Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga nor the Twilight characters. I own my characters and ideas only.

Note: This chapter has not been beta-ed.

Farewell

"You…what?" I asked, staring at my sister in shock.

What did she just say? Did she…no, that couldn't be it. Jane would never say that she was going to leave the family, not like that. However, I knew I hadn't misheard her. She was leaving? She was going with Alec back to Volturi, right into their clutches, without any protection or a way to fight against Chelsea's gift? Did she lose her mind?

Jane ran a hand through her hair and sat down next to me. "I've decided I'm going to go with Alec to Italy, regardless of what he says. He needs me, Bella. I know my brother better than anyone else and the one thing that hasn't changed is the way he settles his problems. He's too peaceful and gentle. He'll back down before he goes through with the plan, I know it."

"But Jane…" I gently placed Alice down and took my sister's hands in mine. "If you go to the Volturi, they'll try to bind you to them. Without Esme and Carlisle's influence, you'll be vulnerable and there won't be a damn thing you can do. At least take Esme with you or me, but please don't do this by yourself. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened."

The thought terrified me; so many different things could happen to Jane and I wouldn't be there for her, none of us would. She'd be defenseless aside from her brother, and while his gift was handy and I knew he'd help her, they wouldn't be enough alone. They'd be overwhelmed.

Jane shook her head. "I have to do this on my own, Bella. I'm sorry, but I can't drag any of you into this, because if it backfires, I'd rather be the one to suffer the consequences."

I gripped her hands and growled. "I'm not letting you go, Jane." My inner animal refused to allow my sister, my coven mate, to do this. "I won't let you do it."

"You won't stop me, Bella," she said sternly, holding my gaze with her piercing gold eyes that destroyed my resolve and will to fight with her over it. "You'd never do that to me and we both know it. You love me too much and you could never force me to do anything. Esme and Carlisle taught you that, remember? So don't try and act tough. It won't work."

She was right about that and I hated admitting it to myself; no matter how tough or angry I was or acted, I could never openly try to stop one of my siblings from doing something they wanted to do, even if it was stupid and reckless like what Jane would be doing. I couldn't let her go alone, though, even if she was with Alec.

"I'll go with you, Jane," I said. "That way, I can—"

"Bella," Jane interjected, pulling her hands from mine to cup my cheeks. "No."

I grimaced and gave her a pleading look. "Please, Jane. Be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable," Jane replied. "Do you honestly think I would put you, my best friend and my favorite sister, in harm's way? You're the center piece of this family, Bella. Everyone loves you the most because without you, the Cullens wouldn't exist. Besides, you have Alice to protect. She needs you, Bella. The whole family does."

I turned to Alice, whose pulsing blue eyes radiated with multiple emotions. "Alice is a strong girl, Jane," I said, turning away to face my sister. "She has Cynthia to keep her safe, not to mention the others. Don't get me wrong; I would hate leaving her, but if it means protecting you, then I'll do it. You're my baby sister, Jane. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Jane smiled and kissed my cheek. "I'm pretty strong, Belly-Button. I've been in fights before and killed my fair share of vampires. Besides, if Alec and I team up, we'll be invincible. There's no reason to drag you into this. And if all else fails, I could probably kill Aro or Sulpicia myself and go out with a bang. Either way, you can't go with me and that's final."

"Damn you, Jane," I growled. "Why do you have to do this? What if you're wrong about Alec?"

"I'm not," Jane replied, removing her hands from my face. "Trust me, Bella. If there's one thing I've never been more dead certain about, it's my brother. He's strong, but not strong enough to do something of this magnitude by himself. I am, though. I'll be his support system and the arms that help him carry this load. I owe it to him as his sister."

"And if he refuses your help?" I asked.

"He won't," Jane replied. "He might try, but he'll fail. I've made my mind up. I'm going."

She stood up, but I immediately grabbed her and pulled her into my arms to hug her. Jane melted into my arms and she let me hold her for a long while, neither of us speaking or registering anything else but each other. My little sister, as much of a pain in the ass as she was, would be doing something far braver than anything I'd ever done in my life. I envied her bravery.

I hate her stubbornness, though, I grumbled in my mind. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"I don't know," Jane murmured, burying her face into my neck.

"They'll try to stop you," Alice said quietly. I felt bad for neglecting her like this, but I hoped she would understand. "Rosalie will threaten to rip your legs off to stop you from going. The only ones who won't are Esme and Carlisle. They'll attempt to talk you out of it, but since it's your choice, they'll support you in the end, under a few conditions."

