Emmett Pov

Emmett watched Bella and how hard she was holding Alice's hand and knew this was just too hard. He wished they hadn't ask for her to tell this story now, even though it was obvious how it was good to know, it was hurting her. She had tears in her eyes much too often, and she had them right now.

"So, when the family left Forks things didn't go well for them." Bella spoke up. "Only Rosalie was happy to be rid of Bella, and the others were just going through the motions." Rose's hand gripped his arm harder. It was a bit sad how little he and Rosie had to do with the other Bella, and this showed why. He knew his Rosie was a tough nut to crack, but so worth it. That Bella apparently didn't get to know that.

They went into this story knowing that their Bella, was afraid of hurting Rose, and that meant something was coming because other than the animosity Bella talked about nothing had really happened there. Emmett glanced at the clock and kind of wished that this was like a movie, because in a movie you could look at a clock and know when it was almost over, which was usually when the worst of the story happened. Without that, they had no idea if it was almost over yet.

"Edward had convinced his family to leave without even saying goodbye, but then he'd left them as well. He attempted to track Victoria, but then he just ended up in South America, curled up on the floor, waiting to die. He felt like he was sacrificing his happiness for Bella's safety, but he'd sacrificed her as well, and all to his emotional demons." Bella took a shaky breath, which did not bode well in Emmett's mind. "Alice had told her family why she'd left, and Rosalie was tired of Edward's moping. She didn't understand that he actually loved that human, and she made a poor decision." Bella paused, but she couldn't make herself look up. Emmett opened his hand and Rosie slipped hers into his. "Rose called Edward and for once, in months, managed to get him to answer the phone. She told him that his human was dead and he should just come home."

"Oh my god." Esme muttered quietly, so as not to interrupt Bella, but Rosie's steel grip proved that his wife was just as upset with that. Emmett ignored Edward's growl for now, but if he acted like the damaged party and tried to hurt his Rosie, Emmett would teach the boy a lesson. In this time, with this Bella, it was Rosie who understood what Bella was worth and Edward was just delusional to think that he still held the high ground here.

"Edward tried to call, to verify, but he had poor timing because there was a funeral going on that day, and Jacob was at the house trying to convince Bella that they should be together. He answered the phone and when the man on the other side asked to talk to Charlie, Jacob told him Charlie was at the funeral. Edward was convinced it was Bella's funeral and he enacted his plan. He always planned to die right after Bella did." Emmett looked up and could see how sick everyone looked at Bella's words. "Edward headed to Voltura to ask for death. "

"Look what your selfishness did." Edward growled at Rosalie. Rosalie seemed to shrink into herself in pain and Emmett started to bare his teeth at Edward, but before he could growl, they were all shocked at the weak unfamiliar growl that filled the room.

"You're so busy pointing fingers, but you don't notice you're planning to suicide in this story? Look at Esme, you self centered prick, look at her. Don't you dare go blaming Rose for this." Emmett turned to see Esme, sure that Edward would do the same, and it was heart wrenching to see the pain in Esme's eyes. "You had always planned to kill yourself when Bella was gone, and always planned to keep her human, so she was going to die. That girl was a danger magnet. You expected her to live to be old and grey, but it was against the odds that she'd ever be that, you'd saved her from death so many times and only a few of them involved vampires, she wouldn't be safe just because the vampires she'd come to care for were gone. From the start, this was what you were going to do to your family. Rosalie just jumped the gun on your plan." Bella's words had Esme flinching, and Emmett glanced to the side to make sure Edward was listening.

"So you, you look at what your selfishness did." Her voice softened just a hint. "When Danny died, when I found out what he'd done, I was so angry at him, and so upset with myself for not seeing it. I was mad at myself for being angry too. I was a mess. It was a horrible time. I still wonder if I could have seen something, could have done something, if I had been there." Her eyes stared holes in Edward. "This isn't going to happen here, but if we are going to be laying blame on people who put others in danger in this story, when I've already stopped this, you're about to be ripped apart, because you're about to put your family and Bella on the Volturi's radar."

Emmett watched as his human BFF stared down Edward as if she'd climb over the table and rip him a new one if he bothered Rosie and found it wasn't as funny as he thought it would be. No, even as a human, Bella Bear knew how to lay down the law and it didn't seem funny at all. "The Volturi are worse than even you know."

"What do you know about the Volturi?" Carlisle asked after an awkward silence.

"I think that needs to be after I tell this part." Bella tore her eyes away from Edward to look at Carlisle. "At least we have the Denali's on the line, you can get your confirmation as soon as I'm done."

"I find I really want to hear what you have to say." Eleazer spoke for the first time, and Emmett could hear the tension in his voice.

