Bella and Alice had been back in Forks for a week since their trip to Florida and overall, things have been peaceful. Edward hadn't decided to return to Forks despite his suspension being done, which did alert Alice somewhat. She wasn't going to worry just yet but she also would not let him slip like they almost did with Victoria.

Bella had been alerted by Jake's father that he has 'the flu' but Bella knew it had to be Jake's transitioning to become a werewolf. She hoped he would pull through okay and when he was better, he would try reclaiming his Alpha status. Part of her future with Alice, Cynthia, and Julian hinged on Jake beating Sam in a werewolf duel. Alice couldn't even put all their fears at ease since she cannot see the futures of werewolves. However, they were all hopeful for Jake since he was pulling for Bella's happiness which did make things calming.

Cynthia wanted to swing by Bella's on Friday since Bella technically was still having therapy sessions with her. They both knew this one would be one of their last ones since Bella was in a better place from where they started. The fact she can talk to Cynthia like a knowledgeable sister also meant she didn't need to rely on Cynthia for a therapist. Bella got herself comfortable on her bed while Cynthia got settled in her chair. Cynthia knew where she wanted this talk to go.

"How was it meeting with your mother Bella? I know you told me it was a wonderful visit and that she accepts who you are, but do you have any sense of dread?" Cynthia questioned softly.

Bella nodded slightly since she knew life was going to be complex once she became a vampire. How long would it be before she can't keep up the ruse of being a human daughter before she and Charlie see she's not aging. It was amazing she turned a page with her mother about her sexuality and that she had her support too, but how long can she rely on that.

"I will admit, she and Charlie are the biggest sources of sadness about my decision to be a vampire. There's no way I can pull off being human and have them in my life until their deaths. No matter how much I know about what our plans entail, it's never going to be easy for me."

Cynthia nodded and she asked,

"Have you and Alice talked about this? I'm sure if you need the time to fully decide on becoming a vampire Alice will give you the time. Nothing is truly set yet and the three of us will be flexible to suit your needs."

Bella sighed. They have and Alice has been nothing but kind and supportive. It did come up at one point that if she needed time, Alice would grant her that. However in Bella's mind whether she was 18 or 28 or even older, she was going to have vampire problems and not look older than the age she's frozen as. She loved her parents, but she truly loved Alice with her being.

"No amount of time is going to lessen this feeling. The longer I hold off the more it will hurt in some ways. While yes I know Alice genuinely loves me and perhaps would let me age a bit more and live more of my life as a human...I don't want to remain human. I will be an inconvenience to all of you and I feel that I was made to be a vampire. It's just going to be hard when the day finally comes that we might have to fake my death, perhaps all our deaths, just to clean break from my once human life."

Cynthia nodded even though she couldn't fully relate. She and Julian killed her father and step-mother so she didn't have the same affection of ever wanting them in her life. Bella loved her parents and she knew what she would be giving up when she became a vampire. The Volturi would want the existence of vampires to remain a secret and they were pushing their luck with keeping Bella's parents in her life after her turning. However, the three of them cared for Bella and would do all they can and help Bella cope once that day came.

"You're very mature and considerate Bella. Most people would see immortality as a vampire as a dream and not think of the people they would have to leave behind. You are truly thinking about your life and that is something admirable. While yes, you will in a sense lose your parents twice, you will always have a family in your new life."

Bella smiled as she looked at Cynthia jotting away in her journal. Cyn was mindful of Bella's decisions and that made Bella feel supported.

"I'm thankful you and Julian came to my aid with James. I don't want to imagine how my life would have been if Edward had gotten to me first."

Cynthia sighed and continued to jot.

"You don't have lingering feelings right since I swore we liberated you?"

Bella chuckled to reassure Cynthia and she shook her head.

"Oh no, Edward's dead to me and I want my revenge on him for all he's done and put me through. Like I mention, I don't wonder about what my life would have been with him since I'm off that path. I'm loving where my life is going and when we meet up with Julian and Alice later, I want us to develop our stories for when we settle in a new place."

