Twilight Fan fiction

Transitionals

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Twilight. I do use some sentences directly from the book, I don't own them. They were originally and forever owned by Stephenie Meyer.

For Every one who reads these Author's Notes, I would like to thank you.

I would just like to take a quick moment of you time to apologize. I forgot that I was going to be going on vacation, and by the time I was able to update my profile message, I knew that getting the chapters done and ready for you probably wasn't going to happen.

Sorry for this ramble, but I also would like to let all my readers know, that they don't need to worry about me ever giving up on this series of fanfictions.

I plan on finishing this story, I want to be able to share it with all of you readers.

So without further ado, here is the chapter in the Cullens' POV that I know that at least some of you are excited for. My apologies for not getting it to you sooner.

Chapter 10

Rose's POV

My mind was racing almost as fast as I was, while heading for Bella's house. My thoughts turning from being happy to be talking to Bella, and being around her and the girls, to worried about what had made her change her mind. Why now? Why was she willing to talk with us now? Did it have something to do with something that might have happened down in La Push?

As I neared the house I could hear a man laughing. It made me smile and relaxed me slightly. Charlie would not be laughing like that if there was something wrong. So at least for the moment everything seemed alright.

I walked around to the front of the house, making my pace slow, just in case someone was watching.

When I knocked on the door, the laughter was increased and I heard little Anna's laughter join Charlie's. I laughed silently just because I was hearing the sweet little girl's laughter.

The door opened slowly and Bella's head peaked around it nervously. "You're alone?"

I nodded, hoping that it was the truth. "Edward was sitting on the couch when I left. I can't promise that he stayed there though," worriedly I added, "I wouldn't put it passed him to be waiting in the woods."

Bella groaned while a squeal of delight came from behind her.

"Rose!" Anna yelled happily and ran out of the house, throwing her arms around me.

The very idea that she could be that happy to see me, made me want to cry tears of joy. This little girl knew what I was, and she still wanted to be near me, even though I could be considered dangerous to her. Not that I would ever hurt her.

I glanced over at Bella. Her eyebrow was raised. "Rose?" She asked.

I lifted Anna in my arms. Reveling in the joy as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her cheek against mine.

"Family calls me Rose, and you and the girls are family now." It was true, they were family since Bella was Edward's mate. We just weren't sure what we were going to do about that.

Bella's face lit up with a smile.

I didn't want to have to worry about the difficult situation that was my brother's love life. So I turned back to Anna and kissed her cheek. "How are you today Anna?" I carefully pulled away from her a little so I could get a good look at her.

Anna didn't want that though. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and she pressed her cheek to mine again. "I'm great."

"How long have you guys been calling her Anna?" Bella's voice was shocked, as if she had just realized we had been calling Annabelle, Anna.

I smiled sheepishly. "I know she doesn't really like other people beside you and her dad to call her Anna, but when we went shopping, I made the mistake of calling her Anna instead of Belle, but she didn't get upset. I guess I took it as a sign that it was okay. Well, really we all did, since we all call her Anna."

Bella glanced at Anna, lost in thought.

Anna and I shared a look, waiting for Bella to snap out of it. Anna shrugged and laid her head on my shoulder.

"Are you ready to go Bella?" I asked. I had to repeat myself three times before Bella shook her head.

"Sorry, yes I'm ready." She glanced behind me, her eyes hardening slightly with an unmet expectation. She must have expected me to drive here.

I smiled sheepishly again. "I ran here, thinking it would be easier to take your car." In all honesty, I wanted to drive her car.

"We got to get Cissy," Anna said hurriedly, afraid that we'd leave her sister behind.

Bella gave her a small smile. "We're not going to leave Cissy."

I followed Bella into the house, stopping in the living room while she headed upstairs. Charlie was standing in the living room watching us carefully. I smiled at him. He nodded in my direction.

"It's nice to see you Charlie." If we were going to get to know Bella and the girls, it was only right to know Charlie too.

He smiled slightly. "You too. How's the rest of your family?" He seemed to struggle with the situation; probably just worried about Bella.

We wouldn't let anything happen to them, and he knew that, otherwise he wouldn't have pushed Bella to talk with us. He was a dad though, so he probably was trying to deal with the bond between his daughter and my brother. I mentally pictured what he probably would have done if he hadn't known about our kind. The delightful image made me smile on the inside.

"They're good. We're all excited to see Bella, and be able to help."

Charlie's face brightened with a grin. "I'm glad Bella's decided to talk with all of you. I don't know what all she's going to say, but hopefully you can convince her to tell you everything. She really can't deal with this on her own."

So Bella might not tell us everything, well we'd have to change her mind. "We'll do our best to convince her," I promised.

Charlie nodded then and glanced around the room for something to occupy his time. He picked Cissy up and handed her to me. "Why don't you go ahead and get her into her carrier."

I eagerly took Cissy from her and got her ready to go. I was glad to see that she seemed happy to see me too.

When Bella joined us with the diaper bag, she gave her dad a quick hug goodbye. "We'll be back later tonight Dad."

"Alright. Make sure you take care of my girls." He glared warningly at me.

I hurried to reassure him. "Don't worry Charlie, your girls will be safe with me and my family. After all, Edward will be there," I added the last part to tease Bella, and she stomped outside.

I laughed with Charlie and Anna before grabbing the handle of Cissy's baby carrier and heading out to the car.

Bella was already buckled in the passenger seat. I was thrilled that I was getting to drive, but even more so because she was trusting me to drive.

I buckled the girls into the car and slid into the driver's seat.

The car started effortlessly with a soft purr. "This is a really nice car."

Bella sighed and nodded her thanks. I worried for a split second that she wouldn't talk to me but then she said, "it was Toby's."

I gave her a sympathetic smile. "Anna and Cissy's dad?" I regretted bring it up.

Bella stiffened. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, and she shook slightly. It was hard for Bella to talk about her family.

"Daddy said this was my car." Anna answered my question.

I glanced back at her in the rearview mirror. "Is that so?" It would seem Anna was having an easier time with this than Bella was. At least during the day she was.

"This was the only car their parents would drive them around in." Bella finally spoke up. I wasn't going to force Bella to think of her family. She'd have to do that later. "I'm glad you decided you could trust us with your secret. I'll be honest, we're all curious about what made you change your mind." Had her dad finally made her seen reason, or had something else happened.

Her answer came out in a nervous and or worried huff. I couldn't quite tell which. "A giant horse sized wolf."

No. The wolves couldn't be here, they had died a long time ago. But then what else could it have been? There must be something in their genes that allows them to turn to wolves, and it gets passed down.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel and I had to fight not to crush it. My body had frozen, only moving the slightest amount that was needed to drive the car. Not wanting to scare any of them, I bit back the growl in the back of my throat. I needed to calm down.

"You're not hurt are you?" I forced the question passed my clenched teeth.

"No I'm fine. And so are the girls," Bella was quick to tell me.

Knowing that, I was able to relax some. I wasn't able to speak though, so the rest of the ride was sadly spent in silence. I knew I should have just changed the subject instead of ending all conversation, but I was afraid my temper would get the better of me and I'd do something I'd regret, say something I shouldn't in front of Anna.

I pulled up to the house and got Cissy out of the car while Bella got a real view of the house. She had been too busy last time to really look around.

Bella helped Anna out of the car and my heart swelled with joy as she ran over to me.

I settled Anna on my hip and carried her and Cissy inside; letting Bella have her time to look around.

