Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except for my own little plot line and any characters you may not recognize. Everything else is property of the genius Stephenie Meyer.

A/N: I'm not even going to explain why this hasn't been updated in so long. If you must know, there is an author's note posted on my LiveJournal page. Again, remember that I do post sneak peeks on my LJ, so friend me on there if you want to stay in tune with what's going on with "Secret Prophecies" and any of my other stories.

Also, big thanks to my beta, twi-ction, for looking this over. Enjoy!

Chapter 23: A Plan in Motion

Edward's POV:

Questions permeated the air, swimming through my mind, as everyone stared at Bella in silence. Given Marcus' power, I knew this threat would rear its ugly head sooner or later. I had just hoped for much later than this.

Bella sighed softly, a break in the continual buzz of thoughts in my mind. I turned to her, gently hugging her body to mine. Though strands of sunshine hair fell over her shoulders, she was still my girl. She was still my Bella. Her face still turned that familiar shade of red and when I held her closer, her heart still beat its familiar rapid tune deep within her chest. No mere trickery of appearance could faze me from the truth of who she was. Even when she hid her identity from me, I was drawn to her. Like a moth to a flame, I would follow her wherever she would go.

Amidst the silence, she nervously bit her lip, her eyes dancing across each member of my family. Bella's concern of Marcus' gifts left many questions on everyone's mind, but it wasn't the only thing they were curious about.

"You are scary as hell, do you know that?," Emmett spoke up, a sly grin spreading across his face.

I smirked as Bella turned to him, eyes wide. "What?"

"What do you mean, 'what?'" he mocked, walking up to stand in front of us. "All this time we were so concerned over you because you were still human and fragile. But now look at you, Bella. You just kicked Jane's ass not that long ago. And while that was more than thrilling to watch, I warned the family about you becoming immortal."

"No you didn't," I said, searching my memory for any sign that Emmett may have said something useful on the subject of Bella's immortal life other than, "Hell yeah! Edward can finally stop brooding and get laid."

He turned to me, a spark of laughter in his eyes. "Oh yes, I did."

"It's always the quiet ones," Jasper said, winking at Bella as he did so.

Emmett pointed behind him at our brother. "Exactly. I told Jasper to look out for her if she ever became one of us. She's a quiet one, man. And look what she just did! Fucking flipped a shit on an ancient vampire who was a pain in all of our pasty asses for years!"

Finally, he turned to Bella who stared at him like a deer in headlights.

"You are my hero, by the way."

Rosalie scoffed and smacked him on the back of his head. "You are such a moron. Not that I don't appreciate what Bella did, but we have more important things to talk about."

Slinging his arm around Rosalie's shoulders, Emmett backed away from us, his gaze still on Bella. "I'm your biggest fan," he mouthed.

Carlisle quietly chuckled but turned the conversation to a more important topic. The features of his face grew more stoic and his eyes seemed deeply saddened. Glimpses of he and "Marie" in an elevator flashed through his mind.

"Bella," he said, glancing toward her. "I should have known it was you the moment we spoke in the elevator. The emotion you held for me and my family was strong and at that time, I didn't understand why. But I want you to know that I meant every word. You are a daughter to me as you are one to Esme. All of us consider you as part of the family. Both Jasper and Edward have explained to us that you've had to leave Charlie and Renee for good. While I can't imagine the pain you must be going through, I want you to know that no matter what, you have a family here. We'll be here to help you, no matter the cost."

Alice bounced a little on her feet as she smiled brightly at Bella. Her excitement and joy could hardly be contained in someone so small.

A quiet sniffle came from my side and I looked down at Bella as she quickly tried to wipe away a stray tear. Before I could comfort her though, Alice raced over to her, throwing her petite arms around Bella's frame.

"How can you take me in?" Bella choked out, her voice muffled against Alice's shoulder. "How can you treat me so fairly after everything I've caused you?"

I turned to the two of them, rubbing soothing circles across Bella's back. "Because we love you, Bella. And besides, I think I did my fair share of you causing you pain."

She shot me a disapproving look, but didn't disagree with my words.

"Bella, nothing that you have done could make us resent you or turn you away," Esme told her quietly. "If anything, you've saved us all, time and again. You brought back a little bit of life to this family. You made my son feel love and happiness, and for that I will be eternally grateful to you. If anyone is to blame, it is us. We left you too, you know. It pained all of us to do it, but we knew that Edward wanted to protect you."

"Which was really shitty of him, by the way," Emmett grumbled.

I winced, knowing full well he spoke the truth, but Esme shot him a warning glare anyway. She walked over to Bella and Alice moved out of her way, a warm gleam in her amber eyes. "Bella, sweetheart, we love you. All of us have done things we're not proud of. We've all lied to each other in some way, and I say that we start fresh now. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other anymore. We should work together as a team and as a family."

Gently, she reached up to pull Bella into her embrace. "I can never replace your mother, Bella, but I have and will always love you as if you were one of my own."

