Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

In the midst of everything going on in Europe, back in Washington since Sara's death, it turned into an excruciating waiting game for Jacob. William became adamant to go to the island every single day so he could visit Sara's grave and in all that time, he'd not eaten anything. He would drink water periodically, but only when Jacob asked him too. Eloise progressed in her pregnancy and Ada María became a constant shadow to hear. She found herself rather fond of Eloise. She was a fighter. A strong woman that had fought with the French resistance in Paris and had lived to see her hard work render great rewards for her country. When asked what made Eloise want to leave France when she'd worked so hard to defend it, she'd said that her defense of Paris was a defense of herself. She'd been alone most of her life, growing up in an orphanage and coming to Paris with nothing but the clothes on her back and the driver to be more than a house wife. She'd had intents for many years of leaving but the war had been a huge setback. So she fought back the only way she knew how. Now that she'd done what she needed to do, she wasn't needed and she wanted to return to her own plans. Granted, little Jaedynn, boy or girl, had not been part of that plan, but given all the stories Ada María and the rest of the family told of him, she didn't mind giving him a child before leaving, especially given that he and his relatives had made coming to America – and eventually Canada – much, much easier.

Jacob mostly stayed with his father during the day despite William's growing impatience. It was hard for Jacob to watch his father slowly starve to death, refusing to do anything but. Renesmee would check on him and sometimes see if she could get him to eat something but he always turned her away, wanting no medical assistance or prolonging of his life. He wanted to be with Sara and he'd tolerate no interference. Since they knew it was coming, Renesmee reviewed her notes from years before about initiating a new chief. She and Sokajili had discussed it from time to time and she'd made sure to take notes for any and all rituals required of her that were infrequent such as a Chief's funeral, initiating a new Chief, rain dances in case of a draught, though she nearly refused to write that one down. The idea of Washington suffering a drought seemed comically ridiculous but she wrote it down anyway. While she was reviewing her notes in the medical room of the house, Jacob came in appearing exhausted.

"How's William?" Renesmee asked.

"Irritable," Jacob mumbled. "He's ready to die and he's upset it's taking so long. He started suggesting I just bury him beside mom now and I refused to do it and left."

Renesmee looked up at him sympathetically. "He misses your mother. I don't want to, but I can imagine how I'd feel if I lost you."

"Imagining how I'd feel if I lost you is the only thing keeping me patient," Jacob said and sat down beside her on the floor. "Though if I'm being honest, I'd likely have just hung myself by now and been done with it."

"Don't talk that way, Jacob," Renesmee said. "Imagining you suffering like that is hard enough without you talking of suicide."

"Frankly, Renesmee, if I were to lose you, a suicide would be a kindness to me," Jacob said.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Renesmee said firmly and returned her attention to her notes.

"Neither do I," Jacob said and moved closer to her so he could rest his head on her shoulder. Renesmee put down her notes and rested her own against Jacob's and put her hand on his knee tenderly.

They were quiet the rest of the afternoon until they were interrupted by Ariel coming in with his mother and Eloise. Well into January, they all waited while William willingly starved to death. And finally, midway through January, Jacob went to his father's tent to check on him, but he didn't hear his heartbeat. He stepped inside and saw his father on his mat, still as a fallen log, not breathing and silent. He'd passed away in the night. While overtaken by sorrow at losing his father, he couldn't deny the sense of relief that William could finally be with his mother in eternity. He stayed in that tent for an hour, delaying the inevitable. Once he told Renesmee and the rest of the tribe their chief was dead, preparations would begin immediately. He'd need to send one of the pack to retrieve his sisters again so they could be present for the funeral and Jacob's initiation. That was the part he wasn't looking forward to. Initiation was expected the same day of a Chief's funeral.

Finally, after putting it off as long as he could, Jacob stepped out of his father's tent and firstly went to Embry telling him what happened and to get his sisters here right away. The funeral and initiation would be today whether Jacob liked it or not. Once Embry left to get Rebecca and Rachael, Jacob went home and found Renesmee in the kitchen cleaning up with a few others after putting breakfast down for those that ate. JJ had already left for work, but Salem, Nesia and Natalie were there. Natalie hadn't touched her food and Renesmee had spent the better part of breakfast trying to force Natalie to eat. Jacob told Renesmee that William was dead and a sadness collected in the room at the news. They'd known it was coming, but it was still a sad day. Renesmee promised she'd wait until his sisters arrived but once they did, they had to begin with the funeral and initiation. It all felt so rushed but it couldn't be helped. When being trained on this, Sokajili had made clear the necessity of this procedure happening quickly.

"A long, long, very long time ago when Chief Taha Aki had fled following the death of his wife," Sokajili had told her, "The tribe went months without a chief and it kept being put off. It caused disruption and even attempts at Anarchy. The only living sons Taha Aki had were either far too old to fight or far too young. When Chief Suerro came to power, he enacted into law that upon a chief's death or disappearance, a new chief must be crowned immediately to keep the order. So it has been ever since."

After Jacob's sisters were brought back to the tribe, the children joining them but the husbands staying behind, Renesmee began the preparations and they got William in the ceremonial Kayak they had used before. She put the rosemary on his body and said the required prayers before getting the kayak herself to get William to the island. Jacob followed in a separate kayak and helped her get William buried right beside the open portion of the grave they'd dug for Sara. Once he was in beside his wife as he'd wanted, they covered the burial site and Renesmee said the last few incantations to send a Chief's soul to the afterlife. Once she was done, she stood up and she and Jacob stared at the grave a moment. Eventually she looked up at Jacob and saw the look in his eyes that seemed both distraught yet forcefully accepting of the day's events.

"Are you ready?" Renesmee asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he answered and took a deep breath. "Let's get back."

"You'll be a wonderful Chief, Jacob. I know you will," Renesmee said.

Jacob didn't answer as they got back into their separate kayaks and returned to shore. Rebecca held the wolf's fur waiting for them to return. It was the same one Jacob had worn for his and Renesmee's wedding. Rachael held the wolf's headdress that Renesmee had worn. This would be an interesting display. Renesmee was already the first woman in their history to be a healer. Now she would be the first healer to become the tribe's queen, for lack of a better title. She'd have to step down. There was no question of that. Tribal law dictated that, but now she couldn't. But once Kyle returned, she'd step down and Kyle would become the healer for the tribe officially. A title that, Renesmee knew, now more than ever, he'd earned and readily deserved. Once back on shore, Jacob stayed standing before the tribe as was expected. He knew the procedure like second nature. It was something drilled into his head when he was a boy just like his father before him. Renesmee started by taking the headdress for Jacob. When she had it, he kneeled before her and before everything.

"With the death of our Chief comes the life of a new reign in his son,"Renesmee said, reciting the prayers she'd memorized. "William will be remembered by his people and by the son that continues his legacy. Will you be the leader your father was and will you strive for greater for the betterment of your people?"

"I will,"Jacob answered.

"From today on, you shall be who the people look to for guidance and safety and must be their safe haven until your time has come and your son continues after you. Will you fulfill what we, your people, ask of you?"

"I will,"Jacob answered. After his confirmations, Renesmee placed the headdress on Jacob's head. She went to Rachael to take the other and sat beside Jacob as would have been expected of a chief's wife while still completing the incantations and ceremony.

"With your mate by your side, may your reign be fruitful and for the better of the people,"she said as she put the headdress on herself. "Rise to face your people, for you are their Chief."

Afterwards, Renesmee and Jacob both stood and looked at everyone in attendance. The whole tribe was there of course and they all stared upon Jacob waiting for him to officially take his title. It was a rather gut wrenching moment for him. He'd known this was coming his whole life, yet he never felt truly ready. Now, whether he was ready or not was irrelevant. So, with a deep breath to stall the nervousness, he took Renesmee's hand in his both for her comfort and as a symbol of their joint leadership. Then finally, he made the crowning official.

"We stand before you as Chief and his wife,"Jacob said. "Accept us as such."

As part of protocol, the tribe bowed their heads before Jacob and Renesmee, accepting them as the Chief and his wife, and the initiation was complete. Jacob was their chief now as he'd been trained to be for as long as he could remember.

"When Kyle comes home, I'll step down as Healer," Renesmee said to Jacob.

"There's no hurry," Jacob said. "Tribal laws never accounted for all our sons being at war in a faraway country."

"I suppose they haven't," Renesmee said and was saddened. "I wish they could have been here for their grandparents' funerals."

"I know they'll be heartbroken to have been away before seeing them a last time," Jacob said. "It can't be helped. The way things are going according to the papers, this will be over soon. We can at least take comfort in that."

"Do you think Siobhan will be able to…"

"I'm sure they will," Jacob said, trying to be strong for Renesmee's sake. "They were safe when Evalina found them and that was only days ago."

"A lot can happen in a day," Renesmee shivered. "We don't even know-"

"It'll be alright, Renesmee," Jacob reassured again. "I promise you it will be."

Unable to do anything else about it, Renesmee smiled up at Jacob and leaned against him, accepting his strength and comfort. Back in Europe, Dimitri was quick to get Evalina back to Volterra. While they traveled, it really sank in just how lucky she was and what could have happened. She needed to write Kyle and tell him that she was alright, but even when Karenin flew above them again, Dimitri wouldn't stop. Even when it was daylight, he snuck around staying out of sight from anyone that might find his shining skin shocking. When they reached the castle managing to avoid any humans, Dimitri let them in through the back and started getting up the stairs. Someone must have announced they were back, because everyone was already in the library waiting for them.

"Evalina!" Amadora yelled and went to her. "Where were you? What happened? Your grandpa said you were leaving Italy! Where did you go?"

"She'd gone to Poland and back to Germany," Dimitri asked.

"Why were you in Germany?!" Dante yelled. "What would possess you to go into an active war zone?!"

"I needed to find someone," Evalina answered.

"Who were you looking for that you needed to go to Germany?! Evalina, do you realize what could have happened?!"

"Dante, please," Amadora said, trying to calm Dante down.

"No, let him yell," Dimitri said. "You're damned lucky I was there," he continued to Evalina. "What do you think would have happened if I'd not been there to get you away before the Nazis caught you?"

"Wait, what?!" Amadora now screamed. "Evalina, what happened?!"

"I-" she was about to say but Aro reached over to grab her hand. She screamed and fell back, avoiding him taking her hand.

"Evalina, what's gotten into you?" Heidi asked.

"Evalina, give me your hand and I'll explain what happened," Aro said. "Whatever it was, you're clearly shaken. Best to have someone level headed explain what happened."

"No," Evalina said. "I already told you what happened. I was looking for someone. I found who I was looking for and I told who I needed to tell."

"Evalina," Aro said more firmly, "You will give me your hand or I will take it."

"I already told you what you needed to know," Evalina protested.

"And now you will tell me what I want to know," Aro said. "Give me your hand."

"Evalina, what's the matter with you?" Dimitri asked. Knowing this was getting them nowhere, Dimitri leaned over so he was closer to her level in an effort to be comforting. "Evalina, we just need to know what happened. You scared us to death."

"I was just-" Evalina began but Aro took her hand and she yelped and tried to pull away. His grip on her hand stayed firm this time though. It took mere seconds but it felt like an eternity. When the last year passed through Aro's mind, that delighted smile crossed his face. He finally let go of her and thankfully Dimitri was there to catch her as Aro chuckled.

"What on earth is so funny?" Caius asked, less than amused.

"Glorious news, brother," Aro chuckled. "Surely, you all recall Renesmee Cullen?"

"What of her? Caius asked.

"Well, Caius, it would seem our dear Renesmee has grown quite a bit since last we saw her. She's since married and had 4 children. Three sons no less. All three of those sons are fighting in the war and our dear Evalina had the pleasure of meeting one of those sons. Kyle's his name. Dr. Kyle Black to be specific. He can read minds just like his dear Grandpa Edward."

"So?" Caius asked bitterly.

"So," Aro smiled, "as to the glorious news I'd mentioned, our dear Evalina is engaged to be married."

"What?" Dante yelled and looked right at Evalina.

"Yes, they're engaged," Aro said. "That is the purpose of that bracelet she came home with first she'd gone to Rome. They met in Naples and wrote to one another with that little pet bird of hers."

