The Twilight universe belongs to awesome Stephenie Meyer.

Songs For thought:

It doesn't Matter - Alison Krauss, Fear - Sarah McLachlan, Lucky - Bif Naked

Chapter Twenty-One - Time

Just as I had predicted we made our flight with hardly a second to spare. As we strapped ourselves in I felt a shroud of pain enclose me. I had to call Jasper and let him know what was going on. He was going to be upset and I wasn't sure if I could hold it together if I spoke with him. This didn't matter because I missed him and I needed that opportunity to say goodbye, this was just in case. I hated thinking like that, but I had to be realistic.

Bella impatiently bounced in the seat next to me, the flight attendants were pacing the aisles calmly checking that everyone was seated and belted before we were taxied to the runway. I placed a hand on Bella's shoulder to try and calm her, it wouldn't do to have her so worked up. The attendants were already watching her suspiciously.

"It's faster than running." I whispered to her when there was no one close.

She nodded at me in the same beat as her bouncing, if she kept this up it would be an incredibly long flight. I needed to concentrate what was going on in Italy. Edward's plane was close to touching down. We were at a stand still on the tarmac.

As if my thoughts were answered the plane slowly moved away from the gate. This intensified the bouncing Bella, her tortured expression was the only thing that made the situation more tangible. As the plane was hauled slowly from the ground I watched Bella, waiting for her to calm, now that we were finally on our way. She still looked wild eyed and impatient, it was understandable.

The plane was still gaining altitude when I picked up the phone to call Jasper, I couldn't put it off any longer. The hollow sense that floated around me and the fear that was eating at me was becoming too intense. I needed to hear his voice. I needed him.

A flight attendant glared at me in disapproval but I turned so I could no longer see her. I could care less what she thought. Bella glared at something behind me, I was guessing someone was coming to ask me to refrain from using the phone. But they never came, I'm sure the look that Bella had given them had stopped them in their tracks, it was almost an 'I dare you to come over here'. If this had been any other situation it would have been quite humorous.

I waited as the phone rang, I had called Jasper's phone directly because his was the only voice I wanted to hear. I didn't have time to explain this to anyone else. I didn't have the patience to talk with them when I longed to hear his voice. Love is irrational, even more so when there is a chance of losing it.

"Alice?" His voice came over the line and my breath caught in my throat, it had been to long since I'd heard my husbands beautiful voice. I swallowed to keep my sobs at bay.

"Jasper, baby, I miss you."

"I miss you too, Alice. Are you alright? You sound strange. Where are you calling from?" He asked concern adding a slight hysteria to his voice.

"I'm on a plane. I'm fine, so is Bella, I'm sure you heard that from Rosalie though."

"She feels terrible."

"I'm not interested in how she feels right now Jasper, I have to get through this before I can even think about that, I need to get to Edward before he can execute his plan. If we get to him before. . ." I said trailing of not wanting to speak the alternative ending, especially in such close proximity to a very emotionally charged Bella.

"I understand, so what is Edward's plan?" he asked quietly, I was sure he was hiding from the highly perceptive ears around him.

"I can't be sure, I keep seeing him do different things, he keeps changing his mind."

"Has he completely bypassed talking with Aro, Marcus and Cais?" he asked.

"No, he will go to them first, it won't take him long to find his way there."

"So these are decisions based on them saying no?"

"Exactly." I sighed, my voice was almost inaudible to everyone on the plane but my husband's ears were better than most. I longed to be in his arms, hearing his voice had strengthened that longing and it was now painful. My chest felt like it was caving in.

"Well, what are his choices so far?"

"A killing spree through the city, attacking the guard, lifting a car over his head in the main square . . . mostly things that will expose them—he knows that's the fastest way to force a reaction."

"Alice, I'm going to get a ticket and head in that direction."

"No, you can't." I could hear the panic in my voice, as much as I needed him this minute I couldn't take the risk of him having to share this fate. There was a chance we could die and I wasn't going to let him go out in that fashion, I loved him too much. If he was with us it would definitively turn into a fight and I couldn't let that happen. I had to be smart about this, I had to think with my head and not my heart.

"Emmett feels the same way, Alice. We should be there. We can help."

"Tell Emmett no."

"I can't, he and Rosalie are headed out to the airport, they left about five minutes ago."

