Chapter 12 - Decision

I woke to see Edwards face three feet from mine and I was so relieved.  I was not dead, I was not a vampire (although that was a little disappointing too) and I was in his bedroom.

I woke to hear shouting and snarling from the room below and looked quizzically at Edward, “What happened?”

“He nearly had us Bella!” He said, pacing the room, “Carlisle is talking him down now, he was so thirsty he had lost control... he nearly had us”

“How did we get here?”

“Just in time, we came in the window downstairs, they were all ready, I ran you up here and the rest took on Caius”

“They won’t kill him?” I wasn’t sure if I hoped for a yes or a no on that question.

“No, not yet... Carlisle will take him hunting first when he has calmed down, then we hope to reason with him and see what he has come here for, its unlikely the battle Alice saw is us against Caius on his own...”

I nodded, feeling strangely overwhelmed and surreal, and promptly fell back asleep.

I woke to Alice stroking my hair, “Hi Bella” She said in her usual chirpy voice, but I could sense there was pain behind it.  Her gift was such a burden.

“Alice...” I sat up pushing my hair out of my face into a barrett, “Where is Edward?”

“Downstairs, don’t worry Bella, everything is fine... He is with Carlisle, they are talking with Caius”

I stood out of the bed as if to go downstairs, “I want to see Caius”

Alice closed her eyes and then I heard Edward shout “Alice don’t let her, I’m coming” from the end of the stairs.  He took the staircase in one bound and strolled across to me as if nothing was wrong.

“Edward I want to hear, I don’t want to be up here” I demanded, “Its me you are all talking about anyway”

Esme appeared in the door way, Edward looked up at her and she nodded.

“Come on Bella” She said holding out her hand, and then looking at Edward she said “What is he going to do Edward? There are 8 of us and 1 of him”

I took Esmes hand and she led me down the stairs where Caius stood in a corner, like the grim reaper of the movies.  I felt a terror I had not felt since James tricked me to the ballet studio and I hoped he would not sense it.

“Ah!” he exclaimed, “She fears me”

“No I don’t” I shouted sticking my chin in the air and bracing my shoulders, “You don’t scare me, you are just a bully”

“A very tired bully at that!” Caius said mocking me and he crossed the room, to take a closer look at me as if I was an animal in a zoo, “that little run your boyfriend gave me across the trees wore me out! I usually never have to chase my prey”

“Bella is not your prey” Edward said standing in front of me, “She is nothing to you”

Caius laughed, “Ah but my dear boy she is something to me, something to all of us, a problem shall we say, a dilemma,” he crossed the room and looked out the window, continuing to speak,” This lovely human may be a nice pet for the moment, I can see her appeal certainly, but what happens when loverboy breaks her heart? I cannot imagine the daughter of the chief of police will be crying anything but Vampire! Can you?” He turned to Carlisle, “Can you?”

Carlisle spoke, his tone calm and conclusive, “Bella will be joining us in immortality, Caius, you know that”

“Ah but do I?” Caius turned to look out of the window again, “Surely, having been granted a pardon, that would have been first on the schedule? Hmmmm?” He directed the question to Edward.

“We want to make sure there are no problems for... our kind... when Bella changes” Edward said with confidence, “We want as little attention as possible, as you have pointed out, Caius, Bellas father is the chief of police, we really don’t think he would be satisfied with letting the untimely death of his only daughter go without tearing the town, and us, apart for information.  That would be bad for everyone.”

“I agree” said Caius, “and that is why I am here”

Everyone seemed to hold their breath.  Caius looked from person to person and then at me.  He held my gaze while he spoke, “Some of us have decided that this little relationship is not good for us and well the Volturi are split over this decision, some want nothing to do with it but most are willing to stand with us.  As you have correctly pointed out, Bella is the daughter of the chief of police, and if she was to be murdered, he would not stop until he found out who did it.  So, we have a problem, either way he will be looking at all of us closely, perhaps even discovering that Bella took a little trip to Volterra and well... we don’t want American FBI on our doorstep.  We have decided that in order to protect ourselves, we must rid the world of everything and everyone that dear little Bella here has ever touched... her mother, her father, her friends, especially those disgusting wolves, and of course... the fools who brought her into this ring of fire... You all here, the Cullen family... As we speak the chosen Volturi are making their way here, with every family and nomad they can find, and at the end you will all be destroyed”