Authors Note:

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the lovely PM's and reviews on Lionhearted! I am so happy and incredibly motivated thanks to all of the support!

I have finally finished editing most of the chapters and I will submit everything within this week! I will be traveling overseas tomorrow so I need to pack still but I can't stop writing haha! Once I get home I will update everything hopefully!

Just to make everything clear so that there is no confusion, I edited the chapters and some are combined now because I felt they fit well together so please make sure to read them if you want :) thanks for being so patient with me!

~Chapter One~

The Cullen's

The Cullen's have lived in the rainy city of Forks for over two years now. They managed to go about everything like they usually did in the past; with no complications or suspicion for their unnatural appearances and lack of involvement with the humans. They finally found a place to call home and one that they could return to every few years.

The men were hunting for the week while the women were at home relaxing. Rosalie was in the garage changing the oil on her red Mercedes convertible while Alice was lounging on the sofa in the living room; flipping through some fashion magazines and Esme was in her studio looking over some upcoming projects. They were content with the life they had established although Alice and Emmett often grew bored of the lack of excitement. Edward, even though he would never admit it to himself or anyone, was also feeling that his immortal life was missing something.

Just as Alice finished reading an article, she's hit with a disturbing vision that causes her to gasp; alerting the two vampires in the house. Alice sees a vision of a young fragile girl on the ground being humiliated by two nomads while other men and women around them were callously laughing and exchanging money between one another. The next vision she sees the girl is badly injured, running through a park just outside of a club and covering her ears as she hears desperate screams in the distance. Before she could see if the girl lived or died; the vision started to fade away and brought her back to her senses. Alice's eyes start to focus again on Esme and Rosalie who both looked worried while they waited for Alice to return to them.

"What's wrong Alice? What did you see?" Esme's voice riddled with concern. Alice looks up at her and can't deny the hope as well as the worry in her beautiful golden eyes.

It wasn't time to tell them yet, she thought. So instead she gives Esme her usually bright smile and says, "A new family member hopefully."

Then she turns her attention to another magazine that was left unread on the coffee table. Her short answer only made the women exchange confused glances at each other in confusion but they decided to wait until the whole family would be back to discuss Alice's vision if it was a delicate matter.

When the boys returned the next day from hunting, they barely walked through the front door of the house when they heard Alice's bell like voice call them into the living room.

"Family meeting in the dinning room, now!"

Carlisle quirked his brows - intrigued by what his daughter had to say that she would demand everyone to gather so suddenly. Edward tried to read his sister's mind only to be blocked by her singing of an annoyingly repetitive song from one of those pop stars that was pure torture if it were to get stuck in his head. He grimaced as he ceased using his gift for now. He sighed and rolled his eyes; knowing perfectly well that this wasn't going to be good if she was going to such lengths to shut him out.

"What's the matter, Alice?" Carlisle asks as he goes to hug his loving wife who was already sitting down at the table, waiting for him.

"Did you see something, darlin'?" Jasper didn't hesitate to head into the dinning room to see Alice; feeling mixed emotions coming from her in inconsistent waves.

"Alright we're all here now. Talk before I get even more annoyed with your mood swings." Rosalie commands as she sits next to Emmett in their usual spots at the dinning table. Her patience, running short after the pixie kept her and Esme in the dark for the whole day after her vision.

"The vision I had last night, hasn't been the first one I've had about this particular person and now that it's getting to be that day, it's time I told you about her," Alice declares as she slightly jumps up and down in her seat. Jasper couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's surprising burst of jollity. "Although my visions have been changing a lot because of the danger she's been in. I wasn't sure if she'd make it long enough for us to meet her."

"What are you talking about, Alice?" Esme asks confused by what the pixie meant.

Alice looks at everyone and then directly at Edward only to block him from her thoughts, causing another exasperated sigh to come out of him and he runs his hand through his wild bronze hair in frustration.

"Now listen to me before you all freak out. Let me finish what I️ have to say because it'll make sense soon."

"Just tell us Alice." Carlisle encouraged.

"There's a girl - a human girl who is in need of us just as much as we need her. I've seen it many times and she's in this family's future; in our future. Without her our family would suffer greatly."