Jane sighed. "Thank you, Alice. When is Alec leaving?"

"In ten minutes," Alice replied. "He's going to try to sneak off without saying a word."

"Bastard," Jane said with a snort. "He's just like me."

I gave her a squeeze and kissed her forehead. "Why tell me, Jane? Why not tell Riley?"

"Riley would want to go with me," Jane replied. "I love him too much to put him in danger that way. And while I love you almost as much as him, and I figured you'd react the way you did, you were the only one who wouldn't go through with a threat of stopping me." She smiled warmly at me. "You're too soft, Belly-Button. You love me too much."

I made a choking sound, which was me fighting back invisible tears. "Shut up, twerp."

"I'm going to tell Esme and Carlisle," Jane said, reluctantly prying herself from my arms. "I love you, Belly-Button. You are my dearest friend and my closest sibling, closer than I ever dreamed imaginable. Give the others my love and tell them not to come after me. And tell Riley…" She grimaced. "Tell him to be strong and that I'll see him soon."

"Okay," I replied, allowing her to stand. "Love you too, Janie."

She smiled briefly, then looked to Alice. "Watch over my sister, Alice."

"I'll do whatever it takes," Alice replied. "You have my word."

"Good," Jane said. "You'd better, or I'll kick your ass when I return."

She kissed Alice's forehead, then mine, before turning and darting up the stairs without another word. I slumped into the couch as the realization that my sister was going away hit me and I felt like a part of me was trying to break away. I swallowed the feeling down as Alice grasped my hand and gave it a squeeze, at which point I turned to her and embraced her.

"I didn't mean to—" Alice cut me off with a kiss and I felt the raw emotion in her lips as I sighed against her mouth. Alice wasn't upset; she would do the same thing for Cynthia, and I knew there was no reason for me to apologize or worry.

I heard the sound of a door open and close, then silence upstairs. I wondered if Alec had already left and Jane was on her way after him, but the thought dissipated when the front door opened and Riley walked into the family room, looking peaceful as he hummed to himself. He noticed Alice and I, however, and immediately frowned in worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You both look sad. Is everything okay?"

I hesitated and glanced at Alice. She tilted her head to one side, then pursed her lips. "He's going to go with her," she whispered into my ear. "Even if you stall, he'll figure it out."

My eyes widened in fear. "Nothing I say…?"

Alice shook her head. "No. I double checked. I'm sorry, Bella."

"Bella?" Riley asked, confused. "I'm assuming you're whispering about me, yes?"

"Jane's going with Alec to Italy," I said, not meeting his eyes. Alice wouldn't be wrong about something like this, and knowing Riley, he would figure it out fairly quickly. "She wanted you to stay here with the rest of us, but apparently, you won't. Just go, Riley. I don't have the heart to say goodbye to another sibling. Please take care of her and yourself."

Riley was silent for a moment before sighing. "I knew she'd make that call," he said. "I could see it in her eyes while he was talking about his past. I prepared myself for that in case it happened. Yes, I will be going. Words won't stop me. She's my mate, and it's my duty to be with her in this time, even if she gets upset. I'm sorry, sister. I love you."

"Love you too," I replied, forcing my eyes to meet his sorrow-filled ones. The magnitude of emotion in Riley's eyes was the strongest I'd ever seen in them. "Be safe." He nodded once, zipped over to kiss my forehead and smile at Alice, then he dashed upstairs as well. Now two pieces of me had broken away, and I had done nothing to try and stop it. "Alice…"

Alice stroked my cheek lovingly. "They're gone, Bella. Alec left two minutes ago, Jane is hot on his heels and Riley just now left. They'll come together within the hour and, after ten minutes of arguing, they'll grudgingly travel together to Italy."

"Thanks," I said, hugging her. "This day stinks."

"Agreed," Alice mumbled. "This whole month has stunk."

We laid there together for a few minutes, but I couldn't sit still, even with Alice with me. I knew Jane had gone to see Esme and Carlisle before she left. Did Riley? Knowing him, he probably didn't, since Riley was far more emotional then he seemed. I saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes at the thought of being away from us, so seeing them would have destroyed him inside.

