Love, love, LOVE! All the reviews and support *tear* you guys sure know how to make a girl happy :) This is the last chapter before the big NESSIE/JAKE reunion! Yay! Oh and also, I will repeat this one more time (particularly for anonymous reviewer ELLE.X): if you happen to review anonymously, there is NO WAY for me to contact you unless you literally write out your email address or something; HOWEVER, fanfiction CENSORS email addresses, so if you do write it, do so with spaces and actual words (ex. (at) for the symbol 'at'), otherwise it will not show up and I won't be able to contact you at all. I really do hate not replying to peoples questions/etc so if you really don't want to get an account here then work with me! Lol, anyway, without further adieu here is the next chapter. Read, review, and enjoy!

I do not own any of Stephanie Meyer's work, solely the plot and some new characters in this story.

***********************Caius**************************************

Even if he did decide to help, Demetri will undoubtedly be killed. No, this will be the last they see of me…

I began the delicate process of opening the secret escape door without setting off any alarms. It was amazing how prepared the little witch had been, she was probably on her way over here right now.

Not that I plan to let her leave after how she betrayed me…

I couldn't be sure whether Aro or Marcus would survive the next moments, and even if one miraculously did, I knew my place here in Volterra was no longer safe. Leaving was the only option, and one I was more than willing to forego.

The first bolt slid out easily once tapered with correctly, and I began the meticulous task of unlocking the right combination. Ingenious really, who would've thought a simple human technology would be my ticket out of here…

With a final click the heavy door swung open, alarms immediately disengaged. I took a step back to survey my success.

Goodbye Volterra.

"Goodbye is right."

The voice made me jump, whirling around towards its owner. My lips pulled up instinctively, defensively, with the three furious vampires before me.

"You really thought you'd get away that easily, didn't you?" Edward Cullen smirked, his eyebrow quirking menacingly. The two women on either side of him began to crouch, an identical sneer of victor in their faces, pale brown and ghostly white.

"Three against one," I lashed back, "Carlisle would be most disappointed with you, Edward Cullen. That hardly seems fai—"

"Fair!" bit out his wife, a dangerous beauty suddenly much closer than I would've liked. "You want to talk about fair, you hypocritical jerk! Do you think it was fair the way you treated my daughter? Do you think it was fair the way you so eagerly suggested killing Oliver?"

I took a step back, the ferocious lioness in front of me growling with my lack of an audible answer. The retreat was hopeless, however; Jeanine was suddenly grabbing hold of my arm in her iron grip, her unique yet somewhat disgusting scent emitting in streamed lines against my neck. I shuddered involuntarily.

"Fair the way my family was so ruthlessly murdered?" she hissed, a bare whisper hardly visible to the most attuned ears. I could feel her murderous eyes upon me, emblazing through my impenetrable skin as if it were but smoke, an easy feat for an almighty vampire.

I couldn't answer, couldn't move, the reality of what my fate was to become was too real, too solid, too—

"Too bad," finished Edward Cullen, an impossible fire in his now waning golden eyes. He motioned briefly towards his wife, who immediately flew to my other arm and grabbed hold.

"On the count of three," she said softly, almost seductively, nothing sensual but crazed, possessed with obsession.

"One," breathed Edward.

"Two," said Jeanine.

"AAAGGH!" I screamed as Isabella Cullen suddenly ripped away from my shoulder down, causing me to stagger onto my knees. "PLEASE! HAVE MERC—"

"Oops, got ahead of myself," she laughed haughtily, airily, ignoring my cried pleas. Jeanine joined in through glowing eyes, whilst squeezing me even tighter.

This was it, this was really it…

"I do apologize," Edward chuckled, "my wife can be a bit impatient when it comes to anything she's passionate about." He winked at her before facing me once again. His legs crouched ever slightly as he looked me one last time directly in the eyes.

"Edward, please—" I began.

But the last voice I heard was from his pretty wife.

"Three."

The girls tore in simultaneously from the sides and Edward Cullen lunged forward, the final picture of his handsome face covered in bloodthirsty revenge and flames…

*************************Jacob**********************************

"You got to be kidding me!" I was still recovering, not from battle scars or wounded ribs, but from—

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but the pack did kill quite a number of guard members. Surely you must see how lenient Marcus is being considering—"

"But Carlisle!"

