"Aro... it's been awhile," she greeted, softly.
She stood and turned to see Aro and other members of the Volturi with a smile. She had been expecting it, even if she didn't know why until recently. Her parents had told her, introduced her to these people, and warned her that when the time came to fight as much as she could. She didn't really see the point in fighting at the moment, now that she knew what she was. There were reasons that people shouldn't know their destinies…and this was one of them.
"It has been, hasn't it? Who would have thought that we would find you and take care of the Bella issue in such a short amount of time."
She blinked, "I have no intention of joining you. I'm quite happy here with a normal—"
The shock of pain running through her made her gasp and everyone looked at Jane who looked just as bewildered. It wasn't her causing it then what?
"Evan...help me... I—I—I can't control it." She groaned and Esmerelda stood before her as Evan scooped her up and headed towards the door.
"What the hell is going on?"
"She's phasing," He said setting her on the ground and trying to calm her as her body trembled and grew.
She would not be happy if she came back to normal and her clothes were ruined. He sighed and pulled off his coat stepping forward as she curled up on her side and whimpered in pain. He had expected the worst and got the worse, she didn't know how to control her phasing and it would continue to cause her pain as long as she wasn't balanced.
"Why is it causing her so much pain?" Esmerelda asked as Evan stroked the fur over her head and kneeled to hum softly to her. Something soothing that she would remember very vaguely. It was her mother's favorite song after all and knowing that had made it assuring that it would calm her down. What triggerd her phasing, no one but her knew, but whatever it was it wasn't a very happy feeling.
Strummin' my pain with his fingers...Singing my life with his words, Killing me softly with his song. Killing me softly with his song, tellin' my whole life with his words, killing me... softly~... With his song~...
Her whimpers died down and tears replaced them. Silent and pained, he glared over at Aro.
"Are you glaring at me?" Aro asked in disbelief.
No vampire, least of all a half breed, had ever had the nerve to glare at a member of the Volturi.
"I love her... and if she's hurt. I won't forgive you." He growled and turned back to Elena who was shrinking into his hold as he covered her with his jacket.
The tattered shreds of her outfit clung loosely to her as she flushed and stared up at him. He didn't speak, but rocked her gently as the tears kept flowing and he wanted more than anything than to steal her pain away. It was true, he loved her, loved her strength, her passion, her smile… she was after all so much like her mother and therefore her cousin Faye.
"Evan..." She sniffled and he kissed the bridge of her nose before resting his forehead against hers.
"You'll be alright," he whispered.
Sleep...he whispered into her psyche and scooped her off the ground.
She wouldn't remember how she fell asleep. Only that it was very warm and she had a serious problem on her had always been hints that he loved her, but never an official declaration. Never more blunt than the blatant stares of desire.
Oh shit, it's official. I'm screwed.
Jacob sat up in bed the next morning. The freak storm system had ended somewhere around midnight and the smell of vampires haunted his dreams... Somehow it wasn't just the Cullens or the Logans that bothered his sleep... but new ones, old ones, and Bella. She wasn't a vampire, so why was she so sparkly in his dream?
Not mention that damned dream. He knew seeing Elena mostly naked would come back to bite him in the ass and it had in the form of a cut off dirty dream. When the first image of her was her pinned beneath him on the forest floor, struggling uselessly against him… he'd woken himself up with a start. He kind of wanted to know what the rest of the dream held…Great, on top of being an asshole he was a perverted asshole as well.
He shook it off and rolled off the bed and peered out the window. It was somewhere around dawn and Elena's car was nowhere to be found. He would deny it to the grave, but he was worried. Worried for her... and the frightening image he'd seen in Sam's mind. She was there...but she wasn't... like she wasn't all there or all gone either...He'd probably been doing too many late nights and he guessed it didn't matter.
"You're up early," he stiffened at the voice and whirled around to see Evan looking at him.
Elena's scent soaked his clothing and it made him growl deep in his throat. Elena was nowhere to be found.
"Who are you and why do you smell like Elena?"
"You're Jacob... she warned me about you. So sit down and shut the hell up and listen. I know you love her and even though I hate you for what you've done to her, she needs you and your pack's help."
