I'm SORRY! I really didn't mean for this to take so long. In way of an explanation, this is my first story that doesn't have a complete outline or an idea of what is happening from beginning to end. So instead of knowing what I should write, I will make it up as I go along. Usually, it worked, but for this chapter, I wrote the worst first draft you could possibly imagine. The plot turned sour, important bits were left out and every decent idea disappeared before I could write it down.

So I got really angry, yelled a lot at my computer, and scrapped the whole thing before retreating into a mood that would make Dirty Harry look approachable. It took a while for me to feel motivated enough to write again. Thanks for waiting.

Disclaimer: Consider this story disclaimed.


Chapter 10:
In Which History is Repeated

Felix was back by Tanya's side only moments after she had snapped her cell phone shut, signaling the last call in a long line of ones that had passed between her, Eleazer, and Carlisle. He was alone, having seen Edward and Bella onto their plane minutes before. Felix sat across from her on the little café table in the airport restaurant they found private enough for the conversations that had to take place. He looked around them for the last person in their party before asking, "Where's Kate?"

"She's on the phone with a car company in Russia, trying to get a suitable car for when we arrive."

"Russia?" It seemed, to Felix at least, that Russia was a very far place for Tanya to go. It was smart, he hated to acknowledge, considering the formidable and dogged opponent he knew the Volturi to be. A small, quiet town in Russia would be the perfect place for the Denalis to go into hiding. Why then, did he feel that sting of sadness? "That sounds like a good plan," he continued in a relatively normal voice. "I suppose I should get on with my own arrangements as well." Felix leaned back in the seat and started going through his mental list of properties and friends, eliminating anything that the Volturi knew about, which was, basically, everything.

With his eyes closed in his current task, Tanya was free to look at him with a slightly perplexed expression. "Your own plans?" It was only after she had spoken those words that she got his meaning. She snapped her mouth shut before, against her better judgment, opening it again to let out the most incomprehensible string of words she could remember saying.

"Oh, of course. It's not that I was even expecting you to come with me. No, not at all, so don't worry about that. I had just thought – since you and I have, um – well…. Forget it, I'll just, uh…" Pausing for enough time to take a self-exasperated inhale, Tanya quickly yelled at her thoughts and tried to whip them into some kind of recognizable sentence form. "What I mean to say, Felix, is that my family and I are indebted to you. We would be honored if you stayed with us."

"Your family, huh?" He had opened his eyes and leaned forward o the table, his face fighting to stay completely serious if not for the amused twinkle in his eyes and that hint of a smile he couldn't get rid of.

"Well," sighed Tanya, knowing exactly what he wanted, "me." She knew Felix well enough to know that he enjoyed the brief and few moments he could break through her calm exterior. Surprisingly, she didn't hate him for it, but felt more of that silly swooning feeling within her chest.

Felix smiled gently, noticing that he had the lovely warm sensation he associated with their time in Paris together. He had thought he'd never feel the coursing rush of it again.

They didn't speak because no words were needed. All the pair did was reach across the table and grasp hands, knowing that, though times have changed, genuine emotion rarely does. Felix and Tanya remained that way for quite some time, encased in the soft glow of those who just realize that love is a very important thing to have.

000

The gossip mills were turning faster than normal in the small town of Forks. It seems, or according to Susan Perry, that Isabella Swan is back in their presence after her sudden and, quite frankly, rude departure from their fair town. No cause was given for why she had left, but Joe Turner, the owner of the gas station, was the first to see her return to town. And, he had said to his wife over the phone only minutes after, she was with a man.

That fact had made the already curious minds of the town frothing at the mouth to find even the slightest bit of information about who he was and why he was with the flighty Swan girl. Joe Turner hadn't given a good description of him (he claimed that the sun was in his eyes but everyone knew that he was too busy looking at Isabella Swan to care about anyone else in the world) but the couple's next stop, Tracey Goldman's little thrift store on second street, provided more information.

As she would later tell her poker buddies that night, Tracey Goldman was at the register when the two walked into the store like they owned the place. "They look like movie stars!" she will enthuse over her hand of cards. "So young, so beautiful!" Giggling angelically at a joke the boy had told before entering, Isabella went directly to the women's section of the store, choosing plain shirts and some jeans. The boy, however, found the bin of old t-shirts that Tracey found so difficult to sell. He rummaged for a moment and beamed wonderfully, captivating Tracey Goldman without even trying.

