Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created this little world I like to play in.

A lovely dream I dreamt one day

I saw a green-leaved apple tree,

Two apple swayed upon a stem,

So tempting! I climbed up for them – Faust

Ever since the days of Eden

Apples have been man's desire.

How overjoyed I am to think, sir,

Apples grow, too, in my garden. – The Pretty Witch

Goethe

I apologize for the almost three week delay in posting. I really didn't mean for it to happen, but real life threw me some most excellent things. I am at least posting a day early of three weeks late (yeah…I know not helpful in the least – but since tomorrow is Easter, I figured at least do it tonight). Would it make it better to know that I already have submitted the next two chapters to the beta?

I do hope you enjoy the chapter at least…

This chapter is dedicated to Crystal...for her birthday (even though I'm weeks behind)! I did at least send her a preview...


Carlisle POV

Our travel to Sea-Tac, boarding our private plane, and subsequent high-speed drive from Florence to Volterra was uneventful, save for Charlie's and Sue's nerves. They were not at all used to Cullen-style travel, guided by Alice's visions. We had driven very swiftly along the wet dark roads from the reservation with lights out until we hit Seattle and then to the airport's private hangars where our Boeing jet was chocked.

"Do I really want to know how often you sped through my town?" he had finally asked in a grumpy tone as we neared the bright city lights of Seattle. I had just chuckled softly.

"Probably not," Alice had answered for me, earning a faint smile on Sue's lips as she opened her eyes for a moment.

The retired cop now sat in the back seat of my Mercedes-Benz beside Bella, his arm around her shoulder. I wasn't sure if he was attempting to comfort her, or if he was using her to hang onto; a little of both, I believed, as I felt the humming of the car's engine accelerate with my foot on the pedal. Sue, holding his hand, sat on his other side, her only concession to the rate we were traveling had been to close her eyes to the dark blurs of the scenery passing by as we raced toward Volterra.

"At least it's not your Porsche, Alice," Bella commented dryly. Alice just smirked, almost sighing; she missed her beloved bright canary car. It was stored in the garage at the Forks house.

Fast or not, the caravan behind us had had no trouble keeping up. At first, I'd felt at a loss without Esme by my side, but Alice was our eyes, and it was so much simpler having her with me than even relying on a phone.

Phone…

I grimaced at the thought. We'd had to be careful how we discussed that issue because even the mention of one had sent William into a newly transformed wolf rage.

"Why didn't I just think to use mine!" he'd snarled, transforming instantaneously into his huge form, much to Esme's dismay. It had been awhile since any of her furniture had been destroyed. Bella and William had collectively wiped out the entire living room.

The youth was convinced that the seconds they'd squandered by not using their cell phones to call had led to Edward to be taken. Indeed, I believed that William's stress-induced decisions had saved the triplets' lives.

Also, Edward wasn't stupid. He could've reminded them to do so somehow, if it had been a viable option. To me, the issue was irrelevant. How many times did an individual panic in a situation and make decisions later found to be wrong? No, it was important that one not focus or dwell too much on the perceived or real mistakes; what was more important was the focus on learning from the situation thrust upon you, and not making the same error in the future. That was the essence of learning. My mistake had been to become complacent. I'd had years to lead the others in research into the mystery of the ancient woman who'd taken Edward; but with our focus on ridding Edward of Aro's memories, the concern with her identity hadn't been paramount.

The stress I felt failed to diminish as our caravan drew nearer to Volterra; in fact, it seemed to grow as if each mile yet to cover was a distinct blow to my soul. I had an almost indescribable urge to get to the castle…like I was being pulled or led there by an imaginary force.

The answers are there… it seemed to say.

Looking back in the mirror to the backseat, I caught Bella's gaze. She was as anxious as I was. It was a credit to her nurturing spirit that she'd allowed me the one stop we'd made in our frantic journey. As clearly as I felt the need to return to Volterra, I'd felt the necessity for this side trip to pray, to ask for divine intervention. And although scripture claimed that where one or more was gathered in His name was considered worship, old habits died hard. I'd needed to be surrounded by the physical representations of the faith that had been bred into me from birth, to feel the worn wood of a pew underneath my fingertips, and smell the scent of altar candles. Recognizing the need, there had been only place that I imagined -Trinity Parish. It was where my family had graced me with a Christmas gift to remember. It was also the last place I'd worshiped with Edward.

