Richard and I made good progress on the drive back and were home within the hour. As we drove up the lane, the trees parting so as we could get there efficiently, and I felt relief as we got up the drive and parked close to the house. We'd decided to leave the unpacking until later, and to just catch up with everybody to begin with. I got my shoulder bag, plus the one from the back seat filled with souvenirs for everyone, and Richard walked around the back of the car and pulled me out from there, kissing me on the lips.

"Ready?" he asks.

I nod. "More than," I reply.

He puts his arm around my waist and we lock the car, walking up to the house and noticing that the flowers Esme had planted in the summer were just beginning to fade now that fall was just around the corner. Richard loosened his grip upon me so as I could push open the door and, as we stepped inside, I heard Alice's frantic words.

"They'll be home any minute..."

"Alice, calm down." Jasper's voice.

"Everything's going to be fine," Esme assures them.

"Is that all you saw?" Carlisle presses.

"Please," comes Rosalie's voice, "we need to know everything."

"Yeah," Emmett says, "don't like being kept in the balance like this."

"Be patient with her," Bella interrupts him.

"Yes, there's always time," Edward says.

Richard and I get up the stairs quickly, and our whole family turns to look at us. I look from one face to the next, but I can't figure out what's going on. I step forward, relieved when Richard doesn't hold me back, and face Alice.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I ask her.

"I saw Aro talking about you," she replies, her voice shaking.

"Aro?" I demand, at once on my guard. "What does he want?"

"Well, he was talking about how he wants you to come and join his guard," she said, her eyes wide with worry.

I shake my head. "I still don't get it. What would Aro be doing wandering around Forks looking for me? It doesn't make sense."

Alice sighs. "Yes. Yes, it does..."

"Alice," Jasper warns.

"No, I have to tell her," Alice protests.

"Tell me what?" I cry, beginning to tense with fear.

Alice lock her golden eyes with my amber ones. "Ever since the Volturi believed that Renesmee was an immortal child, Aro has been sending for me once a year. I must allow him to look into my memories once per year, as well as mine and everyone else's future. In the months leading up to your arrival back in Forks, I saw you. I saw you moving to Forks and told Edward and Bella about you, but..." She shrugs. "I guess they didn't make the connection until it was too late."

"I knew," Bella replies, shrugging her shoulders. "I knew, but I couldn't stop it. After all the things Alice told me about your background, Beth, I just..."

"You felt sorry for me?" I say, my voice emotionless.

"Of course," Bella replies, instantly. "But I also wanted to help you. I know what it's like being the new girl in Forks. When I heard that you liked hiking..."

"We never talked about hiking," I say, turning to look at her. "I'm sure I'd remember telling you about that."

"I heard about it from my dad," she replies. "Remember? Our dads are practically best friends. When your dad mentioned once—when Edward and I were over at my dad's, and he was there too—I suggested some places for you to walk..."

I lean up against Richard, my rock. "I told my dad in the days before me moving up here that I liked to hike," I reply quietly. "He must've mentioned it to your dad, and you heard all about it."

"Exactly," Bella says, "so once I knew where'd you be hiking, I sort of watched the area—and smelled the area—for when you'd be there. Didn't take much for Edward to want to go to our meadow," she said, lowering her eyes.

"So, you knew I'd be there?"

Bella nods. "Yes. I took my shield down, too, so..."

"I knew, too," Edward said, turning to look at Carlisle. "I'm sorry. But after everything that Beth had gone through, she needed another chance."

"She would have graduated in a year, Edward," Esme admonishes.

"With her transcripts, she could have gone to Oxford if she'd wanted. Plus, she would have been able to cut all ties with her family, had she been given the choice, within a month after she'd graduated. With an Oxford education, she could've gotten a job anywhere, and you took that away from her," Carlisle says sternly.

Edward sighs. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." My voice causes everyone to turn their faces towards mine. "What? No point in lying now, so I'll say it: I'm not sorry. I'm happy in my newfound life. Really. Besides," I say quietly, "I talk in my sleep, so I probably asked for it anyway."

"She does talk in her sleep," Bella says quietly. "I heard her on the drive from the airport. I heard her say that it was sad how beautiful Edward and I could be."

