It's Been a Lifetime Waiting

“Why is Roni with him?” Emmett growled.

Veronica was curled up on the sofa with Embry a few mornings later, both of them asleep. Quil was asleep in the armchair next to them.

“Chill, Em. Roni came down for breakfast with the pack and they were watching sports, but I guess Roni fell asleep from the heat. Embry was still tired too and Quil fell asleep not long after them. The rest of the pack grew bored and went outside,” Alice giggled.

“I don’t like it,” Emmett muttered.

“He didn’t try anything, so calm down. They’re good friends,” Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.

Emmett scowled but walked over to the sleeping pair. He lifted Veronica out of Embry’s arms, cradling her in his own as he backed up again. Veronica stirred from her sleep at the temperature change, opening her eyes.

“Fuck, I fell asleep, didn’t I?” she groaned.

“Yeah, you did,” Emmett grunted, setting her down on her feet.

“Aww is someone jealous?” Veronica teased.

Emmett growled lightly, pressing his lips to hers firmly. Veronica smiled into the kiss, running her tongue along his bottom lip before pulling away.

“I’ve got to get dressed,” Veronica pointed out, waving her hands at her pyjamas.

“No you don’t,” Emmett smirked

He leant his head down and licked a slow line up her neck, giving her instant goosebumps.

“Emmett! There are guests in the house!” Veronica squealed.

“So?” Emmett grinned.

Alice and Lucas rolled their eyes as Emmett picked Veronica back up and ran up the stairs into his room.

“Looks like we’re waking the mutts up,” Lucas grumbled.

[1 hour later]

Veronica and Emmett descended the stairs, Veronica now dressed in a simple pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top with a simple orange cardigan on top. But when Alice saw them, she gasped.

“That outfit...it’s today,” she whispered.

“What is?” Veronica asked, confused.

“The Volturi,” Alice whimpered.

“I’ll go change!” Veronica said quickly.

“It’s too late now,” Alice replied, shaking her head.

Veronica groaned, burying her face into Emmett’s chest.

“Go tell everyone. Get Carlisle to call the Denali clan,” Emmett ordered.

Alice nodded and ran outside. Veronica lifted her head, looking into Emmett’s eyes with true panic.

“I’m not ready for this,” she whispered.

“Yes, you are. Jasper taught you how to fight and you’ve got your gift. Besides, there are so many of us defending you that it won’t come to a fight. You’re safe,” Emmett insisted.

“In case I can’t say this later...I love you forever,” Veronica said tearfully.

“Don’t think like that!” Emmett scowled.

“But...”

“No. Don’t think like that. There is no need to say goodbyes because you are not going anywhere,” Emmett interrupted.

“I wish I could believe you,” Veronica mumbled.

Emmett frowned and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, making her melt.

“I love you, and we are going to get through this. Nothing will happen, okay?” Emmett said firmly.

Veronica took a deep breath, composing herself.

“Okay,” Veronica nodded.

“Good. Now, we’d better get outside to practice a little bit more till the Denali clan arrive,” Emmett smiled.

*

“It’s good to see you. Although not for this matter,” Kate grinned, hugging Veronica.

“Likewise,” Veronica nodded, hugging Garrett quickly after.

All of the Cullen family including Renesmee, Jacob’s pack of 5 in their human forms, and the 5 of the Denali clan stood around Veronica on the clearing in front of the Cullen house. Veronica stood behind Garrett, Lucas and Jasper, all of them just tall enough to block her from view. Emmett held tightly onto her hand, Alice on her other side. Embry and Quil were behind her, with the rest of the pack scattered among the group of supporting vampires.

“We’ve got your back, Roni,” Embry murmured.

“Literally,” Quil grinned.

Veronica just nodded, taking a deep breath. She looked through the gap between Lucas and Garrett’s heads, her eyes scanning the Volturi members as they slowly walked towards them. There was a tall heavily built vampire with dark hair, roughly the same build as Emmett. That must be Felix. And the smaller vampire with short golden hair next to him looked like he was searching for something, his hands poised by his sides and his eyes flitting about. That must be Demitri. There were three in the middle, one with blonde hair, the other two brunette. One of the brunettes was smiling widely and the other looked bored. They must be Aro, Marcus and Caius. Then there were two child-sized vampires, the two from her sketch. Jane and Alec.

