A/N This chapter has guest Madeline Midnight Rose created by Black-Rose-Of-Night for her fantastic story 'Reach for Me' . The character is included with her permission. Special thanks to Black-Rose-Of-Night for her shout out in her Authors note, it touched me. It seems to me like she blazed the trail and I'm following my own path behind her in establishing a fairly new sub-genre of Twilight fanfic. The bitter future Bella sub-genre.- Laffs- I don't think anyone could claim I copied her story, but I love her story, am glad she likes mine and I am happy to have the irrepressible Midnight as a link between the two universes. BTW I could have made my own cheeky, fun, character to reign Bella in some, but I would have been thinking of Midnight, rather than do BRON that disservice I just asked to use Midnight in order to be honest. I'm so very glad I did. So without further adieu...
Future Seen Darkly
Chapter 6
Duel
BPOV
Forks Washington
This was the third time in two months. Every time I swore it would be the last. It was as if Midnight and Alice were working in tandem, matched hammers breaking down the walls I needed to survive.
I always brought Midnight here with me, I could not face these visits to Alice alone, and truth be told none of the other Cullen's really mattered. Alice was the one who'd repeatedly put her ass on the line for me, the one who'd repeatedly been defeated yet never vanquished.
I was trying to make Emmett understand why I should post some Volturi guards here.
"Emmett, I am the fourth Princess of the Volturi, I have been assassin, negotiator and whore. I have never failed. This means I have enemies, bitter enemies, who've likely already noticed I come here out of some weakness in me, because believe me I should stay away for your family's good and for my own."
"We can defend ourselves Bella," I could feel the stupidity of testosterone emanating from him.
Midnight snorted in a rather unladylike fashion.
"You and Jasper together would not last 30 seconds against one trained Volturi guard," Both of them stared at her incredulously.
"Emmett, Jasper, reconsider your attitudes, in your home at the moment you have the two regarded widely as the most deadly of the Volturi," I stared at him with scarlet eyes.
Emmett laughed.
"Right," he seemed amused, "Bella without all those those fancy weapons you are still Bella, you'd trip before we even sparred."
I removed one glove and handed it to Midnight who, for once, shared my frosty rage.
She approached Emmett and used my glove to slap him.
"You have insulted the fourth Princess of the Volturi. She bids you meet her on a field of challenge for a duel to to death 20 minutes anon. Weapons or no weapons shall be be of your choosing, I shall serve as her second. Terms of the duel are open for the next five minutes.
Rosalie was aghast, she was obviously wondering how this all went so wrong.
"You can't be serious," All humor was gone from Emmett now.
"You have just insulted a woman whom, if I may use the vernacular, all of the Volturi would squat and make grunting noises should she say shit, save six. She must defend that," Midnight could be deadly serious even when being a brat.
Alice came running into the room. She's obviously just had a vision.
"Emmett! Emmett! Make the terms first hold, according to their rules she has to kill you! Please Emmett!"
I'd been counting on Alice to bail me out of this. I really didn't care whether I killed Emmett or not but I knew she would. I didn't like that I cared what she thought.
Something about Alice erased some of those fifty years, I hated it, but it was true.
"First hold, no weapons," Emmett growled.
I just nodded.
"I'm glad I don't have to kill you Emmett, Rose's honesty with me earned you that much. Once I defeat you don't put me in this position again."
"Bella you can't be serious...." Emmett seemed stunned at the idea I thought I'd beat him. Stunned that I'd consider killing him.
I stood and slowly stripped off my arms.
"Alice would you hold all this crap?" I wanted to see firmly who's side she was on.
"Middie store my daggers somewhere...I don't trust anyone but you or me with them...sorry Alice."
"Like I want to touch those darned things?" Alice wrinkled her nose.
"This had to happen Aunt Bella."
"I want to talk to you Middie, now."
She giggled. "You are as bad as them," she made motions towards Emmett.
"I smell better."
She could not argue with that.
We withdrew to a side.
"Midnight, I won't argue anymore, some wild force, something I do not understand, makes you my niece, it's true."
She smiled a cat's smile, as if she'd just collected me.
"I knew you'd come around Aunt Bella, I love you."
"Shush Middie, I don't understand, can't fathom why you care. Alice is in love with a Bella that does not exist anymore, I'm trying to give her a chance to see that but even that does not matter, I'd forgotten what idiots the Cullen men are, they actually think they know how to fight. If I keep coming here they will be killed."