Cynthia laughed softly and shook her head.

"Someone is eager, aren't we?" she teased lightly.

Bella rolled her eyes playfully and crossed her arms.

"Well you have to admit that is something we need to do if we'll be a coven of four. Despite my qualms and sadness about Renee and Charlie, I knew of that negative when making my decision. I don't want Alice to be without me and we belong together for all eternity and not just my human life."

Cynthia nodded and went up to examine Bella's internal energies. She felt a warm pulsating feeling in Bella that truly was a healthy feeling for Bella to have. It made Cynthia smile that the bonds she had with Alice were truly that of mates. Cyn was even pleased and astounded that Bella has marked Alice as her mate while human since she thought only vampires could make such marks on mates. There was a strong feeling that Bella would be a very strong and unique vampire once she was turned, but no one was rushing when Alice turned Bella.

"You're a romantic at heart Bella. Thankfully unlike Romeo and Juliet you will have a happy ending with your death. Your death will be the beginning of a whole new life...well several if you know what I mean." Cynthia mused.

Right since to maintain their secrecy, adopting new personas after a couple years is needed.

"So long as all those lives have Alice, that's just fine by me. I missed out a lot by hiding who I am and now I will have all the time to do everything I want to accomplish while having my soulmate at my side."

If Cynthia were able to shed a tear, she would for how much Bella has grown. Out of all her clients, Bella would be one of the ones she will be the most proud of since her situation was very toxic and heartbreaking. The fact Bella was stronger and ready to take on the life she wanted with her sister truly moved Cynthia to her core.

"How I'll miss these talks with you Bella."

Bella raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"You know I'm always going to come to you for advice and words of wisdom, Cyn. Nothing will change much except I'll be coming to you more as a friend and sister rather than a therapist."

A small smile formed on Cynthia's face and she nodded.

"Of course you will and things will truly be brighter for us all. Plus if things stay the same, no growth or changes can occur."

Cynthia and Bella wrapped up their session and decided to go to Cynthia's apartment for game night. When they arrived, Alice was already setting up the table with some games and that made Bella smile. She wondered how they could have game nights when Alice seemed to know what will occur when they play. Alice approached Bella and she pecked her lips softly.

"You're just in time Bella. Julian is almost done cooking for you and we're going to have fun planning our lives as a coven."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow but she could smell a pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. She went into the kitchen to see Julian pulling out a pizza from the oven. It didn't look to be a store bought one and it did look rather appetizing. She found it sweet that Julian was doing this for Bella even though no one else would be able to eat his creation.

"You're already spoiling Bella? How cute you are Jules and I can see you worked so hard too." Cynthia asked softly.

Julian smirked lightly as he placed the pizza on a metal tray and wrapped his arms around Cynthia.

"Hey, if Bella is going to be my little sister, I need to step up as a brother. Right now it is making sure she gets home cooking while she can have it. Admit it, it smells amazing." Julian chuckled.

Cynthia chuckled as well, stroking his cheek and pecking his lips tenderly.

"It sure does and you're a great man. You're stepping up quite nicely."

Cynthia knew there would have been a future in which Julian would be a mature and caring man, she just didn't know when or if that future would occur. It pleased her that Julian was someone she could respect and love, more so stepping up as a leader and brother in their new family. It may have taken them decades, but Hamish would be proud that Julian has a coven that they always envisioned.

"Hey now, I can't take all the credit. You inspired me to become better and seeing how strong Bella was fighting made me realize how naïve I was. I may have been alive but I wasn't living and it was because we weren't together and I should have been the mate you deserve. Just because we were mates, it didn't mean I was entitled to you and that you needed to be devoted to me. I realize how I could have been an awful man and I'm thankful for my changes."

Cynthia pressed her body against his and nuzzled his neck.

"I'm just thankful you never gave up on us and that all this time, you were following me because of a genuine connection and not just pure lust. Now all will be well and we have something to live for."

