New chapter up! Sorry for the slight delay. I'm working on two stories at the moment, and have to alternate the updates. Also, my grandpa got sick, and I was kindly volunteered by my mom to keep him company at the hospital - he couldn't be alone. So that unmotivated me a bit, but he's doing better now, and I updated my other story, which let me free to write this chap ;)

A little conflict going around the household. I mean, nine people living together, it's not always peaceful, right?

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: S. Meyer and J. K. Rowling own it all. All I own is Vivianna.

Chapter 14

June passed by quickly, and Vivianna was going back to Hogwarts soon for her exams. She had done amazingly well with her O.W.L.s, getting Outstanding in most of the subjects. She got an Exceeds Expectations in Potions, and a Passable in both Divination and History of Magic; she was glad though, because she wouldn't be forced to take those subjects again.

Due to the special circumstances, Vivi was able to take all her sixth years exams, even though she hadn't gone to one class. McGonagall was sure she could keep up, and Vivi didn't want to prove her wrong, so she spent every second she could studying.

We would practice her spells in the backyard; I had gone through all of it, and could help. Hermione, Harry and even Ron and Ginny volunteered to help her as well, and the six of us spent most of our free time practicing. It was good for me as well, so I could get reacquainted with my witch side.

Edward understood, most of the time. I could see him getting impatient a few times, and I left Hermione helping Vivi while I spent some time with him. He wasn't usually a demanding guy, but I could see that he was suffering. Hopefully it would be better once all this was over.

Vivianna took to being jealous of Alice. She liked Edward just fine, and mostly didn't mind our relationship – she had confessed to me that sometimes she would feel a bit jealous, but mostly because I had someone that loved me unconditionally – but with Alice was different.

Alice called herself my best friend, and Vivianna didn't like it. At all. She claimed Alice didn't know me as well as she did, and that she was a bit too demanding.

I agreed that Alice didn't know me well, we'd known each other for only a year; I had lied about my true heritage for a third of it. Vivianna knew me her whole life, and we kept no secrets from each other.

I could feel that my sister was scared, though, and let it be shown through jealousy and all.

Alice wasn't really helping, though, trying to get my attention whenever possible. I didn't know if she was doing this on purpose, but she started calling me her best friend more frequently and in front of Vivi most of the time. It hurt to see Vivianna's face fall every time she heard it.

I was usually busy helping my sister study and practice, and I spent my free time with Edward. Alice kept bugging me to go shopping with her, and I refused every time. She couldn't grasp the idea that I was not like her, and could not keep up with her.

Alice could not remember her human days, and she liked to use that to her advantage, but I had learned how to say no. She knew no bounds, and used every method available to get what she wanted. She could see the future, and manipulated it to play it her way.

At first, it was endearing how she wanted to spend time with me, and I didn't really mind her bossing me around and going against my wishes, but that was mostly because of my depressed state. I was thankful that she wanted to be my friend, despite everything.

I loved Alice, but she really needed to realize that my time was taken mostly by my family and my fiancé. Even though I did consider her family, I had more demanding issues at the moment, and she really wasn't helping me.

So I had decided that, after Vivi went back to Hogwarts so she could finally get done with her exams, I would sit down with the Cullens to talk to them.

I just hoped they would listen, and not get mad. Obviously, I was hoping for the best, but I knew it wouldn't be like that.

When we got home from King's Cross, everyone migrated to the living room. Edward sat down and put me on his lap, seemingly not wanting to let me be too far from him. I wasn't complaining, I needed his support at the moment. We had talked last night when he took me out to dinner, and said he understood what I needed to do.

I kept my mind undecided. Even though Alice was having trouble with her visions most of the time, I did not want to risk her knowing about our talk, so she could somehow turn into the victim.

"Bella, dear, would you like to start?" Carlisle brought my attention back to my vampires. Every couple was sitting together in some way, and I couldn't help but notice Jasper's hand subtly clutching Alice's shoulder.

"Yes, thank you." I smiled nervously. "I'm sure you all have noticed that my sister and I haven't been doing fine lately. We both have nightmares, and fear sometimes consumes us." I took a deep breath, and Edward started to gently rub my back in circles to calm me down.

"We don't want any professional help, from muggle or wizard doctors alike," I eyed Carlisle. "We are trying to cope with all we have been through; it is finally taking its toll on us." I admitted.

