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.
Bella POV
Alice and Rosalie stayed for another hour, harassing me unmercifully. Jane continued to add brief statements here and there, displaying her sharp wit and dry humor. I was just grateful she was even speaking to me. I was afraid that after my maneuverings concerning her and Felix, she would sacrifice our friendship to her anger. I realized, in that moment, that I did want to speak with her about it though…not exactly to apologize but to see where she was with the situation.
Alice's eyes glazed over briefly, and then, she quickly stood up. "Bella, Rosalie and I will be going back to the family quarters. We need to see what trouble our husbands have gotten into with Demetri, but please come to join us afterward." She flitted out the door, and a resigned Rosalie followed. It was abrupt, and I knew it was because she saw the conversation I would have with Jane.
When the door shut, Jane looked over from where she sat on the couch and asked, "Does she do that a lot?"
"Yeah, you kinda get used to it after a while."
"They were good friends to you in the States," she stated with no inflection.
"Well, Alice was. Rosalie couldn't stand my guts. I'm not sure what has changed, but I'm not going to question it." I was uncertain how to start the next conversation, and an awkward silence filled the room during my contemplation. I finally decided to just go in for the kill. "Are you going to give him another chance?"
"WHY SHOULD I?" she swore out harshly, rage washing across her face.
It would seem I'd opened Pandora's box, but at least, it wasn't a HELL NO! That was a start.
"Why didn't you tell me, Jane," I asked, really wanting to understand.
Her gaze flitted to the floor, and I thought for a moment that she was not going to answer. "It was a long time ago, Isabella. I worried for you, and I did attempt to warn you off from him, if you will remember. It was…difficult…to um…watch you with him."
She paused, and I had to all but bite my tongue to keep from jumping into the silence.
"But, I am excited for you, that you've been able to reconcile with your Mr. Cullen. His face, when you asked him to marry you…I've never seen anyone glow with such happiness," she said, raising her ecstatic face to look at me.
Good try. Even through the pain I felt at hearing Edward's name, I knew what she was attempting to do. "Jane, I've had better masters at the art of evasion attempt to snow me in. Back to my question, are you going to give him another chance?" I owed this to Felix, attempting to make her see reason.
"No. I am not."
"So you are going to let your stubbornness cost you the love and affection of a man who would give you everything?"
"HE GAVE ME SILENCE!" she screamed, and as she did, I imagined individuals in the castle running for cover. "He did not trust me enough to give me a say in what occurred, or an opportunity to state my side or what I thought should happen. He cut me off, Isabella. He refused to talk to me and left me to deal with the consequence. You would not understand."
I let the irony of that statement sink into the room, blanketing every surface, and burying into the various hiding places. It was only a moment until she gasped sharply, realizing what she had just said.
"I'm sorry, but it was different for you…right or wrong, he thought he was protecting you," she said in a defeated voice.
"Well, I can't argue that," I acknowledged. My mind went rapid fire in a multitude of directions attempting to think of something that would make her see reason. Finally, I just decided to play Devil's Advocate. "Jane, if, let's say Heidi came to you with what seemed to be indisputable proof that she'd slept with Felix during that time…what would have been your reaction?"
"I would have ranted and raved as well, Isabella. I'm not faulting his initial reaction. What I fault is that he would not listen, no matter how hard I tried. I could not exist around someone who was so dogmatic. No matter if I forgave him now or not, I would always wonder when the proverbial 'other shoe would drop.' Leave it be. He'll move on. He did fairly quickly after me." Her face twisted with the emotions being contained in her tiny body. I knew by the tone of her voice that I'd pushed as far as I could.
"Are you mad at me for attempting to rectify what I see as a wrong?"
She blew out a breath of air. "No...Yes…well, um…maybe a little. You just don't have to take care of everyone, Isabella."
"I can't help it, it's what I do. I'm not going to stop, you know. You admitted that it was difficult to see us together. Don't try to convince me that it is because you were only worried about me…you still care for him. In fact, I would guess you still love him as much as the last moment you were together. It would seem for the next few days I have a lot of time on my hands. What better thing to do than meddle?"
"I will speak with Aro if you do, Bella. I want none of it!" she said severely, but the mention of my adopted father's name sliced a little into my dead heart.
