Luckily we were able to leave the dreadful place after that encounter. I didn't think I would be visiting Volterra wilfully anytime soon.

Edward was a few rows ahead of us and I could hear him trying to convince Bella to sleep. She wouldn't agree and I think it was because she didn't want him to disappear.

Even if she knew he lied about not wanting her, she was still worried. I didn't blame her, although I knew if Edward tried to leave her again, it would kill him.

"Yes, we'll be there at about 6." I heard Alice say on the phone. "I know. I love you, Jazz." Alice said, then hung up the call.

She saw me looking at her and sighed. "Is he mad about the close call?" I asked her.

"He's upset I didn't tell him the truth about it, but he knows I wanted to save him." She told me.

"So they'll be waiting for us at the airport, right?" I asked her and she nodded with a smile.

"I can't believe we made it out of there." I told her, thinking about Carlisle. I hadn't even told him a proper goodbye before I'd left with Alice. Now I wasn't going to waste another minute telling how how sorry I was.

"Did you really mean what you told Aro? About changing Bella?" Alice asked me and I heard an intake of breath from a few rows ahead. Edward was listening, possibly to our thoughts as well.

"I did mean it, but I don't think it will be me who ends up changing her. All I know is I won't lose her again, or Edward. I don't want my family to be torn apart." I told her.

Alice grinned at me. "You know you're a good mom." She said and I slapped her on the arm playfully.

"Whoa! I'm pretty sure you are all older than me except for Edward, but thank you." I told her softly.

The plane landed at six in the morning and I wasn't exactly subtle as I rushed my way as fast as I could without attracting attention.

I made it to the gate and saw Carlisle standing for me in front of Jasper and I ran.

I jumped into his arms.

"Adelaide, please never do that to me again." He told me and I nodded. "Never, I promise. I love you. I just needed to tell you that." I told him, leaning back from the hug.

"I love you too." He said, pulling me into a kiss. I kissed him back passionately, as if I was never going to see him again. Well, yesterday I thought I wouldn't.

I pulled away from Carlise to see Alice and Jasper were also embracing.

I turned to see Edward and Bella watching cautiously. I walked over and placed a hand on Bella's shoulder while Carlisle embraced Edward.

"Please never do that to me again, son." He said and Edward grinned, looking repentant.

"Sorry, Dad." He said.

Carlisle turned to Bella with a smile. "Thank you Bella, for bringing him home. It's good to have you back." Carlisle said and Bella smiled at him. I noticed she looked very tired like she might fall over any minute.

"Of course." Bella mumbled and her voice was muffled.

"We've got to get her home or else we'll be dragging her through the airport." I told Edward and he nodded. Bella leaned against him and I was on other side to make sure she didn't fall if she instantly fell asleep.

I guessed she didn't sleep at all on the flight, which had lasted all night.

We finally made it to the parking garage and I was surprised to see Emmett and Rosalie leaning against the black sedan.

I saw Edward stiffen and I sighed. Alige and filled me in on the ride that Rosalie had called Edward and told him that Bella was dead. Of course, she might have jumped the gun in telling him, but the grief on her face suggested she regretted it.

"Edward, don't. Rosalie probably feels horrible." I told him quietly, even though I knew they could hear us.

"She should." Edward said and I rolled my eyes at him.

"It's not her fault." Bella mumbled, her voice coming out garbled.

"I have an idea. You and Bella ride with Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle and I will go with Alice and Jasper." I told Edward, who looked at me in shock.

Rosalie saw us and gave me a small smile but looked regretful when she saw Edward's glare.

"Please, Edward." Bella told him. Edward gave in, as usual when it came to Bella and I helped her climb into the car.

I glanced at Edward before I shut the door.

"Don't let my father kill you. Get her home safe please." I told him and he nodded.

I closed the door and walked over to Carlisle's car where Alice and Jasper were already in the backseat.

I climbed into the passenger seat beside Carlisle and sighed happily.

"You have no idea how good it is to be back." I told him and he smiled.

"I bet. Alice tells me you met the Volturi." He said, looking vaguely worried.

"Yes, I did. It was interesting, to say the least. How did you stay with them for decades? They're sort of terrifying." I told him and he nodded.

