FreyaCabanas, Thank you so much for your review, and for your appreciation of Katherine and Deanna. I do want to mention how I try to stress the importance of Edward and Deanna's relationship and what I want it to represent. I hope this chapter makes it clear and satisfies you further. Also, to you and to Sara1996, that the letters are crucial. And, Sara, I know that you're hungry, and that's what I'm hoping to play on, but don't worry. This isn't Pretty Little Liars, you will have your answers.

GhostlySights and Griezz, two of my favorite readers and reviewers. Griezz, thank you for noticing how vague it is. I hope you find some answers, but also some questions in this chapter. To GhostlySights, please don't hold yourself back! I'm desperate for reviews, rants, etc.

Also, thank you so much to Counting Sinful Stars, Sasha, Stark-ingMad, Guest, and sholtsclaw698!

It's been a month, and I'm sorry, but I do have a reason! I swear! This chapter has been tricky and I've written it two times over with so much planning in between. I am trying, and I hope you'll forgive me for not updating sooner, but I didn't want to post total bullshit after so long. Please, bare with me. I apologize for my absence once more, but I think you have waited long enough, so, without further adieu, chapter 19!

Bella was uncomfortable.

Forsks was beautiful, that she couldn't deny. That was the problem. Everything was green. The trees, the trunks, the grass. It never seemed to end. It was too green. It was too much. It didn't feel like home. This felt wrong. There was no sun to warm her pale cheeks. There was no dry air to carry in the smell of dirt and cacti that her mother planted. There was no sound of cars passing by or voices echoing in the streets to prove that life was going on. Forks was everything that Phoenix, Arizona was not, and that was the problem.

It looked too green to be her new reality.

When she arrived, Charlie told her that Deanna had offered her room. Her room. Bella couldn't help the chip in her shoulder over how much nothing had changed because everything had done just that: changed.

The house was the same. It was painted with the same white that Charlie always used. The roof was dark. Her handprint was still on the second step from the top from when she tried her hand at painting, something her mother had recommended in her younger years. There was still the same plants with the same trimming by the windows. And, inside, there was still a series of pictures arranged on the beige wall beside the stairs. It was her. It was a timeline of the same sullen looking girl with mahogany brown hair and a contrasting complexion. Flaming cheeks and all. Yet, that's where all the bitter nostalgia ended.

Bella expected Charlie to have the same bare walls as she continued to walk through the house, but she was met with more pictures. Instead of a placid looking girl in the remaining pictures as she ascended the stairs, there was some of a cheeky smiling girl with soft freckles dotted across her nose. There was her, her and Charlie, even some from when she was younger. Not one was a school photograph, which was all Bella had aside from a baby picture. When Bella first saw the kitchen, she noticed a picture on the fridge. It was of Charlie and Harry Clearwater, them both proudly showing off what she assumed was their best catch from a day of fishing, but there, in the background, in a matching fishing get up, was Deanna Walsh with both thumbs up and a foolishly big grin on her face.

What made matters feel worse was when she had climbed the stairs for the first time and saw that the dark wooden floors had changed to a lighter shade. And the light blue walls were now a light lavender. Even the yellowed lace curtains around the window were substituted with plain white cotton ones. Whatever memories she had as a child of this room were changed. Even the sheets, the comforter. She'd never seen it before. Everything had been moved about. Everything was gone. She thought that she wouldn't have cared. She thought that when she came to Forks that she wouldn't have cared less if anything had changed because she never liked Forks. She was an Arizona girl. Yet, something within her, all the sadness and irritation that she never even knew she had was rising to the surface.

Why? She hated Forks. She hated how sad and lonely the house felt whenever she visited. That's why she stopped visiting! Nothing had ever changed, and that's what drove her away. So why? Why did the sight of everything changing cause her to want to rip apart every picture in the house? Why did it cause her to walk into her room, while Deanna was out, only to simply look at how everything had hanged, longing to place everything back the way it was so that she could be sad, wallowing in her own sorrows, in peace? That's when it occurred to her. She didn't hate that Charlie was happier and no longer lonely. She hated that he had found another daughter to be less lonely with. Bella, she closed her eyes, standing in Deanna's room, hating that it would never feel like her place to stay in again, began to cry. The whole time that she had angrily fussed at Charlie never growing out of his loss, she should have sought solace in. She lost her mother, and now, looking at everything changed, knew she no longer had the same father.

She was all alone in her pain.

At the sound of the doorbell, she quickly dried her eyes and tried not to dwell on that thought. She used to think one of the best things about Charlie was that he never hovered. He usually left her alone to her own devices, and she liked it that way. It was symbiosis. However, after losing her mother, Bella was at a loss. She wanted her mother back. She wanted the same eccentric, happy-go-lucky woman who would decide to go on a trip spontaneously and drag a begrudging Bella behind. That was what Bella wanted. Yet, when it sunk it, when the realization that her mother would never be able to see her graduate, to see her become a successful woman, or share thanksgiving with her after a decade or so with both of them as adults, that her mother would never be able to see her grow up. It stung. No. It hurt. It hurt like her very fibers of being were being ripped apart, and all she could do was wait it out. So, when Charlie left her to get situated, promising that he'd figure out a new room plan for Deanna and her to share, she felt lonely. This was a time that she wanted to share with him! A time where they were supposed to lean on each other in grief! Yet, he left her alone.

That was the first time Bella felt truly at a loss for what she allowed to happen. All those years avoiding Forks, all those years avoiding Charlie's gloomy and lonely household, she had given up on her family. She didn't know, she didn't realize, that one day he would be all she had left. She didn't know that there would be a day when he would be the only thing left of her mother. How could she? The most liveliest woman she ever knew, the one who embodied all things involved with living, truly living, was dead. Bella felt like her world was falling apart, and all she could do was wait. There was nothing she could do. Her mother was gone. There was no bringing her back. Her father had moved on. There was no justice in even wanting him to be condemned back to solitude. All she could do was accept that she was alone.

She had her heart's desire, and there her troubles began.

Gathering what strength she had left, she trudged down the stairs, ignoring every picture, silly or not, on her way down. When she got to the door, she didn't bother looking through the peephole. This wasn't a busy city. This was Forks, the one place where nothing happening was the most exciting thing about the town. Sighing, her pale and slender fingers fell over the worn doorknob. One more thing that had changed, she noted. With a hot sting rising in her heart, she twisted it, wincing as the morning light blinded her for a moment, only allowing her to make out the silhouette of the person, but once her eyes adjusted, she felt them widen.

There before her was a boy. He was a bit taller than her, definitely taller than Deanna - She couldn't help but compare herself to the girl constantly - and looked like a good kid. His slackened shoulders sported a letterman jacket of blue and yellow, but under that was simple Forks attire. He was unmistakably kind looking with pale blue eyes that held nothing except a friendly nature, blond hair that was probably styled before he stepped out into the rainy outdoors, he had a slight roundness to his face, but he's altogether good-looking. And when he looked at her, she noticed the friendly smile on his face falter. At first she assumed he was disappointed in seeing her, but when she saw a smile break out over his face, even larger than before, she felt herself relax, her shoulders falling an inch or two. He opened his mouth, stammering a bit as if he had something to say, but no idea how to move his mouth in order to get the words out. Before long, he shook his head, laughing at his own embarrassed nature. Then, he awkwardly lifted a hand, giving a single, half-wave.

