Pained feelings.

Alice opened our bedroom door and politly held it open for me, I smiled at the gesture and as I walked by I let my hand travel along her cheek. We both breezed into the main living area of the house hold; Alice called for the family to assemble quickly. The Cullen's heeded the call and all crowded into the room, all except Edward.

Rose-who had looked to me for answers-saw my obvious discomfort and without a hesitation walked over and pulled me into a comforting embrace. Over the weeks Rose and I had become rather close, she was really not as vain as Edward had portrayed her to be.

"Bella what's wrong sweetie?" She cooed softly to me, in response I just lent back into her embrace.

"Alice what's wrong? What did you see?" Charlise asked worriedly, knowing the look on his daughters face. He placed comforting hands on her shoulders as he patiently watched her expression. Rose continued to mummer words of comfort to me-some part of my brain thought it funny that my girlfriends sister was holding me so intimately -but right now I couldn't care less.

"E-Edwards gone to the Volturi" Alice breathed, voice dripping with guilt and worry, all eyes turned to her. She looked like she was going to fall, fall under the pressure and regret of everything. I wanted to say something, I wanted to be the one comforting her, having her in my arms, but right now I could only look on helplessly.

"HE'S WHAT!?" Emmet boomed disbelievingly. Esme hushed him and walked over to her daughter-and doing what I had just wanted to do-she pulled her into her arms and held her.

"Alice sweetie what did you see?" Esme repeated soothingly urging her to go on, her fingers ran threw her short spikes comfortingly. She took a shaky breath.

"Edward, I mean, I saw Edward going to the Volturi asking to be killed. T-They tell him to give them some time, but he knows their going to decline…" Alice stuttered, her mind is a daze. I had never seen my Alice so unsure of herself, ever, she looked so fragile, so breakable, I felt my chest tighten at the sight. I wanted her in my arms, now.

Charlise growled in exasperation and my thoughts of Alice where momentarily forgotten. I looked over to him shocked. I had never heard him growl before, ever, no matter what.

"Alice, Bella" I blinked as my name was said, coming back to reality I noticed Charlise was now pacing, eyes glazed in thought-as they often where when he thought deeply. "You need to go to him. Bella is the only one he would listen too" He stopped and looked to the both of us. "We will see what we can do here, Esme would you go and book the flights?" Charlise was taking command of the situation and I was grateful. Esme nodded letting go of Alice and departing with a kiss on her forhead she rushed from the room.

Giving Rose a kiss on the cheek I stepped out of her embrace and walked forward to wrap my arms around Alice's waist and pull her close to me. "Alice, its going to be all right" I whispered into her ear softly, she shivered lightly and molded into me, I sighed. "We should get moving" I said. I needed to be strong, for her. I felt her nod and without another word she walked away from me towards the garage.

I followed closely behind her leaving the already in motion Cullen's to go about helping in any way they could. When I turned into the room Alice was already sliding into a sleek red car, it was the fastest they had. Getting in myself, I had only just slammed the door shut when the car launched forward, speeding down the roads.

I looked over to the driving girl and saw a scared and frightened teenager. I bit my lip feeling useless as she drove. I needed to say something to her.

"Alice this isn't your fault" I said placing a hand on her leg and letting my thumb trace patterns as she drove. She raked a hand desperately threw her hair.

"Then why does it feel like it is?" She asked pleading for an answer that would ease her mind. I smiled; it was my turn to help her just like she had done for me so many times.

"Because we hurt him" Alice flinched at the words but I pressed on. "But Alice it was his choice to suffer in silence. If he had just spoken up we could have done something" She opened her mouth to speak but I already knew what she was going to say, I cut her off. "You know how hard he is to read, he was hiding it from us and doing it well, no one noticed, so it wasn't your fault for not seeing his pain. If he had just spoken up we could have helped, I know you would have done everything to protect him, but he didn't let us help" I sighed Edward was such a paradox, nothing about him truly made sense. "So there is no use blaming yourself, because I believe it was all of us"

Alice sighed and I felt her relax slightly, my words soothing her racing emotions. "Thank you" She whispered to me and I hummed as she intertwined our fingers together.

"Always Alice" I said caressing the back of her hand lightly. Everything would be all right, for her, I would make everything alright.

