Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.

A/N - I know most of my readers are all vamp kinda people, but please go over and visit the one shot that I wrote for the Fandom fights the Floods compilation. It is called Forever, and carries a very personal storyline for me and two of my betas.

I apologize for the delay. I won't attempt to explain other than life has been very busy for me and my betas. I am concluding Unloved Unwanted and almost have the last chapter ready, so I hope to focus on FMR and pick up posting more often. In addition, the week has been horrible for me. I had to put my cat of 15 years asleep, and I have just been an emotional wreck.

Thanks for those that voted over at the Avant Garde and Sunflower awards. None of my stories placed, but I appreciate those that took the time to go over and place a vote.

God is not external to anyone,

But is present with all things,

Though they are ignorant that he is so.

Pleasure and distress,

Fear and courage,

Desire and aversion,

Where have these affections and experience their seat?

Clearly either in the soul alone.

1st Ennead, Plotinus

Bella POV

I raced through the hallways of the castle, following the scent of my loved ones and the vampire who'd dared to touch William. This was all my fault, I shouldn't have put the responsibility on Sue to hold the kids. I could have defended them against…

STOP IT, Bella… I told myself as I ruthlessly quashed my feelings of guilt. Siobhan and Maggie couldn't have protected us against four… You did what you had to do.

For a moment, I wondered why Edward hadn't heard them coming. How had they made it so close without him knowing? Of course he had at the last, but generally his ability to hear minds was clearer. But right now, in this moment, did it matter?

I heard the telltale screeching sound just as I was about to tear through the front door. It was coming from a short distance away. Panic filled me until I heard Jacob's satisfied rumble, and I knew that Alice's vision was coming true. Then, I heard what I didn't want to hear…

"Nonno, No!"

Damn it, Edward, think. Don't just react! I shook myself…did I just shout that as well?

I pushed myself to get to them and wanted to shriek in joy and agony when I found the alleyway where Jake stood protectively over William. The vampire that had taken William had been shredded, reduced to twitching parts strewn across the alleyway. Edward had been beyond furious; he hadn't just dismantled the man, he'd torn him to bits in rage.

William was peeking out from underneath Jake's massive body, his brown eyes glistening. He'd been so brave, but now the stress had caught up with him. Huge tears ran down his face. "Nonna! That way," he pointed down the alley frantically. His eyes were as large as an owl's, and he was trembling. I didn't know if it was from his near abduction, or what he'd just seen Edward do.

Jake gently reached down to grasp the back of William's clothes in his teeth. Even with the stress of following my husband's scent down the alley, I couldn't help but grin at the visual of Jacob carrying his son like a puppy. William was perfectly capable of walking, but Jake wasn't about to risk that or phasing back to his more vulnerable human form. I'd made the end of the long, twisting alleyway and was turning north when I heard an even better sound - Nessie's voice sobbing, and Jasper telling Jake to "come on." Four sets of footsteps and one set of paws padded behind me then. I was betting on Jasper, Henry, Emmett, Carlisle, and Jake. They would have left the others to protect the castle. Whoever she was…she had one seriously pissed-off coven converging on her.

Edward's scent led me toward the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Volterra and the nearby Roman baths.

I probably should have waited on the others, but I couldn't stop my feet from flying. Edward could be in danger and right now that was all I could consider. I'd heard the last of Alice's words.

I tore into the upper area of the excavated Roman ruins and had to stifle a groan. Edward was faced off against two snarling werewolves on the stone tiers of the cavea. They circled around him, snapping, clearly eager to sink their teeth into his flesh. Another mangled human body lay at his feet, and I was guessing that he'd killed that one in wolf form and that the body had phased back as the man was dying. It was a gruesome sight; the body twisted and broken, draped limply across two levels of the seating. There were several tears in Edward's clothes; hopefully he wasn't too badly injured.

He was seemingly oblivious to the rampaging lycans, however. His eyes were trained on the remains of the stage at the bottom of the ampitheatre. A growl broke from my throat then, as I saw her; she could only be the ancient vampire that had been taunting us. She was standing in the archway under the remnants of a two story portico on the left side of the stone stage. Hearing the feral sound that ripped from me, her gaze jerked my direction, but Edward remained motionless. I swore loudly, and then threw my shield out, seeing him twitch as it enfolded him. Somehow, she'd been holding him captive!

I leapt from the wall surrounding the ruins to the grass before the concentric arcs of the cavea, then down again to just before the stage. She turned to face me and snarled. I heard the sound of the fight behind me, and Edward's hoarse words, "Bella, watch out…"

Other shapes began to materialize from the shadows behind her. These were her real forces, not the pawns that had been sent to tease us.

"Leave, young one, and I might allow you to live this day," she hissed out at me as the dozen or so vampires began to slowly circle around me.

An agonized howl let me know that at least one of the werewolves was down. The sound of several soft thuds behind me told me that the cavalry, in the form of our family, had arrived, and I expanded my shield to include them. I felt their bright lights as my shield covered them and felt more secure with the additional forces.

"Leave, old witch, and I might offer you the same deal," I snarled out.

She actually laughed at my words, throwing her head back in almost wolf like fashion. "Feisty…just like your father. I like that."

