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Chapter 17: The Stygian Realm

Eleven members of the Volturi, gone. In less time than it took to blink, Caius and Jane vanished in a cloud of dust along with nine other highly talented and powerful vampires. On a fool's errand, Carlisle assured Aro that he could stop the crazed assassin and left the feeble shelter they had all escaped to. Felix quickly moved to the door and closed it after Carlisle and Esme, muffling the sounds from the hall once again. Without thinking of the futility of his action, he bolted the door.

Aro stared at the closed door. "Penny wise, pound foolish," he muttered, shaking his head.

Bella turned in Edward's shaking arms and pressed her face to his shoulder. He pulled her tight to him and pressed his lips against her skin as her shield enveloped him. She felt the tension in his body collapse against her as the familiarity of her mind slid into his.

Though her mind was repeating they'll be okay, they'll be okay for him, another part of her mind was begging, please let them be okay. Edward heard both her brave support as well as her fear for the two people who were as much parents to her as Renee and Charlie.

Bella felt him nod with a small motion against her, but she knew him well enough to know the turmoil in him without having the power to read his mind. She knew that part of him was now walking down the corridor with Carlisle and Esme, listening to their thoughts and seeing through their eyes. She knew how it was killing him to not be with them now. She felt the same.

Edward focused on Bella's physical presence in his arms, needing her to anchor him as he let his two oldest and closest companions step into danger. He had asked them to. He had asked for their help and they were here, now, putting themselves at risk. With his love clutched in his arms, and his mind and body consumed with the fear for her safety, Edward suddenly found himself asking, why? Why would Carlisle and Esme do this? Why would they risk each other over someone they barely knew? Someone who had even recently betrayed them? They had so much to lose. They had as much to lose as he did, if their roles were reversed.

Part of Edward's awareness followed Esme and Carlisle down the corridor, admiring how their bravery overcame their fear as long as they were together. Edward winced as he saw Esme vomit, overcome by the physical reaction of the sound. Her thoughts suddenly took an ironic mental tone as she recalled the Golden Eagle that had been her last meal, and how she thought it opportune at the time to catch such a rare snack. It escaped after all, Esme thought as her stomach cramped painfully and she heaved again.

Edward was drawn back to his wife when he felt Bella's fists clutch at his shirt. Her arms tighten painfully around him as her own mind wandered the path of her memories, back to the battle against Victoria's army. Edward had stayed with her during that fight because she reasoned and begged him to, trapping him in his own logic. She had known how selfish her request had been, but she also knew she would do it again in an instant because once again she was torn between wanting to help Rolle and knowing for a fact that she could not let Edward go. It came down to simple priorities and Edward was hers, followed closely by the rest of their family. Bella shivered as she questioned her own motives. Was she a good person? She wanted to think she'd do anything for her friends, but now being forced to choose... Rolle was not a priority in her life; good friend or not. Had they made a mistake in coming to Italy? Was she asking too much of her family? Were they risking too much? Was all of this drama and destruction worth it?

Edward listened to Bella's mind in silence, unwilling to share any part of her internal processing with the Volturi. He wished she could read his mind. Being forced to make a choice between his family and his wife—the woman he had waited over a century to find, whom he could not live without—crushed him under the weight of selfishness and responsibility. Hadn't Carlisle waited even longer to find Esme?

Edward knew that it wasn't in Bella's nature, either, to stay behind and let others face danger alone. He knew that Bella wanted to help as much as he did, but the idea of her putting herself in harms way... Even the thought of it brought a black precipice into view where eternity ended for both of them if something happened to either one of them.

Edward would not allow Bella to put herself in danger, and Bella would not allow Edward. They would both sacrifice themselves before they'd let that happen and this situation simply locked them into immobility. They were left to suffer their guilt over their inability to risk the life of their mate; letting others face that danger instead.

As Edward watched through the eyes of Esme and Carlisle, he fought his anger toward Rolle again. He knew Rolle had the best of intentions and that he only came to Italy in a misguided attempt to protect all of them, especially Bella. No one could have guessed that Rolle had so little control over his power. He surely did not intend for things to go so awry. Even so, it was impossible for Edward to contain his frustration knowing that two people who were important to him—to all of them—were about to risk their lives.

As Carlisle and Esme fought their way to the middle of the audience chamber, Edward choked in pain as Alice's vision came into focus in his memory.

~•~

"Esme!" Carlisle shouted, jumping after her.

"NO!" Rolle wailed in despair, leaning back and smashing his head against the wall again. His knees buckled this time. Dark cracks ran down his temples and jaw now, inching their way through his hair.

Carlisle fell to the floor beside his wife, grunting in pain as a split second before the sound wave pulsed through the air. Spiderweb cracks formed across Carlisle's hands again with the impact as the sound waves literally destabilized the molecules of his body. Fear for Esme's life ripped through Carlisle. What had made her jump out of the scant safety of the bubble's interference zone? He ignored the pain and pulled Esme to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to shelter her with his body.

