Blessed Beltane. I'll save my sappiness for down below…


The wind blew the hair off his forehead as he stood at the edge of the cliff.

His world had just tilted off its axis…with just a few words.

And now nothing made sense.

The water churned and thrashed below him, like it was alive and desperate to go anywhere else but where it was…

Which was exactly how he felt at the moment.

"Collin!"

He turned his head and watched her hazy form as she appeared from behind the stand of trees, but he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

The lies…all the lies.

Staring out across the dark sky at the waning moon, he didn't hesitate as he stepped off the cliff and let the water swallow him whole.

*()*()*

Three months Earlier

"How about we go around the room and introduce ourselves before we start," the instructor encouraged, waving his hand to the person on his right. The small group was sitting on the floor of the massive lecture hall. The Introduction to Religious Studies course was always a top draw, since all they did most days was discuss the difference in religions around the world. There wasn't even a final exam.

Collin tuned out his fellow classmates as they stated their names and other inane facts about themselves. From the moment he had walked into the room, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She was sitting across the haphazardly made circle of bodies, her dark gray eyes trained on the teacher. Collin suddenly wanted those eyes on him more than he wanted to breathe. Her elegant hands were folded neatly in her lap as she listened intently to the other students. From behind her bright blonde hair, a purple stone dangled from a hoop in her ear and he could almost feel the smooth stone against his tongue as he sucked her lobe into his mouth.

Never before had he been so enraptured with someone.

When it was her turn to speak…he braced himself, because he knew without a doubt that the sound of her voice would ruin him.

And it did.

Her soft voice felt like silk flowing across his ears, but her words were even more of a revelation.

"My name is Amethyst Miller and I'm a Religious Studies major. I just transferred here from Dublin, Ireland. I'm excited to be a part of this group," she said, her accent making her words sound seductive.

Collin felt a blush spread across his cheeks as those dark eyes finally met his. She was breathtaking.

And he would do anything to make her his.

*()*()*

After class, Collin shored up his nerves and introduced himself. As she put her sweet little hand in his, he felt his heart shift in his chest. It moved over so there was more room for her beside it.

"Would you like to come up to my apartment?" she asked shyly as they stopped walking in front of one of the older buildings off campus. He had been a perfect gentleman, holding her hand as they crossed the street and inquiring about her classes and hobbies. But now, with her timid smile aimed at him, a very base part of him woke up and demanded attention. His voice was rougher and deeper when he spoke.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. But I would love to see you again."

Amethyst tried to hide her disappointment when he declined her very kind offer to come up into her bed, but he saw it. They made plans to meet for coffee the next day, and he hoped that the gentle kiss he placed on her lips would help take the sting out of his words.

*()*()*

"Collin, are you ever going to bring your lady around to see us?" his father asked in that formal way he always spoke with as they sat around the kitchen table. His cousins Amelia and Julia were smart and went away to college, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave his family.

"Yeah Collin, I want to meet her," his sister, Beth announced as she sat down next to him and stole the piece of French toast off his plate. He stuck his tongue out at her as he forked another piece off the platter.

"Guys, please. We've only been dating a few months. Cut me some slack," he sighed, lowering her eyes to his food as he meticulously cut the toast into strips. He didn't want his family to see that he was also bothered by her refusal to meet them. He had been asking her for weeks to come over to dinner, but she just kept stalling him. He was starting to worry that she might not be as serious about their relationship as he was.

"Well, please let her know that we are most anxious to meet her," Edward said as he reached over and patted his son on the back. The two were nearly identical, the same eye and hair color and a very similar build. When they went out together, they tended to stop traffic. But neither of them let it go to their heads. Edward had the love of his life in his Bella and Collin wanted the same thing…desperately.

Soon after his seventeenth birthday, his mother had brought him down into her workroom and explained the curse that had been cast on their family centuries ago. While he had been raised with Wiccan beliefs, his parents had never mentioned the curse, or what they had gone through in an effort to break it. They were convinced that his birth was what changed their fate. But he could tell his mother still worried.

