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Hope you are still enjoying my little foray into MentalWard! Okay, just to let the concerned readers know again...NO! Edward doesn't have a thing for Tanya. Just trust me.

"Edward, may I come closer?" Esme's gentle voice asked. She stood just a few feet from me in our living room, her light gold eyes pleading.

Nessie had finally won her freedom from my possessive grasp, going back over to sit between Seth and Jacob. Bella watched me from across the room near the fireplace, her eyes gentle but focusing intensely on me. As I'd paced at the far side of the room, my love had given me space as she spoke with Zafrina. Carlisle, Jasper, Garrett, Emmett, and the Romanians stood or sat on the couches reviewing and dissecting the information I'd just given them. We could all hear their low voices as their conversation ebbed and flowed, the oddly smooth silky voices of the Romanians' contrasting with Jasper's cadenced military voice and Carlisle's resolute responses. I wasn't surprised to see that Nahuel had inched closer to them as he stood in the doorway of the hall. I could see that he desired greatly to know what happened to his sisters and to a much lesser degree, to his sire, Joham. I needed to marshal my inner strength to tell him about his sisters, but I'd never been one who did well at delivering bad news…although some of what I said would most likely intrigue the others.

But for now, the woman who was for all intents and purposes my mother garnered my attention. I held out my hand to her as I stood up from where I sat and felt a familiar peace flow into me when she grabbed it. Looking over to see if Jasper was practicing his particular gift, I saw instead that he was fully focused on the information being discussed. It was just Esme…and our connection that provided the tranquility. She, with Carlisle, was the rock of our family and our refuge. The beast barely stirred, seeing the woman standing next to me. And then we began remembering our memories of the past eight decades together.

Friend… Mother…

These were the two strongest emotions that lay within me as I looked at Esme. The monster acknowledged and accepted these as part of him. I wanted to growl at him at the second observation. He had no right to my version of her. She heard the subtle hiss escape my lips and lifted her eyes, looking into mine before she questioned me.

"Edward?" I heard what she was asking.

"He called you Mom," I forced out.

"Who?"

"Monster."

Her smile was as deep as the ocean. "Well, I can be his mother too." He snickered at her words, but I forced him out of my thoughts. Her next words helped. "But right now, he needs to stand back and let me talk to you." I sneered back at him…Esme ruled our home. Carlisle might be the soul of the Cullen family, but Esme was the heart, and she wouldn't…couldn't…be denied by anyone. "Will you walk in the garden with me?"

I looked at Bella, hesitating very slightly. She smiled and nodded to me to go with Esme, before moving her eyes over to Nessie and Jake.

I moved Esme's hand so that her arm linked with mine before moving us toward the door that led outside.

"I don't know why I bother, knowing that everyone will hear all we say, but I at least wanted the sense of being alone," she indicated as soon as our feet touched the ground from the steps of the deck. She smiled softly, and I couldn't help but respond with the same. Her eyes glanced quickly over to me. "You look so much better today. Did you feed on the way here?"

I nodded and then pulled her a little closer into my side. Upon my return, I had been so wasted in body and feral in reaction that it'd both alarmed and enraged her greatly. Constantly scanning me to determine if I was okay, in need, if the thirst was starting to be too much. The flush of love I could sense from her coursed over me, making me brighten greatly…almost as much as Alice. Twin suns.

We started walking toward the line of trees, still silent. I sensed her desire to keep this conversation as private as possible, and I wondered at that.

"You are worried about Carlisle." She spoke finally into my mind. At my slight nod of agreement, she continued. "Edward, think back on his thoughts over the years. He knew it would come sooner or later. Our moves, our disguises…everything…they've been his way to avoid this conflict as long as possible, but if you ponder all the things he has done, they've also been in preparation. Aro has never let go of him, not really. It may have been centuries since he left, but Aro has never stopped wanting Carlisle as part of the Volturi. It was an insult to him that he couldn't seduce Carlisle to his ways. When Aro came here on New Year's Eve last year, he did covet you, Bella, and Alice for your exceptional gifts, but he also would have been pleased to obtain us all. He knew that having Carlisle under his control would insure our obedience to him. His schemes for Carlisle would have resumed as soon as he had us in that castle in Italy. He would have worked very hard to force us to abandon our lifestyle as we practice it today."

