Disclaimer:

I own no part of the 'Twilight Universe'... only the idea to this story. This is strictly for fun.

Author's note:

I apologize for the immense wait. First the exam; then my birthday; and shortly later Christmas; and after that pneumonia ... what a way to end the old year and now I am looking for a new apartment and can't seem to find anything! Dratted thing!

Hopefully you all had a peaceful time, no matter whether you celebrated a holiday or not. Have a good new year!

YOUR FEEDBACK BLEW ME AWAY! THANK YOU ALL!

For reading, for following, for favoring, and especially for reviewing!

Sorry I haven'tgotten back to all the reviewers as I usually do … Just didn't make the time.

Previously:

Marcus continued, "I apologize for the blunt delivery, Isabella. I thought it would be cruel to let you live a moment longer in this fear," he explained.

I nodded feverishly. He was right. I liked that he had been so open with me.

In response to my obvious agreement he smiled a tiny smile and held me closer again.

"Good. You don't have to say anything, Bella. Just relax now, you are safe. You can sleep now. Just rest … I will stay," he murmured calmingly in my ear, while his hand had taken back up rubbing the soothing circles.

First I was certain I would never find sleep. My body was tired, wrung out, but my mind was a flurry of thoughts, like life on an anthill. Marcus never ceased his efforts though and my eyes grew heavy and I relaxed more into his hold. He was still here. Victoria was gone.

"Thank you," I yawned loudly. "All of you."

Chapter 40 (Marcus' pov)

I held her until her exhaustion outweighed her mind's alertness. She relaxed in my arms and sometime later fell into a deep sleep. Maybe the medication Aro supplied according to the doctor's orders helped too. The machines had calmed soon after her outburst. It was good we had muted them; the noise they had been making had been maddening.

Aro sat casually in the wingback chair I usually occupied, but behind his eyes a storm brew. Sulpicia had left after Isabella had fallen asleep in my arms. We had learned a lot about my love today.

The need to know as much as possible about her demons had pushed me to go along with Aro's suggestion to not allow her to sleep, but simply calm her so that she could finally talk about what plagues her mind. It had worked; whether it was to best remained to be seen. At least she now knew the redhead posed no threat to anyone anymore.

We remained in contemplative silence for a little longer, before Aro broke it.

"She gave us a lot to think about, has she not, our little Isabella? It is a marvel how much she has seen in her short life and yet her spirit is still intact. There is a great warrior inside this tiny body, don't you agree? She astounds me."

"Mm-hmm," I agreed almost soundlessly.

My thoughts went over all the things she had seen and faced and a new silence grew.

"I feel terribly uncomfortable for bringing it up so soon after your reconciliation, brother, but I dare say Cia, Dora and Caius should be here to discuss our findings and possible proceedings," Aro stated softly in our ancient tongue, knowing he was treading on thin ice.

I knew he was right. And we both knew I would not leave Isabella's side so soon if I had it my way … not even to keep up appearances.

Subsequently, the gathering would have to take place close to her. I didn't want to cause her distress by having her face Caius. To have him here while she was fast asleep seemed to be the best solution.

Finally I conceded speaking to Aro in a whispered voice: "At the first sign Caius shows his temper he is banned from these rooms … no buts … no second chances."

My eyes were still fixed on Isabella's features … for the moment she was relaxed … her breathing even and … her heart beat rhythmic and slowed.

"Reasonable enough," he answered simply.

"Felix, call the family members for a meeting here," Aro instructed in a slightly louder than conversational tone.

Not two minutes later, three additional chairs had been placed alongside Aro's and we were all convened in Isabella's chamber.

Caius moved slowly, more deliberately. It was clear he was trying to control his every move so as not to anger me. He was on my territory after all.

The silence that followed was unusually awkward.

Aro attempted to lighten the mood, as he often did, still speaking our tongue:

"Perhaps we should think about restoring the throne room while Isabella lies ill? It is not in much use anymore these days, no?"

I couldn't even lift the corner of my lips. This had to have been one of his worst jokes over the past few centuries.

From my place on the bed, with Bella's head securely on my chest, I saw Caius discreetly roll his eyes, while Dora managed a tight lipped smile and Cia looked at her mate indulgently.

"Oh, stop it, Aro!" Caius exclaimed. "Cia informed us of everything that happened over the past hours. I know I am on probation with Marcus, and I say we should just cut to the case. There are several matters that need to be addressed," Caius continued as he opened the true topic of conversation in his leader persona.

He gave our brother no time to get in a word as he promptly turned his attention to Isabella and me, and asked in the same low voice that would not be heard by a human: "how do you think she is faring so far, Marcus? Dora and I could not help but overhear her breakdown. I never knew or suspected the depth of her emotional plight. I feel … uneasy … about the way I treated her, now even more than before, and thus promise to do anything I can to make our new sister feel better," he vowed solemnly, his eyes flickering from my hard gaze to Isabella ever so often, a question clearly forming.

