No Longer The Prey

Chapter 20: Concern And Delay

I allowed myself to crumble to the floor. I curled into myself as my body shook along with my heavy sobs. I wanted to be anywhere else than where I was in that moment. I wanted to be alone somewhere I felt safe. But it wouldn't matter. The images would follow me wherever I ran. Forever burned and seared into my memory.

Edward tried to reach out to me again, but the thought of being touched made me feel physically ill.

"Please! Just… don't," I begged softly between sobs, whimpers and the occasional strangled cry.

I wanted to be safe from this future. I wanted to hide in a cave and never emerge. I wanted to pretend it was all a bad dream. I wanted to be strong.

I really did…

EPOV-

Bella was blocking me. I couldn't see what ever t was that Vladimir was showing her. I understood why she was doing it though. She was trying to protect me.

We had come a long way since our reunion. Bella had become self-reliant in my absence; her new abilities only made her more so. I had always thought of us as equals. No, I had thought her to be above my worth. She had thought of me in the same light. In reality, we had always been equals. But now we felt it.

I was ashamed to admit that her circumstances; the fact that she could no longer have a normal life, bear children or even live for very much longer, had influenced my decision that we were meant for each other. Everything that had been taken from her were the majority of the reasons I considered myself unworthy of her love. I couldn't give her those things. Unfortunately, now no one could.

Although I still feared for her soul I knew that I could never let her go again. I wasn't willing to let her die. It was suicide. I couldn't survive without her, and now that I had her back I refused to.

When she changed, became the goddess I had always believed her to be; I thought I would once again feel unworthy. But I didn't. I was grateful. Grateful that I would have my Bella for all eternity and that she had become strong enough that I wouldn't have to fear for her safety daily. Although fear for her wellbeing would never be far from my mind. Even if she couldn't be harmed physically se could still be harmed emotionally.

I new first hand what having access to the thoughts around you could do. Although people were careful with heir spoken words, they were not careful with their thoughts. No one should have to endure the thoughts of others. Some sick and depraved, others simply cruel. It was a rare occurrence when you could find a completely pure mind. I could only be thankful that my Bella was able to turn off that ability at will. I was also thankful that she was able to shield my mind. It was a sanctuary I had never been afforded before.

If I wanted Bella to allow me to protect her, I had to allow her to protect me. As little as I liked being left out of the loop, I would respect her choice. Though I still had the urge to whine like a petulant child.

Vladimir looked as if he was in pain as he passed on the vision to Bella. A vision from some unknown ancestor that had held the same power as Bella. Or, my Bella held the same power as this Arianna once had.

Bella seemed calm throughout the few minutes during the vision. A casual observer of a future yet to come.

When Vladimir finally removed his hand from hers she stood as motionless as stone. The only proof of life being her heartbeat and small, shallow breaths.

"Bella?" She didn't respond. I laid my hand upon her forearm then, and it was as if she had awoken from a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare.

Her screams, her shrieks of terror, were deafening; bloodcurdling. Far worse than the wanna-be actress' in those cheesy slasher films. I had never heard so much fear and anguish escape my love. Not even during the horror of James and the ballet studio.

Bella crumpled to the floor with ruby red tears streaking her flawless cheeks. Her heart was beating out of control and she was gasping for air, trying her hardest to reign in her screams. I didn't understand what was happening and my fear was quickly becoming my most prominent emotion.

Instinctually, I reached for her. But she recoiled from my touch.

"Please! Just… Just don't," she begged in a breathless whisper.

"Carlisle, what is happening to her!" Carlisle approached quickly and observed her for a moment.

"It appears to be a sever panic attack, Edward. It will pass, give her space," Carlisle said without removing his concerned eyes from my angel.

"Jasper, are you able to calm her?" I asked hopefully.

Bella had curled herself into a ball on floor. She had her arms wrapped around herself as if she was trying to hold herself together. She looked exactly as she had in the vision Alice had of her after I had left her in the woods.

Broken, scared, dejected; catatonic. The sight tore at my long dead heart. She was the only one that could make me feel there. Whether it was good or bad, she was the only one that had full access to my heart.

My poor girl.

"I can't help her, Edward. She's blocking me," Jasper replied.

Damn.

"Well, what do you expect?" Rosalie mumbled to herself.

"What do you mean?" Her head shot up at my question. She hadn't meant to speak aloud. Not that it would have mattered since Bella was no longer shielding my mind.

"Her natural instinct is to shield herself from harm. What she saw must have been quite… disturbing, for her to just… check out," she explained her reason solemnly.

It made sense. And that scared me.

It had been three long days and Bella had not moved from her place on the floor. Rosalie was fearful of my Bella's state, which didn't help with my nerves. Esme was going out of her mind with worry. She had cleaned everything in the house until it shone; twice. Alice was doing her best to stay calm for Jasper; who had isolated himself to the beach, unable to handle everyone's inner turmoil. Carlisle had begun discussing Arianna's vision with the Romanians. Trying to figure out a way to avoid the impending future.

During the conversation Vladimir's memory would flicker to the vision and I would get a glimpse of the horror my angel had witnessed. I thanked god that I had not had to endure the full effect, and cursed him for inflicting it upon my love.

Carlisle, Vladimir and Stefan spoke at length about how they came to find Bella. When she had escaped the facility they were notified. Having already been keeping a close watch on her they were in crisis knowing that their potential queen was no where to be found. After she disposed of her tracker the agency lost her trail. But Vladimir had an advantage.

