Chapter 17

-The Cullens-

Carlisle rejoined his family with the exception of Esme who was doing some shopping. He had an odd expression on his face, as a result of this everyone looked at him curiously

He cleared his throat before beginning, "In light of us being unable to find anything more about these vampires. I called the Quileutes to set up a meeting. I want to make it clear to them there are other vampires in the area that have nothing to do with us. I just spoke with the Quileute chief. He said he would meet with me at the boundary line tonight at six pm."

"What's wrong with that?" Emmett said, "I mean, sure we'll all need an extra shower tonight but they have to respect us for keeping them in the loop right?"

"Nothing is wrong with that." Carlisle replied, shaking his head.

Edward's head shot up and he hissed suddenly, reading Carlisle's thoughts. "They can't be serious?"

"Can't be serious about what?" Emmett asked, standing up abruptly, anger and tension almost palpably oozed from Edward and it put everyone in the room on edge.

"They made it clear I was welcome to bring anyone I wanted as long as Edward, and they mentioned him by name, came nowhere close to the meeting." Carlisle stated unhappily.

Rosalie frowned, "How would they know about his abilities? We never told them in the past did we?"

"No we didn't, but I don't see much choice, I have to go this meeting. It's just rather curious news." Carlisle stated. "In any case I'll be rather interested to hear their reasons for this decision."

Edward didn't wait to hear more, storming out of the house, slamming the door behind him as he went, splintering part of the wood.

Adara sighed, watching him leave, "I'll call Esme and have her pick up more paint while she's out, and make sure she's back in time for the meeting."

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At 6:00 pm sharp, all the Cullens except Edward arrived at the boundary line.

A shirtless Quileute stood waiting for them with his arms crossed and frowned in concentration. He was silent as they approached.

Carlisle stepped forward, "Hello, I'm C-" only to be stopped by the man's upraised hand who uttered a terse "Wait."

A few moments later the forest was filled by two howls seemingly originating from either side of the man and two wolves loped into view then settled on their haunches.

The Quileute seemed to relax his concentration slightly and smiled pleasantly. "Hello, I'm sorry, I was merely being sure that you honored our request not to bring the lee-vampire called Edward. We do not appreciate the privacy of our thoughts being invaded. I'm Embry. What is it you needed to discuss?"

The Cullens gave each other surprised looks, and while it was far from a welcoming greeting, it was the most courteous hello they had ever received from the Quileutes.

Carlisle looked around and nodded after taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Yes, I wanted to bring something to your attention. There is a new vampire coven in the area. We do not know the number as we've only seen one of them. We wanted to make sure that you knew and should something untoward happen we would hope our guilt would not be automatically assumed."

Embry nodded after a moment. "That is interesting. Thank you for the information."

"But it's information you already had." Jasper spoke up suddenly looking at Embry, not with any doubt but seeking confirmation.

Embry frowned suddenly and glared at Carlisle, accusation clear in his tone. "We told you to leave your mind-reader at home!"

Jasper held up his hands, willing a wave of calm across the group before things could get out of hand. "I am not Edward. I cannot read your mind, I can merely read emotion, and I detected absolutely no surprise or anger from you when Carlisle told you of the other group of vampires."

Embry scowled at Jasper, "What am I feeling right now?"

Jasper shrugged a little bit, "Irritation at me, but you hardly need to be able to sense emotions to tell that."

Carlisle spoke up again, "So I take it, based on your reactions, you've had dealings with the other vampires already?" he asked with genuine curiosity. He was also hoping to bring the meeting back to main point.

Embry continued to glare at Jasper when he snapped at Carlisle, "Our 'dealings' with the Volturi are just that. Ours."

The Cullen clan all gasped in shock when the Volturi were mentioned. "What dealings did you have with the Volturi?" Esme asked, for once her husband's calm composure was completely, if momentarily cracked, so she spoke up, keeping a level head.

Embry frowned at the Cullen's shocked reactions. He looked puzzled for a moment. "It seems like both our families can benefit from some information. Tell us some of what you know of the Volturi and I will share a bit of what we know."

Carlisle frowned, "The Volturi are... the most powerful vampire coven in the world. They are... sort of what you might call royalty. They enforce the rules, making sure that our existence stays a secret. They are an immensely strong group with many gifted members, and can be ruthless when they're crossed. I must tell you, if you have hurt or killed one of their members then you're all in great danger."