If anything, I would have to be the one to tell them he was gone, which would only add onto the fact that Jane was leaving. And I could just imagine how they felt. As the parents, their bond with each of was even more powerful than what I had with my siblings. It hurt to think about.

"Alice?" I said after mulling it over in my brain, trying hard not to think about it.

"Yes, Bella?" she said.

"Can we go see Carlisle and Esme?" I asked.

"Sure," she replied.

We headed upstairs to my parents study room once more, only this time, I didn't bother knocking, I simply walked in to see Carlisle comforting Esme behind their desk. Carlisle's eyes met mine as Alice shut the door and he smiled sadly at me.

"You've come to tell us Riley has gone too, haven't you?" Carlisle asked.

"Partially," I admitted, sitting down and pulling Alice to my lap. "I was going to keep him out of the dark as long as I could, but Alice saw that nothing I did would matter. Riley knew Jane was thinking about it before I even got my stupid idea. He was going to go regardless." I pressed my forehead into Alice's and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Esme asked. Her voice was strained and it broke my heart to hear. "You couldn't have done anything, sweetheart. Those two are both stubborn as hell."

"I know," I said. "But I still…" I cut myself off, knowing there were no words to say. Esme was right; Jane was too stubborn and would do what she damn well wanted, Riley too. "I just wish there was another way instead of letting them go off like this. It's dangerous and there's no telling what the Volturi will do. I'm scared."

"We know, dear," Carlisle said. "We are as well. We must have faith, though."

I looked away from Alice and into my father's eyes, then my mother's. "Is having faith in God going to help you not worry?" I asked, sincerely curious about their response.

"Yes and no," Esme replied. "In the past, it's helped at times, and at others, it hasn't. If you wish to pray, then please do, but you should also have faith in your brother and sister. I know it isn't much to grasp at, dear. It's all we have, though."

Alice cleared her throat after Esme finished. "You have me, you know."

I smiled and kissed Alice. "We know, Ali. I don't want to trouble you, though."

Alice snorted. "Bella, Jane and Riley are important to you, so they're important to me. We may not be super close yet, but I know we will be in the future, which makes them my siblings. And I look out for my siblings. I'll keep an eye on them as they travel and, should I see something alarming, I'll tell all of you ASAP, I promise."

'Thank you, Alice," Carlisle said, giving her a gentle smile.

"What did you tell her?" I asked, glancing between them.

"That she's to be careful, keep an eye on her brother and call us," Esme replied. "And she'd better, or so help me, I will go after her and kick her ass."

Alice giggled. "She will. She'll call later this evening."

"Perhaps we should have told Riley the same thing?" Carlisle wondered.

"Jane will tell him," Alice said, smirking. "He'll speak as well when she calls."

Esme rubbed her eyes and smiled, relieved. "You have no idea how blessed we are to have someone with your abilities in this family, Alice. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Esme," Alice replied. "I am quite a blessing, aren't I?"

All of us laughed at that and I had to give my mate credit; her smugness was both endearing and a tension breaker. I kissed her cheek while she looked at us with mock offense at our laughter and the tension evaporated into thin air. Carlisle and Esme each got up to come and hug us, their love and warmth further relaxing myself while Alice seemed pleased.

Despite the change in mood, it did little ease my worries. And there was another problem. "What are we going to do about telling the others?" I asked, running a hand through my hair. "They won't exactly be thrilled that Jane and Riley up and left us without saying goodbye to them or asking any of them to go too. Rosalie's gonna be pissed."

Alice cocked her head to one side and shuddered. "Pissed is an understatement, Bells," she said.

"Joy," I groaned. "What's she going to do?"

"Be enraged," Alice replied. "She'll be cussing and shouting for five whole minutes. The others aren't going to be much happier. They're not going to be mad at you or anything, Bella, but they will be pissed that Jane and Riley left without saying anything to them. It's inevitable, though; you have to tell them and from what I've seen, waiting won't help."

I sighed. "I guess I should get it over with, then."

"We'll do it," Carlisle said. "You shouldn't have to burden yourself with explaining things."

"This is my fault, Carlisle," I said. "If I hadn't thought up that damned idea..."

"Bella, quit this nonsense," Esme stated. "I know you're upset over it, but blaming yourself for no reason will only make you feel worse. Please, dear, stop. Let us go bring everyone together so we can explain everything and I hope to God this poor house doesn't suffer for it."

"You're right," I murmured. "Sorry, Esme."

