Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything associated with it. I only play in the sandbox. I do however, lay claim to Ella, Adrian and the fey world included.

AN: I know it's been a while, I apologise. Between horrific writers block and general life issues, I have been unable to write for some time. Hopefully I'll get the last five chapters of Book three out before the new year but I'm not making any promises. I haven't even planned any of the last book and what I want to happen other than the final couple of chapters. Thanks goes out to all the reviews and people who keep reading. I know random updates can be annoying, but please stick with me as I haven't abandoned this story and have every intention to finish it.

I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times and I'm still not happy with it but hey ho! That's just how life goes and not everything is perfect.

To 'Loves Cookies' who posted on Chapter 1 her displeasure at Debbie Hicks - you expressed everyone's annoyance. Debbie Hicks is a menace to society that I try and ignore as much as possible. ~ Hannah

Chapter Fifty-Five – The Denali's

You could have attacked the tension with a knife and it still wouldn't have broken. It was foolish of me to have never thought that far ahead, in terms of Lauren meeting any of the visitors. In my mind, I had imagined managing to keep them separate until the visiting Volturi had disappeared. I just didn't trust Felix or Demetri. I mean I was good friends with Alec and Jane but they were still human drinking vampires and I didn't want to tempt them anymore with humans.

I don't think it had occurred to any of us that this could happen but here we were, all standing like deer in headlights, unwilling to make a move as our brains struggled to understand what had happened. Lauren was starting to look uncomfortable with all the starring, I couldn't blame her.

"Lauren," I said, talking her out of her trance, "this is Jane and Alec, they're…the Cullen's extended family, they're visiting for a while."

"Alec…"

"Yes, and Jane, his sister."

"It's so lovely to meet you Alec," she said.

"You too, Lauren…"

I had thought that introducing Lauren to Alec and Jane would remove the tension but if anything, it made it stronger. Alec and Lauren seemed to be locked in a starring battle that neither seemed willing to break while everyone else – myself included – just stood awkwardly around.

It was an awkward situation that I really wanted to remove myself from.

We would have had to have been fools not to notice what was going on between Lauren and Alec it was just so unexpected that none of us knew what to do. On the one hand, I was ecstatic for my friend, knowing that she had found ultimate happiness but on the other hand I worried for all the trials and tribulations they would now go through. If I had a choice, would I wish this situation on Lauren? I wasn't certain of the answer but I knew in all my heart that everyone in this room would ensure that she remained safe throughout the whole ordeal. It would be up to Alec to inform her of what was happening and induct her into the supernatural world. I would be here as a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen when she so needed or wanted it. I just hoped she wouldn't be too angry with me for not telling her the truth from the start. Between the lot of us, the outcome remained rosy.

[x]

I could not be around Lauren while she learnt about the world she was now thrust in, despite how much I wanted to be. Besides, with the new arrivals to the Cullen home, I now had my hands full in more ways than one. Currently seated in the Cullen's living room with the entire covent, my family and Adrian's, I nestled myself into Edward's embrace and observed everything that went on around me.

I hadn't thought to meet the Denali's this soon, in fact, I hadn't really thought about meeting the Denali's at all. Had I been a lesser person I might have felt sorrow of felt inadequate standing next to these fine beauties but I had self-confidence enough to know that beauty like this was only achieved with the vampire bite. I wasn't calling myself beautiful but I think I could lay claim to passably attractive.

I'd been introduced to the sisters first, and those were the ones I now watched. Tanya with her strawberry blonde locks smiled with unabashed kindness displayed on her face. She was soft spoken and relaxed in her posture and her attitude. Looking at Kate was like looking at Jane only with less dangerous feelings and more feisty feelings. She had long, pale blonde hair that was straight as corn. Power thrummed through her fingertips and I knew without a doubt that she could do serious damage with a power that rivalled Jane's. Irina was the last of the sisters and her hair was a mixture of pale blonde and strawberry blonde. I found her the most interesting to look at because of the intense emotions that scared her face. It was clear that whatever the reason for their visit lay in the heart of Irina. She was sad in a way that made me want to comfort her, like a parent would a child.

The other two in the Denali covent were obviously a pairing from the way they held each other close. The man and woman both had jet black hair and their skin was less white than those around them and held more of an olive tone.

I couldn't for the life of me work out why the Denali's were here, not that I was scorned by their visit but I couldn't think of anything that had happened for them to appear with such concern in their eyes.

I think the confusion on our faces prompted the Denali's to finally speak. Snuggled into Edward, I had the advantage of looking out across the room but not as obviously as some of the others. I also had the distinct advantage of knowledge and a talent of no longer being shocked by what was said.

Would I have preferred to be somewhere else at this moment? Yes. Was I going to bury my head and ignore what was going on around me? No. The Denali covent had come to the Cullen's for a reason and so I was not going to deny them a captive audience.

"A while back we had a visitor who was as closed off as you would expect a nomad to be. He wormed his way into our lives slowly and we never felt the danger that he became to be. We welcomed him with open arms as we would have done anyone but he betrayed our trust and our hearts," began Tanya.

"It was my own foolish fault. I believed that I had found someone to share my life with and I leapt in with both feet. I have never felt a pull strong enough to sway me from my sister's side but he almost managed it," said Irina.

"Why do you talk without saying his name…is it because he is dangerous or because his name is taboo?"

"We did not want to cause distress, we thought it best to tell our story before unveiling who it was," said Kate.

"That means the vampire involved poses a threat to one of us," I said.

Edward's hands tightened around my body. Honestly, I hadn't been meaning to talk but how could I not when presented with such an opening. The Denali's wouldn't have come here if they weren't worried about our safety. Whoever this vampire was, he'd done serious damage to the Denali's and it seemed he wasn't finished.

"I would suggest you tell your story, and tell it quickly. No one in this room likes being kept in the dark and if something is threatening the family then I for one would like to know," I said quietly.

I was not messing around and my tolerance for being in the dark was now non-existent. I didn't want to be playing games when the Denali's could just tell us who was responsible.

"He made Irina believe she loved him with a clever use of trickery and misdirection. The silver lining is that he did not get her but as you see her standing here today, you can see how damaged she was by the ordeal. The visitor was after something more sinister and far away from making another fall in love with him. He wanted information, we believe, leverage and to spread his hateful message all over. For too long we have been complacent in our lives, never fully opening to the actions of those around us. While we are governed by the Volturi, others have no such laws in place. In our own desire to remain hidden we have become vulnerable to the advances of others."

"You're talking about Laurent," I hadn't wanted to utter that remark but I knew my words to be true.

"What?"

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"How did you work it out?"

Swallowing the dread that threatened to fill me up, I took a moment to steady myself before answering. So, secure was I, in Edward's hold, that his presence gave me the courage to speak.

"It was relatively easy. You were already speaking about someone we'd been in contact with and someone who was a danger to us. That the same person tricked you so easily while hunting for information that could hurt both your covent and ours was a given. Laurent is the only person it could have been because he is the only person we have both met."

"We do not mean to cause you to panic."

"Do you see me panicking? For I am not, I am as calm as the morning sun. I do not fear Laurent. I do not fear much anymore. You may not know all of what has happened here but once your mind has been invaded without consent nothing much fills you with fear. I do not blame you for letting Laurent into your home for he is a vampire who has charms that should never be given to an individual with a mind like his."

"We didn't know who he was until Carlisle phoned us a couple of weeks ago. By then Laurent was long gone and we were left feeling guilty and betrayed. We can offer you next to nothing, only the conversations we had with Laurent and I am unable to tell you whether they'd be useful or not. