EPOV part 2
I listened to their conversation very carefully always keeping one step ahead by listening to Aro's thoughts.
If she blocks Jane's gift then I will change her, if not, well she will be a nice appetiser while we wait for Heidi.
I realised I was out of time. I had to act fast, I was lucky, Demetri and Felix were oblivious to my sudden decision. They were both standing between myself and the door with their backs to me. I grabbed them each by their necks and smacked them into the door. Felix was that bit stronger and quicker than Demetri and he managed to escape my hold momentarily as I flung Demetri into and through the door. Felix now had me from behind and I could see in his thoughts that he was about to send me flying down the hall. I used his attack against him and sent him flying instead.
I tried to get to Bella but my impromptu fight with Felix and Demetri had given Jane a warning to my attack and thus given her the upper hand.
Pain ran through me. Unnatural pain, the pain I had felt from being away from Bella in the beginning, the pain I felt when Rosalie told me of Alice's vision, all rolled into one. It was terrible. I didn't think it could get worse until I heard Bella scream. I heard her saying my name over and over. Jane had got her too. I wanted to do something, I wanted to tell Jane to stop hurting Bella and focus only on me.
The pain suddenly stopped and as it did I heard something unfamiliar.
Shield…safe…love Edward …stop Jane.
It was Bella, although it wasn't coming from her, not exactly. My ears couldn't hear her. Then I realised they were her thoughts. I didn't waste time trying to work out how I could hear them I simply made the most of it. I merely decided that I must have died, if that was the appropriate word, it would seem Carlisle had been correct; there was a heaven for our kind.
I love you Edward. Please be ok. Shield him. Stop Jane. Keep him safe.
I wasn't dead, I was still alive, and that was all because of Bella. Aro had been right, she did have a gift. I couldn't hear her thoughts anymore but I could see her, collapsed on me she looked as though she had fainted again. I put my arms around her to protect her from the others in the room. At least that's what I would have told anyone that asked, really I just wanted to keep her close to me.
"Jane, dear? Jane, get up!" Alec was worried about Jane. I didn't care. Bella was safe and she was where she belonged; in my arms.
Bella's eyes opened, she looked dazed and confused. I knew she was going to ask me something so I smiled and shook my head, hopefully conveying the message that I would tell her later.
I moved us so we were both sitting up, Bella leaning against me since she couldn't seem to move herself.
As Aro moved to come closer Alec grabbed his leg.
"Did that hurt her?" Alec was obviously talking about Jane. Aro nodded and Alec let out a growl before removing his sister from the room. As they passed I caught a glimpse of Jane's thoughts. It would seem the tables had turned and Jane was now the one suffering from her own gift.
Aro took another step towards us I didn't trust his thoughts. They kept changing, but the gist of it was that Bella had an amazing talent and he was definitely going to turn her no matter weather or not she agreed. I was not about to let that happen. I didn't realise I was growling until I felt Bella jump and heard Aro's thoughts.
I'm not going to change her now Edward. She is too weak to survive it now I think. She needs rest.
I pulled Bella closer to me and stopped growling.
"Was that Bella?"
"I think so, yes." I wasn't completely sure what had happened myself.
Show me.
He stretched his hand out for mine, reluctantly I let go of Bella with one arm and took Aro's hand.
I saw the last few moments of my memory replay themselves in Aro's mind then as he let go of my hand I saw those same moments from Aro's memory, he compared the two and reached the same decision as I did.
"Very interesting."
"Yes. It would seem you had the right idea."
You heard her thoughts, and she managed it while she was still human. Fascinating.
"Hmmm. I didn't realise that would happen though, or that it would be so strong."
I didn't either.
"What?" Bella asked, Aro decided he would let me answer that later.
"Bella, you must be hungry. What can I get for you to eat?"
Bella didn't answer. Aro thought it was due to the fact she was exhausted after her 'performance'. I knew it was due to the fact she was annoyed with him for not answering her question.
"Anything. What would you like? Tell you what, I'll get you a selection and you can choose from that. Ok?" Let her rest Edward, she will need it. He added in his head.
I stood up, and carried Bella out of the room and back towards the little room.
I listened to Aro's thoughts the whole way he was replaying different parts of our memories to check he had everything right.
I love you Edward. Please be ok. Shield him. Stop Jane. Keep him safe.
She must love you Edward.