"I assure you, Jacob, Marcus is nothing like the few moments you may remember him as. He is a new man and will rule justly. Nessie will be—"

"So I STILL don't get to see her!"

Carlisle sighed. "You will as soon as this entire ordeal is behind us. Now please, take the pack and wait for us up top. It will make it easier on the remaining members and Marcus to rule out any sentences against you all."

I growled. "Well, in our defense, they did try killing one of our own. Oliver—"

"Is still alive and well," Carlisle finished. "He will be the only one allowed to stay considering his role in the situation."

I resisted the urge to throw a tantrum—unfortunately that might have looked a bit bad pathetic, Alpha's don't whine—and instead closed my eyes in frustration. I knew there was no winning here, and perhaps it wouldn't be too bad, I'd get to see Nessie in the end after all…another question came to mind.

"What's up with that, anyway? You know, why is Oliver so involved with this whole mess?"

I expected another sigh, another pity smile, but instead—

"You mean you don't—oh, well…" Carlisle seemed lost for words, even looking away in what I knew too well of an expression…guilt…

I don't know what?

Before I could utter my suspicions, however, Esme intervened out of nowhere. "Oh nothing to worry about, Jacob. They simply mistook him for Nessie's imprint that's all."

Mistook—imprint? Oliver?

"But why would—"

"Jacob, we really should get going," Sam was saying, having appeared by my side. "Some of the guard members that left for the false claim in Spain are starting to arrive and we wouldn't want to be getting sidetracked."

I nodded in agreement, motioning to the pack to go ahead of me. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the slight flight of tension from Carlisle, and even Esme's, stance, almost as if they were relieved about something…

Hmmm…but I had no time to dawdle. With a quick nod in their direction, I turned and followed Sam. There was something I wasn't being told but…well, as long as I got to finally see my Nessie nothing else mattered.

**********************Marcus************************************

"We are all here then?" I asked one last time. Edward and Isabella Cullen had just entered, a brilliant smile adorning the beautiful couple.

Carlisle rose and replied. "Yes, that is the rest of our family, and the wolves have already deserted to avoid any further unfortunate confrontations, as you asked."

I nodded graciously. "Good, good. Yes, it is a shame to have lost a good portion of the guard, and some of our strongest too…" I paused, searching for the right words without seeming too relieved. "But then again, it also quite fortunate many of them happened to be away at the time."

For a brief second I could've sworn Edward Cullen smiled knowingly, but it could have been a mistake: another glance only showed a serious face, waiting for what I was to reveal concerning not only the fate of his daughter but that of the entire Volturri.

"Renesmee Cullen," I turned my attention to the young girl in Carlisle's wife's arms. She peered at me through wide eyes, cast over with a sadness no young one should be drowned in. It reminded me of my own tragedy in a way.

"You admit to the murder of former guard member, Gianna Mendez?"

"Yes."

"But you also claim that it was a crime done in the face of saving a loved one, two in fact?"

"Yes, my best friends, Tom and Oliver."

"Oliver, the boy standing beside you, who was mistakenly thought to be your imprint, and yet you felt the need to save him to the extent of killing, an extreme action for an extreme bond. I have never been wrong concerning relationships, but there is a first for everything. Am I right to assume he is indeed your imprint?"

"No," she nodded, the briefest and almost guilty glance towards the Quileute boy beside her, "Oliver's not my imprint, but he is my best friend, and I love him very much, more than enough to kill for. And if I had to, I'd do it again."

It was a simple statement, straight to the point, but the fire that burned behind those words was one of indecipherable magnitude, an impossible passion to compete with. I could see just how strong the little hybrid was, how brave and loyal. An impenetrable and undying wall of ardor. This was a good girl, a girl who would only kill for something worth dying for, in this case perhaps the most worthy and logical reason for one to risk anything at all.

Love.

And it wasn't even a romantic love, no, it was the love of friendship, family. Loyalty at its highest forte, a fierce protectiveness for the ones she cared about, the ones that made life what it was: life.

And the kind of love Aro had merely spat on for his own greed.

