Previous chapter: Aro – APOV
Caius huffs at my words but refrains from further comment as the sound of fighting draws near and nods approvingly as the throne room guards move in front of us while Renata grabs hold of my cloak. A few minutes pass before Vladimir enters the throne room, followed by Stefan and two other vampires, and yells, "Where is that daughter of yours, Aro? I have big plans for her!"
I grin as I take a deliberate step forward and say, "No, Vladimir, I have big plans for you."
Aro – APOV
I tense slightly as Vladimir throws back his head in laughter while eight more vampires enter the throne room to join his side. The glint in Vladimir's eyes is almost manic as he smirks at me and says, "Surely you see the error in your plans already, Aro. You send your best guards to Japan. They are stuck out there while the real threat is right here. I bet your new son-in-law doesn't even know we left Japan two days ago. You must be so disappointed in him. Did you really believe we wouldn't find out the truth about Bella's whereabouts? Hiding her in Volterra won't save her, Aro. We will find her, and you can watch as I claim her as my mate. I hope she lives up to my expectations because your sister did not. Poor thing cried the whole time as I made her mine. Stefan was right to burn her when he did. Didyme was so weak, but from what we hear, your daughter is not. She will be my ultimate price."
I hiss in outrage as every plan I concocted this past week vanishes into thin air as Vladimir's words register in my mind. Marcus looks beyond murderous as he moves to stand next to me, and his voice sounds deadly as he says, "I may have failed to save my Didyme all those years ago, but I won't let you hurt my niece this time. You and your brother won't make it out of Volterra alive, Vladimir. This, I swear."
Vladimir simply laughs out loud as he takes a deliberate step forward before saying, "Brave words from a man who's been sitting on his throne feeling sorry for himself for more than 2,000 years. I assume even you can see beyond your vegetative state to notice that we outnumber you. It's you, not us, who won't make it out of here alive."
I can't help but smirk at Vladimir as four vampires appear in the doorway behind him. Oh, dear Alice, you truly are a devious woman. I'm glad you're on our side.
Carlisle – CPOV (in the meantime)
Days pass agonizingly slowly as I focus on my new assignment while awaiting the arrival of the Romanians. Where I normally would rapidly lose myself in the research laid out on the desk before me, I find myself once again watching the clock instead of my notes. A sigh of relief escapes from my lips as the clock finally shows the desired hour, and I quickly leave the research center to pick up two friends of Jasper at the airport.
I chuckle as I take in Peter's stance as I approach the pick-up area at Florence Airport. It clearly shows me he would rather be anywhere else in the world than in Italy. It is general knowledge among our family that Peter's love for the Volturi is non-existent, but he wouldn't dare to ignore Alice's call for help. Peter would do anything for his family, and Jasper is his brother in all but blood. Charlotte smiles softly as she enters the car while Peter quickly throws their bags in the trunk. I briefly turn around to look at her and say, "I'm glad you're here, Char. Jasper will be forever grateful, and so am I."
Charlotte simply smiles in response as Peter slips into the passenger seat up front and says, "I can only hope my dear brother knows what he is getting himself into this time. Maria was a real fucked-up bitch, but helping the Volturi. That's a whole other level of crazy. Care to give us some details, Carlisle? Alice was her usual cryptic self over the phone. Annoys the hell of me, that woman. How you put up with it 24/7 is a mystery to me."
I chuckle as I direct the car toward the highway and say, "Well, she grows on you. She is my daughter, and I love her, cryptic behavior and all included. I wouldn't want her any other way, and I'm pretty sure Jasper agrees."
A soft smile appears briefly on Peter's face as he nods his head and says, "Yeah, my brother's a real sucker when it comes to Alice, but I can't say I'm all that different. Anything my Char wants, she gets. Now, don't keep us in suspense, Doctor. How did my brother get himself in league with the Volturi?"
I take a deep unneeded breath as I push down the throttle before saying, "This story began when a girl named Bella Swan moved to Forks. She was Edward's singer, and by some miracle, Edward resisted the call of her blood. He even fell in love with her, and she returned his feelings. He told her what we were, and she accepted us. She saw the good in each and every one of us, and she quickly became part of the family. It felt as if our coven was finally complete. But our Bella was a real magnet for trouble. I'm sure Jasper told you the story of the tracker."
