A/N: Thanks folks 'Watching' just passed 90,000 hits xx Alexis

Demetri

I know that my jealousy is irrational, but I also know it's instinctive and can't be curbed. Not that I'd ever want to tackle that specific vampire. Even though it's his arrival that has sparked my reaction and attitude. Major Jasper Whitlock was and maybe still is the most dangerous vampire in our world and not only that, he's brought his Captain and the Captain's mate with him. So now my mate has three strong warriors at her beck and call. Every time they call her Sugar or Darling, I bristle because that should be me. The most terrible part of all this is the fact Bella is right, I was cruel to her and I was nasty.

As I am to all humans and that's all she was to me in the beginning, just another pathetic human. But the mating pull would not be denied, so I used anger to cover my confusion, my distaste and directed it all at her. She who was the injured party along with me, she was the one I treated the worst. That's what she can't accept or understand. It's her skewed opinion on how vampires should behave that's the problem. The Cullens were not normal by any standards, any vampire standards that is. She doesn't seem to be aware their whole family was a facade, one built for Edward Cullen alone.

But he the selfish child didn't even appreciate it. Carlisle has been read by Aro and the plan was in his head long ago, to build a perfect family, that's a joke! He never once considered they would have free will and make their own choices because they were vampires and not human. He was so determined they be as human as possible and that can't and doesn't work. Vampires are selfish, almost myopic in their view on life. But Bella was human and therefore saw the illusion they were trying to project, but it wasn't real, never could be real.

I hope the Major explains that to her soon because she sees the Volturi as wrong and it's the exact opposite. Granted we act childishly at times, but most of us aren't much older than Bella herself. I follow them all back to the Citadel and wonder what will happen now. Aro will be less than amused about her entourage; he might even see it as a threat. When Masters Marcus and Caius wade in on her side there might well be trouble. I hope so, I want him dead! He's the reason I'm trailing my mate like a dog.

I feel my emotions lift slightly and sense others being sent to me. Patience, resolve, fortitude and courage are swirling around me and I know the Major is responsible. Looks like he'll be speaking to me soon enough, I will take all the help I can get. I need to know everything there is to know about Isabella Swan.

Marcus

As I await Caius and Isabella's return I hear Aro ranting about Gianna being changed without his permission, only to be informed Caius changed her himself. Then he's going on about Afton's demotion, only to find I did it upon finding him spying upon my quarters. He's livid at being thwarted at every turn, but there is an air of smugness about his tone. He's up to something, but what? I need to speak to Renata if anyone knows it's her.

"Marcus, we're back" I hear Isabella call and I'm startled,

I never heard them approaching nor entering the castle at all. She must be shielding them all; does she really have such a good grip on this already?

"Mia figlia, you are aware you're shielding your group of friends? Caius and Demetri, to I believe. I heard nothing until you spoke" I tell her proudly, but she is surprised, Captain Whitlock is not.

They are every inch the American cowboys and girl, all clad in denim. Boots and hats on all three. It's so casual and laid back, but it does nothing to detract from how utterly dangerous they all look. The Captain and his mate are matching but slightly different, him in pale blue denim with a black t'shirt, boots and hat and she is in a darker blue, also with black accessories. The Major is in black from head to foot and being blond it makes him stand out more than them, it makes his scars stand out more too. I don't think Isabella sees the danger signals, she is just happy to have them here with her.

She really was told nothing about vampires by the Cullens, well nothing useful anyway. They are basically telling the world this is our leader and he's dangerous, stay away from us all. It's not a fashion statement, but a warning, just like many animals do it, so do vampires. The Romanian brothers were always dressed in black for the same reason, when they ruled, with the edition of imperial purple. We decided to make our guard up like that, the darker the cloak the higher up they are and the more deadly. We ourselves wear black cloaks but with red lining to show our status above them all. It's all designed to say much, without saying anything.

"Am I Marcus? I didn't realise I'd done anything!" Isabella replied, she still thought and acted like a human most of the time, which would have to change if she planned to take her revenge here in Volterra.

