The morning of New Year's Eve, I woke up in a cold sweat and acid threatening to burn my throat. Leaping from the bed, I rushed to the bathroom and bent over the toilet, silently grateful I slept with my hair in a bun last night. As the contents of my stomach emptied into the porcelain bowl, I could hear Jacob getting out of my bed to check on me.

"I'm okay!" I called out before he even took a step out of the bedroom. "It's just morning sickness."

"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?" Jacob chuckled lightly from the open doorway as I flushed the toilet, washing my hands before reaching for my toothbrush.

"Yes please," I responded meekly. He closed the space between us easily in two strides, kissing my forehead before heading towards the kitchen.

I sighed as soon as he disappeared from sight, resting my head against the cool mirror. Another nightmare had woken me up in a panic, the fifth one in the last week. This time, I lost everyone at the hands of the Volturi: the Cullens, Jacob, our baby, the packs, Mom, Chloe, even Charlie...

I was all alone, crying and mourning the life I lost.

I knew Jacob knew about the nightmares, even when I didn't want to talk about them. He never forced me to talk either, which I was thankful for; instead, he would make me a cup of tea and make plans to do something to get my mind off the haunting images.

Today, though, was not an option for fun plans and distractions.

The house was eerily quiet as Jacob and I went about our business; Mom had left two days ago with the Marshalls, Sue, and Charlie on a five-day fishing/camping trip Bella and Edward conveniently gifted them on Christmas. It was the only way Bella could ensure her father's safety, and the only way I could convince Mom to leave me behind.

While I was grateful she was out of harm's way, I missed her terribly. The last time I spent more than 48 hours away from her was during a school field trip to an outdoor survival camp when I was 11. That had been fun, but I spent the next full week doing whatever I could to be with Mom - like I was making up lost time.

I smiled briefly at the memory as I pulled my hair into a ponytail, smoothing down any flyaways. A light knock on the doorframe of the bathroom informed me of Jacob's presence and I slowly turned away from the mirror to meet his soft gaze.

"It's time to go," he said quietly.

"I know." I sighed before heading back into my room to grab the backpacks Bella insisted I put in the car beforehand, just in case. "Ready whenever you are."

On the drive over to the Cullens' house, Jacob reached over and squeezed my thigh gently, one hand still on the steering wheel. I clasped my hand over his, a silent understanding passing between us.

"It's going to be okay, Leaf." He finally spoke when we reached the driveway. "We're here for you... you can lean on us."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Aunt Autumn!" Renesmee's tiny voice floated through the air from the porch as Jacob shifted the car into park. Her smile was bright and contagious, and I couldn't help but grin back at my favorite hybrid.

"Whoa, Ness! What are your parents feeding you, magic beans?" I teased with a light joke; 'Jack and the Beanstalk' was one of the children's books Chloe had in Casey's diaper bag to read to her last week when we all hung out, and Renesmee took a liking to the story.

"You're so funny, Autumn." Bella called out amusingly from the doorway, her eyes on Renesmee briefly before shifting to me.

"Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week." I responded playfully, taking a little bow and causing Renesmee to giggle. "Alright, sunshine, tell me. What's new?"

"Daddy taught me how to play Mom's song on the piano!"

"Oh really?" I shot her an impressed look. "You'll have to show me soon. What else?"

"Um... Uncle Emmett helped me build a fort near the cottage. It's closer to the river and has a little meadow of flowers on one side, like a garden."

"Very cool, Ness." Jacob gave her a thumbs up before kissing the top of her head in greeting. "Aunt Autumn and I are going to go check in with Mom and Dad, okay? Why don't you go find Aunt Rose and have her get you a snack?"

"Okay!"

Renesmee took off for the kitchen while Bella and I shared a weak smile. Jacob sighed as he watched her disappear, turning around as Edward came around the side of the house with Seth and Leah.

"Good, you're here." Edward said wearily. "I was just telling Sam and the others we were heading out soon."

"Chloe's at Emily's with Casey," Leah added, turning to me. "She told me to tell you she loves you and to take it easy."

"Yeah, that sounds like Chloe," I chuckled. "So, everyone knows the game plan then? We're all on the same page?"