"Hi, um, is Deanna here?" he asked. Bella's delicate lips that had been lifted, just a centimeter or two, fell into a frown.

At first she was bitter over the fact that everyone seemed to be focused on her cousin, but then she realized how foolish that sounded. Deanna was there first. She had roots in Forks. What did Bella have? A track record of fleeing? Shifting side to side on her feet, Bella shook her head, her eyes lowering to the ground. She didn't want to see anymore people eager to see her cousin.

"Oh... Do you know where she is or when she'll be back?" He asked, his eyes looking beyond Bella, as if he was expecting Deanna to be lounging on the couch. Bella didn't doubt that the thought wasn't too far from what could be true. Deanna was abrasive at times, and Bella was certain that she had no trouble in showing her ill-will towards others. Once, when Bella was younger, she had asked if she could have Deanna's phone number, and Deanna said that she didn't have a phone while letting her fingers tap away on buttons of a phone that, according to her, didn't exist.

Bella couldn't see why everyone was so consumed with the bitter girl that Deanna was. She was a rather careless looking girl. Hair never done, always tangled and free. Clothes often worn in, not even caring to dress nice. Her skin light, but not pale. Eyes bright, but often harsh. And instead of clear and fair skin, there was constellations of freckles. Bella knew that she, herself, wasn't all that astounding, but she thought herself to have a classic beauty. Ivory-skinned, that contrasted with the dark curtain of hair that was too straight to try to style. She was rather slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete. She was soft. Delicate even. It took her a long time, but she saw it as, at least, slightly compelling. If she could just stand still, she was certain that she'd look somewhat elegant, despite the clumsy nature she had.

Though, she supposed that's what was compelling about Deanna. The exact opposite. Deanna was imperfect. She was hot headed, demanding, and inconsiderate, but something in her that, despite choosing to do wrong at times, she tried. She tried to do good for the people she cared for. She was hard on others, but even Bella could see that she was even harder on herself. Something in her was broken. She wasn't kind towards her mother, and she sported several grudges, but she refused help. She was independent. She was messy, lonely, reckless, and more. But, she was also loyal, compassionate, and tough to her core. She was alive.

Bella didn't relate well to her peers. Hell, she didn't relate well to people in general. Looking back, even the person she loved most, her mother, was never synchronized with her own existence. Bella never felt like she was on the same page. She felt like everyone else was different pages, but she was in a different book altogether. It was a world that was separated from her own. She was different. She didn't care why she was. All that mattered was that she was. And, in a few months or so, she'd be forced to understand just how different she was. And, she dreaded it. Every minute, every moment that passed by, she felt herself loathing her choice not to graduate early.

"She hasn't been back since prom," Bella said, her voice quietly ringing through the sound of rain falling. The boy nodded, as if he were trying to decipher a foreign phrase.

Thick fog was all I could see out beyond him. Yet, somewhere beyond that fog, perhaps even within it, was that same girl who preferred seeing clouds cautiously roll across the sky than feeling the warmth of the sun. All Bella could feel was the guilt when she silently thanked whatever cosmic bureaucracy that allowed her some time to breathe without staring the girl that stole the life that she never knew she would be missing. Moving her eyes back to the boy, she tried to think of something to say, something socially engaging. Genuinely social people always amazed her. Someone whose brain could generate an inexhaustible fund of things to say, naturally, with no effort, out of nothing at all, that alone was worth appreciating.

"Um, do you want me to tell her that you stopped by?" she asked lamely, cringing at the bland and monotonous tone of her voice. She swallowed a lump in her throat and boldly stood up straighter. "I don't know when she'll be back, but I can relay a message," she offered, trying to refrain from gnawing at her bottom lip.

The boy stared at her for a moment, as if he'd forgotten what he had came to do. Quickly, he blinked and shook his head, not trusting his words about as much as she did. He turned his back, moving to go back to what she assumed was his car. When he reached the edge of her porch, he looked over his shoulder at her, looking forward. His head shook as if he were debating options in his head before turning back to Bella.

"My friends and I were going to go to Port Angeles soon and I just came to ask if she and Edward wanted to come... Can you tell her that? If you want, you can too - I assume you're her friend or something..."

Numbly, Bella gave a nod, feeling as though her cheeks were soaking up all the blood in her body like the grass was soaking in the rain. Maybe it was the hopeful way that he was staring at her or maybe it was the way she finally had a chance to escape the house. She just felt her heart swell with fondness. She knew that, had she met him before, she would have never really seen him as attractive. However, under the circumstances, she felt more willing to let herself be happy with his kindness. She'd never liked a boy before, but perhaps this was how it felt...

"Okay! Sounds good!" He laughed, as if he were astounded that she even nodded. "I-I'll see you then - Oh! I haven't even said when," he laughed, almost painfully nervous. "We were going to go Tomorrow, so, um, yeah! Have a good morning - day! I meant day," he babbled lightly, a goofy grin on his face as he almost tripped down the stairs.

Perhaps Forks wasn't so bad...

While things looked up for her, with Deanna, things looked even more so confusing.

Her hands were still, for the most part. As still as she could keep them with the worn letter in her hands. She felt as though her mouth were dry. Her heart felt as though it werer trying to consume itself, and her limbs. They felt heavier than cement. She was standing. She could have been sitting, but she needed this. To stand. She needed to feel like she was strong, like standing wasn't as much a problem as it felt to be. It was her own way of comforting herself. It was her own way of feeling more like herself. In this grand mess of confusion as to who she was and whoever was trying to "get" her, she needed to feel more like she had before whatever had happened, happened.

To her left, Edward stood. He looked calm, but she knew that was for herself. His eyes, narrowed, cautious, and his stance was slightly towards her than anyone else, readied to catch her if her knees fell weak. To her right was Rosalie, someone who had become her keeper of sorts. Emmett was at Rosalie's side, where he belonged. Alice and Jasper were standing across them with Esme and Carlisle stood, concern written across the woman's face. Deanna, though thankful that Esme didn't feel the need to hide her concern, almost wished she had. However, she knew that believing in false security was the exact way to lose oneself to whatever enemy was approaching. Ignorant bliss was appropriate for some occasions, but this was not one of those times.

The letter had came earlier in the morning. Carlisle had gone into work, making his appearances. Alice and Jasper had gone hunting with Esme, wanting to give more space to the tense house they'd been confined in. Rosalie refused to leave Deanna alone, as did Edward, and where Rosalie stayed, so did Emmett. While Carlisle had been making rounds, a letter was left for him. No one saw who left it. No cameras caught whomever had. It came sealed. There was no address. All it had written on it was the words "To My Love" in fine black ink. Carlisle had read over the first letter more than enough times to recognize it. Though it's scent was slightly different, he could still make out that same signature aroma on it. It was from the same writer of the first letter.

"Just open it."

Deanna shot Emmett a glare. He simply shrugged. She felt as though she were making a bigger deal out of this than she should have. Then again, she justified her response to a degree based on the one fact that they didn't know who they were dealing with or what they were capable of. However, Emmett was right to want her to just get it over with. Waiting would do her no good. It wouldn't prolong what was to come. It wouldn't give her any relief to lie in wait, especially when her mind had grown accustom to drafting up the worst things imaginable. At least, ripping the bandage off would rid of some of the worse fears. And so, with a deep breath, she moved to break the seal. Her finger dragged along the edge before Edward's cold finger's latched onto her hands. Giving him a confused glance he gave her a smile. It was purely for her and her alone. A symbol that even though they were both about to open the doors to hell, he would be there, with her, helping her.

