Chapter Twenty Nine

Peter

We heard Bella's cries as we approached the cabin and knew her transformation was under way so we were stuck here for at least the next few days until she woke up. I just hoped she would be a little more controlled than some newborns I'd dealt with or we were all in for a rough time. Especially as The Major would be torn between controlling a raging new-born and protecting his mate!

"Right Garrett, this is the most dangerous time for us. We need to be extra vigilant while we're trapped. You keep watch to the south, Charlotte take the east and I'll cover the west. I don't think we'll need worry too much about the north but if I can get The Major away from Bella I'll ask him to check it out. Cell phones on at all times and check in on the hour and half hour"

"You really are expecting trouble aren't you Peter?"

"I find it's better than thinking "Oh shit, I should have been watching out for that!" If it's the Volturi we could all be dead, after all they're only interested in one person and they won't care how many they have to go through to get her."

As the other two ran off into the still falling snow I went inside to let The Major know what we were doing. He was sitting on the bed with Bella in his arms and I knew from his face that he was shouldering some of her suffering. As I came in he turned his head,

"Major I know how much you want to help her but we really need you out there. An extra pair of eyes. Besides if they get as far as this room then its all over for her."

He nodded but he didn't speak and I stood waiting. With a sigh he got up and laid her gently on the bed glancing at her silent but writhing figure before following me out and shutting the door.

"That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do Peter."

"I know but she's tough, she'll get through it"

Alice

Carlisle found me the next day with Esme, I'd wanted to leave but to do so meant I wouldn't be on the spot to see what he was doing and I couldn't watch everything. I just hoped they had taken my advice and changed Bella or there would be more trouble than any of them could handle because Aro would stop at nothing to acquire Bella. I had looked as far into the future as I could, bearing in mind that it changed from moment to moment as people changed their minds altering what happened often days or weeks later. I'd seen one possible future for Bella, well two, and neither ended happily for her. The future with Edward where she gave him the child he so desperately wanted and died very shortly after although how was open to conjecture, and one where she was still human when Aro caught up with her and alone. It could be that she had run from Jazz or there could have been something dark in his own future but she was alone and he took her back to Volterra and changed her there himself. What he failed to understand and how could he, was that by bringing Bella to Italy he had sown the seeds of his own, in fact the whole Volturi's destruction. Bella's gift was extremely powerful as he suspected but what I knew and he didn't was that Bella alone couldn't control it, not as a newborn at least and without Jasper, her mate, to keep her calm she would destroy everything in her attempt to escape the confines of her prison. Not just stones and mortar but the very Volturi themselves.

Carlisle

Alice knew something, perhaps not everything, but she knew enough to be of help to me and one way or another she would. I had finally been able to contact Alistair and he was on his way here. By the time I met him at the airport I wanted as much information as I could get. I knew Bella was still alive and it was certain she was with Jasper although how he had been able to hide that knowledge from Edward I had no idea. His behaviour at the funeral had been extreme and now that was explained, he was in love with Bella. But his attitude had also been that of a man in the agony of losing the one he loved which was a contradiction, how could he know she wasn't dead yet be so devastated? I popped my head round Esme's workroom door hearing Alice's voice and asked for a few minutes of her time, she could hardly refuse without raising Esmes suspicions that something was wrong. Walking up stairs with her I opened my study door and ushered her in before closing it and sitting to face her.

"Alice I want to know what's going on with Bella."

"I don't know what you mean Carlisle."

"Please don't play games with me. I spoke to Aro and he told me Bella is still alive, she's been seen. She's with Jasper and you know how."

"Have you told Edward of your suspicions?"

"Not yet, no."

"Why?"

"Because I have nothing concrete to tell him yet Alice. It's all second-hand information."

"But you believe Aro? You must do because you've sent for Alistair to track them down for him. What's wrong with Demetri? He's the best tracker in our world, how come he hasn't found them if what you say is true? I think Aro's using you to find out if it is true."

"I understand how you might be suspicious of Aro's motive for contacting me so I want to know what you do. Please Alice."

Alice

I had to be very careful here because I had seen that Carlisle truly cared about Bella only second to Edward.

"If Aro is right then Jasper and Bella belong together. If you tell Edward he will try to get her back and if he tries to take Jasper's mate the he will face The Major and his friends and we both know he can't beat them. Do you think Aro will return her to Edward if he does find her. A hypothetical question only, we still haven't established that she is still alive."

"No I think Edward has lost her for ever but I don't think he would care so much if he thought the Volturi had her."

"Once she's like us she loses any interest to Edward, she can't have a baby then"

"You knew about his plan?...of course, you saw it and you helped her escape."

"So I staged a plane crash and l killed all those humans just to keep her safe? Even I'm not clever enough to arrange a plane crash Carlisle and neither are Bella or Jasper."

He nodded and sighed wearily rubbing his face with his hands before looking back at me,

"Where did it all go so horribly wrong Alice? Why didn't you see all this coming and warn me beforehand?"

"Carlisle I never had cause to look into your future, yours was all mapped out and seemed set in stone, you had your work which was your passion and you had Esme who you thought was your mate, as did we all. Who could have predicted the way things would change so radically? Who could have seen that you would find your true mate in your own son?"