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…

"Inertia. Guy's law of enchantment: People at rest will remain at rest, and people in motion will keep moving in the same direction unless an outside enchanter acts upon them."- Guy Kawasaki, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions

"Come back tomorrow," Alec said softly. Jane looked at him like she was going to argue but he shook his head. "She needs her, that much is obvious." He turned back to Rosalie. "Come back tomorrow but with a more strategic mind. It helps."

Jane rolled her eyes and growled. Rosalie took a few steps towards the bed, just far enough to see Bella's peaceful sleeping body. She ached to lie down beside her but held back. She needed to talk to her family. They need a vastly different plan than the one they came with.

Afton brought Rosalie back to Edward and Emmett who were practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation. When they saw the look on Rosalie's face, a look of stern resolution, they burst out in questions. Rosalie held up her hand and said they would have a family meeting. Afton brought them back to their rooms before disappearing into the night.

Before Rosalie had the chance to explain everything that had happened, Carlisle explains how they were invited to supper with their hosts.

"They didn't give me much room to argue," He explained. "But they did hint they would provide more information."

"I have the information I need," Rosalie growled back. "We need to go through everything I've learned."

"Yes, I agree, but we don't have time." Carlisle started to say when a knock came on the door. Before everyone could even turn, the door was opening and Heidi stood in the room.

"Good evening, Olympic coven." She smiled friendly and sweet but no one returned the gesture. "If you will all please follow me, thank you."

Heidi turned out the door and immediately everyone felt the urge to follow suit. Carlisle lead and Edward and Rosalie came up the back. They both remained silent but Rosalie did a running transcript of her interaction with Bella. They both silently agreed to clear their minds of the contact and block their features. Rosalie had a lot of experience with Edward around and he, in turn, practiced his own gift on Bella often enough to know the subtilties she used to block him out. Neither of them were experts but they were both strong novices.

Instead of returning to the main throne room, the coven followed Heidi into an elaborate dining room with a table long enough to feed twenty people or more. Each placement was furnished with the finest china and crystal and the table adorned with candles, breads, and cheeses.

They took their seats around one end of the table, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice on one side while Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward took up the opposite side. Once they were seated, Emmett reached for some cheese but Esme gave him a look that stopped in his hand in midair. He pouted but leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

After a few silent and uncomfortable minutes, the door opened to let in Aro, Caius, and Marcus. Aro practically danced to his seat while Caius and Marcus marched, Marcus' steps not quite reaching above the ground but instead sliding along.

"Welcome again my dear friends," Aro said as a line of servants walked into the room holding individual trays of food. They stood behind each diner until syncronizing their deliveries to each placement. "Please enjoy this feast of Pasta e Fagioli with Escarole. Make sure not to fill yourselves up as we will be having dessert."

Rosalie wondered briefly why they weren't having an appetizer but then realized the Volturi already consumed their appetizers. She held her body from shivering at the thought and attempted to stomach the food before her.

As the Olympic coven ate their food slowly and tried to not to speak much, Aro kept a running commentary on the Volturi's achievements in the last hundred years.

"You will, of course, have noticed the update in lighting around the estate." Aro waved his hand as if the light fixtures were the most interesting thing in the world. "We have switched all the bulbs over to light-emitting diode bulbs."

Emmett blinked a few times before saying, "LEDs?"

Before anyone else could say anything Esme cut in, "How wonderful of you to be thinking of the future by using such environmentally friendly products. Tell me, what other advancements have you made? Are you thinking of switching to solar?"

Aro made a strange mix of a grimace and a pout and quickly turned down the idea. "No one around here needs anymore sun." He then went on a tangent about the retrofits in the west wing and how advanced their restructuring was. It didn't take long for Rosalie to realize he had accomplished no more than the average homeowner yet he was bragging as if he had accomplished amazing feats. Did he honestly believe he was that amazing? By the look on Caius' face, he just might.

Rosalie watched Caius groan and gripe silently before storming out of the room in a big hurry. Carlisle started to make a note of it but Aro waved him off.

"Never mind him, he's a party pooper, as they say."

Esme next attempted to release them from conversation by claiming jetlag. "I do enjoy this but we should really get some rest. I hope to see Bella first thing in the morning. Unless we may visit with her tonight?" Her voice asked in a breathy manner as if the question was flippant and unexpected.

"First thing in the morning, of course," Aro replied with a hand gesture. He was obviously annoyed but attempted to keep his jovial attitude up. "We will provide a tour of the training grounds, as well as the library. Carlisle, you will be very excited to note the addition of many original paintings by Soshenko, including the landscape you were so fond of."

The Olympic coven rose to their feet and said their goodnights. Aro quickly summoned Heidi, who appeared as if she had been waiting on the other side of the door. Before Rosalie was swooped away, she noticed Marcus staring at her.

