Reality was a difficult pill for Bree Tanner to swallow. So much in her life, both of her lives really, had pushed her mentally to the point of insanity. Yet somehow she was able to grip onto the last bit of sanity and figure out what she needed to do next. Within the short span of a week, her newest life had changed so much that she could barely keep her head on straight. Finally after so many lies and stories, the truth was staring in her in the face and she knew exactly what she had to do.
She considered how this catastrophic day had unfolded since she'd come face to face with the Volturi in the clearing. As always, she was careful to stay away from any populated areas as she hunted the very distinct scent.
By some incredible miracle the vampire police, or Volturi, allowed her to live with the threat of checking in soon to make sure both promises had been fulfilled. This had confused Bree until Jane made a passing remark about the human's mortality. So the sweet smelling girl was intending on becoming one of them. That made the bronze haired vampires possession of her make so much more sense.
After the dark cloaked vampires took their leave, Jasper ordered Edward to take the human, Bella, away.
"In a moment, I need to speak with Bree first. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice would you mind?" he spoke to the burly vampire, a gorgeous blonde and the smallest female. They both nodded in understanding and Alice scooped Bella, who was taller than herself, in her arms effortlessly before they both took off at a speed only a vampire would be able to see.
Bree had felt the instinct to flee the moment the bronze haired boy, along with Carlisle and Esme, closed in on her. She was surprised at that moment to realize that Jasper was staying a little behind them.
"We're so glad to have you as part of the family," Esme beamed at her in a motherly way. It made Bree's dead heart practically thud with the painful memory of the lack of her mother that she couldn't even remember as a human. Hadn't she been crying the day before Riley found her? Wasn't her one wish that she could have had a true mother in her life? Here in this clearing that was spotted with fires burning with the ashes of her first coven, she was being offered the one thing she'd always wanted in her human life: a family.
Taking a deep breath, something she remembered she didn't need to do in this life, she forced herself to say something that might lead to her not having this wonderful family in the end. "Thank you for saving me, but I can't stay. My friend, he's waiting for me, and I need to look for—" her breath cut off, a choking feeling cutting her wind off as she thought of Diego.
Although she was so sure that Riley had plainly told her how he killed him, she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it was a lie just like everything else. What if Diego was out there, hoping and waiting for her to find him? She had to try.
Bree noticed the bronze haired boy grimacing at something, likely someone's thoughts. With speed even faster than her own, he kneeled in front of her.
"Bree, you need to know something." He spoke quickly, urgently, and it set Bree's nerves on edge. Had she been lied to about more things than she was already aware of? Could she handle anymore lies? His yellow eyes seemed to sadden as she thought these things, making him look almost sympathetic.
Sighing, the red haired boy—"My names Edward" he smirked slightly at the jolt this caused in her thoughts as he continued pointlessly helping her from the ground. Bree's voice seemed unable to work, so she merely nodded at him.
"How are you related to Diego?" Edward questioned then, causing a ripple of pain to shake Bree to the core. She didn't want to talk about this, to even think about it, but she couldn't help the onslaught of memories surfacing in her mind. The first night of hunting with him, and consequently the day of being in the cave together, watching each other sparkle in the sunlight. The lies and deception that doubled upon following Riley to Victoria's hide out. The urge she felt to protect him from the other newborns in their own hideout. "He acted as your mate?" Edward asked as the memories drifted away, being replaced by theories and thoughts instead.
Mate. The word had seemed so animalistic. Something to call lions who were getting together to reproduce. Certainly not a term that humans ever would use to describe their relationships, but then again, she wasn't human anymore was she? "Yes, I suppose so." Having what she and Diego shared defined on a real level hurt more. It was almost easier to just think of someone who was important to her rather than having him simply as her mate. The term seemed so indefinite.
Behind Edward, Esme gasped sadly and Bree looked in time to see the woman and what must be her own mate, watching her sympathetically. It looked almost as if Esme wanted nothing more than to envelope her in a hug, an idea that didn't sound all that horrible to Bree at the time.
"He wasn't your mate, not your true mate." Edward declared then, sounding absolutely sure of this.
Bree bristled, "How could you possibly know that?" Anger surged through her at the thought of anyone demeaning Diego's feelings for her. Even if he were dead, he'd protected her on some level. If he hadn't cared about her, she'd likely be dead right along with him. "Just because you can read my mind doesn't mean you know anything about Diego. You've never read his mind. You don't know him!" she screeched in anger and pain.
