I am so sorry for taking so long. Please, if you have any goodness in your hearts, forgive me. I thought I was going to go insane from all the work I was doing. Also, I just wanted to clarify two things before starting the chapter. The first is about Lorenzo, the new character I added in. Remember Gianna? Lorenzo is sort of her replacement. I figured no human secretary was going to last too long in a building full of vampires. You can decide for yourselves whether she was turned or eaten. He's a human, and while he is tall, dark and handsome, it's in an ordinary human way. (Thank you Anna562!) I would also like you to disregard all the places where I said Renesmee was two. This takes place a little over a year after the beginning of Breaking Dawn so she is one. Sorry about that. Onwards with the story!

Last time:

"Is Aro busy?" asked Demetri. He seemed much more soft-spoken than Felix.

"No, I am not. I see you have been successful," said a soft, lovely voice from behind me.

I whipped around. Yet another vampire stood behind me. There was something off about him though, and it took me a moment to figure out what it was.

He seemed just as beautiful as the others, feature-wise, but he just looked so…. brittle. As if his skin would break if anything came into contact with it. His eyes were even scarier than the bright red ones of my captors. They had a sort of opalescent cast to them, which may sound pretty but on bright red eyes… they're just creeptastic.

"Renesmee, child. It's been so long since I last saw you. I trust your family is well?"

Nessie set her lips together and glared. I did my best to blend into the background. It didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

"And who is this?" Aro sighed. "Why did you being a human with you?"

"Her name's Haley!" Nessie burst out. "And she's with one of those shape-shifters you want so much, so don't try anything." Atta girl.

"I see," Aro seemed to be talking more to himself than to anyone else. "Would you mind if I…" he reached out a hand toward me. I looked at it. Yes, it was a very creepy looking hand, but what did he want me to do to it. I assumed he was too high and mighty to shake hands with prisoners.

"Come child, I won't bite you." Wow, who'd have thought the Count had a sense of humor?

"He reads minds too," Nessie muttered to me. "He needs to touch your hand." Great, just what the world needed. Another mind reader, because embarrassing myself once just isn't enough.

"You have got to be joking," I grumbled. All the vampires in the room giggled in harmony. And yes I do mean harmony. It was a little too musical if you catch my drift. Very spooky.

"Actually, I don't just read you present thoughts. I read all of them, past and present," he sounded way too pleased with himself. Then again, if I were that powerful, I might be kind of proud too. He did command some kind of vampire army, filled with the elite.

I shuddered. This was going to be extremely unpleasant. I could tell. Not to mention all the embarrassing moments I'd ever had (and I'd had a lot) would be at his disposal. Not that they were particularly dangerous (unless you count one that involved the cotton eyed Joe, a wet floor and inexplicably, some mini doughnuts, but I digress) but I still didn't want anything he could possibly use against me in his head.

I stepped forward and put my hand in his. I had the sensation many people describe as "having your life flash before your eyes" except it was in less than a split second. Before I could blink, I was released from his cold grip and allowed to go stand beside Nessie once more.

"Very interesting. It seems our young friend was telling the truth," Aro commented. "They really ought to be taken to a room. Dear Haley looks like she's going to fall over from exhaustion. Lorenzo, if you would…"

The boy came forward. He looked only a few years older than me and since he was the only other human in the room, I was inclined to trust him. I decided he had a kind face. Though he was fairly good-looking, with longish dark hair.

He made a slight face, as if to say: Sorry ladies, just doing my job. "Follow me please." He had an accent that I hadn't noticed before.

I wondered what he was doing in a place like this. Did vampires set up wanted ads for their employees? Wanted: Secretarial Position. Must not be afraid of fictional monsters. Must be able to keep quiet about the existence of said monsters. Please call 1(800) 66-FANGS for more information. I somehow doubted it.

Nessie grabbed me by the arm and started walking behind him. We were going down a brightly lit corridor. It looked quite average, actually. As if it was a part of some not-so-fancy hotel. There were doors that looked at if they might lead to bedrooms, but no numbers were on them. There was industrial carpeting beneath my feet. Somehow, this wasn't what I was expecting. What happened to "eye of newt and toe of frog" and all that? Did they think they were too cool to go along with the established stereotypes?

"Why do you work here?" I asked. I had no idea what enticed me to say it. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing you asked someone. Especially when they worked for the vampire version of Dr. Evil.

"I was brought in originally as… food. Aro thought I might be useful, so he offered me a choice. Death or service."

"Useful?" I wondered.

"He thinks I may possess a talent which would transfer into a vampiric gift. I will stay here until they decide to either kill me or change me."

Ouch. That was straightforward. How could he say things like that with almost no emotion, as if he were describing the weather? It seemed like he'd grown too used to the idea. I instantly felt sorry for him.

"Was there anyone else with you when you…" I trailed off.

"Several people I did not know, as well as my family," he looked down. So he hadn't been completely desensitized after all. "They told me to run, to stay alive by any means that I could. This was the only way."

"Why don't you try to run away?" Nessie asked. I couldn't bring myself to say anything, though. This went beyond words.

"In this place? They would know I was leaving before I set foot beyond the building! They would find me, bring me back here and kill me, painfully.

I shuddered at the thought. A building full of vampires vs. one human didn't sound like very promising odds. And I had no idea how many there were in this place.

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been here?" I asked timidly.

"Several months. I am twenty-two. And you are?"

"One, but I'm old for my age," said Nessie. I'll say. She looked about six!

"Fifteen," I said simply.

"So was my youngest sister. Rosa." His face filled with extreme sorrow and he opened the door to a small, simply furnished room. It appeared that the Volturi had had humans here before. I guessed vampires didn't usually need beds or bathrooms.