"Well, go after Emmett and Rosalie and bring them back, it' won't do any good for them to show up."

"Why, Alice. You know we can all help."

"Think about it, Jasper. If he sees any of us, what do you think he will do?" I pushed my point. The entire family knew how stubborn Edward could be, if he had seen any of us approaching or more to the point any of our minds before we got close. He would only act faster. Our only hope was Bella, her mind was silent to him and she was the only proof we had she was still alive.

"He'll act faster. The stubborn fool."

"Exactly, I think Bella is the only chance—if there is a chance . . . I'll do everything that can be done, but prepare Carlisle; the odds aren't good."

"Alice," Jasper's voice was firm. "If they find you there, anywhere near him, they will have you as an accomplice."

I laughed nervously, I didn't want him to know how much danger we were in, but there was no fooling him, he was smarter than that.

"I've thought of that." I admitted.

"Then I need you to promise me you'll get out alive, I don't care what it takes. Do you understand me, you will come home to me."

"Yes, I promise."

"This is so hard." his voice was a whisper and I could hear the edges begin to fall apart, he was trying to be strong, he was trying to give me his strength. This was as hard for him as it was for me. I knew he was battling his overwhelming need to protect me and it would take all of his effort to not get on a plane and follow me to Italy. I had to make him promise me.

"Don't follow me." I heard the pleading in my voice. "I promise, Jasper. One way or another, I'll get out."

"You better." He whispered, I could hear him fighting for control of his voice again. "I love you , Alice."

"And I love you."

"Come home to me." He begged but I hung up the phone, I couldn't bare to hear the pleading in his voice, I knew he understood. He knew he needed to go after Rosalie and Emmett.

"I hate lying to him." I said to no one in particular and I laid my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. I was trying to stop the sobs from over powering me. I was afraid I was losing the battle.

"Tell me everything, Alice." Bella begged from the seat next to me. "I don't understand. Why did you tell Jasper to stop Emmett, why can't they come help us?"

"Two reasons," I whispered, I kept my eyes closed, I still wasn't past losing control. "The first I told him. We could try and stop Edward ourselves—if Emmett could get his hands on him, we might be able to stop him long enough to convince him you're alive. But we can't sneak up on Edward. And if he sees us coming for him, he'll just act that much faster. He'll throw a Buick through a wall or something, and the Volturi will take him down." I took a deep breath before I continued, I needed to gather strength to say what was in my mind, but was having trouble forming into words. "That's the second reason of course, the reason I couldn't say to Jasper. Because if they're there and the Volturi kill Edward, they'll fight them. Bella." I opened my eyes and looked at her, hoping that she would understand, hoping she would forgive me for my selfish reasoning behind keeping them away. 'If there was any chance we could win . . . if there were a way that the four of us could save my brother by fighting for him, maybe it would be different. But we can't, and, Bella, I can't lose Jasper like that."

A wash of understanding crept into Bella's eyes and she nodded. Understanding this, was why she was my best friend. I couldn't have asked for understanding from anyone but her, she knew me and she knew my pain.

"Couldn't Edward hear you, though?" Bella asked. "Wouldn't he know, as soon as he heard your thoughts, that I was alive that there was no point to this?"

Confusion and pain were evident, as Bella contemplated her own words and it occurred to me she really didn't understand why Edward was doing this, it made me wonder what he'd said to her to make her react like that, to think that he had no reason to act upon her death this way. I was aware that she believed he didn't love her. It was written in every response she had given me, and I had just played along, let her keep believing the lies he had fed her. I shuddered to think what he'd said to make her feel like that.

"If he were listening," I explained trying to answer the question. "But believe it or not, it's possible to lie with your thoughts. If you had died, I would still try to stop him. And I would be thinking 'she's alive, she's alive' as hard as I could. He knows that."

Bella's jaw clamped and the noise of her teeth grinding upon one another was clear. It wasn't a pleasant sound to my sensitive ears.

"If there were any way to do this without you, Bella, I wouldn't be endangering you like this. It's very wrong of me." Even though I knew without a doubt that Bella still loved Edward and would have done this regardless, I still felt the need to apologize. I couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. Going to save the man you love but believing in your heart the feelings were no reciprocated. The girl was amazing and the most selfless person I had ever come across.

