Reassembly

Bella:

Mop up in Voltera was not as extensive as we thought. Also, Damien was able to actually vaccinate the citizenry with some of his blood. It didn't make them hybrids, just protected them from degenerative diseases. Ren's song did the same for their minds, in essence, kept them from being controlled. Alice was still in grieving, and we had a memorial for Jacob. What Becca had done with Aro was to aim her canceling influence on him, keeping him from ripping out of Jacob's jaws, in essence making him human enough to be vulnerable. Edward had known that Damien was leading Aro to the Hell Gate, so he could throw Aro and himself into it. Jacob must have known that, too. He might've understood how that would've devastated not only me, but Alice as well. In the end, as much as I hated to admit it, it was Jacob who saved the day in this case. Marcus also explained that Aro's large ego had expected such. If he couldn't win, he at least wanted to strike a blow that would leave our whole group winded. Damien's brother, Azrael, had killed a good amount of berserker types, but stopped when he saw Damien was healing everyone else. The Cullens were also out there fighting, and we found that some of the weddings would have to be delayed. Marcus and my dad weren't upset at having to wait, nor was anyone else for that matter. I guess they just wanted to see me finally tie the knot with Damien.

My dad decided that he would take the change, and Sue went with him. As such, he also decided to take up Marcus on his offer. So, he now sat alongside Marcus and Huilen as the Volturi. Nahuel decided to stay by his aunt's side.

I looked at him now, and asked, "Well, not that I'm questioning it, but we could use your help to rebuild."

He shook his head, "I don't trust your judgment as much as everyone else does."

Victoria was beside me in moments, "I take it you're joking. If it weren't for her, you'd still be running from Aro."

He looked over at Ren as she talked to Alec, "I would consider your offer if you can grant me an audience with your daughter. I've become rather taken with her."

I told him, "She's already spoken for. I wouldn't be able to tell her to talk to you, even if I wanted to, and I don't."

He shot back, "So, you don't trust me, anyway, do you?"

Victoria spoke up, "I wouldn't trust you, either. And Don't look at Ren with those eyes? I'll tear you apart if you do it again."

I turned to her, holding her shoulder, "I got this, Victoria. Thank you. Will you tell Alec and Ren to talk in the courtyard? Stay with them."

Victoria took my daughter and her mate outside, as I smiled and watched them all leave. Then I turned to Nahuel, and demanded, "What do you want with my daughter?"

He scowled, "What do you think my intent was? I see a kindred spirit in her. I think once she sees how alike we are, she might decide to leave her current mate, and let me take care of her."

"You could barely take care of yourself. What could you possibly offer?"

"More than that Volturi scum."

"You know…I had my doubts about him, at first. I see now, though, that he makes my daughter happy, and that is enough for me."

He eyed me, "How does her father feel about all this? I'm very sure he would have something to say if he knew of Alec's intent with her."

Damien joined in, "Like yours is any better? Besides, Alec is Ren's choice. So, there's no more need for discussion on that."

He inclined his head, arguing, "Then, I'll have to contest your bid for leadership with the Volturi, when the time comes."

I didn't say anything, but my husband demanded, "What's your problem?"

Nahuel replied, "This was handled badly, and I find that this group may need someone older and more experienced to lead when it comes time to replace the current guard."

Damien argued, "You're the one who came to us, as I recall."

Nahuel grabbed his shirt, "I ended up having to take care of the problem, myself, apparently. Aro was killed by the wolf, not you. Since, that is the case, I do have reason to put in a bid for the leadership, myself."

I shrugged, "By all means, please do."

I took Damien's hand and we started walking away, as I regarded him over my shoulder, and told him, "Just so you know, it doesn't matter if you have high standing with the ruling council. Fact is, we won't let you near our daughter, no matter what. I want you to keep that in mind. Also, while you've been running and hiding, we've been preparing for war. So, good luck in getting a campaign together and stating your case for the leadership. I'm sure everyone will be dying to get you in."

He called at my back, "If you allow me to take your daughter as my mate, I could forget about all this. No conflict, No contest. It's win-win."

I scowled at him, "Not for Ren, it's not."

As we walked away, I turned to Damien, "Do you think he's going to try to push this, even when he's got no chance of beating Alec?"