"But it wasn't shallow," Edward said quickly, "it was sadness. She was sad that we'd found each other and she firmly believed herself to be unlovable."

"From the abuse," Esme reasoned, turning to look at me. "I'm sorry, Beth."

I smile and move from Richard's side, wrapping my arms around Esme in a quick motion. "I am so thankful for you—for all of you. You've been more of a mother to me than my own mother ever was, and that's saying a lot."

Esme cups my face. "You're lovable," she assures me.

I smile at her. "I know that now. From you, from Carlisle, from Richard, from Edward, from Bella... From all of you. Not to bring up a sensitive subject, but I think that's why I was unable to reciprocate Embry's feelings when he had them for me."

"Because you believed you were unlovable?" Richard asks.

"That day... That day Emmett was driving over the speed limit beside Bella's father's house on that rainy afternoon," Jasper says. "I remember we almost killed her. I remember her face, and I know now that it was Beth when she was still human. I remember feeling her emotions—it's an automatic thing, to figure someone out when you haven't met or seen them before—and I felt your sadness, Beth. It was a pure sadness, and nothing like I'd ever experienced before."

"Never?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "No. Not even when I was ordered to execute newborns under Maria's orders did I feel such sadness. That was selfish sadness but yours... Yours was beyond your control. You were put in a dangerous environment and you didn't know of a way out of it and in that moment, you were just going through motions of your day-to-day life. No outward feelings..."

"She was bottling them up?" Rosalie asks.

"She was, yes. But now, she feels she is in a safe environment and now she feels that she can express them safely," Jasper says.

"Aro read into my future and saw that Beth would come into our lives," Alice says quietly in the lull that follows Jasper's declaration. "He knew how powerful she would be, and he sought to create her himself, but only go through half of it."

"What do you mean?" I ask her. "Was he feeling lazy?"

"No," Alice replies. "He knew that if he did it completely, then you would immediately go after humans in the area and that the wolves would kill you. He couldn't have that; he had to only do half the work so that Carlisle would think it was a rogue vampire. Due to Carlisle smelling all the blood when Rosalie was attacked, Aro was sure that Carlisle would find you—that we all would find you. And now, he's going to come here, or force you to go to him."

"So, I have a choice," I say softly. "To join his guard or be killed, right?"

Alice sighs. "Maybe..."

"No." Richard's voice is firm as he zooms to my side. "If you join them, I join them. If you die, I die."

"Richard..."

"No." His voice is the firmest I've ever heard him utter. "I can't live without you, just liked Bella can't live without Edward, Carlisle can't live without Esme, Alice can't live without Jasper, and Rosalie can't live without Emmett." He takes ahold of my hands. "If you want to join them or be killed, then I'm behind you, Beth."

"No, you're not," I tell him. "The kids need their father. It's not just me anymore..."

"You are my life," he says, clutching onto me. "I love you."

I turn and look at Rosalie, knowing exactly what to say. "Rose, I'm going to Italy. I'm going to hand over myself to Aro and to face certain death, because I'd rather die than join him or his guard. I'm not a puppet; I want to live my own life, and if I can't, then I'll face Jane's pain or Alec's smoke of nothingness. Before I go, Jasper," I say, turning to him, "I'll need you to call J. Jenks and have you draw up my will. I want it stated in writing that sole custody of Sarah, Lucas, and Francis is going to Rosalie and Emmett. Is that clear?"

"Beth!" cries Rosalie, obviously distraught.

I turn and smile at her. "You always wanted children, Rosalie, and now is your chance. I don't want any of you to worry—I'm happy to die..."

"No, Beth!" Rosalie says, shaking her head. "You can block abilities!"

I blink, suddenly remembering my conversation with Eleazar, seemingly so long ago now, that even I'd forgotten. "But even if..."

"And Richard's got that memory eraser thing," Emmett puts in. "What if we just erase Aro's idea to do this whole thing with Alice in the first place?"

I turn to Alice. "Did Aro see this coming?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No," she says, sounding surprised herself, "because when I had the visions of you, it was before Richard had joined our family. Then, when I showed him again, you'd just begun dating. Now that he's married to you..." She shrugs. "Anything can happen but you'd need protection in Italy."

