Chapt 23 - Infiltration
 

In one quick, fluid movement, Edward had repositioned himself between myself and the three figures clad in deep gray robes mirroring our own. He stood in a protective crouch in front of me as the smallest member of the group stepped forward and around the leader. The only discernable feature of the otherwise completely cloaked figure was a sickeningly sadistic smile. From beside me, I heard Alice exhale with a resigned sigh as the small figure before us cautiously raised two distinctly feminine hands to grasp her hood on either side.

As she lowered the hood, I felt Edward's posture relax as recognition registered with us.

"Hello, cousin," Kate sang mockingly.

"Kate?" Edward gasped incredulously.

"You know, I really must say," she continued in smug tone, "it really is a rare occasion when someone manages to take you by surprise." She smirked with obvious pleasure over her self proclaimed accomplishment as she took in our shocked expressions. "You didn't really expect us to sit back on this one, now did you?"

One by one, her companions lowered their hoods as well, revealing their identities; first Garret, then Tia.

"We caught up with the rest of your clan just after you three left," Garrett explained. "Jasper brought us up to speed. I must say, I rather like his style."

"Luckily, Elezear held on to these hideous things," Kate said gesturing to their robes with distaste. "Sentimental value, I guess..."

"Amun told us what had happened when Esme called him for a copy of the city plans," Tia offered. "Benjamin and I arrived outside the city four days ago and have been waiting. We caught up to Kate and Garrett here just last night."

"And Benjamin?" I asked, taking note of his absence.

"He stayed with the rest of your family. He thought maybe he could be of more assistance to them."

"Well, it makes more sense now," Edward said. "The guard that had been set on the city retreated so quickly, it must have been because there were six of us rather than three within the walls all along."

"We spotted several of them along the rooftops as we entered through the gate," Garrett explained. "We assumed they must be following you, so we took an alternate route to this spot to try to force them to separate."

Edward nodded, "It obviously worked. There were only Alec and Felix here up until just before you arrived. And Tanya?"

"She was reluctant, but agreed to stay behind to help guard Renesmee making only one small request in return - that we ensure Caius falls."

Kate and Tanya would no doubt want revenge for their sister, Irina's death at Caius' hands. I sincerely hoped the opportunity would present itself for her.

"So what's the best way in?" Garrett asked. "Manhole?"

"That seems like as good an option as any," Edward replied. He led us through the alleys to a narrow one hidden from view beside the Basilica. As we approached it, Garrett stooped to grasp its edges, silently looking up to ensure we ready before moving it. We all nodded and he easily pulled the round disc from the ground and sat it noiselessly aside.

We dropped into the pitch black, cavernous chamber below, landing without a sound. My eyes adjusted easily to the darkness and I quickly noted that we were alone. I held my breath and strained to make out even the faintest sound. There was a musky, wet, mildew odor that hung thick in the still air around us. To my right, water from the streets above steadily dripped onto the stone floor. Aside from that, it was eerily silent and very unsettling.

There were several dark halls leading off from the room. All of them were equally uninviting. Edward turned to Alice and raised one eyebrow questioningly. She appraised each of the corridors quickly before raising her finger to point to the one furthest to the left. "Everything gets fuzzy and disappears if we take that one," she said. "I'm sure that is the direction we need to go...but after that..." She trailed off and looked to myself and Edward, shrugging helplessly.

"I don't like this, Edward," Kate said quietly. "This isn't right."

He held his hand up to silence her and turned his head first one way, and then another. I continued to listen, straining to hear what I knew only he could.

After a long, silent moment, Garret took a deep breath and whispered, "They won't let us just walk in unchallenged, and they know we're here."

At that moment, Edward tensed and slowly lowered himself into a low crouch in front of me. "You are correct in that assumption - it's a trap. We're about to have company." I followed his gaze, which was locked on the nearest corridor.

"How many?" Kate breathed as she lowered herself to mirror Edward's stance.

"I can't tell. Several, but I can only read one thought. However many there are, it would appear that their thoughts are not their own. They are being controlled, but they are not being sent with the expectation that they will stop us...only to delay us. They are being sent to die."

"Four," Alice said surely. "There are four. I'm certain of it."

In the distance, far down the corridor, I heard the ghostly quiet tread of footsteps growing steadily closer.

"Can you tell who?" Kate asked.

"No," Edward growled, "but we're about to find out."

(cont) Infiltration
 

I sensed Kate's electric current dance through the damp air as four figures stepped into the chamber from the dark hallway. They all wore the dark colors of the Volturi, but their faces were unfamiliar...except one. Gianna. Her movements were sporadic and jerky-less graceful than her three male companions. Her eyes moved wildly around the room and their vivid crimson color exposed her for the newborn that she was. Bitter venom coated my mouth and for a brief moment, I felt pity for Gianna. I had no idea how long she'd played the role of gracious, accommodating human pawn of the Volturi who had so longed to join their ranks in immortality. But the pity I felt for her was fleeting, for Gianna would not live to enjoy what she'd so desperately wanted. She was standing in between me and Jacob, and she too would die.

For the full second that it took me to consider this most unfortunate scenario and draw the conclusion, the four members of the guard before us merely stood, surveying our group of six. They had only begun to position themselves in defensive positions when Kate straitened up and stepped forward casually. I made a move to mirror her, but was halted by Edward's vice like grip on my arm. I looked at him questioningly, but he merely shook his head, his eyes never leaving Kate's figure. I glanced at Garrett, the closest to her, naturally. His gaze never left his mate. Slightly behind him, Alice was crouched, looking as deadly as I'd ever seen her...with an amused smirk on her face.

I turned back to Kate and narrowed my eyes in suspicion at her pacing figure. "So," she said with a certain air of arrogance to her tone. "You're who Caius sent to die first." The larger of the guards snarled menacingly at her and took two steady steps towards her as the other two males fell back to flank him. Kate, however, never wavered and never flinched. "Who knew that Caius had a sense of humor?" She cast an appraising look at the four. Her voice grew increasingly condescending as she continued to provoke them. "Well, I'll be sure and tell him about the chuckle we all had at your expense...when we see him, that is."

