Come What May

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Twilight, t is all the property of S.M…lucky girl!

Special thanks goes out to Jennifer V, for editing the original Unexpected awakenings. As this sequel takes off I will be uploading the chapters she has painstakingly repaired of all flaws, she is amazing!

(This chapter has not been beta'd…so don't judge me too harshly.)

Wow… I think I might be back on track!

Chapter 6

Bella's POV

The country side flew by in blurs of earthen browns and dull greens. The colors whizzing by quickly as I gazed ahead of us, out of the car window. Edward was quiet, far quieter than usual. I knew that he had been upset at the airport, but it was more than that. He hated to appear weak in front of our children. He needn't have worried about it, his moment of weakness only endeared him to them more.

I knew how much Masen tried to be like his father, to be sure and strong. He didn't want Edward or I not to have a reason to be proud of him. Emma was just as bad, always wanting to show she could do anything and then trying to, just so we could be proud. But they needn't have worried, we were always proud, but as proud as we were, we were also always filled with trepidation.

While all three of our children were gifted and powerful, though their gifts had changed over their formative years, due to their human roots I assumed, they were also at risk. Together they were nearly invincible, but apart they were not. They were at risk from dangers that they could hardly fathom…. from people they had never met… from environments they knew nothing about…how do you prepare someone for that?

Did I hope they would never experience the reasons Edward and I felt the need for such caution…of course, but logically I had to prepare myself and, in turn, them to be guarded. As to date that seemed a futile endeavor as they seemed to feel that we were a bit to controlling, guarding their every move, so they were chomping at the bit and pulling at the reigns of their freedom, leading me to fear that they would simply take it and run without a glance in our direction or a thought to why we as parents were so watchful.

I glanced at Edward and he smiled gently at me as our eyes met.

"You know it is going to be the beginning of the end, don't you?" He asked and I nodded.

"We have to set them free." I affirmed knowing that he felt the same reluctance that I did.

"They will never forgive us if we don't step back and let them live their lives." He said gently.

I nodded. I was going to do what Edward and I agreed upon, without our children's awareness, we were going to step back and let them live their lives…freely making their own choices and actions, hoping that whatever we had instilled in them up to now had been enough to make them think carefully and wisely before they made rash choices or leapt into action. They were here to be a guiding light to others, and we were going to step back and allow them to fulfill their destinies.

We would be supportive and understanding not trying to guide them into making their decisions with parental concerns in mind, but instead we would wait behind the scenes until they asked for us, if they ever felt the need. We were letting them be the grownups they so desperately felt they should already be by now….I only hoped that they would come to us if the need arose.

Matthew's POV

There…just over those hills…I could see the turrets of the stonework, the spires of the ancient castle of the city of Volterra with my own eyes now that we were finally arriving. There would be so much to do. I had already made my uncle Marcus promise to show me every room and to tell the history of what had taken place there before we arrived. I know a great deal from our earlier talks, and I also know a great amount of the details that my uncle Jasper had told me.

All of this information filled in the blanks for me but the stories that had truly brought this city to life in my mind had been the tales that grandpa Carlisle had told me about when he stayed here in the castle walls. It was his stories that he told me when I was a, child to prepare me for our eventual trip to Volterra, that made me feel as if I had to be there, that some part of me would not be complete until I was there. He had actually lived there for years before he left to keep following the path his heart led him on until he began his family…my family.

Nothing anybody else could tell me can compare to grandpa Carlisle's stories. He tells them with so much emotion as he describes them…I can practically feel the way the stonework will feel under my fingertips as I walk along the hallways, trailing my fingers along as I move. Will they feel the same as stone walls made today? For some reason I imagine they will feel smoother, more firmly put together. Workmanship today seemed to leave much to be desired.

I feel my excitement building as we draw nearer. It doesn't matter that Masen and Emma are arguing over the music that is filling the cab of the car, all that matters is that I am being transported back in time without leaving the time I was born in. I swallow thickly, amused at how emotional this makes me feel.

I can't wait to finally be able to get out of the car and to explore for myself, so I will be able to tell stories of this place like my grandfather can. I get a tingling in my stomach when I think about finally being here. Some part of me feels like this is home, or that it is supposed to be home, that it was waiting for me so my life could begin.

I let my eyes flash over to Masen, he's my big brother, and he has always protected me, but I feel as if now I am going to have to watch out for him. He seems at odds with himself, the quiet brother who has always tried to shelter me seems to be regressing suddenly, and a brasher, more verbal side of him is showing more and more…it's as if he can't decide who he is supposed to be. Funny how he used to be so much like dad, quiet and reserved, but now he seems more like Emmett, loud and impulsive. Perhaps he'll see that all he needs to be is himself?

I hear a frustrated sigh and glance over at Emma, her fingers are drumming rhythmically on the door frame. I know she's anxious, Emma just wants everyone to see that she's grown up already, and it makes me smile because I know if she spent less time trying to make everyone she how grown up she was and started to just go about her life she would realize they already know. She just wants the future to start now and I grin because I know it is going to.

I sit back and try to calm the excitement inside of me, instead trying to focus on being what I usually am…the quiet observer. I learn so much more that way. I hear plans and secrets and whispered conversations all because I am able to sit and take things in when others are impatient. Perhaps that comes with being the third child to two super siblings? Either way I wonder what information my observant eyes and ears will glean in the next few hours…days…weeks.

I have to suppress a small chuckle as Emma tells Masen where to turn and he growls out that he already knew, only to give her an apologetic smile half a second later. Those two can never stay upset with one another, no matter what is happening, I suppose it is some sort of twin thing, but no matter how many broken toys or pulled hairs they have been through, they have always forgiven each other instantly.

As the cars pulls to the right sharply I turn my head seeing how much closer we have gotten due to Masen's speedy driving. We have arrived at the edge of town and while it's newer with its paved roads and flashing crosswalk signals, it is pleasantly inundated with older architecture and thick gardens in the closely cloistered yards. The buildings have an old feel, many with stone work reminiscent of bygone times, and it make my heart clench because I know we are getting closer.

We are slowing in the line of our caravan to start driving along cobbled roads that lead from the newer part of the town into the older section of Volterra. The buildings become taller and far more elegant in everything from the carpentry to the intricate masonry works that decorates many of the surfaces. I try to take it all in, memorizing the location of things that I would like to come and explore more closely at a later time.

I can see the castle where we will be living, a home under the guise of a historical landmark. From out here I can easily understand why the Volturi chose it as their headquarters, aside from the vampire history it holds, the building is a thing of extraordinary beauty and workmanship and I cannot wait to explore it, to know its halls personally.

I can hardly prevent myself from opening the door and just walking from this point on, letting myself smell and touch everything, ingraining it into my memory. But for now I will wait, I can be patient. I have waited my whole life to be here, what's a few more minutes?

I feel as if my body is being electrified as we pull through the entry gate into the castles courtyard. I can see the flags flying up in the turrets and every snap they make from the wind resonates through me like a lightning bolt.

"We're here!" Emma says quietly, her voice saying aloud what we all are thinking. Masen pulls the car up beside the others that are parking and we can see a large entourage is waiting to meet us. I take a deep breath, it's finally time for me to start living.

************Let's see if I can keep this up….next up, the arrival.***********************