Chapter Twenty Seven: Follow The Yellow Brick Road!

A/N: Last Fluffy chapter, I am going to do some more serious, chapters then some more fluffy stuff. Kinda mix it up....

We arrived back at the castle, and Jane walked up to Aro and held out her hand. Aro took it then smiled "Good work! Welcome to Volterra Daniel!"

Daniel replied "Thank you Master" Aro smiled "No need to call us master, that is for outsiders. You may call us by name. I am Aro, and these are Marcus, and Caius. I am wondering, your power is quite impressive. I am going to have to require you to stay with us for a while. However after a year, or when you appear to have reasonable control of your thirst you may leave, but I hope you choose to stay. We could use another one so talented as you."

Daniel smiled "Well, I am so new to all of this, I am glad to hear this thirst will be more manageable in only a year. Nobody mentioned that time frame. I thought I was going to be crazy and unable to be around humans forever!"

Aro pondered this. "Well, please forgive us, we should have told you a little more what to expect from yourself to start with. However everyone is different. Bella here avoided it all together, as a matter of fact we have some amusing video she shot of her putting that to the test with one of our human staff members... Jasper here has been immortal for much longer, yet he still struggles with his thirst. So it is hard to say but generally after a year most of your blood has been consumed by the venom, and you lose some of your strength, but with it goes the drive to feed so often generally speaking of course."

Caius stepped forward. "Demetri, please take young Daniel here to his quarters, warn the staff we have a DANGEROUS newborn in house, and tell him which area's to avoid please. Heidi, Turn on the ventilation system to draw the human scent away from his areas. I do not want a repeat of last time. We had to replace all that marble in the lobby because of the blood stains."

I shuddered. I took my control for granted, joked about it even, but I guess it was dangerous. I had another flash of guilt over what I did to Gianna. I had not known that there had been a slaughter in the past....

We were dismissed. I ran and caught up with Jane as she entered her quarters followed by Felix. "Hey guys, can I ask you guys a question?

"Sure Bella, what's up?" Jane turned inviting me in.

"Well, when we returned, you reached out and gave Aro your hand.... Doesn't it bother you that he knows all of your intimate details now?"

Jane laughed along with Felix. She replied "Not as much as it bothers him. You see I asked him about it once. It was the time he asked me to shock him so he could experience my power first hand. I knew I was never going to get another chance, so I let him really have it! He did not take it very well. I felt really bad, kinda like when a child tells their parent they don't love them any more when they are mad. But after he recovered, we shared a moment. He said that he expected me to hit him with everything which is why he asked. He said he was curious and wanted to see it first hand, because when he read the thoughts of others who experienced it he skipped those memories because the flavor of them."

I asked "Flavor?"

"Well you see, the way he explained it is when he gets your mind the memories do not play like a video, they come more in a flood, and he can pick and choose what type of memories he wants to pull. So for this mission, he pulled the memories that felt, smelled, or tasted like mission memories. He may see a little more, as memories overlap.... don't worry I didn't get it all either, but when he starts to see something he does not want he pushes that back and goes on to the next one."

I said "OH,"

"But either way, I would still share the memories with him, they are such wonderful happy memories, I want to tell the whole world how happy I am now!"

Now it was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean!"

I said goodbye and walked out to hear the sound of a bed breaking into dust behind me "BELLA YOU BRATTT!!!!!

I giggled my way to the lobby. Where Alice was dancing and hopping up and down. "Yes, Mrs. Cullen, your packages are right here." Gianna said handing Alice a couple of packages and a bag. Alice took them in one arm and flew past me grabbing my arm and dragging me to her room.

She flew over to the sewing machine in the corner, and I could not see her hands they were moving so fast cutting, and pinning the fabric together. She was shoving and pulling fabric into the sewing machine so fast the machine started to smoke. She stopped to let it cool down, complaining "Why don't they make sewing machines for VAMPIRES!?!" Before I could speak she threw resumed her frantic sewing and held up her creation for me to see. "Alice? What is it?!?' It was the most garishly colorful outfit I had ever seen. I prayed it was not something she expected me to wear, I started backing up towards the door.

"OH REALLY BELLA! Wizard of OZ remember?!? Lollypop Guild? Munchkin? Demetri?"

"I remember, my mind was just thinking in a different direction for a second! I was afraid you had designed something for ME!"

We both fell on the floor laughing. It was effortless with Alice, now especially that we were on the same level. I no longer felt so out of balance around her. I really felt like I had a sister in her.

Suddenly the door flew open it was Rosalie "OH I gotta see it Alice!" Emmett came in a moment later followed by most of the guard.

Heidi asked "Do you think Jane is really going to go through with it?" Alec let out one loud laugh "My sister? You serious? She is not only going to go through with it, but then she will probably shock the crap out of him afterwards just to make the lesson stick!"

Everyone was laughing now. Jane walked in as the laughter died down. "What did I miss?"

Alice reached down and picked up the costume again and smiled. Then her and Jane started squeeking and jumping up and down excitedly. "PERFECT ALICE! I love it! The legs and sleeves are too short! It will look like he tried to cram on a real munchkin costume! The hat is too funny too!"

Jane looked around the room "Where is he?!?"

"Last I saw him he was taking the newborn Daniel to feed at the Zoo." Emmett replied.

"Quick lets all go get him!" Jane took off holding the costume, and Alice grabbed the sucker and some lipstick to paint red circles on his cheeks.

