The faint sound of a chair scraping against the carpeted floor awoke her.

Opening her eyes, Bella frowned, disoriented. That was carpet, wasn't it? Sometimes it resembled moss, especially with all the flowers they always kept around, but she was almost certain it was green carpet.

She lifted her head from the desk and felt something on her cheek. Looking down, she realised she had fallen asleep on a pile of paper and one of the sheets had stuck to her face.

Jane was staring at her with a wide smile from Gianna's chair, dressed like a doll in her short black dress and white socks. Her Mary Janes swung back and forth as her feet hovered above the floor.

"Morning, sunshine."

Bella quickly set the paper sheet down, embarrassed. Blinking rapidly, she glanced around to find herself still in the lobby, where Gianna had left her to take a break. How long had the secretary been gone? She never took more than fifteen minutes, not even to eat, but Bella felt a drowsiness that only deep sleep could provide. She didn't think she could sleep so profoundly in just fifteen minutes. Jane's good humour only confused her further, and the fact that Alec was not with her was even more puzzling.

"Uhm, hey." She rubbed her cheeks on her shoulders to get rid of any drool. "You're back. Where is Alec?"

She hadn't seen him for days, in fact. He was absolutely silent on their ride back to Volterra after she spoke to her father, then vanished.

"He's avoiding you," Jane answered with surprising honesty.

Bella blinked again. "Did I do something?" The vampire's unusual good mood set off alarm sirens in her head.

Jane shrugged, her smile unfaltering. "Nice jacket."

After finally going through the clothes in her wardrobe, Bella discovered that she really liked that jacket despite its size. She briefly debated whether to keep it and decided to claim ownership; she had been wearing it daily since she first put it on anyway.

She couldn't tell if Jane meant it or was just teasing her, so she ignored the remark. "He is not mad at me, is he? Your brother."

She replayed their interaction in her head but couldn't find anything that would offend him. She had asked only a couple more questions before accepting he wouldn't talk to her anymore.

"He doesn't care enough, for God's sake." She rolled her eyes. Her smile did falter, but it seemed not even Bella could ruin her good mood. "He has his own problems. Let's talk about someone else's problems."

"Okay." Bella straightened her posture. Though baffled by Jane's disposition to interact with her, she was willing to take advantage of it. "Whose problems?"

Jane giggled excitedly, kicking her feet.

"First, you have to let me take you to town. Demetri wants to do it, but I found you first. He will be livid that I beat him to it, so you have to promise you won't fall for his tricks and let him take you instead."

"Ahm, sure. Doesn't matter what he does or says, you're the one taking me," Bella promptly agreed, and Jane burst into laughter.

"Oh, that is quite the promise."

Bella had no idea why, or what was so funny about what she said, and smiled awkwardly to reassure her. Why on Earth was she so giddy? Their mission must have been very successful, or maybe she was always happiest right after inflicting immense pain on others.

Jane lowered her voice and leaned closer to Bella. Instinctively, Bella mirrored her and put an ear to Jane's lips. She felt silly. They were still in a castle full of vampires, but if Jane wanted to gossip in whispers, so be it, so long as she gossiped.

"Heidi is in trouble," she whispered into Bella's ear as if it was some sort of breakthrough, then sat up. It could be, Bella had no idea.

"Oh?" She did her best to sound impressed and not puzzled like she was as she also leaned back in her chair. She knew now that Heidi was her strange godmother in the library, and Jane's tone suggested this was a big deal. Heidi was probably never in trouble or must not get in trouble very often.

"One of the tourists asked to go back," Jane continued, excited enough about the news that not even Bella's feeble attempt at acting deterred her, "and now we have a loose end. That has never happened before."

She sat there with a satisfied smile, like a fat cat who just caught a plump mouse. Bella wondered if she disliked Heidi in particular, everyone in general, or if she was just happy someone who never got a reprimand from the kings was now getting one. Anxious to unravel this mystery, she tried to keep Jane talking.

"They just left? I didn't think that was allowed."

