Chapter 23

I've been livin' my life in a cage,

Freedom spits in my face

It was such a disgrace and I was lonely

And feeling empty, desperate.

The ride home from school was a quiet one. No one seemed to be willing to speak in either of the Cullen cars as they drove. The only person missing was Alice. Jasper told the others she'd texted him saying she needed to run and clear her mind. Rosalie had raised a puzzled eyebrow, but hadn't said anything and they'd all been too engrossed in evaluating the confrontation which had just occurred to discuss it afterwards.

Edward was torn between confusion and a blinding rage. His mind was whirling a mile a minute as he tried to process what just happened. He barely focused on driving, but had shrugged off both Jasper and Adara's attempts to let them drive instead. He'd nearly driven off the road twice. He pulled into the garage and was out the door almost before he shut the car off. Edward stormed into the house with the rest of the Cullens close behind.

Anticipating the day would be trying for her children, Esme was waiting expectantly in the living room. Seeing Edward's furious scowl, and how the rest of her children were watching him warily, she sighed. "I take it things didn't go well today?"

As if the question had been all the impetus he needed, he began to vent "I don't know what the hell is going on with her but my Bella was not acting like herself. I think the Volturi have done something to her! I think they've brainwashed her or something; that was so not her today." he cut himself off and his voice descended into a string of muttered curses

Esme had the entire day to compose herself after last night's stinging rebuke. While the hurt of Bella's offhand rejection hadn't faded, she was less visibly upset. She frowned as she looked around, "Where's Alice?"

"She's off feeding or maybe just clearing her head again." Edward snapped, "Who cares? What are we going to do about Bella? This is not acceptable!" His voice rose to a shout until he realized just how loud he was being and managed to regain marginal control of himself again then went back to muttering

Esme glanced around at the other members of her family. They had taken up places around the room. Jasper and Adara were standing with their arms crossed near the doorway. Rosalie had taken a seat on the couch, her posture rigid and upright. Emmett had taken a seat in the loveseat , he was relaxed but he had a frown on his face.

"What happened?" Esme's voice was worried, but full of curiosity, addressing the others since it was obvious Edward's string of expletives would continue for a few moments

"Which part?" inquired Rosalie sarcastically, "The part where she ignored Edward at the beginning of the day? The part where she was pretentious and snippy with me? The part where she kicked the crap out of a kid at school? Or the part where she and Edward 'chatted' after school and she expressed her feelings for this family. None of which were pleasant I might add." The look of hurt crossed Esme's face again, but she showed no surprise.

Rosalie had barely finished talking when Edward spoke up again, "She blew me off and threatened me… twice today!" His tone still reflected his amazement and utter rage at the idea of his Bella threatening him. It angered him that the woman had no idea of her place. "It's like she blames me for everything. Blames me for her ending up one of us despite me trying to prevent it."

"She did seem like she was exceptionally upset with the rest of the family, nearly as much as she was with you, Edward. It seems she blames you all." Adara's voice was calm and reflective. She spent her time looking back and forth between Edward, who was pacing and gesturing wildly, and her mate who had a troubled look on his face.

Edward straightened his shoulders, "We need to do something! Figure out what they've done to her and snap her out of it." His eyes narrowed in speculation, "Maybe it's that… Eliza. Maybe she's got some sort of hold over Bella, or maybe some sort of relationship that Chelsea set up for the Volturi." His tone got more exasperated the wilder his theories got.

It was Jasper who scoffed mildly, "I'm pretty sure that's not it. I felt the anger when she was talking to you. You're lucky you didn't end up like the helmet she crushed. It could just as easily have been your head. She's genuinely angry at us."

Edward snarled his response at Jasper, "It's got to be something they've done to her and we can't just sit here and do nothing. Just because you're upset that Eliza said you weren't a 'southern gentleman' doesn't mean we shouldn't figure out what's wrong with Bella. God you can be so selfish!"

Adara growled at Edward, defending her mate as Jasper stood there looking stunned before his stunned expression turned to one of anger, "Stay out of my head Edward!"