Her final jab had been enough to break the self control of the guards. Suddenly, I became aware of what was going to happen as Kate had intended a millisecond before it played out before my eyes. In one lithe movement, the three men sprang in unison at Kate, who made no effort to shield herself from their attack. True to the level of precision the Volturi were known for, all three made contact with her at exactly the same moment...and keeping true to that precision, all three simultaneously crumpled to the floor as Kate sent a powerful, rolling electric current through them.

Their reflexes having been honed for decades longer than my own, I marveled at the speed in which my five comrades converged on our fallen foes. Having anticipated their reaction the quickest, Garrett flung himself on top of one of the guards who lay convulsing in agony on the floor and had almost instantly ripped his writing arms from his torso, his action very closely mirrored by Alice and Tia who had reached one of the others who was trying blindly to claw his way back down the corridor. The metallic sound of limbs being torn from bodies filled the small chamber as the three guardsmen met their demise.

A movement beyond the mayhem caught my attention. Gianna alone remained standing and seemed completely unabashed by the fall of her brethren in front of her. Her wild crimson eyes locked on mine as she lowered herself into a deadly crouch. I mimicked her action as she drew slowly nearer and we began slowly circling each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

I remembered Jasper's instruction from so long ago as he'd prepared my family to fight the newborn army. By all accounts, Gianna's instinct as a newborn would be straightforward with a strength that easily trumped my own. However, I knew that she had likely received at least some guidance during her short time with the centuries-old Volturi guard so I waited for her to make the first move and prepared to counter it. She however, only continued to circle me as sadistic sneer slowly crept onto her face.

From somewhere to my left, I heard a sharp intake of breath and my favorite sister's gasp, "Bella!"

What happened next couldn't have taken more than a minute, but it stretched on like an eternity in my mind. Unprepared and lacking the immobilization that morphine had once provided, I collapsed on the floor against my own will. Powerless to control it, my muscles convulsed and my body writhed in agony on the damp, stone floor. My ears were filled with the pounding dead echo of my heart as it beat frantically in its race against the searing venom that raced through my veins. My back arched off the floor as the burning pain pulled me upward, only to drop me back onto my side, facing my friends who stood helplessly against the wall looking on in horror.

I wanted to plead with Gianna, wanted to scream for help. Instead, in between my uncontrolled cries of anguish, my traitorous mouth only begged for death. Somehow, through the blinding pain, I turned my desperate gaze to my friends. "Please, kill me! Do it now! KILL ME!" My only hope was that one of them would bring me the relief I so desperately wanted. Edward - surely Edward would not let me suffer like this?

To my despair, they only held their positions, some more willingly than others. Garrett and Tia stood restraining a struggling Edward against the wall as Alice held her own small hands against his chest, pleading with him urgently. "Edward, you can't! Please listen! She will kill us all in seconds." She cast a helpless, tortured glance in my direction before turning back to him. "Bella's the only one."

Kate stood looking frantically between myself and Edward, the battle of her indecision plain on her face - try to help me, or further restrain Edward. My body roiled again as I turned back in the direction of a slowly advancing Gianna, her face murderous and triumphant. As my heart's tempo increased in my ears, Edward's unanswered pleas faded behind me. "Alice, let me go! I have to go to her - I have to save her!"

I grasped wildly and blindly trying to find the stake I had so desperately clung to during my transformation and prayed that my hands would find purchase on that which had been my strength and salvation. As I continued searching for it through the burning fire, I heard Alice's solemn declaration, no more than a whisper, through the crackling flames that licked at every inch of my body. "Edward, it's got to be Bella."

My vision blurred as I tried to focus on Gianna, now only feet from me, her ruby eyes alight with bloodlust as she slowly raised her hands preparing to end me. With one final effort, my hands found their purchase - my stake, standing strong in my own burning pyre. As I had what seemed like a lifetime ago, I clung to it with every ounce of strength I could muster.

As I held fast to my lifeline, I cursed Gianna. During my transformation, I had fought to remain motionless on the table, trying to spare Edward the agony he would suffer and tried to avoid the guilt in his eyes that would surely be there if he were to endure what he was being forced to stand witness to now. Thankful that he could not read my thoughts, I'd vowed to protect him. And now, Gianna was robbing me of that secret that I'd so desperately fought to keep to myself.

(cont) Infiltration
 

A new energy built within me as I used the building anger over this realization to fight back. I used my stake to slowly pull myself up. The scorch of the flames slowly began to fade until the red of my shield slowly became visible around them. I flexed it as I fought to right myself until at last it met the force of Gianna's gift. I ground my teeth to the point that I thought they would surely crack under the pressure as I pushed my shield outward, slowly forcing the point where it mingled with her power closer towards her and further from my own body.

I saw Gianna pause as recognition crossed her face and her mouth pulled down into an angry scowl. An angry snarl erupted from her mouth as she crouched down and sprung lithely at me. But it was too late. With one great effort, I threw my shield at her with all my force and it collided with her mid air. The force of it knocked her backwards on the ground and she began writhing in agony as I had done moments before.

Upon making contact with the floor, each of my comrades descended upon her. Each took hold of one of her limbs, twisted and dismembered her in one fluid movement. Garrett still held Gianna's twitching arm, now severed from her body as four pairs of eyes turned to me, each wide with both shock and amazement.

In one bound, Edward reached me, pulling me to his chest. I pulled in wild, ragged breaths as I fought to regain my composure. "What...in the hell...was that!?"

"Aro chose his colleagues well," Alice explained with distaste. "It seems that Gianna had an even more formidable gift that he could have ever imagined."

"Her gift seems to have worked much in the same fashion as Jasper's rather than Jane's. It differed from Jane's as hers is only the illusion that you are suffering...Gianna's reflected events you have actually experienced - your most painful physical memories.

I reined in the fury that had erupted from me and snorted in disgust. "Well someone should have warned her - she picked the wrong memory."

Alice flitted to my side, her eyes apologetic and begged for my understanding. "Bella, you were the only one who could have resisted her. None of us would have stood a chance against her."

"Thank you, Alice. For having faith in me."

Suddenly, our victory was cut short. Somewhere, from deep within the cavernous tunnels, the anguished cry of a wolf pierced the air. Abandoning all rational thought, I turned and ran blindly down the nearest corridor. I allowed the sound to lead me forward, only vaguely aware of Edward running close behind me. I wouldn't have expected otherwise. Whatever fate that lie ahead, we were destined to meet it together.

