"Carlisle!!!" I yelled as I raced towards the front door of the Cullen's house.

"What's wrong?" he asked as the door flew open at an amazing speed.

"Nothing, for once!" I exclaimed. "Something's right!"

"Does this have anything to do with Alice's suddenly exuberant mood?" he asked suspiciously.

"Possibly," I answered, "Though I can't be sure. I'm not the mind reader of the family."

"What's going on Bella?" Edward asked from behind Carlisle. By that time I had reached the door, and they stood back to let me in.

"Two things," I answered. "One, my answer is yes."

"To what?" Carlisle asked.

"To the question Edward hasn't asked yet," I said, giving Edward a meaningful look. He didn't have to be able to read my mind to know what I meant.

"Really?" He exclaimed. He picked me up and twirled me around the entryway. "Do you mean it, Bella?"

"I do," I answered with a smile. He set me down so I was facing Carlisle and put his arm around my waist.

"The second thing is that I think I found a way around the treaty," I said. The whole family appeared then, having raced towards us to hear my idea.

"And that would be…" Emmett prompted.

"The treaty says you can't bite me, right?" I confirmed.

"Yes," Carlisle answered patiently.

"But it doesn't say anything about injecting the venom into anybody by using a syringe or IV, does it?"

"No," Carlisle answered. "It doesn't. I'm not sure it would work…" but even as he trailed off, I could see that he was considering it and trying to figure out how to make it a plausible idea.

"I thought you didn't like needles," Edward pointed out.

"I can deal with a needle or two if it means I can spend eternity with you," I said. "Besides, if I'm a vampire, then I can chase you when you run away."

"So you've agreed to join our family?" Rosalie confirmed, cutting off Edward's protest.

"I haven't been asked to since before I got married to Mark," I said. "But if someone were to ask again, I would most likely say yes."

"I won't run away," Edward promised, having finally found an opportunity to tell me his opinion.

"That might work, Bella," Carlisle said, bringing the topic back to my idea. "Collecting the venom will be an interesting task, but we should be able to manage. I think it will probably take a day or two to get enough, but we should be able to inject it, and we aren't biting you, so we technically aren't breaking the treaty."

Everyone cheered then, everyone hugged, you know, the typical 'we're all happy' response. I even got a hug from Jasper, which was impressive because he had been avoiding being close to me since my 18th birthday party.

"When do you want to do it?" Carlisle asked once we had all calmed down a little.

"I should probably finish this year of college…" I started, but trailed off when I saw Alice shaking her head.

"It needs to be soon," she told me. "The Volturi come in a month."

Edward looked unhappy, but didn't say anything. I debated my options.

"I need to finish school," I said. "And Mark and I have to get a divorce. Our parents will wonder what happened if we are okay over most of the break and then suddenly we don't like each other anymore and want to get a divorce. Not to mention I'll have to deal with a lawyer, and if I'm a vampire I'll want to suck him dry…"

"You think we don't have a lawyer or two in the family?" Emmett asked, offended.

"Are you saying that you're a lawyer?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes," he answered.

"A recent lawyer?" I asked. His grin flickered, then fell.

"No," he admitted.

"We can forge the paperwork," Alice suggested. "It won't take much. We just need to change a few dates."

"See Bella? I can be your lawyer."

"Are you a better lawyer than cook?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes," he hissed. "It will be fine."

"I was just checking," I teased him. "Okay, so the divorce is taken care of, what about school?"

"You're too sick to return to school," Carlisle suggested. "I'll send a doctor's excuse, and you can return to college in the fall. You don't have to apply back to whatever school you're at, so they'll never know if you actually stay at home."

"What about the excuse for getting a divorce with Mark?" I asked quietly.

"Tell your parents the truth," Edward suggested. I looked at him, staggered. I knew he had suggested that before, but I didn't think he had been serious!

"Are you actually suggesting that I tell them I only got married to shut them up?" I demanded.

"Maybe not exactly like that," Edward suggested. "Just tell them the truth."

"Or we could fake your death," Jasper suggested quietly. "Then you wouldn't have to deal with the paperwork, you wouldn't have to explain it to your parents, and it wouldn't look like you and Mark were cheating on each other."

"That seems like running away from my problems," I answered with a frown. "I think I'll just tell them the truth."

"We'll be here to help," Edward said. He held me closer to him, and I saw a look on Esme's face that said if she could be crying from happiness, she would have been. I pulled away from Edward and went to give her a hug.

"I'm glad that I can finally join your family, Mom," I said.

"Me too, Bella," she sighed happily. "Me too."

A/N: I'll add the rest of the chapters tomorrow.

Please, Please, PLEASE tell me what you think of my idea to get around the treaty. I don't think anybody has ever come up with it before, and I want to know what you think. :)

Until tomorrow,
Addie