(June 12th 2010) (Cecina)

As soon as they had parked at the hotel everyone rushed to their room where they had simply stored their luggage. Rosalie and Emmett moved at inhuman speed to arrange everything. In less than four minutes Rosalie was done and all of her necessary belongings were in a cute leather backpack she had bought in Milan. Rosalie took the keys from Emmett and kissed him fiercely. She hugged Bella goodbye and left quickly.

Emmett grabbed their luggage and told Bella to get them a cab while he checked them out. Once more the cab was hailed quickly and both were on their way to the nearest airport to leave on the earliest flight out of Italy. They hoped to have enough time away from the others who would most likely be traveling on foot unless they wisely took a car. Bella was hoping they hadn't.

(Rosalie POV)

Rosalie took the roads that were sparsely populated but still had traffic. She did not want to take any country roads were the guards would surely run her off the road.
She had never seen anything like that in her life. Sure there had been a few vampires who had slaughtered entire families but most had been gone by bloodlust. These monsters killed children for no reason. They could have been spared. Any goodwill in her heart for Bella and Aro to make it as a couple died today. She would never condone her relationship with a murder like him. Especially since Bella was now sure of wanting kids.

Rosalie sped up a little as she made her way north of Volterra. She hoped they would follow her. She did not want them to get to Emmett and Bella. She would be damned if Aro read her mind and saw everything even after he swore not to. It would just be another nail in his coffin.

Marcus was back in his private rooms after having coordinated with Caius the groups that would go out hunting tonight. Aro had been by briefly to inform them all that children were off the menu from now on. He actually agreed with the rule. Children were much too small to be a real meal and a part of him never liked killing them. His loving mate had always wanted to be a mother.

The whispers were running through the castle as news of the phone call spread. The three guards that heard the majority of the conversation had kept their mouths shut but had giving the bare bones to the others anyways since many had overheard pieces. He didn't think anything bad could come of this. He was sure they were all simply enjoying the novelty of it since rarely did anything happen within the coven that was worthy to gossip about. Chelsea would ensure the coven stayed loyal to each other and wouldn't break apart. It was still better to simply keep everyone happy though. The less they relied on the powers of Corin and Chelsea the better.

Making his mind up he took out his rarely used cell phone outside of coven needs and called Bella. He needed to warn the girl. Sadly for him the girl had turned off her phone. Deciding that caution was needed more he wrote a long message to both Rosalie and Emmett Cullen instead. It wouldn't do to not give them a heads up.

Emmett and Bella had safely made it to the airport in Cecina where they were boarding a plane to Spain. It wouldn't be too long a flight but the hopefully the others wouldn't be able to follow them there that quickly. From Spain they would head straight home as fast as they could. They needed to prepare and come up with a plan. He figured their only option would be to involve the rest of the family. She couldn't risk involving the pack since they weren't sure how they would react.

Talking to Bella as a distraction as their plane took off he asked her for her opinion. Bella thought about it for a bit and told Emmett to simply text Alice for an update on them and to be ambiguous incase Edward was there. Then when Alice called or messaged them to ensure Edward wasn't there and then give her a brief and thin version of events and ask her to look into their future for any advice. If she could try to be away from Edward as much as she could to avoid him knowing. They needed information and Alice was their only hope.

(A few hours later in Spain waiting for their next plane back home)

Alice called Emmett suddenly startling Bella as she was resting on him at the moment the call came in.

Emmett picked up.

"Yeah." Emmett.

"Get back to your home as quickly as you can. Rose will be alright. They get close but won't catch her. Carlisle and Esme should go and pack up Bella's apartment to be safe so call them after this. Have Bella stay with you and Rosalie from now on and DON'T let her go out alone without one of you. Have Bella call Marcus, Aro wont calm down until he hears from her and even if it's second hand from his brother he will relax once he hears her. It's not going to be easy anymore. Aro won't let her go now. I can see her as one of us now." Alice said in a rush. Her tone somber as she finished.

Emmett looked at Bella's face as she overheard the conversation. She looked crushed as she heard the last part.
"He's going to change me against my will?" She whispered softly under her breath. They still heard her though.

"I don't know. I can only see her as one of us. I don't know how far into the future it is." Alice said as she hung up the phone after saying goodbye.

Emmett put his phone away and tucked Bella into his side as she cried as discreetly as she could. It was what he feared being confirmed. He had never hated Aro Volturi more than he did at that moment.