But even as the terrorized question burned through Carlisle's mind, he realized he knew the answer. Esme was a mother in her deepest soul. She was caring, nurturing and selfless to a fault when it came to protecting anyone she felt maternal towards. She had been a grieving mother the day she died and Carlisle had frozen that grief in her for eternity.

She was trapped in that grief just like Rolle, but unlike Rolle, Esme had found a way to redirect her anguish by substituting her lost son with an entirely new family.

That's why she just risked her life to save the wayward boy. It was Esme who truly understood Rolle's pain better than any of them, even better than Edward. She felt a connection to Rolle and she had risked her life to save him, just as she had thrown away her life when she couldn't save her first son.

It had been Esme all along, Carlisle realized. She was the standard of parental loyalty and dedication to her children, not that deplorable man in Montreal who had abandoned his children at their greatest moment of need. Esme would have thrown herself onto the bomb in the hospital, just as she had tried to throw herself onto the 'bomb' in this room. She would risk her own life to save Rolle's.

"No, please no." Rolle's cry was small and weak and he fell to his knees, curling in half with his arms wrapped around his shoulders.

A stronger wave passed over them and Carlisle's breath left in a whoosh as he felt it crush him.

In a distant part of the castle, Edward roared in fear, still within range of them to hear their thoughts.

Edward, no! Carlisle's eyes widened in horror at the thought of them all being destroyed, for surely Bella would be right at Edward's side.

~•~

Edward's eyes were distant and unfocused as he listened intently to what was going on in the audience chamber: Esme's horrified realization of what Rolle was trying to do to himself by smashing his head into the wall, Carlisle's jolt of fear for his wife as her maternal instincts took over and she leapt into danger.

Esme's sacrifice, Carlisle's pain... it was exactly as Alice had foreseen. Panic gripped Edward as Alice's vision ended and reality of the situation took hold. She hadn't been able to see the end, only the events leading up to this moment.

"NO!" Edward roared.

He was moving before he released Bella, some part of him not able to let her go. Bella didn't even think to question him. She leapt into action beside him, moving as one mind, one body; both of them rushing to the door to save Carlisle and Esme.

Aro appeared before the door, moving even before Renata could react. Bracing his arms before his chest, he absorbed the momentum of the couple and flung them both backwards. They flew across the small room, striking the far wall with a sharp crack.

It was as good as slapping them across the face. As one, Bella and Edward got to their feet. Their first instinctive reactions were to snarl threats at Aro for attacking the other: Edward reacting to Bella being attacked, and Bella reacting likewise to Edward being attacked. They threw one arm before each other in mirror-perfect synchronization to shield the other. Before it could be identified, the reason changed from a protective reaction into outrage at Aro's interference. The few remaining guards crouched in defense of their masters.

"Are you quite done?" Aro asked, irritated.

"Get out of our way!" Edward snarled.

"Don't be absurd," Marcus snapped.

"Despite what you may think of us, our word is not something we give lightly." Aro's voice was thick with menace. "Do not presume to challenge us in this," he warned. "I promised to keep your dear wife safe, therefore I cannot allow you to drag her into the middle of destruction."

A moment of confusion flashed across Edward's eyes before he understood what Aro was talking about, and what he had just prevented them from doing. How had he gone from lamenting his capacity to confronting Rolle because he could not allow Bella to risk herself, to instantly rushing to Carlisle's aide with no thought for his wife's safety?

Even Aro could see the quandary in Edward over what he and Bella had tried to do. Such loyalty. Such instinctive devotion, Aro thought, breaking through Edward's guilt.

As Aro mused over these traits, carefully dampening his covetous thoughts, Bella pulled Edward's arm to turn him. She looked up into his eyes, giving him silent reassurances with her mind as she asked aloud, "Are they safe? Can you still hear them?"

Edward nodded. "But it's harder. They're in pain. So much pain," he whispered.

"What are you seeing?" Bella needed to know.

~•~

Carlisle raised his head and found Rolle looking right back at him with the same hopelessness and panic in his face that Carlisle felt. Suddenly, the key to the puzzle snapped into place. Rolle was mimicking his despair! Rolle's mind had begun to duplicate everything Carlisle was thinking and feeling; the fear, the inability to stop this, impotent with anguish knowing the people he loved were now seconds from destruction.

Rolle had tried to kill himself or damage himself badly enough to save them all from his own power. Esme had figured out what he was doing and had risked her own life to stop him.

Even Rolle's posture now, curled over as he was, duplicated Carlisle's protective stance over Esme. Carlisle suddenly understood if he did not bring order and control to his own mind, then he would be as guilty as Rolle when Edward burst through the door.

