Long winded explanation to follow, skip ahead for story! *

I'm kind of loving the controversy that the last chapter caused. Haha! Ok, but for real, I hope this chapter answers some of your questions.

I am only writing this story from Iris and Bella's POV, so I'm trying to work within the rule that the reader will only know what the character knows at the time you are reading from her perspective. I try to write with those limitations in mind and also I try to use reasoning that the great Stephenie Meyer has offered for times when certain character's abilities have "failed."

No one expected Iris to "drift" out of Bella's body, and when they realized she was gone, Alice had never seen Iris in her own body. Remember that like many other characters with abilities in the story, Alice has to get a "feel" for the person she's trying to see or else she can't see them very well, and I think Iris's drifting would affect Alice's ability to keep tabs on her if she didn't know where/who Iris would be next. Keep in mind that in the original series Alice didn't start really seeing Aro/the Volturi (sans Edward) regularly until "Eclipse" which happened AFTER she met Aro at the end of "New Moon." Let poor Alice catch up!

Iris also has very limited contact with Aro on purpose. You guys have seen the few times in a year and a half when he has made contact with her. He's a smart, resourceful man. There's a reason he has been in charge of the vampire world for so long. After looking into Iris's mind, he knows all the secrets of the Twilight Saga, and he certainly knows how to mess with Alice's visions.

Stick around for more answers and keep the questions rolling! Thanks for all the love and interest guys!

Happy Reading!

Ch. 36 Such an Idiot

(BPOV)

"Alice, can you see her?!" Edward was pacing back and forth while raking his hands through his hair.

"I'm searching, but it's not clear. I don't understand what I'm seeing." Alice's voice was as frantic as Edward's. They truly loved Iris.

Suddenly Edward turned to Alice. "What was that? A barn? That looked like the little village outside of Sienna. What's she doing?"

"The visions don't make sense. I saw her with Aro, then she was in a dark room. Then nothing. Then she was in a barn, and now nothing. I can't tell, Edward. I'm so sorry."

"Why haven't you been able to see her, Alice?! We checked with the Volturi so many times. It's been a year and a half. How could you not see!" Edward was slowly inching closer and closer to Alice as he accused her.

"Watch it, Ed. I'll take that arm off you if you touch her." Jasper said in a low voice as he moved to block his mate.

But Alice wasn't phased as she bounced around Jasper and moved closer to Edward with her own finger pointing toward him. "It's not an exact science, Edward! I told you I don't think she has been making many decisions until lately...and I HAVE been watching Aro, but I didn't see her!"

"Why not?" Edward was yelling now.

"I don't know!" Alice could be just as intimidating when she wanted to be.

"Edward, Alice has been trying to help. She loves Iris. We all do. Please refrain from making accusations that suggest otherwise." Carlisle attempted to regain control of his adoptive children.

"What do we do? I'm going. I have to go." Edward was pacing again.

"Son, Wait. You don't know what you're going into. Iris came here to warn us of Volturi involvement. We need to be smart about this. The Volturi are not a group we want to invite into a war." Carlisle reasoned.

"She could be in danger, Damnit! It's Iris! She's not exactly known for telling us when she's in trouble. Every time she thinks she knows best, and then she almost gets herself killed in the process!" Edward looked on the verge of a breakdown.

"What about—" No one was listening to me. I was just a human, after all.

"She left you, Edward. Why go after her? She's just bringing more problems to us..." Rosalie seemed totally unaffected by any of this.

"Rose!" Alice and Esme gasped together, and Edward growled at her.

"You're more than welcome to stay uninvolved, Rosalie." Edward seethed and spoke her name like a curse word.

"What? All she could think about when she was here a bit ago was avoiding Edward and getting back to her training session with Felix." Rosalie said casually as she filed her nails. I was totally amazed at how cool she could be about all of this. Edward only growled again in response.

"Emmett, why don't you and Rosalie go hunt?" Esme suggested.

"I just went yesterday...oh, ok. Come on, Babe." Rosalie just glared at Emmett. She was still mad at him for not knowing it wasn't her with him earlier.

"Why don't you just go help look for Iris, BABE?" She stormed out the back door, and Emmett followed after.

"Babe! I'm sorry!"

I was suddenly very glad that Jake and I do not use pet names.

"Ugh! I hate these blind spots! Why can't I see her? I just keep seeing a flash of a guy in a cloak at Pisa International. He was alone. I don't understand though. I'm searching for Iris, and I just get that. Then nothing...a total blank." Alice's brow furrowed.

"It's the wolves." All heads shot up and looked over to me.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"The blanks. I think Iris is drifting, and she's in the man now. That's why you keep seeing him. The blank spots are the wolves. She's coming here." I finally explained my theory.

"The wolves..." Alice repeated in amazement at my suggestion.

