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Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 5- The beginning of the end (Part I)

I hated this.

I absolutely loathed this.

I had never been one with larger than life morals or anything; my reason for not lying was something very different and very earthly from that. I was a terrible liar. I could never say a lie with a straight face, seeing in the eyes of the person I was talking to. I would nervously shift on my feet, keep staring at something in the background or worst of all, completely forget what I was trying to hide in my stammer and stutter. I just wasn't meant to lie in life. Saying the truth was easier. There was no guilt that came with it. Yes, it was tough, no doubt in that. Honesty was always tougher than outright lying, but in the long run, honesty was also always better.

Yet despite of knowing and being well aware of this simple fact, here I stood, probably making one of the worst mistakes of my life- one that could cost me my very life, or at least put my happiness at a risk.

'He would never forgive me, even if I survived' my guilt ridden mind tried convincing me once again in a futile attempt, but I retaliated, I was doing this for him. He would force me into either not leave, or somehow convince me that he should come along too, and that was a risk I could not dare take. If anything happened to him…

I shuddered in fright. No, it was better this way. He would be safe here, far far away from the fight…. far far away from me too, but at least safe.

Yes, he was not a shape shifter yet. It was better this way. Even having him anywhere close to Volterra, Italy, would be enough to divert my attention from the fight to his safety. No, I could not take such a risk. Vampires were cruel when it came to revenge. They could also remember a scent for much longer than us. What if one of them would scent him on me? It could be dangerous for him…. for me. I could not take such a risk…..

"Bella," Paul said, pulling me out of my thoughts "Are you okay? You trailed off there."

I shrugged "Just thinking,"

"Well, that's a dangerous thing," he teased, smirking.

I managed a small smile despite of our circumstances.

He sighed a few seconds later, pulling me close to him and wrapping his arms around me, a gesture that made me too sigh out in relief. I always longed for his touch. The way his warm strong hands would roam on my body, his touch gentle and soothing, and telling the tale of his unparallel love and longing.

"Why do you have to leave me and go?" he whispered in my ear, his voice soft and holding a fair amount of desperation.

"Paul," I sighed. I hated lying to him. "I told you. Theirs leaders have called us to Italy to sign a treaty with them. It is important…" I shifted nervously at my feet "Levi spoke to Carlisle Cullen. We need to just go there and sign a piece of paper, just formalities." I shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"But why," he questioned, his hands tightening their grip over my waist "I just don't think it is safe to go in the enemy's lair like that. What if it is a trap?"

I smiled "Paul, their leaders want to bring change. It is a step towards progress. We just have to meet them. One of their leaders has a thing against werewolves or something. We just have to meet them in person so that they are convinced that we are not werewolves but shape shifters, and then they have promised that if we sign their designed treaty, they will make sure that no nomads cross our lands, and in return we will not kill a vampire unless provoked. It will be over in minutes. They want to bring peace in the world."

If only it had been that simple. I felt like a pathetic pathetic human for doing this to him.

He sighed, his eyes begging me to change my words, tell him that this was a terrible joke, to tell him that I was not going anywhere.

"Then why is Jared staying back?" he whispered, still attempting to protest.

I shrugged "We can't leave La Push unprotected, and Levi, Sam and I would be enough to prove that we are not the original werewolves."

He sighed "I don't like this."

I didn't like this too.

"Paul, it is just a matter of two days. I will be back before you know it." I consoled, hoping and praying that my words would somehow be proven true.

"Why can't I come with you?" he asked "I will stay in the hotel when you go to meet them."

I shook my head, looking at my feet "No, it is too risky. They have a tracker in their guard. What if they trace your scent back to the hotel? We can't take such a risk."

"I am not weak, Bella." He shouted angrily "I can protect myself."

I shook my head hastily. The last thing I needed was a misunderstanding between us at this point of time. "I did not mean it like that. I know that you can protect yourself, but just like you worry about me, don't I have the right to worry about you? Please Paul," I pleaded; my eyes were begging him to understand.

He sighed "Do you really have to go? Can't Jared go instead of you?"

I shook my head "I am the Alpha, Paul. I represent for my pack."

"I hate this." he said.

"I hate it too." I whispered in his shoulder. I once again contemplated over my decision of not telling him the original reason for my leaving. He should know. He had a right to know, but how could I force him to suffer in worry and wait desperately for answers till I came back, or I could not even dream of him forcing me to stay back, somehow changing my mind. I could not do that. I had to do this. I had to go on this attack mission.

"When do you leave?" he finally asked me.

"Today evening," I nervously replied "The Cullens have arranged the flight for us. We will meet their leaders tomorrow, and be back by tomorrow night or latest day after. I am not sure with the time difference, but I assume we will be back latest by day after."

"Do you have to leave just right now?"