Carlisle focused on Esme in his arms, marveling at her strength of conviction and the depth of her loyalty. She was the antithesis of the reprehensible man who had deserted his dying children. He was amazed that a small body like hers could house such an enormous heart. She was the embodiment of strength and courage, and she had chosen him. He recalled the first time she whispered "I love you" to him, the way she moaned his name when they were intimate, and the day of their hand-fasting as the ribbon draped over their clasped hands.

No sooner had he fixed these memories in his mind, the pulsing stopped and Carlisle felt Esme slide her hand into his. As the pain slackened, Esme tried to move her head to see Rolle, worried that the pulsing stopped because he may have succeeded in hurting himself. The deep roar in the room remained, despite Rolle smashing his head into the stone wall. She could only guess that if Rolle succeeded in injuring himself, the noise would stop. She drew strength from her husband as they both looked up to find Rolle on the floor several feet away.

A crisscross of black and grey lines deeply marred his pale forehead where he had struck the wall, but his eyes were pleading now. Carlisle lifted Esme to her knees and together they moved along the floor toward Rolle. Likewise, Rolle crawled toward them.

We can do this, Carlisle began to chant in his mind. I know we can do this! He tried to stoke the conviction with images of Rosalie and Emmett. They are worth it, he thought. And Jasper and Alice. The words were a memory; Esme's words to him on the cliffs near their home. They're all worth it. It all matters.

They continued to crawl towards one another. The din of the roaring engines began to dampen.

It matters to this one, Carlisle thought at last, reaching out to Rolle who reached back grasping for Carlisle's hand.

Esme and Carlisle pulled Rolle into their arms and held him. He cried tearlessly against Esme's neck as she rocked him.

"It's all right, little starfish,' she murmured to him. "We have you now."

Carlisle stared at his wife before he pulled them into his arms, humbled with the knowledge that Esme had given voice to his thoughts.

"You're not a gun," he quietly insisted to Rolle, repeating the proclamation that Rolle had made to him what felt like a lifetime ago.

~•~

Edward used discretion in repeating what he could see and hear from Esme and Carlisle's attempts to calm Rolle. He described the state of the room and the absence of any of those who could not get out in time. However, he left out the personal thoughts and emotions he could discern through the eyes of his family.

"My sister?" Alec asked softly with an unreadable expression.

Edward met his eyes and listened to the quiet fear in Alec's mind a moment before slowly shaking his head. Chelsea moved to Alec and put her arm around his shoulders. Edward understood his loss, but could not bring himself to mourn Jane after all she'd done, even if it had been at the behest of her masters. She took too much pleasure in the pain of others.

"Does Carlisle have him under control?" Aro wanted to know.

Shaking his head, Edward answered, "They have him calmed somewhat, but he's still volatile. He's still afraid for us."

"So he's still triggered," Aro restated, being more blunt in his analysis.

"You could call it that, yes."

"Are they able to talk to him, such as he is?"

"Yes. They're both talking to him now."

~•~

Esme stroked Rolle's head, soothing him with her touch and gentle rocking. The explosive noise was gone, faded now to only a low rumble. She placed a kiss on his temple as the deep black cracks began to lighten and fade.

"I can't stop making the same mistakes," Rolle whimpered. His voice was airy gasps as he confessed his mind to them.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Esme asked.

A sad noise bubbled from Rolle's throat at the euphemistic pet name. He knew there was nothing sweet in his heart.

"I'm my own enemy." The words slurred together and came out as a sigh. "Everything comes out wrong. I said I wouldn't hurt Caius and I did it anyway. I thought... I just wanted..." He gave up trying to finish his thought. "I'm sorry I failed you, Carlisle," he said. "I was afraid. When I saw all of you were here, I..." Rolle suddenly sat back from Esme with a fearful gasp. "Bella? She...?"

"She's fine," Esme hurried to assure him, and Rolle dropped his face into his hands. "Edward is with her. They're both safe." She stroked his head again.

"I needed a second chance," Rolle muttered through his hands. "I feel like I've been screaming for a second chance. I just needed a reason, but I did it all wrong... all over again."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked gently.

Rolle wiped his hands across his face, but couldn't meet Carlisle's eyes. "I had to become something I'm not. I had a choice, but it was like I was reliving history."

Esme looked at her husband over Rolle's hunched shoulders, shaking her head in confusion.

Carlisle lowered his voice and asked, "Do you mean like when Gillian died?" Rolle nodded. "Will you tell us?"

Rolle thought about that night, remembering what he had done and what he became. He didn't want Carlisle and Esme to know he what he was capable of. In a lot of ways, the catastrophe of the past few hours was sedate and clinical compared to the other time.

At his continued silence, Carlisle tried another approach. "I don't think you can be entirely blamed for what happened here, Rolle."

A disbelieving snort and bitter laugh was Rolle's reply.

"It's true," Carlisle maintained. "Well, I think it's true. There's no way to know for sure. As far as I know, you're the only one to ever have a gift like yours."

