Author's Note: Ah, time for another mini-chapter. I didn't want to rewrite the entire battle sequence, but I knew people wanted to know how Edward felt while he was being dismembered, so I focused solely on that. This coincides with that part of chapter 58 in Starlight Vows. Only one more chapter to go! I hope you're all excited. Thanks for sticking with me this long! Please leave reviews and your feedback, I appreciate every one I get. Enjoy!


Death is subjective when you're a vampire like me. It's only a notion; a human fear of what lies beyond. That means we can sustain our existence through extreme circumstances. These circumstances stretch out far beyond the realm of human possibility. I have lived through many of these the most painful while imprisoned in Volterra. Devastation is an understatement in terms of what they had done to my body.

Having such done to me in private was one thing. I was alone to my own horror, disgust, shame. It's another to watch the horror in my lover's eyes as my body is torn like paper. Seeing myself come apart in her brilliant scarlet eyes…

Knowing that she will never get that out of her head, for all eternity.

I watched myself slowly dying in her eyes. It is far worse than any human's deathly fear.

"…I have a proposition for you, little one. It will go like this: if you can reach your loving husband before Athenodora can completely separate him, you will win. We will end this fight and leave you in peace."

Immediately I saw Aro's intentions. He wanted to play with Bella. See how far she could push her limits as a vampire. And I was his bait.

"What? No!" I screamed, yet my voice was quiet. Athenodora's hold was binding, preventing me from moving as her hands squeezed around my neck and torso.

"Aro! Please stop!" Don't do this to us! My father's own strained voice flew through the air. I could distinct the fear in his voice. The sadness.

"Edward!" Esme sounded like a mother then. She had lost a child in her human life. Was that how she cried out her baby's name? I wondered in a millisecond if that was how my mother sounded when she begged Carlisle to save me back in 1918. Don't kill my son! Hmm.

I groaned in response to my parents, and then was abruptly silenced by the increased pressure brought onto my skin from Athenodora.

"Shhh…" she whispered against my earlobe, licking the soft flesh and smiling. This will be very much fun, I think.

"And if I lose?" Bella's voice was strong. Guarded. My eyes fell onto her, admiring her stance as she stared at Aro. She was torn and exhausted. But the resolves in her eyes was striking. A battle angel. I wanted nothing more than to get to her side and help her. But I knew that this was going to be her test. I was confident that she would pass.

"If you lose, you will come with me, along with Edward, Jasper, and Alice. Dwindling down my guard numbers requires some new faces, don't you think?" You'll make fine additions. Too bad it won't be voluntary. But I am sure that when you taste the delectable blood of humans, you will change your minds and realize what you have been missing. I hissed at his mention of human blood.

With a quick nod, the remaining guard members took hold of my family, keeping them back to watch this game along with Aro and the other elders. Bella didn't falter. Her demeanor was poised. Even when coated in dirt and venom, she was the epitome of beauty. She licked her lips delicately, squinting slightly.

"What's the catch, Aro?"

"You have to get through. That's all." It will not be an easy feat, my dear. Let us see what you can do. "Shall we begin?" Bella dropped her gaze from Aro to me and I saw her eyebrows furrow while her hands turned into tight fists.

I'm going to win…I love you… My face grew long as I heard her voice in my head. I believed her. While Athenodora's hand slid around my arm, I smiled.

The pain felt when your limb is detached from your body is something only a small number of humans have had to experience. Many have the lucky opportunity to have medications to numb the sensations during surgeries. The only comparison I can use is for men of war; those who do not have those luxuries, and are left limbless due to gunfire or bombings. The pain crawls through the rest of your body, like a searing web shooting across every cell and atom. For vampires, the pain is amplified due to our heightened senses. I had experienced this in Volterra because Felix loved to do it to me. But like I said before, this is different. Bella was watching it happen to me. This was something I never wanted her to see.

Seeing me utterly vulnerable.

I screamed sparingly over Athenodora's laughter, feeling the skin around my shoulder crumble like stone as she ripped my appendage off. I felt the venom pour out of my fresh wound, running down like water over my clothes. My arm was flung to the grass beside me, and I instantly grieved the loss. In front of me, I saw Bella blur into action, sprinting at high speed in my direction. Sulfur filled the air around us, and I involuntarily ignored the urgent thoughts of my siblings when I saw flames sprout around Bella's legs.

"Bella!" Alice screamed. I saw a flash of Bella falling into the ground, losing to the fire consuming her. Cooking her. I growled, trying desperately to cry out to Bella. Athenodora's hold loosened around my neck as her two hands grasped my wrist and forearm, laughing hysterically. I heard the snapping sounds of my skin splitting, and before I could make any coherent noise, my other arm was away from my body. Pain ravaged my being, sending me into a frenzy of pain and anger.

