AN: Sorry for the delayed update. I have a few deadlines coming up, so work has been hectic and asking long hours.

But here's the next chapter, where Edward and Bella have a talk.

how will it go?

Hope you'll enjoy!

Chapter 10

BPOV

Edward followed after me a moment later, taking hold of my hand and pulling me into a run. We headed out of the house flashing past his family who were looking after us with trepidation. Edward kept my hand tightly in his as he pulled us into the woods. He sped up until we finally reached his meadow.

The sun was shining and the meadow was bathed in a soft golden glow, highlighting its beauty. Edward hesitated at the edge, then sighed and stepped into the light.

I was taken aback for a moment at the sheer beauty of Edward in the sunlight. The light bounced off his diamond skin, emphasising his angular features, his high cheekbones and giving him an almost ethereal look. The reddish tone in his hair shone through and when he turned to face me, his golden eyes almost seemed to glow.

He sat down on the grass and stared up at me patiently.

'I'm listening.' He stated, his eyes intently focussed on me.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out into the sunlight as well. Although I couldn't go out in the sunlight among humans, the effect of the sun on my skin was slightly different than other vampires. I didn't throw rainbows like Edward, instead my skin seemed to glow under the light. I wasn't sure why. Perhaps because I was incredibly old and my skin had simply changed, or perhaps my skin was just build slightly different.

The result was a muted glow that engulfed me, and made me stand out like a beacon.

Edward's mouth dropped open as he stared at me. 'You're beautiful.' he muttered as he held out his hand to me.

I took it and sat down next to him. 'My skin is slightly different than yours.' I muttered. 'I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's my age. Perhaps I'm just different.'

'Like your eyes?' he asked.

I stared at him. Had he noticed more than I had given him credit for?

'They stay black. Even after you've fed.' he noted.

I nodded. He was perceptive it seemed.

'Will you tell me everything?' he asked, squeezing one of my hands. His tone was pleading.

'I don't want to tell you.' I muttered, looking away from his gaze.

He frowned looking hurt. 'Why not?' he asked.

'Because I don't want you to hate me or… fear me.' I confessed.

He put his finger under my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. 'Never.' he stated confidently.

I shook my head. 'You don't know that.'

'Please, Bella. You can trust me.' he whispered. 'I need to know.'

I sighed and gazed up at the sky for a moment.

The moment I had stepped into their lives, my fate had changed. I had never imagined anything like this to be possible, but it seemed whoever had created me had new plans for me. I could keep going about my life like I had always done, always watching, never participating. I could reject this mate bond, dooming Edward to a loveless existence and myself to an eternity of anguish. Or I could tell him everything, lay it all out in the open and then hope for the best. If he rejected me, I wouldn't blame him or complain. I would just return to my role as the lone watcher of the world. Always watching, never participating. And he could move on.

I took a deep breath. It was now or never. I no longer had a choice. The choice would now be Edward's. I just had to wait and see.

'Do you know any of the legends of the first vampire?' I asked him.

His brow furrowed. 'I'm not sure.'

'The first vampire was created to make sure the world was kept in balance. A natural predator to mankind.' I explained. 'The balance of nature has to be protected at all cost. There can't be a threat to it, or the world could fall into chaos. When mankind grew, and their recklessness grew, the first vampire created more vampires to keep them in line. But then those vampires created others and the vampire race came into existence fully. Vile humans would become even worse vampires. And what had started as a solution to protect the world from humans, now because another threat to the balance.

The first vampire, realizing their mistake stepped in. They created the first council of Elders. Rules were put into place to bind vampires and curb the slaughter of humans. For a few thousand years the world settled, prey and predator learned to co-exist. Vampires kept to the shadows, humans to the light. But then the ambitions of the council of Elders grew. They disagreed with their place in the world.

