Bella's Point of View
I was relieved when Edward returned. I was beginning to think that I was starting to get on Ezra's nerves. There seems like something was really bothering her. When I asked about it she would claim that she just wasn't feeling good. I had no reason to not believe her, she was pregnant after all. But I just had a feeling there was more going on than what she was willing to say. I didn't want to push her, I'm sure she would talk with me about whatever was bothering her when she was ready.
Edward and I sat directly across from Ezra in the living room, Ezra and I was just finishing off the pizza that I had ordered. It was more delicious than I had remembered.
"Thanks for dinner mom," Ezra smiled. "I think I'm going to bed."
"Hold on Ezra, there is something that I'd like to discuss with you." Edward said, his expression turned blank.
"Isn't it something we can talk about tomorrow?" She responded with a look of anxiety.
"Actually it isn't. There is more to your pregnancy that you are saying. And if you want your mother and I to help you through this correctly, we need the truth." He continued.
I raised a brow. "Edward is that really necessary, we don't want to stress her out too much, it isn't good for the baby."
"I think when she tells the truth, she will feel much better, carrying her secrets does create a state of constant stress." He pointed out.
Ezra looked visibly nauseated. "Do I really need to say it out loud? You probably have been snooping through my thoughts. You know what's going on." She said getting emotional.
I looked between her and Edward. They both appeared tense. They didn't speak for a few minutes, it was as if they were having their own private conversation.
"What is going on?" I asked with a sigh. "Ezra, you know you can tell me anything."
Ezra glanced at me with tears in her eyes. "No, mom you are going to be so angry with me… you will be so disappointed in me."
I reached out and took my daughter's hand. "Don't say something like that. I could never be angry with you. If you made a mistake it's okay, we will work it out."
"Well… I did make a mistake… last month. I had a really bad fight with Austin. I caught him cheating on me with Phoebe. So I went to the bar to get a few drinks. I hadn't planned on getting drunk, but I ended up getting very drunk." Ezra admitted, wiping the tears from her eyes. "And, Daniel was at the bar as well, his best friend Patrick passed away the night before from cancer. He was really drunk too. We started talking. Apparently Kora had been off spending the night with Alice. He was lonely… and I was pissed off at Austin… so we ended up… hooking up. Just for the night. It was a one time thing, it never happened again."
At her words I heard a furious growl echo through the room as Kora came marching into the living room. Her whole body was trembling as she glared towards Ezra. "You rotten whore!" She yelled.
Ezra began sobbing. "Kora! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"
I stood up quickly, getting in the middle of the two of them. "Girls, let's just… calm down."
Kora looked like she was about to attack. I've never seen her this upset. To be honest she had every right to be upset. I couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling in this moment.
"Look at you, hiding behind mom, like you always do. Why don't you face me? Take responsibility for what you did." Kora yelled, and with her hand on my shoulder she gave me a push.
I hadn't realized how much strength Kora had, her push sent me flying across the room. I landed on the ground roughly, which sent a shooting pain down my arm. I could tell that I didn't break anything, my shoulder just felt as though it was out of place.
Edward was by my side in a second, helping me off the ground. "Bella, are you alright?" His voice was gentle, but I could see his jaw was clenched tightly together, he was holding back anger.
"Oh my gosh, mom I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… push you that hard… I forgot you are human now." Kora scrambled to my side as well, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm perfectly fine, don't even worry about it. Just please stop screaming at Ezra. She knows that she did something wrong. But you can't fight her right now… she is pregnant." I said touching Kora's face to wipe her tears away.
Kora sank to the ground in sorrow, she clutched her chest as she sobbed. The pain in her expression brought tears to my eyes as well. I hated to see my daughter in so much agony. "The baby is Daniel's… isn't it?" She stuttered out.
Ezra sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I-I don't know… but it doesn't matter. Daniel doesn't want involved either way. He only wants his life with you. I was nothing to him… it was one night. One mistake. I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Kora didn't want to hear any of it. The more that Ezra talked, the more upset Kora got.
"Just don't talk to me. I don't want to hear you. I don't want to see you. I want you out of my life." Kora hissed at Ezra. "I came over to announce that I got a positive pregnancy test today. I was here to tell my family that Daniel and I are expecting." Kora growled pulling her pregnancy stick out of her pocket and breaking it in her hand.
