A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks a million to all my lovely serial reviewers: fresh-BLOOD-was-drawn-2night, Velisha Rodrigues, traceybuie, Guest, ThatsMzPeachesTYVM, CullenCherries and CoppertopJ! I love your feedback! Thank you so much! And thanks to all of you favoriting, following, and just reading!

So, we're reaching the heart of the plot with this monster chapter, that'll unravel more with the next, but everything is clearing nice and well ;) And I know that many of you are very eager to know what's been happening at last! So I give you Alistair's story ;) Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 10

Bella

It was so strange to hear Edward's thoughts. I wasn't used to it, but it was very pleasant. I couldn't get enough of his mental voice, as velvety and smooth as his physical one. And now, to add even more weirdness, I could hear Alistair's voice too, through Edward. That was most weird. However, I had to focus on what he was saying, and would ponder the mysteries of our sharing our talents later. I didn't like the sound of what he was about to say.

"Why?" I asked, Edward's hand squeezing mine tightly, his sudden anxiety matching mine. "Why did Aro destroy them? What...?"

"One thing at a time," Alistair cut me gently, raising his palm towards us. "It's a long story, but I'll try to give you the abridged version."

He collected his thoughts, a whirlwind of them invading his mind, then settled on the image of a charming couple of vampires with red eyes and wide smiles, in some countryside I didn't know.

"It all started in France in 1788," Alistair began, trying to focus on his story and not dwelling too much on his own thoughts. He knew about Edward's mind-reading, and was wary of it. "Suzanne Landois was a female vampire, fairly young, that had been changed by some Volturi guy. A lower guard, probably. I only knew about her because I was in France at the time; there was trouble stirring, and it was easier to find stray humans to feed. There were poor beggars and homeless humans everywhere, such was the famine in the country."

He breathed deeply, Tanya leaning her head on his shoulder, and went on, still focused on the image of the brown-haired couple that were smiling at each other in his mind. "Of course, you know what was going to happen. The French Revolution started in 1789, and the king of France, Louis XVI, was guillotined in 1793, starting one of the worst periods in History. But in 1788, things were still going the way they used to, and I had to be careful to hunt, even though it was easier than in England. So many desperate people everywhere."

He was thinking about his meals, and Edward and I groaned in revulsion. He snapped out of it with an apologetic look on his face, focusing back. "Sorry. Anyway, I ran into Suzanne during the winter. We were hunting the same beggar. I'm not a total git, so I let her have him. She was just a few months out of her newborn stage, so she hadn't gained as much restraint as me. We engaged in small talk, but I didn't want to linger. I was, and still am, a solitary guy. I'm not good with people, and I don't want to be. But she followed me for a few years, and I let her. She wanted to learn, and she was feeling lonely. She used to be the last daughter in a family of ten children, and she had been heartbroken to be changed. It was an accident. The Volturi guy had just wanted to feed. We ran into him at the end of spring. He was not happy, but he couldn't change it."

Alistair shrugged, and started to rub Tanya's knuckles absent-mindedly. Tanya was ecstatic, of course, and I was happy for her. The two of them would be well-mated, it would just take more time than usual. Alistair went on as Edward hugged me tighter against him, love and need radiating off of him. I would take extra care of him later.

"I wasn't too at ease with a Volturi knowing about us, so we moved. We were in Burgundy at the time, so we went to Paris. The city was a beehive, and I figured we would blend in some more in the crowds. I was so right. The Revolution started on the fourteenth of July, and it was chaos. It was so easy to pluck up humans during those years. First it was the fights in the streets, then after 1793 it was the people condemned to be guillotined. Those were so easy. Suzanne and I just had to drain them, then behead them and toss them with all the other corpses. Nobody ever knew they hadn't been executed the normal way."

He sighed somehow longingly, but soon concentrated, a frown marring his features. "That's when things got complicated."

"I'm guessing that this Eugène will soon come into the picture," Edward said softly.

Alistair nodded, putting his arm around a delighted Tanya, who rubbed his chest with a low purr. "Yes. Eugène Philippe Robineau de La Martinière. Quite a mouthful, huh? He was a ruined heir of a noble family, a viscount or something. I've always had trouble remembering all the quirks of the French nobility. Anyway, this Eugène had sided with his king, like any noble man should have done, so the lovely Robespierre and the revolutionary court had sentenced him to death. He was in La Conciergerie, waiting to be guillotined. Suzanne and I used to break into it at night to feed. But as soon as she laid eyes on him, she was done for."