"Later," Edward said from her side. She turned to see him also watching Marcus and noticed the two seem to nod to each other. The Olympic coven was back to Carlisle and Esme's room before another thought could come to mind.

Edward pulled Rosalie over to the couch and immediately explained what Marcus was thinking.

"When Marcus first met Bella, it was just after Chelsea tried to change Bella's loyalty."

"What do you mean by that?" Emmett asked, leaning against the bed frame.

"Chelsea has the ability to control people's emotional loyalty, their ties whether it be blood ties, familial ties, or the sense of duty. It's as if she is so convincing she can overwhelm people's own beliefs in their loyalty. Some say she is the reason the guard is as strong and resilient as they are. They live for no one but the Volturi." Carlisle explained.

Edward continued, "Marcus noted that Chelsea's gift was unable to breach Bella's walls. He was intrigued immediately because he also saw more than one strong emotional tie."

"He can see these ties?" Emmett asked, half pulling at an imaginary tie around his neck.

"Yes, Marcus is able to see and understand the emotional ties vampires have for one another, especially those between vampires that are mated." Carlisle once again explained. "He can see ties even before people acknowledge them themselves."

"He would have made the perfect matchmaker," Alice responded in a sing-songy tone. Esme and Jasper smiled at the small vampire.

"However true that may be," Carlisle nodded gently. "I must ask, what other ties did he see?"

"Bella has emotional ties to her parents, though to Charlie is much stronger, to the wolves, especially Jake and Billy, as well as to us. He noted how surprised he was at the strength of her emotional ties directly to Rosalie but also noticed another tie that was new but almost as strong."

Rosalie scowled, "To Laurent." She spat out the name.

Edward turned to her and nodded, "Yes. Her loyalty ties to him are exceptionally strong. He had noticed ties to Laurent from other vampires Laurent had changed but nothing this strong."

"It's Laurent's power," Rosalie explained the Mastery he had over those he changed. "He is actively calling for Bella to join him. That is the only explanation as to why it is so strong right now." She turned back to Edward to ask, "Has Marcus not noticed how strong the ties are between the twins and Laurent? Or with Afton? Or all the others?"

"That's what he wants to talk about tonight. He should be here…" Edward was cut off by a light knock on the door. "That's him."

Jasper nodded once at Edward before opening up the door to reveal Marcus. The vampire looked taller and more imposing without the exasperating presence of Aro or the malevolence of Caius. His face showed no obvious expression but his eyes were doleful. He moved slowly into the open space of the room, the Olympic coven perched in a semicircle around him on assorted seatings or standing.

"I trust Edward has informed you why I've come." His voice was deep and heavy, almost like he was pushing down the air with his words.

Edward nodded and Carlisle agreed. "We have concerns about Bella."

Marcus nodded very slowly. "She is a very powerful vampire to be able to hold off Laurents gift."

Rosalie felt a bout of pride but still felt uneasy around his Volturi ruler.

"What can we do to help?" Esme asked, leaning a gentle hand on Rosalie's shoulder. Her words were half for Rosalie, half for Marcus.

"The Volturi is in great danger if Laurent is able to pull in his entrusted army. As of right now, it is Bella who is holding the Volturi in place more so than Chelsea."

"How so?" Carlisle asked, leaning forward slightly. It was obvious he was intrigued by what was going on. Rosalie couldn't quite fault him for his interest in vampire powers but she had trouble keeping her teeth from grinding loudly.

"Bella is using Alec's ability to drain desire both on herself, as well as on Chelsea."

"Wouldn't that cause Chelsea's gift to be less powerful?" Jasper crossed his arms as he asked.

"One might think but instead it had the opposite effect." Marcus' words were still coming out slowly and Rosalie thought she was going to explode with all the conversation and no action. "Chelsea has allowed her ability to run rampant around the guard causing them all to be outrageously loyal, to the point of fault. We have even lost two members in the last few days due to overreactions."

Before Jasper could ask for more detail, Edward cut in. "How do we save Bella?"

Marcus turned slowly to look Edward in the face. He moved almost like a statue; if you closed your eyes you might think he hadn't moved at all. "We must save them all. We must destroy Laurent."

Carlisle leaned his chin on his hand while he looked at the floor. "How many must we lose?"

"If we use the best strategies, we may come out on top," Jasper responded while already working through multiple ideas in his head.

"Oh dear," Esme replied. "He meant how many vampires. No matter what, in a war between two covens we lose."

Jasper breathed in sharply before nodding once.

"If we go after Laurent, he'll call in whomever he can get," Edward noted.

"Bella said he had vampires all over the world," Rosalie added.

The group quickly discussed their options for a few moments before Carlisle turned back to Marcus. The vampire had stood quietly during the drawn-out discourse.

