Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse.

A/N: Some of you weren't surprised Victoria was involved. But can you guess what she wants? Let's find out…

Chapter 33: Victoria

Bella's POV

"Victoria." Edward ground out her name like a curse and pushed me further behind him. Rosalie and Emmett stepped forward, their bodies tensing as if to attack. The remaining members of the two clans closed ranks around me, their feral rumbles causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end.

"Edward, what is…"

"Bella," he growled. "Don't move."

And in the next instant, Edward was airborne, lunging for Victoria with a guttural cry. My eyes widened in shock and fear, but Alice's firm grip held me in place.

He aimed at Victoria's midsection, and I braced myself for the crash of impact. But she deftly flipped out of his way at the last moment, sending him flying into the rock behind her.

"Edward!"

He was on his feet before I finished his name and aiming for her once more. Victoria laughed as she evaded him, and Emmett to cursed at my side.

"We need to even those odds," he chuckled darkly as he sped after her.

Edward and Emmett chased Victoria around the field and across the tops of the trees as Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie guarded me. I could scarcely see my husband and brother with the distances they covered, but Victoria's joyful cries constantly assaulted my ears.

As I struggled to follow their lightning-quick movements, from the corner of my eye, I saw Kate running toward Tanya. And I saw Tanya running away.

"No!" she shouted as she leapt into a tree. "Please, Kate. Stay away!"

"Let me help you," Kate begged as she came to a stop. "Whatever you've done, I'm sure we can…"

"No," Tanya muttered. "I have made my choice."

"Katia," Carmen called. "Come back, por favor. Tanya is beyond our help."

I didn't understand Carmen's assessment, but I somehow believed her. And as Kate reluctantly returned to our group, I began to wonder what her sister had done.

And what it had to do with Charlie.

Edward and Emmett continued chasing Victoria, and with each leap and bound, I cringed in concern for their safety. They dove for her at the same time, crisscrossing in front of me and landing on opposite sides of the boulder she'd just escaped. Their near-miss whipped the air around me, blowing my hair all over my face. Victoria's jumping came to a halt, and she stared at me from her perch in a tree not thirty feet away.

"Ah yes…" She took a deep breath and backflipped out of Edward's grasp when he went for her again. "That mouthwatering scent..." She licked her teeth and grinned. "So nice to see you again, Isabella."

Edward snarled as he tensed again, but his next move was interrupted by Alice's shrill voice.

"Edward, stop!" she panted with brightened eyes. "I can see Charlie!"

"What?" I asked, as my husband sped back to my side. "Where? Is he alone? Is he all right?"

"He's fi—Oh." Alice's face crumpled into blankness. "He's gone again."

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?" I shrieked. "Where did he go?"

"It was only a flash. I…" Alice shook her head, eyes struggled to focus. "He disappeared again."

There was a rush of wind in the field, and I turned to find Victoria atop the largest piece of the rock Edward had earlier destroyed.

"Now that I've got your attention," Victoria sang. "Maybe we can start again."

Her gleeful tone needled me, replacing my fear with anger.

"You crazy red-headed bitch!" I cried as Edward took Alice's place in restraining me. "Where the hell is my father?"

"Temper, temper, Isabella." Victoria cooed, delighted by my outburst. "We wouldn't want your emotions to ruin the fun, now, would we?"

Carlisle snorted. "Is this fun to you?"

"Why, yes!" she replied. "Can't you tell?"

"We should have hunted her down when we had the chance," Rosalie hissed under her breath.

"Perhaps," Victoria said. "But it's too late to quibble about the past. And the future is unknown. Am I right, little one?" Alice growled under her breath. "All we have is right now. And right now, I am in control."

Victoria was gloating, and my family wasn't stopping her.

And that made me very, very nervous.

"I would very much like to explain myself," she continued, "if you two are finished with your feeble attempts to kill me. And I promise to tell you everything, if he promises not to spoil the surprises by reacting to my thoughts." She wagged a scolding finger at Edward. "You naughty mind-reader, you."

