Jasper

"Alice? Alice." I prodded.

"Jasper, we're going to survive this," Alice told me, "but only because Bella begged for our lives. Felix asked the Masters to spare us as a mating present to Bella."

Edward growled from the third floor.

I nodded at Alice. In the beginning, I had wanted to kill Bella. She is newly mated and is thinking about all of us. I bet she called us family. I smiled. I'm glad the girl wasn't going to die. For that matter, I'm glad we aren't going to die, but I'd bet our immediate futures are all pretty dark. I won't ask Alice. I'll let her continue to ignore it for as long as is possible.

We've packed all the clothes that we're going to need. Alice of course has packed too much. Now I'm packing sentimental things that I don't want to leave behind. The rest will be left for movers to come collect for us and put into storage.

We can pick them up when we see when we'll be getting out if we'll be getting out anytime in the next few centuries.

Perhaps it won't be so bad. I know it will be worse on some of us than others. I lived through the southern wars so I don't imagine that this will be nearly as bad for me. I know I'm a survivor. Carlisle will have trouble having to be part of the Volturi and not as an esteemed visitor. Edward will have trouble not being the 'special one' and not getting his own way all the time. Esme is a survivor. I'd guess that she will do fine, I hope. Emmett is adaptable but Rose is too used to getting the best of everything. She'll have trouble taking orders. Alice's gift has been sought after by the kings so I'm guessing that she'll have an easier time than most. When she misses fashion week for the first time it is going to be a low blow.

I wonder how Bella is doing.

Edward

This is all ridiculous. Us having to go to Volterra at all is almost inconceivable. We have to pack up our lives and show up on command. Goodness knows what we'll be doing, and to think we owe our lives to Bella. We'll be out and opening house again in a few brief days. I guess I'm going to have to go to Bella's funeral. Perhaps I can skip it. I can be too bereaved to go. Her father never liked me anyway. She didn't even bother to end our relationship before she took up with someone else. She may not know it yet but she is going to be mine instead. I'm still going to get her blood.

The family is all screaming at me in their minds. As if rules apply to me. Those barbarians don't rule me and never will.

I've packed all my best clothes. I'll have another mate within the month. Bella will be dead and I'll find another human girl who will idolize me. Sure, I'll probably be able to read her mind and I doubt I can find another singer but I don't mind hearing all the ways a girl is lucky to be with me. The other mindless ramblings I'll just ignore. I already have the perfect lullaby I can tell her I wrote it for her.

Bella

I'm getting nervous again as we walked to the doors of the audience chamber. I look at Felix's sexy face and hold my hand out so I can feel his touch while I answer questions. Felix's hand in mine makes me feel safe and at home. I take a deep breath and nod at him that he can knock on the door.

He knocked and opened the gold-coated doors. I take another breath and walk so that I can keep pace with him.

The three kings were intimidating on their golden thrones. "Welcome Isabella, welcome to Volterra." a black-haired man on the center throne addressed me.

"Thank you, Master," I said smiling a little.

"May I read your memories young Bella, it will be easier on you than having to go through your entire story for me."

"Of course Master Aro." I placed my hand in his and waited. How long did it take to get a lifetime with or memories?

"I see nothing, Isabella, do you have any knowledge of why this would be?"

There were gasps in the crowd but I didn't pay attention to those. "Edward couldn't read my mind, he thought my mind might work like a radio where my mind is on the AM frequency and he's only getting FM. Jasper could influence my emotions though and Alice could see my future. I have no good explanation."

"Jane, can you test young Bella for just one second please."

A blonde girl who was obviously Alec's twin came forward. She was glaring at me, but nothing seemed to be happening.

"Very good Jane," Aro said. Aro paused and met my gaze. "I think you may be a mental shield young one. If it is active as a human who knows how strong it will be when you are a vampire. I sent Eleazar all overlooking for such gifts, he never found any yet here you are just walking in our door. Enough of that for now. How did you meet the Cullen family?"

"They went to high school with me."

There were chuckles around the room that I tried to ignore, knowing the questions were only beginning.

"And which of them told you what they were?" Aro asked.

"None of them, they only confirmed it. I figured out what they were on my own."

"Perhaps you will tell us your story child, there appears to be more to it." the oldest man asked.

"Yes Master, I went to school with the Cullens. Edward was in my science class and he acted oddly. His eyes were blank and he treated me like I stunk, he covered his nose and tried to put as much distance between us as possible. It made me curious. I noticed in the lunchroom that although they all had lunches none of them were actually eating the food. That made me more curious. They were all so inhumanly beautiful. Then after that Edward disappeared for a week. After the way he acted towards me I wondered if it was somehow my fault.

When Edward returned, his eyes that were pitch black before were a shade of honey gold. I asked him if he got contacts, he said no automatically. It fed my curiosity even more.

A few days later a car almost crushed me. Edward somehow ran from the other side of their parking lot to be right beside me in a second before the truck could hit me. He pushed the car away saving my life. I asked him how he did that and he promised to tell me later, insisting that I tell everyone he was beside me the entire time. At that point, I was very curious. I knew they were all inhumanly beautiful, had gold-colored eyes, were fast and strong, and somehow moved faster than the eye could see. I was going back and forth wondering if he'd been bitten by a radioactive spider or whether he was superman's relative."

Laughter filled the chamber and a paled. Felix squeezed my hand and I continued.

