Bella's Point of view
Carlisle has been working along side me and Monica as well for the last few weeks. Today I was finally out of my hip brace; I could again walk, but now as my stomach grew walking was getting difficult again. This pregnancy was… strange, I've never been pregnant before, but I knew this pregnancy was moving at an accelerated pace. Although Carlisle didn't appear concerned; at least he didn't show it.
Tonight, had been a beautiful night, I was permitted to sit out on the balcony. The city lights were gorgeous, the stars lit up the sky from above, everything felt right in this moment. It was a rare feeling, but I clung to it without question. I wanted to be happy… if even for a minute.
Like all cherished moments, my peace was interrupted as Aro approached me; his smile was kind. This had been the first time I've seen him since I was locked away in the cell, so seeing him now I was flooded by mixed emotions.
"Bella, it's nice to see you… on this beautiful evening." He spoke smoothly as he took a seat next to me on the swing. "I do apologize for not coming to see you sooner."
"I didn't mind," I spoke, avoiding his gaze as I continued to watch down towards the sleeping city.
"Your words wound me young one," He spoke, lightly his hand went out to caress my cheek.
I jerked away from his touch, now meeting his gaze. "Please don't,"
He paused; caution dancing in his crimson eyes. "I'm sorry," He murmured, letting his hand fall to his side. "I've always had an extremely difficult time controlling myself around you."
Shivers rolled down my spine at his words and I quickly snapped my head away; forcing myself not to look at him again. "Why are you here?"
"Carlisle has been keeping me up to date on your pregnancy, I just stopped by to ask a few questions and check up on you for myself." He gave me a charming smile. "I know that you may not understand… but I do care."
Someone who cares about me, wouldn't be someone who kidnapped me for months, starved me and raped me until I was left pregnant. I couldn't even imagine what my parents were going through… They probably think I'm dead… gone… they probably gave up looking for me by now.
Tears filled my eyes at the thought. Aro had noticed and lightly turning my face to look into his eyes. "Bella, I am truly sorry for this… all of it… I've never really considered humans as anything more than… cattle… a meal… a piece of meat to toy around with. I've forgotten that I once… had been human."
I frowned deeply. "Are you trying to tell me that you aren't human?"
He only responded by smiling. "Just please understand that I've learned a lot from this entire experience. Even from the very beginning I didn't see you as just a human… I didn't see you as a meal… I wanted you… I wanted to own you… I was selfish… I didn't allow any of the others to touch you or harm you."
My heart was racing deep in my chest, I could feel him getting closer, his hand rested on my thigh. My head was screaming no, but my heart was screaming yes. I craved the pleasure that he brought, but I couldn't forgive the agony that he put me through.
"There was another," I squeezed out from between my teeth, I could barely breathe.
His hand now moved away, a glare on his face. "Excuse me?" His tone sounded something savage.
"There had been someone else… that had… been intimate with me." I admitted, letting out a sigh.
The look on his face was frightening. "Who give me exact details of this man."
"I never saw his face, he had only come once in a while, he was very quiet… gentle… and he always apologized afterwards… he sounded young… he was hard and lean; like the blade of a sword."
"If you were to hear his voice… would you be able to identify him?"
"Maybe," I nodded, letting my eyes close as anxiety grew inside me.
Aro rose all of a sudden, a glint of anger in his eyes. "I'll gather my entire guard tomorrow morning, I would appreciate your coordination in finding the truth."
I swallowed hard; but nodded. "You want to know who the father of the child is… but why?"
Lightly Aro turned to me, his eyes peering into mine, he just barely bent to let his lips touch my forehead. "If this child is mine, I would like to support you and the child… I would like to be a father to this child."
My heart sunk in my chest at his words, but I didn't even have time to process any of it as he quickly disappeared; leaving me alone to my thoughts. There were a million questions floating around in my head, but I couldn't think straight. I didn't know what to feel… relieved? Outraged? Horrified? I was lost, so all I could do was sob.
I didn't know how long I was out there, but there was suddenly a presence at my side. I jumped as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned quickly to see a man next to me. His touch was familiar, but I wasn't sure of who he was until he spoke.
"I'm so sorry for putting you in this position." He spoke; guilt was shining in his eyes. I knew he was genuinely apologizing. "But you can't breathe a word tomorrow… not about what I had done."
This was the man… he was the other man that could possibly be the father to my child.
"Why… what will happen to you?"
