Chapter 11 : Lyssann's POV

I'm surprised that Rosalie's car didn't break the sound barrier on the way to the Cullen's home. We had just pulled up in front of a seamstress' shop when Alice's face went blank. Rosalie stopped in her tracks. Alice abruptly grasped my arm. "He needs you… He has abandonment issues? I wish I'd known… Bella's got to talk to him… Edward can help. We have to get you to him soon… He'll be ok for almost 15 minutes. Let's pick up your dress and I'll alter it myself. You stay in the car, with Rose, so we can leave quickly." She runs human speed into the shop, and comes back out in less than 5 minutes. "Go, Rose. Jasper says they need us."

That was almost thirteen minutes ago. I need to see him… now. We pull up to the house. It's a lovely white house with a deep shady porch. It's located in its own meadow. The scene is breathtaking, especially with My Stephen sitting on the porch waiting for me.

The car has barely stopped but I'm already opening the door. I run right into his arms. His arms wrap around me and I can almost sense the emotions roiling in him. "It's ok, Honey. I'm here. You're alright."

A beautiful woman is opening the door from the house to the porch. Someone I haven't met yet. She looks worried. "Lyssann, I need to speak with Stephen. And you need to speak with Edward. Calm him and then we'll deal with this."

"You're Bella?" I ask. She smiles at my question, or something else… She nods. I hold my hand out to her. She takes it. "Alice says you can help him… us?" She nods again.

I captivate Stephen's eyes. "Listen to me, Love." He nods. "I will only be a few rooms away. Bella needs to talk to you. This will help both of us. Call me if you need to. I will come running… I promise." He nods again and presses his cheek against mine.

"Edward is just inside, Lyssann." Bella says soothingly. "He won't take you far."

I go to the door. My eyes widen. There's a young man standing next to a beautiful piano. *If I wasn't deeply in love with Stephen…* The man grins at me. *Oops… This must be Edward.* He nods. I glare at him as I walk into the house. *Looking into a lady's mind is like looking into her purse… It's rude!* He chuckles.

He gestures toward the white couch. "Shall we?" I nod and sit. I look at him. "I know his mother left, not you, but he sees you as both Lover and mother. When you leave his side it's like she's leaving all over again. How are you dealing with this type of obligation?"

"I don't feel obligated at all! I love him and would never leave him for any long period of time!" I'm offended that he would say such a thing. *I would never think of my relationship with Stephen as obligatory! How dare he imply…*

He taps his temple. He heard me… He nods, and then he speaks slowly as if he can't bear the pain of his own words. "I left Bella once. The pain of it was excruciating for us both. She was still human so she had nightmares. I stayed away far too long."

I silently recall the conversation with Carlisle in my living room last week. *I watched my son torture himself for 6 long months and Bella nearly went insane from the distance between them.*

Edward looks as though something is burning him, but he continues. "When I came back, I watched her sleep every night. She tossed and turned and spoke in her sleep about it. Every morning she would wake surprised to see me. It scarred our souls. I understand the kind of love that you share. I also understand that you were not the one to inflict this wound on him. But you are the one who must heal it. My wife and I will try to help…"

*I am thankful.* I meet Edward's stare and nod.

Stephen's POV

The car has barely stopped but Lyssa's already opening the door. She runs right into my arms. I wrap them around her and I my roiling emotions seem to be pouring out of me. "It's ok, Honey. I'm here. You're alright." I love the sound of her voice, it soothes me.

A beautiful woman is opening the door from the house to the porch. Someone I haven't met yet. She looks worried. "Lyssann, I need to speak with Stephen. And you need to speak with Edward. Calm him and then we'll deal with this."

"You're Bella?" Lyssa asks. She smiles at the question… She nods. Lyssa holds one hand out to her. She takes it. "Alice says you can help him… us?" She nods again.

My Lyssa captivates my attention. "Listen to me, Love." I nod. "I will only be a few rooms away. Bella needs to talk to you. This will help both of us. Call me if you need to. I will come running… I promise." I nod again and press my cheek against hers.

"Edward is just inside, Lyssann." Bella says soothingly. "He won't take you far."

Lyssa walks to the door. She stops and stares before glaring at someone and going in.

