Hello all!

A massive thanks to secretobsession7, VainVamp, brittany86, TwilightMindBodyAndSoul, Cina's, lionlambnatz, FOREVERBOOKWORM332, -19-twilight-fan-93-, tiffyboocullenjonas, t-shirt n pants, catwoman8940, teamedwardtwilightfan (my groupie lol!), KatenHaanrath, Fatal. Attractions, gaby47, violey schuyler, keekee, AnimeVampires, lanie-bear, ???, LyndsBaby, Dragz1991, littlepixie and jaantjj for their reviews. Thank you all so much.

I'm finally better! I hated being ill. It made me feel so sluggish and I just didn't want to do anything. A small word of warning. The next few chapters may not be up as quickly as normal as I have university assignments to do, and obviously they are my priority. Hopefully, update times won't be affected, but I'm just warning you incase they are.

Oh, by the way, I am planning on posting an outtake of this story in Edward's point of view as a few people have been asking for it. I'm not sure which chapter to do it from, so I figured why not ask my readers. If you get the chance, please message me with your suggestions of which chapter the out-take should take place. The one with the most votes, wins!

Enjoy…

This chapter is named after "Beautiful Dirty Rich" by Lady Gaga, who I absolutely love. I think she's amazing... if a little crazy. Lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but do vote for your chapter of choice for the outtake, and vote on the poll on my profile too!

Bella Swan's Point of View

It was a bright sunny day in Volterra. The sun was high in the sky, the birds were chirping their morning song… and I was waking up to my first full day in Hell.

I was rather surprised by the cushiony and well kept room they had given me for my stay. It was like I was in a 5 star hotel, complete with a free mini bar and a mint on the pillow! I was expecting a cold hard floor with a rag to sleep on. I was expecting to be shackled up in chains with only stale bread and stagnant water to eat and drink. Instead I got a king sized bed with a silk covered duvet. I got soft and warm pillows with a matching mattress. I got night clothes of the finest material and some of the best food that I had ever eaten.

If Hell was this good, what would Heaven be like?!

I woke up with a yawn and had myself a good stretch, relaxing back into the silk once I was done. I let out a sigh and looked around the huge room I had been given. It had to be bigger than mine and Charlie's whole house! These vampires sure knew how to look after their prisoners! Plasma screen TV, ensuite bathroom, wardrobe full of clothes, balcony with a beautiful view of the city.

Was this really a prison, because it sure didn't feel like one?!

I sat up in my bed, running my hands through my hair.

I had no idea what to expect from now on, everything had suddenly become a mystery. I had been brought here to Volturi Headquarters… but I knew that was going to happen. I had met Aro, head of all vampires… but I knew that was going to happen too. I was also going to die… but I wasn't sure when that would happen. It was going to though, whether I liked it or not. My life would end at the Volturi's hands and I would cease to exist. Question was, what would happen till then?

Torture, torment, cruelty?

I wasn't sure, but I certainly wasn't looking forward to finding out.

My watch indicated that it was 8.30am. Time to get out of bed and see what the day has to offer! I sluggishly got out of bed, still tired and stressed from yesterday's journey and events, and made my way over to the wardrobe in order to find some clothes for the day. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a nice white vest top. The Italian heat was so strange. I had been used to the rain and the cold of Forks all my life, so a sudden change in weather was confusing for my body. The warm was nice though. It was soothing in an odd sort of way.

I brushed my hair and made my bed and before I suddenly heard a soft knock at the door. I didn't really have time to answer it as in the blink of an eye, the little pixie opened it and came skipping in, a huge grin on her perfect pretty lips.

"Good morning, Bella," she chimed, far too happy considering how early it was.

"Good morning, Alice," I replied, fluffing my pillows before putting them down again.

"How are you this morning?" she asked, idly picking up my Jane Eyre book, flicking through the pages and putting it back down again.

"Very well, thank you."

"Good, because Master Aro has said I'm allowed to give you a tour of the building and its grounds today."

"Oh," I said, quite shocked by this new information. A tour? Seriously? Was I on holiday? Because this did not feel like prison.

Hey, don't complain! Would you rather be suffering or enjoying yourself?