Alice and Bella walked in on them and they smiled. They saw just how complete Julian and Cynthia were as vampire mates and they will have that too in the coming months. Bella saw the pizza and her mouth watered slightly, causing Julian to grin ever so softly.

"You know when I had to see the Volturi now and again, I made sure to take a class or two on Italian cooking. Sure might be a waste for vampires, but for humans it's a crowd pleaser."

Cynthia playfully slapped his chest.

"More like it was a tactic to lure your meals, but thankfully Bella is genuinely getting a meal. Now let Bella get her food so we can start our talks over a game of Monopoly."

"Perhaps I should make more food for Bella if we are starting with that game. I swear with you and Alice it takes forever, perhaps longer than the game is intended to be and it is a long ass game." Julian expressed.

Alice nodded in agreement and suggested,

"Scrabble can work."

"True and it relies a bit on knowledge and luck." Cynthia added.

Julian scoffed playfully.

"Yea just lay off your powers. Some of us aren't lucky to know what letters people have and know what people's moves will be in advance." Julian suggested.

Cynthia and Alice chuckled but they nodded in agreement. They all got settled around the table and Bella was loving the pizza Julian made. It had a very crisp crust, warm melty cheese, and a velvety sauce. Julian smiled as Bella ate and he knew Bella was going to fit in nicely. As the game progressed, talks of their lives started and something Alice said made Bella surprised.

"You're dropping the Cullen last name?" she asked.

"I mean I'm not going to be a part of their coven so it would make the most sense, why?" Alice questioned.

Cynthia sighed as she recalled their lives and how Alice was looked down upon because of her intuition.

"Our human family weren't the most understanding of your gift Alice. I know you don't remember anything from your human life, but you want to use Brandon as your last name?" Cynthia asked.

"Well we're going to constantly need to change last names anyway so what if I use Brandon for our first union as a coven." Alice expressed.

Bella thought for a moment and she did know that Alice and Cynthia were always going to be sisters, both would love her and Julian respectively, but Cynthia and Julian looked very young. She thought about the story Carlisle used about him adopting all of the other Cullens but thankfully Bella had an idea all her own.

"Well I have a cover story if you all want to hear it?" Bella asked.

They all nodded and that made Bella smile lightly. She liked that she was being heard and it truly made her appreciate them all.

"Well Julian and Cynthia look young so they can't be like parents. But it can be like parents died so Cynthia needed to be a guardian to Alice and Julian needs to be a guardian to me. Julian and Cynthia would of course be dating or married depending on the angle you two want. If Alice and I are romantically involved in the eyes of the others it wouldn't be so weird since we would have both needed to move in with you both and it's not like we grew up together or anything." Bella expressed.

Cynthia smiled at the plan and looked at Julian.

"That sounds really good Bella. It would be logical too since Julian and I wouldn't have any other family and we needed to take you both in. It's a really good story for the humans, Bella." Cynthia mentioned.

"I like it too since it makes Cynthia and I sound like really wonderful people. Plus it won't be as weird as what the Cullens tried. No offense Alice, but with four of the five of you acting like siblings yet being paired off was a bit weird." Julian expressed.

Alice sighed since it wasn't her plan.

"Blame Carlisle for that. While yes we were all 'adopted' as the story, the fact humans saw it as hooking up with siblings was probably something he didn't expect. How that fools humans with how young he and Esme looks always amazed me. Least it makes sense with Bella needing to live with Julian as a brother and me living with my sister despite you and her looking young." Alice expressed to him.

Julian laughed softly and nodded.

"Yeah and it just so happens I love Cynthia and you love Bella, perfectly normal and not like The Brady Bunch. I mean it would be gross if we all were like step siblings and decide to date when older." Julian remarked.

Cynthia rolled her eyes.

"The actor and actress who played Greg and Marcia dated, not the actual characters you goof." Cynthia sighed.

Julian chuckled and nodded.

"Ah right but at least we have a story everyone agrees with right?" Julian asked.

Everyone nodded, making Bella smile. Alice kissed Bella's cheek since she came up with a splendid cover story for their vampire lives, once they needed Bella to break ties with Charlie and Renee eventually.