Chapt 24 - Saving the Day
 

Edward's speed allowed him to easily catch up to me, but he didn't try to stop me. Instead, he merely matched my pace, always keeping himself slightly ahead of me. Behind me, Alice, Kate, Garrett and Tia trailed slightly. I had run in the direction of Jacob's anguished howl, not knowing where the passage would take me, but fully aware of one vital piece of information - Jacob was alive, at least for now.

I had not allowed myself to even consider the possibility that no matter what we did, we may be too late. That Jacob may already be dead. Heaven help the Volturi if that proved to be true - not that I planned on granting them any pardons regardless.

We ran through the tunnel for several long minutes, winding first one way, and then another and several times circling back around only to end up near where we started - or so it seemed. I was becoming very frustrated with our lack of progress and all the while, my anger and desire for vengeance only increased, boiling beneath my icy surface. As we ran, we heard no other sounds aside from our own footsteps and stifled breathing.

At last, we came to an intersection of tunnels that I was fairly certain we had not crossed before. Five separate dark tunnels, not counting the one from which we had just emerged, led off from the antechamber where we stood. Each of them was as pitch black and foreboding as the next. Edward strained to detect any thought that would indicate which passage to take and Alice rubbed her temples, trying in vain to see some glimpse of what would lay ahead of each possible route. Her face was fixed in a mask of frustration as she eventually conceded and shook her head, "I can't...we're too close."

"Should we split up?" Kate suggested, although the tone of her voice was unsure enough to suggest that she herself didn't believe that was a wise option.

"No," Garrett answered quickly. "Considering who we're dealing with here, I'd say we're at enough of a disadvantage with our numbers as we are."

Edward had barely opened his mouth when the very ground beneath us began to shake, silencing him before he'd even had the chance to speak. Loose, powder like debris fell from several cracks between the stones above our heads. Several baseball sized pieces broke free and fell to the floor around us, one hitting Edward's shoulder before my eyes. It split into several pieces before falling to the floor noisily. The antechamber was filled with the sounds of similar pieces falling free in the tunnels around us as the shaking continued. After several long seconds, it ceased and the rumbling sounds that had filled the underground lair faded away.

"Benjamin," Tia said, panic coloring her tones. "I'm sure of it."

"Then wherever they are, they've met resistance. And quite a bit of it I'd wager for him to send a tremor of that strength," Garret surmised.

Edward began pacing madly from one tunnel entrance to another and growled fiercely in frustration. He'd barely begun his second pass in front of the tunnels when Alice gasped. I turned to her to see the all too familiar glassy look in her eyes as she stared at nothing, obviously seeing something we could not. "Jazz!" she cried with alarm. "Oh God, Edward...it's Alec!"

Not bothering to explain further or break from her trance, she slowly began taking steps towards one of the passages, finally breaking into a run as her vision faded and her expression cleared. At once we followed in her wake. We'd run mere seconds when the sounds of what Alice had clearly seen met our ears, filling up the tunnel and echoing around us as we ran. Vicious snarls and the sounds of fighting filled the air, echoing off the narrow walls as we pushed ourselves even more.

"We have to go faster, Edward," Alice urged. "I only saw Caius give Alec the order...I didn't see how long it would take them to get to them."

Edward's tone was one of dread and his voice was tight as he responded. "He's already there, Alice."

A choked sob broke from Alice's lips. The maddening sounds of fighting grew closer. Further down the passage, a flickering glow illuminated the tunnel as it veered to the right. As we neared the, the sounds suddenly stopped and a lone venomous voice drifted towards us, eliciting a hiss from Kate - Caius. "Him first - he's the fighter. Take care of the rest of them as you wish."

We rounded the curve and found that the passage ended in yet another large, round room. It only took a fraction of a second to survey the scene before us. What I was sure had once been a room of grandeur had been reduced to shambles. The room was large and circular and lit by several extravagant torches mounted on the wall, each embossed with intricate brass. The ornamental tapestries that had once adorned the wall lay in fallen piles on the floor or hung in lifeless, ripped shreds. Scattered throughout lay pieces of broken furniture and ceramic. And bodies.

However, the destruction of the priceless antiques and artwork was instantly forgotten. The fighting has ceased because Alec had arrived, using his gift to rob our family of their senses and giving the Volturi the advantage they had clearly lacked.

Eight pairs of ruby eyes turned their murderous gaze to us as we intruded on the scene. Their expressions were ones of shock - except that of Caius whose face was set in a mask of enraged displeasure. He stood teetering in a doorway, leading out of the room. The indecision of fleeing to save his own life and staying to see his justice served warred on his face as five guardsmen stood protectively in front of him.

In the middle of the room, amid a mass of dismembered bodies and limbs, was Alec. Our arrival had halted him in mid-stride. He stood with his arms extended, his slender fingers curled into deadly claws mere inches from Jasper's neck. Jasper stood before him lifelessly, his face blank.

(cont) Saving the Day
 

Halfway across the room, Felix was frozen in a crouch, ready to launch himself in our direction. A short distance away from him stood Carlisle and Benjamin. They stood motionless and rigid. Their faces were devoid of any emotion and their eyes stared strait forward seeing nothing.

Edward stared across the room at Caius, who was visibly shaking with rage. He whispered low and fast so only I would hear. "I'll guard you. Focus on Alec." Then, Edward let out an amused snort and broke the silence, speaking so that the entire room could hear. "He didn't think we'd make it this far."

Edward's taunting exclamation set the scene in motion again as several things suddenly happened at once.

From his safety of the doorway across the room, Caius shouted one last directive, his voice cracking under the stress of his frustration as he visibly clenched his fists at his side. "Kill...them!" With one last glance in our direction, he turned and ran, escaping down the passage beyond the doorway. Several of the guards sprang lithely at Kate as she shot off in pursuit of him. Each one met her body and immediately crumpled on the floor in agony as she projected her disabling waves through them.

