This fiction is an EPOV of New Moon - written very much in the style of Midnight Sun. As such, I have re-purposed the dialog from the book whenever Edward and his family are with Bella. But the thoughts, feelings and the story line of Edward and his family away from Bella have been created by me.

That being said, ALL of the Characterizations all belong to S. Meyer - with absolutely NO copyright infringement intended whatsoever, and this story is meant purely for entertainment purposes only.

VOLTERRA

As I made my way down the extravagantly tiled marble hallways, the only sound that I heard was my own harsh breathing and the soft scuffing of my feet as I forced myself along.

This was not the outcome that I'd been planning on when I originally stepped foot in this archaic building. I had hoped that I would not be walking out again, so I had no back up plans made in the event that I was refused my request to be put to death. My mind swam with options to accomplish what I had come here seeking, alternately choosing and discarding them as quickly as I wandered back the way I'd came in. When I reached the elevator that would return me to the surface level, and the human world, I was still no closer to making a decision as I was when they'd told me 'no'.

Leaning back against the wall as the doors shut behind me, I closed my eyes and made myself focus so that I could think more clearly.

Death. That's what I wanted. I no longer wanted to exist on this planet. I didn't want to feel the mind numbing anguish that I was feeling anymore. The pain that I had been dealing with for the last eight months had been bad enough. The complete and utter agony that I had been experiencing since I'd heard the news of Bella's death more than I could stand.

Bella's death. Two words I could not speak aloud. Two words I had a hard time even thinking together. There was officially no longer any reason for me to continue to exist.

My family would miss me; that was a given. They would be as heartbroken to lose me as I was now. They had at least been aware that my own death would be the eventual outcome that came with my determination to keep Bella human. She would have died someday, hopefully it would have happened when she had reached a very old age, after having lived an extremely happy life... preferably with me. They had already known, from the instant they realized that I had fallen in love with a human girl, one that I had no intentions of killing or changing, that I would follow her when she left this earth.

That time was now.

The doors to the elevator opened, and I stepped out into the ground level business office corridor, and numbly moved towards the back of the building. I knew from recent past experience that there was a door that opened up into an alleyway that was usually pretty well deserted. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, and I hadn't come prepared, there was no way that I could just walk out the front door. Pausing just inside the door, before stepping out of the relative safety of the building, I considered my options one more time.

As I stood there, debating my next move, my mind wandered back to the conversation I'd had less than an hour ago...

With my back ramrod stiff, I strode quickly down the marbled walkway, moving with more purpose and direction than I had in almost a year. I followed the long, dim hallway leading to the throne room, my mind set, and feeling more peace than I'd felt in several long, lonely months. I wasn't afraid of what I hoped would happen once I arrived there. On the contrary.. I welcomed the idea of ending my existence in this world.

My thirst blackened eyes roamed the room quickly, seeing the Volturi leaders waiting exactly where I'd expected them to be. When I'd originally stepped on the elevator heading down to see the powers that be, the human secretary had buzzed ahead to notify the ultimate authority of Volterra that they had a determined visitor on the way down to see them.

I grimaced in disgust with the memory of the girl's thoughts as she picked up the phone to call down to let her masters know of my impending intrusion. She wanted them to change her. She wanted to become a vampire. I ground my teeth, knowing deep in my gut that she was more likely to become a meal than to become one of them. But, that was how they drew you in here. They let you know just enough to make so that it was impossible for you to leave... alive.

Ah, here is our young visitor now, Aro's thoughts had a curious edge to them as he sat high on his throne and surveyed me as I walked forward to stand silently before him. I am most curious.

My eyes darted to Caius and Marcus, sitting on either side of him, themselves silent and watchful, both of them wondering what my intentions were, and why I was here standing before them. I was a stranger.. never having been here before, although they knew who I was through their association with my father, Carlisle.

Dressed in flowing black robes and perched majestically in throne-like chairs on three tiered stairs, in an antechamber almost as large as my entire home, these three vampires had set themselves up in a position of total power. Being made to look up to them would make anyone, mortal or immortal, feel infinitesimal.

Four other vampires stood nearby the royal scene, silent and waiting. I zeroed in on the very large one who carried a mean edge to his thoughts. He made my brother Emmett look small, and that was difficult to do - Emmett was probably one of the biggest men I had seen in my entire existence. And he had always been the strongest. I guessed that Felix was stronger as well as bigger than my adopted brother. This had to be Felix, the Volturi's main bodyguard. He was the one who would most likely do the job I needed done here.

Perfect.

The lone vampire who stood off to the side, aloof and on his own had to be Demetri. Carlisle had always said that he had a huge attitude, thought very highly of himself, and acted above his station. He was a tracker, the likes of which Carlisle had never seen an equal. If the Volturi wanted to find someone, he was the vampire to do it. There was no hiding from Demetri. Whoever he was, and whatever he did, I had no interest in him. I didn't even make eye contact with him.