I shook my head instantly, despite the fact that I did have to be back at training as soon as possible, I needed to be close to Paul for just some more time. I had to savor these memories, just in case they were my last with him…..

'No' I internally scolded myself. It would do me no good to think like that. I had to stay positive. I would be coming back.

"I have a few hours to spare." I finally answered.

"Great," he gave me a huge grin "Let's go to my house?"

I nodded my head in agreement. I knew he needed this time with me as much as I needed it with him.

We slowly walked back to his place, holding hands with my head leaned down on his shoulder. No words were needed to be shared between us. By now we could read the other's eyes. I could read the pain and worry in his eyes, and I also knew that he could read the nervousness and fear in mine, but luckily he did not press on it, probably assuming that I would be worried of meeting their leaders either way.

"You want to see a movie?" he asked as soon as we had entered his house.

I nodded my head, looking around. I knew that Cherry was still in town but I hadn't seen her in days together, or probably she was somehow always out when I visited. Either way, it was not like we were friends. I tried to act cordial with her for Paul's sake, but other than that I still did not like her very much.

The next three hours flew by way faster than I had hoped for or liked for it to. Paul and I sat beside one another, munching on popcorn and watching a movie, only for me to realize a half hour into the movie that Paul was looking at me rather than watching the screen, which led into me staring back into those beautiful eyes of his, trying to hide my blush….. and then, let's just say that the movie lay forgotten as he pulled me in his arms and showed me just how much he loved me, saying that this would make me remember why exactly I should not leave him and go.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I had also never been one for the elaborate goodbyes. My goodbye with Paul was short, sweet and filled with passionate kisses. We had kissed several times…. on his couch…..standing at the front door… and even in his yard, before I had finally told him that I really had to go. I still had to go home to pack my overnight bag and tell my mother that I was leaving. I had also ignored the phone calls by Jasper to ask me where I was and why was I not in training, which I knew could prove costly for me in my fight, but I could not help myself. I craved Paul like no other, and I could never really regret the time spent with him.

Finally he let me go, a tear leaking down my eyes, which I pushed away harshly. I did not want to show him that I was crying, even if I was internally. I plastered a big fake smile on my face, reassuring him that this visit was indeed not a big deal and I would be back before he knew it. I knew he would worry, irrespective; I was going into enemy's lair, like he had put it, but this was my small attempt to leave him with a smile. A crying face was not what I wanted him to remember me by incase…

'No' I stopped my trail of thoughts. I was going to come back.

After one last hug and kiss I left Paul's house and made my way to my own house, rushing to my room to pack an overnight bag, after which I assured the same things to my mom, not telling her the actual reason as she already knew that I was out on a dangerous mission and did not need to know more for her own safety reasons, but just telling her not to worry and that both of her children would be back in the same condition as they had left.

Finally after doing all that I needed to, I phased to my wolf form in the woods, holding my bag with my teeth as I ran to the Cullen house in Forks which was our meeting point. Sam and Levi would be meeting me there directly as both of them had too gone back to their own houses to do the same routine. Sam, like me, had decided to hide the truth from Leah, hating it but not wanting her to worry. He was going to tell her the same thing that I had told Paul. Levi though had refused to lie to Ellen. She already knew enough he had argued, and so had decided that she would know everything there was to know about this.

The Cullen mansion was far bigger than I had imagined it to be. It was covered with glass windows from the top to the bottom, but my attention was diverted from the splendorous mansion to the crowd standing right outside it. It was time to go. A fleeting thought of changing my mind appeared in my head but I changed my mind as soon as it arrived. There was no time to now go back. I had to do this.

The Cullens had offered to drive their cars all the way till the small airport in Port Angeles where their private jet was waiting for us. We had offered to run till there, but Esme Cullen had insisted that running with bags held in our teeth could not be as comfortable, and they had several spare cars that could accommodate the lot of us. Driving till there was much more comfortable than running for both are kind and theirs, she insisted.

We finally agreed and sat in her driven car, she being the only one that Sam felt comfortable taking help from, and surprisingly her warmth and calmness made sure that we were not in any kind of discomfort. Soon we reached the airport of Port Angeles and after completing all the necessary formalities we were shown our way to the private jet.

I had never before seen, far less traveled in a private jet, and my eyes lay wide open at the sight of ostentatiously in front of me. Sam lightly nudged me in the arm, telling me to shut my mouth and walk ahead while he tried controlling his laugh. I shook my head walking inside the jet.