She reached down to trace the prickly leaves of a holly bush. Her care of it was gentle…a direct example of her nature, the way that she'd handled us in the past.

Aro knew that we wouldn't just leave you there." Esme added. "His starvation of you…it wasn't just a plan to watch your demise. He knew that Carlisle would give himself up before that happened, and he knew that Alice would see in enough time."

She then surprised me with an image of Carlisle sobbing. He was sitting on their bed, leaned over with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands threaded through his hair. From Esme's eyes, I spied the carryon luggage resting on the floor, and then Alice barging through the door with a furious expression.

"He was about to leave, against everything that Alice kept telling him He was letting his emotions overrule reason and Alice's visions. Had he gone, we would've all followed suit. Aro knew that." Esme's eyes looked hard into my own. "Your father lived more than two decades with that man. He was a favored son. Am I wrong to assume that Aro wanted him as much as you and the others?"

I shook my head to let her know she was right in her introspection. Aro wanted us for our powers. But the reason he wanted Carlisle was even more potent…he wanted to subjugate Carlisle, to show the world what happens when you go against his desires. Gifts were important, but strictly in the sense that they helped bolster defense and offense. The sense that a pacifist vampire, the Stregoni Benefici, could forsake him and all that the Volturi stood for…that action held the potential to single-handedly destroy Aro's carefully constructed rule.

Esme nodded. "So your father knows that this moment, this point in time, is it. You and I are both very aware of his primary desire to find a peaceful solution to any circumstance. It is what makes your father so wonderful. But as much as we know that, we also know that he will do anything to protect us. We have to support him, Edward, even if you and I might want to live the life we've always known since he created us."

A deep rumble of anger escaped my chest.

"I know. But is there really a chance that Aro won't come?"

I snarled and it was enough of an answer for her.

"Exactly. So we fight, and in the process we let Carlisle raise this new part that he's kept bottled up within him. You know…his monster."

I spun to face her, but she didn't startle at my actions, remaining perfectly still and composed. She gazed at me impassively and firmly, her mind echoing the same resolve that Carlisle displayed now.

"You…Bella…Alice…why!" I was letting her know that I was upset by the continued inferences that the monster was a part of me. Carlisle was just allowing a part of his being come into focus when it was needed.

"Because we need you right now, Edward. Just telling us that Demetri and Felix could be our allies upset you. Time is short. Charlotte and Peter will most likely arrive this afternoon, and Jasper will be sending them out with the copies of the message we have composed. Stefan, Vladimir, and Zafrina all indicated that many more are on the way here. The vampire world needs to see us squarely behind him, supporting him…following him in the decisions he's made at this moment in time. I would never ask this of you, unless it was critical, but Edward, I need you to step up. I need you to stand with your father." Her eyes were soft, but sorrowful. "I also wouldn't ask it if you if I didn't think you were capable."

She moved closer to me and put her hand against my cheek. "The day you returned from your rebellion against us so many decades ago…you wrestled the 'monster' into control, to live the life you desired." Esme's lips firmed together. "The day you ran to Alaska, you did what was necessary again to conquer the monster, so that you could be close to the woman that had already won your heart…even though you didn't know it at the time. No one has as much control as you; even Carlisle believes you are stronger than him. You both far outshine Aro, and you can do this. He needs you." She sent me a picture of Carlisle…of how he'd been bent over the papers in front of him as we left out the door for our talk. I saw what she wanted me to see…the empty space beside him where I should be.

Reaching out slowly, I placed my hands on her upper arms and pulled her to me to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Thank you," I whispered at her soft reprimand.