I know, but I have no idea why. I laughed at how stupid I was to have just left her, thinking we would be ok without each other.
"What?" She suddenly asked
"I heard you! Your thoughts," she looked nearly as confused as I had when I realised. "When you were blocking Jane. Only for a split second but it was incredible!"
Once we reached my room I explained the situation, and told her that Aro wanted to change her now.
I tried to convince her not to let it happen, to give me more time to think something up, but she seemed to think that was a way of me telling her I didn't want her with me, and although I didn't want her joining the guard or even becoming a vampire, I couldn't let her believe I didn't want her. So she had spoken to Aro when he brought her food and told him her requests. In fact it was quite entertaining to see Bella telling Aro her conditions when he really could have done anything to her. I could see that he thought if he agreed to Bella's wishes then it would make it less likely for her and I to scheme against him or suddenly decide to leave the guard. If only he knew my thoughts, I was going to get Bella as far away from here as I could I just didn't know how.
Bella had three requests, and if it had been up to me none of them would have been met. Her first was that she could adopt the 'vegetarian' diet, if I had my way she wouldn't need to because she would still be human. Her second was that she and I could be together and I wouldn't have any upset with that request if it weren't for the fact she had to become a vampire to do so. The last request was the one which upset me the most; she wanted me to be the one to change her. I didn't know if I had the strength to stop myself from killing her completely, and even if I did manage to stop some how, if she did become a vampire, to know that it would be my own doing was unbearable. I wasn't sure which situation was worse.
So here we were, Bella sitting on the sofa surrounded by food, while I was trying to think things through.
I hadn't talked her into eating something because I thought she needed the food, although I was fairly sure she did, I had convinced her to eat something to try to give myself some more time to think of a way out for her.
I heard her sigh and saw her spoon fall from her hands from my peripheral vision and looked over to her. Her face was a mixture of expressions but the main thing I saw there was fear. I couldn't let her go through with it, and I definitely couldn't bring myself to do it to her.
As I continued to look at her I saw her eyes start to fill with tears and not for the first time I wished I could read her thoughts.
Her head fell into her lap and without even realising I was sitting next to her pulling her into my arms.
"Bella, you know you don't have to do it."
"What other choice do I have Edward?" Her voice shook with the strain of holding back tears.
"I don't know Bella. I wish I could think of something." I honestly do just give me more time and I will think of a way to get you away from here.
"I'm just being silly." Silly? She has just agreed to become a monster and she thinks she is silly to be scared.
"No you're not. It's ok to be scared."
"I'm not scared though, that's just it. All I can think is that I shouldn't have come here, but then if I hadn't come I wouldn't have seen you again. But now I'm never going to see my parents again and I can't imagine that, knowing that they are still there in America but that I'll never be able to go to them." I had made such a mess. I should have just left that first day and stayed away. I don't know what I was thinking trying to stay with her I was too selfish to leave her.
After a while Bella's breathing evened out and I thought she had fallen asleep until I heard her speak.
"Can I write them a letter?"
"Who?" I wasn't sure who she meant.
"My parents, you know tell them that I'm ok, let them know I love them."
"Of course, but you can't tell them about this place, or what is about to happen to you." She wouldn't would she?
"I know, I'm quite good at keeping secrets you know."
I smiled at her to try to reassure her and started to stand up to find her some paper.
"Where are you going?"
"To get you some paper." She did mean she wanted to write to them now didn't she?
She started to stand up next to me. I was about to tell her to stay here but I saw the look in her eyes and decided better of it. Neither of us could handle being away from each other now.
She wrote three letters and put them on my bookshelf, I could see one was addressed to Jacob and that made me angry until I remembered what she had said about Jacob saving her life. I had no idea what she wrote in the letters, I didn't want to know really, I think it would have made me feel even guiltier than I already did.
"Are you ready?"
All she did was nod, I didn't think that was a strong enough response but I knew if I pressed the subject she would start crying again and I would change my mind. In an attempt to be encouraging I gave her a weak smile before pulling her into a tight embrace. As I stood there holding her I realised that this was what she wanted, and even if it wasn't there wasn't really much of a choice. The only choice was who would do it. I shuddered as I imagined any of the other vampires changing her. I had come to a decision, three years after Alice had that first vision of Bella like us I finally realised this was how it was supposed to be, and out of all the vampires in the world I knew I had to do it.