That we'd been greeted by a just slightly more aged Father Paul had seemed to be divine providence as we came in at twilight. Edward had shared the man's private thoughts with me a few years ago…not long after our Christmas Eve visit to the beautiful sanctuary. Our appearance, looking unlike him, exactly the same as before with our otherworldly voices and seemingly ageless, had only seemed to make the priest even more nervous, if the sound of his quickened heartbeat had been any indication.

But as Esme and I, along with Bella, had knelt to pray in the pew facing the wooden cross above the altar, the others of my family followed, save for our Volturi guards (who elected to stand in the back of the nave with art spectacles covering their ruby eyes, hands folded together), the triplets and Victoria had distracted the kindly Father with their questions about the church. As he'd described the legends of their masterpieces of stained glass to the insatiably curious 'kids' …much like he'd done to us so many years before…I'd pleaded silently to God as I'd never done before. What seemed like hours later but in reality perhaps twenty minutes later, I'd opened my eyes and lifted my face to be confronted with Father Paul's friendly, if somewhat nervous visage. I'd sensed his approach in the swish of his clothing and had been astounded when he sat beside me.

"Don't be troubled." Such simple wisdom, but almost impossible to obey.

When Bella sobbed beside me at his words, I'd swiftly had to provide an explanation. "My brother…the man you met last time…he is missing."

"Ah…war…" Father Paul had surmised. "It is a terrible thing to be so burdened by the privilege of protecting God and country." He'd folded his hands before offering, "May I pray with you?"

As he'd bowed his greying head, I'd thought of the kindness he was offering. Edward had certainly been a victim of war…just not in the way Father Paul was imagining. When more caretakers of the church had arrived, crossing themselves when they thought we couldn't see, I'd felt an ethereal peace, as if what Father Paul had done for us was a crucial part of our journey. As if the blessing he had asked for us seemed to have been received.

If the priest's face was any indication, he was more confused by us now, than he possibly could've been in the past. I'd watched his expression as he shook cold, human temperature, and hybrid/wolf temperature hands. I'd seen his amazement when he recognized Victoria and she introduced Charlie and Sue as her parents. I'd witnessed his eyes widen precariously as Bella called Charlie "Daddy," as well. As several younger pastors hovered in the annex of the nave, torn between their easily discerned unexplainable need to protect Father Paul and their desire to flee, the elderly man of God wished us well on our journey and once again assured me that he would pray for Edward's safe return home.

Bella had thanked him in a very earnest voice for that assurance, her voice not giving away her grieving for Edward, but bravely presenting a front.

Holding my cold hand just a little too long, he'd said softly, "I have a suspicion that your family was the one to make a substantial and anonymous donation to our humble abode." His eyes flickered over to the golden eyes of my mate and the others.

We had been, but I wouldn't admit that to him. I only inclined my head minutely.

His next words were very brave indeed, considering just how astute his assessment was. "Money cannot cover sins, young man."

Young man… His assessment of me had almost made me chuckle at the irony. But before I'd been able to stop myself, habits ingrained by my father emerged and I'd made the sign of the cross before me. "No…only grace can do that."

His smile had been more than brilliant. "Very wise indeed, but I sense you are seeking knowledge. As the Apostle James said, 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask.'" He'd seemed as perplexed by his random quotation as he had the Christmas Eve he'd quoted the Apostle John to Edward.

Victoria's happy laughter had distracted us just then. We'd turned to see William leading her away from the stained glass of Adam, Eve, and the serpent. As if an afterthought, as he'd looked to the image of Adam and Eve, Father Paul had amended, "Just pray for the right knowledge."

Knowledge…

…it was power.

Seeing the barely restrained agony in Bella's eyes, my thoughts of the day prior fled, and I knew that it was paramount at this moment to gain whatever knowledge we could of our nemesis. To say that I breathed a sigh of relief now when I saw the Italian city rise before us was an understatement. Edward had been gone for two days…and that was two days too many.

