AN: Sorry everyone! I've been a bit MIA from this story. I haven't forgotten it, but life just got in the way :(

I hope things will be settled down enough for me to finish this story in the next few weeks though! So hopefully you'll all still stick around and continue reading.

We left off with the family getting ready to head to Volterra with Bella. Let's see how they're doing!

Chapter 20

BPOV

I wasn't sure how it had happened, but I found myself on a plane a few hours later with the entire Cullen coven, rearing to go.

It was odd to me, how I suddenly had this many people around me. This many people who seemed to care. This many people to care for...

That was definitely something new, and something that worried me slightly. I had never had this many weaknesses before. I'd sired vampires before and felt responsible for them of course. And I truly cared for Jane and Alec. But a whole coven… that was new. I wasn't sure how I felt about it yet. But if this was the sacrifice I had to make to be able to have Edward by my side… then it was one I was willing to make.

I glanced at Edward, who was sat in the seat next to mine, staring out of the plane window. His hand was holding tightly to my own, as if he was still afraid I might disappear on him.

What are you thinking about? I lifted my shield and thought at him.

He jolted in his chair in shock and turned to me with a lopsided smile on his face. It thrilled him whenever I let him hear my thoughts.

'Not much.' he answered out loud. 'just wondering what's in store for us in Volterra.'

I shrugged. 'It's hard to say.'

'What happened the last time you had to install a new council?' Jasper asked, he was sitting across form us with Alice next to him. Carlisle and Esme were across the aisle and turned to us with interest as well. Rosalie and Emmett were in the cockpit flying the small private plane. Though I was sure they were listening as well.

'The Romanian brothers were similar to the Volturi brothers. Though they never openly betrayed me.'

'Is that why they're still alive?' Emmett yelled form the cockpit.

'Pretty much' I yelled back.

'What did they do?' Carlisle asked. 'I only heard that the volturi took their place, but never the full story.'

'They were good at first. Strict, but not harsh. The sentiment against vampires by humans was pretty bad, so they kept the race hidden and protected. But then they grew complacent. They got comfortable in the rich life they created for themselves. Opulence and decadence filled their halls. They grew corrupt and started meddeling with human affairs, something I had strictly forbidden them to do. They started revealing themselves as vampires to the humans in Romania, demanding tribute from the villages. If the villages failed to pay them, they hunted there. It became noticeable quite quickly and rumors started spreading. They were abusing their powers over humans to gain riches and lost their focus on the vampire world.' I sighed, getting lost in my thoughts.

'Massacres became more frequent and went unpunished. Vampires got careless and the rumors started growing. I had to step in. I had warned them when I first noticed their rapidly growing wealth that I would not tolerate corruption, but they had grown too prideful to head my warnings. When a young vampire, turned by one of their guard, was left to run rampant on a killing spree for an entire day, I stepped in. They had failed to protect the young vampire and the humans that had been slaughtered. I stripped them of their riches and gave it back to the villages. I disbanded their guard and banished them from forming a coven for a thousand years and spread them across the globe. The brothers I gave a choice, capitulate willingly and I would let them live out their days in obscurity, or if they didn't I would end their existence.'

'And they capitulated?' Japser asked.

'Does it seem hard to believe?' I smiled gently at him.

He nodded. 'Especially after seeing the fight the volturi put up.'

'Yes, it was quite different. Stefan and Vladimir were smarter though, than the Volturi brothers. They knew a fight with me was something they couldn't win. So they chose life, they chose to lick their wounds and return to the shadows.'

'But why do you expect them to try something now then?' Carlisle asked.

I shrugged. 'It's just a feeling. It's happened before. Someone I deposed came back and tried to overthrow the new senate I'd installed. They chose a time I wasn't there, when the senate was still weak to plot their coup. They nearly succeeded. I haven't seen the Romanian brothers in a few millennia, I haven't really kept tabs on them lately. I check in every century or so. They might have started plotting something since the last time I checked in with them. It's a possibility I have to prepare for.'

'What happened after the Romanian brothers capitulated? Did you just plop the Volturi on the throne and that was that?' Alice asked.

I laughed. 'Not quite. I trained them first. I allowed rumors to spread that they had been the ones to overthrow the Romanian brothers. I build up their reputation and guided them through their first years in keeping the peace. I helped them create a powerful guard to protect them and carry out the missions to keep the peace. When I felt they were ready I let them take over and disappeared to become a legend again.'

'So we'll be in Votlerra a while then?' Edward surmised, looking thoughtful.

I shrugged. 'If everything goes smoothly, it might take a year. If not, it could be a decade.'

The family took that in for a moment.

'Do you expect any harm to come to Edward?' Esme asked.

Edward turned to his supposed mother in clear annoyance. 'Esme, I am capable of defending myself.' He said sternly.

Emmett's loud guffaw reverberated through the plane. 'Yeah like with Marcus!'

'He took me by surprise! And it's not like you saw him coming either and helped me!' Edward retorted.

I shook my head. Men.

'I don't expect it.' I assured Esme. 'but because the entire guard and witnesses were present when I dispatched the Volturi, the rumours might start to grow that I am more than just a fable. People might start seeking me out to test if the rumors are true and to do so they might target Edward. It's a possibility I am planning for. But that is something that will be a risk for as long as I am alive and rumors about me circulate.'

