A/N: Thanks to jilburfm for still being my beta.

Carlisle POV

"There have been some developments. With Edward." The man on the other end was slow to respond, as if awaiting clarification that I knew was completely unnecessary. "The vampire — the mind reader."

"I see," Aro said, his voice casually disinterested. I've always found that to be the most difficult part of dealing with him, and this particular conversation was no exception. Because he truly did not, nor would he ever, care what happened to Edward, to my family, or to me.

It was a necessary evil, though, and one that I hoped would inevitably work in our favor. Regardless of whether or not it did, if I'd let this continue without contacting the royal family, we would certainly face reprimand.

It wasn't so much that I questioned the intentions of the Volturi — in fact, it was exactly the opposite. Their intentions, albeit not obvious to any outsider, were always clear to me. First and foremost, their desire was to protect their city. Then their clan. Then the race of our kind. And somewhere, way down the list, came my family.

"I haven't the time for vagueness, Carlisle. Marcus has challenged Jane to a baby-eating contest, and I simply must see the outcome."

I closed my eyes and inhaled too sharply, the familiar chuckle on the other end boiling my long cold blood. He was joking, of course, in his way. The casual manner in which Aro threw around the feeding habits of my kind never failed to stop me in my tracks, and although no baby-eating contest would take place on that day, it wasn't something so unrealistic. I waited, albeit impatiently, for his laughter to cease.

"Joking, of course. The eating of human babies is positively barbaric, is it not?" He cleared his throat when his question went unanswered. "The sentiment, however, remains. Make your words count; I haven't got all day."

"Alice has had a vision."

"Ahh. The elusive visions. And I take it the outcome is not your idea of ideal?"

I explained what she'd seen to the ancient vampire, implicitly detailing what we did and did not know. About the drug that Alice suspected was at the center of everything; about the room that Edward was destined to find himself in.

"Yes, that is a problem indeed," Aro said, contemplative. After several painstaking seconds, I recognized his deep sigh. "Did you know," he started, drawing out his words with infuriating precision, "That Edward Masen was the grandson of a Doctor? And, from what I can tell, when Dr. Masen's wife was killed in 1911, cause of death reading 'unknown', he abruptly quit his job at the lab in which he was employed?"

Typically, I'd consider a comment of this nature to be irrelevant, but rarely did Aro say anything without intention. I wasn't given an opportunity to respond, though. "A scientist! And his name was Edward Masen, also? I found it all oddly fascinating. And," he added conspiratorially, "despite all of my resources, I've been unable to locate a second place of employment for the late Dr. Masen. I do, however, suspect foul play, and will continue to investigate."

"Aro —"

"And also, Carlisle, did you know that another vampire, in a similar situation, was once discovered in Alaska some years ago? Not that this has anything to do with our current situation, necessarily, but it is quite interesting, is it not?"

"Of course."

"I am an old man, Carlisle, who recognizes a problem when presented with one. This is a problem."

"Do you have a solution in mind?" My patience was already obsolete, and I did my best to keep that fact from my voice.

The chuckle on the other end told me I had failed. "Modern technology is marvelous, old friend. What I'm suggesting is making the best of a bad situation."

I prepared myself for a resolution that was certain to be unacceptable.

"I'd recommend implanting your Edward with a tracking device. When captured, we will be led directly to the heart of their operation, and will be able to eliminate any threat to our race. The important thing is that we think of the greater good, Carlisle. I'm sure Edward would be more than obliged to sacrifice himself for our kind."

I weighed the suggestion carefully. It had its merits, certainly, but, as I told Aro, "That's a very dangerous suggestion. I'd prefer to avoid his capture all together; I'm not sure what effects it would have on him."

"Is his power really so useful?"

In dealing with the Volturi, the most important thing is, and always has been, to keep a level head. And though I was on the verge of losing mine, prematurely terminating the conversation would leave me back at square one.

"You know that's not the case."