I was angry…no strike that…I was furious with him. He'd sent Edward away, just a day after our wedding. His mission could have waited, but he cared so little about my feelings in comparison to his desire to gather information that he'd sent Edward from me. Fear had taken root in my soul…I just couldn't shake it.
His declaration of "Isabella, you are being silly. It is a standard practice for me to send an envoy when important information is to be obtained. In this situation, Edward is the perfect candidate. He will be home soon," hadn't phased me.
I knew I'd hurt him when I turned away from his offered hug. I was still furious enough not to care, so perhaps I did understand Jane more than I thought. As Felix had cared little for Jane's pain, Aro had discredited mine as a mere inconvenience.
"Isabella?" she called again and I realized she must have kept talking.
"Whatever," I hissed out, suddenly entrenched in the pain of not having Edward. I was being cross, and I knew it.
Her face fell, but then she looked at me with dawning understanding. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine how you feel, after everything, for him to have to leave. I will not debate with you about whether or not you have a right to be mad at Master Aro." She rose. Please, come, let's go for a walk. I don't want to argue. Let us not mention their names again this afternoon. It is a beautiful day; shall we go sit in the garden and enjoy the sun on our faces?"
I took a deep unnecessary breath to steady myself before agreeing.
Numerous members of the guard and the Cullen family ended up joining Jane and me. Alice brought a book she'd found in the library about the history of the legends of vampires and read to us. Jasper laid his head in her lap, enthralled with not only the sound of his mate's voice but the rare glimpse into the past. Caius came to sit beside me on the bench. I knew he was attempting to run interference for his 'brother,' but I hissed at him whenever he began to say his name. I'd seen Aro enter the courtyard. His pleading look of equal amounts vexation, sorrow, love, and anger had not impressed me.
Caius finally gave up and just put his arm around my shoulder in a comforting manner. Sulpicia floated into the yard a little later, placing a kiss to my head, before she went to Aro's side to link their arms. I could tell she wasn't happy with either one of us, but she was going to let us work it out for ourselves.
When the sun started setting, I realized that I did not have my cell phone in my jeans pocket. I panicked and stood up so quickly that every eye flew to me, before I ran to my room. Edward had said he would call every evening. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that I did not have a missed call message. I'd never had a cell phone before, and it was difficult to get used to the idea of carrying one.
I was back to being alone in the room, and the memories of my honeymoon poured through my mind. I actually grinned at the fact that I'd told Edward to call me "snack." It had been a subtle reminder to him of James' statement that day so long ago on the field where they'd played baseball. I'd done it intentionally to shake his infamous control a little. There was no way I was going to answer to that name. What I was sure about though was exploring the little foray into Edward being a little more dominant with me…not all the time…but it was a desire I didn't want to give up totally. I'd have to ponder a name he could use for me…something special to us both…a sign that I wanted him to take control.
A soft knock distracted me, and I momentarily considered ignoring it. But, when I heard the soft voice say my name, I raced to the door. Marcus stood in the hallway, smiling hesitantly at me.
"May I come in?" he asked when I made no move to invite him in.
I smacked my hand to my forehead and literally grabbed his arm to drag him inside. I didn't stop until we were before the couch, and I pulled him down onto it.
One look at his understanding face, and my lip began trembling, almost like my body knew it was okay to break down in front of him. I felt incredibly comforted, and then, I felt like a shit. I had no reason to be crying. The only excuse I could develop was that the last few weeks had just caught up to me - seeing Edward again after believing I'd lost him, the chaos between us, his absence again as he and Marcus left, and then our reuniting for one glorious day…only to have it all disappear as he walked out the door again.
I needed a pair of big girl panties.
He knew me so well. "Isabella, it's okay to cry. I did the first time I was separated from Didyme for more than a night. It doesn't make you weak; it makes you true to who you are…a loving young lady." He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped me into his arms, pressing my face to his chest. He 'shushed' me through my dry sobs, rubbing my back softly.
It was awhile before I could talk. "I'm tired of crying, though. I'm just worried, that's all," I mumbled against him.
"Okay, well then, cry tonight, and then tomorrow, you do something different."
