35

EPOV

Just as quickly as the gunfire started, it stopped. The room we were in was thick with anticipation as we sat on the floor, waiting for Aro to come kill us all or the others to come tell us that everything was finally over. I'm not sure how long we had been sitting there, holding our collective breath when we heard the doorknob start turning.

Bella whimpered as she nestled herself further into my embrace. I could feel her body trembling and I knew she was experience the worst case of déjà vu. She put on such a brave face but she was barely hanging on. The door slowly creaked open and Peter came in, covered in dirt and grime. He sighed in relief either because we were ok or that we weren't screaming at him to get the hell away from us.

"It's over," he murmured.

"What does that mean exactly?" my father asked him, standing up with my mother tucked into his side. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice all looked nervous and scared at what that could mean. How many people on 'our' side were killed in this battle?

"I mean just what I said," said Peter, looking at all of us. His eyes stopped on Bella. "It's over. Aro Volturi and his goons are dead."

"I don't believe you," muttered Bella, standing up. "I want to see them."

"Bella, you don't need to see them," sighed Peter. I stood up next to her.

"I don't believe a word that comes out of your fucking mouth," snapped Bella. "I want to see their dead bodies."

"Bella-"

"Show her," I growled, pulling her back into my arms. "All you've done is lie to her and skirt around the truth. We need to know that he is actually dead."

"Look-"

"JUST FUCKING SHOW US!" yelled Carlisle.

"Fine," muttered Peter, clenching his jaw.

He didn't say another word as he turned and stormed out of the room. I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and followed our family out of the villa. The air was even thicker outside than it was inside the small room we had hid in. You could almost taste the gunfire residue in the air. Bella nestled herself into me even more. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, even if this was the only way she would believe him.

Peter lead us down to the beach. As we approached, everyone stopped and looked at us, like we were freaks or something. I was relieved to see that Jacob and Nessie were ok, even if they were a couple of lying bastards. Peter led us over to a row of dead bodies. There were maybe fifteen men laying side by side in the sand with sheets and blankets covering them.

"Are you sure you want to see this?" asked Peter, looking back at us.

"I have to see it for myself," muttered Bella.

Peter sighed again and knelt down next to the first body. He reached out and pulled the sheet back. There laying on the ground with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead was Aro Volturi. Relief flooded my system. He was finally gone and wasn't going to be able to bother us anymore. Bella pulled away from me and went over to his dead body.

"Bella…"

Bella reared her foot back and started kicking the crap out of his dead body. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT. YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT. I'M GLAD YOU ARE DEAD, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"BELLA!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around her body. Her knees buckled and we dropped to the ground.

"It's all his fault," she sobbed, uncontrollably. "He ruined my life. I hate him so fucking much for taking everything from me."

"I know, baby," I murmured. "I know."

Bella turned in my arms, wrapping hers around my neck as tightly as she could. I stood up and lifted her so that she had her legs wrapped around my waist. Ignoring everyone around us, I carried her away from the dead men who had done everything but put a bullet into her. As I carried her back up toward our villa, Nolan and Corrine stepped in our way. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with either of them right now, even if I knew a part of Bella was glad they weren't dead. Did they just not get that they hurt her?

"Bella, honey, are you ok?" asked Corrine. Bella tensed up as she lowered her legs from around me. I tried to keep her next to me but she pulled out of my embrace and turned to her parents.

"Just leave me fucking alone," seethed Bella. They both flinched back at the sheer venom laced in her words. "Don't speak to me, don't even try to speak to me. Just leave me alone."

"Honey,-"

Corrine was interrupted when Bella reared back and threw her fist into her mother's face. I reached out to pull Bella back but she shoved me off of her and took her father down, pummeling him as hard as she could. I knew I should try to stop her again but I think a big part of her needed to do this so I stepped back and watched as she hit him over and over again.

Nolan just laid there in the sand, letting his youngest daughter hit him in the chest and gut. Silent tears were falling down his face but I don't think they had anything to do with the blows Bella was delivering. Corrine had scooted back and was holding her bleeding nose as she watched the of two of them until Bella finally lost all momentum and rolled off her father sobbing. By now, the rest of our collective families had shown up but weren't doing anything to stop her either.

"You were supposed to protect me," sobbed Bella, looking over at her parents. "You were my parents. I needed you."

"We know," whispered Nolan, sitting up.

"I was fifteen and I needed you," cried Bella. "How could you let them send me to a mental hospital?"

"We didn't know about that until after it was done," said Nolan. "After those men broke into the house and nearly killed us, Bella, we were taken to a private hospital to recover from our injuries. Peter didn't tell us you had been found for almost two weeks. He told us that he had arranged for you to go there to keep you safe but we told him that was bullshit. We forced him to do whatever he had to do to get you out of there and with your brothers. We knew they would take care of you."

