Disclaimer: All Twilight characters and some of the settings, ideas for action, are owned by S. Meyer. I just play with them. No infringements intended. Megan Harris is my own invention. Bella doesn't exist in this universe, some things are not canon and English is not my mother tongue. If you find any errors – I'm up to corrections.

Alternating POVs marked M=Megan or E=Edward. Mental conversation is marked in '…'.


Chapter 45 - Ultimatum (M POV)

I stood in the bathroom and brushed my hair. Remembering last night made me smile. The way Edward had touched my body, the way he had touched my heart with his love had been beatific. I knew I would never regret any of the decisions I had made regarding him. His kisses still burned on my body, his bites had marked me as his, again, although the scar on my neck was barely visible. I touched it lightly and closed my eyes, remembering every moment. "Dreaming?" I heard his whisper behind me and opened my eyes. He wrapped his arms around my waist and placed his chin on my shoulder, watching me in the mirror. "Recalling," I replied with a smile. He kissed my neck and I leaned back into him, closing my eyes again. 'I love you,' I thought, 'and I can't wait to marry you tomorrow.' He hummed and the vibration in his chest caused a shiver on my skin. 'I was thinking the same,' he replied. I turned around and smiled at him. He lowered his head and started to kiss me so softly and tender that would've cried if I'd been able to. I was about to forget everything around me until my eyes caught the clock on the wall. I pulled my head back and broke the kiss. "Let me get dressed before our guests arrive," I requested. He pouted, but let me go. I chose a dark-blue woolen dress with matching flat pumps. "You look gorgeous, darling," he said when he saw me. "Thank you. Could you help me with this, please?" I asked, handed him the choker with the emerald pendant and put on the matching earrings. He fastened the choker behind my neck and watched me in the mirror. "Beautiful," he said and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Not so bad yourself," I answered and closed one more button of his shirt while he put on his cufflinks. He wore a light grey herringbone shirt and black jeans. He looked elegant and hot at the same time - and he was mine. I was probably the proudest bride on earth and hopelessly addicted to him. There was only one thing I dreaded today, and that was Tanya. We hadn't exactly parted on good terms and I didn't know if her affection for Edward had finally subsided or if she had been able to tuck it away safely. He stilled my hands and looked into my eyes. "I can feel your worry, Megan. I'm sure she will behave," he said. "I just don't want to have any trouble today," I replied and placed my hands on his chest. "Let's go downstairs, they should be here any minute," he said and kissed my hands. I just nodded and we descended the stairs together. We waited in the living room together with the others, knowing through Alice that the Denalis would be here any minute. Carlisle had told them about the fight right the day after and of course they had been shocked. To say they had been enraged at Aro's betrayal would've been an understatement, but what had shaken them even more were my actions. We had promised them to enlighten them completely once they were here. I was curious how they would react to my story.

My parents were back at my old place together with Emmett and Rose. They would be packing whatever was left of me in that house, because after the wedding I would be living with Edward at the Cullen's place. We had thought about keeping the house to have more privacy, but with the Volturi coming at us, we had decided to give it up. My parents had insisted on doing this for me because they wanted to stay out of any possible trouble Tanya might cause. I had given them a short summary of the events in Alaska including my change. They had finally grasped the dimensions of the decision I had made and the fact that I had traded a lethal disease for a potentially lethal environment didn't make them happy. Carlisle and Esme waited at the door to greet the Denalis. Eleazar and Carmen came in first, then Kate, Irina and at last Tanya entered the house. "Edward, it's good to see you," Carmen said and rushed towards him for a hug. I stayed in the background behind my new family members, letting them do their greetings first. "Where is she?" Eleazar asked. The Cullens drifted to the side to let them see me. I walked a few steps forward. "Tanya," I nodded at her first, acknowledging her as the leader of her coven, and she inclined her head slightly. "Eleazar," I looked at him. He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm glad that my assumptions about your talents were correct," he said and I shook his hand in a firm grip. "I'm glad too, Eleazar, I'm glad too," I replied. "I know we are here for a wedding," Kate chimed in after she and Irina hugged me briefly, "but I'm curious to hear what exactly happened during the fight." They all looked at me with expectation.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. "I'm not sure how to break all of this into you," I hesitated, but then I shrugged. There was no way around the truth. "I believe my multiple gifts are the result of a long chain of reincarnations. I found out that I belong to a group of humans who are reborn over and over again to serve a special purpose. We call ourselves travelers. From what I gathered, my soul has been around for more than 3000 years and my purpose is to be Aro's sentinel." A collective gasp from the Denalis was the answer to this bombshell. "I think I have to sit down," Carmen said and let herself fall into an armchair. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you when I was turned at your home, but at that time we were still hoping to be able to conceal it all from the Volturi." Eleazar nodded. "I understand. You didn't want us to know in case Aro would visit us," he stated. "Yes. I wanted to minimize the danger for you and for us. But in the end it turned out differently, as we all know," I replied and started pacing on the spot. "Since that journey through my inner self during the stormy night in the forest, I have been able to access all my memories. At no point in time, Aro realized that I had been following him. Now he knows who and what I am and that makes him even more dangerous than before." I turned around once more and was blocked by Edward standing in my way. I looked up at him and he smiled, wrapping his arms around me. "You're getting too agitated, dear," he whispered. For a moment I allowed myself to slump against his frame and let him hold me. 'Thank you,' I sent him before I straightened up again. "I'm sorry, let me calm down a bit. Wouldn't want to blow anyone up," I said and crooked a smile. Kate and Tanya raised an eyebrow at me, but Edward stepped in. "Let me show you what happened," he said and started projecting his memory of the attack.

