Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter Seven

*Bella's POV*

"I can't believe we just saw A Sunday on La Grande Jatte!" Renesmee gushed to me as I linked arms with her. "I'm so glad we had some time to check that place out."

"Me too," I agreed, smiling warmly.

We've had an entire day for recreational use in Chicago. We're planning to search for Ada tonight. Apparently Meredith believes that she's just going to come to us, but we're not entirely sure how that's gonna work. Anyway, we were instructed to just roam around the city until we'd find Ada, whatever that met.

So far it's been nice. I haven't had a lot of free time with all of my children in a long time. Ever since Tyler's birth and Lizzy was taken, we became closer yet distant at the same time. Maybe more distant than ever. I had spent most of my waking hours devoting my time to trying to find my daughter to helping my son raise his own child while also being their for my eldest. It's been difficult and now that Renesmee's getting married and Masen has his own family, it won't be long until they're both completely out on their own and it's just Edward and I again. There was still Lizzy, but she'd be fully mature in a year. It wouldn't be long until she would be leaving the nest as well.

Of course I can't wait for more grandchildren, Ella and Tyler brought a special sort of light to my life. However, I also couldn't help but feel a sort of bittersweetness of letting go of my own babies. I still see Renesmee's sweet face greeting me for the first time after my transformation, Masen's bubbly laughter as he learned piano for the first time, or late nights reading to Lizzy…

"So, where are we headed to next?" Masen asked, breaking me out of my train of thought. "We covered a lot of what we wanted to go…How about Millennium Park? That sounded pretty fun."

"That sounds fun," Lizzy said, chiming in.

"Come on! Let's go!" Renesmee cheered happily, grabbing her younger sibling's hands to lead the way.

Edward and I laughed as he then grabbed my hand. "You know, this gives me the chance to take you on a proper date," he said.

"A proper date?" I questioned with raised eyebrows. "What do you mean by a proper date?"

"A date from my time," he explained with his infamous crooked grin. "A stroll around the park. Holding hands. Chaste, early 20th century stuff."

"We used to do that anyway," I teased, smacking him in the chest. "Mr. Let's-Save-Sex-For-Marriage."

"Was it really bad that we waited?" Edward asked me curiously, his eyes growing sad. "I…It's always something I was just taught and it seemed like the right thing to do…"

"I mean, I will admit I do feel like it was respectable on your part. Waiting for it," I said, biting my lip. "And as Renee says, I'm an old soul. I know we've talked about this before and I know I didn't want to wait, but I'm kind of glad we did because we wouldn't have known about Renesmee and I could've gotten a lot pregnant earlier, making our whole relationship more complicated. For us, I think it was perfect. As for our kids, well, you know that's a different story."

"Right. Products of the twenty-first century," he said, shaking his head in a small laugh. "It's amazing how things change."

"I mean, people do still wait until marriage," I pointed out to him. "It's not a completely Grandpa thing to do, if it makes you feel better. Healthy couples do it when they feel like the time is right you know? And that's what we did. We waited for the right moment."

Edward smiled at this, bringing me closer to press a kiss to the top of my head. "You know, if this were the 20th century I wouldn't be able to show as much public affection as I do with you now, which I'm kind of relieved about."

"Like what? The kissing?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. I mean, just the simple things like a kiss on the forehead or on the lips. It's not extreme now, but back then- we probably would've given my mother a heart attack," Edward quipped.

"Nice to see you joking about it," I remarked as we strolled some more.

"I guess it's just being back here," Edward said, shrugging. "And that I'm able to revisit where I'm from with the woman I love and my children. It makes me see things in a different light."

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know, but…I just feel whole. Like you got a part of me I haven't really talked about because it just didn't seem relevant anymore," Edward confessed. "I mean, my parents…I haven't thought about how much I miss them in a long time."

"I worry about that, you know," I said softly to Edward.

"About your parents?" he asked.

I nodded stiffly. "Yeah…About Charlie, Renee, and even Sue and Phil…I just got my mom back and Charlie, I've been lucky to even have him this whole time. I just worry about a hundred years from now, when I won't have them and all I'll have is just a memory."

