AN

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So this chapter starts off at BPOV for the rescue then we'll go over in EPOV. from now on epov will happen more often :)

I hope you enjoy reading this one and as alsways let me know what you think!

Chapter 27 - Get your filthy little Volturi bitch hands off of her!

BPOV

The piercing screams that filled the hallway were unbearable. They filled our ears the moment we stepped into the hallway that lead to the dungeons. We paused all together for a fraction of a second, before Emmett suddenly charged ahead.

That's when I knew we were in trouble.

The plan apparentely had crumbled the second his screams filled our ears. Emmett was blind with fury and was rushing ahead, Jasper was nearly vibrating with what I could only imagine was the most pain he had ever felt if the screams were anything to go by. Carlisle seemed just about ready to keel over himself and Esme seemed absolutely beside herself with grief.

Something feral was set off in the rest of the family, and I too felt the need to hurry up and head towards him. We started running as one towrads the screaming again. we were only a few seconds behind Emmett as he crashed inside. But what followed was pandemonium.

Rosalie jumped in after Emmett with abandon. She wasn't about to let him face this alone. Jasper charged in next, ready to help wherever he could and Carlisle was in next. Esme seemed to steel herself before she and Alice both headed in together.

I sighed and shook my head. So much for the plan.

Although I wanted to go in too, I knew the rest of the Cullens weren't exactly thinking straight right now. Not that it was easy for me to hear the pain eminating from Edward, I was still able to think straight. I wanted to help him and save him, but I knew that the Volturi were strong. I needed to know who was in here and what we were up against. I needed a plan.

I hovered near the door and cast a quick glance inside. Felix and Emmett were struggling together. Rosalie was joining the fight it seemed, but she was also keeping her eye on Edward, who was on the ground in apparant agony. Carlisle was restraining Aro with the help of Esme and Alice, and Jasper was struggling with Alec. I could see the smoke from Alec's gift seeping into the room. I could see Aro's smug face as he was reading Carlisle's and Esme's thoughts and learning their secrets. I could hear Edward's screams as Jane kept on torturing him.

I looked around the room frantically. I could only shield one person and not long enough to help… I groaned in frustration at my own incompetence. But I had to do something! Alec was seconds away from blacking out everyone in the room. I couldn't just stay here on the sidelines.

I had to help. I had to do something.

But what?

Then Rosalie's piercing scream filled the room and my world seemed to stop.

No!

I glanced inside and saw Rosalie had jumped in front of Edward, giving him a reprieve of Jane's torture talents. But that meant she herself was enduring the pain. I stepped forward horrified and completely pissed off.

Rosalie had been the one person in this family that had been there for me. The one person that had fought in my corner. She'd been my friend during those days I'd been with the Cullens. She'd been there for me. And I'd be damned if I was going to stand by and watch her be tortured like this.

With a shriek I threw my shield over her and realized that my shield was not a slippery elastic, it was simply an extension of myself. I had been going about it all wrong!
My mind had been unconsciously holding me back, it had been too afraid to fully release the protection it offered me. IT was an instinct, one that was ingrained in me after those long years of fear i had endured. But now I realized that it would still protect me as well as someone else.

I Threw it out over every one of the Cullens and sighed in relief as the screaming stopped. Then as I realized the room was beginning to fill with confusion about what was happening, I launched myself at Jane's unprotected back with a feral growl and snarl.

I beat my fist into her back before she knew what was happening. I snarled and growled at her as she stumbled and screeched, unsure what was happening to her.

'You bitch!' I screeched. 'You absolute bitch! Don't you dare torture my Coven!' I yelled at her.

She stumbled again, before finally regaining her composure and throwing me off of her. I landed on my back in front of her and she snarled at me.

'If it isn't Isabella.' She growled. 'This looks familiar.' She said, tapping her finger to her chin. 'Oh right. it usually ended like this!' she lifted her foot and brought it down over my head.

I quickly rolled away. I sprang to my feet again and slammed my fist into her stomach.

'Never again will you touch me you absolute cunt.' I spat at her.

She gasped in shock and surprise. She hadn't expected that apparantely. I didn't let up though. I ploughed my fist into her again and gain and again, paying her back for all those years of mistreatment she'd rained down on me.

'What's happening?' someone yelled from behind me but I couldn't focus on that. I just needed to keep punching this bitch. I threw her down on the ground and straddled her as my fist kept punching into her face. She snarled and tried to claw at my arms and torso and get me off of her, but I had the advantage now.

