Hello Beautiful

Summary: (Set during New Moon) Laurent lingered at my neck and before the black heaps that I saw behind him could move, he had carefully bit down on my neck, leaving the venom inside my body. I closed my eyes and fell into hell.

This chapter is dedicated to all those wonderful people who have made this story such a success! I couldn't have made it this far without you. Also for everybody has put this on their alerts or favorites and who always review! Thanks so much! I owe you guys a lot. So I'll post as soon as I can in the new year and try to get this story finished up with. That is my gift to all of you wonderful people!

QUICK NOTE: BE CAREFUL TO LOOK AT THE TIMES. RILEY'S POV COMES BEFORE BELLA'S FIRST POV. It's confusing, but please just pay attention to them or else... it could get very very confusing and I don't think that anybody really wants that. xD

Disclaimer: I do not own anything… except Ashlyn, but I don't really want to own her.

Chapter 10
"Another night goes by without sleeping. 'Cause I know I won't wake up next to you. Another life goes by without dreaming. And I can't help but think mine will too. I'm standing before you, with this label on my head. I'm pleading before you, for you to understand. Baby it's you, and when I look up in the sky. I see you. And then I turn and close my eyes and it's you. And when I'm sitting all alone in my room, everything reminds me of you." – It's You by Ryan Cabrera

Months later.

Bella's POV
Friday – 4:30am

One word: Darkness.

I hated this time of morning, it was so… well, dark. I hated the dark, hated the thought of being alone. Ever since Demetri announced that I was going to be allowed to see the Cullens again, I had been doing everything in my power to stay on Victoria, Irina, and Demetri's good side. I talked to them sometimes, but not frequently. I opened my mouth to mortals and sometimes to Riley when he prodded me about my human life and what it was like to live with 'vegetarians'. I sighed every time he asked me that.

"Isabella!" Riley chirped as he ran to catch up with me as I walked along a street in New Hampshire.

I sighed and stopped. "What?"

"Demetri was looking for you, I told him that I would come looking for you, where are you going?" Riley questioned and I shrugged. "Isabella, talk to me please, Demetri, Irina, and Victoria just want to know where you're off too."

"Nowhere," I answered simply. "Just wandering."

"Oh," Riley replied and fell into step with me as we wandered along the deserted street. I knew what he was thinking, although I no longer heard any of his thoughts. I was immune to it. "Demetri thought that you were running away.

I knew it. They never trusted me. "I'm not," I said simply as we walked farther and farther away from the apartment. "I'm not that stupid."

"I know that," Riley said defensively, "but I guess that Irina, Victoria, and Demetri just don't know that." I nodded and we walked in a comfortable silence along the darkened street. I finally stopped and turned the corner sharply, Riley turning along with me. "They want me to come with you," Riley commented.

I nodded. "Oh."

"Don't be too happy." Riley said dryly. "They just don't want you running away as I stated before. I'm just trying to help you Isabella." He talked too much. I sighed and brushed my hair back.

"I'm not going to run away, Riley," I muttered.

"You could try, but you probably wouldn't get that far," Riley muttered confidently. "But then I would have to go and find you, that's no fun."

"What?"

"Well Demetri said that you ever decided to high-tail it to Forks without permission, and then I would have to go after you. He said something about taking you to Italy and how I couldn't lose sight of you and junk like that," Riley said carelessly. "I didn't really understand what he was talking about… but, I got the gist of it."

"Aha," I mumbled thoughtfully.

He shrugged. "I don't think that it means much, he just wants to bring you to see Aro or something among those standards. I wouldn't think about it."

"What's this about Italy?" I prodded.

Riley shrugged again, crossing his arms across his chest. "I don't really know, he just mentioned you seeing Aro and how important it was that you weren't to run away. But that was before he decided that you could see the Cullens again. I wouldn't worry about it, Isabella."

"It sounds suspicious."

"Really? Because it just sounds normal to me." Riley said icily. "They just want you to meet up with Aro, let it go, Isabella."

"Huh."

"Ugh, I should have never told you."

"No, thanks for telling me," I told him sincerely. "I'm glad that you did come and tell me."

"Well I wouldn't be here if you hadn't decided to suddenly get out of the house," Riley said grudgingly. "Just when I thought I was getting on Victoria's good side, you decide to up and leave, and then they ordered me to come and find you."

I smiled slightly. "Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"It's okay,"—he sighed—"I'll get over it and I know that Victoria will be happy with me tomorrow… hopefully, at least."

"What is up with you and Victoria?" I asked.

Riley shrugged, and looked down the dark street that we were walking down. "Well, she orders me around, I listen to her, and she has no respect for me. But yet, I feel attached to her in someway. You know that feeling, Isabella?" He stared at me, wanting to bit back the words that he had just spoken.

"I did," I replied sharply.

