"Do you think it could be possible?"

Kate and Tanya are on their way to collect their cars. Eleazar and Carmen wanted to come too but Tanya had told them to give the new pair quite some time to adjust. She knows how Eleazar is dying to read Bella's gift.

"It has been a long time since we met one, let alone within a human."

Kate has been waiting to get alone time with her sister to discuss this over. It had to be done somewhere the Cullens couldn't hear them but not conspicous enough to raise suspicions. Kate thought she was the only one who knew but when she saw Tanya picked up Rosalie's scent on Bella that night, she knew it was time.

"What do you see?" Her sister glanced at her.

"That neither of them sees it. Let's face it; Rosalie's in denial. Irina's too much in love with her mate to see anything and Bella is too wrapped up in her heartache and confusion over everything. I think it would take them a long time before they realise it."

"Yeah, no shit. The question is, would things have to blow up before they come to the realisation? I'm not sure the human can take it. She's much too fragile now."

Having Edward away does help with Bella's recovery. It seems that she too is trying hard to bury her pain by not acknowledging it. Irina proves to be a good distraction also. But as they've learned in life; vampire and humans', there is a need for closure before everyone can truly move on.

"Are we going to interfere then?" Kate raised her eyebrows.

She definitely already made up her mind but Tanya is the leader and she has too much respect for her eldest sister to go rogue. They're not the Cullens. This is another way that the Denalis are different.

"It would be best for everyone to never learn about this just yet. We will meddle when necessary. As of now, let things run its course."

"What about Alice?"

Tanya smirks, "The wolves might be still blocking this part of her vision. But even if she sees this, she would know better than to bet against fate."

Modern and classical insults fill his head. Too much of them makes his head spin and so he stays away from her mind. Rosalie smirks and blocks his path. He's not going anywhere near Bella, she wouldn't let him.

"Are you her guard dog now?" he sneered.

"Seems to me you're the only one who keeps coming back."

"You can't keep me from her. I know she wants to see me. She has to!"

"Aren't you tired of making choices that aren't yours?"

Really, Rosalie's getting exhausted having to deal with this male chauvinism. It isn't the 30s anymore. When will ever he gets this through her head?

"I want what's best for Bella," he justified.

"No, Edward! You want what's best for you, which is usually at everyone's expense," she snarled.

The word pretentious goes through her mind and Rosalie takes pride in her mind's ability of offending him. It's not particularly easy to get under his skin. Charlie's cruiser comes into view and a smirk appears on his face, "Bella still hasn't told him about our breakup."

She's too caught up trying to make sense of his vague words when Edward uses his gift to run pass her and appears in front of Charlie at a human pace of brisk-walking. He uses some lame excuse to try and go in to see Bella. Rosalie bristled now understanding his intention. She tries to interrupt them but his whispers reach her ears, "And what will you say to Charlie seeing that you didn't drive here."

He had it planned, that bastard! Rosalie's eyes turn to his Volvo parked not far from the Swan's house as the perfect excuse of coming over here at early morning. What excuse does Rosalie have seeing she just spent the entire night cuddling the human. She takes her phone and shoots Kate a quick text. If there's anyone devious enough to beat Edward at his own game, it would definitely be the second-in-command-Denali.

By the time Kate reached them, it had been a tad too late. The damage is done. Even Alice's vision couldn't prevent it. Her gift has been somewhat subpar recently and it's been driving her nuts! Edward had managed to convince Charlie to give them uniterrupted private time where there was no escape for poor Bella. No one knows what went down but it's apparently really bad.

The alarming text she sent Alice puts the Denalis on a nervewreck.

I need some alone time to think. Please give me some space.

And the fact that it was sent to Alice rather than Irina makes it worse. Torn between trying to respect her mate's wishes and trying to remember the pain Bella went through when they were apart, Irina isn't sure what to do. No, she knows exactly what she wants to do. She wants to kill that asshole! She should have the first day she met Bella. He was already in her grasp.

And so terrible terrible thoughts plague her mind. None of the possibilities seem good. Suddenly she feels like a human again, at a loss of choices, even more so pathetic because they're all supposed to be the all knowing vampires when none of the knowledge could help her with this trouble.

Bella often runs away to La Push, as a mean to escape the vampires where they could not cross the land and also to seek some solace of the newfound information. She is conflicted. She had learned of Irina's connection to Laurent, the vampire who wanted to kill her and of the Denalis who had refused to help them when Victoria and her newborn army was attacking Forks.

"Laurent and Irina were mates. Her gift aside, how else did you think Victoria had the upper hand during the battle? One of the Denalis must have told him about our coven. She knew our territory from the inside out." The thought of Laurent and Irina together in that way makes Bella sick. She feels a sense of betrayal seeping through her cracks of insecurities. She pushes it away when she feels the bile in her throat.

"Carlise sought out the Denalis before the battle. They had refused to help us knowing a human life was in danger and our coven could possibly be annihilated. All because Carlisle disagreed to Irina's request; to wipe out the shifters. Do you remember what Carlisle told you about vampire mates, Bella?"She fell silent as she tries to recollect back her memories."When vampires lose their one true mate, they either kill themselves or become vengeful like Victoria. Irina wanted to avenge Laurent's death. It was the wolves who had killed her mate."

"But she told me I'm her mate?" Bella tried to defend Irina one last time. Edward looked at her solemnly, "Each vampire only has one true mate, Bella. Irina had found hers in Laurent."