I ran around a corner after them and was grabbed by someone by the wrist. I spun defensively and growled, but it was Edward. He grabbed my waist and pulled me into a passionate embrace pressing his lips to mine, and dragging me backwards into a room. I did not realize until many hours later that it was my, well now OUR room. As the fog in my head lifted Edward lying next to me, propped himself up on one elbow tracing circles on my shoulder. "I hear their thoughts you know, apparently Demetri's song and dance was quite a hit...."

"OH, shoot I missed it!" I said. "Are you sorry I sidetracked you?" Edward asked, already knowing the answer...

"No, if Jane forgot to film it, I am sure I can get her to make him re-create it for me if I ever leave this bed again......" I then rolled over crushing his lips with mine, and we forgot everything but the two of us for a very long time..........

When finally the thirst got to a point where it was taking some of the pleasure out of being together we broke apart and Edward looked at me "We really need to go hunt don't we?"

"Yeah, I am afraid so......" We got dressed and opened the door as Alice walked up. "Finally! You know guys, you really need to work on balance! You are worse than Rose and Em! Now go feed, we are screening the video for Demetri in the theater in one hour. Jane is making everyone wait to see it till Bella is there since she missed the original performance."

With that Edward and I took off toward the zoo and dinner.

With much difficulty I watched Edward feed before I went after my prey. He was amazing, he took down a giant predator, drained it of blood and killed it, all without a scratch, or getting a drop of blood on him. I saw finally how he did it he gripped the animal so fast and bit into it holding it and moving just enough to keep it from being able to turn and fight, then once he had begun draining it he would pinch their spinal cord off snapping it cutting off their ability to move. But it didn't matter because he fed so fast that he drained them before their heard had stopped beating. I moved over to a pride of lions and grabbed the largest lioness using the same technique and it worked! But what I didn't count on was the other Lions....... Yep, I got jumped...... Edward laughed. I drained a second one, and was now full shrugging off the others, but my outfit..... Nope.... "I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO GET ALL MESSY!" I growled. Edward just smiled his crooked smile at me but before he could get his arms around me......

Alice ran in "Edward, leave, go! Or you two will never get out of here!" Edward smiled at me one last time as he followed Alice's command and ran to the theater.

"Well, Bella, at least you are TRYING not to destroy the clothes I got for you. I appreciate that!" She gave me a quick hug, and in the same movement tore what was left of my outfit off. She then pulled another dress over my head. I felt like a little girl, being dressed, like when my mom made me wear dresses when I was a little girl.

Alice stepped back did a quick appraisal then grabbed my hand and we took off running to the theater.

Alice and I caught up with Edward and as I took Edwards hand and walked in the crowd turned and gave us a round of applause....

I was blushing, I was sure of it. Edward took a bow, I took a page from Rose's book and smacked him like she does Emmett when he is a doofus!

Everyone chuckled and Rosalie shot me a thumbs up. Emmett started to laugh but Rose raised her hand as if to say "Don't make me give you one too!"

We took our seats next to Carlisle and Esme. As I sat next to Esme I put my arms around her and hugged her. "In all the excitement I forgot to thank you Esme, for the use of your island! It was perfect, it was magical! I could not imagine a more perfect spot for a honeymoon!" She hugged me back and said, "You are welcome sweetie, in a few years we will all go back there together as a family, we use it as a place to hide out between generations before returning to create new identities and resume our lives amongst humans some times"

"I look forward to it! " I said quietly as the lights were dimming, and Jane walked up onto the stage.

"Dear friends, as you have herd by now, Demetri made the mistake of calling me a derogatory name that demeans my absolutely perfect diminutive stature. In a rare display of his penitent and contrite nature he chose to prove to me how sorry he was for hurting my feelings. Of course I forgive him now," we heard Demetri say "OW!" as she shocked him "But we have for you a very rare treat tonight a special version of the classic film "THE WIZARD OF OZ" with never before seen clips of the GIANT MUNCHKIN!"

Everyone applauded as the curtain rose. The credits began and spliced in was Demetri Volkov as "THE GIANT MUNCHKIN" Everyone chuckled. I looked over and even Demetri was laughing sheepishly.

The film began as normal. I had not seen it in so long. I had forgotten how good it was! When it got to the part where the munchkins sing their song Demetri's scene was spliced in! They edited him in so it looked like he was right in the scene! But they cut the audio and put him singing it in!

"We represent the lolly pop guild, the lolly pop guild!" On and on, the whole song, then you heard Jane say "ONE MORE TIME!" and it repeated! Then the rest of the film played and every once and so often, the scene with Demetri would play again.

I was laughing so hard I had trouble staying in my seat! Emmett was laughing so hard he shook the whole row! Then his chair finally gave out and broke sending him to the floor, and a whole new round of laughter broke out!

Finally the film ended, the laughter died down, and we all broke up and went our separate ways. Edward and I went for a walk through town. It was such a beautiful night. We stopped at the art museum. I have always appreciated the beauty of paint on canvas. But it is amazing now with my new eyes, I can appreciate it on a whole new level. The meticulous attention to detail of the old masters, and some of the new artists of today. How exacting and perfect the brush strokes were. Edward pointed out a couple, I was really impressed by, "but they aren't signed who painted them?" I asked "Caius"

I was flabbergasted, "They are very beautiful! I did not expect he had a side like that......"

"I was too Bella, but you have yet to see the most beautiful thing in this gallery!" He took me around the corner, and pulled me in front of a mirror!

We were back in our room so fast, "MR CULLEN! YOU DO NOT PLAY FAIR!"

His lips silenced my complaint. Poor Alice was going to have to wait another two weeks to play dress up Bella again it looked like...........