Hey Y'all... not quite as long a hiatus as previously, but still a helluva wait. Thanks to those of you that have stuck with me, and those that pester me to continue. I do read all those messages and reviews. They do help to spur me back to the keyboard to continue... without further ado, here's your update!

Chapter 22

Dean PoV

I see the phone slip from Remi's hand and I know it can't be good news. In fact, it's probably the worst news. Sam picks up the phone and continues the conversation with Arabella. Remi has gone unresponsive. The vamp Doc rushes over and gives her a check. "What happened?" he asks.

Sam puts the phone down, a sad look on his face. "Her mom and stepdad… they're dead. Murdered."

I watch Remi's face carefully. Looking for any kind of response. She's obviously gone into shock. "Physically, she's fine," the doc says. "Just emotional shock. She should come out of it. Did that person say what happened?"

Sammy looks down. His signature look when he's about to deliver really bad news. "Yeah. She found them in their house in Jacksonville. They were being turned. Whoever did it meant for them to become newborns left to rampage around Florida ungoverned. Arabella put them out of their misery before they could fully transition."

Remi springs up then, her face pure rage. "Volterra. We're going to Volterra."

"What's a Volterra?" I ask.

"It's a city in Italy," Carlisle answers. "It's where the Volturi, our kind's leaders live. Where they conduct most of their business. Bella, I fully believe that you deserve justice, but storming into Volterra may not be the most productive way. You'd never get past the door."

Remi doesn't reply, but walks across the house and out the backdoor into the backyard. We all follow to see what the hell she's thinking about."Emmett, come at me right now," Remi demands.

The big guy steps up and looks at her confused. "Um, what?"

"Like you're that oaf, Felix, and I've just broken into the castle. Come at me. Full speed."

Emmett shakes his head, but does as she asks, ignoring the pleas of the rest of his coven. I notice Jasper is silently observing. Emmett all but disappears as he races across the yard towards Remi. But then he's stopped short by her shield. Then she appears to wrap it around him and fling him away as if he was no more than a fly being swatted away by her hand.

She then picks him up without touching him and slams him into the ground. She adds pressure and soon I can see fissures appearing on his face, like he's a porcelain doll cracking. "Bella, Stop!" the blonde barbie yells.

Remi does stop and releases Emmett, a surprised look on her face. "I'm sorry Emmett, I didn't mean to go that far. But it's good to know that I can. Are you alright?"

"Damn Bells… been a long time since I've had a crack in this perfect body." He runs a hand along his jaw. "Props to you, sis. I'm good. It'll be healed in a sec." Sure enough, the cracks in his face disappear, not even a scar left behind. Well that's creepy.

Jasper steps up. "That's great and all, Bella, but what if more than one vampire is coming at you? Can you fend off an onslaught? Or only one at a time?"

Remi changes up her stance, taking on a more defensive one. "Only one way to find out. I'm immune, but please try not to bite me. I probably still taste really good. Bring it." She sticks her hand out and gives the Matrix style "bring it" gesture. Before I can really tell what's going on, Jasper, Emmett, Peter, Garrett, and Charlotte are all charging her. Just like before, they're stopped by her shield and flung backwards. Each one gets up and runs back at her over and over.

It seems she can keep her shield in place no matter how many charge her, but she can only manipulate it to be offensive with one at a time. While she's flinging Emmett about again, Garrett and Peter are working at getting through the barrier, but with no success.

After a few minutes, Jasper calls a time out. "I wonder if you can shield more than just yourself."

Remi nods. "I know I shielded Charlie when we were kidnapped by Rowena. But her attacks were less violent. We should see if I can."

Charlie moves to help, but I stop her, taking her place. "Dean, no," Remi demands. "Let it be someone that won't get that hurt. Another vampire, or a wolf."

"You need to be able to protect anyone and everyone that's in that shield with you," I retort. "And if it's someone you care an awful lot about, you'll be more compelled to ensure the shield stays strong, right?"

