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Chapter Text

My name is Emmett Matthew McCarty Cullen. I am 95 years old. 20 of those years I lived as a human, but then I was attacked one day while out hunting. I was saved from death by my beautiful wife Rosie. She found me dying and gave me new life as a vampire. They say that for vampires, human memories fade over time, but it's been 75 years now and a lot of my memories are as sharp as the day they happened.

It's true that I don't really remember my parents. Not shocking really, considering I never knew my father. I remember something about him being a traveling salesman, but that's about it. I don't think I ever saw him once, and if I did I was too young to remember. Mama said he came around once and awhile, but after BB…well…he just never came around again.

I was six years old, almost seven, the day my baby sister was born. She was the most beautiful baby. True enough I had never really spent time around babies, but my sister was gorgeous. She had a cute little nose, adorable little heart shaped face, beautiful brown hair that curled when it was wet, and the deepest brown eyes. The first time I held her, she looked up at me with those big brown eyes and I was a goner. It was love at first sight. I made it my mission in life to take care of little Isabella and there was nothing I wouldn't do for her.

When our father ditched Mama for the first time and disappeared for weeks, Mama took a job as a school teacher in town. That's about all I remember of my mother, save for the fact she disappeared eight years later. I always took care of my Izzy. I bathed her, I fed her, helped her learn to walk, to talk…She was such a smart little girl and as she got older she only grew smarter and prettier. No matter what happened, we always had each other. I would always be there for her and she was always there for me. She even tried to help me with my reading. Imagine that. A tiny little seven year old trying to teach her big, thirteen year old brother how to read. See, when my sister was born, I stopped going to school so I could stay home and take care of her while Mama was gone. I was never the smartest kid, so it didn't bother me much. Instead of reading to Iz, I would tell her stories, some made up, some fanciful versions of my hunting trips. I loved to hunt, but I hated leaving Izzy behind. I had nothing against women hunting. Hell one of the best hunters I knew was a girl…but she wasn't my baby sister. I knew how dangerous animals could be and I refused to let my sister get involved with that. So instead, I taught her how to fish.

The two of us were constantly having grand adventures. We were always having fun. She idolized me and I adored her. One day, we came back from a grand fishing trip to find our Mama gone. Everything she owned: her clothes, her knickknacks, her fancy hairbrushes…everything was gone. Including her. Maybe times were too rough and she just couldn't take it anymore. Who knows? I sure as hell don't. How she could abandon her own children is beyond me. I was fourteen years old when I went from being big brother to mother and father for my eight year old sister. Not much changed for us though. I sent Izzy off to school every morning and went to work in a lumber yard. I was at the school everyday when she got out to walk her home. It worked for us. We spent our nights cooking together while she told me about all the things she learned that day. It worked for us for six years.

I was twenty years old when a friend of mine from the lumber yard asked me to go hunting with him. He said he had a good line on the location of a group of grizzly bears. That was a surefire way to get me to go. I loved hunting grizzlies. We planned to go out early the next morning so we could be home (hopefully) in time for supper. Izzy woke up to see me off. She did this every time I went hunting. And she always gave me her necklace. It was something I had made for her after our mother left. It was a silver, oval locket. On the front, "I+E Forever" was engraved. Inside there were two pictures. On the left was a picture of us as kids. On the right was a current picture of us. We took it on Izzy's fourteenth birthday. It was her most treasured possession. Whenever I hunted, she always gave me the necklace and said, "Now you have extra motivation. Bring my two treasures home safely Papa Bear." That's what she called me. Well one of the things. We each had dozens of nicknames for the other. She called me Em, Emmy, Emmy Bear…but she only called me Papa Bear when she was afraid or when I left her to hunt. Just like I only called her Baby Bell when she was scared or when I left her. Then there was Bell, Bells, Bellsie, Izzy…Like I said lots of nicknames for each other.

Every single time I left my little sister, my Baby Bell, my BB, I always brought myself and her necklace, the two things she treasured most in the world, home safely to her. Until that day.

I remember every moment of my human life where my Izzy was involved. I remember our conversations, our special moments, every smile, every hug…but I don't remember how that damn bear got the drop on me that day. All I remembered was promising my sister I'd be home for supper and the next thing I knew, I was in Rosalie's arms. When I woke up, they told me what happened, what I was…but all I could think about was my Bell. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me find her. Not while I was still a newborn. It was for my sister that I tried so hard to control my thirst. When they finally let me go to her, with Edward and Carlisle for back up of course, she was gone. I could no longer smell her in our house…our house where another family was living. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I didn't understand why there was someone else in our house. Where was my Izzy? Was she dead? Did she move? I was so terrified to find out what happened to her. I didn't think I could survive if she was dead.

Edward pulled me into the trees, his hand on my shoulder, while Carlisle went to the house. I have no idea what was said. With my vampire hearing, I should have been able to listen, but the only thing I could hear in my head was my sister's laughter, like bells, and her asking me to come home safe.

When Carlisle returned to us, he told us that according to the family, Isabella McCarty left town the day she found out her brother died. They didn't know where she went. No one did. For years I tried to find her, but it was impossible. She had disappeared without a trace.

I never removed that locket. Not a day went by that I didn't look at the picture of my little Baby Bell. Not a day went by that I didn't wonder what happened to her. Not a day went by that I didn't think of her. Sure, when I was around the family I joked and laughed and smiled…but my smile was never true. It was never the full, deep dimpled, whole face lighting up smile that was reserved for my sister. At night, my Rosie would simply hold me, running her fingers through my hair as I told her stories of my BB. It's been nearly a century since I saw my baby sister and I have missed her every single day. And I will miss her for the rest of my life.

Chapter Text

My name is Isabella Marie McCarty Warren. I am 89 years old. 20 of those years I lived as a human, but then I was attacked one day while I was out walking. I had unknowingly crossed the path of three vampires. They each bit me; drinking from me until I was so weak I passed out. I don't remember what happened after that. The next thing I do remember is waking up in a cave, my eyesight, hearing, sense of smell each stronger. I stayed in that cave for two days, trying to figure out what had happened to me. Then I saw him…one of the creatures that bit me. He said his name was Laurent and that he had been looking for me. He explained that he did not intend for me to change. He and his friends were just sharing a meal, but something distracted them and they left me on the ground, assuming I was dead. He said that somehow, in the delirium of my change, I must have wandered until I found a safe place to rest. He explained to me what I was now…told me I was a vampire. He even tried to take me hunting, but when I smelt the human blood, I immediately felt like retching. He didn't understand…said that all newborn vampires crave blood. Lots of blood. He said my throat should be on fire from the venom, but my throat was fine. I felt no burning, no hunger. I am an enigma. As it is, I only need to hunt once a month and even then, I only hunt animals. Their blood does not make me nauseas. Sometimes I go for deer or mountain lions or moose. But mostly? I go after bears. Grizzlies if I can find them. Because a grizzly bear destroyed my life.

They say that for vampires, human memories fade over time, but it's been 69 years now and a lot of my memories are as sharp as the day they happened.

It's true that I don't really remember my parents. Not shocking really, considering I never knew my father. My mother…I don't know what she looked like. I don't know her name. I only remember she was a school teacher and when I was eight, she disappeared. So if I don't remember my parents, what are all these memories that I have? Mostly, they're of my big brother Emmett. My Papa Bear. For the first fourteen years of my life, not a day went by that he wasn't there with me. He taught me everything I knew. He even taught me how to fish. He was my entire world…right up until the day he died.

My Emmy was everything I could have ever asked for. He was my big brother, my best friend, my protector. He always took care of me. He stopped going to school so he could take care of me. But I went to school. He made sure of it. When I was old enough, he would always walk me to school. While I was learning he would fish or hunt and he would come back when I got out so he could walk me home. After our mother left, he got a job at the lumber yard so he could take care of me and buy me things. He was only fourteen at the time, but he was very tall for his age and Mr. Sanders, the yard owner, knew what happened with our family and gave my brother a chance. Emmy was a very hard worker, but he was still there to walk me to and from school everyday. At night, we would always cook dinner together while I explained to him all the things I learned. I tried to help him learn math and how to read. He wasn't very interested in it, but he tried because I asked him.

All my life my Emmy told me stories. He couldn't read very well, so he made up grand stories to entertain me. It was the best part of my day. I could listen to him for hours and hours. He had such a beautiful voice. When he laughed, it was loud and deep and filled me with warmth, just like those huge sunshiny smiles of his. Even as we got older and he got taller, his voice deeper, those loud laughs of his never once scared me. Emmy was a giant compared to me, but I loved him more than anything in the world.

One day, shortly after my fourteenth birthday, Emmy came home from work and told me he was going hunting the next day with his friend Zachary. This was nothing new though. My big brother loved to hunt…especially grizzlies. That's why I called him Emmy Bear, Brother Bear, Papa Bear. Papa Bear was my most special name for him. Emmett practically raised me himself. He was the best big brother and father anyone could ask for. Anytime I got scared, all I had to do was call him Papa Bear and he would know something was wrong. He'd wrap me in those big, strong arms of his and talk me through what was scaring me or bothering me. And I always called him that before he left on a hunt because I was always afraid he wouldn't come back. So I found something to give him extra incentive to come home to me.

After our mother left, Emmy had a necklace made for me. It was a silver, oval locket. On the front, "I+E Forever" was engraved. Inside there were two pictures. On the left was a picture of us as kids. On the right was a picture of us we took on my fourteenth birthday. Whenever Emmy left, I always gave him that necklace, my most treasured possession, aside from my brother. I told him that it was extra motivation and that he had to bring my two treasures home safely. He'd always say, "I promise Baby Bell." Baby Bell…that's what he'd call me when I was upset or worried or hurt. It was his most special name for me, like Papa Bear was for him. But the morning of that hunt…that was the last time I ever heard it.

Zachary and Emmett had gone hunting together a few times before. Whenever they had an animal targeted, they would split up so they could each try to bag their own kill. They did the same thing that day. But when Zachary went back to find my brother…all he found was Emmy's bloody coat, his bloody knife, and his Remington Model 1900 side-by-side shotgun. I knew it was my Emmy's because "I+E Forever" was carved into the stock of the gun. That was what remained of Emmett Matthew McCarty. My big brother, my whole world, was gone.

I couldn't stay in our house any longer. I told Zachary I was leaving and that he could do with the house what he wanted. I grabbed Emmett's large, white cloth duffle bag from his closet and filled it with clothes, some of Emmy's shirts, all our pictures, the hardback copy of The Secret Garden, my favorite novel and the last gift I received from my brother. I cut a sheet, which I wrapped around his rifle, and added that to my pack along with Emmy's bear claw necklace. Aside from me, it was the thing he was most proud of in the world.

I left with my pack of clothes and treasures, wearing one of my big brother's flannel logging shirts which smelled of sawdust and him. I didn't have a destination in mind; I just had to get away. I couldn't stay in that town, in that house a moment longer. There was no life for me there without my Papa Bear. I set out on Smokey, our youngest horse, a black Mustang. He was as mean as the day was long to everyone else, but me. No one ever understood why, but I was the only person that horse let ride him. That's why I took him and left our other two horses in the barn for Zachary to do with as he liked.

I traveled for a week, only stopping when Smokey needed to rest. I barely slept. I barely ate. I felt empty. Hollow. There was nothing I wanted out of life, except to see my big brother's smiling face. But going that long without food or sleep takes its toll on the body and one day, I fainted and fell off my horse. I was found by a man named Samuel. He was thirty years old and a widower. He'd lost his wife and only child during childbirth. He took me to his home and nursed me back to health. He would hold me when I woke from a nightmare, calling out for Emmy. He would hold me when I cried. Sam had such a kind heart. He helped me to live again. He convinced me that my brother would not want me to wither away and die, but to live my life for the both of us. So that's what I did. I stayed with Sam on his farm outside a small Kentucky town. Over the years, I fell in love with him. It didn't matter to me that he was fifteen years my senior. We married when I was seventeen and one year later, we had a little boy…Matthew. He was beautiful. He had light blond hair, like his daddy, but it was wavy, like mine. He had his daddy's face and nose, but his eyes…his eyes were that beautiful forest green like my brother.

For my twentieth birthday Sam gave me a necklace. It was a silver compass, and on the inside of the cover was a picture of him with our son. When he gave it to me he said, "Last time, fate brought you to me. Now, if you ever get lost, you'll be able to find your way home to me." But it was him that was lost.

Two weeks after my birthday, I was in town getting a few things from the store. I left Matthew home with his daddy. They both had a cold. When I got home, the sheriff was waiting outside my house. Seems that while I was gone, an outlaw had come through. He wanted to use our house as a shelter to hide from the sheriff's men. Sam tried to do the brave thing. They fought and he managed to knock the man unconscious, or so he thought. Matthew had run into the room, scared by the noise from the fight. Sam picked him up and when his back was turned, the man pulled out a gun and shot him in the back. The bullet went through Sam and into Matt. They were both dead in minutes.

After the funeral, I was broken beyond repair. I had lost my brother, my husband, and my son. I had nothing left to live for. I didn't want to go back home. A few of the boys from town, friends of Sam, had come in and removed the…evidence. They couldn't get the blood out of the floor, so they simply replaced it. It was awful kind of them, but still I didn't want to go there. I decided to go for a walk through the woods. I had always been a fan of nature, courtesy of my brother. That was when the vampires found me.

When I finally left the cave, three days after my transformation was complete, one day after Laurent explained everything to me and was satisfied that I would not go on a killing spree, destroying the town and exposing the secret, I returned to my home. Once again, I packed my things in my brother's old bag. I packed clothes, the things I had taken from the house in Tennessee, all the pictures of my now lost family, and the small tuft of blond curls, taken when my son had his first haircut. I knew I could run quickly now, but I wanted some form of companionship, so I went to the barn. The horses and cows were afraid of me. They moved as far away from me as they could in their stalls. But Smokey? I opened the door to his stall and he walked right up to me and nuzzled my face. I swear we were kindred spirits or something. And so the two of us set out on a long journey. Fifteen years later when he was too old to carry on, his bones frail and weak, I drank from him to end his suffering. He was the last living tie I had to my brother. Without him, I simply wandered the country alone. I never talked to anyone, never bothered to set down roots again. I simply existed in the world, without actually living in it.

On June 8, 2010…my 89th birthday, I was sitting on the banks of a lake, staring up at the dark, star filled sky when suddenly, I heard a giggle. I whipped my head towards the sound and standing there, holding his father's hand, was my little boy. I'm not one to believe in ghosts or angels or miracles, but at that moment I believed in them all.

"Hi Mama," Matthew shouted with a wave as they moved closer to me.

"Hello baby," I whispered, wishing I could reach out and hug him. "I miss you sweetheart."

"I miss you too Mama, but me and daddy are always watchin you," he said smiling.

"Isabella, what are you doing love?" Sam asked as he sat down across from me, pulling Matthew into his lap. "You are the same now as you were when we first met, only this time you don't need sleep and you don't have to eat often. You're not living."

"How can I?" I asked in a whisper, venom tickling my eyes with tears that will never fall. "I've lost everyone I've ever loved."

"Matthew and I have been watching over you every day. We are the reason you are still alive. We are the reason you can't stand the smell of human blood. We are always with you my love."

I smiled, letting his words sink in. Always my savior that Samuel. It seemed nothing could stop him, not even death. "Still taking care of me huh?"

"I always will beautiful, even if you don't see me. Now, we're not really supposed to be here talking, but I needed to tell you it's time to move on. You need to start living again. Let yourself love again. It's the only way you will ever heal. And don't tell me you don't want to. You have let yourself grieve for us long enough. It's been almost seventy years. It's time to move on sugar," Sam said softly as he stood, once again taking hold of our son's hand. "I have a birthday present for you. Go to Forks, Washington. That's where you'll find what you're looking for. Goodbye sweetheart."

"Goodbye Mama," Matt said as he waved his little hand at me.

"Goodbye my loves," I whispered as they disappeared before me. I took a minute to let everything sink in then I stood, grabbed my bag, and headed towards Washington, using Sam's compass to point me in the right direction. Sam had always known what the right thing for me to do was and I trusted him implicitly. I don't know what he expected me to find in this Forks, but he'd never steered me wrong before.

Chapter Text

Bella's POV:

The first time I realized that living without a home was going to be a problem was when I came to the conclusion that having no money would also be an issue. I did have the savings Sam left me, but that wouldn't last me forever…especially not if I stopped at a hotel at least once a week to shower and clean my clothes. However it's not like I could get a job, now could I? Aside from the fact that it was the 40s, there were only a few jobs acceptable for women and being a vampire, I couldn't exactly do them. So one day, I stopped in the little town I was near and procured several journals and pens. I had always loved stories and I figured it was something I wanted to try my hand at. I began writing the adventures of a little girl and her horse. Two days later, I had filled every page of all five journals. I hadn't planned to write so much, but once I got started I had a hard time stopping. That would be how I wound up with a five book series, each journal being its own book.

