"True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive."

Mignon McLaughlin

Bella

"What?" Jasper asked quietly in astonishment.

Carlisle nodded. "The majority of the members of our species, including Marcus, Sulpicia and Athenodora, have all voted to become a part of the Vampire Confederation." Esme nodded, beside him.

Stunned, all the rest of the adult Cullens all looked at each other; except for two of us: Edward was still in the cells and I was sitting silently.

My eyes, newly-returned to chocolate-brown, met Carlisle's deep blue gaze. I honestly didn't care; I felt numb. I thought that almost nothing could hurt me anymore; I prayed that I wouldn't be wrong this time. Just once...

"They've all voted for it. Some, like Alistair, Liam, Garrett and Amun hesitated, but eventually even Alistair, Liam and Garrett were swayed." He took a deep breath. "We saw the Vampire Queen."

Esme nodded. "After the trials and sentencing, we have all agreed to not only sign a document and make our mark within the Book of Erebus- which as you may remember, is the vampire's Bible- and record our history, culture, biology, powers and so forth; but we have also agreed to take part in a ritual; something which will grant us some of the powers and abilities of the vampire species of the confederation: like the ability to speak in the vampire language and to read their script."

Esme spoke: "Apparently, the individual votes were cast and the decision was made before we even arrived. We may have been the last to be consulted." She sighed. "I don't know whether this was before we took a trip to Forks, but... we didn't really speak to anyone that we knew."

"Not even the Denalis?" Emmett interrupted.

Esme shook her head, Carlisle answered, "Not even." He sighed. "They all... looked at us. I could see that some like Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya and Kate, Siobhan, Maggie, Peter and Charlotte-" Jasper winced "-Benjamin and Tia-" I winced, remembering "Zafrina, Senna and Kachiri-" another wince "all wanted answers. Amun, Kebi and Alistair looked at us as if they wanted to know what sort of trouble we'd brought upon them this time." A smile twitched Carlisle's lips. "It was nothing that I hadn't expected. And Charles and Mackenna, witnesses from the Volturi's side on New Year's Eve, who spoke for us, also looked as if they wished to know the truth. But out of respect for trial proceedings they didn't speak to us- I think they may have been impressed by the fairness and lack of bias of the trial."

Rosalie scoffed and Emmett and Jasper both snorted. "Of course they were," Rosalie muttered. "This is way more than what Aro and Caius gave to us- and the Denali sisters' mother. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"Truer words have never been spoken." Carlisle muttered, shaking his head. "It wasn't hard to sway them, even Alistair and Garrett, in the end. Especially as they made it clear we had a right to an independent government, or at least something more autonomous than what non-magical states had with the federal government in the US. And that we would be treated as equals, even though we were the newest member-species to join. I don't think even Alistair could find any reason to go against it."

That made them surprised. "Alistair voted to join the Confederation?" Emmett's voice was laced with disbelief. So was the look in Jasper's earth-brown eyes.

Carlisle and Esme nodded, dryly. "We couldn't believe it, either." Esme remarked. "But I think this is for the best. Facebook has really taken off last year. We saw a demonstration before-" she waved a hand "-all this. The wizards admitted even with their magic it may be hard to stay hidden from them- not unless we stayed apart from non-magical humans in general. And I think they enjoy the blood provided by the Confederation's vampires via trade and business links with the wizards." Carlisle agreed. "It saves them the trouble of disposing dead bodies, the callousness of it all- our friends usually target the criminals that they could find, to make things easier for them- and drinking animal blood which they generally find distasteful."

Everyone agreed; I couldn't disagree with that. It was both more convenient and moral. "Besides, I think some of the more... cultured ones don't wish to appear as animals or savages," Carlisle admitted wryly. "They jumped the opportunity. And this will also keep them safe, particularly the lone nomads." To everyone's surprise, he gave Esme the side-eye. "It's possible that Alistair is... involved with someone. I spotted him after the meeting with a female of a different species, judging by the looks of things."

Emmett snorted loudly. Rosalie couldn't help the twitch of her lips. Even Alice smiled slightly and Jasper looked amused. I blinked. That certainly caught my attention; Alistair seemed to be more of a loner than anything, mistrustful of everything and everyone he came across. I'd wondered how Carlisle managed to befriend him. "Tanya might be interested too," Esme admitted. "The three of us saw Alistair and the girl before the two disappeared, and it looks as if she seemed... interested in meeting prospective mating partners around this coven." Jasper and Rosalie's eyebrows flew up. Alice smiled wistfully. Emmett smirked. Even I couldn't help a small smile.

I was honestly happy for her; goodness knows, she needed that. Kate now had Garrett but Tanya... she felt shame and sadness, even though Laurent had tried to kill her, for Irina who now would never have her happily ever after.

But who was I to talk?

"Of course, we couldn't ask them for more details," Esme confessed. "Not until after the trial. We were all wearing Magic Inhibitors, with the exception of Maggie."

Carlisle sighed. "For now... there can be no question over the Confederation and the High Council's right to try us, and nobody seems to want the Volturi back, even though we needed them. Not now we've all found an alternative." He shook his head. "Not even Sulpicia, Athenodora and Marcus. It seems that Death Dealer, Selene, may have been right, after all. Chelsea had kept the three of them under the spell, including Marcus to prevent him from leaving with Didyme and then investigating and avenging her death. Corin's power kept Sulpicia and Athenodora content with being prisoners." I shuddered. It was too horrible to imagine.

How long had Sulpicia and Athenodora been in that tower for? Jasper mentioned that they never even left even when the Volturi hunted the Immortal Children. That had to be centuries ago. I shuddered.

I wondered if Edward had that kind of power... would he hesitate to use it? On me?

Once, I would have rejected such claims. I would've seen it as irredeemably evil and blasphemous. But even then, deep in my heart, I knew that he would have. He certainly didn't hesitate to go behind my back to arrange for an abortion, nor did he and Jacob hesitate in trying to convince Carlisle to knock me out should they be granted the opportunity and Rosalie, Esme and Emmett's back were turned or they were given the slip. And he sure had no hesitation in manipulating my thoughts and emotions, steering them to whichever direction he preferred or thought was best; even if his intentions were good, like when he dumped me. It was a testament to his own manipulative abilities and my own general stupidity that he was able to do it without being able to read my mind.

I could never look back without feeling or thinking just how naïve or stupid I was. I could only hope I could achieve and become better, unlike Renée.

"Lady Laima hinted that they may have added even more to the Volturi's list of charges, but she didn't elaborate." Carlisle confessed. "In the meantime..." he sighed. "The trial starts tomorrow. The Volturi will go first. Then comes Edward." The mood became subdued and sombre. "The sentencing for both parties will come right after."

We all nodded. "I think we should all take the sleep potion," Emmett pointed to the carafe on the coffee table. "Gabrielle left us some." There were seven chalices on the table surrounding it.

Everyone nodded. Jasper stood and poured us each a glass. We thanked him and he gently pressed Alice's into her hand. Alice had been mute, numb and silent, increasingly so since the wizards first came knocking on our door. After my confrontation with Edward... I wasn't sure of how to approach her or what to feel. Sure, I was angry for the role she'd played in this, but it was nothing I didn't let happen. I didn't do so much as to grit my teeth and put my foot down with Alice, anymore than I'd did with anyone else.. And I knew that Alice had been manipulated into doing a lot of things by Edward; including leaving town before Edward dumped me, before she could even say goodbye. And she'd not only come back to check on me and make sure I was alive, she'd ran searching for witnesses and other Dhampyr, as proof that Renesmee would do no harm; and she'd found Nahuel and Huilen, bringing them to Forks, with Kachiri's help.

Maybe I could forgive her, I decided. I certainly wanted to. I was just afraid that I'd fall back into her trap, along with Edward's, Jacob's or Renée's. First, she had to understand her boundaries and I really, really needed to learn how to put my foot down. Forgiveness was easy but trust... trust wasn't so easily regained. Not anymore; even for me.

I thought I really had to be an idiot to start trusting so easily. It was bad enough that Jacob, Renée and Edward had all taken advantage of the fact that I couldn't even get angry, or at the very least I couldn't stay angry for long. Maybe not getting angry or forgiveness was a good thing, but they'd all taken advantage of how easily I could give it.

And Alice had been my sister. I wondered, did she see me as somebody else when she dressed me and made me up to go with Edward? Did she even know me at all? The cottage had been her gift as well, but it was Esme who'd planned and designed it.

We went back to our individual rooms. My glass was still in my hand. I hadn't drunk it. I wanted to think first.

Gabrielle had told us during the meeting that Carlisle and Esme had with everyone else of our species and Lady Laima that this was the last time we would be able to see her until after the trials, as they now required her testimony and expertise on the scientific matter of things... and if all else failed, then her diplomacy. I wondered how she came to be so highly regarded by the vampires of the Confederation and the High Council- along with the Loup-Garou werewolves at the same time. Who else did she know? The Alpha and Luna of the Vermont Pack seemed ready to come on her request and apparently, so did the one from the Appalachians.

How did she manage to get on everybody's good side? I wondered as I sat on the bed. I put the glass on the nightstand.

I remembered something about Gabrielle confessing that once the wizarding world had been prejudiced against non-humans and part-humans, like her. How did she get past that? I wondered. If her sister Fleur tended to be judged for her looks alone yet also managed to achieve great heights, how did both of them- one already being the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, alongside the Vampire Queen- become so renowned for anything other than their appearances?