Vampires were stronger and more indestructible than humans. They wanted to step into the light and force the humans to become their slaves. The first vampire once again had to step in. The council of Elders were made to pay for the disturbance they brought to the world with their lives. A new council was formed, and so it has continued through time. the council keeps the balance by keeping vampires bound by rules, until their greed for power makes them lose sight of their reason for existing and they need to be disposed of. Since the forming of the first council, there have been ten such councils and the Volturi is the eleventh to be in power.'

Edward was watching me closely. A slightly confused look on his face.

'The first vampire oversaw all of them. The first vampire watched, listened and above all protected the balance of the world. Other supernatural beings came into existence and the first vampire created allies in them. One of them were shapeshifters, who valued the balance of the world just as much as the first vampire. The natives here are one such tribe, but there are others in Asia and in Australia.

Though they help keep the balance, sometimes they too become the problem and have to be taken care of. The first vampire sees to it all. There is no vampire that is stronger or faster in existence. Her gifts make her impervious to attack. She's seen the rise and fall of empires all over the world. She steps in when the balance is threatened and ruthlessly restores it, no matter the cost or the lives lost. Whenever her name is spoken, vampires have learned to tremble in fear.'

I closed my eyes. 'Her name is Isabella the First.' I whispered.

'Isabella the First?' Edward echoed.

I opened my eyes and nodded as I looked at him.

Recognition dawned and his eyes widened. 'Bella… Isabella… the first?'

'I don't know who made me.' I muttered. 'I only know why I was made. I've had to do terrible things over the course of my long existence. I've killed thousands; vampires, humans, other supernatural beings. It makes no difference to me. I work to protect the world. I've been watching over this world for tens of thousands of years.'

'You're….' Edward gaped at me. 'You're her?'

I nodded once.

He was on his feet in the next second, backing away from me.

I tried to ignore the stab of pain that shot through my chest. Fear was evident in his face.

'Carlisle's told me stories of Isabella the First.' His voice was hoarse as he regarded me all the while backing away step by step. 'She beat down the southern wars, annihiliating complete covens in the blink of an eye. Her power is feared all thoughout the vampire community.'

I nodded. Though I wasn't sure he was really talking to me anymore or to himself.

'You're her… ' he mused. 'You killed the Romulus brothers. You desposed the Romanian clan…' then his face became even more horrified. 'You installed the Volturi?'

I nodded again.

'You control them?' he asked.

I shrugged. 'Mostly I leave them to it. I just keep an eye on things.'

He blew out a big breath. 'I… can't believe this… you're…' he shook his head as if to clear it. 'Your shield… What you let us see… that's only a fraction of your power?'

I nodded, not meeting his gaze. It was silent for a moment as Edward struggled to come to terms with everything I'd told him.

'But… but if you're really her… why are you letting the volturi do what they're doing?'

I gazed up at him, to find him frowning down at me, a bit of anger seeping into his face.

'As long as the balance isn't in danger, there's no reason for me to step in. I don't really care about the personal squabbles of vampire covens.'

Edward's eyes widened in shock. 'personal squabbles? He's wiping out covens and taking gifted members by force! He's collecting a fucking zoo! And you're just okay with that?'

'He's not taking them by force.' I countered.

'Are you blind?!' he yelled, his anger exploding out of him. 'Of course he's taking them by force! No one would willingly work for the Volturi! He's controlling and manipulating everyone around him with gifted members! He's hounded my family for decades to try and get us to join him.'

'Exactly. He's been hounding you, nothing else. He's never attacked you, never brought false charges against you, never threatened you or tried to coerce you into his service. Those are the rules and he's not broken them.'

A look of disgust flitted across Edward's face and I wanted to shrink away from his gaze, but I forced myself to keep my face neutral.

I couldn't explain to him that what he was describing was something I was definitely keeping an eye on. it was the first sign that the council I'd installed was getting useless and letting their own greed overcome them.

I couldn't tell him I was planning the demise of the Volturi, I couldn't tell him I already had my eye on a successor.

This was the burden that was mine. This was the burden that I bore. I watched, I weighed the options and courses of action, and then I struck.

He wouldn't understand. He only saw the injustice that was happening in his eyes. But I knew that real injustice had a different face.

