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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Special thanks to Snarkymuch, Gredelina1, Arrr, Augustmoon. Verseseven and Mary-Alice-Brandon-Cullen for pre-reading this.

The was pre-read by jtmd24 and beta'd by Maxipoo1024 from Sparkly Red Pen. Thank you ladies.

Chapter Five — Someone Called Cullen

Isabella POV

By the time the plane touched down in Pisa, I was in a foul mood.

The flight had been horrid. A screaming infant in the back of the plane had grated on my nerves so much, I came close to silencing it myself. When the child finally fell asleep, I was pursued by an overeager steward. Him, I did silence.

A gentle shift of my shield and he was rendered unconscious. Unfortunately, I did not time it quite right, and he collapsed head first into my lap.

I summoned another steward, and he, with another of his fellows, carried the hapless steward through to the galley, causing quite a stir among the other passengers.

They whispered to each other, sharing theories that grew more unlikely the longer they spoke. Poison gas seemed to be the popular choice.

I had to stifle a laugh at their foolishness. Sorry, people, no poison gas. Just a vampire that does not like to deal with overzealous suitors.

Once they deposited the prone man out of sight, one of the stewards returned to reassure the anxious humans that it was altitude sickness. The humans seemed appeased by the explanation, but also a little disappointed. There was nothing better than a little drama to liven up a long flight.

I feigned sleep for the remainder of the flight and kept myself amused by examining the memories of my encounters with the empath and his curious coven.

There was no doubt that he was intriguing, but so were many others I had met in my time, yet none of them had continued to interest me for long after we parted. There was something different about him, though, and I cursed whatever it was that had required me to return home before I had been able to properly examine him.

I passed through the airport with my usual combination of indifference and intimidation. I understood the need to keep the secret, but the quaint little human rules were tiresome and their customs laws were plain foolishness.

Though it had been late afternoon when I left Denali, the time difference and flight time combined meant I arrived late in the evening and therefore didn't have to trouble myself with avoiding the sun. Our propensity to glittering in the sun was pretty, but it made travel difficult.

I reached the departure gate and was unsurprised to smell the familiar scent of one of my kind. Felix was standing surrounded by human chauffeurs. He was conspicuous not only because of his vast form and supernatural beauty, but because unlike the humans clutching their cards depicting the name of their client, his said, "Boss Lady."

I chuckled and made my way to him, receiving his welcoming bow graciously.

"I was not expecting you'd be my driver," I said. "Where is Demetri?"

"His presence was required at the castle. Do you object to the replacement?" He attempted to look offended by my question, but I knew better than to believe him.

"Disappointed by the mode of transportation, not the driver," I said blithely. "Unless those clever humans at Ferrari have created a sports car that can hold your bulk, I assume we are to take one of the more pedestrian vehicles."

"You assume correctly."

He led me to a large black truck and opened the door for me. It was spacious and fairly luxurious, but still not as exciting a ride as I had hoped for.

When he started the engine, the speakers began to spew some loud and irritating drivel that passed for music these days. I poked at the buttons attempting to stop it, but all I managed to do was increase the volume. Tiring of the soft approach, I gave it a sharp jab, and with a shower of blue sparks, it was silenced.

Felix looked disapprovingly at the mess of crushed plastic and gave me an accusatory look. "I could have just turned it off."

"You could," I agreed. "But now you won't need to. I have silenced it and saved your ears from further abuse into the bargain."

He did not answer but pulled out of the lot and onto the main road, occasionally casting sad looks at the ruined radio. I ignored him, settling back in my seat and closing my eyes.

I passed the ninety minute drive home, imagining why I could have been summoned back so soon. I could have asked Felix, but it was much more fun to guess. It would have given him an inflated sense of importance had I shown my ignorance.

As we approached the city, I sat up and watched the passing scenery. No matter how short a time I was away, I always rejoiced at my return. The familiar winding streets and scents were comforting, and the language was so much more refined.

Felix steered us to the discrete garage set behind the castle, and I jumped out smiling as I saw another familiar face.

Demetri dropped a low bow and then swept me into an embrace.

"How was Alaska?" he asked.

"Lovely, but short-lived. Why have I been called back so soon?"

"Well, there is a situation to deal with, but in truth, I think Aro missed you. We heard them arguing over whether to call you back. I am not even sure Marcus knows you are coming; he was fiercely opposed to Aro calling you."

"In that case, I will be able to make a grand entrance, won't I?" I asked happily.

