Another Chance

Author: JanJiz

Chapter 1 - New Arrival

Forks, Washington was my escape. Little did I know that it was the best decision I had ever made.

I moved here just last night. I really needed try something different, go back to school and maybe make my existence worth living. I chose to stay in an apartment instead of a house, not because it was less expensive or anything, just because the atmosphere was much nicer. Like this morning, I walked out of my apartment to start my first day at school where on the way I passed a few of my neighbors, such lovely people. The girl next door was walking her two 8 year old twin girls with curly golden locks to the school bus waiting downstairs. The biggest smile was on the mothers face, so full of life, so proud. She was so beautiful. A few doors down, an older man walking towards me to visit an older woman across the hall, his eyes so much full of love. Something I desperately wished for, longed for. On the lower level, a few teens who I assume attend Forks High as well, met to greet each other, excited for the new school year.

Once outside, an array of flowers and trees surrounded the complex. The biggest of all the trees around was just by where one of my apartment’s windows is. It looks like a very peaceful place. I made a mental note to climb it later. It might make a good place to sit and read at times.

I walked a few paces and reached my beautiful new Audi TT Roadster.*** I don’t know much about cars but all I know is that it’s beautiful, black paint with tan leather interior, and it drove fast. It was a going away gift from a friend. She really didn’t want me to leave but I needed this.

I got in and drove way over the speed limit and got to school pretty early. I was one of the first to get there. I parked in the middle of the parking lot and decided just to sit there for awhile until the students started to show up.

After about 15 minutes, the lot was pretty much full. Just as I was getting out of my car a strange stocky boy was lingering in front of me. He was about 5’ 8” only 4 inches taller than me, with blue eyes and sandy brown spiked hair.

“HI! I’m Mike, Mike Newton. You must be Isabella Swan. Nice to meet you.” He said holding out his hand for me to shake.

I ignored the shake and just replied, “Yeah, like-wise. Hey how did you know my name?”

“Everyone knows it. It’s a very small town. We heard you just moved here last night and the whole town is excited!”

Holy shit. She’s even hotter than I thought she would be. She’ll be mine by the end of the day.

His voice invaded my mind but he wasn’t speaking. It took me by surprise but I wasn’t shocked. It reminded me of Aro’s power though I wasn’t touching this boy to read his mind. Usually when I absorb a power it doesn’t just turn on when it wants I usually have to think about it and allow my mind to use it, unless of course I was in the presence of Aro himself then it would just be on automatically. Maybe I was just subconsciously thinking about Aro that’d be the only way I could be using his power. Although my powers must be loopy today, it’s not working the same as his.

Damn it. Looks like I have to work at it a bit more. Hopefully I’ll have classes with her. God the things I will do to this chick. Shit I better not excite myself too much.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later then…” He winked and then walked away.

A very strange boy indeed. I made another mental note to avoid this one as much as possible. Like almost on cue, the rest of the school population’s voices started to ring in my mind

Look at her she isn’t even that pretty...I don’t know what all the fuss is about.

Whoa! Hot momma!

Oh! I bet she’s good in bed…

Bitch.

I wonder what’s for lunch…

I hate this school…ooo look a penny

She’s beautiful. The pretties brown eyes such soft looking lips…ah stop looking it’s rude. Just get to class.

Just then I saw the most beautiful human boy I had ever seen looking at me from the end of the lot. His bronze hair longer than most boys but still short moving with his muscular, yet still lean, body as he walked gracefully across the parking lot. But what caught my eye were the most beautiful pair of eyes I have seen in my existence. Those emerald eyes, I was completely lost in them. All my observations lasted about a split second before it hit me. The sweetest smell I had ever smelled, like honey and roses. I craved it. I needed it. It was so overpowering. The venom in my mouth quickly produced. Salivating, I tried to think clearly. It was that boy. The emerald eyed god that I laid eyes upon. He walked his way in front of me and that’s when it started. He smelled delicious. I was afraid I couldn’t stop myself.

What’s wrong with me? I can’t kill him! He’s human…

But he smells delicious. You can do it… just look at him. He’ll follow. You can grab him and disappear into the woods. It’ll take less than a millisecond to do. No one will miss him. No one will notice.

I was an inch away from him where he suddenly stopped. And then I heard a beautiful musical voice whisper…

“No!”

In that split second, I had to get away. I could never do this. I ran at top speed a couple of miles away into the woods. How could I have even thought any of this? In my 169 years I’ve never had any of these thoughts, of thirsting for any human’s blood. In my previous life I fainted at the sight of blood coming from any person’s injuries, I was even disgusted of the sight of my own blood. That must have carried over through the change. I was practically immune to human blood. It smelled sour to me.

But this human…It was different now. He had the most appetizing smell. But I could never hurt any human. I wanted to live among them. That’s why I moved to Forks. That’s why I wanted to go to school, to attempt to have a normal life. I’m such a fool.

Lost in my thoughts I failed to realize a follower.

“If you are going to stay here, you are not allowed to feed on humans. If you fail to do so, the local werewolves will have you for dinner and we will do nothing to stop them”

That voice, it brought back so many memories, painful and happy ones. I could barely get a hold of myself. I went in shock. Could vampires hyperventilate? The only thing that could escape my lips was barely a whisper.

“Mary Alice…”

Chapter 2 - The Gift

I don’t think I’ll be able to do this, school is torture enough. And now with this ‘gift’ I have discovered it’s going to be my on personal hell. Today was the first day of my senior year at Forks High, and I was dreading every moment of it. While I drove to school, a memory slipped into my mind.

It was the beginning of summer I woke up to hear my family talking very loudly, more like rambling on and on about random crap no one cares about. I was in a bit of shock because I was in my room on the third floor away from everyone but could still hear them. Was it that my hearing was sharper? I started to see pictures in my mind, like I was walking into the kitchen, and then one of watching TV in the living room. Everything was jumbled up along with all their talking. I quickly put my hand to my chest and let out a sigh of relief when I felt my heart beat. I was concerned that maybe my family must have unwillingly changed me while I was sleeping.

I got dressed and walked down the staircase to the living room where I saw my brother Emmett watching TV.

This show is so stupid. Oh well I’ve got nothing else to do.

“Oh hey Edward, You’re up early. I thought you’d sleep in during summer break”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I’m up so early. Where’s Mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen making you breakfast. Please go eat it before the house smells any worse!”

God. Eggs and bacon smell so disgusting. Maybe Jasper will go hunting with me later in Canada. There should be a couple of grizzlies there for us.

What the hell… I heard Emmett’s voice yet his lips weren’t even moving what’s going on? Am I just dreaming or going crazy?

“Edward what’s wrong? You feel confused.” Jasper was next to me and his voice made me flinch.

Damn vampire speed and all their sneaky-ness.

“Uh nothing, I’m just hungry.”

Hungry. Yeah right. He’s flowing with confusion and anger. I wonder what’s bothering him.

Now Jasper’s voice filled my mind and he wasn’t talking either. This is starting to get weird.

I walked away to the kitchen to have some breakfast and see mom.

I hope it tastes good. I wish I could try it to make sure it does. I hope Edward likes it. Hm…Carlisle should be home soon. I miss him every time he’s gone, even if it’s for a short while. I love him so much.

“I’m sure I’ll love it mom. What’d you make?” I said.

She turned around and looked at me very confused.

“Oh hello dear, I made you some eggs and bacon.”

Well that was weird; I didn’t say anything out loud did I?

“Thanks mom.”

I sat down at end of the eight person table where mom set out a big plate of eggs and bacon and I started eating. I was the only one who even ate at this house. Why did we need such a big table? I guess just too keep up false pretenses if anyone came over. But then again, no one ever visited we were all pretty much outcasts in this town. No one ever really talked to us or anything. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a family of vampires. People must try to stay away from my family because they looked so different or they were jealous that we had too much money for our own good. What ever it was it made me feel lonely at times. I didn’t really have any friends, only my family.

I was the only one that was different in this family. I’m the only human in a family of six vampires. My parents, Carlisle and Esme took me in when I was only a few months old after a family friend, my real mother, died of cancer shortly after I was born. I had no other family and my mother’s last request was that they take care of me. They adopted me and treated me like I was really their son. I inherited 2 sisters and 2 brothers coming into the family: Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett.

When I was about 8 years old, they decided to tell me that they were vampires. I was young so of course I believed them. I was a little scared at first but they were my family I trusted them. They told me they weren’t like any regular vampires; they didn’t drink from humans, only from animals. They are sort of like the vegetarians of the vampire world. That’s when I also found out that they weren’t really my parents and the others weren’t my brothers and sisters. I found out that Alice and Jasper were actually married and that Rosalie and Emmett were also married. So much drama for an 8 year old to be put through!

When I was 13 they told me that when I graduated from high school they would give me the option of being changed into a vampire. I was very excited I wanted nothing more than to live for thousands of years with my family. That was, until I turned 16. I decided to not let them change me. Though, I have yet to let them know my decision. I have to find the right time and way to let them know. I know my family would be sad after I was dead, but I just couldn’t help but think that maybe being human was a better choice. None of them ever had the choice to decide. What if I wanted children? Or wanted to have a normal job? I wouldn’t have to always move around when people got suspicious of why I wasn’t growing old. On top of that, I know I would just end up spending eternity alone and lonely. I really didn’t want that.

“Edward, are you not that hungry? You haven’t eaten much. Does it not taste alright?” my mother asked with concern.

“No mom it’s great. I just feel a little…off today is all.”

“Oh I hope you’re not getting sick, we can ask your father to take a look at you when he gets home.”

“It’s ok mom, I’m fine.”

She left and in came Alice. She was always so excited. But today she looked so gloomy. That pixie of a vampire was hardly ever in a bad mood. Well unless someone messed with her clothes.

Meh.. I hate when Emmett and Jasper go out hunting together. They always take a week long trip. I’ll have to go shopping a lot to keep my mind off him being away so long.

Again it happened, her voice in my mind. Was that what she was thinking?

She smiled and walked out to the garage and I could hear her start her Porsche up.

I’ll go to Port Angles and stop at Victoria’s Secret. Maybe I’ll be able to convince him to stay.

And then I got a vivid picture in my mind of a Victoria’s Secret bag in Alice’s hand while she ran upstairs to her room with Jasper at her heels. Once they got in the room Jasper was making out with Alice furiously.

“Oh my god!” I screamed.

Mom, Jasper, and Emmett were at my side within a half a second with fear painted on my mother’s face.

“Edward are you ok?! What happened?”

Is he hurt? No, he’s just…disgusted? Why would he be disgusted…

Maybe I should call Carlisle. He looks quite pale today.

He looks like he just saw his sister naked or something.

I glared at Emmett. And he looked confused.

“Edward? Speak!”

“Mom, Guys, I’m fine. I just…remembered something ok? I’m sorry to have frightened you.”

“Are you sure dear?”

“Yes.”

I got up leaving my dish in the sink and went to my room. I laid in my bed wondering what the hell was happening to me.

Could I really be hearing all their thoughts?

Maybe I should go up and talk to him, he’s worried and anxious. I wish I knew what was wrong.

Jasper’s voice again. This was all too weird. I mean it could be possible though...I live with vampires. Anything is possible if that’s possible, right?

Maybe it was a gift, like Jasper and Alice have. Jasper can influence and read other’s emotions and Alice has visions of the future. Wait a minute…that image I saw in my mind earlier. That must have been her vision. I chuckled a bit at how determined Alice was to keep Jasper here. But then of course I remembered the image itself and I cringed again at what they would be doing. What I would hear! Oh God. I really need to get out of here!

I ran down stairs.

“Mom, I’m going for a drive.”

“Alright, But don’t be too late. Be back before midnight!”

“OK.”

I only hoped Jasper and Alice were through with what ever they would do before I got back home.

I got in my Volvo and drove off. I didn’t know where I was going but I did know that I would not tell my family of what I discovered. I didn’t want to be even more different than I already was. Humans aren’t supposed to have gifts.

I snapped back, out of my memories as I heard my phone ring.

“Hello?”

“Edward, are you ok?”

“Yeah, Alice I’m fine. Is everything alright?”

”Yes, it will be. Edward, when you get to school go straight to class. No Exceptions. Please.”

”Ok I will. Don’t worry. Will you explain later at least?”

“Yes, I promise. I love you Edward.”

”I love you too Alice.”

And with that she hung up.

Strange, why would Alice call me and tell me to go straight to class? Was something going to happen?

I pulled in to the school parking lot and the thoughts of those idiot students so happy for the first day of school rushed into my mind, fairly excited about the new girl too.

Holy shit. She’s even hotter than I thought she would be. She’ll be mine by the end of the day.

Mike Newton. That vile excuse for a human is already trying to date her!

Damn it. Looks like I have to work at it a bit more. Hopefully I’ll have classes with her. God the things I will do to this chick. Shit I better not excite myself too much.

Poor girl, I should warn her to stay away from this imbecile.

I got out of my car and sighed. Here goes the beginning of another crap year at Forks High.

I grabbed my school bag and shut the door. When I turned I saw a new car in the parking lot that I had not seen before, an Audi TT. Who ever owned that had good taste in cars.

I started walking to class but my gaze fell upon the girl on the other side of the car. I stood frozen in place. There she was, the new girl talking to Mike Newton, how I wish I could rip that creature’s throat and feed it to the wolves. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her though. The goddess stood about 5’ 4” with long brown wavy hair down to her mid back, slender, and had curves that could make any man’s knees weak.*** She’s beautiful. The pretties brown eyes. Such soft looking lips…

Ah, stop looking its rude! Just get to class!

She’s going to think I’m such an idiot for staring at her.

I walked off in the direction of the school. I couldn’t believe I was so consumed with my thoughts of her. I need to get to class. Alice will kill me if I wait any longer. As I walked across the lot I heard the most beautiful voice, its sound was much like a symphony of bells.

What’s wrong with me?

Nothing, that voice is too beautiful for the owner of it to have anything wrong with them.

I can’t kill him! He’s human…

What…

But he smells delicious. You can do it… just look at him. He’ll follow.

Oh God, where’s Alice…

You can grab him and disappear into the woods. It’ll take less than a millisecond to do. No one will miss him. No one will notice.

“No!” I gasped. The beautiful voice was about to kill someone!

I turned around quickly but no one was there. Just then I saw Rosalie’s BMW and I ran to it. Every one jumped out of it.

“Edward! I thought I told you to go to class! Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper get him to class. NOW!”

Rosalie put her arm around my shoulders and led me to the school. Jasper and Emmett were closely behind us.

“Guys, what’s going on…what happened?!”

“We have a visitor. Alice saw a new vampire in town. That’s all I know.” Rosalie whispered making sure only I could hear it.

I can’t believe we were almost too late.

Too late? Wait a minute… That vampire…She was after me? Those thoughts… they were aimed at me… Was I really that close to death?

I shuddered.

We reached my first class: English. I sat throughout the period not paying any attention what so ever to the lesson. I cleared the thoughts of everyone around me as much as I could until they were only whispers.

I tried not to think what would have happen if that vampire had killed me.

Should I reconsider being changed?

Chapter 3 - Beginning

”Alice, why are you bouncing up and down?” Emmett asked me.

“I’m just so excited! It’s finally the first day of school!”

“It’s just going to be like every other first day…”

I glared and poked my tongue out at him.

“Stop trying to ruin my fun Emmett! I love first days of school!”

“O…K” he said with a raised eyebrow and then just walked off.

“Rose, should I wear my pink top or my green one?” I turned to show them to her and held both at my chest in turn.

“Ooo…Wear the pink one. I saw a skirt at the mall the other day that would look perfect with the green one! You could wear that tomorrow.” She beamed.

“Oh! Good idea. Thanks.” I said smiling.

“So is everyone ready yet? Edward’s already done and gone. Hah, and he’s the one that’s human! You guys always take so long…” I glared at my husband.

He took a step back with his hands in the air surrendering.

“Fashion takes time! We can’t just pick out some random crap to put on!”

He took his hand and rubbed his forehead. He looked adorable really, but he seriously has no sense in fashion. Sigh At least he has me to help him in that department.

“Jazz, we’ll be done soon, ok?” I smiled and kissed his lips gently. But of course I didn’t take into consideration that I wouldn’t want to let go of that kiss so soon.

So of course went at it for about 5 minutes. But eventually, he loosened his lips and pulled me away.

“Hun, as much as I would love to keep doing this, we better get going…”

“Ok…” I pouted.

With as long as I’ve been with Jasper, I have never grown tired of kissing him, being with him, loving him. Even before I met him I knew I loved him.

I woke up not knowing where I was or even who I was. I was in the middle of a clearing on a dreary, full moon night. I was frightened. I didn’t know what had happened to me.

There was a weird feeling in the back of my throat, a burning sensation. It felt like I had been coughing for a couple of days straight. Was I sick?

No matter how many times I swallowed the burning was still there. I got up to see if I could find some help. Maybe I would find someone who could at least offer me a glass of water to ease the burning.

I walked but it felt like I was running. Yes I was running. Everything was a blur but I knew that I wouldn’t hit anything; it felt like instinct. Somehow I could still see where I was going, even in the dark blurs.

I stopped, realizing I was going alarmingly fast, faster than any person should be able to. It was very confusing. I found myself at a lake and I knelt beside the cold waters and pulled up a handful to my lips. I tried to drink it but it tasted horrible. I spit it out immediately.

My reflection was a bit fuzzy at first in the water but when I saw what I looked like I gasped. My eyes, they were red!

How could this be?

After that shocking realization I noticed the rest of my body. I was barely covered. My clothes were ripped to shreds but regardless of what ever hell I may have been through for my clothes too look like this, I was in awe at how beautiful I looked. My skin pale, my cheek bones high, my hair short and my legs were endless.

Just then my vision clouded and I went from looking at myself to seeing a completely different scene before my eyes.

Three beautiful people sitting around me, two males and a female. The eldest looking male spoke. “Hello Alice, I’m Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme and my son Edward. We are vampires just like you are. We drink blood but not from humans. We are vegetarians; we only drink from the blood of animals. We are incredibly fast, strong and are practically indestructible. There are many of our kind but most are not vegetarians like we are. If you wish, you may stay me and my family.”

The scene ended and I was staring at myself again.

I’m a vampire? My name is Alice? How could I not remember these things?

At that moment I decided I would find this family. I didn’t know if my imagination was running wild or how exactly I saw that in the first place, but it was all I had to go on.

It was my only hope.

I drank from animals of the forest and I noticed that after I drank from them the burning in my throat was gone. I was beginning to get the hang of this vampire thing.

About month after ‘waking up’ my vision blurred like it had while I was at the lake.

I was in a room with tables everywhere. A few people scattered around eating food at some. I sat in a chair at one end of the room.

A woman walked over to where I was. “Hello darlin’ welcome to Fay’s Diner could I get you anythin’?” she asked.

“No, thank you. I’m just waiting for someone.” I said.

She gave me a warm smile and walked away.

I heard a bell ring and I looked towards the door where the sound came from. Through the door walked a man with short curly blonde hair with the most beautiful face and muscular body, he was quite tall as well. He went to a booth and sat. He cupped his face in his hands with his elbows propped up on the table.

He stared off at nothing, seeming to be lost in thought.

He appeared horribly sad, in pain even. He had scars all over his skin.

I walked over to him and said, “You've kept me waiting a long time!”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am” he said with a southern accent, such a gentleman though.

I held my hand out to him and he took it with out a second’s thought.

We walked out of the diner.

“We are we going?” he asked with a smile.

“To find the Cullens!”

When my sight came back I went through a few trees and found myself in a small little town. It was raining and I decided to find some place dry to get myself out of the rain. I walked about a block through one of the streets. I turned the corner and saw a bright neon light flashing “Fay’s Diner OPEN.” I smiled to myself and went in to wait.

Ever since that fateful day at Fay’s Diner, Jasper has never left my side. I’m so lucky to have found him. I don’t know if I could ever have lived with out him in my life.

Jasper poked his head through the door.

“…So you coming or what?”

With a big grin on my face, I stood up and followed him. We went outside to the garage and gathered by Rosalie’s BMW. As I was getting in the car my vision clouded and my eyes glazed over.

A girl walking through the school parking lot appearing to be in a daze following Edward. She gets closer and closer until she’s right behind him. She pulls up her lips and flashes her perfect white teeth and leans in over his neck and crushes her lips against him. His body falls to the floor and she disappears into the woods.

“Oh My God! Edward!” I screamed.

“Alice! What did you see? What’s wrong with Edward?!” Emmett gasped in horror.

“He…She...Oh No!”

“ALICE! Spit it out!”

“Hurry, Drive to school as fast as you can! The new girl, she’s a vampire, she’s going to bite Edward!”

Rosalie pulled out of the drive way, wheels screeching. We raced off to the school well over 150mph.

A sudden wave of calm hit me. I looked over at Jasper and nodded. ‘Thank You’ I mouthed.

I pulled out my phone and dialed. It rang once before he answered.

“Hello?”

“Edward, are you ok?”

“Yeah, Alice I’m fine. Is everything alright?”

”Yes, it will be. Edward, when you get to school go straight to class. No Exceptions. Please.”

”Ok I will. Don’t worry. Will you explain later at least?”

“Yes, I promise. I love you Edward.”

”I love you too Alice.”

I hung up the phone and stared out the window.

“I hope we get there in time…” I said.

“We will.” Jasper affirmed.

“Yeah, of course we will. Who does that bitch vampire think she is to even think about feeding on my baby brother!?” Rosalie growled.

“I don’t know, there must be something wrong. She can’t be a newborn. Why would she even attempt to go to school if she didn’t have some kind of self control, right? She should know better than to feed in public and in front of a bunch of humans no less! She could end up exposing herself and…” I trailed off and was hit with another wave of calm.

My vision blurred once more.

The same vampire getting extremely close just as before, but just as she is about to bite she freezes and opens her eyes wide with horror. She becomes blurred and is gone in an instant.

A third of a second later the first vision replays in my mind.

“She keeps changing her mind. She’s trying to control the thirst…”

“We’re almost there.”

A minute later we were pulling in to the school parking lot. Before we could even get out of the car we could see the girl in my vision leaning in towards Edward’s neck.

I gasped.

We’re too late…

Then suddenly, she stopped. She ran at vampire speed off into the nearby woods.

Edward turned around and started running towards the car. We jumped out of the car, all of us with complete shock over our faces.

“Edward! I thought I told you to go to class! Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper get him to class. NOW!”

Before he went too far I grabbed Jasper’s arm.

“I’m going to follow her, stay close to Edward and keep an eye out just in case she comes back this way” I whispered knowing only he would be able to hear me.

He nodded and I kissed his cheek quickly before running off after this new mystery vampire.

I caught her scent at the eastern part of the woods and followed it for a couple of miles. I was led to a small clearing near the mountains.

There in the middle of the clearing, she stood in front of me with her back turned. She was dry sobbing.

“If you are going to stay here, you are not allowed to feed on humans. If you fail to do so, the local werewolves will have you for dinner and we will do nothing to stop them” I said.

It was a bit harsh, but it would get the point across.

She stiffened.

I heard her gasp for unnecessary air.

Finally, she whispered the most unexpected thing I would have ever thought of her to say…

“Mary Alice…”

Chapter 4 - Reunited

“Mary Alice…” I gasped.

I can’t believe it… It’s really her! She didn’t die…but she’s a vampire? How can this be?

“What did you call me…?” she asked completely confused.

“Mary Alice…don’t you remember me?”

Who is this girl? How does she know me? And why is she calling me Mary Alice instead of just Alice…

Her thoughts of course. Was she the mind reader? It must have been her powers that I’ve been absorbing.

“Ma…Alice,” I continued “please, I don’t mean any harm. From the topaz eyes I take it you drink animal’s blood? So do I.”

“How do you know me? And your eyes…they’re brown. I’ve never met a vampire with anything but red or topaz eyes before.”

She doesn’t know me? I don’t understand. Has she lost her memory? Or has it been so long she doesn’t remember…

“Do you not remember your human life?”

“No.” she said “I don’t remember anything before I was changed.”

“I have much to explain then. Oh my, Mary Alice, I’ve missed you so much!”

I couldn’t help myself I went up to her and embraced her in a hug.

All of a sudden an image began to play in my mind.

Mary Alice and I in a mall with many shopping bags in our hands walking to and from different stores with the biggest smiles on our faces. We were laughing at some human girl with too much make up on. “Oh Bella, I’m so glad you decided to come to Forks!”

“Hah, looks like we’ll be good friends, Bella. I can see the future, it’s my gift.” She said light heartedly

Oh! I can tell we are going to have so much fun. Everything will be fine. I really hope she does know me, it would be lovely to finally know my past…

“I doubt it; it’s not too much of a happy past to be fond of.” I frowned.

“How did you know what…I never said... At least not out loud.”

“I read your mind.”

She was excited now, practically bouncing up and down in joy.

“You…you can read minds? That’s so cool!”

“Well sort of, it’s complicated.”

So she isn’t the mind reader. Maybe someone else from her coven?

“So, do you have a coven here?”

“Well yes, there’s me, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Esme, and Carlisle.” She smiled.

“Carlisle…as in the Carlisle Cullen?”

“Yes,” She giggled. “Carlisle Cullen. He’s our coven’s leader. Well actually he’s my father. We’re more like a family than a coven really. Do you know him?”

“Well I have heard of him. Can I meet him? I would really love to speak with him.”

“Well, we could go see him now if you like.” I nodded.

She flipped open a tiny cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number at vampire speed.

“Hey Carlisle. I’ve met someone who would like to meet you. Yes, our kind. Can we meet at home in 15 minutes? Yes, of course. I will tell Rosalie and Emmett to stay with him. Okay. See you then.”

We ran back to the school parking lot where we met with three other vampires standing by a red BMW.

They stiffened and growled as I got closer

“Hey it’s ok guys. She’s cool. She’s vegetarian. This is Bella.” She motioned towards me. “Bella this is Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. We’re going to go see Carlisle. Rose, Em can you guys stay here with Edward? Jasper and I will go with Bella back home.”

“Alice,” the blonde one apparently Rosalie hissed, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I’m positive. We’ll fill you in when you get back home, ok?”

The big muscular one Emmett, spoke up, “Ok. But if anything, give us a call.”

“Bella follow us.”

We ran through the outskirts of Forks. We ran about 15 miles until we reached a beautiful three story white house. It looked very homey despite its size.

A very elegant, beautiful woman with long caramel hair opened the door and led us in.

“Bella this is my mother Esme. Esme this is Bella.”

”Hello dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said in the most love filled and caring voice I had ever heard.

“Carlisle will be here shortly, please make yourself at home Bella.”

We went over to sit in the living room to wait. I sat on a big white leather couch. Jasper and Mary Alice sat across from me in a black love seat. I felt waves of emotions hit me. Jasper must be an empathe. Mary Alice was anxious, and Jasper slightly worried and alert. But the strongest emotion emitted by both was…love?

“Alice is Jasper your mate?”

“Yes, Jasper is my husband,” she said with a smile.

“Oh how wonderful!” I said completely happy that my Mary Alice has found someone to be with for eternity.

A few minutes later Mary Alice jumped up out of her seat, to the door.

“Carlisle is home.”

She opened the door and just then a beautiful man walked in with slick blonde hair, looking no more than 25. Esme came up beside him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and he wrapped his arm around her waist. He gave me a warm smile and I stood to greet him.

“Hello Mr. Cullen. It’s such an honor to finally meet you. My name is Isabella Marie Swan, but you all may call me Bella.”

“The honor is all mine Miss Bella. But please, call me Carlisle.”

He motioned to the living room for us to all sit back down again. I sat back down on the leather couch. Esme and Carlisle sat beside me.

“So, may I ask what brings you here to the small town of Forks?” Carlisle asked.

“Well I came here to start a new way of life. You see in my 169 years, I’ve felt pretty out of place and I just want to try and live among the humans for a change. With Forks always raining, I figured this would be the perfect place to start my new ‘normal’ life. Though, today at school, there was a complication…”

“A complication?”

“Yes Carlisle,” Mary Alice began “earlier today I had a vision. I saw Bella attacking Edward. But she managed to control herself and run off in to the woods before any damage was done.”

“Wait a minute, Edward? Is he the same Edward of your coven?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“But he’s…human.”

“Yes, we adopted him when he was only a few months old. He’s our son now. He does know about our secret but he knows not to speak a word of it to anyone.” Carlisle said.

“Oh… I’m so sorry! Earlier I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry for almost hurting your son. I don’t what I was thinking. In all of my existence I’ve never been affected by human blood. Edward was the first and only human blood that has ever tempted me. It was just the sweetest thing I’ve ever smelled. I truly am sorry…” I trailed off. I could barely keep my sobs from escaping me.

169 years and never tasted human blood that’s quite the feat Carlisle thought

“It’s ok Bella, we all lose some control at one point or another,” Esme said as she stroked my back with her hand. It was so comforting. She spoke with such understanding and care. I couldn’t help but feel more at ease by just hearing her voice, let alone her touch.

Poor girl. I hope I can make her feel better Esme thought.

“Bella,” Carlisle said to get my attention, “have you really never fed on any human?”

“Never”

“That’s very impressive”

“Thank you, but to be fair; I think it’s mostly just due to the fact that I’m disgusted by its smell. Animal blood is even sometimes hard to bare.”

Definitely much different than any vampire I’ve ever come across And her eyes…

“So may I ask how your eyes are brown? It’s very intriguing.”

“Oh. I forgot about that, Alice was also curious about that earlier. My power is absorbing other gifts. Once I’ve been in the presence of anyone else’s gift all I have to do is remember it at any given time and use it. It’s strongest when I’m near them, much weaker when they’re not around. I once met an appearance shifter. I was starting school today for the first time, and I thought I’d give myself some of my human traits. Like the color of my eyes and a bit more of a darker tone to my skin in attempt to blend in a little more.”

“And she can read minds too!” Alice chirped.

“Really?”

I nodded.

“That’s fascinating.”

I’m still curious of how she knows me though…she mentioned if I remembered my human life. She must know me from then…

I frowned.

“Is something wrong Bella?”

“Nothing really, just a bit of a sad story I must tell now…”

“Oh, What about dear?” Esme asked.

I turned to face the couple sitting in the love seat.

“About how I know Mary Alice.”

“You know Alice from before she was changed?” Jasper asked me.

“Yes, Mary Alice is my biological sister.”

Chapter 5 - History

“Yes, Mary Alice is my biological sister.”

Their eyes widened in shock. Mary Alice though had a huge grin on her face, which made me smile too.

My sister? Wow, this is great. I have a sister!

“Well, this is quite the surprise”

“Much so, Bella could you please tell me about my human life?”

I took a deep breathe.

“Um… let’s see. You were born on March 3rd 1824. We lived in a small house with our parents: Jaccoby Swan and Lyllian Marie Alice Swan on the southern coast of Italy. We didn’t grow up with much money in the family, but we always had plenty to get by in life. I was three when you were born so I don’t remember much of your childhood years but I know we were always very close. We were always doing everything together; dressing each other up, brushing each others’ hair, having our own little dinner parties with mom. Hah, those were quite fun… When I was about 18, and you were 15, I started to distance myself away from the family. I wanted to travel and make something of myself.” I smiled. “And of course you always wanted to go and do everything with me still. We were so much alike. We both wanted to be famous, make a name for ourselves instead of just being some housewife. Heh, you know, you wanted to be a dancer. Oh, and how graceful you were, you danced beautifully. I wanted to be a singer though.” My smile faded. “One day, while I was out a woman heard me singing to myself and offered me an audition. She said I had a beautiful voice that should be heard around the world. I felt so honored. I ran home and went straight to you and invited you to come with me for the audition later that night…”

“Mary Alice! You will never believe what happened to me today!”

“What?!”

“A woman in town today, she heard me singing to myself, she said I should travel and sing for people! She wants me to audition for her tonight!”

“Oh Bella, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.”

”Thank you. Mary Alice… I want you to come with me. Maybe you could dance for them and you could audition too!”

“Really?! That would be so amazing!”

“I know! But we cannot tell mom and dad. We’ll have to sneak out for the audition…you know they wouldn’t approve of this, but it’s such a good opportunity don’t you think?”

“Definitely. Now what should we wear?!”

Later than night we walked in to town to meet the woman I met earlier.

We walked down Abbey Lane and approached the big white house where the audition was supposed to be.

The house was not what I expected. It was a bit run down, like no one had lived there for a couple of years.

As we got closer, we heard a loud sound, like falling furniture, from inside just as we were about to knock.

We looked through the half open window and saw the most horrifying scene I had ever laid eyes upon.

The woman I saw earlier was sitting in a chair looking across the room. There on the opposite side of the room was a man over a young girl’s body.

The girl was kicking and pushing; trying to pull away from the man. But he had a strong hold over her. He grinned and lowered himself closer to her.

He opened his mouth and in one swift, quick movement he was at her neck.

The girl screamed and met out eyes across the room, she gave us a pleading look.

Just then the woman was at the window, inches away from our faces.

”Hello there. Hmph…Like what you see? …You girls will get your turn soon enough.”

I grabbed Mary Alice’s hand and pulled her away from the house. We ran as fast as our bodies would allow.

We reached the house about 5 minutes later, out of breathe and scared to death.

“Mary Alice, are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. What are we going to do? They just murdered that poor girl!”

“Let’s go wake up mom and dad.”

We walked in the house and a feeling of dread fell over me.

We came into the living room and I put my arm up to stop Mary Alice from walking any further.

“Why, Hello again girls. Nice of you to join us.”

There in the middle of the room the woman and the man from the house had our parents kneeling on the floor in front of them. My mother had tears in her eyes and my father had a look of agony on his face. I have never seen them this terrified before.

“Please, we won’t say anything…just let us…” Mary Alice began.

But before she could say anything more the man was behind her and had his arm over her throat. She tried to pull away from him but it was useless.

“Now, now. No use in fighting us little ones. You saw that that doesn’t work.”

He let her go and she fell to the floor. In an instant he was back by the woman’s side.

”Mary Alice!” I fell to my knees and hugged her close to me.

“What do you two want? Please leave us be…” I said as Mary Alice sobbed on my shoulder.

“What do we want? Hmm…let me see.” He raised his arm and rubbed his chin as if he were thinking.

“This.” he hissed.

The man attacked my mother and the woman latched herself on top of my father. The scene from the old house replayed, but instead with my parents in the girls’ place. Blood flowed out from their necks and both of them screamed in pain.

The two murderers looked like leeches sucking the life out of my parents’ fragile bodies.

“No!” I screamed.

They stood up and let my parents’ bodies hit the floor. They weren’t moving. They weren’t breathing anymore. They were dead.

“No…” I gasped.

“Hah. Silly girl.”

“So, who’s next?”

The man blurred and in the blink of an eye was at my side. He ripped Mary Alice out of my arms and blurred over to the other side again.

“This one is quite pretty. I bet she tastes as good as she looks.”

My eyes widened in horror I stood up and tried to run up to them, to do anything I could to get them away from her. I couldn’t move.

Snap

I screamed in agony. It felt as if my spine had cracked in half.

The woman had me held down with her foot on my neck.

“Foolish girl.” She said.

Just then I heard a growl and the woman stood by the man again.

I felt a sudden brush of cold against my hips. Someone held me up.

“How dare you! You were warned. Leave now!” a high pitched voice hissed.

“Fine. We’ve had our meal. And we have a souvenir.”

I looked once more across the room.

The woman held Mary Alice by her hair. Mary Alice whimpered and had tears streaming down her small face. The woman looked down and grinned. A blur, and then suddenly they were gone, all three of them.

“My name is Bethany, you’re safe now.” I heard from beside me.

Everything faded.

“…and that was the last time I ever saw Mary Alice.”

“Oh poor child, you must have been traumatized.” Esme said as she leaned in to hug me.

For a few moments we all just sat looking at each other. I glanced over at Mary Alice and it looked as if she would cry if she could.

“It’s all my fault. I should have never gone to that house. I should have never brought you along with me.” I sobbed as I held my face in my hands.

“Bella, please don’t blame yourself. It all worked out in the end at least. We’re together now, and I have Jasper and the rest of my family. I’m happy now. Isn’t that what counts?”

I gave her a half-smile.

“Hm…Bella you say that Alice was born in 1824. But as far as Alice can remember, she’s been a vampire for 38 years. There’s still 130 years unaccounted for…” Carlisle asked.

“I don’t know what happened. I didn’t even know Alice had become a vampire until today.” I frowned.

“I’m sorry. I wish I knew more about after your change.” I said as I turned to look at her.

At least now I know where I came from and who I was as a human though.

I nodded.

“Bella, what about you? May we know what happened after that Bethany girl saved you from those two vampires?” Jasper asked.

“Well I was badly hurt. My spine was broken. I was paralyzed and would soon die. Bethany took me to a city named Volterra where she asked her coven, the Volturi, for permission to turn me. They granted it, and she changed me. Bethany and I became friends immediately after my change. She was, I guess you could say an adopted sister to me. She took care of me, showed me what it was a vampire could do, told me the rules of the Volturi, and said I could stay with her as long as I would like.

The first couple of days as a newborn were quite rough for me. They drank from humans and I could not stand to be anywhere near them. I hated that I couldn't do anything to help save all those innocent people.

I must say though, Aro was quite amused with my repulsion to human blood. He thought it wasn't normal that I could not even be tempted by it in the least bit.

The burning in my throat was still their and getting worse day by day, but I would not force myself to drink a human's blood to satisfy the thirst.

He then remembered you, Carlisle. He then told me of your way of life, your alternative to humans. He told me stories of when you stayed with them many years ago as well. I’ve based my whole way of living around your views.” I said proudly.

"He said if I was too opposed to drink from humans, I should try your way to alleviate the burn. Although it did satisfy my thirst, the situation still left me feeling a bit uneasy. But it was definitely better than killing a human. I would not be a monster.

A few weeks into my new life we discovered my power, and Aro offered me a position with the Volturi guard. I declined. At that point all I wanted was revenge, to go after the two vampires who killed off my family. But after years of looking, it was as if they disappeared off the face of the earth. Every time I thought I’d find them, there was no trace left. I went back to the Volturi and Aro offered again of course, and this time I accepted. It was the only place left for me to go, I had no one else. I figured I would make the best of the life I had been given. I stayed with the Volturi for the last century and that’s where I was before I decided to try and ‘fit in’ with the humans. It never felt right fighting for the Volturi. I didn’t want to aid them in killing others, vampires and humans alike. I knew I had to move on from that part of my life, and now, it feels right.”

“I know what you mean, when I was with the Volturi I felt horribly out of place. Of course, I also didn’t approve of their feeding habits, but I had no say in that matter. I never dared to imply that they should try my alternative. Don’t get me wrong though, I appreciate all the help they gave me and in letting me stay there for all those years, but it really wasn’t the right place for me either. After that experience I aimed to help as many people as I could, so I became a doctor, of all things! It was the best decision I ever made though. I found my family that way, and I’ve never been happier.”

“You’re such an inspiration Carlisle.” I smiled.

“So, Alice, How exactly did you find the Cullen’s?” I asked.

She told me about the first day she could remember; how she ran, saw her red eyes, and had her first vision at a lake somewhere in Ohio. I was a bit saddened when I learned she had red eyes when she first ‘woke up’ 38 years ago. That shows she was definitely a human drinker before she lost her memory, poor girl, I hope she doesn’t realize that.

She described in detail of how she found Jasper at a diner in Philadelphia a month later and how it was love at first sight. Well at least for him it was, she loved him before she even met him. She fell for him when she had her vision.

I was relieved to know that what she could remember of her life have been good experiences and that she has had everything she could ever possibly need.

I can only imagine all the horrible things that had happened to her those 130 odd years that are still missing from her life. They must have been utterly traumatizing for her.

“…Jasper is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

Her eyes glazed over.

“Edward will be home soon…”

Chapter 6 - Encounters

“Bella will you be ok with Edward here?” Carlisle asked me.

Would I?

“I…I don’t know. Maybe I should leave…just in case.”

“Well we’ll be here if anything happens we can…” Jasper trailed off.

“Maybe since you’ll be expecting it the thirst will be easier to control.” Carlisle reasoned.

I heard a car’s engine roaring, getting closer and closer to the house.

“And that’s them.” Esme said.

A minute later the car pulled up by the side of the house in the garage. I heard foot steps walk up around the house to the front door.

I felt the back of my throat starting to swell. I could faintly smell him but it was still very alluring to me.

The key turned.

As the door opened, at full force the smell of his blood hit me in the face making me want to pounce on him that second. And the door had only been opened half an inch!

The door opened fully and Edward walked through it. The venom was oozing in my mouth. So much of it was there, that it would make me choke on it and gag if it were possible. Barely five seconds had passed and I could hardly keep myself together. I doubt I will be able to control my self for much longer.

Whoa. What’s the new girl doing in my house?

“Ugh…I can’t do this! I’m sorry!” And I bolted out of the house; I couldn’t take it much longer.

I heard a gasp behind me as I started running into the woods behind the Cullen home.

The new girl…that voice… That’s the vampire that tried to kill me… oh god why her. Why me?

I stopped about a mile out. I could hear their conversations still in the home through their minds.

“Mom, Dad. What’s going on? What’s the new girl doing in our house?”

“Son, her name is Bella. She just moved here... She’s a vampire as you probably have guessed by now.” Carlisle started. “Earlier today she almost lost control. From what she says, no human has ever tempted her to drink from them. But today for the first time, she was tempted. She was tempted by your blood.”

“The urge isn’t something we can control, but she was able to control her thirst just enough to get away before anything happened. Please don’t be mad at her though, she never wanted to consciously hurt you.” I heard as Esme explained to Edward.

“I understand” is all he said.

I searched until I found his mind. I had to know what he was thinking, and I really hope he doesn’t hate me for what I almost did to him.

He was in his room now.

This is crazy. MY family invited the vampire that tried to kill ME over to OUR house! Ugh... god and the look on her face when I walked in... She could have probably killed me then too. What the hell were they thinking? Why is this happening to me…

Meh, he’s right…they should have never invited me over to their home. Oh god…he must hate me. I can’t say that I blame him though. I’d hate me too in this situation. I’m such a monster. I can’t believe I almost…

What the hell…I did not just hear Bella’s thoughts agreeing with my thoughts… No can’t be. Maybe, just coincidence. Am I going crazy now too…? And I’m talking to myself now. Great!

I gasped.

Edward’s the mind reader? But he’s human how...is that even possible?

So I’m not going crazy….Bella can you…hear me?

Um...yes?

Oook…this is weird. What the hell is going on?

I…I can absorb other’s gifts and use them myself, that’s my power. Though this would be a first for me, I didn’t know humans had gifts.

Oh god…I’m having a conversation…in my mind…with a vampire…that nearly killed me. What. The. Fuck. I am crazy.

Edward you’re not crazy.

I sighed and took a deep, unnecessary breathe.

Edward…I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Truly. I never meant for any of this to happen. I don’t know what has come over me. This really has never happened before. But please, please don’t hate me…

Look Bella, I don’t hate you. I understand. I’ve lived with vampires all my life. I’ve had to move countless of times because of… Er, ‘slip ups’ my family has had. It’s just…It’s never been me. The thought of being so near death and almost being the ‘slip up’ has me just a bit jumpy. Yeah I’m a bit pissed, I’m not going to lie, but I really do understand…

Um…that’s different. Much different response than I thought you’d be having…

Yeah well, I’m just a weird guy.

For a moment we were both thoughtless, awkward silence.

So…I guess maybe I should go…leave you to your thoughts…

Bella wait…

Yes?

Can I ask you something?

Well, you just did. But sure, what do you want to ask me?

Do you mind…staying awhile, and maybe just talk with me? I…I’d like to get to know you. I’m quite intrigued by the fact that I’m actually able to have a secret conversation with someone else using my mind. Heh, I’ve got to say, it does get quite lonely and boring here and some company would be nice…

Of course. Anything you’d like. Was there anything you’d like to know, or talk about?

Anything really. How about we tell each other the basics? Um, let’s see, what’s your full name?

Isabella Marie Swan. Yours?

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. Uh…How, old are you?

18.

Hah. You know what I mean… how long have you been 18?

A while…

Ok, so I’ll just guess then. 385 years?

Jeeze, I’m not that old. Heh, it’s been 169 years since I’ve been changed. How about you?

17. Technically only a year younger than you.

I guess when you put it that way, you’re right.

Of course I am.

Before I knew it, a few hours had passed. Edward and I sat and ‘spoke’ for hours about nothing and everything. I told him about Mary Alice and my past with the Volturi like I told the rest of the Cullen’s. We also asked each other random questions, some didn’t really make much sense but it was still quite fun. It was probably the most fun I had in a long time. Edward is very easy to talk to and I found myself lost in conversation with him.

Edward.

Yes?

It’s 12am…

So it is.

You need your rest. You have school tomorrow. I should get going anyways…

I’ll see you at school tomorrow then?

Edward… I don’t think I will be able to go back for awhile.

Oh…because of me, and my blood, right?

Yes, that. I don’t want to risk hurting you Edward.

I understand.

But hey, I could come by again tomorrow night and we could pick up where we left off, have some more secret mind conversations. How does that sound?

That’d be nice. I’ve really enjoyed your company Bella.

Likewise.

Hey, Bella?

Hm?

Could you please refrain from telling my family about my mind reading? They don’t know about it and I would like to keep it that way for now…

May I ask why you don’t want them to know about it though?

Well, I just don’t want them to treat me any differently. I don’t want it to be awkward. It’s already bad enough that they have to be different around me as much as it is already, with me being human and all. I don’t want this to be another burden for them.

Edward, you have my word. I won’t tell anyone.

Thank you.

Sleep well, Edward.

Hah, I’d say likewise, but I know you don’t sleep. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.

And with that, I ran back to the school where I remembered I had left my car.

I hope no one had noticed it sitting in the parking lot till night fall. I’m sure they did.

I drove home slowly thinking of everything that had happened today.

Girl meets boy. Girl smells boy. Girl almost kills boy. Girl runs. Girl meets long lost sister. Girl almost kills boy again. Girl befriends same boy with telepathic powers.

Wow, this has been one hell of a day.

And yet, this has probably been one of the best days of my existence so far.

I reached my apartment and immediately jumped in the shower. I turned the heat up as much as it could go. The hot, steamy water hit my cold skin and loosened up my muscles. It didn’t really feel hot to me though, it was more or less lukewarm.

When I was done, I slipped in to my silk, red baby doll and just lay in bed closing my eyes begging for the sleep that would never come. ***

After a couple of minutes or maybe hours, I don’t know I had lost track of time, I heard a knock at my door.

I walked over and looked in the peep hole and all I saw was some black spiky hair.

I opened the door and there stood my pixie of a sister bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Hi, Bella!”

“Shh...the neighbors are sleeping, Alice.”

“OH, right. Can I come in?”

“Of course you can.”

I led her in and we went to sit at the couch.

“So, what brings you to my side of the town?”

“Well, I had a vision earlier…I saw that you decided to not go to school for awhile because of the whole Edward thing. And well, you looked completely bored. So I decided what better time for some sisterly bonding, right?”

My face lit up. Alice was still as amazing as ever. I gave her a smile and a nod.

“Excellent! We could have a sleep over! Oh, and we could go shopping tomorrow in Port Angeles. There’s this skirt I have to buy there too. Oh Bella we’re going to have so much fun!”

I never really liked shopping much, but I’ll be there with my sister so it didn’t matter. I smiled.

“Oh and uh…Bella. You’re apartment…” she trailed off.

“Alice, my apartment is just fine…”

“Nonsense. Your apartment is so…plain. We’re going to have to dress it up a bit.”

“And by ‘a bit’ you mean complete make over?”

She had a grin from ear to ear.

We laughed but then she got an evil smirk on her face.

Sneaky little pixie.

“You know, that sounds like a good idea. Though, your apartment won’t be the only one getting a make over…”

Uh oh.

“It’ll be fun. Trust me.”

“Ok, what ever you say.”

And so began our little sleep over.

We did all the cliché sleep over antics. There was hair braiding, make up, nail painting, gossiping about everyone in town, and of course we talked about boys.

I wanted to know more about her and Jasper. She told me some of their stories and how he proposed to her about a year after they were together. She reminisced of all the places they had traveled together, his good and bad habits, and even how good he was in bed.

Yeah, she so went there.

“Silly me, I’ve been going on and on about Jasper yet I haven’t even asked about any guys in your life…”

“There hasn’t really been anyone for me to talk about anyways…”

“No one?” she frowned.

“Well there was one, but it was just because I was very lonely. I met him while I was in the Volturi guard. His name is Demetri. We dated for about 2 years. But it was never serious. We broke it off after awhile because we knew it wasn’t going anywhere. We were more like, really good friends with benefits I guess you could say. We’re still good friends, we have a phone call every now and then and keep in touch.”

“Oh, I see.”

“That was a very long time ago, though. Since then I’ve been quite lonely. I hope I find someone as great as Jasper one day.”

“I’m sure you will, sis.” She smiled.

About 9am the next day we got dressed and left for a day of shopping.

We went to nearly every store in Port Angeles.

Alice literally bought me two full wardrobes in less than three hours. I told her my closet wouldn’t fit anymore so she started focusing on buying herself some things.

The last place we went was an Ikea store. And holy hell, I’ve never seen such a confusing store, and it was like a damn maze.

Something tells me Alice has been to this store a great deal. She knew exactly where everything was and had this place practically memorized. It seemed that even all the employees working there knew her by name!

She bought me so many things, furniture, things for the bathroom, drapes for the windows, pillows, and even kitchen ware. Why? I don’t know it’s not like I’ll be using any of it.

After 3 hours in Ikea alone, Alice and I went over to the register paid for everything and made arrangements to have it dropped off at my apartment the next day. Alice would come over tomorrow and help me put everything in its place.

After that we started the journey back to Forks.

The ride back was interesting, and pretty entertaining. I found a station on the radio that played the “70s, 80s, 90s and Todays.”

We knew every song that played and every lyric. We pretty much had karaoke in my car.

It’s Raining Men. Mickey. Funky Town. Smells like Teen Spirit. The Reason. Diamond Girl. Umbrella. Stairway to Heaven. So What. Barbie Girl.

And the list goes on and on.

We arrived at the Cullen house at around 6pm.

Alice got out of the car and went to my trunk to get her some of the bags of things she bought. She ran into the house and came back for the second load.

“Bella, don’t you want to come inside for a little bit?”

“Um…no. Edward is home. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” I frowned.

Bella Edward thought you’ll be back later tonight though?

Of course I will be.

“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow around noon. The furniture will be there at 12:15.”

“Ok, Bye Alice.”

I’ll be back in an hour Edward.

I drove off faster than usual and went home to put away my two new wardrobes.

It fit perfectly in my closet. I guess Alice has the gift of shopping too.

All the things she got me are beautiful.

Some were a bit risqué but looked amazing on me none the less. She had quite the taste for fashion.

I showered and put on one of the new pairs of skinny jeans that Alice bought me and my favorite hoodies. It says ‘HIM’ on the front and on the back there’s a really big heartagram on it. ***

I ran to the Cullen home and stopped at the same place I was the previous night.

Edward?

Hey Bella!

Hey, how was your day?

Shitty. School was such a drag. How was yours?

Surprisingly quite fun, Alice took me shopping and we bought some stuff for my apartment.

Hah, Alice has made you her new guinea pig!

And that night we continued to talk about our day. I helped him for awhile with his Trig homework, well at least tried to, he’s pretty hard headed. We also talked about cars and music. Surprisingly, we have a lot in common.

We had our secret conversations every night for about 2 weeks straight. We became very good friends. I feel like I could tell him just about anything. Our conversations were always pleasant and it seemed that we always had something to talk about.

One Friday night, Edward fell asleep as we were talking. He was really tired. He hadn’t been getting much sleep lately and that was partly my fault. We’d always loose track of the time when we had our little talks.

I just sat in the same spot for about an hour. I didn’t really know why I felt I had to stay there. I just wanted to be close to him. I wanted to see him.

I found myself walking closer and closer to the Cullen house.

I knew which room was his because he once walked out of his room and went to the kitchen and saw it through his mind.

There was a big tree by his window and I climbed it. I looked through the window and there he was.

He was lying there, looking so peaceful.

I could still smell him from outside his window. He was still as appetizing as ever. But my urge to see him was more overwhelming than his smell.

I opened his window and slipped inside.

His scent was much stronger inside, being so close to him. I held my breath just in case.

I sat at the other end of his bedroom where there was a black leather couch.

His mind was silence, he wasn’t dreaming or anything. His mind was just blank.

I could hear everyone else downstairs though.

Esme and Carlisle were in the study reading. Emmett and Rosalie were off doing things I wish I wouldn’t have to hear. And Alice and Jasper had gone off hunting.

I stayed in his bedroom just watching him for hours. Every now and then he would stir about and shift in bed. He didn’t do much but I was completely fascinated by him.

Around 9am I heard Alice and Jasper thoughts, they were running through the forest returning from their hunt. Jasper was thinking about waking up Edward and asking him if he wanted to go with him and pick up a few parts for Alice’s car.

Edward was still sleeping but I had to leave, I didn’t think anyone would approve if they came up to find me sitting here staring at the boy I almost killed two weeks ago.

I got up and went over to the window I had came in through and slipped out and ran for home unnoticed.

The next night everything went back to normal with Edward and I. I tried really hard not to think of the previous night when I went in to his bedroom.

Again Edward fell asleep and I decided to go up to his room again.

I felt like it was getting a bit easier to stay close by without wanting to completely throw myself at him and satisfy my thirst.

On that Sunday, I slipped in through his window again.

I laughed at myself, was I technically a stalker? I mean I almost killed him, and now I'm sneaking around in to his bedroom just to watch him...

I honestly couldn't figure out why I wanted to be close to him or why I enjoyed just watching him sleep. But I couldn't help myself, and just kept finding my way back to see him again.

Half way through the night, his thoughts were suddenly in a dream. It was quite vivid.

I was with him in his car, he was driving. We talked about music as we drove. We ended up at school. We said a brief goodbye and went our separate ways. Suddenly we were in the cafeteria and he motioned for me to sit next to him. We sat with the rest of the family laughing and conversing like a normal group of friends would during a school lunch. But suddenly it got dark and I disappeared out of his dream. He was frowning. He got up and went out side. It was raining, he was searching for something. He walked through the rain, still looking. He couldn’t find what ever it was he was searching for and then…

“Bella…”

Chapter 7 - Revelations

Oh shit, is he awake?

I walked closer to him, but his eyes were still closed. He was still sleeping.

“Bella…where are you?” he whimpered.

He looked so sad.

I don’t know what possessed me to do what I did next but I felt like I had to.

I sat on his bed right next to him and held his hand in mine.

I whispered right in his ear to make sure no one else in the house could hear.

“I’m right here, Edward. I’m right here.”

He smiled.

He looked like an angel. He was so peaceful again.

All he wants is for me to go back to school, hang out with him. I’ll do what ever he wants to make him happy.

At that moment I decided I would go back to school the next day. I would go to Carlisle later today and ask him for a doctor’s note with a reason for missing school for the last two weeks.

I sat there for the rest of the night with his hand in mine.

I was getting better at being around him. It was still a bit difficult. The venom would still build up and the back of my throat burned, but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

I could see past the thirst and bare being next to him. I even caught myself leaning in at times and taking in his scent.

The honey and roses that rolled off him was so sweet, like the finest wine.

All had to end when it was 7:29. His alarm would go off at 7:30 to start his day off for school.

I placed his hand gently on his stomach and slipped out of his window just as his alarm went off.

I ran back home to change. I put on some nice black slacks, a white top and over it I put this nice black vest type shirt that had buttons everywhere with a nice belt around it. ***

I got in my Audi and drove to the hospital to speak with Carlisle.

When I got there he already had a doctor’s excuse ready for me.

Apparently Alice had a vision.

I drove to school, I was a bit late and everyone was already in their classes.

I went to the front office and handed the slip to the lady at the front desk.

I didn’t look at what Carlisle had put as my excuse for missing two weeks, but it must have been something gross cause the poor lady in the front office looked like she was about to puke everywhere.

She handed me my schedule and a map of the school.

“Would you like me to call in a student to show you around the school?”

“No thank you Ms. Cope. I know a couple of the students here. I’m sure I could find my way.”

“Ok dear, be on you way then. Here’s a tardy slip for your first class.”

I walked out of the office and looked at my schedule.

AP Biology 1st hour

American Government 2nd hour

AP English 4 3rd hour

Art 3 4th hour

Lunch A

Trigonometry 5th hour

French 2 6th hour

Gym 7th hour

I smiled after reading it over.

I would have three classes with Edward.

I walked to my AP Bio class.

I opened the door and the venom started to pool a bit.

I held my breath.

I walked over to the teacher’s desk handed him my slip and my schedule.

He motioned me to sit in the only empty seat in the room.

Just my luck, there was Edward with an empty seat next to him.

I went over and sat next to him. He had the biggest smile on his face.

Bella, I can’t believe you’re here! Can you handle it?

Yes, I think I can handle it.

I smiled and looked forward not wanting to make eye contact.

What made you decided?

Just thought I needed to get back in. I didn’t want to hide out the rest of the year. I thought I could handle myself around you better, and I can.

I smiled.

We mostly tried to pay attention to the lesson. But that was impossible. Edward was so excited that I was back in school we couldn’t stop ‘talking’ to each other.

The bell rang.

“What other classes do you have?” Edward asked.

I gave him my schedule.

“Sweet, we have English and Trig together too.”

“BELLA!” I turned to see my pixie sister running through the crowd to catch up to Edward and I.

“Hey Alice!”

“Bella! I’m so glad you’re here! We have next period together. Oh and French!”

Edward took that opportunity to leave and go to class.

“I’ll see you in English.” he said over his shoulder as he walked off.

“Come on Bella, if we don’t hurry we’re going to be late.” She tapped her temple with her fingers.

She grabbed my arm and towed me to our next class.

Alice and I got to sit together and we passed notes for most of the period.

So, I had a vision.

Care to enlighten me?

Um. Well no. It’s a surprise. =)

Ugh. I hate surprises…maybe…

Don’t you dare read my mind Bella! Besides I’m fairly good at blocking my thoughts.

I sighed.

OK fine. At least give me a hint?

You’ll have lots of fun. Oh and I went over to your place this morning and left what you’ll need!

I looked over to her and raised my eyebrow at her.

