Bella gasped. "The Volturi, you worked for them, but they are evil, degenerates. Forcing vampires into almost slavery if they have a gift."

Alistair sighed and cupped her cheek gently.

"I see you still believe that lying, idiot ex of yours Iseabail. They are not evil, tough and firm yes, uncompromising and ruthless even, but not evil. No one is forced to serve, they can leave at any time as I did. The Volturi are necessary in our world."

Bella took his words in. He would know better than she would after all, she trusted him completely. And he was right Edward was a liar, who had never met them.

"I admit to the outsider it would look like Aro collects vampires with gifts but that's not the case. Most go to him for protection, gifted vampires are coveted, and covens try to force them in. Amongst the Volturi they have the security they need, are given freedom and respect, a family of sorts. Carlisle was there for nearly a century, he should have educated his 'son' better."

"Why did you leave?"

"I got tired of staying in one place. I still have belongings there in the castle, I can go back any time. Felix keeps me up to date with technology, he likes playing with computers and such. I even had a mobile phone but it got broken just before I met you. He sorts out bank accounts and ID's etc for me and Garrett as well."

"Will you take me to meet them?" She asked quietly.

"I would like to, they are as family to me, like Garrett. The three of us are like brothers, we are close even though we don't see each other so often. They will love you. Aro will drive you mad if he can't read your mind like Edward couldn't. You can meet them as a human if you want." He stood up and held his hand out to her.

"I don't know. I think I might like that. I am curious about them." Bella said as he put on his jacket. "It's so beautiful here. Not a bad place to die, I imagine. Why have you never been back before?"

"I have mixed feelings about the place. I felt like I let them down by dying, then leaving. I could have ended that war in seconds, but instead I chose to live my own life and leave the human world behind. Vampires are essentially selfish creatures but that's no excuse. I could have saved so many so much pain. I have carried a lot of guilt around with me, and only just been ready to let it go. I need to though if we are to move forward. That's why I wanted to bring you here, why I wanted to face it at last. And as you say it is pretty here now."

"Wading in and ending the war would not have saved anyone. You would probably have ended up costing even more lives. You did the only thing you could. There is no reason to feel guilty." Bella squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. He turned to her and kissed her back.

"I know hen, but knowing doesn't always make living with it easier." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again. For several minutes the clung to each other, completely oblivious in their own little bubble. Until Bella's stomach growled, interrupting them.

"Come on Iseabail, Let's get you some food" Alistair said with a chuckle as he kissed down her neck "then we can spend the rest of the day in bed." Bella giggled. She certainly didn't object to that plan.

Later that afternoon as they lay in each other's arms, temporarily sated, Bella continued their conversation from earlier.

"You said you had a mobile, but it broke. Shouldn't you get another so they can contact you? And so I can get in touch with you. I would like to know I can reach you if I need to."

"Oh Iseabail. I will always know if you need me, I'll always find you. It's part of our bond, as you will know when you are turned. But if it'll make you feel better I will get a replacement. I'll do it tomorrow."

"What happened to them? The women, Niall? Did they survive the war?"

Alistair signed and sat up as Bella turned to look at him.

"As you will know Robert survived. He won the battle of Bannockburn and was King. Niall survived as well, He married Mary, Robert's sister. Most of Roberts's brothers and some of his major supporters were captured by the English and killed as traitors. Hung, drawn and quartered."

He shuddered at the thought of the suffering his friends had gone through. Bella leaned over and kissed his arm gently with a sad smile.

"The women were also captured. The Queen and one sister were sent into convents for the rest of the war. Mary was put in a cage and hung on the walls of Roxburgh Castle, open to the elements and in full view of the people below. They were there to be humiliated and degraded. Because they were no better than animals he said. It is said she hung there for years, perhaps four. His wee lass, Marjorie was going to a cage in Tower of London but I don't know if she was ever in it, if she was it wasn't for long. Iseabail of Buchan who was with them was put in a cage on the walls of Berwick Castle for several years as well. The man was evil, he was bad even by the standards of the day. If you were a Scot, male or female, you were a traitor, an animal and shown no respect or mercy. They survived though and we won, in the end." He smiled down on her and bent to kiss her. They lay together in thoughtful silence for a while.

"What was it that you got for me?" Bella asked suddenly remembering the bag he had had earlier.

He jumped out of the bed and picked the bag up with a huge grin on his face. Bella sat up feeling excited, whatever was in the bag meant something. She opened it quickly. Inside the bag was a tartan shawl, a box and a bear.

"In my day all the fine ladies wore a shawl or something in their husband's tartan." Alistair said almost sheepishly as she pulled the soft woollen wrap from the bag. It was red, blue and gold squares with almost every combination of mixed colours as well, soft and warm Bella thought it was beautiful. He wrapped it gently around her shoulders as she rubbed the fabric.

"This is very like the colours I wore. It's called the Ancient Buchanan now." He chuckled at that.

Bella pulled the box and bear out. The bear brown and was wearing a traditional Scottish outfit. Bella laughed. It was really cute.

"That's just a little something to keep you company when I leave. He's wearing the current Buchanan tartan. It's a silly thing really." He was embarrassed.