"Gift?" Rolle said with disdain.

"Yes. Gift. We think your mind can copy the decision-making thoughts of others."

Silence greeted this revelation, but Rolle's breathing increased and the set of his shoulders tensed under Esme's caressing hands.

"Wh-what?" The word sounded like a gasp.

Esme's little smile encouraged Carlisle to continue. "We think you attacked Caius because he wanted to attack," Carlisle said slowly. "It appears that your mind has the ability to duplicate others around you. Or not around you," he added as an afterthought. "We're not sure. We think it's the way you can track people. You told Jasper that it's easier for you to track people you know, but that you could also track people you've never met so that part is still a puzzle."

Rolle listened, dumbfounded by this revelation as his face froze into a mask of shock. How many times had he tried to tell people that he just knew? He had never understood how he knew what he did, assuming it was simply intuition. He thought about the night he killed Gillian's murderer. He had become a crazed animal in his hunt for vengeance, and yet... he simply knew where the killer would be that night.

He had followed the man for over a month, learned his patterns, his routines. Rolle knew his favorite radio shows, his favorite foods, how he took his coffee. He had stalked the man for so long, he didn't even recognize himself: dirty, debased, starved, drinking from mud puddles... Had he simply learned the man's routines or had it been something else?

"You actually found the best way of calming the power of your gift quite by accident," Carlisle explained, interrupting Rolle's new understanding. "Emmett thinks you spend so much time in the ocean because it separates you from the influences of others."

Rolle sat up, thinking back on what he felt as he travelled from place to place. Even coming to this castle, he knew what to expect; the moment of dizziness, the sense of being goaded, powerful urges to do... something. Was this why? Could it be true?

Rolle struggled for a moment to look at either of them. He chose the easier path and hesitantly looked at Esme. She nodded and smiled at him before reaching up and running the back of her fingers against his cheek.

~•~

Edward looked at Bella, adding, "He's asking about you."

"Can we go to him?" she implored. "He needs to see that we're okay."

"That would be the safest time to deal with him, Aro," Marcus said unexpectedly. As everyone turned to look at him in surprise—an action he was more accustomed to now—Marcus displayed his rare gift for manipulation and strategy. "The boy will pull himself away in guilt."

Bella gasped in shock and anger, glaring at Marcus.

"Carlisle and I have an understanding," Aro said.

"You could deal with the boy and NOT let Carlisle risk himself further if Rolle fails in his charge."

Edward heard Marcus' unspoken continuation of that thought. Because I know you value Carlisle more than Rolle.

Aro considered Marcus' words for a moment, then asked Edward, "What's happening now?"

"Carlisle is trying to determine if Rolle understands what his gift is doing, if he has any understanding of how to control it."

Aro was quiet as he considered this and began to weigh the options. "I'll give Carlisle the benefit of the doubt for now."

~•~

Carlisle knew Rolle was truly listening to him, but if they were to have any hope at all of helping him, he needed to face a very harsh truth. "Rolle," he began slowly, "I need to tell you something... and I need you to be open to hearing it."

Fear laced Rolle's eyes as he looked at Esme, but he drew strength from her calm. She nodded; explaining without words that she knew and agreed with whatever Carlisle was going to say.

"I know some part of you knows this truth. We're... we're vampires. Not demons. And this place," Carlisle gestured around the room, "this isn't Hell, but that's not why Gillian isn't here."

Esme did not pause as she rubbed soothing circles on Rolle's shoulders, even when he turned slowly to look at Carlisle.

Rolle's expression was like that of a patient when Carlisle would have to tell them they were dying; it was a trapped look of confusion, denial and fear. Before he could respond, they heard footsteps approaching.

Carlisle worried about Rolle's volatility. He could still hear the threatening rumble though it had faded to the sound of a distant truck. "Rolle," he hurried to explain. "I know this is a lot for you to think about, but we don't have time right now. You have another power that is far more dangerous. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Rolle nodded mutely.

"Do you know how it works?" Carlisle needed to know.

Rolle shook his head, but said, "It's like what whales can do, when they talk to each other across the ocean."

"Do you have any control over it at all?" Carlisle asked.

"I watch waves a lot," he answered in a blank automatic tone. He answered without thinking about what he was saying, his mind furiously trying to reconcile what Carlisle had just told him. "I know how they work. It acts like that sometimes. Like waves."

~•~

Felix was first through the door, though he did not rush in as he once might have. Edward and Bella followed him with Aro and Renata behind them, cautiously lingering at the door.

Relief washed over Bella's expressive face at the sight of Carlisle and Esme unharmed. She clutched Edward's arm and he squeezed her hand in return, but they did not hurry across the room to be with their family. Instead, they carefully evaluated Rolle's state and body language, hiding their concern about his proximity to them.

"Are you all right?" Bella asked. It seemed directed to all three of them in general.