Riley shook his head sadly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine," he looked at me as if he didn't believe me. "Riley, I'm serious, it's fine." He nodded as we walked silently down the never ending street.

Alice's POV
Friday – 5:00am

I sighed—loudly.

"What?" Jasper questioned, listening to me closely, my head rested comfortably on his chest, I glanced up and bit my bottom lip. "Alice, what is it?" He asked and I shook my head, not saying a single word. "Please?" He pleaded.

"I don't know," I said finally. "I was just thinking about… Bella, Edward, and that newborn, Ashlyn. I just keep getting this gut feeling that there is something wrong with her, something that we haven't discovered yet, you know what I mean Jasper?" He nodded, mutely. "I can't describe it."

"You don't have too," Jasper muttered.

"Someone's at the door," I said, standing up quickly and walking towards the front door. I opened it, without having the person actually ring the bell. "Jacob Black," I greeted happily, the wolves had grown on us. After Bella's exit, we had decided to regain peace with the wolves. "What do we have the pleasure of your visit?"

"You have a new member of the family?" Jacob questioned, as he stepped into our house, I backed away at the smell of him. "I saw her and Edward strolling through the meadow together."

"Yes," I answered. "We have a new member."

"Oh," Jacob muttered and looked down at the ground. "What's her name?" I knew what he was thinking, although I didn't want to admit it.

"Her name's Ashlyn," I muttered bitterly.

"You said my name?" Speak of the devil. I mumbled in my head and spun around towards Ashlyn who was standing in the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, who is this?" She asked, curiously stalking forward.

I stood between her and Jacob. "This is Jacob Black, a werewolf."

"Pleasure to meet you," Jacob said through gritted teeth. She smiled slightly and turned around to glance at Esme and Rosalie who were emerging from the kitchen. "I should go?" Jacob asked softly and I nodded.

"Good-bye Jacob."

"'Bye Alice." Jacob nodded towards me and shot through the door. I closed it behind him and looked towards Ashlyn who was staring at me curiously. I glared at her, as a feeling erupted in my body. It was a weird feeling—like something was out of place.

Was my family replacing Bella with Ashlyn? It seemed so much like it. A calm cooling feeling smoothed over my emotions, but I fought them off, glaring at Jasper as Ashlyn came over to me. "You're friends with a werewolf?!" She asked, her voice tainted a hint that something was wrong here. Nobody else paid attention to these things, like I did. Nobody else seemed to care.

"Yes." I said sharply.

"But—why?" Ashlyn questioned as Edward and Esme appeared in the kitchen doorway. "I mean, aren't vampires and werewolves sworn enemies?"

"He was a friend of somebody dear to us," I said icily and moved past Jasper towards Ashlyn. She would never understand what we had gone through and nobody had taken the time to explain it to her. Nobody had tried to even explain Bella to Ashlyn. Why? I had no idea, but maybe it was time…

"Alice," Edward cut in. "Now isn't the time."

"A friend of somebody dear to you?" Ashlyn reiterate and pursed her lips in thought. "Well, who could that possibly be?" I gritted my teeth and shot a look of despair towards Edward who shook his head.

"You will be informed later," I spat out bitterly.

Ashlyn shook her head. "I have never heard of a coven of vampires that are friends with werewolves. It is quite strange actually," Ashlyn said softly as she turned her back on me. "Oh and also very interesting." She turned away and walked up the stairs without another word. Rosalie passed by her and glanced at me, confused.

"What's going on?" She asked.

I turned away from her, anger spreading through my very veins. "Nothing," I said through clenched teeth. Another wave of calmness passed over me, cooling me down. "Edward, we need to talk now."

Edward followed me outside. "What is it, Alice?" He questioned.

"You know what this is about, Edward." I said and looked up towards the upstairs window, where I knew Ashlyn was probably in. "I don't trust her, Edward! I don't see how you aren't seeing this."

"You're just paranoid, Alice." Edward said softly.

"I'm not!"

"Alice, it's time we got over it. If we have to live without her for eternity, then so be it. We can't always just dwell on the things that we can't control," Edward said softly, his words tearing me apart. "I'm sorry, Alice, this is what Bella wanted. She wanted me to move on; she wanted all of us to move. I know it's hard, Alice, and I will never be completely the same after Bella and everything, but I know that I have too. For Bella."

I gaped at him for a couple of seconds. "Edward…" He had been acting like the old Edward, my brother and the one person I could tell everything too besides Jasper. "I…"

"I need to be alone," Edward snapped and walked to his car.

I sighed. New Edward was back.

"Alice," I spun around and Ashlyn was behind me. She looked down at the ground and then glanced back up at me. "I'm sorry about everything that I've done. I never meant to be so arrogant, you know what I mean? I'm just trying to get used to the life and sometimes I can come off as cocky. I don't mean too, it just happens. And for that, I'm sorry."

