Here is the much awaited Chapter. This one i hope you all enjoy. Thanks for sticking with me as i finally begin to end this story.


(December 25th 2009) (Volterra)

Aro stood in front of his mirror transfixed at what his little mate had sent him. He had to stop himself from tearing into it once it arrived. He retrained himself just barely as she had waited for her own birthday to open his gift and would likely wait to open his present on Christmas as well.

The coats were of high quality but not like the ones they bought for themselves but high end nonetheless. The inner lining had obviously been changed on both as even the best seamstress couldn't escape his superior eyes. The hidden 'V' had been a wonderful surprise and one he wanted to incorporate into all of their official attire when not wearing their signature cloaks. He wanted to wear them immediately but decided to wait until the right occasion called for it. He was tempted to wear them to their next meeting but decided that it was too risky in case one of the mutts recognized the coat by chance.

He couldn't wait until later in the evening when she would be awake to thank her for his gift. Sometimes the time differences really annoyed him.


(December 25th 2009) (Forks)

Bella was smiling as everyone was gathered in Charlie's living room opening presents. She had opened her gift a few days early since she wouldn't risk opening near the wolves and had been blown away. The scarf had made her laugh once she saw it. It had smelled like him and that had surprised her since she instantly recognized the smell. The rest of the items had been perfect and now were mostly in her kitchen being put to good use. The candies had been delicious. She couldn't wait to try the pasta. She hoped it was as good as it looked. She was tempted to ask him to send her more food stuffs since she was sure it would be divine.

Rosalie had gone over the gift with her and gushed appropriately along with her. Emmett had stayed away, he did not like to be near anything involving the Volturi.
Once more she had been overcome with an uneasy feeling once she realized that they were getting a little closer by exchanging gifts. Rosalie however talked her away from her anxiety and told her that Aro would not push her. He was keeping his distance which was unheard of but for a vampire his age she believed he simply had better control. At that statement Bella had been overrun with curiosity and eventually coaxed a number out of Rosalie.

Her 'mate' was around 3349 years old. The number had struck her stupid. It technically made him a fossil by some standards and it caused her to grow faint. Rosalie had helped her sit down on the couch and got her a glass of water. It was difficult for Bella to process the information but after a few days she got passed it. It was still weird to know how old he was. It made her very curious about his life but it also made her never want to know the details. She was already certain he wasn't a virgin like her but she knew her number would never be in the hundreds if not past a thousand.

The sound of laughter brought her back to the present. Right now was not the time to think about anything other than her family and close friends.


(January 29th 2010) (Airport Seattle)

Aro held the bag from Bella in his hands as he felt the plane take off. He was in the private rooms in the back as he thought of their latest encounter. He had decided on wearing another scarf of hers and watched as her lips quirk when she saw it. He never spoke of her gifts since he was sure that no one else but the two Cullen's knew of them. Well, maybe four or five but he was sure the mutts didn't. A part of him did resent being treated like a dirty little secret while another much larger part thrilled at the thought of her keeping him in her life even while the mutt was around. He cut his thoughts there. He did not like to think of her with the mutt at all.

His mind focused on the bag which smelled once more of Emmett Cullen. He was tempted to recall a member of the Cullen family but decided against it since they hadn't done anything untoward or had they broken any laws, that they knew of. He really wanted to read Emmett and Rosalie Cullen but he was sure that his little mate would not be happy about that and the idea of her being unhappy with him cut him deeply.

That was another thing he had begun to notice. He was much more susceptible to emotions now. Ever since he found her he noticed that the emotions he had lost over the years had come rushing back. Now he was happy when she was happy and unstable when far from her. If he ever so much as got a hint of her in pain he would hop on a plane and kill however was responsible. It was hard but he kept control.

He was beginning to fear what would happen when he saw the first sign of her aging or becoming pregnant. He did not think he would be able to keep himself in check. It was something he was dreading terribly.
Aro shook those thoughts away as he kept his eyes on the bag in his hands. No need to put those kinds of thoughts into his head at the moment.


(May 30th 2010) (Seattle Airport)

Aro had no idea what to make of Bella's odd behavior. He knew something was going on by the way she acted and shifted slightly next to him at the treaty line. They talked about books for a while but mostly followed their routine of sitting in comfortable silence as they held hands. He had thought that maybe she and her mutt might be fighting but that was dismissed when he didn't feel any tension between them. Bella simply seemed nervous. He was anxious himself now for his guard to arrive and deliver his regular package, the location of which had come slightly later than usual.

