Hello all! I've got one tiny roadblock left before I can start in on the real Seth/Kira story...damn you Volturi! This chapter covers the last half of Breaking Dawn, so hold on to your asses, I'm gonna be flyin'. I'm sure I could make this one chapter into 2 or 3 chapters, but I'm ready to start on the Seth/Kira focused material, so I'm just gonna jam it all into one long chapter so my next one can begin with the good stuff. I hope you can forgive my rushing. As always, I don't own...

Kira POV

Almost one week later...

I sat quietly in a lawn chair on Sam's back porch, holding a glass of iced tea. Sam sat beside me, holding his own glass. We both were just looking out at the woods, trying to process what had happened.

Everything had changed.

By the time we made it back to the house, Edward had succeeded in delivering Bella's baby, Renesmee. Granted, he had to use his teeth to more/less cut the baby out, but he succeeded none the less. He had also managed to save Bella by turning her into a vampire. Jake, who was there for the whole thing, gave his permission for Bella to be changed, so the treaty was still intact.

Actually, the treaty was more than intact, it was almost unbreakable at this point. It turned out that Edward and Bella's baby was a girl, not a boy, like Bella had so adamantly insisted upon, and Jacob imprinted on her! Jake was now a part of the vampire family he had been raised to hate. Because of this, the pack stopped all plans of attacking the Cullens, since to attack the Cullens would be just like attacking Jacob's future mate. None of the pack were willing to hurt a fellow pack member in such a way. Not to mention that the baby was just that, a baby. She wasn't dangerous at all. She wasn't even venomous.

I was still working out the situation with Jacob and Nessie in my head. It just didn't seem right for an almost full grown man to fall hopelessly in love with a baby. And I had thought me crushing on a underage werewolf was bad. However, Jake had explained it to me and it wasn't as horrifyingly gross and illegal as it seemed at first. He would be a guardian to Nessie. He would be a caregiver and protector to her when she was a baby, a friend as she grew up and eventually her mate, if she chose to stay with him. And why wouldn't she? It was like having the most faithful, loving husband hand picked for you. No messy relationships or dating. In a way, I envied them.

Another thing that was plainly obvious was that Bella was always meant to be a vampire. She had the control of a two or three year old. She was able to function almost normally and was able to be around myself, Jacob and Nessie without even flinching. She even managed to turn down human blood on her very first hunt. It was amazing, to say the least. Carlisle was fascinated by it. He theorized it could be her prior knowledge of vampires, a natural gift for control, the fact that she chose this life in advance or a mixture of all of those theories which gave her the control she had. It was remarkable.

It upset Jasper just a little, as first. He had never witnessed a newborn who had the control Bella did and it made him wonder about his own control. After all, he had spent decades trying to learn to keep his thirst at bay around humans and Bella just seemed to have a natural ease for it. It took a few hours for Alice and I to convince him that he was probably the strongest vampire we knew, considering he had to deal not only with his own bloodlust, but also that of every vampire he was around. I honestly believed that this was the true reason why he had such a hard time. Fortunately, Jasper snapped out of it fairly quickly and soon began to enjoy getting to know his new sister and niece. He would never have been able to get to know Bella has a human.

Shortly after it all went down, I got the invitation from Sam to once again visit his home. That's how I found myself sipping iced tea on his deck, waiting for him to start the conversation he so obviously wanted to start. He seemed ill at ease, like what he had to say would be difficult. I had been waiting for almost ten minutes for him to say something, but to no avail.

"So, Sam, not that I don't love the chance to relax outside with this amazing view of nature, but I'm sure you asked me over for a reason." I looked over to him, his eyes still unsure. "It's OK, we're all friends here. What's on your mind?"

Sam took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "I asked you here to thank you."

"Really?" I replied, surprised. What could he possibly need to thank me for?