My subconscious was right. I would rather be enjoying myself, but this still didn't feel right. Something would happen eventually. I could feel it. You can't trust vampires, especially a group like the Volturi. They probably had soething up their sleeves and I knew that everything could not be as it seemed. I had to keep in mind where I really was. Hell.

"Yes. He says that since you will be here for a while, he doesn't see why you can't get to know the place. Are you ready to go now? That way, I can have you done ready for your lunch."

"Sure," I smiled. "Let's go."

"Yay!" she said, jumping up and down on the spot and clapping her hands. "This is going to be fun."

Seriously, is the pixie on happy pills or something?!

Grabbing my warm hand in her cold one, we hurried out of my room and out into the main building of the Volturi Headquarters. If I didn't have Alice as my guide, I would have undoubtedly gotten lost in the vast building. To say it was huge was an understatement, it was gigantic! There were so many rooms, so many corridors, and so many different ways to get lost. It would probably take a lifetime to even remotely get to know the building… but I supposed that if you were a vampire, a lifetime is exactly what you had.

Every room was as big as the last, a few even bigger. Some looked very much the same and contained pretty much the same furniture, but it all looked so rich and antique. I was scared to touch anything, but I could not get enough of its exquisiteness. Hell sure was a beautiful place. If it wasn't for all the vampires, I really wouldn't mind living in it.

We reached the third or fourth floor, looking at all the different rooms and places, gazing at all the beauties this place held, before heading down to the first floor, coming across a room which I knew I would be spending most of my time in.

"And this is the library," Alice said, waving her arms around like some woman off the TV who advertises things. She was really getting into her role.

Books completely covered the walls, almost like wallpaper. An upstairs partition led to even more books and I knew that I was home here. Aro must have owned every book that had ever been written. Austen… Bronte… Wilde… Dickens… Keats… everything was here. A huge grin spread across my lips as I ghosted my hand across the spines of the books, thinking of all the time I could spend here and all the books I could read.

"This place is amazing," I smiled.

"Sure is. You are free to come here anytime you want," Alice told me.

"Really?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes," Alice replied. "Just as long as you keep it in order and obey Aro's rules."

Well, I was sure that I could easily manage that. Anything to get my books. At least now that I had free run of the library, my stay would be much easier. I wouldn't be bored, I could tell you that! If I had nobody to talk to or nothing to do, then I would just take a trip to the library and read a book. It was like having a little piece of heaven in a place called Hell.

I turned around, ready to exit the room for the next part of our tour when I suddenly spotted a piano in the middle of the library floor. It was so shiny and black and magnificent. It was one of those grand pianos where you could lift the lid and see everything inside. It must have cost a fortune, but it looked striking and stunning.

"Edward's?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," Alice nodded. "He sometimes comes in here to play. The library is rarely used, so it's a quiet place for him to practice."

I smiled gently as I gazed at Edward's piano. It was so typically him to have a grand piano that looked so amazing. I had only ever heard him play once in my life, back in the cottage, and the song had been so sad and melancholy. I hoped that one day I would be able to hear him play again and to hear something much more cheerful coming from him. I didn't like to see him so sad.

With that, we left the library, continuing on with the rest of our tour of the Headquarters. It really was a place of magnificence. It was all so rich and lush, only the best was there. It was like a huge English manor house with all its riches and antiques. The Volturi certainly lived a life of luxury.

"So, now we've seen the house, let's go see its grounds!" Alice grinned.

The outside was just as brilliant as inside. Perfectly cut green grass, beautiful flower beds of some of the best smelling and looking flowers I'd ever seen, tall stone fountains sprouting water. They must have cost a bomb to buy, but they looked amazing. This place was seriously like one of those posh houses that you had to go and pay to look in. It was easy to see why they were the royal family of the vampire world. They would never be short of cash!

Wish I owned a place like this!

That's vampires for you. Beautiful and rich…

"And these are the grounds," Alice said, putting on her best tour guide's voice. "They were built in…"

Alice was still talking but I wasn't listening. Instead I had found something else to grab my attention, spotting the movement from the corner of my eye. I was just staring across the grounds at the far wall. My eyes widened and my mouth opened a little in shock, all my attention aimed at the sight before me.