"It'll get easier," Edward said. "But for you, I think you'll feel happy knowing they lived a long, full life, and that they're going to keep on watching over you and they aren't truly gone. They're in Renesmee, Masen, and Lizzy. Renesmee has Charlie's curls, Renee's name and her free spirt. Lizzy's got your mom's smile believe it or not and your father's instincts. Meanwhile Masen has Charlie's sense of humor and Renee's nose. And they're in you…They aren't going to ever be away. Just like my parents live within our children."

"I guess you're right," I said, leaning against my husband. "I just have to enjoy the time I have with them."

"Which you will," Edward said, causing me to smile.

We kept walking until we found our way to Millennium Park. Edward and I continued to stroll around while the kids decided to explore like they were young again. Renesmee taking charge like she was child again while Lizzy and Masen followed suite, teasing one another.

"If I had met you back in my time, I would've taken you here daily," Edward said to me fondly. "And when we had kids, we would take them here. Just like we are now and have picnics on the weekend. My mother would've had such a ball with that."

"I'm sure of it. From every story you've told me about her, your mother seemed like a very family oriented woman," I mentioned at the thought of Elizabeth. I quietly looked down at her engagement ring, the one I still wear on my finger to this day.

"Oh she was. Even though my father was absent and their marriage was more so arranged if anything, she always had time for the both of us," Edward said. "Always…I think that's why I took a liking to Esme the moment Carlisle introduced her. She reminded me of my mother and gave me that sort of comfort I missed when she was gone. As for Carlisle, he's always been the father I never had being that mine was always absent. Carlisle and Esme made me who I am to this day…"

"And made you into the incredible father that you are," I said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks," he said, chuckling softly. "And you're the most amazing mother."

I grinned as I went to kiss my husband on the lips, reaching up as he placed his hands on my waist, bringing me close to his body so we could kiss.

"You know, as much as this is touching, this is a public place," a new voice announced.

Edward and I quickly broke apart to see a woman standing before us. She wasn't too tall, medium height with curly, dark brown hair that sprung with each step she took. Her skin was a beautiful shade of mocha while her familiar brown eyes stared back at us.

"Who are you?" Edward demanded.

"I think you know, vampire," the woman continued.

"Mom! Dad!" Renesmee called out as she, Masen, and Lizzy rushed over. "What's going on?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," I said, looking back at my kids. I watched as the woman then starred in fixation at Lizzy and Masen.

"Lux Lamia," she said in amazement. "Wow, I never thought that stupid puddle could actually create more."

"What's going on here?" Masen questioned.

"Babe!" another voice called out. We all looked to see a new man rushing to the woman's side, his hand immediately touching her arm. "Why'd ya run off like that?"

"I found what my mother was talking about," she said, watching us closely.

"Mother?" Lizzy asked. "Are you-?"

"Yes," the girl answered. "I'm Ada Jones. Meredith's daughter."

*Ethan's POV*

"So you're Aunt Nellie?" I stated slowly. "Our mother's sister?"

"That's right," Nellie responded proudly. The old woman beaming at the mention of my deceased mother. "Nora was my big sister and I was her little one."

"I can't believe we have an aunt," Lucas breathed, looking at her with wide eyes. "How'd you find us? Or how'd you know to contact us?"

"Yeah," I agreed. It had only been a few moments since the old woman introduced herself to us for the first time. I could tell Lily was apprehensive, trying to see if it was a trick or not while Abby watched with concerned eyes.

"I don't know if can explain that all here," Nellie said, motioning to where a bright red truck was parked in the field. "If you follow me I can bring you to my house and explain."

"How do we know to trust you?" Lily blurted out, causing Nellie to look at her suspiciously. I didn't want to admit it being that Nellie was my aunt, but I agreed with Lily on this one.

"You're just gonna have to," Nellie said gently. "I'm an old woman. I'm human. I got no way to harm y'all. Now, if you come with me there's a lot I need to tell you."

I shared a look of concern with the others, specifically Lucas. My brother, who had worked on the black market for years, partially as a conman, studied her and then me with a steady look, until he finally spoke, "Alright, Auntie, but if you're pulling our leg, we're gonna be really, really, really angry."

