Alice POV

It was finally happening. I knew from the moment that Edward stopped trying to stay away from Bella that one day she would become my sister. The visions had changed a few times and we'd made it past several different variations of possibilities, but I always believed that we would reach this moment eventually. She was already a part of the family, but I couldn't wait to show her the fun side of being one of us without human limitations. Edward made being with her look so easy, but I knew how hard he struggled every day and how much of himself he had to hold back to keep her safe. They both deserved better than that. I hadn't sensed any new movement from the Volturi on the issue, but I knew they wouldn't wait around forever. It would be nice for everyone to be able to relax once this was done.

The seven of us stood in a loose circle around the bed in Bella and Edward's room. Though we had all seen death before and some of us had witnessed the transformation process, this was an entirely new experience for everyone. Carlisle changed each of us out of necessity. There had been no celebration, no choice, and certainly no set time and place or invitation. Being here to support Bella felt strangely like attending a funeral and a wedding and a birth all at once. I was glad to be here for her. Beside me, Jasper silently squeezed my hand.

"You'll be fine, I promise," I whispered to him. Edward had the self control now to do this the right way. There would be very little blood.

Bella leaned back against the headboard, and Edward sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her cheek with his fingertips.

"I promise to be gentle, Bella," he told her. "I wish it could be painless, but I'll be by your side the whole time. I won't leave you."

"We're all here for you, sweetheart." Esme said. She leaned over the bed and kissed Bella on the cheek. "It will all be over soon."

"Thank you, all of you. I'm so lucky to be a part of this family," said Bella. She looked around the room and smiled warmly at each of us before silently sliding down to a fully reclined position on the bed.

Carlisle nodded at Edward from the other side of the bed. "You can do this," he reassured him.

A jumbled blur formed in my head, and Edward hesitated a moment and turned to look at me.

I don't know, it could've been anything. Don't worry about it. I reassured him.

I sensed the familiar feeling of Jasper beginning to use his ability to calm the mood and gave him an almost imperceptible head shake. Nothing in this moment needed to be forced or manipulated.

"Are you ready, Bella?" Edward asked.

Bella nodded rather than spoke, a look of determination set on her face. Everyone in the room could feel her pulse quicken. She gulped nervously in anticipation. I couldn't blame her for being apprehensive, and I had respect for anyone that could lie still while fully aware of the tremendous pain that would soon take over her body. She might have seemed like a fragile human, but she had more courage and determination than plenty of our kind.

As Edward dipped his head slowly towards her pale neck, the jumble of blurred images in my head suddenly shifted to a bright white blanket of smooth nothingness.

"Wait…" Bella croaked. Edward's mouth paused barely an inch from her skin.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," she whispered. She gently pushed against Edward's chest and sat up. "I love you."

She climbed out of the bed and ran from the room, leaving us all staring at each other and wondering what had happened. The faces around me wore looks of shock, sadness, disappointment, and grief. Rosalie was the only one who looked relieved. Jasper and I were closest to the door, so I turned to go after her and make sure she was okay.

"No, Alice. Let her go," said Edward.

For how long? I wondered. An unsettling wave of uncertainty hit me, and I was no longer sure if he had meant to let her go cool off, or let her go forever. I could only guess what the void in my head meant, but there was a real chance that this meant everything would change.

He answered the words in my head. "That's for Bella to decide."

Jacob POV

So far Sam had been letting me off the hook for patrols to give me some time to cool down. I wasn't sure how long that would last, but I welcomed the time to myself and knew I'd have to face the rest of the pack soon enough. For now, I was relieved to hide out in the garage for the foreseeable future. I felt the cool metal of the engine in my hands, my fingers slipping over each piece with a soothing familiarity that I'd missed. I'd have to let these take the place of the fresh air and open forest for now. I'd lose myself in the mechanics of an engine if I couldn't lose myself in nature.

The low hum of an engine approached somewhere in the distance, and I wondered absentmindedly if it would stop or keep going past. A minute later I heard the familiar crunch of gravel under tires. Someone was here. I came out from behind the work table and wiped the excess grease from my hands on a scrap towel as I made my way to the edge of the garage to see who had come. Anyone from the pack would have just run here without a car.

I stopped in my tracks and my breath caught in my throat at the sight of the familiar old truck parked in the driveway. What was she doing here? I couldn't see her. Sam's command demanded it, but I also didn't know if I could handle seeing her cold and dead and gone even if it was possible. Bella but not Bella. My heart pounded erratically in my chest, suddenly frantic for a solution for what to do. I felt a fierce tug inside demanding me to leave, to surrender and obey. The ghost of Sam's words rang in my ears.

I forbid you to see Bella.

I quickly shut my eyes, my body still screaming at me to turn and run. It was the only thing I could think to do. I couldn't see her, but I couldn't just run away from her without a word, either.

