A/N: Hi again! I'm not dead, just awful. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good time lately. I've been doing well, just very busy with work and family stuff. Looking forward to the weather getting just a little bit warmer so I can do some hiking of my own. By the way, if you like Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade, it's literally just one part Tazo Passion tea with two parts lemonade. You're welcome. I've been drinking it for days now and can't stop.

Happy International Women's Day! I'd like to take a moment for all the strong women throughout history that were labeled a 'witch' and murdered simply because they were too loud, too quiet, too attractive...too 'womanly'. Even though we have a long way to go, at least we are not where we were.

Thank you once again to all of my readers, and those that leave me a review!

eeeeaud: What can I say, Asteria and Bella are bound to bump heads. They're both too stubborn. And thank you!

seraphina987: Thank you!

ZileRacer: Yeah, but if you think about it she still doesn't really 'know' Asteria enough to trust her words at face value. Plus, ya know, she's technically right. Also I tried looking for that typo you mentioned but I couldn't find it. I'm gonna be honest, every time I reread this all I see are like 1600 typos and it drives me crazy. Maybe one day I'll get around to editing and updating the whole thing.

Stoic's Dream: Holy hell, in a day? This story is getting to be as long as the director's cut of Return of the King, binge reading is no joke. Thanks for sticking through it!

: Haha, right you are. I'm excited to see them go head to head. It'll be good for Asteria to have someone disagree with her.

JoyfulSky67: Aw thanks! I really love getting to do little quirks like taking Asteria's necklace off to yell at Edward. My goal for Asteria's magic is to make it a little more modern and relatable than "double, double, toil and trouble". The Lazy Modern Girl's Guide to Witchcraft, if you will.

ReadingRainbow7: Thanks! I always feel like if you're going to add a twist to the story, it needs to feel different than the original, otherwise you're just a passenger in someone else's story. I'm excited to see how far I can veer this train wreck off course haha.

ExiaDark: Thank you! Wait no longer!

And here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for:

Song Inspiration: "I Need Never Get Old" - Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats

(It's an absolute anthem look it up)

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A knock at the door woke Asteria into a semi-awake state. Bella entered the room with a bowl of soup and handed it to her just as Asteria finished wiggling herself up into a sitting position.

"Are you feeling any better," Bella asked her.

"I'm not too bad," Asteria responded. "Probably need to take some more Advil soon though."

Bella nodded while Asteria took a spoonful of soup. "So what are you and Edward hiding?"

"Seriously, Bella," Asteria groaned. "Could you pick literally any other time to do this?"

"So you admit you're hiding something," Bella pressed.

"What? No," Asteria said. She really needed the two brain cells she had left to function better. "No one's hiding anything. Look, can we not do this right now? It kind of hurts to talk."

Not that Asteria cared about the pain. She was looking for any excuse to get out of the conversation. Asteria didn't necessarily feel bad for lying; this was the kind of secret you would do anything to protect, especially when some of that secret doesn't belong to you. No, Asteria was afraid she was going to trip over her words. Bella was incredibly more perceptive than Charlie, she must have gotten it from her mother. She did however inherit the chief's stubbornness which didn't bode well for Asteria.

Bella was also thankfully sympathetic. Asteria could see the other girl's thoughts turning over in her head as she took in Asteria's labored breathing. She intentionally hammed it up into an Oscar worthy performance, of course.

"Fine," Bella sighed in a tone that suggested the exact opposite. "Feel better soon, Asteria."

Asteria had a relatively quiet night after that. She got multiple texts from Alice asking about her ribs, Bella's questions, etc. She answered them as gracefully as she could before claiming an early bedtime. What she actually did was study. By the end of the night Asteria had read up on everything there was to know about Lillian, Cynthia, and the elusive Mary Alice. She was officially out of research materials, which meant she could no longer use it as a pretext to avoid the inevitable. Alice deserved to know.

A gentle knock at the door downstairs woke Asteria up. She was passed out in her bed with the book of shadows still open next to her. Based on the kink in her neck, Asteria had fallen asleep reading. The knock sounded again and Asteria groaned as she sat up.

"I'm coming," Asteria called out. It wasn't loud, but there was a good chance her guest could hear her anyway. Hobbling down the steps like an old lady shuffling off to her bridge night, Asteria finally realized it was almost lunchtime. She had slept her whole morning away.

"Oh, hey Esme," Asteria said with surprise as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would stop by and check on you, if that's alright," Esme said. "I made you some lunch."

Asteria led the way to the kitchen with a grin. "You and your food are always welcome. Thank you. So what have you been up to today?"

