Disclaimer: As much as we'd like to claim these characters, nothing Twilight-related belongs to us.

A/N: Sorry for the late post! It is my (Ben) fault. And then Fanfiction was down for like three days, so that didn't help either. Hah. This chapter is the last true filler chapter (even if you could call it filler... it's more like the rising action) of the story. And there also aren't many chapters left. Just a heads up that, while we intend to post every Friday, the last few weeks working on the loose ends of this story will mean that sometimes, if needed, posting will be delayed. This is only because we want the story to be PERFECT, and the ending has to be superb (even better than the ending we wrote for WHWHW). We hope you understand! Okay, well here's the chapter. TA-DA!

Also, if you haven't already, check out an amazing story by jmeyer called Eight Years Later! It's incredible and her betas are geniuses... haha. Just kidding (about the beta part, not the incredible part). Anyway, we're so proud of her and the success she's had so far. :)

Turning Eighteen
By cALLIEfornia BENches

Chapter 12: What Can Kill Us

The impromptu flight to Volterra couldn't be called silent. Silence would mean the deafening halt of words, sounds, and other utterances. By silence, one could possibly hear those small creaks of wooden floors, of breaths, or of the wind. In silence, time tricked us, tricked even the mind into standing still. Everything would be still.

The private jet afforded no such thing.

It felt cramped and heated. There was immense discomfort to be simply sitting upon the intended-to-be-relaxed upholstered leather seats. The creamy beige coloring of the walls and the plush padding of the chairs provided no solace; it merely absorbed all the tension on the plane. The cockpit looked like a trap. And five vampires were waiting impatiently for the jet to land. No one wanted to waste time, sitting still and buckling seatbelts. They could be fighting for Carlisle right now. They could be productive and efficient.

If it were silent, one could only hear the occasional crunch of leather beneath adjusting bodies.

But those voices.

The ones that leaked out a stiff and rigid ambience from its pores. No creamy beige or plush padding could be comforting with those voices floating around. No small sounds of a cough or an intake of breath. No silence.

Because I could still hear inside their minds the entire flight. On the outside, in the cockpit, everything was still. In the mind, internal thoughts raged on, and seemed louder than normal. The volume was making up for the physical lack of words.

What will I do without him...

Everything will be alright. It has to be.

Oh, Alice.

I'm going to rip someone in half. A guard, maybe. Aro? It doesn't matter; someone will pay the consequences.

They all buzzed before me, incoherent together, but heard nonetheless. I tried desperately to tune them out, to focus on anything but the conglomeration of thoughts. Almost as if I had said it aloud, a pale hand beside me slid underneath my own palms and intimately intertwined them. I smiled, knowing it was Bella.

She was the only silence I could ever afford.

The plane descended then, dropping below the clouds and darkness between the luscious and dark green land. It was close to around three in the morning, and dawn had not settled upon the high cliffs and green fields surrounding the city. And while beautiful, Volterra gave us anything but excitement. Instead, dread permeated into the already thick atmosphere of the cockpit. The sight of the city reminded each us the possibility of an end. We might not ever emerge from the underground castle the Volturi laid.

Time now seemed to be dauntingly bleak. Eternity could very well end today.

No one spoke when the plane landed. The tension within the jet followed us like a lingering cloud as we departed towards the infamous clock tower. I made sure to hold Bella close to my side. When all was clear, we began our run towards the city center.

In a flash, the gates came into view.

The sight of Volterra was haunting, whose entrance at this time of hour bore the resemblance of a ghost; its tall pillars rose like rocks from the hill, and whose bricks creepily shined with the setting moon. Its streets were deserted, and the cobblestones eerily brought an ancient atmosphere to the city.

None of us spoke as we stealthily crept forth, though I knew it was of no use; I suspected the Volturi had already felt our presence, given the talented powers belonging to Aro's guards. The voices still blurred in with my thoughts; everyone seemed on edge. Together, we climbed the tall walls leading to the square easily, leaping towards the clock tower.