"What happened to the stereo?" Demetri asked, peering into the car.

"Isabella killed it," Felix said bitterly.

"As I have already explained, I was doing you a service. The least you could do is say thank you."

"Thank you, Isabella," Felix said sardonically.

"Don't mention it," I replied with a bright smile and made my way through the door into the connecting hall.

I went to my chamber to refresh myself and collect my robe before greeting the brothers. I also wanted a little time to gather myself. If I had indeed been called for official business, I needed to assume the appropriate persona. There was a time and a place for my theatrics, and dealing with hostile vampires was not it.

I pulled on my black robe and felt the shift as my persona adjusted, too. It was like donning a mask. In this cloak, I was powerful and calm.

I wondered what the empath would think if he saw me now. I didn't want to know. The thought of his striking face turned away in disgust or even worse, fear, was abhorrent. He need never know, only Eleazar and Carmen knew my true identity. The rest of Tanya's coven thought I was an eccentric friend of Eleazar's and accepted it without thought. I knew neither he, nor Carmen, would betray me.

Demetri was waiting for me outside the door and greeted me with a raised eyebrow.

"Eyes, Isabella."

In my distraction with the empath and his completely irrelevant opinion of me, I had forgotten. I closed my eyes, feeling the switch as they became the bright crimson of a human drinker. Demetri nodded his approval and together we strode through the halls toward the throne room.

As we passed the reception area, the human secretary called out a diffident greeting. I ignored her. Not only was she human, but she was an employee. They never lasted long, and it didn't do to grow attached.

I paused outside the ornate doors of the throne room and took a deep breath. It was time to go to work.

Demetri flung the doors open and I entered, making sure to keep my face expressionless. Though it was not easy, my natural reaction upon seeing the brothers was to smile. Instead, I nodded curtly and moved to stand beside Aro's throne.

The accused vampire stood before us with a haughty look as if he was bored by the proceedings. His constantly shifting eyes betrayed his true feelings though. He was terrified. He was unusually plain for one of our kind. The change enhanced beauty, but for him it had done little. He must have been positively repulsive as a human.

"Now that we are all gathered, we can address your crimes," Aro said, his clear voice echoing in the vast room. "You stand accused of exposing our nature to a human. Do you deny it?"

This was Aro's favorite part of meting out justice. Nothing pleased him more than when the accused would deny his offense. It didn't happen often, as Aro's gift was widely known among our kind, but occasionally, he was lucky enough to find someone that was ignorant of it. He enjoyed the moment of realization when it was revealed.

"I don't deny it, but the human is now dead, so the violation does not matter," he said arrogantly.

"That is where you are wrong," I said, speaking for the first time. "How are we to know you will not commit the same crime again? The humans are developing new technology all the time. You were lucky that this went mainly unnoticed by them. What would have happened if this had reached their media?"

"But it didn't, so it does not matter." He gave me a lecherous look that made my skin crawl.

"You pose too high of a risk to be allowed freedom," Aro said with an affected sadness. The dancing light in his eyes contradicted his tone. He was thoroughly enjoying this. "Unless you have a gift that could prove beneficial to us, you will have to be destroyed."

The vampires face slackened. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not this. "I do have a gift!" he cried desperately. "I am a gifted tracker."

Aro gestured him closer with a lazy wave, and the vampire hurried forward, his hand extended. Aro took it and his expression became concentrated for a moment as he sifted through a lifetime of memories.

"Alas, it is not to be," he said, releasing the vampire's hand. "You are indeed a gifted tracker, but not so gifted as our Demetri." He gestured to Demetri who gave him a wry smile. "I could possibly keep you, but your fondness for what you call 'the hunt' is a contradiction to our way of life."

The vampire ran for the door but was caught by Felix before he was able to reach it. Felix dragged him back, struggling futilely.

"Alec, would you oblige," Aro said calmly.

Alec fixed the vampire in his gaze. His struggles increased as the mist Alec's gift created crept towards him. In a move perfected by centuries of practice, Felix stepped away just as the mist reached them. The vampire immediately became motionless, his expression blank.

"Isabella, would you like to do the honors?" Aro offered.

"No, thank you. Let's allow Felix his pleasure."

Aro nodded and Felix stepped forward, his expression gleeful. With a screeching sound, he dismembered the accused vampire and piled the pieces.

"Take it to the feeding room," Caius instructed. "I have no desire to smell burning vampire for the rest of the day."

