A/N: Sorry for the delay. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

EPOV

"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked Alice as we pulled up.

"Absolutely," she said. "Jazz described it in perfect detail. He said Victoria chose it because there are many rooms to hide in and a grand ballroom where everything would go down."

I shook my head and thought back to my arrival at the Hilton. Once I reached the door to their room, I froze. It was slightly ajar. I pushed it open slowly, thinking housekeeping might be there. The place had been torn to shreds and there wasn't any sign of Bella.

There was, however, a note pinned to one of her shirts. All the note said was "Castle Solomon."

I knew it was a trap. Why would "Jasper" lure me to her if it wasn't?

I picked Bella's shirt up and walked outside. Just as I reached the stairwell, I ran into Alice.

"You found it?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

She pointed at the shirt. "You found the location?"

I nodded and we started down the stairs, her hot on my heels. "I'm coming with you," she said.

I turned to her, mid-step. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't let you battle Victoria alone. I saw the outcome; it wasn't pretty. Basically, newborns rip your arms off and you watch her drain Bella before you die. It was a lot more graphic in my vision." She ran down the rest of the way, showing me exactly what she saw. I shuddered.

When we reached the outside, we stopped at the nearest vehicle. It wasn't what I would normally drive, a Saturn, but it would have to do. I panicked a moment when I couldn't find the key, but Alice calmly reached up to the visor and pulled one out. I thanked her, collected myself, and started it up.

People in Iceland need to lock their doors. Any old riffraff could steal a car.

We sped out of the parking lot. Alice spurted off the address of Castle Solomon and we took off.

"So you saw where she has Bella?"

Alice shook her head. "No, that was still blocked. Jazz told me."

I jerked my head in her direction. "How did he know?"

"He was her prisoner, remember? He heard much of her planning. Apparently, someone named Riley found it and said it was perfect for the epilogue of this story. Victoria agreed and everything was set in motion. Riley didn't torture Jasper at all; in fact he hardly saw him. That was all Victoria." She looked out the window. "She didn't have a problem talking about her plan in front of Jazz because she figured he'd be dead." Her voice wavered. "He almost was."

I took her hand and squeezed it lightly. She sent me regular text updates while I was on the plane. Jasper is healing, slowly as Carlisle predicted. But it will still be a few months before he's completely back to normal, both physically and mentally.

Suddenly a thought struck me. "Where is Jasper now?"

She looked at me. "The Hilton. We got a room."

I raised my eyebrows. "How did you get here so fast?" She shrugged.

"We took a flight same time as you. Jasper knew this would be dangerous for you and wanted you to have some backup. While on the plane he reserved a room at the Hilton and we arrived there just before you did." She turned to look out the window. "He wanted to help but I insisted he remain in the hotel. Not only will this be dangerous, but he doesn't have the energy to fight. He's only now regaining his strength."

"I'm sorry, Alice."

She shrugged. "It's not your fault. It's not even Bella's fault, even though you know she'll blame herself. I blamed her at first. But there was no way she would know what Victoria was planning. Hell, I don't even completely understand it." She looked at me. "Can anyone understand the mind of a lunatic?"

I shrugged and made a left turn onto the street that Castle Solomon was on. "Lunacy brought on by revenge. Revenge for the man she loved. I know what will happen to me if Bella dies."

Alice's thoughts told me she agreed.

I saw we were nearing our destination. Castle Solomon was much like the venue used for Medieval Times in the States. People could rent it out for parties, costume balls and good old-fashioned merrymaking. It seemed like a great place and if the situation was different, I would try to convince Bella to come here.

After climbing out of the car, I looked around. The perimeter was quiet, too quiet for my liking.

"Smell that?" Alice asked me. I nodded. Strawberries.

"Bella."

We ran to the oversized doors. As expected, they were unlocked.

Yeah, could Victoria be any more obvious? Alice's thoughts said.

Once inside, we were greeted by a grand entryway. The floor was marble and there were doors on both sides. I knew they were being used to slow us down. The doors slammed behind us, announcing our presence.

"The end door," Alice said. We reached it within seconds and pushed it open. The grand ballroom stood before us. The ceiling was at least fifteen feet high and there were huge windows in front of us. The room was mostly empty as it hasn't been used in a long time. There were a few easy chairs scattered throughout the place. And one other detail…Bella.

As I reached her, a feeling of dread washed over me. I couldn't be too late; she had to be okay. I felt her pulse. It was weak and erratic, but it was there. I noticed bruising around her neck and saw the distinctive pattern of a handprint.

"He choked her," I growled. Now that I know he's not really Jasper, I will kill him!

Alice was scoping out the room. It was quiet, no one around. Her thoughts told me that we were definitely in for a ride. She knelt behind one of the chairs, examining it.

"I can smell Victoria," she said. "She's near."

A noise jerked my head up and away from Bella. Standing in the doorway was a newborn and he was eyeing her. His red eyes glowed and he licked his lips. I hissed at him and stood in front of my love.

"You want her," I said to the newborn, goading him. "Come on."

Newborns aren't as intelligent as us, because they're insane with thirst. They tend to not think before they act. I was counting on this for the battle ahead. I had no idea how many newborns there actually were, but I was sure I'd be able to outsmart them.

