Important - Please read this :

AN: Hello Everyone! It's about damn time, right? There are no excuses but thank you for everyone for being so understanding about my last update, you are all so kind and patient. I feel even worse because if you're reading any of the same fan fics I am at the moment it seems like no one's hardly updating…so one last time ~ *I'm on my hands and knees* I'm Sorry!!!

So after SUCH a long gap in between updates this chapter should be epic, well it's not. It's actually been done for awhile but I wanted to keep going w/ it but it wouldn't budge so onto writing the next (hopefully longer chapter).

So here's my important question/statement for you readers. In my head this story only has a couple more chapters and I would love to end it on a cliffhanger and then start a sequel-part 2 to give them they're happily ever after instead of making this a gazillion chapters…..let me know what you think.

Recap : They get a call from Carlisle about a visitor at the house but he's vague so they rush home from the mall.....

"Is this all of your children Carlisle?" Damien asked in a knowing tone but never broke eye contact with me.

"Well, no." Carlisle answered a little taken back but before he could finish Alice and Bella came through the front door and I watched Damien's gaze drift from me to Bella and his face softened but his body stayed tense.

I looked back at my love to see her smile at me before she looked around me and saw Damien for the first time and she froze. Her bags fell from her hands as her knees buckled but I made it to her before she hit the ground.

Her eyes were still locked wide on Damien as I pleaded with her to tell me what was wrong, her body trembling in my arms.

I pulled her to me and placed my lips to her temple begging softly for her to tell me and two things happened at once.

A low menacing growl came from Damien as he took a step towards us and Bella's lips opened to speak.

"Avery." She whispered softly, staring at our visitor in horror.

I don't own Twilight.

BPV

When Edward finally left Alice and I alone outside I walked back over to her trying to conceal the remnants of the smile Edward had left on my face.

I shook my head as I thought about his words before he left me….

He was worried about what happened in the dressing room?

Was he nuts?

Was he not in there with me, because it was hot.

I could get used to that Edward….

I wiped the silly smile off of my face and reached Alice and began pulling out the shopping bags with her.

"We don't have to get them all now Bella, I just wasn't ready to go in yet." She said softly.

"I know Alice and I'm sorry, I wish I could help." I looked at her wide, somber eyes feeling helpless.

"Bella, I'm just…..I don't know. I feel like I'm walking around in the dark half of the time now and it's frustrating. I'm so used to knowing everything before it happens and without my ability I feel so exposed, so lost." She said softly, looking so small and fragile.

"It's all my fault, maybe I should leave for awhile so ……." I started but Alice abruptly cut me off.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella. First of all I'd give my ability away a thousand times over if it meant seeing my brother this blissfully happy," She smirked and gave me a wink and I knew if I was still human I would have been blushing, "And second of all, Bella you were with us at the mall, I should have been able to see Carlisle and Esme perfectly and us not at all, but instead it was the other way around. I'm starting to think this isn't about you at all." She finished, her forehead scrunched looking puzzled.

"Or maybe it really is just my ability slipping." She sighed and slammed the trunk of the jeep.

We took our time walking towards the house and I pulled her into a sideways hug.

"Whatever it is Alice, we'll figure it out." I assured her kissing the top of her spiky hair.

*************

When we walked in the door I immediately searched out Edward and the moment our eyes met I instantly felt better, the hole that always appeared deep within me when I wasn't in his presence sealed shut and I smiled brightly. I appraised the perfection in front of me forgetting everyone else in the room for a moment trying to wrap my head around the fact that this man was truly mine. I was about to close the space between us desperately needing contact with him when the strange familiar feeling that had plagued me more than once in the past few months hit me hard and all of the hairs on my body stood straight. I peered around Edward to search the room for the source and my whole body went rigid and I froze in place at the sight before me.

Somewhere in the far distance I heard the bags I had been holding slip from my hands and hit the floor and the commotion break out around me but I couldn't function. It was as if I was staring at a ghost. Before I knew what was happening I was falling…..my body went slack as I fell into darkness.

