Title: Caduta Petali (Falling Petals)

Author: AnkouBlake

Pairings: canon pairings

Raiting: The first chapter is definitely rated Mfor some graphic scenes so if you're squeamish, don't read it or bear up. The rest of the fic will probably go back down to T.

Notes: Okay, this is my first Twilight fic so I beg of you fellow Twilighters, please, be gentle on me! I've had some good luck in the Harry Potter fandom and hope that it will carry over here. Reviews are my brand of heroin, so give me a fix, please! The title was provided by Fire.or.Ice.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I use them for fun. No infringement is meant. I own nothing but my OC.

Summery: It's been eighty-five years since Edward changed Bella. They lived a normal, happy vegetarian vampire existence with the rest of the Cullen crew in Alaska. Everyone knows that Bella was Edward's la tua cantante, his singer. But who is Bella's? Upon their return to Forks, what happens when Bella catches the scent of another whose blood calls to both her and Edward alike? Multiple POVs. First chapter rated M for some graphic scenes.

1. The Finding:

Bella:

I gazed out of the car window, taking in the familiar vivid green, lush landscape of Forks, Washington. I hadn't been here since September, 2006, the year my life had changed forever. Next to me, in the drivers seat, sat Edward, my husband and eternity long companion. Even now, eighty-five years later, he was breathtaking to behold with his bronze hair and smooth marble skin. Under his eyes were the deep purple bruises that marked how thirsty he was, a thirst which was echoed within me. I knew that my eyes were as black as his. I reached for his hand and he gave it to me, taking his onyx eyes off the road to offer me a smile. I returned it, glad to finally be home, because even after all of the long years spent in Alaska, Forks was my true home.

"We're home," Edward announced a short time later, pulling into the garage of the house that had stood abandoned and forgotten during our time away.

I opened the door and stepped out, a rush of memory making me momentarily dizzy. Edward was at my side, holding my elbow to help steady me.

"I'm alright," I said softly, "Just had another memory attack."

"You've been having a lot of those, lately," Edward replied, taking me into his arms.

"I know," I said as I rested my head against his chest, "It's been really odd...but that's why we came back, right?"

"Right," he agreed, pressing his lips to my forehead, "We'd better head inside, the rest of the family's waiting for us."

I nodded, pulling away from him and heading into the large and expansive house. When we first entered, I wasn't one bit surprised to see Esme standing on a foot stool with a feather duster, brushing away the cobwebs that had taken over the house. She looked over at us and smiled the sweet, motherly smile that I loved.

"Oh good, you're here," she said, stepping down gracefully from the stool, "Carlisle just went down to the hospital to finalize his employment with them."

"I know, we passed him on the way up," Edward said, "Where is everyone else?"

"Like you don't know," I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

He chuckled, "Bella, you know I like to give them as much privacy as possible."

And that was when I was blindsided by a tiny, spiky haired pixie, "You're here. Finally!"

"Alice," I laughed, "You saw us three days ago."

"I know, but I've missed you so much," Alice replied, detaching herself from me only to fling herself at Edward who caught her easily.

Jasper walked into the room, shaking his head at his wife. She stuck her tongue out at him but wandered over to his side regardlessly. A feeling of overwhelming contentment filled the room and I smiled, leaning against Edward. He put his arm across my shoulders and hugged me closer to the side of his body. It was so very, very good to be home. Esme reached for us, each of her hands touching both our cheeks.

"You two need to feed soon," she observed, sounding like the mother that she was to all of us.

"We were going to hunt tonight, Mom," Edward replied, "We just wanted to get home first."

"Oh," I gasped remembering something vital.

Four pairs of eyes looked at me quizzically.

"What about the Quileutes?" I asked.

"What about them?" Alice asked with narrowed eyes.

"Won't they know we're back here?" I asked, "I mean, with the whole werewolf thing and all..."

"Bella, I'm sure it will be fine," Edward reassured me, "As long as we stay off their land, they have no quarrel with us."

I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. Edward's expression softened and he held me tighter, "Jacob's dead, Bella. You know that."

"I know but," I took a deep, unnecessary breath, "If I knew Jake at all, I'm pretty sure he didn't let what happened go, if you know what I mean."

Edward sighed, "I know what you mean and admittedly, I didn't think about that."

"Think about what?" Alice asked, looking between Edward and me.

"What I'm trying to say is that Jacob probably told his kids about me," I began, "And I know that every Quileute child grows up with the tribal stories, which includes the treaty."

"Oh," Alice replied with a nod, "I get it."

"So you think that if werewolves start popping up again that the Quileutes will come for us?" Jasper asked.

I nodded in reply.

"I think we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it," said a silky voice from behind me.

I turned to see Rosalie and Emmet walking down the stairs, their arms entwined around each others waist.

"Hey little sister," Emmet greeted me, "We were wondering if you two were actually gonna show."

"Of course we were," I replied with mock indignation, "What do you think we were doing?"

He flashed me a mischievous grin and opened his mouth. Edward snorted and I promptly held up a hand to forestall his words, "Nevermind, don't tell me."

"Aw, you're no fun, Bells," Emmet laughed.

"I disagree," Edward replied with a smirk and Emmet burst into a fresh bout of laughter.

"A lot of help you are," I rolled my eyes at him.

Edward smiled again and bent down to give me a quick kiss. The front door opened an we all turned toward it. Carlisle stepped into the room and smiled when he saw Edward and I.

