AN: Everyone's either in Volterra or on their way to Volterra. The only exceptions are those with the Hybrids; Demitri, Leah, Felix and the Healers. Alice, Alistair and Jane are in Iceland with the witches.

Some bad news; I'm going to post every second day instead of daily. We've got some nasty shit happening with our neighbor and are gathering evidence to press charges. I have to sort through hours of surveillance video daily and don't have enough time to work on Hell Fire.

S. Meyer owns twilight

Previously in Volterra:

Theresa bound the Horsemen and Werewolves' human and beast sides. She's having a nanna nap. Aro, Brenna, Jake, Marcus and Esme had a chat with Didyme's spirit.

CHAPTER 20

BPOV

The first of the coven leaders had arrived. The vampires were bustling about while the rest of us stayed in the Masters' Quarters. Jake, Theresa, there werewolves and my fellow Horsemen decided to hide until the Masters told the coven leaders of our existence. Theresa was happy Aro, Marcus and Esme had spoken to Didyme, she was sorry she missed it. She sent away for more supplies from Texas, she thought it was good for the Volturi Masters to learn more about the spirit world. Aro was overjoyed. Marcus and Esme had initially been spooked by Dyme's presence, but it also gave them closure. Esme didn't feel like she was filling a role and Marcus got a chance to see that Didyme had found peace.

Esme had started to create another garden nearby, one full of remedies for each supernatural species, it was an extension to Didyme's garden. Marcus and Esme gifted Theresa with seeds for plants they knew to be beneficial. Brenna promised to visit the Reservation to use her gift on the tribal gardens again. Theresa had grown close with Brenna, she said Brenna exuded energy which recharged her. They were talking about taking a trip to Iceland, Brenna wanted Theresa to feel the energy of her homeland.

Chelsea popped in and told us everyone had arrived. It wouldn't be long until we would be introduced. I felt like I was waiting for a battle to begin. We sat still and waited.

I had a large bowl of popcorn on my lap, I couldn't seem to stop eating from nerves. Pete was the same, we'd gone through three packets in the last five hours. Char was fidgeting next to me. Jake huffed. "There's no point us sitting here, doing nothing. How about we go to the Rowan room and practice phasing." He suggested. We agreed, we were too restless to sit still.

We found it impossible to concentrate, Theresa made us some calming tea. I felt much better. For a few hours we stood moving between forms. Brenna was getting the hang of it much quicker today. She and Fred could transform quickly. Briggita and Aaron watched us. "It's so bloody weird." Aaron commented. Briggita bumped his shoulder, "don't listen to this grumpy arsehole, he's just jealous." She announced, they hadn't had their human and bestial forms bound yet. Theresa had promised to bind them when her energy returned. She was still a little weak from working with the rest of us.

We were switching forms quickly now, it wasn't without effort, but it was getting easier. I started to experiment, changing my eyes and hands while keeping the rest of me human looking. I returned my eyes and hands to normal and decided to try bulking up my muscles. Jake laughed at me, "Bells, you look like a body builder." The others looked at me and chuckled. I reduced my muscle mass and focused on changing my teeth. My mouth was stuck open, the teeth were too big for my human mouth. Pete laughed and I quickly returned them to normal length.

Fred returned to his human form, "That's very impressive Bella. How do you do it?" He asked, I told him how I focused on one part of my anatomy and concentrated on changing its appearance. He tried to focus, but his body turned into his wolf self. The others were trying to change different parts of themselves. Even Jake was concentrating hard. It seemed that only we Horsemen could alter our appearance, it must be a hybrid thing.

I heard footsteps approach, J had changed his facial appearance to the wolf, but kept his eyes and hair human looking. Char had changed her tongue, it hung out of her mouth, Pete was laughing at her. Esme was at the door, watching us in shock. We returned to our human form and smiled sheepishly. "It's time to make your debut. I suggest human forms for the moment, Jake you might want to put some clothes on." She said. We nodded and headed out. Pete, Char, J and I were lucky, we'd wear masks. Theresa, Jake and the wolves would be meeting them wearing the black cloaks with purple lining. Their faces would be visible.

Theresa was fussing next to us. I leaned over "no matter what we'll protect you. The Masters wont tolerate any rudeness." I promised, "I know, I'm just nervous. What if they hate me? They're going to judge us."
"I know, but it's up to them to give us a reason to trust them." I said. She nodded, J sent a wisp of calm to us. It was just the right amount to take the edge off our nerves.

Caius opened the doors for us and smiled. "It's okay. We chose this group because of their likelihood to accept your species. They're curious and want to get to know you." He said. We walked in and the room hushed, the vampires were staring at us. I saw empty bottles of synthetic blood and smiled, the scent of the wolves and spirit walkers wouldn't set off the vampires' instincts.