"Suga', you got to stop that! You ain't human, stop tryin' to act like one. You used it while you was changin', so you know it's there and you know how to use it. Doin' it without thinkin' is still usin' it! Can't you feel it when it's deployed; have you ever tried to sense it?" Peter said a little unsympathetically,

"Peter!" the Major warned,

"No, if she's old enough to come here and slit her own damned throat, then she's old enough to work out her own shit! Don't baby her Major, that'll only get her killed" he retorted and Isabella almost blanched,

"Yes, I felt it while I was changing, Renata showed me a couple of things. Though I haven't actually tried since I woke" she said slightly chastised and I sensed she felt slightly stupid,

"Why not? It's all that stands between you and Aro Volturi. He's not waitin' around for you to find your feet suga', he's got plans!" Peter told her and she looked like she wanted to either cry or hit him,

"Captain? What do you know of Aro's plans? I sensed smugness in his voice earlier" I asked now,

"Who is Bella's weakest link?" he quizzes us all,

"Fuck! Her father Chief Swan!" the Major blurted out,

"My dad, but he thinks I'm dead!" Isabella said still not seeing it,

"Aro will use him against you. You comply with his wishes and your father lives, that type of deal!" Caius said now,

"No!" she whispered.

MDWBMR

Emmett

I never was one to believe in premonitions, but as a vampire, I've seen many things that are in truth unexplainable. Hell, my own so-called sister was psychic. So when I got this feeling to be here in Forks, I didn't hesitate to heed the warning. I've relieved Jacob, or Jake as he preferred to be called from watching the Chief duty, to get some sleep, the boy was almost dead on his feet. Unlike him, I'm up a tree, so as not to leave my scent all over the ground. Any strangers will hopefully be so confused with the wolves smell; they should be distracted and give me the chance to catch them unawares.

Rose was now up a tree on the other side of the house giving us an all-round view. She was really enjoying herself earlier, destroying Edward and Alice's things. It's no compensation for the hell they put our family and poor Bella through and because of them, it was still happening. Jake found that truly amusing, Edward's precious Volvo turned into a bunch of metal roses to adorn an empty grave. I had done everything I set out to do here; the Forks house had been sold and would now be a guest house for hunters and fishermen.

The community would benefit from the sale and I didn't even ask for top dollar, just said it was to be a quick sale due to solvency problems. By the time Carlisle and Esme realised it would be too late to stop it from going through. I'd sold every house we had since Rose and I joined the 'family', they still had Isle Esme, Edward house in Chicago and Carlisle's house in England. They will be surprised when the movers arrive in Ithaca.

I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of a few vampires approaching from the rear of Bella's house. They weren't even trying to be stealthy, but were arrogant and cocky, seeing themselves as the top of the food chain. Charlie Swan smelled as good as his daughter and would not survive this visit, I'm sure. I text Sam Uley and got into position to herd them away from the Chief, Rose was by my side now and she nodded and we both leapt into their path.

"Can we help you? You seem a might off the beaten track and into our territory!" I said whilst remembering what Jasper said about stance and how to intimidate even before a fight.

"What the Fuck? Duke you said, Aro said these freaks had moved on!" said one not very bright looking one,

"Shut the Fuck up moron!" said Duke, I presume,

Rose and I stepped forward together and they back up a little confused as to why we were here in Forks.

"Hunting humans isn't permitted in Forks," Rose said now and they sneered as her,

"Is that right baby? Who says?" Duke replies leering at my Rosie, but I hold in my temper and the growl that wants to escape.

"That would be them!" I said pointing behind them where six horse-sized wolves stood silently, shit another one phased,

"Hi guys, we were just saying to these..., these vampires that you don't allow hunting in Forks. But they weren't hunting; they were heading straight for Chief Swan's house. That didn't look very random to me!" Rosie said sweetly and the wolves all growled lowly.

"Oh dear, they aren't pleased, maybe it's because their Chief is Charlie Swan's closest friend and he's under their protection," I say as they break for it,

The four thugs split up thinking they could outrun the wolves or us. Rose and I grabbed Duke before he made it thirty feet and using some of Jasper's moves we take him to his knees and restrain him,

"Okay Duke start talking," I say and at first he shakes his head, then we hear the first scream and the sound of tearing vampire bodies.

That loosens his tongue and the grip I had on his head didn't do any harm.

"Aro sent us to collect that man, Charlie Swan. He said nothing about you Cullens still being here or those giant things! He wanted leverage on a woman in Volterra, that's all he said" he blabbed at us,

The wolves all returned carrying the other three in bits and dropping them in a heap beside Duke and he actually paled, which is hard for a vampire.

"So Duke, this what's going to happen. You're going to get in touch with Aro and tell him Charlie Swan is under the auspices of the Quileute protectors.

