So sorry about the wait… again. Real life interfered… again. LOL I'll try to do better next time. ;)

As always, all recognizable dialogue is taken verbatim from New Moon. I make no claims on any of… it's all Stephenie Meyer's genius. I'm just borrowing because I can't seem to leave her characters alone! I tried not to be too repetitive in this chapter, but most of it is going to be very familiar, I'm afraid. You'll have to tell me how I did. I'm hoping you'll enjoy it anyway!

Chapter 14

Alice

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Bella and I had made the flight with only seconds to spare before takeoff. We took out seats and buckled up, both still buzzing with fear and anxiety. Bella bounced nervously in her seat, and I had to struggle not to mirror her actions. It took all my restraint to sit still and not betray my intense apprehension.

I'd placed my hand on Bella's shoulder, stilling her movements, though we were both past the point of being calmed. "It's faster than running." I reminded her. She simply nodded mutely in response.

As soon as the plane was in the air, I'd called Jasper, hating that I had to relay this kind of news to him but knowing that I had no other choice. I hadn't seen Rosalie tell Emmett and Jasper what she'd done, but I was still fairly certain she had. I knew they had to be frantic. The fact that Jasper answered before the first ring could even sound just proved my suspicions correct.

My heart had broken into thousands of tiny pieces as I'd told him not to follow me. I could hear his fear and worry giving way to desolation as I'd made him promise to stay where he was.

And it hurt. It absolutely tore me apart.

There was a part of me that wanted him here by my side, helping me get through the hard times just as he always did. But the larger part of myself screamed to protect him. No matter the cost.

There was no knowing exactly what we were walking into, and I couldn't bear the thought of dragging him into this danger too. I needed to be sure he would be safe. And if that meant lying to him to ensure his safety, then so be it. That was the only thing I could do.

Returning his fervent declaration of love, it was with a weighted, broken heart that I hung up the phone.

Was that it? I wondered. After everything we'd been through, was that rushed conversation our last goodbye? I knew that if things ended badly in Italy that could very well be that last time I ever spoke to him.

I'd never see him again… I'd never hold him… never kiss him. I'd never have the chance to truly say goodbye. Would I ever so much as hear his voice again? I had no guarantees of that anymore. Not now.

Fighting against the waves of grief and agony, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, doing my best to keep my face smooth so I wouldn't give away the depth of my anguish to Bella.

"I hate lying to him," I breathed.

"Tell me everything, Alice," she begged, turning in her seat to face me. "I don't understand. Why did you tell Jasper to stop Emmett, why can't they come help us?"

"Two reasons," I whispered, still keeping my eyes closed. I didn't want her to see the turmoil raging inside. "The first I told him. We could try to stop Edward ourselves – if Emmett could get his hands on him, we might be able to stop him long enough to convince him you're still alive. But we can't sneak up on Edward. And if he sees us coming for him, he'll just act that much faster. He'll throw a Buick through a wall or something and the Volturi will take him down.

"That's the second reason of course, the reason I couldn't say to Jasper. Because if they're there and the Volturi kill Edward, they'll fight them, Bella." I opened my eyes then and looked at her, beseeching her with my gaze. "If there were any chance we could win… if there were a way that the four of us could save my brother by fighting for him, maybe it would be different. But we can't, and, Bella, I can't lose Jasper like that."

I just couldn't.

Maybe it would help to have him there. Maybe there would be a better chance of stopping Edward if we were all there together. But those were only maybes. The risk was too great. I couldn't risk having him in Volterra. I couldn't gamble with his life like that.

I felt like I was choosing casualties in a way. I felt like I was making the choice between my brother's life – and Bella's life – for Jasper's. But if that was the choice I had to make, I knew the only option I'd be able to choose.

If it was a choice of their life or Jasper's… my life or his… there was no decision to be made.

I'd always choose his.

Always.

Bella nodded, her eyes showing an understanding I had no right to ask of her. She knew, though. In making the choice to come with me, she was placing her own life at risk, knowing that she might not walk away, but finding the risk worth it to save Edward.

"Couldn't Edward hear you, though?" she asked. "Wouldn't he know, as soon as he heard your thoughts, that I was alive, that there was no point to this?"

"If he were listening. But believe it or not, it's possible to lie with your thoughts. If you had died, I would still try to stop him. And I would be thinking 'she's alive, she's alive' as hard as I could. He knows that."

Bella glanced down at her hands, picking at a nonexistent thread on her jeans. She sighed quietly.