"Kora," Ezra cried.
This was one of the most stressful situations I've ever seen. Both of my daughters were pregnant, possibly by the same man.
"Come here sweetie," I said holding my hand out to Kora.
She looked at me with guilt as she took my hand. Edward didn't leave my side, he just watched all of us with concern.
I pulled her into a hug. "I'm very happy for you. You are going to be a wonderful mother. Your father and I will be here for you every step of the way. No matter what you choose to do."
Kora sniffled, but thankfully she hugged me back. She stood in my arms for a while, quietly weeping.
"Would you like a warm cup of blood?" I asked, stroking her hair.
"Yes please." She mumbled quietly.
"I'll get it." Edward spoke up, leaving a kiss on the top of both of our heads before walking briskly into the kitchen.
I walked Kora over to the couch and sat her down, she didn't look in Ezra's direction. In fact she pretended that Ezra didn't exist. It was sad to see, but if that is the way to keep both of my daughters in the room, that's just how it will have to be for now.
"Would you… like to stay the night?" I asked getting a blanket and wrapping it around Kora. "Your room hasn't been touched."
Kora sighed. "Yeah, just for tonight, I can't run away from this. He is going to be the father of my child. I have to try to work this all out with him. I refuse to be a single mother."
Edward returned with a warm cup of blood, handing it over to Kora. "Stay for as long as you need." He nodded, before sitting down with Ezra.
"There is no way that I'm going to stay here living under the same roof as the whore that slept with my Daniel." Kora snipped, still not making any eye contact with Ezra.
"Kora, that's enough." I said firmly. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"How would you feel if dad slept with your very closest friend?" Kora asked looking between Edward and I. "How would you deal with it?"
I thought about that. But the idea of it was too painful. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be handling a situation like that with anger. I would be sad… I would feel that I wasn't good enough. I would run away never to return. I'd live with my parents and choose to never love again. So, maybe Kora was handling this a little better than I would. But she still shouldn't talk to her sister in that manner.
"You said that you would like to work things out with Daniel? Why can't you give that same kindness to Ezra?" Edward asked.
"I'm having a baby with Daniel. I have to give him one more chance. It's more for the baby than for him. If he makes this mistake again, I'll be done. I have no reason to forgive Ezra. She is my sister. My twin. And she betrayed me. She is my family. And she is possibly carrying Daniel's baby. I'll never forgive her"
The silence in the room was awkward, no one had anything further to say. Ezra clung to Edward, still tearful and trembling. I worried that all of this was too much on her.
It wasn't until Darius came walking into the room that the atmosphere changed. Both Ezra and Kora's eyes brightened a little. Just the sight of their big brother seemed to bring them both some peace of mind.
"Darius, I need to make an appointment to confirm a pregnancy." Kora said with a wide smile. "I got a positive test today."
Darius' eyes widened. "Really, you too? Wow. I'm happy for you." He said with a grin.
Kora stood and quickly went to Darius to pull him in for a hug. I could see the emotion on Kora's face as she pulled away. Tears began to slide down her cheeks again.
"Woah, what's wrong Kor?" Darius asked, taking Kora's shoulders and giving them a squeeze.
"I can't even be completely happy about this baby. Because I just found out today that our whore of a sister slept with Daniel and is possibly carrying his child." Kora sniffed.
Darius' eyes widened as he looked towards Ezra. A look of disbelief was on his face. "Is that true Ez?"
Ezra began to cry again as she nodded. "I-It was a mistake…"
Darius shook his head now, wrapping an arm around Kora. "You really messed up this time. How could you do this to your own family." He sounded outraged.
"I was being stupid… I got drunk… we both were." Ezra stuttered, getting up and walking over to her siblings.
Darius backed away from her, a glare coming to his face. "You made the choice to drink. Drunk or not, you knew Daniel was with Kora. Now you will have to deal with the consequences."
This was beginning to get hard to watch. I hated seeing my children fighting like this. But I had to let them express their emotions.
Ezra appeared to be at a loss for words, she merely stood back, her hand resting on her stomach.
"I just can't be here… I'm not ready to see Daniel. But I can't stay here for tonight, not with Ezra here." Kora said with a pleading glance to Darius.