Damien nodded, "I've seen that look before…with Edward, regarding you."

I sighed, "Great. That's all we need right now. I thought this whole fight was supposed to end that rivalry crap."

He put his arm around me, holding me close, "It's a whole new generation of problems, babe. Besides, that'll be Alec's problem from this point on. We made our voices known as parents much like Charlie did when he spoke to Edward. Now, it's up to Ren to tell Nahuel off, and stick to Alec no matter what. That's what you did for me, right?"

I leaned on his shoulder, "Yeah, I know. So, let's go to the meeting, already. I think everyone should be there by now. Don't you think?"

So, we gathered in the meeting chambers of the Volturi as we took the time to plan our strategy. We decided to convene in what would usually be considered a dining chamber, only now it seemed to serve a new purpose now. We sat in accordance to rank, somewhat. Marcus sat at the head, with Huilen on his left, with Charlie to his right. Sue sat next to my Dad, and I was next to her. Damien sat next to me, then Victoria and Riley, Leah and Seth, Ren and Alec, and Jane next to him. Next to Huilen sat Carlisle and Esme, Tanya of the Denali clan, her sister Kate and Garret, Alistair. Then, sitting next to them were Adam, Bree, and Azrael.

Edward had attempted to enter the meeting chambers, trying to convince Carlisle to let him sit in as a second.

I spoke up, "While Edward Cullen did play a pivotal role in the last battle, I believe that Major Jasper Whitlock would be a more suitable candidate to act as second for the Cullen Coven."

Esme spoke, "Seconded." She looked to Carlisle, who seemed a little surprised at this, as she scowled, "Don't give me that look. This has been a long time coming."

Edward protested, "Clearly, my gifts are most advantageous during battle."

I argued, "Only if you know how to use them. If all your action is more reactive than proactive, then you're of no use to us."

Damien also spoke up, "She's partly right. I understand your reasoning for the usefulness of your gift. However, we're thinking in real-time tactics, and while reading minds is useful, it can't account for the unpredictable nature of our adversaries. I'm with Bella on this. Any motion to place Edward Cullen at the table for these proceedings, I would strike down."

I voiced agreement, "Seconded."

Marcus spoke up as well, "I also second that."

Finally my father spoke up, only he had a lot more to say on the subject, "I also second that motion. I'm going to tell you why, also, Edward. Just so you're clear with my reasoning, and don't try to go back and convince everyone afterward. My vote may be based on a little bias, I won't lie. I will admit, though, that your reckless actions have placed my children in danger over and over. Your poor judgment brought them into mortal peril, and you have the audacity to argue for a place here? Sorry. I'm not buying it because I don't think you're fit to lead. You're not ready, not going to be ready, and you'll only muck up the works if we let you."

Edward gave an exasperated sigh, and we saw that Becca was waiting for him as he left the council chambers. I could hear her mouth, "I told you they wouldn't buy it." I could see the door close behind them.

I addressed the whole council, "I propose that Jasper Whitlock and Heidi of the Volturi, be placed in charge of major military operations as a rep for the Cullens."

Resignedly, Carlisle raised his hand, "Seconded."

With this, Jasper and Heidi would now sit in meetings with us. This was progress, though, right. This was a step in the right direction, with all of us making decisions for a better system.

Marcus leaned forward, placing his hands on the table, "Well, we now have the opportunity to proclaim to other vampires that we will provide sanctuary for those who do not have any place to go to. I believe Miss Tanner would agree to that, correct?"

Bree spoke up, though a little shy at first, "It's true that I had no place to go, but that was before I became. I think though, if there was someone lost out there, like I was, and actually struggling with the change, it would've been nice to have a place to go to."

Damien added, "That is completely correct, so I propose we build an academy in an underground space I discovered. It's an actual geosphere within the ground. There would be facilities in order to accommodate everyone who has trouble controlling themselves, and would serve as a training ground, much like the base. I would propose to call it our first Vampire Academy."

