Disclaimer: Only the new storyline in mine, the rest is Stephenie Meyers.

I must apologize for the long period in between updates. Writer's block truly exists! I hope that it was worth the wait. I swear the next update won't take that long.

Previous chapter:

Demetri - DPOV

Bella hugs me tight as I nod to Aro in agreement. I look at her face, and I can see the mischief in her eyes. I bet this little display has something to do with the text she sent on the plane. I shake my head as I kiss her softly and whisper: "You will be the death of me, Mrs. Volturi."

The whispers start as Aro walks back to his throne at human speed. He turns around with a murderous grin on his face as Emmett whispers: "Bella is Aro's daughter?! Oh boy, Edward is so fucked." Aro truly looks like the devil as he hisses: "I will make him regret the day he was born, young Cullen. Nobody messes with my daughter and walks away from it."

Edward - EPOV

I shake my head slowly to clear it from the mist that seems to linger in my brain. I take a look around the small room I'm in and realize that I'm in Volterra. I'm back in the city where this whole mess began, where my Bella was taken from me by that monster. I should have never trusted that dog to do my bidding. I should have ended Demetri myself, but I can't dwell on that now. I need to convey to Aro how much I love Bella. He is the only one that can truly see how much so means to me and how happy can make her. I need to make him understand.

I walk over to the small bench in the corner and focus on the sounds around me. Everything is muffled, and I realize that the room is sound-proofed. Now and then I get a read on a stray thought as someone passes by my cell, but they move so fast that I can't get the information I truly want. Where is my precious Bella?

Demetri - DPOV

I lead Bella to our spot next to Caius as Aro turns toward the Cullens. I've never seen him this mad before. The tone of his voice is ice cold and laced with venom as he says: "Are you going to defend him, Carlisle? Are you here to tell me that he didn't mean to ruin the happiness of my beloved daughter and that he didn't mean to kill the captain of my guard? Your so-called son conspired against my coven! We've sentenced vampires to death for far less. So tell me, dear friend, why are you here?"

"To see that justice is done, my friend. I'm here in support of Demetri and Bella, I didn't know anything about Edward's plans. He acted on his own volition. I should have realized how deep his hatred for Demetri went when he refused to see how much Bella loves her husband. I love Edward as if he was my own, but even I can't see past this. He is lost in his own beliefs, and I don't know if he will ever acknowledge the truth. He betrayed me and my family when he sought out our mortal enemy to conspire against the Volturi and to ruin the happiness of the woman we consider family. He is no longer my son."

Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think the doctor had it in him. Aro glares at him and reaches for his hand. He quickly reads Carlisle's thoughts and turns to Marcus and Caius. "He speaks the truth. He didn't know of Edward's plan to kill Demetri and washes his hands of him. He truly is here in support of Demetri and Bella." He turns back to the Cullens. His gaze is still filled with anger. "Now, let's see if the rest of your family shares your opinion."

Bella – BPOV

I watch as Aro stalks toward the rest of the Cullens to read their thoughts. He looks every bit the predator that a vampire is supposed to be, his red eyes black with fury. I was right when I said that Aro would be furious. I can only imagine how he's going to treat the person that tried to kill my Demi if he's acting like this toward the people that didn't. Emmett is right. Edward is royally fucked, and I can't find it in myself to care one bit. Edward Cullen can drop dead, and I won't blink an eye, let alone shed a tear. My feelings for him are long gone.

Aro takes his time to read the minds of Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice, before moving to Jasper. He gives him a genuine smile, and I wonder what that's all about. Jasper seems only a bit surprised by the sudden friendliness of the Volturi king. I guess he can sense his emotions. Aro claps his hands and says: "Major Jasper Whitlock, it is an honor to finally meet you. I must thank you on behave of my entire coven for your help. Your reputation proceeds you, but it does not do you justice. You're a man of honor and were one of the few that fought the decision to leave Bella behind, as I saw in your family's memories. Would you do me the honor of seeing it for myself?"

Jasper nods and raises his hand so that Aro can take it. Minutes pass by as Aro goes through every thought that Jasper ever had. Suddenly Aro's eyes snap open, and he lets out a big sigh. "Your life has been much tougher than any of us can imagine. In comparison to yours, ours seems like a walk in the park. You are lucky to have a brother like Peter and a mate like Alice. Your past life taught you to never take friendship or love for granted. I understand now why it was so important for you to gain Bella's forgiveness. Let go of the guilt, Major. You didn't know better at the time."