The characteristic snarls of two wolves fighting began behind me, and I knew that Jake had taken over for Edward. Unfortunately, we were still outnumbered at least two to one…until I saw several familiar shapes slink over the low rise twenty yards behind her. It was the Guard members that Edward had sent away, but had remained outside the castle on the city walls. A slight twitch let me know that she, too, knew they'd come…and that the tide had turned against her.

Earning hoarse shouts in equal parts of fury and warning from Jasper and Henry, I leapt to the stage in front of the ancient vampire. Chaos ensued as the fight began behind me in earnest. Our reinforcements blurred past me to engage with the witch's forces. I refused to turn and give her an easy target, but I wanted to. We were more equally matched in this fight than any we'd been in before. I was worried, and the need to see if we were alright was strong.

Felippe blurred to my side to support me, but I jerked my head toward the others.

"Leave us," I murmured authoritatively. He snorted, unwilling to leave me…loyal to a fault. "She has no intention of fighting me, or she would have already. She's just playing games." He still didn't move.

Turning my eyes back to her when I realized he wasn't going to leave, I threatened her softly, "You have no clue how feisty I can get. You've threatened my family…and for that, I will end you. C'mon. Let's settle this now, or are you really all smoke and mirrors?"

She leaned in with a smile, my attempt to antagonize her having no visible effect. Her breath washed over me, and I grew dizzy from the intoxicating smell. Edward was right; she was ancient. There was a dark glint in her eyes…it spoke of knowledge beyond anything we could ever consider. Her skin was so translucent that it glowed almost like a precious pearl. It was if her translucent skin didn't even need sunlight to refract and shimmer. Her inky black hair lay in thick folds of silk against her shoulders, her bright red eyes slanted exotically.

She was mesmerizing…even for me.

"Isabella Marie Swan Cullen, you know not what you ask. You are ill-prepared you for a fight with me. Do not delude yourself into believing that you would win against me…" she turned and glanced behind us, and I knew exactly at who she was looking "…in this or anything."

"Edward is my soul mate. Our bond is something you obviously don't understand."

I didn't know what I'd said, but whatever it was…her face transformed. Gone was the exotic, compelling beauty. In its place was a demon. Everything that had been beautiful about her twisted, and venom boiled out of her lips as her hands clenched into claws. I instinctually took a step back…something within me inherently spooked by what I saw. I felt Felippe at my back.

"Soulmate?" she cackled. "What romantic dribble! Do you not know that the man who tells you forever only means it as long as something better doesn't come along? Don't trick yourself into believing your young husband will be any different. 'And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.'"

She shifted her demonic eyes away from Edward, and I saw her glaring with such malice that it made my skin crawl. She was focused on Carlisle, who was dismembering one of the ancient one's vampires. The fight had turned our way, but I feinted a lunge at her to keep her attention focused on me. I was afraid that she was about to go after him, such was her rage.

She spun to face me again, sensing my movement. She bared her teeth at me and hissed. "I will rob you of all three, mark my words. In the end, young one, you will have nothing left."

"Just like you?" I guessed, saying the words softly.

Only the loss of faith, hope, and love would cause such bitter disillusion. My barbed arrow hit the mark. She vibrated violently, and I heard Edward begin to scream my name. She lunged at me but Felippe met her in mid-air, only to have his arm nearly ripped off. I was hit from behind and tumbled to the ground. Jasper…he'd tackled me, and in the meantime the ancient one pushed the injured Felippe aside and turned to escape over the edge of the stage. Poised to flee, she glared back at me. "This isn't over…" she whispered viciously.

I dug my fingers into the ground, attempting to tear myself away from Jasper. He held onto my legs, and I growled at him, desperate to go after her. I heard the whooshes of the remaining vampires as they fled the scene of the battle to follow her.

"Bella, NO…that is exactly what she wants," he said harshly. "She wants you to follow her, away from us. Sssssh…" He attempted to calm me, and I growled at him.

"Why the hell are you letting her get away?" I snarled out at Jasper and turned my head to assess the hissing Felippe, who was on the ground beside me.

I felt Jasper chuckling against my back. "Bella, did you see Demetri?"

"NO!"

"Exactly," he said softly.

"Oh!" I went still, and then as I realized it had gone quiet around us, a thought hit me. Jasper, satisfied that I had calmed down sufficiently, pushed himself off my legs onto his knees. "Carlisle, get over here!" I said hoarsely wanting him to tend to Felippe. He looked up at me from the bottom of the ampitheatre where he was stacking body parts in preparation for being set afire, and nodded. Duty done, I gave into my fears. "Where is my idiotic husband?"

"Right here," came his velvet voice and then I was wrapped in his arms.

I beat against his chest with my fist as I screamed. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? YOU RAN OFF ALONE! DON'T YOU EVER…" I couldn't go any farther, breaking down and placing my lips to his chest to suck great lungsfull of his scent into me. Forcing my hands out of the fists, I ran them across his body looking for any wounds.

"Bella, I'm sorry…truly." He placed his fingers under my chin and lifted it so that he could see my eyes. "He had William…" he stopped as if that explained everything.

I snarled at him. "That only explains you chasing them into the alleyway."