Emmett had managed to get them into first class to give them more privacy than normal. Thankfully there weren't many people in first class so Bella was able to cry in peace while he distracted the flight attendants that had no problem in lavishing him with their attention. They had both agreed that calling Marcus when they were almost home was best since it would stand to reason they would be on a plane already but not know where they were headed. Carlisle and Esme had agreed to pack up Bella's apartment completely and store her belongings in Emmett and Rosalie's place.

The call had not been a surprise at all to Marcus since he had contacted them earlier. They were aware of the small group told to bring them in at any costs. Bella told Marcus to please tell his brother that he should get his head out of his ass and call them off or else. She didn't finish the threat since she had no clue what she would do but her anger was enough to ensure it would not be good. She did tell him that if it looked like he wasn't listening then to 'beat the message into his head' for as long as it was needed.

Emmett wished he could have been there for that conversation.

Aro stood there in front of his brother whose impassive face did not give away the mirth swimming inside of him. Marcus had enjoyed relaying the message Bella had given him. Truly his brother should have done his best to keep the girl in his life. Marcus was willing to give up power for his love. Nothing was more important than her. Aro should have known better. The fool had wanted her to be like Sulpicia, an insult to any mate to be compared to a past lover.

Aro digested the harsh message from his little mate from Marcus memory. He hated how harsh she sounded. But above all he hated how anguished her sadness makes him feel especially knowing it was all his doing. He had wanted her to visit the castle after all. He should have foreseen the need to schedule their feeding while she was away just in case she decided to visit. Feeding on children had lost its taboo many centuries ago, he had forgotten how wrong it was to someone with their humanity intact. He hated to think that such a foolish oversight had lost him everything he had gained with Bella.

What really got under his skin though was the thought of her pregnant with another man. He clenched his fists in anger as his thoughts ran away from him. The curse of his gift was that his imagination was a large beast that could not be tamed. He reeled his mind in as images of Bella being with numerous men had already crossed his mind. He would need to focus.
Determination flickered in his eyes and Aro knew he upset Marcus when he saw the look flash across his eyes.

He pulled his phone out and called Alec.
"Change of plans."

Marcus looked somber as he heard the conversation. He had hoped Aro would have called them back and taken some time to think things through and give his mate some time to herself. He should have known Aro was never one to wait.

"On your head it be Aro." He whispered as he left.

Aro ignored Marcus with a stoic expression. He knew he was making the right decision. They would all see soon enough.

(June 13th 2010) (Seattle)

Bella had collapsed in relief and despair in her new bedroom. She knocked out in exhaustion for a few hours once they had arrived. Carlisle and Esme had redone a spare bedroom in Emmett and Rosalie's apartment, which was much better than hers. Her things had been moved into her new room and the rest of her belongings had been placed in storage. Her apartment was basically empty and would remain that way. Rosalie had yet to arrive but had called and said she was on her way home as they spoke. She evaded being captured and was making sure everyone was okay.

Meanwhile Emmett was doing everything in his power to ensure Bella would be safe. He would become her bodyguard from now on and would stop working at the College like he had been. Carlisle would be "retiring" now from Forks since it has been a decade now and they haven't aged. He needed to move on anyways. They would come back in a few decades or a century and 'pass on' their home to their descendants. They would finish off the month and then go away much to the dismay of the staff. The Quileute tribe was ecstatic for them to be gone. The pack however was beyond suspicious since they knew Bella had left on a weeklong trip to Europe and the sudden announcement of the Doc 'retiring' was not welcome.

(June 14th 2010) (Seattle)

Rosalie had arrived home early in the morning from a red eye flight home. She was the only person who didn't look haggard and sleepy when she left the plane. Bella and she had an argument over going to work or simply quitting. Rosalie had to convince her that they needed to keep their normal routing for now since even if they ran there was nowhere to hide from the Volturi. Sooner or later they would be caught so it was best to simply prepare for the confrontation, even if they didn't want to.

After that they had both gone to work fully aware that by the end of their shift they would most likely come face to face with a Volturi member. Emmett stayed nearby in his SUV waiting for their shift to end. Carlisle and Esme were back at their apartment for the day to talk things over and see if the rest of the family was needed to be brought in. Bella had heavily protested that. It felt like déjà vu to her and she refused to get near Edward again. She was sure she would not like to see his boyish face again after all the pain he had caused her.

Once their work day was over Rosalie and Bella relaxed on the drive home. Their coworkers had been relentless and kept asking them questions as to how their trip had been. Even their regional manager had stopped by to ask them how they had enjoyed their time in Italy. It had been exhausting for them. Thankfully for Bella Rosalie had been the center of attention. Something she had never been so glad for before.

