Characters are always the property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 12 Sacrifice

The name sounded vulgar slipping from her tongue and despite the fact it was my friends coming for me, a shudder flew up my spine. "Are you sure?" I asked only because I felt like I should say something.

Emmett snorted to my left. "Have you talked to Carlisle?" His mind was more specifically on the blond bitch that left with Carlisle.

Jasper nodded. "Sure, but you know they won't check messages until they land."

Emmett focused on Alice. "Will there be time for them to make it back?" The heavy silence was his answer. Emmett nodded slowly and turned away from us, pulling his phone from his pocket and turning his back to the rest of us. I was left not entirely understanding what the sudden mood shift was about. Sure, they could be complete assholes, but the Volturi Guard were personal friends. I was in charge of the entire Volterra division. I was positive I could keep them from doing anything rash. Just as I opened my mouth to say so, Alice began shaking her head.

"No, Bella. They are coming for you."

I gaped and a strong hand grabbed my elbow. Edward's intense gaze locked with mine as I turned toward him. I think I could stare into those eyes forever. "We can figure this out. You don't have to be alone again."

I knew he meant it to reassure, but at that moment it made my anger flare wildly. I stepped away from their loose circle and out of Edward's reach. "I have never been alone," I hissed at no one in particular.

Jasper stepped forward, the calming waves surging into me. I stepped back further. "He didn't mean it that way," he tried soothing. "We want you to understand that we consider you a part of this family. You don't have to stand by yourself and face them."

"That's completely insane!" My anger was rising and bringing my voice with it. "You barely know me and half of that time I was torturing you, Jasper."

"You won't catch me betting against Alice," he responded with slightly less humor than he might have normally.

"But, surely once they see I'm alright," I blurted, grasping at anything.

The damn pixie was shaking her head again and Edward looked thoroughly nauseated. So I was fucked, but that didn't mean they had to be. A plan started to form in my head.

"No, Bella!" Alice suddenly shrieked, but I didn't look at her. Edward stepped forward, now looking completely panicked. It caught me off guard for an instant, before I hissed at them. Jasper's calming hand fell on my shoulder, but I shrugged away, a low growl building in my throat.

"Stay out of my head," I hissed again, throwing out my shield hard enough to sting them all and ran from the room. I slammed my bedroom door and breathed heavily.

I may not be able to discover the mysteries of the Cullens, but I was damned if I'd let them be harmed. Not now that I know them. Not when I felt myself loving them. I gulped that particular thought back down. It would not make things easier if I gave in to those feelings. It was going to be hard enough to leave and explaining that emotion was something I had no desire to do.

Jasper's patient understanding, Emmett's easy smile, Alice's unfailing optimism, and finally Edward's crooked grin flashed through my mind. I couldn't deny that there was something between us more powerful than I ever imagined possible. I knew he was feeling something similar. I longed to run to him, wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him for eternity, but Alice's vision complicated everything.

I had to convince them to leave. There had to be a way to make the Guard believe that thanks to me, the Cullens were no more and I was fairly confident I could do it. Even Demetri, so attuned to the frequency of every vampire he had come into contact with, was fallible and I was one of the few privy to the knowledge that would trick the tracker.

I had to convince the Cullens first, so I finally gathered enough courage to walk into the living room. Jasper was lazing on the couch with Alice lying across him, head in his lap. They both looked at me as I approached, but I was relieved to see Edward wasn't around. I couldn't take his distraction right now. I needed my wits about me to try and make them see logic.

"Hey," I greeted guiltily.

Alice jumped from her place of comfort and ran into my arms. "I'm really sorry, Bella. I don't want to overstep your privacy. It's just I'm so attuned to you now that I can't shut a vision out."

She finished in a soft voice and the angst was palpable. The Guard must be very close.

"I can save you," I said as detached as possible.

"You can," she agreed, "but at what cost?"

Jasper stood and walked silently to us. The emotions he was setting off were a mixture of love and courage. It gave me the strength to continue and I needed to, because as long as I could keep them safe, no price seemed too high.

"Let me worry about that," I begged them. "I can fix this, but you need to trust me."

"It's not a good idea, Bella." Jasper's face was a mirror of Edward's earlier expression.

"It is," I pressed. "If I can make them think you're dead, they'll think I did it and leave it be."

"But how?" In answer to her question, I let down my shield and watched Alice's eyes glaze over. As she came to, her head was shaking again. "What about you?"