A quick nod from Peter and Charlotte makes me continue, "Well, after that, Edward grew more and more persistent in his quest to save her soul. It didn't matter to him that she wanted to be turned, so she could be with us forever. Edward simply wouldn't hear about it. Everything came to a head at Bella's birthday party. She got a paper but when opening one of her presents. Jasper couldn't handle the combined blood lust of everyone in the room and tried to attack her. He never came close, but Edward made things worse when he tried to shield Bella. In his hurry, he pushed her into a stack of glass plates, and more blood got spilled. I quickly took control of the situation and ushered everyone out of the house. I tended to Bella's wounds and brought her home. Everything seemed fine the following days until Edward asked for a family meeting and told us that Bella wanted us to leave so she could have a few undisturbed years with her dad without the constant dangers that came with hanging around with vampires. We believed him and left Forks with asking questions."
The skeptical look on Peter's face makes me stop for a second, and I let out a big sigh before saying, "I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have seen the signs back then. I should have seen how deep his obsession ran."
Charlotte gives me a concerned smile as she gently squeezes my shoulder and says, "Love blinds even the best of us, and no sane person will ever claim you do not love your family, Carlisle. What did he do? Did he hurt her?"
I give Charlotte a sad smile as I take a deep unneeded breath and say, "More than I realized at that time. He lied to us. Bella wanted to come with us, but he told her he had grown tired of her company. He actually told the woman he loved more than life itself that she wasn't good for him and that she would never see him or us again. Edward deliberately broke her heart. She got lost in the woods after he told her all that. She almost died of pneumonia. So yes, he hurt her. But I hurt her even more by believing Edward. Edward didn't even stay with the family after we left. Our thoughts must have centered around Bella, and it only took him two days to pack his things and leave. Apart from the occasional text, we didn't have much contact with him, and I thought he just needed time to come to terms with the fact that Bella had sent him away. Then, one day, Alice saw Bella getting attacked by another vampire, but her vision was complete. It simply turned black right as the vampire was going to attack. Alice decided to go back and check on Bella, but Edward jumped to conclusions when Rosalie sent him a text concerning the attack. He was sure Bella was dead and left for Volterra to seek out the Volturi and ask for death."
The disbelief is clearly visible on Peter's face as he shakes his head and says, "That boy never did grow up, did he? If Alice didn't see the complete attack in her vision, then something or someone must have stopped the vampire from attacking. I don't know why the vision turned black, but I sure as hell know not to question my sister-in-law's visions. I like my head where it is."
I can't help but chuckle at Peter's comment, and I smile softly as I say, "And even though she wanted nothing more than to rip him a new one when Alice got the vision of his decision, She asked Bella to come with her to Italy to rescue Edward. I don't have to tell you that Bella was quite hesitant to go, and of course, Alice had no idea why. Needless to say, she was even madder at Edward after Bella told her the truth of what happened back in September. Alice explained how Edward played us, and even when Bella stated that she couldn't simply forgive, she did go with Alice to save the man who betrayed her. They made it to Volterra just in time to stop Edward from exposing himself and to find Bella's true mate in Demetri Volturi. Bella, of course, decided to stay in Volterra while Alice brought Edward home. No vision Alice had of Bella could seem to convince Edward that Bella had found her mate. And when Aro sent Demetri, Felix, Alec, Jane, and Bella to help us defeat the newborn army that Victoria created, Edward did the unthinkable. In his delusion, he failed to see how very much in love Bella was with Demetri and conspired with one of the shapeshifting wolves of La Push to have Demetri, the head of the Volturi guard, killed."
A loud gasp interrupts my story, and the horror is clearly visible on Charlotte's face as she says, "Oh God, please tell me they failed. Please tell me they didn't take that poor girl's mate away from her. She only just found him."
I quickly give Charlotte a reassuring nod as I say, "Bella was actually the one that stopped the wolf from attacking. We already knew Edward couldn't read her mind, not even when she was human, and seeing the wolf attacking Demetri made her release a physical shield wall that knocked the wolf away from her mate. Eleazar confirmed it on her return to Volterra. She is a total shield, a true protector for those she loves. I couldn't have picked a better gift for her even if I tried."
Peter chuckles as his mate lets out a sigh of relief, and I smile softly as Charlotte whispers, "Well, good for her. I bet I'm going to like this Bella very much."
I nod as I pull off the highway and say, "I believe that feeling will be mutual when she meets you, Char. Now, let's get to the end of this story. Bella was, of course, livid when she found out what Edward had done. And she wasn't the only one, seeing no one protested when Bella ordered Edward to stand trial before the Kings here in Volterra. The whole family came along in support of Bella and Demetri because we would not fail her again. The trial quickly revealed how deluded Edward truly was. He was found guilty, and Demetri did what every man would have done when faced with a true threat to their mate. Until today, I can't find it in myself to mourn Edward. In the end, there was nothing left of the boy I loved as if he were my own son. A few days later, we got punished for revealing ourselves to a human and leaving her behind. Not that I needed any more punishment after seeing how easily Aro filled the spot that was once mine. Bella no longer sees me as her father, and I will always blame myself for that, even long after my punishment is over."
