Evelyn had always hated plane rides. She hated the noise, the people, the endless waiting and the monotony of it all.

However, the fact that she was sitting mere inches from Jasper Hale put this at the top of her list of worst flights she had ever been on.

She kept her eyes focused straight ahead on the seat where she knew Bella was likely losing her mind thinking about Edward. Her fists were clenched in her lap and she was pointedly avoiding looking to her right, where an equally uncomfrotable vampire sat with his eyes fixed longingly on the side of her face. Evelyn was mentally cursing Alice for taking the seat next to Bella and forcing her to endure the longest flight of her life next to the last person that she would want to spend it with.

"Evelyn?" Jasper tried tentatvely, his voice soft as he implored her to look at him.

The girl sighed, closing her eyes. "What?"

"I understand that you don't want to talk to me, but perhaps you could just listen to me for a few moments," he suggested, fighting the urge to wince at the tone she was using with him. "There's a lot that I think we need to discuss... about us."

Evelyn frowned, shaking her head in bewilderment. "Us? Jasper, there is no us anymore. You made sure of that." She sighed, knowing that her words cut deep but not finding it in herself to care. "And I don't think that now is the best time, considering your brother is about to try and get himself killed all the way across the world."

"Well then when would be a good time?" Jasper argued. "Because in case you misunderstood me earlier, we are not guaranteed to make it out of Volterra alive, either." When he only saw the frown lines in her face grow deeper, he groaned in frustration. "Evelyn, all I'm want to do is try to help you understand why I did what I did."

At this, Evelyn opened her eyes only to narrow them at the blond beside her. "There is nothing left for me to understand. You made it crystal clear that you didn't want anything to do with me when you left. I'm done talking about this, Jasper. I moved on."

He knew she was lying because he could sense her feelings for him simmering beneath the surface of her frustration. Still, her words cut deep, though he knew he deserved it. He deserved every bit of anger and hatred she threw at him.

"Clearly," Jasper said, knowing that what he was about to say would only piss her off more but choosing to say it anyway. "Judging by the scene I walked into at your house earlier, you've moved on just fine." In part he was upset with her for not giving him a chance to speak openly, but he also was curious as to how deep her relationship with the other vampire went.

A strangled sound escaped from Evelyn's throat as she narrowed her eyes at him savagely. "You have no right," she hissed. "You have no idea what you're talking about! And you don't even know him, Jasper. I don't see how you can make a judgment so quick other than the fact that you are acting like a child. I don't have to talk about this with you. In fact, I don't even know why I'm telling you anything in the first place!" She gripped the arm rests beside her, knuckles turning white as she fought the urge to strangle him herself. Why did he make her so angry?

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, Evelyn staring straight ahead with her fists clenched silently seething. Just being near him was making her so angry and flustered, and she didn't want to be distracted from the situation at hand by her unresolved feelings for the man beside her.

Jasper shifted, leaning down closer to her ear so that he could speak only to her. "You're right," he said softly, his cool breath tickling her skin. Still, she refused to meet his eyes. "I'm not being fair to you, and I'm sorry. I just... when I saw you with him, I didn't know what to do. I left, and you moved on with your life. I can't be upset with you for that."

"But Evelyn, I have to tell you that I think he's hiding something. I can't really explain what, but I could sense a fear, almost of being discovered, when I was near him earlier. It was very strange. I just don't want you to get hurt if he's keeping secrets from you."

Evelyn considered his words carefully. She didn't want to admit it, but she had noticed Will's odd behavior that night. She thought it unusual that he was so adamant that she not go to Volterra, even more so than Jasper. He had claimed that it was because he was worried, but he had also lied to her about Jasper being back in town. She could not rule out the possibility that he could be hiding something else from her, too.

"Maybe," she conceded. "But he's also my friend, Jasper. He could be just worried."

Jasper sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know, Ev. I just don't trust him."

Her heart began beating just a little bit faster at the way her nickname sounded coming from his lips. She hated that he still had such an effect on her,"You don't know him," Evelyn countered. "Look, I don't want to argue with you anymore. Let's just focus on saving Edward and not dying in the process, okay?"