"Don't worry," she said, rolling her eyes. "Jeeze, you're just as paranoid as your father! If your mother was alive she'd tell you to grow a backbone!"

"She definitely shares mom's attitude," Lucas murmured.

"You got that right," I agreed.

"I kind of like her," Abby said, chuckling in amusement.

"We'll let's follow her," Lily said, grabbing my hand.

Swiftly, we all headed into the truck and followed Nellie, who was in her own truck, across the property through roads I didn't think existed. We had the farm, but I didn't remember all these roads, let alone the liveliness of the property.

"What's that?" Lucas asked as we approached a new clearing.

"I don't remember this," I said slowly as I parked behind Nellie. Right in front of us was a large, two story, white farm house located on the opposite of the property. Beside it was a classic, red barn. It seemed like there were even workers, the place bursting with life.

"This is where I live," Nellie explained as we all got out to follow her. "It isn't much, but my husband and I have been running this farm for the last twenty years."

"You took over the property when we left?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"Nora, your mother, contacted me before her death," Nellie explained. "I'll explain more inside where it's safer."

"Momma!" a new voice called. We all looked to see a woman in a flannel, t-shirt, jeans, and boots. She looked well into her forties with her hair tied into a long brown braid.

"Nori!" Nellie exclaimed. "Come, come! I have some people I think you should meet!"

"Who's this?" the woman asked.

"Ethan, Lucas, I'd like you to meet your cousin," Nellie said, bringing the two of us forward. "Nora, these are your aunt's kids."

"Nora?" I questioned, choking up. "After…After-"

"Yes, after your mother," Nellie explained, her smile bittersweet. "Now come on."

We all then followed Nellie and Nora into the house. It was a cute, country feel that took me back to our old home on the farm.

"Sit, please," Nellie said, gesturing to the old floral couches as Nora brought over a kettle of tea.

"So…" I said, sitting down. "You're our Aunt Nellie…Our mother's sister."

"Yes," she answered. "I was your mother's youngest sister. There were four of us, O'Malley's. I don't know how much your mother told you."

"Well, we knew she had an older brother, Liam," I said. "Hence, my middle name."

"And Lucas was after your father," my brother chimed in.

"Yes, yes," Nellie said, nodding her head. "Liam was our eldest brother. He was also a fighter pilot in World War II, died out there when I was ten years old. After that it was me, Nora, and Seamus, our brother. Then your mother was changed and we thought she was dead for years, that was until I got back in contact with her in the 1970s."

"So you knew they were vampires?" I asked gently.

"I also know what you two are, boys," Nellie said. "But I don't know-"

"Nellie!" an old hoarse voice called out. We all turn to see an elderly man, around Nellie's age, walking over with a cane. "Nellie! Meredith is asking if we got any roots? I don't know what for…?"

"Meredith!?" Lily exclaimed, sitting up. "She's here?"

"Oh Max! Why'd ya have to come barreling in here!" a new voice chimed, following right behind him. I blinked to see it was a young woman in jeans and a white t-shirt. She had long brown hair and big brown eyes that looked at us with curiosity.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Lucas said, standing up besides Lily. "What the hell is going on here?"

"We were going to explain that to you, but then someone decided to burst in here!" Nellie said, frowning at the older man, Max.

"Well that happens when y'ere mother is dying," Max grumbled hotly.

"Dad, sit down. Come on," Nora said, gesturing the old man over to where Nellie is sitting.

"This is my husband, Max," Nellie explained, motioning to the elder man. "Your uncle, and the young woman is his sister, Nina."

"Sister?" Lucas repeated, wide eyed as he looked at the much younger woman. She had to be in her twenties in comparison to Max, who was in his mid eighties.

"Max and Nina are the children of Esther and Fabian Winston," Nellie explained. "Fabian died years ago, but Esther…You might know Esther's mother…."

"Meredith," Lily whispered, wide eyed. "So you're saying, you married Meredith's grandson?"

"Exactly what I'm saying," Nellie said.