"I'd like the explanation for that as well," Carlisle said, coming onto the stage to support Felippe as his body mended.

"You okay?" I asked the loyal guardsman, and he nodded quickly. I could see his pain.

I turned to find the men of our family glaring down at my husband. This time I was quite willing for them to do so. Edward moved and rose, holding me in his arms.

"Don't you dare use me as a shield. I should let them all beat some sense into you," I growled at him, clearly realizing his intent.

He nuzzled my hair softly, then turned to face the rest of the family and guard. Unable to be totally unsupportive to him, I reached down to intertwine our fingers. He squeezed my hand softly in thanks.

"She wanted me to follow, so I gave her what she wanted. I knew you would be right behind me, and she unwittingly let it slip just how many she had with her. I knew that Felippe or Louis would summon the others. I also knew the Guard would have followed any force that large into the city. It was a calculated risk to see if I could gain any knowledge from her. It worked; I know at least a part of her plan."

We all gasped.

"…and I was a little angry as well." He finally admitted. "Okay, I was more than a little angry…" he grinned in an attempt to charm and placate us. It didn't work.

A second or two passed as we all glared at him. Carlisle was, of course, the first one to cave.

"Edward, son, you just can't go off on your own, even if you think that it will accomplish something." His soft reprimand was probably more effective than any of our angry stares.

Edward dropped his head slightly. "Carlisle, gripe at me all you want, but she got cocky getting me alone for a few moments." He looked up to the man he considered his father. "She is using Aro's memories against me..."

I, along with everyone else, froze.

"What?" Carlisle breathed out.

"During the fight, I was distracted with Aro's memories. After I destroyed the werewolf she appeared on stage, I was overcome by them again. I don't think she can control what I see, but I do believe she may be using the breakthroughs against me. Hell, she may even be the reason I started having them."

Edward POV

"Carlisle, we need to do as you suggested and start working on controlling the visions. If that doesn't work, I need to step down. She was able to effectively control me for a few moments, and we all know that a few moments is all it takes. I was struggling through one when Bella saved me."

Bella looked up to me, concern etched into her beautiful face. I could see her struggling to give me what I needed while simultaneously dealing with her rage at me for charging off alone. As I'd destroyed the male vampire, I caught a wisp of her scent and a faint trace of her thoughts as she ran. I'd known she was leading me into a trap, but I also knew that I wouldn't be left alone with her for long; I was counting on the guard to be in hot pursuit.

I'd taken a chance…and in my opinion it had been worth it, garnering some new information about her and flashes of her intentions and the forces she commanded. Even if my family was furious with me, I'd live with it. Assuming Bella wasn't going to cut me off in the bedroom as punishment. I looked down at Bella and asked forgiveness silently with my eyes.

Jasper started chuckling at me as he sensed my relief, exuberance, and fear. I glared back earning even more of his mirth. Looking at Bella, he laughed out, "About fifty/fifty."

He was guesstimating about my chances of being kicked out of her bed.

"How many of these do we want to piece back together and take back with us?" Henry asked, ever the pragmatist. The body parts had not yet been set afire by Carlisle. "The ones at the castle were cannon fodder; these may be worth more."

Jasper turned around to survey the carnage they'd created. His eyes flickered over the heads of the erstwhile raiders. "The one with the long, dark hair; he was their leader, I suspect. Edward?" he asked.

"Correct," I answered. He had been the one leading. How much he'd actually known I could only guess. "If we keep him long enough, I'll be able to cull his brain. We just have to determine how to keep him under containment."

"I think we can do that," Jasper murmured. He jumped down to the grass and lifted the head of the vampire in question, greasy hair cascading down his hands as he held it with the topknot it wore.

He was already running through several scenarios in his mind. We didn't want to be spread too thin, though. Our numbers were already divided watching over Brianna. I idly wondered about recruiting friendly vampires into the fold.

"How long will Demetri follow her?" Carlisle asked gently, having risen from where he'd tended to Felippe.

"Long enough to get some idea of where she is going. He needs to get close so that he can get a mental trace on her. We need him to be able to track her when the time comes."

And then Jacob collapsed

I hissed in reaction just as his legs gave out. The first spikes of pain had literally knocked him off his feet.

"Why didn't you tell us you were hurt?" I snarled as I dashed to where he'd fallen. Didn't know I needed to, Jacob's mental voice slurred in reply. It usually goes away by now…

I found the gash on his leg right away. It was readily obvious that it wasn't a vampire bite - the messy wound was dominated by deep puncture wounds from the werewolf's fangs - but that was the only good news. A werewolf's bite, much like a vampire's, began the change that turned a normal human into a werewolf. It was obvious that Jacob's altered physiology was reacting badly. I looked up at Jasper. He's in agony, Edward. It was just a slight burn until a few minutes ago, and I thought it was just a scratch. This came out of nowhere.

As quick as lighting, I pulled the wolf into my arms and began running home, outstripping the rest of the family. Nessie…I had to get to Nessie.

I heard most of the family following behind and, weighed down with his massive body, Carlisle caught up to me. We need to get Nessie to suck out the saliva, he offered up.

