Charlie was a man of his word.

Rather than rely on his flighty daughter's hesitant promise to go to Volterra's police station he set her up an appointment for eleven-thirty the next morning in Florence. This was because, apparently, Volterra's police station was woefully understaffed. That, and he'd somehow gotten in touch with someone in the Florence department. Bella had the terrible feeling that the entirety of Forks now knew about her stalker.

It was the next day, because Bella had unintentionally blown right through siesta and police stations closed at night. Because that was a thing in Italy.

So that was how Bella found herself on the bus she never thought she'd ride again, heading back to Florence from Volterra, to report a Mole Person who she only knew as 'Edward' for stalking. She was also, for the record, accompanied by Renata and Carlisle, who had refused to allow her to travel alone, who were both wearing oversized hats, scarves, sunglasses, and trench coats.

Neither said a word on the way there or even looked at Bella.

Renata gripped her seat tightly, the little Bella could see of her face was set in grim determination as well as growing panic. She looked like a cat who knew it was on its way to the vet and had lost the battle of not being shoved into her cat carrier.

Carlisle, on the other hand, looked like a man who'd just watched his beloved cat be shot and then run over by a six-wheeler.

Bella—well, she thought about how she'd wound up in this mess.

Edward had somehow gotten her number. Now, this was very impressive, as she'd only ever given Marcus her number and she was damn sure that he wouldn't have handed it out to Edward. Which, of course, meant that Edward had all too likely either dug through Marcus' call records himself or gotten one of his Mole People friends to do it. Bella's money was on Esme, that woman would sell her soul for Edward.

Still, that was plausible. She had given out her number to someone in Italy that Edward had had contact with. He could, conceivably, have gotten it, even all the way in—Alaska, or wherever the hell he even was.

But then he'd gotten Charlie's number.

Bella was certain she'd never told Marcus what town she'd come from, just her university, and just that it was very small. Even if she had, she highly doubted he would have ever relayed that information to Edward of all people.

Which meant Edward had probably dug through her school records somehow, which would list Forks, and when in Forks there was only one man with the last name Swan who had only one daughter.

And given his Jonathon Harker ploy—Bella was willing to believe that Edward had dug that deep into her personal history.

The terrifying phone calls to her number were one thing. Now, however, she had the feeling that Edward knew every inch of her personal history from Charlie, to Renee and Phil, to how many boys had asked her to Tolo in high school.

He'd made a study of her.

Edward had always been terrifying, even in that first moment, but on the bus ride to Florence it really started sinking in.

Don't leave the city, Marcus had warned.

Yet, here Bella was, leaving the city to file a report on someone she knew damn well wasn't even human.

Which reminded her.

She cleared her throat awkwardly.

Both Carlisle and Renat's heads, or their floppy hats rather, whipped towards her.

"So, Edward—" Bella said slowly, "Does he have a last name?"

Renata looked at Carlisle, Carlisle looked at Renata. After a very long pause, Carlisle said, "Masen, Edward Masen."

"Cool," Bella said, nodding to herself, then after a longer pause she asked, "And, um, any personal history or—story I should be relaying here?"

What Bella meant was that, of course, even she wasn't entirely sure why Edward had been removed from the program. Oh, it had something do with her, and it'd been scary as all hell, but it certainly hadn't been sexual harassment or stalking in the traditional sense. Just—staring.

He'd stared. Menacingly.

"Story?" Renata asked.

"You know," Bella said, wondering how much she could and should let on, "Uh, the reason why he was kicked out. We—kind of need one."

It appeared as if that hadn't occurred to either Renata or Carlisle.

Right, she'd been worried about that.

From the looks of their floppy, ridiculous, hats she hadn't given the game away but—she wondered how obvious she was becoming. Aro had seemed very confused in his office when she'd come in with her cellphone and Charlie on the line, but he'd also been distracted by his panic. Maybe the idea that anyone could figure them out was just so far out of left field it didn't even occur to them.

Regardless, this time, it was Renata who eventually answered, "Sexual harassment."

Carlisle flinched so violently it looked for a moment as if he'd been shot.

Renata, however, continued, "You woke up to him in your room in the middle of the night."

After a beat, eyeing Bella with a—frankly terrifying look in her dark eyes behind her sunglasses, she added, "Masturbating."