I looked over at him, and had to restrain myself from putting my arms around him then and there. I knew why he was doing it though. It was his way of accommodating Ren and Alec so they would have some place to go if they should ever need a sanctuary, and a place to find friends, as he had always wanted for her. Also, it was a way to provide a testing ground for vampires who intended to integrate and assimilate into human society. Not necessarily to segregate themselves, but to actually make themselves known, and still be comfortable around humans. I also looked at everyone, and told them, "In order to promote this ideal, I will declare myself to the world as a vampire at the end of the next year. Once construction is complete, we can make ourselves known, and be able to have open communications with everyone in the world. At least, there will be no more loss, on part of the vampire."

Marcus nodded, "That seems like it was very well proposed. It seems that you may have had such an announcement planned for some time. I will second your proposal, and move to have the operation begin immediately if everyone else agrees to such."

The vote was unanimous, and Construction on the academy would begin where our base once was.

As to how we had gotten the base occurred months ago. I was still going to high school at the time, one of those nights when Damien was still working as a deputy and putting in long hours. I was picked up by a black SUV, and forced in. Though, the men in black didn't know that I had been changed. They only handled me as they forced me into the truck, and I could feel myself as their car got onto a lift and descended several feet down. When I had the blindfold taken off I was looking at Damien's father, though I didn't know it at the time.

He demanded, "What are you to my son?"

I shrugged, "I don't really have to tell you that. Last I checked, this is kidnapping, and not sanctioned by the US government."

He laughed hard, "We don't work for the government. I answer to a higher power."

I asked, "Is that high power present right now?"

He shook his head, "This is just a way station, before reaching another base. This is just a bunker." He walked up to me then, and struck me in the face, "You have no voice here. I will tell my son you are here, and he'll have no choice but to come here to your rescue. At which time, he'll have to listen to my conditions. If he really cares about you, you just might get out of here in one piece. If he doesn't, well, let's just say that he might miss one of your fingers, or a toe."

I grinned evilly at him, "You expect him to save me? You shouldn't have brought me down here. Now you won't be able to save yourselves."

He raised his hand to strike me again, but I caught it this time, and stood up, holding him up high by his elbow. I pushed my thumb into his joint, forcing it slightly against the hinge. He howled, "Do you realize who you're dealing with?"

Again, I showed him my toothy smile, and seethed, "Do you?"

It didn't take long for me find my way out of the base. I only maimed whoever got in my way. I told Damien about it later, and he sent Victoria, Jasper, and the rest of our group to clean it out. Just like that, instant base, but it was so massive we knew we'd never find a way to use it all. That is, until one day, when he declared that we should have a Vampire Academy. We also used all the fortunes that he had under the government, to be able to fund the project.

At the meeting, right now, it was decided that our motion would be carried to immediate action. Esme agreed to help with the design, and said she would speak to Emmett and Rose about getting to building it right away. In the intervening time, Forks High would have to serve as a template, and we would have to have two separate curriculums for humans and vampires. So, it was decided that we would have a place for our children, should we decide to have more. The rest of the meeting went along smoothly as we decided to rebuild Forks as a full-fledged city, and use the funds that Damien had in order to modernize a lot of the town. Damien suggested making more extensive police force, to which I agreed, provided I would be able to attend to cases with him. It would be our project before starting as teachers for the new school.

Finally, one more item came to the table. I asked, "Would it be possible if you had Nahuel stay here to fill some sort of clerical function?"

Huilen answered, "He is not accustomed to any of this. I'm afraid further confusion might just set him off more. He's become very resistant to the idea of being any kind of assistance to this group. In fact, he is thinking of starting his own group at some point in the future."

Damien asked, "Do you know his intent with that?"

Huilen seemed genuinely disturbed, "He wishes to create another ruling party, as a form of balance to offset the old system."

I looked over at my husband, "I'm afraid, Huilen, he's only doing this out of spite for us. Earlier, he approached us with a personal matter, and was being very…intrusive, actually. When we told him to leave the matter be, he didn't take it very well."

She let her head down, "I will speak to him, and maybe we can offset the creation of another ruling party. I think you're right. He might only be doing this to prove some kind of point. Would you mind telling me what he was asking about?"

I looked around at everyone, and made a sour face, "I'd rather not, if you don't mind. If you want to talk about it, we can do that in private, but it has no place here."

She nodded, and I looked to Marcus, asking him, "Would it be alright if I stepped out with her for a moment?"