My Love,

Something went wrong.

I had everything planned. I had everything in order. You were safe, sound, and happy even. Everything was in place...

If I had known that this would have happened, I would have never let them leave with you. You have to understand that when I let you go, I had every intention of finding you again. I still do. However, this task is going to be harder than I originally planned. You see, the people who were going to take you from me, they are greedy. They are bloodthirsty beasts. They are flawed. When they were created, their design was to protect us, to protect us from a greater threat. For a time, we had lived in peace, in love, in symbiosis. Then those men came. They came and they took everything. They thought themselves to be three kings, and like kings, they did not care who they stepped on to gain their heart's desire. They killed their predecessors. They killed our protectors. They turned their backs on my kind, our kind, first.

They hunted us. They killed us. And we all went into hiding.

I thought I would never see the day when I would feel like myself again. Then I met you. You were this bright eyed rose with many thorns, yes, but you were the most stunning creature I had ever laid my eyes on. You were so sharp tongued, so fiery in nature. You spoke proudly, without an ounce of restraint. You looked upon everyone, no matter who they were, and you demanded respect, equality. If they thought themselves better, you taught them to stop believing in their foolishness and presented them with an abundance of regret. You were a storm among people, yet the moment you stepped away from them, all that fire vanished into serenity. I saw it. I saw you. You were the epitome of life, of human life.

Yes, you had your flaws, you did wrong, but I saw your struggle to do good, to make a difference. You were good, but you did have a lack of morality, or, at least, a willingness to do wrong for the right reasons, which was intriguing to me, a feat in itself. You were prideful, too much, but you were also hard on yourself. I knew that much by seeing you walk into that field of flowers with a heavy heart, holding yourself accountable for things that weren't even your fault. I saw you be broken. I saw you stubbornly refuse help of all others.

But then you looked at me.

Your hair was messy, not that you cared. Your face was reddening from the sun, and the shine on your face was prominent from a long day of trying. Yet, you looked to me, and all that fire I saw, that burning passion, was gone. For a moment, I was disappointed, thinking you had given up, that your fire was extinguished. That wasn't the case. It tooke me a while, long enough for me to draw near, but I saw it. You had a loneliness in your eyes that only the oldest and most ancient of living creatures had. You were a beautiful mix, a balance of everything good and bad. You were everything anyone with half a brain could want. You were what I wanted. And I kept you. I protected you. And, when the time came, I let you go.

I fought for you. Once you were in my grasp, I did everything I could to do right by you. I saw you, the world you wanted, and I fought to give it to you, but then they came. They saw you, the thing I loved most, the very heart of my existence, and they saw a weakness. I knew what they wanted me to do. They knew that you were like me. They wanted you, and I wouldn't let them have you. You see, I had no problem sharing my eternity with you. I still do not. I wanted nothing more than to share my life with you. I wanted to tie my life to yours the very second that you promised me that our love would be everlasting.

I just couldn't when I knew your life would be in danger.

So, I did what I had to. What happened after that, what I did, it wasn't right. I lost myself in the madness. I was so consumed in protecting you, so consumed in my fears that I let myself stray. I did the worst thing imaginable to you, and I imagine I did something even more so selfish in my attempt to keep you until I could rid of one enemy in hopes that if I were capable of fulfilling that promise, then perhaps there was redemption for me. For us.

But I couldn't do that if I knew you were leaving.

You are the air I breathe, the sun that warms me, the purpose in my life. There was no me without you. And though I hurt you, I hurt you beyond what anyone who loves another should, I couldn't let you walk away. I know it in my heart that you would forgive me! You loved me! You still do. You will understand that. By now, we should have started anew. By now, we should have been safe, starting again, this time I would know my mistakes and never make it again. Yet everything I worked for, years of planning, it had all gone to waste in less than a few moments. I lost. I lost in my attempt to protect you. I lost you as well.

I had gone. I gathered my forces. I got all of my ducks in a row. Everything was set. We were going to fight. We were going to win. We should have caught them by surprise, but they knew. Someone, I don't know who, tipped them off. They knew where we were, how many of us there were, and what we could all do. The only thing they didn't know was about you. Originally, you were meant to be somewhere safe, waiting for me to return, your love making their way back to you after we won the war. Yet, in light of what I had done, with you wanting to leave, so intent on never laying your eyes on me again, I had to protect you, us, from yourself. So I had to hand you over to them. They would do what I asked them, and you would be safe until I arrived. It wouldn't be your lover returning to you because you wouldn't even remember me leaving. You wouldn't remember me.

I didn't get to return to you victorious. We lost.

We lost, and only a few of us managed to escape the slaughter. Wounded, on the brink of death, I went to you, where you were supposed to be, but you weren't there.

At first, I thought you had managed to convince them to let you go. I thought that maybe you had managed to escape them and me. I thought that, maybe, your anger, your hatred, ran deep enough to overpower them. Then I remembered you. I remembered the woman I loved, and I know that even when your blood boils and rage seeps into your bones, yoi love me. You wouldn't do this. You wouldn't hurt me that muc. I love you and you know that. You love me and I know that. What I don't know is how it came to this! I don't know why or how, but my most trusted friends have turned their back on me, on us. They took you from me. They hid you, like I had told them to should anything go wrong, but they know! I know they know I live! I know they know that you are safe with me and that you belong at my side! So, why? Why did they hide you. Such actions, I fear, can only mean that they've betrayed me from their own free will.

I know that they are not simply hiding out, waiting until I could find you. They are deliberately hiding you from me! They are keeping you from my grasp! But why? What possessed our friends to treat me like I am their foe?

I know not.

All I know is this: It has been not one, but decades since I've seen you.

We were meant to be apart for a night. One night. We should have been spending this decade together, rebuilding what we once had, but they ruined it! They stole you from me! They robbed me of what I held dear! I loved you. I held you in my arms. I gave myself to you. I am the one who loves you most and they have chosen to hide you away! I will not stand for it! I do not know why, or how, but I will find them. If they are smart, they would have left you. They would abandon you, so I couldn't find you. After all, finding a group of people is easier than finding a single woman in this wide world. Especially one that is renewed without a drop of memory of who she once was. However, I pray that they are fools. I pray that I will find them and find you, my sweet girl, and save you from these wretched beings who defied our fates together.

I pray I catch you...

Wherever they sent you running.

I know this will not find its way into your hands until I find you. I know that you still will not have a clue as to what I might speak of. If they did their job, you will not remember, but if they did not, it is well over the time for me to beg forgiveness. I've waited years. I've spent every second of every day trying to find you. Wherever they have you, I will find you. I will find you and you will not have to wait any longer. I write this to you because you have to know. You have to know that I have paid the price. I've made up for my wrongdoings in the hell I have lived. You do not know. You do not remember, if my heart tells me the truth. I just want you to know that my love has not faded. I need you to know that I still love you. That even after all this time, I still believe in us! I am still loyal to you and only you!

I will find you.

I will avenge our love. Those who took you from me, my friends, my former friends, are dead.