"He's lovely. Thankyou." Bella kissed him gently. She liked his embarrassment, she loved the gesture of the bear. It wasn't an extravagant gift that was bound to make her uncomfortable, it was thoughtful and special.

Lastly she opened the box. Inside was a gold necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a clan crest that Bella had seen in shops before. It was elegant and intricate. There was a hand holding a crown with the words 'Clarior hinc honos' inscribed on it. There was a tiny diamond above the crown.

"This is the Buchanan clan crest." Alistair said quietly. "We didn't have such things in my day but I wanted to get you something personal. Now ladies of the clan wear a broach or pendant with the crest on. It shows who you are. You are Buchanan now through me. I wanted it known." He put the pendant around her neck.

"I don't know how you feel about marriage. I don't care either way really. We are to be together forever so a wedding seems unnecessary to me. I can get you a ring if you like. We can get married if you want or not. But I want you to wear my colours and carry my name. Call me a pig but I want you stamped as mine." His eyes were begging her to understand and to accept this.

"I am stamped as yours" Bella replied while touching his mark on her neck. "I will happily keep the shawl and wear the necklace proudly, it's really beautiful. Thankyou so much." She kissed him passionately.

"When I am changed I will take your name if you want. I will need new ID anyway. I don't need a wedding, I agree it means little really in the face of eternity and I don't want the fanfare. I love you, I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that. But I think I would like a ring."

Alistair sighed happily.

"I will get you a ring gladly my Iseabail. I will wear one too if you wish. Our eternity will be wonderful I promise. I'll do my best to give you everything you could want." He kissed her then and pushed her back onto the mattress.

"I love you too Iseabail. I love you too."

ooOOoo

Two days later found them arriving back to Bella's flat. She had gold ring on her third finger of her left hand. It was plaited yellow gold, simple and elegant and she loved it. They had gone to Edinburgh for a couple of days after Alistair's revelations about his past. They had spent a couple of days looking round the castle and museums, just relaxing. There they had both picked out matching rings. Bella decided she didn't want a glittery engagement ring, she wanted a wedding ring. In her own mind she was committed to him for ever so it made sense to her to show it. He had got a new phone as well and contacted Felix regarding new ID's for Bella and to give him the news that he had found his mate. Bella couldn't hear Felix's side of the conversation but Alistair was laughing a lot so he must have been happy. She marvelled at the difference in him. When they first met he had been sullen and grumpy. But now he was happy, no longer weighed down. He smiled a lot, he frequently laughed and made jokes. It was wonderful for her to see.

Alistair had put Felix's contact details into Bella's phone. Just in case, he said. After that she found herself getting several joke texts and e-mails. She was quite looking forward to meeting him.

Following several intense conversations it was decided they would visit Volterra once she had graduated. She would give up the flat and ship her possessions to Italy for safe keeping. They were going to travel the world. That is what she planned to tell everyone.

Alistair had tried to persuade Bella to visit her mother but she had flatly refused.

"I want nothing to do with her. She hasn't tried to contact me so why should I. I want to make sure that if I am declared dead or missing she can't get her hands on my dad's money either."

Alistair had kept quiet after that and promised her Felix would make sure everything was secure. It was decided that she wouldn't go 'missing' or die, she would simply disappear and loose contact with everyone.

They had argued about her diet quite a lot as well. Bella wanted to feed on animals, Alistair thought she was stupid. He thought she would struggle too much and he didn't want her to suffer unduly with thirst. Bella replied that she wanted to try anyway.

"I love you hen but there is no way I am chomping down on Bambi and Thumper, not even for you. If you insist on that diet, I will help as best I can but I won't join you. Maybe we could stay with the Cullen's for a while after you are turned so that they can help you."

That idea made Bella stop her argument in its tracks. There was no way she wanted to ask the Cullen's for help. She would rather feed on people. Bella didn't expect Alistair to switch diets, he made his own choices. She knew he would support her whatever she chose but he wasn't happy about it. Perhaps staying with the Cullen's would be a logical choice. She wouldn't need to accompany him when he hunted and she would be with people who understood the challenge of that diet. And yet the thought of being with them made her blood run cold. No, she would just try her best and not chastise herself if she failed.

Alistair watched her struggle with her choice. He knew she didn't want to ask the Cullen's for help, he didn't particularly want to ask them either but he would if it was best for Bella. Her diet had to be her choice. He hoped they could reach an agreement in the future but for now he could tell she was determined to try animals. He smiled wryly, she would probably succeed as well, his Iseabail was certainly determined enough. The thought of animal blood made him want to retch, he doubted they would be sharing a meal any time in the near future.

They had been back about a day when Becky was banging on the door demanding entrance so they could go for a girls night out. Then squealing at the ring on Bella's finger.

"You will tell me everything." She told Bella quietly before she asked loudly. "Hi Al. How was Scotland?"

Alistair growled quietly. He didn't like being called Al.

"Great thanks hen. How are you doing?" She just kissed his cheek and said everything was perfect and poured herself a drink. He smiled at her and chatted while Bella got ready. Much as he hated to admit it Alistair liked Becky.