Charlise was true to his word-our first class tickets where waiting as soon as we walked to the front desk-Esme had gone all out for us. But now as we flew in first class comfort, I couldn't help but wish this thing would go faster. I tried not to show my own uncertain and worried emotions to Alice.

I saw Alice twitch slightly as another vision took over her, I pushed up the barrier that separated us and in one swift motion wrapped my arms around her comfortingly, she melted back into my embrace, relaxed at the contact.

"Alice what is it?" I asked her quietly so know one would over hear us, I placed my chin on her head as her hands moved to play with mine.

"He keeps changing how he is going to show himself" She muttered to me hands fiddling with my own, I smiled lightly.

"Good thing he is so indecisive" I joked, trying to get her to smile, she tilted her head to look at me a smile on her lips. I smiled too and leaning forward I brushed my lips against hers, she sighed contently. This time it would be me that protected her.

As we walked out of the air port I noticed it was-thankfully as I sparkled now-a relatively cloudy day. But there where small pockets of sun, so we would have to be careful of how we went about our rescue mission.

Looking around as we stopped at the exit I almost slapped myself not for asking sooner. "Alice how are we getting there?" I asked the obvious question and surprisingly she turned to look at me with a mischievous look in her eyes. I had decided long ago that I loved that look, but right now, it was kind of scary, how in hell where we getting there?

"Bella how do you feel about grand theft auto?" She asked and I smiled, in both relief and amusement. That was all from the way she had been looking at me I would have thought we where going to mug some people of their car. Stealing without them knowing was a different thing.

I turned my smile into a smirk and she took that as approval, smirking in return she kissed me on the cheek and told me to wait here. I nodded doing as I was told.

But waiting here wasn't as easy as I thought it would have been. Before when I was human I would have waited and no one would have noticed me at all, I would have blended into the shadows, but now, now I could feel countless eyes staring at me like I was some sort of famous model. I shifted my weight nervously,

My savior came in the form of a bright yellow porch stopping right in front of me, the passenger door swung open to reveal a now-once again-serious and determined Alice. I slid into the car and as I did she sped off, the door closing as the wind ripped by it. She weaved threw the traffic-in what I once thought was an insane fashion-now I only wished she could do it faster.

"He's made up his mind" She told me as she drove and I looked at her, silently urging her to go on. She bit her lip. And I knew it was not what he was going to do, it was how long we now had. I sighed.

"How long" Alice closed her eyes briefly, calming herself.

"Noon, he plans on stepping into the light" She told me avoiding the answer of how much time we had before he went threw with his crazed plan. I looked at the dashboard clock, fifteen minutes till noon. I growled and Alice once again took my hand.

Why would he do this to us and his family? Didn't he see how much this would hurt everyone? Did he honestly think we would sit idly by and let him do this? If he did he was a damned fool. A damned selfish fool with no regard for his family.

Thoughts where interrupted when Alice made a sharp turn and floored the breaks as we joined a queue of traffic that Alice could not insanely weave threw. She cursed in time with my own.

Her eyes darted as she assessed the situation. "Bella what's the date today?" She asked me and I furrowed my brow in thought, thinking back to our plain ride.

"The 23rd why?" I asked her, and she laughed bitterly, a sound I didn't like. I gave her hand a squeeze.

"It's their holiday turned celebration for the royals" She explained quickly and if it had been possible, I would have paled considerably. Which was saying something since I was theoretically dead.

"Their not going to like Edward wrecking their holiday" I stated trying not to let my nerves show, Alice nodded. From what little I knew of the royals I knew that they would act almost instantly to exposure with that large of an audience. Alice's face was a mix of fear and determination, I let go of her hand and moved to touch her cheek. "It will be alright, we will get to him in time" I cooed to her and she smiled grabbing my hand before I could take it away and kissing my fingers, lips lingering as she spoke softly to me.

"Yes we will" She dropped both of our hands-which where once again intertwined-and sighed. "Bella, I don't know what the guy up here is going to say to this, so I need you to be ready to get out and run" She stated pulling up to the big man that was directing the traffic. When he saw the car he shuffled over, Alice-mindful of the sun-rolled down her window.