Carmen looked like she was about to burst into tears while Tanya was clearly enraged about Jane. When Edward finished, you could've heard a pin drop in the room. Eleazar had his eyes closed and his fists clenched. "I knew he was a twisted soul, but this...," he broke off. Tanya walked up to me and raised her arms. At first I didn't know what she was up to, but the next moment she hugged me briefly. "Thank you for saving them," she whispered before she stepped back. I must've looked bewildered, because I heard Edward's mental snicker. 'I think that's a first, dear.' Kate, Irina and Carmen followed her and hugged me too. "I'm so sorry you had to make such an experience, Megan," Eleazar said and wrapped his arms around me. Carmen placed her hand on my arm. "I can't magine what it must have cost you watching them being tortured," she said and that comment undid me completely. All my emotions related to that day, which I had meticulously hidden from Edward and the others, broke through now. "Not watching, Carmen. I felt what they felt, and I hesitated to stop it immediately. I can't describe the turmoil this decision caused in me," I whispered. "I knew Edward wanted me to stay out of the fight and I tried desperately to turn my emotions off, but it didn't work and then I had to step in," I croaked and turned to Edward and his family. By now all my emotional pain fully surfaced and I noticed on their faces that I was sending out, but I couldn't stop the flood anymore. Jasper gasped and fought with the impact. "I'm so sorry that you had to suffer," I looked at Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice, raising my hands to them in a pleading way. "I'm sorry that she got to you again," I whispered and looked at Edward. My arms fell down to my side when he wrapped me in his arms and tucked my head under his chin. "You did nothing wrong, love. Don't beat yourself up, please?" He rocked me gently in his arms while silent sobs shook my body. "I promised Carlisle there wouldn't be a fight and I failed him so badly," I mumbled. The next moment I felt Edward release me and someone else wrapped me in his arms. Carlisle held me and raised my chin to look at him. "Megan, please stop it. Jasper is about to burst into tears, and I can't take anymore pain around me, too. You did not fail any of us, hear me? You saved all our lives, that's all that matters and for that I'll be eternally grateful. It's over for now, okay?" He looked at me with all his authority and smiled. I managed a small smile and tried to get myself under control. "Okay." I turned my head to Edward. He just nodded and reached for me again. I fled into his arms and let him wrap his consciousness around mine, burying my face at his chest.