"You're welcome. I'm your mother; I'm supposed to be the one to point you in the right direction when needed," she said, grinning. "You are far stronger than you think, case in point that I'm already talking to you about this."

The monster hadn't even roused at Esme's directions to me…choosing to slumber in the background as if he was unconcerned. Didn't her words of subjugating him even make him nervous? Did he so seriously discount her and her directions, that they didn't even raise concern? He was naïve to discount my sire's mate. She was extremely brilliant and capable of manipulating anything to her needs…not that she was required to do so often.

"And may I say…I also like it when Carlisle decides to let loose with a little of his inner beast. Bella seems to be…um…enjoying the benefits of that with you." She giggled softly seeing my face involuntarily jerk toward the house and my mate. A very low growl escaped my lips.

I was certain I would be blushing if I was human, remembering the night before. It wasn't as if Bella and I hadn't been aggressive in our love making before, but even I would admit there had always been a line I didn't want to cross, believing that it would be disrespectful to her. That line had been stomped on, erased, and obliterated with my actions of the previous night. It had been exhilarating.

"Edward, she's happy, and it is good to be alive, yes?"

I noticed how she didn't keep that silent and smirked at her. Devious, beloved woman. I turned us back toward the house. We'd been walking slowly during our conversation, and I saw that Carlisle was standing before one of the windows in the room with the other men, watching over us. I'd heard his thoughts, as clearly as I'd heard Esme's, but I'd focused on her. One would have thought he was watching me, to make sure that I didn't hurt her. But even without hearing his thoughts, I would have known the difference. His actions of the past spoke loud and clear…he was just happy to see us together and safe. When my eyes caught his, he smiled in a blinding manner and then turned back into the room.

"See, even now he watches over us." Esme's face had been transformed by the sight of Carlisle, her love and devotion evident for anyone to see.

I squeezed her hand slightly and led us back toward the house. Without hesitation, I moved to his side as soon as we entered the room, sitting in the empty seat that Esme had envisioned. She joined him at his other side. Jasper, Emmett, and Garrett all looked up, wondering what would spark my presence. The Romanians remained seated on a couch, their dark burgundy eyes examining me keenly as they noted the change in my demeanor.

We will work together, I growled at the monster. I heard no resistance. He was actually in agreement, and I felt invigorated beyond belief with the reprieve. Without the need to fight him, I could focus on the conversation and attempting to relate what I could to them. I squared my shoulders and marshaled my strength to speak clearly.

"Aro brought me to Volterra for an experiment. He wanted more hybrids made and thought he could get me to do his bidding. He knew your progress, from the witness you gave…" I nodded to Nahuel from where he stood in the doorway "…and observed that you were only slightly weaker than a full blooded vampire. He hoped that he would be able to raise hybrids and utilize their time of maturation to bind them to him without Chelsea or Corin's help. He wanted the loyalty freely given…as we do to Carlisle."

I heard my father gasp beside me. "He wanted a family?" He then realized the fallacy of that statement. "No, he just wanted them to be loyal to him like a family, to have it as his due."

I nodded. "Individuals not under duress."

"But not all of the guards are there because they are being held," Emmett added in.

"It's different. Aro's ego is engaged now. He wants what Carlisle has," Jasper deduced. He started pacing around the room as was his wont.

Garrett hissed in agreement.

"My sisters are dead aren't they, Edward?" Nahuel asked, getting right to the information I'd wanted to avoid revealing. I nodded softly and watched the rage boil over in both his face and mind for a moment, his face darkening bitterly. He hadn't known them well, but he was certainly more attached to the three sisters that he had than he had been his father. "From what I understand from Alice, I'm certain he used them to block your sister's visions so that he could grab you. Did they fight?"

I blew out a long breath and then looked at Nahuel again, ignoring the others' eyes.