Two tall and vicious wolves were going at each other like cat and dog. Biting, scratching, nipping… I had never seen anything like it before. Surely they would hurt each other if someone didn't stop them. I didn't know why they were going at each other, but they both seemed extremely angry. I didn't like how dangerous they looked, their fight really hotting up, and I panicked that they would turn on us before long.

"Bella," Alice said, interrupting my thoughts. "What's wrong? You look as pale as, well… me!"

"It's those wolves," I replied, pointing at the animals in question, my voice a little uneven. "They're going to hurt someone if we don't stop them."

"Oh that? It's just Jacob and Seth. They fight all the time. It's a werewolf thing, there's nothing to worry about."

Oh…

So, that was Jacob in his wolf form. It was strange; I knew that he was a werewolf and I'd heard Edward and Jasper refer to him as a werewolf many times, but I had never actually seen him in that form. Oddly, I seemed to know which wolf he was out of the two. His hair was brown and he was the tallest one, towering over Seth like a tiger. His paws were huge and his teeth looked immensely sharp. I wondered if he'd recognize me whilst he was a wolf…

Yet, with how he looked at the minute, his teeth snapping and his claws poised, I didn't want to hang around to find out. Sensing my insecurity of being near him whilst he was so aggressive, Alice decided to move on with our tour and led us around to another garden, out of the way of the fighting werewolves. This one was much smaller, but much more intimate and homely. I preferred it to the bigger gardens if I was honest. Flowers surrounded it again and little stone benches were dotted here and there, adding charm to the setting...

I gasped when I quickly saw a couple seated on one of the benches, talking away with each other, enjoying each others company.

They just… looked so perfect together, like it was meant to be or something. Two beautiful people together and in love... His bronze hair and her strawberry blond hair… Their perfect faces together, talking and smiling… Her slim body leaning into his lean one… Their pale and icy cold skin working wonderfully together…

I now knew that he would never go for someone as boring and as plain as me… and it hurt.

What did he see in her apart from looks? I could not deny her beauty. She could be a supermodel with a face and body like she had. She probably had men falling at her feet in every instance and she would never be alone in life because of that. Yet, her personality was cold, it was distant, it was reserved. I had never met a person as vile as her in all my 19 years, not even James was that bad. At least when he was horrible towards me, I had given him reason to be so. But Tanya? She was horrible to me because she wanted to be… and Edward didn't deserve a person like that in his life.

So what could he possibly see in her?

She's probably a good lay.

I rolled my eyes at my subconscious, even though she was probably right. I just wanted to go. I wanted to go back into the house, I didn't want to see them together. There really is nothing worse than seeing the man you have feelings for sitting happily with his fiancée. Not really a boost for your confidence!

Only that didn't happen…!

"Edward!" Alice called and waved before she grabbed my hand and ran us over to the happy couple.

Kill. Me. Now!

Edward looked up from Tanya when he heard Alice's call and he smiled at the sight of us, happy to see us, his face beaming. Tanya's face, on the other hand, just dropped, clearly not wanting to be in our presence. I didn't get it, why was she such a bitch?! I hadn't even been the one to call Edward. If we had my way, we would have walked right past them to another part of the grounds, so I didn't understand her glaring eyes, boring into my head.

"Hey, Alice," Edward said with joy. "Long time, no see." He stood up from the bench he was seated upon and gave the pixie an overdue hug. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too, Edward," Alice said. "It's fun to tease Emmett, but after a while, he starts teasing back."

Emmett?

It was clear to see the close relationship between Edward and Alice. From what Edward had told me about her, she had been a part of Carlisle's coven too, just as he had, so they must have been long time friends. Their platonic relationship was refreshing and it was good to see in this Hell. Even if they had been torn from their family, at least they, along with Jasper, still had each other. At least they had their friendship to hold on to.

"Well, nobody has missed him more than I have," said Tanya, sticking her nose in where it wasn't wanted. She wrapped her arms around Edward's waist and pulled him down to sit on the bench again, doing it deliberately no doubt. Edward, a bit startled by her pulling, soon composed himself.

