Title: Intrinsic Fascination
Author: pantheradraconis
Rating: M
Pairing: Bella/Rosalie
Summary: The world is filled with billions of people; a new breath is taken every second. A last breath is taken as well. But the cycle continues, on and on; who would bother noticing when someone doesn't quite fit into this cycle…
"I had cooperated. I could not have refused. I was smitten with her, half in love but also afraid, because in my life (and she seemed to know this) I had not loved anyone without having been wounded. Love was power and possession, love caused pain: you were never more exposed than when you were in love, never more wounded; possession was an enslavement, something stifling." - Paul Theroux, A Dead Hand: A Crime in Calcutta
He opened his eyes and looked at the white snow. It was as if he had walked into a completely different world. One that was untouched, unmoved, frozen in time. And for a brief moment he believed his family would be okay. That Rosalie and Emmett would return home safe and everything would be as it should, even if it was a little different. The world moved in ways he could never understand but it wasn't his place to understand them, only to accept them or defy them. With his family, he could. And it would be okay.
"Merry Christmas, Emmett. Merry Christmas, Rosalie," Edward whispered into the snow, hoping it would carry the words to find their ears.
Leaning back in the hotel chair, Rosalie swirled the cup of blood wine around before taking a large sip. The liquid was cool but sweet and slid down her throat easily. She tossed her head back and looked up at the ceiling, a large watermark was growing near the corner. She debated fixing it like Esme would but instead took another large sip. It was her second glass that evening and the effects of both the blood and alcohol were making itself known.
She hated the feeling of alcohol taking control of her but the wine seemed to relax her mood. It was the only alcohol she would touch but drank in moderation. As she finished the glass, she leaned toward her computer and worked through the last few lines of her latest email. It had been an entire week since she'd been able to take the time. Encrypting her messages was tedious but the redhead had already intercepted Emmett and herself at their first hotel stay. It was obvious she was tracking their online usage. How she had the time, Rosalie wasn't sure. It must be the action of one of the others.
She tried to think of what to say to end the email. Beginning a message was easy. She always told Bella how much she missed her and wanted to be by her side. She felt as though a part of her was physically missing when Bella was so far out of touch. The words to say goodbye felt too finite. She twirled her chair around again before writing out a quote from Ghatourey.
The next few hours are spent encrypting the message before addressing it and sending it out over an encrypted line. Rosalie sighed and closed her laptop. She wondered if the others had figured out how to decrypt the messages yet. Emmett and she were the best with computers. Edward didn't have the patience and Alice wasn't able to use the electronic devices. She still used an older flip phone as her personal mobile. Esme was excellent with design software but never had any interest in computer languages and Jasper would much rather deal with an old book but he was rather good with puzzles. Carlisle knew the inside and outs of a computer in regard to its hardware but was only a beginner with software. He had so much to keep up within the medical field, computers took a backburner.
A sharp knock came on the door and Rosalie immediately moved to the bathroom. After a short pause, the key jingled and the door swung open. Emmett hurried in, locking the door behind him and closing the shades of the window.
Rosalie reentered the room and took the bag of groceries from him.
"I'm not sure but I feel like I'm being followed," Emmett commented while looking through the door's peephole.
"You mean like a crazy, vengeful redheaded vampire is tracking your every step?" Rosalie asked with a slightly manic grin. The chase was starting to grate on her.
"No," Emmett didn't react to Rosalie's statement. "Like there is someone seriously watching me."
Rosalie quirked an eyebrow and tugged on Emmett's shoulder. He turned around slowly.
"You do know how handsome you are, right?" Rosalie asked trying to lighten the mood.
"I am gorgeous, that's true." He nodded. "There's no doubt about that but this is different. This guy isn't checking me out, he's just watching me."
Rosalie moved to the window and glanced out quickly before letting the shades settle again.
"Well, if he's just watching there isn't too much we can do. Let's eat and then plan an escape route."