I flexed my shield and threw it toward my lifeless family members with a force and speed I had never before managed. Almost instantly, recognition returned to Jasper's face. In the same instant, he lunged forward, catching Alec by the throat and lifting him up off the ground. Alec's feet flailed below him, seeking purchase but finding none. Alec's granite skin cracked audibly under the force of Jasper's grip and he gasped as he pleaded desperately with Jasper. His eyes widened with terror as the life force was slowly squeezed out of him. With one quick flick of his wrist, Jasper swung Alec's body, breaking the bones in his neck with an audible crack. Then, he dropped the lifeless body to the floor and Alec was no more.

Turning his attention from us and set on avenging his fallen comrade, Felix sprung lithely towards Jasper - "the fighter" as Caius had described him. However, Felix never made it to Jasper. Garrett collided with him mid air. Perched on his back, Garrett cleanly severed Felix's head from his body with one quick pass of his teeth before the great warrior's body could even fall to the floor.

Determined to follow Caius' last, frantic orders to the death, the remaining guards descended on Jasper and Garrett, who now stood back to back. I'd always known that the rest of my family held Jasper's combative skills in the highest regard. In the moments that followed, I fully understood why. I often took for granted the fact that Jasper was a decades old vampire whose intensive military style, both before and after his transformation, had honed him into the lethal weapon that everyone else already knew him to be.

He and Garrett worked in tandum as first one advisary, then another fell at their hands. Their motions were faster than even my eyes could distinguish and they seemed to move in a style that seemed to be choreographed. As their victims fell, Benjamin and Alice descended upon the fallen bodies making quick work to dismember them as Benjamin piled them onto a small fire that he seemed to have conjured out of thin air.

Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Carlisle.

"The others? Where are the others, Carlisle?" Edward asked frantically.

Carlisle raised his hand and pointed towards the tunnel down which Caius and Kate had run. "The end of the passageway...Jacob is there. We tried to hold these off to give them a chance to reach him."

Edward and I were already in motion moving towards the passageway as he gave his hurried explanation. "Stay here," Edward responded. "We'll go to them."

"Edward...wait!" Carlisle called as we neared the door. We paused briefly and turned to meet his warning gaze. "Jane...she's still here."

"Not for long," I spat back. I turned and led the way down the tunnel with Edward and Tia following closely behind me. As I ran, visions of Jane's face danced before my eyes. I felt the corners of my mouth curl upwards in a smile as I envisioned how she would die. Several possible methods of her death flashed before my eyes, all with one common factor that never changed. Even if I had to give my own life in the process, Jane would die by my hand.

Chapt 25 - Mind Control
 

The tunnel slanted downwards as we ran, taking us even deeper under the Italian streets high above. I wondered how far underground we actually were. 200 feet? 300 feet? More? It was really a trivial thing to fret over at the present time. Eventually, the floor leveled out and the walls of the tunnel became so narrow that we had to run along it single file.

Suddenly, a very familiar scent met my nose. I inhaled deeply welcoming the musky, woodsy smell...Jacob.

I continued running, turning myself over to my senses completely and allowing Jacob's scent to pull me forward. At last, the tunnel emptied into another room, if you could call it that. "Dungeon" was a more accurate description. Completely windowless, it too was lit only by torches. The walls were damp and the heavy smell of mildew hung in the air.

The scene I saw as we entered the chamber made my stomach turn as the realization hit me that we had been out maneuvered and were more outmatched than we'd thought. Laying in the furthest corner of the room was a lifeless Jacob.

Fury erupted inside me as peered down at him. His body lay sprawled atop a mound of straw bedding that had been carelessly piled in a corner. His ankle was bound in an iron shackle and chained to the wall. Judging from the short length of the chain, it seemed barely long enough to allow him access to the filthy dog bowl full of stale water that had been placed on the ground near him.

In front of him, in a deep crouch, arms spread out protectively, was Rosalie. My mind scrambled trying to make sense of what I was seeing. To my side, Edward growled lowly, his eyes set on the battle in front of him. Facing Rosalie, hands curled into deadly claws and braced in a murderous stance as he countered her every move, wasn't a member of the Volturi as I would have expected - it was Emmett. His face was void of recognition as he circled Rosalie, driving her further into a corner and limiting her ability to dodge his deadly swipes with each step.

"Edward," I begged urgently. "What's going on? What's he doing!?"

He shook his head, staring at Emmett as he tried to hear the thoughts behind his actions. "I...can't." His voice was strained. Suddenly, comprehension came to his face. His eyes snapped wide and his head snapped strait forward, alert. "They're here." He growled through clenched teeth. "Close by. Jane and one of the new Romanian acquisitions. She's controlling his mind. It's her doing this, not him."

As I looked again in disgust at the animalistic conditions my best friend had been forced to endure, my rage continued to build. My vision hazed red and my frozen blood boiled within my veins. Anger flooded my senses sending uncontrollable tremors through my muscles. I tired to flex my shield around Emmett and Rosalie, but my violent shaking only caused it to snap back with every attempt I made to extend it outward from myself.

Suddenly, the torch nearest to Rosalie and Emmett erupted in a pillar of fire. The glowing, orange flame spilled over onto the floor snaked its way behind Rosalie, separating Jacob from the battle between she and Emmett. I glanced over my shoulder to find Benjamin standing a few feet behind us. His hands were flat on the wall and his face was set and determined. He was controlling the fire.

No longer confined to guarding Jacob, Rosalie began moving more quickly. She never struck back at Emmett, but effortlessly twisted and danced her way out of the path of his advancements. Edward dropped my hand and shot across the room towards Emmett. Their bodies collided with a sickening crunch. The impact sent them both colliding to the floor causing a deep fissure to break across the floor and up the wall. Rosalie's eyes were focused on the battle in front of her. He protruding lower lip trembled slightly as eyes waited for the tears that would not come.

(cont) Mind Control
 

The two Cullen men faced each other, Emmett taking lethal swipes at Edward who easily dodged them. Edward was quicker than Emmett, but I knew it would only take one of Emmett's powerful blows to end the standoff. Benjamin rushed forward to help Edward as they tried to maneuver him away from the fire and away from myself, Rosalie and Tia. In the meantime, the fire Benjamin had conjurred continued to burn, shielding Jacob from the fray.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Emmett suddenly ceased fighting and stood up. But my relief was short lived. Without warning, both Benjamin and Edward crumpled on the floor, writhing in agony. I watched in horror as the vision that had been engrained in my memory of Edward being tortured under Jane's vengeful gaze again played out before my eyes. I tried again to calm my shaking and extend my shield around him and the others to protect them, but again, it snapped back to me.