Approaching their apartment building was quick with the short walk. Emmett dropped the girls off in the front of the building, opting to park the SUV himself in the garage and away from where they could be easily taken. He wasn't looking forward to making that trip himself but knew it was best if he was alone when he did so. Meanwhile Bella and Rosalie made their way to the elevator to get home. Rosalie had led her by the hand and signaled her discretely that there was a vampire nearby. She had smelled them.

Bella willed her heart to calm down as she took the longest ride up to their apartment. Rosalie tried to reassure her and mouthed 'Felix' to her. She at least had an idea of who was nearby. Once they exited the elevator Rosalie all but dragged her home. Once inside Rosalie went rigid.

"It's rude to enter someone's home without consent Jane." She said in a growl.

Jane walked out of the hallway followed by her brother. Jane didn't hide her sneer at Rosalie but did blank her face out when she looked in Bella's direction. As angry as she was towards her she was still her mistress and mate to her sire.
"We are just following orders." She said neutrally.

"I am aware." Rosalie spat out. She hated the little runt.

"What are your orders?" Bella asked before things could escalate.

Just then the door opened to reveal a pissed Emmett followed by a smug Felix. Behind them was Demetri with Aro himself.

"Hello Mia Bella." Aro said as he walked into their apartment as if he owned it.

Bella glared at him with loathing and began to shake in anger and helplessness. He just didn't get it. He didn't fucking get it. She did not want to see his face at all. If possible ever! Rosalie was rubbing her arm trying to calm her down. Her heart must have been soaring for her to be doing that. She was about to explode when the situation simply got worse.

"Hi everyone." The chipper voice of none other than Alice wafted into the apartment.

Bella stood dumbfounded as Rosalie steered her into their living room since the place would begin to crowd around the entryway if she didn't move them. Emmett went with them having shoved Felix arm off him with a little too much force. Alice walked in followed by Jasper and Carlisle of all people. She was glad when the door closed and Edward didn't walk in after them. The question must have been all over her face when Carlisle answered her.

"Esme stayed behind to make sure Edward didn't make things worse." He said with a smile as he made his way over to her and kissed her hello.

Jasper merely smiled at her and bowed his head like a southern gentlemen and winked at her when it made her smile. Alice however went over and hugged her with enthusiasm as if there had never been a rift in their friendship. The Cullen Clan and she were in the living room area while Aro, Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec were still somewhat in the entry way /hallway.

"How wonderful to see you all again." Aro said diplomatically.

"Such a shame we can't say the same." Bella said under her breath knowing full well they would all hear it.

Emmett snorted, Jasper had to bite his lip and look away, Alice looked unfazed, Rosalie smirked and Carlisle sighed. Jane got upset, Alec looked neutral along with Demetri, Felix looked amused but suppressed it and Aro looked pained. She knew it was low but she did not care at all. She was still mad as hell.

"Bella." Aro started.

Bella put her hand up and refused to look at him. She instead turned to Carlisle and spoke to him.
"Would it be too much of me to ask you to please talk to your 'old friend' on my behalf? It seems that my wants and desires are second to his and he can't even respect me enough to not ambush me in my own home." Bella said acidly.

Carlisle looked at her with pity, sadness and understanding as he nodded in agreement. He went over to her and hugged her once more since she looked like she needed it. 'Thank you' she mouthed to him. She squared her shoulders and looked towards Jane and her brother.

"Did you leave my belongings alone?" She asked with a raised brow looking every inch a mother scolding naughty children.

"We simply waited in the hall once we knew you were all on your way. We touched nothing." Alec said respectfully. In truth he had to stop his sister from even entering her room to pack up all of her things. Jane had no impulse control sometimes.

"Good. Rose can you please help me find my clothes. I haven't finished unpacking those." Bella asked and Rosalie agreed. She knew Bella just wanted to put space between herself and Aro. Alice looked on with a pout at not being asked to go.

Aro looked at his mate leave the room with a regretful look. His heart weeping as she rejected him and refused to be near him. A grunt of pain focused everyone to Jasper as he clutched his chest and looked toward Aro. Alice was trying to sooth him and exude a lot of happiness to overcome the despair and pain Aro was feeling.

Jasper simply raised an eyebrow in Aros direction and at the nod of agreement began to dampen the feelings of the suffering king. He relaxed when his harsher emotions became muted. Aro simply gave him a nod of appreciation.

"Why don't we step into the stairwell outside and talk while everyone else waits here." Carlisle suggested as he thought of how best to deal with all of this.