Looking at my fragile friend sitting next to me, knowing what I was asking her to put herself through, my conscience pricked in my chest.

"If there were any way to do this without you, Bella, I wouldn't be endangering you like this. It's very wrong of me."

"Don't be stupid," she protested, looking back up at me. "I'm the last thing you should be worrying about." Her head shook impatiently. "Tell me what you meant, about hating to lie to Jasper."

Her attempt to redirect the conversation brought us back to a topic that made my heart sink even further. I smiled bleakly. "I promised him that I would get out before they killed me, too. It's not something I can guarantee – not by a long shot." My voice was undeniably grim by the time I finished. I looked unblinkingly at Bella, willing her to understand just how much danger she was placing herself in.

"Who are these Volturi?" Bella demanded in a harsh whisper. "What makes them so much more dangerous than Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and you?"

Her voice was low, but it was fervent enough to attract the attention of the man sitting on the end of the aisle closest to Bella. I glared darkly in his direction as he not so subtly eavesdropped. Bella's forehead creased in confusion, and she glanced over her shoulder to see what I was glaring at. The man immediately swallowed uncomfortably and looked back to the computer in his lap, opening it up and very conspicuously putting the headphones in his ears.

Bella leaned in closer to me, and I placed my lips near her ear, speaking only barely loud enough for her to hear. I couldn't chance anyone else overhearing this. We would be in enough trouble with the Volturi now without accidentally letting anymore humans in on our secret.

"I was surprised that you recognized the name," I admitted. "That you understood so immediately what it meant – when I said he was going to Italy. I thought I would have to explain. How much did Edward tell you?" I asked, curious about just how much he might have told her about them. It wasn't like him to tell Bella anything that could alarm her if he had a choice not to. But then again, she rarely had a typical human reaction to anything we revealed to her.

"He just said that they were an old, powerful family – like royalty. That you didn't antagonize them unless you wanted to… die." Her voice faltered at the end, anguish written on her features at the thought of Edward's death.

"You have to understand," I said in a slow, measured voice, "we Cullens are unique in more ways than you know. It's… abnormal for so many of us to live together in peace. It's the same for Tanya's family in the north, and Carlisle speculates that abstaining makes it easier for us to be civilized, to form bonds based on love rather than survival or convenience. Even James's little coven of three was unusually large – and you saw how easily Laurent left them. Our kind travel alone, or in pairs, as a general rule. Carlisle's family is the biggest in existence, as far as I know, with the one exception. The Volturi.

"There were three of them originally, Aro, Caius, and Marcus."

"I've seen them," Bella mumbled under her breath. "In the picture in Carlisle's study."

I nodded. "Two females joined them over time, and the five of them make up the family. I'm not sure, but I suspect that their age is what gives them the ability to live peacefully together. They are well over three thousand years old. Or maybe it's their gifts that give them extra tolerance. Like Edward and I, Aro and Marcus are… talented."

Bella's forehead wrinkled, and I continued quickly before she could ask, not wanting to get sidetracked on that now. "Or maybe it's just their love of power that binds them together. Royalty is an apt description."

"But if there are only five – "

"Five that make up the family," I corrected. "That doesn't include their guard."

Bella took a deep breath, obviously trying to digest what I'd told her. "That sounds… serious."

"Oh, it is. There were nine members of the guard that were permanent, the last time we heard. Others are more… transitory. It changes. And many of them are gifted as well – with formidable gifts, gifts that make what I can do look like a parlor trick. The Volturi chose them for their abilities, physical or otherwise."

I wasn't exaggerating. I'd never met and of the Volturi guard face-to-face, and I'd just as soon keep it that way. But I'd heard about some of their abilities. They were feared with very good reason.

Bella opened and closed her mouth, the furrows still etched in her brow. I nodded again. "They don't get into too many confrontations. No one is stupid enough to mess with them. They stay in their city, leaving only as duty calls."

"Duty?" Bella questioned.

"Didn't Edward tell you what they do?"

"No."

I looked over Bella's shoulder, ensuring that no one – the eavesdropping businessman on the other end of the aisle especially – was paying attention to us, and put my lips back to her ear. "There's a reason he called them royalty… the ruling class. Over the millennia, they have assumed the position of enforcing our rules – which actually translates to punishing transgressors. They fulfill that duty decisively."

Bella's eyes popped open. "There are rules?" she asked in a shrill whisper, her voice much too loud for our current location.

