Dislcaimer: For the 23rd time...I do not own most of these characters-they belong to Steph Meyer!

A/N: This is for MickeyAndMinnie who has been fretting about Edward and Bella. I can't explain completely because it gives the rest of the story away, but here's a little peek into Ed's head. Beware; it's not a happy place. I so hope I don't have to write from his POV again as it leaves me grumpy. Thanks for the many reviews and EdwardObsessedForever-glad to have you back!

Chapter 23 You're Unforgivable

Watching her walk out the door nearly destroyed me. Leaving her side for even a short while was excruciating, but this…this was something beyond words. Saying goodbye to Bella had to be the hardest thing I'd ever done. Abandoning her two years ago paled in comparison to this betrayal. Convincing the love of my existence to enter Volterra of her own accord to spy on the Volturi was already a cowardly and despicable act, but made all the worse by demanding that Christian accompany her and pretend to be her lover. Sacrilege! And that's still not the worst of it.

Carlisle already has a spy among the Volturi. More precisely, the Romanian's have a spy among the Volturi. Santiago has been a member for over a hundred years. Originally Aro employed Chelsea's power against him, but as the years wore on he grew confident in Santiago's loyalty, which even without the use of Chelsea's power, had never wavered, or so Aro thought.

So, we not only sent her into the clutches of two of the most powerful vampires who wanted to do god knows what to her, but we lied to her about our agenda, about her true purpose. Carlisle's true goal was to have Bella acquire the many different powers among the Volturi. She needn't be aware of that task, proximity was enough. Or so Carlisle believed. He wanted a weapon. Something that would end the war once and for all. The breach in the treaty seemed to be considered a greater sin than anything else Aro had ever committed against us, and on some level Carlisle blamed Bella for orchestrating the treaty and providing us with a false sense of security.

Sometimes I absolutely abhorred hearing others' thoughts. The longer I was around him, the more disgusted I became with him. Virat's powers had clearly affected him to a much greater extent than some.

Alice had been my greatest ally last night as we discussed the best way to thwart Aro, but all our arguments fell on deaf ears, though with Virat's power influencing us, I'm not certain I put up much of a fight. Carlisle easily convinced our family that using Bella like this was the only way to ensure that everyone in our family came out of this unscathed, and maybe he's right, but what if he wasn't?

Without Bella, he felt certain that we would suffer at least some casualties and, unfortunately, Alice's visions couldn't dispute that as the wolves were too intertwined with out plans and every decision we made.

My only comfort was that she was able to catch glimpses of Bella's future. Nothing too far in advance because she hadn't decided on anything yet, but at least I'd have some idea of the events taking place while she was so far away.

I picked up the remote and flipped through the channels as I waited for Carlisle to join me. Anything to distract me from the self loathing eating away at me, but there wasn't a program on TV that could silence my thoughts. All of Carlisle's arguments for Bella going kept replaying again and again through my mind. He didn't say it out loud, not like he needed to, he couldn't hide it from me, but he felt that Bella was the one they desired above all others, so it was fair that she be the one to risk everything. I also knew he would do almost anything to keep Esme safe, but I never realized until that moment how very callus he could be.

I stabbed the power button forcefully and bent over to pick up Bella's towel that she'd so carelessly tossed aside after we finished our shower together. Her scent clung to it thickly and I inhaled it letting it fill me up. How had I let things come to this? Perhaps, we should have traveled out of the city to conduct our meeting, somewhere beyond the limits of Virat's power, because obviously none of us were thinking clearly.

I flung the towel back to the floor as Carlisle entered. "Jasper tells me Virat is nearby, so we must be certain that he hears exactly what we need him to and no more. Bella and the rest will leave shortly after us."

I nodded sharply, anger making it almost impossible to speak. I swallowed my rage before addressing him "Once this is over, Carlisle, and I get Bella back, we're leaving."

The surprise on his face was almost comical. "What do you mean leaving?"

"The family-coven- whatever you want to call us. Definitely not a family, as a family would never have betrayed one of their own in such a depraved manner."

"Edward-"

I grabbed my leather jacket from the back of the chair and strode past him practically shaking with the need to physically harm him so he could feel a fraction of the pain that I was in as Bella waited four floors below me with Demetri by her side to travel to Seattle. "Let's go, we have many more lies to spew before this day is done."

It took every bit of resolve in me to leave the hotel without Bella, but the plan was already in motion. Vampires from all over were already making their way to the Carpathian Mountains to meet up with Vladimir and Stefan. A newborn army was being created and awaiting Jasper, Peter, and Maria to fully train them. No, there was no going back now. No matter how much I wanted to whisk Bella away, it was no longer an option.

I caught Virat's scent as I crossed the street slowly making my way to the parking garage. So, he was near at hand influencing each and every damn emotion.

I cannot wait until Bella leaves so he will follow and no longer be able to control our emotions. Carlisle's thoughts whispered through my mind.

I chose to ignore this. Somehow, I did not think that he really wanted me to hear that particular thought and we had some lines to deliver anyway. My role was to act like the spurned lover, which, considering how I was feeling was a remarkably simple task.

"She would not listen to reason," I muttered.

Carlisle placed his hand on my shoulder in a fatherly manner and I had to restrain myself from flinging it off of me. How I despised the man before me. "Just give her time, my son. She will come back to us."

"You do not understand. She has asked Alyria if she can join her coven once she returns from Volterra, if she returns, that is." I slammed the door of the Mercedes closed as Carlisle slid into the driver's side and turned the key making the car purr quietly. I caught a glimpse of Virat as we backed out, a look of triumph, or horror on his face.

