Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and added this story and/or me as an author to their alert subscriptions.

A/N2: I had three chapters written in my notebook, I just hadn't typed it up yet. My notebook fell on the floor and I left it because I'm lazy. My cat decided to throw up on it, and not the chunky kind that you can wipe off, but liquid that went straight through my entire notebook and ruined everything. I'm sorry for grossing anyone out, but that's one of the reasons it's taking so long to get more up because I've been procrastinating rewriting it.

Peter's POV

I don't know what to do. It's like Bella's blood is absorbing my venom. Luckily it healed her, but that's all it did besides seemingly putting her to sleep. I can tell she's not changing and I can tell the venom's not moving through her, it's like it's disappearing. At least it seems to be a peaceful sleep. If I didn't hear her heartbeat and breathing, I'd think she was dead. She hasn't moved a muscle except it seems when I'm upset or stressed. Then she whimpers and whines until I can calm myself down. She won't wake up at all. I decided that maybe the Volturi would have the answer.

I decided the easiest thing would be to put my truck onto a ferry because that way I could say she got seasick and that motion sickness pills or whatever it is that humans take knocked her out. Plus it would deter people from talking to us if we stayed in my truck, not to mention I wouldn't have to worry about her while I rented, bought, or stole a vehicle once we got overseas. Not only that, but I wouldn't have to worry about the modifications for dark tinted windows since my truck had them anyway.

We drove off the ferry and into Italy. I spoke to Bella the whole time just in case she could hear me. I didn't want her to think she was alone. Part of me hopes she can hear me and it gives her comfort and the other part hopes she's in a deep enough sleep that she won't notice because I'm gonna have to hunt before we get into Volturra.

I situated Bella so it looked like she was just sleeping with a pillow I bought her earlier behind her head. I locked the doors and hid the truck just in case while I went hunting. I overindulged until I felt sloshy and I'd puke if I had even a tiny sip more because once we get to Volturra there was no way I was leaving her side until she woke up.

I got back to the truck and it looked like she hadn't moved a muscle, and if she had, then she moved back to the exact same position she was in when I left. I drove into Volturra and put my truck somewhere it wouldn't be in the way, and also it wouldn't get towed. I picked Bella up in my arms and placed her head on my shoulder so it looked like she was just sleeping and hopefully not like she was drugged and I was her kidnapper.

I entered into the Volturi castle stopping by the receptionist. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked me batting her eyelashes as if the girl in my arms was just a formality.

"I don't, but if you could tell the kings or Jane and Alec that the Captain and his mate are here, I guarantee they'll want to see us." I told her politely as I could especially since it's been six days since Bella's been awake and it doesn't look like she will be anytime soon.

"Give me a moment to call and see if you're as important as you seem to think you are." she told me.

"Whatever." I sat down in the lobby chairs with Bella on my lap. Gianna spoke on the phone in Italian, a language I never bothered to learn so I had no clue what was being said on either side.

"Demetri will be out with you in a moment."

"I asked for either the kings or Jane and Alec." I repeated thinking maybe she'd forgotten since she was too busy trying to undress me with her eyes. I shudder in disgust just thinking about it.

"First of all," she started with attitude, "nobody demands to see the kings and secondly Jane and Alec are with the kings and I know you're not important enough to interrupt them because neither Demetri nor I have heard of you."

"You think mighty highly of yourself for somebody who still has the possibility of ending up being food. Have you heard of every vampire that's come through that door? Are you told whose important and whose not? Have you ever heard of Major Jasper Whitlock from the Southern Vampire Wars? I was second in command for over half a century."

"I don't know every vampire that's come through that door, but all of them have appointments. I know the vampires who are at least a little important because once they go in, they also come back out. As for the Southern Vampire Wars, if you are indeed the Captain, then you're not as important so much as a criminal." She said while rolling her eyes and then trying to stare me down.

"If I were considered a criminal by the kings, would I be stupid enough to show up wanting an audience with them?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm not sure if you're that stupid or not. I do know that Demetri's never heard of you either and he knows most vampires. For now I'm more inclined to believe him than you."

"I guess I can understand that." I grudgingly accepted. It made me less inclined to want to kill her. Not that I would really ever do it. That's a good way of getting on the kings bad side for sure.

Just then Demetri came out. I've never met him, but I've heard enough stories about his arrogance and distaste for those he considers below him. You could just tell by the face he made seeing me and the beauty in my arms that he though he was worlds above us and that we weren't worth his time. He sneered at me and then made of face of disgust at my mate. I could barely hold back a growl that wanted to come out, but I knew he was baiting me; he was wanting me to attack so he'd have an excuse to give the kings to either not see me or to end my existence. I took a deep breath of my mate's scent to calm me down before following after him. The entire journey he made disparaging remarks about me and Bella.

