The Angel

Chapter 6 We Meet Again

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own crazy ideas.

(A/N: Okay…I felt really bad for writing the last chapter. I think it's not up to my usual standards and I didn't quite do my best. I wish this one makes up for it. And can somebody tell me if I should continue writing?)

Earlier…

Damon's POV

I opened my eyes to see Addie gone. I just needed to see it for myself, thinking that my senses were just deceiving me when I heard her sweet voice saying goodbye. My heart shattered into a million pieces like glass and every piece of it caused me pain.

I feel like being burned alive is so much better than this. This kind of pain that I experienced before in my human life with Katherine, only a million times magnified because I really love Addie.

But life needs to continue, so I ran down the stairs, ignoring my brother and his girlfriend as they arrived. Keys in hand, I entered my Ferrari and sped away, leaving Elena and Stefan flabbergasted.

Tears stung my eyes and I marveled at this new sensation. In all my years, I could count using only one hand the instances when I cried. The worst was seeing my late mother in the wooden casket they placed her in before they buried her six feet under the ground.

I had no particular destination in mind. I just felt the need to drive. Drive as far as this car would go before I run out of gas. It gives me some sort of escape—escape from everything I left behind, even if it is only temporary.

I slowed down my driving subconsciously and I didn't fight it. I stepped out of the car to see that I parked right in front of Club Sangre. Lovely, I just went to a place that brought more memories to the surface of my brain—memories of Addie.

I remember the first time I brought her here. She and I had so much fun dancing together and doing all sort of things that happen in clubs which includes drinking and all those stuff. A sad smile tugged on my lips and my shattered heart ached for her, hoping to be fixed again by her.

Shaking off all thoughts of her, I decided to go inside since I was here anyway. I saw everyone gathered around somebody, listening intently to whatever the person was saying. My leather announced my arrival and everybody turned around to look at me.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful. Apparently, I succeeded because nobody looked suspicious or anything close to it. "Damon." The person stated bluntly, stepping through the crowd. I recognized her as Rose, Trevor's "friend. I refuse to believe that there is nothing between them, since they lived with each other for half a century.

"Rose." I drawled, crossing my arms. "May I know what's happening and all of you are gathered around here?" I added, looking at her.

"First things first, Damon, where is the girl you brought here last time?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. I gritted my teeth and fought back a growl. I was already doing a pretty good job at not thinking about her until Rose here oh-so-kindly reminded me.

"Addie is doing something else right now. But she will be with us tomorrow." I said slowly, taking a sharp intake of breath through my nose. She looked at me doubtfully but she just shrugged it off.

"Word has it that the Volturi is coming tomorrow after sunset. Of course, this works to our advantage since not all of us can walk under the sun." she said, as if I already didn't know. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and smirked instead.

She glared at me and I glared back until she looked away. "They will pass through the forest near the school. We will meet them before they get even closer because once they get into town, I doubt they will not wreak havoc there." she said in that strange accent of hers which sounded somewhat like British.

"Don't pretend as if you know everything, Damon. You don't even know half of the things I know." she spat, glaring dangerously at me. I glared back, as if to challenge her. I knew it was wrong but something bubbled deep inside me, something that craves for a fight.

It was my old self resurfacing again. I shut my eyes and concentrated on calming myself instead. "I'd be there tomorrow in full battle gear. Trust me. I'll be your personal knight in shining armor and we'd kick those sparkly vamps' butts. But for now, I need to warm up and eat a healthy meal. Ciao!" I called in girlish voice, turning on my heel before finally walking away.

I heard a female voice calling out my name, but I just continued walking towards my car. "Damon Salvatore, if you don't stop right now, I swear you will regret it for the rest of your life." she warned, stopping in her tracks.

"And so, my fair lady, pray tell me. Why would I do that?" I sneered, turning around to face her. I saw a really pissed off vampire older than I was. It was Cassandra, Cassie or whatever you want to call her.

"Because you very well know that I am older and stronger than you are." she said, almost growling in irritation with me. "I want you to deliver a message for me to Adrianna and if this doesn't reach her, I will have your head for payment, do you understand?" she barked, not sounding like her usual cheerful self at all. I guess they all must be really stressed. I am.

"What is it? I don't have much more time to spare for this crap. Make it quick." I said, in vampire speed, irritation evident in my voice. She looked indifferent and proceeded to narrate her message to me to deliver to Addie. I nearly zoned out. My brain is going to catch all of it anyway, so no need to pay too much attention. After all of it was over, I turned my back on her and walked away, not even saying a proper goodbye.