Emmett shrugged and moved over to the bag sitting on the small fridge. He pulled out two large sandwiches and some cookies. He quickly devoured the cookies and made his way halfway through his sandwich before Rosalie even started on hers.
"You know," She said between bites. "Bella says you eat just like a wolf."
Emmett grinned up at her with lettuce sticking out between his teeth.
"To her, I'm sure it was an endearing comment since she loves to surround herself with that riffraff."
"Yeah, I'm glad she has them too. They're protectors, proud and strong. It's as if Bella came with her own security system." Emmett finished off his food before grabbing Rosalie's old cup and drinking down a large fill of blood wine.
Once Rosalie was finished with her meal, he turned to her and asked, "You ready to jump on this creeper?"
"Are we two-timing him?" Rosalie smirked coyly. "He hardly stands a chance with us."
"You're telling me, babe."
Just as Emmett was about to kick open the door, a knock came from the other side. The two vampires stood side by side staring at one another, not sure what to do. The knock came again before a voice called out.
"I have a message from Victoria."
"Whose Victoria?" Emmett called back. Rosalie smacked him and he shrugged. "You got the wrong door, buddy. Go away."
"Emmett, Rosalie," The voice called back making note he most certainly didn't have the wrong door. "Victoria, or the crazy, vengeful redheaded vampire as you might call her, has requested a parley." He kept speaking as if Emmett and Rosalie had already agreed to show up. "The meeting will take place in one hour at Coco's Beach Bar in Stalis Beach."
The sound of his feet walking away drifted into the air until he was long gone.
"We have to go, Rose," Emmett said after several long moments. Rosalie looked over to see him showing his exhaustion for the first time since they left the battle.
Rosalie turned her back on him and grabbed a chair, snapping the legs off and throwing them at the bed. Once her rage was released, she turned back to him and held his face in her hands.
"I know we do," She agreed, showing her own exhaustion. "We need to end this."
He nodded slowly and they packed up their small bag and checked out at the Sun and Sea Apartments office. When they got to the bar, the evening crowd was taking up most of the seating choices but they spotted the redhead relaxing at a table under a large umbrella. She lifted her head and smirked at the two. Rosalie squeezed her fists closed and took a large breath through her nose, causing her nostrils to flare. Emmett nodded once before leading them over to the table.
"That's him," Emmett said nodding to a young boy leaning against the bar, waiting for drinks. "He's the one that found us."
"I found you, actually. You're very hard to miss when asking the grocers what the best sandwich choices were while speaking perfect Greek." Victoria's voice was silky and hurried as if she needed to say everything very efficiently.
The boy returned to the table with three drinks, all looking very fruity and very alcoholic. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she stiffly took a seat. Emmett went to reach for his drink but she held him back. He frowned but nodded and left the drink on the table.
Lifting her own glass, Victoria smiled mischievously while taking a sip. "Your loss."
"Why are we here?" Rosalie asked roughly, filled with impatience.
"Because I invited you," Victoria replied with a flourish of her arms. "This is a beautiful beach, no? I must admit, you have taken me very far indeed before I was able to track you well enough for Riley to provide my request."
Rosalie glanced quickly up at Riley who looked almost as uncomfortable as Jasper in a group. She scowled. "You brought a newborn to a crowded bar?"
Victoria reached out and pet Riley's arm, causing the boy to look at her with puppy-love eyes. "He knows better than to misbehave. If he does, he'll have to deal with the consequences."
Riley stiffened and whimpered before looking down at his feet. Rosalie scoffed unsure if she was upset with Riley or for him.
"Very well, we'll move straight to business." Victoria finished off her drink before leaning forward. Rosalie stiffened but remained in her seat. "I'm tired of running after you since you're obviously not going to run back to the brunette nor meet up with any more allies. So, Riley and I are going to head back to Forks and pluck her out of that mess of supernaturals. I thought I'd give you a heads up because a race is so much more fun than stealth."
Emmett laughed, "As if you could get to her."
"Wait, what do you mean you're going back? I thought you were after us. For killing James."
