This chapter is mostly irrelevant to the rest of this story, although the subject has been mentioned a few times. This chapter is just for those that were slightly traumatised by Allesandra Cullen's story :P

One Year Later – Italy, 2132

Esther

I had been planning this for years now. Decades even.

The day my granddaughter died right in front of me I began to search the world for a solution, I searched for answers and didn't stop until I found them.

After decades of searching my hope was dwindling but my determination multiplied. It was three years ago I managed to find who I needed.

After Allesandra's death I returned to the castle in Italy and I supported my daughter through her hard time but I would often take days away, my daughters were too caught up in their own grief to notice my absence every now and then but as the decades went by, I kept a small secret from Lidiya.

A slither of hope.

Every now and then I would escape to meet with Darcy. A witch I had started to come well equated with. She was one of the descendents of the witches that created me. She was one of the few that knew exactly what I was and she was kind of star struck when she met me. She agreed to help me in penance for what her relatives did to me after my birth. She was the most powerful witch I had met in a very very long time and my hope finally started to grow again. We planned to bring Allesandra back, something that was seemingly impossible but was becoming more plausible by each visit. I refused to keep my hopes too high though. I couldn't tell anyone in our family for fear of crushing their hopes. Darcy and I met over the years, planning this moment carefully and precisely.

Today was the day I would bring back my granddaughter and her grandfather.

I wanted to bring them all back, all those that died that day with Aleksander but Darcy informed me it wasn't possible. She had been able to boost my power of true sight. She called the dead to me. Allesandra, Aleksander, Katerina, Izabela and Anton but only two came.

My old lover and my granddaughter.

I had seen Aleksander many times before; he often came to see me but seeing my granddaughter so alive and happy, even as an angel had me overwhelmed with emotion. Darcy informed me that the other three had already moved on. They had gone to the afterlife without a second thought and Jane was not revivable since she wasn't a moon pool child.

The day I saw Aleksander and Allesandra standing hand in hand in front of me as angels ready to come back, my excitement grew so much that I couldn't even hide it from my best friend Eddie thousands of miles away.

I wanted more than anything to bring them back, I wanted to give Lidiya both her father and her daughter in the same day. She deserved that after all the pain she went through losing them.

The only thing was for this to happen I had to tell Lidiya about the plan; it went against my better instinct. I didn't want to give her hope only to crush it but we needed her. Anelie too and my grandson Benjamin.

"Esther..." Matthew said, shaking his head. He didn't believe me for a second.

"It's just a possibility, it might not work. I have to tell you that but there is a possibility. Don't you want to take it?"

"Yes," Lidiya said, tears were already in her eyes, I heard her heart pick up in excitement and part of me regretted that my words made her excited. She couldn't be this happy yet. It might not work.

We told Zio and Chantelle, Benjamin and Tony and Anelie and all made our way down to the moon pool Aleksander and Allesandra were conceived in.

I could see Zio was as sceptical as Matthew was. They were both true leaders and both as stubborn and rational as each other. I tried to ignore their piercing eyes. I knew if this didn't work they would be angry at me placing false hope.

Darcy began her spell and even I had trouble keeping up with it.

"I need the blood of the original, the most potent form of the Luna magic and anchor to all life. A sacrifice willingly given," Darcy said mid-way through her chanting. I bit into my wrist hard, I hadn't even thought about the fact I needed to draw blood. Luckily my teeth were sharp enough for my own marble skin. I held my hand over the water and my blood fell into the moon pool below us.

"I need the ashes of the dead, the remaining proof of life that was."

I poured Allesandra's ashes into the moon pool, the water started to effervence and I smiled as I stood back. It was starting to work. Darcy said the biggest obstacle she wasn't sure about was the power in the water it self. If it didn't effervence it wouldn't work.

"The blood of the same."

"Ben that's you," I whispered to him. He nodded strongly. He walked forward, the leader that he was and copied me by cutting his own wrist open with his teeth. He didn't flinch at the pain he just watched his blood pour into the water.

"With the power of the moon and the magic that is in these creatures, Allesandra Sophia Cullen I command you to come back to us. Enter your body once more. Return to us!" She commanded. I saw Allesandra's spirit appear at the edge of the water. She turned around to look at me as if she was scared. I nodded encouragingly.

"Go on sweetheart." I encouraged her, she dove into the water and the bubbling erupted, I couldn't see anything in the water now. Light shone into the cave brighter than I had ever seen it. Ben shielded his eyes, so did Zio, Tony and the girls but I stood strongly with Matthew, I wanted to see this happening.

It was moments before a body floated to the surface of the pool; she was naked and seemingly asleep.

"My daughter!" Lidiya called in Bulgarian, about to run to the water.

"Wait," I begged her, holding her to me. "Make sure the spell is finished," Lidiya looked to the witch. She lowered her arms and ran them over the water.

"We need life now," she said. "Move her out of the water and grant her Life," Darcy said looking over at Anelie.

