Bella packed the clothes into the suitcase precisely, making sure every square inch of space was filled as she folded the garments into neat bundles. Edward sat bemused in her rocking chair, watching her.

"Where are you going? Jacksonville?"

Bella took a deep breath. She had been waiting for this question, the catalyst to set off the reaction that would determine whether this gamble would pay off. Her hands shook as she dropped her passport into her dingy backpack, and pulled the tickets out of the front pocket, holding them front-forward. She knew Edward could see the Alitalia logo, and the small print even from where he sat.

"You won't change me. I won't live like this. So I'm going to go to Italy. The Volturi want me, want whatever it is in my head. So I'm going to go join them. If Carlisle could handle it for a while, maybe I can."

Edward was on his feet in a movement too fast for Bella to see, his icy fingers in an unbreakable grip around her wrist, the hand holding the tickets.

"Bella, are you mad? Do you not realize that they will slaughter you? Last time, you came under the protection of someone they at least respected- Carlisle. You won't have that this time."

Bella's chin jerked up, her spine straightening. "I don't believe that. Aro wants us both; even one would be a coup for him."

Edward groaned, a sound deep in his chest. "They'll kill you."

Bella shook her head silently, and then spoke. "No, I'll be a vampire. I'll be like you, without the burden of you having had to do it."

Edward's face changed, as if realizing that the steel in her soul was really not bending this time. "Fine, but you know, your blood will be wasted on animals like them. They can't appreciate what you have- that's how you'll die. They're greedy, grasping. They can't control themselves when they feed."

His lips dropped to her wrist, which he kissed, and inhaled deeply through his nose. "Surely such a pleasant thing should be appreciated. I'd be perfectly respectful of it, in taking it. I can't promise you won't feel a thing, but- it will be enjoyed."

His razor-sharp teeth gleamed suddenly, and Bella felt a chill run over her spine. Her mother would have used the phrase a goose walked over my grave. "I think I should take what is, after all, rightfully mine."

A small breeze fluttered the curtains at Bella's window and the room tilted, her heart racing, knowing Edward was hearing every bit of blood pumping in her veins. She felt a quick jerk as she lost her balance, and struggled to stay up right. Less than a second later, Edward was pinned against the wall silently, Alice's sharp glare cutting into his own.

"Edward. What the HELL was that?"

Edward stood against the bedroom wall, staring impassively at Alice. "Bella wants to die in the way we specialise in, it would seem, so I'm glad to assist her in that."

"Edward! I saw you- and you should be glad that I was within range, and that I wasn't alone!"

Bella's eyes darted to her bedroom window. Outside in the giant tree that had stood there for who knew how many years, Jasper and Emmett perched on two worn limbs, and Bella started when she realized that their stances were not ones of waiting. They were tense, their bodies poised to hurtle into her bedroom had the need arose.

"Edward- you- you were going to!"

Edward snorted. "I would have never."

Bella's voice grew more shrill, and the two vampires in her tree slithered in the window. Jasper was behind her in a moment, and she could not help but feel calm. She glared at Edward, and she was shaking. Emmett had begun pacing the room, his huge form filling it and making it feel crowded. Bella distantly worried that his loud footfalls would attract Charlie's attention.

"Alice saw you doing it- and she wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't decided. Edward, I think you need to leave."

Jasper glanced at Emmett, and they were on either side of their brother, his arms clamped inside the vises of their hands.

Edward's face was stormy. "I can leave on my own, thank you."

As his lithe form disappeared out her window, Bella's knees gave. Emmett was closest, and in a graceful turn, took her shoulders in his hands and twisted his body so that she sat onto the bed. Jasper again began focusing on her, but the tears came despite her calming mood.

Alice's tiny face was irate, her golden eyes glowing dangerously. "That is the closest we have come to ever- Jazz, I need you to call a family council. Please go see Carlisle. And Emmett- please go get our fool brother. This is serious."