"No need to apologize," Esme said, pressing her lips to my forehead. "Why don't you two head downstairs? We'll fetch the others and bring them there shortly. Alice, do you think your sister would prefer to stay in your room or come and join?"

Alice giggled. "I think she'd rather enjoy the drama, no offense."

"None taken," Esme replied, flashing her a smile. "I've often said that, were it possible, we would make a pretty entertaining TV show to watch."

"As long as Bella and I were the main focus, I'd say so," Alice said with a wink.

The two of us returned downstairs—it's a good thing I wasn't human, or I would be going nuts with all the back and forth I was doing—to wait for the time bomb to go off. I busied myself with kissing Alice until everyone was downstairs, including Cynthia, who sat next to us and rolled her eyes when we smiled at her from our position.

"You two enjoy doing that too much," she remarked.

"You like it," Alice replied, giggling.

Cynthia groaned. "Please! I'll pass, thank you."

"Where the hell did Jane and Riley run off to?" Rosalie asked, glancing around. "Are they still talking to Jane's dumbass brother about him not going back to Italy?"

I bit my lip. Here we go.

"That's actually why we summoned you all down here," Carlisle said. "Jane and Riley have decided to leave with Alec and accompany him to Italy."

I looked to Alice, who held up three fingers. Two. One. "They what?!" Rosalie roared.

Esme and Carlisle began to explain everything, beginning with the idea I came up with, going into the discussion we had with Jane and Alec present, and then finally saying that Jane came to them shortly after and informed them that she was leaving to go with her brother to ensure that the plan was acted upon the way it needed to be.

They fibbed—just a tiny bit—to make it sound like Riley and Jane went over it with them before leaving and I did my best to act along with them until they mentioned Jane said goodbye to me, which angered and hurt all four of my siblings. They all looked at me with pained eyes and I had to look away from them before I started to feel worse.

As Alice had predicted, after Esme finished up, Rosalie blew up. "What the fuck is wrong with those assholes?!" she snarled, stomping around angrily with gritted teeth and tight fists. "This is the stupidest thing they've ever done and I swear to God, when I see them again, I'm going to rip them both into pieces then rebuild them at a snail's pace!"

"I'll help," Jasper growled, shaking his head. "Of all the brainless schemes…"

"Man, that's not fair," Emmett whined. "I wanted to go too!"

"Emmett, this isn't about going to Italy, damn it," Victoria hissed, smacking him in the back of the head. "This is about our siblings taking off without saying anything to us!"

"Ow!" Emmett groaned. "Quit hitting me!"

They continued to bicker while Alice, Cynthia and I watched on wordlessly. Alice mouthed 'drama' to me and I resisted the urge to start laughing as Jasper finally started sending out calm waves throughout the room to quell the growing rage. Rosalie eventually sat down, none too pleased about everything, and turned to me.

"What did she say to you?" Rosalie asked. "Why didn't she say goodbye to the rest of us?"

"Um…" I licked my lips. "She knew you'd try to stop her, that's why."

"You're damn right I would've," Rosalie growled. "I'm the oldest sister, which makes it my duty to watch out for the rest of you. This idea was fucking ridiculous!" I winced at the harshness of her words and Rosalie seemed to realize this, so she calmed herself. "Your idea I can live with, Bella, but them rushing off to Italy of all places…I can't stand the thought."

"I don't like it any more than you do, Rose," I said. "I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen."

"That's our Jane," Jasper sighed. "I suppose, in her mind, what she's doing is the right thing because Alec is her brother and she wants to help him. She should have at least consulted us beforehand, though. I would've been against it, but I wouldn't have tried to stop her from doing what she wants. Rose, you know deep down you wouldn't either."

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't have threatened her otherwise," Rosalie growled. "And what the fuck is Riley's deal? The least he could do is say something!"

"He was in the same position that Jane was," I said.

"It's a shitty excuse," Rosalie said, huffing.

"So," Victoria remarked. "This plan…what are the odds of it succeeding?"

"Fairly good, I would say," Jasper replied a moment later. "Aro and Sulpicia are paranoid cowards, so if we dangle this little bit of info in front of them, they're more likely to freeze up and do whatever they can to keep us happy so we don't talk. Since Didyme and Marcus are on our side, at the least, the odds are very much in our favor."

"I suppose that's one good thing," Victoria said, shrugging.

"It could be worse," Emmett offered. "I don't know how, but it could be."