I saw in his mind the small Suzanne, growling and eyes wide, staring at a fascinated, albeit very frightened Eugène, and her swift movement towards him. She grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulder, not caring about the shackles that used to chain him to the walls of his cell, and spoke to Alistair. "This one comes with us. Take one for you if you want."

Alistair resumed his story, images of their run in the deserted streets of Paris in his mind. "She took him with her. We fled at night to Fontainebleau, in the huge forest near Paris. At first I thought that she wanted to take her time with him, but when we reached the heart of the forest, she stopped and put him on the ground very softly. She freed him of his shackles, then spoke to him. Never had I heard such a tender inflexion in her voice. She explained to him what we were, and that she left him a choice. He could be a vampire, or he could die."

Alistair stopped, anger tinting his memories. "I was so furious at the time. She could have exposed us, acting like this, especially with all the Volturi guards roaming the streets. Fortunately for her I had removed all the shackles off the cell and every trace of its inhabitant before leaving. With luck the revolutionaries would think that Eugène had already been guillotined. And that's exactly what happened. We checked later. But back to the forest."

Tanya rubbed his chest, making him sigh in bliss, and he kissed her on the top of her head. I couldn't help my smile, despite the disturbing story.

"I wasn't ready to be with a vampire permanently, and even less with two," Alistair recounted. "But even I, the misanthropic hermit, could see that there was something special about Suzanne and Eugène. He didn't seem to be afraid of us, for one, and only looked mesmerized. And I could tell that Suzanne had fallen hard for him. This famished, frail human covered in filth and blood was her mate. She knew it, and I knew it. And I guess that even he knew it, because he didn't waver in telling her that he wanted to be like her. To be with her."

"That was way quicker than us," I couldn't help but say, smiling at the grins Suzanne and Eugène were sharing in Alistair's head. Edward emitted a low grunt. I patted his chest gently, thinking that we had taken our time, but in the end all was well. We were where we were supposed to be. Sorry, I heard his voice echo in my mind. I just kissed him.

Alistair was appraising us, and Tanya was gazing adoringly at her mate. "Yes, just like you, but way quicker, indeed," he confirmed. "And then Suzanne asked me to change him. She was afraid that she wouldn't have enough restraint to do it. I started to refuse, but she begged me on her knees. Eugène begged me too. The two of them couldn't survive without each other, that was very clear. So I caved, and bit him."

He exhaled loudly, letting Tanya struggle deeper into his chest, and kissed her on her forehead. They made a lovely couple, in spite of their blatant differences. Behind me Edward was boiling with impatience, eager to get to the crux of our problem. But I could see and hear that we needed to know the full story.

Alistair's thoughts dwelled a second on Eugène as he bit him in several places, then the poor guy thrashing and screaming on the ground until Suzanne, grief-stricken, took him in her arms. Then she rocked her mate, and he kept mostly silent after that, only whimpering from time to time.

"It took him two days to become a vampire," Alistair said, eyes locked in Edward's, knowing from my mate's sad face that he was seeing his memories. "Because I bit him all over his body. I'm not cruel, and I knew that the more bites, the less time it would take him to change. I had seen it, and experienced it first-hand."

His thoughts morphed to show a giant of a vampire with a cruel sneer for just a fleeting half-second before settling back on Suzanne and Eugène, as the latter opened his red eyes on his new life. I assumed we had just caught a glimpse of Alistair's sire, but he wouldn't talk about him; that I could see clearly.

"Afterwards, I stayed around with them because Eugène was my responsibility," he sighed. "As his sire, I had to make sure that he wouldn't expose us, or worse, attract the Volturi's attention on us. So the three of us stayed in the outskirts of Paris, only going in at night to feed. We were pretty inconspicuous, as far as I knew. But I should've known that it wouldn't last."

He threw us a sorrowful look, his thoughts echoing his expression, then explained as Edward and I tensed. "Eugène and Suzanne mated as soon as he fed for the first time, of course. And they were always at each other. Couldn't keep their hands to themselves, just like you. But to me that was normal. I had never been with a woman before, and I'd never seen vampires mate. So I didn't find it strange. It was only when we ran into Suzanne's sire and two of his fellow Volturi guards, another mated couple, that I realized that my companions weren't any usual mated pair."