"I'll go," Bella says instantly. "You need mental protection. I know you can do it for yourself, Beth, but my shield is stronger. Don't worry—you'll get there."

I smile. "Thanks, Bella."

"I'll go," Edward says. "We need to know if Aro is even thinking of us attempting to get into his mind at all."

"Means a lot to me, Edward," I tell him.

"I'll go," Jasper says. "We need to make sure that Aro—and all the other Volturi—is kept calm at all costs."

I smile at Jasper. "Thanks."

"I'll go," Alice says. "We need to know if there are new developments to the future at a moments' notice."

"Good thinking, Alice," I say.

"I'll go," Rosalie says. "Maybe my enhanced beauty doesn't work on you, but it works on plenty of members of the guard."

"Nice thinking, Rosalie," I tell her.

"I'll go," Emmett says. "If this comes to a fight, you'll need me as a bodyguard."

"You're not wrong," I say with a chuckle.

"I'll go," Carlisle says. "You may need a medical doctor—you never know."

"You're right," I admit.

"I'll go," Esme says. "You can never go wrong with a motherly touch."

I reach out and take her hand. "No, you can't go wrong with it."

"I'll go," Richard says. "I can walk through walls and silence everyone's memories of seeing me coming."

I smile at my husband. "If you're sure..."

"I'm sure."

"Okay," I say, crossing my arms. "Looks like we're all going to Italy."

"I'll call Karen to look after the kids for a few days," Esme says, getting out her cell phone and walking downstairs.

"I'll start packing for all of you," Alice says, rushing upstairs.

"We're going to hunt," Emmett says, pulling Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle out the back kitchen door.

"I'll check on the kids," Rosalie says, heading upstairs after Alice.

I turn to Richard, and take his hands. "Well, that's more than I ever wanted to know about myself and my personal history."

Richard grins down at me. "Well, maybe it'll help other people keep up."

I shrug. "I don't know... But what I do know is, I'm so not looking forward to another airplane trip. Won't it look suspicious that we're flying to Italy?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, what if airport security becomes convinced that we're, I don't know, drug dealers for the mafia or something?"

Richard laughs. "I doubt that. Maybe we're just on a family reunion trip."

I sigh, putting my head down against his chest. "After this is over, I think I may want to take a year off..."

Richard tilts my chin up. "You sure?"

I shake my head. "I'm not sure of anything anymore."

. . .

We're all on the next plane to Italy, and do most of the planning from the first-class section, which Carlisle booked for us in full. The flight was nearly twelve hours, and my anxiety grew as we crossed the ocean and closer to danger. I practiced keeping my shield up but, in so doing, cut myself off from Jasper's emotion manipulation, so I had to keep feeling anxious despite myself. Even though I had Richard by my side to comfort me, it didn't seem to do any good. Part of me felt as if I was going to Italy to die, and I did not want to die; I was not ready to die; I would never be ready to die.

I straightened in my seat when the pilot informed all of us that we were making our descent into Italy, and my heart yearned to just be an insignificant vampire tourist. But no; I was there to prove to Aro that, despite creating me, he was not in control of my life. My life was mine, and I would not willingly hand it over to him, even though, because of him, I now had these exceptional abilities. Biting my lip as we landed in Pisa—the closest airport to Volterra, at just over an hour away. I gripped Richard's hand as we all of us got off the plane and crossed my fingers that our plan would ultimately work.

After grabbing our luggage from baggage claim, we went to the car rental establishment where Carlisle had called ahead for a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban, which would, thankfully, accommodate all of us and our luggage. After Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Richard, and Edward put the luggage in the trunk, Carlisle and Esme took the front seats, while Rosalie and Emmett sat in the first sets, Alice and Jasper took the second, and Bella, Edward, Richard, and I piled into the four-seater back. I had the first seat in, with Richard and Edward in the center, and Bella on the other end; I kept to myself during the drive, barely looking at the Italian landscape as we drove closer and closer to the city.