Embry frowned thoughtfully nodding slowly after Carlisle finished speaking. "That's good to know. Well, you kept your part of the bargain, so I shall tell you this. We have not harmed any of them. We have formed an official alliance with them."

Carlisle blinked, "An... official alliance? Are you sure? I mean... I'm not doubting you're telling us the truth, but wondering if you have possibly been deceived. The Volturi almost never do that, ever. I can only think of two circumstances in 400 years where it's happened. And only the council's family has the power to make an alliance."

"The question of authority was asked and addressed. The one who offered the alliance is a Princess of the Volturi." Embry replied.

Carlisle frowned "I... see. Would you object to me looking into this? I am on friendly terms with the members of the Volturi council. Perhaps I could inform you if I find that you are being misled?"

Embry frowned slightly and there were growls from either side of him before he looked up. "I do not believe we are being deceived. But if you find out otherwise, then we will be happy to share all we know with you." Carlisle nodded in acknowledgement.

Embry turned and walked back into the forest while the two wolves stared balefully at the group of vampires before turning and following Embry into the woods.

Carlisle didn't speak simply gesturing for his family to head home. They all turned and ran through the trees at full speed. A chaotic scene ensued once they were home. Edward had returned before the meeting concluded, and he was bombarded with mental images of the meeting

"The Volturi made an alliance with them?"

"Must be someone posing as Volturi"

"Who would dare?"

"That's a death sentence!"

"I think I have a phone call to make." Carlisle said dryly, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned to go to his study when Alice gasped in shock, everyone turned to her, she sat still as a statue, a blank look on her face, one that remained there for a full 10 seconds.

She came out of the trance looking absolutely stunned. "They're not lying." she said.

Rosalie frowned at Alice, "I thought we found out you couldn't see the wolves, how do you know?"

Alice shook her head, "No, I mean they were really offered an alliance. When Carlisle calls Aro, Aro's going to confirm it."

Carlisle frowned, "What else did you see?"

"You were going to ask him who it was that offered the truce and who is in the area." Alice said, "and Aro was going to express disappointment over his... daughter's lack of manners, and say that he'd speak to her concerning proper courtesy."

Carlisle's brow furrowed. "Aro... doesn't have a daughter, at least none that he's ever…ahem…mentioned to anyone."

Edward nodded in agreement "When we visited there about 20 years after Carlisle converted me, I know he didn't have a daughter. Not once did he think about it."

Alice shrugged and frowned, "He was going to mention it, so I don't think he was making it up."

Edward scowled, "It must be Eliza. Maybe he converted her or something and considers her his daughter?"

Carlisle frowned and nodded slowly, "That would make sense I think."

Jasper spoke up quietly. "That would also explain how she knows so much about us. That's information Aro would certainly have."

"I think we should confront our little "Volturi princess" with this and get the full story. These games are getting irritating." Edward practically snarled.

Jasper nodded in agreement, "I think we should talk to her about it, but someone else. Not you."

Edward scowled at Jasper, "Why not me? I'm tired of her tying us in knots trying to figure her out."

"Because whatever you said to her today pissed her off big time. You'd be lucky to get the time of day from her if you talked to her." Jasper said.

Esme frowned at Edward, "What did you say to her today? she asked suspiciously.

Edward looked a little uncomfortable, looking down. "I tried to get her to talk to me, and I told her there was more going on in this area than she knew, and that there were more supernatural inhabitants in the area than she knew. She did not react well."

"Would it be so bad to assume, whomever they are, that they bear us no ill intent unless it's shown to be otherwise? To leave them alone?" Alice said softly. When no one acted as if she'd spoken, she knew her suggestion was being ignored, just as she had been all those years ago with Bella.

"Perhaps if she's not comfortable sharing with you or Jasper, a different approach is needed." Carlisle suggested tactfully.

"Who did you have in mind Carlisle?" Rosalie asked

"I was thinking perhaps Alice or Adara, might be better received, or at the very least differently?" Carlisle opinioned

Adara glanced at Jasper and then at Carlisle, "To be honest, I would prefer Alice do it. She might equate me with Jasper and I also might lose my temper… that wouldn't be a good thing."

Alice glanced around at her family members who seemed to be in agreement then shrugged. "I can give it a shot and we'll see what happens." She glanced at Jasper who nodded sympathetically, understanding her emotions.