Edward's POV

We all watched as Rose came in carrying the two little girls. The smile on her face was blinding. Her thoughts did not reflect how she was feeling according to her face, though. 'Fair warning, her dad says she might try to not tell us everything.'

She set Cissy's carrier down and before she could, Emmett got Cissy out of her seat. He held her in his large arms, smiling widely.

I grimaced at Rose's thoughts and repeated the message to the others.

Alice crossed her arms. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"We aren't going to force her to tell us anything." Carlisle told us sternly. He waited for us to agree before turning his attention back to the direction of the front door.

We all turned back too, waiting for Bella to join us.

She finally walked into view. She was glancing about, taking a chance to look around our home. The way her face lit up with curiosity, as she took in the work Esme had done to make this place a home, really made me wish I could hear her thoughts.

Eventually she turned her attention to us.

'Come on Bella, come sit down.' Rose was silently encouraging.

'We're not going to hurt her, if she'd just come and sit down we can get this over with. She'd feel better once she tells us everything. All those secrets must be a heavy burden.' Alice.

'Bella doesn't look very comfortable with all seven of us here. Maybe some of us should move to a different room.' Esme.

'We should have thought about Bella's reaction to all seven of us. This is going to be difficult for her, without there being seven of us in the room.' Carlisle.

'Bella looks like she'd rather be anywhere but here.' Emmett.

'She trusts us to a certain degree, but we know she doesn't like being near all of us together at school. I feel like an idiot, we should have realized that she wouldn't be comfortable with all seven of us.' Jasper.

Bella's gaze turned to her cousins. Anna was perfectly content sitting on Rose's lap, and Cissy was happy in Emmett's arms. Seeing the two of them helped her calm down. She walked into the room; sighing before sitting beside me on the couch.

What did the sigh mean? I scrutinized her face trying to find the answer. She was nervous. Was she nervous about sitting beside me or the conversation that was coming? I didn't know.

My worried thoughts were interrupted by the joyous thoughts of my sisters.

'YES!' Alice and Rose were doing happy dances in their heads.

Esme was a little more refined. Though she was still exceedingly happy for me, her thoughts did not contain any squeals.

Silence descended on our group. My family and I all wrestled with thoughts wondering who would start.

Just as Bella seemed to work up the courage to start, Alice cleared her throat.

Bella eagerly turned to my sister. She was glad that someone else was going to begin beside her. Too bad I knew what Alice wanted, wasn't something Bella would like.

Alice smiled at Bella, but it looked too annoyed to be very friendly. "Bella, before we begin I would just like to mention that all seven of us have been hunting in the past two days." 'She going to tell us everything, and she'll do it without that ring on her finger.' She added grumpily in her head.

Bella's look of confusion sent both Emmett and Jasper into silent laughter.

Alice answered Bella's silent question sharply, earning her a silent scolding from Esme and Carlisle. "We're not going to eat you, so you can take your ring off. We can handle the smell of your blood."

"Yeah," Bella sighed, "the ring stays on."

"Alice," Carlisle warned low enough we all had a hard time hearing him.

Alice ignored him, narrowing her eyes at Bella. "Your lack of trust with our control is frustrating."

"If we can hang out in a high school full of kids without killing anyone, we can be around the three of you." Emmett nodded towards the little girls before turning to meet Bella's gaze. "The blood of three humans isn't going to affect us much." 'Besides none of us would hurt them. We can control ourselves.' He added the rest in his mind, realizing he was getting a little miffed, and he didn't want to growl at Bella.

"There's a reason why I do everything, can we leave it at that." Bella asked after a thoughtful pause.

'Ugh, why does she have to be so difficult?' Alice.

I had a sudden desire to tell Alice a story about a pot and kettle.

She spared me a quick vampire glance. 'Do it, it applies to you too.' She had a point there.

Jasper spoke up softly from where he sat. His thoughts and words were both planned perfectly to try to get a reaction out of Bella. "Are you wanting to keep the ring on, to block our powers?" From his thoughts I knew he hadn't gotten the reaction he wanted.

Bella didn't answer at first. Her face was emotionless as she absentmindedly fiddled with the ring on her finger.

'Let's just forget about the ring and get to the real reason she is here.' Rose was almost as desperate to protect the three of them as I was.

'This isn't getting us anywhere.' Emmett grumbled. He was looking forward to finding out what we were signing up for.

'Bella needs to feel comfortable here, otherwise she won't tell us everything, if anything.' Carlisle sent me the warning and I nodded my understanding. Jasper and Alice were making this more difficult than it needed to be.

Jasper and Alice were waiting for Bella's response, the two of them believing she wanted to keep the ring on to block our powers. Well their powers, my powers didn't work on Bella. Although if it wasn't blocking Anna's mind from me, maybe we could learn something helpful.

'Do you think it would be easier if there weren't so many of us here? I could wait in my study.' Esme offered.

I didn't get a chance to answer though.

Anna climbed off Rose's lap and moved to Bella's. After climbing onto Bella's lap she pressed her little cheek against Bella's.

The action seemed to pull Bella away from her thoughts, allowing her to finally answer Jasper. "The reason I wear the ring depends on the situation. Right now I'm wearing it to conceal the smell of my blood."

"Which is totally unnecessary." Alice crossed her arms over her chest. 'Why won't she trust us?'

'We already told her we weren't thirsty.' Emmett.

'Alice and Jasper should just back off. We can get her to trust us with her scent later. It's not like that's really important at the moment.' Rose.

'Her face looks sincere, I think she's telling the truth. She's just worried about her scent.' Jasper.

'Poor Bella, we shouldn't be arguing about this with her. She has a right to do what she feels she needs to, to keep her and the girls safe.' Esme.

'We should just leave this matter for now.' Carlisle's thoughts were once again a silent warning.

Alice of course wasn't going to drop it. "Really, Bella, the lack of trust is insulting."

"Well I'm sorry," Bella snapped with as much annoyance Alice had, "but I can't risk the chance that my blood sings to one or more of you."

Bella's words had frozen the seven of us in shock.

Would the amount of knowledge Bella has, ever cease to surprise me?

'So it really is about her blood.' Jasper.

'What else does Bella know about, for crying out loud?' Emmett.

'See, Bella has a valid reason for wanting to keep her ring on. We should just drop this conversation and start the actual important one.' Rose.

'How does Bella know so much?' Alice.

'Oh no, how will knowing about singers affect Bella, when she finds out about Edward.' Esme.

'How interesting, Bella surely is quite knowledgeable about vampires. Where does she get her information from though?' Carlisle.

I sighed, realizing that Esme may have a valid concern. "So you know about singers too?"

Alice cleared her throat again, and smiled sheepishly at Bella before she could answer my question. "Bella, we already know we can handle the smell."

I was appalled by her audacity to bring that up. She had no right to mention my control with my bloodlust. I should be the one to tell Bella that.

Emmett beat both Alice and I to it.

"Even Edward there beside you," he teased. His thoughts told me that he decided it would be better to get that information out in the open sooner rather than later. He had no right to bring it up though.

I stiffened and tried to calm myself. I couldn't exactly attack Emmett while he was holding Cissy.

It didn't take long for Bella to realize what Emmett's words meant. My heart plummeted.

Much to the surprise of my family and me, Bella took her ring off. She took a deep breath before taking it off and putting it in her pocket.