I gaped at Edward. "How does she know…"

"Oh, my sweet Isabella." Her smile was bewitching despite its deadliness. "You will soon be very interested in all the things I know."

"Get on with it," Edward growled.

"Now, now." Victoria twirled. "We've got plenty of time to get reacquainted. And I wouldn't want to rush. Not after all I've done to get you here."

She looked to our left and saw Eleazar restraining Kate as she fixed her murderous glare on Victoria. "And what's this?" She turned to face Tanya, quaking in the top of a faraway pine. "Tanya, I hadn't even noticed your family is already here. How providential! This will save me the trouble of telling them what happened to you."

"I will get you out of this," Kate told her sister.

Victoria's laugh flooded the field like a cheerful melody. "Oh, I love the way you covened vampires think! It makes this much more fun." Her merriment mellowed, and she turned to the rest of the family. "Edward preempted a proper greeting, but it is never too late to be civil.

"Rosalie, stunning, even in anger. I sometimes wish we had met under different circumstances. We could have ruled the world." Rosalie bared her fangs, and Victoria 's smile widened. "But now that you and your husband have threatened me, I am afraid we cannot be friends."

"Major Whitlock." She affected a terrible Southern accent. "It is mighty fine to lay my eyes on you again. Which reminds me, I have seen Maria." I didn't recognize the name, but Jasper stiffened. "She was appalled to learn of your resignation to civilian life. But as she was courting a man with twice your courage and none of your weakness, I don't suspect she misses you all that much. A shame, really," she said as she glared at Alice. "It would have been nice to see where your loyalties lie."

"Mary Alice." Victoria sneered the name. "I was shocked to see you in the clearing after all these years. I think the Fates must have been on my side that day, as I may finally get the chance to finish what was started."

"You won't touch her," Jasper snarled, instantly improving Victoria's spirits. She was smiling again when she turned to Carlisle.

"Dr. Cullen, so nice to see you again. And your lovely wife, too. Hello, Esme." My sweet mother-in-law growled, and I gasped at the unprecedented sound. "I have no problem with either of you, but that won't matter very much today."

"And finally, the two whose love started it all." Edward pushed me behind him, so I couldn't see her eyes. But her voice snaked around his body and slithered into my ears. "I hear congratulations are in order!" She applauded loudly. "Edward, don't be selfish with your bride. I would like to share my well-wishes personally."

"What do you want?" Edward growled.

"What do I…. Oh, yes." Victoria smiled. "I'd forgotten I'd started blocking my thoughts." She tilted her head, looking at Edward with pity. "That must be incredibly tough for you, as you always know what everyone around you is thinking. Everyone except Ms. Swan here...oh, I'm sorry. I mean, Mrs. Cullen.

"Is that the fascination?" I peeked around Edward's body and noticed Victoria inching closer. "Is that why you craved her so much? The perpetual mystery of her mind? Surely it cannot be more. Imagine! Mating with a human." She whipped around to Tanya. "No wonder you kidnapped her father."

"Edward, I didn't have a..." Tanya cried, and Victoria sped to her side.

"Need I remind you of the stakes?" She spoke with far more volume than necessary, and I realized it was for my benefit. Tanya shook her head, and Victoria grinned.

She returned to her original position in front of us, her eyes raking over Edward. "It must feel good, having so many women willing to do anything for you. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the workout you and the big one just gave me. Perhaps if things were different..." She paused and sniffed the air. Looking between Edward and me—I had come to stand at his side—her mouth fell open in mock shock. "Speaking of workouts, it seems the two of you recently had a rather personal one."

With everything going on, I still managed to blush as she exposed our earlier activities.

"And from the scent of it," she inhaled dramatically, "it was good to you both." Her eyes narrowed as she studied me, my skin crawling at her exploration. "How do you do it?" she asked Edward. "All that lust and power and madness coursing through your body… I could crush a mountain when the moment comes for me. Yet you must show great restraint when you couple with your bride, lest the impact alone split her into two, identically lifeless pieces." She smiled at the thought, and my stomach lurched.