"Evalina, why wouldn't you tell us about this boy?" Amadora asked, still recovering from her own alarm.

"Rest assured, Amadora, it wasn't because she didn't want to tell you. She didn't want me to find out," Aro said. "As to why she was in Germany, Kyle's older brother Kevin is also engaged to be married. Has been for over a decade now if you can believe it. A young Jewish woman that was captured by the Germans. Evalina was trying to locate and save her. Of course, that proved to be rather difficult didn't it Evalina?"

"What is so difficult of such a thing?" Caius asked.

"This young woman Evalina was looking for is a half breed." There was a silence that collected in the room. "Needless to say, upon her capture, the Nazis inevitably figured out she was different and appear to have been experimenting on her. They aren't giving her blood, or not regularly at least, and she's feral."

"How are they containing her?" Dimitri asked, shocked they managed it evidently.

"Chains and lots of bullets it would seem," Aro said. "Evalina tried to get her out and accidentally stabbed herself with her hairpin and the smell of blood sent Amber into a vicious frenzy. The memory is quite horrifying I must say. I must say, Evalina, you are very lucky to be alive right now. With that young woman nearly killing you and then a gunshot to the back. Yes, very lucky indeed."

"We can't allow this to continue," Caius said. "That girl is a liability."

"Indeed," Aro said. "We'll have to address that. Now, Evalina, as to the wedding," Aro said and then looked at Dante. "You'll like to boy Dante, so you've no need to worry of that." Aro looked at Evalina again. "We'll arrange that little Vatican Wedding for you. Only the best for our little Evalina," Aro chuckled.

"I'm not making him stay here," Evalina blurted out, knowing immediately there was a catch to Aro's 'generosity'.

"Now, now, Evalina, be reasonable," Aro said. "Did you honestly think we'd allow you to be so far from home?"

"I'm a grown woman, Aro. I don't need permission to go to America with my fiancé, least of all from you." She was trying to appear brave, but she was shivering and she knew Aro saw it. It was certainly the only reason she'd not made him angry.

"You would honestly leave? Think of how that would make your parents feel to be so far away from their daughter," Aro said. "Perhaps, better yet, he and his family could all live here in Italy."

"I won't make him do that," Evalina said. "He wants to go home after this war is over and I'm going with him."

"Evalina," Dante stepped forward. "How can you even think of marrying this man let alone moving to America with him? You barely know him! We haven't met him! I'm not handing you over to a man I've never met."

"Daddy, I'd never-"

"Naturally, the wedding will wait until Kyle and his family has become adequately acquainted," Aro interrupted. "It would be far more feasible for him to come here."

"By what logic, Aro?" Evalina said. "So you can get Alice into the coven by blackmailing her nephew? I won't do it!"

"Evalina," Aro said, losing his patience, "This simply is not negotiable. If you wish to marry this man, it will be under the understanding he joins the coven. The mind reading aside, he would be a valuable asset. You see, Caius," Aro turned his attention, "Kyle's father is the Chief's son to a tribe in which descendants of a certain chief can become wolves."

"He's a werewolf?" Amadora shivered at the mere possibility.

"Not a werewolf, dear Amadora," Aro chuckled. "Certainly not. They're shape shifters. Think of it! We'd have a pack of wolves and all the more gifts to join the coven."

"I can't make him stay here just for you," Evalina said and Aro looked at her again.

"Sure you can, Evalina," Aro said. "I'm well aware the power you have over that man. You could get him to do anything in the world."

"And I will not abuse that power by forcing him to stay here so YOU can have a bigger, more powerful coven!" Evalina said. "When this war is over, I'm going to America with him whether you like it or not."

"Evalina," Dante said and approached her, appearing to beg although he wasn't concerned with what Aro was asking. "You can't just leave suddenly without telling us. I can't just let you go when I don't know this kid. If you really want to marry him, at least let your mother and I meet him first."

"Daddy, I wouldn't marry him without you meeting him," Evalina promised, her features softening considerably now that she was talking to Dante. "I want you and mom to meet him, but the war makes it difficult."

"And when were you planning to even tell us about this boy?" Dante asked. She didn't answer because she realized she actually didn't have an answer. She'd been so determined to make sure Aro didn't find out that she'd not even thought about how she'd tell her father about Kyle. "If you met in Naples, you've barely known him a year. What do you even know about him? You can't be sure about a man you've spoken to overly letter and barely know."

"I do know him," Evalina protested.

"Rest assured, Dante, their letters have done well to get them acquainted I assure you," Aro said. "Regardless, your father is very right in that you simply can't marry him without your father getting to know him." Then Aro looked at Caius. "As for that young woman Evalina found."

"We have to address that right away," Caius said.

"Indeed," Aro said. "The best course of action would be to dispose of her."

"You can't do that!" Evalina screamed. Finally losing his patience, Aro swung his hand as he turned, but Dante stepped in front of Evalina and took the blow across the face, braking his jaw and slamming his head against the wall, drawing blood. Amadora screamed and went right to Dante and Dimitri went too while everyone's throats burned from the smell of the blood. While Dimitri corrected Dante's jaw so it would heal correctly, Aro looked right at Evalina who'd gone stone still.

"Now, Evalina, I've about lost my patience with you," Aro said in an eerily calm but unmistakably cold tone. "You know as well as any of us that she's likely dead regardless from how she's being treated. That she's lived this long is a miracle to say the least. The fact that her mother is alive is a miracle, though I doubt she'll last much longer, so we'll leave her be. But that girl is a danger to herself and to us all."

"Please," Evalina said, going to begging now. "Just leave her alone. Kevin's looking for her. I sent word to him where she is and he'll find her. After he sees what's been done to her, not a guard in that camp will live to tell the tale. He'll do our work for us!"

"Optimistic, Evalina, but we don't need your little boyfriend's brother to do our work for us," Aro said.

"No, please, just leave her alone," Evalina started groveling. "This isn't her fault! She did nothing wrong! I'll tell Kyle to stay here, I'll convince him to make his family come where to stay with us, just please leave her alone." She was sobbing now and Afton went to her with Alphonse close behind.

"Evalina, whether she's at fault isn't-" Afton began but Evalina spoke again.

"If you must address this, then take her from the camp and bring her here," Evalina begged. "She did nothing wrong! And if we save her, Kevin will be indebted to us and may help convince-"

"You know we've no need for such leverage," Aro said and looked at Chelsea. "Am I not correct?"

"Yes, Aro," Chelsea answered but looked right at Evalina with sympathetic eyes having been put between a rock and a hard place.

"It'll have to wait until night," Aro continued, "but we can always send Felix to dispose of the issue."

"Please don't," Evalina kept crying. "Kevin will find her and save her."

"I'll tell you what," Aro said. "He has a month to save her from that camp. If in a month's time he's not rescued her, then we will address this. I believe your promise was you'd convince Kyle to stay here?" Feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, Evalina finally nodded. "Excellent," Aro smiled. "No need to leave yet, Felix. We'll check on her in a month and if she's still there, we will dispose of her ourselves."

Felix nodded while Lia looked up at him slightly horrified. When Aro finally left, Evalina went to Dante still crying. He was healing but his head pounded excruciatingly and he still felt dizzy.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Evalina whimpered.

"I'm fine," Dante muttered and looked at her.

"Move aside and I'll get him upstairs to rest," Dimitri said and helped his son to his feet and up to stairs of the tower to his and Amadora's room with the lot of them following after. Once Dimitri got Dante into bed, Heidi went to retrieve water and came back with a rag to clean the blood from his mouth and head.

"I'm sorry, daddy," Evalina whimpered while Heidi cleaned the blood and everyone was surrounding the bed.

"I know you didn't want Aro to find out," Dante said, "but why wouldn't you at least tell me and your mother? You don't think we'd want to meet this boy?"

"He's forty, daddy, we can stop calling him a boy," Evalina said.

"Man, then," Dante grumbled.

"I wanted you and mom to meet him," Evalina said. "I just didn't want Aro to find out and this is why."

"You should have at least told us," Heidi scolded. "We could have helped you."

"I'm sorry," Evalina said.

"It's alright, Evalina," Dante said and sat up despite his head still spinning. He motioned with his hand for Evalina to come to him and she did. Dante took her into his arms to cradle her like when she was little. "So tell us about him," Dante said, trying to calm Evalina down.

"Yes, please," Afton said. "Chelsea figured there was someone you were smitten with, but we didn't think it was this serious."

"So wait, you knew and you didn't tell us?" Dante asked.

"I knew she felt in love," Chelsea said. "That's all I knew and I didn't think it was worth Aro finding out if it wasn't serious. I didn't know she'd gotten engaged to this man."

Dante sighed heavily, "Fine. Fair enough. Just tell us about him, Evalina."

"Um," she started and rubbed her eyes. "He's a doctor. His mother was a nurse for a long time and met his father when she came to Washington."

"D.C.?"

"State," Evalina said. "His father is son to the Chief of a Native American tribe called the Quileutes. He grew up in that tribe just outside Forks, Washington. His mother became to tribe's healer and he became her apprentice when he was just a child. He got to study medicine at Yale."

"Yale? Really?" Chelsea said in an impressed voice, trying to get the rest of the group excited.

"Yes," Evalina said. "His brother Kevin attended Yale to study Law. Kyle's goal - or would have been his goal - was to build a hospital on the tribal grounds."

"Well, that's certainly a commendable goal," Amadora praised while looking at Dante with a gentle smile.

"He has two brothers and a sister," Evalina said. "Kevin's the oldest and Nathan and Natalie are the youngest and are twins. He has…five nieces and nephews all from Nathan and Natalie. His brother fought in the Great War and had saved the lives of two of his commanding officers winning the Medal of Honor. That was how he got into Yale. One of the men he saved was son to the Dean of the University at the time. He's driven. He loves espresso and lemon glaze on anginette cookies. I convinced the woman that owns that bakery a few blocks away to teach me how to back."

"Well, that's sweet of her," Amadora said.

"I'd tried making Kyle ravioli when we were in Naples but I mistook the sugar for salt and it was too sweet. Kyle was very kind about it, though. He ate all of it."

"And you love him?" Dante asked.

"I do," Evalina said and finally smiled. "You'd love him too, daddy. I know you would."

"I'm sure," Dante sighed. "I guess I'll meet him after the war."

This wasn't the topic Dante wanted to discuss, though. There had been many times in his life when Aro had crossed a line, but it had been with him and he could take it. Dante, being the oldest of all the kids that had lived, often took any brunt of Aro's fury whenever it did arise. Dimitri would defend Dante whenever possible, but there had been times he just couldn't do much more than heal the damage that followed, just like today. He could take anything Aro threw at him and had all his life. He'd done the same for his children, but never before had Aro actually raised a hand against Evalina.

"I'm actually really tired," Dante said to the group after Evalina had told Dante more about Kyle. "You can all leave if you want."

"You're feeling alright?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm fine, dad," Dante said.

"You're sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to sleep off my headache. Amadora, do we still have that peppermint mixture?"

"I think so," she said. "I'll get it and rub some into your temples." Amadora went to get the peppermint oil mixture while everyone went ahead and left Amadora and Dante alone. Evalina went back to her own room with Alphonse following after her.

"I can't believe you were keeping this from us," Alphonse mumbled when they were in Evalina's room. "You didn't even tell me."

"I didn't want to risk Aro finding out. As I've said several times now," she answered. "It doesn't matter now I suppose."

"Will Kyle stay here with you?"

"If I beg, he will," Evalina said. "I likely wouldn't have to beg very much." She started at her hands feeling guilty. "I don't want to, but if it'll give Amber time, then I'll do it. Kyle would agree."

"Aro said his brother had a month to get her out of that camp you were talking about. Do you think it'll be enough time?"

"It'll have to be," Evalina said. "Unless Aro changes his mind and I don't think it to be likely he would."

"A pig would sooner fly," Alphonse agreed. "I suppose this does explain a lot at least."

"I'm sorry you all had to find out this way," Evalina said.

"It's alright," Alphonse said. "I'll like to guy so long as he makes you happy."

"He does," Evalina smiled at the thought.

"That's all that matters then." Alphonse walked over to Evalina and sat down on the bed beside her. "Everything will work out, Evalina. We'll all make sure of it."

