Discalimer: -sigh- Again, I do not own most of these characters. They belong to Steph Meyer!

A/N: So, we've got some Bella and Edward time in this post. Hopefully that will make some of my loyal readers happy. Thanks for sticking with me while Bella lusted after other men. Hopefully I can get her back on track.

Chapter 34 Reunited

We arrived in the middle of the fight. I could feel Virat's power slowing everyone down, filling them with defeat, but still they fought, Edward and Demetri lashing out while Virat tried to stay out of reach and control everyone's emotions. He did not want to kill anyone; that was the only thing we had going for us right now. He wanted us to join him, to use our special abilities to destroy the Volturi. Course, it didn't hurt that Jasper was off to one side pumping Virat full of his own power trying to counter him and distract him while they finished the job. Unfortunately, being bombarded by all these emotions was my undoing. I couldn't keep mine under lock and key in the face of so much concentrated feelings. I did my best to push it aside and ignore it, but I was feeling quite squeamish about some of the things that I'd said and done over the last twenty-four hours.

I countered his power with my own as we joined the fray. Seline flicked her hand out almost casually and brushed one of the guards face and his body began to decompose. I leaped over the nearly mummified vamp and landed in between Kattra and her attacker a loud growl trickling out of my mouth. My power lashed out at him as he pounced on me and he exploded in many pieces. "Bella!" She exclaimed. She took a step near me when Felix was tossed at us like a rag doll. He hit her with a crashing thud and sent them both hurtling through the wall of the house.

To the left of me, Alyria snarled as Chelsea fell to her knees in front of her. Her blood-red nails embedded under her jaw as she wrenched Chelsea's head in one quick motion. Her body slowly fell to the ground. Time seemed to have stopped for me. I just stood there in the middle of all the chaos and watched that poor woman's body thud to the pavement and Alyria discarded the head as though it was nothing more than a piece of litter and ran to the house to check on Kattra.

I could heal her. Just because she was decapitated did not mean she was dead. It felt wrong to do nothing. I was almost certain that none of Virat's entourage knew all the details. They most likely believed that this whole fiasco was ordained by Aro. How could I do nothing? And why-oh-why did I have to lose control over my emotions now? I'd have given almost anything for that blessed numbness now. Everything was so much easier and clearer when one did not let emotions get in the way.

Virat's torso landed heavily at my feet, his arm reaching toward me. "Bella!" Edward's velvety voice carried over the low snarls emanating from the last two guards. "Finish it!" He demanded. I knelt and took his outstretched hand and let Seline's power flow from me. It became a stiff leather wooden-like thing as I sucked his life's essence from him. His eyes filled with horror and his shrieks filled the night and drowned out all the other sounds. I was repulsed by this power, repulsed that I had used it. Never again. That much I knew. I directed his aura into him in one final push and his screams died on his shriveled lips, his bony fingers convulsed once more against my hand as I extinguished his long life effortlessly.

I collapsed against the cold pavement, disgusted with myself and the monster I'd become since transforming into a vampire. I could not tear my gaze from his mummified form. The proof of what I'd become laid before me. I couldn't hide from it, couldn't ignore it because I was staring right at it. That sight would haunt me for the rest of my life. His screams echoed in my mind still. Those red eyes pleaded with me to save him.

I felt a warm hand against my cheek, trying unsuccessfully to make me look away from the evidence of my damnation.

Demetri knelt across from me, leaning over the corpse and replacing the horror that was Virat with his concerned face. His lips moved but still I registered no sounds besides Virat's shrieks of pain. Warm breath blew across my ear as someone whispered to me. It almost had to be Edward, but I couldn't make myself look. Didn't want to face the man I'd wronged so badly. He deserved so much better than me.

Seline grabbed my face from Edward's hand and slapped me twice and yanked me to my feet. "Get a hold of your self," she sneered. Growls erupted from all around.

"Edward, no!" Demetri shouted as Edward launched himself at Seline. He collided with Demetri while Seline pulled us away from my livid husband.

"Awww, Demetri," she purred. "You spoil all my fun." She turned her scarlet eyes to Edward. "Let him come, Demetri. If he wants to become like this wretched creature, let him come."

"You must not touch her, Edward," Demetri informed him quickly. "She is not hurting Bella."

I finally found my voice and said softly, "It's okay, Edward. I'm okay. She was just helping me to…snap out of my self loathing," I supplied hesitantly as my eyes flickered over Virat.

Felix and Alyria helped Kattra out of the house and rested her against the side of our car. She didn't look badly injured and would certainly heal all by herself, but I was right here and could do it in a few short seconds, so I joined them and placed my hand against her body gently. She shuddered slightly from my touch, but relaxed as my warm healing energy engulfed her. "Thanks," she whispered hoarsely.

I glanced around the silent street. There wasn't another home in sight, thank goodness. We'd have blown our cover otherwise. Wouldn't that just bug Aro to no end? His own Volturi guards breaking his most sacred rule. I shook my head and took in my surroundings.