Bella slowly comes toward me. "I'm going to shield your thoughts from my husband for now. Ok?" I nod. "If I'm going to help you, you'll need to know a little about me and my history with Edward. Did Carlisle tell you anything about us?"

I shake my head. "Not much. Should I tell you what he told us?" She nods. "Uhmmm, ok. He told us that you were human til last year. He mentioned that you were Edward's… La Tua Cantante… He also told us that at one point Edward thought you had killed yourself, and Edward's reaction. Oh, and he told us that you guys were quite affectionate with each other."

Her mouth falls open and then she bites her lip. I'd bet if she could blush, she would be. Her eyes close. "Anything else?"

"He told us about your… daughter too. I'd like to meet her. Jasper told me about her gift and she sounds like an amazing child."

She smiles, "You'll meet her… later, when you have proven you can abstain from human blood. Not a single minute before… On to the point of this conversation… your abandonment issues. I realize that is wasn't quite like my situation with Edward, but its similar enough. Just after my 18th birthday, Edward decided to leave me… for my own good. He wanted me to live a happy, normal, human life." Her face twists like she wants to cry. "Every moment away from him was torture. I didn't want to live a life without him. With you and Lyssann it seems to have begun after the transformation, while my insecurity ended with it."

I'm confused. "I don't understand. Abandonment issues… Lyssa hasn't left my side since my transformation ended… Except for the ride here."

"Edward and Lyssann, could you join us please?" Her brows are pushed together creating a small dent in her forehead.

Lyssa is beside me in an instant. "Are you ok?"

I nod. "Just confused."

"Edward, he doesn't remember the cause of his issues. It's not about that." My eyes focus on Lyssa but I hear Edward and Bella's conversation.

"What do you remember from your human life, Stephen? You don't have to verbalize it. I'll see it all." He points to his temple and then looks at Bella. She nods.

I hold Lyssa's hand, close my eyes and bring forth all the memories about her and I. And then I remember my dad and sister, Reggie, my favorite cousin. Grandmother's face flashes through my mind with the memory of her telling me about the pendant, meeting Carlisle and the whole episode up to my transformation. My breath catches as I remember my 'confession' about my mother leaving and trying to kill myself to get her to come back. Then I squeeze Lyssa's hand as I remember waking up in her music room but she's not there! The middle of my transformation! She left me while I was burning for HER!!!!

"STOP!" Edward lays a hand on my shoulder. I look at him.

*What?* He points down, he's firm but comforting. Lyssa's hand is still in mine but it's bent strangely. Her face is contorted in pain. I look into her eyes… I let go of her quickly and gasp. My breathing gets fast and choppy. I'm hyperventilating again… *I hurt her… I hurt My Lyssa!*

"Jazz, Carlisle! We need you out here. NOW!" Edward says as I try to pull away. I want to run. I let myself fall to the floor. Jasper's calming energy flows over me once again, as Carlisle looks over Lyssa's injury. I wish I was human so my tear would flow!

Bella looks at Edward. "I don't understand Edward… What happened?"

Stephen's POV

He looks over at Lyssann; his voice is slightly tinged with annoyance. "You did leave him?"

She starts to say no then her face shows her shock. Her eyes lock onto mine. She nods sadly. "But not for long! I just had to hunt! It was the middle of his transformation and I hadn't fed in over a week! I didn't want to kill my best friend or his former cat. Carlisle said it would be ok... that he would call me if there was a change… He was so silent at that point. I thought he would never notice I was gone."

"If you two are going to have a stable relationship, we need to work this out now. It's a good thing we're vampires and don't need to sleep. The wedding's in a week." He says. "Jazz, Carlisle, you're the ones with psychology degrees. What should we do?"

"Well there's so many methods to try…" Jasper replies.

Bella says timidly, "Actually, I have an idea. When my parents divorced, I was sent to counseling. They did this kind of lame, uhmmm, game with me... word association. They would ask questions and I would say the first thing to pop into my head."

Edward nods slowly. Carlisle comments, "That's a very good idea Bella, but he might not want to be truthful, thinking it would hurt Lyssann's feelings. Or as he is a newborn he might not remember everything he needs to."

Jasper speaks up. "What if we…"

Edward nods. "Perfect! And this'll be fun for me and you too."

