Darling Nikki ↠ Charlie Swan

chapter eight

chapter eight | the happily ever after part i

"Dear ones," Aro called. "We do not fight today." He said.

The guard nodded in unison and straightened out of their ready positions. The mist dissipated swiftly, but Bella held her shield in place.

Maybe this was another trick.

I analyzed their expressions as Aro turned back to us. His face was as benign as ever, but unlike before, I sensed a strange blankness behind the façade.

As if his scheming was over. Caius was clearly incensed, but his rage was turned inward now; he was resigned.

Marcus looked... bored; there really was no other word for it. The guard was impassive and disciplined again; there were no individuals among them, just the whole.

They were in formation, ready to depart. The Volturi witnesses were still wary; one after another, they departed, scattering into the woods.

As their numbers dwindled, the remaining sped up. Soon they were all gone.

Aro held his hands out to us, almost apologetic. Behind him, the larger part of the guard, along with Caius, Marcus, and the silent, mysterious wives, were already drifting quickly away, their formation precise once again.

Only the three that seemed to be his personal guardians lingered with him.

"I'm so glad this could be resolved without violence," Aro said sweetly. "My friend, Carlisle—how pleased I am to call you friend again! I hope there are no hard feelings. I know you understand the strict burden that our duty places on our shoulders." He said.

"Leave in peace, Aro," Carlisle said stiffly. "Please remember that we still have our anonymity to protect here, and keep your guard from hunting in this region." He added.

"Of course, Carlisle," Aro assured him. "I am sorry to earn your disapproval, my dear friend. Perhaps, in time, you will forgive me." He said.

"Perhaps, in time, if you prove a friend to us again." Carlisle said.

Aro bowed his head, the picture of remorse, and drifted backward for a moment and looked at me.

"Darling Nikki, I hope we can find peace after our sad history together." He said before he turned around.

"Not happening." I muttered.

We watched in silence as the last four Volturi disappeared into the trees.

It was very quiet. Bella did not drop her shield. "Is it really over?" Bella whispered to Edward.

His smile was huge. "Yes. They've given up. Like all bullies, they're cowards underneath the swagger." He chuckled.

Alice laughed with him. "Seriously, people. They're not coming back. Everybody can relax now." Alice said.

There was another beat of silence.

"Of all the rotten luck," Stefan muttered.

And then it hit.

Cheers erupted.

Deafening howls filled the clearing. Maggie pounded Siobhan on the back. Rosalie and Emmett kissed again—longer and more ardently than before.

Benjamin and Tia were locked in each other's arms, as were Carmen and Eleazar. Esme held Alice and Jasper in a tight embrace.

Carlisle was warmly thanking the South American newcomers who had saved us all. Kachiri stood very close to Zafrina and Senna, their fingertips interlocked.

Garrett picked Kate up off the ground and swung her around in a circle.

Stefan spit on the snow. Vladimir ground his teeth together with a sour expression.

Edward looked at me.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Edward asked.

"Tell us what?" Bella asked.

"Nikki is the Queen of the Nymphs." Edward answered.

"Can't be a Queen when your kind is nearly extinct. So, there's no reason to mention it." Nikki said.

"Is that why Aro did not fight?" Esme asked.

"So it was a combination of things there at the end, but what it really boiled down to was... Nikki and Bella," Edward was explaining.

"Coward." I muttered.

"Alice gave Aro the excuse he needed to get out of the fight. If he hadn't been so terrified of Nikki and Bella, he probably would have gone ahead with their original plan." He said.

"Terrified?" Bella said skeptically. "Of me?" She asked.

"When will you ever see yourself clearly, Bella?" he said softly. Then he spoke louder. "The Volturi haven't fought a fair fight in about twenty-five hundred years. And they've never, never fought one where they were at a disadvantage. Especially since they gained Jane and Alec, they've only been involved with unopposed slaughterings." He said.

"You should have seen how we looked to them! Usually, Alec cuts off all sense and feeling from their victims while they go through the charade of a counsel. That way, no one can run when the verdict is given. But there we stood, ready, waiting, outnumbering them, with gifts of our own while their gifts were rendered useless by Bella. Aro knew that with Zafrina on our side, they would be the blind ones when the battle commenced. And from Aro's memories, Nikki would have destroyed them without moving an inch. I'm sure our numbers would have been pretty severely decimated, but they were sure that theirs would be, too. There was even a good possibility that they would lose. They've never dealt with that possibility before. They didn't deal with it well today." He said.

"Hard to feel confident when you're surrounded by horse-sized wolves," Emmett laughed, poking Jacob's arm.

Jacob flashed a grin at him.

"It was the wolves that stopped them in the first place," I said. "Sure was," Jacob agreed.

"Absolutely," Edward agreed. "That was another sight they've never seen. The true Children of the Moon rarely move in packs, and they are never much in control of themselves. Sixteen enormous regimented wolves was a surprise they weren't prepared for. Caius is actually terrified of werewolves. He almost lost a fight with one a few thousand years ago and never got over it." He added.

I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, I hate to stop all this long explanation but my water broke." I said.

Sam rushed over to me with Embry right behind him.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Sam asked while Embry placed a hand on my stomach.

"Take me to a nearby large body of water." I replied instead of answering Sam's question. "And someone call Charlie and let him know what's going on." I added.

"We should take you to the house." Rosalie said.

"No! I have to have my baby in the water for healing purposes." I said as I breathed deeply through the contraction, my head dropping onto Sam's shoulder.

"Paul gather pack and let's get Nikki to the stream."
Sam said.

"Why don't you all come to the stream and witness a magical birth." I said.