Still searching,

Your one true love.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Deanna groaned, setting aside the first page that was in the letter. She wondered if she even wanted to begin to open the next can of worms. This time, she did move to sit down, unable to make any sense of the situation. The only conclusion that she was able to draw was that whomever was writing this was obviously insane and most likely even more so than she originally thought.

"If you need a moment-"

"I got this," Deanna said quickly, giving Esme a half-apologetic and half-irritated look. Closing her eyes once more and drawing in a breath, she looked to the second page. Another letter. It looked newer, and this time it had a date at the top, but this time, it was written in a different hand. A different person.

January 1988

I know this is confusing. I know that you've already received something from that monster. I know you're confused, but this is me warning you. I know you won't remember me, and that's my own fault. I always made sure to erase everything every time we gave you a new start. If you're reading this, that means that you've been found and I couldn't come in person. If you're reading this, then you have to listen to me: You are not safe. It's been over a century since we began running, but this is the first time we have to leave you alone, without anyone protecting you directly. The person who we're running from, this monster, has gotten too close to finding you. I love you too much to let you fall into the hands of someone whose hunted you.

What I'm about to do isn't going to be good. What I'm about to do is wrong in every sense of the word, but you have to know that I'm doing this because I love you. You're family. During your first life - I suppose I should call it such, but you didn't live a lifetime, even in those times - we had been friends. We all were. Then everything became so twisted, but you were a sister to me. To us, not the monster that thinks that whatever you share is love. Which it isn't! People do not hurt the people they love like that. That's why we ran. You didn't want to go back, we didn't want you to go back, so while everyone else was away, we took you and we ran as far as we could, but I could feel our sloppiness. Our only chance at successfully evading that beast was to turn back the clock for us all. The less you remembered the better.

I would have erased my own mind, but that was too risky. I can't protect you if I can't remember. We've done this about five times total to you - reversing the clock - but this sixth time might be the last. If you never read this, then you've lived a human life and died. Which is what I hope is the case. If you are reading this, then things are different. If you're reading this, you get as far away from wherever you are as quick as possible, but before you go, I want you to know a few things. The better prepared you are, the better off you'll be at running. Besides, I know you'd be swearing up and down if you didn't know what you're up against.

I can't give you your full story because I haven't got the time. I'm leaving this with Connie, she'll keep an eye on you. She'll know if and when to send you this. What you need to know is that a crazy person is after you. This person is someone who can be anyone with human blood in them, their own. I know it probably sounds crazy, but this world holds more than just humans. This person is capable of two things: Controlling one's actions and occupying, temporarily, their mind. God, I sound fucking insane right now, but like I said, I don't have much time! We all have to scatter, and fast.

We're, well, Jon, he's going to go to the hospital, find a baby that looks much how you look right now, and then he's going to switch you out. That baby is going to go to with me. Don't worry, I've raised you four times, I can handle this. Anyways, here's another thing you need to know: You're not who you think you are. Though, I'm sure you've figured this out by now either by letters or some other way. You're, physically, young. Technically you're just a few days old right now. Physically. Your mind is also as blank as a baby's so, I guess you really are this age, but this isn't the first time you've been a baby.

Earlier, a few paragraphs up, you'll see or remember that I said we've reversed the clock. People like us, we're not entirely normal. Sometimes, in this strange life we live, people can do things. Connie can see see anyone's at the current time, no matter where you are. Not as cool as seeing the future, but it does come in handy. Jon, he's the one that can reverse someone's biological clock. Which we've done to you and ourselves quite a bit, but you're the only one that's been a baby. He just keeps us young. And then there's me. I can erase memories. There's more of us out there. There was this one little girl, during the 1920's I think, who could see the future. Believe it or not! But, she was locked up in some asylum. I tried to check in on her later, but they got her...

There was also this one boy I met while travelling in Egypt in the late 1700's, he could control fire - not well, of course, but there was potential. He didn't want to leave with Jon and I, but when we came back for him too, he was gone.

I know it sounds crazy since we, hopefully, gave you to the most conspicuous human parents, but for your own benefit, I hope you believe me.

Just, please, do me a favor, and not get yourself killed. I've raised you four times. You're like a strange combination of a sister and daughter to me.

I hope you never read this, but if you do, I swear, I'll make sure that monster doesn't touch you ever again.

Please stay safe,

Your best friend, Mary

Deanna stared at the second letter for a long while, just staring and allowing every word to sink into her mind and try to sort itself out. Finally, when she was ready, she looked up and spoke the only words in her mind leave her lips.

"Holy shit..."

She passed on the letter to Edward, who had been reading over her shoulder, who then passed it over to Esme and Carlisle, not caring who else read it. His only concern was the girl to his right, looking sick. Her heart was fighting to slow down, and her breath was drawing in and blowing out heavily as if she'd ran a marathon. Her face was the epitome of fear. Her brows were furrowed, but her eyes wide. Lips pressed together, but she was biting on the bottom, containing whatever threatened to escape from her throat. She closed her eyes, muttering things broken words opening her eyes, only to sigh in defeat and begin again. Edward didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say to make her feel safe, which was all he could do in the moment.

"What do we do?" Emmett asked, being the first to actually voice their thoughts after Deanna's. All eyes turned to him, half of which were glaring at his blunt delivery of the very thing they all were wondering. Especially Deanna, who felt as though her breakfast were coming up her throat. Swallowing, she turned her attention to Carlisle, as did everyone else. He was their leader, their father, and the one who could make sense of things in times of need. And he, as always, straightened his shoulders looking to his family and all he had built over the years and he nodded.

"You read the second letter. We have to get her out of here," he decided.

Rosalie was the first to protest.

"We don't know who wrote it! Why should we trust it?"

"If someone meant to make an attempt on her life, they wouldn't want her to run," Carlisle reasoned, looking to the girl in question.

Deanna was lost in thought. Her whole life felt like a lie. If what the second letter said was true, her mother wasn't her mother. Her father wasn't her father. She was just a girl who was switched with whoever was supposed to be living her life, minus the psychopath at the end. She had just been told that there was a mind controlling crazy person on her tail. Someone who both took over Katherine-

"Katherine! What do we do about Katherine? How did she even get, I don't know, 'possessed'?" Deanna asked, not even caring about her own life, just those she endangered with it. "The letter said they had to have their own blood, human blood, in them. Katherine was feeding on animals." Her thoughts turned to Rosalie. What if they couldn't trust the second letter's writer, "Mary."

"She was a newborn. There's a chance she'd still have enough blood in her, I suppose," Carlisle sighed, frowning with all the new questions he had. For a man that had been alive as long as he, it was rare that he was presented with even more confusing situations. Now, he found himself faced with things, creatures that weren't human. "They called them bloodthirsty," he realized, calling attention to his children who were debating the intentions of the second letter. When he was met with confused eyes, he looked to Alice who was already rereading the letter. Before long, her gaze met his with a nod.

"They also said that the 'bloodthirsty beasts' that 'took everything' thought themselves to be 'three kings'... Do you think we're looking at vampires?" She asked, looking to Carlisle, who, though didn't say it, nodded in agreement.

"It's a possibility at the least."

"Are we not going to talk about the second letter?"

Attentions turned to Jasper, who looked partially ashamed of snapping at them.