"Thank you, big brother," Evalina said affectionately, though she still felt an overwhelming guilt.

In trying to help, she effectively made things a whole lot worse. Unless Kevin could save Amber, it seemed Evalina had unintentionally given her an option of two firing squads. Back in their room, Amadora rested Dante's head on her lap and gently rubbed the peppermint oil concoction into Dante's temples, allowing the soothing smell of the peppermint to waft into his nose. It calmed him significantly and helped alleviate the throb in his head, but his mood remained the same. He'd had many lows over the years with Aro but today had been the last straw. They couldn't speak to one another, he and Amadora, about what he had to say. So he lifted his hands so he could sign to her. It was their own little sign language they'd developed throughout their childhood. It had helped them keep secrets from the coven and had helped them keep their love affair a secret for a time, however brief it had been. It hadn't been long at the time before Dante formally announced his feelings to Afton and their love affair blooming into an approved romance.

Aro nearly hit our daughter, Dante signed with his hands. He will never do that again. Caught unaware, Amadora didn't answer right away, but when she did, it was somberly.

I hope so long as she doesn't ruffle his, she'll be alright, Amadora signed back to him.

There will be no feather ruffling ever again, Dante signed. I've put up with a lot over the years. I can take it. But he could have hurt our daughter. I won't tolerate it again.

So what are you suggesting? She signed back.

I'm suggesting we aren't staying here anymore. We've been here our whole lives and we've never caused him too much trouble yet he treats us like collectables. I'm tired of it. I've been tired of it, but nearly hitting our daughter was the last straw. I'll not keep us here anymore.

Are you insane? Amadora signed back frantically. Where would we even go?

Somewhere far away. Perhaps that soon to be son-in-law of ours can make himself useful and extend his home to us back in Washington.

How would we even ask him to extend that hand? We've no idea where he is and we've never met him. We can't just tell him we're going to stay with his family like this.

Under the circumstances, we can and we will, Dante signed back rather adamantly while making his head hurt more and groaning with a hand placed on his head.

"This is only making your headache worse, Dante," Amadora cooed and started rubbing her fingers into his head again with the peppermint oil.

The point is that we're leaving, Dante brought his hands back up to sign. I'll get us all out of here. You, me and the children.

They aren't going to let us go, Amadora signed back. We have gifts Aro finds useful. On top of that, he would consider us a liability. We'd be brought back right away and likely you'll once again not be the only one to face Aro's wrath.

We just have to make sure they can't follow us, Dante said.

And how would we accomplish that? Once your father realizes our tenors are gone, he'll come after us.

Not if they're occupied.

What do you mean?

You let me worry about that, Dante signed back a bit more gently. Everything will be alright, Amadora. I promise. Just let me worry about the details and make sure all the kids' things are packed and ready. We leave as soon as I can set something up.

Amadora seemed unconvinced and nervous. In truth, the two of them used to talk of living on their own one day. They'd had dreams of running away to Florence and staying there for good. They used to stay there all the time when Dante had been with the orchestra. Being forced to give that up had broken his heart. Amadora remembered it all too well. She remembered how they would sign to one another well into the night of Dante saying one day they'd leave and he'd return to playing the violin with a famous orchestra and relive those days. Those had been the happiest days of his life before Aro in essence took it away from him. In truth, she was shocked that hadn't been the last straw. While she remained silent, Dante became nervous and rose a hand to her cheek to comfort her.

"It'll be alright, Amadora," Dante promised with that smile she loved. "I'll make it work and I'll take care of everything. Just trust me."

"I trust you," she answered and leaned her head down. "I love you."

"I love you too," Dante smiled and the two kissed one another while their heads were upside down from one another.

Further up north, Siobhan, with Liam by her side, traveled from their home in Ireland across the channels to mainland Europe. Once they'd reached land, their first order of business was to find a map to locate Oswiecim. Once they knew where to go, they made the trek to Poland. With the tone and desperation of Carlisle's voice and the knowledge that the Soviets were closing in on Poland, they knew they didn't have time to waste and kept running, avoiding cities and keeping out of the sun whenever able. It took a few days for them to reach Oswiecim, but they knew they'd reached it when they found a large facility and the smell of death wafted unpleasantly into their nose. They saw a large collection of footprints leaving the camp, but there were still some people there.

"Should we follow the tracks?" Liam asked.

"We'll check inside first," Siobhan said. "If we don't find both of them, we'll follow the tracks." She looked around and noticed the huge piles of dead, emaciated bodies and felt her dead skin crawl. "I'll check inside. Check the bodies. If they're dead, we'll reach out to Carlisle and tell him. We'll meet back here after we've gone through this camp with a fine tooth comb."

Liam agreed and the two split up to perform their search. Siobhan kept out of sight of the guards and searched all the still erect buildings. She saw a few inmates that looked near death and guards keeping watch, but it appeared surprisingly under-manned. As they searched, she heard gunfire and looked in that direction. A line of people fell from the assault and Siobhan came around to see who the victims were, but none were either of the people Carlisle had described, which made Siobhan sigh in relief and continue her search within the camp. Liam also followed the sound of the gunfire and saw a handful of near-death inmates tossing the bodies into a pile with the guards overlooking them. All the bodies were face down and without their clothes appearing to weigh no more than feathers. The victims' skin were translucent and deathly pale. He'd not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes.

As he looked at the pile, he saw a hand twitch in the pile and, when he listened very closely, he heard a faint heartbeat. With the risk of being caught too great for him to check the body first, he ran in, grabbed the hand, and dragged it away into the woods. He heard a few guards yell to ask what the noise was that they just heard, but he'd managed to remain unseen. Under cover, Liam turned the person in his arms over to see who it was and he couldn't believe his luck. Or, more appropriately, the luck of the woman he held. It was her! The woman Carlisle had described. But she was weak, her heartbeat fading quick. They'd likely assumed her dead and tossed her in the pile.

"Ma'am," Liam whispered to the woman. "Can you hear me?" The woman barely managed to open her eyes and look up at Liam. She looked so hopeless and defeated. She was also stark naked. How she'd not frozen to death he couldn't begin to imagine. He could only determine she must have angels flying from her ass that day. He removed his heavy wool coat and wool sweater and put them on over her. His coat was long enough and she short enough that she was covered and he removed his socks and shoes and spent minutes trying to secure his shoes on her so they stayed on. "You're a lucky woman to be sure," Liam said.

"Who'd you find?" Siobhan asked when she walked up from behind him.

"The woman from the picture," Liam said. "They must have assumed her dead and tossed her in the pile. But we need to get something in her or revive her somehow or she won't make it. I've got her covered so she can stay warm at least. Did you find the other one?"

"I searched high and low but I couldn't find him," Siobhan said.

"Then I guess we're following the tracks," Liam said.

"Did you check to see if he was among the dead?"

"Didn't get a chance," Liam said. "I saw this one twitch her finger and pulled her out. The fact she's who we're looking for was purely the luck of the Irish as far as I'm concerned."

"We'd best hope for more of it," Siobhan said. "I'll check the pile as fast as I can without getting caught. Stay here with her and I'll be right back."

Liam nodded and stayed put will Siobhan checked each and every body in the large piles while desperately hoping none of them were who they were looking for. They'd already narrowly escaped losing one of them. After searching all the piles and every face, she couldn't find the second person they were looking for. Their best hope was that he'd been one of the footprints they'd seen leaving the camp and returned to Liam.

"We need to get something in her," Siobhan said.

"We need to get her warm too," he agreed. "You take her somewhere to recover. I'll follow those tracks and look for the other one. Where shall I meet you?"

"Just meet me in town and find me at one of the inns or something," Siobhan said.

"Is that a good idea?" Liam asked. "You don't…you don't think the townspeople know what's going on do you?"

"If they are, they're guilty by proxy," Siobhan said. "We're not here to place judgment, though. We're here to save to two we were asked to. Give her to me and I'll take her somewhere warm."

Liam handed the woman over and left her in the woods to follow the tracks leaving the camp. Siobhan went into town and found an inn. Not wanting to risk the woman in her care being sent back, she snuck in through a window and made a note of the room she'd stolen. She didn't have money, so she'd just have to be cautious. She locked the door from the inside so no one could get in and tucked the woman under the covers of a small bed, piling blankets on her to get her warmed up. Then she snuck back out and searched for something warm and found a house with a woman appearing to be making soup. When she wasn't looking, Siobhan opened the window and stole a giant bowl of it and returned to the inn and to the room she'd taken. She put the bowl of soup on a counter and checked the woman's temperature. She was far too cold, but she was still alive.

"Madam," Siobhan said. "Madam, can you hear me?" Her German was passable at best, but she needed to ensure the woman could understand her. The woman twitched her head and opened her eyes again. When she saw the red eyes, she could see the woman start to panic, but Siobhan remained gentle. "I won't hurt you," she managed. "Do you speak English?" The woman gently shook her head. "French?" This time, the woman nodded and sighed in relief before changing to the language in question. "Thank goodness," she said. "I can't speak German to save my life I'm afraid."

"Who…" was all she could manage, but Siobhan hushed her again.

"That's not important right now, ma'am," she said. "What's important now is getting you warmed up and stronger. You've got a long journey ahead of you."

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Outside the camp," Siobhan answered and brought the soup bowl into her lap and retrieved the spoon. "You're likely the luckiest woman alive today. My husband said the luck of the Irish must be on your side. We found you in a pile of dead bodies but you were still clinging to life." Siobhan filled the spoon with the broth and blew on it a moment before bringing it to the woman's lips. She took the spoon into her mouth without thought. "You're starving, poor dear," Siobhan said.

"Please, who are you?" the woman said.

"My name is Siobhan," she answered. "I'm good friends with Carlisle Cullen. I believe your daughter is engaged to his cousin's grandson. Kevin was his name am I right?"

"Where is she?" the woman suddenly asked. "Where's my daughter? A young woman told me she was looking for her."

"Yes, I think that young woman is the one that alerted Carlisle that you were here," Siobhan said. "We couldn't find your husband, so mine will be following those tracks to find him. Did he leave with that group? Do you know?"

"No," the woman answered and began to cry. "I haven't seen Levi in so long," she whimpered. "They separated us and I haven't seen him since. Oh, God, please tell me he's alright."

"We'll have to see," Siobhan answered hesitantly. "As for your daughter, she's being looked for as well. Carlisle has asked we bring you and your husband back to Washington. You'll be safe there."

"What about Amber?" the woman whimpered.

"Don't worry, your daughter will be just fine," Siobhan said. "I'd bet my life on it. Carlisle says Kevin is looking for her."

That seemed to comfort her a little, "He'll find her. I just hope it won't be too late. They took her away from me." The woman began to whimper again. "My baby," she cried more and Siobhan rested her hand, warmed from the soup bowl, onto the woman's head.

"I swear to you, she will be alright," Siobhan said. Carlisle always claimed she must have the gift of wishing outcomes into fruition. Now more than ever, she wanted that to be true. "Kevin will find her and he will save her. We'll make sure all of you see one another again and you can put this ugly memory behind you. Now what was your name? I don't believe I ever caught it."

She didn't answer right away and tried thinking. "Anna," she finally answered. "Dear God, I almost forgot my own name. I'm so used to hearing my number."

"Your number?" Siobhan asked. Anna attempted to remove her arm from under the blankets but Siobhan stopped her, placing her hand on the pile of blankets. "No, don't do that. You need to save your strength and eat. We can't have you traveling until you're better."

"Thank you," Anna said managed.

"You're welcome. Now open wide," she said and gave Anna another spoonful of broth and a little carrot.

