A/N Sorry for the delay in the update, between real life and my muse running away to the other story I am writing, its been difficult to get done. As aways none of it belongs to me.

Chapter 6

Bella had been shown to a beautiful room with a huge window that allowed her to see the natural and architectural beauty of the city. She had always wanted to tour Tuscany; to see the art and culture the region was historically famous for and maybe even become a wine connoisseur. She never in a million years wanted to experience it this way.

As she got settled she thought about what she was going to ask Aro for and was beginning to wonder if she may have been a little hasty in her decision. Even if she had she wouldn't regret it now she needed to get away from the Cullen's so she could grow and that was exactly what she planned on doing. Hearing a soft knock on the door she squared her shoulders and went to face her fate.

When she opened the door she had to refrain from laughing. Jane, looking very much like the petulant little girl she was, was standing there waiting to escort her to Aro. "Hello Jane, its so very good to see you" she just snarled, staring her down, Bella knew exactly what she was doing, "Jane, it still doesn't work. Please stop trying before you hurt yourself. Can we please go, I don't want to keep Aro waiting" She turned on the heel of her little baby doll shoe and Bella obediently followed.

When she entered the throne room it was just as she remembered it, Marcus and Caius sat on their thrones looking as if they'd been inconvenienced and the rest of the guard stood around, curious why she was there without the Cullen's.

"Isabella, it is indeed a pleasure to see you again, I apologize for the delay in our meeting, I hope you found your accommodations acceptable?"

'Yes, the room is beautiful and the view is nothing short of breathtaking, thank you so much for your hospitality"

"Think nothing of it my dear. It seems my old friend Carlisle was unaware of your intentions to visit and called to inquire about your welfare" she really wasn't in the mood for all of this nonsense and told him so.

"As much as I enjoy the polite banter I would much rather get to the point as not to waste any more of your time. I know the Cullen's were unaware because that is how I wanted it. I have come here in hopes that your offer to join your guard still stands?"

"Well Isabella, you certainly have my attention. What caused this change of heart? It was not so long ago that you were willing to give your mortal life for your true love Edward, is the grass not greener on the other side? Not that I plan to turn you away, of course the offer still stands but I must admit I am curious as to what brought this on."

Bella looked around the room, she really did not want to discuss this in front of everyone, she had hoped she could talk to Aro in private, she knew since he couldn't read her the only way to earn his trust was to let him become her confidant and hold nothing back. Sensing her hesitation he immediately knew what she wanted.

"Why don't you take a walk with me Bella, let us get to know one another" she took his arm and let him lead her out of the room into a small but beautiful garden, she noticed Demetri and Renata followed discreetly behind them, keeping him safe yet giving them privacy.

"Thank you Aro, I have never been comfortable speaking in front of strangers much less speaking about personal things in front of them. I apologize for coming unannounced but it was the only way, the gifts the Cullen's possess make it hard for one to have privacy much less make a decision they would not approve of."

"Why would they disapprove?" he looked at me with open curiosity.

"Please don't get me wrong a part of me still loves my husband and his family but they tend to, well for lack of a better word smother me. I know it is a habit from when I was human but to be honest I am tired of having all of my decisions taken away from me and you are also right that the grass is not greener on the other side, When I was turned I was not ready, there are a lot of things that I regret which have made it even harder for me to adapt to this life. I need to grow and find myself, who I am supposed to be, maybe then I will be able to return to my husband and his family, when I no longer resent them for bringing me into this world." His eyes held understanding, and maybe even some sympathy.

"Isabella, we all must find our own way in this world, and I am sure every vampire you talk to can tell you of their regrets, but you must learn to let them go. Eternity is a very long time to hold on to them. What did you wish to accomplish as a member of my guard?"

"I want you to teach me, I know I have a gift, I can feel it but I have no way to nurture it, or even know how to access it. I want to experience things, to be free to come and go as I please, to pick out my own clothes and to have friends and companions outside of the Cullen's coven, I want to feel passion and excitement and…" He arched an eyebrow at her last statement.

"Passion Isabella, I am sorry but I will not be able to help you in that area, my wife would not appreciate it, she may very well cut off my head and set me on fire if I were to even consider it. Was the young Mr. Cullen's performance in the marital bed really so lacking?" He had a teasing twinkle in his eye.

"Oh my god, no! I was not asking for that, I am so sorry, I just got carried away, oh this is so embarrassing" she put her face in her hands knowing if she were still human her face would be crimson. "And to answer your other question not necessarily lacking as much as completely not interested in it." Aro started to laugh whole-heartedly.

"Oh Bella you are truly a delight, a breath of fresh air. We are going to get along very well my dear, very well indeed. Can I inquire what brought all of this on, the proverbial straw so to speak?" She told him of the Cullen's arranging her death, how she was unable to say goodbye to her friends and family at least in her own way and then she told him of her life before her change.

She was very careful to leave out the wolves, only mentioning Jacob as the other man she had loved and given up, never revealing his name. She told him about her pain and jealousy knowing that he had moved on with her friend. About Angela and their letter writing until her "death" and how she had been the last link to her human life that she had been forced to give that up because the Cullen's didn't bother to consult her about their decision. She never told him of the e-mails or Face Book, or that anyone knew what she was. She would never bring harm to them, she would protect them at all costs; another reason she needed to learn how to use her gift.