Sam was looking at his glass, rolling it around in his hands. "I lost myself back there and you helped bring me back." He finally looked up at me, taking and holding my eyes easily. "I was going to murder Bella. I tried to convince myself that is was your family I was out to attack, but then I realized they weren't even a part of my reasoning. My total focus was to exterminate Bella." He got up from his seat, setting his glass down, and proceeded to pace the length of the deck. His speech began to accelerate. "The only time I actually thought about your family at all was when I needed to get around them. This whole thing stopped being about a treaty. A treaty that hadn't even been broken! I was planning a murder, plain and simple. It was a mistake and I would have carried it out, if it hadn't been for you. Jake's plan snapped me out of it. You made me realized I was not going over there to attack vampires, I was going to attack a human. This pack did not evolved to kill humans. I'm surprised the elders didn't ask me to step aside as Alpha for what I was planning to do!"

I could feel Sam's self repulsion. I placed my drink on the deck and stood in the path of the pacing man.

"You have done nothing wrong, Sam. You've were taught to uphold the treaty, which was to protect your land and your people. I'm positive your ancestors never dreamed that the day would come when a member of the Cold Ones would knock up a human, let alone marry one. You were put in a difficult position, which none of your people have ever had to be faced with, and it overwhelmed you. You reacted as you were raised to react. You're young and you almost made a mistake, yes, but you didn't make it."

Emily, who had been watching Sam's breakdown from just inside the house, came out and gave Sam a reassuring hug.

"I've been telling him the same thing for days now."

I chuckled and smiled at the young woman. "She's a smart one, Sam. You really should listen to her. Everything turned out the way it was suppose to." I placed a hand on Sam's arm and he looked at me. "Fate is a powerful thing."

Sam smiled at Emily, then at me and nodded his head. "Yes, it is."

The tension around us was finally lifted and we returned to our seats, Emily taking the chair next to Sam. She continued to keep a hand on Sam's arm. This was also a shifter thing. Physical contact is very calming to us if we are stressed.

After a few minutes of silence, Sam seemed to recover from his breakdown. He took a sip of his tea, then turned back to me.

"Tell me something. If things had gone bad and we had attacked, you would've fought us just as hard as you did when we fought the newborns, right?"

I smiled at him. "You got it. Don't get me wrong, it would have been difficult. I would have had to turn my mind over almost completely to my beast, but I would have taken out as many of you as I could to protect my family."

"I would have expected nothing less from you." Sam responded, not surprised by my answer.

"If we're being completely honest, I would have gone for your head first. You're the leader and with Jacob out of the picture, I was bettin' none of your other wolves are currently dominate enough to have taken up leadership in the middle of a fight." Sam's eye's widened at my confession. "It's a strategy of war, my friend. You go for the head if you wish to kill the snake."

"Your father teach you that?" Sam guessed.

"Yep, he taught me how to fight like I was one of his newborn soldiers. He insisted that I learn how to fight, not just self defense, but full on fighting. It's come in handy a time or two. He also taught me that the pysical act of killing is easy for people like us, but the emotional aftermath of killing is much more difficult to live with. I could have killer you or memebers of your pack, but dealing with my actions mentally after the fight would have been next to impossible. I've never been almost forced to kill a friend before and I hope the situation never happens again."

"Well, then..." Sam lifted his glass to me. "...Here's to not having to fight."

I lifted my glass to his in full agreement.

My phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

"Excuse me for a moment." I said as I got up and walked a few paces from my hosts. I looked at the phone and saw the name Dad flash on the caller ID.

"Hey, dad. What's up?"

"Are you still at Sam's?" Jasper asked. I could hear the urgency in his voice. Something was wrong.

"Yes." I replied with concern in my voice.

"Can I speak with him?" He asked.

"Umm...sure." I walked over the Sam, holding out my phone. "It's Jasper. He wants to talk to you."

Sam gave me a bewildered look, but took the phone call. "This is Sam." He listened for a few minutes, the look on his face not changing with the conversation. "Sure, we can meet you out there. I'll have a couple of the pack lead you through." Another pause, then he hung up the phone. He handed it back to me. "Well, that's interesting."

"What?" I asked, returning the phone to me pocket.

"Jasper just asked if he and Alice could get permission to cross over our lands. He wanted you and I to meet them at the boarder as soon as we could get there. Any idea why they'd do that?" Sam asked, thoroughly confused.

Unfortunately, the confusion was mutual. "I have no idea."