"Shh!" I hissed in her ear, glancing around again quickly.

"Shouldn't someone have mentioned this to me earlier?" she whispered angrily. "I mean, I wanted to be a…" she cut herself off, looking over her shoulder, "to be one of you!" she corrected. "Shouldn't someone have explained the rules to me?"

I chuckled at her ire. "It's not that complicated, Bella. There's only one core restriction – and if you think about it, you can probably figure it out for yourself."

She thought for a moment, squinting her eyes in concentration. "Nope, I have no idea," she said finally.

I shook my head, a little amused that she hadn't been able to come up with it. It was so incredibly obvious. "Maybe it's too obvious," I said. "We just have to keep our existence a secret."

"Oh," she mumbled, clearly surprised that it was something that simple.

"It makes sense, and most of us don't need policing. But after a few centuries, sometimes one of us gets bored. Or crazy. I don't know. And then the Volturi steps in before it can compromise them, or the rest of us."

"So Edward…"

"Is planning to flout that in their own city – the city they've secretly held for three thousand years, since the time of the Etruscans. They are so protective of their city that they don't allow hunting within its walls. Volterra is probably the safest city in the world – from vampire attack at the very least."

"But you said they didn't leave. How do they eat?"

"They don't leave. They bring in their food from the outside, from quite far away sometimes. It gives their guard something to do when they're not out annihilating mavericks. Or protecting Volterra from exposure…"

"From situations like this one, like Edward."

"I doubt they've ever had a situation quite like this," I muttered. "You don't get a lot of suicidal vampires."

The sound Bella made then was quiet, but the pain it spoke of was unmistakable. I wrapped my arm around her in comfort, squeezing her lightly. "We'll do what we can, Bella," I assured her. "It's not over yet."

"Not yet," she said almost inaudibly. "And the Volturi will get us if we mess up."

Something in her voice made me stiffen, pulling away just slightly to look at her. "You say that like it's a good thing," I said incredulously. Bella just shrugged, her face giving her away. "Knock it off, Bella," I said sternly, "or we're turning around in New York and going back to Forks."

"What?" she asked, her eyes too wide and innocent.

"You know what. If we're too late for Edward, I'm going to do my damnedest to get you back to Charlie, and I don't want any trouble from you. Do you understand that?"

"Sure, Alice." It sounded too much like she was just trying to placate me. I still wasn't so sure that I bought the whole "cliff diving for fun" story. I was still inclined to think that there was more to it than she was willing to tell me, and that little comment from her just stirred my suspicions even further.

"No trouble." I pulled back further to give her my best no-nonsense glare.

"Scout's honor," she muttered.

I rolled my eyes, not seeing the point in pushing this further right now. I'd just have to keep a close watch on her from here on out. I was going to do everything in my power to see that she got out in one piece. I could only hope I'd be successful… for both our sakes.

"Let me concentrate now. I'm trying to see what he's planning."

I left my arm around Bella's shoulders, but laid my head back on the seat and let my eyes fall closed. Focusing on the filmy haze running on a stream inside my mind, I tried to bring Edward's future into view. He had a head start on us by several hours, but his layover was going to be longer than ours, so that balanced things out just a little bit more in our favor.

Everything was blurry and indistinct where Edward was concerned. He was plotting his course, and the different scenarios he considered flitted through my mind quickly. Just as soon as one appeared, it vanished to be replaced by something else.

None of the different plans ended well, though. I could feel my anxiety rising by the minute as I monitored his plans while he made them. And if the truth were known, there was a part of me that wanted to wring his neck myself. Didn't he have any idea what he was putting the rest of us through?

I could see Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie all gathered together, sitting in silence with their fear and worry etched plainly on their faces. I could see Charlie pacing in his living room with Bella's note clutched in his hand, lines of anxiety deeply creasing his forehead.

If Bella and I failed now, the consequences of Edward's actions would be much more far-reaching than he had even bothered to think.

With some sudden surprise, I noticed that Jasper wasn't in the vision I'd had of the rest of my family. It had just been the other four. Quickly, I scanned through my visions, searching for him. What I saw made me feel like the bottom had abruptly fallen out of my world.

I'd been with Jasper for fifty-eight years, and I'd seen him through my second sight for twenty-eight years before that. Throughout those eighty-six years, I'd seen him at his best, and I'd seen him at his worst. I'd seen him through victory and defeat, through grieving and rejoicing. I'd seen him shaken, and I'd seen him stumble. I'd seen him falter… but I had never seen him broken.

