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Anna leaned against the bookshelf in the room with Edward sitting on the couch, Emmett seated near him and Carlisle sat to the right of Edward on a separate couch. Garrett stood with Kate and Bella who were also in the room, and Marin standing by Declan with her arms crossed and a worried expression on her face. "Aro will want us incapacitated before he attacks. Jane and Alec will try and take me out first because I can anticipate their moves. They may even target Anna," Edward expressed, the blonde nodding in agreement with his words; they would be their main targets to eliminate.

"Too bad we don't all have your shield," Garrett said to Bella, Anna smirked at her sister before looking at Edward; since their shared conversation, she had allowed Edward access to her main thoughts but nothing more. "Doesn't help me fight, though," Bella said from where she stood near Garrett and Kate. "No, but you could help the rest of us if you could project it," Tanya voiced from where she stood near Eleazar, the blonde looking at Anna who nodded. "She's right. I can't project my shield but with the right push, you could," Anna explained to her older sister.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked Tanya and Anna. "We mean shield someone other than yourself," Tanya answered her. "Is that possible?" Bella asked Carlisle. "Gifts can be developed. Over time," Carlisle answered her with a slight nod. "At first, mine was just in my palms. Now I can radiate it all over my body," Kate explained to Bella. "How do you do it?" Bella asked Kate, taking her hand in her own a little too hard, "Tell me." Anna stood up and walked over, placing her hand over her sisters, "We'll all work together to teach you. It'll be efficient on the battlefield to have someone capable of shielding everyone from Jane or Alec's abilities."

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"You need to visualize it. See you how it moves, What color it is. Now picture it expanding. Will it go beyond you," Kate expressed after the group had moved outside into the clearing, Anna stood with Garrett to watch the scene. Bella tries to imagine what Kate is explaining but only manages to bring up her shield for a moment. "I think she needs something to motivate her," Kate encouraged prompting Edward to step forward from where he was standing previously. "No," Bella immediately denied. "It's all right, I can take it," Edward reassures her. "He says that now," Garrett muttered to Anna who was smirking, she may have fixed things with Edward but she was eager to see Kate electrocute him.

"Focus, Bella, or he's gonna be hurting," Emmett taunted as he nudged Anna, the two were grinning. Edward puts his hand up ready to touch Kate's hand despite Bella's worried eyes on him. "Edward, I'm not ready to do this yet," Bella told him but Kate touched Edward's hand, sending a painful electric shock through him. "I'm sorry. I said that I wasn't ready," Bella told her husband. "Dude, you're not motivating her," Emmett voiced. "You want to try?" Edward asked his brother, Emmett raised his hands up and backed off making Anna laugh. Bella tries to use her power and Kate touches Edward, sending another electric shock through his body making Edward scream in pain.

"Kate!" Bella shouted. "You seem to lack incentive. Shall I go see if Renesmee's awake?" Kate asked Bella causing her to glare. "Are you crazy?" Bella asked her but Anna knew it was the right move, Bella needed to learn how to project her shield otherwise Jane and Alec would overpower them all and they would die. "All right. Full power, Kate," Anna encouraged ignoring Bella's incredulous look, Kate nodded at the Heretic before raising her hand to touch Edward. Bella manages to bring up her shield and protect Edward from Kate's power when she makes contact with Edward's skin, Anna smiles with pride for her older sister.

"It's painful, but it's bearable," Edward said before Kate let go of Edward. "Okay, we should go again," Bella told them, she wanted to be able to do it right before they came face-to-face with the Volturi. "Emmett?" Edward asked his brother who immediately shook his head. "I'm good," Emmett replied while Anna rolled her eyes. "Bunch of cowards," Anna said before moving forward, she dropped her own shield and smirked. "Give me your all," Anna told Kate who smirked, Bella focused as Kate placed her hand on Anna's shoulder, the electricity shocked through her strongly for a moment before Bella's shield wiped the pain away completely.

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"What will you do about Demetri?" Anna asked Declan later that night, she had been helping Bella all day and now her sister was spending time with Edward and Renesmee as the others went out to feed. "I'm not entirely sure. The last time we were within a few feet of each other, he and the Volturi guard were dealing with nomads so we didn't have the chance to talk but I saw it in his eyes... the way everything changed for him," Declan answered her, his eyes gazing off fondly as he recalled the first time he met his mate. "Do you think he'll still fight against us?" Anna asked her warlock friend. "Yes. Because though I am his mate, he is still a member of the Volturi and he'll fight alongside them," Declan told her.

Anna let out a shaky breath, "But he won't harm you." Declan nodded at that, "And I will not harm him. I am here with your family out of honor to you but... my mate is my main priority which is why I have faith in your sister, Alice." Annabeth understood Declan's words, if she had to stand against her mate; she'd do exactly the same thing as Declan. Leaving the Warlock to his thoughts, Anna made her way to the edge of the ravine where Paul was waiting on the opposite side, Seth lurking around him with Jared and Embry. "Was wondering whether or not you'd come? Figured you'd have made new friends by now," Paul teased Anna.