Aro knew all about them the minute he read my ex brother's mind, so he sent you and your men to your possible deaths. I'd ask for more money if I was you and if he says no! You could suggest telling Bella Swan he tried to have her father kidnapped.

Then, Duke, you run! If you make it to the sound you live if not the wolves will rip you to shreds. Your men are forfeit and now the wolves have your scent, you will be caught and killed if you ever return to Washington State" I said pulling his phone out of his pocket and placing it on the ground in front of him.

MDWBMR

Jasper

"Crisis averted! Emmett and Rose caught them with the help of the wolves. Now suga' Aro's not goin' to stop tryin' to find a way to get one over on you. So it's time for you to get ready. Fight trainin' at dawn, we'll see you then" Peter said before he and Char swept out of the room,

"Is he always so pushy?" Bella asked sarcastically,

"Only when he's right darlin', Peter's no subtle, but he is right. You need to start this soon or leave Volterra. You're a vampire now, not a high school kid. Those days are gone and ain't never comin' back" I told her straight and she blinked rapidly,

I felt sorry for her, but sorry don't get you anyplace fast. Bella might be determined, but she wasn't thinkin' quick enough. When it came to power and control vampires moved at speed and the Volturi faster still. These were not the tame Cullens she was dealin' with, there were no rules of etiquette here. I fear she has a seriously false sense of what being a vampire was, we weren't human and most didn't ever want to be that weak again. Time for a talk, Marcus should have given it to her when she woke. I know it's only been a few hours but in that time Aro has fired his first salvo.

"Bella, everythin' you knew and everythin' you learned from the Cullens needs to be discarded. They were not a true representation of what vampires are like. We are selfish, possessive and in most cases greedy for more power than we already have. A few of us are happy with our lot most of the time, like me, Peter and Char and even Marcus. The other side of the coin was Edward and Alice, but also Aro. He being by far the worst, his status has given him a taste of total domination and he wants more, always more" I say, watchin' this sink it,

"We may be immortal, but the lifespan of most is decades. Some much less, hell I killed hundreds before they made it to an hour. So far in your young life, six vampires have been killed because of you. James, Laurent, Eloise and the three thugs in Forks. That reminds me I'll have to set Rose and Emmett on Victoria's tail.

But it's like that for all of us; you can't take blame or credit. It is what it is! We live differently from humans; we have no family ties because most can't remember their life before and just as many have outlived their human families. You have to let go and move on because you can never go back. Survival is the name of the game now, stayin' immortal is harder than becomin' immortal!" I continue and she is stunned and confused,

That idyllic life the Cullens painted for her has been the eternity she strived for and it doesn't exist. Marcus is noddin' in agreement with me. If anyone would know it's him and he needs to tell her his story.

"Marcus, you need to tell Bella about your life and I'll go change and speak to..., the guard!" I say gettin' up after squeezin' her hand to reassure her.

I pull out my phone as I leave and phone Emmett. There has been a spate of suspicious deaths in Seattle Peter said and I need them to check it out.

Marcus

The Major is correct; I should have told her this while she changed and not our laws. One thing proved the other, vampires need tight constraints or they can run amok. But still, we get the strange ones like the Cullens that throw almighty spanners in the works. I take her hand and lead her to the sofa and we sit. It's been a while since I dredged all of this up. But needs must and I painstakingly wade through the mire that is or was my life. I don't hold back and give her every gory detail.

Explaining that the Major was right about the control and greed, that being what led her to this point in time. Now she knew of the lengths Aro would go to get his own way. Even familial ties didn't stop him in his quest for ultimate control. I had just finished my story when Caius arrived and he decided to tell her all about his life too. Even being brothers we had different lives as vampires. The supernaturals hate for Caius was Aro's doing not his own.

Isabella had as a human thought Caius to be Aro's attack dog and once upon a time he was. But the reason was of Aro's making and his burden to carry, not that he did. He had told Caius that werewolves had killed Didyme and Caius went berserk and almost annihilated a whole species before he or should I say Felix discovered the truth. Granted the whole thing had granted Caius a superior status among vampires but it was at a terrible cost to the world around us.

I think Isabella was surprised at how little remorse or self-hatred Caius had and he told her, that was a human trait, not a vampire one. It was done and could not be undone no matter how much it was wanted by others. Asking her what would be gained by him tormenting and torturing himself about it. She shook her head looking for something to say that would explain to him how she felt and I saw the moment she realised, her opinion was irrelevant to Caius.