"I'm proud to introduce my friends." Aro announced, he was grinning and looked relieved. Marcus was looked relaxed and happy. Aro walked over to us and whispered "everything is going better than expected." He grabbed Fred's hand and brought him over. "This is my biological brother, a leader among the werewolves and a great ally." Eleazar and Amun walked over and shook his hand with great ceremony. "The Egyptian coven welcomes to wolves to our world. We give our alliance to Fred and his pack."
"The Denali coven welcomes the wolves. We give our alliance to Fred and his pack."

One by one the vampires greeted Fred warmly. We were in shock. I could see Fred struggle to push past his surprise and speak with them all. Aro announced proudly that Fred and his pack had helped remove the Romanians from the world. A cheer went up, they'd obviously heard the truth about the Romanians. Aro came over and cheerfully asked Brenna, Briggita and Aaron to join Fred. "I'd like to introduce Briggita, she is Fred's true mate. This is Aaron, another leader of the wolves. Finally, we have Brenna, she is the mate of the Healer. Unfortunately the Healer has not been able to make it today, but the Alpha of his species is here to meet you." He returned to our group and ushered Theresa over.

Amun and Eleazar pledged their allegiance to the Spirit Walkers and Aaron's pack, applause echoed around the room. They were greeted like rock stars.

Vampires were splitting into groups and talking with each of the wolves, getting to know them. Aro introduced Jake, he received the same reaction, Amun and Eleazar pledged their allegiance to the Spirit Wolves. Conversation broke out amongst the vampires, werewolves and spirit walkers. I couldn't understand it, I expected some resistance, weren't vampires supposed to be scared of change?

Aro waved us forward. "My friends. It is with great honor I introduce you to a group of Guardians. They are responsible for the eradication of the newborn armies. They fought the Rebel Army and saved our home and coven. They Captured the Romanians from Chernobyl and prevented their uprising." The room silenced and stared at us.

Aro continued, "They are among a new race of supernatural beings. They are hybrids; a combination of vampire, werewolf and spirit walker. They fight for our freedom and the lives of the innocent. The Volturi coven thanks them for their help and we give our allegiance to them and their allies."

I heard a whisper from the Ancestors Trust what you see, Fate is building bridges between the species.. The Volturi Kings have succeeded, the unity has begun. Pete walked forward, his voice rang out "I am Conquest." He introduced himself. J went next, repeating Pete's introduction, "I am War." Charlotte was next, she echoed her mate and sire. All eyes turned to me, I took a deep breath and announced "I am Death." The Vampires didn't move.

Eleazar and Amun repeated their pledge and alliance. Slowly vampires began to approach, they bowed their heads in submission. I recognized a few nomads we'd come across in America. They told us their stories, many had been born in states affected by the wars and were grateful they could return home.

A couple from Spain thanked us for helping the Volturi defeat the Rebel Army. They told us how the army had invaded their city, killing many. There were similar stories from those in France and Switzerland. A couple of nomads had travelled Eastern Europe, they had encountered the Romanians in Chernobyl and been attacked by Carlos as his army.

There were sad stories of those who had lost everything under the Romanian rule, those who had been hurt by the Newborn wars in Middle America and recently, many had been hurt by the Rebel Army. We all split off in groups, listening and speaking to many in attendance. Jake was particularly popular with a few of the ladies. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Claire and Felipe joined me, telling the others how I saved her mate. Felipe smiled at her. I was glad to see they were happy.

After a few hours talking and greeting people Aro dismissed us. I was glad, we entered the Master's Quarters. I yawned and stretched. Caius followed us out and led us to the kitchen. Kachiri was cooking some lasagna. "I thought you'd be hungry." She announced. She passed us plates of lasagna and we sat around the kitchen table. The lasagna was perfectly cooked, I thanked her. She waved me off "I've missed cooking, the Hybrids taught us how to and we'd help make family dinners once a week."
"I didn't see you in the Throne Room." Pete said softly. She nodded, "I'm not used to so many people, I said my peace and snuck away." She admitted sheepishly. "I envy you. It was pretty intense in there." J said.

"Caius, what happened in there?" Theresa asked between mouthfuls. He smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Aro, Amun and Eleazar told their histories. They didn't go into too much detail, but the spoke about the savagery of the Romanians and life as a human in those times. There were a few who shared their stories about raiding parties. They had hidden for a long time to survive. A few had been a part of human villages who had relied on the werewolves as protectors. They vouched for the species. Amun and Eleazar backed them up and spoke about how the werewolves had been betrayed." He explained.

