A/N:

I have to start by apologizing to all of you! Like, I can't even tell you how sorry I am that it has taken me so long to put this chapter out there.

There is no excuse, except that I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew, I think.

This is not the only story I'm writing or posting at the moment. I am also writing and posting a drabble fic called A Royal Duty and a mystery fic called The Mystery of El Jardín AND a collab fic with cloe marrie called The Runaways …

I am also getting countless pm's which are pleading me to update Forbidden Attraction.

It's becoming a bit too much, and I have to shamefully admit that the 3 stories above have been my priority.

I'm still gonna post this story, and I'm gonna try to do it more often than I have!ou how sorry I am that it has taken me so long to put this chapter out there.

Title: The Undecided

Author: MarieCarro

Beta Reader: SarcasticBimbo

Genre: Supernatural/Drama

Pairing: Bella/Edward

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Good and Evil Witches. A Prophecy. An Unfulfilled Destiny. The Promise of a Leader. And it all rests on the shoulders of a "misunderstood" teenage girl.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 3, 270

{Chapter 11}

A knock on the front door resounded through the house, and I went to open it.

Edward stood outside and looked rather confused. "Is it … is it over?" he asked.

"Yes, can't you feel it?"

He shook his head. "No. The power around you is much stronger, but not different." He stepped closer and looked me over as if he tried to find a clue or something like that. It caused me to laugh. "So what did you choose?"

I smirked. "Neither. Both. Whichever way you wanna call it, I have power from both sides."

His eyes widened. "I … didn't know that was possible."

I shrugged, my smirk still in place. "Well, you should know by now that I like to challenge what others call impossible."

Edward chuckled incredulously. "But what does it mean?"

I stepped closer so that our bodies were almost flush against each other and since I was wearing heels, I didn't need to stretch up to whisper against his somewhat open mouth. "It means whatever we want it to mean." Then I grabbed the back of his head and kissed him like I'd wanted to kiss him for weeks. It wasn't chaste, or sweet, or romantic. It was needy, aggressive, and all-consuming. It was us.

He moaned and I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and met his tongue with my own. His hands slid from my back down over the curve of my ass while my hands grabbed fistfuls of his hair. I knew I was tugging quite hard on it, but I didn't really care if he thought it was painful, and anyway, Edward seemed to like it.

He reacted by forcibly pushing me up against the wall closest to the door. I gasped at his rough handling, but I still enjoyed it and wanted more.

I knew, however, that we were about to get carried away, and we weren't alone in the house. I felt conflicted between not caring about Renee and Charlie and just let Edward have his way with me right there in the hallway, and also wanting to show some respect toward my mentors by not having sex while they were present.

It was a difficult decision to make, but I also knew that Edward and I would get plenty of opportunities in the future, because there was absolutely nobody that could forbid us to be together now. The law said that Good Witches and Evil Witches could not be together. I was neither, so it didn't apply to me.

Reluctantly, I removed Edward's hands from their place just underneath my breasts and turned my head away so that I could speak.

"We'll have to continue this later," I said, but I was breathless, so it didn't sound very convincing.

"I'd prefer continuing now," Edward replied against my neck before biting down hard enough to make it sting but not enough to break the skin.

He was obviously not going to stop willingly unless I persuaded him somehow, so I stroke his hair and chuckled. "Believe me, with what I hope we'll do later, you'll want us completely alone."

This caused him to stop what he was doing to think about my words, and then he let me go with a groan. "You're a much worse tease now than you've ever been before."

My smile widened and I bit my lip just to make him look at my mouth. "I know. You'd better get used to it," I said and pushed on his chest so that I could move away from the wall.

"Well, if we're not going to succumb to our desires, what did you have in mind for the day?" Edward asked, and then it appeared as if he noticed my dress for the first time since he'd arrived. "You look good enough to eat."

I looked over my shoulder at him and winked. "I'm afraid you'll have to go hungry for a few more hours, because you are going to invite me to your coven's Samhain ritual."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to see what you've been doing every time I haven't been invited. I am finally a full-powered Witch, but I only know of coven magic in theory. I need to see it."

He looked slightly uncomfortable and ran his hand through his hair, which had become a disarray after I tugged on it. "I don't know. Only coven members are usually allowed. When I promised I'd take you with me one day, I was hoping you'd be completely evil and become initiated. I don't know how the others will react to you being there now..." Edward trailed off when he saw my look and actually took a step back. I was furious that he thought he could keep me away.

"If you think for one second I care about any of what you just said, you're mistaken. If I am going to be a leader, I will observe what the covens are up to, and you can't stop me. I had just hoped you'd show me willingly."

Edward held up his hands as if he was ready to protect himself, and I wondered what he felt threatened by. "Angel, calm down. If it's so important, of course I will take you," he said cautiously, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Are Renee and Charlie still here?"

I became even more confused by his change of subject, but I nodded anyway. I was still angry, but I wanted to know why he acted the way he did. "Yes, they're in the kitchen."

"Charlie? Renee? Can you come here?" Edward called out, and my mentors immediately came up behind me, but when I turned around to look at them, they froze up and then shared wondering looks. "You see it, too, don't you," Edward asked, and I turned back around to him.