"Why would she come here like that? Why the wolves?" Edward asked no one in particular. "Wait, I think I recognize the man from Carlisle's memories of his time with the Volturi. It's Demetri, the tracker."

"Iris is in Demetri?" Carlisle questioned then appeared to be in deep thought.

"If Bella is right, yes." Edward said then began pacing again. "Why isn't she coming to us?" He was almost whispering to himself.

"She kept thinking that she had to protect you guys before she left me." I answered even though I don't think he was really expecting an answer.

"That's ridiculous. She knows we can take care of ourselves. She's the one who read the books. She should know—" Edward had a look of disapproval and incredulity as he began.

"In the books, I had to use my shield to save everyone in the end because no one else could stand against the Volturi and survive alone..." I interjected. I recalled from Iris's memory the ending of the series, and it frightened me that if I were ever changed to a vampire that I would have control of such a powerful ability. "Maybe she thinks something like that might happen in reality?"

"Argh! She's such a hypocrite!" Edward was suddenly angry, waving his hands as he stomped around aimlessly. "She told me so many times not to make decisions for her, yet here she is doing the same thing!" He stopped and looked to his sister. "Can you still see Demetri, Alice?"

"Yes, he is in the terminal now. I think—yes, he's coming to Seattle, and his flight leaves in ten minutes."

"So he—she, if we're correct—will be here in just over twelve hours. I'm leaving." Edward disappeared upstairs and reappeared by the front door.

"Jazz and I are coming too!" Alice chirped.

"Me too." I said, and they all looked at me.

"No, Bella. It's not safe, and I doubt that Jacob will want you gallivanting around with a bunch of vampires anyway." Edward offered.

"Fine, but I want to help somehow." Edward narrowed his eyes, probably expecting an argument from me, but if I learned nothing else from Iris's memories, I learned that my constant unnecessary involvement in things usually put everyone else in more danger, including myself. I was really trying to be helpful. However, I hated always feeling like the weakest link around all these supernatural people.

"You will be most helpful by staying put, so we don't have to worry so much about you too, dear. Stay with Jacob." Esme said as she placed her hand on my cheek in a motherly way.

"I'll take you home now." Carlisle offered.

"Don't worry about it. I'll call Jake." I sighed. Being human sucked sometimes.

•PTaT•

This flight was lasting forever. I had considered jumping out and swimming the rest of the way just to feel like I was doing something, but I knew that would actually take longer and it would be rather conspicuous to see a passenger jump out of the plane mid-Atlantic.

Everyone smelled so good, and I was so thirsty. I hadn't practiced spending much time around humans, but thankfully Demetri had otherwise I wouldn't have made it this far without sinking my teeth into—Nope. Stop thinking about it, Iris. Not helping...

"Attention passengers, flight 2264 Pisa to Seattle will be approaching the gate for landing in about fifteen minutes. Please buckle your seatbelts."

Finally. My God this is why I don't like flying. Ok, Iris what now? Get to La Push. I'm running. I can't do the whole car rental thing. I've got to be fast. Do I explain to the wolves or just attack? Attack. It's faster. This is going to suck so bad. I can't imagine the pain of being shredded to pieces by their teeth...it can't be any worse than the times my own arms and legs were ripped off though. I just have to be faster than them at exiting the body before they kill him. I don't know what happens if the person dies while I'm in them. Do I die too? Doesn't matter. I'm not going to find out.

I was so engrossed in my own mind that I didn't realize we had landed already. I stood quickly to exit before anyone else could clog up the walkway.

"Thank you for flying with Delta." The blonde flight attendant said as I nodded and pushed past her out to the terminal.

Ok, where's the exit? I hadn't actually been to the airport since I had taken a different form of traveling last time I crossed international waters.

I was walking in the direction that the signs said the exit should be when two hands grasped me from behind, and I resisted until I recognized the scents.

"Not so fast." Edward spoke in a low voice.

"Hi, Iris!" Alice was as bubbly as ever. "This is really weird seeing you this way..."

"Iris." Jasper nodded from her side.

"You found me." I forgot to account for Alice following me. I knew Edward could hear my thoughts now, so I tried my best to focus on the present as I turned to look at him.

"What are you up to? Why won't you let us help?" He was hurt. I had hurt him again.

"Where's Bella?" I asked casually. She could make him happy.

"You really want to do this here?" Why was he so mad? I thought he would be thanking me by now for restoring his happy ending. Maybe he was mad that I was getting involved again, but I had to stop them. I had to keep them safe.

"You thought wrong." Oh this was going to be annoying for him to hear my thoughts.

"Well, at least now I might finally understand what the hell you were thinking." He answered my thoughts again.

"Not here. There's no time." I spoke aloud and jerked my head toward the exit. I had luckily timed it so that it was dark out.