In the meantime, Liam followed the trail of footprints up for several miles. They'd been traveling a long time and he came across innumerable bodies along the way that were either dead by gunshot, dead by beating or appearing to have just dropped when they'd stood. He checked each and every one to make sure none of them were the man he was looking for, but none were and he continued forward. He moved faster as he started to hear the loud sound of a giant collection of feet moving forward. Liam looked up and down the lines for the man he was looking for starting from the back. He got into some trees for a higher view and jumped from tree to tree looking for the face from the sketch Siobhan had made. He kept going up the line of people losing hope the longer he went without seeing the right face. He heard a gunshot ring out and he followed after it toward the front of the line. The man that fell wasn't who he was looking for and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Liam kept looking around until, at long last, he found the face from the sketch, his cheeks hollowed, his skin milky and sickly looking with bags under his eyes. He looked as though the wind could carry him away as did all the others. Now that he'd finally located the man, Liam had to figure out how to get him out of the line and taken back to warm up. Another several gunshots rang out as yet more inmates were shot for falling to their knees. That loud bang seemed to startle the group and they bumped into one another. The man Liam needed to get was among those that panicked and he was pushed to his knees into the snow. Liam saw one of the guards pull out his gun preparing to shoot. Any necessity for caution flew out the window and Liam jumped from the tree and took the bullet in his back as he landed – a minor annoyance for him at best – grabbed the man and started running. He heard the guard yelling and even heard the guard try to chase after them, but by the time the guard had realized what had happened, Liam was long gone with the man he'd come for and ran back the way they'd all came.

"Luck of the Irish indeed," Liam said to himself as he ran.

When he returned to town, Liam followed Siobhan's scent to an inn and through a window on the second floor. Anna was asleep, having finished half the bowl of soup, when Liam came in with Levi on his shoulder. He'd lost consciousness near immediately after Liam had saved him which had made the trip a little easier. Siobhan pulled aside the tower of blankets and removed the raggedy shoes Levi wore so his feet would warm up.

"How long has he been out?" Siobhan asked.

"Since I collected him," Liam said. "Damn near got shot for falling over, so it's a good thing I found him when I did."

"Alright," Siobhan said. "We'll let them collect their strength for a day or two. I guess when it's nightfall, we'll get them some suitable clothes so they'll be warm." Liam agreed and took a seat on the floor beside Siobhan where she sat in a chair.

"Is there a phone we can use to notify Carlisle?" Liam asked.

"Even if there was, I don't know the number," Siobhan said. "We know where to take them, so we'll worry about that."

"How long do you think it'll take before we reach Washington? We can't very well run the whole way. We certainly can't swim them through the North Atlantic. They'll freeze to death no matter how fast we swim."

"We'll just have to take a boat," Siobhan sighed. "We'll sneak on a train to the nearest neutral coast, take a boat back to Ireland, take another boat somewhere else until we get to America."

"So a rather long trip," Liam said.

"Very long," Siobhan said.

"It'll take more than a bowl of soup to get them ready to travel," Liam said.

"We can't overload them," Siobhan said. "If we tried giving them anything but broth and soup, it might make them ill. They'll need to gradually add to their portions until they're healthy again."

"Sounds more so like Carlisle's area of expertise," Liam sighed. A few minutes passed of silence until Levi appeared to stir a little. He opened his eyes and stared up at a ceiling he'd never seen covered in comfortable blankets that he'd forgotten had felt so nice. He felt someone beside him and initially assumed it was another inmate from the camp. But this wasn't the camp. It was too cozy and warm. He turned his head to see who was beside him and went wide eyed.

"Anna?" Levi said and tried to sit up, but Siobhan went to his side to stop him.

"Please, you need to rest," Siobhan said.

"Who are you?" Levi asked, an alarmed tone in his voice.

"My name is Siobhan. My husband, Liam, saved you from that march and brought you here. We're going to get your strength back up and once you're able, we're going to get you to Washington."

"What?"

"To keep a long story short, a family friend of your future son-in-law found out where you were and sent word back to their family and we've been asked to bring you both back to Washington."

"What about Amber? Did you find her?"

"We're told she's elsewhere," Siobhan said. "Kevin, as far as we're aware, has been told where Amber is and he's going after her."

"Is she alive?" Levi asked, pleading.

"Last we heard," Siobhan said. "I'm sure Kevin will reach her soon. Right now, you and Anna just worry about getting stronger." Siobhan grabbed the bowl of soup that remained and prepared to feed him. "Speaking of which, Anna seemed to quite enjoy this. I'm sure you'll like it too. Best thing for recovering your strength is food."

Levi tried to ask more questions, but Siobhan insisted he eat first and shoveled spoonful after spoonful of broth into his mouth that helped warm him from the inside out. Once he'd finished off the soup, Siobhan insisted he try to sleep, but Levi couldn't fall asleep. He kept looking at Anna. It had been the first time he'd seen her in nearly five years. He'd feared she'd died long ago once he grew acclimated to the way of things at Auschwitz. He'd convinced himself that his wife and daughter were almost certainly dead. He wasn't even sure why he'd fought so hard to stay alive except for the possibility that he clung to a desperate hope his wife and daughter were alive, no matter the unlikelihood. By the time he'd more or less given up, he'd already become the Commander's pet and made himself useful embezzling money. Now, he was more grateful to be alive than ever.

"Thank you for this," Levi said to Siobhan. "For saving our lives."

"You have Carlisle to thank," Siobhan said. "He'll help you once we get you to America. I'll warn you: you'd best start learning English. To my knowledge, Americans don't generally know French."

"Indeed," Levi sighed and looked at Anna again. Despite Siobhan's protests, Levi turned in the bed so he could wrap his arms around Anna and hold her. The first time he'd held her in years after spending those years assuming he'd lost her forever. She didn't wake again for several hours and when she did, the arms around her surprised her and made her look to her left to see Levi.

"Levi?" Anna whimpered and moved under the covers to hug him. Levi opened his eyes, having closed them to try to sleep, and hugged Anna back while she cried into his shoulder. "Oh, Levi, is it really you?"

"I might ask you the same," Levi tried joking and held her as tight as he could. "I thought I'd never see you again." Anna kept crying while Levi held her.

"They took Amber, Levi," Anna cried. "They took her away and I don't know where she is."

"Kevin will find her," Levi said. "If he's looking for her, then he will not stop until he finds her. He'll find her and we'll all be together again."

Siobhan and Liam stayed quiet while Levi and Anna had their reunion and didn't bother them about getting any more rest. They stayed one more day so the two could get plenty of sleep and fill up with a good meal before Levi and Anna dressed in the appropriately fitting clothes that Liam had stolen for them. Siobhan had looked briefly and what she'd seen was a horrifying sight of skin and bones with nothing in between. She honestly couldn't believe either of them could stand since their legs appeared to have no muscle with which to hold themselves up. Siobhan and Liam would carry them the whole way. They couldn't have the two of them walking and exerting energy they simply didn't have anymore. When Anna and Levi were ready, they all snuck out of the inn and Siobhan and Liam ran them all to the closest train station and snuck onto a train that was going to go to a northern coastal town in Poland. How they'd progress from there would be anyone's guess. So long as they got to America safely, it really didn't matter how they got there or even how long it took.

It was a few days before Dante could even stand to have light in a room without something covering his eyes. Amadora had spent those days rubbing his head with peppermint oil until the pain finally went away and he'd healed completely. As soon as he had, Dante began with his plans. Despite the horrible headache, he'd made sure to start planning while he'd been in bed. He'd not come up with any really spectacular plan, but it was something that was simple enough and that he knew he could provide some false proof for and he got to work. In the heat being on the losing end of the war, officials loyal to Mussolini had grown more paranoid than ever and Dante had full intent of taking advantage of it.

"So tell us more about him," Amadora asked Evalina while the two of them sat together in the library with all the grandparents and Alphonse. "You've mentioned he's a doctor. I assume he's a medic in the army?"

"He is," Evalina nodded. "This war has taken a toll on him. He's been a doctor for so long, but he'd never had to deal with the injuries he's been faced with during war."

"I imagine so," Amadora said. "I meant tell me about him. Things you like about him and such."

"He's very nice," Evalina said eventually. "He's a very good story teller. He's written of his childhood in his letters and sometimes it feels as though I could picture it in my head. He told me of a time when he was a boy and his brother and brother's friend had gotten in trouble for not joining their group for class and their Grandpa Edward forced them through a crash course of Japanese history. Kyle said he'd been the one to tell their dad where Kevin and Embry were when they'd been supposed to be present for their lessons, so Kyle took the course and took the test with them. He and the others fell asleep taking that little test their grandpa made up. He's not sure why, but the thing he still remembers about that lesson after all these years is the capitol changed every time the emperor died until they eventually made it Edo."

"It's not Edo anymore," Alphonse said. "I don't think it's called Edo anymore either. I think that city was renamed. The capitol is Tokyo now, though. I know that."

"And what other misconduct has he gotten into in his youth?" Amadora giggled.

"He says that compared to his brothers, Kyle was rather boring. He was usually shadowing his mother and uncle and didn't really have time to get into much in the way of trouble."

"So he's a golden child?" Amadora smiled.

"Sounds more like a mama's boy," Alphonse said.

"Better butter up his mother when you meet her then," Amadora teased.

"He delivered a baby all by himself for the first time when he was 12," Evalina said.

"And the mother he treated allowed it?" Amadora asked.

"She didn't really have much option from what Kyle explained. Evidently another woman had been in labor at the time and she was delivering twins I think. His mother and uncle needed to give that woman their undivided attention and Kyle was left to take care of her. Apparently her water broke right on him when he was checking how far along he was."

Amadora burst out laughing, but reigned herself in. "I'm sorry, that's not funny."

"No, it is," Alphonse smiled. "I'm trying to picture it."

"He was laughing about it," Evalina smiled.

"Seeing as the two of you have discussed getting married obviously," Amadora said, "I assume you two have spoken of children? I'm not holding my breath Alphonse will give me any grandchildren any time soon, so I'm counting on you."

Alphonse chuckled a little while Evalina smiled, "It won't be right away…..or, it wasn't intended to be right away. He'd wanted to finish opening that hospital before we thought of starting a family. I guess seeing as he'll be here with us instead, that might move things forward a little." Evalina said the last portion with a sadness coming onto her face. She still hated to do this, but under the circumstances she had no choice.

"Everything will be alright, Evalina," Amadora reassured. "What about names for my grandchildren? Did you think of any?"

"A little soon for that, wouldn't you say?" Afton chuckled.

"Since a wedding is on the horizon, I don't think so," Amadora smiled.

"Well, I like Caleb for a boy," Evalina said.

"A very handsome name," Amadora smiled. "Caleb Black. I think that will be nice. And a girl?"

"Kyle said if we have a girl, he wants to name her after me. He said he wants to name a daughter Evalynn."

"Oh, I love that," Chelsea said. "Don't you think that's a good name, Afton?"

"A beautiful name," Afton agreed. "I think Caleb Afton has a lovely ring to it too."

"We didn't discuss middle names, grandpa," Evalina managed a giggle.

"No need," he said. "I've already given you one."

"Had it not occurred to you, Afton, that perhaps they'd want to name our grandson after me?" Dimitri asked.

"Don't be absurd Dimitri. Naturally she'd want to name her son after her favorite grandpa." Dimitri and Afton bickered momentarily and it made Evalina smile a little. Amadora patted Evalina's shoulder with a gentle smile.

"I can't wait to meet him, Evalina. He sounds like a wonderful young man. Even if he is evidently forty."

"He doesn't look forty," Evalina blushed.

"I know, Evalina," Amadora smiled and kissed her cheek.

Evalina was able to write a letter to Kyle letting him know that she was back in Volterra and was safe. She wondered if she should mentioned Aro's threat, but she chose not to. If she told him, he might overreact or she'd make the situation worse yet again. So she only told him she'd returned to Volterra, was safe and that she missed him terribly and hoped he was okay. She'd received a letter back from him expressing relief she was okay and even giving her the good news that he was on book 8 of Anna Karenina and was thoroughly enjoying it when he was able to sit down and read and couldn't wait to talk about the book with her next they could be together. While she read his letter in her room, the door to her room opened and she saw Dante step inside and smile at her.

"Are you feeling better, daddy?" Evalina asked.

"Much better," Dante said and approached her. "Letter from Kyle?" he asked as he sat beside her.

"Yeah," she said. "I'd told him I'd gone up north to look for Amber so I needed to make sure I told him I was alright."

"Did you tell him about what happened when you got back?"

"No," Evalina answered somberly. "He's not going to be happy about it and I don't want to have to tell him. At least not right now. He has enough to worry about at the moment without me springing this on him."

"I can imagine," Dante said. "Are you going to write him back now?"

"I was planning to," Evalina said. "Why?"

Dante didn't answer and, rather, took a blank piece of paper and wrote on it really quick before handing it over to Evalina. She accepted and read his message.