"I will make this offer once more, then. If Edward joins us, he, and all of your clan, will be afforded every protection we have to offer. Without that promise, though, I'm afraid I can only go so far."

"No."

"Oh well. I suppose I'd already imagined that might be your response. Christmastime, you said?"

I found comfort in pouring over details, so I was grateful for the change in the course of our conversation. "Alice has seen the ribbons on the trees — the ones that Esme puts up every year. Christmastime is the current theory."

"Well then! At least we have some time on our side. I'll continue investigating this, you have my word. Keep safe, Carlisle —"

"Wait."

"Yes?"

"When you touched Edward, during your visit… Did you see anything else of use?"

"Ahh." Aro drew out a breath as if recalling a very dark memory. "What I found, Carlisle, was a lot of pain, inflicted by some very sick humans."

I could picture him as he paused, running his withered hand through his midnight black hair, lost in the memory of the evilest secrets he had witnessed.

"It's amazing that we're considered the monsters in this world, is it not?"

I thought back to the joke about the baby-eating contest, and what possible motives our adversaries might have had. Perhaps they were justified in their hatred of our kind. Perhaps, in another life, I would be one of them.

"Do you know of their motive, Aro?"

"Motive is an interesting thing. Kind of like snowflakes."

I exhaled, perhaps too loudly, at the senility of my companion.

"Vampires, Carlisle, could be the greatest weapon humankind has ever known. Speculation, of course. Quite obviously humans have never had the opportunity to use our kind for any reason. But imagine: if only humans could control the beasts they have created, would they not rule the world?"

"So it's power?"

"Power is a strong force. It's always power, Carlisle. I'd have thought you knew that. For a human being to control one vampire, just a single one, his power would become limitless. Regardless of individual motives of the pawns, I guarantee you that someone, somewhere, is waiting for a very large payout. We cannot afford for that to happen.

"And, I suppose this goes without saying, but for one to control a vampire, one must first subdue a vampire. Our kind doesn't adjust well to taking orders, would you agree?"

He didn't wait for my response. I was busy tossing what he'd been saying around in my mind.

"Not at all. What I've gathered, though, is that this inhibitor, which you deactivated in your vampire, is to serve as that measure. Imagine a drug that would prevent vampires from feeding. On a small scale you have, what, one, two vampires who are growling naked in a basement?"

"But on a large scale…" Unwelcome images quickly flashed through my mind.

"So you see? Power is everything, and I'd bet Caius' life that these humans are not so different from the rest of us 'monsters.'"

"Do you have reason to suspect this?"

"If you're asking for proof, Carlisle, you've called the wrong person. But know this: we're monitoring the situation closely. We're doing what we can, and if anything new is uncovered, we will alert you. I'd expect the same courtesy on your end."

"Yes, Aro. I appreciate your time."

"Until next time, old friend."

And the phone clicked. I fell back into my chair, rubbing my eyes with my hands. As far as conversations with Aro go, that was probably my most productive, but how he came to his information, and whether or not it was accurate, I couldn't yet determine. I wasn't sure who to trust anymore, but when it came to the Volturi, I knew that their information was almost always reliable. Almost.

As I digested what had been told to me, I heard an ominous crunching in the distance. I honed my senses, waiting for more noises. My muscles poised for action, I stood, walking to the large window of the office. I took a deep breath, scanning the area, before hearing the crunch once more. This time, it was coupled with the baying of some wild dog, and my body immediately relaxed.

And suddenly, I realized that regardless of what happened, the only thing I could count on for certain was that my sanity would be severely lessened over the coming months.

If that was all I lost, I would be okay with it.

Bella POV

I decided, on the way back to the mansion, that blood-soaked Edward was the sexiest Edward I'd seen yet. I'm not sure if the appeal was in the blood itself, or what the blood meant, but I wanted him desperately as he carried me back.

I think he drew out the trip, taking longer routes and running at an easy pace. Twice I had the thought that he might not actually know where we were going, but I decided against voicing my concerns. If we ended up somewhere just south of no man's land, did I really care?