Sam looked over to Emily. "Give Leah and Seth a call. Have them meet us out on the boarder. I'll have them take Jasper and Alice across our territory."

Emily ran into the house to make the call. Sam turned his focus to me.

"Let's get out there. I'll meet you out front." I dashed through the house and out the front door, shifting as I hit the woods. Sam had shifted in the house and joined me a minute or two later, his shorts firmly strapped to his ankle. We ran off at top speed, making the run to the treaty border in record time. Jasper and Alice were waiting for us...

Seth POV

Leah and I had just finished lunch when Emily called with Sam's orders to meet him at the treaty border. Mom was none too thrilled, considering she only got us back home a week ago, but we had little choice. Not that Sam had given us a true order and we had to follow it, but he wouldn't have had Emily call us if it wasn't really important. If there was one thing I'd learned over the last few weeks, it was sometimes you just had to jump in on blind faith. Beside, if we were meeting at the border, it meant we were meeting up with some of the Cullens and, as crazy as it might sound, I kinda missed them. I don't even really mind the smell anymore.

Leah and I arrived just in time to see Kira and Sam running towards Jasper and Alice. Once they got close, Sam ducked behind some shrubs to phase to human and Kira shifted once she was close to her parents. It looked like Kira and Sam arrived together, interesting, I hadn't known she was visiting Sam and Emily. As we approach, Sam waved to us.

"Stay phased, in a few minutes I want you to accompany Jasper and Alice through our lands to the far border." He explained. That was very interesting. Way did they need to cross our lands? I sat patiently as I listened to Kira and Jasper talking.

"What's going on, Dad. You're emotions are all over the place." Kira asked her father. Jasper took his daughter's hands, giving her the saddest look I'd ever seen.

"Alice and I are leaving."

"What?" Kira ask, surprised. "What do you mean, leaving? When are you coming back?"

Jasper looked down at the ground, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He returned his eyes to Kira and they were almost more sad than they were before.

"I can't say where we're going and I can't promise we'll be able to come back. I can't tell you more. Something is happening and it's important that Alice and I go."

It looked like Kira was going to say something, but Jasper stopped her.

"You can't come with us, Kira. I wish I could explain why, but there is little time and the less you know, the better it will be in the long run."

I could hear Kira's sob and I had to fight myself not to let a growl slip out. How could he just leave her like this, with no explanation. They just looked at each other, like a conversation was going on silently between them. Perhaps one was, since they could both read each other's emotions.

"I don't understand." Kira whispered, trying her best to speak as tears slide down her face. Jasper pulled her into a hug and my anger dissolved. It looked like Jasper would be crying too, if he were able. What could possibly be happening that would cause this heart wrenching goodbye?

"I know, darlin', but you just need to understand one thing...that I love you and I pray that I'll get the chance to say it again to you someday. I just won't promise something to you that I can't be sure I can deliver. The family should be calling you soon to fill you in on what's happening. There's something I need you to do."

Kira nodded her head, silently agreeing.

Jasper smiled at her. "When the time comes, and you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens, I want you to make the best choice for you. Don't let anyone else influence your decision, just do what your heart tells you to do...OK?"

"I will." Kira sobbed, hugging her father once again. Once he released her, Alice stepped up to Kira, pulled her into a hug and told her she loved her as well. She then turned to Sam.

"We must go. Time is short and we have a long way to go." Even Alice's voice was soft and sad.

Sam nodded and turned to us. "Stay with them until they pass over the borderline." He instructed.

"Thank you again, Sam." Jasper said, kissing Kira one last time on the cheek. They then ran towards the other side of the border with Leah. I paused for a moment, wanting very badly to go over and comfort Kira, but the stern look Sam gave me told me to do as I was told. I whimpered once, then turned and dashed to catch up with my sister.

Kira POV

Sam approached me slowly as we watched my parents disappear into the woods.

"Are you OK?"

I turned to Sam, tears still drying on my cheeks. "No, but I have this horrible feeling I'm not the only one who's not OK. I need to get back to my family's house and it'd probably be a good idea if you came with me. It seems like anything that affects my family tends to affect yours as well."

Sam nodded his head in agreement. "Should we run or drive?"