She fell to the ground at that statement. Once again she had become a fool at the hands of a vampire. Fool me twice shame on you. But fool Bella twice, shame on the human. At this sorrow sight, Edward knelt down and held her face in his cold hand. It had felt wrong to Bella but everything felt wrong now! She couldn't tell right from left anymore.

"Have I not told you about Denalis and their succubus ways? Had you forgotten Emmett's jokes about them? The Denalis invented the succubus concept. They would have sexual intercouse with men and then murder them out of bloodlust."

But it didn't make any sense because Bella knew they were no longer human drinkers. "But they have golden eyes like yours.""

Our diet had helped them to be more in control of their bloodlust. That way they could keep the bodycount low. Bella, I may not be your mate but I care deeply about you. If it's not me that you end up with, I wouldn't want to see you fall victim to the Denalis. Don't you see it now? Irina had wanted to hurt our coven. Taking you away from us is the easiest way."

Bella was crying, "You're lying! Alice would have told me!" She wasn't sure if she was denying it because her intuition is telling her it's all wrong or if it was because she didn't want any of it to be true. She would definitely be destroyed beyong repair if it were true. That couldn't happened. She had lost herself once, she couldn't lose herself again. She owed that much to Charlie, to Renee and to herself."

After all that has happened, my coven wanted to spare you from more grief. They think they're giving you a choice."

The plate of steak is pushed gently to her space, which breaks her from her memory. Bella smiles gratefully at Emily. She wonders how terrible it would have been if Carlisle had given in to Irina's request to eliminate them. She winces at the thought and imagine the guilt she would have to carry for the rest of her life. She may not even have survived it.

If only she wasn't stupid enough to fall for Edward's vampiric charms, everyone would have not been put in this risk. The young ones may not have shifted. So many innocent lives would not have been lost to Victoria's vengeful plotting. And to think she had been so willing to be turned into one of them, which means to kill of her human life to give a sense of peace to Charlie and Renee. She scoffs at her own selfishness.

"Do you want something else, Bella? I can cook something up for you and I know one of the boys wouldn't mind finishing that off," Emily offered.

The boys and Leah went to surround the perimeter, leaving only Emily and her around for the time being. Charlie was ecstatic when Bella told him she wanted to take some days off from school and spend it at La Push. Honestly, Bella could have asked to take a break from school and Charlie would have not batted an eyelash. He is just grateful Bella seems alive again, after her zombie state. Bella takes Emily's offer and keeps the steak in the container. She dives into the plate of steamed vegetables and soup Emily offered.

Very vegetarian like huh? Much like some vampires she knows.

"Trouble in paradise?"

She isn't sure how much Emily knows about the vampires and what's been going on. But being the alpha's fiance, Bella guessed she must know to a certain extent. No one else knows about the vampires except for the pack and no one in the pack could talk about it without getting angry. But Emily seems so kind and so trustworthy. She decides to be as vague as possible for everyone's best interests.

"No. Just thinking."

"You know you can talk to me, Bella. My mind isn't linked to the pack so they won't know of this conversation."

She sighs and takes a deep breath. That's good enough she thinks.

"Have you ever felt like one different decision could have changed so many things in the past?" she finally confessed out loud.

"Oh wow, that's heavy," she chuckled not expecting such a serious question from Charlie's daughter.

She thinks about everything she went through with her family and the pack. How she would not have met Sam if her parents hadn't decided to move here few years ago. She couldn't imagine her life in that way.

"Now that I think about it, yes. It maybe could have been different. But we're not God, Bella. Maybe, if my parents hadn't moved here, I wouldn't have met Sam or even gotten this scar. But I think fate is funny that way. I believe no matter what, my roads would always lead me back to Sam and him to me. I was meant to be here, now. Just like how it's only the two of us here and we're put in the position where you needed to vent peacefully and I'm all ears. Don't you think?"

So Bella was always destined to go through all of these challenges? Granted everyone's else predicament is more normal like making college decisions, marriage and career path while hers revolve around supernatural beings. It helps to put things in perspective but she is still reeling from the hurt and pain. She wonders if one day she wouldn't be hurt anymore, where she can give all her trust to someone.

"Between you and me, I think you should lead the Council or even be the Alpha," Bella joked.

She leans down to whisper, "I mean, who do you think sent the Alpha and his pack on a sudden patrol so we could have this girl talk?" She threw Bella a wink and Bella immediately understands why Sam is so smitten with her. Emily is kind, understanding but most of all brilliant.

The Cullens leave Bella alone at school, just as she wanted. But they become increasingly worried when they notice she's not even hanging out with her human friend. Even Angela is ignored. Bella gets her way too by asking Charlie to drop her off at school seeing as his recent work schedule coincides with her school time.

The pain in her chest increase by the day but she somehow manages to pull through. A resolution was made after her talk with Emily that day. Bella refuses to be weak and pathetic anymore. She shall fight this tooth and nail. Vulnerability is her own worst enemy now.

Tanya and Kate drag their sister away from Forks for a few days to try and take her mind off things. But it isn't working. Not even Laurent's death had put their sister in such miserable and broken state. They knew for sure Edward had told Bella something big, something painful. It would explain the human mate's sudden withdrawal.

Time passes by slowly for the vampires and one afternoon, Alice got a vision of Bella being warded in the hospital.