Duarte, Tancred, and Annius met us at the gates. "Master Carlisle…" I growled at the title, unwilling for them to even insinuate for a moment that I was moving into Edward's place. It offended my long-held desire not to be part of a ruling scheme, as I had said a decade ago to the assembly of vampires here after the downfall of Aro. Sensing my discomfort, Jasper stepped in. I breathed out a sigh of relief when their focus shifted to him. "Master Jasper, we've prepared a place for the humans, as requested."

They were speaking of the home we'd asked made ready just adjacent to the castle. It was one of many properties the Volturi had owned throughout the city and rented out to the unsuspecting populace…this particular residence a buffer left as 'occupied' to thwart any neighbors moving in too close. That the elaborately furnished buffer was connected by the underground tunnels would prove convenient. With a sad smile, Alice moved to accompany Sue, Charlie, and Victoria, while our Guard members' wary red eyes followed them. Jasper had spoken very sternly via video-conference to the Guard and had set rules for how they were to interact with the human family members. He wanted nothing to happen to his granddaughter in particular.

The human, wolf, and hybrid members of our group were exhausted from the long travel as we entered the throne room, the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the cupola windows high atop the domed ceiling. Although I didn't want to see the sun set on the day without having a plan, I knew that nothing productive would be gained while they were emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. It was a better plan to allow them to eat a little, and then seek the solace of sleep; then we could begin our search through the treasure troves of information the castle held in its libraries. Knowing that Alice would ensure that Bella's family was taken care of, I glanced to find Bella already ringed by the Guard. Duarte, Annius, Tancred, Felippe, Louis, Anata, and Aden had circled her almost as a protective front. It, of course, annoyed her.

"I'm fine!" she insisted, but they were going nowhere, simply nodding in assent, but not moving.

She growled, quite impressively, but they weren't about to budge. I didn't have to be Jasper to feel the guilt radiating off of them. To them, Edward's capture was a failure on their part to defend him. It didn't matter that they hadn't been present at the time.

"Poppa…" Nessie yawned, even though she attempted to stifle it. Her body was demanding sleep, even if her mind fought against it. "…let us catch some quick 'shut-eye,' and we'll be back down to help."

Nodding softly, I watched them disappear. The bronze double doors hadn't even shut properly when I waved my hand to Jasper.

"Ok…"he started "…here's the plan."

Stefanie POV

Dark shapes swirled around me blurring the tableau below. From below, I could see Ellie watching over my body next to Victoria's supine form. Sitting Indian style in the bed, Ellie's eyes jerked around the room and looked up as if she was attempting to find me. Victoria slept soundly, her blond hair spread across the middle pillow, her hand grasping my upper arm as if for comfort. We hadn't told her our plans, not because we didn't trust her, but because she'd needed the sleep more than us. There was no need to burden her with the knowledge of my gifts just yet, much less my immediate use of spirit walking. She would've attempted to stay awake, and it would've been just one more thing to worry over. What we were going to attempt was enough.

The dark ethereal shapes of the spirits swirling around me in this other realm brushed over my senses, continuing in their attempts to distract me, but I ignored them…waiting. Then I felt William join me. Turning, I saw him and gasped at his aura; It'd changed since his phasing. Warm shades of red, yellow and orange mixed with the pure radiance of light that still dominated the spectrum surrounding him. Radiating and shifting, the colors reminded me of the flares of the sun. The dark specters seemed to flee from him, as do shadows from the sun. When I went to say something, he spoke first.

"Stef…you're different." When he saw the question in my eyes, he explained. "Your spirit…it is brighter…almost like the light of the full moon."

"You're kinda on fire now…" I grinned, letting him know that he too had new finery. Why he had changed was obvious, but I had no clue about why after so many years I would. I was still just boring old Stefanie…I didn't even get to change into a wolf…which would've been the ultimate.

He moved to grasp my hand, presenting a unified front against the dark spirits that screamed around us. We were alone. Nonno wasn't here to guide us, and his absence seemed even more acute because of it. We'd never gone alone since that first time, when he'd panicked so much. This had been our special time…me, William, and Nonno, and he was going to be furious when he realized we'd made the decision to search for him alone. For, as the years passed since we'd began these spirit walks, it seemed that more and more of the specters of the otherworld met us each time we entered. Nonno thought that perhaps it was because the dark spirits laid in wait, and therefore, more and "friendlies," as William called them, congregated around to help us.

