Author's Notes: I do not own anything by Stephanie Meyers. Sorry. In fact, with the August 2007 publication of Eclipse, this work will be AU.

This work is a sequel to Freesia Juliet, which you can find easily on my profile page. I can assure you that you will not understand this one unless you go back and read the first one.

Please read and enjoy.

Warnings: Dark!Bella, adultery, murder, probable strong language.

Ambrosia Awakenings

Part One: Reversion

Chapter One: Prologue: A Parting of the Ways

Edward's Point of View

I love my wife. I love my daughter. But there are times when I feel like Bella is hiding something from me; like she knows some dark secret but dares not expose it. Everyone needs their privacy, Alice says, but she never sees what I see. I think Bella, using her shielding power, is blocking Alice's visions again. This is worrisome; when Bella gets into trouble, she really gets into trouble. Esme says I must trust my wife. I trust her, I really do, it's Bella who doesn't seem to trust me. Anyway, we have come to Forks, Washington once again, to suffer through the Forks High School reunion and to prepare Charlie's house to be sold. I think both of these things will be hard on my wife.

The baby, always impatient, gave a small, meaningful growl and sucked philosophically on her thumb. I watch them both from my seat across the dance floor, swaying and bouncing to the music. Lucy is just over two years old, here, at our three-year high school reunion. I do not make it a habit to come to reunions, especially since I am forever seventeen, but Bella insisted.

There are a lot of whispered comments tonight; a lot of stupid rumors flickering around in their heads. They make me boiling angry, so I tried to focus on the pretty pair and tune them out.

"What's the tally so far?" whispers Alice as she takes the seat next to me.

"Eighty-four percent simply think Lucy is adorable, while the remaining sixteen percent are either relieved that they don't have a kid already or jealous because their kid doesn't act that nice in public."

Alice snickers, then murmurs, "And on Bella's new look?"

I try not to show my discomfort. "Alternating admiration and disgust. We have plastic surgery, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, a secret health spa in the Andes, and just good genes. And then there are the conspiracy freaks who think it's not Bella but some paid actress because we killed the real Bella and buried her in La Push."

Alice rolls her eyes and thought-speaks, Like they would let us in La Push.

We look up to see Bella hovering over us, tot in tow. "Will you watch her for a minute, Edward?" she asks, golden eyes looking darker than usual.

I reach out my arms to accept the coppery-blonde baby, and ask cautiously, "You okay, Bells?" Lucy chirps 'Bells' at me; she's developing a real power to mimic.

She nods. "Just need a little fresh air." Neither Alice nor I had to ask why.

Bella slips out the gym doors and into the evening twilight. "Give Luce to me, Edward, and keep an eye on her," suggests my sister.

Bella has had a really hard time going "vegetarian." I mean, really hard. Not only is she facing several thousand years of instinct, she was also struggling with what we called "queen's instinct." Volturi queens are especially dependent on human blood, because feeding on humans in their first year gives them the miraculous chance to have children. Even after that first year (during which Bella was pregnant with Lucy) she had a really hard time resisting the urge to hunt humans. If you thought Jasper was bad. . . you haven't seen anything until you've seen Rose, Alice, Emmett, and me try to restrain a hungry Bella, especially since she can teleport out of your grasp! She still has to feed every day to suppress the urge.

Before I could hand Lucy off, I spotted Mike Something-Or-Other making a beeline for the door. Crap, thought Alice. I agreed.

I stand in the shadows of the half-opened aluminum door and listen carefully, ready to intervene if necessary. Hey, it's not spying when you're trying to keep them both safe!

"Bella!" hails Mike as he approaches her. A small shiver travels down his spine when he sees her standing there in the moonlight. Humans should listen to their instincts more, I note, the casual observer.

She twitches a little when she recognizes his voice; her speech is tightly restrained. "Oh, hello Mike," she manages coolly. Her pupils dilate when the wind shifts. I took a step closer.

"Are you alright?" he questions, oblivious to the warning signals his body is throwing.

"Been better," she admits, turning her face from his. Easy, Bells, I pray. She sighs. "I just needed some air, s'all."

"But are you alright, really?" he presses. "I mean, you look exhausted, you haven't eaten anything all night… and you've barely spoken to anyone."