Didyme…Didyme had lived for making people happy, love being the ultimate gift…if she were still here, she would've been proud of someone like you, Renesmee…

No, the girl before me had committed no crime, but a service, a reminder of what it truly means to fight for your loved ones.

"That's quite a statement, Miss Cullen," I replied, but I could already feel my mouth curving upward into a smile, "and I would like to reply foremost with an apology, for the undoubtedly wretched state of mind you, Oliver, and your family have been through during this whole mess. My brothers, Aro, no longer with us, and Caius, who I know, with an unrelenting confidence, will have disappeared by now; I cannot speak for their actions, but I would like to apologize for their crude behavior as well. They were unjustified in their sentences and actions and I can only hope the Volturri will benefit from their eternal absence. I will make it my life mission to rule the existence of vampires justly and correctly. I would ask my dear friend, Carlisle, to stand by my side," I eyed him knowingly, sweeping my arm in gesture across the golden eyed pairs behind him, "but I know it would be a vain attempt. Nothing is more important, after all, than family."

I paused, aiming a direct glance into the small girl's brown eyes. "With that said, I hereby denounce any charges or implications towards the murder of Gianna Mendez on the grounds of self-defense and love. Renesmee Cullen, you are free to go."

For a second no one moved.

And then she tilted her head and motioned to her right. "What about the wolves, sir? And Oliver?"

I blinked. "Oliver has done no harm, my dear, so he is free to go as well. As for the wolves, they did kill some of my guards…" her face faltered. I quickly sent her a reassuring smile. "But as far as I'm concerned, they seemed to have disappeared, have they not?"

The beginnings of a small smile erupted on her beautiful face, along with the knowing and appreciative nods from the rest of the Cullen family. Even Oliver began grinning.

"Thus, I find it out of my power to sentence any kind of punishment, so long of course, that they don't kill any vampire in my plain sight," I added, with a wink in her direction, "not that I plan on leaving Volterra anytime soon."

"Thank you, sir." She beamed, the entire room lighting up with that smile. Isabella and Edward seemed to melt with it, the rest of the family breathing identical sighs of relief and joy. Yes, I could definitely see how Renesmee Cullen was the pride and joy, tears and laughter, of this united family.

"Well, I guess we'll be going then," broke in Carlisle, coming over to the front. The Cullen's began their hasty retreat out, though I couldn't blame them; they'd been through enough. I looked into Carlisle's compassionate face.

"You are sure, Carlisle?" I asked of him once more. He merely nodded once before grinning in answer.

"Absolutely, dear friend. My place is with my family, but thank you."

I brought him into a tight hug, relishing in his sincerity and kindness. "Well you can't blame an old fool for trying," I chuckled, "but your spot will always be open here should you ever change your mind."

He hugged me tighter then pulled back. "Good bye, Marcus."

"Farewell."

I watched as the last of them, Edward and Isabella, exited the room, almost nostalgically. They were nothing to me, really, and yet I felt as if they were the closest to humanity I'd been with for over a thousand years. Yes, things were definitely going to change around here, I was going to make sure of that. I could only hope I was successful, considering especially that I was not only half a guard short, but now the sole leader of the Volturri.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," a high, musical voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts. I turned slightly surprised, not having noticed the small pixie-like vampire that had stayed behind just another moment more.

Alice Cullen smiled at me mischievously, a twinkle in her intelligent eyes. "You're going to be a wonderful leader, Marcus. Trust me."

What a happy ending for the Volturri! Lol, at this point it does kind of suck for Marcus, not only has he lost the strongest of his guard (Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, Renata, Chelsea, even the wives) but he's left with only a few of his guard—which we will assume are the ones that took off to Spain with Jeanine's little 'tip'—and he's all alone :( But as Alice says, he will be fine, and we all know she can be trusted ;) Anyway, next chapter will be up Wednesday, and guess what's coming up…JAKE AND NESSIE! WHOOOOO! So please review until then, I'm going to make the next chapter gooood! At least I hope you think so. Did anyone catch Jake's 'Oliver' inquiry? Since so many have asked what he's going to do when he finds out...hehe. Thanks again for all the love, love you all more though!