We were both silent. I didn't know why he was, but I knew that I was considering what that "different" would be. My duty here had so far consisted on using my shield to protect the Volturi and the Guards. Although I felt useful at those times, there were more hours in the day where I didn't have anything to do than times when I did.
I was drawn from my thoughts when Marcus began speaking softly. "Would you consider helping me with something I have considered doing for ages? I've been dormant too long. The influx of you and Carlisle's brood has forced me to live again. Well, I don't know if 'live' is the precise word I should utilize, but you've forced me to become something more than I have been in a long time. I would like to transcribe some of Didyme's letters to me into a modern format. I hate the new electronic forms of media, but it seems to be the preferred form of recording."
He looked at me, assessing my thoughts about the idea.
"Why would you need me to help?" I asked, confused.
"It is something that Edward mentioned that made me think about it…that you liked to read, and he'd spoken further about your interest in writing. Besides…I am not fond of the computer…it is such an inelegant way to converse. It is just like everything in this age…too much focus on what is expedient instead of methods of creating masterpieces. However, my aversion to the computer has left me a very poor typist."
He'd surprised me with his request. I sat up in his lap and looked into his serious face. "I'm not fluent in Italian, though, or whatever language they were probably written in."
He said something. I was unable to understand it, but the sound was beautiful. It was lyrical and seemed to roll off his tongue effortlessly. It reminded me of deep dark forests, moss, moisture rich air, and fairies and elves…it was so magical.
"I'm sorry; what did you say?"
"Etruscan. However, I said it in my native tongue. I could teach you the language as you learn Italian. Latin found its roots in my indigenous language, so you would be surprised to see how much you already know, but for now, I could translate them into English for you, and you can type them for me. I know it will be monotonous, but I thought it might give us both a focus…at least for the few days it takes for Edward to come home."
I thought for a moment and realized I didn't have anything better to do. In fact, I felt a sense of curiosity about the woman who had won Marcus' heart. What would she have chosen to relay to her mate…what words would she have utilized to describe her love for him?
"Is there a computer here at the castle?" I asked, realizing I did not know.
"Many, but we shall get the best laptop for our purposes. I'll send Demetri; I'm sure he can figure out what to purchase."
I thought back to the gadgetry of the Cullen's home. "Send Emmett; he'll know exactly what to get. He is an electronic guru."
He quirked his lip subtly. "So be it."
The ring of the phone made me startle, and I all but jumped from his lap in an effort to get to the side table where I'd left it.
Marcus chuckled softly as he rose and began to exit. "I'll give you privacy."
Yeah, like that was possible in a castle full of vampires with supernatural hearing. I didn't even look to see the caller's name. Jacob knew better to call me in the evening, since I'd already told him that Edward would be. That left me one caller and one caller only.
"My Love," his voice came across the wire the minute I connected the call.
"Edward…" I breathed deeply, feeling whole again.
Our phone call was not short. We spoke at length about his trip across two countries, the men he'd traveled with, and his arrival at the residence of the man to whom Aro had sent him. He described the wild habitat of the local leader's dwelling and the harsh beauty of the land.
"How long do you think you will be?" I finally asked, dreading to hear his answer.
"Aro's missive asked the leader to document for him the Romanian's activities that have caused him concern. I do not suspect that will take more than a day for him to accomplish that."
I knew the real reason Aro wanted the man to do that in Edward's presence. He desired for Edward to see his thoughts…to see if the information the man provided was the truth about the situation or a compilation of half truths and lies.
Edward continued through my thoughts. "Agoston has indicated that the site he would like me to see is but an hour journey from here. I will be accompanying him tonight. I hope to be coming home in no more than two days, Bella. Hopefully, I can convince Aro to allow us to slip away for several weeks to the chateau then for a proper honeymoon."
Two days? That was bearable, in comparison to what I'd thought. I was imagining Edward gone for weeks. I smiled broadly.
"I would like that very much." He obviously heard the eagerness in my tone because I heard him chuckle.
"Bella, I hate to get off the phone, but my battery is low, and I'll need to recharge it. Agoston's quarters are fairly rustic, and he has been kind enough to agree to allow me the use of his generator to charge it. I do not want to let go of your voice, but I also don't want to overextend my welcome in regards to his minimal resources. Same time tomorrow?"
"Of course!" I replied adamantly.