"Marcus, why did you bring us this information?"

"For as much as Aro cares, he is painfully unaware or undisturbed. Caius might bring Laurent to his knees but many more would die." He turned and looked at Rosalie. "There are not many in this world that can find a bond like yours. There is reason to hold onto it as long as you can."

Before he finished speaking, Marcus' gaze moved up toward the ceiling as if he was searching the unseen clouds for an answer. Without another word, he slowly removed himself from the room and seemingly disappeared down the hall.

The group turned to one another, quickly lost in multiple conversations. Rosalie stood and watched. Her mental checklist was going a mile a minute. She needed to save Bella. She needed to use Bella to hold the Volturi together. She needed to save her family. She needed to use them in order to free Bella from Laurent. She needed to kill Laurent. She needed to go through an army of vampires to get to him and not just newborns that didn't know up from down, she needed to fight older, more powerful vampires. She couldn't do it alone.

"You'll never have to do it alone," Edward said softly from her side. Rosalie hated how he kept track of her thoughts but couldn't find the fight in her to yell at him. "We will save Bella together, as a family."

The rest of the room turned back to her and nodded solemnly. Emmett gave two giant thumbs up and an even bigger grin. He was so outrageous out of place that Rosalie barked out a laugh before breaking down in tears.

Esme held her as she fell to the ground wondering aloud, "How?" She croaked out through the tears.

"Together." Was the response but she wasn't sure if it came from once voice or from many.


Bella watched Jane and Alec spar in the large gym. The two often came here to practice and when they did, the rest of the Volturi guard dispersed. Jane said she liked that others feared her but Bella didn't entirely believe her. The two moved with efficiency and calculated attacks, rarely making impact as the other moved just as fluidly.

"Does anyone ever win?" Bella asked, watching the two.

Alec turned to answer just as Jane came down with a crushing blow. Bella almost wanted to smile knowing this would be the result of her words. Instead, she merely sighed. If she felt anything at all, she might feel the urge to learn herself but the heavy weight of nothingness sat in her shoulders bringing her entire body downward. She sat with a lack of prestige, merely a sack of potatoes.

Jane moved to her and kicked her shin.

"Get up, we're going to spar."

"But you'll win."

"Yes," Jane kicked Bella's shin again. "I will keep winning until you get better. Then it will simply take me longer to win. Get up."

Bella did as she was told. Once she was standing across from Jane, the small girl punched in the face. Bella moved her jaw slowly and turned back to Jane.

"This time, stop me from punching you." Jane rolled her eyes.

Bella nodded and two seconds too late lifted her hands up in a surrendering gesture. Jane had already gotten through and punched her again. At least it was a softly blow.

"To better block a blow to the face, hold your arms up together, like this." Alec showed Bella. She nodded and this time blocked the first blow with her arms but the second hit her stomach.

She turned back to Alec who showed her the move to block a blow to the stomach while adding in a punch of her own. It was mechanical, not enjoyable, but Bella's vampire intuition quickly memorized the moves and she was able to hold Jane's attack off within the hour. Neither of them broke a sweat as Jane moved slowly to show each attack she was making.

Jane called Bella names, slapped her whenever given the chance, and tried to use her gift more than once, but she also gave insightful corrections to improve Bella's balance and own attacks. It was the strange mixture of caring and inclusion that Jane often only showed with Alec.

When they were done, the group moved to leave the gym and find a meal. Instead, they found Afton and Rosalie standing at the door. Bella felt something, but her emotions quickly quelled whatever the something was and held her feet in place. She blinked several times at Rosalie while the tall blonde closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"What's the blonde bitch doing here?" Jane asked.

Without thinking, Bella swiped her foot across the back of Jane's knees, causing the smaller vampire to collapse backward. Bella was on top of her with her hand around the small throat before anyone could breathe. She growled at Jane and flashed her teeth.

Jane merely smiled up at Bella. "Nice move." She then twisted her legs around Bella and tossed her down on the mat, switching their positions. "Try not to let your guard down until the killing the blow."

Jane quickly got up and moved toward Alec, leaving Bella lying on the gym floor.

"We're here to talk," Afton said into the quiet room. "All of us."

Jane rolled her eyes but Alec nodded. He moved to sit next to Bella. Jane joined him and Rosalie and Afton moved over to complete the small circle.

"Did you call in Felix?" Alec asked Afton.

"I did, he is going to try to join us but is uncertain if he can get away without concern."

"How many of you are there in the guard?" Rosalie asked.

"There are eight in total but only five in our group," Alec explained. "Jane and myself, Bella, Afton, and Felix."

"The others are Heidi, Corin, and Renata," Afton noted.

