AN: Another day, another chapter. Enjoy!

S. Meyer owns twilight

CHAPTER 6

BPOV

Pete was deep in thought as we ran back to the hotel. He took Caius aside and they spoke quietly, they took out their ear pieces. Demitri joined them, taking out his ear piece as well. In the corner of my eye I saw Dem nod, he went to make a phone call. I gave them some privacy and focused on the scenery.

We arrived back at the hotel and greeted the others. "Good work, all of you." Caius started "Pestilence has picked up some information through his gift. There is going to be a disruption in Volterra and we need to return. The timing seems beneficial as the trial of Maria and the captured generals will start within the week. You are all invited to join us. We would appreciate it if you could lend your assistance. We can supply you with accommodation and spend some time working on a plan to clear the armies in the south eastern states." I concentrated on my emotions and sent J my happiness, he announced "Death and I are in."

"So are Famine and I." Pete said. Caius turned to dad "would you, Emmett and Rosalie like to join us?" Dad looked to me and nodded, Emmett boomed out "we're in." Caius smiled "the private jet is still at Santa Fe airport, we could even leave for Italy tonight if it's convenient to you?" J nodded. I looked forward to seeing Italy.

Dad turned to the pots on the stove "anyone in need of a top up? We should probably use as much of the blood as possible before we head to Volterra." He said. Eliza, Alec, Peter and I lined up, dad nodded in approval "excellent, this should be the end of the animal blood." He turned to Caius, "Will it be easy to get animal blood in Volterra?" He asked. Caius nodded to dad "we have plenty of wildlife, a few butchers and we can send away for anything you need."
"Thanks Caius. I'll make more scent concentrated human blood for the Horsemen, I'm guessing they'll need to stay secret?" Dad asked, J nodded.

Pete started to report. "On the plane we can relax and go by our real names, but in Volterra we should stay incognito."
"It won't be as much of a problem as it seems, the Four Horsemen will stay in my wing. Charlie, Emmett and Rose will be in Aro's wing. Kate, Garrett; should you wish to join us, you're welcome to stay with Marcus." Caius added. I was relieved we'd get a reprieve from our disguise. We started to pack up.

We finished loading the car. Dad turned to Caius; "can we stop off at the Zia Pueblo reservation?" He asked, he was in the sedan with Rose and Emmett. Pete, Char, J and I were in the SUV, the rest of our group would run to the airport. "Of course Charlie, allow us to buy the ingredients you would like. If you need anything while in Volterra let us know. We have connections with our own spirit walkers, we call them Streghe." Caius said. J straightened up "witches?"
"Yes, War. They connect with celestial energy; the sun and the moon, rather than nature spirits like those in La Push and Texas. Each coven has their own remedies, but they avoid working with the other supernatural species. They keep to themselves and only help humans. They have a rather extensive range of plant life which could aide you." Caius explained.

We went our separate ways; dad, Rose and Em headed for the Reservation while the rest of us went to the airport. We loaded up the luggage and returned the SUV to the hire desk. Our Healers arrived a short while later.

We took our seats and prepared to take off. Felix and Eliza were piloting the jet. Dad was sitting up the front with Caius, he told us about their trip to the Reservation. "They were similar to the people I lived with at the Res in Texas, they repelled vampires so Rose and Em had to get out and wait. They were really welcoming and gave me a copy of their history and a few recipes. I got everything I need for the trip" dad said. He smiled and held up a large paper bag. "This will last us months." He added.

I watched out the window as the plane took off, my eyes picked up so many details I would have missed while human. J had his arm around me as I watched the land disappear below the clouds. Pete and Char sat in front of us, I could hear her press Peter for details of the disruption that would occur in Volterra. He tried to pacify his mate; "all I know is we need to be there. It won't be an attack, but it will involve the truth being uncovered. The ancestors won't tell me anything more than that."

As soon as the fasten seatbelt light turned off Caius stood up "we have a small bathroom with a sink and toiletries if any of you wish to freshen up. There is a room next door to the bathroom with cleaning products should you wish to clean or repair your cloaks or clothes. Your duffle bags are located in the dressing rooms at the back of the plane. It'll be a long flight, nineteen hours direct to Pisa international airport. There are small Audio visual screens tucked along the wall as well as head phones. Each screen has an extensive collection of movies, music and eBooks. Let us know if you require anything else, we have a wide range of comforts." He said. He sat back down and Pete leaned forward to J and I "we can take our masks off now and return to our normal names." We unhooked our masks and cloaks in relief.