"God, she's doing it again!" Rosalie growled out, half shouting. Everyone turned to look at her, "She shows up and in one fucking day and it's started all over! Esme is worried about her like a long lost child. Alice is spending all of her time off in her own little world. Edward is mooning and obsessing over Bella. He and Jasper are snapping at each other. We're all bickering and at each other's throats! It took us years to get past it last time. Now we're right back here and it's all her fault."

"Shut. Up."

Complete silence fell over the room, as every single head turned toward the direction of the words. Emmett Cullen slowly stood up scowling at everyone in the room.

Everyone was stunned, but none looked more shocked than Rosalie who's bewilderment was total. She opened her mouth to say something "W-"

"No. I said shut up." Emmett said, his voice a command cutting her off. Rosalie lapsed back into silence looking even more astounded. He looked at every member of the family before glaring down at Rosalie. "You're pissed because you snapped at Bella and for once she gave as good as she got… hell she gave better than she got, and that's what's got you all bent out of shape. Get the fuck over it."

Rosalie's expression became even more flabbergasted, Emmett had never talked to her like that before. But before she could muster a reply, he was turning and pointing a finger at Edward with a bigger scowl on his face.

"And YOU." Emmett's voice was actually trembling with rage. "You're pissed off because she didn't see you and fall into your arms and tell you it was all okay. You left her. You made all of us leave her and mistake or not, we went with you because you're family. But you have the gall to be surprised when she isn't thrilled with your attention after you abandoned her? I don't need to read minds to know she just said what all of us have thought more than once since then. She grew a fucking backbone and isn't letting you run her life anymore. You need to wake the hell up and realize she's not going to just take you back with a smile." Emmett looked around, still scowling. "Or any of the rest of us for that matter."

He turned and without another word stormed out of the living room and upstairs to the bedroom he shared with Rosalie. They all heard the door shut with a thud and there was utter silence in the living room. No one had expected playful, easygoing Emmett to go off like that, it was a side of him, they'd never seen before.

Rosalie looked around at everyone as the silence stretched out longer than a minute. Finally she stood up and dashed up the stairs. She didn't bother knocking and opened the door to their room, slamming it behind her. Emmett met her scowling face with his own, he wasn't ready to back down as she stalked toward him.

When she got within arm's reach, Emmett started to bring his hands up defensively, when she threw herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck and devouring his lips with hers.

Emmett was surprised, having expected an entirely different reaction but he wasn't one to swim upstream when the current was flowing his way.

Rosalie's lips broke from his and she groaned, even as her hands began to tear at his clothes, "That was SO fucking hot." She had never seen him take control or act like that before and it absolutely drove her wild, her excitement and arousal just increasing as she felt his hands begin to tear at her clothes in return.

They didn't emerge from their bedroom for several hours.

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An hour later Eliza was on the couch with Leah, flicking through the channels in an irritated way, still muttering to herself. Isabella had left to get some fresh air in a run through the forest. Rachel was upstairs with Paul, who'd drifted off again. Henry was in the basement doing whatever he did with the computer. For all Eliza knew Henry spent his time looking at German midget porn bikers, dressed in diapers, chasing nurses who were painted to look like smurfs. Either way the two of them had a modicum of privacy.

"She won fair and square you know." Leah watched Eliza mutter and fume and couldn't help but smile. Leah was normally a very serious person. She'd spent most of her life scowling and angry. She took a moment to marvel at how different she was around Eliza. Eliza had this general sense of fun and irreverence that put Leah at ease and seemed to draw her in effortlessly. Leah was inwardly amazed at the amount of time she spent smiling around Eliza..

Eliza pouted slightly, playfully irritated that her friend found the predicament amusing, "No she totally got lucky."

"She beat you by 180 points. She absolutely crushed me." Leah said, doing her best to keep her tone commiserating and understanding.

"Yeah but it was all because of one word, 200 points because she spelled 'zephyrs' and got two triple letter, and a triple word score! It's a word like… no one in the world knows! I speak six languages and I've never heard of the word 'zephyr' before!" Eliza said, her thumb stabbing at the remote as if it had personally offended her. Leah secretly wondered if the remote control, which she felt was an innocent bystander in all this, would survive such treatment.

"She got out the dictionary and proved it." Leah pointed out, an amused smile on her face as she listened to Eliza continue to grumble.