She now saw she had no right to judge him on something that happened thousands of years ago. Unlike humans, vampires don't normally cast up things from the past and beat others over the head with it. We only interested ourselves in the here and now, only personal grievances fester if left unresolved. In other words, generally, vampires minded their own business and kept out of others unless we wished to die for the annoyance caused. I sense she's seeing it slowly, that unlike the Cullens we weren't pretending to be something we no longer were. Human rules cannot be applied to immortals, they can't hold up under the rigours of time.

MDWBMR

Aro

God damn it all to hell! Duke failed his mission to retrieve the Swan human. Blamed me for not telling him about the wolves, which granted I didn't. Said the Cullens were still there and working with the wolves on Isabella's behalf, he believed. Once again I'm thwarted by that child and now I find during the evening three warriors arrived and didn't present themselves to me. Both Caius and Marcus were aware before me that they were here. I won't stand for this disobedience, they all are getting above their stations in life, stations I set for them!

I doubt very much the Carlisle would have been helping the girl who was instrumental in his son's death. He is predictable in his blind adherence to acting human. So it leaves only the other coven mate Emmett and his Amazon of a mate, yes I think that it was they who somehow worked out my plans for the girl's father. Meanwhile, I now have Major Whitlock under my roof and his Captain and his mate too. Two of the three would be great additions to my collection, but that bitch will be shielding them from Chelsea and Alec now.

Chelsea is proving to be next to useless nowadays. She never tied Felix to me because Caius threatened her with death. And I presume Felix did the same, she has slowly lost power over Marcus and now Demetri is outside her control too. At this rate, that child will free everyone and I will have no support left. I would order the wives to help, but under her shield, they would change sides willingly. Then they would know Sulpicia was not my mate at all. That would give them the chance to remove me they needed, I have managed to keep that secret from the beginning.

Bella

My vampire brain is reeling; I now see I know absolutely nothing truthful about vampires. All I thought I knew was Carlisle Cullen's lies and dogma. Carlisle has done me no favours at all and I fear for Emmett and Rose out there. Thank God that Jasper came into their lives and helped them gain some knowledge and trained them to fight. I'm so grateful to them for saving my dad and any anger I held for them has evaporated because truly the did nothing wrong. They all behaved for once like vampires and just let me go because I really was not integral to their way of life.

Jasper's right I'm not human anymore, I'm a vampire and need to think and act like one or die. So first, train and plan. Chelsea needs a beat down so I think that might be the answer. I need to fight her fair and square and leave a permanent reminder for her and others not to tangle with me. Then once I've physically beaten her I will remove Aro's need for her. If she can't subjugate anyone for him then what use is she? If he kills her well so be it, power like hers should not be used on behalf of a megalomaniac.

She must have known where it would all lead and did nothing to slow or stop it, so she's as guilty as Aro. He will be harder to stop and I can imagine he'll hide behind even his wife and throw her to the wolves to save his own hide. Yes, I swore I'd awake as a new me and although it's a little late I understand it now. In the vampire world, it's kill or be killed! I have no intentions of dying anytime soon, I have a mate to make wish he had never been born. Then maybe I'll forgive him, maybe! It all depends if he continues to grovel like a wimp or man's up to his own flaws.

I was just about to leave for the training courtyard when my phone rang,

"Hello, Bella speaking," I said, unsure who it was as the number was not one I knew,

"Bella, it's Rose!" she replied and I smiled,

Here was a woman who always owned it and I had thought her a bitch back then. Whereas she was the most real of the three Cullen females, Rose told it how it was and never pulled her punches. Maybe she should be my new role model; I think she'd get a kick out of that.

Hey Rose, thank you for saving Charlie. He doesn't need dragging into this world, tell Emmett and the wolves I said thank you please" I asked her and she made a noise of agreement,

"I wanted to tell you what I'd done, before anyone else and I mean Peter. Do you remember Dickward's favourite car? Well, I crushed it into the bare metal and fashioned it into a bunch of steel roses to place on your memorial stone. If there's an afterlife I want him to see what he treasured most, on the marker of his greatest defeat. Let him see how pathetic he was to be beaten by a human girl. I hope you don't mind, the wolves found it funny anyway?" she told me in her no-nonsense voice, meaning she didn't care if I approved or not.

"Send me a picture of that, please. Oh, and Rose, can I be you when I grow up?" I asked and heard her laughter ringing out as she closed the call. I think that might have been a yes!