"I'll lie," I answered simply. My plan will require sacrifices from them all, but I knew they would give in as Alice's face melted in confusion. She couldn't see how Aro would react to my story and that was my safety net. So I quickly explained what they would need to do. There wasn't time to waste, so once I told them the parts they would play, I left to find the other two.

The rest of the house was uncomfortably empty and I returned to my room to lose myself in my thoughts. I had to save them. All of them. Even Carlisle's wife and Emmett's bitchy mate. None of them would be the same if any was destroyed. How could I let anything tear apart something as innocent and pure as this family? As innocent and pure as Edward?

The world would be a far more miserable place without their unity and love. It was up to me to save them, because I had been the one to bring down the weight of the Guard on their shoulders. I never should have left Volterra and refused to think about how empty I'd been there.

If I never met Edward, would I be so noble then? I doubted it. Edward was the reason I was born, the reason I lived three centuries. My tie to him was as undeniable as it was unbearable, because I could never tell him the truth. If I did, I'd never let him go and we would perish together.

Doing things this way? At least there was a chance for him. For all of them. And I had always been able to get Aro to see things my way. I wouldn't have advanced so high in the ranks had I not been able to do so. Besides, I would survive knowing that they – he – survived.

Interrupting my thoughts of him, my god, my angel, was suddenly in the room with me. I didn't turn around even though he strode dangerously close, close enough to feel his warm breath against my neck. I could already feel the electricity jumping from his body to mine.

"Bella," he whispered. My name sounded like a breath of fresh air. I nearly fell over. Instead, I slowly turned to him, gazing into intense golden eyes. With slow shaking fingers, Edward reached toward me. If he touches me, there'll be no way to stop, but I didn't even hesitate. I let my fingers bind to his. A fever spread from our contact like wildfire across my soul. Fireworks started at my core and moved outward, leaving me instantly breathless.

After what seemed an eternity of silence, Edward ran his other hand absently through his bronze locks, until it stood all over the place. "Why do you pretend to be invincible?" The heat swirled from the point of our contact deep into my body. My breath hitched again and praying he hadn't noticed, I stopped breathing all together.

"I'm not," I whispered back, trying to rid myself of the wildfire raging inside of me. I couldn't let this to happen. Knowing what I'd spend the rest of my existence missing would be insufferable. I stepped away releasing his hand as swiftly as I had grasped it and felt a piece of my soul tearing away with the movement. His eyes burned into mine.

"But, I know you've seen what I am, Edward." I felt like I was pleading, when I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself into him. "Believe me when I say I'm not good for you. I destroy everything I touch." Edward didn't reply, but picked up my hand again, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss.

"Don't you remember what I do?" I demanded, summoning up the last of my resolve. "Don't you remember what I'm capable of doing to others?" My voice took on a desperate tone. Edward had to see it wasn't healthy for him to be with me. Hell, it was deadly.

His silence stretched on for a moment longer before he pulled me against his body. My chest pressed against the hard lines of his. It wouldn be hard for him to overlook the feeling of my hardening nipples through the thin layers of clothing separating our bodies. Burying his face in my hair, he shook his head softly.

"No one else's memories of you matter, Bella. I only know what it feels like when I'm with you." He was whispering, mouth only inches from mine, but I had to strain to hear him. "I want you in every way."

I wanted to turn and taste his lips, but if I moved, I'd lose what little self control I had. He didn't seem to understand. I couldn't bear to know exactly how deeply my feelings for him ran. Nothing good could come of it. Allowing Edward to take me to that point was the only thing I wanted in that moment, but it would ruin me. My will power was already horribly unsteady. I drew in another shaky breath and before I managed to get my lungs filled and push him away, Edward's lips pressed into mine.

At first, he used a light pressure, enough so I could feel the incredible smoothness of his lips. He smiled for half a second, before I pushed myself back into him. The kiss heated as my lips parted and Edward tasted me. His venom was intoxicating. I growled softly and met his tongue with my own and when they connected, they danced together in a wild frenzy. Soft hands trekked across my back, exploring every curve.

It was all wrong and so amazingly perfect at the same time. I felt Edward's need hard against my hip and it fueled me. I hoped he wouldn't feel it in my kisses. I wished he would. My hands were all over his chest, damning the restrictive clothing barring their complete freedom.

Unable to bare it any longer, I twisted my fingers into the hem of Edward's shirt and ripped it from his flesh, exposing him in unbridled glory. I bent my head away, sacrificing his lips for a look at perfection. Edward's chest rumbled as he moved his kisses to my neck, slowly making his way from earlobe to chest. My hands rubbed his exposed skin, nails raking against it, hard enough to leave deep red marks across its length.