Edward brought me closer to him, letting me rest my head on his shoulder.

"Honey, are you sure you don't need help?" Esme asked. She looked really concerned for us, which was why I did not scoff.

"I'm sure, Esme. We've gone through a lot since we were children. Our whole lives were mostly dominated by fear. Voldemort may have had been gone for a while, but he had left his message, his followers. My aunts and uncles were part of it. Do you have any idea what's it like to know that, one day, your own aunt could just show up on your doorsteps and kill you? Never mind that she was locked up in Azkaban. It terrified me."

I took another deep breath.

"Anyways, the reason I called you all here is because I wanted to ask you to be patient. My time will be mostly dedicated to my sisters, and my fiancé. I'm not trying to be rude, mean, or anything, but you have no idea just how much it hurt to have my sister taken from me. We're a bit too dependent on each other, and not knowing where she was left pretty deep scars on me.

"I'm not purposefully ignoring any of you. I want you all to be a part of my world, and I want you to learn everything you can about it, but I may not be around much to teach you. I know we all live in the same house, but I just... I don't know, I want to help my sister so badly." I held some tears in. "I know you want to help us, and I couldn't love you more for it, but I know her best. She knows me best. We both don't want to see a shrink, or a healer; I'm sure they have their hands full with people who really need their help."

I took a deep breath, trying to find the strength to say what I needed to say.

"Alice." I looked at her. "I love you, I really do, but you're not helping me. Vivi is already feeling down because of the kidnapping, and other issues; she can't have many more changes in her life right now. She's... she's always been my best friend." One tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek. "She feels threatened when you call yourself my best friend." I tried to explain gently; I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"She's my priority right now. She knows me better than anyone else, and I know her. We need each other to heal, and you pushing me into doing things truly isn't helping. I don't want to hurt your feelings, though apparently I'm already doing it." I stated as I saw Jasper focus solely on his wife.

"I just need you to give me some space. I really don't like it when you try to force me into doing something you know I don't like; especially if you start guilt tripping me. You have to learn how to take no for an answer, Alice. You are really hurting me, and my sister, with this." I said honestly.

I hated making her feel like that, but she really needed to learn that. I didn't mind it once in a while; I was stubborn and sometimes argued my way into things, but she did it every time she wanted something. There was no middle ground, and I couldn't let it go on like that.

"I don't know if you're doing this on purpose, but every time you say you're my best friend is when Vivi is around or can hear us. It hurts to see her crestfallen face, Alice. I know you didn't mean to hurt her, but please, please refrain from doing that."

I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath to stop the tears from falling. When I opened them, I was startled. Alice was so angry, and it was directed at me. I had never seen her like that.

"Fine. Whatever you want, your majesty." Alice seethed. "Don't come crying to me when she finally gets fed up with you." She spat out, getting up and running through the front door.

I started crying, no longer trying to hold it in. Jasper got up, probably to go after his wife.

"Jasper." I whispered through my tears. "I'm sorry." I said sincerely.

"I know, Bella. It's not your fault. I'll talk to Alice." He smiled at me before walking out the door as well.

Edward held me closer, kissing my temple and wiping my tear away.

"I'm so sorry, everyone." I mumbled. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I couldn't stand seeing my sister like that."

"She was doing it on purpose." Edward informed me. "Alice, I mean."

I looked at him. Would she really?

"Why?" I asked him, dreading the answer.

"That is something you should ask her." He replied.

I nodded, not really wanting to know the truth right now.

"We understand what you are saying, Bella." Carlisle said. "And we'll help you in any way we can. We all love you, and want you to get better." He smiled sincerely my way.

"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you for understanding." I sniffed. "Well, that was all I wanted to say." I told them.

Emmett got up and sat down next to me. "Don't worry, little sis. We'll do everything we can to get you both better. I promise."

He gently pulled me from Edward's lap into his own, and hugged me. I felt him kiss my head once. "Thanks, Em. That means a lot." I mumbled into his shirt.

He put me on my feet, and motioned for Rosalie with his hand. She got up, taking the hand he offered and looked at me.

"It'll get better, Bella." She said, smiling slightly. I nodded as they both walked up the stairs.

Carlisle and Esme pulled me into a hug. Esme kissed my temple, a gesture that reminded me of my own mother.