There were two smaller vampires who regarded me suspiciously, that bared the strong resemblance of fraternal twins. They had to be Alex and Jane. They trained their bright red eyes on me and did not look away. I remembered what Carlisle had described to me about Jane and Alex's gifts, and while I wanted to die, I preferred it to be quick, and relatively painless. Their particular gifts were all about pain, and I wanted nothing to do with them. I fought against squirming uncomfortably under their stare, and resisted looking directly at them as I stood there, waiting to be acknowledged by their masters.

So this must be Edward, Aro mused silently, Carlisle's first companion.

He looked me over carefully, from head to toe, his dark red irises covering every inch of my body, finally coming to meet my own gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed my own golden gaze for the first time. He frowned slightly in disgust.

Well, I see he shares Carlisle's ridiculous passion for human life, he thought, and I couldn't resist grinding my teeth together as he privately insulted the only father I had ever known. Aro's own eyebrows went up, his sensitive ears having picked up the sound my jaw made, and he regarded me intently. I realized belatedly that I'd just given myself away. Carlisle had apparently never told him that I was gifted in my own right. I silently wondered why.

"Well, well, my young friend," Aro spoke aloud for the first time. "It appears that my friend Carlisle wasn't entirely honest with me about all of the vampires in his own little coven. You appear to be something other than what you are." Next to him, the twins both sharpened their gazes, leaned forward of one accord, and regarded me even more intently, both wondering in tandem what my special gift was.

I squared my shoulders and looked Aro in the eye as I spoke. "With all due respect to you and your placement here, it was not Carlisle's secret to tell." I narrowed my eyes back at him, my tone fairly dripping with ridicule. "And yes, I do happen to share his passion for human life."

To his credit, Aro managed to keep his surprise from registering on his face as he heard his own thoughts thrown back at him. He sat back and tented his fingers, his mind suddenly skipping and whirling from one thought to the next as he fought to keep me out of his head. I returned his stare coldly, neither blinking, nor looking away as I heard him mulling over my possible reasons for coming before him and intentionally being antagonistic. Did I not know who he was? I raised an eyebrow at that thought and smirked at him, and his eyes took on a decidedly nasty gleam. Abruptly standing with a whoosh of his black cloak, he stepped fluidly down the stairs towards me, waving off Felix as he moved to follow him. Felix glared at me in warning, and I turned my head to return his glare with one of my own, and tipped my chin up, openly challenging him. He growled low in his chest in reply, and his huge hands clenched into gigantic fists. I made it a point to casually turn my head and look away from him, as if I wasn't worried about his threat. In truth, I wasn't. I wanted to die. If he could assist me with that, and I knew that he could, so be it.

I met Aro's glare as he came to a stop before me and offered me his hand. I narrowed my own gaze back at him and remained still. Aro raised an eyebrow in reply.

Afraid of what I might find, my young friend? He thought, with a smug tone to his mental 'voice'.

"No, Aro. I am not afraid of you, nor what you might find in my memories. I have done nothing to be ashamed of." I replied, my voice quiet and smooth. I knew what I was doing was the right thing for me. I was at peace with my choice. I had nothing at all to fear from this ancient immortal standing before me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the other vampires start in surprise, almost as a single unit, their individual minds whirling with the same question - what did Aro ask me? And, how did I hear it when he didn't say anything?

Then why not tell me why you are here, standing before me, in a Country where you don't fit in, and end the mystery? He silently demanded, comfortable now with my gift and communicating with me in that way, only now wanting to know more about me and why I was here in Volterra.

Rather than answer him directly, I held his gaze and reached up to grip the hand he still held out to me in silent offering. He raised his own eyebrow and smiled quickly, instantly aware that I already knew what his special talent was, and by taking his hand, I was silently giving him permission to use it.

Carlisle had told me once, a long time ago, that Aro's own gift didn't differ very much from mine, except that he needed actual contact with his intended subjects to read their minds. And, he not only read your immediate thoughts, he could read every thought you had ever had in your entire life. Knowing this and still allowing him to take my hand was a huge thing for me, even though I had nothing to hide. At the moment, I had nothing to lose, either.

Aro closed his eyes and bent his head over my hand, grasping it in his other hand as he did so, squeezing it just lightly. It was a odd feeling, to be honest. No one ever knew when I was poking around in their heads - at least, not that I knew of - but I could feel Aro rifling though my memories like he was shuffling a deck of cards. There was a slight tingle in my face, and I felt all of my muscles tighten slightly, as I was forcefully made to recall every thought I had ever had.. even those more recent 'human' style feelings I had been having about Bella.

It seemed like it took forever, but was probably only a few seconds before Aro dropped my hand, stepped back and opened his eyes, locking his deep red pupils on mine for several long moments. I met his gaze calmly and coldly, refusing to be intimidated by him, or to look away as he regarded me silently.