'Why are you here?' he suddenly spat out, catching me by surprise.

'What?'

'Why are you here? Why did you come to my family, pretending to be someone you're clearly not?'

I closed my eyes. This was the question I'd dreaded.

How did I explain this to him? He was already angry and probably well on the way to hating me and fearing me. And now I had to confess that I'd been betraying him from the start. It would seal his hatred of me. it would seal my fate as well.

But there was nothing I could do. I just had to accept it.

'Aro mentioned there was a coven in North America that was accumulating powerful gifted members at a rapid pace. Word of a seer among the members had reached him and he'd given out a summons which was ignored.' I sighed. 'I told him he was out of ourder to give out a summons as no laws had been broken. But I agreed with him that a seer could pose a threat. I ordered Aro to stand down, and then left Volterra to come here myself and discover for myself if your coven was a threat to the balance and if the seer's gift was dangerous.'

Edward fell to his knees. 'You were a spy?'

I bristled. 'I'm no one's tool. I do not spy. I came to assess a situation that could bring the balance of the world into danger. I came as Isabella the first, not as an instrument of the Volturi. I control them. They don't control me.' I hissed.

'But you lied to us.' Edward didn't back down. Pain coloured his face. And I felt guilty for lashing out at him. He was only trying to understand everything I was throwing at him, which was a lot. Even for a vampire brain he had to be overwhelmed.

I sighed and nodded. 'I did. I've lied to you over and over. I lied about who I was, about the extent of my gift, about my relationship with the Quileute's. About my relationship with the Volturi. Everything.'

He gripped his hair as a pained expression flitted across his face for a moment.

Then he turned stoic. 'And what is your judgement, Isabella the first?' he ground out.

I swallowed hard. Any familiarity we'd had, had flown out the window. I had been rejected. This was the final nail like I'd feared. He'd rejected our growing bond and now only saw me as Isabella the First, the feared and hated master of the vampire race that delivered terrifying judgement on all supernatural.

I hid the pain that blossomed in my chest and kept my face a stony mask as I stood up. 'Your family is an example for vampires everywhere. I've not seen this much kindness and compassion in a long time.' I told him honestly, though I doubted he would take my words in earnest.

'And Alice? Will you take her to control her?'

I gave a short humourless chuckle, it was very clear he'd made up his mind about me now. It seems I had become one and the same as the Volturi in Edward's eyes. A despicable power-hungry fiend. Out to get him and his family. I couldn't blame him for thinking that.

'No.' I told him. 'Alice's gift is subjective, not absolute. She's not a threat right now. Though I will always keep an eye on her.'

His eyes widened for a moment, before he clenched his jaw. 'Why don't you just throw us in your dungeons and be done with it.'

I pursed my lips as I regarded him. It hurt he thought this little of me now, but this was the bed I had made for myself.

'I won't censure you for that, even though you should really remember who you're speaking to. I made my judgement and found your coven to be of no threat. I will not interfere again unless the situation calls for it.'

My heart lay heavy in my chest as we regarded each other. His gaze was cool and angry. I hadn't felt like this pretty much ever. It was foreign for me to feel so vulnerable. I knew it was over for us. It would be best to simply leave them now. I had found out what I'd needed. It was useless to stay around. It would only hurt us both more.

'I will take my leave. You may tell your family everything or nothing. I will leave it up to you. I won't return to the house.' I assured him. 'The only thing I ask of you, is to keep our bond a secret.'

'What bond?' he spat out angrily.

I nodded once. 'good.' I took one last look at him, then turned on my heel. 'Goodbye.'

And then I ran off.

I ran faster than ever had before, as the pain blossomed in my chest.

This was the consequence of the actions I felt I had to take. Perhaps I should have been honest from the start. Perhaps I should have explained it all differently. Perhaps this was just how it was meant to be.

I had never before participated in the world, it had been a pipe dream to think I could start doing so now.

no, I was destined to watch over this world alone. To be feared and to destroy anything that harmed the world.

That was the sole reason for my existence.