I knew that the only way anything would become of my stories was to get them published and there was no hope of doing that in the middle of the country. So I set out for New York City. It was not hard to find a publishing house, as many had set up shop there. I picked one at random and mailed them my work. I also got a post office box in a nearby town so that the publishers would have a way to get in touch with me. Within a week I had a contract in my mailbox. It seems everyone at the company who'd read my works loved them. I was even asked to continue the series. So I did. To this day, I have written fifty-seven books, all under the name S.M. Nerraw. The stories of the girl and her horse maxed out at twelve books. After that, I began to write about anything that popped into my head, from traveling around the country to the stories my Emmy used to tell me when I was younger. The past couple decades, my more serious novels have reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller's List. I was very accomplished, but still the only time I ever spoke to anyone was when I asked for a room at a motel; the extent of my social interaction. Even my editors had never met me. We communicated through letters only and later on email. I never had a book tour and the only signings I did consisted of my editors sending me a few dozen copies of the books, which I'd sign and mail back.

I had more money than I knew what to do with, so much in fact, that I had several Swiss bank accounts. All the royalties from the books would go into a specific account at my bank in New York then were later on transferred if the account got too large. As it is, I only have about one million available to me in this country. I didn't need access to more than that right now. It was enough to get me a hotel, clothes, and gas for my car for years at a time. Years later when the account got too low, I'd just transfer more in. It was a system that seemed to be working well for me.

My car…I absolutely adore my car. It's a black, hardtop, 1967 Chevy Impala with an all black interior. I had no intention of purchasing a vehicle after I lost Smokey, but ten years later when the Impala came out…it was the first thing that made me smile since I'd become a vampire. After I bought it, I read every book I could find on mechanics, learning how to change the oil, spark plugs, basically just how to keep it running. For the first time I appreciated the retention ability of my vampire brain. Courtesy of that, as well as my strength, I've been able to keep Shadow running and in perfect, mint condition for the past 43 years. Shadow, my name for the Impala, is the reason it took me near a week to get from my current location of Elkins, West Virginia, 211 cloudy/rainy days a year to Forks, Washington, home of the rarely seen sun. But that was fine with me. I have always enjoyed the rain.

I pulled into the town late on a Monday evening. By following Main Street, I was able to easily locate the town's only motel, a family run looking place named The Weary Traveler. Creative name, I know. I quickly procured a room around the back, grabbed my things from the trunk of my car, and headed in. My first order of business was a bath. Baths had always been my one true indulgence. Sure, showers are fast and more convenient, but nothing beats lying in a tub of hot, bubbly water just letting all your worries and troubles drift away. However this time, nothing was drifting. My mind was too busy trying to understand what I was supposed to find here. I had no idea where to even begin looking, but I hoped my boys would send me a sign.

The next morning I dressed myself in a pair of jeans, black heeled combat boots, a purple v-neck tank top and my black leather bomber jacket. I left my hair down. I didn't want to waste time styling it because if it started to rain, it would get ruined. Down was faster and more convenient. I was in a hurry to get moving, so I collected my keys, locked everything up, and began to walk. If I was walking it would be easier to pick up a scent or see someone…something…anything to make me understand why I was here.

One hour later, I had walked around the entire town. It was small and quaint and the forests were amazing. If I were ever going to settle down, it would be in a place like this. Perhaps I would be settling here if I ever discovered the reason Sam sent me. He couldn't just say, "Go to this place. You're looking for a pink elephant, you'll find it there." No, that would be too easy. Instead he says, "Go to Forks. There you'll find what you're looking for." That's great Samuel. Thank you. I have no idea what I'm looking for. He told me it was time to move on so does that mean I'm looking for a person? A mate? A coven? What?

"Help me out here Sammy," I whisper looking up at the sky. "I need a little direction love." Frustrated, I sat down on a bench on the sidewalk. "Maybe I should just leave. I've been on my own for over half a century, what's another fifty years?"

I was about to stand when the wind changed and I smelled it. A vampire. I looked up and saw I was in front of a hospital. Why would there be a vampire in a hospital? That doesn't make sense. I thought they didnt like sick blood. My curiosity quickly got the better of me so I made my way inside. I was planning to just walk around tracking the scent, but apparently that wasn't going to work.

"Can I help you dear?" A voice behind me asked. I turned to see an older woman, her gray hair pulled back into a tight bun, wearing light blue scrubs. She looked me up and down for a moment before saying, "Are you here to see Dr. Cullen? You look like one of his kids."

A pale vampire looks like one of this doctor's kids? Really? Well maybe man is the one I smelt. "Yes, I am," I say softly. "Can you point me in his direction please?"

"Of course. Go down the hall; take a left then a right. His office is straight ahead."

"Thank you very much," I reply before heading down the hall. It may have been a long time since I had a conversation, but my Emmy taught me manners.

The closer I got to the office, the more I could smell him. He must have smelled me too because just as I was about to knock on his door, it opened to reveal a blond, wide-eyed vampire. As I looked at his face, I realized his eyes were gold and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, you're a 'vegetarian.'"

"Please come in," he said, moving back from the door, allowing me to enter. I sat in one of the large white chairs in front of his desk as he closed the door and moved to sit in his desk chair. "Can I help you?" He asked his eyes inquisitive.

"I'm honestly not sure. I was told to come to this town to 'find' something, but I don't know what. I was about to give up my search when I smelled a vampire. I followed the scent and here you are. A vampire doctor. I have to admit, that's something I never could have expected."

The man before me smiled softly and I found myself relaxing. He seemed to generate peacefulness. "I always wanted to be a doctor. I find my…abilities…only make me better. I worked very hard in my early years to overcome the bloodlust and I haven't been affected by the smell of it for a very long time. How is it that you are able to be here with such ease?"

"This is going to sound strange, but the smell of human blood makes me nauseous. I don't need to hunt regularly either. I usually only need one or two animals about once a month."

"Fascinating. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Carlisle. Carlisle Cullen," he said, holding his hand out.

"Isabella Warren," I replied, shaking his hand.

"I finished my shift a few minutes ago. Would you like to come meet my family?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

He grabbed his things and walked me out to his Mercedes. He even held the passenger door open for me. I could tell the two of us would get along well. I just hoped the rest of his family was as kind as him.

Chapter Text

Esme POV:

I just received a text from Carlisle informing me he was bringing home a visitor and asking to make sure everyone was home. The girls were planning on going shopping, but all the air was "mysteriously" let out of tires of all the cars except Emmett's Jeep and Edward's Volvo. I wonder which of the boys did it to get out of going. Either way it was fortunate. It meant all the kids were home. Four of them were in their rooms, the boys I'm sure were hiding. Rosalie had just come in from the garage, grumbling angrily after inflating everything and making sure none of the rims were harmed. "Kids, please come into the living room," I requested. Within a few moments, they were all standing in front of me, my sons looking at me innocently. I couldn't help smiling at them. I was truly blessed.

"What's up mom?" Emmett asked. He was the only one to always call me that instead of Esme. I smiled wider and relayed to them that Carlisle was coming home with someone. Immediately the questions began. "Who is it?" "Is it a vampire?" "He wouldn't bring a human here would he?" "Alice, can you see anything?"

"Everyone, hush. Rosalie, why don't you go get cleaned up dear? I'm sure whoever it is, you would rather not meet them smelling like rubber."

"Good point. I'll be back." She quickly fled the room and moments later I heard the shower turn on.

"Now, I don't know who is coming or whether or not they are a vampire. However I do not believe your father would bring a human here without warning us. Alice dear, have you seen anything?"

"Nothing Esme. The future gets fuzzy when Carlisle gets home. It's like watching a television with bad reception. I can't really see anything and I definitely cannot see this visitor. I do see everyone clearly tomorrow though so I know no one's going to be hurt."

"That's good. Well, they should be here shortly."

Bella's POV:

The closer we got to his house, the more nervous I became. I had never been around a large group of vampires before. In fact the only one I had even met, aside from Dr. Cullen, had been Laurent and it's not like we keep in touch. I haven't seen him since that day in the cave. I didn't much care. Why would I want to stay in touch with one of the creatures who had turned me immortal when all I wanted at the time was to die and join my family?

"Don't worry dear," Carlisle said, pulling me from my thoughts. "We are a large group, but no one will harm you. They are good people. Well…here we are."

The car stopped in front of a large, beautifully designed white house. Once again, Carlisle came around and opened the car door for me before guiding me up to the door. He went in first, something I was grateful for. It allowed me an extra few seconds to take a deep breath. However in that breath, I smelled something vaguely familiar. Pine trees, wet earth, and just a hint of strawberries. My brother used to smell like that. He got the trees and earth from his work, but I always smelled of strawberries…they used to grow in our backyard. We spent so much time together he smelt a little like me and I always smelled faintly of pine. I miss you Emmy, I thought to myself before looking up to see Doctor Cullen's family standing before me. When I saw him, I gasped. Standing before me was a man who looked just like my big brother. The only differences were that his eyes were golden not green and his skin was pale, not tanned like it was from working outdoors everyday. "Papa Bear?" I mumbled so low it was barely audible. His eyes caught mine and I knew in that instant he was my brother.

"Baby Bell?" As soon as the soft words reached my ears, I launched myself at him. He caught me easily and I was immediately wrapped in those big, strong arms of his. I buried my face in his neck, my arms and legs wrapped tight around him. He buried his face in my hair, hugging me to him as tight as he could, both of us crying tearless cries. "Don't you ever leave me again," I whispered against his skin.

"Never again baby girl. I swear. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. I missed you so much. I love you so much Bell," he whispered, kissing me all over my face.

"I love you Papa Bear. God I missed you," I said, burying my face in his neck once again. Thank you Sam. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I thought to myself, believing that Sam would hear it.

"What the hell is going on here?" A female voice shrieked. I lowered my legs to the ground, my arms immediately wrapping around my brother's waist as I turned slightly. His arms came around my waist as well. Standing in the direction of the shriek was a short girl with spiky black hair, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not quite sure," Carlisle answered. "Everyone, this is Isabella Warren."

"Warren?" Emmett asked shocked. "What the hell?" He picked up my left hand and noticed the two rings sitting on my ring finger. "You got married? How old are you?"

"Yes, I did get married, and I'm twenty." He moved in front of me, his hands on my shoulders, looking me up and down.

"You got taller," he whispered. "You got more gorgeous too. I'm sorry I missed your wedding. I went back for you but you were gone. I tried so hard to find you."

"Emmett is this…" a woman with caramel colored hair started to say.

"Everyone, this is Isabella Marie McCarty," he said as he moved to my side, his arm around my shoulders.

"Isabella Marie McCarty Warren," I corrected.

"Right, sorry. Guys, this is my baby sister."

Emmett POV:

When we heard the car pull into the driveway, we all stood near the front door. I had no idea why Carlisle would be bringing home someone new, but maybe they heard of him and wanted to learn our lifestyle. It had happened a time or two before. He came in the door first, probably to give whoever was behind him a minute to relax. As soon as he moved out of the way, I smelled it. Strawberries and pine, but there was something else mixed in…an earthy smell mixed with…baby powder? That's an odd combination. The first two reminded me of my little sister though. She loved strawberries. They grew in our yard and she would eat them constantly. After I started working in the lumber yard, I always smelled of pine and because Izzy spent so much time with me she started to smell faintly of pine. I miss you little sister, I thought to myself before looking up at the person in the doorway. She had long, dark brown, wavy hair, just like my Izzy. When our eyes met, she gasped and muttered "Papa Bear?" As soon as I heard it, I knew. "Baby Bell?" I whispered back. Her face lit up as she launched herself at me, jumping into my arms. I caught her easily, hugging her as tightly as possible without breaking all her bones. I buried my face in her hair, breathing in deeply. God I had missed her.

We were both sobbing, holding onto each other for dear life. The only thing I could think of was she's back! She's in my arms again! "Don't you ever leave me again," I heard her whisper. I pulled her face up so I could look into her eyes. "Never again baby girl. I swear. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. I missed you so much. I love you so much Bell," I said as I kissed her cheeks, her forehead… I couldn't believe she was real. I couldn't believe she was here.

"What the hell is going on here?" I heard the pixie shriek. Now, you would think, seeing as I'm married that my wife would be the one asking that question, not my sister. But with the exception of Alice and Jasper, everyone knew about Izzy. By the time those two came around, I had given up my search and I never really talked about her. I thought about her all the time though. Poor Edward had to hear it constantly…he heard my guilt over leaving her, not being able to find her…my sadness over the fact I'd never see her again. He was a good brother though. He always offered to listen if I ever wanted to talk about her.

"I'm not quite sure," Carlisle said, breaking me from my thoughts. I put Izzy back on her feet, but wrapped my arms around her waist and she did the same to me. "Everyone, this is Isabella Warren," my father informed. That's right everyone. We're relate—wait.

"Warren? What the hell?" I picked up her left hand, noticing the two rings there. Holy shit! "You got married? How old are you?"

"Yes, I did get married, and I'm twenty," she said softly. I stood in front of her, my hands on her shoulders. As I looked her over, I noticed, "You got taller. You got more gorgeous too. I'm sorry I missed your wedding," I said sadly. I would have liked to have been there. "I went back for you but you were gone. I tried so hard to find you."

"Emmett is this…" Esme started.

I looked up, noticing only Carlisle and the girls remained. I wondered what happened to the guys. Oh well, they'd turn up sooner or later. "Everyone, this is Isabella Marie McCarty," I said as I moved to her side, my arm around her shoulders.

"Isabella Marie McCarty Warren," she corrected with a small smile.

"Right. Sorry." I don't think I'd ever get used to her not being a McCarty. "Guys, this is my baby sister."

Jasper POV:

I was standing off to the side of the family, who had congregated near the front door. When I heard it open, I looked up to see a vampire standing there. She had long, wavy, dark brown hair. Her eyes were dark, like she hadn't hunted recently, but she didn't feel thirsty. She was wearing jeans that hugged her hips and a top that clung to her curves. She was beautiful. I watched as she looked around the room, but when her eyes landed on Emmett, I felt sadness and longing wash over her. Hmm. That's interesting. She gasped and then uttered something I couldn't hear. I felt her shock and a moment later I felt Emmett's shock as well as he whispered, "Baby Bell?" The vampire launched herself at my brother and I was hit with relief and joy and love so powerful it literally knocked me to the ground. I couldn't bear it. I was being crushed under the weight of their emotions. I didn't even have the strength to open my mouth. Edward, I thought. He immediately noticed me on the floor. Get me out of here man. I can't take this. It's too powerful. I can't—

Moments later, I was in my brother's arms as he ran me far enough away from the house that I could no longer feel anything but my brother's concern. "Are you alright Jazz?" He asked as he carefully laid me on the ground. I didn't move.

I need—I need to hunt. I have never felt anything like that. Their relief and love was so intense. It was…draining.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," Edward said before he ran off. Oh okay, I'll wait right here. I didn't have the strength to speak; did he really expect me to crawl off? I was about to call him an idiot in my mind when he returned carrying a mountain lion and a bear, both their necks broken. I take back anything bad I ever said about you, I thought as he placed the animals in front of me, positioning the lion's neck under my mouth. I quickly finished the creature and drained the bear.

"Are you alright now?" Edward asked, still concerned and a little…frightened? "I've never seen you like that Jazz. You scared me." I may be the empath, but he always was the most sensitive of us. I guess that's what happens when you have to hear everyone's thoughts.

"I'm alright little brother. Thank you for getting me out of there. And for the food. I appreciate it."

"Their emotions were really that powerful?"

"Yeah man. It was crazy. It was like constantly getting hit by a train. Who the hell is she? And who is she to Em that it would evoke such strong emotions?"

"Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure, but if I had to guess…based on him calling her Baby Bell…I'd say that was Emmett's little sister Isabella."

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

Before I knew what was happening, the caramel haired woman had her arms wrapped tight around me and I could tell that if it was possible, she'd be crying. "I'm so happy to meet you," she said as she pulled back a bit. She stared into my face for a moment, taking in my features before whispering, "You look like your brother."

"Uh…thank you," I replied awkwardly. I had no idea who this woman was. She seemed to realize that and quickly said, "I'm sorry dear. I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife."