"It mentioned others, like this 'Mary' or 'Jon' and 'Connie'. She said that they knew someone like them who could predict the future, and that she was locked up in the 1900's... Alice!" He insisted, as if he were revealing something they should have know. Sighing in irritation, he looked to the pixie herself, who only blinked in confusion. "Tell me how many little girls could see the future and got locked up for it. She said 'they' got her. 'They' could be referencing vampires," he reasoned. As insane as it sounded, for as little as Alice could remember, it did sound plausible. To some extent.

"So, if Mary, and her friends, aren't vampires, then what are we looking at? Humans with gifts?" Edward asked, a hardened frown on his face.

"We're looking at possible enemies of the Volturi," Emmett sighed, feeling his head begin to ache.

"People who can control shit! This is beyond us!" Rosalie hissed, shaking her head. "We should pack up and leave. While we still can!"

"No... It wouldn't work like that," Alice said quietly, looking at Deanna, skeptically.

"What?" the human girl groaned. This was almost too much for her to wrap her head around, and this was coming from the girl who had gone to her junior prom with a family of vampires.

"My visions can't see Deanna. They can't see the wolves either. Whoever's after Deanna can't control things that aren't human, or still having remnants of their human blood. What if their powers only work on humans? Or whatever they are or have been?" Alice suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Edward can read minds. That works on the wolves," Rosalie argued, shaking her head and disregarding her sister's notion. Alice nodded, accepting that. However, she was quick to turn her eyes down, staring at the ground as if she were trying to solve everything. Her eyes flickered about the tiles for a good while, everyone remaining silent until she looked up, defeat in her eyes.

"Maybe there is no reason behind why some gifts work on soecific people while others' gifts can't..."

"Have we considered temporarily leaving her with the wolves?" Emmett asked, presenting a new possibility of protection. Rosalie was the first to scowl, the one with the most prejudice against them and the thought of Deanna going near the lot of them. "A lot have been changing lately. I was hunting closer to the line, and there were some waiting. I assume most are there because of other vampires. There was tracks through the forest. A lot of them. A few hikers found dead a week or so ago, but it looked like a bear attack..."

"Did the nomads ever leave?"

"They were supposed to..."

"Does it even matter!" Rosalie groaned exasperatedly, looking to Deanna, one who usually gave her support when her family did not. "The wolves are a gamble. If whoever this is can control them too, she's toast and we wouldn't even know it." That was all that it took to make Edward shoot down the idea, giving Emmett a sharp look whenever he tried to defend his idea. All the while, Alice and Jasper both looking at each other. The same thought crossing their minds.

"No."

All eyes turned to Edward who was glaring at the second oldest vampire in the room who was glaring just as hard back. There were no words for a moment, just pure messages through thought and feeling rebounding off of the two. The silence couldn't be preserved for long.

"Either of you want to tell me what's going on?" Deanna asked sharply, her eyes set in an irritated glare. Edward's nostrils flared as a puff of breath came out, trying to calm himself before turning back to the human in the room. He was becoming too concerned with protecting her.

"Jasper... He thinks that if the wolves cannot protect you, and in case we cannot, then we should turn to an option that is far worse than should even be considered," he added, trying to calm the girl whose heart was beating as much as her face was turning red with anger. His eyes snapped to Emmett, looking at the blond beauty as if she had grown another head. Deanna wasn't a fool. She knew exactly who he was talking about, and who they would be turning to. She didn't need Edward to tell her it was a bad plan. Or, at least, not the ideal one. The Volturi? She heard enough about them to know that they wouldn't let her walk away from them without being turned. She knew she'd have to give up her humanity eventually, but she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to everything she built in Forks.

"No... No!" She said forcefully, pushing him away even though it wasn't his idea that frightened her. She was shaking her head. "No. If we go there, I'm not coming back human, and I know I said I'd go through with the change, but I need time! I need for that to be something that wasn't made because my hand was forced so no! Besides, I'm not going to just pack everything and leave - Charlie would lose it!" She reasoned, looking down as it barely dawned on her in how deep she was. Where was the bright side? Where was her salvation? She once thought her life was turning into a romance, but now it was looking like a poorly written soap opera.

She wouldn't have it.

With her jaw clenched, she looked to Edward, to his family, to her family. They loved her. She could see it in their eyes and the fear and worry that they were being forced to endure for her. She knew that a selfless person would just take it. A selfless person would just turn herself, or go to the Volturi and save them the worry, but she wasn't selfless. She was selfless, and the only one she would allow to choose her life choices was herself. No. This wasn't looking like a romance, so she wouldn't treat it like one. Things weren't easy. In fact, her life felt like it was crumbling before her eyes, but damn if she didn't grip her life and try to take it back from whatever cosmic bureaucracy that decided to send her down this path. In the end, she was the one thing in her life that she had control over.

"I'm staying. If it only works on human blood, there's a chance that the wolves are able to be controlled by whoever is behind this. He or she took Katherine, but that won't last forever. We can try to wait things out here," she reasoned, nodding as the idea began to form as it left her lips. "You all aren't newborns, so we go on like everything is fine since it is-" Edward was the first to move, already prepared to protest that one statement, but she cut him off before he could begin. "Don't." He gave her a startled expression, but kept to silence, if only just to hear her out. If there was one thing he had came to know, it was that she wouldn't have him not listening to her. "I love you. I love all of you, but I do still have a family."

"What if whoever is doing this gets to Charlie or Isabella?" Edward asked. He may not have wanted her to go to the Volturi, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to whisk her off, far away where no one could touch her and where no one could hurt her. He was more than willing to just have her take off somewhere across the world, where it was sunny, where whoever the "monster" was could never expect her to be at.

"Well, then I suppose it's a good thing you do not sleep," she snapped back, just as quickly. Before tensions could rise, a hand fell on Edward's shoulder. Turning to his right, he saw the patriarch of his coven, standing there with a sympathetic look on his face. Not a word left Carlisle's lips, but his thoughts were heard loud and clear. All of which were a reminder that it wasn't right to force anything upon Deanna, and that, knowing her, if he wanted her, he wouldn't. Though it had taken Edward some time to get over his paranoia of trying to keep her safe from everything, it was Carlisle's observations that pressed Edward into letting go. He was the one who saw Deanna as she really was, clearer than Edward.

Deanna was in love with his son. That enough, Carlisle knew. However, Deanna held a love for herself, or a respect of self that surpassed her emotions. His whole family had seen her on the occasions that she showed that she wouldn't tolerate someone who would insult her by treating her like a child by going behind her back. Edward had once gotten so brooding, a trait Carlisle had grown irritated with at times. His son seemed to be born in self-hatred. When Edward voiced that he was going to leave because Deanna was "too good" for him, the whole family heard her shouts that called Edward a "coward" that was just "spewing out bullshit", according to Deanna. She hadn't tolerated his control just about as much as she tolerated his pity.

She wouldn't have it.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Edward said after some silence, listening to every lecturing thought Carlisle forced upon his mind.

"Fine. I'm glad to see you're capable of negotiating," Deanna scoffed, crossing her arms, still crossed with him.

They were not a perfect couple. They still had long ways to go, but anyone in the room could see that they clearly loved each other. Under all that hostility, under all that rising tension that had built up, there was love. Edward who didn't want to lose her, and Deanna who didn't want to lose him in his worries. It was all so maddening, but the rest of the Cullens couldn't help but wonder how the pair were still in the infancy of their relationship, especially when their quarrels seemed to be bordering those of Rosalie and Emmett in the times where she was either too serious or he was too immature. But like Emmett and Rosalie, Deanna and Edward were a good balance for each other. Beautifully messy.