"Exactly the reason why I left. They didn't exactly agree with my appetite." Carlisle said, putting it mildly.

"I bet." I told him.

We made the drive home quickly. I couldn't help but worry about Bella and Edward facing Dad's wrath, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

After all, it wasn't like I could see my father.

When we reached the house, I couldn't have been more excited. I'd missed it so much since we'd been gone.

Carlisle saw my excitement and smiled at me. I grinned back as we walked inside.

Everything was how it was when we'd left.

I heard the door open again and saw Rosalie and Emmett walking in. Well, that had been a quick dropoff.

Rosalie walked over to me and pulled me into a hug, surprising me a little.

"Hey." I said with a chuckle.

"I'm so sorry. I almost got you and Bella killed because of my selfishness." She told me and I shook my head.

"No, don't blame yourself. The Volturi nearly got us killed." I told her.

Emmett heard that and walked towards me.

"What are they like? Is Aro as scary as he sounds?" He asked me and I grinned at how childlike he sounded. Carlisle walked over as well, probably wanted to hear my experience with them.

"Well, Aro was weird with me. He seemed to-" I stopped as I saw the look on Carlisle's face. "Uh, he liked me, I suppose. But he still wasn't going to let us leave. I had to tell him I'd change Bella myself." I told them.

Rosalie's smile dropped a fraction. I knew she didn't want Bella to be a vampire.

"And did you mean it?" Carlisle asked me curiously.

"I did at the time. I do mean it if it's the only way to keep this family together. I'm not losing my sister again or Edward. Or any of you." I told them.

"You won't. I'm not sure Edward will be able to stay away from Bella another time." Carlisle told me and Emmett snickered.

"Yeah because he's whipped." He said and I chuckled.

"What can I say? It's the Swan genes I guess." I said with a look at Carlisle. He grinned at me then glanced at Rosalie. Her eyes widened.

"I think we have somewhere to be, Emmett. Come on." Rosalie said suddenly, tugging on Emmett's arm.

"What? Rose, what are you talking about?" Emmett asked her and she nudged him in the ribs, dragging him from the room. I watched this in confusion.

"We'll see you two later." Rose called over her shoulder as she finally forced Emmett through the side door.

"What was that about?" I asked Carlisle, who was looking at me in a way that I'd never seen him look before.

"I told them to leave once we got here." I
He said and I laughed nervously.

"And why is that?" I asked him, not liking the way I felt when his eyes darkened.

"Because of this." He said, pulling me into his arms unexpectedly. I barely had time to react before he breezed us into the bedroom and slammed the door.

-14 Hours Later-

"Is Bella awake yet, you think?" I asked Carlisle as I walked down the stairs into the den.

Everyone was here and it made me smile. It was just like before.

Carlisle glanced up when he saw me. He was sitting on the couch while Alice and Jasper played a game of chess. Rosalie was sitting in a chair, flipping through television channels at top speed. Emmett was by her side, as usual. And he called Edward whipped, I thought to myself.

The only ones who weren't here were Edward and Bella, but according to a phone call Carlisle got from Edward, Bella had been asleep since they arrived at my old house.

That had been fourteen hours ago.

"I think she may be. It was probably a terrifying experience for her."  Carlisle remarked as I made my way to sit beside him.

"Yeah, she's not the only one it was terrifying for." I joked. I sat down beside him and leaned against him and I heard a chuckle.

"Something to say, Emmett?" I asked him and heard him snicker.

I saw Rosalie was hiding a smile.

"Speaking of new experiences, how did the last fourteen hours go for you?" Emmett asked me.

I felt a wave of embarrassment flood me as I realized what he was implying. It was true, of course, but still.

"Oh, shut up, Emmett!" I told him and he laughed.

"I'm surprised the house is still standing, you being a newborn and all. In fact, I'm surprised Carlise is still alive himself." Emmett continued and I threw a nearby couch pillow at him.

He caught it and smirked.

"Emmett, come on." I told him, looking anywhere but Carlisle.

"So tell me is he as diplomatic in-" I was about to throw something else at him when Carlise gave him a look.

"Alright, alright." Emmett conceded and I smirked.

I leaned back against the couch and finally made eye contact with Carlisle.

The memories came back and I tried not to think about them in case Edward was anywhere near the house.