"She's our mother for all intents and purposes," Em added. "The tiny pixie over there is Alice. Edward and Jasper seem to have disappeared. You can meet them later. And this lovely woman," he said, holding his hand out towards the blond who took it with a smile, "is my wife Rosalie."

I could tell she wanted to hug me too, but she was restraining herself. She probably didn't want to scare me. "You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you," she said with a wide grin. "Emmett's told me so much about you I feel like I've known you your whole life."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rosalie," I replied with a smile of my own. I was happy that Emmy had found someone to love…someone who clearly loved him. It filled me with joy to know he'd had someone to look after him all these years. "I look forward to getting to know you. I've never had a sister before." I didn't think it was possible, but her grin grew even wider when I said this. I turned back to the other three before speaking again. "I'm sure you'd all like to know my story and in time I will tell you, but do you mind if I speak to my brother in private first?"

"Of course not," Carlisle replied. "You two have much to talk about. I'm sure we can all go hunt for a few hours."

"No, please. This is your home. You don't have to leave. We can go to my motel."

"Are you sure?" Esme asked. I didn't answer I simply nodded. "Alright. You promise you'll come back?"

"I promise. I would like to learn more about the people my Emmy has been living with."

Em whispered a quick goodbye to his wife before grabbing my hand and leading me out a side door into the garage. A few cars were covered, signifying they weren't used that often. Uncovered were a silver Volvo, a red M3, and a silver Jeep. There was also a red and black Ducati in the corner. I assumed, based on my brother's size alone, that the Jeep belonged to him. I was proven right when he headed for it, opening the passenger door for me and helping me into it. He ran to the driver's side and quickly started the car. "Are you staying at that place over on Main Street at the edge of town?"

"The Weary Traveler, yes."

No other word was spoken during the drive. Now that we were alone, we were both nervous about how to proceed. It had been 75 years since we last saw each other, since we last spoke…neither of us was quite sure what to say or where to begin. Nothing says family reunion like a big, awkward silence.

Minutes later we pulled into the motel parking lot and I told Emmett where my room was located. He drove around back and parked a spot away from my Impala. When he noticed the car, he whistled. "Is that yours?" He asked as we got out of the Jeep.

"Yes, this is Shadow."

"You always had a name for everything," he recalled with a smile. I smiled back as I led him to the door of my room. After letting him in, I asked him to wait while I grabbed something from the car. I hurried to the trunk and pulled out the white cloth duffel bag I'd used when I ran away all those years ago. I don't use it for much anymore as I have other suitcases/duffels for my clothing and belongings. That cloth duffel now only holds the things from the house in Tennessee, which is what I needed.

I quickly grabbed the bag and walked into the room. Emmett was sitting on the bed waiting for me. I took off my leather jacket, tossing it on the bed near my brother before pulling over a chair so we could talk facing each other. "So…do you want to go first?" Em asked softly.

"Why don't you go first? I think your tale will be happier to hear."

"Uh…alright. Well, as you know, the day I disappeared I was hunting. I don't really remember much. Somehow, the bear got a hold of me and tore me to shreds. I thought I was going to die. I remember thinking how sorry I was that I was going to leave you…but then I saw a beautiful angel. She picked me up in her arms and carried me somewhere. When I opened my eyes, I saw a kind faced blond man with golden eyes. I thought he was God. Really it was just Carlisle. The angel was Rosalie. She had been out hunting nearby and she smelt my blood. She killed the bear that attacked me and carried me to Carlisle so he could change me for her. She didn't think she'd have the strength to stop if she tried to do it.

"Anyway…after I woke up, all I could think about was you. I begged them to let me go back to you, to let me make sure you were all right, but they wouldn't let me. They said that I was too unstable…said if I could show good enough control by the end of my newborn year that I could go find you. I worked so hard to control the thirst…for you. Every day I worked at it so I could get back to you. When my year was finally up, Carlisle and Edward, he's one of my brothers, took me back to the house, but you were gone. Someone else was living there. Edward and I stayed back while Carlisle went to talk to them. They told him you disappeared after you found out I was dead. I was heartbroken. I tried so hard to find you Izzy. We spent so many years looking, but nothing. We couldn't find a trace of you anywhere. Thirty years I searched, never finding anything. Eventually I just had to realize I was never going to see you again. But Rosie was hopeful. She believed we'd meet again one day. I'm so damn happy she was right!" Em picked up my hands and held them in his, staring into my eyes, his own eyes filled with love, happiness, and peace. "I missed you so much Izzy."

"I missed you too Emmy."

"Now what's your story?"

"Wait a minute, that can't be it. You haven't told me about your life since you were turned," I protested. Really I was just stalling, although I made a mental note to get something or do something for Rosalie for saving my brother.

"Fine, fine. Let's see…Rose had me turned to save me and because I was her mate, but due to the circumstances of her own change, she had trouble trusting people. She still has trouble trusting people. It took us a few years, but I helped her to work through the pain of what happened to her and she helped me with the loss of my sister. We were married, for the first time, in 1945. Edward was my best man. He's a good brother. He was the first person Carlisle turned. He was seventeen; dying, and his mother asked the good doctor to save her son. Carlisle had been wandering a few hundred years by himself so he turned Edward. The cool, but annoying thing about him is he can read minds. It's annoying because he can't turn it off, but it's still cool. He always hears when I'm thinking about you and he's always been there for me. I don't usually turn to him, but it's nice to know he's there if I want to talk ya know?

"So right…I have a brother and a wife. Carlisle's the coven leader and is like our father and Esme is our mother. It was nice to finally have a real mother after all those years of not having one. I guess that's why I always call her mom. She's the sweetest, most caring woman you could ever meet. She has so much love in her heart and she constantly makes sure we know how much she loves us.

"For a long time it was just the five of us. We moved every few years, Carlisle working as a doctor and us 'kids' going to school. We've been to high school a lot over the decades. We've been to college a few times too. It's fun I guess. One day in 1973, we came home from school to find two vampires sitting in our living room. One was a girl, short, with spiky black hair and yellow eyes. The other was a guy, tall, with wavy blond hair and orange eyes. It was obvious he hadn't been an animal drinker for long. They introduced themselves as Alice and Jasper. Alice has visions of the future, based on the decisions people make and she saw Jasper was looking for a different way to live. He's an empath. He could feel everything his victims felt as he drank from them and it was killing him. Alice had had visions of our family before and knew that she could live off animals, but Jasper never knew that. The pixie tracked him through her visions and when she found him, they came to us. Jasper became another brother to me. We've been trying to help him with his control ever since, but it's hard. If he were by himself, his control would rival Carlisle's, but living with five other vampires and being able to feel their bloodlust? Everyone thinks he's weak because he's slipped a few times, but I think he's incredibly strong to be feeling our bloodlust constantly and only have slipped a few times."

"Wow," I whispered, clearly impressed by what Emmett was telling me. I couldn't imagine how horrible it must be for poor Jasper to have to go through that. I could however take solace in the fact that I would not add to his troubles as I felt no lust for blood.

"So that's my life. I have an amazing wife, kind parents, two brothers and an itty-bitty pixie as an 'adoptive sister.' Alice and I aren't that close though. I felt like having another sister was a betrayal to you. Anyway…I think it's time to tell me what happened to you Isabella Marie."

Oh no, he whipped out the full name. He usually reserved that for when I was in trouble. I guess there's no point in delaying the inevitable. I was dreading it though. I knew it was going to hurt him. "I suppose I should start the day you 'died.'"

Emmett's POV

"I suppose I should start the day you 'died,'" she said quietly. I knew Izzy didn't want to talk about it. I could tell she wanted to protect me from her pain, but I needed to know. I was especially curious about the necklace she was wearing. "I was waiting for you on the porch," she began, pulling me from my thoughts. "I had a bad feeling and as the night wore on and you didn't return, the feeling got worse. Eventually I saw Zachary. He was coming towards the house slowly, something in his hands that I couldn't quite make out. I went inside, leaving the front door open for him. He followed me in and placed what he was holding on the kitchen table. Your jacket was torn up and bloody. Your knife had blood on it too. But what sealed the deal for me was this," she said as she pulled something out of the duffel bag at her feet. She slowly unwrapped the white cloth around the object and handed it to me. My mouth fell open in shock. It was my Remington side-by-side shotgun. My fingers softly, lovingly traced over the "I+E Forever" carved into the stock. "This was how I knew I'd lost you forever. I left Zach in the kitchen while I quickly packed some clothes and the copy of The Secret Garden you bought me before moving on to your room. I pulled on your black flannel shirt, your favorite, added our photo album to the bag, along with your gun and this." She reached into the bag again and pulled out something I never, ever expected to see again. My bear tooth necklace.

"I can't believe you kept that," I whispered, my voice awed.

"It was your most treasured possession. I couldn't abandon it."

"Second most. You were my most treasured possession from the day you were born Izzy. Thank you for returning my two treasures to me. I suppose I should return yours to you."

She looked at me with a puzzled face, clearly confused. I moved the gun and necklace next to me on the bed before reaching under the collar of my shirt. When I pulled out the locket, Izzy's eyes filled with venomous tears that could never be shed. "I have never taken this off. Not once since you gave it to me that day. It may have taken me over seventy years, but I've finally brought your two treasures home to you Baby Bell." She jumped from the chair into my lap, wrapping her arms tight around my neck.

"Thank you Papa Bear," she whispered, sobbing.

"This was all I had left of you. I'd sit for hours just looking at the pictures inside. I'd dream about where you were, what you were doing, if you were happy. Were you ever happy Izzy?"

She pulled back slightly, looking into my eyes before snuggling against my chest like she did when she was younger. "I was happy…for a while. After I packed everything, I gave Zach the keys to the house. I told him it was his now and he could do with it what he wanted, as well as the animals in the barn. All except Smokey."

"Evil damn horse," I muttered, earning me a smack on the chest.

"Don't you dare insult my baby Emmett Matthew McCarty! I loved that horse and he loved me. He was my only companion for fifteen years." Fifteen years? Wait. I'm confused. Izzy said she's twenty and she was married. That means she had someone beside the horse…

"I'm confused. You said you got married."

"I did. I set out on Smokey with the things in my pack. We traveled, only stopping when he needed nourishment or rest. I barely ate. I barely slept. I was so lost in my grief. About a week after we left home, I fell off the horse unconscious. A man named Samuel Warren found me. He nursed me back to health. He took care of me…let me live with him. He was a widower with no family, just a small house and farm. As payment for taking me in, I helped him work the farm. It was hard work, but it took my mind off things. After a while, Sam convinced me that you would want me to go on living…that you wouldn't want me to continue simply going through the motions of life. He was right. I knew you'd want me to get over your loss and live again…feel joy again. So I started living. Sam and I did everything together. Over the years we fell in love. When I was seventeen we married. It was a very small wedding just us and a few of his friends. A year later I gave birth to a son. Matthew." I couldn't help but smile. She named her son after me. I bet he was adorable. Izzy sat up a bit, pulling off her necklace and opening it. So it wasn't another locket. I was relieved. It was a compass…odd thing to wear, but okay. She held it up to me and on the inside of the lid I could see the picture. It was of a blond man; I assumed that was her husband and a young blond haired little boy, maybe two years old. That had to be her son. He had the curly McCarty hair and my eyes and dimples. He was adorable. "What happened?" I whispered, wanting to know what become of my sister's family.

"They were killed. Sam was shot in the back while holding Matthew. The bullet passed through him and into our son. They both died quickly."

"Oh Baby Bell, I'm so sorry." I wrapped my arms tight around her and held her as we both sobbed, Izzy for her lost family and me for the loss and suffering my poor baby sister had to endure.

After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and continued her story. "After the funeral, I went for a walk. I came across three nomadic vampires. They didn't plan to turn me. They only wanted a meal, but something scared them off before they could finish me. I woke up a few days later in a cave. One of the nomads found me there. He said he went back for my body, but it wasn't there. He spent the length of my change trying to track me. Told me that I must have wandered looking for a safe place to hide. He informed me of what I was now, told me everything about vampires. He even tried to take me hunting. I remember retching as soon as I smelt the human blood. It repulsed me. He didn't understand. I didn't understand. He left me then and I returned home to pack my things. My family was gone. There was no longer anything for me there.

"I walked into the barn to get Smokey. All the other animals cowered away, but that horse just came right up to me and nuzzled my face. We traveled together and I hunted animals. I went after bears whenever I could find them. It was my own form of vengeance I guess as a bear did take you away from me. It was also the only revenge I could take. The man who shot my family was human. I did track him and turn him over to the sheriff though. When the other prisoners found out he had killed a baby they slowly beat him to death. I danced on the bastard's grave." She paused and I could tell she was smiling at the memory. I was proud of her restraint. If I had been in her shoes, I'd have done a lot more than dance on his grave. I'd have broken every single bone in his body. I would have cut off his fingers and shoved them down his throat. I'd have—

"Fifteen years after I left, Smokey died," Izzy said, pulling me from my violent thoughts. "He was too old and frail to carry on so I fed from him and buried him at the base of a willow tree. I've basically just wandered around ever since. I've mostly stayed in the country though. I've only been up to Canada a few times to hunt."

"How'd you get the car? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"No, I bought it. A few months after I lost the boys, I realized I was going to need money eventually so I started writing. Over the last sixty odd years I've written a lot. I'm extremely wealthy."

"So why aren't you living in a mansion somewhere?"

"Twice in my life I've had a home and twice in my life, I've lost the ones who made it home. I couldn't set down roots again. I had no reason to. I was alone. It was my own fault though. I never talked to anyone. I didn't want to get close to anyone. I couldn't bare the pain of losing someone again. The other day I had my eyes opened though. I was doing the same thing I did after you died. Sam wouldn't want me to shut out the world. Him and Matthew would want me to go on living. They'd want me to find happiness again. They sent me to you. You are never to leave me again Emmett Matthew. You try to and I'll rip off your leg and beat you with it." Ah, there's the vindictive little sister I know and love so much.

"You got it baby girl," I promised. I was so happy to have her back. Words could not describe the joy I was feeling. For the rest of the day, we sat looking through old photos of us and photos of her family. We talked more about our lives, well mostly me. Izzy's wasn't very interesting and I did have some great stories about the Cullens. I couldn't predict the future, but two things I was certain of. My Izzy was going to come home and move in with me and we would never disappear from each other's lives again.

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

It had been hours since my brother and I came back to my motel. We spent all that time catching up on each other's lives and looking at old photographs. I made Em promise to show me photos of him over the years when we returned to the Cullen's. I especially wanted to see pictures of his wedding. He promised I'd be around for the next one. At my confused stare he explained that every 25 years, he and Rosalie renew their vows. I was saddened by the fact my husband and I never made it that far, yet at the same time I was elated that my brother had someone who loved him as much as Rosalie seemed to. I couldn't wait to talk to her. For the first time in seventy years, I was actually looking forward to getting to know someone.

When I noticed it was getting dark outside I said, "I guess we should get back huh?"

"That's probably a good idea. I'm sure they're all dying to talk to you. Edward and Jasper should be back from wherever they disappeared to before. They're cool guys. I think you'll like them. Just uh, remember Jasper's an empath."

"That's interesting. I wonder if he'll have any effect on me," I muttered to myself.

"Why wouldn't he?" Emmett asked. Damn vampire hearing, I thought.

"I'll tell you later. I'm sure I'll be asked about it and I'd rather only have to explain it once, if that's alright."

"Yeah, sure," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. I grabbed my jacket to pull on when I noticed him looking at me oddly.

"What?" I asked.

"Why are you putting on a jacket? It's not like you need one. And besides, you've got nothing to hide. Your arms are really muscular. Not like gross body builder muscular, but like exercises a lot muscular."

"Um, thanks?" I laughed. I'm sure there was supposed to be a compliment in there somewhere, but Em never did have a way with words. "I worked a farm for five and a half years Emmy. You can't do that without sprouting some muscles. And I always wear a jacket, or some other kind of long sleeve. I don't like seeing the reminders of what happened to me," I explain, holding out my wrists for him to examine. My brother had always been an open book to me and I relished that my ability to read him hadn't diminished in our time apart. I could plainly see the storm brewing in his eyes. He was equal parts angry that I had been attacked, but also grateful that I had been turned so that we could be together forever now. Looking at it from his perspective, I was able to understand. I had spent so many years angry that I was forced to live forever when all I wanted was to be able to die and join my family. Now though, I was grateful for my immortality, for it had given me back my big brother. At that moment, I had an epiphany. I would always love Sam and Matthew and I would miss them for the rest of my life, however long that turned out to be. But now that I have my brother back, I can move on from the loss, never forgetting, but remembering with fondness instead of pain. I can finally heal and learn to find happiness again. With my Papa Bear by my side, I can do anything.