When nothing happened on the day he turned eighteen, his mother seemed to relax. Her smile was easier, her heart was lighter. She had finally accepted that perhaps they had indeed changed their fate. That day their extended family gathered together to celebrate. His Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper brought their girls, Amelia and Julia and Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle somehow managed to get their oldest, Bryn and their surprise arrival, six year old Mitchell to the old house on the hill. Esme thought she was going through early menopause when she started feeling nauseous in the morning the week before she turned forty eight, but Carlisle soon realized what the true cause of her fatigue and discomfort was. Six months later, Mitchell was born and he was the light of his parent's lives.

The wine ran like water and the food was never ending as they toasted to the Gods and the Goddesses. For the first time in two centuries…they truly felt free.

If they had only known the truth.

*()*()*

"Please Collin, just lay with me," she begged, her long limbs wrapping around his nearly bare body.

He had been holding her off for weeks, but she was adamant that they make love…tonight.

"Amethyst what is the rush? I'm not going anywhere…you're not going anywhere. I want it to be perfect," he whispered against her lips as he untangled her legs from around his hips and settled down next to her in her bed.

"Please Collin…I need you," she breathed, pulling the straps of her tank top down and showing off the tops of her breasts. It took all of his willpower, but he reached out and slid the fabric back up, pulling her into his arms with a sigh.

"You tempt me, my love. But I want it to be right when we make love," he said as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her against him. If only he had his eyes open, he would have seen the glow of red coming from his beloved's eyes.

*()*()*

"I just don't understand what her rush is?" Collin said sadly as he helped his mother gather the herbs from her garden. The sun was hot on his back, but he enjoyed the work. He always liked the feel of dirt beneath his hands.

"And you still feel like she is the one for you? What is stopping you? Not that I'm trying to push you. I'm proud that you waited to find someone your heart connected with instead of going off and boffing half the county like your cousin Amelia did," Bella laughed as she tossed a handful of sage into the basket. Alice and Jasper's daughter Amelia was a hellion and should be kept under lock and key, but they were allowing her to make her own mistakes. At least Julia was a good girl and wasn't adding to Alice's gray hair.

"I feel a connection to her unlike anything I've ever felt. When she is next to me, I feel like I could do anything," he sighed, pushing his hands into the earth.

"Well then Collin, you need to do what is right. And if waiting is right…then don't let her change your mind."

With a hug and kiss, Bella was off to get dinner ready. And then…she was going to work.

*()*()*

Dark of night and bright of day

I ask for you to show the way

The mind is strong, but the heart is weak

And these are the answers I do seek

Is true love real or a mystery

As is my will, so mote it be.

The candle flared brightly, red and gold sparks shooting up from the flame as Bella waved her hand over the wick. There…hidden within the depths of the fire, was an image that shocked her to her core.

Victoria.

But before her eyes, the vision changed. Red hair transformed to pale blonde. Fair skin morphed to a golden tan. But the eyes…those dark gray eyes stayed the same.

It was then that Bella realized who she must be looking at…

Amethyst Miller.

*()*()*

"I have no idea how it happened, Edward, but I assure you that it was Victoria I saw in the fire. But then she changed into this girl. It has to be her," Bella said, her voice getting louder as she paced across the floor of their bedroom. Edward stood in her way and took her trembling form into his arms.

"There is no possible way for her to be a relation of Victoria. There must be a mistake. We ended the curse, my love. It is over," he soothed, laying his cheek on top of her head, praying he was right.

"I'm so frightened. What could she want?" Bella whimpered, allowing the tears to fall while in the safety of Edward's arms.

Edward looked out into the dark night and sighed.

"I have no idea, my love."

*()*()*

"I really want you to meet my family, Amethyst. They are important to me," Collin said as the light faded from the room, leaving them locked in the in-between of night and day.

"I know you do, Collin. But the time is not right yet," she soothed as she leaned up on her elbow and looked down at him. She had managed to get him into her bed, but once again he had denied her the thing she so desperately needed. She knew if she could just tell him what was wrong, he would help her, but that was part of her curse.