"Stupid dictionary. Henry probably planted that word in there on purpose." Eliza muttered. She realized she sounded ridiculous but she really didn't care at the moment. She finally gave up on finding something to watch and tossed the remote to Leah, who caught it; inwardly relieved at the suffering electronics survival. Eliza then turned and laid out on the couch with a sigh, resting her head on Leah's thigh and looking up at the ceiling.

Leah looked down at Eliza and couldn't help reaching down to run her fingers through Eliza's hair. Leah watched Eliza's expression curiously. It was obvious that the girl wanted to talk, but equally as obvious that the girl would do it only in her own time.

Eliza closed her eyes, just taking a few moments to enjoy the sensation of Leah's fingers through her hair. Eliza wasn't used to such casual touching. She and her mother would occasionally clasp hands or support one another with a hug. This sort of physicality was different and Eliza found herself very much enjoying it. She murmured quietly, "You're so warm."

Leah's hand flinched back and she quickly murmured an apology. "I'm sorry; it's the whole werew- wolf shifter part of me." She said hastily correcting herself. Eliza had reminded her several times in the past few days and it was still taking time to adjust to calling herself something other than a werewolf. The habits of a century were hard to break. "We're about ten degrees warmer than your average human." Leah said almost in an apology.

Eliza shook her head slightly, and then reached up and grabbed Leah's hand, bringing it back down to her hair. "Don't be silly, I don't think I'd be using your leg as a pillow if I didn't like it." The touch was curiously intimate and relaxing and Eliza found herself loathe to let it stop.

Leah blushed and smiled shyly, but returned to running her fingers through Eliza's hair slowly. "It sounded like you had an eventful day at school today." Eliza closed her eyes again and nodded slightly, but didn't respond so Leah continued. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Eliza sighed though she didn't open her eyes. "It's... being here. I'm worried about Mom." Leah tilted her head, her fingers threading through Eliza's dark hair.

"I'm the reason we came here; or in my mom's case back here. She went through a really rough time, and I was hoping being here would help her. I just… didn't expect her to have to confront so many issues from her past all at once." Eliza said.

Leah nodded thoughtfully, watching Eliza's expression as she spoke. "But I didn't expect the Cullen family to be here. I hoped she would be able to deal with just being here. I wanted her to get a handle on just being in a place with so many memories. I was praying she would come to terms with some of what has happened before she had to deal with all the issues she has with the family she blames the most."

Leah nodded slowly, brushing her fingers over Eliza's forehead. "She has a lot of issues it seems."

Eliza nodded, her eyes moving beneath her eyelids as Leah's fingers brushed her face. "Yeah, she's been so closed down for so long; being here seems to be helping, at least a little bit. She's at least smiling and laughing sometimes. She's nowhere close to working through her anger with the Cullens though." Eliza sighed and murmured quietly. "I just hope she can do it without losing it."

Leah frowned and then murmured quietly, "The relationship she was in with that… leech was not a healthy one. I got to see what she looked like when she was found in the forest after he left her. She had invested so much of her emotion and spirit in that family. She loved all of them, not just him, and when they left, it was like they ripped the emotional skeleton out of her. I remember her when she was here and she was human. She carried so much hate around with her. It was hard to tell who she hated more, them or herself. Trust me. I knew the signs."

Eliza's eyes opened up wide in surprise. She looked up at Leah trying to evaluate both her tone and her words. "I... didn't know you were… that… experienced."

Leah grinned, "Are you telling me I look good for my age?"

Eliza laughed and shook her head, "I'm hardly someone who's going to throw rocks about age am I?"

Leah nodded slightly, and then sighed "I didn't interact with her much. I... wasn't very nice to her."

Eliza looked up at Leah curiously, eyes searching her face. "Why not?"

Leah looked uncomfortable, her eyes looking away in embarrassment. "I wasn't very nice to anyone. I was very angry all the time. I was very resentful about the whole wolf transformation, even before I first shifted." Eliza tilted her head curiously, though she didn't lift it from Leah's lap, letting her talk.

Leah sighed, "My boyfriend, Sam was the first in his generation to transform into a wolf. It was hard on him and harder on us, but we worked through it. I was in love with him. We were high school sweethearts. Then he imprinted on my best friend and cousin."