"No! The original," Darcy called when Lidiya went to take Allesandra.

"She's the anchor of creation, without her none of you would exist. She needs to lift her from the water," Lidiya nodded silently and went to stand with Matthew again; she looked nervous and was biting her nails. I walked over to the water and placed my hands in it. It was warm, really warm, almost scolding hot. I stepped further in and pulled my granddaughter into my arms. I had tears falling down my face as I placed her on the floor of the cave. She was still as a doll, no breathing, and no sign of life. But she was here. I was holding her again and it felt amazing.

"Now Life," the witch ordered.

"Can I touch her?" Anelie asked. "It would be easier," she clarified.

"As long as Esther doesn't let go yes."

"Okay," Anelie sighed, looking at her sister hopeful. She held out her hand and Lidiya took it. They knelt next to Allesandra, perfectly still in my arms. Lidiya pulled her jacket off and laid it over her daughter as Anelie rested her hand on her niece's forehead. Anelie had tears running down her face at the sight of Allesandra. She closed her eyes, gripping tightly onto Lidiya.

I have to say the most amazing sound I've ever heard is the breathing of my granddaughter. Her chest began to rise and fall and her heart beat was rapid. Her eyes snapped open and the focused on me above her.

"Hey baby girl," I smiled through my tears.

"Who are you?" she asked. I bent and kissed her forehead.

"Someone who loves you very much. Would you like to meet your mother?" I asked her. She frowned at me but nodded as she sat up in my arms, I pointed to Lidiya sitting across of me, her tears fell rapidly as she looked at her daughter.

"Momma?" she asked with a frown as if she recognised her but didn't.

"Yes, I'm your momma," Lidiya choked out. Allesandra moved from my grasp and fell into Lidiya's lap. Lidiya sobbed harder as she held her daughter once again, she wrapped the jacket more securely around her daughter's tiny body and I think the whole cave was crying with happiness as they saw Allesandra alive and happy once again.

I stepped away from the reunion and turned to Darcy.

"Is there still enough power to bring him back?" I asked her.

"If we do it now. Yes. The moon is still above us," she informed me. I nodded and wiped away my tears. I needed to be strong again; we needed to do this once more before we could go home. Now we knew it worked my heart felt like it could burst with anticipation of seeing Aleksander again in the flesh. I knew it wouldn't be the same, he didn't remember me; but it would in time. Both Allesandra and Aleksander would gain their memories back with encouragement and patience.

Darcy started to chant again and the reunion behind us halted.

"Mother what are you doing?" Lidiya asked. I just smiled at her.

"You'll see sweet girl," I told her and turned back to watch Darcy. She went through the same requests again. I poured my blood in the water and put Aleksander's 'ashes' there. Although his ashes were long gone, the soil under which I burnt his body still grew from his remains. It worked as the same thing.

"The blood of the same."

"Anelie and Lidiya." I said and held my hands out for them; they both frowned as they came up to me. Anelie had already caught on to what I was doing; Lidiya was confused as they did as I asked blindly.

"With the power of the moon and the magic that is in these creatures, Aleksander Balev I command you to come back to us. Enter your body once more. Return to us!"

"Papa?!" Lidiya screeched as the moon pool reacted violently. As his body surfaced, I pulled my jacket off and reached for him, covering his lower half and laying him on the sand. I was crying again, my tears falling onto his chest as I held him. He was bigger than Allesandra; it was hard to hold him in my arms so I placed him on the ground and held his head on my lap instead.

"Anelie," I said, trying to control my voice. She nodded, completely surprised by the events and she touched his chest just once before his eyes snapped open and he breathed a huge breath of oxygen. He sat up, nearly head-butting me but I moved slightly so he didn't. His eyes fixated on me first and a look of recognition came across his face. The unusual sound of his heart beat radiated through my ears.

"Esther," he sighed.

"You remember me?" I gasped. My tears still falling.

"Of course I do," he said in relief. "You brought me back?" he asked with a frown. I smiled, my tears falling happily from my eyes.

"Yes," was all I could manage saying. It shocked me what he did next. He reached for my face and pulled me towards him; kissing me deeply.

"Never thought I'd ever get to say this seeing my parents kissing but ewwwwwwww," Anelie said, stringing out the word like she was a five-year-old not a one hundred-and-twenty-year-old married woman. Tony laughed at his wife and I smiled at her sitting opposite me.

"Parents?" Aleksander asked as he looked at Anelie. "I'm your father?" he asked.

"Okay so he doesn't remember all of us," Anelie sighed. "Yeah I'm your daughter, I'm Anelie. You haven't seen me since I was a baby." She said with a warm smile to her father.

"You look like your mother," he said and turned to me. "Beautiful," he added.

"Okay," I laughed feeling awkward and stood up. "We weren't this lovey dovey with each other before you died, especially not in front of people," I told him.

"But we were in love," he said with a frown.

"Yes. In our own way. We were," I told him.

"We have a daughter," he said with a deeper frown.