I could feel my anger igniting again because there was something they weren't sharing that concerned me. "See what?" I spat angrily.

Edward approached me slowly, again with his hands held up as if in preparation to protect himself, and when he stood right in front of me, he turned me so that I looked into the mirror attached to the wall.

What I saw reflected back at me wasn't what I had expected.

It was me, obviously, but my eyes were a swirling icy blue that glowed. The reflection scared me and I took several steps back until I hit the opposite wall. The blue started to fade until my eyes were once again the chocolate brown I was used to.

"What the hell?" I breathed out, mostly to myself but I knew the others heard it. Once again I turned to my mentors. "What the hell was that?" I wasn't angry anymore, only scared.

Charlie appraised me up and down, and then cocked his head slightly to the side. "Renee, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Renee swallowed before replying. "I think I do." They exchanged another look before both of them closed in on me. I didn't know what they were going to do, so my reaction was to step back, but Edward was behind me, so I was stopped by his body.

"What are you doing?"

Charlie and Renee reached out and placed one hand on each of my shoulders, Charlie on the left and Renee on the right. As soon as we were connected, it felt as if I had been electrocuted. My heart began pounding and I felt out of breath.

I didn't know if my mentors experienced the same feelings because both of their eyes were closed as they chanted underneath their breaths.

When they finally let me go, I could breathe again and I looked at them questioningly. "What the fuck's going on?"

They didn't look at me, only at each other with weird expressions on their faces. "She's..." Renee started to say.

"...an Original," Charlie finished, and Edward inhaled sharply behind me.

"What?!" I exclaimed in total shock. "How is that even possible?"

Suddenly, Charlie began to laugh and it caused us all to startle because the sound was so unexpected. "Well, I'll be damned!" he said in complete awe. "You just created a new kind of Witch with your choice. The first Witch ever to choose both sides." He crossed his arms and looked me up and down as if it was the first time he truly saw me. "I have to admit, I'm impressed."

"That was never my intention," I insisted. "I mean, doesn't this mean that I have to live forever like you two?" I was beginning to freak out, because if there was one thing I absolutely didn't want, then it was to live forever.

Without a conscious thought, I looked at Edward and realized that if I had to go on living, it would mean that I would outlive him; watch him grow old and die, and one of the reasons I chose both sides would be completely meaningless.

Renee squeezed my shoulder. I was convinced she somehow knew where my thoughts were. "That would be your choice only. Nobody can demand you to give up your powers and become immortal, but it would be comforting for new Witches to know that they could seek advice from you if they need it. You're the only one, Bella. Only you can explain what it feels like to have both powers inside you."

I buried my face in my hands and started to shake my head. "I can't think about this now. It's too much. I just claimed my full powers. I need to focus on that first." I raised my head again and looked first at my mentors and then at Edward. "For the rest of the night, let's just pretend this 'Original' crap never happened. You will take me to your coven's ritual, and that's the last I want to hear of it!" My words were final, and even though I asked for my new status as an Original to be forgotten, I suspected it was partially the reason that Edward didn't continue to argue with me.

He surrendered with a shrug, and just like that, he was back to being the carefree bastard I loved. "If that's what you want. But be prepared that you probably won't be warmly welcomed, and I have warned you, so don't ask me to defend you if things get ugly."

I scoffed. "I am more than capable of handling my own fights."

"Bella," Renee interjected. "You're talking about crashing a ritual feast solely consisting of Evil Witches that are far more advanced and experienced with the craft. If they feel you're a threat, you will be entirely on your own. I don't think you realize how dangerous that is."

"They're my friends," I insisted. "I went to school with them. I doubt it will come down to a fight," I said confidently.

"Not all of them are your friends," Edward admitted, and I turned back around, frowning at him. "My coven is one of the largest in the country, and most of them, you've never met. And that includes my parents, who are the leaders."

"Your parents are the leaders? Are you serious?" I asked, suddenly feeling less confident about going with Edward. His father had killed my parents, after all, and was my mother's intended fiance. That was a recipe for disaster on its own, because there was no guarantee how he would react to having me around his coven, but also, I didn't know how I would react to seeing him; knowing what he did.

Edward simply nodded, and then another realization came to me. "They were the ones who told you to try and sway my choice, aren't they? They told you to seduce me?"

Once again, Edward nodded. "Yes. It was a direct order from my father. He spotted you on your first day of high school, and he instantly knew that you were Marie's daughter. You look exactly like her."

I frowned. "How do you know that?"

"My father told me, and he also showed me a picture he had of her."

I had to sit down, and I went into the living room. All the revelations were making me dizzy as I tried to process them. The others followed me, but they remained standing.

"Edward, what would have happened if you refused your father's order?" I asked because I needed to know what kind of man I was about to deal with.

"He would have terminated me from the coven and made sure I could never join another, but that's only because I'm his son. Any other Witch he would have killed without a second thought. Actually, it's likely he would have had me killed, as well." Edward said this with a detached tone, but it didn't sound like he felt hurt his own father could possibly have done this. It was more as if what he said was just the way it was.