"Hey, Bella." His voice was soft. "How you settling in?" he asked me with a breathtaking smile.

"Fine," I said, praying that my blush would not make an appearance right now. Sitting there, the sun shining down onto his face, creating the diamond effect, the wind blowing lazily through his bronze hair, he looked good enough to eat.

Why does he have to be engaged!? ARGH!

My subconscious had her arms folded and was sulking in a corner. If I could, I think I would have joined her. Annoyingly, Tanya's arms did not leave his waist the whole time, and this just made the whole thing worse, almost like rubbing salt into an already painful wound.

"She's settling in really well," Alice smiled. "I'm so glad you brought her to me, Edward. Bella and I are going to be best friends, I've seen it. We are going to have so much fun together! We are going to do makeovers and she even said I could do her hair."

Edward smiled at this before his face quickly looked at Tanya, seemingly annoyed. "Tanya! There's no need for that!"

Huh? What did she just say?

Edward had heard it, but neither Alice nor I had, which only meant one thing. She had mentally made a remark about me and Edward had read her mind. It was the only explanation for Edward's hearing of it… but what had she said? It couldn't have been something nice because Edward did not seem happy by it. What is her problem?! She was beginning to get on my nerves now with her constant rudeness, but I couldn't do anything about it. Doing anything to one of the vampires could land me in even bigger trouble, and insulting his fiancée could jeopardize my friendship with Edward… and I really didn't want that to happen.

"What?" Tanya said in a sickly sweet innocent tone. "I'm just stating the truth… and she couldn't hear me." She batted her eyelashes, acting as if nothing was wrong. Now I knew the remark was about me.

"That was mean, whether she heard you or not. Leave Bella alone, she hasn't done anything."

Oh, I like Edward when he gets all defensive of me…!

"What did she say?" asked Alice, digging around for answers.

"Nothing," said Edward, gazing across at me sorrowfully. "It doesn't matter."

"All I said was that Bella was in dire need of a makeover," Tanya giggled, sitting there like butter wouldn't melt.

Her words hit me. Hard.

I let out a sigh and my shoulders dropped. Even Tanya could see it. I was plain… I was boring… I was… human, and I would never be as beautiful as she was. Her luscious hair, her bright eyes, her slim figure. I had boring brown eyes and hair, and my figure would never be as good as hers. I knew it was the truth, but sometimes the truth hurt to hear, no matter who it came from.

"Tanya, stop it," Edward growled. Wow, he actually growled!

"How rude!" said Alice loudly, her hands on her hips. "Bella looks perfect just as she is, Tanya. There is no need to bring her down like that!"

"I'm just saying," said Tanya, leaning more into Edward. Just let me at her! My subconscious had her claws out, ready for a cat fight…

"It doesn't matter," I told Alice. "She can say what she wants. It doesn't bother me."

"Well, I'm not going to stand around whilst she insults you. Come on Bella, let's leave the Old Hag alone."

"Hey!" said Tanya angrily as Alice grabbed my hand, leading me away from the happy couple. I was happy to see her angry. Now she could get some of the insults instead of me. She was getting a taste of her own medicine and it was good to see. At least I had friends like Alice on my side to stick up for me. I wasn't totally on my own in my hatred of Tanya.

"Bella," said Edward, standing up when he saw me being led away. I could see sorrow in his eyes and his face looked a little sad. "She didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"Like I said, it's fine, Edward," I smiled before we turned a corner, out of their sight. I didn't understand why he was the one apologizing, but I liked the fact that Edward was still supporting me, even standing up to his fiancée for me. I felt oddly warm inside.

"How rude!… She is such a horrible person… How dare she say that to you… She gets me so mad!… She needs to look in a mirror herself… It's not like she's anything special..."

"Alice, don't worry about it. I'm not," I lied.

"Still, if Edward hadn't been there, I'd have taught her a lesson!"

I began getting mental pictures of Alice with her boxing gloves on, teaching Tanya a thing or two. It was very funny, but heartwarming all at the same time.