"Is the world full of coincidences or what?" Lucas muttered, looking at all of them.

"So…Meredith's here…Upstairs?" I asked slowly.

"Yes," Nellie confirmed. "Meredith's adopted children, Hazel and Violet, are the reason I found your mother. It's also how your parents were in on the secret of Meredith's spell book, the one that the Williams had. We have our own of Meredith's, which we kept with your parents…"

"That's why mom and dad were targeted?" I questioned furiously, looking at Nellie. "Are you saying that Lorenzo was after them because of that spell book?"

"When your mother and father found out the truth, they offered to take the book. I was more than willing to keep it with my husband!" Nellie replied fiercely. "By that time, Fabian had died and you had just been born…We weren't trying to get your parents killed."

"But why contact us now? Meredith?" I asked. "What sort of game is this?"

"This isn't a game," Nina said gently. "Meredith came here with Jamie to recruit people for your cause. That's what this is…But besides that, my mother is dying. If you want to talk to her, they're both upstairs. They'll explain this whole thing better, but what the point of this is…Is we're with you on this fight."

"On this fight?" Abby questioned. "You mean…Against the Volturi?"

"Yes," Nellie answered gently. "Nina you see, she's a witch. She can help."

"How? Wasn't Fabian a human?" Lily pointed out.

"No. He was a warlock," Nina explained. "Married my momma, but the two chose to live a mortal life. He gave me his powers before he died in 2002. Since then I've been practicing magic this whole time, as for my brother…"

"I find magic a bunch of bull crap," Max said, shaking his head. "I fell in love with Nellie, had kids, then one of them married another warlock!"

Nora smiled at that, "Guilty…My husband Kurt, he's out in the fields with our kids…Like my grandfather and many warlocks and witches, he's choosing a mortal life so he gave his powers to our children, Topher and Nikki. You'll most likely meet them later along with Nikki's boyfriend, Richie."

"So…This was done in addition to recruiting more people to the cause?" Lily summed up. "Can…Can we see Meredith?"

"Yes. She's just right upstairs," Nellie explained.

"I'll bring you," Nina offered, sitting up. I bit my lip, taking Lily's hand as we headed as a group up the large staircase. As we walked, there were millions of pictures of Nellie and Max's family over the years. Black and white photos of what I assume to be Max, Nina, and their parents. I could see Meredith in an old black and white photo dating back to before her death in 1945.

Then, I saw her. My mother, smiling in a black and white photo. I swear my heart stopped as I observed her. She was younger than I remember, but she had one arm wrapped around a man in a soldier's uniform and the other around boy in a sweater vest. I could see there was also a young girl in the picture, smiling with her pigtails and two missing front teeth.

"That's the last photo I have of all four of us," Nellie explained to me quietly. "Before Liam was deployed and killed…"

"What happened to Seamus? Our other uncle?" I asked curiously.

"He's very much alive," Nellie filled in. "He doesn't know about your mother's transition. He thinks she died decades ago. We decided it's best he wouldn't know. He's living up in Boston with his wife, Maureen. Had two children and they went off to have children of their own. He comes and visits when he has the chance, but the poor chap is getting up there in age."

I smiled at this, but then my eyes caught a few more pictures. My mother and father on their wedding day, my mother and father with Nellie and Max in what looked like the 70s. Then, there was the four of us. My mother smiling as she wrapped her arms around Lucas's middle while my father did the same with me. We had taken the picture on a vacation to Washington D.C. I felt a swell of emotion overcome me.

"She sent me those," Nellie explained softly. "I was living in Massachusetts at the time. She'd send me pictures of you two all the time. Would write such detailed letters about the two of you growing up…"

"Yeah," I said, swallowing hard. "Let's…Let's go see Meredith."

Nellie didn't say anything else. She then brought us to the next room over and I could see Meredith right off the bat. She was at the bedside of an older woman. The old woman was laying against a bunch of pillows, her eyes slightly open. Jamie was in the room too. He was seated in the corner, slightly bent over as he watched with his knees spread and his eyes solemn. There was another new face in the room as well. I'd never seen him before, but he was seated beside Jamie. He was of Chinese descent, his eyes watching closely the woman in the bed, as if she were a bomb ready to go off.