I wondered if perhaps it was because so many of them wanted a voice, a way to communicate with those left behind. There was a Bible story about that…about the doomed brother that wanted to tell his favored sibling to turn down another path…to avoid the suffering of knowing that their lives had been focused on the wrong things. The "for I once saw through a glass darkly, but now I know, even as I'm known" rule. It was always Nonno's answer to the questions he couldn't answer - which was that one day we'd understand why everything that'd happened to us had. An ultimate purpose, he'd say. I still didn't quite know what Heaven was, but I was willing to understand that perhaps, in the end, we understood it all and found peace. And wouldn't it just be the ultimate expression of love that we would want to save those we'd left behind the hurt of knowing just how much time had been wasted on superfluous and unwise things?

It was at least my theory that perhaps both the light and dark spirits had agendas…and these did not always pertain to us. The Quileute legends had always warned of how dangerous this otherworld was, and we had not always been as mindful as we should be. But now, with more journeys under our belt, we both had a little better understanding of our spirit walking and how to navigate the otherworld. And yet, it was difficult to know which ones to focus on…which screaming voices to obey. Nonno had always been there to guide us, to know which ones to follow. Now, we were on our own. And worse, we were going to attempt to find him through the chaos. As if by silent agreement, William and I stood still as we waited for just a moment in our room, looking out into the vast shifting expanse of the otherworld overlaying it. Our patience soon was rewarded.

Grandfather Quil… The elder stepped out before us, his face and body youthful and muscular with long black hair, with none of his later infirmities of old age.

"This way…" he called, before turning and walking into the maelstrom. Fingers tugged at my long hair and limbs as we followed, until William turned and growled back. The forms skittered back away…just stopping at a seemingly agreed upon safe boundary.

"We have to find Nonno, Grandfather!" I cried out to him, but he forged ahead ignoring me, intent that we follow him.

When we flew out of the window, the curtains fluttering in our wake, I heard Ellie cry out, "Be careful."

William pulled me forward, forcing me to follow, but I grumbled in displeasure when Grandfather Quil stopped in the courtyard of the castle. "It's not safe," he murmured, turning to gaze at us with dark fathomless eyes. "Don't journey without Edward."

"Take us to him," William pleaded.

"I'm unable to." Grandfather's face was closed, as if in a perpetual state of mourning.

"Why not?" I cried out.

"He has lost his way."

It was such a strange answer. "Lost his way?" I snarled, wanting him to elaborate.

"For…" But his words were overwhelmed by the snarling behind us…as if the hounds of hell were at our backs.

William turned and the sound that he produced put even the previous noise to shame. It seemed as if the demons that had prowled at our backs yelped in fright…like injured dogs fleeing. When William turned back to me, his eyes glowed fiery red…as if the light surrounding him had filled him, causing him to glow. Perhaps I should've been afraid, but instead, I felt inordinately protected.

But the distraction had been enough…Grandfather Quil was gone. Unwilling to wait to see if we would find another guide and ignoring our grandfather's advice, I closed my eyes and envisioned Nonno. William and I didn't need a willing body for our travels, just for situations where we wanted to be able to truly interact with the physical world around us. It was a trick I'd learned…a way to guide our journey. I'd teased Demetri that possibly he was one of my long lost relatives, because it seemed to be a variant of his gift…his sensing of a person's mind…my sensing of their spirits. But whatever it was…it worked. William and I found ourselves flying across the ocean, skimming along the top of the water.

Miles passed beneath us, and the ocean water that should've seemed dark was instead alive with the animals that called the depths home. We passed over ships, their wakes leaving photofluorescent trails in the water and near whales that would've fled from us had we been in hybrid form. Soon we reached the Strait of Gibraltar opening the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. We'd left the other spirits behind and the eerie quietness seemed foreboding for some reason, and just as I was about to mention it to William, land started to form in front of us as we veered leftward.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Africa," a gentle voice called out to our side.