I heard her sickening, childish voice before I saw her. "See, Svetlana. I told you they would come."

I looked up to see Jane emerge from the depths of the shadows along the walls of the dungeon. Struggling against the vice like grip Jane had around her neck, was Esme. Jane pulled her stumbling along. A tall female with long, blonde hair like corn silk shadowed Jane's movement. Her eyes were locked on Emmett as he turned again and began advancing on Rosalie.

Jane turned her gaze from Edward and Benjamin on the floor and peered at me with pure hatred in her eyes. Having been released from her torment, they agilely scrambled to their feet. Edward locked his gaze on Jane and crept backwards towards me, taking a protective stance in front of me. Benjamin sprung at Svetlana, but she caught him mid air and sent him colliding backwards, over our heads and into the wall behind us.

I turned to the spot where Benjamin had landed and saw Tia rush to his side. "Get him out of here. Find the others." I mouthed to her. She nodded silently and scooped him up in her arms, turned and disappeared up the corridor behind her.

"Bella," Edward whispered over his shoulder. "I want you to run. Get yourself out of here. Please."

"I'm not leaving you here to die," I replied, my tone final.

I turned my bloodthirsty eyes to Jane. She sneered triumphantly back at me and laughed with amusement. My hatred only intensified as her girlish laugher filled the room. "Not so in control of things, are we now, Isabella?" She spat my name out in distaste as if it burned her tongue. She shook her head in mock pity. "Well, Isabella, it would appear that you have quite the decision to make-who to save. Will you choose your flea ridden family pet? Or perhaps your vain sister?" As if on queue, Emmett lunged again at Rosalie who moved just as he grazed her forearm. I cringed as I watched their deadly dance, knowing that Emmett could deliver a deadly blow at any moment and knowing that Rosalie would go to any length to avoid defending herself against him.

Edward crouched deeper in front of me, his eyes locked on Jane and Svetlana. Jane however, only chuckled, entertained by my obvious dilemma and growing frustration. "Or perhaps you'd be willing to sacrifice yourself to try to save your dear...mother, is it?" She strengthened her grip, increasing the pressure on Esme's neck and eliciting a whimper of pain from her.

"Oh come now, Isabella - surely you didn't honestly believe that you and your pathetic little family stood any real chance of defeating us. How pathetically naive...even for an overconfident newborn such as yourself." Again, she shook her head mockingly. "But it's all irrelevant, really, and my patience is growing thin. So who's it going to be, Isabella? Or perhaps you'll prove yourself to be the selfish brat I've always known you to be and you'll choose to save yourself instead."

Edward growled ferociously in response to her insult, effectively wiping all traces of condescending amusement from her face. She snapped her eyes to focus on him and narrowed them infindecimally. At once, Edward collapsed again, writing uncontrollably in agony at my feet.

My blood boiled between my frozen surface. I felt my shield flex around me. I pushed it forward until I felt it meet Svetlana. At once, her gift spread across its exterior like bitter acid. It burned as I fought against the instinct to pull back.

Jane never broke her hold on Esme as she looked from Edward back to me. Her mouth pulled into an angry scowl and her eyes flashed black with anger as what was happening before her registered in her mind. She threw her head back as she screamed in rage and with one quick motion, flung Esme to the side and onto the floor. Esme quickly scrambled to her feet, running to stand behind Edward and myself.

Jane dropped into a stance, setting her eyes on Edward who was still crouched protectively in front of me. He was so close to me that I could feel the air vibrate angrily around me as continuous growls emanated from deep within his chest. Jane set her murderous gaze on him, but she was unprepared for what happened in the next instant.

So was I.

With one final effort, I forced Svetlana's gift back onto herself. And suddenly, I wasn't looking through my own eyes anymore. I held my hands up, seeing the long, gray sleeves of a robe fall past them. I glanced to the left and stared back into my own, heart shaped face, set into a mask of fierce determination. Edward, still in front of me, stared back at me quizzically.

(cont) Mind Control
 

It was by far the strangest sensation I had ever felt. It was as if my very being had been painlessly ripped in half and taught to co-exists in two places at once. I had full control over this mind - Svetlana's mind - and therefore this body as well. Yet, I felt I was fully in control of my own body and mind simultaneously.

As I processed this thought, my next course of action became clear. Instantly, I severed the bond I felt between myself and Emmett, pulling back the elastic like forces that seemed to be tethered to him. He immediately straitened from his crouch and staggered a few steps backward from Rosalie. She held her defensive stance as she judged the sudden change of his actions and overall demeanor before slowly relaxing her posture.

I turned back to gaze at Edward again - my face, or rather, Svetlana's face - alight with triumph. He nodded in my direction, his own mouth turned upward in a triumphant smile as turned his attention tauntingly back towards Jane.

With one quick movement, I felt the body around me turn with lighting fast speed towards Jane who stood a mere foot from me. Seemingly of their own accord, my hands - Svetlana's hands raised and found purchase around Jane's neck. Her eyes widened in panic as she fought helplessly to break my hold.

I pulled her face close to mine until I could smell her sugar sweet breath and watch her pupils dilate in fear as I used Svetlana's mouth to speak to her. "Burn in hell!" She no longer looked like the sneering, overconfident guard that she'd been for the past century. In the final seconds before her life ended, she only looked like a small, scared child. I lowered my mouth to her throat and with one quick movement, cut easily through her jugular, cleanly severing her head from her body. I tossed both body and head into the raging fire and watched her writing limbs erupted in thick, purple smoke as I wiped her venom from my mouth.

I turned Svetlana's eyes to Edward who remained crouched protectively in front of me. I willed her lips to speak to him, and marveled at how foreign the Russian voice sounded and felt-as if I were speaking it from my own body. "Kill me!" A strange trace of indecision flashed across his eyes. Hesitation was something we could not afford at this point. The flames of Benjamin's abandoned fire were spreading quickly, filling the room with stifling heat while steadily inching closer to Jacob, still unconscious. "Dammit! What are you waiting on? I won't fight back! Kill me now, Edward!"