I barely heard the faint, muffled sounds of someone's pleas as I stared blankly at the man in front of me.

He couldn't be real.

But then he took a small step and I could see my name fall soundlessly from his lips.

Oh my god.

My entire world shattered around me and I quickly searched the darkness caving in on me for something, anything to keep me from slipping further away.

I heard it then, my Edward's soft whisper broke through the darkness and grew in volume until it turned into a desperate plea. His voice strained and cracking with fear filled my every pore and I felt his arms wrap securely around me. When I felt his soft lips on my skin begging me to come back to him, to tell him what was wrong, the life slammed back into my body and my body jerked forward as if I had been resuscitated.

"Avery." I whispered in horror and the room went deathly still.

An earth shattering growl echoed throughout the room from beside me and chaos erupted. I immediately felt the loss of Edward's touch as he let go of me and lunged at Avery. Their bodies collided in mid air sending another shattering sound around the room and I watched in horror as they crashed to the ground and obliterated Esme's furniture, shards of wood and metal exploded and rained down all around us.

The Cullen's quickly ran to the blur of bodies and pulled them apart while Esme and Alice helped me up and stood protectively by my side. Emmet and Jasper pinned Edward to the wall as he thrashed and growled against them, over the noise I heard Carlisle ask and then order Edward to back down as he tried in vain to free himself from his brother's grasps.

Finally I found my voice.

"Stop!" I shouted, but it came out hoarse and weak.

"Please… stop!" I begged as I ran to Edward and stepped in front of him laying my hand flat onto his chest.

He was still snarling and snapping at the air, his eyes locked on Avery who was on the other side of the room being pinned back by Carlisle and Rosalie.

"Edward." I pleaded, reaching up and touching my hand to his neck, "Please." I whispered trying to meet his eyes.

I watched as his head snapped down to look at me, his face was twisted in anger and his eyes were dark and menacing, but as he focused in on me I watched his face soften some as he slowly regained his senses.

He dropped his head and exhaled roughly. "Release me," he murmured into his chest and jerked his body slightly.

Jasper and Emmett held tight and didn't budge.

"I said, RELEASE ME." He growled and his head snapped up as his body jerked towards me again.

When his brother's didn't relent he met my eyes and gave me a pleading look and I looked behind him and nodded my head at Jasper to let him know it was okay and they warily dropped their hold on him and stepped back.

He was barely released before he took a quick step and grabbed me up into his arms holding me to him tightly as his hand wrapped itself into my hair and pulled me into his neck.

"I'm sorry." He rasped into my ear. "I'm sorry." He repeated.

All I could do was nod my head into his skin and he pulled me closer.

For the quickest moment I felt safe and at peace in his arms, his body wrapped around mine like a cocoon shielding away the rest of the world. I could have stayed here in this moment forever with him like that, that was until a familiar voice called from the other side of the room and broke through my peace and my insides twisted as Edward stilled..

"Bella."

Before I could gather the strength to look up Edward pulled me behind him and stood in front of me protectively.

"Don't you speak to her!" Edward growled. "You have no right to even say her name." He spat and I watched the muscles in his back roll up and down with anger.

I looked up from under my lashes towards Avery's direction and he looked almost relieved when we made eye contact.

"Bella, please……." He started taking a step forward completely ignoring Edward as Carlisle and Rosalie dropped their hold on him but stayed close.

Edward growled and took a step forward but I pulled him back to me.

"What do you want?" I asked barely above a whisper, not having the strength to ask any louder but I knew he heard me.

Everyone's head snapped towards me including Edward who stared at me before pulling me to his side and holding me to him.

"I came here to talk to you Bella." He said quickly, his voice void of emotion.

"NO." Edward snapped and I flinched against him having never heard that much hatred in his voice before.

Finally Avery tilted his head towards Edward and looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time and he smiled cockily at him.