Bella's scent washed over me. The burn in the back of my throat wasn't as bad as it had been the first time. I was definitely getting used to her scent.

'Are you alright?' Esme.

'None of us will think less of you if you need to leave.' Carlisle.

I relaxed after a few seconds, and seeing me sitting comfortably beside Bella, made my parents relax too.

'You'll be fine today. I'm so excited, I can see Bella.' Alice.

I didn't understand why that was so important. Bella was sitting with us in our living room, what could go wrong. Then again there was a lot that could go wrong.

'Bella's nervous, and cautious. She's also afraid.' Jasper chuckled softly and nodded discreetly at the little girls. 'Cissy's happy and Anna's overjoyed.'

'Now we can finally get down to business.' Emmett.

'Poor Bella looks torn. She should just put the ring back on.' Rose.

"Now that that is taken care of," Alice grinned excitedly at Bella, thrilled that she was trusting us; "let's talk."

"The floor is yours Bella," Carlisle graciously told Bella. "When you're ready."

Bella nodded her thanks and took a breath to begin.

Alice interrupted her again, before she could start. "So what made you decide to talk with us?"

'The wolves are back in La Push. Rose growled, startling the rest of our family.

I growled and instinctively pulled Bella closer to me. True the danger had past but just knowing she had been near those volatile creatures.

The rest of our family were glancing between Rose and me curiously.

'What's wrong?' Alice, Jasper and Emmett, all thought together.

Whatever it is, the three of them are safe, here in our living room.' Esme was trying to calm me down.

Carlisle spoke aloud for Bella's benefit. "What is wrong?"

"The wolves are back," I hissed.

'I had assumed that the wolves had all passed by now.' Carlisle.

'Those giant dogs better not have hurt Bella or the little girls.' Emmett.

'At least they didn't hurt any of them.' Esme.

"Wolves, what wolves?" Alice asked the question that both she and Jasper had been thinking.

Rose answer was pushed through clenched teeth, while I was completely unable to reply. "The Quileute wolves down in La Push, they're back. You and Jasper weren't with us yet when we met them last time." She turned to Carlisle. "I thought they had died by now?"

"That's what I had thought too." He grasped his chin in his hand while he thought, a habit he had picked up in his many years of life. "It must be a new generation."

"The gene is passed on from generation to generation," Bella spoke up.

So she knew about the wolves too.

'She must have gotten the information from the tribe.' Carlisle faced Bella excitedly. "Did they tell you that?"

She nodded. "They told me their legend about the wolves."

Carlisle's look intensified. 'The wolves are remarkable creatures. It would be a privilege to learn more about them.'

I had considered the wolves interesting at one time too. The way their minds were connected were fascinating, but I could care less about that now.

"You weren't hurt were you?" I asked before Carlisle could ask any more questions about the wolves.

Bella glanced up into my eyes. For a moment everything around me was gone, I was lost in Bella's beautiful brown eyes.

"I'm fine. They didn't hurt me. I have been banned from La Push though." She didn't seem too upset about the last part; though I couldn't figure out why she would be banned.

My family's thoughts echoed mine.

"Why would they ban you from their land?"

'Careful, Bella regrets telling us that.' It was nice having Jasper's powers working on the girls and Bella again. He could monitor their emotions and hopefully keep them calm through this discussion.

If Bella was regretting mentioning the ban, that probably meant she wouldn't tell us.

So Anna told us. "Auntie Bella smells like vampire."

'What?' Came the thoughts of my siblings.

"Our scents," Esme cried with remorse. 'Our scents are all over their stuff and their room. Of course it must have rubbed off on the girls.'

Just another reason why we should stay away from them, sadly.

'Knock it off Edward,' Alice growled silently at me.

Bella shook her head. "It wasn't any of your guys' scent. It was mine."

'Her scent, she doesn't smell like a vampire.' Emmett.

'All I smell is human.' Jasper.

'How does Bella have a vampire scent?" Rose.

'I knew Bella was special but this is just weird.' Alice.

'Bella's story is becoming even more intriguing.' Carlisle.

'Poor Bella, with every new thing we learn about her, it seems to affect her life even more.' Esme.

I couldn't think, my brain was refusing to put the new pieces together with what I already knew about my Bella.

Bella took a deep breath, steadying herself for the next bit of information to give away. "I'm not sure how to start, so I might as well tell you what I am."

It was a little while before any of us spoke. Her words had seemed garbled in my head, making them next to useless. The vast confusion we were all feeling made it difficult for me to comprehend my family's thoughts for the moment.

"Aren't you human?" Emmett finally asked; being the only one able to form a simple question.

The laugh that came from Bella, was a dead sound, there was nothing humorous about it. "Not entirely."

How could my sweet Bella not be human? She looked human, she smelled human, -well better actually- she acted human, sort of.

'Yes, if Bella's already not a normal Human, Edward, can't use that excuse not to change her.'

I glared quickly at my sister the movements too fast for a human to notice. Hopefully Bella didn't notice either. It didn't matter if Bella wasn't entirely human, I still wasn't going to change her. She wouldn't have to live this half-life if I had any say in it.

'If Bella's not human, what is she? Are the girls human?' Rose.

'Sweet, if Bella's not human than that means those hunters probably aren't either. Which means they'll be more of a challenge.' Of course Emmett would be wanting a more difficult fight. He rarely ever got a chance to use his full strength.

'Bella's still uncomfortable but she determined to tell us this. Whatever she is, it's stressing her out not to tell us.' Jasper.

'I hope this won't cause any problems between Edward and Bella's relationship.' I loved my mother, but sometimes it was hard to listen to her thoughts. To be more exact, it was difficult to listen to her hope. Hope that I'll finally be happy.

Carlisle silently called out to me. 'Edward, how are you handling all of this? This new information about Bella, it will affect you more, seeing as she's your mate.'

I shrugged subtly; only he knew I was answering him.

'She quite a remarkable young lady,' my father added in his thoughts.

I nodded. Bella was indeed remarkable.

Our silent conversation didn't last long, not long enough for Bella or the girls to notice.

Bella took in our curious glances and continued. "Not a lot of mythical beings, and even less humans, know about this, but there are creatures that are called Transitional Creatures. Humans that are slowly becoming mythical beings."

'Transitional Creatures, I've never heard of anything like them. Humans turning into mythical beings, it's unbelievable.' Carlisle.

'So Bella's a transitional creature? What is she turning into? This is getting better with each confession. Wait vampire scent.' Emmett.

'Are the girls turning into mythical beings too?' Rose.

'Transitional creatures? How have we never heard of such beings?' Jasper.

'I knew Bella was going to be part of our family.' I only caught a flash of Alice's vision before she blocked me from her mind. Whenever it had finished though she grinned at me like the Cheshire cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

'Transitional creatures, I'm not sure why, but that sounds painful.' Esme, she was always worrying about the people she loves, but that's what makes her the perfect mother.

I ignored the rest of my family's thoughts, focusing only on the person beside me, in my arms. The girl that was completely confusing me. Who are you really Bella Swan?

I didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"The most common of the transitional creatures were given the shortened name Transitionals. Transitionals are humans who are slowly turning into vampires." She sighed. "I'm a Transitional."

My world came to a stunned standstill. Bella, the love of my life, she was turning into a vampire. She was going to join my world and there was nothing I could do about it. How could someone as amazing as Bella be forced to live this half-life? How long has Bella been a transitional?