She gives me a look, but doesn't stop me when I stride up next to her. It's my turn to give the bring it gesture, which makes Sammy roll his eyes. Like before, Jasper, Emmett, Garrett, Peter, and Charlotte come charging at us. Remi spares a worried glance at me, but doesn't let it distract her. And just like before, they all slam into the invisible shield, unable to get in. Remi smiles and turns towards her faux foes. He he, faux foes. I'm hilarious. I'm chuckling to myself which gives Remi pause, but she doesn't say anything.

"Wow, if anything I feel more in control, having to protect someone else other than myself." With a flick of her wrist, she's lifted Garrett, Peter, and Emmett off the ground and flung them across the yard. "Hey Edward, can you hear Dean right now?"

The ginger vamp shakes his head. "No, he went silent the moment he stepped up next to you."

"Perfect, so we'll be able to stop Jane."

"Who's Jane?" I ask.

"One of Aro's guard AKA prized possessions," Carlisle answers. "She has the ability to make you feel like you're in the worst pain of your life. Burning from the inside out while being cut up into shreds and having acid poured all over your body. I let her do it to me once, out of curiosity. Edward has felt it, too. But not Bella. She was immune, even before."

Remi nodded. "Yes, and Aro said my gifts should make for an intriguing immortal. That's got to be why he's doing all this. If I was just another human that knew the truth about vampires, he'd just have me killed. He wouldn't go to all this trouble to get to me by attacking my family. He wants me to come to Volterra."

"Yes, it's a trap," Ginger-ward agrees. All I can think of is Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars. Edward is now Admiral AckWard to me. Cuz he's both awkward and Ackbar, and his name is Edward. Once again, I'm hilarious.

"Could he possibly be aware of my status as a Simagre?" she asks. "Or have any clue to the depth of my power?"

Carlisle shrugged. "I really don't see how. None of us knew until you showed us the other day. And you said the only other vampires you've seen since leaving have been Jasper and Garrett, and I'd be surprised if they would say anything."

The two in question both shook their heads. "Any vamp that smells her when her shield isn't up would be on her like white on rice," Charlotte states. "It's a miracle I resisted. I dunno what your scent was like before, but I'd imagine you're pretty much everyone's singer now."

"Oh great," Remi groaned. "Guess I should have taken Bobby's last name instead of Remington. I mean I knew I smelled more appetizing, but I didn't know it was that bad."

"Honestly, it sort of works in your favor," Carlisle retorted. "When a vampire smells their singer, it's nearly impossible to resist. In fact, the only exception I've ever heard of was Edward."

Remi nodded. I remembered her mentioning something about her blood being extra appealing to him specifically. It was basically what fueled their entire relationship. "Okay, so keep my shield up unless I want to be bum rushed by some crazy vamps. Got it."

"I'm trying to find flights to Italy," Charlie stated. "How many of us are going?"

"Anybody staying behind?" Remi asked. AckWard looks as if he wants us all to go but Remi, but knows better than to say anything. No one makes any move to decline the trip. "Okay so that's 16 people. Got that, Charlie?"

"We can take our jet," Carlisle states before Charlie can proceed. "You won't have to worry about booking tickets. Everyone just needs a valid passport for admittance to the airport."

I always wondered why Bobby bothered getting passports with our fake names on them, but now I know, he was being prepared for such an occasion as this. World travel. On a plane. Across the ocean no less. Were there still cruiseships that went across the ocean? How long would that take me. "What's wrong?" Remi asks.

"Not a fan of planes," I answer.

"Why Dean Winchester, are you saying there's actually something you're afraid of?"

"Well, you don't have to broadcast it, but yeah. Why do you think I drive everywhere?"

"You don't have to come, Dean. I'm sure the rest of us can make do."

I cut her a look. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you. Not ever. I know you can take care of yourself. You've proved that many times over, but I can't handle not being there. Not again."

She gives me a soft smile and reaches up, placing her hand on my cheek. "I love you Dean Winchester. More than anything. Are you sure you'll be okay on the flight?"

"Yes, babe. Just keep your shield around me and even if the plane crashes, I'll be peachy. Right?"

She laughs. "Yeah, in theory. Don't worry, Dean. I gotchu."

Carlisle and Esme work at making the arrangements for the flight while Remi checks on her Dad. I keep her company while she watches him sleep. After a while he wakes up and she chats with him a bit before changing the subject. "Dad, I have some bad news," she starts.

