A/N: This is a twist on the original Twilight plot where Bella was changed first (in 1826) and is living with the Volturi. In keeping with the authentic storyline, Edward was changed in 1918 by Carlisle and rebelled against him from 1927 to 1931. This story begins in 1931 and will continue on to include all of the regular Twilight characters with some minor tweaks. I also intend for this Bella to be a little more self-confident and assertive. I would be grateful for any and all feedback!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

I swirled the blood in my glass like a human might swish wine before sampling it. I never understood the grandeur of drinking blood from crystalline glasses but it had become something of a tradition in the past few decades. Aro had us sit like some convoluted family at the dining room table and sip our dinners at least once a week. I knew it was mostly for my benefit, so I didn't complain for fear of hurting his feelings.

He was always keenly attune to my emotions and sought to make me happy as much as possible. When the violent display at meal times began to turn my stomach, he altered it to placate me, in spite of how the others responded. Sure, they all congregated to devour their meals like normal when I wasn't there, but Aro made them play civilized as a Sunday ritual.

I blamed my growing disdain for such violence on Carlisle. I had been adamant that I was a soulless monster, devoid of any kind of conscience and he had been hell bent on coaxing one within me. I wondered what he would make of me now. It had been nearly fifty years since he left us and despite our monthly letters back and forth, I missed his company. His absence brought a hollow ache in my chest and maybe that's what softened my resolve with Demetri. He was patient throughout my many years among them and never pushed me too far, but I knew what his aim was. And eventually, there were just more reasons to indulge than avoid.

He squeezed my knee gently and it brought me back to the dinner table. Aro was discussing a high number of rogue killings in the United States and I resisted the urge to zone back out. These matters held no interest to me and it was clear Aro was already handling it, so I didn't understand the necessity to inform us.

"Santiago was dispatched to Chicago earlier today, but I worry he will have trouble tracking."

Aro stressed the last word and his intent became clear. Demetri pinched the bridge of his nose and Aro shifted his attention to me.

"Would you mind if I sent Demetri as well, Isabella?" Jane scoffed under her breath and I didn't even bother to glance at her. She hated whenever Aro consulted me or actually asked my permission. I could become invisible altogether and she'd still find something to be displeased with, but Aro provided her plenty of ammunition. Demetri slid his hand higher to rest on my thigh.

"Could he leave in the morning?" My request was innocent enough but Felix guffawed from the other end of the table and Demetri growled.

Aro smiled kindly at me. "Of course, my dear."

Demetri agreed at once and I took another large sip. I got a pleasurable buzz from feeding and it heightened my senses, making me hyper aware of Demetri's fingertips tracing the edge of my panties.

"Excellent. Perhaps Felix would like to join you, Demetri." Aro offered in a tone that left no room for debate.

Felix glared at me like I was somehow responsible for his terrible fate. Heidi let out a musical laugh and winked at me. We went to La Perla this morning and I knew he intended to hole up with her for at least a few days. Oops.

The moment passed and Aro went on to outline his expectations for the trip. I was only half listening, barely conscious of my surroundings at all as Demetri brushed my center. It took all of my self control to remain still and appear composed. I glowered at his angelic smirk and drained the rest of my glass.

"May I be excused?" I all but squeaked.

Aro nodded and stood to kiss my forehead. "Goodnight, sweet Bella."

I was continually astonished by his softness toward me, given his rigidity with everyone else. There was a distance he maintained with the others that didn't seem to apply to me. Over the years, I had learned to be appreciative and not question it. I thanked him for dinner and excused myself to my room.

My 'room' could really be considered a wing; there was a bedroom, bathroom, sitting area, enormous closet, and a patio overlooking the city of Volterra. The bedroom color scheme was charcoal gray with cream embellishments and cherry wood furniture. The grays became softer in the sitting area and the bathroom with added touches of rose. I spent hours nestled on the couch, pouring through the thousands of books Aro gifted me and filled the cream shelves with my favorites.

I slipped out of my dinner clothes and into my black satin robe, reveling in its feel on my skin. I left the new undergarments on since I knew Demetri would come in soon and settled on the couch to read Anna Karenina for the umpteenth time.