Rosalie was taken aback. "Those three are a part of Laurent's coven?" Jane huffed and rolled her eyes before laying backward as Bella still was. Alec and Afton nodded. "But they are in perfect position."

"It's amazing how Aro is so blissfully misinformed." Felix agreed as he entered the room. "It's Corin's doing. She keeps him content in his power and blissful in his ignorance. Those three are our most dangerous competition."

"So if Laurent were to attack…" Rosalie started to say but Alec finished the statement.

"Renata would simply remove her guard, Corin would keep Aro happy, and Heidi would march him straight to Laurent's feet."

Rosalie was simply amazed. "But why hasn't he made his move yet?"

"The first thing you learn once you join Laurent's coven," Bella answered this time even though her eyes remained closed as if she were sleeping. "Is that he is never satisfied with his power. He has and will always want more."

Rosalie reached out and touched Bella's hand. The younger girl flinched away before reaching back and holding Rosalie's hand firmly. It was a conscious decision, possibly even forced, but Rosalie appreciated the gesture all the same.

"What on earth are we going to do?" Rosalie whispered.

"Is your coven going to fight?" Jane asked, leaning up on her arms.

"Of course but how do we fight…"

Jane cut her off, "Then we fight. I'm sick and tired of everyone else owning me. We fight, we take this bastard down, then we leave Aro to pretend he rules the world."

Afton looked at Jane suspiciously. "You don't want to take down the Volturi as well?"

Jane rolled her eyes as Alec answered for her. "We wish simply to be left alone. To be allowed to live our own lives. To travel where we wish to travel."

"If kill Laurent," Bella asked. "Do we still need to kill the others? Or will his power over them cause them to lose interest in the fight?"

The rest of the group stared at one another unsure.

"I guess we'll have to kill him as quickly as possible and find out." Jane sneered.

"How do we keep you from fighting us?" Rosalie asked Afton. She did not want to hear the answer from Jane.

"That is something we are working on with Bella," Felix answered for Afton. "We don't know if it will work once Laurent is here. His power is exceptionally more powerful the closer the proximity but we can only train for what we know."

Rosalie watched Bella breathe slowly and listened to the group explain the different options of how to use Bella's gift to block Laurent's. She tried not to focus on how used she felt on Bella's behalf but instead focused on the outcome. If Laurent is killed, Rosalie and Bella can be together again. She looked down at their clasped hands and gave Bella's a squeeze. The girl opened her eyes and watched Rosalie for a moment before sitting up and pulling Rosalie from the group.

The stood to the side of the room, still very much in earshot of the rest of the group but far enough away to give the illusion of being separated.

Bella held Rosalie's hand up between them and gently caressed her knuckles with her thumb.

"Is there any part of you that honestly believes we can do this?" Bella asked, not making eye contact.

Rosalie didn't answer. The two stood together until the meeting was over. Alec and Jane took Bella back to her room and Afton brought Rosalie back to her coven. Rosalie described the ideas the six of them discussed to her own coven. Jasper seemed hopeful, Carlisle and Esme concerned. Alice asked if she could take the time to speak with Bella, perhaps to find a way for her own gift to be used. Rosalie agreed. Emmett was excited about the big battle to come. Edward held in his fear and tried to agree with Emmett. Rosalie was convinced something would happen that none of them would expect.

A/N: So these next few chapters may be a little short. I've got a lot going on and I don't want ya'll (or myself quite frankly) to be overwhelmed with the players involved or the action taking place. I will try to keep updating at a regular pace though to make up for the shorter chapters.

[redwolf2313] Always 3

[Horseshoefijzer] How did you like the interactions between Alec and Jane with Bella? I can't imagine them being really close but I do feel they would end up with some sort of bond.

[JenDamn] I did add to Alec's gift a little bit allowing him to control desires as well as the five basic senses. It just sort of made sense to me. I think it was the connection of depression with the inability to succeed at the basic needs, you know? If someone is deeply depressed they may forget to eat or be unable to sleep (or sleep too much). It's how desire is connected with these needs and these needs are fulfilled by using the senses. I know it was a bit farfetched but hey, it's my story! Lol.

[Tohshi] I'm glad my explanations make sense! As you can tell, they don't always so it's nice when I hit the mark. Mustache twirling bad guys are needed in a lot of good stories but it is fun to add in my own touches and ideas. I'm glad you're enjoying them as much as I am.

[VSRising] I'm glad to keep you on your toes in the best way. It's always nice when a story changes pace but still doesn't seem like it came from left field. I also enjoyed Laurent and even though I made him much eviler, he has been a lot of fun to write.

[Chipmunk_izzy] How on earth did you come up with that handle? Do you have a pet chipmunk named Izzy? That would be adorable. Please tell me it's true! Anyway, welcome to show! Hope you enjoy the ride.