Marcus inclined his head, "In a moment, Dear Bella. I am actually going to move to have this meeting adjourn. The major item on the table was the Vampire Academy correct? If that is one of the larger issues, which also deals with integration and assimilation, I believe we have addressed the intentions of this new council appropriately and expediently. I see no need to go on with other issues. If anyone does have issue, be sure to bring it up at our next meeting. I will give everyone a month to think about these matters."

He rose now, and Huilen with him, as he called, "Meeting adjourned."

I looked over to her, and she nodded as she walked over to me. We walked outside into a court yard with a massive fountain.

She asked, "What was of such urgency, Bella?"

My shoulders tensed up now, and I spilled, "I think your nephew wants my daughter."

She looked away now, embarrassed, "Oh, is that it? Are you alright with that?"

I shook my head, "No, you see. My daughter already has a mate. I don't think it would be fair to put her in a position where I, or my husband, decide something that big for her. Besides, it was hard enough staying close to her with the guy she's currently dating. I don't think there's any comfortable of saying this, Huilen. I want you to tell your nephew to leave my daughter alone."

She let her head drop a moment, very pensively, and told me, "I will. I do not, however, guarantee that he will listen to me on these matters. I did see how well he was taken with your daughter. She is very beautiful, by the way. I also see that she is very much in love with her current mate."

I chuckled, "Not just her current mate, Huilen. He's the guy for her. He's given up a lot to be with her. It took a while before my husband and I were able to really accept him as part of the family. I don't think we could handle seeing my daughter in a situation where she's got two guys fighting over her, especially when she's really not interested in the other guy. I just don't want your nephew or my daughter to get hurt, or her mate for that matter. I consider him like my own child now. Damien does too."

She snorted, "Grudgingly, so, I believe. Your husband still gives the Volturi boy a rather unpleasant look."

I chuckled now, "That's more of an angry dad look. The thing is, Damien will get over it. Your nephew isn't going to make it easier by trying to step in to ask for a dance, though. Her dance card is filled, and I'd like to keep it that way."

She held her arms out, and took me into an embrace, which I really didn't expect, but I let her hug me anyway. She whispered, "I will deal with it, then."

She left soonafter, and I called out to Jane, who was hiding behind a wall, "Come on out, Jane. It's rude to eavesdrop."

She did, but I could see she had a hand over her mouth, and was trying very hard not to laugh. It was a very pleasant sight, I had to admit. She apologized, "I'm just trying to get used to the whole idea of my brother caught in some kind of love triangle deal. It's rather humorous."

I shrugged, "Well, the last thing my daughter needs is having some guy after her, that she doesn't even like."

She nodded, "I wanted to thank you, for taking my brother's feelings into consideration. This is very hard for me to admit, but I don't think this change would've come about with just you and Cullen."

I was confused now, "You know about all that?"

She nodded, "Alice told me about it. She was saying what a great world that was, but honestly, it doesn't seem that great at all. This great change would not have happened without you and Damien being as close as you are. Most of all, it is you I'm grateful for, Bella. This world has changed a great deal because of everything you put forth. You had a goal in mind, and you did everything in your power to realize that vision. I have to admit, even I had my doubts at first, but when I realized what sort of…person…Aro was, I realized we had a choice. That never happened before, not in a thousand years."

I smiled, "Hey, you have to thank my guy, too. He's the one who pushed me along, and made me do a lot of this."

She shook her head, "No one makes you do anything. That's what amazes me the most."

I put an arm around her now, and asked, "So, are you going to stay here in Voltera?"

She sighed, "I don't think so. I may return to Washington with everyone else. I think Alice, Rosalie and Esme promised to do something called Shopping with me. I guess it might be very amusing."

I pulled her close, "Well, let me know if you see something you like. I'd be glad o get something for you, too."

She smiled at me, "You don't need to, actually. You've given me everything I wanted, here and now."

I held her as we walked back to the meeting chambers, "Glad to hear it, Jane. Is it ok if I call you that?"

She shrugged, "I would like if you just called me sister."

I looked towards the meeting while my husband talked to Ren and Alec, and he actually seemed more relaxed with them now, even as they held hands.

I squeezed her shoulder, "That sounds great, sis."

