Chapter One
Volterra
Charlie Swan

Grace's grip on my arm tightened as my anxiety skyrocketed, "Charlie, calm down, please."

"I'm trying." I whispered back to her, continuing to walk towards the Volturi's lair, though my entire being fought against it.

The lobby was a very disorienting sight to me. I couldn't remember much of my time spent within the castle walls, but of what I did remember I knew that I had never been anywhere but the damp tunnels beneath the castle itself. To see such a modern and bright facade hiding the horrors within was deeply unsettling.

As the perky receptionist began her welcome speech, I did my ninth headcount in the last hour.

Grace was securely tucked into my side, standing with me just inside of the lobby so that we could keep eyes on the entire family ahead of us. Bella and Edward stood just ahead of us with Elizabeth and Anthony between them, their hands locked in each others behind the kids backs in an effort to comfort each other. Alice stood on Grace's other side, Jasper flanking the left side of the group while keeping careful watch over Alice. Emmett was tasked with guarding the right side of the group, and so Rosalie stood just to his left with her arms protectively around Jennifer. That left Carlisle and Esme up front, the most friendly amongst us, to be the 'happy faces' we needed Aro and the guard to see.

Our unlucky coven of thirteen was all accounted for and unharmed...for the time being.

After the receptionist finished her speech all about the castles exits and directions, she asked us to follow her to the thrown room so that she could announce our arrival. We followed, grudgingly on my part, and were soon led into the cavernous thrown room.

I shouldn't have been surprised, but, I was nonetheless.

Aro laughed, the most crazed hysterical sound I had ever heard, before rushing forward to greet Carlisle and Esme excitedly.

"And Grace!" Aro tacked on, seeing her from where she remained tightly in my arms. "Come, let me greet the Cullen twins!"

She stepped forwards, but my hands tightened around her arm unconsciously in my panic to keep her away from Aro. After shooting me a sharp look, she discreetly pulled her arm out of my hand and walked forward to greet the monster among us.

"Aro, how are you, dear friend?" Grace smiled angelically, giving him far more kindness then he deserved as she lent forward and hugged him lightly in greeting.

Elizabeth was suddenly at my side, her hand in mine as happy memories of our family being together began to play in my mind. I put my arm around her and kissed the side of her head in thanks. She had swooped in to keep me from losing my temper.

An idea crossed my mind as I watched Aro chat excitedly with Carlisle and Grace, acting as if the rest of us didn't exist at all. Elizabeth could be very helpful to me resolving my anger with the Volturi. Maybe I can manage to keep her and the other grandkids with me enough to keep my mind off of the monsters lurking around us.

"Charlie?" Grace called me, and I realized I had accidentally ignored her first attempt to gain my attention. "Are you alright?" She asked, motioning for me to join her.

"Sorry, Honey." Elizabeth giggled, beautifully charming as always. "We were passing notes." She explained as I passed her off to Bella and made my way to Grace's side.

"What an astonishing talent!" Aro praised her and for the first time I found myself wishing that Elizabeth wasn't as wonderful as she is.

"She's certainly a treasure to us." Grace smiled at him tightly, a subtle threat to keep his distance.

"Yes, yes, I can see so." Aro agreed. "Charlie, it is so good to see you after so many long years! How have you been, dear one?" He asked as I approached their grouping.

"Fine." I spoke gruffly, the sound hardly escaping my throat as I resented having to speak to him, before Grace gave me a sharp look. "It's interesting to be back. I don't have many memories of my time here, and so I'm excited to get the chance to spend more time here." I offered lamely, despising having to be nice to him.

"Yes, of course, we'll see to it that you're time here is spent well. I'm told you're quite the fighter. Perhaps you'd enjoy joining the guards training sessions?" Aro offered, his black eyes gleaming oddly.

I looked to Grace, beyond skeptical of the seemingly kind invitation, and she simply smiled softly in support of whatever I chose to do.

"That sounds exciting, Aro." I agreed. "Of course, I'm not as talented as some of my family members."

"Not everyone in the guard possesses skills." Aro shook his head. "We'll see to it that you get your fair fight."

"Then I'd very much enjoy the opportunity to see how the guard trains." I nodded.

"Excellent." Aro smiled widely before turning back to Grace and Carlisle. "Now, let's get you all settled into your rooms. I'll have Heidi take you to your suites and leave your family to unpack. You should both change into your uniforms. Lots of work to be done."

"Of course, Aro." Carlisle agreed easily, placing his hand on Graces shoulder an subtly pushing her towards me so that I could take her hand in mine. "Grace and I will change into our scrubs as soon as we can."

"Heidi," Aro turned to a vampire not too far away from our grouping "you'll be hospitable and show the Cullen-Swan clan up to their suites, won't you?"

"Of course," she smiled graciously before motioning for us to follow her "it'll give Charlie and I a chance to catch up."

Grace glanced at me then, a questioning look, and I had a brief moment of panic as I had no clue to what Heidi was talking about. I couldn't remember ever seeing the vampiric woman before as we followed her through the halls to an imposing elevator.

"I have to say," Heidi began as we all climbed into the commercially large elevator "I was quite pleased when the kings announced that the Cullen-Swan coven would be visiting. Charlie was quite well-liked by everyone during his time spent with us."

"Was he?" Grace asked, obviously tense hearing of my time spent under complete mind control.

"Very." Heidi smiled, feigning ignorance of my wife's anger as the elevator dinged.

"To the left is Alice and Jasper, to the right is Emmett, Rosalie, and Jennifer, then next door is Carlisle and Esme, then next there's Edward, Bella, Elizabeth, and Anthony, and finally that leaves Charlie and Grace at the very end of the hall." Heidi directed us. "You'll find your suitcases in your living areas."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Heidi." Carlisle nodded.