Jasper had flashed to Edward's side then, causing Bree to step back a pace from the dangerous looking vampire. The mind reader however, stayed calm.
"I know this because…" he paused, "a true mate would never be able to stay away while the other was in danger. He would be here at this very moment, right by your side. However, that is clearly not the case."
A guttural growl escaped Bree and she crouched, prepared to attack him for insinuating such horrible things when the truth was that Diego was gone. Before she could spring however, a wave of calmness soaked into Bree's every cell, forcing her to straighten from her crouch and relax.
Edward grimaced, for reasons that Bree couldn't imagine until he spoke again. "Diego isn't dead. In fact you were wrong to be angry with Riley at all as far as Diego is concerned."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped at him, not liking where this was going. If Diego was alive, and Riley hadn't done anything wrong in that situation, then why wasn't he here with her like Edward said he should be?
"Diego has a special gift, a gift that's very similar to Jasper's in some ways." Before she could ask what Jasper's powers were, Edward continued. "Jasper is able to control emotions of those around him, and feel the emotions of others." The wheels in Bree's head clinked together, realizing why she kept feeling so many emotions that weren't attached to what she was actually feeling. It had been Jasper reflecting onto her.
"What does that have to do with Diego? Could he control emotions too?" she questioned. Bree noticed that Jasper's head cocked slightly towards Edward at this, seeming curious as well. A moment later she felt a wave of curiosity doubling her own personal curiosity.
Shaking his head, Edward began to explain. "What Diego can do is loosely related to Jasper's skills. From what I heard of Jane's—"
Another growl ripped from Bree's throat, "Diego knows Jane? I thought he'd never seen any of the cloaked vampires before that night!"
A larger wave of calm brushed over Bree, dulling her anger and confusion, but not completely eliminating it.
"I'll explain that part in a moment, but I think you'll want to understand about his skills beforehand. It will cause many things to become clear." He paused, waiting for Bree to allow him to continue. She nodded curtly.
"Please keep an open mind and remember that nearly everything you've gone through since you've been changed has been filled with lies. Nothing is impossible at this point, so don't think that what you know is the reality of the situation." He waited, and Bree nodded again as her muscles relaxed further.
Edward paused for a moment, and as Bree watched she could almost see him collecting all the information he'd gathered from the minds he'd been in contact with today. He seemed to ponder how to best put it together to explain to her. Mindlessly he paced back and forth between Esme and Carlisle. Bree wondered if yellow eyed vampires were more human than normal ones as she'd never seen such a human-like behavior with her old coven.
She supposed it should feel odd, having accepted that her first coven was gone, burning all around her. Part of her wondered if perhaps she should feel even the slightest bit sad, having lost every one of them at once. All she could feel was the relief of knowing the way she was used to living was now over.
The relief was wiped away the instant Edward started speaking though.
"You were under the impression that Diego didn't have a special power. In fact, many of you thought the same thing; even Victoria and Riley were unaware."
"Wouldn't it have been obvious if he did have a power though? I mean," Bree trailed off, thinking of how potent Fred's gift was. Even Jasper, Jane and Edward's powers were fairly obvious even if they weren't exactly right in your face all the time.
Edward shook his head, "Diego's gift was made specifically to keep people from knowing, I think. At least that's how it appeared in Jane's mind. I don't think anyone but an older, more practiced vampire would have been able to pick up on it."
"What was it?" Bree snapped impatiently. What could he possibly be able to do to make her think that they were mates? Unless Edward was mistaken and Diego was dead, or out there waiting for her so they could go off together.
A fresh wave of calmness crashed over her as Edward started to explain, "I can't be completely sure as I haven't read his mind, but from what I've heard it seems as though Diego is a bit of a people pleaser."
When Bree didn't show any sign of understanding, he continued. "He could become whatever he needed to be with whoever he was with, in order to make them happy. You needed a companion and confidant. So he became your faux mate. Riley and Victoria needed someone they could rely upon to clean up messes the newborns made and relay messages back to them. So he became Riley's right hand man."
As Edward explained this, something clicked in Bree's mind. When Raoul was getting bored and wanted confrontation Diego became his enemy. Thankfully Fred had been there to disintegrate the situation before it got worse if that were the case.