Charlie will care, that stupid responsible part of my brain chided, but I squeezed my arms around Edward's shoulders and felt the ripple of his muscles and that voice quickly dissipated.

He was so much stronger. The way moved, the way he breathed, the way his watchful eyes scanned everything around us. It all came naturally now, like he had found himself in that doe, or at least a part of him that had been lost for decades.

After what could have been hours of running, we reached a clearing in the woods. Edward stopped and I untangled myself from his torso, opting for his hand instead. I had a sinking suspicion that we were getting close. A very real part of me wanted to drag my feet, to put off the inevitable for just a little bit longer, and judging Edward's face, he was fighting the same battle.

"Does it suck?" I asked him, kicking loose leaves out of my path.

"Does what suck?" The emphasis he put on the word suck was teasing, and I felt like I had it coming. He'd not been around anyone but me and the Cullens in years, and I'm not sure that common vernacular is part of their every day thought processes. I let it go without more than an internal eye roll.

"Being around the Cullens? Being able to read minds? Seeing everything that goes through peoples heads, even if you don't want to?"

We walked a little bit further as he considered my question and so I decided to take the opportunity to amend it. "Seeing yourself in the future, I guess."

I heard him expel a heavy breath as he ran a hand through his hair, pensive. "Yeah," he finally responded. "Yeah, that sort of sucks."

"Do you ever get used to it?"

"I haven't yet." He stopped abruptly and turned to look at me. I was forced to halt too, curious. "Bella." He lifted his chilly hands to brush the hair out of my face. It fell right back to where it was, so I blew on it, hoping to help his cause. He gave a half hearted smile and moved it behind my ear. I can't say I hated the sensation. "Before — when I was human - I wasn't able to. Not until I'd been turned, and even then, I didn't really realize what was happening. For the longest time, I just thought I'd gone crazy." He broke eye contact with me and started walking again. I followed suit.

"Sometimes I still think I've gone crazy. Like it's all some sort of ridiculous nightmare that I can't get out of."

I'll be the first to admit it — it stung a little. I tried to keep it from showing on my face, and I understood his plight, but dammit, sometimes teenage girls are stupid emotional.

"I understand," I whispered.

"I don't think you do. You just…" His head tilted back and he looked up at the sky, his face relaxed and his eyes closing. He sighed a heavy sigh. "You make it better. For me."

Edward looked at me then and I waited for the other shoe to drop, but it never really did. "Going back to that house, though, it's like willingly walking back into the nightmare that I can't escape."

Regardless of whether or not he thought so, I did understand. And when this was all over, maybe my vampire and I would find a nice isolated house on a nice isolated island and take very infrequent trips back to the real world. And it'd be enough for me; I really believed that it would.

Too soon, we were staring down the big mansion, and Edward's hand was tightening around my own.

"Can you hear them already?"

He nodded, his face pinched with uncertainty.

I, on the other hand, was frozen to my bones and, as much as I wanted to give Edward the time he needed to deal with his demons, would it be so bad of me if I met him inside by the stove?

I opted for encouraging rather than ditching.

"I know it sucks," I said with a smile, turning my body into his. His arms encircled me and I felt his hands move up and down my biceps, the friction warming. I turned my face into his clavicle and closed my eyes. For the record: I had not forgotten that he was drenched in blood, I just didn't quite care in the moment.

"Yeah," he responded, his voice gruff and hesitant.

"But if you can already hear them, maybe we should just…" At the risk of sounding insensitive, I really needed to get inside. Dawn was breaking and, for the moment, my heart was still beating. If I stayed out too much longer my status might abruptly change.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me there for a second, and when he released me, I realized just how warm his body had actually made me. He headed toward the side door, and I followed suit.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that everyone was waiting for us at the entrance, but the sight of six panicked vampires in a state-of-the-art-but-seldom-used kitchen is never an expected scene.