I heard the familiar creak of the old truck door as she climbed out. I imagined her smooth, pale face, frozen in unnatural beauty. Bella had never needed immortality to make her beautiful. I hoped it wouldn't ruin what nature had already given her.

My body tensed as I listened to her footsteps. Was she really running towards me? Maybe she would kill me and put me out of this misery. She'd only moved a few yards closer when I heard her come to a sudden halt.

"Jacob?" Her voice sounded frantic. My whole body rippled at the sound of it, begging me to phase and take off. "Why won't you look at me?"

"I can't." I told her.

"I'm sorry, I…I know I shouldn't have come. I know I told you I'd leave you alone." She sounded defeated. She sounded upset. She sounded…human? Was that even possible? Hope flared somewhere inside of me, and I felt like a fool. A hopeful fool.

"Look at me, Jacob, please."

"It's not…I want…I….CAN'T." The words came out harsher than I had meant, but it was taking everything in me to stand here in her presence on this technicality. Sam had forbidden me to see her; he hadn't forbidden me to be around her. My brain knew the meaning behind his words, but my body allowed me this small act of defiance.

"I phased after your letter." I forced the words out. "They know everything."

"Did Sam command you…"

I tried to say "yes," but my mouth wouldn't allow it. I found that I was able to nod instead. I'd just have to assume she was looking at me.

I braced myself for what I was going to ask next. I had to know. "Is it done, are you…?"

In place of a response, I heard her feet hit the ground as she began running again. Her arms, her warm arms, suddenly encircled my waist. I breathed in the familiar scent of her hair and knew that she was still my Bells. She hadn't gone through with it.

She cried against my chest, and the strength it took to keep my eyes shut and not to back away from her was almost unbearable. "I couldn't do it," she whispered.

A sense of relief rushed over me and battled the pull of the command. For one insane second, I wondered if this was it. The moment that made everything else make sense. If I could just open my eyes, maybe it would finally happen.

"Why did you come here?" I asked.

"You said your one condition was that I had to ask you myself. I came here to ask you, Jacob."

Her response hit me like a physical blow and shattered that wild hope in me. I knew then that if I opened my eyes, I'd only see my own disappointment.

"Why?"

"I was so close, Jake. So close. But I knew I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try. I don't want to live the rest of eternity wondering 'what if.'"

I couldn't believe this was happening. It was like all of my dreams and nightmares had become the same twisted thing. I had meant every word of my impromptu offer to Bella weeks ago. At the time, it felt right. But now? It felt like everything had changed. Had it, though? Bella was still Bella. She still wanted a family. Part of her wasn't ready to become a vampire, and I couldn't deny the relief I had felt moments before when I realized she hadn't gone through with it. She still needed me. There was only one possible answer.

"I have to go," I said. "There's something I need to do."

I pulled her arms from around my waist and released myself from her grasp. Wordlessly, I turned and walked away from her, opening my eyes for the first time since she arrived. The world looked like the same cold unfair place it had always been.

I wasn't sure how to do what had to be done next. As far as I knew, there had been nothing like it in our history, and I couldn't exactly ask for help. Nope, I'd just have to wing it. The only thing I knew for certain was that it would be crucial to guard my thoughts for as long as possible if I had any hope of this working.

Once I got a safe distance into the woods behind my house, I tried to clear my mind. Blank walls. Trees. Dirt. Air. I could allow myself to think of nothing else. I took a deep breath and phased, terrified of what I was about to do and what it would mean. I reached out into the pack mind and found the presence of two others. Seth and Leah.

Hey, man. Welcome back. Seth thought.

Hey leach lover. No surprise there.

Blank walls. Emptiness. Trees. Fresh air. Sun. Silence. More than anything, I imagined silence. I grabbed onto it with my mind like it was a tangible thing, and I began to push it out. I threw it into every space around me as hard as I could as though I was building a wall.

What are you doing? Jake?

What's happening?

It was working. The voices were fading, and I couldn't even tell the difference between Seth and Leah's words anymore. I ignored them and clung to the silence and the space that I so desperately needed. I imagined an impenetrable bubble of nothingness surrounding me and erected more imaginary walls around that. I pushed everything else out as hard as I could with every ounce of concentration I had. A guttural, primal growl ripped itself from my throat, and I felt something snap like an invisible rubber band. It was as if I had slammed a door shut in my head. At the same time, I felt a new surge of power coursing through my veins as the Alpha I had locked inside reared free for the first time.

I stopped and listened. Silence.

Seth? Leah? Are you guys there? Can anyone hear me?

Nothing. I was free. A lone wolf.

I'd have to test it to be sure, but I knew instinctively that I would no longer be bound by Sam's words. Still, I wasn't stupid enough to think that being free from the pack would mean I'd be free to do what I wanted without consequences. Once they figured out what I was doing, there was a very good chance they would try to stop me one way or another. If this was going to happen, it needed to be soon. I might even have to make a run for it after.

I texted Bella as soon as I got back home.

I found a way around it. Let's do this.