"Wait here while I talk with the kings to see if you and your blood bag are worth their time." he opened the door to a nondescript empty room with one wooden high backed chair directly in the center. There was no other furniture, not anything on the walls, nor carpet on the floor. I sat down and arranged Bella on my lap as comfortably as I possibly could. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I put my face in Bella's hair so that on every inhale of my breath I'd get her scent. I wanted to rip apart Demetri for calling her a blood bag.

We waited for six hours before someone came and got us. It was probably a good thing there was nothing else in that room because otherwise I probably would have destroyed everything in my path that I possibly could have. Time is meaningless to vampires unless their mates are in a vulnerable state such as mine is. Demetri came in and stated that the kings wanted to see us so I got up and followed him. He made more than a few more comments about the both of us. He opened the door and walked in telling me to wait outside the room.

"I told you this is a waste of your valuable time, Masters. As you will see it's just a poor excuse for a vampire and his blood bag which seems to be damaged." I couldn't stop the growl that came out when he said my mate was damaged. I slammed the door open, set Bella down carefully, and then had Demetri by the throat against the wall before even half a second had past.

"I didn't do anything when you insulted us before. You can insult me as much as you want, I don't care; I didn't do anything when you said she was a blood bag because I know that's how you see all humans instead of as people, but I will not stand here and let you call my mate, the love of my life, damaged. She's perfection. You don't get to say anything about her, you don't get to look at her. If you get withing a hundred feet of the vicinity she's in, I'm going to rip you apart into so many pieces you'll look like a jigsaw puzzle. You understand?" He scoffed as if the very idea was absurd even though I was in the position to tear his head off. "I said 'do you understand me'?" I asked more forcefully causing cracks to appear in his skin. He nodded as best he could so I dropped him, ran over to Bella, picked her up, and went in front of the kings bowing my head in respect and waiting until I was acknowledged before I moved.

"Captain, what a lovely surprise." Aro said jovially as if I didn't just threaten a member of the guard. "Why didn't you let us know you were coming? We could have had rooms prepared for you. Or at least told Gianna to let us know you were here? We wouldn't have made you wait nearly as long.

"I'm begging your pardon at my intrusion, if I may ask for a couple of favors before I tell you?" I asked politely.

"Who do you think you are asking for favors, boy? Say what you need to say, you're lucky we even let you in our presence." Caius snarled at me. I pulled Bella protectively closer to me in case he started to attack.

"Calm yourself, brother. This is Captain Weston formally Whitlock of the Southern Vampire Wars. He's the one who got Marcus out of the castle by requesting to have his mating confirmed and a mating ceremony performed. He's the one I've been telling you about, whose mate has been giving the Cullen Coven what they deserve for thinking they're above our laws." Aro said.

"You mean..."

"I do."

"I apologize Captain. What were the favors you were wanting?" Caius asked much more calmly.

"I was wondering if I could have a chair to sit in. Not for me, but for my mate, I'm not sure how much she can feel or is aware of, but I'd like her to be as comfortable as possible." I said.

"Of course, how inhospitable of me." Aro said, "Demetri, go fetch a cushioned chair and bring it here at once." Demetri bowed and left coming back with the most uncomfortable looking cushioned chair. I wanted to snarl at him, but he technically got exactly what was asked for. I sighed and was going to go sit in the chair and pull Bella to me again when Marcus surprised me.

"This is unacceptable. Here let me." and then he proceeded to move his throne to right next to the other chair and motioned for me to put Bella on it. It clearly surprised everyone in the room if the gasps I heard were anything to go by. I don't think the thrones have been moved for anything besides being reupholstered since they've first been set in those positions. I arranged Bella on the throne and thanked Marcus profusely for his generosity. It's especially shocking since no one else is ever allowed on the thrones including the wives. "What was the other favor you wanted to ask of us?" he asked me.

"Would you please send Demetri from the room? You can bring in as many guard as you want to make up for it as a replacement. He's repeatedly insulted my mate and I didn't even attack him until he said she was damaged. I'm afraid if he stays, I'll be unable to stop myself from killing him. I'm asking for his removal from the room for his safety and my sanity." Demetri scoffed and crossed his arms in defiance obviously thinking it was a ridiculous request which the kings would deny.

"You make a valid point my friend. Demetri, leave us and send in Felix." Aro ordered.

"You can't be serious!" Demetri said sounding like a whining brat.

"Are you questioning us, boy?" Cauis asked dangerously menacing sounding.

"No! I would never."

"Then get a move on. Don't make me tell you again." Demetri ran out of the room like his tail was on fire. Felix entered the room at a leisurely pace and stood in position.

"First, this visit wasn't exactly planned which is why I didn't call to tell you I was coming earlier. I didn't know what else to do, and I figured if anybody could help her, then it would be you. Secondly, I did ask your secretary to tell you or Jane and Alec the Captain was here. She said that nobody demanded to see the kings especially without an appointment. She said Jane and Alec were in here with you and so not to be disturbed. She called Demetri and since he'd never heard of me, I mustn't have been important enough to interrupt you. I understood her position so I waited for Demetri. He finally showed up and then led us to the sentencing room where he continuously insulted me and my mate. I think I kept it together rather well all things considered. I didn't even attack him until he called my mate damaged. Believe me there were quite a few close calls. We were waiting in there for six hours, which I would have had no problems waiting if I wasn't so worried about my mate."

