Disclaimer: Not Mine

A/N: Thanks you so much for those of you who take the time to review. I made it over the 200 review mark!! Really exciting chapter, my favorite so far! Dalloway5906 owns my ass, as always!

Chapter 18

EPOV

No, no. She is not gone. She is here somewhere. Maybe in the bathroom? No. Could she have gone outside to take a walk? No. Could this all be a bad dream and when I wake up she will be lying next to me? No.

My entire family appeared in the door way and Carlisle was the first to approach.

"What is going on Edward? Stop yelling."

Funny, I had no idea I had been yelling. The silence was deafening when I finally stopped.

"Alice, please tell me you can see something. Where is she?" I cried, my voice hoarse.

"Edward, they are blocking me. I can't see anything." She said, folding herself into Jasper's side.

"I have to go. I have to find her." I said as my feet carried me towards the door. Emmett moved to block it before I could get through.

"No brother. We need to come up with a plan before you just go storming in there. Alice can't see, you can't hear, you can't go in there blind."

He made perfect sense, but I can't just sit here and wait. She is my life. Don't they understand that she is my life?

"Of course we do Edward. But it could get both of you destroyed if you go out there half-cocked." Carlisle says. Apparently I was speaking out loud. Can vampires have nervous breakdowns?

"Jasper and I will try and follow her trail and see where they have taken her. The girls can do some more digging to see if they can find out where she is." Emmett suggested.

"Look for any additional properties that Volterra own. That should narrow down where they have taken her. It would be somewhere secluded. If they are going to change her, they will want to be somewhere where no one can hear her screams." Jasper said casually, as if he were discussing the weather. I was across the room with him pinned against the wall before I even realized I had moved.

"Her screams? How can you be so indifferent? Would you be acting like this if it were Alice? I love her!" I screamed in his face.

"I know you do Edward. That is why someone needs to stay calm. We need to be realistic. If we don't get to her soon, we may be too late." He said, trying to sooth me.

I released him and he and Emmett sprinted out the door. Alice and Rose headed to Carlisle's office to start digging for information. Esme and Carlisle stood watching me as I sunk to my knees as the thought of being too late to save her finally registered.

"You have to promise me that if she dies, you will destroy me." I whispered, knowing they would be able to hear me. Esme sobbed quietly as Carlisle shook his head.

"I can't do that son."

"You must. Could you go on if something happened to Esme? Would you want to?" I asked, the mere though of a life without Bella caused my voice to tremble. I did not wait for a response. I vaulted to my feet and ran out of the room, away from the sympathetic thoughts of my family.

BPOV

I was waiting for my equilibrium to settle. I was still feeling like two different people. The weak girl slumped in the chair, and the powerful one who had fought through Alec's hold. I knew if I was going to be able to harness whatever gift I had, I needed to find a way to bring the two together.

Aro was still blathering on about how wonderful it was that I had been able to get out of Alec's hold. I ignored him and the nasty looks Alec was giving me. I was more worried about Aro's comment about changing me. I was not scared to become a vampire. I was worried about why he wanted me as a vampire so badly?

The red-headed chick pushed off the wall and over towards me. Demetri moved to intercept her, but she pushed him aside with ease and he skidded across the stone floor.

"You are the reason my James is dead!" She screamed, as she spit venom into my face. Suddenly the two different parts of me were merged and I felt complete as I slowly stood to confront her.

"Your James kidnapped and tried to kill me. He got exactly what he deserved." I said quietly, my body vibrating with repressed rage. What was her problem?

"Uncle Aro, are you going to let her talk to me this way?" She yelled, turning to him. Ah, Uncle Aro. Things were starting to make more sense.

"Victoria, I only allowed you here because you are family. Isabella is the key to our future. She is more important than you are. Please don't try my patience." He said coolly, glaring at her.

She moved back to the wall, her eyes never leaving my face. I could feel the hate pouring off of her, but I am sure I would feel the same if she had killed my Edward.

"So are you the reason that it was so easy for him to get past the Cullens?" I said, looking at Aro.