Alice:

Everyone seemed to be close now, and I watched my first love as he talked to his wife, daughter, and the evil twins. I remembered what Jacob had told me about not holding on to visions. How hard it was for me to let go of him, and losing Jacob the way I had only left me more wounded than I first believed. So much that I had lost the child I thought would be his. Maybe it had been a matter of will, or something else. I didn't know what it was I felt. I saw Azrael as he looked over at his brother, also. He seemed out of place, confused, like Damien himself so long ago, just after he had destroyed the rest of his classmates. I approached him now, as I slipped the picture Damien had given me into my pocket.

I cleared my throat, which seemed to annoy him, and asked, "So, you're his twin?"

He breathed deeply, "No, not exactly. We were created from the same mold, as they say. Only, we had different mothers. I was actually raised in a home, and spoiled beyond belief. I didn't know I had a brother until our father visited. How my mother had hated him."

I looked at him, "Had you thought of telling Damien about your life?"

He shook his head, "He doesn't need to know how happy I was."

I put one hand on my hip, "Why not?"

He turned to me, and snarled, "Because all of it was taken from me. It was my father's experiment. He wanted to see which of us would become darker. He had one with only training and simulations, and he had the other as someone who had everything and had that taken from them."

I looked down, "I'm sorry to hear that."

He let his shoulders fall a bit, "Nothing to be sorry about. Our father was a very sick man. I don't think he cared about anyone but himself."

"Do you have anything against Bella for killing him?"

He turned to me, "I'm just glad he's dead. Seeing my brother the way he was. It was hard. It was like seeing a reflection of myself, only without any good memories. He was like stone."

I shook my head, "His life wasn't all bad."

He turned a grin to me, "I can tell. You had been watching him for a while, hadn't you?"

I blushed at that, "I thought I could make it work."

He laughed, "You can't make it work. It has to work itself out. Damien may have been raised with all of that High Efficiency Modular Thinking crap, but I wasn't. I was raised to be logical, but always questioned everything. My mother taught me not to take things at face value. It's a good way to get yourself lost."

I was curious, "What would your mother think of me?"

He turned away quickly, "You don't want to know."

I pulled him towards me, "Maybe I do."

He turned to face me then, his shoulders aligned with mine, "She wouldn't be able to stand you. You want to control things too much, instead of just letting them be. You think your gift somehow entitles you to all these great things, but what you're actually doing is throwing away several possibilities. Damien does love you, you know?"

I brightened at that, "Really?"

He inclined his head, "Deeply so, as a sister. I don't think he'd ever met anyone before who was so concerned with his welfare, until you."

I crossed my arms, "Well, I guess it wasn't enough."

He laughed, "Don't take it like that. Love is still love, you know? It comes in all different forms, you know? The love that some couples have can last a long time, and sometimes, on rare occasions, it can last forever. At the same time, that bond can still be broken, by misunderstandings and such. The love between siblings now that's unbreakable. Unless one of them does something really stupid to betray their sibling's trust. So, you could say that you have a very strong bond with him. It may not be the one you want, but it is unbreakable."

I looked down for a moment, "I suppose you're right. What do you think of your brother's wife?"

He looked over at Bella for a moment, and back to me, "She's good for him. I don't think I've ever seen my brother so happy as he was with her. Believe me, it's better this way. He's got a lot of problems to work through, and she's been able to handle it pretty well from what I've heard."

I tried to meet his eyes, and found mine meandering as I asked him, "Do you think I would've been good for him?"

He did turn to me now, and thought about it, "Maybe…in another time, or place. I think this is their time, their place, and you just have to respect that. So does that Edward fellow."

I nodded, "He is. Can I ask you how you know so much?"

He leaned in close to whisper, "Symbiosis. So, in a small way, being with me would be like being with him."

I took his arm, "Would you like to go somewhere, alone?"

He shook his head, "I do. I also want you to actually want to be with me, not because I'm him, but because I'm me. I know that sounds odd, but…"

I nodded, "I get it. We'll just go back to Forks, and I'll see about us going to town some time."

He chuckled, "I can tell this is going to be a really bumpy relationship. What about your wolf friend?"

I looked down when he said that, and said, "I lost what he gave me."

He put his arm around me, "No, you didn't. As long as you remember him, you haven't lost anything."