Jane and Alec both were not trained in combat well, their gifts simply allowed them to be on the sidelines and wreak havoc. Aro had never imagined someone like me, and when he'd found me he was sure I would be on his side. And after I had failed so miserably he was sure I could not be threat to him because I was so bad at projecting. Never in a million years had he predicted something like this could happen.

'Alec do something!' Someone cried desperately.

'I'm trying!' he yelled back. 'it's not working!'

Finally my fist punched through Jane's skull with a sickening crunch and her face caved in. Her arms fell limply to her side and she laid underneath me lifeless.

I was panting hard. My hands itching to punch her some more. I needed to pulverize her and the rest of them.

'We need to go!' someone yelled.

'The rest is coming!'

I was grabbed around the waist and hauled up by someone. I trashed against their hold, but couldn't break it.

My gaze had zeroed in on Aro and I wanted to kill him, like I'd just taken out Jane. I needed it.

'Let me go!' I hissed at whomever was holding me.

'Come on, Bella. We want to get out of here alive. You have to help us.' Emmett voice cut through my daze.

I looked up at him, he was the one dragging me away. We were hurrying back along the hallway. Jasper was dragging Edward with him, who seemed more dead than alive if that was possible for a vampire.

'Come on! snap out of it!' Emmett cursed and shook me a bit.

I struggled to control my temper. I hadn't expected that to feel so liberating, gratifying and so absolutely exhilirating.

'Left here.' I muttered when we reached the end of the hallway. The family veered and ran as fast as they could while burdened with the weight of me and Edward.

We ran through the dimly lit hallways and passageways as I directed everyone. The bells hadn't been sounded, but I was sure that would happen any moment. They were right. we needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

'Let me down Emmett. I'll lead us out of here.' I said.

Emmett glanced down at me, ssemingly gauging my mental state, before nodding and putting me back on my feet. I immediately ran up to the the front of the group and led us all through the narrow passageways.

It was midnight and the moon was shining brightly when we burst into the courtyard.

'Up in the tree.' I commanded everyone. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme clambered in first. Calisle and Jasper heaved Edwrad up next, and Esme and Alice hoisted him all the way up. Then they jumped in themselves. Emmett followed and turned to wait for me as the rest headed to the roof.

Just as I was about to jump up the door opened and I froze. Heels clacked on marble floor and without looking I knew who was waiting there for me.

'Isabella Marie Volturi.' Her voice cut through me like a blade.

I stopped in my tracks.

'You young lady have some nerve.' She continued as she stepped closer.

Emmett jumped down from the tree and stood beside me menacingly.

I whirled around and turned on Sculpitia. 'emI /emhave some nerve?' I burst out incredulously. 'What about your husband?! Who likes to torture people for fun and is so obsessed with getting every single gifted vampire that is out there that he will literally do whatever it takes to make them his? Including manipulating them into thinking he loves them?!'

Sculpitia frowned at me then bristled, her anger flaring. 'You will watch your tone young lady.'

'I am no longer your subject, Sculpitia. I'm your equal.' I snarled at her. 'I am the coven mistress of the Cullens and I will demand you treat me with the respect my title demands.' I hissed.

A look of surprise flitted over her face before she composed herself. 'My husband was right to sell you off.' She said coldly.

'Your husband is currently in pieces in the dungeons.' I told her with a grin, I wanted to hurt her and although it wasn't true, I knew it would kill her a little inside. Her face contorted in horror and I couldn't help but feel satisfied. 'I feel sorry for you Sculpitia, I can't imagine how it must feel to always be the second choice of your own mate, to never be enough, to know that no matter what you do, you will never be good enough because you simply are nothing special.' I hissed at her.

Her face seemed to pale at my words and it seemed I had struck a chord. She hissed and snarled at me. And Emmett decided that was our cue.

Without waiting for another second, his hands closed over my waist and he hurled me into the tree, where I landed in the waiting arms of Jasper. He hauled me up onto the roof and Rosalie and Alice took hold of my wrists as we ran across the roof towards the east tower again. They didn't let me stop, or let me glance back. Although I could hear Sculptia's shrill voice throwing out orders to catch us.

A few seconds later the bells started sounding. We ran faster and faster and instead of scaling down, we jumped, the ground dented under out feet but we didn't stay and cover our tracks. We set off in a sprint, running as fast as we could.

'Can you swim?' someone asked Edward. There was no answer.