"Soon." Bella sighed and Alice handed her a glass of water, which they all watched her take a drink from. It was obvious that her hand was shaking just a little. "Okay, so Edward was heading to Voltura, and Alice ran back into the house because she'd had the vision. If she went alone to try and stop him, he'd just act faster and he'd doubt anything she told him. No, the only way to save Edward would be if Alice brought Bella to Voltura. He couldn't deny she was alive if she was right there."

"No," Edward spoke in a stunned quiet way, everyone else stopped moving at all. Emmett froze as well, for a moment, before pulling Rosalie and her chair closer to him. That might not be their Bella, it might not happen, but to hear Bella tell this story made it all too real and personal. The only Bella Emmett could envision in this story was his own, and that made it so much worse.

"Jacob argued with her, pleaded with her, to just stay with him. That he loved her and she should just ignore what Edward was doing. He didn't understand why she'd care, he hated that she cared. Still, in spite of how badly Edward hurt her, Bella grabbed her passport and went with Alice on the rescue mission. They had to move fast, Edward had a head start on them and it was too much of a head start. It was possible that Alice and Bella would land in Italy too late and just have to get back on another plane to return." Emmett noticed Bella was becoming more of a story teller, making it more real, making it harder to hear, and he wondered if this was as a punishment to Edward for yelling at Rosalie. Edward turned to look at Emmett at that moment, letting Emmett know his thoughts had been heard, and then gave Bella a cautious studying gaze.

"Don't piss off Bella today Edward, she'll go for emotional blood." Emmett whispered quietly. If it only upset Edward he'd enjoy it, but this part of the story, no one wanted to be able to visualize this part. Emmett found himself doing math, Bella said she had two years of THAT Bella's story, and he didn't think two years had gone by, so it had to be okay, didn't it?

"The brothers denied Edward's request while Bella and Alice were making their way over the ocean, if they'd agreed quickly there would have been no saving him." Bella grimaced. "Edward, obviously had to admit to his crimes in his plea for death, he had to let the Volturi know that the Cullens had let a human exist that knew the secret, and that on top of that they'd left her behind. If Edward weren't gifted I don't think it would have mattered that everyone thought that Bella was dead, I think he would have been given his own death quickly. Instead Edward had to come up with a plan to earn that death, and it was to expose himself during St. Marcus day at noon in front of all those humans. It was a beautiful sunny day." Bella looked up and stared a little blankly at the wall near Edward. "Noon was still pushing it. Alice stole a fast car and they drove like a bat out of hell away from the airport and through Italy. As they were driving, Alice told Bella that it was too sunny, and if Edward knew she was coming he'd react before they could stop him. The girl who regularly tripped over her own feet, was going to have to run through the town, through the people, as fast as her little human feet could take her and get to the clock tower. If she failed, they would possibly all die." Bella swallowed hard and Emmett could see the pain in Alice's face. "Bella was fine with that, she would want to die if she failed. She just hoped Alice got away."

"Fuck." Emmett muttered under his breath. No one said anything about his interrupting.

"Don't drag this out Bella." Alice told Bella with a pleading tone and Bella turned to stare into Alice's eyes for a moment, before nodding just a little. "Just the facts, we don't need more."

"Okay. Alice, Bella and Edward were taken to the feeding room to meet with the brothers. It was shortly before lunch apparently." Bella's voice was less emotional, less of a story teller and she was listing out facts. It made it a bit easier to hear. "They found Bella's shield and it made Aro offer to let them live and leave if he knew for sure Bella would be turned some day soon. Edward refused. It looked like they'd all die, but Alice stepped forward to share her vision of Bella as a vampire, and she said she'd do it herself if she had to. Edward was pissed at her, I guess he preferred to die with Bella right at that moment than give them a chance to live. Alice got them out of there, but the Volturi promised to visit."

"Shit, she was standing right there, and you couldn't even lie to make them let you go?" Emmett turned disgusted eyes to Edward. He noticed that Edward was running rough hands through his hair, messing it up good and proper.

"You can't lie to Aro." Carlisle spoke up. "He'd know, no, someone would have to mean what they said to get out of that." Emmett followed Carlisle's eyes to see he was watching Alice, who did look a little rough.

"Aro collects people with gifts, and he was fascinated with Alice and Edward, but especially Alice. He had huge hopes for Bella since her power was enough to stop him already, as a human." Bella's eyes moved to the phone. "Eleazer, you've noticed how when a coven appears to break the law he'll give a few of them the chance to redeem themselves, but it's only the ones with powers? He made up some of those crimes just to get his powerful guard."