"Hey, guys." I nodded my head, suddenly hyper aware that, in vampire-land, I was a slice of chocolate-covered apple pie, all warm human drenched in delectable blood. I wiped my face furtively, the sleeve of my shirt coming away red.

The alarm I had previous seen started to vanish from their faces, replaced by a broad range of emotions from disapproval (Rosalie) all the way to amusement (Emmett).

"You're a wreck," Alice said, shaking her head. "Your father is going to kill you."

I shrugged, mostly because it was true, and what else could I do? "Your father is going to kill me." Alarm registered in her voice, as if the idea of Charlie feeling anything other than adoration toward her was appalling. No one had really taken inventory of Edward yet, which made my heart race a little too fast. Because they had been worried about me. Again. Because no matter how much I trusted Edward, they still weren't quite there.

I glanced around at each eager face, all of which taking me in, waiting for an explanation.

To my surprise, it was Emmett who first took actual note of Edward's presence. He grinned from ear to ear and walked straight past me, giving Edward a hearty clap on the shoulder. Edward wasn't the only one in the room to flinch then; a sympathy jolt shook at least half of us.

"Sorry, man," Emmett said.

"You don't sound sorry," Rosalie voiced from the corner, but she was teasing. The atmosphere was much lighter than when we'd left, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was for our sakes, or if something really had changed.

"It's alright." To his credit, he was certainly trying to be okay with the intrusion. Clearly he was rattled by the unexpected physical contact, but his only response was a small, retreating step.

"You fed," Carlisle interjected. His eyes brightened, hopeful, and I could see in the way he fidgeted that he was trying to harness his curiosity. The questions beneath those ancient eyes were infinite, I realized, and it took him an exorbitant amount of self control to keep them from flying out.

I rolled my eyes but moved to the sink, only half listening as the warm water poured over my frigid fingers.

"Can you talk about it?"

I suppressed a grin. The others waited around the kitchen island, their own curiosity getting the better of them. I couldn't blame them, this was a battle we'd been picking for well over a month, and suddenly it was one less burden we needed to bear.

I felt, rather than saw, Alice's presence next to me, watching me warily as I cleaned up the blood that was now dried on my skin.

"I…" Edward wanted to say no. That much was evident by the defensive posture and the constant glances at the staircase. He wanted to say 'no' and retreat to his bedroom and look out his window. And I wanted to go with him. "Sure."

Carlisle was never easy to say no to, and I was perversely glad that Edward was starting to feel that, too.

"You hunted?" His voice was matter of fact as he spoke, always our confident leader. "And — you didn't eat Bella, so that's a good thing."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward move further into the room and close the door. He nodded.

"Was it difficult?" Carlisle asked.

"Or did it rock?" Emmett threw in for good measure.

"It was…" Edward and I made eye contact, and I could no longer hide my smile. I was such a loser, but my vampire made me proud, and damned if I'd stifle one of my few optimistic emotions. One corner of his mouth turned up into what I was starting to recognize as his rendition of a smile, even though it was only half of one, and he finished with, "Interesting."

The next half hour was spent with the family bombarding Edward and me with questions (but mostly Edward). I knew we'd finally satisfied their thirst for knowledge when Carlisle's demeanor went from excited and curious to pensive and reserved.

Edward saw it, too, and also he had the whole mind reading thing going for him, but whatever was coming, he took it in stride.

"Bella," Alice said, before we opened up the can of worms that was her visions. "Would I be wasting my time completely if I tried to convince you to go home?"

Before I could protest, she added, "It's not that we don't want you here, because we do. And it's not that we don't think you deserve to know what's going on, because you do. It's just that, If you stay gone, Charlie is going to notice your absence sooner rather than later. And frankly, I'm not sure this is a complication that we need right now."

I weighed the options in my head. I could stay, risk Charlie finding out and killing me or hunting down the Cullens and killing them, or I could go home and risk having a heart attack from the stress of not knowing what was going on.