Bella shivered beside me, peering high above to the monolithic shadow belonging to the clock tower. A look of reminiscence and fear etched into her face; she was being reminded of my rescue, and her arrival. Will this end the same way? Will we get out of here?

I couldn't let that happen. I had to stay positive and strong. If I continued harboring this mentality of imminent failure, I would never be able to succeed and survive. I was letting my family down. I was letting Bella down.

We would win this. We just had to.

We had to get Carlisle back.

Emmett and Rosalie pulled me out of my revelation, stalking towards the dark shadows where the sewers led to the Volturi lair. The faint smell of vampire lingered below my nose, but it was too diminished to indicate that someone was watching us.

I took a deep breath again. Not because I was catching a scent—there was no point anymore—but because I was simply readying myself. Briefly, I caught the slump figure of Jasper lurking to my right, his mind oddly mute to me, as if he were purposely blocking me. The only thoughts I could hear pertained to both Alice and Carlisle on his mind. Undoubtedly at the moment, I was grateful for the lessening of voices still shouting in my mind. Pushing back as much internal noise as possible, I cleared my throat; we all needed to be ready.

"Keep your head up."

The five figures before me whipped their faces in my direction, surprised that someone finally chose to spoke in the span of the entire journey. They had all been in their own worlds before now, immersed in preparation, hopes, prayers, and fear. Their bodies had merely directed them towards this place. This requirement bound by family. Grim smiles lined each of their faces, as if they understood.

We can do this. For Carlisle.

I miss him. So much.

Without another word, Emmett unlatched the nearest sewer, throwing away the piece of metal he had managed to tear through. It clattered on the cobblestone steps, loudly reverberating the sounds of what might have been the clock tower's chime. Swiftly, my family jumped in: Esme and Jasper, followed by a large Emmett and a rigid Rosalie. Bella and I went in last.

The moon was no longer visible and the stars could not be seen from where we were. Darkness and the scent of unpleasant musk lined the inside of the sewer. Darkness is only so dark for a vampire.

The putrid smell rose to our noses every time the water below us splashed around from our movements down a long and winding tunnel. It nagged on me, overpowering my senses. Shaking my head, I tried desperately to shake off the feeling of repulsion. I had to focus.

We made our way as quietly as possible through the tunnel, making sure to lessen any sudden movements. Bella clung to my hand as I led the rest. The rest trailed tightly behind me, ready at moments notice.

We must have been walking hours. Maybe days.

But in that span of time, a surge of electricity sparked through my body, and traveled along the others, warming our bodies and creating an unknown strength none of us had previously thought capable. Perhaps it was the water, or our bodies pressed tightly together in a communal formation.

But somehow, I finally felt ready. I didn't need the rest of the voices to tell me they thought otherwise.

Against all odds, I felt as though I could do this. I could fight against a long string of powerful vampires. I could weather numerous onslaughts of violence. I could save Carlisle. I could die fighting.

I felt invincible.

In little haste, a door appeared around the bend of the tunnel. Its intricate brass knobs and gold-leafed decorated edges spoke of great prestige and opulence. That door was unmistakable to me; I had resisted with all my strength in front of these very doors year ago, with a black blanket covering my struggling frame.

The lair to the Volturi.

I can do this. We can all do this.

Without hesitation, I turned the handle, and we all filtered in rapidly, assuming the position to attack and strike. Bella, the one with the least amount of experience in combat, save her battle with Victoria, crouched low behind me, our shoulders grazing.

As I looked around the grand lobby, my eyes rose in surprise.

No one was here yet.

Suddenly, as if on command, the voices swimming through my head all day lowered, and were instead replaced by the soft padding of feet charging towards us. Closing my eyes, I focused on the noise. Robes billowed behind the sound of moving legs, and hushed calls echoed off the marble-tiled walls. They were coming after all.

Keeping my eyes closed, I craned my neck towards my shoulder, where I could feel the steady breathing of my angel.

"I know."

"There's no turning back from here."