Esme nodded at that. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear judging by the look on her face, but she was willing to accept that was the reality.

'I'll be fine, Esme. And it's worth it to me, to be with my mate.' Edward assured her in a gentle voice.

She smiled at that and nodded.

I squeezed his hand.

'What will happen once we land in Volterra?' Jasper asked.

'I'll check in with Jane and Alec and see what has been going on since the brothers died. Then I'll send out word to announce the brothers' deaths and announce their successors. I'll need to check on the guard and see where their loyalties lie. I might dole out punishment to them, but that depends on their willingness to disband. Some might want to stay on with the new council, but I'll have to make sure they have lost any loyalty to the Volturi before I can allow that.'

'Can you tell us who the successors are? Surely you must already have them in mind?' Jasper asked.

'You'll see when we get there.' I responded simply.

The plane landed a few hours later in a small private airstrip just outside of Volterra. The brothers had installed it a few decades ago, and it was quite useful to say the least. I had sent Jane a message when we had been fifteen minutes out, so I wasn't surprised to find three sleek black jaguars waiting for us when the door to the plane opened.

Jane and Alec got out of one of the cars and immediately ran over when they spotted me coming out of the plane. The family behind me was gaping at the cars. I hurried down the steps of the plane and embraced the siblings.

'Did everything go smoothly on the way back?' I asked them immediately.

Though I knew they were unharmed because of my shield, I still needed to check with my own eyes. I looked them over and was pleased to find them relaxed and perfectly fine.

Alec nodded. 'A few witnesses chose not to return with us, but we saw no harm in allowing that. All of the guard returned, and they've mostly been confused, but not openly hostile. Everyone's simply waiting to see what is going to happen next.'

'As are we all.' Carlisle said, stepping up next to me.

Edward stepped up to my other side and took my hand in his again. 'I didn't get a chance to thank you, yet. But thank you for warning me and helping us stall for time with the Volturi.' Edward told Jane.

Jane shrugged and waved his thanks away. 'I knew Bella just needed another few minutes to get there. I just did as she'd asked of me.'

'Still. Thank you.'

'What exactly is it that you can do?' Emmett asked with curiosity clearly on his face as he regarded the siblings. 'The Volturi seemed really happy to have you on their side. and Marcus was like a doll not doing anything… was that you?'

Alec nodded. 'I can take away one's senses.'

A shocked gasp travelled through the family. 'Everything?' Carlisle asked with wonder.

Alec glanced at me, and I nodded in encouragement.

'Yes. Everything. I can't chose which sense to take away. It's everything at once, or nothing.'

'For how long?' Jasper asked, clearly fascinated.

Alec shrugged. 'As long as I need to.'

'That's amazing.'

'And dangerous.' Rosalie added in a low voice, as she looked at Alec with a mix of respect and distrust.

I nodded in agreement. 'Which is why I made sure the Volturi never got to use them as weapons.'

'And what can you do?' Emmett turned to Jane.

She grinned mischievously. 'Want to find out?'

'Jane.' I warned her.

'What?' she asked innocently. 'it's better to experience than to explain it. Explaining it doesn't really do it justice.'

I shook my head. 'Emmett, she can make you feel pain like you've never experience before. Don't try it.' I cautioned him.

'Pain?' Emmett's eyes grew big with shock then he turned excited. 'how bad?'

'Emmett.' Rosalie rolled her eyes. 'Bella just told you it's not something to mess with.'

'Come on. I want to try it!'

'Don't say I didn't warn you.' I shook my head. 'And Jane, use the lowest setting.'

Jane nodded and grinned as Emmett came to stand in front of her. The rest of the family was looking on with interest. Then Jane narrowed her eyes at Emmett and he fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. He hissed as he hit the ground and curled into a small ball.

'Enough.' I told Jane. She immediately stopped.

Emmett let out a sigh of relief. 'That was the lowest?' he panted out as he clambered shakily to hands and knees.

Jane nodded. 'I told you it wouldn't do it justice to just explain it.'

'My god. I never want to get on your bad side.' Emmett was looking up at her with awe.

'Was it that bad?' Esme asked.

Emmett nodded. 'nothing like I've ever felt before.'

Jasper nodded in agreement. Though he hadn't felt it first hand, he had felt the effect it had and it hadn't been pleasant. Edward too was grimacing, having experienced it through Emmett's thoughts.

'Alright, enough now. Let's head to Volterra and see what is going on.' I suggested.

The siblings nodded and started heading to the car at the front. Everyone split up and got into the three cars that were waiting for us. Edward and I joined the siblings in the first car.

On the way to Volterra I asked the siblings more in depth questions about what was going on; who exactly had left, who on the guard were still here, who were showing signs of being antsy, if there had been any other disturbances from outside, if the rumour mill was already working and more vampires were flooding in.

It seemed tough that everything was still quiet for now, which was good. I could still set this all to my own hand. And I was planning on it as soon as I had talked to the necessary people.

I had a plan… but I wasn't sure if everyone would be on board with it.