Stephenie POV

As I woke up, I knew something was different. Then, I remembered. I was stuck in the Twilight universe. I missed my old life horribly. It was nice meeting everyone, but I was ready to go.

I remembered that today was the day of the final battle. I rolled out of bed and got dressed.

I quietly padded my way downstairs, but then I realized there was no need. There was no one to worry about waking up here.

Most of the vampires were gone.

"Out hunting," said Emmett when I asked him.

I sighed and sat down. Alone or in pairs, all of the vampires returned over the course of two hours. I was trying to read a book that Bella had let me borrow, but I honestly didn't even know what it was about, because I wasn't paying attention. I was too nervous about the battle. Stefan and Vladimir were fiercely excited, and most of the others were relaxed. Only a few, such as Esme and Tia, seemed tensed up.

The hours passed. Sometimes time seemed to pass too fast, sometimes too slow. I watched the second hand tick. Sometimes, a vampire or wolf who I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to yet had a few words with me.

"Are you okay?" asked Nessie, swinging her legs as she sat on the edge of the coffee table.

I smiled at her despite everything going on. "I guess so. What about you?" I knew she'd been working really hard during the last few weeks.

"I'm good, I guess," she said, twirling a lock of bronze hair around her finger.

"Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"You'll do great," I encouraged. She gave me a small smile and ran off to practice more.

As the sun was at its highest peak, we all went outside to the same place where the last confrontation occurred. I pulled the grey coat, borrowed from Esme, tighter around me. It was February and quite cold.

"We have half an hour," said Alice, remembering one of her previous visions.

The wolves ran into the forest to get changed into their wolf forms. A minute later, all fourteen came out of the green trees.

We all got arranged into a formation. Carlisle had suggested that I stay somewhere near the middle, so I did. Nessie and Jacob were on one side, and Esme was on the other.

It could have been seconds or hours, but the Volturi soon came out of the forest in front, in an arrow shape, with Aro at the tip, Caius and Marcus on either side of him.

They seemed to have roughly about the same number as us, maybe a little more. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, sweat coming off my palms. I quickly wiped them on my jeans.

"Hello, dear Cullens," Aro greeted with a smile. "Alice, dear! I am so pleased to see that you and your mate stayed."

Alice just balled her hands into tiny fists.

His eyes landed on me. "Ah, you must be Stephenie!" he said. "Do you mind?" he asked, extending his hand, palm-up towards me.

I looked at Carlisle, who gave a small nod. He and Edward followed me as I approached Aro.

I gingerly touched his palm, and he smiled. "I see. So Alistair's claim that you wrote about us in a book is correct," he said to Alistair, who was cowering in the back.

"Carlisle, you do know the rules," said Aro to him. "Change her or kill her. I have given you time before, but I'm afraid you'll have to put your decision into action right now."

"Neither," said Carlisle.

Aro raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "You know the punishment for that, my friend." He gestured Jane forward, and she came up next to her master, beautiful and terrifying. "You know what to do," he said to Jane.

Her cruel smile grew wider. "Yes, master."

Nothing happened. Bella smiled fiercely at her as Jane gritted her teeth.

"Bella!" said Aro joyfully. "I see you are still in full control of your power."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He smiled. "I suppose you're right." In a louder voice, he said, "I am giving some of you a chance to join the Volturi. Bella? Edward? Alice? Maybe Benjamin? Or Eleazar?"

"My time with you is over," spit out Eleazar.

"I was just offering," said Aro innocently.

Suddenly, I heard Edward give a little chuckle. I turned and saw Nessie smiling, but she looked very focused. She must be using her shield-breaking power.

Aro looked in surprise as some of the vampires with power tested them on the Volturi. I saw Alec stumble back as Zafrina showed him something, and Felix hiss as he saw Benjamin swirling the snow near his feet.

"Renesmee?" said Aro. "I see you have a unique power to shatter protective barriers. Would you like to join us? You'll be treated like a princess," he continued, smiling kindly at her.

You could hear all the hisses and growls, the loudest from Jacob and Edward. Nessie took a step forward.