Chapter Thirty Two

Bella

The drive to the Airport and the long flight really tested my strength and my health. Although Jazz had healed my incision I was still stiff and sore besides being frantic for our son and livid at Esme for all she'd said and done. Jazz sat beside me arm wrapped around my shoulder and his head resting on mine. We were trying to sooth each other but not making a very good job of it, we were both just too tense. Peter and Emmett were muttering angrily and I knew they were both furious with Esme, while Rose and Char sat silently together and I wondered what they were thinking. I tried to eat a meal on the plane but I was so upset it was difficult to swallow for the permanent angry lump in my throat. Thoughts whirled round in my head, Esme was taking Jamie to Aro, I knew that. Aro had been told all about our son by Alice and now he would have him, our son a deadly weapon, a baby! I couldn't see it myself and there was no way I was leaving Italy without my son if we had to declare war on the Volturi to accomplish it.

Jasper

We needed to contact Caius and see how the land lay, he hadn't wanted Aro to get his hands on our baby so he might be willing to help a rescue attempt much as he had when I came for Bella. Then I remembered what Felix had said about Caius,

"Lets just say he's interested in Genealogy."

At the time it hadn't registered but now it took on meaning. Was he telling us that Caius and Bella were related in some way? If so then Caius might well help us if he could without implicating himself. Bella and Caius? It hardly seemed possible but there was some reason why Caius had helped me before and the stakes were possibly even higher this time. Aro was in sight of his goal, getting his hands on a powerful weapon, Jamie. I wondered if our little one had any notion of what was going on with strange faces, smells, and experiences, would he even recognise us if, no when, he was safely back in Bella's arms? I vowed to stick to their sides as if welded there, never would either of them be left vulnerable again, Ever, I vowed.

Peter

When we landed Bella felt unwell so Rose and Charlotte went with her to the Rest Room while we picked up transport.

"She's not well enough to come to Volterra with us Major, just look at her."

"You stop her then"

"Fuck no, she's your mate, you do it"

We watched as Bella came back, she looked so pale and shaky that it was frightening all of us. Rose looked at Jazz and shook her head slightly, Bella wasn't well although she tried to hide it.

"Are we ready?"

She looked from Jazz to me then sighed heavily,

"I know you both think I should stay behind but Jamie is my son too. I want him back and I'm going. End of argument, end of discussion, now get in the car Peter and start the engine before I kick your skinny butt."

I couldn't help a smile as I snapped a salute in her direction before doing as I was told. She frightened the shit out of me as a human, fuck knows what she'd be like as a vampire! It would be interesting to see her head to head with Aro and I was almost certain they would be meeting very soon.

Bella

The drive was peaceful and I dozed, leaning against Jasper in the back seat while Emmett and Peter sat up front arguing about the best dressed Italian actresses! I think Peter was winning because he wasn't swearing so much but I could have been wrong.

"What exactly are we going to do when we get to Volterra Jazz?"

He looked down at me,

"Demand to see Aro and tell him we want our son back"

"And if he wont see us?"

"Oh he will, that freaky fucker never misses a chance to do some verbal sparring"

"Well he may just have met his match Peter."

Emmett turned and smiled,

"Way to go Bells, kick ass!"

Jazz shook his head wearily,

"Let's try diplomacy first, Esme may not have taken him to Volterra, or he may be with someone other than Aro."

Peter whistled,

"You think our friend may have sneaked him out like he did Bella? Dangerous thing to do twice in a row."

"Remember what Felix said?"

Peter

I recalled Felix words,

"Oh, you mean the Genealogy reference. That could make things interesting if he puts a claim in too

"A claim? On Jamie? Peter he's our son, nobody has the right to put a claim on him like lost luggage. Drive faster"

Her voice was hard with anger but weak in strength and I wondered just how sick she really was. The Major was watching her worried, there was definitely something very wrong.

"Why wouldn't Carlisle come with us?"

"Good fucking question Bella"

"It would be hard for him to come with us, with the knowledge we are out for her hide. He didn't agree with what she did or the way she did it but she's still his mate and he wont act against her, he can't"

"So he ran home with his tail between his legs instead."

"At least he's not standing against us Peter"

"As far as we know. Remember he has access to a Private Jet so he could be there well ahead of us telling tales to Aro."

"Well if he does then he goes down with his bitch of a wife"

We all turned our heads to look in amazement at Bella. None of us had ever heard her so bitter and vehement before, she was howling for blood, or venom in our cases.

Bella

The others looked at me as if I'd grown another head, did none of them understand what it meant to me to have my new baby taken from me by a woman who was supposed to be helping me. A woman who was even now in Italy ready to hand my boy over to the Volturi. What would they do with him? How would they look after him, a tiny human baby? If anything happened to him, even a scratch I would kill them, however I had to do it and who ever I had to go over to achieve my goal. I had to act quickly though because as the others suspected I wasn't well. I was in pain and it was slowly getting worse but I tried very hard not to let Jazz know, pleading tiredness and soreness from the operation but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. As soon as we had Jamie back safely I would ask Jazz to change me but I couldn't afford to be undergoing my transformation while my baby's future was so uncertain. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, to hide from the ever-growing pain for just a little while.