The scratching excited him further and Edward's kisses turned into soft nips. Instead of the stinging normally following a vampire bite, my body flooded with heat. His nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons on my shirt and he slid it off my body much more gracefully than I had done with his. He looked at me in much the same way I had ogled him, before leaning forward and placing soft kisses on my chest.

Instantly, I craved release from the mounting pressure between my legs. Pushing against him, we moved together slowly, finally rolling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and moans. It was suddenly impossible to be certain where I ended and Edward began. His lips were furiously kissing and caressing me. His tongue reached my nipple and the sensation of being inside him in any way, caused my hips to grind upward.

The pressure of his erection pressing hard against my body inflamed me. I adjusted my legs until he was completely between them and I could feel him properly. Sighing heavily, I licked his stretched neck, as he softly bit into my breast. His other hand gently drifted downward. Without removing my wandering lips from his naked flesh, my hands searched out his. He slid his fingers inside the waistband of my pants, trying to coax them lower, before I detached from him. His eyes were intense, but I held his hands steady.

"Bella," he breathed.

I thought I'd melt into him right then, but I held myself back. It would be the only time I would be able to accept his pleasure. This was the one place I lacked the most self control. "Listen to me," I said in a somewhat breathless voice. "You don't want to do." My words hung in the air. Edward was breathing as hard as I was from our kissing. I had pushed myself into a sitting position, looking down at him. I tried to forget I was still so close to having him inside me, but our entwined legs made it impossible. Still, I wanted him to agree with me, to run away as fast as he could.

Instead, he smiled that damn, crooked grin and I swear I nearly swooned. Suddenly, I hated it as much as I loved it, because it could never be mine. I opened my mouth to try and sway him again, but Edward's landed on my breast first and whatever I had been about to say was swallowed in desire. I tentatively raised an arm and ran my hand through the soft bronze hair. We both groaned and he raised his head to catch my lips again, letting his hands wander over every inch of my exposed flesh.

I let him lead the dance between our mouths and relished in every flick of his tongue, every hot breath he exhaled into me. It was intoxicating. Slowly, his fingers slid down my stomach to my pants. He hesitated, but never stopped kissing. I groaned an urgent request and pressed myself harder into him, making sure he would feel the growing wetness between my legs. To my utter delight, he pressed back hungrily. More passion flooded from my lips than I'd ever experienced before and Edward devoured it hungrily, only adding to the mounting pressure. His hands gently pushed my pants from my legs.

When he pressed his erection against my body this time, shudders of delight spun through me like a whirl wind. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, wishing I could push him away, but it was much too late for that now. I would never stop him, no matter how much damage it will do.

Edward's kisses only intensified and he began to remove the final layer of my clothing barrier. My hands were tangled in his hair and I leaned over to bite his neck lustfully. His head was bent over my breast, teasing my nipples as he finally slid into me. I gasped loudly at the sudden sensation and Edward moaned from his throat, lips pressed tightly on my erect peak. His entire body shuddered.

I looked to see his eyes locked on me. Excruciatingly slow, he pulled away before quickly burying himself deeper. My back arched hungrily and I wrapped my ankles over the back of his thighs, giving more friction to his thrusts. What started as slow, gentle pushes, turned into frantic, passionate thrusting. He speared into me, pushed hard and I pressed back. We gyrated and clawed at one another. My climax built to an astounding height, before Edward's own frantic orgasm caused me to finally explode. I wrapped myself to him tightly, my body lifting completely from the ground. I felt him pulse his release as my body tensed and shook against him. He groaned louder as my insides clamped around his erection and in a final wave of electricity, I screamed his name, letting the intensifying pleasure roll from my core.

I held tight to him, until my muscles loosened on their own. Slipping away left an empty feeling in my chest as well as between my legs, but too much time had passed already. I started to sit up, but Edward's hands reached for my face. With a hand on either side, he looked at me for a long while, breathing heavily into the short distance between us. I saw what was going to happen. He wasn't going to let me go.

I tried to ignore the burning of his eyes. It felt like he could see everything – my entire past, all my sins – and I wanted to hide from him. I never should have allowed myself to have him. His innocence was still pure and I was about to take it away. The shame swirled through my desire drenched body. I would take everything I could until he let me go. I had to. There was no way he would survive at my side.

I shrugged from his touch and stood, still completely naked. Edward's eyes rolled leisurely up my frame. I shoved away the wave of lust rolling over me. "It's time," I said with as little emotion as I could force.

