Heyooooo!

I is back! With another chapter! Rejoice!

Ok, so my college has started *insert loud wail* but I'm trying my best to maintain a steady writing schedule. Please don't hate me!

Reviewers:

M - Listen, you're giving me heart palpitations. I love that you ship her with both but I'm holding two titanics in my hand and I need to decide which one I want to sink.

GraceEllingson - Oh no, please call me Evil and love me despite that. I have a reputation to maintain lol. 1) The reason why Edward and a lot of characters might seem OOC to people is because I'm trying to explore different and more complicated situations and how they might react to them. Taking Edward as an example, in the Canon Twilight, he never had to worry about Bella leaving him for Jacob. He was jealous yes, but he never had that nagging thought weighing him down. In this story, Edward knows the compulsions a Blood Singer bond has between human and vampire. T's body responds to Alec's. She's not really cheating but she can't help it and neither can Edward do anything about it. He's frustrated and we all know he's possessive and over protective. But he just can't do anything about it. The scene I wrote in the last chapter was how I think someone like him might act out in that particular position. Trying to stake a claim but still being angry that he can't punch out Alec's teeth. (If you know what I mean)

2) Again, in this story Blood Singers have an actual physical connection, something I will explore later but I have hinted at it in the first book. Edward did feel a pull towards Bella. Bella was still intrigued by Edward. It just so happened that Tulika being in the mix with 'unconventional' thoughts and Edward's repulsion from Bella because she threatened his family (tbvh Meyer should've explored this concept but she didn't) made him lean towards the...shall we say easiness of her? He could read her mind, he didn't have to force himself into acting at anytime (Canon Edward had to put up pretences for Bella but T doesn't bring that in his life) With Alec and T, there is a much more deeper connection because Alec has actually been looking for his Singer and is thoroughly sure that T is the one for him. T meanwhile is just not that strong physically to repel Alec's pull. There are flaws, beautiful. Everyone have those.

Kat Smith - I agree, Personality is good. Too bad a lot of people I've met recently don't possess any. Alec is definitely hopeful. He has been alone, a lot longer than Edward, mind you and he is always working for Aro. A little fresh air in the form of a Soulmate is something we all day dream about, right? Why not vampires?

I hope Zenzi and B and S are all happy and healthy. I love them so much! Ofc I've never seen them. Reminds me of Yeontan and Jimin.

She didn't know what possessed her to go to Tulika's room but somehow Alice found herself meandering towards her best friend's room, a friend who she desperately wanted to reconcile with but somehow saw no opening with.

Naturally, letting the door swing open, she was at first not very shocked to see her adoptive brother sitting on the infrequently used bed.

His posture was what caught her already worried eye first. His head was hanging low, shoulders hunched almost as if he wanted to curl up in himself, hands insecurely folded on them as he stared into his lap. It was the first time she'd seen her confidant brother look so…small, and she'd seen him when he'd thought of his love as dead. Even then, Edward hadn't appeared so contrite.

"Edward," she called in her chime voice but he didn't respond, only giving a gentle flinch as if he wasn't expecting the company…or at least she wasn't the company he wanted. That was another point of worry; shouldn't he have heard her thoughts?

He looked up then and his black eyes bleakly peered at her listlessly.

"What…what's the matter?" Alice asked as gently as she could, shutting the door to give them some semblance of privacy as she went to sit next to him, mindful to give him berth to breathe – if that was even something vampires needed.

"I don't know," he said, voice hollow as he still kept staring at where Alice had stood earlier, before dropping his head again to stare at his entwined fingers.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?" She asked insistently.

Edward sighed, a drawn out frustrated sigh Alice was well familiar with before he lifted his head again, Adam's apple bobbing with a nervous gulp.

"We fought…again."

Alice waited, patiently listening for the truth of her brother's feelings to spill out from his stunned lips.

"That's all we've been doing lately, it seems. I can't get anything right. I have been messing things up in our relationship ever since she came back to life. First it was about Jacob, then I was too controlling for her taste and now this."

"Edward, you've always bounced back from anything life has thrown at you." Alice said, trying to sound reasonable instead of comforting. She knew he'd never believe her if she couldn't convince him.

"Not this time," he said heavily. He looked tortured as he swallowed again. "I think I went too far. I might have hurt her." He said.

Alice sat up straighter, frowning.