"This is between Bella and I, this doesn't concern you." He spat, his words sliding through his lips slowly.

"Anything to do with Bella is my concern." Edward spat back, and the use of the word my wasn't lost on anyone in the room.

"Well the Bella I know doesn't let people make decisions for her, the Bella I know can speak for herself." Avery said cocking his head to look at me around Edward. He chuckled some as he spoke as if he was replaying some memory in his head.

Watching him smile after everything that had just happened while I was standing here feeling the way I was feeling awoke something deep within me and a burning hatred filled with rage and anger flooded my body and before I knew it I was stepping in front of Edward and stalking towards Avery.

"The Bella you knew ….is dead!" I hissed, venom dripping from every word. "The Bella you knew is gone….you killed her, remember?"

I stopped a few feet in front of him and stood my ground, I could feel Edward not far behind me.

Avery flinched and dropped his head, his hands fell limply to his sides.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I growled through my teeth, my anger dissolving and all the hurt came rushing back to me and I struggled to keep my eyes from filling up with tears.

He took a deep breath and looked up at me slowly.

"I just need to talk to you." He said, his voice finally showing some emotion as it cracked. "Please."

I paused and the room stayed silent.

"And then you'll leave?" I asked skeptically and I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"No Bella, you don't have to do this." Edward pleaded softly against the skin of my ear.

But Avery spoke before I could respond. "Yes. If that's what you still want." He answered flatly. "I'll leave."

I took a deep breath and clinched my hands to my sides. "Alright." I said softly closing my eyes bracing myself and then reopening them again. "Then talk."

He looked taken back for a moment and then looked slowly around the room surveying it and when his eyes met mine again he shook his head softly. "No Bella, alone……I need to speak to you alone."

"Hell no!" Emmett's voice boomed from over my shoulder. "That ain't happening."

His voice held a finality as he stood tall and crossed his massive arms across his chest as he dared Avery to protest.

Avery ignored him and continued to stare at me.

"Does everyone here speak for you now Bella?" He asked smoothly and my insides turned.

Edward pulled me back behind him and closed the space between us and Avery leaving them only inches between their bodies. The silence was deafening as Edward scowled at Avery, his chest rising and falling hard with each anger filled breath, all the while Avery just stared back with an amused expression plastered on his face.

Carlisle's calming voice finally cut through the silence.

"Bella's a part of this family now and I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we step back and try to figure all of this out." He said out loud, but I could see his eyes cut towards Edward and I knew he was conveying something to him silently. "Besides, I believe you owe Bella some explanations Damien….." Carlisle stressed.

EPV

Carlisle's thoughts pushed to the forefront as I tried in vain to block out everyone else in the room who was shouting their concerns at me and concentrate on him, the one person who I wanted to hear but couldn't. I strained to break down his barricade and get inside his head but all I got in return was silence and I needed to know what his intentions were, I needed to know what he wanted with Bella.

"Edward." Carlisle pleaded silently as I ignored him and stood my ground in front of Avery.

"Edward, I need you to calm down, we won't find out anything this way." He tried again.

I ignored my father's words and teetered on the edge of control as my hands ached to tear the man in front of me apart. The only thing holding me back was Bella who I could feel pressed against my back, her small hand trembling in mine.

"Son, this is bigger than we thought. He used to be involved with the Volturi, he's not just some run of the mill vampire, he's dangerous. We're all here and none of us are going to let anything happen to Bella, you know that. But we need answers."

My grip tightened on Bella at the thought of this monster ever being anywhere near her.

I exhaled tightly and finally with hesitation stepped back keeping Bella as far away from him as possible and blocking his sight of her with my body. I ushered Bella through the broken furniture that littered the now dented and splintered floor and I leaned up against the nearest wall and pulled Bella to my side and I nodded reluctantly to Carlisle giving him the floor.

BPV

Edward's hold around me was almost on the verge of being painful but I didn't say anything, even though my mind was numb I knew enough to know he needed me close to him.