Marcus…

Didyme…

We knew them, trusted them, the raven-haired leader who'd fought with our family against the remainder of the Guard Aro had left behind and then sacrificed himself to find his true love. Nonno was always ecstatic to meet the ancient leader when we roamed in the otherworld. He gazed at William and me with fondness before squeezing Didyme's hand. "Aren't they beautiful, my love?"

My love… The words caused pain to lance through both William and I. It was what Nonno called Nonna.

"Come…we don't have much time," he indicated with a sharp gesture, and the ever silent Didyme waved her hand at us indicating the need for quick action. "Hang on to one another and don't let go," Marcus directed.

The two vampires weren't as fast, and William and I actually had to slow down in order to follow them. But I cried out in relief when I saw a smaller vessel ahead in the water. I could sense our grandfather. My cry turned to horror when I saw the situation before us.

Nonno sat on the deck of the ship, his arms draped across his drawn up knees. Black eyes stared out into the night, and he looked…dead. If I'd thought the dark shadows that surrounded us were plentiful, they'd been a pittance to the spirits that shrieked around him. The shadows were torturing him. No…that wasn't correct, I realized as I caught a closer look. They were attacking the woman beside him. A spirit… She had long blond hair and sky-blue eyes. It became clear that she wasn't just beside him; she was hovering over him, taking the hits and scratches from the ethereal dark spirits that attempted to hurt Nonno. Who was she?

The ancient woman started to touch his arm and Nonno snarled at her, raising his lip in…disgust? The fury on the ancient woman's face at his actions was great. She looked like she wanted to destroy him, and I wanted to warn him not to make her mad.

"NONNO!" William and I screamed, and as we did several things happened.

The blond angel's eyes jerked to us in amazement, protection, and…love?

Nonno's head jerked in our direction.

Seeing his sudden movement, the ancient woman hissed loudly, glaring sightlessly toward us. Flinging her hand in our direction, the demons seemed to obey her command and charged toward us. Marcus and Didyme jumped before us, as if to deflect the onslaught.

But more importantly, between them, between our protectors and the horde bearing down on us, Nonno stared in our direction…confusion on his face. Did he hear us?

Then it all went black as we were swarmed and slammed backwards, William's hands torn from my own. Screaming I reached for him, but heard another voice I knew we could trust.

"I have you, little one," Vladimir said softly as he held me up.

As I'd come to expect, Stefan murmured just after him. "Young pup, calm yourself."

I couldn't see him through the darkness, but I heard William in my head. "Stef?"

"I'm fine."

He seemed calm, but I could hear the growl in his voice when he spoke. "We need to go back to Nonno!"

"Not now, young one. You need to know what you are up against, first." Stefan's voice was very stern and full of warning. It was a tone and message I hadn't heard from him before. The two had always been ones to entice us and our family into mayhem, and here they were warning us away.

And when the black fog cleared, we were back in the castle…but not in our room. Anata sat on her overstuffed brocade covered chair, a multitude of books scattered around her and on the floor. Hair pulled back away from her face, jeans, and a long sleeved cotton shirt…she looked more college student than millennia-old vampire. The language of the manuscripts she had in front of her was ancient in an unfamiliar script. It also seemed that they were hand scribed.

"Help…" Stefan's and Vladimir's voices combined in a hiss.

When I turned to question them, I was back in my bedroom, hovering over the diligent Ellie and sleeping Victoria next to my own still form. William's presence wasn't with me.

Our walk had been…unlike other times. I saw by looking at the clock that we hadn't been gone for more than a few hours, and the path of our return had been so direct. When Nonno was with us, we'd often taken detours, investigating the world beyond. Sometimes we were joined by those that knew us, but more often we weren't; however, and unfortunately, the one thing that had remained consistent was the presence of the beings that would try to distract us. This trip had been so driven by purpose, being snatched from place to place, and the presence of so many of those that had gone before us was a little disconcerting…if not comforting.

Focusing on my body, I felt the warmth of myself surround me and then woke to find Ellie leaning over me. William barged through the door, unfortunately waking Victoria. "Let's go," he said impatiently, leaning over to lift his sleepy imprint into his arms and bounding through the door.

"Where?" Ellie called out frantically, leaping up to follow him.