And I couldn't care less.

Early the next morning…

Damon's POV

Okay, this is it. The big day we have all been waiting for. The day the Volturi will come to 'terrorize' our beloved citizens. Oh joy.

For the first time in weeks, maybe years—I don't really keep track of time—I slept for more than eight hours. I could only guess that it was my body's way of coping with emotional pain. Before I met Addie, I knew better than this. I knew better than to let myself suffer for some period of time. What I would normally do in situations like these is shut my feelings off. Why should I let myself suffer more when I could do that?

Well, my answer is that I love her. And I know that even if I do switch off my emotions it will still find a way to haunt me. I personally prefer it that way.

I was looking for a distraction from the worthless pile of books in this house. Something I haven't read before that would surely lure my mind away from the real problem. I have less than ten hours to prepare for a battle. After that, I'll make sure to find Katherine and do what I should have done a long time ago. I am going to kill her. And nobody can stop me this time.

Suddenly, I felt somebody, a presence, around the house—and a very powerful one at that, too. Picking up a stake from the old, dusty wooden desk in the library, I cautiously walked down the stairs to the front door. I waited for the vampire to knock, as I was sure he or she will do soon, and seconds later the vampire knocked on the wooden door thrice.

It was the manner of knocking that caught my attention. Normally, I wouldn't have cared how people knock. But this one is different because it was done with certain…rhythm. And I know only one person who knocks like that.

I opened the door to reveal the person I somehow dreaded and loved to see at the same time. "I see you haven't gone to school whilst Stefan had gone a couple of hours ago. What brought you back, Adrianna?" I said, in a surprisingly cold voice. I immediately felt remorseful but didn't act upon it. Her beautiful features betrayed no emotion as she looked me over with hard eyes, like there was a wall separating me from seeing her emotions.

I must have taught her well then. I wondered whether she turned off her emotions as well, like I was planning to do at some point earlier. "School is quite insignificant right now, or ever. I told you I would come back and help, Damon." she said in an equally cold voice. Well, two can play at this game.

"And I told you that we don't need extra help, too, remember?" I said slowly, like a parent speaking to a three year old kid. She looked agitated more than anything and I saw her eyes darken slightly.

"I am not a kid, Damon, so don't treat me like one. I am going to help because I want to and I don't need any permission coming from you. You're not the only person in this world, you know, so make sure to deflate that huge ego of yours before I do it for you." she said, expressionless. My heart suddenly ached for her sweet smile and twinkling eyes that never failed to brighten up my day.

I don't know what happened for us to come to this. But if we want to get rid of Katherine, I might as well play along. She might be spying us for all we know. That girl is one sneaky vampire, alright.

Stepping around me, Addie marched inside and stopped right in front of the huge fireplace where we had spent a lot of time together. She looked unaffected and sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs in the process.

She shut her eyes, as if concentrating about something important, and suddenly the fireplace was ablaze. I nearly jumped back in shock if not for the long years of perfecting my composure. "I see you have been using the past few hours smartly. May I ask why is it that you decided to hone your witchcraft more than your Power as a vampire?" I asked bitterly, crossing the room in a few strides.

She let out an exasperated breath, as if she couldn't take this conversation for another period of time, even for a minute. "No worries, Damon. I am perfectly capable of using both weapons if I have to. After all, I have been trained only by the best." she sighed.

My guess was that she wasn't thinking about what she was saying. Surely, she didn't mean to praise me? I could understand her praising Bonnie the Bennett witch for helping her with her craft in such a short notice, but I was pretty sure we had an unspoken agreement to stay indifferent with one another. With her, it is hard to tell, indeed. But I had made a promise to myself to stay formal with her until she chooses otherwise.

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, it will be your funeral." I said seeming indifferent on the outside but deep within, I was scared. Not for my safety, but hers. She may be a vampire, and even a witch, but is she really capable of protecting herself? What if Katherine is there and she attacks Addie?

I know that I am no match for Katherine, either. Thus, I cannot think of any other way of protecting the girl that I love. Even Bonnie herself couldn't cause my old lover pain. Vervain doesn't work now, too. That is why I am gambling everything here, hoping that we would be able to take Katherine down.

And I am going to make sure she will, even if I die in the process.

