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Chapter 15: Let Loose from the Noose

Aro's voice was soft, lulling Bella with his melodic tone.

"Il mio bambino prezioso, let me tell you a story.

"The day I found you, your shield down and ready to die, I touched your hand, and my life changed. Yes, you possessed a valuable gift, but your memories and thoughts showed me a child in need of a home, in need a family to accept and love her. Seeing the things the monster had done to you made my blood boil, and I destroyed him out of vengeance. You know me, and I am never anything if not rational. That day, I let anger overwhelm me, because you so sorely needed someone to protect you.

"Bringing you to Volterra, I brought you to my mate, and you became our child. We taught you not only to use your gift but to hold your head high and proud. You became the exquisite vampire I always knew you could be. And we grew to love you.

"You served us so bravely through many battles, and, when you asked to be released to go to Chicago, we couldn't refuse you. You wanted time on your own, away from the never-ending drama and intrigue that is our court. And I wanted you to have whatever you wanted, my child. Maybe I spoiled you. Certainly there are those here who believe so. But I thought then, and still think now, that letting you go was the right thing to do.

"I promised you I would not call on you unless we absolutely needed you, but the rogues in Siberia started creating armies that we couldn't control without full-scale warfare. We needed your shield to protect the guard. That was when I made my first mistake: sending Caius, Jane, and Alec for you instead of coming myself.

"We had no idea you had found your mate and turned him. When Jane and Alec found you and brought you to Caius, he had very little patience for your...situation. Insisting you leave for Siberia immediately was something he did to flex his muscle, to prove to you that you must obey him as well as me. He promised to send Jane and Alec to fetch your Edward and bring him to Italy to wait for you, but he didn't send them to the warehouse for days. By then, Edward was already gone. They simply went on their way, traveling throughout the continent making sure the American covens were loyal to us.

"When they returned to court and I saw Jane's memories, I was infuriated. How they could leave a newborn so vulnerable, especially one that was your mate...I never understood. By then it had been two years since Edward was lost. You know how time that passes so slowly for others passes so quickly for us. I immediately sent Jane and Felix back to America to find your mate. They had strict instructions to start in Chicago and ask every rogue and newborn to identify their maker. I had the slimmest of hopes that he could be found.

"Several years later, after numerous campaigns through the the cities, covens, and newborn armies of America, Jane and Felix returned to Volterra at my command. I was sure by this point your Edward was likely dead. As I always do at the end of a mission, I read Jane's memories. Even though I'd never seen Edward through your eyes, I could remember the words you used to describe him to Caius. When I saw the wild, disheveled newborn in Jane's mind, I just knew it was him.

"But he had been claimed. My old friend Carlisle had found him, tortured by Jane, and claimed him as a member of his coven. A coven that practices the abomination. Knowing this, I made the decision to tell Jane that one of the many rogues she killed was your mate...that she'd unknowingly killed your Edward.

"Still, I thought your love deserved one final chance. I traveled to Chicago alone to visit Carlisle's coven under the guise of making sure he was not attempting to create a seat of perverted power in the New World. I never visited Carlisle; I simply waited outside their home to see the boy. And he was as I expected: golden eyed.

"I returned to Volterra and waited for the end of the Siberian campaign. Once you were home and among your family, I told you Edward was dead. I never told anyone, even my dear mate, that I lied to you. Telling you now is the first time I have ever admitted it."

During Aro's story, Bella sat up in the bed, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping herself up into a tight ball. Emmett held her, stroking her hair as she rocked back and forth in stunned silence.

"Why will you not destroy me?" she whispered into the phone.

"You have requested this favor twice before: once when I found you with Adam, and once when I told you Edward had died. Do you remember my answer the last time you asked?"

Bella leaned her head against Emmett's shoulder. "I remember, but I want you to say it."

Aro sighed. "A parent would never destroy their own child."

Venom pooled in her mouth and sprayed as she screamed at the phone. "Yes, but a parent would apparently betray their child!"

Bella knew that, even though Aro loved her, she was risking death by speaking to him this way. Part of her wanted the freedom and peace death would give her, but it was slowly losing ground to the part that was deeply wounded by Aro's lie and desperate to find a way to overcome it. She felt Emmett's body stiffen next to her, and she remembered her existence was no longer simply her own. She'd been selfish and forgotten her protector and friend needed her.

"I only wanted to protect you. His existence...his lifestyle...is an abomination." Aro's voice was not angry; it was apologetic, almost pleadingly so.

"He loves..." Bella stopped, remembering Edward's feelings were no longer in the present tense. "He loved me. He would have changed for me."