"I agree." Werewolf bites healed on vampires, and shifter blood only tasted horrid. Nothing here would hurt her, and she wasn't venomous and therefore couldn't harm him.

I could feel the thundering of his heart. Carlisle, of course, heard it.

"Jacob, remain calm as much as possible. I don't want the saliva spreading through your body," Carlisle instructed him in his best "Father like" voice.

We saw the women standing at the door of the castle waiting on us. Nessie's hand twisted in nervousness, but she looked calm. Alice had obviously seen something, and whatever she did see wasn't concerning…if the serenity on her face said anything.

He's going to be fine, she threw at me. Sick for a few days, but fine.

Her visions of Jacob and Seth's futures had solidified over the years, growing clearer and clearer the longer she knew them. It still wasn't as clear for the twins and the other Quileute wolves, and the true werewolves we now faced were complete blind spots, but she was once again omnipotent with regards to Jacob and Seth.

I ran past them, carrying Jacob's twitching wolf form into the castle as gently as I could. Nessie joined her mother just behind Carlisle and me. We passed Charlie and Sue in the hallway to our rooms, mouths open at the sight of me carrying the huge wolf in my arms. He was beginning to whine from the pain, having remained stoic until this point. When I hit the door of their room, I felt the soft vibrations just before Jacob shifted into human form. Seth, who had stayed behind at the castle to guard everyone, tore into the room behind us.

"Carlisle?" His voice was strained, his concern for his friend and pack mate clear.

"He was bitten by one of the werewolves, and we believe some of the saliva made it into his system."

"Alice!" Seth growled out.

Alice placed her hand on Seth's shoulders calming him. "Seth, he's going to be in pain, but he'll be fine. I see him clearly."

"Ness…"

"I know, Poppa. Alice already told me," she grinned at Carlisle.

"What are you planning to do?" Jacob snarled, in pain and attempting to keep from screaming.

It didn't work.

He screamed in a near roar as I placed him as gently as possible on the bed. The agony in his thoughts was excruciating. I turned to look at Jasper and saw Alice supporting him, his face drawn in pain.

Esme threw a sheet across Jacob's torso to preserve his dignity. We'd all seen him naked too many times to really care…but Esme was Esme. She brought my medical bag, and I cleaned the area around the wound, pouring alcohol on it. Jacob spewed out a string of unsavory words as the burn of the alcohol sank into the wound.

"SHIT, Edward! Why don't you just throw some venom in at the same time!" He finally calmed down enough to say. The words he'd screamed out before did not bear repeating. He glared at me, the pain making his eyes glazed.

"Jacob, stop that!" Nessie sternly reprimanded her husband. Then she ordered, "Ok, hold him," motioning to me, Carlisle, Henry, and Emmett as the family crowded into the room, Charlie and Sue among them.

"Hold me for what?" Jacob grunted out as he twisted. His skin was pulled tightly across the broad cheekbones of his face. He was almost as white as the sheet that Esme had thrown over him.

It was a testament to our built-up trust that he didn't shift immediately when each of us grabbed a separate limb.

"What the…" he growled until he saw Nessie lowering her lips to the angry gash. "Hell No!" he swore out trying to get away, but we had him trapped.

His dark eyes jerked to mine, begging me to intervene. "Edward, don't let her…" He shrieked in pain when he felt the first tug of her lips against his thigh. She spat the dark blood into a metal bowl that Rosalie held.

"Alice, I know you said…"

"He is going to be fine, Rose. I promise. So is Nessie," she reassured her sister.

Jacob's tortured eyes jerked to Rose…testament to the unusual bond that had formed between them because of Henry. He was sweating profusely from the pain, the bedsheets getting wet from the sweat as his accelerated healing process attempted to kick in, and we all saw the trembling of his body as he attempted to contain his reactions to the saliva and the cold hands keeping him in place.

His back rose off the bed as he arched in pain. But for the hold we had on him, I think he would have destroyed the room in his agony induced semi-oblivion.

Passing the bowl to Esme, Rose blurred out of the room, and I noted everyone's concern. I smiled faintly, knowing where she was going. Before Nessie had finished a third tug against Jacob's inflamed leg, Rose was back with ice water and a washcloth. She sat down next to Jacob and began placing the soaked washcloth against his forehead and her hands against his cheeks. It was an oddly reassuring moment. If our relationships could break down Rosalie's barriers, anger, and resentment, we could do anything.

"Jacob, Alice says you and Nessie will be fine, so we are going to trust her. Quit fighting them and save your strength. Alice says you are going to need it," she murmured to the half-conscious man she was attempting to comfort.

I saw Jasper stir and heard Nessie's unease at the same time. She'd pulled a deep, clean draught of Jacob's blood.

"Go," I told her, and she quickly stepped away to spit the blood out away from us.

"I wouldn't even want his dog blood," Jasper actually teased as she ran out of the room.

Then I stepped into clinical mode. "Carlisle, I'm worried about sewing up the wound. Wouldn't it be better to put on a compression bandage so that any putrification can be drained?"

The wound was already angry and inflamed. If I didn't have reassurance from Alice, I'd be worried tremendously. As it was, I was just my usual neurotic mess.

