I'm so sorry for the wait guys.

Don't worry-- I will have much more time now and you can expect chapters more often.

This is a little short, but I wanted you guys to know I'm here and I'm working on the chapters as you read this. More will be out shortly. Don't fret!

Chapter 12: United

Bella's Point of View:

"Max, tell us what's going on."

Bella, Bella, Bella, can you hear me?

I nodded in the direction of Edward, a small smile creeping up my lips. I then pulled my attention towards Max, who was clearly about to say something, when I heard something else, a confusing buzz in the background.

Could this really be all my gift's doing? I suppose no one has ever beaten the test before, and since Bella was the only one affected by it, she is probably the one who got the winner's prize.

I wish I could steal Bella away from here right now, I would give her anything she wanted. Oh, why is Max here, why did he ever come and complicate our existence.

Because, what's a good test without a reward for doing well, and what better a gift than instant communication with the light of her life?

Well, that changes things, this could be quite useful.

My mind spun around for a second, trying to place the thoughts with the correct mind. Once it was clear, I commented aloud.

"Interesting theory, Max." I said, and Edward turned to look at me, wide-eyed.

"You heard that too, Bella?"

"I think..." I stared directly at Max, but nothing came to mind, I looked back at Edward, and I heard him again.

"I don't think I'm hearing Max's thoughts directly, I think I'm only hearing your mind, but since you can read anyone's mind, I can hear Max, through you."

My Bella is more perfect that I ever imagined. And she just gets more and more perfect as time goes on...

Sudden images flooded his mind, and for the first time I saw how he actually saw me, I saw me through his eyes. I saw the beginning of our relationship, when I was still fragile and human. He was so scared that with each step I took I could be tripping to my death. His complete devotion was ludicrous. All of the images of me flooding his mind were insane and absolutely unrealistic, he made it seem that I always had this glow, a beautiful halo, through his eyes I really did look like an angel, perfect, irreplaceable and able to save him from the darkest of times. When he was able to finally see the depth of my returned feelings, at our sweet wedding, and our magical honeymoon, he was the happiest man on Earth.

"Bella," he muttered slowly, rubbing the back of his hand over my cheek and chin.

"Yes?" I said, loosing my wits as he smirked crookedly at me.

"Do you know what this means?" he tilted his head to the side and his innocent grin turned malicious.

"What?" I said, concerned now.

"We can save Max, and our family."

My grin grew evilly, and Max came over as we discussed how we were to pull this off. Now that we could hide our true intentions from Aro through Max, and Edward and I could communicate flawlessly, everything was much easier.

All we needed is to convince Aro that he wants nothing to do with Max and me anymore. If he could somehow let that illusion into his mind, it would all be almost too easy.

But life is never that easy, and even with the help of Jasper it would be hard to convince Aro and the others that they want nothing to do with a supposed "shield and love breaker" couple, we were very powerful, even if they didn't know the extent of our abilities.

So, we would have to try another tactic, and Max had the perfect idea, the only problem with this idea was that we would have a huge responsibility on our hands after this.

We would destroy the Voultri, and therefore take on the responsibility of watching over the entire vampire race.

Well, there goes me ever getting that college education.

Edward's Point of View:

I understood what Max was saying, I really did, and it shocked me just how easily the three of us could do this, with of course, a hint or two from Alice.

All we had to do was break the old but very weak ties within the Voultri, disperse and distract the guard, and then attack. Their weak old bodies would be useless against us, without their guard.

It was not that I did not want to see my precious Bella growl as she tore off the head of an old wimpy vampire. Well, yeah that would definitely errr ... bother me a little. The image of her slowly walking to her prey turned in an inappropriate direction as she was suddenly headed for me instead of Aro, with the same evil grin infecting her whole face.

I noticed a smirk on Bella's face as she gave me a quick, flirty glance and then just as quickly, and with an ease even I couldn't master, tore her eyes from mine and turned her attention back to her and Max's detailed plans.

The real thing that I was not too ecstatic about was watching over vampires all over the world, and keeping them in check... if we could convince others to do the dirty work and keep new borns in check, and maybe we could just control them from the outside, I'm sure we could bring back a few guard members for this, Jane and Alec, would be among the first: they were sticklers for justice, it didn't matter who was enforcing it, as long as they could help put an end to what they thought was "wrong".

Bella frowned as she heard this train of thought, and I wished now I could see what she was thinking.

There was one part of this "prize" that I particularly did not like. She could read my mind whenever she wanted, but me? I could only read hers when she saw fit. Damn.

I would have to learn some way of keeping her out sometimes.

She opened her mind to mine, while appearing to be paying Max the utmost attention.

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, are you serious? Why would you be scared of me always being in your mind?

Bella, love. Really, can't you see how maybe I've always wanted unlimited access to your mind, and I've never gotten it, but you- you never even wanted it and look- now you have what I want.

