Chapter 10:

EDWARD'S POV

When we had arrived at the Volturi palace, Heidi said, "Cullens..."

Carlisle said, "Heidi."

After she had shown us our rooms; she said, "Oh; and Carlisle, Lady Volturi would like to have a word with you, I'll show you to her chambers."

Carlisle said, "Of course, Heide. Out of question; how is she? Has she been... released?"

A woman's voice said from outside our room, "Carlisle Cullen, how interesting it is to finally see you... once again; if I may add."

Carlisle bowed, and said, "My Lady."

The woman said, "Please, come, Carlisle, we have much to talk of. Most of which I must inform you of."

Carlisle said, "My Lady, would you like to meet my family?"

After a moment, the woman said, "I'd rather not... Now, Carlisle, please come along, the announcement won't begin in a few hours. Jane, please inform my husband that I'm in a conversation with the Leader of the Olympic Coven; and if need be, to find us in my chambers at once."

However, before he'd left, he said to the rest of us, "I'll be right back, everyone."

Alice said, "Carlisle, I don't know about this... Whoever she is, she-"

The woman said, "Jane."

Jane bowed, and whispered, "Yes, my Lady, as you wish."

I said, "Carlisle, what-"

Carlisle said, "We must go, my Lady, for two of my coven members question one of the Lady's decisions."

The woman said with a bit of a snarl in her voice, "They dare question a Lady of the Great Volturi... Well; aren't you all in for a surprise... Yet; make that two surprises..."

As he went out of the room, his last thought was;

Indeed, my Lady...

I couldn't seem to understand why the strange woman's scent was so familiar, even though, we all never ever met her before, however, when it was time to announce the new Queen; I could have sworn I caught Bella's scent around here in the Volturi palace.

As we all made it into the throne room, a few top guards kept an eye on us, I caught Heidi's thought;

Why did Aro have to invite them, doesn't he remember how they tried to silence the Lady?

I just shook my head, confused at her thoughts, once everyone was in the throne room; Aro stood up, once everyone was quiet, he began, "Welcome, everyone, to this wonderful gathering. Now, we shall introduce the new Queen and young Princess of the Volturi."

"Princess!"

"New Queen!"

I looked at my family, they all, but Carlisle, wore shocked looks, Esme said, "No one said anything about a young Princess in the Volturi."

As the new Queen and Princess walked out, with the dark twins, Demetri, and Felix each in front of them, we all, including Carlisle, froze on the spot; the new Queen looked and smelt familiar, yet her red eyes held no sense of softness in them, once they were out, Aro said, "May we introduce Isabella Volturi, wife of Caius Volturi, and their daughter; Jade Volturi."

We all bowed, as the covens walked up to greet the new Queen and Princess; we all stayed up, none of us unmoving, before we all knew it, we were the last ones to greet the new Queen and Princess; as we all slowly made our way up to them, Caius growled at us, Bella's eyes turned cold at the sight of us, and the young Princess only looked at us, confused and excited to meet a new coven.

Aro said, "Ah; yes, the Cullen Coven. How nice it is to see you all again."

Carlisle said, "Indeed, Aro... Although, I believe that we should take this somewhere else."

As we all walked out, I caught Bella's dark look, her red eyes narrowing and hardening in the process; however, Caius gently tugged her along, while he looked at us, I caught what he was thinking, and it was;

I warned you...

BELLA'S POV

Out of all the guests here tonight; I refused to even voice out my anger at one particular coven.

I had come a long way since my dark angel came and rescued me from that... phase... in which I had recovered from, I'd never thought that my dark angel would be the one to release me.

However; when I started to come around, I'd soon had Jade, she was my joy, not once did I see him in her, it was such a sight to see whenever I would walk in on her and Caius talking, I realized that she simply took after me, it was unheard of for her to show signs of him, I'd made that clear; she would always be a Volturi, never ever a Cullen.

As we made our way to Marcus's chambers, Jade whispered in a low voice, much lower for the coven of vampires behind us to hear, "Jannie told me about them and how they drink from animals, Mother."