"I'm so sorry." I looked her in the eyes and I could see every emotion in them, fear, love, anticipation. Without even thinking I kissed her, probably not as carefully as I should have but I really wasn't thinking straight then. I forced my mouth to move along her jaw and towards her throat. I felt her tense slightly but then she surprised me by moving her head to one side and allowing me to do the one thing I had vowed never to do. I could feel myself loosing it and knew I couldn't let myself go.
I had to control myself, and the only way I could think of doing that was to remind myself how much I adored this woman.
"I love you Isabella Swan. I'll be waiting for you."
Agony.
That was all I felt.
Pulling my mouth away from her neck.
Agony.
Hearing her scream in pain.
Agony.
Her going as quiet as a rock.
Agony.
Her heart stopping.
Agony.
Watching her skin change.
Agony.
Waiting three long days.
Agony.
In all that time the only thing that kept me going was the plan to get Bella away from here.
The day after I changed Bella Aro came along to check on things, see how she was doing, apparently. We were talking about Bella being a newborn. Aro wanted me to train her up so she could be the strongest member of the guard, physically as well as mentally. Since Jane was showing no improvement Aro was in need of an extra member for the 'front line' and he believed Bella would be perfect.
After a lot of negotiating I managed to convince Aro that the middle of Italy was not the best place to train up a vampire. I could tell he was not going to let me go off with Bella to train her as he knew we wouldn't come back, however when I refreshed his memory that Jasper had been involved in a number of vampire wars he seemed the best candidate to teach her the ropes as it were. He instructed me to write to the Cullen's and explain the situation to them and that he would expect Bella to return in exactly 1 year.
Of course I did nothing about that, after all it was my plan that the Volturi would never be able to find Bella.
Eventually she woke up. It was extremely strange to see my clumsy, fragile Bella suddenly be graceful and strong. I took her for her first hunt. She didn't get put off by the scent of humans she simply followed the scent of a bear and brought it down in one go.
I explained that Aro had decided to let her go to the Cullen's to get used to being a vampire and that I would came for her when Aro decided she was old enough to join. She believed me very easily and without too much fuss she was off toward Asia, where I thought the others would be.
While I was trying to convince myself I had done the right thing, who knows if I played my cards right I might even be able to see her again at some point. I heard thoughts of monsters worse than us, and stories of werewolves. I suddenly remembered Jacob, and the letters Bella had written for him and her parents. I looked on my bookshelf where she had left the letters, they were still there.
That night I decided to find out what had happened to Jacob, the stories were saying that an entire pack was loose in Italy and attacking people in the area. Most of the guard were boasting about how they had come across a pack of werewolves while scouting and that they had killed a couple of members before the pack took off. The only problem was that the pack seemed to be getting larger rather than smaller. I didn't believe any of the stories.
I went looking outside the city walls since I didn't think he would want to stay that close to vampires. As I was walking around I heard a distinct growl and as I turned towards the sound I saw a figure, at first I couldn't make out the shape, then I realised it's shape was changing, it started looking less human and more bear like. My instinctive reaction was to attack, but then I realised it must have been Jacob. His thoughts confirmed that, he seemed to recognise me although I was sure we had never met.
Edward Cullen. I bet he is hiding her somewhere in that castle thing. Didn't she say he could read thoughts? I wonder if he can read mine, no probably not, I'm sure he can't read animals thoughts.
"Jacob?" his thoughts somehow stopped then. "Is that your name? Bella told me you were travelling together, she also said you saved her life is that true?" no answer not even in his thoughts. "Well if it is thank you. Bella can't come back with you though but she asked me to give you these," I held the letters up. "There is one for Charlie as well, I would appreciate it if you could give it to him. It might be a good idea for you to get back home, I'm sure Charlie would want his letter and I don't think you will be in a fit state to give it to him if the other vampires find you out here." He still hadn't reacted at all but he kept glancing at the letters in my hand as though he was preparing to take them along with my hand. Without wanting a fight I decided to place the letters on the floor and head back to the city. Before I had made it to the first corner I heard him move, I might have been worried he was going to attack if I hadn't seen in his thoughts that he was picking up the letters, in his mouth, before running back into the woods.
AN: sorry it's taken ages to get up, my computer broke and I lost everything on it so I had to start again without my plans.
Please review. Last chapter will be up soon I promise.