"As long as Aro believes this child is his… he will keep you alive… he will keep the baby alive…" He spoke quietly. "You have to keep him believing this… or neither of us is going to make it out of here alive."
I swallowed; watching his expression closely. "I'm scared… I didn't want this…"
"I know… and I promise you… you and the others will get out of here… let me do this for you… it's the least I can do…" He pleaded with me, but unlike Aro he kept his distance.
"How, there is no way he will just let us go… and what if… you are the father?"
He froze, letting his eyes search mine. "That is up to you… if you would like nothing to do with me… fine… if you would like me to stay… I will."
My heart fluttered at his words, but I grew silent; not sure what to say. There was to many things going on in my head, it was all too much to handle for me. I was beginning to get tired, I could feel my eyes getting heavy.
"At least tell me your name… before… tomorrow…" I whispered, barely staying conscious.
"Demetri," He said, and like magic I fell asleep.
oOoOoOoOo
In the morning I woke to a woman standing over me, a hard look on her face. "Get up whore, you have five minutes to get dressed and follow me down to the meeting hall." She was truly gorgeous; her messy dark hair fell past her shoulders elegantly. But her icy stare made my stomach churn.
"Who are you?" I muttered cautiously moving from my bed to my closet. I quickly looked for something that might still fit; with my expanding stomach it was getting harder to wear my clothing.
"Just shut up and get ready," She glared towards me; waiting by the door.
Well, she wasn't the nicest…
Finally, I found a dress that was deep in the back; it was beautiful, but the form-fitting style of it showed my stomach; which at this point only slightly was protruding from my torso.
Envy colored her crimson eyes as she watched me, but she kept her distance as she guided me out of the door and into the long hallway. I had only been out here a handful of times, it was truly beautiful, but I couldn't focus on that… not with all the events on my mind. I knew I would have to come forward with who the other man was… but after speaking with Demetri last night… I wasn't sure that I wanted to do that.
If Aro believes this child is his… we are safe… but if he thinks he is the father… he is going to keep us trapped here… would I rather be alive… or free?
As we entered the meeting room I was astounded by all the men that lined the room; all their eyes were like fire. Each of their faces are completely blank, but behind their expressions I could see anxiety.
"Sulpicia, thank you for bringing our guest down my darling." Aro greeted us with joy.
So that explains her hostility with me… this woman… must be his wife.
She didn't respond, only walking carefully over to Aro to sit comfortably at his side. She avoided eye contact with the entire room, keeping her head lowered. I truly felt bad for her… to be in this situation… she truly loves this man… and he… was unfaithful… Now he wanted to claim his unborn child.
"Young Bella, I'm sure you recall why I've asked you to come." Aro smiled widely. "I'd like for you to look around at the display of men in front of you… and tell me… who the second man was."
At his words, I watched as Sulpicia flinched.
I nodded, instantly seeing Demetri in the lineup. He stood rigidly, looking tense, but he didn't dare make eye contact with me. At this moment I really didn't know what to do… what to think… would I choose to keep my child and I safe? Or would I let Aro kill the both of us?
"Stop, you need to stop all of this right now," A familiar voice called out.
I turned; relief filling me as Carlisle stepped forward; next time him was six strangers, their eyes all the same topaz. I had to assume this was his family that he had mentioned to me about.
"Carlisle, it's wonderful to see you again, and your whole family decided to come as well… excellent," Aro now appeared completely distracted as he focused his sights on the small pixie-like woman and the boy with the messy bronze hair.
"Bella shouldn't be out of bed, she should be resting, this kind of stress could kill her and the fetus both." Carlisle spoke with a mask of seriousness.
"Indeed, we where going to make this quick," Aro said, giving me a smile. "We would like to narrow down the possibly fathers."
"Is this worth the risk of her life? If so continue, but if you have any concern for her… allow her back to her room. There are other methods of finding the truth."
"Very well," Aro said with mild annoyance clear on his expression.
From the lineup of men Demetri took a step forward and bowed. "Master, I'll escort her back to her room." His voice was smooth but lacked emotion.
Aro narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second before offering him a joyous smile. "Of course, Demetri; thank you for your efforts."
In a flash Demetri was in front of me; a somber look on his face. His closeness made me flinch, but the familiar touch of his hand at my back settled my nerves. He guided me from the room; back down the beautiful hallway and into my room. As soon as the doors shut I turned to face him; his crimson eyes danced with emotion as he looked into my eyes.