As we suspected, the anti-venom had been created from Stefan and Vladimir's. Because of the traces of their venom in her system they were able to follow her trail from the agency. When her scent led them to Volterra they nearly lost all hope. No matter how skilled in battle Bella was, she wasn't invincible. She was human and able to be easily killed if given the slightest opportunity. There was no way they could have saved her from the Volturi, had they decided to kill her.

There was a hidden entrance to the castle that Aro had long abandoned. As they circled the stone walls searching for the entrance they over heard a conversation between two of the guards. They spoke of the human girl who had nearly killed the Volturi. The impossibility of the concept. The power she contained and how she led a powerful coven out of the castles front doors and away from Volterra. They spoke of my Bella.

I was sick of there chatter after only hours but decided I needed to know as much as possible about our visitors, so I continued to listen in.

They were particularly bitter toward Jane and Alec. The witch twins, as they called them. Even though they were not involved in the initial fight that had overthrown the Romanian regime, they had provided much more power to the Volturi, to the point of invincibility. They expressed their hatred and their yearning for revenge after the Volturi extinguished their royal brethren. The two remaining Romanians were narrowly able to escape their own deaths. They knew that if they were killed, Arianna's vision would not be delivered to their queen and the future would never be changed.

They spoke spitefully of the Volturi's continual attempts to find and destroy them. Although it was only every few decades that the Volturi would send Demetri and others after the remaining Romanians, but still Stefan and Vladimir were constantly on the move and always on their guard. If the Volturi focused their efforts, they would be able to locate them; but since these they believed that the Romanians posed little threat, the Volturi had never committed their assets to a drawn-out chase.

I realized there was nothing more the Romanians could offer me and turned my attention back to Bella.

I had spent the entire three days in the dining room. Bella had not moved from her fetal position on the floor and I was slowly losing my mind. She didn't respond when spoken to, I was incapable of penetrating her mind and every time I tried to touch her she would scream bloody murder and throw up her physical shield. The sounds that emanated from her rivaled the painful screams I had only heard during the burn of the transition from human to vampire.

There was nothing I could do to help my love.

On the fourth day something changed.

Bella opened her eyes and breathed deeply. I was at her side immediately but refrained from pulling her into my arms as I longed to do. It felt like it had been so long since I had last touched her and I needed the contact desperately. But I was afraid even one touch would make her retreat back into herself, and I didn't want to lose her again.

"I'm okay, Edward. I just need a moment," she whispered.

She hadn't attempted to sit up and was staring blindly into the empty space before her. I gave her the time she asked for. As I waited, standing stone still, Esme walked into the dining room to check on us as she had done every day.

At the sight of Bella's open eyes she gasped, "She's awake," then ran from the room. Soon, the entire family, as well as the Romanians, were peering through the doorway. Carlisle was the only one that entered, while the others continued to just watch. For which I was grateful. They wanted to give her space. Their minds reflected my same fear of losing her to herself yet again.

After another few minutes Bella began to slowly uncurl her body. She moved to stand but sway on her feet, so I took my chances and gently held her by the elbows to steady her. Instead of rejecting my touch she leaned her forehead against my chest and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Thank you. For giving me time."

"Of course, darling," I said as I wrapped my arms around her lightly.

I held her close, thankful that she had finally come back to me. But beneath that was a thick layer of fear. I had seen glimpses of what she saw, but I had a feeling that she had felt and witnessed much more than I was privy to. I could only hope she would be able to move past it.

"You can't move past the future, Edward," she said, responding to my thoughts. Her voice was distant and emotionless. Utterly detached from the present. I knew she was still seeing the vision in her mind. Probably unable to rid herself of it.

"You're aright. I just hate seeing you so fearful," I whispered.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her hair and admired the thick strand of white that had emerged along with her change. The color contrasted exquisitely against the dark waves that flowed down her back. So unique, so beautiful. So Bella.

"I'm not afraid anymore, Edward. I know what I have to do now,." She spoke with confidence and conviction. "Vladimir, Stefan." Bella called softly.

The Romanians were at her side immediately, not bothering to slow their movements as the rest of the family had. We had all been acting as if we were in the presence of a frightened animal. Once again, treating Bella like a helpless kitten, instead of the tigress she had become.

The Romanians thoughts did not center around caution and worry as our family's thoughts had. Stefan's thoughts only worried of the time it would take before Bella accepted her fate completely. The amount of time before the Volturi brought about their 'day of reckoning'. The amount of time before all was lost.

Vladimir was fully confident that Bella had come to terms with her new position; though he knew she wasn't happy about it. He knew she was ready and waited with bated breath for her next words.

Bella stepped away from me and stood before Vladimir.

"Is there a way to keep the agency off our backs? I have to return to the U.S. and that may be hard with them searching for us," Bella inquired.

"It has already been taken care of, my queen. In the eyes of the CIASA you and the Cullen coven are no longer alive. It was reported to them that you have all perished at the hands of a neighboring agency," Vladimir said, proud that he had anticipated her needs successfully. "You will not be hindered by them in your endeavors."

Bella nodded and took a deep breath before she stood a bit straighter and spoke.

"Good work," she said to Vladimir and Stefan. The two vampires bowed their heads in adoration and respect.

"Pack up everyone. We're going to Forks."

Authors Note:

I love all of the NLTP fans out there! Well, 126 of you have marked NLTP as your Favorite Story and we have reached 201 Reviews! Yay! Lets boost that number higher! I love hearing all your theories and what you thought of the chapter. You all are the reason this story has come so far. You guys make me smile. J