Edward handed me a cup of hot chocolate, which he had probably done while Emmett had me. I took it gratefully from him. It was a chilly night, even though it was summer, and I needed something sugary to help me through.

He sat with me in the living room while I slowly sipped my drink. He kept his eyes on the TV, most likely trying to give me some privacy; he knew I didn't like it when anyone just watched me eat or drink.

When I was finally done, he guided me to our bedroom. I had a quick shower, putting on some pajamas before returning, only to find Edward already in bed.

"Can you cast that warming spell like that time?" He asked. It had been a while since we had laid in bed together. My sister was usually sleeping with me, to rid both of us from our nightmares.

I got my wand from my discarded jeans pocket, and pointed it at me, casting the spell silently. I had gotten better at it after the battle, and got it right on the first try.

I immediately made my way towards him, setting my wand down on my bedside table, and snuggling close to my fiancé. He caressed my hair and kissed me softly once. I returned it, and soon we were making out.

He was very careful with his hands, not taking them off my hair so he wouldn't accidentally crush me, but I didn't have to worry about anything. Very deliberately he moved one hand to my hip, barely applying any pressure. My hands went from his neck to his waist, holding him to me.

It was unusual for him to let go, he was usually so uptight, so I was making the most of it.

When I could no longer breathe, he moved his lips to my jaw, peppering it with soft kisses that I barely felt while I caught my breath.

"Wow." I whispered, bringing my hands up and resting them on his face.

"Wow indeed." He replied, stopping his ministrations and caressing my cheek with his hand. "You're so beautiful." He whispered, leaning forward to kiss my forehead, and then my cheeks, my nose and lastly my lips once more.

I was so into the kiss that I lost control of my 'power', and my hair turned bright red. When I was a child, the color of my hair usually indicated my mood; right now bright red could only mean one thing.

"I like it." He said, twirling a streak of my long hair in his fingers. He brought me to him so I was resting my head on his shoulders. I looked up and pouted; I didn't want it to end.

He chuckled. "You underestimate my self-control, Bella."

I sighed, knowing he would not give in. At least not for the moment. After he proposed, and we had that talk, our relationship seemed so more open. We talked to each other more about our troubles and fears. It helped us to understand the other better, and it made me so much happier.

"Okay." I agreed. He looked at me shocked, and it was my turn to chuckle. "Baby, I know you, and right now I'm respecting your wishes. We really need to talk about it all, though. But not now." I finished, snuggling closer to him.

He pulled the cover up and tucked it right under my chin, kissing my forehead and wrapping his arms around me.

"I love you." He said. I said it back, and closed my eyes. I would worry about everything tomorrow.

The house was extremely quiet the next day. Alice and Jasper still weren't back, and I was feeling guiltier than ever. The others were giving me space, and I was grateful for that.

Edward, sensing I wasn't feeling comfortable, took me out for the day. We walked around London for a while, enjoying the cloudy day. It was July, and summer was here full on, so cloudy days were a bit rare nowadays.

The chill from last night was truly gone, giving way to heat waves. It was absolutely sweltering, and any sort of clothing I wore clung to my body. I couldn't really cast the reverse of the warming spell, or else it would look really suspicious.

We had lunch – well, I had – in a little bistro in downtown London, before we took the subway so we could go to Diagon Alley.

His eyes lit up like last time, and he looked around amazed once again. I noticed some shops were fixed, and their owners were back. I waved at Mr Fortescue, and decided to make my way to Ollivander's.

"Ah, Miss Tonks." Ollivander greeted me as we walked in. "And should I assume you are one of the vampires that helped our school?" He directed the question at Edward.

"Edward Cullen, sir." My fiancé introduced himself.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cullen." Ollivander replied.

"We won't take long, Mr. Ollivander." I said, taking a step forward. "I just wanted to say thank you. For helping my sister, back in the... in the cellar." I finished in a whisper.

"She helped me, too, Miss Tonks." He smiled. "She truly is a gifted witch, and I am sure you are one as well, seeing as you're here."

"Thank you." I took his compliment. "Well, I really just wanted to thank you for that, and for Annie's new wand, too. I can assure you it was already put to good use." I smiled.

"I am very glad." He bowed his head.

"We'll see you soon. I'll bring her by." I promised. He smiled and nodded, and we bade him goodbye.

