Edit: UPDATED CHAPTER! NOW WITH VOLTURI SCENE!

Before we go on, I have something important to say.

I was reading through Breaking Dawn the other day, and it suddenly occurred to me: The Cullens already knew Garrett! DUH! So chapter 30 and chapter 32 have changed a bit, but not much. Just a few lines here and there. Nothing major.

Just so that you know :)

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34. CONSPICIOUS

"Bella, seriously," Emmett sighed, leaning over my back. "Haven't you memorized it? Can't you just read it inside while doing something else?" He seemed to think about what other activities I could be doing than reading my Wuthering Heights. From the expression Edward gave off, Emmett had already decided what he would suggest, and it must be something with "me getting hurt", because Edward's arm around my waist tightened. We stayed together as much as possible – not only because Edward was superstitious and thought I couldn't handle a Volturi. Having been away from them for a while made me think they weren't as terrifying as I made myself believe – maybe Emmett was contagious.

We also stayed together for another reason.

It was very hard to get some alone time in a house filled with vampires who had excellent ears. Emmett and Rosalie could get away with it – luckily, not every night – but I was much too self-conscious for that, though, obviously, it was too hard to stay away from Edward. Sometimes I found myself wondering if we could take another vacation.

"You could … Hmm … I dunno," Emmett mumbled beside me. I'd totally forgotten about what we were doing at this point. "Come wrestle with me?"

Edward groaned and pulled me away from him. Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Or you could fight Edward for being so irritating and overly protective!"

I gasped, finally looking up from my book. It was an outrageous thought of blasphemy! Hurting Edward was just … just … Impossible!

I glared at Emmett, feeling like …

I growled.

"Woooooh, so scary." He snickered and turned to Edward. "How you keep her down I can't imagine."

It took less than an eight of a second for me to realize what he'd meant, and I growled more heavily.

"Ah, come on, Bella!" he grinned. "That supposed to scare me?" He winked at Edward. "Or does he like when you act wild?"

"That's it, Emmett!" I shouted, jumping off the couch, flipping my book to the corner of the room.

I kicked myself off the couch, not bothering whether we needed to buy a new one or not, launching myself at him.

I heard Edward call my name and felt his one hand try to grasp my wrist, but I was too fast out of his arms.

"You! You! You!" I shouted, not sure what to call Emmett while we tumbled around on the floor. I was stronger than he was, and I didn't care if I hurt him; he was a vampire, I was living proof that those kinds found their way back together.

Emmett just laughed until Edward pulled us away from each other, quickly standing in between us, facing our brother. He growled furiously.

"What now, bro?" Emmett laughed. "Jealous? Is she too cold towards you?"

I heard Rosalie snicker somewhere, and Jasper sigh.

"Looks like I owe him," he murmured.

"Big time," Rosalie laughed.

"I should have asked Alice."

I was just about to jump at Emmett again when I heard that. I turned to see them standing in the other end of the room, Rosalie with my Wuthering Heights. When had she gotten that? She grinned at me, shaking her head at some inside joke.

"Where's Alice?" I asked worriedly.

Jasper was much like Edward. As soon as he learned that the Volturi just might show up – even a few of them – he went to Alice's side and didn't move from it since.

Jasper frowned at me. "She got some vision and told me to stay away," he answered. "She didn't seem bothered. Her feelings weren't in turmoil. But you never know …"

"Oh, cheer up, Jazz," Emmett boomed, rolling his eyes.

I gritted my teeth at him. "I'm not done with you!" He grinned, not bothered by that at all.

Then my mind almost made click sound, and I smiled knowingly at him. I still had a maddeningly urge to rip his head off, but I knew that was what he wanted. So if I just didn't let him get to me that would be more of a punishment than anything I could do physically at him.

I cringed at the thought of what jokes he could make out of that.