"Meredith," Lily addressed the witch.

"Lillian," she said, nodding her head. "Abrianna, Lucas, Ethan."

"So, when were you planning on telling us all of this?" Lucas questioned, his eyebrows raised.

"I know this was all very unplanned and last minute. Kind of a surprise, but Jamie had reminded me of Esther. She didn't know I was alive, so I came here to see her," Meredith explained. "And in the process I learned about your parents, which I'm terribly sorry about."

"It's my fault really. I told Nell to write the letter," the elderly woman in the bed said. "You see, I'm dying. It's only a matter of time before I go being that I'm a hundred and fifteen years old. I've outlived my father, my half brothers, my step-mother, my husband, one of my children…It's time."

"You're a hundred and fifteen!?" Lucas cried out in surprise.

"Anyone with witch genetics live long lives," Meredith explained, patting her daughter's elderly hand.

"My daughter is going to help you, and so is my brother, my great granddaughter, and her boyfriend," Esther told us. "I've waited for years for the Volturi to end. They are responsible for my son, Levi's death and many other warlocks and witches. It's time that they end."

We all nodded stiffly, sharing looks with one another. "Anyway, you all haven't met my brother, Jian," Esther continued hoarsely, motioning to the new face.

"So you're also one of Meredith's children," Lily said, looking at him closely.

"And you must be the Olympic Coven," he responded. "I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally put a face to the group that single handily challenged the Volturi."

"Well there is a lot more of us," Abby said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jian chuckled at this before getting distracted by the violent coughing of his sister.

"Speaking of your family, they found Ada today," Meredith explained. "I received a call on that awful square box…She'll be coming by in the next day or so to see Esther…To see me, I guess."

"The whole family, together again," Esther said, a smile on her wrinkled face. "Hasn't been this way since 1945. Too bad Niall isn't around anymore."

"Niall?" Lucas asked curiously.

"One of my children…" Meredith explained sorrowfully. "The only one I wasn't there for when he died…"

"It's okay, Momma," Esther wheezed. "He was surrounded by the rest of us. He wasn't alone. He was his siblings, and his children, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren…He lived a happy life…"

"I know," Meredith replied, even though I could still detect sadness in her eyes.

Nellie then cleared her throat, "You're all probably very tired. We have some beds made up here, if you wish to stay the night."

"I guess, if it's okay," Lucas said.

"Of course. It's the least I can do for you two," Nellie said, shaking her head. "My son Ezra is around here somewhere. He'll show you to the rooms."

"Thank you," I said to our aunt softly.

She gave me a bittersweet smile before heading downstairs. "Lillian," Meredith said, addressing her descendant. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Ah…" Lily turned to me, "I'll be here…Are you-"

"I'm fine," I said, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Lily nodded, giving me a soft smile before heading towards Meredith. Meanwhile, Lucas, Abby, and I headed downstairs. The two of them had their hands intertwined as we headed to the trucks.

"Richie! Put me down!" a voice squealed. We looked to see a young girl with blonde hair laughing as her boyfriend threw her over his shoulders. Automatically, I noticed he golden eyes. I frowned, wanting to say something, but they then noticed us.

"You're the Cullen's, aren't ya?" the boy said, plopping his girlfriend down on the ground.

"We're the Riders actually," Lucas quipped.

I rolled my eyes while Abby chuckled, "I'm the Cullen here."

"Oh, I don't remember you," the blonde girl said, frowning. "Wasn't there one of you named Lily?"

"What are you playing at here?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"We're from Forks," Richie explained, scratching the back of his head.

"Forks? Really?" I said, frowning.

"Richie and Nikki?" Lily questioned, walking over. "As in the Richie and Nikki that used to play with Renesmee in the third grade?"

"The same ones," Nikki said, leaning against Richie.

"You two remember Renesmee?" Lily questioned, wide eyed.

"How could we not?" Richie snorted, chuckling at the thought. "She was an odd little thing. Sweet and very kind, but odd."

Lily merely nodded her head, "And you're…Together?"

