Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga or any of its affiliates.

Chapter 11:

Edward's Point Of View:

Truthfully and unfortunately, my day went by slowly. As much as I hoped that the morning would turn afternoon quickly and the afternoon to night, the seconds ticked by slowly; the minutes were even slower. I forced myself to look away from the clock after the first hour. If I continued to stare at it, I knew that I would go insane.

When the sun's position changed in the sky, I stood up. I walked over to my shelf of music and turned on my CD player. Classical music instantly filled the room. I went back to my lounge chair and rested my head. I closed my eyes, and once again since I became a vampire, I wished to sleep.

With my eyes closed, I became more aware of the noises around me. The music echoed in my ears, and my foot instinctually kept a steady beat. I widened my hearing and listened outside the house through the open window. I heard the gentle flutter of a bird's wings as it rested on the branch of a tree. The babbling of the small stream behind our house soothed my restless head as I heard a fish jump out of the water for a moment.

A sudden bang from downstairs pulled me out of my trance. I kept my eyes closed as I zeroed in on the noises coming from below me. The quick footsteps of my dear mother trotted through the kitchen. Hushed whispered followed as I heard Alice's footsteps behind Esme's. Then, the masculine footsteps of Emmett quickly followed, but instead of him walking into the kitchen, he turned and headed up the stairs. He made the dreaded turn towards my bedroom. I heard him rest his body against the door frame.

I moved my hands to my chest, relaxing them there. I brought back my hearing, only listening to my music now. Every few seconds, I heard the wood boards creak, a sign that Emmett moved slightly against the frame. He took a deep breath in at one point, and I knew a long talk would be coming right after.

"Are you gonna stay here for the rest of your existence?" Emmett asked, his voice playful.

"That's a possibility." I listened to my own voice; it was monotone. I kept my eyes shut.

"You're a bore. I don't know why we keep you around." Emmett moved quickly and grabbed my arm. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, my eyes open.

"I was trying to relax," I stated plainly.

He smiled. "Not anymore you're not. You and I are gonna have a little talk." His smile got bigger.

"I had a feeling this was coming." I sat back down. "Give it to me."

Emmett shook his head. "I'm not going to give you anything. I just wanna talk to you about your options."

"Out of all my years with you, this is the most serious I've seen you." I meant that to be a joke, but my voice made it twisted, pained.

"I am serious, Edward. This isn't your only option. Did you not hear what Jake said?"

"I did, and I don't care. My heart is numb, Emmett. My heart became numb the moment Laurent told me everything about Bella. There is no way I would be able to look at her and see the woman I married."

"How do you know that? You are making an assumption. I have a feeling in my stomach and my heart that you and Bella were meant for each other. I know that she still loves you; hell, she may even be looking for you right now. There is no way that you can give up that fast, Edward. You just can't."

"I already have given up, Emmett. As I told Carlisle, a week for a vampire is like twenty years for a human. She has forgotten everything, and in order to jog her memory, we would need a miracle. There's no use."

"I cannot believe these words are coming out of your mouth. You fell in love with her quickly, Edward. It was meant to be. You married her, and you wanted to spend the rest of your existence with her. All of a sudden, because of what another vampire said, you are going to throw those countless years out the window? You are not the brother I thought I knew." Emmett's stare grew more intense with every word that dripped out of his mouth.

"I've reach an impasse. There is nothing more I can do."

"That's a bullshit excuse. You have so many more options. Go to Volterra. See The Volturi. Get Bella back. I know you can, Edward, and I know that you're not afraid to do so. Deep down in your heart, your love for Bella is still there; you still love her just as much as you did when you met her. There are countless reasons why you should still fight for that love."

I did not know how to respond. A spark in my body was lit. All over again, I missed Bella. I wanted her by my side again. Then, I remembered the horrendous vision of her having blood-red eyes, and the feeling was numbed. Just numbed, not destroyed, and that gave me hope.

"Emmett," I said, my voice quieter than before, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, just as long as it somehow involves you getting Bella back." His face was serious.