J and I headed to clean our cloaks and masks. My cloak and clothes were muddied, but there were no tears thanks to my shield. J's clothes hadn't fared as well; there were a few slashes in the fabric and the clothes underneath were shredded. He quickly patched up the cloak and removed the dirt. I cleaned off my cloak and wiped down our masks. I saw Rose come out of the bathroom, she smiled at me "all yours Bells" I smiled gratefully at her and headed in.

I shed my outfit and cleaned my skin with a face washer and soapy water. I undid my hair, relieved when the brush encountered few snags. I rolled up my muddied clothes and put them in a plastic bag provided, then wrapped my cloak around me and headed to the changing rooms to find our duffle bag.

I poked my head out of the change room, "does anyone know what the temperature will be when we arrive in Italy?"
"Low sixties" Jane replied. I quickly changed into soft cotton slacks, a dark blue shirt and slippers. J entered the changing room after me, I winked at him. I was surprised to find the leather of our seats had been cleaned while I was changing, J had cleaned them for us.

Charlie began to snore, Caius was wearing head phones and watching a movie. The others were amusing themselves in small conversation and looking at the scenery out the window. I enjoyed the soft leather cushioning me and zoned out for a while. Pete's loud laugh startled me, we turned to him "is there internet access on here?" He asked. Caius answered; "of course Peter, the audio visual screens have Wi-Fi. What's going on?"
"We're going to have another trial soon" he giggled, Char smacked his arm and chastised him for being cryptic. I walked over and kneeled beside him, he was emailing Leah;

Good morning, Wolves.

My gift just sent me an interesting tidbit. Apparently the twerp, Edward Cullen, is on his way to you. Could you please guard your thoughts and ensure he finds out about Bella and Charlie's demise? He'll be there in eight hours, but won't go onto the Res.

We'll be in contact shortly.

All the best,

Pete, Char, J and Bella
(Charlie is snoring, but I assume he'd wish to pass on his regards as well)

He clicked send "are you for real Pete?" I asked, rolled his eyes and replied. "The boy's been wallowing for months and because no one has contacted him he's throwing a tantrum and heading for Forks. The wolves will let him know the official story and he'll come to Volterra."

His face grew serious "this needs to happen Bells, he's caused a lot of trouble and needs to see his actions have consequences. Especially in our world. This is fate's way of straightening everything out. On the upside the Denalis will be relieved of their duty sooner than expected, that'll make them happy." He said. Pete went to Caius and let him in on the 'disruption' that would happen in Volterra. Char and I looked at each other as we heard Em and Rose groan after hearing they'd be reunited with their old coven.

I looked at the animated flight map, four hours left of the flight, and settled back into my seat. J had returned, I filled him in on what he'd missed. He growled lowly, he didn't want to see the Cullens any more than I did. We snuggled together in our seats.

Caius moved to speak with Char and Rose at one point, dad woke up and joined them. Felix's voice came over the speaker "we will be landing in one hour." Dad straightened up and moved to the back of the plane, he returned with four flasks. I sighed, it was time to disguise our scent.

He handed a flask to me last and squatted down next to me "how're you holding up kiddo?"
"I'm good. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Castle and meeting Aro and Marcus." I said. "Me too, Caius has been telling me about them. It'll be great to see them in action. They have a laird's lug; a secret room above the throne room. I'll be able to watch the trials. Caius and the others don't want too many people knowing about me, apparently vampires don't get along with the other supernaturals. It's very cloak and dagger." He said amused, I laughed "you should wear a tux and sip a martini" I joked, he smiled. "I've been thinking of getting rid of my cop 'stash" he said. "You'll look younger." I replied. He headed to the bathroom to freshen up while the four of us finished our flasks.

We headed to the changing rooms and got our disguises. Char was waiting for me and holding the pair of cowboy boots with silver stitching I'd bought during our shopping trip. She lifted her cloak slightly and showed me she was wearing a pair of boots with red embroidery. I pulled them on and headed to the bathroom to put my hair back into a plat.

Dad came out of the bathroom; he'd changed the clothes under his cloak and shaved off his mustache. Emmett did a double take "Mini me! " He laughed and patted dad's head, it was uncanny. Dad rolled his eyes at our Uncle. I saw J slap his forehead, he muttered "I can't believe I didn't see the resemblance sooner."