Eliza sat up with an expression of surprise, turning to look at Leah. "That was you?" Seeing Leah's small nod, Eliza continued. "Mom told me about that when she was explaining the whole imprint thing, before... you know... we met."

Leah nodded, not meeting Eliza's eyes. "I was so mad about it, I didn't understand what imprinting meant. Then... the transformation happened. It caught everyone off guard, because I was the first female that had ever shifted. When we're shifted into our wolf forms we share a pack mind. I could see in Sam's mind what he felt in his imprint. But I resented the hell out of it."

Leah clenched her hands into fists and looked down. "I thought it meant there was something wrong with me. I wasn't fit to be imprinted on. I became pretty miserable to be around. My thoughts were always antagonistic to everyone in the pack. Everyone but Jake and my brother Seth actively avoided me. Sam stopped shifting after a few years because Emily didn't shift, so they grew older together. Jake took over as alpha in the pack. He kind of let me do my own thing. He was always understanding about my need to be alone. I thought for so long me not imprinting, and not being able to control myself enough not to change, meant there was something actually wrong with me. I thought it meant I was a dead end, no relationship, no future, no aging. I recognized the signs of self-hatred in Bella because I'd seen them in myself."

Eliza slid forward on the couch to wrap Leah up in a hug. Leah wrapped her arms around Eliza's waist and buried her face in Eliza's neck, not crying, just breathing deeply. Leah murmured quietly. "You know, I used to detest the way vampires smell. It was always easy to track them when they came through our territory because of their stench. But... you smell good." Realizing what she said, Leah immediately leaned back to look Eliza in the face, "I'm sorry, that wasn't weird was it?"

Eliza ducked her head slightly, and if she could have blushed she would have. "No, as long as you don't think it's weird for me to say you feel and smell different. Like... I can hug you or get close to you without fighting the urge to bite you like I would a normal human. It's... nice." She looked up at Leah's face and nervously slid a lock of hair back behind her ear.

Leah looked searchingly at Eliza's face her head moving infinitesimally closer. "I don't think it's weird at all. It makes me feel good."

Eliza allowed herself to move a little closer to Leah's, and a shy expression crossed her face as their faces got closer when suddenly Eliza straightened up with a gasp of shock as her mother's voice rocketed through her mind. "Holy shit!"

"Mother, are you alright?" Eliza voice rang back to Isabella concerned. Leah scrambled backward, looking humiliated. She would have leaped right off the couch, but Eliza grabbed her arm to stop her, though her eyes stayed unfocused as she reached for her mother.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, just caught momentarily off guard." Isabella's mental voice sounded disgusted

"What happened?" Eliza asked, partially focusing back on Leah whose embarrassment remained though a frown of confusion crossed her face.

"I was distracted and a Cullen stumbled over me. I'm fine. Don't worry. Go back to what you were doing." Isabella's voice was still disgusted but it was obvious it was with herself.

Eliza looked away in embarrassment at her Mother's comment, even if her mother couldn't see what she was actually doing without Eliza knowing her mother was using their connection. She looked up at Leah apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mom startled me I didn't mean…"

Leah looked somewhat relieved, settling back down on the couch, though she still looked at Eliza awkwardly. "I… thought… I freaked you out for a minute there."

Eliza blinked and shook her head, "No you didn't." Eliza shifted a bit, pulling Leah back in close. Rather than try to pick up the mood after such an interruption, Eliza pulled her knees up close to her chest and curled up, settling in close to Leah's side, resting her head on Leah's shoulder and turned to flick the TV channel to a comedy.

Leah dropped her arm around Eliza's shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, but was content to hold her, well aware of her promise to go slow, and the mood had been broken.

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Isabella was enjoying the cool nights breeze. She was leaning against a tree at the edge of a small clearing, and looking out at the night sky. It was rare in this area when the night wasn't stormy or cloudy. She was able to look out and see the stars in the night sky, and she was letting her mind wander as she contemplated the view.

Isabella had enjoyed the game with her daughter and Leah. Isabella was always amazed at her daughter's zest for life, given the fact Eliza's upbringing was, quite literally, torture. Isabella was pleased her daughter seemed to be settling in with an actual friend. Eliza liked people, which was rare in their world. Most vampires were very insular, living in covens or two or three and living a nomadic lifestyle.