"Yes, I apologize. I have a very hard time saying no to Victoria. She only told me that her mate was having a difficult time procuring an object that he wanted. I had no reason to doubt her, I simply gave her what she needed." He said, lounging in one of the chairs.

"And what exactly is that?" I asked, trying to get some information out of him.

"Ah, ah, ah dear Isabella. I can't tell you all of my secrets." He teased. "Bring in Chelsea and Afton." He yelled.

Ok, so now more vamps are coming. Great.

The pair entered from the doors to my left. They were wrapped around each other, both breathtaking in their beauty. Chelsea could have rivaled Rosalie in the looks department and Afton was no stick in the eye either.

"Tell me darling, what do you see?" Aro asked Chelsea.

"It is difficult to tell without the other one here, but it seems that they are truly mated. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for him with her being human." She said, disgust thick in her voice.

"That is what I suspected. What a wonderful turn of events that he would bid on a human and it ends up being his mate! Fabulous." Aro exclaimed, clapping his hands. I was really getting tired of his endless enthusiasm.

"And Afton, what of you? Will your gifts work on our little shield here?" He laughed.

"I'm not sure. Jane, will you help me?" He said, gesturing to the small blonde vampire. She looked ecstatic to be able to attempt to inflict her vengeful wrath upon me.

They stood in front of me as I tried to brace myself for whatever attack was coming. I stood motionless, staring into the hateful crimson eyes of both vampires. Suddenly I could feel waves pushing against me. It was as if I was standing at the edge of the ocean, and the surf was trying to force me back to the sand. I stood my ground, forcing my face to remain impassive. Thoughts of Edward raced through my mind, his calm butterscotch and black eyes anchoring me. Jane's mouth opened in a hiss and I turned all my attention to her. I knew that she was trying to hurt me, and that she would hurt Edward and his family if given the chance.

"Wonderful!" Aro shouted, breaking the concentration of both vampires. Their gazes dropped from mine, and I finally relaxed, slumping to the marble floor as exhaustion overtook me. I looked up at Alec to see if he causing this heavy fatigue, but he seemed distracted with the hissy fit Jane was throwing. She was stomping her feet like a two year old and I was waiting for Aro to send her to the time out chair. I could even picture the conversation.

"Now Jane, that is not how nice vampires act. If you keep acting like this I will sell you to the next group of traveling gypsies that come around."

Laughter bubbled out of my chest as I dropped my head to my hands. What was wrong with me?

"Ah, apologies Isabella. I keep forgetting that you are human. Felix, please show Isabella to her chamber so she may rest. Don't worry dear, no one will disturb you." Aro said, and I was sure that if he told the others to leave me alone, they would. He meant business.

As I followed Felix down the hall, I was overcome with a sense of dread. How was I going to relay the information I had to Edward?

EPOV

I stopped running and found myself in the same spot Bella and I had been just a few short hours ago. How could our lives have changed so quickly? I knew I needed to hunt if I was going to have the energy to bring Bella back. I quickly took down two large elk, the thick blood bitter on my tongue. I could feel a difference immediately and searched for one more, gorging myself until my skin felt warm and my stomach was sloshing as I walked.

I needed a plan. I could not wait and twiddle my thumbs while the rest of my family tried to find her. Jasper had already given me most of the information regarding property owned by Volterra. If I took his advice and looked for a location away from civilization, I might be able to track her down myself. I knew that going in alone was a risk, but if I could get close enough, I might be able to pick up some information.

I ran back to the house, only pausing at the garage to grab the keys to my Vanquish. I ignored the questioning thoughts of my family as I drove down the driveway. I set out towards Possession, a small town on Puget Sound. It was one of the only properties the Volturi owned that was completely isolated. It should have taken me nearly four hours to get from Forks to Possession, but between the horsepower of the Vanquish and the ability to hear a police officer from miles away, I made it in just under three.

The house was huge, reminiscent of the great fortresses that littered the Italian countryside. I parked the car miles from the house, trying to stay downwind so I did not alert them to my presence. My plan was to get as close as I could without arising suspicion. The first floor windows were high, well above my head. I could pick up snippets of thoughts from inside, but for the most part they were blocked. Luckily there were several large trees surrounding the house, and I was able to scale one quickly and look into one of the windows.

The room beyond the window was huge. The walls were dark wood, and a large table dominated the room. There were several vampires milling around, most of whom I recognized from the auction. Aro was there, discussing something with a red-headed woman, whose face was contorted into a scowl.

"Victoria, this is really all your own doing. If you had just told me what James was after, I would have explained my plans. Now you have made me proceed faster than I wanted. Now I am not sure if I will be able to harness Isabella's powers before I am forced to change her." Aro said.

"But Uncle Aro, how can you let her live after the things her mate and his family did to my James?" Victoria pouted.

"I need her darling. That is all I am able to tell you. Have you not heard the rumors flying around here? Our hold in the Northwest is being threatened, and that girl holds the key to our success." He explained, rubbing soothing circles on her back. I understood her hatred. If she had done to Bella what I did to her mate, I would want revenge as well.

"Can I at least have some fun with her before you change her? I promise I will not cause too much damage." She said, her face alight with vicious glee.

"I don't see the harm. Why not take Corin with you. I would like to see if she is able to break Isabella's shield. Remember, she is not to be killed." He warned.

Victoria clapped her hands in excitement and ran from the room in search of Corin. I could see the thoughts of the other vampires in the room, all thinking of Corin's gift with dread. None of them had ever seen her gift used first hand, but they were all petrified. I dropped out of the tree and opened all of my senses, searching for Bella.

BPOV

The room Felix escorted me to was large and comfortable. It sported a huge canopy bed with fluffy white bedding. There was an attached bath with a shower that gave the one at the Cullens a run for its money. Of course, since there was no plastic bag to cover my cast, I was not able to shower. I splashed water on my face and tugged at my clothes, hoping to pull the wrinkles out.

A knock startled me, and I left the bathroom and walked cautiously to the door.

"Who is it?" I yelled, always forgetting about vampire super hearing.

"It's Heidi. Aro asked me to bring you something to eat." She called through the heavy wood.

I opened the door and peered out. It was indeed Heidi, carrying a tray covered by a silver dome. What did they think this was, room service? She brushed past me and set the food on the nightstand, removing the lid with a flourish. On the tray sat a sad looking hamburger and a cardboard box of soggy fries.

"McDonalds? Someone went out and got me McDonalds?" I could not keep the shock out of my voice.

"Yes, well the kitchen here is obviously not stocked for a human. And Aro was adamant that you be fed. You should thank Demetri. He had to drive well over an hour to get you this…. slop." She said with a sneer as she turned and sauntered out the door.

Yeah, I couldn't really see me thanking Demetri any time soon. I dug into the cold sandwich and fries, wishing it was Edward's fried chicken instead. Tears blurred my vision and dropped off my nose onto the wrapper. I missed him so much, it felt like there was a hole in my chest. I gave an unladylike snort and wiped the snot running out of my nose on my sleeve.

I finished the food and tossed the wrappers in the trash. I paced the room, too anxious to sleep. I wish I had some way to practice using my shield. Aro said I needed to be able to harness its power before he could turn me, but I had no idea what that meant. As I made my way back across the room, the door flew open. Victoria was blocking the opening, but I could tell that there was someone standing behind her. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl as she walked into the room.

There, standing in the door was a tall, thin woman. Her eyes were the color of lavender and her skin was so pale it looked translucent. I had no idea if she was a vampire or a human. I opened my mouth to speak, but was stopped as a pain unlike anything I have ever felt shot through my chest. It felt like my heart was trying to dig its way free. I could not hear anything but the sound of ringing bells. It was not until the pain subsided that I realized that it was not ringing I had been hearing, but my own inhuman screams.

"Well, it looks like she can't block you Corin. Let's play!"

A/N: WOW! So, I am taking some liberties with the canon Volturi's powers. I have TwilightWiki bookmarked, and I am trying to stay as true to the series as possible. No bribes for reviews, but each review makes me feel like I got a full night's sleep, which with 6 month old twins, is a rare occurrence in my house! Come on and review and make me feel well rested! :)