I looked at her, her words were true. "It's alright," I said in defeat. "I'm sorry as well, I've been giving you a hard time and you really don't deserve it."—I just think that you're trying to replace the best friend I ever had.

"It's quite alright," Ashlyn said and smiled. "I hope that someday we can be friends."

"Of course!" I said, trying to act like my normal self. Edward had been right. I shouldn't dwell on the things that I could no longer control. "Rosalie, you, and I can all go shopping together. Bella never…" I trailed off and shut my mouth.

"Bella?" Ashlyn questioned softly.

"Nobody." I said and shook my head. "Nobody of importance at least." I was lying, but Edward had told me that now wasn't the right time to tell Ashlyn of our loss.

Emmett's POV
Friday – 5:00am

I heard Alice's words.

Although I tried to block them out, it was harder the angrier, Alice got. I saw why Alice got mad about Ashlyn, I knew her reasoning, but I also saw Carlisle's and Esme's reasoning for taking in Ashlyn. She was a threat to the human world and no coven could just let a threat be loose. Alice thought that we were trying to replace Bella, I understood that. She was never the same after Bella left, neither was Edward. I turned to Rosalie who was sitting at our desk, painting her nails once more.

"I hate it," Rosalie stated before I could speak. "I hate having Edward so distant and Alice so changed. I miss having Bella around. I hate all of this!" Rosalie spat as she blew on her perfect nails.

"Rose…"

"Why, Emmett?" She asked, turning towards me, her black eyes gleaming. "Why did she have to leave? Did we do something to make her run off?"

"No, Rose… she obviously had her reasons for leaving us," I said soothingly and placed my hands on her shoulders. "Maybe there was something that she wasn't telling us, something that she couldn't tell us. But it was Bella's decision and clearly she no longer wanted to be part of this family."

"But she was so attached to everybody," she said softly.

I looked at her strangely. "What do you mean, Rose?" I asked and she shook her head, closing her eyes and leaning against me.

"I mean, of course I envied, but then I got used to her and she became my friend and then all of a sudden, she was ripped from the family. I don't understand," she winced slightly as she heard Alice's words. "I just wish I knew why."

"Rosalie…"

"We should go on another vacation," she said suddenly. "To get our minds off of things, of course. I don't think that it could hurt that much."

"Do you really think that now is a good time to leave, Rose? I mean, I don't think that Carlisle and Esme will appreciate us leaving all of a sudden when they need our help with Ashlyn." I said reasonably and she shook her head, turning around and standing up. She kissed me softly on the lips and sighed.

"I just need to get away," Rosalie stated.

I nodded. "I know what you mean, Rose, and we will when the time is right. We have to get everything settled before we just up and leave again."

"Always so reasonable," she muttered almost to herself. "Always smoothing things over. You and Jasper are one in the same, Emmett." She smiled and brushed a cool hand over my lips. "I love you," she whispered, kissing me again.

"I love you too, Rosalie." She buried her head in my neck as I wrapped my arms tightly around her. "You shouldn't worry so much; everything is going to be just fine. You wait and see, Rose." She nodded, her lips kissing my neck gently before completely melting into the embrace.

"I should go see what's going on, shouldn't I?" Rosalie questioned.

I nodded and she released herself from me. "I'll go with you, Rosalie." She nodded and stepped in front of me, walking to the door and walking towards the stairs first. As she descended down the stairs, Ashlyn brushed breezily by her and walked into her room, passing me as well.

"What's going on?" Rosalie questioned, bounding down the stairs.

"Nothing," Alice said through her clenched teeth and turned her back on the family. "Edward, we need to talk now." Edward nodded and followed her outside. Esme sighed and leaned against the doorway.

"What are we going to do with this family?" Esme asked softly.

Rosalie frowned. "I told you, Esme, we are never going to be a family again. Do you see the way she's acting?" Her words were harsh, but we all knew that they were the truth.

"That's enough," Carlisle stated as he stepped down the stairs. "We all have to work together to put the pieces back where they belong." He stated simply and looked at Jasper, then at me, then at Rosalie, then at Esme, and then finally at the door. His gaze lingered on the door where Edward and Alice had exited. "Do I make myself clear? I will not my family breaking apart."

His words rang on deaf ears.

Riley's POV
Friday – 4:15am

"I don't care what you have to do to get them to be happy, but just do it!" Demetri's voice was ringing all around the house as I walked pass his study. I looked around, before leaning in. "Listen too me, all you have to do is make them happy and then leave. How hard is that?"

He paused, waiting for an answer before snarling.

"Riley?"

I spun around, I had been caught. Victoria was leaning against the wall, shaking her head in dismay. "What are you doing snooping around the house? I didn't know that you were that kind of guy." She smirked, her red eyes shining from just eating.

