.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Big thank you hugs to Snarkymuch for beta'ing and Gredelina1, Verseseven, Augustmoon and Mary-Alice-Brandon-Cullen for pre-reading. Love you ladies.

This chapter is dedicated to bluefire-33, WhitlocksHevyn, aliceg7173 and velvetWhispers. The song for the last chapter was Feels Like The First Time by Foreigner


Chapter Eleven — Here Comes The Night

Jasper POV

"Look what I've got!" Alice sang, waving a thick envelope in the air. "May I present to you the wedding of Mr and Mrs Edward Cullen."

"You can, but we've seen it already," Emmett said sarcastically.

"So funny," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let me rephrase then, may I present to you the wedding album of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen."

"They're finally here," Esme said, her eyes dancing with excitement.

There had been a little trouble with the wedding photos. Though Alice had appropriated the memory card from the photographer, when we got to a 1hr processing store we found Edward and Bella's wasn't the only wedding on there. Dozens of other happy couples' wedding photos were stored on the card, and there was no way of knowing how old they were.

A great debate had ensued about whether we should develop them all and drop the ones of strangers off at the chapel again, or to just develop ours and return the memory card. Eventually we didn't do either.

Esme had a fit of guilty conscience and demanded we return the memory card and ask them to mail the pictures from Edward and Bella's wedding. Her reasoning was that the photographer could lose his job - which I didn't particularly care about - or some other happy couple could be without pictures, which made me feel slightly guilty.

Alice tore the envelope open with flourish and passed around a thick sheaf of photos. Smiling out of the glossy prints were Edward and Bella in various poses, some with us positioned around them, some alone.

"Oh look at that," Esme sighed. "Doesn't she look pretty." She was holding up a picture of Bella smiling dazzlingly, holding Carlisle's arm.

"Oh look at that," Emmett said, in an eerie imitation of Esme's voice. "Doesn't Edward look pretty."

I snorted. Edward was posed alone in the proffered picture. His gaze was slightly off centre; he was looking at something beside the camera. I was sure from his brilliant smile that it was Bella he was looking at.

I thumbed through the pictures and came to one of Bella and me together. She was smiling widely at the camera while I was looking rather confused. I remembered the set-up. We had been arranged for the picture, but she was snapping her shield over the others in rapid succession, causing a Mexican wave of emotions for me to deal with.

"Someone's coming," Rosalie said, drawing my attention from the photograph and back to the room.

We looked up as one as the sound of running footsteps reached us. It wasn't uncommon for the Denalis' to visit; Eleazar and Carlisle spent a good deal of time researching and discussing Bella's shield. Eleazar was disappointed that he had so little time to work with Bella before she left. Despite the fact we had an eternity, he was impatient. It wasn't Eleazar now, though. It was Kate, and she was terrified.

I hurried out to meet her, noting her frantic expression and constantly searching gaze.

"Where is Carlisle?" she demanded.

"I'm here. What has happened?"

The evidence of her panic had drawn the rest of the family out to the porch, too.

"We have a visitor at the house. They are looking for you. Volturi."

Rosalie hissed.

My thoughts immediately turned to Edward and Bella. The last we heard they were in South America, but they could easily have gone to Europe or the Volturi could have been in the area.

"What do they want?" Carlisle asked, his calm tone not completely hiding his fear.

"You. It's Santiago. He came to Eleazar looking for where to find you."

"That doesn't make sense. Why not send Demetri? I have met him before; he could have tracked me himself."

"Unless he is already busy searching for someone," I observed.

Esme clapped a hand to her mouth. "Edward and Bella!"

"Exactly," I said dryly. "He won't be able to trace Bella, but he can follow Edward. Think of all the nomads we met while searching for Bella, he would be able to pick up Edward's trail from any of them."

Emmett growled. His hands clenched into fists at his side.

"We don't know anything for sure yet," Carlisle said. "Let's go and see what Santiago has to say first. I think it would be wise to call Edward and Bella and inform them of what is happening, though."

"Don't inform them," Esme said. "Tell them they have to come home. If Demetri is searching for them, they need to be here, where we can protect them."