"So," Aro mused in a quiet voice, more for everyone else's benefit than for mine, "You came here wishing to die." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the twins look at each other in surprise, and Felix grinned with a feral glint in his eyes, expecting some exercise. Caius pursed his lips with a thoughtful expression, and Marcus, as was his usual, looked merely bored. I couldn't see Demetri in my immediate vision, but a quick prod of his thoughts showed me that he too, was surprised at my request.

"Yes." I was careful not to react any more than my response required, still keeping my eyes locked on Aro's.

Aro glanced at his vampire brethren taking in their various expressions as he considered his answer. None of them moved, or commented, leaving it completely up to Aro what his decision would be. I waited, hiding my impatience, as Aro turned back to regard me again, carefully considering his answer.

So, in the end, Aro finally decided to refuse my request for them to take my life for me, unless he had good cause to do so. He stated that my 'gift' was "too valuable a talent to be wasted" in what was to him a useless death over an insignificant human female. It was all I could do to keep from snorting as I thought about the true ulterior motive for keeping me alive that wasn't as well hidden in his mind as he thought it had been.

Well, then... I guess it was up to me to provide him with a reason.

Probably the easiest way to get the lethal attention I craved would be to go on a killing spree in the city. There was a strict 'no hunting' policy within the city walls, in order to preserve the way of life for the hidden vampires that resided here, and the Volturi guard were quick to mete out their brand of justice whenever that particular rule was broken.

I thought about that for several long moments as I stared out through the heavily tinted window into the deserted alley. Despite the fact that I had conditioned myself to refuse the blood of humans over centuries of living as a 'vegetarian' vampire with my family, I could easily throw aside the training in an instant if I gave myself completely over to my hunting instincts in a city full of warm bodies. I hadn't eaten in the previous month before I'd heard about Bella's death, so I was damn sure hungry enough to take human life. And even working alone I was certainly more than able to kill enough of them to draw attention to myself. Then Aro, Marcus and Caius would have to take action to stop me before the humans that lived here in this peaceful city realized what manner of monsters walked amongst them and took measures against them.

Oh now, that was a tempting idea.

At the moment, I could think of nothing better than to see the people of Volterra coming after the resident royals with pitch forks and fire.

Okay. Maybe it would be more like with machine guns and tanks, but still, the delight I took in the vision was the same. Besides, I wouldn't be around to worry about the fall out from that one. They would dispatch me first, for causing it, and only then, turn in defence of themselves.

I almost smiled.

As I stood there, staring out the large window mulling over my options, a man stepped out of a door leading into the alleyway holding a large black plastic bag.

Well, that was convenient.

I watched him close and lock the door behind himself, slipping his keys into his grease grimy pants pocket, and I could only assume that the bag swinging from his left handed grip was a bag of garbage from one of the neighboring cafes. I could smell a dozen different cooking aroma's swirling the the heavy air - everything from tomatoes and different spices, to burning grease and baking bread. Even standing here inside the building with the door solidly closed, I could still almost taste them. My stomach twisted, and I grimaced in disgust at the thought of eating anything I smelled that might be cooking and soon offered up for public consumption.

My thirst blackened pupils narrowed on the innocent stranger walking down the deserted alley way, and I found myself trying out of long habit to get a grasp on what he was thinking at that moment, trying to decipher through his thoughts what manner of person he was.

When I was first born into this new 'life', Carlisle attempted to impress upon me that the vegetarian lifestyle he had developed was a much better way to live than to give myself over to the thirst for human blood that my instincts screamed for. He tried to teach me that all human life was precious and should be be seen with a certain amount of reverence, but I resisted. The thirst was strong within me, and I had rebelled against his teachings and left him for a short time, trying to make my own way in this new world. Despite the fact that I had reverted to the nature of our canon and had hunted humans, I used my new found mind reading capabilities to read the people that were my intended victims before I slaughtered them, and discovered that by killing the men and women that were the slime of humanity - the thieves, rapists and murderers living in amongst polite society - I was able to find a certain amount of peace within myself by rationalizing that I was then doing the decent human beings a favor by disposing of them without anyone else the wiser.

Standing there, watching as this unknown man threw his load into the dumpster at the end of the alley, I determined that it really didn't matter this time what he had done in his past, or what he was considering doing in his immediate future. He was going to die, so that I might die, and I didn't care what sort of man he was. At this point and time, he was a means to an end, and that was all.

Having firmed up my resolve, I pushed open then heavy glass door silently and stepped out into the alley, narrowing my sharp gaze on the walking man's back as he paused for a moment to light a cigarette. I was very nearly drowning in my own venom as it flowed across my tongue at the thought of drinking the warm blood I could see readily pulsing in the large artery at the side of his neck. I tucked myself along the wall, under the darker shade from the eve of the over hanging roof, out of the immediate sunlight, and stealthily crept closer.

As I advanced, I became aware of a small voice inside my head asking me why I didn't just rush him, if I was serious about taking his life, instead of creeping up on him. I mentally told the voice to shut up and leave me alone and let me hunt in peace.

You could have already had him down and drank your fill, you know. What are you waiting for? The voice inside my mind asked me. I lowered the foot I had just lifted to take a step.

