Code of Silence

"There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak
There's a wall between and the river's deep
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on

Is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see
that it ain't enough baby
To bridge the distance between you and me
There's a list of grievance 100 miles long
There's a code of silence and it can't go on

Well you walk with your eyes open
But your lips they remain sealed
While the promises we made are broken
Beneath the truth we fear to reveal
Now I need to know now darlin'
I need to know what's goin' on so c'mon…"

Code of Silence, by Bruce Springsteen; off The Essential Bruce Springsteen, 2003

Bella stared at the clock, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Aro would be by any minute to speak with her. She already made a decision, not that she was given a lot of options.

She could either stay with Aro and let Edward go, or try to run and put them both in danger. There really was only one choice.

At exactly six o'clock in the evening, the door to the hotel room unlocked with a beep, and Aro strode in confidently, looking at Bella expectantly.

"I want you to let Alice go," Bella said in lieu of a greeting.

"No," Aro answered, with finality.

"I'll do whatever you want, as long as you let Alice go," Bella tried again.

"That is simply not an option."

"Bella, stop," Alice interjected. "I want to stay."

"What? Why?" Bella asked in shock.

"Because if I leave, I'll die," she whispered, hoping Aro wouldn't hear. "I've seen it."

"Alice, you can't honestly believe…"

"I do," she interrupted. "I'm staying."

Aro cleared his throat from the doorway.

Bella snapped her eyes back to Aro. She was irritated with Alice's refusal, and continued with her request. "If you don't let Alice go, I won't do it."

"May I speak to you in the hallway please, Isabella?" Aro asked shortly.

Bella knew that his polite request was really a demand, so she complied. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Bella looked to her only means of escape, but the path to the elevator was being blocked by Demetri, and the stairs by Afton. Of course.

"Isabella, I was trying to be diplomatic and give you the illusion that you were being given a choice, but you're not. You will do this for me. I will keep my word and leave Edward alone, but Alice stays here."

"And if I refuse?" Bella challenged.

"Then this will end badly for everyone involved," Aro hissed in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Starting with your new little friend in there."

Bella trembled at the venom in his voice, not doubting for a moment he would follow through on his threats. "What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing just yet. We need to let your face heal a bit before we send you out in public looking like that. You look like shit. Get back inside," he ordered, as if a father scolding a teenage daughter.

Feeling defeated, Bella reluctantly complied.

As Aro watched her enter the room again, he barked out to his nephew, "Get the whole family together, tonight. We might have a change in plans."

A family dinner at Aro Volturi's house was no small affair. On very short notice, his wife, Sulpicia, along with her sister-in-law, Athenodora, prepared an Italian meal large enough to feed an army.

Athenodora was Caius' wife, and their son was Demetri, who was also present. Heidi, Chelsea, and Afton were there as well. Marcus, a terminal bachelor after his wife Didyme passed years ago, was also in attendance.

When the family finished passing the food around, Aro cleared his throat from the head of the table. His voice commanded authority, and everyone turned to listen.

"I just wanted to say that it's so lovely to have my entire family here tonight," Aro started, taking a sip of his wine. "We simply do not do this often enough. Now that we're all in one city again, I insist we make it a weekly tradition.

"Tonight, we have something important to discuss. Our family has done a remarkable job thus far in Atlantic City, taking control of four large casinos in just a matter of months. We are in a position to exert enormous influence over the city, and I thank each one of you for your assistance in that matter.

"However, we've reached a stumbling block. I fear that I've made two significant mistakes- Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan."

"The stumbling block came when you decided to kidnap people who didn't want to be involved," Chelsea snapped, unable to remain silent any longer. "I told you that was fucking stupid. Everything was going fine until you decided to involve Cullen. I don't know how you're going to get yourself out of this one, father."

Sulpicia dropped her fork, which clattered loudly on her dinner plate. "Kidnapping?" she exclaimed. "Aro, what is she talking about?"

"Your husband took two girls, Cullen's sister and girlfriend, against their will. He's holding them in a hotel room over at The Marina. He thinks they can be useful to his cause. The problem is, they don't want to help, and Edward and his cronies will stop at nothing to find them. They've been sniffing around all over the place. They'll be found eventually, and then there will be no way out of this. The whole family will be implicated if this ends badly."

