Author's Note: This is my take on Edward's version of the some of the events that take place in Stephenie Meyer's New Moon. It is a retelling of large portions of the book, albeit from Edward's POV. All dialogue and conversations from New Moon for which both Edward and Bella are present, have been faithfully incorporated exactly the way they appear in Stephenie's brilliant work of fiction.

As I wrote, I leaned on scenes and emotions depicted in Twilight, New Moon and Midnight Sun (the 12 chapters Stephenie published on her website. Yes, I read them!), as well as outtakes and extras she has posted on her site in my attempt to understand what is going on in that boy's head. Certain information not actually revealed until Eclipse and Breaking Dawn also played a part. Remember, this is Edward telling the story of New Moon as he experienced it. There are things that he knows long before Bella finds out. He is very protective of her, and therefore keeps a lot of what he knows to himself. I also used information gained from Q&A sessions and Personal Correspondence with Stephenie that were posted by the admins of the TwilightLexicon website. These people have done a tremendous job - check them out.

This 3rd Chapter is called "Saved". It depicts the confrontation with the Volturi, and Edward's desperate work to keep Bella from harm, to get her out of the Volturi's grasp. I tried to convey his actions, emotions and struggles as he works to convince Aro to let them leave.

Please, let's all be very clear on this: All rights to the Twilight series, the books, the characters are exclusively owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I have nothing but the utmost respect for this brilliant writer, whose amazing stories have completely and irrevocably sucked me into the Twilight Universe.

Comments and reviews are welcome and appreciated. Further chapters may follow. Thank you for your interest.

3. Saved

Alec and Jane, holding hands, led the way down another wide hallway, stopping halfway down and sliding a wooden panel out of the way. Alec held the door behind the panel open for Jane and slipped through after her. I pulled Bella through to the other side of the door. We were in another stone chamber. It was dark and cold again, and my remorse deepened. Bella must be so cold.

The antechamber opened into a large, perfectly round room. We had reached our destination. It had been a long way for Bella. I wondered briefly how long it had been since she had slept. She looked so tired, deep shadows under her eyes.

This was the room that the Volturi used for their meals. For the humans that were frequently brought in, the food source. A drain in the middle of the room served to dispose the bodies after they were finished, ending in the stone tunnels below. The thick walls of the two-story turret ensured that the screams did not reach the outside world.

The ancients also gathered in this room to pass judgment on those of us who had broken the rules, those that threatened exposure. Having been brought here was not a promising sign.

My horror at the thought of Bella being in this room conflicted with the happiness of having her by my side. It made it difficult to concentrate. I refocused on the task ahead. Keep Bella safe.

Long window slits threw rectangles of sunlight onto the stone floor below. A handful of my kind were already scattered around the room, engaged in casual conversation. Their faces all turned to us as we entered. Curiosity filled their minds. They all caught Bella's scent.

Aro was standing in the middle, surrounded by his guard. He fastened his eyes on Jane.
"Jane, dear one, you've returned," he cried in delight. He drifted forward over to her, took her face in his hands and kissed her lips. "Disgusting", I thought.

I was desperate to find anything in the thoughts around me that would help us, any escape that would be open to us. Nothing. There was nothing.

"Yes, Master," Jane smiled at him. "I brought him back alive, just as you wished." How sycophantic, how pathetic his guard was, the way they worshiped him. I wondered briefly what kept them bound so tightly, what made them want to serve their masters in this fashion.

"Ah, Jane," Aro smiled back at her. "You are such a comfort to me."

I kept my face polite, struggling to suppress the distaste I was feeling. Aro was turning towards us, and his smile became almost ecstatic. "And Alice and Bella, too," he rejoiced, as if he hadn't know it as soon as he touched Jane's face. He clapped his hands. "This is a happy surprise! Wonderful!"

Greed. Envy. Greed again. I could see it clearly, even though he tried to suppress it.

He turned to our escort. "Felix, be a dear and tell my brothers about our company," he said. I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this."