His eyes were shocked. "You can't be serious."

I let my anger rise, forcing it to lash out at Edward when I was really furious with myself. "Of course I'm serious! What do you think this was about?" I gestured at our naked flesh.

There had never been anything so perfect and pure in my life before Edward and it only took four short seconds to erase myself from his life. My chest shuddered and I was glad I had moved so he wouldn't feel as a piece of me tore away. He looked like I'd slapped him. His pained eyes told me exactly what he thought it meant, but I didn't let him voice it. I wouldn't be able to finish if he used his velvet voice. I pressed on, watching as his face fell with my every word.

"What did you expect? I have a life in Volterra. You thought I'd never go back?" I tried to let out a convincing laugh, but it felt more like a sob. "Volterra is my home! I'm the Chief Interrogator independently in charge of the entire home district! What could you possibly offer me to even begin to compare?"

I stood naked and shivering next to him. I had never felt so exposed for what I truly was as I did in that moment. I wanted to run away, as I wanted him to do before. I never wanted to look into those eyes knowing the pain I caused him. I never again wanted to see what kind of monster I was, but the picture was already permanently imprinted into mind.

Edward looked away from me, dropping down to slip on his discarded jeans. My insides were tearing apart, but I tried to look away. I couldn't bear this memory as my last. I couldn't bear to watch as my god crumbled.

Before he could leave, I let myself breathe out a final goodbye. He turned at the door to look back at me. Where before I had wanted to melt into him, I now wanted to melt into the floor rather than endure the narrowed black eyes as he raked them over my body. He brought a hand to his chest and with a sharp metallic rip, tore a strip of his flesh away. The scent of his venom surged through the room.

My mouth dropped open in shock and I actually jumped away from it as he tossed it to my feet. "Good bye, Bella." There was an angry edge to his voice that cut deep, but it was nothing less than I deserved. Without another glance, he slid through the door and ran from the house. My last vision of Edward was him sprinting away from me forever. I sighed and pressed my face into the cool glass.

After as long a time I felt like I could spend pining, I crept from my room and for the next few painfully slow hours, I did my best to ignore the looks Alice and Jasper shot me as we built the woodpile for the burning and made sure it was properly doused with gasoline. I threw my shield out enough to hide the bulk of my emotions from Jasper, but they were both curious as to the mood. I was just grateful they had all agreed to donate to the sacrifice and secure their safety.

I placed Edward's torn flesh deep in the pile of timber. I had taken it from him, torn it from his chest like the monster I was. I sighed loudly, but felt Emmett bounce up to me side. The sun fell ever lower in the strangely clear sky. "Well, Bells, I just wanted you to know that I'm proud to have known you. You're quite possibly the most brilliant, cunning and sexy woman I have met. Next to my Rosie, of course." He smiled broadly and I couldn't help but return it and mean it. "It won't be the same without you around, so whenever you're ready, I'll come and bust you back out."

"Thanks, Emmett. I'll keep that in mind," I laughed, knowing I'd never let it come to that.

Emmett's massive arms wrapped around me, lifting me from the ground and he hugged me in a very genuine display of affection. "I'm really going to miss you, Volterra," he whispered in my ear.

"I think I'll miss you too, big guy."

Emmett released me, still smiling. "Well, only one thing left to do," he shrugged and with no hesitation, bit his middle finger from his left hand. He spit it loudly into the pile of logs and wiggled the remaining four in front of his face. My stomach flipped uncomfortably even though I knew he'd have it back in a few days.

With a final wink, Emmett ran off into the endless snow covered hills, laughing loudly as he went. I watched him go, knowing he would be meeting Edward at their designated waiting point. Despite my arguments against it, I had been out voted four to one and the others decided they'd stay and watch from a distance, to make sure I wasn't attacked on the spot. I doubted that even a very close proximity could make any difference if the Guard decided to kill me, but my confidence I would be believed made me relent.

The sun sank ever lower, and Alice cleared her throat. She pointed to a low hill, the very hill Edward had disappeared over when Carlisle had asked for time alone with me. "They'll come over that rise in an hour. You need to start the fire so it has time to burn."

I nodded.

"Oh, Bella!" She cried and flung herself into my arms. "Please say you'll see us again," she pleaded.

"Isn't that something you already see?" I asked, my nerves beginning to get the better of me.

She shook her head sadly and dropped her arms. Her excitement seemed to fizzle out before my eyes. "Everything depends on the Brothers' decision."