The Volturi were exceptionally rare in that regard, given how many vampires were considered part of it. There were only nine true coven member s however, many other vampires were there because they felt they needed to be. One of the lesser known vampires in the coven, Chelsea, had the ability to make or break emotional connections, and kept the entire coven bound together by a deep sense of loyalty. Still, most vampires within the Volturi paired off, usually with their mates. Friendships with other vampires were very rare indeed, because if something happened, you might be asked to put your "friend" to death; or worse still, be considered part of the issue.

Eliza had never complained to Isabella about it. Isabella had only occasionally worried about it. They had each other and that seemed to satisfy Eliza. Being back here, seeing Jacob and the rest of the pack had reminded Isabella what it had felt like to have other friends. Even given the complications arising from Leah imprinting on her daughter, Isabella was pleased by their burgeoning friendship. Isabella wanted her daughter to have other people in her life. If something happened to her, and Isabella was honest enough with herself that she believed it was very likely to happen. She wanted her daughter to have someone to lean on. A reason to continue living, Isabella knew from experience what it felt like not to have.

Isabella sighed. She was proud of her daughter for her actions during the day. Isabella knew Eliza was equally as proud of her for not giving in to her urges to literally rip Edward's head from his shoulders. He had come close to death three times in the span of a few hours and he hadn't even realized it.

"Isabella?" a soft voice disturbed her inner monologue and she spun instantly on the defensive.

"Holy shit!" She said crouching, hands extended protectively. She straightened slowly after she realized she was face to face with Alice Cullen, who looked startled but not shocked to find Isabella out here

"Mother, are you all right?" Eliza's concerned voice came to her.

Isabella cursed herself, realizing she must have transmitted her comment to her daughter in her surprise. She was even more irritated with herself for someone sneaking up on her, that hadn't happened to her in over half a century. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry. Just caught momentarily off guard."

"What happened?" Her daughter's voice asked, relieved but still concerned.

"I was distracted and a Cullen stumbled over me. I'm fine. Don't worry. Go back to what you were doing." Isabella replied. She felt a flash of embarrassment from her daughter and couldn't help raising an eyebrow in curiosity, but filed it away for future reference as she viewed an uncertain looking Alice Cullen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Alice was saying apologetically.

Isabella crossed her arms and rested her hip against the tree she had been leaning on. She appraised Alice thoughtfully and somewhat warily. "I wasn't paying attention and didn't sense you close by. What brings you out here?"

Alice frowned and looked down, "I was finished hunting and wasn't ready to head back, and I caught your scent..." she trailed off hesitantly. Her statement wasn't entirely honest. In reality Alice had left school after the art class earlier that day for a chance to clear her head. Alice had not expected the utterly indifferent response Bella had to her presence.

Alice had spent nearly the past century either thinking about Isabella or trying not to think about her. She had experienced so many emotions when she'd seen her earlier that day. It had been everything she could do not to tackle and hug Isabella when she saw her in the cafeteria for the first time. When she had gotten to art class, any number of greetings had flown right out of her head.

She had prepared herself for Isabella to be angry at her. Alice had been prepared for Isabella to show her how much she had been hurt. She had prepared to be despised, and even had braced herself to be hated. She had prepared for any number of responses. The one response she hadn't prepared for was apathy. Isabella had talked liked they'd been the most casual of acquaintances and merely hadn't happened to run into each other lately.

Like casual acquaintances would, Isabella had politely asked about a new member of the family. Expressed a little sympathy at the news of a divorce and the conversation had died. She hadn't been able to stand the rest of school.

Alice had run off, trying to get a handle on the emotions. She'd spent the intervening time alternating between weeping and calming her emotions. She had been headed back home when she'd caught Isabella's scent, and she couldn't resist.

Isabella frowned a moment, and then shrugged. She turned away to face the clearing and the stars again, an action which was more difficult than she'd expected. For some reason she found it hard to look away from Alice. Isabella made a point to look out at the stars, but was very aware of Alice's continued presence as the silence stretched between them.