The nod Edward pointed towards her made her realize she was right. So everything with Diego had been nothing but a show. He became whatever he needed to be to get out of a situation. He didn't care about her at all, which was why he wasn't here protecting her now. This realization made Bree want to cry, but of course, no tears could come to her eyes ever again.
How many times had she been betrayed within the last three months, within the last week? It all hurt too much. For a very few short days she'd been imagining finding Diego and taking off with him into the world she'd never been able to see much of as a human. They could have gone anywhere, done anything. When you were a vampire time was endless and the world was your playground. To know that these fantasies were nothing but a delusion that Diego's gift had wanted her to come up with stung worse than vampire venom.
"I don't know how his power works exactly," Edward went on, "because I haven't read his mind personally. It's difficult to know the specifics without hearing the person's thoughts and seeing what their mind goes through as they use the power. Perhaps he did have some feelings for you, certainly not on the same level as mates, but affectionate anyways."
"Edward be kinder, can't you see how much this is hurting her?" Esme chided, her eyes locked on Bree's face, taking in every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.
When Edward spoke again, he sounded agitated. "She needs to understand mom, Diego joined the Volturi."
The motherly vampire gasped in shock, and Bree let out an unwilling growl of pain. So not only did he lead her on, but he joined the enemies. Hadn't Edward implied that Diego was familiar with Jane though? What did that mean?
Hearing her thoughts, he replied automatically. "Diego met Jane two weeks ago. She found him in his hidden cave, the one he took you to. She wanted information from him, and when he attempted to use his powers on her, she didn't realize at first. Of course when she realized what was going on, she used her own powers."
As Bree shuddered at the memory of Jane's power, Edward smiled empathetically. She realized then that this boy must have more experience with the Volturi than she initially realized.
"Once she realized what was happening, she was able to ward off his powers and requested him to join the Volturi, explaining how amateur the group he was in at that moment. Diego of course, jumped at the chance and began collecting information for Jane to use."
Bree shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense though. What would he gain from joining the Volturi?"
Edward laughed bitterly at this as Jasper answered, "Power."
With a snort she asked, "Why bother using his powers on me to make me think he was my mate if all he wanted was power? Sure, cozying up to Riley makes sense in that standpoint, but the relationship he formed with me doesn't. So either you're wrong about him wanting power or you're wrong about him not being my mate."
The entire situation made no sense. Maybe Edward was wrong and Diego was dead. Maybe they were really mates and Jane had forced him to go with her instead of simply inviting him.
Nodding, Edward seemed to agree with her assessment. "It really doesn't make much sense. I see three options. Option one, he really likes deceiving people."
Thinking back to how sincere and open Diego was with her, she quickly scoffed mentally at that option, but Edward continued before she could interrupt. "Option two, he did have some feelings towards you, but was more taken with the idea of power. Jane didn't force him to go; she genuinely gave him the option of not joining." He added the last part more forcefully, hearing the objections screaming in Bree's mind.
"Let's hear the last option then, oh great one." Bree snarled, feeling upset again. None of these options were helping the serrated feeling around her still heart. Jasper hissed at her, forcing more calmness onto her.
Seemingly unaffected by Bree's attitude, Edward answered her. "My last option is that Diego might not be in control of his power yet. Often as a newborn with powers beyond the norm, you need training in order to reign in what you're doing. For instance, I wasn't aware of when someone was speaking out loud or thinking. It took time and concentration to discern between the two."
"So… It might have all been one big mistake that he didn't mean to do?" Bree whispered almost brokenly.
With a curt nod, Edward spoke again. "Either way I think it's important for you to accept the fact that Diego was never meant to be your mate Bree. In less than twelve hours he'll be in Volterra, part of the largest clan of vampires in the world. Chances are you will never see him again."
Bree's eyes caught Esme's just before she collapsed to the ground in the fetal position, trying to come to grips with everything. The older woman looked as if it were physically paining her not to help, but right now Bree just needed to think things through. To accept everything that had happened.
Once she'd been turned into a vampire she almost felt happy about the change. It seemed like a second chance at life, at creating something worthy. Her human life had been nothing but abuse, horror and lies; lies about her mother, abuse from her father, and the horror of starving to death. She'd even been prepared to lie about her age to become a prostitute. Many other teenage runaways her age did the exact same thing after all.