I just had to remember to not let them get their arms around me.

The newborn growled and leapt, knocking me over Bella's body. He reached for her, but I was faster. I grabbed his head and twisted it, severing it from the rest of his body. He fell to the ground. I tensed at the scent that assaulted me. The scent was not Bella.

"Nice test," Victoria said, clapping her hands. She was now standing in the doorway, looking smug as though she had won. I growled and crouched down, ready to strike.

"Test?" I hissed.

She looked smug. "Yes. That sorry newborn was a test to see how you would handle him. And you passed with flying colors." She took a step towards me. "And now that I know how you fight, I know what not to do."

Edward, I have a direct view of her. I can get her from behind. Distract her.

Alice.

"We know your game, Victoria," I said, trying to draw all of her focus to me. "Why don't you just give up?" I knew she wouldn't, but if I could anger her enough, she might make a mistake.

She laughed. "And miss the fun?" She took another step towards me. Alice had managed to sneak behind her and was stalking quietly. Victoria kept walking until she was three feet from me. "I hope you can save Bella before these newborns suck her dry."

"They'll never touch her," I said. Alice crouched down.

Victoria raised an eyebrow and her smirk never faltered. He is such an idiot! her thoughts said. I have over fifty newborns here. He can't POSSIBLY fight them alone.

"Ah, but I'm not alone, Victoria." Now it was my turn to smirk. Victoria raised an eyebrow.

Huh? her thoughts said.

Before she had a chance to react, Alice tackled her. Their stone bodies fell to the floor and suddenly there was a flurry of hair, clothes, snarls and clawing as the two fought. It was the distraction I needed and I picked Bella up, determined to get her out.

Before I made it to the door, I was tackled to the ground. Bella flew out of my arms and against a brick wall. I heard the bones crack as she hit and fell limp as a rag doll. I reached behind me and grabbed the newborn, flinging her over my shoulders and kicking her in the face with my foot. When she was down, I twisted her head off and threw it against the wall where it shattered into pieces.

Alice appeared by my side. Her clothes were torn and there was a scratch on her cheek, but she looked okay. "Victoria got away," she said quietly. "I don't know how it happened. I had her! Somehow she wriggled out of my grasp and before I knew it, three newborns were on me." She turned to survey the bodies. "They were no match for me."

I nodded and picked Bella's body up. I could hear her weak heartbeat and breathed a sigh of relief. We made it into the hallway when Alice tensed; there was another one nearby. She turned to my right and ran off.

Get Bella out of here! her thoughts said. She disappeared from view.

"Riley!" I heard Victoria shout. Suddenly the hallway was flooded with newborns, all heading directly towards me. I turned in a circle, seeing them on all sides. I was trapped.

Three bodies were destroyed at the outside of the circle. Because the newborns were focused on me, they completely missed Alice. Some turned to her and the others started approaching me. Two were flung from my right side. I heard a snarl and assumed it was Alice.

I managed to kick a few of them while still holding Bella in my arms. One jumped on my back and sunk his teeth into my neck. I dropped Bella's body and reached for him.

Edward, I'm here.

I paused my movements and looked around, all in a half-second. I knew that voice well but I couldn't see him. The newborn broke from my grip and lunged for my neck again. I easily dodged him and grabbed his arm, tearing it off. He screeched and lunged again.

This is too easy, I thought. I grabbed his other arm and ripped it out. I waved them in front of him, taunting him. He growled and came towards me. After dropping his arms to the floor, I twisted his head and he fell dead to the ground.

I'm going to check the perimeter outside, the familiar thoughts told me. I looked around for Alice, drawing in a breath when my eyes fell on her.

She was lying on the ground, arms everywhere but luckily still in tact. Her shirt was almost completely gone.

I ran to her, oblivious to the fact that there were newborn bodies all around. I slid to my knees as I reached her. "Alice?" I asked frantically. She opened her eyes.

"A newborn sunk her teeth into my knee," she said, sitting up slowly. "I can't walk. The stupid bitch rendered me incapacitated."

I placed my hand on her knee to help calm her. Her thoughts were scared. Then I looked around, seeing the bodies. "Did you do this?"

She shook her head. "No, I thought you did. I was distracted with red over there," she said pointing at the newborn she had just killed. "After I collapsed, I saw the bodies. I figured you took care of them."

So if Alice didn't kill them and I didn't….

I glanced at Bella. She was still in the same spot. Her heart, however, was weakening.

"We have to find Victoria," I said. Alice shook her head. "You need to get Bella out of here. It's more important to have her safe before going after Victoria."

Outside perimeter is secure, the voice said. I'll stay outside for a bit and let you know if anyone comes by. Don't tell anyone I'm here, not even Alice. It could be vital to getting you out of here.

Alice looked straight ahead and her eyes turned black. "We're not alone," she said softly. I turned in the direction she was looking and froze. There was a woman watching us, with blond hair and black eyes. She wore a wristband on her right arm. I knew ghosts didn't exist, but I couldn't believe the image in front of me.

Rosalie.

A/N: So, who was speaking to Edward outside?

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