Carlisle nodded, but remained close to Rolle as Aro's eyes roved over the entire room.

Never in Aro's long life had he ever experienced such a massive loss. The dust had thinned, and both Cullens and Rolle were covered in the fine gray powder that looked like volcanic ash. The sunlight in the chamber drew him deeper into the room to discover its source. The destruction was extensive. The entire eastern side of the chamber was absent. There were no rocks or rubble scattered around the hole, but more of the dust lingered in drifts near the walls. Caius was gone. Almost half of the Guard—hand-selected, watched, nurtured as their powers developed... all gone.

He did not attempt to hide the glower on his face when he thought of Jane and all the hard work he had put into perfecting her. She, at least, had not been sullied by Caius. Her ambitions never stretched beyond that of pleasing Aro and serving his will. The rest, well... Despite the misgivings he felt about the Guards who bore witness to Caius' slander, their loss was never assured. It was true that he initially questioned how Caius' rant would affect them, but Aro knew it was just more work: watching, evaluating, and testing them all over again. Their loyalty or value was no longer an issue, but their loss, not just as talented guards but as companions, was bitter.

Aro thought of the others, scattered around the world right now, fulfilling their roles as Volturi. He'd have to summon them all back. The repercussions of this began to weigh on him. This would all have to be explained to the others in a way that did not show weakness. He turned and leveled his glare on Rolle, sitting between Carlisle and Esme. He could not save face if he let the boy live, especially not after the recent years of Caius' whispering about the Cullen's secret maneuverings for power. He had no desire to kill or punish Carlisle, especially now that he knew his old friend had never wavered in his loyalty. But their arrival to Volterra followed by the near decimation of the Guard only corroborated Caius' suspicions. If only he had kept his notions to himself, this could all be handled easily. Now the matter called for a delicate resolution that would not provoke the few remaining Guard from doing exactly what Demetri had done: taken matters into his own hands. The Cullen's arrival and survival after this havoc had to be explained. The Guard would demand justice.

"Aro," Edward warned in a low voice, shaking his head. Bella looked between Aro and her husband, wondering what Edward had heard, but unable to ask him.

You know the awkward position this leaves in me, Edward, he said through his mind. I cannot maintain control like this. Without moving his head, Aro glanced toward Felix and Alec who, tensed like snakes, were glaring daggers at Rolle.

Edward listened to them. Alec was inconsolable, staring at his sister's killer. Felix sought revenge for Demetri and Afton. The three of them fancied themselves the natural heirs to the Volturi brothers.

"Can you read him?" Aro asked aloud.

Edward quickly understood that Aro was asking about Rolle, and wondered if Aro knew about these fanciful desires for power.

Rolle looked up, meeting Edward's gaze and Edward saw himself and Bella in Rolle's mind. Their faces and hands were smudged with dirt, but it was Bella's fierce expression that made Edward pause. He looked at her with his own eyes. Her expression matched her thoughts. Still wary of the Volturi in the room, she was intensely curious about what Edward could hear from the others. After wading through layers of Rolle's guilt, Edward could hear again the unflinching vein of his friend's loyalty; his determination that nothing would ever harm or threaten Bella's safety.

"Yes," Edward answered, returning his gaze to Rolle. "He's still worried about Bella's safety." Everything he said felt like a betrayal and Edward conveyed an apology through his eyes to Rolle. "He's afraid that his actions have been indefensible to that end."

There was so much more he wanted to say, but knew that Aro was right in being concerned about his hold over the Guard. The only way to do that was to be open with Aro, and Aro alone. Wanting to put Bella's fears to rest and include Carlisle and Esme in everything he knew, Edward turned to face Aro as he added, "I need to speak with you privately."

The warning hiss of outrage from the remaining Guard was not unexpected.

Aro glanced around the room at the Guard before meeting Marcus' eyes. Without being verbally summoned, Marcus came forward to his brother's side and raised his hand. The outright hostility in the form of red snapping ribbons from Felix and Alec was not surprising. Ever the survivalist, the wariness from Chelsea was also not surprising. She feared for her own life and orange-reds focused on the Cullens spoke more about her fear, knowing that her only hope—small as it was—could be found in the power of numbers: six Volturi and five Cullens, not great odds considering Rolle had just eliminated eleven of them and half the castle.

"My friends seem to consider a parlay to be ill-advised," Aro pointed out.

Edward's patience came to an end. "If you ever had any kind of control, none of this would have ever happened." Edward ignored the snarls of outrage from the Guard that filled the room. "If you would have stopped Caius' ridiculous propaganda, Demetri would never have come hunting for us. Marcus would never have come to our home. Rolle would never have felt the need to protect us!" he shouted. "All of this could have been averted."

"Edward," Bella whispered urgently. "Please." Don't provoke them.

Esme felt Rolle's shoulders tense under her hands as the distant rumbling spiked. Rolle moaned in despair and clamped his hands to his head. Bella took a half step toward him, but was held back by Edward.