"Two actually, they're twins." I told him and pointed to Lidiya with Allesandra again.

"Oh..." he gasped. "I remember being in love with you," he said changing the subject and turning to me. This was all news to me, Aleksander never truly admitted to loving me when we were together.

"I think you died before you told me," I told him truthfully. "We'll talk but not here and not in front of our family. Let's go home," I said and held my hand out to help him up. He gripped my jacket awkwardly and stood up. I chuckled as did a few in the cave. Our laughs soon cut off when I heard a thump.

I turned to Darcy and saw she was on her knees.

"Darcy?" I asked and rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"That took a lot of power out from me," she sighed heavily. "I won't make the swim back. It's okay Esther, leave me," she said.

"No I'm not leaving you," I said to her and helped her to sit down against the cave wall.

"You have your family now. Go... Be with them." She said.

"I won't let you die," I said and turned to my daughters. "Help her," I told them. They didn't argue. They rushed to my side.

"No. I deserve this," Darcy said holding her hand out to the girls.

"You just gave me back my daughter and my father. I can't thank you enough. Restoring your life won't even begin to repay in the debt I owe you," Lidiya said to the witch. She smiled sweetly.

"My time will be coming soon. There is no need to postpone the inevitable. You have forever with your family. Go be with them." She told her and stroked Lidiya's face.

"I can't let you die. Not after what you've just done."

"Please child. Let me go," she said.

"I can't," Lidiya sobbed.

"A life for a life. I have been marked now. I will die." She said.

"But you gave two lives." Anelie told her.

"Which means I die faster," Darcy smiled at Anelie but she wasn't serious, she just wanted to set my daughters minds at ease.

"That doesn't seem right. You can't die," Lidiya said, crying.

"Be happy for me. I've paid my debt. My ancestors did awful things to your mother. I have repaid her," she said.

"But they also created her! None of us would be here if it wasn't for those witches or you. Please. Let me save you," Lidiya begged her.

"I will die happy," Darcy said and closed her eyes. Her heart stopped.

"You didn't deny her death," I said in awe at my daughter. Her tears were falling silently.

"Should I have?" she asked me, looking at me then for reassurance and it reminded me of when she was a little girl and when she would ask for my approval. It had been a long time since I had seen this look on my youngest daughters face.

"No, you did the right thing. She didn't want to come back." I said and leant over to kiss her temple. She cried softly as she fell into my hug. "It makes me proud to know you understand when to use your gift and not." I said and kissed my daughter again.

"We should bury her here with her ancestors," Anelie said. I nodded.

"I agree but I'll come back later and do it. We need to get Allesandra and your father home. Come on," I said pulling my daughters over to the water. We dived in, the rest of our family were already gone. They were by the clothes that we left on the beach for Allesandra and Aleksander. Aleksander was getting dressed as we got there. I noticed he was being quiet. Allesandra was already socialising with her family; letting them hug her and hold her. I made my way over to Aleksander who looked disoriented.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, he smiled at me as he did the buttons on his shirt.

"I still remember how to dress," he grinned teasingly, I rolled my eyes. I wasn't used to this side of him, the joking, loving, and affectionate side. I think over the years my memory distorted our time together. I remember seeing glimpses of this kind of thing when we were alone or when I saw him with his children but most of the time he was the strong, disciplinarian leader he needed to be. I reached out and rested my hand on his chest, he smiled at me but I ignored him, I felt his heart beating below my hand and I tried to fathom how it could be beating.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Your heart, it's beating," I said, I could hear it as loud and strong as our family around us.

"I gave him a pretty big dose of life. He was harder to wake than Allesandra," Anelie said coming over, she took my spare hand in mine and Aleksander smiled down at her.

"You're pretty amazing, if that isn't bias," Aleksander told her. Anelie smiled up at her father, something I never thought I'd see.

"Thanks papa," she said and squeezed my hand. He smiled down at her widely.

"I want to remember you," he said. "Why don't I remember my own daughter?" he sighed and rested his hand on her cheek.

"You will," I promised him, I dropped my hand from his chest but he didn't let it fall far, he took it in his spare one. My four thousand years of instinct told me to pull away but I didn't, I let it comfort him.

I wanted to bring him back didn't I? Why was I suddenly so scared of how he felt for me now he was back? I had been so focused on finding a way to bring Allesandra back and fantasising about her being here again that Aleksander was a surprise, a pleasant surprise though. I think the reason behind me not thinking about it was the rush of feelings I felt when I found out I might be able to bring him back. I had accepted the fact he was dead, I had moved on, I dated Zac James for nearly four decades and thought I was happy but after we drifted apart I accepted I'd never find my mate.

Until now.

Thanks to Toni for helping me with this! I decided there would only be one bonus chapter on this story, there will be an actual update with the Volturi and how things changed in Forever Legends which is based 14 years after this one! I will just be repeating myself otherwise.

I will be posting a one shot with Izellah, Beth and Lexi soon as well so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks for all the support guys. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story.