Heidi smiled again, and I found that I didn't enjoy the sentiment "Of course. I'll see you all soon, I'm sure." She nodded before getting back on the elevator.

"Well, I'll be the first to say it." Emmett spoke up, breaking the long moment of silence we had fallen into "the red eyes are just creepy." He shuddered, getting the kids to laugh at him.

"Very." Carlisle grinned. "I suppose you and I should get changed," he spoke to Grace "I'm sure you all remember the plans we have in place. Please, be careful." He urged the family as we all parted ways.

"I told you this was a bad idea." I stated firmly the moment Grace and I were in the privacy of our suite.

"Charlie-"

"Did you see the look in Aro's eyes?" I worried to her. "I could practically see him scheming of ways to isolate the gifted among us! And we've been here barely an hour!"

"Charlie." Grace caught my rough hands in her beautifully delicate ones, placing them close to her un-beating heart. "We have plans in place to prevent that. Calm down, please." She begged me. "I know this isn't ideal, but there's nothing we can do. You'll have to trust our buddy system, Love." She cooed sweetly to me.

"Okay." I nodded, torn completely, but entirely trusting of the sweet angel before me. "What am I supposed to do while you're at work all the time?" I asked, the sudden thought of not being by her side terrifying me to my core.

"Spend time with the kids, take our grandchildren to the library and teach them law, or, if you feel up to it, you can take Aro up on his offer to train with the guard" Grace replied, doting over me lovingly.

"I don't know about that." I frowned, though I was completely entranced at the feeling of her fingers combing through my dark curls.

"It could be a good way for you to figure out their strengths and weakness." She offered, a sly grin on her face. "It might make you feel better to know who's a threat and who isn't."

"When did you become a master manipulator?" I chuckled at her brilliant idea.

"Sometime over the course of being married to a police chief." She giggled in return, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips before going to her suitcase. "So? Are you going to train with the guard?" She asked, digging through her luggage to find her favorite scrubs and doctors coat.

"Yes." I replied, pulling the dusty rose-colored scrubs I knew she was looking for out of her carry-on and handing them to her. "That's quite a good idea you had, Mrs. Swan." I teased her, sitting in a chair near the bedroom door as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"That's Dr. Cullen-Swan." Grace laughed, stepping out of the bathroom in her scrubs and coat, her blonde hair tied back in a low knot. "And thank you, Chief Swan." She giggled, sitting in my lap and giving me yet another delightful kiss.

"Am I intruding?" Carlisle coughed from the doorway to the living room, breaking up the moment.

"Yes." Grace growled playfully before standing to her feet and greeting her brother with a sweet hug.

With Grace's hair pulled back, and Carlisle's matching rose scrubs, I noted just how uncanny the twins appearance to each other really is. Every so often, the twins will say or do something that reminds Esme and I that their twin bond runs very deep, but it's rare for them to look so incredibly identical as they don't dress alike very often.

"Are you ready to go downstairs?" Carlisle asked Grace. "Aro just called my room and said that he will brief us in the library before taking us to the makeshift lab they've set up for us."

"I'm ready." She nodded, sighing uneasily.

"The sooner we get started, the closer we are to receiving the answers Aro is looking for. Then, the closer we are to being free to leave." Carlisle reminded us both.

"You're right, of course." Grace nodded. "I'll see you later." She offered me a loving smile before following her brother out of the suite and down the hall to the elevator.

I sat in the silence, worrying intensely about my wife, child, and our family being in such a dark terrible place as this. I worried what such a place may do to them. Bella has her qualms with the Volturi, as well as Edward, and I couldn't help but worry what kind of anger and fear may be eating at them. I thought of Elizabeth, Anthony, and Jennifer, my precious grandchildren, and worried what harm may come to them here amongst so many monsters. My stomach twisted painfully at the thought, and so I stood from my seat and marched out of the suite, headed for Bella's.

"Chief!" Anthony cheered as I knocked and opened the door. "Did Honey and Grampa Carlisle leave already?"

"Yeah, they just headed downstairs to meet with Aro." I nodded, taking a seat on the couch next to Elizabeth and putting my arm around her shoulders, instantly feeling calmer. "I thought I'd come check on you kids."

"Good." Bella smiled happily, coming down the hallway from her bedroom and joining them in the living area. "I would hate for you to sit in your room alone all of the time. Edward and I were just talking about going with the kids on a tour of this place, he's gone to get Alice and Jasper, want to join us?" She asked, smiling that wide smile that I can never say no to.

"Sure, I'd love to." I agreed, partially because I really want to spend time with my kids and grandkids and partially because I don't want them roaming about without me.

"Great!" Anthony cheered. "Come on Elz, let's go get Jenny!" He laughed, pulling his sister along with him out of the room and down the hall to Emmett and Rosalie's room. 

"Your sister is not a rag doll, Charles Anthony-Carlisle!" Edward spoke firmly, but offered us a loving smirk, as Anthony and Elizabeth nearly ran over him as he entered the suite. "Jasper and Alice are...spending some quality time in today, so they'll not be joining us." He chuckled. "Are we ready to go?" He asked.

"Ready." Bella nodded, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her happily.

As Anthony and Jennifer met us at the elevator, laughing while pulling Elizabeth along with them, I ushered everyone onto the elevator before hitting the button for the first floor.

As I listened to my daughter, my son-in-law, and grandkids talk and laugh happily, I convinced myself that this experience could turn out to be for the better. Maybe this will somehow bring us all even closer together as a family, if we can manage to survive the experience intact.

"Chief," Elizabeth spoke, a fairly rare occasion, taking my hand in hers sweetly "are you alright?" She asked, her mother's gorgeous brown eyes shinning as she looked up at me.

"Perfect, angel." I promised her, kissing the top of her copper hair lovingly.