"Don't be stupid, I'm the last thing you should be worrying about." She shook her head impatiently. "Tell me what you meant, about hating to lie to Jasper."

I smiled at the dark memory of the lie I had just spoken to my beloved husband. I was sure the smile came out as grimly as it was intended. "I promised I would get out before they killed me, too. It's not something I can guarantee—not by a long shot." I knew that Bella had no understanding of the danger involved and it also occurred to me that she may not care, but I cared, I could see Jasper's beautiful face every time I closed my eyes, his smile, his eyes, his love. It was excruciatingly painful to imagine the pain he'd have to live with if I failed.

"Who are these Volturi?" she asked in a whisper. "What makes them so much more dangerous than Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and you?"

I sucked in an unnecessary breath, and looked over her shoulder at the gentleman sitting behind her. I knew he had been trying to listen to our quiet conversation and it was beginning to aggravate me. Bella spun in her seat and glared at him. He turned his head as if he wasn't listening. When Bella kept her glare he opened his computer and pulled on his headphones. I heard the music playing in them and turned back to Bella. She leaned in closer so we could have our privacy.

I got my mouth closer to her ears so no prying ears would have the chance to capture anything I was about to say.

"I was surprised that you recognized the name, that you understood so immediately what it meant—when I said he was going to Italy. I thought I would have to explain. How much did Edward tell you?"

"He just said that they were an old, powerful family—like royalty. That you didn't antagonize them unless you wanted to . . . die." Bella struggled with the last word as if her true fears were being realized.

"You have to understand," I said slowly, trying to emphasize the point I was trying to make. "We Cullens are unique in more ways than you know. It's . . . abnormal for so many of us to live together in peace. It's the same for Tanya's family in the north, and Carlisle speculates that abstaining makes it easier for us to be civilized, to form bonds based on love rather than survival or convenience. Even James's little coven of three was unusually large—and you saw how easily Laurent left them. Our kind travel alone, or in pairs, as a general rule. Carlisle's family is the biggest in existence, as far as I know, with the one exception. The Volturi." I looked around the cabin again to make sure there was no one listening.

"There were three of them originally, Aro, Caius, and Marcus."

"I've seen them," Bella mumbled quietly. "In the picture in Carlisle's study."

I nodded, she was perceptive. I hadn't expected her to remember that. "Two females joined them over time, and the five of them make up the family. I'm not sure, but I suspect that their age is what gives them the ability to live peacefully together. They are well over three thousand years old. Or Maybe it's their gifts that give them extra tolerance. Like Edward and I, Aro and Marcus are . . . talented."

Bella opened her mouth to speak but I continued. "Or maybe it's just their love of power that binds them together. Royalty is an apt description."

"But if there are only five—" Bella started but I knew what she was going to say so I cut her off.

"Five that makes up the family," I said pausing for effect. "That doesn't include the guard."

Bella sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. "That sounds . . . serious." she concluded.

"Oh, it is," I assured her. "There were nine members of the guard that were permanent, the last time we heard. Others are more . . . transitory. It changes. And many of them are gifted as well—with formidable gifts, gifts that make what I do look like a parlor trick. The Volturi chose them for their abilities, physical or otherwise."

Bella's mouth opened and closed. I nodded knowing that she was calculating the odds.

"They don't get in too many confrontations. No one is stupid enough to mess with them. They stay in their city, leaving only as duty calls."

"Duty?" Bella asked her eyebrows raising slightly.

"Didn't Edward tell you what they do?" I asked feeling a little surprised that he had mentioned them in name only, leaving out the context of their self appointed supremacy.

"No," Bella looked perplexed. I looked over her shoulder as the business man turned his music down. It was a bare whisper in his ears now so I once again brought my lips closer to Bella's ears.

"There's a reason they call them royalty . . . the ruling class. Over the millennia, they have assumed the position of enforcing our rules—which actually translates to punishing transgressors. They fulfill that duty decisively."

Bella's eyes widened to the point in which it almost looked painful. "There are rules?" she practically shouted this.

"Shh!" I demanded, I knew this was all so new to her, but I couldn't risk anyone hearing.

"Shouldn't somebody have mentioned this to me earlier?" Bella whispered angrily, the shock still evident. "I mean, I wanted to be a . . . to be one of you! Shouldn't somebody have explained the rules to me?"