"Yes, Master," Felix nodded and went back the way we had come.

"You see, Edward?" Aro smiled a me. "What did I tell you? Aren't you glad that I didn't give you what you wanted yesterday?"

That I was. Absolutely. More than glad. He had no idea. My arms tightened around Bella's waist.

"Yes, Aro, I am", I agreed, playing along.

"I love a happy ending," Aro sighed. "They are so rare. But I want the whole story. How did this happen? Alice?" His curious gaze turned towards my sister. "Your brother seems to think you infallible, but apparently there was some mistake."

"Oh, I'm far from infallible." Alice flashed a smile at Aro. Her fists were tightly balled up by her side.

"As you can see today, I cause problems as often as I cure them."

"Please don't insult me, Alice,"Aro thought. He kept up the charade. "You're too modest," he chided her. "I have seen some of your more amazing exploits, and I must admit I've never observed anything like your talent. Wonderful!"

Alice glanced at me. "What does he mean, Edward?"

Aro didn't miss her glance. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced properly at all, have we? It's just that I feel like I know you already, and I tend to get ahead of myself. Your brother introduced us yesterday, in a peculiar way. You see, I share some of your brother's talent, only I am limited in a way that he is not." He was envious.

"I would so enjoy adding these two to my collection."

I would imagine so. "And also exponentially more powerful," I added dryly. "Allow me," I thought.

I looked at Alice and swiftly explained. "Aro needs physical contact to hear your thoughts, but he hears much more than I do. You know I can only hear what's passing through your head in the moment. Aro hears every thought your mind has ever had."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Everything? Are you serious?"

I inclined my head. Aro didn't miss that either.

"But to be able to hear from a distance..." Aro sighed, gesturing towards us, guessing what had just taken place. "That would be so convenient."

I was sure it would be. Very convenient. "Too bad you don't own us, isn't it?"flitted through my mind.

Led by Felix, Marcus and Caius entered the room. Every head turned towards them. Even Bella turned around to see who had captured the attention of everyone in the room.

"Marcus, Caius, look!" Aro was crooning the words.

"Bella is alive after all, and Alice is her with her! Isn't that wonderful?"

Marcus was bored, as usual, his face void of emotion. Caius was scowling. "Yes, yes, just wonderful. Hurry up with the formalities. I have more important things to worry about than your need for further acquisitions." He drifted towards one of their wooden thrones that were scattered throughout the room.

"Let us have the story," Aro continued, excitement coloring his voice.

"How strange. Unexpected. He truly loves this human. Very curious. Such intense, powerful emotions. He would die for her. And she reciprocates in turn. Strong, enduring. " Marcus was perplexed.

He paused beside Aro and briefly touched his hand to let him know what he had just seen. I couldn't completely suppress a snort at his reaction. Alice shot me a curious look, but I was thinking of what Marcus's words meant for me.

I knew how I felt about Bella. But to realize that Bella felt the same way for me... that she still loved me. She loved me. Joy expanded through my frozen heart.

"Thank you, Marcus," Aro said. "That's quite interesting." He shook his head. "How extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it."

"Amazing," he said. "Absolutely amazing."

Alice was frustrated. "Would you mind explaining what he's talking about?" I quickly gave her what she wanted. "Marcus sees relationships. He is surprised by the intensity of ours."

Aro smiled. "So convenient," he repeated to himself, desire still coloring his thoughts. He pictured the two of us by his side, dressed in the dark cloaks of the guard. The greed to add us to his collection was evident in his mind.

He looked at us. "It takes quite a bit to surprise Marcus, I can assure you."

Yes, I imagined so. Marcus had seen too many millennia to be surprised by anything.

"It's just so difficult to understand, even now," Aro continued. He stared at my arm, still wrapped around Bella's waist. "How do you do it? It's... unnatural."

"How can you stand so close to her like that?"