"To Anata…Vladimir and Stefan told us to help her."

We weren't the most circumspect in our movements, and I was surprised that the others didn't come to investigate. But then I heard them from below. They were in the main library…their voices and the turning of pages combining in a low hum. Jasper and Alice spoke over the tapping of the keyboard. As for our mom, dad, and Seth…they were still asleep, or at least were until we passed by. William snarled as we heard our dad's deep breathing change immediately. They would be following, I knew.

Anata's suite was on the other side of the castle from us...our rooms still in the wing given to our family and Seth when we first came to Volterra. And although Alice had taken Grandfather Charlie and Sue to the house provided, Victoria had straggled along with us for this night, crying tearfully when Alice had suggested she stay at the house. It wasn't as if the other guards would approach us…not with William's scent all over her and my brother conveniently located in the room right beside us. The Guard members…other than the ones that had been with us from the beginning…still shied away from my brother. We now knew why.

William barely restrained himself from barging in when we reached Anata's doorway. As it was, his knock was just a little too loud. Anata seemed startled to see us all in her doorway, although I was certain that she must have smelled us coming, particularly William. As Victoria, from her comfortable perch in William's arms, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, Anata opened the door wider, ushering us in…with a completely confused look on her face. Her dark ruby eyes glanced briefly at the girl in William's arms and politely stepped back a few steps.

Deciding to rip the bandaid off, I stated baldly, "William and I went on a spirit walk…" The gasps throughout the castle told me we were in trouble, but at this point I couldn't care less. Looking at William, I could tell he felt the same. "We saw Nonno." Nonna's cry of distress and pain echoed out throughout the castle. This wasn't how I would've wanted to tell her, but nothing was going to keep us from Anata. Stefan and Vladimir, the men we'd been named after, had sent my brother and me here; Anata had the answer, or at least was close to it in some way. We heard our family coming, but I focused on our friend.

"Stefan and Vladimir…they led us to you." She seemed totally confused and scared, as if I might suspect her of something. Nothing could be farther than the truth…Anata had proven over and over again her allegiance to us. But I could understand her fear. She had no understanding of why we were here, and it wouldn't be too far gone to consider the possibility that we had traitors in our midst. Hadn't the Ancient One sent such a traitor once to play with us? I jerked my chin toward the books she had scattered across the room. "I think they were telling us that you're on to something."

"William, Stefanie?" Nonna's harsh voice interrupted any further discussion. I knew what she wanted, but William spoke for us.

"He's alive, and she has him. He was on a ship near Africa. Marcus and Didyme led us to him, but when we tried to talk with him, that evil woman sent demons after us. Marcus and Didyme protected us, and Stefan and Vladimir made sure to get us back here."

"Is he okay?" she asked, her eyes as black as his. Hers were that color because of her pain. What I couldn't understand was why his were…or why he hadn't just jumped into the ocean and swam back to us. We hadn't seen anyone else there to keep him from leaving.

William turned to me with a loaded look, and Nonna hissed out painfully, her eyes filling with unshed venom. I hurried to reassure her. "He seemed fine…physically, but his eyes looked wrong."

"Wrong?" Nana asked, clutching Poppa's arm in fear.

"I don't know how to explain it…like dead or something. When we called out to him, he heard us, but it was like he was…"

"…confused," William ended my sentence when I faltered.

"Yeah, confused."

"She has some sort of control over him," Rose guessed, putting her arm around Nonna's shoulders in comfort.

"Well, not too much control. She tried to touch his arm, and he snarled at her," William announced proudly, and you couldn't help but feel the relief wash through the room.

Poppa looked to Nonna out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction. Seeing her sag in relief, he moved on to the more pressing matter. "What are you researching?" Poppa asked Anata, before turning and giving both William and I the "stink-eye" as we'd once called it. His message was clear; our little foray into the netherworld was going to be addressed, just not right now.

But, I'd take Poppa's stink-eye any day over the look that my sleepy father gave us, coming further into the room with our mother. Seth followed, pulling his shirt over his chest, and William had to nudge me slightly from the distraction. I glared at him for the interruption of my viewing pleasure…one I didn't get often due to my imprint's 'goody-goody-two-shoes' mentality.