"Stop!" Esme shouted. "All of you! Stop this right now!" She pulled Rolle closer, soothing him with her hands. "Edward, you know if anyone else dies, it's Carlisle who will suffer."

Unaware of the deal Carlisle struck with Aro, Rolle panicked. "No, no, no, no, no, no..." Rolle began to whimper. He didn't know if he could stop himself from harming anyone else and keep Carlisle safe. Edward was yelling at them. With half of the room envisioning Rolle's death, it was Bella's fear for Edward that drowned out all other reactions.

"Aro is contemplating how to maintain power through this crisis," Edward explained, having no compunction about sharing Aro's thoughts with the room. "I only want to discuss options with him... options that he may want consider privately with a rationale that the Guard is not capable of understanding at this moment." Edward spun back to Aro. "We all know that the Volturi serve a greater purpose in our world. You take responsibility for the behavior and action of others and keep the law. No one else has ever come forward to take up that burden, not even the Romanians. No one here disputes the need for your role in our society, least of all Carlisle or myself. But right now, at this moment, how you proceed has to be about more than simple vendetta. There is more at stake here than our lives."

What did you hear? Aro thought to Edward.

Edward's brows went up sharply and he glanced purposefully around the room then pointedly again at Aro, trying to convey the urgency that they speak alone.

Carlisle stood, keeping one hand on Rolle's shoulder. "At the very least, can we agree there are many questions that need to be answered? About your fears toward us, as well as Rolle's gifts and his motivations?" Carlisle asked.

"What of your motivations?" Felix asked.

"He got Aro and the others out of the room. I got you out of the room," Edward reminded him. "And you!" he said to Marcus. "I think our motivations are clear. If we truly wanted the Volturi to fall, we would have left you all behind and saved ourselves."

"Aro, Marcus, please," Carlisle said again. "We all have questions and concerns. I'm only asking that we do not act rashly in the wake of so much emotional trauma."

"And how do you propose we get the answer to these questions?" Aro asked. "It feels rather like a, how do they say it now... a Mexican Standoff with the odds, admittedly, greatly in your favor." His eyes rested on the assassin.

"It's not his fault," Esme argued. "It's all of you doing this to him!"

"You can't know that for certain," Aro stated coldly.

"Edward can know for certain," she persisted.

"And what assurances can Edward give us that we can know are not colored by his own desperate need to protect his wife?" Aro shot back again. "I'm sorry, madam, but considering we are the injured party in this matter, I'll keep my own counsel."

"What if you could know for sure?" Bella asked quietly. When all eyes turned to her, her confidence waned.

Edward pulled her close. "What do you mean, love? How?"

Bella glanced between Aro, Carlisle and Edward. "You can't read Rolle unless he's calm, but he can't calm down in a room full of people thinking about killing us. Maybe my shield can act as a barrier."

"What do you propose?" Aro said, obviously curious about the idea.

"Well, it seems like being around Carlisle and Esme has a calming effect on him. What if I tried to put my shield around them. Maybe he can calm down enough that you could read him."

"I would have to touch him," Aro pointed out. His cold tone implied he would not be going near Rolle.

"Then read him through Edward," she said quickly, desperate to put the elder at ease so they could all escape this room.

Aro and Edward regarded each other, looking for the other's reaction to Bella's suggestion. Neither appeared opposed to it, but both were surprised when Bella turned to Rolle.

"Can we try?" she asked him. "Rolle?" she prompted when he did not respond.

Bella moved away from Edward, pausing when his clutching hands would not release her. She could see the reluctance in his eyes and smoothed her hand against his cheek to reassure him. I have to try. I think if he knows what we're trying to do, he can find the control to not hurt anyone else.

Edward's eyes tightened, showing his reluctance. Bella didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking.

He won't hurt me, Bella insisted. He couldn't hurt me.

Worry and pain crossed his face. It was Esme's knowledge that Rolle had tried to kill himself instead of hurting her or Carlisle that convinced Edward that Bella could be right. "Stay with me," he told her, touching his temple. As he released her fingers, the spark of electricity between them seemed to arc across the slowly increasing distance, connecting them like a gossamer fiber.

Bella knelt before Rolle and rested her hands on his knees. "Rolle?"

He folded forward more and rested his forehead on the back of her fingers before nodding.

Aro motioned the Guard back with his hand and stepped next to Edward. Carlisle and Esme sat on either side of Rolle.

The moment Bella's shield engulfed Rolle, he sat up with a gasp of surprise. His silver eyes bore into hers with a clarity she had never seen from him before. Bella took a deep breath and struggled with her fear of losing control of her gift. After so many years, bringing Edward into her shield was effortless, but pushing it out to others... As she closed her eyes and concentrated on manipulating the shield to include Carlisle and Esme, Rolle blinked rapidly and turned confused eyes first to the left as Esme gave him a reassuring smile, then to the right as Carlisle nodded.