"You may want to check out first," Em suggested, pulling me from my thoughts. Before I could even ask why, he said, "Once we get back to the house, Esme's never going to let you leave again…especially not to come back here. Not that this isn't a decent place or anything, but once you've been adopted by her, it's impossible to get away."

"I haven't been adopted…"

"Silly Belly Bean. The simple fact you're my sister means that you're now a part of the Cullen clan and Esme's probably already designing you a room. It's best to just go with the flow. There's no resisting her."

"Belly Bean?" I asked with a smile, making note of how good it felt to smile after all these years.

"Yeah, it's like jelly bean, but with your name," he explained simply.

"Glad to see you haven't matured with age Emmy Bear." I was rewarded with that smile, the one reserved only for me. It lit Em's entire face, his grin stretching from ear to ear, his dimples so deep they seemed endless. Just the sight of it warmed my dead heart. "I missed you so much," I whispered as I hugged him tightly.

"Everything's gonna be okay now Baby Bell. I'll be here for you no matter what. Now, let's get you packed and back home where you belong."

"Yes sir," I replied with a salute and a smile. Being around him again just made me feel so much lighter and all that pain just dimmed from an inferno to an ember.

I followed Emmett in Shadow, listening to the Indigo Girls version of the Midnight Train to Georgia, my favorite song, in an attempt to relax my nerves. It's not that I didn't want to get to know the Cullens, it's just that there are things about me that no one knows…things I don't want anyone to ever know. Specifically my powers. It seems that being turned with three different kinds of venom affords me the ability to have three different powers. One is my shield. I don't have a problem talking to the Cullens about that as it will be unavoidable. It's my two other powers I don't want them to know about. First is fire. I have the ability to control, create, and manipulate it. Adversely, I can also control, create, and manipulate ice and water. At first I could only use ice, like Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. Over the years though, I have practiced long and hard to be able to control water as well. After all, ice is a product of it. Through rigorous training with my ice power, I gained command of water as well. That's my most favorite of my powers. I have always loved the water and when I use my control of it, my eyes turn a magnificent shade of blue. If I could have my eyes that color all the time, I'd be pleased. However, I only use that power once in a while. I use my gifts enough to stay practiced with them, but not so much that I'm obsessed. It was a complete fluke that I even discovered them, but that story is best saved for later, I thought as we turned into the Cullen driveway. I was expecting everyone to be inside, but as the cars came to a stop I noticed them all standing in front of the house. Puzzled, I hesitantly got out of my car. Rosalie immediately hurried over.

"We heard the rumble of a car and didn't know who it was. This beauty absolutely purrs," she said enviously as she lovingly ran her hand over the hood.

"Rosalie, why don't we let our guest inside? You girls can talk cars later," Carlisle suggested softly. Rosalie pouted, but headed back to the house. Everyone else, myself included, followed after her. I was the last to enter. When I did I saw that there were two men I did not yet know, I assumed they were Edward and Jasper, sitting on the couch with Alice. Emmett and Rosalie sat in a loveseat on one side and across from them on the other love seat sat Carlisle and Esme. A single chair had been placed across from the couch in front of the fireplace. It wasn't hard to figure out where they wanted me to sit. Good thing I love attention so much. I inwardly rolled my eyes as I took the empty seat. As soon as I did, Carlisle spoke up. "Since the three of you did not meet earlier, boys, this is Emmett's sister Isabella. Isabella, this is our son Edward," he said pointing at the bronze haired one whose head was cocked to the side, his brows drawn together in confusion. "And on the other side of Alice is our son Jasper." He pointed to the blond one who also looked confused.

"Just Bella is fine," I replied. I never went by my full name. It was too formal. Bella was just easier.

"I can't feel you."

"I can't read you," the two newcomers said at the same time. Guess that answers my question about the empath. "Why can't I read your mind?" Edward asked.

"How about I start at the beginning and work my way towards that answer," I suggested. "Can you all just do me a favor and hold off your comments until I'm done?" At their nods, I began a brief rendition of my life. I told them about how my big brother raised me, our mother disappearing, Emmett's "death" and my travels afterward. I told them how I met Sam and that he took care of me. I skipped over many of the details, just giving them pertinent facts like my wedding and the birth of my son. I told them about what happened to my family two years later and was immediately attacked with a hug from a sobbing Esme. I had no idea what to do so I simply wrapped my arms around her, letting her sob into my shoulder. She seemed to be a very loving and sensitive woman who smelled like fresh baked apple pie and baby powder. It was the second of the two scents that gave her away. She must have had a child when she was human also. I deduced from her reaction to my story that she must have lost hers somehow as well. I once heard someone say, "God never gives us more than we can handle." I find it truly hard to believe that any mother can ever handle losing a child. In nearly seventy years I hadn't gotten over it and I don't know how old Esme is, but it was clear she hadn't gotten over her loss either.

After a few minutes, she pulled back and apologized. She opened her mouth to explain, but I held up a hand to stop her. "It's alright. I understand," I whispered. She gave me a small smile and returned to her seat next to her husband, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Sam used to do the same thing when I was upset. I took a deep breath, cleared my throat, and continued my story. I told them about the vampires who attacked me. I told them about the one who came back to find me and explained everything. I explained that I don't feed very often, but when I do it's from animals. That concluded the extent of my life story I was willing to share with anyone but my brother. As soon as I finished, Edward asked, "Can you explain why I don't hear you now?"

"And what's the deal with your eyes? If you drink from animals they should be gold, not that pinkish purple," Jasper added.

"The answer is actually the same. I have a shield, which means I can block both mental and physical attacks or powers. When I use my physical shield, my eyes change color. They become pink. The color of my eyes now is the color they are when I use my mental shield. I have never had a reason to take it down, therefore my eyes are always this color unless I use the other power or I need to feed."

"Fascinating," I heard Carlisle whisper. The rest of the family looked a bit dumbstruck; all but Alice, who actually looked rather mad. Her glare was so powerful that if looks could kill, I'd be dead before I could pull my shield up. I've haven't even known the girl a day. What in the world could I have possibly done to make her angry? She is one person I definitely have to be cautious around. I think I need to start practicing with my powers more. Especially my shields.

Chapter Text

Jasper POV

I can’t feel her. It’s so odd to not feel a person’s emotions. She said her shield constantly protects her. Why then did I feel her when she first arrived? The only conclusion I can come to is that her shock of seeing Emmett caused her to subconsciously lower it. Whether that’s the reason or not, I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have to worry about her emotions attacking me again to the point my brother needs to carry me away. Good lord that was embarrassing. The only comfort I have is knowing that no one else saw us and I could definitely trust Edward not to tell anyone. He’s a good kid. When I was first turned, I never expected to have a family again, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything in this world.

Speaking of family, ever since Emmett’s sister finished her story, Carlisle’s been itching to see this shield of hers in action. I do admit I’m curious to see her eyes change. I’ve never met a vampire who has their eyes change when using their power. If that were the case for all of us, I wonder what color my eyes would be. Hmm… Anyways, it’ll be a while before any of us can see it cause as soon as our whopping two questions were answered, Rosalie dragged Bella out to the garage where they have sequestered themselves talking about cars and trading stories about Emmett while Rosalie’s head is underneath the hood of Bella’s Impala. Looking at Rosalie, you’d never peg her for a grease monkey. Guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Jasper dear, can you come up here a minute?” Esme called, breaking me from my thoughts. I followed her voice up the stairs to the fourth floor of the house. I suppose most would call it an attic. Esme has been working up there since Bella and Emmett left to speak earlier today. It’s actually a really nice space now. It’s like a large, studio apartment, just minus a kitchen. I have no idea how she got the supplies so fast, but a brand new light blue Tropical Pool carpet has been laid down, the walls have all been covered and painted a soft, Smokey Slate, and the trim and ceiling are both a bluish gray Bon Voyage. Yes I know all the color names. You would too if you helped Esme with her countless renovations. All in all though, the room was beautiful and peaceful looking. There were six windows, two on each of the three walls. The wall without windows I assumed would be either for a bed or couch or something. On the wall across from the windowless one, there were two doors, one on each end. One would most likely lead to a bathroom, while the other would be a closet. In just one day, Esme had made this bare, empty room into a beautiful room.

“There you are,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts. “What do you think so far?”

“I think this is amazing. I never knew this space was so big.”

“Once I cleared out all the boxes and old broken furniture it really opened up. Of course everything needed to be fixed up. I put in all the windows and there are now three layers of soundproofing behind the new walls and four layers of it underneath the new floor. Hopefully that will keep Bella from hearing anything she need not hear, like her brother alone with his wife.”

I smiled. Emmett and Rosalie going at it is something no one needs to ever hear, but I guess it would be especially scarring for Bella. I hope all that soundproofing works though. If it does, I’ll be remodeling my room with it next. “So what did you need?”

“I have no idea where Edward has disappeared to, Carlisle’s in his study doing research and Emmett’s in his room playing video games. I was wondering if you could tear him away from the television and go down to the basement to retrieve some furniture.”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“Well, there is a couch and two lounge chairs. I was planning to use them when I redid the family room, but I think they would look excellent up here. There should also be a platform bed frame and an old mahogany desk that should look nice here as well.”

“It’s a good thing you never throw anything away huh?” I ask with a smirk. In return I simply got a smile and a kiss on the cheek. Esme is the most mothering beautiful soul I have ever met and I thank my lucky stars every day that I have someone like her in my life. With that thought, I turned around to fetch Emmett. I was halfway down the stairs before I heard, “And bring in all the wood planks from the garage. We’re going to build some bookshelves.”

“Yes mother,” I said, continuing on to Em’s room. He was just putting his game away when I got there. “Bored?”

“There’s only so many times you can beat Tekken 3 before it gets boring. So what’s up?”

“We’ve been enlisted to help furnish the attic for your sister. Esme’s got all the basic stuff done: walls, windows, floor; she just needs the furniture now and the wood from out back to use for bookcase building.”

“She certainly didn’t waste any time did she? It’s a good thing Izzy listened to me and checked out of her motel before we came back. I knew mom would never let her leave again. I didn’t expect her to be so far along though.”

“Me neither man. We might as well get to work while the girls are distracted.”

Bella’s POV

As soon as I answered the two questions I was asked, Rosalie grabbed my hand and yanked me out to my car, which she had me move into the garage. As soon as it was parked exactly where she wanted, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, popped the hood, and I haven’t seen her face since. We discussed Shadow and all the improvements and upgrades I’ve made to it before moving on to swapping stories of Emmy. I told her all about what he was like pre-vampirism and she told me all about him post-vampirism. A few hours, and much laughter later, she closed the hood of the car and cleaned up at the sink in the corner. It felt so good to laugh again. I thought I’d forgotten how. One thing was certain. Being with this family was definitely good for me. “Thank you my loves,” I whispered, knowing I owed everything I was gaining to my husband and son and there were no words to express how truly grateful to them I was.

After Rosalie finished cleaning up, we sat down on the back counter and continued our bonding. I went into more depth about my life and she told me about hers. She explained how she used to be so angry about being a vampire, but once she found Emmett, that changed. She explained how they helped each other heal and when she realized she was in love with him. She also told me how she hates the fact that everyone assumes she’s just a pretty face obsessed with appearance when she’s really so much more than that. She uses her beauty as a type of defense mechanism though. She doesn’t often let people get close to her, but if you’re lucky enough to, you get to see how good a soul she is. Rosalie’s smart and funny and so caring. I really am glad she found my brother. They seem a good match.

“So, I think I’ve shared just about every secret I have,” she said with a smile. “We’ve taken long enough that Esme should have your room done by now.”

I glanced at the clock and noticed we’d been talking for three straight hours. How time flies when getting to know your in-laws. “I really hope she didn’t go to much trouble,” I replied. It was true. This was their home. I didn’t want them to be put out trying to accommodate me.

“Oh please. Esme redecorates at least one room every month. She loves to do it. On occasion she’ll get a job as an interior designer or an architect. It’s one of her true pleasures in life and as your new mother, I’m sure she feels it’s her obligation to provide you with living space.”

“Em said something similar earlier about Esme adopting me.”

“She’s such a sweet woman. She loves just about everyone. She mothers everyone too, but it’s a role that fits her well. Being related to one of her kids makes you instant family though. I have no doubt the next time you see her she’ll be referring to you as her daughter.”

“It’s been so long since I had a family and even then it was never very big. Now I’m not only getting my brother back but also extra siblings and parents all at once. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“You’ll get used to it pretty fast. Though I admit that Em and I will most likely be hogging you quite a bit. We need bonding time.”

I smiled at that. “It’s really been very easy to talk to you. Before I came here, I hadn’t had a real conversation in nearly seventy years, but now that I’m here I seem to be talking up a storm.”

“Well there’s only one thing better than sitting around talking and that’s talking while shopping. Since tomorrow’s Saturday, we can go to Seattle. We can take your car, but can I drive though? Pretty please?” She looked at me with wide eyes and a pout. I can’t believe it. She’s giving me a puppy dog face. I’ve never been able to resist that. She must have learned from Emmy. Well at least now I know what to get her for saving my brother’s life.

“Yes, you can drive.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I was being tackle hugged by a tall, squealing blond. When she released me from the hug, she started bouncing up and down. It was like looking at a child on Christmas morning.

“I’m so excited! I can’t wait! I’m sure Carlisle will be calling to get you put on the Cullen accounts in the morning, but until then I’m buying.”

“Oh no, he doesn’t have to do that.”

“Of course he does. You’re a Cullen now, that means you get access to our massive ginormous wealth.”

“No, I meant he doesn’t have to because I have my own ‘massive ginormous wealth.’ I’m a world renown author.”

“That’s so cool! What do you write? What name do you use? Have I read anything of yours?”

“One question at a time Rose,” I said with a smile. She gave me a sheepish look, but was practically bouncing in place. I laughed and said, “I write many different things. I’ve written everything from non-fiction to children’s books. I use the name S.M. Nerraw, and I highly doubt you have read anything by me.”

“You’re probably right. I don’t read as much as some of the others here and the name doesn’t ring a bell. Ha!” She giggled at her words, causing me to laugh as well. Once we were calmed down she said, “The boys, minus Emmett, do tons of reading. Maybe they know your work.”

“Maybe they do. We can always ask later. And Em never did like reading much.”

“He told me about that. One of the ways we bonded after he was turned was with me teaching him how to read. He still has a problem sometimes with the larger, harder words, but he’s come a long way. He still prefers making up his own stories to reading though. Anyway, we should get inside. I’m dying to see what your room looks like and I’m sure everyone else would like a chance to speak to you. Maybe even see a demonstration of this shield of yours. It sounds awesome.”

“I’ve never used it for fun so it should be interesting. Alright, let’s go see this room.”

Rosalie took my hand once again, pulling me out of the garage and into the main house. I felt a strange emotion bubbling under my skin. It was something I haven’t felt for many decades. It took me a minute to work it out, but then I finally understood what it was. Excitement. I was extremely excited to see what Esme had done. I actually couldn’t wait. I planned to never set down roots again, but now I was…and I was thrilled.

Chapter Text

Alice’s POV

I had to get out of that house. As soon as Rosalie dragged her off, I mumbled something about hunting and ran. I couldn’t take the way everyone was staring at her. They’re all so entranced by her. I don’t know why. Sure she was gorgeous, if you like that long beautiful hair, pretty faced, amazingly curved, muscular body type thing. She appeared to be a few inches taller than me; I’d guess around five foot eight. The men couldn’t stop staring at her and Rosalie had a smile on her face I’d never seen before. Emmett too. I doubt they even noticed when I left. Esme was too occupied with decorating a room for her, Carlisle retreated to his study, to do research on her powers I’d assume. She was in the garage with Rosalie talking about cars and Emmett went to play video games. Jasper and Edward were sitting together discussing their lack of abilities when it came to the new girl. It was so easy to see, even without a vision, that everything was going to change now.

When I’d first come to the Cullens, it was because I had a vision of them after I was turned and knew that I could feed as they do. Then I’d found Jasper, thanks to a slew of visions. He was struggling to survive and I knew the Cullens could help him so we came. They were weary at first, especially of Jasper. He tries to keep covered up as much as possible, but his torso, arms, and shoulders are covered in vampire bites. They could tell he was dangerous, but after he explained his life to them, he was immediately welcomed. I was welcomed as well, but not by everyone. Emmett has always kept his distance from me, never getting close to me. I mean we’ve talked a few times and of course we’ve hung out, but only when the whole family was together. He was extremely close with Edward and Jasper though…Esme too. I could understand his bond with our parents and Edward. He had lived with them for a long time before we came into the picture, but Jasper he instantly bonded with. I was the one left out. As for Rosalie…we go shopping together all the time and we do have fun. She’s more like a cousin than a sister though. She prefers to spend her time under the hoods of cars or with Emmett. I’ve never complained though. I’ve been happy with this family the past thirty odd years. Then she showed up.