Before Gabrielle had left, she outlined for us the plan: she would be in contact and go back and forth to and from here, Forks and other places, including the Wolf pack in the Appalachians, to gather as much information about the Pull and all its variations between species, and of the impending soul-link/mental surgery between Quil and Claire, whose imprint bond she intended to reverse first. She would also find out and do whatever she could, contacting, consulting and meeting with the Council of Elders, Leah, Seth, Quil and Embry, as well as experts in the other packs and Wolf species, and the supernatural world (without revealing any details or anyone's identity) in order to find out the best way to regulate and moderate their Pull instincts. Jacob, Sam and Sam's pack along with the imprints, with the exception of Renesmee, would be kept in the dark about this until it was time to break the silence. The other Loup-Garoux packs were merely heading to Forks in order to offer them an alliance, militarily and economically speaking, and on Gabrielle's request to help Leah ease into her role as the first female Wolf, the impending first Luna-to-be of the Quileute Wolves, and the more private things she needed to know about Loup-Garou reproduction. I didn't want to ask, and I had a feeling that Sam, Jacob and the others wouldn't pry too much, either. I was just glad that Leah wouldn't be alone and that she would have a chance to prove herself in front of the others who'd scorned, mocked and derided her, treating her like an outcast. I was also glad that this might mean that someday, Leah could be happy and have a family of her own. Whether it was with a human or a fellow Loup-Garou Wolf, I didn't know; Gabrielle had said that the Pull instincts and intermarriage between different species wasn't uncommon, and it might not be a bad idea.

However, knowing what she now knew, Leah was scared to imprint, and so were Embry and Seth. Even Quil, though he was eager to reverse the imprint bond, as hard as it was to let go of Claire and the idea of the future everyone thought they may have had together, wasn't too sure he wanted to imprint again after this, as tempting as the idea was to find a mate and have the connection that he thought he'd had, or would someday have, with Claire. I couldn't blame them. I thought that maybe Quil needed therapy once the bond between him and Claire had been reversed. If there were any magical or Wolf therapists for him.

It looked as if I needed it too. And Jacob- and Edward, if he could do it in vampire jail. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

I'd just have to do what I needed to get done. Although I accepted I was in the bigger wrong, I now wished Charlie had pushed me towards accepting a therapist when Edward had left and I'd broken down. I cringed. Months of being a zombie, acting like I was an idiot...

No. I was an idiot. No point in denying it; if I wanted to do or get better, I needed to acknowledge what I did wrong first.

In the meantime, Renesmee was still staying at Charlie's house watched over by Sue and Leah. Seth and the others would keep Jake distracted. It would have been impossible to stop Jacob from seeing her without arousing his suspicions or aggression, but Sue and the other pack-members promised to keep an eye on both of them, particularly Renesmee. Renesmee also promised not to give Jacob any reason to think that anything had changed between them.

I wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, I wanted her with me at all times; I didn't trust Jacob. I no longer believed that my daughter was safe with him. I wasn't even sure if I could forgive him now, understanding and knowing what I knew, although knowing just how badly I'd screwed up and that I'd played a huge part in this, I hoped that I could someday. And I hoped that after things broke out, that he someday could too.

But I knew that for now, I didn't have a choice. And as much as she'd resented Edward and he'd betrayed her... I wasn't sure she was ready to witness her father on trial and probably jailed or executed. I shuddered, feeling both upset and horrified at the very notion.

I wasn't sure I wanted to witness that either. As angry and upset with him that I was... as disillusioned as I'd become... I didn't want him dead.

Perhaps I was still attached to Edward. If so, I had to break that attachment. I could only hope that this didn't mean I would fall back into his trap. I thought that with Edward not present to manipulate and steer my thoughts into the directions he liked, I had more time for self-reflection and the realisation of the damage I'd done to others; including Charlie.

Honestly, there were a lot of people I had to apologise to: Jessica, Angela, Mrs Newton, all the teachers at school including Mr Berty and Mr Varner, the Calculus teacher whose tests I'd missed but who'd still helped me nonetheless- I remember he didn't like or approve of Edward, either; I'd hated him for his subject alone and his conspicuous attention to detail, even nitpicking my mistakes, but he'd helped me nonetheless and allowed me to graduate. I knew he'd been generous with me; too generous. I cringed.

Even Phil deserved an apology, for not warning him about Renée. Plus, I had to thank him for standing up for me, when I never could, not to her. But Charlie had to be the first on my list of belated apologies and thanks.

In over the two years that I'd been in Forks, he'd suffered more than enough on my account. And now that I didn't have Edward reassuring or distracting me, telling me that Charlie and any others weren't upset at my behaviour, I could think, feel, look back and reflect on my own terms. I remembered what he said after Alice had given me the cottage, without Esme being present, because, according to Alice, they didn't want to put too much pressure on me accepting their gift, in case I genuinely didn't like it. I'd immediately felt bad; maybe I had a right to my own personal tastes and feelings, but at the very least I should've conveyed my gratitude better to them for being so nice. Edward had immediately said: "Bella, don't be silly. No one thinks you're that unreasonable."

Edward's words were coming back to haunt me- to haunt us both these days, I noted grimly. Now that I looked back, he was always telling me that I was being irrational, or silly, or childish, or unreasonable. Belittling me in general; my own feelings and opinions, my sense of logic- and I'd believed him. He'd never sounded too upset for that, so I easily brushed aside such remarks, yet at the same time, I thought maybe he was right: I was irrational. I was silly. I was childish. But now I asked, if I was truly childish, irrational, silly or unreasonable, why did he spend time with me out of the three-hundred-and-fifty-eight students that Forks High consisted of? Why was I any better or different than they were? Edward might have gotten a lot of fans- at least before he dumped me in the woods and I turned into a zombie- but none of them would be stupid enough to marry someone they'd only dated for eleven months, in total.

Maybe that's why. Edward certainly didn't know me, nor did he care to know me. And as shameful as it was to admit, I was the same with him. I'd spent all my time gazing in awe and wonderment at his beauty, or asking questions to him, Carlisle and Alice about his world and his species, including the history, biology and what it was like to be a newborn, that I'd totally forgotten to ask him any details about his personal life: what it was like before he became a vampire; his relationship with his mother. Even his hobbies- it had been Esme who first made him play for me; without her, I might've not known and he wouldn't have shared with me.

It was always someone else in the family, I realised, who revealed the most about him to me: it was Alice who planned and designed the details of our wedding around the early nineteen-hundreds, the era in which Edward had been born, and an era which I was generally clueless about. Rosalie had told me the story about how she became a vampire, making me realise how alien her world seemed to mine and wonder if the world in which Edward had been born was anything similar. Carlisle was the one who told me about Elizabeth Masen and her role in saving him, and how he became a vampire- even the colour eyes he'd had as a human. Esme was the one who told me Edward was musically-inclined and urged him to play the piano for me. And Jasper had told me more details, including the exact date of his birth, and the fact that he had a sister who'd died young.

Edward had never thought to share any of this with me, even after we got married, and I'd never even thought to ask. Edward spent more time telling me about his world as a vampire, as opposed to discussing his personal background and history, his likes and dislikes, and even then Alice, Jasper and Carlisle had all revealed more about the Volturi, the Southern Wars, the Plague of the Immortal Children and so much more than he did. Worst of all, I thought that I knew Edward back to front. I thought that, despite for all his self-hatred and angst, I understood who Edward truly was. Maybe he wasn't the soulless monster he envisioned himself to be, but that didn't mean that he wasn't another kind of monster. I thought he was my knight in shining armour, my guardian angel. My fairy tale prince. And I lived the dream. All because he was beautiful? Or was it because he seemed like the only one who ever paid enough attention and cared for me in ways that I'd never had with anyone, including my own parents? Was that what made me think that we could have had a happily ever after like in fairy-tales?

It sounded so stupid just thinking about it.

A small voice inside me feared that I was already starting to regret choosing immortality: that Rosalie had been right to warn me about losing more than I'd gained... and that Edward himself may have been right after all- he was just worryingly inconsistent and I was blindingly stupid.

But I wouldn't think about that for now: I can't. I had to look forwards. If I had to salvage something for my daughter's future and my own, I couldn't look back.

At least not yet.

I shook my head. I truly had been a fool. For as long as I could remember we'd known each other for, Edward had looked down on and belittled me. Or he put me on a pedestal for him to worship and pamper; it was one or the other. But he'd never treated me as his equal. Not the way Gabrielle claimed her brother-in-law had treated her sister. I remembered seeing Kebi with Amun and noticing how obedient she seemed, how she never so much as stepped away from her mate, nor even spoke. But Zafrina and Senna... the two sisters were like the limbs of one body. And now I saw I was more like Kebi than Zafrina or Senna. As if I couldn't feel more like an idiot.

I could remember all the times he'd put me down and belittled my feelings; all the times he'd used my own guilt against me, making me feel guilty in order to accept his reasoning and his decisions- and maybe he had a point: in the case of the Denali sisters coming to our wedding, I was being petty, jealous and insecure about my looks when compared to them. But for the most part, I needed to mature on my own first, and we wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place, if he hadn't pressured me into marrying him straight away. And then there were all the times when he'd brushed Charlie's thoughts and feelings and my own concerns for my father and his feelings, aside, like his calm manner when he delivered his cool and unaffected apology, brief as it was, and the paragraph of excuses and reasons that came right after. While I couldn't deny that Edward had had a point when he told my dad why we did what we did, brushing my father aside just didn't feel right, now that I looked back on it. No, I admitted. It wasn't right. Yet Edward never seemed to care; not about Charlie, not about what was right. And not about me and my feelings.