"What is it?" he asks.

"It's about Mom and Phil. I just got a call."

"Are they alright? Your mother's not coming here, is she? I don't need her help here. Besides, she's got Phil. Why would she?" He must still be a bit confused about the Djinn hallucination.

Remi shakes her head. "No Dad. They're um… they're gone. Dead."

When Arabella ended their transformation, she made it look like a home invasion gone wrong. The papers would report a double homicide, and the cops would chase false leads for a while before the case goes cold. "What happened?"

"Someone broke into their house," Remi explained. "They don't know yet if it was a burglary gone wrong or if they had the intent to kill them but... " she chokes back a tear. "They're dead."

"Oh Bella. First me and now this. What are the odds? I'm so sorry honey." Charlie opens up his arms and Remi climbs into them. I can tell her Dad isn't much for showing affection, though I know he loves her more than his own life. But this was rare. But he knows she needs it. Especially after almost losing him to the Djinn, she needs her Daddy.

I quietly back out of the room and head downstairs. As far as Charlie knows, only me and Sam are here but all the vamps are still lurking about. Some are outside, others are in the kitchen or living room. Jacob is outside chatting with another boy that I think I remember as Seth. The kid that helped Remi thwart the psychic vamp's powers and helped tear apart the newbie vamps that Victoria brought.

Wanting to be around real flesh and blood, I head outside to hang out with them. "Hey," Seth greets. "Dean right?"

I nod. "Good to see ya."

"This is some crazy shit," Jacob says. "How did you and your brother get mixed into this?"

"We grew up with it," I answer. "A demon poisoned my brother when he was a baby, my mom tried to stop him and he killed her. Burned her alive on the ceiling of Sammy's nursery."

"Holy shit!"

I laugh humorlessly. "Yeah, it was bad. My Dad was never the same after that. Rightfully so. He found out from a local psychic that the things that go bump in the night are actually real. From then on, he raised us in the hunter life. Travelling from city to city, saving people hunting supernatural things. It was the family business. Still is."

"Where's your dad now?" Seth asks.

I look down. "Um, he died a few years back. Made a deal with a demon. My life for his…"

"Whoa," they both say. "I can't even imagine," Jacob adds. "That's messed up."

I laugh again. "Yeah, no shit."

"So you and Bella, huh?" he asks, changing the subject.

I nod. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing."

Jacob smiles and nods. "I know she is. I'd been in love with her since we were kids. I still love her, but like a sister. I have Avery now, and I'll never know another love like this. So you don't have to worry about me trying to steal Bella away from you. Now, Edward on the other hand… I know he's being all hands off right now, but I can see that he still loves her. Or thinks he does, at least."

"Yeah, but I think Remi can hold her own. He's seen first hand what she's capable of now, and she's immune to the venom."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he can't target you," Jacob whispers. "Just be careful around these leeches, man. I know Bells seems to think they're more human than monster, but I think you and I know better."

"Thanks for the heads up."

I head back inside and see Remi has still not yet come downstairs from her Dad's room. Carlisle approaches me. "I'm going to head to the hospital to check on Lauren and Jessica. They called me and said they were admitted. Since I was the one that did the initial treatment, they want me there even though I'm off duty tonight. The rest of my family is heading out, as well. The plane can be ready with about two hours notice. Just call me and let me know when you want to go."'

"Sure thing," I answered. "You have a pilot that can be ready so fast?" I ask.

"I'm the pilot," he replies. "Takes about an hour to run to Seattle, and another to get everything ready, including packing. Which we'll all do once we get home. Just say the word and we'll get prepared."

Sammy joins our chat. "It seems like you're awfully eager to take out your kind's ruling class."

Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. They didn't seem overly loyal to them in anyway. "It's time for a regime change, I believe," Carlisle answers. "Aro's power has made him greedy. He no longer simply upholds the laws of our kind. He holds himself above them and collects those that he desires. He wants Edward, Alice, and Bella. Regardless of what has happened with my son and Bella, I still consider her a part of my family. And I will protect my family with every fiber of my being."

That actually makes sense to me. I never thought I'd agree with a bloodsucker, but here I am. "We'll call when we're ready to head out." He nods, shakes my hand, and leaves. His family filing out after him.