Isabella Marie McCarty Warren. She’s been a nomad since her change. That’s understandable I suppose. She said it herself she wasn’t supposed to be turned so why would she stay with the ones who attacked her? I did feel bad for her, losing her husband and son like she did. At least she remembers them though. I don’t remember anything from my human life. Maybe it’s better that way, I don’t know. I do know that even though I feel bad for her, I don’t like her. She shows up and it’s like everyone’s obsessed with her and they all suddenly love her. Well not Jasper anyways. He’s wary of her because he can’t feel her emotions. But the original Cullens all welcomed her with open arms and huge smiles. I can only guess they all knew about her already. Emmett did say he tried to find her, which means that the rest of the family tried to help. I guess they gave up when they couldn’t track her down. Still though, when everyone realized who she was, it was like she was some long lost member of the family. I don’t trust her though. I’ve never encountered a vampire with eyes like hers before. I’ve never encountered a shield strong enough to mess with my visions before either and I certainly don’t like it. Every time I try to see something about her, if it comes at all, it’s fuzzy. I’ve seen glimpses of everyone else though. I’ve seen myself getting into arguments with both Edward and Jasper about her. I see Rosalie declining going shopping with me unless she comes…I see myself disappearing into the background of the Cullen family and I don’t like it. Something has to be done.

Rosalie’s POV

Bella was almost bouncing by the time I got her to the fourth floor. We stood outside the closed door and I knocked. “Are you ready yet Esme?”

“Come on in girls,” she called from the other side. I slowly opened the door, pushing Bella in ahead of me. She took a few steps in and stopped dead. No pun intended. Her eyes filled with venom as she looked around the room and I knew if it was possible, she’d be crying. The room was absolutely beautiful. Esme had really outdone herself this time. There were a ton of windows. Underneath two of them was a long mahogany desk with a rolling dark brown leather chair. On the wall without windows a large king-sized platform bed, minus the mattress, was centered. On either side of the bed were two long mahogany dressers. At the end of each dresser was a door. One I figured lead to a bathroom and the other was probably a closet. On the opposite wall, in between each window was a floor to ceiling bookcase. Blocking off the bed area was a huge, beautiful Chinese curtain. I recognized it as Esme’s from when she went through her “Asian Flare” phase a few years back. It looked well in the room though and easily closed off the bed from the “sitting area.”

The sitting area contained a smoky gray overstuffed couch flanked by two smoky gray chaise lounges. In the center was a beautiful glass coffee table. Emmett had bought it to replace one he broke wrestling with Edward, but Esme knew it would be broken within a week if she left it out so she put it in the basement to save. Looks like she found a good use for it somewhere it won’t be broken by the boys. It works well with the room.

On the wall across from the couch was a mahogany entertainment unit. It held Emmett’s old 48 inch flat-screen television and a five-disc DVD changer. There were plenty of shelves that could be filled with game-stations or movies. All in all, the space was absolutely gorgeous.

“Th-thank you so much Esme. This is amazing,” Bella whispered. Just looking at her face, it was easy to see how touched she was. I smiled. Bella’s been alone for so long she doesn’t know what it’s like to be taken care of anymore. She’s never going to be alone again. Emmett and I will always take care of her. After all, she is our sister. I mean sure, Alice is our sister too, but she’s not a venom Cullen. What I mean by that is that me, Em, Edward, Esme, we all have Carlisle’s venom running through us, bonding us together as a family. Alice and Jasper don’t share that with us. They came to us and we chose to adopt them into the family. But Bella’s different. True, she doesn’t share the Carlisle venom bond, but she shares Emmett’s blood. It’s so easy to see the resemblance between the two. And even though she will become a Cullen by adoption like Alice, Bella is my sister by law. Even if she decided not to be a Cullen, she’d still be my sister because I’m married to her brother. That bonds us in a way that I don’t have with Alice. Plus, Bella’s so easy to talk to. While we were in the garage, I told her things about myself only Emmett knows. She just sat there listening to me without judgment. I’ve never had that before. I’ve never had someone I could just talk to and they’d simply listen. I mean sure, Em’s a great listener, but there are just some things you can’t talk to a man about, but Bella…we’ve only known each other such a short time and already she was my best friend. The first true friend I’ve ever really had.

“I didn’t give you a mattress,” Esme said, breaking me from my thoughts. “I thought we could go shopping for one. I’ve always believed it best to pick out your own mattress, not have someone else get one for you.”

“That’s great,” I replied. “I wanted to take Bella to Seattle tomorrow to shop. You should come with us. I’m sure we could work in picking up all the bed stuff.”

“I’d love to come, thank you. We can also pick up the remaining things for the bathroom.”

“Bathroom?” Bella whispered softly.

“Of course. Come, let me show you.” Esme grabbed her hand and led her to the door to the right of the bed. I trailed behind them, my mouth falling open in shock at the site. The entire room was painted white with splashes of green everywhere, including a tile floor with varying shades of green. Against the back wall was a large two-sink vanity, which ran the length of the wall. Over each sink was a large mirror, framed in varying shades of green. The counter was green marble. On the other side of the room, directly across from the vanity, was a large infinity tub, which also ran the length of the wall and was at least five feet wide. It could easily fit two or more people. The wall the entrance was on contained a long, glass walk in shower with several showerheads at varying locations. The fourth wall was like many other walls in this house. It was completely made of glass. All you saw for miles and miles were trees. It was truly amazing. “You’re high enough up here that no one should see you from outside,” Esme said, explaining her choice of the window wall. It was like she’d brought the forest inside. She was truly gifted.

Bella immediately wrapped her arms around Esme, hugging the life out of her while she sobbed. It was both joyous and heartbreaking to watch. I wanted nothing more than to hug my sister too, but I gave this moment to our mother, who was gently rocking Bella back and forth while stroking her hair and whispering to her softly. After a few minutes, Bella calmed and said, “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you so much. This is absolutely amazing.”

“You’re family Bella. We Cullens always take care of our own. Welcome home sweetheart.”

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

It's been two days since I officially moved into the Cullen house and I couldn't feel more blessed. My room, more like an apartment than a room, is simply amazing. Esme is amazing. I still can't believe she did all this just for me and then refused to let me buy a mattress on top of it. Yesterday she, Rosie, and I went to Seattle to shop. The first thing we did was go to a mattress store where I picked out a soft, wonderful one that made me feel I was laying on a cloud. As soon as I decided I wanted it, Esme shooed Rosie and me out of the store, refusing to let me pay. She said she would buy it as a homecoming gift. She told us she had a few more errands to run and would find us later. So Rosie and I went off to the mall, picking up clothes, books, music, movies, a new computer, which she insisted I get it whether I wanted to or not, as well as a few Ipods, a cell phone, a Playstation 3 and a few games, like the God of War trilogy. It was a good thing we had vampire strength. If we were human I'm sure we would have needed some serious help lugging all that stuff around. It was also a good thing the trunk of my car was big enough to fit at least 3 people because it meant we had enough room to put all our purchases. There was no extra room though so when we picked up Esme, she kept her few bags with her on the back seat, still leaving her plenty of room though. It may not look it from the outside, but the interior of my car is huge. I love it so much. Rosie also enjoyed it quite a bit. I don't know if it was the rumble of the engine or the speed, but when she was driving she looked as giddy as a schoolgirl. It's for that reason I know she'll be thrilled with my gift.

"Bella," a voice came over the intercom, breaking me from my thoughts. The soundproofing worked amazing. I could hear none of the goings on of the family while in my room. Although I'm sure being on the fourth floor helped as well. Esme installed an intercom though, one in my room and the other out of sight in the kitchen, so that they didn't have to come up to my room to get me. They were trying to give me as much privacy as possible while I got settled in.

"Yes?" I called back softly. Intercoms make life so much easier (and lazier).

"There's a delivery truck outside. They say they have a package for you," Esme informed me.

"I'll be down in a moment. Can you and Rosie come up to my room please?"

I pulled on my black distressed ankle boots under my multi-colored jeans. They started out a regular jean color but turned to dark blue from the knees down. I also pulled on my black zip-sleeve cardigan over my dark teal tank top. It's funny that I prefer to wear tank tops, yet I always have some kind of cardigan or jacket on over it when I'm around people. You'd think I'd just wear long sleeve shirts instead. Hmm.

The door opening brought me from my thoughts as my sister and Esme walked in. "What's up Izzy?" Rosie asked, gracefully plopping herself on my couch. She had taken to Em's habit of calling me that.

"The delivery is actually a surprise for you Rosie so I needed you out of sight and hearing distance until I get it in place. And Esme, can you please make sure she doesn't try to peek?"

"Of course dear," she said with a smile and wink. Rose was grinning, her eyes wide and curious. She looked so excited.

"I'll call you when it's ready," I informed them as I left the room. I ran down the stairs at vampire speed, but slowed down before I walked outside. A tall, portly man in jeans and a red flannel shirt was standing there holding a clipboard. "Are you Isabella Warren?"

"Yes, I am. Was there any trouble with the shipment?"

"No trouble at all ma'am. Payment's been taken care of, I just need you to sign here and we can get it unloaded."

I quickly signed the form and the two of us walked to the back of the truck. Together we got my packages down and into the garage. I gave him a large tip and sent him on his way with my thanks. I pulled out the large bow I had hidden in the trunk of my car and placed it on top of Rosalie's gift. The other boxes I moved onto the back counter so they were out of the way. I'd take them to my room later. Em and Jasper were standing in the doorway of the garage, looking at me curiously. I held up my finger, indicating I'd be back in a minute, then went to retrieve the girls. Well technically not all the girls, as Alice was currently shopping in Port Angeles with Edward. I'd briefly spoken to Edward the other night when I showed everyone my shield. They were all impressed and Emmy and I had a good time playing with it. He seemed to enjoy running towards me only to bounce backwards when he hit the shield. He also thought it looked cool when my eyes changed color. While I do like the colors of my shield eyes, I much prefer the bright orange of my fire eyes or the brilliant blue of the ice.

Alice however, did not like any of it, not my shield, nor my eyes. She looked quite pissed actually. Carlisle explained to me about her visions and how my mental shield was making them harder to see. I felt bad, but there was no way I would be taking it down. I did not trust Alice and there was no way I would be letting her or anyone else near my unprotected mind. That's probably why she has been avoiding me since I came here, locking herself away in her room, only allowing Edward near her. I wasn't worrying about her though. I'd spent most of my time with Emmy, his wife, or both of them. I did spend a few hours with Carlisle discussing my power and feeding. First time in my life I felt like a lab rat. He must have asked me damn near a hundred questions or more. Despite that, I did like the man quite a lot. He had a thirst for knowledge and such a passion for life and a deep devotion to his family. He was also a very peaceful man. I feel so calm in his presence. The same goes for Esme. She has such a peaceful and loving soul that you just can't help but be happy around her. They truly are the perfect couple. I'm sure I will enjoy living here with them.

"Are you alright Izzy?" Rosalie asked. I looked up and saw her standing in front of me, her excitement fading to worry. I smiled though and waved my hand.

"I'm fine. I just keep getting lost in my thoughts. Don't worry. Now, how would you like to see your surprise?" I asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind me. Before she could respond we were standing in front of the garage door, the boys blocking her view. "Rosalie, you have been so kind to me these past couple days. You are the first real girlfriend, and sister, I've ever had. You saved my brother's life. For that I will always be in your debt. There are no words, no gestures grand enough to express my gratitude to you for saving him and loving him while we were apart. However, I hope you accept this gift as a thank you for taking care of my Emmy."

Rosalie looked up with venomous tears in her eyes as the boys moved aside, revealing a red, two door, 1967 Impala SS with a black roof and all black interior, a large purple bow adorning the front windshield. She walked up to it and lovingly ran her hand over the hood. "How did you—?"

"I had an extra one in storage out in Kansas. It's never been driven so it has no mileage. It's been run over the years though to keep the engine working. I stopped on my way out here and changed out all the plugs and belts and oil, filled the gas tank, made sure it ran, put on new tires. Something told me I was going to need it soon. When I saw how much you enjoyed driving Shadow, I knew this would be perfect for you."

Rosalie wrapped her arms tight around me, hugging me tightly and sobbing a little. After a few minutes she pulled back and took my face in her hands. "You are so amazing Isabella. Thank you. I will treasure it always." She kissed my forehead and I handed her the keys. She pulled the bow off, grabbed her husband, and the two hopped in. The engine roared loudly as she revved it before taking off down the road, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"That was a very nice thing you did," Esme said as she hugged me.

"I'd like to do something like that for you too. You've done so much for me already."

"You don't need to do anything Bella. Just seeing my kids so happy is enough for me. I remember how devastated Emmett was when you disappeared and how heartbroken he was when he couldn't find you. Whenever he joked or smiled, his heart wasn't completely in it. His laugh was always just a little bit dull, his smile never reaching his eyes. You brought him fully to life."

"He brought me to life. You all have. It's been so long since I've had anyone care about me and here you all are taking me in, making me part of your family. I am so honored, so blessed."

"We are honored to have you. Our family is finally complete. Now, enough of this mushiness. I see you have some boxes there. Would you like some help getting them up to your room?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

"Jasper dear, can you help us? Between the three of us we should be able to get them up in one trip."

"Sure Esme," he replied with a small smile. We each grabbed two boxes and lugged them up to my room. Again I was grateful for the vampire strength otherwise I probably would have thrown my back out from the weight of them. We placed them on the floor near the empty bookcase and Esme excused herself to go do some errands. Jasper stayed behind and offered to help me unpack. I accepted and opened the first box. "So what books are these?" He asked as I started to pull some out.

"First editions of every S.M. Nerraw book," I replied, handing a stack to him, which he placed onto one of the shelves.

"First editions of every book? Are you a fan or something?"

"Or something. I'm actually the author."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. Had to make a living some way over the years."

"You're really talented. I read one of your books a few years back. It was after I first came here. I could feel Esme's pain over losing her son, but I didn't understand it. I was at a bookstore looking for something on the losing a child and I found The Day the Sun Went Dark by S.M. Nerraw. It wasn't one of those self-help or psychology books so I decided to give it a try. I never had kids when I was human. I was never around kids, but the way you wrote that book…you sucked me into that story and made me feel as though I had experienced the pain you went through. My eyes were filled with tears for over half that book. I had to read it out in the woods because I started projecting everything those words made me feel. You have such a gift with words and you made something I could never experience so understandable and heartbreaking. It was truly amazing."

"Thank you Jasper. Those kind words mean a lot to me. Obviously, that book was extremely personal. I didn't set out to write it. I simply put my pen to the page one day when I was thinking of Mattie and that's what came out. I've gotten many letters in response to that book over the years from people of every age thanking me for helping them come to terms with their own losses and helping them to better understand their partner's and their own minds. That book has touched the heart of many and I'm glad to know it could help you understand Esme."

"It's not just Esme anymore, it's you too. Seems like just about every member of this family has gone through hell yet somehow managed to go on. I know we don't know each other very well, but I'm here if you ever need to talk. And I would like to get to know you better."

Between the two of us we quickly got all my books unloaded onto the bookcase and the boxes collapsed and in the basement. Jasper and I spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch in my room talking.

Chapter Text

Jasper's POV

It's been two months since Bella came to live with us and life couldn't be better…for most of us anyway. Esme's been as happy as she's always been, but there's always an extra bounce in her step now. Carlisle is still Carlisle, though he has been busy doing research about vampires whose eyes change color when using their powers. So far he's been coming up empty. Rosalie is happier than I have ever seen her. Her guard is down much more often…she's actually a lot of fun. Her, Emmett, Bella, and I have been spending quite a bit of time together. We'll sit around just talking or we'll play board games, have video game tournaments, watch movies…we've even been going out to clubs once a week. On occasion, Edward will hang out with us. Mostly though, Alice has had him sequestered away. She's barely said a word to Bella, or any of the rest of us the past few weeks. She tries hard to hide it, but I can feel her jealousy. I will always be grateful to Alice for finding me and bringing me to this wonderful family, but ever since we came here, she was always the one who got the most attention. She used her visions to help her with that. Now that the focus is no longer specifically on her, she's pissed and annoyed and jealous. It's not like we're avoiding her though. Emmett and I never really hung out with her, unless she dragged us shopping, so there's no real change there. Rose still goes out with her sometimes and her relationship with Carlisle and Esme hasn't changed. She's the one shutting herself off from us. I feel bad for Edward though. Poor kid probably has to listen to her constant whining about us spending so much time with Bella. He's been trying to talk some sense into her for a while, but it hasn't worked yet. Hopefully it will eventually.