We returned to our seat, we were back to using codenames again. The fasten seatbelt light blinked on and soon we were circling the landing strip. We landed gently on the tarmac. Caius was wearing a bright red robe with black lining I hadn't seen him in before, he caught my gaze "this is the ceremonial robe for the Masters. We only wear black during missions." He wore a different pendant too; gold with a large ruby.

Caius headed out first, followed by Char, Pete, J and I. Charlie, Em and Rose were behind us in their green robes. Kate and Garrett followed behind with the rest of the guard, they wore dark grey robes. There were two stretch limos. The Guard went to the second limo with Kate and Garrett. Caius gestured for the rest of us to join him in the first.

We put in our ear pieces and Caius spoke to us and the guard. "The Limo I'm in with the Horsemen and Healers will be heading to the private parking spot, there is a direct passage to the Masters' quarters. We'll be making introductions for a little while and then Aro, Marcus and I will head to the dungeon to gain intel from the prisoners. We'd like to keep the identities of the Horsemen secret, so please only refer to them by their titles." He instructed.

"Death, Pestilence advised me of an incoming complication in the form of a telepath." He said. I nodded and he continued, "would you be able to shield us from his gift?"
"Certainly, but I'll have to feed regularly to keep my shield working." Caius nodded and explained, "when it comes to large congregations of people it's hard to control slip ups in information. For the most part you four will stay in disguise, there are parts of the castle that are strictly unauthorized to everyone but my brothers and I and our mates. It will be safe to take off your mask while in our quarters."

"I'll do my best, Caius, if I start to struggle I'll ask War to send a jolt of happiness as a signal. We shouldn't have a problem staying anonymous as long as we stick to your suggestions" I said. J added; "concerning the telepath, our experience has been to guard the thoughts at the front of your mind, usually by singing an irritating song mentally or picturing sexual experiences, he cannot delve further than that."
"Excellent, War. We were not aware of that. If everyone can follow that suggestion, when we hear the telepath is about to arrive, we should keep the Horsemen's identities secret."

The cars split off, the guard were headed straight while our car dipped under a bridge and turned sharply to the left "this is a total bat cave" I blurted out, the others laughed. Em leant towards me and we high fived. We remained silent as the car parked. Caius lead us up a steep spiral staircase to the Masters' Quarters. He opened the heavy wooden doors and lead us through another set of doors. Once the door was closed he pulled back his hood and announced "we may speak freely here, you can take off your masks and cloaks if you want to." The four of us lifted off our masks and pulled our hoods back.

Four others stood in the room with us. I recognized two of the men from a painting Carlisle had in his study in Forks. Two ladies stood slightly behind them, they must be the wives.

A tall dark haired lady wearing a deep blue cocktail dress touched the shoulder of the man in front of her, he turned and nodded. She took his hand and they walked over to us, she introduced herself "my name is Sulpicia, I am Aro's mate. Welcome to Volterra." She spoke in perfect English. Caius nodded at the blond lady behind who I assumed was Marcus, she headed towards Caius and took her hand "this is my mate, Athenadora" He introduced her. She smiled shyly at us. She was dressed in a long, red, Victorian style dress.

J and I stepped forward, I shook their hands. J hugged Athenadora. "Hello, Aunt Dora, it's good to see you again. This is my mate." He gestured to me. Athenadora smiled and turned to me "it's lovely to meet you, Bella. I understand that you are to be called Death while in the presence of others." She said.

The Masters lead us to a sitting room. J and Caius put their fingertips on Aro's hand, transferring the details of our mission to him. Aro turned to Pete "Pestilence, I hear you learned of an issue we'd soon face?"
"Yes, Aro. Fate has come for justice. The Cullen coven will join us here and face judgment." Pete said. Aro cringed "it has been a long time since I saw Carlisle, but I have heard of the coven he put together. Eleazar kept us informed over the years, he's a patient man, but even he has his limits." He looked to J, Rose and Emmett "I'm glad we have had the opportunity to get to know you without interference from Carlisle. I was surprised when the Major informed me of your assistance. Had I not been in contact with War and Rosalie I'm afraid I would have assumed you all were like him."

