AN: Okay so this was originally going to be one chapter but it just kept getting longer and longer so I decided to split it up! I will post the second half in a few hours though (once the kiddos go to bed). Thank you for your wonderful reviews, they have been so encouraging these last few weeks as I struggled to sit down and write in our chaotic world. Love you guys!

Oh, and if you're a music person like me, I have been compiling a Spotify playlist with the music I listen to as I write. If you're interested it is called Come and See (my username is ). The song I listened to most while writing this chapter and the next was Hutch by Big Red Machine.

Bella's POV

I woke up the next morning on the sofa, tucked beneath a heavy quilt. Someone had rekindled the fire and the crackling blaze was the only source of light in the vast room. Reveling in its warmth I closed my eyes, unwilling to leave the comforts of the makeshift bed. The house was quiet and I wondered if nights were always this silent in a household of vampires, it seemed unlikely when one of them was Emmett. The thought of his jokes and antics made me grin. But soon enough my thoughts drifted back to my conversation with Carlisle the previous night and I groaned. Everyone that had known me in my human life now believed me to be dead. But here I was, still very much alive. It felt as though I now existed in some parallel world, I could know what was happening in the real world but I could not be in it myself.

"Good morning, Bella!" Alice's melodic voice sang out from behind me. "Are you alright? I heard you groan and Carlisle sent me to see if you were in pain."

I stayed hidden under the blanket, my voice muffled when I answered her, "No, I'm fine. It was just a general 'what-is-happening-to-me' groan."

"Well-" started Alice, "what's happening right now is you are going to get dressed so that I can bring you into town for a breakfast of fresh-baked French pastries. Obviously I cannot attest to their deliciousness myself but it does seem to be one of the essential human experiences here!"

Images of croissants and other buttery pastries replaced the more morose thoughts that had been waiting for me when I woke up. It felt a little absurd to think of such things as sightseeing and French delicacies considering all that loomed over our heads. But part of me just wanted to act like a normal human being for a couple of hours. Now that the change was sure to happen I felt a sense of urgency to have as many human experiences as I could in the little time that was left to me. I smirked as I realized that I had begun to understand some of Edward's reasons for wanting me to delay the transformation.

"That'd be great, thanks, Alice." I savored the warmth of the quilt for another few seconds and then forced myself to stand up. When I turned to fold up the blanket I noticed it was no longer in a bundle on the cushion behind me but already sitting in a neatly folded square on the arm of the sofa. I raised my eyebrows at Alice, "I'm not a complete invalid you know."

"I know! But either way I am faster. Now hurry up and get ready! You don't want all the best food to be gone, do you?" She grinned and led me to the staircase, half-pushing me up the first few steps.

Climbing up the stairs, I joked over my shoulder, "No, god forbid I have to settle for some of the perfectly good food downstairs that Esme was thoughtful enough to buy for me!"

A half hour later I found myself in the back seat of Carlisle's car, while Jasper drove and Alice sat up front with him. The sight of their hands clasped over the center console gave me flashbacks of our escape from James the previous spring, when they had raced me to Phoenix in an attempt to hide me from his menacing tracking powers. I shivered at the memory of it.

"Are you cold?" Alice asked.

"Nope, I'm fine." Her eyes met mine in the rearview mirror and I smiled at the doubt in her expression. But instead of insisting any further, it was Jasper that spoke next.

"You know, Bella, I had been hoping to have a moment to talk to you." Keeping one hand perched on the steering wheel, he turned in his seat briefly to face me, "I owe you an apology."

In the days and weeks that followed my disastrous birthday party, I had never held any ill will towards Jasper. Some may have placed the blame for what happened on his lack of self-control, arguing that if he hadn't lunged for me then Edward would not have insisted on leaving. But I had always considered the accident as an excuse for Edward to put in motion something he had been planning all along.

"It wasn't your fault, Jasper."

From where I sat behind Alice I could see the edge of his lips turn up into a smile, "You have always been so understanding towards us. But I could have done better; I should have done better. I can't help but think things would have unfolded differently if I had been able to keep my thirst in check that night."

I shrugged, "Maybe. But probably not. He would have left eventually anyways."

Jasper glanced back at me again and I felt a wave of remorse settle over the car's interior. "I'm sorry. Forgive me, Bella."

I paused, wondering if he could read my own feelings of concern and affection for him "I forgave you a long time ago, Jasper."

