Chapter Two

~Edward Point of View~

There wasn't a moment that I wasn't consumed by the pain of losing my Bella eight years ago. Everything seemed to be a painful reminder of the life that was taken away from us all too soon. I was supposed to have an eternity with her at my side. Two years, that is how long it had taken for her to be cruelly taken away from me. The rage had burned away to this hollow feeling that consumed me. I was merely existing with her at my side.

One moment we were in the forests and the next being attacked. It had happened too fast as a vampire went after her. There were no final words, and she was just gone forever out of my reach. In the rage we tore apart those that took my wife from me. I was in blinding rage for days as I destroy the house we share, the clearing, and everything that reminded me of her. Renesmee managed to pull me back in and a promise kept me from leaving my family once more.

I was trying to live for her. I had known that she would not be happy with me living as I was. I had to try for the family that remained, for our daughter that had already lost her mother. I didn't want to live in an endless world where she would never be. I wanted to hear her laugh, to see her smile, or touch her as only I could. Everything reminded him of the time he had wasted in the beginning. Everything reminded me that I had failed her.

'She is so beautiful' Esme thought entering the house with images of blue eyes in her mind 'Perhaps, she could save him.'

I sighed deeply blocking out the thoughts slightly angered she was thinking this human would replace my Bella. No one would replace my Bella; I would not do that again. I frowned see her smiling as I came downstairs along with my daughter and Jacob. It had been so long since I had seen them smile, since I had seen Renesmee smile.

"We have company coming over tonight" Esme informed me causing me to growl seeing the image of the girl again 'Edward, I am just asking that you be nice to her.'

"Who are we having over?" Carlisle questioned kissing her cheek looking at her smile 'It has been so long since I saw her smile like this, I wondered what has changed'?

"Our new neighbor is coming over to visit, she is quite a lovely girl" Esme said softly causing Carlisle's eyes to widen.

"Very well, we will welcome her to the neighborhood" Carlisle said with a nod 'This girl must be special to make her smile like this'.

"She is here" Alice said in excitement from the front door quickly opening the door 'You better be nice Edward.'

'I tried to talk her out of this Edward' Jasper thought coming to my side, and I was thankful at least one person found this extremely dangerous.

"Hey Alice" A soft voice whispered causing Alice to squeal in excitement.

"Cassia, I would like you to meet my husband Jasper" Alice said cheerfully pulling her into the room where the rest of us were gather motioning to Jasper "Jasper meet Cassia."

"Nice to meet you, Jasper" Cassia said giving him a soft smile as I frown as my body seemed to react to the sound of her voice.

"Nice to meet you" Jasper said with a nod of his head causing him to give him a slightly softer look turning to Alice smiling brightly sending a wave of her scent towards Jasper causing me to tense.

'Why is my throat not burning? I just smell her, the soft scent of honeysuckle and something I can't name. It's surprising, pleasant, why?' Jasper thought looking at her in confusion as I was equally confused having not smelled her yet before Jaspers eyes widened 'I can't sense her emotions, nothing from her. Why can't I feel her emotions?'

My own eyes widened at the information realizing that while I was hearing my family. I couldn't hear a single thing from her, nothing by a blank slate coming from this girl. I tensed not breathing knowing that the last time I couldn't read someone's mind was Bella's, and her scent caused many problems for me. Carlisle smiled coming into the room with Esme approaching her.

"Hello Cassia, Esme was telling me about you. It's nice to meet you, I am Carlisle" He said with a smile as she stared at him for a moment before smiling brightly 'There is more to this woman than she appears to be. The look in those eyes, deep sadness from loss and wisdom of an old soul'

"It is nice to meet you Carlisle" She said brightly before looking at Esme "It is genuinely nice to see you again, Esme."

"I am glad you could make it; Emmett and Rosalie are not here. But I would like you to meet my son, Edward" Esme said happily motioning to me as I tensed more 'I am not expecting anything but you to be nice to her. Edward, you can at least interact with her.'

I frowned at the thought knowing that it was true, I didn't have to be rude to this girl just because Bella was not here. Then she turned towards me, I was stunned by the sight of her as she was brought in front of me. I had to admit that she was beautiful, almost in an enchanting way. I saw for a moment as her breathtaking sapphire eyes met mine, that they widened in surprise. Then confusion set in before she smiled brightly and I felt something shift, like I was seeing the sunrise for the first time. I understood why my family was drawn in by her, she was just that type of person.

"It is very nice to meet you, Edward" She said softly stepping slightly closer as Esme smiled in relief as I returned it without much struggle.

"It's nice to meet you" I softly said my voice hoarse from unuse as her scent filled my lungs, honeysuckle and what could only be described as sunlight.