Once we'd arrived, Carlisle parked close by the entrance of the Volturi's castle, and we all managed to pile out of the car in one piece. We'd perfected the plan to a T; Carlisle and Esme would go inside and request an audience with Aro, thus gaining access due to Carlisle's long-standing friendship with Aro. Next, Rosalie would use her beauty to entice the guards, while Emmett would beat anyone up who got in our way. Edward, Jasper, and Bella would follow, Edward reading the minds of the potentially dangerous ones, while Jasper would manipulate their emotions accordingly, and Bella would shield them, and Carlisle and Esme once their first task was done. Alice would be staying behind with me, telling me of the progress, while Richard would sneak in last and obliterate all memories Aro had of ordering Alice to give him her memories of past, present, and future, while I would stay a safe distance away.

With everyone's task presented, Carlisle and Esme headed inside, and Rosalie and Emmett waited for Alice to tell them to move. It came a few moment later, and I watched as Jasper kept Alice calm, and Edward and Bella simply held each other, as Richard and I were doing. It was a moment of truth for our coven, and I knew that we had to pull this off just right, or there really would be two options for the rest of us—deemed valuable enough for Aro to keep—forever.

"Now," Alice says, and kisses Jasper before he follows Edward and Bella inside the massive fortress that the Volturi call home.

"I'm scared," I whisper to Richard as Alice concentrates.

"Don't be. We're all capable of pulling this off," Richard assures me. "We're all quite powerful in our own ways." He cups my face. "Remember this, Beth, no matter what happens, I love you."

"I love you," I reply, standing on my toes and kissing him.

"Now, Richard," Alice says, and, with a final kiss, my husband goes off into the fortress, leaving me alone with Alice.

"I'm sorry," I tell her softly.

"You're sorry? For what?" Alice asks.

I shrug. "I don't know—everything. I'm sorry that I had to survive the transformation process because, if I hadn't, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Alice smiles, reaching out and taking my hand. "If you hadn't survived the transformation, I wouldn't have gained another sister."

"You have two sisters," I protest. "What's one more?"

"I love Rosalie and Bella, of course, but they're not you, Beth. And you're an amazing sister, despite your lack of practice."

"I have a sister," I remind her.

"Yes, but now she's your daughter," she replies.

I nod. "Right," I reply, now reminding myself I have something further to worry about. "I just want this to be over..."

Alice tenses then, and she shakes her head. "They're onto us!" she cries, reaching out and gripping my hand. "Alec... His smoke! I think he's gotten stronger!"

"Stronger?!" I demand, looking around. "How?!"

"He's obliterating my vision! I can't see!" Alice cries. "Beth, you've got to do something!"

Instantly, I focus all my energy and project my shield so that I can feel it enclosing around myself and Alice. "Better?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes... But we need to get in there. I can see inside, but not everyone," she says, and locks her eyes to mine. "Something's not right."

I reach out and grip her hand. "Let's go, then," I say, and we take off inside. I quickly see that there are no guards about as we head underground, and Alice whispers that she saw Emmett taking care of them physically, while Jasper did so emotionally. As we near what Alice calls the throne room, I can hear Carlisle and Esme speaking, and then the peppy reply of an unknown vampire, yet so familiar.

"It's so wonderful to have you here, Carlisle—and a surprise visit!"

"I figured it was about time," Carlisle replies. "Esme said that she wanted to go to Europe again, so we figured, why not come to Italy to see our old friends?"

"Simply delightful," Aro says, and Alice and I manage to peek in through the massive curtains, and dart in when he is distracted by Carlisle's clothing. "A new shirt, Carlisle?" he asks, sounding genuinely curious.

"Yes. Esme picked it out," Carlisle replies.

"Caius and Marcus are gone," Alice barely whispers. "Seems as if they've been taken care of—they're never not around Aro."

Bella suddenly appears at our side. "Richard's just going into position..."

"Something's wrong," Alice says firmly. "Beth, it's on the other side of the thrones, but I can't see it. Bella, shield me. Beth, go and investigate."

I move to do so, walking silently along the stone wall, as Carlisle and Esme pretend not to look shocked at my presence. I lift a finger to my lips, diving behind the throne, and what I see next causes my jaw to drop. The being before me is clearly a vampire, and she smiles as she takes me in for the first time, before flitting behind a curtain, out of the room, and I rush to follow her.