Fred exhaled brokenly. "I never expected this day to come. I thought the former humans had forgotten our species and associated us with our beast and bad luck." He said, Caius shook his head and explained "a handful of the people out there were children when the Romanians started hunting wolves. They befriended a few of your species and thought of you as superheroes. They were sad to see the species disappear."

"I wish those wolves were alive today to see this. All that's left of our species are those from the island." Fred said sadly. Theresa touched his hand, "they didn't die in vain. Their spirits live on, they share our success. When you trapped the Romanians in time you gave those Souls justice. They're at peace, Fred." She said.

Caius continued, "When we told the group that the Healer was a Spirit Walker, everyone was keen to know more. Like with the werewolves, the locations of your people are kept secret."
"How are they so accepting? Surely there will be vampires out there who will be intolerant of our species." Fred said. Caius sighed, "You're right. There will be more opposition to come. The leaders and nomads we invited were chosen because of their histories. We thought it best to start with those who might accept the unity and took a risk by inviting Siobhan, her gift will help us. Amun and Eleazar took time talking to her, she supports the unity and sympathized with how poorly the werewolves were treated and how the Spirit Walkers have been living below the bread line-" Jake interrupted Caius "we don't want pity." He growled. "I understand, but we need to show them the reality of the situation. They need to understand that they have taken their freedom for granted and learn to appreciate the strength and drive of werewolves and spirit walkers." He replied. Theresa sighed "he's right, Jake. Once they get to know us they'll see our strength and resilience."
"Besides, Aro told them how despite setbacks you still protect and appreciate all life." Caius added.

"I feel like a circus freak." Jake groaned. Caius nodded and added "for the moment you are. I know it's offensive, but this way the vampires will get to know your species, it's the best option we have. If it's any consolation many of our guard are talking with them, telling them of your good deeds. The covens and nomads respect you, they're also intrigued by novelty of the other species. We spent a long time talking about the differences between the species and how important your existence is to all life."

"We won't have to perform or anything, will we?" Fred asked sadly. Caius shook his head, "absolutely not. While many are curious to see you transform and use your gifts, we will not tolerate that sort of showmanship. You are honored guests and they will learn to accept you for who you are, not what you are. I apologize that this is how things are, we wish there was another way." He said. I didn't like it, but I'd tolerate it for now. I felt angry for Jake, Theresa and the wolves.

"With the support from these vampires, it'll be possible to sway the rest of my species. The next phase will be difficult. Our next group of visitors won't be as tolerant, they were the ones who reported the wolf sightings in Siberia. They'll be upset the Volturi deceived them." Caius said. Jake was on this third serving of lasagna. He swallowed, "I guess having allies who see us as novelties is better than having no allies at all." He said.

Caius looked at him sadly, "we promise to keep you safe. We have already killed a few of our own guard for their opposition to the unity, we will destroy those who seek to hunt you." He said. Theresa, Jake and the wolves looked at him in shock. They hadn't seen the executions after the victory over the Rebel Army. Caius explained what happened, Pete added his vision of what would have happened if those vampires had been allowed to leave.

It was at that point they realized how far the Volturi would go to ensure their safety, they understood the consequences of what was happening. Jake was looking at Caius in awe. "I never thought I'd be in Vampire Headquarters finding true compassion from creatures my species hunted." He said. Caius smiled, "we both kill to protect the innocent, Jacob. We all have a strong connection to our humanity. Monsters exist in all species." He said.

Charlie POV

Rose and I were tending to Leah. The hybrids had been very helpful, a couple of days after we arrived Leah had started to weaken. She had been exhausted and looked on the verge of death. Rosa was visiting and rushed to our side, "she needs to drink blood." She announced. Rosie had gone to the cooler and brought out a bottle of synthetic blood from Volterra. Leah drank desperately, it was the first thing she'd been able to tolerate. Demitri had begun to feel hope when he saw Leah's strength return.

Another package of synthetic blood was due to arrive any day now. Rosie and Dem had taken to hunting animals, saving the synthetic blood for Leah. We'd been tending to Leah for the last ten days. Her belly was swollen from the pregnancy. Her ribs had copped a beating, I didn't know how the human girls had survived until the labor, Leah was lucky she was a quick healer. Sue, Harry and Seth didn't leave her side. They watched as Demitri cared for her and worried about her health. They could see how good a man he was for their daughter.

Seth had become indispensible. His body heat kept Leah warm. Sue and Harry had stayed positive since Jake called to tell them Leah and the baby would survive. I had expected them to castrate Dem for impregnating their daughter, but they respected the imprint bond and had gotten to know the hybrids well. They looked forward to meeting their first grandchild. Sue was sitting in a nearby armchair knitting a white beanie for the baby. "It's a shame we don't know whether the baby's a boy or a girl." She sighed.