"Good suggestion," Carlisle seconded my plan of treatment. "We'll be able to debride the wound if necessary that way. It will likely help eliminate more of the toxin. We could also use leeches," he added, with a quirk of his eyebrows. "After all, leeches have been proven to have medical value in cleaning out toxins from wounds."

I saw Jacob's face go paler at the mention of "debriding." He didn't know exactly what it meant, but he was close…close enough that he didn't want it happening. But I had to suppress a snort at Carlisle's unintended double-entendre. The others in the room just chuckled.

Nessie walked in as Carlisle began wrapping the bandage around the wound I'd been holding closed since she'd left. His blood had run clean and freely due to Nessie's ministrations. As Jasper had implied - luckily for us - it stank. That was a very good thing in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires. Ness was dealing with her own unsettled feelings about tasting Jacob's blood. Though not quite her singer, his blood still spoke to the vampire within her. The fact that it was her mate's made it sweeter still.

"Jacob, you are going to have a long couple of days while your body fights this," Carlisle told him. "You'll need to stay in bed and rest, no arguments. It seems from Alice's visions that the magic of your blood is going to protect you from the lupine virus. You won't become a Child of the Moon."

"Why Ness?" he asked, his voice hoarse from the pain he felt.

I responded, "When we risked my sucking James' venom out of Bella's arm, we didn't know whether it would work or not, or whether any of my venom would transfer. The worst that could happen was her beginning the change." I paused for a moment and thought about how exactly our life would have changed…had that occurred. "We cannot risk any venom getting into your system. The consequences would be a little more serious if that occurred."

"Besides," I added in an attempt to lighten the mood, "she bit you often enough as a child, she was the only one we knew for sure could do it again."

"Ness…" he begged groggily, holding one of his hands out.

She flew to him throwing her arms around him, sobbing into his neck while taking care not to place any pressure on his leg.

We moved out of the room to give them some privacy and I knew there was someone I needed to find. "Bella, would you come with me?" I asked softly, unclear as to whether or not she was still mad at me.

"You're going to find William." She regularly surprised me with how well she knew me, and what I planned to do next.

"Yes."

"He and Stefanie are with Heidi," Anna said softly. "We asked her to watch over them once Alice told us about Jacob."

"Thank you," I told her, although I'd already picked up on their thoughts. I held my hand out to Bella, hoping she would take it. When she linked our fingers, I grinned at her briefly before I started to walk away. "Carlisle, I'll take the first shift tonight watching over him. I have to work tomorrow night, so you can take that one, if that's okay?"

My father nodded softly. "I'll get him something for pain after I go check on Felippe," he indicated. He and Esme moved down the hall toward the area where Felippe, Louis, and the others had rooms. He'd relieved me of that duty, knowing that I was thinking of our loyal friend. I wanted to chuckle. Being a father was sometimes akin to being a mind reader. He just knew me well enough to know I would want to check on the injured vampire.

The others began to disperse, except Jasper, Emmett, and Henry. I knew they were waiting to take a piece of my hide off, and would do so until I returned.

"I won't be long," I told them.

"We'll wait," Jasper announced, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them.

"You scared me to death, Edward," Bella said softly as we made our way through the hallways toward Demetri and Heidi's suite of rooms.

I stopped and pulled her into one of the niches in the hallway.

"Love, I was horrified when I realized that I hadn't heard them, especially when I realized what their orders were, and there you stood with the twins. They wanted either you or one of the twins. Alice was another target, but she'd thrown me with a memory of Aro's, and I didn't catch them until it was too late."

"A painful one?" she murmured upset by the thought.

"Actually, no, it was one about battle lust. I guess it was sparked by what was happening around me. Aro was actively involved in the battle I was reliving. It was early on in their reign, I think. I was intrigued…I have to admit. And I think that is why I didn't catch their thoughts quicker."

"Intrigued?" she asked, totally confused. "And how could you fight the vampire I saw you destroying if you were living in his memories?"

"I can't explain it very well, but it was as if the scene in front of me almost meshed with the memory…almost like Déjà vu." I was going to have a hard time explaining how it had felt for me. "I was intrigued, because Aro…um…he wasn't being manipulative…not in the least. It was intriguing to see what he was like before he became so twisted."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know what happened. What caused him to go from a man of honor and justice to the manipulative tyrant that we knew?"

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want any of us to go down that road. The more I know, the better I can prepare us against it."

"I don't like the idea of having you relive these memories," she said pressing her cheek to my chest, rubbing her face gently against me.

"I have to. This ancient vampire is using them against me…us, and I can't let that happen." I needed her to know, though, how much I was going to have to rely on her. "Bella, you'll be there for me…right?

She growled out, "What a stupid question!"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I know…but I saw how the last time affected you, and I would understand if it was just too hard."

Her growl increased.

"I need you there to keep me grounded and to help me find my way out of them if I get lost. I can't do it without you…"

Her gasp stopped my words. She leaned back to gaze up into my eyes. "Forever, Edward. Forever."

Pulling her to me, I leaned down to brush my lips against hers. "Bella, I lack the words to even explain what you mean to me. I feel so incredibly blessed to have found you after so long. Every day, I grow to see more and more clearly just how truly fortunate I am." Then I pushed myself off the hallway wall. "Let's keep going, I have a young man I need to speak with…"

Heidi opened the door before we even stopped before it. She nodded softly, stepping back for us to enter.