Edward turned to face Aro and held up his hand, knowing he had to make a show of trust.

As Aro took Edward's arm, he instantly realized the drawback of Edward's gift. He had to read Rolle's mind as Edward did—as direct thoughts Rolle was thinking at that moment. While Aro conceded that it was useful to not need physical contact, he found Edward's gift to be instantly restricting. He was so used to receiving every thought in an instant, he suddenly felt like he was being given a novel with a single word on each page, and even then he was required to prompt each word to appear on the page.

"How did you meet Edward?"

The first information Aro tried to focus on was every interaction Edward and Rolle had ever had, however, the thoughts of everyone else in the room that Edward could hear was distracting. While Aro had perfected his gift of receiving a lifetime of information instantaneously, he had never needed to sort through the vast amount of voices that Edward's gift had demanded. Aro hesitated in speaking this problem out loud, not willing to show any more weakness to the Guards and wishing now he could have taken the Cullens up on their offer to do this in private.

Edward heard Aro's dilemma and said softly, "Bella, do you think you can extend your shield around my mind as well?" He caught Aro's eyes as he added in a lie, "So I can hear Rolle better?"

A wisp of gratitude colored Aro's thoughts as the telepaths spoke in the privacy of their minds.

Bella hesitated. "You can't be afraid for me," she said to Edward. "I don't know if Rolle can stay calm if he senses your fear for me."

"We have a truce until midnight," Aro volunteered, too curious to let this opportunity slip by. "Rolle, you have my word that no one will do any harm within these walls," and quickly appended, "nor to Carlisle's family abroad."

Carlisle bowed his head. "Thank you."

"Edward?" Aro said. My word, he added privately.

When Edward nodded, Bella took a deep breath and focused her energy, reaching for Edward's familiar mind with her own and feeling relief when he was securely within her shield.

As Rolle responded to the verbal prompts from Aro, the elder saw Edward listening to Rolle play in Chicago the first time they met. He saw their mutual understanding as they both realized what the other was, and the first tentative attempts at conversation as the spoke about the music of the blues festival. He saw their friendship progress and expand to include all the members of Edward's family. More importantly Aro relived the conversation between Edward and Rolle when Edward first cautiously spoke about the rumors of an assassin that sprung up after the genocide in Romania, and Rolle's stoic yet shameful admission that he was, indeed, that same vampire. Aro watched Rolle meet Bella for the first time and how it had affected him. The broken links of Rolle's mind substituted Bella for Rolle's own lost love, though the chain of obligation Rolle felt for Bella's safety was misshapen and wrapped around his friendship for Edward.

Rolle's focus was completely on Bella as he answered Aro's questions. Esme smoothed Rolle's hair from his forehead, holding his hand sandwiched between her own and Carlisle's. She caught Carlisle staring at her over their clasped hands. The adoration he felt for her eclipsed everything else. Even covered in dust and grime, he was still the most handsome man she had ever met, but it was his eyes that held his true beauty and for the first time in a long time, they were clear of sadness and doubts.

In order to be placated, Aro demanded to know about what happened in Romania. He ignored Edward's flinch as Rolle's mind scrolled through the events, and vague memories of pain and floating endlessly on ocean currents, until the world came back into some semblance of itself. The memories of the Romanians, themselves, connected like puzzle pieces in Edward's mind, meshing with Rolle's own recollections of those events. The prelude to the massive attack on Rolle now began with Rolle's memory of sitting forlorn under an ancient oak tree, mindlessly stroking the thick spongy bark of the tree as if it were a beloved pet, and then Rolle being suddenly attacked by several dozen vampires. Aro found the true source of Rolle's anger towards the ancient ones in that attack. Through Rolle's memories and through his eyes, he saw the old vampires standing on a far-away hilltop, watching the destruction from a safe distance away as they sacrificed their kinsmen. With his unique cognitive mimicking ability, Rolle knew the attack was merely another test by the Romanians to determine the scope of his destructive power. It was this fact alone that put Aro's mind at ease that there was no conspiracy at work here.

While Edward boiled once again with anger for what Rolle had gone through, Aro could appreciate the Romanians for their thoroughness in exploring the weapon they had unwittingly found. He would have done the same himself given the circumstances.

Edward scowled at Aro for his observation.

As you pointed out earlier, my concerns must go far beyond those of simple vendetta, Aro shared with Edward. There is merit in the idea of keeping your friend alive, especially in light of the destruction he has caused, but only if he would agree with your assessment of our value to our world, don't you think?

Out loud, Aro stuck on the topic that most concerned him. "You deceived me." He directed the statement to Rolle.

Out loud, Rolle answered. "Yes."

The admission was followed by broken images of Gillian and her death, and the desolation Rolle felt as her life slipped from his fingertips. The drama was all too familiar to Aro, having experienced it time and again from Marcus.