The eleven hours and thirty minutes long flight was uneventful to say the least. The vampires kept to their part in the flight while we stuck to ours. I slept for a while, only waking up when my stomach growled in a very unwomanly like manner, making me blush in embarrassment. Esme Cullen who was winning us by the minute with her kindness had insisted to provide meals for us for our flight journey, saying that it was no problem at all, and we munched on the sandwiches and chips that she had arranged. I spoke to Sam and even Jasper for a short while, but more or less all of us were worried about the outcome that tomorrow would bring, and chose to keep ourselves to our thoughts. The only time this peaceful arrangement had broken had been when Rosalie Hale Cullen had made a face of disgust, saying how the entire flight smelt of this putrid wet dog smell, to which Sam had growled back and stated that she did not smell like flowers and so had no right to complain. Rosalie's husband Emmett had been quick to intercept, and everyone had once again gone back to what they were doing.

Eleazar once again tried working on my shield taking Edward's help and we worked on it for hours at stretch, only stopping when I was hungry or when I grumbled of a headache that normally crippled me when I was trying to lift or move my shield.

Finally after what seemed like eternity but was only a few hours, we landed in Florence, Italy. We quickly exited the jet, happy to once again be out in the open free space. Staying in such an enclosed place for so long had been exhausting, even though neither of us was human or completely human, and so there was no exact need for a layover, still it felt good to finally stretch our legs and breathe in the natural air.

It was local time 1:30 pm when we walked out of the airport, with Florence Italy being nine hours ahead of us, and the three of us- shape shifters stood in awe and complete surprise at the sights in front of us. Levi had at least had some exposure in his extremely long life and had visited the different cities and states in our country, but neither Sam nor I had ever even been outside Washington. This was like entering a completely different universe for us. I could see that Sam was trying to act all nonchalant at the moment and not show how he was excited as well as terrified, but he was failing miserably at it. Everyone could see the curiosity and excitement in his eyes. I only wished we had come here in better circumstances….. and maybe that Paul could have been here with me. He too was fond of traveling and visiting new places, and maybe someday in the future we would come back here again together.

We stood even more surprised when we found out that cars had been arranged for us to go to the hotel. Yes, hotel. Apparently the Cullens never did anything half hearted. When I had thought of our traveling to Italy, my first thought had been that we would land in Florence- directly run to Volterra- get the fight done with it, and if hopefully we survived, we would take the next flight back to Port Angeles, but oh how naïve had I been. Apparently I had forgotten things like food, shower and changing clothes in our plan. Carlisle had stated that staying in Volterra or anywhere close could be extremely hazardous and could cause unnecessary trouble for us. The Volturi guards daily patrolled Volterra and if they would scent so many unknown scents, including Shape shifter scents, it could not end well for us. They would become alert and our advantage of a surprise attack would fall flat. Florence was though not much, still more than an hour away, and so it was our safest bet.

We quickly nodded our heads in agreement as we sat in the cars provided and drove through the beautiful city of Florence. I chose to stick my head outside the window and admire the sites that we passed by. It was a completely different world in itself, and once again I came to miss Paul. He would have loved to be here, but then again maybe another time….. when it was safer.

A short while later we reached our destination- Four Seasons Hotel Firenze. I turned to look at Jasper in shock. This was where we would be staying? Wow….. I knew the Cullens were rich, but this was… beyond my expectations and it did not even look like they were flaunting their wealth. This just seemed their normal way of traveling. Levi once again tried to politely decline on our behalf, saying that this was all too much, but Carlisle genuinely smiled and said that this was a small thank you from his family for helping them out. It was no big deal and he was happy to arrange stuff for us, and when he put it like that there was not much that we could argue with. I was still a bit uncomfortable with all of this extravagance but Sam assured me that even though he did not like accepting favors from his mortal enemy any more than me, he could do with sleep and food. I could not argue with that.

"Uh," grumbled Rosalie as soon as our party walked into the massive lobby of this even massive hotel, that had left my eyes wide open with surprise "I could do with a shower."

Though she was talking to Alice at the moment, I too nodded my head in agreement. I felt dirty from the long hours of traveling, and taking a hot shower felt good. Even the idea of it felt good.

We were quickly shown to our rooms for freshening up, after which the vampires would all leave for a quick hunt to rejuvenate their energy and strength to the fullest, while we three would be eating in the hotel itself. The plan after that was simple…. and frightening. Once we were well rested and fed we would all run the short distance to Volterra, sticking to the trees, and then….. it was all left to luck.

The room arranged for me was the four seasons executive suite. It was huge and beautiful… far far bigger and better than what I had imagined in my mind. The color scheme of the room was olive green and a huge smile overtook my face looking at the king size bed that looked extremely comfortable to the eye. The view outside the room was that of the luscious gardens owned by the hotel and I stood in awe as I took in the sight of it. If only I had come here under better circumstances.

