AN: Thank you all for your kind words following my last update. They seriously made my week! Another angsty chapter for you today as the Volturi guard arrives in France...

Carlisle's POV

What little hope I had for the morphine's ability to temper the venom's searing effects had been dashed within minutes of the final bite. Bella's immediate reaction to my venom had been restrained. But her anguish soon made itself known as tormented moans filled the room. My own memories of the change had not dulled with time and I could remember with agonizing clarity the feeling of a force larger and stronger than myself holding my body captive in the fire. I had gasped desperately for air, as Bella did now, while the flames had scorched my lungs, trapping me in their suffocating blaze. Tears continued to slip down her cheeks, each salty drop chased out of the ducts by my venom as it coursed through her body. The sight of them filled me with helplessness. Ever since I had found my refuge in medicine, my purpose in life had been to heal the humans around me. But I knew there was nothing I could do to alleviate this pain, and it riddled me with grief. Suddenly, a small ivory hand reached out and brushed the droplets away. Esme had come up to join me in my vigil, and was gently tracing the pads of her thumbs across Bella's cheeks, wiping away each tear as it fell. Her other hand rested on Bella's forearm in what would have been a comforting gesture under normal circumstances.

Just then a shrill note rang through the air. Both of us froze as it repeated itself over and over. Without taking my eyes off Bella, I slipped my hand into the pocket of my waistcoat and pulled out the frenetic ringing phone. A sense of foreboding settled over me. It was rare that anyone outside of the family called, and we were all under the same roof. With one exception.

I stood unmoving, staring at the name that had lit up on the small screen. The phone continued to ring, the sound of its peal colliding with the increasing volume of Bella's cries. I looked to Esme as though waiting for direction and from the set of her eyes I knew that if I did not answer the phone then she would.

"Edward."

Bella stilled, her body no longer straining against invisible bonds. Her cries reduced to almost indistinguishable whimpers, though I knew the stillness did not bring her peace. Over the following days, as the body tried to defend itself against the venom, it would also seek to protect the mind. The quiet that descended over her now suggested that she had receded into herself, much like a patient in a coma. I knew it could not last. For even the mind would soon undergo the venom's vicious alterations.

The voice on the other end of the line brought me back to the current problem at hand.

"Carlisle, what's going on?" He tried to sound agitated, as though our numerous calls from the last week had been unwelcome, but I could hear the concern he tried so hard to hide. And I was reminded that despite his intelligence and his maturity, he remained frozen in a 17-year-old's body, a seventeen year old who would have been loath to show others his anxieties. I had to choose my words wisely with the little time I had before the Volturi would arrive. I needed him not to panic.

"It's good to hear your voice, son. I'm afraid I don't have time to explain very much. Something has come up and we had to relocate to our home in Normandy. But- "

"All of you? Emmett and Rosalie as well? Why, what happened? Did someone lose control? Did Jasper-" In those rare moments when he was unable to pluck the answers straight from our thoughts Edward often resorted to an impatient stream of questions. For the first time in months I was grateful for the distance between us.

"No, no, nothing like that." I paused for a fraction of a second to prepare myself for how he would react to what I said next, "But I must ask you to return home, Edward."

Esme's watchful eyes gleamed with hope, everyone reunited under one roof having been her desperate wish during the long months that our family had been scattered.

There was a pause on the other end of the line and I glanced at the screen to make sure the connection had not been lost.

"Carlisle, you know I can't," his voice was hesitant, choosing his words as carefully as I had been choosing mine. "I'm so close to catching her. If I give up now I'm afraid of losing the trail completely. And if I join you in France then who will be here to…I mean, how will I-"

"Bella is not in any danger-" I knew my words would exasperate him, it was an argument we had had many times already.

Sure enough, a frustrated growl echoed from his end, "You don't know that! Victoria will want reven-

"At least not from Victoria." I continued, my voice silencing his interruption. I could hear the dejection in my voice and knew it would not go unnoticed by Edward.

"What do you mean, not from Victoria. What do you know, Carlisle? Is Bella in some kind of danger?" His voice now had a hard edge to it and I pulled from all of my reserves to maintain my composure. At least I didn't have the added complication of hiding my thoughts from him.

"Bella is here, Edward. She is here with us in France."

The line went dead.