"Bella!" he called in a very smooth, very seductive, voice. "Look over here! Someone seems to have donated an entire collection of band t-shirts." With some thought, Tracey remembered that those belonged to Alex Lewis, whose wife decided that if he wanted to fool around with his secretary, than he'd have to do so without his prized band paraphernalia. Tracey Goldman continued to stare as the boy searched, letting out an exclamation like "David Bowie!" or "The Jam!" with each new find.

The young couple was done within a quarter of an hour, both setting a decent sized pile of clothing on top of the counter. Tracey Goldman, her eyes darting from the clothes she was checking and the two models before her, decided that she had a right to know what was happening. "Miss Swan, what are you doing back in town?" she asked without a trace of embarrassment. "We thought that you had gone for good."

Tracey Goldman failed to see the annoyance that crossed over the young girl's features or the smirk that briefly flickered around the boy's mouth before he said, "Bella and I went to Las Vegas." He wound a pale arm around her waist and dragged her to his side, planting a loving kiss on her cheek. "I am now proud to say that my Bella has become Mrs. Edward Masen." Then he paid for the clothes, took Bella by the hand, and left the store with their purchases.

Those two sentences, spoken in that silken voice, were repeated in whispers of disbelief all over Forks within the next hour. Despite the shocked expressions that met such a scandalous statement, though, none were more surprised than Bella herself.

"Vegas, Edward?" She whispered sternly in the parking lot. "We came to Forks for hiding, not attracting attention with our supposed elopement!"

"Actually, making the inhabitants of Forks believe that you and I are nothing more than a rash and much too good looking bride and groom is better for hiding. That woman had only seen us for a few minutes before thinking such outlandish things as us being spies or you being the daughter of a foreign king who had to run away so that it was possible for you to marry me, a modern day peasant. It is good that we give them something normal and entirely believable to talk about instead of snooping around with wild assumptions that may or may not prove to be true.

"Besides," he added with a crooked smile in her direction, "that would mean that we would be in our honeymoon phase, and I'm sure the people of Forks won't find it odd that we will rarely, if ever, leave our house."

Glad she couldn't blush and her mind was blank to him, Bella arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think that I would want to spend so much time with you?"

"Hmm," he pretended to ponder as he held open the door to the used car they had bought. Edward gently closed the door and jogged around to his side, smiling at the simplicity of it all. After so much time, so much heartache, they were free. Free to finally live the life they had been fighting for since their storm-ridden meeting. He took her hand, the one with the delicate bracelet draped at the wrist, in his and answered. "I suppose you can say that I am a strong believer in the past repeating itself, and you, my dear Bella, have never been able to resist me."

Giggling lightly, Bella tightened her grip on his hand. "No, I don't think I can."

"Good," Edward replied. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

And unawares to them, the past was repeating itself in more ways than one.

000

Jane listened furtively. From the calm alcove she was standing in, she could hear down the hall, through two walls, and around the bend to the throne room, where voices not even bothering to be quiet yelled with growing anger.

"How can you take this offense, my brother?" spat the voice she knew too well to be Aro's. He used the word 'brother' like it was an obligation, a plea, and a threat. "They corrupted one of our own guards! Will you just stand by and let them go?" A clattering of wood off a stone floor as Aro hurled a chair down rung throughout the castle, signaling, perhaps, the rift that was steadily growing in between the rulers.

Marcus's voice, normally so calm and patient, was loud and colored with anger as he retorted, "No, you are the cause of this! Do you not see what has become of you? Power has invaded your mind, poisoning what little goodness and virtue you had before, and greed blinds you to the lives you ruin in the process! We have all done terrible deeds to obtain our status, things I regret with all my heart, whatever little it may be worth. I will not let you continue your foolish ways any longer, especially when it implicates a dear friend's family!"

Aro snorted. "Friend? What friend would possibly assist willingly in a plot against us? It is not I that am blinded, but you! Marcus, you let yourself be fooled by his pretty manners and fail to see the threat he is to us!"

Shaking his head with obvious despair at what his brother had become, Marcus said, "You know better than I do that Carlisle is the most honest man that has ever been in our midst. You have seen his mind and the sheer will to do good that is shown in his every action. If anything, his opposition to our more recent activities should have been a clear warning of our straying."

"You have gone soft in your old age!" Aro shouted. "We are rulers! And if you refuse to do what is necessary to remain so, than I will!"

Marcus let the veneer of his indifferent mask crack. In a second, he was nose to nose with Aro, both of their clouded eyes now sharp with the anger of betrayal. "Do you not understand? Leave them be. Let them have their peace. You have torn Isabella from her family, unwillingly turned her, kept her as a prisoner, hunted her relentlessly, and used the love of her life to ensure that she would stay in your power. You have done enough to prevent her from having the life you ripped her away from."