Shut up. This is my hunt. Let me do it my way. I snapped back internally.

I don't think that you really want to take his life. If you did, you would have already. The annoying, although suspiciously calm, murmur replied, ignoring completely my demand for silence.

The unsuspecting victim puffed on his cigarette a few times to get the cherry glowing and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he picked up his stride back to the door he'd exited from. I melted against the wall and froze, as still as only stone can be, and silently watched him as he fished in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the door.

It's now or never, Edward. Do it if you are going to. The now somewhat familiar sounding voice pushed again.

"Fine. You got it." I snarled back in a tone so low that human ears could not have detected it. With a predatory growl rumbling deep within my chest, I soundlessly dropped down and leaned forward in my hunting crouch, balancing my weight on the balls of my feet and waited, prepared to spring when the man opened the door and presented his back to me.

In the next second, to my own utter surprise, the door was closing loudly behind the now incredibly lucky-to-be-alive mark, and I had yet to move from my crouch, frozen where I stood.

I had faith that you wouldn't do it, the clear, calm voice whispered in my head, "You're not that person anymore." The face that belonged to the voice of reason suddenly materialized before my mind's eye.

Carlisle.

Bowing my head, I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, and balled my hands into fists. I sighed dispiritedly, and leaned heavily against the brick wall behind me. I knew, deep down, that even though the voice in my head was actually my own, the reason I was hearing the words in his endlessly compassionate tone was because I would never want to so deeply hurt and disappoint the only father that I had ever known in that way... not in the last few seconds of my existence on this earth. I would not want to leave him with that as his final memory of me.

Disgusted with myself for reasons I wasn't exactly sure of, I walked slowly back to the heavy glass doors I had so recently exited, and let myself back inside to wait until sundown so that I could leave without drawing any attention to myself. Throwing rainbows in the sunshine the way that I did wasn't conducive to walking among the general human populace in broad daylight.

Just inside the doors, I paused for a moment, thinking quickly. Why should I have to wait until sundown?

If I wanted Volturi attention, there really wasn't a faster way to get it than for me to show myself in the full light of a bright sunny day in a plaza full of humans.

I searched my memory quickly. Today was St. Marcus day - the day the humans celebrated in remembrance of St. Marcus running the Vampires out of their city.

I snorted at the irony.

Yeah. Right.

Even now, just about every human in the city would be converging on the plaza for the festival, starting around noon and continuing for the rest of the afternoon and far into the evening. The sight of me stepping out into the midday sun would be a sight that none of those humans would ever forget, I was quite sure of that.

I glanced at the large clock on the receptionists desk near the the front doors. Eleven thirty. Perfect. I had just enough time to make it over into the plaza, find a dark corner to hide in, drop my shirt and make an entrance.

Hell... if you're going to go out, might as well go out with a flare.

Or a sparkle.. as it were. I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes at my own errant, silly thought.

My mind made up, I twisted around and headed silently and quickly back down the long hallway that I had originally came through. Stepping through a door at the end of the hall, I made a quick left and exited out a private entrance that led to a secret service corridor that allowed my kind to move about the city during the day without any of the humans being aware of it. There were many such tunnels that ran through the city, known only to the resident vampires and select humans that served them only to be killed or turned later.

Making my way down the dark, slightly musty hallways, I wound a secret path through the city towards my destination. I could hear the sounds of revelry through the walls; the party was getting ready to start. I paused for a moment and listened to the shouts and the laughter of the humans on the other side of the thick walls. Even two feet thick and solid stone, I could still smell the blood scents of the hundreds of warm blooded bodies that were gathering in the plaza.

My mouth moistened, venom washing across my tongue my muscles tightening in a response that I hadn't felt in almost a century.

Well, until Bella, that is... her name in my mind bringing a shot of pain to my silent chest. I shook my head in disgust. How easily the monster had been awakened within me.

Pushing him back down and locking him away, I swallowed the excess venom, and resumed my trek.

Finally arriving at my destination, I paused behind the heavy wooden doors that blocked the private hallway to the square through a shadowed hallway, listening.

Many voices greeted my ears, both verbose and silent, as I stood there, debating the best way to make my entrance. I felt my lips twitch in feral amusement, knowing the havoc I was about to wreak on the high and mighty Volturi sitting on their thrones where they had placed themselves, so high on their totem pole above everyone else. Once I made my presence known, and was so visually dealt with accordingly, the humans would remember all the little instances when they silently wondered about the odd, pasty skinned men and women that resided within this darkly secure castle. They would recall how different they were, all the instances of friends and loved ones that had entered these walls and had never returned. Slowly the light of reality would switch on in their brains - brains that for centuries had been so much slower to grasp or accept the truth than they should have been. Steps would be taken to discover that truth.

The Volturi would soon be routed from the place of ultimate power they had created for themselves by the hands of the very humans they had ruled over for so long.

This time, my smile was very real.

Standing just behind the doors leading out into the street, I closed my eyes and thought of Bella, breathing deeply, calming myself.