Now without Edward by my side, fully aware of the stupidity and irrationality of my decisions, especially after he dumped me almost two years before, and the lies and callous disregard that our entire relationship was based upon... I could finally clear my head and start thinking about doing what was right. I had a daughter to think of and I refused to make any more stupid decisions that would make both her life and mine even worse. And like Esme, my love for my daughter and my desire to be a good mother and to give her a better life and future than I had, had finally given me the strength and the good sense to break free, and start thinking and acting on my own terms. Unlike Renée, I would have to stick to this way of thinking.

Although, I admitted that Esme was, without a doubt, much more sensible, smarter and stronger than I was. And unlike me, she'd had parents who'd actually pushed her towards Charles and told her to go back. But I couldn't do nothing. Whatever I had to do, it was better late than never.

I just wondered what to plan and how to act.

I needed to find my bearings first, after years of having my mind and judgment clouded by Edward. I wondered how Marcus, Sulpicia, Athenodora were coping. I hoped they were doing alright.

It couldn't have been easy, the betrayal, snapping out of Chelsea's spell- and Corin's. I shuddered. They couldn't even feel any emotion of their own volition. I decided that I never wanted to hear anybody experiencing what they did ever again- or myself and my daughter. I was glad Royce King and Charles Evenson were both dead.

Despite the horror and pain it brought us personally- which I knew was partially my own fault, anyway- I couldn't regret coming to see the results of my own stupidity. It was better than walking blind and deaf towards a precipice. I just prayed that no innocent person would have to suffer anymore on my account. And that reminded me of the woman and baby girl who survived their husband and father's murder, as well as their daughter and sister's.

They might not forgive me for my part in this, I thought, my mood turning sombre. And I was certain that I'd be unable to make things right, much less erase the things that I'd done. I flinched. But I had to try: I remembered what Carlisle said: even if it took me a thousand years, a thousand lifetimes, I still had to try in order to make things right. Even if I never could. I was a mother now... I had a daughter... I would rather tear myself to pieces and toss them into the flames myself rather than have anything happen to Renesmee.

And once... Edward. Now, I wasn't so sure about him anymore. While I certainly would rather die than have him killed... for all he had done, he was still the man I'd loved, the father of my child... but us- together...

I took a deep breath, willing myself to quake. I hoped that this wasn't yet another sign of my weakness; my cowardice. I wasn't ready yet. Ready to acknowledge the fact that Edward's and my marriage was truly over. That our relationship had been a farce; that our love had been some mentally ill person's delusion: their idea of a perfect fairy-tale.

Not yet.

But soon. Nothing could break my new resolve. Even though I hadn't told anyone; not even my new family. Even my daughter.

I nodded, steely in my resolve and drank the potion.

"Love your family, spend time and be kind and serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is not promised and today is short."

Unknown

Back in Forks…

"Kim is a Quileute," Gabrielle agreed right after the meeting. She was sitting in a make-shift laboratory she'd hastily created using magic and the Elders' permission. "But she is not a descendant of Taha Aki." She looked sympathetically at the hurt girl. "Don't be so disappointed. That was probably one of the reasons why Jared imprinted on you. The gene pool is supposed to expand first. They need fresh, strong blood."

"What about Rachel?" Paul asked. Rachel looked wide-eyed with wonder.

Gabrielle winced, sighing. "Rachel…" she trailed off as she watched Billy approach, wheeling himself on his chair.

She took a deep breath. Her hauntingly beautiful violet-blue eyes were sad. "There really is no other way to put this, but the magic in your Wolf gene- the one that you inherited from Taha Aki- has died."

"WHAT?!" Rachel, Paul and the others blurted. They all looked thunder-struck, including Sam and Billy who was absolutely horrified.

Gabrielle lowered her head. "I'm sorry. But… when it comes to magical genes, environmental factors often come into play. In wizards, for example, there was an orphaned boy who was sent to live with his non-magical relatives after his parents died. The non-magical relatives hated magic; the aunt had been his late mother's sister who carried the gene in dormant form. Technically, she should have passed it onto her son, but her husband- well, I'm sorry but he really hated magic of any kind. He came from an ultra-conservative family and was, admittedly, a bigot about anything that seemed out of the ordinary. So, upon contact with his DNA, the magical gene simply… died. The cousin grew up to be a better person than his father, and he now has a wife and children, but he and his children do not possess the magical gene." Gabrielle explained. "The magic died within them because of the uncle- and his blood-family, because his sister was a truly terrible bigot who was equally abusive to the wizard-boy. It somehow sensed that it just wasn't possible for it to thrive in such a hostile environment in contact with such hostile people."

"But I don't know anyone like that!" Rachel exclaimed.

"No," Gabrielle pointed. "And that's what confuses me the most. Because your gene is not just any ordinary Wolf gene: it's an Alpha gene. It was simply dormant but didn't activate for some reason before it died. If they had… you could have been a female Alpha, Rachel. A Luna."

Sue and Billy both inhaled in shock. Everybody was silent for a long moment.

"So why didn't it?" Sam asked quietly. He was watching from a distance. "Why didn't they activate and wake up-" Gabrielle shrugged, helplessly.

Jacob's eyes widened. So did Billy's. "Is it because she went away?" Jake blurted, incredulously.

Everybody turned back towards Gabrielle. Gabrielle looked thoughtful. "It's possible," she mused quietly. "How long were you away for?"

Rachel hesitated. "Years," she confessed, quietly.

"I see," Gabrielle said quietly. "Unfortunately, that is likely the reason why. She left her family and her tribe. I know you will always consider yourself a Quileute, Rachel, and you have strong ties of loyalty to your family but… it seems that you were passed over for the role of a female Alpha or even part of the pack." Rachel flinched as though struck. Gabrielle winced. She placed a hand gently on the older woman's own. "I'm sorry."

"But she's back now," Jacob pointed. "Will it… wake itself up?" He wondered aloud. But Gabrielle shook her head.

"No," she said quietly. "Like I said, it was dormant, but now it's dead." Everybody looked horrified; Rachel, on the other hand, looked like she'd been stabbed. "Besides, this was not any ordinary Wolf gene: this was an Alpha gene. She may have been a female Alpha, a Luna ruling in her own right, but it can't awaken in those who decide to leave their families or their tribe. Besides, if there was more than one female Alpha, especially before the pack split, there would have been potential conflict. Power-struggles between more than one Luna or potential Lunas would have been… unwanted."

"Wait," Jared said slowly. "There's already a- a Luna?" He stumbled over the unfamiliar word. "Who-" suddenly, his eyes bugged as he whipped his head towards Leah. With the exception of Gabrielle and everyone who already knew, everybody did the same. Leah stared at the wall.

"A Luna-to-be, a potential female Alpha, although the circumstances of how this will come about in the future has yet to be determined," Gabrielle pointed. "It is likely that Leah will succeed Sam or Jacob one day, should either of the two of you decide to step down. Sam was the first of his generation to phase: it's only natural that he possess the active Alpha gene and for it to be dominant, because the others needed him to lead and guide the younger ones and the magic within believed him to be the best candidate to lead and guide them out of this generation." They all slowly nodded, understanding within their eyes. "But it's active in Jacob and also active and dominant within Leah. It's just as likely that she may have a child someday who ends up being the Alpha or ruling Luna." Everyone gasped. "I've examined everyone else: there's no one else in either pack that carries the Alpha gene, at least not in active form. Seth's version is dormant. So it's only Sam, Jacob and Leah."

Everybody absorbed this in silence. Sue was breathing sharply. "It's possible that Seth's descendants, at least one of them, could step up to become a future Alpha or ruling Luna someday," Gabrielle mused. "But for now, the only plausible candidate for a future leader is Leah. She was chosen for this task," she confirmed quietly. She turned back towards Rachel. "Rachel, there is a likely chance that you may someday have children who are Loup-Garou Wolves, but they would have to inherit the gene from their father. And they wouldn't be Alphas. Not unless they inherit the gene from him."

Rachel was silent for a long moment. "It takes more than genes to make someone a leader, including a born-Alpha." Gabrielle said softly. "I'm sorry."

Billy sighed and closed his eyes. "It's done. Taha Aki chose Leah." He regretted it the moment he saw his daughter wince. Billy felt himself doing the same thing.

If Rachel ever had children who phase, they would have to inherit their gene from their father. Not from her. Rachel and the others understood: Taha Aki, their ancestors... anyone who was in charge... they'd passed her over because she'd abandoned her tribe... and family. They didn't think she was worthy.

Rachel was devastated. She didn't know why; it wasn't like she'd wanted to be a werewolf, a Loup-Garou, like that supernatural scientist had called them. But to know that Taha Aki had passed her over, didn't think that she was worthy or good enough to become a Wolf, a part of the pack that was starting to feel like a family, a Quileute guardian...

That the role had passed onto Leah and Jacob as opposed to her...

She was only part of the pack because Paul imprinted on her. Even though Ephraim was the Alpha and the chief, Billy was in the Council of Elders and her own baby brother had broken away to be an Alpha of his own pack... but not Rachel. Rachel would never be a part of it herself, in her own damned right.

It felt as if Taha Aki had harshly rebuked and rebuffed her as part of something he started; something special. Judging her to be not worthy enough after she abandoned them.

It was tough.

"I'm sorry," Renesmee said quietly. The three of them watched the stars in the distance from the Blacks' porch after Gabrielle had left. Leah was silent. She observed Rachel warily, worriedly, but averted her eyes when she turned towards them.