"Aro, is that true?" Sulpicia asked in horror.

"It was short-sighted, I admit," Aro said with a pointed glare at Chelsea. "Which is why I called this family meeting. Eclipse was the next casino on my agenda to purchase. I planned to use Isabella to pose as a casino patron, to gain information about the casino's general functioning, something she has a natural talent for. However, it appears that she won't cooperate. If I simply let her go, she'll go to the police, and our whole plan will be for nothing. There are too many people looking for her to simply eliminate her. We need an alternate plan."

Sulpicia's mouth dropped open. "By 'eliminate' you mean…"

"Darling, I think you know exactly what I mean," Aro said in a bored tone. Sulpicia threw her napkin down on her mostly untouched plate, and stormed out of the room. Aro continued as if nothing happened.

"You could always set her up," Demetri suggested, ignoring Sulpicia's departure from the table. "Plan something big, and let her take the fall for it."

"That's perfect!" Heidi interjected. "Think about it. She's got those journals, full of data about different casinos. Her history proves that she's been ripping off casinos for years. If you plan something big, like a heist, you can frame her for it. All the evidence of her past will support that she was the one behind it."

Chelsea rolled her eyes at her sister. "A heist? Really? You've been watching too many damn movies."

Aro was thoughtful for a moment, ignoring Chelsea's objection. "That could work. We'll go with the original plan. Bella will be visiting Eclipse, but she won't be alone. Demetri, you'll need to keep an eye on her. Make sure that she's as visible as possible. We'll want video evidence that she was scouting the casino for at least a week. That should make it more believable. Afton, Chelsea, you'll help me devise a plan."

"You're actually planning to rob a casino?" Chelsea asked. "Are you out of your mind. That will never work!"

"It doesn't have to. That's the beauty of it. We just need to set it up to make it look like Swan was planning one. As Heidi said, given her history, nobody will believe that she wasn't behind it."

"No," Chelsea said with finality.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no. I won't get in your way, but I won't help you either. Afton and I are out."

Aro looked at Afton expectantly, who was torn between his wife and father-in-law. "I guess she speaks for both of us. I'm out too. This plan is crazy."

"I hope you realize the repercussions of your actions, Chelsea. Our family sticks together."

"Not through this," Chelsea sighed. "Not anymore. We're leaving tonight. Good luck, father." She rose and walked out of Aro's house, not giving him a second glance.

"Edward, I've seriously had enough. It's been a week. Get your ass up and take a shower."

Edward opened his eyes and winced against the light and the shrill voice disturbing his nap. He glared at Rosalie, who stood towering over him, arms crossed, tapping her foot.

It had been a week. A week of silence. The police said they were still looking, but he'd heard nothing. After three days of hope, Edward gave up, drowning his sorrows in liquor and sleep. It was hard for him to recall the last time he showered or ate, or even left Emmett's couch, save to use the bathroom.

"Emmett's out with Kate now," Rosalie continued. "Don't you want to hear what she has to say?"

"If she found something, I would have heard about it," Edward groaned. "It's all fucking useless anyway. Everyone's been fucking useless."

"At least Emmett is out there doing something about it!" Rosalie snapped. "What have you done except lie there, drink yourself half to death, and take up oxygen?"

"It's Emmett's fucking fault she's gone!" Edward yelled, wincing at the sudden throbbing in his temple.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "You need to stop fucking blaming Emmett. You know as well as I do it isn't his fault."

Edward rolled over, facing away from her, refusing to acknowledge her. He knew she was right, but he refused to admit it aloud. It was easier to point fingers and be angry, then dwell on the unknown.

Of course he knew that this wasn't Emmett's fault. It was Aro's. Edward gave the cops all of the information he knew about Aro, but they were lacking evidence to even take him in for questioning. For everything that happened in the last few weeks, there was no proof of wrongdoing on Aro's part. They even asked Cheney about the buyout of the casinos, but he insisted he sold cheap because he wanted out. Everything seemed legit, and all the paperwork was in order.

And there was no sign of Alice and Bella.