He clenched his jaw and a determination flashed across his eyes. I forced Svetlana's feet to remain still. With blinding speed, Edward launched himself across the room. Instinctively, I tried to brace for impact, but could not manage before he collided with full force against my midsection. I felt the wind knocked from my lungs - Svetlana's lungs, as the impact of his attack knocked me backward into the stone wall of the chamber.

I tightened my shield around Svetlana's acidic gift as I fought the instincts in my mind screaming at me to use her body to fight back against Edward. He leaned over me, pinning my chest to the ground and wound his hands through the pale blonde hair on my head. My sternum felt like it was cracking under the pressure of his knee, planted firmly against my chest. I caught his gaze for a brief second as he paused and pleaded with him, praying he would see reason. "My eyes, Edward, look at my eyes! This is not me!" I hoped that Svetlana's crimson irises would be enough to convince him.

They were.

With one swift movement, I felt Svetlana's body crushed around me as he increased the pressure of his knee. Blinding pain shot through me as I felt his razor sharp teeth sink into my neck working to sever my head from it. A scream of agony tore through the Russian lips - whether of my own accord, or Svetlana's I would never know. I drew in a quick breath and released my shield, no longer physically able to hold it. It snapped back to me with such a force that it knocked me to my feet. I raised my head to where I'd seemingly been mere seconds ago in time to see Edward throw Svetlana's torn body onto the already raging fire.

As Edward turned and rushed to my side, I was only aware that the blinding pain I'd felt moments ago was gone without any lingering traces. I felt completely normal, completely unharmed. He peered into my eyes, judging my condition, no doubt. I reached up and cupped his face in my hand. He covered my hand with his own and leaned into it, closing his eyes as he did. "Bella," he breathed, relief coloring his voice. Then, he reached forward and pulled me to my feet, pulling me to his chest as he did.

I didn't have time to dwell on the victory or relish his loving embrace. We had to get Jacob and get out before we joined Svetlana and Jane as piles of ashes.

Shaking off his comforting embrace, I turned to the corner where Jacob had lain and where the fire roared and felt my still heart sink. The fire had grown and had nearly engulfed one entire side of the room. The wall of flames stretched from one wall, clear to the other, effectively dividing the room in half. As luck would have it, the exit to the room was to our back. Fresh air drifted down through the tunnel from higher ground above. Our escape from this fiery pit would be simple. There was only one problem: Jacob was on the other side of the fire.

Chapt 26 - Fighting Fire
 

We stood helplessly as the flames between us and Jacob continued to burn. I clung to Edward as the fire burned ever closer to where I knew Jacob’s body to be. We’d flown halfway across the world and risked everything to defeat the seemingly unstoppable forces of the most powerful and influential vampire coven to have ever existed to rescue Jacob. We’d come so far and gotten so close and now this burning barrier was all that stood between me and Jacob and there was nothing I could do to reach him. Fire, the only element that threatened our kind, would be our downfall.
“Jacob! Jacob, wake up!” I yelled frantically, hoping against all odds that I could rouse him from unconsciousness. All the while, the heat from the flames intensified, burning my tearless eyes. If only I could throw myself into the flames and sacrifice my own life to spare that of my best friend, I’d gladly make the exchange. The fire grew hotter still as it met the dry straw upon which Jacob lay. I broke into tearless sobs and buried my face into Edward’s chest as the realization hit me that I was about to see my best friend burned alive before my very eyes.
The horrific thought had barely registered in my mind when Edward stilled beneath me, his very breathing coming to a halt. Suddenly, over the cracking and popping of the dry, burning straw, I heard him gasp in alarm. “Emmett! Stop her!”
I turned in his arms in time to see Emmett grab thin air. Just beyond his grasp, Rosalie disappeared head first into the flames. Thin purple wisps of smoke materialized from the spot where she had disappeared and snaked their way into the grayish plumes that were quickly filling the chamber. A sickening, incense like scent met my nostrils as I strained my eyes trying to see Rosalie beyond the dancing, orange wall.
Emmett’s cry of anguish had not yet faded from his lips when Rosalie reemerged from the fire. In her arms, she carried a semi-conscious Jacob. Clearing the flames, she collapsed on the ground choking and gasping for air. Jacob spilled from her arms landing unceremoniously at our feet. Her perfect, porcelain skin was singed, blistering in spots along her arms.
Almost at once, Emmett scooped her up in his arms. Edward did the same with Jacob, who was mumbling incoherently around his own desperate gasps for oxygen. The room was almost entirely filled by scorching fire and a thick blanket of smoke. The heat from the flames was growing rapidly and burned my skin. I inhaled deeply, searching for oxygen but choking on smoke. I squinted through the black plumes in search of an exit, but it was almost impossible to see beyond more than a few inches. My eyes felt dry and my vision blurred.
I reached blindly for Edward and miraculously managed to grasp the tail of his shirt. I felt him moving, pulling me along and allowed him to lead me as hot ash filled my lungs, robbing them of their last bit of oxygen. I felt the ground beneath me begin to slant upwards. After a few long, agonizing seconds of staggering blindly up through the winding tunnel, we rose above the smoke. I inhaled greedily as my lungs found the oxygen they’d sought so desperately. I collapsed to my knees and spit venom blackened by ash onto the stone floor. After drawing in a few ragged breaths, I pushed myself up from the floor and continued forward, eager to put distance between myself and the raging inferno behind us.
As the crackling sound of the fire behind us faded, we slowed our pace. On occasion, a low moan would escape from Jacob as he slowly began regaining consciousness. We had accomplished what I’d promised the pack and Renesmee I would give my life for—against all odds, we had defeated the Volturi and saved Jacob. I glanced at his semi-limp form as Edward continued to carry him. I glanced back at Rosalie who remained cradled against Emmett’s broad chest. She met my eyes and offered a weak smile in return.
As we continued to climb upward, out of the confines of the underground labyrinth, I wondered if Renesmee was still safe in Denali. I wondered if Seth and Leah had run across any trouble guarding Charlie and Billy and Sue. I wondered if the wolves who’d stayed behind to guard the reservation had run across any unwelcome visitors. And at the forefront of my mind, I wondered if the rest of my family here under the streets of Italy had fared as well as us.
The Volturi had played to their own advantage and strategized in a way that left us no option but to separate from one another, not only here, but both our family and the wolves across the globe. We’d had no game plan, no real strategy other than finding Jacob and not getting killed in the process. The possibility that every member of our party had been able to survive going up against such a powerful force was unfathomable.
Tia had left with Benjamin, carrying his broken body to safety. Had they crossed paths with someone else? We’d left Alice, Carlisle, Garrett and Jasper battling with several well adept guardsmen. Jasper and Garrett had clearly had the upper hand in the battle at the time, but what if something had gone wrong? What if more guardsmen had shown up?
And Kate. Kate had run off on her own in pursuit of Caius, determined to avenge Irina’s death. Caius, who had had killed his own brother in his quest for power and who had proven himself to be even more merciless than any of us could have ever dreamed. Had it been a trap? Did he have some ambush planned? Had he been able to fight her off and escape, the sole survivor? Would he regroup and build up another guard to train in eliminating us again and again until he succeeded?
A fresh wave of panic began building inside me as I considered all the possibilities. I felt my bottom lip tremble. Esme, accurately interpreting my internal anguish, wrapped her motherly arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to her as we trudged forward and began whispering hushed, reassuring words of comfort and praise to calm me. “Bella, you did wonderfully. I’m sure the others are fine and wondering about us as well, Dear.” Her voice however, betrayed her confidence as it cracked at the end.
At that moment, a familiar voice drifted towards me from the tunnel ahead—Alice. I increased my pace, as did the others and all but collided with her in one of the many cavernous intersections. Alice was not alone.