"D... do you mind some company?" Alice asked faintly, after several minutes had elapsed, her voice very quiet and timid.

Isabella hesitated for several long seconds before she shrugged very slightly, unwilling to speak. Her normally expressionless face reflected confusion, and she was relieved to be turned away from Alice so Alice couldn't see her expression. Isabella wondered why she felt conflicted enough to do something beside telling off Alice. Why was she different than the other Cullens?

Alice didn't question the shrug, taking it as the only positive response she would get. After hesitating, uncertain on what to do, Alice slowly stepped forward and then sat down. She didn't say anything immediately, she just sat and looked up at the stars.

Isabella's attention was split between the night sky and sidelong glances at Alice. She couldn't help but note once again that Alice seemed so sad. Alice seemed to lose herself in her thoughts. Her hands slid up and down the front of her legs in a nervous gesture. The silence persisted until Isabella heard Alice's voice, barely a whisper even to her vampire senses. "I'm sorry."

Isabella turned her head to fully regard Alice, her eyes narrowing, but keeping her expression rigid.

When Isabella didn't say anything, Alice shifted, tilting her head back and looking up to meet Isabella's narrowed eyes, she repeated louder. "I'm so sorry."

Isabella raised an eyebrow, keeping her emotions very tightly in check "For what?"

It was as if the floodgates had opened for Alice and her words poured out. "I'm so, so sorry I left you. I know you can't forgive me. I'm not asking you to. I'm sorry I let Edward make us all move. I'm not blaming him, it's all my fault. I should have told him to fuck off. I abandoned you here. I've regretted it ever since and I always will. This is small comfort to you, but you'll never hate me as much as I hate myself. I even thought you were dead, that it was my fault. I never even looked you up because I hoped against hope you had lived happily ever after, against all odds but I was afraid. Afraid of what I thought the truth might be. I never thought I'd ever get to see you again. I'm so so sorry. I know you hate me and I know you won't forgive us but I didn't want something to happen and you not to know it was the biggest stupidest mistake of my life. I'm so very sorry."

She would have babbled on more but Isabella cut her off. Her voice was very cold and controlled. "If you're so sorry, why did you leave? Why didn't you even say goodbye?"

Alice looked down, taking a breath. "I knew if... I went to say good bye I wouldn't have been able to leave. I thought... it was just temporary. I thought you were his mate and that he wouldn't be able to leave you for long. But I was so wrong and I'm so sorry."

Isabella's fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, she wanted nothing more than to lash out, but Alice's voice and expression was full of nothing but hurt and desperation. "Why didn't you come back?"

Alice was silent for a long minute before she replied, her voice a whisper. "He threatened to kill you if we tried."

Isabella frowned, puzzled. "Who did?"

Alice looked down at her feet, her arms wrapping around her knees as she squeezed them to her chest. "Edward."

Isabella's jaw clenching tightly was the only thing which betrayed her emotions. For just a moment rage nearly overwhelmed her. She was glad Alice was looking down at the time otherwise she would have seen that her eyes were pure black. Her voice remained deceptively calm. "Why?"

Despite the absolutely flat tone of Isabella's voice, Alice flinched slightly, not looking up. "Because he thought maybe Esme, or I might have come back to Forks for you. He knew how much we cared for you."

"Why would he threaten to kill me?" Isabella's voice rose just slightly in intensity. She ignored the mention of Alice or Esme returning for her. She was only willing to tackle one thing at a time, and she focused on the thought of Edward being willing to kill her.

"Because he knew it would keep us away. He said you had a choice, something none of the rest of us did. He said he'd rather have you dead than have you give up your soul; and that's what would happen if we went back. So he told us quite plainly that he would kill you before he allowed it to happen. He meant every word." Alice's voice dropped off as she rested her chin on her knees. "I wanted to come back… so badly. But I didn't want him to kill you."

Isabella's fists tightened, her fury rising. She knew Edward had no qualms about doing what it took to get his way. It had been clear during their entire relationship, if she hadn't too weak to see it, a portion of her always blamed herself for that. He dictated things and she'd let him. He made the decisions and she went along with them. Isabella knew Edward wanted to dictate the terms of their relationship, but this was more than that. To threaten to kill her? If there was ever more proof he had no concept of love then this was it.