"The two oldest, they were destroyed immediately, when Aro ordered your father's death. They fought for him." The image of the fight rose unbidden to my mind, stolen from Aro's. It had been a short but brutal one, ending with their blood spilt onto the dark ground in the jungles.

Nahuel nodded solemnly, the tears gathering in his eyes and rolling down his face. I was fascinated to see them; Nessie's being the only other example I'd witnessed in vampires. But my focus on them wasn't to mean I was any less concerned over his loss.

"The youngest one fought as well, but she was overpowered and taken to Volterra. Aro desired her to block Alice…." I sensed my sister's immediate discomfiture at this "…and for other reasons." I heard the minds throughout the house listening and working frantically to see what that meant and had to focus hard to get the next words out. The Romanians' eyes were hard as they listened. They already understood. "She was the first experiment. Alec…he numbed her long enough to have…" I floundered with Nessie so near "…to be intimate. Aro wanted to know if she could become pregnant."

Carlisle flew out of the chair beside me, horrified beyond belief. The knowledge that a woman would be so mistreated. It was a rape. If they only knew what I'd heard…seen.

The monster stirred and emitted a low growl. But mine wasn't the only one to echo through the room and the rest of the house, though. Only Nahuel's and Carlisle's were louder. Nahuel for his grief and horror. Carlisle in outrage. Jacob growled sharply, knowing exactly how the woman would have responded; Seth cringed. Carlisle glanced to Esme, and the look on his face was of an avenging angel. I wondered how he'd lasted in Volterra as long as he had.

"Edward!" Jasper hissed. "Did…" His southern gentility was more than horrified.

"She destroyed the baby after it was born, unwilling to allow the little girl to fall in Aro's hands."

I heard the family, particularly the women…most of all, Rosalie…gasp in pain.

"She saw it as a mercy killing." I looked up into Nahuel's agonized face. "She didn't want the baby under Aro's influence. She was envious of your relationship with Huilen," I said. "She didn't want the child to be raised by anyone else."

"She survived the birth?" Jacob gasped out. His mind spun.

I'd known he'd find that information important. A myriad of thoughts ran through his head. At least he was able to keep the process of the conception out of his mind, but he couldn't help but find joy in the fact that Nessie was at least capable of having children. The ghost of a sweet voice saying "Granddad" ran through my mind, and the monster snarled. He didn't like the thought of Nessie and Jacob in that way. Neither did I. This was something we were definitely in agreement about.

Then the idiocy of my feelings overwhelmed me, because there was no one I trusted more. When my baby grew into the beautiful woman she was going to be as I recalled Jacob's first impact of his imprint on her…I wanted Jacob by her side. I just needed to find a way to deal with what would happen.

"She did." I looked back to the only other living hybrid other than my daughter. "Nahuel, Aro had her destroyed as a result of her 'insolence.'" He'd had enough and blurred outside to the back yard.

Esme started to move toward him, but Huilen swiftly lifted her hand. "I'll go to him," the diminutive Ticuna vampire said gently. Her company would be the best, even though Nahuel would like fall to Esme's magic as well.

Carlisle inelegantly plopped back down on the chair, causing it to groan. "Son of a bitch," he said harshly, imagining Aro's pompous face. His curse was unprecedented and telling. The idea of a woman being so badly abused made him furious. My siblings, mother, and family (I was including Seth and Jacob in that group) all gasped at him.

I was tiring, and the sapping strength made me mad. There was still so much more to do. Yet I needed to hunt again to restore my reserves. But as I was beginning to berate myself for the loss of control, Alice squeaked from where she sat near Nessie, and I saw her vision. Peter and Charlotte would be here before the evening. It made me think to reveal something before I had to let the monster take over and retreat to where I could rest.

"Alice, Aro used Nahuel's sister to block your visions, long enough to get me there. When did you begin to see me again after my capture?"

My little sister's eyes honed in on me as she walked over to stand next to me, the fury and hurt clear. But not at me. "You…you were beginning to talk with Bella, or at least your figment of her in your imagination."