Sue looked at Dem and smiled, "how are you holding up, Papa Bear?" She asked. He smiled widely, "I'm still stunned, I never expected to be a father." He said. Seth chuckled, "a lot of guys have kids when they're old." He teased lightly. Dem smirked "I doubt there are many 1200 year old fathers out there." There was a crack as Leah's rib broke, she gasped in pain. Demitri gently rubbed her stomach and sang lowly, he knew how to calm that kid down. I made a cup of calming tea for Leah, it seemed to help the baby.

"How long until we get to meet the baby?" Seth asked. Rose smiled, "another week." She replied. "I just want this over with. I don't know how chicks do this for nine fucking months." Leah growled, she had ridden the rollercoaster of emotions. In the beginning her and Dem had wanted to terminate the pregnancy, they were terrified. So were we. In the first few minutes of arrived we tried cocktails of abortificants, but nothing had worked. The baby had been wrapped in a hard membrane, there was nothing we could do but wait out the pregnancy. When the Clearwaters arrived two hours later they told us what the Horsemen had told Jake and we allowed ourselves to hope.

Hearing that Leah and the baby would be safe had changed everyone's mood. The fear relented, changing to hope and acceptance. Leah had started to bond with the baby, Dem soon followed. I knew he'd be overwhelmed when the baby was born; love for the child, amazement that his mate had created a beautiful being in their image and gratitude for the chance of fatherhood. I had felt that when Bella was born, I could see the beginnings of those emotions in him now, but he'd never fully understand what was happening until his son or daughter would come into the world.

The childbirth itself had been a long discussed issue with Rose and Demitri. They had discussed ways to assist the birth; they planned on performing a cesarean if it became too dangerous, Leah wanted to try a natural childbirth with a hell of a lot of pain killers. The plan was to give her medicine to induce labor and see how it things progressed. Rose, Sue and Demitri were prepared for anything.

Leah got up from the couch and waddled to her bedroom. She needed a lot of sleep these days. Seth decided to grab some sleep as well, he was glad to be away from the Res. Sam had everyone running patrols day and night. I knew that with Sam's daughter newly born his instincts were in overdrive, everything looked like it would hurt your family, from a patch of ice on the ground to a creaking branch in the tree.

My mobile rang, it was Zafrina. "How are you?" I asked. "Good, thank you Healer. How is Leah?"
"She's doing well. There have been a few bone breaks and her kidneys and liver have taken a beating, but she's a fast healer."
"Is the blood helping?" She asked. "It's made a big difference, she's looking a lot better." I told her. "What about her wolf spirit?" Zafrina asked. "It's calmed, we've added some bonding remedies to the synthetic blood, the wolf accepts the pregnancy and is no longer fighting it."
"I'm glad to hear it, Healer. The hybrids have been worried. They see Leah as a beacon of hope, they feel like she is a mother to their species." She said. Poor kids didn't have any parents, they only had a few vampires to guide them.

"Sue sends her love to them." I said. Sue had taken to the hybrids as if they were her own. "They send they love and hope that her daughter is well. We've had some luck finding more hybrids."
"Are they okay?" I asked. Zafrina made a noise in agreement and added "Emmett has thoroughly checked them. They are a strong species. We are sending five to Hulien and Rosa, they should reach Salta in two days."

"How many are there so far?" I asked, "Twelve including the original six. The last two we came across told us of rumors about possible hybrids west of here. They're guarded by the Grandmother of the tribe and are considered Angels."
"Will you be able to talk to them?" I asked. I was interested to hear how they managed to assure the unknown hybrids they were here to help. "Julia and Nahuel will go first and introduce us. We have a set plan we've perfected. With Julia and Nahuel greeting them first they can see they belong to the same species. They tell them about Vampires, the Volturi and Joham. Once we tell them we destroyed Joham so he couldn't harm anyone else they introduce me I show them Joham's death. That is usually enough to have them trust us." She explained.

"What happens if you come across one who had a bond with Joham?" I asked. "We have planned for that eventuality. I am able to defend us from attack, I can fill the minds of any enemies with bright light and loud noise, it's very disorientating, but that is going to be a last resort. We will not force any of them to join us if they do not wish it. We can only make sure they are safe and will not harm innocents. If there are any that plan to carry on Joham's work we will have to execute them."
"I hope you're never in that position, Zafrina." I said. "So do we, Healer. We've been lucky, but sooner or later our luck will run out. We are prepared for every eventuality."