"On it," Alice said, pulling her phone from her pocket. As soon as the call connected, she told them they needed to return then cut the call.

"You don't think you should have said something else?" Rosalie asked. "They're going to be panicking now."

"It's worth a little fear if it gets them home sooner," Esme said.

"Yes, because what Bella needs is a little more fear in her life. Like she hasn't already been through enough."

Like me, Rosalie had become extremely protective of Bella. Possibly because we were the ones that were with her from the very beginning. When nobody else believed us, it was the three of us against the family, at least that was how it had felt.

"There is no time to discuss this," Kate hissed. "Unless you missed it, we have a Volturi guard in our house, and we could really use some help."

"My apologies," Carlisle said. "We will of course come and deal with it."

We set off toward the Denali house, and as we ran, I planned.

I had never met Santiago, but from what I knew he was a ferocious fighter, but not gifted. Between Emmett and I, we could deal with him if needed.

I heard an unfamiliar voice as we approached the house. He and Eleazar were discussing mutual friends like they were at a damn tea party.

I could also feel tremendous fear; Tanya was scared out of her wits.

The Denalis had seen the power of the Volturi before; their maker had been destroyed for the crime of creating an immortal child. Though they accepted the judgment, they had not forgotten how close they came to being destroyed themselves.

Carlisle took a steadying breath then entered the house. "Santiago, it is a pleasure to see you again. It has been far too long." He sounded like someone greeting an old friend, no hint of our tension in his voice or stance.

"Centuries," Santiago said, equally as calm.

There was no hint of aggression in his emotions. I relaxed a little; if he was here with hostile intent, he was hiding it remarkably well. Not having the same reassurance as me, the others were still radiating nerves. Emmett was staring at him appraisingly, judging him as an opponent.

"I admit I am surprised to see you here," Carlisle said. "I would have thought Demetri would have been a more suitable means of contacting me."

"That is true, but he is otherwise engaged at the moment."

Esme whimpered quietly.

"There has been a resurgence in the Children of the Moon population recently. Caius required his assistance to find and deal with them. I was not required so Aro asked me to come to Eleazar to seek news of you. I didn't expect you to be living so close, don't you usually live closer to the humans."

"We do, but we are taking some time away from our usual occupations to spend time as a family."

"Yes, a family," he said thoughtfully. "That is, in fact, why I was sent. I understand your coven has grown recently."

I stiffened. He was here for Bella.

Alice squeezed my hand gently, drawing my attention to her. I inhaled deeply, using her scent to calm myself.

"You're quite right. My first son has found his mate," Carlisle said amicably. "As a matter of fact, they are away on their honeymoon at the moment. It is a shame you missed them."

"From what I understand it is a little more complicated than that," he said. "Did he not meet her as a human and make her aware of our nature?" He seemed merely interested, and his emotions showed no contradiction. I was more confused than ever now.

"He did, but she was never a risk to the secret. Bella never divulged our true nature to anyone and has now been changed, too."

"So I have heard, but is it not also true that upon her awakening, she ran, and was alone among humans for two years? That is dangerous practice for a newborn. I expected you to take more care than that, Carlisle."

"Again, you are quite right. But Bella showed remarkable restraint for a newborn and has never deviated from our chosen diet. It was unfortunate that she was alone, but she posed no risk." He had lost his friendly tone now and sounded a little angry.

"Calm yourself, Carlisle. I am not here to upset your family. I have merely been sent with an invitation. Your new coven member has caused quite a stir among our kind, or more specifically, your search for her has. Aro wishes me to extend an invitation for her to come to Volterra and meet him in person. He is curious about her, and you know how he enjoys his curiosities."

"I do indeed. As I said, she and Edward are away at the moment, but I will certainly pass on the invitation when I speak with them next."

It wasn't an invitation. It was a summons and we all knew it. There was no way Bella was going into that place; she was gifted, according to Eleazar far beyond what we had already seen. Aro would want her for his guard.

"If you have means of contacting them, I would make pass it along sooner rather than later. Aro is not known for his patience, and he really is eager to meet her. If she is uncomfortable travelling to us, I am sure he would be happy to come to you here."