Jane bounced and laughed. "It isn't. We just didn't have a protocol, because her gift never failed, so she didn't know what to do. She tried to convince them for a while, but there was an entire group behind her, and she had to let it go to lead the rest of them inside. We don't tell anyone they're coming to Volterra, of course, in case someone looks for them, so escorting them out was a major inconvenience. And now we have to go after them anyway."

She studied Bella as if waiting for her to have an epiphany. With a shuddering jolt, she did.

"Me?" She felt stupid for asking; why else would Jane tell her that?

"You," she confirmed, grinning.

Bella could feel the horror of the revelation settling into her. They were sending her out on a mission?

It had to be a prank. Or a test.

"I'm not… I can't do that."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Why not? It's just another human girl, like you. Just convince her to come back."

Bella shook her head in denial. "Why me?"

"For all we know she was unsettled by or noticed something about Heidi. You're plain and human, she won't be scared of you."

She shook her head again, ready to suggest Gianna for the task, but realised it was a bad idea. Gianna was human, but if they needed someone who wouldn't scare the girl away she was certainly a poor choice.

Still, the mere notion of luring a survivor back into the claws of death didn't sit well with her. Edward's words echoed in her head, in a mocking tone he didn't use when he spoke them.

"They feed on humans, all of them. They're feeding on humans right now."

She was always actively trying not to dwell on it. That simple truth had many implications and she couldn't afford to think of them if she wanted to keep her sanity in that place.

For seven whole years.

"I mean -" she stuttered, fumbling over her words, "I can't bring her back here… to die."

"Better her than you, don't you think?"

Unwilling to agree and unable to disagree, Bella ignored the question. "How am I going to find her?"

As if that was his cue, Demetri materialised in front of them.

"Bella, Jane." He nodded at each of them. Bella opened her mouth to greet him, but the way he scanned her from head to toe stopped her in her tracks. She then noticed how he was dressed and lost whatever words she had to say.

Instead of the nearly formal style she had seen him sporting until then, he wore a button-down ash grey shirt and a black leather jacket. In place of the high-waisted pleated pants she got used to, he had a pair of dark-wash loose-fit jeans. To complete the careless elegance of the look, his hair was up; only a few short strands framed his face. He seemed more real, somehow. Like an actual person who was just incredibly gorgeous and not like a whimsical character that looked too real.

She unconsciously took a moment to process this, and it was a moment too long.

"Cat got her tongue," Jane joked.

Demetri smirked and Bella felt heat spreading through her face. With herculean effort, she found her voice.

"Hey." She refused to look away from him, certain that it would only highlight the awkwardness of her hesitance. "You look… different."

He raised an inquisitive brow at her. She cursed mentally, hoping both vampires would let it slide.

They showed no such mercy.

"In a good way, I hope," he said playfully and she wished she could vanish.

Jane huffed. "Oh please, like you even need to fish for compliments after she just gawked at you."

Mortified, Bella tried to escape the embarrassment by doubling down. "Well, yeah, you always look good, of course. I just never saw you dressed like this."

She crossed her arms and tried to relax, pacing her breathing so her heartbeat wouldn't give her away. Jane's high-pitched laughter was almost entirely drowned out by Demetri's deep voice.

"Ah, I knew you were a heartbreaker."

He seemed genuinely delighted by the compliment, and Bella wondered why. She just stated the obvious, and he must have heard it a thousand times from prettier women.

"Right, you two can flirt later. We have a problem now," Jane said, suddenly serious, and got up from her seat. She turned to Bella, "Demetri will go with you to find our lost lamb. He's our tracker"

Tracker.

The world evoked horrifying memories from her. Uncouncisouly, she ran a finger along the crescent-shaped scar on her hand, caressing the cold skin around it. She caught herself when Demetri's eyes followed the movement and she stood up as well. Her legs tingled and she stretched them a little. "Is anyone else going with us?"

"No need. It's just the two of you," Jane answered cheerfully. "And you need to go right away."