She turns, a defensive glint in her eyes, which to my alarm are beginning to turn black. "I've talked to you and Angela and Ben plenty!"

"You ignored Jessica," points out the other.

Bella suddenly looks deadly calm, but I see her begin to rock back and forth from the balls to the heels of her feet. Not a good sign. "Jess treated me like dirt in that last month of high school, remember?" she hisses, radiating menace. "And it was her that ignored me!"

Mike tries to defend, explaining hurriedly, "We were just worried about you, Bella. I mean, all those months you were so depressed," I wince, "and then suddenly Edward and the rest of the Cullens are back and everything is suddenly right in the world, except that it wasn't, and it's still not."

I prepare to intervene, some excuse on the tip of my tongue, but I can't help but wait and listen to my wife's response. Sometimes it's important to know what she's thinking. "Mike," she begins softly, "everything is okay. I'm okay. I promise. Between Lucy and Edward, I have everything I could ever want."

He frowns, pursing his lips together tightly. "What about college, Bella? You're the smartest girl I know. You could be like a doctor or an astronaut or something!" Without hearing her thoughts I can guess that she's crossing 'doctor' off the list. We can't all be Carlisle.

"There's plenty of time for college later on, Mike," she consoles him. Like thousands of years, I add with private satisfaction.

"And what about freedom, Bella? You're completely tied down with a husband and a baby! Isn't this the time of life where we get to do our own thing?" I add sympathetically in the back of my head, Good luck, Mike. She wouldn't take that argument from me, either.

Bella chuckles. It is a musical sound to my ears. "You didn't exactly stand up at my wedding and scream 'I object!'"

He looks disappointed. "I don't know what I was thinking, Bella. Maybe part of me thought it wouldn't last."

Her good mood evaporates, and I think I can actually see tendrils of anger smoking out of her stiffened form. Oh, to have Jasper here with us… I think in a panic as I swoop in to intervene. She just might kill him for being stupid. "Hello, Bells," I say swiftly as I join my wife and her friend in the moonlight.

Her hand reaches out to mine, and I squeeze it sympathetically. "Hello, Edward," she returns. "Everything okay with the baby?" There is a mixture of concern and sheer relief in her voice.

"Just fine," I assure her. "I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"I'm good," she smiles, though her limbs are quivering with pent up anger and bloodlust, "but I want to go home."

"I'll get Alice and Luce," I offer, turning back towards the gymnasium. As I go, I catch Bella moving out of the corner of my eye. She hesitates, then hands Mike a white envelope silently. He nods and pockets it without examining it.

Bella has blocked his thoughts from me. I am left in the dark.

Bella's Point of View

There are some things that Edward just shouldn't know- like the fact that the ghost of Genevieve, a previous Volturi Queen, still resides in my head, or that she's warned me that it's impossible for queens to be entirely vegetarian. The urge never fades, she warns, and it never lessens. I'm doing everything right- feeding every day, limiting my exposure to humans, building my self control. But Jenny says it's only a matter of time before I crack and do something stupid, like lash out at Lucy, who is still more human than vampire and will be until her sixteenth birthday, when the gradual shift begins. Edward, who thinks he understands, can never really understand. There is a darkness in me, infectious and evil, slowly making me a monster. The Cullens are practically human compared to a full-grown Queen.

I feel really stupid that I nearly attacked Mike yesterday night. I mean, I knew that I shouldn't be alone with a human, but when it happened I did nothing to distance myself from him. I could have killed him, for God's sake!

I'm lying on the bed, listening to my iPod and trying to relax my muscles, which are unusually stiff. I've already hunted this morning, but sometimes it takes two, three feedings a day to really calm me down.

Edward slips into the room suddenly, without knocking, and I sit up with a frown.

His eyes tell it all…

Three Years Later

Marcus takes only three broad steps to cross the room. That's so impressive I allow him to kiss me, sharp and short, before he drops to one knee. I, who am comfortably perched on my makeshift throne, tilt my head and allow him to make his report. "Rosalie Cullen was almost killed," he growls, and my heart sinks down somewhere into my stomach.

