CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
LONG TIME COMING

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"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I show you," Alice snapped, wrenching her hand from Aro's grasp and quickly backing away from him. "Even when you see, you won't change your decision." He was staring down at her in surprise, unsure what to say as she spun around and met Bella's gaze, mouthing, "Now."

Bella turned to look at Renesmee one last time, the young girl's eyes blown wide with fear from where she was sitting on Jacob's back, "Take care of my daughter, Jake."

Jacob gave a whine of approval, before sprinting right through the crowd of witnesses and disappearing into the woods, leaving shock and chaos in his wake. "Get them," Aro snarled, only he was interrupted by Alice swinging her foot into his face, sending him soaring through the air and plummeting into the snow.

What happened next was a blur. Verona and the others watched on in horror as Alice was grabbed by two angry guards, Aro ordering them to take her away as she struggled against their hold. 

"No," Verona cried out, her protests mixing with Carlisle's own shouts as he raced towards them, ready to defend his daughter. He defeated every guard that stepped in his way, launching in the air as he neared Alice's thrashing figure, only to be stopped by Aro as the leader in question grabbed hold of Carlisle's neck, forcing him to the ground and ripping his head from his body.

Everyone gave a scream as they took in the sight before them. Aro was holding Carlisle's head in his hands, a deranged smile forming on his face as he relished in their pain. Caius stepped up next to him and lit Carlisle's body on fire, head thrown back in a laugh that sent shivers down their spines. Verona was one of the many to let out a cry, hysteric sobs shaking her frame as tears burned behind her eyes. Carlisle was her father, someone she could always count on to be there when she needed him. She loved him, so much so that it felt like her heart had been ripped in two. Which was why she didn't hesitate to launch across the clearing, the others hot on her heels as battle cries filled the air. They might not have come to this confrontation with war on their minds, but Carlisle was loved by each and every one of them; as a friend, a father, a lover. They weren't going to stand by and let his death go unpunished.

Aro took on the challenge with ease, raising his hands in a gesture for his witnesses to meet them head-to-head. They collided in a blur of colour, throwing punches and kicks wherever they could. Verona latched onto the first witness she laid eyes on, a pale-skinned man with a mane of red hair that matched his eyes. She didn't hesitate to tackle him to the ground, ripping his head from his body with a snarl. Then she moved onto the next witness, and the next. Anyone who was willing to fight against her, each on the ground in a mess of limbs under the pressure of her rage. 

She could see her family in the chaos around her, fighting with the same blind anger and passion for revenge. She caught sight of Carlisle's burning frame and gave a shout of fury, grabbing hold of another witness and ripping his arms from his body as Rosalie beheaded him. From there, the two sisters fought side-by-side, more and more bodies collapsing at their feet. Verona was just defeating another witness when she spotted Alec tackling Bella, preventing Verona's sister from shielding Jasper, who was fighting Demetri under Jane's vindictive gaze. 

"Alec, no!" Verona screamed, catching his attention. He looked up from where he had Bella pinned, his clenched fist hesitating at the sight of her.

Next to them, Jane's powers had brought Jasper to his knees, his cries of agony combining with Alice's sobs as she watched Demetri decapitate her husband. In that moment, another piece of Verona slowly died; she gave another heartbroken sob at the sight of her brother dead on the floor, Demetri laughing as he rose to his feet. She gave a shriek, running straight for him, only to be blocked by Jane, who wore the same proud look in her eyes as she stared down at Jasper. It was her power that stopped Jasper in his tracks, she was the one that brought him to his knees and allowed Demetri to finish him off. Verona didn't care if Jane was Alec's sister, she wanted her dead. 

With a hiss, she latched onto the blonde's throat, both girls clawing at each other without remorse. She could hear Alec shouting her name, but she paid him no attention as she brought Jane to her knees, fingers twisted around the blonde's neck.

"Verona!" It was the intensity in Alec's voice that distracted her, the cry for help.

Emmett had the boy in question in a choke-hold, hesitating only for an instant before he began to rip the boy's head from his shoulders. Verona's heart panged, and in her own moment of hesitation, Jane overpowered her, swinging her body over her shoulder and forcing her to the ground. Verona gasped and spluttered for air, darkness forming at the edges of her vision as Jane loomed over her, reaching for her head. There was pain, so much pain as her skin was torn apart, the stone cracking and crumbling under Jane's touch.

But then there was nothing, only darkness as Verona Hale ended up another body in their growing body count. The fight continued to unravel as Verona laid next to Alec, the two star-crossed lovers who failed to survive their all-out war. 

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ARO LET OUT A gasp as he released Alice's hand, staggering away from her in horror. He met Bella's gaze from across the clearing, staring at her in pure fear, the first genuine emotion that Verona had ever seen him wear. 

"Now you know," Alice sneered. Whatever she'd shown him hadn't been good, but it had been enough to get him to stop for a second, to realise that his course of action would not end well for either side. "That's your future, unless you decide on another course."

"We can not alter our course," Caius scoffed at her. "The child still poses a grave threat."