"Sweetie, you didn't kill James," Victoria grinned widely. "I did."
"You what?"
"I'm not really one for self-flattery but this one was a bit of fun." She replied while Riley grinned in the background, allowing a few slow laughs to escape his lips. Victoria continued while playing with the straw of her drink. "James wasn't the leader of our little coven but neither am I. We simply followed orders. James was becoming a nuisance and caused this whole issue. Now that it's come to a climax, we, of course, have to clean up the mess but avoidance of your entire coven would have been ideal." She plucked the little plastic sword out of the cup and slowly pulled a cherry off with her teeth. Biting into the fruit, she allowed the red juices to slide down her chin. "This has taken too long and now others have become, let's say, interested. This needs to end so end it shall."
With a practiced smoothness, Victoria rose from the table and took a coat from Riley. She turned back to Rosalie and Emmett, another playful grin on her lips. "Maybe I'll see you there, maybe I won't." Victoria disappeared into the night without a second glance.
"We need to move," Emmett said but Rosalie was already on the move, phone in hand.
"Edward, you need to get her safe. I don't know, I don't know what's happening but she's coming back for her. Get Bella to safety. We're on our way." She hung up and took off in a blur, not caring which drunk patron thought he saw her.
Bella rode her bike through the slush on the sidewalks in downtown Forks. Making her way to the diner for her Sunday morning meal with Angela, Edward, Jasper, and now Alice, she slid a bit but kept her balance. At the diner, Bella leaned her bike against the back wall and circled around to enter through the front door.
Just as she grabbed at the door, a hand grabbed her and pulled her backward.
"We need to…" Edward started talking before backing off. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Please stop screaming. I just meant to grab you, yeah, I know, that was stupid. Okay, stop hitting me. No wait, don't go in there." He followed Bella into the diner as she made a beeline to their booth.
"Hey, Bella," Angela called out cheerily. "I ordered you a coffee and some waffles." She frowned and added, "You don't look so great, everything okay?"
"This creep just grabbed me on the street," Bella replied roughly, stuffing her coat on the coat rack before plopping down opposite Jasper.
Jasper stiffened and moved to get up before seeing Edward slide into the booth. He noticed the strange aura between the two and commented, "You are the strange creep?"
"Look, I didn't mean," Edward started to say before grabbing at his hair. "Rosalie just called me."
"What?!" Bella screamed out not even carrying how many people looked over their way. "What did she say? Is she alright? What did she need? Why can't I speak to her?" Bella reached out to grab at Edward's phone but he pushed her gently back against her seat.
"I don't know, she didn't leave me with very many answers just a lot of questions."
"That is very Rosalie," Alice commented while trying to concentrate on something else.
"What did she say?" Bella asked while pulling on Edward's sleeve.
"She said you're in trouble," Edward started but Bella just rolled her eyes like that statement was completely obvious. "And that she's coming home."
"She's coming home!" Bella shouted out filled with joy.
"So is Victoria."
"Who is Victoria?"
"The redhead," Jasper said, weighing in with his thoughts. "So Rosalie must have found out somehow that Victoria is backing down from chasing her and coming back to collect Bella."
"That's pretty bold of her," Angela said softly and Jasper turned to her in question. "Well, I mean, if she thinks that getting to Bella even with all of you in the way is easier than chasing down Rosalie and Emmett. That seems like a bold move."
"It seems like a stupid move," Bella noted confused.
"There must be something we are not taking into account," Jasper stated before staring down at the table. He continued to comment softly about different possible situations and consequences but the entire conversation was with himself.
"Well maybe if we knew more about the fight, we could help you figure out why?" Angela asked. She knew how Bella felt with the Cullen's constantly withholding information and was greatly aggravated that she never spoke up for herself. If someone was keeping so much from her, she'd explode, but this was Bella, the girl who went with the flow to keep everyone else happy, regardless of how lost she could feel.
Jasper blatantly ignored her while Alice focused on something outside of her own view. Only Edward replied.