"I called your mother," Rosalie continued. "She'll be here any minute. It would break her fucking heart to see you like this."

Edward snapped straight up, the thought of his mother arriving a sobering revelation. "What the hell do you mean, you called my mother?"

"I didn't stutter," Rosalie challenged. "Get your ass up."

What the fuck? Edward thought. He was still angry with both his parents, and he knew that Rosalie knew that. It had come up, more than once during the past week, during his drunken rants. "Why the hell would you call her? You know how I feel about her."

"Because obviously, nothing me or Emmett has done is working. You left me no choice. You need to make amends to the people who care about you. Besides, I'm hoping maybe she can smack some fucking sense into you. Now get your ass up and in the shower. You smell like a bar skank."

Edward glared at her as he got up and stumbled for the shower, grabbing a set of clothes from his duffle bag on the way. He showered and dressed, then glared at the image of himself in the mirror. He knew that Rosalie was right. He needed to stop blaming Emmett, and his parents. He knew it was just an excuse. Besides, the only other person he should be blaming besides Aro was the man staring back at him in the mirror.

True to Rosalie's words, his mother was waiting for him when he got out of the shower.

"Oh, Edward," she murmured, taking in the dark shadows under his eyes. "My poor baby."

"Mom," he greeted, his voice emotionless. "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend Rosalie called me. I was planning on coming to see you soon anyway, I just arranged for an earlier flight. She filled me in on everything. I'm so sorry about Bella, dear."

"I don't need you here," Edward groaned. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Esme commented. "You look like you haven't had a decent meal in weeks."

"Well, a decent meal isn't going to bring Alice and Bella back, is it?"

"Neither is your self destructive behavior, Edward," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"That's it," Edward growled, angry again. "Get out!"

Esme frowned, and Edward noticed the start of tears form in her eyes. "Edward, I'm taking Alice's disappearance as hard as you are. Please don't speak to me like that. I can't lose you too."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you brought her to that fucking place!"

"Edward, we should really talk about that. We've let this fester too long."

"Fine," Edward groaned, sitting across from her, tucking his knees to his chest defensively. "Talk."

"This… ongoing argument between you and your father needs to stop. Edward, I know that I've made a lot of mistakes when it came to raising you and your sister, but sending Alice to get help is not one of them."

"She wasn't sick!" Edward shouted.

"She was," Esme argued, brushing away her tears. "Edward, you were so busy with school, you didn't see the signs right in front of your face. I'm not talking about the visions she claimed to have. I'm talking about the depressive, destructive, behavior."

"What destructive behavior?" Edward asked. "She was always happy."

"She pretended to be happy when you were around because she didn't want to hurt you. Your sister has bipolar disorder. We tried to control it with medication, but it wasn't enough. She needed inpatient treatment. Edward, when you weren't around, she wasn't eating, she wasn't sleeping. She lashed out at everyone around her. She cried all the time. She wasn't well."

"Then why didn't you talk to me? Why didn't you tell me?"

"She didn't want us to. She was a grown woman, and we respected her decision."

"Why wouldn't she want me to know that she was hurting?" Edward asked, pained.

"Because she loved you too much. She idolized you, and she wanted you to continue to see her as a strong person. She didn't want to appear weak to you."

"You should have told me anyway. You should have let me visit her."

"I am sorry about that. Your father thought that if you were allowed to see her, you would keep trying to convince her she wasn't sick, and that it would impede her recovery. We thought we were acting in her best interest. We should have talked to you about that. For that, I truly am sorry. It was never our intention to shut you completely out of her life."

"Did you even tell her that I asked about her? That I was worried about her?"

"I didn't. I'm sorry."

"I don't even know where she is. I don't know what's happening to her. I don't even know if she's alive. But what is killing me, is that I never really got to speak to her before she disappeared. The last time I spoke to her, I told her I was coming to get her and never came. For all I know, she thinks I didn't give two shits about her. She doesn't even know I tried."

"We're doing what we can on our end," Esme continued. "Your father is finishing up a few things out in Vegas before he joins me out here. He's been in contact with the police and the hospital every day. And he's selling the casino."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows. "But owning a casino was his dream."