A while later, Remi comes downstairs, looking dead on her feet. "You need sleep," I tell her.

"I know. I'm exhausted," she agrees. "Let's head to our hotel and then we can leave from there. It's closer to Seattle than here. Then we can leave first thing in the morning for the airport. I'm guessing Carlisle will have the plan ready for us?" I nod, relaying what Carlisle had told me. "Perfect." The four of us head out, Jacob and Seth said they'd stay and keep an eye on Charlie. Seth's mom Sue arrives as we're about to get in the car. Remi has a short conversation with her before we leave.

"I'm so glad Charlie has her now," she says. "And I'm glad we told the wolves about everything, too. Now they'll know it's not just vampires they have to watch out for."

An hour later, we arrive at the hotel Charlie and Remi booked. It's a nice place, which has me pausing a moment before I remember we're richer than Midas. Remi falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. She never unpacked her luggage, so there's not much to be done before we head to the airport in the morning. She'll just shower, dress, check out, and we'll go.

Charlie went to her room, while Sam booked a third room, eager to have his own room for once in his life. After kicking off my shoes, and yanking my jeans off, I slide in next to Remi, pulling her into my arms. She sighs contentedly, but doesn't wake. Having her in my arms is pretty much the greatest thing in the world, and soon I'm falling into dreamland myself.

Remi PoV

I wake up caged in Dean's arms. He's pretty warm to the touch and is sweating. I try to wriggle out of his grip, but he just holds me tighter. "Dean," I call out. He's clearly dreaming, and not having a good dream based on his actions. "Dean!" I yell louder. My arms are trapped by his so I can't turn around or anything to try and get his attention. I kick my legs around to no avail. "Dean, wake up!" I flick my head back, whacking him in the nose."

"Ow!" he yells out, his arms retreating from me and going to his nose. I hadn't heard a crunch, but I still may have broken it. "What the hell, Remi?"

"I'm sorry! You were squeezing me so tight, I couldn't breathe, Dean. You wouldn't wake up no matter what I did. The nose thing was my last resort. Did I break it?"

He tests his nose and sighs. "No, but you did bruise the hell out of it. Why am I so warm?"

"You tell me," I reply. "You were very clearly having a nightmare. Do you remember it?"

He thinks for a moment. "I think we were in Italy, and someone was making me hurt. A lot."

"Jane can do that," I replied. "Unless you were bitten, I guess. That's excruciating, too."

"I don't know, but it was like they were trying to get to you through me. I just feel like they're going to try something shady"

I nod. "They probably will. I'm pretty much going to keep you, Sam, and Charlie under my shield from the moment we step off the plane."

"Can you keep it up like that? Doesn't it tire you out?"

I shrug. "Not really. Using it offensively does tire me out, but as a protective barrier, it's like a second skin, really. I barely even notice it." It was true. Back before I knew what it was all about, and Charlie and I were captured by Rowena, the shield was just here. I wasn't consciously creating it. "I actually have to think about not having it up most of the time. It's like my default is to have it turned on, to at least protect my scent from vampires. Protecting others with the shield and having it as a physical barrier takes almost no effort."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Dean. You may think this plan of mine is reckless, but I would absolutely not have you go with me if I thought you were going to be in any danger. I'd lock up up in the dungeon in the bunker if I had to. But I know I can protect you. And Sammy and Charlie. We're going to be just fine. I know it."

He smiles finally, the worried lines on his face disappearing. "We have some time before we need to leave for the airport. Wanna shower together?" I jump off the bed and run into the bathroom. I can hear him laughing as I frantically strip off my pajamas and turn on the water. Moments after the water has heated up, he's standing behind me. "Oh, I wanted to undress you."

"Next time," I say as I pull his t-shirt up over his body. Next are his boxers and I see his arousal spring free as I push them down his hips. Good, he's already ready. I step backwards and up over the tub into the awaiting jet of hot water. He follows suit and then presses me against the tile wall beneath the jet. Water is streaming down his face and neck as he kisses me with everything he's got. I wonder briefly what's going through his mind that he's suddenly acting so possessive. Not that I'm complaining; I'm totally his.