My throat was still burning dully, but I realized again how little it bothered me, how infrequent it came to mind. It wasn't as hard as it had been. The scent of Bella's blood was no longer the strong temptation I had always fought so fiercely to control.

"Because I love her! Because it would kill me if I harmed her in any way!" I wanted to shout at him. "It is not without effort," I calmly answered instead.

"But, still – la tua cantante! What a waste!"

I responded with a humorless chuckle. "I look at it more as a price."

"And she is worth it!"

Aro was still skeptical. "A very high price."

"Opportunity cost," I retorted.

He laughed. "If I hadn't smelled her through your memories, I wouldn't have believed the call of anyone's blood could be so strong. I've never felt anything like it myself. Most of us would trade much for such a gift, and yet you..."

"Waste it," I finished for him, sarcastically. He still didn't understand how completely Bella had altered me.

Aro laughed again. "Ah, how I miss my friend Carlisle! You remind me of him – only he was not so angry."

"His self-control was extraordinary. How many times did I try to sway him from the unnatural food source he had chosen."

I didn't think I had ever seen Carlisle angry in the many years I had been with him. His gentleness, his goodness, and complete aversion to violence was something I had always tried to emulate, but often failed.

"Carlisle outshines me in many other ways as well."

"I certainly never thought to see Carlisle bested for self-control of all things, but you put him to shame."

Bella's flowing blood had all of us fighting the urge to kill her at her last birthday party. All of us. Except for Carlisle. Put him to shame? Not likely.

"Hardly," I said impatiently. I was tired of the charade. I wanted to know what Aro's plans were for us. I wanted to know if he would let us leave. Bella knew the secret. There was a good chance that he would ask me to make her immortal prior to our departure. And I didn't know how to answer if he made that his condition. I skipped through the heads of the other vampires in the room, still trying to find anything that would get us out of this predicament.

Demetri was concentrating, trying to memorize the... the tenor?...of my mind. "You can run, but you can't hide," he thought gleefully. "Gotcha."

Oh – so that was how Demetri's talent worked. He was a tracker. Much more powerful than James had been. Interesting. I filed the information away for future use. Not helpful at the moment. Felix had no special gift, but was immensely strong, and usually headed their search parties with Demetri. And I already knew what Jane and Alec could do. I returned my attention to Aro.

"I am gratified by his success," he mused. "Your memories of him are quite a gift for me, though they astonish me exceedingly. I am surprised by how it...pleases me, his success in this unorthodox path he's chosen. I expected that he would waste, weaken with time. I'd scoffed at his plan to find others who would share his peculiar vision. Yet, somehow, I'm happy to be wrong."

I didn't even honor that with a reply. "But your restraint!" Aro sighed again. "I did not know such strength was possible. To inure yourself against such a siren call, not just once but again and again – if I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed." "And why would you resist it? Why would anyone? It's just not done. Such a waste. I don't understand it. What I wouldn't give to taste the blood of such a one..."

I listened to his musings with a smooth face, but I was seething underneath the surface. "Get to the point, already."

"Just remembering how she appeals to you...", he chuckled. "It makes me thirsty."

I stiffened, prepared to defend Bella if he made a move towards her. He noticed and calmed his thoughts.

"Don't be disturbed. I mean her no harm. But I am so curious, about one thing in particular." His eyes shifted to Bella, bright interest evident on his face. "May I?" he asked me, already lifting his hand.

"Ask her," I countered.

"Of course, how rude of me!" Aro relented. "Bella," he spoke to her directly. "I'm fascinated that you are the one exception to Edward's impressive talent – so very interesting that such a thing should occur! And I was wondering, since our talents are similar in many way, if you would be so kind as to allow me to try – to see if you are an exception for me, as well?"

Bella looked at me, terror in her eyes. I nodded at her in encouragement. Aro wasn't lying – he did not mean to harm her. Yet.

Aro approached her slowly, a gentle look on his face he meant to be reassuring.

Bella trembled as she slowly put her hand in his, staring at him.