(cont) Fighting Fire
 

I quickly counted all of the vampires in front of me, and then counted again half a dozen times to make sure I was not mistaken. Esme joined Carlisle and Garrett’s arm was wrapped tightly around Kate’s waist. I saw her meet Edward’s imploring eyes and answer his questioning gaze with a reassuring nod of her head. Kate had gotten what she’d come for—Caius was dead. At last, her family would have closure on all the tragedies they’d been dealt at the hand of the Volturi.
My eyes briefly touched the faces of every member that we’d been separated from before finally coming to rest on the face of my favorite sister, who stared back with a triumphant smirk on her face.
“What took you guys so long?” I turned on my heel to see Jacob, coughing, but on his feet again. I launched myself into his arms and for once didn’t mind the burn of his hot skin or his musky smell. “I thought I was going to have to bust out of here on my own,” he teased.
“I hate to be the party pooper,” Emmett said, “but I think I’ve seen all of Italy I care to see.”
“Yes,” Carlisle agreed, always the voice of reason. “I think it best if we continue on our way. There is, after all, a fire still burning here within the tunnels and we do still have quite a distance to travel before we find our way back to the surface, I’m afraid. I can only hope that we don’t have to double back.”
As if on queue to emphasize his words, black wisps of smoke began creeping into the room from the adjacent tunnels. The temperature of the room had risen slightly since we’d first entered. The tunnel from which we’d emerged was glowing with a faint orange flicker as the fire below slowly crept its way closer. Nervously taking note of the telling signs of the approaching threat, we all murmured in agreement and turned to follow Carlisle as he began to lead us towards the nearest corridor.
Just through the short hallway, we stepped into a large, cylindrical room that I recognized at once—the room where Edward, Alice and I had been led so long ago. The room where the Volturi had once displayed their power and dealt out the fates of those unfortunate enough to be brought before them. As I mused over the irony, I felt Edward’s hand on mine tighten as he froze in his tracks. I looked up to him to see his jaw set and his eyes locked on something across the room. I followed his gaze to the raised platform where the three throne like chairs stood that had once been occupied by the three ruling brothers and quickly identified what had captured his attention.
Marcus.
He sat in the very throne he’d occupied the first time I’d entered this room, this city. He stared back at us with a saddened expression and slowly rose to his feet. Several of the vampires around me immediately adjusted their stance to defensive crouches, each preparing to decimate the lone remaining member of the once unstoppable coven, until Edward raised his hand signaling them to stop. “Wait!” he cried. “He’s not here to trick us.” Beside me, Jacob fought the instinct to phase. His body shook so hard that his teeth could be heard slamming together violently. I placed a hand on his forearm, hoping to calm him.
“No,” Marcus agreed as he slowly approached Edward and me. “I am not here to deceive you.” He held his hands out in front of him and laughed without humor. “I don’t have any tricks left, I’m afraid. Only regrets.” He let his hands drop limply to his sides. He hung his head, seemingly in shame as he seemed to consider what he wanted to say. I watched a stray wisp of smoke snake its way lazily around him as he stared at the ground.
At last he raised his dull, red eyes and spoke slowly. “I find that, even given my centuries of existence, I cannot find the words that will fully express the regret I feel for my sins against each of your families. I can only offer the feeble excuse that…for some time now, I have not been thinking as I should…as myself.” He gazed mournfully at Kate. “I cannot replace the loved ones that have been taken, or undo the injustice that has been dealt to each of you. All I can do is wish that in time, each of you will be able to exist in peace, as you all deserve.”
He turned his gaze back to myself and Edward and glanced down at our intertwined hands. “Young Edward, your mate has proven herself to be faithful to you yet again. You are what feeds her very soul, and she yours, now and for all eternity. Trust me, I know.” His eyes looked saddened again and the pain of his past heartache played out on his ancient features. “I had that once.”
“Marcus. Old friend,” Carlisle spoke, now stepping forward to place his hand on the ancient’s shoulder. “Come with us.”
Marcus laughed and turned his pained eyes to Carlisle. “Carlisle, how honored I am to have you call me friend once again.” He paused and cast a glance over his shoulder towards the glowing flames now licking at the entrance to the chamber. “But I do not belong in your world, nor do I have any desire to continue existing in mine. I lost what gave me the will to exist long ago.” He cast another longing look towards me and Edward again. “As I’m sure some of you can understand.”
Past times would have found Marcus indifferent to my own demise, but in that moment I could not find it in me to disrespect the vampire in front of me by denying that he’s spoken the truth. I nodded my head in silent agreement. Edward released my hand and wound his arm around my waist, pulling me tightly to his side. Marcus took note of the gesture and nodded in return.
“Brother,” Carlisle pleaded, “it doesn’t have to end this way. You can find the will…”
But Marcus cut him off before he could finish. “Yes, old friend, it does. And please, do not beg—the gesture is not becoming of you. I ask you as a friend, as a brother, please do not deny me this.”
Carlisle let his hand drop from his shoulder as Marcus took a measured step backward. He cast a last, quick glance at our group again. “I wish that I could leave you with parting words of wisdom, but I believe that I have proven I am not a wise man. I have taken this entire existence for granted and it has proven to be my grandest of mistakes. And so I depart from you with that—don’t take this life, or each other, for granted.”
And with that, he gave a feeble bow and turned and strode, of his own will, into the fiery corridor. I watched in awe as the last surviving members of the Volturi disappeared in a trail of purple smoke.
We stared after him in silence until moments later, Carlisle murmured, breaking the silence. “May God grant you peace, brother.”