Alice pulled her away from me chatting happily about giving her a tour as I stood stunned. I knew that without a doubt that this scent was affecting me deeply, just not in the way that it would normally. I took another breath feeling the scent fill my lungs as it seemed like my body relaxed completely, everything leaving me. All that matter was that scent was near me, my body helpless against the desire for the scent and the woman that smelled like home. Nothing had ever made me react like this, no one ever made me feel quite like this. I tensed in realization becoming upset over my reaction, this woman was not my Bella.

'Are you okay?' Carlisle thought to me and I nodded at the silent question 'Edward.'

"I can't hear her thoughts. It is not like with Bella, her scent is different. I don't understand why" I whispered in confirmation looking at Jasper knowing he couldn't feel her emotions as well.

'Interesting, we will need to speak of this more later when she isn't around. She is not a singer, but there is something clearly different about her' He thought seriously glancing towards the section of the house she was in as I nodded in understanding 'I wonder if she has a shield that blocks any potential threats to her, like her full scent.'

A chiming laugh caught my attention as she entered the room, my daughter laughing with her. The air in the room seemed to change like her presence was sending waves of comfort and calm through the house. He took notice of the relaxed stances of his family, something he hadn't seen in many years. It was like she was reaching in each of them taking all the pain away from them. He couldn't understand it.

I watched as she approached Carlisle and spoke with him about medicine surprising me at the knowledge she held. I could hear the fascination in his thoughts over the woman. I frown noticing that even Jasper seemed at ease near her. This human wasn't afraid at all. She was surrounded by vampires and a werewolf with no fear, either she had no survival instinct or didn't care if she survived. I didn't like that thought, either of them.

"The piano is Edward's; he has been playing for years" Alice stated when she questioned about the room later "He is really good at it."

"He must incredibly talented, it is a rare trait to learn the piano in this day and age" She said gently giving me a smile "I would love to hear you play sometime."

"Do you play?" Renesmee questioned softly as I continued to frown at her 'She is a good painter, incredibly talented.'

"No, I haven't ever had the chance when it comes to learning the piano. I have danced the majority of my life and use to play the violin." She said softly seeming to tense talking about herself, it was clear that she didn't play anymore "Neither is something I do anymore."

"Why? If you enjoyed, it so much did you stop?" Alice questioned causing her to flinch.

"It just one of those things that become something that needed to remain in the past" She said shaking her head "Look, can we change the subject? I don't want to talk about this."

"Of course," Esme said interrupting the conversation giving Alice a look 'She said she suffered loss, just how much has this girl suffered to give up not one but two hobbies?'

"I am sorry" Alice said looking like someone kicked a puppy as Cassia just smiled gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It is understandable, you are getting to know me, and I can't fault you for wanting to know things that I don't openly talk about" She said honestly as I was taken back by Alice's thought as Cassia spoke with Esme about the style of the home.

'She is going to be a perfect sister' Alice thought happily watching her picturing her with golden eyes causing me to hiss violently at her as Jasper having sensed the anger hit me with a wave of calm.

'Keep it together, she wouldn't understand' Jasper thought seriously thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

"Would you like something to drink?" Esme questioned softly and Cassia shook her head.

"No thank you, Esme. I really appreciate coming over and meeting all of you. I am going to head home though; it's been a tiring day" Cassia said offering each of us a smile "I will see you soon though."

"Count on it" Alice said happily before hugging her tightly 'We will be seeing a lot of her; she will complete us.

I attempted to give her a smile in return when she said goodbye to me before watching her walk out of the house. I turned to Alice growling low in my throat knowing that she was already up to something. I knew that there was a strange connection to the woman. I knew there was something about her that I wanted to dive into, her presence alone reaching me just as it had my family. She was a natural pain killer for us, but I didn't deserve to not feel the pain from losing Bella. It was my fault she was dead.

'You can growl all you want. She will be perfect for you, for this family. You will love her, she will complete us' Alice thought happily causing me to growl deeply throwing her a glare, Bella was perfect for me.

"Never again" I said seriously angry over the thought of replacing my Bella and ready to attack my sister.

"Edward, you don't even know her. I have seen it; she can help us all with the pain. I have seen you and her, happy and together" Alice said knowingly with a small smile as I growled deeply in my throat at the statement.

"Edward" Carlisle called looking at me 'Will you try? She isn't Bella but she could make you happy again.'

"She is human, I will not do that. I will not replace Bella" I growled out storming out of the house following a direction before I knew it.