***

The Italian morning sun was warm on Evelyn's skin as she, Bella, and Jasper waited outside of the airport for Alice to return with a car. Jasper stood in the shade near the entrance, careful to avoid the sun which would expose his true nature to the idle travellers milling around them.

Evelyn chewed her lip as she dialed Leah Clearwater's number for the third time since they had landed. This time, the call went straight to voicemail.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, turning her phone off and shoving it into her pocket. She did not even bother listening to the five voicemails that she had from Marie. She knew that she would get an earful from her when she came home, especially after the brief text message she had sent her saying that she was going to Italy to help Edward and leaving it at that.

"Was that Marie?" Bella asked from beside her, her arms crossed tightly against her chest as she stared at each car driving by, likely hoping each one would be Alice. Bella had been understandably quiet the whole trip so far, worrying over whether or not Edward would survive the day. Though Evelyn would say she hated Jasper for what he had done, she knew that she would be just as scared were he in the same position. Even the thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, I tried Leah again. I feel so bad, Bella. Her dad just died and as her friend I feel like I should be there for her."

"I'm sure she'll understand, Ev. You can't be two places at once and be there for more than one person, too."

"I know, but I promised her I would be there for her. You didn't hear her when I talked to her earlier. She sounded so... lost."

Evelyn glanced back at Jasper then, both wishing she could walk over to him so he would wrap his arms around her to comfort her and that she had never seen him again. The duality was infuriating and seemed to get worse the longer that she was around him. His dark golden eyes met hers immediately, pouring into hers just as they had always done. She sucked in a breath and looked away, shaking her head.

After a few moments of silence, Bella glanced up at her friend with questioning eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell me that Will was a vampire?"

The question made Evelyn's breath catch in her throat. "I--"

But she could not finish the sentence. Why had she kept it from her? At first she told herself it was for Bella's protection, and perhpas it was in a small part. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had wanted to keep it to herself. She had needed something that was hers and hers alone, something to help her heal, and Will had provided that for her.

"I wasn't sure how you would react. With all of the other things you were doing," Evelyn decided on finally, knowing that Bella would understand her reference to all the reckless decisions that she had made in Edward's absence. "I didn't want to give you false hope."

"You care about him," Bella said finally, but Evelyn could tell that her firend was still hurt that she had not shared Will's secret with her. Though there was so much more to the story than that, there was no time to explain. Especially not today. Evelyn could only nod in response, pointedly avoiding Jasper's gaze which she knew was on her face.

They were saved from another awkward silence by the roar of an engine barreling towards them. A bright yellow Porsche came screeching to a halt in front of them, Alice sticking her delicate head out of the window. "We have to hurry, there's not much time. Get in."

The sun had just been covered by passing clouds, giving Jasper the perfect opportunity to stride across the pavement and meet them at the car. Bella wasted no time, flinging herself into the front seat beside Alice and leaving Jasper and Evelyn to scramble into the back. Evelyn avoided Jasper's eyes as he held the door open for her, sliding into the backseat as quickly as she could. Alice was already flying down the road towards the Italian countryside before Jasper even managed to close the door behind him.

"Where'd you get the car?" Evelyn asked breathlessly, her heart beginning to pound as she watched the landscape fly by outside the car.

Alice weaved in and out of traffic effortlessly, never once slowing down. She turned and offered the girl a small smile. "I figured no one here would be opposed to grand theft auto."

"Not today," Bella agreed. She looked like she was about to throw up. Evelyn reached across the center console and squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Bella offered her a small smile in return, turning back to Alice. "How long will it take to get there?"

"Maybe an hour? But nothing has changed yet, we should make it on time." Alice gave Bella a reassuring smile to appease her, but Evelyn could sense the uncertainty in her voice. She exchanged a glance with Jasper, and by the look in his eyes she knew that he had sensed it, too.

Evelyn swallowed hard, leaning back against the seat and staring at the ceiling of the car. Why did Edward have to be so careless? She idly thought that he and Bella were meant for eachother considering they both have chosen to do reckless and idiotic things in the name of the other. Still, she was worried for him like he was her own brother, and she prayed that they would make it to Volterra in time to save him.