Bella/Adrianna's POV

You may ask how I have gotten so powerful in just one night. My answer is…I just needed to learn one skill and the rest will follow. And what skill am I talking about? It is the skill of controlling one's aura and Power whilst trying to let it circulate around you.

That way, I will be able to appear quite normal and not arouse suspicion from the enemies. Well at least, I fervently hope I won't screw things up. The only thing that kept me determined was the fact that I was doing this for Damon. This sacrifice is hurting the both of us, but I will never endanger his life because of plain selfishness. He means something much more than that to me.

It took me a few times before I finally got the hang of it. I felt guilty because Bonnie became so exhausted in helping me circulate my aura and Power that she literally fainted on the spot. It seems that she couldn't use too much Power all at the same time because it drains a lot of energy from her body—not only physically, but also mentally.

I am currently rummaging through old books at the library of the Salvatore boarding house. Damon didn't invite me in but instead, I invited myself. This is still my home even if I left it because of the complexity of my situation with Damon. But it didn't feel so much like home anymore, not with Damon being cold towards me.

I totally understand his reasons for staying away and I also accept his decisions, whatever they are. This was my choice, not his. And he had been hurt too many times for me to even consider doing it repeatedly.

I hurt him once and that was more than enough for him to take. I will accept whatever decision he makes, whether positive or negative. I simply need to accept the fact that he may not come back to me even after all this is over, even with my promise to him. If he welcomed me with open arms, I would surely be the happiest woman on Earth then. I could just hope it ends that way.

But with my luck, a small part of me feels that it won't end too well on my part.

Half an hour before sunset…

Damon's POV

It was half an hour before the expected arrival of the Volturi and I never felt more…uneasy. Like something bad was going to happen. Of course, I couldn't go all pessimistic about this. Even I could tell that it is very unDamon-like.

Vampires arrived in small groups of twos or threes a few miles away from the place where the Volturi will supposedly stop to camp for a while. And "camp" doesn't mean anything good. To us, it means practicing, warming up, feeding and all Vampire-related sort of stuff that you can think of.

I came here with Addie following behind me, but never with me. It's amazing how that woman can change attitude in such a short notice. She went from sweet, loving Addie to cold, unexpressive Adrianna. Somehow I regret changing Bella to another person. She was everything I could ever wish for back then.

"Regret means nothing now, Damon. Everything has changed in just a matter of hours. I told you what I thought was just because you don't deserve lies coming from me. You deserved the truth, because you saved me not only from death, but also from drowning in self-hatred. And for that, I am forever grateful to you. Whatever happens today, remember that everything I told you was nothing but the truth. No lies." Addie told me mentally.

I wasn't even aware that my barriers were down or was it that she was just too powerful now that she could invade my thoughts any moment she wishes to? I really hope not. I gritted my teeth as a wave of mixed emotions coursed through me. She was right. From the moment I first saw her, I already saw in her beautiful brown eyes that she was a kindred spirit. She never lied to me in any way at all.

She was…the best thing that ever happened to me. With her sweet smile and angelic voice, I could wish for nothing else. It was then that I swore to protect her with my life for she was my other half, my beloved, my mate—even if I didn't believe in that crap.

Bella's POV

Only a few more minutes now before the "vampire royalty", as Edward described them, arrives. A while ago, I had unconsciously delved into Damon's not-so-guarded thoughts and caught him thinking about me. I was struck by how much he didn't understand about me leaving him.

So, my subconscious started making decisions for me and I had already responded telepathically to him before I could stop myself. Perfect. Just perfect.

I had turned away abruptly after that, never speaking a single word to him in case I slip again. It was his safety at risk and the rest of the vampires with us. He is too precious to me to gamble.

My eyes stared at nothingness as I tried to keep my head. This was one of those times where I needed to keep in control and be in-charge of myself. That way, I can protect everyone and kill anyone that dare hurt any single one of my loved ones. I was in Alpha mode.

Adrianna is different from sweet, caring Bella Swan. Bella would never kill a fly if she could help it. Adrianna, meanwhile, will do anything to keep herself and her new family safe. And yes, she could kill if you dare her.

Veins started to bulge around my eyes and my fangs elongated with emotion and bloodlust. Not bloodlust for drinking blood itself, but bloodlust to see those very people who attempt to hurt Damon dead with my own two hands.