"Reassuring, Em," Jasper chuckled.

"I try," Emmett replied with a goofy grin. "So who wants to play some video games?"

"What the heck, I will," Jasper said.

"Can I join?" Cynthia asked.

"Sure!" Emmett boomed, flipping the TV on.

"Am I really the only one bothered by this?" Rosalie asked, staring at her husband as he, Jasper, Victoria and Cynthia began to play their video game. "I guess so."

I gave her shoulder a squeeze. "It'll be fine, Rose. Just have faith."

Rosalie looked at me and frowned. "You're struggling with your own words, Bella."

"What choice do I have?" I asked.

"True enough," she agreed. "Fine. I'm going to hunt."

My blonde-haired sister—now the only one for the time being—stood and departed from the room to go and hunt while I laid back on my side with Alice. We just began kissing when Alice froze up, another vision hitting her. I growled to myself, and wished for one day, we'd be able to spend some time together without any interruptions.

I have to make plans, I thought.

"Huh," Alice mumbled when she came out of her vision. "The phone's going to ring."

I frowned. "It took you that long to see the phone ringing?"

"You'll see," she said, winking at me as Rosalie returned and seated herself.

I was about to ask when the phone would ring only for said ringing to begin. Esme answered it in the other room and I heard her speaking into it while the others stopped what they were doing, everyone wondering if it might be Jane or Riley calling. It wasn't, apparently.

"It's for you, dear," Esme said when she walked into the room, handing me the cordless phone, which I brought to my ear. "It's Raina Black from La Push."

Raina? I thought. "Hello?"

"Hello Bella Cullen," Raina greeted me. "I heard about what happened. I'm sorry your prey got away from you, but I'm certain you'll remedy that in the future."

"Uh…thanks," I replied, trying not to think about it. "What can I do for you?"

She chuckled. "I imagine my calling you out of the blue is rather unorthodox, isn't it? I'll get straight to the point; I was wondering if you, your mate and her sister would be interested in coming over to La Push tomorrow afternoon? You know, have a friendly get together. I understand if you choose to decline, of course. There's no hard feelings."

I frowned, taken aback by the offer. "What brought this up?"

"No particular reason," Raina replied. "Actually, I suppose part of it is due to Leah badgering me about inviting you over. She wants to hang out with a vampire and since she's friends with your mate and her sister, you seemed like the best choice. I also think strengthening the bond between our groups might be fairly helpful. You can wear a breathing mask too, if you'd like."

That won't help much, I thought with a chuckle. "Um, sure. I'd love to go, Raina."

"That's great news," Raina replied, a smile in her voice. "Leah will be thrilled, I'm sure. I know a handful of others won't share her sentiments, but you have my word I'll make sure the wolves are on their best behavior, including my idiot brother. If things get too out of hand, I'll make sure the three of you are safely escorted to the treaty line."

"Fine by me," I replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, Raina."

"See you tomorrow," she replied before hanging up.

Alice set the phone on the table for me after I hung up as well. "That was…odd."

Alice giggled. "I think it's great!"

"Yeah, because you don't have to smell them," I replied, groaning. "I'm going to need to detoxify my nose afterwards." I sighed. "I have to admit, it'll be a welcome distraction from everything else that's been going on. I guess the stench will be worth it, or at least, I hope. And yes, Rose, I will shower three times when I come back."

"I didn't say anything," Rosalie replied innocently.

"You were thinking it," I remarked, tapping my forehead. "I know you were."

Rosalie fluffed her hair. "Whatever you say, Belly-Button."

"I don't think you should shower at all when you come back," Alice said. "I like me a dirty girl."

I gawked at my smirking girlfriend in bewilderment until Cynthia coughed. "What exactly is everyone talking about?" she asked, frowning. "I'm guessing it has to do with La Push because I heard showers being discussed, but…can someone clue me in?"

"Sorry Cynthia," Alice giggled. "We've been invited to La Push tomorrow. You, me and Bella are going to go and have a rocking time with Leah and a few wolves."

Cynthia seemed excited at the prospect, then quickly made her face neutral. "That sounds cool."

What the hell? I thought, arching an eyebrow at Alice, who shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright then, I guess it's settled. We'll go over there at twelve thirty. That's long enough for you two to get some rest and get ready, yes?"

"Yeah," Cynthia replied. "Unless Alice takes a year long shower, that is."