Alice's ranting continued until Jasper called her to have a word with Aro. With a quick kiss on the cheek and a loving hug, she bid me farewell, not wanting to keep the boss waiting, and I was left alone on the Volturi grounds with only my sad and depressing thoughts for company. I found a small and out of the way corner of grass which looked appealing, so I hurried over to it, sat down and closed my eyes, allowing my thoughts to wonder…

He would never fall for me the way I had done him. Whether he had a fiancée or not, Tanya had put everything in perspective. Too ugly, too boring, too… human. I knew I could never be with him because he already had Tanya, but it was still nice to dream sometimes. The dream of me and Edward in our own house sprung to mind and I knew that would never be.

Why would he ever want me when he has her on his arm?

Thing was though, I desperately wanted him. He was everything I could ever want. Kind heart, loving personality, tall dark and handsome, passionate and caring… but he would always be that little bit out of reach…

"You ok, Bella?" came a voice.

I opened my eyes and saw Jacob standing over me, a friendly smile on his face. He was wearing torn jean shorts and no top, so I knew he must have just transformed back into his human form. I was not afraid of this Jake, I liked this Jake.

"I've been better," I chuckled as he came to sit next to me on the grass.

"I'm willing to listen if you're willing to tell," he said sweetly, the ever-caring friend as always.

"Are you really sure you want to listen to my problems?" I smiled to him.

"Like I said, I'm willing to listen. You can trust me, Bells." He drew a cross over his heart which made me giggle.

I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head atop of my knees, debating what to do. I was sure that Jake wasn't interested in my stupid worries, and that he was only being there for me as my friend. But I was also sure that getting everything off my chest and into the open would be a big help to me. There was no way I could tell him of my feelings towards Edward, but I could tell him about the whole Tanya incident.

"I've finally met Tanya," I told him.

"Ah," he smiled. "The infamous Tanya. Was she mean to you too?"

"How… how did you know that?" I asked him. It was like he read my mind or something.

"It's difficult to find someone who Tanya isn't horrible to," he laughed.

So it wasn't just me who blondy was vile to, it seemed she had a problem with pretty much everyone who crossed her path… apart from Edward of course. I didn't understand it. Was she not a people person? Did she not like new people invading her life? Or was she just generally horrible and mentally insane?! Either way, it seemed that I wasn't on my own when it came to Tanya's bad attitude.

"What did she say to you?" I asked curiously, tightening my grip on my legs.

"She hates the fact I'm a werewolf… but most of the vampires around here do, so it doesn't bother me that much," he said letting out a deep breath. It seemed that I wasn't the only outcast in this bizarre place.

"But Edward, Jasper and Alice don't hate you, and I certainly don't," I said in an attempt to help his deflated attitude.

"Your right, they don't," he smiled. "Rosalie and Emmett like me too, but most of the others don't."

Rosalie? Who? New vampires, huh? I would no doubt meet them soon.

"But your friends are what matter, right? Not some stupid Old Hag's opinion," I said, making good use of Alice's previous insult.

Jacob began to laugh. "You have been hanging around Alice far too much."

I joined in with the laughter, knowing that the pixie's mannerisms and characteristics were probably rubbing off on me. It was easy to see why. Alice was just a huge ball of energy that could put a smile on the saddest of faces.

"So, what did Tanya say to you to make you seem so sad?" Jacob asked once our laughter died down.

"It's stupid really," I said.

"Nothing is too stupid in this place, Bells. They're vampires, they don't do stupid."

"Well… in not so many words, she… she called me ugly."

"What?!" Jacob said, clearly offended. "How dare she! She can talk."

"She said I was in dire need of a makeover," I chuckled, purely to stop myself from crying. Fragile mind plus on-edge Bella equals over the top reactions to silly insults.

"Well she can go to hell," Jacob said softly, putting an arm around my back. I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder, grateful for the comfort. "And if its any consolation, you don't need a makeover. I think you look beautiful just as you are."

I smiled, blushing a little at the complement. "Thanks, Jacob."

"No problem, Bells," he said, rubbing my back.

If all else failed, if everyone turned against me, if Edward decided to ignore me on his fiancée's command, or Alice was unable to see me on Aro's orders, I always knew that Jacob would be my friend and stay at my side.

In an odd sort of way, it was like he was the only ally I had...