Demetri, Felix, and Alec gathered the pieces and carried them from the room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, I dropped my calm mask and flopped down onto the arm of Aro's throne.

"So, what did I miss?" I asked eagerly.

"Nothing of consequence," Marcus said. "I must admit, I am surprised to see you back so soon. I expected you to be away longer. Did something happen?"

Aro gave me pleading look, but I was not going to cover for him. He had interrupted my break, not to mention interfered with my enjoyment of the empath.

"Yes, something happened. I received a summons. I had barely a week away before I was dragged back..." I turned my attention to Aro"...is there a reason you called me back?"

"Of course there was, we just dealt with it. That nomad posed a risk and I…" He trailed off under my disbelieving glare. "Very well, I missed you. Things are so much more interesting when you are here."

He looked a little like a child caught in a misdeed, an impression enhanced by Marcus's heavy sigh.

"Did I interrupt anything important?" he asked, holding out a hand expectantly.

I took it and patted it fondly. "Well, I was meeting some fascinating people when you called me away. I would share the experience, but I am not feeling particularly generous now."

Marcus chortled. "That will teach you to be overeager. Who did you meet, Isabella?"

"A coven led by someone called Cullen."

"Carlisle!" Aro said animatedly. "Oh, how I have missed him. He lived here for a time. Did you not meet him, no you wouldn't have," he answered his own question. "It was while you were away. He is a wonderful man. He had hopes of becoming a physician you know."

"So I understand. If only you had not called me back unnecessarily, I could have got to know him a little better. Had I but more time, I could have gained a wealth of memories for you."

Comprehension dawned and Aro looked as if he was sincerely regretting his decision to call me back. "Dear Isabella, please, would you show me your memories of Carlisle?" His tone was wheedling, and I giggled in amusement.

I slid from the arm of his chair and onto Marcus's lap. He wrapped his arms around me, locking me in his embrace.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. We all know how this will end. Aro you need to promise Isabella something from the vault, and she will share the memories," Caius said impatiently. "Have we not seen this charade play out a hundred times before?"

"And I suppose you are immune to her charms," Aro said mockingly. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that authorized the construction of the solarium in the grounds just yesterday."

"You did?" I asked ecstatically, freeing myself from Marcus's grip and raining kisses on Caius's cheeks.

He slapped me away good-naturedly attempting to retain his dignified manner but failing spectacularly. "I only did it to stop you badgering me. Why you want one at all is beyond me."

"I want one because they are pretty. Think how lovely it will be to enjoy the sun's warmth fully. I told you they are marvelous, and you will come to love it."

"If you say so," he said unconvinced. "Now, will you please show Aro the memories of Carlisle, so we can all have a little peace."

"Please, Isabella," Aro said pleadingly. "You can have your pick of the jewels."

"I have no desire for more jewels," I said carelessly. "What I want is time."

"Agreed," he said promptly. "As much as you desire."

"By time, I mean as long as I wish," I elaborated. "With no interruptions. No summons without real cause."

"I promise," he vowed, holding out his hand excitedly.

I took his hand and concentrated my mind, allowing the veil to drop, giving him free reign to my thoughts.

It was a curious sensation sharing my memories with Aro. My shield was torn between a desire to protect me, and the pull to utilize his gift for myself.

One such time, I had lost control and been flooded with his thoughts. A lifetime of his own memories, and those he had gleaned from others, flooded my mind and almost unbalanced me, an impressive feat for a vampire. I had been far more careful after that. It was not an experience I wished to repeat.

Marcus sucked in a surprised breath, perhaps seeing new bonds forming around me. I hadn't been aware that I was that attached to any of the Cullens, but it did not overly concern me.

Aro eventually released my hand and smiled. "Thank you, my dear, that was most illuminating. I see Carlisle has flourished after all. It pleases me greatly. As much as I enjoy your company, I imagine you are eager to return to Alaska."

I was a little surprised by his haste to see me leave. It was most unlike him. However, I was eager to get back to Alaska. I had not had nearly enough time with Eleazar.

"Well, I will take my leave," I said cheerfully, turning to leave. When I reached the door, I looked back over my shoulder. "Caius, next time you are feeling indulgent, would you consider a jet? Flying on the commercial airlines is not pleasant."

I slipped out of the door, their laughter ringing in my wake.

Thanks for reading. If you would like a teaser of the next chapter let me know in a review or a PM.

Simaril x