She mouthed a ‘You’ll see’ at me right before the bell rang.

I was out the room as fast as humanly possible and started for my next class.

A little anxious now are we? Alice thought.

Hmph.

“Hey there. Long time no see.” Edward said then winked.

My stomach fell a little when he did that. I brushed it off.

“Hey, so where do we sit?”

He motioned for me to sit by him again.

We sat all the way in the back.

The class was very boring. Most of the books we supposed to read, I had already read a few times before.

A few minutes into the class Ms. Pollard, the English teacher, began today lesson and apparently Edward didn’t want to pay attention either.

Bored.

Edward. Pay attention. This is your first time through high school, you need to learn it.

Technically it’s your first time too…

Yeah, well…I already know all this stuff.

As do I.

Smart ass.

I giggled and he chuckled.

“Excuse us, if we’re interrupting your conversation Mr. Cullen and Miss Swan. Please do continue.” Ms. Pollard snapped and all the students stared at us.

“Sorry.” We both muttered and lowered our heads down.

She scowled and continued with the lesson.

I looked at Edward and we both smiled.

Suddenly the phone rang and Ms. Pollard went over to answer it.

“Oh, ok. I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone. “Students, start reading chapters 1-5 I will be right back there seems to be…an emergency in the gym.”

Emergency, right. They’ll believe that. Mr. Howard better be ready. I’m gonna tear his ass up.

Both Edward and I looked at each other with disgust.

Gross.

I so did not need to know that.

The class, instead of reading chapters 1-5 of course, started talking amongst themselves.

Then one of the boys got up and started to walk over to the back of the room.

He looked familiar...

I wonder where she was for 2 weeks. Damn she looks just as fine as ever.

Oh right, that pig Mike Newton.

Edward glared at him as he stood right next to the table completely ignoring and talking over him to speak to me.

“Hey there, Isabella. Where have you been the last two weeks?”

Yeah I missed your sexy ass. I could have fucked you already dozens of times.

“I was…uh sick.”

“That sucks.”

I looked over to Edward and he looked like he was about to pounce Newton and rip out his throat.

“So uh, I was wondering if you want to check out that new horror movie tonight with me?” then he mumbled “…and maybe go back to my place afterwards.” And winked at me.

Edward shot up out of his seat and yelled, “You disgusting little…” and raised his arm about to strike him.

“Mr. Cullen!” Ms. Pollard walked in through the door. “What do you think you are doing? Office. NOW.”

Fuck.

Newton had a smirk on his face and Edward glared at him before grabbing his stuff and walking out of the room.

“My offer still stands, Babe.” Mike whispered before going back to his own seat.

“Mr. Newton, stay in your seat or next time I’ll give you detention.”

Oh no. I got Edward in trouble. Maybe I shouldn’t have come to school today. Damn that Mike Newton. If I did kill humans, he would definitely be the first to go.

Hah, glad to see I’m not first on your list anymore then.

Oh shit. For a minute there I forgot your could read my mind… And you were never on the top of my list Edward!

I know. I’m just messing with you.

Edward, I’m sorry I got you in trouble…

It’s ok Bella, that old hag isn’t even going to remember kicking me out of the class.

Oh.

But I swear as soon as that vile Mike Newton leaves that class I’m going to kick his a…

Edward! No, you’ll get into more trouble. Just leave it be… please.

It’s not that easy. I have a pretty bad temper. It’s taking everything in me not to go punch him right now.

Likewise…

Look. I think I’m just going to have to skip the rest of the day, if not I might do something I’ll regret later. Ok maybe I wont regret it, but my parents would kill me if I got suspended for fighting…

Ok what ever you think is best.

I frowned.

You know, missing class is healthy sometimes. Would you like to join me?

I don’t know if I should. I’ve already missed two weeks…

Oh well. I’ll just go alone then…

Hey! I never said I wouldn’t just…well that I didn’t know if I should. Of course I’ll go.

That’s my girl.

I felt a bit lightheaded. What’s that about?

Ok. Wait in the parking lot.

I counted down the time until the class was over. There was only 15 minutes left but it felt like three hours.

The bell rang and I walked out to the parking lot.

I walked over to my Audi and saw such a beautiful scene.

Edward was leaning on my car with his arms crossed, unintentionally flexing his muscles, and his emerald eyes were glinting in the clouded sunlight.

“Took you long enough.”

“I swear the school clocks run slower than regular clocks.”

We both chuckled and got in my car.

I drove out of the parking lot going to no particular place, just driving on the highway.

“So…where are we off to?” I asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. I don’t want to go home that’s for sure, I’m always there.”

He pondered.

“How about we go to your place? I’ve haven’t been there yet. I’d like to see what kind of craziness Alice did for you.” He laughed.

I smiled and nodded.

We reached my apartment and we walked up the flight of stairs to my floor.

We reached my door and we went in.

Edward whistled. “She does know how to fix up a place, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, she really did a great job. I love it.”

“Hah, you two really are related.”

Just then a growl came from Edward’s stomach.

I giggled and he blushed.

“Hungry much?” I asked.

Edward turned his face, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to being around someone who needs to eat all the time…” I said.

Maybe I could order some take out for him or something.

I went to the kitchen to get the phone book. I opened one of the cabinets and my eyes went wide.

The whole cabinet was full of all kinds of food. I looked in the pantry, again full. I opened the fridge and all kinds of things were in there.

Alice.

I laughed and shook my head.

“What?”

“Edward, would you like me to cook something for you?” I turned and smiled sweetly at him.

“You can cook?” he said skeptically.

“When I was human, I was the cook in the family. I haven’t made anything in awhile, but I’m sure it’ll be edible.”

Edward gulped and nodded.

“So what do you like to eat?”

He walked over by me and looked to see what there was.

“Hmm… how about some pasta?”

“Ok. I can handle that.”

He took out a big pot out from one of the cabinets and filled it with water.

I went over and got a box of spaghetti out of the pantry.

The water boiled and I threw in the spaghetti noodles.

I remembered a special recipe I used to make all the time as a human for the sauce. I got all the ingredients out and put them in a sauce pan.

By the time the sauce was done so was the spaghetti.

I grabbed a plate and put a large serving of both on it and put it by the new two person table Alice had gotten for me.

“Edward, food’s done.” I called out.

He came over and sat down by the plate. I sat in the other seat across from him.

“Smells delicious.” He smiled.

Tell me about it…

He chuckled.

“Damn it, I keep forgetting you can read my mind. I didn’t mean it like that… sorry.”

I can’t believe I just made a comment about how good he smelled…

“It’s ok. I’m not offended. But thanks for the compliment”

My eyes narrowed at him.

“I’m going to have to start blocking my thoughts from you.”

“Maybe I should do the same then.” He said with a smirk.

He started to eat. Apparently it was edible then.

“Bella, this is amazing. You’ll have to cook again for me some other time…Well if you’d like to anyways. Though, I know that human food is disgusting to you…I don’t want you to feel sick by it or…”

Ok now I’m rambling.

“Anytime.” I giggled.

He finished eating and we went over and sat on the couch.

“So, what would you like to do now?” I asked.

“Don’t know…how about we watch some TV?”

I gave him the remote.

He flipped through about 100 channels before stopping on a station.

It was the show ‘Angel’.

“You like this show?” I asked surprised.

“Um, yeah. Heh. Sorry. I’ll change it if you like. It probably offends you…I know they don’t exactly portray vampires all that well…”

“Actually,” I started “I love that show.”

He smiled.

We watched the show for hours, apparently there was an ‘Angel’ marathon today.

After about 3 shows Edward fell asleep. His head fell on my shoulder and I just sat there not wanting to move, or wake him up.

He needed sleep, he was always so tired.

I sighed.

And besides he looked so peaceful again.

And Fragile. Angelic. Beautiful. Perfect…

I was in a daze. I looked at his round perfect face. His soft skin, his closed eyes, straight perfect nose, perfect lips…

I inched closer, and closer.

I stopped myself and went back to my original position.

Wow. Did I just almost kiss Edward?

Edward moved a bit trying to make himself more comfortable.

He pulled his body up on top of the couch behind him and nudged his head closer to my neck.

Apparently he wasn’t comfortable enough.

He kept moving around.

He ended up with his head on my lap facing towards the television with one hand on my knee and the other beneath himself.

I had to hold my breath.

Not because his scent had become even more overpowering.

He was just there, and I didn’t know what to do.

Should I move him? Or should I just leave him there…

He does look very comfortable now.

I don’t want to disturb his sleep…

We stayed like that for a good three to four hours. The whole time, my eyes were fixated on his gentle face.

I noticed it was twilight when a shadow started to cast over his face.

I looked out the window.

Yep, definitely starting to get late.

I should take him home.

Suddenly my phone buzzed.

I reached over to the side table where I had left it last.

A text from Alice.

Don’t worry about Edward’s car. I took it home for him. Don’t be too late.

I smiled.

Alice was always on top of things.

Unwillingly, I lightly shook Edward to wake him.

I didn’t want it to be awkward so I quickly moved him upright onto the couch.

“Whoa…how long was I out?” he asked still a bit groggy.

“Just a couple of hours.” I said with a slight laugh.

“Oh, crap. Everyone’s probably wondering where I’m at.”

“It’ll be alright. Alice knows.”

“Oh…” he said understanding. “Well, we have to go get my car.”

“Already taken care of.”

“Alice?”

I nodded.

“Come on, I’ve got to get you back home now.”

He frowned.

“Sorry, but I can’t keep you out too late. Besides you’ve got homework.” I smiled evilly.

“You are the spawn of Satan.” He said jokingly.

“Oh. I know.” I said with a wink.

We got up and walked out to my car.

It didn’t take me very long to get him home. We were at the Cullen house in less than five minutes.

“Well that was quick…” he said.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

You better get out of that car and come and say Hi, Bella! Alice thought.

Edward smiled.

We both got out of the car and Alice opened the door before we could even reach the knob.

“Bella!” Alice squeaks as she jumps up to hug me.

Just then Rosalie pulls Alice off and stands an inch away from my face.

“You could have killed him! You could have lost control! How could you be so fucking stupid?!” she yelled.

Edward stiffened and said, “Damn Rose, chill! I’m alive, aren’t I?”

She glared at him.

“Whatever, Edward. She could have still lost control!”

“It’s not too hard anymore. I’m able to control myself better since…” I trailed off.

“Since what?” Rosalie growled.

Shit! Why’d I open my mouth? What am I supposed to say:

‘Hey Rosalie, by the way, for the last couple of days I’ve stayed in your brother’s room watching him sleep. That’s why I have more control now. I’m used to the smell.’

Yeah, like I could actually say that…

You what?

I turned to Edward to see him facing me with his eyebrow raised.

Oh great! You read my thoughts…

Sorry, I can’t help it when you’re thoughts are practically screaming…

“HELLO! Earth to Bella! I’m waiting for your answer.” Rosalie yelled.

“Huh?” I turned to face her again. “Oh, well you see. Um since…I had classes with him. I…I held my breath. So…yeah. It’s much easier now.”

If I was able to blush, right now my face would be burning red.

“Whatever.”

“Rose,” we all turned to look at Alice.

“It’s ok. I was watching the whole time. She was fine, she was always in control. I don’t think she could ever hurt Edward.”

Rosalie stomped away and Edward walked to the living room.

Alice turned and winked at me.

“Bella, want to go hunting with me?”

“Sure Alice, let’s go.” I smiled.

We went out the back door and ran through the backyard into the forest.

About five miles out she suddenly stopped and I crashed into her with an “Umph.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Bella, I saw you earlier…debating.”

“Alice, I swear I was fine. I wont hurt Edward. My thirst is still there but it’s bearable and…” she cut me off.

“No silly! You wanted to kiss him!”

“Oh…” I turned away.

“Bella! Spill!” she beamed “Do you like Edward?”

“Um…I don’t know. I…” I sighed, “It’s like I’m pulled to him somehow, like it’s not only the thirst. I just feel like I want to be by him all the time. I want to protect him, make sure he’s ok…”

“Bella…when you’re with him, you’re absolutely glowing! I think that it’s something more…”

“Heh, yeah…I fell like I...um, Alice?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I’m…falling in love with him.”

Chapter 8 - Visions

Edward is sleeping in his bed. Bella sits across the room in his couch. Bella walks over to Edward, sits in his bed, and holds his hand. Bella drives to the hospital and speaks with Carlisle. Then Bella drives to school.

A smile spread across my face.

“Why are you so happy all of a sudden?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, You’ll see. I’ll see you at school later today. I have to speak with Carlisle.”

I gave him a quick kiss and darted down to the garage. I stepped in my Porsche and as I was about to start it, my eyes suddenly glazed over again.

Mike Newton goes over to Bella and Edward. Edward stands up and gets ready to punch him. The teacher walks in and sends Edward to the office. Edward waits by Bella’s car as Bella walks up to him and they drive off. Suddenly, both are in Bella’s apartment. “Edward, would you like me to cook something for you?”

I almost squealed with excitement.

I’ll have to stop by the grocery story and pick up a few things for her if she’s going to cook for Edward. But first I must see Carlisle.

I started the car and drove off at top speed to the hospital.

“Hello Alice. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Carlisle greeted with a smile.

“Carlisle, I had a vision. Well actually two of them. In the first, Bella decided to come see you. She plans to go back to school today and would like to ask you for a doctor’s note to excuse her for missing the first two weeks of school.”

“And the second vision?”

“Well…I saw that Edward will get in trouble at school today.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Uh, well sort of anyways. He was defending Bella against Mike Newton.” He relaxed a little and nodded for me to continue.

“It looks like he leaves school to make sure he doesn’t get into anymore trouble. He waits for Bella and then ends up going to Bella’s apartment.” I said smiling.

“Do you think that it will be safe? Will she be able to control herself with him being so close?” he asked starting to look a little worried.

“I think she will be fine. And just in case, I will watch over them the whole time. If anything will go wrong, I will see it before it happens. I will be only a few seconds running time away.”

“Very Well. If you believe it’s safe, then I see no harm in it. Please make sure everything runs smoothly. Make sure Edward isn’t back too late tonight, he still has school tomorrow.”

“I’ll make sure everything goes ok.” I said reassuringly.

He nodded.

“Alice, you seem extremely cheerful about this, is there something more to these visions?”

“Not exactly…It’s just, you know how hard it’s been for Edward to adjust to our lives. We’re always constantly moving. He never makes friends in any school because he knows that it’s very likely that he’ll have to move away suddenly and won’t get to say goodbye. He probably wouldn’t ever see them again after that either. Worse than that, he’s sort of an outcast if you think about it. People tend to stay away from the rest of us and he’s only ever around us, so in turn they stay away from him as well. Jasper says that sometimes he even feels like an outcast at home, being the only human.”

Carlisle frowned. He truly is like a father to all of us, he cares for us all deeply like his children, and he doesn’t want any of us to be unhappy.

“But now, it’s all changing. Oh Carlisle, I wish you could have seen it! In my vision he just looked so happy. It makes me happy to see him like that. He’s becoming friends with Bella. She’s his first true friend.”

A smile creped back onto his face and then became a full blown grin.

“Well, I see you’re busy. I’ll see you back at home, dad.” I said with a wink.

I left the hospital and went straight to the nearest grocery store.

I walked in and started to grab anything that I thought Edward liked to eat. I had definitely bought enough to fully stock Bella’s kitchen. I figured I’d buy more than enough, just in case she cooks for him again some other time.

I looked at my phone for the time, it was 8am already. I would miss first hour for sure. Bella should be at school and heading for first period by now. I’ll just leave all this in her apartment and then head over to school in time for my next class.

I looked in to the future to see what classes Bella has on her schedule.

Great! We have 2nd hour, American Government, together and French, 6th hour. I should be back in time to see her then.

My thoughts on today’s future events fell back into view again. I’m so glad they will finally be able to bond. Edward needs this, he needs a friend.

I got to Bella’s apartment and then I realized I hadn’t thought of how I was going to get in to leave everything there. Surely Bella must have a hidden key somewhere.

I picked up only a few bags, not wanting to take all of them at the same time. I had to keep up appearances. What would a random passer-by think if they saw a 4’ 11”, 102lb teenager walking with a bunch of bags that probably weighed more than that?

I laughed at the thought of people staring in awe of such a small girl lifting heavy bags without a problem, I wonder if they’d offer to help, probably not.

I walked up the stairs to her floor and searched under the welcome mat. No key, I sighed.

Oh well, I could break the door knob. Hmm... maybe not, I’d have to replace it and I don’t have time for that. And if I broke it and didn’t replace it, she’d probably worry that someone else broke in.

OH! I know.

I could just ‘break’ in to her apartment the old fashion way! I laughed internally, brilliant idea Alice.

I took out a bobby pin out of my hair and jammed it in the key lock. After jimmying it for a few seconds I heard a pop and the door opened wide.

I felt like I was agent 007 or something. A spy sneaking in to some secret lair and planting a bomb to surprise everyone with a big boom!

I hope instead of everything exploding into crap, hopefully this ‘bomb’ will end up sparking the beginning of a good friendship with two very important people in my life.

I made three trips back to the car and finally had all the bags up stairs. That took a grueling 20 minutes, though it felt like hours, at human speed. Then I started to put all the food away. I was done in 18 seconds to be exact. Oh yes, thank you to my inhuman speed, god I loved it. I was so anxious to get to school from all my excitement, so the speed was a definite plus.

I rushed at human speed back to my car and sped off towards the school. I still had 3 minutes and 15 seconds until Bella got out of 1st hour. I parked my car and a second later the bell rang. I ran in to the school, and pushed myself through the newly formed crowd and rushed over to where I saw Edward and Bella in the distance.

“BELLA!” I half yelled, half squeaked.

“Hey Alice!” Bella said with much less excitement than I had, oblivious to what will happen in just a 1 hour and 43 minutes and counting. I pushed my thoughts to the back of my mind.

“I’m so glad you’re here! We have next period together. Oh and French!” I said in one breath.

Edward looked at me and rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

“I’ll see you in English.” He said over his shoulder. I stifled a giggle.

The tardy bell would ring in 34 seconds.

“Come on Bella, if we don’t hurry we’re going to be late.”

I tapped my fingers to my temple so she would hurry up and start walking.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to our first class together. How exciting!

We sat together towards the middle of the class room and passed notes all through class.

About 5 minutes before the bell was going to ring I told her about my vision, of course not fully.

So, I had a vision.

Care to enlighten me?

Um. Well no. It’s a surprise. =)

Just then I had a vision of her trying to read my mind and I quickly blocked my mind before she could do anything.

Ugh. I hate surprises…maybe…

Don’t you dare read my mind Bella! Besides I’m fairly good at blocking my thoughts.

OK fine. At least give me a hint?

You’ll have lots of fun. Oh and I went over to your place this morning and left what you’ll need!

She looked over at me and raised her eyebrow.

I mouthed a ‘You’ll see’ at her. The bell rang and she jumped up and practically ran out the door for her next class.

I giggled.

A little anxious now are we? I thought loudly so Bella would hear.

I went to my next class and kept looking into the future to see what would happen more clearly The vision was getting more and more vivid as the time came near. 10 more minutes and it would happen. If I look closer maybe I could read their lips.

“So uh, I was wondering if you want to check out that new horror movie tonight with me?” Mike said “…and maybe go back to my place afterwards.”

Edward jumps up and raised his hand to punch him. “You disgusting little…”

I giggled out loud, I couldn’t help myself. It was really cute how Edward was defending Bella. I mean she is a vampire, she could handle herself.

“Alice! Do you find something funny about my lesson?”

My teacher’s voice, loud and stern, pulled me out of my vision.

“Oh no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to. Please continue.”

I fought the temptation to look for another vision. I would wait until the next class to look.

20 minutes later the bell rang and I quickly looked to make sure everything had gone well. Bella and Edward were now pulling out of the parking lot headed for her apartment.

My next hour was study hall so I was able to just sit in the library and watch them.

They walked in through the door and Edward whistles. “She does know how to fix up a place, doesn’t she?” “Yeah, she really did a great job. I love it.”

Aww, she really does love it!

Throughout the rest of the hour nothing too exciting happened. They spent the time cooking spaghetti for him, and then sat on the couch to watch TV.

The bell rang.

Wow, time went by so fast.

It was time for lunch now. I walked out of the class room, and as usual Jasper was there waiting for me. I grabbed his hand and we walked to the cafeteria. We went through the lunch line and I got a slice of pizza and a bottle of lemonade that, of course, I would not be eating. Jasper just got an apple and a coke. We then walked over to our table at the very end of the room and sat down with Rosalie and Emmett.

“So I heard Bella’s back in school,” Emmett said as soon as we took our seats. “But I haven’t seen her all day.”

“Yeah, where is she anyways?” Jasper asked.

”Um, she went home…” I trailed off.

“Good Riddance.” Rosalie snapped.

I rolled my eyes at her.

After awhile Emmett looked around a bit confused.

“Where’s Edward?” he finally asked.

“Well um, you see, it’s quite a funny story really!” They all turned to stare at me.

“In English class, Edward almost punched Mike because he was hitting on Bella and suggested they should sleep together... Edward got in trouble and he ended up skipping the rest of the day…with Bella.” I said in a mumbled rush, even at vampire speed it would be a bit difficult to understand. But I knew they had heard all of it though.

Emmett had a huge grin on his face.

Jasper smiled timidly.

And Rosalie…well Rosalie had her mouth wide open in shock and I swear her eye was twitching.

Jasper winced and breathed an “oh shit.”

“Alice! How could you allow this to happen?!” She accused in barely a whisper to not attract attention, but still with much aggression.

“Because it would make him happy. Carlisle allowed it and Edward’s a big boy he can make his own decisions. Besides, I’ve been watching them the whole time.”

Rosalie’s mouth gaped open again.

“Carlisle knows and he still let this happen?! And you all approve?” She looked around at all of us. “You’re all insane! He could die, and you’re all happy he’s there!”

“Don’t be so dramatic Rosie. Give Bella some credit. She probably has more self control than any of us.” Emmett spoke up. Wow he’s got balls, he actually said that to her, to Rosalie! She’s going to kill him…

Rosalie was extremely furious now, glaring murderously at her husband. Abruptly, she stood up, threw away her tray, and stomped off to her next class early.

“Shit. I’ll be in the dog house for a while now won’t I?” Emmett said with such sadness in his eyes.

I looked in to his future.

“Um, just for a month…” I said cautiously.

“A MONTH?!” and with that, he got up to chase after Rosalie to beg her forgiveness.

Jasper and I laughed.

“Is she really going to abstain for a month?” he asked.

“No, I actually just saw him running off to beg her for forgiveness. She’ll forgive him in a couple of days. I mostly just wanted him to be by her and make sure she doesn’t ruin Edward’s fun.”

His face lit up.

“Is he really having fun?”

“Yep!” I said popping the ‘p’ “You’ll see for yourself later tonight.”

He smiled and nodded. I know Jasper wants Edward to be happy the most of all of us. He can always feel how sad, depressed, and lonely Edward has been all these years.

“Come on Jazz, the bell’s going to ring in 15 seconds. Let’s get out before the rush.”

We grabbed our trays and threw them out with all the untouched food and walked to class hand in hand. I was glad I had my next class with Jasper.

We got to class and sat together as usual.

As soon as I got in my chair I looked at the future to see what they were up to.

Bella and Edward watching ‘Angel’

Still watching TV? Oh well, at least they’re both still having fun having in each other’s company.

We had some free time in class so we were just able to sit and talk for awhile.

“So what exactly have they been up to for Edward to be so happy?”

“Not much really. He’s just happy to spend time with her. All that has happened so far, was Bella making him lunch and now they’re watching ‘Angel’ ” I said with a small giggle.

“I hate that show…”

“It’s not so bad. Besides, Angel is hot!”

He grimaced.

“What?” I said, “He’s is! I can’t deny that. But don’t worry. My heart belongs to you and only you.” I kissed his lips lightly and quick enough that no one would see.

He gave me a wide smile. “So that’s all then?” I nodded.

“It makes sense I guess. All he longed for was company, a friend.” He continued.

“And now he finally has one he doesn’t have to worry explaining his family to. There won’t be any secrets between them.” He nodded in agreement.

The bell rang.

I gave him a kiss. “I’ll see you after school, Hun.”

Last hour went extremely slow, especially now that Edward had fallen asleep at Bella’s.

It was getting quite boring really.

He must be really tired for some reason. Oh well, he looks happy and peaceful. And Bella looks extremely content for him to be there and her being able to resist him so well. Both of them are happy, and that’s all that really matters.

Finally school ended and I walked to the parking lot to meet up with the rest of my family. Rosalie of course was still fuming and Emmett looked like a sad little, ok well huge, puppy dog.

“She’s not letting me calm her.” Jasper whispered to me when I stood next to him.

“She’ll be fine Jazz. Hey, could you do me a favor and drive my car home? I’m going to take the Volvo home for Edward. It looks like he’ll still be out for a couple more hours.”

I handed him my keys and he took them, all too excited. He loved my Porsche. I just hardly let him drive it because I loved driving it too much myself. I couldn’t just ride as a passenger when I could be driving it. He walked over to it anxiously. I had a feeling he would take it for a joy ride before actually going home.

I shook my head and smiled before walking over to Edward’s car. I had the only spare key to it. I was the only one Edward would allow, or trust enough, to drive his car. This car is his ‘Baby’ as he calls it. He must have been a vampire in another life, because I swear he drives just like us. He loves fast cars, really fast cars. He drives like a maniac, but always keeps control. It’s like he has some kind of built in radar to tell him if there was any danger. I laughed at myself for the thought.

When I got home, Esme was waiting on the porch for me with a big smile on her face.

“I take it Carlisle told you about my vision?”

“Yes, it’s such lovely news!”

“I know! Wait until you see him, mom.” Her face glowed.

“Would you like to help me make his dinner, Dear?”

“Sure.” I smiled and we walked in the house and went straight to the kitchen to start Edward’s dinner.

As I was cutting the tomatoes for Edward’s salad I was hit with another vision.

Edward lays his head on Bella’s shoulder while sleeping. She watches him sleep. Bella leans in closer and closer to him. Her gaze drifts from his closed eyes to his lips. She leans in and almost lays her lips upon his but she pulls away at the last second.

“Oh My GOD!” I shrieked.

Everyone bolted in to the kitchen and huddled around me as I came out from my vision. They waited for me to say something. Their faces were full of fear. I just looked at them and then let my mouth pull up in to a big grin and one by one they started to relax.

“Mary Alice Swan Cullen don’t you EVER scare me like that again! Do you hear me?”

“Sorry mom. But Oh My God! I can’t believe it…”

“What did you see?” Emmett asked anxiously.

“I…I’m not gonna say.” I poked my tongue out at him.

“Aww come on, Alice! You scared the sh-crap out of us and now its good news and you don’t want to say what it is?”

Esme glared at Emmett for almost cursing and he gave her a small apologetic smile.

“Nope!” I said and they all walked away knowing that when I make up my mind there’s no changing it.

I continued helping Esme and I spoke to her in a hushed voice.

“Oh Esme, this vision might change everything!” Esme smiled at my excitement. I couldn’t wait until Bella got here. I looked at the clock and it was almost 6pm. I took my phone out of my pocket and sent Bella a text message.

Don’t worry about Edward’s car. I took it home for him. Don’t be too late.

Send.

I looked into the future and saw her waking him up and pulling up to the drive way.

“Bella and Edward will be here in 10 minutes!” I announced to everyone.

“Jasper.” I called and turned as he blurred to a stop in front of me.

“You should talk to Edward when he gets here.”

“In other words keep him busy while you go off with Bella.”

“See that’s why I love you. You always know what I want.”

“Oh that’s why.” He rolled his eyes.

I pushed him playfully.

9 minutes 15 seconds later I heard Bella’s car pull up in the drive way. I listened in to what they were saying.

“Well that was quick…” Edward said.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

Bella was just going to leave? Oh. Hell. No.

You better get out of that car and come and say Hi, Bella!

Then I heard two car doors slam closed and I smiled in triumph.

I walked over to the door and opened it just as Bella was reaching for the door knob.

“Bella!” I said excitedly. I jumped up to her and gave her a tight hug.

Suddenly I was being pulled off of her and pushed aside.

Rosalie.

“You could have killed him! You could have lost control! How could you be so fucking stupid?!” she yelled.

Oh god. Drama queen much?

And Esme was so going to cancel her credit cards now for cursing and saying that to Bella…

“Damn Rose, chill! I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“Whatever, Edward. She could have still lost control!”

“It’s not too hard anymore. I’m able to control myself better since…”

“Since what?” Rosalie growled at Bella.

Bella looked deep in thought. Seconds later she looked over to Edward and he looked at her with a confused expression, or was it amused?

“HELLO! Earth to Bella! I’m waiting for your answer.” Rosalie yelled impatiently.

“Huh? Oh, well you see. Um since…I had classes with him. I…I held my breath. So…yeah. It’s much easier now.”

Uh huh.

“Whatever.”

I felt a calm flow through the room, thanks to Jasper.

“Rose,” I started “It’s ok. I was watching the whole time. She was fine, she was always in control. I don’t think she could ever hurt Edward.”

Defeated, Rosalie left to her room. Edward walked to the living room.

Now was my chance. I wanted to get Bella away from everyone else so I could ask her about what I saw in my vision. I winked at her.

“Bella, want to go hunting with me?” I asked.

“Sure Alice, let’s go.”

She followed me out through the forest and I stopped suddenly and she stumbled in to me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Bella, I saw you earlier…debating.”

“Alice, I swear I was fine. I won’t hurt Edward. My thirst is still there but it’s bearable and…”

I shook my head and cut her off.

“No silly! You wanted to kiss him!” I smiled.

“Oh…” she said as she turned away.

“Bella! Spill! Do you like Edward?” I was so excited!

“Um…I don’t know. I…” she sighed and then continued. “It’s like I’m pulled to him somehow, like it’s not only the thirst. I just feel like I want to be by him all the time. I want to protect him, make sure he’s ok…”

“Bella…when you’re with him, you’re absolutely glowing! I think that it’s something more…” I said recalling how she looked at him.

“Heh, yeah…I fell like I...um, Alice?”

“Hmm?” I asked anxiously.

“I think I’m…falling in love with him.”

“Oh My Cullen! Bella, Oh, This is perfect! You guys would be so perfect together, I just know it!”

“That’s were you’re wrong Alice.” She said in a cold tone.

“What do you mean?” I asked completely confused.

“Edward doesn’t love me back… how could he anyways? He only thinks of me as a friend, of that I’m sure. Besides it’ll be better that way…”

“Better that way?”

“Yes Alice. I’m a vampire, he’s a human. He’ll grow old and I’ll stay young. It would never work out that way.”

“Bella, that won’t be a problem. Carlisle will be changing Edward after graduation.”

“No. He won’t. I had a conversation with Edward. Apparently he’s decided that he doesn’t want to be a vampire. Alice, he has dreams. He has a choice. He wants to do something with his life. He wants to go to college, get a job. He even thinks he might want children one day. I could never bare his child.” She turned away from me again. “He deserves better. He will have better…”

“But…he was always so excited about changing. He would always beg us to change him even before graduation. But he was still too young so we told him to wait…”

“Was is the key word. Alice, if you don’t believe me, check his future.”

I searched anxiously.

I searched for him after graduation.

Human

One year.

Human

10 Years.

Human

80 years.

An old man with bright green eyes lying in a hospital bed with Bella by his side holding his hand.

Human

I gasped.

“No…” I shook my head in disbelief.

Why would he give us up?

His family…

Everyone will be heartbroken…

What are we going to do when Edward dies of old age?

Bella winced.

“I’m sorry.” She said.

“It’s ok Bella. It’s his decision. We all will have to just cope with it...”

As much as it pains me to say it, it truly is his decision. I only hope he'd change his mind.

After a few minutes of silence we decided to finish our hunt before going back. I drained 3 deer before coming across Bella as she drained a bobcat.

“All done?”

She nodded.

I walked over to her and grabbed her hand.

“Come on, we’ll have a ‘sleep over’ at your place again.” I gave her the best smile I could pull off.

We ran through the forest hand in hand.

As we ran getting closer home, I tried my hardest not to think of what happened, it was too painful to think about.

“Didn’t Alice go hunting just two nights ago?” Edward asked as he started to pull out his homework.

“Yeah, But I guess she thought Bella might need to hunt since she was with you all day.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”

“So did you have fun with Bella today?” He grinned and a wave of pure happiness rolled off of him.

“It was ok.” He said as he stared down at the coffee table.

I nudged him playfully at his shoulder.

“It was more than just ok.” I stated.

“OK, it was really great. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I feel like I can talk to her about anything.” I smiled.

“She’s a really good friend,” he continued, “Trying to kill me aside, I’m really glad she moved to Forks.” He chuckled slightly.

He smiled as he sat and finished his homework. When he was done he got up and left for the kitchen to eat the dinner Alice and Esme had prepared for him.

Esme took that opportunity to come in to the living room.

“So…?” she asked with a smile.

“I’ve never felt him this happy before, Esme. It’s coming off him in extreme bursts.” I said low enough for her ears only.

“Oh! This is wonderful.” She replied in the same hushed tone.

I nodded and then all of a sudden I felt extreme sadness.

Where was it coming from?

It definitely can’t be Edward his happiness is still strong.

Esme was the same.

My head snapped to the back door as Alice and Bella walked in.

Why are they so sad?

I sent them both some of Edward’s happiness and they both smiled.

“Thank you, Jasper.” Bella said. “I should be going now though.”

“I’m going to stay at Bella’s tonight.” Alice said.

I frowned.

“Jasper can come too.” Bella said to Alice.

Then Bella faced me. “If you’d like to anyways, if you can endure lots of girly-ness and lots of shopping tomorrow that is.”

I’d do anything, even die a thousand deaths, to be with my Alice.

“I’m in.”

Bella nodded. Alice gave me a genuine smile and walked over to take my hand in hers.

I could not bear to stay away from her, especially if something was upsetting her this much.

Chapter 9 - Distractions

I already knew what Edward had decided. I always tried to keep it at the back of my mind. But to watch it now first hand in Alice’s visions tore more holes in my already broken heart. Her last vision just confirmed what I already had realized. As soon as I did realize my love for Edward I knew I would never leave his side. And now it kills me to remember that he wants to stay human.

If only he would still want to be a vampire…

No, I can’t allow myself to think about that option anymore. He won’t be a monster.

This is a good thing. He can have a real, normal life. He won’t be condemned to this damned life of eternity.

Even if he would change his mind it’s not like he would end up with me anyways. I’m only a friend. But I’ll be a damn good friend. I can’t abandon him. I won’t. Alice’s vision: I’ll stay with him, be there for him until the very end.

That will be enough for me. It has to be enough. He’ll be happier now. I’ll make sure of it.

After that day, the happiest and the worst day of my existence; Alice, Jasper, and I went back to my apartment. The next day we had gone to Seattle to go shopping to get our minds off of what happened. I had asked Alice earlier not to mention it yet to the rest of the family, not even Jasper, about what she saw in her vision. It would be Edward who will announce to everyone about his decision to stay human. And it’s his choice to decide when he will let everyone know.

I also asked her to not think about it as best as she could, so I would not be reminded of it and so that Jasper wouldn’t pick up anymore of our unhappiness of the situation. Of course my true intention behind it was so that Edward would not read her mind. I’ll tell him eventually that I told her, but right now I don’t think I could handle the stress of it. He would be bound to read my mind and hear all of the thoughts I have of him if I were to tell him now. I don’t want him to feel guilty about anything.

With me absorbing Jasper’s gift now too, his guilt would just add to my own guilt. Not to mention his anger. He’ll probably be pissed that I told Alice before he had the chance to explain himself to them. I already feel horrible about blurting it out. I didn’t mean to tell her, my emotions were just all over the place. When I have better control dealing with my emotions I’ll tell him.

I have to accept the fact that Edward has chosen mortal life.

It’s been really hard to cope with the last couple of weeks, but it seems to be getting a bit easier, though the ease is minimal.

I still visit the Cullen’s and sometimes still have my secret meetings with Edward. We have even gone a step up from the usual ‘staying a mile away talking through our minds’ conversations.

I sometimes go over and we do homework together. Recently we went to Port Angeles and bought cds and such.

I’ve cooked for him again, quite a bit actually. Apparently he really does love my cooking. Go figure, a vampire that can cook good food regardless of not being able to eat or try any of the food they make.

Today, I decided to come over and see what he was up to, giving him a surprise visit.

I drove off in my Audi towards the Cullen home. When I was almost there I got a text message.

Come right in. Door’s Open.

Of course Alice would see me coming over.

I turned off at the hidden drive and started the three mile drive up to the house.

As I got closer I heard a soft melody playing. I wonder if Edward was playing a new CD or something.

I got out of my car and opened the unlocked front door.

The music intensified as I walked in. It was a piano playing.

I stepped in the living room and realized the music was coming from behind the door of the only room I had never been in. I walked towards the beautiful music and opened it carefully.

The room was very big with padded walls like a studio. The room was quite simple. Not much color or furniture but still quite beautiful. There’s a white leather love seat at the very end of the room facing a white baby grand piano which was right in the middle of the room. The best thing about the room was the person sitting at the piano.

Edward sat at the piano completely lost in the music he was playing. I stood there just listening. His back was turned in the other direction so he hadn’t noticed I was there. I had no idea Edward could play the piano, and he was amazing at it too! It was probably the best piano piece I’ve ever listen to, or was I just being bias? Either way, it has the perfect melody; soft, strong, beautiful. It sounded like a lullaby.

He seemed so passionate. His fingers glided over the ivory keys as the piano vibrated with sound. He had such grace. His body moved as his fingers danced. It was an incredible sight. I couldn’t stop looking at him. I was dazzled.

Two minutes later he ended the piece, slowing the notes and ending in a strong chord. His fingers hovered over the keys as he took in the revolving echo sound the last note made.

“Beautiful.”

He jumped up, startled.

“Oh,” he blushed. “Hey Bella.”

What does he have to be embarrassed about?

“That’s a lovely composition. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, who’s it by?”

“Um, well.” He combed his hand through his bronze hair as he spoke, blushing even more. “I wrote it.”

I was shocked. Not only does he play, but he writes his own pieces.

Could he get even more unbelievably wonderful?

“Edward you have such a talent. Would you play it once more, for me?”

“Sure.” He said nervously.

He sat back down and pat the bench for me to sit next to him. I obliged.

He played it from the beginning. Half way through it he spoke as he continued to play.

“You know…you inspired this one.”

My mouth dropped open in awe.

“Wow, I’m honored.”

“Well it’s an early birthday gift.”

I stiffened. I totally forgot that my birthday was in just a week. And Edward actually remembered…

He chucked. I don’t know if it was because of my thoughts or my facial expression, which was a mix of embarrassment and surprise.

“WHAT?!” A screech came from upstairs. I cringed. My heightened hearing made the wretched sound bounce around loudly in my head.

Alice was next to me in a flash.

“Bella! Why didn’t you tell me your birthday was next week?! I’ll throw you the best party you’ve ever had!” My eyes narrowed at her.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you! I hate parties, Alice.”

“Please, Please, Please, Bella!” she pouted and stared at me with wide glossy eyes. If I didn’t know any better I would think she was about to cry.

My stomach tightened. I knew she was doing this on purpose to persuade me, but I couldn’t deny her anything if it would make her happy.

“OH Thank You, Bella! Thank You! You won’t regret this. It’s going to be great!”

She tapped her temple with her finger and left a half a second later. I could hear her thoughts going a mile a minute making plans already for a huge party. I groaned. I hadn’t had a birthday party in more than a century. I hate being the center of attention.

I turned back to Edward and he had a crooked grin on his face. My heart dropped into my stomach. If I were alive it would have skipped a beat. I rushed my thoughts to the back of my mind.

“You’re too easy to convince.” He said suddenly.

“No not really. You know, I can be quite stubborn. It just, all goes out the window. I can’t deny anything when it comes to Alice.” And you I added mentally.

His smile grew larger.

“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. I turned away from him. I felt like blushing. I was relieved that I would never be able to do that again.

“So what do you want to do? Want to watch a movie or something?” he asked after I avoided his first question.

“Actually, I was wondering…If you could maybe teach me to play the piano…” He smiled.

“Anything for you.”

He turned to the piano and started to show me what each note was. I mostly just listened to the sound of his voice, so smooth and velvet sounding. I did manage to pay attention and follow what he was saying though.

And that’s how we spent most of the following week. I’d come after school and he’d teach me the piano. I was getting fairly good but he was a million times better than I was.

His lessons were a great distraction from the anxiety I was having about this big, well huge birthday bash Alice was throwing me.

Regardless of the fact that we rarely ever spoke to anyone at school, she invited practically the whole junior and senior classes. It was so Alice to do something like that. She said it was so we could become familiar with everyone and make some new friends. But we all knew that the only reason anyone would agree to come to the party is because no one from the school had ever been to the Cullen house. With the cars that the family drives around in, the humans were definitely curious to what their home would be like.

The day of the party Alice made me come over very early. She insisted on giving me another ‘mini’ makeover. As much as I hated being tortured with make up and what-not, the end result was always magical. Alice is extraordinary. The things she can do with some lipstick, a brush, and a hot iron was insanely good.

“Hold still, Bella!”

“Sorry.” I mumbled as she tried to put my eyeliner on.

“You’re going to look amazing, I’ve already seen it!”

“You always make me look amazing.”

“True. But you’ll look exceptionally amazing tonight.”

Alice and I drove to Seattle yesterday and we spend hours looking for the perfect dress for her and I. Well, she found hers within the first hour. The rest of the time she made me try on an endless amount of clothing. But we finally settled for a knee length, strapless royal blue dress. *** It’s has a ribbon tied into a bow at mid-thigh and under it, the dress was fringed into five layers of blue lace. The fabric clung perfectly to every curve of my body. It was beautiful; simple, but definitely me. It wasn’t too expensive either. Alice would have probably rather a ten thousand dollar dress, but she agreed that this one looked perfect on me and let me buy it.

“Wow Alice, I look incredible.” I said as I turned too look in the full length mirror in her room.

If the person in the mirror wasn’t mimicking my movements I would have convinced myself it was someone else.

“Told ya!”

“Of course, Alice. I’d never bet against you.” I said and then winked at her.

She slipped away into her closet and came out a few seconds later in her dress for the evening.

Her dress was too damn cute. It was perfect for her. It was mid-thigh length, made of white silk. It had pieces of floral type black lace laid over the stomach area of the dress and around the bottom part. It had a second layer of free hanging lace with the same patterns under the first layer. ***

“You look beautiful, sis.”

She gave me a warm smile just as Rosalie came through the door.

“Come on girls, the guests are starting to arrive.” She said in an unusual friendly tone.

She wore a Dulce & Gabbana couture dress. *** It was an ivory color that was definitely a bit too short. It stopped just enough to not reveal her underwear. It was a corset type dress. The sides of the dress had the woven corset part from the bottom of the dress up to the top hugging the curves of her body. She was breath taking, one of the most beautiful female vampires I have ever seen. I guess that really must have been her heightened human characteristic she brought over through her change. My looks could never compare to her.

“You look nice Bella.” I came out of my admiration to the sound of her compliment.

“Um, Thanks.” I said. She gave me a half smile.

That was weird. Rosalie was always so hostile with me, yet now she was complimenting me?

She took a glance at Alice and then disappeared down the stairs. As I was about to turn to Alice, she whispered in my ear.

“I told her to try to be nice and be on her best behavior tonight for the sake of Edward’s happiness.”

I guess it made sense now. Every time Rosalie gets all pissy with me, Edward lashes out at her. He doesn’t like that she hates me so much.

I appreciated that she’s trying to be nice to me, but in the back of my mind I really didn’t like that underneath it all she still hated me.

I made a mental note to thank her again and compliment her on her dress. I’m sure she’d enjoy the compliment much more than I would.

I secretly even hoped that tonight more eyes would be on her beauty than on me because of it being my birthday. I really did hate the attention. But knowing Alice, I was sure to be under the spotlight today.

We walked down the stairs at human pace. Since I practically spent the whole day in Alice’s room getting ready I didn’t have time to look and see what Alice had planed out for the party. It defiantly wasn’t simple.

The whole room looked like it was the hottest club in New York. Apparently that was the theme Alice was going for. There was a DJ at the very end of the once known to be the Cullen living room. The room was dark but not too dark so that the humans could still get around easy. Neon lights and strobe lights were everywhere. There was actually road and subway signs up as decorations and there was a huge, theater type, screen on the far wall with a video of the night life in New York City. When the music would change so would the scenery on the screen.

By now there was a hell of a lot of people in the house. There were a couple of groups forming around the room hung up in their own little conversations. But no one was out on the makeshift dance floor. Alice cleared her throat and all eyes turned to us at the foot of the stairs. I gave a quick glare at her before some of the recognizable faces started walking up to us.

“Hey Bella! You look hot!” said one the girls, I believe named Jessica. She was in my PE class. I didn’t like her much. She thought she was better than everyone else. She was only trying to kiss my ass since she probably thought that we’d become popular after this party.

“Um, Hi.” I said timidly.

“Happy Birthday Bella. Your party is amazing.” another girl said, Angela from my art class. She was very sweet. I could see me being friends with this girl.

“Thank you.” I said giving her a genuine smile.

She smiled back and tugged on Jessica’s arm pulling her away.

“Ugh…what…ok, see you later Be-” Jessica got out as Angela pushed her through the crowd back to their other friends.

Alice and I giggled.

“Come on Bella! Let’s have some fun!” she said as she grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor.

I hated being the center of attention but that’s what we were, being the only ones out on the dance floor. But I loved to dance and dancing with Alice brought back so many memories of when we used to when we were little.

I noticed after awhile some of the other people started to join us on the dance floor. I guess they just needed someone to break the ice and dance first before they started. But I’m sure Alice already knew that…

It seems that the party was a real hit. Everyone was dancing, laughing, and having a good time.

Emmett came over to me and Alice and we all started dancing together. Alice wandered off to be with Jasper and then it was just me and Emmett.

Over the last couple of weeks Emmett and I became pretty close. He was practically a brother to me now. And he also became my hunting buddy. We traveled to Canada last weekend and hunted some grizzly. It’s his favorite prey. It was actually my first time to ever have grizzly and it was surprisingly satisfying. Emmett says that it’s because they’re so much like humans, in a sense, so they taste quite similar.

“You’re not going to trip and fall in those heals while we dance, are you Bella?” Emmett laughed and I could feel the floor boards vibrate from the booming laugh.

I glared at him. When we had gone hunting last weekend one of the grizzlies took me by surprise and I tripped over my own feet and I lost concentration from my kill. The grizzly got away. Emmett was still not letting it go. Every chance he got he would joke about my balance.

“Emmett…now lets not forget who won the bet.” His laughter and grin fell almost instantly.

We had placed a little wager after my tripping incident. We hunted for 4 hours and bet to see who would get the most grizzlies. I won of course; 5 to 3.

I heard a small growl form in his chest that I’m sure only the vampires in the room would hear.

“Now, now Emmett. It was all in good fun. Hm…I still have to think of what you should give me for my win. I’ll think of something soon enough.” I said with an evil grin.

Emmett playfully glared at me and took me in his huge arms and spun me around as we continued to dance.

“We’ll have a rematch soon!”

“And I’ll beat you again.” I winked at him.

Just then Rosalie came from behind me and stood next to Emmett.

“Mind if I steal my husband away for awhile? His dancing is making me....well hot and bothered.” She said.

Lust was seeping from her every pore. Emmett grabbed Rosalie and pulled her over his shoulder. As he ran off he called back to me.

“Happy Birthday, Bella!”

I shuddered. I made sure that I would push away and not absorb mind reading and empathy for awhile, or until they were done doing…whatever. Yeah.

Alice laughed from the other side of the room.

I turned around and came face to face with the last person I’d thought I’d see tonight.

Newton.

“Hey there, Bella.” He said in a deep voice, was he trying to sound ‘sexy’?

“So…I think my invitation got lost in the mail. Everyone told me about the party so I figured I wouldn’t disappoint you and show up anyways. I didn’t want a stupid mail mix up have me miss the party.”

Wow, this guy is an idiot. Did he really think his invitation got misplaced? None of us would ever invite this lowlife.

“Yeah, I’ll have to call the post office and have the mail man fired.” I said with strong sarcasm in every word.

“Good. That bastard deserves it for losing my invite.” He sneered. This guy is an idiot. He really thinks we invited him…

“So…Wanna dan-”

All of a sudden I had an arm wrapped around my waist pulling me away. The contact sent a warm shiver up my spine.

“Sorry, Newton. But she’s preoccupied at the moment.” The owner of the arm said. His velvet voice pulled my attention from every other noise in the room.

He pulled me out to the dance floor and the music slowed. He gave me his crooked grin and took my hand in his and kept his arm wrapped around my waist. I instinctively pulled my free hand over his shoulder.

“Hi.” I said in barely a whisper.

“Hello.” he said chuckling.

“Thanks for the save back there.”

“No problem. It was my pleasure. Can you believe he actually thought any of us would actually invite him?”

We laughed together.

“He’s completely oblivious.” I said.

“He thinks you want him. He takes your words and twists them around in his mind creating a fantasy in his thoughts with them.” He looked over my shoulder to where Newton was standing, staring at me. Edward jaw clenched and he looked back towards me with anger in his expression.

“He’s envisioning undressing you right now. Please distract me before I go over there and punch the shit out of him.”

Gross. Newton is such a creeper.

“So, I guess this means I owe you for saving me from having to dance with that sick pervert.”

A smile played on his lips. “I guess it does.”

“Oh! I know.”

“What?”

“You can have my Audi for the weekend. I’ve seen you eyeing it for awhile now. And from what I hear you love fast cars. I’m sure you’d love to give it a test drive.”

His face lit up. I knew he would really like that idea.

I never let anyone touch my car. Emmett and Jasper would definitely be jealous that I would trust Edward with it. They’ve been asking me to let them drive it for weeks now. But I love that car too much to have them come anywhere near it. I had heard stories of Emmett crashing some of his previous cars. And Jasper has a tendency to get caught up in the thrill of the speed and fuck up the family car’s engines.

Edward laughed at my thoughts.

“Hey I thought you said you’d ease up on reading my thoughts!” I said playfully pushing his shoulder with the hand he held.

Instead of placing my hand back in his I put it over his shoulder along with the other that was already there. He placed his other arm around my waist and pulled a little closer.

“Sorry love, I’ll try and stay out.” He said with a smile. “I’ve actually been getting better at suppressing people’s thoughts and making them merely background noise.”

My stomach sank. Did he just call me love?

“That’s impressive. I’m glad you’ve been able to control it. I’ve noticed it could get quite annoying at times. Especially at school…”

“Yeah, the school’s male population have sick minds.”

“May I remind you that you’re part of that male population.” I said trying to sound serious.

He frowned.

“Oh come on, I’m only joking. Edward, you’re always a perfect gentleman.”

“Thanks.” He said bringing the beautiful smile back to his face.

“Bella…I can’t read your thoughts for some reason anymore.” he said a bit confused.

“Weird. It might be because I forcing myself not to use your gift. Maybe that’s the side affect?”

“Maybe, Though I like reading your thoughts.” He said sheepishly.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He opened his mouth to say something else but closed it before he said anything. He did this about two more times before my curiosity got the best of me.

“Edward, what’s on your mind?” I grinned. “The time that I decided not to read your mind and you’re at lost for words. Speak or you’ll force me to have to use your gift!” I said playfully.

“I just wanted to let you know, you look stunning. Blue complements you very well.”

My breathing caught. I’d heard quite a few times tonight from the guests that I looked really nice, but his complement somehow was the only one that made me feel like blushing. He made me truly feel beautiful.

I just smiled back at him not trusting my voice to answer him.

He opened his mouth once more but before he could speak a word a vision hit me and my vision clouded over.

A cloud of dust in a big clearing, the dust clears a bit, out steps a hooded figure. All you could see from the hood was red glowing eyes. He was running at vampire speed ending up at the Cullen house front door.

“What the hell…” Edward said, obviously he had seen the vision as well.

With my vampire hearing I heard Alice’s voice.

Everyone upstairs, my room.

“Come on.” I said grabbing his hand and started towards the stairs.

We stopped at Alice and Jasper’s room to find everyone already there.

“Carlisle, I had a vision, we’re going to have a visitor. He’ll be coming through the clearing and will then show up on our doorstep. He was wearing a long black hood, and is not a vegetarian.”

“Volturi.” I said. “I absorbed Alice’s vision as she was having it. It’s definitely a Volturi but it doesn’t make any sense. There was only one.”

“That’s unusual, they normally would send three or more, they never travel alone.” Carlisle added.

“Yeah, that is a bit out of character. But why would the Volturi come here?” I asked.

Perhaps for Edward…Bella do you think they may have found out about him?

I had thought about this before. I know the Volturi doesn’t allow our secret to be known by any human. I didn’t want to think of what would happen if they actually found out.

I only nodded at Carlisle, but was hoping that it wasn’t true.

“If that’s why, then we’ll have to speak with them and explain the situation” Carlisle said.

“Huh, did I miss something?” Emmett asked.

“We don’t know why for sure of why the Volturi is coming, but there’s a possibility that they might know about Edward.”

I’m confused. Why would they be here for Edward? He hasn’t done anything wrong…

“Emmett, He’s human. He knows about us. The number one Volturi law is that no human may know our secret.”

“Oh, right.” He said. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. You have to get Edward out of here…I’ll kick anyone’s ass that tries to hurt him.

“No Emmett. We can’t do that. If we hide him, and they find out we are, it would be inexcusable. They’d kill us all without a second thought.” I said.

“What are we going to do?” Esme asked concerned.

“We wait.” Carlisle confirmed. “Alice, when will he be arriving?”

Her eyes glazed over. “Tomorrow at 9am.”

“Ok, when he gets here we will figure out what they want. No one is to leave unless it’s an emergency. Let’s go back down and start to send everyone home. We need to think about what’s to come.”

After Carlisle spoke we started to file out of the room and back downstairs.

The party lasted for about an hour longer before everyone was completely gone. We all changed our clothing to our regular everyday wear and started to clean up the mess they all left, in silence. It only took about ten minutes at vampire speed to pick everything up.

“So what’s the plan?” Edward asked as we all sat around the living room.

“I can’t see any decisions being made on what he will say or do. Since the decision for the reason he is coming here was already made I can’t see that in my vision. I can only get the same one and no other.” Alice said as Jasper wrapped his arm around her in comfort.

“Everything will be fine. We will just wait and have a civilized talk with him. We must not worry. They might not know about Edward yet. When he does get here there’s no way we could hide him. The Volturi will find out tomorrow of him and we’ll have to wait for the outcome then. We’ll discuss it more when we find out more.” Carlisle reassured.

For awhile we just sat there looking at each other in silence. There was a cloud of sadness and worry coming from all of us. We all wanted Edward safe. A sudden wave of calm hit the air.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t take the gloom anymore. It was starting to be a little too much.” Jasper tilted his head down looking at the floor as he spoke.

“Bella, could you come up to my room with me?” Edward asked out of the blue.

I gave him a questioning look. He stood up and started to walk. Alice smiled. And I got up and followed.

We walked up the stairs in silence. When we got to his room he motioned for me to sit down at his couch. He walked over to his dresser and fumbled through some things in one of the drawers. He walked back with a small box in his hands.

“I know you asked us all not to buy you anything for your birthday…But I wanted to give you something anyways. I technically didn’t buy it, so I hope you accept it.”

I gave him a smile even though I wished he wouldn’t have gotten me anything. I didn’t really like receiving gifts. But this was Edward, and if it made him happy to give me something, I’d accept it.

He handed me the small box and I proceeded to open it.

Inside there was a silver bracelet. It seemed quite old, an antique maybe. It was a charm bracelet. It had a flower, a cross, an emerald, a silver E, and a small diamond dangling from the chain. I gasped.

“It’s beautiful Edward.”

He smiled. “So you accept it? You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to…but I wanted to give it to you anyways and…” I cut him off.

“Edward, I love it. Thank you. Help me put it on.” I smiled.

He took the box from me and took the bracelet out of it. He placed his warm hand over mine and hooked the latch on. He spun the bracelet around.

“It was my mother’s. My father gave it to her, and his mother gave it to him. My mother decided to make it a charm bracelet after she had me.” he said still looking at it and still holding my hand up.

My breathing caught. He gave me his mother’s jewelry?

“Oh god, Edward. I don’t want to take this away from you if it was your mother’s…”

“Please keep it. I really want you to have it. Would you like to know what each charm means?”

I nodded.

“Well as for the flower, it stands for the love my mother had for gardening. The cross is for her religion. She was a devote Christian. The emerald was to remind her of my eyes. And the E for my name.”

“What about the diamond?”

“Well…the diamond I got from Alice...” He trailed off a little unsure if he should continue. “It stands for you and your beauty.”

I felt as if my heart would spring out of my chest and start beating again. This was the best gift anyone could have ever given me.

“Thank you so much Edward.” I said as I leaned in and embraced him in a hug. I didn’t want to let things get awkward so I unwillingly let him go after a few seconds.

“Edward, you should get some sleep. It’s getting late and you’ll need your rest for tomorrow.” I frowned at what we would have to face in the morning.

I stood up to exit but he grabbed my arm before I could walk away. It sent a pulse of electricity through my body. His heat felt wonderful on my skin.

“Please stay, I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’ll be here as long as you want me to.”

He dropped his hand from my arm to walk to his bathroom to change in to his sleep wear. The spot on my arm where his hand was left a flame like sensation lingering and I longed to have it there again.

He came out in shorts and a t-shirt and moved over to his bed. He still looked as godly as ever.

“Come lay with me, I promise I won’t bite.” He said with a crooked smile placed perfectly on his face.

I walked over to his bed and he pulled the comforter up so I could lie next to him. He shivered as my body temperature lowered his.

“I’m sorry.” I said. My cold skin would be too much for him while he slept.

“It’s ok, you could just lay over the covers.” I did as he said.

We didn’t speak again after that. It wasn’t long until he fell asleep. I was so unsure of the situation but it never felt awkward it just felt right somehow.

Sometime during the night he ended up with his head on my chest and an arm wrapped around my stomach. I knew it was wrong for me to leave him there but I couldn’t get myself to move him. I wanted to feel his warmth on me and have him this close for as long as I could.

He started to stir and woke up around 8am the following morning. It seemed like the day had come way too soon. I moved him as he fully woke up.