Isabella clenched her jaw and turned her head to look away as she asked through gritted teeth. "Answer me honestly. Did you agree with his reasoning for leaving?"

Alice flinched and hesitated but she nodded slowly. "I understood his concern you could be hurt, and were missing out on life... but I didn't agree with his refusal to turn you."

Isabella turned her head back to face Alice, her eyes narrowed and once again black with anger. "And the part about me not being good enough?"

Alice blinked at Isabella, confusion crossing her face. "What do you mean?" She asked, incomprehension on her face. Her eyes were drawn to Isabella's and a puzzled expression crossed her face. Isabella's eyes were completely black. Not just the irises but the entire eye. It was like there was nothing there where the eyes should be. For Alice, it felt like she was staring into a deep abyss.

Isabella stepped forward, towering over Alice as she looked down, her voice starting to shake with rage."I mean the part where Edward told me I wasn't good enough for him. I wasn't good for your family."

Alice's eyes went wide with shock, too stunned to react for several seconds before she leaped to her feet. "He said what?" She snarled. The mystery that was Isabella's eyes was forgotten at the sudden wave of rage that passed through her.

Isabella blinked slightly in surprise, stepping back slightly as an enraged Alice seemed to vibrate when she jumped up. Before Isabella could reply, "He said what?!" Alice repeated, this time hissing.

Isabella frowned slowly, "He said I wasn't good for him, or your fami-" Her repetition was cut off as Alice uttered an inarticulate cry of rage and turned, slamming her fist into a nearby tree, splinters flying everywhere. Alice didn't pause as she pulled back her fist and slammed the other one into the tree.

Alice stood there, her fist imbedded completely into the tree trunk. Her shoulders shaking in anger, she exhaled in a long hiss. When she pulled her fist from the tree she slowly turned to look at Isabella. Her voice still furious. "He said he told you he wanted you to live your life. He said you were upset at us for leaving and told him you never wanted to see him or us again."

Isabella blinked in surprise, then her eyes narrowed. "I begged him to stay. Offered him anything. I didn't want you to leave."

Alice looked up, her expression one of horror. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I never thought Edward would… would do that. And to leave his mate, I swear I thought he would go back. and he was miserable for months, I kept seeing him go back, but then he'd change his mind."

Isabella turned away from Alice, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was never his mate."

Alice nodded , "I know you two never actually…"

Isabella quickly shook her head, "No, that's not what I mean. I mean I was never his true mate. I was merely his 'La tua cantante', his singer."

Alice frowned in confusion, "I'm… not sure what that means."

Isabella sighed , "It's Italian. Aro explained it to me. Every vampire runs across a human from time to time who's blood is nearly irresistible to them; far more than to any other vampire. That's what I was to Edward. His willpower in leaving me alive was about the only thing I can say was impressive about him. He never loved me. He loved the idea of me. He craved my scent and desperately wanted my blood."

Isabella smiled a humorless smile, and turned her head to regard Alice out of the corner of her eyes. "Actually, you were a singer at one point too." Alice's expression was one of complete confusion so Isabella continued. "You remember when James confessed to me my blood smelled good. Not as good as yours though?"

Alice nodded slowly, remembering the filmed confession of the vampire who'd hunted Bella all those years ago.

"Well your blood sang to him. It's why he was so upset when the other vampire turned you. Because he didn't get a chance to taste your blood. It ruined the hunt for him. According to Aro when someone's blood sings to a vampire, there's nothing like the taste of it. It's like all the best drugs in the world rolled into one and multiplied by about a thousand. It's almost unheard of for a singer to survive." Isabella shrugged as she finished her explanation.

"I suspect it's the real reason that Edward wouldn't turn me. Somewhere deep inside, maybe not even consciously, he knew I wasn't his mate. Everything that attracted him to me in the first place was in my blood and scent. If I had been turned into a vampire it would be gone. But if he had killed me, then it would have upset everyone in his family and Edward could *never* lose that 'golden boy' persona with his family." Isabella's voice was full of mocking and sarcasm.

Alice nodded slowly, "That makes sense I guess."

Isabella shrugged again, and after a few moments pause she decided the conversation had been concluded, she began to walk away.