With a sigh, Deanna shifted, her eyes flickering over their faces until they returned to Edward, showing a reluctance to look him in the eyes, knowing she would forgive him sooner if she did. Stubbornly, her lips parted, but then shut before she could even utter an apology for how quickly she had armed herself. Just as stubbornly, Edward took a step towards her, meeting her gaze. That was when his family dispersed, moving to distract themselves in hopes to give the two any shred of privacy they could spare. Not that either seemed to be shyly keeping quiet.

"So that's that, then?" Edward asked, crossing his arms, a betrayed look on his face. Although Deanna's heart somewhat empathized with his, her mind was set. She always found it strange that someone could understand another, regardless of how they regarded the other person. Empathy, humanity, it was strange like that. One could empathize with their worst enemy, but, at the same time, humanity gave itself the gift of the will to choose, and she chose to put herself above his fear in hopes that her confidence would bring him relief. If it did not, she still wouldn't bend a knee, but she did wish for relief all the same. Crossing her hands, mimicking him, she drew in a deep breath for strength and gave a nod. Whatever anger he had seemed to break in that simple action alone. Relentless, stubborn, determined. Whatever it was she had it down to an art. "You're asking me to risk losing the person I love most."

"No. I'm asking you to trust me."

"Why not trust me!" He shot back quickly, a hardened look upon his sculpted features. The fire was back in his eyes because he couldn't believe her own reasoning. From his standing, yes, they didn't know what was to come, but Deanna was being selfish to the point where she would rather put herself and live in a delusion where everything was fine. From her standing, yes, she would be in danger, but Edward was being selfish to the point where he'd rather put fear ahead of what reality was, which was her in danger despite whatever she chose to do. Regardless of how angry they were at each other, regardless of how stubborn the other was, and regardless of how maddening it was to be in this mess, they loved each other, and they knew that enough would stay the same.

Her face softened eventually, and the moment she did, was the very same that his had.

"I trust you, Edward. I do, but people trust me too," she reminded. She moved towards him, placing a hand over where his heart once was beating. She felt him lean into her touch, arms folded around her just as she knew they would. She would have never imagined that there would be a day where she could be so against someone, yet so favoring to. "If I go, Charlie could still be in danger. If I stay, I know that you wouldn't let whoever is doing this even get close to him, let alone me. Besides," she sighed, knowing her heart and who it worried most for. "There's still Katherine."

She didn't need to look at him to know he was scowling. Even though he had taken to Katherine, as a friend, it was no secret that he had been cross with her, ever since he found out that she had lied about visiting the Denali. He didn't trust her, he didn't trust who was behind her. That was mostly his worry talking. To think that Deanna was so blind in her loyalty to Katherine, to think of how easy it would be for whoever was behind this to use Katherine to get closer to Deanna, it frightened him beyond relief. He was sure of a single thing when it came to Katherine: He wanted her far away from Deanna. He trusted the girl about as long as he knew her, not enough. For Deanna's sake, he kept his thoughts to himself. She didn't need, nor did she want to hear that he wouldn't let Katherine or Deanna close enough for them to so much as share a look. He would let go of some control, but he wouldn't let her be blinded by her heart.

"She's somewhere in there, I know it!" she insisted, pulling far enough to look in Edward's eyes. Her own were filled with a determination that was as strong as a storm in the sea. There was no doubt in her eyes, not even looking at the possibilities that she feared. She couldn't - she wouldn't believe that Katherine was gone, lost in whatever limbo that she was forced into because of mind control. "Katherine would never abandon me. I can't just leave her alone," she shuddered.

That was the word. Not just any word, but the scariest word that Deanna could ever imagine. Alone. Alone. It was the most terrifying thought to her, and it was her greatest fear. It wasn't clowns, spiders, fire, or Christmas clay-animation specials - all of which she did fear. She feared loneliness above all else. Above failure, above responsibility, above herself. It was loneliness that made her heart whimper and cling to those she loved. It was loneliness that made her second guess her desire for solitude at times in fear that time away from others would lead to isolation. It was loneliness that had caused her and Katherine to end up in the mess they had. It was loneliness that she feared would be her condemnation.

Although she had a questionable moral compass, although she had her fits of pushing others away, she was human, and she craved connectivity. She took pride in being something more than a thoughtless creature. She held herself on the premise of being a complex being that was able to reason, to fantasize, and feel her own emotions as well as others. To know that she could share what others felt, to know that others could share her own. It was impossibly invigorating. It was freeing. It was taking what someone understood to be the very fundament of reality, and to take it beyond that. It made her life had meaning. To think that she could spend her life, with so many possibilities of having that, of sharing who she is, to place her life into the core of another was to live forever. It was to defy the rules of everything the world thought it knew. It was creation in its purest form. Empathy.

Isolation was destruction. Isolation birthed monsters by immersing them in the dark, in the loneliness of the human soul. And even though the dark had it's appeal, it was dangerous. When one was starved of the light, of the warmth, of connectivity, it did what any kind of famine did. It made a person hungry, desperate, angry. It turned people into the worst versions of themselves, and they forget who they once were when alone. Isolation was the paragon of inhumanity. It could make the very best of people forget themselves and all that mattered. It could make someone numb to all feeling. And while the world would keep going, a person could lose everything.

Isolation breeds apathy, and apathy allows one to become far worse than an animal.

An animal can kill for food, for protection. Cruelty, however, is not what animals, not what humanity, is capable of. Cruelty is a monster's gift to themself. Isolation enables one to do what humanity cannot stomach. Isolation didn't silence humanity. Isolation didn't give humanity a mercy killing. Isolation slaughtered humanity, slowly, quietly. If one was lucky, the isolation would let them die, but if death evaded them, something far worse would become of them. They would be the birth of the dark. They would be the product of nothingness, the destiny of monstrosity, and everything that mattered before would be for nothing. Isolation made the walking dead.

Deanna feared it. She feared it like a mother feared losing a child. She feared it like a farmer feared a drought. She feared it like any sane person would. Deanna's fault was not having too little a heart. What she felt for her mother, or, rather what she forced herself to not feel wasn't out of apathy - well, it was just that in the beginning - but rather temporarily numbing her heart because she felt too much. It was justified, somewhat, but that didn't make her actions right. Being human hurt, and the closer she felt to changing, the more she feared losing it. Humanity burned as brightly as the sun, but she feared what would happen if she ever had to face the dark forever. She was human. She hated it, but she loved it too. That was the premise of humanity, though. The opposite of love was not hate. It was apathy, and apathy was what the real enemy was. And though she visited apathy more often than she should, she knew that she would never make it a permanent stay.

Apathy was death, and she had a death with benefits relationship. One that needed to end.

"She wouldn't want you to be in danger," Edward stressed. He loved her too much to let her go.

He was selfish. Love was selfish.