"I'm not." I muttered.

"Doesn't look like it to me," she said and smiled widely. "Oh well, it was time that you knew anyways."

"Knew what?"

"What we've been sheltering Isabella from. You really didn't think that we would just let her go see the Cullens for no reason, did you?" I shook my head, looking at her curiously. "Don't tell Riley,"—I nodded fiercely—"but we've been planning on a way to break off her connection to the Cullens once and for all. You've seen the way that she mopes around the house and the way she doesn't talk at all. We had to do something to cheer her up and when she's happy, she'll find her precious family and they'll break her. Then she will be ours for the taking and we can finally get her to Italy and all this shit will be over."

"What?" I questioned.

She shook her head. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see. It's a brilliant plan actually, I mean, I wouldn't have thought of it, but Demetri is the brain of everything, so he planned it. I just can't wait for the day."

"Victoria…"

"I have to go," Victoria snapped and turned away. "Don't you even think about breathing a word of this to Isabella, Riley or you will be very sorry."

"I won't!" I promised.

Edward's POV
Tuesday – 1:00pm

I leaned against my silver Volvo and waited for Alice and Jasper to finally come out of the store. Alice came first, bounding towards me and embracing me tightly. She had changed in the few days that had passed since her semi-fight with Ashlyn, probably due to the fact that Ashlyn had finally apologize. She placed the bags in the back and slid into the passenger seat of the car.

"Good to see you, Edward," Alice chirped and looked at Jasper who was sitting in the back. She smiled slightly. "You haven't been around for awhile."

"I needed a break," I said simply.

Alice nodded her head, her longer black hair swishing at the sudden movement. "I know, I just missed having you around the house. It's been tense around there lately, but it's getting better." We hadn't spoken of the exchange between us outside the house since it happened and I was grateful for that.

"Where'd you go?" Jasper asked carelessly.

"I drove as far as I could to clear my thoughts," I said simply and Jasper nodded content with the answer. "It was a good thing for me to do; it helped me clear up things that had been unfamiliar towards me."

"Oh," Alice emitted.

I felt Jasper's stare on me. "That's interesting. We should all go on a family vacation together, sometime."

"That would be fun!" Alice said cheerfully and grabbed my forearm tightly in her small hands. "Wouldn't that be fun, Edward? I think that would be! I'm going to ask Carlisle about it… I know that he can probably take some time off. I would love to just be, normal again, you know?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Oh." Alice said softly and glanced at me. "Edward, I didn't mean it like that." She declared and looked down at her hands that were knitted in her lap.

"Of course you didn't." I said shortly.

"I…" Alice trailed off, glancing back at Jasper. "Where do you think that we should go? I think that Turks and Caicos is a cool little place to adventure, but then we could never go outside… maybe even… I don't know, Brazil? That would be awesome! I wonder if it's cloudy there because otherwise we would just have to stay inside. Hmmm. Maybe we should to Iceland! That would be fun. We can bring the Denali coven as well!"

I chuckled under my breath. Alice had transformed over the short time period of my leave. I smiled fondly at the memories of perky Alice and I was just glad to have her back as my favorite sister. "That would be nice; I think that a vacation will do a lot to clear everybody's thoughts."

"We haven't gone on a family vacation in so long." Alice stated.

Jasper nodded in agreement. "It's time to go on another one." He smiled at me as I glanced in the rearview mirror. "Things are looking up," he said softly—almost as if he didn't want anybody to hear him.

Bella's POV
Tuesday – 12:00pm

"Isabella."

I looked up from the book that I was reading and saw Demetri standing in front of me. I nodded to him and then looked back down at my book. I wasn't going to waste my breath, I was just doing what I was told for a couple months until he would finally let me go see the Cullens—my dead heart fluttered—and then I would be back to ignoring them and they could do whatever they wanted with me. I groaned as the book was taken away from me and I looked up again, Demetri standing in front of me, Victoria, and Irina standing slightly behind him.

"Isabella." Demetri repeated.

He was waiting for me to answer him. Would I answer him? Of course I would. I was in his debt for as long as it took to get back to them. "What?" I asked softly.

"It's time," Demetri stated and I looked at him curiously. "It's time for you to visit the Cullens."

End of Chapter 10

Authors Note: So here is the newest chapter of this story! I hope that you found it good, because I worked very hard on it! I want to say thank you to all those wonderful people who have reviewed and read this story! We have final made it to the two digit number chapters! Aren't you guys excited? I don't know how many chapters are left, but probably… a lot. Not really, maybe just a couple more.

Anyways, I'll be away for holiday break, and won't be able to access a computer, so I won't be writing unfortunately, but I'll get the eleventh chapter up as soon as I can. Happy Holidays everybody! I hope that your final week in 2007 is wonderful!

Review please!