Family A Jasper Love Story

Chapter 40 Final Battle

As night came around we all gathered near where the battle would take place and had a giant fire. Bella and Renesme were in a tent off to the side. Most of us gathered around the fire and told war stories. Garrett claimed to be able to tell a story from any American battle. That meant he came on the first ship to this land. I thought that was interesting.

He told us he was so close to getting Custer but the Natives got him first. "Good for them," I said. White men had been a plague since they set foot on this land. They still hadn't figured out how to treat the land or others. But that also applied to every race. I had seen a lot of people mistreating each other in my time.

The Irish coven brought up the 11 years war, which they lost but it was one hell of a rebellion. I eventually tuned everyone out and just leaned into Jasper. I couldn't believe that just a few hours ago we had been married and now we were waiting for an army of angry vampires to descend upon us. Some things just never change. "So, what is this other form you change into should it come to a fight tomorrow?" Jasper asked holding me close.

"A dragon," I replied. It was my most powerful form. It wouldn't be long before I could take on my other forms. I leaned against Jasper and went to sleep, knowing I would need some energy for tomorrow.

In the morning we went to the same field we had been going to almost every year since I had joined this family. They weren't here yet. We got ourselves into position and waited. It wasn't long before a mass of black was coming through the fog and their footsteps were thunderous. As they got closer the wolves came down out of the trees behind us, howling. It caused the Volturi to pause.

Once they stopped walking Dad stepped forward a little to talk with Aro. I didn't like it. I wanted to shift, but then they would want me and surely a fight would start. "Aro, let us discuss things as we once did."

"Friendly words Carlisle, given the brutalian you've assembled against us." They exchanged a few more words, trying to reach some kind of agreement.

"She is not an immortal!" Dad raised his voice. Hear her heartbeat, the flush of blood in her cheeks."

"Artifice," Caius said dismissing it. Things led to Aro wanting to see her. Edward went first, Aro would be able to read everyone's mind by reading his mind. Next Bella, Jacob, Renesme, Emmet, and I went across the field to meet them.

Aro reached for her hand but she reached for his face. Renesme had her own way of showing people what she wanted them to see. That's why we had so many witnesses, she had won them over. Aro was stunned by what she had to show him. "Half mortal, half immortal. Conceived and carried by this newborn while she was still human."

"Impossible," Caius said.

"Do you think they fooled me, brother?" Aro asked. Jacob growled at him before walking away with the rest of us. I retook my spot next to Jasper.

 Edward suddenly fell to the ground in pain and Bella put her shield up around all of us. Jane couldn't hurt us. Alec started to send his fog toward us but was stopped.

"Aro you see there is no law broken here," Dad said.

"Agreed, but then does it follow that there is no danger."  Aro then went this rant about how humans could now hurt us with the technology they had now, how "only the known was safe, only the known is tolerable." He was going to try to go for war.

We had been talking to the Volturi and suddenly everyone stopped, I could smell her. Alice and Aiden had returned. I could hear Aro mutter her name across the field as she walked between us. She looked at Edward, clearly telling him something. "My dear, dear Alice we're so glad to see you here after all."

"I have evidence that the child won't be a threat to our kind," Alice said as she was stopped by the guard from reaching Aro. Aro looked interested. "Let me show you." I couldn't see what Alice was doing but I could guess she was reaching for his hand.

"Brother?" Caius asked. Aro motioned for her to come forward and she moved towards them as Aiden was restrained and slapped for nothing more than their entertainment.

They grasped hands and stared at each other, the tension in the air grew, I wished I could see what she was showing him. Edward could see it, I looked to him for some idea of what was going on. He was focused on Alice. I had no clue what was going on, but everything was at a standstill for several minutes.

Suddenly Aro pulled away from Alice and he seemed shocked. "Now you know...that is your future, unless you decide on a different course." Aro looked rather uncertain.

"We cannot alter our course the child still poses a grave threat," Caius said approaching Aro.

"But what if you were assured she could remain concealed from the human world? Could we leave in peace?" Edward asked.

"Of course but that can't be known," Caius said.

"Actually it can," I said. At that moment the hybrid and the vampire I had found Alice and Aiden talking to walked up behind us and came to stand in the middle of the two groups. Their dark skin was beautiful, long dark hair. The hybrid wore sandals and a loincloth but not much else. The vampire wore a dress and sandals.

"I've been searching for witnesses of my own, around the tutaca tribes of Brazil," Alice said.

"You have enough witnesses," Caius said. God, he was annoying. He must have been an only child growing up.

The male hybrid spoke, "I'm half-human, half-vampire; like the child. The vampire seduced my mother who died giving birth to me. My Aunt Berlin raised me as her own. I made her immortal."

"How old are you?" Bella asked walking forward.

He turned to face her, "A hundred and fifty years," he replied.

"At what age did you reach maturity?" Aro asked.

"I became full-grown seven after my birth. I have not changed since then."

"And your diet?" Aro asked.

"Blood, human food. I can survive on either," the hybrid replied.

"These children are much like us," Marcus said, speaking for the first time. He was the more rational.

"Regardless the Cullens have been consorting with werewolves, our natural enemy," Caius said. Always looking for a fight. Aro turned and placed his hand on his blonde brother's should before looking back at us.

Aro turned to face his group, "Dear ones, there is no danger here. We will not fight today." With that, they started to move away. Aro looked back only once, "Such a prize." I wasn't sure who he was talking about, Alice, Edward, Bella, or me.

"We have them on the run, now is the time to attack," Vlad said.

"At what cost Vlad? Too many of us would die and someone else would just take their place."

"Not today," dad said putting his hand on his shoulder.

"You're all fools, the Volturi might be gone, but they'll never forgive what happened here," Stefan said. We all went to our loved ones and families and the packs went back to their families. We had won. We were free to live without fear of what would happen to Renesme. Our lives would continue.

We went home, finally, we could live without fear. Jasper and I started hugging and kissing each other. "So about that honeymoon, where we going?" We hadn't decided that yet.

"Name any place you want to go and we'll go there," Jasper replied.

"I want to see the wilds of Africa," I said.

"Done," Jasper said.

A few more days passed and our friends all left to go home, to have their own lives. Alice told me that Renesme would be with Jacob, that she had a vision of it. Two weeks after the battle I found myself on a private plane to Africa. Unlike Bella I didn't need a house for shelter, I would be able to experience all of Africa. I couldn't wait.