He walked slowly in the hopes that by the time he got down to the dungeons, he would be calmer. He didn't want to explode any more than he wanted Bella to think she owed him something. He would rather she hate him, than allow him liberties out of gratitude.

The thought made him sick, so he pushed it to the back of his mind. He needed to focus on Charlie, who happened to be sitting in the exact same position as earlier- arms crossed, legs spread out in front of him.

"You'll be happy to know they're letting you out tonight," Aro informed him.

Thumping his head against the stone wall, Charlie sighed- long and deep. "I don't suppose they'll let me leave, will they?"

No one got to leave the Volturi, he thought to himself. They were caged and forced to do the bidding of two power-hungry creators- who liked to think they ruled the world. There was no freedom- the word simply didn't exist in this underground tomb.

"No."

"I didn't think so," he muttered. Glancing Aro's way, he asked, "What did you tell them? Not the truth, I'm guessing."

Aro smirked. "I told them you wanted to be a Volturi leader."

Snorting, Charlie shook his head in disbelief. "They bought that?"

"They trust me; they trust my power."

They had always put too much faith in him. Marcus refused to acknowledge the fact that Aro was, above all else, a selfish creature, which often meant he couldn't care less what happened to anyone else. Even back then, all that mattered was total control. The greed, the lust for power soon became too much for him to handle, and it made him commit unthinkable acts.

"When you touched me earlier," Charlie murmured, "what exactly did see you see?"

Aro imagined it was strange for Charlie. Having someone know you as well as you knew yourself would make anyone uneasy. His power violated his victims, and it never used to bother him, but looking into Charlie's haunted eyes almost made him feel ashamed of what he'd seen. But still, more than anything, he refused to be anything but honest with Bella's father.

"I saw your parents die in a cold, dreary hospital. I saw your wife leave you after a fight. She took your daughter with her. The last time you saw her, she was 5-years-old."

Aro watched him duck his head and clench his fists. After a moment of silence, Charlie cleared his throat, not even bothering to hide his discomfort. He resolutely looked him in the eye once more. "You haven't mentioned the real reason I'm here," he said.

Aro let him change the subject. Perhaps it was for the best. He wasn't prepared to tell Charlie his daughter was only 4 floors above his head. He doubted the man would take the news terribly well.

"The Volturi won't be taken down so easily," Aro warned.

"I know that now," Charlie replied. "When I came here, I wasn't sure what to expect, but, over the years, I've come to learn just how dangerous they are."

He bent his knees to put them on the same level. "Your friends, the Cullens, do not stand a chance on their own."

"No, but Carlisle won't back down. He's obsessed with ending every last member of the Volturi."

"And you agree with this goal?" Aro questioned, already knowing the answer. He'd seen Charlie's innermost thoughts, and he knew the truth.

Charlie looked him dead in the eye. "It doesn't matter. I owe Carlisle's family everything. His wife saved my life. The least I can do is help him get his revenge."

"I am truly sorry Sulpicia took Esme's life." And he was. The female vampire, at least in Charlie's mind, was a kind creature and hadn't deserved to die such a horrible a death.

"I'm not sorry they took Sulpicia's life," he replied, coldly defiant.

Aro laughed harshly under his breath. "Neither am I. The world's a better place without that witch."

"You don't care that she's dead?" Charlie asked, warily suspicious.

"There was no love in our marriage," Aro found himself confiding. "So, no. I don't regret her death."

"Why is a former leader of the Volturi helping me?" Charlie asked, his face heavy with confusion.

"Like I said before, that's my business."

Charlie turned his attention to the heavy door that separated him from the rest of the coven. "So, they're not going to kill me?"

"Not unless you do something stupid, which I advise against. My people won't be happy if they find out I lied to them," Aro warned, his face set in hard, stony lines.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful when and where I hypnotise someone next time," Charlie said wryly.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

Aro laughed, tickled. "They won't give you your power back unless they need you to use it for their purposes." He couldn't refrain from clapping his hands together- a reflex from days of old. He doubted he would ever be able to be rid himself entirely of that heartless persona.