Not until now.

Even in his worst times, I'd never seen him as anything other than strong. Jasper had always seemed a pillar of strength to me. It was just part of who he was. Seeing him as he was now made me feel like someone had stolen the air from my lungs and made it impossible to breathe.

Jasper was crumpled up on the forest floor with his forehead pressed to the ground. Sobs wracked his body. I could hear his cries. And that was something I'd never… ever… heard before. The sound of them now shattered my heart into thousands of tiny fragments. I knew exactly where his fear stemmed from.

He had to know by now that I'd lied.

I could only hope he knew why. And I could only hope he'd forgive me for it.

This was my fault. And there was nothing I could do now to fix it. Only get to Edward and get out before the worst could happen. But the odds of that were almost nonexistent.

As I continued to focus on Jasper, my vision of him shifted by small degrees until it became something out of my worst fears. I'd never been afraid of Jasper before… not even when I'd seen him at his darkest times. But this was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I could only assume that what I was seeing was his contingency plan should I not make it out alive.

The look on his face in my vision was like none before. It made icy tendrils of fear snake their way through my heart. His eyes were cold, black as the darkest kind of night. They were seething with a sinister, murderous hatred.

Flickers of his plans shimmered behind my eyes as he plotted his revenge – and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that that was what I was seeing.

Vengeance. Cold, calculated vengeance.

The background shifted until I recognized the buildings and scenery that I'd been seeing through Edward's plans. Volterra. Unable to breathe, I watched as Jasper strode purposefully through the winding corridors, his eyes – his face – unrecognizable behind the burning hatred raging there.

I fought to stay still, to not betray to anyone around me the terror that consumed me at the scene that I was watching unfold.

Jasper snaking his way into the Volturi palace. Throwing open the doors. The surprise written on the faces of those around. The fragment of an instant where everything seemed to freeze in place… before all hell was unleashed inside the room.

Jasper had spent most of his life perfecting the art of the fight. Throughout all those years, he had always been the last one standing when the chaos cleared. But he was only one man. And he didn't stand a chance here.

I could hear the shrieks and cries of confusion and pain. I could hear the sounds of flesh being torn to shreds. Every infinitesimal detail of the bedlam that was unleashed was burned behind my eyelids as if it was actually happening now. With the blind rage fueling him, Jasper lasted longer than he should have been able to, all things considered, but in the end, it didn't matter.

A single, small figure appeared from the doorway, and one glance in Jasper's direction was all it took for him to collapse to the floor, his body writhing and contorting in unspeakable agony, though not a sound passed his lips. Everything happened quickly after that. His body was dragged away. Fires were kindled until the flames roared.

Helplessly, I watched as Jasper's body was broken right before my eyes… the remnants being cast into the flames. He didn't fight it. He didn't even try. In fact, it appeared that the broken pieces of his body were propelled to the fire from within. This was what he had wanted.

He'd wanted to die.

No, no, no, no, no.

The plea was a constant thread in my thoughts as I watched his body burn.

Biting back the scream that was building in my lungs, I forced myself to sit still, some small corner of my mind still aware that there were others around me who wouldn't understand the source of my stark terror.

No, no, no, Jasper, please no.

I fought against the vision, but it played over and over again as Jasper continued to make his plans. I couldn't push it away. I couldn't make it stop, no matter how hard I tried. His course was set. His mind was made up.

Panic welled up inside until it was all I could do not to cry out.

Jasper, please stop this!

The silent cry was wrenched from the deepest part of my heart. Like a misty haze, the sight of Jasper's broken, burning body gradually evaporated from my eyes, finally disappearing altogether. With an internal sigh of relief, I searched for his immediate future, feeling a profound relief that the horrors I'd just seen were a figment of his imaginings and mine. They weren't real. He was still safe. And with every ounce of strength in my body, I was going to fight to ensure that he remained that way.

With a renewed determination, I turned my focus back to Edward. Nothing really changed from one vision of him to the next… nothing of any significance. He was still planning how best to present his case to the Volturi. And I, of course, could see nothing further than that until he made up his mind.

I was completely unaware how much time passed before I felt a warm hand on my arm and a voice, sounding as if it came from a great distance, interrupting my focus. "Alice," the voice called. "Alice, we have to go."

Slowly my eyes peeled open, reorienting myself to my surroundings as the plane touched down.