One of his rare chuckles preceded his words, "You may give Carlisle a run for his money when it comes to benevolence. Thank you."

Instead of bringing me to the small village nearest their home, Alice had insisted we drive a few miles further in order to amble around a larger town. The day was overcast, the sky a solid drifting mass of gray. There would be no need for Alice and Jasper to hide from stray rays of sunlight. As we pulled into Domfront I knew my eyes must have looked ridiculous, being practically glued to the window and as wide as silver dollars. But it felt surreal. The narrow streets, the ancient stone buildings. And people just walking about their business as though their town didn't look like it had been plucked from a movie set. Despite all that I had read and seen in my life, part of me was still shocked that places like this actually existed.

Jasper pulled into a small gravel parking lot that was interspersed with small trees, bringing the car to a stop in the farthest corner. I stepped out of the car and slipped on the coat Esme had given me. While there wasn't any snow on the ground the temperatures were still nearing freezing. Alice produced a knit scarf from out of nowhere and wrapped it around my neck, standing on the tips of her toes to do so. I grinned in thanks.

We took off walking and soon passed in front of a massive stone building. Towering paned-glass windows looked out over a walkway flanked on either side with different colored flags. The building was imposing but regal and I nearly tripped as I tried to walk and stare at the same time. Jasper's hand appeared in time to steady me and he nodded in the direction I was looking, "City hall."

"Wow."

Alice and I continued down the street, walking side by side on the sidewalk while Jasper followed right behind. The streets were narrow and many of them paved with cobblestones. Each time a car rumbled by I was surprised to see that it actually fit between the buildings that lined both sides of the road. Centuries had passed since their construction and many of them seemed to lean ever so slightly towards the road itself. Faded wooden storefronts in blues and greens and pinks stretched ahead of us, leading towards what appeared to be a soaring church steeple. A butcher's shop, a pharmacy, a florist. Each with its own charming hand painted sign above the front window. When we wandered past a bookshop I couldn't help but stop and Alice and Jasper joined me inside. Every wall was covered with floor-to-ceiling shelves. I reached my hand towards the spines and ran my fingers across them, imagining what the titles might mean. The older gentleman behind the desk greeted us heartily, his eyes widening for a moment as his gaze fell on Alice and Jasper. I had grown accustomed to the surprised glances that people gave everyone in the Cullen family, and neither of them seemed concerned about the stares they had been attracting since we'd arrived.

After browsing for close to an hour, with Alice translating the names of each book I pulled from the shelves, we prepared to leave. The owner, having heard us speaking English, had shown me a small nook beneath the shop's narrow staircase that held his collection of English books. A well-worn copy of E.M. Forster's Howard's End had caught my eye and Jasper added it to his own pile of discoveries. Now, back outside, he walked with the pile of books tucked beneath his arm. Just before the street opened up into an airy expanse around the church, we stopped in front of a shop marked Boulangerie. A gust of warm air welcomed us as we stepped into the bakery, my eyes widening. An entire wall behind the counter held countless shapes and colors and forms of bread. Intricately-designed cakes and tarts in every color sat behind the glass case in front of us. A young man pushed through a swinging door carrying a tray of fresh croissants. My stomach growled.

"Amazing."

"You like it, then?" asked Alice excitedly. "What would you like to eat?"

I didn't know where to start, and when the woman behind the counter suddenly barked out a greeting I panicked. "Um, a croissant?"

Alice stepped forward and greeted the woman, whose expression immediately softened. A few seconds later she had grabbed a large kraft paper sac and begun to fill it with pastries. Alice ordered in what sounded to me like perfect French and the woman happily grabbed one of each item that Alice indicated. Jasper stepped towards the counter and paid, leaving me gawking in front of the rows of gleaming treats.

"Come on, Bella, let's eat!" Her remark caught my attention and I looked at her questioningly, my eyebrows raised.

Laughing, she looped her arm through mine and reassured me, "Oh, you know what I mean. Here, let's go over here."

We sat down on a bench in the small square near the church, Alice and Jasper on either side of me. Jasper reclined slightly, his legs stretched out in front of him one arm lying across the back of the bench with the other bent behind his head. He leaned back and closed his eyes, passersby might almost think he was dozing off. Alice turned towards me and asked with a gleam in her eyes, "So? Which one are you going to try first?"

I opened the bag and looked at the various still-warm pastries waiting inside. I grabbed the first one I saw and held it up for Alice to see, "Which one is this?"