"Probably drive, so I can answer my phone if it rings. Not to mention you might want to tell Emily what's going on and where you're going."

With this, we both shifted and ran as fast as we could back to Sam's house. My mind was numb. I tried to process what had just happened, but my brain seemed to just shut down when I tired to work out the situation. My father was gone and he couldn't promise me he would come back. Jasper never made promises he wasn't 100 percent positive he could keep. I tried my best to keep my emotions in check but it was difficult. My father's emotions were almost overwhelming. He was afraid. He was very rarely afraid. In our long history I could only count on one hand the number of times he had felt this level of fear and uncertainty. Most of those times were when someone he loved was in trouble.

This realization didn't make me feel any better.

When he got back to the house, Sam ran in to tell Emily what was going on and I jumped into my car. Moments later, Sam got into the passenger side and I sped off towards home. We were only minutes away from the house when my phone began vibrating. It was Carlisle.

"I'm almost home, Carlisle, and Sam is with me. What's going on?"

Carlisle was quiet for a moment, probably wondering how I knew something was up. He recovered quickly.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"We just met Jasper and Alice at the borderline. They asked permission from Sam to run through the pack's territory. Hold on just a second, we're here." I hung up the phone as we parked in front of the house and walked in to find my family and Jacob all standing in the living room. They all look so worried and they were all feeling worry, uncertainty and fear. There was also some underlying anger coming from Jacob. What in the hell!

Esme rushed over to me, hugging me tightly. I returned the hug, wholeheartedly, fighting hard to prevent more tears from escaping. This was not the time to be emotional.

Carlisle placed a cold hand on my back and I turned to face him. "What did Jasper and Alice tell you?"

"Not a hell of a lot. Just that they had to leave for some reason they couldn't tell me and that they couldn't promise they'd ever come back. They also seemed to be pressed for time. Alice said something about time being short and they had a long way to go. What's going on?"

Carlisle gave me an apologetic look. "The Volturi are coming."

"What do you mean The Volturi are coming? When? Why?"

"According to Alice's letter, they'll be here in a month or so. And it's not just going to be 4 or 5 of the guard. They are all coming. The three brothers, their bodyguards, the entire guard, even their wives."

"What in the hell for?" I asked, confused. "What could we have possibly done to warrant such a large force to come here?"

Bella walked over, carrying Nessie. Her crimson eyes heavy with emotional tears that would never fall. "Jacob, Nessie and I were in the woods a few days back. I thought I saw someone out there with us. I didn't think anything of it at the time but..."

"It was Irina. She saw Nessie. She ran to the Volturi and told them we had made an immortal child." Carlisle continued.

This was worse than bad. With her actions, Irina had signed our death warrants. Sam, not understanding, spoke up.

"What does this mean?" He asked.

Carlisle moved to Sam's side. "The main rule of our kind is that we must not be discovered. Humans must stay ignorant to our existence. It was determined a long time ago that young children who were made into vampires could not be trusted with our secret. They were just too young to understand and follow the rules. Basically, anyone who is found to have made such a vampire is exterminated along with anyone who had knowledge of the infant vampire's existence. The Volturi are coming here to destroy us. I'm sure Aro is hoping to convince a few of the more talented of my family to join them instead of die. He's been after Edward and Alice in the past and he's aware that Bella was bound to be a talented vampire once she was changed."

Jacob scoffed. "Looks like he can't get Alice, since her and her mate ran away like cowards."

At that moment something happened to me that rarely happens...my internal beast took over. I low growl rumbled in my throat as I charge Jacob. He wasn't ready for my assault and was unable to move before my fist met his nose with a sickening crunch. Blood began to pour everywhere as he hit the floor. I was so livid I could almost feel my eyes bleed to pure white. My upper and lower canines also elongated slightly. This only happened when I lose total control of my temper, allowing my beast full control of my body. Fortunately for Jake, Emmett and Rosalie managed to grab me before I could continue my beating. Sam also went to stand between us.