"I'll go find the others," she said, leaving us alone with them.

William and Stefanie sat on the floor, a chess set in between them. Henry had been working with them, and he was amazed at how fast they were learning. My grandson rose to his feet and shuffled nervously when he saw me, visions of my face while I destroyed the vampire that had abducted him racing through his mind. I looked like a monster.

"Don't be afraid, William," I said gently. "I would never hurt you."

He sobbed, and then I actually had to sit down on the floor when I heard his thoughts. He was afraid I was mad at him for not being braver! My action brought us eye to eye.

"William, no! You were incredibly brave," I refuted the doubts in his mind.

"For all the good it did us…" he said, attempting to appear tough.

I could see I wasn't going to convince him this way.

"William, I lost my temper. I'm sorry for that. The way I destroyed that vampire…it was personal."

"Because he attempted to get Stef and took me."

"Yes," I nodded softly.

He walked slowly to me and surprised me by sitting down into my lap and leaning his black hair against my chest. Stefanie had already situated herself into Bella's, who'd lowered herself at the same time as I did.

"Nonno, William already told me you were going to feel guilty. You know you are being ridiculous right?" Stefanie's bell like voice announced, calling me into question. Impudent child!

"If I'm being ridiculous, William really is," I countered, smiling at her tenacity.

"I agree with that assessment," Stefanie huffed.

Bella had remained silent, but I saw the inquisitive look on her face. I decided to enlighten her. "William feels guilty because he thinks there was more he could have done."

"NONNA! Nonno was glorious. It was like seeing an avenging angel coming down to earth to rid it of evil. I want to be like him…" he left off. "But I was like a little wimp, unable to do anything but struggle and call out Nonno's and daddy's name. "

"William, from where I stood, you were incredibly brave and fearsome. He would have gotten Stefanie instead…" she glanced to her granddaughter "…not that she couldn't have handled the situation herself, but you kept her from having to. What did you do when Nonno got there?" she asked him.

"I bit the vamp," William indicated. "He started screaming and dropped me. I don't think he expected me to do that," he snickered.

"William..." Bella said softly. "That was something Stefanie wouldn't have been able to do. Bite him, sure, but she wouldn't have the venom to make it burn."

"Well, that was all I could do, because when I tried to get at his leg, he kicked me hard." He glanced at me before saying, "That is when Nonno went a little ballistic."

I saw Bella's sharp glance at me.

"Nonno is Nonno. He's all worried that the way he tore at that vampire has upset me," William smirked up at me. He reached up to pat my face with his hot little hand, and I saw Bella attempting to keep from chuckling. "I was actually amazed at his skill," he added. "That poor vampire…he never stood a chance," he snickered.

I felt him squirm and realized I'd cinched my arms around him a little too tightly in my stress. "What I didn't like was the look on his face when he took off. That scared me, because I was afraid he wasn't going to be careful," he said, reprimanding me with his eyes. "You aren't much better, Nonna. You could have waited on Poppa and the others…" he left off, wiping the smug look off Bella's face.

"Did Daddy come back with you?" Stefanie asked softly. She'd heard the screaming and had deduced that it was her father's.

I looked to Bella for this. She glanced at me, and then nodded. "Yes, he's here, but he was hurt. Carlisle and Edward have patched him up, and Alice says he just needs to rest for a couple of days. He is probably going to be pretty sick, so you'll need to especially good for your mom."

Stefanie shrugged then. "Okay. If Aunt Alice says he'll be okay, we won't worry."

Such was the faith of children. Honestly, ours wasn't much different than theirs when it came to Alice.

"Nonno…are we okay?" William asked.

"Of course! William, I am truly sorry…"

He'd thrown his hand across my lips, stopping my words. Stefanie giggled at his actions and the look on my face. In her defense, she did attempt to stop laughing, but she was absolutely adorable…dimples and all.

We picked the twins up; I carried William while Bella carried Stefanie, and we walked to their parents' suite. My three personal interrogators had remained solidly planted in front of Jacob and Nessie's door. I decided to turn the tables on the trio with a little of my own strategy though.

"UNCLE HENRY! UNCLE JASPER! UNCLE EMMETT! Nonno says you are going to take care of us tonight so that he can watch Daddy!" Stefanie trilled out, grinning broadly. She was my angel.

I saw them narrow their eyes at me. They'd guessed my ploy. Bella peeked into the room and then opened the door wider. Jacob lay propped up against the pillows, and I could see that Carlisle had given him a morphine drip for pain. He was still hurting, but it was under control enough for him to spend an hour with the babies before I glibly hoisted them off on the still-angry Henry and Jasper. Only Emmett chuckled at my temerity.

"Won't work, bro… We'll get you sooner or later." He waggled his eyebrows at me before taking off down the hallway and grabbing William from Jasper to throw across his huge shoulders. "I think we'll let Rose, Anna, and Alice pamper the princess. William is all ours. I'm thinking a night of Playstation."

I tuned him out, hearing Louis approaching. "Master," he murmured.