"We'll deal with that later. For right now, tell me what seems to be the trouble." Aro asked me. I then proceeded to tell and explain everything from the first moment I heard of her all the way to this very moment including her being The Protector. "How long has she been out?"

"It's been six days seventeen hours and twenty-two minutes since she last opened her eyes. The only time she's made any noise has been when I've been angry and/or upset, otherwise I haven't heard a peep out of her. I'm pretty surprised she didn't make a noise when I was attacking Demetri, but I'm glad that at least didn't seem to distress her.

We figured that once we started the change, it would only take roughly eighteen hours or so for her to become a full vampire. I bit her and pushed my venom; it healed her open wounds, but then it seems as if her bloodstream absorbed the venom instead of kick-starting the change. I don't know what to do." I told them. Aro came forward and held out his hand so that he could see what I was talking about first hand.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to help Isabella? It seems her bloodstream did absorb the Captain's venom instead of fighting it. It is amazing, she can even best Major Whitlock already and she's still mostly human. It seems she's been exposed to multiple threads of venom on a daily basis."

"I have a couple of theories," Marcus spoke up. Aro waved his hand in a 'continue on' gesture, "You said she's been exposed to multiple threads of venom on a daily basis. What if she's become immune to having just one thread of it in her system? My first suggestion would be to have more than one vampire inject their venom into her system at the same time and see if that jump-starts the transformation." he touched his hand to Aro's briefly so he could see what he was talking about.

"That's an interesting idea. What do you think, Peter? Are you wanting to try it?" Aro asked me. I thought about it long and hard. On the one hand I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to let anyone else bite her, but on the other hand I didn't know what else to do. The only thing I could be grateful for was the fact there was no way anyone would accidentally drain her dry. Her blood tasted disgusting. It was like the best tasting blood you could ever imagine mixed with the strongest and bitterest venom one could imagine. The venom taste was stronger and had a long lasting aftertaste. It's not like I have anything left to lose.

"Who's going to be willing to help me?" I asked because I most certainly going to be a contributing factor in her change.

"I'm willing to do it. I find her fascinating and can't wait until I'm able to speak to her again." Aro said excitedly.

"How many different people should bite her?" I asked not exactly sure of the plan especially since my gift wasn't giving me anything.

"I think Marcus's thought of six sounds about right. One on either side of her neck, one of each arm, and one on each leg. We'll all bite down and push out venom at exactly the same moment."

"Who will we get to do this? I'm sure you understand that I'd rather not have Demetri be apart of this process." I said trying to be polite without actually saying that I would not let Demetri go anywhere near her especially with his mouth and teeth.

"Yes, I could see where that could be a problem. Brothers, what do you think?"

"I think it would be unwise to further distress the Captain concerning his mate. I would be willing to be one of the one's to change her putting the numbers up to three so far." Marcus stated, much to my surprise.

"I too will help bringing the number up to four." Cauis said, I think shocking all of us.

"Masters, if we may..." Alec started. Aro nodded for him to continue. Jane continued where he left off.

"She's obviously special with how she's going to have all three masters as well as the Captain to be part of her change. We'd be honored to be your fifth and sixth in numbers if such a thing is agreeable to you." Both bowed their heads as they awaited the verdict. I nodded my head when the brothers looked over at me to see what I thought of that. Jane and Alec were seriously loyal to the kings whom saved them. So I knew they wouldn't try anything.

"Felix, go prepare a room for Isabella and the Captain for her change. Make sure there's nothing breakable in it, but still comfortable for both, understand?" Aro commanded.

"Yes Master." Felix responded and ran to do his bidding.

When Felix came back he led us to the room. It was very spacious and comfortable looking and had a bed big enough to hold fifteen people comfortably as well as a single bed which we put her on so we could all reach her without joining her on the bed. Felix was instructed to stand guard outside the door.

We all took our places around her and bit her pushing as much venom as possible on Aro's count of three. We all licked the wounds we made closed and then stepped back to see what would happen. I was about to give up and suggest we try something else when since there'd been no change in fifteen minutes when what must have been the different threads of venom meet and I guess started to work together instead of against each other and fighting her body in a sure sign that the venom was going to change her.

I would have cried in relief had I been able. I was so worried when it took so long to work. I've never wished for something so desperately in my life. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I kept repeating over and over again as I picked her up and cuddled with her on the large bed. I didn't know who exactly I was thanking, whether it was fate, venom, the brothers along with Jane and Alec, God, or all of the above, but I was definitely thankful it worked and she'd be conscience and up again soon. It didn't even matter if she woke up as a bloodthirsty monster as most newborns do. We'd get through it. The kings and Jane and Alec all left without saying a word closing the door behind them.

Read and Review please. What did you think? Was it worth the rewrite? Let me know.