Emmett looked confused. "Carlisle always said he was your friend." He said to Aro. Aro's eyes soften and he smiled gently "people's words often don't align with their actions. You have seen this yourself, Emmett. Carlisle called us a friend, but slandered us frequently. I know you have no reason to trust us, but I hope you'll give us the chance to show you who we really are."
"I didn't mean to question your motives, I'm sorry it came out that way. Until recently I had no idea what was going on, I'm still putting things together." Emmett would be blushing if he could. None of us had really considered how quickly Em had to sort through decades of subterfuge. Hell, I was still struggling with the information.

There was a lull in the conversation, Aro stood up "we should probably interrogate the prisoners, would the Horsemen like to join us?" He asked, Caius and Marcus stood and joined him. Dad, Em and Rose looked thankful to stay here with the wives. We pulled the masks back on and the hoods over our heads as the Masters lead us to a different part of the castle.

I was surprised to see an elevator, they lead us in and pressed a combination of numbers. We descended for a while, remaining silent. The doors opened and the temperature dropped. "We are a kilometer underground, it's important to keep prisoners isolated." Aro said softly.

I watched as their facial expressions changed; Marcus went from looking sad to looking bored, Caius went from happy to scowling and Aro smiled widely, a manic glint to his eyes. I recognized that look as one Pete had worn in Santa Fe before the battle in the mountain ranges. I was caught between shock and amusement; the masters were completely different outside their quarters.

I saw Caius' lip twitch, he was suppressing a smile. Aro quietly explained, "we all wear masks here. It helps ensure people won't look too closely and question our actions." He whispered to me, J sent me some amusement, I saw Caius wink as he caught my eye. I faced forward and prepared myself to see the prisoners.

We came across the first cell; Maria. She looked awful; her eyes were black and unfocussed, dark purple bruises surrounded her eye lids. She leaned against a wall, her skin even more pale. She looked like a corpse. I glanced at J and saw a dangerous sparkle in his eyes. He'd broken her. J, Pete and Char had delivered justice.

The next cell held Michael and Donovan, the leaders of the small army we encountered near Houston. They sat meekly, bowing their heads as we passed. The third cell held the two men who were second in charge to Angelo, I shielded our group as I felt a light pressure on my shield. I held my hand out to Aro and tried to show him my thoughts. He nodded subtly and let go of my hand. His facial expression hadn't changed. "Very interesting brothers," his voice was unnaturally high almost melodic, very different from our first meeting "it appears the young one to the left is trying to use his power." Caius growled and Aro put his hand up "thankfully, my dear brother, we have Death on our side" he smirked at me. I was glad I didn't have to talk, I was doing my best not to laugh. Pete had been dead on with his impersonation.

Aro nodded to J who sent a wave of fear to the two in the cell. Caius barked "what are your names?" They tried to shake off the fear and stood rigid. The one with the power sneered at us "I am the Major" a stab of amusement leaked out of J. Caius's voice grew dark "your real name" he ordered. "Jasper Whitlock" Angelo's gifted general spat out. I could see Pete roll his eyes. Caius motioned for J to remove his mask, J's voice held a rough edge, but I could still feel the amusement leak out of him "do you know who I am?" They shrugged. J whispered to Aro "no recognition" before replacing his mask. Marcus opened the cell door, J and Pete walked in and restrained the two while Aro place his hands on their bare necks. I withdrew my shield from him so he could read them. He removed his hands from their necks and shook his head.

Pete and J released them both from their hold and moved back out of the cell, I snapped my shield back over the group and we headed towards Angelo's cell. I held my hand out to Aro again and sent a my thoughts "Master, would you mind if I kept my shield on J and Pete while you read him?" Aro turned to me and whispered "my dear, there's no need to address me as Master, you're mated to a family member of the Volturi leaders. That makes you family. Is Angelo using his power?" He whispered, "Yes. He's trying hard to get through my shield"
"Then please, protect your mate and uncle while I read him."
"I promise, just nod and I'll shield you when you're finished reading him. I protect my family" I whispered. He dropped his manic facial expression for a millisecond giving me a genuine smile before returning to his creepy facade.

I nudged my shield away from Aro as he approached Angelo, but kept it tight around J and Pete. I saw Aro hold Angelo's neck, his body started to slump and I grew worried before he nodded lightly. I snapped my shield back over him and he straightened. Angelo looked confused before he turned his full scowl towards me. When J and Pete turned around their eyes were black with anger. I saw a flash of concern on Caius' face.

The last cell contained the two generals from the Southern mountain range near Monticello. They stood compliant and let Aro read them, J and Pete stood next to each of them but the two boys stood in a submissive pose and shook. They looked so young. Their 'interrogation' was the shortest. I sent J my concern and worry, he nodded subtly. Yes, they had been cannon fodder.