The trembling that rippled through Bella's back as she silently cried in Esme's arms, ripped at my heart more than I cared to admit. It truly pained me to know how much us leaving her had hurt her. I honestly didn't think she would hold on for so long after we left. My hope was that she would move on and be with someone who was far better for her – someone who was human. But it seemed that I owed my own gratitude to these Treviaron members. Had they not found her, I'm sure Bella would have taken a turn for the worse. I had seen glimpses of her life before she became immortal. Her fragility was so disheartening that I could barely stomach the visions of her then. Alice would try not to see into Bella's life, but sometimes the pain Bella felt was so strong that the visions would come, regardless of whether I wanted them to or not. Not even Alice could try to block them from my mind.

"Bella," Esme murmured, still holding her tightly. "Why don't you tell us what happened? That is if you're ready, of course. Jasper and Edward have told us what they know, but it would mean even more to us if you relayed your own story."

It took a few minutes before Bella shook her head and slowly pulled away from Esme's embrace. While doing so, the buttery, golden strands of her hair slowly transformed into the rich, chocolately brown that I loved so much. Now, she was truly Bella in every way possible. The only difference that remained was the color of her eyes – a deep violet that outshone the dark mahogany that once resided there.

Tentatively, she interlaced her fingers with mine. I frowned, wondering why she felt timid in doing the action. It was as if she felt uncertain around me, and I didn't understand why.

Eventually, we all sat down and listened to her as she told us her story from the start to finish. I knew it all to begin with, but it was important that my family heard her tale from her own lips and not from Jasper or me.

When she was finished, a resounding silence overtook the room.

"I want you to understand something," she spoke quietly. "I never wanted to keep this from you. It nearly killed me to see Edward and Alice every day and not reveal who I truly was. And then that day when I came over to your house…" She swallowed hard, as if to keep her emotions at bay. Slowly, I traced circles over the smooth skin of her hand with my thumb, hoping to comfort her. Bella shut her eyes tightly for a single moment and then finally looked up at my family. The pain in her eyes was nearly palpable. "You probably shouldn't even know this much – and so soon. Given our circumstances, I've just put all of you in an extremely dangerous situation. If anything happens to one of you, I will never forgive myself."

Carlisle sighed softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Bella, you don't need to worry about us. I understand your concern, but I think I speak for all of us, when I say that I appreciate the fact that you chose to share your story. Your leader… Gabriel… how did he feel about you confiding in Jasper?"

Bella shrugged nonchalantly, her eyes never leaving Carlisle's intent gaze. "He didn't like it, not at first. But then he realized that he never gave me the chance to truly process everything that I had become. Had I not had Jasper to talk to, I would have surely gone insane. Gabriel knew that, so he eventually accepted it."

"Are the rest of your people here?" Rosalie asked.

"Some," Bella responded, though she felt unsure of her own answer. "At least, I think so. Gabriel told me there were spies here in Volterra, but I haven't seen them yet. I know that he and the rest of the Rigas family are supposed to meet with Jacob and the pack in San Gimignano. That's where I left Jacob alone a few days ago. He's there in case I needed to get away from… this," she said, waving her hand in the air. "I haven't even spoken to him since I arrived here."

Emmett looked thoughtful, a rare thing to behold, and I followed his gaze to the silver pendant around Bella's neck. "What's that do?" he asked.

She looked at him, confused for a moment, before picking up the necklace. "This? It doesn't do anything. It's just a symbol for my kind."

"What does it mean?" Esme questioned.

Bella traced the intricate design of the pendant as she spoke. "Both the snake and the torch are symbols of Hekate, the Goddess who we serve."

"Woah, you mean to tell me that the Greek Gods and all that mythological crap is real?" Emmett interjected. "Like Clash of the Titans?"

Laughing, Bella shook her head. "No… well, maybe not. I've never actually seen Hekate, but she's the one who watched over the dead and mystical creatures," she said. "At least that's what they teach us in school."

"It makes sense," I agreed. "Your kind was always a legend to us. It's like how humans have their ghost stories and folklore – your story meant the same way to our kind."

"I never actually thought you'd be real," Carlisle whispered in amazement. "I had overheard rumors of the Guardiani di Trevia when I stayed with the Volturi years and years ago, but I didn't want to let myself believe it."

"Well trust me, you'll be meeting a lot more of us soon," Bella told him, and in that moment I saw a light of excitement in Carlisle's eyes.

"I think it's cool," Alice said, a bright smile on her face. "I have a witch for a friend."

"I'm not a witch," Bella laughed.

"Well, Hekate was… is…" my sister said, correcting her words.

"Hekate is a Goddess," Emmett said, proud of his fact. "Get it right, Alice."

"Oh shut up."

Jasper soothingly rubbed his hand up and down Alice's arm as he hugged her to his side. "Well, Bella makes a mighty fine witch," he said, winking at her as his deep southern draw echoed around the room.

"I'm not a witch!" she finally yelled, exasperated.

I chuckled softly, placing a kiss to her temple. "Well, you've bewitched me," I whispered.

She looked up at me, amused. "I won't even begin to tell you how cheesy that line is, Edward Cullen."

"Yes, but you love it when I'm cheesy."

"That's because you never are," she smiled.

The light-heartedness with in the room slowly died as Bella informed us of her conversation with Aro prior to seeing us.