Anyway, I have been spending most of my time with Bella. She's so easy to talk to. We've spent countless nights talking about everything and nothing. We discovered we had a great many things in common. I've even shared my story with her. Unlike the rest of the family, she wasn't scared or disgusted. She said I was brave and strong and that she was happy that I managed to survive the nightmares I've had to live through without losing who I was. She really is the most remarkable woman.

Speaking of remarkable, she is so incredibly talented. Some nights, neither of us is in the mood to talk so she will either curl up with a book or sit at her desk writing while I sit on her couch reading her books. I've now read everything she's ever written. They are all absolutely spectacular. Every sentence, every word is so carefully thought out and gives you such great insight into the mind of the author. It's easy to understand why her husband fell for her.

I was heading up the stairs to Bella's room. I was planning to go up to this huge bookstore in Portland and I wanted to ask Bella to come with me. I was about to knock on her door when I heard the music. I silently opened the door to find Bella standing by her desk, a gray cardigan hanging off the back of the desk chair. Her back was to me, swinging her hips rhythmically, seductively, back and forth as she danced. Her dark, bootcut jeans hugged her backside tightly, her bright sky blue cami with some kind of white design hugging her waist. Her arms, for once, were bare and I could see just how muscular they were. Her dark hair was falling loosely in soft curls down her back. I felt my lust flair up. Then she started to sing.

I want him
And I need him
And someday someway whoa I'll meet him.
He'll be kind of shy
And real good looking too
I'll be certain he's my guy by the things he likes to do
Like walking in the rain
And wishin on the stars above
And bein so in love.

Is there nothing this woman can't do? I thought to myself. She sounded amazing. Her voice was soft and beautiful and pulled me in like a Siren's call.

When he's near me
I'll kiss him
And when he leaves me whoa I'll miss him.
Though sometimes we'll fight
But I don't really care
And I know it's gonna be alright
Cause we've got so much we share.
Like walking in the rain
And wishin on the stars above
And bein so in love.

Johnny oh no he'll never do
Bobby no it isn't him too
They will never
No they never
Never ever do!

Like walking in the rain,
And talking in the rain,
And wishin on the stars above,
And bein so in love…

The next thing I knew, I was standing directly behind Bella. I heard her gasp, she probably smelt me, and she turned around. Her face was so close to mine and she was looking up into my eyes, her beautiful pinkish purple eyes wide and I just couldn't help myself. I slowly leaned forward and kissed her. She was either shocked or not interested, as she didn't reciprocate. I was about to pull away when I felt her hands in my hair and her lips moving against mine. I was in heaven.

Bella's POV

I was sitting at my desk staring blankly at the black, blinking cursor of the word processor program. I felt like it was mocking me because I was too distracted to write anything. My mind was far away thinking of a certain blond haired vampire. His hair was longer and curlier than Sam's, but it was a similar shade. Apparently I had a thing for blonds. Last month when I first realized I was developing feelings towards Jasper, I felt guilty. I felt like I was somehow betraying my family.

I jumped out my window and ran. I was halfway to Canada when I came across a beautiful lake. I sat down on the banks and remembered the last time I was at a lake. I had seen my gorgeous little boy and my darling husband. When they died I vowed I would never love again. I lie back on the ground and let the memories of my family play through my mind like a movie. But then something popped into my mind that had never happened before. I was sitting in the kitchen of our house in Kansas, looking as I did now. Sam was sitting there across from me, an annoyed look on his face. "What are you doing baby girl?" He asked softly.

"What do you mean?"

"We already talked about this Isabella. I told you it was time to move on. I told you to let yourself love again."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. Baby, I've been gone a lifetime. You will have a million lifetimes to live. I don't want you to be alone. I want you to be taken care of. I want you to have someone who loves you.

"I have someone who loves me. I have Emmett."

"It's not the same and you know it. I've seen you with Jasper. I know how much you care about him. It's not wrong."

"But I feel like I'm betraying you."

"How can you betray me when I give you permission? The Cullens have brought you back to life, but if you run away from love, you will just turn back into the shell of a person you've been all these years and I can't sit back and watch that happen again. I love you too much to see that happen. I know you're scared Izzy, but trust me when I tell you it's okay to open up your heart to him. You won't regret it. I promise."

My mind came back to the present as a "Walking in the Rain" came on my I-pod. I stood up and danced as I sang. As I did, I realized just how well the lyrics fit my situation with Jasper. I wanted him; I needed him…we already had so much in common. I decided that as soon as the song finished, I would find him and tell him just how I felt. I wasn't sure I would call it love yet, but I did like him very much.

I guess I was too distracted by my thoughts because I didn't hear him come in. When I turned around and saw him in front of me, I gasped. He was so incredibly close and those amazing lips were right there. I looked up into his eyes and he must have seen something in mine because the next thing I knew, he was kissing me. I simply stood there like an idiot. I was stunned that this amazing, beautiful man wanted me. I felt him beginning to pull away though and I refused to let that happen. I threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling his face against me as I began kissing him in earnest. It had been almost seventy years since I last kissed anyone, but if I lacked any skill, Jasper didn't seem to notice. When we finally pulled apart minutes later, my hands were still caressing his hair, his hands were holding onto my hips. We looked deeply into each other's eyes and all either of us could say was "Wow."

Chapter Text

Jasper's POV

We stood there staring at one another for what seemed like an eternity, but I didn't mind it. I could look into those deep, beautiful eyes all day, every day. I both loved and hated those eyes. I loved them because they were a window into my Bella's soul, but I hated them because as long as they stayed that amazing bright purple color, it meant I could not feel a single one of her emotions. Normally I enjoyed the reprieve. However at this moment, I would give anything to know what she was feeling. "Say something," I whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

"I didn't know you wanted to do that," she replied shyly.

"Darlin', I've wanted to do that for a long time," I admitted.

"Me too," she said with a smile. "So does this mean we're officially together now?"

"I guess it does. You don't think Emmett will be mad do ya?"

"I think he'll throw his big brother weight around…threaten to break you if you hurt me. Really though, I think he'll be happy that I'm moving on from the loss of my family and learning to love again."

Those words struck a cord in me. I pulled Bella over to the couch and we sat down facing each other. I then took both of her hands in my own. "Bella, I'm not trying to replace them. I know you loved your husband and your son very much and nothing will ever take that away from you. They will always be in your heart."

She released one of my hands and caressed my cheek as she spoke. "Jasper, not to sound mean, but no one could ever replace them. There is nothing that can replace a love and a loss like that. But I've got a big heart. It may have been in hiding for a lot of years, but it's back now and there is plenty of room for you. You're my mate. I think we both know that. I will never forget my boys. They will always be in my heart, like you said. But they have been gone for a long time. They want me to be happy again, to find love again. I won't let their ghosts come between us." She continued to gently stroke my cheek with her thumb as she leaned in and kissed me softly.

"I love you Bella," I muttered so low that had she not been a vampire, she would not have heard me.

"I love you too Jasper." Five simple, softly whispered words…those five words made my heart soar with a happiness I had never known. For the first time in my very long life, I had a reason to live. For the first time in my life, I had someone to love me.

Bella's POV

Well this has been an action packed day. It started out with me trying to work on the closing of my final S.M. Nerraw book. I've written under that name for nearly 70 years, meaning that my publishers believe I'm nearly 90. It's time to finally put that name to rest. Now after everything that's happened with Jasper, truer words couldn't be spoken. When he kissed me, it closed the door to my old life and opened a window to my new life. It was time to let go of the past and learn how to truly live again…how to be me again. My boys will always be with me in spirit and I will always carry their picture around my neck in my compass. I don't believe Jasper would ever ask me to take it off, just like I never asked Emmy for my locket back. We've worn them for so long, they've become a part of us. But the tides have changed and a new day has dawned in the life of Isabella McCarty Warren.

"So…do you want to tell everyone or do you want to wait?" Jasper asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I think we should tell Em and Rosie at least. I know they've been wanting us to get together. And I've always had a hard time keeping secrets from Brother Bear."

"Did I hear my name?" Em asked loudly as he stepped into my room. I'm going to have to start locking that door. I don't want to be found in a compromising position. Fortunately though, Jasper and I were simply sitting on the couch.

"What's up Em?" Jasper asked as my brother plopped himself down on one of the lounge chairs next to us.

"Not much man. I'm bored. It's Friday. What say we go out dancing tonight?"

"I think that sounds like fun. We should go out and celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Rose asked as she waltzed into the room, sitting down in Em's lap.

"Well…I finished writing my final book. All that's left is the author's parting words. Jasper kissed me and I'll be sending the book off to the publishers on Monday," I said rapidly. I was curious how long it would take them to figure out…

"Congratulations Izzy."

"Yeah BB, that's awesome. Does that mean you're not writing anymore?"

"I'm sure I'll keep writing, just under a different name. As it is, my current—"

"Wait!" Rosie shouted. "Did you say Jasper kissed you?"

"Yes, I did."

Rosalie was immediately off Emmett's lap, pulling Jasper and me off the couch and hugging us. Once she let me go, Em swooped me into his arms and spun me around. "I'm so happy for you Strawbelly," he whispered into my ear.

"Thanks Trem," I said softly as he put me back on the ground.

"Let's get everyone together and go celebrate," Rose said with a smile.

"Actually, we don't want anyone else to know just yet," Jasper informed them. "This is new, for us both, so we'd like to just keep it between us for a while."

"Sure man," Em agreed. Rosalie mumbled something about getting ready and perfect outfit and pulled me from the room. As we were heading down the stairs I could clearly hear my brother say, "Jazz, you know you're my homiepire, but if you hurt my sister, you'll find vital pieces of your anatomy missing and fed to a bear."

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

My Dear Readers,

Today marks the end of an era. I have lived a long and hard life. I have known love and I have known great loss. It is only your kind words and encouraging letters that have gotten me through the years. You can never know just how much all your letters and emails and even fan-fictions have meant to me. I am honored to have such amazing readers and fans. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that The Storm will be my final book. I have had a great run and it is time to put this name to rest. I thank you all for decades of support and loyalty. You are truly the greatest fans I could ever ask for. I wish you all good lives, good luck with your endeavors, and happiness. Above anything, happiness is most important.

Farewell my friends.

Sincerely,

S.M. Nerraw

The black cursor blinks at me as I sit there staring at my name…the name I have gone by for so long. The name that represents my lost boys, my lost life. The name that no longer embodies who I am. I have let my loss define me for decades. Now I am simply Isabella. I will no doubt think of my son and my husband everyday for the rest of my existence, but I will no longer mourn them. I have a reason to be happy now. I have my brother bear back. I have an amazing sister and best friend. I also have a wonderful boyfriend. That seems like such a childish term for Jasper, but I don't know what else to call him. I suppose I could call him my mate, but that implies, at least in my mind, that we're sleeping together. The first and only man I've ever slept with has been dead for nearly seventy years and no matter how I feel about Jasper, I'm not going to jump into his bed immediately. Not that he has a bed…but you know what I mean. It's been too many years and I'm just not comfortable with being with him like that. He says he understands though so I guess it's okay. We're actually acting more like two people courting each other. We do occasionally kiss, but for the most part we just hold hands or cuddle while watching a movie or talking. I even find myself wanting to lower my shield when I'm around him. I'm not going to…at least not until this issue Alice seems to have with me goes away.

Alice…I honestly don't know what her problem is. I suppose she could be jealous, but that doesn't make sense. From what Em told me, the two of them never got along and Rosalie still goes shopping with her. The only difference is Jasper's not around her all the time. If you ask me though, that's a good thing. That girl spends too much time in her visions. She's constantly looking at the outcome of things instead of paying attention to what's happening in the present. She doesn't understand that people need to actually hash out their feelings or have arguments, not just be told her reactions without ever hearing anything. I don't think she understands that the future's not set in concrete either. I heard Emmett and Edward talking the other day. Edward said that since I came Alice had been having visions of herself fighting with the guys and Rosalie. He said she sees herself fading into the background of the family. What she doesn't seem to get is that she's causing all this herself. By "hating" me, or however she describes it, she's pulling away from the Cullens. She's distancing herself from everyone which is why she's "fading." If she would just get to know me instead of wrongly judging me, she wouldn't be fighting with my brother. I really wish she'd learn to ignore the damn visions. They are what's crippling her. They are not the crutch holding her up.

"Izzy?" Em asked as he knocked on my open door. I turned to face him as he walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. "You okay kid? I've been calling you for the past few minutes."

"Sorry, I guess I was just lost in thought. What's up?"

"Carlisle wanted to know if he should register you for school or not. Jazz, Rosie and I are gonna be seniors. Alice and Eddy are gonna be juniors."

"High school huh? It's been so long since I've been in a school I wouldn't even know what to do."

"You don't have to go, I just thought it'd be a good experience for you. And we'd all be there to help you out."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. It's not like I have anything better to do. Now that I've finished the book I planned to take a sabbatical from writing."

"Awesome. So which grade did you want to be in?"

"I don't think I could pass for a sixteen year old junior."

"Sweet that means we can have classes together. Just one question: do you speak any other languages?"

"I speak Gaelic, French, Latin, Italian, Russian, German, and Chinese. I had a lot of free time over the years and most of those have been used in some way or another in one of my books."

"Damn! Well the school only offers Spanish and French so I guess you'll be taking French with Rosie. Do you really speak Gaelic?"

"It's a fascinating language. And we are Irish ya know."

"Very good point, but I've never bothered to look up that heritage before."

"I've done extensive research into our family tree. I've gone back about two thousand years. Our family was full of druids. Once the Christians invaded, they hid their beliefs, but still practiced them until they came over to America in 1895. Our mother was born in Dublin."

"Bookworm Bell. It sounds kinda cool. Maybe you could tell me about it some time."

"My turn to tell bedtime stories, huh Emmy?" I asked with a smile. Em laughed.

"Sure thing baby girl. I'll even let you tuck me in while I snuggle with a teddy bear."

"Oh bite me Em. I was a kid."

"Sorry Bellsy, I reserve my biting for animals and my wife."

"Oh gross Emmett," I said as I grabbed a pillow and whacked him with it. "I do not need to know that!" He merely whacked me back before running from the room, laughing loudly. Oh how I loved being back with my brother.

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

It's been one week since I've decided to go to high school with my brother and the rest of the Cullen "kids." In that time I've read all of their old books to help me catch up to where I should be. School starts in a couple hours and I have to admit I'm a bit nervous. I know I should be excited. When I was little I loved going to school. Now though…it's been a lifetime since I stepped foot in one. I'm not the same outgoing little girl in braids waiting outside the door for class to begin. I've lived too long and lost too much to ever be that innocent again.

On the other hand, I have gained a lot as well. I have my Emmy Bear, a new sister I love and adore, and Jasper. When I came to this town I never expected to find a mate. I believed I would spend the rest of my eternity a wandering widow. Hmm. That has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'll write a travel story of my journeys with that title. I'll have to remember that for later.

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jasper. He is quite an amazing man. I especially enjoy our time together whether we are alone or out at a club. Whenever we're together he lets his guard down. He doesn't have to be the reserved soldier holding it together. He can be just Jasper, a good ole southern boy with a Texas accent. He especially enjoys it when I cover him with my shield and grant him a reprieve for everyone's emotions. We've been working on strengthening my shield and expanding the distance so that I can keep him covered by it during school.

Currently I'm lying on my bed listening to Jacqueline du Pré. She was a British cellist. Listening to it is helping me to calm down. At least it was until my intercom buzzed. I didn't feel like moving, but I didn't feel like pushing my physical shield out either. So I grudgingly pulled myself up and over to my door to find Em standing on the other side.

"Hey Elly, you look nice," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," I replied. I had already dressed for school. My hair was pulled half back; I had on a pair of black ankle boots, jeans, and a grey cowl neck, long sleeve shirt. The only thing missing was my bomber jacket.

"Can I come in?" Em asked. It was then I noticed I was blocking the doorway.

"Oh sure, sorry. I'm a little scatterbrained this morning." I followed Em to my sitting area and sat on a chair as he sprawled on the couch.

"You know you have no reason to be nervous. We'll all be there with you."