"No, he wouldn't have, and he won't." He obviously found no pleasure in telling Bella the harsh truth, and it reminded her of her human father, who always hated hurting her feelings with reality. "You will be the one who must change. After 100 years, I didn't think you could do that. I feared it would have broken your heart irreparably to have him reject you."

"And you thought my thinking he was dead would be easier?"

"I watched Marcus lose his mate." He paused, and Bella knew he did so to mourn his sister. "I know it is no easy thing. But you eventually emerged from the other side of your grief, as I knew you would, and returned to the existence you were meant to live."

"I was never meant to live without him, Aro. Can't you understand that?"

"I understand now. When he came to me, asking for you, I could see in his thoughts and in his memories how much he loved you, even if he didn't realize it himself."

"He doesn't love me anymore...he said I was worse than Adam. He hates me." Bella shuddered, and Emmett's arms tightened around her in response.

Aro huffed indignantly. "He thinks he's seen horror, but his life has been charmed compared to yours. He would never have said that if he understood. Edward's always been such a child, in love with a fantasy of you. A fantasy you put into his head, true, but he had every opportunity to discover reality. I would not have stood in his way had he ever once wanted to know the real you. But he didn't...until now."

"Why didn't you tell me he was looking for me?"

"I've had our receptionist call you constantly for days. You aren't supposed to remain out of contact with me; you promised," Aro chided

"My phone was accidentally destroyed." She glared briefly at Emmett, laughing when he looked away sheepishly. "I'll resolve that first thing."

"Well, your newborn very nearly got himself killed with his phone call. Make sure he knows the correct way to contact us in the future." Aro's quiet laughter made Bella smile despite herself.

Just as Bella reached to disconnect the call, Aro's voice called out to her again.

"Bella, dear?"

"Yes, Aro."

"I may not deserve your forgiveness, but I am more sorry than you can ever know. It was wrong to lie to you. Go to him. Make him understand."

The cell phone's screen lit brightly as the call ended.

Bella and Emmett remained entwined, sitting on the bed. Emmett still stroked her hair, and she laid her head back on his shoulder. She'd let their roles reverse, him becoming the caretaker and her the cared for. It was time to right everything.

"Emmett," she ordered, "we need to find Edward's coven. I'm sure he's wherever they are." Rising from the bed, she walked over to the chiffarobe, selecting hunting clothes for both of them. "Get dressed."

As she turned to toss him his clothes, she found he was flush behind her.

A broad smile on his face, he placed one finger under her chin and gently raised her head. "I missed you." He placed a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. No longer passionate or sexual, it was as it should be: simple and loving.

Taking his clothes from her, Emmett began to dress. "There's only one small problem. Where do we begin?"

Emmett's phone beeped, and he picked it up, scrolling through the text messages and laughing. Opening the first message, he turned the phone to allow Bella to read it.

Carlisle Cullen
1879 Main Street
Chicago

Pulling to the phone back, he scrolled to another message and displayed it for Bella.

Edward Cullen
(office)
Department of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology
Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University

Bella laughed as she zipped her jeans and bent over to pick up her boots. "This is the first time I've ever been glad I taught Aro how to send text messages."

Sitting on the bed to slip into her boots, she looked at Emmett, who was next to her, sullen and looking at the last text message. She stroked his arm and gazed at him, wondering how much Edward's return would affected Emmett.

"Bella," he whispered, "why do they have the same last name?"

"Many times, a vampire will take the same last name as their maker or their coven leader." She winced, thinking how Edward's name should have been different. "Since Carlisle is the head of Edward's coven, Edward's taken his last name."

Emmett took Bella's hand, seeming reluctant to say what he was thinking. "Are we...um...a coven?"

"Yes, I suppose we are."

"So, what's my last name?"

Her broken heart seemed to heal a little, swelling with pride that Emmett wanted to take her name. She'd never taken a new one, neither Adam's or Aro's. When she needed a human name, she always reverted to the one her father gave her. He was a strong, faithful, and loving man, and, although he would never have understood what she'd become, his name stood for everything good or kind she'd once been.

"Swan," she answered, squeezing his hand tight. "Our name is Swan."

~*~

Having sated themselves with the blood of two midnight subway passengers, Bella and Emmett arrived to the Cullen's opulent home shortly after 1 AM. Unsure how large or powerful the coven was, Bella pulled Emmett behind a line of trees facing the front of the house.

"Stay here and don't move until I say." Bella moved to stand in front of Emmett, extending her arms, closing her eyes, and lowering her head. She concentrated on Emmett and on the area around them.

Doing as he was told, Emmett gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Wait," she whispered. Silent for a few moments, she raised her head and looked over her shoulder at him. "Do you feel it?"

His eyes widened. "Yes, it's buzzing all around us. What is it?"