"Isabella, although they went about it the wrong way I have to agree with their decision, the longer you corresponded with the humans in your past the greater chance they had of becoming suspicious and possibly learning of our existence. That would have had very tragic results, you are aware of the rules. To them you are dead. They will mourn you, move on and be safe living long, healthy, happy lives; this is what you should want for them."

"It is and I do understand, and now it's my turn to finish mourning my old life and move on, but if I am allowed to stay I have one small request, I realize I am not in a position to ask for anything but this is very important to me."

"Isabella you have quickly captured my heart with your honesty and forthrightness, I can see us becoming very close, very close indeed, what do you request my dear, name it and it shall be yours." She smiled at him; she realized that even thought he was one of the oldest and most sinister vampires alive he also had a soft side.

"I cannot hunt humans, I know you do not agree with the Cullen's diet but I can't take a human life, please don't make me. I have never tasted human blood, and to be honest I even have problems killing the animals. I make for a lousy vampire I know, but it is the only thing I must insist upon" He seemed to contemplate her request for a moment.

"If that is what you desire then so be it, there is plenty of game surrounding us and I'm sure there are other areas that are not to far of a run. I will personally teach you how to use your gifts and we will have Felix give you lessons in protecting yourself since I'm sure the Cullen's never let you practice any self-defense, am I correct?" she shook her head no in answer to his question. "Until that time I am going to assign Demetri as your own personal guard per say, he will accompany you when you hunt until we know you can defend yourself if necessary. Did you have any luggage we needed to retrieve?"

"No, I have the only personal belongings I wanted, my luggage went on to Sicily, I will call the airlines and make arrangements to have it delivered and I should probably call Edward and have him send me the rest of my things"

"That won't be necessary, I will have Heidi come to see you and you two can purchase you a new wardrobe, as part of my guard you will be required to wear the uniform cloak, it identifies who you are to those who need to know, of course if you are not in an official capacity you do not need to wear it. It is mainly worn in the throne room where we tend to keep things formal. If you are happy with your room it can be yours permanently or would you prefer another?"

"Oh no, it is perfect. Thank you so much for your generosity. I promise I will do my best to master my gift and serve you. You will not regret your decision."

"That I am sure of Isabella" he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I am now going to formally introduce you to Demetri, he will be escorting you around for the next few days until you learn your way. He can answer any questions you may have and will help you to adjust to life in Voltura. Get to know him Bella, I believe you two will get along well, maybe in time he may even be able to help you find the passion you so eagerly seek" she groaned and put her face in her hands again while mumbling how thankful she was she could no longer blush, hearing her he started laughing again as he led her to Demetri. "I am truly going to enjoy your presence here Bella, I have laughed more in the last thirty minutes than I have in the last thirty years."

Bella appraised the vampire they were walking towards and she had to admit he was very handsome but she wasn't ready for that yet, she was still in love with Jake and even in her own screwed up way with Edward, was Aro playing matchmaker, she smiled inwardly at the thought, he really was trying to give her everything she asked for. They reached Demetri and Renata.

"Bella, may I present Renata and Demetri." Renata bowed her head as she took her place next to Aro, "Demetri I have informed Bella of our earlier discussion, please see to it that she is made welcome and wants for nothing." He turned to me and winked making me cover my face once again causing him to chuckle, good lord did this replace my blushing, "Bella dear I have business to attend to, if you have need of me just let Demetri know, I will call on you tomorrow to start working on that amazing gift of yours" He placed my hand in Demetri's and walked away, Renata close on his heels.

"Bella, it is a pleasure to finally meet you" he gently brought her hand to his lips, she looked into his blood red eyes and shivered, this would definitely take some getting used to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, I hope I will not be putting you out, I will try to learn my way quickly." He smiled and she was surprised when the smile reached his eyes, making him even more handsome, red eyes and all.

"You will not be putting me out, I approached Aro before your meeting and asked if I could be the one to help you should you choose to stay." she looked at him confused.

"Why would you do that? How did you even know what I was here for?" He placed her hand in his elbow as he led her to a bench to sit down.

"I didn't know, I only hoped. As for why, I have to be honest but I don't want to frighten you either, the truth is ever since the day you came here as a human I have been intrigued by you, human Bella caught my attention with her bravery and compassion, willing to give her life to save what most people would consider an abomination, and then you returned as vampire Bella and I was fascinated and truly smitten, I didn't think it was possible for you to become even more beautiful, but you are." He lowered his head shyly, how could she compel this reaction from a vampire who was hundreds of years old.

"I am not that special believe me, but thank you for the compliment"

"Is there anything you would like to do? Do you want me to get Heidi so you can get your wardrobe settled or are you thirsty, would you prefer to hunt, there are several herds of deer outside the walls?" she froze, how did he now that.

"How did you know about that, I only just requested to be able to continue my diet" then she remembered about the whole passion conversation and groaned, "You heard it all didn't you?" she resorted to her newest quirk and her face went straight into her hands. He chuckled lightly while he moved her hands from her face and gently guided her chin so she was looking at him.

"I'm sorry but being a tracker all of my senses are a lot better than most vampires, Renata didn't hear a thing but yes I did hear the whole conversation, I tried to distract myself but I'm afraid it didn't work very well since I am very interested in everything about you. Like Aro said Bella I am here for you, and I will make sure you want for nothing if it in my power to give it to you." The backs of his fingers gently ran down her alabaster cheek, his next words were a whisper, "And when you are ready, if it is passion you desire I can promise I will always be interested and completely willing to do your bidding" she felt another shiver run through her and this time it had nothing to do with fear.