"Yes, that may be best." Aro said much to the horror of his guards.
"Demetri and Felix do ensure my mate is cared for while I'm with Carlisle. Jane and Alec just be attentive in case I call for one of you." Jane looked like she would object but stayed quiet. The other three simply nodded their heads in agreement as their coven leaders stepped out.

"How you been Jazz." Emmett asked his brother whom he hadn't seen much of over the years for the first time in a few decades.

"I would be better if I didn't have to babysit our little brother. I was so close to feeding him with a bottle. He must have seen my intentions were serious because after that he shut up whenever I was near." Jasper said with a smirk as the two brothers smiled at each other.

They could all hear Rosalie and Bella talking a little so Emmett decided to intervene and turned on the TV loud. He was sure Rosalie would tell Bella as to why. Emmett turned to Felix and Demetri.
"Can either of you cook? Bella usually eats a small snack after work." He asked them both.

They looked at each other puzzled as to how to make anything after so many years not cooking actual food. Surprisingly Alec came to their rescue.

"I can make her a small sandwich or salad." Alec said as he spoke up. Upon receiving disbelieving looks he became offended.
"I am not useless and who the hell can mess up a sandwich or a salad."

Emmett merely lifted his hands up and pointed to the fridge.
"I think Esme filled up the fridge earlier for Bella but I have no clue what's in there so by all means be my guest."

Jasper smiled as he could feel the indignation radiating off the small guard member.
"Why don't you just put on a game or movie on while we wait for them to return?" He suggested.

"Don't you dare put on a game! We don't live in a house anymore so you two might end up breaking something we can't explain away." Rosalie yelled from Bella's room.

"Yes dear." Emmett grumbled and began to look through the movie channels.

The snickers from the Volturi guard snapped his attention back to them as he sat down on his couch.
"At least I have a mate to boss me around."

They stopped being amused instantly and only glared back. It wasn't common to find ones mate but it still wasn't rare. However for those who were several hundreds or even a millennia years old it was disheartening to not find them. They get lonely over time and random bed partners did not fill the void.

Rosalie and Bella exited her room just as Alec was finishing with a simple Caesar salad he put together. He had sped through making it at vampire speed while everyone else was talking. He calmly walked over Bella as he presented the bowl to her.

"Here you go Miss, I hope it's to your liking." Alec said as he handed her the bowl.

Bella looked surprised for a moment but quickly recovered.
"Thank you Alec, It looks delicious."

Rosalie took command before anyone could step in.

"We will be in my room watching cable. Call if we are needed." Rosalie said and without preamble dragged Bella away.
"You better finish all of that. You barely ate in the last two days." Rosalie said as she closed her door.

"Can you blame me?" Bella said.

"She better eat." Emmett grumbled.

"Has she been that bad?" Jasper asked.

"She saw kids on the menu in Italy. I had to force food down her throat as we were coming back. She kept getting sick though." Emmett deadpanned.

Jasper winced in sympathy. Alice rubbed his back.

"They are off the menu now and it's illegal for us to feed from them." Jane snapped. She hated when the Volturi were criticized.

"They should have been illegal to kill from the start. It's sick." Emmett snapped back.

Jasper intervened as he felt Jane's emotions. He sent her a small wave of calm before she glared at him.

"We need to keep calm. Neither of our coven leaders will be happy if they return to a mess. I also don't think HE will like violence near his mate." Jasper said pointedly to a still angry Jane.

The Volturi guard calmed down at that. They knew not to push their master in his current state.
Everyone sat down on opposite parts of the living room and settled down to watch a movie to pass the time. They all hoped the conversation in the stairwell would be over soon. It was awkward for everyone.

Aro and Carlisle leaned on the walls in the emergency stairwell in the building. Carlisle was simply waiting for Aro to speak first. He knew he had to get something off his chest. He wasn't dumb to not know what his actions would cause.

Aro for his part hated how easily Carlisle could read him after only 300 years with them. The man was much too intuitive for his own good. He hated how he was forced to rethink his strategy. He knew he was running on desperation but his logical and rational mind had decided to flee as soon as Bella left him and proclaimed to want children.

"It hurts." He said finally.

"Yeah, I can see that." Carlisle said sympathetically. "She's hurting too."

Aro closed his eyes in pain. He had done that to her. He couldn't do anything right when it came to her apparently.
"I never meant for that to happen."

"I know. Our mates are everything to us." Carlisle said as he looked at him in the eyes.
"So, how are you going to fix it?"