"Oh, God! Stop this!" My children! Stop hurting my children! Esme screamed in her own fit of hysteria. My eyes flickered over to her, watching her fidget against one of the guards as they held her arms at her back.

She's slowing down...someone nearby thought. I think it was Jacob, but my mind was too overly stimulated with sparks of pain to identify it. I turned my head back to Bella, watching as her midsection burned. Yet, her form was absolutely magnificent! Her face was stoic as she ran. I saw the undeterred rage in her eyes, making me feel hopeful that she would win.

Such determination…"Interesting," Aro commented, sounding almost bored. Someone pushed me hard, and my knees hit the ground with a thud. Athenodora was giggling as her fingers pulled off what remained of my shoes and socks.

Bella! Please! Hurry! Alice's mind raced within mine. I hoped that if I kept watching her, our gaze would hold us together like it had done so many times before. Her hair was flying in the air, as if each strand was its own wing. Athenodora took her time now, snapping my toes off like they were the heads of dandelions.

My turn! Someone else exclaimed, and the ground rumbled underneath Bella's footing. Heidi must've been at work, seeing as the ground erupted with additional fire. It was then that I noticed her clothing disintegrating, as well as bits of her skin. Marcus!

I screamed out, feeling my feet separate from my calves. It stung its way through my legs, up my hips and in my stomach.

Then the high-pitched shrieks of Sulpicia took over the clearing, making all of us whimper in pain as the sounds of her voice vibrated fervently in our ears. I wanted to collapse, but seeing Bella fighting everything with so much grace gave me the strength I needed. She was going through far worse than I in these moments. I needed to be strong like her. I heard Sulpicia gasp as she collided into Aro's thin chest.

Impossible! Aro's mind cried. This is incredible! SHE is incredible.

She won't take much more, Alice warned. I bit down hard on my trembling lower lip as Bella slowed her pace; the flames fondling her chest and arms. Her rupturing body gave way, falling into the cool grass. I screamed out as Athenodora took this opportunity to rip away my lower legs and kneecaps.

"Be…lla!" The pain was stealing my voice. She was so close to me! Now her body was rolling slightly in the ground as the flames slowly died. Her eyes were glazed over and dark as she stared at me, looking remorseful. That look was easily readable: she felt she was failing me.

Oh Bella, if only!

"Damnit! LET ME GO!" You assholes! Let me the fuck out of here! I'm gonna smash your fucking heads in! Emmett's colorful language rang true in my head, fueling my own frustrations through the agony coursing through my undead veins.

"Is this the end, my dear? How sad," Aro sighed. What a disappointment. She seemed to have such promise…

The sugary sweet aroma of my venom mixed with the nearby wolf blood began to make my head spin. I watched Bella struggle to get back on her feet, coughing spurts of venom like saliva out into the grass below her.

It's our time now! I heard a male cry out mentally. Come on guys, we need to help them out! A loud howling filled my ears, making me smile crookedly. Another howl joined in, irritating the Volturi members around me.

"What is going on?" Demitri cried out, voicing the confusion and sudden fear I sensed from the others. Fur flew across my sight as the wolves descended upon the guards, distracting them enough to let go of my family. Athenodora's hold on me disappeared, and I fell downwards, catching Jacob's black eyes briefly before hitting the ground at my side.

Through the blades of grass, I saw her. My wife's fingers were slithering through the maze of green, inching towards me with everything she had. Her piercing eyes filled my chest with admiration. Bella was stronger than I ever imagined. She was fighting for me. For us.

"Stop those dogs!" Caius snarled above. Aro hissed but stood his ground. This is outrageous! Like a circus!

Im…impossible. How can she still be mobile? Aro was in shock as I sensed him watch my Bella crawling through the soil with determination in her dirty, venom-crusted face. I didn't see fear in her eyes, like I thought I would. All I could absorb was love swimming along hope.

Golden pools…I heard her sweet voice think. I smiled when I felt myself move towards her. She was using the last of her energy to get my broken body closer to her.

Her hand stretched forth; her cool fingers grazing along my cheekbone. In that gentle touch, I felt all her love for me electrocute through the agony my body was enduring. It sliced through everything, the pain, the anger, the fear, the sadness. We were close enough now that I counted the creases in her beautiful lips, desiring to encase them with my own.

"Edward…" Bella's voice shook simultaneously with my body. Her tone was haggard; reflecting her weak state. But it was not my name that I heard.

Instead, I heard "I did it".