"I don't know what else to say. The fight didn't really make any sense." He pulled at his hair while trying to find the words. "When the newborns came they were enraged by the smell of Bella's blood and burst out in fury. They attacked anything that moved, including each other. Most of the time we spent just trying to stay out of their reach until we had a clear chance to take them down. Look, I'm not giving the details, that's not something you guys need to know, but I can say that James ended up in the middle of the fight.
"There was this moment when James and the redhead, Victoria, seemed to be standing just outside the edges of the battlefield arguing. Like, they were just laying it on one another and I swear James was going to attack her but a group of four newborns came close with Rosalie and Emmett on their tail but the next thing I know, James had been, uh, destroyed and Victoria was staring down Rosalie."
Bella gulped. She had heard most of the words before but the added detail made her uncomfortable. A large part of her wanted to know, wanted to be a part of the decisions and the planning and the consequences. But when she heard the details about her new family going up against death, she shivered as Edward continued his description.
"When Rosalie turned and Victoria finally caught her eye, there seemed to be a quick conversation between the two of them. Victoria ran off back toward Seattle and Rosalie ran to Emmett who had followed after the newborns. They were gone before the fight was even over. We didn't know they had really left until everything was cleaned up and the wolves had moved out of range or whatever."
Alice looked across the table and reached out to Bella. "I don't think there would have been anything I could do beforehand but I'm sorry for not knowing."
Bella took the smaller girl's hands in hers and squeezed. "You can't know everything all the time."
Alice laughed, "I used to!"
Jasper laughed and the table relaxed a little into their coffee and plates. Bella could hardly touch her waffles but Edward helped. She wasn't sure if she was excited or terrified. She knew she should be terrified since a crazy vampire was going to come and try to steal her but a much larger part of her was focusing on the fact that Rosalie was coming back to her.
"Any more luck with the decryption, Jasper?" Angela asked as she finished her coffee. She wasn't sure what else to focus on now that the table had seemed to go quiet.
"I actually do have some good news about that." Jasper smiled at Angela and then turned to Bella. "I think I figured out what type of encryption Rosalie used."
"Does that mean you've decrypted it?" Bella asked only half hopeful.
"No, but that does mean I think I will have them cracked in the next day or so." Jasper put his cup down and held up his phone. "Knowing the decryption type and the starting point will clear the message out. I'm 85% of the way done."
"That's great news, Jasper. Thank you." Bella said calmly but continued to focus on Rosalie coming home. Once she was here, she could just decrypt the message. Or the two of them could lock themselves away for a weekend, forgetting all about killer vampires and encrypted messages. She blushed a little thinking back on their last eventful sleepover.
After a rather large fight with Edward, Bella convinced him to let her go home and have a few wolves protect her house. The way she figured it, Rosalie and Victoria were both pretty far away so no one was coming for her tonight.
So, Bella laid in bed trying to distract herself with Candy Crush on her phone. It was doing a pretty mediocre job but the funny noises and bright colors kept her in a good mood. Around midnight a message popped up on her phone.
She clicked over to it, noting it was a text from Jasper, who never texted.
'Sorry to bother you at such a late hour but I figured you may want to know this.'
'Is sumthin wrong'
'I'm sorry, no, I didn't mean to make you think that.'
Bella rolled her eyes and laughed.
'Its fine but get 2 point. whts up?'
'Of course. I have managed to decrypt the first message. Please check it on your computer.'
Bella only read the first part of the text before dropping her phone and running over to her computer. It hummed to life and she quickly pulled up her email while ignoring the few more texts that came in. The message was flagged from Jasper and marked important. She opened it quickly and saw the forwarded email.