Edward snarled in response, and Victoria tsked. "This must be humiliating for you," she observed to Tanya. "Knowing Edward would rather share himself with a fragile human than experience the unbridled passion available in your immortal arms."

I turned to my family as Victoria continued to taunt Tanya. "Why did you stop attacking her?" I whispered. "She's outnumbered eleven-to-one!"

"There is more to this than we realize," Edward replied. "She is blocking me, but she would not be this confident unless she had a plan. And to discover what it is, we must play her game."

"I thought you liked games," Victoria called. "Isn't that why you're with Isabella? To satisfy your masochistic desires?"

Edward glared at her, eliciting another chuckle.

"You could easily mate with another vampire. But where's the fun in that?" She stared at Edward, her fiery eyes captivating even at a distance. "It is far more exciting to mix the sensual with the dangerous, to walk that perilous edge with every touch, risking her life with every kiss."

Her voice took on a hypnotic quality, and I couldn't tune her out as she tortured me. "How many times have you fantasized about sinking your fangs into her warm, plush neck and sucking her dry while you climaxed? How many times have your teeth grazed her inner thigh or the soft curve of her breast, aching to penetrate her heated skin and unleash that hot, red flood of sinfully sweet…."

"Stop!" Edward roared.

"Have I come too close to the mark?" she asked archly, and despite my confidence in Edward's love, her words wreaked havoc on my already scrambled thoughts. "You may have convinced your lady love that your bloodlust is conquered. But we know better. We both know it will never go away. Not until the blood in her veins runs cold in death."

I shuddered under her pronouncement, and Edward stroked my hip where his hand resided. The motion reminded me of the tattooed promise underneath, and I sighed as he kissed my temple.

Victoria caught the movement of his hand and nodded. "So that's the plan, hmm? Marry her now to change her later? A flawless idea." Then she licked her teeth and glared at us. "Except for the part where she dies before you get the chance."

"Where's Charlie?" I demanded.

"Brave," Victoria said. "Foolish but brave. Charlie is not your concern at the moment, Mrs. Cullen. But I would love to tell you how he came to be in my possession. That is, if you'll permit me."

She surveyed our group, waiting for objections. Upon receiving only varying expressions of rage, she began.

"I followed you to the airport last spring, knowing wherever Edward went, Isabella would also be." I pressed closer to Edward's side at the reminder of that terrifying time, my fingers brushing the scar on my wrist. "I hoped to find my love before you did, but I was too late."

She paused, and the rumbling in her chest practically shook the ground. "I disrobed and covered my naked body with his ashes. I ingested them, choking on their powdered sweetness. And when I saw my reflection in the glass fragments near his remains, I vowed not to rest until I avenged his death.

"But what to do?" She seemed to be talking to herself. "I considered going to the Volturi and alerting them to Isabella's forbidden knowledge. But they would have destroyed her too quickly, and she deserved to suffer. Laurent was happy in Denali and had no interest in helping me. I should not have been surprised—Laurent had always been easily distracted—but I was fiercely disappointed. So I fled the country and waited for another chance to find me.

"And after a few short months, it did!" She smiled again. "An associate in Mexico informed me Laurent was in the lower Americas, and I reached out again with a friendly aim. I met Laurent and the lovely Irina in Costa Rica, and together we toured. She was bubbly and kind, and I wanted to kill her on sight. But that would not serve my purposes, so I took a different route.

"After several weeks, Irina started to like me. And why wouldn't she? After all, I was a foolish girl blinded by love, grateful to the Cullens for ridding me of my monstrous mate. So when we got to Bolivia and I asked to accompany her on a hunting trip, she happily agreed.

"A group of local newborns came upon us while she was feeding on a disgusting large cat. So trusting." Her sigh was pitiless. "That's when I made the call."

Tanya slumped to the ground, and I saw where this horror story was going. "Irina pleading for Tanya to stay in Denali was the perfect incentive. She came to Bolivia and saw how serious I was."