She leaned in and gave me a kiss on my cheek. She flung something toward the fire pit, and was gone. I watched her disappear, too.

Then, Jasper's hand was on my shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"There's no other way," I groaned and I felt him nod.

He was quiet, but made no attempt to move, so I turned around slowly. When I looked at him, I wondered if he could feel everything despite my shield. I had never been able to block my emotions as well my mind. Immediately, Jasper's arms were around me. I hugged him back tightly, my fear starting to bubble upward. Not for me, but for them.

"Promise you will get far enough away they won't find you," I demanded.

"Of course."

"And don't let...don't let anyone do anything stupid, ok? Just make them fall asleep or whatever, so that no matter what happens, they'll stay safe." He chuckled, the vibrations spreading through me from his chest. "Promise me!" I shouted desperately.

He ran a hand through my hair. "Of course, Bella." He pulled away from me and handed the piece of his flesh to add to the fire. "Take a shower," he said with a soft smile.

"Shower?" I wondered aloud. "If I just defeated you, your smells would be all over my clothing. They'd expect it."

Jasper's lips curled up into a smirk. "Yes, but they won't expect you fucked any of us before lighting the torch."

He can smell it, too? Shit. Edward's sex scent was the one thing I'd been relying on to get me through this, but Jasper was embarrassingly right. It would do nothing to help my case if either of my ex-lovers smelt it on me. I sighed and avoided the look on Jasper's face.

Finally, he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Good bye, Bella," he whispered and was gone.

And I was alone. Never before in my entire existence had I felt more alone than I did right then, but I had no time to dwell. They would be here in less than an hour. Ceremoniously, I placed Jasper's flesh in the pile and pulled a silver lighter from my pants. It lit the first try and the entire mound was suddenly ablaze. The incredible heat rushed my body, but I shivered.

There, heavy in the thick plumes of purple smoke, was the most wonderful, most horrifying scent ever. I could smell each of them, but mostly Edward's too familiar aroma, spilling into my pores. Underneath the beautiful scents I knew, was the smell of burning – of death -and it sickened me.

I ran from the climax of my lies and directly to scrub the scent from my body, wishing I could scrub it from my mind at the same time. It made showering easier. I didn't want the smell of the permeating smoke to ever reach my body again. I finished quickly and slipped on the clothes Alice had laid out on my bed. It seemed more appropriately suited for a white sand beach somewhere in the tropics, but I also saw the amazing appeal the thin white gown held. I knew how stunning I would look at the top of the hill, the bright white of the dress rivaling the snow.

I left the house without a final glance back and streaked past the smoldering fires, holding my breath from the nauseating fumes. I reached the summit of the low hill, just as the wind picked up. My dress and hair was tugged away from my body and back toward the circling violet smoke. Then, against the landscape, I saw three figures moving steadily forward. They went from slight shadows against the white wasteland to figures I recognized easily. As they walked forward, all three pairs of eyes stared intently at the unnatural purple cloud dissipating slowly in the wind.

Demetri cautiously tested the air for the echoes of the Cullen's he recognized. I held my breath until I was sure he thought they were only remnants, and not living frequencies. I knew he would sense them for days after death, but hoped Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Edward had gotten far enough away that he didn't see the ploy.

"Bella," the relief in the familiar voice made my knees go weak. Then, Felix was pressed against me and I felt too aware of Edward's hurt eyes watching the embrace. But Felix's strong arms gave me strength to shift into the other version of myself and that's exactly what I needed.

"It took you long enough," I lied. "I nearly died, no thanks to you," I looked pointedly at each of them.

"They're all gone?" Jane looked almost disappointed.

"Yes," I hissed back, furious at her hunger to kill a Cullen. "Like I said, 'No thanks to you.'"

She looked away angrily. I wasn't sure why, but suddenly Jane was making me very nervous.

"I think she's right," Demetri added.

"You think?" I scoffed. "Well, I know. Now, if you don't mind, I've been waiting to go home."

Without a second glance, I started walking. I passed between Jane and Demetri, leaving a stunned Felix still holding his arms like I was inside them. Each step took me further from Edward, but the guilt only built inside. It's the only way, I reminded myself. With Felix following closely and Jane and Demetri still inspecting the ashes, I thought it might tear me apart to spend one more second so close to what, under different circumstances, might have been my everything.

I began to run.

I ran because the best thing in my life was gone from me forever.

I ran because I felt like if I stopped, the whole world would come crashing down on top of me.

I ran because I couldn't bear to stand still any more.