"What just happened?" I demanded, feeling oddly confident in myself right now. "Did Carlisle know this was going to happen, he couldn't have such perfect timing."
"You Bella Swan, are evidence that humans aren't morons." Demetri creaked a smile, lightly moving me so I laid down on the bed. "The Cullen's may have gotten a call…"
My eyes widened. "If Aro was to find out… he would kill you."
"Maybe so, but regardless… that's exactly what I deserve."
I frowned, watching him with tears coming to my eyes. "Why would you say that?" I knew my emotions had been a bit… unpredictable lately… even I couldn't explain why I was getting so emotional for this guy.
"I knew what was going on down in that cell, I could hear all of it… the screams… the crying… I could smell of blood… but I did nothing to stop it… in fact… I took part in that nightmare… several times." He watched me with embarrassment and guilt. "It's the biggest regret of my life."
"Had there been other woman in that cell that you made… been intimate with… other than me?" Part of me was anxious about his answer; although I didn't know why it mattered.
"No of course not," Demetri said shaking his head. "It was a big enough risk having sex with you… there was only one woman in that cell that was worth the risk… and that was you." His hand came out hesitantly; when I didn't move away he lightly touched my cheek.
I wasn't sure if I completely welcomed the touch, but there was a pulling deep in my chest that yearned for any physical connection. I had been praying to avoid being touched for so long, but as my stay in the cell lengthened it was the contact… the pleasure… it was the feeling like I wasn't alone… that pulled me through my time in captivity. Yes, Aro had been the warden… but he had also been my visitor… Demetri as well… they made me feel alive when I had felt like I was nothing.
"What do you mean it was a risk?" My mind was still spiraling out of control as I tried to figure out my own feelings. "Do you mean you wasn't allowed to do what you did?"
"The great cell is to be used for holding humans; we keep them fed and watered, but weak. So, when dinner time came, we would open the doors, let them attempt to escape… and hunt them all down, that was the original purpose of the cell." Demetri spoke with a look of disappointment. "But when we brought this new group, they realized that they had all women… and each woman was very attractive and young. Caius was caught having sex with one of the women, so when he was brought to Aro and Marcus for discipline, instead of punishing him they allowed him to continue; as long as know one else found out."
"So, this happened because they didn't want to deny Caius' a good time?" I frowned deeply.
"Yes, at first, but more and more guards were found down in the cell having sex and toying with you all. So, when Aro found this out he made a rule. No one was permitted in the great cell, we could only bring the food and water, none of us where allowed to touch. Only Caius, Aro and Marcus was permitted to touch."
"I know there was others, not often but once in a while someone new would come in and… rape one of them." It was hard for me to use the word rape; but that was what it was. There was no way of sugar-coating it.
Demetri winced, but nodded. "Yes, Felix, Alec and myself where the others that came in, but it wasn't out of lust or wanting to make you all suffer even further… for myself that's at least true… I can't speak for the others." Again, he stroked my cheek delicately with just his fingertips. "Aro had made special claims on you, no one was allowed to touch you except for him; when I heard that I knew that you would be the one in the most danger."
"He never really tried to hurt me, there had been accidents, but he never hurt me." I watched his expression, not completely understanding him.
"Do you recall any moments in the cell when you questioned if we were really human… did you ever see something that would make you question that?" Demetri hinted at me.
At his words I remembered Kathy; and her lifeless eyes peering up at me.
"I watched someone drink Kathy's blood, that was the only thing that really had me… thinking you all were… not human… and last night when Aro had visited me, he kept saying that he didn't think humans were anything but a source of food…"
Demetri nodded earnestly. "So, can you think of what we might be… think of our eyes… think of what we eat…"
I watched him with doubt in my heart. "Are you trying to tell me that you are all vampires?"
He only smiled. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." His tone now turned serious. "But this is against the law for you to know, so you must keep all of this a secret. If Aro and the others were to find out that you know the truth about us they would have to kill you and your child."
Great another secret to worry about. As ludicrous as it sounded things started to make sense. But there was just one more question that was burning in my mind.
"So, does this mean my baby is a vampire as well?"
I'm not sure if any of you are liking this because I haven't gotten any reviews. I don't like wasting my time or other people's time if this story isn't good enough for a review this will be the last chapter.
If I get any kind of feedback to continue I will do so.
AC