We're leaving tonight. I've made arrangements to ensure we can run. You need to be packed, but pack light. Only what you need. Tell Kyle we're going to his family's home in Washington for refuge from the Volturi and to no longer send letters to you here. Do not say a thing about this. I will take care of everything. I've told your brother and mother to come to our room tonight. You will do so as well. Before nightfall.

Evalina was wide eyed and looked at Dante, "Daddy, what-"

Dante put his finger over his lips indicating she needed to remain silent. Evalina went quiet and Dante walked out of the room so she could prepare. Despite knowing very little of the plan except they were leaving, Evalina hurriedly wrote her letter and gave it to Karenin to get it to Kyle right away and not wait for a reply but to come straight back. Once Karenin flew away with her letter, Evalina got her things packed. Three extra dresses, change of delicates and one extra pair of shoes. She thought to pack her curlers, but that seemed unnecessary, so she opted not to. She did pack some toiletries however. She might have to go without curling her hair, but she couldn't go without washing her hair. She packed any meaningful jewelry and kept on the broach that Kyle had given her their first Christmas together. She also packed all of Kyle's letters to her all of which were tied together with a little red ribbon. Once she was packed, she hurried straight to her parents' room where Amadora already was, reading a book.

"I'm done," Evalina said, holding up the small bag.

"Good," Amadora said. Evalina approached and sat beside her on the bed.

"Do you know?"

"Not everything," Amadora said. "Enough talk, dear."

Evalina nodded and decided to do her own reading, deciding to take her Russian copy of Anna Karenina. Alphonse came to the room eventually as the sun was setting and Dante came in shortly after. Evalina and Alphonse desperately wanted to know what their father had planned but kept quiet as they'd been instructed to do. Needing to ensure their meeting seemed normal, Amadora made Evalina speak more of Kyle. Dante focused on listening for any activity downstairs. It finally came when there was a banging at the front door before nightfall.

"What on earth is that?" Caius asked Aro when the sound of banging on the door was heard in the throne room.

"I suppose we'll go and find out," Aro said and looked at Lia. "Lia, dear, go and see who's at the door."

Lia nodded and left the throne room with Felix following behind her. By the time they'd reached the door, the banging had continued and there even appeared to be a crack forming in the door. Seeing that, Felix gently pushed Lia behind him and went to the door himself as another bang came at the door. This time, the bang was from a gun and the door flew open with police at their door.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Felix asked as the remainder of the house ran to the entrance after hearing the gunshot.

"We are searching the property," the lead officer announced. "We've received testimony that the lot of you are guilty of treason."

"Treason?" Aro said as he stepped forward. "Officer, don't be absurd. We've done nothing to impede the government in any way. Who dares accuse us of treason?"

"That is of no concern to you," the officer said as soldiers marched into the building. Aro stopped everything from stopping them.

"Quite the contrary, sir, I dare say it is very much my concern," Aro said in a calm tone. "I will have the name of who dares accuse us of treason. I'll also know exactly what facet of treason we are being accused of."

"The person who's made the accusation has remained unnamed but have provided evidence of treason," the officer said and pulled out pictures and envelopes. "For starters, we have pictures of a crematorium we've been told is located in this castle where there are bodies and Italian uniforms."

"This is absurd!" Caius yelled but Aro held up his hand.

"Officer, I assure you that those pictures are most certainly counterfeits. We have an incinerator in the basement of this castle, yes, but it is strictly for disposal of refuse."

"Ahuh," the officer said with a smug smile. "And I suppose these letters I hold from an American are counterfeit as well?"

Now Aro was alarmed and grabbed the letters from the officer to look through them. When he saw the handwriting, he knew instantly who was at fault for this. It was Dante's! However, the letters claimed to be addressed to Evalina from a Kyle Black M.D. During all the commotion, Dimitri noticed three tenors were suddenly gone from the home and he looked in the direction of the tower rooms. Then he looked at the letters over Aro's shoulder and saw Dante's handwriting having re-written several letters Kyle must have written to Evalina. He attempted to leave the group, but they were surrounded by several armed soldiers.

"I see you're speechless," the officer said.

"This is an outrage!" Caius said. "We're not guilty of treason! Whoever sent you this 'evidence' is trying to frame us."

"If that is the case, then you can explain yourselves when we take you in," the officer said.

"Surely that won't be necessary, Officer," Aro said as calmly as he could. "Just give us the opportunity to prove to you and these fine men that we are innocent and truly have been framed. I can even give you the name of who wrote these. If anyone is the traitor, it is that individual." Dimitri stared wide eyed at Aro while he spoke.

"And who, pray tell, would that be?" the Officer said.

"A young man in our home by the name of Dante Dimitrov," Aro said. "The young woman being written to is a relation of his. I assure you, all of this was done completely under my nose and we had no part of it."

"And I suppose you have proof of this?"

"I can show you things that Dante has written and you can see for yourself these letters are in his handwriting. As to the pictures, I will show you our incinerators right now so you can see for yourself there are no Italian soldiers there."

"How do I know you've not disposed of them already?"

"I can assure you that all you will find down there is standard items of disposal," Aro said.

While Aro and all the others were forced to remain downstairs quite literally at gunpoint, Dante got himself, Amadora and their children out the window of their room onto the roof of a neighboring building all while they were under his shield. The castle was surrounded with soldiers and unless Aro wanted their cover to be blown and the soldiers to know the residence of the castle were vampires, they would all cooperate as humans typically did, which would give them time to run. They went from roof to roof until they found an unattended military vehicle and tossed their things in there with Dante behind the wheel. He found the keys to the car in the front seat – how lucky the previous driver of the care was so careless – and got the car started so they could begin driving away. They got passed the stone archways of the city and into the open farmland of the Italian countryside. Karenin flew very close to the care but remained above them as he followed.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Evalina asked.

"They first port we can reach. We'll take a boat to Spain and see where a boat there will take us. We'll see if we can't get a boat to Cuba. Once we're in Cuba, we'll take a boat to Florida and then a train to Washington."

"How long before someone follows us?" Alphonse asked. "You got the whole castle accused of treason!"

"We can't worry about that," Dante said. "Right now, we need to worry about getting on a boat to Spain. I don't care if we have to swim there if it'll make the trip faster, but we need to get on a boat tonight."

"Daddy, we don't have any money!"

"We don't need any," Dante said. "We're perfectly capable of sneaking onto a boat."

"Do you think they'll know where we're going?" Amadora asked.

"Probably," Dante said. "All that matters is getting to the Cullens before they do. Once we're there, they'll have the strength behind them to pose a threat. With any luck, Aro will get the point and leave us be."

"You know he won't do that," Alphonse said. "Even if just out of principle."

"Then we'll deal with him with an army at our side," Dante said confidently.

"How do you know the Cullens will even help us?" Alphonse asked.

"If their grandson wants to marry my daughter, they'll help us," Dante said.

"Wait, daddy, what about Amber?! If we run, Aro might send someone to kill her! I'm going back on our agreement."

"He won't," Dante said. "He'll want to make an example of us and he'll have all the guards with him. He won't waste time on Amber if he's worried about us."

"Dante, what if he kills us?!" Amadora asked, not liking the line of thought Dante was having.

"He won't," Dante said. "Our fathers won't let him. You know as well as I do your father would sooner kill Aro then let him hurt you."

They all looked at Dante unsure if he was right or wrong. He ensured he remained confident, but the truth was he wasn't sure of any of this. He was only positive that he'd had enough of the Volturi and being in that castle and had no intention of remaining there anymore. He drove as fast as the car would allow and got to a port. There was an available boat leaving as they arrived, but it was going to Portugal. That was good enough and they got on that boat. Around the time they got on the boat was about the time Aro had decided he was done dealing with the soldiers and their officer. They'd shown them all over the castle and proved the letters were in Dante's handwriting, but the officer fully intended to take them in regardless. So Aro decided enough was enough, dropped the façade, and had everyone attack, drink their blood and send them down to the incinerators.

"Dimitri," Aro demanded and Dimitri approached. "Where are they?" he asked in a venomous tone.

"I don't know," Dimitri said. "Dante has them all under his shield. I can't hear their tenors."

"This is your son's fault, Dimitri!" Caius screamed. "This won't be the last of them! Once these people don't return, more soldiers will come!"

"We might not know where they are now," Felix said, "but I think we can venture a guess as to where they're going."

Aro had the same realization and smiled, "The Cullens. Of course."

"Well, then we need to get to the Cullens before they do."

"We will all go, to be sure," Aro said. "Everyone, we leave at nightfall."

"We must leave now if we're to catch up with them," Caius said.

"I see no reason to hurry," Aro said. "After all, if the Cullens do take them in, we'll have an excuse to deal with them. Wouldn't you agree, Caius?"

"And what of that girl Evalina found? Surely there's no need to humor her with keeping the woman alive now."

"We'll deal with her later," Aro said. "I'd say making an example of them is more important than a woman the Nazis are keeping as a pet."

With that reasoning, Caius seemed pleased with the plan and they returned to the throne room. Dimitri, Heidi, Afton and Chelsea all looked at one another knowing full well the position they'd just been placed in. Somehow, Dimitri knew that was Dante's plan all along. The question became whether or not Aro understood the situation he was putting them in and if he realized the gamble he was taking with his guards. And it was a gamble to be sure. Further away, before the castle at Volterra had been raided, Kyle returned to his quarters to find a note on his pillow that he went for right away. Since Karenin wasn't there, he knew something had to be wrong. He hurried to open the letter to see what Evalina had written to him.

Kyle,

My father has informed me that we are leaving the castle in Volterra immediately. Upon my return from Germany after I'd located Amber, Aro found out about us and about where Amber was. He'd been rather pleased to hear about you, but I knew the reason for his delight in the matter. He'd told me I was to force you to remain in Volterra with me and the coven in the hopes that you would convince your family to come here too. A demand I forthwith refused and fully intended to continue to refuse.

However, since Aro found out of Amber, he decided she was a liability and had plans to have her disposed of. I demanded he not and when he went to hit me, my father took the blow in my stead. After which I'd begged him to not go after Amber and had gone so far as to agree to Aro's demands and planned to tell you to stay in Volterra with me and convince your family to come. Today, I found out father came to the decision that he no longer wanted to stay here in Volterra. So we are running away. As to where we are running, I don't know at this time. He's not told me if only for the sake of ensuring no one find out before it's time to leave.

I have Karenin with me, so I will find a way to contact you once we have arrived at our destination so that you know I'm alright. I'm sorry that I did not tell you from the beginning what Aro had done, but I did not wish to worry you when you had so much to worry about already. I don't want you to worry now as father will ensure we are safe and will take us somewhere safe. I will make sure to write as soon as we've reached our destination. Please stay safe and well and know that my heart is with you.

I love you,

Evalina

Kyle tried his best to remain calm and not to worry as Evalina had asked of him, but that would prove to be a difficult thing to do. He returned to his work and acted as though nothing was wrong, but in the back of his mind, he continued to worry and hoped every day that he would find Karenin on his bed with a letter from Evalina, yet days would turn to weeks and he'd receive no such letter. In that time, Jacob took to his new role as he'd been doing before his father died. The only difference was now his chiefdom was official. JJ continued working for Hailey at the shop providing for his mother and siblings. Each time he received pay from his uncles, he adamantly refused it claiming the family was his responsibility and he could take care of them on his own. They didn't argue with him, but they did put the money aside for a rainy day just in case.

Eloise was coming along well in her pregnancy and Ada María kept a close watch over her. She wasn't due until June by Carlisle's and Renesmee's estimations, though she felt like a sick beached whale the whole time. Often times, she would feel poorly and upon feeling better she'd remind herself this would be the only time she would ever be pregnant again and she'd soldier on. Things seemed to go along normally until March when a car drove into the tribe carrying four people that no one had ever seen before. Edward was the only one to know who they were and yelled for Bella to come to the car right away. Jacob and Renesmee approached with the other members of the pack and the other Cullens.

"Who are you?" Jacob asked.

"Are you the Quileutes?" the man who'd been driving asked, an Italian accent coupled with obvious exhaustion making him hard to understand.

"Yes," Edward answered. "You're among the Quileute and we're the Cullens."