From: UNAUTHORIZED
To: BellaBear1987
CC: lilpsychicpixie
Subject: ,mnF)Gmsq)UmGjZmw.=UBmc.m^F`m,$m^.==`
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,$mBL= =BmjFQZmFp=ZFU`mdqQZ)m`.LmFppmGjZq=mq)_.=$FGq.)m_=.$mGjZmKFGGpZam,GmVFBmFm$FBBFP= `mGjZmpZFBGam,mU.)GmZQZ)mL)UZ=BGF)UmVj`mqGmVFBmGjZmVF`mqGmVFBmKLGm,$mPZ=GFq)mqGmVFBm$ZF) $LPjm._mFmUZ3p.`mK` =mBqUZa
,mF$mV=qGq) `.LmGjFGm,mF$mBF_ZmF)Um3=F`m`.LmF=ZmG.m=Z$Fq)mBF_ZmFBmVZppam,mVqppmKZmj.$ZmKZ_.=Zm`.Lm}).VmqGmF)Um,mF$mG=`q)dmG.m} ..}m.)mGjq)dBam,mKZpqZQZmGjFGmqBm`.L=mU.q)da
, `.LmF)UmVqppmKZmGjq)}q)dm._m`.LmZQZ=`m$.$Z)Gm._mZQZ=`mUF`mGjFGmVZmF=ZmF3F=Ga
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Oa^am{$$ZGGmBZ) )UmF3. _.=mpZFQq)dm`.LmKZjq)Uam,mU.m).GmBjF=ZmGjqBm.3q)q.)mFBm,mVqBjm`. _ =m$ZmKZq)dmjF33`a
From: HistoryBuffJWH
To: BellBear1987
CC:
Subject: FWD:FWD: I Can't Find the Words To Say I'm Sorry
My Dearest Bella, My Love,
I never meant to leave you the way I did but I couldn't think of what else to do. I didn't feel like I had any choice. The only way to save your life was to leave you, which sounds ridiculous.
I'm sure the others have already given you all their information from the battle. It was a massacre, to say the least. I don't even understand why it was the way it was but I'm certain it was meant to be just as much of a deploy by the other side.
I am writing to tell you that I am safe and pray you are to remain safe as well. I will be home before you know it and I am trying to keep a positive look on things. I believe that is your doing.
I love you and will be thinking of you every moment of every day that we are apart.
Your Rosalie
P.S. Emmett sends his love and apologizes for leaving you behind. I do not share this opinion as I wish you to be safe over me being happy.
Bella jumped up out of her seat and danced around her room before scrambling around to find her phone.
'Thk u thk u thk u! :) :) :)'
'You're most welcome. I am still working on the second and third but will get them to you once I can. Goodnight Bella.'
Bella flung herself on her bed playing for another half hour when she heard her computer bing with another email. She pulled it up and read the second email from Jasper.
From: HistoryBuffJWH
To: BellBear1987
CC:
Subject: FWD:FWD: Merry Christmas
My Beloved, Bella
I miss you more than I realized I could miss someone. I'm overwhelmed with the need to apologize for my absence but I don't have the words to say it all.
It feels as though my life started the day I met you. The next day my entire world was taken from me. With time being such a nuisance for so long, I can't begin to understand when it became so important to me.
I hope you will receive these messages soon. We are still being chased but you have nothing to fear. Emmett is here with me and I trust Edward and Alice to keep you safe. These messages are encrypted to keep the redhead from finding us. It has worked so far but how I wish to hear your voice.
I wish to be close to you even if only to hold your hand. It's funny how something so small can mean so much. How important someone can become in only a few moments, in such a whirlwind of time, everything you thought was important changed.
I've spent enough Christmas holidays alone to know it is family that makes the holiday. I don't know when it happened, Bella, but you have become my family.
Your gift represents this feeling, I hope you feel the same. I hope you feel as much a part of my family as the rest of us believe you to be.
I may not have understood at the time but I know now that meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me. You are everything which is good in my life. And for that, I will fight until I am back home in your arms.
Until we are together again may every moment reminds me of you.
Merry Christmas, Your Rosalie
P.S. Emmett says your present from him is Dracula by Bea Miller. He's been listening to it practically non-stop lately.
Bella spun around in her bedroom before falling onto her bed. She passed out before she even realized how tired she was.