"Don't be," Rachel forced a smile. "It's not your fault."

"I wanted to be a Wolf too," Renesmee admitted softly. "I wanted... to be part of something. I didn't want to be different."

Despite her vampire father, Rachel felt sympathy for Nessie. She was just a girl; just a little girl. And some part of her felt uneasy about Jacob's whole... mess of a love-life. Based on what she'd heard from Billy about Jacob and Nessie's mother Bella and with Nessie being so young...

Rachel couldn't help but wonder if Renesmee was just a substitute or a replacement for her own mother.

It made her wonder about what she'd had with Paul; whether it was sane. At first, it had been something out of a fairy-tale or a legend. Something sweet. Now...

Now, she got no space. No freedom to go and do whatever she wanted, like she was used to doing. Sometimes, she had to make Paul promise to stay in the house until she got back and found that he'd eaten all the food and Jake had stomped off somewhere, while Billy sighed and wheeled himself over to the Clearwaters. Now, Rachel wondered if she was such a disappointment to her father- or her brother.

"It's not wrong to be different," Rachel found herself saying. Renesmee sighed. "Maybe," she conceded. "But I wanted to find out what it was like to be just another girl, for once. Just another girl, like anybody else. Like someone walking on the street." Rachel stared at her. Leah winced. "Just... going by and pretending I was heading somewhere, nothing different, instead of just staring at the walls of my room. Either at the cottage, the main house, Grandpa's..." she trailed off.

Rachel stared. "What do you mean? You haven't been anywhere?" Renesmee hesitated.

"I grow too fast," she confessed. "And I look like Ed- Dad and Mom. Anyone from their high school or someone who might've seen them around town would notice, and I'm too big to be their daughter. They might ask too many questions. And Jake won't let me go outside of town without him, and he has to be the Alpha of the pack. And he still has school; apart from the cottage, the main house, Grandpa's, here at Billy's or the other houses that the pack has... I'm not allowed to go anywhere."

Rachel was horrified.

"What?"

Renesmee nodded, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "And until they got arrested, we had the Volturi. My family were sure they'd be back, that they'd want to make us pay." Her voice darkened. Sometimes, Rachel wondered where Renesmee was in terms of her mental and emotional growth as compared to regular children. It seemed that she was somewhere in between, but she had been stunned to be told that she was born nine months ago.

"Maybe things will change," she mused. "But we'll have to wait. The Volturi are on trial. Hopefully, they won't come back and the vampires of Mom and Dad's species won't let them rule over them anymore. And maybe Dad will too." Her voice grew quiet.

Rachel felt sorry for the girl. Right; she forgot: her father was in vampire prison and likely to be jailed for hundreds of years, if not thousands. Or executed, but either way... it wasn't something a kid should ever have to face, seeing their dad in jail.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. Gentling her voice, Rachel added, "Maybe he'll get out soon; it doesn't sound that what he did was so bad compared to the Volturi."

Renesmee snorted. "Yeah, they're in big trouble." Rachel smiled.

Renesmee waited for some time, until Jake and the others came to take her home. She said her goodbyes to both Leah and Rachel, then turned and headed off.

Leah stepped forwards. "Jacob needs you," she said quietly. "He doesn't say it, but... I think he does."

Leah opened and closed her mouth. "Is that why you think Taha Aki didn't choose me to be part of the pack."

"You are part of the pack," Leah answered, eyes wide and astonished. "Your great-grandfather was Ephraim, an Alpha. Your father is part of the Council of Elders. Your brother is an Alpha!"

"Then why am I not worthy?" Rachel asked. Leah sighed. "Look, if I could ask Taha Aki or whoever's in charge why he's messing with us, I'll be the first to step up," she said, strongly, turning to face Rachel fully. "But that's just not possible. You have to believe..." she remembered what her mother said, after her dad's funeral. "You have to believe that there's a reason." She found herself repeating her words.

"Why Paul imprinted on me? Why I'm his 'soulmate'? Why Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, even though she was a newborn baby and the daughter of the girl who broke his heart?" Rachel asked, point- blank.

Leah winced. She couldn't tell Rachel- not yet. Not until they could go through with their plan. She didn't know Rachel very well; but she could very well tell Paul, and by extension, Sam. And Sam could also tell Jacob.

But it sounded like Rachel was having second thoughts or doubts about imprinting.

"Perhaps," she shrugged, helplessly. "Who knows what they've got planned."

Rachel fell silent for a while as they watched the stars. "I never got to thank you," she suddenly said. Leah looked toward her in surprise.

"For being there for Jake," Rachel clarified. "He ran off and... Charlie's daughter broke his heart... when I came back... I guess he wasn't interested in talking or even telling me all about it. I had to find out from Paul." She shook her head. "And then he ran off into the wild for months and stared at me like... like I was some kind of alien from Mars." She said bitterly. "He brushed me off every time I tried to talk to him. And he's still doing it. He just stares at me like I've grown another head whenever I indicate I want to talk. Just... talk, you know... with my little brother." Leah fell silent.

Rachel bit her lip. "I guess I know why," she confessed. "I thought... I thought he was ready to do it. Rebecca and I just took off... After Mom died, we just couldn't stay. It didn't feel the same way. Home didn't feel like home. But Jake... Jake was so young. I thought he could do it, that he'd grown enough... now I'm starting to hate myself for not seeing that he was still just a boy and he's had his first heartbreak... and I wasn't there for him, the way Mom would've been: for him, me and Rebecca." She stared at the ground. "She wouldn't have been happy about that; me and Rebecca not taking care of our little brother- or our dad. Even now I stayed because Paul imprinted and I'm his soulmate." She shook her head. "Some sister, huh?"

Leah looked down. Was this... was this really why Jake had so many issues? First, his mother died and left him, his dad and his sisters... and then both his sisters took off, leaving him with Billy and the house to take care of all the while doing schoolwork and later having pack duties. Then Bella... Leah grimaced inwardly. At least she understood Bella now and her motivations. And now she accepted that what Jacob did was inexcusable and truly an asshole thing to do that could've had him tossed in jail if Charlie hadn't been so blinded by his hatred of Edward. But Bella had still played with him, despite the fact that she had issues, it exacerbated his. And now Jacob feared, more than anything with Renesmee, that she would do the same; take off without a moment's notice or even looking back while he nursed his broken heart.

But she was a little girl. Not some vixen or a seductress.

Leah sighed. "Just... be calm. Make sure that he knows, Paul or no Paul, Wolf or no Wolf, that you're there for him." She placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "It's not easy for him. It hasn't been for many years, though Jake can put up a mask. He hides it well." She gave her a look. "And he's proud; he's a boy but he thinks he's a man." She remembered what Gabrielle had said about Bella's mental and emotional development being derailed by her mother and her father's distance, as well as the potential consequences that this could have on Renesmee and Claire's developments- if there weren't already any. She winced inwardly. What was she supposed to do?

Challenge Jacob? She knew that was what Gabrielle meant if push came to shove, and she doubted that Sam could or would ever do it. Least of all when he had his own imprint... her stomach tied itself into knots. She could barely stomach the sight of him back there, especially knowing that they were... related. She shuddered inwardly, hoping it didn't show and that Rachel never saw. Leah hoped that they could all keep the secret and all suspicions away from them until Gabrielle had returned, the imprint bond between Quil and Claire was reversed and the other packs had arrived and they could safely explain everything with sufficient proof. But what if the other Wolves- not just the Alphas, but Jared and Paul- or anyone else who supported imprinting the way they did, refused to listen?

Fear struck her. They had to. For everybody's sakes.

Luckily, Renesmee had been able to keep pretenses. Though Jake wanted to be there for her, Sue convinced him that Renesmee also needed her space, some time to reflect at her grandpa's house. Billy agreed. "Give her time," she remembered him saying to Jake, putting an arm on his shoulder. "This isn't easy for her. I know you want to be there for her, but she needs to accept what's happening, all the changes in her life, on her own terms. That's a part of growing up. Remember, no one's ever imagined this would happen before." He gave Jake a warning look.

Quil had avoided Jake as much as possible. He insisted on taking Nessie with him, the excuse was that she would spend time with Claire, and hopefully distract herself. Jake had resented that, saying that Nessie was much older than Claire in her mind. Quil had taken offence, but calmed down, not wanting to arouse suspicion. He said nothing.

Embry had kept them distracted with movies, games and everything else. He claimed it was for Nessie's sake- which was also true, both ways. Leah and Seth helped as much as they could, as did Billy, her mom and Old Quil; all of them worked in tandem to keep Jacob busy and distracted, not by his Alpha and pack duties (to make things easier for him not to find out through their mind link), but just... helping around. Luckily, the entire pack had congregated to help Nessie through this tough time, and she was willing. Anything to throw Jake off the scent. This involved spending time with her in human form in Billy's house or Sue's, or Emily's and they were almost never alone.

How long would they be able to keep up? Luckily, Gabrielle was there: Sam, Jake and the Council had agreed to let her examine pretty much everyone's DNA. The story around the rez was that the school or the council was doing some kind of science project, examining their DNA and tracing their genealogy to Taha Aki. Surprisingly, they'd had volunteers, both guys and girls. While they were interested in the guys and watching Gabrielle determine which ones were the most likely to phase, they also watched the girls.

Amber Littlesea was the younger sister of Collin, one of the newer members of Sam's pack. And according to Gabrielle, she carried the Wolf gene. Leah supposed she shouldn't be surprised: she, Collin and Jake were cousins: their mom was Billy's sister Connie.