Jasper explains, "Stephen won't say a word. He can just Feel…" he points to himself. "And Think his answers." He points to Edward. "We will be his voice."

Carlisle agrees. "Now that I've bandaged Lyssann's hand, it will heal itself in the next few hours. Let's come up with some questions for him."

*Bella, Edward, Jasper, and the good doctor are trying to figure out what's wonky with my brain with a little help from Lyssa. I shouldn't feel like they're ignoring me. It's really weird to have five different people discuss my thoughts and emotions while I'm sitting right here* Edward glances up at me with a smirk. *Dang- I gotta remember that he can do that!* He chuckles and everyone turns to me.

This next thought I direct to Edward alone. *I'll try anything to not hurt her again.* He gives me a sympathetic look, as we await the first question…

Carlisle faces me. "The first part of this is going to be names. I will name people in your life and you will think and feel about them. Remember my sons will be your mouthpieces. Here we go: your Grandmother…?"

They both say: "He loves her very much…"

Edward continues: "He remembers her laugh; deep and throaty. He remembers her eyes; a lovely gray. He remembers learning to dance with her being the teacher. She was his favorite member of the family. He remembers finding out that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. He sees her on her deathbed. She tells him of the pendant she is leaving him in her will. She told him that the pendant was special, and to give it only to the girl of his dreams when he was ready to spend eternity with her. He sees that with her last breath, she tries to say his cousin's name. She left her something too. She hands him a small cylindrical object and whispers 'Regination.'" He stops. And everyone stares at me.

"WAIT! You knew about the scroll? You knew where to find it?" Lyssann says. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shake my head. "I didn't remember that til just now, I swear."

"I added Regination to the guest list, Stephen. You can call her later to ask her to bring the scroll!" Alice says excitedly.

I agree and then look over at Carlisle as he says, "Let's continue with the young lady in question, shall we? Your cousin, Regination…"

I glance out the window at Rosalie. Edward bursts out laughing. Then he translates for everyone else. "She's got a classic 'sweet and sour' personality. I'll refrain from voicing his comparison, in the interest of keeping the peace. She is apparently one of the few people who treated him with any affection or respect after his suicide attempt. Other then his father, she is the family member he feels closest to."

Jasper smiles. "Just the mention of her name makes him smile. He's very fond of her and he's happy she's invited to the wedding."

Carlisle nods, "This one might be difficult… Your father."

Edward flinches. "He was somewhat supportive but emotionally drained by his mother's death and his wife leaving. As a result, Stephen and his sister felt adrift in the world. Abandoned… When he attempted to off himself… Stephen sr. got a little more involved in their lives. He insisted on therapy for his son. Stephen felt much better after that."

Jasper was next. "He loved his father very much. He's getting very sad though. Why, Stephen?"

I hang my head, but I hear Lyssann's voice. "Carlisle, my hand is not in pain anymore. It feels back to normal."

Edward hears my thoughts, and speaks for me. "How is she really doc? Don't spare my feelings. About the sadness…"

Carlisle stops the psychological analysis, looking astonished as he checks Lyssa's hand. "Amazing, but then Gold is very malleable. By that I mean easily reshaped. Your hand has healed itself extremely fast. The bandage is no longer needed. You seem to be taking on some of the properties of the metal you represent, Lyssann. Very interesting. Continue, for now, Edward."

He nods. "He thinks he is responsible for his father's death. It wasn't his fault. 6 months ago... He was driving when he swerved to miss a deer. He went off the road and hit trees and rocks, flipping over the Jeep. His dad was with him and Stephen sr. didn't make it out of the crash alive. He was in the hospital for a week with a broken leg and collarbone…"

Carlisle looks into my eyes, "Lyssa's hand is all better. You didn't do any permanent damage, Stephen. On to the issue with your father, it wasn't your fault! Accidents happen."

My face contorts. "Jennifer has been blaming me… and making me feel worse and worse about everything. Not just about dad, but that's bad enough. She blames me for… for mom leaving too." I feel Lyssa's arms fold around me.

I look up to see Bella and Edward embracing one another. Alice and Jasper also seem to be comforting each other. *Wow… this family is really close emotionally. I wish me and Jenn were like that.*

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Author's note: This Chapter is dedicated to my Nana. She is dying of Ovarian Cancer. I love her very much and will miss her when she is gone.