I looked on as Avery internally struggled with his next move while everyone in the room watched quietly. He gave me one last pleading glance but when I didn't react his shoulders fell and his hands ran nervously through his hair as he relented and exhaled slowly.

"What…. do you expect me to say?" He finally asked, glancing at Carlisle quickly before returning back to me.

"I think Bella deserves to know the truth." Carlisle said simply.

He took another deep breath and looked down, his face twisted in pain before he shook it off and looked up to meet my eyes.

He was silent for a moment before he finally spoke and I found myself taking that time to finally really look at him. He hadn't changed, it was stupid of me to have expected him to but the more I looked at him I noticed he looked almost tired, his face worn and tense, and his eyes…..his eyes were golden like the man I had once known, not red like the monster that consumed my last memory of him. I flinched at the memory replaying in my head and then realized I had been staring as Avery's eyes bore into mine. I looked away and up at Edward who I also realized had been watching me the entire time and I looked down quickly.

"I never lied to you Bella. I may have left something's out….but I never lied." Avery said, speaking only to me and forgetting everyone else looking on.

Edward huffed beside me and Emmett threw out some snide remark but I barely heard it as the situation took hold of me. I had no idea where this conversation was heading but by those words alone it hit me that everything I thought I knew about Avery had more than likely been a lie.

Carlisle intervened when the conversation came to a stand still. "Maybe you should start from the beginning." He offered as he left Avery's side and walked towards Esme.

I watched as Avery stiffened but his eyes never left mine.

He breathed out a reluctant breath, "I used to do….work, "Avery flinched on the word work, "for the Volturi." He explained vaguely and stopped to gauge my reaction.

"I think you're going to have to be a little more specific." Carlisle pushed in a knowing tone and then gave me a sympathetic glance.

He exhaled sharply and continued.

"The Volturi offered me a position in their army as a bounty hunter when they caught word of my…powers…. and I took them up on it." He explained.

I opened my mouth and then closed it as a million questions flooded me , my face twisted with confusion.

"Bella, I told you that I wasn't always a good person, I told you I had a dark past." He rushed out quickly. I recoiled as the memories of that night hit me and Avery took a hesitated step towards me, his arm outstretched in my direction before Edward growled and he realized what he was doing and stepped back, his arm falling lifeless to his side.

Avery looked away as Edward ran the back of his hand across my cheek lovingly trying to soothe me.

"I did their bidding for years until it became too much." He said softly still looking away from me and distant. "I grew tired of being used, I grew tired of their way of life, and when I realized their way of living only mirrored mine I began to hate myself. I wanted to change, I wanted to be better……" He trailed off. "When I told them I was leaving they weren't having it and I was locked away for months before I was able to escape and I've been on the run ever since."

"Why did you tell me your name was Avery?" I asked quietly not being able to truly grasp everything he was saying just yet and he looked relieved at my easy question.

"Because that's my name Bella." He said simply and gave me a small smile. "I haven't used the name Damien since I left the Volturi. I left that name and the person it belonged to back there and I never looked back. I bounced around from city to city before I came to the states and did the same and I stayed off the grid and kept to myself…..that is, until I met you." He finished softly watching me carefully.

I swallowed hard as his intense eyes bored into mine and I looked to the ground suddenly feeling very uncomfortable having this conversation in front of everyone.

I felt Edward's body grow even more tense beside me before he spoke up and broke the awkward silence.

"Ask him why the Volturi wants him so badly Bella? Ask him what makes him so valuable?"

I looked up at Edward and then followed his gaze towards an irate looking Avery and I couldn't figure out what I was missing.

"Why?" I breathed out.

Avery shook his head slowly at Edward before looking down and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Because I have powers they want Bella." He breathed out heavily after a long pause.

"What kind of powers Avery?" I asked, unconsciously taking a small step forward, the tension in the room was suffocating.

"Avery?" I called shakily when he didn't look up or respond.

