Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.
A/N: I want to thank whichever reader nominated Harvest Moon in the Twilight OC Original Character Awards for Henry. It was nominated as the Most Original Story Line, and Best Supernatural story. Harvest Moon won 2nd place (Runner-up) in the Best Supernatural story category. My many thanks again at even being nominated, much less, actually placing against so many well read stories.
A multitude of thanks again to ColdOnePaul and Lord Diakron for helping me to think through several of the plot lines that are now scattered across my storyline. They have helped to provide me much fodder to argue with my betas over. Also, I want to thank Andreea for giving even more wonderful information on her Romanian heritage – and the necessary ideas for creating Stefan and Vladimir's hidden fortress. I hope I did it justice.
Lastly, I know that Edward and Carlisle would be speaking in Italian as they work in the hospital. To avoid harassing Camilla for translations and doing serious footnotes at the bottom, I left their conversation in English. Please forgive my little literary goof.
I have learned not to think little of any one's belief,
no matter how strange it may be.
I have tried to keep an open mind,
And it is not the ordinary things of life that could close it,
But the strange things,
The extraordinary things,
The things that make one doubt if they be mad or sane.
Dracula, Bram Stoker
"Bettina, my dear, would you please make sure my brother gets his paperwork done and leaves here on time? Our cruel taskmasters are demanding that we escort them around on some sightseeing before we sleep," Carlisle teased, turning on the charm as he spoke to the head nurse who had effectively ordered us around for the past twelve hours.
He was gazing intently into her eyes, oozing a level of charm that I'd rarely seen him utilize. He was deadly, I realized. All hell would have broken loose at the hospitals he'd graced over the years had he ever gone this far. Her heart raced, and her pupils dilated in reaction. When he smiled at her softly, I thought the poor woman was going to have a heart attack. She took a deep fortifying breath, regaining some control and then tapped his chest with the clipboard she was carrying.
"Dr. Carlisle" (she'd taken to calling him that because two Doctor Cullens had become chaotic), I am old enough to be your mother, and I have a brother-in-law who is Scot-Irish. I recognize the gift of blarney."
She was shaking the hypnotic effects of Carlisle's attention in small steps. She narrowed her eyes at him in assessment. "You're the leader of your pack, aren't you? Just how many brothers did you say are in this family? Somehow, I bet you lead them into all kinds of trouble. If they're all as attractive as you and Dr. Edward, don't bring them around here. I have enough problems to deal with as it is."
I chuckled despite my best efforts to control myself. She was giving Carlisle back as good as he was giving. Lead them into all kinds of trouble…she had NO idea.
Carlisle arched his eyebrow at her, enjoying the exchange.
Bettina poked him one more time in the chest. "And where did you say you grew up? What did they feed you boys over in the States…hard as rock, the both of you," she mumbled before stepping away from the nurse's desk. "I've enjoyed the quality of your work, Dr. Carlisle. I hope you will reconsider taking a job here. We could use more surgeons like you and your brother."
"We shall see…" Carlisle mumbled in humor.
"52-6 to base. En route to the emergency room with a suspected drug overdose. Young female, found outside Bardini Garden…."
Screaming overwhelmed the driver's voice for a moment and I heard a nurse mutter "cocaine" before we heard the ambulance driver come back on the radio. "Patient's behavior vacillating combativeness and thrashing. We are monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure. They are through the roof. Normal antihypertensive agents have proven ineffective in bringing down the rate. Suspected agent, cocaine. Expected ETA five minutes."
Bettina shrugged as she looked at the nurse who'd spoken. "Would you like to stay and address this foolish young person, Doctor Carlisle?" Bettina begged, but before he could answer, she continued. "I would love to get my hands on the person responsible for providing the poison that brings her such agony."
Carlisle's features tightened almost imperceptibly. "I must agree with you on that sentiment, Bettina. I fear, though, I will have to leave what occurs here at the hospital to another. Unfortunately, duty calls…" he muttered cryptically.
"I'll see you in just a little while," he said, nodding in my direction and giving Bettina a quick wink.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," I responded as he walked toward the stairway that would lead him to the car.
I tried hard to remain calm, waiting for the arrival of the ambulance that held the suspected vampire victim. It was difficult to appear normal, listening to the whispers of the nurses around me. Normally, I retreated to a secluded room next to the lab to chart, as I caused too much of a stir out in the open. But today, I wanted to be as close to the emergency room and radio as I could, so I persevered through their soft words and naughty fantasies. I continued to precisely dictate the procedures that Carlisle and I had performed for the multiple car accident victims. When five minutes passed and the ambulance hadn't arrived, I allowed myself to relax just marginally. At ten minutes, I was feeling a glimmer of hope. When the radio began squawking again, it was all I could do not to smile.
"Dispatch, contact the police. The patient has escaped. We're in need of a medic… We're just outside the parking deck in the alley that leads to ER entrance."
I left the charts where I'd been sitting, grabbed the mobile first aid bag, and rushed through the sliding doors with several of the nurses directly behind me. Within just moments, we saw the ambulance. The back doors stood open, one medic sitting in the doorway with his legs dangling down. He held a towel to his head, and trickles of blood streaked across his face. The other medic was still slumped over the cot. I went for him, worried about his still unconscious state. A metal container lay on the floor, likely the weapon used to render the man unconscious.
As I checked the one man's vitals, I heard the other speaking to one of the nurses. "One moment I was driving, and then I heard a thump behind me. I don't remember anything after that. She must have hit me over the head after taking out my partner."