"Oh, just working on some more garden plans," Esme said. "I may have to dig out some painting supplies when I go home just to give me something to do. It's always so quiet when everyone is gone."

"Painting sounds fun," Asteria said. "I haven't painted in years but it was always a good time."

"I suppose," Esme mused. They fell off in companionable silence as Esme let Asteria eat.

"I'm almost finished eating. If you want I can go with you," Asteria said. She figured she might as well go and get everything set up and ready for her talk with Alice. It was making her nervous enough already.

"Will you be okay with your ribs still injured," Esme asked.

"They don't hurt as bad today. Besides, it's not like I'm moving around too much," Asteria said.

"Alright then. Finish your lunch and we can go," Esme smiled. "Do you need me to grab anything for you?"

"Uh," Asteria trailed off. "I guess if you wouldn't mind grabbing my book of shadows? It's on my bed. There's another journal too, it's kind of a faded blue, I think it's on the floor. And an old photo album next to it too."

Esme was gone in a flash and had both journals in hand before Asteria had even stood from her chair. She texted Charlie where she was going and let him know someone would drive her home.

"I haven't seen this journal before," Esme said as she looked at Cynthia's faded blue journal. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it at Liam's. It was in the attic with a bunch of family heirlooms. I figured he wouldn't miss them," Asteria said. She just hoped Esme wouldn't rifle through anything.

"I'm glad you found some family treasures to look through," Esme said. The rest of the drive consisted of less intrusive small talk that steered them away from the difficult subject ahead. Esme helped Asteria into the house and settled her onto the couch while she laid out her painting supplies. Asteria flipped through the journals irritably trying to figure out a game plan while Esme did her best to ignore the girl's frustration and focus on her seascape painting.

They were maybe an hour in before Esme spoke up, "What's bothering you? Do you need more medicine?"

"No," Asteria sighed. She flipped the journal shut and thought for a second on what to say. "I have something I need to do and I'm kind of nervous about it. I just wanted to have more answers before."

"I see," Esme said while setting down her paintbrush. "Why don't you tell me more about it?"

"I can't," Asteria hedged while avoiding eye contact. "It's something I need to tell someone else and I can't tell anyone else first. It doesn't feel right."

"Well, it seems like you know what needs to be done," Esme said. "Have you done everything you could to prepare for it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Asteria said. "As much as I could but not as much as I wanted to."

"Then I don't see the point in fussing," Esme said. "I'm sure it's going to work out well."

Asteria nodded gratefully and they dissolved back into companionable silence until Carlisle came home from the hospital. He engaged the both of them in small talk, but when he went upstairs Esme excused herself and followed him. That left Asteria to wait until the other Cullens got home from school, which wasn't a long wait.

"Your cousin isn't going to be a problem, is she," Rosalie demanded immediately after entering the house.

"Hey, Rosalie. How are you today? I'm great, slight pain in the ribs, otherwise pretty good," Asteria rambled. "Oh and uh, I have zero clue about Bella. Did she try asking you any questions today?"

"She greeted me and that was it," Edward said simply.

Asteria groaned. "Great, if she was nice to you it probably means I get all the questions."

"What are you going to tell her," Emmett asked.

"I slipped her pot brownies and it was a hallucination," Asteria asked. "No, that doesn't sound right. I'm sure something will make sense to her and she'll drop it."

"What if she doesn't," Rosalie asked.

"It's going to be fine," Alice said as she flitted into the room. "You're worrying over nothing."

Asteria shrugged at Rosalie. "Bella is stubborn, but she's also decent. I think if I seriously ask her to let it go, she will."

"I hope so," Rosalie said. "I hate moving."

"Uh hey," Asteria announced. Now or never. "I was hoping I could have a few minutes to talk to Alice. Alone."

Alice looked at her quizzically. "Alright."

"Jasper can stay, if you want him to," Asteria tacked on awkwardly. She figured it might make things go smoother. The rest of the Cullens looked equally confused but followed her wishes and went out of earshot. Esme seemed to connect their earlier conversation and looked slightly worried, but squeezed Asteria's shoulder comfortingly as she passed regardless.

Asteria took a deep breath to prepare herself. And then another. And another. It took her so long to conquer her nerves that Alice rolled her eyes and reached across to grab her hand. "Just get it out, whatever it is," Alice told her. "The anticipation is killing me."

"I've been keeping something from you," Asteria started. "And I'm really sorry, because I probably should have told you as soon as I found out and that makes me absolute trash. But I didn't know enough and I kept trying to find out more and nothing was working, and then Bella was here and Edward, and then the van incident- just please don't be too mad at me."

"That's an awful lot," Alice said slowly. "What exactly are you talking about?"

