A/N- Thanks a bunch for all the reviews on the last update! 3 Sorry for the length of time it's taken to produce this one... still undecided about the ending... but the next chapter looks like it's going to be the last. :( but still :D I hope you enjoy!

BellaPOV:

We were going to get away clean. Alice could see it. Jacob and Edward breathed sighs of relief. They would not find us; not this time. I couldn't help but be concerned though. I mean, Elizabeth was going to deliver herself to them. There was nothing I could do to help her now and I wanted to. I wanted to be there for her and Jon in ways which I wished people had been there for me at times during the difficult past. I couldn't be elated or relieved; not until I knew that they were safe… and it wasn't looking good.

ElizabethPOV:

"I…"

"Well are you going to pull over or what, hun? It's now or never… at least it feels like that," he said, eyes boring into mine until I had to look away.

"I can send you away. Provence is very sunny this time of year… they wouldn't be able to retrieve you in broad daylight… and Demetri hasn't heard your mind's voice. You could be safe there."

"Why would I go to France?"

"I have a house in Provence… an old vineyard and small chateau."

"It's stupid to have a house somewhere you can't be… and I'm not going anywhere you can't be. I'm not leaving your side!" he said passionately.

"You will die at my side… I can see that much…" I said, frustrated and nearly sobbing.

"Pull over!"

"No!" I shouted back, finally turning to look at him again.

"Give me a reason! It's the only way! Can't you see?" he shouted back.

"YOU WILL DIE!" I screamed, my voice testing the strength of the glass.

"I'm going to die either way! You said so yourself… Assuming one way I die for good, and the other only my human self dies but I exist on as a vampire… well pull the hell over!"

"I won't kill you…" I said in a whisper.

"I love you," he said in the most pure tone.

"I still have hope…"

"Not all of me will die…"

"Ironic that you told me that before… it seems like an eternity ago," I said almost wistfully.

"You said you still have hope… hope for what?"

"Hope that I can stop them from killing you… If you were to die just because they think I'm building some army with the Cullens to take them out of power… I'd die in that instant too."

He reached over and squeezed my hand.

"I'm not scared. If you bite me now, they can't kill me… problem solved, but you have to pull over because every second we're speeding closer to them," he pleaded.

"They could still kill you. The transformation takes days… two at the very minimum with venom directly to the heart… and during that time they could incapacitate me and kill you before the change was completed," I informed him from behind a clenched jaw.

"Ah."

I drove in silence for a few minutes and it was almost as if I could feel tears streaking down my cheeks, but that was impossible. Even if I could cry; even if there was some way I could produce tears, they would have frozen n my cheeks.

"No matter what… I love… I…we… just believe we can make it out… there's something in thinking positive," Jon whispered, struggling with his over-lapping thoughts to make cohesive statements.

I placed my hand in his. No matter what happened… No matter what I would always love him; always treasure these last few months that had made my existence worth living.

"I don't remember what it's like to be alive, but being with you… I think it's the closest I've ever been…" I whispered and for the first time it was actually difficult to drive without consciously thinking about it.

I barely kept it together for the next half-hour; driving with only the slightest fraction of my mind while constantly checking the future against all the possible plans I could draft. Hope; I tried to tell myself over and over again. I whispered in below audible levels in time with Jon's heartbeat. Hope-hope-hope hope-hope-hope-hope hope.

******

When we arrived at a location far off the beaten path where I had seen they would be, I pulled Jon into an embrace and kissed him. A kiss goodbye, my pessimistic mind thought. I could hear their thoughts; they were behind a large stand of trees.

"Whatever happens… just stay behind me. Stay still. Say nothing," I whispered into his ear, taking his hand and marching us both to our almost certain demise.

As soon as we were in sight, Demetri grinned wickedly. Jane was occupied with dismembering the corpse of what must have been captive (a quick glance into her mind revealed he was a very young werewolf used to throw off Alice's gift).

"Good morning," I said tersely, but it was best to display some manners.

"Ah, Elizabeth, darling… I'm rather glad you got our message. It would have been most inconvenient to go out and find you. Ah, and you've brought your little play-thing I see," Aro greeted, sickeningly cheerful even when at his most sadistic. "It seems quite the trend these days for these odd-dieted vampires to pursue human mates… how perverse really. I suppose it's a novelty, but how tiring."

"Can we dispense with these useless pretences? I know what your after. I also know that it won't help even if I tell you that truthfully I have no ambitions of conquering the Volturi," I said, my eyes on Demetri.

Cauis laughed bitterly. "So, then I suppose we'll just cut to the part where we kill your little companion…"

I stiffened, and although I expected him to tense, Jon remained stationary behind me. The fool really had no fear.

Demetri prepared for the attack. His sick mind was going through all the ways he could torture Jon to repay me for the damages I had done to his ego. Jane was ready to jump in as well. Their plan was to overwhelm me. There was very little chance that I could remove both their powers and stop both their physical attacks before they got to him. And if I did… If I did then the others would close in while I was distracted. Caius was contemplating killing me in the melee. I sunk slightly into a crouch. So it had come to this, I thought.