I knew the moment he entered but pretended to be absorbed in my reading. He bent to whisper in my ear. "Are you ignoring me, cara mia?"

I flipped the page, seeing nothing, as his lips trailed to my neck. He nipped the skin there and grinned as I lurched forward. His hand ghosted over the tie of my robe and shrugged it off my shoulders.

I stood abruptly and turned away from him. "Punishment."

His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me into his stone chest. "For?"

He ran his thumb over the lace covering my nipple and it peaked to meet him. "Dinner." I breathed weakly.

He continued to rub slow circles and his other hand cupped my hip. "Felix was looking at you."

"Felix always looks at me."

His fingers dug into my hip bone. "He's not allowed to. You're mine."

I twisted in his arms and stared into his smoldering eyes. "He's not looking now."

He tossed me onto the bed and held himself above me, raking his eyes down my body. He toyed with the hem of the black lace panties. "I like these."

He ripped them clean off me and I smirked. "I thought you might."

I pulled his shirt over his head, scraping my fingernails along the planes of his back. The rest of our clothes were quickly discarded and he dropped his mouth to my nipple, rolling the other. I arched off the bed and moaned, watching his eyes blacken at the sound.

There were no soft words of endearment or cries of ecstasy in the throes of passion. We moaned and grunted and hissed, sounding more animal than human, rushing to our release. I had read countless novels depicting fairytale romances and the ethereal act of making love. As Demetri slammed into me over and over, biting my neck and making my legs quake, I decided we weren't making love. Maybe only humans were capable of that act. Humans make love, vampires fuck. When his thumb moved to rub hard over my clit, I'm not even sure I cared for the distinction.

We came within moments of each other, me crying out softly, him roaring and he panted on top of me as we floated back to earth. He slid out of me and we both hissed at the sensation. He made short work of redressing and offered me his typical nightly parting. "Goodnight, my Bella."

I laid tangled in the sheets for a while, imagining fruitlessly what making love was like. I couldn't really call it true longing, more burning curiosity. What would it be like to stare into adoring eyes and to feel the love emanating from someone as we became one? What would it feel like to treasure his touch beyond the simple release and to call out his name as it washed over me? I acknowledged the possibility that I had made love in my human life, but it seemed doubtful. I came from a conservative era and was only seventeen when I was turned. Moreover, I felt like I would remember that human experience, if nothing else. I had probably at least kissed someone.

Demetri and I seldom kissed each other's lips, maybe because it seemed like a waste of time. A chore, a build-up to the true goal. I wanted to know what it felt like to crave someone's mouth on mine, not caring what followed, just wanting their kiss.

Even 'my Bella' was a possessive claim, not an endearment. We never spoke of love or commitment to one another and yet, I was just fucked because Felix stared at me during dinner. Is that love?

I threw back the sheet and flew to the bathroom. The scalding water provided a nice distraction from my thoughts. It didn't hurt in the way humans felt pain, more like it hurt enough for me to feel something. As the years dragged on, I was growing increasingly desperate to feel something.

When I finished showering, I stripped the sheets on the bed and put on fresh ones. I discarded my tattered lingerie with a satisfied smirk. I may not be loved but being ogled is a nice consolation prize. When I was a newborn, the boys teased me relentlessly about my modesty but Aro always came to my defense. It seemed most female vampires held a self-assured attitude and flaunted their exceptional beauty. It took me many decades and girl talks with Heidi to shed that layer of insecurity about my body. I didn't traipse around naked now, but I certainly didn't hide my figure either. I was (what I deemed) the healthy balance between proud and reserved.

I retrieved my robe from the floor and put it back on, settling once again on the couch to read. Books offered me an escape from reality and I could usually envelop myself in imaginary worlds but tonight my mind kept drifting. I played that sick little game with myself where I grasped onto the tiny fragments of my human memories, struggling to expand them and peek at their contents. They were barely flashes, glimpses, of faces and emotions.