"Wait; what do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't know what came over me. I have been so nervous about bringing her here and now with this whole thing with Alec and her ignoring me…it's taking a toll. If she would just talk to me…but she doesn't. She keeps running away and it has been driving me mad. So when we fought I just let it all cloud on my head and I…I kissed her. It wasn't how it was supposed to be though. I must've crossed so many limits today." Edward let out a pained groan, dropping his head in his hands.

Alice reached out and fiercely gripped his shoulder.

"Listen Edward, Tulika loves you. There is nothing either of you can do that can change that truth. All you have to do is remind both of you that." She said.

For a moment he looked lost before nodding with a determined expression on his face.

My eyes were blown wide open as I watched Alec drift steadily closer, to touch me with his lips or his teeth I had no idea as I stared up at him in a dazed stupor.

His eyes were slowly closing as he took in a deep breath and opened his mouth. Even as I flinched, the strong sense of an invading presence fell on us, making Alec move away from me, staring into the depths of the darkness, his eyes narrowed.

For a while, nothing happened. Then, with a rustle of midnight clothes, Marcus stepped forward into the firelight, his eyes unreadable as he stared at us.

The black orbs swept over the way I was pressed back against the wall, my still zoned out expression and Alec's defensive stance in front of me, feet squaring off from anything that might attack us. When he saw his master, he relaxed just a bit but he didn't move away from in front of me.

"Alec," he said quietly, mouth nearly unmoving as he murmured the name in command.

The man in front of me deflated at it quickly, shoulders slumping as he was reminded of some unknown order from his master. He turned to give me one last torn look, almost as if he was going to say something before with a sigh, he nodded, turning to walk back out the way we had came.

Marcus stood in front of me now.

I closed my eyes as I took in a rattling breath, feeling the cloud of haze vanish slowly leak from me as consciousness took hold of me. I raised a hand to put it on my forehead, peeling myself from the hard brick wall to look up at Marcus, perplexed.

"What the hell happened to me?" I asked.

Marcus's eyes flickered ever so slightly before a sardonic smile crossed his face. "A little side effect of being around your mate," he said softly.

"Hang on, was he…was he trying to persuade me?" I asked, my voice rising in shrill panic.

"I doubt Alec would want his first kiss with his mate to be under Persuasion, my dear." Marcus held out a hand to me and I let him take it as he gently pulled me away from my slumped form against the wall.

"Hmm, seems like Demetri and Felix are in need of admonishing. They smuggled you out of the Castle against our express wishes."

"Don't kill them." I warned.

"Do not worry, they are valuable to me as well," he used my hand to lead me away from the tunnel.

It was quiet for a while till I spoke up.

"I want to go back home." I said, in a small, insecure voice.

Marcus slowed down enough to look at me.

"I just…I didn't feel anything was wrong about coming here at first but now it is just too complicated. I keep feeling like I'm a rope in a tug or war. I love Edward; I don't think that will ever change, no matter how dazed I get around him. I'm just…I'm tired. I don't want to fight with Edward and Alice anymore. They…are my family. I want to leave." I said, my voice strengthening at the end.

Marcus looked to the front, his dark head bowed as he considered my words.

"I know something about what you're feeling right now and I will tell you that it is ok to feel torn between two choices. You might not always have all the time in the world to make your decisions but it is never wrong to take some time away to consider all of your options. The satisfaction you will have when you know you made the right decision is astounding." He said.

"Is that how you felt when you decided to stay with the Volturi?" I asked.

He smiled again.

"It might've not been the choice that made me happy but it was the right thing to do and the satisfaction I get from protecting our young has kept me alive all these years. Aro is not the only one with high power," he said a touch ominous as he stopped in front of the hall of my room.

"Remember, at the end, it is your heart, your mind…"

He bowed a little before with a swish of his dark cloak, he walked away.

When I got back into the room, it was mercifully empty, my boyfriend nowhere to be seen as I peeled off the clothes of the Volturi guard. I even removed the necklace, leaving them in a pile as I took a hot shower to wipe off the exhaustion from the last few hours.

As the heated water dripped down my back, I stubbornly pulled on a shirt I had of Edward's in my luggage, my lips bitten as I considered visiting him in his own room.

I hadn't seen him in a different light other than one colored in anger and hurt and it was almost as if I had washed away the entire negative in my mind and was trying to take a chance back at the positive.

Leaving my room, I walked briskly to the door next to me, pausing just a second in front of the intricate wood. Did I knock? Could I just let myself in? What was the protocol here?

I was so lost in my own ruminations that it slipped my mind that the man inside could hear all my thoughts. The door swung open and I heard a deep voiced sigh as I jumped, looking up into the wary eyes of Edward Cullen.