He raised an eyebrow and settled back down onto his bed. His father would still be sleeping no doubt and he didn't need anyone to tell him that this boy was serious.
"You're a vampire."
"I'm half of one, now pay attention..." He said, "There are things you need to know."
An hour later the entire pack was sitting around Jacob's living room staring at the halfling in the middle telling the truth on Elena's behalf. Elena had been confined to the house on the Volturi's orders for now.
"They've taken her back to Italy?" Sam asked in a panic.
"No, they want to... and they're looking for Bella." Evan corrected, "And they will suceed if you all don't help me."
"If they can do all of that, will they really need to take her back?"
"On the next full moon," Evan started. "She'll be ready. It'll be done and they'll have a real reason to take her back. It doesn't help that Victoria is nearing to kill Bella and Edward for their stupidity. Furthermore, Elena doesn't know what's good for her. She wouldn't know even if it hit her in the face. I beg of you, as the only ones that could understand what she goes through when she phases... I beg of you, help her."
Sam nodded, "Elena's still family. Of course we're going to help her."
Jacob sighed. This wouldn't end well would it?
Esmerelda arrived back at the house only to be grabbed and pulled along a corridor. From the grip and the storm of emotions, it was Edward and when they arrived outside in the sunlight. She turned on him with a calm and questioning gleam in her eyes.
"What is it Edward?" She almost choked on it, little fragments of his emotions dancing in her head. Elena, Belle, Volturi.
Forgive me.
" Okay… before I get lost, please put a lid on those emotions for a minute…" she said weakly leaning against the wall with him still holding her up.
"I'm sorry," he whispered helping her up and reeling in the onslaught of emotions. "I forgot you were so sensitive…"
"Yeah, being a vampire only made it worse." She said ruefully.
"Evan went to go ask the pack for help and the Volturi want a word with all of you."
He nodded and steered her to his piano room. The moonlight bathed the ebony piano in silver and spilled over the floor. She sat at the piano bench trying to regain some sense of the
"We'll talk later?"
She nodded and he left to go deal with Volturi. His family sat in the living room with Jane, Alec, Felix and Aro looking at them. Edward joined them.
"Where is she?"
"Not here," Edward replied. "Isabella Swan has nothing to do with us anymore, she's with the wolf pack now."
Jane blinked, "Are you lying to protect her?"
"I wouldn't want to protect her if she was the last person alive." He replied with cold eyes.
Aro stepped up and took his hand and blinked in surprise, "My, my, this is surprising…"
"Isn't it?" He replied.
"Jane, what is the status of Miss Lune?"
"Still confined in the house. The Evan boy is back."
"Good…We'll be sticking around for a while while we explain the… situation to you."
Carlisle knew what was coming. It wasn't hard to figure out after all with the deaths and disappearances happening. Not to mention the ever present scent of blood coming down from Seattle. They'd been keeping their eyes on it for weeks and it was getting more and more conspicuous by the moment. Alice froze at Emmett's side as Evan came in and joined them in the living room.
A dark grin covered her face and that was scary enough even Jasper looked a little concerned. The Volturi told them things they already knew and almost ordered them to handle the situation in Seattle. Edward had a good look into their minds to know they knew who was behind it but that was another story, one that they didn't have time to deal with. Especially with what they were planning on doing to Elena.
They left the Cullen residence and vanished into the town to wherever they were staying and Alice was the first to rush up to check on Elena. She was fast asleep, huddled in light sleeping clothes, and blankets. They headed back downstairs a Esmerelda appeared in the living room and took the empty chair and Alice told them about her vision.
"There's an army coming here," she said, "It seems to be well known that Isabella is no longer a potential member of our covenant."
"It's Victoria isn't it?" Edward asked.
She nodded, not surprising any of them. That was until Elena stumbled down the stairs, still half asleep and yawned.
"You're going to have to fill me into why you all hate Bella so much."
They looked around at each other as she plopped on the couch beside Evan.
"And why the Volturi want me so much."
Carlisle sighed and turned to her, "You always ask the toughest questions. Why?"
"Cuz I Can," she replied and waited for him to explain to her the truth.
She almost wished she didn't hear it.