Disclaimer: I only wish they were mine.

Chapter 9: Coven

The drive through the lightening countryside was exquisitely beautiful, but none of my company had taste for my excitement. They had all been here before. Felix did smirk at me though. Stupid know-it-all.

It took us far too long to reach the shores of France. I'm not even going to guess at how many hours I had to spend in the slowly darkening vehicle with Felix squished between Demetri and I, as Jane and Alec rode silently in the front seat. The silence was often deafening and always uncomfortable. I learned quickly to keep my mouth shut and only quietly point things out to Felix. It was a whole lot better than being ridiculed for my lack of experience and being called a 'newborn' every time I got excited. Ugh. I can't say it enough…stupid vampires.

By the time we got on the ferry to cross the English Channel I was starting to get a little nervous about the new coven we would be meeting. I hadn't ever met nomads or small groups of our kind and to be honest, the idea of them frightened me. They would be wild, untamed. Like James.

I pushed that thought away as I chose instead to concentrate on the cool night breeze blowing my hair around my face. The others had gone below deck. They said it's what humans were supposed to do in this type of weather and it would look strange if we all stood out here. I had chosen to stay behind. I needed some breathing room after that stuffy car ride. Who knew vampires could be so pig-headed. Oh, wait, I guess I knew that. cough x Rosalie x cough.

I grinned at my little joke and looked towards the sky. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually seen the stars. I never got to see them in Washington and I wasn't allowed out of the castle without a guard, namely Felix, and our excursions were always so risky that I never felt like appreciating the pure and simple beauty of the night fires in the sky.

But now that I could see them I wish I couldn't. It reminded me too much of Jacob and Samuel. It made me think about their souls. Like Carlisle had said. I wonder if there really is a God? Huh. Well, I'm one of the damned now so I don't really care. Besides I have about 30 or 40 murders on my head so I doubt God would be very forgiving anyway. I just hope that for lives that ended in such a way that they have a something better waiting for them on the other side.

And I kinda hope they can see me now because I'm kind of counting on them to guide me a little here. I have no idea what I'm going to do after this mission, but I have the feeling that Jake and Sam are telling me to go on the mission before leaving the Volturi all together.

"Bella?"

Felix's voice startled me. I turned to find him staring at me. I checked my clothing. Nothing out of place, "Yeah, Felix?"

He shuffled his feet a little, "Um, I just wanted to let you know that we're going to be landing soon," he whispered.

I looked at him again. Something was bothering him and I wanted to know what, "Felix, what's going on? You seem kind of nervous."

He gazed into my eyes for an immeasurable moment, "I was just wondering what you were planning on doing once we get off the Ferry."

"Oh," I didn't expect that, "I'm still coming on the mission, Felix. I'm not going to just leave you all to defend yourselves, even if I do hate more than half of you," I joked.

His answering smile was just what I had hoped for. He relaxed, "Oh, ok, good, um, well the others are waiting for us. Won't you come in now?"

"Sure, sure. I'm right behind you," I said as I shot one last look at the stars.

He turned to go back inside and held the door open for me. I walked by him slowly, taking in one last breath of fresh air before I was confronted with the smell of a couple hundred humans.

Sitting on that boat with Jane, Demetri, and Alec was ironic to me. They were the ones who had killed every thing I loved. Jane took out Seth, Alec killed Sam, and Demetri, he was the last one to strike Jacob. And now here I sat with them, enjoying the gentle motion of the water, the smell of salt and blood, and the complete contentment of my newfound freedom. Oh the irony.

It took us about an hour to cross the Channel and before I knew it we were zooming away through the night towards the little town of Bosham. The sky was just beginning to lighten when we reached the outskirts of the picturesque village. The drive through the most heavily populated area took only a few minutes, and then we were on one of the famed English moors. It reminded me of the film BBC made of Wuthering Heights and I watched as all the trees zoomed by through the light fog that constantly clung to the ground in those areas. I wanted to get out and explore those moors. To see what Catherine had seen.

I sighed and turned away from the window to look at Felix. He was once again crushed between Demetri and I, but was not complaining in the slightest. I don't know why we didn't take a stupid minivan or two cars, or something. I mean, come on, the Volturi must have more than just this little sports car.