Call me cruel, evil, a demon, or whatever you like, but I swear they'd be dead…especially Katherine. Elena told me how she discovered about her ancestor's past. How her real name was Katerina Petrova and how she gave birth to a baby girl who she never got a chance to hold even for a second because of her father and so on and so forth. But it was no excuse to make other people's lives miserable because hers was.

She shouldn't inflict pain on others because in her own twisted mind, she thinks it's only fair for others to suffer as she did. She truly is a mad woman. But I won't let her ruin my life—no, I won't. Or Damon's for that matter. She already hurt him enough as it is. No need to add to the endless pain that she caused him.

"Addie?" A feminine voice whispered behind me, using the nickname Damon ever-so-kindly- christened me with before placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I spun around to see Cassandra with a worried expression on her face. "Are you quite alright?" she asked quietly, demanding no answer from me.

That is one thing I like about her—she didn't force herself on people, unless they are enemies, of course, and my face returned to its natural state. "I've been better." I breathed, so that only she and I could hear my words filled with sadness.

"You and Damon…" she trailed off, pulling me in a more secluded part of the forest. "What happened between the both of you? The first time I saw you with him, I knew you had deep feelings for one another. I thought when I see you again that you'd both be happy and well. I was even planning your wedding already at the back of my mind." she chuckled, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

"It's very complicated, Cassie. You don't even know half of it." I sighed, shaking my head to rid myself of sad thoughts that came to the surface of my mind. Her eyes flashed in anger, probably making assumptions right there and then.

"What did he do now? I warned him. I warned him earlier that if he hurt you, I'll have his head as payment. That boy…so foolish." she hissed, unintentionally scaring animals out of their hiding places.

"He didn't do anything. It's all on me. I broke up with him yesterday." I whispered, looking down. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked taken aback by my words.

"You…what?" she barely whispered, staring at me as if I had grown an extra head. I closed my eyes and nodded, confirming my earlier words.

"But you—you loved him so much! It was evident that you two were going to end up with each other in some way. My other vampire senses were all but screaming at me that you were perfect for each other. Why did you do that? Why did you deprive yourself of the happiness you truly deserve? Are you crazy?" she whisper-shouted at me.

If this conversation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed until tears streamed down my face. "Maybe I am." I replied, laughing without humor. It sounded empty and hollow, like what I was feeling inside. My laughter stopped immediately and I looked at her soulful eyes in need of understanding.

"I left him because I love him, Cassie. He's the last straw. If he dies, I will surely gladly follow him, wherever Hell he is in. I love him too much, that's why I left him." I croaked, my eyes glistening with tears.

"You…did the same thing your ex-boyfriend did to you?" she asked, but her tone wasn't accusing or even anything remotely close to it. It was just a question, plain and simple.

"No. He doesn't deserve to be lied to, so I told him the truth. I felt the need to leave because he will surely not accept it easily if I didn't leave of my own accord. He would have held on to me. That's why I'm acting all cold and expressionless on him to this time, because I don't want to give him false hope. After all, we might not be reunited after this battle." I explained sadly, keeping the tears at bay.

"I understand." she said, hugging me comfortingly, like a sister I never had. "But what was the reason why you decided to leave? Surely, it wasn't just because of this fight. The two of you are strong and powerful and so are the rest of us. You have nothing to fear." she soothed a few moments later, squeezing my hand.

"The other night, I saw Katherine Pierce. She threatened him and I saw clearly how much she overpowered him. I wasn't able to do anything that night because I stood frozen in my spot, unable to process anything from shock. She said—she said that if he doesn't come back to her, she'd kill. I don't want anybody to die, especially him." I whimpered, shaking so badly from sobs that racked through my body.

"I could do the exact same thing to Damon, you know. He's so naïve sometimes, I can't believe he's over a century old!" she joked, and I laughed with her this time.

"I know that. All the more reason to love him." I said, sighing in frustration. "But she's too powerful and immune to vervain. How could someone be so powerful?" I nearly screamed in frustration, before I held myself back.

"While it is true that Katherine is powerful and cunning, she is not invincible. So are the Volturi, that's why we need to prepare to kick some sparkly ass now, girl!" she exclaimed, suddenly jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day.

I felt the urge to roll my eyes but suppressed it—now is not the right time. She bounced off back to where majority of the vampires are gathered together and I followed shortly after. But before we came within earshot of the others, she spun on her heels and faced me.