I felt the man begin to stir under my hands and held a compress to the gash just above his hairline. Carlisle had aimed perfectly. The man would sport a "war wound" that wouldn't detract from his looks. He probably hadn't even heard my father before he'd been knocked out. I listened to the thoughts of the other man and knew we were okay. He hadn't even had time to look back before Carlisle smacked him. I wanted to grin. We'd planned perfectly. This particular stretch of street was one of the few places where security cameras didn't pick up activity. An escaping patient could make his or her way into the busy streets and quickly become lost. A patient carried by a centuries old vampire would disappear across the rooftops at a speed imperceptible by human eye…headed for sanctuary.
"Dr. Cullen?" Bianca, one of the younger nurses, called my name as she came to kneel by me in the small space.
"He should be fine. His heart rate is good, and there doesn't appear to be any swelling. He'll need stitches and a MRI just to make sure, but I do believe our runaway patient hit him with only enough strength to knock him out. He's lucky, considering what she could have done to him."
She nodded solemnly, thinking I was speaking of human strength. My inner sarcastic side imagined the young girl, just a few days down the road, with her lips around the EMT's throat. Bianca and I definitely had two different versions of what could have occurred.
"Dr. Cullen, I believe the driver is in the same condition," another nurse spoke over the noise of the humans congregating outside the scene of the crime.
"Let's get them inside and treated. Has anyone called the Polizia Municipale?" I asked, about the Italian municipal police.
I heard an affirmative answer from outside the vehicle. I knew Carlisle would have been smart enough to use gloves, so I left everything exactly as it stood. The Polizia Municipale would have a difficult time finding any evidence at this crime scene. Let them stew on that while I patched up Carlisle's victims. "What a hoot" as Emmett would say. I bet Carlisle was beating himself up at this very moment about having to intentionally harm a human…well, that was with the part of his brain that wasn't consumed with managing a changing human.
Within moments, the man on the stretcher was being rolled into the scrambling ER. The Polizia Municipale were arriving and yelling at the onlookers. It was the perfect chaos to cover our tracks. I worked quickly to stitch the man's scalp as another doctor, who had just signed on for his shift, did the same for the driver. I was then ordered by one of the officers to exit the room as they spoke to the man. I heard his weak voice. "No, I don't remember anything. I just turned my back on her for a moment to grab a restraint, and then nothing…."
It was the perfect out for me. With a sleight of hand, I pocketed into my coat pocket several bottles of morphine on my way out of the room and quickly returned to my charts. Within an hour, I walked a staggering Bettina to her car.
"Are you certain I can't call your husband to come pick you up?" I inquired.
"Pfft…go see your lovely wife, young man. I was working these kinds of hours when you were toddling around in your diapers," she called out, but not without affection as she backed up slowly and pulled away. I chuckled when I saw her light up a cigarette. Carlisle had lectured her for over an hour when he'd caught her. She'd slung him some savory words and ignored him completely.
I was postponing, I knew. It wasn't because of what awaited me…it was because of where. Aro owned…no, scratch that, my family now owned a house in the historic San Giovanni district. Aro had purchased one of the Renaissance castles that stood in the district and had it restored. It now stood in perfect beauty, not far from the Santa Maria del Flore cathedral or, as it was more commonly known, the Duomo. I'd avoided the house because of the multitude of memories that I did not want to recall. Now it was impossible to continue my evasion. A screaming human, in the midst of the burning hell of change, couldn't be hidden easily within a five star hotel. The basement that Aro had so carefully restored at the palace had sound proof walls. At least she could be contained there until the others arrived and we could plan our next step.
I made my way to the car and smirked to see someone sitting in the driver's seat.
"Demetri," I said in acknowledgement as I slid into the passenger seat.
"Master Edward."
"When the hell are you going to stop calling me that?" I snarled.
"I probably would have stopped sooner, but I like getting under your skin," he countered with a smile as he began to pull out of the parking spot.
"Really?" I asked in optimism until I heard his thoughts.
"No…but it was amusing to see your hope."
"I'm not in the mood, Demetri."
"Yes, sir," he said in a soothing tone.
Henry had called Heidi and Demetri to notify them of our current situation. They'd already been in Florence on a feeding trip, so it made sense that he would be the one to be sicced on me.
"So you were sent to babysit me, huh?"
"Babysit? Such a harsh word." Demetri said in fake affront. "I'm here to perform my duties as a guard member, which is something I take very seriously. You run the show…and I'll make sure to protect your back while you do it. Rough night?"
I snorted, thinking of the piece of cake I had in comparison to Carlisle. "Actually, I think my father had it worse. The last time he had to abscond with a body was when he stole Esme. Come to think of it, perhaps we should tease him about that. He's singlehandedly perpetuating the traditional Dracula myth…stealing beautiful young women away in the middle of the night."
I lifted my eyebrows and bit my lip in humor, while Demetri laughed beside me. We drove out into the burgeoning dawn light, but luckily, we had time to get to the villa before the threat of exposure. Demetri skillfully drove us through the light traffic. He'd become accustomed to my silence and was one of the few people who respected it. He didn't attempt to engage me in conversation, allowing me the time to think.
"We can't expect to keep her at the palace for more than the day. Will it offend you if we attempt to teach her the vegetarian way?" I asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter to me. I assume you will give her a choice as you have all the others?"
"Of course. I just know that if she begins with human feeding, it'll be far more difficult for her to consider the alternative. However, if we are going to consider that possibility, Florence isn't the most ideal setting."
"Speak with Ness and Henry about the Romanian's hideaway. The fortress is buried in the Apuseni Mountains which are full of wildlife. We would only have to accomplish a crossing through Austria and Hungary. It would be an easy journey for us this evening."
"Excellent suggestion. I need to honor my commitment at the hospital this evening, so I'll need to consult with Alice. If the weather does not allow for travel during the day, I'll need to wait until tomorrow evening. I can follow the family there, but I don't expect Heidi or you to come, Demetri."
"I can speak with certainty that we expect to attend you. Felippe, Louis, and the others are quite capable of holding down the castle in Volterra. You'll be returning next weekend for work, I'm assuming?" He stopped to look over at me to see my acknowledgement. "Then I'll travel back with you."