I'll try to keep my mind as open as I can, okay?

Thank you, now pay attention to Max.

Don't start with me, you are the one complaining and absolutely, completely distracted. I saw some of the images in your head a minute ago, dear.

With mention of this earlier train of thought, my mind was completely in the gutter. To keep herself grounded, Bella took her mind from mine and didn't look me in the eyes. I knew she was seeing all the things running through my head.

"Alright, so Edward, call Alice." Max said, pointedly.

If I wasn't a mind reader there was no way I would know what he wanted me to say to her. Apparently, we were going to ask Alice if Max's plans would work out as flawlessly as he imagined, then we would proceed, tweaking anything if Alice said there was a possibility of it going wrong.

Alice, being Alice, answered on the first ring, squealing. I held the phone from my ear, realizing the excited squeal was probably for my wife.

Bella took my phone from me and sighed, "Alice? Please, calm down, this is important."

"Oh, Bella, give it a rest, Max is right you will all be fine the Voultri will be putty in the hands of the three of you, blah blah blah, now. What is it that my brother is wearing? It appears to be rags. If you could, you know there's this wonderful designer a little ways outside the city..."

"Alice!"

"OH, whatever Bella, you daughter wants to talk to you so badly, she misses her Mommy and Daddy, you two should stop leaving her with Jacob she's going to start thinking he's her Daddy, and you know how wrong that would be for later..."

I shuddered at what Alice was saying to my wife and heard the phone, on the other end, being passed to Renesmee.

"MOMMA!"

"Baby, how are you? Is Jakey being nice, is your aunt still making you change three times a day?"

"Mommy, come home soon. Jakey is okay, but without someone to stop her Aunt Alice is making me change more than that! And all the pictures and videos and playing dress up! I can't take it! Mommy, come home soon!"

I scooted closer to Bella, put my arm around her waist and leaned into the cell phone, "Don't worry sweetheart, we will be home very soon."

"DADDY!" She squealed, and the squeal reminded me eerily of Alice, and I noted that maybe we had been gone for too long, and leaving her with Alice for long periods of time was never particularly a good thing.

"Yes, darling?" I smiled.

"I miss mommy a lot, and I miss you too!" If i heard her correctly, she missed Bella more than me, that was hardly fair.

Bella noticed my thoughts and a small smug smirk appeared on her angel face.

"We miss you too, love," Bella joined in.

"And is Maxy okay?"

"I'm just fine, Nessie," he called, from across the clearing. But, with the somewhat super-hearing of our half vampire daughter, I knew she would be able to hear him.

"Yay," she giggled, "so you coming home now?"

"In a little while, don't worry, we won't be gone long now."

"Okay Mommy," I wasn't sure how much Jacob had revealed to her about what we were doing, and what was going on with Max, and I didn't even think she knew that we weren't on the same continent.

"Can I talk to Daddy again?" She asked Bella, sweetly. Bella handed me the phone and my daughter started throwing a million warnings at me, the last one was the one that stuck; it reminded me just how much Jacob was willing to tell her.

"Don't let the Voultri hurt Mommy! Protect her, okay?" She warned me. It surprised me how Renesmee had picked up so much from me, and did so many things like me, for one, look after Bella as if she was a glass doll. Nessie's first image of her mother stuck with her and she always remembered just how weak and fragile Bella had been when she had first given birth. Somewhere, subconsciously, she still thought Bella was that weak human, and for a long time, so did I.

Sometimes I really, really hated the fact that Jacob had imprinted on my daughter when she was an infant, he didn't deny her anything, including terrifying information as to her parents' whereabouts.

"With my life, Nessie." I assured her."We love you Nessie, be safe," I said, and Bella continued to say her goodbyes to our daughter as Max started to get up.

When Bella finished and closed the cell phone, she placed it in my ratted pocket and turned to Max.

"Well there's no time like the present." Max noted, and eyed me curiously.

"Maybe Alice was right," he laughed, "It would be better if we didn't have to explain your attire to the Voultri."

I groaned as we tweaked our plans a little.

Bella and I would go find the both of us a change of clothes, as Bella didn't want to further ruin her 'pretty blue dress' I had convinced her that it was a tad too enticing for her own good and, as for me, I pretty much looked as if I was in the jungle for days, and turned into a crazy man. Which, basically I had, before Bella came to save me from my misery.

After that, we would take down a few animals, too make it look like Bella and Max were hunting for some of this time, and then head down to complete the most simple, yet extremely mind boggling overthrow of government that anyone had ever heard of in the history of humans and vampires.

And it would all be made possible by the three of us.

Oh, and who could forget our pixie of a sister and her useful little visions?

Hey, thanks for reading. Again, I apologize for the time you had to wait, I hope I didn't lose any of you!

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