"I hope we did the right thing in encouraging her to talk about it, in pushing her to say all," I grimaced, when I recalled her outburst … how she had futilely tried in her weakened state to get out of my embrace. Should I have let go of her?

"At the time it felt right, but now I don't feel so secure in my actions anymore. What if I pushed her too far?" I voiced my new, quickly blooming insecurity.

"No. No, Marcus," Cia was quick to assure me, as she stood up and sat down on the bed next to me. "Remember the expression on her face, when it finally sank in that Victoria was gone for good? How she craved your comfort at the end? How she held on to you? You acted correctly, you'll see," she encouraged further and softly caressed Bella's hair.

She was right. Bella had been speechless, but her eyes had held a spark of hope, of life that had not been there prior to this.

I would have to draw comfort from the memory of this spark of life in her eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered to my sister and spared her a loving glance.

"Always, brother," she whispered back and returned to her seat.

"The only parts that have changed about our complex situation is the fact that Victoria will never be a concern again and we now know all about Isabella's past and about the definite involvement of the Cullen family," Dora summarized for us.

Caius quickly interjected: "As I see it we have two options: summon the Cullens now and hold the trial immediately, or wait until a later time, because personally, I don't want to make an exception to the rule - not even for the Cullens - especially as the breach of our laws was such a severe one." I nodded mutely, hesitatingly. I knew we couldn't let them get away with such an offence, but I didn't want to hurt my mate by hurting them, either.

Aro seemed to think along the same lines: "I agree. They must face a trial, but I plead in favour of waiting with the summons. Personally, and professionally, I would like to see Isabella in a better place physically and psychologically, before we confront her with this situation … possibly even until after her change … until the mating bond to Marcus has matured and is unbreakable. At the moment it is still weak and there is no way to say how she would react if she saw the boy again."

In so few words he had outlined my worst fears, and a quiet rumble vibrated uncontrollably in my chest.

Caius stroked his chin thoughtfully, deliberating something, until he broke his silent reverie.

"Shouldn't they know about our musings already? They have this seer amongst themselves who looks out for trouble, no? She ought to have seen us contemplating their demise given the danger that poses don't you think? And they know they can't escape us forever, even if they ran, because Demetri can follow them anywhere. This could make for a nice chase," he chuckled evilly.

"Futhermore, if they know now, they will wait for our attack, anticipate it, fear it. It will demoralize them for the time being," he mused dreamily.

"Yes, I think justice can wait for now. We can afford all the time we need to care for Isabella first. Perhaps Carlisle will even lead them here, as a show of good will and proper conduct, aiming for a lesser punishment," he smiled along with the rest of us. We knew this glint in his eyes. He was excited. This was like a good game of chess for him. The possibility of the seer knowing about all our steps appealed to him.

Aro spoke up thoughtfully: "You know, speaking of Carlisle, it still puzzles me greatly how he would allow his coven to get into such a situation. He clearly knows our laws and the penalties for breaking them. Carlisle himself has overseen many a trial when he was with us; he knows what our response will be when we find out and we ALWAYS find out about these violations of law. When I searched the redhead's memories I saw the scene where she and the other two nomads first met the Cullens and Bella at the baseball field. All of the Cullens were clearly protective in their stances towards Bella.

I have to suspect there is more to this than yet meets the eye ... all the more reason to move cautiously and carefully."

Then Aro completely changed the subject as he chuckled rather gleefully:

"You know, I was thinking about organizing a reunion with the Northern American covens in the not so distant future."

"I think I should write to our dear friend Eleazar and ask his opinion on the most convenient timing of this reunion, don't you agree?" Aro questioned merrily.

"Yes, dear, it would be very interesting to have his input on what time would be most appropriate for the Northern American covens to visit us," Sulpicia elaborated, quickly catching on.

We had not been in contact with either the Cullens or the Denalis in quite some years. A sudden invitation would raise suspicion to why contact was made now.

Eleazar would certainly wonder about the cause of such an invitation - which was nothing short of a summons with the liberty to choose the date yourself - at this time and confer with Carlisle. As a result Carlisle would have to confess his coven's transgression to his old friend – that is if he didn't know about it already. Subsequently they would have to agree on a date. A reasonable time-frame would be up to two years, as to us two years fly by like two days to a human. But they knew that they would have to visit with us … and crimes in our world don't become time- barred. Everything above this time would be considered procrastination, and be frowned upon, to put it mildly.

Both Carlisle and Eleazar were of course aware of the simple fact: You can not outrun the Volturi.

Aro was intentionally going to cause tension between the two closely allied covens with his letter. Eleazar would try to protect his own coven members by distancing them from the Cullens, or advising them to come before us in reasonable time on their own accord to confess their breach of the laws. I feared they might come too soon. Then again, it might take some time for the coven to reach a consensus.

Carlisle had always been very lenient in his ruling. He believed in democracy. In general, I did too, but there were circumstances, when experience outweighed common opinion. And a possibly lethal outcome for the whole coven presented just such a situation.