A half hour had passed when Alice's eyes suddenly went blank, the tell-tale sign that she was experiencing a vision. Bella was on high alert immediately.

"What? Alice, what did you see?" Her voice trembled in fear as she spoke. The pixie-like vampire's face contorted with worry and concern, her hands visibly tightening on the steering wheel.

Alice shook her head, her eyes refocsuing as she processed the vision. "They refused him," she said in disbelief. "So he's going to make a scene... show himself to the humans."

"He's going to force the Volturi's hand," Jasper realized, eyes wide as he looked between Alice and Evelyn. "He's determined to give them a reason to kill him."

"When?" Evelyn asked, sitting up and leaning forward immediately. "How much time do we have?"

Alice met her eyes briefly in the rearview mirror before speaking. "He's going to wait until noon, when the sun will be at its highest. Then--" she cut off suddenly, her breath catching, and all three of them knew what she was implying.

All four of them glanced at the clock on the dashboard. A large pit in Evelyn's stomach began forming as she realized what little time they had. Bella groaned, bracing herself against the glovebox. "Alice, you gotta hurry up. Can we go any faster?"

"There's Volterra," Jasper said from the backseat, pointing towards the looming city on the hill a few miles ahead of them. All of them breathed a collective sigh of relief, but the moment was short lived. They still had mere minutes to save Edward from himself, and as they drove further and further into the picturesque town, crowds of people began to form. Alice was aggressively blaring the horn as they passed, urging the crowd of people in strange crimson cloaks to move aside. Even then, it seemed that they could not get out of the way fast enough.

"Why are they all in red?" Evelyn asked, turning to Jasper. He was watching the humans with an unamused, almost irritated gaze. His eyes softened as they met hers.

"It's for the St. Marcus day festival," he said, dropping his voice low so that it seemed like they were having a private conversation. "They're celebrating the expulsion of vampires from the city." He shook his head, a sarcastic laugh falling from his lips. "Ironic, isn't it, considering vampire royalty has always resided here."

"So it's the perfect setting for him," Evelyn realized, her heartbeat quickening as she glanced at the clock once more. "They'll all see him."

Alice shook her head in front of her. "The Volturi will never let him get far enough to reveal himself. There's too much at stake for them."

"We have five minutes," Bella choked out, pulling her hair tightly as she rested her hands on her temples.

"I know, Bella. Just breathe," Alice soothed, though Evelyn knew the vampire was just as worried as Bella was.

Evelyn looked at Jasper once more, a silent question in her eyes. Will we make it in time? His eyes were sad, his face hard as stone as he shook his head.

"I don't know," he breathed finally, his fists clenching on his thighs as he considered the possibility that he would be losing his brother today. It was not something he was looking forward to, to say the least.

Though she was still so incredibly angry with him, she could see the pain and worry in his face. Gently, she reached over and placed her hand on his. The cold of his skin always managed to surprise her, but she didn't pull her hand away. Carefully, Jasper turned his wrist and tangled his fingers with hers. He relished the warmth of her soft hand in his; it was something that he never thought he would feel again. The pair locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. Everything had changed, and there was so much pain and so many words left unsaid, but right now that didn't matter. She was there for him and he for her, and in this moment that was good enough.

Suddenly, the car came squealing to a stop at a crossroads in the middle of the city. The roads had been blocked off by the local police, and no vehicles were getting through. Throngs of people waited for them beyond the barricades, making it nearly impossible to see where the roads led beyond their line of sight.

Bella immediately jumped out of the car, Evelyn moving to follow suit. However, she was stopped by Jasper's iron grip on her wrist.

"Wait," he said, his eyes urging her to sit down. "We have to think this through. We can't all just go running in there to stop him."

Bella groaned in frustration. "There's no time! We have to go now before it's too late!"

"Bella, you're the only one he can't see coming," Alice explained. "If we go, he'll read our thoughts and think we're lying to try and save him. He'll just rush into it."

Bella shook her head aggressively. "What if I can't make it by myself? What if I'm too late?"

"I'll go with you," Evelyn told her, attempting once again to step out of the car. Again, Jasper held her back.