“Good morning sleepy head.”

“Morning.” He said with a smile. “I’m glad you stayed. I half expected you to be gone when I woke up.”

“Nope.”

He sat up in his bed as I stood up.

“I’ll give you some space so you could get a shower and such. I’ll be downstairs with everyone as we wait.”

He nodded and I walked down the stairs to the living room where everyone was still sitting from the night before. I didn’t look like anyone had moved since Edward and I had gone up stairs.

“Good morning, Bella.” Alice said as I sat next to Emmett on the couch. I did my best to smile at her.

“It won’t be long now.”

For the next forty minutes I kept getting flashes of Alice's visions as she looked into the future, still looking for his decision.

“He’ll be here in five minutes.”

As I took a shower I took the time alone to asses everything that was going on. I don’t know if I should be worried or afraid of this visit from the Volturi. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, so I guess it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. It was odd because no matter how much I tried to keep my attention on this visit we were about to have my mind kept drifting back to Bella.

The last couple of weeks have been amazing. I’ve spent all my free time with her, and I’ve loved every minute of it. She was the friend I was longing for but didn’t even know I longed for. She made me feel complete. Esme was thrilled that I started to play the piano again. I hadn’t played for three or so years but I had a melody stuck in my mind that seemed to play in my mind over and over again any time I thought about Bella. I’m glad that both Esme and Bella enjoy me playing the piano for them. I enjoyed letting them listen.

Last night was the best sleep I had ever had, just knowing she was there I felt safe. I was so happy that she accepted my gift. The bracelet was one of the very few things I owned from my real mother, but I came across it a couple of days ago and just knew that I had to give it to her. It just felt right. I wanted her to have something that meant a lot to me, for her to carry with her forever.

I started my walk down the three flights of stairs. I felt anxious, not to meet this Volturi but to just see Bella. It’s strange the pull she has on me. I always feel like I want to be by her and she makes me happy which is always a plus. As I made my way down the second stair case Alice’s vision came to my mind. He’s so close now.

I made it to the bottom of the stairs just as Alice blurred over to the front door to open it.

I stiffened. In the door way there was a man with a long black coat with a hood covering his head. His eyes were glowing red beneath them. They sent a chill down my spine.

“We’ve been expecting you. Please come in.” Alice said. The figure glided into the house and then stopped as he faced the living room. He slipped the hood off.

“Bella…” he said with a smirk on his face.

“Demetri!” I snapped my head in Bella’s direction. She ran at vampire speed in to the vampire’s arms.

I felt a sudden pang of jealously throughout my whole body as he held her tightly in his arms.

“I’ve missed you.”

Chapter 10 - Jealousy

“I’ve missed you.” He said with a thick Italian accent.

“I’ve missed you too.” Bella said as she leaned closer and kiss his cheek.

More jealously filled me.

Is this guy her mate or something? Why didn’t Bella tell me about him before…

“Not that I’m not glad to see you or anything, But what are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission in the Amazon.” She said still in his arms.

“Well I was, but Aro gave me and Bethany a side mission in Arizona. Some newborn was left there and was killing off a whole town. Since we were so close we asked Aro before hand to see if we could visit you. He said only one may visit and the other must report back to him in Italy. Bethany sends her apologies, but she said she will visit you soon enough.”

“Oh that would be wonderful. I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Though, I must inform you. That is not the only reason I am here. Aro told me in return for my stay, I must investigate the Cullen coven as well. He said they were large coven and for the last couple of years there have been rumors of a human living with them.” He turned around to look at me still on the stairs. “And I see the rumors are true. Aro would like for you to plead your case.”

My mother was at my side in a flash and held my hand in hers pulling me towards everyone else.

“Edward, Dear. Join us in the living room please.”

She sat me between herself and my dad. Bella sat with Demetri next to Rose and Emmett. Alice and Jasper were sitting together in the loveseat.

“First let me introduce you to my family. I am Carlisle Cullen, this is my wife Esme. My children Alice and her husband Jasper, Rosalie and her husband Emmett. And this is my son Edward.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. But now, what are your reasons behind having this human here?”

My father spoke. “17 years ago in the hospital I worked in, there was a nurse that became a family friend. She was pregnant and we helped her in any way we could because she was alone with no family. Her husband died a month after she got pregnant in a car accident and she was a foster child her whole life and never knew her parents. After she had Edward, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. She didn’t make it very long. The night before she died, she told me the only thing she requests before she died was for my family and I to take care of Edward. She didn’t want him to grow up like she did, in and out of foster care. When she died we adopted him, legally. He’s been with our family since.”

“Interesting. So, I assume he knows the secret?”

“Yes he knows everything. I’ve told him all the rules. He knows of my times with the Volturi and he knows the consequences of not following the law. He has never said anything to anyone and we will make sure that he doesn’t. We have raised him and he thinks of us as his real mother and father and the others as siblings. He trusts us and we trust him. We hope Aro will see this.”

“I see. Well I’ll have to tell Aro all I know. I will be here a few days. I will be observing the boy and report back to the Volturi. Thank you for your honesty. I hope all will work out. Bella?”

Throughout the whole conversation I kept my eyes on Bella and she looked completely entranced by his presence. I tried to read her mind but she must still be blocking her mind from me. Her hand was still in his and my jealousy was still burning in my veins. I felt a sudden wave of happiness and I snapped my head over to look at Jasper. I glared at him and he lifted the happiness away. I didn’t want to be happy at his presence. After awhile Jasper gave me calmness and I accepted it, but still unwillingly.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday yesterday. I meant to come then, but I was still tied up in Arizona. I have something for you.” He pulled out a velvet box from his cloak and handed it to Bella.

I hope she likes it. I know how she doesn’t like expensive gifts but I wanted this to be special.

What the hell did he get her…

She opened the box and her eyes went wide. She pulled out a diamond necklace with topaz stones on it.

“I know you don’t like gifts but this is for all the birthdays I’ve missed while on mission. The topaz stones reminded me of you and our diet. I thought it would be perfect.”

“Thank you Demetri. It’s gorgeous.” She hugged him again.

He took the box from her and laid the necklace around her neck as she lifted her silky brown curls.

The necklace looked stunning on her. But it looked out of place. She’s never been the flashy type. I envied Demetri that he could get her such things and she would wear it so willingly.

I’m surprised she’s taken it so easily. I thought I’d have to pry it on her.

Demetri chuckled and I stiffened. I really didn’t like his laugh.

“My dear Bella. You look as amazing as ever.”

No, she’s my Bella.

My Bella? Why am I so jealous? This has to be her mate, and I’m just her friend… she’s not mine.

Demetri’s thoughts suddenly went into a memory. He thought of a day when he had gone hunting with Bella hand in hand and after her first kill she ran to him and kissed him on the lips.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to see what else would happen. I needed to get out of here. I stood up abruptly and made my way to the door.

“I need some air… I’ll be back later.”

“Edward…” Alice looked at me concerned.

She had a vision of me driving really fast on the interstate and then blackness. That could only mean I was going to La Push. They weren’t allowed there but I still was. And Alice couldn’t see the wolves so it would be the perfect place to get away.

“I’m sorry.” I said and ran to my car.

Bella's POV

As I waited the last four minutes until the Volturi came here I made sure I suppressed Edward’s gift from myself. I didn’t want him to read my mind and hear me worry. I would do my best to convince the Volturi that he is not a threat.

I heard Edward’s footsteps coming down the stairs and I anticipated his arrival. I noticed I anticipated his more than the Volturi.

As he got to the bottom step Alice stood up and went to the door.

“We’ve been expecting you. Please come in.”

The cloaked Volturi walked in and stopped to face us. He lifted his hood.

“Bella…” he said.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Demetri. I hadn’t seen him in years. He hadn’t called for a couple of weeks either.

“Demetri!” I rushed over to him and embraced him in a hug and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you or anything, But what are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission in the Amazon.” I said as I let him go a little. He still held me close.

“Well I was, but Aro gave me and Bethany a side mission in Arizona. Some newborn was left there and was killing off a whole town. Since we were so close we asked Aro before hand to see if we could visit you. He said only one may visit and the other must report back to him in Italy. Bethany sends her apologies, but she said she will visit you soon enough.”

“Oh that would be wonderful. I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Though, I must inform you. That is not the only reason I am here. Aro told me in return for my stay, I must investigate the Cullen coven as well. He said they were large coven and for the last couple of years there have been rumors of a human living with them.” He turned around to look at Edward staring at him from the stairs “And I see the rumors are true. Aro would like for you to plead your case.”

I felt a little more relieved that it was Demetri here. He would do anything to help me. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I thought it would be.

We walked over to the couch and sat down so that Carlisle could introduce the family and tell him of Edward’s story.

The whole time I was looking at Demetri taking in his reactions of what Carlisle was telling him. Usually I could read his reactions like a book. He looked genuinely intrigued. I could tell he wouldn’t be a problem. He’d help us with the Volturi.

“I see. Well I’ll have to tell Aro all I know. I will be here a few days. I will be observing the boy and report back to the Volturi. Thank you for your honesty. I hope all will work out. Bella?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday yesterday. I meant to come then, but I was still tied up in Arizona. I have something for you.”

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a velvet box. I have a feeling this will be something really expensive and I’m sure this was jewelry.

I opened the box and saw a diamond necklace with topaz stones on it. This is definitely something Demetri would buy, expensive and really nice. Demetri always had exquisite taste.

“I know you don’t like gifts but this is for all the birthdays I’ve missed while on mission. The topaz stones reminded me of you and our diet. I thought it would be perfect.”

“Thank you Demetri. It’s gorgeous.”

I leaned in and hugged him.

He took the box from me and motioned me to lift my hair up. He put the necklace on me. I’d only wear it for now while he’s here. I didn’t want to offend him. This isn’t jewelry I’d wear on a regular basis. Not anything like what Edward gave me. I’ll never take that off…

Demetri chuckled.

“My dear Bella. You look as amazing as ever.”

I smiled. He was always one for complements.

My head snapped over to where Edward suddenly stood up and walked over to the front door.

“I need some air… I’ll be back later.” He said.

“Edward…” Alice trailed off.

“I’m sorry.” He frowned and walked out the door. Then I heard his car roar out of the garage and along the drive way.

I absorbed Edward’s gift and looked at Alice for an answer.

He’ll be fine. I’ll explain later.

She looked worried. I hoped he would be.

“Sorry about that, he just needs some time to think. This is all overwhelming for him.” Carlisle spoke and broke the silence.

“I couldn’t help but noticed that you said the topaz reminded you of Bella and your diet. May I ask why your eyes aren’t topaz now?” Jasper asked.

“My apologies. They are contacts. The Volturi Guard requires any of a different diet to wear red contacts on missions. Aro says that the red eyes would give us more respect from others while on mission. I don’t agree with it. But it’s my job.”

He took out the contacts to reveal his warm honey topaz color.

The family instantly relaxed. The red eyes are always a bit intimidating.

“I had to wear them all the time too while on the guard. I hated those things, so irritating.” I said.

“So where will you be staying Demetri?” Esme asked.

“Well I wasn’t sure. I was going to figure it out once I got here.”

“You could stay at my apartment.” I offered.

“Very well then. I must hunt soon. It’s been a couple of weeks now.”

“Oh, certainly. But we must ask you to refrain from hunting southeast of here. We have a treaty with a local wolf tribe to not hunt or be on their grounds.”

“Yes, I’ve heard rumors of that too. You all are very intriguing. I’ve never met a coven quite like yours.”

“We’re not the typical coven. We are family.” Alice said proudly.

“I see. I promise to stay off their land. I will hunt in Canada then just to be safe. Bella, I will meet you at your apartment later?”

“Yes, I should be going back sometime later tonight. You’ll be able to find me, right?”

“Of course. I bid you all goodbye. We’ll see each other again soon.” He bowed and I led him out through the front door.

“Wow, that was just… wow.” Emmett said.

“Bella, how will he know exactly where you are? How did he find us anyways…” Jasper asked.

“Well he’s a tracker. Probably the best tracker there is. It’s why the Volturi has him. He’s Aro’s right hand man.”

“Oh, very convenient don’t you think.” Emmett said sarcastically.

“Aro never lets his guard down. He’s quite paranoid really.” I giggled.

They all joined in my laugher.

I sat back down immediately turning to Alice. The rest did the same.

“Now, what happened with Edward? Where did he go? He shouldn’t be alone at a time like this…”

“He freaked out. He does that sometimes. When he’s pissed or just wants to get away. He’ll be fine but I’m still a little worried. He’s going to La Push.” Alice said whispering the last sentence.

The family bowed their heads. They weren’t all too happy about him going to La Push either.

“Will he be ok there with all the wolves?” I asked.

“He’s human so he’ll be fine. They won’t hurt him. They will probably question him since his sent is mixed with ours.”

I didn’t like that Edward would be around wolves at all. I was worried he would get hurt. But Edward is smart and strong. I hope he’ll be back soon.

The day turned to night. It went by slowly. Edward still hadn’t showed up.

“Alice, can you still not see his future?” I asked.

“No, I’m sorry. Bella, Demetri will be at your apartment soon. You might want to head back now. I’ll call you as soon as Edward gets home.”

I nodded and stood up to go to my car.

As soon as I pulled up I saw Demetri waiting for me.

We sat on my couch to talk and catch up.

“Bethany really misses you. All of the guard misses you. And I definitely miss you. I know we’re not together anymore. But I hate not having you in my life, Bella.”

“I know, I’m sorry. But you know my reasons for leaving. I couldn’t take helping the guard doing that to innocent vampires and humans. I can’t live with myself knowing I took part in unjust killings.”

“Well, at least come and visit us sometime. I’m sure Aro would love for you to visit again. He isn’t the same without you there. You actually made him in a good mood. Now he’s always just so monotone. It’s annoying really.”

I laughed. Aro was quite the character. He was always so curious about everything. And he loved to be in my presence. We would have deep conversations on my diet of course. I tried to explain why I choose to drink from animals and he finds it amusing. He found entertainment in the most random things.

“Bella, you really like this coven don’t you?”

“Yes, I really do. Demetri, Alice Cullen is my sister. I’ve finally found her!”

His face lit up. “So she wasn’t killed? After all this time… I’m so happy for you Bella. How did you find her?”

I told him the story about the first day of school and how I almost killed Edward and met Alice.

“I’m glad you’ve found your happiness, Bella. I wish you all the luck.”

“Demetri, I really hope you can convince Aro that Edward isn’t a threat. If they hurt him… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing it was my fault for them asking you to investigate them while you where here…”

“Bella, why are you so attached to this human? He’s your singer and you don’t hate him for tempting you so much?”

“No. I could never hate him. Demetri, I’ve fallen in love with him.”

“Oh... I’ve never heard of a vampire falling in love with a human before though. What do you plan on doing about that?”

“I don’t know. But I will keep him safe any way I can. Please tell the Volturi I would make it my duty to make sure the secret is safe. I’m hoping they trust me enough to know I will keep my word.”

He nodded.

For the next couple of hours we just talked about his different missions and the latest additions to the guard.

At about 2am my phone rang. It was Alice.

“Is he home?”

“No, But I just got a call... He'll be here shortly.”

“I’ll be right over.” I said right before I hung up the phone.

“You truly do love this boy.” Demetri stated with a small smile.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well then, I will take my leave. I will not intrude any longer. I’ve heard theirs and your reasons. I will go back to Volterra tonight.”

“I thought you were going to stay for a few days... You don’t have to leave so soon Demetri. You’re always welcomed here.”

“No, it’s fine it’s nice to see you again but my place is with the Volturi. I think I’ve seen and heard enough to report back.”

I nodded and gave him a final hug and he left.

I got in my car and drove as fast as I could to see Edward.

Chapter 11 - La Push

Edward's POV

I drove as fast as I could. I had to clear my mind. I don’t know what is going on with me. It was so unlike me to be so rude and leave like that. Where did all these alien feelings come from? Why was I full of jealous rage?

I took the turn off and I saw the first few homes at the entrance of La Push. I sometimes came out here to think and get away from everyone.

My family isn’t allowed to step on Quileute grounds, so I knew they couldn’t follow me.

Of course they’ll be upset with me now. And I’m sure they’ll be even more upset at the timing I chose to disappear from Alice’s radar. I hope they don’t worry too much about me though.

They know the wolves wouldn’t hurt me unless I threatened them or was a vampire.

I drove to the other end of La Push where First Beach was. At this time of day there shouldn’t be very many people there and it would be the perfect place to just sit and think without the invasion of their thoughts passing by.

I parked in the vacant parking lot and took my shoes off leaving them in the car. I rolled up my pant legs so I could walk down along the shore. I love walking down the beach’s edge and letting the waves crash down on me, the sound is very soothing. I looked out into the water; it’s quite the beautiful sight. Crystal clear waters, soft white sand, and farther down the shore there are big rocky cliffs the Quileute boys sometimes jump off of for recreation. I’ve always thought about trying that one day, but I can never seem to have the guts to do it.

I walked along the shore and climbed up the rocky cliff. Once I got to the top I sat on the edge with my legs over the side. This was my favorite place to just sit and get away from the outside world; the perfect place to think.

I thought about what happened today. I knew this day would come sooner or later. The Volturi isn’t just something you can avoid. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little frightened. They could very well just kill me for knowing their secrets. I don’t think I have to worry so much about it though. My father was a good friend of theirs, I’m sure he’ll work something out.

What I couldn’t help but worry about was the Volturi that did come, Demetri. Will he take my Bella away? I’d hate to loose my best friend. And is he her mate? It seemed like it. I still don’t see why she didn’t tell me about him though. I thought she could tell me anything. Why would she keep him a secret? Is there something I’m missing here?

Jealous, I was definitely jealous that he could give her things I could not. Is he an exception to her usual rules? Is he the only one allowed to get her expensive gifts? Would she rather his surprises? His company?

I was mostly jealous that he could be in such close proximity to her. I could barely be that close to her without having her bloodlust going through the roof. Which makes me feel horrible for doing that to her. I must have tortured her last night with asking her to stay with me in my room. I know I’m a constant temptation to her. How could I have been so selfish?

I only wish I could make it easier for her. I know that when bloodlust takes over, it would be instinct for her to drain me. If she were to accidentally kill me I would never be angry or blame her for my death, no one should. What would hurt me the most is the pain it would cause her to have to live the rest of eternity knowing she gave into temptation, that she had taken my life.

God, I have to stop thinking that. She can control herself. She would never be able to hurt me like that, I’m sure of it.

But what’s going to happen now? She said she missed him too. Will she leave Forks? Alice? …Me?

I sighed. I need to stop thinking about her. It’s not like she’s mine. She has the right to do as she pleases and leave if she wants. But I know I’ll feel like an empty shell again if she decides to just leave me here alone.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. I didn’t want to dwell on the ‘what if’.

I breathed in deeply and smelled the salty beach air. This place is so beautiful, even the smells are exquisite. I should come here more often.

I’d love to have my family join me for a day at the beach. But they can’t necessarily get up and go to the beach or go on any regular vacations and what not when ever they feel like it. Being vampires limits them to where they can and can’t go, and when we can go.

I’m sure six sparkly creatures and I would definitely catch the attention of clueless humans enjoying their sunny day at the beach.

It’s frustrating not being able to do normal human activities.

We can’t do anything together out in the sun. No beach, no swimming, no sailing, we can’t go on a cruises, or go to the park and spend a sunny day there lounging. Of course we could do those things in the rainy or cloudy day, I suppose, but where’s the fun in that? We can’t go to school on sunny days because we have to give the excuse of ‘camping’. But we never really go camping. They’d go hunting or do their own thing. I mostly just sit around the house doing nothing in particular just waiting until the next boring day came. I think I would actually enjoy a real day of camping, but there’s the risk of exposure still with the rest of them there. And it wouldn’t be any fun going camping by myself.

We could never really play sports together. Yes, we do still play them, but the game is never fair. I know they always hold back, it’s not fun for either of us. I usually just give up during the game. They pretty much always win anyway, and when I ‘win’ I know that it’s just because they let me win.

Then of course there are things on my own I’m not able to do, due to family “camping” trips and all the constant moving. I never try to make friends in fear of losing them. I never play on school sports teams because there is always that possibility of never finishing the season. Not only that, but if I had a game my family probably wouldn’t be able to show up to any of the games anyways. I’d rather them be there for me if I was to play.

I always have to be on constant alert at home and at school making sure I never hurt myself. If I were to spill any blood, anyone in my family could slip up and kill me in a split second decision. It only takes one stupid mistake to mess everything up.

I know that first hand. I’ve seen it happen dozens of times.

We’re always moving around because of it. Everyone has slipped up at least once, except for Carlisle and Esme.

Jasper is usually the worst about. His slip ups are more often, but I can understand why. He’s the newest to try their diet. It’s not easy for him to be around so many humans all the time. It must be horrible for him to have to feel all the emotions of disappointment thrown at him by the rest of us when he does mess up and we have to leave.

Alice is probably the least to slip up. She’s always at least a little helpful when it came to prevention. She usually got a vision about it before hand and everyone would be on alert. But there are some times when split decisions are made, causing her to not see what will happen. She always blames herself every time someone does mess up. She thinks it’s her responsibility to watch out for those things. When she misses something she feels it’s her fault for not doing something to prevent it in time.

Rosalie always angered me the most when it came to these things. She’s had quite a few scandalous ‘slip ups’. The three people she “accidentally” killed seemed to have been popular girls who were known to flirt and tried to get the attention of Emmett. No one dares to talk about her fuck ups out loud though. I always had the feeling she really did kill them on purpose. I’m still pissed off at her for being so rude to Bella all the time for almost killing me. That incident was a lapse in control, an accident. So she has no right to judge Bella on honest mistakes.

Then there’s Emmett. It’s hard for me to think that Emmett could lose control like he has done at some point or another. He’s the typical protective older brother always looking out for me. Though sometimes, to me anyways, he’s like an over grown 5 year old. Then again, to anyone else besides my family he looks huge and deathly terrifying. The last time we had to move it was because of one of his mishaps. One day during school, this shy girl that always stayed away from everyone, fell and hurt her knee leaving a gash and blood flow. Emmett was the only one close by. He hadn’t hunted for a few weeks and when he got a whiff of her blood he couldn’t help himself. He whisked her away into an empty class room and drank her dry. We had to stage her death as an accident before we left.

When something like that happens we just move and try to look the other way. I try not to think of those times but every day is a constant reminder of what could happen. I guess that’s just what pushed me over the edge, it made my decision to stay human. How could I live with myself if I ever slipped up? Not only that, but I want to try my hardest to just be normal.

As much as I love my family, I still don’t think I could become a vampire. Just being in this family has already deprived me so much of a ‘normal’ childhood. I want to experience college, and love, and maybe build my own family one day.

Could I really go on living like this over and over again? Should I stay and keep myself in constant danger? Would I eventually be happy? Would they forgive me for going my own, separate way?

My thoughts came back to think of Bella, sweet innocent Bella. She has such a pure heart. I feel like I’m too selfish when it comes to her. She’s the first true best friend I have. I have long since forgiven her for what happened when we first met. I could never keep a grudge. I had no idea then that I would become so close to her now. I really don’t want to lose what we have.

And then it hit me.

When I leave my family, I’d be leaving Bella too.

My stomach tightened and I felt sick. A life without Bella?

I’ve only had her in my life for such a short time. It just doesn’t seem fair that it will end all too soon. What if I never see her again after graduation? What if she did want to leave with Demetri?

I want Bella in my life. I feel like if I left her or she left me, my life would be incomplete.

My body felt weak and my vision blurred.

I composed myself and looked out into the distance again. I must have been caught up in my thoughts for hours. It was now twilight and I was still sitting at the cliffs.

What’s he doing here again?

I quickly turned around to look for the thought’s owner.

“Jacob.”

“What are you doing here, Cullen?” he asked.

“Just needed to get away.”

“Oh.” He walked over and sat next to me. “Family problems again?”

I met Jacob a couple of months ago when I first started to come out to La Push to think. The first day we met, his pack was a little hostile towards me at first. He and his pack had caught my scent around town and confronted me. With my scent mixed strongly with the scent of vampire, they were on alert. When they found out I was human and that I was a Cullen, they weren’t pleased at all. I told them my story of how they raised me as a son and they were a little uneasy about it. Jacob agreed since I was human I would be allowed on their land. He stayed with me awhile after his pack left that day and we talked for awhile. He was intrigued that my family had me with them. He never really gave much thought that vampires had the capability to love and care for anyone. But then he remembered that they weren’t ‘normal’ vampires to begin with so he accepted the fact that they must be different in many ways.

After that day, I usually ran into him again every once in awhile. We would sit and talk to catch up. We weren’t really friends but he was good company. He always seemed to give great advice when it came to family or school problems though. It’s kind of ironic that a werewolf would give family advice to a human with a vampire family.

“Uh, sort of.”

“Girl problems?” he asked.

I frowned and looked away from him to stare at the crashing waves on the rocks beneath us.

“I see.” He said. “Want to talk about it?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just, there’s this girl and we pretty much became really close friends. We tell each other everything, well at least I thought we did…” he listened intently. “and well, I found out today that she might have a…boyfriend. She didn’t tell me about him and now I’m worried it’ll mess up our friendship. I think she might be leaving Forks with him now too.” I frowned.

“Do you like her?” he asked.

“Of course I like her. She’s my best friend...”

“No, I mean do you like her, like her?”

“What? No. I mean…I don’t know. I can’t explain it. She’s special to me but it’s just, complicated.”

“Well it looks like you have two options. But before any decisions, you have to figure out what you’re true feelings are.”

“And what would those two options be?”

“Option 1 is to let her go and let her do what ever she wants. Option 2 is to fight for her to stay in your life.”

“I can’t fight for her…she isn’t mine to fight for…”

“Then maybe you know what option to choose already. Just make sure you follow through with the option you could live with for the rest of your life. You don’t want to regret it later.”

“You know Jacob, if our families weren’t mortal enemies, we could have been really good friends.” I smiled.

He chuckled. “Doesn’t mean we still can’t be. Come on, you need a little fun in your life. Billy’s having a barbeque tonight. Want to join us?”

“Sure. I really don’t want to go back home right now anyways. And I haven’t had anything to eat all day…”

We walked through the beach and back to the parking lot where I had left my car earlier in the day. Jacob had walked to the beach so I offered to drive us there.

When we got to his house there was a lot of Quileute’s wolves present. Most of them, the older wolves from the pack, didn’t like that I was there. But with Jacob being the Alpha and him inviting me, they really didn’t have a say.

Jacob introduced me to some of the younger ones that had recently turned. They were the easier ones to talk to. They were Quil, Leah, and Seth. Quil was the oldest of the bunch and Seth was the youngest. I learned that Leah and Seth were siblings. I felt a bit sad for them. They are so young, and it’s my family’s presence in Forks that started the chain reaction of their change.

They weren’t sad about it at all though. Especially Seth, he’s extremely excited to join the pack. He says that running is amazing and he couldn’t think of a better way to travel.

The rest of the night seemed to pass in a flash.

Next thing I knew I was waking up on the beach by a lit bonfire.

I shot up, startled but then I saw Jacob sitting next to me.

“Hey. Sleeping Beauty finally woke up.” He laughed loudly.

“How long was I out?”

“Not that long.”

“What time is it?”

“2:45am.”

“Shit. My family must be worried sick!”

“It’s cool. I called them earlier and told them you fell asleep and that I’d call them back when you woke up. You’ll be home soon.”

I stood up only to stumble around. I was still half asleep and tired as hell.

“I don’t think you’re in any condition to be driving. Come on, I’ll drive you.”

He took my keys before I could complain and dragged me to my car. We drove in silence until he broke it.

“So, tell me a little more about this girl of yours…”

“She’s not mine. But, she’s smart and beautiful, a very unique being.”

“What’s her name?”

“Bella.” I said with a smile.

He laughed.

“What so funny?”

“Nothing, just the way you look when you talk about her. Are you sure you don’t like her? I mean maybe you could just deck the other guy and win her over.”

I looked out the window staring off at nothing.

“No, it’s…complicated.”

The rest of the ride was quiet and then we reached my house.

“Oh shit, Jacob. How will you be getting home now?”

“Cullen. You know very well I don’t need a car to get around.”

“Right.”

We got out of the car and walked to the porch where Mom and Dad were waiting.

“Hey mom. I’m sorry I’m late.” I winced. I knew what would come next.

“Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! Do you have any idea how worried we were?” She said sternly.

I frowned. She rushed over and embraced me in a hug.

“I’m just glad you’re home now.” She whispered in my ear.

Dad stepped out towards Jacob and held out his hand to him. Jacob hesitated a little but took his hand anyways to shake.

“Thank you for making sure my son got home safely.”

“Sure, sure.” He said before he turned back to look at me. “See you around, Cullen.”

I walked inside with my head hung low and my parents at my side.

They went to sit in the living room where Alice and Jasper were. They all looked disappointed.

I just stood there listening to their thoughts.

I can’t believe he spent the day with wolves. He knows I can’t see them…

What has him so depressed?

Poor Dear. He looks so tired. He hasn’t been getting much sleep lately…

I wish he would have waited until after Demetri and Bella left to go anywhere.

My breath caught at my father’s thoughts. Did she leave with him already? She didn’t even say goodbye…

Before anyone could say anything out loud and stop me, I started to walk up to my room. All I wanted to do right now was take a cold shower, go to sleep and forget about this whole day.

As I reached the top step I heard a howl break in the distance.

Bella’s POV

I drove up to the house and parked by the garage. I stepped out of the car and the smell hit me like a brick wall.

Werewolf.

And the scent was mixed with Edward’s.

As I turned the corner of the house, walking towards me was a large rustic man, very tan with long black hair. His scent made me wince and I instinctively crouched low in stance.

“Who are you?” I hissed.

“I think the question is, who are you vamp girl?”

I hissed again but remembered the treaty the Cullen’s had in place with the Quileute tribe. I stood up from my crouch.

“Isabella Swan. I’m a friend of the Cullen’s.”

“Bella?” he said.

I turned my head slightly to the right confused.

“So that’s why it’s complicated…” he continued.

He laughed for few seconds before becoming serious.

“I’m the Quileute Pack Alpha, Jacob Black. Do you plan on staying permanently here now? You’re scent in town is very strong.”

“Yes, I moved here a little over two months ago. I have an apartment in town.”

“Are you familiar with the treaty we have with the Cullen’s?” He asked.

“Yes. And I agree to stay within the treaty’s boundaries. There will be no problems from me.”

“Good. I would feel more comfortable if we made it official. I will send my second in command with the treaty here tomorrow for you to read and sign it.”

“Very Well, I will be here waiting.” He nodded and ran off through the woods and disappeared.

A howl ripped through the quiet night sky.

I walked towards the front door as Alice walked out.

“Hey.” She greeted “Sorry I didn’t warn you about the dog.”

“Alice, don’t call him that it’s rude!” I heard Esme snap from the living room.

We walked in and sat in the living room. Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme were already there.

I sighed.

“Where’s Edward?” I asked.

“In his room. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Jasper says he’s feeling angry and depressed.”

“What, why?” I asked.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.”

I listened upstairs and heard running water. I sat with them in the living room for awhile mostly in silence.

“We’re all going hunting tonight.” Alice broke the silence.

“Oh.”

“Bella, will you please stay and take care of Edward until we get back? I’m a little worried about him.”

“Sure. I’ll stay with him. But why are you worried?”

“When I got my vision back after the do-wolf left, I looked into his future to see what was wrong with him and well, it’s fuzzy…”

“Fuzzy? Has the happened before? What does it mean?” I asked anxiously.

“No. It hasn’t. So you can understand why I would be a little worried.”

I nodded.

After a few minutes I decided to go up to Edward’s room and wait for him to get out of the shower so we could talk. I wanted to know what was wrong.

I waited on his couch. I distracted myself while waiting by taking in his strong lingering scent. The water stopped and a minute later Edward walked in.

The light was off so he couldn’t see me sitting there. I stopped my breathing.

Edward was standing a few feet away from me. He was only in a towel.

It was wrapped up around his lower waist. His body was glistening with water droplets. I took in his godly body and imprinted it into my memory to remember it forever.

His legs are pure muscle cut perfectly, strong sturdy. The towel clung to his moist body just under his V cut stomach. The rest of his stomach was completely flat. I could tell it was tight but smooth muscle, it’s just not as cut as his calves are. His chest perfectly chiseled. His arms have the right amount of muscle in the right places that involuntarily flexed as he reached into his dresser looking for clothes to put on. His jaw, perfectly squared off, raised cheek bones. His wet bronze hair was gently placed in a messy array over his forehead. And his eyes…those emeralds. They seemed to be glowing in the dim moon light.

After taking in his breath taking appearance, I cleared my throat to let him know I was there. He jumped, startled.

“Shit Bella, you scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry.” I said frowning.

He walked into his closet and came back out in just sweat pants.

He should have put a shirt on. His body was such a distraction. I took a deep breath and instantly regretted it. His scent was exhilarating, clean and savory. He smelled so much better after a shower. I should remember that.

My venom pooled a bit but I swallowed it immediately and closed my eyes to control myself. I took only small breathes to get used to his scent again.

When I opened my eyes he was sitting on his bed staring at me.

“Bella, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Demetri?”

“Uh, actually he left for Volterra already.”

“Oh, you’ll be going back there won’t you?”

“Yes, but not this soon. I have to wait for Demetri to-“

“Bella,” he cut me off, “I’m tired. I need sleep.”

“Oh.” I said releasing a deep breath.

He frowned.

He’s acting so weird. He looks like someone has just punched him in the stomach.

I rushed over to him and grabbed his hand in mine. He responded by pulling it out of mine quickly.

He doesn’t want me to touch him…

“Edward, are you feeling well?”

I was really starting to get concerned. He’s never acted this way.

He’s angry? Depressed? It seems like he doesn’t want me near him at all right now. What’s going on?

“I’m fine. I’m just…tired, is all.”

“Oh.” I said again this time turning my face away from him utterly confused.

I can tell he’s tired but there’s definitely something wrong. Something he’s holding back.

“I’ll let you sleep then. Everyone has left to hunt. But I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” He turned away from me and lay in bed with out another word. He didn’t even want to look at me.

It hurt.

I desperately longed for him to grab hold of my arm again as I turned away just like the pervious night. But that didn’t happen. I walked out of the room and started down the stairs at a slow human pace.

If I could only read his mind without letting him read mind in return, I’d do it now.

I’m so confused. Am I just overreacting? Maybe he really was just tired.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I just stood their not wanting to move, not wanting to feel. But I wouldn’t let myself go numb.

I wish I could show him just how much he really means to me.

Edward’s POV

“Shit Bella, you scared the hell out of me.”

Was she trying to give me a heart attack?

“I’m sorry.” I said frowning.

I noticed I was still only in just a towel. How embarrassing…

I went into my closet to get dressed. I put on a pair of old sweat pants and sat in bed. I looked at Bella and saw her with her eyes closed. She was taking short, shallow breaths.

When she opened her eyes, I could tell she was having some trouble with her thirst. Her eyes were a dark, almost black, brown color. Even with her thirst pulling at her for me, I couldn’t help but still lose myself in her deep brown eyes.

“Bella, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Demetri?”

It pained me to think of her with him.

“Uh, actually he left for Volterra already.”

“Oh, you’ll be going back there won’t you?”

If she says yes, have I lost her forever?

“Yes, but not this soon.” Not soon, but eventually. My stomach tightened. When she leaves it’s going to kill me. “I have to wait for Demetri to-”

“Bella,” I cut her off before she could continue. “I’m tired. I need sleep.”

“Oh.”

I frowned. I didn’t want to know anything else about him and her. It would just hurt more.

She came over to me and grabbed my hand in hers. I had to drop it. I didn’t want to get any closer to her if she’s just going to turn around and leave.

“Edward, are you feeling well?”

“I’m fine. I’m just…tired, is all.” I’m not fine at all, but I am tired. I just didn’t want to have to deal with all of this right now.

“Oh.” Was all she said before standing up and walking out the door.

As I heard the door click shut I sat straight up in bed and just looked outside the window, up at the stars. I wanted to clear my mind. I didn’t want to let any emotions out. I just wanted to sit and just be with no interruptions.

I slowly found myself drifting in to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, I heard a soft tinkering noise coming from down stairs.

My eyes strained for awhile from the bright sun seeping through my window. I pulled the shades down to block it so my eyes could adjust.

The tinkering continued. I got up and put on a pair of jeans and a button up shirt.

I listened for thoughts around me but there was nothing but that tinkering noise.

I was walking down the stairs when all of a sudden, the tinkering stops. I walked a little quicker now.

As I made it to the last step of the stairs, music started to play. But it wasn’t just any music, it was my piano playing that music.

I continued to walk my way towards the soft eerie melody. I stood before the doorway to my music room. I was about to open it as I heard the most angelic sounding voice sing from behind the door.

Lying beside you
Listening to you breathe
The life that flows inside of you
Burns inside of me
Hold and speak to me
Of love without a sound

My breathing caught.

Tell me you will live through this
And I will die for you
Cast me not away
Say you'll be with me
For I know I cannot
Bear it all alone

I slowly opened the door and stepped in.

Can't fight it all away
Can't hope it all away
Can't scream it all away
It just won't fade away, No

I couldn’t believe the scene in front of me. It was heavenly.

Can't wash it all away
Can't wish it all away
Can't cry it all away
Can't scratch it all away

She looked so graceful and angelic. Completely perfect.

You hold the answers deep within your own mind.
Consciously, you've forgotten it.
That's the way the human mind works.
Whenever something is too unpleasant,

too shameful for us to entertain, we reject it.
We erase it from our memories.
But the imprint is always there.

I walked over beside her cautiously.

The pain that grips you
The fear that binds you
Releases life in me
In our mutual
Shame we hide our eyes
To blind them from the truth
That finds a way from who we are

She turned her head to look over at me. I hoped she wouldn’t stop playing because of my presence.

Please don't be afraid
When the darkness fades away
The dawn will break the silence
Screaming in our hearts
My love for you still grows
This I do for you
Before I try to fight the truth my final time

She continued but moved over on the bench to give me room to sit.

Can't fight it all away
Can't hope it all away
Can't scream it all away
It just won't fade away, No

You're not alone, honey.
Never... Never

I sat next to her and she gave me a smile that made her glow.

But the imprint is always there.

Nothing is ever really forgotten.
God, please don't hate me

Because I'll die if you do.

The notes began to fade as she whispered the last lyric.

Because I’ll die if you do.

She took her hands off the keys and put them on either side of her holding on to the bench. I still had my eyes on her. She had her eyes at her lap, but finally looked at me.

We gazed in to each other’s eyes for a few moments and she gave me another heart stopping smile. Then she bit her lower lip.

“That was…Bella, your voice…It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks, I…I wrote this last night.” She paused. “I just felt like I had to write my feelings and thoughts down. I don’t want to hold back anymore.” And then she looked away.

I thought about the lyrics I just heard. They were pretty deep and dark. It was very intense.

Could she be talking about…No she couldn’t…

In mid-thought, she suddenly placed her hands on the keys again and started playing a very familiar tune.

“Clair De Lune?” I asked surprised that she would learn to play it.

“Yeah, I learned it last night after I wrote my song…It’s one of my favorites. I found it with your music sheets. I hope you don’t mind me going through them… I won’t go through them again if it bothers you. I’m sorry.”

She’s looks so adorable when she rambles.

I just smiled at her and said, “It’s one of my favorites too.”

Her face lit up and on her perfect marble lips she gave me the most beautiful smile I have yet to see from her. She truly was an angel.

I felt my heart skip a beat. At that moment I felt my whole body ripple with the tension of realization. I felt like I was gasping for air.

I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her. I need her. I want her. I’ll fight for her. I…I love her….I love her.

How could I not have realized this until now?

It’s the only thing that makes sense.

How could I have been so blind?

I love Isabella Marie Swan.

“Bella…” I breathed.

“Hmm…?” she hummed as she continued to play.

Would I tell her?

What if she doesn’t feel the same?

Would she leave sooner?

What would happen to our friendship?

Would I lose her?

“Um…Thank You.” I said as I mentally slapped myself.

“Oh…for what?” she looked a little disappointed.

What is she thinking?

“For being such a great friend.” Damn, but how I long now to be so much more…

She just gave me a small smile as she continued to play.

I decided to join her and played an accompany piece to the song on my side of the piano.

I’ll fight for her.

Chapter 12 - Hope

I heard his heart rate change in pace. His breathing was deeper and more often. He was waking up.

I got up to make sure the piano was tuned and played a couple of random notes softly. I heard his footsteps getting closer. I heard him reach the bottom of the stairs.

It’s now or never, Bella. Don’t chicken out! It’s too late to be getting all nervous.

My hands made it to the keys and I began to play my song. I heard him stop at the door and began my first verse. He opened the door and made his way towards me as I continued to play and sing. When he was right next to me I gave him a smile and moved over to allow him to sit with me if he wanted to.

I could see him through my peripheral vision watching and listening to me intently with a glowing smile on his face. It was hard to keep my focus on the song. I wanted so bad to turn and look at him and just gaze into his beautiful green eyes.

I finished playing the last note and then felt completely nervous again. I held on to the bench at my sides. I held on tight but controlled myself enough not to destroy the wood. I wouldn’t want to leave any hand indentions on his bench either. I don’t think he’d like that very much.

I looked up from my lap to search for those emerald eyes that seemed to always captivate me. As I found them my head was spun and my stomach tightened. I was locked and completely lost in them. I couldn’t help but smile. I bit my bottom lip in anticipation.

What if he didn’t like the song?

“That was…Bella, your voice…” I held my breath, “It’s beautiful.”

Is he just saying that?

Ok so, maybe he likes my voice but not the song…I wouldn’t blame him. It’s utterly depressing…

“Thanks, I…I wrote this last night.” I paused.

Should I tell him I wrote it thinking of him?

Will it scare him away?

“I just felt like I had to write my feelings and thoughts down. I don’t want to hold back anymore.”

I looked away. I was too scared to see his reaction.

Would he realize what I meant with the lyrics?

I slyly looked out of the corner of my eye at him.

He seemed distant, like he was thinking about something really hard. His facial expression looked confused. His lips parted as if he was going to say something, but he stayed quiet.

Did he figure it out?

My nerves got the best of me and I did the first thing I could think of.

I started to play another song that I had just learned.

After I played a few bars of music he finally spoke up.

“Clair De Lune?” he asked surprised.

“Yeah, I learned it last night after I wrote my song…It’s one of my favorites. I found it with your music sheets. I hope you don’t mind me going through them…I won’t go through them again if it bothers you.” Damn it, why do I always have to ramble when I’m nervous? I tried not to look at him and just continued to play. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s one of my favorites too.” He said.

I felt as if something was pulling at me to turn and look at him once more. He was smiling his beautiful crooked smile. I was so relieved. I smiled back at him.

His eyes were looking straight into mine as if he were looking deep with in them, searching for something. I swear if it were possible my heart would have exploded. My stomach was full of butterflies, my head was spinning, and my hopes soared.

I can’t believe that after all these years I’ve finally found someone that made me feel this way.

I only wish that it wouldn’t have to end. I knew one day, the only person who could make me feel like this would be gone. How will I go on without him afterwards? Does he have any idea how much he means to me?

I pried my eyes away from his gaze. I had to compose myself.

I noticed his breathing became irregular. And I could have sworn at one point his heart had skipped a beat.

“Bella…” he breathed.

Now his heart was racing. It was faster than I have ever heard it beat before…

Could this mean…that maybe…

“Hmm…?” was all I could get out. If I would have said anything else my voice would have cracked from anticipation.

He looked like he was thinking, trying to organize his thoughts and figure out what words to say. Waiting for his reply, my mind came up with a million different things he could want to say. But there is only one thing my heart longed for him to say, would he say it?

“Um…Thank You.” He said a little bit hesitant. He had a half smile, half frown on his lips.

“Oh…for what?”

What could he possibly want to thank me for?

From the look he was giving me, it seemed like this really wasn’t what he was planning on saying. More than ever, I wanted to read his mind this very moment. But I couldn’t risk him reading my own in return. Not now, I was afraid if he heard the thoughts running through my mind right now I would scare him away. I’d hate myself for subjecting him to listen to my endless thoughts of love for him if he didn’t feel the same way towards me. He’d probably think I had some child-like infatuation with him and push me out of his life.

“For being such a great friend.”

I’m a great friend?

God, if he only knew I longed to be more than justthat…

I tried to smile at him, but I felt as if my heart had been ripped out from my chest.

Is that all I’ll ever be to him? A friend?

I mentally sighed.

If that’s what he wants, then I’ll be the best damn friend he’ll ever have.

I’ll be there for him as long as he wants me to be.

I’ll be at his side for the rest of his life, if he’ll allow it.

A moment later he began to play an accompaniment on the other side of the piano. The two pieces played perfectly together. I smiled brightly.

With every moment that passes in my fast life of existence, I fall even more in love with him…

Is that even possible?

We ended the piece and smiled at each other.

“It’s much more fun playing with someone than alone.” He said.

“Yep. Definitely.” Our smiles turned into quiet laughter. I truly was having fun, just spending time with him made my existence just that much better.

I don’t for how long, but I had lost myself in the moment. Probably just a few seconds but it felt like I had been in the same moment for hours. I wish it were hours, even then it still wouldn’t be enough.

“Embry and Seth are almost here for you to sign the treaty.”

“Huh?” I snapped out of my admiration of his emerald eyes to the sound of his voice. How does he do that? “Oh.”

We got up and walked out to the front porch to wait for them to arrive. A moment later an old red truck pulled into the drive way. The two of them jumped out of it. They looked like two very young teenagers.

I winced as they got closer.

“Hey, Edward!” The smaller one said with a wide smile.

“Hey, Seth. Embry.”

“Jacob Black told us to come, that you have agreed to sign the Cullen treaty.”

“Yeah that’s right. I’m Isabella Swan.” I held out my hand to him but he made no move to shake it, so I lowered my hand.

“Let’s hurry and get this out of the way. I don’t have all day.” The taller one, Embry said.

Edward rolled his eyes as him.

We walked closer to them and he handed me the treaty. I read it over. It was quite simple really.

“We, the Cullen’s, sign this treaty with the promise and agreement to not hunt on any Quileute land. Nor shall we bite or harm any human. In return, the Quileute’s must stay off Cullen property and withhold any information on their true identities. None shall cross over the treaty lines.. If either party fails to stay within the boundaries, it here by voids this treaty and consequences shall be endured.”

In other words, “I agree to sign this treaty and if I screw up you have the right to kill me.”

I signed the bottom of the it, right under Jasper’s signature.

“So Edward, you look tired. Did you get enough sleep after they party last night?” Seth asked. “I hope you come back over soon. It was really fun having you there.

I turned to Edward behind me and mouthed ‘What party?’ and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Yeah, it was fun. Tell Jacob I said thanks for inviting me.”

“Okay, I will.”

“Come Seth, We’ve got things to do.” Embry huffed as he walked back to the truck.

“Well, I guess I’ll se you later.” Seth walked after Embry. “Call me if you ever want to hang out!” he called over his shoulder.

They drove off and we walked back inside into the living room.

I sighed. “Edward…You were at a werewolf party?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled.

“It’s not funny Edward. They’re dangerous. What if they would have hurt you?”

“They wouldn’t. They have more control than you might think.” He smiled. “Besides, some of them are pretty cool. They aren’t all as rude as Embry. I had a good time.”

Good time, huh? I repeated as I opened my mind to him not trusting my voice.

I sighed. How could he be so careless? Regardless if they’re in control or not, they’re werewolves! They’re still very dangerous.

“So are vampires.” He said with a ‘don’t even try and deny it’ look on his face.

I frowned.

“Touché” I said.

It still eats away at me that I came so close to killing Edward. How could I have been so careless.

“Don’t dwell on the past, Bella.”

“Sorry.”

He smiled. “We shouldn’t think about it too much. Now is what matters.”

I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Edward, those wolves, they looked so young.”

“That’s because they are. Embry is 17 and Seth is only 13.”

I gasped. “That young? But why? Why them? They’re so young, so much to live for than to belong to a pack of wolves! It’s such a shame…”

“They didn’t have much of a choice. When vampires settle close to their homes, the direct descendants from the former pack began to change. It just so happens that most of them are still very young. The original pack members, the ones who formed the treaty, were either too old to change or dead. Jacob Black is actually the only one from the original pack. As for the others, their children had to step in their place. It’s quite sad really.”

“It’s a tragedy.” Children…

Bella! We’re back!

Alice’s voice rang in my mind.

“Err, and I was really starting to enjoy the quiet.” Edward said under his breath.

I laughed as Alice and the rest of the family entered the house through the backdoor.

Good work, Bella! I thought I would have to drag Edward out of his room when we returned. I had a vision that he locked himself up there and didn’t come out all day. That is, until you decided to play that song, which by the way is very well written!

I smiled and nodded at her.

You know, sometimes I really hate her visions…always knowing what I’m going to do.

I turned my head quickly to Edward’s thoughts. I laughed loudly and thought back my response.

Oh, I’m sure they’d think the same about your little ability as well. In fact, I’m sure they’d be extremely annoyed if they knew!

“Hey! So you want to let us in on your little joke, Edward?” Emmett playfully glared at me. “You know, it gets annoying sometimes that you can read everyone’s mind, Bella!”

Edward chuckled. I guess you’re right.

Emmett rolled his eyes and followed Rosalie upstairs.

Edward groaned. You’re so lucky you can turn on and off your mind reading abilities when ever you please. Their thoughts get so perverted sometimes. And the things I end up seeing! Ugh…

Well, let’s get out of here for awhile and escape their thoughts, before it gets too bad.

He smiled at my idea.

“Bella!” Alice was next to me in a flash and held my hand. “Let’s go to mall!”

“Uh, Edward and I were just leaving though…”

“Well, he can come too if he wants.” She said as she turned toward him.

Oh, Edward! Please, don’t leave me alone with her! She’ll buy the whole mall for me…

“Sure.” He said loudly.

“I drive!” Alice exclaimed.

We went to the garage and stood in front of all the cars.

“Uh, so…which one are we taking?” I asked.

Alice squealed with excitement. “Really, Edward? You’ll let me drive it?!”

“Huh?” I asked confused.

“My Vanquish” Edward said giving Alice his keys.

“Little Bro, you’re definitely my favorite!”

We walked towards his shiny, black Aston Martin. Wow, Edward really had a good taste in cars. It definitely tops my Audi.

I sat in the back while Edward was in the passenger’s seat and Alice drove.

For awhile the drive was pretty quiet. The radio was on playing and Alice was singing along to it in her mind.

Hey Bella, Maybe we could go to the music store at the mall today. There are a couple of new CDs I want you to listen to. Is that alright with you?

Yeah, that sounds good. What CDs?

Well there’s this new Thrice album that came out I want to get. And there’s a Linkin Park piano tribute CD I saw online that I want to check out.

Oh, I heard about that. It should be good.

Ha-ha, maybe we could ditch Alice when we get there too.

Alice growled.

Edward! Don’t you dare ditch me at the mall.

I stiffened and looked at Alice and then at Edward. His face was full of shock and confusion.

“Oops.” Alice said.

“Oops?” Edward asked skeptically.

“I…I guess I have a confession to make.” I turned back to Alice. She had a look on her face that of a child who had just been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.

“Well I…Edward, you see…I know about your…gift.”

“What?!” Edward and I yelped at the same time. Alice winced.

“Um, I’ve known for awhile now, Edward.” She smiled sheepishly. “Seriously though, did you think you could hide something this big from me?”

“How…When?” He asked still in shock.

“Well, It was actually the same day you found out about it, while I was driving back home from the mall that day. You were debating weather you should tell us about it or not. I got a vision of what would happen if you did tell us.”

She replayed that vision for us in her mind.

Everyone was sitting in their usual spots in the living room.

“So what is it, son?” Carlisle asked.

Edward paced a little in front of them.

“Well, I think I’m going insane.” He stopped pacing and stood before them all. “I…I think I can read all of your thoughts…I can read your minds.”

Alice was smiling. Emmett started laughing hysterically. Everyone else was wide-eyed looking at Edward.

He sighed and sat in the arm chair with his face in his hands.

“Ok bro, prove it. What am I thinking about right now?” Emmett said with a sly smile and rolled his eyes.

Edward screamed and started to pull his hair.

“EMMETT! Stop thinking of my sister naked! PLEASE!”

“Holy shit, he can read my mind…” he said laughing obnoxiously.

Rosalie struck him hard on the back of his neck.

“Ow…what was that for Rosie?”

“For showing him what I look like naked!” she hissed.

“That was priceless!” I laughed.

“Oh god… Bella, you have no idea how horrible it is. That happens almost every day! And the worst part is, I can’t tell him to stop because then everyone would know…” Edward cringed at the memory.

Alice giggled. “Well at least I’m a little more considerate. I wait to make sure you don’t have to listen.” She said with a smile.

“Yeah, but sometimes I still get Jasper and your lustful thoughts.”

“Well, that I can’t help.” A new round of giggles escaped from Alice and I.

“Though at least you won’t have to hide it from me anymore now that you know, I know. And no, I haven’t and won’t tell anyone else about this. I’ll leave that decision to you, Edward.”

“Thanks, Alice.”

The rest of the ride to Seattle was quite fun. Alice let us in on some other visions she had every time Edward was indecisive about revealing his gift. They were all quite hilarious. Apparently one of her most recent visions was Edward slipping up by screaming at Rosalie and Emmett to stop being so damn perverted. But it got really awkward and a bit dangerous because Alice had to snatch him up on her back and run out of the house with him when Rosalie found out what his gift was. She wanted to rip Edward’s head off for being so intrusive. Not that he could help it though. Edward was going to have to be a bit more careful, just in case.

We had a nice day at the mall. Edward and I bought a few CDs and a couple of new books. Of course Alice bought loads of new clothes. To which surprisingly, they were all for her except for 2 outfits for me.

When we were all done shopping and browsing, we decided to go watch a movie. Edward insisted on picking the one we saw: “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” What the hell is a Lycan? I hadn’t heard of what the movie was about but after the first couple of minutes I figured it out.

“Edward…” I groaned.

“Bella?” he chuckled.

“Why, Edward? Why would you have us watch this?!” I whispered roughly.

“Because it’s awesome. Have you really not seen Underworld 1 and 2? I’ll have to make you watch them later.”

I rolled my eyes. “How a vampire could ever love and have sex with a werewolf is beyond me. The smell alone would be revolting!” I mumbled to myself.

Apparently Alice and Edward heard my comment. They laughed in hysterics. The theater echoed ‘shhhh’ at the two for interrupting the balcony sex scene of said revoltion.

“Just watch the movie Bella. It’s really good.” He whispered in my ear.

His hot breath sent a spasm of heat throughout my body. I wanted to keep the sensation. It was so warm and different than what I’m used to feeling, being so cold all the time. I wanted him to do it again.

“Pay attention, Bella.” Edward whispered in my ear again and chuckled.

Oh shit.

I turned to look at him. He gave me a crooked smile, winked at me, and pointed at the screen. Watch it.

I pushed away Edward’s gift from my own.

How embarrassing…

I shrunk in my seat and tried my hardest to watch the movie and take my mind off of what just happened.

Unfortunately, It didn’t last that long. I kept thinking, ‘Oh shit, oh shit. I can’t believe he heard me thinking about how his breath at my ear made me want his warmth…’

But wait, was he…flirting?

Gah! Pay attention, Bella! Stop. Thinking. Of. Edward.

This time I did watch the movie. It was actually quite entertaining. Not at all how it really would be with vampires and werewolves. The funniest part to see was how easily it was for the vampires to be killed in the film. Not realistic at all!

Then again, I was a myth anyways. So how realistic can I be?

“So, what’d you think of the movie, Bella?” Edward asked on the way back to Forks.

“It was surprisingly good. We should watch the other two tonight.”

He smiled. “Well, the others are quiet interesting in their own way. It’s a bit weird when they’re trying to make mutant vampire/werewolves hybrids though. The main female vampire in that movie is a much better actress though. She’s really cute too…”

I felt a brief feeling of jealousy that he thought the underworld vampire actress was ‘cute’. That is, until he quickly added something else to the end of his sentence that made my heart almost start to beat again.

“…but you make a much more beautiful vampire, Bella.”

He thinks I’m beautiful? Oh, Edward…

“Thanks.” I said in almost an inaudible tone. He grinned.

And I know you’re such a sucker…for anything acoustic…

I pulled out my phone out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID to see who was calling me.

“Aro.”

Chapter 13 - The Decision

“Aro.” I said out loud before answering. I shot a worried glance at Alice.

This is it, I can only hope for the best now.

I flipped opened my phone. “Hello, Aro.”

“Ah, Isabella. How are you? It’s been too long.” His eerie, cheerful voice filled my ear.

“I’m fine, and yourself?”

“I’m well. I take it you already know why I’m calling. So, I’ll just get on with business; The Human.”

I held my breath. I hope Demetri got through to him.

“Isabella, I’m afraid we have ourselves a little predicament. You know very well that we must enforce our rules. There are very few options in this unique case. Where do you stand?”

I closed my eyes hoping with all my might that everything would go well.

“Aro, I give you my word. The secret will remain intact. There is and was never any threat of exposure.”

“I do trust you, but I think your judgment is a bit clouded at the moment. The best way to deal with this is to eliminate the problem.”

I clenched my fist. How could Aro even suggest such a monstrosity? Did he think I would even consider accepting that outcome? He knows very well I would not kill him. This is one of the many problems I always had with the Volturi. They would always rather murder anything or anyone that stands in their way of their precious ‘laws’.

It took all the strength I had to force out a calm and collected response.

“I’m sorry, Aro. But you know my reasons for not agreeing to do anything like that.”

I took a deep unnecessary breath and closed my eyes again, anxiously waiting for his reply.

“I had a feeling you’d decline.” He paused. “The other option is to change him.”

“I can’t do that either, Aro. I’m sure from what information you’ve gathered from Demetri, that you know that option is also void.” I felt as if my anger was wearing thin. Aro must know that I wouldn’t accept either of those options.

“Yes, I know. But I thought I’d give you all the possible options before you agree to anything.”

I felt a chill spread throughout my body. I had a feeling he had something wicked planned.

“Please, spare me from any more anticipation, Aro. What is the option that you expecting me to accept?” He laughed, which sent more chills up my spine.