He finally raised his head slowly and met my eyes with a broken look. "Bella….Please…. let me talk to you alone."

I shook my head slowly feeling even more numb. The stillness in the room let me know everyone else already had an inkling on what was coming but I didn't. I couldn't wrap my head around it and I couldn't catch up. Maybe deep down…. I didn't want to.

I felt Edward's hand intertwine with mine reassuringly and I braced myself for what was about to come.

"I'm a shield Bella." Avery said softly. "I can block other vampires powers. It's why the Volturi want me and it's also why I've been able to avoid them for so long."

Before he even finished I began shaking my head no. My body trembled as what he said sunk in and everything pieced together.

It wasn't me that was causing all of the problems with Alice's visions.

It wasn't me who had been blocking Jasper from reading me.

It was HIM.

It was HIM.

Oh my god.

I vaguely felt Edward tug me back to him and wrap his arms around my shaking form but it was all a blur. The room swirled and spun as my mind refused to believe what I was hearing.

It was him.

In my room.

The club that night.

The meadow……..

If it was possible I would have been sick.

I used every ounce of strength in my body to turn my head from Edward's chest and look at him.

"You sick fuck." I cried.

"Why…….." I tried to find reason in all of this but a sob escaped me and Edward pulled me tighter to him.

"Baby……" Avery called out and took a step forward but he was quickly interrupted.

"Just stop. Leave! I never want to see you again." I sobbed.

"Bella, you have this all wrong. Please let me explain." Avery pleaded but Emmett and Jasper stepped in between us and blocked my view of him.

"She asked you to leave." Emmett hissed. "And I suggest you quickly oblige." He warned.

I couldn't see but I heard Avery hesitantly make his way out of the room and out the front door but before the door shut his soft desperate words floated back to me.

"This isn't over Bella."

********************

I laid on Edward's bed in a ball staring blankly at the same speck on the wall that I had been staring at for hours now as

Edward laid behind me lightly rubbing his hand up and down my back but he hadn't breathed a word. When he had first carried me up to his room after Avery had left and laid me down I could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves, his body was hard and tense behind me as his sharp breaths fanned out against the back of my neck until he finally forced himself to calm down.

The house was silent. Sometime within the past few hours the others had left without me even realizing it.

I took a deep breath and mustered up all the energy I had left to finally turn in his embrace and look at him and I was greeted with worried eyes.

"I'm sorry." I breathed, my voice raspy from not speaking for so long and he looked at me confused searching my face.

"Bella, what could you possibly have to be sorry for?" He asked softly brushing a strand of hair away from my eyes and tucking it behind my ear, his sweet breath lightly gracing my skin as our faces laid only inches from one another on the same pillow.

"For everything…… For all the baggage I come with….. For you having to put up with it. I'm sorry." I whispered.

He chuckled lightly but it sounded strained.

"Only you would be thinking of others after the day you've had." He said quietly, his eyes following his fingers that were lightly running across my cheekbone.

But then his face turned pained and he took a deep breath and met my eyes.

"Bella….are you okay?" He asked softly, cupping my cheek.

I hesitated and searched hard for how I was feeling. Once I got through the numbness that was threatening to swallow me whole a barage of emotions swam to the surface. I was hurt, scared, and angry, I felt betrayed. But I was better than this, I didn't want to just sit back any longer and let this overtake me. I wanted to be stronger.

"I think…. I'll be okay." I finally breathed weakly and I watched the hope flicker in his golden eyes.

"What about you?" I asked back taking his hand from my cheek and intertwining it with mine. "Today wasn't exactly easy for you either."

He took our hands and brought it to his mouth and I exhaled soflty as his lips kissed the back of my hand.

"If you're okay, then I'm okay." He said simply and gave me his crooked grin but I could tell it was forced.

I smiled weakly back and searched his eyes. "Edward, you don't have to treat me like I'm going to break if you say the wrong thing. I want to know what you're feeling."

He took a deep breath and fidgeted with my fingers.