He pulled into the gates of the house, and I took a deep breath.
"Edward?"
I didn't see the point in attempting to hide anything from him. "Truth be told, I really don't like this house."
He froze, and all humor flew out the window. Suddenly, Demetri was very much a relic of the old regime. I saw the rigid stance so apparent on all the Volturi guard members seep into his countenance and body. Memories of many murders and tortures flew through his mind. He'd avoided many of them, but no one in Aro's rule was allowed to have clean hands. They'd all participated in some fashion with the destruction and degradation handed out by the Volturi. Demetri was no exception.
"You must think I am the worst of monsters," he hissed out.
"On the contrary, you did what you were called to do. You had no option to get out, Demetri. Would you participate in such horrors now?"
"I wouldn't…participate in unnecessary cruelty…but to protect you or the family, yes…I would destroy someone without a second thought. The difference is that you would never ask me to go against what I know is right or stop me from doing what is necessary. I am not proud of everything I did, Edward, but you and I have already discussed that. I know you don't feel that my past detracts from who I am, so I can say this to you without fear of reprisal."
"Demetri, in fact, it only makes me value you more. I trust you. I trust that you will do what is right for my family. Knowing that at any moment that trust may be called on to protect all that matters to me – I'm glad you've kept your edge. However, I never, never, want to participate in the activities that Aro engaged in here. You only know part of it, thank God. What happened in the past is in the past and should be forgiven. I, of all people, know the healing power of that."
The house was ostentatious and pretentious. I had wanted to donate it to some historical society, but Emmett had quickly growled at me. "It's a good investment property, Edward." He had no idea why I despised it and wouldn't have bought my "just because" explanation. I'd let it go, not wanting to rouse suspicions, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if it burned to the ground. Putting the thoughts behind me, I rushed to the hidden panel that led to the stairs to the concealed basement rooms. I could hear Carlisle, Esme, Bella, and Heidi below.
Demetri and I pushed into the room and found Carlisle bent over a small body, murmuring to her. I saw her face in his mind and gasped. Straight black hair fell slick and heavy from an exquisitely chiseled face. As her eyes opened in agony, I saw the dark color. I moved to the other side of the small bed they'd brought from one of the rooms upstairs. She was small, but thankfully she was a little older than the "babe" status Alice had inferred. Still, she was younger than I had been when I'd been changed, her body just barely through the miraculous changes that transformed a human female from a child to a young woman. What she was, though, was… startlingly similar to Anna. She was a message, and since she'd been delivered to me per se, I was assuming it was meant for me. I began listening to her jumbled thoughts. Unfortunately, the pain was just so all-encompassing that I couldn't catch much other than her agony. Bella slip her hand into mine, and I turned to wrap my arms around her, drawing strength from being reunited with my other half. There was always a low burn of pain present whenever we were away from each other, even for a short period of time. It wasn't something that was obvious, until the act of reunion smoothed the ache.
I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger there, basking in the taste of her skin against my lips. Her arms wrapped around my waist, smoothing against my back. My Love…My Life. I worried about what this "message" meant for us. I would obliterate anyone who touched a soul in this family, including Demetri and Heidi. I would do anything to keep them from experiencing pain.
Speaking of pain…
I reached into my coat pocket and brought out the bottles of morphine. We'd learned at least with Bella that it would help. Carlisle murmured his thanks, clearly pleased that I'd thought to steal it. I felt Bella stiffen within my arms. She was such a caretaker that she was probably concerned about the pain the girl was feeling.
"Its okay, Love. I think we've gotten to her in time. The morphine should help ease her like it did with you."
Carlisle smiled gently at my wife, and moved toward the form writhing on the silk covers. Esme knelt beside the young girl, taking one claw-like hand into hers in an attempt to provide comfort. The girl murmured at the touch, sobbing gently. Carlisle pulled her arm down, pushing a little of the liquid out the tip of the syringe's needle, making sure that there was no air present before putting it to the girl's skin. I heard Esme, Demetri, and Heidi take deep breaths, obviously wanting to avoid smelling any blood that might appear.
"STOP!" Bella screamed, startling even me.
Carlisle looked up at Bella with concern, but I felt an incredible sense of dread. My overactive mind suddenly came up with a horrible suspicion as to why she might react the way she did. I looked down to stare into her face, hoping I was wrong.
"Carlisle, please, don't give her that," Bella pleaded. Her face was a study of concern and dread as the other faces in the room gaped at her uncharacteristic outburst. She turned to me with a contrite look. The room went dead quiet. Even the girl had stopped thrashing. Bella looked toward the floor nervously. I put my finger under her chin, making her look at me. Her golden eyes pleaded with me for understanding.
"It didn't help. In fact, it made it worse. I felt it all, but the morphine kept me from being able to move or scream. I wanted to thrash and yell out for mercy or for you to kill me, but I couldn't. The morphine didn't help the first time either with James…but you pulled the venom out of my system so quickly that I didn't realize the effect the morphine would have during the change. It was like being burned at the stake…" she glanced to a frozen Carlisle "…I felt so helpless. I'd wanted to be like you…to be strong and remain silent. I knew that if I screamed it would torment Edward, and I remember thinking how ironic it was that I got my wish."
I was shaking. Pain threatened to overwhelm me at the thought that she suffered in agony for two days because she did not want me to feel any torment.
"Please don't be mad at me," she begged, looking into my black eyes in earnest. "We didn't know. And I got my wish; I was able to stay quiet."
The agony that raced through me still consumed me, but I was able to unclench my hands and wrap her into my embrace. I glanced over at Carlisle and saw him still frozen in dismay. The morphine bottle suddenly exploded in his hand from the tension he had placed on it. Esme rose and came to his side, removing the fragments still left in his hand. She knew her pacifist husband would take this hard. The thought that he had unintentionally caused Bella to roast in Hell for two days without even the ability to find some relief by moving or screaming horrified him. He was thinking that at least he could move during his self imposed silence.
