The Smile

Bella

Any nervous tic that Bella might have had as a human was burnt away the day she changed.

Now, as an immortal, stillness was the only outward expression of her worry. They were well into the night. And ever since Edward had disclosed Aro's intention to Bella, she had been on edge.

Aro had called in the Cullens, one at a time, on the pretext of showing them something they might find interesting around the castle. Each of the time, Aro had been accompanied by the faithful, curly haired brunette and a shorter cloaked figure. Jane and Alec had stayed close, their presence a customary precaution for Aro.

But unlike Carlisle, who had spent a good part of the last day in Aro's company, these visits were rather short. Almost tentative.

First Alice, then Edward, then Renesmee. The last one had Bella growling through her teeth and a sharp pressure from Edward's grip had been the only thing that stopped her from launching herself at the guard who came to summon her daughter. Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were invited one by one too. Aro went ahead and met with Esme as well, gifting her a beautiful, diamond, ruby and emerald studded tiara.

"The Queen of my friend's coven should have a crown worthy of her station," Aro had said in his silky voice with a kiss to her knuckle as he let go of her hand.

Bella had heard Edward grit his teeth as he listened to the memories Aro watched from Esme's mind.

This time it was Carlisle who had put a warning hand up, placing his palm on his son's chest when Edward tried to lurch towards the door that would have led him to Esme.

Now as her family once again found themselves waiting for Aro's invitation back into the room, Bella looked at each one of them. Carlisle held Esme's hand as she whispered soft words of encouragement to him. His face looked like he was in physical discomfort, something impossible for their species.

She looked at Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, even Renesmee.

"Aro doesn't intend to hurt us," she heard Alice whisper to Jasper, the two nodding at each other.

"The cloak just might suit you," Rosalie smiled in Emmett's ears before she nipped at it and giggled as Emmett mocked about biting her back.

Renesmee placed a hand on her cheeks and Bella immediately pulled her daughter's hand away when the vision showed her the Cullens, all dressed in the Volturi black cloak, living in Italy. An unspoken question etched beyond the images…It doesn't seem that bad, does it?

She pulled Renesmee closer to herself, engulfing her in a tight embrace.

Bella could see Edward's eyes waver between Carlisle and her, his lips pressed thin.

"Maybe we could think about it?" Esme's soft, tentative question at Carlisle was Bella's undoing.

Those six words were what made her realize the true strength of Chelsea's power.

In the few moments that Aro had spent with each of her family, his polite request at reading their mind rendering Bella unable to use her powers, had been enough. Chelsea had put them all under her sway.

Alice? Jasper? Emmett and Rosalie? Her daughter? Even Esme?

They were all considering it! They were giving the option of joining the Volturi an honest thought! Some of them were even convinced it was the best thing to do! Even Edward, despite knowing everything that he knew, seemed torn. His loyalty to Carlisle and his love for her being the only thing holding him back. Esme's near-certain demise was overridden!

And when she looked at Carlisle's defeated face but determined eyes, she realized the true extent of his power, his legendary self-control. The man who had been assaulted by not one, but two vampire's gifts for longer than anyone else present there…he was still resolute. He was exhausted. Probably dealing with the worst case of withdrawal symptoms he ever had. Listening to his family talk about joining Aro's forces. He was in anguish, both physical and mental and yet, he was not deterring from the path of doing what was best for his family.

With anger unlike she had ever felt before, Bella pushed out her shield. The force of the expansion created a physical effect on those it touched and expanded beyond. Alice stumbled, Emmett straightened out, Rosalie and Jasper growled, Edward gasped and Renesmee whimpered against her chest. Bella could almost feel the effect of Chelsea's powers peeling off when the shield crossed each of her family.

The sharp, crunching sound made her look towards the matriarch of the house. The box of tiara that Esme had held in her hand crunched under her powerful fingers and Bella heard the sound of diamonds shattering.

Across the room, Carlisle looked up and gave her a smile so grateful, she would have blushed if she still could. He reached out with a gentle hand and wrapped his fingers around Esme's.

"Let go, love," he whispered to her as he slowly pried each of her fingers from around the box. Wood, velvet and diamonds, all clattered to the floor as Esme interlaced her now free fingers with her husband' almost sob left her lips that Carlisle silenced with a soft kiss. "It's okay, love. I am right here.

Bella looked away.

"Carlisle…" It was Rosalie, her voice filled with so much guilt as she looked at her father. "I…"

Carlisle waved off whatever she was going to say.

Instead, Bella found his eyes on her. "Thank you," he said, gesturing in their general direction and Bella gave a small, impish nod before huddling closer to Edward and her daughter.

Anger turned into the dominant emotion in the room as her family realized what they had almost fallen for. Bella however, turned to Edward again.

"If Aro is so determined to…you know…" Bella gestured towards Esme. "Why can't Alice see it?"

Edward looked towards his father before he answered. "Because Carlisle would never have said yes to joining Aro."

Bella expected confusion among the rest of her family. But her eyes widened when she saw the same questioning look on Carlisle's face. She spun towards Edward who gave her a smile through thin-pressed lips.

He hadn't told Carlisle.

"Aro will ask Carlisle to join," Alice started updating them the moment she heard the all too familiar footsteps start their journey towards them. "Then he will ask each of us, one by one. We will say no. He will express his disappointment but after a day's stay at Volterra, he would let us all go. He will try this same thing again in a few decades time. But as of now, he does not intend to stop or hurt us."