Asteria pulled a picture out of the photo album and slid it across to Alice who accepted it wordlessly. She sat frozen staring at it while Jasper slid a protective arm around her waist.

"Your name, your full name, is Mary Alice Brandon," Asteria said quietly. "You were born in 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi to Lillian and Edgar Brandon. You had a little sister, Cynthia, who passed away in 2003. She had a daughter named Lorna, who had a daughter named Maureen. She had a daughter Eileen who also had a daughter, named Asteria."

Alice's frozen position suddenly cracked and she turned to look at Asteria for the first time since she had started. Alice's eyes were rimmed with red and they almost looked watery, but nothing came out. She slowly stood and pulled Asteria up with her before hugging her fiercely. Asteria was surprised to find several tears slip out of her own eyes before she pulled away.

"Thank you," Alice told her simply.

"I don't know how much more I can really give you," Asteria said. "Lillian and Cynthia talk about you in their entries – Cynthia adored you – but I don't have much else to go on. Cynthia was supposed to come back at the right moment and I feel like she's been sneaking around, but she hasn't come when I called her."

"Maybe it wasn't the right moment until now," Alice suggested. She jumped up to grab the necessary tools for a séance, she was practically a pro at it by now, but stopped herself and gave Jasper a passionate kiss and hug first.

Chuckling, Jasper watched Alice flit away to grab supplies. "Thank you for finding this for her."

"It's going to change a lot, isn't it," Asteria asked him.

"Of course not," Alice exclaimed as she set up the candles. "Name one thing that you think will be any different based off of this."

"That's true, I guess," Asteria said. "I told you before that you act like a little old granny, so at least it's a fair statement now."

Alice stuck her tongue out at her. "Maybe you'll start to listen to me for once."

"Highly doubtful," Asteria said. With that, she called out her invitation in Gaelic for Cynthia to enter the circle. The only difference was this time, Alice and Jasper were both still within the circle as well.

Cynthia smiled as she stepped into the circle and become translucent. "Hello, again. I think this is the right time indeed. Mary, I have missed you dearly."

"It's nice to hear," Alice said. "Although truth be told, I have no memory of my old life."

"That is probably for the best," Cynthia responded sadly. "I'm afraid you went through a lot of unnecessary heartache. My biggest regret in life is that I couldn't have found a way to help you."

"I have my happy ending," Alice said simply as she looped her arm around Jasper. "No matter what bad things happened to me, they couldn't stop me from finding happiness in the end. Without an early death, I might never have found Jasper."

"Then I am happy for that, at least," Cynthia said. "And you have found your way to Asteria, which we can all be thankful for. Every young witch needs a supportive ancestor watching over and guiding her. If you had the chance to know more about your past, would you want to?"

Alice surprised Asteria by taking a long moment to think it over. "Maybe one day, but for now, it's enough to be happy in the news of new family members. If there is bad news to be had, I would rather it didn't impact today."

Asteria was slightly shocked by Alice; she had always thought Alice was more of a "the whole truth" sort of person. After all, she had seen Alice meticulously search through visions until she had everything exactly right. She couldn't blame her though; knowing it was rough news, Asteria would put it off too.

Cynthia nodded at her. "Very well. I will always be willing to tell you, if and when you're ready. I'm just grateful you were able to start over with such a good life here. As for you, Asteria, have you heard anything more after your dream?"

Asteria frowned. "No, nothing else out of the ordinary has really happened, although I wasn't really looking for anything."

"I believe you found an old tarot deck of mine in the attic," Cynthia said. "It might do you some good to use it. Consider it a gift. A witch's tarot deck always works better as a gift, and I was particularly fond of that set."

Alice snorted. "Tarot cards? I have visions, why would she need those?"

"Oh dear," Cynthia said with exasperation, although she smiled fondly. "It looks like I'm the one teaching you now. Tarot cards don't tell the future, they offer advice. It can be eerily accurate as well. Be very careful not to mock the deck either; they can be tricky and they have minds of their own."

"Sounds fairly interesting," Alice replied. "And you think it will help Asteria?"

Cynthia turned to Asteria and gave her a deep look. "I think this is your beginning. Interesting times lie ahead of you; you're going to need all the help you can get."

"That's not slightly ominous or upsetting at all, thank you," Asteria said quietly.

Cynthia gave her a bemused look. "What would you have me say? It's going to be rainbows and sunshine from here on out?"

"Uh, yeah," Asteria said. "I like sugar coated lies."

Cynthia laughed and turned to Alice. "It looks like you've got your work cut out for you here. I couldn't think of anyone better for the job. Take care, sister. We'll see each other again."

