Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all. All credit goes to her for the lines utilized from her books.

Edward POV

As we pulled into the driveway of the Forks house, I felt a tremendous sense of loss. I thought I would be bringing Bella back with me the next time I sat foot on this soil. Instead, I was returning empty handed. Well, other than the fact that I was dragging a werewolf home with me. It was unprecedented, the relationship Jacob and I had formed over the past two months.

That would surely come to an end as soon as we could find Bella. We would both be fighting for her then, which would leave little room for our friendship to continue. Friendship? I pondered that word for a moment. Were Jacob and I really friends? Perhaps, I couldn't go that far, but we were allies. Could we stay allies as we battled for Bella, assuming she would even allow a battle? As with me, Bella thought Jacob had cast her aside as well. Jacob and I would be starting on equal ground. I wondered just have far he would go to win her over, because I was willing to do anything.

Bella had no knowledge of mine or Jacob's search for her, though. We hadn't been able to find her. Alice's visions had mysteriously disappeared, leaving us to track Bella the old fashioned way. Emmett monitored the activity on her card and kept us notified immediately of any charges, but Bella was drifting from place to place. She never stayed in one place long, and was always gone by the time we arrived. We'd seen her in one video when I bribed the motel clerk. She was bedraggled, and her face was strangely devoid of feeling.

Emmett had told me that her bank account was running low, and I instructed him to transfer money into it. He laughed, saying he'd already taken care of it. Bella had noticed the amount immediately. We were obviously close, because we'd just missed her, having gotten the call that a bank in the next town was accessing the account information. The clerk panicked when she saw Carlisle, Alice, Jacob, and I standing over her desk.

Carlisle convinced her that Bella was his daughter who was on the run, and she readily admitted that "Ms. Swan" had closed her account and had the amount wired back to the source. In my anger, I'd destroyed a tree in the park down the street. Now we had no way to track her, and she had very little money to live on. I couldn't search the town on foot for her thanks to the damn sun, but we drove for hours in an attempt to locate her. In the end, she had unknowingly slipped away from us again. That had been almost a month ago, now. We hadn't been able to find any sign of her since then.

The only thing that stopped our search was a panicked phone call from home. Esme told Carlisle that he needed to come home immediately, that we all did. It was the first time in her existence that I heard Carlisle's voice raised at her in conversation. In the end, she'd refused to answer his questions, only insisting that it was important. Chasing Bella across the country in this manner hadn't done any good, so Alice suggested that perhaps we should return to Forks and monitor Charlie's house to gain insight. Surely, Bella would contact her father soon, and we could use our connections to trace the call. The panic in Esme's voice had been the final motivation. Esme never panicked.

Jacob walked into the house behind us, but I saw him shy away from the concentrated smell. Alice raced into Jasper's arms, and Esme looked at Carlisle with a lost look. He folded her into his arms in embrace. Rose and Emmett gazed at me with somber expressions.

"What is it?" I asked just a little too harshly, nervous about what they felt the need to hide.

Esme withdrew an envelope from her jacket and slipped it into Carlisle's hand.

"It's from the Volturi. Aro has sent a missive that we are to join him in Volterra."

And then I smelled what she'd been trying to hide...Bella. I raced to Carlisle and opened the envelope. A lock of her hair fell out into my hand. The scent overwhelmed me for a moment.

"They have her," I groaned in agony.

Jacob snarled from across the room. "What do you mean?"

Emmett took pity on me, as I slowly lowered myself to the couch in disbelief and grief, and explained. "The leaders or royalty, of our world. They've sent a missive for us to join them in Italy. The hair was included with the envelope as the real message. They are letting us know that we've broken the law and must come to answer for it."

"The law?" he shouted in frustration.

"Only one really, that we must keep our existence a secret from humans," Rose murmured.

"And I broke that law when Bella realized what I was and I didn't kill her immediately," I added.

"So they have her, and they are requiring you to go there to answer the charge before she can be released?" he guessed.

Alice walked over to Jacob and stood before him, her grief apparent. "Jacob, she may already be dead, destroyed for the offense of knowing about us. We've never known the Volturi to leave any human alive. Or they could be waiting for us to arrive so that we stand trial together."

"I've destroyed Bella and this family, and for that I request that I be allowed to go to Volterra alone. I'll take full responsibility, and that will give you time to find a good hiding place. Aro will probably be satisfied with my assumption of the punishment," I murmured through my hands.

Emmett shoved me into the floor while he cursed me in his head.

"Like that's going to happen," Rose spat at me. "We go as a family. No more going off on our own."

"Aro is a rational being. He is the caretaker of the law; that's true. But he also understands relationships, Edward. We will explain, and he will understand. At least we know where she is. This is better than where we were just an hour ago. It will be fine," Carlisle said.

Jacob looked at Carlisle in question. He explained. "I lived with them for many years, Jacob. Although we parted company, Aro remained my friend. I couldn't live with many of their choices, but Aro and I have maintained a relationship, albeit distant. Don't misunderstand me; he is still conniving and autocratic about his rule. He isn't to be questioned or disobeyed in our world. But, I hope that since he knows Bella is connected to my family, we will find her happy and healthy upon our arrival."

It was then that I saw the overnight bags packed by the door. Seeing the direction of my glance, Esme grimaced. "I have us booked on a flight to Italy, leaving tonight. We'll need to leave in just a few hours to get to the airport. I made the reservations as soon as I knew you were heading home."

Jacob walked over to her and looked her in the eye. "I need to go as well, Mrs. Cullen."

Esme murmured, "Esme, please."

We traded loaded looks around him, as he begged her silently.

Carlisle attempted to rationalize with him. "Jacob, vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies. You'll be walking into the residence of the most powerful vampires in the world. You'll be destroyed immediately."