One of his hands slides down my side, grabs my leg at the knee and lifts it up, hooking it around his arm. He's put me at the perfect position to slide himself right inside me and does just that. We both groan at the joining. He stills a moment, looking into my eyes. "I love you Remi," he whispers. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Dean. Now please, fuck me." He smiles wickedly and then braces himself against the shower wall with one arm, using the other to hold me up. Slamming into me as hard as he can, over and over, I feel the pressure begin to build. Moments later, we're both panting heavily, exquisite bliss radiating through my body, through every hair follicle. It was a quickie that was for sure, but dear god it was intense.

I giggle at the thought of god. "What's funny?"

"I was thinking, 'dear god that was intense,' and then I remembered God is actually real. And not necessarily exactly as described in the bible right?"

"Yeah, he's pretty much a dick. Created the universe, angels, us, then got bored or something and disappeared. That's what most angels say, anyway. At the very least, he doesn't respond when angels reachout. Or humans, I guess. When a human prays for a miracle, the closest angel is who hears it. They decide whether or not to intervene."

"And since most angels are dicks with wings, they usually don't?" I guess.

"You're a smart one, Doll face. I knew we kept you around for a reason."

I laugh. "Yes, that and this booty." I smack my own ass as I step out of the bath tub and grab a towel.

"Nah, it's just the booty," Dean teases. "Forget the brains."

I laugh again as I wrap a towel around my head and grab another to dry my body. Dean follows suit, and we are soon back in the room finding clean clothes. "You know that's not the only reason, right?"

"Huh? What's the only reason?"

"You know that I'm not with you just because of the sex, right?"

"Um, duh…" I reply. "Dean, I've almost died on you. More than once. Disappeared, came back, gained these ridiculous powers, thus marking me as pretty much what you hunt. And you're still here. You still want me. I may be good in bed, but there's no way I'm that good. I know you love me."

"How do you know? I mean, I know I say it, but words only go so far. How do you know that I love you?"

"I can feel it," I reply. "In every kiss, every time you touch me, hell, every time you even look at me. And when you're inside me, it… your love fills every fiber of my being. It radiates off of you like my shield does off of me. It strengthens me. It's how I know we're going to come out victorious in this whole ordeal."

"All you need is love, bah-bu-bah da da," he starts singing. I shake my head at him, as I continue dressing. Before long, we're ready to go and heading down to the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. Sam and Charlie are already there, sipping coffee and munching on pastries. Well, Charlie has a pastry. Sam, as usual, is eating healthy and has a banana with a plate full of cantaloupe, grapes and strawberries. Nary a processed food item in sight. Predictably, Dean loads up his plate with eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and is cooking a waffle.

My nerves are making their existence known, so I settle on a glass of juice and a blueberry muffin. Once it's all done, I'll feast like it's Thanksgiving Day. Within the next fifteen minutes, Dean had finished his monstrous plate and was casually sipping on a cup of coffee while we waited for Carlisle. Before he arrived, my Dad showed up with Sue Clearwater intow. The look on her face told me she tried to get him to stay in bed, but clearly he wasn't having it. I didn't know how he knew which hotel we were at.

"Bella, I'm coming with you, and that's that," he declared before I could even say good morning. I knew full well how determined he could be; I'd gotten my stubbornness from him. "I have my passport, I have a bag, and I have a will to get to the bottom of this. You expect me to believe that it's just a coincidence that your mom and Phil die in a home invasion at the same time that I'm kidnapped? Fat chance. There's something going on here,and I don't know how big it is, but I'll be damned if I stay behind like an invalid while my daughter is trotting the globe searching for the culprits."

"Dad, we're not searching. We know," I reply. "We know exactly who's behind it. And you're right. Your kidnapping and Mom and Phil's murder is not a coincidence. I'm being targeted."

One of his eyebrows go up. Another trait he passed down to me. "What? By who?"

I don't want him involved in this. He doesn't need to know about the Supernatural stuff. Apart from the fact that my ex is a vampire, and his girlfriend's children are skinwalkers, and I'm not all human myself. It's one thing to be surrounded by the unknown but to know the unknown is something else altogether. With what he's just been through, I can't let him in on this.