The girl moaned then, drawing all our attention.
"Let me go get some ice water. We can cool her with some wet washcloths," Esme suggested, attempting to guide our thoughts to more fruitful labors.
I pulled Bella up to my lips to give her a comforting kiss. I wasn't sure just who I was attempting to comfort more…her or me.
I'm sorry, Edward. Please forgive me." Bella whisphered in my head, lifting her mental shield. "It wasn't as if I could tell you when it was happening, and afterward, it just never came back up in conversation. I do have to admit, though, that I planned to hide it from you. I wanted to get Carlisle alone and explain, but with everything that has happened over the past years…it just never came up.
Her small hands smoothed against my jaw line as she gazed steadily at me.
She was right. I'd hoped the morphine would help…but there had been no guarantees. I'd been out of my mind with worry then, and ironically, I'd been frantic that she didn't cry out, believing that I'd possibly done something wrong. It had taken Carlisle's assurances to calm me. I made myself move, pulling Bella toward him. I took his hand in mine.
"Carlisle, we're fine."
He shook his head, working off the shock and then grabbed Bella out of my hands, pulling her to him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Bella, my dear…there are no words to express my sorrow," he murmured against her hair.
"ENOUGH, you two. It's done, let's focus on the present," Bella growled out, impatient with both of our self-loathing attitudes. She shook her head at Carlisle and rolled her eyes at both of us. "Focus some of that 'let's save the vampire world' energy on our young friend. Do we even know her name?"
"When Alice called to tell us to meet you here, she gave me a description of where to look for what she believed to be a purse or a computer bag," Heidi interjected, holding out a medium-sized backpack. "Demetri went after you and Edward; I retrieved the bag. Hopefully, it will have some identifying information in it."
"And you haven't looked yet?" Carlisle asked.
I groaned at her answer.
"No, I brought it back for Edward or one of the others to look through."
"For a year and a half, I've been attempting to get you to understand that this is a democracy, not a dictatorship," I stated emphatically as she handed me the bag.
A quick search revealed a plethora of drawing supplies, what I assumed to be a portfolio of sketches, and thankfully, a passport. She was an American citizen. Noting the travel stamps, she'd been here just a little over three months. Before Italy, she'd lived in France, and prior to even that she'd lived in Germany for a while. I wondered if she had been fluent in the languages of the places she'd lived and what that would mean to her as a vampire. She was sixteen years old, and her name was Brianna. I murmured the information to the others as I obtained it.
"Brianna…what a lovely name," Esme said softly, stepping back into the room.
The girl turned toward Esme slightly, hearing her name. A flash of memory went through her mind. It was a happy family scene, two individuals who were obviously her parents and an older boy – most likely her brother. It gave me another piece of the puzzle. "Her father is in the military," I softly informed the others. It explains the frequent moves."
"There is an Air Force base in Aviano, but what would she be doing here? And where is her family?" Heidi questioned.
I pulled the portfolio from her bag and began thumbing through it. Her skill was amazing. Drawing after drawing of some of Florence's most beautiful landmarks came to life on the pages. I turned one particular drawing around so that they could see. It was a scene at the Garden where she'd been found. "We know why she was there, just not why at night or where her family is located."
Carlisle grimaced. "Her family will be looking for her soon. If they are American and military, there will be a concerted and organized effort. We'll have to be careful."
He wasn't fooling anyone in the room. His grimace didn't come from any effort we would have to make to be "careful" or on her behalf. He was thinking of the family who would be left behind…the family who would be grieving. Esme softly ran a soothing washcloth across the girl's forehead, earning a moan from her. She began thrashing in earnest, and Bella moved to her other side, taking another washcloth from Esme. Heidi quickly joined them.
"The others will be here soon, I suspect," Demetri said, moving to a corner of the room. He was attempting to give the girls some privacy to bare more of Brianna's skin to their efforts.
"Carlisle, Demetri made an excellent suggestion. We could take her to Vladimir and Stefan's Romanian hideaway; it would be a perfect place to provide the freedom she'll need in the first few months."
Carlisle looked at Demetri and asked the same question I had. "You're okay with us putting her on the vegetarian path at first?"
"You can try all you want," he snickered. "I have to admit to my curiosity…at wanting to see just what happens. I'll take over if it doesn't work," he further elaborated.
Carlisle smiled widely at him. "Deal."
We heard Emmett's booming voice before they even pulled into the street. He was attempting to mimic the dulcet tones of an Italian tenor…and crucifying it. Heidi snickered before saying, "The calvary has arrived." She then caught our eyes on her in astonishment. "What?…Jasper has made me sit through all those old American Western movies. I do believe I could quote every one of John Wayne's lines. It has been torture, of the cruelest kind." She said the last sentence louder to carry to the men entering the house.
We heard Jasper chuckle, and then Emmett's loud whistle cut the air. "I told Emo-boy that we needed to keep this place. Look at it," he noted as they walked across the floor.
Within seconds, three sets of footsteps quickly came down the concrete stairs leading to the area where we'd secured the unlucky human. Jasper entered first, his face ever vigilant to the possible dangers of a newborn and his body crouched only slightly. He quickly scanned the room, noting where each of us stood, and then I saw his rigid stance soften as his assessment detected no immediate danger. His eyes then went to the girl who was twisting on the bed. Emmett pushed past him, carrying a bag. Alice had sent clothes, knowing that the girl's would be worthless. In fact, Brianna had already started shredding the clothes she wore in an attempt to claw at her hardening skin.
"Move, Jasper. The coast is clear. Don't you think we would have heard them beating some newborn butt if there was a problem? Pixie-spaz sent some clothes," he said to Bella handing off the bag.