Monster…Bella…dead little girl with copper colored hair. Monster…murderer.

My mind nearly shut down as I remembered a flash of memory from the hellhole I was in. The visions ran through my mind so quickly and furiously. It overwhelmed me, almost bringing me to my knees. I snarled. It took me an interminable period of time to stop shaking, to bring my utterances of agony under control. When I did, it was with the realization that Carlisle held me. Bella was immediately at my side, supporting me as well, her golden eyes blackened. Alice's face was miserable. I thought that I must have blacked out, but then I realized that the monster had taken over my psyche.

"Edward, you must regain control," Carlisle ordered.

The monster respected Carlisle though, bowed down to him, allowed the male he recognized as the dominant leader of our family to force him back into submission. This awareness was enough, and I slowly pushed the monster's thoughts away. Taking several deep breaths to saturate me with Carlisle's familiar scent, I nodded my head several times before I sat back up. "Sorry…" My apology was shaky. I slowly looked at the faces of the others in the room. Their faces reflected their incredulity at seeing the monster rise to the surface so quickly.

Alice had moved to kneel beside me. "Edward?" Her dark gold eyes revealed her agitation. Her thoughts were agonized to know she'd caused me pain with her words.

"You just saw Peter and Charlotte," I said, slowly breathing out.

"Yes." She was confused.

"Jacob, Nessie, Seth, and Nahuel are here."

Her eyes widened in shock at what I was implying.

"Nahuel's sister was still alive at that time. Your gift is starting to accommodate. Figure out how…why," I told her, hoping she understood. Her visions were critical to us. If she could find her way around the blindness caused by the hybrids and wolves, our defenses would be bolstered in unimaginable measures.

She stared at me for a long moment, and then she smiled, a bright smile lighting up her face. Her little chirp of happiness made me respond in kind, and I watched as she bounced away. Jasper did the same, and when he turned back to me, a look of incredible joy infused his face. I'd caught some of Alice's thoughts since my return. It had been bad…maybe not as much as it had been for me…but bad enough. She had had to carry so much pain and distress within herself for the past year at seeing me being slowly stripped of my humanity and nearly going mad. It had almost driven her insane as well. Jasper had had to absorb so much of her grief and pain and rage, along with those of our family. The cup had very nearly overflowed.

Ever the strategist, Jasper then decided to push his luck a little, reining in the backwash of Alice's happiness. "Edward, the main guard, can you give us anymore?"

"Heidi." I could see that information didn't impress Jasper. She was a vampire and therefore could be an asset in a fight, but we really didn't have need of a seductress known mostly for her ability to lure prey into the "den of iniquity."

"Demetri is in love with her," Tanya announced as if it was obvious, approaching us from across the room. When the group's eyes all turned on her, she shrugged. "I saw it that day…" her voice struggled; she still mourned deeply the loss of her sister "…before they destroyed Irina. He watched her in a hungry manner. I hadn't really thought about it since then, but when you mentioned her name…" She shrugged at me, and I grinned at her.

She narrowed her eyes at me and growled subtly.

The monster snickered at her warning, finding her entertaining.

But entertaining was entertaining, and magnificent was magnificent…and the woman that spoke next was without compare. "Edward, are you saying that Heidi and Demetri are mates?" Bella asked from beside me as she continued to support me, stroking my face gently and then running her fingers in my hair.

I nodded harshly. "Chelsea keeps it dulled to a degree, but they would choose to leave, like Marcus and Didyme desired." Aro had learned his lesson well. He just used Chelsea and Corin to keep them moderately happy, but not excruciatingly so…likes mates should be.

"Anyone else?" Garrett asked softly.

"Santiago."

"Which one is he?" Emmett asked.

I considered his question for a moment. "I'll draw a portrait of him, as best as I can. There are a couple others, which you wouldn't know by name. No more." Aro didn't have to keep everyone tied. As Emmett had already pointed out, many were there because they liked the prestige of being in the Volturi and having access to the nearly limitless wealth and trappings that came with it.

