A/N: Well, school was cancelled this afternoon, and so was our play, so I managed to get this done and put up. If I'm lucky, school will be cancelled tomorrow and I can get even more done. I wrote a short one shot about Tiazza and Andrew, and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading it. If you are, I'll type it out (it's written on paper), and post it. Let me know. I also put up pictures of how I picture Tia and Bella in my profile. I'll be adding the other characters as I find pictures. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, and I'm glad you found last chapter humorous. Please enjoy:

Eight. A Modern Day Tragedy

We met up with Esme and Carlisle and headed for the Volutri fortress once more. I was still smirking slightly- proud of my victory over Edward. I didn't notice the sly looks he shot me as we got closer to our destination, or I may have been a little less cocky.

"How was your shopping, dear?" Esme asked as we entered the fortress.

"It was good," I replied. "I shouldn't have to shop for at least a year- though I doubt Alice will let me get away with that."

Esme laughed. I loved her laugh- it sounded like bells.

"No, I suppose she won't."

We continued to talk until we reached the rooms and were interrupted.

"Excuse me, Esme- but I have to kidnap Bella for a while," Edward said, stepping up next to me.

"Uh… why?" I asked nervously, not liking the glint in his topaz eyes. He grinned down at me, making me even more nervous.

"Is it so wrong for me to want to spend time with my girlfriend?" he asked in a too-innocent voice.

I opened my mouth to point out that he had pretty much been monopolizing my company since we got to Italy, but he picked me up bridal style in one smooth motion and had me in our room before I could really complain. He kicked the door shut with his heel and laid me back on the bed, where he then proceeded to thoroughly kiss me.

"Don't think I'm complaining or anything," I said, breathless. "But what brought this on?"

"It was for distraction, really," Edward replied.

"Dis- Edward Cullen, give me back that bag!" The bag of lingerie I had been holding was now held securely in Edward's hand.

"Hmmmm- no, I don't think I will," he replied. "Unless of course you really are going to model them for me, in which case you're welcome to have it back."

I glared at him with my hands on my hips.

"Edward," I said slowly. "Give. Me. The. Bag. Back."

Edward smirked at me and looked down into the bag, pulling out the nightgown I had pulled out earlier.

"This would look lovely on you," he informed me. "Are you sure it's something you would never wear? I'm the only one who would see it."

I pulled it from his hold and leapt for the bag. He dodged out of the way, laughing lightly. He reached his hand down into the bags depths and I watched with increasing embarrassment as he pulled out a low cut, sheer black nightgown that Rosalie had forced upon me.

"This would look very nice on you, too. I really think you should-" I tackled him, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. I manoeuvred myself so that I was straddling his waist and glared down at him.

"Give me the bag, or I take it by force," I told him. He smirked up at me.

"And if I want you to take it by force?"

"You're overly frisky today, aren't you?" I asked him with a frown.

His smirk widened, and the next thing I knew we had switched positions.

"What can I say?" he asked me. "Imagining you in these little numbers is doing everything for my imagination and nothing for my libido."

"Well, imagining is all you're gonna get, 'cause I'll never wear something like that!"

"Never?" Edward repeated, bending down to trail kisses across my neck. "Are you sure?"

"P-positive!" I gasped.

"Okay then, that's too bad," he replied lightly, getting off of me and handing me back the bag of lingerie. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"It won't work," I informed him bluntly, sitting up.

"What won't work?" he replied innocently.

"This plot of yours to get me to strut around in this… stuff," I tossed the two outfits in his face, "won't work. I can abstain far longer than you."

"It isn't a plot," he shrugged sheepishly at my un-amused expression. "Okay, so maybe it is… you're not actually going to abstain, are you?"

I stood up and straightened my outfit before walking out of the door without answering.

"Not fair Bella!" he called after me.

"Life isn't fair!" I called back, before turning my gaze to the rest of the family who were watching me with amusement, ignoring the action movie that someone (-cough-Emmett-cough-) had put on. "Who wants to come with me on a walk?"

"I will," Jasper replied dryly. "This movie isn't any good anyways."

"Yes it is!" argued Emmett.

"It's really not," Alice assured me. "Have fun on your walk."

"We will," I replied. "C'mon, Jazz."

I grabbed his arm and dragged him with me out the door. I led him down several halls, heading for the gardens we had found before.

"I want to talk with Tiazza," I told him. "So when we find her, you're going to give us some privacy."

"I don't know Bella…"

"Jasper," I said dryly. "I really wasn't giving you a choice in the matter. I was just telling you what was about to happen."

"Maybe I should tell Edward about your sudden interest in speaking with Tiazza," Jasper replied.

"You could," I agreed. "Although, since I am hanging the threat of not getting any over his head, he may not be completely inclined to get mad at me."

"He won't be desperate enough to ignore potential danger to you."

"Jasper- tell him and I'll… I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be bad."

Jasper grabbed my arm and wheeled me around so that he could glare down into my eyes. He seemed to be searching for something, and whatever he found made him groan.

"Bella, you promised not to go back to that door!" he hissed angrily, pacing a few steps away from me before turning back around to glare at me, running his hand through his hair.

I didn't bother trying to lie to him.

"I didn't mean too," I retorted. "It was after I ran from you and Edward. I got lost and I happened upon the hall with the door."

"You're leaving something out- what else?"

I mentally cursed myself for being so easily read.

"Okay- so I was mad and kicked the door and… someone forgot to lock it," I admitted, quiet enough that if anyone were around, only Jasper could hear.

"Fuck Bella, what if the Volturi find out?" he demanded equally soft.