She'd been the first to be spotted when they collected the samples and Gabrielle showed them how to identify them. While Amber's gene was dormant, it showed signs of what Gabrielle claimed was the magic stirring within it. Only time could tell if it would fully stir itself awake. But if any of the Quileute girls were likely to phase, it was Amber. So, Collin would keep an eye out for any signs of her phasing, even though she was only eleven now. Jake and Rachel- and Paul- also promised to keep a lookout and Billy, after a long discussion with a reluctant Collin, prepared to let his sister into the know.

They were still searching; but based on what they'd just found out about Rachel, Leah doubted that Rebecca, her twin and Rachel's other sister, would be able to pass on the Wolf gene, much less phase. Her husband was a Hawaiian surfer and somehow, Leah doubted that there could be anything magical about him, from any kind. Their kids, if and when they had them, would not be Wolves, Gabrielle theorised once they pondered the suggestion that Rebecca or any of her descendants might phase. She'd immediately shot it down. Whatever the reason Paul imprinted on Rachel, Leah thought dryly, it wasn't because of genetics. Maybe she could still pass down his Wolf genes to their kids, but they would never be Alphas. They wouldn't be able to get any of Ephraim's or Jacob's traits from her. Anything wolf-like would have to come from Paul. Poor kids.

Leah had always seen her Wolf status as a curse. Now... now she wasn't so sure. Ever since Gabrielle had dropped the bomb on them and revealed Leah to be a female Alpha-in-waiting and Sam to be her cousin... Leah grimaced, suppressing a shudder. No, she was not going to get over that any time soon. Every time she thought about it, she wondered if she was going to throw up. She couldn't help but shudder just thinking about or remembering it.

Unfortunately, she didn't think that Sam would be able to take it better than she did; especially with that revelation about the likely reasons he imprinted on Emily. She cringed. She didn't feel she wanted to be in the same room, much less look Emily in the eye, when that bombshell dropped.

She took a deep breath. She'd never imagined this. Not when she first phased and her father died. Not when she first joined the pack and found out the horrifying truth about her cousin and ex-boyfriend's relationship. Not when she wished and craved to either imprint or be imprinted upon.

Now, she was scared. Even worse, everything felt bizarre. Leah had started to go from being mocked, scorned, avoided, derided and pitied to being... envied and the object of awe. She didn't think something like this would ever be possible. Can things get any crazier? Leah didn't want to know.

Rachel felt like she'd been rejected and that she'd disappointed her ancestors or whoever was up there making all the decisions, by leaving and being passed over the role for the first female Wolf and Luna. Now, Leah wondered... if it could be an honour after all... an honour to be chosen, to be noticed and singled out, selected by Taha Aki.

She just hoped that things wouldn't come to blows between her and Jacob, or any of the others. But if it did... Leah didn't want to do what Bella did, what she now regretted doing: putting things off just because she was afraid to make anyone hurt or upset, or even angry- only to make things worse.

She had to put her foot down. If necessary, she had to make a stand. She might not wish to hurt Jacob, or Sam, or Emily but if necessary, for the good of the Wolves, for Renesmee and Claire and future imprints- particularly the younger ones who never had a choice- and future generations of Quileute Wolves... she had to.

For all their sakes. She prayed that Jake would be able to see reason, but deep down, she knew otherwise.

You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have all the facts, you cannot make proper judgements about what is going on.

Harry S. Truman

June fifteenth 2007, first day of the trials:

Old-World Coven...

One by one, the prisoners were herded out. Marcus, Sulpicia and Athenodora were not among them, but they would testify- and observe for themselves. The Vampire High Council would observe, some even on magical television, a recent innovation invented by a wizard named Sergei Devanov, which would enable them to see what was happening, even from the other side of the world.

Jane's eyes were wide, frantic. The heavy silver collar around her throat prevented her from using her powers. Alec was the same. Their eyes were both shades of blue. Prisoners they might have been, but they were afforded better nourishment than they could have imagined.

Caius' eyes- newly-returned to their pale blue shade, which they bore millennia prior- blazed in pure rage and humiliation, however, and Aro's visage bore a poorly-concealed panic alongside frail attempts at composure as they were herded out, bound in those collars like... dogs and their hands and feet as well, with some form of magic that they were unfamiliar with.

A Death Dealer smirked at him, pointed fangs peeking from beneath his bared lips. His eyes burned a sudden blue, taunting him. Caius' eyes showed fear, hesitation even. What the part-human witch had said was true: these were indeed vampires, but of a different sort to them.

Selene watched the proceedings with a cool and calm gaze. An extremely handsome young man with sandy-brown hair and brown eyes also observed calmly. He was tall, he held himself straight. This was the High Elder Amelia's son, David.

Beside David stood a young woman. Her hair was a deep, luminous black, gently waving and framing her face. Her finely-chiselled features, delicate nose and lips, elegant cheekbones, luminously porcelain skin and mysterious dark blue gaze gave the impression of great beauty even by vampire standards. She looked like some kind of goddess and even the Volturi guard could not help but stare and that included Demetri. David stiffened and his eye briefly flared blue, baring his fangs until Demetri turned away.

"Your mother is here." The female spoke softly. "Will she delay the Awakening?"

David shook his head. "She knows her duty," he said shortly, wrapping an arm around her waist to bring her closer.

"But she's not interfering with the trials or the sentencing. The Great Mother has requested it of her; to show our new member species our goodwill and the truth in our word in treating them as equals." He kissed the top of her head.

"Hm," she murmured. "She really is wise. But we all already know that." She rolled her eyes. "But why didn't she see them sooner?"

Selene's brow furrowed. "We can always figure this out later. For now, we'll have to deal with them first." Her voice turned steely.

Selene's chestnut-brown eyes followed the mass of prisoners. But nearby, the witnesses were heading for the trials.

The Cullens were all being ushered through the great hall. Ponderous and heavy granite pillars supported the high vaulted ceiling, while arched doorways led off to murky passageways lit by racks of flaming torches mounted on iron sconces. The stone floor was bare, except for a strip of carpet. Iron chandeliers hung from the ceiling, holding rows of beeswax candles. Rusty chains and manacles dangled from the pillars, as a reminder that all who prospered within the keep did so only by the sufferance of the Elders. The stone walls seemed sombre and grave, especially so today.

The other witnesses filed rank. It was the first time Bella and the rest of the Cullens, with the exceptions of Carlisle and Esme, had seen their friends who had testified for them months before. She caught Tanya, Kate and Garrett's gazes, burning with curiosity and unanswered questions, same as Carmen and Eleazar. But she also detected a hint of concern. The Denalis noted the absence of Renesmee and wondered about it. Bella could see Tanya, Kate and Carmen asking about her with her eyes but she shook her head. Not yet, she mouthed. She didn't want to attract any unwanted scrutiny. Esme sighed. Siobhan and Maggie also looked askance, but Amun looked murderous. His dark eyes blazed with outrage as he looked upon the Cullens. Kebi stood beside him, eyes judging and filled with reproach. Bella swallowed. This was becoming harder than she thought. She fought the urge to hurry forwards. Beside them stood Benjamin and Tia. They all looked at her, seeking answers, but Bella avoided their gazes. Her shoulders slumped. She looked down. She could feel Zafrina and Senna's gazes too, along with their sister Kachiri, whom she'd only met for a brief period of time.

No one spoke. The witnesses were all under agreement not to speak to each other until after the Volturi's and Edward's trials had concluded and their testimonies given. But the Cullens all could feel their gazes upon them, especially Bella. She felt Esme squeeze her hand, comfortingly. Alice looked dead-eyed ahead, and Rosalie was expressionless.

Alistair, not too far away, seemed unaffected. His gaze, now light blue, seemed curious, pondering, wistful even as he looked around the room. It seemed familiar to him. Bella didn't know when he was born but their surroundings seemed to bring back far-distant memories for Alistair. He definitely looked wistful. In fact, he barely seemed to notice the presence of the Cullens. When he did, he froze and blinked. Then, seemingly disturbed, he turned away.

Bella didn't notice Siobhan and Liam, along with Maggie. She assumed that Maggie, being the official 'Truthsayer' was already in court and Siobhan and Liam were with her. But to her surprise, both Nahuel and his aunt Huilen were there, along with three girls. One was a girl with light blonde hair that looked like flax spun into silk. She had light blue eyes, fair skin and the light blush on her face indicated she was a hybrid; a Dhampir. Her eyes were filled with fear, awe, apprehension and probably excitement, wariness and unease. The next girl was African, or half-African, Bella reflected. She had dark skin, like burnished bronze and eyes like shining obsidian. She stared everything wide-eyed and open-mouthed, breathing in quick gasps. Bella heard her faint heartbeats, fast like a hummingbird. The third girl had auburn hair and blue-green eyes. She seemed younger than the others, in her wide-eyed stares and innocence. It tugged at her heart. She reminded her of Renesmee.

These must be Nahuel's sisters, Bella reflected. She didn't know their names, but she knew he had three; unless Joham had anymore. She peered around. Where was he? She saw Huilen, but she didn't see anyone who could have been their father. The girls' mothers had been abandoned to die as well by Joham, like Pire.

She felt pity towards all of them and a strong surge of anger towards Joham. No wonder Nahuel seemed to hate him. But she also wondered why he wasn't here with his daughters.