She looked serious and determined and boy, did she look deadly. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she raised a finger to silence me. "One question: Did Damon Salvatore relay my message to you?" she asked, pausing for dramatic effect.

I raised my eyebrows skeptically and slowly shook my head from left to right. Whatever this message is, it must be important to my friend so as for her to get angry at Damon for not relaying it to me.

Her eyes glinted mischievously and her lips curled into a menacing smile. "God help him. He is going to be so dead." she said slowly, before running at full vampire speed back to camp. I fervently prayed that she wouldn't do anything rash but with Cassandra, you can never tell what she has in mind.

Before the Volturi arrived...

I practically grabbed Cassie and pleaded with her to stop whatever she's planning to do. She agreed after some persuading but I feel that she wouldn't just stop that easily. Her eyes didn't lose that evil glint and I started feeling more nervous about her than the arrival of the Volturi. Speaking of their arrival, it is only a matter of seconds before they arrive. We were already in position, with me somewhere in the middle row of our formation. It wasn't much of a formation, really, we were scattered all over the forest before the field.

We walked almost in synchronization as we marched towards what I thought as doom. Cassie was beside me, but it didn't matter too much because we won't be able to talk anyway. At least, not yet. We were positioned behind the trees because the sun hasn't fully set yet. As soon as it goes down and out-of-sight, we'd all step out from our hiding place. Nobody moved or said a word in anticipation to what was going to happen.

Maybe I forgot to mention this earlier, but Bonnie is with us. She said she couldn't let me out of her sight. Meanwhile, she appointed Alaric and Jeremy Elena's bodyguards for tonight, just in case she attempts to come here. Now surely, there would be chaos then. Stefan and Damon don't think she fully understands the danger that this imposes on her and the rest of the humans in Mystic Falls, but personally, I think she does. I think that's why she wants to come with us all the more. It took a lot for me to actually leave her there unprotected.

Alaric Saltzman and Jeremy Gilbert are only humans, even if Jeremy has a ring that would bring him back to life. It's quite unnerving to think about my friend's safety while focusing on an incoming fight. My muscles tensed in its own accord; my instincts going haywire and practically screamed: "Danger!" at me.

Those in the front line, including Damon, walked forward which means they're here. I hadn't even noticed because I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to pay attention. Good thing Cassie took my hand in hers and I noticed how cold my hand was-even for a vampire. She pulled me alongside her as she masked her emotions, the first time I saw her do it. She looked scary, I had to admit at least that much.

Those in front of us kept us away from sight. Guess who was in front of me acting like my protector? Yes, the one and only, Damon. He just stood there in front, shielding me from their view. I briefly saw the Cullens amongst their ranks and it pained me that I might have to kill them tonight, too. After all, they were my family back in Forks. But no, I wasn't Bella Swan, so I need to be strong enough to handle myself well. Damon taught me enough and I was a witch. Bonnie taught me everything she could and I was in debt to her. I glanced sideways at her direction and stared at the dark-skinned girl for a fraction of a second, before riveting my attention back to the Volturi.

"It's showtime." I whispered, and almost everybody from our side smiled knowingly.

The Italian coven finally halted right after we did and some of the Guard uncovered their faces. I didn't recognize any of them to be truthful, but I just knew they had to die, or else it would be us who would be dying. There was one with papery skin and milky red eyes that came forward with arms outstretched, as if greeting an old friend. "Ah! It's so nice to see all of you gathered and ready to fight for your home. Such loyalty..." he said, trailing off a bit in the end.

His words sickened me in a way i couldn't explain, like there was something distasteful in my mouth that I wanted to get rid of. His whole personality screamed: "Traitor!" with his pretense of a smile and seemingly bright attitude. The other one beside him, Marcus, I noticed looked bored and simply...dead, as if he had no reason to live for. While the other one, the blonde one-Caius, looked disgusted and wanted to get rid of us immediately. Oh well, at least he's honest with it.

"What do you want from us?" A woman from our side asked who I recognized as Rose, one of the older ones in our group. Aside from Pearl, she acts like the leader of us all. I personally don't like her for some odd reason. It was Aro who answered her question. "We came here to resolve some problems, if you may." he said softly, like a caress. None of us was fooled by the sound. Need I mention that vampires are used to traitors that's why we didn't trust others easily?