"So nice to finally meet your better acquaintance, Elizabeth Cullen," says the vampire in a coy tone of voice. She is blonde, platinum blonde, and her eyes are a bright red, a sharp contrast to her pale skin, the palest I've ever encountered on a female vampire. "Jacinda Volturi. How do you do?" she asks, and smiles; it's almost as if her fangs have been expertly filed down to points.

"You're the blind spot," I say; I'm guessing, but she was behind the thrones, and could conceivably been the blind spot to which Alice was referring.

She smiles. "I possess a great many talents," she replies.

"Such as?" I ask her.

"Well, for starters, I'm a Mind Walker," she replies easily. "I can mentally go into someone else's mind and seemingly walk around their thoughts. Never with you, though, or that fellow brunette sister of yours—fairly closed off pair, aren't you?"

I shrug. "It's a talent," I reply.

She laughs. "I also possess Remote Telepathy," she continues.

"What?" I ask.

"No matter where you are in the world, I can communicate with you, but, again, not with you, as you're so closed off. Pity; Aro would have wanted me to speak more with another of his creations."

"He created you, then?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yes. I couldn't pay off my student loans and I was studying here abroad. I knew that the Volturi were great, non-human beings..."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I was getting a degree in mythology," she replies, as if I am stupid. "That's how I knew, you silly little girl."

"My apologies," I reply levelly. "But that can't be all you do."

"I have Metapathy," she replies. Before I can ask, she says, "I can read, sense, communicate with, and control an infinite number of minds across all universes, planes, and dimensions," she boasts proudly.

"Except mine."

Jacinda looks hurt by this. "Yes. Except yours."

"When were you created?" I ask her.

"Four years ago..."

"Which makes me the stronger one—and the one in control."

Her eyes widen. "You have the advantage, but..."

Immediately, I take a pillar from the wall with my mind, sharpening it with my mind's eye and manage to jam it directly into Jacinda's heart. I smile then, walking towards her slowly and make my way over to her head. "You may have caused a blind spot for my sister, but you instilled fear in us as a family. And now, little Jacinda, you shall pay." I take ahold of her head and, despite her protests, manage to yank it completely off her body. I grab a standing torch from a few feet away and burn her body quickly, and step away from there, shaking my head.

"Beth."

I turn then and see Richard, shock in his face. "That was the blind spot."

"What?"

I step forward. "Jacinda was the one behind everything, Richard. She was a Mind Walker and possessed Metapathy. She could invade our minds and control an infinite number of minds as she saw fit. Don't you see?" I ask him, stepping forward. "Now we are free. Let's go get the others and leave this place."

Richard pulls me to him then and kisses me. "I've silenced Aro's memories to his dealings with Alice, and the rest of the guards are subdued due to everyone's help. We must hurry, however, Beth. If we don't, we could be discovered. This way." He leads me down a darkened hallway and we burst outside; seeing the sun, I quickly manipulate the clouds to form cloud cover, and we turn around the bend. Stopping just short of the turn, Richard lifts his hand towards the fortress, and quickly tells me that he's obliterating all memories of the Volturi having known Jacinda, and having then merely think she is just a vampire who committed a treasonable act. Catching sight of everyone, we step forward, just as the doors open, and two small children come out.

I manage to grip Richard's hand, positioning myself in front of him as the two children walk towards the rest of the Cullen's, and as we ourselves step forward. Knowing instinctively that these must be Jane and Alec, I know I must keep on my guard. Nodding to Bella, we will be prepared at a moment's notice to shield our family from their abilities.

"Aro heard you were here," Jane says, and her eyes flash to me and to Richard, suddenly joining them. "Oh. Who do we have here?"

"No one," I say, smiling at Jane and Alec, and squeezing Richard's hand. Turning, I see my husband's eyes narrowing ever so slightly, and Jane and Alec proceed to look confused, before turning around and walking back inside the fortress.

Quickly, we turn away then and make our way down the stone hill towards our rented car, ready to return it and to get out of Italy as soon as possible. As we walk, Jasper tells Carlisle that perhaps we should not speak or communicate with the Volturi for a considerable amount of time. I remember Jasper telling me that his own creator, Maria, was still alive but, due to their differences on how life should be lived, Jasper had told her to stay away. I thought that, perhaps, if we kept to our own sides of the globe, things would become easier for everyone in turn.