She smiled and pronounced in her perfect singsong French, "They call that one a 'pain aux raisins'. It's a bit like a flaky dough with pastry cream and raisins."

I didn't hesitate to take a generous bite. An actual groan of satisfaction escaped from behind my mouthful of food and Jasper smirked. My cheeks flamed a violent shade of red before I burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but oh my god. That is ridiculous."

For the next ten minutes I took a bite or two (or three) from each of the pastries Alice had ordered for me. As I pulled each one from the bag either Alice or Jasper would pronounce its name and encourage me to try repeating the words in French. Pain au chocolat. Croissant. Chausson aux pommes. By the time I pulled a brioche from the bottom of the bag I was beginning to feel full, but I was determined to taste each one. Before it was too late, added the bleak voice in the back of my mind.

Just as I ripped off a small piece and took a bite, Alice gasped aloud. My head shot up and I looked around, trying to find what had caused her sharp intake of breath. But I soon realized that what she was seeing was not in front of us now. Though it would be soon.

Her eyes regained focus just as quickly as they had taken on their faraway look.

"Damnit. Of course he would." I had rarely heard her use such a dark tone. It contrasted sharply with her usual spiky-haired bubbly persona. As her eyes faded from ochre to black I could see her lethal nature in the shadow that crossed her face. Jasper stood quickly in one fluid motion, all the while maintaining the human charade. Anyone looking on would think he had suddenly realized he had forgotten an important appointment or something. The piece of brioche I had swallowed felt as though it was lodged in my throat. Panic began to sweep through me and the breakfast I had been reveling in mere seconds ago now felt like a solid lead weight in the pit of my stomach.

"What is it Alice?" I finally managed to choke out..

Her eyes left Jasper's and she turned to look at me. Her expression was heartbroken, with an undercurrent of fury. "I'm sorry Bella, but we have to leave right away."

With a distracted look she turned and began to head back in the direction we had meandered that morning. Jasper offered me his hand and I stood to follow, feeling the slight pressure of Jasper's arm at my back as he led me away. He whispered from the corner of his mouth as we walked quickly through the growing crowd of people, "Don't worry, she will explain in the car."

Within minutes we were back on the road and I could hear the almost silent rapid stream of mumbling coming from the front seat that meant Alice and Jasper were communicating at decibels too low for my own ears to capture. A second later Jasper pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and held it to his ear. After a brief pause I heard him greet Carlisle.

While he spoke, Alice twisted around to face me and broke the news, "Aro has decided to send the guard early. He is leery and does not want to wait a full week to see if Carlisle will keep his word."

"When?" My voice was stronger than I thought it would be. But then again a part of me was not surprised to learn that Aro would not hold up his end of the bargain. It had always felt too good to be true for him to let us leave as we did, an entire week ahead of us to carry out the change.

"They will arrive today, the guard will find us just before dusk." Alice looked apologetic. I pitied her for always having to be the bearer of bad news.

"Okay. It's fine. Okay, so, wow. I, um, I don't- ." My mouth continued to move, trying to find the words that would make this all make sense. But my mind had gone blank, trying to grasp the incomprehensible. The remainder of my human life could no longer be counted in days or weeks or months. In just a matter of hours the transformation will have been set in motion, the scorching venom no longer a mere memory of a few seconds' worth of burning in a Phoenix ballet studio.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

Jasper must have heard me and taken my words seriously, for the car came to a quick stop on the side of the rural highway we were weaving down. I pushed my door open and scrambled for the grassy ditch just inches from the asphalt's edge. I didn't even have time to be ashamed about what they were going to witness before all of my breakfast made a reappearance in the tall weeds at my feet. My heart was beating violently, as though trying to escape the body that would soon no longer have a need for it. I retched a few more times, bent over, my hands on my knees. My ribs protested at the position, but the pain was little more than a stitch in my side compared to the panic that had anchored itself in my chest.

I felt a cold hand settle on the nape of my neck and a handkerchief appeared in my line of vision.

"Thanks," I glanced up at Alice, "Ugh, I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes and steered me back to the still-running car, "Don't worry about it, Bella. Honestly, if I had known what was coming before my own change I would probably have done the same. In fact, we've always found your reactions on the subject to be shockingly mild." We stepped back into the car, this time Alice sat by my side in back, her hand holding mine in a consoling grip. Jasper took off again, the speedometer jumping into triple digits before I'd even buckled my seatbelt.