Now there was hostility. He was not accustomed to being refused and clearly feared the reprisals if he was to return to his master and found not to have made the message clear enough.

"As I said, I will inform them as soon as I can," Carlisle said. "May I wish you a safe journey home."

His lips twitched into a smile. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Carlisle. I am sure Aro will enjoy my memories of our meeting. He often speaks of you."

"Please pass on my regards."

Santiago nodded politely and thanked Tanya for her hospitality then left.

We watched as he ran back toward town. I wondered if he was planning to feed while here, then pushed that thought aside and focused on the infinitely more pressing problem of how to keep Bella out of Volterra.

"Well now what?" Emmett demanded. "I don't care what that crusty old bastard wants, Bella isn't going anywhere near Volterra."

"I don't know," Carlisle said, falling into a chair and raking a hand over his face. "We cannot refuse him, no matter how politely worded it was, it was not a request."

"You can't seriously be thinking of allowing her to go there?" Rosalie asked, her eyes wide with shock. "Carlisle, she's gifted. They won't let her leave."

"They are not the monsters you think," he said. Tanya snorted in response. "I don't want Bella to go there any more than you do, but she is in no danger from them. I myself lived with them for many years and had no difficulty when I chose to leave."

"No offence," Tanya said. "But you aren't a hot ticket gift wise. Bella on the other hand…"

"Would be the golden goose," I finished for her.

This was all so fucked up. If we let her go there, there was a good chance she may not be able to leave. Regardless of what Carlisle said the temptation of her gift would be too great. If we refused, Aro would come to her here. And if we told her what had happened, she would be on a flight to Italy before you could say 'ridiculously selfless'.

"Can you see them now, Alice?" Esme asked. "Are they coming home?"

Her animated expression faded as she searched for their future. "Yes, they are on their way home now. They are getting a flight and… oh!"

"Oh what?" Rosalie hissed. "Oh, they've bumped into a guard and are on their way to Volterra, or oh, they got me a great souvenir? We need details, Alice!"

She rolled her eyes. "No, they haven't met a guard. They are getting a flight to Anchorage, but they are pissed. Well Bella is, Edward is trying to calm her down."

"Well what did you expect?" Rosalie asked, folding her arms across her chest. "You called them to say they have to come home and hung up. I bet you even turned your phone off, too. I told you she didn't need to be scared."

Alice pulled her phone out and stared ruefully at the blank screen. "Oops."

She switched it on, and it began beeping with waiting voicemails. She dialed the number to collect the messages and held the phone out so we could all hear clearly.

"Alice Cullen, answer your damn phone," Bella's voice came though the tinny speaker. Even though the situation was so dire, I couldn't help but smile at the sound. "You can't just demand we come home and hang up! What's happened?"

There was a beep as the message cut off, and Edward's voice came next. "If you could call us back, I would be grateful. I don't know what has happened, but we are waiting for a flight now." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Bella is not happy, Alice."

Not happy was an understatement, as illustrated by the next message. "If I don't get some answers soon, the first thing I am going to do when I get home is build a big ass bonfire and use your clothes for kindling."

Another beep and Edward's voice came again. "I am sure there is a good reason you are calling us home - and have turned your phone off - but we really are anxious now. Please call us and let us know what has happened." Bella's voice cut across him. "I'm not anxious, I'm pissed. I am going to kick her sparkly ass–"

I think Edward cut the call himself that time.

"I don't think we need to hear anymore," Carlisle said. "They are on their way home now, and when they get here, we can discuss this as a family and decide what to do."

"Probably a good idea," Alice said sadly. "She loses her verbal filter completely in the next message and cusses me out."

Emmett laughed. "As much as it sucks that we have the Volturi on our asses, I gotta admit I'm looking forward to seeing them again. And not only because she promised me awesome souvenirs."

I smiled, too. I couldn't help it. She was coming home.

xXx

Edward POV

I watched the runway racing towards us and sighed with relief; we were nearly there.

As soon as Alice called, we got tickets for the first flight back to Alaska. After Bella's voice mail marathon - in which she made some colorful and imaginative threats to Alice - we discussed possible reasons for them to call us home. Eventually I saw the strain it was having on Bella to dwell on the subject, so we agreed to hold off on the theories until we could speak to the family again.