His voice grew silent and commanding as he took a step back from Aro. The mask was once again in place. "If you pursue her any longer, you will have no home here, Aro." Then he turned his back on his brother, not able to bear how his power picked up the now crumbling bond between Aro and him. What had once been mutual caring and respect was now resentment.

Aro could only stare. His rage evaporated in his shock, not capable of comprehending the ultimatum that Marcus had just issued. Hurt sprang up from his heart, briefly making him wonder if he should listen to the seemingly sensible advice that was being thrusted upon him. But only briefly. Taking one last look at his brother's back, Aro left the room in a slow, deliberate pace.

He was halfway down the hall before he heard his name being called in the whisper of Caius. Nothing but the alarm of seeing his brother actually make an effort to speak to him caused Aro to stop in his tracks. Caius came to a halt beside him and held out his hand meaningfully.

Against his will, Aro's eyebrows shot up. The fact that Caius had chosen to remain silent during the argument had not surprised him in the slightest; he was a private man with strong beliefs in the need to uphold and honor the law. Anything that didn't directly pertain to that was of little interest or value. Aro slowly grasped his brothers hand, feeling apprehension at what he was about to see before diving in.

Images swam before Aro's mental eye. He could see the events of the past few days through Caius's eyes; the glimpses he had caught of Isabella, walking around the castle in a heartbroken daze; Edward, rubbing his forehead in confusion, his eyes flickering around him as he sought out for something he didn't yet understand; Felix, pointedly avoiding his rulers in fear of his secret being discovered. These only contained a small amount of emotion for Caius, as he did not feel more than a questioning puzzlement toward the players in a game Aro was so lost in. What surprised Aro the most was the way things looked so different through Caius's eyes; they weren't the exaggerated monsters he told himself they were, but people. Just people.

Then the thoughts came to the fight of just a few moments ago, and Aro was surprised by how violently, for Caius's standards at least, he reacted. He could see himself through his brother's eyes, teeth barred, eyes wild with more of Caius's curious perplexity wound around the memory. He didn't understand why the fight had gotten so out of proportion. No rules had been broken – the Volturi didn't keep such a tight watch over their guard as they had centuries earlier and the girl had done no real wrong.

But one thing Caius was sure of was that he did not want his family broken up. Through disjointed memories, half-thoughts, and a stirring amount of emotion, Caius mentally pleaded Aro to stay in Volterra and forget about the girl. The three had been ruling together for so long that he didn't quite know what would happen to them if one were to leave. Maybe it'd be fine, maybe they would eventually be together again, or maybe they would be overthrown, hunted for, and go insane.

Aro released Caius's hand with air of one who pretends to have the situation controlled in his own two hands. He wanted to smile for his brother, tell him that everything would be fine, but he couldn't lie now; for once, it was beyond him. Instead he took a step backwards, in the direction of Volterra's expansive garage. "I am sorry, my brother," he said. "But, sometimes, we come to the point in our lives where we must choose between continuing to pace the same tired rut we have for years or change. I don't think, no matter how hard I might try, that I could possibly amend my faults and alter my ways." His eyes avoided Caius's as he added softly, "It could just destroy me."

With his last word's ringing in the air, Aro turned and left, not even bothering to acknowledge Jane when she fell into step beside him until he abruptly said, "Get my personal guard. We're going to America."

000

"Banking, Carlisle? Don't you think that's a tad too ironic, considering my past?"

"Edward, you need a completely innocuous job, and, sadly for you, working as a bank teller is just that. It's so boring, even, that no one would bother with a second thought or follow up question. Plus, the distinct smell of so much money in a small building will sidetrack you from any… distractions." Over the phone he sounded too forcibly calm. Edward wished that he could hear Carlisle's thoughts so that he would know the right thing to say; an apology, perhaps, to make up for all the extra effort and worry that his decisions have caused with the Cullens.

"Okay, that makes sense. But if we are trying to be unfound, why did you send us to a town the Volturi know Bella has a house in? Is this one of those hiding in plain sight things?"

"For lack of a better turn of phrase, yes."

"And what about you guys? Don't you think it would seem a bit odd to the wonderful inhabitants of Forks, Washington if a large family of stunningly beautiful people move in to a house that was owned by a similarly large family of stunningly beautiful people named Cullen a decade or so ago?" Edward switched the phone from his right hand to his left, sneaking a glance at Bella, who was hanging their new clothes in the small closet with a rather loving air.