"Thanks, Em."
Henry remained quiet, coming to stand by the bed and looking down at the young woman. He was not happy. His mind was already chewing over the implications of a human being attacked so blatantly and left for us to find.
"Jacob and Seth remained at the castle to watch over everyone there," Jasper said. "We didn't want to leave just the girls and the babies, but Alice called about a half hour ago and said that they would meet us at Stefan and Vladimir's, and she said to tell you you'll need to wait until the next evening. Tomorrow won't be the most ideal traveling weather for you." He spoke with the certainty of a man who lived with a clairvoyant vampire.
"Thanks, Jasper," I noted.
I filled them in on the information we'd uncovered about her. I could see the burgeoning interest in their eyes, but Brianna began screaming at that moment, interrupting any further conversation. "Kill me," she pleaded in a strained voice.
"You would like that my pet, wouldn't you?" The voice came faintly room the room at the end of the hall, growing marginally louder as I neared. "We have so many other plans for you, though. We may get there sooner or later, but for now, I'm displeased that you decided to leave our employ without informing us of your desires. Gianna, my dear, you know the rules."
Her screams echoed throughout the chamber just as I entered. Caius stood over the prone woman, lifting his heel from her shattered ankle. Blood already streaked down her face from the multiple gashes Caius had inflicted with his fingernails.
"Please, please, I meant no harm. I just realized you had no plans to change me. I didn't want to die. I wanted to live…forever."
"Only those who show great promise are allowed such a privilege. Just who have you told of our situation?"
"NO ONE," she screamed as he took her arm in his hand.
The violence that was to come was halted as all in the room turned to watch me enter and move to touch Marcus, gathering his memories. The other humans surrounding the edges of the room began to squirm, as I slowly pushed the cowl off my head.
"Master Aro, I…" Gianna began, but my raised hand stopped her.
"Shh…there is no reason for you to speak," I murmured, stepping to her and gently touching her arm where Caius had brutally bruised it. "You see, my dear, I believed you before I even touched you. However, there is a degree of control the Volturi must maintain. If others…" I shrugged toward the other human employees that had been intentionally transported to Florence and gathered in the room for the spectacle "…believe that such behavior will be easily forgiven, it would make further acts of treason seem a possibility. I must always decide what is in the best interest of us as a whole and not rely on any sense of partiality I may feel for you, my dear. Felix!"
Gianna moaned and began screaming as the large vampire came through the door. "Please, Mercy! I'm begging you!" She wasn't, however, begging for herself. She was begging for the young girl that Felix held in his hands. A girl who was barely a teenager. A girl who saw her sister being held in the hands of a stranger.
"Gia?" the girl called softly in question.
I turned to address the whole room, adopting a resolute expression to disguise the excitement I felt at what was to come. After over three thousand years, little could excite me, save for the utter domination experienced in an execution. And listening to their screams of pain were like icing on the cake, to coin the human expression.
"Let it be understood that anyone who goes against our dictates will pay the ultimate price. However, not only will he or she pay but so too will those that are most important to them.
"Master Aro, my life for hers, please." Gianna begged.
"It is too late for that, my dear. Rest assured, you most certainly will be next. Felix…" Aro murmured.
Felix put his hand on the girl's neck and quickly snapped it, then dropped the body onto the floor after draining the blood from her.
"STOP! STOP!" A voice screamed.
I realized that it was mine.
"Edward!" My father's alarmed voice floated in my head, but it was overpowered by the pain.
Correction, it was far more severe than pain…it was agony. My mind wouldn't release the image of the young girl's face just as Felix wrapped his hands around her head and twisted. Gianna's grief and horror accompanied hers…her visage superimposed over her sister's face. I saw Gianna die as well. In the end, she received her wish. She was bitten but not to facilitate the change. As a lesson, Aro had made the other humans watch as she was drained dry, and her body was tossed like refuse to the corner.
"Edward, Love, speak to me," I heard Bella plead to me softly, and her hands began to tug at mine.
Her touch began to register through the feelings swamping me. She was attempting to keep me from pulling my hair out. The feel of concrete registered against my back, and I realized that I was lying on the floor. I must have collapsed during the "seizure."
I then heard Carlisle murmuring into my ear softly, just as he'd done for me during the burning. "Son, I'm here. Focus on the sound of my voice. We're here. Bella is beside you, and Esme is here as well. You are safe."
The pain began receding, allowing me to open my clenched eyes. Above me was a ring of the faces of my family. Worried faces. Startled faces. Scared faces. Bella's face…once she saw the recognition in mine and that I was fully aware of everything…it was slightly smug. I wouldn't be able to hide from Carlisle or the others what was happening any longer, and for that, she was glad. She'd been harassing me to speak with him, and now she'd gotten her wish.
Carlisle remained by me, and I realized he held my head and shoulders cradled in his arms. He and Henry were both gazing down at me in apprehension. It was then that I glanced over to see Jasper sitting on the floor not far from me. Emmett held him, and I realized he'd experienced my intense pain as I'd relived just one of the many horrible scenes that had occurred within these walls.
"Edward, do you want to explain, or should I have Bella do it? The look on her face tells me that she very likely knows what just happened," Carlisle said authoritatively.
"PTSD," I joked weakly.
"Excuse me," he rebuked. He was obviously not in the mood for my humor.
I pushed up to a sitting position and wrapped my arms around my knees. Bella embraced me from behind, wrapping her arms around my waist. I interlaced the fingers of one of my hands through hers, drawing on her for comfort.
"Occasionally, certain situations trigger Aro's memories. They aren't all…" I struggled for the right word "…unpleasant. But when they are, I experience pain with them. None so intense as this one."
Henry roared in anger, a torrent of words coming out of his mouth that would certainly earn him a tongue lashing from Esme. I saw her turn to him, frowning in admonishment.
