The family, with the exception of Edward, was each doing their part to unpack and reorganize the house. The decision to return to Forks couldn't even be called a decision. When Alice had called to let us know that the three of them were alive and leaving Volterra the whole family was already making arrangements to return to Forks. There was no family meeting or declaration of action, we just set to work without a word having to be said.

Jasper and I were sedately replacing the linens on the bed when we heard Edward's voice and then Bella's. We both looked curiously at each other before looking to the clock on the wall. It was well into the sleeping hours for humans and Bella should have been at her home resting for at least a few more hours. We hadn't expected to see her till after the sun rose at the earliest, if not for a couple days given her father's likely reaction to her sudden departure to rush to Italy.

A murmur passed through the house as the others heard the couple coming closer to the house. Jasper and I finished straightening the linens before taking our time to walk to the landing at the top of the stairs. Edward and Bella's conversation didn't make much sense, but I couldn't speak to the normality of human conversations. I was intrigued though by Edward's comment as he led Bella to the front door.

"I'm just humoring you with this. It doesn't matter in the slightest what they say." His tone was flippant and my curiosity grew to know what he was talking about. I looked to Jasper but he didn't seem to understand what Edward meant either.

"This affects them now, too." Bella said and I could hear the determination in her voice that was all too familiar from her and Edward's arguments about her mortality. Edward called out our names as the two entered the house and the family with the exception of Jasper and I made their way to the main floor.

"Welcome back, Bella." Carlisle greeted.

"What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, given the hour, that this is not merely a social visit?" I was relieved that I was not the only one curious of Bella and Edward intentions. Bella nodded before speaking, her eyes not straying from Carlisle till the end.

"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's okay. About something important." Her eyes moved to Edward with her utterance of the word 'important'.

"Of course." Carlisle said though he was studying Edward, likely trying to figure out what was going on as much as the rest of us.

"Why don't we talk in the other room?" Carlisle led the couple in the direction of the dining room and I had the sudden desire to groan my agitation at yet another family meeting but managed to retain my composure. Jasper and I followed the others into the room, taking a seat as we each cast glances at Bella at the head of the table. Carlisle had never given the seat to another before and I couldn't help but wonder at the symbolism. A physical manifestation of Bella taking over our family. I ignored Edward's pointed glare as I took my seat and gave my attention to the human who was anxiously looking between us.

"The floor is yours." Carlisle opened once we were all seated. Bella swallowed hard as she looked around the table one more time before speaking. It was apparent that Bella was rather nervous about whatever she was going to say and she kept looking to Edward, though I couldn't decipher whether it was because she was looking for support or out of weariness about his reaction.

"Well, I'm hoping Alice already told you everything that happened in Volterra?" Bella's eyes flickered to Alice who was nodding as she grinned, already in the loop about whatever this was truly about.

"Everything." She assured, but Bella wasn't eased with the assurance.

"And on the way?" Bella questioned cryptically but Alice nodded again.

"That, too."

"Good. Then we're all on the same page." Bella said with relief.

"So, I have a problem." Bella began and I struggled to hold back the scoff at the understatement. She had far more than just one problem.

"Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thing, something to avoid. And so, now, this involves all of you. I'm sorry about that." Bella looked around the table before looking directly at Edward as she continued.

"But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not." Esme began to speak, but Bella held up a finger to stop her.

"Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don't want me, then… I guess I'll go back to Italy alone. I can't have them coming here." My mind flew to the lunacy of Bella's statement as Edward growled at her proposition.

"Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire." Bella gestured to Carlisle to go first.

"Just a minute." Edward interrupted, earning himself a glare from Bella before continuing anyway.

"I have something to add before we vote." Bella sighed but didn't interrupt further.

"About the danger Bella's referring to, I don't think we need to be overly anxious." Edward stated and then leaned forward to further address the family.

"You see there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aro's hand there at the end. There's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to clue them in." Edward grinned.

"Which was?" Alice coaxed.

"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it's not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri?" Edward directed the question at Bella who shuddered.

"He finds people, that's his talent, why they keep him. Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri's talent works. He's a tracker, a tracker a thousand times more gifted than James was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the… flavor? I don't know how to describe it… the tenor… of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances, but after Aro's little experiment, well…" Edward shrugged as he dragged off and my frustration grew.

"You think he won't find me." Bella stated flatly and I was glad that even the human girl could see the idiocy of what Edward was suggesting.

"I'm sure of it." Edward stated smugly before continuing.

"He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind."

"How does that solve anything?" Bella questioned.

"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning to visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless. It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!" Edward cheered as he still missed the lunacy of such a plan.

"But they can find you." Bella stated.

"And I can take care of myself." Edward replied, I glanced to Jasper and I was relieved to see his face pinched much as I expected mine to be. This was in no way a fool proof plan. Emmett laughed and extended his fist across the table.