While I didn't want this life for Bella, I obviously couldn't change it. She was turning into one of our kind. A part of me was sad for her. A whole other part was filled with joy. Bella and I could be together forever. It felt like my heart was trying to beat again.

'Yes! Now stop wallowing Edward. Be happy that you can keep Bella forever and you didn't even have to damn her to this life.' Alice was grinning like a loon.

'This is wonderful, now the two of them can be together forever.' Esme's excitement and love doubled in that one moment. Not only was I going to be able to keep Bella forever, she was too. Esme was looking forward to spending time with the girl who had already become her third daughter.

'What about the little girls? How is Bella supposed to care for them once she becomes one of us? She won't be able to be near them until she has control of the bloodlust.' Rose's thoughts were now worried about the girls. She was already thinking about volunteering to care for them.

'Sweet, now Edward won't be so moody anymore.' I focused my mind away from Emmett's, sensing that his thoughts were turning down a direction I didn't want to think about.

'Edward, you should be happy. You and Bella can be together for the rest of eternity. You can have what the rest of us have. You also won't have to worry about killing her.' Jasper didn't keep his pep talk long. His thoughts had turned to learning more about Bella, what exactly she is and what she can do.

'This is wonderful. Our family will be complete, and Edward won't have to feel any guilt in changing Bella. She'll be one of us without the need of being changed. Maybe the fact that Bella was always meant to be a vampire will help Edward come to term with his own change. Bella will be good for him, either way.' Carlisle.

Again Emmett broke the silence. "You don't smell like a vampire."

Bella nodded. "I was surprised when Sam said he could smell vampire on me, since none of you seemed to."

"The wolves seem to have a strong sense of smell, that or our smell is more potent to them." Carlisle was thoughtful again. 'I wonder if the tribal elders added Bella to the treaty.'

If they didn't we would have to.

Jasper glanced around the room, his words were for the family. "I'm surprised we've never heard of Transitionals before. I always felt that with all the people we know and come across, we get more information than most of our kind."

Bella answered his thought quickly. "Like I said, very few know about my kind. Not even the Volturi know about us."

'Bella's information is outstanding.' Carlisle.

'It's frightening just how much she knows about our kind, and yet we know nothing of her kind.' Jasper.

"What out of the Vampire world don't you know?" Emmett asked the question that we all were wanting to ask.

"Um, pretty much everything; maybe minus a few little things," She replied simply. The way she said it made me believe her instantly.

Emmett didn't believe her. 'Yeah right; she might know a lot, but not as much as she's claiming.'

'It would be exciting to learn what all Bella knows, but that should wait for another day.' Carlisle.

'Bella is completely serious. How could she possibly know so much?' Jasper.

'It wouldn't be the first time someone came into our lives knowing more than the rest of us.' Rose's thoughts drifted to the time Alice and Jasper had joined our family.

'Maybe that's why the Hunters are after her. She knows something she's not supposed to?' Alice idea sounded plausible.

I had learned in my long life that sometimes it wasn't always good to know so much. There was always some sort of information that should stay secret.

Carlisle and Esme's thoughts were intrigued. They didn't doubt Bella's words and they were both eager to hear more.

Bella rolled her eyes at Emmett's doubtful look. "My family was from the other world, that's how I know so much."

'Other world,' echoed in my family's thoughts, ranging in emotion.

Carlisle and Esme were curious, Jasper thoughtful, Alice critical, Rose was confused, and Emmett was laughing in his head.

He didn't keep it there though, and the noise broke out of him loudly. "Other world? You know that just sounds ridiculous right?"

Bella nodded. Something sparked in her eyes and I could see that she found at least the name 'other world' funny. "Not very many people know that three different worlds make up planet earth. The human world, the mythical world, and then the other world. All three of the worlds interact with each other, and yet for the most part the human world is oblivious to the other two. Well, very few in the mythical world know about the other world. The other world on the other hand knows basically everything about the other two."

How would the other world know so much about the other two worlds? It was obvious Bella had a lot that she needed to tell us, but my mind was already reeling with the little information she had already mentioned. The thoughts of my family members, in my head wasn't helping either.

'The other world sounds like fun.' Emmett.

'The other world obviously is closer to our world rather than the human's. But how is it we don't know about it?' Jasper.

'This is so amazing. All of our fears about Bella and how exactly she'll be a part of our family were ridiculous. Bella knows about our kind, she's turning into one of us, and none of us told her anything. This is perfect.' Alice.

'Bella's family was from the other world, but was it her dad's family or mom's? Maybe both? I have to know whether or not the girls are from there too. It makes sense that they are.' Rose.

'Bella looks so much more relaxed than when she first sat down. She seems to be okay with telling us all of this. It must be a heavy burden to bear all the knowledge she has.' Esme.

'The other world must have a vast set of security measures to make sure the other two worlds don't find out about them.' Carlisle.

"I still can't believe we haven't heard about this before. You said the Volturi doesn't know about your kind, do they know about the other world?" Jasper was trying to figure out how an entire world was hiding from our world, a group that we had all thought was superior in that area of expertise.

A quiet chuckle escaped Bella's lips. The gentle sound was music to my ears.

"The Volturi are oblivious, just like most of the mythical world." Her smirk was proof enough that it was true.

"But if the most common of transitional creatures are transitionals, wouldn't all those vampires that hadn't been bitten, make our world suspicious?" Jasper asked thoughtfully. "Surely our kind would have noticed."

'Whoa, I wonder if any of the vampires we know were transitionals.' Emmett.

'He has a point vampires popping up out of nowhere would alert other vampires; especially the Volturi.' Alice.

'It's going to be awkward now. Would we be able to tell if the vampire was changed or was a transitional?' Rose.

'You would think if humans were changing into mythical beings that the world would be a crowded place. The mythical world would soon become more populated than the human world. And if Transitionals are the most common transitional creature, the humans could become extinct.' I shuddered at Carlisle's thought. The truth in it was alarming. Esme's weren't any better though.

'I wonder how the Volturi would react to this news. Though I've never met them, from what Carlisle has told us, I'd say it wouldn't be a good idea for them to know about the other world.'

If I could, I'd make sure the Volturi never learned about any of this, let alone Bella.

"It's not exactly a mystery why your kind hasn't noticed them. Meeting one of my kind who completed the transition is rare." Bella's voice brought me back from my thoughts. Her words had been thick with an unexpected hollowness. She wore a grimace on her face. My very core ached to remove it and replace it with the smiles that I had seen on her face whenever she played with Anna or Cissy.

Then my brain seemed to recognize the meaning of Bella's words. If it was rare to meet someone who completed the transition, then that most likely meant not very many people do complete it.

"How many of your kind actually survive the transition?" Alice glanced my way nervously. 'Don't freak out, we need to know this.'

'Bella's worried, probably about how you'll react.' Jasper.

"Forty percent of transitionals are killed by the Hunters." Bella lifted her hand; a silent plea asking us to wait until she was done. "Forty percent, by the Undermining. Five percent by vampires. Three percent die by human causes, illness, natural disasters, violence. Then another three percent die because of accidents caused by the transition itself."

'That's horrible, no wonder we've never met any other transitionals. And poor Bella was trying to deal with this on her own. Well, no more.' Esme.

'With a percentage as low as that, it's a wonder if any of them survive. How was Bella planning to get through all of it on her own? Perhaps she had a way, but surely it would be a struggle to go through everything alone. Now we know why her father wanted her to talk with us.' Carlisle.