"I love you, Mrs. Cullen," he said softly.
"I love you, too, Mr. Cullen."
I hated the sound of the click of the phone disconnecting. Be careful, my love. I thought.
I would enjoy having the distraction of helping Marcus, I realized. I hoped that we would be able to get a computer from Florence first thing in the morning so that we could get started.
It was then that I saw the bags of his stuff sitting to the side of my dresser and realized that I could do at least one thing to feel a connection to my love. I smiled as I held each item close to my nose, inhaling his scent as I folded the clothes and carefully placed them beside mine in the appropriate places. I didn't find anything particularly exciting. He'd already told me that he'd carried few possessions during the time he chased me. He'd already given me my CD and the pictures he carried. But, feeling the textures of fine cotton and silk against the skin of my hands and arms and knowing that the clothing had snuggled against him…it helped.
Edward POV
I shut down the phone and walked back toward the small huts that Agoston and his mate utilized. They were just a step above nomads, having several stop off points within the area Agoston claimed. Stepping first into the small utility shack, I plugged the phone into the power receptacle as Agoston had directed. He'd indicated that we would leave just after midnight; so hopefully, the next few hours of charging would result in a full battery. I was grateful that Emmett had convinced me to buy a good international package, but even with the best option, reception in the wilds of the Hungarian and Romanian border was sketchy at best.
I listened to Agoston and his mate, Ema. So far, I'd found nothing to lead me to believe that he was in a conspiracy against Aro. In fact, his thoughts matched the message that he'd sent to Aro. I could see the place in the Romanian woods he'd found through his thoughts. It did look to be a training site. He'd smelled something he wasn't familiar with, and dread rose from the pit of my stomach. I knew what it was…werewolves. I would know the smell anywhere. Yes…Jacob was a shifter…imparting his traits through genetics and not bites, but he still stunk like one of the "Children of the Moon." I wanted to see what the Romanians were doing and just what type of training was occurring.
I pulled the dictionary from my book bag and leaned up against a post in the yard to study some more while I waited on the time to leave.
The land blurred under our feet as I followed both Agoston and Ema through the increasingly wild land, surrounded by steep cliffs and mountains. As he'd said, within an hour, we were there. A wide area had been cleared from the native forest, forming a training field of sorts. I looked at the ground and saw obvious gouges. I recognized the sight, having thrown Emmett and Jasper to the floor of the forest many times, forming similar furrows in the moist Earth. The smell of werewolf permeated the area, even though it was old. I bent low to the ground and closed my eyes, opening my mouth to draw the air in. I wanted to focus on the smell and taste to see what I could determine. My skin crawled at the faint stench, it tasted rank…almost spoiled on my tongue. I also picked up another concerning aroma - lots and lots of venom, and the smell of vampire ashes. I wondered how many innocent humans had been sacrificed to produce newborns…guinea pigs for training exercises. Certainly, the Romanians would want their werewolves to be trained in the most rigorous manner.
"This is only one of the sites that have been reported to me," Agoston said from beside me. He then stood silently, watching me dig into the soil, letting the dirt filter back through my fingers. I was testing the soil, seeing if I could smell anything else. I was reminded briefly of the day I knelt on the cliff outside of Forks, shifting and clawing through the dirt there to release Bella's scent.
Agoston served as an unofficial leader for the six vampires that inhabited the wilds of Hungary and the Ukraine. They were all nomads who ventured into the surrounding countries. He'd received reports from them of growing concern. He hoped that Aro would finally step in and dispose of Vladimir and Stefan. If anything, he was a tad power hungry, wanting to take over the Romanian territory after their destruction.
"I've seen enough," I murmured, standing to nod at the man before me.
"I would like to return," Ema said to him in their native tongue. She did not like being so close to the border. In fact, she did not like staying at the current camp. She preferred for them to stay night to night in different locales, never resting in one place too long.
Agoston grunted at her in acknowledgement. He remained quiet during our journey back…at least verbally. His mind was a cesspool of information. Aro had nothing to fear from him, for now. He would need to cultivate Agoston for the moment to help in an offensive strategy. But, he would have to watch him if he did reward the man with lands. I believed he would become greedy. Political intrigue…such was the challenge of Aro's position. It was one I was glad I did not have to suffer.