"So that's the wandmaker." Edward said once we left his shop. I just nodded, taking hold of his hand and dragging him towards George's shop. Well, I tried to drag him, but didn't manage; he got the meaning and walked with me.

"Hey George." I greeted him. The store was full of school-age people, and his assistant had her hands full trying to restock the shelves.

"Belly-bear!" He exclaimed, smiling. He put his pointer finger upward, signaling for me to give him a minute as he went back to explaining something to what looked like a thirteen-year-old wizard.

He gave me a hug once he was free and asked what I needed.

"Maggie and Mia need more food." I smiled. He nodded, and went somewhere, returning five minutes later with a few packages.

"That enough?" He asked.

I nodded. "We're going to come back soon to buy our school supplies. I'll get more then." I informed him. "How much do I owe?" I asked, going through my coin bag.

"Nothing." He said.

I sighed, "George."

"Fine, I can have a knut."

I shook my head, handing him five sickles. "Take it." I glared at him.

He laughed but nodded, taking my money. We said our goodbyes, and I 'dragged' Edward out. He had stayed in the corner near the doorway, and just told me he didn't want anyone to see him at the moment. He had heard in the minds of many wizards and witches that they all wanted to take a look at the famous vampires that had helped our community, and he didn't want to get swarmed by people.

We stopped by Flourish and Blotts so I could pick up a few books I needed on trauma. I was going to ask Carlisle for a few of his medical books, so I could research on my condition, and Vivianna's as well.

I had a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron before we left to go back home. It was night, and not as hot as it was before, so Edward and I decided to walk back home.

Half way through, I started feeling tired. We had been walking for most of the day, and my legs were cramping, not to mention my feet were protesting inside my shoes.

"Are you okay, Bella?" He asked, noticing I had slowed down considerably.

"My feet and legs hurt." I told him. There was no point in lying to him, he would see right through me.

He turned his back to me and crouched slightly. "Hop up." He said.

Sighing, I did what he asked, and he got up. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and crossed my feet over his waist. He held my legs under my knees to stabilize me, and we were back to walking.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Thank you." I sighed, turning my head and kissing his cheek. I felt him smile.

"Anytime, my love." He replied. "Thank you for telling me right away you were tired."

He knew my tendencies to downplay everything.

"Do you think Alice will forgive me?" I asked in a small voice as he walked.

"You are the one that needs to forgive her, Bella, not the other way around."

"But I hurt her." I stated.

"No, she hurt you. She knew exactly what she was doing, sweetheart. And she's being petty right now." He said.

I sighed. Things were so complicated right now. All I wanted was to get better and help my sister, and now I got my vampires in a rift.

"I didn't want to cause any problems." I mumbled.

"You're not. She should understand, seeing as her husband is a war veteran. You can't blame yourself for her decisions, my Bella." He tried to soothe my nerves.

"What aren't you telling me?" I tried to force a response out of him. I knew he would not tell me; he believed he already invaded everyone's privacy by listening to their thoughts, he didn't think it fair to tell anyone about them.

"You know I won't say, Bella. If I didn't have my mind reading ability, I wouldn't know either, so it's not fair for her. Or for you. Do you really want me to tell you and then we're both wrong?"

It was a low blow, but I knew he was right. If he had told me, I would assume things; he was only able to read what was going through their minds at the time. What if he didn't know her reasons, and I assumed the worse? It would hurt us more.

"I know, I'm sorry. I promise not to badger you about it anymore." I whispered.

"We will help you get better. I know you asked us to try not to, but I cannot stay away and let the love of my life and her little sister deteriorate right in front of my eyes. I can help, and I won't take no for an answer." He said, his tone of voice letting me know he would not let it go.

I sighed, nodding against his shoulder. I didn't want to show it on the outside, but I was absolutely thrilled that he loved me enough to do that for me. I had so much baggage, and still he didn't run away.

When we arrived home, he took me straight to our room, and sat me down in bed. He knelt in front f me, unlacing my shoes and taking them off. I let out a loud sigh of relief.

He even massaged them for a while, which absolutely helped me relieve some of the tension. I announced I was going to take a shower, and relaxed even further when the hot water hit my shoulders.

I came back into the room a lot more relaxed. Edward smiled at me as he saw I felt better.

"Would you like to go talk to Carlisle now? He's in his study." asked Edward.