Many can pretend that love, putting one above oneself was selfless. Many could go their entire lives without facing the truth. Just because one can't face the truth doesn't make it any less real. The difference was that both Edward and Deanna admitted to selfishness. Edward admitted how selfish it was to put Deanna first. While it sounded selfless, it was the most selfish thing he could do. He put her above all else, everyone else, and he knew how ugly it would get if life placed him in the circumstances to choose her over an other or others. He'd choose her, in a heartbeat. No matter who else was there, he'd choose her because he loved her. He chose her because his heart desired her most. He yearned for her love, and to what lengths would he go to gain that? His desire for her safety was almost at the level of a necessity, and he didn't want to know how many bridges he'd burn to do just that. All because he loved her. His heart was hers, and he protected her like a thirsting man protected his only water source.

Out of love.

Out of selfishness.

"Life doesn't give us what we want," Deanna whispered, her eyes filled with defeat. It wasn't the first time admitting that, but it still hurt all the same. "Death, loss, it isn't fair, Edward. Why would life be any different? Thinking that you can change that is just building up an expectation that will only end in misery. And, before you say anything, no. No, I'm not being pessimistic, I'm actually trying to be the opposite," she added with a brief moment of irritation once she saw how poorly she was at that. "What I'm trying to say is that while we can't hope for ideals, we can hope for the best of reality. Reality is that I'll be in danger regardless, but I'd rather be in danger with some control over my life. You said you wanted me to live a human life, well this is human: making my own decisions."

He didn't want to accept it, but he did. He loved her, and he respected her. He respected her far too much to take away something profoundly human: free will. Like it or not, she had changed him. She still was. He feared it, what danger it brought to her, but he would be who she needed him to be. In this moment, she didn't need someone to take her far away where no one could touch her. She needed support. She needed him to show that he would support her in her decisions. That was the kind of person she wanted. She didn't want someone better than her. She didn't want someone less than her. All that she wanted was someone worthy, someone she could love, someone who would love her the right way. And he did.

"The things I do for love," he groaned, letting his lips curl into a crooked smile. Deanna Walsh was by far the most exhausting person he had ever met in his long life. And he loved her to the point where he relished her tiring existence. He wouldn't want her any other way.

"Don't say that. I might take advantage of you," Deanna sang teasingly, slipping a hand over his, leading towards the front door. He knew that she wanted to go home. If only to check in on Charlie.

"The human taking advantage of the vampire? That is like the lamb devouring the lion," he chuckled, his cool fingers gently squeezing her soft hand. He would miss that when she turned...

"Rise and rise, again and again, like the phoenix from the ashes until the lambs become lions and the rule of Darkness is no more."

"Biblical."

"I may have hated catholic school, but I did pay attention. You started it!" She added swiftly, shoving him as they neared his car. He theatrically placed a hand over his chest, giving her a wounded expression. She merely huffed, crossing her hands over her chest and turning her head, giving him a profile of her face that was smiling all the same. This is the girl he had fallen desperately in love with.

She was a plucky little lamb, when he met her. A snippy, sarcastic, and selfish lamb - three things that were still very much present. However, she was more than that now. He could tell in the way she walked. She was stronger, more sure of herself. She made more eye-contact. She dared to be open. She carried herself with pride in who she was and what she did, right or wrong. She was the lamb that had turned into a lion. She loved the light provided by her loved ones, but she did shine on her own, giving herself warmth and guidance that she needed. She was becoming even more beautiful. To see a fragile woman was beautiful. To see a woman with confidence, a woman who loved herself and loved others just as much was even more so.

When he first looked at her, he had seen a human, easy to break. He saw someone he felt the need to protect from all else. He had somehow imagined that she would need him.

How wrong he was...

He may have looked to be closer to perfect than most would ever get, but inside he was a mess. If life were a game, it would be a game of chess, and he was losing to none other than himself. He had torn himself apart and stitched himself together, just to punish himself further. And while he reached for the wrong end of a knife, she grasped his hand, took the knife from him and threw it. If life was a game of chess, he was the king, moving slowly, on the edge of losing everything. If life was a game of chess, then Deanna Walsh was his queen, and she protected him. Even from himself.

He needed her.

"If you're not going to drive, then let me."

"You've never driven once in this town."

"There's no day like today."

"There's tomorrow. Buckle up."

"Make me."

"Deanna Walsh, are you trying my patience?" He asked, unable to hide his smirk. Glancing at her, he saw he had met his match to see her cheeky smile.

She would smile in the face of danger, he thought with a smile of his own. She was full of surprises, but one thing was always a certainty with her: she never stopped for anything when it came to loving those in her heart. She'd smile through anything, if only to give him a sense of relief. He truly had met his match. He found someone so willing to protect him just as he wished to protect her. That alone, even though the odds might be stacked against them, made him feel stronger. Together. It was together that they could take on anything. This he was certain of.

"You can't try what doesn't exist."

"Deanna-"

"I'm already buckling! Geez! Like I would let you take me anywhere without a seat belt on!"

The ride back to her house was mainly quiet, but neither of them minded. They needed that time to worry in silence. Thankfully, when Edward heard Charlie's thoughts, he was sure that it wasn't whoever was behind the letters. Any of them. Thankfully, with everything that was happening, he had some distraction to the scent that Deanna's cousin was emitting. It had taken some time, time in which Deanna had been giving him articles of clothing in hopes of helping him adjust - no shirt could compare to the real thing, of course - to Bella's scent. For the most part, it had worked, but he never was on the same half of the room as the doe-eyed girl, who was fidgety. It didn't help when the girl chose to sit directly beside a fan. The act had Edward out the door, but not without a polite salutations to Deanna's surrogate father.

By the time he had "left" Alice had arrived on foot, driving him off, far enough out of sight for him to appear to have left. Before long, he was back inside Deanna's room, finding her, locked in, lounging on her bed. He would have pointed out her locked door, but he thought better of it. He knew why. Even though she insisted on staying, she couldn't even hide her slight fear. It was better that way. For the rest of the night, neither of the two spoke, for two reasons. One, they had nothing more to speak of without talking in circles. Two, Deanna didn't trust Bella to mind her own. Despite being a loner the girl was a magnet for danger to the point where Deanna had to wonder if she was a "gifted" human with the talent of drawing misfortune.

Silence was better. It gave a false sense of security that was helped with arms around her, which was a real security, as she slept. Edward's cold body had been on the outer side of her blankets, but she still nestled herself against him, and when she did not feel the chill of his body, she began to wake, feeling a need of awareness when he wasn't around. For that reason, he didn't leave her for a single second. Not until a doorbell was heard the next morning.

Alice had been dying to have alone time with Deanna. She was too stubborn to accept second place to Rosalie when it came to being liked as a friend. She was nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet when she got word of Edward, asking her to watch Deanna while he, her brothers, and Rosalie hunted. She didn't hesitate to speed down, going alarmingly over the speed limit, counting on her sight to keep her and any other driver safe. She arrived on their porch in one piece, so everything had proven to be worth it. Giving another knock against the pale wood, she heard a different shuffle of feet drawing near, and with a heavily sweet scent as well. With a painful swallow, Alice, forced her smile to be broader and bolder. By the time she was met with a pale faced girl, she looked to be the picture of sunshine and happiness.

"Hi!" she beamed, giving a friendly, though excessive, wave to the awestruck girl before her. "I'm Alice! I was wondering if your cousin was here," Alice nearly sang, folding her hands in front of her, tilting her head as her golden eyes memorized every feature from the thicker bottom lip to Bella's widow's peak. The girl's lips were twitching as she seemed to struggle to find the words until pained sounds came out before an apology tumbled from her pale lips. Alice couldn't help but wish she had more time to gain her favor as well, but she was there for one person.