I felt a little nick of sympathy for Eleazar. He knew our ways after having been a part of our coven so long ago. The letter Aro would write him would certainly cause him distress. Particularly if they had played a part in causing Isabella's pain. To be honest, I didn't believe that for Bella had never mentioned them … neither in waking hours nor while sleeping.

It grieved me to put Eleazar in such a position as I had considered him a friend – one of the few. He had actually known Didyme. He had served as her personal guard many a time when I had been called elsewhere. He had been a member of the inner guard, highly esteemed and well liked. His gift had been a very useful asset to our group, too.

Unlike Aro and Caius, I had not taken offence, when he had asked to leave our coven to start a new life with his mate in the new world. I had wished them well. His mate was a cordial, loyal, intelligent woman, changed in her thirties. She had been very quiet during their short visits here. Didyme and I had loosely planned to separate from the Volturi for a little while and travel at some point, too. We had never gotten to that.

I looked down at Isabella and knew I would show her the world if she wanted when she was better … first Volterra, then Tuscany, and Italy … and after that the whole world. We could explore it together one place at a time. We would take vacations, like the humans did constantly.

Aro broke the silence with a big smile: "Good, so we remain as we stand and concentrate on Isabella's health. Meanwhile I will go and see to that letter. It truly has been too long since I last was in contact with Eleazar."

We nodded our consent. This solution was acceptable, but I would think of punishments that did not include the final death for any of the Cullens, because I could not see Isabella condoning their death no matter how badly they had hurt her. The bonds she had had to them had run too deep; they had forever left a permanent impression on her.

Aro stepped up to the bed and blew a soft kiss to my mate's temple.

The rest of the family were talking in hushed voices.

"Marcus?" Aro queried and silently asked for my thoughts, by offering his hand. I took it. We had to come up with a solution for the punishment, perhaps even with Caius' help. After all he had been on his best behaviour today.

"Ah, yes. Even back then I could see how my sister would have liked to travel, curious as she was," he commented mournfully. He continued in a slightly more upbeat tone: "but I dare say Isabella will love your plan, too. Just take it slow at first. She needs to sleep, at least for now," he chuckled, then added with more seriousness: "Don't worry, brother, we will find a suitable solution."

He nodded at us and turned to leave, holding his hand out for Cia to join him. To all our surprise, she declined with a shake of her head and a smile.

"I have to tell Marcus something first. I will join you thereafter," she explained.

Curiosity lit Aro's face like a wildfire, but Cia hid her hands in her dress before he could take them and smiled at her mate impishly.

"No, no. You'll have to be patient and wait until I tell you," she declared. The sight of Aro's scowl widened her smile. She was playful today.

"Off you go," she shooed him, which caused Caius, Dora and me to chortle heartily. As soon as I felt Bella shift though I froze, fearing I had woken her. The volume dropped to nothing and everyone observed the young woman half lying on me. She shifted again, lightly, but then relaxed back into a deeper slumber.

"She is curiously comfortable so close to you, brother … most non-human," Caius noted.

"That would be due to their bond Caius," Aro answered for me.

"Have a closer look at our secretary and Felix when they interact next time you have the chance, you will find the same level of … affinity … between those two as well," he surprised them. Cia looked at him excitedly, still somehow a romantic at heart, while Caius scowled. Dora's only response was to raise a delicate eyebrow.

"However the fact that Isabella is almost as calm around the rest of us seems to be a personal trait of hers," Aro stated fondly.

"You see a mating bond between the other two?" Caius asked me directly.

"Yes. It is growing slowly, but steadily. I always thought it to be a faulty reading on my part, but after I met Isabella, I can no longer deny the truth of their bond," I confirmed.

"Perfect. So we will have not one but two newborns in our midst soon," he stated with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. It was an open secret that Caius detested newborns almost as much as humans.

"We will take our leave then," he stood abruptly and nodded towards us all as he helped his mate out of her chair.

At the door though he stopped and turned to look intently at Isabella. His head inclined to one side as he obviously internally debated something. When he had come to his conclusion he sighed deeply and carefully stepped closer until he stood at my left side close to the bed. Slowly he bent at his waist, his eyes never leaving Isabella's face. Only a few centimetres were left between them. He stood like this for some moments before he tentatively inhaled. His eyes closed and I tensed. He swallowed convulsively. I knew what effect my mate's scent had; it was mouthwatering.

Slowly a small but genuine smile spread over my brother's face, then he did something I never in a thousand years thought I would see. He kissed her forehead with utmost gentility.

"Welcome to the family, little sister," he whispered to her.

After this unexpected display of affection, he stood up and left the room without another word. Dora hurried after him. Aro recovered next. He shrugged his shoulders in a very human way and left to write his letter.

Cia stayed with us, staring at me with surprise painted all over her face, probably mirroring mine.

End note:

A huge 'Thank you' to my beta 'SIERRABEAR'! As always she did a marvelous job and helped immensely with this chapter!

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