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

Our family and our two remaining guests sat in the Cullens' great room while the forest turned black outside the tall windows.

Vladimir and Stefan had vanished before we'd stopped celebrating. They were extremely disappointed in the way things had turned out, but Edward said that they'd enjoyed the Volturi's cowardice almost enough to make up for their frustration.

Benjamin and Tia were quick to follow after Amun and Kebi, anxious to let them know the outcome of the conflict; I was sure we would see them again - Benjamin and Tia, at least. None of the nomads lingered. Peter and Charlotte had a short conversation with Jasper, and then they were gone, too.

The reunited Amazons had been anxious to return home as well - they had a difficult time being away from their beloved rain forest - though they were more reluctant to leave than some of the others.

"You must bring the children to see me," Zafrina had insisted. "Promise me, young one."

Demetri look at me and Rose with pleading eyes. We were so happy that we couldn't help but to smile. "I've always wanted to see the Amazon; I don't think books do it justice and we have all the time now"

"We shall be great friends, my Demetrius," the wild woman had declared before leaving with her sisters.

The Irish coven continued the exodus.

"Well done, Siobhan," Carlisle complimented her as they said goodbye.

"Ah, the power of wishful thinking," she answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. And then she was serious. "Of course, this isn't over. The Volturi won't forgive what happened here."

Edward was the one to answer that. "They've been seriously shaken; their confidence is shattered. But, yes, I'm sure they'll recover from the blow someday. And then . . ." His eyes tightened. "I imagine they'll try to pick us off separately."

"Alice will warn us when they intend to strike," Siobhan said in a sure voice. "And we'll gather again. Perhaps the time will come when our world is ready to be free of the Volturi altogether."

"That time may come," Carlisle replied. "If it does, we'll stand together."

"Yes, my friend, we will," Siobhan agreed. "And how can we fail, when I will it otherwise?" She let out a great deal of laughter.

"Exactly," Carlisle said. He and Siobhan embraced, and then he shook Liam's hand. "Try to find Alistair and tell him what happened. I'd hate to think of him hiding under a rock for the next decade."

Siobhan laughed again. Maggie hugged both Demetri and Nessie and then the Irish coven was gone.

The Denali's were the last to leave, Garrett with them - as he would be from now on, I was fairly sure. The atmosphere of celebration was too much for Tanya and Kate. They needed time to grieve for their lost sister.

Huilen and Nahuel were the ones who stayed, though I had expected those last two to go back with the Amazons. Carlisle was deep in fascinated conversation with Huilen; Nahuel sat close beside her, listening while Edward told the rest of us the story of the conflict as only he knew it.

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

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

He smiled at me with a look I didn't entirely recognize - it was tender, but also awed and even exasperated. "When will you ever see yourself clearly?" he said softly. Then he spoke louder, to the others as well as to me. "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 slaughtering. 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. Then, Alex and the packs that stood so tightly wound with her. He had never met a Amarok before, and to see one so close, one who has killed both vampires and werewolves, well he was scared. I'm sure our numbers would have been minimized, we'd lose some, but they were sure that theirs would be, too. There was a good, a great possibility that they would lose. They've never dealt with that possibility before. They didn't deal with it well today"

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

I flashed a grin that the pack smiled.

"It was the wolves that stopped them in the first place," Bella said.

"Sure was," Seth 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. Twenty-one 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. When Aro discovered she killed one, or multiple it put the fear of life in them. If she could do that to something that even experienced vampires have difficult chances."

"So, there are real werewolves?" Bella asked. "With the full moon and silver bullets and all that? I thought you were messing with me"

"Full moon, yes," I said. "Silver bullets, no - that was just another one of those myths to make humans feel like they had a sporting chance."

"there were three of them with Victoria" Leah added.

"we train to fight them" Hector replied "part of our ancient rituals, Alex killed the last one in our valley"

Rosalie leaned further into my arms; Demetri was passed out in her lap after a long day. I watched the others happily, my family. I kissed Rosalie's forehead. Then it really occurred to me, we were okay. We were alive.

"now we just have a wedding to plan" I heard Alice say jubilant.

The others looked at me. My eyes widened.

"oh, I do love a good wedding" Cassia spoke up "a time to bring families together"

"I thought Nestor and Leah did that already" Seth teased. Earning a laugh from everyone.

"just be careful, you have the ability to create many like the little one" Aegeus laughed earning a smack from his mate. I looked at Rose a love-struck smile on my face.

"I'm ready for forever, for whatever you want till the end of time"

A/N: And that is all she wrote.