“It’ll be okay, Roni,” Emmett murmured.

“I know,” she whispered.

Emmett pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, making her feel a little better. The Volturi stopped walking, leaving a couple of metres between the two groups.

“So many visitors, Carlisle! Don’t tell us you were expecting a fight?” Caius mused.

“My granddaughter and her boyfriend’s pack are simply visiting us so they could meet Veronica. The Denali clan are here to show their support for Veronica. That is all,” Carlisle said simply.

“Come now, Carlisle, we are here on peaceful terms. Right, brothers?” Aro smiled at Marcus and Caius.

Caius raised an eyebrow. Marcus didn’t react. Veronica snorted.

“Veronica, that’s her name, correct?” Aro asked.

“Yes,” Carlisle nodded.

“And she knows our true identities?” Aro added.

“Yes,” Carlisle nodded again.

“Where is she?” Aro asked with a small smile.

Veronica didn’t step forward and none of the people around her said anything.

“Where’s the human who thinks she’s related to us?” Jane sneered.

Veronica looked up at Emmett and he reluctantly nodded, so the two of them walked through the vampires to stand at the front of the group. Jane gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth.

“Mother,” Alec whispered.

Both the twins ran forward, but Emmett stood in front of Veronica, vicious snarling noises tearing from his throat. Jane scoffed and sent a glare his way, making Emmett drop to the ground and writhe in agony.

“Don’t hurt him!” Veronica hissed.

“Oh don’t say you like the ape,” Alec snorted.

“I love him,” Veronica said defiantly.

Jane rolled her eyes but stopped her mind assault, allowing Emmett to stand up from the ground. Jane and Alec looked up at Veronica, them being close to 5ft and her being 6ft, staring at her.

“This can’t be real,” Jane finally said.

“Like it or not, you are my ancestors. We’re family,” Veronica said sharply.

Everyone gathered around them stiffened, not believing that Veronica was being so flippant with the temperamental duo.

“Show us your gift then,” Alec demanded.

“I’m not some puppet you can order around,” Veronica sneered.

“Don’t get her mad,” Edward grumbled.

“Shut it, Cullen,” Jane spat.

Jane returned her gaze to the tall girl, an unimpressed look on her face.

“I bet you don’t even have a power. You’re just another weak, pathetic human,” Jane sneered.

“Excuse me?” Veronica said through gritted teeth.

“You heard me. Weak,” Jane said simply.

Veronica let go of Emmett’s hand, her blood boiling and her nostrils flaring as her body shook slightly. There was one thing that Veronica couldn’t stand, and that was being called weak. She. Was. Not. Weak. Edward and Jasper chuckled as Veronica’s hands curled into fists, her eyes growing dark with rage. All the Volturi members looked slightly apprehensive of the girl’s anger. Even Marcus frowned slightly. But it was Jane’s raised eyebrow that set Veronica off.

“Oh you’ve done it now,” Edward smirked.

Veronica opened her mouth, her eyes locked with Jane’s, and let out the loudest scream she had ever produced. So loud that it scratched at her throat. Rage and fury coursed through her veins and she let them out through her throat, not taking her eyes off the vampires in front of her as they collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain and crying out in agony. But Veronica’s scream only intensified.

“I can’t see anything!” Alec bellowed.

“What?” Jane yelled.

Emmett blindly batted to the side of him, his hand finally coming into contact with Veronica’s leg, and he squeezed her ankle hard, making her stop screaming. The vampires lay still for a second while Veronica panted, her fists still clenched, but they all quickly got up. Aro smiled and applauded.

“Never call me weak,” Veronica spat.

Jane and Alec just smirked, as if proud.

“You’re definitely related to us,” Jane grinned.

“Jane, Alec, please return here,” Aro said politely.

The twins did so and Veronica stepped backwards slightly into line with the rest of the Cullens, rejoining her hand with Emmett’s.

“You, my child, have serious potential,” he said softly.

Emmett seemed to stiffen.

“Veronica is a part of our family, Aro,” Carlisle said, his voice holding a slight warning.

“Veronica is part of our family,” Jane retorted.

Aro placed a hand on the young vampire’s shoulder.