"I have to make a list of trainers for this army," she said. "I wish I could ask all of you to help, but the less I spend with you all in front of the Volturi, the better. However, there is one Cullen, or Hale to be more exact, who I've considered for this." Her eyes instantly focused on the only male Hale member of my family. "Jasper, would you be a trainer? You've had plenty of experience with this. Or at least, I think you have. Edward mentioned that you had been involved in some kind of vampire war ages ago."

"The Southern Vampire Wars," he told her, his expression solemn. Alice rubbed the top of his thigh gently, a knowing smile on her lips. "What have I decided, love?" he whispered.

She turned to Bella, a light beaming in her golden eyes. "He accepts."

Smiling, Bella released my hand and walked over to where Jasper sat. Instantly, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him to her. "Thank you," she breathed in his ear. "For everything."

It seemed that I, too, had a lot to thank my brother for. With his support, Bella would have been lost to me.

Jasper hugged her back tightly before slowly releasing her. "I'll do whatever I can to help you… ma'am," he grinned.

Bella sat back down by my side, feeling a little more relaxed and confident. Breathing in deeply, she squeezed my hand. "There's someone else I'm interested in, but need your opinions on."

We sat quietly, ready and willing to hear her thoughts. "I was debating on asking Laurent. I admit, I was surprised to see him here, but he seems to have become part of the Denali clan. And my question to you all is… do you trust him?"

One by one, we all shared an exchanging of worried glances. To be honest, I never trusted Laurent, but he had come to us to warn us about James. For that, I was thankful for, but whether he could be trusted in something like this? I wasn't so sure. The only reason he ratted out his companion was because it was of interest to him. He no longer wanted to be around James, and with him out of the picture; Laurent could do what he pleased. I wasn't so sure how my distant family could have changed his demeanor in the slightest. Even Eleazar didn't trust him.

"The fact that you're not speaking soon enough gives me my answer," Bella murmured, disappointed.

"It's not that we don't approve of him," I told her. "But he's only recently become a member of the Denali family. We haven't really had the chance to know him yet. I know that when he came to us after James decided to hunt you, he only did it to get rid of James. It wasn't because he was truly concerned for you, Bella. So, do I trust him? Not really. But then again, I don't honestly know the guy."

"You could ask Victoria," Jasper suggested. "If she's truly loyal to you, which I think she is, she'll give you her honest opinion."

That seemed to soothe her for the time being and she planned on asking Victoria first thing in the morning.

Eventually, night had fallen over the town of Volterra and I promised Bella that I would be up to see her soon. Before she left, she had pulled Emmett and Jasper aside. She knew I could hear them, but still she made sure to speak to them further away from me.

"Edward needs to feed… soon," she told them. "I've made sure that he can leave the grounds without getting into trouble, but it would make me feel a lot better if the both of you went with him. I've already told him that he needed to ask the two of you, but for my own sanity, I need to ask you as well. Would you do that for him?"

"Of course," Emmett said. "We won't let him screw up."

"Thanks for that," I called to him over my shoulder. I didn't need to look at him to know that my brother was grinning like a mad fool. He was going to eat this up and have an unnecessarily fun time doing it.

Hours later, I made my way to Bella's chambers, careful to not be seen by anyone. Her eyes were heavy as she let me in and she lazily made her way back to her bed. It didn't take me long to realize that she had been sleeping before. So, I was content to lie next to her for the remainder of the night, listening to the sound of her heart and the soft flutter of the night breeze sweeping throughout the room.

Her breath was quiet, issuing through her partly opened lips. The smooth lids of her eyes stayed motionless as sleep overtook her. Curves so delicate and soft made up the borders of her face, the valley of her cheeks, the slope of her neck. Wisps of her hair fluttered past her lips with each breath she took. She was beauty. She was grace. She was love.

She was Bella and she was mine.

I reached out, my hand hovering in the air just over her face as we lay side by side. Moving slowly, I traced every line that created the features of the beautiful creature before me. I could almost see the cells that thrived beneath her skin; that made her the angel she was. God must have created her, for nothing was as divine as this.

"I thought I had lost you," I whispered.

She stirred slightly, a soft moan drifting into the air. My throat clenched at the emotion that suddenly overwhelmed me. How could a world ever thrive without someone like her in it? Bella captured everything within me that I strived to be every day. I wasn't a monster, but a man. I wasn't a killer, but a savior. I wasn't soulless, but filled with life. She made me who I never thought I could be. My redemption was through loving her. And I did love her, unconditionally.

The quiet lub dub of her heart was music to my ears. I didn't thirst for her blood any longer. I only hungered for the sweet cadence of its sound, for it calmed me in ways that nothing could in over a century of time. Her heart's notes and chords made up a symphony of music that replayed in my mind. I memorized it; let it soak into every fiber of my being. Her soul was my soul. Her heart was my heart. I lived because of her.

Slowly, I lay down against her with the side of my face resting over her chest. Her heart sang to me and I breathed in a deep sigh of relief as I held her closer. I could never do anything but love this wonderful being beneath me. And I would love her… forever.