A/N: Adding some romance and some revenge to other members of this story lol xx Alexis

Bella and Alistair were just taking everything one day at a time, slowly getting to know each other and she had a lot more to learn than him. For them both, just being together was enough for now and they were both happy about it. Bella was keeping Luca and Emmett in the loop of her new life and even heard from Jasper during that time. That's how a family should be she thought, touching base with you but not interfering and telling you how to run your affairs. Especially as they are both very determined people and needed to work things out by themselves without others giving their tuppence worth! Neither was used to sharing, Bella as an only child and Alistair as a man who had been alone for many years. They were doing what was right for them and not anyone else.

Whereas others might have rushed her for a sexual relationship, not so Alistair. He knew they had eternity for that; he wanted to get to know Bella on all levels not just physically. Her mind was just as fascinating to him, as her body was. He wanted to know the whole woman, not just select parts of her. But more than that he wanted her to know him that way too.

"Where would you like to go first, which place here in the UK is demanding your attention?" He asks her one morning,

"If you had asked me that a month or a year ago, I'd have told you one of many sites from the classics. But now I want to see where you were born, what should have been your ancestral home on your paternal side! Will you show me, Alistair?" Bella asked quietly,

Alistair was surprised, but maybe he shouldn't have been, she wanted to know everything about him too. She wanted to see it through his eyes and hear it all from his lips, not some dry historian's footnote of English history. He nodded and told her it would be his pleasure, but she would need to do something for him. Now she was intrigued, what could he possibly want?

"H'mm, what would that be?" she asked cautiously,

"I would like you to accompany me to The Harry Potter Experience!" he asked a little embarrassed,

"Oh Alistair, I'd love to! It was on my list too, yes I'll go with you" Bella replied happily and gave him a reassuring hug,

"Thank you, I've never wanted to go alone, but I really want to see it" he explained,

Bella smiled at how happy he was she would go with him and it just made her love him more,

That was the moment Bella realised she actually might love Alistair, yes she now knew they were mates. But they had barely known each other and she'd been bitten by that crap before. It only took her following him around his homeland to know he was nothing like Edward. They have now just slipped into an easy-going relationship, one that put no pressure on her at all. Was she ready to take it to the next level, maybe one day soon, she knew they would just come together when they were both ready. Alistair seemed to know what she needed sometimes even before she did. Bella decided to just go with the flow and let things work themselves out without her or him stressing about it all.

HLMWAINS

Rose was startled by the sound of a throat being cleared, how had someone crept up on her! Her head shot up and saw a red-eyed vampire standing in her shop doorway.

"Hey, didn't realise there were any of us around here!" he said nervously,

"Hello, I only moved back here six months ago. I'm Rochester born and bred!" Rose said wondering why she told him that,

"Sorry, how rude of me I'm Randall by the way" he muttered looking embarrassed,

"Rosalie Hale, nice to meet you Randall!" she said holding out her hand,

It only took them a second as their hands met to know what had happened. Rose was shocked; she really didn't think she would ever deserve to find her mate after all she had done. Randall couldn't believe that this beautiful woman could be his mate, but he had a feeling he had heard her name before.

"I need to finish this job and then we can talk upstairs. Would you like to freshen up while you wait for me?" she asked hoping he would so she could concentrate

"Sure that would be great, I've been on the road a while," he says smiling at her,

Rose quickly showed him where everything was and rushed to finish the car she was working on. She had a feeling she'd heard his name before, did he know Carlisle? Could she have met him before if only she'd waited!

HLMWAINS

Edward was getting far too comfortable in the flat Mathias had sent him to. He was spending money that wasn't his and he really was becoming more and more entitled. What he didn't know was that Mathias had arranged for him to be billed for everything and the money would also be added to the bill. Edward had no proof someone else was footing the bill, he just never checked or asked and that was just playing into Mathias' hands! All the owners knew was that Edward had rented the flat and he was the one they expected to pay once the lease was up. The time was about to arrive and the fool had no reason to be worried. It looked like nobody would be coming to his defence, why? Well anyone who gave it a passing thought, remembered that he never did that for them, so why would they!