"Damn it, Marcus," I hiss, my voice so close to cracking that it comes out unnaturally high, "you were supposed to protect them." The glass of scotch at my fingertips begins to rattle ominously as I struggle to balance my rage.

The Volturi prince rises and takes a hasty step back, but I feel no pleasure in his fear. "It wasn't them, Isabella."

I glare with my companion. His frustration shines through his crimson eyes, and I relax my posture, though my mind is whirling. "Who, then?"

Marcus dares to shrug. "A new coven, perhaps? One that wants to take over their territory..."

I sigh, and sip my scotch with intense focus. One of the few pleasures of being a "queen" vampire- my ability to consume small amounts of human food without the nasty side effects. "Double the guard, but don't let Carlisle know you're there. I'll wipe them from Alice's 'sight.' " He nods rapidly, eager to win back my good grace. "I suppose I'll have to make the trip to Alaska," I mutter, the plans already made in my mind, "so make the necessary excuses to Lucy's school."

He hears the finality in my voice and shuffles back towards the door. I grimace when I realize what he wants. "Very well Marcus," I agree in the barest of whisper.

He flies back at me; our lips meet in savage hunger, and I sort of slide down onto the floor beneath him.

He helps to cool my perpetual lust, but just temporarily.

Eternity is an awful long time to be banished.

This is all Edward's fault anyway.

"You can't be serious," I say with pure disbelief, dropping the earbuds. If my heart was still beating, it would be bouncing out of my chest right now.

"Bella, honey, you have to understand," he groans, his topaz eyes dull with misery, "this is the only way we can protect you and Lucy. Alice has seen—"

"I don't really care what Alice thinks she's seen, Edward. This is you and me, remember? Edward and Bella forever?"

He shivers and buries his face in my hair. "We're not sure that we can protect Lucy and you from Aro and Caius. They're quite persistent about making you their queen. You saw what happened to the Denai coven."

I nod, my throat thick with emotion. Tanya, Kate, Irina, Carmen, and his mate, the pretty dark haired one- all killed by Jane and her minions, all because my scent was fresh in their hideout. "We can keep moving, Edward. Anywhere in the world! As long as we can remain a family..."

He pulls away, stiff and marble. For the first time since I made the change, he feels cold to my touch. "Alice, Jasper, and I will trail through California with some of your things, to lay a false scent. Emmett and Rosalie will do the same in Alaska. Esme and Carlisle will remain in Forks as long as their age appearance will allow. A townhouse has been set up for you and Luce in Boston, Massachusetts."

I shake my head, not daring to comprehend the big picture. I focus on a small detail instead. "How will I get... food in a busy city?"

His voice is calm and distant, like an echo. "There is a solitary vampire farmer, who was born before the Revolution, not too far from Boston. He has agreed to sell cattle blood for a hefty fee." Edward tries to smile as he adds, "He even agreed to deliver."

The joke falls flat. Everything has been decided for me, I realize, and that's what hurts the most.

At seven in the morning, five year old Lucy peeks through my door. I quickly shift the rumpled sheets up over my mostly naked form. Marcus is already gone, thank goodness, I note.

"Good morning, Mommy," she chirps, her liquid gold eyes glowing in the dark. "Uncle Marc told me we're going on a trip."

I struggle to sit up, but my head is pounding like I have a hangover; I give up the fight and flop back down. "That's right, baby," I admit in a gravelly voice. "We're going to go see Daddy and all the Cullens."

"I'll get my suitcase," she suggests, and tugs open my closet. Her little pink bag is behind my luggage, and this is apparently the reason that in the next moment the bags are crashing down upon her head.

Extending my fist, I will the baggage to stop. It does, hovering oddly above my daughter's golden head. It truly never ceases to amaze me that I can do that. Lucy plucks her prize from the air and spins lightly away. This week she wants to be a ballerina.

I bet I could get her into the Russian ballet if I tried. Lugo owes me a favor involving a dead driver in a diplomat's car...

There is a thump as I release the suitcases harmlessly onto the floor.

Lucy is unfazed. She is singularly glad to see her father again. I am not.

Please Read and Review. This story is really different from Freesia Juliet, no?

Thanks, GreyEyedDetective