'Those Hunters and whatever the Undermining is, they better keep their hands off my baby sister. I'll make sure she never has to deal with any of them.' Emmett.

'I can't believe was going to go it alone. I just can't understand it. Bella has to think about Anna and Cissy. If something were to happen to her, what would happen to them? Sure Charlie could take them in, but I just can't see that. The girls need her. So why try to do this alone?' Rose's thoughts turned to the first time Bella had left our house. She had made a comment about not losing anyone else. 'She's keeping everyone at arm's length to protect them from her troubles.'

Of course Bella was, she was selfless like that.

'I feel so bad for Bella. She's probably worried about whether or not she'll complete the transition. I wonder if vampire venom can change her. It's no doubt too soon to ask that though, and I don't want to upset her.' Alice.

'Transitionals are danger magnets. It's a wonder if any of them survive. Sorry Edward.' Jasper apologized quickly knowing the thought of losing our mates tends to worry our kind.

My poor Bella was a danger magnet. So that's why when she answered Alice's question, I pulled her onto my lap and wrapped her in my protective arms, before she could even finish.

My thoughts were solely on protecting Bella that I didn't even hear her answer.

'Edward calm down, she's right here and there's no danger.' Alice.

'You are so lucky Anna managed to stay on Bella's lap. If she had fallen because you were overreacting I would have kicked you butt out of this room.' Rose growled in her head so she wouldn't startle Bella or the little girls.

'You need to relax. Nothing is going to happen to Bella. We'll make sure of that.' Jasper.

'Dude, chill, she's right there. What could happen to her in a house with seven vampires?' I glared at Emmett but he was already clarifying his thoughts. 'We'll make sure she doesn't hurt herself, and that no one else does either.'

'It would seem Bella has come to terms with her chance of survival. How is she supposed to finish the transition if she believes she can't?' Carlisle.

'We're going to have to be very careful with Bella.' Esme.

Emmett decided it was time to lighten the mood. "Well, that clears up one question, but now we have several more."

Bella's laughter was welcomed. "Get used to it, it'll get worse before it can get better."

Emmett pretended to groan, putting on a show to make both Anna and Bella laugh. He gave Cissy to Rose and placed his head in his hands. "Just get on with it then."

Bella sighed, and to my delight she rested her head against my shoulder. I tried to ignore my mother's silently happiness and focused on Bella.

"Um, I'm still not sure how to start?"

I had a perfect place for her to start. "Start with who the Hunters and the Undermining are?"

Bella paused for a moment, and we all worried that she wasn't going to tell us. Thankfully she did after getting some reassurance from Anna. "The Hunters are a group of people from the other world. They are one hundred percent human."

"Then they won't be a problem." Emmett announced confidently.

'Humans we can handle easily.' Rose thought for a brief moment about the men she had killed after becoming a vampire. They had been the cause for her need to be changed.

'One less thing to worry about.' Esme.

'If the Hunters are human, we shouldn't have any trouble protecting Bella.' Carlisle.

'Bella should have realized that we can handle a group of humans. Seriously, does she really not trust us?' Alice.

'I can see how human hunters can be a problem for Bella, but we're a lot stronger than she is, and there are seven of us. Bella should know that she can trust us.' Jasper.

'Why is she glaring at me?'

I glanced down at Bella after hearing Emmett's thoughts.

Her eyes were narrowed and her face was serious. "Just because they're human doesn't mean they're not dangerous. The Hunters have tools and special abilities that make them extremely dangerous. No offense to any of you, I'm just going from my own experiences, but if the fight is between a hunter and a vampire, my money is on the hunter."

I stiffened again, having only relaxed slightly. My brief moment of hope that the Hunter issue would be over quickly, was gone. I didn't care how long it was going to take, I would make Bella safe.

'Well if that's the case it's no wonder Bella didn't want to tell us. Bella didn't want to chance one of us getting hurt, or worse.' Rose hugged Cissy closer to her. 'She doesn't want to lose anyone else.'

'I don't see how a bunch of humans can take down a vampire. It sounds ridiculous; but Bella wouldn't lie to us.' Emmett.

'If that's what Bella thinks than I believe her, but she doesn't know much about our family. I'm sure once we know about the Hunters we can come up with a battle plan.' Alice.

'Bella is dead serious about this.' I flinched at Jasper's thoughtless choice of word.

'Don't worry Edward, we can handle whatever comes. I know our family can handle whatever comes our way.' While Esme's thought was positive, she was still worried about all of us.

'We'll have to be careful, but we should be able to create some sort of strategy for removing the Hunters as a threat to Bella. We'll know more once we learn more about them. We will figure something out Edward.' Carlisle silently promised.

Bella took our silence as a clue to continue. "The Hunters believe that transitional creatures shouldn't exist, they have no purpose in any of the worlds. There are humans and there are mythical beings, transitional creatures blur those lines. So the Hunters have made it their job to un-blur the lines."

'Well they're jerks.' Emmett.

'Some people just can't leave well enough alone.' Rose.

'That is an absolute stupid reason to kill someone. What good does it do?' Alice.

'All those poor people. I can't understand what would possess someone to do such a horrible thing to another person for a reason that is just barbaric. Everyone deserves the chance to live.' Esme.

'I still can't fathom how people can kill others just because of their differences.' Carlisle.

'I think, for the moment we should change the topic. Bella needs a reprieve from talking about the Hunters. She's getting more distressed with each second.' Jasper.

Alice, seeing that we need to change the subject asked about the other group. "And the Undermining?"

Bella groaned. "Another group from the other world. The Hunters consider the Undermining their rivals since they try to destroy transitional creatures too."

"But that isn't their purpose," Jasper questioned.

Bella nodded. "You see, the Undermining, they took over the other world. The other world, it used to keep the planet balanced, or rather it was keeping the human and mythical worlds in line. There used to be only one group of people that made up the other world, but since the Undermining took over, there's three groups. The Undermining, the Hunters, and the Rebellion."

"You weren't kidding about it getting worse." Emmett grumbled. "All this information is just adding to the questions I know I want to ask." He glanced at the rest of us. "I'm sure you all must have as many questions as I do."

We all nodded. There were plenty of questions that were running in my family's thoughts. What happened when the other world took over? How did the other world keep the other two worlds in line? What is the Rebellion? What does it do? Are they the good guys? What's the purpose of the Rebellion? Of the Undermining?

My mind was swamped with everyone's questions, and my brain was working on trying to put them all in an order to make them easier to ask.

"If destroying transitional creatures isn't the Undermining's purpose what is?" Carlisle asked thoughtfully.

Bella's face darkened with anger. "The Undermining is all about power. They want to be the strongest, fastest, most powerful, and most importantly, they want to be in charge. Their goal is to take over the world just like any other villain."

'Classic villain.' Emmett agreed in his thoughts.

"So getting rid of the transitional creatures is one of the ways to get control?" Rose hissed.

Bella face calmed slightly as she stared my sister down.

'Not just transitional creatures.' Jasper realized what Bella was meaning first. "They have to get rid of anyone who could be stronger than them, to get what they want," he spoke aloud.

Bella nodded once.

'People have been trying for years. They're still trying. I doubt any one person or group will ever control the entire world. There will always be someone willing to fight for what is right.' Jasper.

'Power crazy fools.' Emmett

'Bella has more on her plate than any of us thought.' Rose.