Aro heard – nothing. He concentrated harder, but all I could hear were his thoughts. There was nothing coming from Bella. His face fell, changing from supreme confidence to doubt, then incredulity as he continued to hear – nothing. Incredible!

I felt a little smug. I kept my face even.

Aro let go of her hand and glided back. "So very interesting." He composed his face into a calm mask.

"Unbelievable. Impossible. What immunity does she possess? And the potential. If she were one of us..." His eyes flickered back and forth between the three of us.

He shook his head. "A first," he said, mostly to himself."Let's see if ..."

"I wonder if she is immune to our other talents...Jane, dear?"

"No!" I snarled at him. Alice grabbed my arm, but I shook her off.

No. No. No. Not Jane! Not her. No!

She smiled at him. "Yes, Master?"

I was enraged, snarling at him, the sounds ripping themselves from my chest, glaring, my eyes full with the furor at his words. I had to protect Bella. Jane's gift would surely kill her. Even immortals were not able to endure without screaming. She couldn't be allowed to hurt Bella. NO!

The room had gone silent. Nobody spoke. The spectators stared at me with disbelief. I was committing a serious faux-pas, but I didn't care.

"Go ahead, Edward. Give me a reason...," Felix thought with a hopeful grin. He took a step towards me. Aro's glance stopped his advance. His expression turned sour. "Fine."

"I was wondering, my dear one, if Bella is immune to you," Aro continued.

My snarls became more pronounced. No. NO!

I let go of Bella and tried to hide her behind me. Caius, always interested in any type of cruelty, drifted towards us to watch. Jane, smiling, turned towards us. NO! I launched myself at her.

"Don't!" Alice cried.

And I was on the ground. Writhing. The pain was excruciating. I was being burned alive. Every cell in my body was sizzling. I clenched my teeth, and suppressed the screams that threatened to burst out. No. Bella shouldn't have to hear me screaming.

Fire. Agony. Torture. My body twitched with the pain. I was burning, burning, burning in the fires of hell.

Through the raging inferno, I heard Bella's shriek. "Stop!"

I cringed against the ancient stones, stubbornly holding the screams of pain inside. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Fire. Burning, raging fire. I was bound to a stake and the flames were roaring all around me. Excruciating. Torturous.

"Jane," Aro called in a languid voice. As soon as she looked away from me, the fire stopped. The burning faded. I could breathe.

"He's fine," Alice whispered. Bella was struggling against her. I sat up and quickly sprang to my feet. Jane was focusing her gaze at Bella, smiling in pleasure. Horrified, I looked at Bella. She was staring at me, with agonized eyes. My gaze flickered to Jane and back to Bella.

Relief. I exhaled in a rush and went over to Bella's side. Immediately, Alice surrendered Bella to me. I put my arms around her.

Jane was no longer smiling. She was glaring at Bella, her jaw clenched, her focus intense. "Why is she still standing? Burn, human, burn!" Nothing happened.

Aro laughed. "Ha, ha, ha," he chuckled. "This is wonderful!"

I agreed completely. Bella wasn't harmed. The strange glitch in her brain that kept her thoughts hidden from me had also protected her from Jane. I was almost certain that Demetri wouldn't be able to track her either since his talent worked in a similar way.

Jane's frustration burst out with a hiss. She leaned forward to spring. I tensed again, preparing to launch myself at her again, if need be.

"Don't be put out, dear one," Aro said, comforting Jane, putting his hand on her shoulder. "She confounds us all."

Jane exposed her teeth as she continued to glare at us. "Damnation!"

"Ha, ha, ha," Aro laughed again. "You're very brave, Edward, to endure in silence. I asked Jane to do that to me once – just out of curiosity." He shook his head in admiration. I glared at him, thoroughly disgusted.

"So what do we do with you now?" Aro sighed. "Keep them? Let them go? I would love to see how Bella's odd talent would manifest itself if she were to become immortal. Perhaps she would become on of us..."