Bella woke to the sound of a deep, male voice. "Come on, Edward, we talked about this. You can't just wander into my room whenever you feel like it." Bella whimpered into her pillow, which was resting over her eyes.
The male voice laughed deep and quiet, a thunderous sound. "I will attempt to keep that in mind but seeing as how I'm not Edward, I don't know if the rules apply to me."
Bella threw the pillow from her face and nearly jumped out of bed. Sitting at her computer desk was an extremely handsome, olive-skinned man with long, dark dreads.
"Oh, it most definitely applies to rando vampires!" Bella yelled out. She thought about screaming more, calling Charlie into her room, but she didn't want him to be hurt. She looked out the window to see if anyone was out there but no one was in sight.
The vampire merely leaned back in the computer chair as if he had a million years to wait.
"What do you want, why are you here? You know, all those questions." Bella asked trying to think of what to do.
The vampire sighed and leaned forward. "You see, James made a mess of things. Do you remember James?" His eyes looked directly into Bella as he waited for her to answer, she nodded slowly and gulped. "He mentioned as much. You see, I wanted to ignore the whole lot of you. The Olympic coven are a bit of a soft spot in the Volturi's eyes so a human living amongst vampires and knowing all of our secrets would be ignored. It's not worth my time."
He shifted slightly and looked out Bella's window. "Normally, we could just kill the human, disperse or kill the vampires and let the Volturi know why. Everything would be cleared and we'd be good to go on our way. Instead, with the Olympic coven's involvement, the Volturi would have been furious. So, I wanted to leave.
"But James, James insisted that no one would remember. That he would get in, take care of you, maybe even take care of a few of them, and no one would remember enough to tell the Volturi a plausible story. I agreed for the fun of it, we have been quite bored for a while now.
"Then you happened." His eyes moved to Bella's and a dark red tint seemed to glow over his dark brown eyes. "Because of your special little gift, I have had to lose my little tracker. It was a great loss but perhaps I can forgive you with a fair trade."
Bella was visibly shaking at this point. She had remembered the Volturi name mentioned before but didn't completely understand what they did. And she certainly didn't understand why they would give the Olympic coven special treatment. Most of those thoughts moved in and out of her brain as she seized up at the mere look the vampire was giving her.
"Trade?" Her voice scratched out the question.
"You know about vampire gifts, yes?" Bella nodded slowly. "Do you want to know what my gift is?"
Bella gulped and shook her head no. The vampire laughed loudly and Bella was certain her father would hear. She looked at the door quickly before looking back at the vampire in front of her.
"My dear you will know soon enough regardless." He stood up and moved slowly, purposely toward her. "My name is Laurent, I advise you to remember that."
"Why should I?" Bella asked but most of the words came out as a scared whisper.
"Because I am your new master." Laurent smiled devilishly before pulling Bella into his grasp and jumping out her window with an ease she didn't think was possible.
A wolf came tumbling out of the woods but Laurent merely stared the animal down. Instead of attacking, the wolf seemed to cower before Laurent. He shoved it with such a hard hit, the wolf went flying into a large tree. Bella heard a crunch and threw her hands up over her mouth, holding in her whimper. Another wolf circled around Laurent but was tossed farther down toward the house. As the wolf found its footing, it howled out into the woods. Now the whole pack knew what was going on and they would be there to save her.
Before Bella could get too excited, Laurent turned to wolf and stared it down. The wolf cowered and held its paws over its ears. Laurent then took off into the woods. He moved with a swiftness that kept Bella safe against him but almost made her feel like vomiting as the trees wooshed by, scratching at her limbs. Could all vampires move this quickly? Were they all strong enough to shove a werewolf into a tree with one hand?
With a sudden jerk, Laurent stopped and dropped Bella unceremoniously on the ground. They were deep in the Olympic Mountains surrounded by trees and a small stream ran down along one side. If it weren't for the mortal peril, Bella might have noticed the beauty of the location.
"The fun will begin shortly, for now, I need you to drink up."