"I love your fingers." He said quietly, concentrating on them and avoiding my eyes. "Have I ever told you that before?"

"Edward?" I breathed but he didn't respond instead he began slowly kissing each of my finger tips and I struggled to remain focused.

"Edward?" I tried again, this time ducking my head to meet his eyes. When he finally lifted his head my heart broke at the pain I saw poorly hidden on his face.

I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me.

"Bella, please." He pleaded softly and rolled to his back. He draped his arm across his forehead and stared up at the ceiling.

I couldn't see his face so my eyes fell to his perfectly sculpted chest that was rising and falling with each breath, I wasn't sure what to say.

"Edward I ……." I started and I reached for him and ran my fingers up his arm to his forearm.

"Bella…..Not tonight. You've been through too much today, we'll talk about this another time."

"Edward….No." I said quickly and was surprised at the strength in my own voice.

Edward uncovered his face and stared back at me incredulously.

"No?" He repeated his brow pulled down in confusion.

"No." I repeated. "If this was the other way around you wouldn't let me just brush you off like you're trying to do with me. We are going to talk about this, Edward." I rushed out quickly and quietly but with conviction.

I looked on as he stared back up at the ceiling and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes roughly before he sat up quickly and through his legs over the side of the bed and sat there, his head in his hands and his back to me.

I swallowed hard thinking I had pushed too far and I slowly reached for him, my hand trembling and unsure.

"I didn't mean….." I stammered and Edward blanched.

"I wanted to kill him." Edward's voice was deadly and distant and cut through the silence of the room.

"Wh ……wha…." I stuttered and my outstretched hand fell lifelessly before it made it to him.

He stood up and began pacing along side of the bed.

"I could have killed him Bella." He said, his tone biting and then he lowered his voice. "I wanted to….." he trailed off darkly.

"Bu…but you didn't, you wouldn't of……" I trailed off when he stopped his pacing and turned towards me. The look in his eyes told me different.

"After everything he's done, after all the pain he's caused you…..trust me Bella, I could of and I wouldn't of thought twice about it."

He stared at me as his words sunk in.

"What…stopped you?" I asked hesitantly.

"You Bella, you stopped me. I knew if I acted on my impulses you would of never forgiven me and I would of lost you forever."

I sat there quietly staring up at him. I wasn't sure what to say to that.

Did I hate Avery?

Yes.

But did I want to see him hurt or dead?

That didn't sit right with me.

Edward took my silence as affirmation to what he had just said and he looked down before slowly crossing the room to his window and stepping out onto his balcony.

I breathed out in aggravation. No matter what I did I couldn't seem to do right by him.

I climbed off of the bed and padded over to him.

He looked ethereal standing in the moonlight, both of his hands outstretched on each side propping himself up on the railing as he looked out into the darkness.

I reached out and held onto his hips and let my forehead fall against the middle of his back.

"Edward…..I love you. You know that right?" I asked, speaking into his shirt.

He sighed and I felt one of his hands close around mine and pull it around to his stomach. "Yes I know that."

"You can't fault me for feeling the way I do, even after everything he's done I could never wish something like that on him or anybody else for that matter." I reasoned.

"Bella… I do know that too. You have nothing but goodness in you, I never expected anything less." He said softly caressing my hand in his.

We stood in silence for a long time like that untl I couldn't take it anymore and I finally spoke.

"Edward, what are we going to do?" I asked softly, nuzzling into the back of his shirt and breathing in the calming smell of his scent and the smell of cotton mixed with detergent that was washing over me.

"I don't know." He answered quietly.

I hesitated. "He's not done, he'll be back." I whispered closing my eyes as I felt Edward tense under me.

He pulled me around to his front and wrapped his arms around me and I snuggled deep into his chest as he buried his face into my hair before he spoke quietly into my ear.

"I know."

AN: So please review and def. let me know what you think about my plan for this story! Again, You guys are amazing! Now Review Review Review!