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Eliza was in a fairly good mood on the way to her school the next morning. She and Leah had hung out most of the night. They had enjoyed getting to know one another. The two of them had stayed in and found themselves playing a long running game of monopoly with Henry, a game Leah had won. Then they decided to watch a movie. Eliza picked a comedy, and after that they'd just enjoyed one another's company. Leah ended up falling asleep on the couch, and had left that morning promising to see her after school.

Eliza checked in with her mother enough to know they had picked up a few scattered old scents, but they had also run into a roadblock which Isabella hadn't explained further. They'd also spent several hours on a wasted lead, but they were likely to trace the scents into the sewers if they were left with no alternatives. Eliza reminded her mother of her promise to get in touch if needed.

Eliza pulled into the parking lot at her school a little early and scowled when she noticed a girl's slender shape, with dark hair in spikes, styled short, waiting in the exact same spot Edward had occupied the day before. She pulled her motorcycle up and parked it, taking off her helmet, sighing visibly. "Do you guys draw straws to see whose turn it is to talk to me or do you just hope that one of you will get lucky?"

Alice frowned, appeared to think the matter over. "It was kind of voted my turn. Jasper hasn't found out much, and Edward apparently said something to piss you off, they thought I might give it a shot."

"He said something? No, well yes; he was just an ass in general. But when he grabbed me he crossed the line. And I further did not appreciate him trying to follow me home." Eliza shot at her as she swung one leg over her motorcycle then leaned against it.

Alice frowned, "He didn't mention that part. I apologize." Her eyes never left Eliza's face. Eliza didn't have Jasper's abilities, but even she was able to read the hurt in those eyes.

"It's not you who should be apologizing." Eliza shrugged her shoulders, struck by just how terribly sad Alice felt. Though aside from the hurt in her eyes, it was hard to say why, the feeling was just…pervasive.

"I know, but I'm apologizing on behalf of my family. I hope you won't judge us all by his actions." Alice said softly with a wan smile. Her eyes didn't leave Eliza's face, as if she were trying to figure out some puzzle.

Eliza frowned when she realized she seemed to being analyzed, it irritated her, a bit like the feeling of a rock in one's shoe and she said "Believe me, I don't judge you all for his actions. I judge you all for your own." more harshly than she'd intended as she regained control of her anger.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, her brow furrowed in confusion, as she stepped a bit closer "Judge us for what?"

Eliza shook her head, "Nothing."

Alice frowned, watching her speculatively, but she didn't inquire deeper when it was obvious she wasn't going to get any more information. "We have found out a bit more about you, through other means."

Eliza raised an eyebrow, surprised but thankful that Alice hadn't pressed the issue when her anger about her mother's treatment had gotten the better of her. "Oh? What have you discovered?"

Alice shrugged lithely, "We found out that you're a member of the Volturi, and that you have formed an alliance with the Quileutes."

Eliza raised her eyebrow further; surprised she'd discovered that much. "I will grant that you're right on both counts." She had expected to see triumph in the girls' eyes, but she was disappointed when she only frowned and nodded, her eyes never losing that sad, almost desolate, look.

"Are you Aro's daughter?" She asked suddenly.

Eliza blinked a moment and then she grinned, "No, but you're getting closer!" she said, waggling her finger

"Would you answer the other questions we have, if I asked?" Alice asked directly

Eliza shook her head a little bit. "No, like I told Jasper, they aren't my questions to answer."

Alice nodded, though she still didn't look away from Eliza's face.

"I know it's not fair; but do you mind if I ask you a question?" Eliza asked meeting her gaze intently.

Alice blinked, caught off guard then made a seemingly casual hand gesture. "Go ahead."

Eliza locked eyes with her and murmured quietly. "Why are you so sad, Alice Cullen?"

Whatever Alice had been expecting, that wasn't it and she seemed to struggle to frame her answer. "I'm n... what do y... why do you ask?"

"I've seen the look in your eyes. You might manage to hide it from your family. But you can't hide it from someone who knows what they're looking for, someone who's seen it before." Eliza said, looking straight into Alice's eyes.

Alice blinked and for one moment she seemed to drop her guard and all the defenses she usually maintained. Eliza could see the utter hopelessness, the despair and self loathing written plainly upon her face, "You remind me a lot of someone… A long time ago, I made a horrific mistake, did something I never should have agreed to do, sold what was left of my soul really and now I have to live with that forever."