My Bella.

I was strangely at peace, knowing I was about to die. I would have thought that there would have been some odd sense of panic - I'd sensed and heard that emotion many times in the minds of the human monsters I'd dispatched, many decades ago - so I was surprised that I didn't feel it within myself. The lack of fear of my impending death... or the end of my existence, whatever you wanted to call it.. didn't cause me a moments pause.

Indeed, I welcomed it.

I welcomed the end of the pain and agony, knowing already what eternity would feel like without Bella in it. A spasm of anguish tightened my muscles and caused me to catch my breath for a moment at the thought.

Yes. That is exactly what it would feel like.

I couldn't bear it. I wouldn't bear it.

Back in control of myself, I opened my eyes and slowly lifted the heavy iron lock on the door that kept the curious humans safely outside the vampire boundaries. Any moment now I would hear it.. the call to my death.

Standing there silent and still in the darkened entrance, I watched the unsuspecting humans as they flowed by my door in a continuous red clothed tide on their way to the square for the festival. The sun was shining brightly, casting moving shadows on the ground underneath the children as they frolicked around their parents, over excited to be experiencing the coming events of the days party. The sun was directly overhead.

I was about to give them a glimpse of something they would never forget.

Moments later, the relatively quiet hum of their warm bodied conversation was interrupted by a shattering noise as the first bell tolled, signifying the start of the festivities throughout the plaza.

My eyes drifted closed and a soothing calm feeling overtook me as I reached up to undo the first two collar button's on my white shirt. I smiled slightly, distracted by the feeling, and my mind's eye conjured a picture of my strange and quiet adopted brother, Jasper, who could control the feelings of anyone around him with a mere thought. We'd gotten to know each other much better over the last several months, and I was happy about that. My one regret would have to be that it had taken so long to do so.

The bells rang again, the noise reverberating through the plaza as I popped open another button.

The memory picture of Jasper brought with it a vision of the grinning pixie-like face of his one true soul mate, my favorite adopted sister, Alice. She was probably one of the most annoying little monsters on this planet, and I loved her like an extension of my own self. She would miss me terribly, but she would understand better than any of them why I chose this route.

Another button opened under my cold fingers.

Unbidden to my mind's eye came a vision of my adopted father, Carlisle, who loved me despite my oh so obvious flaws and faults. There were times that I hated Carlisle, for making me what I was, that was true. But I understood why he did it. Sometimes I even thanked him for it. But not once did I ever stop loving him for being the only father I could ever remember, and for doing his best to make me the person he thought I should be. I knew I'd failed miserably, of course, but to his credit, he never stopped loving me. Never stopped trying. This would hurt him to his core, but I trusted he would be at peace with my reason for doing this.

Another two buttons worked free.

Esme's beautiful, porcelain white face, lovely features wracked with pain, swam before my closed eyes, and I physically cringed at the sight. I knew instinctively that this would be the face she would wear for decades to come due to the choice I was making now. Possibly even longer. I tried to tell myself that she would forgive me; that she would also understand my reason for making this choice, knowing how much she loved... Bella. For a moment, I choked on her name. Yes, Esme would understand... but it wouldn't stop her pain. I regretted that deeply, but in my selfishness, my pain was greater than what this would cause her. She would still have the rest of her adopted children - Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett.

Another button free.

Rose. I barely spared her a thought, and mentally snorted reciting her name. We'd never gotten along. Not since day one. She would probably rejoice that I was out of her hair. In fact, she would probably hate me even more for causing Emmett the agony of me leaving him.

One more button open. I could feel the heat from the sun on my exposed skin now, but it did not warm me.

Emmett would feel pain... probably more so than any of the rest of my siblings. We were the closest.. brothers in all but blood. He was the one who understood me the best, and even if he didn't, he still supported me - no matter what. I felt bad that I would be leaving him alone to face the world. No one understood him the way I did. In a lot of ways, he was eternally a child, full of wonder and exuberance at the world around him, and that sometimes got him into trouble. I hoped that Carlisle would step forward and guide him down the right path. I owed him so much for his wonderful treatment of... Bella.

The last button worked loose and I began to slowly shrug free of the silken fabric.

Bella.

Her name and the mental picture that came with it brought pain unlike any I had yet to experience, and I knew again that I was making the right choice. Who knew? Maybe she was right, and I would see her in Heaven. One could hope, right?

The shirt slid from my loosened grasp and landed silently in a puddle at my feet. Although my eyes were still closed, I could feel the warmth of the sun just a few strides away. The clock tolled in an earth shattering boom, and the human voices shrieked in sudden excitement. I took a big step towards the sun I could feel, but not see.

From a long distance away, I heard her voice.

Bella's voice.

She was calling out to me from the other side. It startled me for an instant, and caused me to pause and consider the truth of Carlisle's insistence of a Hell and Heaven.

And her vehement insistence that I would be allowed in the latter.

Maybe they were right. All the more reason to get on with this.

