A/N: Hey everyone, I have had a major case of writers block not to mention trying to get registered for school and taking care of that. So the last time I updated was over a month ago and I apologize and appreciate everyone's emails and thoughts, so here we go with the next chapter! And please review for me, it definitely helps me with putting out another chapter a bit quicker. Thanks and much love, Passionate86.

CHAPTER 20 Waiting Game

I couldn't tell what was going on with Alice, her expression seemed a bit more blank than usually after she has one of her visions.

"Alice, what did you see?" I said grabbing her hand to break her out of her coma-like trance.

She just stared at me like I was a stranger to her, no words seemed to be forming from her lips, but I could tell by Edward's reactions, she was having a conversation with him, so how could this actually be? Edward wasn't going nuts, so I assumed it couldn't be all that bad, or could it?

"I demand to know what your vision was about!" Aro demanded in a less than pleasant voice.

"I don't know what you are talking about Aro," Alice automatically went back to her former state of, well Alice.

"You're lying, I know you just had a vision. Come to me now!" he seethed.

"Like I said dear Aro, I don't know what you are talking about, I was just thinking about what I forgot to grab from our trip to the Amazon, that's all. No worries," she tried to reassure him, which I doubt was working.

Aro had already seen what had transpired when he touched Ryan, so he was already angry and there wasn't a slight chance he would be trusting anything we said or did now.

It was just a waiting game, waiting for either Caius to arrive or for the Switch of the Pure to take affect. Which in this short time it gave me a chance to reflect of the events that occurred.

What I knew more than anything was that Aro was here because he was on a power trip, he wanted to control what was decided and how things, our lives to be more exact, turned out. He deceived us from the beginning tell us that I had to be a vampire for at least twenty years before I could become queen. He lied. I'm not sure he even told the truth about the Black Veil, or if he was the one that had alerted Caius. It made sense, he could have called him when we left him at our house because he was "punishing" Jane. He even got Ryan to believe his lies, that I was promised to him and we had already discussed everything in advance. I had to give it to him, Aro was sneaking and conniving and I shouldn't have expected anything less from him.

So here we are now, Jane was dead so Aro didn't have her on his side, he figured we must have been all too stupid to figure out his true plans and she was just collateral damage, a loose end he didn't need. Ryan managed his way over to our side of the living room and was now standing behind the couch, almost as if he were cowering away from Aro, which I didn't blame him to some point. And in the midst of everything, Rose, Esme, and Emmett had made their way downstairs and were standing near the couch as well.

We were all together as a family, waiting to see what was to come, Emmett and Jasper could have easily taken Joel and Valentino, leaving just Aro and Mary. Knowing Mary the short time I had, I would not have thought twice about where her loyalty would have been.

We hadn't talked much but I knew Mary didn't belong in Italy with the rest of the guard, she wasn't fond of the way they "operated" and she was very interested in our way of life, so I doubt she would stick it out with Aro, who was almost a sinking ship on his own.

Carlisle and Edward in the meantime where whispering back and forth so that Aro could not hear them, and Emmett was talking in his outdoor voice, which happened to be his inside voice as well, just to make sure anything Aro or his minions did hear was muffled from his booming laughter and voice.

"Bella, why are you doing this to me?" Aro all of a sudden snapped me out of my thoughts with his delirious question.

"What do you mean? You are the one that came here to deceive us, am I wrong? You lied about the scrolls and what they really said, the truth behind your motives isn't what you initially claimed it to be, and here you are, waiting for your dear brother to come and bail you out. And you are asking me why WE are doing this, I think it is the other way around Aro, I should be asking you why you are doing this? What is the truth? I said firing back at him, not caring if he was offended anymore.

I didn't think twice about Aro being a member of the Volturi, he was planning on hurting my family and I wasn't going to have it anymore.

My confidence to stand up to him was definitely something new for me, when it came to Aro, or any of the guard, I tended to be very shy and nervous, now I was ready for anything they cold throw at me.

"I don't have to answer your silly questions, I can sense my brother is close, just wait, you will see then, you all will see then the wrath we can unleash. Bella, you will be sorry you tried to trick me, just watch!" he seemed overly confident and I still didn't seem worried one bit, I knew I should be, but with the new found confidence I was ready to take on the whole guard by myself. I didn't fear them anymore.

"Bella, test yourself, command one of them to do something, and if they obey, the ritual should be complete," Alice quietly whispered in my ear much to Aro's displeasure.

"Joel and Valentino, go wait outside for Caius," I coolly asked them.

They both seemed to waver from wanting to obey me, to wanted to stay and protect Aro, I seemed to be having some type of influence on them, but it didn't seem strong enough for them to actually listen.

"Why would they do that?" Aro asked cautiously.

"What is the difference, you know we wont attack you, that's not what we are about, so what is the difference if they stay or go, right?" I asked nonchalantly as to not give away my secret.

I knew Alice said that it would take about an hour for the Switch of the pure to be complete, but I didn't know if we even had that long left, seeing Caius was to be arriving shortly anyways.

"I am not taking any chance's with you keeping your word," he said letting an irritated growl slip out of his chest.

It was another ten minutes or so after that when he sense the presence of others getting closer, Caius and the guard I presume.

"You're in for it now Cullen's," Aro seemed almost excited at the thought of us being punished by him and Caius.

Our family seemed to be grouped closer together, each of us next to our mate's just in case these may be our final moments, none of us had a clear picture of what was to come, not even Alice, she seemed more nervous than any of us and I took that as a not so good sign of what was to come.

Valentino had started to make his way towards the back door when we noticed the cloaked figures coming through the back yard making their way to us, opening the door letting them know it was ok to just come it, like they were invited.

Several members of the guard came in first making sure it was safe and okay for Caius enter before he actually did. He removed his cloak once in and I knew right then that he was not happy in the least bit. His face was contorted in anger and fury seemed to linger, waiting to be released on the first to cross him.

"Hello dear brother," he said not even looking Aro's direction, but focusing his attention on me, now I was nervous, what was in store for me now?

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A/N: Please, again let me know what you think I know its been a while but these last few chapters have been difficult. There are only 2 chapters left so review and tell me how you think it should end!