'When will people learn, the idea of ruling the world, is only an idea. Surely the two world wars could teach that. When threatened, the people fight for their lives, and the lives of those they love.' Alice.

'Poor Bella, you've had to deal with too much on your own. I promise we'll protect you and the girls.' Esme.

'We'll need to take this slowly. From what we've already heard, I believe we'll need a solid plan. We can't risk any mistakes. There's too much at risk.' I had to agree with Carlisle, the risk would be great, but we were already involved and I knew none of us would be scared away. We were all ready to protect our family.

"Are the members of Undermining human too?" Carlisle was trying to hide his worry.

Bella shook her head and her scent hit me just as I had taken a breath. She didn't seem to notice that I had frozen in place and stopped breathing as she explained about the Undermining.

"The members of the Undermining are immortals. They look human, they act human, they can even be killed in the same ways humans can; but they are stronger. The members of the Undermining have abilities that makes their jobs easier. They're the major problem of the two, in dealing with the bigger picture."

'Sure sounds like it, what with the Hunters being human.' Emmett.

'If they can be killed like humans can, then hopefully that means we can stop them. At least protect Bella from them.' Rose.

'We have our own abilities that will help us, and we have friends who would be willing to help.' Alice.

'The Undermining might be the major problem of the two, but the Hunters are here now, and the Undermining are not. At least, as far as we know. Bella will tell us though, she's reaching out to us and is slowly trusting us.' Jasper.

'Oh, I can't believe what I'm hearing. Bella makes it sound like she's working to try to stop the Undermining, not just trying to stay away from them. Bella shouldn't have to deal with any of this. She's young, still a child. She should be out enjoying the final years of her childhood. Why does she feel like she has to help stop the Undermining?' Esme.

'Are you alright?' of course Carlisle had noticed my brief moment of distress. I nodded and he continued with the conversation at hand.

"It would seem there's quite a bit of information you have for us. As Emmett pointed out we all have multiple questions for you; perhaps you should explain your part in all this, and when you're done we can ask our questions that weren't answered." 'Bella definitely isn't just on the run from the Undermining, she's working to help stop them.'

We all knew it was true without the conformation, but I got it straight for the pony's mouth first, rather than the horse's; as the saying goes.

'Auntie's more important than you think. She can stop the bad guys.' Anna didn't turn to look at me, so I didn't give her away by glancing down at her.

Bella forced the air out of her lungs and took a deep breath before she begin. A common sign that what she was going to tell us would be long. We all settled in for the tale.

'Yes she's going to tell us everything and we didn't have to do much to convince her.' Alice.

'Finally.' Emmett.

'Time to find out what we're signing up for.' Rose.

'I might have to start altering the emotions in the room if I'm going to stay. I didn't want to have to, since I wasn't sure how Bella would react, but it's getting hard to deal with all the negative emotions.' Jasper kindly gave me a heads up, and I nodded in understand. There were many times that his and my power for that matter made it difficult for us to handle certain places are situations.

'Whatever she tells us, we all will have to remember that she's right here with us for the moment.' Esme's reminder wasn't just for me, even though I was the only other person that heard it.

'Are you going to be okay, hearing this?' I nodded to answer Carlisle's thoughts.

I would be okay. It would be difficult, I'm sure to hear what was going to be sad, and I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't freak out. I could only promise to try to stay calm.

"Well, I guess the place to start would be around four hundred or so years ago; when the Undermining took over. Not long after the takeover, my family and a few other families started the Rebellion."

'Here family helped start the Rebellion?' Emmett.

"The Rebellion has been trying to stop the Undermining all these years, but it's hard for them. The Undermining can get to the next generation faster than we can."

'What is that supposed to mean?' Rose.

"Their numbers are far greater than our own."

'Even the smallest of army can prevail.' Jasper.

"Now, the Rebellion isn't a small thing, we have people all over the planet, from all three of the different worlds; so that can tell you how much larger the Undermining is."

'We're looking at a far more daunting task then any of us had thought about.' Carlisle.

"Most of the Rebellion is made up of people from the other world. Those people all have some sort of power or ability, which makes them different from humans. Though being immortal already makes them different from the mortal humans."

'Ah mortal humans, that explains the difference with the Undermining. They are immortal humans.' Alice.

"The split in the other world which was the result of the takeover, caused a shift in knowledge. Only the leaders of the other world knew about the transitional creatures, so when the Undermining took over they found out."

'If the Undermining hadn't taken over, than Bella and her kind would have had better chances of survival. The people in the Undermining wouldn't have known about them, and there wouldn't have been Hunters.' Esme.

"The only reason why the Rebellion even knows about transitional creatures is because one of our members has the gift of knowledge."

I had never heard of such a gift, and from the thoughts of my family I knew they hadn't either. Did the person know everything there was to know about anything? It sounded like a curse to me. The very idea about knowing everything, having no need for curiosity, was saddening.

"We're not sure how Grandpa Ray's powers work, but thanks to his powers we can find them faster than the Undermining can. His powers have come in handy in the fight."

'Bella's Granpa's powers sound awesome.' Emmett.

'How could someone handle knowing everything?' Rose.

'That type of gift is dangerous. The person would be coveted by all power seekers. That power in the wrong hands could…' Jasper couldn't finish his thought, it was too horrific.

'And I thought my power was useful.' Alice.

'That poor person probably has to hide for his safety.' Esme.

I didn't have to be a mind reader to know what Carlisle was thinking. 'Think of all we could learn. It would be an honor to get to speak with him.'

Carlisle was a scholar through and through.

I too enjoyed seeking out knowledge. I could imagine spending hours talking with Bella's grandfather, if he was willing.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Bella sighed. She ran a hand over Anna's curls. "It was Grandpa Ray who figured out I was Transitional."

Before any of us had a real chance to think on that Anna burst into giggles. The sweet noise turned into a roar of laughter quickly, bringing smiles too our face.

Bella's next words made mine disappear though.

"I'm glad you find my life funny," Her voice had a slight sneer in it.

Anna was unaffected, and laughed louder.

Bella shook her head and huffed, before continuing the story. "Since my family was one of main families who helped start the Rebellion we naturally had targets on our backs. That was the only reason really for the Undermining to target us. Like most of the other members of the Rebellion we had powers but nothing really interesting enough for the Undermining to want, so that was good."

'Bella's feeling guilty. I wouldn't doubt that she might think she put her family in more danger then they were in because of being a transitional.' Jasper noted silently.

"I was eight when my percentage was high enough for the Hunters to start tracking me."

The growl had already passed my lips before I could stop it. The idea of someone tracking my Bella, made my vision red, I had no hope of keeping my growls to myself.

"A little help here, or we'll never get through this." I heard Bella ask someone as I tried unsuccessfully to calm down.

The next thing I knew, Anna had set her hand on my cheek. I stiffened as a strange sense swept over me. The first thing I felt was warmth, but then it seemed like everything inside of me had vanished. My emotions and thoughts had vanished briefly. I felt peaceful and relaxed even though I was feeling nothing.

"What is that?" I heard Jasper ask. From his thoughts I was able to tell he had felt it too.

What sort of powers did Anna have?

'Are you alright?' Esme.

I didn't get a chance to answer.

"Can, can you feel Anna's powers?" Bella asked Jasper. Her voice and face easily conveyed her curiosity.

Jasper nodded.

"Anna's an empath too," Emmett gasped.

'I'm not sure how to even explain what happened. But she wasn't manipulating your emotions, in fact they vanished for a second. I couldn't feel anything from you.'