Jasper stares at Aro for a minute, before regaining his focus. He bows and says: "Master Aro, I'm not sure if I deserve such praise, but I thank you for it, nonetheless." Aro pats his shoulder and moves back to stand at the base of the dais. He turns toward the Cullens and says: "You all agree on the fact that Edward Cullen acted on his own volition and that he should be punished. You distance yourself from him as a whole and therefore support Bella's demand for justice. He attacked the captain of the Volturi guard and conspired to kill the true mate of my daughter. He was brought to Volterra to stand trial. You will be asked to stand witness to this trial and to give us your version of the facts if need be. Is that clear?"

The Cullens let out a collective 'yes' and Aro gives them a curt nod, before saying: "I'm glad to hear it. You don't want to give me any more reasons to punish the lot of you. We haven't forgotten the fact that you revealed our secret to a human and that you left that human behind, alive and well. Bella being my daughter and my captain's mate doesn't change the fact that you broke the law. We will discuss this before you leave Volterra, if you leave Volterra that is."

Aro's dark chuckle is mirrored by Caius's, and even Marcus looks rather entertained by that statement. God, it's true what they say. Boys will be boys. Aro sits down on this throne and looks at every vampire in the room before saying: "Felix! Alec! Bring me the boy that tried to ruin my daughter's happiness. I think it's time my brothers and I had a much-needed chat with Edward Cullen."

I can't help but smile as Aro calls me his daughter again, even when the tone of his voice can turn someone's venom into ice right now. I lean back into Demetri's embrace as we wait for Felix and Alec to return with Edward. I can't wait for this to be over, so we can go home to Villa Bella. I miss our beautiful house so much, and I'm going to seduce my husband the minute we get home. I smile even brighter as I realize just how happy I am here in Italy with my Demi. It's all I ever wanted. Demetri pulls me closer to him and leans down to whisper in my ear. "Why are you outshining every star in the galaxy, amore mio?"

"I just realized that I've never been happier in all my life."

"You have the weirdest sense of timing, tesoro, but it makes me happy to hear that. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Demi." I pull him close for a kiss as the realization set in that no other being has ever loved someone as much as I love him.

Demetri - DPOV

Jane leads the Cullens to the left side of the throne room. She then walks to the left side of the dais to stand next to Marcus. Renata keeps her place behind the thrones while Bella and I stand on the right side next to Caius. Alec will stand next to Jane the moment he gets back, while Felix will keep an eye on Edward. We are a united front and present ourselves as such. Jasper watches our placing with interest and gives me a small nod as he senses my eyes on him. I'm about to raise one of my brows questioningly as the doors of the throne room swing open. Alex and Felix enter the room with Edward Cullen in tow and lead him to the center of the room.

He looks like shit. The dark patches underneath his eyes are pure black, and his clothes are torn and dirty. His eyes dart across the room, from one person to the next, until he sees my Bella. Edward is so transfixed by my Bella, that the rest of us seem non-existing to him. It isn't until Aro rises from his throne and clears his throat that Edward is pulled from his daze. "Young Cullen, do you know why you are here?"

"Yes, I'm here to clear up a big misunderstanding."

Bella almost chokes on air on hearing Edward's response and says: "What misunderstanding would that be?"

He turns to look at Bella with love-filled eyes, and I fight the urge to run over and punch his lights put. He raises his hand and says: "Bella, my love, I know how we can fix this. Aro will read it all in my mind. He will see how much I love you and that my actions were meant to make you happy again. He will understand that I'm to only one who can love you like you deserve to be loved. I just need to get you away from Demetri. He's not good for you, love. Aro, please, read my thoughts and tell her."

The disbelief is written on everyone's face. When is the boy going to see that Bella belongs with me? Can't I just take his head off and end this shit? I let out a low growl, and Bella wraps her arm around my waist to calm me, but it doesn't calm me like it normally does. Edward Cullen is completely insane and is grating on my very last nerve. Aro looks equally as pissed as I am. He growls as he rises from his throne and moves toward Edward to grab his hand.

Bella – BPOV

I can't believe it. Carlisle's right. Edward has completely lost his mind. He just needs to read the thoughts of everyone in this throne room. Everyone has seen firsthand how much Demetri loves me and how much I love him, but Edward is too lost in his head to notice it. He will never acknowledge the truth, simply because he doesn't see it that way.