I like to think, at this point, that I'd grown up enough to go home and be out of the loop for a few hours, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't upset me.

"I'm not leaving," I said, squeezing Edward's hand under the table that the entire family was now occupying. The wood finish was pristine and I focused on the detailing as I spoke. "Charlie will be alright. If someone's coming, then I think I should know as much as I can-"

"No one is coming immediately," Jasper interjected, his eyes pained.

"You don't know that." I looked at Alice. "You said yourself: it keeps changing. It keeps getting nearer. What if I go home and you get another vision? And whoever is coming is like, five minutes away?"

"I could get there in five minutes," she said, her voice remaining light and teasing in the worst kind of lie. I didn't care. They couldn't get me to budge. Not on this. Not on Edward. She saw my resolve and added, "Bella, Charlie could open your bedroom door and notice you're not there at any moment —"

"Then you should stop arguing and start explaining." I'd like to say that part of my irritability was from sleep deprivation, but if I was being honest, probably I was still upset about that morning. I didn't know how to prove that I belonged here as much as everyone else, and maybe it was because I didn't. But one day I would. And whether I belonged with them or not, leaving me out in the cold couldn't possibly help anything.

"Okay." Her eyes appraised everyone in the room and she continued. Edward looked like he might be fighting some primal urge to get up and leave, but he stayed where he was, his cool fingers trembling in mine the entire time. "We're thinking it'll be over Christmas break… I don't know the exact time frame, but the ribbons… they're on the trees outside." She tossed a pointed glance at Esme. "That means before New Years, but definitely not before December."

"Maybe I shouldn't put them up," her voice came softly, full of remorse and worry, and I realized that Esme was just as wrapped up in all of this as the rest of us, she was just more silent about it.

"Bullshit!" Emmett yelled exuberantly, a heavy fist pounding on the wood for effect. At our stares, he added, "You know that won't do any good."

"He's right. And the ribbons at least help us pinpoint a time frame. Without them, all we know is that there's snow on the ground." Alice's warm eyes found her mother's and locked for a moment. Edward remained calm beside me, having already seen all of this.

"The visions are sort of shifting around a lot, so Carlisle thinks someone might be intentionally changing their decisions to evade my visions—"

"Which isn't possible," Rosalie interrupted, "because no one really knows about your visions."

"—True. Regardless of why, though, someone is being awfully indecisive, so I can only sort of get a grasp on what will happen."

"And that is…?" Edward's voice surprised us all, I think, but most of all me; I guess I'd become so used to his silence that, for now, every word was a miracle. And it sort of was, really.

"It's not great. From what I can tell, they're planning to keep you alive for the time being, but that could obviously change."

Obviously. Her sensitivity was disturbing at times like these.

"And, well..." Alice used that moment to peek into the future; to give Edward an actual look at what her most recent visions showed as the future.

To me, she said, "He's alive."

"For how long?"

"For the indefinite future, Bella. They don't want him dead. They want to study him." I could pinpoint exactly when she made the decision to be straight with me, because her face took on a new edge, one that said, this sucks, but you asked for it.

"I can't tell what they're thinking, that's not really my thing, but I can tell what they will do. It seems like they're angry, and they've presumably poured a lot of resources into Edward so far, so they're not eager to lose him as an asset." She turned to address Edward. "What they want you for, I don't know. But whatever was put into you, whatever it was that kept you from eating for all those years — I think it has to do with that.

"So Edward," Alice said, looking him square in the eye. "Whatever happens, whether it is today, tomorrow, or ten years down the line, if we can't stop this, if they get you, do not let them put those chemicals into your body."

Edward nodded his head and stood. I stood with him, and at that, we retreated into the only sanctuary that my vampire had ever known.

A/N: I don't have an update schedule to give you. I'll update when chapters are completed, sometimes may be longer than others, but I don't plan to break my record of 19 months. Thanks :)