"Actually, it was only Esme and I who owned the house in 1926, a year or so after her change. And we will be fine with our name, Edward. Esme was still rather…fragile about her past living situation, making her quite adamant about calling ourselves Greene." Edward didn't need to press any farther to know that Esme still feared the slightest thought of her ex-husband destroying the dream her life had become, even after all these years. "She pretended to be blind so that she would have an excuse to stay at home and I only went to the hospital and grocer. No one will remember us."

When Edward didn't respond straight away, Carlisle jokingly asked, "What? Do our plans not appease you Edward? Would you rather have it so us dull old-folks don't embarrass you in front of Bella?"

"No, it's just…" Edward peeked around the doorway, making sure that Bella was still taking stock of things in the bathroom before he continued in a whisper, "I don't want anyone to so much as think of suspecting us. Bella has had to deal with enough catastrophes to last even one of our lifetimes; she shouldn't have to worry this time. Everything should be perfect for her."

"Don't worry, Edward," Carlisle was speaking in a low, fatherly voice of comfort. "We have done this so many times that there should be no problem. Emmett might hate the fact that he has to go to school while you don't, but he will survive. No one will think to find us in Forks, Washington."

"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you for everything. I don't know what would have happened to me if you and the family weren't there to help me from the start. You do so much more than I could hope for and stood by me when it was dangerous. I don't deserve it."

"You're family, you and Bella; we would have been crazy to not help. We will be in Forks in two days at the latest. Give Bella my love. Goodbye Edward."

Edward closed the cell phone and walked to the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe as Bella dug through the cabinet and wrote down items that they would need. After several silent seconds, she said, "You're doing it again Edward."

"Doing what?" he asked innocently, well aware of the offending crime he had committed.

"That worrying thing he talked about." She turned to face him, the exasperation she was desperately trying to keep in place not smothering the bright eyes and glowing face of someone who is utterly happy, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't think I need to tell you again that I have been taking care of myself for years. With my skills and the generous help of your family, the only chance of screwing things up is you."

Edward ignored her playful insult and pulled her closer to him. "Our family, you mean."

"They think that?" The concept of being in a family was so foreign to Bella after her years of solitude that she couldn't even comprehend it. The Cullens, to her, were all gold and perfection; living examples of determined perseverance who had fought their basic instinct to make themselves into something great. Bella couldn't help but feel intimidated by them. "They don't mind me, after all the trouble I have caused?"

"Mind you? When I talked to Esme, she was practically bursting at the seams to meet you. She thinks you're an angel for being with me and curing me of my loneliness. I bet she already has the color scheme of our wedding picked out."

Plucking the list from her hand, Edward offered to pick up the things from the grocer's. "I want to hear what else they've thought of us," he called from the entry hall as he pulled on his coat. "Maybe they'll think I've kidnapped you next!" He left the house laughing, the bell-like noises drifting through the snowy landscape.

Bella listened to him back out of the driveway, not letting out the breath she had been unaware of holding until he was several minutes down the street. Wringing her hands, she stared down at the silver bracelet on her wrist. It was her single most prized possession; not only was it a reminder of the parents she could barely remember, but it was a material object that linked her to Edward and the long years it had taken to get to the point they were at now.

But marriage? Even when Edward had made up their ludicrous cover story, Bella hadn't thought of actually marrying Edward.

Perhaps it was that Bella had never had the hope that went along with marriage. All her vampire life, she had made it a point to be alone, to always be prepared to be taken away, her future lost once more… But now, now she could wish for marriage, a thing that was based on mutual love, respect, and the promise of spending the rest of their lives together. All of which she had with Edward, a man that wanted to give Bella everything she desired and more.

A wide smile graced Bella's face as she began dusting off the kitchen surfaces. She had never, not once, believed that her life could turn out like the fairytale it was.

000

Felix was not stupid. He was, in fact, a very intelligent man; that is why he had been offered the position of guarding the Volturi in the first place. Cunning came as easily to Felix as being beautiful did to Tanya.

So, when he took stock of his current situation, he was glad he had made good friends with the staff of the Volturi castle. Most were humans waiting for their chance to either join the guard or become their next meal, but there were a few vampires who did menial tasks. These vampires were changed because they were believed to have special powers just waiting for the change to be released. Sadly for them, though, the powers never came, a fault of the over zealous rulers who had not made sure before they acted.