Frustration, fear, and sorrow welled up in me. I immediately tried to call him back, though I knew it would be futile. Why had he hung up so suddenly- was it anger towards me for bringing Bella back into our lives against his wishes? Perhaps he believed me to be lying, could he have thought it was an attempt on my part to trick him into coming home? I would hope he knew me well enough to know that I would never manipulate him in such a manner. Or maybe- and here I almost didn't dare hope- maybe he heeded my words and was on his way now.

Before Esme and I could strive to find out more, Jasper's sober voice muttered from downstairs, "We have visitors."

Sure enough, I could hear the almost silent padding of feet gliding across the frozen ground a couple of miles away. Running as only our kind could run. The whisper of cloaks against gravel. I tucked the phone back in my pocket and took Esme's hand in mine. She turned and glanced at Bella, her features riddled with anxiety. I knew she hated to leave her side.

"Come, it sounds like we have guests to greet." The contempt in my voice had caught her attention.

She took my hand in hers, worry etched on her face and a warning tone in her voice. "Carlisle-"

I immediately regretted the scornful tone of my words. My brief exchange with Edward had left me feeling distracted and I forced myself to compartmentalize my concerns for him in the name of focusing on the Volutri's arrival. It would be unwise to speak in such a manner to the guard members, and I didn't want to upset Esme more than she already was. I gazed into her eyes and slowly raised my hands to her face, my thumbs caressing her furrowed brow in an attempt to smooth the worried lines.

"Everything will be alright, love. I promise." With one final glimpse at Bella, we turned to leave, closing the door gently behind us.

As we made our way downstairs I found myself trying to anticipate my family's reaction to meeting the members of the Volturi guard. I had spent the better part of last night's midnight hour trying to prepare them for what to expect when Demetri and the others arrived. For after all, I was almost certain that Demetri would be there, his tracking abilities indispensable in the search to find us. But beyond that I could not be sure who Aro would send, though Jane was a likely choice. I warned my family that the most insignificant of excuses was more than enough for her to play with her debilitating power. For that's what it was to her, a sadistic game. I was fearful that she would try and needle a reaction out of one of us, which would then justify whatever violence the Volturi acted out afterwards. If Jane was there, my family's complete compliance was the only way we would come out unscathed. Upon hearing the gravity in my voice, even Emmett had cast aside the jokes and listened attentively to what I had to say. He did not take the protection of his family lightly.

Within a few seconds Esme and I were standing in the entryway with the others. They were uncharacteristically silent. As I walked past them to the front door, Alice gave me a reassuring nod. Had she seen that all would go well? I had warned them not to give any indication of their heighted powers while the Volturi were in hearing range. if she had seen something while I was upstairs then she would not be able to speak of it now that the Volturi were almost here.

I opened the heavy oak door and stepped out into the brisk winter air, turning to face the direction of their approaching steps. I sensed, more than I saw, my family fall into step behind me. We all did our best to maintain relaxed positions. I knew it would be easier for some more than others.

Where the driveway emerged from the wooded grounds and opened up into the gravel courtyard, four hooded figures came into view. I could see them quickly scan the surroundings, taking in the manor house looming before them. Finally their gaze settled upon us. Beneath the shadows of their hoods I could see Jane, Demetri, Felix, and an unknown guard member eyeing Jasper, his myriad of scars a glaring warning signal. I felt an instinctual urge to shift slightly in his direction, as though I could protect him from their scrutinizing stares.

Jane's ruby eyes darted suddenly to my own.

"Carlisle."

"Good evening, Jane." My voice was steady, a perfectly tuned mask to hide the tension beneath the surface.

Before we could say more, a scream pierced the air and four pairs of blood-red eyes glanced towards the house. Felix sneered. Alice flinched at the sound of Bella's suffering. At my side I could feel as Esme ached to return to Bella, her muscles tensing as her maternal instincts pulled her towards her daughter. I reached out and intertwined my hand in hers, my thumb rubbing slow circles against her wrist. She relaxed infinitesimally. But her eyes now narrowed wearily in the direction of the guard.

"You've managed to change the girl without killing her, then?" Jane's eyes slanted in my direction. A hint of disappointment and boredom leaked through her words.

Emmett scoffed behind me, clearly affronted at Jane's suggestion that I might have killed the girl in my attempt to change her. Before he could attract Jane's attention his way I answered her, "Yes, Bella did not want to delay the inevitable and asked me to inflict the change earlier this evening."

"Show us." Her order rang with authority. I had known they would want to see her, preferring to witness the transition themselves rather than take my word for it. Aro was likely counting on their visual testimony, something he would greedily watch with the help of his telepathic power when the guard had returned to Volterra.

