I decided to completely ignore Jacob during the remainder of our trip, which turned out to be easy enough since he hadn't been able to get a seat near us. I sent up a quick prayer of thanks to the powers that be for that piece of luck. I didn't want him interrupting my last few moments with Edward or making me worry even more about Renesmee. This way, I wouldn't have to think about him at all until the plane touched down in Rome.

I prepared myself for an onslaught following the plane's landing, but I hadn't expected Jacob's silent persistence. We tried several times during the process of getting our luggage and arranging for a rental car to re-establish Carlisle's injunction for him to wait at the airport for Edward's return. Jacob ignored us, simply following on our tails with a grim, determined expression on his face. I began to fear that nothing we said would ever stay him, and I scrabbled in my head for something that would knock some sense into him. Was there anything that he was afraid of? No…well, yes, he was deathly afraid of losing Nessie. I needed to work that to our advantage.

"Jacob," I said, sternly, turning the full force of my glare on him, "If you follow us to Volterra, and if you persist in your dog-brained idiocy, I can guarantee you that things will not end well." He just glared right back at me. "Aro showed an interest in your ability to shift shapes last time we saw him, and he will very likely find a reason to detain you in Volterra if you give him the opportunity. Be warned: I will not stand in his way, if that is his wish. If you want to fly back to London with Nessie, you will wait for her right here," I finished with a growl.

"Geez, Bells," Jacob whined, "you don't have to get so huffy about it."

"Then you'll stay?"

"Fine. I'll stay. But you better not be long," he grumbled, "or I might have to come looking."

"You do, and you'll risk being left behind," Edward countered. "I will leave with Renesmee for London whether you're here or not." That seemed to resonate with him. Still, I knew that if we left him waiting there for too long, he would soon convince himself that the risk of being deserted was minimal. We needed to get moving.

On arriving in Volterra, we were quickly ushered into Aro's inner chamber. The Volturi were obviously expecting us and had prepared for our arrival. The room was very full, and I recognized Alec, Jane, Heidi, Demetri, Felix, Renata and several other faces that I remembered from our encounter three years ago, but there were many new faces here as well. All gathered to retain Alice and I should we resist, I guessed.

"Greetings, my friends," Aro said as he ghosted across the room toward us. "I know Caius and Marcus would be pleased to see you again. Demetri, would you tell them we have guests?" Once Demetri had exited out the side door, Aro continued, "Chelsea and her mate, Afton, have been taking very good care of your daughter for you." A snarl ripped up my throat and venom filled my mouth as I interpreted the hidden meaning behind his words. Chelsea was that one that had a power over relationships; if she had dared to try turning Renesmee against us, I would rip her limb from limb whether it cost me my life or not. At the same time, Edward and Alice had lunged forward into attack positions, and their low growls filled the room. "I'm sorry if that does not meet your approval," Aro continued calmly, "but Afton was one of the ones who rescued her in the jungle, and it seemed fitting that she should stay with someone with whom she was familiar. I assure you, she is doing very well."

The miserable liar, I wanted to tear the lips right off his face. I was sick of his sugarcoated half-truths. "Where is she? I want to see her."

"Of course, dear. Heidi, would you ask Chelsea to bring Renesmee to us?" Heidi left, and Aro turned back to me. "Now, since you are apparently not in the mood for pleasantries, I have a matter of business that I would like to discuss with you while we await her arrival."

Here it comes. I stole a glance at Alice and Edward who had straightened up but remained tensed. We were expecting his demands and were ready to meet them. However, before he could continue, Caius and Marcus entered the room with Demetri on their heels.

"Ahhh, Caius, Marcus, we were just settling down to business. I'm glad you could join us," Aro said, reaching to touch their hands and confer with their thoughts. Apparently they were equally eager to proceed, because Aro looked up before a full second had elapsed. "Now, Bella," he said sweetly, but firmly, "I have done a favor for you. I went to great lengths to ensure the safety of your daughter, and I would like you to do something for me in return."

"What is it, Aro?"

"I have need of your services, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would remain here with me, just for a few weeks, and allow me the privilege of making you a temporary member of my guard." Interesting. Maybe he wouldn't ask for Alice to stay, after all.

Then, as if on cue, Chelsea entered with Renesmee, and Edward and I flashed to her side. She was in our arms in an instant, and we were smothering her with kisses. "Oh, Nessie, my sweet baby," I murmured into her hair.

Edward frantically examined her. "Are you okay? Has anyone hurt you?"

She reached up to pull us closer and started to show us what had happened when the Volturi found her and the others at Joham's house. Aro saw what she was doing and signaled to Chelsea. Renesmee was out of my arms before I realized what had happened, and Demetri and Felix were standing in front of us, ready to restrain us if the need arose. I looked right past them, not paying any attention to their presence. All my thoughts and all my senses were focused solely on my daughter.

"Aro, I will do whatever you want me to do," I said with my eyes still on Nessie, "on one condition: I would like you to send Nahuel and his sisters home as well."

"Well, if we are bartering," he responded coolly, "I would be glad to grant you this additional favor in exchange for Alice's services as well as yours." I remembered Carlisle's warning not to underestimated Aro. He had been one step ahead of us this time. Thankfully, we had already been prepared for Aro to ask for both of us to stay.

"I expected as much of you, Aro," Alice replied, "and I agree to your terms, disdainful as they are."