Anna's powers were something, but not an empath. "I don't think she's an empath, but there is something there, a strange feeling that she's showing me."

"She's trying to show you that there's no danger around."

'Does Anna only sense danger, or can she sense other things too?' Rose.

'Sweet, Anna's like a human security system.' Emmett.

'So Anna has been helping Bella stay out of danger.' Alice.

'All those times we thought they were having a silent conversation, I wonder, was Anna actually showing Bella what she was feeling?' Carlisle.

'Anna's been monitoring the dangers near them all this time.' Jasper.

'Anna has an amazing power, but it must come with a hefty amount of responsibility for such a little girl.' Esme.

I was shocked that someone so young could have such a strong power. Anna was only three, but as far as I could tell she had control over her powers.

Bella moved, turning so she could look at me as she spoke. "If there was any danger around Anna would know about it. What you're feeling isn't danger, so you can stop growling; or at least try to stop."

I smiled sheepishly. Again, I would try but that was all I could promise.

"Where was I?" She asked turning back to my family.

"Your percentage was high enough you could be tracked by the Hunters," Carlisle reminded her kindly. "Could you explain a bit about your percentage?"

Bella smiled. She nodded, and then tried to get up, which was impossible with my arms around her.

She sighed. "Anna could you get my information box?"

Anna grinned at Bella before climbing down and running off.

'We're gonna tell them everything,' Anna sang in her head.

I held back a chuckle. That precious little girl had worked so hard to help get her Auntie to come talk with us.

'How are you handling the fact that your mate is turn into one of us?' Emmett thought teasingly.

My mind was a jumbled mess on that issue. Mostly I was ecstatic. While I hadn't wanted this life or would have given it to Bella, I was immensely glad that we would be together forever. Everything had worked out perfectly.

Anna came back with the circular device that we had all assumed Bella had been using to track the Hunters.

'I guess that doesn't track the hunters after all.' Alice.

I reached out for her and she let me help her back up. She gave Bella the box after she was settled on Bella's lap.

Bella held up the device. "This is my information box, it tracks pretty much everything about me; my transition, health, and of course my location."

'That must be how Charlie was able to find us in the woods behind the school.' Jasper.

"Now, as for my percentage, it's what percentage of vampire I am. Hunters can track my kind once their above ten percent. I was eight when my percentage went above ten percent."

A smug grin spread across Bella's face, making my family and me smile.

"I've been doing everything I can to keep my percentage down so my transition can last longer. The longer the transition period the easier it is to adjust to your new life. Most transitionals are over ten percent by age three."

'Three? Wow, I wonder how hard it was for her to keep her percentage down.' Rose.

'She didn't get to ten percent until eight, how did she manage that if the normal transitional is three when they're at ten percent?' Alice.

'Wonder why it's so important to have a long transition. Wouldn't it be easier on her to take care of the Undermining and the Hunters if she was a vampire already?' Emmett.

'Bella is a very determined person.' Jasper.

'That's a remarkable achievement for someone so young.' Carlisle.

'Even at a young age Bella was showing the responsibility of an adult. Doing what she needed to do to take care of herself.' Esme.

It would appear Bella was always responsible, maybe she never did get a chance to be kid.

"So, I was eight when the Hunters attacked for the first time."

I managed to keep my growl in my chest this time. My thoughts and the thoughts of my family including Anna were reminding me that Bella was safe, sitting on my lap.

Bella turned to face me. "Nothing happened, Toby and his powers were as strong as a member of the Undermining, and the Undermining is stronger than the Hunters. Toby could easily handle the Hunters."

'Somethings off, Bella's not telling us the whole truth.' Jasper.

I knew Jasper was right when Bella back tracked.

"I hadn't been hurt, but the Undermining found out that I was a transitional that day. The Undermining wasn't thrilled that my family had a transitional among them. So my target got a little bigger. It wasn't much of a problem at the time, but we know it was going to get worse."

'How could it get worse?' Emmett.

'I just want to wrap her in my arms and make everything after her go away.' Esme.

'Bella's, never had an easy life it would seem.' Carlisle.

'We're definitely going to have to stay on our toes to take care of Bella and the girls.' Alice.

'How on earth did Bella's family handle that constant danger? That sort of lifestyle, always having to fight for your life, I could never deal with that.' Rose.

'We're getting to the harder stuff to talk about. Bella's struggling to stay calm.' Jasper.

I wanted to remove all of Bella's pain. Wipe it away so that it would never bother her again. I could see it in her eyes, on her face as she struggled with what she wanted to say next.

The war inside of her settled and she continued. "When I was ten my powers came in."

My mind quickly put together a list of possible powers. I couldn't read her thoughts, and now it was logical to think that that was because of a possible power Bella had. My top guess would be some sort of mental shield.

'Yes, we get to learn about her powers.' Emmett.

'Whatever her powers are they must have made her a more appealing target. Bella's feeling sorry for herself.' Jasper.

'If Bella got her powers when she was ten, why does Anna already of hers? Does the age depend on what type of ability they get?' Carlisle.

'I wonder what it would be like to be a little kid and have a super power.' Alice.

'Bella sounds like she would rather not have her powers.' Rose.

'I can't even imagine, what Bella's been through, and it's all just because she is who she is. That isn't fair at all.' Esme.

If there was one thing the seven of us understood, it was the fact that life wasn't fair, and it would appear Bella knew that first hand as well.

Bella took her ring out of her pocket, holding it out for us to see. "My grandfather gave me this for protection. It connects with my physical shield keeping it up so I don't have to do it manually. Since my mental shield is the dominant of the two, my subconscious controls it, keeping it around me."

'Mental, and Physical shield' echoed in all of our thoughts. We were all frozen in our seats trying to absorb what we had heard.

'No wonder the Undermining is after Bella. Anyone after power would want her. She's the ultimate defense. What Maria would have given for a person with a gift like that? She'd be the perfect weapon.' Jasper.

'That is awesome.' Emmett.

'Complete defensive powers, both mental and physical. Poor Bella will always be seen as a prize to win, or a weapon to be used. That's not a life for a young girl to have to deal with, and she's dealt with it since she was ten. I also have a feeling that she knew about her powers from the beginning, at least her family did.' Carlisle.

'I feel horrible. If I had those powers, I'd find a safe place to hide for the rest of my life; despite how pathetic that sounds. But I guess Bella can't do that, not since the Hunters can track her.' Rose.

'Bella's powers are remarkable, and I already know that they are strong. They'll be so much stronger once she's a vampire.' Alice.

Esme's thoughts were a jumble of words as she took in the implications of what Bella's powers could mean for her safety and contribution to her dangerous life. She was silently crying for her newest daughter.

The truth of Bella's words had rendered me speechless. I naturally turned into a statue thanks to the stress of the situation. I only reanimated when I heard Bella's voice again.

"The Undermining, like I said wants power. Long story short they no longer want me dead, but they want my power."

'If they ever get ahold of Bella's powers they very well might be able to take over the world. If Bella can project her shields, any army that would ever go against them would fail.' Jasper.

"My family knew that would happen though, so they put up precautions."

'So her family did know what her powers would be.' Carlisle.

"The Undermining can't find me here in Washington, so I only need to worry about the Hunters at the moment."

'Why can't the Undermining find her in Washington? How was that made possible?' Alice.

"When I'm not here though I have to have someone else with me for my own protection."