"My shield. I've extended it to protect you. His coven can't touch us now." Grabbing Emmett's hand, Bella crouched to the ground, pulling him down with her. "Look, someone's coming."

A Vanquish sped into the drive in front of the house and screeched to a sudden halt. The hood was covered in dents and scratches. The driver's door thrust open, and Edward exited, his bronze hair in violent disarray and his clothing torn. Examining the car, he mumbled curses before screaming "Fuck!" and crashing his fist through the windshield. Sighing, he stomped onto the porch and walked into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Witnessing Edward's anger, Bella wondered if Edward was still the beautiful boy she'd fallen in love with so long ago. Her Edward was calm, rational, and reasonable. He never gave into anger, and only once, in their meadow, had he given into passion. She always thought his logical mind combined with his love for her would help him accept what she was and lead him to embrace a forever with her. Had circumstances and lies changed him into someone who could never love or accept her? Was the angry man who stood over her in the street all Edward was now?

"What is the abomination?" Emmett whispered in her ear. "He looks pretty harmless to me. I can totally take him."

Bella rolled her eyes. "The abomination doesn't make them dangerous in a physical sense. It is dangerous in that in denies the basic essence of what it means to be a vampire. They assign shame to what is our natural way of life."

"And that means?"

"They don't drink human blood. Humans are...special." Her voice was thick with sarcasm. "They only drink the blood of animals."

"You can do that?" Emmett asked the question as if he were asking how long a human could survive drinking urine.

"Yes, but it doesn't end the urge to consume human blood. There aren't many who can suppress the thirst for it." She considered how much strength it would take, and she wondered if Aro was right about her ability to do it.

Emmett huffed. "I don't understand why you'd want to give up human blood. Also, animals can be special, too. What about Lassie...Bambi...Smokey the Bear?" A teasing smile spread across his face. "I mean, seriously, who would tell us to prevent forest fires if we drained old Smokey? The entire Shawnee National Forest would burn to the ground."

She began to laugh when Emmett held up his hand to hush her.

"Wait, I hear someone talking."

They fell silent, and the voices of Edward and a woman were plainly heard over the gentle breeze.

"Jesus, Rosalie! Could you please just let this go?"

"No way. You fucked up big time!"

Bella continued to listen, trying to decipher what Edward and the woman were discussing. With each word, Bella realized that Edward was indeed not the same man she fell in love with.

"You're not the first person to go off and have sex with someone as a form of revenge."

Emmett gasped. "Oh, shit."

Bella jumped to her feet, letting her shield fall. "Motherfucker!"

Turning away from the house, she began to run. She was several miles away before Emmett's hand clamped around her wrist and pulled her to a dead stop in the middle of a deserted lot.

"Bella, stop!" He yanked her into his arms. "What did you expect him to do after he found us? He's angry and hurt."

Glaring at him, she growled. "I thought he was dead, that I was alone in this world. And I love you, Emmett." Struggling against Emmett's grasp, Bella wailed. "He fucked some woman knowing that I'm here and that I want him. He did it out of spite."

Releasing her, Emmett cupped Bella's face in his hands. "Baby, as far as he knows, we're mated. Maybe he thinks you are gone forever and there's nothing left to lose now."

"Don't you dare take his side!" she screamed, stepping back and jabbing her finger in his face.

"Your side, Bella. I'm always on your side." Taking her back into his arms, he softly kissed the crown of her head. "I want you to have him, if that's what will make you happy. But you can't blame him for the way he feels. He doesn't know your story or that Aro lied to you. He only knows that you turned him without telling him what you were and that you gave yourself to me in a way he wants only for himself." He rubbed his hands slowly up and down her back. "Like Aro said, you have to make him understand. Right now, he can imagine the worst to fill in the gaps. You have to help him see the truth."

Safe in Emmett's arms, she wanted to believe him. Everything she'd ever wanted was encapsulated in the golden-eyed beautiful boy. All her grief could be washed away if he'd only let her explain. But he had no interest in her words, no interest in the truth.

When she thought about how Edward refused to listen, her anger simmered inside her. His words had been sharp and painful, and he'd meant to wound her with every utterance. Now, however, as she thought about the ease with which he'd compared her to the monster that killed her family, she wasn't hurt. She was infuriated. She allowed the rage to fill and propel her.

Shoving Emmett away, Bella took a deep breath and smoothed her hair and clothes. "Fine," she said, the word clipped and her voice cold, "you want me to talk to Edward. Then we'll do it away from his coven." She spun around and tromped away, her boot heels hammering against the pavement.

Emmett called out to her. "Bella, where are we going?"

She smirked knowing Emmett, no matter how much he might disagree with her, would follow wherever she went. "We're going to pay a visit to Edward's office."