"They shouldn't have had to," argued Bella. "You were supposed to be the ones to take care of me. I blamed myself, Nolan."

"Honey, none of this was your fault," gasped Nolan, reaching for her. She scooted back so he pulled back.

"Don't touch me," she snapped. "You could have told us that you weren't dead but instead you let us go two years thinking you had been butchered. What kind of parents do that to their kids?"

"We were wrong," cried Corrine, moving over and sitting next to her husband. "Not a day has gone by that we didn't think of you or your brothers."

"Yeah, well, so did we," grumbled Emmett. Everyone turned and looked at him. "We needed you. All of us needed you, not just Bell. You gave up on all of us, except Renee, but she didn't care anymore about us than you did."

"That's not fair," muttered Renee, crossing her arms in front of her. Charlie placed his hand on her back. "I wanted to tell you but I couldn't."

"That's bullshit," whispered Bella. "You chose not to. Just like you chose Charlie over us, just like you didn't even bother calling us once in two years to see how we were doing. I needed my big sister, Ren, and you weren't there. You gave up on me just like they did."

"You never needed me," cried Renee. "Ever since you could walk, you wanted to be with the boys and not with me."

"That's not true," sobbed Bella, standing up. "You were my hero, Ren. You are smart and beautiful. I wanted to be just like you but, no, I wasn't the right kind of sister for you."

"Yes, you are, Bell," cried Renee. "I wish I could go back and change it all. I would do so many things over."

"I wish you could, too," whispered Bella, "but you can't. I don't know how I can trust any of you ever again."

"Bella," gasped Corrine. I nearly rolled my eyes. Was she really surprised that Bella couldn't trust her after she had lied to her? "Please, don't think that."

"I don't know who you are anymore, Corrine," said Bella. Her mother flinched back at the sound of her given name being used. Nolan slipped his arm around her waist, pulling his wife into his chest. Bella shook her head and looked at me. "Let's get out of here."

I simply nodded my head as I slipped my hand into hers and pulled her after me. The sounds of her parents muffled crying and her brothers telling them they shouldn't have expected even that much from her drifted behind us. I led Bella down to our villa and shut the door behind us. She turned and buried her face in my chest and just sobbed. I lifted her up and carried her over to our bed, laying her down and climbing on next to her. Would it ever be easy for her? For us?

I'm not sure how long we had been laying there on the bed when someone knocked on the door. Bella groaned and pushed her face into her pillow, muttering a series of four letter words under her breath. I kissed the back of her head, went over, and opened the door. Carlisle and Esme were standing there, looking exhausted.

"Is she ok?" whispered Carlisle.

"No," I answered, honestly as I looked back at Bella. She was sitting up on the side of the bed, dried tear stains on her face. "Come on in."

"Thanks," murmured Carlisle. I shut the door behind him and moved back over to Bella, wrapping my arm around her waist. "You ok, sis?"

"No," whispered Bella. "I'm tired and I have a headache."

"I'm pretty tired myself," sighed Carlisle, sitting on the bed next to her. He reached over and picked up her hands and started examining them. "Do your hands hurt?"

"A little," muttered Bella, looking up at her brother. "James and Vic are really dead, aren't they?"

"Yeah," whispered Carlisle, nodding his head. "We saw their bodies earlier."

"It's not fair," cried Bella, wrapping her arms around him. "I was mad at them but I didn't want them to die."

"I know," murmured Carlisle rubbing her back.

"You ok, Edward?" asked Esme, moving over and sitting next to me.

"No," I said, quietly. "I want to go home."

"Me too," whispered Esme.

"I do too," muttered Bella.

"Well, the plane is supposed be back in a couple of hours and they tell us we are heading back to the states," said Carlisle, laying his head on top of Bella's. "But Nolan and Corrine are insisting that you go back with them to Arizona, Bella."

"No," yelled Bella, pulling back from him. "I don't want to go with them."

"You aren't going with them, Bell. Calm down," said Carlisle, quickly. "But because we aren't letting them take you back to Arizona, they are insisting on coming back to Forks with us."

"NO!" screamed Bella. I quickly pulled her into my arms, trying to get her to calm down.

"I can't stop them from coming there," explained Carlisle. "Em, Jas, and I told them that they were not welcomed at the gym but I can't keep them out of the town, Bella. I will not let them hurt you again, do you hear me?"

"Do you promise, Car?" asked Bella, looking up at him.

"I promise," said Carlisle. "I promise, Bell."

"I trust you," whispered Bella, turning back into my chest. "I trust you, Car."