"I know."

My eyes fluttered open, voluntarily letting the light filter into sight. It took literally no time before I had adjusted to the unnaturally perfect clarity of things; the foam ceilings, the speckled-blue tile sifting across the floor, and the airy, light dust one would normally squint to see traveling, no floating, effortlessly beneath the fluorescent bulbs. And immediately, disappointment blanketed my heavy mind, because the darkness my eyelids recently learned as familiar had briefly tricked me into believing that everything occurring was simply a bad dream.

Before me stood the rigid and, if possible, seemly exhausted silhouettes belonging to the rest of the Cullens. Rosalie, as far as I could tell, seemed glued into the massive sides of her husband. Even when exuding such a rough and impudent masking exterior it was not difficult to see how obviously scared she was. Jasper and Esme stood by the other, neither consoling nor edging away from the dark cloud that must have been above our heads. For we knew why we were here. We knew what was going to happen and the peril we would all face. We were together, strong and incomplete.

And I still felt invincible. Nothing in this room, not even the oncoming sound of the guard could deter me from my post. From saving my family. I would make sure we weren't killed. My defined eyes would be there to block each and every one of their moves.

And I could see it all, hear it all in their minds. The Volturi. Carlisle. We were all ready. Our clarities etched perfectly on what was to come.

"I love you," I whispered into my angel's hair, further wrapping my arms tightly around her waist.

"I know. I love you too." She leaned her head up, and I knew what she was asking for. I quickly pressed my lips to hers, unhappy that I couldn't take it further. In only a few seconds, the Volturi would be arriving. And no matter how badly I wanted a potentially last chance to show Bella how much I loved her, I knew there was no way that would be possible.

"Really," I said. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

"Don't talk like that," she said. "This isn't goodbye. We'll walk out of this completely unscathed. I know we will." She pressed a quick kiss to the scar on my neck.

My lips pursed together to keep from saying anything. I know she wanted to be optimistic, but optimism wasn't the only thing that would keep us alive. We needed to fight.

I pressed another kiss to her lips and rested my forehead against hers. Ceilings, hideous tiled floors, shadows. They were nothing. A small part of me really was vulnerable.

Love. Things you cannot see are just the ones strong enough to kill you.

"Ah, welcome," a strong voice said from behind us. My eyebrows rose as I tore my gaze from Bella and toward the door. "Welcome, welcome. It's been far too long. We've been expecting you," Aro said as he and three others entered the room.

Almost as if a reflex, Emmett, Jasper and I took a cautious step in front of Rosalie, Esme, and Bella.

Emmett's tone was sarcastic. "And why would you be expecting us? We wouldn't have a reason to be here unless you gave us one, Aro. So, please, let's keep this peaceful and just give us Carlisle. We'll be on our way as easy as that."

"Now, who says we have Carlisle?" he thought, a wicked smile playing on his face.

I exchanged a glance with Jasper. Did he not remember that I could read minds? It was plain and clear, right there in his mind, that Carlisle was in one of the prison rooms. Which one, though, he seemed to have tried to block. In fact, his entire mind was relatively foggy. I think he may have been trying to block me completely by stating everything he knew about every member of the Volturi, but it was like putting up a transparent wall. It was there, but I could see through it.

This surprised me. Aro was powerful; way more powerful than I'd ever be. If he really wanted to block my thoughts, he could have, couldn't he? Maybe it was my newborn strength. Maybe being a newborn would help us even more than I thought in this fight.

Carlisle is here, right? Esme's thoughts came from behind me. I nodded quietly once.

"Please, Aro," Esme pleaded, take a step around us so she could talk to him. "We don't want any trouble. We don't even know why you want us in the first place."

Aro smiled and brushed off the topic of Carlisle. "Edward, Bella," he said, "So lovely to see you here again so soon. I won't lie to you, I thought I wouldn't see you again after your last visit here. I'm sort of surprised that you made it out alive."

We were silent. None of us wanted to give away the how Bella and I had been human after we were killed.