"But what if you were sure she could remain concealed from the human world?" Edward asked, hope shining in his eyes for the first time that morning. "Could we leave in peace?"

"Of course, but that can not be known," Caius snapped as Alice turned away from them. 

"Actually, it can," Edward said, sharing a knowing smile with his psychic sister.

Two more figures emerged from the woods, moving to join Alice between the two groups. One was a woman with bright red eyes and tanned skin, her sharp features creating a creature of intimidation. The other was a man who shared Renesmee's heartbeat, his features matching the woman by his side. 

"I've been searching for witnesses of my own," Alice announced once they'd come to a stop beside her. "Among the Tacuna tribes of Brazil-"

"We have enough witnesses," Caius interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

"Let them speak, brother," Aro insisted, interested in hearing what Alice had to say.

"I am half-human, half-vampire like the child," the man declared, glancing between the three leaders nervously. "A vampire seduced my mother, who died giving birth to me. My aunt, Huilen, raised me as her own. I made her immortal."

"How old are you?" Bella asked, sharing an eager look with Edward. They wanted to know how much time they'd have with their daughter, their beautiful Renesmee who grew more and more with each passing day. 

"A hundred and fifty years."

"At what age did you reach maturity?" Aro added with his eyes narrowed curiously. 

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

"And your diet?"

"Blood. Human food. I can survive on either."

"These children are much like us," Marcus declared, the first words he'd spoken the entire day.

"Regardless, the Cullens have been consulting with werewolves, our natural enemies," Caius hissed, looking for any reason to serve justice.

Aro stopped him with a shake of his head, releasing a heavy sigh as he turned back to where the Cullens were standing, waiting to hear his verdict. "Dear ones, there is no danger here. We won't be fighting today."

There was a collective sigh of relief from Verona and her family. The fight was over, they'd survived. Against all odds, they'd made it through the beginning of the end without a scrape. The weight of the world that previously sat upon Verona's shoulders began to fade away, and she allowed a smile to tug at her lips for the first time in a very long time. 

Caius stormed out of the clearing with a collection of his guards and witnesses hot on his heels, Alec included. He lingered behind the rest of them to share a look with Verona, but neither made a move to approach the other, so with reluctance, he turned away and followed after his coven again. Verona didn't allow herself to feel disappointed as she raced over to Alice and Jasper, forcing both of them into a tight hug.

"Don't you ever leave without warning me again!" she shouted, causing them to laugh and wrap their arms around her.

"We won't," Alice muttered, sharing a fond smile with her best friend. "I promise, Vee."

"We have them on the run, now is the time to attack!" Vladimir's furious cry caught their attention, and they turned to see the white-haired man looking to Carlisle for support. For Vladimir and Stefan, their confrontation with the Volturi was about seeking their own revenge. They were hungry for vengeance, and expected the rest of them to feel the same. 

But Carlisle simply shook his head, ignoring Vladimir's gasp of outrage as he said, "Not today."

"You're all fools!" Stefan screamed, the sound piercing through the excitement in the air as everyone celebrated their victory. "The Volturi might be gone, but they will never forgive what happened here!"

"I think we'll take our chances this time," Verona smirked.

With one last glare, the two Romanians sprinted away, taking the last of their anger with them. Once they were out of sight, everyone shared a gleeful laugh, eager to head back to the Cullen home, their spirits high and soaring. Verona was one of the last to leave, her arms looped around Alice's waist as the two made up for lost time. She didn't notice the figure that was slowly approaching them, his dark cloak out of place amongst their bright and happy group.

"Verona." Alec was standing before Verona in all his messy glory, nervously eyeing the others as they stopped and stared at him.

"Alec," she gasped, stepping away from Alice's side. She couldn't believe he was there, that he'd come back for her. She thought for sure he'd left, that he'd chosen his coven again, but clearly she'd gotten her wires crossed. "You stayed?"

From the corner of her eye, Verona saw Edward ushering everyone away, sparing her one last nod before he also disappeared, allowing them to have their privacy. Verona wanted to be angry at Alec, to lash out at him for not believing her, for hanging up on her when she told him she loved him. But she also missed him a lot, so she was unable to stop herself from launching forward and hugging him.

"Mi Amor, I think we have a lot to discuss first," he muttered in her ear, though his grip on her grew tighter, like he didn't want to let her go.

"Yes, we do," she agreed from where her face was pressed to his shoulder, eyes clenched shut as she relished in his touch. "But we have all the time in the world to fix things, don't we?"

She looked up at him with hope soaring through her veins, the smile that had been plastered across her face since Aro declared the fight to be over unwavering. There was nothing holding them back anymore, no warring covens or secrets to be kept. Just a lot of damage to repair, a whole lot of heartache and problems to dissect. But they had an eternity, and Verona could only hope that Alec wanted to at least try.

"We have forever."

At his words, Verona sunk back into his arms. The two star-crossed lovers of the Cullen and Volturi covens stood in each other's embrace, the thunderclouds rolling away as the sun began to shine, a new dawn peeking through the darkness. 

"Forever."