"Anything new?" Bella asked quietly, almost hesitantly.

"Not exactly. He's getting closer. He's deciding on how he's going to ask."

As soon as it was permissible to leave our seats, Bella and I rushed through the aisles and down the terminal. With the same urgency as before, we ran to make our connecting flight. I was incredibly grateful not to have a layover between the two. Every moment was precious right now. I couldn't imagine having to sit idly, making no progress, and waiting for the flight.

It would be futile to do so anyway. We were pushing the limits of time far too close as it was.

As soon as the plane was in the air, I leaned back and poured all my focus again on waiting for Edward's decision. He was almost there. Something would have to happen soon.

I watched as Edward's plane landed in Italy. I watched as he walked through the streets of Volterra under the cover of the night. I watched as he met the guard outside and as they escorted him into the Volturi's inner chambers.

With fear and trembling, I watched as Edward presented his case and requested that they end his life.

Icy terror coursed through my veins as they dismissed him to deliberate his case amongst themselves.

Yet when their decision came, it was all I could do not to get out of my seat and dance.

"Bella," I hissed, reaching over to shake her sleeping form awake.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, sleep thick in her voice.

"It's not wrong." I felt my face stretch in a fiercely triumphant smile." It's right. They're deliberating, but they've decided to tell him no."

It wasn't a solution, and the odds were still grim, but at least this gave us a fighting chance – something we hadn't had before.

"The Volturi?" she mumbled groggily.

"Of course, Bella, keep up. I can see what they're going to say."

"Tell me."

From down the aisle, an attendant tiptoed towards us. "Can I get you ladies a pillow?" He asked in a deceptively pleasant tone. His hushed whisper was obviously intended to be a rebuke for our comparatively loud voices.

"No, thank you." I smiled up at him brightly, pouring as much charm into my smile and voice as I could. Dazzling him, as Bella called it. It was a handy trick to have, especially now as he turned and stumbled his way back down the aisle with a dazed expression on his face.

Most of the people around us were sleeping, and I didn't notice anyone nearby having been disturbed by our exchange. Even still, Bella and I lowered our voices to ensure that no one else could hear.

"Tell me," Bella breathed almost inaudibly.

"They're interested in him," I whispered lowly into her ear. "They think his talent could be useful. They're going to offer him a place with them."

"What will he say?"

"I can't see that yet, but I'll bet it's colorful." I grinned just trying to imagine his response. "This is the first good news – the first break. They're intrigued; they don't truly want to destroy him – 'wasteful,' that's the word that Aro will use – and that may be enough to force him to get creative. The longer he spends on his plan, the better for us."

"Alice?" Bella asked softly after a moment.

There was a different tone to her voice, something that was bothering her that I couldn't quite read. "What?"

"I'm confused. How are you seeing this so clearly? And then other times, you see things far away – things that don't happen?"

"It's clear because it's immediate and close, and I'm really concentrating. The faraway things that come on their own – those are just glimpses, faint maybes. Plus, I see my kind more easily than yours. Edward is even easier because I'm so attuned to him."

"You see me sometimes," she whispered, glancing down at her hands. There was something, insecurity almost, that seeped from her words. I wasn't entirely sure where she was going with this.

"Not as clearly," I admitted, shaking my head.

Bella sighed heavily, her eyes sad and distant. "I really wish you could have been right about me. In the beginning, when you first saw things about me, before we even met…"

"What do you mean?"

"You saw me become one of you." She barely mouthed the words.

It was my turn to sigh then, thinking about the future that I'd once been so sure of. The future that had vanished altogether with a single decision from Edward. "It was a possibility at the time."

"At the time," Bella repeated sadly, blinking rapidly, her face a mask of sadness.

"Actually, Bella…" I began, my voice trailing off. "Honestly, I think it's all gotten beyond ridiculous. I'm debating whether to just change you myself."

Edward would be ready to rip my head off for it, but that was a risk I was willing to take. It was more than obvious that the two of them couldn't live without each other, not to mention what this was doing to the rest of the family. We were falling apart at the seams, and if there was something I could do to fix it, then I'd be damned if I wouldn't do whatever was in my power to do.

This nonsense had gone on for much too long. It had caused too much pain. It needed to be over.

Immediately after I'd spoken, Bella froze. Her heart seemed to slow for a split second and then began racing, pounding wildly against her ribcage. I tried to decipher what caused her reaction, but her face was absolutely unreadable.