Aro said, "Indeed, Jade. Their leader, Carlisle, was once a part of the Volturi. Isn't that right, Carlisle?"

Carlisle said from behind me and Caius, "That is true, Aro."

As we all made ourselves comfortable in Marcus's chambers; me, Caius, and Jade attacking the love seat in the farthest corner of the room; the vampires having to stand, while Marcus and Aro in front of Marcus's desk, the Volturi facing the Cullens.

Once everyone was comfortable, Marcus said, "Never, in all of our three thousand years, as any of the Volturi witnessed such a crime done onto their mate, then what you all have done."

The Cullens all looked confused and shocked, Edward asked, "What do you mean? We're not on trial here."

Aro said while glancing at Jade, "My Lady, would you like to have Jane escort Jade back to her chambers, for this is a conversation that may be unnatural of the Princess's unrelenting curiosity? And it might do you, my Lady, sometime to not reveal to her of the... unworthy process... in which of her development?"

Caius and I both shared a glance, after a few seconds, I said, "We will escort her back to her chambers, Aro."

Once we were in the halls, out of ear shots from the vampires or Aro and Marcus, Jade asks us, "Father, Mother, who are they?"

Caius simply said, "They're simply gusts here to congratulate you and your Mother. Don't worry about them, Jade. Soon they'll be on their way back home, and everything will be as it was before they came."

The moment she's in her room, after a few halls, Caius whispers to me while pulling me into a kiss, "They will be exposed, I promise, my Lady."

Having them here wasn't what I wanted, they could go on without me, I wasn't theirs anymore, Caius had made that clear after ten years together. I didn't want them to attend, neither did Caius, however, Jade wanted to meet them, Caius and I tried to talk her out of it, knowing that he would want to get to know her; never will me or Caius let him near her.

She'll always be a Volturi.

However; neither of us knew that she'd found her mate.

Who just so happened to be her real father.

The man who I used to know and was madly in love with...

When we had returned back into Marcus's chambers, Aro said, "About time..."

Caius said, "The Lady needed to calm down before this... unwanted... confrontation."

Carlisle was about to say something; when Edward said, "Why are we on trial?"

Aro said while holding out his hand, "Carlisle, care to share?"

Carlisle walked up to Aro, once releasing his hand, he made his was back to his family; while Aro turned to me, Marcus, and Caius, and he said, "Love to see how they'll take it..."

Caius and Marcus nodded in agreement, Aro said, "My Lady, care to at least show some sort of mercy for them?"

Seven pairs of gold eyes flew towards me, six of them widened in shock, one of them bowed, and said, "My Lady."

I nodded at him, my blood red eyes never leaving the rest of them; after a few seconds of quietness, I said while I walked up to them, "A moment alone; if you all may?"

While the three Volturi leaders left, Caius growled at all of them as he went passed, which made me say, "It won't be long now, dear. Just remember who you get to have in the end."

Once they were gone, I crossed my arms, glared at them with loathing, and said with an icy coldness, "A human that I once was, all I wanted was to have what I wanted, when I first saw you all... However, that has changed very much when I visited here that day..."

Carlisle said, "My Lady, it is so nice to see that you've been... released... I take it that your dark angel was right after all?"

I said indifferently, "Of course, Carlisle... Unlike two of your members."

Esme breathed, "Bella..."

I turned my back to all of them, they all could be shocked and confused for all I care; Carlisle said, "My Lady, I take it that the young Princess doesn't know... yet."

I turned to him, and said, "Not only that, but the Princess doesn't know about her... remaining... human family members."

There was a flash of deep sadness in all the Cullen's golden eyes, my red ones widened slightly, then they hardened and narrowed into slits, I crossed my arms in front of me, and I snapped harshly, "What!?"

The Cullen's looked at each other, doubt in their faces, I snarled bitterly, "What is it!?"

Carlisle looked down, sighed softly, nodded at Emmett, who had me in a strong grip, so did Jasper, I looked between them and the remaining Cullens, and I snapped, "What is this!?"