"No," he said, his voice strained. "I can't put you at risk like that. You can't get that close to the Volturi."

"He won't expect me to be here, would he? He wouldn't expect you both to have gone to Forks to get me just to save him. And if Bella was dead, I would be home with Charlie, not here. Maybe it will make him pause, even for a moment. That's all we need." Her voice was pleading, begging him to understand.

"It could work," Alice said, turning in the seat to Jasper. "Jazz, he's our brother. We have to try."

More than anything, Jasper wanted to pull Evelyn back into the car and get as far away from the Volturi as possible. But he also knew that he could never forgive himself if he let Edward die today. So with a heavy heart, he turned to Evelyn and nodded.

"Be careful," he said, his voice pained as he released her arm from his grasp. "We'll meet you as soon as we can."

"I will be," she breathed, nodding once before throwing herself out of the car. Together with Bella, they took off into the enormous crowd of people, disappearing into the sea of bright crimson cloaks.

Evelyn had to fight back a wave of claustrophoia as she and Bella fought through the hundreds of people crowding the streets of Volterra. As time ticked down and they got closer to the clocktower, all Evelyn could focus on was the screaming of her thoughts in her head. She had to make Edward hear her. She's alive! Bella is alive! She's here with me! She's alive! She's alive! Don't do this, Edward!

The thoughts played like a tape on repeat in her head as she and Bella rushed through what seemed like endless throngs of people. They both were getting strange looks and rude comments for pushing and shoving people out of the way, but at the moment neither of them cared. Just ahead of them, the clocktower had finally come into view.

Edward! Bella's alive! Edward, just stop and listen to me, for god's sake! Bella is alive!

In the darkness beneath the tower, Edward Cullen was preparing to meet death after all these years of this cursed existince. He began to unbutton the buttons on his shirt, praying to whatever God there may be that he would be able to see his mate, his Bella, after it was all over.

Edward! Edward, stop! Bella is alive!

The words were so loud in his head that it was as if someone were shouting directly into his ear. He stepped back in shock, eyes wide as he scanned the crowd of people before him. He knew that mental voice all too well, but he couldn't believe that Evelyn would travel all this way to save him.

He knew that if she was here, she would say anything to stop him from fulfilling his plans. But he also knew that if Bella were truly dead, she would not be here in Italy trying to save him. Still, he was apprehensive; he knew that his siblings would likely try anything to stop him from dying today.

And yet, the sound of her thoughts made him curious. What if Bella was still alive? He began frantically searching the crowd, willing Bella or Evelyn to appear so that they could explain. Rosalie had told him that his mate had died not twenty four hours ago, but could she be wrong? He had to know.

Bella let out a terrified shriek as the clocktower began to bellow, the tolls echoing through the square. Noon had come, which meant that they could be too late.

Due to her height, Evelyn spotted Edward under the shade of the tower just across the square. "Over there," she yelled, pointing so that Bella could see. The pair took off across the square, Evelyn leaping onto the edge of the fountain and using it to get to the tower faster. Bella followed suit, both of them powering through the exhaustion and breathlessness to get to the vampire in time.

"Edward, stop!" Evelyn shouted from the fountain ledge, ignoring the odd looks that some of the festival goers gave her. His confused golden eyes met hers, and all she could do was point to Bella, who was mere seconds away from barreling full speed inot his chest. Evelyn could see Edward's eyes widen, and then suddenly Bella was there to engulf him in a frantic embrace.

His arms were around her instantly, and Evelyn slowed as she stepped off of the fountain to meet them under the tower to let them have this moment together. Her lungs burned as she gasped for breath, and she willed her heartbeat to slow as adrenaline was still pumping through her veins. Edward was safe now, and that was all that mattered.

As she walked, she noticed a young girl peering curiously around her mother at Edward, who was mere inches away from being in direct sunlight. She stepped into her view of the couple, making sure that the child's attention was fully on the festival before she turned to follow Bella and Edward deeper into the alcove under the tower. She carefully shut the giant oak door behind her to prevent any prying eyes or ears from seeing them.

Bella had tears in her eyes as she held Edward in her arms. "You had to know I was alive so you didn't have to feel guilty about anything. I can let you go, now." Her voice shook as she spoke, and Evelyn paused a few feet away so as not to interrupt them.