We drive back to the airport, not stopping for anything or anyone and return our car quickly and quietly as we'd gotten it. I think that we were all in shock, that our plan had worked; as we boarded the next available flight to Seattle—first-class again—I sat with Richard, resting my head upon his shoulder. I wanted to sleep, but I knew that even that was something that couldn't be done. As we rose into the air, I took his hand and he turned to look at me.

"I don't want to go to Oxford."

Richard raises his eyebrows. "No?"

"No." I shake my head. "I just want to be a mom and a wife right now. I mean, I know it was my dream, but I have a new dream."

He smiles. "Really?"

I nod. "Yes. I love you, and the kids, more than anything. I almost lost everything I cared about today, and for what—a chance to live forever. That's the whole point of this, Richard, we have forever. So, if we were to go to Oxford in a year or five years or fifty it wouldn't make a difference to me. If you're there with me, right by my side, because I can't live without you, I can't."

Richard smiles. "You sure you won't get tired of me?"

"Well, I know of a good lawyer if the going gets tough," I reply, and we share a laugh between ourselves. "The point is, Oxford can wait. Now that we're free from the notion that Aro will come after us..." I shrug. "Life is limitless."

"I guess we should get a move on enrolling Sarah in school..."

"Rosalie will love having the kids around," I say to him. "And, who knows? Maybe we will move out on our own one day. But for now, with that beautiful, sound-proofed bedroom that we have yet to use, I'm pretty happy."

"It's a little thing, Beth."

"No," I reply, shaking my head. "Given the way I was raised, being happy is everything. I went to bed at night feeling alone and afraid and I knew that, if I didn't keep my feelings in check, then I had to worry about what came in the morning. Now, I don't have to worry about a thing, because things are different. I have the man I love by my side, and three children who love me at home. That's all I ever wanted."

"And having us forever..."

"Having you forever," I clarify. "Remember, we can't tell the kids about our world under any circumstances. Unless they somehow know the information, and then we'll have to turn them or kill them. It's the law," I say brokenly.

"Aren't laws made to be broken?" Richard asks.

I shake my head. "Not this one." I drop my head onto his shoulder, remaining silent for the rest of the flight. I wish again that sleep could happen, but it doesn't, and I merely shut my eyes when darkness overtakes my airplane window. I barely am aware of it when the plane pilot tells us that we're landing in Seattle, and I remember coming from LAX to Seattle to live with my dad, so long ago now...

. . .

"Great reading," says a voice like bells and, as I raise my eyes, make eye contact with a rather striking young couple. "I like Austen, too, but my favorite is Wuthering Heights. I hope you've read that one."

I nod. "Yes. One of my favorites since I was twelve."

The woman smiles and sits beside me. "Bella," she says, putting out her hand.

"Edward, the husband," says the man beside her jokingly.

I put out my hand. "Beth," I tell them.

"Which part are you at?" Bella wants to know.

"The Netherfield Park ball," I reply.

"A classic scene," Edward says admiringly.

"Where are you going?" Bella questions politely.

"Ultimately, Forks," I say softly. "You've probably never heard of it—one of the smallest places on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State."

"We've heard of it," Edward tells me.

"Why are you going there?" Bella wants to know.

"My father, I'm moving in with him," I tell her. "My mother's boyfriend is this actor and he's shooting in Tuscany of all places. I told my mom to stop feeling the need to stay with me and to go off and be with him. So, here I am, in LAX, waiting for my flight to Seattle, so that I can get to Forks, Washington."

"What does your father do there?" Bella asks.

"He's the fire chief," I reply.

Bella raises her perfect eyebrows. "No way! My father is Charlie, the police chief. As luck would have it, they're quite close. I know there's the old stereotype of firemen and police officers being at odds with one another, but that isn't the case. They've known each other for years. In fact, he's my father's closest friend in Forks."

"Seriously?" I ask, shocked.

She nods. "Yes. Chief Christopher Partridge. My in-laws and I know him well."

"Quite well," Edward puts in.