Caius snarled darkly, "Unhand her-"

Carlisle said, "No Caius, she has a right to know about her... human family... She's been gone too long. It's time that she learns what happened to them."

I snarled, "What do you mean?"

Emmett and Jasper both held me in place, Esme said, "Caius, you also may need to hold her down too, it's not going to look pretty once it's out."

Soon I had Caius holding me from behind, Emmett and Jasper in front, all three making sure that I was in place, I growled in frustration, I hated when I didn't know right away, however, Carlisle said as he came up to me, "Things have changed ever since you left, Bella. Some are good, while others are bad. Now, if you want, we could take you with us back to Forks to see for yourself, or you could stay here, this is up to you."

I said bitterly, "See what for myself?"

Alice said, "It's your family..."

I growled at her, my eyes were either unfocused or glaring at her, and I snarled, "What about my family? What happened?"

Esme whispered softly, "They're... gone."

Caius, Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper each forced me to stay in place, I snarled hatefully at her, "What do you mean 'gone'?"

Alice said, "They're all... underground."

Before I knew it, all four pairs of hands soon released me, as my cage landed on top of me, once again, I began growling; the thought of my remaining family, my dad, mom, Phill, even Jacob and the pack, they all soon clouded my mind; as I struggled, the Cullens and Caius only watched in horror and sadness, when I couldn't get free; I just turned away from them, and rolled into a ball.

They all knew that I was in pain.

I knew that I was in my cage once again.

However, I also knew that I had to do this on my own.

Not only for the sake of my daughter, who didn't know.

But also for my family too.

After a few moments of quietness, I heard the Cullen's leave.

However, I whispered softly and sadly, "I want to go back home. Back to Forks."

I needed to see this for myself.

The next day; while in my chambers, I was getting ready to leave with the Cullens' back to Forks; when someone knocked on my door, I took a deep breath, I walked over to the door, when I had it opened, I saw that it was both my husband and daughter.

Jade said, "Mother, where are you heading off too?"

However, I didn't hear her, Caius walked up to me, and pulled me in a hug, I held onto him for what was the last comforting embrace that I'll ever get, I pulled away, unable to look in his eyes, and turned to my daughter, who was looking at us with a confused look in her blood red eyes, and I said, "I'm going on a trip... with the Cullen coven."

Her eyes widened, and she said, "But, Mother-"

I said, "No, Jade. This is something that I have to do. Besides, it was my choice to go with them."

She asked, "Why Mother?"

I said, "Jade, there are reasons why I have to do this, reasons that I have chosen to keep you out of harm's way. Just know that I will return once done with the Cullens, alright dear?"

She was about to say something else, when Caius said, "Jade, your Mother has her own reasons for this unexpected trip with the Cullens'. She already has a lot to deal with right now... Don't add to it."

She looked down, after a few seconds, she whispered, "I understand, Father."

I pulled her in a hug, and whispered in her ear, "Keep your Father in check while I'm gone, alright Jade?"

She giggled, and said, "Don't worry, Mother."

I let out a small smile, was about to say something, when a knock sounded, we all looked up, and Carlisle said, "Is the Lady read to go?"

I said, "Jade, can you go inform the Cullens' that I'll be there in a few."

She said, "Of course, Mother."

Once she was gone, I said, "Come in, Carlisle, shut the door behind you as well."

After he shut the door, I simply turned around; and said while I switched my necklaces, "I'm not returning to Forks as a Volturi, god only knows what will happen if I do. I'm returning to Forks as a human..."

Carlisle said as I brushed my hair, "I'm guessing that you also want to visit La Push as well?"

I said as I turned back around to face them, "Yes... I need to check up on them. It's been a long time since I last saw them, anyway."

After a few moments, I sighed, and said, "Let's go, I'm ready to return back home..."

And do, after saying my final goodbyes to my family, I was on the plane with the Cullens'; and heading back to Forks.

Heading back home to my old family.