"It's enough, Edward. You did well," Carlisle said patting my shoulder, as Bella still soothed me with her fingers.

The soft tug and pull of her hands through my hair had me and the monster purring. I closed my eyes, letting the moments surround me as they continued to ponder. The susurrus of mental voices ran over my mind as I settled down in a couch with my mate.

"Edward, the castle, have they done anything to make it secure?" my father asked.

He was remembering the hallways he'd become familiar with during his tenure there. "No," I said softly. Opening my eyes, I saw Carlisle gazing at me. "They would never conceive of anyone coming after them there. It is still much the same as how you left it. But I don't think it is best." I was thinking of the humans in the city surrounding the building. No, an assault there would not work. It was an unnecessary risk. Jasper agreed; he felt that we had to choose a venue favorable to us.

He nodded softly. "We prepare for here then. Hopefully…" he looked over to where Alice excitedly spoke to Zafrina"…we'll have some warning, but I think we need to be prepared as quickly as possible."

I nodded, but my energy was failing. Even without the monster's interference, just focusing to provide the information had seriously drained me. Bella, of course, knew.

"Edward, let's go up to our room and rest before Charlotte and Peter get here."

"You need me to go find you a deer or two," Emmett offered.

I was embarrassed by the growl that came from within. But then Bella surprised me by saying, "Why don't you go with Emmett instead? The two of you haven't spent any time together."

The monster snarled a little. Emmett's size, his concern. The smile that came over my big brother's face was all child though. He was already imagining a good tussle in the woods…after eating, of course. He grinned in an endearing manner.

"C'mon Bro…let's go!" he begged silently. He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I didn't have to hear Jasper's interpretation to know he was excited about the possibility. Had he been a puppy, he would have been wiggling in anticipation.

I squeezed Bella's hand softly and then pulled her gently over to kiss her forehead. When I stood, Emmett whooped so loud that it shook the glass. Even Rosalie cracked a smile at her mate's behavior. Tanya had gone over to her, and between them Nessie was occupied with a sheet of paper and pencil. I wasn't surprised to see that she was drawing. It was the Volturi as she remembered them from a year ago. She was adding to the portrait her own interpretations of their manners, natures, and motivations. I was sure that Aro wouldn't be pleased with her rendition.

"Carlisle…" he looked up "…have Ness share what she's doing when she's finished." There was something to be said for "through the eyes of a child." I wasn't sure that Nessie, with her heightened intelligence and mature mind, qualified as a "child," but we would have to take what we could get.

"C'mon Edward. Let's go," Emmett said impatiently. He had all kinds of mischief planned and didn't care that I saw it. The monster lay in wait assessing.

Not ten yards into the tree line, Emmett attempted to bulldoze into me, but I sidestepped him at the last moment. He chuckled as he took down a small fir. The monster was perplexed, attempting to determine the purpose for my brother's behavior.

"Fun!" I snarled at him, and Emmett looked at me in understanding.

"Hey, can you let the other part of you out a little? I mean, it would be fun to play." His begging was so earnest that it even appealed to the creature in me.

Snickering slightly, I lunged, connecting with him and tumbling us end over end in the dirt.

As our combined laughter and the sound of destruction filtered through the trees and across the river to the house containing our family, I heard the thoughts that echoed from within. Joy. Hope. Peace. Despair. Rage. Anticipation.

But our father's was the clearest. Justified Determination.

I would sincerely enjoy hearing your thoughts!

A million thanks to ColdOnePaul. I really appreciate your expertise and ability to make me laugh at myself. And more importantly, my readers appreciate your red pen! HA! This story would not be what it is without your input, rewording, and care! Seriously!

To crmcneill, so…we see the beginning of the plan we talked about over a year ago. Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance. Again…can I please find a way to save Marcus…purty please.