"So the family's all here now," he said, "Perfect. Shall we adjourn to the kitchen?"

We all nodded as one and made our way into the immaculate kitchen. I sat next to Edward, holding his hand under the table and gazed at Carlisle in expectation. He seated himself at the head of the table and cleared his throat.

"The hospital has taken me in," he began, "So that means we have to start thinking about what you're all going to do. Do you want to go back to the high school or would you like to try something different?"

I looked at Edward, "Should we play high schoolers again?"

"If you want to," he shrugged, "I don't mind, even though the subject matter is extremely tiresome."

"We haven't been in school for a while," I reminded him, "A lot might have changed."

"Whatever you want to do, love," Edward shrugged.

"I'll go back!" Alice sang out, "It gives me plenty of opportunities to plan parties and get togethers!"

"I'll go back," Jasper said.

"I'd like to try something new," Rosalie said, "Maybe I can work with you at the hospital, Carlisle."

"If that's what you'd like," Carlisle nodded to her.

"I think it is," she replied.

"I'm going back to the high school," Emmet said, clapping his large hands together.

"And you, Esme, dear?" Carlisle addressed his wife.

"Oh, you know me," Esme smiled, "I'm happy playing the homemaker. After all, we have six children to look after now."

"Well, now that that's settled," Carlisle said, "Edward, Bella, you two can go out to dinner now."

Edward nodded and we excused ourselves from the rest of the family who had already fed. As we walked into the backyard, I could tell that it was already dusk. Even through all of the perpetual cloud cover, twilight was in the air. It was a cool evening, a brisk forty-nine degrees, but the cold no longer bothered me. I breathed in the sweet scents of the forest around us and gripped Edward's hand. Soon we were plunging through the trees at lightning speeds. The best part of becoming a vampire, besides staying with Edward for all eternity, was that I had lost my human clumsiness. Where I would have tripped a million time, I was flying over the ground with ease, my feet barley seeming to touch the moss and fern covered floor.

I caught the scent of a deer, my prey of choice and released Edward's hand. He smiled and let me go, running off in the opposite direction to try and find his own prey. I stalked through the woods, silent as the grave, if you'd excuse the pun. The scent grew stronger. I inhaled the musky smell of the doe, feeling my mouth burn with the venom that had begun to coat it. I crept around a large bigleaf maple and crouched low to the ground, my body tensed and ready to spring. The doe continued to graze, oblivious to my presence. I sprung, catching the startled deer easily around the neck, breaking it efficiently. The deer went limp in my grasp and I lowered my head to her still warm neck.

My teeth sunk into her flesh effortlessly, like a knife through warm butter. Hot blood exploded into my mouth and I reveled in the feeling as the tangy, yet sweet syrup flowed down my throat. As I drank, my thirst abated and when the doe was empty, I felt contentment wash over me. I left the carcass to my fellow predators and scavengers and set off into the woods at a run to find Edward. I ran for a long time, halting abruptly when I came upon the strong, ripe scent of decay. As I drew closer, curiosity getting the better of me, another scent filled my nose.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The sweetest blood I had ever smelled caressed my nostrils. Fresh venom trickled down my throat in a burning wave and all contentment that I just had washed away. I was suddenly dieing of thirst and here was an oasis in my own private desert. I moved closer to the scent, suddenly able to ignore the more pungent odor of the rotting corpse of a freshly deceased human. The only thing that mattered was the source of the second scent, the sweet nectar of the heavens. I emerged in a small thicket, the empowering smell of that precious blood sending a thrill through my body.

My keen eyes caught sight of the rapidly decomposing body of a woman. Her naked, greening stomach and bloated body helped me determine that she had only been dead for about two days, the process of putrefaction had only begun. I could clearly make out the fresh maggot eggs that had been laid in her soft, decaying flesh and wrinkled my nose against the image.

"Hiker," Edward said next to me, actually startling me for the first time in decades.

"I was looking for you when I caught the most tantalizing aroma," I explained, walking around the body, still searching for the source of the aforementioned smell.

"I smelled it too," Edward nodded, frowning at the body, "I haven't smelled anything like it since I met you."

"You mean this is what you were going through?" I gaped at him, finally able to understand the huge dilemma and extreme caution it had caused him years ago.

He nodded once, his jaw clenched tightly.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"It doesn't matter now," Edward replied, "I conquered it for you and haven't regretted it since."

I smiled at him. A gentle breeze kicked up out of nowhere and sent my senses into overdrive again as a fresh wave of perfume caressed my face. My stomach clenched tightly in response. A sound caught us both off guard. It was a faint, strangled cry that was coming from a heap of blankets tucked under a nest of ferns. Edward and I looked at each other. His face looked as panicked and disgusted as I felt. I hurried over to the bundle of quilts and picked them up gently with extreme difficulty. The scent was so much stronger.

Edward was by my side and together, we unwrapped the bundle, already knowing and scared of what we'd find. When the last layer was pulled back, I felt my knees give out and Edward caught me, guiding us gently down to the moss cushioned floor, his eyes wide with horror. A baby, not even three days old lay still in my arms, its body still coated with blood from the birthing. This baby was the source of my hunger. This poor, innocent, orphaned and half-dead child was what I was craving, no, yearning to kill.

"Oh my God," I managed to choke out, "Edward!"

"Hospital," he said, "Right now, if not sooner."


AN: So that's the first chapter. Tell me what you think, please. Let me know if I should keep this going of throw it out!