Laurent lifted Bella from the ground just enough for her mouth to come to his arm. He had slit open a large gash and Bella couldn't help but choke down on the blood. It was so strange but it reminded her of James, not just because of the incredible situation but the taste of the blood itself. She wondered if every vampire's blood tasted the same.
When Laurent dropped her back to the ground, Bella started coughing and choking. She attempted to vomit up the blood but nothing she did would work. Her vision became blurry and the world around her seemed to swim. Before she knew it, she passed out.
The flight from Athens to Seattle took over 16 hours and Rosalie was moving through the airport like a bull in a china shop. She hadn't seen Victoria nor had she heard from her family since she last spoke with Carlisle. He ensured Bella was safe and the wolves would keep a tight watch on her until Rosalie returned home. The next plan was to leave the area with Bella and Charlie, if he'd come.
Once they cleared the airport, Rosalie and Emmett immediately found Alice sitting in a yellow Porsche 911 Turbo S, which Emmett barely fit into the back seat (he had to lay sideways and hold their bag on his legs). The latest news from Alice was not good.
Rosalie jumped out of the car just as they were nearing Port Angeles and ran down Hurricane Ridge Rd. When she finally stopped to listen and smell the air, Emmett and Alice had caught up to her. They too searched their surroundings. They had passed the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center and were heading toward Whiskey Bend when Rosalie caught the first scent. It was a smell she would know anywhere, Bella's blood.
She took off in the direction with Emmett hot on her heels. Alice followed a short ways behind, her phone in her ear as she yelled for reinforcements. When they came to the clearing, at the base of Cat Peak just near the end of Cat Creek, Rosalie exploded in rage.
Ahead of her stood a very arrogant, olive-skinned vampire with long dreads. Before he could say a word, Rosalie lunged at him, attempting to rip him to shreds. He merely swat at her like a fly causing her to hurl across the opening and crash along the ground.
"Where are your manners, dear girl?" The vampire said, wiping off his coat as if he had gotten it dirty. "Were you raised in a barn?"
Rosalie made another leap at him but he dodged and smacked her into the ground. Holding his hand on her to keep her from getting up.
"I'm sure we can come to an understanding if we just take the time to discuss things." The vampire cooed as if speaking to a small child. "I'm sure I'll grow bored of the girl and return her to you in another century or so, you merely need to wait your turn."
Emmett ran into the clearing and jumped for the vampire. He was able to knock the arm from Rosalie, allowing her to move quickly out of reach but Emmett was tossed away just as easily.
Alice walked into the clearing and whistled loud and slow. Growling and barely contained, Rosalie and Emmett moved to her side, flanking her as she addressed the vampire.
"We are from the Olympic coven, who are you?"
"Ah, the voice of reason." The vampire purred. "I am Laurent, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
"I can't say I agree," Alice replied coolly. "We have obviously come for Bella."
"Yes but she is mine now." Laurent looked over at Bella's limp body lying on the ground. She had bloody scratches all over her body and her mouth was covered in blood.
Rosalie wiped the blood from her own mouth and shook her wrist out. It crackled a little and she was pretty sure it was fractured. Emmett cracked his neck this way and that and circled his shoulders. He was ready for round two.
"You can't claim her!" Rosalie shouted out, exhausted from all the waiting, all the traveling. Who even was this guy?
"As you can see," Laurent pointed down at the gash on his arm and the blood on Bella's lips. "I already have."
"Enough!" Rosalie shouted and ran at the vampire a third time. He reached out and grabbed around her neck, pulling her high above himself before tossing her into a tree. The trunk snapped and fell, with Rosalie landing awkwardly beside it.
Laurent shrugged and looked back at Alice and Emmett before frowning over their shoulders. "I see you called for backup."
Alice turned to look behind them while Emmett kept a watchful eye on Laurent. For his part, the older vampire simply stared down at his nails attempting to look calm.