"How dare you! Alice never reacts without a damn good reason. If they had to leave, it's because of something we can't know right now. My parents have more courage in their little pinkies than you'll ever have. I swear on all that's holy if you ever question their integrity again, I'll liberate your head from your shoulders!" I scream at the bleeding man as my aunt and uncle drug me to sit on the sofa across the room. Sam knelt by Jacob, assessing his injury.

"It's a good thing you heal fast, Jake." Sam commented to his younger pack mate. Once he confirmed that Jake would live, he stood and faced Carlisle. "Returning to the problem at hand, what can we do about these Volturi? We can't just sit here and wait for them to exterminate you."

I was beginning to calm down and was kinda touched by Sam's sentiment.

"Alice did leave some instructions and they sound like the only chance we have." Carlisle explained, looking at everyone, but stopping on Sam. "We need to get as many of our friends here as we can."

"To fight?" Sam asked.

"No. To witness." Carlisle's eyes unfocused slightly as he thought. "If we can get a big enough group of bodies, it might cause the Volturi to pause. If they pause, we may be able to explain what Nessie is and how she is growing and learning. If we can convince Aro that she is no threat to vampire society, we may just get away with our lives."

"The pack is with you." Sam declared. "Nessie is Jacob's imprint. She's a part of our pack and we'll do whatever must be done to ensure her safety."

"It's much appreciated, Sam, but you understand what you're getting into?"

"Almost certain death?" He responded. "Yes, I know. We're still in."

"Thank you Sam. Even though I know you're not doing it for my family, thank you."

Sam nodded.

Carlisle continued to talk. "Esme and I will leave and track down several covens I am friends with. Most of them are territorial, so it shouldn't be too hard to locate them. Emmett and Rose will head out and try and find some friends that are nomads. Everyone else has the hardest job." He looked over to Edward and Bella. "You need to convince our guests as they show up that Nessie is not what she appears. Remember, most of these vampires will want to bolt as soon as they see her, without an explanation." Carlisle looked over to Sam. "Also, most of these vampires follow the traditional vampire diet. I'll tell them that Forks and La Push are off limits and that they need to leave the state to feed, but you should be aware of their presence."

Sam sighed. "I don't like condoning murder, even if it is taken outside our state, but I see no other options. We'll deal."

Carlisle smiled and nodded his appreciation of the pack's sacrifice.

"OK, now that everyone knows what to do, let's get moving. We have much to do and little time to spare."

My family began to make their preparations to depart and Sam approached me.

"You better now?" He asked. "If not, I can run home."

"I can take you home." I got up slowly with no resistance from my family. "I need to get out of here for a few minutes anyway." I hugged all of my soon to be departing family, then went to follow Sam out the door. At the doorway, Jacob stood, still holding is broken nose.

"I'm sorry." His apology was weak and defeated. I could feel his sincerity. He also felt mildly ashamed of his words.

I smiled at him, placing a hand gently on his arm. "So am I. You're frustrated, I get that. It's ok. My parents left for a reason. Alice's ways are strange sometime, but I have a feeling it's not what it looks like on the surface. They're up to something important that will help. We just need to wait and see what it is. "

Jake nodded, smiling back at me, clearly accepting my peace offering, as Sam and I left the house.

The drive back to Sam's place was quiet. I was guessing he was giving me some time to think. When we arrived at the house, Sam opened the door, but didn't get out of the car. He turned to me and gave me a look of concern.

"You and Jake be careful when the company starts to arrive, OK? Don't let him start anything. You put him in his place today, but he tends to talk before he thinks sometimes."

"Don't worry, Sam. I'll keep him and myself out of trouble."

Sam got out of the car, but I shouted to him before he could close the door.

"I'll make sure one of us keeps you in the loop at all times."

Sam nodded, then closed the door and headed up to the house. I took a deep breath, then turned the car around and headed home to help get the house ready for company.

Two weeks later... Kira POV

Over the last two weeks, the Cullen household filled up like no one believed possible. Carlisle and Esme returned a week after they left and Emmett and Rose arrived only two days later. Combined with our family they managed to accumulate over 20 vampires. Most I didn't know, but a few were familiar to me. The Denali coven was the first to show and also the first to lend their complete support in our cause, which made sense considering it was one of their coven that caused the whole situation in the first place. The next to show, and the most surprising, were Peter and Charlotte. Apparently, Alice and Jasper had hunted them down and sent them our way without so much as an explanation. Over the years, they had learned to trust Alice's visions and they were both fiercely loyal to Jasper. I loved Pete and Char. I had known them for a good portion of my life and it helped ease my mind to have them near.