"Define unpleasant," Carlisle commanded over Henry's cursing, suddenly our leader again…and giving me no quarter.
I didn't want to express what I'd seen. The memories were more wicked...more evil than anything any of us had ever done. But, the one person that would probably think he was as corrupt spoke for me.
"Torture…Edward was feeling tortured. The memories that trigger the episodes, they all involve cruelty don't they?" Jasper rasped out.
"Yes," I muttered.
"How long?" Carlisle questioned me harshly as he glanced over to check on Jasper's condition. He nodded his head in approval, seeing Emmett's huge form still cradling Jasper's shaking one. He placed a calming hand on Henry's forearm.
"From the beginning," I answered. "And no, before you ask, they aren't getting worse with time. There's no rhyme or reason to why some hurt worse than others…or at least there doesn't seem to be. They involve episodes with vampires as well as humans. Aro's memories are ever present in my mind. I see them as we go about our daily activities."
Carlisle knelt beside me. "So you only have the pain when you experience the memories where he tortured or hurt someone?"
"Yes."
"That's good. Obviously, you don't relive the torturous ones every day…we'd have known by now," Carlisle postulated.
Bella hissed, urging me to tell him. I didn't even have to answer after her reaction. Carlisle groaned and sank to his feet beside me so that he could glare into my eyes.
"Edward, come clean with me," he urged. "I can't help if I don't know what we are dealing with…well, assuming I can help at all."
"How long was I incoherent this time?" I asked Bella first.
"Just a moment, like all the other times," she answered, causing the others to hiss around me at the knowledge.
"It just seems longer when I'm experiencing them. It is as if I'm living the memory in real time." I turned back to Carlisle. "Certain things spark the memories. They're all in here…" I tapped my temple with my finger, referring to the 3,000 years plus of Aro's memories "…and if I wanted to dredge them up I could without a problem, but sometimes a specific thing triggers a particularly violent reaction. This time, it was Brianna asking us to kill her. It provoked a memory of what happened to Gianna, the human female who worked in Volterra when I went there believing Bella was dead."
"I wasn't there that day," Demetri interjected. "I'd been sent on a tracking mission for Aro, but I heard that he made an example of her for the other humans he allowed in his employ. I heard it was particularly brutal."
"Yes, her sister was utilized as an illustration of what could happen to family members of anyone who rebelled against their wishes."
"What I want to know is why you did not tell me?" Carlisle asked me.
"I didn't want you to worry."
"Now I'm worried more. I have to be able to trust you…all of you…" he spun to look at everyone in the room "…we have to rely on each other." He growled deeply, and Brianna reacted to the sound, whimpering in fear. I was certain that the vampire that attacked her must have done the same thing. He turned back to me, his fists clenched in frustration for losing control and scaring her. "To know that you have suffered with this for over a year, and yet you failed to trust me enough to share…this disturbs me, Edward. Is there a logical explanation?"
Carlisle was never better than when he used guilt. He was only getting started; I knew that. I needed to stop him before he really began.
"Dad...I'm sorry," I said, interrupting him. "I just didn't want to worry you. There wasn't anything you could do, and I didn't want to burden you."
He took my chin in his fingers, making sure that he could look me squarely in the eyes. "Nothing…nothing is ever a burden in this family. And don't just call me Dad when you're attempting to weasel out of something. I need your honesty, understand?" he asked, clearly wanting an answer.
"Yes, sir. But having Aro's memories isn't always an encumbrance. For instance, I continue to listen to her…" I glanced over toward Brianna "…memories in attempt to figure out which vampire we are dealing with. If Aro touched anyone who knows him or her, we'll have something to follow. Demetri and I can put out the feelers then. He or she won't stand a chance. For those types of moments and benefits, I'll deal with the more gruesome part of Aro's history any day. And I promise the next time I space out for a few moments, I'll let you know." I was hoping that he would see my willingness to accept his guilt laden message as a reason to move on.
Golden eyes bored into mine. Immediately, do you understand! I want to know the minute it occurs so that we can track the phenomenon and see what in particular triggers them. When we get to Romania, I want a full accounting of the episodes that have already occurred.
I nodded in acceptance, but then I growled quietly at Bella, letting her know that she and I would speak later…the little traitor. She rolled her eyes at me adorably, unimpressed with my threat, before she said to the group, "I'll stay with Edward until tomorrow night, and then we'll head out to join you."
Carlisle pulled me into his arms for a tight hug. Rising, he made his way to Jasper, doing the same, checking on the man I'd inadvertently dragged into my own private hell. Jasper sensed my guilt. Get a grip, Edward; you couldn't help it. Although, I will admit to not wanting to experience that again…Hell, I don't want you to experience that again. Shit. But, he didn't push Carlisle's affections away, leaning against our father's chest for moments.
Henry stared at me with deep fathomless eyes, devastated by what he'd just found out. He would kill his father all over again, if he could.
"Enough about me; let's refocus on the more important issue at hand," I suggested, hoping to get the attention off me.
"We brought the van and can drive the way to Heudin. We should arrive in plenty of time to store it and make our way into the mountains under the cover of darkness," Emmett suggested, earning Demetri's approval. "The girls will already be there waiting on us. They'll have everything prepared."
I was curious about Stefan and Vladimir's retreat. The glimpses I'd seen in Jake, Nessie, Anna, and Henry's minds were intriguing. The monolithic, forbidding outer structure hid a comfortable interior. It wasn't a masterpiece on the Esme scale, but I knew the heavy furniture and dark wood would make the men in our group feel as if they'd landed in a veritable bachelor's pad.
"We'll get Brianna ready for traveling," Esme murmured.
"Bella," I called as I entered the suite.
"Back here," she murmured. "I was just throwing the rest of our stuff in the bags."