I followed the path of her car home and watched her as she exited the car, pausing to look in my direction. I wondered if she could sense me out here lurking in the shadows of the forest. Could she have an ability as well? I watched as she shook her head before twirling towards the house, the simple action mesmerized me. For the locked mind like Bella, she couldn't be more different.

Cassia had those deep eyes that were blue in sharp contrast to my wife. The light brown hair of Bella paled in comparison the vibrant red waves Cassia had. Bella was clumsy as a human, yet this human moved with the grace and skill of a vampire. She held a woman's body, fully curved and able to turn any head in her direction. Bella had been skinny as a human, gaining the curves upon becoming a vampire. I loved my wife more than anything, I couldn't understand why I felt such a connection to another human.

'Dad' Renesmee thought appearing at my side watching the woman close the door to her house 'Is what Aunt Alice said true, do you feel a connection to her.'

I wanted to say no, but I couldn't deny it, not to our daughter "I will not replace your mom" I whispered softly causing her to give me a sad smile.

'Mom would not want you to be alone. I know that she would want us all to be happy, she loved us enough to understand if you choose to move on. You wouldn't be replacing mom; you would be giving a chance for new love to form. Grandpa said that sometimes something great can form from great tragedy. I know she is in pain; she can understand it better than any of us. None of us will forget mom but that doesn't mean we can accept someone new into the family' She thought before touching my shoulder and kissing my cheek.

I stood there in shock and awe over the wisdom my daughter held despite her young age. There were moments that she reminded me so much of Bella. She had followed me in order to let me know it was okay if I decided to get to know this woman, accepting that I deserved to be happy. I gave her a pained smile proud of our daughter. She smiled before walking behind me to no doubt where Jacob was waiting to escort her home.

'She is right. I knew Bella almost as well as you, she wouldn't want you to spend forever alone' Jacob thought before beginning to escort my daughter home.

I sighed deeply looking down at my ring, the wedding band Bella had put there. I was confused and angry over the thought of leaving her behind. Somehow, I knew it was an excuse, I knew that I would never forget her and that she would remain a part of me. She had been the one to change me, to make me better. I accepted who I was because she came into my life. I knew that nothing and no one could ever replace what she had meant to me. Vampires didn't change often, so when she changed me it was permanent.

I wondered if she wouldn't fear the truth and accepted me as Bella did. Could this human be as brave as my darling Bella was? Could I risk it all again? Could I put my family through that again? She was human and would all be in danger near us. I loved Bella, but I had been the reason she was put in danger so many times. This woman was so innocent and had already lost someone important, could she handle that as well? My family wasn't going to let this go, she had already befriended so many of them.

Then there was the Volturi as well, there was no telling how they would react should they find out our family is involved with another human. She could be demanded to be changed; would she consider such a thing? Would she accept becoming a vampire and losing her humanity? I didn't relish the thought of the Volturi finding out and coming after her. Would the wolves accept another human becoming involved in the family?

I sighed hearing her breathing slow and crept through a side window into her house. She shifted slightly again as if she sensed me near her before settling once more. I attempted to investigate her mind not at all surprised to find nothing was there for me to see, sometimes I could see Bella's dreams. I watched as her face contorted to show pain and I wondered what she was dreaming of that had caused that expression. I felt the urge to touch her skin to see if it felt as soft as it looked.

I frowned when she whimpered and knew that sound should never come out of her perfect lips. I wondered if this was okay, me lurking in the shadows watching her sleep. Was I betraying Bella doing this? I knew the truth behind the statements of the others, but would she really be okay with this? I felt that she would be because Bella was so understanding and wouldn't want me to be unhappy, above all she cared about the happiness of others.

I looked around surprised to find that there wasn't much to her room. Mainly clothes, surely, she would get along with Alice from the amount of clothes she had. There was nothing to offer any information on the woman, but a single painting in another room. The painting his mother must have seen, something that seemed to be stepping out a legend. I didn't know the meaning of it, but it had to hold importance to her.

I breathed in her scent as she tossed and turned throughout the night. My instincts demanding that I fix it, my instincts flaring demanding to help sooth her. I didn't know why but I wished to track down the things that caused her this unrest and destroy them for her. Taking another breath of her scent, lit my whole body with desire. Everything about it called in me in a different way, giving me a reason. The only thing that sounded in my mind was the possessive feeling that she was mine, my mate. It shocked me to my core, this was my mate. I had thought Bella was my mate despite never calling her such.

Who was she? He wondered looking at her as she relaxed into her sleep again. What secrets did she hide behind those eyes? He knew that he couldn't stay away from her anymore then he could stay away from Bella back then. Would she accept him as well? Did she feel a connection to him? Would she fight it? He allowed a small smile before leaving the house knowing that he would get to know her, see what possibility awaiting them in the future?