Once Santiago arrived onto the plane he had to hold back a growl. The package was absolutely tiny. It was the size and shape of a thick book and that was it. There was no bag or anything else on the outside box. He took the package to the back room and decided to open it in private. He could not wait until he was in Volterra to see what was inside. Using his finger to peel away the wrapping paper he found a cardboard box with a folded note attached in the front.

It was a beautiful finely stripped red and black box and appeared to be a gift box. That gave him pause and seemed to banish his anger away. It looked to be more than his regular parcels. Flipping the note open he read Bella's neat writing.
"Open this when its June 4th 6 p.m. in Volterra. Not a moment before. Please."
That was not at all vague and frustrating. He huffed. Still it was a simple thing of her to ask. Besides it was only five days. Five days longer than he usually waited to open up a package from her but still. He carefully wrapped the box in one of the scarf's she had gifted him. He did not want it to open on accident and accidentally break his word.

Oddly enough all of the mystery she was employing this month was actually making him excited. To help him deal with the wait he decided to make a game out of it and try to guess what was inside. He would have never guessed correctly.


(June 2nd 2010) (Seattle Airport)

"Are you sure I am doing the right thing?" Bella asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes." "No." Were her replied from two different people. Both glared at one another.

"I think this is a bad idea but no one listens to me." Emmett said moodily as he made himself comfortable in first class.

"We know. Look Bella you agreed to this many weeks ago. Don't get cold feet on me now. We will only be there for two days before we have to go back on schedule." Rosalie said soothingly even if she was tired of repeating herself.

Perhaps sensing the blonde's mood Bella simply nodded gratefully.
"I hope it goes okay. I can't help but feel conflicted." Bella said. The whole one sided mate thing really did annoy her. The side of her that wanted to try and date him was growing bigger with time. She was 22 and had no sign of getting married now or starting a family. Maybe this was fate working. The problem was that she didn't love him at all.

"I understand. You are not committing to anything thought." Rosalie reminded her.

"Better not." Emmett muttered as he put his headphones in. He was glared at for his comment.

Bella simply nodded to Rosalie and sat back enjoying her spacious accommodations. This little trip was a graduation/work present. She finished a degree in business communication and management this semester and decided to treat herself to a trip. The boutique had moved to an upscale location in downtown Seattle and had acquired a higher end clientele. Both she and Rosalie had been transferred over and now rented closer as well. Rosalie won a contest for the highest sales and was given a weeks' vacation in Italy. The itinerary was planned out for her as well as her hotel. She naturally charmed the head office and had them include Emmett and Bella in the schedule. She did assure them they would pay for their own food and hotel though. They weren't that generous.

So now Bella was going to Italy for a little over a week. They decided to arrive early and surprise Aro. They would take one day to rest and adjust to the time zone, (Just her) and then the next day she would spend the evening with Aro before they went to the schedule the company provided for them where they would visit most of the big cities in Italy. Finally they decided to leave it to fate and see about staying another day there before they had to return. Bella still wasn't sure about that. She could barely handle seeing Aro for one evening let alone contemplating staying longer to just spend time with him.

She sat back and tried to relax as the flight attendants went up and down the aisles making everyone comfortable. Rosalie held her hand as Bella tried to calm down.


(June 4th 2010) (Volterra) (5:57 p.m.)

Aro paced up and down his room at fast speeds. He had already set a rug on fire earlier when he wasn't careful and had to leap out of the way. He simply put it out, tore it up and fed it to the fire. He was not going to call someone to fix that. He paced and stopped every few seconds to look at the clock. He was going insane now. He was desperate to look inside.
Marcus was amused at his contemplation of a box when Caius wanted him to simply open it and get the mystery over with.

The clock signaled six and Aro rushed to the box. He stilled his hands and moved with deliberate slowness. Last thing he needed now was to break something because he rushed.
Pulling the lid off the saw something that perplexed him and made him happy at the same time. A bright red scarf was resting on top teasing him as it were. He pulled it out and found a black button up shirt with small black thread embroidery on the shoulders. Beneath that was another note that would have caused his heart to stop if it was still beating.