"Not like this. Your father isn't a bad man. Aro manipulated him and his family in the worst way possible. He feels terribly about all of this, really. He refuses to retain ownership in light of everything that's happened. Truly, I think he's doing the right thing."

"This is a lot to process," Edward admitted, after a few moments of silence.

"I understand," Esme said calmly. "I'll fix you and your friends some dinner. Take all the time you need. I do hope that we can get past this."

Edward had to admit that his mother spoke with nothing but compassion. He was still annoyed that Rosalie had called her, though. She had no right to stick her nose into their family's private business. But in a way, it helped. Her revelations about how sick Alice truly was hit home with him, and for the first time in a week, he started to lay blame on the one person he hadn't- himself.

The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his musings, and it took a minute to find it between the couch cushions. When he saw it was Emmett, he felt a twinge of remorse. He truly had treated Emmett badly the past few days, yet Emmett took it all in stride. Currently, Emmett was out doing what he could to find Bella and Alice, and Edward was doing nothing.

That changed today.

"Emmett, hey," Edward answered, feeling hopeful for the first time in days.

"Edward, we found Bella," Emmett said. "She's at Eclipse."

"What?" Edward asked, standing up excitedly. "That's great! Are you guys on the way back? Or should I come there?"

"No, there's a problem," Emmett said. "She won't come with us."

"What? What the hell do you mean? Fucking make her come with you!"

"You should come out here. We're not letting her out of our sight, but she claims that she wasn't kidnapped. She refuses to come with us, so we're watching her closely, looking for any sign of foul play. You need to get out here. Maybe seeing you will snap some sense into her."

Edward's heart was pounding out of his chest. His brain couldn't make sense of what he'd just been told.

"I'm on my way," he said in a strained voice.

"I need a break," Bella told Demetri shortly. "I'm heading to the coffee shop." Without waiting for a response, Bella took off towards the small shop near the front entrance of Eclipse. Demetri followed her dutifully. He was like a puppy. He hadn't left her side in almost three days.

After Bella's unfortunate conversation with Aro in the hallway of the hotel, true to his word, he didn't come back for three days. By then, her face had healed enough that the bruises faded to yellow and could easily be hid by concealer, though it was still visible under bright lights. After that, she went along with Aro's wishes, in fear for her own safety, but mostly, in fear of Alice's.

She decided that her only option was to go along with Aro's plan. If she ever saw Edward, she would try to convince him that she didn't want him anymore. She knew it was only a matter of time before she ran into him or someone else she knew from Volterra.

While she gained information for Aro, she was also seeking information for herself, trying to consider a plan of escape. Demetri was always with her when she was outside of the hotel room, and he was always armed. Like the cocky prick he was, he liked to remind her of that as much as possible.

The only useful information she was able to get from being allowed to leave the room was that she and Alice were being kept at The Marina, one of Aro's newly acquired casinos on the strip. Demetri picked her up around lunch every day, and they stayed, pretending to gamble, until the early hours of the morning.

She cursed internally when she saw Emmett sitting with his cousin in the coffee shop at Eclipse. "Turn around," she told Demetri, but it was too late. Emmett spotted her. The last thing she wanted was to get him involved.

"Bella!" he shouted across the loud shop, standing and sprinting to her. "You're okay! Come on, we'll get you out of here."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, feigning ignorance.

Emmett's brow furrowed in confusion. "Bella, you were taken. Come with me, and I'll take you home."

"Emmett, I wasn't taken. I left Edward. Leave it at that. Come on," she said, taking Demetri's arm to lead him away.

"Bella!" Emmett called after her.

"Leave it alone. I'm fine," Bella said with a prominent eye roll. "I got what I needed from Edward, and now I'm done with him. Tell him to stop looking for me. I'm fine."

She turned and with Demetri on her heel, leaving Emmett gaping behind her. She felt like she was going to be sick. She was a convincing liar, but what she had just shared with Emmett was the worst kind of lie she could have told- that she used Edward.

"We should get out of here," she told Demetri quietly as they hurried away.

"I'm not supposed to take you back just yet. Just stay here, act like nothing's wrong."

"Don't you get it?" Bella hissed. "If Emmett saw me, Edward won't be far behind. We need to get out of sight."