Alice looked like she wanted to cry again, but she nodded along. "See you soon."

"Bye," Asteria called. Cynthia waved to her and then dissolved into the air.

"So that was…," Asteria trailed off.

"I had a family," Alice said. "I had a sister who loved me, and a mother who did as well. And now, I have a pain in the butt great-great-grand niece." She leaned over and ruffled Asteria's hair.

"What is it with this family and grand displays of emotion," Asteria complained as she fixed her hair and continued cleaning up.

"Your family," Alice cheerfully pointed out. "You're officially a Cullen now, by blood."

"Stuck with us forever, I'm afraid," Jasper said with a smile.

"Aw shucks. Of all the rotten luck," Asteria laughed along.

Alice stuck her tongue out at them before calling everyone back into the room. She didn't get out a single word before Edward's eyes widened, but he let her explain to everyone herself. Asteria stayed out of it and let Alice do her thing; she was so much more excited about it.

"Oh but dear," Esme said as she hugged Asteria. "Why were you so nervous about it earlier?"

Asteria shrugged. "I was concerned. I didn't have all the information, and I was afraid Alice might be upset I kept it from her this long. I just…" She really didn't want to dampen the mood and say it, but she was also afraid to tell Alice because she had a feeling parts of her past would be painful.

"It doesn't matter," Alice said firmly with a smile. "I know now, and I'm so happy that I do."

"Welcome to the family," Carlisle said warmly. "You are a Cullen now, after all."

"Should I call you Pop-Pop," Asteria asked with a grin.

Shenanigans aside, it was an enjoyable afternoon in the Cullen household. Asteria's old photo album was passed around so everyone could see pictures of Lillian, a young Alice, Cynthia, and eventually Cynthia's children. There were more than a few jokes tossed around, mainly by Emmett, and by the time Asteria left she was in a great mood.

Alice and Jasper dropped Asteria off at home before Charlie got back so she wouldn't have to explain leaving the house to him. Unfortunately, Bella was already home. Given the fact that Asteria was still hobbling around like an old lady, there was no way Alice was letting her walk up the slippery drive on her own.

"If you slip and fall you might crack your rib worse," Alice retorted firmly as she helped Asteria into the house. She wasn't taking no for an answer.

"You're not the boss of me," Asteria grumbled halfheartedly. She appreciated the help but didn't want Bella to see them together.

"Hush or I'll ground you," Alice said. Jasper's easy laughter floated behind them as they entered the house.

"Asteria is that you," Bella called from the kitchen. "I thought you were on bed rest?"

"Uh yeah," Asteria called back. "I just went to pick up my homework. I caught a ride."

"I was going to get it for you but someone already grabbed it from the office," Bella said as she walked into the living room. "Oh. Hey, Alice. And Jasper, right?"

"Hi again, Bella," Alice said with practiced ease. "Sorry for kidnapping your cousin. Carlisle wanted to take a look at her rib and see how it was healing. I brought her homework as well."

"They were just dropping me off," Asteria said. "The driveway is still slippery so Alice insisted on walking me inside."

"You're welcome to stay for dinner," Bella told them hopefully.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude," Alice replied. "Besides, Esme is big on having the family together for dinner during the weekdays. We really should be going."

"Bye Alice," Asteria said. "Bye Jasper. Tell Esme and Carlisle thanks again for me."

"Good night," Alice called. Jasper nodded at the both of them and followed Alice outside.

"So," Bella said as the door closed behind them. They weren't even in the Volvo yet. "You went over to the Cullens?"

"Yeah," Asteria responded with an exasperated sigh as she slid further down on the couch. "I'm friends with them."

"But not Edward," Bella said. It sounded like a mix of a statement and a question.

"I'm not as close to him as the others, no," Asteria said. "So whatever conspiracy theory you have about him I can't really answer-,"

"You aren't close to him, but you share books," Bella asked.

"What are you-," Asteria started before she caught herself. "I let him borrow a book or two he hasn't read yet, yeah. That's not suspicious."

"I never said it was," Bella countered.

"Bells," Asteria said flatly. "You sound like your interrogating me. Calm down Nancy Drew. There's no deep dark conspiracy to unravel here." She had to catch herself to stop from wincing at what was technically a lie.

Bella gave her a look that was just shy of a glare and then went back into the kitchen to make dinner. It seemed like she more annoyed than angry, but it was enough to let Asteria know it wasn't over.

"Hey Bells," Asteria called out in the lightest tone she could manage. "Could you grab me a soda while you're in there? Thanks!"