'Another daughter?' Edward turned his head in the direction where he could hear his mother thinking; already happy with the news as she takes hold of Carlisle's hand to receive a comforting squeeze from him.

'She's human? How are we supposed to help a human girl? What of her family?' Carlisle wondered. Clearly intrigued but worried about what sort of problems this could bring the family if the Volturi were to get involved.

The others thoughts were mixed with excitement from Emmett's part, wariness from Jasper, and anger obviously from none of their than Rosalie. Edward couldn't quite put a label on what he was feeling, they were like waves, as soon as one emotion washed over him another comes crashing in. Either way it made him uneasy to know that a human would be involved with vampires willingly.

"Excuse me? You seriously think we will take a human girl in? Are you crazy?" Rosalie protests - not surprising to anyone at the table as they simply looked up at the blonde beauty when she stood up from her seat.

"Rosalie, please let us first at least hear Alice's reasons before we pass judgement." Carlisle pleads. Emmett placed his hand on his hot tempered wife's hand to persuade her to calm down. Eventually she gave him a glare before scoffing and sitting back down in her seat to unwillingly listen to the rest of Alice's proposition.

"Alice, go on. Tell us what you know." Carlisle encourages after he seems to come to an understanding with Esme just through looking into her amber eyes.

Alice nods and explains to her family about the young girl named Bella and that she has been held captive by a group of nomads. She expresses her concerns on how her future keeps changing; in some of her visions she can see the girl laughing happily with the Cullen's like a family and the next she's gone as if they never knew her. Alice knew that if they were to find Bella alive then they would need to move quickly.

"Okay so I️ will need everyone's cooperation if we want to see Bella safe and sound with us. What do you think?" She asked Carlisle seeing as he was the head of the family and also knowing that if he said he agrees then the family would have to follow behind as well. After some contemplation Carlisle breaks the silence.

"If you say she needs our help and that somehow she will change our family for the greater good...then I️ agree."

Of course Alice knew her adoptive father would say yes - after all no one in the family ever says no to her and apart from the fact that she saw him agreeing with her idea yesterday only proved her point even more. The first one to agree with Carlisle and Alice, was Esme. She couldn't suppress her protective motherly instincts, even if Bella was a human she would still help her no matter what and everyone at the table knew that. Emmett was so excited to have another little sister in the house that he can play pranks on and cause mischief with that he found himself agreeing right away.

"If a rescue mission is what it takes to have Bella here with us as soon as possible then count me in!" He says as he cracks his knuckles with his other hand with determination.

"I'm not sure how this will pan out but if this will help the family and keep you happy darlin' then I will support you too." Added Jasper as he lovingly kisses his wife on the cheek but he couldn't deny the worry that persisted in the back of his mind.

"You're all making a mistake." Rosalie states after she cursed under her breath, seeing that there was no way out of having a human living with them now that everyone was on board with Alice.

"We're not. You'll see that soon enough, Rose." Alice cheerfully disagrees with her sister's negative comment before standing up from the table. "And I️ don't want to hear any protests from any of you." The pixie demands as she narrows her eyes at Rosalie and Edward especially, to which Edward shrugs his shoulders, before dancing out of the dining room with Jasper right behind her with a slight smirk playing on his face.

The following days had been filled with many emotions from each member of the Cullen household running high. However mostly all of them were positive, noted Jasper; he couldn't help being overwhelmed by the emotions himself and yet he was hopeful in meeting Bella thanks to the amount of love, happiness and excitement being emitted from Alice and Esme.

"Alice do you think you could contain you excitement a little? I️ feel like any second I️'ll be jumping up and down and giggling like a school girl." The empath admitted while hugging his wife from behind and tried to contain his own grin. Alice giggled at the image of her husband displaying such a scene but she tried to control herself as much as she could whenever she was with him. She knew how overwhelming her emotions could be for him at times.