"Yes." Edward nodded. "Hopefully things go as smoothly as possible."

Murmurs of agreement resonated, followed by a shift in the air as Carlisle joined us on the front porch. He shared a slight grimace with Edward before he spoke.

"It's time."

The walk to the meadow a few miles away from the Cullens' was a quiet one, with each vampire lost in thought about the upcoming battle. I could feel the anxiety and tension among the group, and knew Jasper would be feeling overwhelmed with all the emotions if he was with us. The pained look at Bella's face was a clear indication that she was thinking the same thing: it didn't feel right without Alice and Jasper.

When we reached the clearing, Carlisle shifted to the front of the group, as if he was the Alpha; in a way, he was - not just to the Cullens, but this entire group of vampires that looked up to him in admiration and respect. That thought made me smile to myself before a soft hiss came from Edward, drawing my attention back to the present.

Several yards away from us, the Volturi broke through the tree line on the other side of the meadow; murmurs rose around me as we took in the sight of them.

They easily had three times the number of people with them compared to us.

"Of course, they brought the entire guard," Garrett muttered. "They wanted witnesses for this... to witness the end of all of us."

"Not happening," Bella growled, her eyes locking on Jane, who smirked back at her with disdain.

Carlisle stepped forward about three strides, gesturing towards Aro.

"Aro, old friend. Let's discuss this as so. There's no need for a fight today."

"You dare to mock me, Carlisle?" Aro's voice carried over the wind. "You have gathered quite the group for exactly that."

"They are witnesses, just like you have brought."

"There's no reason to discuss things. We see the child!" His brother, Marcus, cried out in a mixture of panic and anger. Aro held up his hand to silence him, his gaze roaming over us.

He landed on me and a glimmer of surprise and recognition flashed across his face.

"Giulianna?"

"Her descendant, Autumn, actually." I spoke, taking half a step forward. Jacob growled ever so lightly as Aro started to walk towards me, causing him to stop and look between us curiously.

"It makes sense now," he murmured.

"Aro," Carlisle called his attention back. "You can see the child is not immortal like you were informed. You can hear her heart beating, see the color in her cheeks. Smell her blood... she is half-vampire, half mortal!"

"How is that possible?" Caius asked half-heartedly; based on what both Edward and Bella had told me about him from their return home from Italy months ago, Caius was more interested in the violent parts of "discussions". His attitude now confirmed that.

"She was conceived during Edward and Bella's honeymoon, carried by this newborn when she was still human!" Carlisle's voice rang out, so Aro's witnesses could hear him.

Soft gasps of shock and uncertainty broke out amongst the Volturi's guard, some members shifting their gazes to Aro and his brothers to gauge their reaction to Carlisle's statement.

"While I'd like to believe you, 'old friend', I want to hear the truth from someone a little more... central to the situation." Aro flashed a half-smirk. "Edward... as the child clings to your newborn mate."

Edward didn't say a word in acknowledgment; instead, he simply turned to kiss both Bella and Renesmee on their heads before walking to the vampire. Bella flinched slightly as Aro took Edward's hand, and I briefly wondered if it was a subconscious reaction to their last encounter with Aro in Italy.

"Oh my..." Aro's voice broke through my thoughts. "I'd love to meet her."

A chill ran down my spine as Edward nodded to Bella, who stole a glance at Jacob before the three of them took a couple of steps forward. Bella paused about three feet away and looked over her shoulder to Emmett, who merely grinned wickedly and joined the ranks. Steadying my breath, I watched my best friend carefully so I wouldn't miss her shield pushing outwards.

Once the four of them reached Aro and Edward, the rest of us instinctively moved forward, closing the gap by two feet. Aro's eyes briefly flickered to us before landing on Renesmee, the true hold of his attention.

Renesmee silently reached a hand out to Aro's face and we watched warily as he "listened" to her mind. Two minutes passed before a childlike giggle escaped his lips, the sound similar to nails on a chalkboard.

"They're telling the truth!" He cried out in amusement. "Half mortal, half immortal!"

"Impossible!" Marcus exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Do you think they have tricked me, brother?!" Aro bickered back; Edward quietly placed his hand on Bella's back and escorted his little family back to us, both Emmett and Jacob walking backward on alert.