Victoria's war had given her a purpose to stay alive and to fight. Human blood had given her the power she'd never experienced as a human. Diego and Fred had given her the companionship she'd starved for as a human. Even now as she strained to remember, she couldn't think of anyone she'd been close to as a human. No friends that would miss her, no family members that would wonder where she was now.
Suddenly she felt so very alone. Everything that happened between her and Diego had been purely lies. The BFF club, the secret ninja club, their kiss… She wished so desperately that none of it ever happened. That she'd gone on her own that night while hunting or perhaps even rushed back to the safe house sooner instead of hanging out in that stupid bookstore. Anything to have prevented the fake bond that Diego planted in her mind and heart.
Everything in her new life was every bit as fake as her old life. He didn't care about her, not the way she cared about him. He was part of the Volturi now, the vampires who were very obviously bad despite their pretense of being the cops of the vampire world. If they could be so willing to let volatile newborns attack these innocent strange yellowed eyed vampires, then they must be bad. The yellow eyed vampires had been nothing but kind to Bree since she'd been in the clearing. She felt fairly certain that normal vampires wouldn't be quite so willing to allow her to live after being part of a huge attack on their coven. Although she didn't understand why they were so different, one thing was for certain, they were kind and good.
So if Diego was part of this Volturi now, he must know what they were like. Perhaps he'd even been in on Jane's plot to kill these yellow eyed vampires. Either way, he was no better than them now that he was part of their coven. He officially crossed to the dark side, and Bree considered him someone she couldn't possibly know. The Diego she'd known for those short hours would never have joined the Volturi. If he truly had, and she could tell from the look in Edward's eyes that he had, then Diego now counted as an enemy as well.
This realization sank into Bree's existence rather quickly. Once she'd decided what everything meant, she no longer felt the pain of losing her mate, but rather the betrayal and anger of someone close to her stabbing her in the back. If she were to ever see Diego again she would end his existence.
Before she could start planning a trip to wherever Volterra was however, Edward spoke again.
"Who is this Fred person you keep thinking about?"
Shaking her head in attempt to rid herself of the thoughts of tearing Diego apart in the descriptive way Riley explained, she answered. "He's my friend. He was part of the coven, older than me though. I think he was one of the first groups that Riley and Victoria changed. I told him I'd meet him in Riley Park…" she trailed off suddenly wondering if he would be disappointed that she hadn't come to him. She desperately wanted to, but she felt safe here with the yellow eyes and didn't want to think about running around on her own with the vampire police out and about.
"Esme and Carlisle can go with you in one of our cars. You might actually be able to make it there around the time he does if you start now." Edward turned to the older vampires who both nodded in ascent to him.
"Of course, we can explain our way of life to both of you. You can choose to try it out or to go off on your own, just so long as we explain the basic rules of our world to you." Carlisle spoke kindly, with years of patience evident in his voice. He was certainly someone she could learn to trust, and despite not knowing what their way of life was, Bree felt compelled to try it anyways.
Wasting no time, the five vampires began running, Bree trailing behind a bit as she didn't know where she was going. Once the Cullen house came into view she sucked in a surprised voice then hissed at the scent of the human that smelled so sweet lingering everywhere. She couldn't decide which was grander, the scent or the beauty of the home. Never in her afterlife, or perhaps even in her human life would she have imagined vampires living in such a lush, simple, light home. It looked fit for a celebrity with VIP status.
Bree could hear the faint beat of a heart from inside the house and realized that the other vampires must have taken the human here. Trying her best to ignore the delicious sound, she followed the eldest vampires towards another building that obviously acted as their garage. Inside were several extremely expensive cars that Bree never imagined to even be able to touch in her former life. Without questioning them, she slid into the black car that Carlisle took the driver's seat in. Much to her surprise, Esme joined her in the back, smiling at her in a motherly sort of way. She couldn't help the hesitant smile that she returned.
As they drove (at a speed that would have easily gotten a human killed if they crashed), the two vampires discussed simpler things with Bree about the world of vampires. Esme had wrapped an arm loosely around Bree, wanting to give her comfort but not wanting to invade on her private space too much. The younger vampire appreciated both thoughts greatly.
Unlike Riley, the Cullen's (a name that had been Carlisle's in his human life and the rest of his 'family' took on for the most part) seemed fairly honest with her. They explained the need to be inconspicuous, to hunt carefully and never leave any evidence. They never spoke of how their life differed from red eyed vampires, and Bree could tell that they were careful to explain the rules of normal vampires with care not to include how they incorporated these rules.