Emmett kept getting impatient waiting in anticipation for Bella to come home. Rosalie seemed indifferent towards this new adjustment the family would have to make for a little human girl and she'd often scoff whenever someone mentioned Bella; sparking an occasional argument with Alice because of it. Esme was obviously already making preparations for the young girl who would arrive any day to their home. She modeled the room on the third floor that hadn't been used by anyone since they moved to Forks. She and Alice bought a beautiful upholstered canopy bed and thanks to Alice's gift they decided on an all white bedspread and a royal blue quilt to settle on top. It was as if Esme were going to be a mother for the first time all over again and she couldn't be more delighted. Carlisle and Edward would go to his study to speak privately about their concerns in bringing a new family member though they tried to keep an open mind. Edward was one of the strongest in the family when it came to being around humans, along with Carlisle but something made him uneasy about the arrival of Bella - he just couldn't explain it so he made sure to keep that detail to himself for now.

On the night there was a terrible storm approaching Forks, Alice had a vision once again and immediately afterwards, she called everyone out of their rooms.

"Carlisle we'll take your car. Emmett, Jasper, you and I️ will go to Seattle together." Alice said as she skipped to the garage with the boys following behind her.

"Rosalie and Esme; you girls make sure to get everything on that list. Be home within an hour."

As Carlisle and the boys began to get into the Mercedes, Alice turned around to make sure to relay her instructions to Edward through her thoughts so that she wouldn't have to explain it to the other's and cause a fuss. She didn't want to share her concerns about her brother with anyone except for him at the time.

Edward go to Carlisle's study, I left a list on his desk with all the medical supplies that he will need for when we return. Then make sure to stay far away from the house when we come back, I'd suggest you go for a hunt too. Trust me...

She told him to trust her seeing how he was ready to contradict the pixie when he was already heading down to the garage with them. He saw how serious Alice was and how she left no room to argue. Edward nods reluctantly before disappearing into the house to do as he was told.

"Jazz, make sure you hold your breath before we get out of the car. As long as you do that you won't hurt her. I️ promise." Alice moves to sit in the back with her husband as she rests her head on his shoulder and let Jasper feel her calm collected emotions. Carlisle drove through the thunderstorm at lightning speed and never took his eyes off the road, ignoring his own anxiety as he prepared himself for what he would see. Within an hour and a half they had just arrived in Seattle and now Alice was giving Carlisle directions to find Bella.

"Turn right here and pass the club called Trinity that's going to be on the left - don't stop or look in that direction no matter what you hear." Alice said when she turned her attention to Jasper who had grown stiff in his seat as a wave of agony and fear washed over him. She knew Jasper could feel what was taking place deep inside the club so Alice hugged him tight and replaced those torturous feelings with her love and understanding.

Carlisle and the others made the effort to ignore the screams that were being heard from the club as they passed the street; the screams were sure to only be heard by vampires due to their perfect hearing abilities and the blaring music coming from inside made it difficult to differentiate between cries for help or cheering if unsuspecting humans were to pass by it. He turned left around the corner after passing Trinity and could see a park two streets down. That's when Alice told him to park the car close by. He parked the car and turned off the ignition quickly. They got out of the car and let Alice leads the way to where she said they would find Bella. The park was luckily in a bad neighborhood surrounded by many trees, broken street lamps, and no humans would be out this time of night just as she'd predicted. As they got closer; Alice and Carlisle could both smell the strong scent of blood leading further into the ominous park.

"She must be very injured if the smell of blood is this strong." Carlisle commented at the strong scent of Bella's blood, he seriously hoped that he could help tend to her injuries without any predicaments.

"Over there!" Alice pointed toward a group of trees that were shrouded in darkness.

"Jasper I need you to send a wave of calm throughout the whole park, please. Emmett stay close to Jazz and keep your eyes open." Jasper and Emmett did as they were told; uncertain how they would even get past the blood thirsty nomads that were sure to be lurking around especially with an injured human girl.

Carlisle runs to the trees at an incredible speed before Alice could finish her statement. He walks between two large oak trees to see a barely conscious girl curled into herself while leaning against a tree for support. Her thin body was covered by one oversized worn out T-shirt and her brown hair although dirty was so long it ran down to her waist. Her face was as pale as his and she was covered in blood - her blood.

She opens her eyes and when Bella sees the strange man right away she couldn't help shrinking down to the ground and that terrified look on her face was hard for him to ignore.

"Bella? It's okay, my name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and I'm here to help you. Don't be scared, I️ won't hurt you I promise." He wanted to reassure her that as long as he were by her side she would be safe.