"Sorry…" The man trailed off, looking over Alice with lust filled eyes, I bit back a growl and he shook his head. "Sorry miss no entry" He stated again, in a heavy accent, look never leaving his eyes. Alice smiled flirtatiously at him and I twitched.

"Private tour" She said suggestively holding out a ward of cash, the first note being a tempting one hundred dollar bill. The man turned his attention to it and looked at it like it was some sort of joke. Usually it would be.

"Is this some sort of joke?" He asked a bit wary now, good, that meant he wouldn't look at Alice. The girl in question just chuckled.

"Only if you think it's funny" She flirted with the man, I felt the urge to make him have a very, very bad accident. Looking to the bills with a deliberating look on his face he took the cash from her and giving her a wink, told her to drive in. I felt my eyes glow. Alice turned to me with a smile on her face.

"Are you jealous?" She asked me, amusement in her voice; obviously she had seen what I wanted to do with the man. I huffed.

"No..." I tried before giving in. "Okay yes, but he was looking at you like you where some cheep thing that he would like in his pants and you where flirting!!" My voice spiked at the end and I turned my head to look out the window, rather embarrassed with my outburst. I felt Alice's hand on my leg before it danced up towards my chin where she forced me to look at her. She smiling at me.

"No one but you Bella, you have my heart but thank you he was looking at me like that and I'm glad to know you feel so strongly" I would have blushed at her words but instead I just lent forward and pressed my lips to hers kissing her softly before pulling back with her lip caught lightly in-between my teeth.

"I love you Alice" I breathed "But drive before I change my mind and make him lie down on the road" She gave a small chuckle and did as I commanded revving off into the city that was bustling with energy. We would have only gone five meters when we hit another traffic jam, Alice growled. "Bella I can't get round, you need to go to him, under the clock tower" She said quickly and I nodded opening the door to run out, but before I could Alice caught my wrist. I turned to look questioningly at her. "Please be careful" Her eyes shone with worry, worry for me.

I smiled and once again placing my lips to hers before I ripped myself away from her and got swallowed by the crowd.

Keeping to the shadows, I ran at a fast human pace threw the crowds of people that cluttered the streets. I tried to ignore my now burning throat, the smells of so many people over powering, I shook it off. Now was not the time to have a bout of bloodlust, I needed to get to Edward, to save him and protect Alice from her own emotions if she lost him. I couldn't and wouldn't lose myself here. They were all counting on me.

Ducking under carts and buildings I ran towards the ever looming clock tower, the stone streets making almost no sound as I ran. Annoyed and irritated people yelled at me as I passed by, weaving threw them, trying not to register their scents as I bolted. I could hear their angry voices even as I left them behind.

I smiled when I could see the base of the clock tower and I sighed in relief when I saw him. He was standing there, shirt open, still as stone, looking like a Greek god in the shadows. My relief, however, didn't last long when I noted the proximity he was to the sun.

"No Edward don't!" I called out desperately to him, knowing he could hear me, his head turned to stair blankly at me. Wonder and astonishment crossing his face. But he did not move. Why wasn't he moving? "Edward move!" He didn't. My eyes started to glow. "Edward move back!" I yelled commandingly, this time, whether he wanted too or not he moved.

Skidding to a halt I stepped into the shadows and walked up to him. He like me was now nestled in the shadows of a deserted ally. Stopping in front of him, emotions raging I brought up my hand and slapped him. The contact cracked out in an echo and sent his head to the side.

He didn't say a word as I enveloped him in a bone crushing embrace. "You idiot, you stupid boy!" I choked. "Why would you do this to us? Huh? Your family! Don't you understand how much you would hurt them?" He went ridged in my arms. "I love you silly, maybe not like you love me, but I love you and your apart of my life"

He choked and in the next instant had his arms wrapped around me tightly. I sighed contently. It was all okay now, he was safe. He was still here.

"Oh thank god" Alice's voice came from behind me, turning I saw relief flood to her face, she sprinted over to the both of us and had her arms wrapped around us both, her head in-between mine and Edwards. "Thank god your both alright, your both safe" She breathed, choking slightly on her words; Edward wrapped his arms around her too and for the first time spoke.

"I'm sorry…"

I'm so sorry for the long wait with this. I hope it was worth it.

Prob not. Haha. I will get the next chapter up more quickly!

Thanks for all the reviews!

xxxx