"Wait! Please wait!" Alice's forlorn cry stopped her in her tracks.

Alice frowned, her shoulders slumping. She twisted her fingers together in front of herself nervously. There was something so final about Isabella walking away from this conversation. She couldn't let her go without at least trying to reach out. "Please… I'm so sorry. I know I have no right to ask. But… can you ever forgive me? Can… we be friends again?"

Isabella stiffened slowly, her hands dropped to her sides and her fingers clenched and unclenched again slowly, anger coursing through her. But this time she let herself feel it, though refusing to act on it. She just stood there as several minutes ticked by, before Isabella finally answered without turning around to look at her. "You… want to be friends. After everything you, all of you, put me through. All the hurt, the pain. You cast me aside like I was a stray pet who no longer was welcome. You think I should just shrug and let bygones be bygones?"

Alice hung her head, her voice dropping to a despondent whisper, "Please… I'm so sorry. I will say it as many times as you need me to. I will do anything you ask. I can't… let you go again. Part of me died the first time I lost you. I think the rest of me will if I lose you again. Maybe I deserve it."

Isabella was once again caught off guard by the sheer hopelessness of Alice's voice."I… don't know. You abandoned me. A lot of stuff has happened. I don't think we can ever go back to the way things were. I'm… not the same person I was."

Isabella saw Alice move in a blurring at vampiric speed around in front of her. Alice looked up at her with a despairing expression, shaking her head. "I am not asking to go back to the way things were. I'm not asking to be friends with Bella Swan. I'm asking for a chance to be friends with Isabella Volturi. Please, I will do anything." Alice pleaded her desperation so earnest there was no shame in it, not unlike someone about to drown grasping at a life preserver.

Isabella looked into Alice's eyes. She read the desperation, the sorrow Alice had borne so long. Isabella considered her response and then nodded slowly, "I'm willing to try. But... don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not who I was. I'm not a sweet naïve foolish little girl anymore."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The sheer relief in the smile on Alice's face, showed Isabella how much this truly meant to her. It was the first truly genuine smile Isabella had seen, and seeing it on Alice's face unexpectedly thrilled her.

Isabella held up her hand to quell Alice's enthusiasm slightly. "This offer is only for you. I'm not interested in the rest of your family suddenly believing things are forgiven, especially Edward whom I'd just as soon see burn in hell. I've got my own family now."

This dampened Alice's enthusiasm, but she nodded in agreement. "Edward will be lucky if I don't rip his arms off when I see him again." Alice looked around and then leaned back against the same tree where Isabella had been minutes earlier before she was disturbed. Alice sank down to the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest and looked up at the sky, a content smile on her face. It looked like the first time she'd truly smiled in a very long time.

Isabella smiled very slightly and leaned her shoulder against the tree. No further words were spoken, each woman respecting the other's privacy as they looked out into the starry night.

It was several hours later when they parted. Clouds slowly drifted over the sky, obscuring the stars. When they couldn't make them out any further, Alice stood and Isabella straightened as if in mutual agreement. They didn't speak, Alice waving timidly, which was so not her. Isabella merely nodded.

When Isabella returned home, Leah was curled up with her head on the arm of the couch and her legs over Eliza's lap, while Eliza sat next to her and flicked through channels on the TV.

Eliza frowned curiously at the expression on her mother's face. It was oddly, relaxed for her. Eliza chose not to say anything, rather than make her mom aware of it. Instead she merely gave her mother a wave of welcome home. Her mother waved back before descending the stairs into the Batcave to touch base with Henry.

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Author's notes-

1) YAY Chapter! It's longer than most of mine. Because of a late addition :P

3) The first part of this chapter is in here because of a comment submitted by a reviewer djsmith10186. They asked about the Cullens reactions to Edward and Bella's confrontation. I realized that it was something i needed to write and something that was important! So thank you for the comments! I do read them.

4) I absolutely read and respond to my reviews. I've gotten several comments about not enough Bellice or that it's going too slow. I have a Bellice storyline wrapped inside a much larger story. It's not Bellice with some story slapped on to make it reasonable.

8) Please read and review! I very much appreciate them! I read them, and if you have PM's enabled then i respond! Even with just a short thank you for reading our writing!