“You see, that is why I liked you so much. Always so blunt. Well, your final option is more of a…compromise.”

“A compromise?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes.” I could almost hear the smile in his voice. “In return for your human’s life, you must first return to Volterra.”

My stomach tightened. How could he ask such a thing?

If I could get sick, I’d feel extremely nauseous.

“Not permanently, of course.” He added. “I have a special task for you. I’m building a new special guard that I would like for you to train. And accompany them on their first missions. Once you are here I will evaluate your case and decide if you are capable of keeping this human in check. Do you accept my invitation?”

“Invitation?” I sneered. “It’s practically a demand!” I wanted to scream at him, but I knew that would make things worse.

I couldn’t believe he was backing me into a corner. He’s using me again!

I sighed.

This is for Edward. I have to do whatever is necessary for his safety.

“Done.” I said with defeat in my voice.

“Marvelous! I’ll begin the arrangements for your arrival.”

“How long, Aro?” I asked with my jaw clenched.

“How ever long it may take.” I nearly growled at his answer. “But I say around three or so months.”

“Three months?!” My heart sank.

Will I be able to stay away from Edward for that long?

This is for him. I reminded myself.

“There will be a private jet waiting for you at the Seattle airport tomorrow at 2pm. Don’t be late.” He said sternly and then hung up without another word.

Tomorrow?

This is horrible...I’ve just found my happiness and now it’s going to be ripped away from me.

No! This is for Edward!

I have to convince Aro. I have to save Edward.

“Bella…” Alice trailed off. “are you sure?” she looked as if she could cry. I could only nod in response.

“What’s going on?” Edward asked concerned from the front seat. Then I heard him gasp and he was angry.

“No. No! Bella, you can’t do this. I know how much you hate that place. You don’t have to do this…” he pleaded.

“I have to, Edward. There’s no other way.” The look in his eyes were full of sadness.

I hated myself for putting him through all this. If I hadn’t come to Forks, the Volturi wouldn’t have come looking for him.

I’ll do whatever it takes to make him safe again.

The rest of the drive back was in silence.

When we reached the house Esme was out on the porch swing in Carlisle’s arms. Carlisle straightened himself up as he saw our serious expressions.

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

“Carlisle, we need to have a family meeting.” Alice announced.

Carlisle nodded and we followed him to the large dinning room.

“Rosalie. Emmett. Jasper.” Carlisle called out.

They all showed up a second later and took their seats at the table.

“Please Bella, sit.” Carlisle motioned to the front end of the table as he took his seat at the opposite end.

“So what’s the meeting for?” Emmett asked.

I sighed.

“I got a call from Aro about an hour ago.” I paused.

“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked anxiously.

“He gave me three options. The first was to,” I winced. “…kill Edward.”

Rosalie growled. “How dare he!” She snapped.

“Rosalie stop growling. Let her finish.” Esme said sternly.

“Of course I would never consider that option.” I paused briefly as I collected my thoughts. “The second…Is to change him.” I frowned.

“Well that’s good news then!” Emmett boomed. “He was going to be changed after graduation anyways. We’ll just have to do it a little earlier than planned.” I shook my head and looked at Edward with pleading eyes.

Edward, you have to tell them…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Emmett. I don’t want to be changed.”

Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all gasped and turned to look at him.

“What?!” they all said in unison.

How will I be able to bear losing another child?

Poor Esme looked heartbroken.

This is the best decision he’s ever made. Rosalie thought. If I were ever given the choice, I would stay human.

“Everyone settle down.” Carlisle said calmly. He looked at Jasper and I felt a cloud of calm fall over us all.

He nodded at Jasper. “Everyone, this is Edward’s decision. If that is what he wants, then so be it. Now Bella, please continue.” I nodded.

“The 2nd option is now void. There was only one left.” I looked down at my lap. “Aro wants me to go back to Volterra and join the Volturi once more.”

I could feel their grief and sadness as I spoke.

“He claims that he only intends on keeping me there for about three months to train a new guard, but I know how Aro’s mind works. He’s doing this hopping that I will decide to stay with them afterwards.” I clenched my fists. “He says that once I’m there he will officially decide what to do about Edward based on my memories and my loyalty to them.”

I looked up to see their reactions. Esme, Alice, and Edward were extremely sad. Carlisle appeared disappointed. Rosalie was happy about Edward’s decision but still I could feel her worrying about him. Emmett and Jasper were furious, completely pissed off. I forcefully pushed away all of Jasper’s gift from me.

“That’s such an unfair ultimatum!” Jasper hissed.

“So it’s either Edward dies or you go stay with them for three months. And even then, there’s still the possibility that they will kill him regardless?” Emmett growled. Over my dead body.

“Emmett, it’s the only way. I’m fairly certain that Aro will trust me enough to at least consider my request. And I’m sure Carlisle’s friendship with the Volturi will have some kind of influence on their decision as well.” I said.

Carlisle nodded. “When does he expect you to leave?” he asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon.” I answered.

“What? Why so soon? I just got used to having you around all the time! This is going to suck…” Emmett frowned.

“The sooner I go, the faster I can get back.” I said.

Though, I was a little worried of what Aro will have planned for me. It scared me to think of what he might do to keep me separated from the Cullen’s.

Edward immediately turned to look at me.

What do you mean…Why does he want to separate you from us?

I sighed.

“From what Demetri told me during his visit, Aro has been concerned that your coven has grown too large, Carlisle. And he knows how powerful I am with all the powers I have absorbed over the years. He fears that I will help you all to overthrow their rule one day. You know, like they did to the Romanians.” I shook my head. “But, I have no such desire to take on the Volturi. I am still loyal to them. They did save me after all.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Jasper snapped. “Is he that corrupt to believe one of his loyalists, of more than a century, will turn on him so easily?”

“As I have said before Jasper, Aro has always been very paranoid. He doesn’t like different. Even if he does trust me, he will always still be paranoid about my ability. He wants me back on the guard to keep a watchful eye on me. He wants my power on his side just incase anyone dared to over throw them. He covets me.”

“He sounds like a tool.” Emmett grimaced. “Bella, I’m gonna miss you.” He said frowning.

“We all will.” Alice said with a sad smile.

“Bella, may I have a word with you?” Carlisle asked. I nodded and followed him into his study.

“Is there something wrong?” I whispered as I sat in one of the chairs by his desk.

“No. I just wanted to say thank you.” He said as he took his seat at the desk.

I smiled.

“You’ve done so much for us and have brought all of us endless joy.” He grinned.

Esme walked in and stood next to Carlisle and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Bella, we are eternally grateful for everything you’ve given to us. We just want you to know how much we love you and are extremely happy to have you in our lives.” He continued.

“I love you as if you were my own daughter, Bella. And the others already see you as a sister.” Esme said with a loving smile.

If I could blush, I would right now. I’ve never felt so loved. I feel like I finally belong somewhere. I felt like a fit in perfectly.

“Really?” I asked.

“Of course we do, Bella!” I heard Emmett call out from the living room.

Then I heard a loud thump. “Shut up, Em! They’re having a private moment!” Rosalie hissed.

I smiled.

Esme’s smile widened and Carlisle chuckled.

“Bella, Esme and I have been talking about it for awhile now, and we’d like to propose something.” He paused and I anxiously waited.

“When you return from Volterra, We’d like for you to move in with us and become part of our family.”

My jaw nearly fell to the floor.

“You want me to be part of the family…” I said wide-eyed.

I can’t believe it. This is more than a dream come true. It felt so right. Could I feel any happier?

“…I would be honored.” I added with a huge grin.

Before I knew what was happening I was in a tight embrace and being swung around. Emmett had me in a bear hug.

“Welcome to the family, Bella!” He boomed.

I smiled and hugged him back. He set me on the ground again and I turned back to Carlisle and Esme. They looked so happy too.

Esme walked over to me and gave me a soft hug. Nothing like Emmett’s but still just as wonderful. As she stepped away Carlisle put his arm over my shoulder and gave me a one armed hug as he ruffled my hair. Then the four of us walked down to the living room.

Bella, I’m glad you’re officially our sister now. Jasper thought as he gave me a loving smile. I winked at him.

“Hey! I saw that.” Alice said. “Not going to steal away my husband now are you?” she said playfully. She rushed over and jumped on me nearly making me fall over.

I’m gonna miss you, Bella. I’m going to have major Bella-withdrawal once you’re gone.

She hugged me tighter as she thought.

“Alice, why don’t you give me sometime to welcome our new sister?” Rosalie said.

We both looked at her in disbelief and Alice jumped off of me.

Rosalie came over to me and pulled some hair out of my face twisting it behind me ear.

“Welcome to the family, sis.” She said sincerely as she leaned in gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I was in awe. I couldn’t believe it. She was finally warming up to me. I grinned and gave her a sudden hug. She laughed.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain to you, Bella. I’ve just always been very overprotective with Edward. I’ve now realized how much you truly care about him, and our family.” She smiled. She then walked away and sat next to Emmett on the couch.

I looked around the room and then felt a sudden pang of sadness.

“Where’s Edward?” I asked.

“He went outside by the river.” Alice frowned.

I excused myself from the room and went into the backyard to look for him.

He wasn’t too far away. I followed his scent about a mile out along the river’s edge. He was sitting in the grass throwing stones in the water.

“Hey.” I said sitting next to him.

“Bella…” I hate this.

“Me too, but you know this is the only way…”

“I know, but I still hate it. I hate knowing it’s my fault that you have to go to the one place you can’t stand to be.” I’m pushing you away from your sister, your new home, from…everything you’ve ever wanted. “You’re finally getting your ‘normal’ life and I’m pushing you back to that dreadful place.”

No, Edward.

“It’s not your fault! It’s mine…If I wasn’t here, they would have never come.”

He let out a sarcastic laugh, “Your fault? How can this possibly be your fault, Bella? You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s my fault. Don’t you dare feel guilty.” He shook his head and stood up and turned away from me. “If it wasn’t for my presence here, you and the rest of them would be safe. My life isn’t the only one at stake here. They might want to kill all you for treason. Have you not thought about that? Bella…what if they kill you for wanting to keep me alive…I can’t lose you.”

“Edward…Everything will be fine.” I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe. Please, don’t blame yourself.

I swiftly walked up behind him and put my cold hand on his shoulder. He shivered so I was about to pull it back when he put his hand over mine.

He took my hand in his and turned to look at me. His other hand cupped my face. I felt his warmth run from my face throughout my whole body. I closed my eyes to swim and enjoy the heat he provided. When I opened my eyes he smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He tried to pull away his hand from my face, but this time I put my own hand to stop his and kept it on my face. It made my whole face tingle. It felt as if I was blushing, well at least from what I can remember what a blush feels like.

He chuckled lightly. I wish I could see what you would look like blushing. I’m sure it was a beautiful sight to see.

I smiled and thought of one human moment I could remember of what I looked like blushing.

He gave me a crooked smile as he saw my mental picture.

“More beautiful than I could have ever possibly thought.”

I felt like blushing, I wished more than anything to blush for him now.

I quickly embraced him in my arms. I held him as if he were a delicate porcelain doll, so beautiful and fragile. His skin was soft, smooth, and he let out the most comforting warmth I had ever felt. His sweet aroma filled my senses. Even though he smelled just as appetizing as ever, I enjoyed taking in his fragrance without wanting to sink my teeth into him. I breathed in deeply trying to imprint his scent into my mind so I would never forget it; honey and roses.

He buried his nose into my hair. …and you smell of freesias and lilies.

I pulled my face unwillingly from his shoulder, were it previously was, to look into his beautiful emerald eyes. “I always keep forgetting...” that you can read my mind.

He chuckled.

“Come on, We should be getting back now. I’m sure everyone’s waiting for us at the house.” I said.

He nodded and we walked slowly back to the house. He kept my hand in his, refusing to let me go.

That night we all just sat around the living room talking, laughing, and making arrangements of having all my things moved from my apartment into the spare bedroom at the Cullen house.

I saw that Edward was trying really hard not to fall asleep. He kept his gaze on me the entire time. It looked like he was even trying not to blink, in fear that I might be gone if he does.

Edward, you need to sleep…

I’ll be fine, Bella. I don’t want to waste any minute of the time I have left with you.

Please? You look dead tired. I really think you should get some sleep. Besides I have until 2pm tomorrow. You should get at least a couple hours of sleep in.

Bella…

I’ll stay with you as you sleep if it makes you feel any better…

He smiled.

Alice stood up and pulled Jasper along with her. As she passed me she winked and tugged Jasper up the stairs. A few moments later, Carlisle and Esme left towards the kitchen. Rosalie lay on Emmett’s lap and they looked completely lost in each other. Edward stood up and took my hand and led me to his room.

“I need a human moment. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said as he gathered some clothes and walked off to his bathroom. I heard him turn the water on.

I pushed away his gift from mine to give him privacy as he showered.

I heard Alice’s light foot steps walk up to Edward’s door. I walked over and opened the door.

“I thought you might need these.” She whispered.

She handed me a silk night shirt and matching silk shorts.

“I figured you’d want to be a little more comfortable if you were going to be lying there all night.” She smiled.

“Thank you.” I said taking them from her. I kissed her on the cheek and then she walked back to her room where Jasper was waiting for her.

I took off my clothes and slipped on the silk top and shorts. It felt so soft against my granite skin.

I walked over to Edward’s closet and pulled out some extra sheets. I lay in his bed waiting for him to come back. I absentmindedly played with the charm bracelet he gave me, admiring each charm individually. It truly was the most unique and beautiful, heart-warming gift anyone has ever given me.

I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn’t even notice Edward across the room looking at me intently. I shot up and sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed.

“Did I startle you?” He asked with a smile.

I smiled back at him.

“You look lovely.” He commented as he took in my new attire. He had shorts and a t-shirt on, but still looking as handsome as ever.

I moved out of the way and pulled the covers up from the bed and motioned for him to lie down. He walked over and got comfortable. I pulled his comforter over him and I lay on top of it facing him.

After a few moments of just looking at each other he spoke.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

“For?”

“Everything.” He managed to get out before yawning.

I wasn’t sure what everything was but it was me who should be thanking him.

Thanking him for the happiness he’s given me, for awakening a side of me I never thought existed. The more time I spent with him, the more I felt my human characteristics coming back to me. Love being the strongest emotion to fall over me.

He reached over and traced my jaw with his finger tips. Then he let the back of his hand brush over my cheek before he knotted his hand through my hair. He then let his hand fall over my waist and closed his eyes as he dozed off in to a pleasant sleep.

I kept my eyes firmly placed over his angelic face and hoped with every fiber in my body that I would return to him again one day. I couldn’t help but dread my journey to Volterra. I knew I could live through three months away from him because it was necessary so I could do everything in my power to make sure he was safe. But I doubted I could leave his side for much longer than that. I feared Aro would succeed in keeping me away from him.

I pushed my thoughts of Aro and Volterra away and just kept taking in the beauty that was before me.

“I’ll keep you safe, my love.” I whispered as I got closer to kiss his forehead.

The night seemed to end too quickly. And it felt like the morning was drifting away in seconds.

When Edward finally woke up, his eyes fluttered open and he smiled as he saw me.

“Hey.” He breathed.

I smiled. “I’m going to make you breakfast.”

“Sounds good.” He said as he closed his eyes again.

He still had his arm around me and made no movement to lift it and pull away.

“You know, to make you breakfast, it requires for you to let me go.”

His lips pulled into a crooked grin and pulled me closer to him.

I smiled. I didn’t want to get up either. I enjoyed this new comfort of his warmth upon my skin.

But then his stomach betrayed him. It grumbled.

I giggled. “So, how does pancakes sound?”

“Perfect.” He said as he unwrapped his arm from my waist pulling both his arms behind his head and opening his eyes to look at me again.

I got up and made my way to the kitchen. I made him more than enough. I always outdid myself even though I knew I was only cooking for one. As the last pancake was on the stove I rushed to change into the clothes Alice had left in the downstairs bathroom for me. I got back to the stove and flipped the pancake in the air just as Edward walked in. I took a plate out and placed a stack of them on it for him. I grabbed the maple syrup and placed it with the plate on the table for him.

“Smells delicious.” He said as he sat down. He picked up the fork and started eating. I sat in the seat next to him with my arm on the table propped up cupping my chin with my hand just looking at him.

“I’m going to miss your cooking.” He said taking in a big bite.

I smiled but felt like sobbing. I was going to miss everything about my Edward.

Alice came into the dinning room with Jasper.

“Good morning, guys.” Alice chirped.

“Morning.” I said.

“We were thinking that, maybe we should all do something together one last time before you have to leave…” she said.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked curiously.

“Esme and I came up with the idea that each of us should make or give you something to remind you of us while you’re there.” She smiled.

“That’s a great idea.”

I took Edward’s now empty plate to wash it. Edward got up and went upstairs without saying a word. I went over to the sink and washed the plate quickly before going into the living room where everyone else was waiting.

There were a bunch of photographs spread all over the coffee table. Rosalie, Alice, and Esme were kneeling in front of them going through them.

“We’re going to make you a scrap book with a bunch of our pictures in it.” Esme said with a big smile.

Emmett walked over from the couch, picked me up, and pulled me over his shoulder. I giggled as he ran me up to his room.

“Em! What are you doing?” I laughed.

“I just wanted to give you something in private.” He whispered. “…but everyone would laugh if I gave it to you in front of them.” He pulled a floor board up in the corner of the room and pulled out a stuffed grizzly bear plushie. ***

“Aww…” I said softly. “Thank you, Emmett. It’s adorable!” I hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and ruffled my hair.

I walked to Alice’s room and put Emmett’s gift into a duffle bag full of my clothes. Alice had gone to my apartment last night to pack for my trip to Volterra.

As I was about to walk out of the room Jasper walked in.

“Good, you’re here. I want to give you something…” he said as he walked over to his bookshelf. I gasped as the book he handed me.

“Oh my God, is this…”

“Yes.” He grinned. “An original 1st Edition copy of Wuthering Heights”

I stared at him wide-eyed. “How in the world did you get your hands on this? You were like 4 when it came out!”

He chuckled. “My grandmother received it as a gift. I inherited it from her after she passed away when I was 17. I saw you a couple of days ago reading a dainty ole’ paper back version. This one,” he taped the cover lightly. “is much better.” He flipped open the book and there was a handwritten note in ink on the inside cover.

‘To my dearest friend Catherine,

Thank you for believing in me. I owe you so much.

With Love, E.B.’

I gasped.

“No way…” I said in disbelief.

“I take it you like the gift.” He laughed.

“Jasper. Holy shit, seriously…I can’t believe you have this… and it’s actually signed by her!”

He kissed my forehead and walked away.

I stood there for a few minutes still completely in shock. This was insane. I will definitely make sure this book stays intact for the rest of my existence.

I wrapped it in a velvet sheath and tucked it away in my bag, then made my way downstairs.

It looked like Esme, Alice, and Rosalie were almost finished with the scrap book.

“Now Bella, I think you should wait to look at all the pictures at a later time. It would be more special if you looked through all of them once you’re there, so you could take in its full affect when you’re missing us.” Alice said.

“If you think that’s best.” I said. I was a little anxious to look at it though. I noticed some of the pictures that were on the table before had me in some of them and I didn’t even know they had any pictures of me!

“We need to take a family picture for the front cover though. So, everyone gather around!” Alice called out. “Edward! Get down here!” she called upstairs.

A few seconds later Edward came stomping down the last step.

Alice took out her digital camera, set it for a 10 second delay, and placed it on top of the mantle over the fireplace. Everyone gathered around a few feet away. Esme and Carlisle were at the far right. Jasper and Alice stood to my left. Rosalie and Emmett were behind me. And Edward stood beside me. He gazed into my eyes as the camera clicked the seconds away before the shot. He quickly took my hand in his and smiled brightly turning back at the camera. I did the same. The camera snapped the shot and then Alice rushed to her computer to print out the picture.

Edward pulled me aside to one of the leather couches. He then handed me a small green ipod. “I put a lot of yours and my favorite music on it.” I smiled. “And also, there’s a recording of the piano piece I wrote for you in there along with other pieces I’ve played.”

He gave me a crooked grin and my heart melt.

“It’s not Bronte. But I thought it was a fairly good thing to remind you of me.”

“It’s perfect Edward. Thank you so much.” I said as I wrapped my arms over his neck. I don’t know how long I kept him there but it must have been awhile because I wasn’t aware of time and I only noticed I was still hugging him when Carlisle coughed for our attention from across the room. I let him go and faced Carlisle.

“I’m sorry, but we must get going to get you to the airport on time. It’s getting late and you need to be at the airport at least by 1:30pm.” He said.

I frowned and ran upstairs to grab my bags. I came back down to see everyone start to file out of the house. Carlisle and I were the last ones in the house. I stood next to him

He pulled out from his pocket a gold pocket watch. “I’ve had this for over a century and a half now. I bought it for my stay at the Volturi castle. I had it engraved with my family’s crest.” He chuckled. “It annoyed me that no one ever knew the time there. There were never any clocks around. I bet they still don’t have any up.” He handed me the watch. “I want you to have it for two reasons. First, so that you don’t have to ask those vapid guards for the time and Second, so that when you’re feeling alone and out of place, you’ll have something to remind you that you’re now a Cullen.” he said then winked at me.

He walked out of the door way towards his Mercedes. I gave one final glace at the familiar home, took a deep breath, and walked out closing the door behind me.

Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie took the Mercedes while Edward, Alice, Jasper, and I where in the Volvo.

We made it all the way to Seattle without a word coming from any of us. I was thankful that Jasper came with us because there was a constant blanket of peacefulness hovering over us.

We reached the airport at 1:30pm exactly. I knew this was it, I had to say farewell.

I went around to everyone and hugged them once more. Edward was the last one.

I walked over to him and kept my head down. I really wish I could stay with him. I just knew being away would tear me apart.

He placed his hand under my chin and tilted my head up to look at his face.

“Keep your chin up, love. It’ll only be three months. Then things will get back to normal.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. He embraced me in a hug and kissed the top of my head. It took everything I had to pull myself away from him.

Alice walked over and put her hand on the middle of his back and he put his arm over her shoulder. They both looked so sad to see me go.

I took one last glance at everyone and walked away to board the jet the Volturi had sent here.

I walked on the plane and sat in one of the big leather seats. I closed my eyes and leaned back into the head rest.

I pulled out the watch Carlisle gave me. I glanced down at the it and admired the intricate designs of the family crest. I flipped it over and saw the word ‘Cullen’ engraved in beautiful script on the back.***

I smiled.

The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can get back to my family.

My family.

I like the sound of that.

Chapter 14 - Three Months

Edward’s POV

Be safe.

They were the final and only words I heard in her mind as her plane left the ground.

Bella’s gone.

Gone.

I feel like my chest has a gaping hole in it, like someone just reached in and tore my heart out. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was stare at the spot where she disappeared to board the plane.

I knew it was going to be hard seeing her leave, but I had no idea it would hurt this bad.

I feel…empty.

After what seemed like hours, though I’m sure it was only a few minutes, I felt some one put their hand on my shoulder.

Although the hand was cold, I made no movement to acknowledge their presence.

“Come on, Son. We need to be heading back home now.” My dad said in a calm voice.

It’ll be alright, Edward

Alice thought as she glided over to me. She took my hand pulling me through the crowds of the airport.

“Alice…” I started.

“Yeah, I’ll drive don’t worry.” She answered.

I nodded.

I didn’t think that in my state of mind that I could keep concentration on the road. I definitely didn’t want to get myself killed. I had to keep myself safe for her return. If she returned. My stomach turned. I can’t believe this is happening. I finally felt like my life was coming together, and now my happiness is torn away from me.

I sighed.

I was hoping for a quiet ride home but I kept hearing the thoughts of my family. I tried my best to keep it to a low hum in the back of my mind. It worked for the most part. I was able to keep my parent’s, Emmett, and Rose’s thoughts to low whispers but unfortunately it was much more difficult for my siblings in the car. Alice was at least trying really hard to keep her thoughts to herself. She knew I needed my space right now. But since Jasper had no clue I could read his thoughts, his mind was on overdrive.

Poor Edward. His emotions have been everywhere lately. One day he’s completely jealous and angry. The next, he’s completely and utterly happy. Then today he’s completely distraught, insanely depressed. How can any human handle all these mood swings? I can barely keep up with it. I should…

Then I felt a wave of calm and peacefulness hit me. I internally groaned. I was grateful that he was trying to help, but these are fake emotions. Just because I can feel them, doesn’t mean my thoughts were in any way pleasant. I didn’t necessarily want to feel calm and peaceful when the person I love is risking her existence for me.

Somewhere along in my deep thoughts, I fell asleep. When I woke up I was in my own bed. I looked around a bit confused. I couldn’t remember anything at first. The sun burned in my eyes and I pulled the covers over myself. But, then all of a sudden my mind’s cloudiness passed, and everything came back to me. I felt the emptiness creep back, taking over my whole body. I was practically trembling.

Bella.

I groaned.

For a moment, I wished I still couldn’t remember anything of the things that were happening, but as quickly as the thought came, it left. I would never want to forget my Bella.

I uncovered myself and let my eyes adjust to the brightness. I looked over to my digital clock. It was 9am.

9am!

Holy shit, I slept for nearly 16 hours…how the hell did that happen…

I groaned again. It was Monday. I was already late for school.

Perfect.

Starting the day off great, aren’t I?

I shook my head and sat up in bed. I light knocking came from my door.

Can I come in, Edward?

“Come in.” I said.

“Hi.” Alice said timidly.

“Why aren’t you at school?”

“I could ask you the same thing!” she said with a small smile.

“I guess I just overslept…”

“It’s ok. Dad’s going to write me and you a doctor’s note. He said we didn’t have to go to school today if we weren’t up to it. The rest of them left. But I couldn’t bare a whole day of trying to act normal when my sister just left…” she sighed. “But, I mostly wanted to stay and make sure you were ok.”

“I’m fine, Alice.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t give me any of that. I’m the one with an empath for a husband, you know.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Alice! Please, I just want to be alone!” I nearly yelled. I was starting to get really frustrated.

“No, that’s the last thing you should be doing!” she said sternly.

“Please Alice, I need collect myself. I’ll be fine. Really.”

I saw a flicker of pictures that I couldn’t see clearly, flash in Alice’s mind.

“No, you won’t be. Edward…You can’t lock yourself up and keep everyone away.”

“Watch me.” I said as I fell back down onto my bed pulling the covers once more over my face.

She sighed deeply.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Ugh, I wish I could just fall asleep for three months straight and wake up the moment Bella got back.

Bella’s POV

Be safe.

I chanted hoping Edward would hear it as the jet lifted off the ground.

I wasn’t even gone yet and I felt the tares in my heart start to rip even wider.

I sighed. I want to get this over with as quickly as possible.

The 13 hour plane ride was hell. It dragged on forever. As much as I didn’t want to be in Volterra right now, I was practically begging the jet to get there already. I needed to get off this plane. I needed to do something, anything, to distract myself from the pain my chest was wallowing in.

I hated having to leave Edward. All I could think about these dreadful 13 hours was how much it was killing me to leave him there alone.

No!

He’s not alone, Bella. He has his family, our family. Our family will help him get through this. When I return I’ll make this up to him. I’ll never leave his side again…

The long flight was starting to make me go insane. I was even contemplating jumping out of the jet mid-air and swim the rest of the way to Volterra, just to give me something to do. Then suddenly the plane started to descend. Finally!

I gathered my things and made my way out of the small plane. As I stepped out, all the dread that was built up was slightly lifted.

“Ella!”

“Bethany.” I breathed.

We closed the distance between us and hugged each other tightly.

“It’s been too long. I’ve missed you so much.” She said as we pulled apart.

“Yeah, way too long. I missed you too. Heh, I half expected Felix to be the one to escort me...” I rolled my eyes. “That would have been fun.”

She laughed. “He almost was. He was already making plans on what flashy car to bring, but of course before Aro could tell him to pick you up; I jumped up at the opportunity and asked if I could do the honors. And now here I am!”

I gave her a small smile. “Thanks.”

She winked at me and entwined her arm through mine.

We got in the limo waiting for us in the shadows of the airport entrance. It was a half hour drive to Volterra. We passed fields, mountains, trees, flowers, farms, houses and many of the other beauties of Italy that used to captivate me. I used to run through all of it to get away from the castle, basking in its graceful beauty. But now, I was affected by none of it. I lost interest. Not even the beauty of the Italian country side could give me a little escape anymore.

We reached the city limits much sooner than expected. As we passed Palazzo dei Priori, I pulled at my memories, remembering the buildings, the fountain, and the clock tower that surrounded me once again. A shiver swept through my body as we passed the dark narrow alleyway. The clock tolled noon and I jumped, startled, as the noise rang in my ears. I didn’t understand why, but I got a sense of eerie déjà vu as I gazed at the alleyway losing its dark shadows from the sunshine. Lost in my observations, I failed to realize we were already here.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the limo into the shadows to face the large, haunting place that I once, and now again, lived.

“There’s too much sun, so we’ll have to take the alternate route.”

I nodded and followed Bethany through the alleyway. She pulled out the grate from the floor and we both jumped down. We swiftly made our way through the dimmed tunnel and up the elevator to the main reception room. I nearly rolled my eyes as I saw the Volturi had found a new human secretary.

“Good Afternoon, Bethany. And you must be Isabella. Welcome back.” She greeted with a smile. I just nodded trying to hold back my disgust that this woman would accept a job like this.

“Hello, Gianna.” Bethany greeted back with a genuine smile. Gianna blushed.

I looked behind the desk, there standing at the doors were the three vampires I could definitely live eternity with out ever wanting to see again.

“Isabella. So nice to see you again.” Alec called out as he made his way over to me and laid a kiss on either side of my face. Alec, although I didn’t like certain views he had, was the most decent of the three. I could tolerate him.

“Yes, very nice indeed.” Felix said winking at me. I shuddered.

“Swan.” Jane scoffed. I tried to keep back from rolling my eyes; she was always just so overly ridiculous. I truly couldn’t stand that girl.

I just nodded acknowledging their presence.

“Couldn’t stay away from me, could you?” I turned to find a smiling Demetri.

“Hello.” I smiled genuinely.

I was so grateful to at least have Bethany and Demetri here with me. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with this completely alone.

He gently lifted my hand and placed a chaste kiss on the top of it.

“Aro is expecting you, Isabella.” Felix sneered.

"Aro will be so pleased to see you again." Alec added.

"Let's not keep him waiting," Jane, of course.

My smile faded into a frown. I pulled at the edges and kept my lips in a hard line as I turned to face what is to come.

We walked the hall that led into the castle meeting chamber. Felix opened the double doors and I walked in with Demetri and Bethany at my sides. There were a few vampires lingering around. Some were from the guard and some were faces that I could not recognize. Aro, Caius, and Marcus sat at their throwns.

“Isabella, it’s wonderful to have you back!” Aro announced cheerfully as he drifted closer to me. I let out a small involuntary shiver.

“Hello, Aro.” I turned to face the others “Caius. Marcus.” I nodded at each as I spoke their names.

They nodded back at me as their greeting.

“Isabella, as you know you’re here to train my new guard. I’d like to introduce them to you before you go settle in.” He motioned four of the unknown vampires that I noticed earlier. “These are Anthony, Charles, Bridget, and Kevin. They each have their own ability. Anthony can manipulate sound. Charles is telekinetic. Bridget has the ability to heal. Kevin can temporarily change the appearance of any object. They will be your responsibility. Your training sessions will begin two days from now, train them well. Do not disappoint me.”

“Do I ever, Aro?” I said with a forced smile. He chuckled.

“You, always surprise me.” I didn’t know how to take his response it could mean a number of things. “Now, we do have much to discuss, but we have plenty of time for that another day. First get settled in. You will have the same rooms as you had before, in the East Wing. Your belongings should already be arriving there.”

Without another work Aro, Caius, and Marcus glided out of the room into the chamber that led to their private meeting room.

The four vampires I would be training stepped forward and I shook each of their hands as they introduced themselves personally.

“Shall we meet up tomorrow to get a little better acquainted before we start training?” Bridget suggested.

“I think that’s a good idea.” I said.

“We could meet up in the southern gardens at dawn tomorrow.” Anthony stated.

“Sounds like a plan.” I said. “I will see you all then. I have to get myself situated now.” They nodded and I took my leave.

I took the long corridor at the far right corner of the room and then took the elevator six floors up. This part of the castle was much more modern than any other place within its walls. Bethany and I remodeled it completely after being bored of the dreary, monotone design it had before. Demetri, Bethany and I shared this wing of the castle. Our rooms were at opposite ends and in the middle was a large sitting room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A fireplace was built in at one end of the room with a big flat screen TV hanging over the mantle. *** We used this room to hang out at and just watch movies when we got bored.

I opened the first door on the right. It led to my room. Though I guess it’s more of an apartment. It has two floors. The bottom was the living area, with a simple, long white leather couch and a coffee table in front. Facing directly in front of the entrance were wall to wall windows I had specifically requested to be put in my room.*** At the far right end of the room was a door that led to my two leveled personal library.*** On the second floor were my bedroom and the bathroom. It was simple compared to the rest of the other’s. My taste differed greatly from theirs.

I found my bags by the couch and took them to the bedroom. I emptied their contents in to the closet and dressers. I put my new grizzly plush on the bed and the copy of Wuthering Heights on my nightstand. I took the pocket watch Carlisle gave me and put it in my pocket. Then I saw the scrapbook that they made for me. I picked it up and sat on my bed. The front was so elegant. It had lace fringed on the ends and right in the middle of the cover lay the family picture we took in the living room. I smiled. We looked like the perfect family. I ran my finger over the picture, tracing Edward’s figure and sighed. As I went to open the album to look through the pictures I heard a knock at my front door.

As I made my way to the second floor I called out. “Come in.”

The door opened and Aro walked in. I took a seat on my leather couch and he shortly followed.

“Are you done unpacking?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, I just finished.”

“Good. Good. I came by to see if there was anything you needed.” By the tone of his voice I could tell that wasn’t the only reason for his visit to my room.

“Actually, I do have a request.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well I’ve recently taken a liking to playing the piano. I would like one to be put in here, if that’s possible.”

“Of course. I will have one in here within the hour.”

“Thank you.” There was a small silence that came over us.

“Isabella. I must request from you something as well.” He paused. “You must refrain from having any contact with the Cullen’s during your stay here.”

My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to argue but immediately closed it. There was no point in arguing about it. He was demanding it, and I would have to follow through. He could be so vile and manipulative at times. I turned away from him and closed my eyes. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes that would never be able to fall.

“It’s for the best. I don’t want your association with them getting in the way of the training process.” I wanted to laugh at him. Did he really think I was ignorant, that I wouldn’t see the real reason of him not wanting for me to have contact with my family? He knows my bond with them is strong, that’s why.

“Is there any way I could at least speak with them once to let them know of my arrival and that I will not be speaking with them for the duration of my stay?” I said with a nearly pleading look on my face.

“I think I can allow that.”

I nodded and he rose from the couch and made his way out of my room.

I took out my phone and dialed Carlisle’s number.

“Hello Bella.” He greeted.

“Hey Carlisle.” I paused. “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice right now…”

He chuckled before he responded. “Likewise.” Then his tone turned serious. “Bella, Alice had a vision of what Aro has requested of you. We know that you aren’t allowed to contact us until your return.”

“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked at the end.

“Bella, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. You don’t have much of an option. I wish you all the best. Alice wants to speak with you.” I heard him pass the phone over to her.

“Bella! Oh god, Bella this really sucks…”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Well, at least there’s a small loop-hole.”

“A loop-hole?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes, well. For emergencies at least… If you need to ever tell me something important, just make the decision of telling me when you get back. That way I’ll have a vision of you telling me!” I could hear the smile in her voice. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“You’re such a sneaky little pixie, sis.”

“I know!” she said enthusiastically. “Bella…” she trailed off. I already knew what was coming. “Edward, he’s completely distraught. I had a vision of him keeping himself lock up in his room and only coming out when necessary. He’s not taking this situation all too well.”

I frowned. I did this to him.

“Can you put him on the phone?”

“I’m sorry, Bella. But he’s sleeping…” I felt a tightening in my chest. “I tried to wake him up when I saw that you were going to be calling but he’s completely knocked out. He won’t be waking up for another three hours.”

My breathing caught. I felt like sobbing again. Not only am I stuck here, but I won’t be able to call any of them anymore. I won’t even get to hear Edward’s voice one more time…

“No…” I said in barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry.” She repeated.

I sighed heavily, my chest heaving. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Alice. Please, keep him safe.” I paused. “And tell him I said he better not go cliff diving or do anything dangerous while I’m gone.” She giggled.

“Will do. And Bella?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.” Another tear pulled at my chest.

“I love you too, Alice.” I tried to keep the sob from my voice. “Tell the family that I miss them all.”

“We miss you too.” She said before hanging up the phone.

This was going to be a long three months.

Edward’s POV

Later that day, I found out that Bella had called a couple of hours before I woke up. I wanted to throw myself in front of a moving car for being so stupid and sleeping in. I was enraged when I found out that the Volturi was denying her to have any contact with us. I was hoping that we could have at least random phone calls every now and then. But now! Now that’s ruined.

It’s been a long, rough month.

I kept to myself in my room away from everyone. I would only leave my room to eat and go to school. I only spoke when necessary. It wasn’t like I really did it on purpose though…I just feel numb. I don’t feel like doing anything anymore. It’s like my life doesn’t have a purpose without her. I can tell my mood is bringing everyone in the family down and it just makes me feel worse in return. I’ve practically run Jasper out of the house now. He can’t take much of my emotions and has pretty much given up trying to influence them to change. I felt horrible for bringing more sadness to everyone around me. Maybe…I really should have listened to Alice that day.

I told you so…

I rolled my eyes. “Come in, Alice.”

“Hi…” she said as she walked in and sat beside me on my bed. “You ok?”

“Yeah. Though I still feel like shit for what I’m putting everyone through…”

“Don’t worry about it, Edward. We’re all grieving, just in our own way. But please, do try and cheer up a little. You should do something to keep yourself busy. Try and do something fun.”

Something fun?

I didn’t really want to have fun without her. But I owed it to my family and myself to stop wallowing in my sadness. I sighed.

Maybe I could call Seth to see if he wants to do anything…

Alice smiled. “He’ll say yes.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and she gave me a playful push. I lay my head on her shoulder and she combed her small hands in my hair as she rubbed small circles with her hand on my back.

“Thanks, Alice.” I said giving her a half smile. And stood up to go downstairs and get my phone that I had left in the kitchen.

“Hello?”

“Hey Seth, its Edward.”

“Oh hey! What’s up?”

“Just calling to see if you wanted to hang out or something.”

“That would be awesome! We could go down to first beach. Jacob and the rest of the pack are down there taking a swim.”

“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up in a little bit.”

“Sweet. See you then.”

“Yeah. Later.” I smiled. I liked hanging out with Seth. He was a genuine, good hearted kid.

I walked by my music room to find the door open. I peered inside and saw my mom dusting my piano. I hadn’t touched it since Bella left…

“Oh, Hello Dear. Are you going out?”

“Yeah, I’m going to La Push for awhile and hang out with Seth.”

“Ok, don’t be back too late.” She said turning back to dust. She sighed.

I really wish he would play again. I was completely happy to hear him play after so long when he started playing with Bella…

I frowned as I walked out to my car. I didn’t like making mom sad. But I couldn’t help it, I didn’t want to touch or go anywhere near that piano. It reminded me too much of her…

I walked to the garage where I had parked my car. I felt my chest tighten and my eyes swell as I found myself in front of Bella’s Audi. I held back and walked passed it towards my own car.

Everything reminds me of her.

I picked Seth up and we made our way to First Beach. We walked and talked for awhile catching up. I didn’t have much to catch him up on. My life was pretty empty for the last month. He had loads to talk about.

Seth’s POV

“…and Embry has imprinted now too! Just yesterday actually.” I looked over towards Edward. He had such sadness in his eyes.

“Edward, are you ok? You look so sad and distant. You haven’t said much today.”

“No, not really…”

“What’s up?”

“It’s complicated.” He paused. “I met a girl. And she’s absolutely amazing…” he sighed. “But she has to stay away for awhile…and it’s tearing me up being apart from her.”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you must have imprinted on her. Apparently that’s how it feels to be away from the person you’ve imprinted.” If I didn’t know any better I’d think he was a wolf! That would be awesome. Edward would be a kick ass wolf too. We could run and hunt together if he was. I’m sure Jacob would let him join are pack. He likes him too.

He laughed. For the first time today it was the first time he had any kind of happy expression. I guess my joke about the imprinting actually worked. I was proud of myself for getting this kind of reaction out of him. I smiled and his grin got wider.

“Hey you want to go to the store and buy some chips and stuff? I’m starving.” I said.

“Sure, let’s go.”

“We could walk there. The store’s only about a mile away.”

We walked in the direction of the small convenience store. Edward started to look a little glum again.

“Hey Edward, wanna hear a joke?”

He smiled. “Shoot.”

“Well, there was this teacher and she called on…there was… this…I…she…oh my god.”

Crossing the street was black haired beauty, a goddess. She had a streak of blue hair gently placed over the left side of her face. She swayed as she walked, looking around in all directions. What caught my attention were those deep blue, sapphire-like bright eyes of hers. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was the ideal of perfection. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to take her in my arms. But I couldn’t move, like my mind was already next to her, but my legs stay frozen in shock.

As if he could read my mind, Edward pushed me towards the goddess. Pulling me along with him to the other side of the road where she stood looking confused.

“I think she’s lost…” Edward whispered in my ear.

She suddenly dropped her bag on the floor and I rushed over and picked it up for her. We stood up at the same time and our eyes locked together. She was about 5’ 2” to my 5’8”. She smiled the most beautiful smile I have ever seen on anyone’s face. It was almost angelic, she glowed. Her lips were a beautiful deep red and I longed to place my own over them.

“Hi.” She breathed.

Dear God. Her voice was musical and sounded like bells. She is an angel.

“H-hey.” I stuttered. “I’m Seth Clearwater.” I said as I handed her back the bag she dropped.

“I’m Jessica Benson.” She said as she looked up to me through her eyelashes. My breathing got heavier.

“So, are you new here?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you around here before…”

“Yeah, I just moved here two days ago. And now I’m completely lost!” she said with a sigh.

“Well I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m sure we could help you get to where you need to go.”

She grinned and my heart beat uncontrollably in my chest.

Edward’s POV

I silently chuckled to myself. He was completely lost in her presence. I was really happy for him. The look in their eyes as they gazed at each other made my own heart beat a little faster. I decided right then, that as soon as I saw my Bella again, I would tell her how I felt and I would make her mine. I couldn’t bear not being with her for another moment. I only hoped she would return my feelings…

Holy cow, did I just imprint?!

I grinned as I watched their conversation unfold.

“So uh, where were you going anyways?” he asked her.

“I was going to the grocery store to buy a couple of snacks ‘cause I got bored. I started walking in no particular direction and then I realized I have no clue where it is.”

“Well you’re in luck, we were just heading there!” He said with a large grin.

“Lucky, indeed.” She replied. God, this boy is gorgeous. I hope he doesn’t have a girlfriend… Crap I’m already thinking about being his girlfriend? Oh Jess, but you’ve just met him! Ahh, I don’t care. For some reason I feel like I’ve known him my whole life…

Then she turned to acknowledge me. Oh crap. She turned back to his gaze. Ooooh, please, please, please. I hope he’s not gay…

I cleared my throat loudly and Seth turned to look at me.

“Oh, um. Jessica this is my good friend, Edward.” He said motioning his hand towards me.

“Nice to meet you, Jessica.” I said.

Oh, thank God! I can have Seth all for myself then…

I smiled.

“Come on, the store’s this way.” He said to her and we walked a couple of blocks to where the store was.

We chatted about music and how nice the beaches were. She mentioned she hadn’t been to the beach yet.

I nudged Seth’s side inconspicuously. He looked up at me and I smiled.

He then combed his hand through his hair nervously and turned to Jessica.

“So, would you like to see it? If you have nothing else to do, you could come with me, I mean us, so we could hang out and such. I…I can introduce you to some of my other friends and my sister...and…” I nudged him again, rambling isn’t always that cute to girls. “So what do you say?”

Oh my god, of course I will!

“Um, sounds like fun.” She said timidly. Completely different than what she was thinking. She was practically yelling with excitement. This looks like it’ll end very well for them.

We bought some things at the store and made our way back to the beach. We met up with Jacob and the rest of the pack. The day so far was going nicely. I was still missing Bella, more so than ever. But at least I wasn’t sitting at home depressed out of my mind. I guess a few fun distractions wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe I will be able to survive the next two months better than I thought…

Bella’s POV

It’s been two months and it feels like an eternity…

I’m surprised I’ve lasted this long though. It has gotten a bit easier. Bethany and Demetri have been my rock. If it wasn’t for their distractions I’d probably be in a corner sucking on my thumb in the fetal position. Not a pretty picture.

I missed my family like hell. And more so, I missed Edward like hell. That hurt the most. I only wish I could at least speak to him…

And now, I’m getting a bit worried as the days go by. Aro has yet to use his gift on me. He hasn’t extracted my thoughts or memories from me at all. I didn’t understand why he was waiting so long. Was it a way for him to keep me here longer?

For the most part I tried to keep myself busy so that the days went by faster. I end up just training most of the time I spent here. I train the special guard members almost every day. They’ve gotten really good, very fast learners. I’ve learned even a few things from them. I was impressed by all their gifts as well, especially Bridget’s.

She had the power to heal. She mostly used it in battle, so that if a vampire got one of their limbs torn off she could heal it much quicker than it would normally take. I asked if she ever used it on humans and she said it’s pretty much a miracle worker for them. It mends broken bones, stops bleeding and makes them completely fine within a couple of seconds of having contact with them.

Anthony could manipulate sound. He used it to disguise his voice to change the way others hear it. He could also manipulate sound waves from radios and TVs. He said it came in handy if there was ever a police officer on his trail he would mess with the frequency. He said he rarely ever had to use his gift, but that he liked to mess with the some of the guard. When they’re watching TV he would walk by and cause the sounds to be static or silence and they’d get all pissy because they’d miss what was being said.

Telekinesis was a very handy ability as well. Charles said he loved it. He could use if for just about anything. Besides the obvious of being able to make any object move with the will of your mind, he liked the fact that he didn’t have to lay a finger on an enemy to hurt or kill them. He could solely rely on his telekinesis do the work for him. He’d capture the victim in his ‘bubble,’ or so he calls it and could tear them limb from limb without even touching them, quite scary actually.

Last but not least, there’s Kevin. He could make any object turn into something else. Modern day shape shifting, it could definitely work in our favor. If there was ever any danger he would just touch something and think of it changing and *poof* there it was. I made a few suggestions of him trying to change his appearance and he said he never really thought about trying that before. I absorbed his power and tried it; it worked and I showed him how to do it. The only downside was that the change would only last two hours.

The special guard consisted of Bridget, Anthony, Charles, Kevin, Bethany, Demetri and I. But I should only be temporary. We would all train together 3 days out of the week. And I decided I would dedicate one day out of each week to train the four that were new to the Volturi, to help them in enhancing their powers. Today I was working with Charles when Bethany interrupted our session.

“Ella. I’m sorry to interrupt, but Aro would like to have a word with you and the special guard in the grand hall.”

“We’ll be right there.”

I gathered the others and we walked to the grand hall. I could feel their tension and nerves running through the roof.

“Relax guys, seriously you’re worrying for nothing. You’ll see.” I sent them a wave of calm.

We came to a stop at the double doors of the hall. Bethany opened the doors before we could step closer. We walked in and Aro, Caius, and Marcus were already waiting for us.

“Well, well. You’ve done well Isabella. I’ve seen the work you’ve done with the guard, very impressive. They have progressed much quicker than I thought.”

“Yes, they’re very talented and quick learners. You picked them well.” He smiled at the compliment.

“Hmm. Do you believe they are ready for their first mission?” Caius voiced to everyone.

I nodded.

“Very well. You will all board the jet and go to Egypt tomorrow morning. There is a small coven of 3 in Cairo. We suspect that one is being held against their will. We would like you to seek out the truth and take the necessary procedures to eliminate any more manipulation.”

That was the main purpose of this new special guard. Our job was to visit different vampires that would need our ‘help’ when they were in a sticky situation.

I know the way Aro thinks though. His true intention is to have Bethany there so she can recruit more vampires for the original guard. You see, Bethany has a rare gift. She is able to see a colored aura around any person. The aura’s color determines weather the vampire or human has or will have a gift. Everyone either has a red or a blue aura around them. The darker the red the least likely they have a gift. The brighter the blue the more power and extraordinary their gift will be. When also factoring in the scent of the person, depending on the color of the aura, she is able to tell what their gift is. Bethany is an important asset to him. He uses her just as bad as he used me all those years. Bethany just doesn’t mind as much.

I have a feeling this vampire that is being ‘held against their will’ has some important power that Aro wants.

We walked out of the hall and retired to our rooms to rest before our trip. The next morning we took the Volturi jet and landed later that afternoon in Cairo, Egypt.

We didn’t have much time to take in the scenery. As soon as we landed we went in search of the coven. Demetri was able to faintly track them from Aro’s description of the leader of the coven. Usually it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to track anyone. He usually has their scent and mind essence locked away in memory and he used that to find them. But since he hadn’t ever met any of the Egyptians, it was not as easy.

We hit a scent about ten miles out of Cairo. Demetri, Bethany, Bridget, and I were all vegetarians so we had to change our eye color to red because we were very close now. I used Kevin’s gift to change our eyes to red. I liked that we didn’t have to use the contacts anymore, they were always uncomfortable.

“Show yourselves.” Demetri said sternly as we arrived to a clearing that had their fresh scent lingering.

Immediately, three vampires appeared about 20 feet away from us.

“What can we do for you?” the largest one of the three spoke.

“We are here on behalf of Aro, Caius, and Marcus Volturi. Introduce yourselves.” I said.

“I am Amun. This is Kebi and Benjamin.”

I pulled at my gift and focused on Bethany’s mind to see if any of them had gifts.

Amun had a dark blue aura as did Kebi which usually meant they only had heightened characteristics like strength or speed. But Benjamin was a light blue.

“What is your gift Benjamin?” I asked.

They all stiffened. I focused on their minds to see why they were all so hesitant.

No! They will not take him. I will never allow it. He is mine! Amun thought.

I could tell he would be a problem.

I knew this was going to happen. I told Amun this was a bad idea, he would never get away with it. Kebi thought.

I turned to Benjamin. And I was taken back. His mind was empty. I couldn’t read any of his thoughts. It was as if he wasn’t there.

Bethany leaned into me and whispered. “A shield.”

“Ah, I see.” I turned to look at Amun. “We have reason to believe you are keeping Benjamin here against his will.”

I could hear a small growl forming in Amun’s chest. Benjamin looked like he wanted to run away from him.

“No such thing is happening. He wants to be here.” He sneered.

“Well I think that Benjamin could speak for himself.” I turned to Benjamin and he took a small step back. “Benjamin you don’t have to be scared of us. If you do not want to be here, you do not have to and there is nothing Amun could do to stop you with us here. In fact, we would like to invite you back to Volterra. Aro would like to meet you.” I smiled at him.

His brows scrunched up together. He was thinking, trying to decide what to do. I could tell he was scared and hesitant he kept sending glances to Amun. After a few moments he finally spoke.

“If I choose to leave,” he looked over to his right and Amun let out a small growl. “Will I have your word to protect me from them and make sure they do not follow or look for me afterwards?”

“You have my word.” I said confidently.

He smiled and looked relieved. He took a step forward towards us.

Over my dead body. I’ll kill you first! Amun thought.

“Charles.” I said as Amun thought about attacking me.

As soon as Amun went to strike, Charles lifted him into the air and put him in a telekinetic choke hold.

“Amun. We are giving you an official warning. If you fail to agree we have orders to dispose of you. Benjamin will be leaving with us, and you will go on about your day. You will not follow him or hurt him in anyway or the Volturi will take action.” Charles let him fall to the ground. “Do I make myself clear?”

Amun took a step back, surrendering.

“Very clear. Come on Kebi.” He took her hand and they ran off together.

“Thank you.” Benjamin sighed. And we all introduced ourselves.

We ran back to the airport and started our way back to Volterra.

“So, Benjamin…” I started.

“Please, call me Benji.”

I smiled. “So, Benji how exactly does your gift work?”

“Well as far as I’ve been able to see. It’s a block to my mind. No one can penetrate it with their gifts. I can still be affected by physical abilities but anything that requires access to my mind wouldn’t work. I can also extend my shield to protect other’s minds like mine naturally does.”

“That’s very impressive. I do have to inform you though. Aro will be asking you to join the Volturi guard when we get back, especially with your extraordinary gift. He will offer you a place to stay and give you what ever it is you may need if you choose to stay. I just ask that when he does ask you, please take some time to consider the outcome of your decision.”

“Thank you for being up front about it. And thank you for getting me away from there. I was getting desperate. I owe you so much.”

Two hours later we reached the Volturi Castle. Aro and the others were already waiting for us.

Edward’s POV

“What the hell was that…” I yelled.

“Oh my god…she just disappeared. I can’t get any more visions of her… Carlisle!” Alice panicked.

He was standing next to us in a flash.

“What’s going on, Alice?” he asked.

“It’s Bella. The Volturi sent her on a mission in Egypt. She was confronting a coven and was going to take a captive vampire away from them. All of a sudden the leader attacked Bella and she just disappeared! Carlisle I can’t find any visions of her future… She’s…I…oh no, no….what if she’s…” she trailed off.

“No!” I hissed.

Bella cannot be dead. Something must have just happened. She’s fine. She’s alive. I can feel it. I won’t believe it. She’s not dead.

My dad embraced me and held tightly. It wasn’t until then that I realized that tears were running down my face and my chest was heaving.

“Alice, are you sure of what you saw? Maybe everything is just a misunderstanding. There must be some kind of explanation.” My dad offered.

I pulled away from him and ran to my bed room. I couldn’t sit around here doing nothing. My dad was right; it has to be some kind of misunderstanding…

And if it isn’t?

No…

How will I go on without her?

I won’t.

I grabbed a small luggage bag and packed my things. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll go to Volterra and find her.

And if she is….gone. Then I’ll give myself to the Volturi.

“I’m going with you.” Alice said as she walked into my room. I nodded.

Bella’s POV

I left for my room soon after we gathered to report back to Aro. He did offer a spot on the guard to Benji and he asked to be given sometime to think about it. They told him he could stay at the castle for as long as he needed to.

I went to my bedroom and pulled out my family scrapbook. I’ve looked through it a million times but I never get tired of looking at it. There were hundreds of pictures of the family in it. Some were of only them from pictures they had taken of at previous homes before we met. There were pages of some objects that reminded me of some of certain things we had done. There was a receipt of all the food she bought the day I brought Edward to my apartment, the ticket stubs of all the movies we had watched over the weeks including the most recent Underworld one. Alice had also added in pictures that she apparently secretly took of me and Edward. There were some of Edward and I playing the piano, walking by the river, at school, sitting around watching TV. Those were the ones I usually looked at the longest. I missed him more than I could ever think possible.

While I was going through some of the pictures, when all of a sudden I had a feeling of dread come over me. I felt as if something wasn’t right. Like something was going on and the out come would not be good. I worried for my Edward and quickly decided to use Alice’s gift just to check up him and the family.

Edward and Alice were boarding a plane. They looked extremely depressed. Edward’s eyes were swollen red. He had been crying or was on the brink of tears.

“Edward, please promise me you won’t do anything stupid if Bella really was…killed. I keep seeing you telling them to kill you.” Alice said.

Edward shook his head. “Alice keep trying to look for her. Maybe that Egyptian didn’t attack her. Something must be going on that she just disappeared like that.”

I pulled out from the vision.

They thought I was dead?! How could that be?

Wait, my future disappeared. Alice can’t see me anymore. Could it have possibly been because of Benji’s gift? I must have absorbed it unknowingly.

My vision clouded and I was thrown back into another vision.

Edward walked up to Aro and demanded to see me. Aro told him he wasn’t allowed to see me, that he was being foolish and ushered him to return home. Edward refused and stupidly took a few steps closer to Aro yelling at him to call for me. Felix immediately jumped in and grabbed Edward throwing him into a wall. At that moment, I ran into the chamber rushing toward a bleeding Edward lying on the ground. He brushed the back of his hand over my cheek right before it fell to the ground and his heartbeat was gone.

I gasped.

No! How can he be so foolish? Risking his life like that… and for me?

I couldn’t allow that to happen. But how was I supposed to stop it now? I’m not even allowed to call them and tell them I’m fine…

Then I remembered what Alice told me about how to contact her in an emergency. I quickly made my plans to tell her in the future. I made sure I didn’t have any of Benji’s gift lingering over me. I picked up my laptop and started to write a letter that I told myself I would mail to her.

“Alice I’m fine, there was a mistake. I unintentionally absorbed a gift that prevented you from seeing me. It was a shield. It blocked my mind from you. I’m so sorry to have worried you. Please don’t come to Volterra. If you come Edward will die…please, before it’s too late.”

I sat looking at my laptop willing it to be sent as a vision to Alice. Hoping she would see it. I cannot bear to lose him.

Alice’s POV

“Stop!”

“Alice, what did you see? I wasn’t able to catch that, I was paying attention to driving…”

“Edward, she’s not dead! She’s fine! It was really a misunderstanding. She absorbed some kind of power that forced me out of her mind. It’s why I couldn’t see her before.”

I’m so relieved! I seriously didn’t know what I was going to do if she really was dead. It would be completely unfair if God would send me my sister back only take her out of my life again. I mean she was already taken away from me prematurely twice. And I definitely didn’t want for her to be permanently taken away from my existence.

My vision clouded over and I was pulled into another vision.

Edward was lying under Bella on the floor of a big hall. He was bleeding and…dead.

“Edward, why are you still planning on going?! You’ll get yourself killed!”

“Alice, I have to see her…I can’t take this anymore…”

“Edward please, she was begging me to make sure we didn’t go. She must have had the same vision I just had. I will not let you get yourself killed!”

Edward pulled over on the side of the road.

“How can I keep living like this, Alice? Being away from her is killing me…”

“But if you go to see her, you’ll literally be killed.”