Luckily Esme was able to forge an almost decent passport, but it wasn't needed. The guard between Canada and America on the deserted, obviously lesser known street was out cold. Before she knew it, Bree saw the sign for Riley Park, and for the first time all day, she felt excited. She desperately hoped that Fred would like the Cullen's as much as she did. Considering they often seemed to be on the same mental wave, she was sure that even untrusting, shy Fred would find a home with these vampires.
Before she jumped hastily out of the car, Bree stopped herself. "Uh, I should warn you. Fred has a talent too. He sort of… repels people so that he can be left alone. So if you start to feel nauseous don't worry." Seeing Esme and Carlisle exchange an anxious glance she sighed, "It doesn't harm you at all; it just kind of makes you feel like you need to throw up. It's a mental thing." This, they seemed to understand better.
Bree climbed out of the fancy car, inhaling deeply in search of Fred's scent. Twilight had taken over the sky now, and it was just dark enough that the tree cover of the park kept any of the final rays of daylight from sparkling over their skin. It felt nice not having to fear a ray of the sun hitting her and burning her to a cinder. Or having to pretend like she thought it would do that. Not having to live with lies constantly was like having the world lifted off of her shoulders. The price she paid for it wasn't exactly easy, but she was glad she was finally able to live this way.
The wind shifted then, blowing a heavy scent that Bree knew well into her face. Fred's trail had been left here only five, maybe ten minutes prior. She took off at a sprint following it into the deeper part of the woods that humans didn't enter. She could hear the older vampires trailing her almost silently, trusting her completely.
About a mile into the woods, she started to feel the repulsion that immediately linked in her mind to Fred. At least he'd had enough sense not to put up his forgetfulness power. "Fred it's me, lower your shield please." She called out in an even tone that she knew he would hear. Just as her eyes swept over a tree that made her sick to look at, the feeling eased up and she was able to see a tall form crouched in a hunting pose. The sickness still lingered, just not as bad.
With a frustrated sigh, Bree looked to the left of him, not being able to stand the sensation for too long. "Fred it's okay. The yellow eyed vampires are the good guys. Riley and our creator are dead. Everyone's dead except for you and I. Carlisle and Esme can explain most of what happened better than I can."
The feeling of overwhelming revulsion faded completely then and Bree was able to focus on a stunning smiling man who jumped quickly down from his tree to hug her. She hugged him back; feeling even more relieved knowing that she had a true friend with her now. Even though she wanted to stay with the Cullen's if she could, she knew that she would run with Fred if that's what he wanted.
She watched as his vivid red eyes flickered between the two vampires behind her as he pulled away. Despite their brief moment of elation at finding each other alive and well, he was obviously still wary of the two vampires he didn't know. Bree couldn't really blame him after how they'd been brought into this life.
Thankfully, Carlisle was difficult not to believe. He spoke with so much knowledge and honesty that something in your core just knew what he was saying was the truth. Besides, everything that he and Esme explained to Fred and Bree then made perfect sense. All of the gaping holes that Riley had left were filled and fixed by the stories the two older vampires told them.
Once they had told Fred everything that Bree had learned in the car ride up to Vancouver (except in more detail), Bree burst out a question she'd been holding in since they'd gotten into the car in Forks. "You said you live differently, but in what way? Why are your eyes yellow instead of red?"
Carlisle absolutely beamed at this question and set into the story of his life, and about how he came into what his family called vegetarianism.
The idea of this way of life was intriguing to Bree. She didn't particularly like killing people, ending lives that could have been something better. Granted the ones she ended had for the most part been no lifers who would likely spend their lives on the streets and die on the streets. Sometimes though, if she would think about how someone's life was completely over, no chance for rehabilitation, to become a better person… it was hard. So she took on the mindset that everyone else from their coven had. Humans were food, pointless, nothing but blood to be drank. Their lives didn't matter.
To know that she could stop taking lives, that she wouldn't have to kill someone like Fred, who perhaps had a better life as a human, was comforting. She wanted a life with the Cullen's badly; even though she knew it would be a challenge. She loved the taste of human blood so much, but hopefully she could adapt to animal blood like these vampires had.