I smile sadly as Charlotte gives my shoulder another squeeze before continuing, "All that to get to Jasper's part in this story. I already told you that Eleazer visited Volterra to determine Bella's gift, and when he did, Aro asked his opinion on who would be the ideal vampire to train Bella. Eleazar recommended Jasper, and seeing he was already in Volterra, Aro called him to the throne room. It was then that Eleazar noticed a strange similarity between Bella's and Jasper's gifts, a similarity only to be found between blood-related vampires like Alec and Jane. Jasper spent the days after that in the Volturi Archives searching for a clue tying him and Bella together. He found even more than that. Evidence shows that Jasper's sister Annabelle died after giving birth and that the child got taken in by the town's doctor, who raised him as Jasper Thomas Swan. Bella is his direct descendant."
Peter whistles impressed, before saying, "Fuck, Carlisle. You should write this shit down. I bet some genius producer can even make a few movies out of it. It will be a hit, for sure."
I chuckle as Charlotte smacks him in the back of the head while saying, "Don't mind my idiot of a husband, Carlisle. Please continue."
"Jasper was over the moon. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. Finding Alice gave him the peace he needed at the time, and he loves her unconditionally, but Bella completes him in a way that none of us ever could have imagined. So when news reaches Volterra that the Romanians were threatening Bella's life, there was never a question of whether we would help the Volturi defend her. Alice joined Demetri and the rest of the elite guard on a mission to eliminate a newborn army while Jasper and Bella worked on her shield. Vladimir wants to overthrow the Volturi and claim Bella as his mate. But Alice saw that Bella would be safe as long as she wasn't in Volterra when the Romanians arrived. Now, this is where you and Charlotte come in. Without your help, Vladimir and Stephan would manage to escape from the castle, and Alice saw that Jasper and Demetri would need decades to hunt them down. We can't risk them hurting Bella years from now. I won't stand for her getting hurt again. I failed her once before, and it cost me dearly. Aro is her father now, but that doesn't mean I will stop seeing her as my daughter. I need her to be safe and happy. She deserves nothing less, as does Jasper."
I can already see the determination in Peter's eyes as he shares a look with Charlotte, and I smile thankfully as he says, "You can count on us, Carlisle. No one messes with a Whitlock. Those Romanians are as good as dead."
"Good. We're almost there. Emmett will be waiting for us at the entrance of the castle. According to Alice, the Romanians already made it to the throne room by now."
Peter cracks his knuckles as he turns to look at Charlotte and says, "Well, let's make sure they don't leave it one piece. You ready, doll?"
"More than ready. They won't know what hit them."
I smile as I round the last corner and pull into the square. Emmett is already motioning for us to hurry. I don't even bother to park the car correctly as we quickly exit the car and make our way inside. I can see the tension on Emmett's shoulders as he leads us down the corridor toward the throne room while saying, "They arrived three minutes ago. There are twelve of them in total. Right now, they outnumber the Kings and their guard, just like Alice saw in her vision. We need to hurry."
We all nod as we rush through the final corridor, and I smirk as I hear Vladimir say, "Brave words from a man who's been sitting on his throne feeling sorry for himself for more than 2,000 years. I assume even you can see beyond your vegetative state to notice that we outnumber you. It's you, not us, who won't make it out of here alive."
Aro – APOV
Triumph settles in Vladimir's eyes as he notices the four vampires behind him. I don't even fight the urge to roll my eyes as he turns to Carlisle and says, "My dear Carlisle, you can't be here to help these monsters, seeing they killed your son. To what do we owe this loyalty?"
A loud laugh sounds throughout the throne room as Captain Whitlock shakes his head and says, "Fuck, I'm so writing this all down. Loyal to you? No fucking way. I survived that crazy assed bitch down in Mexico. I'm not looking for a replacement moron. We're on my sister's side. You know, the one you're threatening to hurt."
Triumph changes into panic quickly as Vladimir steps away from the new arrivals and says, "Your sister? I don't even know your sister. It's his daughter I want."
I can't help but smile as I take a decisive step forward and say, "She is one and the same, and that's why they are here to help us."
Lieutenant Whitlock rolls her eyes as Peter snorts before saying, "Don't flatter yourself, Aro. I'm not here to save your ass."
I chuckle as I take another step forward and say, "Of course not, Captain. But that doesn't diminish the fact that I'm glad you came. Let's end this, shall we?"
I'm sorry it took me so long to update but life intervened.
Please review! You make me so happy when you do!