There was a tense silence as the vampires could hear Eleazer muttering, and getting increasingly agitated. "He used me."

"To determine who lived and who died, yes." Bella turned her eyes to Alice. "Alice is the most interesting vampire he'll ever meet and if you ever want death bad enough to risk this family Edward, just hang around La Push, the wolves will turn and they'd be willing to do the job. Don't ever go to the Volturi, because they'll kill everyone, and they'll steal Alice." Bella turned to glare at him.

"You know this for sure?" Carlisle asked and Emmett thought Carlisle looked like Bella kicked his puppy.

"Later the Volturi will show their true colors in this story Carlisle, and yes I'm sure. Edward brought their attention to this family and at this point in the story Aro is just waiting for the tiniest excuse to march on Forks and get a real live precog. I wouldn't doubt that was why he let Bella live, so he'd have an excuse to go there later and if Edward got his way, in not turning her, an excuse to punish your family."

"I'm thinking she's right Carlisle." Eleazar added and Carlisle let out all the air in his lungs and just stared at the table, his shoulders slumped.

….

Jasper Pov

Tension was high around the table, and Jasper was working to ease it while also taking in the fact that Bella considered the Volturi a clear and present danger to his mate. It was all he could do to not take Edward out back to kick his ass for his role in this story, and how he'd created such a mess, but it was a story at this point.

"Can we take a break?" Alice asked, surprising a few people around the table, including Bella. Jasper looked over at the story teller and could see her frown. "Please Bella, you need something to eat and I think everyone just needs a moment to absorb what you've shared already."

"I don't think I can eat." Bella admitted and Jasper felt Esme and Rosalie's concern just as quickly as the words were said.

"Jasper will help you, and everyone else will stay here. They won't go away, they won't get away, just because you take a moment. You're human, you need it." Alice stood up and took Bella's hand. Jasper stood to follow them into the kitchen, knowing Alice did this for a reason, and based on the emotions in the house everyone did need a break. Esme stayed at the table to talk to Edward, rather than follow them into the kitchen.

Jasper worked to keep Bella calm enough to eat, but still the human selected foods she considered easier. He also continued to try and calm Edward or Esme once in a while as their conversation got emotional. The Denali's were off the phone for a little while, and perhaps they were even able to move around, but here, Bella was so worried they'd leave that no one but Alice and Jasper left the main room, and only because they left with Bella.

"Bella," Alice spoke softly and stared at the human until Bella looked up. Jasper stayed quiet and still as he noticed the way Alice looked at her. Alice was about to say something important. "You need to hurry up with the rest of this. If you keep turning this into a story, instead of a briefing, it'll hurt more. I know you are probably doing this to slow it down, you don't want to get to the end, but I believe humans call it ripping the band aid off quickly. You need to just get it all out there where we can deal with it. Just dump it out there." Bella's anxiety increased. "Keep it clinical, keep it impersonal, and it'll be easier."

"How will he learn if it's easy?" Bella asked quietly.

"We're not here to teach Edward anything." Jasper spoke up softly. "Darlin' we just need the facts and if he wants to learn something he can ask for more later, but he's already got a lot to chew on. If he has a single brain cell in his head, he'll consider what all you said already."

"This is not about Edward." Alice added. "That Bella, and that story might have been about him, but this, what we're doing, it's about you Bella. This is all about you. We want to understand what happened, so that we can protect you." It was stunning to feel the shock, and the sudden understanding, the affection and the relief, that all came from Bella as she understood why they were doing this, why they were putting Bella, and themselves, through this.

"I do want to thank you for the warning about the Volturi though darlin'." Jasper spoke softly to Bella, while keeping his eyes on hers. Now that he knew the danger he could better try and protect his own mate and Bella made sure they'd know.

"You're welcome." Bella muttered, before turning her eyes down. Jasper just smiled at the shy looking response, before taking the plate in front of her and walking it to the sink for her.

They sat in silence while Bella slowly finished her drink. The woman was clearly deep in thought and Jasper respected Alice's request to let her take her time. "Jasper, I hate to keep asking more of you."

"I'll watch out for her." Jasper offered easily. "Why didn't you tell her to keep it brief before?"

Alice sighed. "Because it needed to hurt a bit, if we wanted to make sure none of us made these mistakes with our Bella, but the rest of this story is going to hurt enough as is. She doesn't need to perform it for us." His mate looked up at him with sad, tired eyes, "Rosalie and Edward, everyone, this is a hard story. At least she's figuring out how to soften it." Alice's voice cracked and Jasper ached to pull her into his arms, but Bella didn't know they were talking and she put her glass down.

"I guess we better get this over with." Bella said, resigned and weary.