"You have no right to be here. We do not abide by your laws. We are in a different level of Power, might I just remind you." she said, proving her statement by changing the weather and brewing up a storm in the horizon. Aro looked...amused? There was no other word for it. Huh, maybe he was one of those people who loved to learn new things each passing day, even though they're quite freaky.

There was something about him which I just couldn't quite put my finger on, like he knew something we didn't. It was impossible because we researched everything there is to know about mythical creatures that we can find. But, after, all, he lived for thousands of years and his existence alone is already enough education for him.

"Maybe we're not as different as you think, Miss..." he trailed off, not knowing Rose's name.

"Rose." she finished for him, crossing her arms across her chest. She had that stern look on her face that demanded respect and maybe even subservience, if she wills it to.

"Very well then, Miss Rose. We are both vampires, maybe different kinds of vampires, but vampires just the same." he started, while Rose listened intently on what he has to say. "Word has reached us that some humans here know of our existence. If you think that this doesn't pose a danger to us, then you are wrong. We both feed on humans, therefore it will affect both our races if they find out about either one of us. For example, right now I smell a human being among you." he said, flashing a dazzling smile which clearly didn't work on us.

"She with us." Rose retorted, almost ready to blow off her top with another bad thing coming from Aro's mouth. Tsk, he'd better be careful of his words next time.

"Hmm...is that so? Will you allow me to get near her? I swear I won't harm her in any way." he pledged and I immediately stiffened. Rose nodded after a second and allowed him to come over. My blood boiled in anger and my fangs started to get longer and the veins around my eyes bulged as my predator side came out. Cassie and Damon must have sensed my discomfort because Cassie squeezed my hand ever-so-slightly while I saw Damon move his head a fraction of a millimeter. If I had been human, i would never have caught it

Bonnie was hidden behind the rest of us, near the edge of the forest. I could feel Power circulating around her which would have gone unfelt if one didn't know what he/she was looking for. She taught me this in a few hours time and i'm glad she did. I tensed as Aro's distance from us became shorter as he came nearer to us. He was already in front of Bonnie by the time everything within me snapped.

My eyes flashed open as I spun around and stopped his hand in mid-air. "Don't you dare touch her!" I growled, a very menacing sound coming from deep within my chest. Growls erupted from the side of the Volturi as I growled at their master. Almost the entire Guard was crouched near the ground except the Cullens and two hooded figures at the very back. I knew Aro's intentions once he asked to see Bonnie. I immediately knew that he wanted to touch her so he will be able to see her thoughts and probably see into our plans in the process. Everybody was shocked. I kept Aro's talent a secret because...I don't know, it simply felt personal, like I was still keeping Edward's family's secret.

He raised a hand and the Guard silenced and regained composure. And then he focused back to me. "How brave you are, Little One! I make it you don't know who you are speaking to?" he asked sweetly, but I saw his eyes darken at the threat I gave him. I almost snorted-almost.

"Oh, I very well know who I am speaking to, Aro." I said in an equally sweet voice. He was shock at the least but his face didn't betray anything. But then he started laughing like a maniac and he clapped his hands together. "Ah, you know who I am and yet you dare defy me? I've never seen such a bold display in my life, dear me! You would have been very useful if you were a Cold One. Might I ask what your name is?" he asked in glee.

"Why don't you ask your dear friends instead?" I asked, motioning to the Cullens. To say they were shock was an understatement. Emmett's jaw nearly fell to the ground. Edward looked as pale as a ghost while having an arm wrapped around his mate, whoever she is. Carlisle and Esme looked overjoyed after they got over the shock. Alice looked proud and smiled so big it probably hurts. Jasper and Rosalie even smiled a little.

"Bella!" Alice said, breaking the chilling silence that came after my question. She ran to me bouncing up and down, like a kangaroo, before she was blocked by Damon.

"You-will-not-go-near her, do you-understand?" he said through gritted teeth. Alice stepped back and I placed a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"It's alright, Damon. Relax and get over it." I said forcefully, just low enough for our side to hear.

Aro looked curious, to say the least, and gleeful at best. Damon mumbled under his breath and shook my hand off, a gesture that hurt me more than it should. I decided to shut off my feelings temporarily-this could wait after the fight, couldn't it?

I faced the Cullens and said nonchalantly, "Well, my dear Cullens, we meet again."

(A/N: Sorry for the late update! As a matter of fact, I shouldn't even be updating anytime soon because I'm in the middle of my exams but because I love you all, I updated while studying at the same time. Review—it makes the updating process faster.)