“I love her, Alice. I miss her so much…”

“I know, Edward. Just one more month. You’ll be able to handle it. After that, she’ll be back. Everything will be fine.”

He sighed and turned the car around to head back home.

I quickly thought about a message I would give her.

“You had us worried there, Bella. Keep yourself safe. We miss and love you. See you soon!”

Bella’s POV

I was so relieved. As much as I wished I could see Edward right now, there is no way I would risk him coming to Volterra like this. Especially after that vision…

I shook my head trying to erase the memory of him dead beneath me.

Just one more month.

Chapter 15 - Memories

Memories, memories, memories.

In this world you tried
Not leaving me alone behind
There's no other way
I'll pray to the gods let him stay
The memories ease the pain inside,
Now I know why

Tomorrow will be exactly three months since I left Forks.

All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments,
Imagine you'd be here.
All of my memories keep you near,
Your silent whispers, silent tears

Now I’m sitting here looking at the very familiar album of my family and my love.

Made me promise I'd try
To find my way back in this life.
I hope there is a way
To give me a sign you're okay.
Reminds me again it's worth it all
So I can go home.

I hope and ache to be with them again, especially with my Edward.

Together in all these memories
I see your smile.
All the memories I hold dear.
Darling, you know I'll love you
Till the end of time.

I flip through each photograph, tracing him in each picture I come across.

All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments,
Imagine you'd be here.
All of my memories keep you near,
Your silent whispers, silent tears.

I can’t keep doing this to myself…It hurts too much to keep thinking about.

All of my memories...

I turned off my Ipod and made my way down to my library. I looked around through each book I had trying to decide which book to start reading again to keep my mind busy. I pulled out a copy of Sense and Sensibility and jumped on my white couch. After only reading a few pages I groaned and threw the book across the room.

I had seen the name ‘Edward’ on the page. How could I forget that one of the characters names was Edward?

It was so frustrating. Everything reminded me of him. And the worst part about everything was that Aro has yet to mention anything about letting me leave this wretched place. He still hadn’t read my thoughts and hadn’t decided what to do about Edward…

I’m really starting to grow impatient. I need to know what’s going on. I need to get out of here. I need Edward.

I decided right then, I would go to Aro and bring it up myself. I can’t just sit here and waste away more precious days that I could be spending with Edward. I’m tired of waiting.

I picked up my phone and dialed.

“Isabella.” His cold, eerie voice rang through the phone.

“Felix, can you please set up a meeting for me to speak with Aro and the others.”

“For what?” he sneered.

“Personal matters. I need to speak with them, the sooner the better.”

“Fine. I’ll see what I can do.” He hissed and hung up the phone.

I went over to the wall I had thrown the book at and picked the book up off the floor. I noticed I had made quite a hole from the impact of throwing it. I placed it back in the spot where I had taken it out from the library and made my way back up to my room.

I threw myself onto my bed trying to escape my thoughts. Tossing and turning every which way I could, I still couldn’t escape them. I tried my hardest to throw myself into unconsciousness, begging for the sleep that will never consume me.

I just wanted those few hours where I was able to get away from everything. Or maybe I just wanted those few hours to vividly imagine myself with him, to dream.

I lost myself in what was the closest possible thing to sleeping. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind as much as I could, trying not to think of anything at all. It only felt like a few minutes but I’m sure I was laying there for hours lost in myself. Suddenly a knock at my door pulled me back into reality.

I stood and began to walk down the stairs. “Come in.” I called out.

The door opened and Felix emerged in the doorway with a grim expression on his face.

“Aro will see you now.”

I nodded and followed him to the grand hall.

Aro, Marcus, and Caius were in their usual thrones. Alec and Jane stood on either side of Aro. Demetri stood to the far right and Felix walked over to the opposite end. I stood a few yards away facing them all. After a few silent moments Aro stood up and began to glide towards me but stopping half way.

“Isabella, why is it that you request to meet with us?”

“Aro, you know exactly why I’m here. It’s been three months now and I would like to go home.” I said holding back a growl.

I could tell by his stance and facial expression he was trying to think up of something to keep me here longer.

“Very well. I did say you only had to stay for three months.” He paused. “You’re free to leave.”

“Just like that?” I asked skeptically.

“Of course, my dear. You’re not a prisoner.” He said with a sly smile. “But,”

There’s always a but…

“We still need to discuss your pet human.”

“He is not my pet, Aro!” I hissed, narrowing my eyes.

Why would anyone think of a human as a pet? It’s disgusting…

Then again, who would think of humans as a means of food…

As I spoke, Jane took a step to move closer to Aro, glaring at me. Aro raised his hand to stop her.

“Jane. It’s only Isabella. That won’t be necessary.” He said coldly.

She grimaced. “Of course, Master.” She said as she backed away slowly to her original spot by the throne. She kept her eyes on me the whole time, still glaring.

“Now. Isabella…” he glided closer to me and held out his hand.

I hesitantly reached out to close the distance, dreading what would happen next.

When Aro digs through thoughts and memories it can be quite painful sometimes. As he replays the memories to watch, you watch them as well. It’s as if you were actually there reliving each moment again. One of his drawbacks is that he feels and sees everything exactly as if he were living through your moments too.

He grasped my hand in his and pulled me closer towards him.

I gasped as he flickered through my life, fast-forwarding through my mind since the last time he read it.

Demetri and I were running through the fields just outside of Volterra. He picked me up and spun me around then pulled me close to his body. I smiled.

He quickly dipped down and licked blood off my chin.

“You’re a bit messy when you drink.” He said with a smirk.

I laughed and pulled away.

“Yeah, but at least you’re there to clean me up afterwards!” I called over my shoulder to him as I ran to find my next prey.

Aro smirked. He knew about my relationship with Demetri before. He secretly always hoped I would return to him, which would in turn return me to the Volturi.

I walked into Demetri’s room and came across him on the bed.

“Demetri…” I said with a small frown.

“I know what you’ve come to talk to me about…” he started.

I sat next to him, but he made no movement. He laid still and shortly closed his eyes. After a few moments of silence, I crawled up to him and lay my head on his chest.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I know how you feel. And as much as I wish I could change the way you feel, I can’t. I just want you to be happy. And if you think this would be for the best, then so be it.”

I lifted my head to look at his face. He had a sad smile placed over his lips. I rose up and placed my lips on his.

“You’ll always have a place in my heart, Isabella. But you’re friendship means more to me than anything in my life. I will treasure every moment with you and never regret anything.”

I smiled. Demetri always had a thing for words. I could never get my feelings out perfectly the way he could.

“And you will always have a place in my heart, Demetri. I do love you.”

“As I do you. But we weren’t meant for each other this way. And I accept that.”

I placed my head back on his chest. He put his arm over my torso and we lay there for hours.

I felt my stomach turn. I quickly turned to look over at where Demetri stood. He searched deep within my eyes. He soon dropped his gaze to the ground. I knew then that he was remembering that moment too.

I still felt horrible for the misery I put Demetri through when we separated. I knew he still loved me much more than I loved him. I felt horrible for years after that day. But I just couldn’t get over the feeling that there was someone else that was meant for me.

Aro continued digging through my memories.

I stayed with a coven of three in Chicago, two females and a male. They stayed true to the ‘natural’ diet so I didn’t want to stay too long with them too long. That among other factors drove me to leave quickly.

“Bella, you know you have to be the sexiest vampire I have ever met. My offer still stands.” The male said with venom practically spilling over his lips at every word.

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away.

He came up behind me and grabbed my upper arm and pulled to turn me around.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me.” I tried to pull away from his grasp but he held a tighter grip.

“Let go of me!” I growled.

“Oh, I like my women feisty.”

“Don’t touch me, Alex. You have NO idea what I’m capable of.” I hissed.

“You look even sexier when you’re pissed.” He said as he threw himself upon me, both falling to the floor.

As he lay over me, he held my arms down and licked my face from under my jaw up to my forehead.

I took the opportunity to bite down on his neck taking a big chuck of it off.

He immediately pulled away and crouched down. “You bitch!”

“I told you not to fuck with me.” I recalled Jane’s power and used it to shock him.

He fell to the floor screaming at the top of his lungs. The noise rang in my ears making me loose focus and allowing him to lift himself off the ground.

“What the hell was that?”

“Like I said, you have no idea what I’m capable of.” I absorbed a power I picked up from a rogue a few years back.

I screamed and he once again fumbled to the ground. He laid his hands over his ears while he begged for me to stop.

By then my rage got the best of me and I leaped over to his side and tilted his head to the side.

“You never put your hands like that on a woman.” I hissed as I once again sunk my razor teeth to the nape of his neck. Only this time I ripped through, pulling at it with my strength tearing his head from his body. I pulled apart the rest of his limbs and left the pieces on the ground.

I shuddered. That was definitely was a memory of mine I wish I could forget.

Aro was starring into my eyes now and furrowed his brows.

Although that guy was a jerk and a complete sleaze, and deserved much worse, I couldn’t help but feel like a monster after what I did to him. It was the first time I truly could not control the monster I usually kept inside.

I never burned the pieces so he didn’t die, but I’m sure after he regenerated his body he was still in a hell of a lot of pain…

I shuddered again when I thought of what happened a few months later.

I was in a cave. I was hidden away there in isolation for a little less than four months starving myself, wanting to die. I knew it was a foolish attempt and wouldn’t work but it was my way of punishing myself for losing so much control. I was growing weaker and weaker as the days passed without feeding.

“So we meet again, Bella.”

I quickly turned around to see a deep crimson eyed Alex just a few feet behind me.

He threw me to the ground and held me down with his arm over my throat.

I didn’t have the strength to pull him away and my thoughts were no where near coherent. I couldn’t even control my power in my state of weakness.

“Not so strong now, are you?” he laughed.

He forced his lips upon me and I barely had the strength to turn my face. He laughed again as he started to strip away my clothing.

I mentally cursed myself for letting myself get so vulnerable. As much as I hated myself those last four months I couldn’t help but think that I should have killed him when I had the chance.

As he was about to take what he so desperately wanted to have from me, he was thrown in the opposite direction with a solid blow to the head. I scrambled to pull myself away from the fight.

The two female vampires from his coven were tearing him to pieces. This time he wasn’t so lucky. They lit a fire and burned him to ashes.

Afterwards one of the females brought me a deer that she snapped the neck of. I drank from it greedily. It gave me enough strength to allow me to hunt for myself. I drank nearly 11 bucks that day.

I guess he did get what he deserved in the end…

The two female vampire’s names were Kathy and Lisset. They told me about how they really didn’t like Alex to begin with and they couldn’t believe that he would try such a thing. We became pretty good friends.

After about 8 months of staying with them, I decided to leave and try what I originally moved to the U.S. to do. I needed to make a drastic change in my lifestyle. I wanted to live among humans. They really didn’t want me to leave them but understood my reasons for wanting to go. Lisset was actually the friend who gave me my Audi.

Aro pulled at my next memory: my first day at Forks High.

I spotted the most beautiful human boy I had ever seen looking at me from the other end of the parking lot.

His bronze hair longer than most boys but still short moving with his muscular, yet still lean, body as he walked gracefully across the lot.

I laid eyes upon his shining emerald green eyes.

All of a sudden his scent hit me. The sweetest smell I had ever smelled, like honey and roses.

I craved it. I needed it. It was so overpowering. The venom in my mouth quickly produced.

Salivating, I tried to think clearly.

He walked his way in front of me and that’s when it started.

He smelled delicious. I was afraid I couldn’t stop myself.

I planned on how to lure him away to drink from him. I was now standing right behind him about to attack.

“No…” He whispered.

As I came to realization of what was happening, I dashed away towards the forest.

Aro stiffened.

I could feel the venom in my mouth pool as the moment replayed in my mind. The scent was very potent as if he were still right in front of me. I swallowed down the excess sweet venom in my mouth.

I looked up at Aro and saw he was doing the same. I wondered if the scent was just as strong for him as it was for me.

“Mary Alice…” I gasped.

I turned to see Alice staring back at me confused.

“What did you call me?”

“Mary Alice, Don’t you remember me? ….. Do you not remember your human life?”

“No.” she said “I don’t remember anything before I was changed.”

“I have much to explain then. Oh my, Mary Alice, I’ve missed you so much!”

I then embraced her in a hug.

All of a sudden an image began to play in my mind.

Alice and I were in a mall with many shopping bags in our hands walking to and from different stores with the biggest smiles on our faces. We were laughing at some human girl with too much make up on. “Oh Bella, I’m so glad you decided to come to Forks!”

“Hah, looks like we’ll be good friends, Bella. I can see the future, it’s my gift.” She said light heartedly

Aro seemed amused by this memory. He had a smirk playing on his mouth and a glint in his eyes. That could never be good.

I was sitting on the white leather couch. Alice and Jasper on the loveseat. Carlisle and Esme sitting opposite of us.

It was my first meeting with them where I told them about my power, about Alice and my history, and explained what happened with Edward earlier that day.

As the door opened, at full force the smell of his blood hit me in the face making me want to pounce on him.

The door opened fully and Edward walked through it.

The venom was oozing in my mouth. Barely five seconds had passed and I could hardly keep myself together.

“Ugh…I can’t do this! I’m sorry!” I said before running out of the house and stopping about a mile away.

And so began our secret mind reading conversations…

I looked up at Aro once more and I could see a wide grin across his face and the similar glint in his eyes. I was confused by his reaction.

I walked over towards the Cullen house. I climbed a tree and jumped in through a window. His scent hit me hard right before I held my breath. I sat in his couch for hours until he called for me while dreaming. I walked towards him and then held his hand until morning.

The memory shifted into another.

Edward was asleep with his head on my shoulder. I leaned in about to kiss him and pulled away. He suddenly shifts and ends up with his head in my lap. I watched him intently for hours.

Again I could see that the memory of his scent was getting to Aro again.

He rushed through my memories of my birthday party and Demetri’s visit. He stopped suddenly. I winced remembering the smell.

“I’m the Quileute Pack Alpha, Jacob Black. Do you plan on staying permanently here now? You’re scent in town is very strong.”

“Yes, I moved here a little over two months ago. I have an apartment in town.”

“Are you familiar with the treaty we have with the Cullen’s?” He asked.

“Yes. And I agree to stay within the treaty’s boundaries. There will be no problems from me.”

“Good. I would feel more comfortable if we made it official. I will send my second in command with the treaty here tomorrow for you to read and sign it.”

Aro looked amused yet confused. “Werewolves…how interesting…”

He then briefly looked over the memory of when I signed the treaty to see what the treaty entails.

I could feel his grasp loosen on my hand. He was about to stop looking in my memories but I held his hand tighter and forced a few memories for him to see and feel my love for the Cullens.

I showed him my final day with them and the conversation I had with Carlisle and Esme when they invited me to join their family.

The last image I left him with was the vision Alice had of Edward and I.

An old man with bright green eyes lying in a hospital bed with me by his side holding his hand. As he took he final breath I cradled his wrinkled body close to mine and whispered in his ear. “I love you, Edward. I will never forget you, my love.”

I let go of his hand and took a step back.

Many emotions were running through me at the same time.

Having to relive my worst and best moments of my life were tearing my mind and my heart apart.

I looked at Aro trying to see his reaction to everything he just saw.

He was silent yet deep in thought.

I focused on reading his mind.

The human can read minds? And her sister can see the future? They will make beautiful additions to the guard…

I gasped.

How did I not think about that?

I should have known he’d want Alice and Edward on the guard because of their gifts…

“No…” I breathed.

Aro jolted his head up in my direction.

Reading my mind, I see…

“How convenient. To be able to read a thought from a distance! How exhilarating!”

Yes, a nice addition indeed.

“Exquisite gifts your human and sister have. Do tell them I would love to have them on the guard.” He said with a hopeful smile.

“I’m quite sure they will decline.” I paused as I heard Caius growl in the distance. “But I will send them your invitation none the less…” I quickly added.

He nodded.

“Isabella. Are you sure you won’t change him?”

“He wishes to stay human. So no, I will not change him.” I said quietly.

“Such a waste.” Aro frowned.

“Aro, you’ve seen my sister’s vision and you know how I feel. I will stay by his side at all times.”

“Which brings me to my next question…his scent. Isabella, this Edward is La Tue Cantante. How can you resist such a powerful calling of blood? I know you have resisted humans for years but this…his delectable scent. I’ve never smelled such a strong pull. How can you control yourself from his blood?”

I smiled. “I love him, Aro. It overpowers any call his blood has for me. I could never bear living with myself if I caused any harm to him.”

Aro grimaced. “So peculiar, your love for this human, Isabella. I don’t see how that is possible.” He sighed. “Such a waste.” He repeated as he shook his head.

Aro walked towards Caius and Marcus. They whispered inaudibly discussing on what should be done. I tried to read their thoughts but they had them hidden fairly well.

After a few moments Aro turned to face me.

“Isabella, do you agree to take full responsibility for him and his actions? This includes making sure he does not reveal or risk our secret. You know you will be condemned to have the same fate as he if he fails to keep the secret.”

“Aro, you have my word. There is no threat to the secret when it comes to Edward.”

He sighed again. “Are you sure this is worth it? You know he will die eventually…”

“I’m positive.” I said. Although I knew he was definitely worth it, I hated the thought as it crept in.

Aro is right, he will die. Will I be able to handle it?

“Very well. You have our word that we will not harm the human. He will stay alive as long as we see that he can keep our existence a secret. But I would like for you to bring him to Volterra soon. I would like to personally ask him and Alice myself if they would like to join the guard.”

Damn it, already backing me into another corner!

I sighed. “I will let them know. But can their visit be put off until after Edward’s graduation? I don’t want him to have to make such a big trip in the middle of the year to interrupt his studies.”

In reality, I just wanted as much time as I could get to figure out a way so that he doesn’t have to come here.

“That sounds reasonable.”

I smiled.

“Aro, I wish to leave as soon as possible.”

He frowned. “Was it really such a pain to visit your old friends, Isabella?”

“No, I enjoyed the company of old friends. But I’m extremely happy to be going home now.” I said with a large grin.

“I can see that.” He laughed. “Well, I’ll make arrangements to get you back home as soon as possible.”

I nodded and practically flew to my room and started to pack.

Home!

Finally.

Chapter 16 - Goodbyes And I Miss You’s

Demetri’s POV

“You’ll always have a place in my heart, Isabella. But you’re friendship means more to me than anything in my life. I will treasure every moment with you and never regret anything.”

She gave me a small sad smile as she said, “And you will always have a place in my heart, Demetri. I do love you.”

“As I do you. But we weren’t meant for each other this way. And I accept that.”

Oh how wrong I was. I should have never let her go so easily…

I don’t regret any moment we shared together, but I definitely regretted letting her go.

Looking at her as she looked at me with sadness in her eyes broke my heart. I had to look away. I turned my gaze to the ground underneath me as I waited for Aro to finish reading her memories.

That look of sadness on her face I remember well, it was the same face I saw that dreadful day, the day I lost her.

She said she still loved me but that was years ago, is there any hope that she still has love for me?

These last few months having her here again brought up so many good memories. Yet still many depressing ones arise with the happy ones, from when she left me.

Having her here just reminds me how much I truly missed her. I missed her voice, her smile, her sent, her touch…her lips.

I do understand her reasons for leaving me, but I was oblivious at first to what was happening. The last few months of our relationship was when I started to realized that she was unhappy, and then she started to distance herself from me. I started to have doubts of her love for me but rationalized with myself that it was her choice to stay with me or leave. If she loved me enough she would stay.

But that day when she came into my room with that look on her face, I could tell she that she wanted to end us. She looked so pained. I knew she didn’t want to hurt me, she was always such an honest person and I could tell that she was torn as to what to do. So I gave her the outlet. Despite my own true feelings I let her go. I did not want her to stay with me if that’s not what she truly wanted.

But I feel today that it might have been the biggest mistake of my life. I should have tried harder. I should have showed her my love even more. I should have taken her away from here and we could have been happy, away from the Volturi.

After all these years, I had convinced myself that she was unhappy being in the Volturi and that was the real cause of her wanting to leave. I couldn’t help but think that maybe there would still be a chance for us if we just ran away together.

I should have gone after her.

Maybe we could have worked things out and have gone back to how things were. We were perfect.

I smiled as a stole a glance at the beauty that held my hand in hers.

“Well, we have the day to ourselves. What shall we do?” I asked as I placed my hands at her waist.

She pulled me closer in our embrace and placed her soft lips on mine. She then laid her head on my shoulder before she spoke.

“Hm…I don’t know. What would you like to do?”

“As long as I’m with you, what ever we do will be perfect.”

She sighed happily. “We could just stay like this in each other’s arms all day. I’m comfy.”

I chuckled. “Sounds good to me.”

I lifted her up lightly and glided over to my bed. She stepped away from me for a brief moment as she sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled me down to sit next to her. We sat there in silence for awhile just looking in each other’s eyes.

I leaned forward and kissed her passionately as she entwined her fingers in my hair pulling me closer. I shifted and placed us both facing each other lying in the bed. We parted to look at each other again. She smiled as she searched my eyes.

“Very comfy.” She said.

“I love you, Bella.”

“I love you, too.”

She pulled me towards her and we continued where we left off.

That was the first night we made love.

I honestly thought things were perfect. It broke my heart to let her go. It got worse when she left the castle after we separated.

Now that I had her back in my presence the last couple of months I foolishly thought that there could be a chance to win her back.

I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts.

It seemed like I never had the chance to try. She always locked herself away in her room to stare at her pictures for hours.

The only time I ever got to spend with her was through training and when we went out with Bethany. We were never alone. I never had my chance…

But there’s not much I can do now…what’s done is done.

It’s been so long since she was mine. I fear I’ve lost any chance to win her back now…

I cringed.

She loves that human now.

Knowing she’s found someone else to love breaks me to pieces.

I’ve been extremely jealous. How can a simple human capture the heart of my beloved Bella? I could never understand how that love is possible.

I had completely lost myself in my thoughts and memories I had forgot where I was for a moment.

I looked up and saw that Aro was still holding on to Bella reading her thoughts. She still had a pained and sad expression on her face but I couldn’t bear to see her that way again. I slipped out of the hall unnoticed and in to the private meeting room waiting for them to finish.

About a half hour later Marcus came into the room.

“You still care for her deeply.”

“Of course I do.”

“Will you let her slip away so easily then?”

“She doesn’t love me anymore, Marcus.”

“Hmph, the love for her human is quite strong. But I can see she still has a strong bond with you.”

I looked up at him. His face held no emotion.

“I have lost most of my hope to regain her love, Marcus. I don’t know if I can bear this life any longer.”

“So dramatic, Demetri. Don’t be a fool like I have been. Either take action or move on. It’s your choice.” With that he disappeared out of the room.

Aro entered the room.

“Ah, Demetri! There you are. I was looking for you. I need you to go find Isabella and let her know that all flights have been delayed and she won’t be able to leave until tomorrow at 5pm.”

“So soon…” I trailed off.

“Yes.” He grimaced. “Such a pity. But I hope to win two new additions to the guard soon.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Oh right, you left before hearing the greatest news! Her human is a mind reader. And her sister, she can see the future. They would be such great additions to the guard, don’t you think?”

I nodded.

“Don’t forget to tell Isabella about her flight.” He said as walked away to return to the grand hall.

A mind reader and a psychic, all Aro ever thinks about is power. I know Bella, and I know she’ll do anything in her power to keep them as far away from the guard as possible.

I stood up and started to make my way to Bella’s room.

As I got closer and closer my emotions got wild. I tried to calm myself. It was only Bella, why should I be nervous?

I reached her door and raised my hand to knock. But before I could she was already calling me in.

“Come in, Demetri.”

I opened the door and raised an eyebrow.

“How did you know I was at the door?”

”Well, I was using your gift to locate Bethany to give her my goodbyes, but since I’m so attuned to you, I felt your presence as you reached my door.”

I should have known.

“So was there something you needed to tell me?” she asked.

“Yes. Aro sent me.”

A look of fear crossed her face. I got closer to her and put my hands on her shoulders.

“Hey, Relax. He just sent me to tell you that all flights leaving Italy have been delayed. So, you’re stuck here until 5pm tomorrow.”

“Oh, I thought…maybe, for a second… I thought he wasn’t going to let me leave.”

I frowned and looked down at my lap.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked as she tilted my head to look at her face. She looked genuinely concerned.

“I just really wish you weren’t leaving…again.” I admitted, averting my eyes.

She sighed. “Demetri, you know I can’t stay here. This isn’t the place for me and I…” I cut her off mid sentence by crashing my lips on hers. I couldn’t help myself it was impulse.

At first she hesitated but I held her tight. Then her lips started to move with mine.

My dead heart soared. My hand cupped her face.

I brushed my tongue to her bottom lip begging for entrance but she suddenly pulled away.

I still had my eyes closed. I was afraid to see her reaction. I awkwardly opened one eye, my curiosity getting the best of me.

To my surprise her eyes were still close too and her lips were slightly parted. I took my chances and leaned into lock lips with her again.

I was stopped. I opened my eyes to see my lips caught by her fingertips as she opened her eyes and turned her face away from my gaze.

“Demetri…”

“Isabella, please I…”

“No. Demetri, stop. This needs to stop.”

“I don’t follow…”

“Us, Demetri. I’m sorry. I just got caught up in the moment.”

“I thought maybe…”

“I’m sorry. I was thinking back to how it used to be. Yes we had a good relationship and the kiss brought me back to those wonderful times. But,” she turned to look back in to my eyes. “Kissing you right now just makes me even more certain of my feelings. Demetri, we were in the past. My heart belongs to someone else now…”

“I still love you as much as I ever have. Bella, do you not love me at all anymore?” my stomach flipped and turned.

“Of course I still love you Demetri. That won’t change. But it’s not the love I long for. I love Edward. I need him. It tears me up inside to hurt you so much like this, again… I just can’t help the way I feel. Please forgive me.”

I should have never taken this so far, now I’m hurting her.

I kissed her forehead.

“Isabella, there’s nothing I have to forgive you for. It is you that I beg forgiveness from.” She looked at me confused.

“I should have never forced myself on you.” I shook my head. “That was very disrespectful. And I know you love him now. But I can’t help the way I feel about you, just like you can’t control your feelings. I’ll just have to learn to deal with your decision. I want you to be happy. Does he make you happy?”

She smiled brightly.

“He brings me more happiness than I have ever known. I can’t even begin to explain it. Just being in his mere presence makes my body spasm with joy.” She now had a full blown grin on her lips.

“You will find you’re happiness. I just know it.” She cupped my cheek with her hand as she continued to speak. “You have much too good of a soul and you have such a kind heart. Please, don’t give up on finding your soulmate, Demetri.”

I closed my eyes and pushed my cheek more onto her hand, savoring the touch I will soon miss again.

“I promise I won’t give up. But I don’t know if there is anyone else in this world as great as you, Bella.”

Bella’s eyes were then unfocused and glazed over. I started to worry that something was wrong but she soon focused her eyes back on me and grinned.

“I beg to differ. You will find her Demetri. Just give it a chance and you’ll see.”

“You’ve always been pessimistic…where has all this optimism come from?” I asked playfully.

“I’ve done a lot of growing up. I’ve changed.”

“Nah, you’re still my same old Isabella Swan.” I lightly tapped my index finger on the tip of her nose.

She giggled.

“Well, come on! Let’s go get Bethany. If I’m not able to leave until tomorrow, I want to spend a night out on the town with two of my best friends!” she exclaimed.

I mentally sighed.

Friends.

I better get used to it.

Bella’s POV

Yes, I do love Demetri still. But that pales in comparison to my love for Edward. There will always be a place in my heart for Demetri, he was my first love after all. But when I was with him I always felt like there was something missing.

I was happy with him but it never seemed enough.

He is such a beautiful person and a great lover at that, but he deserved much better.

When I was with him, I noticed there wasn’t that spark.

Unlike with Edward…

In that last kiss Demetri and I shared I could tell I still felt as I did those years ago. It was nice but felt completely wrong, like it wasn’t meant to be.

As soon as his lips were on mine I could tell and I completely knew that Edward was the one my heart truly belonged to.

As I kissed Demetri I couldn’t help but imagine that it was Edward I was kissing and not him. When I pulled away, I was longing to kiss Edward. My sweet, innocent Edward.

How I longed for his touch again…

Only one more day.

But tonight, I’ll dedicate to Bethany and Demetri. I will miss spending time with them like I have the last couple of months.

I’ve been friends with them since my change and I could never have enough time with them.

Demetri and I made our way to the castle’s lavish gardens where we tracked Bethany to. We found her perched up on a tree reading a book.

“Ella!” she squeaked as she jumped out of the tree landing right beside Demetri and I. “Hello Demetri.” She smiled sweetly.

“Hey.” I said.

“I heard you’ll be leaving us tomorrow. I’m going to miss you.” She said taking me in a hug.

“I’m going to miss you guys a lot too.” I said as I grabbed both of their hands in mine. “But tonight we shall go out and have fun.” I grinned.

“And I know exactly what we should do!” Bethany exclaimed as she pulled us both back towards the castle. “Demetri, go get dressed in to something nice. Ella and I will go get ready in my room.”

Demetri left and we headed up to Bethany’s room.

“I have just the thing for you to wear too!”

She ran to her closet and pulled out a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, a studded belt and a really cute pair of Jimmy Choo’s. ***

“Am I supposed to wear those and go topless or something?” I joked.

“Of course not, silly!”

Then she walked over behind me and picked up a mall shopping bag. She handed it to me.

“I bought you these as a going away gift.” She smiled.

I pulled out the first piece of clothing. It was brown and looked like a regular fitted T but I flipped it over and it was open back and corset-like with brown lace trimming through the full length of the shirt. ***

“Damn Bethany, this is really cute. I love it!”

“And it’s only going to look better on you. Oh and I got you two others exactly like that one but in dark blue and red.”

I grinned. Alice and Bethany would be the greatest of friends. They were so much alike.

We got dressed and met up with Demetri at the front gates where his car was waiting for us.

We decided we should road trip to Rome. It’s roughly 180 miles from Volterra and would take three or so hours to get there, if you were going the speed limit anyways. With this car and a vampire behind the wheel we got there in half the time. I’ve always loved Rome it’s such a beautiful place and the smells there were always wonderful.

We got there about 10pm and started making our rounds to some of the hottest night clubs in the area. We ended up going to three different ones while we were there.

The first one was a bit boring. There weren’t many people there so we left early. The second one was quite fun but there wasn’t much variety in music. So then we made our way to the third. This one was probably the best of the three. We used to go there all the time. We had a blast. Well except during that one…incident.

It was about 1am now. We were at our peak of entertainment. I always had fun with Bethany and Demetri. We had a couple of rounds of drinks and were quite buzzed happily dancing. Demetri excused himself to get himself another drink.

Then of course some human men decided they’d take that as an opportunity to try and hit on Bethany and me. They stomped their way over to us and forcefully started to dance all over us. By their scent I could tell they were all pissed drunk.

I was very thankful sometimes for being vampire when it came to alcohol. We could drink it, though it didn’t taste that great, and we would get a light buzz from it. But we would never get drunk no matter how much of it we consumed.

The men continued to throw themselves at us rubbing up against our bodies regardless of us telling them to fuck off.

“Seriously, Back off.” I said.

“You guys are pigs.” Bethany hissed and then winced. “…and smell revolting.”

“Feisty.” One of them said.

“That’s hot.” Said another.

The third just looked at us like he was imagining taking our clothes off.

At this point both of us were itching to beat the shit out of these idiots. But of course we couldn’t very well throw them through a wall with out rising suspicion. Though the thought was quite amusing; two petite women throw over grown men twice their size through a wall and everyone just staring jaw dropped as the men scurried up on their feet and ran away crying. That would be hilarious.

“Excuse me.” Demetri said popping out of no where while placing his arms around both of our shoulders. “But who do you three think you are rubbing your disgusting hands all over my girls?” He pulled us closer to his chest and away from the three drunken idiots.

“They wanted these hands all over them.” One of them said licking his lips and then raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Yeah, and that’s not the only thing they’ll get all over them tonight.” The other said stepping over trying to grab Bethany’s ass.

Demetri quickly pulled us out of the way and held his arm out in front of him. The drunk walked right into his palm and stumbled backwards at the impact.

“Move out of the way!” He yelled. “She’s going home with me tonight.”

“Actually, no. She’s not.” And with that Demetri pulled his arm back and punched him square in the jaw. Of course he had to hold back a lot. Probably only used less than a percent of his actual strength, if not he would have killed him instantly.

Even with a fraction of his strength the man fell to the ground and when he looked up you could definitely tell his jaw was broken.

The other two men came lunging after Demetri in defense of that pathetic excuse for a human that was now lying on the floor with a broken face.

Demetri grabbed one of them and quickly spun him around. The other that was throwing a punch ended up hitting him instead of Demetri. I heard his nose crack and it was a bit out of shape.

“What the fuck dude. Why’d you hit me?!” The guy in Demetri’s grasp yelled.

He pulled out from his grip and pounced on the guy who punched him.

Next thing you know, the three drunken guys started beating the crap out of each other and the police came to pull them apart. It was a good thing they came when they did before they had a chance to make each other bleed.

Bethany, Demetri and I were in hysterics because when they were interrogated by the police they couldn’t even remember why they were fighting each other in the first place! Bethany was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Which in turn set us off on a new round of laughs at her. The three were later arrested and we just went back to dancing. Since everything happened so quickly, no one knew what exactly had happened.

At around 5am we decided to call it a night. We got in the car and started our way back. It was a bit sad leaving Rome it always brought back so many memories.

We passed a road sign and I immediately felt I just had to go back today.

“You guys mind if we make a detour?” I asked wearily.

“Sure, where to?” Demetri asked.

“Marcellina.”

He turned his head to look at me. “Are you sure?”

I nodded.

15 minutes later we were there. I hadn’t been here in almost 170 years.

“Would you like us to come with you, Ella?”

“I’ll be fine. Just give me an hour and meet me back here.”

Demetri nodded and I stepped out of the car to face the town’s cemetery.

Next to the cemetery was a small flower shop and I went inside and bought four white roses.

I took a deep breath and walked up the dirt road through the graveyard.

I walked to the very end where the bodies of the early 1800’s lay. I came across a few graves of people I used to know in my time. I passed a few friends, neighbors, and then I reached the ones that I came to see.

In front of me lay two tombstones for four graves.

On the first stone…

“Jaccoby Swan

1794-1839

Loving husband and father

Lyllian Marie Alice Swan

1799-1839

Loving wife and mother”

On the second…

“Isabella Marie Swan

1827-1839

Mary Alice Swan

1824-1839

Two sisters with an unbreakable bond”

I kneeled before them and spoke in my mind to my parents hoping that they really could hear me.

I hope you don’t hate me for not visiting you until now. I just couldn’t bear it. I’m sorry.

I still think of you both all the time. I miss you. I wish things would have turned out differently. If it wasn’t for me…If I wasn’t so careless, maybe you two would have lived long lives.

But there’s nothing I can do now…I have to live with what happened now for eternity.

I hope you still love me regardless of what I am. I wish I could see you again.

If you’re watching, you must know that I’ve found Mary Alice now. It’s been so many years and I thought she was dead. But we’re together now. I hope you’re happy that we have each other again...

Oh! And mother…you would never believe this…but I’ve fallen in love! Me. Isabella Swan. Who would have thought, right?

You did, of course.

I shook my head and smiled.

His name is Edward. I love him so much mom. He’s the most amazing, most beautiful, caring, and loving person I’ve ever met. I wish you could meet him. I’m sure you’d approve.

I frowned.

Unfortunately, I don’t know if he returns my feelings. And momma, even if he does love me, even if he does want to be with me, it won’t last forever... He’ll eventually die and I don’t know what I will do after that happens. How can I live an eternity without my Edward?

I told them about the Cullen’s and how they were my family now and how much I loved them and was happy. I told them of my birthday and the gifts I had received from each of them from when I had to leave them. I talked about many things and hoped that they were happy, where ever their souls might be.

About a half hour later I decided I would walk through my old neighborhood to see how much it had changed.

I kissed two of the roses and laid them upon my parent’s stone.

“I promise the next visit won’t take me another 170 years to make. Maybe Mary Alice will come too.” I smiled.

I stood up and looked upon mine and Alice’s graves. They were, of course, empty. But the gesture was very much appreciated. I was glad that our family kept us beside our parent’s graves. It at least gave them somewhere to come and grieve for us.

I put the final two roses on the stone and then began my walk through the town.

I turned the corner of my old street. There were many new homes there. When I lived here there was about maybe four houses and now there was about twenty.

I walked about half a mile and then stopped dead in my tracks.

My old house was right in front of me. It looked almost exactly as it did 169 years ago. Even the big oak tree in the front yard was still there. I was so awe struck. I didn’t even think my house would still be there. I thought it would be in ruins.

There were a few modern upgrades made, like a small fence around the front yard and a screen porch, but all in all it was the same exact house.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and took a picture of it. I’d have to print it out later and frame it. I think Alice would love to see it as well.

“Excuse me, miss. May I help you?”

I looked up from my phone at the woman who stepped out of the house.

I stopped breathing instantly. She was a splitting image of my mother. She looked a bit younger than I remember my mother to look like, but she still looked exactly like her.

“Miss?”

“Oh. Sorry. I was just admiring your home. It’s beautiful. Early 1800’s right?”

She smiled. “Yes, it was built in 1818. How did you know?”

“I’ve studied architecture. I have a love for homes and buildings built around that time.”

“I guess that explains you taking a picture.” She laughed. She was now in front of me leaning against the fence.

“May I ask how you came to own such a beautiful antique home?”

“I inherited this house from my great grandmother Jacqueline Swan. It’s been in my family for a little over 190 years now. It’s still mostly furnished with things from the first Swan’s that lived here back in 1818. The head of the family, Jaccoby Swan, actually built it on his own when he and his wife married and wanted to start a family. He also built most of the furniture.”

“He must have been a great carpenter for the house to stay in one piece for so long.” I smiled but mentally laughed. My dad did build the house but my mom designed it and built the furniture. My dad was a skilled carpenter but didn’t have any taste what so ever when it came to building nice houses and furniture. My mom was the brains behind it all.

“Yeah, he was very talented. Such a tragedy what happened to him and his family though. He and his wife were found with their necks snapped in the living room one night. Someone had broken into their home while they were sleeping. They stole all the jewelry they had in their safe and murdered them afterwards. They had two daughters, but they went missing that night. No one ever saw them again so they were assumed to be dead too.”

If vampires could faint I surely would have at this moment.

“That’s…horrible.” I managed to get out.

“Lilly!” said a man with an English accent. We both looked up towards the front door. There was a handsome blonde man with a baby that looked about a year old at his hip, walking towards a car. “Are you ready to leave? We must hurry if we’re going to catch the plane to London. My mother will kill us if we don’t get their before Christmas Eve…”

“Yes, I’m ready. I’ll be right there.” She turned back to me and held out her hand for me to shake. “Well, it was nice chatting with you miss eh…”

“Isabella Sw–Cullen. I–I’m Isabella Cullen.” I stuttered. Crap, that was close. How would I even begin to explain my last name being Swan? It would be too much of a coincidence…

“And I’m Lyllian Swan. It was nice meeting you. I have to get going now, but you may take as many pictures as you like.” She smiled and walked towards the car.

“Hunny, did you get Marie’s baby bag from the nursery?” she said as she sat in the front seat.

“Yes, I got everything. Oh, and call Molly. Tell her I left the door unlocked so she could pick up that mirror dresser from the attic tonight. And also, to make sure she locks it when she leaves.” He told her.

I waited until the car was out of sight and walked into the yard making my way to the front door. I know I would be intruding…but I’m pretty much family so it would be ok to come in for awhile, right?

I twisted the door knob and it indeed was open. I walked in and closed the door behind me. I couldn’t help but smile. The house was really still a lot like how it was when I left. I walked through each room reminiscing all the times Alice and I had played in them and of when I would cook with mom in the kitchen, and read books in the den by the fireplace. I made my way up the stairs to the attic. It used to be my room.

I opened the door expecting to see my room as I left it, but it wasn’t. There were actually lots of boxes and furniture stuffed in the tiny room. In one corner were the dresser with the mirror Alice and I would always use and a few chairs and table that I didn’t recognize. I walked over to where some boxes were stacked up. I opened one and found my mother’s old wedding dress. I’ll always remember the day my mother first showed it to me.

“One day Isabella, you’ll be wearing this dress at your own wedding. You’ll look so beautiful in it.” My mother said holding up the dress in font of me envisioning me actually wearing it.

“Oh Mother, I have to actually find someone to spend my life with before I can even think about getting married. I doubt that will ever happen anyways. I’m already 18 and I still haven’t found anyone that I love or even like enough to marry!”

“Don’t be silly, Isabella. Of course you’ll find someone. I hadn’t met your father until I was 23. Everyone has a soulmate. God just hasn’t put him in your path yet. You have plenty of time to find him, you’ll see.” She kissed my forehead and placed the dress back in her closet.

“Who would have thought it would take almost 170 years to find that love.” I said to myself.

I looked through a few more boxes and found some old toys and clothes. Some were mine and Alice’s but most of the things I found must have been from the other families. I looked around for anything else I might recognize. In one corner I saw a small chest that looked a bit familiar. I had a lock on it but I easily broke it off easily.

Inside I found quite a few things. The first things I saw were a silver brush, small hand mirror, and a sapphire embedded hairpiece that was my given to my mother on her wedding day. Alice and I played with them when we would brush each other’s hair.

I also found a stack of beautiful drawings and paintings of landscapes and people I faintly remembered from town. They drawings looked familiar but I couldn’t quite remember them. I looked them over and found the initials M.A.S. on the bottom of each one.

Wow, these are Alice’s…

I pulled them all out of the chest to continue to look through them. When I lifted them up a sheet of hard paper fell to the ground. I picked it up and flipped it over to look at it. My breathing caught and I felt my muscles tighten. I dropped to my knees.

A picture.

I had found a black and white portrait of my parents, Alice, and I standing in front of the fireplace looking extremely happy.

It was something I always wanted to have. I always had the image of what my mother and Alice looked like, but my father was always a fuzzy memory. And there he was. I felt like crying tears of joy. I finally knew exactly what he looked like. And my mother was much more beautiful than I remembered.

I grabbed everything that was in the chest and put it in a box along with some of the clothes that belonged to me and Alice that I found, and my mother’s dress. I made my way out of the house and started to walk back to where Demetri and Bethany should already be waiting for me.

“What’s the box for?” Bethany asked.

I smiled. “I went back to my old house. There were a few things I found of my family’s that I couldn’t help but take back.”

She grinned. “You stole your own stuff from your house! Nice.”

I poked my tongue out at her and she laughed.

We drove off back on the road to Volterra.

“Bethany…did you ever go back there after you brought me to the Volturi?” I asked.

She gave me a half smile but stayed quiet for a few minutes.

“Your father didn’t have a will and they were going to demolish your house after the funeral…” she said suddenly. I turned around in the seat to look at her. She was staring out the window. “I thought it was horrible.” She turned to talk to me directly and took my hand in hers. “I forged your father’s will and went back the day of the funeral acting as his lawyer. The will stated that he wanted to give ownership of the house and land to his brother. It also asked him to not sell the house and pass it down to each new generation of Swan’s”

I looked at her wide-eyed.

She truly was amazing. She saved my house and my things inside. I would have never been able to retrieve these things if wasn’t for her.

“Thank you.” I breathed.

She squeezed my hand gently and nodded. She let go of my hand after a few seconds and went back to looking out the window.

The ride back was quiet but when we got to the castle it was anything but quiet. I was getting stopped left and right by everyone so they could give me their goodbyes. Although, almost all of them kept saying “I wish you weren’t leaving.’ or something like ‘You should stay.’ It was getting a bit annoying after awhile.

Before I was about to leave to catch my flight I was called into the grand hall for a final goodbye.

Aro, Caius, Marcus were at their usual thrones of course and Jane was at Aro’s side like always. Demetri, Bethany, and the rest of the new guard were there too.

I wasn’t surprised when I saw Jane with a cocky smile placed on her face instead of the usual death glares she sent me. She was extremely happy I was leaving. She was free to be Aro’s favorite toy again.

Aro rose and walked forward.

“I’ll truly miss you, Isabella. Please, do visit us again soon.” He came closer to embrace me in a hug. I quickly used a shield to make sure he wasn’t trying to read my thoughts again.

He laughed.

“Hiding something, Isabella?” he whispered.

I smiled. “Of course not. I would just like to keep my recent memories to myself for awhile. They’re quite personal.” I whispered back.

He smiled and retreated backwards. “Come brothers, join me for dinner.” They walked towards their meeting room. “We shall give you a private moment to say your farewell to the guard.” He continued and then followed Caius and Marcus.

Bridget came up and hugged me. “I’ll miss ya, Bell. I was getting used to you being around. You better keep in touch!”

“With all of us too.” Anthony added as he, Charles, and Kevin emerged in front of me.

“I’ll miss you guys like crazy. You all made my stay here much better than I imagined it would be like.” I smiled.

I said goodbye to them and left to get my bags.

Demetri and Bethany drove me to the airport.

“You know, I’ll miss both of you the most.” I said.

“Take care of yourself, Bella.” Demetri said.

“Well, you won’t have to miss me too much yet.”

I raised an eyebrow at Bethany. She smiled.

“I got permission for a small vacation next week. I’m going to go visit you for New Years!” she said.

“That’ll be awesome. Oh you’ll love Alice!”

“If she’s as cool as you, then I’m sure I will.” She laughed.

I gave them each a final hug and made my way to the jet. I took a look back at them before turning the corner.

Demetri had his arm over Bethany’s shoulder as he was waving at me. Bethany was looking up at his face while biting her bottom lip. I waved back. He looked down at Bethany and she gave him a smile. She quickly turned back to me and I winked at her before Demetri turned back in my direction.

I smiled as I boarded the plane and thought back to the vision I had yesterday while looking into Demetri’s future.

In a couple of weeks Bethany would work up the courage to tell him how she really feels about him and in just a year’s time they would be getting married.

I better be her maid of honor!

The fly back to Seattle seemed to drag on much, MUCH longer than the flight to Volterra. I was so anxious and excited about seeing my family, seeing Edward, again.

I was practically bouncing up and down in my seat. Seriously, someone could probably mistake me for Alice with how giddy I was.

The pilot announced our arrival and we started to circle around in the air, descending.

As soon as I landed, I had to focus myself extremely hard trying to make sure I wouldn’t run at vampire speed through the airport.

I didn’t have to wait any longer. As I walked through the ramp and out the door, there they were, all them lined up waiting for me.

My family.

They all had huge smiles on their faces. But when I saw his emerald eyes he had my complete and undivided attention. He had his crooked grin in place and with out ever breaking eye contact he walked, fast paced, towards me.

I almost lost it there, I wanted to glide over to him in one stride.

I walked at an excruciatingly slow pace as I ‘ran’ to him.

We stopped just one foot in front of each other and for a few seconds we were lost in our eyes.

Suddenly he pulled me against his body and held me as tight as he could as he buried his face in my hair. I wrapped my arms around him and took in his scent. I was lost in the moment.

“Bella…” he breathed.

The sound of his velvet voice made my knees go weak.

I would have probably fallen over if he wasn’t holding me so close still

He pulled away slightly as he cupped my cheek.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” I said with longing in my voice.

He closed the distance between us by placing his forehead on mine.

“Not nearly as much as I’ve missed you, love.”

I searched his eyes looking for any sign of what he was feeling right now.

His eyes were glimmering as he kept them locked with mine.

His gaze was so intense, full of longing, excitement, happiness, and… love.

Could he possible love me?

Love me as much as I love him?

I felt the warmth of his hand softly trail down my jaw, from my cheek to under my chin.

Chapter 17 - Good Enough

Edward’s POV

We waited for what seemed like hours.

Everyone was anxious. Their minds were all thinking about how they would greet her when she came, everyone except Alice that is. She was singing some lame 80s tune in her mind. She obviously was trying to hide something from me but I didn’t care at the moment about it. All I wanted was to see Bella. I knew exactly how I wanted to greet her.

Then I saw her. She came out through the door and my breathing stopped.

I didn’t want to run and look desperate to get to her, even though I was. I walked at a fast pace towards her meeting her half way. I stopped about a foot away from her. Her topaz eyes lured me closer. It felt like a million years since I had seen them in person. I worried for months that I wouldn’t get to see them again. But here she is, finally back.

I pulled her against me holding her as tight as I could and buried my face in her hair. It smelled of strawberries as always. She wrapped her arms around me I heard her inhale taking in my scent as well.

“Bella…” It felt so good to finally have her in my arms again.

I held her closer than I had ever held her before. My hands were still at her waist. I missed the way her skin felt on mine. I remember how she liked the way my warmth on her skin felt to her. Her skin left a similar effect on my own. Her cold temperature left burning sensations to spread through my body instead of cold shivers. I can’t completely explain it, but the closest I can think of is feeling electrical pulses where ever our body’s touch. Every time I’m near her there seems to be some pull keeping me close to her, pulling me closer and closer to her face.

I pulled away from her slightly so I could look into her gorgeous face.

I raised one hand to her cheek.

I looked at her lips, so kissable.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” She said with so much passion and longing in her voice.

I placed my forehead on hers as I felt that pull towards her again.

“Not nearly as much as I’ve missed you, love.”

I gazed into her eyes not wanting to break from her captivating hold.

Her topaz eyes were as light as honey and I found myself drowning in them.

I slid my hand from where it was on her cheek to under her chin. The pull was taking me closer I could feel it. Her cold breaths hit my face and I was dizzied by the scent. She’s so intoxicating.

I needed her lips upon mine.

I can’t hold back now.

I’m too far gone…

“Hey bro, stop hogging Bella! We all want to catch up too!” Emmett boomed as he grasped my shoulder and took Bella from my arms to give her a bear hug.

As soon as her body left my arms I felt empty. I longed for her touch again…

I wanted to kill Emmett, he ruined it. I was going to kiss her, to finally show her how I felt and he fucked it up!

I sent him death glares but he didn’t even notice my presences anymore.

“We missed you so much Bells! I’m so glad your back!”

“I missed you too Em.” She said before she glanced back at me.

She gave me a smile and it made my heart skip a beat. Immediately all my anger left my body. Forget Jasper’s ability to change emotions, one smile from Bella could change my mood in a split second. I was walking on air again.

I grinned and started to come up with the perfect plan on when and where I would spill my heart to her.

Bella’s POV

As much as I love Emmett, I could absolutely punch him right now.

I already missed his touch. I could still feel the tingle from his heat on my skin. From what it looked like when Edward was so close, I couldn’t help but think he would have kissed me. I would have looked like a fool if that wasn’t what he intended, because if he wouldn’t have soon I would have leaned in and closed the distance myself.

My anger was short lived as soon as I saw Emmett’s face. I couldn’t stay angry at such an adorable life-sized teddy bear. I hugged him back as hard as I could. I’ll think of something to get back at him for ruining that moment later. He set me down and I shot a glance at Edward.

His eyes held a hint of angry. I held back a laugh and just smiled at him. He was probably pissed off at Emmett right now too.

He smiled his crooked grin and instantly I saw the anger leave his eyes. He looked peaceful again. I could see his eyes shimmering in the faint glow of lights coming from the airport windows.

I suddenly felt a slight blow in the chest and stumbled backwards a bit.

Alice clung to my neck with her head on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her placing my head on top of hers. After a few seconds she tilted her head to look at me.

“Bella! Oh Bella! I’m missed you so much! Every time I missed you I went shopping, and well don’t hate me but I’ve bought you so many clothes since you were gone. Esme and I built you a bigger closet to fit it all. You’ll love them though. Did you bring me any presents?”

I laughed. She was too adorable. I was a little weary about all the new clothes she would make me model for her when I got to the house but she looked so happy, so excited. She acted her frozen age then. A 15 year old waiting to open her presents on Christmas.

Oh shit, Christmas…

Today was Christmas Eve, how could I forget?

“I…” I stared.

“It’s ok Bella.” She grinned. “I knew you’d forget. Which is why we all decided not to do any gifts this year.”

“I don’t want to ruin your Christmas…” I frowned.

“Oh Bella, please. We all got the best gift that you could have possibly given us this Christmas.” She countered.

I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“You came back to us, silly. That’s the best gift we’ve ever received.” She smiled and kissed my cheek. “Welcome back, sis.”

I smiled when I remembered the things I brought back from Italy for her.

“Well, regardless of Christmas, I did bring you gifts Alice.”

“Really?!” Her face lit up she must have not seen when I got them.

“Yep.”

Her eyes started to glaze over.

“Alice! Don’t you dare peak! I wont give them to you if you do.” I said as I gave her my best glare.

She pouted and I almost gave in and let her look anyways. When she saw that I wouldn’t let her she poked her tongue out at me and we both laughed.

“What ever happened to ‘it all goes out the window when it comes to Alice’?” I turned to see Edward with a crooked grin placed on his face again walking over towards us.

“Well, that went out the window when I realized I could still make it a surprise for her. Surprises are really hard to come by when it comes to her as you may know.” As I spoke directly too him I had completely forgotten about everyone else until they started to let themselves become known.

Esme walked over to hug and kiss me. Rosalie kissed my cheek and then went to stand by Emmett. Carlisle kissed my forehead.

“I’m glad to see you came back to us all in one piece.” He smiled.

“Yes, but we have much to discuss.” I whispered in his ear as he hugged me. He nodded slightly enough for only me to notice.

“So where’s Jasper?” I said craning my neck around Carlisle looking for him.

“Boo!”

I jumped a little into Carlisle’s arms and quickly turned around to find Jasper behind me. He started laughing uncontrollably.

“Oh, wait till I get you back!” I grinned and leaped over to him crashing in a hug. I missed Jasper a lot too. He and I became pretty close before I left. Usually while Edward was sleeping I’d go with Jasper out by the river and we’d have long conversations about the different wars he’d been in and books. He’d also tell me stories about him and Alice which I always wanted to hear more of.

“I finally have my convo buddy back. I missed our talks down by the river.” he said and then kissed my forehead.

“I missed them too. I’ve got tons of new stories to tell.”

“Well children, I think it’s time we head out of here. Once we get home we could fully welcome her back.” Carlisle announced.

Emmett and Jasper grabbed my bags. Edward wanted to take some of them, being the gentleman that he is, but they wouldn’t let him get any. I walked up beside me looking just a slight bit down. I smiled at him and handed him my small carry on bag. He laughed and took the bag placing it on his shoulder. He placed his arm around my waist and led me to where they had parked the cars.

They brought Rosalie’s M3 and Carlisle’s Mercedes. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice rode in the M3 while Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and I took the Mercedes.

It was a decently quiet ride. The only talking was between Esme and Carlisle.

I ended up placing my head on Edward’s shoulder and closed my eyes letting his warmth flow through my face. He eventually placed his arm around my shoulders and placed his head on top of mine. He must have fallen asleep though because he was way too still the rest of the way to the house.

I opened my eyes when I felt the familiar curves of the driveway. When I took in the view of the big white house I let out a happy sigh.

Home.

I was the first to step in the house. I took a deep breath. I really missed this house. I’m so glad they invited me to stay here.

I followed Emmett and Jasper up to my new room where they were taking my luggage.

I grinned as I walked into the room. Alice and Esme did a great job decorating it.

The walls were painted a midnight blue color. The ceiling was white but had some kind of gold paint swirled in it. It looked as if they were stars. I had a full size bed with sheets the same color as the walls. The carpet was tan with a hint of gold. I liked it mostly because it was very fluffy and soft when I walked over it. There was a desk and a big book shelf with all my books on it on one wall. The last wall had two doors and a big TV hanging inbetween them. I opened the first and it was a private bathroom with a beautiful glass shower and a vanity that was antique like. I opened the second door and of course it was my closet, actually it was my walk in closet. I never had one of those before. But I guess that’s what it has to come to, having a shopaholic for a sister.

“Psh, I’m not a shopaholic. I can stop any time.” Alice called from downstairs.

“Says the druggy with blow on her nose for the passed 30 years...” I said rolling my eyes.

Emmett and Jasper stifled their laugher.

She appeared by my side in a second. She glared at them for laughing and then turned to me with glossy eyes.

“You don’t like the clothes?” she asked.

“Alice, I love them. Thank you. Just try not to miss me that much next time.” She smiled.

She laced her fingers with Jasper and pulled him out of the room.

“It really is nice having you back though Bella.” Emmett said as he ruffled my hair. He turned to walk out of my room to let me unpack.

I unpacked at vampire speed so it only took about a minute.

I went over to my computer and hooked up my cell phone to it to print out the picture I took of my old home. When it finished printing, I picked up the big envelope I had put all of Alice’s paintings and drawings in and made my way downstairs.

Jasper and Alice were in the living room sitting in their usual love seat. I smiled and walked over to them and sat down in the couch in front of them.

“Alice did you see anything of where I went to last night and this morning?”

“I saw you go to Rome. Which by the way, that club fight was hilarious!”

“So you didn’t see me go to Marcellina?”

“Nope. Jasper kind of…distracted me.” She giggled. “What’s in Marcellina?”

“It’s where we used to live.” She quickly became serious and listened intently. “I went to visit or parent’s graves and left them roses. I found out our family had also made graves for us there too…” she winced but nodded for me to go on. “When we both… went missing, they assumed us dead and left a tombstone right beside where our parents lay.” She half-smiled. “Then I went for a walk in our old neighborhood. I didn’t expect to see much but I was completely surprised. I came across our old house.” I handed her the picture and smiled brightly.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Mom designed it and Dad built it. They wanted to have a proper home to start their family.” I smiled. “The township was going to have it destroyed after our funerals but Bethany stepped in with a fake will that stopped them. The house was passed down from generation to generation apparently. A family of three live there now. When I took the picture I met one of them. Her name was Lyllian Swan, named after our mother I’m guessing. She had an English husband and daughter named Marie. I don’t know exactly what their relation is to us. All I know is that her great great grandmother Jacqueline Swan gave her the house after her passing.”

“I could look up your family tree if you’d like. I’m really good with things like that.” Jasper said with a smile.

“That would be nice.”

“So what’s in the envelope?” Alice asked.

“Well, the three of them had to leave to catch a plane. I waited until they left and went inside the house. I was curious to see if it looked the same. And it pretty much did. I went up into the attic and I came across a few things that belonged to us there and brought it back with me.” I pulled out the drawings from the envelope and handed them to her. “These were yours.”