Edward was showing Mathias how stupid and childish he was by not asking if Carlisle and Esme were still in England, by not questioning anything he was told! They were not; they had left to see Siobhan and Liam, before leaving for Isle Esme. Esme found Liam's account of Edward's visit highly amusing; Carlisle was mortified by his behaviour. What was the idiot thinking, lying to Maggie is impossible! Was he that desperate, or did he really think he was that special that she wouldn't be able to tell? Mathias sometimes wondered if Tobias was worth all this trouble he went to on his behalf! But then maybe it was their lot in life. He suffered for protecting Tobias, Tobias suffered from the loss of Carlisle and Carlisle suffered for the sins of Edward!

But from all Esme had said the other male he sired is everything anyone could ask for. Strong, kind, helpful and above all trustworthy, well even Carlisle had to get it right once! Apparently, the female was a bit of a nightmare as she was greedy, selfish and arrogant as well. Really Mathias supposed Carlisle was two for two because Esme was a good woman and a decent vampire who was seriously changing her stance on the vegetarian thing. More than anything Mathias thought it was because she now was annoyed Carlisle never gave her the choice. He had trusted none of them to make the choice on their own, again the sign of weak leadership. It was becoming seriously obvious that Carlisle wanted to pretend to be human and well vampires just can't. It's like asking a Wolf to be a house pet, they will eventually arrack!

HLMWAINS

Jasper was minding his own business at Peter and Char's place, they'd gone off on a jaunt and he was just chilling out when he got an unexpected phone call. He almost didn't accept her call, when Rose's name flashed across his screen. He wasn't even sure when he hadn't blocked them all, but apart from Alice's number, he didn't care.

"Hello Jasper, I know you never thought this day would come. But believe it or not, I need your advice and counsel" Rose said quietly,

"You're right about that Rosalie, what can I help you with?" Jasper inquired and he heard her sigh as he called by her full name,

"First, I'd like to apologise to you for never telling you what Alice was doing! I was too selfish and as you know doing the same thing to Emmett. Next, I want to apologise to him, but he has, of course, blocked me. Has he changed his number or is it just me he refuses to speak to?" she asks with no air of superiority or any malice in her voice,

"Not just you, the other two as well! Might I ask why? Why now? Because he's happy and I won't let you upset him!" Jasper informed her,

"I've found my mate and now I know what a terrible thing I did, to him and myself! You know him, Jasper, so does Carlisle and I could have met him years ago if I hadn't been such a stuck-up bitch!" she snarled at her own stupidity,

"Oh, oh damn, you shot yourself in the foot Rose!" Jasper said with some sympathy,

"Hello Major, it's Randall!" Jasper heard and wasn't that surprised come to think of it,

"Randall, congratulations. Rose don't worry Emmett has found his mate too. Funnily enough, it was all Bella's doing!" Jasper told them,

"Bella! How?" Rose asked and for the first time there was no hate or disdain in her tone,

"Peter and I sent her to Malta, a student exchange type of affair. She's a shield like Luca and actually related to him. Emmett went to Forks to give Charlie a piece of his mind and met Orsel and her niece Alessia; they are also part of Luca's family and human for now!" Jasper explained,

"Wow, his mate is a 'little bear', how apt. Thank God I didn't ruin it for him as well!" she sighed,

"You didn't ruin it Rose, just delayed it! So Major, is this Bella living in Malta now, to keep her safe from Edward?" Randall asked,

"No, Luca turned and trained her, she basically skipped her newborn stage because of her shield and now she's in England with her real mate, Alistair" Jasper explained,

"I thought he was old and a recluse!" Rose mentioned,

"No not at all, he's the same age as Carlisle and has been around more than twice as long. Hang on she sent me a snapshot of them at some book thing they went to" Jasper said sending Rose the photo,