William actually snickered, knowing exactly what I was thinking. Daddy would kill you. He grinned.

Sighing, I pulled my wistful eyes away from Seth. I know. We'll cross that line once we get Nonno back. I couldn't help that my maturing hybrid body had made me all too aware of my imprint's attributes. Luckily, Anata's next words stopped our dad in his tracks, because he was already raising his hand to tell us to follow him.

"I was thinking about something that you mentioned, Carlisle, awhile back. About her being ancient, and that I am the oldest one of us now…"

"Um…" Poppa faltered, realizing just how a woman might take that. His look of horror actually caused several of us to chuckle, and it felt good to laugh a little. Nana smacked his arm playfully, and I swear our great-grandfather would've blushed if he could.

Even Anata grinned at his discomfort, but she finally took pity on him. "I decided to take a look at some of the library's most ancient manuscripts…things that documented myths and legends from my home…" she paused "…from Babylonia. Marcus didn't want to risk losing the knowledge if the paper disintegrated, so he had many of the papyrus scrolls and cuneiform tablets Aro acquired transcribed." She looked over to the pile of books she'd scattered. "Even some of them are ancient now and fragile."

"This one is in Latin," Alice noted, having glided over to look at one of the books that was still open. The one Anata had been reading when we'd return from our spirit walk certainly hadn't been in Latin.

"Yes, for the most part, they all are," Anata nodded. "It was the custom then." She clenched her fists and for a moment anger infused her face. "I just wished I could remember the tales from my childhood! It would be so much simpler than scanning all this."

"Well, then it is good that there are so many of us," Carlisle smiled at her, and Anata blinked in reaction.

Hm…I think Anata might have had a crush on Poppa at some time, William silently told me.

I smiled over to him agreeing.

"How many of you read Latin?" Anata said, clearing her throat.

"All of us," Carlisle said, indicating our aunts and uncles. William, Ellie, and I also had more than a passable knowledge of the dead language.

"Us as well," Eleazar answered, motioning to his wife, Kate, and Tanya. Garrett rolled his eyes at Nahuel. Garrett and Nahuel might not have the gift of language, but they were invaluable in so many other ways.

"Well then, let me show you just where to start. There are plenty of books to go around," Anata said, moving over to link her arm through Nana's.

Nanna suggested, "Let's bring all of this material to the nearby library's tables, and we can start reading."

"We'll stay here and look through what Anata has already brought up," Ellie offered. She was our salvation…because mom and dad were glaring at William and me. I was attempting to think how we were going to stay away from them as long as possible.

"Don't think we've forgotten just how this knowledge was gained," our dad growled softly at us as he passed. I gulped; I might look full grown, but my dad was still my dad. I started silently chanting Nonno's name, reminding myself the reason behind all of it. William was taking deep breaths.

"You are in so much trouble," Victoria mock-whispered when the door closed behind our family members and friends, not knowing the details of what had just transpired but sensing the emotions from the others nonetheless.

Anna's smirk and our combined groans were our acknowledgement.

~FMR~

Even my supernaturally strong hybrid eyes seemed like they were crossing after the hours we spent. Pouring over the sometimes dusty books was tedious, and there were more words that I didn't know than I'd realized. Anata was so patient, and I'd quickly come to realize just how intelligent and full of knowledge she really was. As we went through the books she'd left in her room, she studiously taught us both the language, which we swiftly absorbed, and the contents of what we all were examining. Victoria napped on Anata's bed as the day drew long, waking only when Alice brought her dinner. She was surrounded by books that we'd put aside for later…ones that weren't particularly from ancient Babylonia…and several more she'd pulled off Anata's bookshelves herself.

"I feel so dumb compared to you guys," she grumbled at one part. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be a vampire." She sounded so wistful just then.

William froze over the book he was reading, and it was good that Victoria was looking down at the one she'd flipped open, because Ellie, Anata, and I couldn't help but look at him. His mating/imprinting with her was something we hadn't discussed yet. Anata glanced carefully at my brother; I could see her penetrating look rest on him before shifting her gaze to Victoria.

"I mean…" the young girl looked up and found us all paying attention to her "…do you wonder sometimes just where vampires came from?"