We entered the room. "I am sorry you were taken here as well," he said, looking at the ground. I knew what he was thinking. That we were trapped here too, never to leave unless we joined them (I don't know about you, but I kind of enjoy being alive and not biting other people's necks). I refused to think like that. Seth and the others were coming for us. The Cullens too. They had to be.

Meanwhile Back in Forks:

Edward heard the thoughts before anyone heard the howling. He hated to be the bringer of bad news, but it seemed to be the responsibility of the mind reader. Anger rushed in to fill him. He didn't know who'd taken Renesmee, but whoever did was going to be ripped into miniscule shreds.

Bella noticed the look on her husband's face and instantly knew something had happened. And that it wasn't good.

The wolves raced outside to investigate Seth's noise and find out what was going on. The Cullens all followed. When Jacob started howling as well they all knew something had happened to Nessie and Haley.

Bella looked as close to crying as was vampirely possibly. Renesmee was only a baby, no matter how old she looked. Her baby. She'd never seen herself as the maternal type before, but now…

They all ran as a large group toward Seth. The large gangly wolf met them halfway and turned around so that they could all keep going towards the place where they had been kidnapped.

Edward ran ahead. He was easily the fastest in the group and he was fueled by rage. Rage that someone would take his daughter away.

He stopped when Renesmee and Haley's scents met those of two others. Two that he had never forgotten, considering the last time he saw them. He hadn't figured that the Volturi would come back so soon. Aro had become less patient than usual. He was several millennia old, after all.

"It's the Volturi. Felix and Demetri," he said. He didn't say it loudly, but he knew everyone heard perfectly. They were the first words anyone had said out loud after they'd discovered the disappearance.

The other Cullens gave a mental sigh. They knew that their conflict with the Volturi would have to end sometime. It was inevitable. They weren't known for leaving threats open. Theirs was an extremely powerful coven. Most of the pack had, quite honestly, hoped that they would be dead and gone when the time came for an all-out war.

"Well, this means we finally get to kick their asses," Emmett said in a reasonable tone. Rosalie rolled her eyes. Edward glared.

"We ought to get back to the house first. They won't do anything to the immediately and we need to plan. I also ought to relieve Haley's parents. They're going to be very worried, otherwise," Carlisle said, ever the voice of reason.

Seth and Jacob came out of their shock-induced stupors. Jacob was hell bent on revenge. He was going to make those bloodsuckers pay. He needed to get Nessie back, but he knew that that would be no easy task. The Volturi didn't get an opportunity to study a vampire hybrid that often. They wouldn't be willing to give her up.

Seth P.o.V.

You know how some people say that behind every cloud there's a silver lining? Until today, I used to be one of those optimists. Just recently, today in fact, I realized that that is complete bull. There was nothing good to be gained from this.

Agree with me? Now try having the love of your life kidnapped right out from under your nose by your mortal enemies.

I shook my head and tried to clear it as every single one of us turned tail and headed back for their house. I seemed to be over the worst of the shock. I was no longer howling in pain, anyway. Except on the inside maybe, but no one but the other pack members knew that.

I knew all too well how imprinting could change your life. Look at Leah, for God's sake. I might as well have gone through that pain with her. I'd seen it through the minds of every imprinted member of the pack. I'd experienced it for myself, too. It was a very strange sensation, like nothing mattered but Haley, keeping her safe, keeping her happy.

I'd never experience the pain of losing an imprint, not through memories, and not through personal encounter. I didn't plan to ever feel it either. I was with Jake on this one. I could hear him seething next to me. His weren't particularly pleasant thoughts. Bella would've killed him if he used them around Nessie.

Before I even had time to get my thoughts in order, I had to phase back and gather in the Cullens' spotless living room. Super speed can get on your nerves sometimes.

"What's the plan?" asked Jasper quietly. He was the military strategist. He didn't speak often, so we all tended to listen all the more when he did say something.

"Do we have enough time to gather reinforcements? They might back down again if we have more people," Bella said worriedly. Even with the amount of inner pain I was feeling right now, I still managed to feel pity for her. She had almost lost Nessie twice before. The kid was miraculously well behaved, but she was sure turning out to be a handful.

"Last time we gathered people to make the Volturi stop and listen, to witness. Now, there is a sure fight. Not as many are going to be willing to lay their lives on the line. We can still get those reachable by telephone, but we don't have much time. We need to hurry. Renesmee is relatively safe. Haley might not be. Now, I have to go take care of her parents," Carlisle said calmly.

I blinked in shock. I hadn't even considered the idea, probably because it still felt like something was squeezing the air out of my lungs. I realized exactly what her parents would think if she didn't show up. The last they'd heard, she was with me.

The doctor reached into his pocket and swiftly dialed the number into his phone. I had no idea how he knew it. For all I knew, maybe he memorized the phone book in case there was ever a medical emergency. It suddenly hit me what he was going to tell them. He was going to invent a medical emergency! That wouldn't exactly worry them any less, but at least they'd think they knew where she was.

"Hello. May I speak to your mother please?" It must have been one of her little brothers or sister. "Hello, Mrs. Adams, this is Dr. Cullen, from Forks Hospital. Haley is at my house. She fell ill here and she may need to stay a few days. She shouldn't be moved… No, I'm afraid you really shouldn't come to see her. It's incredibly contagious, we're quarantining the house… No, I assure you, she'll be fine… It isn't any trouble at all, I have immunity to it and everything I need here to take care of her… No thanks necessary."

I zoned out as he started talking medical mumbo-jumbo on the phone. I trusted him to come up with the perfect fake illness. I trusted no one but myself to save Haley. I knew one thing. We were going to have to get some plane tickets fast.