We're back! Now let's see if they can get out of this mess. I think you'll enjoy this chapter. :)

Sincerest thanks to you, the readers!

When the Fog Lifts

Trio of Terror part II

Bella POV

~##~

I heard the doors swing open, followed by the click-clack of heeled shoes on the polished, hard floor. I shrunk inwardly and buried my face into Edward's biceps, cringing at the thought of seeing the well-dressed female vampire again announcing more tourists. Just when I needed him to wrap his arms around me and hold me tightly he slightly released his grip. I peeked up with one eye to see him smiling.

What was her name? Heidi? Would he be attracted to her? Did he think any of the female vampires here were pretty? There could be a whole world of single, available vampires here for Edward.

"Rose. Emmett. I was getting worried," Edward announced. I felt relief immediately wash over me and felt my head snap to confirm their arrival for myself.

Rose strode past us with Emmett trailing only two steps behind her. She cleared her throat loudly and exclaimed, "Now who's being unreasonable?"

As her voice echoed musically throughout the air, I watched as Aro's face lit up, eerily illuminating the bland, dinghy walls surrounding us.

Could one vampire dazzle another? I think we were about to find out. Rosalie looked back at me and winked, almost as if I had said that out loud.

Aro stood up and made his way toward Rose. "Ahhh, and this is the fair Rosalie?" He moved another step toward her and smacked his lips crisply. "You are a most exquisite creature." He turned to look to Edward. "Again, Edward it seems we have a case where your memories don't match up to what stands in my presence." Aro took a few more steps toward Rosalie and put his hand out politely asking, "May I?"

Emmett released a long, deep snarl that resonated out slowly and echoed off the marble walls and stone bodies around me, sending a shudder rippling down my spine.

"Thank you," Rose responded with a pleasant business tone, "but I'm also practical, as I believe you to be." With that she placed both of her hands behind her back and gracefully swayed her body back and forth, effectively rejecting Aro's advance to kiss her hand with subtlety. Rose was not going to give in so easily. She started a cycle of pacing back and forth, with two steps in each direction.

"You have quite a palace here. Perhaps you would be willing to let Bella go if I stayed in her place." Then she stood still, judging his reaction.

"Rose!" Emmett growled out.

What? Did Rosalie Hale just sacrifice herself…for me?

"Oooh, a most delicious offer. Perhaps! And tell me, fair Rosalie, what are the chances you would be willing to stay with me indefinitely? Oh, it has been a while since I've had a house guest, hasn't it Marcus?" Marcus rolled his eyes and buried his face into his hand. Aro lustfully eyed Rosalie up and down while tapping his fingertips together lightly. "My, my, the fun we could have."

With that Emmett lunged toward Aro. In a split second, Edward, Demetri, and Felix had him restrained. I could see Edward's lips moving slightly. He was surely talking Emmett down. It sounded like he told him, "Give Rose a chance. She knows what she's doing."

"I'm okay." Emmett shook everyone off. Rosalie took his hand. As a couple they stood powerful and unbreakable-a super couple. A silent exchange of trust in each other passed between them.

"And so this is Emmett. The human you chose to save years ago. My, what a strange family my old friend Carlisle has created."

"That I am. I was saved, chosen, and ..."

"My perfect mate," Rosalie completed Emmett's sentence.

"Ahh, yes. I can see that," Aro obliged. "Tell me Emmett, do you find Ms. Swan appealing? Your brother seems to think he has learned to control his thirst in order to be around her. Is it as easy for you, too?"

"A hell of a lot easier!" Emmett pronounced, to which Edward laughed.

"And why is that?" Aro asked, seeming genuinely intrigued.

"Because she just doesn't hold that strong of an attraction for me. Besides, having her around is more entertaining than anything else." Emmett smiled over at me.

"Really? Like fun entertainment," Aro seethed out, practically foaming at the mouth, "the way a cat would bat around a wounded mouse prior to devouring it, perhaps?"

"Yeah, uhh no, not like that at all. We don't need to do anything to provoke her. She's clumsy and attracts the strangest situations on her own. Hang around her long enough and you'd see."

"Like your brother? Is he one of her strange situations? She's obviously captured the affections of a vampire who wanted nothing more than to kill her at one time."

"For one," Emmett laughed, then looked over to Edward, "Sorry bro."

Rosalie cleared her throat to gain back control of the conversation. "Yes, our human misfit here is quite the danger magnet, and that is why it would be a much better idea to allow Emmett to escort her back to the States and allow me to stay with you all, for your insurance purposes."

Aro looked over at Caius. "Aphrodite offers us quite an enticing compromise, doesn't she?"

"Of course, with Emmett away escorting the afterschool special home, and me here, that leaves Edward without someone to watch his back in Russia," Rose continued.

The afterschool what? Is she talking about me?

"Demetri will be accompanying Edward," Caius pointed out.

Rosalie looked Demetri up and down. "Well I guess he'll do in getting you there, but once there I think Edward will really need Jasper."

"Jasper?" Caius inquired.

"Yes, our other brother," Edward responded. "He has gifts I may require in helping me."

"Jane and Alec have all the gifts we need!" Caius shot back.

Edward snapped. "Save them for an actual battle. Jane is trigger happy and Alec is unpredictable at best. I thought this was a fact-finding mission I was being sent on, not a battle to my death!"