"Or, you can let Edward know you're not interested, just like Aro wants. Sit back down, play a few hands, and we'll wait for him. This is going to happen eventually, it might as well be today."

She sat down at the blackjack table, and played as if nothing was wrong. She didn't even bother counting cards, since Aro bankrolled her, and she didn't mind losing his money. In fact, she made a few stupid plays just because it felt good to watch his money get swept away by the dealer. Demetri, knowing very little about the game, didn't catch on to her dumping Aro's money. She knew the money wouldn't mean much to Aro; it was like pennies to him.

Only a few minutes passed before Edward came barreling towards the table she was sitting at with Demetri. "Let me color in please?" she asked the dealer sweetly, trying to maintain a straight face. Inside, she was trembling, hating herself for what she was about to do.

"Bella, what the fuck?" Edward asked frantically, as Bella took her chips and shoved them in her purse.

Demetri stood next to Bella, and wrapped his arm around her waist, underneath her jacket and loose shirt. Bella felt the cool steel of his pistol against the bare skin of her back and flinched. He was reminding her to behave, as if she needed another reminder.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Bella asked in annoyance.

"I'm here to take you home, where you belong. Let's go," he said, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her away from Demetri. Bella flinched as Demetri grabbed her tighter, the steel of his gun now pressing uncomfortably into her spine.

"Edward, let me go. I'm fine," she said, staring him directly in the eyes.

"What do you mean? You're clearly not fine. Who is this guy? Bella, talk to me."

"It's over, Edward. I've moved on. I really appreciate you giving me a place to stay for a while, but you didn't honestly think I'd stay forever did you?"

"What?" Edward asked in shock.

"Edward, you were there for me when I needed a place to crash, and I appreciate it. But I've moved on now. Just let me go."

"Bella?" he asked desperately, sadness clouding his eyes. Bella knew that in his fragile state, her words were hitting home.

"I'm sorry, Edward. It was nice being with you, but your world isn't for me. This is who I am. I'm happy here. Let it go." She turned to walk away, trying desperate to hide the agony in her face.

She took several steps, Demetri never releasing the hold on her waist, before she felt the electric tingle that signaled Edward was coming near. His hand grabbed her arm again, spinning her towards him.

"What happened to your face?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Bella said. She realized that she was currently standing under a bright light, and shifted her injured cheek away from Edward's gaze. The bruise would only be barely visible, but it was large enough to be noticed if someone was looking in the right light.

"Bullshit!" Edward screamed, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. "Who fucking hit you?"

"Edward, I'm not your problem anymore," Bella said desperately. "Leave me alone. I don't love you. I never did."

"You're lying. Someone hurt you. You're being manipulated. I'm not fucking stupid, Bella."

Bella saw Kate approach then, her hand on her hip, reaching for her weapon. Demetri's grip on her tightened, and Bella knew he saw as well.

Bella knew that nothing she could say was going to convince Edward she was with Demetri willingly, and for that she was only a little glad. Demetri's grip on her was almost painful, and Bella knew that Edward's accusations were only about to fuel the fire.

"Put your hands up where I can see them," Kate commanded, looking directly at Demetri, gun drawn.

Demetri made a show of moving to raise his hands above him, but instead pointed his already cocked pistol at Bella's head as he positioned her in front of him, using her as a shield.

Bella could plainly see the terror in Edward's eyes, as he stared on in horror, completely helpless.

"Lower your weapon," Kate commanded.

"You're alone," Demetri commented. "Your backup hasn't arrived just yet, has it? You don't have a clear shot. Drop your weapon and step away from it, or I will kill her."

Kate hesitated, then dropped her weapon with a shaking hand. The other patrons in the casino were watching the scene in shock, some dropped to the ground in fear, others running for the exit.

"Let's go, Isabella," Demetri commanded, starting to pull her towards a nearby exit.

Unsure as to what was about to happen, and terrified for her life, Bella shouted to Edward in desperation.

"Alice is at Eclipse, thirteen floor. Hurry!"

In an act of rage, Demetri came down hard on the back of Bella's head with the back of his gun. Then everything went black.

A/N- So in case anyone is confused, Aro is batshit insane. Enough said. What did you think?