Eliza blinked, not expecting such a heartfelt answer, perhaps not expecting an answer at all, "You lost someone you loved." She murmured softly

Alice shook her head slowly, and if it were possible the look on her face grew even more desolate. "No. It's worse than that… because I did this to myself. I abandoned her." Alice spun on her heels and headed for the school, gathering herself as she did, leaving a stunned Eliza standing there, her mouth open in shock.

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It took Eliza quite awhile to regain her equilibrium after that, she was distracted through her first classes. When Hailey greeted her in her first period class, she barely acknowledged her, save for a weak smile.

Eliza was no fool. It was obvious to her that Alice had been talking about her mother. Eliza had seen it in her mother's mind. She'd lived with her mother's anger and resentment towards the Cullens for years. But the idea that one of them may have been suffering because of it hadn't occurred to Eliza.

It didn't all add up in Eliza's head. The vision of Edward telling her mother she wasn't good enough, it was a memory seared into her mother's mind with a clarity that outstripped any other. If Alice was so hurt by what happened, why did she let it happen? It was something that didn't add up.

One thing Eliza had no doubts about was Alice's sincerity. Rarely had she heard the sort of pain Alice expressed in that moment of vulnerability. Eliza knew that Alice was in pain, but it was a different sort of pain than her mother's. Isabella had the pain of being rejected by the person she loved and by the family she may have loved more. She had the pain of what came after. Alice had a level of self-loathing that Eliza had never thought possible. Beyond that, to Eliza it felt like there was nothing else behind the self-loathing. Alice was just... dead inside.

Eliza was surprised to find herself torn. When Eliza found out that the Cullens were back in Forks as well, a part of her had delighted in the idea of twisting them; getting some small measure of revenge for the hurt they'd caused the only person Eliza ever loved.

Eliza had enjoyed causing them confusion and uncertainty; reminding them what it was like to be vulnerable. Eliza knew her mother was aware of her intentional interactions. With the link the two shared it was pretty much impossible to keep secrets or hide things for long. While her mother didn't necessarily approve of Eliza's actions, Eliza also knew that she didn't entirely disapprove of them

But all of the biting comments and snarkiness had abandoned Eliza in the face of Alice's pain. Despite her intentions otherwise, Eliza felt sympathy for the girl. That's what made Eliza feel torn. These were the people who hurt her mother. She hated them. There were only two people that Isabella hated more than the Cullens. Yet here Eliza was, feeling sympathy, perhaps even pity, for one of them.

These swirling, confusing emotions kept her off balance for part of the morning, but she focused on not dwelling on her immediate thoughts. Eliza started to center herself again and her focus improved as the morning progressed.

When lunch time arrived Eliza sat at her normal table. Everyone was discussing some big baseball game against a rival school that weekend. She tuned it out like normal, more and more the people at this table annoyed her. They weren't nice, and seemed to spend most of their time mocking and putting down other people.

Kevin was becoming more direct in his flirting, and he even looked over at Eliza with a confident grin saying, "If we didn't have that game against those losers from North Seattle Friday, I'd take you to the movies Friday night." Eliza rolled her eyes at his woefully misplaced cockiness, a reaction most people assumed was just her teasing. Jennifer in particular had stopped bothering to hide her scowls of displeasure when Kevin openly flirted with her.

Eliza glanced over several times at the Cullen table, her eyes searching out Alice's face. She found the girl's mask back in place, and she was either staring out the window or feigning amusement at something Emmett was telling Jasper. Eliza wondered how her entire family could be so blithely, utterly blind as to not see it. But Eliza realized that if she hadn't seen it before, hadn't been used to seeing it, she might have missed it too.

Those thoughts bothered her as she left the cafeteria and went to chemistry, ducking away from Jennifer and her acolytes before they could pin her down in a conversation. Jasper sat down in chemistry and looked at her oddly, as the teacher began to drone on.

He greeted her with a polite nod, "How are you today?"

She smiled and returned the nod, "I'm doing fine, how are you?

Jasper frowned thoughtfully, "Fair, I saw that you talked to Alice this morning." He said though his tone made it more of a question than a statement.

Eliza nodded again and after a few minutes of silence she couldn't help asking, "Is she okay?"