"Shit! He's not what I was expecting at all and they went to The Harry Potter Experience! They look so happy, I'm glad. She deserved so much better than Edward!" Rose said and really meant it,

"Yes, she did. I'll pass on your news Rose; it's up to him if he wants your apology, okay?" Jasper told her,

"Thank you, Jasper, and yes that would be great!" Rose said before they finished their call,

Jasper was just sitting shaking his head when his phone buzzed,

'Your old family are damned weird', PW

'Unlike you huh!' JW

HLMWAINS

"It's time Edward! Everyone is away and the house will be empty for two days!" Mathias explained into Edward's head,

"What? Now, so soon! I'll not ready" he whined not wanting to give up his cushy life,

"It's now or in another year, can you afford to wait that long Edward? Money doesn't grow on trees you know!" Mathias whispered with a sneer,

"Then I must I suppose!" Edward sighed and Mathias smiled in his hiding place,

This would be the biggest mistake Edward would ever make and he had no proof that he had help or anything else. Once Mathias nudged him to go over the blueprints of the house, everything said sounded like a two-way conversation with himself. Edward was digging his own grave with Mathias' shovel and he didn't even know it. Something else he didn't know was that there were four other vampires ahead of Tobias who would take over if anything ever happened to Mathias. He was the sire of five and all of them were much more capable than Tobias, it didn't mean he cared less for him; just that Mathias knew Tobias was no leader and never would be. That was the mark of a leader to know your coven's strengths and weaknesses, unlike Carlisle.

So the plan was set, Edward would go to the house tomorrow afternoon. This he was assured would be the best time as nobody would be there, not even the staff. The mention of staff annoyed Edward more than anything else. He whined and moaned that that's what Carlisle should have done for him, had servants running at his beck and call as he deserved! Mathias was beyond disgusted by the entitled brat and felt no sympathy whatsoever for him. It went down like clockwork; Edward broke in setting off all the silent alarms, the rest of the coven descended on the house trapping him inside. Mathias appeared and demanded to know who he was and what he thought he was doing in his coven's home. That's when Edward learned he and not Tobias was in charge.

That the four men with him would be taking over one at a time so the likelihood of Tobias or Carlisle ever running the coven was nil. Or at least not for half a century or so on the unlikely event they all were terminated! He had them lock Edward in a cage in the very vault he was trying to break into and there he would remain until they dealt with him. It was another little dig, he could see, smell and almost touch in his childish eyes, untold riches. It was barely a tenth of the coven's real assets but Mathias didn't need Aro seeing that. Edward was rambling on about the voice, the voice that told him what to do and it was all being recorded as evidence of his insanity.

"Mathias he's insane, do you hear the drivel he's spouting in there?" one of the four said,

"Yes Bartholomew, it appears Carlisle's ex-coven mate is unhinged! Place a call to Volterra, Aro will be the only one capable of making sense of this ridiculous nonsense" Mathias said turning away so as not to be seen grinning,

HLMWAINS

"Mi annoio Aro! Dobbiamo iniziare una guerra o distruggere una congrega, qualcosa, qualsiasi cosa! Sono annoiato! " (I'm bored Aro! We need to start a war or destroy a coven, something, anything! I'm bored!) Sulpicia whined,

Aro often wondered why he hadn't killed her long, long ago. She was the reason his sister died, her greed, her boredom and her pure arrogance. But he kept her alive, trapped in the tower and at the mercy of his two brothers. She was little more than a glorified servant or was that a glorified whore. She was the lowest of the low in the castle and anyone could attack, insult and degrade her without repercussions, but nobody was allowed to kill her or help her escape.