"Now in terms of the vampire society, we need a vampire coven name like well The Cullens." Julian suggested as he put down a word that got triple points.

Cynthia, Alice, and Bella all just stared at him since they thought it was obvious what the name should be. Julian at first looked confused but slowly a smile was forming. He didn't want to enforce his own name but the fact the three women were giving him a look surprised him.

"Really?"

"I hate my human father for how he treated me and Alice so it's not going to be called the Brandon coven." Cynthia expressed.

"And I would be the youngest vampire and it wouldn't make sense for the coven to be named after my last name so...it just seems best that we take your last name Julian." Bella added.

Julian was honored and he nodded.

"Alright, guess that means we are the Flynt clan. Wow...I really do feel like a patriarch even though I kind of want us all to be equal you know." Julian expressed.

"Of course you do and we appreciate that Julian. We will all make decisions that will benefit each other and not have one person be the sole decision maker. We don't want a Carlisle or Edward scenario." Cynthia spoke softly.

Alice interlaced her hands with Bella's and smiled softly. They had their plans and all they needed was permission from the wolves for Alice to bite Bella. Their game night was interrupted with a phone call. Bella knew it was her cell and she got a bit nervous when she read the caller Id.

"Jake, are you alright?" Bella asked.

He chuckled a bit and answered,

"I'm fine Bella, actually I feel stronger. I know I worried about you and I am sorry."

"I knew it was going to happen and we didn't know when it was going to happen to you. Please tell me you didn't go after Sam yet." Bella questioned.

"No not yet but I will soon. I know how important me taking control means to you and Alice. Just know when it does happen, I will let you know where to meet us. You won't be alone since your vampires are needed for this arrangement." Jake expressed.

Bella sighed in relief but she was still worried since she didn't want Jake to be hurt because of her.

"Please don't risk your life and we have a way if Alice can't bite me to turn me."

"Bella I'm not going to die, it's unlike duels to go that far. Besides you've sacrificed and suffered too long Bella. I know Alice turning you by biting you is what will make you happy and I want you to be happy. If I can be involved somehow that will make me happy too. Enjoy your evening and don't worry about me. I'm going to be preparing for my fight with Sam. Hopefully when we all meet, I will be the Alpha and will be able to help your vampire coven."

Jake hung up, which made Bella a bit uneasy. Alice went over to her and hugged her from behind. She knew from the talk what she was talking with Jake about and she kissed Bella's shoulder blade through her clothes.

"No matter what happens Bella, we will have our happy family. The only thing we don't know is how."

Bella felt her heart ease up and she turned around to hold Alice close. She kissed Alice's forehead sweetly and stroked her cheek.

"We've come a long way and I just want things finalized. It's hard waiting and not knowing how that night will be."

Alice had visions of either scenario, syringe or with her fangs but she didn't know which vision would be true unless the fight happened. Either way, she saw her Bella as a gorgeous vampire, feeding with her and enjoying passionate sex with her. A soft smirk formed on Alice's face and she kissed Bella's neck.

"It will still have you and me, isn't that enough to calm your racing mind?" Alice whispered.

Bella's heart skipped a beat at Alice's almost sultry tone and Julian chuckled,

"Get a room!"

"Julian, rude much darling. It's still our game night...however you can crash the extra room if you want to cut this short?" Cynthia said with a smile.

Bella kind of felt weak and Alice could see Bella's face was a bit drained. She guided Bella to the spare bedroom and made the call to Charlie that she was sleeping over with her and Cynthia. Once that was arranged, Bella laid on the bed while Alice stroked Bella's hair and arms. Bella smiled softly as she took Alice's hand, stroking it.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It was a lot for Jake to spring on you. Rest and we will enjoy our time together tomorrow."

"I love you Alice."

Bella rested her eyes and her mind wrestled with Jake's words until Alice's soft musings and words helped Bella to sleep peacefully. No matter what their future holds, Bella will have Alice and they will be together.