ELSA'S POV

Demetri left us in the cheerfully opulent reception area, where the woman Gianna was still at her post behind the polished counter. Bright, harmless music tinkled from hidden speakers.

"Do not leave until dark," he warned us.

Anna nodded, and Demetri hurried away.

Gianna did not seem at all surprised by the exchange, though she did eye Anna's borrowed cloak with shrewd speculation.

"Are you all right?' Anna asked under her breath, too lowe for the human woman to hear. Her voice was rough—if velvet can be rough—with anxiety. Still stressed by our situation I imagined.

"You'd better make her sit before she falls," Alice said. "She's going to pieces."

It was only then that I realized I was shaking, shaking hard, my entire frame vibrating until my teeth chattered and the room around me seemed to wobble and blur in my eyes. For one wild second, I wondered if this was how Honeymaren felt just before exploding into a werewolf.

I heard a sound that didn't make sense, a strange, ripping counterpart to the otherwise cheery background music. Distracted by the shaking, I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Shh, Elsa, shh," Anna said as she pulled me to the sofa farthest away from the curious human at the desk.

"I think she's having hysterics. Maybe you should slap her," Alice suggested.

Anna threw a frantic glance at her.

Then I understood. Oh. The noise was me. The ripping sound was coming from my chest. That's what was shaking me. I was sobbing and hyperventilating.

"It's all right, you're safe, it's all right," she chanted again and again. She pulled me into her lap and tucked the thick wool cloak around me, protecting me from her cold skin.

It was the last reaction I wanted to have but all the emotions that had built up were finally crashing down on me. We weren't even safe at home yet but I couldn't hold it off any longer. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't stop myself from shaking, I couldn't stop my tears.

Worst of all, behind my eyes where the tears could not wash the image away, I could still see the panicked face of the tiny woman with the rosary.

"All those people," I sobbed.

"I know," she whispered.

"It's so horrible."

"Yes, it is. I wish you hadn't had to see that."

I rested my head against her cold chest, using the thick cloak to wipe my eyes. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

"Is there anything I can get you?" a voice asked politely. It was Gianna, leaning over Anna's shoulder with a look that was both concerned and yet still professional and detached at the same time. It didn't seem to bother her that her face was inches from a hostile vampire. She was either totally oblivious, or very good at her job.

"No," Anna answered coldly.

She nodded, smiled at me, and then disappeared.

I waited until she was out of hearing range. "Does she know what's going on here?" I demanded, my voice low and hoarse. I was getting control of myself, my breathing evening out.

"Yes. She knows everything," Anna told me.

"Does she know they're going to kill her someday?"

"She knows it's a possibility," she said.

That surprised me.

Anna's face was hard to read. "She's hoping they'll decide to keep her."

I felt the blood leave my face. "She wants to be one of them?"

She nodded once, her eyes sharp on my face, watching my reaction.

I shuddered. "How can she want that?" I whispered more to myself than really looking for an answer. "How can she watch those people file through to that hideous room and want to be a part ofthat?"

Anna didn't answer. Her expression twisted in response to something I'd said.

As I stared at her beautiful face, trying to understand the change, it suddenly stuck me that I was really here, in Anna's arms, however fleetingly, and that we were not—at this exact moment—about to be killed.

"Oh, Anna," I cried, and I was sobbing again. It was such a stupid reaction. The tears were too thick for me to see her face to read her reaction.

"What's wrong?" she asked, still anxious, rubbing my back with gentle pats.

I wrapped my arms around her neck, unable to control my emotions. I hugged myself closer to her. "Is it really sick for me to be happy right now?" I asked. My voice broke twice.

She pulled me tight against her ice-hard chest, so tight it was hard to breathe, especially given my panic attack. "I know exactly what you mean," she whispered. "But we have lots of reasons to be happy. For one, we're alive."

"Yes," I agreed. "That's a good one."

"And together," she breathed. Her breath was so sweet it made my head swim.

I just nodded, bewildered by her statement. Perhaps she just meant for this moment.

"And, with any luck, we'll still be alive tomorrow."

"Here's hoping," I said uneasily.

"The outlook is quite good," Alice assured me. She'd been so quiet, I'd almost forgotten her presence. "I'll see Jasper in less than twenty-four hours," she added in a satisfied tone.

"Good." I replied. Lucky Alice. She knew her future.