"I have sent a message out with the men that accompanied you here for the others to gather tomorrow evening. I will work on the documentation that Master Aro has requested tomorrow."
I nodded my head and thanked him. They then disappeared into their hut to participate in what I was missing. I left, going out into the woods to avoid the sounds. I was granted a favor when I ran across a small herd of Roe deer and savored the strongly favored blood flowing down my throat. I said a prayer of thanks that I hadn't had to resort to cattle. The image made me snicker slightly before I dashed to my feet and followed the retreating sounds of their hoofs. I'd better at least attempt to take down a second in case I had to stay longer than expected.
The sunrise heralded my need to return to the small shacks. I didn't want to be caught in a strange land. Agoston greeted me with a silent nod and moved to sit at a crudely fashioned table. He took out rough paper and pens from a well worn knapsack and began writing down the promised missive. I watched his mate, Ema, move about. She had long black hair, and I assumed she was native to the area. Her skin held an unusual cast as a result of her most likely olive complexion and vampire chalkiness. She was graceful in her movement as she picked up what few personal items they had and placed them in their knapsack. She wasn't planning on staying after our meeting. After packing their meager possessions, she paced back and forth anxiously.
I had little to do but sit, and it made me appreciate, even more, the refined life I'd led with Carlisle. We'd never experienced being nomadic vampires. I would have gone crazy running place to place with nothing to do but succumb to the needs of my thirst. Perhaps, that was why the nomads we'd met seemed just on the brink of insanity to me…their feral natures so prevalent. Hadn't I almost been the same during my time of rebellion, hiding in alleys and attics? I realized, in that moment, that no…I'd never been this way. Carlisle had instilled in me the need to retain at least an amount of my humanness…our compassion.
I pulled the thick book again from my bag, letting part of my mind remain focused on the thoughts around me. I was almost through the lengthy list of words, letting my memory store them almost like photographic memory. I just needed to work now on sentence structure and verb tenses, but I was hoping that I'd be able to decipher most of the conversations I would be privy to later in the evening. Speaking of evening…
I reached into my back pocket and took out the phone. I knew now that neither of them spoke English, so any conversation I held with Bella would be as confidential as if I traveled far away from them.
"My Love," I breathed out when I heard the connection.
"Edward…"
We both chuckled about the irony that we'd started the last conversation this way.
I filled her in on my day and told her of what I'd found in the clearing, going further to ask her to relay the information to Aro. He'd be able to see it, of course, when I returned, but I wanted him to have the information now. I sensed her hesitation and enquired about the cause.
"I'm still angry with him for sending you away. I will speak with him if I must, but I'm not happy about it."
I smiled into the phone when I realized that my little Bella was challenging the leader of our world and felt so comfortable doing it. I was inherently grateful that he loved her; otherwise, he wouldn't be so patient with her.
"Write him a letter telling him; that way, you can maintain the silent treatment." I heard her gasp and then the sound of her delighted voice.
"Perfect! That is exactly what I will do. Speaking of writing…I'm helping Marcus with a project. We are transcribing letters that Didyme left him. He's recopied them by hand over the years, but the first ones were on papyrus. Can you believe that?"
She sounded so excited about the task. I would have been bored tearless.
"In a way, it is so difficult to have him read them to me. You can feel the pain in his voice…it is agonizing sometimes. We were only able to do two today because it took Dimwit so long to get back from the computer store."
I started to ask who Dimwit was until she continued, and I realized just who she was talking about.
"He shrugged those big shoulders at me and attempted that little boy look. 'Bella, I had to find the best for you, and I decided to go with a Rugged Notebook. I'm still not sure about your grace, even as a vampire,'" she sneered, repeating what Emmett had attempted to sell her before she continued. "The only thing that saved his butt was that I was in a good mood, and it was kinda cool."
"I bet." I noticed several vampires slinking into the area and realized I didn't know them well enough to decide whether or not I need to monitor my words.
"Bella, listen, I gotta go. Tell everyone I said hi and that I love them. I'll see you hopefully tomorrow night. If it is overcast, I'll leave in the morning; if not, it'll be after dark. I love you, Mrs. Cullen. Look after my heart - I've left it with you."