Aro looked mildly surprised at this. He had most likely expected us to put up a fight, and no doubt he wondered why we had surrendered so easily. He reached for Alice's hand, and I reacted, instantly obscuring her evidence closet. I prayed that her thoughts would all be in order.

"Thank you, my dear," he said, caressing her hand, "I am sure you will find me an agreeable employer." He paused for a moment then, his brow wrinkling in confusion. "What is this, Alice?" he asked. I heard both irritation and astonishment in his voice. Something had caught him off guard, and he didn't like being surprised. I risked a glance at Edward to gauge his reaction to Aro's thoughts. Edward met my gaze and nodded imperceptibly, then reached over to squeeze my hand. I wasn't sure what to make of that. Edward, who had fretted incessantly over this very circumstance, wasn't worried about what Aro had found in Alice's thoughts?

"What is what, Aro?" Alice returned, confused as well.

"Your thoughts are all so organized. It's as if you categorized them into folders in a filing cabinet!" The awe in his voice quickly gave way to suspicion. "What's going on," he demanded, narrowing his eyes and turning to glare at each of us in turn. I could feel my teeth biting into my bottom lip, but I couldn't make myself relax. Would he discover what we had done?

"What I do with my thoughts is my business, Aro," Alice retorted, venom dripping from every word. "I happen to like having a tidy mind, and I didn't realize that I needed to ask your permission before I made changes inside my own head."

"I've never seen anything like it," he admitted, grudgingly. "You'll have to tell me how you did it."

"Don't count on it." He scowled at her impertinence, but didn't press the issue. I breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, he hadn't seen anything important, and he didn't know that she was hiding anything from him. So far so good.

"Well, then," he dismissed the subject and turned to Edward, offering him his hand. "Edward, my hospitality extends to you as well, if you and your daughter would like to stay."

I had my shield ready, but Edward ignored Aro's hand and stiffly gestured toward Renesmee. "May I?" he asked.

"Of course," Aro waved his hand, "be my guest." He looked slightly irritated by Edward's avoidance but let it go, seemingly reluctant to push his luck any further today.

Edward gathered Renesmee into his arms and returned with her to my side in one swift movement. "I won't be needing your hospitality," Edward spit the word, "We did not intend to stay long, and I have a flight booked for this afternoon. If you'll just give me some privacy so that I can say goodbye to my wife and sister, then I will take my leave."

"Certainly, Edward. There is a small room just down this corridor that you can have to yourselves for as long as you wish. Felix will show you the way." His politeness irritated me to no end. I supposed he liked to think that we had no idea what was really going on beneath his facade. Well...I decided I couldn't begrudge him that; after all, we had a little facade of our own.

I knew they would be listening to everything we said, but there really wasn't a lot that we could say anyways. It was enough just to hold each other and savor what little time we had left together. Renesmee showed us everything that had happened to her, while Edward quietly translated for Alice. I was comforted to know that she really had been well cared for, even though she had been terrified. She didn't know why they had killed Joham or why they had taken her and her half-vampire cousins. As she replayed the events of her captivity, she was constantly wondering why these things had happened. Nothing had been explained, though Chelsea and Afton had assured her that she would be able to go home as soon as her Momma came to get her. Finally, she arrived at the scene in the tower a few minutes ago. This was the most puzzling thing that had happened to her yet. She replayed Edward's last words to Aro and the question in her mind felt like an accusation to me. She wanted to know why Alice and I were staying behind. When we didn't answer her immediately, she asked aloud, "Why, Daddy?"

"Renesmee," he said in a broken voice, "it was the only way to get you back. You have to believe us: it will be ok."

"It won't be for long, my precious," I whispered, "I promise." Everything in me wanted to give her a more substantial explanation in order to make it possible for her to put faith in my promise. She was a smart girl though, and she would see the unspoken words behind what would sound like nothing more than meaningless placations to the ears of our eavesdroppers. She would hold on to that until Edward could explain it to her later. I pressed her hand to my face, and I saw a picture of myself with a tear trickling down one smooth cheek. I thought she must have conjured this up until I realized that my left eye was prickling, and I felt the wet trail that led down one side of my face. My first vampire tear. Renesmee silently traced the path that my tear had left, and her touch linked me to her mind as she thought of the last time we had said goodbye to each other because of the Volturi, the time in the field when I had prepared to send her away with Jacob. She pressed her hand over my heart and repeated my words from that day in her mind, "In our hearts we'll always be together. I love you, Momma."

I nodded and repeated something else that I had told her that day, "I love you, too. More than my own life." I buried my face in her hair and inhaled her scent. It helped to soothe the ache that was starting to throb in my chest. Then I reluctantly passed her to Alice so that I could say goodbye to Edward.

My goal was to keep this short and sweet so that Renesmee wouldn't have to see her parents suffering. Edward took me in his arms, and I unshielded my mind. I pulled up my blurry human memory of the moment that I had seen him for the first time from across the cafeteria. You think that my bad luck brought us together, I said in my head, but I think it was fate. Then I jumped to another memory, from our first honeymoon on Isle Esme. We belong together, I had said, as I approached him with the dark ocean all around us.

Edward remembered his line. "Forever," he said, along with the voice in my head. Yes, forever, I reaffirmed. We'll find our way back to each other. We always do. I hoped this would be enough to carry both of us through the days ahead. We parted with a kiss that sent a painful fire coursing through my veins, reminding me of the red-hot venom that accomplished my transformation. I would willingly endure that fire again if it could erase the agony I felt now.