"They're alright but not... lively enough," Anna said before jumping across the ravine to stand with the shifters, Paul pulling her in for a hug. "What do you think of this situation?" Jared asked his Imprint sister, as they had all called her. "I think there is a fifty-fifty chance of a fight," Anna answered him as she leaned back against the tree. "And if there is a fight?" Embry asked with worry in his eyes. "Marin believes that many will die. She's refusing to allow her hand to come in contact with anyone out of fear of seeing their deaths," Anna expressed with a frown, the poor ginger had been staying by Jacob's side as much as possible.

"She and Jacob are close," Seth pointed out with a child-like grin. "And if I'm not mistaken, you've been sharing a lot of phone calls with a certain, Bree Tanner," Anna teased the younger boy who flushed red and scoffed in an attempt to play it off. "You and Bella have messed with the minds of shifters, you know that. Before the two of you arrived, Cold Ones were just bloodsuckers to us and now... they're friends and potentially lovers," Embry exclaimed making Anna laugh and shake her head. "It was time for a change anyway," Anna told him before winking at Seth who pouted and crossed his arms, the others teasing him for the afternoon.

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Christmas Day came and the twins spent it will Charlie and Sue along with Jacob, Marin, Seth, Leah, and Renesmee. The twins had gotten Charlie a five-day fishing trip to Fraser River, getting him and Sue away from the upcoming battle. But soon enough, the Cullens and their Witnesses sent up camp in the woods not too far from the very clearing that the Volturi would show up in, Anna sat with Jasper by the fire that Jacob was setting up; the Heretic still needing warmth for the sake of her own desire. Benjamin uses his power to produce fire from his fingertips and throws it on the wood to start a fire.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," Jacob complimented bringing a smile to Benjamin's face as Anna chuckled lightly. "A little pre-battle bonfire. Telling war stories," Jacob said as he sat down next to Benjamin and looked across the fire to see the other vampires just standing around. "Or just standing around there like frickin' statues," Jacob muttered with an annoyed expression as Anna laughed. Suddenly, Garrett spins in and sits next to them by the fire, "Name any American battle. I was there." Anna grinned as she remembered Garrett's war stories, eager to hear them again knowing Jacob would enjoy them.

"Little Bighorn," Jacob suggested. "I came this close to biting Custer. But the Indians got him first," Garrett replied holding his pointer finger and thumb an inch apart as Kate suddenly sped over and sat on Garrett's lap. "Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople. He didn't win that one on his own," Kate suggested with Anna nodding in agreement. "If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years' War. No one does rebellion like the Irish," Liam, a member of the Irish coven spoke as he and his companions wandered over to sit down. "You lost the Eleven Years' War," Garrett pointed out. "Aye. But it was one hell of a rebellion," Liam responded with a grin.

"When we ruled, everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, favor seekers. Such was our power. But we never put on the white hats and called ourselves saints," Vladimir spoke up from beside Stefan, the two Romanians gaining the groups' attention. "We were honest about what we were," Stefan added which allowed Anna to understand that the two never hid Vampires from the world, a mistake that could cost the lives of all supernatural beings. "We sat still for a very long time. We didn't notice we were beginning to petrify," Vladimir said.

"Perhaps the Volturi did us a favor when they burned our castles," Stefan said with a shrug of his shoulder despite the blazing anger in his eyes. "We've been waiting fifteen hundred years to return that favor. We have been ready to do battle for ages," Vladimir expressed while Anna shook her head, their desire for a battle would fade over time. "And moving on from the depressive topic, I remember the true battle of civil rights..." Declan continued rambling on to the group about his time during the sixties before his rebirth; a story many enjoyed hearing.

Soon enough, the others lurked their way over to listen to the stories being told and Anna couldn't help the smile on her face seeing all these different people unite together under one reason. It gave her a sense of hope in this coming encounter, she knew that Aro desired a chance to take down the Olympic Coven and her with it but she had faith that they'd make it out without a scratch. And as she curled into Jasper's embrace, the warmth of the fire and the smiles upon the faces of their distant non-biological kin; Anna knew they'd all survive.

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The next morning, Anna had gotten up earlier than others who were sitting around talking amongst themselves quietly. The Heretic made her way away from the clearing where the others were for some time to herself, she needed to clear her mind of everything before what was to come. However, her thoughts were taken when she felt the presence of someone in the distance, she looked up to see a red coat with blond hair. Anna sped over to the presence before coming to a stop only a few feet away from Caius who was staring with a blank expression.

"The child?" Caius asked with a glare, he may have a softer spot for the Heretic due to her connection to Magnolia, but a crime was still a crime. "My niece was born, not bitten. Before Bella was turned," Anna replied to him with a glare of her own. "Aro is not pleased," Caius told her but the way his expression softened showed that he was worried. "You need not to worry, Caius. It will be fine," Anna assured him with a tone of authority, he almost believed her words if it wasn't for the knowledge that Aro was bloodthirsty and wished to destroy the Olympic Coven and Annabeth with it.

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Rosemary Speaks

Another chapter so soon?! OMG, how interesting. I recently watched the movies again with my mother and got inspired to continue writing.

Anyway, the next chapter is technically the big fight... What do you predict?

Thoughts on this chapter?

See you in the next chapter!