I took a quick shower, stepping out of my worn dirty clothes into a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, before running a brush through my hair. When I was satisfied with my appearance and the fact that I felt clean, I walked towards Levi's room where the three of us were supposed to meet. Levi and Sam had already arrived and were discussing battle strategies, and we quickly decided against going to the restaurants of the hotel. We opted for in room dining and after ordering handmade pasta and Schiacciata Tuscan bread which was sort of Classic Tuscan flat bread for the three of us- as they say 'When in Rome do like the Romans do', and so in Italy what better to try than the Italian cuisine, we once again settled to discuss our plan in overpowering Jane and Alec, the two which we were supposed to end. I would have to be ahead as I had the mental shield on me, and once we were sure that their powers did not work on us, Sam and Levi would jump on the witch twins with me helping in. We discussed attacking moves in detail for a while, thinking of all permutations and combinations that could guarantee us a win.

I briefly thought of calling Paul and telling him that I was fine. He would be worried for me, but decided against it. It would be early morning back home, and it made no sense to wake him up from his sleep. I would talk to him at night- Italy time, after we had completed the job we were here for.

Once we were done with our lunch we three decided to rest for a while and I walked back to my room, with the idea of fully taking advantage of the comfortable king size bed in my room, though sleep was hard to find. I shifted on my bed a few times before giving up and instead watching TV for a bit. Nothing in particular was on, but it was still enough to keep my mind from wandering down the pits of hell.

A little after four, I left my room and made my way to what I supposed was Jasper's room. All of us were supposed to meet there for discussing the plan head. I took a deep sigh in. It was time to go.

I quickly entered through the open room door and with a quick search found that almost everyone was already here. I nodded my head in acknowledgement at a few vampires who were cordial enough to respect my presence, and waited for the instructions ahead.

"Alice," said Carlisle looking at his daughter "You look troubled."

I too in my curiosity looked at Alice. She indeed looked troubled and worried. Had she seen another vision?

"Oh, Carlisle" She mumbled "I saw a vision when we were out hunting."

"Anything bad?" asked Jasper, taking a firm look of seriousness on his face. I felt bad for him. His mate was so near yet so far.

She shrugged in a way that said that she could not tell if it was exactly bad or not. Edward cuddled her close to him as she gathered her thoughts together before speaking.

"It was a sort of last minute thing," she sighed "I could not see the outcome of our fight, as the wolves block my visions, but I saw that if we went ahead with our plan for today, it would not end well for us…. even if we won the fight."

"What do you mean?" asked Levi.

Alice looked at her feet "Jane and Felix are not in Volterra at the moment. They are on an urgent mission in South America. They should be back tomorrow. Carlisle….." she paused hesitantly "We will have to postpone for a day. Jane is crazy. She is heavily brainwashed by Aro, and if we let her live, she will definitely come back to take revenge. Felix too is loyal to the leaders. We cannot take such a risk. We cannot let anyone go alive, at least not one who is sure to plan revenge."

Carlisle looked thoughtful for a moment. I sighed. I wanted to get done with this and go back home… go back to my Paul, but the way this was going; we would be stuck here till tomorrow. Jasper looked annoyed too but he knew that Alice was correct. Leaving Jane alive could prove very costly to us. Carlisle looked at the other vampires in the room. He asked for a quick vote to see what they thought, with most of them agreeing to postpone for a day. He then looked at Levi and me, both of us who reluctantly nodded our heads.

"It is decided then" said Carlisle "We will attack tomorrow instead of today."

And so it was decided. Everyone left to go back to their rooms. It was not exactly a day of relaxation, but what other choice did we have. I decided to push back my worries for the moment. It made no sense to spoil today by thinking of tomorrow. Sam and I decided to see the local sights and tour the city, and we walked by foot taking in the sheer newness and beauty around us. It actually felt good to bond with Sam like this…. like we were on an actual vacation. We joked, argued, laughed and shared stories of our childhood together. Levi joined us a while later and we had dinner at one of the local restaurants, once again munching on the delicious pizza, pasta and risotto amongst other items served.

By the time we made it back to the hotel I was exhausted, but still awake enough to take a relaxing bath in the bathtub provided in the bathroom. I added bubbles to the water, and just shut my eyes and enjoyed the silence for a while. I did not know what tomorrow would bring, but I tried to enjoy today to the fullest.

I tried ringing Paul's landline and even his mobile, but while one was left unanswered the other was switched off. I frowned. It was unlike Paul to switch off his phone, and at least not when he knew that I would call.

I looked at the time. It was nearly ten pm here and so it would be around one pm there. It was sort of confusing of why his phone would be switched off right now.

I thought of trying his mobile once again, but before I could, the events of this long day caught up with me, and I was fast fast asleep.

My last thought was of going back home and seeing everyone I loved once again.

A/N: I know many of you may not agree with my decision of Bella lying to Paul, but at the end of the day this is a story and there have to be a few ups and downs in the story to make it interesting. Please trust me- there is a lot yet to come. Any guesses of why Paul is not picking up his phone? I will give you a hint…. Bella is going to very surprised when tomorrow comes.

Also, on another note, I have close to two or three more chapters to go and an epilogue for this to end…. Thank you for reading.