Alice is talking rapidly to Edward, not so quickly that Natasha probably can't follow, but certainly faster than usual. She'd seen all three of the Volturi but only their four most trusted aides, Jane and Alec and Felix and Dmitri, no vast array of followers like they'd brought along ten years ago. It's winter in her vision, a thick crust of old snow. They're not coming this minute, and he relaxes visibly at that, able to turn more of his attention to Natasha.

"It would, at that," he says darkly. "And any research on that 'alternate species' that happened to be released, they wouldn't look too kindly on that either." He can hear Edward on the other end of the phone, and even Carlisle in the background, saying they'll wrap up their lives in Calgary and start back toward Forks as soon as they can.

"It's a capital crime," he says briskly, falling back into the reassurance of that military briefing they both find so comfortable. "To bring attention, to make a scene. We could argue until we ran out of air, and I'm sure Carlisle will, that I was held against my will and my escape was my only survival, but that won't change the letter of their law."