BPOV

I hadn't checked my email in months - too busy, too insane with worry, never enough time - so I sat down a couple of weeks after the Volturi had left and accessed on one of the computers off the lounge one day while Edward, Jacob, and Nessie were hunting.

I was expecting to see plenty from my mother: I wasn't disappointed. There were fifty-one emails in my inbox, all from Renee, starting off bemused, gradually progressing to annoyed, then angry, then hurt.

Darn. I instantly felt incredibly guilty. How on earth would I be able to handle this?

Jasper came in behind me, worry and confusion on his face. Well, I shouldn't have been surprised that he would come running: tension was pouring off me in waves.

"Bella, what's -"

He had caught sight of the email over my shoulder.

"Isabella, what's wrong? Why aren't you replying to my emails?

Please, if I did something wrong, just email me back and tell me. I hate not being able to hear from you.

Mom"

'Ah,' he said, and a measure of peace washed around the room. 'We need to decide what's happening with your mother, don't we?'

I just nodded, on the verge of crying for the first time in months.

'I'll get everyone together tonight, we'll find out a way. Don't worry, Bella. We'll figure something out.'

I turned and nodded at him, making an effort to calm myself down.

'Thanks, Jazz. Really.'

He smiled at me and left.

I stood up as well and quickly ran to the forest, where I could hear my hunting party approaching fast. I needed nothing more than Edward's arms right now.

That night, the Cullen family was assembled around in the table in a bizarre sort of vampire family conference. Everyone was present, aside from Jacob, watching some sort of crime show on the television, and Nessie, who was fast asleep in his arms. I looked around the table at my vampire family; Carlisle and Esme, both smiling at me, Rosalie and Emmett, staring at each other (I didn't need Edward's talent to know what they were thinking, it 12:07 and pretty plain on their faces what they would like to be doing right now), and Alice and Jasper, talking about what they were going to do for their anniversary. I wondered idly what they were going to do, shuddering at the memory of the party she had thrown for my own anniversary: plenty of pink and white. Something I had begged her to make the last party she would throw me for at least the next hundred thousand years - at the very least.

I had saved the most perfect face for last: I looked into Edward's golden eyes, that now matched my own. He smiled, brushing his fingertips across my cheek, then taking my hand under the table. I lifted my shield out of my mind (something that was getting easier every day: Edward loved being in my head and would often ask me to allow him to do so) and showed him my mental picture of a vampire family conference. He laughed. I was mesmerised by the sound of it for only a second, before remembering the reason we were all here. I gathered my thoughts and spoke.

'Right. Well, you all know the situation, I'm sure there's no need to explain it. What are we going to do about my mother?'

Edward spoke.

'Well, I've been thinking. We have some options - none of them desirable, exactly.' I winced at that, but it was true. I'd always known that whatever happened, keeping the fact that I was now a vampire from all the humans I'd ever known (aside from Charlie - Jacob had seen to that) was going to be painful and very, very hard to do.

He continued: 'We could fake her death-' I winced again, but didn't interrupt him - '-or some sort of disappearance. We could have a situation similar to what Charlie's is now. Or we could devise some sort of plan to have her never see or speak to Bella, but still stay in contact with her, through emails or something.'

We all thought for a second, and then I spoke.

'I like option three.'

Esme nodded. 'Me too.I think that if Renee isn't strong enough to handle option two, then speaking as a mother, I know I would want to still stay in contact any way I could. And I certainly don't think option one is the way to go. I've been through it, I would never wish it on anyone else.'

There were general murmurings of agreement around the table.

'Which leaves us with the oh-so-fun task of designing a plan of action to fit option three,' Emmett muttered.

I rolled my eyes. But it was true. How on earth was that going to happen?

'Hmmm.' Carlisle said. 'Quarantine? From an illness, perhaps?'

'No, that wouldn't work,' I said. 'Renee thinks I'm getting better, it would be suspicious if I suddenly came down with something again. She's many things, but not unperceptive, and she would see through that sort of thing very quickly.'

'Well, that's certainly a trait the passed on to her daughter,' Edward murmured from beside me, a grin on his face. I rolled my eyes at him.

'Well, what about ... No, never mind, that wouldn't work.' Jasper mused.

I was about to ask him what he was thinking of when a question came from the next room.

'Witness Protection Programme?'

We all froze, thinking. Well... that certainly had its possibilities...

The scared witness's voice continued from the television:

'But... why? I mean...isn't there another way to keep me safe?'

A male voice replied;

'Well, this is your best bet. You did the right thing in giving evidence against them, but in the bluntest terms, they are a large and resourceful gang that will be wanting vengeance after they all hear it was you that testified against them. They've been dealt a huge blow and will be out for blood. I'm so sorry.'

I gave a small smile at the 'out for blood' part, but my mind was still thinking furiously about the logistics of it. Would it work?

Yes. Yes, it definitely could.

The witness had begun to cry at this point, and the male - obviously a government agent of some sort - spoke again.

'You won't be able to see any of your family ever again, though we might be able to organise some means of communication, maybe phone or email. We can, however, hide your husband and daughter, but no-one else. Anyone else you tell, you put both parties in grave danger. Do you understand?'

'Yes.'

'Yes!' Edward murmured from beside me. I turned to him and grinned. Witness Protection Programme. I could stay in touch with my mother while keeping my world a separate sphere from hers.

'It'll be raining big-time in Florida the day after tomorrow,' Alice said.

'Perfect.' I said I was elated at the thought of finding a pretty good solution, all things considered.

We spent the rest of the night nutting out details, and when the morning came, we were pretty much ready to set our plan into motion. First up was a trip to Seattle.