I couldn't keep myself from staring at Anna. I didn't know what any of this meant for my future. I still only had this moment, I only had now. I didn't know what would happen tomorrow. But this moment felt safe, and, despite everything, I decided to let myself enjoy it.

Anna stared right back at me, her dark eyes soft, and I wondered what she was thinking. If anything had changed or if as soon as all this was over things would go back to how they were.

Her fingertips traced the circles under my eyes. "You look so tired."

"And you look thirsty," I whispered back, studying the purple bruises under her black irises.

She shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure? I can just sit with Alice," I offered, shifting away from her.

"Don't be ridiculous." She pulled me back and sighed; her sweet breath caressed my face. "I've never been in better control ofthatside of my nature than right now."

I had a million questions for her. One of them bubbled to my lips now, but I held my tongue. It wasn't the right place, here in this room that made me sick, under the eyes of the Volturi.

Here in her arms, it was so easy to get confused. It was so easy to believe we could go back to the way things were. I didn't know the truth behind her motivations—I didn't know if she was just acting this way to keep me calm while we were still in danger, of if she felt guilty for where we were and relieved that she wasn't responsible for my death. Maybe this, maybe that. I didn't know.

I lay quiet in her arms, lost in my thoughts, relearning her face.

She stared at my face like she was doing the same, while she and Alice discussed how to get home. Their voices were so quick and low that I knew Gianna couldn't understand. I missed half of it myself. It sounded like more theft would be involved, though. I wondered idly if the yellow Porsche had made it back to its owner yet.

"What was all that talk about singer?" Alice asked at one point.

"La tua cantante," Anna said. Her voice made the words into music.

"Yes, that," Alice said, and I concentrated for a moment. I'd wondered about that, too, at the time.

I felt Anna shrug around me. "They have a name for someone who smells the way Anna does to me. They call her mysinger—because her blood sings for me."

Alice laughed.

I was tired enough to sleep, but I fought against the weariness. I wasn't going to fall asleep here. Now and then, as Anna talked with Alice, she would lean down suddenly and kiss me—her glass-smooth lips brushing against my hair, my forehead, the tip of my nose. Each time was like an electric shock to my heart. It didn't help with my confusion, but I didn't hate it, either.

I lost track of time completely. So when Anna's arms tightened around me, and both she and Alice looked to the back of the room with way eyes, I panicked. I cringed into Anna's chest as Alec—his eyes now a vivid ruby, but still spotless in his light gray suit despite the afternoon meal—walked through the double doors.

It was good news.

"You're free to leave now," Alec told us, his tone so warm you'd think we were all lifelong friends. "We ask that you don't linger in the city."

Anna made no answering pretense; her voice was ice cold. "That won't be a problem."

Alec smiled, nodded, and disappeared again.

"Follow the right hallway around the corner to the first set of elevators," Gianna told us as Anna helped me to my feet. "The lobby is two floors down, and exits to the street. Goodbye, now," she added pleasantly. I wondered if her competence would be enough to save her.

Alice shot her a dark look.

I was relieved there was another way out; I wasn't sure if I could handle another tour through the underground.

We left through a luxurious lobby. I was the only one who glanced back at the medieval castle that housed the elaborate business façade. I couldn't see the turret from here, for which I was grateful.

The party was still in full swing in the streets. The street lamps were just coming on as we walked swiftly through the narrow, cobbled lanes. The sky was a dull fading gray overhead, but the buildings crowded the streets so closely that it felt darker.

The party was darker, too. Anna's long, trailing cloak did not stand out in the way it might have on a normal evening in Volterra. There were others in black satin cloaks now, and the plastic fangs I'd seen on the child in the square today seemed to be very popular with the adults.

"Ridiculous," Anna muttered once.

I didn't notice when Alice disappeared from beside me. I looked over to ask her a question, and she was gone.

"Where's Alice?" I whispered in a panic.

"She went to retrieve your bags from where she stashed them this morning."

I'd forgotten that I had access to a toothbrush. It brightened my outlook considerably.

"She's stealing a car, too, isn't she?" I guessed.

She grinned. "Not till we're outside."

It seemed like a very long way to the entryway. Anna could see that I was spent; she wound her arm around my waist and supported most of my weight as we walked.

I shuddered as she pulled me through the dark stone archway. The huge, ancient portcullis above was like a cage door, threatening to drop on us, to lock us in.