Maybe the Volturi found and dealt with him, Bella reflected. She was amazed that they left Nahuel and his sisters alive. Or maybe... her gaze wandered to the Death Dealers lining the hall, clad in black leathers.

Maybe it wasn't the Volturi that took matters into their own hands.

Either way, Bella didn't stop to think. Joham wasn't important. Not anymore. And if he was dead, he had gotten exactly what he deserved for doing what he did to those poor women and all his children.

She wondered, would Pire and any of those other women, the mothers of his children, have stood up to him had they had the chance? For their children's sakes? She knew that Pire would, but what about the others?

Joham probably had hundreds, if not thousands, and the majority of them would have died, Bella reflected grimly. She truly was an idiot. Edward was, at least, being careful not to get carried away, but it could have turned out badly. And if she had died, she wondered, how would Edward have responded to Renesmee? And Jacob?

She tried not to shudder. She really was too naïve and trusting. It could have ended badly, not only for her, but for Renesmee. If Jacob had been planning to kill her... she swallowed. She had no doubt that Edward had been as well, once she'd emerged. If anything had happened to Bella, he most certainly would have.

She wondered why Nahuel's aunt Huilen didn't. She must have really loved her sister, Bella remembered.

They were being ushered through some stairs on the side. Slowly, almost soundlessly, the vampires walked upwards. Up the narrow, spiralling stone staircases until they reached a circular level with seats, overlooking an enormous auditorium. Bella peered down.

The cavernous stone chamber was foreboding and yet magnificent. Granite buttresses, like ribs, supported the high domed ceiling. Flickering fire torches danced in iron sconces. Behind the audience, including the witnesses, there were green stained-glass windows. There seemed to be levelled tiers of seats for witnesses, and countless people came.

Most of them were vampires, but there were some humans, wizards, Bella presumed, and these were what caught her attention. She spotted Gabrielle who gave her a reassuring but sad smile, and the three from the British magical government: Harry, Ron and Hermione. They took prime seats. Adsila Sizemore was there as well, sitting beside a well-built russet-skinned man in black with gleaming black-hair and obsidian eyes and noticeable powerful charisma. The two appeared to be whispering to one another. There was a film crew as well, Bella as fascinated to see.

A slender girl with long, brown hair, around Bella's age, fiddled with something held up by some assistants. Cameras, Bella noted, seeing the lenses. She then turned. Bella's breath hitched. The camera floated, hovering in mid-air before moving upwards and over the edge of the balcony railing.

Bella could hear some vampires- of their own species- gasp. Tanya and Kate stared alongside Carmen and Eleazar. Garrett appeared more fascinated than anything. Then the camera shimmered and Bella had to withhold her own gasp: it disappeared. Vanished.

It must've turned invisible, she thought, fascinated. After all, there was no sense in bringing a camera to a court room only to make it disappear and go someplace else. Apart from their species, none of the others seemed to think that there was nothing out of the ordinary, except for a few curious gazes. She saw another camera float itself upwards, without wires, and then disappear.

Bella turned her gaze to down below. There was a stand, she noticed. A very high triple podium that doubled as desks, clear enough for any human to see up where they were. There were three seats. One of them, the seat on the far right, was already occupied by a very handsome and elegant man, lean yet muscular. He had an air of poise and regal calm, cool and collected. His hair was dark and with Bella's vision she noted that his eyes were hazel-brown and he had angular features: high cheekbones, a strong jawline and a straight nose.

The seat on the left was occupied by another vampire. He had flaming red hair, flowing to his shoulders and cool grey eyes, like ice. His face was triangular, somewhere between beautiful in a feminine way and handsome in a more masculine manner. He was broad-shouldered and well-built, with finely-chiselled features: a straight and finely-pointed nose, chiselled cheekbones and fine jawline, and a generous mouth. A smile played on his lips. Bella didn't like the look of it. He seemed more... feline than the first judge. Inhumanly tall, Bella suspected that when he stood up, he would tower at around seven feet, even taller than the Wolves. When he shifted, she caught note of the fine points on the tips of his ears. Bella's eyes widened.

Bella could only assume that the first judge she saw was Elijah, the one had Gabrielle told them about. One of the first of his species. He appeared calm, measured and composed. The other judge must have come from another species.

The middle seat was empty. Bella noticed it stood higher than the other judges so she assumed this must be for Lady Laima. But there was another seat, on another podium. Bella spotted the flaming red hair and diminutive figure, similar in stature to Alice: Maggie she instantly knew. Unlike the others, the tell-tale silver gleam of a Magical Inhibitor was noticeably absent from around her throat.

Maggie seemed... pensive, thoughtful. Her eyes scanned the ranks of witnesses and audience members, freezing when she caught sight of Bella. Bella could feel her gaze, boring into her, questioning her to find out the truth about all this. But like all of them, she knew to wait.

Soon, the doors behind the podium opened. The Death Dealers stood at attention and everyone rose. Mesmerised, hypnotised even, like all the others, Bella rose to her feet, entranced by the Vampire Queen's mere presence, charisma, regality and beauty. Despite the sombre and grave atmosphere, Bella was keenly aware of the awe that spread throughout the vast auditorium. Awe she felt herself.

Lady Laima's beauty shone, seemingly luminous enough to glow amidst the ranks of immortals. Her white skin glowed like a pearl. Her silver-and-white robes flared at the hem, like mist or an approaching fog. Her hair was black, black like the night. Her dark blue eyes were solemn. She radiated an aura of awe and power. Pure, unspeakably ancient strength; secrets and power which no one could ever imagine. She held her head high and her bearing was more regal than anyone else Bella had ever seen, even Aro's. She truly was a queen. Even if she didn't call herself that officially, even if she didn't hold any real power in her own name. Bella could feel she was more of a monarch than anyone she had ever seen, including the Volturi.

Yet despite all this, Bella couldn't help but note that Lady Laima looked younger than the other vampires, if only physically. The ancient aura of unspeakable power, mystery and ages past betrayed the extent of her true age, but Bella suspected that she must have been in her late teens or early twenties when Markus, the First Progenitor transformed her.

Bella remembered that teenagers were considered grown women that needed to be pushed into marriage back in the day. At least her story ended happily. Even if she could only see her husband every two centuries.

Bella wondered where her children were. Gabrielle had said that she was a mother; that the first vampires had at least three children. So where were they?

Her eyes roamed over the congregation. Were they here? Watching?

Bella didn't know. She didn't know which was a born-vampire- a pure-born- and which was turned, in their species. Gabrielle had never told her of any difference.

The Death Dealers parted ranks. Lady Laima took her seat.

The trial began.

This is why it would still be scientifically impossible for Jacob and Renesmee to have children, even in a multiverse crossover like this where other vampires and werewolves have created hybrids or 'tribrids'- or 'tri-blood hybrids', whatever you want to call them:

My explanation is based on the logic in the canons of Twilight (either from Stephenie Meyer herself or from semi-canon sources approved by her) Underworld, Harry Potter and the Vampire Diaries franchise.

If you're familiar with the Underworld series and the Vampire Diaries universe, please understand that I am as well. Hybrids like Klaus in the Vampire Diaries, and Michael Corvin and Lucian and Sonja's unborn baby in the Underworld series, along with 'tribrids' or 'tri-blood hybrids' like Selene and Michael's daughter Eve and Klaus' daughter Hope are all scientifically possible in this universe, but Renesmee having a child with Jacob is not.

First off, in the Vampire Diaries universe, Klaus was already a werewolf, but his particular species' abilities and traits lay dormant, like the Wolf genes in the Twilight universe of Sam and Jacob's species (not the Twilight series' Children of the Moon who can infect humans), but unlike them the abilities and traits of Klaus' father's species could only be awakened when the werewolf kills someone for the first time. This puts his and Hayley's species of werewolf as being Loup-Garoux (Loup-Garou, singular), the term for hereditary werewolves, which I took from Blood and Chocolate, that procreate as opposed to infecting others (in the Vampire Diaries universe werewolves have venom, but that venom is for killing enemies, particularly vampires. They can't make another werewolf by using it).

For Klaus, his werewolf traits activated right after his sorceress mother Esther turned her remaining children into vampires. He had been the product of an affair Esther had with a werewolf, and the gene he had inherited from his biological father activated after he had made his first kill- which also happened to be his first kill as a newly-made vampire seeking blood. That's why he became a hybrid; the Wolf gene was already in him, and he was also half-witch, to make things easier. To make it all possible, in this fic, as Gabrielle mentioned, Klaus' mother had stolen some of Lady Laima's DNA and that was what enabled her to transform her children into vampires, including Klaus, despite him unknowingly also being a (dormant) werewolf. And as a sorceress herself, Lady Laima had, unknowingly, drunk some of Markus' blood before either of them transformed, thus absorbing the Corvinus strain within her DNA which was already magical, and so her DNA then enabled Klaus to keep his full werewolf traits and abilities, whilst also being considered a full vampire. Klaus' witch traits would also have been strengthened. (Yes, witches of just about every canon, including the Vampire Diaries and Charmed exist, along with the wizards of Harry Potter, but we're not talking about them now).

And, as mentioned in the Originals, since their werewolves passed their genes via breeding, Klaus would still be able to sire a child even after he also became a vampire despite his species being largely incapable. But my logic is that no other born-werewolf or Loup-Garou can produce a hybrid with a vampire, much less a 'tribrid' like Klaus and Hayley's daughter Hope, who would have only been able to exist because her father had Loup-Garou genes (like her mother) as well as being an Original vampire, the first of his species, and part-witch with the Corvinus strain (in this story). All of these traits and abilities would eventually be passed down onto his daughter, making her extremely powerful.