'We'll take care of that from now on.' Emmett.

Bella ran her hand over Anna's curls and the little girl grinned brightly. "Yes that's your job now. You can give me enough of a warning to get away."

Absolutely not. It was my job to protect Bella. That wasn't a job for a little girl. It didn't matter that Anna knew when danger is around, she shouldn't have such a responsibility at a young age. She deserved a chance to be a kid, and I was going to make sure she got her chance.

'We can surely take care of Bella better than Anna can. We can fight and protect, that's better than just a warning.' Emmett.

'Anna can help by warning us when danger is around, but it is not her job to take care of Bella, even if she does want it to be.' Rose.

'Anna of course is beneficial to helping protect Bella, but it would be safer for the both of them if we took over protecting Bella. Anna is proud to be able to help Bella though, so we shouldn't just remove her from what she gladly sees and wants as her job.' Jasper.

'We'll have be careful. Anna's going to be difficult, she won't give up her job without a fight.' Alice.

'I've got a feeling that Anna helped her family, in letting them know when there was danger. Despite what we all think is too much responsibility, I'm starting to think that Children of the other world are just far more responsible than normal children. We'll have to find a balance with Anna.' Carlisle.

'No, Anna is much too young. She shouldn't have to deal with any of that. She should playing, carefree. This could ruin her sweet childlike innocence.' Esme.

"Your safety is my responsibility now," I argued. I wasn't going to budge on this matter.

'My auntie, so my job, there.' Anna imagined sticking her tongue out at me, knowing if she actually did that Bella would realize something was up.

"Well, then I guess you're coming with us to Chicago next weekend." Bella announced.

'Good thing we're talking with her now, that means we'll be able to go with.' Emmett.

"Rose too!" Anna yelled, forgetting our silent argument immediately.

Rose's happiness could have become a new power source for the entire world. She was so happy she couldn't even form a coherent sentence in her mind. All I was able to get was a list of things to pack.

I was pulled into a vision that Alice was having. It was brief but it was upsetting. For reasons I couldn't figure out Anna would start crying soon.

"I wouldn't suggest that idea Bella, Anna's not ready for that yet." I didn't know what Alice was talking about, but knew that whatever Bella was going to suggest must have been what would have made Anna cry. Bella wouldn't make Anna cry on purpose though, so she must not have known what would happen if she had made the suggestion.

To keep Anna occupied I told her that Rose was already deciding what to pack.

Anna happily got down and hurried across the room, climbing onto Rose's lap.

The brief moment of happiness was shattered when Bella continued with the story.

She sighed and continued. "So the Hunters want me dead and the Undermining want my powers. While my family could protect me from both of them separately, they couldn't when they unintentionally teamed up."

'So they don't like working together.' Jasper.

'Unintentionally teamed up?' Emmett.

'This is it, what really happened to Bella's and the girls' family.' Rose.

'Unintentionally allies, that's usually how it works.' Alice.

'Poor Bella.' Esme struggled with the desire to take the seat that had been Bella's and wrap the two of us in her arms. She decided on staying beside Carlisle, not wanting to make this any more difficult for Bella.

"Do you think we should take a short break?" Carlisle asked Jasper low enough that Bella and the girls wouldn't hear. At least we figured the girls couldn't hear it, we weren't really sure if Bella could.

Alice was the one to answer. "If we stop now, Bella won't be able to continue. We need to let her finish."

Carlisle nodded regrettably. He, like the rest of us were feeling horrible about making Bella relive the loss of her family.

"The Undermining attacked us, after someone had told them where to find us."

None of us had expected those words, and all seven of us growled.

"Someone betrayed you and your family?" My voice was thick with a burning rage.

Bella nodded.

If I ever found the person who betrayed them I would make sure they suffered.

'If we ever find that person, he's going to wish he was dead.' Emmett.

'What has happened to this world? Trust has been so deeply scared by betrayal, that the very idea of it is considered dangerous.' Esme.

'That is just unbelievable. Who could do something like that when it affects someone so young?' Rose.

Trust has fallen short of what it used to be. You used to be able to trust people you only slightly knew, and now a days trusting people you've known for years can lead to your own demise.' Carlisle.

'Oh, Bella, and Anna, and Cissy, you poor things. I can't even imagine such a betrayal.' Alice.

Jasper grimaced slightly, feeling Bella's pain. He sent a wave of calm through the room. 'She really angry. Bella's definitely not a normal human, they can't feel this strongly. Whoever caused this pain better hope we never find them.'

"The Undermining and the Hunters together, were able to pull off the divide and conquer strategy."

'I hate that strategy.' Emmett had wanted to say those words aloud but figure it wouldn't lighten the mood like he wanted them too.

Bella definitely wouldn't have found it funny. "The Undermining have people who can take over a person's mind, while Hunters can take control of people."

'That would give them an easy advantage. No wonder, Bella thinks Hunters can take on vampires.' Jasper.

Bella's head lowered and she focused on her clasped hands. "My mental shield protects me from both, but it's hard for me to project that shield, I couldn't protect them."

Bella blamed herself. She thought it was all her fault; her feelings were written clearly on her face.

'Survivors guilt. Oh Bella, you couldn't have been expected to protect your entire family.' Carlisle.

'Oh sweetheart, none of what happened was your fault, you have to see that.' Esme.

'It wasn't your fault, it was the Undermining and the Hunters' faults.' Rose.

'Now I really want to pound something. How dare they make my little sister think it was her fault.' Emmett.

'It's going to take a while to get Bella to believe us that it wasn't her fault.' Alice warned me.

'Bella's feelings of guilt, are deep.' Jasper.

"The Undermining kept my mom from being able to use her physical shield and the Hunters used powers like my cousin Amanda's to attack us. Amanda could control fire, and it got out of hand."

I didn't know what to do, how to comfort her. I certainly didn't know what she would find comforting.

'That explains how the fire started.' Rose.

'Those creeps need a taste of their own medicine.' Emmett.

'How can we help Bella see that none of that was her fault?' Esme.

Survivor's quilt will be hard for her to overcome. We're going to have to be patient with her. We will find some way to help her see the truth though.' Carlisle.

'We need to do something.' Alice.

'I can't handle this, her quilt and pain is too much.' Jasper used his powers to remove Bella's quilt before it could get any worse. She glared at him and he returned the look with a sharp but sympathetic one. "It wasn't your fault Bella."

A split second later Alice and Jasper both growled silently. 'She put her physical shield up,' they thought together.

'Bella.'

Bella wrapped her arms around herself. "It was too, they gave their lives to protect me, and I couldn't do the same even though I had the power to do so."

Jasper tried to argue but Bella shook her head. "Well that's my story. You know what's happened since the three of us have moved up here. So I guess it's time for your questions." She glanced over at Carlisle.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. His jaw clenched slightly with determination. 'We will get you to see the truth Bella, I promise.'

Author's Note

I am so sorry for how long it took me to write this. I am blaming part of it on its size. 23 word document pages. Another part on the fact I forgot I was going on vacation so I lost a few days of writing. And finally and the fact I couldn't post anything until I was happy with it. I can tell you I'm sure glad it's done.

What did you think of the Cullens' POV for this chapter? Are you ready for the next chapter?

What did you think of Anna's thoughts? Did they seem child like to you?

I honestly can't say how long it will take me to get the next chapter ready, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm not going to promise to have it ready by this Saturday. We can always hope though.

Until next time.

Watch out for writer's block,

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