Disclaimer: All Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. Plot is all mine.


If vampires couldn't sleep, dream, or have nightmares. Then Edward Cullen was sure they didn't need to because they could very well live their nightmares in their wake. And he had the proof because the moment he walked into his house, he felt like he was standing in a living nightmare.

As he took in the sight of his entire family in devastation it nearly made his heart physically ache. They were motionless in various frozen positions. Anyone looking in would have thought them to be living statues. And their entire aura reeked of depression and misery.

They didn't seem to notice Edward's presence as he stood in front of them. Carlisle was sitting at the far right end of the white couch in the center of the living room; he had his head in his hands as he hunched over. Esme sat beside her mate, she draped herself over his slumped back with her hands on his shoulders, her face was buried in his shirt.

Next to Esme's legs, was Alice in a fetal position, hugging her knees and staring off into the distance with vacant eyes. One would have expected Jasper to be beside his wife to offer her comfort. But no, the young former soldier was crouched on an ottoman on the other side of the room. His fingers were tangled in his curly blonde locks, almost like he was prepared to rip them from the scalp at any moment.

And behind them, in the dining room, was Emmett sitting alone and staring at his hands resting on his lap. All the empty chairs around him were moved around from their neat position.

The entire room was so quiet that a needle could be heard if dropped. And the tension was so thick it was almost tangle. Edward tried to feel their collective thoughts, but their minds were a complete jumble of nonsense.

Finally, one of them noticed his presence; Esme. She looked at Edward with glistening eyes filled with tears that would never shed. 'Edward?' Esme called out to her son within her mind. Not even sure if it was Edward really standing there or if he was a figment of a hallucination.

"Edward." She said, calling to him again, this time using her voice which was filled with sorrow and despair.

Almost like a domino reaction, one by one, the rest of the family stirred from their motionless posture. And turned their heads to look at their matriarch first, then followed her gaze to where she was looking.

Edward looked at each member of his family, until his dark golden eyes stopped on his father figure. Carlisle's thoughts were filled with shame, guilt, and regret. And among all the chaos of his swirling thoughts, Bella's name past through his mind for a brief second before he remembered to block his thoughts from his telepathic son.

Edward bared his sharp fangs and growled menacingly at Carlisle. The good doctor stood up swiftly and took one cautious step towards his son. He raised his arms showing that he meant no harm. Jasper was immediately behind Carlisle, moving just as carefully. The rest simply remained still and watched, fearing what may unfold.

"Son." Carlisle said. His voice was strained but he attempted to remain composed for Edward's sake. He took another step forward, Jasper right on his tail.

"Carlisle … Where is Bella?" Edwards asked, his chest rising and falling as he tried to remain calm. But it just made him look more unstable.

Carlisle's jaw tensed. And he tried not to let his thoughts betray him. "You need to sit down first, son. Then we will talk, alright?"

Edward's harsh expression softened, his body relaxed, and even his breathing calmed so suddenly. But then his eyes turned to glare over Carlisle's shoulder. "Jasper, stop it!" Edward yelled at the culprit. Jasper tried to use his gift on him, but the moment Edward recognized his influence he fought against it and managed to break Jasper's dominance for control over his emotions.

"You need to calm down and be rational. Otherwise we shall not say another word until you do." Jasper stated unapologetically.

"None of you have the right to tell me what to do until I see Bella with my own eyes – Now where is she?!" Edward stepped back, his fight or flight instincts kicking into gear as he inched towards the door he came from.

In the distance, Esme caught sight of Rosalie emerging from the tree line. She ran up to the house but stopped just outside as she saw the situation in front of her. Her eyes caught Esme's and she tried to silently convey her dishonor to her mother-in-many-ways. Esme shook her head as she in turn tried to let her daughter know that what's done is done. There was no way it could have been avoided. And now they must suffer the consequences.

"They took her, Edward." Alice spoke for the first time in several hours. "The Volturi took her from us." She placed her head on her bent knees, and her shoulders trembled as she sobbed. Esme knelt beside the crying girl, wrapped her arms around her, and stroked her head gently in comfort.

"Alice!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"Don't bother, dad! No matter what way you try to tell him it will all just end up the same – I think this family deserves to grieve. We were robbed of our little sister!" Alice uttered. Her voice breaking as she gasped. Esme tried to rub her back soothingly, but it was futile.

"How could you!" Edward shouted. "How could all of you allow this? Why didn't you stop them? Why did you easily let them take her away from us, from me?! – You didn't even give her a choice, and just let her walk out with those … those fiends!"