'I think it's time for a mood swing, don't you think?' I heard Edward project to Jasper. He nodded and concentrated on lightening the mood of everyone in the room. Even the sky agreed with him and sunlight burst through the clouds, sending rays of light into the living room. 'Looks like you have straight connection to Saint Peter,' I sent him. Jasper just smiled and let the emotion prevail. "Where are Rose and Emmett?" Tanya asked Carlisle. "They are helping Megan's parents to pack and move the rest of her belongings here. They should be back soon," he replied. "Does that mean they know about us?" Eleazar asked incredulously. I got the drop on this one. "Yes. My mother descends from a family in Volterra, who happened to serve the Volturi household two centuries ago. There have always been legends in her family, but she didn't believe them until she met Edward. My dad didn't know a thing until we discovered that Aro found out about my family and we had to bring them here." He put a finger on his chin. "That's quite a mess you have here, don't you think?" he asked Carlisle. "You could say that. I still haven't figured out how to solve that problem," he answered, "but honestly, I believe we should wait for Aro's next step. It's the first time that I'm not able to even contemplate how he might react. I know he's angry and wants revenge, but he knows what Megan is capable of, so I think he will try to go for the weakest in our family." Eleazar nodded. "Megan's parents," he said. "Exactly," Carlisle agreed. "That is why will keep them close, even if we might have to move to Seattle." Tanya whistled. "That's way before the expected time," she said. "Yeah, I know, but we cannot leave them alone. They could be used as a bait for Megan," Carlisle replied. "But," Alice chimed in, "Seattle is a lot more fun. "Everything is bigger, we can go out to clubs, and we can go shopping...," She didn't get further because everyone in the room started laughing, until Alice suddenly grew quiet.

"We're having a problem," she said and turned to the door. Emmett and Rosalie entered the room and walked over to us without saying a word, turning to face the door. "Why, it's good to see you're all in a happy mood," a male voice rang from the doorway. We turned around and several of us hissed at the sight of the unexpected intruder. 'I'm sorry, I only saw Rose and Emmett coming. They must have hidden their thoughts,' Alice sent us. A tall, dark-haired man, possibly in his forties, stood at the door and held his right hand up for us to see. He was holding an electronic device with an antenna, it looked like a transmitter. Carlisle took a step forward. "Who are you?" he asked. The man smiled maliciously. "My name doesn't matter. All you need to know is when I die, her parents die too." He pointed towards me. I growled involuntarily and took a step forward. "You know what we are?" I asked. He nodded. "Then you know that I could rip that device from your hand before you even hit the ground," I added. "Oh yes, your friends already told me," he replied and nestled at his shirt, opening the buttons. "But this second transmitter is connected to my vitals and will send a signal to the person who is currently watching your parents." He yanked his shirt open and presented his chest. It looked like someone had implanted more than one sensor under his skin and all cables were connected to a small portable box hanging across his shoulders. 'Alice, can you see Martha and Patrick?' Edward asked mentally. Her eyes grew distant. It took a few seconds before Edward and I captured the pictures in her mind. My parents were alive and obviously on a plane with people we hadn't seen before. They seemed to be human. "Where are they?" I growled at him. "Our client asked for their presence at his estate in Italy. They will be provided with everything they need and well treated, if you do as we say." I took a deep breath and tried to control the rage I felt burning inside me. Edward placed a hand on my arm and Carlisle send me a warning glance.

"Name your conditions," I said icily. He smiled at me and pulled an envelope out of his jacket. "This is for you," he held it up and then placed it on the small table next to him. "You are required to join your parents at the Volturi estate within the next 48 hours. You may have one person accompany you, nobody else. If you don't get there in time or if you attack the estate your parents die and you will be declared fair game to the rest of your world. Time starts running now." With those words he retreated carefully backwards and finally turned to walk out the door. "Rose, stop," Carlisle growled while Edward caught her before she could reach him. "I'm gonna kill them!" she yelled. Edward shook her arm. "No, you won't. We don't know what they're really capable of," he scolded her. "They forced us to control our thoughts by threatening to shoot Martha," she hissed. I watched the scene and felt oddly detached from reality. My mind was spinning with conflicting emotions as it tried to comprehend the ramifications. "Megan? Megan, can you hear me?" I noticed a tiny voice creeping into my consciousness which was almost drowning in a red wave of fury. I blinked a few times and took an unnecessary deep breath to snap out of my haze. Edward stood in front of me and had a very concerned look on his face. I focused on him and my view cleared. I looked around and noticed that we were alone. "I told them to get to a safe distance in case you'd blow up this place," he said with a crooked smile. "And you ...," my voice trailed off. He smiled at me. "You would never hurt me. I trust you," he whispered and cupped my cheek with his hand, drawing me into a tender embrace and a soft kiss. "I hate to interrupt you, but we have to hurry up," an unfamiliar voice chimed in.