I walked into the bedroom and stepped behind her. She threw a smile over her shoulder as she put the last stack into our bag and turned to me with a change of clothes in hand for me.
"I'm sorry. I got distracted reading and didn't realize what time it was."
"Something good?" I asked, bending slightly to place my lips along the side of her throat.
"Huh?" she was distracted by my lips.
"Was the book good?" I murmured against the shell of her ear, my breath softly blowing across her. I enjoyed the shivers I felt.
"Edward!"
"Bella?" I chuckled at her mock warning. "You know we can't leave until this evening anyway. All the day to waste and this wondrous suite…all to ourselves…what to do…what to do? Hmm…I was thinking that I would enjoy a hot bath after my long hours of emergency room duty."
"Would you now?" she giggled but was already pulling the hospital scrubs I'd worn off of me. She ran her fingertip down the middle of my chess and across my stomach as she ventured to her ultimate goal. I hissed as she touched me.
"How about a quick shower first? I'll make sure to wash all the grime of the hospital off," she suggested.
I growled in pleasure as she demonstrated her particular methods.
Hours later, the water lapped around us in the large Italian marble tub. My head rested against the edge. Bella reclined against me, her legs nestled between mine. The soft hum of the tub sent the deliciously hot water swirling across our warming skin, softly caressing every inch. I was lazily drawing circles across the fine bone structure of Bella's hip.
"Have I earned forgiveness for ratting you out to Carlisle yet?" Her body vibrated softly against me as she spoke.
"I'm still thinking about it. Another couple of make-up sessions like that and I might consider pardoning you."
"You were already outed before I opened my mouth. I just let him know exactly how deep in you were," she snorted. She turned around, putting her breasts against my chest, sinking her warmth against me. If she was going for a method to distract me, it was working, again.
She gazed lovingly up at me, her beautiful face a masterpiece of perfection. "Edward, you couldn't expect me to be quiet much longer. If something was hurting me, he would be the first one you'd run to…immediately. Do you expect anything less of me? I think that I've waited patiently and watched you suffer enough. How could you ask me to allow it to go on? Look at me," she begged, earning my skittish gaze; her butterscotch eyes were serious and somber. "Edward, what hurts you, hurts me. It was killing me. Don't we have enough to worry about with what has happened to the young girl and with Maria threatening us in some obscure manner? Let's go to the Romanian's hideaway and deal with our initial problem. Then we can focus on Maria."
"We still have to deal with discovering who bit Brianna."
"We'll figure it out, but we need to remember that things aren't always pristine or concise. We should consider that all of these events that are happening to us may be part of an overall plan versus just being separate or isolated events."
Bella's ability to see patterns amidst chaos had impressed us all. She had accurately predicted more than one organized plot against us in our early months, based solely on seemingly unrelated incidents. No one discounted what she said any more.
"Point taken, my Love."
She stirred against me. "Now, I must say; it's been a long time since we've been totally alone. We have several hours before sunset, a resplendent suite at our disposal, and if my memory serves me correctly, you have some particularly splendid hot tub moves." She raised her brows at me in challenge while biting her lip.
Who was I to argue? Soft sighs of passion were the only sounds that filtered through the room for a few more hours.
We tore through the forest near Heudin, heading for the fortress that Stefan and Vladimir had bequeathed to Henry and Nessie. It was strategically placed on a high crag of one of the most formidable peaks within the mountain range. We would have needed a GPS unit if we hadn't had the clear scent of my family's trail. As we ran, Bella's laughter filtering through the trees ahead of me. I was feeling particularly mellow after spending all morning and afternoon in Bella's arms, so I wasn't putting forth my full effort at running.
The woods around us were wild, dark, and dense. Every so often, a break in the canopy gave a teasing glance at the full moon that floated in the sky overhead. Even it was partially blocked by dark clouds, reminiscent of many American horror flicks. To add to the ambiance, patches of fog floated close to the forest floor. I could smell the animals teeming around us and hear them go silent as we approached and passed. I wondered at the legend of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It seemed as if the forest whispered around us…almost welcoming us home. Vladimir and Stefan had been the victims of the Volturi's manipulations when they urged the young author to create that fantasy, but so much of what the Dacians had done had perpetuated or perhaps even spawned the myth. Their castle was buried in a minor range of the Carpathian Mountains, far away from civilization. Even for us, they had been disturbing at first…until we had grown to know them. I'd read Charlie and Sue's thoughts…they'd been strangely mesmerizing to humans. Dracula, himself, couldn't have been more iconic…horrifying, while at the same time intriguing.
Knowing that the next bend would bring us in view of the structure, I wanted to hear Bella's reaction when she saw the fortress. She came to a stop ahead of me, and I joined her, idly wondering how old the structure was.
From a rocky mountain ahead of us, turrets of stone could be seen rising into the moonlit sky. The moon that had been hidden by the forest now shone brightly. Tufts of dark hazy clouds floated across it. It was angled just above the mountain, casting an eerie glow across the landscape. The same fog that had blanketed the forest floor rose in ghostly fingers toward the moon as if to caress it. She gazed silently at the distant building, and I swear I saw a shiver pass over her body.
"Dear God, it's like all the movies," she whispered, in fascinated horror.
Bella shrieked when a wolf suddenly appeared on one of the turrets. The outline of the body was clear as it placed one of its paws to the low wall throwing back its head and howling toward the moon. The sound wrapped around the trees and shrubs mournfully. Had I been human, I was sure that the hairs on the back of my neck would have been standing up. Bella actually skittered closer to me. I snickered at the fact that she would actually be afraid…she was on top of the food chain and had faced down an army of Volturi. Too many left over human memories of cheap horror flicks were the only thing I could guess.
A wolfy snicker had her growling when she realized just who it was. "Damn, Seth!"
"I'm sure Alice saw us arriving right about now. It would have been too perfect for him to let that pass."