A red ribbon sliding across my palm as I bend my elbow. Maybe I put my hair up with it? The bellowing laugh of a man that spreads warmth through me. My brother? My father? A soft caress on my cheek, feather light and tender. Could I have been loved by someone?

I knew in my heart that I was grasping at straws, aching for some kind of epiphany. Some tether to my humanity. Even if I did have a loved one once, they wouldn't exist over a hundred years later. Even if they did, what would they make of me now? A blood-thirsty demon with no recollection of them. I shuddered and forced my mind back to the words on the page.

I read and reread as the sun rose until Heidi came to my room at nine the next morning. Demetri and Felix left and were expected back in three days with the criminal. We swapped gossip about his crimes and I learned he was lauded as a vigilante in the States, killing other criminals. I didn't know what to make of that. I couldn't decide if it was stupid or honorable.

"Where would you go, if you could visit America?"

I thought about it and then thought about lying, knowing what she'd think of my mundane answer. "Maybe Montana. The landscape is stunning there."

She predictably scoffed. "I want energy and adventure. I'd go for New York or Chicago."

"I'm sure they would be amazing too." I conceded.

She pulled out a photo album from my bookshelf and flipped through it. We had filled a few with our travels over the past few decades. Usually they were business related when a coven issue arose and Aro let us stay and explore once things were handled. Twice a year, we went on plain vacations- once with Demetri and Felix and once as just a girl's trip. The standouts thus far were Santorini, Ireland, and New Zealand. I had an entire photo album dedicated to each of them and Heidi was perusing the scenery shots of New Zealand, with us sprinkled in every few photos.

"Remember the blood bar in Ireland?" Heidi asked. I nodded and laughed at the glazed look in her eye.

"Yeah, I think Demetri and Felix had a field day."

"You had quite a few Bloody Mary's yourself, dear."

I winced at the memory and she giggled. I really do act drunk when I've had too much blood. "I'd prefer not to reminisce about that particular excursion."

Heidi just laughed harder. "You made Demetri give you a piggyback ride to the hotel."

I tried to deflect, grateful I couldn't blush. "I swear, that was the only time we saw them during that trip."

They spent hours upon hours chatting with the vampires that passed through and gourging on blood while Heidi and I went sightseeing. It was one of the few times they regarded Carlisle with the respect he deserves, since the owner was a close friend of his and raved about him. I always marvelled at how he was able to befriend vampires with such a different lifestyle. Initially, I figured there was a certain superiority or judgement he must hold over the rest of us but I came to know how truly genuine and unassuming he is.

The pang of bitter resentment rooted in my chest. It was unjustified since I had no claim to him and I knew how unhappy he grew to be in Volterra, but I resented his departure like abandonment. He was the closest thing to a father I've ever known and that grated on Aro. I think he feared when Carlisle left, I'd leave with him and I might have, if he ever asked. We kept in touch with letters and every few years he'd visit, but his absence affected me deeply. He gave me companionship and affection and some semblance of normalcy. Without him, I drifted into complacency in everyday life. Sure, the spectacular sights abroad could jolt me back for a moment, but I became withdrawn. In truth, I was lonely and my only marginal consolation was befriending Heidi. I think Aro anticipated us bonding to the same degree in Carlisle's absence but I couldn't shake the feeling that any connection we'd build would be forced and an inadequate replacement.

"I think it's sweet you two still write to each other." Heidi commented, making me realize I had pulled the box of his letters from beneath the couch.

"I miss him."

She patted my shoulder. "It's been awhile since he visited."

"Almost fourteen years." I agreed sourly. "He's never left such a gap before."

"At least he's happy, right?"

I hid my grimace. "Right."

Heidi distracted me from my obvious discomfort and asked how the new lingerie pieces went over.

"The remnants are sitting in my waste basket. I'd say they were a hit."

She grinned. "They're both animals."

I nodded. "Poor vigilante, he has no idea what's coming for him."

A/N: I'll give you three guesses who our poor vigilante is- I promise he's coming next and Carlisle too! What's he been up to for the past fourteen years? Thoughts on Vampire Bella and her set-up in Volterra?