Some of Carlisle's friends were harder to convince than others, but in the end we had a fairly impressive group at our backs.

One evening, I sat with Emmett and Peter as they played a video game. I wasn't really paying any attention to them. I was just kinda existing, allowing the emotions of all of the vampires distract my mind. Normally I let the emotions of large crowds just flow around me, so they wouldn't distract my everyday life, but today I needed the distration, so I let them take over my mind.

Bella came into the room, snapping me out of my trance.

"Can I talk with you for a minute, Kira?" She asked me. She was worried about something other than the obvious.

"Sure." I got up from the seat and followed Bella out of the house. We continued walking quietly until we were out of hearing range of the rest of the house.

"I know we don't know each other well. But I have a favor to ask of you."

I could feel Bella's worry increase. Whatever she needed, it must have been something big.

"First, can you block your mind from Edward?" She asked me.

"Yeah, with some conscious effort I can keep him out. Why?"

Bella looked down at the ground for a few moments before she answered me. "Jasper left me the name of a guy the family uses to get legal documents made up."

I smiled. "Ah yes, Jenks. I know him. Jumpy fellow."

Bella returned my smile. "I made up new IDs for Jacob and Renesmee. If it comes down to a fight, I'm making Jacob run with her. I know it's selfish of me, but even if Edward and I have to die, Nessie deserves a chance at life. I wanted to ask you if you would help them get away. I know I'm asking a lot, but I didn't know who else I could trust to help me and to keep it secret from Edward."

It took me a few minutes to absorb what Bella was asking of me. It didn't surprise me. "You're not being selfish, Bella. You're being a mother." I walk a few yard from her, taking a seat on the fallen tree. Bella followed and sat beside me. "Did you know that Jasper won't make a promise unless he's sure he'll be able to keep it?"

Bella shook her head no.

"It's admirable, really. He's never broken a promise to me, ever. It's something I strive for in my own life." I turned to Bella. "I promise you, Jake and Nessie will get away if things go south. Even if it takes my last breath, I will get them out. Nessie will have her life."

Bella sobbed tearlessly at my sentiment. She pulled me into a hug. She had such control that she didn't squish me at all.

"Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, Bella. We're family and this is what families do for each other."

She took a calming breath, letting it out slowly. "And you can keep this from Edward? I don't want Aro to learn of my plan until it is too late for him to stop it."

I chuckled. "Not to worry, my dear Auntie. I've gotten good at wrapping my emotions around my thoughts to mask them from Eddie. It drives him crazy and he'll know I'm keeping something from him, but we won't get it out of me."

We sat for quite a while, enjoying the peace of nature and thinking about what was to come. Bella was still worried, but her mind was much more a peace. So this was what my dad had told me about. The one thing he needed me to do. It may have not been the decision he was hoping for, but it was what my heart was telling me to do...

Two Weeks Later...Doomsday...Kira POV

We stood in the clearing my family traditionally used to play baseball. My family was in the center, with all of our vampire witness to our left and right. Behind us, hidden just beyond the treeline were the La Push wolves. You couldn't see them, but all of the vampires could hear their combined heartbeats. It was actually a very impressive sound.

An unknown side effect of the large vampire boom in the area was that many more of the original wolf bloodline had phased. The total number of wolves had inflated from 11 to 16. The youngest being only 12 years old. I kinda felt bad about their participation in this hopeless endeavor, but Sam assured me that all the younger wolves were being ordered to run back to the res if things went bad. He told them it was to protect La Push, but I knew it was to protect them. They were too young to be in this fight. At least this way some of the bloodlines would survive.

I stood beside Jacob, who stood with my family in wolf form, staying as close to Nessie as he could. I did my best to focus my empathy. With this many people around, it was difficult to concentrate, but I didn't have an option. I needed to stay focused and do what I promised to do if the time came.