I huffed out a breath at his address, but remained calm. "The others are staying on the far side of the castle…away, as much as possible, from the smell of the humans. They refuse to leave you after what has occurred. Carlisle came by to check on them all, to look at their wounds. Felippe is fine, grumbling like an old woman, but he's already healed. It is just the sting that is making him so irritable."

I nodded in appreciation.

"I arranged to feed everyone so that the smell would not be so alluring. I think we'll be fine. But, I believe it might be prudent to have them continue to stay in this wing, because of your human family's scents."

I tried hard not to see his thoughts of the slaughter that had occurred within the walls, but I was immensely grateful for their management of the problem. Neither Charlie nor Sue, nor the wolves would ever know of the human murders that transpired today; it had been partially for their benefit.

"Thank you, Louis."

"Don't hesitate to call if you need me for anything," he said and then bowed, turning to rapidly disappear down the hallway away from the smell of wolves. Very few of the traditional vampires ventured into here because of it.

Seth came to stand beside me, having been sitting in a chair in the corner of Nessie and Jacob's room. "I'm going to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a long day. I went to check on Charlie and Mom while you were gone to talk with William and Stefanie. They were okay and going to bed as well. Charlie grumped out something about not being immortal and the need for sleep."

"Thanks, Seth. I'll stay with Jacob until I have to leave for the hospital tomorrow night. I feel bad that I'll be gone for at least two nights, but I hope everything will be somewhat better by then, and honestly, he'll be in better hands with Carlisle anyway."

"Don't sell yourself short, Edward," he snorted as he walked by me and toward his room.

Within a few hours, Jacob was writhing and shouting out in pain again, and I moved to adjust the pump device dispensing the morphine Carlisle had left. We were attempting to keep the dosage as low as possible, so it took several minutes for it to kick in. Bella lay on their huge bed on the other side from Jacob, holding Nessie between them. Our exhausted daughter had fallen asleep in her mother's arms, despite her best attempt not to.

"Edward…" he groaned out, burning with sweat popping out of his skin from the fever and pain coursing through his body.

"I'm here." I pulled his body up against me, touching the pump to administer a new dose of morphine into his bloodstream. He was limp, exhausted already, and could do little more than slump on me.

I'll kill you if you ever tell anyone, but I don't so much mind your ice cold body right now. He threw me as I lowered him back onto the pillows I'd fluffed.

I chuckled, earning a smile from Bella. She knew that Jacob had to be silently bantering with me.

I held him on and off, helping to cool his body when the fever spiked, as I'd done Bella's when she'd carried the child she cradled now. It was an interesting night, Bella and I sharing Jacob's lucid and not so lucid moments.

His mind was a mix of fantasy and reality…the nightmares of humans…full of supernatural creatures and fantastic images induced by the pain of the poison spreading through him. It was almost as if Jacob was going through a vision quest. Interspersed within his delusions of vampires and werewolves were many spiritual stories…versions of the Native American's interpretations of the bible stories we'd seen in Father Paul's beautiful stain glass. The serpent twisted sensuously in Adam and Eve's tree, slithering down to encircle a single blood red apple on a tree limb, fluttering its tongue at Eve provocatively. Beautiful Lucifer fell from the sky to Earth to take up residence in a fiery hell. In Jacob's dreams, Lucifer became the seducer of women, much like the incubus of our kind. A certain black haired vampire appeared in the shadows of Volterra, his blood red eyes glowing at us as if he watched us even still.

And I chuckled to see Vladimir and Stefan, living again through Jacob's vivid imagination. They played cards in the castle hidden in the Transylvanian mountains. Situated in the feminine room that Brianna now occupied, they played of all things Go Fish as Jonah rode in the whale's mouth around them…the floor of the room a calm deep blue sea. Perched in chairs that magically rode calmly in the waves, Stefan asked Vladimir for an "Old Maid." Vladimir cackled in glee and told Stefan to "Go Fish."

I described in detail to Bella the visions that passed through Jacob's mind. She grinned at the vividness of Jacob's imagination. "I told you he knew lots of Bible stories," she said, taking me back to the time that she, with Jacob's help, had convinced me of my soul.

"Okay, I'm beginning to believe you on that count."

The night continued on, and he became more and more incoherent, mumbling incomplete sentences in between his moans of pain. I wished, as his fever climbed even higher, that I could put him in a tub to cool him completely. The open wound kept me from utilizing that method, but another idea quickly took root.

"Bella, can you wiggle away from Ness without waking her?"

"I think so."

"Come help me with Jacob then, please."

She moved slowly, lowering Nessie to the pillow. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to get behind Jacob, and hold him. I need you to lie on top of him, to help cool him down."

She snorted. "You're kidding me, right?"

I looked up to catch her astounded look and then realized just what had brought it on.

"Isabella Cullen…would you like to hear just how many women have dreamed of being offered the opportunity to be involved in a threesome with Jacob and me? And here you hesitate at the idea…" I trailed off, teasing her.

She rolled her eyes but then gave back as good as I gave. "Well, if I'd known you were game for the idea, Edward, just imagine all the trouble we could have avoided." She bit her lip raising her eyes at me.

"Touché, Love…" I said chuckling. Yeah…NOT.