Seeing that I'm still skeptical, Bella pulls out her Driver's License. "We're law families, after all," she tells me, handing it over.

On it is printed ISABELLA M. CULLEN, and I assume she's taken Edward's name, due to the police chief's surname being Swan. "What does the 'M' stand for?" I ask, curious, as I quickly skim through the rest of her information as I hand it back to her.

"Marie," Edward answers for her.

"We could give you a ride to town, if you want," Bella says politely. "Edward kept his car at SeaTac."

"Mind if I call my dad first?" I ask her.

She smiles. "Not at all."

. . .

"Beth."

I am summoned back to my vampire life as my husband gently pulls me up from my first-class seat on the airplane. We make our way off the plane and to baggage claim, collecting our luggage and heading to the parking lot. We each get into our respective vehicles and driving back to Forks in a manner most inconspicuous.

Arriving back, we'd decided not to tell the kids that we'd gone to Italy, and Karen had agreed to keep up the ruse of a family emergency. She said goodbye to all of us and soon was gone, just as Sarah bounded downstairs and jumped into my arms. She clamored on and on about how much she'd missed me and her father, and I found myself delighted to call this little girl mine.

"Do you like presents, Sarah?" I asked her.

At once, her eyes light up. "Yes, Mama."

I set her down and reach into the bag of gifts, neglected on a couch by the window. I produce a lovely new little dress for her, and she squeals at the leopard print. It has no sleeves and a pink ribbon around the waist, and Alice quickly grabs the camera and takes some shots of our daughter.

Next, Rosalie's gift of a lovely piece of South American jewelry, which is a lovely diadem that I saw in an antique store. Rosalie's eyes widen as she tries it on, and even Emmett looks impressed with it.

For Emmett, we got one of those elaborately painted skulls, which we'd bought off a little street vendor in one of the towns we'd visited.

For Jasper, a hand-woven messenger bag which he'd promise to use whenever he had an important assignment which required paperwork.

For Alice, a sumptuous beaded hat which she surprisingly loved and proceeded to parade around with it with Rosalie.

For Esme, a trio of vases with ornate designs on all of them, and she was so taken with them and decided to pot flowers in all three of them straightaway.

For Carlisle, a South American chess set, which was much more colorful than the classic one he had, and I knew that it would mainly serve as a decoration piece, but he seemed to be touched by the gift.

For Edward, a small decorative statue that was rumored to be of a Rice God; I'd loved the seriousness of the little stone piece, and it had reminded me of my brother so well that I had to buy it for him.

And for Bella, a copy of The Merchant of Venice; even though it was not my book to return, I'd asked Edward if Bella missed the book and got it for her on his say-so.

Since it was late, Sarah was due for her bedtime story, and I took her hand and lead her up the stairs and into her bedroom. I instructed her to change for bed, and she did so willingly, and I found it was much easier when she did things freely. I took a book from her shelf and read it to her, before switching off her main light and leaving her bedside table lamp on, and watched her for a moment.

"Mama?"

"Yeah, honey?" I ask her.

She opens her wide eyes to me. "Are we going away again?"

I smile and shake my head at her. "No, honey. Daddy and I talked it over, and with Grandpa and Grandma, and all your aunts and uncles, and it's been decided that we're all going to live here for a while."

"No college?"

I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Not for a while, honey, no."

"Why?"

"Well, that's a complicated conversation."

"Is it because you like being home?"

I find myself smiling again. "That's one of the reasons, yes."

"What's another reason?"

"Well, another reason is I love being your mom, and Lucas's mom, and Francis's mom so much that I want more time with you."

"Aunt Rosalie has helped you a lot," Sarah says.

I nod. "Yes, she has."

"Do you want her to keep helping you?"

"Do you like it when she plays with you?" I ask.

Sarah nods. "Yes. She's nice. She lets me be the princess."

I lean down and kiss her forehead again. "You are a princess, sweetheart. But right now, it's very late, and even princesses need their sleep."

"Okay, Mama. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," I say, walking over to the door.

"Mama?"

"Yes?" I ask, turning around.

"I love you," she says, smiling at me.

I smile back at my daughter. "I love you, too, sweetheart. See you in the morning," I say, turning off her main light and shutting the door.