He shot a look at a growling Edward, warning him wordlessly to let him talk, then resumed. "Suzanne and Eugène weren't aware that they were different, and neither was I before. But the Volturi guy knew right away. I grew suspicious of the Italian's specific questions over their mating and their very strong bond, and after the Volturi left I took my cue to keep my distance from them. But I didn't go far. I was still keeping an eye on the youngsters, I didn't know why. Of course, Suzanne and Eugène enjoyed their new privacy, and I watched them grow closer and closer."

Alistair then spat some venom at his feet, anger marring his features and startling Tanya, who hastily rubbed the nape of his neck and kissed his throat, making him relax a little. Edward and I braced ourselves. "I should've known that the Volturi wouldn't let them be. Eugène had a talent, he could make people believe whatever he wanted. Influencing the mind, if you will. Not unlike your Lindsey," he added with a sneer.

I couldn't help my snarl at the mention of the vampire that had kidnapped and was keeping Charlie prisoner. But Edward squeezed me even tighter against him, calm pouring out of him. We needed to see this story through.

Alistair nodded grimly. "Yes, not the most pleasant talent when it's used against your friends. Anyway, the Volturi learned about Eugène's talent, thanks to your friend Eleazar."

"Eleazar?" Tanya, Edward and I repeated, astonished. But I could see clearly Eleazar's face in Alistair's memory, along with Carmen. The two of them had been the mated couple of Volturi guards with Suzanne's sire.

"Yes, he was a scout for Aro," Alistair said, frowning. "I had heard about him, and I only saw him then before today. He had mated with Carmen a short time before meeting us in Paris, I believe, and I also believe that he left the Volturi right after the whole incident."

"I can't believe it," Tanya said, looking as stunned as I was. "Eleazar told Aro about Eugène?"

"He did, and he had to," Alistair told her, a softer tone in his voice as he started to caress her cheeks, trying to appease her distress. "Aro would've killed Eleazar had he tried to hide it from him. And Eleazar must've wanted to protect his new mate."

"So that's why Eleazar doesn't know anything," Edward surmised. "He only told Aro about Eugène's talent, not his mating with Suzanne."

"I guess so," Alistair acknowledged. "And I guess that Eleazar thought that Aro only wanted Eugène for his talent, and that it didn't turn out well."

"Did Aro know about the mating thing?" I asked, dreading the answer. It could explain why the Volturi were acting this weird towards us.

"No," Alistair shook his head adamantly. "Only Suzanne's sire had guessed about it, and he was killed shortly after. But he had a mate, back in Volterra, so maybe he told her about it. That I don't know. I may be well-informed about a lot of things, but I don't know everything."

"How do you know all this, then?" Edward asked him, genuinely curious and on tenterhooks. I shared the feeling.

"I talked to him afterwards," Alistair said sadly. "A few days before he was killed, actually. He felt so much remorse about the whole thing."

"Please tell us," I begged him.

Alistair contemplated what he was going to say, but too fast for me to make anything out of it, then spoke again. "I am the only one who knows about this mating thing in its entirety. I suppose Marcus guessed about some of it when the Volturi came to England a century later and he met me, but as far as I know, only I know the truth."

He braced himself, then went on. We wouldn't interrupt, as it looked painful for him to remember and recount his memories. "Suzanne and Eugène were very into each other, and before meeting Eleazar and Carmen and spending a few days with them, I didn't know how strange my friends were. They were almost constantly having sex. They told me repeatedly that they couldn't help themselves. That went on during about a year and a half. Then, right after the three Volturi left, they acted even weirder. One morning, after feeding, Eugène started to growl at me after I touched Suzanne's arm by accident. He went completely berserk, feral like you wouldn't believe, and took her on his back and ran away. I was quite worried, seeing him act like that, so I gave them a head start, then followed them at a distance, using my tracking skills. And when I caught up with them, I couldn't believe my eyes."

I saw in his mind the third point of view of what I remembered experiencing with Edward, and how disturbing it had looked. Eugène was pounding into Suzanne from behind, his teeth buried deep into her neck, and she was whimpering in pain and want. He obviously gave her a lot of his venom, then just like us, they collapsed on the muddy ground, and he couldn't remember what had happened.