"So imagine my surprise when we go for a lovely visit and we're met with a very human Bella and a very human Edward. Please, inform me. How could this be possible? Because last I checked, Jane told me that you two didn't make it out alive. In fact, I was the very one that brushed your ashes out of the street and down the sewer."

Bella reached for my hand and I squeezed it, silently letting her know that we couldn't say anything.

But Aro didn't seem to mind that we were remaining tight-lipped. He simply turned to Jasper. "Ah, Jasper," he said. "I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Just know that hurting Alice was never Jane's intention when she hired Victoria.

"What?" Jasper's voice was a hiss. "You were behind all of this?" His head shook slowly back and forth as he took a step towards them. "Aro…." For a moment, I thought he was going to get angry and start bashing vampire skulls in. I reached out and put a hand on his forearm. But instead, what he said shocked me. "How could you?" His voice was low. "I know you're one of the few vampires that I know of that lacks any sort of feelings, but really. What did she ever do to you? Sure, she didn't want to join the cult that is the Volturi, but she never even so much as spoke ill of you.

"There is so much I want to say to you, Aro, but I don't even have the words. I know most vampires are killers, but I took faith in the fact that at least we were peaceful to each other. I can't even believe you would stoop to that level, Aro." The guilt that Jasper was sending toward Aro was so strong it was filling the room. Bella squeezed my hand again and I knew she was feeling some of it. As if she hadn't felt enough.

I wanted to be irritated with Jasper, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Aro deserved to feel guilty.

A silence filled the room.

"Why do you want to do this to us?" Jasper's quiet voice asked. "What have we ever done to you?"

Aro simply smiled. "Jane's been on punishment ever since we found out."

"Punishment?" I asked, wary.

"She's just been locked up for a while. She's bound to be out soon, but we figured a year and a half was pretty good punishment for messing up." Aro swooped over so he was closer to us. "Ah, Miss Bella," he said. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and I cringed. But nothing happened. Aro couldn't see anything in Bella's mind.

I let out a sigh of relief. I had forgotten.

"Still no good to me, I see," he said, frowning slightly.

He reached out to touch me, but I took a step back. No way was he going to see what was going on. "No, thank you, Aro."

"I'm just so curious," he said in a kind tone. I scowled. "I'd love to know what happens when a vampire is killed. It's so interesting to know you were human again. I'll admit, I didn't believe my ears when Demitri told me when he came back from a short 'spying' session on you guys. I had to see for myself; seeing it through his mind wasn't enough. Though, I don't think I should have taken Demitri along when we came to visit. It was such an unfortunate loss." He clicked his tongue.

"Aro," Emmett warned, seemingly having taken on Carlisle's role. "You might want to drop the subject. Edward said he didn't want to be touched, and that means he doesn't want to be touched. I understand you are powerful—as are all of you—and we don't want to start anything, but please leave my brother alone. If he wished to share it all with you, he would have.

Aro carefully took a few steps back, with his hands up in surrender and a too-innocent look on his face. "I mean to offend no one," he said. "I am merely curious. Maybe it's best you leave," he said. "I'll have Marcus show you the door."

I bit my lip, wanting nothing more than to stay and do what I could to convince them to give Carlisle back. But nevertheless I followed, Bella attached to my hand.

If they didn't want to do it peacefully, that was fine with us. But they couldn't expect us to give up without a fight.

There was no doubt about it: we would be back, and we would be leaving with Carlisle, no matter what it took.

A/N: And you thought they were going to fight! Well, not yet. But you can obviously see the brewing tension occurring. It is definitely too late to back out now; The Cullens can no longer trust the Volturi, and Carlisle is somewhere here. Sorry if it didn't meet your standards; I just haven't been having the most inspirational week (This is Ben). Maybe next week.

[Allie] Sorry that chapter's short. We needed a lead up to the next scene, which is much larger. Anyway, Ben pretty much summed everything up. :)

It's almost ending,

cALLIEfornia BENches