"I know, but it's been nearly a century since I stepped foot in a classroom and you all are the first people I've interacted with in decades. I have no idea how to act around these kids. And I just know they're gonna stare at me because I'm new and I look weird."

"What are you talking about Bellybean? You do not look weird."

"My eyes are purple Emmett. When have you ever seen someone with purple eyes before?"

"So just tell them you have contacts. Those are like glasses, but just the lens and it goes directly on your eye."

"I may be out of touch with the world but I know what contacts are. I'm not a complete imbecile you know," I said annoyed as I got up and moved away from my brother. I didn't get very far though because Emmett grabbed my left wrist and pulled my hand up towards his face.

"What the hell is this Isabella? Why are you wearing your wedding rings?"

"These rings have not come off since Sam put them there and I don't plan on them coming off. You may not be willing to wear your wedding rings to a high school but I personally couldn't care. If people notice and ask me I'm going to tell them the same thing I'm telling you right now. It's none of your business. Now let go of me and get out."

Emmett recoiled, quickly dropping my arm, the hurt written on his face. "Bell—"

"On second thought, I'll leave." I grabbed my jacket off the back of the couch and quickly fled to my car. Fortunately the keys and my wallet were in my jacket pocket. My book bag was already on my front seat. I put it there the night before so I wouldn't forget it.

Soon enough I found myself sitting in the parking lot of Forks High School. I looked at the clock and notice school was due to start in an hour so I figured I could at least go in and get my schedule. I quickly made my way to the office, following the arrows on the buildings, and was relieved to see an older woman sitting at a desk, as well as a younger girl, who I assumed was a student, sitting at a desk filing papers.

"Can I help you dear?" The woman asked when she saw me.

"Mornin.' I'm Isabella Warren. Dr. Cullen called to register me."

"Of course, I'm Mrs. Cope. It's nice to meet you. Now, when I spoke to Dr. Cullen he asked that I put you in as many classes with his kids as possible seeing as how you're new here and really only know them. We have 8 periods, not including a fifteen minute homeroom, which is sorted alphabetically so I'm afraid that you'll be on your own in that one. First period you'll have creative writing with Emmett, second is French with Rosalie, third is advanced algebra with Jasper, fourth is chemistry with Jasper, and fifth is lunch. Sixth you'll have English Lit with Rosalie and Jasper, seventh is senior study with Rosalie, and finally you'll have gym with Jasper."

"That's great. Thank you, but do you have any other first period electives? I'm afraid I'm taking a break from writing anything." Of course there's also the fact I'm still annoyed with my brother and don't feel like talking to him right away.

"Sure dear, just give me one moment to look that up." Mrs. Cope quickly typed a few things on her computer then looked back up at me. "We have choir, music, home economics, or art. I'm afraid none of the Cullens are in any of those."

"That's alright. I managed fine on my own before. Would it be possible to sign up for art instead of writing?"

"That won't be a problem. The art class never fills up. Because it is such a small class size usually it's a combined junior/senior class. Now let me just change your file real fast and I'll print you up a new schedule."

"Thank you ma'am. I'm sorry to make you go to such trouble."

"It's no trouble at all dear," she said sweetly before typing away on her computer. A few minutes later the printer came to life and the student walked over towards us, handing the paper to Mrs. Cope. "Here you go Isabella," she said as she passed me the schedule along with two other papers. "The form on top you'll need to have all your teachers sign and bring it back to me at the end of the day. The other page is a map of the school. As a matter of fact, I can spare my assistant. Angela, why don't you give Isabella a tour of the school? You are in the art class and your homerooms are next to each other."

"Are you sure you don't need me anymore?" Angela asked.

"I'm sure I can manage. Go on. Have fun."

Mrs. Cope quickly introduced us to each other and shooed us out of the room. Just like that we were off to find the locker written on my schedule.

"So Isabella, where are you from?"

"Just Bella is fine thanks. And I'm originally from Tennessee, but I did live in Kentucky for a few years. After that I travelled around a bit."

"Until you ended up in Forks and decided to stay? Is that how you met the Cullens?" She gently prodded.

"Something like that. I accidentally ran into Dr. Cullen one day and he brought me home to meet his family. Found quite a shock when I got there though."

"Really? Can I ask what?"

"Picture me taller with short curly hair and built like a brick house."

Angela stopped and turned to face me, her eyes gliding over my body, trying to visualize. After a few minutes she gasped out "Emmett Cullen? Are you related?"

I gave her a small smile and nodded. "Guilty as charged. I'm his sister. There was an accident when we were younger and we were separated. I thought he was dead."

"Wow. What a weird coincidence that you just happened to come to the same town he lives in. That must have been amazing finding each other again."

"It's had its moments," I replied with a laugh. Angela laughed as well and we finally arrived at my locker.

"So my locker's just down the hall. Your homeroom is the door on the right. Mine's the one across the hall. We can meet up in the mornings and walk to art together if you'd like."

"I'd like that just fine, thank you." We smiled at each other and Angela began the tour in earnest. We chatted the morning away getting to know each other as she showed me around the abnormally large school. Before we knew it, the entry bell was ringing. We made our way back to our homerooms, which was nothing more than the teacher taking attendance for the day and passing out any important notices. After that it was off to art class, where we were to sketch the sculpture provided so the teacher could judge our abilities. I'd done some sketching when I was "younger" for a few of my children's books, but never anything serious. I was surprised when I saw the finished product of my drawing. The teacher was impressed and gave me a large smile. It felt good to know I could do something different with my creative juices. Maybe I'd try my hand at being an artist for a while.

My next few classes came and went quickly. Rosalie tried to ask me about Em, but I steadfastly ignored her about it. Jazz could tell there was something wrong, but by now he knew me well enough to know I'd talk about it when I felt like it. Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed my morning. Yes, I was stared at and talked about, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. However I was dreading lunch. I knew I'd be forced to see Emmy and I didn't really want to talk to him. I wasn't really mad at him, more annoyed that he couldn't understand. Then again, he'd never lost Rosalie so he had no way to understand my feelings on the matter of my rings. Surprisingly enough, Jasper understood. We had talked about it not long after we became a couple. Jasper's been incredibly supportive and has actually been helping me through my grief. When I was first turned, I could never see any light in the darkness of my world. Since I met Jasper, a flame began to take hold in that darkness, growing a little bigger every day. I suspect it won't be much longer until his flame subdues the dark.

"Izzy? Are you alright?" Jazz asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts is all."

"Nothing wrong with that, Sugar. Now come on, I'm hungry," he replied with a wide grin. I laughed and followed him into the cafeteria. He breezed through the lunch line, picking up our food before leading me towards a table where Rose and Em were sitting. As soon as we sat I heard a growl too low for human ears to notice. I turned towards the doors to find Edward standing there with Alice, a mean look on her face as she began walking towards me. Instantly both my shields snapped into place at full strength, my purple eyes rimmed with pink.

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

If I wasn't so focused on protecting myself, I might have laughed. I mean how often do you see a vampire fall out of his chair? It had become second nature to surround Jasper with my mental shield whenever we were in public that I actually forgot about it. When I saw Alice's face, my shields shot back to me at full strength. Poor Jasper got hit with hundreds of teen emotions at once and the force actually knocked him out of his chair. Rose looked worried, but Em was too busy laughing.

"Shit, Jasper," I exclaimed when I noticed him on the floor. I quickly reached my mental shield out to protect him as I helped him up. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I've been better," he replied, his voice a little shaky. "What let off the emotion bomb?"

I didn't reply. I chanced a glance over his shoulder though and noticed Alice was closing in. I stood up and muttered, "I'm just gonna go—somewhere that's not here." I hastily began to walk towards the back exit when I noticed Angela flagging me down. I figured it was safe enough to sit with her. I mean, Alice wouldn't make a scene in front of humans...right?

"Bella, come sit," Angela said as she moved over, leaving an empty chair next to her that she pulled me into. "So what was the instant death look about?"

"She hates me. She blames me for her and Em not being close, but it's not like I care. He's my brother. I'm the one who grew up with him; I'm the one he took care of. If she had a brother pop up out of nowhere would anyone would be angry at her for them being close? No. Evil little pixie," I muttered, causing Angela to laugh.

"Excuse me," a brunette with a jealous look interrupted. "I hate to break up the bonding-fest you've got going on, but don't you think you should introduce us?"

"Right, sorry guys," Angela replied. "Everyone, this is Bella Warren. She just started her senior year today. She's in my art class. Bella, this is Jess, Mike, Eric, and my boyfriend Ben."

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a shy smile. The guys responded the same, but before they could say anything else, Jess asked, "So why were you sitting with the Cullens? They don't ever talk to anyone."

"I'm kind of—staying with them for a while."

"Why? Did they adopt you too?" She asked, her voice tainted partially by disgust, partially by jealousy.

"I'm actually of legal age, so no, they didn't adopt me. They adopted my brother Emmett though."

"Oh," she said, looking slightly contrite. Then she opened her mouth again. "So if they adopted your brother, how come we've never seen you before?"

I didn't want to divulge any more of my life to these strangers, but if I didn't, I knew I'd never be left alone. Besides, I had a cover story already in place, so I might as well just share that. "There was an accident when we were younger and we both thought the other was dead. I only found out about him this summer when I accidentally ran into Dr. Cullen."

"Isn't that crazy?" Angela asked. "It was like fate or something bringing you together again."

Yeah, or someone, I thought, looking down at the table. Sitting in front of me was a plate with a sad face made from strawberry slices. A small smile crept over my face as I leaned my head backwards. Em was standing there pouting. "Can we talk?" He asked softly. I righted myself and went to grab my bag, only just noticing I didn't have it. In my haste to get away from Alice I left it at the other table. "Rosie's got it," Em said when he noticed my predicament. I simply nodded and stood.

"Angela, I'll see you later. Thanks for letting me sit with you. It was nice to meet you all."

"Good luck. If you're not here in the morning, I'll know who to finger when the cops ask," she replied with a smile. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped as I turned to follow my brother outside. We didn't go very far, just out of vampire hearing range.

"Bell—"

"Em, look, I'm sorry okay. I didn't mean to get so upset with you."

"But I sorta understand why you did. When I lost you…the only thing I had of you was your locket. I've never taken it off, so it was stupid of me to ask you to take off your rings. I was just trying to look out for you. I didn't want you to get hassled by anyone. But I don't need to be your father anymore. You've lived too long without me. You don't need me anymore."

The sad look on his face broke my heart. My Trem should never look sad. He was always smiling and happy. I placed a hand on either side of his face and lifted it until his eyes met mine. "EM&M, I'm always going to need you. You're my big brother, you raised me. There's no way I could ever not need you. I just need you in different ways now. I need you to be my friend and my big brother. You don't have to be my parent anymore. And if I'm going to make mistakes, or risk getting hassled by a bunch of teenagers, then you need to let that happen. You have to let me live my own life, but I will always want you in it. I nearly died when I lost you Em and now that I have you back, I'm not giving you up for anything," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his arms wrap around me in return. "I promise Papa Bear. I love you."

"I love you too Cubby. Let's not fight anymore okay? I don't like it," he replied as he let go of me, his nose scrunched in disgust. I gave him a quick peck on the nose and he smiled his deep dimpled smile for me. "The bell should ring soon. How bout I walk you to class? Protect you from the evil pixie?" He said, waggling his eyebrows. I laughed and he took my hand, leading me back towards the school.

Chapter Text

BPOV

Three months have passed since Em and I had our fight. We haven't had one since. Of course it probably helped that no one at school ever noticed my rings. They were always covered by the long sleeves I constantly wore to cover my bite marks. But enough about that unpleasant topic. "Winter Break" was beginning today and we were all going to play baseball. Apparently Alice had a vision of a thunderstorm that Edward saw. He thought it would be a good idea for us all to play together and bond. I felt bad for him. I know he just wanted everyone to get along, but I didn't think that would ever happen. Not when Alice apparently despised my very existence for no reason.

Regardless, playing baseball did sound like fun. I hadn't played since I was a little girl. Em taught me how and his friends always let me play with them. Simpler times those were. Some days I really missed them.

"Jingle Bells, you ready to go," Em's voice came through the intercom. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a blue/obsidian Nike's Pitcher shirt, yoga pant leggings, and a pair of Vans authentic contrast that matched my shirt. I was ready.

With a bounce in my step I hurried outside to find my brother waiting for me with a goofy smile on his face. "Where are the others?" I asked.

"They left to get everything set up. I'm gonna run you to the field. Hop on little sis," he said as he turned his back to me. I was actually excited. I hadn't had a piggy-back ride since I was a little girl. So with a smile and a squeal I jumped on his back. Before I could even say "Giddy up" we were racing through the woods, the trees a blur alongside us. It didn't take us long to reach the clearing and within minutes we arrived to find everyone else working out the teams. Eventually it was decided that the teams would be Em, Rose, and me against Edward, Alice, and Carlisle with Esme as the umpire. Jasper was hitting for both teams. As soon as the first clap of thunder sounded, the game was on.

Fourteen innings later, the scores were tied at 37-37 and Rose was up to bat. Surprisingly, we were all having a blast. Even Alice was smiling. I was having so much fun I must have lowered my shield because just as Rose rounded second base, Alice shouted "STOP!" We all hurried in to home plate where she said, "I had a clear vision. Three nomads. They were leaving, but they heard our game. They're coming to see if they can join."

We quickly rearranged ourselves, Carlisle stood in front as he was the leader and Jasper and Emmett partially blocked me. Overprotective idiots, I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes. Then again, I still hadn't shared anything about my fire or ice power so they didn't know I could take care of myself.

"Five seconds," Edward muttered. I extended my mental shield over everyone, but Edward and Alice so they could still use their gifts, but my physical shield was extended around the whole family.

Five seconds later, three vampires entered the clearing. They stopped walking and stood a few yards away from us. I immediately wrapped two of them in a shield bubble. "Good evening," said the vampire standing slightly in front of the others. He had long black dreadlocks and a French accent. "We heard your game. Would you mind if we joined in?"

"Perhaps introductions should be made first," Carlisle said politely.

"Of course, forgive my manners. I am Laurent. And this is James and Victoria, my coven members."

"I'm Carlisle, and this is my family," he said gesturing towards us all. Laurent carefully looked at each member from left to right. I felt rather than saw when the recognition hit him as he looked upon my face.

"Impossible. Is—Isa—"

"Hello Laurent," I said softly, interrupting his stuttering. "It's been a lifetime."

"Indeed it has. Are you well Cherie? Have you been with this coven long?"

"No, I haven't been with them long. And I am as well as anyone in my position could be," I said as I threw a disgusted look at the other two members of his coven. I saw the recognition light in James' eyes as he stared at me.

"Laurent, is this that woman we happened upon so long ago in Kentucky? Mmm, your blood was like none I've ever tasted little one. But how did you become one of us?"

"You were scared off before you finished draining me, but you left just enough venom in me to change. So thanks for that. I actually wanted to die that day. It's a shame you don't know how to properly kill someone."

James snarled and growled in reply. He looked ready to spring at me when Victoria grabbed his arm to hold him back. "Something's not right," I saw her mouth to him. "We need to escape." Fat chance of that happening.

"Edward," I thought as I lowered my mental shield from around myself. "Read his thoughts. Is he a threat to us?" I kept a close watch on Edward from the corner of my eye and easily caught his barely perceptible nod. "Laurent?"

"Yes, Cherie?"

"You were kind to me once. For that I am giving you a choice. If I kill your coven, will you seek revenge?"

He studied my face closely. I knew he could tell the seriousness of the situation. He could also tell my eyes were no longer just purple, but were rimmed with pink. He knew this was not good, for he was there when I awoke and my eyes were a constant purple. "I will not harm you or yours Cherie. You do not know how much I regret what happened to you. If you let me go, I will leave you in peace."

"Very well. You may want to stand back," I muttered as I moved away from the Cullens. I focused my eyes on James and Victoria once again. By now she was pulling on his arm, desperate to escape, to run. Too bad they weren't getting out of my shield bubble. Once more my eyes changed color. They were still rimmed with pink, only this time, an icy blue was the prevailing color. I raised my hand slightly and within minutes the shield bubble and everything inside it was frozen solid. I cast another bubble around it and began to constrict the inner bubble. Before long you could hear glass shattering. Only it wasn't glass. It was the frozen bodies of Victoria and James.

Still keeping hold of the outer bubble, my eyes again changed color, a fiery orange dominating the pink as I raised my hand again. This time, I opened a hole in the shield about the size of a fist. Through this hole I sent a continuous stream of fire. The gathered vampires watched in shock as I annihilated James and Victoria. Those two destroyed my life. They gave me immortality when all I wanted was to die. Well now the tables had turned. There are some evils that should never be left in the world and they were two of them.