"Only if you do the same for me, because you are my heart...my everything," she said before hitting the end button.
I stood, putting the phone on top of my bag and moved the newcomers toward the table.
"I have two more men coming," Agoston indicated, "but we might as well get started for now."
What I heard, both verbally and not, was repetitive - multiple sites across the countries that surrounded us - the same smell, always present with the signs of vampire destruction. It would seem the Romanians were training an army of newborns and werewolves. I wondered just how they could control the unpredictable werewolves and hazarded a guess that they must have a gifted person in their midst that allowed it.
An hour later, my life came to a crashing halt. I heard the thoughts just before they reached us. All I could say to the group around us was, "Agoston, you've been betrayed."
Within seconds, a horde of vampires rushed into the area. The others had taken up defensive postures, but I'd realized the futility of it all and stood still with my eyes closed. I could have fought, I know, but we were overwhelmed. We would not win, so I spent my energy focusing on the vision of Bella's face, hoping she would be the last thing I saw. It was over in moments, and I guess you could say that I was lucky. I was slammed into by three vamps who forced me to the ground. I heard the screams of the others at the same time as the smell hit me. Ripping sounds permeated the air as the werewolves attacked several of the men with enthusiasm. I felt my limbs stretch to the maximum as I was forced to kneel. Ema and Agoston were the only ones left beside me. The sickly sweet smell of burning body parts quickly wafted over us.
They were waiting…for their leader. I heard Ema's thoughts racing, attempting to determine how to get her and her mate out of this situation. She was quickly devising plans to offer me up. She was being true to what was important to her. I could relate. My family's faces wrapped through my mind as my face was pressed to the dirt below me. My arms had been pulled behind me, being held high over my head, stressed to the point of ripping out of my body. I took a deep breath and allowed my mind to focus on a pair of vibrant ruby red eyes in a beautiful pale face.
"Bella, I'm so sorry. I love you." I kept repeating, hoping that somehow over the miles she might feel my love for her…hear my heart's pleas. I had no doubt that I wouldn't see her again. I was grateful that Marcus and I had talked. He would take care of her for me, as I knew my family would as well.
A few moments later, the vampire I recognized as the leader of this foray walked into the area, flanked by two others. His mind was clear…obtain information…destroy the evidence.
I heard Ema's shock when she was pulled up by the hair and clasped to the leader's chest. He wrapped his hand around her chin, forcing her mouth closed, and then twisted sharply, causing sharp popping sounds to crackle across the air.
In Hungarian, Agoston began begging for mercy.
"Are you spying for the Italian scum?"
Agoston was caught. If he lied to get out of this moment, Aro would track him down and exterminate him. Agoston knew Aro had the resources to make sure that he did not lose. He was torn, but then the leader looked over to my area. I knew I was a dead man then.
Ema was thrown to the wolves, literally. I heard Agoston cry out, seeing his mate torn to pieces, but with a nod from the leader, his sacrifice was secured as well. He walked toward me.
He grabbed my left hand twisting it. "WHO ARE YOU?"
My wedding ring. He was staring at my wedding ring…the Fleur-de-lis. FUCK!
"Let him up, now!" he ordered the ones that held me. He was trembling in anticipation. He knew that his Masters would be inordinately pleased if his suspicions were confirmed. The gasp that went out through the group was almost funny…almost.
Stregoni benefici…I heard the thoughts and the leader's recognition of my eyes…my unusual golden…telling eyes. They'd heard of Carlisle, and more importantly, they knew of his previous affiliation with Aro.
The leader had been hoping that I would admit to belonging to the Guard, but his face broke into a victorious snarl when he saw my eyes. He didn't need me to answer anything.
I heard the huffing of animals around us, and it was then I heard the thoughts of the vampire that stood to his the leader's left. He was the one controlling the animals. His gift was similar to Chelsea's. All the wolves seemed to look to him for direction and followed without question.
"Bind his eyes, and let's return to the castle. I believe that Stefan and Vladimir will be well pleased with this trip."
As always, I want to thank my Beta – please check out her stories here, on FF, and Twiwrite – they are incredible:
hopeforastalemate – A better name for this woman would be Volturi Girl. She challenges me constantly to stretch my limits. Please go over and visit her stories