Alice and I stiffened simultaneously. This is what I had been waiting for. Would they let us go? Bella trembled by my side.

"I don't suppose there's any chance that you've changed your mind?" Aro asked me. I hesitated. I didn't want to offend him, not now. Neither Jane nor Felix were happy with the idea of my joining their troupe.

"I'd...rather...not," I said carefully.

"Alice?" Aro asked, with hope in his voice. "Would you perhaps be interested in joining with us?"

"I don't think so!" she thought. "No, thank you," she said.

"And you, Bella?" Aro raised his eyebrows. A low hiss escaped my lips. No!

Caius spoke up. "What?"

"Caius, surely you see the potential," Aro answered. "I haven't seen a prospective talent so promising since we found Jane and Alec. Can you imagine the possibilities when she is one of us?"

Jane didn't like that comparison.

I fumed. A growl was rumbling in my chest. I barely had a handle on my fury.

"No, thank you," Bella whispered, her voice breaking.

Aro sighed. "I am so curious to see how this strange human would turn out. Though, he doesn't intend to change her...hmm. Perhaps he needs incentive..."

"That's unfortunate. Such a waste."

I decided to call his bluff. I chose my words with great care.

"Join or die, is that it? I suspected as much when we were brought to this room. So much for your laws."

"Of course not." Astonished, Aro blinked at me. "We were already convened here, Edward, awaiting Heidi's return. Not for you."

More bad news. If Heidi was on her way back, she was most certainly not alone. She was delivering the food source. We needed to leave that much sooner, get out of this room, before she arrived.

Caius was having none of that. "Aro, the law claims them."

It was clear what he meant. I turned my glare towards him. "How so?" I demanded, determined to make him speak the words out loud. He didn't disappoint me. "She knows too much," he pointed at Bella. "You have exposed our secrets."

"There are few humans in on your charade here, as well," I reminded him of the receptionist they employed. Caius' smile was cruel.

"Yes," he confirmed. "But when they are no longer useful to us, they will serve to sustain us. That is not your plan for this one. If she betrays our secrets, are you prepared to destroy her? I think not."

Bella whispered. "I wouldn't -," but he silenced her with a glare.

"Nor do you intend to make her one of us," he continued his tirade. "Therefore, she is a vulnerability. Though it is true, for this, only her life is forfeit. You may leave if you wish."

I bared my teeth at his words. "That's what I thought," Caius said, with barely disguised pleasure.

Aro was not happy with the way this conversation was going.

"Unless...," he interrupted. "Unless you do intend to give her immortality?"

I hesitated. "And if I do?"

He smiled. "Why, then you would be free to go home and give my regards to my friend Carlisle."

"He must be made to promise."

"But I'm afraid you would have to mean it." He extended his hand towards me, wanting to restore the physical connection he needed.

I didn't want to shake his hand. I stared into Bella's eyes, the conflicting emotions raging inside me. Agreeing to Aro's condition would save Bella's life, but at what cost? Though I wanted to be with her forever, I still wasn't convinced that Carlisle was right. How could I condemn Bella to a soulless existence? I remembered Alice's vision. Bella, staring at me with fiery, red eyes, devoid of any emotion, but how could she not hate me for taking away her soul? I felt sick at the thought.

I couldn't make that choice.

Perhaps we still had a chance to get around the issue. After Aro's little experiment with Jane, I didn't think that Demetri would be able to track Bella. He relied on that sense too much.

I didn't want to share that with Aro. How to avoid it?

"Mean it," Bella whispered. "Please."

I kept looking at her, my face reflecting the conflict I was feeling.

"Good grief, Edward. Enough already! This has gotten beyond ridiculous. "

Alice stepped towards Aro with her hand raised. She didn't say a word. Aro waived off his guard as he drifted to meet her halfway. "How I wish she was mine..."

He took her hand eagerly, his eyes closing as he concentrated on her memories. Her visions.

Her visions of Jasper. Of her life with our family before she had even found us.