"About time," the man said and went to his knees, unable to stand staying awake any longer. He'd forced himself to remain away for weeks and had driven himself absolutely delirious from lack of sleep. It was to the point he was seeing and hearing things. When he lost consciousness, Edward told Bella to cover them under her shield while the other three that had come with the man went right to him in concern.

"Edward, who are they?" Jacob asked again.

"They're from the Volturi," Edward answered and the Cullens were the only ones to know what he was talking about. "It seems after Aro met Renesmee, he decided he wanted some half breed children of his own and made his guards create a few. This is Dante. He's Dimitri's son. Amadora here is Afton's daughter and the two you see here are their children, Alphonse and Evalina." Jacob looked at the young woman finally recognizing her and she appeared nervous.

"So you're Evalina?" Jacob said and then looked at a few members of the pack. "Get Dante to a bed at the new house up the coast." A few members of the back came forward and picked up Dante to carry him to the house the Cullens had spent months constructing and had finished before that passed Christmas. Amadora and Alphonse ran after him and the group followed after with Evalina beside Jacob and Renesmee.

"I'm Renesmee by the way," Renesmee said with a gentle smile extending her hand to Evalina. "Kyle hardly ever shifts since the being sent to war but what little we've been able to hear from him, we've heard quite a lot about you."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Evalina smiled nervously. She felt a mess with her hair flat. "I'm so sorry for you to see me like this. Kyle speaks so glowingly of you and Jacob. When I pictured finally meeting you, I'd hoped I'd be halfway presentable."

"No worries, Evalina. You look lovely," Renesmee smiled. "Speaking of Jacob, this is Kyle's father." Renesmee directed Evalina's attention to Jacob who smiled at her and extended a hand that she accepted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jacob said. "We're taking you to that house Kyle asked us to build for your wedding present."

"Oh," Evalina gawked. "You really built…oh, goodness, I don't know where to begin to thank you."

"Just make my son happy," Jacob smiled. "That'll be repayment enough."

"And grandchildren," Renesmee joked while simultaneously being dead serious. "I don't suppose you and Kyle have spoken of that?"

"Briefly," Evalina said. "He wants to wait for children until he builds that hospital he's always talking about."

"One thing at a time, Renesmee," Jacob smiled, noticing Renesmee sigh.

Evalina followed everyone to their location and when they finally reached it, she was speechless and near tears. It was perfect! It was everything she could have ever asked for and more. The outside was made of the beige stone often used when building homes in the Italian countryside and the roof was a cornucopia of low red and brown and grey shingles with a distinct pattern reminiscent of colorful corn. There were windows with glass and mahogany shutters, a large patio with the same mahogany rails and a large double door at the entrance with the same color. On that patio was a little swinging chair with a pattern of an olive garden and there was a low light that came from the house that instantly made her think of these homes at sundown.

"So what do you think?" Renesmee asked when she noticed Evalina stare.

"Magnifico," she uttered near impossibly low.

"Wait until you see the inside," Jacob mumbled as they continued towards the house.

Evalina stepped inside and nearly cried. Everything she'd said the Kyle and said she'd liked was now staring her right in the eyes. There were pictures of Italy, country sides she remembered all too well and had fond memories of. The kitchen was reminiscent of the one in the house in Naples where she and Kyle met and there was even a sketch of that house in the dining room complete with a dark wood table and chairs to match with floral designs carved into the chairs.

"Kyle's father did that," Renesmee said when she noticed Evalina looking at the chairs.

"He did?" Evalina asked in awe.

"He did," Renesmee smiled. "Jacob's always been good with wood carving. He carved all our children's toys when they were little and carved a few things for my parents over the years. He'd never acknowledge it, but he's a gifted craftsman."

"Indeed he is," Evalina smiled.

She looked around more and was delighted in the openness of the house. With the kitchen and dining room to the right, the staircase was to her left. Down the middle was a hallway leading to a drawing room. She walked down the hallway taking in all the pictures. The Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, some bridges in Rome, grape vineyards and even olive gardens. At the end was the drawing room with big windows looking out to the woods in the same half oval, flat bottomed style. There was a piano, a love seat, a large arm chair and a big fireplace above which were several family photos that the Cullens had made copies of for the mantle. She saw pictures of Kyle when he was little and several other pictures of his siblings and the whole family. There was open space above the fireplace that seemed unfinished.

"We'd thought that spot would be perfect for wedding photos," Renesmee smiled when she saw Evalina notice the empty space. "Then we can add a few more pictures once you and Kyle have children."

"I don't know what to say," Evalina got teary eyed. "It's everything I described."

"I'm glad we could deliver," Renesmee said. "Think of it as your wedding present from the family. Jacob and I got one, Caevia and Embry did, Nathan and Tomoeh did when they'd married, Natalie and Jae did…" there was a silence that overtook Renesmee suddenly and Evalina lost her smile as well.

"I'm so sorry," Evalina said. "Kyle told me what happened. He was heartbroken when he found out. I'm sad I never got to meet him. He sounded like a wonderful man."

"He really was," Renesmee smiled weakly.

"How is Natalie feeling? How are she and the children holding up?"

Renesmee looked at her and seemed a little more pleased, "Kyle really has told you a lot about us hasn't he?"

"He has," Evalina said. "He thinks to world of all of you. Especially you."

"Does he?"

"Oh yes," Evalina nodded. "My brother accused him of being a mama's boy when I spoke of how he speaks of you. I don't think he had a single negative thing to say about you."

"None whatsoever?" Renesmee asked with a slight teasing grin.

"Well, he may have accused you of being a touch pushy with respect to him getting married and giving you grandchildren. Though in all fairness to you, given his age, I can hardly blame you."

Renesmee smiled and locked arms with Evalina, "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

Evalina giggled a bit as Renesmee led her upstairs to see the remainder of the house. The upstairs were as breathtaking as the floor below with three bedrooms including the master bedroom. The walls were largely bare save for a few more pictures of Italian scenery that could later be filled with more family pictures. The master bedroom where Dante was placed was wonderful with deep reds, a double door balcony that she was told was a frequent addition to the homes the Cullens built as wedding presents. That balcony had a view of the ocean. Just like the master bedroom in the house at Naples. Perhaps it was a little greyer than the other place, but she'd hardly complain. She loved the sound of the water.

"I'd say he'll be asleep for a good long while," Carlisle said. "Make sure to just leave him be. He's had a rough trip."

"Indeed," Amadora said and looked at Edward. "You're the mind reader of the coven?"

"Yes," Edward said. "Alice hasn't received any visions of Carlisle planning to come."

"Although," Alice said, "given you're all largely involved in that decision, it's very possible I just can't see it."

"So I'd argue it's highly likely they're coming," Edward said and then looked at Jacob. "The pack will be a great asset if they decide they want a fight."

"They won't stand a chance against us," Jacob said.

"With Bella as our shield, we have a fighting chance," Jasper agreed. "We should still reach out to the Denalis for backup, but I doubt we have time to reach out to many more than that. Alice, you said Siobhan and Liam were able to save Levi and Anna?"

"They're alright?!" Evalina yelped.

"Yes, they're safe," Alice said. "I saw their decision to come here, but it won't be until early April before they get here from what I can tell in my vision."

"So not before the Volturi," Carlisle said.

"What about Amber?" Evalina asked. "Has Kevin found her?"

"We haven't heard anything yet," Jacob said. "You'd found her?"

"Yes," Evalina nodded sorrowfully.

"Kevin will need to get there right away," Edward said. "Although so long as Aro is distracted with us, she won't have to worry about the Volturi. And from what you've seen, I doubt they'll risk killing her. Not at this point. If they think she's a key to strengthening their army and winning the war, they won't let her die."

"Even so," Evalina said. "It was horrible."

"Try to not think about it," Edward said.

"Why? What's going on?" Jacob asked and looked at Edward.

"To be brief, the Nazis figured out Amber is different, although whether they know she's half vampire, I'm not sure. They've been experimenting on her and she's clearly feral. Kevin's dreams told us as much."

"And where is she?" Jacob asked.

"Dachau," Evalina said. "She's being kept in a camp in the village of Dachau. It's much smaller than Auschwitz was, but it's horrible nonetheless. It smelled of death and decay and waste. I'd never felt such overwhelming horror from a place in my life."

"We've gotten Levi and Anna," Edward tried to reassure. "We'll get Amber too. If Kevin knows where she is now, he'll find her."

"He'll burn down all of Dachau if he needs to," Jacob said. "So how long before the Volturi arrive?"

"Without Alice's vision, it's hard to say," Edward said. "Soon, though."

"How did you get away without the guards getting to you?" Esme asked.

"Daddy framed them for treason," Evalina said.

"He used letters Kyle had written Evalina as evidence and took pictures of the incinerator in the castle basement," Amadora continued. "It seems the police kept them occupied long enough for us to get away, though I doubt we accomplished much more than that."

"If Aro didn't talk his way out of it, then he surely killed them," Carlisle nodded. "I'm confident he won't be pleased with the accusation and the trouble it caused."

"It seems that was dad's plan," Alphonse spoke up. "He's confident our grandparents will side with us."

"They will," Edward said. "The way they treat you? They will." Edward saw the guilty look on Evalina's face and answered her thoughts. "Don't feel guilty, Evalina. Aro backed you into a corner. You had little options available to you. You did the right thing."

"I feel awful I was even considering it," Evalina said.

"What is she talking about?" Jacob asked.

"When Aro found out she was seeing Kyle, he'd thought it an opportunity to coerce us all into joining his coven. She'd refused until Aro threatened to harm Amber. He agreed he'd leave her alone if she agreed to force Kyle to remain in Italy with them and convince us to join the coven as well."

"I'm so sorry," Evalina said.

"It's not your fault," Jacob said. "Anyone would have done the same in your position. What matters is we can get this addressed now so it's no longer a problem."

"This won't be like when I was a girl," Renesmee said. "We had Nahuel and his aunt to help convince them I wasn't a danger. He could easily claim what happened proves otherwise and see us all dead. That's to say nothing of him likely claiming we're harboring fugitives. Or what he would deem as fugitives."

"We'll make this alright," Edward promised to Renesmee but especially to Evalina, Alphonse and Amadora. "The four of you were very brave to leave. We'll all defend you."

"Thank you," Amadora said. "I know we sprang this on you. I assure you, this was hardly what I had in mind when I'd pictured us finally meeting."

"It's alright, Amadora," Renesmee smiled. "As long as we could finally meet. Once this is over, you can stay with us as long as you like."

"That's very kind of you," Amadora smiled back.

In the meantime, they left Dante to rest with Bella keeping them under her shield. Granted, it was likely futile. If Aro knew where Kyle's family was, he'd likely figure out where they'd gone and where to find them. Edward patrolled the area to keep his mind open for when he heard the Volturi coming. With Dante and the others blocking Alice's vision, he was the only hope they had at avoiding surprise. Dante slept for three days without interruption and woke to Amadora sitting beside him on and unfamiliar bed.

"Dante?" Amadora smiled. "Dante, are you awake?"

"Yeah," Dante said and sat up and looked around. "Where are we?"

"We made it to the tribe," Amadora smiled. "They were kind enough to give us a place to stay. Bella is keeping us under her shield right now." Dante looked around and finally saw Bella in the corner who smiled at him kindly.

"Morning, sleepy head," Bella smiled. "I hope you slept well."

"Like the dead," Dante sighed. "Where are Evalina and Alphonse?"

"They're downstairs with Renesmee," Bella said. "Renesmee is getting better acquainted with Evalina. She's very happy to finally meet the woman that won Kyle's illusive heart."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet his family," Dante said. "Though I must admit I'm still rather sore to have only found out about my daughter's engagement mere weeks ago."

"From what Edward has explained, it was not due to her not wanting to tell you," Bella said.

"We know," Amadora said. "Given Aro's reaction, I can't say I blame her."

"So is this your house?" Dante asked.

"It's Kyle's and Evalina's actually," Bella said. "It's our wedding present to them."

"That's awfully generous," Dante said with a groan. "So I take it you knew about this long before hand?"

"We've known of her since Kyle first wrote to us about her," Bella said. "That was when they'd met back in Naples. Kyle was eager to tell us about her."

"I'll be happy to finally meet him," Amadora said. "Evalina speaks so highly of him."