"I need you to come to Italy with me. In case everything goes horribly wrong, I need someone there with me. The Volturi may not be so forgiving if I show up asking for one of their guard members." A little smile formed on my face, something that had not been there since I could remember.

Instantly, Emmett grinned. "Now, that's the Edward I know." He held out his hand; I grabbed it. He pulled me up quickly. "I already called the airport. The flight leaves in a half an hour." His smile got bigger.

I shook my head. "What would I do without you, Em?"

"You'd perish." He smirked. "Now, let's go!"

He tugged on my hand and pulled me out of my room and down the stairs. We stopped at the bottom, right in front of the door. I was about to leave when I noticed my family standing in the living room. Along with suitcases. I looked over at Emmett, and he simply smiled.

"Did Emmett not tell you?" Alice asked, her head cocking to one side.

My eyebrows furrowed. "He must have failed to mention something to me. What's going on?"

Esme clasped her hands together. "Your brothers and sisters are coming along with you. Well, sister. Rose is staying behind with me and Carlisle."

Rose spoke up. "I'm going to stay over with the werewolves. They have connections with other wolves in Volterra. I keep in contact with you if something changes. Mom and Dad will stay at the house in case Bella comes back home."

"We've had this planned for a while," Jasper said. "Since your mind-reading has been everywhere lately, we didn't have to try to keep a secret around you."

"I see." I tried to hide my surprise in my family; I never expected anything like this. "Should we get going?"

"Finally, he's ready to save his wife," Emmett breathed. "Let's get going."

Emmett opened the door, and we followed him out. As we pulled out of the driveway, I waved good-bye to Rose, Esme, and Carlisle. Carlisle's expression was serene, as if he knew that everything was going to be okay. I saw Jacob's wolf eyes in the forest as we drove on the winding road. I gave him a little wave of security, letting him know that we would come back with Bella no matter the cost.


Bella's Point Of View:

As I sat on my bed and thought, I knew every crack through the wall in front of me. Even though I sat for hours, I still did not come up with a way to get out of Volterra, Italy. Each idea led to me getting caught. I knew every way out of here, but the guards knew the castle even better.

Waking me from my trance was a knock at the door. Instantly, the door opened, and Demetri walked in. He shut the door behind him with a smile on his face. He came over to me, sat down, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I suddenly became putty in his arms, my body naturally conforming to his.

He nestled his face in my neck. "What is troubling your thoughts, Bella?" The heat from his breath warmed my body.

"So many things."

At that moment, I knew that I could not hurt Demetri. I would not just leave him without an explanation. I loved him; he did nothing to hurt me. Victoria and Aro hurt me. He was my lover and my friend, and he loved me. I knew that I had to get back to my Edward, but Demetri could not get hurt in the process.

"Would you care to tell me, love?" He pecked my neck.

I pulled away slowly, stood up, and smiled down at him. "You will know soon enough. I just have to figure out how to tell you."

"Nothing bad I hope."

I bent down and kissed him. Then, I turned away from him and left the room. Walking down the corridor, I did not know where I was going, but I needed to walk. It broke my heart to simply walk away from Demetri like that, but my choices were limited. I had to pull myself away from him if I was ever going to go back to my life with Edward, my true love.

My feet took me towards the main room. As I finished my walk towards the room, I heard Aro's voice echo. I did not pick out his words, but in response, I heard another man's voice. It was soft but powerful, and it was very musical, almost like bells. Curious, I walked faster, stopping at the door frame to the main room.

In the middle of the room, there was one man. He had bronze hair that stood up in every direction, yet it didn't look disheveled. His eyes were a swimming caramel color, sucking in my stare. His face was gorgeous, flawless, and his body was perfectly sculpted, almost like a mythological god. The heat rose in my body once I saw this stunning man. I had the urge to run towards him and wrap my arms around his body, knowing that I would fit into his arms perfectly. I held myself back, standing hidden to his right in the doorway, waiting for the moment that I could run and leave with my Edward.