I chuckled lightly, "It's not that complicated, Bella. There's only one core restriction—and if you think about it, you can probably figure it out for yourself."

I watched her as she thought about it. Her fingernail instinctively began being chewed as she thought. She pulled her hand away and looked at me. "Nope, I have no idea."

I shook my head, "Maybe it's too obvious. We just have to keep our existence a secret."

"Oh." Bella mumbled, her open book emotions one again betraying her. She obviously agreed with the 'too obvious' statement.

"It makes sense and most of us don't need policing." I continued trying not to let her dwell on her embarrassment. "But, after a few centuries, sometimes one of us get bored. Or crazy. I don't know. And then the Volturi step in before it can compromise them, or the rest of us."

"So Edward . . ." She asked realizing the magnitude of his plans if they denied him his request.

"Is planning to flout that in their own city—the city they've secretly held for three thousand years, since the time of the Etruscans. They are so protective of their city that they don't allow hunting within it's walls. Volterra is probably the safest city in the world—from vampire attack at the very least."

"But you said they didn't leave. How do they eat?"

"They don't leave. They bring in their food from the outside, from quite far away sometimes. It gives their guard something to do when they're not out annihilating mavericks. Or protecting Volterra from exposure. . ."

"From situations like this one, like Edward," Bella finished looking hopeless, she didn't seem to have the same aversion to saying his name anymore and I was curious as to why. I was guessing it was the situation, nothing mattered when the one you loved was close to death.

"I doubt they've ever had a situation quite like this, you don't get a lot of suicidal vampires." I said a little too disgusted at the thought of it.

It was the wrong thing to say and I realized this as a whimper, escaped Bella at my words. She was in pain. I knew that and I could understand it. The thought of what we were about to do and Jasper's suffering if anything did happen to me put Bella and Myself in exactly the same situation. I wrapped my arm around her to give a little more support.

"We'll do what we can, Bella. It's not over yet."

"Not yet." Bella said letting me try and ease the fear and pain I had just instilled in her. "And the Volturi will get us if we mess up."

I froze and felt every inch of my body become rigid at her words. Was she giving up on me? "You say that like it's a good thing." I questioned.

Bella shrugged in indifference.

"Knock it off, Bella, or we're turning around in New York and going back to Forks."

"What?" Bella asked defensively, I knew that I could never turn us around now that we were on our path, it would mean Edward would certainly die. But I hoped the threat would be enough to scare her.

"You know what. If we're too late for Edward, I'm going to do my damnedest to get you back to Charlie, and I don't want any trouble from you. Do you understand that?"

"Sure, Alice." she said knowing that if she argued I would have to take her home.

I pulled back and glared at her, she had to understand that we had to survive, there were no if, and's or but's about it. We had to survive.

"No trouble." I demanded of her.

"Scout's honor." Bella muttered in defeat. I rolled my eyes at the gesture that really meant nothing at all to me, but it was her form of a promise, so I took it.

"Let me concentrate, now. I'm trying to see what he's planning."

I left my arm around Bella but let my eyes close as I leaned my head against the headrest. I concentrated with everything I had on watching Edward. It was the same as it had been but he was getting closer. He was trying to decide how to ask them. He wasn't sure whether honesty would be the best course or if he should lie to them so they would comply. He knew they would ask for a reason so he thought long and hard about the decision. Unfortunately, his plane was closer to Italy and although we would be on the next flight when he landed, we would still be eight hours behind him.

As I sat contemplating all of this I was jolted out of my concentration when Bella's warm hand touched my arm gently. I let my eyes open slowly as I readjusted to my surroundings slowly.

"Anything new?" Bella asked hopefully, keeping her voice low and she checked constantly over her shoulder at the man who packing up his laptop.

"Not exactly," I said quietly. "He's getting closer. He's deciding how he's going to ask."

A/N: Okay, I know that the conversation between Jasper and Alice is a slightly different version than in the book, but I'm going on the fact that Bella couldn't hear the entire conversation, only parts of it. So I hope I didn't screw it up. . . ;o. . .

Thank you for all of the awesome reviews, I can't believe how motivating it is to write when people appreciate your efforts :0)

YOU ROCK GUYS AND I STILL AM HOPING YOU WIN THE LOTTERY x)

TTFN: Big hugs to you all (I hope you don't mind the chapters seem to be growing longer and longer lol)