"Bring forward the informant!" Caius motioned to a couple of men behind them. Irina was escorted forward, her eyes shifting to her sisters guiltily. "Is this the same child you claimed the Cullens made immortal?"

"I... I'm not sure." Irina admitted sheepishly. "She seems bigger than the child I saw."

"So there is no crime here to report?"

The silent threat behind Caius's words was heavily implied; even Irina knew it because she glanced back at Kate and Tanya to mouth "I'm sorry" before squaring back her shoulders.

"No, the Cullens did not commit a crime, and I take full responsibility for my misinformation."

"No!" Kate and Tanya both screamed in horror as Caius took three steps to Irina and snapped her neck, swiftly dismembering her head from the body. Marcus beamed evilly as he held a torch to the body, his gaze taunting the two sisters.

"Stop them!" Edward yelled, running over to Kate as Garrett wrapped his arms around her waist and held on tightly. Carlisle and Emmett had tag-teamed Tanya before she got too far, and Edward nodded to the Amazonians, who took away their sight.

"Listen to me," Edward urged to Kate. "They want you to react so they can destroy you, too. Irina wouldn't want that!"

His words seemed to calm them down because they both stopped struggling instantly. Bella and I shared a glance before our gazes snapped to Jane, who had her lips twisted into a smile.

"Pain," she simply said, her head tilting to one side. Immediately, Edward buckled to his knees, grimacing as Jane's mind tricks invaded. Bella growled under her breath and focused her energy to shield her husband, and I began muttering one of the protection spells I found in Giulianna's journals. As the shield held over him, Edward slowly got to his feet and walked back to Bella, who stared Jane down.

The half smirk Bella shot her way was more than enough to unhinge her and Jane absentmindedly stepped forward, only to be stopped by Aro's outstretched arm.

"Interesting." He studied our group for a couple of beats. "While the child is half-vampire, there is still so much unknown here. We cannot say for certain that she poses no threat to our kind, to our very existence!"

Another round of murmurs followed Aro's words, an uneasy charge of tension in the air. Until a voice broke from the tree line to the right of the Volturi, causing every head to snap in that direction.

"She's not a threat."

"Alice." Edward breathed in relief.

"Alice!" Aro echoed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of an unclaimed prize.

Alice and Jasper made their way towards Aro, joined by two newcomers who appeared physically the same as the Amazonians standing behind us. They walked with purpose and as they drew closer to the Volturi, Alice slipped off one of her long gloves and held her hand out to Aro when two guards seized her and Jasper.

"Let me show you."

Aro eagerly waved the men off, gently placing his hands over hers. His eyes glazed over as he read her thoughts, only letting go to look over the unknown vampires beside them.

"What is your name?" Aro asked curiously.

"My name is Nahuel, and this is my aunt." The man replied. "I am half-vampire, half-human, conceived by my mother in the jungle. She didn't make it past childbirth... my aunt took me in, and I turned her into a vampire after our village had gotten sick"

"What do you eat?" Caius spoke.

"Mostly human food and animal blood, although I can survive on either."

"How old did you mature?" Bella interrupted, causing the man to look at her.

"I was fully mature at seven years old. Stopped aging since." He smiled sadly at her in response.

"See? No threat." Alice turned back to Aro, subtly placing her hand back into his. "Unless you want to keep going down the path you're heading towards..."

I felt a tiny nudge in the back of my mind and immediately let Edward in as he shared what Alice was showing Aro. Muttering a projection spell, I slid my hand into Bella's and used part of her shield to allow the rest of the group to see Alice's vision.

At Bella's instructions, Jacob left with Renesmee right as Alice roundhouse kicked Aro just under the chin, letting him fly a few feet backward. Once he landed on his feet, he motioned for her to be taken away. Carlisle yelled for Aro to let Alice go and took off to rescue his daughter; Aro anticipated Carlisle's jump and intercepted him, beheading his "old friend" in the process. As the Cullens looked on in horror, Aro grinned evilly, no sign of remorse in his expression.