"Did I scare you?" I asked worriedly. "I thought that's what you wanted."

"I do!" she gasped. "Oh, Alice, do it now! I could help you so much – and I wouldn't slow you down. Bite me!"

"Shh," I cautioned as the intensity of her voice attracted attention, the attendant from before looking in our direction once again. "Try to be reasonable," I scolded quietly. "We don't have enough time. We have to get into Volterra tomorrow. You'd be writhing in pain for days." Not that I remembered that from experience, but I'd heard enough about it from others to know how terrible the process was. "And I don't think the other passengers would react well," I said drily, making a face.

Bella bit her lip. "If you don't do it now, you'll change your mind." Her eyes were worried.

"No." I frowned, still weighing the consequences of such an action. There was far more to convince me in favor of it than not. It had the potential to solve so many problems. Edward had wanted her to have a normal human life, but that obviously wasn't a possibility for someone so danger prone as she was. And once she was changed, what was there to keep him from being with her the way he so desperately wanted? "I don't think I will. He'll be furious, but what will he be able to do about it?"

"Nothing at all." Bella said confidently.

I laughed quietly at her tone. "You have too much faith in me, Bella. I'm not sure that I can. I'll probably just end up killing you." I said, cautioning her, trying to make her understand the seriousness of what we were talking about. There was a very good chance that this could end badly if we did attempt it. It wasn't like I'd ever had reason to practice before.

"I'll take my chances." Bella declared firmly.

"You are so bizarre, even for a human."

"Thanks," she said cheekily.

"Oh well, this is purely hypothetical at this point, anyway. First we have to live through tomorrow," I pointed out.

"Good point."

"Go back to sleep," I urged gently. "I'll wake you when there's something new."

"Right," Bella mumbled, making herself comfortable and eventually dozing off once again.

When she did, I slipped back off into the world that only I could see as yet. Carefully I watched as the Volturi went back to give Edward their decision and as he stormed out when they gave him the answer he didn't want. I made sure to miss nothing. There was too much riding on our success here to overlook even the tiniest detail.

Edward's plans were a blur as he fled from the Volturi fortress. He was angry and desperate, and his thoughts plainly showed that. One thing remained the same in all of them, though – the utter lifelessness in his eyes. He'd given up all hope. He had absolutely no reason to continue fighting through the pain. None that he was aware of, that is.

As the sun started to peek over the eastern sky, I pulled the shade closed, not wanting to see the brightening colors. It just meant that our time was growing that much shorter. My movements woke up Bella from where she sat beside me.

"What's happening?" Bella mumbled sleepily.

"They've told him no," I said quietly, my voice flat.

"What's he going to do?" Bella asked fearfully, sensing immediately that something was wrong – that something had changed from just a few hours ago.

"It was chaotic at first," I told her. "I was only getting flickers, he was changing plans so quickly."

"What kind of plans?"

"There was a bad hour," I whispered lowly. "He'd decided to go hunting. In the city," I explained, seeing the incomprehension that colored Bella's face.

"He wouldn't want to disappoint Carlisle," she mumbled, guessing his reason for deciding against that course of action.

"Probably."

"Will there be enough time?" she asked nervously as the plane began its downward descent.

"I'm hoping so – if he sticks to his latest decision, maybe."

"What is that?"

"He's going to keep it simple. He's just going to walk out into the sun."

It was simple. But it would be enough to expose him.

Bella knew that immediately.

"We'll be too late," she whispered frantically, eyeing the light that was beginning to stream into the cabin.

I shook my head. "Right now, he's leaning toward the melodramatic. He wants the biggest audience possible, so he'll choose the main plaza, under the clock tower. The walls are high there. He'll wait until the sun is exactly overhead."

"So we have until noon?" she clarified.

"If we're lucky. If he sticks with this decision."

Just then, the pilot's voice spoke over the intercom, announcing, first in French and then in English, our imminent landing. The seatbelt lights dinged and flashed as we prepared to land.

"How far is it from Florence to Volterra?" Bella asked, buckling her seatbelt.

"That depends on how fast you drive," I said absently. "Bella?"

"Yes?" She looked at me curiously.

I eyed her speculatively, watching her reaction to my next question carefully.

"How strongly are you opposed to grand theft auto?"

As always, thanks for reading! Please don't forget to take a second and let me know what you thought… my birthday is tomorrow, and that's all I want! LOL Leave the birthday girl some lovin on her story, huh? ;)

Until next time!

Nik