Edward shook his head, tracing his fingers gently down her cheek. "I never acted out of guilt. I just couldn't live in a world where you don't exist."

"But all the things you said--"

"I lied," Edward argued, his face pained. "I had to lie, and you believed me so easily."

Lied? Evelyn blinked, confusion flashing across her face. He lied? After all this time, after all of the pain, and it was all based on a lie?

"Bella," he continued, holding her close. "You're everything to me. You're everything." He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, relishing in it because he never thought he would get the chance to do so again.

After a moment, Evelyn looked up to see Edward walking towards her. She offered him a small smile, but was surprised when the vampire swept her into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you," Edward breathed into her ear, his voice cracking just slightly. "Thank you for everything, Evelyn."

Evelyn smiled as she stretched up onto her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, so incdrebily grateful that she could still hug him after the chaos of the past day. "You know I would do anything for you," she said, squeezing him as tight as she could. "But I'll kill you myself if you ever pull some dumb shit like this again."

Edward's barking laugh in her ear made her heart swell, and she finally realized how much she had missed him. They pulled away then, the two sharing a look before Bella joined them. He was about to respond when the sound of large doors opening down the hall pulled all three's attention to the two large vampires strolling towards them. Evelyn swallowed hard when she noticed their crimson eyes and long, billowing black cloaks. Shit.

Edward stiffened, pulling Bella tightly against him and shifting so that Evelyn was slightly behind him. "I won't be needing your services today after all, gentlemen."

The taller vampire smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. "Aro wishes to speak with you again."

Edward frowned, cocking his head. "No laws were broken."

"Nevertheless," the other one said, his eyes sweeping over the two human girls. "We should take this conversation to a more appropriate venue." His lips twitched up into a dark smirk.

"Fine," Edward agreed, turning to the girls. "Bella, Evelyn, why don't you go back out and enjoy the festival?"

"The girls come with us," the second vampire said, his eyes settling darkly on Evelyn. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but she did not avert her eyes. She sensed that he wanted her to do so; he liked making people feel afraid. The other vampire was looking at Edward with raised eyebrows, almost daring him to refuse their command.

Edward was seething. "No. You can go to hell."

Just as the two vampires stepped forward to grab them, the lock on the door behind them clattered to the floor. The door opened to reveal Alice and Jasper as they quickly stepped through the doorway. Jasper immediately flitted to Evelyn's side, drawing her into his arms protectively as he glared at the two vampires before them. She bristled slightly at his touch, but she had to admit that she did feel safer with him there.

Alice stepped forward, a cheery smile on her perfect red lips. "C'mon, guys," she said brightly. "It's a festival. We wouldn't want to cause a scene, would we?"

Realizing they were outnumbered, the two crimson-eyed vampires exchanged a wary look. Finally, the taller one offered Alice an obviously fake smile. "No, we wouldn't"

"Enough," a soft but powerful voice spoke from behind them. A small vampire, even smaller than Alice, appeared at the end of the hallway. She removed her black hood to reveal a head of platinum blonde hair as she glided towards them, her ruby red eyes shining in the dim light.

"Jane," Edward greeted, but Evelyn did not miss the way that he, Alice, and Jasper avoided her eyes. She followed suit, keeping her eyes anywhere but Jane's face.

She eyed the group warily, as if she were bored. "Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." She glanced over each one again, before turning on her heel and walking back the way she came. Immediately, everyone began to follow her back down the hallway. Evelyn had to force her legs to move; she had a gut feeling that wherever they were going would not be pleasant.

Jasper squeezed her waist comfortingly as they walked, but by the tension she could feel in his body she knew that he was just as worried as she was.

They began to descend an ancient looking staircase, making Evelyn feel like she was walking into a dungeon.

Jasper leaned down close to Evelyn's face, wrapping his arm tighter around her. "We're going to be okay. I promise."

She wanted to believe him, she really did. But as she stared at the backs of the unfamiliar vampires as they descended deeper underground, she didn't think that she could.

All she could do was nod. Whatever would happen now was out of their control.