"You can come stay the night with Alice and I for tonight." Darius said with a small smile.
"Thanks big brother," Kora said, wiping her tears. "Can we leave soon. I just need to get away from her."
"Yeah, go ahead and wait in my car, I need to talk with dad real quick, then we can go." Darius responded.
Kora nodded. "Alright, I'll call you later mom." She said with a weak smile in my direction. "I love you both." She said looking between Edward and I.
"We love you too." Edward said with a sad look on his face.
"We love you so much, all of you." I said, looking to each of our children.
With that Kora walked out, leaving only Darius. He looked serious as he approached Edward and I. He avoided eye contact with Ezra completely.
"Dr. Franklin has created a schedule now that we have another doctor. But he doesn't have me assisting anymore, he has appointed me as an acting physician." Darius said with a small grin coming to his face.
"Congratulations, I feel that you have truly earned it." Edward said with a kind smile and a pat on his shoulder.
"I'll need a copy of that schedule." I said bobbing over to my son.
He chuckled, digging in his pocket and passing a schedule over to me. "I knew you were going to want one."
I smiled brightly as I reviewed the paper. It appeared that Dr. Franklin would be working morning shifts Monday through Friday. Dr. Roberts would be doing the evening shifts Monday through Friday. And Darius would be working morning shifts on Saturday and Sunday. The clinic would close in the evenings over the weekend. This should lighten Dr. Franklin's workload, although more help was still needed. It would be ideal for each doctor to have an assistant during their shift. The clinic got really busy during the week.
"I'm a little disappointed that I will only be working two days a week. But I suppose I could get a second job." Darius said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Actually this may work out perfectly. I have a potential job position open, that could use someone with your medical training." Edward offered.
"What would that be?" Darius wondered eagerly.
"Well the school is looking for a medical professional to be on standby for the students. It's Monday through Friday daylight."
"That sounds perfect. Maybe I can stop by the school tomorrow and interview with them." Darius appeared excited.
"I'll let the principal know to expect you." Edward said with a pleased nod.
"I was also wondering… how is Brady? I didn't hear how the continued testing was going." Darius spoke with a look of dread.
"Dr. Roberts is making a lot of progress, when I get an update I'll be sure to share what I've learned."
"Alright, well… I guess I'll be off now. I'm sure Kora is eager to get going. I'll call you guys later." Darius said with a serious look to the both of us.
I quickly moved to my son and pulled him in for a hug.
He hugged me tightly. "You be careful mom, you are much more fragile now." He whispered.
I nodded, peeking up at him. "I will and you should be careful too."
He laughed as he let me go. "Will do, see you guys later."
With that said, I watched as he made his way out of the house. The room felt more empty with the absence of my son. Darius always held a very special place in my heart. He was my first born son. I couldn't imagine life without him. It was the same for the rest of my kids.
Ezra warily stood from the couch, her eyes puffy from tears. "I'm going to bed." She stuttered.
"Are you sure? We can sit up for a while and talk." I offered, moving back to her.
She shook her head. "No, I don't want to talk anymore… I just need to get some sleep." She made her way quickly up the stairs.
Edward and I looked at each other now. The house was finally silent. Our children were angry with each other and the most divided that they have ever been. I was concerned that this fight might last a long time. I hoped that they would eventually make up with one another, but these things took time.
Edward scooped me up in his arms, placing a cold kiss at the top of my head. I curled into him more and let out a sigh of relief.
"You must be tired as well love." He said softly.
I nodded. "Maybe a little bit."
Edward carried me upstairs and into our bedroom. The next thing I felt was the softness of our mattress under me and Edward resting a small amount of his weight on top of me.
I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him down to kiss him. He responded with eagerness, kissing me deeper. Our lips mashed together, like two perfectly fit puzzle pieces. At the moment I was in complete bliss. Nothing in the world mattered right now. It was just Edward and I.
Demetri's Point of View
This was the worst possible thing that could have happened. Elijah had walked in on Mila and I having sex. I wasn't concerned about Rosalie finding out. I'm sure she already was aware of my unfaithfulness. But how was this going to affect Elijah and Janae. My children. Would they want nothing to do with me? Would I lose them… the same way that I lost Darius and Bella? The thought was too much for me to stand.