Felix turned to look at me. His eyes were holding a smile but were concealing something deeper. Was that worry? I sighed again. He always worried about me. No matter what I end up doing he will always be the worry-wart. I wanted to distract this train of thought so I decided now would be the best time to ask, "Are we there yet?"

Felix chuckled and even Demetri tried not to grin. Jane looked at me through the rear view mirror and said, "Does it look like we're there yet, Bella?"

I laughed lightly, "No, it doesn't, Jane, but then I wouldn't know because I don't know where we're going exactly. Wait, where are we going?"

"It's only another minute or so away," she replied as she made a sharp turn into an almost completely obscured driveway.

The trees almost completely covered the small dirt road and blocked out most of the light that managed to filter through the fog. Now I really felt like we were about to meet up with some other vampires. The scenery was perfect.

Just then a break in the trees appeared around a sharp corner and revealed a low, shallow valley. A very old house sat nestled in the dip and the driveway slowly curved down to the front porch with one branch leading to a large garage farther back. The house itself was timeless. It reminded me of something out of a civil war story. Like one of those old plantations in the South before the war. It's light blue paint and white trim were perfectly kept and the big red front door seemed inviting rather than frightening.

Jane stopped the car and we all piled out as quickly as possible. I noticed that Demetri seemed anxious and mischievous, if that combination is even possible. He caught me looking at him and smirked at me, "What?" he grimaced.

I turned my back on the house to face him, "Nothing," I said, "Just noticing once again how hideous you are."

He growled lowly at me, "You're one to talk, dog-lover."

That was a low blow and he knew it. How dare he even speak of Jacob when he had been the one to murder him! I felt my temper begin to flare and was about to yell at him when I was interrupted by the opening of the front door and a smooth voice.

"Welcome! Welcome to our home!"

I froze. There was no way. This was not happening. It wasn't possible. My back was still turned and couldn't find the courage to face the person who welcomed us so warmly.

He spoke again, "Welcome! Jane, Alec, Demetri, Felix it has been far too long. And who is this? A new addition?"

"Yes," Jane replied, then to me, "Well introduce yourself."

I knew I couldn't continue to be so rude so I took and deep, unnecessary breath and turned to face the man.

Even though I was expecting it I was still surprised by his youth and beauty. He hadn't changed one bit since I had last seen him and yet he was different as I looked at him through my new eyes.

He, on the other hand, was completely taken aback. Shock was written all across his face. Well I guess I don't blame him. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the words and finally, "Bella?"

I smiled as much as I could, "Hello, Carlisle."

Felix moved automatically to my side as he sensed my distress. His arm found its way around my waist. I know it's silly but I actually felt dizzy. I guess it was the speed at which my memories were hitting me. The last time I had seen Carlisle I had been human and we had a discussion about our souls. I knew I didn't have one anymore. It died with Jacob and Samuel. I had known it for a long time.

Carlisle was still staring at me. He seemed to have regained his composure in the last 30 seconds. He addressed me again, "How…why…how…"

He was still confused. Jane decided to intervene, "All will be revealed in due time, old friend. For now, let's go inside, greet the rest of your coven, and plan our attack so that we can go on a quick hunting excursion."

"Very well," he sighed, "come in."

I stood there watching them walk away. Felix still stood beside me, "You coming in?" he asked.

I looked at him blankly, "Uh, yeah, I'll just um, get the suitcases."

"Let me help you."

"No, that's okay," I protested, "I got it."

He seemed about to object so I said, "I just need a minute. I'll be right there. I promise."

He looked me over again and turned to go inside, seeming to know that I just needed time to compose myself before facing my almost-family once again in my new form. I watched him walk through the light drizzle that had begun to fall towards the open door. He disappeared momentarily and I felt myself fall against the car and crouch to the ground. I buried my face in my knees and let go of the breath I had unconsciously been holding in. I felt the tears begin to form in my eyes.

Oh crap. Now what? What next?

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A/N: Merry Christmas! Here is your present. Reviews can be mine! Click that green button!