When I could read ones mind it was often an inconvenience, though useful, but when I was locked out, as with Virat and Bella, it was maddening. Virat's reaction concerned me. Had he been horrified? Did he not want Bella to go to Volterra?

"Well done, Edward. He can collect his followers and head back to Italy now. It will make everyone more reasonable and planning our strategy easier and less volatile." Maybe he will come to his senses and cease this talk of him and Bella leaving. It would break Esme's heart if they were to leave.

--

Alice was perched on the arm of my leather couch looking ill. "I know you're angry with them, Edward, but you can't leave us." He dainty hands darted out quickly and clutched tightly as my shirt. "I love her, Edward. She's my sister and my best friend. Please don't force her to leave-don't take her from me," she begged. If she could have cried, I had no doubt that tears would have been glittering down her delicate little face.

I closed my eyes trying to block out the hurt that was so evident in her eyes and rested my head on the back of the couch as I pinched the bridge of my nose with my forefinger and thumb steeling myself to cause the one family member I adored pain. Pain just like I experienced the first time I abandoned Bella, but there was no way around it. Bella and I could no longer remain a part of this coven.

What was she doing right now? She should be on her way to Seattle. I couldn't bear to think about anything beyond that. It hurt too much. There was always the chance that she wasn't all that bothered by the arrangement as she had Demetri with her and she seemed at peace when he was near.

I swore softly at the thought of those two becoming so close and her little role she had to play with Christian. How far would they go? I'd told her to do whatever necessary in order to keep herself safe, but I did not truly mean it.

I was going to go crazy if I stayed in our room much longer. I couldn't stop imagining her in bed with Christian, couldn't get her intoxicating scent out of my nose-her presences in this room was palpable. Everywhere I looked there were clothes, cd's, books, but mostly memories.

The first time I'd brought her up here and frightened her with my vampiric speed as I flung us both onto this very couch, how amazing it had felt to hold her hot body close to mine.

A smile erased my scowl at the memory of her trying to seduce me, trying to get that one human memory- the most dangerous request she could have ever made. A low chuckle flowed from me as I replayed that scene again. God! How I had wanted her right then and there, how much control it had taken to keep us both fully clothed.

Alice slumped against me shaking her head back and forth. She spoke in a hoarse whisper. "That future is clearer now. You have made up your mind."

"Yes. I'm more certain now than ever that Bella and I need to go our own way, Alice." I wrapped my arm around my favorite sister. "I will not let Bella be manipulated into such a situation again and I don't think I can ever forgive Carlisle for demanding that I convince her to take such a risk." Not to mention that I would never forgive myself for being persuaded. Virat's power was no excuse. My love for Bella should have been stronger than his vile power.

"Why don't you give Bella the chance to weigh in on this? I highly doubt that she is going to willingly leave us. Not even if you begged it of her."

"Alice, you already see it happening, so you already know that she agrees to leave with me."

Anger flitted across her face. "You are being selfish, Edward," she snapped. "I don't recall you being this angry last night when all the decisions were made. Why, all of the sudden, have you morphed into some stubborn, controlling fiend?"

I tensed as Alice's words cut through me. "I think," I explained, "that Virat's focusing all of his attention elsewhere now, so his influence isn't as powerful today. I'm finally thinking with a clear head and seeing this plan for the wretched mistake that it is."

Carlisle's thoughts interrupted our conversation and all my anger instantly returned. "The wolves are here and what's left of the Denali clan along with Maria and her army are on their way. It is time to begin our meeting."

Come one, Alice. "I said thickly. "We're being summoned downstairs. Not that you didn't already foresee that happening though," I muttered.

She shrugged. "Why should I offer you warnings? You're just going to abandon me, we might as well get used to not depending on one another, don't you think?" She growled as she danced out of the room with much less enthusiasm than normal.

Two days Later

We piled the last of our luggage into the cars. Our reinforcement flew out late last night. We were trying to keep as much of our activities as secret as possible, which didn't seem to be that difficult. Oddly, Virat's scent was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have decided that his presence was no longer required in Forks. Carlisle had been right about that at least. It was Bella he was interested in. He was most likely already back in Volterra.

Alice let out a small noise, her face blank, eyes staring off into the distance seeing events taking place in the future. I eavesdropped on her vision, as she wasn't feeling too warm and fuzzy toward me today.

Jasper crowded her, his hands sliding up and down her arms as he patiently waited for her to return to our time. "What is it? What's changed?"

"Virat is going to bind Demetri to him." She looked at Carlisle. "To him, Carlisle, not Aro. Why would he do that?"

"Maybe Chelsea's power is more effective if the one she is binding her prey to is nearby?" He guessed. "It is inconsequential. To be bound to Virat is to be bound to the Volturi."

I cut him off tired of his blasé view of everything. Again I disagreed with Carlisle. But, something seemed off. Virat wasn't behaving the way we expected. He had not boarded the plane upon discovering his query was on her way to Volterra, instead he spied on Alyria and her coven and had now decided to acquire them. But it would accomplish nothing to argue this point with them. Carlisle was utterly certain of the methods of the Volturi. "We must call Demetri and warn them so they can decide on a course of action."

I glanced back at the house that I'd called my home for so long, certain that I would never set foot within it again. I would either get Bella out of Volterra alive and unharmed and we would quietly leave or she would die there and I would follow, either way I was never coming back here. Where are you Bella? What are you doing? What are they doing to you?