Bella didn't scream or try to run away, much to Carlisle's relief but he quickly understood why. The girl's injuries were in fact so horrible that he couldn't help wince at the sight. Her injuries - or at least the ones that were visible to him were what appeared to be a fractured right hand that she held to her chest, a medium sized knife sticking out from her left leg, and a prominent bruise forming on the right side of her forehead. Carlisle was appalled at the state in which he found his future daughter in. How could someone do this to such a small innocent looking girl? He couldn't understand and never would. Carlisle was enraged at witnessing such a scene. Thankfully he managed to push his anger back down when he felt a wave of calm wash over him. He looked over his shoulder to see Jasper with his back turned to him, and thanked him quietly. It must be unbearable for him to see blood let alone feel the pain Bella must be feeling, Carlisle thought.

"Bella, I'm going to treat your wounds as best I️ can but I️ will need to take you to my home and take the knife out there. I'm going to pick you up alright?"

The girl nodded and closed her eyes tightly, she knew there was no use resisting, she knew what this man was and what he was capable of doing to her if she tried resisting him. And the fact that she had lost so much blood has made her docile. When Carlisle picked the fragile girl up, being careful not to hurt her anymore than she already was; he noticed how thin she was and he was determine to rectify that as soon as possible. Alice, Emmett, and Jasper led the way all while keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any who might have been attracted to the blood of the human girl. As they were about to turn the corner Alice tells them to stop abruptly. Before they could make it across the street to Carlisle's Mercedes they were cut off by Jane and Felix following behind her as they walked out of the darkness provided by the steep alleyway that led to Trinity. Their black cloaks were illuminated by the natural light of the full moon in the night sky as they came to a stop in front of Carlisle.

Jane hadn't expected to find the one coven she detested the most to be here in Seattle while they eradicated the nomads and their accomplices; none the less she found it amusing to see that they had a human with them.

"It appears we've missed one, Felix. How did she get this far out?" Jane asked with an amused voice and a sly grin on her full lips. She loved inflicting pain more than anything and the fact that she could inflict it on the one family she despised, excited her.

"I️ would presume that she had escaped long before we arrived." Felix answered as he eyed the unconscious girl who was in Carlisle's arms.

"We'll take it from here, although I'm sure Aro would be very intrigued to know that the Cullen clan is here - and with a human to top it all off." Said Jane while keeping her crimson red eyes on Bella's frail body as she furrowed her eyebrows from the pain she was experiencing. Carlisle chose to ignore Jane's remark regarding Bella but it didn't dissuade him from wanting to put her in her place for being so ignorant.

"The girl is to be in our family." He said quickly not wanting to waste anymore time listening to Jane's dark sadistic voice with Bella's life on the line. Jane was about to question Carlisle when she was interrupted by Aro who had appeared from out of the same alleyway, his deep red eyes shining when they landed on Carlisle and his children.

"Ah, Carlisle! What a lovely surprise to see you here...and with a snack of your own I presume?" Aro turned his attention to the girl who had now fluttered her eyes open and met his amused gaze. Her heart began beating quickly even though she didn't cower away; both shocking and intriguing the vampires around her.

"Aro this girl needs our help and I️ know for a fact that she is to become a part of our family." Alice said as she stepped in front of Bella to shield her away protectively from the vampire's sadistic grin.

"I️ hope you can elaborate a little more my darling Alice." Aro held his hand out waiting for Alice to take it while never dropping that eerie smile of his. Alice takes her black leather glove off of her right hand and takes Aro's hand; allowing him to see all of her visions concerning Bella.

Not a minute passes before Aro burst out laughing frantically as he dropped Alice's hand as quickly as he had taken it. Jasper and Emmett kept quiet not wanting to provoke any of the Volturi while feeling uncomfortable with the way Aro began his spontaneous clapping.

"Another child! How wonderful! I️ suppose a congratulations is in order for the parents to be!"

Jane had a look of annoyance on her face as she watches the way Aro praised his favorite family of vampires. Glaring at Alice who was returning a smug smirk for the cruel girl to writhe in for a change.

"You are free to go of course - after I️ see into your new daughters mind. You wouldn't mind now would you?"