"No!" the most beautiful voice in the world shouted. "Edward, look at me!"

If I can hear you now, I will be looking at you, beloved. Just give me another moment to get there. I thought, smiling slightly as I raised my foot to take another big stride towards the heat that would set me shimmering in the afternoon sun. Soon, so soon. We'll be together.

In the next instant, something warm and soft slammed into me, and instinct forced me to bring my arms and hands up defensively to catch it. A heated, stress filled, familiar human scent enveloped me, and made my head immediately spin.

Her scent.

Bella.

She was here.

Incredible. She smelled as wonderful here, as she had in life.

As the chime reverberated around the square once more, my eyes opened slowly. I was almost afraid to look, utterly terrified that I would be wrong, and that she wouldn't be here, in my arms, and that it was just some cruel joke and I really was in Hell. I forced myself to look down at the softness in my arms that was practically crawling up my chest.

She was here. Bella. In my arms.

My Bella. We were together at last.

Forever.

"Amazing," I managed to murmur, still very surprised to see her. "Carlisle was right."

I felt her pushing me. Odd. Why would she be pushing me?

"Edward," the vision of loveliness gasped, sounding out of breath. Also very odd. Was that normal for Heaven? "You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!"

I couldn't resist running my cold fingers along her warm cheek. Strange. I would have thought our temperatures would have matched now. Heaven was a strange place. Not at all what I had expected. The clock tolled again, and that made me pause a moment to consider. Ah, perhaps they hadn't yet finished the job and this was just a prelude. Even more strange. I had figured that Felix would be a professional at dispatching naughty rule breaking vampires by now. They needed to hurry it along.

I heard her heart racing and could smell the sweet essence of her sweat coming off her skin. Still slightly confused, but overwhelmingly happy, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply of the scent I had given my life for as I kissed her hair.

"I can't believe how quick it was," I mused quietly to myself. "Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath no power yet upon they beauty." The final toll rang, and I knew that they must be done now, I could feel her ever more solidly in my arms. "You smell just exactly the same as always," I stopped to ponder for a moment. Perhaps it was Hell, and this was some awful joke played upon me by the Devil, and when I opened my eyes again, she would be gone. Oh well. If that was the game, for experiencing this one moment, I would do it a thousand times over. "So maybe this is hell. I don't care. I'll take it."

"I'm not dead," the vision in my arms argued, interrupting my musings. "And neither are you! Please Edward, we have to move. They can't be far away!"

The soft bundle squirmed in my arms, and I felt my forehead crease in a frown at her words. We were in Heaven. What was there to fear here?

"What was that?" I queried softly, the beginnings of comprehension starting to spark in my scent dulled brain. My head was still swimming with her delightful aroma, clouding my thinking, but I was gradually becoming aware of my immediate surroundings.

"We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi-" she sputtered furiously a second before reality struck me like a battering ram. Suddenly the thoughts that I'd been unconsciously blocking in my joy at my reunion with my beloved Bella exploded in my head.

Ah, look how close he is to the sun. Aro knew he would try something like this, came the acid edged thought from Demetri's wicked brain.

Damn. We got here too soon. I wonder if Aro will let me rip his head off anyway? It looks like his intention was clear enough. was Felix's mental dialogue.

I could see Bella and I from their two sets of eyes, and how close we actually were to the sun. I was also aware of their thirst; their desire to taste her alluring blood, a scent they also had swirling in their heads as they waited in the shadows to see what we would do.

That last thought had me instantly springing to the defensive. As gently as I could manage, I grabbed Bella and spun her away from them, shoving her against the wall in the darkened area back under the clock tower. Assuming a threatening posture in front of her - slightly crouched, knees bent, arms spread wide and ready - I felt a low growl of warning rumbling in my chest.

In Volturi guard minds I saw Bella peek under my arm at them, terror written on her beautiful face, and I fought to keep my voice calm and self assured in order to not cause her anymore panic.

"Greetings, gentlemen," I purred quietly, an edge of threat to my voice. "I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters."

"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" Felix whispered, his tone causing the hair on the back of my neck to raise slightly, and the growl in my chest to intensify.

"I don't believe that will be necessary." I replied, hearing the menacing tone in my own voice. "I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules."

Demetri spoke from his own shadowed hiding place. "Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," his voice silken and smooth, trying to mellow out a quickly escalating situation. He was the cooler head of the two guard, and even though he was just as thirsty as Felix was, his thoughts told me that he wasn't going to be as quick to challenge me as Felix was, knowing my special gift. "Let us seek better cover."

It was all I could do not to snort at them. "I'll be right behind you," I said in a voice that could have peeled wallpaper from walls. "Bella, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?"

"No, bring the girl," Felix whispered, an unmistakable smirk in his voice. What fun we could have with her, was the thought I caught when he spoke the words. At least for a moment or two..

The words, both silent and spoken, combined to cause me to drop any last vestige of politeness remaining in my demeanor.

Yeah, Right.