"Shut up, I don't take that long of a shower!" Alice huffed.

"Do too," Cynthia said, snorting.

"Girls, girls," I said, chuckling. "Shower together. Problem solved."

"Dude," Emmett breathed. "I…you know, never mind."

Cynthia grinned wickedly. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. It means Alice has nowhere to run and I get to torment her all I want."

Alice gulped and gave me a pleading look, but I merely shrugged. "You can either take a quick shower tomorrow, or you and Cynthia can have one together to save time. Don't give me the pout, Ali, I take showers in less than five minutes at the longest."

"Fine," Alice mumbled, huffing.

I smiled, kissed her on the lips, then rolled off the couch to stand. "I'll be back in a bit," I said, deciding that I needed some time to myself. "I'm going to go get some air and hunt."

"Okay," Alice replied. "See you soon."

I turned and darted out of the room, exiting the house and sprinting into the woods within seconds while I allowed my mind to wander. I thought about my fight with Edward, Adira's appearance, the revelation about the Thornes, Alec's plight and the departure of Jane and Riley as they went to help Alec break away from the Volturi.

I eventually sat down beneath a tree and rested against it as I let my thoughts drift. I wanted to be there for Jane and Riley, to help them, but at the same time, perhaps it was best that they went and did this on their own. This was their thing since Alec was Jane's brother. All I could do was silently pray and have faith things would turn out for the best.

As far as Edward went, I wasn't going to think about him any time soon. Dante's words had sunk in and it made me smile to think that Edward was losing his cool, which was great to hear. I know how ammunition to use against him when we clashed again, because I knew he'd be back to settle the score, but he'd also try and pull some tricks to get me to act out.

I didn't know what sick plans he was already forming in his head, but when the time come, provided Dante was truly trustworthy and didn't die in the process, I would be ready for him and finish him off once and for all, no interruptions. As far as his mate went, I would deal with her too. If anything, I knew a certain vampire who would be more than happy to fight her.

Each topic came and went into my mind, the last of them being tomorrow. Raina's call to offer me a chance to go to La Push was surprising and I wondered if there was an ulterior motive to her request. She didn't seem like the lying type and I couldn't see her betraying the treaty by killing me for no reason, yet it felt like there was more.

Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, I thought. For now, I won't worry about it.

A burning sensation formed in my throat, so I opted to stop thinking and start hunting. I stood up and pushed my body into the forest, letting go of my senses as I silently asked God to watch out for my brother and sister, Alec too, because they were on their own for now and I had my own issues to deal with, knowing tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.

A/N: Hi everybody! What's, uh, up?

Anyone still reading this? Yes? No? *sigh* I know, I'm bad. I need to stop leaving all of you (who enjoy this story) so much, but I won't be doing it again. Even though the updates will be a bit slow, I intend to stick to this story only since I've finished re-editing my first novel. That was what I was focusing on beforehand and why I didn't update, although I will admit that this chapter WAS finished before I went on hiatus. I simply wanted something to fall onto when I got back to writing Broken Aurora, and now, I finally have.

A few short things, if you will. One, I've been dealing with a lot lately personal-wise. School is a given, and so is the book, but there's also been a lot of stress and, well, depression. I won't go into specifics, but things haven't been easy for my mother and I, and they don't look to be getting any easier. I'm not using it as an excuse for my absence, just explaining what's going on in my life.

Now, I'm going back into Broken Aurora, no pauses or anything like that. As I said, the chapters will be a bit slow because the spark kind of left me for this story and it's taking its sweet time getting back to me. Regardless, expect some surprises down the road and if you've stuck with me so far, I thank you.

People have been asking about a Blood Solstice sequel. I won't say that I'm NOT going to do it, but right now, I can't say that I will any time soon, either. I have too many other projects planned, and those will take precedence, I'm afraid. Should the worst arise, I can always write up SOMETHING to satisfy all your questions and desires with the Solstice Saga, but I wouldn't worry. Just because I have other stuff doesn't mean I won't ever get to it. I will, or at the very least, I will try to when the time comes.

I'm still looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested, please PM me. If you've PMed me before and I didn't get back to you, please do so again. I apologize; I've been kind of out of it, so I may or may not have gotten back to every PM. Shame on me. xD

At any rate, that's about it. Jane, Alec and Riley's fates? Up in the air for now. But, as I'm predictable, don't fret too much. At least, not for them.