Next to her, Fred hummed thoughtfully, causing Bree's head to snap up to judge his reaction to this information. She desperately wanted this life, but part of her knew that she wouldn't accept it without Fred. Perhaps if he didn't want to stay with the Cullen's, they could attempt feeding on animals on their own.
Fred was already watching her closely when her eyes met his, and without thinking about it she beamed up at him. After the horrible day she'd gone through, Bree was finally feeling hope for a future that she could actually be happy with. Her radiant smile caused Fred to smile just as brightly before turning to the elder vampires.
His deep voice was soft as he spoke, "I think I'd like to try this way of living with your family." It was the longest sentence Bree had ever heard him speak to anyone besides herself. Somehow this fact made her realize that this new life would work, somehow or another.
As she cautiously took Fred's hand in her own, following Carlisle and Esme to their car, Bree realized something that should have been very obvious. She remembered back to the very moment that Fred allowed her to see him for the first time. Instantly she felt as though he was the most gorgeous vampire she'd ever seen. He even looked more beautiful than Diego, or the pretty blonde girl in the Cullen clan. From the moment that she'd joined their old coven, she'd been drawn to sitting behind him. She'd always assumed that it was purely out of the instinct to survive, but what if it hadn't been?
Could it really be so impossible that she, the one person that Fred seemed to trust unconditionally, could be his mate? Often times when they'd sit watching the fighting, it felt as though their thoughts were connected without either of them saying or doing anything to indicate what they were thinking.
Bree felt safe with Fred, and completely whole. Even now in the Cullen's car, with his powers turned off, she didn't feel nearly as exposed and vulnerable as she had in the clearing without him. It seemed as though Edward was right, Diego had never been her mate, because all along it'd been Fred. Once again she beamed up at him, just to find him already smiling down at her.
"I'm glad everything worked out in the end." She whispered so quietly that the hum of the car would have drowned out the words from reaching the adult vampires. Fred merely grunted his agreement, but it was more than enough for Bree.
When they arrived back at the Cullen estate, Bree noticed majority of the family already working on building something above the garage. When she turned to ask Esme what was going on, she saw the older vampire glowing with happiness.
"Oh they've already started preparing a place for you both to stay! I wish you could both stay in the main house, but I suppose you'll want your privacy for awhile." It was easy to tell that Esme felt excited about the project at hand as she smiled wider at the two newborns before rushing to the construction site, rambling at top speed to the shortest vampire about things such as carpeting, wall colors and the like.
Before either of them could react, Carlisle began explaining that they should attempt to start drinking animal blood tonight. The sooner they began getting used to the flavor and scent, the better. Especially since it would help them appear more human (gaining their strange yellow colored eyes) sooner.
Bree now ran through the forest with Fred close by her side, keeping a sharp protective eye on her. She wasn't surprised in any way, after the day they'd both had she knew that he would be worried about her. Suddenly the scent of blood hit her nose. It wasn't the luscious scent humans gave, but it wasn't the worst thing she'd smelled in her immortal life either. She allowed the scent and sound of the soft thudding heart to lure her in. A small herd of deer stood near a river, completely unaware before Bree and Fred launched themselves at them.
After they'd fed as much as they could on the deer, quenching their thirst for the moment, the mates linked hands once again. On their way back to the house they took an almost human speed, wanting to just simply exist together. Neither felt the particular need to fill the comfortable silence with small talk. They both knew that they had forever to discuss things that neither had the mental energy to get into right now.
Over the years they'd face new obstacles. Getting used to being near humans without killing them topped the list of hardest challenges. Watching Bella, who'd become like a sister to them, nearly die from being pregnant. The best of obstacles being welcoming Bella and Renesmee into the immortal world. Facing the Volturi, and of course, Diego neared the top of the list as well.
They would learn what the other loved, hated, and was deeply passionate about. Slowly they would re-open their human wounds and allow the other to comfort them. Quickly they would find out how deeply in love they were, and how much that love meant to them.
Eventually they would separate from the Cullen's, but always keeping in close contact with them. Their family was starting to become too large, but they refused to be too far away from the vampires that they truly considered part of their family. The Cullen's had been a saving grace for both vampires, giving them the peace in the world that they needed so desperately. Teaching them how to be humane rather than the vicious monsters most other vampires were.
No matter how horrible the first few months of Bree's second life had been, she hadn't regretted a moment of it. If any one factor had changed, she might not have had the future she now had to look forward to, and being with Fred, she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.