In moments, the opposite side of the clearing began to fill with robed figures. The Volturi had arrived.

I turned my attention to the three brothers, who I recognized from the painting in Carlisle's office. Marcus's feelings were fairly mild. He almost felt bored. Caius was feeling pure hatred. I had a feeling he would only be happy once everyone here was dead. Aro, on the other hand, was curious. It was obvious we was impressed by the show of support Carlisle had managed to compile. Unfortunately, I also felt his desire for power. He was interested in many of the vampires here today. He would make them join him if he could.

None of this helped put me at ease. At least I was fairly certain the Volturi were going to give us our pause. I watched as Carlisle approached Aro, allowing the older vampire to take his hand. I didn't really pay attention to what was being said. I kept my eyes closed, focusing only on the emotions of the three brothers. I had told Bella I would try and pinpoint the moment they decided to attack.

I didn't even realize that Irina had been sentenced to immediate death until I felt the anguish from Tanya and Kate as their sister burned. The emotion almost knocked me off my feet. I would have fallen if I hadn't been for the wolf suddenly standing next to me. As I recovered, I looked over to see a sandy tan colored wolf holding me up, whimpering softly. Seth. I regained my composure and nudged him with my nose. It was the best I could do to thank him for his support. He continued to stand by me as we returned our focus to the situation at hand.

The three brothers were now huddled together, discussing what they were going to do. Their emotions told the whole story. They were going to attack!

I turned my face up to Bella, giving her a sad look. She nodded her head. I looked around and all of my family were saying their goodbyes to each other.

I took a deep breath and positioned myself to Jacob's right as Bella placed Nessie on Jake's back. I was ready. I looked to the other side of Jake and saw Seth take up a similar position on Jacob's left. I nodded to him. Seth got the point. Together we would make sure Jacob and Nessie survived. I didn't really want to die, but if this was truly my time, at least I would die with a friend by my side...

All hell was about the break loose, when I felt it. They were emotions of worry and anxiety. There were 4 distinct individuals and they were coming in fast.

I look over to Edward, screaming in my mind.

"Stall, uncle! It's Alice and Jasper, I know it. Stall just a little bit longer!"

Edward could obviously hear my thoughts and those of the people coming because he stepped closer to Aro. He began to stall the best he could. Moments later, Alice, Jasper, and two vampires I didn't recognize emerged from the forest. They came to a stop at the three brothers.

"Good day, Aro!" Alice greeted happily. "I'd like you to meet Nahual, he's a human vampire hybrid, just as Nessie is. As you can see, he grew up to be a fully responsible person, capable of keeping our secrets. Just as Nessie will."

I could feel Aro's emotions flare anger for just a moment, but then they were replaced with defeat...we had won.

With proof that Nessie would grow up, the Volturi had no other option but to leave. We had broken no rules. The Volturi were disappointed as Aro said his goodbyes and well wishes to Carlisle. He even welcomed my grandfather to come to itaily and visit. I had to stop myself from snorting. Yeah, fat chance of that happening.

As the last of the robed figures slipped quietly into the trees, the feeling of relief was almost tangible. Seth tackled me, chuckling in his wolfy voice. I allowed my kitty cat chuckle to join his. I could hear Jacob laugh next to us as well, his canine voice carrying amongst the celebration.

Seth whined softly. I began to wonder why he was upset, but Jake came out of the woods in human form to explain.

"Sam is recalling all the wolves back to the res, but they'll be back over at the house in a few hours to help celebrate the fact that we are all still alive."

Seth licked my cheek, then trotted back into the woods. I sighed, then shifted back to human as Jasper approached me. I turned and jumped into his arms.

"You came back." I whispered.

Jasper chuckled. "I'm glad we made it in time. Alice had seen 5 different outcomes to today's events, but only one had a happy ending. You understand now why we left and didn't tell anyone why. If Aro had seen that we could possibly mess up his plans, he might not have paused. I doubt we would have gotten here before he attacked." Jasper eyed me questioningly. "Why are you feeling sorry? What's wrong?"

I looked up into his eyes. "I'm guessing the decision I made to stay and help Jacob and Nessie get away wasn't the one you wanted me to make. I'm sorry. It's what my heart told me to do."