As I thought that, the door to the house burst open.

I was so caught up I hasn't even heard footsteps approaching the house. Was it Edward?

I saw light flood the main room and heard Edward calling each of our names. We all got up and walked in, to see Bella and Edward standing there. I didn't see a car, so I assumed they ran here. At one in the morning?

Bella saw me and smiled, but the smile wasn't on Edward's face.

Carlisle came to my side and smiled at Bella. "Welcome back, Bella. What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?" Carlisle asked her.

I glanced to see Edward's jaw tightening. Carlisle was looking at him too.

"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's okay. About something important." Bella told him.

Carlisle nodded, his eyes still on Edward. I think everyone already knew what this was about.

"Of course. Why don't we talk in the other room?" Carlisle asked her.

I followed him into the dining room and saw everyone was already sitting in their chairs. We never used this room before, but I supposed it was more formal than the couches.

Alice saw Bella and grinned and I was shocked to see Rosalie give Bella a smile. Bella looked surprised too, but smiled back at her.

I took a seat beside Carlisle as Bella took her own besides Edward.

"The floor is yours." Carlisle told her.

"Well, I'm hoping Alice and Addy have already told you everything that happened in Volterra?" Bella asked each of them, looking to Alice and I.

"Everything." Alice said, and I nodded too.

"And what you said, Addy?" Bella asked me with a meaningful glance.

"Yes." I told her.

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

"So, I have a problem. Alice and Addy sort of 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." Bella said, then looked at each of us.

"And so, now, this involves you all. I'm sorry about that." Bella said. Always apologizing for things that weren't her fault. 

Edward's mouth was set in a grim line as he watched Bella.

"But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not." Bella said and I gave her a look.

"Bells-" I started, but she held up one finger.

"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'll guess I'll go back to Italy alone I can't have them coming here." Bella stated.

As if I'd allow that. Edward made an angry noise and I could tell he was thinking the same.

"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 said, gesturing to Carlisle to begin.

I already knew what everyone was going to say, apart from Rosalie.

"Just a minute." Edward said and Bella glared at him.

"I have something to add before we vote. About the danger Bella's referring to, I don't think we need to be overly anxious." Edward said and I exchanged a look with Alice.

It seemed like Edward was going to try and talk Bella out of becoming a vampire or either talk us out of voting in her favor.

"You see, there was more than one reason why I didn't want to agree with Aro. There's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to clue them in." Edward explained.

"Which was?" Alice asked him.

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

"He finds people-thats his talent, why they keep him. 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 tenor of someone's mind and then he follows that. It works over immense distances." Edward told us.

Well that would certainly be an issue.

"But after Aro's little experiments, well.." Edward traikdd off and I realized what he meant. He didn't think Demetri could track Bella since Aro and Jane's gift didn't work on her.

"You think he won't be able to find me." Bella said flatly.

"I'm sure of it." Edward said smugly.

"And how does that solve anything?" Bella asked him.

"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless! It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!" Edward said, looking like he was enjoying the idea.

Emmett exchanged a look with him and smirked.

"But they can find the rest of us." I told Edward. He seemed to be forgetting that part.

"And I can take care of myself." Edward said and I rolled my eyes.

"Excellent plan, my brother." Emmett said, fist-bumping Edward.

"No." Rosalie hissed, looking as annoyed as I was.

"Absolutely not." Bella agreed.

"Nice." Jasper said, looking appreciative.

"Idiots!" Alice muttered and I glared at Edward. Carlisle was just watching me and observing it all.

Bella straightened in her chair, giving him a glare of her own.

"All right then. Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider. Let's vote." Bella said coolly.

"Do you want me to join your family?" Bella asked Edward.

"Not that way. You're staying human." Edward told her. I could see that hurt Bella a little, but she masked it quickly and appeared professional as she nodded.

"Alice?" She asked.

"Yes. I already consider you my sister." Alice told her with a smile.

"Jasper?" Bella asked.

"Yes." Jasper said and I could see Bella was a little surprised.

"Rosalie?" Bella asked and I turned to see Rosalie's answer. She hesitated before saying, "No."

Bella nodded and was about to turn to Emmett, when Rosalie held her hands up.