“Calm yourself, Jane. We came to find out if Veronica is who she says she is and if her talents are what they are. Both of these are true. However, we all know that if Veronica is not turned to our way of life, then she must die,” Aro said simply.

All the Cullens, the Denali clan and Jacob’s pack snarled and growled, surprising the Volturi members.

“Such support for the human,” Caius mused.

“Just like before,” Felix smirked, winking at Bella.

Edward growled even more.

“We know the rules, Aro. Veronica has expressed a desire to be changed already,” Carlisle informed them.

“Then why is she not already?” Aro frowned.

“I don’t want her to waste her life. She has so much potential as a human,” Emmett said simply.

“Yet she has more as a vampire,” Aro countered.

Emmett just pressed his lips into a thin line, knowing it was no used arguing. Veronica squeezed his hand gently for reassurance.

“What does Veronica have to say?” Jane asked bluntly.

“I want to become a vampire. I find you all to be incredible beings. I just...I don’t know if it’s the right time right now,” Veronica said truthfully.

“You don’t have much choice,” Demitri retorted.

Veronica sneered at him, earning chuckles from the vampires around her.

“We must respect the wishes of Jane and Alec’s blood relative, Demitri,” Aro scolded.

Aro slowly walked forwards towards Veronica.

“Let me read your mind. All I need to do is touch your hand,” Aro announced.

The Cullen family realised that this was the vision that Alice had seen all those months ago. Veronica held out her hand for Aro to touch, raising an eyebrow as he did so. After a few seconds he let go and smiled, as if amused.

“Well you and Emmett sure have an...active way of passing the time,” Aro mused.

Veronica blushed as everyone laughed.

“You’re a complex human, Veronica. One that I would like to get to know a lot better,” Aro said finally, walking back to his original space.

“Can I show Jane and Alec something?” Veronica said randomly.

“What are you doing?” Emmett hissed.

“I have some things they’ll want to see,” Veronica shot back.

She pulled two objects out of her pocket, hiding them in her hands as she walked to the middle of the two groups, sitting down on the grass. Emmett readied himself to pounce at any moment as Jane and Alec walked forwards, but they sat down in front of the human girl without saying a word.

“I have a lot of family heirlooms, but these two are directly connected with you two,” Veronica explained.

She handed them the sketch of their mother first. The spitting image of Veronica, but with dark hair pinned elegantly in curls on top of her head, a long silk gown covering her body. Jane’s lips pressed together and Alec’s eyes went wide.

“Where did you get this?” Alec asked stiffly.

“When you told your mother to run after you got captured, she grabbed all the money in the house, a few valuable possessions, a small amount of food and fled on horseback to the next village up, which was Boston, Massachusetts. She found she was pregnant with a boy, and this sketch was drawn a few days after she gave birth to him,” Veronica explained.

“Such a strong woman. And so beautiful,” Jane murmured.

Veronica then opened her other hand, revealing a ruby brooch, surrounded by small diamonds.

“Mother’s brooch!” Alec gasped.

“The most valuable jewellery in the family! I can’t believe...wow,” Jane said, shocked.

“Well I think it’s time it was returned to its rightful owners,” Veronica said simply.

But Jane shook her head, Alec doing the same.

“You’re the rightful owner, Veronica. After all, we are dead,” Jane snickered.

“Thank you. I insist you keep the sketch though. I’m so glad I found you. I finally have family members other than my brother,” Veronica said happily.

“Is your brother procreating?” Alec asked bluntly.

Veronica laughed but nodded.

“My brother got his ex wife pregnant with twins 8 months ago and my dad’s brother’s kids are two twins and another child. In our bloodline there are always either one girl/one boy twins and another son, or there is an older son and a younger daughter. So there’ll be plenty of your bloodline going,” Veronica chuckled.

“Our bloodline,” Jane corrected, a small genuine smile on her lips.

Veronica just grinned, standing up. The three of them returned to their original sides, everyone else shocked that all three of them were so affectionate towards each other. Never had any of the three been seen to be so...warm-hearted.

“Veronica, I have a proposition to make,” Aro announced.

“Okay?” Veronica frowned, allowing Emmett to wrap an arm around her waist.

“Return with us to Volterra...”