Why was I always doing this to myself? Why couldn't I just… pick a woman… and stick with just that woman? Even when I was with Bella… I ended up cheating on her as well… I didn't deserve her. Honestly I don't think that I deserved any of the women.
"Elijah, it isn't what you think." I said quickly, pulling my pants up and backing away from Mila.
Elijah snorted, his expression was hard to read. "You know dad, Darius has talked badly about you for years. And I always defended you. But now I see that I was the idiot. I thought you were the good guy and everyone else was in the wrong. But I can see that I was wrong about you." His words were as cold as ice.
Mila covered herself, watching between us with fascination.
"It was a moment of weakness," I pleaded with him. "I mean look at her. She is absolutely irresistible. You would have done the same thing."
Elijah shook his head, glancing at Mila for just a second before glaring daggers in my direction. "No dad, I wouldn't. I'm in love with Leah. She is my soulmate. I'm completely committed to her and only her. I thought you felt the same way with mom."
I sighed deeply. "At one point I may have felt something for Rose, yes. But Elijah the only real reason I ever married Rose was only for you to have a mother. I knew I couldn't raise you alone. I didn't want you to turn out like me. Rose desperately wanted a child and I desperately needed a woman to help raise you. Our marriage more or less wasn't built on loving one another."
This only appeared to hurt Elijah even more. I could see that he was attempting to hold his tears back. "Tell me something… I've heard whispers through the community… that I was born… out of rape. You… raped my birth mother… and that's how I was conceived." He choked.
I remained quiet. There was no way that I would ever admit that to my son. Of course he was right, but I never wanted him to know that. Even though he was a product of rape, I still loved him dearly. He was the best thing that ever happened to me.
The silence lasted between us for a solid five minutes before Elijah completely broke down. Tears slid down his cheek, but he turned his back to hide how much pain he really was in.
"Elijah, please don't walk away. You know that I love you little buddy. The past is in the past." I said moving towards him.
He backed further away from me, refusing to make eye contact. "It should have been you. You should have died instead of my mother." He growled at me before running out of the room.
I felt my heart break as I watched my only son run away from me. The pain that I felt was overwhelming. I was in agony as I turned back to Mila. The sight of her filled me with irrational fury. I charged towards her, my hands stretched out to wrap around her neck. I wanted to kill this bitch. It was all her fault.
She dodged my attack easily with a smirk and quickly had me pinned to the wall. She was much stronger than I was. I struggled against her, but it was no use.
"How about you calm down Demetri. This situation is not my fault. I didn't know you were married. I didn't even know you had children. You pursued me. You seduced me." She said simply.
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. She was absolutely right. This wasn't her fault at all. It was mine. All of this was my own fault.
"I-I'm sorry… I lost my temper." I said between deep breaths.
"It appears that you are about to lose everything tonight." Mila said, watching me closely. "Is that a fair statement?"
She let go of me, allowing me to back away from her and slide down to the ground. I felt the life draining out of me. This was the lowest I ever felt.
"Yeah…" I sighed, hiding my face in my hands.
It felt like my world was crashing down around me.
"Then you really don't have anything left to lose, is that right?" Mila continued.
I couldn't even speak, I just nodded my head. I couldn't move an inch. It was too painful. I lost Elijah. He was gone. He wouldn't forgive me. He was gone. Just like Darius. Just like Bella. They all were gone. I had nothing left. I failed.
"Well then, how about you finally do something useful… do something that could potentially save the lives of everyone in Ribbonwood. Make up for being such a failure of a father and husband."
"What do you want me to do?" I asked barely above a whisper.
"I've extracted some of Brady's blood. I'd like to know how it will affect a vampire." Mila said holding a vile of blood out to me.
Without another thought I took the vile and drank the blood. I didn't care anymore. Anything I did would only benefit my kids.
The blood burned the whole way down, it felt like drinking acid. The moment that it hit the bottom of my stomach I felt my entire body ignite. It felt like I was in transformation again. My body trembled against the pain. It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I curled myself in a ball and waited. I prayed for death, or for the pain to end. It felt like I was laying there for hours.
After a while I realized that I was completely paralyzed. I couldn't move a muscle. I couldn't speak. I could only lay here and stare off into the distance.