Two hundred years ago, Victoria Mitchell had cast a curse on the Swan women. But that was not the only lives she had altered. In her single-minded quest for vengeance, she also cursed those around her. The Hale women had been cast into the role of nursemaids and caretakers of the Swan women and in turn, were spurned by their true love. And for Amethyst's lineage, their blight was twofold…they must wait for the male Swan and once he appeared, they were to seduce and enthrall him into madness. For Victoria was a smart, smart woman and she knew one day her love would succumb to the beauty and call of the Swan. And only then would her great, great niece take what was rightfully hers.

Amethyst Miller had Victoria's blood running through her veins.

But the problem was…she truly cared for Collin.

*()*()*

"I'm going to ambush them."

Edward rolled over in bed and looked at his wife's profile. She was staring up at the dark ceiling of their bedroom, her eyes locked on nothing…yet seeing everything.

"I am going to follow him to her apartment and just knock on the door. I need to know what she wants with our son."

Edward reached through the sheets to pull her trembling form into his arms. His lips pressed to the sensitive spot beneath her ear as he held her.

"If you believe that is what you need to do, then you must do it, my love," he whispered into her ear as his hand slid down her arm and onto the delicate cage of her ribs. "But for now, since the house is quiet and we are both awake…"

Bella reveled in the feel of Edward's hands on her skin.

The taste of his tongue in her mouth.

The glide of his skin against hers.

The joy she felt when he joined with her.

Her hands wrapped around his shoulders as his hips moved in that mind-bending pace they always did.

When they were together like this…time seemed to melt away.

The years faded until they were those young, frightened lovers who lived each day as if it were their last.

Feeling the tightening of Edward's body above her, Bella let herself go; embracing the ecstasy she had only ever felt in his arms.

And with their mixed sweat slowly cooling on her skin, she vowed that she would find a way to give her son the same experience.

*()*()*

"I know something is wrong. You have been different all day." Amethyst looked up from the book she had been reading and met Collin's eyes. He was right…she had been distracted and edgy all day. She could feel time slipping away from her, the damn pull in her blood demanding vengeance. And the more she resisted…the harder it became to fight.

"I'm sorry. I just…I feel like you are slipping away from me," she said quietly, rejoicing in the fact that the words were true. She hated lying to him.

"My love, I'm right here." Collin took her in his arms and hated the wetness he felt on her cheeks. When her lips pressed against his throat, he couldn't stop the needy moan from bursting from his lungs. He was tired of fighting. As much as she wanted him…he was desperate to feel her.

"I'm ready, Amethyst," he panted and she froze. This was what she had been waiting for.

So why did it feel like she was breaking in two?

*()*()*

The moment he slid into her welcoming heat, he started spinning out of control.

Nothing made sense.

He could feel her…smell her…taste her- but it was all through a hazy fog.

It was as if he was slowly disappearing.

Her cries echoed in his head, but they were not sighs of desire…they were screams of dismay.

"I'm so sorry, Collin. Please…you must believe me," she begged, trying to hold onto him when he started to move away. He stood at the edge of the bed, his eyes unable to focus on much of anything beside the mist-like substance taking over his vision.

"What have you done?" he breathed as he stumbled away from her slowly.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, curling into herself on the bed as she watched him bounce off of the wall and frantically search for the door.

"I loved you!" he yelled, just as a loud banging started from the front door of the apartment. Collin used the noise as a guide, grabbing any item of clothing he tripped over to cover his nakedness on the way. When he opened the door, his mother's pained gasp and his father's hoarse shout alerted him to who had been knocking and he was overwhelmingly relieved that he wouldn't have to venture on this confusing path on his own.

"Come quickly," his father said, guiding him out of the apartment and down to the waiting car. He could hear his mother confronting Amethyst on the floor above him, but he was too devastated to care.

*()*()*

Once home, his mother disappeared into her work room, frantically searching for any answers in the old Book of Shadows she collected. Alice and Esme came just as soon as they could, bringing Bryn, Julia and Amelia along to help. Now…late into the night, they still had no idea what had happened.

Collin stood at the edge of the cliff, his heart a shattered mess in his chest.

He had loved her.

But it had all been a cruel trick.

She never cared for him.