Bella spluttered and nearly fell out of her seat. Carlisle, surprisingly, did the same.

"Is that really necessary?!" Carlisle asked, "Renata, couldn't he just—"

"He was thrown out in a single day without a word of protest, Carlisle," Renata said over Carlisle, "There can't be any chance to deny his predatory nature."

Carlisle opened his mouth, closed it, but appeared to be physically unable to give up, "Please, Renata, can't we—isn't there anything else? You know it wasn't his fault—"

"And I suppose he hasn't been leaving Bella disturbing voice messages for days?" Renata asked in turn, "Or calling her father, for that matter? As far as we are concerned, Carlisle, he's brought this on himself."

Carlisle had nothing to say to that, not even to ask who 'we' exactly was in this situation.

Bella had assumed that they all were a cohesive group but—it was seeming more and more that there were different factions among the Mole People. One where Carlisle, Edward, Esme, and probably the other two belonged to one and Renata, Aro, and Marcus at least to the other.

"Alright," Bella said slowly, willing herself not to do this, "Okay, I woke up my first night and I caught Edward mastrub—mastrubate—mastrubating."

God, she couldn't even say it. Even the word, picturing it in her head unwillingly, had her utterly mortified. How was she supposed to say this to the police?

No, she could do this. Bella could be a shaken woman who caught a marble statue masturbating in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

… She couldn't do this.

"Alright," Bella said again to them both, "How about, I'm so traumatized from seeing Edward Masen masturbating in my bedroom in the middle of the night, and getting his creepy phone calls, and his calling my dad that I—can't get a word out? And—um—Renata has to tell them while I stand there and nod."

Bella didn't think she could cry on command, or she'd offer that up.

Renata stared for a moment, then nodded in affirmation. Good, thank god, Renata seemed to have the righteous fury of the Italian best friend thing down. Actually, now that Bella thought about it, that probably had been the plan to start with given Italian was very much required. Right.

"Good, great," Bella said to them both as well herself, "I think we've got it all planned out then. Good work, team."

Carlisle did not, for the record, look like he felt they were doing good work.

Now, how he was friends with someone like Edward in the first place was a bit beyond Bella. Maybe in alien society they were cousins, or something, and Carlisle was sort of stuck with him. That seemed about the only explanation of why Carlisle, who was still perfectly charming days later, associated with any of them.

Unless he secretly liked Frat Boy Emmett and his wads of cash. Bella had to say, living a bit of the high life herself now in Volterra with her fully furnished room, having rich friends must be nice.

Before Bella could ask, the bus finally rolled into the station.

Bella and her two lost cosplay companions exited the bus, much to the dubiousness of the driver. There, they soon started navigating the streets towards Florence's police station while Bella did her best to look very distraught.

Well, she was distraught, if she sat down to think about it. Edward had access to her father, who was not hidden behind Volterra's walls. Edward had once clearly intended her harm, was clearly trying to lure her out of the city and—she didn't know if his contacting Charlie had been a threat, but it certainly felt like one.

His way of saying that he could access Charlie or Renee any time he felt like it.

Yes, if she thought about it, then Bella was terrified.

It was with that thought that they reached the police station. However, before they could enter, Renata came to a sudden, jerking halt. She held onto both Bella's arm and Carlisle's, preventing either from going inside, and with a note of warning in her voice said, "Carlisle."

Carlisle, however, wasn't looking at her. Instead, with growing horror somehow conveyed even through his many layers of clothing, he turned to look at a nearby alleyway where, standing in the shadows, was another bundled figure.

The figure stepped forward only to appear to lose his balance. He shuffled, tried again, only for the same thing to occur. Around them, pedestrians began to drunkenly stumble away and off the sidewalk, crossing not only the street but wandering in a daze through alleys, including the bundled man's.

Eventually, when the street was fully cleared of people, he removed his hat to reveal Edward Masen's face.

It was unfair, Bella thought, how hauntingly beautiful Edward was. Young, he looked younger than her, almost like he was in high school but—all the Mole People were beautiful, there was no denying that, but there was something especially angelic about Edward's sculpted features.

Standing in the shadows like this, though, with the memory of that first meeting haunting her—it only made him look more sinister. His eyes seem darker than they'd been only a few days ago, a raging, black, inferno.