This brings us to the hybrids of the Underworld series: the vampire Sonja conceived a baby with Lucian, who was a Lycanthrope werewolf or Lycan (werewolves that reproduce primarily via infecting humans, though they can still procreate) and there is an explanation for this that's also canon (somewhat): Sonja was a pure-born vampire, whose father also happened to be an Elder. Take into account that in this story, the first vampire Markus has a wife who was also a powerful sorceress before she was even transformed and since the couple drank each other's blood they both absorbed and strengthened one another's traits. Afterwards, Markus created Viktor who would then go on to become Sonja's biological father. Lucian was the first Lycan because his human mother had likely been bitten by one of William's original uncontrollable werewolves, who were unable to phase back, while she was still pregnant with him. He was born in human form, but was forced to become a werewolf when the full moon rose; so he was somewhere in between. Hence the reason why Lucian and Sonja were able to conceive a child together, which would otherwise have been impossible; like the title character of Blade, whose pregnant mother was bitten by a vampire (I don't know if you caught my reference in the same chapter about the vampire script and language), Lucian was stuck in the middle: he still had human traits, even though he became part of the supernatural. He could infect and create a new species of Lycanthrope that could mostly stay in and revert back to their human forms, but at the same time Lucian could also procreate biologically to make another werewolf like him- or a hybrid if the mother was also unique. Lucian's human traits combined with the unique traits and virus Sonja had inherited from her father, who in turn received it from Markus (and Lady Laima), enabled the couple to conceive a hybrid baby, which Viktor had terminated before birth by reluctantly agreeing to his daughter's execution. Also, since Lucian and Sonja fell in love and conceived together, and neither seemed to hate the other's scent (even though Lycan blood is said to be, not just inconsumable, but an anathema to the Underworld vampires) and Markus and William also do not seem to be mildly repulsed by each other's scent, yet the Twilight vampires cannot seem to stand even the werewolves' scent (it's mutual), this can support my theory further that while their respective DNA (without the Corvinus strain) may still repel each other, the Underworld vampires are biologically closer to the original creators of their kind than the Twilight vampires are, even in their canon (whoever the progenitors in that universe may be), since the Cullens and Quileute Loup-Garoux both instinctively despise anything to do with one another, even down to their respective genes: they're each other's natural anathema.

While in some cases humans can have Dhampir children with vampires (though they're rare) meaning that vampires of all species can produce hybrids (at least for the most part), and William's virus hadn't infected the then-unborn-Lucian completely, it wouldn't have been possible for any of the other vampires or werewolves, especially the further away their creators were from original progenitors like Markus and his wife here for all vampires, to create hybrids between werewolves and vampires, especially if they don't carry the all-important Corvinus strain, dormant or active (or any equivalent). Even with part-human werewolf or vampire offspring. Even though the Castlevania series' Dhampyr are able to reproduce with both humans and vampires (and the resulting offspring will take more after vampires or humans depending on whom their Dhampir parent breeds with, until the reduced human or vampire trait eventually dies out as the generations goes by) this doesn't mean that they can biologically procreate with a werewolf either.

And this also includes Loup-Garou werewolves, who don't trace any of their species' origins to William Corvinus, Markus' brother, and who also don't reproduce via infection. It's impossible since their true origins, or at least the mysteries of it, are lost in time (even Taha Aki's descendants have merely joined their world when he first phased, despite being something different before) and since they've all branched out and evolved so far ahead and down the line that their genes have now advanced enough to repel anything remotely vampiric, including venom, sperm and egg- even from half-human half-vampire hybrids like Renesmee. Though she and Joham's daughters are not venomous and are therefore unable to transmit vampire genes via infection, remember that their male counterpart Nahuel had actually created a pure vampire. Even though he's half-human, Nahuel was able to carry, without being affected, and transmit the virus he'd inherited from his father. Apart from their lack of venom there doesn't seem to be any other differences between male and female Dhampyr in Twilight. So this means that Nahuel's sisters and Renesmee, despite inheriting human traits as well, carry enough vampire genes which could only repel anything werewolf, Lycanthrope or Loup-Garou.

Michael Corvin was the descendant of Markus and William's father, the first immortal Alexander Corvinus, via his third son (who inherited and passed down the dormant form of the strain) so, as per Underworld canon, being his descendant meant that he was the only one who could survive both vampire and Lycan viruses, and pass on his genes to his daughter Eve Corvin, whom he later sired with the vampire Selene after she had drunk Alexander Corvinus' own blood and absorbed his version of the strain. Selene had also been created by Viktor, who had been created by Markus personally (Michael won't feature in this story, and neither will Eve, since Selene became a vampire in a different way and Michael's fiancée Samantha was magically saved by Lady Laima- who had Seen what could happen- in the US instead of dying, leading him to marry her instead and not move to Hungary to start over and heal. Consequently, Michael never meets Selene and lives a totally normal life, unaware of the supernatural, and Lady Laima keeps her Inner Eye out and uses her magic to make certain absolutely nothing supernatural gets near him or his family, even if they accidentally and coincidentally wandered near their kind).

But if another Lycanthrope werewolf, or even a Loup-Garou like Jacob were to mate with any kind of vampire, they would not be able to have children. Same as with a half-vampire, especially one like Renesmee whose father came from a relatively new (in this fic) species that does not naturally breed, and Edward did not possess werewolf traits, especially prior to transforming, unlike Klaus. If he'd had them, even if it was dormant like Klaus or Jacob's had been before phasing, he couldn't have been able to become a vampire anyway, since it would be impossible as Edward's species had physically evolved too far down the line, so their variation of the vampire gene, which was also carried in their venom, could only repel or fight any werewolf genes (from all kinds) to the point of destruction which would be lethal for humans, werewolves and vampires of all species and kinds. And it would be equally impossible for Twilight vampires to absorb anything like the Corvinus strain, because unlike the vampires of Underworld and the Vampire Diaries series, they don't have blood so them drinking any blood does not replenish the blood in their bodies as mentioned in both latter canons. All their body fluids were turned into venom, including semen which carried sperm. So Edward's sperm would have mutated/evolved to survive within the venom, thus absorbing his species' traits and altering it genetically (my theory is that Edward was able to impregnate Bella instead of transforming her during their honeymoon because the venom needs to go directly into the bloodstream and spread across the body to transform somebody). In Twilight canon, it's mentioned that human blood, which makes vampires stronger, lingers in their tissues, which was why newborn vampires are so strong: while they're drinking blood of any kind, their own blood still lingers inside of them, but it always fades away and older vampires are not as physically powerful as newborn ones. That's why they tend to 'power up' before a conflict by drinking as much human blood as possible, or if not, the blood of carnivores like bears or mountain lions.

Drinking blood which carries any form of the Corvinus strain can make a Twilight vampire powerful for a time, but like their own blood it would eventually fade, so their bodies cannot absorb nor permanently develop any of the traits of the Corvinus clan, and it's the same for the Dhampyr offspring. As mentioned, Twilight Dhampyr, like Renesmee, had inherited the blood in their bodies from their human mothers, yet it's also mentioned that they have hardened skin, even though they don't sparkle, so Renesmee wouldn't even be able to inject the Corvinus strain inside of her if she wanted to create a hybrid or 'tribrid' of any kind, or to simply make herself more powerful. Even if she managed to do it, her father's species have evolved so far from the original Corvinus clan and are partially frozen so neither they nor their Dhampyr offspring can merge with any variation of the strain any longer, even though all Dhampyr merged the vampire genes with human ones. Therefore, if a Corvinus descendant, including one that carried the strain in dormant form like Michael, is bitten by a Twilight vampire, there is a chance that they will become somewhat more powerful than the rest of their species, but they can never hope to match Markus or his wife, not even close. My theory (and Gabrielle's) is that Twilight vampires have an advantage since they've evolved enough to have hardened skin that can not only attract potential prey, but deflect and reflect sunlight which otherwise would be lethal especially the farther away one is from the Corvinus progenitors, but this is a compensation that evolution gives them since they're so far away they don't have any of the advantages a vampire of the first species has.

If a Corvinus descendant ended up with powers after a Twilight vampire bites them (how that came about will be explained during the Volturi's trial), they may be slightly more powerful than their peers, but as mentioned, the Twilight vampires' abilities are incredibly limited in comparison to even humans with the magical gene, like wizards. Edward's and Aro's forms of telepathy, Renata's 'shield', Demetri's unique tracking power, Renesmee's ability to show her thoughts, Zafrina, Kate, Jane and Alec's abilities to create different illusions, these are all only small parts of what wizards in Harry Potter canon, who are capable of what they refer to as Legilimency, can do. Therefore, even one magical ability learned by a witch or wizard is far more powerful than any talent a Twilight vampire may naturally possess. The species created by Markus here are also more powerful because of the merging of his direct and active Corvinus strain and his wife's magical DNA, especially the closer an individual vampire can trace its specific origins back to the Corvinus progenitors. Twilight vampires are also partially frozen and appear to be biologically advanced in canon, so this supports my theory that their genes cannot merge with the strain if it exists in their world.

Yet even if Twilight's version of the vampire virus can somehow merge with the Corvinus strain, it's still not possible to even create a hybrid of any degree. Even if their venom affected and transformed a Corvinus descendant, and that descendant then sired a Dhampir child, then the child would be no more or only slightly more powerful than Joham's children or Renesmee, and no more fertile. Nowhere near as powerful and talented as what Aro or Joham would long to possess, and still incapable of merging with any werewolf genes with their own, much less pass them down. And Edward Cullen is not a Corvinus descendant anyway.