Before Bella could register the order, Jane disappeared. She was momentarily uneasy finding herself alone with the tracker but the sudden quietness reminded her of her colleague's absence.

"Do you know where Gianna is?"

He tilted his head, his hands in his pockets. "With Heidi."

She frowned, but he didn't explain it any further. It made her nervous, and she started to worry that Gianna was in trouble too. Did Heidi overlook something when she chose the last tourists? Was it an overlook on Gianna's part?

Admittedly, she didn't worry for Gianna more than for the girl she was supposed to bring back; it was a simple matter of a human life ending as she stood by. At that moment, though, she thought of all the consequences of Gianna's death. She was not ready to take over the woman's job yet, and she wasn't excited about a complete stranger replacing her either, especially a stranger who just found out about the supernatural.

She was just not in the right state of mind to deal with all of that.

"They are alright?"

"Quite," he said pleasantly and she believed him. Relieved, she took a deep breath.

"Right. Lead the way, then."

He smiled and gestured for her to walk by his side. Praying to any god not to trip on her own feet, she went around the front desk and did so.

"You also look different, if I might say." He gave her another once-over. "Nice jacket."

When she felt the ghost of his hand on the small of her back, she shivered.

She wasn't sure why this time.

The sun was paling by the time they left, but Demetri was still careful enough to somewhat cover himself. One of his gloved hands was on the wheel while the other rested on his thigh. She felt he was watching her from behind his sunglasses, a crawling sensation prickling her skin, but his head never moved in her direction. He faced decidedly forward, and the golden light shining through the car's tinted windows outlined his profile as if he were a moving Rembrandt painting. Bella forcefully averted her eyes from time to time, but the sight was undeniably mesmerising. With his hair away from his face and the contrast of his silhouette so stark against the dimming light, she noticed the sharpness of his features, defined as if sculpted, and how regal he looked. The olive hue of his skin was much more prominent under the natural warm light and she noticed how well it suited his face. Had he always looked that good?

Of course he had, he's a vampire. They all look good.

For some reason, noticing his beauty felt wrong. She couldn't remember actively thinking about it before, and doing so made her feel guilty.

"Jane is in a really good mood," she commented, hoping that making conversation would distract her. She was curious about quite a few things, and if she couldn't question Alec anymore she would have to question whoever got stuck in a car with her, it seemed. Demetri drummed his fingers against his jeans and Bella tried not to watch the gesture.

"She was most pleased with our last mission." He seemed to pick his next words carefully. "I suppose she hasn't mentioned where it took place."

Bella frowned, realising he was right. She hadn't asked either. The ordeal with the fugitive girl took her full attention.

"No, she didn't. Where did you go?"

He was quiet for a while and she grew frustrated. Why would he mention it if he didn't want to tell her?

"Have you spoken to Edward Cullen as of late?"

Her heart missed a beat. The ache in her chest returned, though it was more of a mild burning and not the scorching pain it once was, followed by the strange guilt again. She glared at him, and he took his eyes off the road to gauge her reaction. For a moment, she completely forgot his question and why it upset her.

"Eyes on the road!"

He obliged so quickly that she was sure he did it out of shock.

"My apologies," he said amusedly. She huffed, facing forward to avoid the sight of his infuriating smirk.

"I sent him a message yesterday," she answered once her anger subsided, "but last I checked there was nothing new from him. I only checked this morning, though, so there might be something by now."

Demetri considered this for a while and she fought the urge to press him for more information. His guarded manner was inconvenient. She became too used to the other guards talking unceremoniously about most of what she wanted to know and was disappointed to see that it would not be the case with him.

She waited, gazing out the window at the blurry landscapes, but got impatient after a few minutes. Before she could tell him to answer her question, she connected the dots.

"You were there?" She looked at him in shock. Then again, of course he was. It was a matter of time before the Volturi felt the need to check the situation in Seattle. "What happened?"

Demetri sighed, and her stomach dropped. Possibly sensing her distress, he was quick to answer this time.