"I went with Charlie to the reservation and noticed that they were very prejudiced about the Cullens and I wondered if they might have known more about them than I did. I was family friends with one of the boys and I tricked him into telling me the tribe's histories about the Cullens."

"How," The blond king asked.

"Pardon me, Master,"

"How did you trick him?" he asked.

"I tried to flirt. It worked better than I expected." I admitted. "They have stories of cold ones with gold eyes who drink animal blood to survive. I realized that this fit.

A few days later I went dress shopping with some friends of mine. I don't usually shop but Angela had asked me to go give my opinion. I wanted to go to a book store and get a copy of the tribe's histories so I could learn more about the Cullens if they were what I thought them to be. I made it to the bookstore but on the way back out four guys tried to rape me. Edward sped around the corner and scared the guys off."

"How did he scare them off?" Aro asked.

"He growled at them and his eyes were pitch black again."

"I got in Edwards car and he took me back to my friends, but when I went to leave with them he offered to take me out to eat. I agreed. I think I was starstruck, he'd saved my life twice already and as he'd never tried to kill me I thought that I was likely safe with him, whatever he was.

In the restaurant, he admitted he could read minds. I added that to my list of strange things he could do. Then he asked if I had any more theories on what he was. I admitted that I did and I would tell him on the way home. I ate dinner while he sat there watching me saying he was on a special diet.

On the way back home I told him about my theory that he was a cold one from the Quileute legends. He said the Quileutes had a long memory. We talked for a while longer and he asked if I was concerned about his diet.

I admitted I hadn't considered it but that it didn't matter to me what he was I cared about him anyway.

He got angry with me because I told him it didn't matter what he was. He said it did matter but that he only drank animal blood. Though he said I smelled better to him than most people did I was his singer."

There were gasps around the room.

"What did you do then?" Aro asked.

"We made plans to go out the next Saturday. He hadn't hurt me yet and if he hadn't been around I would have been dead. I figured I could trust him."

"Who else in the family gave you information about what they were?" The blonde king asked.

"Carlisle, he told me about you and where you were and some of your history. He told me about the Volturi too. You still look as you did in Carlisle's painting."

"Did anyone else?" Aro asked.

"No, after Edward told me what everyone's gift was they didn't bother to hide what they were anymore. At that point keeping me in the dark about anything would have been pretty pointless. I am curious why Edward and Carlisle said Edward was my mate though when Felix is."

"They both told you that Edward was your mate?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, Master."

"We will talk about that later my child." The older king said.

"Thank you, Master."

"That's everything that they have told me about them, the rest I learned was when the tracker was searching for me."

"I think we have enough to make our judgment." The older king said.

"I would like to hear the rest of your story after court today young Isabella."

"Yes, Master Aro."

"You can bring Felix with you. He can take you out for a very late lunch now and meet in my study about seven o'clock."

"May I join you, Aro," The older king asked.

There were gasps around the room and I looked behind me. "Of course, Marcus, if you wish to you are most welcome."

"Dismissed young one." Aro said, "Till seven."

"Thank you, Master Aro."

"Felix, I am trusting you to guard her personally till seven o'clock," Master Marcus told him.

"Of course Master Marcus," Felix said and bowed.

I turned to look at Felix and he offered me his arm. I took it and he led me from the room.

Felix

I was in shock walking out of the audience chamber. My poor mate had been through so much and there was yet more to hear. I hadn't pressured her for her story for this very reason, I knew she would be telling it to Aro in detail and I would learn it then.

I paid attention to my mate. She was walking beside me and the doors to the audience hall closed behind us. I stopped walking but she continued another step before she was pulled up short.

"You were very brave in there." I comforted her.

"Did I make things worse for them?" Bella asked. There were tears in her eyes.

"You told the whole truth just like I asked you to. It is a good thing that you asked for their lives though. I don't think they would have all made it through with the number of mistakes they made with you."

The tears started streaming down her face and I pulled her into my arms holding her tightly. I kissed her forehead and rubbed her back until she calmed.

"Let's go get you some food while we can. We will have a long evening ahead of us cloistered with the Masters. It won't be as difficult as that though because it will be in Aro's office. You won't be on display for everyone. Are you alright now?" she had stopped crying.

"Could you call and see what's happening with Charlie and the family? I hope my dad is okay."

"Of course little one, I'll call Demetri right now."

I dialed and Demetri answered the phone.

"Felix, what's happening there?"

"We just got out of the audience chamber and Bella only got through half of her story. They've sent us on lunch and we're meeting Aro for the rest tonight. It has been challenging for her."

"Is it as bad as I expected?"

"Worse." I agreed. "Could you please tell me what is happening with the Family and Bella's father? She is concerned."

"Of course. Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme are out in a search party looking for Bella who appears to have been dragged off by a bear. The rest of the family is packed and Alice is packing for Carlisle and Esme. I hope I don't have to stay for Bella's funeral before we could get out of here. I'm getting bored with movies already."

I repeated his answer to Bella who smirked. "Tell him to play video games with Emmett."

I repeated the instruction and thanked Demetri who was now going through video games and video game systems in the Cullen house. I hung up.

"Time to go for food Bella, what would you like to eat?"

"Italian," she said with a smile.

I promised myself to keep the conversation casual and led her out to a good Italian restaurant that I had heard of.