"Can you move?" Mila wondered, moving to kneel down next to me.
When I didn't respond, she began to jot down some notes.
"Blink once if you can move, blink twice if you can't move."
I blinked my eyes twice.
"Interesting. Brady's blood seems to have a paralyzing effect. I wonder how long it will last." Mila mumbled.
Elijah. I'm so sorry.
"Well, let's try a few more things." Mila said with a grin. "Brady, come on in here." She ushered Brady into the room. "Go ahead and give Demetri a bite."
Would she really have Brady turn me into a human? There was no way for me to escape. I couldn't move. But I watched as Brady walked over to me with an unsure look on his expression.
"Are you sure he will be willing?" Brady asked Mila with a frown.
"Of course, Demetri wants to better his community. He has a lot to make for. I think he has a change of heart." Mila said with a wide smile. "Isn't that right Demetri?"
I blinked twice. Hopefully she would understand that I didn't want this. But it seems that she didn't understand.
"There you go, two blinks, he is willing." Mila said quickly.
Was she doing this on purpose?
"Alright, I'll try to take it easy on you Demetri. I know this will hurt." Brady said, before leaning down, taking my wrist to his mouth. I felt his lips on my skin and the hard sucking as he drank from me.
I wanted to scream, I wanted to thrash around and get away from him, but I couldn't move an inch. The moment that Brady pulled away, the pain that I had been feeling only got worse. I thought I was about to lose my mind. It felt like my body was getting ripped to shreds, while burning in the pit of hell.
Maybe I deserve this. Maybe this was hell. For all the women I hurt. For all the people I killed. Maybe this was the fate that I was meant to have.
The sudden pain in my heart overwhelmed me. I could feel my heart beating slowly in my chest. I felt myself getting weaker. I could barely hold my eyes open.
"Look at that, his eyes are turning blue." Brady spoke with amazement. "That must have been what his eye color was when he was human… right?"
"That's right. Demetri is human now." Mila said with curiosity. "However he is still paralyzed."
Elijah, my son. I love you. I may not know much about love. But I know this is true. You were my chance at a happy life. But I ruined that.
"Brady, maybe your blood will reverse his paralysis, I mean… your blood caused him to become paralyzed… so perhaps more of your blood will fix him" Mila said with a smile.
Bella. I never did deserve your kindness. I took your love and pure heart for granted. You are my first and greatest love. I truly believe we could have had a wonderful life together. Full of happiness and love. But I ruined that as well. I will love you forever Bella.
Mila brought out another vile of Brady's blood and forced the caustic liquid down my throat for a second time.
This time, there wasn't pain, just an overwhelming weight pressing down on me. I felt like I was suffocating. I couldn't take a breath. It was getting harder for me to think straight. I felt as though my body was floating in a pool of water and I was slowly getting drug down under the water.
Darius. My first son. I've let you down most of all. I had a chance to be in your life. I had the chance to teach you and help you grow into a fine young man. But Edward had taken that from me. And I let him. I didn't feel worthy to be your father. I never did. I thought I would ruin you. I knew Edward would raise you into a wonderful man. Smart and compassionate. I'm so proud of all that you have accomplished. I only wish that I could see you marry Alice and start a family of your own. I know that you will be fine without me. I love you Darius.
That was the last thought that entered my mind, as my entire world went black. I couldn't feel anything anymore. I couldn't hear anything anymore. My breathing stopped completely along with my heart.
Brady's point of View
This couldn't be happening. This CAN'T be happening. Demetri… he was dead. He was completely gone. I killed him. I rushed over to where Demetri was laying and grabbed his shoulders. I roughly shook him. But there was no response.
"Move away from him." Mila said with a touch to my shoulder. "Let me take his vitals."
I moved away quickly to allow her space to do her work. I felt tears stinging in my eyes as I watched her.
Please. Please let him still be alive.
It felt like it took her an hour to take his vital signs, before turning to face me. "He's gone." She confirmed.
Thank you all for reading! Let me know how you all feel about Demetri passing away? What are your thoughts on Mila? This chapter was hard for me to write. Even though Demetri wasn't a very likable character he has been a main character in this story for so long, it had an impact on me to end his story.
A