"His own son?" I asked incredulously. To me, it sounded preposterous.

"It's quite simple, Angel. If you disobey a direct order from your coven leader you will have to face the consequences."

I understood it to a point, but it was also a bit extreme.

I just knew that I would have to face this man at some point anyway, so why not get it over with. I inhaled deeply and stood back up. "How do you think your father would react if he were to meet me tonight?"

"Well, that's the thing, he's kind of expecting you to show up."

"Why?"

"Because he believes that you would have chosen evil beyond any doubt. He's convinced you have more Marie than Nicholas in you."

I couldn't understand from where he got that idea at all, and it must have shown on my face. "What did he base that conclusion on?"

Edward shrugged noncommittally. "Well, you've surrounded yourself with only Evil Witches for the past four years, and he also knows about us."

"What do you mean? What is it that he knows about us?" I had to ask, but I had my suspicions, even though it made me cringe to imagine Edward having that conversation with his father.

Edward smirked because he knew exactly what I was asking. "He knows we've had sex, Angel. And that's exactly why he expects you. To him, Marie's heritage and that part of my magic that you have inside you should have been enough for you to choose evil."

"Will he be disappointed when he realizes that didn't happen?" While I wasn't as uncomfortable as I expected about the topic, I didn't exactly want to linger on that particular detail either.

"A bit. He's been hoping that you would join the coven and be its new leader with me one day. That won't be possible now, but your choice is better than if you had become completely good."

Renee rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with being good," she mumbled to herself, and I couldn't hold in my chuckle.

Edward looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes. "Exactly. It's too perfect. Nothing interesting with it at all."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything else while Charlie laughed quietly.

"Okay," I said to get the attention back to the subject at hand. "I'm still coming with you tonight, and whatever happens happens. Do I need to bring anything?"

"That depends," he replied. "Do you have any kind of amulet?"

I frowned. "No. What for?"

Charlie was the one who replied and I turned my eyes to him. "It can help you during ritual work and direct your powers to where you want them to focus."

I looked back at Edward, curious to if he used amulets. "Do you have one?" I asked when I couldn't see one on my own.

"I do." He reached into his pocket and fished out a silver amulet hanging on a leather cord. I leaned closer to see what it was, and it was a pentagram within a larger pentagram. The points of the larger star was adorned with blood-red rubies.

"What does it do?" I inquired, intrigued by another facet of magic I hadn't encountered before.

"It empowers and protects," Edward said. "It makes my spells stronger as well as keeps other Witches out of my work. I don't like it when others stick their noses in my business." He pocketed the amulet again, and I looked into his eyes. They were guarded, and I wondered briefly what secrets he was keeping.

Instead of asking that, though, I pretended as if I hadn't noticed anything unusual with him. I knew I'd find out what he was keeping from me eventually.

"Is it necessary for me to have an amulet?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. It's not for every Witch, and with what I've seen you do so far, I doubt any amulet can make you any stronger, or that you would even need it."

I smirked at him, pleased with the indirect compliment he gave me, and being me, I had to tease him. "Why Edward, how kind of you to say that. Are you sure you're Evil?"

He rolled his eyes at me, and I laughed. "Are you ready?" he asked instead of responding to my teasing, and I nodded, excited that I was finally going to see what I had been excluded from for four years.

I turned to my mentors. "Don't wait up for me," I told them, attempting a joke, but it was shot down before I'd gotten the whole sentence out.

"Not likely," Charlie said. "Besides, I'm coming with you."

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock and outrage. "Why? I don't need a fucking baby-sitter!"

Charlie looked unimpressed by my outburst. "It's not for your sake that I'm coming along, Isabella."

"Then why?" I asked and crossed my arms petulantly.

"It's Samhain, and as stated, Marcus' coven is the largest in the States. I need to attend to represent us Originals."

So many things were suddenly clear to me. "That's why you guys always went out on Halloween, isn't it?" I turned to Renee. "I assume you'll go, too."

She nodded. "Yes. Since Good Witches don't form covens the same way Evil Witches do, the ritual I will attend will be a much smaller affair, but no less important. We're about seven Witches in this area, but we will communicate with Witches in other districts through our close bond with the spiritual element."

"What exactly happens at these rituals?" I asked, and Renee smiled dazzlingly.

"Hopefully, you'll come along with me next year and experience it yourself, but basically, we connect with nature and become one with the Divine. We even communicate with the Goddess herself. It's very cleansing for the soul."

Edward leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "A whole lot of bullshit if you ask me," which caused me to giggle.

"Next year," I replied to Renee with my giggle still in my throat, but it appeased her anyway.

Edward was still leaning close to me, and his warm breath against my neck was very distracting, but before it got to me completely, I stepped away and turned around to face him and Charlie. "Let's go."

A/N:

So she's not only neutral, she's also a new kind of Original. She's got even more on her shoulders now, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on what will happen at the coven gathering with the Evil Witches (even though, I technically don't deserve to hear from you, since you have not heard from me)

I will make it up to you, though!

All of you who review or pm me will receive a teaser from ch. 12!

So much love and kisses and smooches and hugs your way!
Love you all!

MarieCarro