Author's Note: Okay, I usually do Harry Potter fanfiction but I wanted to try something new AND I wanted a chance to make Bella a better main character. Hopefully I succeeded.

"I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without anymore interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed." –Edward Cullen, New Moon 2006

2nd May 2116

Dear, dear Cullen family,

The news that all seven of your family members are currently in Italy pleases my heart and although I am certain you are busy with your reunion I must request your presence at Volterra. I expect to see you within the week.

Your friend,

Aro

Carlisle let the card fall to the table as he faced his family, the family that hadn't all been in the same room since Edward's failed relationship with a human girl over one hundred years earlier. "It carries the seal of the Volturi. We cannot refuse them."

"It's not your fault." Edward directed his words to Alice who was frowning. She didn't respond so Edward let the rest of the family in on the thought he'd just picked up. "She's mad that she didn't catch Aro's decision to send a calling card early enough to get us out of here before it arrived."

"Don't let the messenger hear or next thing we know we'll have Jane and Felix hot on our trails," Jasper said as he stared at the door separating their chateau from the vineyard outside.

"The messenger won't hear a thing. She's human," Esme murmured. She'd never liked that the Volturi employed humans who would either be turned or killed at the end of their service.

"Coming to Europe at all was a bad decision," Carlisle admitted. "They would have heard and sent out a missive no matter where in Europe we had met. And they will not take no for an answer if their intention is what I expect."

Edward's eyes narrowed as he stared at his father. "You think they want to collect me and Alice."

"Aro's always loved vampires with unique abilities and the two of you are very special, you can't deny that," Carlisle sighed.

"So we're all going on an enforced trip to Volterra. Yay!" Rosalie didn't even try to hide her sarcasm.

3rd May 2116

The Cullens had just stepped out of their cars and onto Volterra soil when Jane approached them from the shadows of the building to the right. "You made it. Aro will be so pleased," she simpered before turning back down the alley.

"We must follow her," Carlisle whispered and pushed passed his family so he'd be between them and the diminutive but dangerous blonde. He couldn't help but noticed that even though he'd stayed with the Volturi for years when he'd been younger, they still didn't trust him enough to allow him entrance through one of the main doors. So it was quite some time before they finally wound their way through the tunnels and were presented to Aro, Caius, and Marcus.

"It is so lovely to see you, my old friend!" Aro gushed but didn't get up from his chair when the Cullens were shown into what could only be described as a throne room.

Carlisle smiled but sensed something was wrong when Edward and Jasper shared a pointed look.

"Is there a reason you are not responding to our brother's heartfelt welcome?" Caius asked, a glint in his blood red eyes.

"I'm sure you know of my abilities," Edward said. "But they aren't working. I can't hear the thoughts of anyone in this room."

Aro leaned forward in his chair and stared at each of the Cullens in turn, his smile growing ever wider. "I may be a thousand years old but it is never too late to learn new tricks or to gain a new protégé who knows said tricks as the case may be."

Alice and Edward flinched at the clear implications that Aro had been building his collection of talented vampires. "I will not be joining you if that was your goal in asking us to come here." Edward decided to be up front and damn the consequences.

The few members of the guard who were present sneered and Caius grinned. "You would have no choice if that were our wish."

Aro gestured for silence and then looked Edward right in the eyes. "Caius is correct but that is not why I asked you and your family to join us."

"Then let us speak of you why you extended the invitation," Carlisle suggested.

Aro smiled and relaxed into his chair. "Though quite belated I wanted to express my happiness that you were not involved in the unpleasantness in the state of Washington years ago."

"We haven't been in Washington for ˗"

"Over a hundred years, I know," Aro interrupted Alice who had been the first to recover from his mention of the so-called "evergreen state."

Marcus took up the tale from there, his voice mournful. "Not long after you left Forks we learned that a pair of vampires was plaguing the town. Members of our guard were about to contain the problem when it was taken care of by the re-emergence of the werewolves you once spoke of Carlisle."