Her eyes widened as she looked over all the pieces. Jasper looked over her shoulder and kissed her cheek every time she was a bit overwhelmed when she flipped through each drawing.

“I didn’t know you had such a talent.” Jasper said when she was through looking at them all.

“Neither did I.” she said and smiled.

“There’s other things too. Some clothes I found of ours and Mom’s wedding dress.” I picked up the envelope again and pulled out the portrait and placed it in her hand. “Alice, these were our parents.”

She gasped and pulled her hand to her mouth. Her eyes were glossy like she wanted to cry. Jasper pulled her into his chest. I got up and kneeled beside them placing my head in Alice’s lap. She combed her fingers through my hair as we both looked at the photograph.

“I thought you’d like to know what they looked like since you can’t remember. I know it must be hard and frustrating but I hope it helps that I found this for us.” I looked up at her face she was smiling down at me.

“Thank you so much.” She then bent down and kissed my cheek. We lay there for awhile just admiring the picture.

The rest of the family later joined us in the living room having heard our conversation. They passed around Alice’s drawings to look at them and then the picture as well.

“Damn, you guys. Your mom was hot!” Emmett boomed.

Rosalie smacked him hard across his neck and glared at him. We all laughed at him but he soon joined the laughter.

I caught Edward’s gaze and smiled. I stood up and took his hand in mine and motioned for him to follow me. I walked into his music room.

“I wrote you another song.” I said. Though I slipped up and said another. I hope he didn’t notice though.

We sat at his piano and I started to play a piece I had written two weeks ago for him.

Under your spell again.
I can't say no to you.
Crave my heart and it's bleeding in your hand.
I can't say no to you.

Shouldn't let you torture me so sweetly.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
I can't breathe but I feel...

Good enough,

I looked at him to catch his reaction. He was simply just looking at me. I couldn’t tell what emotion was in his eyes. He was just living through the moment taking it all in.

I feel good enough for you.

I turned back to look at the keys.

Drink up sweet decadence.
I can't say no to you,
And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind.
I can't say no to you.

Shouldn't let you conquer me completely.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
Can't believe that I feel...

I closed my eyes thinking back to when I wrote this. I couldn’t get him off my mind for a second. I wanted to be with him. I felt that I really was good enough. I just wanted him to love me in return.

Good enough,
I feel good enough.
It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good.

And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall.
Pour real life down on me.
'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough.

I took a deep breath. What ever happens now will be in his hands.

Am I good enough for you to love me too?

I turned to look at him. His eyes were wide. I couldn’t look away as I sang the last part directly too him.

So take care what you ask of me,
'cause I can't say no.

I bit my lip and waited impatiently for him to say something.

“Bella…I…That was, Oh god.” He looked away from me and stared at the keys of the piano. I saw a smile pull up on his lips.

He took my hand and stood up leading me out to the garage towards his car. I stopped him before we could get any closer to it.

I pulled out my keys and handed them to him.

“I still owe you my car for the weekend, remember?” he laughed.

He opened the passenger door for me and I stepped in. He walked around the car painfully slow but quick for him. He shut the door and turned the key. The engine roared to life and we drove off.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t ever going to let me drive your car!”

I playfully pushed him.

“I don’t break promises. Besides, your car reeked of werewolf, I could smell it a mile away!” we both laughed.

“Sorry about that.” He smiled his crooked grin. “Seth and his girlfriend Jessica have been keeping me distracted while you were gone.”

“I was lucky to have Demetri and Bethany there to distract me. Would have been worse to be alone. I missed you terribly.”

He took my hand in his and raised it to his lips. He kissed my knuckles and laid our hands in between us still not letting go of my hand.

“You have me to distract you now.” He said softly, crooked grin in place.

“So, where are we going anyways?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Ugh, you know I hate surprises, Edward.” I groaned. He chuckled.

A few minutes later we turned off on to a dirt road and followed it to the very end. There was a small clearing with five small openings in the woods for different trails.

“Hiking?” I asked skeptically.

“Something like that.”

We got out of the car and he came around and took my hand again. He led me to one of the trail openings. We walked for about 3 or so minutes in silence. He tugged on my arm and we veered left off the trail. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Last year, I came out here to get away and I got off course a bit.” He said.

We continued to walk for about half a mile when I saw brightness shine through some trees ahead of us. He picked up his pace walking towards the light. We walked through rows of fern and out into a meadow with bright green grass and wildflowers everywhere. There were patches of purples, yellows, and whites. The grass was long but not too tall, it was about four to five inches high. I could here water running some place close too.

I looked up. The sun was shadowed by a few clouds but it was only a matter of time before it shined down upon us. Will my skin overwhelm Edward?

“Edward, this is beautiful…”

“It is.” He said while spinning me around. His eyes searched mine and I saw that bright shimmer in his eyes that I love so much. His eyes were seriously just like emeralds. Especially when the light hit them at just the perfect angle making his eyes sparkle.

He led me over to the middle of the meadow and he sat down leaning back on his arms. I quickly followed sitting right next to him. I pulled my knees up and under my chin as I wrapped my arms around my legs. He was quiet for quite awhile, he looked deep in thought. I bumped his shoulder with mine trying to get him to say something. He just looked at me with curiosity. I fought the urge to kiss him. It wasn’t the right moment yet.

He still didn’t say anything he just watched my small moments. I sighed and let myself fall back on to a patch of violet wildflowers. Some of the flowers bend down onto my face. The smell was quite lovely. But they blocked my view of Edward. I felt Edward lay beside me. I propped myself up on my side with my hand holding up my head from the ground. Edward was doing the same but in my direction.

“Hi.” He breathed.

His exhaled breath landed on my skin causing me to daze out a little. I lost myself in his eyes again. I could definitely sit here forever just laying here with him. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding since he spoke. I laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“You must have been a vampire in another life.” I stated.

He looked confused.

“What makes you think that?”

“Because, I’ve never met a human who could dazzle.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vampires have many ways they can lure their prey. Not like we need to lure them, we could take anyone if we really wanted to, but that’s besides the point. Vampires can lure with just looking deep into some ones eyes, or by the scent of their breath. It makes their prey loose there senses and make their thoughts drift to where their vampire wants them to. Like persuading them to do as they please by just their look or smell. I call it dazzling.”

“I dazzle you?” he asked.

My breathing caught. He looked up at me through his lashes as he breathed every word at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned dazzling.

It took me a second to compose myself and actually answer back.

“Cheater.” I breathed. He smiled crookedly. And I let my self fall back again.

We fell in to a comfortable silence, though I was still anxious to hear his voice again.

“Your song from earlier… It was about me dazzling you?”

“To an extent…”

A few seconds later I heard him mumble out a few words. He wasn’t quite singing, but with the sound of his voice it was still as beautiful as if he were.

“And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind.
I can't say no to you.”

I smiled. “You have a good memory, another thing to add to my list for my theory of you being a vampire in a past life.”

He chuckled.

“Shouldn't let you conquer me completely.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
Can't believe that I feel...” he continued to recite.

I was beyond impressed. How he remembered the lyrics after only hearing them once amazed me. I sang out the next lyric as I had earlier, though my voice rang and echoed throughout the woods.

“Good enough,
I feel good enough.
It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good.”

He suddenly sat up and looked out towards the woods where we came through and whispered the next words.

“And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall.
Pour real life down on me.”

I sat up to be closer to him again. I started to sing the next phrase.

“Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough.
Am I…” I stopped suddenly and looked down at my lap.

“Bella.” I looked up as he called and he took my face in his hand. He traced my jaw line. I felt the heat start at my ear and lightly trace up my jaw then back down again. His eyes followed his hand. The heat of his touch increased as he traced my neck and let his fingers rest on the hollow of my neck. His eyes shifted back to catch my gaze.

His heartbeat was pounding in my ears. His scent was overwhelming me. But, I felt completely at ease. I was in pure bliss.

“You are more than good enough.”

My breathing caught and I searched his eyes desperately.

Could he be saying what I think he is?

His heartbeat quickened. His lips slightly trembled. I felt his hands shake lightly.

His beautiful face leaned in towards mine inch by inch until there was barely any room left between us.

I took in a deep breath, I felt weightless.

His lips brushed slightly over mine then slightly hovered. He made no sudden movements. He waited a second and then placed his lips firmly on mine.

I was in sensory overload. It was more than I could have ever imagined.

His lips moved with mine. I could feel the moisture of his mouth upon my lips and it sent a spasm through out my whole body, a spark.

All too soon he pulled away, his breathing was ragged. I opened my eyes a split second before he opened his. His eyes were so intense. His lips were full and red, beautiful. They pulled me in and I laid a chaste kiss on them. I pulled away only slightly enough to see his full face. I smiled and bit my lip. He was absolutely amazing in every way.

I had always day dreamed of kissing him but nothing I imagined was anywhere remotely as perfect as it felt to actually kissing him. It was more than I ever thought I could feel in just one kiss. I’ve never felt so alive.

His fingertips traced lightly from neck trailing heat up towards my chin. He traced my bottom lip with his thumb. Each touch felt feather light, but I felt the heat stain my skin. All the while, our eyes were still locked in place.

“I love you, Bella.” He whispered.

I love you, Bella.

My head was spinning.

His voice echoed in my mind a few times before it registered.

I love you, Bella.

He….loves me.

“Oh Edward…”

My lips hungrily took his. I held his face with both my hands and kissed his lips once…twice…three times. I kissed his nose, his eyes, his forehead, his cheeks, and once more on his lips. I hesitantly pulled away to look deep in his eyes.

“I love you, Edward. More than anything. There isn’t a moment that I’m not thinking of you. I’ve longed to here those four words from you for so long now. Please, please tell me I didn’t imagine them.” He smiled.

“Bella, I love you.” He gave me soft quick kiss “Believe it. It took me awhile to realize it, but that day you played the piano for me the first time, something just clicked in my mind. I knew after that day that I would fight anyone off for you. I love you. I need you.”

I wrapped my arms around him. I never wanted to let go. I buried my face in his shoulder. I felt his arms snake around my waist as he pulled me up into his lap burying his face in my hair.

We sat there in each others arms for nearly an hour in silence.

I looked up at the sky and saw the clouds start to move out of the suns way.

I felt Edward look to the sky after I had. “Bella.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

I looked up and he gasped.

His eyes widened as he took in my appearance.

“Beautiful.” He breathed.

I smiled and entwined my fingers in his.

The sun was only out for a few brief minutes. Not once did his gaze drift from me.

When the clouds took over the sun again, he kissed my forehead and brought me closer to his chest. His heartbeat was faster than normal but it was steady. It sounded like music to me, the way it beat and hummed at my ear.

“Bella?”

“Hm?”

“The other song you played for me before you left…was that the other song written about me?”

I winced.

“Yeah…”

“Would you please explain what you meant by it. I’m still not quite sure. It wasn’t a happy song, so it concerned me…”

“It’s mostly about my feelings on your decision to stay human.” I said cautiously.

He stiffened.

I pulled away a little to look at him better.

“Edward, I’ve come to accept it. It doesn’t matter if you’re human or vampire. I’ll always love you and I’ll always stay at your side. My love for you grows even more with every day that passes. You are my life now, Edward. Everything about you makes me feel alive.”

I sighed.

“When I wrote it, you seemed so mad at me. I thought you didn’t want me near you and all I wanted was to be by you, to make you happy again. I was afraid you hated me and wanted me to leave. I couldn’t bear the thought of giving you up so easily like that. But if that’s what you wanted I would have done it in a heartbeat.”

I turned away from his gaze.

“You know I won’t grow older as you do and I won’t be able to bare your children. If you eventually decide to want to grow old with someone and have children with them, I’ll understand. I’ll still be there for you, Edward. No matter what.”

“Bella, I’ll only ever want you.” He said cupping my cheek.

“You say that now. But it could change.”

He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

I kissed his forehead and he opened his eyes to look at me again.

“Would you rather me be a vampire?”

I pulled away from him and stood up, turning away from him.

“It’s your decision to make, Edward. It doesn’t matter what I think.”

He stood up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Your opinion matters to me.”

“If I tell you, you’ll hate me.”

“I could never hate you Bella.”

I sighed.

“I don’t know what I will do with out you…after.” He was silent so I continued. “Vampire’s are naturally selfish beings, Edward. I’m no different. Yes, I want to spend eternity with you but I don’t want you to have to give up so much for me. You’d be giving up a lot. You’d never be normal and that’s what you’ve always wanted. How ever our lives play out, I’ll always be there to keep you safe. I‘d give my life for you. I’d give you anything. All you have to do is ask.”

He kissed the top of my head and moved to turn me around.

“I love you, Bella. And you’re right. I do want to be normal. But I’m extremely selfish too. I want to stay human, but I want you forever. I wish there was a way to have both. I know there will be complications along the way, but in my heart I know that no matter the situation, in the end we’ll always be ok.”

I smiled even though I was screaming inside.

Everything will be ok with us…until Edward dies.

I can’t keep him alive forever as human.

But unless he truly wants to be changed, I could never poison him.

We went back to the comfortable silence as we lay next to each other again.

“I don’t want really want to bring the mood down again, but I’m curious. What did the Volturi decided about me?” He asked out of the blue.

“Well, Aro has a gift sort of like yours. He can read thoughts, but only through physical contact. Though, his is much more thorough. He can sort through any thoughts and memories you’ve ever had. When he read my mind he saw that you had the gift of mind reading and that Alice can see the future. And now Aro has requested that I send out an official invite for the both of you to join the Volturi.”

“What? We would never… Do we even have a choice?”

I sighed.

“Yes, you do have a choice. But regardless he wants you both to visit Volterra so he can ask you personally. He would rather hear it straight from you and probably take your memories as well. Aro wanted you both to go as soon as possible, but I asked if it could wait until after graduation and he agreed. But, don’t have to worry about the Volturi too much. I’ll find a way so that you don’t have to go at all.”

He nodded.

“But Edward, I have to tell Carlisle about Aro’s request. In doing that he’s going to have to know about your gift.”

“I guess I’ll have to tell them now then.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry, Edward. I know you didn’t really want to tell them. I should have tried harder to keep those memories away from Aro.”

“Bella, it’s ok. Don’t worry about it. I would have had to tell them eventually anyways. I’ve kept it from them long enough.” He kissed the top of my head and I relaxed.

“It’s getting late. We should start getting back home.” I suggested.

He nodded and we started making our way back to my car.

“Edward, please slow down. What if you get in an accident?”

“But I like going fast.” He pouted. “Besides, if I crash you’ll save me before there’s even an impact.” He grinned.

“Yeah, that’s if I don’t kill you myself for crashing my car!”

His grin immediately fell.

I laughed and pushed into him playfully. “I’m only kidding, Edward.”

He smiled.

“I would save you. Of course later I’d have to demolish your Vanquish.”

He laughed. “I guess that would be fair.”

“Yep, then I’d use your Volvo and you’d have to walk to school.”

“Aw, you wouldn’t give your beloved boyfriend a ride to school?”

“Is that what you are then?”

“What?”

“My boyfriend.”

“If you’ll allow it…”

“Hmm, I don’t know…I’ll have to think about that. What if you’re not boyfriend material? Maybe I wouldn’t like you as a boyfriend.” I said sarcastically.

“Would you like me as your husband better?”

My head whipped around in his direction and my eyes widen.

“Relax. I’m only kidding, Bella.” He laughed.

I let out an exaggerated breath and a small laugh.

He rolled his eyes.

He’s joking, but what he doesn’t know is in that split second I imagined myself in my mother’s wedding dress standing next to Edward at an alter.

And the crazy part about it, I actually liked the idea.

“Boyfriend sounds good.” I smiled.

He grinned my grin and then kissed the back of my hand.

We got back home just as the sun set.

We walked in the house hand in hand with smiles on our faces.

Everyone was waiting for us in the living room when we came in.

Edward blushed.

Alice squeaked and ran towards me knocking me down to the floor. We stood up and she hugged me wildly.

“It played out much better than what I had seen before!” she smiled.

“So that’s what you were hiding…” Edward mumbled.

She pulled us both to the living room where everyone else was sitting at.

“So do you guys want to tell us why Alice has been jumping around and yelling ‘oh my god’ randomly for the last couple of hours while you were gone?” Emmett asked Edward and me.

Before I could say anything I was being pulled down to the couch by Edward. He placed me in his lap and I wrapped my arms around his shoulder. He leaned in and kissed me. I was so lost in the kiss that I completely forgot that we were surrounded by our family.

Carlisle cleared his throat and I broke off the kiss.

Edward blushed furiously. I don’t know what caused him to be so bold.

Alice giggled and Jasper winked at me.

My mouth gaped open.

Jasper.

I sent a big wave of lust towards him.

He instantly jumped on Alice and attacked her mouth.

Edward and I went into hysterics.

“That’s enough you two.” Esme said pointing to Jasper and I.

I sent him a wave of calm to release the lust.

I gave her an apologetic smile and said, “Sorry Mom.”

Her face lit up with a lovely smile. I felt so much joy from her that I couldn’t control my absorbed empath power.

Every one in the room was instantly filled with the same joy that I felt from Esme.

They were all smiling and laughing.

“Bella, may I speak with you for a moment?” Carlisle asked.

I bit my lip and looked at Edward.

“Wait. I have something to confess.” Edward started.

“What is it, son?” Carlisle asked confused.

“Well ever since the beginning of summer, I found out that I have…a gift.”

“A gift?” Esme asked.

“Yeah…” I gently squeezed his hand for reassurance. “I found out that I can read the thoughts of people around me.”

Alice had a smile on her face and everyone else looked dumbfounded.

“This is interesting. I’ve never heard of humans having gifts.” Carlisle said.

“What if he’s lying?” Emmett asked.

“Why would I lie about something like this, Emmett?”

“I don’t know, maybe as a joke!”

Edward rolled his eyes.

“Ok fine, prove it. What am I thin—”

“Emmett don’t you dare think of my sister naked!” Edward cut him off.

“Holy shit, you can read minds…”

Rosalie smacked the back of Emmett’s head.

“Ow, why’d you do th—”

“Cause you were going to show Edward what she looked like naked.” I said cutting him off.

Alice and I laughed and everyone except Edward looked at us like we were crazy.

“Alice had a vision of what this would turn out like…” Edward informed them.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Jasper said.

Edward stood up and screamed, sending death glares at Emmett.

“What the hell Emmett!”

“Just making sure!” Emmett laughed.

“And this is why I didn’t say anything earlier…” Edward shook his head. “…damn stupid perverted vampire.” He mumbled.

Apparently Emmett was already planning on messing with Edward in his mind every chance he got.

“If you didn’t want us to know, why are you telling us now?” Rosalie asked.

“Well it’s because of the Volturi.” I started “Aro wants Edward and Alice for the guard. He told me he wants for them to go to Volterra so he could ask them personally. He wanted them to go as soon as possible but I asked for it to be sometime after graduation.”

“This isn’t good at all.” Carlisle said. “When Aro wants something he doesn’t stop trying until he gets it. Who knows what he has in store for them. He’ll respect if you decline, but that doesn’t mean he plays fair. He doesn’t like to be told no.”

“I’ll figure something out so they don’t have to go, Carlisle. I don’t want either of them to ever have to go there.” I said.

“It’s going to happen either way, Bella. You know how determined Aro is. Especially with the gifts they have. He’ll probably get desperate. He might just pop up here if they don’t go for themselves.”

I frowned. “We’ll find some way.”

Carlisle sighed. “Well at least they won’t expect them until after graduation. We have plenty of time to figure something out. Let us forget about it for now. Let’s not let it ruin our Christmas Eve.”

“Christmas carols!” Alice chirped.

Everyone laughed.

“I haven’t listened to Christmas carols in years. I haven’t actually celebrated Christmas in so long…” I admitted.

“Well, you’ll celebrate them every year now. It’s Alice’s favorite holiday. Although I don’t know why, she knows what everyone will get her months before the actual day.” Edward chuckled.

I smirked evilly.

“WHY ARE MY VISIONS BLOCKED?!” Alice yelled.

I fell back on the couch laughing. Everyone looked at me wide eyed.

“Sorry Alice, I just wanted to see if it would work.” I let out another small laugh and pulled the shield off of everyone.

“What the hell was that, I couldn’t hear anyone’s thoughts for a moment.”

“I used a shield to block all your minds from Alice. I’m practicing on how to shield only certain things from the mind instead of everything but I haven’t mastered that yet. I think it’ll come in handy when it comes to Christmas gifts don’t you think?” I grinned.

“Dude, that’s awesome! We haven’t been able to surprise Alice in…well ever.” Emmett laughed.

“Bella! Please don’t do that again.” Alice pouted.

“Ok I won’t. For now anyways. Surprises can be healthy sometimes.” I looked over at Edward smiling and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

Alice poked her tongue at me but then let out a small giggle.

“Alright, so… Edward will you play some carols for us now?” she asked.

“Of course.” He stood up and we all went into the music room.

Edward played a couple of carols on his piano and we all just hugged each other and sang our hearts out.

I looked around at everyone cuddled up around the piano, smiles on their faces, utterly content.

I was happy, truly, extremely happy.

I felt whole. I felt loved.

I was home.

Family. Friends. Edward.

There’s nothing I could ever want more.

Chapter 18 - What The Hell?

Edward’s POV

I woke up, the light blinded me slightly. I looked for Bella but she wasn’t in my room.

I listened for thoughts around me but everything was silent.

I got up and walked out the door. “Bella?” I called out. There was no answer. I looked in all the rooms on my floor. She wasn’t in any of them. I made my way to the next floor and did the same, she was still no where to be found.

“Bella?” I called out again as I reached the last step, walking into the living room. “You down here?”

Tap.

Tap. Tap.

Tap.

I followed the tapping to my music room. I opened the door anxiously.

She was sitting on the couch, Indian style. She had headphones in her ears and a Biology book in her lap. She was moving her head to the music and keeping the beat by tapping her pen on the edge of the book.

She closed her eyes briefly and I heard her inhale deeply.

“Good Morning, Edward.” She said right before turning to look at me with her ‘dazzling’ smile.

She swiftly ran to me in less than a second and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

“You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry and get dressed.”

I looked at her confusingly. Was it Monday already?

“Late?” I asked.

“Yeah, Come on. I’ll help you get ready.” She slightly lifted me up and we were in my room in 2 seconds flat. I was set down and she rushed into my closet.

“You should wear this one today. You always look quite handsome in it.” She said as she handed me a dark grey suit. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Why would I wear that to school?”

She frowned and kissed my lips urgently. She pulled away but quickly brought me in a hug, holding me close to her. I could feel her chest heaving.

“Bella? What’s wrong, love?”

I pulled her away from my chest to look at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Edward! It just gets to me sometimes…”

“What does?”

She looked down, not wanting to meet my eyes.

“When your memory slips like that…I just can’t help but feel scared…Scared that you’ll forget me too.”

“Bella…” I cupped her cheek. “I would never forget you.” I leaned down and kissed her. I then placed my forehead on hers. She half smiled and handed me the suit again.

“Get dressed. We don’t have much time left. Your meeting is at 9 and I have to be at school at 8:30. I’ll go make you something to eat while you finish up.”

I was beyond confused but nodded anyways.

I took a few steps towards the bathroom but I suddenly felt dizzy. Bella caught me as I started to stumble.

“Hey are you ok? Would you like me to call Carlisle?” she asked concerned.

“No, I’m fine.” I stood up and steadied myself.

“Are you sure?” She frowned.

“Yeah. I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast.” I smiled.

She nodded and walked out of the room without another word.

I walked over to my dresser to get a pair of boxers but found the drawer to be filled with night shirts that I assumed were Bella’s.

Slightly covered by a pair of silk shorts, I found a couple of pictures.

They were of Bella and different men next to her. One had her on a couch on top of some guy. I couldn’t see his face because her hair covered it. Another was her and someone that looked about 30 something and she was kissing him. The last one was her hugging a guy that looked old enough to be her father.

I felt instantly angry and jealous. Who the hell were these men...and more importantly why was Bella with them…

“Bella…”

She was in my room instantly. Her smile fell when she saw the pictures in my hands.

“Oh…I’m sorry… please don’t be mad.” She walked over and took the pictures out of my hand placing them back in the drawer. “I know you don’t like seeing them…But I like to look back at them sometimes.”

I opened my mouth to ask her why and who they were but she just placed her finger on my lips to silence me. “We’ll talk about it later, right now you have to finish so we can go.”

She pushed me towards my bathroom. I turned the shower on and went to the sink to brush my teeth.

In front of me a man with a wrinkled face and very pale skin stared back at me. His hair was grey with hints of bronze. Slightly over weight with broad shoulders. He looked about 65, give or take a few years.

His eyes suddenly widened and he had a shocked expression on his face.

I raised my hand to touch the mirror and the old man raised his hand as well. I took a step back when I came to realization.

That’s… me?

What the hell is going on…

I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I clutched onto a towel rack as fell backwards causing it to come down with me. My chest tightened and my breathing was erratic.

“Edward, is everything alright in there?” I heard from the other side of the door.

I tried to call for her but I was gasping for air now.

“Edward?” The door opened and she stepped in. “Edward! Oh god, what’s wrong? What happened?!”

“Bella, I…” I gasped.

“NO, Edward don’t leave me!”

Everything went black as I heard her scream out in agony.

I sprung up and was panting hard, sweat was running down my face.

Good lord. I was having a nightmare…

I leaned over my body with my elbows on the bed as I buried my face in my hands.

What the hell was that about?

“You ok?”

I twisted around to face Alice sitting on my couch.

“What are you doing here Alice? Where’s Bella?” I asked anxiously.

She sighed.

“I had a vision last night that you had a nightmare and told Bella about it when you woke up. After you told her, she freaked out and thought you didn’t want to be with her.” She paused. “So last night after you fell asleep, I told her since she’s going to be spending a lot of time with you now that she should go hunting more often. I suggested she go with Jasper a couple of hours ago. She should be back soon. I’m sorry. I just thought it would be best if you didn’t tell her about your dream, at least not right now.”

I nodded.

“So you know what my dream was about?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I’m not sure…But it could probably be just your subconscious creating a scenario on how things could be with you and Bella years from now. You alright though?”

“I don’t know. I can’t really tell how I feel right now…”

She gave me a sad smile and then stood up to kiss my forehead.

“Everything will be ok.” Yes everything will be ok. It has to be.

“Thanks.” I said as she walked out of the door.

I let myself fall back onto my bed.

How do I feel about all this?

Will I be able to live out my life and grow old with a never aging Bella by my side?

Will things get so crazy as to where I have to introduce her as my daughter instead of my girlfriend, my partner, my wife?

I was knocked out of my thinking with a vision Alice had.

“Well, we thought it would be nice to spend the holidays with our extended family.” Eleazar said. Dad shook his hand and smiled.

Carmen, Kate, Irina, and Tanya stepped into the house while the rest of my family appeared to greet them.

“It’s wonderful to see you guys again!” Tanya said excitedly. “Where’s Edward?!”

Well this should be an interesting visit.

Edward, they’ll be here in about an hour. So get dressed and come downstairs. Esme has breakfast made for you already.

Alice’s voice rang in my head. It was going to take some getting use to having everyone know I can read their minds now.

I hadn’t seen Tanya and the rest of the Denali coven in over three years now. I wondered if it would be a little awkward between Tanya and me.

We had lived in Alaska the last time I saw her. We were starting to become friends but then we left when my parents became a little worried about her.

It all started with my curiosity on her control over human blood. Tanya, along with Kate and Irina, has a habit of dating humans and I didn’t see how that could be possible.

“Tanya, can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Well I was just wondering…how you keep so much control when you’re…you know…with a human. I mean being a vampire around humans is already hard enough, right? How do you manage to have relationships with them, and let alone kiss them…and… with, with the bloodlust and all… I don’t understand how…”

She giggled and I blushed.

“Well it’s not easy. The bloodlust is still there. I usually warn them the best I can without actually telling them I’m a vampire, I tell them to take things slow. You know, no sudden movements, no groping me, not too much tongue. Ect. Ect.”

“Oh…” I said as my cheeks flushed redder.

“Why the sudden interest though? You want to date me or something?” she asked nudging my shoulder.

“No! I was just curious. I never thought it was possible is all. You must have a hell of a lot of control.”

She smiled.

“Well, I’ve had a lot of years of practice. And I’ve gotta say, having sex with humans is much better than with vampires. So it’s good that I can control myself to be able to…well just enough control anyways.” She said in a cocky tone.

“Jeeze Tanya. I asked about your control not your sex life!” I laughed.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ll see you later. I have a…a date.”

“Mhm.”

Later that night I heard a car pull up and I peaked out the window. Tanya and a man that looked about 21 or so walked up to the front door.

“I had a great time.” He said.

“We should do that again sometime.” Tanya replied. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

He leaned in slowly placing his lips on hers. His hands began to roam over her body. She entwined her fingers through his hair. He pulled her to himself tighter. His hands started to rise up under her skirt.

He started to kiss her more passionately, roughly. She seemed to be getting lost in him. He pushed her against the door with a loud ‘thud’ and started to pant heavily moving his lips to her neck, his hands still roaming her body.

I looked at Tanya’s face. She looked like she was in pain, but I knew better, nothing could hurt her.

I heard her hiss and growl loudly. The man lifted his head to look at her and he tried to pull away but she fisted his hair and grabbed his arm not letting go.

His face was full of fear as he kept trying to get out of her grip. Her lips pulled up and she flashed her teeth.

Suddenly, her face was in the crook of his neck. The man whimpered and struggled against her.

My eyes widened in shock as my brain registered what was happening. I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t dare speak a word. If she realized I was there her instinct would be to pounce on me too.

After what seemed like minutes, though I’m sure it was only seconds, his body went limp and fell to the floor.

“Shit!” Tanya growled.

I gasped.

She turned to the window where I was looking out of.

“Edward…” a voice called from behind me.

I turned and leaped into my mother’s arms. She held me tightly.

“Edward, what’s wrong?”

“T-Tanya….S-s-she…a human. He’s…oh god…He’s dead.” I stuttered.

“Shhh…Calm down dear.” my mother kissed the top of my head and swayed me in her arms.

The next day my parents decided moving would probably be best because it might not be safe for me after Tanya had lost control. She hadn’t lost control in well over a hundred years.

We had everything packed within hours and we were leaving the next day.

Tanya came to see me before we left to apologize. My family stayed in the room to make sure nothing would happen.

Her eyes were blood red and it scared the shit out of me but I understood. I didn’t blame her for what happened. But I was still a bit scared and it was quite awkward.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, and the man she drank from, though.

Apparently she had started to grow fond of the man and was having a really hard time herself dealing with what she did.

I hugged her and tried my best to comfort her.

She also felt really guilty of being the reason for our sudden departure.

To be honest I’m sort of thankful for that experience. With what I learned about her and her relationships with humans it helped me to know what to do when it came to Bella.

I made sure to take things really slow and cautious when I took her to my meadow yesterday. I wanted everything to be perfect and safe. I was always careful when I kissed and held her.

After what happened with Tanya, I knew what could happen if I lost control like the man had done, going overboard letting the lust take over him.

I couldn’t take things too far, too fast with Bella. I don’t want to tempt her more than I already do.

I got up and went to my bathroom to get dressed for their arrival.

I looked in the mirror and sighed in relief when I still looked like my 17 year old self.

After my quick shower, I put on a pair of faded jeans and a button up long sleeve white shirt. I made my way downstairs and to the kitchen.

“Good morning, dear. I put your breakfast on the table. Oh and the Denali’s will be here soon.” Mom said as she kissed forehead and then walked into the living room. I sat at the table eating the scrambled eggs and bacon she made for me.

I barely remember eating it. M mind was too busy replaying everything that had happened yesterday with Bella.

I still can’t believe she loves me too. I have no idea what I did to deserve such a perfect, beautiful, smart woman. But I’m thankful for her walking into my life. So much has changed in the last couple of months. I never would have imagined that first day of knowing her that it would end up like this. I’m glad it did. I can’t imagine myself with anyone else. I can’t imagine myself in anyone else’s arms or kissing anyone else. She is all I’ve ever wanted and more.

Edward they’re here. So finish up, and come out here! Alice thought.

Seconds later I heard Eleazar’s greeting.

“Well, we thought it would be nice to spend the holidays with our extended family.”

I got up and put my plate in the sink and walked into the living room just as Tanya spoke.

“It’s wonderful to see you guys again!” Tanya said excitedly. “Where’s Edward?!”

“Right here.” I said with a small smile.

Oh my god. Look at him!

She thought as she raced over to capture my in a hug.

“Edward! I’ve missed you. How have you been?” she asked as she pulled me to sit with her at the couch.

“I’ve been good. How about you?”

“I’ve been getting by…” she sighed. Missing you like hell. Lonely. Bored. Wow, I’m pathetic. “But I’m better now.”

I smiled.

“I really have missed you, Eddie!” She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my shoulder. It was a bit awkward really. “We have to catch up, what have you been u–”

“Edward…?” My love called out to me. I immediately twisted around in the couch to look at her. She was walking into the living room followed by Jasper. I grinned and got up off the couch to greet her. I walked over to her and caressed her cheek. She leaned into my hand and smiled.

“How was your hunt?” I asked.

“It sucked!” Jasper said loudly. “I could barely get in a kill. She was extremely anxious the whole time. With all of it thrown at me in full force, I kept missing my kill and pouncing too soon.”

“Yeah, I was a little anxious to get back to you…” she laughed.

Pssh… a little? Whatever. Edward she was driving me insane! What the hell have you done with her to make her want you so damn much?

Jasper thought while raising an eyebrow and smirking at me.

I rolled my eyes at him and wrapped my arm around Bella’s waist.

“Bella this is the Denali Coven from Alaska. This is Carmen, Eleazar, Kate, Irina, and Tanya.” I said motioning with my free hand to each of them.

“Nice to finally meet you all.” She smiled.

Who the hell is she…and why does he have his arm around her...

I could see Tanya glaring at Bella from the corner of my eye. My grip became tighter around Bella’s waist.

It’s probably nothing…nothing at all. Just friends. That’s right. I still have ch–

“Tanya, I heard that you started school again now.” Alice said suddenly. Tanya turned around to face her.

“Yeah. A few months ago I started at the college you went to last time. After that incident three years ago I hadn’t gone back. I think I now have my control back to how it was before. I was getting extremely bored at home and needed something to do.”

Her mind replayed the night I watched her slip up. It seemed much worse from her point of view. I could practically feel her hunger and bliss as she drank from him.

I winced.

“What’s wrong?” Bella whispered.

I tapped my temple and she nodded in understanding.

What’s up?

Just something Tanya was thinking about. The incident she mentioned.

Bella listened in on her mind and saw that night for herself. Her eyes widened in horror when she noticed I was watching that night from the window.

Oh god, Edward. You could have been hurt…

Nothing happened though, that’s what matters.

I guess you’re right.

She bit down on her bottom lip. She looks so adorable when she does that. She smiled.

I love you..

And I you.

“So, what’s Bella’s story?” Kate asked pulling us out of our silent conversation.

We sat down together on the couch where Tanya and Kate were sitting. Bella told them how we all met. How Alice is Bella’s sister and how we all go to school together now. She didn’t mention anything about the Volturi or my gift.

Pretty soon we were all lost in casual conversation. Hours had passed and it was already midday.

My stomach growled involuntarily. I saw a few of their heads turn in my direction and a few of them in silent laughter. I instantly blushed. I hated having to be the only one to need to feed so often.

Bella turned to me and whispered in my ear.

“I’ll make you something. Want to join me?”

I smiled and stood up to take her hand. We walked to the kitchen where she started to pull out ingredients to make me some pasta.

“I’ve missed your cooking you know.” I said as I stood behind her with my arms wrapped around her waist.

“Well that’s good, because I’ve missed cooking for you.” She turned in my arms and kissed my lips gently.

We put the pot of water to boil on the stove.

I pulled her into another kiss. It was soft and loving. I could feel all the love she sent me through every kiss we shared.

I had tuned everything out and was just concentrating on Bella. I hadn’t noticed we were swaying and moving around a bit. That is until we accidentally hit something. I felt something instantly burn my arm. The sensation made me throw myself back causing me to stumble and fall back.

When I opened my eyes, Bella had the pot of boiling water in her hands and was placing it back on the stove. She turned to look at me and her eyes widened. She was next to me in a second pulling me close to her.

That’s when I felt it.

There was a sharp pain on the back of my neck I went to rub the area with my hand. When I pulled it around there was blood on my fingers. I looked from my red finger tips to Bella’s eyes. She had them closed and I could tell she had stopped breathing.

“Carlisle!” she said in a weak and desperate voice.

In a second’s time, I went from being in Bella’s arms to sitting in my father’s chair in his study. He was kneeling in front of me looking at my arm.

It was bright red from the palm of my hand to the inside of my elbow and it burned. But the pain there I couldn’t feel as much as the throbbing at the back of my neck. My hand went to the back of my head again and I winced in pain.

My dad stood up to look at it.

“Is it bad?”

“It’s not too bad, just a small gash. It’ll heal quickly. Your arm will take awhile.” He went over to his desk and pulled out a first aid kit. He cleaned out the wound and placed a bandage like stitch where the gash was. He then spread a gel on my arm that I assumed was to cool down a burn and then he wrapped my arm in gauze.

There was a light knock on the door.

“Come in.” my dad called out.

Bella walked in and I saw an extreme sadness in her eyes. My dad slipped out of the door leaving us both alone.

“Bella…” I whispered. She was next to me in a second and laid her head in my lap. I combed my good hand through her brown locks. I felt her slightly shake and heard barely audible noises coming from her.

“Bella… are you crying?” I asked her.

“I’m so sorry, Edward. I should have been more careful. I should have been quicker. I should have caught you before you fell…I should have….”

“Look at me.” I said forcefully. Bella lifted her head to look in my eyes. “Don’t blame yourself for this. It was an accident. Besides you can’t be superwoman all the time, love. As much as you’ll be there for me, you can’t possibly be there every second. I’m bound to get hurt every once in a while.” I placed my hand under her chin and kissed her lightly. “Everything will always be ok. Remember?” I smiled which caused her to smile in return.

“You still haven’t eaten though. How about I take you out to eat?” she said.

I sighed. “I’m sorry Bella, but I don’t eat mountain lion.” I said sarcastically. She laughed and it was music to my ears.

“Damn, well that screws up our dinner plans.”

I smirked. Her breathing caught and her lips parted.

“What?” I asked.

She smiled and brought her hand up to trace my lips.

“That crooked grin of yours will be the death of me, Edward Cullen.”

“Crooked grin?”

“Yes, that adorable smirk you always give me. It makes my dead heart start beating again and makes me forget how to breathe. Add that with your captivating green eyes and you sir, have dazzled me.” She lightly tapped the tip of my nose with her finger and smiled.

I lifted her up and sat her in my lap. She mindlessly caressed my burned arm and it felt much better to her touch. Her cold hands soothed the burning feeling. I kissed her forehead.

“So, we going out to eat then?” I asked.

“Of course. I’ll take you where ever you want, my treat!”

I chuckled as we stood up and made our way downstairs. Tanya, Alice, and Kate were the only ones left in the living room when we got there.

“Hey Alice, have you seen my–” Bella started but was cut off by Alice throwing a pair of keys at her. She caught them and we started to walk out the door.

Where are they going…damn it! Am I ever going to have time alone with him?! Well at least I still have a couple of days left…

I was completely confused as I heard Tanya’s mind fade as we drove off into town.

Why was she trying to get me alone…

We went to a small restaurant in town and I ate as Bella watched of course. It was really nice, just Bella and me.

“You know, this is technically our first date.”

“Well, I guess it is.” She laughed as she leaned forward closer to me.

“Hm…I don’t know if I’m comfortable kissing on the first date.”

She pouted and I couldn’t help it. She was so adorable and her lips were too tempting. I closed the distance and kissed her softly. I pulled away. Her eyes were closed and she had a bright smile on her lips. She bit her bottom lip and it made me want to kiss her again.

“I love when you do that.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“When you bite your bottom lip. It does to me what my grin does to you.” Said grin in place as I spoke.

We lost ourselves in conversation and about an hour later left back home. Bella stayed with me until I fell asleep and then she left to hunt again. After being exposed to my blood and my still having the wound it’s pressing at her control and I knew she needed to feed if she wanted to stay near me.

I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. I looked at my clock and it was 2:34am. I was tossing and turning, I couldn’t fall back asleep. I sighed heavily and then heard a soft knock on my door.

It’s now or never…

Tanya?

“Uh…come in?”

She opened the door and stepped in. I sat up in bed and she came to sit by me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I just wanted to come up and talk to you…”

“What about?”

“I wanted you to know that, well…” Damn it Tanya, just spit it out!

“Edward, ever since that night, you know when I slipped up... I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I panicked when I saw you looking at me through the window. I never wanted for you to see me like that. And then the next day…you should have been running away from me. I saw how scared you were, but yet you still sat there with me. Shit, you even hugged me and tried to comfort me! No one ever cared about my well being like that. I was touched. I felt horrible for you having to leave, and I felt even worse because you left and I couldn’t be near you…For the last three years all I’ve done is think of you. I missed you. I did everything I could to learn to control myself again to see you. I guess what I’m trying to say is, well. I love you Edward.” There I said it!

Fuck.

She loves me?

Seriously?

Holy crap. I never expected this…

God, how am I supposed to tell her I’ve already found the love of my life?

Before I could even say anything she crashed her lips on to mine. My eyes widened shock and I instantly pulled away. It was wrong. Everything felt wrong. Her lips were cold and weren’t inviting at all.

How do I tell her that I have never and will never have the same feelings back for her?

“Shit, I’m sorry Edward. I didn’t mean to do that…” Yes, you did. And you know you loved it. “It just sort of happened.”

I turned away from her to collect my thoughts.

I didn’t want to hurt her, what can I say to make it easier?

“Tanya, I–”

“You don’t have to say anything right now…just think about it.” She got up off my bed and closed my door behind her.

Did this just really happen?

Well at least I have some time to figure out what to tell her now…

It took me awhile to fall asleep that night. The next 3 days were extremely awkward around Tanya. I didn’t have the heart to tell her. And I still didn’t know what to say. Every time she saw me close to Bella she would throw death glares at her. Bella and I tried to keep our relationship private and not out in the open for the family to see. And from Tanya’s thoughts she always talked herself out of thinking that Bella and I were together. She wanted to be with me too much to even think that as a possibility.

Probably the worst things about her thoughts were what she thought about doing with me. Tanya was extremely graphic. She has a very…vivid imagination.

I tried to keep my distance as much as I could. I found every excuse possible to leave the house with Bella to get away. Bella seemed oblivious to what Tanya was thinking about me.

Today though I was getting to my breaking point. Tanya had started to ‘accidentally’ bump into me and brush herself on me any chance she got.

I was done with avoiding her, I couldn’t take leading her on anymore.

I grabbed her arm as she walked passed me.

“Tanya, we need to talk.” I said and she smiled.

I felt my stomach turn, I was going to feel extremely horrible about this.

We sat down on the couch and she scooted over next to me.

“About what you said a couple of days ago…” I started.

Her mind immediately went to graphic things she wanted to do with me. I winced.

Ok so maybe I won’t feel as horrible doing this as I thought I would.

“I’m sorry but…” She furrowed her brows in confusion. I sighed.

“Tanya, I don’t feel the same about you.”

“That’s ok we can work up to it.” You’ll fall in love eventually.

I shook my head. “No, Tanya. I…I don’t love you. I love someone else.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“What? But…the last couple days…I’ve…and you…what the hell.”

This is not happening. He will be mine. I always get what I want. I just have to…

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose to calm myself down.

“Who?” she asked.

“Me.”

I looked over to my left and Bella was there walking towards me. She took my hand in hers and rubbed small circles into my hand.

Tanya took one look at our joined hands and let out a loud hiss. It seriously scared the shit out of me. My grip on Bella’s hand tightened.

I faintly heard a growl form in Bella’s chest. I didn’t want them to fight so I loosened my grip on her hand and then gave her a light squeeze to bring her back to me and out of primitive thoughts.

“Tanya, Bella is my girlfriend. And you’re just going to have to accept that. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, that was never my intention.” I turned from her to look up at Bella. “But I’m madly in love with her. And that’s not ever going to change.”

Oh god…

I looked back towards her but all I saw was a blur and then she was gone. I tried to listen for her thoughts to see where she had gone and what she was thinking but she was too far away.

Bella tugged on my arm and we walked up to my room. I sat on my leather couch and pulled Bella onto my lap. We sat there in silence until it was dark.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you about Tanya…”

“It’s ok, I sort of already knew. I should have said something.”

“How did you know?”

“Jasper’s power. I absorbed it because I wanted to see how the Denali’s felt about me…and well, when I got to Tanya I felt that she had annoyance towards me. So I tried to figure out what was wrong. I noticed it was every time I was with you. And then I noticed her love towards you…I knew you were dodging her the last couple of days. That’s why I suggested we stay away from the house so much. That and I didn’t really want her anywhere near you with her trying to feel you up all the time.”

“I shouldn’t have let it get that far though.” I frowned.

“Well at least you’ve told her now.”

“She’s not going to stop trying…I heard it in her thoughts.”

“I think maybe I should have a talk with her tomorrow.”

“I don’t know Bella, what if things end up in a fight? I don’t want you to get hurt…”

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I won’t get hurt. Besides, if things get heated up I’ll just use Jasper’s gift. I’ll be able to calm her like I did earlier.”

She tucked her head underneath my chin and we sat in silence again for about another hour.

I involuntarily yawned. I didn’t want to sleep but I was dead tired.

“Bed time for the human.” Bella giggled.

She kissed my jaw and walked over to the closet. She brought me back a pair of sweat pants.

“What no shirt?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She looked away a little embarrassed. I grinned.

“Well…I…um.”

“I’m messing with you, love.” I kissed her forehead.

I stepped in my bathroom, quickly brushed my teeth, and dressed. When I went back into the room Bella was waiting for me in bed.

I flicker of images quickly drifted through my mind. I imagined Bella in a small lace outfit waiting for me in my bed. I would walk over to lie next to her and kiss her passionately. My hand would slowly move up her shirt and caress the sink of her navel and then at her back, up her spine. I’d bring her closer to me and hold her tightly, as I kissed her neck and…

“Edward?”

I mentally shook my head and walked over to the bed.

What the hell...stop thinking about these things…

It’s too damn early to be thinking that.

Right?

I lay on my back and she lay on her side with her hand laced in mine on my chest.

I closed my eyes to try and control myself.

I prayed that she wouldn’t get any closer to me for a few minutes.

If she felt…well if she felt that, I’d be so embarrassed.

I wonder if she has ever had thoughts about me like that…

Damn it! Let it go…she’s going to notice if you don’t calm the hell down.

“You’re heart beat is racing. What are you thinking about?”

Oh god, please don’t read my mind. Please don’t read my mind. Please don’t read my mind.

“Ok, you don’t have to tell me.” She giggled. She kissed my cheek.

“Now go to sleep, Hun. You need your rest.” She said as she placed herself at the crook of my neck, taking in a deep breath.

Funny how I know I should be scared that a vampire is so close to me, that with one small movement she could have her teeth sinking in to me, and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. She could kill me right now, and I’d die in bliss. It’s crazy, irrational for me to feel so comfortable around her. I know my blood calls for her. It must be extremely painful for her sometimes to even be around me, and yet here she lies beside me. Her lips are barely an inch away from my neck and I feel completely at ease.

The control she has amazes me. It shows me just how much she truly does love me. To make herself suffer and be in physical pain fighting the temptation of my blood, it just shows how hard she’s fighting to be with me.

And I can only hope it shows her how much I love and trust her to let her be this close to me.

The next morning I woke up to face the angel of my dreams. I hoped it would be the face I would wake up to every day for the rest of my life.

We stayed an hour or two lost in each other’s eyes until we thought it would be a good idea to get up and start our day. I took a quick shower and came out to a now fully dressed Bella. I smiled and then went to my closet to get dressed.

We made our way downstairs and I saw Tanya, Kate, and Irina sitting quietly on the couch.

Kate and Irina looked up as Bella and I walked into the living room hand in hand. Tanya just sat there with her head looking down at her lap. She seemed out of it, not her usually bubbly self at all.

Edward…take…she…forever…I…find…I…

Tanya’s thoughts were scattered and fuzzy. I couldn’t quite make out what she was thinking. I was confused and frustrated. I had never heard thoughts like that before.

“Tanya.” Bella said. She looked up. Her eyes held no emotion. “I was hoping you and I could go for a run and maybe talk?” Tanya nodded and headed towards the backdoor. I kissed Bella’s forehead as I held her cheek in my hand. She left a chaste kiss on my lips before going after Tanya.

I walked over to sit by Kate and Irina. Neither of them said anything, they stayed quiet, and for that I was thankful.

I waited.

Chapter 19 - Turn of the Year

Bella’s POV

The last couple of days have been really weird. I found out Tanya was in love with Edward. I know Edward loves me and wants to be with me, but my own insecurities make me think Tanya can convince him otherwise.

Edward was asleep now. He was dreamless tonight. He looked peaceful and angelic. I was a little jealous of him. I wished I could sleep and dream again. It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten how it feels to sleep, and to wake up half tired and wanting more. I wanted to feel that again. He had a smile on his lips as he slept. I felt completely happy in his arms while he lay there sleeping. The smile must mean he’s happy too.

I told him I’d talk to Tanya tomorrow. But I’m not completely sure what I will tell her yet. I need to make it clear that I love him and that he’s chosen me. And that I will be by his side for the rest of his life. I won’t give up on him or step aside for her to woo him if that’s what she intends.

From the stories I’ve heard so far, Tanya is a seductress. I’ve been keeping a watchful eye on her any time she was near him. I found anyway possible to keep him away from her. I didn’t want to take any chances.

I didn’t hate her for loving him. Other than the fact that she glared at me when I was with Edward she seemed fairly nice. Her history was very interesting too. She was an elder of sorts. She lived among the time the Volturi was created. She seemed like the type of person I would get along with, but she wanted nothing to do with me. Her attention was always focused on how to get closer to Edward, and that annoyed me.

The other Denali’s were an interesting bunch though. Eleazar used to be part of the Volturi a little over 200 years ago. He met Carmen as a human and fell in love with her. He turned her and they’ve been together ever since. He resigned from the Volturi and they moved from Europe to Alaska and found Tanya, Irina, and Kate. They showed Eleazar and Carmen the alternative lifestyle and they followed it without question. Tanya is the coven leader, but Eleazar and Carmen are the parental figures. Eleazar is physically 35, Carmen is 28, Tanya 19, Kate 16, and Irina 22.

Tanya, Kate and Irina were all biological sisters. Tanya and Kate were turned by a vampire who was gathering humans to study and evaluate how the changing process can be different between different bites. Tanya was given a small bite with little venom and Kate was given three different bites and given much more venom than necessary. Kate woke up after only two days. The vampire explained to her what she was and what he did to her. She was enraged and used her newborn strength to kill him. She took Tanya’s body and ran to the mountains. Tanya took six days to change, and Kate never left her side.

Irina was 10 at the time of their change. Tanya and Kate decided they would wait until Irina was older and ask her if she wanted to become one of them. Twelve years later they confronted her and after telling them everything she agreed and let them change her.

Of all of them, Kate was the only one to have a gift. She produced an electric current through her body and anyone who came in contact with her skin she could shock and send them flying a hundred feet in the air. The strongest current she can send is through touch, but she can also send the current by extending her palm in the person’s direction. That current isn’t as strong but it’s enough to knock someone down.

Kate was definitely my favorite of the bunch. We sat and talked every once in awhile. I enjoyed talking to her. She was the most down to Earth, ‘tell it like it is’ type of person I’ve ever met.

One day we went for a walk and had an interesting conversation.

“So...you and Edward, huh?”

“Um, yeah. How did you know?”

“Well you’re always together. And the way you both look at each other…” she smiled. “I can just tell. Tanya loves him too you know. But she’s completely oblivious to your relationship.”

“Yeah…I was using Jasper’s power earlier and felt it. I wasn’t too happy about it but I know how love can make you lose concentration on everything else around you. I love him so much. And I’m sorry but if it comes to it, I will not let her try to take his love from me.” I said defensively.

“You’re a feisty one.” She laughed. “Don’t worry. Tanya’s harmless. She’s my sister and I love her to death. But I can tell that what you and Edward have is special. She’ll hate me for it, but I wish you both the best.”

I looked at her in complete shock. I was surprised she supported me instead of her own sister. I thought she’d maybe help Tanya or not say anything at all…

“You look so shocked, Bella. Understandable. I want Tanya to be happy, but I don’t want her stealing someone else’s happiness. She’ll find someone else.” She rolled her eyes. “She always finds someone else.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see. My sisters and I like to try and be as human as possible. We’ve had many relationships with humans over the years. It is possible if you’re careful. But anyways, she likes to date a lot and every couple of decades she finds a human she thinks is ‘The One’ and obsesses over him. Most of the time she looses interest after awhile. Once though, three years ago, that incident she spoke about. I think she really would have ended up loving that guy. But she slipped up… She was never the same after that. But the day after, Edward had comforted her and she mistook that for affection. I think her love for him is based off of that. She was at her lowest point then, feeling like a monster. And having a human be completely comfortable with you even after witnessing you murder an innocent person just hours before…” she shook her head. “I think she just let her emotions run wild for too long. I don’t think she’s truly in love with him.”

I didn’t know what to say it was a lot of information to take in. I did see in Tanya’s mind what happened that day. But I didn’t know that Edward had comforted her the day after.

We walked in silence for awhile until she spoke again.

“So how far have you and Edward gone?” she asked nudging my shoulder.

“What? Oh…um nothing. Just kissing...” I bit my lip. I never really talked to anyone about personal things like that in my relationships.

She grinned.

“But you want to do more.” It wasn’t a question. I stayed quiet and she laughed.

“You do! I can tell. You know, it is possible Bella. I’ve done plenty with my share of humans. You just have to concentrate on making sure your teeth never touch his body and be aware of your strength. Your venom won’t hurt him if he ingests it unless he has a cut in his mouth or on his body where the venom gets to. Oh and when you have sex you have to be gentle let him do most of the work and you–”

I stared at her wide-eyed.

“Kate! I can’t…I mean, can I? …ugh…I’m don’t know.” I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment. I can’t believe I’m actually talking to anyone about doing other things with Edward.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed, Bella. It’s natural. You’ll have urges. And trust me, he is definitely having urges.”

“Of course I’ve had urges. But Kate, I mean, we’ve only just recently made it official. Isn’t it too early to be thinking about doing things like that right now?”

“You love him don’t you?”

“Yes, I do but–”

“No but’s. Besides you’ve known him for months. Loved him for months. Just because you didn’t make it official until a couple of days ago doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go farther…”

“But what if I hurt him?”

“If you love him you won’t.”

Could I really go further?

Lost in my thoughts, the daylight broke through the window shades. I heard Edward’s heart accelerate so he would be awake any moment now.

When he did wake we lay in bed just looking at each other. I still felt like the luckiest woman alive in his arms.

Later he dressed and we made our way downstairs. Tanya, Kate, and Irina were sitting on the couch.

“Tanya, I was hoping you and I could go for a run and maybe talk?”

Tanya nodded and went outside through the back door.

Edward raised his hand to my cheek and kissed my forehead. I looked at Kate and she was smiling at me.

I kissed him softly on the lips before I walked out of the house to look for Tanya.

I followed her sent a few miles into the woods. She was perched on a tree when I found her.

“Tanya–” I started.

“Bella, don’t. I know what you’re going to say. Last night when I ran out, I thought a lot about my last three years. I’ve revolved them on bettering myself just to be with Edward again. I want to be with him, but not at the expense of his happiness. I know you love Edward. And I love him enough to let him be happy and I can tell it’s you that he wants. I’ve been seeing it the last 4 days and have just been denying it. As much as it hurts, as much as I still want to be with him, I’ll leave him alone. You don’t have to worry about me trying to seduce him.”

My jaw was at the floor.

“You would give up so easily on him? Just like that?” I asked.

She nodded.

Could I trust her word? Did she really mean it?

I looked into her thoughts to see if she was being truthful.

Edward…I…Bella…better…He…

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. I couldn’t understand them. They were going very quickly and I could only hear parts of it. I didn’t know what to think. Her thoughts weren’t like this before. Could it be that she’s so heartbroken that her mind has gone on overdrive?

“Thank You.” Was all I could say.

She gave me a sad smile and jumped out of the tree.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a pest. I think we could be friends one day though.” She said.

I smiled. “I hope so. You seem like a genuine person. I don’t want this to ruin any future friendship we might have.”

We ran back to the house in silence. We were only gone a few minutes.

Edward was still on the couch with Kate and Irina when we got back. Eleazar, Carmen, and Alice were now there too.

“I think we should leave now.” Tanya announced. Kate and Alice frowned.

“Tanya, you don’t have to leave. You should spend New Year’s here.” I said to her.

“No, we should go. I promise we’ll visit again soon.” She said.

The rest of the family gathered in the room and said their good byes.

“Sucks we didn’t get to spend more time together.” Kate said as she hugged me.

“Yeah, I really like hanging out with you.” I smiled.

“Come visit us sometime. We can go out shopping and maybe hit up a few clubs.” She said.

“Definitely.” I laughed.

“You guys take the Mercedes. I want to drive back home alone.” Tanya said.

They got in their cars and drove off.

Edward came to my side and slid his arm around my waist. We walked over and sat on the porch swing while everyone else went inside.

“So what happened?” He asked me.

“Nothing really. I barely got out a word. She stopped me before I could say anything and pretty much said she would leave us alone. That she loved you enough to let you be happy with me.”

“Good. Because I am extremely happy with you, and no one will get in the way of that.”

I smiled and lay my head on his shoulder.

“And I know you’re such a sucker…for anything acoustic…”

I pulled out my phone. It was Bethany.

“Hey! How’s it going?”

“Hey Ella! It’s going great. I was just calling to let you know I’ll be landing at the Port Angles Airport in 6 hours!”

“Seriously?! That’s awesome. I’ll be there to pick you up!”

“Yeah, you better be.” She laughed.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Alright, love you Hun.”

“Love you too.”

I hung up the phone and Edward was looking at me confused.