"Alright," agrees Carlisle as he tried to suppress his worry that may be trying to resurface. When it came to Aro, he was unpredictable and the most dangerous vampire he's ever known. He needed to be careful especially with Bella in his arms; he looked down at the girl as saw that she fell unconscious again and rested her head against Carlisle's chest as Aro took her left hand. The telepathic vampire furrowed his brows, a look of pure confusion seconds after trying to see into the young girl's mind.

"Interesting, very interesting. It appears that you have the pleasure of having yet another gifted child in your midst," Aro says with a less enthusiastic voice this time. "Feel free to give my congratulations to your lovely wife. You're free to go, we wouldn't want your new daughter to die before she can be changed into one of us now." Giving one of his most disturbing laughs before turning around and heading back towards the alley where the frantic screams could be heard in the distance with Jane and Felix close behind him.

"Thank you Aro." Carlisle thanked before leaving in vampire speed not wanting to waste anymore time.

He placed Bella in the backseat as he climbed in the back with her and told Emmett to drive as fast as he could. Sincerely hoping that Bella can make it back home in time.

"We're almost there, Carlisle." Said Alice as she looks over her shoulder to see her father who had wrapped his once clean grey sweater around Bella's leg to stop the bleeding as best he could.

"Edward has already prepared everything and even got some bags of blood from the hospital." Alice knew perfectly well what and how everything would take place tonight and for that Carlisle was immensely grateful although slightly ticked that she failed to mention that the Volturi would be there.

Jasper had decided to run back to Forks; even with holding his breath he didn't want to let temptation take over. Emmett seemed to be uncomfortable but let his worry for his little sister distract him from his natural instincts. They pulled into the garage and moved quickly. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie left the house as fast as they could before the smell of blood became too much for them. Alice went to clear the table in the dining room for her father to place Bella down on.

"Here's the morphine." Esme gasped at the sight of Bella's beaten body. After taking a moment to compose herself she walked towards her husband with a tray full of all the medical supplies her husband would need. "Oh my god what have they done to her?"

Without hesitation Carlisle injected her with a dose of morphine but knew he didn't have time to let it sink in if he wanted to save her leg. Seeing that Bella had once again regained consciousness he needed to explain what he needed to do to help her.

"Bella, I'm going to take the knife out now ok? This is going to hurt a lot but just try to bear with it." Carlisle said when Esme tried to provide some comfort for the girl by holding the hand that wasn't broken and gently running her hand through her hair.

Even in the state she was in and barely lucid, the girl managed to surprise the two vampires when she nodded before answering, "I️-I️ can t-take the pain."

"I'm so sorry Bella." He apologized before placing his hand on the knife that had been lodged in her human flesh.

The rest of the family were far from the house, deep into the forest that surrounded their secluded home. But no matter how far they were they could still hear Carlisle's strong voice apologizing before the gut wrenching screaming started. Alice took Jasper's hand and led him farther away with Emmett and a serious Rosalie following suit. The only one who stayed a little longer was the bronze haired boy who just leaned against a tree with a grave expression on his face as he continued to hear the human girl scream; all while battling the monster that so desperately wanted to make an appearance.

Bella tried to keep her screams out of fear of angering the vampire but the pain was too much. She couldn't help but let out a heartbreaking sob from her little beaten body before letting herself drift off. Carlisle noticed Esme shut her eyes tight and looked away. Never letting go of Bella's hand and let her squeeze as hard as she could to cope with the agonizing pain. The physical pain was unimaginable to them now after so many years of being immortal but they couldn't help feeling their cold dead hearts crush at the sight. Almost immediately after Carlisle pulled the knife out, he disinfected, stitched her leg as fast as he could and dressed the wound on her leg. After assessing any more damage that might have been done to the girl he carried her up to the room that was now hers.

"She'll be alright, love. The morphine will take away any pain she will feel until tomorrow." He reassures his wife who looked positively grief stricken as she stood by the entrance of the bedroom looking at the way her husband gently covered the girl with the quilt. Before going to his wife's side and embracing her, he couldn't help but gently stroke Bella's hair away from her forehead. He closed the door slowly and then went to clean his once spotless dining room table with bleach to make sure the rest of his family wouldn't be affected by the smell of blood.

Carlisle couldn't stop hoping that tomorrow would be the start of a better life for not only his daughter but for his family as well.