"Ah, I see, this must be the bodyguard's gift," he shouted to them with an amused smile, "It's very impressive, Renata."

Renata didn't say a word, she wasn't looking at Edward or at Bella for that matter, but instead was staring at the ground in intense concentration. Carlisle, however, took a step towards Edward.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" he asked in unmistakable horror.

"Proving a point," Edward said, "Look, she's—potent, I'll give her that much, but I can handle it."

He motioned to Bella, almost unthinkingly, while his eyes remained on Carlisle's face, "I didn't have to leave, Carlisle, you must see that. I didn't black out, I didn't lose my mind with temptation, I can hold a lucid conversation in her presence—it's not what they told you it was."

"Edward, what are you trying to prove—"

"I'm saying that I can come back," Edward said, "There was no reason to send me home, no benign reason, at any rate. Surely, Carlisle, you must see that now!"

Carlisle just stared, jaw dropping. After a long second, he said, "Edward, go home. I don't know why Alice and Jasper let you come here, but go home."

"I can't just go—"

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?!" Carlisle asked, and then motioned to Bella, "Or how much terror and pain you've put Bella through already? Edward, I know you mean well, but go home. Go home and forget Bella Swan."

"Bella?!" Edward balked, now finally looking at Bella, "I'm trying to save that poor girl!"

And something in Bella snapped.

"Thank you," she said loudly enough for all participants to hear, "But you've done enough. I didn't ask for you to call, I didn't ask for you to call my father, I didn't ask for anything from you. No more calls, and don't ever, and I mean ever, approach my family."

He raised his eyebrows at her. That—that demonic twerp had the nerve to raise his perfectly sculpted bronze eyebrows at her, "Bella, I don't think you realize how impotent you are. If I want to talk to your father, there is nothing you can do to stop me. If I wanted to hurt your father, there is nothing you can do to stop me. The same, of course, goes for your good friends Renata and Marcus. If they want to hurt you, and they do, there is nothing you can do to stop them."

Carlisle stumbled out of Renata's grip. No, that was the wrong word for it. It was-something between prying himself out desperately and falling out of it. He looked as if he couldn't quite understand what Edward had just said, like he couldn't make out the words, or thought he had but they couldn't possibly be right.

Edward ignored Carlisle, instead he smiled at her and extended his hand, "The only thing you can do is come with me, now, now that you're finally outside the city. Carlisle, will take care of Renata, she's too distracted by me and the humans to take care of him as well, and we can—"

Bella looped her arm through Renata's, "I'm not going anywhere."

Edward stared at her in shock. He took a step forward only to be darted to the side again. He stared at her in dumbfounded confusion.

"You'll die here," he said numbly, "I—I wasn't kidding, Bella, you will die here."

Bella didn't say anything, just gripped Renata's arm tighter.

Like a puppet moving against his will, Carlisle slowly made his way over towards Edward. He put an arm around Edward's shoulder and slowly moved him deeper into the shadows. Edward, looking dazed, allowed it.

Renata wasted no time rushing Bella inside the building. There, Bella looked appropriately dazed, horrified, and confused as Renata made her way through an angry, Italian, tirade, showing the police every phone message Edward had left her and all about the time he sexually assaulted her.

Bella heard the word 'masturbarsi' several times.

When they stepped outside, both Edward and Carlisle were gone.

They didn't wait for either of them as they made their way to the bus and back to Volterra.

Bella imagined that—

Carlisle would likely think he had handled it. He didn't seem the type to fully appreciate just what Edward was, just what he was prepared to do. He'd send Edward home, wherever that was, and he'd hope that would be the end of it.

Bella, however, was almost certain that Edward really would threaten her family.

He would hurt her father or her mother, because he could, because Bella couldn't stop it, and because it would guarantee that Bella left Volterra just like he wanted.

And there was nothing Bella could do about it.

When Bella arrived back in the castle, she found her feet moving of their own volition, guiding her through endless rooms until she happened upon one with Marcus inside of it. He looked up at her entrance, blinking at the sight of her.

He did not blink as she exclaimed, "Tell me everything I need to know to ruin Edward Masen."

Author's Note: Thanks to readers and reviewers, reviews are much appreciated.

Much thanks to Vinelle for betaing the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight