Title: Promises to Keep

By: Cheddar the Cheese

Interlude: Sail Me Away

Summery: A single moment can mean nothing or everything. Bella finds a way to live after a part of her dies.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. I do own the plot and any original characters that may pop up.

Note: Lucrezia Boria was a real person. She was suspected of sleeping with her father the pope and her brother among others. It was said that she had a special ring she used to hid poison in that she used to pour into people's wine if they got too close to the truth. You should look her up online. Her whole family makes vampires look tame. She died in 1519 after seemingly repenting her former way of life and taking holy vows. She was in her late 30s or early 40s when she died.

Also: This chapter is only an interlude. It falls not long after the Cullens leave Forks.

When love is lost and dreams are cast
Like bruised and battered pieces left to die,
When hands that reach out are betrayed
How can my tortured soul survive?

There's only thing left
And that's the one thing that you needed most of all,
For the freedom that you gained
Is the loss that led me aimless to the shore.

And I'm borne high on these waves
Swept by the wind and alone.
Oh, sail me away, carry me back to my home.
I'm tired, I've been torn,
A cruel, wretched storm churns like a gale in my bones.
Oh sail me away, carry me back to my home.
-Sail Me Away from the musical Lestat

"Dr. Cullen to the front desk please," the harsh metallic voice came over the loud speaker. Sighing as he stood up from the small round table in the break room of the Stanford's Children's hospital break room, Carlisle Cullen made his way down the pastel hallway to the front nurses' station. It had been a long night and it seemed that things were only going to get worse as he began to smell the ever so faint scent of decay that seemed to come from the oldest of vampires.

She was short, with long wavy hair. She looked like she had stepped out of an Italian Renaissance painting. Her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses but he knew they would be red. The two nurses behind the desk were uncomfortable as they tried to ignore her and go about their work.

"Carlisle," she said softly. He couldn't tell from that single word, what it was that she wanted.

"Lucrezia," he replied calmly. "What a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Couldn't we go someplace more privet?" she asked glancing at the two nurses. Maybe it was the tilt of her head, or the slight tremor of fear that ran through her lightly accented words, but he found himself nodding.

"Let's go outside. It's a nice night out."

She didn't say anything as they wandered down the halls towards the staff patio-deserted at this time of night. Carlisle found himself trying desperately not to think about her- what her being here might mean.

He remembered the last time he saw her. The room was crowded with vampires and humans alike- Every one of them dripping with diamonds and lace. The gowns were large and French with wide panniers stretching out as wide as six feet. The men were resplendent in velvets and silks. The jewelry in the room could have fed most of England for a month at least. He remembered the way his long frock coat swept the back of his knees. He remembered every detail of the embroidery on his vest. He remembered the hushed whispers that ran around the cavernous room and the way that the party had the air of something bigger about it: Like they were all waiting for the guest of honor. But everyone was already here.

She was standing in a corner, watching as she always did: her soft white dress heavy with beads that caught the light with every slight movement. It wasn't as wide as the others and something about it harkened back to what and who she had once been. Court life was nothing new for her. She was standing there, next to him, trying in vain to get him to listen to her. But He was too interested in whatever new excitement had been cooked up for them that night.

"Let's go," she begged him. "Before- Carlisle, please." Her dress wasn't as soft as it looked. The beads scratched his skin as she tried to tug on his arm. He ignored her as he peered about the room. "You don't understand," She hissed. "Aro, he-"

Snapping abruptly into the present, Carlisle snarled at her. "If you want to talk, then do it, Lucrezia, but don't bother with your tricks. Say whatever it is you have to say and get out of here. It shouldn't be hard to get back to Italy from here."

"Where is the girl, Carlisle?" He was shocked. There was no way he could have anticipated her words.

"What girl?" he asked even though he felt sure that he already knew.

"The human girl. The one your son was so ready to kill for. Is he ready to die for her as well? Is he ready to die for you?"

"What are you talking about? How do the Volturi even know about Is- the girl?"

She gave a soft laugh. "They know because a little bird told them. Alfonso has asked for her head. His original plan didn't work and now he's going after you through your family. He figures it is the best way to wear you down."

"You're mad," he hissed. "Alfonso's never had any quarrel with me. And even if he did, why would he wait so long? It's been almost two hundred years, Lucrezia. I have done nothing. Even back then, I did nothing to him."