Centuries before, they would have been killed out of disappointment, but now they were given a job, room, and protection. The rulers thought that this was a very kind and generous charity on their part, but the vampires only harbored bitter feelings toward the more powerful elders. They weren't even considered good enough to be under Chelsea's power.

So when Felix contacted one of the staff, a middle-aged woman by the name of Alexandra, he was not surprised to hear the grim delight in her voice as she hurriedly answered his questions. Somehow, her more than obvious resentment toward the Volturi made the bad news she was giving him even worse. After their conversation he felt as though there was an acidic taste in his mouth, like he had bitten into a battery.

As a human, Alexandra had exhibited genius fortune-telling skills, accurately predicting many events in the Sicilian town she was from. Later, after the Volturi had changed her, they had discovered that Alexandra was nothing more than a clever fake. She had a good ear for gossip and merely passed the rumors off as prophesies. The Volturi never got the seer they yearned for, and when news of Carlisle taking in just that in Alice Cullen stung their pride.

Felix thanked her for her valuable information, brushing off the fervent questions of whether or not it was true that the Cullens were leading a revolt by pressing the end button on the phone. The silence on the other end was a relief to him, but Felix knew that he couldn't keep the information to himself.

His disinterested and professional side took over, then. The number he had memorized was dialed with purposefully slow fingers, his response at the happy sigh of "Hello?" caught in his throat.

Knowing that he was only going to bring another round of worry and fear to a girl who didn't deserve it, Felix pushed the image of her sad eyes out of his head and said, "Yes, Bella? This is Felix… I'm afraid I have to tell you something that no one's going to want to hear."

Tight, tense silence met him on the other end of the line. Even when halfway across the world, he could practically hear the panic seeping into her mind.

"Bella, the Volturi aren't giving up. Aro had left the castle at five this morning and… they know where you are."

000

When Edward walked through the door, his happy, lilting whistle died on his lips.

The happy home he had left only twenty minutes before had turned cold and stagnant in his absence. The lovely carefree Bella was now collapsed in a chair, the cordless phone clutched in her hands. She barely acknowledged his entrance save for a quick flicker of the eyes.

A nagging part of Edward's mind, the part that hadn't existed until the frantically fear driven escape from Volterra, pervaded his mind with horrible conclusions that weren't very far from the truth. With it came that fluttering sensation of failure; like he had not been able to protect the one person that meant everything to him. "Bella?" he asked, setting down the paper bags of groceries on the floor. "What happened?"

She didn't look up, but her lips moved noiselessly, trying to say the words that hurt so much. With a pang, Edward recognized the expression on her face as guilt. Finally, she managed to whisper, "It's all my fault Edward. If it hadn't been for me, you would be safe…" A shudder ran through her body, her grip tightened on the phone, making it creak at the pressure. "They're coming for me again, Edward. They know we're here, and now they will want you too."

Immediately, Edward was at the other side of the room; throwing the clothes that had been so carefully hung into a bag. He looked over his shoulder at Bella and gave a wan smile. "Then we'll leave, Bella. We can go anywhere! We'll leave them behind and go somewhere remote. Maybe an island, or Africa, or-"

"No, Edward," Bella interrupted. Her eyes had finally met his and Edward found himself more than a little terrified at the defiance he saw and what it entailed. "I don't want to run anymore."

Feeling the panic induced rage bubble within him, Edward threw the bag to the ground with a crash. In a moment, he was kneeling before Bella, his hands on her shoulders and his golden eyes pleading. "I won't let them have you," he whispered fiercely. "Not now, not ever. But we can't stay here a moment longer; we have to leave right this moment!"

He attempted to pull her to her feet, but Bella resisted. "No!" she half-shouted. She was tired of it all: the terror, the paranoia, the anticipation for disaster, and the guilt of knowing that you are the reason for your loved ones' suffering. "I am staying right here, Edward! It has to end…"

Instead of the hurried flight she had been bracing herself for Edward to make, he merely sighed and took the seat beside her. She wanted to question him, ask why he was joining her in a hopeless mission, but stopped herself with the fact that she would have done the same for him.

Simultaneously, they gripped each other's hand, the fingers interlaced and the knuckles whiter than they ought to be. Even in the black hole of her foreboding emotions, Bella was thankful for Edward's companionship, and even more for his love.

Together they sat. Together they watched. Together they waited.

I wanted to, well, humanize the Volturi a bit. Make them actual people instead of the nameless, faceless villains they are sometimes thought of.

I hope I will get time to post soon. We are, after all, in the home stretch now.