"Kyle's a good man," Bella smiled. "And I assure you, I don't say that out of a grandmother's bias. He's been wonderful. He was always a determined and very intelligent boy with big dreams to match. When Kevin helped him get into Yale, that was a turning point in his life. He'd always shadowed Renesmee, Carlisle and his Uncle Sokajili, God Rest his Soul. But when he studied at Yale, it opened all new doors for him and gave him a greater desire to accomplish more for this tribe. Not just Kyle, but all my grandsons are very much like their father. They're strong willed and stubborn to a fault at times and go after their dreams with both hands. I assure you that Kyle will be a wonderful husband and will make Evalina very happy."

"I'm sure he will be," Amadora smiled. "So long as he makes Evalina happy, then we're happy." Dante grumbled but was in agreement despite himself. He still hadn't met the boy and it made him apprehensive no matter the glowing reviews.

"I'll determine whether he's good enough for my little girl once I've met him," Dante said.

"Naturally," Bella smiled.

"So when do you think the guards will get here?" Dante asked.

"Edward's keeping his mind open," Bella said. "He agrees that they're likely on their way."

"Well, they can hear everyone's tenors now, so I can't imagine they'll be much longer," Dante said.

"No, they can't hear them," Bella said. "I've got the house under my shield."

"Can you remove it?" Dante asked.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked.

"Positive," Dante said. "I want this over with."

With a sigh, Bella nodded and removed her shield from the house. She made sure everyone in the house was aware and made the pack aware so they could be ready and found Edward so he could be aware. When Bella had removed her shield and Dimitri could hear everyone's tenors except Dante's, they were in South Dakota making their way to Washington. Now Dimitri knew exactly where they were and run ahead of the group.

"You can hear them, Dimitri?" Aro asked.

"I can now," Dimitri said and led everyone on the specific direction the tenors were coming from.

Also in that time, it had taken several days to finally get in touch with Kyle. Carlisle called the operator every day trying to get through to the battle line where Kyle was at the time and each time, they couldn't seem to get a connection or a proper phone wasn't available. Eventually, however, they finally got in contact with a nurse but she'd said Kyle was in surgery and they needed to call back. Likely, she never advised Kyle anyone called although given the circumstances, no one could really blame her.

"I can just sent Karenin with a letter," Evalina said. "Thank you for trying to get in touch with him, though."

"We'll keep trying, Evalina," Bella reassured. "Although I'll bet you anything he'd love a letter from you all the same." With the promise they'd keep trying to reach Kyle, Evalina wrote her letter and gave it to Karenin to take to Kyle. It would be a far longer wait for a reply back than what she'd grown accustomed to. Yet the following day, they finally got through to Kyle courtesy of a sympathetic nurse.

"Dr. Black,"Kyle answered in a professional tone, clearly having not been advised who was calling him.

"Kyle? It's Evalina," she said.

"Evie? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Evalina said. "We went to your family in Washington. We arrived just a week ago."

"Okay, good,"Kyle sounded relieved with that news. "How is everything? Are you liking everyone?"

Evalina smiled, "Yes, Kyle, your family is wonderful. Your mother and I are getting along splendidly."

Kyle was briefly silent before he said, "Should I be concerned with that?"

"Perhaps a little," Evalina giggled. "In all seriousness, we're all getting along very well. Daddy has been playing the violin with your grandma a lot. Also…..your Grandma Sara and Grandpa William passed away."

Kyle was silent again before managing to say, "I see. Did…..did they die peacefully at least?"

"They both died in their sleep," Evalina reassured. "Your father was crowned Chief earlier this year. Your mother said once you return, she plans to retire and name you the tribe's Healer."

"That is the general law of the tribe,"Kyle agreed though he seemed unnerved with the prospect. "We've all been gone so long. It feels like their lives are going on without us sometimes."

"I assure you, they're not," Evalina said. "They all miss you and your brothers terribly."

"How's Natalie and the kids doing?" Kyle finally asked.

"She's…she misses Jae," Evalina finally answered. "She's heartbroken to have lost him. All the children are too. JJ got a job working for that man, Mr. Dauer, that owns the General Store."

"We all miss Jae,"Kyle said. "The worst part is I never got to tell him goodbye. Hell, if I were there, I might have been able to save his life."

"Don't blame yourself, Kyle," Evalina said reassuringly. "He received a hero's funeral and will always be remembered as such."

"It's the least he deserves,"Kyle answered sadly. "So are you staying in Washington indefinitely?"

"I certainly am," Evalina smiled. "I saw the house your family built us as our wedding present."

"What do you think of it?"

"Oh, Kyle, it's breathtaking. It's everything I could have ever imagined. They left all these spaces on the walls empty for our wedding pictures and for our children's pictures while they're growing up. And there's a sketch of the house in Naples where we'd met."

"I'm glad you like it,"Kyle said. She could hear the genuine smile through the receiver. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"It's good to hear yours too," Evalina said. "I did send Karenin your way with a letter, so you should receive that in a few days."

"I look forward to it,"Kyle answered. Then there was a voice on the other line that grabbed Kyle's attention. "I'm sorry, Evie. I have to go."

"It's alright," Evalina said. "As long as I got to talk to you. Stay safe alright?"

"I will. I'll see you again when I return home,"Kyle said.

"I love you," Evalina said.

"I love you too,"Kyle answered before he had to disconnect.

"He's doing alright?" Renesmee asked.

"He said he's alright," Evalina said. "I'm still worried. I want him to just come back."

"We all do," Renesmee said. "They'll come home soon. This war won't last much longer. There's no way it can."

Evalina shook her head, "There's not much hope left for them. Germany's being backed into a corner from both sides with nowhere to run. It's just a matter of time. I just wish it weren't so much time."

Renesmee smiled kindly at Evalina and took her hand for comfort. However, not an hour later, Edward came to the house where Evalina and her family were staying to let them know the Volturi were on their way and needed to be intercepted. For caution's sake, Natalie was asked to remain behind to keep an eye on the tribe as well as two younger pack members. Ada María stayed behind with Eloise – who was blissfully unaware of what was going on at the moment – to look after her and Ariel and Scarlet. They all went to a large clearing in the woods several miles away from the tribe in the hopes of keeping the Volturi away. Jacob and all the other pack members were already changed to wolves and ready for a fight if it came down to it and Bella already had her shield up and ready. For good measure, Amadora had up her physical shield. In their current condition, the Volturi literally and figuratively couldn't touch them. As the approached however, Edward immediately noticed something off.

"Jacob," Edward said and grabbed the wolf's attention. "Two of the vampires have been sent away from the group to attack the tribe. Make sure Natalie and the others are ready."

Jacob nodded and the others heard the warning from Edward and went on high alert. Natalie and four other wolves circled the perimeters of the tribe ensuring there was no chance for an opening. With a secure lock on the tribe confirmed, Edward returned his attention forward and heard the whole of the Volturi and their guards approach into the clearing. Aro seemed optimistic as he always was and Caius seemed the same. Marcus was indifferent as was his general disposition though he seemed oddly interested. From his thoughts, Edward could gather that, while Aro was overly confident in the loyalty of his guards, Marcus was not so foolish as to think there wouldn't be a fight. Dimitri, Heidi, Afton and Chelsea were all ready to turn at a moment's notice if they didn't agree with Aro's decree. Of course, none of the other guards knew that. Edward was surprised to hear from Alec's thoughts that he was ready to turn at any moment as well. The man's thoughts seemed consumed with his own lost son and empathy towards the other guards as well as Dante. He'd hold back Jane if need be. Felix and Corin were ready to fight on Aro's side, but Lia was torn. Her attention had immediately gone to Amadora. The two were very good friends Edward realized. Octavia and her brother were also torn. If those three wouldn't fight, Corin and Felix wouldn't either. Edward was relieved that this fight seemed far easier a victory than originally anticipated. When Aro stopped a distance away from Carlisle's coven, the remainder of the guards stopped as well.

"Carlisle, it's been years," Aro said. "I see dear Renesmee has grown quite a bit since last we saw her. Married with a family and everything. Has it really been so long?"

"Indeed it has," Carlisle said, remaining pleasant. "It is my understanding that Evalina and Edward's grandson are engaged to be married."

"Indeed they are," Aro said. "A joyous occasion to be sure. I can think of no better way to join our covens. However, we find ourselves in quite the conundrum."

"Stop with this game of playing coy, Aro," Caius said. "Given Edward knows our intent, I see no reason for toying around the matter at hand."

"Allow me to do the talking, brother," Aro said sternly before returning his attention to Carlisle. "Forgive Caius. He is still rather cranky about what happened. You see, Dante provided police with false evidence accusing us of treason against the Fascist government. While we hold no loyalty to any government that has passed through Italian history, this particular government has proved overly fussy to say the least. So when Dante accused us of helping the Americans, you can imagine the trouble and confusion it's caused."

"While I empathize with the trouble, Aro, I'm left to wonder of your intent. You see, as you've mentioned, Edward's grandson and Evalina are engaged to marry. That would make Dante family. You, by virtue of that, would be family. Wouldn't you agree it is best for family to work out their differences in a calm and friendly manner?"

"Indeed it would," Aro said, although Edward knew from the man's thoughts he didn't mean it. "However, they're not married yet, now are they? Now, Carlisle, one thing I simply must bring up is the matter of where the couple shall live. It was expressly agreed upon that she and Kyle would remain in Italy with us."

"Has Kyle agreed to that request?" Carlisle asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"It wasn't a request," Aro said.

"Forgive, Aro, but you can make the demand all you want. It will not change where they wish to live, and they wish to live here. We're more than happy to have them too. We've built them a house as a wedding present and everything. Kyle's family is here and, at the moment, Evalina's family is here. It only makes sense for them to be here."

"Enough of this dancing around!" Caius yelled suddenly. "Dante has brought a black cloud upon us with that claim of treason. We can't very well go back to the castle without facing yet more police and guards."

"Sounds to me like that's your problem," Dante said bitterly. Jane attempted to use her power for the insult, but being under Bella's shield, it was useless. Dante grinned meanly at her. "Do your worst, bitch. You're not getting to me." Jane's eyes flared but Alec held her back. "As of now, Aro, your complaint is with me and with me only."

"Indeed," Aro said in an exasperated tone.

"I've tolerated a lot from you over the years," Dante said. "You've forced me to remain behind those walls like a collection of dolls and when I finally had a chance to leave, you forced me to stop playing for the orchestra. Were it not for Amadora and our children, I would have left then and there. But when you attempted to hit my daughter, you crossed me irreparably. You can do what you want to me, you son of a bitch, but you will not harm my children."

"You will watch how you speak to us, boy," Caius growled. "The same goes for all of you."

"You will come back with us or-"

"Or what?" Dante interrupted Aro. "What can you do? We're behind Amadora's shield and Bella's shield. There's not a God damned thing you can do from the way I see things."

"As I recall," Aro said, "Part of this agreement pertained to that young woman Evalina found. The one in Germany that started this whole mess."

"No!" Evalina yelled.

"You touch her," Edward said, repeating Jacob's words in his voice no less, "and we will see you all dead. That woman is my son's imprint. You kill her, it'll be the last thing you will do. He will see all of you dead and we will gladly help him in this endeavor. I've no problem explaining to you that we have the shields Dante mentioned on our side. You won't stand a chance against us. If you harm a hair on Amber's body, consider it your death sentence."

"Strong words from a dog," Caius muttered.

"It's not 'strong words' from a dog. It's a promise from a Chief," Edward continued with Jacob's message. Realizing the reality of the situation as well as how out of hand this was getting, Aro calmed.

"Now, now," Aro said. "Don't let Caius ruffle your fur. He's only speaking from frustration. Frustration I must be truthful that we all have at the moment."

While Aro was trying to do damage control and even stall a little, Athenadora and Sulpicia were already on their way to the tribe and walked in to see people going about their day normally. They weren't left alone very long before Scarlet stepped out of the house and was shocked when she saw the two women.

"Who are you?" Scarlet asked.

"It's not important, my dear," Sulpicia said. "Per chance, would this be the Quileute tribe?"

"How'd you get through the wolves?" Ada María asked, stepping out after hearing the conversation begin and sending Eloise upstairs and ordering Ariel to remain upstairs with her.