Jasper started to respond and then hesitated for several moments as he realized that the question was being asked on a lot deeper level than just her normal welfare. Finally he managed to come up with a response, "She's... managing. This is about the best I can say for her on any given day. Your conversation brought up some bad memories for her. Memories she works to hide at all times." He finally said.

The silence lingered between them for almost ten minutes.

"She's hurting pretty deeply." Eliza said suddenly, despite herself, her compassion overcoming her desire for revenge.

Jasper nodded almost imperceptibly. "I know. I help her as best I can. One thing about... being one of us. For good, or for ill, memories don't fade with time."

Eliza nodded a little bit, "Yes, and it seems fo-"

"I need your power NOW!" Isabella's voice shouted in her head, even as Eliza felt her mother begin to draw on her power. Eliza straightened in her seat with a gasp, her hands going to her head as she let go of some natural mental barriers; releasing her power to her mother through their connection without hesitation. Her mother almost never used that tone of voice.

"Are you feeling okay?" the teacher's voice penetrated the haze she was suddenly in.

"I'm... I've.. got a migraine I need to..." Eliza didn't even bother finishing her sentence as she stumbled out of her chair, out of the classroom and down the hall toward the nearest exit. She stumbled out the door into the outside air… into the rain. She barely made it around the corner of the building before she collapsed to her knees. She found herself next to the dumpsters, and she crawled the final few feet to hide between them. Thankfully she was obscured from anyone's' vision unless they walked right up to the dumpster to throw something away. She remained there on her knees, cradling her head in her hands as constant throbbing agony boiled through it.

Since she and her mother had realized they could use one another's abilities they had tested the limits of it. When they were together, the abilities flowed between them almost communally. However, giving their powers to each other over extended periods of time or extended distances was dangerous. It caused the person whose power was being drawn upon great pain and terrible weakness rendering them barely aware of their surroundings. In essence it made her incredibly vulnerable thus they only did it in emergencies.

Eliza didn't even notice what was going on around her because of the waves of pain in her head. She faintly heard the bell inside the school two or three minutes later, releasing people from their classes. She didn't know how much time had passed when she looked up through bleary eyes to see Jasper standing there holding her book bag.

"What's going on?" He asked, crouching down. He could feel the waves of pain radiating from her. Though he didn't come any closer when Eliza waved him back, he didn't just leave either. He was still standing there several minutes later when the pain of being drawn upon suddenly stopped. Eliza gasped out loud with the relief of it, though the mental haze was slower in receding as she stood up slowly on shaky legs and threw her head back to let the rain wash over her face.

She took a deep breath and turned to Jasper, who was still standing there, plainly concerned, " Thank you, I'm o-" she cut herself off with a yelp, as suddenly pain exploded in her left arm, her right shoulder and all along her left leg, and she collapsed under the sudden pain and the shock. The only thing that kept her from hitting the ground again was Jasper, who's stunned and confused as to what was happening.

Eliza saw Jaspers' mouth move to say something but her mother's voice in her head was far louder than Jasper's external one. Isabella's voice snapped in absolute authority. "Eliza, find a Cullen, I don't care which one. Tell them we need Carlisle. Immediately! I don't care what you have to do. Meet me at the house. We have two wounded and it's bad."

Eliza sent a thought to her Mother; it sounded strained, even in her own mind."What's your ETA?"

"Ten minutes, maybe 15, I'm a little hobbled. Get Carlisle NOW."

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Author's notes

1)Wheeee! ^_^ I'm relatively proud of this chapter and the next one. I hope you all enjoy it.

2) If it's not obvious, Alice/Bella is getting closer. Or rather I should say that the START of Bellice. I know i'm repeating myself but it won't happen fast. and we've got lots of story to go.

3) Ciffhanger!

4) DarkBella's Author's notes: When I read the initial chapters of the story, I was impressed by it's potential. On a whim I contacted Kathryn and asked her if she'd like me to beta, I felt like I might be able to help some. I guess it was serendipitous because we work together on a little more than just grammar in this story. I truly hope you have half as much fun reading it as we are making it.

5) "Little more" she says. She's works on so much more than she'll admit. Including partial chops and re-writes. She's amazing and fully half of why this is flowing so well!

Lastly! Please read and review. It helps us knowing that people are reading it. Specifics of things you like and don't like help us as we refine our writing.

But most of all we just like knowing that other people are taking the time to enjoy what we put so much of ourselves into.