Chapter 5 – Volturi

The bed was too warm, too light, and too empty.

I rolled back over, facing the window, and glared anxiously out through it. Heaving a sigh, I hauled myself out of bed, and went over to open it. I stood there for a little bit, letting the cool breeze replenish me.

After a few moments, I knew I had to quit stalling. I crawled back into my bed, and pulled the covers tight around me.

Edward had promised me that he would be back during the night. But it was already two in the morning. How much longer? I knew he wouldn't keep me waiting if he could help it.

Plus, I had only gotten maybe over a little bit of an hour of sleep and it was choppy. I needed to rest; I hadn't been sleeping well recently, what with all the nightmares.

I yawned hugely, emphasizing my point.

I think I might've gotten another half hour in between the tossing and turning, but too soon, I found myself wide awake again. I began too feel too hot and I pulled the covers down, tangling them up awkwardly around my ankles.

There was a quiet woosh and I felt a breeze. I blinked, and the left side of the bed sunk as the familiar weight joined me.

I let out a sigh of relief and contentment, and situated myself in a more suitable position so I could snuggle up.

His hard arms wound around my body, holding me close.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" his voice was quiet.

My fingers inched its way upward and then rested around his light collar. "No, I can't sleep without you."

I saw the guilt twist around his sharp features, and instinctively my hand went up to rest against his cold cheek.

"No, I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean it like that."

He smoothed out his expression, and smiled at me. "I know."

I let my hand drop, and slid it around his middle. "I missed you." The words were a whisper.

His hand began stroking my hair. "I know. I missed you too."

There was a pause, and I let my eyes close, enjoying the feel of his fingers making their way through my hair and the feel of his cool arm laying firmly, and somewhat possessively, around my waist.

"Did you have a nice time?" I asked him.

"Yes, I did. But I couldn't stop thinking about you. I might've gotten on Emmett's and Jasper's nerves a little bit." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I smiled into his chest. "Good."

He chuckled. Without another word, the soothing melody of my lullaby started up, and I was out in minutes.

*****

Aro's shriveled hand reached towards Edward. "If I may?"

I was in the corner of the stone wall, hidden from view. I shuddered violently as Aro approached even closer to Edward. I wanted to scream; to run out, and shield him. But Alice threw me a sharp look and I had to stay put.

Edward froze, and his eyes widened a bit in fear. His eyes snapped onto Alice's, and I saw them share a quick and quiet conversation in their minds.

Then, his gaze flickered onto me, cowering in the corner, and I saw him swallow hard. He turned towards Aro, and gave him a short nod.

Aro smiled deviously, and took the last necessary step. His outstretched fingers made contact with Edward's hand, and I closed my eyes shut tight. I knew it was our last moment.

It was silent for the length of a few heartbeats. My eyelids fluttered open, and I found myself staring into the bottomless pit of Aro's eyes, only inches away from my face.

I screamed.

"Bella!" Edward's voice sounded like it was coming from a far away distant.

I turned my head and I saw Edward, struggling against Marcus's arms, as Marcus pulled him farther and farther away from me. One of his hands was stretched out towards me, and his face was twisted up in its pain.

My hand automatically reached towards him too, and the tears were streaming down my face.

"You know the rules," Aro barked, turning back around to face Edward. "You break them – and you suffer. Goodbye Edward. I'm sorry it had to end this way."

"No!" I shrieked. "No, Edward!"

"Don't worry," Aro's chilly breath washed over my face. "You'll be joining your lover soon enough."

And his clammy, cold hands reached towards me and wound around my neck, making breathing impossible. My eyes bugged, and I choked helplessly.

"Edward!" Edward.

His voice was still coming from a faraway distance, as they dragged him farther away from me, disappearing from my view.

*****

"Edward!"

"Bella!"

Ironclad arms were holding me down on the bed. My eyes flew open, and I was surprised to find Edward hovering over me, keeping my arms pinned at my sides.

I gasped wildly. "Edward."

He looked relieved that I had finally woken up. "Bella, it's alright."

"Oh, Edward." And I was bawling. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him down so that his body was pressed gently on top of mine. I sobbed into the crook of his neck.

His arms were everywhere – stroking my forehead, my arms, my neck. "Bella, what's the matter? Did you have another nightmare?"

I managed to nod into his throat.

His fingers were now smoothing out the knots in my hair. "It wasn't real, love, it wasn't real."

"I know," I choked out. "But it felt so real."

He pulled back a little so that he could look me in the eyes. His long fingers wiped away the salty tracks on my cheeks. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I took a deep shaky breath, and spilled. "Oh, Edward, it was horrible. We were with the Volturi, and Aro read your mind – and then he took you away from me…and – he was going to strangle me." I shuddered violently, and my hands reached up to grab my own neck, trying to soothe the marks that I felt that Aro had left on me.

Edward's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Bella, I'll never let them touch you."

He bent down again and kissed my forehead.

I stared into his eyes, realizing that I was probably making an idiot out of myself. I tried to even out my breathing, and slow the tears. "You're right. It was nothing."

Edward's eyes tightened. His lips kissed away the remaining tears, and then he placed his hands on either side of my neck.

We stared into each other's eyes for a moment. The actual proximity to his face, and his comforting breathing did the trick.

He broke the silence. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah," I smiled weakly. "I'm fine."

He kissed my forehead again. This time, he let the kiss linger and I could feel the love he was pouring into it. I clutched at his shoulders, wanting to give him some in return.

But he had to talk again. "You're safe, Bella. They'll never hurt you, I promise."

I only stared back at him, and the looming thought that had been lurking in my mind ever since, came out of my lips.

"Edward. The Volturi have complete reason to come and check up on me. Then what will stop them?"

He growled. "We'll stop them ourselves."

"That's completely insane! You know what you have to do."

His eyes had gone dark, despite him just coming back from hunting. "I don't have to do anything."

"Edward, please. Please change me."

The words came out of my mouth as a plea this time before I even knew it.

"We're not having this conversation tonight. You need to sleep." His words were those of closure.

But I wasn't having it. "No. You need to listen to me tonight." I took a deep breath, gaining my confidence and then plowed on, "You know the Volturi would love any excuse to come up and check on me. And they'll find me still a mortal. So you'll fight them. We could win some, but we could lose some."

I flinched at my words, but they were defiant. I was desperate to make him see sense.

He hissed lightly in the darkness.

When he didn't go on, I stubbornly pushed against his chest. "You drive me insane, Edward Cullen."

He rolled off of me, and settled himself on his side. "As do you, my Bella."

I met his gaze and I felt the anger leave me. I could tell that he was having the same issue. I scowled, and that only earned me a smile out of him.

"So where does this leave us?" I wondered out loud, after several minutes.

He chuckled. "Back where we started, I guess."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Edward! That's not fair."

He let out a frustrated sigh, and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and his words were enough to hold me over till next time. "Get to sleep, Bella. We'll talk about this later."

I timidly smiled. "So there will be a next time?"

He growled slightly, and I only snuggled into him, glad that this hadn't resulted into a fight. I had missed him too much while he was gone.

His arms wound around me, and my familiar lullaby wafted up again. Suddenly, his voice sounded very close to my ear. He laid his head softly next to mine, still humming gently.

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A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter; reviews are definitely much appreciated and helpful. I'll always respond.

But I'm running out of ideas! I had to mesh a couple together in this chapter, because they can't stand on their own. So if you guys have any ideas of fluff or anything you would like to see, please tell me.

Thanks again!