"Welcome to Volterra, Charlie." It felt good knowing someone else was getting screwed over by the Volturi.

"I'd like to be welcomed out of Volterra," Charlie grumbled.

"They are far too greedy to let you go," Aro replied. "Your only hope lies with the Cullens."

"You've made it clear they don't stand a chance," he said, bitterly resigned.

Standing to his full height, Aro looked down his nose at Charlie. "They don't, but it is those that don't stand a chance that are often left standing when everything is said and done. They might destroy the Volturi, and if they do, the vampire world will never be the same again."

"And you will do nothing to stop us?" Charlie questioned. "You will let your people burn if it comes to that?"

"I want nothing to do with any of it," he snapped. "What happens, will happen. If the Cullens leave me alone, I will happily pretend they don't exist."

"You are not who I expected you to be," Charlie uttered, seemingly without thought.

Aro's eyebrow raised of its own accord. "No? Well, I find that I would like to be free of the Volturi, as well."

Time came to a screeching stop when a blood-curdling scream tore through the castle, making Aro's brain stutter, then race into overtime. The loud cry was filled with pain, and it undoubtedly came from Bella. He mindlessly flew through the dark tunnels and up the intricate staircases, until he came to the proper floor. To his surprise, Demetri was nowhere to be found.

Without giving it any conscious thought, Aro knocked the door down, not caring when it tore from its hinges. What he saw when he rushed into the room, made him glad he couldn't throw up because he would have- if his body still functioned like a human's.

The first thing he noticed was that Bella was tied to the bed, naked. She was spread out like a starfish, and she had tears streaming down her flushed face. A dark-hooded figure was straddling her tiny form, running his fingers up and down her exposed chest, pushing into her skin hard enough to leave angry red lines.

Feeling like a rabid animal, Aro roared and lunged. His hand grasped the back of the figure's hood, and he pulled so hard, the man's neck snapped back.

Alec.

Gnashing his teeth, he flung Alec to the side, causing the other vampire's body to fly into the wall. With a gratifying thud, Alec crumpled to the ground before jumping to his feet, a fierce snarl exploding from his mouth.

Everything happened so quickly after that. Alec narrowed his eyes, Nathan flew into the room, and Aro ran to attack the soon-to-be dead vampire. Alec's face paled when his power failed to cripple him, and he was surprised to find his arms held tightly behind his back.

"No, Aro," Nathan growled.

"Let me go," Aro snarled, ripping one of his arms free from Nathan's tight hold. "I'm going to kill him."

Alec stepped back, looking a little afraid- Aro and Nathan were standing between him and the door. But his confidence returned when Jane rushed through the door with a worried gleam in her eyes. When she took in the situation, she ran to stand by Alec's side.

"Give it back, Nathan," she demanded.

"Neither one of you are getting your powers back until we talk to Marcus and Caius," Nathan replied, his tone serious.

Aro just barely managed to get out of Nathan's grip when he swiped Aro's feet out from under him. "You can't kill him," he tried reasoning. "Marcus will be displeased."

Knowing he didn't have the skill to overtake Nathan, he pretended like he was calming down, so that when Nathan let him get to his feet, Aro rushed to grab Nathan around the neck, pushing him into the wall, hard.

"I wouldn't stand in my way if I were you," he hissed, tightening his hands around Nathan's neck.

Nathan stood stock still, refusing to back down. "Aro," he barely managed to get out. "Remember Bella."

Bella. Her tears; her fear.

Her pain.

He instantly released Nathan and turned around to face the young woman who meant everything to him. In his blinding anger, he hadn't thought to go to her, only to kill and destroy the person who dared hurt her. But now, he realized just how stupid he'd been.

"Get out," he snapped at Nathan. "Get them out of here, too. I'll be down shortly to discuss his punishment with Marcus."

"Okay. Get in here, Ken," he called, watching the twins warily.

The burly vampire stepped into the room and used his power to make the siblings do his bidding. Jane and Alec walked out into the hall- stiff and awkward; neither were in control of their bodies.