Alice spat out the last part just when the door swung open to reveal the human secretary.

Soon enough, the nine of them found themselves in the circular throne room once again, enduring Aro's drawn out pleasantries.

At the end of his speech, he finally turned to Carlisle.

"My dear friend, I trust you have given much thought to our generous offer," he smiled up at Carlisle. "What have you decided upon?"

Her entire family had remained under the effect of her shield, but in that moment, Bella created the most powerful dome of protection she had ever produced over Carlisle. Rightly so, because she could feel Chelsea's powers directed towards him. The intensity of her effort nearly made keeping her sway at bay almost painful for Bella. But she kept up the shield and let out a sigh of relief when Carlisle spoke, on behalf of all of them.

"You have indeed offered us a lot, and while my family has much to gain from your generosity, I will have to regretfully decline the proposition." Carlisle's smile remained pleasant. "We appreciate all that the Volturi does for the betterment and safety of our kind, and we will continue to live by the laws set out."

Carlisle took a pause, and when he spoke next, he did so as himself not as the leader of their coven. And when he regarded Aro, one could tell, he was talking to just Aro, not the Volturi. "It was lovely meeting you once again Aro. You have a wonderful home, a beautiful wife and a great family. I wish you and yours nothing but well."

Aro gave a deep nod and Carlisle stepped back beside Esme. She entwined her fingers with his and smiled up at him.

Aro's eyes lingered on them for a moment before he turned to Alice next. "Alice, my dear, have you considered the offer? You, and your mate, will find a place of honor with our guard."

"Thank you, Aro," Alice replied. "But I think I'll pass. I'd rather stay with my father and the rest of my family."

He considered her easy reply, his eyes darting between Alice and Carlisle.

"Interesting," he mumbled and turned to Edward next.

But the question they expected never came. Instead, he turned back to Carlisle and regarded him with an odd expression on his face.

Aro does not intend to hurt us, she reminded herself. A deep rumble growled in Edward's chest and Bella heard Alice gasp.

Bella's eyes snapped up to Edward's enraged face and with a dread unlike any other she realized what just happened.

"No," she gasped and looked towards the red-eyed vampire before them. Edward snarled and Aro smiled. As one, the guards closed in.

The Volturi had new instructions. Aro changed his mind.

Bella held Renesmee in a death grip, pushing out her shield over her family. She found herself and her daughter in the center of a loose circle her family made. Even Carlisle and Esme were crouched, ready for combat.

The circle of guards tightened around them and Aro stepped out of it, his giggles heard over the growls and snarls emanating from the multitude of vampires in the room. Bella could hear Renesmee's heartbeat speed up beyond her usual fast pace.

Edward stood in front of them, a hand thrown out in front of her and Jasper and Alice covered their back. Esme and Rosalie stood on one side and Carlisle and Emmett on the other. All of them were moving slowly, circling against the guard.

There was going to be a fight, and Bella was painfully aware of how outnumbered they were. Here there weren't eighteen other vampires, covens from across the world at their aid. No massive wolf packs stood with them.

It was just them, nine vampires against three times as many. And not even one witness.

But a fight there would certainly be. The option was no longer in their hands.

A large, cloaked vampire charged at Emmett and that was the cue for chaos. Even with her enhanced sense, Bella had a hard time keeping up.

She pushed out hard against a guard that slammed into her, keeping his hands off of Renesmee. Without her newborn strength, Bella could feel the guard almost crushing her before Japser pulled him away and with a screeching sound ripped his head off. Bella's sense of relief was only momentary before two vampires held Jasper down. Bella saw Alice launch herself at the third who reached for Jasper's neck.

Her eyes snapped in the other direction as Rosalie let out a pained scream accompanied by a sickening crunch. Both her arms snapped away.

Bella tried to run towards her when she was yanked back roughly by her hair. Edward ran at the one that had pulled Bella and a scream left her lips when she saw three other guards piling on to him.

"Get Nessie and go!" was the last thing he screamed and Bella turned away just as the crunch started. She pulled Renesmee away from the hands that tried to grapple with her. But the guards had them surrounded and Bella found herself slamming into a large chest.

A face sneered down at her as the man grabbed her chin and pulled it down, inserting his fingers into her mouth. She bit down. Or at least tried to. But the man forced her chin down and her mouth open, further and further.

Pain radiated out to both her cheeks as the force continued until with a ringing screech, Bella felt her jaw snapping. But that was not where it stopped, and the pain continued out, sideways and further back around her skull.

Her eyes widened and her shield last thing she heard was Alice's scream before darkness engulfed her.

A moment later, Jane smiled.

A/N:

Due to a bug, I am unable to open any of the amazing reviews you all have left on the site. But I have read them all on my email and I am so, so, so grateful for your kind words. I will reply to each of them personally as soon as the issue is resolved and I can see them here. Meanwhile, your feedback, ideas and suggestions mean the world to me and I would love to hear what you all think of this next chapter.

For the two people who left guest reviews:

1. Guest: I am happy to see you are enjoying the book. And yes, of course, I can do Twisted Vice Chapter 4! Here it is!

2. Anon: I understand what you mean. I am still praying that a story that was left incomplete in 2013 is updated once again. But don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this story. This isn't going to be an overly long fic anyway and I am writing a couple of chapters ahead of the update schedule. Thank you for your lovely compliment.I really appreciate it!

-ZQ