Chapter 1

"Edward," I began tentatively, "I was just thinking…."

Edward glanced up from the book he was reading with a scowl. "Yes?"

"Don't look at me like that; at least pretend like Alice didn't already tell you what I'm going to ask."

He rolled his eyes and moved so that he was sitting on the edge of his seat, hands folded on top of his knees. "Yes Bella?" He asked with a perfect look of concerned innocence written across his stone face.

"I think that I should go with you next week, when you meet with Aro I mean-"

"No." Edward interrupted simply.

"Let me finish!" I grumbled, "Maybe if he sees that I am serious about becoming a vampire next year none of this will be necessary. He didn't give us a time frame but if you show up without me he will probably feel like you are trying to pull a fast one."

"No one can pull a fast one on Aro, Bella, he'd see it," Edward stated dismissively, holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers for emphasis. "There is no reason for you to be there. I'll just show him that the plans are in motion and he will leave us until then. Nothing to worry about."

"You know that you don't believe that, Edward," I shot back. "If you really believed that there wouldn't be any trouble than you wouldn't have suggested that I go stay with Jake at La Push."

"Silly Bella," Edward breathed, reaching out to pull me down into his lap. "I'm sending you to spend time with Jake because it will make you happy. I know that you would much rather spend time with those… dogs… then spend time here at the house while Emmett and Rosalie celebrate their fifth honeymoon."

I shuddered in spite of myself, remembering the occasion three nights ago when I awoke in Edward's bed to the most awful sounds… A laughing Edward had explained that it was just Rose and Emmett 'getting to know each other'. I shook my head to clear it before speaking again, "Regardless of where you would have me stay, you wouldn't need to make sure that I had bodyguards at all times if you thought it was safe. You think that there will be trouble and you are trying to keep me out of it. You know that you aren't always going to be able to keep me away from the action, Edward. Once I'm like you, once I'm changed, I'll be right by your side, even if it is Aro standing across from us."

"Well, love," Edward said smoothly, "When that time comes I think I'll enjoy seeing you scare the hell out of Aro with whatever freaky vampire gifts you end up with."

I grinned in spite of myself at his words; it felt good to hear him so accepting of my choice to join him in his world. The levity, however, didn't last long.

"In the meantime, there is no way that I am letting you come with me today. I don't want you within a thousand miles of the Volturi, especially right now when our agreement with them is so tenuous."

He got a far away look in his eyes and I knew that he was going over the events of the past seven months in his head. We thought that we had everything planned out. After graduation we were going to get married and say our farewells to family and friends. I was going to let him buy me a fast car and fork out ridiculous sums of money so that we could keep up the façade of going to Dartmouth. In reality, there wouldn't have been much room for studying once the bloodlust from my change kicked in. Our plans weren't perfect, but they felt right and good. Edward DID buy me a fast car, which I grudgingly fell in love with, and he DID send his check to Dartmouth for our admission, but neither the wedding nor the change had happened yet.

The evening that I had called Renee to announce my engagement, I was surprised to be greeted with sobs when she picked up the phone. When I had finally settled her down enough to speak coherently she managed to communicate to me that Phil, her very new and very young husband had left her for a woman, a girl really, who was barely old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes. The news of my mother's heartbreak shattered my good mood and I couldn't bring myself to tell her about my own plans for marriage. We had pushed the wedding back three times before I felt that it was safe to broach the subject with her. When I did it was not a pretty sight. Her anger and disappointment had quickly broken my resolve to convince her that I was doing the right thing and I had foolishly promised her a year. Twelve long months with which to show the world, and my mother, that Edward and I were not a passing fling. Of course Edward was pleased that would have one more year to keep me human, but the others who were keeping on eye on my mortality were not as pleased.

Flashback:

I remembered keenly the feeling of dread that had hung in the air the morning two months ago that our visitor came. Alice bounded through Edward's door in a flurry of anxious emotion. It took her a good sixty seconds before she was able to form her mouth to the words that she needed to say and by that time Edward had already seen the vision in his mind and was rushing back and forth throwing my things in a bag.

"He's coming!" She chirped in a high, anxious tone, "He's going to be here in less than ten minutes! Edward, it's no use, it's too late to hide her. Put the bag down and help me think of an explanation."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who is coming??" I asked in confusion, "Edward, Alice, what is going on?"

"ARO," Alice hissed, "Though I can't see what he is going to say… or why he is alone… but we had damn well better come up with an explanation for why you are still human!"

"There is no use coming up with a lie, Alice, you know that won't work. Our only hope is to get her out of here, NOW."

Edward grabbed my arm and threw my bewildered form onto his back, prepared to jump from his window and run off into the forest.

"Too late," Alice breathed, and her tone sent shivers down my spine as I turned my head to follow her line of sight. Coming out of the trees was a figure in a black cloak, gliding along the ground effortlessly in a path that led him to stand directly in front of us. As the figure slowed to a stop, he pushed the hood of his cloak back and revealed the same flowing black hair and paper thin skin that I remembered from our last little trip to Italy.

"Aro," Edward greeted gruffly, setting me on my feet and angling his body so that he stood in front of me. Alice just stared, her eyes dark with concentration as she tried to see what was about to transpire.

"Edward, Alice, and of course Bella, how nice to see you all" Aro spoke conversationally, as though we had just invited him over for a cup of coffee. "My, my, I came here to witness for myself the awesome powers that I sensed in Bella but instead I must admit to being a stroke put out. Perhaps the message that she was to be changed as soon as possible was misunderstood."

"We got your message loud and clear, Aro," Edward spit through clenched teeth. "We had to adjust the time table but Bella's days are still numbered."

End Flashback

"Bella, Bella?" The touch of cold fingers on my shoulder brought me back to the present with a swift jerk. "Relax, love, everything is under control."

"Then why is he coming back again? He knows that we still have 5 more months… He said that was acceptable!" I demanded with more of an edge to my tone than I intended. "What if he changed his mind, Edward, what if this time he is coming back with Marcus and Caius to do the job for you?"

"What would you have me do, Bella?" Edward crooned, leaning so that he could look into my eyes. "Everything is going to be fine. Alice can see it. Only Aro is coming and he is more curious about studying our lifestyle in person than anything. She says that he is probably just on his way to Denali or something."

I struggled to maintain my focus as I stared into his eyes but his sweet breath on my face was quickly erasing my frustrations. "Um…" I muttered, feeling myself being drawn farther and farther in by his dazzling gaze. A nagging thought broke through the haze and I glared at him, coming out of my stupor. "Edward," I grumbled in defeat, "You know it's not fair to dazzle me into agreeing with you, which just for the record, I don't." He tossed a sheepish grin in my direction but stayed silent. "Fine… You and Alice go but come back to me soon. Something doesn't feel right about this."

Edward wrapped his stone arms around me and pulled me in for a firm hug. "We'll be back before you even notice we're gone." As he spoke he leaned his face closer and closer until he was barely breathing his words against my lips. I stood on my tiptoes to close the short distance and pressed my lips to his gently.

"Love you." I whispered softly

"I know."

A/N It is hard to take this where I want it to go without all of this background. I promise that there will be more action soon.