She led me toward a dark car, waiting in a pool of shadow to the right of the gate with the engine running. To my surprise, she slid into the backseat with me, instead of insisting on driving.

Alice was apologetic. "I'm sorry." She gestured vaguely toward the dashboard. "There wasn't much to choose from."

"It's fine, Alice." She grinned. "They can't all be 911 Turbos."

She sighed. "I may have to acquire one of those legally. It was fabulous."

"I'll get you one for Christmas," Anan promised. Alice turned to beam at her, which worried me, as she was already speeding down the dark and curvy hillside at the same time.

"Yellow," she told her.

Anna kept me tight in her arms. Inside the gray cloak, I was warm and comfortable. More than comfortable.

"You can sleep now, Elsa," she murmured. "It's over."

And it was over, I had succeeded in what I had come here to do. Anan was still alive, and I was still alive. I could go home, apologize to Agnarr, apologize to Honeymaren, and say goodbye to Elsa and Alice.

"It's fine, I'm not tired." I lied. I was tired, but I couldn't imagine falling asleep now. I was afraid of what horrors my mind would conjure up after this day. "I don't want to sleep."

She pressed her lips to the hollow under my ear. "Try," he encouraged.

I shook my head.

She sighed. "You're still just as stubborn."

Iwasstubborn; I fought with my heavy lids, and I won. The dark road was the hardest part; the bright lights at the airport in Florence made it easier, as did the chance to brush my teeth and change into clean clothes; Alice bought Anna new clothes, too, and she left the dark cloak on a pile of trash in an alley. The plane trip to Rome was so short that there wasn't really a chance for the fatigue to drag me under. I knew the flight from Rome to Atlanta would be another matter entirely, so I asked the flight attendant if she could bring me a Coke.

"Elsa," Anna said disapprovingly. She knew my low tolerance for caffeine.

Alice was behind us. I could hear her murmuring to Jasper on the phone.

"I don't want to sleep," I reminded her. I decided to admit the truth. "If I close my eyes now, I'll see things I don't want to see. I'll have nightmares."

She didn't argue with me after that.

It would have been a very good time to talk, to get the answers I needed—needed but I wasn't sure if I was ready for; I had wanted this conversation for so long and now I didn't know where to start. We had an uninterrupted block of time ahead of us, and she couldn't escape me on an airplane—well, not easily, at least. No one would hear us except Alice; it was late, and most of the passengers were turning off lights and asking for pillows in muted voices. Talk would help me fight off exhaustion.

But, conversely, I didn't know if my sleep-deprived state was best suited for such a heavy conversation and I was unsure if I could keep my emotions in check feeling so exhausted. I couldn't decide what to do.

So I kept drinking soda, and resisting even the urge to blink. Anna seemed perfectly content to hold me in her arms, her fingers tracing my face again and again. Further confusing me. I couldn't stop myself from touching her face, too. I knew it might hurt me later, though, when she left again. She continued to kiss my hair, my forehead, my wrists… but never my lips, and that was good. It kept things in perspective, it kept things where they needed to be. After all, how many breaks could my heart endure and still keep beating? I'd lived through a lot that should have finished me in the last few days, but it didn't make me feel strong. Instead, I felt horribly fragile, like one word would shatter me.

Anna didn't speak. Maybe she was hoping I would sleep. Maybe she had nothing to say.

I won the fight against my heavy lids. I was awake when we reached the airport in Atlanta, and I even watched the sun beginning to rise over Seattle's cloud cover before Anna slid the window shut. I was proud of myself. I hadn't fallen asleep.

Neither Alice nor Anna was surprised by the reception that waited for us at Sea-Tac airport, but it caught me off guard. Jasper was the first one I saw—he didn't seem to see me at all. His eyes were only for Alice. She went quickly to his side; they didn't embrace like other couples meeting there. The only stared into each other's faces, yet, somehow, the moment was so private that I still felt the need to look away.

Frederic and Arianna waited in a quiet corner far from the line for the metal detectors, in the shadow of a wide pillar. Arianna reached for me, hugging me fiercely.

"Thank you so much," she said in my ear.

Then she threw her arms around Anna, and she looked like she would be crying if that were possible.

"You will never put me through that again," she nearly growled.

Anna grinned, repentant. "Sorry, Mom."

"Thank you, Elsa," Frederic said. "We owe you a great deal."