Dazed at the sight of losing his father, Edward slowly took a few steps forward before breaking out into a run, the rest of the group right behind him. The Volturi charged at the same time, and bodies collided with each other like boulders in a landslide.

Autumn stayed a few feet away from the battle, helping out her friends as she called upon the elements to take out the enemies. Bella projected her shield out to Jasper who was fighting one of the guards, much to Jane's dismay, and her brother Alec charged at Bella, breaking the connection long enough for the two to behead Jasper under an excruciating amount of pain. Alice let out a bloodcurdling scream and as Aro watched in horror, promptly flipped her body out of the guards' grasp and ripped their arms off.

As the battle continued, more and more of the Volturi fell, while the Cullens and their friends seemed to stand tall. The wolves made light work of the vampires they were fighting, often tag-teaming on one or helping out a vampire ally. In the chaos, Jane had found her next victim: Seth. Inflicting mental pain on the young wolf, she smirked as one of the Volturi crushed his body and threw him to the ground. Both Autumn and Leah watched in horror as the light went out in his eyes, and together they released an agonizing scream-howl that was loud enough to reach Jacob's ears in the forest without the help of the pack's mental link.

Benjamin, the elemental vampire on the Cullens' side, took a look around and could tell in the moment that they were losing; he let out a grunt and punched the earth, splitting it down the middle of the battlefield. Members of the Volturi lost their footing as the ground crumbled beneath them, falling to their death in the lava river below. One of the vampires had Esme in a body hold as the ground started to crumble, trying to pull her down with him; Leah growled and launched herself across the crack, plummeting to the bottom with the enemy while Esme pulled herself back to the surface.

One by one, the Volturi grew smaller as the brothers stood off to the side; it was only when Alice had thrown Jane to Sam and he beheaded Aro's favorite right in front of them, that the brothers got involved with the battle.

Marcus was the first to die, quickly taken out by Kate and Tanya with the help of Garrett; the sisters had gotten their vengeance for Irina. Next was Caius, who welcomed his death peacefully as the Romanians ripped his body to shreds from opposite sides.

Aro was left, and his sights were set on Edward and Bella. As the three engaged in battle, Edward and Bella worked together, knowing full well it could end badly for them both. Grabbing Bella's ankle with one hand and the back of her shirt with another, Edward lifted his wife in the air and spun around, allowing Bella to kick Aro in the chest. Aro had flipped Bella over the second time she tried to charge at him, and went for Edward's throat, trying to behead him at the same time Edward grabbed Aro's face and pushed backward. Bella jumped on his back, causing him to release Edward in shock and as Edward broke a couple of bones first in his leg, Autumn prepared a fireball with her fingers. The second Edward ripped off Aro's head, Autumn lit one of the torches for Bella, who held it out to burn Aro's head.

Aro pulled his hand away from Alice and blinked a few times in horror at the vision. She smirked knowingly as the Volturi shifted uneasily, waiting for Aro's decision.

"Friends, there will be no fight today." He said after a few moments of stunned silence. "Let us return home."

In the blink of an eye, the Volturi had disappeared into the tree line; the atmosphere was strangely silent, almost as if we were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"It's over?" Someone breathed behind me.

"It's over," Carlisle confirmed, pulling Esme in for a hug. "We won!"

Cheers erupted around us as everyone hugged each other and a few cried tears of relief. The Denali clan embraced each other off to the side as they mourned the loss of their sister, but flashed weak smiles at their friends who gave their condolences.

"I get to stay with you forever?" Renesmee asked Bella as the little family embraced in a tight hug.

"Yes, forever." Bella replied with a smile, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"Let's go home." Carlisle directed at the Cullens, nodding to his friends. "You all are welcome to stay a while longer, but if you wish to go home now, thank you for being here. My family and I are grateful for each and every one of you."

"Here, here!" Garrett echoed playfully, earning a few chuckles as he grinned.

The vampires dispersed, some heading towards the Cullens' house while others bid farewell and left. A yawn managed to escape my lips before I could stop it and Jacob dipped his head, letting out a soft whine.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go home too." I smiled at him warmly and he nudged my shoulder before following the wolves into the woods, the rest of us trailing behind as we felt our spirits lift at the victory we got today.