"It's hardly like you to be a mother hen Aunt Bella."
"So says the girl I fought until exhaustion to defend when she went vegetable under Paris."
Midnight's face lost all of it's usual snarkiness.
"Aunt Bella, there is something special between us, there has been since the moment we met. For once in your life don't overthink, Let what has been trying to happen between you and Alice for over 60 years happen and let the bond between you and I grow."
"I don't know that I have any choice Middie, you and Alice seem expert at demolishing the walls that have kept me alive." I looked into her violet eyes to see that she understood me.
"Those walls haven't been keeping you alive Aunt Bella, they've been keeping you dead."
I thought about that a long moment.
"It's time to put Emmett through a few changes," I winked at Midnight and she laughed.
"Gods you love to to fight Aunt Bella," She was fighting the urge to smile.
"Like you don't my brat princess of a niece."
I mussed her hair.
MPOV
The reclamation of my Aunt's soul was moving along nicely.
When she could come here to Forks without me to visit Alice without me I'd know my humble job was done. Many thought I was just a smartass girl and on some levels I am, but Aunt Bella knew better.
She and I were, in a way, soulmates. We were destined to be best friends. I didn't share the psychic bond with her I shared with my Mother, but amazingly enough we did not need it.
We shared a different type of bond that seemed just as deep, though it was like pulling teeth to get Aunt Bella to acknowledge it.
Her and Emmett faced off in a clearing.
"Emmett Cullen, you have insulted the honor of the fourth Princess of the Volturi, we meet here to satisfy her honor. Should you prevail you will assume her office with all rank and privileges forthcoming." I fixed him with a significant gaze, I'd bet he hadn't known that part and I enjoyed the obvious discomfort it caused him.
Rosalie snorted, it sounded so foreign coming from such a beautiful girl.
"Princess Emmett?" She sounded bumfuzzled.
"We have no male titles except for King and I think after this Emmett will realize he's hardly up to taking on any of my grandfathers, believe me Rosalie, he bit off more than he could chew with my Aunt."
Rosalie gave me a hard look, once she'd realized Aunt Bella was not going to kill them straight off, a certain arrogance had returned to her. She felt Aunt Bella was protecting them. In a way she was right.
They faced each other twenty yards separating them.
"Begin." I said.
Emmett approached this as he seemed to approach all, head first.
He rushed Aunt Bella and she was like a discus, spinning in the air, she grasped his head, but not quite enough to take it off, she landed on his back and whispered in his ear "Your dead."
I heard a pistol fire and turned to Alice, shocked.
She was totally embarrassed and mouthed, "Sorry."
Aunt Bella was oblivious to it, she leaned down and kissed Emmet's cheek.
"I yield," Emmett was very loud and very embarrassed.
"There are newborns coming, they plan to attack us!" Alice was frantic, I knew Aunt Bella had absolute faith in her visions.
"Daggers Middie," she seized her guns from Alice.
"All of you back in the house now," I barked, "Aunt Bella and I will handle this."
Jasper acted as if he'd protest.
"Go now!," My Aunt Bella's tone brooked no protest. They went.
The newborns came, cannon fodder as it were, Aunt Bella and I dispatched ten of them quickly then after the battle Edward Cullen, of all people, appeared.
I drew my pistol and fired but inexplicably it missed.
"So the bitch returns to her own vomit!" He seemed as if he were on a sugar high, "I know your weakness now Bella, soon you'll do what I say again."
He laughed as if he were Snidely fucking Whiplash.
He ran away, we both fired, we both missed, which was impossible.
Aunt Bella was on the phone, the Cullen's were being assholes. It was all moving so fast.
"Emmett," Alice was gesticulating, "Bella defeated you in under five seconds. I'd say we'd better listen."
Aunt Bella emerged.
"You have 5 minutes to pack, we are going to Volterra now."
There were protests.
"Edward has gathered a coven around him, a large one, you have two choices. Stay here and die or come to Volterra. Midnight and I do not have time for fools. Make your choice. Five minutes."
Finally they all gathered around us.
"Aunt Bella you know why I love you so much?" I looked at her winsomely.
"My girlish figure?" she winked at me
"It's never boring around you." It was an effort with so many but I took us to Volterra.
"Alice was able to fire my gun niece."
I was tired but I smiled at her.
"I know."
A/N Please review, next chapter we see more of what Edward's up to and Bella and Alice finally have that long talk.