Chapter Text

Em POV

Oh. My. God. Seriously? Seriously? Did I just see what I think I saw? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I just saw my baby sister take out 2 vamps with some kick ass powers. Holy shit!

"Well, I must admit I am quite shocked. Is this the result of three different venoms?" Laurent asked, breaking all of us from our stupors.

"I can only assume that is the case since there were three of you and I have three powers. What will you do now Laurent?" My Izzy says, like nothing just happened and she's having a chat with an old friend. What the hell is going on here?

"I do not know Cherie. I suppose I will begin to search for another coven. I admit I have never come across one like yours before. Aside from you, I have only known vampires with red eyes."

"We do not feed from humans," Carlisle interjected. "We feed off the blood of animals."

"Truly? I find that most remarkable. Perhaps I will try it. I could do with a change."

"There is a coven like us in Denali, Alaska. I'm sure they would be interested in helping you learn," Carlisle said. It was easy to tell he was trying to get rid of this vamp. I'd say something too if I thought I could help it along. Right now I think we all wanted answers, but I didn't want this guy near my Bell any longer than he had to be.

"Then that is where I shall head," Laurent replied. It looked like he wanted to hug Bell, but he was smart enough to keep his distance. "Isabella, it was wonderful to see you again, Cherie. I hope you find some peace here. "

"Thank you Laurent. For everything you've done for me. I hope you enjoy your next adventure," she said with a small smile.

"Well, it was…interesting to meet you Carlisle. I do hope our next encounter will be more pleasant."

"Yes, I do as well. Do tell the Denali's we said hello, won't you?" Carlisle replied in that diplomatic voice of his.

"Of course. Au Revoir."

And just like that he was gone. Once Edward gave the all clear that he was out of range, we all turned to Bella, who looked a little worried.

"Isabella," Carlisle said calmly. Good thing he can keep himself so calm. I was about busting at the seams with questions. "Can you please explain what just happened?"

"Aside from my shields, I have control over fire and ice, and by extension water. Those three were the ones who were responsible for my change. Laurent is the one who found me. He told me what I was now. He took care of me for a little while, until we figured out that I was different and had no bloodlust."

"Then why did you kill the other two?"

"I asked Edward to read James to see if he was a danger. He was. I disposed of the threat. End of story."

"If she hadn't been here to mess up my visions I would have seen whether we were in any danger," Alice said in a disgusted tone.

That's it! I am fed up with the little witch. I straightened to my full height, stepped in front of her, and looked way down at the little Cullen. "Listen Polly Pocket, I don't know what the hell your problem is with my sister, but it ends today! I don't give a shit if you're jealous because she's prettier, nicer, smarter, has better powers, whatever. It doesn't give you the right to be the world's biggest bitch!"

"Em," Edward said softly as he touched my arm. I felt bad for the kid, I really did. But we needed to hash this out and it needed to happen now.

"Eddie, I'm sorry man. You know I love you bro, but this needs to be done. Bell has never done a damn thing to Tinkerbitch. So what if she can't see Bell's future? You can't read Bell's mind, but you don't treat her like dirt. Why, just because Bell's shield makes her visions of the family go blurry? So freaking what! Bitxie here spends so much time looking at the future that she has NO idea how to interact with actual people anymore. Jazz, man, don't take offense to any of this. We were a family, Carlisle, Esme, Eddie, Rose & I. They knew all about my sister. They saw what losing her did to me. They helped me search for her for years. Then one day out of the blue this tiny imp shows up and insinuates herself into this family. You didn't even ask any of us. You just walked in like you owned the place. Jasper was the one who sat us down as a family and asked Carlisle's permission to stay with us. You just said you had a vision of us accepting you and expected it to happen. Well that's not how life works. I resented you for that, but after talking to Jazz I found out that's just the way you are.

"I never wanted a new sister and the family knew why. I figured we could at least be friends though. But oh no! The high and mighty psychic had a vision and we weren't close in it. Did you do anything to try and change that? No! You just kept your distance and basically ignored me. I don't care if you treat me like that for the rest of eternity, but if you don't knock this shit off with Bell I guarantee you'll never see me or my sister again!"

Once I spoke the words I realized how much I meant them. I loved the Cullens, excluding the little wench, but enough is enough. It wasn't doing me any good living in a house with someone who hated my sister and sure enough it wasn't doing Bell any good either.

"Emmett," Carlisle said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. I actually felt bad for him, but I wasn't done yet.

"I'm sorry dad, but if she was doing this to mom you know you wouldn't stand for it either. Until I met you guys Bell was the only real family I knew and when I lost her it nearly killed me. Now I've got her back and I'm not gonna risk losing her again." I turned away from him and looked back at the littlest vampire. "You've got a choice to make Alice. You can either get your head out of your ass and start treating us like normal people instead of believing what you see in those damn visions or you can be the reason the Cullen family has a few less members. Just remember one thing. Whether you want to admit it or not, Isabella just saved your pathetic life."

I grabbed my sister's hand, as well as my wife's and walked away. I just couldn't do this anymore.

JPOV

Once they were gone, I turned to look at the Pixie. "Ali, before Izzy came, you were the best friend I had. You saved my life and my sanity. But Em's right. You spend so much time looking to the future that you forget the present. I love you like a sister, you know that. However for the first time in my very long life, I know what it's like to love someone. You gave me a life, a home, and a family. Izzy's given me back my heart. She brought Emmett back to life too.

"I know it can be frustrating to have your gift blocked, but when you react like you have been, it just means you're too dependent on it. You need to get passed this Ali. Please. I don't want to lose you, but I love Izzy and I'll go wherever she does," I said softly before I turned and followed my girlfriend's scent.

Chapter Text

Bella's POV

I was stunned. I just couldn't form any words, let alone think of any to say. I held tight to Emmett's hand as he pulled me along back to the house. I know how much he loves the Cullens. They were there for him when I couldn't be. They'd been his family for over half a century and for him to give all that up just for me…

"So, where are we going to go?" Rosalie asked as we entered the house. I (graciously) plopped myself down on the couch as Em started pacing.

"I don't know. I just know we need to get away for a while," he replied.

"We could always go to Michigan. I haven't seen Peter and Charlotte in a good long while," Jasper suggested as he came into the room. He must have run to get back here so quickly. He quickly began discussing locations with my brother and sister-in-law, each suggesting a place then having it shot down.

"I want to go somewhere new. Somewhere we haven't been so the pixie won't try to find us."

"I know a place," I said, finally coming out of my stupor. "I bought it about ten years ago to use as a retreat. I just never got the chance to go."

"Where's that Bells?"

"Kanacea Island in Fiji. I'm pretty sure there's a house there, but if not there's plenty of trees we can use to build one…or two so you guys have your own space," I offered. To tell the truth I don't know why I bought it. I was surfing the web one night and came across a website of private islands for sale. When I saw Kanacea, something about its beauty and isolation pulled me in. I had the money just lying around so I bought it, thinking I'd go there when my car finally gave out since it has no roads.

"You own an—" Emmett started to say before stopping. "Never mind. I could fill a pool with the things I don't know about you. I should stop letting stuff surprise me."

"Well, let's get packed and get this trip ready then," Rosalie suggested.

"Actually," I said as I stood, "If you don't mind, there's somewhere I'd like to take you all first."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Carlisle's POV

I stood there looking at the spot where four members of my family disappeared off to. Even though Isabella and I hadn't spent much time together, I still considered her part of the family.

"I know," Edward whispered, gaining my attention. I turned back to my remaining family to see my wife with a face crossed between angry and sad and Edward standing there with his head bowed, like he was a child in trouble. But none of this was his fault. All the blame could be laid at Alice's feet. And sadly, everything the boys said to her was true.

"You know, Alice, everything they told you was true. It is an extreme insult to show up and insinuate yourself into a coven without being invited, and even more insulting to clear out someone's room while we were away hunting just to make room for yourself. I am a compassionate man, but vampires are extremely territorial. The only reason you were not immediately killed was Jasper. He met us in the forest on our way home from the hunt. He knelt before me, his hair pulled back to bare his neck to me as a sign of submission. He explained his story and yours. He told me why you were there. He also told me that he warned you not to enter our home without permission. He warned you not to touch anything. He tried to stop you, but you had a vision that it would all be alright. Jasper was the reason your vision came true. If it wasn't for him, I would have killed you on sight. The fact that you are Edward's mate is the only reason you were accepted into this family. You were alone when you were turned, you had no memory, so we gave you a chance and we have come to care for you deeply. But we were a family before you came and contrary to your beliefs, you do not know everything about us.

"I know that when you awoke to this life, you had nothing, save your visions. You were alone and so you relied on them to learn how to be one of us. You depended on them for so long that you forgot how to interact with people. You'll spend time with Rosalie and Jasper and Esme, but you don't really communicate with them. If you go shopping with Rosalie, you don't bother asking her opinion on anything. You simply say "I already saw it and you love it" or "I already saw it and you hate it." You do the same with Esme. I can't speak for your time with Jasper, but I would guess it's not much different. There is nothing wrong with looking to your visions for the important things, such as danger, but you need to learn how to interact with people again. You need to stop using your visions every minute of the day. If you don't stop looking to your visions for every single little thing, then you will become lost to them forever."

I turned away from Alice then, took my wife's hand and began leading her home. "Edward, you know that I love you. I'm not doing this to hurt you, but she is pulling my family apart. If she truly wishes to change, I know someone who can help her to learn the value of her gift, and how to use it properly. Good luck."

Esme and I were deep in the trees when I heard Edward finally speak. "Ali, please, all this fighting…I can't do it anymore. You need help. You can't keep using your visions all the time. You know you can't. The only reason you dislike Bella so much is because she makes it difficult for you to see Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper. When you showed up, you never even bothered trying to get to know Em, so I don't understand why you care that you can't see him clearly. Ali, you're my mate and I love you. Truly, I do. But this is my family. We've always been a tightly knit unit and we all agreed that if we ever found Bella, we'd welcome her with open arms because we knew the pain Emmett suffered at her loss. We were there to help him grieve when after years and years of searching, he could find no record of her. He is my brother in every sense of the word and I don't want to lose him. I don't want to lose any of my family, but that's what's happening because you're letting your visions separate us. Carlisle knows someone…someone who can help you learn how to properly use the visions. Please, whoever it is, let us call and get you help. Please Ali…don't make me choose between my mate and my family. Please."

I held Esme close as she silently wept for Edward. I knew the divide Alice had caused was hurting him, but until now I didn't know how badly. I wanted nothing more than to run back to him and hug him, but I couldn't. All I could do was stand there and pray that Alice would make the right decision. I don't know how long we stood there before we finally heard her soft voice say, "Edward, I don't want to hurt you anymore. Have him make the call."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bella's POV

We drove for nearly an entire day before we reached our destination. Corbin, Kentucky. Home of Cumberland Falls, the Niagara of the South and the moonbow. It's also the home of the Manor Hill Cemetery and the final resting place of my family.

"Bells, what are we doing here?" Emmett asked softly.

"This is where my family is buried. This is the town where my life began again when I lost Em and it's the town where my life ended, first when I lost my boys, then when I lost my humanity. I think I'm finally ready to say goodbye to them."

Em and Rose waited by the car as Jasper took my hand in his and we headed to the office of the cemetery. I honestly didn't remember the exact location of the grave. I was in a fog that day and I was changed shortly after. Sadly, I needed to ask someone else where my baby was buried.

"Excuse me," Jasper said when we reached the front desk. "We're looking for the Warren plot."

The old man behind the desk gestured for us to wait a minute before he pulled out a large ledger. He opened it to the back and quickly began scanning the names. When he came to the page with the W's, there was a letter resting there with the name Warren on it. "The plot is row 15C plot 9. This letter has been here for fifty years. We were instructed to give it to anyone who came asking about that family." With a shaking hand, I reached out and took it from him.

"Thank you," I said softly before Jasper led me back outside. We quickly located the grave, but there was a surprise waiting for me. The last time I was there, there was only a small stone slab with my boys' names on it. Now, there stood what looked to be a Grecian pillar with a weeping angel bent over it. Carved into the marble pillar was: "Here lie Samuel and Matthew Warren, beloved husband and son. Taken from this world too soon." Their birthdates and death dates were carved underneath.

"I didn't know this was here," I whispered in shock. "It looks like me. We buried them together in the same coffin. I didn't want Matty by himself. When we got to the cemetery, I was lost in my grief as I lay on the coffin. It was just after everyone left the service. The gravediggers were there, but they didn't come near me. They didn't rush me away. They stayed there as I unleashed my grief."

"Why don't you take a look at the letter darlin? I'm sure it will have an explanation."

"You're probably right. Will you read it with me?" I asked nervously.

"Of course darlin."

We both sat down at the foot of the grave and Jasper wrapped his arms tight around me as I carefully pulled the letter from the envelope. The ink had faded some, but with my enhanced sight it was easy to read.

"Dearest Isabella,

It's Simon. I don't exactly know how to write this so forgive me if anything I say is rude or inappropriate. Sam was the best friend I ever had. We'd known each other since we could crawl. When he lost his wife and child, I thought he'd join them in death. He was wasting away more and more each day. Nothing I said made one bit of difference to him. It was like he didn't know how to function anymore. A group of us got together whenever we had free time to take care of the farm, hoping one day he'd come back to us all. And he did…the day he met you. When he found you on the side of the road, he just couldn't leave you there. He took you into his home and cared for you until you were well again. Physically well at least. You were just as broken as he was. But as time went on, you slowly began to heal. I watched as you two healed each other. I watched as you fell in love. I was actually jealous of your love. I wished I had someone to look at me the way you looked at Sam, to hold me through the bad times and laugh with me through the good. And when Matty was born…I'd never seen Sam so elated. You were the perfect family. The family that all others in town looked up to and strived to be like. But then it all came crashing down.

You don't know this, but I was actually the one to find them. My mother sent me over with some chicken soup for the boys. When I saw them lying there…I didn't know what to do. I couldn't function. So I know it must have been much worse for you. I was in the cemetery that evening as you lay over the extra wide coffin, your agonizing wail almost unbearable to hear. I wanted so badly to rush to you and comfort you. But I knew you'd never find comfort again. You'd never know warmth or laughter again. My heart broke for you that day Isabella.

A few days later, you disappeared. I tried to find you, Sam would have wanted me to take care of you, but you covered your tracks too well. For months afterwards I still saw your figure draped weeping over that coffin every time I closed my eyes. So I got a block of marble and began to carve. The result is what you see before you in the graveyard. If you touch underneath the second feather on the right wing, second row of feathers down, a small compartment will open so that if you have something you'd like to place there, you can. I doubt you will ever be back to see this though, but I couldn't help putting that piece in. I hope and pray that one day, you'll find someone to help you recover from this great loss, just as Sam found you to help him recover from his. I know that if you do, he will be an angel sent to you by your boys, just as I believe you were an angel sent to Sam by his Carolina.

Take care of yourself Isabella. I hope that wherever you are, you are able to find peace.

Your Friend,

Simon Chase"

My body shook with silent sobs, my eyes blurring with tears that would never fall. I looked over into the deep amber eyes of my mate and only saw love and understanding. He truly was an angel sent to me by my Sam. "Jazz, could you give me a minute please?"

"Sure. Take all the time you need darling," he said softly as he kissed me on the forehead. Once he was out of hearing range, I touched the feather to reveal the secret compartment. It was no bigger than a two inch square box, but it was the perfect size for my needs.

"Sammy, it has literally been a lifetime since I lost you and Matthew. And I have grieved that entire lifetime. Now I have my Papa Bear back, a new and wonderful sister, and Jasper. You boys sent me to them and for that I will be eternally grateful. I will always love you both, but it's time I let you go and learn how to truly live again." I gently pulled off my engagement and wedding rings. It was the first time I had ever removed them, with the exception of cleaning them. I would always have the compass with the photo of my Sam and Matthew, but I was no longer Isabella Warren. I was simply Isabella McCarty again. I had grieved my husband for decades and it was time to finally let him go. So I carefully wrapped my rings in a piece of cloth and placed them in the hole. "Goodbye my loves," I whispered as I kissed my hand and closed the compartment. I felt lighter than I ever had before. The black cloud of sorrow had finally and completely been lifted from my soul. I turned and headed out of the graveyard…back to my brother and sister-in-law. Back to my mate, my light…with him by my side I knew I could do anything. It was time for me to leave behind all I'd known and begin a new journey.

The End.