"You would do so again," Aro stated as if it were a fact.

"Yes." Rolle raised his eyes without shame. "If it kept history from repeating itself. No one-" He stopped with a gasp and looked at his sire. Marcus watched and listened with blank eyes. "No one should ever have love ripped away like that. It's supposed to grow, and grow old, together."

"Do you know what our role is here?" Aro pressed. When Rolle did not reply, he continued. "I told you. We have only one rule: Protect the secret. Humans cannot know of our existence. If they were to learn of us, we would all be at risk. We stop those of us who ignore this rule and risk us all. You, better than any, know that we have weaknesses and immortality is not as literal as the word may sound. But you have weakened us today."

Aro heard Rolle's reaction to this revelation through Edward. Rolle's compulsion to protect love had been woven into his immortal fiber from the very moment Marcus turned him. The obsession drove him to risk everything: the Cullen's favor, his friendship with Edward, music... The boy could not fight this compulsion any more than he could suddenly turn himself into a bird. Never in all of his plans or drive to accomplish that end had it ever occurred to him that he would weaken the Volturi.

The pieces fell together in Aro's mind then, and as they did, Edward tried to wrench his arm from Aro's grasp. The steel fingers dug into Edward's hard flesh, refusing to let him go.

"Don't!" The word growled from between Edward's lips.

"You put Bella at risk," Aro spat at Rolle. "You were never the one to protect her. We were. You murdered the very people who were supposed to protect her."

Rolle jumped to his feet at this accusation. "I know what I am!" he shouted.

"Do you?" Aro shot back, just as loud. He yanked on Edward's arm as he stepped forward, moving Edward behind him. "What will be your penance for what you've done this time?" he shouted.

"Aro!" Edward warned, trying to keep the pain off his face as the vice-like grip tightened.

Your turn to trust me, Aro snapped at Edward in his mind. Be still and accept this or I'll not be able to let Carlisle leave here alive. Rolle has to accept his fate and his responsibility to us now.

Edward's expression turned to one of surprise.

"What do you mean?" Rolle asked, stunned and flailing for direction without the use of his gift to understand Aro's intentions.

"You didn't think I could just let this all go, did you? Five thousand years of knowledge and power have been stolen from me and you must make things right again. You have to fill the hole you have left in our defenses! You've left us all exposed with your treachery. Bella. Edward. Carlisle. Me! All of us! This is your doing."

"No!" Carlisle insisted, standing at Rolle's side. "Aro, no. Rolle is not some weapon for you to play with."

"That's exactly what he is," Aro disagreed.

"He's a being of free will!" Carlisle said sharply. "He's not the spoils of a battle to be used like slave."

"Then tell me how we will protect our society from the werewolves? Who will help us when covens decide to create immortal children? Who will intervene when rogues create armies of newborns? Where will we turn if the billions of humans learn of us and hunt us down? You, yourselves have relied on the Volturi to address such ends! You were hunted by your own father. Your coven was attacked by newborns. How would you have us rebuild after what has happened here today!" Aro shouted.

"Rolle is not-" Carlisle continued to argue.

"I'll do it," came the soft voice of the assassin at the same time.

Carlisle spun to face Rolle. "What? No. No! Rolle, not like this. You can't-"

"I can't be the reason any more people get hurt," Rolle implored. His eyes were filled with sad regret, his voice breaking as he spoke. "I made a promise, Carlisle. If this is what I have to do to keep that promise..."

Aro stared in amazement at Rolle's proclamation. As Edward heard Aro's surprise, he, too, realized the importance of Rolle's sentiment. Having a better understanding of the trauma of Rolle's gift, his words held meaning that they could only now appreciate. Within the protective walls of Bella's shield, Rolle could express his own free will, even if it was contradictory to what Carlisle wanted for him.

"I know what I am," Rolle said with a hard swallow. "I'll stay." His words came out softer and softer. "I'll be a gun."

The words were barely past Rolle's lips when all four of the Cullen's phones chimed with their individual text alerts.

§∞•••∞§

A/N: Love and thanks to my beloved and loving peanut gallery: Irishgirl, Songster, Philadelphic and Emmanuelle Nathan. Thanks to Nikki Pattinson over at Twilighted.

I want to give my readers my deepest apologies for the delay regarding this chapter. I can't say that I'll be back on my weekly or even a bi-weekly posting schedule, but I can say that I have about 3-5 chapters left, so YAY! Things are wrapping up. There's still some weighty conversations that need to happen, just to tie up concerns and loose-ends.

You'll be happy to know I vetoed myself when it came to this chapter's cliffie ending, so what happens next will be immediately explained in chapter 18. Be sure to check out my blog for teasers!

The Stygian Realm
The Myth of Orpheus
http:/www(dot)renaissanceastrology(dot)com/orpheushymns(dot)html