Once we reached the edge of the woods, I turned to explain. "You have to kill me."

"What?" Edward sounded like he was choking.

"Iris..." Jasper started.

"Sorry, not me me. This me. Demetri. Take him out, now. I was going to get the wolves to do it, but since you're already here...please. He'll find you. This is your only chance."

"I won't kill you!" Edward's face was horror struck.

"I'll drift back to my body before obviously!" I said in exasperation. Good God, man! Just do it!

"That's brilliant." Jasper said with an excited smile. It was the most emotion I had ever seen out of him. Alice seemed troubled though.

Edward was staring at me, calculating. "Fine, but explain everything now." Edward's face was unreadable.

"Explain what? Kill him and they can't find you." Duh. Keep up! I've got to go!

"No, everything." He looked mad again. "I want to hear it straight from you." Oh, he's very angry.

"Edward—"

"Tell me, Iris! Tell me why you left?" He demanded.

"I couldn't stay in Bella when I knew she was there..."

"No, but you could have told me what you were planning. Why did you leave?" His anger was slowly dissipating and shifting to desperation. "Why did you leave me?"

"You have Bella..." I started.

"Why is it always back to Bella? Why can't we just have this relationship to ourselves?" What? He's with Bella now. I saw them. Was he wanting some kind of sister wife situation here?

"Because it wasn't supposed to be me! I was an imposter. I lived a whole other life, and I was supposed to die. It sucks, but Bella? She was just dreaming that night, and I fell into her body, took over, and she was gone just like that. Every time I looked at Charlie, and he looked at me with so much fatherly love, I remembered what I took from him. He deserved to see his little girl blossom into who she was supposed to be, and she was supposed to be with you, Edward. She was supposed to marry you, have sex with you, give birth to an amazing little girl for you, turn into a vampire, and run off into the sunset with you." My voice broke as I continued on my tangent. "I'm just here, existing in a life that isn't supposed to be mine. I love you more than anything in any universe, but I'm not supposed to be here. She is..." Everything. She is your everything. She will continue to be your everything, Edward, when I stop them. You can have everything.

The more I thought about everything that had happened, the more I felt like a real villain. Survivor's guilt is what they call it when you are one of the last remaining people in a tragedy, but what is it called when you are the one who unintentionally destroyed it all to start with?

Edward placed his hands on either side of my face so I had nowhere to look but into his eyes. "Iris, I don't want Bella that way. I'm not with Bella, and I never have been. She is with Jacob, and she's very happy with him. But I want you. I have you. You are everything to me. You are my life. You are my reason to continue being in this world. I've never been happier in all of my existence than when I am with you. Please, just let me love you. Be happy with my eternal devotion to you!" What?

"What?" What?

"You are my mate. You are my soul. You are my everything." He said slowly, reverently.

Shit. What have I done?

"Guys this is really sweet and all, but please don't start making out. That would just be freaky in Demetri's body." Emmett popped out of the trees.

"You love who you love, Emmett." I said in a dreamy voice as I stared into Edward's eyes. He loved me. He loves you, Iris. YOU.

"I love you too, but you need to kill me now." I suddenly remembered where we were. We're losing time. I need to go!

"Wait, what?" Emmett asked. He had missed the whole explanation from before.

"What's the plan?" Jasper was in military mode.

"I'm going to take down the Volturi." I smirked.

"Dude. Can you do that?" Emmett was looking at me with an expression between awe and disbelief. Oh if he only knew...

"Can they stop me? They can't stop what they can't touch..." I countered. "They wanted control. They tried their best to gain that control over me, but they failed. Now I'm going to show them what happens when you try to control something unstoppable." My voice had grown dark. I finally sounded like a vampire.

"Freaky, Iris. Good luck with that, Eddy." Emmett laughed as he clapped his brother on the shoulder. Edward only smirked.

"Kill me!" Hurry up!

"Wait, how will I find you? I'm not going to live without you." The desperation was back in his voice. "You're not alone anymore." You're such an idiot, Iris. How could you not see how much he needs you? How much you need him...

"We'll figure this out. I'll contact you soon. I promise. Just hurry please! I need to figure out what's going on in Italy, and I can't leave Demetri until I know that you have things under control..."

Emmett moved behind me to put his arms around my upper body, securing me tightly to him, so I couldn't move. Jasper moved almost as closely to secure my legs. Alice positioned herself in a crouch, preparing to fight if necessary, and Edward stood in front of me, brushing his hand down my cheek.

"I will find you if you don't return to me soon. You may be unstoppable, but don't forget that I move fast." He winked. "I'll see you soon, my love."

"I love you." I smiled and fought through the rising knot in my throat.

"So freaking weird guys..." Emmett murmured.

Light. Dark.

"Hello, Iris. Did you have a fun trip?"

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