There was nothing but the old house, trees, and acres and acres of fields. Felix and Jasper began gathering up the pieces of the fallen vampires and tossed them in one pile. My eyes met Edward's across the flame. He looked torn. Since my emotional band-aid had already been torn off by the combination of Virat's power and Jasper's I went ahead and let mine roll out and brush against Edward so gently. I had to know what that expression meant. I could feel his revulsion to the power I'd used on Virat, relief that I was not hurt, anger, and love all rolled together. What poor timing for my emotional bubble to be torn away from me.

"Where's Christian?" Kattra whispered, her hand resting on my forearm.

"He's back at Volterra watching over a human family," I replied never looking away from my angel's face. Neither of us moved, we just kept staring at one another over the flickering flames.

Demetri glided toward us and blocked my view of my husband and hugged me gently. "You are a sight for sore eyes, Bella," he breathed against my neck as he laid a chaste kiss along my jaw.

"Are you hurt?" I asked finally looking at him for the first time. Really seeing him. He was as splendid as ever.

"Come on, Bella. We've done what we set out to do. All the big bad Volturi members are dead. Let us go back to Volterra now," Seline said derisively.

"Seline," Felix chastised.

"We'll go back in a few hours," I stated, still wrapped in Demetri's embrace. I pulled back from him a little ways and looked up into his honey colored eyes. "I told Aro about the attack," I admitted softly. His eyes widened, but he said nothing as I explained everything that had been going on for the last three weeks. He'd walked us about a mile down the road by the time my tale was completed and I'd never even noticed that we left the house.

He licked his lips before saying, "This certainly complicates things."

My face fell into my hands and I muttered, "I didn't know what else to do. I tried to convince Edward, but…they won't see reason where the Volturi are concerned."

He smiled gently. "You have grown quite fond of them in your short time there."

"I have," I admitted. "They didn't do anything wrong. They never broke treaty with us. We cannot go to war with them over this mess and I cannot fight against them. To willingly hurt Aro…Renata." I gave a brisk shake of my head. "No I can't do it, Demetri. I just can't."

"We will figure it out, Bella," Demetri said as he gave a weary sigh and pulled us down onto the grass.

I rested my head against his shoulder. "You aren't angry with me?"

He chuckled. "Whatever for?"

"For the mess that I've created."

"Bella, how can I be angry at you for doing what is right? If the Volturi are innocent, then we cannot attack them. And you say they are and that is enough for me."

"It won't be enough for the rest of them, I'm afraid," I said sulkily.

"Perhaps." He stood in one fluid motion and pulled me up beside him. "You need to talk to Edward. I do not know what is going on between you two, but whatever it is, it won't be fixed while you are here with me."

--

I entered the decrepit house with the gigantic Felix-size hole in it and was met by Alice's pixie face. "I just thought you should know that I did my best to keep Edward from seeing anything pertaining to you and Christian, but he managed to catch one scene."

I felt myself grow cold at her words as I tried to guess which moment he'd seen.

She seemed to understand what I was doing and supplied, "You were in the car and he was professing his love to you. Not to mention that you said that…"

"I didn't want to see Edward," I finished glumly.

Her eyes narrowed and I noticed her anger for the first time. "Yes. That would be the one," she said, her response clipped.

I nodded once and moved past her. I could smell his divine scent coming from the second floor and slowly, more than human slowly, I crept up the creaky steps.

His back was to me when I entered the musty room. Everything was dusty and cobwebs hung in every corner and on the old lights and sconces. There was only one tattered arm chair near an old fireplace and a small table nestled beside it.

It felt like I'd swallowed something too big and that it had gotten caught in my throat as I saw his body tense at my arrival. I made myself cross the distance between us, but I didn't touch him. The silence was thunderous. Neither knowing what to say or what to do. I couldn't believe how things had turned out with us. So certain I'd been that no one had ever loved someone as much as we'd loved one another, and look at us now. We were like two total strangers. Oh, I was still very much in love with him. There was no question about that. But, I had no clue how to right the wrongs of the last few months.

"I have to leave in a few hours," I blurted out. Not what I wanted to say, but at least it shattered the stifling silence.

"You are going back to Volterra?" He asked, his voice full of astonishment. "I thought you joining us tonight meant that you'd…" his voice broke off as he shook his head slowly.

I swallowed hard and told Edward everything I'd told Demetri, except he seemed a bit more irritated with me than Demetri had been.

He paced to the fireplace angrily and placed his hand against the white mantle. "I cannot believe you betrayed us like this." He kept his face averted from mine and seemed to be searching for words that eluded him. I remained silent as I clearly had nothing to add. I had betrayed him. All of them, though I wasn't convinced that I was entirely wrong. Killing Aro would be wrong. That much I did know. So, I just waited for Edward to say the words I'd been dreading for so long. To tell me he was done with me.