In Twilight canon, males like Edward can breed but with limited results. After all, how many human women did Nahuel's father Joham seduce over the centuries, only to have four children? Even if the women kept dying for various reasons including before the babies could safely emerge, he should have sired far more offspring as he sought to create a 'super race', especially as Dhampir children were inhumanly strong and resilient. As men require Meiosis, which is a type of cell division, to create sperm, male Twilight vampires would not have been frozen completely but they are frozen to an extent, nonetheless. And Renesmee is a female Dhampir who would stop aging once she is seven, and, as Bella herself realised, the female vampires of Twilight or anyone who is frozen like that in an unnatural state, cannot procreate naturally because their bodies would require even bigger physical changes than Meiosis, like the menstrual cycle and the changes pregnancy brings. So by Meyer's own logic, it's unlikely that Renesmee can have biological children, and even less likely, if not impossible, for her to have them with any kind of werewolf, including Jacob's kind. Remember, in Breaking Dawn, Bella was relieved she did not accidentally bite Seth because vampire venom was fatal for Wolves, so it's also not possible for their species to create hybrids with werewolves of any kind, by infection or any other way. This is the basis for my logic that any vampire and werewolf genes (both Loup-Garou and Lycanthrope), not just in venom, can only repel or destroy each other upon contact. So, this means that, judging by the same logic, even with her being half-human there can be no biological offspring for Renesmee with Jacob in the future, even if they do end up together. Even if she managed to find the right time slot and was able to carry a baby that quickly, but safely, before her growth permanently stopped, their respective vampire and Wolf genes would fight or repel one another, not just if and when direct venom transfusion from a pure vampire occurs to a werewolf.

My reasoning is that Leah, despite seemingly not aging, is highly unlikely to be infertile because she is one of the Loup-Garoux, and a new species no less, so she cannot be compared to humans or vampires. There's no logic for the first female of any species which depend on breeding for reproductive purposes to be infertile. She would have to have a different fertility cycle to humans, and Leah had only just started phasing in the second novel, New Moon, in 2006- the exact same year its sequels, Eclipse and the majority of Breaking Dawn also took place. So in all likelihood, she just wouldn't have been ready to reproduce as she's still relatively young for their standards, if she's a female who started phasing less than a year ago, even if she's physically an adult. Remember, by Meyer's own canon, the Quileute Wolves were already evolving, due to the current generation's size, high numbers, increase in imprints and- as I've pointed out- having a female within their ranks for the first time. They're bewildered and don't understand why Leah phased, but it makes sense if we look at it from an evolutionary perspective. People, even readers, assume that she's infertile because she doesn't have a menstrual cycle and her boyfriend imprinted on her cousin instead, but by now you should have read my logic as to why this was, and the information about Sue's relation to Sam's father came from a semi-canon source approved by Stephenie Meyer herself. The original Twilight canon also claims that all the Quileute Wolves are descendants of their one common ancestor, Taha Aki, further supporting this. I believe that the Cold Man and Woman he encountered could only have come with the early settlers from Europe a few centuries ago, as it's illogical, even though vampires are tireless and don't need to breathe, to swim all that way to the Americas even if they were desperately running from something and Taha Aki was mentioned to be past the age of two hundred when he encountered them. Remember, centuries are not enough to serve evolution's purpose; plus if Taha Aki wasn't that far back in the family tree (despite or perhaps because of how long he lived and how many descendants he had), then this means that Sam and Leah are both too closely related to produce healthy Wolf offspring, since through Sue they're related at least doubly, but even more so since both of Leah's parents were descendants of Taha Aki. Plus, even though there's no information about Sam's mother's background, it's also possible that, like her husband, she is also a descendant of Taha Aki. This is in contrast to Paul and Rachel, even though the latter was Ephraim Black's great-granddaughter, as despite the fact that both were also descended from Taha Aki since we must remember he had large broods of children with three different women over two centuries of living, and while only two of his sons, Yaha Uta and Taha Wi, were named, he had plenty of others who would have been sired over the course of his life, and who themselves would have had plenty of children each, likely with different wives respectively. While they never encountered and imprinted with a female Loup-Garou of another species and had offspring with them (unlike the French and German-originated packs in Blood and Chocolate), human genomes are incredibly elastic and all these women could pass down the newly emerged Wolf genes. But still, Sam and Leah's overly entwined biological relation would have been too much as, recently emerged as their species were, their species' genes were racing to keep pace with the demands of evolution.

But this also supports my theory since Leah and Jacob both discussed evolution and procreation in Breaking Dawn as being Sam's own logic for why Wolves imprint, due to the differences between their generation and their great-grandfathers'. So while the Quileute Wolves are running fast down the road of evolution to catch up, especially considering that the previous two generations never even phased, then by Meyer's own logic it's because of that, and the same reasons why vampire venom (which transmits the gene) is always lethal for them, that it's equally illogical for Renesmee (sired by the sperm that mutated or evolved to survive in Edward's venom and absorbed vampiric traits) to be Jacob's mate since she cannot ever become the mother of his offspring and pass down the Wolf gene nor merge any vampire traits with Wolf ones. Plus, neither she nor Jacob are biologically related to Alexander Corvinus, even if he existed in the original Twilight canon, nor any other progenitor of that kind. Neither can Renesmee absorb the Corvinus strain in any form, or its Twilight equivalent if it exists, by any means. This is because, again according to what we know in Meyer's own canon, Dhampyr sired by Twilight's vampires could have only inherited their mother's blood alone, since their fathers do not possess any, despite Dhampyr inheriting the latter's transformed/mutated gene which partially freezes them, and neither Bella nor Jacob are Corvinus (or any possible Twilight counterpart's) descendants. Jacob cannot simply inject himself with the Corvinus strain either, unlike Lucian, as his species does not have any relation to Alexander nor his son William, the first infectious werewolf. Nor even Lucian, the progenitor of the first species of Lycanthrope werewolves capable of reverting back to and mostly staying in human form. Both Markus and William's versions of the strain will kill Jacob or another Loup-Garou stupid enough to try it by destroying their DNA, killing them from the inside. Alexander's pure version and his third son's untainted but dormant form of the strain may mutate Jacob, but it still wouldn't work if he wishes to have children with Renesmee as the gene she'd inherited from Edward would still be too far-evolved from all members of the Corvinus clan to merge with or even be mildly affected by any forms of the strain (or its Twilight canon equivalent) enough, especially more so since she's partially frozen or will be. So, no 'tribrid' or 'tri-blood hybrid' Black/Cullen babies.

In this fic, the vampires of Underworld are able to reproduce because they are less evolved and a far older species than those of Twilight or the Vampire Diaries. The further away the original progenitors, like Alexander, Markus and Lady Laima, are from the creators or even the biological parents (if pure-born) of the prospective vampire or werewolf hybrid's parents or creators (of all species and kinds), the less possible it will be for anyone who is even part-vampire or part-werewolf to create hybrids with each other, by any means. It takes nothing short of closest form of the Corvinus strain to Alexander himself (or close enough in Sonja's case, as her mother was likely also transformed by either Viktor or Markus). The vampires of Twilight had evolved to reproduce solely by infection (unless for Dhampyr), otherwise, their venom would have had the same results as that of the vampires of Underworld: a human bitten is more likely to die from the virus than to become an immortal. In Twilight, if a vampire bites you but can resist the urge to drain you dry, then you will certainly become a vampire, although it's incredibly difficult for them, even for an experienced vampire like Carlisle as Edward noted; which was why he used a needle and syringe to transform Bella, his singer, since it was even harder for him the first time he tasted her blood. Underworld vampires are noted as being tempted, despite even having the best of intentions, especially since it is against coven law to feed on a human or even turn them without permission, but they can resist far more easily. This is all due to nature's way of keeping their population under control, the same reason why pure-born vampires, for the canon species who are capable of breeding, are rare. The rest of the world, supernatural or mundane, doesn't need too many super-powered vampires, especially pure-born ones, regardless whether or not they carry the Corvinus strain.

But by all logic, it should be impossible to survive a bite from even a Twilight vampire and a Lycanthrope (from any species) at the same time, even if they can both resist the urge not to kill the human: like with vampire and Loup-Garou DNA, both viruses would battle each other for dominance and the effects would be too much, too harmful and all-at-once; so rather than healing any injuries, both would kill the human, even if either creator also had human traits. And all this is because both nature and magic would not allow an overturn in the balance of power so easily. It's the same reason as to why if a witch or wizard from Harry Potter turned into a vampire, even if they were transformed directly by one of the progenitors, they would find their powers terribly limited as compared to what they are used to. Even if they seemingly acquired new powers upon transformation, that will merely be the result of the vampire gene making it easier to access their own seemingly untapped and undiscovered potential from before. Otherwise, if they appear to have acquired new powers which no witch or wizard are supposed to have, like the legendary vampire powers in traditional folklore and Gothic literature, which is possible due to Lady Laima's genes here, that will be because the Laws of Balance (which Gabrielle had published) when applied to evolution, demanded that they be compensated for the range of possibilities (including once-possible potential abilities that may develop) that they've lost upon surrendering their humanity. The Corvinus clan, as Alexander himself said in Underworld Evolution, are 'oddities of nature', even with magic like Lady Laima in this story. Magic may seemingly bend the laws of nature, but even magic cannot break them, and it has its own laws.