Tanya sobbed, and I was ashamed of my earlier accusations. "She spent the next few weeks acquainting me with the intricacies of the Cullen coven," Victoria continued, "particularly the young lovers. And the more she talked, the more certain I became my plan would not only work but would be poetic justice for what you did to my James."

Her voice had dropped to a menacing whisper, and I shivered in Edward's embrace. But it was Tanya's soft voice carrying on the cold wind that chilled me to the bone.

"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you." I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was talking to Edward. "You were happy with Bella, and I didn't want to get in the way. But she had my sister." Tanya shuddered again, a loud gulp interrupting her words. "There was a vampire who could incapacitate with a touch. Irina could barely lift her head to greet me…"

Victoria huffed as Tanya rose to her feet, explaining as she walked. "I called on New Years' Day, knowing only the Chief would be monitoring the radio. I said my car had died and I'd gotten lost while going for help. He was so kind when he found me," she smiled. "So concerned about my wellbeing I almost lost my nerve. Then I remembered my sister in that dirty shack…" She began to cry. "He called the station a few hours later to say he was taking a vacation. She didn't want anyone looking for him right away." She looked up again. "I had no choice."

Her sob story had touched my heart, but we needed to get to the point. "Did you hurt my father?"

Tanya dropped her gaze, and Victoria answered. "Patience, Mrs. Cullen. You will find out soon enough."

"Victoria," Carlisle said with admirable calm. "We are here to address your demands. Why don't you tell us what you want?"

"What I want?" Her face froze in pure hatred. "What I want is no longer possible. What I want has been stolen from me by that worthless human you call a daughter!"

"James chose to go after Bella," Edward growled. "And we refused to let him live with that choice."

Victoria hissed. "James was ten times the vampire you could ever be."

"Was being the operative word," Edward replied.

Victoria leapt into the air with a roar, and the Cullens tightened up around me. I couldn't see where Victoria landed, but her voice was closer than it had ever been.

"You will die today," she spat. "And it will be a pleasure to witness!"

"Enough!" Rosalie growled as she dropped into a crouch and Emmett steeled himself on her right side. "This standing around is for the birds."

"No!" Alice leapt in front of her. "She wants us to attack."

"Then let's give the lady what she wants," Emmett said.

"But we don't know where Charlie is!" I cried.

"We can track his scent from here," Rosalie said. "Let's just kill her and get it over with!"

Kate narrowed her eyes and prepared to pounce. "Gladly."

"No!" Tanya shouted. "Irina's life is in danger!"

Kate dropped her hands as Rosalie and Emmett looked at her. "What?"

"Didn't I mention that?" Victoria sang. "If anything happens to me, Laurent will kill Irina."

"Laurent?" I asked.

"Of course. Who do you think we were hunting with that day? He was always weak, his loyalties easily swayed. Once I reminded him of his debt to James, he gave up his girl and that vegetarian nonsense."

"Damn him to the blackest pit of hell!" Jasper cursed.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him," Rosalie groaned with a glance at Alice.

"Why are you looking at me?" Alice asked. "I couldn't have seen this coming."

"You haven't seen much of anything lately," Rosalie muttered.

Alice's golden eyes hardened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Edward groaned as his sister folded her arms. "Rosalie, not now."

Rosalie ignored him. "It means for all of your special powers, you have been completely useless when we needed you most!"

I gasped as Alice narrowed her gaze. "I'm doing my best!" she shouted as laughter rang out from behind us.

"A catfight?" Victoria cooed. "How delicious!"

"Rose, please!" I reached for Rosalie as she advanced toward Alice. "Let's focus on Charlie."

She yanked her arm free, and I fell into Edward's chest as Alice balled her hands into fists.

"Carlisle," Kate said sharply. "Get your family under control before that maniac kills my sister!"

"This is your sister's fault!" Rosalie snapped. "If she hadn't taken up with Laurent in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"How dare you?" Kate hissed.

"That was uncalled for, Rose," Alice said. "Kate is only trying to help."

Rosalie smirked at her. "Guess you didn't see that one coming either."