Quickly grabbing Emmett's arm, Alice turned him around to see who had entered the clearing at the same time that Rosalie moved over to Bella, scooping the girl into her arms. Three Volturi guards slowly moved between the Cullen's and Laurent with his prey.
"As you can tell, we are members of the guard of Volturi." One of the vampires said. He was wearing dark tight clothing with red accents. The clothing was meant to look somewhat modern while still having no loose ends which could catch on trees or other obstacles. His left chest was marked with the Volturi crest, a silver V with a shield and red gems.
"I am Felix and this is Demetri and Afton. Address yourselves now." He spoke clearly and with authority. Alice responded at once.
"I am Alice and this is Emmett of the Olympic coven." She grabbed her throat, holding her mouth slightly ajar. Rosalie looked over at her and realized she must have been compelled to speak.
"I am Laurent of the Qua coven." Laurent cleared his throat several times before adding, "And this Rosalie of the Olympic coven and Bella of no coven."
"That's not true," Rosalie shouted out before she could stop herself. "She is of the Olympic coven and he is torturing her."
Bella groaned slowly and attempted to look around. All she saw was Rosalie which made her smile. She reached up and held Rosalie's face in her hand before kissing the blonde quite passionately. It was obvious the girl had no idea what was happening around her.
Felix looked down at Bella and gestured toward Afton. The shorter of the three moved over to Bella and lifted her unceremoniously from Rosalie's grip. Bella looked around confused just barely taking in the scene around her. Rosalie tried to reach for her, but Afton always seemed to keep just out of her reach, almost like she couldn't see exactly where he was.
Afton sniffed at the girl and recoiled. "She is a human so our information was correct. She has a large loss of blood but is in process."
"Very well, kill her." Felix replied.
Before anyone could react, Afton twisted Bella's neck. As the body collapsed, he caught her up and scooped her into his arms holding her like a bride.
"Is there anything else?" Felix asked of Laurent.
Laurent merely shrugged and adjusted his stance. "May I go?"
"Of course."
Laurent moved out of the clearing so quickly only the woosh of the trees made note of his passing.
Alice fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth. Emmett stood stoic, half disbelieving, half unsure what to do. Rosalie burned red. She attacked the Volturi with such unrestrained rage, Felix actually moved out of the fray. Afton moved as if he was a ghost, always out of reach but Demetri came between her and Afton fighting her off with every move. The two scrabbled and marked each other with each passing blow. Eventually, however, Demetri was able to overcome Rosalie and she was pushed to the ground.
The rest of the Olympic coven arrived but there was very little they could do. Esme restrained Rosalie, holding her back from trying to fight any more. Carlisle attempted to convince Felix to allow Bella to stay with them but Felix insisted she must be taken to Volterra for review. Unwittingly, Carlisle agreed and the Cullens made plans to travel to Volterra in hopes they could save Bella's afterlife.
Once the Volturi left, Rosalie destroyed the clearing, leaving only a smoking crater behind.
A/N: So that happened. Happy New Year?
Anyone manage to decrypt the messages before I shared them? I thought that was a bit of fun but I'm sure most of you were just annoyed at a huge chunk of garbled letters and symbols. So I'll try to restrain in the future.
[JenDamn] You were the voice of Angela in this chapter, I hope I did your words some justice if only a little bit.
[averiarose] I will continue with the Twilight fandom for as long as I write fanfic. I find it to be extremely satisfying and I absolutely love Rosalie as a character. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you find more fics to satiate you.
[puzzlepiece10] Did you have any luck decrypting the email?
[Han818] Everyone did come back but I'm not sure if it was the reunion you were truly wishing for.
[Tohshi] James is dead but you were right that Victoria was just messing with Rosalie and Emmett. Another vampire was holding the strings. I hope this twist was up to par. Now, I'm not playing with blood bonds but Laurent does have a very specific gift when it comes to blood. Any ideas what it might be?
What do you think Bella will be like as a vampire? How do you think her gift will grow or change? How do you think this will affect her relationship with Rosalie or the other Cullens? With her dad and the wolves?