“That was Bethany. She’ll be flying in to Port Angeles later today.” I looked down at my phone to see what time it was. “She’ll be here at three. I’m going to pick her up at the airport when she gets here.”

He smiled.

We got up and I told the family about our new guest.

Esme cleaned the house even though the house was already spotless. Carlisle had to go to the hospital for an emergency. Jasper and Emmett kept Edward busy. They had gone upstairs to Emmett’s room to play video games. Rosalie was in the garage working on my car. She said it needed a tune up after sitting in their garage for three months straight.

Alice and I were in her room and we didn’t really have anything to do, so she decided to doll me up again. I still didn’t like the whole make-over thing but I missed spending time with her so she got her way of course.

It was time to go pick up Bethany from the airport and Alice decided to accompany me. Edward was going to stay behind so that us girls could hang out for awhile.

“Ella!”

“Hey Bethany, did you miss me already?” I laughed.

“Of course.”

“Bethany, this is my sister, Alice.” I said motioning towards her.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Alice! I swear Ella wouldn’t shut up about you or Edward the whole time she was in Volterra.” She laughed. I nudge her playfully.

“Ok, ok. Let’s get back so you can meet the rest of the family.”

On the drive back Alice and Bethany got to know each other a little better. Like I thought before, they instantly became friends. They were so much alike. They were already planning on going shopping together.

When we got home everyone was already in the living room waiting to meet her.

We walked in and everyone stood up from their seats.

“Bethany these are the Cullen’s. This is Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper. And this is Edward.” I said as I bit my lip. Edward winked at me and went to shake Bethany’s hand.

“So…this is the infamous Edward Cullen.” She took his hand in hers and grinned. “You’ve got my dear Ella wrapped around your little finger.”

Everyone laughed and Edward grinned his crooked smile.

Everyone went to sit down again. Bethany leaned in to whisper quickly in my ear.

“You weren’t kidding when you said he was special. He’s almost as bright as you were when I first found you.”

I immediately looked into her mind to see Edward’s aura.

His aura was barely blue. It was almost a white color. I was taken back by his beauty even more. The bright light that was shinning from him literally made him look like an angel.

“Whoa…why do I look like that?” Edward asked.

I smiled.

“Bethany has a gift that sees auras around a person. She sees the potential in someone having a gift and how strong it is or will be by what the aura’s color is.” I said.

“What are the different colors?” he asked.

“When there is no aura, there is no power. When it’s red it means the person has or will have a heightened characteristic like strength, or knowledge. I see blue auras for when someone has a gift. The lighter the blue the stronger their power. I also take in a person’s scent and it tells me what their power is or will be.” Bethany smiled and turned to Edward as she continued. “Your aura is beautiful Edward. It’s very bright. I’ve only ever come across another like it once before.” She turned to look at me. “Ella has the brightest aura I’ve ever encountered. She is by far the most powerful vampire I’ve ever met.”

Bethany thought back to the day she first saw me.

I was walking down the streets of Marcellina when I came across the vampire who claimed to want to audition me for my singing.

I was a bright light that caught her eye, so bright she had to look away for a moment.

When she looked back up I was walking away in the other direction and the woman was smirking and walking towards the house.

Bethany ran up to her and pushed her into an alley way.

“Listen to me, and listen to me well. You stay away from that girl. Don’t you dare even think about feeding from her.”

The woman laughed and Bethany’s hold became tighter.

“Don’t tell me what to do. I can feed from who ever I like.”

“I am part of the Volturi. I can tell you what I please. Do not feed from that human or it will be your last.”

She let her go and the woman ran off at bullet speed.

Edward’s jaw dropped.

“Bethany…you never told me about that.”

“What?” she asked.

“I was reading your thoughts and I just saw what you did all those years ago…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think that it was that important. The good thing is she didn’t kill you. And I did try to help you find her for taking Alice. But we never could…”

“What did you see?” Jasper asked.

“Bethany warned one of the vampires who killed my parents to not feed from me after she saw my aura for the first time.” I explained.

Jasper’s fists clenched. I knew exactly what he was feeling.

Anger.

He was pissed because he knew that same vampire was the one who took Alice that night.

Alice sat in his lap and tried to calm him as best as she could.

“But that’s in the past. Things seem to be looking up for both of you now.” Bethany said to lighten up the mood.

I heard Edward’s phone ring in the kitchen. “Excuse me for minute.” He stood up to go answer it.

Bethany and the family started to talk about how they dealt with going to school and work. But I tuned them out and listened in on Edward.

“Hey Seth, what’s up?”

“Hey Edward! I was calling to see if you wanted to come over tonight. We’re having a big party for New Years and we all want you to come!”

“I don’t know about that Seth, we’ve got company and Bella just got back a few days ago.” I don’t really want to leave Bella…But I do miss Seth and the guys.

“Aw…come on Edward! It’ll be awesome!”

Edward. You should go. It sounds like fun. I don’t want to keep you away from your new friends.

But Bella–

Just go. Everything will be fine. Go have your fun.

Edward sighed but smiled.

“Alright. I’ll go. I’ll need a ride though, I can’t drive ‘cause I hurt my arm…”

I can give you a ride to the La Push boarder if you want.

“Yeah, that’s cool. I can pick you up.”

“Bella says she’ll take me to the treaty line. I’ll meet you there?”

“Alright, I’ll be there at 8pm.”

“See you later.”

“Ok. Later.”

I heard him hang up the phone and he came back into the living room to sit next to me.

“I hope you guys don’t mind but the pack would like me to spend New Years with them. That’s ok right?”

Alice pouted.

“That’ll be fine. Just be back by one.” Carlisle said. Be careful though. Bella you’ll pick him up again afterwards?

I nodded.

The day went by quickly and soon it was already 7:45 and I was driving Edward to the treaty line.

“You sure you’re ok with this, Bella?”

“I’ll miss you. But I want you to have fun with your other friends.” I smiled.

I still wasn’t all too keen on him having werewolf friends but they were his friends and some were actually nice. If something were to happen, I knew they would take care of Edward.

I stopped at the boarder and we waited for Seth to get here.

Edward smiled and leaned in to kiss me. My lips moved with his. I never wanted to break away.

I thought back to what Kate had told me before. I never fully kissed Edward in fear that my venom would harm him. That and I didn’t know if I could completely control myself if I felt the warmth of his body so fully.

And then I did something that surprised both of us.

I let my tongue brush on the bottom of his lip asking for entrance. Edward hesitated a bit but allowed it. He parted his lips and I felt his soft tongue brush up against mine. His scent hit me hard. I forced myself to concentrate on him and the kiss, not on his blood. I would not ruin this.

The moisture of his mouth spilled on my tongue and in my mouth. I was in bliss. The heat from his mouth went from our lips and traveled all through out my body. He was giving me so much pleasure with just the soft movements of his tongue against mine. The taste of his kiss was amazing. It was like his scent in liquid form.

If this is what his scent tastes like…I wondered what his blood–

As soon as the thought came to my mind, I broke the kiss. I couldn’t risk it.

I was gasping for air even though I did not need it.

I looked at Edward and he looked stunned. He sat still and didn’t move. His heart was racing faster than I had ever heard it before.

“Edward, breathe.”

He took a deep breath and locked eyes with me.

“That…was the most amazing…feeling…that I have ever felt.” He said between breaths.

I smiled and bit my lip.

“Likewise.” Was all I could manage to get out.

He took my hand in his and we sat there in comfortable silence until Seth’s car came into view.

He parked and got out of the car with a tall, black haired girl. Edward and I got out to meet them.

“Hey Seth, you remember Bella.”

“Of course. You look lovely Bella.” Seth said. I smiled. “This is my girlfriend Jessica.”

Edward had told me before about imprinting and told me the story on how Seth had met her. She was really pretty. I envied the blue streak she had in her hair. I wish I was able to put some highlights in mine but it never sticks. I guess that’s another drawback of being a vampire. Not even our hair color can change.

“Nice to meet you Jessica. I love your hair.”

“Thanks.” She laughed.

“Well, I’ll leave you all to your fun.” I said turning to Edward.

I placed a small, light kiss on his lips and walked back to my car.

When I got back to the house it was fairly empty.

I found Jasper in the library and asked him where everyone was.

“Esme and Carlisle left to spend some alone time in Port Angeles. Bethany needed to hunt so Emmett and Alice went with her. And of course Rosalie is off doing her own thing in the garage again.”

“Oh. Well would you like to do something with me? I’m bored already.” I laughed.

“Hm…sure want to watch a movie?”

“Ok, pick out a movie then. I’ll be downstairs in a minute.”

I went upstairs to my room to change into some comfortable clothes. As I was getting dressed I heard a loud crash that came from downstairs.

I ran at full speed to see what happened.

I found Jasper lying on the floor, face down in front of the TV. I flipped him around to find that his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving.

“Jasper! Are you ok? Can you hear me?”

He was unconscious. I had never seen this happen before. I began to panic. I reached for my phone to call Carlisle.

Then it all went black.

Chapter 20 - TKO

Edward’s POV

All I could think about was that kiss.

It was perfect. It was much better than I had imagined it all of these months. Bella’s kisses had been all amazing, but that kiss we shared earlier was something else. I felt like my body was lifting in air. There was no one else in this world at all, only me and Bella. Every second of that kiss was like tasting heaven.

The party was a lot of fun, but I was really starting to miss Bella again. I’m not going to deny it, I really just wanted to get back to kiss her and hold her in my arms again.

It was already getting close to 1am and I asked Seth to drive me back to the treaty line to wait for Bella.

I started to worry after awhile. It was 1:15.

Bella was late.

Around 1:30 I decided to call her cell phone to see why she wasn’t here yet.

I called but no one answered. I called again, straight to voice mail.

I was about to call Alice but we saw headlights turn the corner.

We stepped out of the car and I walked up to the light.

It wasn’t Bella car...It wasn’t Bella.

“Edward! We have to hurry, something’s wrong with Bella!” she said panicked.

My chest tightened and I ran towards the car door opening it.

“I’ll call you later, Seth!” I called out behind me as I got in the car.

“What happened to Bella? Is she ok?”

She stayed silent.

“Please, tell me! What’s going on, is she alright?!”

My heart was racing and my head was spinning, I started to get lightheaded.

She still remained quiet.

“Seriously, Where…is she? I thought…you…Where…is…Bel…la…”

Bethany’s POV

Ella and Edward had already left, but the aching burn in my throat was getting worse and worse by the minute. Having been around Edward for the last couple of hours, I really needed to hunt.

“So I think maybe I should go hunt. No offense, but I don’t want to be a threat when Edward gets back.” I stated.

“None taken.” Carlisle said.

“If you want you could go hunting with me and Alice. We were going to hunt tonight anyways.” Emmett offered.

“That would be perfect. Ella told me about that treaty you have with the werewolves, and I want to make sure I don’t trespass.”

“Alright, well let’s get a move on then!” Emmett boomed.

I stood up and followed Emmett and Alice out the front door. We ran for a couple of miles out into the wilderness.

As we ran I let my mind wander thinking back to Ella and Edward. They seem so perfect together. I have never seen Ella so happy.

Even when she was with Demetri for all those years…

But now she’s just absolutely glowing. I’m so happy for her.

But I know it might not last and I hardly want to think about how it’ll destroy my dear Ella when Edward dies.

It’s such a shame that Edward doesn’t want to become a vampire.

It was so refreshing to see another beautiful aura like his. If he were to become a vampire he would definitely be very powerful.

When I first met Ella her aura was the brightest I had seen. But it baffled me when I took in her scent that night at her house.

Her scent told me she would be very powerful, almost too powerful, but I never had a specific read on her. Maybe it’s because she would develop a gift that can manipulate any and every gift other’s had. It could have been that she was destined to have many gifts, so I could never narrow it down to just one. It’s still a mystery to me to this day.

With Edward it’s almost the same as Ella except for one thing. His scent tells me he has the ability to read minds but there’s something more. And extra sense I can’t quite place. I’m not sure what it means, but there would definitely be something powerful if he were to turn.

“Beth, we have to stay within a twenty mile radius of this here. Beyond that to the East is the La Push reservation and we can’t go there.”

“Got it. Shall we meet back here?”

“Yep. We’ll meet back here in lets say, oh…four hours?”

“Sounds good.”

I raced off listening around me. Looking for a warm heart beat.

The night was quiet and still, the moon full.

A perfect night to hunt.

I hunted for about three and half hours. I killed about three bucks and one mountain lion. I felt satisfied but I decided to have one more before heading back just to be safe.

I closed my eyes and listened out in to the night.

In the distance about two miles away I heard a stream and a set of hooves pacing. A steady heart beat pounded in my ear.

I took off running towards the noise. As I got closer my venom produced and I could see him now. A large elk stood before me.

I crouched low waiting for the perfect opportunity. The elk stiffened and his ears propped up. He sensed danger. Now was my chance. I jumped in the air and took a hold of my defenseless prey. I pulled up my lips and leaned in to my prized kill.

As I was about to sink my teeth into the delicious neck of the beast, the wind shifted and I pulled my head up into the breeze.

No.

It can’t be.

Not here.

I’d recognize that scent anywhere.

I left my kill lifeless on the ground and sped of in the direction of the house.

I heard rustling in the trees behind me.

I was being followed.

“Beth!”

“Alice, hurry. We must get back, Now!”

Emmett suddenly shot out of the trees and ran beside me.

“What’s going on, Bethany?” he asked.

“I’ll explain when we get back.”

I ran as fast as I could, I could see the white house in the distance. I pushed myself faster.

I threw the door open almost pulling it off its hinges.

“Ella!” I screamed running to her stiff body on the ground. I pulled her up close to me cradling her in my arms as I had the first night I met her. She seemed lifeless and fragile.

“Bella.” Alice gasped. She walked closer and screamed bloody murder as she saw Jasper’s body lying behind me. She ran up to him and brought him up to her lap. “Oh my god, Jasper…. Jasper! Wake up. Oh god…please wake up.”

“Alice he’s not dead. I don’t know how long they will be out but they will wake up. You have to get everyone back here now.”

Alice took out her cell phone and called Carlisle and Esme back to the house.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

I heard Emmett roar in the distance. A few seconds later he rushed into the living room with his wife’s body limp in his arms.

“What the fuck is going on? Please…tell me she’s not dead…” he growled.

“No, she’ll be fine Emmett. Lay her there on the other couch. Alice lay Jasper over there.” I took Ella and laid her down on the couch nearest to me.

“What are we going to do? I don’t understand what’s happening…How did I not see this coming?” Alice sobbed.

Carlisle and Esme rushed into the house. Esme immediately went into sobs and Carlisle’s eyes widened in horror as he took in the scene before him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We went hunting. While I was about to have my kill the winds changed and it carried three scents, they were of vampire. One of them has the gift to knock anyone unconscious. That scent fills this room right now.”

“And the other two? Who are these three vampires?” Carlisle asked.

“One I don’t recognize but the other two…" I shook my head in disbelief. "God I, can’t believe this is happening.”

My head was spinning.

Why did this have to happen now of all times?

“Who are they Bethany?” He urged.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“They are the same ones who took Alice.”

Chapter 21 - Traitor

Bella’s POV

We’re laying in our meadow. He has his arm around my shoulder while I’m lying on my side with my head on his chest.

It was heaven.

His chest rises up filling his lungs and back down exhaling his delicious scent.

“I love you, Bella.” He leans in and kisses the top of my head.

I lace my fingers with his and I can almost hear his smile.

“I love you too, Ed –” I gasp as I tilt my head to look in his eyes.

“Edward…” I breathe as I run my fingers over the shadows that lay under his pitch black eyes.

“How...” I trail off.

He takes my hand away from his face and kisses each of my finger tips.

I bite my lip.

I prop myself up and lay on top of him, grinning.

I lean forward to kiss his lips. We are an inch apart, my eyes never leave his.

I feel a breeze, he disappears.

My body falls to the now empty ground of the meadow.

I look around frantically.

“They are the same ones who took Alice.”

I furrow my brows, confused at the voice suddenly echoing through the meadow.

I twist and turn to look for the voice. There is no one around.

I stay still to listen for the voice again.

Silence.

I remember Edward’s disappearance and call out for him.

“Edward…”

The meadow is silent, no wind, no moving animals, no heart beats, everything is silent.

“Bella? Can you hear me?”

Another voice breaks the silence. It echoes out into the silent forest.

My mind is still set on finding Edward, everything else can wait.

“Edward!” I call out more forcefully. “Please…Edward. Where are you?”

Darkness falls, everything is quiet once more.

I see a flash of red.

His evil laugh sends a chill up my spine.

Alice’s POV

“They are the same ones who took Alice.”

I gasped.

But why would they be here?

Was it a coincidence?

Are they trying to find me?

How did I not see this?

“Edward…”

I immediately jumped up and kneeled before Bella.

“Bella?” she still had her eyes closed but was now tossing and turning. “Can you hear me?”

“Edward!” she screamed.

I quickly looked in to Edward’s future. It was still black. He must still be with the wolves.

“Please…Edward. Where are you?” she cried.

I looked down at my phone for the time.

“Someone needs to go pick up Edward from the treaty line. It’s already 1:30. Bella was supposed to pick him up at 1.” I announced.

“I’ll go call Edward and let him know we’re on our way.” Esme said. She left the room towards the kitchen.

I looked down at Bella. She looked so pained and worried.

I wonder if she’s having a nightmare…

“Alice…”

“Jasper!”

I ran to him and cradled him in my arms. His eyes fluttered open at my touch.

I hugged him close to my body and laid kisses all over his face.

“Oh god, Jasper. I’m glad you’re ok! You had me so worried!”

“What happened?” he asked groggily.

“We don’t know much, but apparently some vampire with a gift knocked you, Bella and Rose out of consciousness and…”

Suddenly Carlisle’s cell phone went off. He furrowed his brows as he looked at the caller ID.

“Hello?” he greeted.

“Hey Mr. Cullen. It’s Seth.”

“Oh hey Seth. How can I help you?”

“I was just calling to see if Bella was alright…”

Carlisle’s eyes widened and Esme rushed into the room.

“Edward isn’t answering his phone…” she said extremely worried.

“What…How do you know…” Carlisle asked.

“Well she was late and some lady came to pick up Edward instead. She said something happened to Bella and they took off. It was strange though ‘cause they weren’t heading in the direction of your house.”

“Seth, we haven’t sent anyone to pick up Edward yet…” Carlisle looked directly at me with a look of horror on his face. “Oh god. Alice…”

I immediately searched Edward’s future.

There was a dark room. A pair of glowing red eyes can be seen from one corner of the room.

“For a moment there, I didn’t think you had it in you to pull this off.” said the voice with the red eyes.

He laughed and walked out of the room.

The light from the other side of the door shone in before it closed.

It lit up the other end of the room.

Lying across the floor was Edward unconscious bleeding from his lip.

The door closed and a key locked it shut..

“No, no…NO!”

“Alice, what did you see?” Carlisle asked.

“Some vampire…he has Edward locked away in a room. He’s hurt…We have to find him!” I yelled.

“Seth, this woman who drove away with Edward, have you seen her before?”

“Um…No, but her scent was vaguely familiar.”

“Did you see what she looked like?”

“No I couldn’t get a good look at her.”

Carlisle sighed nervously and closed his eyes.

“Seth, please contact Jacob. Tell him Edward has been kidnapped. Alice had a vision of a vampire holding him captive and he’s hurt.”

“Oh crap! Damn it, I should have known something was up. I’ll phase and let him know. I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”

He hung up the phone and took Esme in his arms.

She was sobbing and could barely stand up on her own.

How can this be happening…

“Edward!” Bella screamed as she suddenly sat up on the couch. “Oh God. No! They have Edward! They have him! We have to get him back…Edward…”

“Bella?” I called to her.

She quickly turned towards me.

Her eyes were pitch black.

“Mary Alice, They’ve taken Edward…they…oh god.”

She pulled her face into her hands.

“Bella…” I said sitting next to her. “Who has him?”

“I had a vision or maybe it was a dream, I don’t know what it was…” She shook her head. “Edward and I were in our meadow and then all of a sudden he disappeared. I was looking for him…and then…” she trailed of sobbing.

“And then what?” I asked franticly.

“And then I saw them…The two that took you, the ones who killed mom and dad…They…They have Edward. Alice… They have him! What if they kill him too?” she cried.

I took her in my arms comforting her as best I could.

What if they did kill him?

Oh god. I swear if they do anything to him…

“Damn it!” Bella yelled. “My head is spinning, I can barely concentrate. I keep trying to find him…My power is going all haywire. Something’s wrong…One second it’s working and the next everything is gone.”

“Mine too. It keeps coming and going. When I do have it, I can barely feel anyone’s emotions. Right now I can’t feel anything…” Jasper stated.

“It might be an after shock of being knocked out.” Bethany said taking a seat next to Bella again rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“Ugh! That Bitch!”

We all snapped our head in attention to a now pissed off looking Rosalie.

She was lying on the couch with her head in Emmett’s lap, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

“Rose?”

“I’m gonna kill her.” She hissed finally opening her eyes.

We all stared at her waiting for her to explain. She sat up and glanced around the room once.

“I was out in the garage minding my own business. She came in and said ‘I love you Rose. Please don’t hate me.’ And then BAM she punched me in the face. She fucking punched me!”

“Who?” Carlisle asked her anxiously.

Rosalie clenched her fists and growled.

“Tanya.”

Chapter 22 - Come Find Me

Edward’s POV

I opened my eyes and all I could see was darkness.

My head hurt like hell.

I have no idea where I am…

One second I was at La Push waiting for Bella…

Bella.

Where is she?

What happened…

I remember Tanya showing up and saying something was wrong with Bella. We drove off but she stayed quiet. All of a sudden she put her hand on my shoulder and I felt exhausted.

I must have passed out.

But where am I now?

I can’t see a thing…

I tried to focus in on the thoughts around me.

Everything was muffed some how.

Like how Tanya’s thoughts were…

Tanya.

Did she kidnap me?

Oh god…

Did she hurt Bella?

I tried to lift myself up off the floor but was stopped by a sharp pain on my side.

I clutched my hand to my ribs.

I must have fallen.

My breathing raced.

How will I get back to her?

Will I ever see her again?

Human … plan…awake…yes…

I heard the broken thoughts get closer and closer.

I curled up into myself, trying to sit up.

Suddenly a door opened and a bright light blinded me.

It took a second for my eyes to adjust.

When I finally opened them, I gasped.

In front of me stood a vampire with blood red eyes grinning evilly at me.

But it wasn’t just any vampire…

It was one of the vampires I saw in Bella’s thoughts.

The one who killed her mother.

“You!” I yelled. “You killed Bella’s family…You’re the one who took Alice!”

His grin twitched into a hard line.

“Interesting.” His voice was eerie and deep. It sent a chill up my spine.

“Why am I here? Where is Bella?”

He laughed and rushed closer to me, only a foot away.

Instinctively, I backed away from him, sending another sharp pain from my side throughout my whole body. I clutched my hand tighter.

“Hmph…Seems you’re very well informed. I hear you have some kind of romantic relationship with dear Isabella.” He smirked. “You will help quite well.”

“I wont help you with anything.” I hissed.

“You won’t have to do anything. You’re just bait.”

Bait?

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, all will be revealed in time. All you have to do is stand there and look pretty.” He rolled his eyes and laughed.

“Do what ever you want with me, but leave Bella the fuck alone!”

He shook with more laughter and started to walk away. “We’ll see about that.”

Forgetting the pain in my ribs and that he was a vampire, I jumped up and threw myself at him.

He quickly turned and grabbed me by the shirt.

“I can snap you with just a flick of my wrist. So why even bother to put up a fight?”

He flung me across the room. My back hit the wall and I fell on my stomach. I could feel blood dripping down my lip.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

I closed my eyes and stayed still trying my hardest to ignore the pain my body was in.

“James…you said you wouldn’t hurt him!” Tanya’s voice rang loud in the room.

“Relax. He’ll be fine. Stay with him and make sure he doesn’t leave. Knock him out again if you have to.”

Tanya walked over to one end of the room to sit down and stare at me.

“For a moment there, I didn’t think you had it in you to pull this off.” James sneered.

He laughed and I heard him lock the door behind him.

“I’m sorry Edward. This was the only way we could be together.” It’ll all be over soon.

To my relief, Tanya’s thoughts weren’t scattered or muffled anymore.

Good.

I’ll get information from her.

Bella’s POV

“Tanya.”

“What?!” Alice yelled. “Why the hell would she do this?”

“Edward…” I breathed.

They all turned to look at me.

“She wants Edward. That’s why she did this. She must have been the one to take him…” I said in barely a whisper.

“But I thought you said she agreed to leave you two alone. Why the sudden change of heart?” Jasper asked.

“I…I don’t know. She seemed so sincere when I spoke to her. I don’t understand why she would do this after what she told me.”

“But why would she take him to those two vampires?!” Emmett yelled.

“As leverage.” Bethany said.

“Leverage? Leverage for what?” Jasper asked.

“I’m not completely sure, but I’m thinking they want us to fight them. So they’re using Edward to lure us out.” She continued.

“But how does that explain Tanya’s part! Why would she give them Edward if she wants him for herself?” Emmett yelled again.

“Maybe this Tanya believes they can actually kill you all. Then afterwards, Edward won’t have anyone else to go to but her.” Bethany said in disgust.

I shuddered.

I can’t believe this is happening…

I should have never urged him to go to La push!

I should have stayed by his side.

Why the hell didn’t I realize what Tanya was doing?

I’ll kill all three of them.

I tried to absorb Demetri’s tracking again.

It’s so frustrating having my power go all screwy. And at a time like this no less!

Damn Tanya to the lowest pit in Hell.

How could she do this to me!

How could she do this to us!

The Cullen’s have been friends with the Denali’s for years!

I pulled and concentrated on my power.

Finally I was able to somewhat track him.

“We have to find Edward fast. I’ve been trying to track him. The most I could find out though is that he’s still here in Washington. But I can’t tell where exactly.” I announced.

Suddenly my vision clouded over.

Edward was sitting in the same dark room in a corner holding his side.

Dried blood was stained on his shirt.

“Tanya…please, let me go.”

“No, I can’t. James and Victoria told me…they said I could keep you if I help them.”

“But why are you helping them? Tanya, I thought we were friends…we’re all practically family. How could you do this to Carlisle?”

Tanya looked away.

“I didn’t have a choice.”

Edward’s eyes widened.

“Where are we Tanya?”

Edward stared her down. His eyes narrowed.

He was digging into her thoughts.

“We’re in Tacoma in an abandoned building off of 33rd street.” Edward whispered.

Tanya gasped and rushed by his side. “What…how…?”

Victoria suddenly ran into the room glaring at the two.

“How the hell did he know where we are?” she yelled as she threw Tanya across the room.

Edward smirked.

“Come find me.” He mouthed as Victoria held Tanya by the throat up against the wall.

I looked at Alice as I pulled out of the vision.

“Did you get that?” she asked.

I only nodded.

I was shocked.

Oh, Edward you smart, smart boy!

“We know where they have Edward. He got the information from Tanya and told us through a vision.” Alice told Carlisle.

I gave him the address.

“We have to get there as soon as possible. They might change locations once they figure out what he’s done to help us find him.” I said.

“Alice, keep looking for any change. Let’s take two cars just in case. Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett come with me. The rest take another car.” Carlisle instructed.

“Here take my jeep.” Emmett said tossing me his keys.

We got in the cars and took off.

We drove for 15 minutes when Alice was hit with another vision.

“Stop!” she yelled. “Turn back…They decided to come back to Forks to face us.”

“Where will they be?” I asked.

“There’s a clearing, by the mountains. They will wait there for us.”

I made a sudden U-Turn on the highway and immediately took out my cell phone and called Carlisle.

“Things changed. They decided to go back to Forks. We’re going to head back. You should keep going to Tacoma just in case they’re trying to trick us.”

“Ok. We’ll keep going. Call if anything else changes.”

I hung up the phone and raced back to Forks.

I’ll be there soon Edward.

Chapter 23 - A Trade

Bella’s POV

“We have to run the rest of the way.” Alice said.

I parked Emmett’s jeep and we all followed Alice through the thick woods towards the clearing.

Alice stopped in the middle of the clearing. The clearing was quite big, to say the very least.

Bethany, Jasper, and I stood around her in a triangle stance. We had a feeling those two vampires were after Alice again, and this time she would be very well protected. They wouldn’t get the least bit close to her.

“They’ll be here soon.” She announced.

“Bella are your powers working better now?” she asked in a whisper meant for only our ears to hear.

I focused on tracking Edward. He was about five miles away but I couldn’t tell from what direction.

I clenched my fists to control myself from running to go find him.

It wouldn’t be safe for him if I did something in the spur of the moment.

“It seems to be working, but it’s still a bit weaker than it should be. I’m hoping that will change by the time they get here.” I whispered back in the same hushed tone.

Alice nodded.

Out in the distance I could faintly hear footsteps running towards us.

Alice pointed to a spot in the woods covered in ferns about 50 feet in front of us.

“There.” She said.

Ten seconds later my mother’s murderer stepped out into the clearing with a smirk on his face that I wanted to rip off.

I growled loudly fighting with all my strength not to run to him and pull his limbs off.

A second later the fire-headed vampire bitch that killed my father followed in his steps.

Edward wasn’t with either of them.

“Where’s Edward?” I demanded forcefully.

“Impatient, much?” Victoria laughed.

Her laugh made me cringe. It was much like a nails on a caulk board type of sound.

I hissed and Victoria lowered herself in to a crouch.

I thought of Jane and glared at her.

She slightly stumbled back but lifted herself back up.

“What the fuck was that?” She growled.

“Damn it.” I said under my breath.

What I wouldn’t give to have that damn brat Jane be here right now to torture her…

James rolled his eyes at his mate and grinned at me.

“Still weak Isabella?” he asked.

I hissed.

“What, you didn’t think we’d let you have your full strength in power when you met with us, did you? I know what you’re capable of.” He mused.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued.

“That gift of Tanya’s is quite useful. Rendering a vampire unconscious to then leave their physical strength and powers weaker…” He let out a cynical chuckle. “Yes, very useful indeed.”

“James, I asked you a question. Where is Edward?” I growled, still fighting to control myself from running over and ripping his throat out.

He raised his hand and motioned it forward.

A second later Tanya emerged out of the forest holding Edward by the shoulders.

“Edward…” I said taking a step forward.

Before I could take another step James took Edward from her grasp.

He held Edward by the neck, close to his body.

“No!” I begged.

“Bel–la…” Edward choked out.

James looked from Edward to me.

I was frozen in my tracks.

Edward was a hand away from death and I couldn’t do anything about it.

I was helpless.

“Now, on to business.” James said.

“What do you want James?”

He tilted his head slightly to the side.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he smirked.

“I won’t let you take Alice again.” I hissed.

He laughed.

“No I don’t want Alice. Although, when I did have her, she was quite…fun.”

Jasper lunged out at James.

“No…” I gasped.

What was Jasper doing! He’s going to get Edward killed…

“Tanya.” James said calmly.

Tanya leaped forward and crashed into Jasper mid-air, sending him flying backwards.

She landed on her feet gracefully and crouched down.

Jasper got back up to his feet and circled around Tanya waiting for his chance to pounce.

“Jasper, don’t hurt her!” Edward yelled.

Edward was panting. He was staring at Jasper and Tanya.

Why the hell would he want us to not hurt her?

Is he insane?!

She was the one who kidnapped him!

I reached out to his mind.

Edward..?

His eyes focused directly at mine.

Oh God, Bella! Tell Jasper to stop! She’s being controlled. She doesn’t have a choice. Please!

What are you talking about? She kidnapped you and –

Victoria. It was because of her! She has the power to persuade. They’ve been using Tanya.

My eyes widened.

“Jasper!” I called out. “Pull back.”

He stiffened.

What…why…after what’s she’s done?

“Just do it, please.”

Jasper hissed and hesitantly retreated. When he got to his original spot beside Alice he shot me a confused glance.

“Bethany…” I whisered. “In your mind tell me about their gifts.”

Bethany closed her eyes and slightly tilted her head up, taking in a deep breath.

Victoria is a mind controller. She persuades a person’s thoughts to do what she pleases.

So Edward is right…

She took in another deep breath.

Hmm…James has the power of confusion. He feeds the mind confusion to mess with their senses.

Well isn’t that a bitch.

Bella…

I turned my attention to Edward.

You all need to get out of here. Let them have me. I just want you to be safe.

Don’t be ridiculous Edward! I won’t leave you here.

“If Alice isn’t want you want, then what is?” I asked.

James’ grin grew larger.

“You know Isabella. When we first went to Marcellina your scent was the most intoxicating I had ever come across. I told Victoria to recruit you so I could drink you.” He paused and licked his lips. “But then you.” He glared at Bethany. “You interrupted. Damn Volturi gets in the way of everything. So, since I couldn’t take you. I took the next best thing.”

His mind brought images of the dreadful night they massacred my parents.

I cringed and he laughed.

“Do you like the play by play Isabella?” he asked.

I glared at him.

He laughed. “Yes, I know you can read my mind. I’m allowing it. I want you to see, to feel what I’ve done to your precious family.”

He recalled drinking from my mother and how her blood flowed freely and viciously down his throat quenching his thirst.

I turned my face away as if looking away would take back the scene playing in my mind.

“And of course when I claimed my second place prize.”

James pulled Alice by the hair and threw her at a tree.

He paced in front of her. Victoria placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him. He kissed her and then looked back at a half conscious Alice lying on the ground. He smirked.

“What shall we do with her?”

“Well I’ve always wanted a daughter…” Victoria laughed.

“Very well then.”

James glided closer and kneeled before Alice.

Alice’s eyes were wide and swollen with tears.

“Now, don’t move. This is only going to…well this is going to be the worst pain you will ever feel.” He laughed.

He swiftly leaned in and caught her neck with his teeth.

Edward gasped.

“You monster!” he yelled.

James tightened his grip around Edward’s neck.

Edward clawed at his arm trying to break free.

I – I…can’t breathe…

“Please! Loosen your hold…He can’t breathe!” I pleaded.

James laughed. He loosened his grip slightly.

Edward gasped for air, trying to steady his breathing again.

I watched in horror.

My poor Edward…what have I done…

I should have stayed away from him, look what I’ve got him into now!

Bella…It’s not your fault. Just please get out of here!

“You know Isabella. You almost found us so many times over the years.”

My head shot up to look at James.

“Thanks to your little sister over there you never did find us.” He laughed. “With Victoria telling her she had to warn us every time you got closer to finding us, she had no choice but to let us know. 130 years we dodged you. It was quite funny.”

“Hilarious.” I scoffed.

“That is until she started having visions of that pathetic excuse of a vampire…what was his name...oh yes. Carlisle, the one who drank from animals.” He said in disgust.

We all growled defending our adoptive father.

How dare he insult Carlisle! Jasper thought.

“It goes against our very nature! And I bet the taste is horrid. She fed off humans for more than a century and then all of a sudden she has some damn vision about becoming a ‘vegetarian’ and she starves herself. Hah! What a ludicrous idea.” He paused and then smirked.

“One day I caught her trying to feed off of an elk after she had starved herself for three months.” He glanced over at Alice and spoke to her. “Do you still have that scar across your shoulder?” he asked.

Alice’s hand mindlessly went up to cup her shoulder.

How did he know about that…

He smirked.

“I tore your arm off for disobeying me that day.” He laughed.

Jasper growled louder than I have ever heard him before.

He tore her arm off?! Bella…he’s mine! I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.

“Though, It left me uneasy at how she escaped from me. I should have never invited that rogue into my coven.” James continued.

“You can join my coven if you want. But I always take first pick when feeding.”

“Yes, I think I’ll stay for awhile James.” A tall, dark haired man replied.

His eyes look over James’ shoulder.

“Who is she?” he asked.

“That’s Mary. She’s my little fortune teller. She’s only useful to me if there’s a threat. You can use her as a mate in the mean time. I have Victoria.”

“That idiot fell in love with her. He didn’t even take you when I gave you to him. He said he wanted you to fall in love with him, that he didn’t want to violate you.” James rolled his eyes. “For a year he stayed with us trying to woo her. She told him of a vision she kept having of a man she was destined to marry. He took pity in her…” James growled. “He took her away one day and left her somewhere that I couldn’t find her. Months later I cam across him again.” He grinned. “And shred him to pieces.”

“Zachari…” Alice gasped.

Her mind pulled into a distant and faded memory.

“Mary?”

“Hm..?”

“If I said there was a way I could help you get to that coven that drinks from animals, would you let me help you?”

“I don’t know if there is a way…James and Victoria…they would never allow it.”

“But if I can make it happen. Would you allow me to help you?” he asked.

“In a heartbeat.”

He took her hand in his and walked along the bank of a secluded lake.

“Mary, do you know what my gift is?”

“I don’t know much…just that you change memories, right?” Alice asked him.

“Sort of. Actually, I can alter them, but I can also make someone’s mind completely forget certain memories.”

“Oh.”

“Mary, let me take all the memories away from you.” He said as he held her face in his hands. “I’ll leave only your visions of the coven and of your Jasper. I’ll take away all the years of memories that James has made you suffer and I’ll make sure he doesn’t go after you.”

“You would do that for me?” Alice said in a weak voice.

“I love you. I would do anything for you.” he replied.

“You’re a good man Zachari.” She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He smiled and placed his hands at her temples.

“When you wake up, you won’t remember anything.”

“You killed him…” Alice cried.

“Yes. He should have never betrayed me. I had my revenge on him. But now, I want something more in return.” He quickly turned to face me again.

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"Isabella, if you truly want this human to live, I'll offer you a trade."

“I don’t have anything to give you James.”

His cynical laugh echoed through the clearing.

“On the contrary. You have everything I want.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“You.”

Chapter 24 - Giving in

Previously on Another Chance:

“On the contrary. You have everything I want.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“You.”

Bella’s POV

“You want…me?” I asked.

What the hell does he want me for? He better not want…

“Yes, you Isabella. You are very powerful. With you in my coven, there would be no stopping us.”

“What the hell are you talking about…”

“We can rule. Everyone will grovel at our feet. Victoria, you, and I can be kings. We can be gods!”

“Are you forgetting about the Volturi James? They’ll kill you for even thinking about trying anything like that.” Bethany stated.

“That is exactly why I want Isabella. She has the ability to destroy them.” James laughed.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“And what makes you think I will go against the Volturi? I am still loyal to them.” I declared.

“Silly girl have you forgotten what I have against you?”

“Edward…” I gasped. “Please, let him go.” I begged.

He grinned.

“Yes, I do have him. But you’ve forgotten my biggest weapon.”

Do not move. Stay where you are.

My eyes widened in horror as Victoria’s voice rang loudly through my mind.

What the hell…

Bella…I can’t move…

What’s going on?

“No…” I whispered.

Fuck.

James shook with laughter.

“Oh yes. You all were too busy thinking about this damn human to realize that Victoria has been tapping into all your minds this whole time.”

He threw Edward to the ground in front of him.

Edward fell to his knees and held his side as he pressed his forehead to the ground. He lifted his head to look at me.

My heart broke and tore from my chest from the look in his eyes. They pain, the longing, the love, the fear. He was giving up…

Bella…What ever happens, just know that I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything in my entire life. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…

One single tear fell over his cheek hitting the wet ground.

No, Edward. This isn’t goodbye. We will make it through this…

“Hmm…” James circled around Edward. “What to do next…”

He grabbed Edward’s arm and slightly flicked his wrist.

I heard it before he felt it.

The sound of Edward’s bone cracking rang in my ear. Edward screamed in agony.

I cringed and struggled to move.

“No! Please, leave him alone!” I yelled.

“Will you join us then?” James asked.

I clenched my jaw.

What am I supposed to do?

If I join them, I’ll have to kill the Volturi.

But the guard is very large. I won’t be able to pull it off. If they fight me all at once, I don’t stand a chance.

But what am I saying! Most of the guard are my friends!

How am I supposed to go through with this?

I don’t want to kill them…

But Edward…

I can’t lose Edward. He’s the love of my existence.

How will I go on without him?

“Bella…” Edward cried.

Snap.

Edward’s screams again filled the air and echoed through out the clearing.

James stood behind him with his leg over Edward’s calf. Edward was now lying on the ground face down.

“Stop hurting him!” I yelled out as James positioned himself over his other leg. “Fine! I’ll do what ever you want. Just let him go!”

“No…Bella, no…” Edward whimpered.

James grinned in satisfaction.

“You know…Our gifts seem to be working wonders on you Isabella. Maybe I should take him anyways…”

James tore Edward’s shirt off and grabbed a hand full of his hair. He pushed his head to the side exposing Edward’s neck.

James leaned in to the crook of his neck inhaling deeply.

“He smells delicious.”

He ran his tongue along the side of his neck.

“So tempting…”

“Don’t you dare!” I growled.

James laughed loudly.

“Hah! And who will stop me?”

I wanted to lunge out at him and tear his head from his body. I tried to move. My legs didn’t cooperate.

I growled in frustration.

“See?” he laughed. Victoria’s laughter joined his.

He smirked and glanced at each of us. His face screamed victory.

“You know what I think? I think our dear Isabella just wants him all to herself.” He turned to Victoria. “Should I give her the honors?”

I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach.

“Hm…I think that’s a good idea. Those golden eyes are quite unfashionable.” Victoria narrowed her eyes at me and smiled.

“Yes, crimson would look much better.” She stated.

I could feel the venom build up in my eyes.

Please God, don’t let them do this.

“Victoria, why don’t you have a little fun with our new coven member.”

Isabella…why don’t you have a closer look at your little human, hmm?

I closed my eyes as I felt myself take a step forward.

Open your eyes. Don’t disobey me! Keep walking…

My eyes opened, I took another step.

Behind me I could hear Alice’s sobs and Jasper’s snarls.

Good girl…keep walking, you know you want to taste his blood. It calls for you…

My venom spilled in my mouth. The air was drenched in Edward’s scent.

I could tell he was the only human who has been in this clearing for weeks.

I swallowed as much of the venom as I could, but I produced more as I got closer.

I was half way there when I heard Bethany.

ELLA! Think of Benji! Ella please…you need to stop. It’s Edward!

Benji…

Oh god, why didn’t I think of it sooner…

I felt the barrier spread through my mind.

Keep moving! Take him, he’s only a few feet away. Do it now!

I stood motionless.

Victoria narrowed her eyes.

Isabella, go to the human!

I turned to her and smiled.

“What are you doing Victoria? Make her do it already so we can get on our way.” James said impatiently.

“It…it’s not working. I told her and she’s just standing there…I..” James slapped her.

He turned to glare at me.

“You’ve learned a few more tricks I see. Well, just because we can’t attack your mind doesn’t mean I still can’t make you do what I want.”

He grabbed Edward’s neck and lifted him up to his knees again.

James smiled and caressed Edward’s neck.

“So fragile, these humans. So easily broken and harmed.” He turned to look at me. “So easy to make bleed.”

Edward whimpered as James slowly sliced into his neck with his finger nails.

The monster roared inside me as I smelled and saw the blood flowing freely over Edward’s shoulder.

The venom was streaming down my throat and spilling over my lips.

I held my breath.

It didn’t help much. I could still taste his scent on my tongue.

I clenched my fists.

It was taking all my strength to keep me from running to taste his blood.

Even though I wasn’t breathing, my mind recalled his scent over again. It was calling for me, tempting me to oblivion.

James took his fingers and widened his wound. His fingertips were glazed in Edward’s blood.

He lifted his hand to his mouth and licked the blood from them. His eyes rolled to the back of his head in pleasure.

My body roared in jealousy.

He was mine no one else could have him.

I leaped in the air and kicked James in the chest taking Edward out of his hands and into mine.

I only saw red.

I opened up my senses and breathed in his heavenly scent.

My senses were bursting with the sweet aroma.

My mouth devoured it.

The most exhilarating feeling embraced me, taming the thirst with the finest wine from the vineyard.

The slick, sweet blood slid down my throat with ease.

It was hypnotizing, captivating.

My mind was numbed with the ecstasy that filled my eager mouth.

My tongue lapped at the skin, tasting every last drop not letting any spill over.

It would be a waste for any more of this sweet delicacy to spill on the floor.

The monster has its feast.

I drank. I tasted. I filled. I savored.

No animal could ever give me this perfection in taste, this bliss.

A howl ripped through the air.

A scream.

My concentration blurred.

I quickly tuned everything out.

My teeth sunk in deeper and the blood gushed into my mouth.

The bliss in concentrated doses, as the thick liquid filled me.

Chapter 25 - Damn Them All!

Alice’s POV

Damn Victoria.

Damn James.

Damn Tanya.

I can’t believe this is happening to my family.

Everything was going so well…

We were all so happy now.

My family was finally complete.

Damn them all.

And the worst part is… I didn’t even see any of this coming!

If I at least would have seen something then I could have stopped it all.

But of course since I was with them for so long, or rather holding me against my will for 130 odd years, they probably knew everything there is to know about my visions.

They especially must have known how to get by me unnoticed.

Damn them all.

“I won’t let you take Alice again.”

Jasper came over and stood slightly in front of me.

“No I don’t want Alice. Although, when I did have her, she was quite…fun.”

Jasper stiffened then ran towards James.

My breathing caught.

“No…” Bella gasped.

He’s going to get himself killed!

And what if James hurts Edward…

“Tanya.” James called out.

Tanya jumped into the air and punched Jasper in the jaw. He flew backwards and landed on his back. He quickly jumped on his feet and turned to circle around Tanya to attack her.

What the hell has this come to?

Tanya was a great friend for many years and now she’s helping these two crazed vampires, kidnapping my brother, and on top of that she’s attacking my husband!

“Jasper, don’t hurt her!” Edward yelled.

I turned to look at him and he was out of breath looking terrified as he watched Tanya and Jasper.

I was starting to question his sanity.

Did he not know that Tanya was the one who kidnapped him?

His eyes shifted from them and met Bella’s eyes.

I looked at Bella and she looked angry and worried. A second later her eyes widened and she turned to Jasper.

“Jasper! Pull Back.” She commanded.

What the hell…

Ok, so now Bella’s sanity is now in question too.

“Just do it, please.”

Jasper hissed and came back beside me. He looked utterly confused, as was I.

“Bethany…In your mind tell me about their gifts.” Bella whispered.

They have gifts?

I wonder what their powers are.

Are they powerful?

Would they use them on us?

Were they using their powers right now?

“If Alice isn’t want you want, then what is?” Bella asked.

“You know Isabella. When we first went to Marcellina your scent was the most intoxicating I had ever come across. I told Victoria to recruit you so I could drink you.” He paused to glare at Beth. “But then you, you interrupted. Damn Volturi gets in the way of everything. So, since I couldn’t take you. I took the next best thing.”

Bella stiffened and he laughed.

“Do you like the play by play Isabella?” he asked.

“Yes, I know you can read my mind. I’m allowing it. I want you to see, to feel what I’ve done to your precious family.” He laughed.

He’s showing her what he did to our mother and father?

Poor Bella…

She turned her face away from him.

“And of course when I claimed my second place prize.” He continued.

Second place prize?

What on earth is he talking about…

Could he mean…

Edward gasped. “You monster!”

Shit, he was watching it too...

Neither of them should have to have witnessed anything like that.

James tightened his arm around Edward’s neck. Edward’s hands went up to his neck trying to break free from his hold.

My chest tightened and my breathing hitched as I saw Edward gasping for air.

He couldn’t breathe…

“Please! Loosen your hold…He can’t breathe!” Bella pleaded.

James laughed and loosened his grip on Edward to allow him to breathe.

“You know Isabella. You almost found us so many times over the years. Thanks to your little sister over there you never did find us. With Victoria telling her she had to warn us every time you got closer to finding us, she had no choice but to let us know.”

Victoria made me tell her? I had no choice…

Was her gift like a truth spell or something?

“130 years we dodged you. It was quite funny.”

“Hilarious.” Bella scoffed.

I lowered my eyes in shame.

I had been the reason for leading Bella on a wild goose chase.

It was my fault she never found me sooner…

“That is until she started having visions of that pathetic excuse of a vampire…what was his name...oh yes. Carlisle, the one who drank from animals.” He said in disgust.

I growled.

Carlisle is not pathetic! He’s the most compassionate person I know…

I didn’t like the way he talked about him…he doesn’t even know him! Nor would I ever want to introduce him.

“It goes against our very nature! And I bet the taste is horrid. She fed off humans for more than a century and then all of a sudden she has some damn vision about becoming a ‘vegetarian’ and she starves herself. Hah! What a ludicrous idea.”

Guilt washed over me.

130 years of killing humans…

I can’t believe I actually did that.

I was at least grateful that I could never remember those times.

“One day I caught her trying to feed off of an elk after she had starved herself for three months.”

He smirked and turned to look at me.

“Do you still have that scar across your shoulder?” he asked.

I placed my hand instinctively on my shoulder where a scar lay from the blade circling around to under my arm.

How did he know about that?

“I tore your arm off for disobeying me that day.” He laughed.

My eyes widened as he revealed more of my past.

I always thought it was from some kind of accident I had had while I was human.

If he ripped my arm off for feeding on animals…what else had he done to me?

I shuddered.

Jasper growled and I squeezed his hand gently.

I didn’t want him to go out and lunge at James again. Who knows what else he’d do to Edward. Or to Jasper himself for that matter.

“Though, It left me uneasy at how she escaped from me. I should have never invited that rogue into my coven.” James continued. “That idiot fell in love with her. He didn’t even take you when I gave you to him. He said he wanted you to fall in love with him, that he didn’t want to violate you.” James said as he rolled his eyes.

My mind felt a bit woozy and my eyes slightly glazed over as if I were about to have a vision but it never came.

“For a year he stayed with us trying to woo her. She told him of a vision she kept having of a man she was destined to marry. He took pity in her…”

Wow…I had visions of Jasper even then…

I always assumed I had my first vision of him when I had ‘woken up’ that night in Ohio.

James growled.

“He took her away one day and left her somewhere that I couldn’t find her. Months later I came across him again and shred him to pieces.” He grinned.

Then I remembered a name.

“Zachari…” I gasped.

Then slowly and painfully a faded memory came to my mind.

It was me and a dark haired man. We were walking by the lake I first woke up at. He held my hand in his. He wanted to help me get away from James and Victoria.

He took my memories away…

He succeeded. I got away…I met Jasper…I met Carlisle and the family.

He gave me my happiness.

I owed this man so much.

And then I remembered what James said.

And shred him to pieces.

“You killed him…” I cried.

I cried for him, the man who gave me everything…who took away all the bad in my life.

I would never meet him. I would never be able to thank him now because of what James did.

James took so much away from me.

“Yes. He should have never betrayed me. I had my revenge on him. But now, I want something more in return.”

He turned to look at Bella.

“Isabella, if you truly want this human to live, I offer you a trade.”

“I don’t have anything to give you James.”

“On the contrary. You have everything I want.” He laughed.

“And what exactly is that?”

“You.”

He wants Bella?

What the hell could he possibly want her for…to take more away from me?

“You want…me?” She asked skeptically.

“Yes, you Isabella. You are very powerful. With you in my coven, there would be no stopping us.”

“What the hell are you talking about…”

“We can rule. Everyone will grovel at our feet. Victoria, you, and I can be kings. We can be gods!” James said with an evil glint in his eyes.

Beth took a step forward and glared at him.

“Are you forgetting about the Volturi James? They’ll kill you for even thinking about trying anything like that.” She said.

“That is exactly why I want Isabella. She has the ability to destroy them.” James laughed.

“And what makes you think I will go against the Volturi? I am still loyal to them.” Bella stated

“Silly girl have you forgotten what I have against you?”

“Edward…” she breathed. “Please, let him go.” She pleaded.

“Yes, I do have him. But you’ve forgotten my biggest weapon.”

Do not move. Stay where you are.

Victoria’s voice rang in my head and I automatically stiffened.

My limbs felt heavy which they never did being that I was strong and nothing really ever felt heavy.

I tried to move my legs. Nothing.

My arms. Nothing.

All I could do was just stand there.

What’s going on?

“No…” Bella gasped.

“Oh yes. You all were too busy thinking about this damn human to realize that Victoria has been tapping into all your minds this whole time.”

Shit, she was getting into my mind?

She said not to move, and now I can’t move.

She was controlling us.

That was her power.

He threw Edward to the ground in front of him.

Edward fell and placed his forehead on the ground. He looked up to look at Bella.

And then I saw one tear run down his cheek.

The sadness in his eyes could only mean he was talking to Bella in his mind.

He was saying goodbye…

My breathing caught, is this it? Is this the end?

James circled around Edward.

“Hmm, What to do next…”

He grabbed Edward’s arm and twisted it. I heard his arm snap, breaking the bone.

I cringed as I heard Edward scream.

“No! Please, leave him alone!” Bella cried out.

“Will you join us then?” James asked.

Just then a flicker of a vision passed through my mind.

Bella flanked by James and Victoria walking up the gates of the Volturi castle. James laughed. Bella’s red eyes fluttered closed as she raised her hands to move everything from her path.

No! She can’t choose to go with them!

“Bella…” Edward whimpered.

Then another bone shattered beneath James’ foot. Edward screamed again as James stood on his calf.

“Stop hurting him! Fine! I’ll do what ever you want. Just let him go!”

“No…Bella, no…” Edward cried.

“You know…Our gifts seem to be working wonders on you Isabella. Maybe I should take him anyways…”

He cocked Edward’s head to the side to breathe in his scent.

“He smells delicious.”

He ran his tongue along the side of his neck.

“So tempting…”

“Don’t you dare!” Bella growled.

“Hah! And who will stop me?”

She growled louder.

“See?” he laughed with Victoria.

“You know what I think? I think our dear Isabella just wants him all to herself. Should I give her the honors?”

What?! He wouldn’t...

Another vision.

Bella sobs as she leans in to drink from Edward’s limp, broken body. James stood over them laughing.

No…That won’t happen. She just…can’t…

“Hm…I think that’s a good idea. Those golden eyes are quite unfashionable. Yes, crimson would look much better.” Victoria smiled.

Damn her!

She can’t do this to Bella…

Bella will fight the urge. She has to. She won’t do this…will she?

No, of course not. She will fight it.

She loves Edward too much.

“Victoria, why don’t you have a little fun with our new coven member.”

Bella took one step forward.

I stiffened.

She has to fight it.

She took another step.

My heart was now at my throat at the anticipation.

Jasper growled furiously.

I just stood there, letting the sobs take over me.

She took a few steps and then suddenly… she stopped.

She just stood there.

Did Victoria decide to stop?

Are they still just taunting her?

“What are you doing, Victoria? Make her do it already so we can get on our way.” James snapped.

Apparently not.

Relief washed over me.

Bella was fighting back.

I smiled.

“It…it’s not working. I told her and she’s just standing there…I..”

James slapped her and she stumbled back wincing.

She totally deserves more than just some damn slap…

“You’ve learned a few more tricks I see. Well, just because we can’t attack your mind doesn’t mean I still can’t make you do what I want.”

James took Edward in his arms and stroked his neck.

“So fragile, these humans. So easily broken and harmed. So easy to make bleed.”

James dragged his nails into Edward’s neck. His blood started to drizzle out. I held my breath.

I was practically immune to his blood now, but I didn’t want to take the chance.

James dug his fingers into the fresh wound and pulled up his palm to lick his fingertips.

Anger consumed me. I wanted to tear his limbs off and slowly burn him as he watched the raging fire slowly change him in to ashes.

He was taking my brother’s blood and drooling over it!

Some nerve!

In one second Bella was completely in control and then she just snaps.

She launched herself at James and kicked him square in the chest. He fell back but stood up quickly next to Victoria.

Bella took Edward in her arms possessively.

For a second I was relieved. Bella did it, she saved Edward from James.

But then…

She did the unthinkable.

She bit into his neck!

Was she finally changing him?!

What a time to chose to change someone…she should have waited.

I quickly looked into his future

Blackness.

My panic started to build up at uncontrollable levels.

The blackness can mean one of two things…the wolves or…Edward dies.

A howl ripped through the air and then my eyes caught a rustic colored wolf attach himself to Victoria’s throat.

He swiftly ripped it off with one bite.

James screamed and growled as he crouched down to fight the wolf who had just beheaded his mate.

My eyes widened as I saw four more wolves emerge from the forest.

They all jumped on him at the same time. Less than four seconds passed and his body was a mangled mess.

I looked back towards Bella and she was still drinking from Edward.

My stomach tightened and I lost my footing.

I would have fallen but Jasper caught me.

She wasn’t changing him…she was… “Oh god…”

No...This isn’t happening.

God please…tell me this isn’t happening.

“S-she…she’s…feeding.” I whispered out to no one.

Bella you need to stop! I screamed in my mind.

She just has to…

I was too shocked to move.

Even though Victoria was dead now and she had no more control over my movements, I still couldn’t.

It was killing me to witness this.

If Bella didn’t stop…if she killed Edward…

She would be devastated.

The whole family would be devastated.

And who knows what she would do to herself…

My mind begged my legs to cooperate with my brain.

I just stood there.

Bella’s POV

Bella you need to stop!

You’re stronger than that Ella…

I know exactly how it feels to lose control like that… I hope she stops in time…

But god… it’s so tempting…it’s too good to let go…

I need to stop…

God what am I doing?

Get a grip!

I tried to stop but my lips kept its place.

The monster was still greedily hungry.

Bella…

My eyes went wide to the sound of his thoughts.

He was reliving our dearest moments together in his final minutes.

Our times at the piano…The day at our meadow…our first date…our first kiss.

His heart beat pounded in my ears at a deathly slow pulse.

I have to keep him alive.

Oh god, pull away before it’s too late!

My mind begged my lips to stop.

And some how…

I let go…I stopped the flow of his sweet blood to my lips.

My tongue instantly missed the euphoria but my mind was assaulted with the scene before me.

Any urge to drink more evaporated and the guilt hit me with full force. I was disgusted in myself, but most of all I was in sheer panic.

Edward was lying in my arms broken and motionless.

His shoulder and neck covered in blood.

His breathing was shallow and his heartbeat was almost non-existent.

And I caused it.

I did this to him.

Monster.

I heard another howl and looked up to see a wolf with a rustic looking coat about 50 feet away turning to look at me. Behind him four other wolves were tearing apart what looked like the remains of James and Victoria.

Jasper, Bethany, and to my surprise Tanya, were building a fire to burn them.