"Step-brother or not, I'm gonna thrash him," she threatened. It sounded half sincere.
"C'mon, scaredy-pants. I think they're expecting us." I grabbed her, throwing her onto my back, and began running up the mountainous terrain to join our family.
Bella started giggling. "This is so much more fun now that I can do it without wanting to throw up."
I tore through the underbrush at full speed, enjoying the thrill of really showing off for her. We heard Seth running through the woods toward us when we were about halfway up. He bounded up beside me, tongue lolling out of his mouth in excitement, and yipped at Bella. He pivoted on his back legs and turned to follow us. He was enjoying the run in the wilds of the forest surrounding us.
This is almost as good as home. We need to bring the others here. We'll make a new legend of werewolves to get rid of that Dracula stuff. The digs are rad, man. He continued to comment in typical Seth fashion the rest of the trip up the mountain.
We crested the rise to see the house in front of us. It was a curious mixture of fortress, castle, and chateau. The stone defense walls of an ancient stronghold still stood surrounding an inner courtyard. They had been fortified, and huge heavy wooden gates, criss-crossed by iron, stood open to greet us. Closed, they would have been formidable for humans. The chateau's structure had taken several walls of the original castle and incorporated them into a more modern design, but the turrets had been kept and stood rising high above the home and the area around it. The house itself was a beautiful mixture of rock, wood, and glass. It was a symbol…the new rising from the old. I wondered how long the current house had been in existence. Only two stories, it was small in comparison to our other homes, but it was as wild and beautiful as the land that surrounded it. It was the epitome of masculine beauty…strength and protection wrapped up in a pleasing package.
Seth ran behind a fairly large chunk of standing wall, to emerge out the other end in human form. He shrugged his shirt on as he came back toward us.
"Dracula One and Dracula Two actually had fairly decent taste. I mean, there aren't any entertainment systems – which just really sucks, but I think Bella is going to go ape over the library. Jasper has been buried in there since we arrived. Everyone else is in the room upstairs where we took the girl when they arrived. Alice sent me out to greet you. Since she was smirking, I assumed she didn't just see me walking down to greet you.
"Don't worry; I'll pay you back," Bella growled as she slid to the ground. Looking up to see the light in the windows, she looked perplexed. "I don't understand. How in the world is there electricity up here?"
"Listen," I directed.
She cocked her head adorably and then heard the hum. "Generators?"
"Yes, but I would assume these are run off petrol instead of natural gas."
"That would certainly be a long trip for the suppliers, considering the distance we covered,"
Seth noted.
"Yes, but in this wilderness, that would be about the only way to have luxuries like heat and running water. I suspect Vladimir and Stefan had connections who made the trip from Heudin for them."
Seth opened the front door for Bella, bowing deeply. In a poorly executed Dracula voice, he murmured, "I am Dracula; and I bid you velcome, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, to my house."
Bella slapped him upside the head as we passed.
I barely had time to look at the entranceway because we clearly heard the girl's frantically beating heart. She was nearing the end, and we could hear the family stirring.
"Nessie, Jacob, it's probably prudent for you to leave with the twins now. The smell of your blood may be too much for her. Henry, I know you want to be here, but again, we don't know what to expect from her. Bella has spoiled us to the realities of newborns," my father said in a gracious voice.
Jacob and Henry were both upset to be eliminated from the fun, but Nessie clearly wanted to make sure that both William and Stefanie were protected.
Seth smiled from beside us. "She'd have to be pretty desperate to attempt to try Jacob or me out, but if it makes the Doc happy, I'll join them. Have fun for me."
Edward, hurry. Carlisle urged me, listening as her heart rate accelerated. Her thoughts were vibrantly clear. She could hear the others around her and wondered why they were allowing the fire to race across her body in such a manner. She wanted to call out for help but couldn't manage to for the agony that was tearing through her.
Edward, less than a minute. Alice announced.
"Love, we need to join them."
We raced up the stairs and through the door with just enough time to give out hugs before we heard her heart stop. Jasper, Emmett, Demetri, and I moved forward to place ourselves with Carlisle, between her and the family. Then, everyone froze, waiting on the newest member of our kind to join us. As Bella had done, Brianna opened her eyes and then drew in a deep breath.
Suddenly, blood red eyes glared at our group as she'd pushed herself to a sitting position. My thoughts went wild when I heard her memory fixate on one question and then her words forming just before she said them.
"Who is Carlisle?" she growled, rage emanating from every pore.
Someone must have twitched in his direction because suddenly she lunged at him.
I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, after having promised to attempt weekly updates. My family and I experienced a first this year – a white Christmas in Georgia. We went to a remote cabin in the mountains and were snowed in. No Internet (torturous to say the least). I'd hope to post for Christmas, so please accept my fondest wishes that you had a great holiday, and let us look forward to a Happy New Year!
To my amazing betas, I cannot imagine writing this story without them:
Hopeforastalemate: She erases all my commas, puts up with my need to stay cannon, and then indulges me in Unloved Unwanted Divergence when I want to act out. My many…many…thanks for making this chapter pretty! She is an incredible author, and so few visit her stories. Again I remind you the woman carries on a love affair with the Volturi…but for those who share her passion, her stories will definitely intrigue you. Visit her on Fan Fiction and Twiwrite.
Crmcneill: Not only does he manage a red pen and the English language with the proficiency of an anal retentive autistic, he also manages to drive me half mad by shooting gaping factual wounds in the story lines I want to write. After I calm down from wanting to strangle him, we usually end up doing things his way, and the story is much better for it. Some of you have read his profile, a veritable fan fiction manifesto. To encourage discussion and improve the general quality of fan fiction everywhere, he has started a forum, which can be found here: http:/ .net/forum/ The_Complete_Idiots_Guide_To_Fan_Fiction/ 81913