"Let me explain. I don't mean that I have an 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 to vote no for me." Rosalie said and Bella nodded.

I wasn't aware Rosalie resented her life as a vampire so much.

Bella turned to Emmett. "Hell yes! We can find some other way to pick a fight with Demetri." Emmett said excitedly.

Bella turned to me and I smiled at her. She already knew what I was going to say.

I glanced at Edward apologetically.

"Yes." I told her and she grinned at me.

She turned to Carlisle who was looking at Edward.

"Edward," he started, but Edward growled. "No." He said.

"It's the only way that makes sense. You've chosen not to live with her and that doesn't leave me a choice." Carlisle told Edward.

Edward shoved his way from the table and stalked from the room. "I guess you know my vote." Carlisle said with a sigh.

I grabbed his and and squeezed it. I knew he didn't feel great about going against Edward's wishes.

"Thanks." Bella mumbled as I heard a loud crash from the other room.

"That's all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you too." Bella said, her eyes welling with tears.

I stood up and flew to her side, pulling her into a hug.

She hugged me back tightly then looked at Alice and I.

"Well, Alice, Addy, which one of you wants to do this?" She asked and Alice and I both were shocked.

"No! No!" Edward roared, flying back into the room. He was in Bella's face in an instant.

"Are you insane? Have you utterly lost your mind?" He yelled to Bella, who cringed.

"Don't yell at her!" I told Edward angrily.

"Bella, I don't think I'm ready for that. Addy sure isn't. She's still a newborn. We'll both need to prepare." Alice said to her.

"But you promised." Bella said, looking at each of us.

"Bells, I know, but I could kill you. I know your blood doesn't affect me the same way as it does other vampires, but I don't want to risk it." I told her.

"The same for me." Alice added.

"You can do it. I trust you both." Bella said and I shook my head in panic. This was too much. I sure as hell wasn't ready for this yet.

"Carlisle?" Bella asked and I turned to her in surprise.

"I'm able to do it. You would be in no danger of me losing control." Carlisle told her, but his expression looked pained.

"Sounds good." Bella said.

"Hold on. It doesn't have to be now." Edward told her. For once, I agreed.

"There's no reason for it not to be now." Bella said as Edward held onto her arm.

"Now let go of me." She said and Edward freed her.

"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn't put it past him to involve the police." Edward told her.

So Dad was that angry.

"All three of them." Bella said, but I saw her frown. I could tell she was dad about the fact of leaving our parents behind.

"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous, I suggest now that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie's house." Edward said.

That did sound better than Bella becoming a missing person and the rest of us being arrested.

"Bella, that is reasonable. I mean, Dad at least deserves a proper goodbye. Besides graduation isn't too far away." I told her.

Bella looked like she agreed.

"I'll consider it." She said, but I think it was just to mess with Edward.

"I should probably take you home. Just in case Charlie wakes up early." Edward said, looking far more relaxed.

"After graduation?" Bella asked Carlisle, who nodded.

"You have my word." Carlisle told her.

Bella smiled and turned to Edward.

"Okay, you can take me home." She told Edward.

Edward didn't waste any time rushing Bella from the house.

After they left, I turned to Carlise. The others had left the room.

"Are you really going to change her?" I asked him.

"I don't think it's going to come to that. I think Edward will change her himself." Carlisle told me.

"You really think so? He seems so against it." I said.

"Yes, but he loves her. He doesn't want to lose her." He said and then glanced at me sadly.

"I know, because I remember being in his position." He said.

"I wish you'd been the one to turn me. So much better than James." I told him, shuddering as I remembered James.

"Well, we're together now. Which reminds me.." Carlisle said, then shocked me by getting down on one knee.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"What does it look like?" He said with a laugh, pulling a ring box from his pocket.

I felt tears come to my eyes.

"Adelaide Lillian Swan-" he started but I had already pulled him from the ground.

"Yes." I told him, and he laughed.

"You didn't let me finish." He said and I laughed.

"Well, I already knew the answer. I will marry you. I love you." I told him.

I grinned as he opened the ring box and placed the ring on my finger. It was gorgeous, but not too extravagant. It felt like me.

"I've been waiting to ask you that forever." He told me, leaning down to kiss me. I smiled and leaned towards him.

"Well that's what we'll have together."