His gaze trailed down to my body before he raised them back into my eyes, deep golden orbs narrowing slightly.

"What happened to you?" he demanded, opening the door wider and nodding for me to enter.

I shuffled in slowly.

"I think you already know." I mumbled as I began to recount the events of the day for him to pick out from my mind.

Edward stayed behind me, silent for a long while before he circled around to face me, looking, if possible even more careful.

"You're…ok?" he asked. I nodded.

"Alec saved you?"

I nodded again.

His eyes dropped, somewhat dejectedly and I felt a pang go through my heart. I wanted to touch him, hug him, and feel his lips on mine. It had been so long since I'd had the comfort of having his strong arms wrapped protectively around me. I wanted to push my hand forward, feel his marble like but soft skin under my finger tips but I held back, clenching my fists next to me.

His eyes opened as he stared at me wistfully, picking up the thoughts from my mind. He glanced once at my balled up hands before turning away from me, going to his window.

Maybe he didn't want me as bad as I wanted him…

I dropped my eyes back down.

"Marcus is going to talk to Aro. We can leave soon." I said.

"I would've thought that you'd want to stay." He said.

I frowned at my shoes.

"No…I think it's time we go back." I said.

"Oh, there's a 'we' again now, is there?" he asked.

I looked up sharply at that, "What's that supposed to mean?"

There was silence as I gaped at his stiff back before I scoffed. "Fine, whatever Cullen," I snapped before turning to yank open his door and stomping out.

It wasn't until later that I was locked up in my room that I curled up on my bed, feeling small and rejected in the lonely confines of the cold stone room.

Maybe Edward didn't really care…maybe he was starting to realize that I was more trouble than I was worth…

He didn't care enough to fight for me anymore, something Alec had started to do. Was he waiting for us to go back to Forks just so he could leave me alone all over again?

Aro had agreed.

To me it seemed that he could see the fraying ties forming in Alec's mind that he was uncomfortable with. Alec was one of his prestigious guards. Aro needed him to be sharp. My presence had caused more upheaval than he had benefitted from. He probably thought it best if I left.

Neither Alice nor Edward had spoken to me ever since the last disastrous conversation or one sided argument I'd had with him and it was Alec that came to my room when I was leaving it.

"So," he said, hands clasped behind his back as he looked around the room.

"So," I smiled with pursed lips, can't smiling at the awkwardness radiating off him.

"I was expecting some more time with you. Maybe take you out on…what do you say…a date? Impress you a little," he said.

"Alec," I sighed before he turned to give me those gazes that rooted me to the spot.

"I understand, Piccola, it's him…he was first, he managed to snag your heart. I just want you to know that for me it will always be you. I can wait forever. I will wait forever. When you need me, I will always be right here. I will never stop fighting for you."

I stared at him flabbergasted.

"I can't ask you to do that." I whispered.

He smiled softly, taking a few steps to stand in front of me.

"You're not asking me, Tesoro." He said, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on the crown of my head.

My eyes fluttered closed, my body helplessly reacting to his touch as my skin tingled from the brush of his lips. I felt the air shift and even as I opened my eyes, the door was swinging shut.

"You're back!" Bella squealed as she held out her arms for me to fall into.

Edward and Alice had stone facedly dropped me off in front of the Swan House, not one word spoken in the hours that we spent in air and on road to get back to Forks.

I'd watched them speed off in the small silver car they'd rented off the airport, wondering why they didn't just tell me to call Charlie or Stephen to get me from the airport.

Bella's smile was wide, enthusiastic at having me back when I realized. She had every reason to be happy. She was going to go to college soon.

I smiled as wide as I could back at her before embracing her, burying my head in her comforting warmth.

It wasn't until later at the dinner table when Charlie, with his keen sight glanced up at me and asked if something was wrong.

I looked down; twirling the special recipe pasta Bella had made for my return, thinking about the few days I'd spent in Voltaire.

"No, nothing's wrong." I said.

Did I just do that?

Yes, yes I did.

I am not going to spill anything in this chapter. ;)

I have only one question this time.

Edward did make a promise to our girl in the last book which He will definitely want to keep (if you know what I mean) The question is, would you all be comfortable if I add a smut scene in the story? I will of course put a cut in the story to let people know when the...um...graphic scene will start and end. I just want to know if it will make anyone uncomfortable.

Mind you, that scene is actually not a Meyer-esque way of adding a plot point. It might end up being important. So I just want you all to tell me about it in the reviews or PM.

Enjoy your days my loves!