I shifted my weight forward to the balls of my feet and prepared for him to charge me as I said, "I don't think so."

"No." Bella mouthed silently.

"Shh," I whispered back, trying to reassure her, but not at all sure of the situation myself.

Demetri spoke up, a shadow come to life, trying to reason with his huge partner. "Felix," he murmured, "Not here." he turned to face me. "Aro would simply like to speak with you again, if you have decided not to force our hand after all."

I decided it might be better if I played nice, trying to get the chance to remove Bella from the situation. Despite the current tenseness of the moment, my mind was still whirling with the fact that she was alive and well, basically plastered to my back.

"Certainly," I said, an edge of affability returning to my voice. "But the girl goes free." I qualified quickly, as I heard their thoughts returning quickly to their thirst and lust for her blood.

Demetri said, "I'm afraid that's not possible," false regret heavy in his voice. "We do have rules to obey." The human knows about us. She can't be allowed to live.

I raised an eyebrow at him, hearing both of his voices. "Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aro's invitation, Demetri."

From the corner of my eye I saw the mammoth shape that was Felix shift it's weight from one foot to the other. I tightened my stance as I saw Bella's frightened face front and center in his mind.

No way in hell was he going to get anywhere near her. Not while I was still standing.

"That's just fine," Felix's disembodied voice floated out from the darkness. I could see him shadowed there plain as day, but from Bella's squinted eyes, I knew she was having issues. Human eyes were so weak. I kept mine on him, just in case.

"Aro will be disappointed," Demetri sighed over-dramatically.

"I'm sure he'll survive the letdown," I replied, somewhat dryly, still eyeing Felix as he eyed Bella. Her safety was my number one priority. I was not budging from my protective stance until I had to.

Or, was thrown bodily away from her. Either way, I was determined to stay planted in my current location.

Deep in the protection of their near floor length cloaks, they began drifting slowly forward, cautiously spreading out in a loose semi-circle around me, attempting to block any avenues of escape I might attempt. Growling quietly, unable to stop myself, I shifted my weight to follow Felix, knowing in my gut that he was ultimately the one to watch for a fight, and tracked Demetri by using Felix's eyes.

The hell? My head whipped around quickly as I caught the leading edge of a much beloved mind I hadn't heard in longer than I cared to think about. Following my quick motion, both Demetri and Felix also rubbernecked to see what had caught my attention.

Hey Big Brother. You didn't think I would let you have all the fun, did you? Alice. What the hell was she doing here? In her mind, I saw Bella's eyes widen as she caught sight of Alice moving towards us in the shadows. Of course. She brought Bella to save me. I should have figured.

"Let's behave ourselves, shall we?" Alice spoke verbally for the Volturi guards benefit as she skipped out of the shadows. "There are ladies present."

Coming directly to my side, keeping her body language unconcerned and casual, I could see in her mind that she was anything but, watching them with a hawk's glare for any sudden movements they might make. Swinging her arms around like a happy child on a playground, she stopped and leaned slightly into me, a silent greeting.

Demetri and Felix straighted immediately, obviously irritated that they were now outnumbered, or, that we at least had even strength, not counting Bella. I almost laughed as Felix's mouth turned down into a frown.

"We're not alone," Alice's soft voice reminded them, flicking her eyes quickly at he crowd that was gathered just outside our shadowed alleyway. The family I had noticed earlier had caught sight of the five of us standing tense and quiet in the alley, and the woman was whispering desperately to her husband, and in her mind I heard her mention something about him calling the gestapo, in case there was trouble.

As her husband walked quickly over to one of the plaza's armed guards, Demetri trained his eyes back on mine.

"Please, Edward, let's be reasonable," he said, almost pleading.

"Let's," I agreed quickly. "And we'll leave quietly now, with no one the wiser." I knew he wouldn't fall for it, I could already hear the denial in his mind, but I had to try.

He sighed in irritation. "At leas let us discuss this more privately."

Out of Felix's eyes, I saw six more guards join the family, and all their eyes trained on us with cautious expressions ranging from concern to anger. I was aware that I hadn't dropped my protective crouch, and feeling the tension rolling off of Felix in waves, I wasn't about to, even from the treat of the armed plaza guards.

My teeth clicked together loudly as I snapped back at Demetri. "No." Felix grinned, sure that the confrontation he was lusting for was at hand.

"Enough."

The voice caught me unprepared, and then I caught the mind belonging to the voices owner and immediately relaxed my stance and dropped my arms. This was one vampire I knew better than to irritate.

And she was already irritated. Great.

Seeing the small dark cloaked shape drifting towards us, I fought to keep from grinding my teeth together in frustration. This was something we did not need.

Small in size, but totally beautiful, even with the repulsive red eyes, her appearance caused both Felix and Demetri to react as I did - they immediate relaxed their tense fighting postures, and slipped back into the shadows.

"Jane," I sighed, acknowledging her quietly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice fold her arms, her face blank as she waited to see what Jane would do.