I jumped over the now destroyed couch – after both Edward and I had launched over it, there had been no other fate for it – and walked to Rosalie. I held my hand out for my book, and she gave it to me, first looking questioningly, then seeming to understand. She snickered, and I grinned back.

Jasper shook his head, smiling, too. I still wondered why Jasper had changed so much.

He turned his head at me when those confused feelings towards him reached his gift, and he shook his head as if I was missing something very obvious.

I rolled my eyes and went outside, Edward following right behind me, Emmett growling something about bad sisters and hurricanes.

We were sitting just outside the clearing of the house, in the shadow of a tree. I sat with my book in my lab, trying to concentrate on it, while Edward ran his nose and his lips up and down my jaw. He hummed a melody, murmuring incoherent words in my ear.

When I finally noticed that I'd read the same sentence more than a hundred times, I sighed, slammed the book together and flipped it away in the grass.

I turned around to put my arms around his neck, meetings his lips softly with mine. A longing moan demanded its way through my throat, and I ignored self-consciousness and Emmett's laughter inside. He may be laughing about something else …

"Edward, Bella, we've got more urgent things going on than cuddling!"

I quickly pulled away from Edward, the movement almost disappearing, to look at Alice. My sister was bowing towards us, and I felt Edward freeze under my hands.

"He's coming," she said, grabbing my hand. "He just decided to give us a visit."

I didn't have to ask who.

So the Volturi was only sending one to check on me. I was grateful to that for many reasons; first, my family wouldn't be in as much danged, second, I wouldn't have to deal with more than one, and third, it meant they didn't care much.

"When will he be here?" I asked as Edward pulled both of us up.

"Three hours," she answered, not bothering to look at us. She danced to the house where Jasper had his arms open for her return.

As soon as we came into the house three seconds later, I was overwhelmed with a pop quiz of the Volturi and all in all the life as a vampire – and even questions of vampire history. I ended up growling quite a bit at my family as the stress kicked in.

"Take it easy, everyone," Eleazar said. "It's not that bad. It's just one vampire."

Nobody responded, and Eleazar sighed in defeat.

For once, it seemed like the time ran away, and we were soon all gathered outside the house, on the edge of the forest, waiting for the sight Alice had seen; a vampire walking through the shadows toward us.

"Finally, the black cloak made it to the hysterically terrified, strong vampires, who – "

"Emmett!" Alice snapped.

"What? I was bored."

My lips twitched. I would never give up my brother, even if he was a pain. He always took things so lightly, it was hard to feel down with him around.

"Finally," Alice sighed.

One second later, a cloak stood in front of us, stone still. A second passed, then the Volturi lifted its hands to let the light shine on his face and revealed himself.

His hair was as red as his eyes, short, but alive. As fire.

He was beautiful, of course, but I was happy to say that he was not as big as either Emmett nor Jasper.

He watched us with his crimson eyes for a moment before opening his fine mouth and saying: "I bid you my greetings from the Volturi masters, Aro, Caius and Marcus. My name is Fredric."

Silence had already befallen my family, but when he spoke, it was as if another layer of silence took over. One that didn't just overcome the body, but also the mind. I wondered if this guy had some gift that prevented us from … Well, I didn't know exactly what we were prevented from. All I knew was that some place inside of me, I wanted to get away from him, and I wanted my family gone, too.

I knew the best I had; my shield.

I tried to expand it, but I could only reach Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Kate and Emmett. That was the extent of my shield.

I was about to give out a groan, but I stopped myself. The Volturi would misunderstand.

"I am Carlisle," Carlisle presented, cautiously walking toward the Volturi with his hand stretched forward. I didn't like it. I wanted to follow him, to have my shield around him. But that would mean leaving Edward …

Truth was, I didn't even know if my shield could prevent this guy's gift, or if he even had one. Maybe our reaction was one to stress.

Fredric took the hand without a flinch. "I am here because of your newborn."

Carlisle nodded. "We figured as much."