"Hardly," I mumbled. The sleepless night was suddenly overpowering. My head felt disconnected from my body.

"She's dead on her feet," Arianna scolded Anna. "Let's get her home."

Not sure if I was ready to face Agnarr, I stumbled, half-blind, through the airport, Anna dragging me on one side and Arianna on the other. I didn't know if Alice and Jasper were behind us or not, and I was too exhausted to look.

I think I was mostly asleep, though I was still walking, when we reached their car. The surprise of seeing Cassandra and Rapunzel leaning against the black sedan under the dim lights of the parking garage revived me some. Anna stiffened.

Don't," Arianna whispered. "Rapunzel feels awful."

"She should," Elsa said, making no attempt to keep her voice down.

"It's not her fault," I said, my words garbled with exhaustion. "Watch your temper."

"Let Rapunzel make amends," Arianna pleaded. "We'll ride with Alice and Jasper."

Anna glowered at the absurdly Beautiful blond vampire waiting for us.

"Please, Anna," I said. I didn't really want to ride with Rapunzel any more than she seemed to, but the whole point of going after her was to keep her family together so I wasn't about to let it fall apart now.

She sighed, and towed me toward the car.

Cassandra playfully punched my arm, grinning widely. Under different circumstances I knew he would want to pull me into a bear hug. Rapunzel got in the front seat without speaking, while Anna pulled me in the back again. I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight my eyelids anymore, and I laid my head against her chest in defeat, letting them close. I felt the car purr to life.

"Anna," Rapunzel began.

"I know." Anna's brusque tone was not generous. I squeezed her arm disapprovingly.

"Elsa?" Rapunzel asked softly.

My eyelids fluttered open in shock. It was the first time she'd ever spoken directly to me.

"Yes, Rapunzel?" I asked, hesitant.

"I'm really very sorry, Elsa. I feel awful about every part of this, and so grateful that you were brave enough and selfless enough to go save my sister after what I did. Please say you'll forgive me."

The words were awkward, stilted because of her embarrassment, but they seemed sincere.

"Of course, Rapunzel," I mumbled, grasping at any chance to make him hate me a little less. "It's not your fault at all. I'm the one who jumped off the damn cliff. And Anna's the one that ran off to Italy. Of course I forgive you."

The words came out like mush.

"It doesn't count until she's conscious, Raps," Cassandra chuckled.

"I'm conscious, Cassandra," I said; it just sounded like a garbled sigh.

"Let her sleep," Anna insisted, but her voice was a little warmer.

It was quiet then, except for the gentle thrum of the engine. I must have fallen asleep, because it seemed like seconds later when the door opened and Anna was carrying me from the car. My eyes wouldn't open. At first I thought we were still at the airport.

And then I heard Agnarr.

"Elsa!" he shouted from some distance.

"Dad," I mumbled, trying to shake off the stupor.

"Shh," Anna whispered. "It's okay; you're home and safe. Just sleep."

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here." Agnarr yelled at Anna, his voice much closer now.

"Dad, not now," I groaned. He didn't hear me.

"What's wrong with her?" Agnarr demanded.

"She's just very tired, Agnarr," Elsa assured him quietly. "Please let her rest."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Agnarr snapped. "Give her to me. Get your hands off her!"

Anna tried to pass me to David, but I flailed involuntary from the feeling of falling in my half-asleep state. I could feel them both struggle with me for a moment.

"Whoa, Dad, hold on," I said with more volume. I managed to drag my lids back to stare at Agnarr with bleary eyes. "I'm fine, I can stand."

We were in front of my house. The front door was standing open. The cloud cover overhead was too thick to guess at a time of day.

"Are you sure, Elsa?" Agnarr looked at me searchingly. "Then get inside."

"Kay. Let me down, Anna," I sighed.

Anna set me on my feet. I could see that I was upright, but I couldn't feel my legs. I trudged forward anyway, until the sidewalk swirled up toward my face. Anna's arms caught me before I hit the concrete.

"Just let me get her upstairs please," Anna said. "Then I'll leave."

"No, wait," I tried to force my eyes open. I hadn't gotten my answers yet. She had to stay for at least that much, didn't she?

"I won't be far," Anna promised, whispering so low in my ear that Agnarr didn't have a hope of hearing.

I didn't hear Agnarr answer, but Anna headed into the house. My open eyes only made it till the stairs. The last thing I felt was Anna's cool hands laying me back onto my bed