"You see that?" Alistair asked Edward, but I nodded too. Alistair didn't look surprised, and he nodded faintly. "I thought so. Right after that, they didn't act the same. Eugène started to feel numb, and needed a lot of blood to stay conscious most of the time. Suzanne was overprotective of him, and would snap at everyone and everything. I kept my distance most of the time, but I noticed that she started to use Eugène's talent too. She even made me dress as a woman once, to get a good laugh."

He snorted, and we chuckled weakly. He was careful not to show us this particular memory, and I somehow deduced that he wasn't ready to be teased.

"But just like you, Bella, Suzanne was afraid of reciprocating on Eugène," he went on, focusing on me. "She feared that she was becoming feral because of the excess of Eugène's venom in her. And she held on for a month, gritting her teeth and not letting her desire out of control. All the while Eugène's state started to deteriorate. He was out of it most of the time, and weak. After two weeks he couldn't stand on his feet anymore, and after four he was as about to die as any puny human. Suzanne was beside herself. She begged me to find what was wrong with him, using her talent without realizing it. I had thought long and hard about it, and I simply told her to bite him too while making love. I had seen the strong urges they were repressing, and I somehow knew that that was the key."

I barely fought down the moan rising in my chest. Marcus had been right all along, and Edward too. I needed to bite him, and give him my venom. I didn't want him to become the wreck that Eugène had become in Alistair's memories. It would kill me.

I burrowed myself deeper into Edward's body, seeking his comfort and reassurance, and he wrapped himself around me. I felt his love surround me like a cocoon, and it soothed my anguish. It'll be all right, my Bella, his voice resonated calmly in my head. We'll do it very soon, and we'll be okay. Don't worry about me. I nodded faintly, and we stayed in each other's arms, bonding and seeking solace from each other.

"Ready for the rest?" Alistair's voice said after a few minutes, jarring me out of my musings.

I glanced at him, and saw that he and Tanya were fully cuddling now, making me melt even more against my mate. They would be truly together now, I could see and hear it in their minds. Alistair was ready at last to share his life, and he was feeling an intense love towards his new mate. Tanya was on cloud nine, and I was so happy for her. They hadn't kissed yet, as far as I knew, but it shouldn't take too long by now.

"Yes, please continue," Edward said seriously, kissing my hair and caressing my sides while I rubbed his back and nuzzled him.

"Right," Alistair said, taking a deep breath. "So Suzanne did what she had to do, obviously, letting her instincts forward. She had asked me to stand by, in case of emergency, since Eugène was still very weak. But all went well, and after a day or two, Eugène was back to his old self, as strong and healthy as before. And after that, Suzanne and Eugène were able to use his talent, wherever they were touching or not. Having two influencing vampires with me was quite handy, but we didn't enjoy it for long."

Edward and I gasped as his thoughts showed the Volturi guards coming to circle Suzanne and Eugène, Alistair hiding some distance away, terror running throughout his body. I couldn't blame him. It was terrifying.

"One night they came," Alistair recounted with a muted voice, sorrow echoing in his mind. "I used to stay a little away from Suzanne and Eugène when we weren't hunting together, to give them some privacy, and for me to stay sane. So that night, I was a mile away when the Volturi surrounded them, but I heard it all. I kept my distance, but saw everything. Eleazar had told Aro about Eugène's talent, and Suzanne's sire was leading the party that had to bring him to Volterra. He explained it to them, and told Eugène that he had to come with them. Eugène asked about Suzanne, and this Pierre told him that she wasn't allowed to come too. Only talented vampires could become Volturi guards."

"Pierre?" Edward inquired sharply, and Alistair nodded. The name was familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. Then Edward spoke up, and it hit me like a freight train. "Pierre was Heidi's mate."

"Good God!" I exclaimed, baffled. "Aro killed him a long time ago! So this Pierre was Suzanne's sire?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded, looking surprised. "It's a very small world, indeed. So Pierre told them that Suzanne couldn't come, and then Eugène refused to go to Volterra, saying that if Suzanne couldn't come, then he wouldn't go. Pierre was adamant that he had to go with them, and Suzanne interfered to protect her mate. Things escalated pretty quickly, and less than ten seconds later Suzanne was burning on the ground, torn apart by Pierre's comrades. Eugène howled in grief and fury then, and attacked the Volturi. He dismembered three of them before they tore him apart too. One of the rookies set him on fire, much to Pierre's anger, but the damage was done."