'We'll have to chance it.' Carlisle yelled and we set course for the sea. It was the only way to throw them off our scent. We could land in France or Spain, and charter a plane from there. But we needed to cover our scent now. Once we reached shore again I could hide them from the volturi's best tracker; Dimitri. His gift was mental and he couldn't find me, if I kept my shield around them I could hide everyone of us until we were back in America and safe on out our land where we had allies and friends that could help us against the Volturi army that was now sure to follow after us. We plucnged into the sea and Emmett took care of Edward who seemed too weak to do much of anything and we set off.

EPOV

I could do nothing but let myself be dragged along by my family as we plunged into the water. I felt useless, absolutely drained. I still couldn't get over the fact that Bella was here. She was here and she'd fought for me… fought to get me out. Perhaps she exorcised a few of her own demons in the progress, the way she had pounded into Jane before definitely had seemed cathartic for her. I wanted to throw myself down at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. I wanted to throw my arms around her and kiss her like no one had ever kissed her before. I wanted... I wanted... I wanted her love and her assurance that she would stay with me.

But I didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve to kiss her or to lay any claim to her at all. The throwing myself at her feet bit did seem like a good idea.

My mind jumped around in a disshevelled manner. I couldn't get a grip on enything it seemed. The pain I'd endured was still throbbing dully in my head and body. I couldn't seem to organize my thoughts and make my body do what I wanted it to do. I could only hang in my family's arms and let them drag me to safety.
I could barely move myself, barely speak except grunt that I was okay… sort of… they got the gist surely.

I felt useless and absolutely empty. I had nothing left. No energy, no fight, nothing. Was this the result of torture? It emptied you? It made you too weak to even form a coherent sentece? My mind felt like muddy water and my body felt trapped in quicksand. I couldn't think straight and I couldn't move right.

I hung limply around Emmett's back as we swam through the water.

'Where are we going, Alice?' Carlisle asked after a while.

'Just to the north. We'll land in France, we can book a flight from Nice.'

Emmett tightnened his hold on my arms that were around his neck. 'Hang on, Edward. We're nearly there.'

I wanted to assure him I was okay, that I would hang on, but I couldn't seem to break through the muddy waters that clouded my brain.

We swam on.

Finally the waves got choppier and the surf appeared under our feet as Emmett dragged me up the beach in a secluded spot. I let myself drop from his hold and laid on the sand staring up at the sky.

It was dark.

The sky was clear and thousands of starts lit up the heavens. I sucked in a shaky breath. My mind was still reeling from the onlsught that had happened. But I knew I had to pull through this.

I had to surface again, break free of the muddy waters in my hand and get myself back under control. I had to push through the torture I had endured and I had inflicted on myself. I needed to help get my family to stafety. I had to plan for the safety of my coven.

But most of all, I needed to surface for Bella.

She had saved me. She had barged in and protected us from Jane and Alec's gifts in some way… I was still completely baffled by that.

Had she not been in Volterra after all? Or had she been a prisoner as well and had my family first broken her out?

I needed to break through this lethargy and ask her these questions. I needed to know if she hated me. I needed to know if there was the slightest chance she could eventually come trust me.

Finally I seemed to break through. 'How long?' I rasped out, forcing my voice to work.

My family turned towards me. Esme rushed over and put her hand on my cheek, patting it comfortingly. Carlisle hung over me next seemingly checking my vital signs. I wanted to snort. I was a vampire. I didn't have any vital signs.

'Just under a week.' Jasper answered softly. His concern for me clear in his thoughts.

I took a deep breath and nodded to myself. Amazing how torture made you think you were undergoing it for years.

It had only been days.

God.

How had Bella endured that for fifty years?!

I struggled to sit up and Esme helped me. I bowed my head staring at the sand under my legs.

'Thank you.' I whispered. We all knew who I was talking to.

Bella had been pacing up and down in front of me but now stopped. She looked down at me, and I struggled for a moment to lift my head. I knew I needed to meet her gaze. But I was afraid to. Afraid to see the absolute loathing in her eyes as she looked at me. The hatred I knew I had caused myself. But I had to. I owed it to her to thank her properly. She had risked her life for mine. It was the least I could do. So I lifted my head and looked into her eyes.

But there was no hatred there. Only empathy. 'Truly. Thank you.' I said again while looking at her.

She gave me a sad smile. 'No one deserves to be a prisoner.' She whispered. 'Especially not of the Volturi.'