I pulled Jacob's sweating body between my arms, his back to my chest, and Bella placed her back to his chest.

"Man, he's burning up," she said immediately. "It is like having an open flame against my skin."

"It is, but I think this is the best opportunity we have to bring down his body temperature. I'll make sure to assign Rosalie and Alice next."

She giggled seeing the visual. "Nah…make it Emmett and Jasper. Can you imagine Jacob waking up to that?"

It was my turn to snort.

"Gotta protect him…" Jacob mumbled out.

"What's he seeing?" she asked. "What battlefield? What threat? Who is getting hurt?" She'd immediately imagined the worst.

I started laughing softly. "He's dreaming of all the women after William when he grows up. Jacob is literally beating them off with a stick."

Bella started laughing then, and it startled Nessie a little. In her roused state, her hand crept around searching for Jacob. She scooted instinctually toward him. In an effort to keep her from snuggling up to him, I placed his hot hand in hers, and she immediately settled down.

Our body temperature helped him to settle and between the dose of morphine I gave him and the comfort provided by Bella and me, he slipped into a restful sleep. We knew this when the snoring started.

"Great…" she noted, with a longsuffering tone.

"I have to admit that I much more enjoyed you talking in your sleep." I heard the soft sounds about the same time as I heard their thoughts. "The babies are coming," I told her just before the door creaked open and they peeked around the corner.

"C'mon," Bella said patting the bed beside Nessie.

Sorry, they just kept waking up asking about Jacob. Emmett admitted and then turned to go to his and Rose's room as soon as the door closed behind them. I was somewhat surprised that he did not crack a joke about the three of us cuddled together.

William and Stefanie quickly made their way to their mother, and as if on instinct, she rolled to her back so that they could lay with their heads on her arms, curling around her sides.

"Love you, Nonno and Nonna," they murmured, asleep almost as soon as the words were out.

"Well, we're almost complete now," Bella noted.

"I'm leaving if Seth comes," I informed her quickly.

As the morning broke over the horizon, I felt the change in Jacob's body. The fever was slightly down, his pulse slowing, and his breaths coming in easier cadences. His body was beginning the healing process, thanks to the resilience that the wolf gene gave it. He was going to be fine. Sick for a few days, but fine…just as Alice had said. I was betting he would be awake soon. I was happy that I was given the incredible gift of this knowledge.

"He's going to be fine, Love," I said simply.

"Thank God," she said, just as simply, joining our hands together to her side.

I squeezed it gently. "I love you, Bella Cullen. Any hope I can convince you to come to Florence with me? I have this lair of iniquity that was generously provided by a woman who loves me. We'll be by ourselves except the guards that insist on coming…all day…with nothing to do…" I left off suggestively.

"Hmm…" she murmured. "What are you offering up for entertainment during the day?"

A vision of the card game Vladimir and Stefan had been playing in Jacob's pain induced delusions ran through my mind. "Cards?" I proposed in a falsely serious voice.

"Strip poker, and it's a deal," she teased back. "And you can't lose on purpose," she added.

"Now why would I do that?" I grinned.

"Because you like what I do to your naked body," she retorted.

"Oh God…throw some more venom on my wound," Jake's sleep hoarse voice added. "The visuals are just too much," he grunted.

"DADDY!" the twins woke instantly beside us upon hearing his voice. Nessie woke right afterward.

What ensued was a morning of Jacob pampering extraordinaire. Even Demetri joined in once he returned, but his wit wouldn't allow it to remain all roses.

"Damn, Jacob. You need a bath," he said, elegantly wrinkling his nose when Esme took the twins to eat. "Since it's common knowledge that Edward and Bella were shacking up with and manhandling you last night, I'll go get your sponge bath ready for your paramours."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Jacob arched his eyebrow at the tracker. "Are you jealous? Is this really about the fact that I didn't choose you?"

Heidi snorted at the horrified look on her mate's face. He quickly recovered though and dramatically grabbed at his chest. "You're breaking my heart, Jacob."

Seth snorted. "You know what they say about the vampire who died of a broken heart, right?"

We all remained completely silent; knowing that any response would only encourage Seth's bad jokes.

"Huh? Huh?" he said, clearly onto us, looking around the room for any victim.

Stefanie, of course, smiled at the love of her life. "That one is easy, Seth. He died in vein."

"Brilliant!" he grinned at her and then we groaned as we could literally see the wheels begin to turn in his mind.

Would love to know what you think?

To my wonderful betas, who worked through this chapter with me in so many ways:

Cold One Paul: An amazing pre-reader and editor. He reminds me constantly of things I've said or used in Harvest Moon. He made me realize I really need to go back and read my own story! Can I say how good it is that you decided to help me out? We won't even go into the fact that I think you know my story better than I do.

His ingenuity included the leech comments – I can't say just how funny I thought them to be.

Crmcneill: Not only does he manage a red pen and the English language with the proficiency of an anal retentive autistic, he also manages to drive me half mad by shooting gaping factual wounds in the story lines I want to write. After I calm down from wanting to strangle him, we usually end up doing things his way, and the story is much better for it. Master…may I please have another…

OF COURSE – he would remember that poor little Nessie bit Jacob…often. I'll leave it at that!