Bella all but ignored her until Charlie got home. Dinner was quiet; it looked like Bella was still sulking, which suited Asteria just fine. If Bella wanted to play the teenage angst game Asteria was an absolute pro. She just hoped Charlie didn't get caught in the crossfire.

Two more days passed before Asteria was cleared to go back to school. She tried to bribe Carlisle for one more day; having to go back in on a Friday just seemed so unfair. She enjoyed her time off. Esme would come pick her up and they'd spend the day together before the rest of the Cullens came home and Alice monopolized her. "Making up for lost time", she called it. They were careful to avoid Bella when dropping her back off at home, and Bella hardly said another word to Asteria.

Asteria sighed deeply as she pulled into the parking lot. One more day off couldn't hurt anything, she grumbled to herself as she climbed out of the Camaro. She had barely shut her car door when Emmett stood next to her, her backpack hanging off of his other shoulder.

"Wouldn't want you strain yourself," Emmett said with a wink.

"Oh thank goodness, I'm ever so fragile," Asteria responded sarcastically.

"Ready to get back to class," Emmett asked.

"Seriously, I should have bribed Carlisle for one more day," Asteria complained. "What can you even bribe him with?"

"I don't think there is any bribing Carlisle," Rosalie responded as she joined them on the other side of Emmett. "He's far too honest."

"The audacity," Asteria muttered. "He'll never be a politician with that attitude."

The walk to first period took a lot longer than usual, and Emmett made sure Asteria knew it. "I think I see shelter up ahead. If we hurry we may make it there before nightfall."

"Ha ha, very funny," Asteria said. "Nothing is stopping you from walking ahead of me."

"Nothing except a very tiny, very intimidating pixie," Emmett said. "Alice would have my head."

"I'd better get going though," Rosalie said and kissed Emmett's cheek. "See you in chemistry, Asteria."

Thankfully every person at Forks High knew about the accident, which basically gave Asteria a free pass. Who was going to complain she was late to class with a bruised rib? Or that she should have gotten her homework done? She wondered how much she could milk this.

The day flew by in a haze of things Asteria didn't have to worry about. Natalie, Rachael, and the rest of the crew filled her in on what she had missed, which seemed to include most of the junior class fawning over Bella. Tyler Crowley did make an unfortunate appearance at their lunch table however.

"Hey, Asteria, I just wanted to say sorry again," Tyler said. "If there's any way I can make it up to you, maybe you'd want to go to the dance with me?"

"Isn't that a lady's choice," Asteria asked flatly.

"Didn't you just ask her cousin to it yesterday," Rachael asked him.

Natalie started a loud chorus of boos that the rest of the table picked up before throwing a bag of chips at him. "Be gone, demon!"

"Oh my god," Asteria laughed as the rest of the descended into laughter. A lunch attendant passed by their table frowning but luckily didn't say anything. "I can't tell if you guys are the best or the worst."

"The best of the worst," Damien said brightly.

Asteria had made it through the afternoon relatively well. Emmett insisted on carrying her backpack again as he walked her out to the parking lot with Rosalie. She looked up just in time to see Alice holding up the keys to Bella's truck.

"Do I want to know how you got those," Asteria asked.

"There was some sort of incident in Biology class today," Rosalie said with an edge to her tone. "Apparently your cousin fainted during a blood typing experiment and Edward took her to the office."

"Edward was in class for that," Asteria asked.

"No," Rosalie replied tersely. "He happened to conveniently be around when she was taken to the nurse's office and offered to assist."

Asteria's eyes narrowed slightly. "So much for staying away."

Alice kept a perfectly neutral expression. "He drove Bella home after, and asked me to drop off the truck. I was hoping you could follow and then give me a ride back home?"

"Yeah," Asteria agreed. "I think I have some business to take care of at your house anyway."

Emmett just sighed deeply and shook his head. "I've still got ten bucks on you, Asteria."

"Uh, thanks," Asteria said. "But two things: that's such a small amount, it doesn't even seem like you believe in me. Also, who bet against me?"

"Nothing personal," Jasper said with a grin as he and Alice walked up to join them.

Asteria made a hurt noise. "You traitor."

Alice shook her head. "They're only joking."

"Ten more on Asteria," Rosalie responded cooly.

"See that," Asteria asked him while pointing at Rosalie and Emmett. "That's solidarity. That's the power of friendship."

"Technically you're both family," Alice said.

"What is this, The Godfather," Asteria asked. "Please don't say 'never go against the family' or I'm walking out."

"Very funny," Alice said with a roll of her eyes. "So what are your plans for this weekend?"

"First I'm going to beat up your brother. After that, who knows," Asteria responded. "But the night is young."