(cont) Fighting Fire
 

I stared in disgust at the large steak swimming in gravy that sat on the plate before me. I’d never been particularly fond of read meat before my change, and now, it just repulsed me. Dead an on a plate, that is. I curled my lip in disgust as I stared back at the gourmet dinner in disgust, but thanked my server just the same.
We’d said parted ways with our family and friends at the airport and went our separate ways…for now. The rest of the Cullens boarded a plane that would take them back to Forks, while Edward, Jacob and I boarded the first of two flights that would take us to Fairbanks, Alaska. A few calls from the plane’s on board satellite phone upon take off had alerted Tanya that we were on the way to pick up Renesmee….with Jacob. I smiled to myself as I recalled her squeals of delight in the background.
Upon hearing the news of our success in Italy, Sam and the other pack members left to return to Forks, but not before Sam ensured us that Charlie’s trip had gone without a hitch and that he and the others were already on their way back to Washington as well.
Suddenly, a russet colored fist appeared before me, stabbing a fork through the beef and pulling it from the china in front of me. I wiped in vain at the splattered gravy on my sleeve as I shot a reproachful look across the isle to Jacob. “Oh I’m sorry, were you going to eat that?” His garbled words came out muffled as he cut the steak into mammoth bites and shoved another one into his already full bites.
“Gross Jake!” I reprimanded him, covering my mouth with my hand in disgust.
“Didn’t think so,” he teased. “I tell you, Eddie, I could really get used to this first class gig. Say, do you think they have any more of this stuff around here? I’m starving!”
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Edward replied. “I’ll just speak with the attendant.”
Edward excused himself to find a stewardess and left me sitting alone in the dim first class cabin with Jacob, who was polishing off his third plate of food. “You know,” he said, between huge gulps of soda. “I never doubted for a second that you guys would come. Tell me again, who was it again that risked their life to pull me from the burning rubble?”
I sighed, rolling my eyes and answering the question for what was at least the twentieth time. “Rosalie.”
He grinned widely, his white teeth flashing against his dark skin. “That’s what I thought. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that.”
“Well, I’m sure that Rosalie will feel differently about the situation. I highly suggest that you get it out of your system now while there are thousands of miles separating the two of you.”
At that moment, Edward returned pushing a shiny silver serving cart laden with steaks, at least a dozen side dishes and a wide array of complicated looking pastries and cakes. I giggled as I watched Jacob’s eyes grow to the size of saucers while he surveyed the buffet that Edward had delivered to him. Edward raised a questioning eyebrow as he addressed Jacob. “The attendant has assured me that this is every last bit of food left on this plane. I trust this will keep you satisfied until we land?”
Jacob nodded eagerly, not bothering to take his eyes off the food as he spoke. “Just do me a favor, you two? Try to your hands to yourself until I can finish eating and doze off? I don’t think anyone wants to see this much food make its second appearance. And besides, I have a sensitive stomach.” He patted his already bloated stomach for emphasis.
“No promises on that one,” Edward said as he reclaimed his seat beside me. He smoothly pulled me onto his lap and cradled me against his chest, planting feather light kisses on the crown of my head. At his request, the three of us remained undisturbed for the remainder of the flight, with the exception of the occasional snore from an exhausted Jacob stretched across the entire row of seats across the aisle.
Edward had already begun rhythmically running his fingers through my hair when he spoke, low and quietly into my ear. “Bella, will you marry me?”
“What do you mean, Edward, I already did marry you. Remember, white dress, fancy cake? Surely you haven’t forgotten?” I teased, albeit a bit confused by his question.
He smiled into my hair and I felt him laugh beneath me as he traced the outline of my ring. “No, silly girl. Of course I remember that. What I mean is, in a hundred years, will you marry me again?”
I turned in his arms and met his burning gaze. I
My smiled my favorite crooked smile as his sweet cool breath washed over me. “Breath Bella. Then answer my question, if you don’t mind.”
I inhaled sharply, not having been aware that my breath had caught. I could only think of one answer. “Yes,” I replied back earnestly.
“And a hundred years after that, will you marry me again?”
“Yes.”
“And a hundred years after that?”
“Yes, and every hundred years from here until eternity.”
He took my face in my hand and brought his lips to mine in a passionate kiss and didn’t break it until another deafening snore floated through the cabin.
I leaned my head back onto his chest and he rested his chin on the top of my head. Quietly, he began humming my lullaby and together, we stared out the window of the plane, marveling at the beauty of the sunrise as traveled home, finally ready to begin our happily ever after.

Soooo....that's it. Hope you all enjoyed it. Now I will sit back and eagerly await your comments and thoughts. :D

yay I see you posted... going to finish reading!!! I am totally hooked!

wow!
 

you are an amazing writer! cannot wait to share this with other twilight lovers!

This was as fun to read as the books!

I totally agree. I have been completely enthralled with it since last night! I enjoyed it just as much as the books and I think its great... I will be sharing this with many others as well!

You are such a talented writer, I cannot wait to read your other writings!

Thanks so much for the compliments. :thumbs up I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

I will certainly let you know when I finish my next masterpiece! :D (HA) I can say that at least what I'm working on now is something all my own. :thumbup:

That was AWESOME!!!! I loved it! You did a really good job.....hmmm wonder what is going to happen to Jacob and Renesmee years down the road? Hint hint...LOL

Awesome job! totally had me drawn in and chewing my nails :eek: you definitely have a talent :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Awww...thanks! :) It was very fun to write...even if it does suggest I have no life! :p Glad you enjoyed it.