Jasper smiled the biggest smile I had seen from him in a long time. I could feel him pride.

"It's the exact opposite. I'm proud as hell that you were willing to lay down your life so Jacob and Nessie could live."

I cocked my head to the side, still looking at him.

"OK, so maybe a tiny little part of me hoped you would run. I couldn't call myself your father if I didn't, but trust me, the pride outweighs anything else."

Jasper looked over at the woods where the pack had made their exit.

"It also looked like you weren't the only one who was willing to die for the cause. Seth seemed very determined to fight along side you till the very end."

I could feel my cheeks flush as I looked down. "We just went through one of the most emotional, stress filled moments of both our lives, and yet you still manage to bring up my love life...or lack there of."

"I'm a father. It just so happens that your love life causes two of the things that terrify me the most." He took my hands in his. "I'm scared to death that someday you'll meet a guy who will take you away from me. That I'll be replaced as the number one man in your life. On the other hand, I'm equally as terrified that you won't find someone and you won't find true happiness."

"Well gee, dad, you're screwed." I said in my most serious voice.

We both busted into laughter. After a few minutes we managed to compose ourselves. By this time, the crowd of vampires was beginning to thin out. Some looked to be heading back to their own territories, but some seemed to be returning to the house. No doubt to help us celebrate. Dad and I turned to join the rest of our family, but I paused.

"Tonight, I'm gonna sit with Seth and talk. I'll toss it all into the air and we'll see where it lands."

Jasper gave me another hug to help show his continued pride in me, even though he knew I could feel it from his emotions alone. We returned to our family and after a few more hugs and kisses, we all set off towards home.

Just as we were walking into the house, my cell phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing the name Sharee flash on the front. "I'll be right in." I told Jasper, as I walked back towards the woods. You can't get much privacy in a house full of vampires, but as least this way they wouldn't be able to hear Sharee's end of the conversation.

"Hey, sweetie. What's up?" I ask in a cheerful voice. There was a momentary pause on the other end, then a slight sob before Sharee began the speak.

"Kira..."

"Sharee, what's wrong?"

"Its Lawrence...he's in the hospital...he's been shot. He's in surgery, but it's bad. The doctors...they don't...they don't know if he's going to make it. My family is here...but I just..."

My eyes were already starting to tear up. "Sharee, I'm coming home. I'll be there as fast as I can." As I spoke, by dad came back out, followed closely by Esme. I could see Carlisle standing by the door, talking on the phone. "Just take a deep breath, sit with your family and say every prayer you know. By the time you finish, I'll be there to help you say them all over again. OK."

I could hear a quiet affirmative on the other end before we both hung up. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. By this time, the rest of my family had joined us outside. I looked up as my father, tears running freely down my cheeks. "My friend Tank has been shot. He's in surgery now, but the doctors aren't very optimistic. Sharee needs me. I need to get there." Jasper pulled me into a hug and Esme rubbed my back.

"I've already called the airport." Carlisle said, closing his phone. "Your plane leaves in an hour. One of us can run you to the airport, it would be faster than driving. We'll get your car back to you later on."

I smiled up at my grandfather. "Thank you." I said sadly.

Edward stepped up, passing Nessie over to Bella. "I'll run you to the airport. I'm fastest."

I hugged each of my family members, each of them returning to the house afterward. Soon only Edward and Jasper remained. I hugged my dad, kissed him on the cheek, then looked into his eyes. He was sending me as many reassuring waves as he could to keep me calm. "Tell Seth what happened. Give him my information and tell him I"ll call him later."

"I will." Jasper placed a hand on my cheek, wiping away a tear. "If it's meant to be, it'll be."

I nodded my head, then jumped onto my uncle's back. We took off at lightning speed and all I could do was silently pray for the life that was hanging in the balance...

To be Continued...

Damn, I'm tired now. That chapter was really long, but I'm happy it's over. I can finally move on. The next chapter will be moving into the post book time period and it will truly be a Seth/OC story. Sorry it took so long to get there, but I promised we'd make it, didn't I? Please let me know what you think.