Alice was still locked in the same spot she had been before. Her eyes shifted from Edward and me to Jacob in wolf form.

Jacob slowly inched closer towards me. What the…did she…kill him?

What! Bella broke the treaty? Embry’s thoughts echoed through my mind.

My eyes widened in horror as I saw all the wolves stand in attention ready to leap at me.

Damn it, I thought she loved him. Why would she do this?

“I do love him Jacob. He’s not…dead. I don’t know what came over me, I just…oh god what have I done…” I cried.

I felt my chest tighten even more. The reality of the situation was crashing down on me.

Not only have I done this to the love of my existence, I also broke the treaty.

They’re going to kill me.

Oh god, are they going to kill the Cullen’s?

They should take it out with me…not them.

Fuck, if they hurt them…this is all because of me and my damn bloodlust.

Why?

Why, after being condemned for the last 170 years and never drinking human blood, never taking a human life, have I done this now?

Why him?

I held Edward’s body as close to mine as I could.

I cried my tearless cries wishing I had better control, wishing I had never come here to have inflicted this on Edward.

How could I do this to him?

…to the whole family?

I deserve the cruelest of punishments that anyone can give.

And then I remembered something.

Voltera.

Oh no…Edward… Seth cried out and then howled into the bright sky of early morning.

I looked out again to see the pack inch closer.

We have to kill her! Embry growled.

I still hear a faint heartbeat… Jacob said hopeful.

But Jacob! She bit him. She still broke the treaty. He countered.

Your right, Embry. Jacob ducked his head and whimpered. When you strike… be careful with Edward’s body. We have to get him help fast.

Suddenly a grey wolf launched himself in the air right in my direction.

I raised my hand and concentrated on him.

I held him in the air with my telekinesis just five feet away from me.

What the fuck… Embry growled in mid-air.

“Jacob” the pack turned their awed attention from a floating Embry to me. “Let me try to help Edward before you make any rash decisions. I may be the only way he could stay alive.”

Fuck that…Jacob, she’s the reason he’s like that in the first place! Let’s kill her now!

I glared at the wolf above me.

“Jacob is Alpha. Not you Embry.” I stated.

Embry growled.

I then looked straight at Jacob, begging him with my eyes.

“Please.” Was all I could say.

I don’t know about this…she did bite him…but if she can help him…

“Jacob I know you don’t trust me right now after this inexcusable thing I’ve done, But I have to try to save him before it’s too late.” I turned away from him to look down at my broken love. “You can do what ever you want with me after. I just want him alive and safe.”

If you even try to do anything to hurt him anymore we won’t hesitate on killing you.

I nodded my understanding.

I slowly pushed my hand forward and then lowered it.

I gently dropped Embry at Jacob’s side.

My attention then completely shifted to Edward as I started to tune everyone out.

I placed a small kiss to Edward’s forehead.

“I love you, Edward.” I breathed against his skin.

I placed my hand on his chest and held his head up with my other.

I closed my eyes and cleared my mind and allowed only one thought to pass through.

I hope you’re right, Bridget.

Chapter 26 - Anticipation

Bella's POV

Now I anticipate my final journey: the Volturi.

I hate that I have to go to them, but it’s the only choice I have.

It’s the only way to fully be with my Edward.

It won’t be pretty at all.

I won’t be there for friends, or duty.

I’ll be going there because of what I did to Edward.

I’m hoping they won’t give me any trouble.

I hope they respect my wishes.

I know they will be…difficult.

But I have my ways of persuasion.

As much as I don’t want to use my newly acquired power from Victoria, I will use it on them if I have to.

If it comes down to them completely denying my request, then I won’t hesitate.

I look around and see everyone in black robes with smiles plastered on all their faces, some genuine but most of them fake.

I know their true feelings, I know their thoughts.

They can’t hide their true selves from me.

It’s pathetic to feel all this false joy from them.

I should be happy though…

I’ll be with Edward soon.

It’s hard to focus myself on happiness, I can’t forget all I have done and all that has happened.

When I’m alone with my thoughts it always wanders back to the same scenes.

It’s too horrible to forget.

The vision of Edward dying in my arms, blood all over his broken body. He was gasping for air. His heartbeat slowing down every second that passed. His body became pale and cold. His thoughts vanished and his body was motionless.

I want to forget.

I shook my head begging the images to be wiped clear.

I wish I could have met that Zachari, he could have taken that memory away.

I need to think of good thoughts. Think of the good times with Edward.

Think of kissing him and touching him again.

That will keep my mind off of reality for awhile.

I miss his touch already.

God damn it Bella. Your emotions all over the place. Stop beings such a drama queen. Get over it or I’ll send you clumsiness so you trip over the stage!

I hissed quietly at my brother-in-law sitting in front of me in the next row.

Can it, Bells. I know you’re not really mad at me. Empath, remember?

“Absorbing, remember? I’ll throw lust back at you, if you dare make me fall over! You don’t want to walk on stage with a boner now do you?” I whispered for his ears only.

He stiffened and I smirked.

I guess I got the point across.

“Alice Cullen” the principle, Mr. Banner, called out.

Carlisle and Esme rose from their seats smiling at their re-graduating daughter.

“Edward Anthony Masen Cullen” the principle continued.

Carlisle and Esme clapped and cheered for him. They were extremely proud.

Edward was graduating with honors and was valedictorian.

If vampires could cry, Esme would be in a tear bath with how proud and happy she was for him.

I grinned as I saw my love walk up to the podium and grab his diploma.

I sent him a wave of my love for him. He quickly turned to face me, crooked smile in place, and winked.

I turned my attention to the other side of the auditorium where loud cheering and cat calls were coming from.

The pack had showed up to support Edward’s graduation.

I owed them big time. I still couldn’t believe they had gone lenient on me after I broke the treaty.

I had thought for sure they would have killed me that day.

My hands glowed a bright white.

I heard his bones crunch.

I winced and feared that I had hurt him more but then I realized his bones were just mending back in place.

Then his neck wound started to heal.

A few seconds later it sealed shut as if there was never a wound at all.

His scent was still weak though.

I had nearly drained all of his blood so his scent wasn’t as potent as it usually was.

He might need a blood transfusion if he doesn’t start to produce more soon.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked behind me to see Carlisle.

Carlisle had showed up just after I had asked Jacob to let me help Edward.

I hadn’t noticed his presence until after I had used my gift on Edward. I was too busy concentrating on just saving Edward to notice anything else.

“We need to get him home quickly. I’m going to have Esme pick up some blood and an IV from the hospital. It looks like he might need a transfusion.” He stated.

I stood up with Edward’s body cradled in my arms.

Jacob inched closer.

Bella. We will let you take Edward home. We are going back to La Push to meet with the Elders to discuss what is to be done about the treaty.

I nodded and they retreated into the woods.

The rest of us took off at vampire speed back to our waiting cars.

I sat in the back with Edward lying on my lap.

He was still unconscious.

His scent was starting to get a bit stronger so at least I knew his body was starting to function properly and it was producing more blood for him.

The ride home was quiet.

The only sounds heard were from the engine and Edward’s soft, yet erratic, heartbeat.

When we reached the house I carried Edward to his room and placed him in his bed.

We were alone for a few minutes.

I sat on the floor with my chin on his bed. I held one of his hands in mine as I sat there motionless counting each of his short heartbeats and uneven breaths.

I didn’t deserve to be this close to him after all I’ve done, but I could not bear to leave his side.

Alice came in the room with a wet cloth in her hand.

She walked over and started to clean the now dried blood off of Edward’s shoulder.

It again reminded me of the horrible thing I had done.

I was still disgusted with myself.

“Bella please, don’t beat yourself up. It could have happened to any of us…” she started.

“But it didn’t…it happened to me.”

She frowned.

“Carlisle will be up shortly.” She said as she walked over to the couch and sat down.

Carlisle came in a few minutes later and examined Edward.

“He seems to be fine right now. His heartbeat is a bit slow but it’s nothing to worry about. If he stays unconscious for too long we’ll have to give him the IV to keep him hydrated.”

I closed my eyes and buried my face in the sheets.

“I still can’t believe what I did…Carlisle I…I almost didn’t stop…” I mumbled.

“But you did, Bella, that’s what counts. Edward is going to need all the support you can give him when he wakes up. This has been a very traumatic experience for him, we need to make everything as easy as possible for him. Though…I’m a bit confused about something…”

I lifted my head from the sheets to meet his eyes.

“About what?” I asked.

“Well…You bit him.” I winced but he continued. “Your venom should have him thrashing and screaming from a transformation right now. Yet there he lies motionless, he’s obviously not changing.”

I furrowed my brows. I hadn’t really thought about that. I wasn’t really thinking about changing him. It never occurred to me that he wasn’t screaming from my poison.

“I have a theory.” Alice said and we turned to look at her. “I think that when Bella was…feeding off of him, she must have sucked out all the venom she had first put in him with the bite. It seems like the only thing that makes sense.”

“You might be right. It does make sense. I’ll look into it and see if that has ever happened before.” Carlisle said after a few moments of silence.

Sixteen hours passed and I had still not moved from where I was at Edward’s side.

Carlisle had been the only one to come in regularly to check up on Edward’s progress.

“He won’t need a transfusion but I’m afraid we’ll have to put him on the IV.”

I nodded and moved out of the way so that he could work on putting Edward on the IV.

Carlisle pulled an IV bag, tube and needle from his medical bag. He placed the bag up onto a metal hanger and attached the tube to it. He sterilized the needle and then his eyes glanced up at me before placing the needle at the bending of Edward’s arm.

Both of our eyes widened in shock as Carlisle tried to force the needle into Edward’s skin.

It didn’t pierce it.

“Carlisle…” I trailed off. I was still in disbelief.

Carlisle tried a few more times and nothing.

He tried one more time applying a lot more force and finally the needle went in to his vein.

He looked up at me with a confused expression and then looked back down to secure the needle in place.

“I think we need to have a family meeting.” He announced.

I nodded.

I didn’t want to leave Edward’s side but I knew this was important.

We made our way downstairs to the dinning room.

The rest of the family was already there waiting for us.

We took our seats and Carlisle began.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but we just discovered something as I was administering the IV…” His hand combed through his hair and he was replaying what had just happened in his mind. “I was trying to put the needle in and it just…didn’t go through…at first anyways. His skin has hardened…as if…well, as if he were changing.”

“But I thought Bella had taken all the venom out…” Jasper pondered.

“That’s what we thought. Maybe all of it wasn’t. There could still be some traces left…”

I buried my face in my hands.

“What have I done?” I cried.

I felt someone embrace me from behind. I didn’t look up.

“Please stop trying to comfort me…I don’t deserve it. Look at the mess I’ve done. I never wanted any of this too happen. He’s going to hate me…”

“He’ll never hate you Bella.” Alice said from behind me.

I looked up at the sound of Carlisle’s voice.

“We’ll have to see exactly what’s happened once he wakes up. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain. The change has never happened like this before so we don’t have anything else to go by. We don’t even know if he really is changing or not. All we can do is wait.”

I stood up and went back up to Edward’s room and assumed my previous position.

“I’m so sorry Edward.” I whispered and kissed the palm of his hand.

A few hours later Jacob and Quil arrived at the house. I went downstairs to hear the outcome.

“How’s Edward doing?” Jacob asked.

“He’s doing fine. His heart rate is normal. His body has replaced the blood he lost. Bella’s gift allowed him to mend his bones and heal his wounds completely. He’s sleeping right now. He’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Jacob nodded and Carlisle offered him to sit in the living room.

“No thanks, we only intend on being here for a few more minutes.” He then turned to look at me with sadness in his eyes.

My chest tightened and I held my breath.

“We have decided to be fairly lenient with you, Bella. You have broken the treaty, and that will not be forgiven. But since we can understand it was an accident and you did save him, we have decided to give you a second chance. This is technically not a free pass, what you did was still wrong.”

He sighed but continued.

“Look, I know that Edward loves you deeply, and that is mostly why I don’t want to harm you. We will let you stay here until his graduation, after that you must leave Forks and never return.”

I was dumbfounded and shocked. I expected to be shred to pieces and here he was granting me my life and still trusting me to be with Edward. Even though in a few months I would have to leave here and never come back to this town, I was extremely lucky.

“Thank you.” Was all I could say.

He nodded and then turned to Carlisle.

“Please call me and keep me up to date with Edward’s condition. I’d like to see him when he’s awake.”

“Of course, Jacob. I know he’d love to thank you for getting rid of the two who held him captive.”

With that, Jacob and Quil turned around and left.

“Did that just really happen?” I asked in disbelief.

Carlisle placed his hand on my shoulder and half smiled.

“I think Jacob can see what all of us have seen. He sees the love between you and Edward and can see how broken you are from what has happened. Be grateful to have this second chance. Embrace it and hope for the best.”

He walked up towards Edward’s room and I followed.

I sat on the edge of the bed as he took Edward’s temperature and switched out the IV bag.

Suddenly I heard Edward’s heart quicken.

“Bel...Bella…” he mumbled.

I grabbed his hand and moved closer to him.

“I’m here, Edward. I’m here.”

He stirred a bit and finally his eyes began to flutter open.

Suddenly he sat up straight quicker than should have been possible.

I gasped as I took in a new discovery.

His eyes were a dark shade of violet, almost black.

“Isabella Marie Swan.”

I snapped out of my memories and smiled as I stood up and walked towards the stage.

I sent a warning glare at Jasper before walking up the steps.

Mr. Banner handed me my diploma and I shook his hand.

I turned to look out into the crowd where my new parents stood up and cheered for me.

I’m so very proud of you, Isabella. In every way.

I smiled at Carlisle. He truly was becoming more of a father to me as the days passed.

I walked off the stage and caught Edward’s loving gaze.

His bright emerald eyes making my heart melt.

I bit my lip as I made my way back to my seat.

The rest of the students after me took their seats and Mr. Banner took hold of the microphone again.

“Everyone stand to congratulate the Forks High School graduating class of 2009!”

68 black graduating caps immediately filled the air above me.

I had no idea why people would throw their graduation caps up in the air as a graduating tradition, but I felt as though I should have thrown mine up as well.

It was too late to throw mine up now, so I simply let mine fall to the floor to make it look like I had thrown it.

I suddenly felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my waist and heard a small chuckle.

“I saw that.” He said against my skin as he kissed my temple. “Happy Graduation, love.”

I smiled and turned around to face him.

“Happy Graduation to you too.”

He leaned in and hovered over my lips.

“I love you, Bella.”

I closed the distance and kissed his waiting lips.

Tonight, I would be in his arms and allow myself to be happy.

Tomorrow, we would be flying to Italy.

Chapter 27 - From Airplanes To Air Supply

Bella's POV

“I’m glad Carlisle invested in a private jet.” I stated.

“Yeah, it’s better this way now. We won’t be subjected to human blood. And of course with Edward now, we don’t want to take any chances.” Alice said.

Edward grimaced and shook his head.

“Well we don’t have to worry about that right now. I haven’t had any kind of urges to drink blood. I’ll be right back.” Edward stood up to use the restroom.

Ever since the day I lost control neither Alice nor myself have been able to get a clear vision of Edward’s future.

Sometimes, with small things, we see faded visions of him. But most of the time all we get is a blur of colors when we focus on his distant future.

After Edward woke up we immediately noticed some changes.

His eyes were what we first noticed of course, they were a deep violet color and his speed was much quicker than it should have been.

Carlisle’s theory is that even though I did suck most of my venom back out of him, there were still minor traces of venom left within his body. When I healed him I sealed the venom in, which caused those changes.

With a newborn their eyes are red. So we theorized that the venom must have traveled through his pupils and caused Edward’s green eyes to become the darkened violet. The venom had mixed with his blood and color pigment of his eyes to cause that change.

His speed, at first, was just a bit faster than most humans.

Over the last few months, his speed has increased and now he can pretty much out run all of us.

Blood still flows through him. His skin can still be cut and bruised, his bones can still be broken, and he still bleeds; but it does require a lot of force to do so.

His strength is not as strong as a vampire’s but its still much more than any human should have.

Now that he’s able to keep up with us, Edward has made sure that with every thunderstorm that rolls by we all have to play baseball with him. I knew he always had a passion for it, but he never really got to enjoy it before. Now he can with his family.

With his strength and agility he’s able to do many more things with each of us without running the risk of getting hurt.

Even though he’s much stronger now, we don’t let him wrestle with Emmett anymore.

The last time that happened, Emmett pushed him down in to the ground too hard and broke his arm.

I healed him of course, but we didn’t want to take anymore chances.

I beat the shit out of Emmett that day. If it wasn’t for Esme asking me to heal him, he’d still have those scars I left him…

Edward’s scent of roses and honey was much more defined now too, much to my delight.

Since his skin was much thicker now, the scent of his blood was toned down. It didn’t bother me as much as it had before.

One vampire characteristic that Edward didn’t get was bloodlust.

Given his new abilities, we had thought that he would be somewhat of a newborn. We were very thankful that that wasn’t the case.

So far he hasn’t had any urges to drink from anyone. He says the scent of blood doesn’t appeal to him.

We had him try and drink some animal blood to see what would happen and if his body’s system would accept it.

He said the taste was just like drinking a glass of water to him.

He still only ate human food though. And boy does he have an appetite.

Even though he doesn’t need the blood, his eyes still change like a vampire’s when he is hungry.

He has to make sure to stay well fed at all times.

He has to be careful because when he gets hungry his eyes grow darker.

And if he goes more than 12 hours without eating anything, they start to turn that same violet again.

Once he’s fed on something, his eyes slowly change back to his natural emerald green.

Regardless of him not thirsting for human or any other blood, we still keep a watchful eye on him just incase the thirst would come with time.

It’s been five months now and still nothing.

Edward thinks we worry too much.

His most impressive change though, has been with his gift.

About a month ago we discovered that his gift had enhanced.

He is still able to read minds, but now he is able to do two other things with his ability.

He is able to open up his mind at will to anyone he wants.

Now he can also block a specific mind or all thoughts that he doesn’t want to listen to.

He loves that part of his gift the most now.

He’s happy to finally have silence within his own mind when he wants to sleep.

“What are you thinking, Love?”

I jumped back startled. I was so lost in thought I hadn’t noticed Edward come back.

“Just thinking back through the last couple of months…with your changes and with everything that happened that day…”

“Oh.”

I placed my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

He kissed the top of my head and I felt him smile against my hair.

“Would you like to know what I’m thinking?” he asked.

I smiled and nodded.

Images flooded through my mind from his and I grinned as I watched him replay our night together.

Edward was waiting down stairs in a nice dress shirt and black slacks.

He started to pace but then stopped dead in his tracks.

He gasped as he looked up at the top of the stairs.

I was making my way down the steps in a gown I had bought while on a shopping trip with Alice a week before. It was a simple, white wrap gown that was very elegant. It was drapped material at the top, wrapped and gathered at the waist, then flowed down to the floor.***

“You look stunning, Bella.” He said as he held up his hand for me to grasp.

I placed my hand in his and smiled brightly.

“We should get going.” I said.

“Oh no you don’t! Not yet.” Esme appeared in front of us blocking the doorway. “Not until I get some pictures!”

“Mom…” Edward groaned.

Esme glared at him and Edward sighed.

“Ok but only one though.”

We walked over to the fireplace. He wrapped his arm around my waist and we posed for Esme.

“Smile!” She snapped the picture and rushed forward to us to give us each a hug and kiss.

We made our way out to Edward’s Aston Martin and drove to Forks High.

“I can’t believe you made me go to prom…”

Edward smiled and took my hand into his.

“Bella, senior prom is a right of passage. Would you have wanted me to not go at all or should I have asked Jessica instead?”

I gasped and turned to glare at him.

“You wouldn’t!”

He laughed and brought my hand to his lips to kiss my knuckles.

“Oh course I wouldn’t, love. I only want to take you.”

I smiled.

“Good. Because I only want to go with you too.”

When we arrived, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were already there out on the dance floor.

They all looked beautiful.

Alice was wearing a plunging v-neck halter ball gown with couture beadwork on the bodice and a brown sash at her waist. ***

Rosalie wore a quite revealing light pink chiffon dress with open sides and a gathered bodice. It had a high slit along the front of the dress with cascading jeweled fabric tumbling over it. ***

Edward and I danced to a few songs and then of course Alice, Rose, and I just had to put on a little show and dance together for our boys.

“Are they trying to kill us?” Emmett asked.

Jasper laughed and Edward rolled his eyes.

“They just want to tease us Em. And can you try and keep your lust leveled? You’re going to make me pounce on Alice and find some empty room...”

“God, think of what I have to put up with. I have to see the things he wants to do to her. I’d trade for your gift any day…”

Edward walked over to me and pulled me off to the other side of the dance floor.

He kissed me urgently.

When we came apart for air his eyes instantly locked with mind.

The music slowed and Edward grinned.

I know just how to whisper,
And I know just how to cry;

“May I have this dance?” Edward asked while holding out his hand.

I smiled and placed my hand in his.

I know just when to face the truth,
And then I know just when to dream.

And I know just where to touch you,
And I know just what to prove.

He led us to the center of the crowd and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

I know when to pull you closer,
And I know when to let you loose.

And I know the night is fading,
And I know that time’s gonna fly.

And I’m never gonna tell you
Everything I’ve got to tell you,
But I know I’ve got to give it a try.

We swayed to the music, still locked in each other’s eyes.

I was lost in them.

I know all the rules
And then I know how to break em
And I always know the name of the game.

He leaned in to whisper the lyrics in my ear.

But I don’t know how to leave you,
And I’ll never let you fall;

And I don’t know how you do it…

His voice made my knees weak.

Making love out of nothing at all.

“I love you, Isabella.”

“I love you too. More than my own life.”

He smiled and twirled me around.

I pulled Edward closer to me, never wanting to let him go.

Alice was dancing next to us with Jasper. My back was turned to them.

At the time I hadn’t even noticed they were there. I had forgotten everyone else in the room. It was as if it were just us two at that moment for me.

Edward, everything is ready for you guys. I left a blindfold in your car.

Edward winked at her while I became distracted by Emmett making a fool of himself dancing.

“Bella.” Edward said suddenly. “Would you like to get out of here?”

“But, I thought you wanted to be here…”

“Well, yeah but I have something planned for us.”

He smiled crookedly and my breathing hitched.

“Ok…let’s go then.”

We walked out of the gym and he opened the door of his car for me to step in.

He walked around and got in the driver’s seat.

He looked around for a second and then brought out a blindfold from the back seat.

“I’d like for you to wear this.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“What for?” I asked.

“Because I want this to be a surprise.” He smiled.

“Hmph…fine. Even though you know I don’t like to be surprised.”

I tried to glare at him but couldn’t once I looked in to his eyes.

My lip twitched up into a smile regardless of my efforts.

He put the blindfold up to my eyes and tied it gently.

I smiled wickedly.

“Oh and one more thing…” he kissed my lips softly and spoke against them. “Hold your breath. No cheating.”

He knew I would be able to tell where we were going if I took in the scent of the area.

“Damn, you caught me. Okay, I’ll hold my breath.”

We drove for about fifteen minutes.

We came to a stop and Edward made his way around to my door. He opened it and cradled me in his arms pulling me out of the car.

He started to run through the trees.

The wind making our hair whip around in slow motion as he ran quickly through the forest.

A few seconds later he stopped and set me on my feet again.

“Can I look now?” I asked impatiently.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Yes love, you can look now.”

I untied the blindfold and smiled.

We were in our meadow.

A large blanket was spread out on the ground and there was a basket on top of it.

Off to the side were a few candles lighting up the dark clearing.

“A picnic?”

“Yeah, there’s going to be a lunar eclipse tonight. I thought it would be nice to watch it from out here, with you.”

It was a beautiful clear night.

All the stars were out, the sky was accented with purples and blues, and the moon was big and bright.

“It’s perfect.” I smiled and spun around to kiss him.

“Come on, I brought us a snack.”

He led me to the blanket and we sat down.

He reached into the basket and pulled out two champagne glasses.

“Edward, we don’t even drink…and you’re underage.”

He smirked and pulled out a small thermos.

“It’s not alcohol.” He said as he rolled his eyes.

He opened it and the smell made my throat burn.

He poured the thick red liquid in the glasses and handed me one.

I laughed.

Only Edward.

“But you don’t drink blood either.”

“Well, I don’t, but I can. I want to share this with you though.”

I grinned and brought the glass up to take in its scent.

“Grizzly?” I asked.

“Only the best.” He chuckled. “Emmett brought some back from his hunt yesterday. I thought it would be a nice touch.”

I took a sip from my glass and he joined in.

I moved closer to him as we finished our glasses.

We lay down to look up at the sky.

The dark shadow of the eclipse began to take over the moon.

“It’s beautiful.” I said.

“It is.” He replied.

I turned to look at him and he was looking at me with love shinning in his eyes.

“I take it you’re not talking about the moon?” I giggled.

“I love you, Bella.”

I kissed him passionately, lost in his taste.

His tongue brushed my lips asking for entrance, and I granted it.

The eclipse now forgotten, Edward lifted me up and placed me on his lap.

My hand traveled to entwine itself in his hair.

His hand held my neck to keep me close and the other was at my lower back.

He mindlessly rubbed my exposed skin under the straps of my dress.

I pulled away and stood up to turn away from him.

He got up and grasped on to my arm, gently pulling me back towards his embrace.

I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.

“Bella, I’m not as fragile as I was before.”

I sighed.

“I know you’re stronger now, but I can still hurt you…”

“You won’t”

His lips crashed onto mine.

My kisses became much more urgent. And I hesitated as I pulled myself back slightly to take a deep breath.

Edward cupped my cheek and placed a small chaste kiss on my lips.

I traced his lips with my fingers and trailed them down his jaw and neck, ending at his collar.

I bit my lip slightly as I undid the first button.

Edward’s heart quickened as he took deeper breaths.

I undid the rest and slowly let his shirt fall to the ground.

I looked back up to meet his eyes.

His hands caressed my shoulders down the length of my arms, letting the thin straps of my dress fall from my shoulders.

He was silently asking me with his eyes if it was ok to keep going.

I smiled as I reached behind me and slowly unzipped my gown.

I let the gown fall to the ground and pool at my feet.

His eyes widened.

I bit at my lower lip nervously.

He closed the distance between us and kissed me softly as he rested his hand on my lower back.

He pulled away and smiled.

He picked me up and cradled me in his arms, laying me down on the blanket.

He lay next to me and let his eyes roam my body.

I felt a little self conscious as I was now only wearing my white lace underwear that Alice so thoughtfully laid out for me earlier tonight...

It was the first time I had let him see this much of me.

“You truly are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I love you with all of my being.”

“I love you too, Edward.” I pulled him closer to me and whispered. “Make love to me.”

His lips met mine once more.

“Uh…why do I keep seeing you both as a blurry mess rolling around on the couch?” Alice said breaking us out of our shared memories.

Edward blushed.

“Um, nothing just reliving prom...” I said quietly.

“OH! You mean the night you made my dear brother a man?” she said with a wicked grin on her face.

“Alice…” Edward groaned.

I buried my face into Edward’s neck.

Alice giggled.

Edward quickly threw a pillow at Alice, hitting her right in the head.

“Hey! No fair…” Alice pouted.

“Just because you didn’t see it coming doesn’t mean it’s not fair.” Edward laughed.

She stuck her tongue out at him just before her eyes glazed over.

“We’ll be landing in 5 minutes. Beth and Demetri are waiting for us at the airport.”

I sighed.

Back to reality.

What does the future hold for us?

Chapter 28 - The Tour

Bella's POV

Just like Alice had seen, Bethany and Demetri were waiting for us at the airport.

Bethany jumped up as soon as she saw walking towards them.

“Hey guys.” I greeted.

“Hi!” Bethany squealed as she took Alice and me into a bone-crushing hug.

“Do you miss us that much already? It’s only been a couple of months.” I laughed.

She playfully glared at me.

“You guys are my best friends. Of course I missed you a lot.” She jut out her bottom lip into a pout. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“You know I did.” I said as I pulled her into another hug.

She poked her tongue out at me and then laughed.

Demetri walked over and embraced me in a hug as well.

“I missed you more than she did though.” He said.

Edward stiffened beside me.

Demetri chuckled and then held out his hand for Edward to shake.

Edward hesitantly stepped forward to shake it quickly.

“Don’t worry Edward. I’ve moved on, honestly.” Demetri went back to stand by Bethany and slid his arm around her waist. “My heart belongs to Bethany now.”

She smiled lovingly at him and he grinned.

Edward half smiled and took my hand in his. I slightly turned and winked at him.

Alice let out a high pitched squeal and took Bethany’s hand in hers.

“You’re engaged?!” she squeaked.

“Yep! Demetri proposed just two days ago.”

I smiled brightly.

He finally asked her!

It took him long enough, though. He had it planned for nearly two months now and had the ring for nearly a month.

Bethany looked over from Alice to look at me.

“You look way too calm, Ella…” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I thought you’d be more excited for me! You’re both going to be my bridesmaids, right?”

I laughed.

“That was the first thought that came to my mind when I first had the vis…um.” I bit my lip.

“You knew?!” Bethany gasped.

I smiled sheepishly.

“Well…um, yeah I did. But I didn’t want to ruin the surprise!” I defended.

She glared at me.

“How long have you known?”

“Er…” I looked at Demetri and then at the floor. “Since the last time I was here in Volterra… I sort of looked into Demetri’s future to see if he would ever move on from me and well…then I saw you two together and then his proposal…don’t be mad, I honestly didn’t want to ruin it!” I said at vampire speed.

I felt a little bad from keeping something so big from her, but I really didn’t want to change the future and ruin it by telling her.

Everyone busted out laughing.

I looked up and Bethany was smiling now.

I felt like blushing.

“Relax Ella. I’m not mad. It’s cool. For a minute I thought you knew because he told you before me. Now that would have pissed me off!” She laughed.

I smiled.

“Alright, so let’s get going. The car is out front.” Bethany announced.

We went to get the rest of our bags and made our way out of the airport.

“Aro let you bring your Mercedes to pick us up?” I asked in confusion.

Aro always sends the limo to pick up his guests, he was always trying to be formal and inviting. He never let anyone take their own cars to pick anyone up from the airport. It was a stupid pet peeve of his.

“Yeah, he said the limo wouldn’t be available today so he told me to take my own car.”

We all got in the car and started our drive to Volterra.

“So are there any other guests at the castle then?” I asked.

“Hmm…not that I know of. I haven’t heard of any other guests coming in, just you three. Why do you ask?”

“Was just wondering who was using the limo then…”

She shrugged and turned the music on.

All too soon we were driving up to the font gates of the castle.

The sun was hidden by the clouds, so we didn’t have to worry about sun exposure this time.

“They’re all feeing right now. So if you’d like, you could go get situated and wait until they call you in. I assume you two will be staying in Ella’s room?” Bethany asked.

“Yeah, they’ll stay in my room.”

I didn’t want them anywhere out of my sight.

“They probably won’t call for you for another couple of hours. You could show them around if you like.” Demetri paused. “Make sure you let them know the castle rules and where to stay away from…”

I nodded.

Bethany and Demetri went their separate ways as I led Alice and Edward through the castle up to my room.

“Your room is awesome Bella. Who designed it?” Alice asked.

“Bethany and I did.” I laughed.

“So you do have good taste! Why wasn’t your apartment in Forks looking like this? You obviously know how to do up a place.”

“I just wanted it to be simple and low key, just in case I had human company over.”

Alice rolled her eyes and plopped herself on the couch.

“So what are we going to do until we have to go see them?” Edward asked.

“Do you guys want a tour of the castle?”

Alice’s eyes glazed over.

“Nah, too boring for me, take Eddie with you. I’m going to call Jazz. Make sure you’re back in a two hours, they’ll send Demetri for us then.”

“Alright, we’ll be back by then. See ya.”

I took Edward’s hand in mine and led us through the first corridor.

“This is where the personal rooms are. Aro gives one room to each person in the guard and to their guests when they have them. They can do what every they want with them. Most are just game rooms though. Some of them are libraries and music rooms. Not many are actual bedrooms, seeing as we don’t sleep. Unless someone invites you, the guard’s personal rooms are off limits, especially the wings for Aro, Marcus, and Caius’ rooms”

“Are all the personal rooms like yours?” Edward asked.

“Um...no. Aro has his favorites…Bethany, Demetri, and I have our own wing of the castle. This one houses most of the rest of the guard. Aro’s pets: Jane, Alec, and Felix, have their own wing and of course Aro, Marcus, and Caius have theirs as well.”

“I see.”

We walked down to the next level of the castle.

“Why would the Volturi have a ballroom?”

“The Volturi loves to have extravagant parties. They like to show off and entertain guests.” I said and rolled my eyes.

I skipped the next level.

“That level is where the grand hall and private meeting rooms are. You’ll see them later so no need to go now.”

They real reason was because they were probably still feeding and I didn’t want Edward anywhere near that.

“Through those doors is the reception area and main entrance that we came through. This floor is mainly just for false pretences. To all the humans in Volterra this place is being used as a law firm and for private and exclusive ‘historical tours’.”

“They actually give tours of this place? Doesn’t that risk exposure?”

“One of the vampire’s here, Heidi, she goes out to other cities and uses her power of seduction and desire to lure tourists to give them a private tour of the castle.” I took in a deep breath and sighed. “In reality, she’s actually the Volturi hunting party. She convinces a large group to come on this ‘tour’ and when they get to the grand hall…well those tourists are their meals…”

I hated how the Volturi fed.

They are very cruel and enjoy watching their prey in pain.

“You mean they don’t even go out to hunt for themselves and use some chick to lure innocent tourists to their deaths?”

“Yes, and it truly is disgusting. What’s worse is they don’t only just kill them. They make them suffer and also rob them. How do you think the Volturi is so wealthy? They get thousands of dollars off of what the tourists bring in each time. They feed every other day.” I said with venom.

We took the elevator again and went to the next floor down.

The doors opened up to a new passage way filled with paintings.

“This floor holds a lot of Volturi history. These are all paintings done by Marcus of how he has seen the world change over the years.”

“They all look very depressing.” Edward said furrowing his brows.

“Marcus is a pessimist. He also hasn’t been the same since Didymie was killed.”

“Who was that?”

“She was his first wife and Aro’s sister. No one knows exactly what happened. But when she died a part of Marcus died too. He pretty much lost all interest in this world and now the only emotions you can get out of him are ‘doom and gloom’ as you can tell from the paintings.”

We turned the corner and came into another hallway full of colorful artwork.

“Now these are my favorites.” I said with a smile.

Most were big, bright scenery paintings and some were of Volturi parties and different people that have lived in the castle many years ago.

“Wow, these are amazing. Did Marcus paint these before his wife’s death?”

“Nope.” I laughed.

“Then who did?”

“Carlisle.”

He grinned.

We walked to the end of the hallway and entered a room full of artifacts.

“What the hell…” Edward’s eyes widened as he took in the contents of the room. “Most of these things have been missing in history for years! Some of these aren’t even supposed to exist…” he said looking at the large collection of Alexander the Great’s ancient scrolls.

“The Volturi have had their hand in a lot of this world’s greatest history. A lot of what you have learned in your history classes is load of bull. The Volturi have covered up a lot and have just let the humans believe in miracles.”

He made his way to the other side of the room where a lot of Egyptian jewelry and tablets written in hieroglyphics were.

“Oh wait, don’t tell me, vampires were the ones who built Egypt’s pyramids.” He said rolling his eyes.

“Ok. I won’t tell you.” I tried to hold down my smile and failed.

His jaw dropped.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, the first pharaohs were actually vampires themselves. Back then, being a vampire was a normal thing. But just like the battles in the southern US that Jasper was in, there was always territorial fights. In the history books they only talk about the human ones of course. Those pharaohs were actually just human puppets the vampires controlled to get away with a lot more. In return for their services, vampires would create them a lavish pyramid and leave them everything they will need for their passing to the afterlife they sought.”

He looked at me with wide eyes and then furrowed brows.

“What?” I laughed.

He shook his head and stroked the top of a glass box with a journal in it.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s Aldof Hitler’s journal.”

“Hitler, eh? What’s so special about the journal though?”

“You sure you want to know?”

He nodded.

“Well, he was actually part of the Volturi once…”

Edward let out a frustrated sigh.

“Unbelievable. Is their anything in history that I’ve learned that was authentic and was with out any vampiric interference?”

“Yes, but nothing too important.” I laughed. “Anyways, he was part of the Volturi guard many years ago but decided to venture off on his own a couple of years before that war started. He had an obsession with finding specific blood flavors, more so than any other vampire I’ve ever come across. He said, to him, that different races of humans had different tastes in blood. The concentration camps he built were so he could hand pick his favorite tastes when ever he wanted. They were pretty much like his personal slaughter houses. When he was caught by another country, he asked the Volturi for help in disguising it so that the humans wouldn’t discover what he was and what he was really doing. They made such a mess of things. That’s where the history books come in. They made it all to look like genocide. The journal is own, very detailed description of everything that really happened during the holocaust. Shortly after that, they faked his death.”

“You mean he’s still alive?!”

“Yeah. He lives somewhere in the mountains of Russia now, I think. I haven’t seen him in years. I never liked him at all. He was such an arrogant ass just like Felix. I guess that’s mostly because they’re brothers though.”

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, Edward. Don’t get too worked up about it. Real history is not all that bad. I know vampires can be ruthless and all but…”

“No it’s not that. It’s just it’s a lot to take in. My mind is spinning from the fact that all the history I’ve learned is a ‘load of bull’ as you so wonderfully put.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you then…”

He pulled me in to his chest and lifted my chin up with his hand.

He sighed.

“It’s fine, Bella. Don’t worry about it.”

He smiled and kissed me gently.

When we parted, I kept my eyes closed and bit my lip still trying to compose myself after his breath taking kiss.

His laugh brought me back out of my daze and I smiled up at him.

We walked out of the room and we stepped into the elevator and went down to the last level of our tour.

“This level is mostly used for storage. There’s not much down here. Through those doors there is a passage way that runs through the whole city. If there’s ever anywhere we need to get to and the sun is out at the time, we travel through there. And now over here…” We walked to the end of the hall. “No one is allowed to go through this door except by the command of Aro, Marcus, or Caius.”

Edward nodded and we started making our way back to the elevator.

Once in the elevator, he furrowed his brows and asked, “What’s through that door anyways?”

“It leads down to the dungeons.”

“Why is it forbidden to go there?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know. I’ve never seen anyone being put down there . The Volturi tends to kill anyone worth throwing in a dungeon. If a vampire disobeys, they kill them and if a human finds out about the secret they…well most of the time they kill them too. So there’s no real need for a dungeon I guess. Besides it’s not like some old dungeon can keep in a vampire. But for some reason it’s still a restricted area, even Aro’s pets aren’t allowed down there with out permission. I don’t necessarily want to know what’s down there either, if there even is anyone or thing there. It doesn’t really matter I guess.”

The elevator doors opened and we were back on our floor.

When we got back to my room Alice was still on the phone chatting away with Jasper.

“Yeah, Bella and Edward just got back, Jazz. I’ll talk to you later, ok? Alright. I’ll call you in a couple of hours. I love you too! Bye.” She hung up the phone and stood up. “Might as well turn right back around, Demetri will be here in 3…2…1…”

There was a knock on the door.

Edward rolled his eyes as I moved to open it.

“Hey Demetri. Are they ready?”

“Yes, they will see you now.”

“Ok, let’s get this over with.” Edward said as he took my hand in his.

Chapter 29 - The Meeting

Bella’s POV

As we got closer I tried to listen in to their minds, but I couldn’t hear anything coming from the grand hall.

Were they not waiting for us already?

I looked towards Edward. His brows were scrunched up in confusion.

I turned to Alice.

I can’t see anything of what’s to come. Everything is just blank…

Edward, Alice, Demetri and I continued our walk and finally came across the two large entrance doors of the great hall.

Demetri opened the doors and walked ahead of us, over to stand his post next to Felix.

Everyone else was already there waiting in their usual spots along with some new faces.

I would really have to be on my guard now.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus stood up in our presence.

Benji appeared from behind them and stood at Aro’s side, opposite of Alec and Jane.

That would explain all their silent minds.

The only minds in the room I could hear were Demetri, Alice, and Edward’s.

I was surprised to see Benji here still, in the guard no less.

I was almost positive that he would turn away from the Volturi.

I was sure he wouldn’t have wanted to stay locked up in this castle after all the years he’d been held hostage in Amun’s coven.

From the shadows behind the thrones, Chelsea appeared and stood next to Benji.

I stiffened.

Chelsea wasn’t usually in attendance to such meetings.

Did Aro plan to have her here?

Did he expect to use her power on us?

He knows I have the power to stop her.

Why would he even bother to try?

Was he just using her to keep Benji at is side?

Maybe I’m just paranoid.

I mean, Chelsea’s power wouldn’t work against Benji’s right?

We walked closer and stopped a few yards away from them.

Suddenly Caius growled.

“Bethany lied to us! He’s still human!” He hissed.

Aro raised his arm up to silence Caius.

“Now, now. I’m sure there is a good explanation for all of this.” He stated before turning to Felix. “Go fetch her.” He demanded coldly.

Felix nodded and then he was gone.

Demetri stiffened.

His thoughts were all on what he would do to Felix if he were to harm or even touch Bethany in any way.

Though his mental threats were quite graphic and ruthless, I silently wished that one day Felix would suffer that fate regardless…

We waited a few seconds until Bethany and Felix made their way into the room.

Bethany looked confused as she crossed the room to stand beside me.

“What can I do for you, Master?” She asked.

Aro stared her down.

“Will you remind us all of what you said upon your return from Washington.” He ordered.

“Well, I said that the two vampires who killed Ella’s family, James and Victoria, had found us and kidnapped Edward. We confronted them to save Edward. They wanted to exchange Edward for Ella’s help to bring down the Volturi.” She said wryly and then paused. “In the end the pack of wolves, the ones that the Cullen’s have a treaty with, had jumped out of the woods and destroyed them.”

“And what else?” Aro demanded.

He was starting to get irritated.

Bethany furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

She quickly replayed that night in her mind.

We got there…then James told us about what happened with Alice…he started to hurt Edward…Victoria used her gift on us…then Victoria tried to get Bella to hurt Edward, she resisted…James cut Edward…Ella drank from Edward and…oh no.

Bethany gasped and quickly turned to look at Edward.

He has a heartbeat…in all my excitement with Demetri I didn’t even notice…I thought…

Caius growled and Bethany looked back at the three brothers.

“I…I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t know…I—”

A quick flash of a vision passed through Alice’s mind and I instantly crouched low in front of Bethany.

I hissed in Caius’ direction and he crouched in defense.

He slightly turned his head at an angle.

“Step away, Isabella! She must be punished for her crime!”

“And what exactly is this crime you speak of Caius?” I hissed still crouched down protecting my best friend.

“She has committed treason!”

“She has done no such thing, Caius!” I growled.

“Isabella.” Aro said forcefully, commanding my attention.

I kept my gaze and attention at Caius, knowing him he’d try to get passed me the second I turned my attention to Aro.

“Isabella, look at me when I speak to you.” Aro was trying very hard to stay calm yet waves of anger still rolled off of him.

I held back the growl that began to rumble in my chest and hesitantly turned my attention to Aro.

“Get up.” He ordered.

“I will get up when Caius stops attempting to kill Bethany.” I said trying to keep the anger out of my voice but failing horribly.

“Do not speak to me that way again, Isabella!” Aro said with a fierce growl.

I flinched and I noticed Edward start to step closer to me.

Edward stay back I don’t want him to harm you.

I had never heard or felt Aro this angry before. I had barely ever heard him growl before, especially not at me.

I stood up from my crouch but still kept my guard up with Caius.

Aro turned slightly to glare at Caius and he also stood up from his crouch.

“Now, back to the matter at hand…” Aro started.

It was silent for a few moments so I took my chance to speak out.

“Aro, Bethany left before Edward had woken up. She didn’t know what happened afterwards. She only came back with as much information as we knew at the time. Yes, I did bite Edward, but after I healed him, we didn’t know what would happen. We didn’t know if he would change or if he would stay human. What happened after was a surprise to all of us. If anything it is my fault for not letting you know sooner. Bethany has nothing to do with this.” I said quickly so I would not be interrupted.

Aro went from angry to intensely curious in a split second.

He turned to look at Edward and was trying to figure out any differences in him.

The whole room fell into complete silence.

All that could be heard was Edward’s faint heartbeat.

Aro took a few steps closer and sniffed the air quickly, closing his eyes briefly.

He opened his eyes and looked back at me.

“What happened after he ‘woke up’?” he inquired.

“It seems that some of my venom was left within Edward’s body after I healed his wounds. The venom didn’t change him but it did give him some other vampiric characteristics.” I told him.

“Fascinating.” Aro’s mouth twitched to form a small smile. “Which characteristics has he acquired?” he asked anxiously.

His curiosity intensified.

Of course he’d be utterly intrigued with Edward’s changes.

I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

“He can run at our speeds. His senses, especially smell and sight, have intensified. His strength has also improved but it’s only about half the strength of a vampire’s. His skin is thicker and hard, but not as thick as vampire skin.”

“Did he acquire any unusual traits that neither human nor vampires have?” Aro asked.

“When he first woke up, his eyes were violet. We later found out they turn violet when he is hungry. After he eats, they turn green again.”

“What about bloodlust?” Marcus asked.

I turned to face him.

“He has no bloodlust. He still has all his human bodily functions. He eats human food. Blood doesn’t appeal to him in any way. He can still consume it, but chooses not to.” I stated.

“What about his human qualities? You say his skin is thicker now but not as thick as ours. He can still be hurt?” Caius smirked.

I glared at him as I spoke.

“Yes, his skin can still be penetrated but it requires much force.” I paused and let out a shaky breath before I could continue. The hardest part about all of this was that…“He’s not immortal. He is still aging…”

I quickly took a glance at Edward. He was looking back at me with fear and sadness in his eyes.

I turned to look back at Aro when I felt a wave of desire and more curiosity flow from him.

I took a deep breath.

“What about his gift?” he asked joyfully.

I was hoping he wouldn’t ask about that certain ability, but he obviously wouldn’t over look something like that.

“It has also advanced. He can still read the thoughts of others, but he can also transfer his own thoughts into another person’s mind. He has recently been able to turn off his gift and block all thoughts from his own mind.”

Aro’s eyes widened and his excitement went through the roof.

“This is quite the discovery! I never thought a half-breed would be possible.”

Jeeze, he’s calling me a damn half-breed? That’s original…

Aro grinned and had an evil glint in his eyes.

He was already scheming up something. I could tell.

“Aro, we don’t know completely how this is possible, or if healing his bite was the cause of this. We can’t say for sure if this can be replicated.”

“You know me well, Isabella.” Aro half-smiled. “Regardless, I wish to find out more about this new discovery. We must figure out if there are any draw backs. Maybe this will be helpful to us in the future.”

I didn’t like where this was going…

“So where does that leave us, Aro?” I asked motioning to myself, Edward, and Alice.

“Hmm…well things have become a little complicated now, haven’t they? I would like to consult with Caius and Marcus before we make any decisions. Brothers, join me in the study so we can discuss this privately first.”

With out another word the three of them glided out of the room through the door that led to their private meeting room.

My nerves instantly heightened.

What will happen now?

Suddenly Edward was beside me and he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in towards his chest.

I love you, Bella. He kissed the top of my head. Things will be ok, love.

I sighed.

I felt a wave of jealousy and I turned to look at Felix.

His eyes were narrowed as he watched Edward and I.

He then became uneasy and slightly terrified as I glared at him.

Edward rolled his eyes and then rubbed small circles on my side to calm me down.

I turned to look in Edward’s eyes and smiled.

His bright green eyes were shinning with love, as mine mirrored back in his in dark brown.

I sent him a wave of my love and he grinned crookedly.

I heard a gagging noise come from Jane and a chuckle from Alec.

Bitch.

I sent her a feeling of human constipation.

She groaned.

I evilly smirked in her direction.

She huffed and I could feel her gift nudging at my shield, trying to break through.

Just then the door opened and Aro followed by Caius and Marcus stepped out and returned back to their previous positions.

I straightened up and took Edward and Alice’s hands in mine.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence Aro finally spoke.

“Isabella, when you left Volterra the last time, I requested that you return with Alice and Edward so that I may invite them to join the guard.” He paused and looked directly at Alice.

“Would you like to join us, dear Alice?” He asked enthusiastically.

“I’m sorry, but I will have to decline.” Alice replied sweetly.

He sighed in disappointment and then turned to Edward and smirked.

“And what about you, Edward, would you care to join our guard?”

“No.” Edward answered loud and stern.

Aro narrowed his eyes at him, anger rolled off of him.

“Thank you for considering me good enough to join, Aro. But I have no interest in being on the Volturi guard. I don’t mean to be rude. I hope you can understand…” He added quickly with fake politeness.

Nice save, Edward…

Aro’s anger began to subside, but it quickly turned into irritation.

“Very well then. Are these your final decisions?”

Edward and Alice both nodded.

“This changes everything then.” He continued. His voice became somewhat cheerful.

I was confused by his sudden change of emotions.

“So are we free to leave then?” Alice asked.

Aro smiled at Alice and nodded.

“Yes Alice, you are free to leave when ever you wish, as well as Isabella. Although, I do wish you would stay for a little while longer so we can get to know each other.”

I sudden pang of fear spread throughout my body.

“What…What do you mean Alice and I can leave when ever we wish? What about Edward?” I said with panic laced in every word.

Caius had a devious grin plaster over his face. Aro simply smiled and Marcus seemed indifferent.

“Well, my dear Isabella. We don’t know for sure what Edward is or will be capable of and until we know his existence is completely safe for our kind, he must stay here in the castle so we can watch and observe him.”

“NO!” I cried. “He will do no such thing, Aro. He doesn’t belong here. He’s not dangerous. And he’s already proven that he will not expose us. He doesn’t even have the strength to harm any vampire!”

Caius growled. Aro hissed at him and he ceased his growling.

I pulled Edward behind me.

“If he does not agree to stay here then the only other option will be to destroy him.” Aro declared.

Alice gasped and took a protective stance in front of Edward. I did the same.

Aro sighed and shook his head.

“I truly do not wish to harm him. It would be such a waste.” He paused. “But you will leave me no other choice.”

Edward placed his hand on my shoulder and his other on Alice’s.

I turned to look at him with furrowed brows.

He pushed us aside and took a step forward.

I instantly grabbed his wrist.

“No…” I begged.

It’s the only way.

In this moment, I felt exactly the way I had that day I bit him.

I felt useless.

Hopeless.

I hesitantly let go of his wrist.

Edward took another step forward and my heart felt as it had ripped in two.

My eyes burned.

The venom pooled and threatened to fall, if only I was capable of tears.

“Aro, if I agree to stay here, will you agree to not subject me to any of your experiments? I do not wish to be any part of that.”

Aro took a moment to think about it and then smiled.

“I think we can agree to that.” He said.

Edward nodded.

“Felix.” He called out. “Make arrangements for his private dorm.”

This was all becoming too real, too painful.

I stepped forward and took Edward’s hand in mine.

“Aro, that won’t be necessary.” I said loudly.

What are you doing, Bella? This is the only way for us all to be safe…

I ignored his thoughts and continued.

“He will stay in my room. I hope it won’t be too much of a disturbance if I stay as well then.”

Bella, no! You have to go back with Alice…please.

I will never leave your side, Edward.

But Bella, you hate this place…are you sure?

I gave Edward a small reassuring smile before turning my attention back to Aro.

His smile widened and triumph flowed from his every pore.

“Wonderful!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, but I have some requests of my own, Aro.” Aro stiffened but I continued.

“Edward and I will just be guests here. He’s here to be watched over but not to be controlled. He wants to go to college, and I would appreciate it you do not disturb his studies. I would like to ask that we be allowed to visit our family and not be confined to only the castle.” I said confidently.

He slightly narrowed his eyes and his irritation started to rise again.

I sent him a small dose of calm and compassion.

He became less tense and cleared his throat.

“You are quite lucky that I like you, Isabella. I’ve always had a soft spot for you.” He smiled. “I will grant you these requests but there will be some ground rules. We will discuss them at a later time.”

I nodded.

“You may all leave now. We will have another meeting in a few days to sort out the details and rules. I bid you all a good night.”

Aro, Caius, and Marcus lifted their hoods and disappeared to different parts of the castle.

Slowly the rest of the guards began to leave as well.

Alice embraced Edward and me in a hug.

I could feel her sadness and relief much more refined now.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see who it was.

Bethany stood behind me with Demetri holding her at the waist.

“I’m so sorry about all this Ella. I wish there was something I could do. It’s truly unfair for both of you.” She hung her head in guilt.

“It’s ok Bethany. At least we’re all safe now. It’s just going to take some getting use to, is all.”

She gave me a small smile and then walked off with Demetri at her side.

“Come on, let’s go to my room. We need to call Carlisle and let him know what happened.” I announced.

We slowly made our way back to my room.

My emotions were in high gear and I was dreading the call I would have to make now.

The three of us sat on my couch and Alice reached for her phone and handed it to me.

I opened the phone and stared at Carlisle’s number for a few moments.

Edward pulled me up on to his lap and kissed my temple.

I pressed call and put the phone on speaker.

The phone rang once.

“Hello?”

“Hey Carlisle…” I said softly.

“So did all go well?” he asked anxiously.

I sighed.

“Not exactly as we had hoped for…”

I heard a clicking sound come from his phone. I assumed he had now put the phone on speaker as well.

“Oh dear, are you all ok?” Esme asked.

“Yes, we’re all fine.” Alice said.

“What happened?” Carlisle asked.

“Aro has become very interested in Edward’s changes…He wants to study and experiment on how it happened.”

I heard a collection of their gasps.

“He’s going to experiment on Edward?!” Rosalie asked, completely disgusted at the thought.

“No…He agreed not to use Edward as a guinea pig.”

It was silence for a moment.

“He’s going to do the same thing he did 250 years ago…”

I furrowed my brow in confusion.

“What do you mean Carlisle?” I asked.

“Well I’m not completely sure on the specifics. But I did hear about it while I was there. He had been conducting an experiment on children.” He let out a frustrated sigh before continuing. “He wanted to see if they would be suitable as vampires. They bit a few dozen infants, toddlers and some pre-teens to see how the venom would affect them. Most of them died before their change, but the ones that did survive were shortly after destroyed. They were too primitive, they could not be controlled. That is why the Volturi have banned the turning of immortal children…”

Alice gasped and placed her hand at her chest.

“That’s horrible!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, I had heard rumors about that…I didn’t know it was true though…” I admitted.

“I just hope he doesn’t get too carried away this time…” Carlisle trailed off.

A few more seconds of silence.

“So when will you three be coming home?” he asked.

I frowned.

Alice bit her lip to keep back from sobbing.

“Alice is the only one going back.” I said, my voice cracking at the end.

“What do you mean Alice will be the only one coming back?” Carlisle asked wearily.

“Aro believes that the uncertainty of Edward’s changes is too dangerous for him to be anywhere but here in Volterra. He’s making Edward stay at the castle to keep close watch on him to make sure nothing happens…well at least that’s what he’s making it out to look like. I will be staying here with Edward. I could never leave his side. And Aro knows that. I’m sure this was his plan all along…” I answered.

I could hear a few growls from the other end and Esme sobbing in the background.

Listening to her sobs made the pit of my stomach twist and turn.

It made me ached to hear her in such sadness, she was the closest thing I had to a mother now.

It was my fault that we’re in this situation.

And now I’m ripping away her son from her.

That’s twice now in her lifetime that her child has been taken away from her.

Guilt washed over me and I could feel the lump in my throat threatening to turn into sobs.

Edward tightened his grip around my waist and placed kisses on the top of my head.

This isn’t your fault, love. Please stop blaming yourself.

I frowned.

But it is my fault…

Edward sighed.

“Is there anything we can do? Is there any other way?” Esme’s muffled voice asked.

“I’m sorry, Esme. There isn’t…Aro said it was either this or he would be forced to...hurt Edward. This was the only way…” I said lowering my voice and staring at the floor willing myself not to break down.

“I...I understand.” She said softly.

“This is complete bullshit! I can’t believe those assholes! Why are they doing this to us?!” Emmett growled.

I heard glass shatter and the sounds of plaster crumbling.

I faintly heard Rose try to comfort him and take him outside.

“This will be extremely hard on all of us, but we’ll find a way to make everything better.” Alice said as she tried to put on the best smile she could.

“I hope you’re right, Alice.” Carlisle said. Though he didn’t sound too confident.

“Alice, when will you be coming back?” Jasper asked after a few moments of more silence.

Alice looked from me to Edward then back to me.

I don’t want to leave you both here so soon…but I miss Jasper so much already…

I nodded assuring her we would be ok.

Her eyes glazed over for a brief second.

“The next flight out will be in a couple of hours. I’ll be back home soon.” She said with a small smile.

“Carlisle,” I started. “Aro will be meeting with us again in a few days to figure everything out of what we will be able to do during our stay here. I’ll call you again when we have more news.”

“Ok. Please keep us updated, and take care of yourselves. You know better than any of us what the Volturi are capable of. If you need anything, anything at all, just call and let me know.”

“We will.”

“And we’ll see you soon, Alice.” He finished.

“I love you both very much.” Esme said softly trying to keep her voice even.

“I love you too, Mom.” Edward and I said at the same time.

“Be safe.” Were the last words she said before she hung up.

I closed the phone and gave it back to Alice.

She stood up and walked towards the balcony.

“I’m going to call the airport.”

I nodded and took Edward’s hand in mine.

We walked up to my bedroom and lay in bed together.

We lay there in silence, my head on his chest and his chin resting on my head.

I glanced up at his face after a few minutes and saw a single tear running down his cheek.

I swiftly sat up and kiss away the small droplet.

I cupped both of his cheeks and looked deep into his eyes.

“I love you, Edward.”

He pressed his forehead to mine.

“I love you too, Bella.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips and then let out a small sigh. “I just wish there was another way. I wish I could get away, forget about everything that just happened. It’s just too much…”

“Edward, I’m here. We’ll get through this. Nothing will ever tear us apart. I promise.”

He took a strand of my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear.

The warm of his hand made me smile and I nudged myself closer to the warmth.

He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

There was only one thing I could think of to make him forget about all the chaos in our lives, even if it was just for a little while.

I embraced him in a soft passionate kiss and made love to him.