I saw Jacob's wolf rising behind his eyes. "Then, sir, I suggest that you call your friends in Italy and forewarn them I'm coming."

He looked over at me. "You don't plan to come back if she doesn't, do you?"

My family hissed as I shook my head in answer to that question. "Well, neither do I," he announced.

He'd appropriately pegged Esme as the one of us with the biggest heart. He turned and looked down at her solemnly, "Please, I'm begging you."

She looked at Carlisle, and, when he nodded, she went to the house phone. Carlisle took out his cell phone and began dialing a long distance number. A female's voice answered in Italian, as he stepped out onto the porch. He was notifying the receptionist of the business that had been elaborately built as a façade for the leaders' residence, to let Aro know to expect us. She asked him politely to hold, and then an ancient voice came on the line. One of the guards took the information personally from him, and I heard Carlisle explain our unexpected guest. Stunned silence met his announcement before the line went dead.

Alice startled me when she placed another bag by the entrance. When Jacob and I both looked at her in disbelief, she shrugged her shoulders. "I ordered a few things for Jacob during the time we've been gone and had them delivered here. I figured when we finally found Bella that he would be hanging around here so I took care of an anticipated need. You can thank me later."

Within a few hours, we were on the plane to Italy.

Bella POV

I was still angry with Charlie when I left the bank. I wondered what retirement account he'd cashed in to put that much money in mine. The bank manager had assured me that the money would be returned to him. I'd closed my account just in case he tried again. He wasn't going to be allowed to finance my flight into oblivion. He'd worked hard for that money, and he wouldn't be caught without for me. I only had a little left and needed to find a way to make money. I'd need to get a job soon, but I was so tired, and right now I just wanted to sleep.

I was walking down the street from the bank when I saw a car that looked like Carlisle's pass on the opposite side of the busy lanes. I turned to take a second look, but it had been swallowed in traffic. The hole ripped wide open anyway, and I leaned against the building in pain.

"Miss, are you okay?" a small voice caused me to open my eyes. A small girl looked at me as she strained against her mother's arm.

I smiled gently at her. It had been a long time since someone cared. I glanced into her mother's face and saw her wariness. It should be expected, I looked a mess.

"You have a wonderful daughter, for her to show concern for a stranger."

I looked back down at the precocious child and warned her. "Don't ever speak with strangers. Not everyone out there is nice."

I began to walk away after winking at her.

"Miss, do you need a ride somewhere?" the mother said, probably shocked at the advice I'd given her daughter.

I turned, stumbling slightly. I felt weak and realized it had been several days since I'd thought to eat.

"Sure."

"Where to?" she asked from the driver's seat, as I buckled in and turned to smile at the little girl behind me.

"Anywhere," I looked at her before attempting to smile.

Michelle and I spoke some during the trip. I'd never been much of a talker, and since leaving Forks really hadn't had anyone to talk to, but something about her made me open up a little. In the end, she knew that I was running from heartbreak and that I was already contemplating going back home. Charlie had to be sick with worry. At the next town, I saw a motel at the side of the road, advertising cheap rooms.

"Michelle, would you drop me off here, please?" I asked.

"Bella, forgive me for being a worrier, but you seem like a nice kid. I'm not sure that is the right place for you to be staying. This isn't the best side of town."

My face must have given me away. "It's all you can afford, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Listen, I did something similar in my youth. Before I met my husband and settled down. A lady helped me, so would you allow me to repay the favor? My whole family lives here, and my dad and mom live in town. They have a small apartment over their garage that I'm sure they'd let you rent dirt cheap. And it's in walking distance from many of the stores, so you can probably find a job easily. Dad and Mom will probably get a kick out of it. They were furious when I took off on my little 'soul searching' expedition. They will find it therapeutic to help out," she concluded.

Of course, she'd kept driving the whole time she talked so we'd passed by the motel before I could even answer. She took my silence as approval.

"Excellent, I'll feel so much better knowing I gave you a safe place to stay while you figure out what you want to do."

In the end, Martin and Amy, her parents, fussed over me as they stuffed food down my throat and made up the sofa bed in the small space. I took a hot shower, and as I laid my head down on the musty smelling pillow, hoped to sleep the night. I woke up screaming not too many hours later, the hole in my heart on fire. He'd been so close in the dream, and he'd cared in it. STOP IT! I ordered my mind as I looked down at my hands. It was over. Jake was over. Life was over. I forced my head back down on the pillow.

When I woke later that night, my life irrevocably changed. In the corner of the tiny room, Victoria stood smiling viciously at me. In an instant, her face was so close to mine that I could smell her.

"You've given me quite a run, but you and I need to go visit someone," she said in a curiously childish voice, then slapped me hard. I saw stars, and everything went black.

I would love to know what you think! Unlike my other story where I couldn't ask for reviews, I'm soliciting your thoughts here. Please!.

As always, I want to thank my Betas – please check out their stories here on FF – they are incredible:

hopeforastalemate – A better name for this woman would be Volturi Girl. I'd started this story months ago, during short breaks from Harvest Moon. So… in response to her love of the 'Italian scum' and her personal invitation for me to write something a little darker, my planned sweet, angsty story between Bella, Edward, and Jacob took a dramatic turn. Hence the ten other chapters now residing in my recycle bin. I hope I make you proud. See the link to her profile below:

.net/u/2173996/

Crmcneill – For his patience with me (contrary to how he presents himself on his FF profile) and his incomparable editing skills. Male twilight fans are not a myth – they do exist, and I am so glad I was able to connect with him. I've called many men friends, but I've never called one master until now. "Strong is the power of the comma. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." See the link to his profile below:

.net/u/1933926