"They eliminated most of the newborns. I tracked the rest and we disposed of them and their creator."

Bella closed her eyes for a moment, relieved. "They were all… fine?"

She felt the sudden urge to check her inbox, but that would have to wait. She didn't even know where they were going or how long it would take for them to return to the castle. She should have checked her messages before they left. The computer was right there!

"They were all perfectly fine," Demetri confirmed gravely. He didn't seem pleased with the fact.

Her mind went to Jacob and the pack. Were they all fine as well? She couldn't possibly ask Demetri and hoped Edward had mentioned them in his message.

"Great. Thanks for telling me."

It was over, then. She could barely believe it. The smothering weight of the looming threat left her shoulders but she wished Edward, or even Alice, could have given her the news. Noticing how Demetri hesitated before informing her, Bella imagined he must have thought she already knew. She would have known if only she had checked her messages instead of falling asleep during Gianna's break. The knowledge that Demetri had been with them began to plague her mind, and she pressed her lips to prevent herself from asking about Edward. She couldn't afford to displease him; she had already lost Alec as a source of information for choosing the wrong questions.

"Is that why Jane is so happy? Because she tortured and killed a lot of outlaws?"

He glanced at her, wise enough to return his attention to the road as quickly as possible. She couldn't excerpt any meaning from those looks with his eyes obscured by his sunglasses, but she wasn't sure she could decipher them even without that barrier. He gripped the wheel with both hands.

"That, yes, and she… found a positive aspect of your stay with us."

Bella frowned.

"Do you have to be this cryptic? I thought I was talking to a vampire, not a sphinx."

That cracked his armour, and his booming laughter resonated through the car.

"And I thought I was talking to a high schooler," he countered, "not a detective or a news reporter. Last I checked this isn't Interview with a Vampire."

She laughed too, forgetting for a second that she was stuck in a moving car with a vampire tracker on her way to retrieve a girl whose fate was sealed.

"Fair enough. I just get curious. No one tells me anything unless I ask. Well, most of the time."

"I wish I could tell you everything all the time," he said, to her surprise. "I'm just unsure of your reaction."

She adjusted her position on the car seat. "Try me."

He hummed, drumming his fingers on the wheel. Bella was briefly distracted by it and jumped when she heard his voice again.

"Later," he decided. "We'll have time." He didn't give her a chance to protest. "Now I want to know how the conversation with your father went."

A nervous laugh escaped her. "You do?"

"Very much."

She mulled this over, confused. She couldn't fathom that he was truly interested in her life. The question was certainly meant to steer the conversation away from topics he wished to avoid.

"He was worried, of course, but also happy I was away from Forks and focusing on myself. When he was done scolding me for running away to another country without telling anyone, he said he would try to visit sometime this year, but didn't promise anything or give me a date... He seemed proud that I was out in the world pursuing greater things." She half joked, saying the last sentence with a hint of sarcasm, but Demetri's reply was stern.

"You are pursuing greater things. Greater than your parents or your human friends will ever even imagine."

"Greater than even I don't come close to understanding, maybe. I might be flying too close to the sun."

He smiled. "Time will tell. I won't vow to keep you away from the sun, but I will catch you if you fall."

"That's good to know. I do fall a lot."

The light from the sun faded away as it set on the horizon. She convinced herself that it was a good thing because that was easier than acknowledging the wave of sour disappointment that washed over her once she couldn't see him anymore. He rid himself of his sunglasses and the shimmering red of his eyes became the only truly visible part of him in the dark.

Somehow that was worse.

They were cruising through the soft curves of the road at a steady pace. She didn't have a view anymore; the beautiful green hills outside were now almost indiscernible. Demetri's smooth driving began to rock her to sleep in the dark silence as she relaxed for the first time since entering the car.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, unable to fight their heaviness any longer.

a/n: this chapter ended up getting too long, so this is half of the original chapter and the next one is pretty much finished (hurray

I'll update at some point during the weekend