"But what if he thought you did? What if that night-"

"-That night never happened! Nothing happened. We-"

"-You and I both know that nothing happened, but he doesn't. He thinks, he still thinks that you and I…" But she didn't finish. It wasn't like her to be subtle about such things.

Carlisle sighed. "Why are you here? If it was to warn me about Alfonso, you've done your job. Go back to the Vultori, Lucrezia. I don't want to see you ever again. You only bring trouble."

"I no longer answer to the Vultori," she said levelly. "I haven't since you left."

He was truly shocked now. She was one of those that would never leave the Vultori. Not for anything. "And why is that? A gift like yours I thought that Aro would keep you around at any cost."

"There was a baby," she said watching his face closely for his reaction. "It got around that I had stolen him right out from under the noses of the guard. Well you can imagine what happens then. I was banished from Volterra. But I still have my friends. If there is one thing my father taught me, it was that one always must have spies with the enemy."

"A baby?" Carlisle asked his voice tight.

"Yes," she mocked. "About so big with large brown eyes and not much hair. For all their civility, they thought it would be a lark to drink from a baby in front of a thousand witnesses. Only the child disappeared before anyone even knew it was there. I got blamed while Alfonso followed the only other person in the room who was missing. You. I've always wondered why you didn't think to watch the child yourself. Instead you dropped him on a doorstep and ran to God only knows where. Alfonso hated you. But he had a plan and you gave him the key to destroy you."

Carlisle was shocked beyond words. As Lucrezia's story poured out, all the memories of that horrible night began to wash through his mind. He hadn't thought that he'd be followed. He hadn't thought about much beyond the tiny sleeping baby laying on the bench. He knew he'd never be free of the guilt if that child died while he watched.

In London, in his old neighborhood, he found a young couple with a few other children. He'd left money and a short note saying only that the child had no name and no hope save God. And then, as she had said, he left. America was in the beginnings of its fight for freedom at the time and freedom was a word that rang true and potent to Carlisle.

"What plan?" He asked. "You keep talking about a plan. What plan?"

"Alfonso was patient. He waited until the boy grew up and he turned him. He trained him to be as strong a tracker as he was. And when the boy was ready, he sent him out in the world to find you and hurt you. From what I heard, he did find you but he was distracted. Nearly two hundred years and he was distracted by a little girl. Maybe he thought she was yours, I don't know. But your son took care of him."

"James? You mean that I failed him anyway. I didn't save him, I helped kill him" Horror washed through his bones.

"He would have killed you in the end. But it isn't over. Alfonso's out for blood. He's going to start with the girl and work his way through your family, one by one, until you are the only one left. He has the blessing of the Vultori provided he does it quietly."

"So what's your stake in all this? I don't see how it benefits you at all."

"I figure if I'm watching the girl, I get first crack at him. He left me that night and let me take the fall. Do you know what they did to me? Do you have any concept of how long they kept me there under that city before they decided to let me free. They would have killed me but for who I was. I want him to suffer every inch of what I did but I will not be as merciful as they were to me. I will kill him."

Carlisle's mind was reeling. Esme, and Edward were here with him. The others had scattered to live happily married in different places- Jasper and Alice in Louisiana and Rosalie and Emmet were in New York. Bella was- who knew. Chances were good that she had left Forks but she might still be there.

"I don't know where Bella is," he admitted. "Can I trust you not to hurt her? To not even let her know you are there? For all that we hurt her by leaving, I will not see any harm come to her."

"You have my word that I will not harm her. I'll simply be there for when Alfonso catches up to her."

"You'll need to be a step ahead of him."

"I will be. He will never best me again, Carlisle. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but he was the worst." She turned as if to leave. "I'm glad you found happiness, Carlisle. I really am."

He searched her face for any hint of deceit but found none. He nodded. "Thank you, Lucrezia. I hope someday you find yours."

"It's too late. God does not forgive one such as me, Carlisle. We both know that. I lived too hard and died a sinner. But I'm not afraid of God. I lost that fear a long time ago."

"So what are you afraid of?" But she was gone, out into the night in search of a girl she'd never seen before.

Carlisle sighed as he pulled out a tiny silver cell phone to call his wife. "I love you. Be safe."

TBC?? Please Review!