"You are right. This is to be nonconfronational. Yes, I've seen the effects of his gifts through Edward but that one doesn't speak much, so do enlighten us all about such gifts this Jasper has as they would be relevant to the mission," Aro said, going back and taking his seat.

Edward looked at Rosalie and gestured for her to continue to field the questions. "Jasper has many gifts. He can influence the mood of those around him. He can relax others more than any amount of Valium, which will be important for Edward. He also holds a strong military background and will be able to better assess whatever information Edward is able to gather regarding their plans or strategy to provide to you."

"Very interesting. Again, I marvel at what a fascinating family Carlisle has assembled. I'm so curious. Will Bella be added to the Cullen family?" Aro posed looking at Edward.

There was silence and no movement from Edward, not even a gesture meant just for me.

"Hmmm?" Aro looked over to Emmett, then Rose, then me, then back to Edward. "Cat got your tongue?"

Finally Rose meandered a few steps forward and spoke. "Well certainly that is an idea, but our family will need time to work on coordinating such an event. If she stays here she'll have no chance of that, now will she?"

Rose paused dramatically, challenging the trio to deny her statement.

"I didn't think so, which brings me back to my offer—let Emmett take Bella safely back to her home, and I'll stay as your collateral, but only until Edward returns."

"And if I don't return, Rose?" Edward spoke the words, but I could feel him lightly squeeze me reassuringly. Thankfully. He had every intention of returning but wanted the full deal to be said with witnesses.

"If for some reason Edward doesn't return, I can only assure the Volturi here that they will be receiving a visit back from their old friend Carlisle as well as my husband, Emmett, to collect me. Not to mention, our mother." Rosalie smiled walking backwards toward Emmett and resting herself into his arms.

"Esme? Really? Now she is someone I always wanted to meet," offered Marcus, "Is she really as wonderful and compassionate as Carlisle says she is?"

"Even more so," Edward responded gently.

"And that generosity and compassion of Esme has spilled over as motherly affection toward our human misfit here, so I have an assurance I can offer you. If you harm Bella or in some way delay me from leaving, you will have to deal with her overprotective mama bear side. And it won't be pretty."

Aro stood tapping his fingertips to each other in morbid contemplation. He looked toward Edward again.

"Edward, from your thoughts, I didn't think the fair Rosalie even liked you that much. Or Bella here. So much of your memories hasn't seemed to match up today. I don't even know why I feel so compelled to accept your offer, Rosalie. But, it's as if everything you tell me paints the picture of perfect sense," Aro said as he glanced back and forth between me and Rose. "Ah, decisions, decisions."

I know why he feels so compelled. Rose has a gift, and she was using it to the fullest. This compromise he was presented with has to be enticing enough to let me go and somehow we will all find a way to leave.

Marcus spoke tersely toward Aro. "It seems your goddess here appears to be Aphrodite but speaks with the wit of Metis."

"Ahh, yes Marcus, it's quite mesmerizing. I've thought about it, and I accept your offer."

Rosalie clapped her hands together once and smiled triumphantly quickly before taking her hand to her hair and sweeping it back. "I knew we could believe Carlisle's assessment of your organization as fair and good. Now, Aro, since this is so unexpected, for me that is, I'll need a little time to gather up some of my belongings and prepare for my stay. And since we will need to allot time for Jasper to travel, I would think we can postpone Edward's departure for two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS!" Caius stood up for the first time and yelled, "Aro! This Metis will get us all killed! The Russians could be on their way here in two weeks."

"Silence!" Aro retorted, effectively reclaiming his role as leader with a simple raising of his hand.

"Leave now, and you may return in two days." He held two fingers up. "Don't try to shirk out of this, or I will send Demetri for you with my guard."

Edward forced me to turn and gently glided me toward the door. I whispered to Edward, "My things."

"Have Bella's things brought to her at the front door, Aro, and we will leave now and return in two days," Rosalie confirmed to the others and Aro. Aro called upon Felix to retrieve my things while ordering Demetri to escort us out, no doubt allowing him more opportunity to study each of our scents. "Goodbye my friends. And I'll see you soon."

This was it? I was walking out freely, away from the trio of terror, with Edward's protective arm wrapped around me and my family beside me with two days of freedom ahead of us?

"Oh, Ms. Swan?" Aro called. I turned back to look-our eyes met, and with a creepiness, his gaze held me. "The wives said they fully enjoyed meeting you and hope to visit with you again."

I meekly nodded as the large doors opened, and we stepped through them-one step closer to freedom.

~##~

Will they really make it out?

If so, what should they do next? What can they do in only 2 days? What would you do with Edward if you only had to say goodbye to him in 2 days? ;)

Thoughts on Rosalie's actions? I know we could all say, "This is not Stephenie Meyer's Rosalie." Or is it? Stephenie Meyer has a way of highlighting the good in her characters once they understood the big picture. I do believe that the original Rosalie had this amount of 'good' in her but she needed to express it and show it on her own terms. She was 'forced to accept' a lot about losing her picture-perfect life had she lived and losing her plans in life once she became a vampire and resented it. Sometimes letting go of resentment just comes from having the chance to make a strong choice, which she certainly did here.