Fredric raised an eyebrow and Edward tensed beside me. I wondered what had upset him.

"My masters fear that she does not know of the law," Fredric informed, looking deadpan at me. This was very frightening; not being able to read his face.

"I can assure you, she knows the law very well," Carlisle said.

"Yet she didn't recognize The Volturi when she saw them."

"You cannot expect every newborn to know how to recognize the Volturi," Carlisle argued.

"We can. It is needed so that the law is kept." His eyes wandered back to me from Carlisle, and Edward's arm tightened around me.

"But we have done nothing wrong. There is no need for you to be here," Carlisle continued.

"I see," Fredric mused. "Who created her?"

Carlisle hesitated, and his eyes flickered shortly to mine and to Edward's. Made such a little tilt of his head, it almost didn't count as a nod.

"We don't know," Carlisle informed. "She was left."

Fredric raised his eyebrows. "Left? So no one told her of the law."

I felt it was needed that I began taking charge of the situation and the story. It could be bad if they got it wrong.

"I was told of the law," I said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't entirely the truth, either. "I've never killed a human, and I've stayed hidden. The law is not broken." I hoped my assurance was enough for him to leave. Instantly.

He didn't move.

"How did you get here? How did you join the Cullen family if they did not create you?" he asked.

"I stumbled across them," I answered. This was true.

He narrowed his eyes, sensing there was more to the story than what we'd told him, but he nodded. "I see. It is true then. I am not needed here. I will tell my masters what you have told me." He bowed his head and ducked back into the shadows.

-

"That guy was freaky, wasn't he?" Emmett asked when we walked inside. He immediately sat down in the couch, flicking on the TV. Rosalie sat down beside him, and he moved his arms around her.

"Stop trying to pick a fight," I told him.

"What? I'm not!" he exclaimed.

"Yes you are!"

"How? He's not here!"

"Then stop acting like it!"

"Bella," Rosalie cut in. "That doesn't make any sense."

I rolled my eyes. "With Emmett it certainly does!"

Emmett stared suspiciously at me, and then his eyes widened as he understood. Edward sighed behind me, sounding very tired.

Emmett grinned at me. "What's the matter, Bella?"

"Nothing!" I muttered

"Oh, are you sure? Edward, she's been kind of down lately, do you think it's because …" He let the sentence hang for everyone to understand.

I heard Kate giggle somewhere, and I swore I would kill her, even if I couldn't.

"Emmett, she's a newborn," Jasper stated, but he didn't sound worried as he would have before, when newborn had been a swear-word to him. "She could take you out in a second."

"Oh really?" Emmett asked. "Then why hasn't she? Even before, she didn't, right, little sister? You're too worried about me to really harm me. Your threads will never become more than that – threads. You're too weak to stand up for yourself, aren't you?" His eyes glistened while Edward's hands clenched around my arms. It didn't hurt, it was a bit irritating at the most. "Or maybe you're legendary newborn powers have worn off?"

"Shut … up … Emmett!" I gasped, growling. He only laughed at that. Rosalie smiled. What, did nobody take me serious? "Edward … Let … go … of … me … now … please …" I uttered through gritted teeth, staring at Emmett, trying very hard to focus only on him and not Rosalie's and Kate's giggles.

Edward cautiously let me go, and as soon as he did, I was in the other end of the room, the movement never happening.

"Bella!" Tanya called. "Bella, that's an antique – thank you, Carmen." She gave a sigh of relief as Carmen quickly removed the vase we were about to break.

I finally got a good grab around Emmett's arms, pitching him to the floor.

"I won!" I stated simply, getting to my feet. I walked away, trying to ignore his insults. When I reached the door, I turned around to stick my tongue out at him.

"Kate," I mused, dancing to the door. "Do you want to go hunting?"

Kate raised an eyebrow at me before nodding. Edward must understand that I wanted to talk with Kate alone.