Bella was going to tell her their plans while they were out. Alistair was not looking forward to shepherding two drunken females around later. While he understood the concept of "girl's night" there was no way he was actually going to sit about at home and wait for them to roll back in. He still needed to watch over Bella and found the thought of her going out alone to drink scared him. After all he knew what was out there. He had agreed, however to meet up with them in a few hours' time. But he would be going earlier and hoping he stayed out of sight. He didn't want to stop her or spoil her night but he needed to look out for her. He suspected Bella knew that too as she said.

"See you later, no doubt you'll see me first." Before kissing him quickly and leaving.

He caught up with them an hour later. They were sitting in the corner of a bar chatting animatedly. Becky was convinced they had gotten married. Bella was telling her they hadn't, that they didn't want to. He knew when Bella realised he was there because she relaxed and smiled softly. He kept his distance from them, trying to give them privacy, he just sat back and watched. It was particularly amusing when a guy swaggered over to the girls and tried to get Bella to dance. He was rubbing himself up against her but Alistair could feel her dis-interest. Alistair knew the guy stood no chance, he was not jealous, on the contrary he liked knowing he had something other men wanted. After about fifteen minutes Becky approached to the bar.

"I think you had better get over there and stake your claim before that idiot gets a knee in the balls. Bells is getting really pissed off." She said before ordering a round. He handed her the cash which she took with a kiss. "She's lucky to have you. You've been here all night and never interfered once. Most guys would have been demanding her attention not letting her have her fun. But then again you know she's yours for ever don't you?"

"Well I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought." He thought as he made his way over to Bella. Becky was observant, perhaps she saw the connection between Bella and himself.

As soon as she saw him Bella smiled brightly and opened her arms, the guy who was trying to get her attention completely forgotten. After kissing her Alistair smirked at the other guy over her shoulder before pulling her to him again.

The days past quickly into weeks as Bell threw herself back into her school work. It wasn't long now until she graduated, but Alistair was like a cat on hot bricks, tetchy and going stir crazy. With the brightening days he had to stay inside more and more and was unable to watch over her as he needed to. He tried really hard not to show it but he was becoming anxious. He needed her to be immortal, safe. His instincts were going crazy with concern. He was feeding off her anxiety at the approaching finals as well and honestly he was becoming frustrated by the lack of alone time they had, the fact she was always either studying, in the library or sleeping. Even Becky had been side lined and that was something Alistair thought he would never see.

He hated seeing Bella getting so stressed over trivial human concerns, it wasn't like she needed the qualifications for a future job. But when he expressed that opinion he didn't get the response he had hoped for. The look Bella gave him would have turned new milk sour. Her answer was scathingly put, that she didn't expect him to understand human concerns as he wasn't human.

But then her face fell.

"I owe it to my Dad to do this, and to do my best. He would be so proud to see me graduate and have done it myself. I want him to be proud of me."

Alistair felt like a complete arse hole. Remorse was not an emotion he had felt often, he didn't know how to respond or react. He didn't bother saying that her father would be proud regardless. He knew that wouldn't matter. He just pulled her to him and held her as she cried.

Eventually the course work was finished, the exams were taken and it was over. They both began to breathe again as the tension lessened. Bella was feeling a mixture of emotions. Excitement at what was to come and nerves too. Also reservations. This was her home she had friends and a life here. She would miss this place, she would miss Becky. But she had started over before she could do it again and this time she wasn't alone.

The packing was done with the boxes of pictures etc shipped out and they were leaving in a couple of days. Alistair knew Bella was going to miss the place. She loved her flat and the city. He knew leaving her friends would be hard, but she had done it before. He promised they would come back often. But he was ready to leave, he couldn't wait to turn her and start eternity together. He was going to ask if he could turn her in Volterra, he knew she would be completely safe there.

It was because they were leaving that Bella asked Alistair to give her a day alone to say her goodbyes. He didn't like the idea, it went against every instinct he had but he agreed and left to hunt in Manchester. He knew if he didn't get well away he would trail around after her and that wasn't fair. If she needed alone time then she would get it.

While Bella did want some alone time to look around and say her goodbyes, she had another reason for wanting Alistair gone. She had decided to get the Buchanan crest tattooed on her ribs and wanted it to be a surprise for him. She was getting it done that morning then heading up the cathedral for a last look around. Before going out with Becky for a 'last fling'. It was going to be a bitter sweet day.

The next morning a hung over, tearful Becky left the flat. They hadn't promised to stay in touch. It was like Becky knew she wouldn't. Bella always suspected Becky was aware that Alistair was different, although she never said. She never questioned the sudden intense relationship they had which was so very unlike the Bella she had always known. She just said they were perfect together and knew they would be happy. Bella had given her the car as well, to sell or keep.

Once she was alone Bella just sat and looked around waiting for Alistair to get back. She wanted to be gone now. Hearing a knock on the door she laughed as she got up to answer it.

"What did you forget?" she asked opening the door. Her laughter turned to fury when she saw who was on the other side of the door.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Oh come on love. That is no way to speak to your mate"