Esme stepped in. "Edward, it wasn't as simple as you're making it seem. This is the Volturi. Standing in their way would do this family more harm than good." She pleaded for her son to understand, but he could only respond to her with silence and a harsh glare. Esme looked away in shame.

"And as for Bella's choice," Carlisle added bitterly. "She chose to go with them, son."

The good doctor couldn't even look him in the eye. "YOU ARE LYING!" Edward snarled. His hands were clenched into tight fists, threatening to break whoever came close to him.

Carlisle slowly lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Edward. He stopped trying to block his thoughts and showed Edward that what he said was the truth. Edward's eyes grew wider, and his deep growls died down. The whole room became deeply quiet. Even Alice's cries subsided.

Suddenly, Edward dropped to his knees. The hardwood floor below him shattered from the rough impact. His mouth hung open and his eyes looked hollow. Esme carefully rose to her feet and approached the young man. She attempted to comfort him but he suddenly held up a hand to her and stopped her from approaching him any further.

"Please, no one come near me. You have all ruined my life." He whispered.

Esme clutched her hands to her chest, looking so devastated and close to tears. "Oh, Edward – Don't say that!" She implored.

"Then what? What do you want me to say, mother? Bella is my only reason for living. And now she is gone. GONE!"

The only person that has been silent the entire time finally stepped in. No one expected his intervention. So when Emmett rushed past everyone like a bolt of lightning, grabbed Edward by the neck, pulled him up with one hand and slammed him against the tall glass window that spanned the entire back of the house. Everyone stopped moving, stopped talking, pretty much even stopped breathing. The glass cracked into many fissures that looked similar to a spider's web before it broke and fell to the ground in a million little, light reflecting, pieces around their feet.

Emmett's lips curled back, exposing his sharp white teeth, as he and Edward growled at each other. "Stop acting like she is dead. She is still alive, breathing – and that's all that matters, you piece of shit." He spoke softly but the words were laced with venom.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "How can you be so sure that she is?!" he asked scornfully.

Before Emmett could say something back to him, Alice gasped abruptly. Everyone turned towards her, even Emmett while he still held Edward by the throat as his legs dangled in the air.

Jasper left Carlisle's side and knelt beside his mate. "Alice?" he spoke her name softly and placed his hand on her cheek. She didn't respond to him but he knew that distant look in her eyes. She was having a premonition.

Alice ignored all her family member's eyes on her as she focused on her vision. Through this entire time, she was trying to look into Bella's future. And she was filled with horror when she got nothing back. She felt so helpless when she didn't know what Bella's fate had in store for her. Alice refused to believe that the lack of visions she got were because Bella was lost to this world. The Volturi wouldn't waste time coming all the way here just to take her away and kill her somewhere else – they obviously had a plan for her. But what it was, was exactly what Alice needed to know.

However, she always kept coming up empty handed. She grew further worried until she felt the cold hands of despair grip her heart. She didn't even have the energy to acknowledge Edward when he returned. And she found it completely ridiculous that the family tried to calm him down. He just had his mate stolen from him. They might as well had been calming down a raging bull. There was absolutely no point.

Alice, on the other hand, tried not to lose hope so soon. She still attempted to look into Bella's future again and again and again. She tried for the hundredth time to find any hint of Bella. Just a speck of hope was all she could ask for.

And then, we she thought all hope was lost, her prayers were answered as she finally got the premonition she was searching for …

Bella was rushing to a door of what appears to be a bedroom. Suddenly, she falls over and faints in Aro's arms. He places her on the bed and strokes her hair kindly. Then, to Alice's fear, Caius steps into the room, and Aro leaves Bella's side.

"No! Don't leave her alone!" Alice gasped.

"What's wrong, darlin'? What are you seeing?" Jasper grew concerned.

But Alice couldn't answer as she was hit with the second part of the vision …

Aro takes one last look at Bella right before he walks out of the room. And leaves Caius alone with her. Alice begins to panic as she sees Caius approaching the bed, where Bella lay unconscious …

Then suddenly, her vision shifts to Caius pinning down a wide awake Bella on a bed. Holding her by her wrists, Caius slowly brings his face toward Bella's until he is an inch away from her. Yet, Bella surprisingly appears to not be frightened by the most ruthless predator their kind has ever known.

… The vision abruptly ends.

Alice, feeling a sense of resolve, rose to her feet. Jasper rising with her. She exchanged a brief glance with Edward as he nodded back to her, confirming to have seen what she momentarily witnessed.

Bella was still alive, and human, and that's all they needed to reaffirm their hope. Edward had the look of determination that Alice felt matched her own. Their decision was made before they even knew it.

The entire family was still looking to Alice. She turned to face all of them, including her mate. "Edward and I are going back to Volterra." She declared.