We walked back to the group, then, and it felt good, just to be held, and just for once, it wasn't me desperately clinging to someone. It was me just finding someone, and seeing where it went. After all, isn't that what I had to learn from all this?

Adam:

The angel finally told me that as long as I had been able to carry out the revenge I had wanted, I would only last to that moment. Still, I could tell that he had probably changed his mind about me just leaving Bree like that. I think I could tell also, that he had fallen for her just as hard as I had. So, we made a deal. I would help him get his whole heavenly quarrel over with, and he could stay with me as long as Bree and I could be together. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal. Just as I thought this, my girl reached up for my hand.

She asked, "Will you have to go now?"

I put my arm around her, "No, babe. I'm here to stay. Besides, I promised I would stay with you to raise our kids, right?"

She smiled, "And maybe make more?"

I squeezed her shoulder, "Well, yea. Let's take our time with that, though."

She looked up at the sky now, "Maybe our kids can play with Rose's, Esme's and the other kids coming along."

I turned to her, "You're serious?"

She nodded, "They're going to announce their children, soon. I know they've been dying to tell people, but they did tell me first. Hush, though, because no one's supposed to know."

"I got it. I got it…HEY, EVERYONE! G-"

She nudged me hard, "Loudmouth."

I kissed her, then, "Just kidding, babe."

She pulled out of my grasp now, and stood in front of me, "How long do you think it'll take to fight your angelic war?"

"I don't know, babe. I will tell you one thing, though. Even when I'm fighting, I will always be thinking of coming back to you, no matter what. I just want you with me, now and forever."

She ran into me, holding me around my waist, "So, you're not going anywhere for a while, right?"

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, "Not without you, babe."

We stood there for a moment, as I held my girl to me, and thanked the angel within for making it possible for me to meet her.

Bella:

I stood at a large dinner table with all the trimmings as Esme, Rosalie, Victoria, Jess, Angela, and Heidi announced that they would be having children soon. The guys took this with the usual hooting, and punching each other in the shoulder and drinking like fish. It was pretty awesome to watch. I looked to my husband now, and he looked back at me.

He smiled now, "What's up?"

I grinned, "Did you ever think we'd be like this? Waiting for Rose and Esme to have children?"

He shrugged, "I saw none of this coming. I can tell one thing, though. I'm sure they're very grateful for meeting you."

I leaned my head on his shoulder, "I'm sure they're glad they met both of us, baby. I need you to know that. If anything, you gave me the courage to step forward, and be the strongest me possible."

He looked to me, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

I looked at him evenly now, "Tell me what?" I playfully punched his shoulder, "I am trying to share the credit, baby. It wasn't just me who changed this world, it was both of us. I'm proud of that, and I'm pretty sure everyone else is glad for it too. So deal."

"I love you, Bella."

I nodded, "Me, too. Now, we'll have forever to tell each other that."

He chuckled, "Sitting in fields of flowers and staring at each other?"

I hit him softly again, "Oh, shut up." Then I leaned on him, looking on as our family gathered, and talked and laughed.

Ren:

Alec and pulled me away from the crowd as everyone congratulated the girls, and he was now looking at me, trying to say something.

Finally, I told him, "Just say it, already, Alec, would you?"

He looked from side to side, "I know I should've asked a long time ago, but I guess now's a good a time as any, right?"

I took him by the shoulders, "God, baby. Would you like spit it out, already?"

He took a deep breath... then asked, "Renesmee Carlie Summers, will you marry me?"

It was my turn to take that deep breath…

To Be Continued in Total Eclipse of the Universe…

Well folks, it has been a long haul with this story. It's been a hell of a journey too. I can say with a great degree of certainty that this story more or less wrote itself. I'm already working on the next project. Also, there's a lot of stuff in the outline that wasn't quite addressed. Also, I've gotta say that it's been actually pretty fun writing this. Like wow. I never thought I'd have this much fun. At any rate. I will load the third story sometime next week. I'll see. Also, if you would, take a look at my first published novel, Can I Stop Now? By me on Amazon. Just look for my user name without the numbers. That is, Cesar Acosta. Late, Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh yea. Also, FEEDBACK, please, I've been dying for some on character dev, story dev, and if you like the deviations from the original twilight series. Gosh, I'm dying to know your take on all this, ya'll.