only Aro lands on his feet and Carlisle does not. It takes a second for my brain to comprehend that the reason Carlisle is still lying on the ground is because Aro is holding his decapitated head in his hand. It takes even longer to process that Caius has lit his body on fire because we're already charging across the field by the time I realize Carlisle is dead.