"Um, uh, yeah - yes!" Bella choked, looking aghast as her head snapped, looking over her shoulder, half expecting the green-eyed girl to be lounging on the couch. "I'll... I'll go and get her for you," Bella said, moving awkwardly aside, letting Alice in. The short haired girl flashed a "dazzling" smile and skipped inside, finding herself at the foot of the stairs, waiting patiently. The house was quiet, Charlie having left for the station. Before long, she heard Bella's mumbling, another apology, and the sound of a door shutting before the sweet-smelling human trudged down the stairs with the promise that Deanna would be down soon.

In their time waiting, Alice noticed how often Bella tried to subtly look at her, taking in everything she could at the distance she could see from. Alice knew that it wasn't out of the blue to be stared at. A vampire's looks were always enhanced, and with the fashion sense that she had harnessed, she was always getting attention. It wasn't until Alice realized that Bella didn't look as wonder-struck as before, but rather picking at her features with a sense of familiarity. Alice knew that Bella must have at least seen pictures of her family, but there was an unnerving shift in Bella's body that made Alice glide across the living room and seat herself beside the doll that was Bella Swan. The girl didn't take as easily to Alice, as her cheeks bloomed with unnatural color, and her heart raced at a pace that should worry her.

"You okay, Bella?" Alice asked gingerly, getting a closer look at the girl, whose eyes began to look everywhere except Alice's. "You don't look too good," Alice mused, having half a heart to check to see if the girl was running a fever. She wasn't a doctor.

"You look like someone I know," Bella said quietly after some time of silence. Alice cocked up an eyebrow and the girl seemed to stammer for an explanation. "N-not really. I just meant that I met someone, and she reminds me of you, even though you do look different - but I-it's weird!" Bella exclaimed. Alice couldn't help the way her heart sympathized for the socially awkward girl, but at her words, Alice couldn't help but focus on it. She cocked up an eyebrow and pressed Bella more for a thorough explanation. "I, ah, I saw her at the airport. She had amber eyes, which aren't exactly... like... yours. Are your eyes..." Bella's voice trailed off, as a frown deepened as her eyes focused on Alice's.

"Hazel in this lighting is like that," Alice lied quickly. "But the girl? Tell me more about her," she insisted. When Bella gave a curious look of her own, Alice simply smiled and lied again with the fluent skill of a renowned actress. "She sounds like a friend of mine. Did she have dark curly hair?" She asked. Bella nodded. "How about a silver necklace?" That was met with a nod again. Alice kept probing until, finally, she took out her phone, flipping it open and showing her a picture of Katherine. She didn't need a verbal answer by the way that Bella's eyes locked on Katherine's. She knew her, alright. Katherine had been gone around the time that Bella had arrived. The question was simple.

Was Katherine really Katherine at the time?

"Bella, when you met her, did she ask about Deanna? Did she ask anything specific about her or where you lived?" Alice asked, trying to separate the worry from her lips. This girl had nothing to do with anything. If she got hurt in the crossfire of whatever was to come, Alice was certain that guilt would be even heavier. This girl was a fragile doll compared to them all. Deanna included. "She hasn't called in a while, so I was wondering..."

"Are you her girlfriend?" Bella blurted out, shocked at how quickly that left her lips.

Alice was mildly surprised as well. Then again, knowing Katherine, having been the closest to her aside from Deanna, had known that the newborn had a type and shy brunettes were Katherine's type. Before Alice could even start daydreaming of all the perfect gowns that a wedding would take before the two, she reminded herself as to why she was there, why she was talking to Bella about this specifically. With a smile, she shook her head, but focused once more. Sitting up straighter than before, she tried to find the exact words that would help calm the girl, but before she could voice them, she heard the sound of Deanna walking downstairs.

"Deanna!" Alice greeted, a bright smile over her face once more.

"Alice... What were we talking about down here?" the girl asked, eyes flickering to Bella and back to Alice, skeptically. She was a selfish person and didn't want to share with Bella. She was warming up to her, yes, but she wasn't going to change in a fast instant. Not when jealousy ran so deep. When Bella didn't answer, before Deanna could be the force that she was known for being, Alice stood up, volunteering in Bella's stead.

"We were just talking about who she met at the airport when she flew in!" Alice chirped, urgency in her tone, but only enough for Deanna and Deanna alone to notice. "She met Katie. At the airport. Before she left," Alice said with a clearly forced smile. It was tight lipped, but it got the point across. For a second, she regretted telling Deanna because if looks could kill, Bella would have been wasted. Deanna's eyes were burning brighter than the stars when she heard this, nearly rounding on Bella, Alice was in front of her, arms wrapped inhumanly strong around Deanna, preventing her from moving, almost from doing as much as breathing. "Don't do anything brash. She knows nothing," Alice whispered into Deanna's ear before pulling away. Turning to Bella she flashed a smile before dragging Deanna to her room. As soon as the door shut, Alice and Deanna were talking over one another until both fell silent, not being heard or hearing the other.

"Bella saw Katherine, at Port Angeles, in the airport. This was nearing the time of prom, and when Katherine should have been returning!" Alice hissed, feeling anxiousness rising in her chest. Deanna was nodding, hot on her trail as she continued to recount Bella's memory of their friend. By the time Alice finished, they were both sharing the same half insane look in their eyes as they both came up with the same idea that both of them knew wouldn't be approved by Edward. They were just lucky enough that Deanna had enough nerve to take a chance, and that Alice had enough nerve to let her do just that.

"If Katherine was possessed around that time, then there's a chance that we'll get to see whose behind this on tape," Deanna stated, voicing the idea that was formulating in their minds. Alice nodded, wide eyed as she began to wonder where her courage was.

"What if they're hiding behind another face?" Alice asked. She wasn't about to underestimate their enemy. If she had the power to possess people, she wouldn't begin her plan to find someone and take them back by wearing her own face to the first step.

"Then we'll find a lead to them," Deanna snapped, moving across the room, grabbing her clothes, uncaring if it matched or not. By the time she was yanking on flimsy tennis shoes, Alice already dug out the keys to her car. She felt a sense of dread wash over her as she wondered if this was worth going just now. Her mind told her to wait, to call Carlisle, who would, in turn, tell Edward. They would call a family meeting and go from there. As much as Alice wanted to go and chase after whoever thought it was okay to be stalking a girl over a century, she was second guessing her actions.

"Come on, Alice. Let's Nancy Drew this bitch."

First of all, I am so, so, so very sorry for the long wait, but as you can see, I wrote an EXTRA EXTRA long chapter that is a 14k as an apology. I have written this twice, and I am still not fully satisfied, but I tried to redirection this back onto the course that I wanted it to go in.

I am kinda salty over how little reviews I've gotten in that time, but I am a greedy person, so just disregard that.

However, I do wish to hear your thoughts, good or bad. I live for reviews, you all know that, and I just, I need some help sometimes when it comes to getting this right.

I know I've been very picky with the letters, but all for good reason. I promise, I am going somewhere with this, I just need some more details on how to get there.

I am proud to say though, we are finally at a 100k length! AND the story is just getting started! So, please, stick with me, and I'll try to make it worth it!

I don't have specific questions, I do hope that you'll leave me a review with your thoughts though.

With love,

Queen of Idjits