I bowed my head, "Of course." As though I had any other option.

Still clutching Esme's hand in my own, we led them towards the front door. I saw Jasper stiffen as I turned my back to the guard. It went against all of his most basic survival instincts. But the four vampires followed me without a word and Jasper fell into step behind them, Emmett at his side. I was relieved that they had not tried to interfere yet with the proceedings and I could not begrudge them the need to follow closely behind our guests.

When Esme and I began to climb the stairs the others held back in the sitting room. After much argumentation, we had decided to limit our numbers upstairs in order to appear less confrontational. When the guard saw that Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were remaining behind, Jane signaled to Felix and the guard member I did not know to stay with them. We hurried the rest of the way to Bella's room, determined to show Jane and Demetri the proof they needed as soon as possible.

Upon seeing Bella's writhing form I struggled to maintain my impassive expression. She no longer suffered in silence, her strained voice forced between clenched teeth as she begged for us to end the pain. Begged for us to kill her. This part of the transformation had always been the most difficult for me, more so even than fighting the instinct to drink the blood as I pierced the skin. For every person I had changed had at one point or another implored me to kill them as the fire raged inside of them. The sight of Bella doing so now was too much for Esme to bear at a distance and she immediately made her way to the girl's side. Her hand brushed the strands of hair out of Bella's eyes and whispered encouraging words.

"Shh, Bella, I'm right here. Carlisle is right here. It will be over soon, you are doing so well."

"Hmm." Jane watched for a second, dissatisfied, before she ordered in a flat voice, "Step away from the girl and let me get a closer look."

I could see Esme pause and my heart clenched as I feared what her hesitation might cause Jane to do. I had anticipated problems with Emmett, or perhaps Jasper, but I had failed to anticipate how Esme's maternal love for Bella might drive her to place herself in harm's way. No one breathed. The only sound was Bella's gut-wrenching sobs, "Esme, please! Oh god please, it's burning! Make it stop, please make it stop, Carlisle!"

Esme gave Jane a sideways glance and I saw that the golden hue of her eyes had darkened to ink. In a cool voice, she pleaded "Are her cries not sufficient enough evidence for you? Can you not see- "

Jane's order came out as an angry hiss, her eyes flaring , "I said, step. Away."

I knew what was coming before she had spoken her last word. But Demetri knew as well, and before I could so much as move an inch towards my wife, his hands shot out and yanked my own arms behind my back in a painful grip. Everything moved in slow motion as I watched Esme drop to her knees beside the bed, one hand gripping the frame in an attempt to maintain upright. Tremors wracked her body as she gritted her teeth against the screams that rose up her throat. Jane's eyes narrowed and Esme crumpled to the floor, her neck craning in search of an escape from the anguish. Venom filled my mouth as I fought back the instinct to come to her defense, a small part of my brain remembering that to do so would be lethal for us all. Jane grinned and Esme finally let out a harrowing scream. My mind went blank, the pain of seeing Esme suffer being a thousand times more excruciating than receiving Jane's tortuous glare myself.

While maintaining her psychological hold on Esme, Jane walked nonchalantly over to Bella's side and took no more than a cursory glance at her.

"I've seen what I need to see. Let's go, Demetri."

He released his grip on me and I fell to the ground. The hem of a cloak appeared in my line of vision and Jane spoke one last time, "Take heed, Carlisle, the Volturi is never as far as you think."

I raced to Esme's side as the bedroom door slammed shut. She had gotten back on her feet as soon as the pain had ceased and she now stood with her arms at her side, watching me warily.

Downstairs, the front door opened and then closed a second later. They had gone.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I don't know what came over me. It was as though I suddenly could not stomach the idea of Jane stepping even a foot closer to- "

I silenced her apology as my lips crashed into her own, the need to be as close to her as possible was overwhelming. Pulling back a fraction of an inch I whispered fervently, "Don't apologize. I understand, darling, I understand. Are you alright?"

My hands caressed her face and trailed down her arms, coming to rest on her hips. I knew Jane's power could leave no physical trace but I had a desperate urge to make sure for myself.

"I will be fine," she reassured me. My forehead came to rest against hers, as I searched the depths of her amber eyes for any sign that she was in distress.

With our bodies pressed together, we could both feel as the phone in my front pocket buzzed, announcing the arrival of a message. Without breaking eye contact, Esme slipped her hand into my pocket and pulled out the now silent phone. After a silent exchange we glanced down at the same time, apprehension filling the space around us.

"I'm on my way."