"I'm being targeted by people that think I know something that I shouldn't. They're wrong, but that doesn't stop them from trying to eliminate what they see as a threat." Let him think I was a witness to something, or that some mafia or cartel thinks I know something and are trying to silence me.

"You don't know something you shouldn't?"

"Oh I know it," I admit. "I know all about it. But they're of the opinion that I'm not within my rights to know, and that's why they're wrong. We're simply going to educate them. By any means necessary." He gives me that disapproving look that I'm all but immune to. "And you can't come."

"Bella! I'm going!"

"No Dad, you're not," I reply firmly. "Because I am fully within my rights to know what I know. You, however, are not. And you can argue your point with me until you're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is, I have 15 people that will back up my decision and agree that you are not coming along. If that means that one of them has to stay behind to make sure you don't try to follow us, then so be it."

"I'll keep him here, Bella," Sue assures me. Her inability to keep him in bed does not give me the best confidence. "Really, I will. I let him come here just so he could hear you tell him what's what. Leah will help me if she has to. So will Sam, Emily, Jared, Quil, Paul, Embry, and the others. We have a pack of protectors here, Charlie. And we will make sure you stay safe." Charlie looks sufficiently disgruntled, but doesn't say a word. We get him back into his car and Sue promises me she'll keep him away. And with that many pack members helping, I sure hope they have a chance of success.

I wait until they drive off before I turn around and head towards the private plane security area. Dean had wanted to smuggle an arsenal with him, thinking we'd simply be walking through a fence and to the plane. It took him shooting Emmett in the chest, emptying his entire clip while I kept the flesh and bloods under my shield to avoid the ricochet of each bullet as it bounced off Emmett's chest. Dean was amazed, but wanted to try silver bullets, lead bullets, and ones covered in wolf saliva or dead man's blood. I had to scream at him that we were not bringing any weapons. The Volturi would strip us of any of them anyway. Plus we'd have a heck of a time getting through airport security with them. "Even on private planes, you still have to go through security," Charlie had told him.

Finally, he was assuaged and we're off. Now we're armed with nothing but the strength of a bunch of vampires, a couple wolves, and my shield. I hope the last of that list will be all we'd need. Dean encouraged me to get some sleep on the plane, in fact, they afford me the master suite at the back, which is equipped with a king size bed, a full bathroom, and a walk in closet. Man how the other half lives… or rather the one percent.

I sink into the plush bedding and did manage to catch a few hours of sleep. That surprises me. I had thought I'd be so pent up with worry that sleep would evade me on the long flight. Dean got a few hours, too, and I was told that Bobby, Charlie, and Sammy caught some zz's up front.

Dean also has tried to get me to join the mile high club, but I reminded him that there were 12 beings with super-human hearing in the other room, and definitely heard him just suggest it. He has the gall to blush a bit, at least. I get up, stretch, and head out into the main cabin. "Bella, just in time. Carlisle's about to announce our descent into New York. We have to refuel, then we'll be off across the atlantic and into Italy. We'll land in Rome and then take cars to Volterra.

The sun is shining in New York, so Jacob, Dean and Sam volunteer to help with the refueling after a brief instruction by Carlisle. Bobby goes with them to supervise, knowing the brothers can get into some shenanigans. Charlie and I step outside, too, to get a little air and soak up some vitamin D.

"Do you really think this'll work, Remi?" she asks.

"I have to," I reply. "They killed my mom. My stepdad. Tried to kill my Dad. Would have, if we hadn't gotten to him in time. And for what? Because one vampire covets another's powers? Or a perceived human's potential power? That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, but I thought their law was that humans can't know the secret."

I nod. "It is, but if they were only concerned about me knowing the secret, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to get to me. They'd just kill me. And probably kill the Cullens for being the ones that told them. Even though, they technically didn't tell me. I figured it out. But no. They haven't touched the Cullens, and instead killed and/or kidnapped my family. They're trying to draw me out, or scare me into being turned. But we have an ace in our pockets, and it's me. The very power that Aro covets is going to be his undoing."

A/N: This seemed as good a place as any to stop for now. Up next will be the trek to Volterra and the encounter with the trio. Any guesses as to where I'm going with the regime change? Or will there even be a change? Thoughts? Leave it in a review.