"We waited for an opening," Athenadora answered. "Enough of this toying around, Sulpicia. Honestly, you and Aro are as bad as one another."

"I prefer to think we're as good as one another," Sulpicia smiled. "Though you're right. Enough toying around." As they approached, Ada María stepped in front of Scarlet.

"Stay away from her," Ada María warned. "Leave now while you still can. You might have snuck through somehow, but they'll notice and come to defend us. I guarantee you nothing will save you from those wolves once they catch you."

"I rather doubt your wolves will get here in time to save any of you," Athenadora said. Back towards Natalie's house, the little blue bird hopped from his nest and started singing a worried song. A desperate song. Inside, JJ heard the bird with surprising clarity and his head started to hurt.

"JJ, are you okay?" Salem asked when he noticed JJ hunch over from his headache.

Rather than answer, he got off the couch and went outside to see the two unfamiliar women standing near his grandparents' house with Scarlet and Ada María appearing to standoff with them. The bird on the railing sang again and his head hurt again. He hobbled down the steps of the porch as the bird on the porch sang its song. When he looked up again and could overheard the interaction getting serious, his head pounded more, he saw red, and suddenly he felt outside of his own body, he emitted a wolf's roar and there were several voices in his head.

"Sulpicia!" Athenadora said when they saw a wolf on the other side of the tribe running towards them. The bird's song continued and Scarlet felt her own head start to pound painfully until she experienced much the same thing as JJ and was a wolf. Ada María stepped aside when she heard the roars and Athenadora and Sulpicia attempted to run, but Natalie and the other wolves assigned to the tribe had already made it back and their fate was sealed.

"What's going on?" Eloise asked Ariel when she heard the wolves howls.

"Just some wolves," Ariel insisted. "Nothing to worry about so long as we stay up here."

"But-"

"Look, Eloise, I know this is a lot to ask, but this is just one of those situations where we really need you to not ask questions."

Though reluctantly, Eloise did keep quiet despite the noise coming from outside. The wolves tore Sulpicia and Athenadora to pieces and Ada María got timber ready and set the two of them on fire. Everything that occurred rang in Edward's head and he knew, in that moment, there would be no peaceful solution. There was only one that Aro loved above himself and that was Sulpicia. The same went for Caius and Athenadora. She was the only woman that selfish monster ever loved. If they'd not had the upper hand before, they'd secured it most definitely. He also heard Ada María tell JJ and Scarlet to remain with the tribe to defend it while she and the other wolves went around to attack Aro from behind.

"They're dead, Carlisle," Edward said.

"Who are?" Carlisle asked.

"Sulpicia and Athenadora," Edward said. Aro and Caius overheard but remained composed.

"You're bluffing, Edward," Aro said. "How would you know when they're so far away closing in on the tribe?"

"Because my son-in-law left wolves there to defend it and he can hear their movements. Your mates got caught. They're burning as we speak."

"A ruse!" Caius said, still not believing it. But then the purple hued smoke rose in the distance for them to see and they knew Edward's statement to be true. Now all pleasantry ceased.

"I had hoped we could come t a reasonable solution, Carlisle," Aro said, fuming under that composed demeanor. "However, it appears you have set your sights on making an enemy of us. Bella may have up her shield and may keep it up, but Amadora can't keep hers up forever. She'll need to sleep eventually. And when she can't hold up her shield anymore, you will pay for your indiscretion. Enjoy your freedom while you can, Dante. It'll only last until your wife can't stay awake anymore."

Renata and a few other guards took the cue to get ready to run, but they were stopped by a block of solid air. They looked behind them and there was nothing there for them to see, but Amadora had erected a wall that they couldn't pass.

"Leaving so soon, Aro?" Dante asked. Backed into a corner with nothing else to do, Aro lost all patience or masquerade towards being calm.

"Jane," Aro said, but it was no use.

They were all still under Bella's shield and her power wouldn't touch any of them. She did, however, hear the sound of wolves and feet running towards them from behind. So Jane turned to look right at them and found the large wolf with long locks of hair that flowed as it ran and inflicted her power. Natalie fell over screaming a wolf's scream from pain and then Jacob roared, indicating to the pack to attack.

The fight had broken and there was no way to contain it anymore, so Amadora took down the wall of solid air separating them from the Volturi but kept the walls surrounding them so they couldn't get away. Natalie was safe behind a wall of air, so even with Jane using her gift, no one could get to Natalie to finish her off. Amadora made it possible for the other wolves and Ada María to enter the 'ring' for lack of a better word while keeping Natalie safe until someone could take down Jane. Alec wound up doing that for everyone and used his own power to blind her, relieving Natalie of the pain in her head. Once she was back on her feet, Amadora lifted the wall. She kept one around herself and Bella while she and Bella stood back for the most part and acted as defense.

Once Jane was blind, Alec grabbed her and forced her away so they could keep themselves defended while staying out of it. Edward relayed the news to leave the two of them be. Alec had made his decision and was going to run once the fight broke up and he was taking his sister with him. He was no threat to them anymore. Aro yelled for Felix and Dimitri to defend him from the wolves that approached, but Felix was the only one to come. Dimitri stood back and went right to Dante.

"Was this what you had in mind when you planned this?" Dimitri asked after forcing one of the guards away from Dante.

"More or less," Dante said.

"This was stupid, Dante," Dimitri glowered as Heidi approached.

"Maybe," Dante said. "But we stood up to him. You may not have done so for us, but I'll stand up to him for my own."

"Dante-"

"Now's not exactly the time for this conversation!" Heidi yelled at them both. With Dimitri and Heidi firmly on their side, it made the fight that much easier. Corin's twins were back on the sidelines by Corin's orders and Felix went to attack one of the wolves. He grabbed the young wolf around the neck prepared to break every bone in the wolf's body and another wolf was on his way to offer support, but Lia beat him to Felix and grabbed a hold of him. When she did, Felix lost all the strength he previously had and felt himself grow warm and heard a heart pounding in his ears. His eyes and ears grew far weaker and the wolf that Felix attacked recovered and was about to attack.

"No!" Lia screamed, holding on hand up defensively at the wolf and making him stop. "No, please," she continued. "We'll leave, but please leave him alone."

"Lia," Felix said, trying to be assertive. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving us both," Lia said.

"Lia, unhand him!" she heard Caius yell and he even approached to grab her forcefully by the arm. She screamed when Caius grabbed her and pulled her away. Felix returned to his normal state, but his attention turned to Caius. He'd already let go of Lia, but Felix grabbed her, forced her behind him and shoved Caius away from them, making the man fly near half a football field away. They heard the wolf growling again and Lia turned to face him again.

"No! Please no! We'll stand back!"

"Lia, what is the meaning of this?!" Felix yelled.

"This isn't right, daddy!" Lia said. "Aro and Caius brought this on themselves so they can deal with it themselves." There wasn't much time for Felix to make up his mind. He could hear Caius approaching, ready to attack for the offense of Felix attacking him. With his daughter's pleading eyes staring him in the face, there was only one decision he could make.

"Jupiter's Cock!" Felix yelled and turned to meet Caius and grabbed a hold of him getting ready to remove his head. But the Denali sisters approached to grab the honor. Caius had been the one to kill their sister Irena and they were more than prepared to return the favor. With Felix holding his shoulders down, Tanya ripped off Caius's head and tossed it to the side.

Afton and Chelsea largely stayed out of the fight, never intending to fight should the situation come to it. Eventually, the guards with their children and Aro were the only ones to remain. Corin stepped away to guard the twins, deciding continuing to fight was a useless endeavor. Marcus had been killed off by one of the wolves, though he'd put up no fight at all. Edward knew he wouldn't. Marcus had spent centuries longing for death and he wasn't about to fight it back. Aro, save for the guards that had refused to fight of course, was the only one to remain of the Volturi as he was approached and surrounded. Aro had resigned himself to the fact that he was outnumbered and waited for them to do what they would, but they'd remained still.

"What are you waiting for?" Aro asked no one in particular.

"Just letting it sink in," Dante mocked and stepped forward just a little. "Your little 'collection' bit back."

"Only one did," Aro said.

"One's all it takes," Dante said.

Everyone had thought Dante would say more or even give Aro an ultimatum in order to live, but no such thing happened. Rather, Dante grabbed Aro's hair and pulled until he forced Aro's head from his shoulders and tossed it to the ground. Everyone stepped away from Dante except Dimitri. Dimitri approached Dante though he wasn't sure what to say.

"That was harder than I thought it would be," Dante said.

"Killing him?" Dimitri asked.

"Pulling off his head," Dante clarified. "About what I said-"

"No, Dante," Dimitri said. "You're right. I know I didn't defend you the way I should have when you were growing up. While we were running here, it occurred to me just how much you took on behalf of the others."

"The oldest often does," Dante said. "I've wanted to run for a long time."

"I know," Dimitri said in a guilty tone.

"If Aro ever gave me any trouble it was fine. Better me than the others. But when he attacked Evalina-"

"I know," Dimitri said and rested his hand on Dante's shoulder. "You did what you had to I suppose. I'm just sorry you had to do this alone."

"I wasn't alone," Dante said and looked up at Dimitri and smiled a little.

What followed after was an awkward situation to say the least. Alec, Jane, Corin and his twins had already run off once Amadora had lowered her shield and all that remained were the remaining guards and their children wondering how one was supposed to recover from such a day and after burning the bodies of those that had fought and lost. Awkwardness aside, however, they all knew they needed to agree on whether or not to remain with the Cullens at least until the end of the war. Evalina was certainly not leaving. She'd stay until Kyle returned and they could start their life together. Dante wanted to return to Italy and Amadora and Alphonse were in agreement. Alphonse wasn't really sure what to do with himself now that they were free from Volturi control but if he was going to pick up and do anything, he wanted it to be in Italy. After the air of awkwardness managed to clear just slightly, Renesmee made an attempt to be friendly with Evalina's grandparents.

"I suppose we should affirm to owing you an apology," Afton said. "Last we saw you, you were a little girl and we'd threatened a death sentence on your head."

"You followed orders," Renesmee answered reassuringly. "I don't blame you for what Aro did. And may I say, you and Chelsea did a wonderful job raising Amadora. She and Dante raised a wonderful young woman."

"That's very kind of you," Chelsea said. "We've heard quite a bit about your son from Evalina. It sounds as though you've done a wonderful job raising him as well."

"Kyle was always my little apprentice," Renesmee smiled. "That boy was helping me mix herbal remedies before he could walk."

"You must be very proud of him," Heidi said.

"I'm proud of all my children," Renesmee smiled.

"Even daddy?" Scarlet asked.

"Of course I'm proud of your father," Renesmee said to Scarlet.

"Daddy's a bit of a black sheep of the bunch," Scarlet relayed to their guests. Daddy's always been a free spirit."

"That's a delicate way to put it," Jacob joked and Renesmee swatted his arm.

"Jacob, stop," Renesmee said.

"Kyle tells me Nathan was the trouble maker of the three," Evalina smiled.

"Well, in all fairness to Nathan, he never ran away to join a war at 13 and near kill me from a heart attack," Renesmee said.

"Your husband to be was easily our less troublesome son," Jacob joked again.

"Yes, I believe the term is mama's boy," Alphonse said and Amadora swatted his arm.

"If it kept him out of trouble, then I'm happy for it," Renesmee said.

Once they as a group got over that awkwardness, their conversation remained pleasant and they even spoke of the wedding for Kyle and Evalina. Dante brought up that Evalina had wanted a ceremony at the Vatican and that the church in Volterra was familiar with their family so they would be able to get a recommendation from the Bishop. Naturally, a Quileute wedding would need to occur as well on tribal grounds but Renesmee was quick to say, once the war was over and, with any luck, a cease to the fascist regime in Italy, that she would love nothing more than to attend a wedding at the Vatican. Jacob was less eager for another trip to Europe but was willing to go if it was what Kyle and Evalina wanted.

Back in Europe, when Kyle received Evalina's letter, he was quick to write her back letting her know that he was safe and to give her the reassurance he was sure the war would be over soon. At least in Europe. And he was happy things seemed to be falling into place the way they were supposed to and could only hope that Kevin and the others were having the same luck.