I suppress a growl and wrap my arm around Demetri's waist. I know he thinks that I'm doing it to calm him, but it's actually keeping me from pushing all my anger into my shield and throwing Edward Cullen across the throne room. I mean, a woman can only take so much bullshit from a guy, and I've reached my limit. If he pisses me off again, I'm not holding back.

Aro lets out a menacing laugh as he lets go of Edward's hand. "You are delusional, Edward Cullen. You filled your mind with lies and are incapable of seeing the truth anymore. You're obsessed with my daughter and hell-bound on ruining her happiness. I won't let that happen."

"Your daughter? Bella isn't your daughter. She would never let you take Charlie's place. She wouldn't replace him with a monster. Bella, love, you can't dishonor Charlie this way."

The collective gasps from everyone in the room are lost on me as my vision turns dark red. I feel the anger flow through me as an energy flow and stretch my hand out as to push Edward away from Aro. I run to stand next to Aro as Edward flies across the throne room and smacks into the far wall. He slides down, leaving an Edward sized dent into the wall. Aro is staring at me with awe and gives me a proud smile. A grunt from Edward pulls my attention back to him. "Think of Charlie, love, he wouldn't want to see you this way."

"Don't you dare speak my father's name! You're the reason he is dead. You don't get to stand there and speak for him. My father would have loved Demetri because he makes me truly happy, and he loves me more than life itself. My father would be happy to know that I have a new father figure who loves me for who I am and who is proud of who I've become. Charlie never liked you, and he was right to do so. I don't know what I ever saw in you. You disgust me."

Aro lies a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it gently. I take an unneeded breath as I feel a warm and proud feeling rising inside me. I flick my eyes to Jasper as I realize that he's projecting Aro's emotions to me and give him a soft smile. Aro spreads his arms and pulls me close for a hug. "Well said, Bella. No one has ever captured our hearts as fast and completely as you have. You're my daughter in every way that counts."

A sudden movement in the corner of my eye had me pulling up my shield once more. The heavy sound of thunder echoes through the throne room as Edward runs into the invisible wall I created. I grin as I see the surprised look on his face. Aro claps his hands enthusiastically and says: "Bravissimo, figlia mia! * Caius, Marcus, isn't she incredible?"

I feel slightly uncomfortable as I realize that everyone is staring right at me. Demetri notices my discomfort instantly and rushes to my side. I sigh happily as he pulls me into his arms. Marcus and Caius's responses don't register in my mind as I get lost in my husband's intoxicating scent. He puts his fingers beneath my chin to get my attention and kisses me softly, before saying: "You're amazing, amore mio. I love you so much."

Demetri - DPOV

I stare at my Bella in awe as she throws Edward across the room and puts him in his place. My God, my wife is so hot when she's angry. I almost start laughing as Edward crashes into her shield if it weren't for him trying to hurt my mate. I signal Felix to grab and contain him. I look over to Bella and notice her fidgeting as Aro puts her in the spotlight. Bella hates that. I rush to her side and pull her close. I smile in her hair as Bella snuggles into my chest. I can hear her inhaling my scent. I lift her face so that I can kiss her and say: "You're amazing, amore mio. I love you so much."

Our attention is pulled back as Aro says: "Edward Cullen, you were brought to Volterra to stand trial. You conspired with your mortal enemy. You tried to kill the captain of the Volturi guard and the true mate of my daughter. Your thoughts showed me that you still believe that Bella is your mate, even though you saw the bond they share in Marcus's mind. Bella told you that she's happy and that you're her past, but you refuse to see that. You're lost in your twisted beliefs and show no remorse for your actions. Do you have anything to say about the accusations that were made?

Edward stares at me, the hatred is visible in his eyes. He doesn't scare me though. There's no way that he can beat me in a fight. He snarls as he says: "I should have killed him myself. He is a monster, and he belongs in hell. My life might be forfeit, but so is yours. You all belong in hell for turning my precious Bella into a soulless monster. I'm going to make sure you get there."

Aro growls and intercepts Edward before anyone has a chance to react. He looks livid. I don't think I've ever seen Aro this mad, not even at the Romanians. Felix takes a few steps back as Aro lifts Edward by his neck and growls loudly: "You're even stupider than I thought, child. Do you think you can come into our home and threaten us? No one threatens the Volturi and lives. We're going to take great pleasure in teaching you some manners. Captain, would you like the honor?"

* Bravissimo, figlia mia = Well done, my daughter

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