All of a sudden, Alice's eyes went wide and she began shouting at Rosalie. The foreign language seemed a hybrid of Chinese and German, but whatever the tongue, her words made Rosalie respond in kind.

Soon Jasper and Emmett had jumped between the girls as an ill-timed melee was about to erupt. Edward pulled me closer as their words increased in speed and volume, and I covered my ears to little effect. Victoria watched the commotion with a smug smile. I looked to Edward, and his grim expression told me all I needed to know.

We were falling apart.

"Fuck this!" Rosalie exclaimed, storming off into the forest.

"Rosalie, wait!" I yelled. "I need you!"

"You don't need me," she called over her shoulder. "You've got the pint-sized psychic…for all the good she does. Emmett!"

Emmett looked at me with softened eyes. "I'm sorry."

Victoria applauded as they disappeared from sight. "And then there were nine."

"Alice," I whirled around. "What the hell was that?"

"You're blaming me too?"

"You know not to provoke Rosalie," Esme admonished her. "Especially when she's riled up."

"We have to go after them," Carlisle said.

"More drama!" Victoria cheered.

"Please don't leave." I hadn't realized how much I was relying on Carlisle's presence, but the thought of him leaving was a dagger to my trembling heart.

"Carlisle, please." Edward gripped his father's arm, his body tense from the force he was used. "We need you here."

Carlisle's eyes were grave, and he studied Edward's face as if memorizing it. "I owe her," he said. A look passed between them I didn't understand, but Edward released him.

"We are so sorry," Esme said. And as my eyes watered, she and Carlisle sped into the forest after Rosalie and Emmett.

I slumped against Edward as the gravity of the situation weighed me down. Victoria was holding my father hostage and had the lives of two Denali sisters in the balance. And half of my family had escaped to parts unknown.

And I still didn't know what Victoria wanted.

I tried to corral my emotions as Edward did what he could reassure those who remained. I rubbed my damp eyes, opening them to find Jasper staring at me. "What?"

"You're still here."

"Where else would I be?"

He stepped closer, his eyes intense. "Victoria didn't try to grab you. That would have been the perfect time to try something, but she didn't."

"Astute observation, Major," Victoria said. "I can see why you were such an asset to the United States Confederate Army."

"Enough games," Edward said. "Make your move."

"As you wish." We braced ourselves for an attack, but Victoria retreated to stand on a rock ten more yards away.

"When I decided to avenge James, I faced a most difficult conundrum. One of you had to die, but which one? You caused James' death, but her intoxicating scent set this in motion. So you were both responsible.

"But killing you at once would have been difficult. After surviving Phoenix, I assumed you would be closer than ever, with no space for anything to come between you.

"But what if there was something else for which you'd be willing to die? Some other way to separate you? And that's when it hit me: Bella was human, at least for the moment, and she had a family."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Her mother was an interesting study. That mantelpiece alone warranted some serious psychoanalysis. But for everything I observed, my favorite ritual was her nightly reading in your bedroom, usually in that big purple chair with a gossip rag." I gasped aloud. "Don't worry—Renee is fine. I thought about roping her into this, but she wasn't important enough to you.

"But your father…" Her voice trailed off as her features grew colder. "He was the one you chose to live with, the one for whom you abandoned your mother. So I took a chance that you'd be willing to die to save his life.

"But how would that punish Edward?" Her eyes darted to him as the Denali clan looked on. "Yes, watching you die would be hard. And yes, he would forever carry the burden of your father's hatred for causing your death. But it wasn't sexy enough and nowhere near painful enough.

"And that's when it hit me!" she cried. "Why should I sully my hands he can do it himself?"

The blood froze in my veins as she smiled at my husband. "Here is your choice: Either you kill Bella yourself, right here where I can see and enjoy it, or I will kill her father."

Dun-dun-duuuuuunnnnn… That Victoria is a piece of work, ain't she?

THANK YOU for all the love you continue to show this story. It means the world to me!

See you soon… with Bella's reaction!

ladylibre xoxo