There clear as day was a message from his mate.
'Gelateria Slap, Viale Galliano, 10, 57023 Cecina LI, Italy.
A walk along the Marina sounds lovely. 7 p.m.?'

He blinked stupidly for what was surely a long time. He couldn't be seeing this. Right?
She was here? She was a quick run away? Aro grabbed his phone and quickly called Bella, something he had refrained from doing in the past but he was sure this warranted such an action.

"Hello." She said.

"Are you really here?" He asked immediately forgoing all manners.

He could hear her small laugh.
"Yes, I am in Cecina right now, I will tell you more if you wish to join me tonight." She said.

He could hear the nervousness in her voice. He didn't care she was here!
"Of course. I will be there as soon as I can." Aro said with a beaming smile.
"Are you here alone?" He did not want her traveling by herself. Had something happened? Was she in danger? Did the mutt hurt her?

"No, I came with Rosalie and Emmett. I'm safe." She said.

"Good." He replied. He was still reeling at the fact that she was in his home. Well, close.
"I will meet you there, just let me change and inform my guard." He said.

"Will it be the same as usual? I don't really feel comfortable with more." She said cautiously. Oh he so hated that she wasn't sure around him. He would go alone if that what she wanted. For her he would throw caution to the wind.

"Yes, you are close enough for me to keep the numbers small." He said reassuringly. He would still have to tell his brothers.

"I'll be waiting." She said.

"Not for long mia Bella. Ciao." He said.

She laughed lightly.
"Ciao Aro."

Aro hung up the phone and rushed to press the button near his door then dashed to his closet. Jane was opening his door in three seconds as she walked in. (he pressed the button that summoned someone into the room and not wait outside.)

"Jane, inform Felix and Demetri to change immediately to blend in with humans and to get the car ready. We leave in less than six minutes." Aro said from the closet as he sorted through his clothes quickly. He couldn't decide what to wear. It was maddening.

"Yes Master. Anything I can help with?" Jane asked as she wondered what was going on. She spied the gift on the bed opened but did not dare go near it. Her master would not forgive her an invasion of his and his mates' privacy.

"Not tonight, just go." Aro commanded and she left.

He settled for wearing his nicest dress slacks with some ankle boots, Italian, and a deep blue button up shirt with a black vest over it. To finish it all off he wore the frock coat she had given him for Christmas. He looked himself over in the mirror and nodded at his appearance. Oh how he wished to still have a beating heart. He was sure it would be racing at the moment.

Not wanting to waste another moment he left his rooms and made for the underground garage where they kept the cars. Sure enough he was the first to arrive. He took out his phone and texted both of his brothers what was happening and where he was going. Felix and Demetri arrived as soon as he was done.

Both bowed and apologized for their tardiness. Felix got the keys of a Rolls Royce Phantom they had and Demetri opened his door. Aro rattled off the address to them and told them to get him there before 7 or else. Neither one wanted to know what would happen quickly ensured they were on the road. Aros phone was blaring with both of his brothers calling him wanting an explanation. He rolled his eyes and smirked at his phone. He was not going to turn back. He answered Marcus and explained what was going on for his ears as well as his guards. They would no doubt understand how tardiness would not be tolerated.


(Gelateria Slap) (6:49 p.m.)

Aro was glad Sunset had just passed so he could freely walk out of the car without worrying about the sun. He opened the door and her scent assaulted him. She was wearing a light pink, almost white, knee length dress. Her hair was down and flowing freely. She had a small cup of ice cream in her hands as she ate. She looked up at the sound of the door chime and he was lost in her eyes. She was really here.

"Surprise." She said blushing.

"Indeed." He replied. She gestured for him to sit in the chair in front of her.

"I am sure you have questions." She said.

"Oh yes." He replied as he took in the sight of her.

"What would you like to know?" She asked him. He could tell she was nervous.

He looked at her for a moment and then smiled.
"How's the ice cream?" He asked.

She laughed at his joke, and thus, the ice was broken.


I am cutting it here. Once again, yes I know I am evil. You should all be used to it by now. But I want the conversation to have its own chapter. It just feels better that way. We are finally moving forward. The big drama scene I promised will be coming soon. Maybe the next chapter or the one after that. I will try and update by the beginning of next week so don't expect anything this weekend. I am AFK.

Hope a lovely weekend and as always don't forget to follow, fav and review.