"Excellent plan, my brother." I sincerely hoped that Emmett was being sarcastic.

"No." Rosalie hissed.

"Absolutely not." Bella followed.

"Idiots." Alice muttered. Esme was glaring at Edward and Bella straightened in her chair.

"All right then. Edward had offered an alternative for you to consider. Let's vote." Her eyes remained on Edward this time.

"Do you want me to join your family?" Bella asked pointedly. Edward's expression shifted and the smugness slipped into an angry scowl.

"Not that way. You're staying human." Edward said and to Bella's credit she didn't blink instead her gaze just shifted to Alice.

"Yes."

"Emmett?"

"Hell, yes! We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri." Bella grimaced but moved on.

"Rosalie?" There was a pause and I turned to look at Rose. Her lip was caught between her teeth as she seemed to debate with herself.

"No." Bella started to move her gaze but Rose quickly moved to stop her.

"Let me explain." She plead.

"I don't mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It's just that… this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me." Bella nodded before her eyes landed on Jasper.

"Jasper?"

"Yes."

"Abilene." Like Rose I hesitated, but not for the same reason.

"Edward's an imbecile." I stated. There was a scoff from Emmett and Rose while Esme admonished me quietly.

"He is a fool to believe that the Volturi would be so easy to overcome, it's foolish to rely on their overconfidence while exhibiting your own. The Volturi have been in power much longer than any of us at this table have been alive, their power does not merely lie in the gifts of its members. Edward conveniently forgot to mention the outcome for the rest of the family should Alice's promise not be followed through with. If you, Bella, are not killed, one way or another, by a member of this family before the Volturi see fit to check on you… we all will be exterminated for our insubordination." I turned my eyes away from Bella's horrified expression to look at Edward's angry scowl.

"You are always so eager to discuss the damnation of the human soul during the transition, but how will your soul and Bella's fare with the seven tallies of our family in addition to every person Bella has had contact with since meeting us? How does that and the little time you would be able to spend with her compare to the stain of immortality?" Edward opened his mouth but I raised my hand to stop him.

"You've spoken for a year now, Edward. It's time for others to speak, time for the rest of us to be heard. As Bella stated, this affects us all, now more than ever, no matter what foolish plan you concoct." Edward continued to scowl but shut his mouth.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Bella asked with a stutter as she looked between Edward and I. I smiled at her, though I doubt it was comforting.

"What I am saying, dear Bella, is that Edward has put our family through the emotional wringer for the last year and has caused us and you nothing but pain. He chose to love you last spring, has chosen to tie his life span to yours, and in doing so he has made his opinion on your mortality irrelevant. The second the Volturi knew of your continued existence the hour glass for your mortal life was turned over. We are at the same crossroads we stood at a year ago, you can either die or become a vampire, there is no third option, no remaining human to die an old lady."

"Abilene, I understand what you're saying but still haven't stated whether you'd like me to join your family or not." Bella said and I sighed.

"I suppose I haven't. I vote yes, and if Edward should continue to ferret his obligation, I will bite you myself to save you and this family." Bella's mouth popped open, her eyebrows rising on her forehead while Edward hissed viciously at me. I stared blankly at Edward, allowing his momentary show of anger and disapproval.

"Edward, I have never doubted Bella's love for you, but there are times that I doubt your love for her. Despite your plea for death when you thought she was dead, you have done nothing to show your commitment to her. I can not understand how one is so willing to allow the one they claim to love most die, especially when she is so willing to change for you to be with you forever. Perhaps you should reevaluate your priorities? Whether her soul is tarnished or not doesn't matter if she does not die." I spoke harshly to Edward, momentarily surprised that no one had tried to stop my tirade, I suspected the reason to be that they agreed with my words whether they verbalized them or not.

"You spoke earlier of 'humoring' Bella with this vote, but it is you that we have been humoring. Even if the law did not dictate that Bella be changed this vote would not have been any different. Alice is always going to vote to keep her friend, Emmett is always going to vote for whatever will keep this family happiest, Rosalie is always going to vote in favor of humanity, Jasper will always vote in favor of what keeps us all safest, I will always vote in favor whatever meets this family's collective interests, Esme will always vote for whatever keeps her children happy and safe and Carlisle will always vote with logic and in favor of whatever gets us all out of a situation alive. The outcome of this vote was always going to be six to two. The decision to be made here is not whether or not Bella will become a member of this family. The decision is whether or not you're going to step up and be the man that loves her enough to change her yourself instead of letting the responsibility fall to someone else." I didn't wait to hear Edward's reply, I couldn't stand to be in his presence anymore, not after enduring his insufferable childishness for the last year. I left the house, leaving the family to end the 'discussion' of Bella's mortality.