"Follow Me," she said, her voice a dead monotone. She immediately turned her back on us and slipped away into the dark without questioning whether or not we would follow her. She knew we would. Felix looked back at me, a smirk on his face as he gestured for us to go next.

Alice fell immediately in line behind where Jane has disappeared, and I reached out and wrapped my arms around Bella, marveling again that she was warm, soft and most importantly, breathing, in my arms. From the corner of my eye, I saw her look up at me in a panic, her beautiful face alive with unasked questions, and I shook my head quickly, stopping her before she started. The last thing we needed was the ears behind us listening.

To attempt to put her mind at ease, I struck up a casual conversation with Alice as we walked the darkened hallway.

"Well, Alice, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

"It was my mistake," she said in the same casual tone I had adopted, and I knew she understood my silent meaning. "It was my job to set it right."

Trying to seem as if I was only vaguely interested in her answer, I asked, "What happened?" as mild as I could manage.

"It's a long story." Alice said, glancing quickly toward Bella and then dancing just as swiftly away from her. "In summary, she did jump off a cliff, but she wasn't trying to kill herself. Bella's all about the extreme sports these days."

In her mind I caught one image after the other, suddenly flooded with a whirlwind of pictures - Bella nearly drowning, somehow being pulled to safety; Bella being stalked by a vampire, and... what the hell? Werewolves?

"Hm," was all I could manage to choke out after seeing these images in her mind, all pretense of casualness gone.

Up ahead, Jane had disappeared, and Alice was quickly coming to the end of our hallway. I felt Bella start in surprise as she suddenly vanished through a hole in the floor. Bella stepped to the edge and looked down in surprise, her already pale skin suddenly even whiter in the dim light of the hall. She pulled back in confusion.

"It's alright, Bella," I murmured quietly. "Alice will catch you." If Demetri and Felix hadn't have been breathing down our necks, just watching and waiting for an opening, I would have gone ahead to catch her myself. But I trusted Alice.

Bella lowered herself down, allowing her legs to dangle in the opening for a moment.

"Alice?" she whispered, her trembling voice barely audible.

"I'm right here, Bella," Alice called out to reassure Bella as she teetered on the edge.

I reached out and gently grasped Bella's too thin wrists and lowered her partially into the blackness below.

"Ready?" I called out, wanting to make sure that Alice was completely ready to catch her when I let go.

In her mind, I saw Bella dangling from my grasp. "Drop her," she called back. Taking a deep, unnecessary breath, I release my hands, and with a huffing whoosh, heard Bella land safely in Alice's arms.

Quickly, I dropped down beside the two girls and immediately wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and drew her close beside me as we began walking forward. Feeling her warm arms wrap around my own waist was a Heaven I never thought I'd feel again, and I wished that we had a minute to take a breath an say a proper hello.

What I wouldn't give for a kiss!

Behind us, the grate was pulled into place with a loud clang that caused Bella to jump and trip as we hurried after Alice. Now and then as we hustled down the hall, I could hear Felix release an impatient sigh, and I had to fight from gritting my teeth and growling at him as his eyes stayed trained on Bella as she stumbled along next to me. Besides catching an intense under current of hunger for her blood from him, he was not only absorbing her mouth watering scent, he was also hugely enjoying the view of her backside.

I gripped her tightly and reached across her body with my free hand to hold onto her face as well, clearly marking my territory by tracing my cold, hard thumb across her lips and telling Felix in no uncertain circumstances that she was mine.

As we walked for what seemed like forever in a tunnel I had never been in before, Bella clutched herself to me, and I couldn't resist pressing my face into her silky hair, inhaling deeply, a part of me still unable to process the fact that she was alive and warm in my arms.

Our path travelled steadily downward, and I was confused as to where we were heading, since I clearly didn't take this tunnel on my way out of the conference room. I knew there were several tunnels in and out of the ancient building, but the was one that I was totally unfamiliar with. I could feel then tension in Bella's body and I knew she was terrified, the scent coming off of her in waves. I tried to sooth her by keeping my hand on her face, and felt her shaking, so I pressed her tighter against me as the tunnel started to lighten.

When Bella's teeth started chattering, I realized that it wasn't fear that had her shaking - she was cold. Her clothes were wet.. although I didn't know how they had gotten that way. I quickly let go of her, knowing that the wintry temperature of my skin wasn't going to help the matter any, and kept a hold of only her hand. She immediately threw her arms back around me in horror.

"N-n-no," she stuttered out through chattering teeth, and I rubbed my hand quickly along her arm, hoping that the friction might warm her marginally at least.

I could see the dimness of the tunnel giving way to the light from an open iron barred gate. I ducked through and towed Bella with me. Felix made a big show of slamming the gate behind us just to watch Bella start in fear. I shot him a hate filled glare over her head, and he smirked at me, taunting me, trying to openly start a fight that would end in only one way.

We stepped through the low wooden door on the opposite side of the room and as Bella looked around, relaxing against me in relief, I tensed, feeling my eyes narrow, and my jaw snap shut.