"Yeah," Nikki said, shrugging. "I got with this goober last year actually."

"And you're a vampire?" I pointed out slowly, looking at Richie.

"I had an accident last year. A really bad one," Richie explained. "But Nik's family knew a vamp. Said he'd change me. Nik's my mate you see, that's why she ended up getting the witch powers and well, we're together now."

"Ness is gonna flip," Lily said, smiling widely. "And with her wedding coming up, oh you must come with us. I'm sure she'd want to catch up with the two of you! She loved you two immensely!"

"When she moved, we did miss her," Nikki admitted. "Especially when the emails stopped, but we moved on and then Grandma Nell mentioned the Cullen's and we did some investigating of our own."

"Wow, well isn't today full of coincidences," Lucas said dryly, looking at everyone. "Now, if you excuse me, I wanna go to sleep or drink."

He earned a nudge in ribs from Abby for that one. "What my boyfriend means is we'd really love it to settle down for the night," she said.

"We'll show you," Richie said, motioning towards the house. "C'mon."

With that, we all headed into he house, bags in toe to our designated rooms. The one I was going to share with Lily was quaint. The yellow walls reminded me of her old room back in Forks, yet the old creaky bed with he floral bed pattern reminded me of your classic, Indiana, farm styled home. It felt homey. I loved it.

"We'll be in the room next door if you guys need anything," Abby mentioned as Lucas wrapped an arm around her body frame.

"How you holding up, brother?" Lucas asked me quietly.

"I've been better," I confessed, biting my lip. "I…I'll see you in the morning."

"Night," Lucas responded, giving me a soft smile and a pat on the shoulder before walking away with Abby.

I swallowed hard as I then turned around to go into the room. Lily was sitting in the middle of the bed, her eyes grazing what looked to be a leather bound book laying beside her.

"So…What did you and Meredith talk about?" I asked curiously.

"Stuff," she said casually, touching the book carefully. "Ah…Ethan, I think…"

"What?" I asked nervously. "What's the matter?"

"Nellie left this for you," she explained, picking up the book and placing it in my hands.

I frowned, gently taking the old thing and letting my hand brush against the cover. I then slowly opened it up so I could see the contents. The moment I did, however, my heart stopped.

Inside, in the picture, was a picture of my parents on their wedding day. Quickly, I rummaged through the first pages. Images of my parents throughout their time together were filled up in the pages, their faces on every square inch. Then, came the next.

In the first picture, dated back to 1993, was my mother and father, in their arms, was me as a baby. Soon after that it was just pictures of me as a child. Lily looked at them fondly with me, and soon there were ones of Lucas and I. Lucas as a baby curled up in my arms. My gut twisted and my mind raced as I continued to look through.

"These are adorable," Lily whispered, her fingertips grazing one of Lucas and I with our parents. The same one Nellie had hanging up.

"How…How did she manage to get all of these?" I whispered, sitting down on the bed. "I thought…The fire…I…"

That's when I saw the stack of letters in the back of the book. Letters in my mother and father's handwriting, telling Nellie all about my brother and I…

Suddenly, it all hit me. Lily didn't say anything as I began to shake. She just sat beside me as I then cradled my head in my hands. Soon, the emotion overcame me as I tried to control myself, but the tears got the best of me. My eyes blurring as the tears trailed down my cheeks and my body was wracking with sobs. I was shaking violently, trying to stop, but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

As I cried my brains out, Lily's arms snaked around me and pulled me close to her. I buried my face into her chest while she held my head like a little girl would their favorite stuff animal. Her hands gently running through my hair as she rocked me closer to her. My throat growing raw from crying as she began to whisper comforting words into one ear while my other ear, pressed up against her chest, listened and concentrated on the sound of her heartbeat.

Lily would stay with me like that for most of the night. Allowing me to pathetically cry into her t-shirt, letting the tears be soaked up by the fabric while she held me tight, reminding me that she had me and she was never letting go.

A/N: Hey guys! So a lot happened lol. I know, a lot of characters. If you need some clarification def check the wiki. In the meantime, thanks for reading, reviewing, and keep a look out for the next update!