"Don't you want to know what I found?" I replied.

Jasper didn't answer for a long moment, and I could see the internal battle in his eyes. Finally curiosity won out, and he motioned for me to talk. I pulled him closer, just to make sure no one would overhear.

"It's a werewolf- they have a werewolf locked down there."

"What!?" Jasper yelped, his voice strangled.

"Shush, Jasper," I hissed. "And yes- it's true. Not only that- but I think he and Tia are in love. That's why she felt betrayed- Aro imprisoned her lover."

"And what? You hope to hear the story from Tiazza herself? No way Bella. You are not talking to her. She may not be overly happy with Aro, but that doesn't mean she won't tell him about what you know."

"I don't think she will," I growled.

"We're not going!"

"Stay behind if you want," I retorted. "But I'm talking to Tiazza- with or without you."

I began walking once again, and Jasper's hand shot out to halt me for a moment.

"If you keep going, I really will tell Edward," he informed me.

"You'll be a tattle-tale? That's nice Jasper!" I snapped.

"You're my sister," he replied. "If it means keeping you safe, then yes, I will tell Edward."

I ripped my arm from his grip.

"Go ahead," I replied. "He's not my keeper, and neither are you!"

"You're putting us all in danger!"

That made me pause. Edward had informed me on several occasions that I had no sense of self-preservation- but I didn't want to be that catalyst that caused harm to my family.

"Don't get involved, Bella," Jasper pleaded. "We're not here that long- just forget about it."

"I don't know if I can," I replied. "You didn't hear Andrew. He sounded so sad."

"Andrew?"

"That's the werewolf's name. He told me, when I went through the door."

"You spoke to him?" Jasper groaned. "That's not good, Bella."

"Jasper- please. I have to do this."

Jasper paced, once more running his hand through his hair.

"I'm coming," he said at last. "If things get nasty, I'm not going to let you go in alone. Edward would kill me."

"You don't have to, Jasper."

"I know- but someone has to keep you alive, since you don't seem up to doing the job yourself."

I shot him a glare for that, but continued on my way. I didn't know why, but I had a gut feeling that told me Tiazza would be in that garden.

It proved to be right.

"What are you two doing back here?" she asked curiously. She sat on the fountain where she had been waiting for me before that confusing conversation we had had.

"Looking for you," I replied. "Is it okay if I take a seat?"

Tiazza furrowed her brow in confusion.

"It's a free country. Why were you looking for me?"

I looked at Jasper for help on how to breech the subject. He shrugged- I would be getting no help from that quarter.

"Ah… remember that door that you told me not to go to?" I asked slowly.

"Yes," Tiazza replied slowly, looking between Jasper and me. Something must have given us away, because a growl tore from her throat. "Don't tell me you went back there after I told you not to."

"She did," muttered Jasper darkly, glaring at me. "Only this time it wasn't locked."

Tiazza stared at him for a moment before turning her crimson eyes to me.

"Please tell me he's joking," she pleaded.

"I would if I could but I can't," I replied, my voice nervous.

Tiazza groaned.

"Damn it Bella- I told you not to go down there for a reason! It's not safe!"

"Because I could get caught, or because of Andrew?" I shot back.

"You met him then," she replied.

"Yes, I did," I cocked my head to the side and looked at her as she avoided my eyes by staring straight ahead. "You love him, don't you?"

"It really doesn't matter, does it?" she whispered. When she looked at me, her eyes were tortured. "He's imprisoned because he fell in love with the wrong woman."

"How did that happen?" Jasper asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Vampires and werewolves are enemies."

"Andrew- the man he was before the torture hardened him- was full of life," she replied, her voice hardly audible, even to our vampire hearing. I had to lean in to hear her. "He was life and laughter and fun. He was kind-hearted and so laid back that he hardly had to put in an effort to control the beast. I never saw him lose control, not even when he was half-dead the first time I met him. It was impossible not to fall in love with Andrew."

"What happened?" I asked my voice nearly as quiet as hers had been. "How did he get imprisoned?"

"Life happened," Tia replied with a shrug. "You know the whole 'if it goes up, it must come down' thing. In the Volturi, werewolf-vampire relationships aren't allowed."

"Why didn't they kill him?" asked Jasper. I glared at him for being so callous, but Tiazza didn't seem to care.

"I begged," she replied. "I begged them to spare me. Marcus backed me up- I think he just likes having a werewolf he can torture whenever," her eyes went distant. "If I had known what his fate would be, I would have killed him myself."

"That's terrible," I whispered.

"Do you see why I wanted you to stay away now?" Tiazza asked. "You're a good person, Isabella Swan- too good. And now you pity both Andy and me. That pity won't be good for anyone- not me, not him, and certainly not you."

"What does that mean?" I demanded.

"It means don't do anything stupid," she replied. Her eyes flashed to Jasper. "If I were you, I wouldn't let her out of your sight," her eyes came back to me. "You can't help us. What we need is a miracle- and those are in short supply in Volterra."

I couldn't answer her. Tiazza's eyes searched mine for a while longer.

"Leave it alone now, Bella," she murmured. "Please, don't do anything stupid. You and Edward have the kind of love that I wish Andy and I had gotten the chance to have- don't throw that away for a modern day tragedy like mine. Please."

I stared silently back, not saying anything. Tiazza looked ready to speak again, but a voice interrupted us.

"Tiazza- Master Aro requires your presence."

It was Felix.

"I'm coming," she said before looking back at me. "My advice is good- take it."

She then swept past Felix silently, leaving me to stare silently after her, still unable to formulate a reply.