We battled a brief surge of sadness at her question, knowing it had been a point of much contention for Nonno and Poppa.

"You know…we know that God created Adam and Eve." She pointed down at the book, and it was then I realized it was a beautifully illustrated version of the Bible. She grimaced as if her thoughts caused her sadness. "But then the serpent had to come around and destroy it."

"She," Ellie corrected.

"She?" Anata questioned, a confused look on her face.

"The serpent…Father Paul said the serpent was a she," William mumbled without looking up, still flipping pages carefully in the particularly large book he held in his lap.

"Yeah..." I remembered the conversation now. "He said that she enticed Adam and Eve and caused trouble."

I'd always heard that when Aunt Alice had the vision that the Volturi were coming for our family, the shock of that vision was so great she'd dropped a vase. I really believed that my dad must have exaggerated the story, because I couldn't accredit any vampire being that clumsy, much less my elegant, spirited grand-aunt. But as the look of shook froze Anata for a moment, the book she'd been holding fell to the floor and broke its spine, scattering fragile pages over the floor. I realized that there were extraordinary moments in life that even vampires couldn't handle.

William rushed to her, steadying Anata, while I moved to take her hands.

"Anata?" I called out, patting her hands.

A flicker of her eyelashes were the first sign she was coming back to life. Tearing away from William and me, she blurred for the bookshelves across the room from us, grabbing several old books, and then fled out the door. William had already grabbed Victoria, so her peal of laughter at the speed at which we traveled was the only sound that accompanied us as we ran after Anata.

Anata tore the door off the frame getting into the library, heading straight for Carlisle. His shocked look did not fade when she flipped open one of the books she held, spinning it around, and slammed it down on top of the one he'd been reading so that hers faced him.

"The Talmud?" Poppa's voice was confused as he furrowed his eyebrows toward the open book.

"Tell them what you said, Victoria," Anata requested softly.

"Huh, about where vampires come from?" Victoria replied hesitantly, suddenly afraid. She was in a room full of wolves and vampires, some who had red eyes. Ones she'd once thought "played for the other team."

"Yes…keep going." Anata smiled, forcing a gentle note into her voice to calm her.

"Or about Adam and Eve," Victoria said softly, unknowingly showing just how permanent and unique the imprinting phenomenon was by the way she unconsciously gripped at William's forearms. Anata nodded in encouragement. "How she – the snake - caused trouble between them?" she squeaked out.

"She?!" Jasper growled out, and his realization of the word caused the atmosphere in the room to crackle, the vampires in the group standing a little straighter, the wolves vibrating.

Anata looked straight into Carlisle's eyes and pointed down at the book she'd opened before him. We all watched as Poppa read what she pointed to, and then saw him freeze for a moment.

When he raised his eyes to meet Anata's, we all but held our breaths as he stared for a long moment at the ancient guardswoman.

"WHAT?" Nonna moved to them, looking down at the book, but clearly unable to read its Hebrew script. "Carlisle!"

"It cannot be," he said softly. He touched several specific sentences in the Hebrew book, lips moving very silently as he repeated the translation in his mind. He shook himself and then looked up to see us all staring at him. Anata remained quiet, but I felt fear, because I saw that she was shaking. Vampires never shook.

"For the love of all…" Daddy started to curse, unable to handle the tense silence, but Poppa held up his hand to stop him.

"Anata, she is but a myth. There has never been any evidence, other than confused legends, that she exists."

With great dignity, Anata straightened and then purposefully moved her eyes around the room, meeting each and every gaze before she came back to Carlisle. She then raised her eyebrow at him, as if to prove her point. I was guessing that had Nonno been there, he would've heard her thinking, "as if you aren't in a room full of myths."

At her challenging look, he stood so quickly that the books went flying. "Oh dear God…" he muttered, putting a hand down to the desk as if to steady himself. "Lilith…"


I have been so bad in replying to reviews (life has just been overwhelmingly busy – so I apologize). Please know that I read each and every one, and they mean the world to me. I would love to know what you think.

My thanks to ColdOnePaul for putting his eyes on this chapter and making it so much better. He takes my drabble and makes it sound intelligent.