"Why tonight? Why not go back in the morning?" He finally asked. At least he was not telling me that he regretted marrying me and tying himself to me for all eternity.

"I promised Aro that I would…" Somehow admitting that I had to be back at the castle tonight so that I could transform some innocent boy into a vampire didn't seem like a good idea, but lying definitely wasn't a better alternative. "I promised him I would be back this evening." That was the truth, just not the whole truth.

He was suddenly right in front of me, his arms enveloping me and pulling us tightly together. "I am so angry with you, Bella. So angry. But I am not going to waste the few hours I have arguing with you." With that his lips crushed against mine, his tongue spearing my lips and forcing them open. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back just as aggressively.

His fingers were pressed into my flesh so hard that it was painful, yet oddly pleasant and he bit my lower lip, a low growl vibrating out of his harsh mouth. We fell to the floor roughly and his lips worked their way down my chin and along my jaw. As he nibbled on my neck, his fingers worked deftly at removing the three buttons of my corseted vest and unhooking the front clasp of my bra that had been peeking out of my vest suggestively. The next bite was harder and left a perfect imprint of his teeth, a little venom seeping in and burning me. I ground my teeth against the pain. I deserved this pain and this rough treatment. I'd made this encounter what it was. It could have been something lovely and romantic if…

Edward pulling my pants off in one frantic motion yanked me out of my thoughts. His shirt was off and his pants unfastened as his obsidian eyes glowered down at me. One finger brushed across my eyelid and his anger seemed to lessen. "Your eyes are already turning golden," he remarked as he leaned forward and laid a light kiss over my closed eyes. He pulled me up in sitting position and molded our naked chests against one another, his hands running through my hair. His lips began trailing down my face and neck again. This time more gently and he licked across the imprint of his teeth before capturing my breast in his hot mouth. I cried out and wound my fingers in his hair with one hand as I used the other one the push his pants off and guide him to me.

The feel of him inside me for the first time in three weeks left me breathless. Our hands and mouths were everywhere as he pounded into me, my body burning for him and winding tighter and tighter with each deep thrust. I stared into his eyes as he brought me near the edge and saw only love; the love that had always been in his beautiful eyes. It didn't matter that we were angry, that we'd said and done terrible things to one another over the last two months. We were still very much in love despite all of that. My eyes clenched shut and my head flung back forcefully as the orgasm scorched through me and still he kept going, his hand forcing my face to him. "Look. At. Me. Love," he commanded softly with each thrust. "I have not waited this long to feel your body only to have it end so quickly," he murmured.

I flipped him over easily and took over the lovemaking. My body rising and falling over his as his dark eyes watched raptly was just as much of a turn on as the feel of him inside me. His pale hands moved from my waist up my ribs and cupped my breasts gently as I arched my back, another orgasm rocking through me, but this time he wasn't able to retain his control and I felt his whole body shudder and become rigid as his hips met mine in three quick thrusts. I fell against him in a heaving, breathless mess and couldn't remember a happier moment.

I chuckled softly as I rolled onto my back. We were both coated in a fine dust from the dirty hardwood floor. I couldn't have imagined a more disgusting place to make love, yet it had been perfect. Of course, now that I was in my right mind again I remembered that we also had a house full of vampires and at least one that was very much my enemy. Seline would not waste anytime reporting this to Aro, but I just couldn't seem to work myself into worrying about that as his fingers roamed over my body idly.

Edward rose up on his side and peered at me intently. "What are you thinking?"

I giggled and replied, "Don't you ever get tired of asking me that?"

"Yes, very much so," he said as his lips pulled up into that crooked grin.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I was thinking about Seline and Aro."

"You're right, that is terribly disappointing." His mouth descended on mine again and moved sensuously against my lips. "I am not doing my job properly if you are thinking about this Seline woman and Aro," he muttered against my mouth.

I pushed him back gently. "We do kind of need to plan some things out, don't you think?"

He sat up and offered me his hand. "I just wish I could have a day with you where I don't have to worry about anything other than pleasuring you…repeatedly," he teased. "But you are right. Get some clothes on Mrs. Cullen so we can go right the mess that you've made."

I threw his shirt at him. "Hey! I didn't make this mess. Well, not entirely. Virat helped," I whined as I struggled into my bra. His hands were suddenly pushing mine away as he quickly fastened it.

He chortled and he conceded, "Alright, alright. The mess is not entirely of your making. There, does that make you feel better?" he asked as he began buttoning my vest. Turn around so I can tighten this thing up," he murmured. As he pulled at the string lacing up my back he nuzzled his face against my ear. "I like this outfit very much." He gave one more tight pull and my breathing was slightly constricted as he tied the bow and twirled me back around, his eyes feasting on my chest that was pushed so high from the too tight corset. "Yes, very much," he sighed as he kissed me one last time before leading me down the stairs.

A/N: Okies…any suggestions on how to clean up the mess I've made of my story? LOL. It has gotten a bit out of hand. Thanks!

Sabrina