We headed back to the Masters' Quarters, turning right and heading to a different wing. "This is my quarters" Caius said. The brothers lead us to a study, their faces relaxed into more natural positions. We removed our masks and pulled our hoods back.

Aro rubbed his temples, his voice was back to its deep lilt "there are three we cannot give trials to." He started heavily, "Angelo is pure evil. Thankfully, using a gift against a Volturi king is treason, the law claims his immediate execution. Pete, Jasper what did you pick up from him?" J replied "pure malice. As soon as he saw Bella I felt determination and hate. He'd do anything to destroy her." Pete agreed and added "he is an animal, a walking cesspit of destruction and hate. If given the chance he will escape and build another army. He underestimates our power, he's set his sights on Volterra. My gift is screaming that we execute him immediately. He has no fear."
"I bet I could introduce him to that emotion" J growled. I sat up "you could you know." Aro looked towards me "Maria?" He asked, I knew he was asking if I meant for J to send Angelo the same emotional cocktail he'd sent to Maria.

I nodded, he'd seen what J had done. Aro turned to my mate, "Jasper, would you be able to repeat that emotional cocktail?" He asked. J nodded, but added "I need to know what he's done."
"Are you sure?" Aro asked softly. He glanced at his brothers and warred with himself "I don't just receive memories I can transfer them too." He admitted. J nodded "show me."
"I will if that's what you need, we'll have to return to the prison, I can only show you another person's memories if I act as a link between you both. You need to brace yourself. You're so different than before, don't let his evil hurt you. He is in our custody and will face justice." Aro said firmly.

"Can we bring my dad?" I asked. J considered for a second and nodded, dad would make sure my mate could handle the pain from Angelo's memories. Aro smiled "that's a great idea. We could also use his input on what to do with the others, I understand he was a law man before he became a spirit healer." I smiled, glad they accepted Charlie so willingly. Pete left to collect dad from Aro's quarters.

"Pete and I should be there with you. Dad's power is stronger when we're there, the gifts in our lineage are derived from the same blood line and spiritual power of our ancestors. We amplify each other" I said. Marcus nodded "she's right, although I can't see Bella's connections I can see Charlie and Peter's bond with her, it's bound in a white glow." I dropped my shield and turned to Marcus "is that better?" I asked. His eyes widened in shock, he let out an amazed breath and said something in a language I couldn't understand.

I started to feel self-conscious and raised my shield. Marcus snapped out of his daze "forgive me Bella, I didn't mean to react that way." He said sheepishly. "Is everything okay?" I asked. He nodded "you're extraordinary. I believe I understand your power a little better. To put it broadly you're a protector, but also much, much more. You bring unity and strength to those you ally yourself to." I was curious, I already knew I was a protector, my lineage had made me a protector just like it made Charlie a healer. "You develop bonds quickly with others and they with you. It's not a gift, but it's linked to your gift of protection."

"What about dad?" I asked. "He's incredibly powerful as well, Eleazar would be able to tell you more. His gift is to make sense of others' gifts." Dad and Pete walked in. Marcus turned to me "Bella, would you mind dropping your shield again?" I nodded, Marcus blinked and squinted "your bond with your father is like a strong steel cable, now that I see you both clearly I can see your bonds really do amplify each other, Peter too." Pete agreed and added, "the paths of fate are clearer when I'm near either one of them."
"Pete's gift usually gives us small snippets of intel." Char explained. "Our attack on Angelo's army was something we'd never encountered before, he was getting full details."

J added "we also got an upgrade recently. Ever since Pete told us our role I've had better control over emotions. I can pick up the different flavors within them whereas before I just felt the texture of each emotion. I no longer absorb emotions like I used to, I can hold them without being affected. It's the same with sending emotions; instead of releasing emotions like a blast I can concentrate it, hold it, shape it. None of my personalities had that capability.

Aro moved the conversation along and asked dad for assistance in dealing with the prisoners and keeping J stable while he transferred his memories to my mate. We concealed ourselves for our return to the dungeons. Aro handed Charlie a silver cloak "we had this specially made for you Charlie, it's woven from spider silk and strengthened with our venom, it'll hide your scent while you're here and the sleeves and hood are long enough to hide your hands and face." Dad looked to Aro with gratitude and thanked him. We headed back to the dungeon.