"Mi confondi donna, con qualcuno a cui frega un accidente! Porta le tue lamentele a Marcus e Caius o stai zitto! "(You confuse me, woman, with someone who gives a damn! Take your complaints to Marcus and Caius or shut the fuck up!) He spat back at the bitch and she flinched,

Sulpicia seemed to think with each passing decade they should forgive her, forget that her dalliance with Vladimir is what caused Stefan to try and take Didyme for himself. Her lies that painted the three Volturi wives as whores for the taking, when that only applied to her! Poor Didyme had refused him, of course, and it cost her, her life and the Romanians their Kingdom. Up until then, the Volturi were just another coven, trying to survive and live alongside the humans. But that one act turned the Volturi into the Romanian's worst nightmare and they took everything from them including their mates! Marcus personally killed the woman before their mate's eyes, letting them alone live, which was their punishment. This was the real reason for the Volturi takeover, though the Romanians tried to spin it differently.

Although Sulpicia lived in the tower it was in a tiny room near the base and had no decoration or trappings that should befit the mate of one of the rulers. Aro's hatred of her never wavered, not even once and this was what galled her the most. She seemed to be the only mated female whose partner despised them! Too selfish to see the harm she had caused the insult and the pain! Going from the least liked wife to the most hated member of the Volturi!

"La congrega londinese arriverà presto e sai quanto a quei ragazzi piaccia essere intrattenuti! Ripuliti puttana e preparati per i quattro figli di Mathias!" (The London coven will be arriving soon, and you know how much those boys like to be entertained! Clean yourself up whore and be ready for Mathias' four sons!) Aro sneered at her and watched the fear bloom in her eyes,

Aro knew his bond to her was long dead, it had withered of its own accord and Marcus had told him a century ago. But he enjoyed her suffering as much as his brothers and felt she deserved no quarter. His sister's death was as fresh in his mind today as it had been when it happened. Maybe this time he'd let them kill her, their sexual appetites were a little dark for him, and their sharing was also strange, but it was not his place to say. They never left evidence; they never caused waves they just liked to inflict pain that they could never show their mates!

"Hai cinque giorni!" (You have five days!) He said smiling at her for the first time in over one thousand years,

Sulpicia had only met those four once and it took her months to recover from the torture they inflicted on her body, never mind her mind and she did not wish to go through that again. For the first time in a long time, she took stock of her life, her position and it was bleak. Nobody cared about her and they never would because of what she did. Sulpicia straightened her shoulders and did what she should have done long ago she walked slowly to the incinerator room and opened the door. The heat was frightening but without a pause, she thrust her two arms in and let herself be engulfed by the flames. It was several hours, well two days actually before anyone was aware, a true testament to how little they cared about her. When the news made it to the throne room, Marcus laughed for the first time since Didyme's death!

HLMWAINS

Alistair and Bella were back from visiting his old family home and The Harry Potter Experience, both were happy and content. So much so that he was now reading the books to her and she was enthralled. Bella had skimmed through them before but thought them to not be her taste, but she was wrong they were awesome. She had been such a literary snob, assuming the classics to be better and that was not necessarily true. Alistair was going to introduce her to all different kinds of books, even foreign language ones and teach her the languages too. He without trying had broadened her horizons and she loved it. They were lying side by side in his master bedroom. Bella's head was on his chest as he read and she loved hearing his voice reverberate in his chest.

Alistair loved the fact that when they touched he saw nothing and it was such a relief. Not that he didn't want to know her, but that he was happy to learn the normal way. He was trying very hard to ignore her fingers stroking his chest as he spoke. He was convinced she wasn't aware she was doing it or the fact it was driving him insane. That was until her finger slipped between the buttonholes on his shirt. He could feel her stroking the light hairs there and the growl that erupted was nothing to do with the book he was reading. Bella froze and for a second he thought she was going to bolt out of the room, but instead, her exploration became firmer and she glanced up at him. That was all the encouragement he needed to lean down and kiss her properly for the first time.

"I love you, Bella, you know that don't you? You guide this my little Swan and I will follow your lead!" Alistair purrs at her,

"Thanks, slowly I think, I've never done this before and I'm a little nervous," she says slightly embarrassed,

Alistair gathered her close and just held her as they both gently ran their fingers over each other, sharing passionate, but not overwhelming kisses.