I nodded, and he guided me to the first floor, to a door right next to the living room.

Carlisle had most of his books shipped to London before we moved in. They had arrived a few days after us, and Carlisle was able to organize his library once again.

"Come in." I heard him say as Edward knocked gently on the door. "Bella, Edward, what can I do for you?" He smiled kindly; Carlisle didn't have an ounce of evil in his bones.

I looked at him, not knowing how to ask. Would I seem weak for asking for help just a day after I had basically told them to give me space? I sighed, admitting to myself that yes, I was weak, and yes, I needed his kind of help right now.

"Do you have any books on how to deal with traumatic experiences?" I bit my lip, looking down. I was feeling ashamed for having to ask his help, that was for sure.

"I may have a few, yes. Would you like to borrow them?" He asked kindly.

"Please?" I made it sound like a question, I was nervous.

He walked to one of his shelves and read a few book spines, taking a big tome out before walking across the room, getting another one and handing it to Edward. It looked like I wouldn't be able to hold their weight, and my wand was still upstairs.

I thanked him, and walked back upstairs, Edward trailing behind. I grabbed my wand from my purse, taking out the books I had bought along with it.

I got comfortable in bed and brought all five books near me. Carlisle's books were bigger and more detailed, so I started with them. I got the first one, pulling it to me. It really was heavy. I read through the table of contents, to see if there was anything relevant. I found three different topics, so I marked the chapters with pieces of paper and moved on to the second book, doing the same thing.

I moved on to the magic books. The first one was about traumatic experiences and how to erase your memories from it. I decided on not using it unless nothing else worked. Tempering with someone's memory was not something that should be taken lightly, and I was not qualified enough to perform most spells in the book without serious consequences.

The second one was really useful; it had different potions that could help. Potions that made you sleep with no dreams, ones that helped you relax, and stronger ones like the one to prevent psychotic behavior.

The last one I bought would teach us how to clear our minds, and relaxation techniques, which were very useful when you wanted to learn Occlumency, like Vivi did.

I spent the rest of the week reading them. Edward had read them all in two nights, and was helping me understand everything better.

"I thought you went to Medical school?" I asked while he read through one of the chapters I had bookmarked; he wanted to get all facts straight before trying to explain to me what I didn't understand.

"I did." He looked up, smiling crookedly my way. "But I barely went over psychology. It didn't really interest me. I mean, I could read their minds, and that made me understand the human minds better than I actually wanted." He winked.

"But you're helping me?" I asked. If he didn't like the subject, why would he put himself through it?

"Bella. It's you." He said as if it were obvious. I just looked at him. "Didn't I promise I would help you with anything?"

He closed the small distance between us and kissed me softly. "I love you, isn't that enough reason?" He asked.

I just nodded, glancing at his lips before looking him in the eyes. "Thank you." I whispered, kissing him once more.

We focused on our studies, and I made a list of supplies we would need for the potions I deemed easy enough to make, or the ones I was sure I wouldn't mess up and turn us into dogs instead of just relaxing us.

I didn't hear from the Cullens much. I bumped into Esme a couple of times, and we talked a bit, but never about what had happened. Carlisle helped me with my research, but we didn't really talk about it.

Emmett and Rosalie wanted to explore the city, but the sun was out almost every day, and so they had to stay in. Jasper and Alice hadn't returned yet, and I was getting more worried about her. Did I really hurt her that much?

A few days after starting my research, I had a notebook full of scribblings and tips about what could be done to help my sister, and by extension, me. I just hoped she would agree to it.

Friday finally arrived, and Edward and I were once again making our way to King's Cross to pick my sister up. When I first saw her get off the train, I gasped quietly. I could notice the dark bags under her eyes, indicating lack of sleep.

I took a deep breath and went to greet her. She started crying as soon as she saw us, and I had to hold her to me so she wouldn't colapse. She was exhausted.

Edward picked her up while I got her bag, and he carried her towards the car. He lay her down on the back seat. I hesitated for a moment before following her, laying her head on my lap so we could both fit. Edward sent me a reassuring smile, and got into the driver's seat, taking off.

Vivi was asleep almost instantly. I kept playing with her hair, knowing the motion would sooth her.

Seeing her like this broke my heart.

So I made a promise to myself.

We would get better, and I would do my best for it to happen before school started.

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