Aro resisted the urge to claw Alec's skin off his body but he refrained for Bella's sake. Instead, he grabbed Nathan's arm when he passed him by. "Find Demetri," he murmured.

Nodding, Nathan left.

Slowly, Aro made his way to Bella, cringing at the bruises already forming on her body. Thumbprints marked each perfect hip bone; lines ran down her chest and stomach. Nauseated, he stepped up to her side, hesitating to touch her. Her eyes were closed tight, and she was hiding her head the best she could in her shoulder.

"Bella," he whispered, the sound raw and broken.

Eyes flying open, she stared at him, looking so afraid, his frozen, dead heart broke in half.

"Aro," she choked out.

Using his speed, he untied her, freeing her from the too-tight bonds. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

As soon as she could move, she curled into a tight ball, doing her best to hide from him. Fast as lightning, he reached for the bedspread and covered her body. At a loss, he stood beside the bed, looking down at her, completely frozen.

It wasn't until he heard a sob escape her that he extended his hand to rest against her heaving back. "Bella," he said softly.

Sitting up, she rocked back and forth on the bed. Her eyes found his, and she swallowed hard. "H-he said it was my f-fault."

"No." The word ripped its way up his throat like a rocket.

She pulled the blanket tighter around her, shaking her head violently. "You had to pay," she whimpered. "I ruined everything, so you had to pay. Jane loved you, so I had to pay."

Each word, each sentence was like having a hot fire iron jab him in the ribs. It hurt and it burned, but he stood there, listening to every word she gave him. It was hard to keep his distance, but he didn't think she would want him any closer, so he stayed put, aching for her.

"He said it was just a matter of time before you hurt me..."

Just like that, he forgot to keep his distance, and he climbed into bed beside her, pulling her to him. Wrapping her up in his arms, he said, "I would never hurt you like that. Do you understand me, Bella? Never."

She sat completely still in his hold for 5 seconds before she sobbed and grasped onto him like he was the only thing that was keeping her afloat. He could feel each individual finger dig into his back; he could feel her breath hit the patch of skin behind his ear.

"I-I never want to be that vul-vulnerable again," she cried.

She was breaking apart in his arms, and he didn't think he was going to be able to keep her together. He wanted to make this better, but he didn't know how. Sure, he could kill Alec, but that wouldn't make the memories go away. He could hold her until the world ended, but he couldn't erase the feel of Alec's body pressing into hers.

"Shh," he cooed. "I'm going to take care of him. He isn't going to touch you again."

Her head pushed into the crook of his neck, and her hands tightened further around his shoulders. "I still...I still feel his icy hands...touching me," she whispered, her voice devoid of emotion.

Huffing out a breath he didn't need to take, he lowered his head to rest against the top of her head. "This is my fault. I should have been with you."

Sniffling, she lifted her head to look him in the eye. A hardness was creeping over her face, like a shadow. Her eyelashes were spiked with tears, and her eyes were red when she said, "No, it's that bastards fault."

Just like that, the tears came flooding out again. She was panting, and her face was crumpling under the pressure of her pain. Jerking out of his grasp, she kept the bedspread wrapped around her body as she scrambled off of the bed. Her feet led her to the closet, and the door slammed shut behind her. 5 minutes later she reemerged, wearing a pair of jeans a tank top.

He tried to reach out to her but she evaded his grasp. "Bella."

"I need to paint," she said feverishly. "I can't..."

She shook her head. "I have to paint," she finished decidedly.

He watched her shut down, and he didn't know how to keep her from shutting him out. It hurt to see her so despondent. She wasn't okay, but she was starting to pretend she was. He could understand, but it wasn't the answer.

"I need to go talk to Marcus," he said gently. "I can't leave you here by yourself."

Running a hand through her mussed hair, she started to pace back and forth. Finally, she looked at him from across the room. "Please," she croaked. "Let me paint. I...I'll go with you after."

Her eyes were pleading, and he didn't know how to tell her no. He couldn't tell her no.

"Okay," he conceded.

"Thank you," she breathed.

With that, he sat at the bottom of the bed and watched her frantically draw what was trapped in her head out onto the canvas.