"Collin!"

He turned his head and watched her hazy form as she appeared from behind the stand of trees, but he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

The lies…all the lies.

Staring out across the dark sky at the waning moon, he didn't hesitate as he stepped off the cliff and let the water swallow him whole.

*()*()*

As Amethyst watched Collin disappear beneath the rolling waves, she knew that the curse had become reality. She had driven him insane. Part of her rejoiced that it was finished…but a larger part of her was devastated.

She had truly loved him.

Fighting against her natural survival instinct, she took a deep breath and jumped in after him.

The water was freezing cold, invading her lungs and squeezing her heart in her chest.

The salt water stung her eyes, but she opened them anyway…searching for Collin.

He was right there.

His body floated gently beneath the waves, his eyes closed peacefully.

But she refused to let him go.

She grabbed his arm and kicked toward the surface.

She would save him…no matter the cost.

*()*()*

"Collin!"

Bella screamed as she watched him fly off the cliff, followed closely by Amethyst. They disappeared beneath the water's surface and she contemplated following, until Edward's strong hands stopped her.

"Let us go down to the beach," he said frantically. His only son was somewhere under the dark water, and he was just as worried as Bella was. But he refused to let her go in after him. He would not lose them both.

Just as their feet touched the coarse sand, he saw two heads break through the surf. Wading into the shallow ocean, he grabbed for Collin's arm, pulling him through the breaking waves and onto the beach. He was breathing, but just barely. Bella helped Amethyst out and sat her down on a rock, far away from where her son was fighting for his life.

"What have you done?" Bella rasped, unable to even look at the bedraggled woman.

"I love him."

As Amethyst uttered those words, Collin took a deep breath, turning on his side to cough up the briny water. He blinked his eyes frantically, trying to see if his vision was still obscured. But when Amethyst's bright blonde hair came clearly into focus, he knew it was over.

She had sacrificed herself for him in the name of true love.

And the curse was well and truly over.

*()*()*

The breeze ruffled her hair and she sighed as he reached over and tucked the gray strand behind her ear. How many times had they sat just like this, she wondered? The pot of tea was cooling on the table between them, while a stick of incense burned next to it. The sound of children's laughter and running footsteps echoed from inside the massive house and she knew that before long she would be surrounded by little ones.

This was what life was all about.

"Are you cold?" Bella turned and looked at the man who sat next to her on the swing. Edward's hair was still as thick as it had been the first time she saw him, although the golden bronze was long gone. She liked the silver, though. She thought it was distinguished.

"I'm fine. Just sad that another summer is over," she sighed, reaching for his hand beneath the wool blanket that covered their legs.

"But just think how much fun we will have when we're snowed in," he joked, nudging her with his elbow and waggling his bushy eyebrows.

"Edward…don't scare the children. You know that they think we had sex two times and that was it. If the only knew how often they nearly walked in on us," Bella giggled, covering her mouth when her laughter morphed into a cough. Edward held her tightly as she struggled to catch her breath. He hated seeing her so weak, but it was the way of life. As she composed herself, the screen door banged open and a gaggle of children emerged.

"Móraí! Daideó!" they cried as they descended on the now over full swing. Bella laughed as she hoisted little Erin onto her lap and Aiden snuggled next to her. Edward had Flynn and Bríghid curled up next to him. From the corner of her eye, she saw Collin and Amethyst in the doorway, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist and her head on his chest.

Yes, she thought, this was what life was all about.

And she knew no matter how many obstacles life through her way, she would get through them with the help of the man she loved and her family.

From them she drew her strength.

For them all her love blossomed.

With them life was rich and good.

The Curse of the Swan was but a memory…and life was perfect.

*sob*

This started as an exercise to reinforce my studies in Wicca.

It became so much more.

And now my overwhelming thanks…

Melanie…who nurtured this story like a baby.

Sandy…who always kept me inspired and gave Amethyst her name.

Dally…who helped me stay true to the ways.

Fallenforthecullen...who made me a kickass banner.

And all of you…who didn't spew hate, but instead accepted the differences between us.

I love you all…

Blessed be…