And then something happened.

Bella was curled into my side while I shared images of our travels through our mental connection. I was hoping it would help her relax, but she stiffened suddenly, then pulled away from me. Her shield snapped into place, both mental and physical. The physical shield held me away from her, only by a few millimeters, but she had never used it like this with me before.

She refused all questions about what had happened; my thoughts were blocked by the shield, so my mental pleas went unheard too. She dropped the physical shield after a few minutes, but remained almost completely silent through the flight. The only time she spoke was to check the time and to deal with an overly familiar air hostess.

"I know what you're thinking, he's far too pretty to be straight," she said with a smile that was closer to a sneer. "You're right, I'm his beard. Now leave us alone."

It deterred the stewardess from pursuing me, but not her male colleague. I spent the flight trying to ignore his graphic thoughts and trying to reassure Bella, all to no avail. She was beyond my comfort. She sat with arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knees, radiating nerves.

I sincerely hoped Alice had a good reason for calling us back. I was not worried about our time being interrupted. We were on our way home anyway, but if she had caused Bella this anxiety for nothing, I was going to be very displeased.

"Are you okay, love?" I asked.

She shook her head mutely.

"We're nearly home now. We'll be with them soon, and we can find out what is happening. Whatever it is, I am sure it's not as bad as you are thinking."

She lifted her head to look at me. "When did you become so optimistic?"

I smiled. "When I realized nothing that could happen now could be any worse than what we have already lived through."

I hoped my words would at least make her smile, but she just shrugged.

The seatbelt light switched off and people around us began gathering their belongings. I pulled our bags from the overhead locker and slung them over my shoulder. She wrapped an arm around my waist and hid her face against my chest inhaling deeply. I ran my fingers through her hair, humming her lullaby quietly, trying to soothe her while we waited for the humans to clear the aisle.

"It will be okay," I whispered.

She didn't answer, but clung to me a little tighter.

We were able to make our way through security quickly as we had no luggage other than our carry-on bags. Everything else had been stowed in the SUV and left in the hotel parking lot. When we got to the main lobby, I searched for a familiar scent or mental voice. I had thought one of the family would have been there to meet us, but I couldn't find anyone.

Bella searched through her pockets and pulled out her cell phone. I had forgotten to switch mine on when we got off the plane. Switching it on, I found I had a text message from Alice waiting.

We are all okay. Have arranged a hire car for you. You should hunt on your way back. A x

I suspected Alice had suggested we hunt to buy herself a little time before dealing with Bella's wrath. It was a pointless gesture now. The woman standing beside me looked anything but angry. She looked defeated.

I showed her the message and she shrugged. "I'm not overly thirsty, but we can hunt if you need to."

"No, I'm fine."

We collected the keys and found the car Alice had arranged for us. It was an inferior model of the SUV we had left in Vegas.

I hoped the sight of it might draw a smile from Bella, but she just climbed into the passenger seat and curled into the same position she had been on the plane.

Since her return, I had never seen her anything but strong. Even when she was howling her grief to the skies, she was strong, as she was allowing herself to feel the pain of her parents' loss. It had taken me over ninety years to face my parents' grave, and even then, it was only her presence that made it possible. Now she wasn't strong, she was raw and vulnerable, and it scared me.

I had a better understanding of how she and Jasper had developed the bond they shared now. He had seen her like this every day for months. No wonder he didn't want to let her leave with me. I couldn't have borne it either. I owed him a great debt.

I slid into the seat beside her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's going to be okay, love. Whatever is happening, we'll deal with it."

She smiled weakly. "I know."

Holding her hand across the console, I started the car and pulled out onto the road, heading home.


Thanks to all that read and reviewed. If you would like a teaser from the next chapter let me know in a review or PM.

Once again thanks to Mary-Alice-Brandon-Cullen for the lyrics. Guess the song and artist and I will dedicate the next chapter to you.

~ Where is the coastguard I keep looking each direction For a spotlight, give me something I need something for protection ~