She didn't ask before we were at least three miles away – outside Edward's "hearing range".

"What is it, Bella? Want me to help take down Emmett? Are we gonna ensnare him? Gonna trick him into coming out of the house? Don't worry, I won't shock him too much! I'll let you have some fun, too." She snickered.

I rolled my eyes. "Not you, too," I sighed. "No, that's not why I asked you to come with me. I do actually need to hunt."

"You could have gone with Edward. Or Alice."

I cringed. How insightful she was.

"Okay, okay," I murmured. "I asked you because I want you to start training with me again."

"Really?" Kate asked, suddenly urgent. It was almost as if she had missed our training.

"Yea," I responded, ignoring the eagerness in her voice. "The whole werewolf Volturi thing made me think a lot about it, and I'm still not good enough with it. I can't get it further than about five meters. That's not good enough, Kate! It's not enough to protect my family!"

"Easy, Bella. Time is the key. And practice, of course." She grinned at me.

"Do you think Tanya will go again?" I asked cautiously.

She grinned wider at me. "Oh, I think we can find an even better – and more willing – Guiney pick than her."

"Really?" I narrowed my eyes and thought about capturing a wolf. "Who?"

She shrugged. "You'll see. Now, shall we get hunted some?"

She was off before I could respond.

-

I looked up from my prey when I heard him come. I looked at Kate who just shrugged. I was a bit angry that I still wasn't good at eating without muffling up my hair and my clothes.

I cocked my head to the side as he came. He stopped a few trees to our left.

"What is it?" I asked. A first I'd been worried about who it was, but after realizing it was neither Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle or Eleazar, I figured it must be Garrett. I hadn't really heard him run much, and this run was different. Urgent and rough.

"Hi," he greeted as he came towards us. "I was just wondering if something had happened. You've been away for the whole day."

I shrugged. So we'd enjoyed having the danger of a Volturi taken away from over our heads, was something wrong with using our freedom?

Kate laughed for some unknown reason.

I gritted my teeth. "You could have just asked Alice."

He looked away, as if he seemed rueful, yet smug.

"Relax, Bella," Kate requested, rolling her eyes. "He didn't do anything wrong."

Seeing my sister's grin and the way she laughed at Garrett for no apparent reason made my eyes wander from her to the object of her actions. Garrett smiled back at her, his eyes glistening with some strange curiosity.

"Kate," I called, not sure if it was possible to call her back to reality.

"Oh, Bella, right," she responded, turning back to me. I took in a deep breath. "I would like to suggest Garrett as our Guiney pig."

"What?" Garrett and I asked synchronized.

"Bella would like to practice her shield, which means me shocking you," Kate answered, waving her hand at him.

I didn't understand what was going on at all. They never acted like this in the house. Well, actually, I wasn't sure they'd spend much time together.

"Really?" Garrett mused. "How can I say no to helping dear Bella?" He grinned at me.

"What´s going on?" I asked cautiously.

Kate shook her head, laughing. "You know how Garrett likes new challenges, right?" I nodded. "Well, he found out about my gift, and he's been begging for me to shock him ever since."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you haven't done it."

She shrugged and chuckled.

Garrett smiled. "I've heard of this power that can lay a vampire on his back! To imagine that I get to feel this on my own body!"

"It hurts," I muttered.

"Oh, how can you know?" Kate asked, rolling her eyes.

I ignored that. "Well, it does, right?"

She shrugged it off, and I knew the answer.

"Should we get back then?" I asked. "Before the whole family comes to look for us."

"Sure," Garrett answered, smiling wider.

I shot a glance at Kate. She was different – a good different. She looked at Garrett in a way that told me she'd soon understand me much better than before.

-

Please review ^^

And there was a little Kate/Garrett in this chapter, as you've been asking for for so long! You guys were almost as urgent as when it came to getting Edward in to the picture xD

Thank you for 600 (615) reviews!

Love

Dawn