Decades after decades of visions. And everything more recent.

Alice's decision in the airplane to change Bella herself, even against my will. She had promised. She had promised? No!

Bella, her face as pale as mine, her eyes glowing bright crimson. Exquisitely beautiful. Immortal.

A wedding. Bella in a white gown, smiling happily at me, walking towards me on her father's arm, a long veil billowing out behind her. What??

"You see, Aro?" Alice thought, fiercely. "She will become one of us. She wants it, too, and it will happen. I'll change her myself, if he's unwilling."

My teeth made an audible sound. "Not if I have a say in it!"

Nobody moved.

Aro's voice broke the silence. "Ha, ha, ha," he laughed, his eyes bright with excitement. "That was fascinating!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Alice smiled at him dryly.

"To see the things that you've seen – especially the ones that haven't happened yet!" Aro said, thoroughly impressed.
"But that will, " she reminded him.

"Yes, yes, it's quite determined. Certainly there's no problem."

Caius didn't like this new direction at all. "Aro," he complained.

"Dear Caius," Aro smiled at him. "Do not fret. Think of the possibilities! They do not join us today, but we can always hope for the future. Imagine the joy young Alice alone would bring to our little household....Besides, I'm so terribly curious to see how Bella turns out."

He was convinced. He was letting us go. "Speed it up, Edward," I told myself.

"Then we are free to go now?" I asked him evenly.

"Yes, yes," Aro agreed. "But please visit again. It's been absolutely enthralling!"

"And we will visit you as well," Caius injected. The threat was explicit. "To be sure that you follow through on your side. Were I you, I would not delay too long. We do not offer second chances."

I nodded, my jaw clenched.

Smirking, he moved back to where Marcus was still seated, still utterly disinterested.

"Well, damn!" Felix groaned, his hopes dashed.

"Ah, Felix." Aro was amused. "Heidi will be here at any moment. Patience."

Time was running out.

"Hmm," I said, concerned with this new threat. "In that case, perhaps we'd better leave sooner rather than later."

Aro knew what I meant. "Yes," he agreed with me. "That's a good idea. Accidents do happen. Please wait below until after dark, though, if you don't mind."

I could deal with that, but I needed to get Bella out of this room before she realized what was about to happen in here.

"Of course," I consented.

"And here," Aro added. He motioned Felix forward and unfastened the cloak Felix was wearing and tossed it to me. "Take this. You're a little conspicuous."

I hadn't put my shirt back on, leaving it behind in the alley. I could appreciate Aro's reluctance to let me leave like this. I draped it around me, leaving the hood down.

"It suits you," Aro sighed. "It suits you very well."

I chuckled, but quickly stopped. From the corridors behind us, I could hear the voices. Heidi had arrived with her catch.

I glanced over my shoulder. "Thank you, Aro. We'll wait below."

"Goodbye, young friends." He stared towards the exit, eyes bright, knowing as well as I did what was headed this way.

We were out of time. My voice was urgent. "Let's go."

Demetri led the way. I swiftly pulled Bella beside me. Alice's face was hard. She knew the reason for my sudden urgency. "Not fast enough," she muttered.

She was right. I was horrified. Bella would see, and she would understand.

A large number of people was beginning to fill the antechamber, their voices booming in the room. Some were excited. Some were confused. They had no idea why they were here, no inclination why they had been brought to this room. They would know soon, too soon. I felt sorry for them.

I pulled Bella's face against my chest, trying desperately to protect her from understanding the coming horror. As soon as I saw a chance, I quickly guided her to the exit, and we were back in the hallway. Heidi was there, staring at us, her thoughts curious. "What's this?"

"Welcome home, Heidi," Demetri called out in greeting.

"Demetri," she replied. She eyed the cloak I was wearing. "Who is he? Did we acquire a new addition while I was gone?"

I rushed Bella down the corridor as fast as I possibly could. I wasn't fast enough. The screams began before we reached the door.