"And we should have taken care of the wolves before we left," Caius sputtered.

"Now now Caius, the wolves did us a favor," Aro placated. "We did not need to risk any members of our family and the wolves did not harm any humans. You know this."

Rosalie's voice shook as she finally asked one of the questions that had to be on the mind of everyone in her family. "Were there any fatalities before the vampires were taken out?"

"Several actually, mostly just hunters and a camper or two who were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Aro waved his hand as though waving away worries for the dead. "But since I know you were not involved there are no worries. Let us push the nasty business aside. Please join us for dinner tonight."

"Thank you so much Aro but as our dietary preferences differ somewhat ˗"

"As does our protégés," Aro interrupted Esme. "You are more than welcome to share in the supply we have obtained for her."

After nearly three hours of waiting in an awkward silence in one of the antechambers they were finally led to the dining room by one of the many human employees. As they had waited not one of them could help but think of Forks and what had happened a century before and the memories were still on their minds when they were shown to their seats.

They had barely sat down when Aro, Caius, and Marcus swept into the room.

"I am so pleased that you accepted my dinner invitation!" Aro clapped his hands in delight. "As an honor to you our meals will not be taken directly from the source. Well at least not at the dinner table."

A dozen human women appeared, one carrying a tray of ornate crystal glasses while the others carried pitchers of thick warm blood.

"B positive," Aro pronounced once his glass was placed before him. The other two members of the Volturi then made their preferences known.

"There are animal options available for you." Caius snapped his fingers and several of the women approached the Cullens, their words and the smells telling them what they offered. Once everyone had a glass poured the servers left the pitchers on the table and then left the room.

"So your new guard member will be joining us?" Emmet nodded to the glass of mountain lion blood that had been placed across from Carlisle and in between Jasper and Marcus.

"Yes, my Isabelle should be here any minute!" Aro crowed. He pronounced the name with an Italian edge, letting the l's roll and he didn't seem to notice or care that his announcement put the Cullens on edge.

The large family shared confused looks and Edward had a feeling that if his extra sense were working he'd hear them all thinking the same thing. How odd it was that Aro had mentioned Forks and now spoke of a woman named Isabella. But it could only be coincidence he thought.

He was proven wrong when she stepped into the room, the artificial lights picking up on the golden strands in her long brown hair. Her once chocolate brown eyes were molten gold as she focused them on Aro, pointedly not looking at any of the members of the family she once knew.

"My Isabella!" Aro stood up from his seat and kissed her cheeks once she'd approached the table. "Our guests our here and I am certain they are excited to see you again!"

Bella finally let her eyes slide over to the guests as she took her seat. "I knew they were here the second they stepped into Volterra. You should have warned me. You know what happens when new talented vampires come within my range. It was somewhat overwhelming."

Aro fondly stared at Bella as he explained her powers to the still shell shocked Cullens. "Isabella is the most talented vampire to have ever crossed my path. She can Shield and absorb. Go ahead Isabella, give them a show."

Bella turned to Jasper for a second and then she sighed. "I don't blame you for the incident on my birthday. I never did so you can stop worrying about it." Then she faced Alice and focused. "Well the old Alice is still in there. It's nice to hear that buried under all that guilt and all the questions is the happiness that I can finally walk in heels."

After she showed of Edward's mind reading skills she used Jasper's emotional manipulation to make Esme and Marcus laugh hysterically and then she smiled at Caius and his back arched as pain wracked his body via the talent of the absent Jane.

Once the pain subsided Caius glared at her. "It is still obvious that you were raised by wolves."

Bella's eyes twinkled as she finally looked at each Cullen in turn. "He literally means I was raised by wolves," she whispered. "And since Caius doesn't like wolves we've never really gotten along."

"I can't take this anymore," Alice suddenly shrieked. "When…how did this happen?"