Alistair's voice was shaking, his memories of the burning vampires searing themselves in my mind, and I shivered. I wouldn't let that happen to Edward. Ever.

"They should've played along," Edward said with a quivering voice, shaken to his core too. "He should've gone with them. They would've reunited later. They would've found a way."

"They should've," Alistair approved sadly. "But they were young, Edward. Too young to this life. Newborns can't make rational decisions like you or me. Suzanne was four years old, and Eugène barely two. They couldn't stand the idea of being separated. And with their higher level of mating, it was even worse. They barely could let go of each other's hand. Could you go to Volterra without Bella, right now, even if it was to protect her?"

We fell silent at that, and I felt dread filling me and my mate at the mere thought of being away from him. Him going to Volterra without me would kill me. "No," Edward finally admitted, burying his face in the crook of my shoulder.

"It was the same for them," Alistair said grimly. "And like Romeo and Juliet, they were too in love to live without each other."

We stayed silent for a few more moments, then Edward asked Alistair to tell us the end of the story.

"Not much more to tell, I'm afraid," Alistair shrugged. "Pierre scolded the other guards, afraid that Aro would have them all punished in their failure to bring back the talented vampire. He sent them away, and called me to him. He had sensed that I was nearby. So we talked a little. He was deeply regretful of the situation. He had felt responsible of Suzanne, like I had been with Eugène, and he feared Aro's reaction. But it was something he said that alerted me. 'They were mated on a level unknown to anybody else', he told me. That got me thinking. I knew that Aro couldn't know about it, or the fact that Suzanne had shared Eugène's talent. He would hunt every mated couple like them. So I kept it to myself, and said farewell to Pierre. I went back to England, and secluded myself again. Sometime later I heard that Aro had had him killed when he came back empty-handed, fortunately delegating the task. Aro never saw Pierre's memories, that's why he never knew about their special mating or their sharing talents. And I've avoided other vampires like the plague ever since, so I haven't blabbered about it."

"But someone in Volterra must know about it, and about us," Edward guessed, thinking hard. "Maybe that's why Jane didn't want us to know about Caius. She's probably afraid of us learning all of this."

"Yes, it makes sense," I added, having thoughts of my own. "And it would also explain why our family has kept it from us. Maybe Jane asked them not to tell us anything, for fear of us sharing our talents and reaching this higher level of mating." It would certainly explain why our family, usually so forthcoming, had been hiding things from us. Maybe they had been ordered to do so. Jane must be afraid of what Edward and I could do, should we share our powerful talents.

Maybe, Edward conceded reluctantly, still angry about it. But Alice would've seen all this, and taken measures.

Alice has her own agenda, I reminded him. Maybe she's seen it all, and knows that keeping silent is the best course of action.

I'll give her the benefit of a doubt, Edward said after a few seconds. But we still have to confront them about it.

I nodded, and focused back on Alistair, who was currently kissing the hell out of Tanya. Whoa, I thought, averting my eyes. At last!

He took his time to give in, Edward snickered silently. But now they'll be real mates.

I couldn't hear their minds anymore, and neither could Edward. But we knew what we had to know. My mind was reeling with all the information Alistair had provided. And we had to decide what to do first.

We'll go back to the house, and talk with our family, Edward decided, getting to his feet and helping me to mine, even though it was perfectly useless. Better clear the air between us, and ask Marcus and Heidi about what the Volturi know, and what they'll do about us. Are they our enemies?

I don't think so, but Jane can't stand us, I thought. So I wouldn't put it past her to try and end us with the help of Caius' rebellion.

That's what I thought, Edward nodded. Yes, we'll go talk about all this, and then...

His mental voice trailed off as he locked eyes with mine, and I sighed, taking courage in his gorgeous golden eyes. Then, my Edward, I'll bite you and give you my venom, and we'll take our relationship to the next level, however scary that is.

He simply nodded, relieved that I had made up my mind at last, but wary of the consequences, just like me. What was waiting for us after all this?

Whew! That was intense for me to write, and I do hope it was for you to read too! I can't wait to see your reactions! Do you like where it's headed?

Next update next weekend, if all is well ;)

Take care, and please review!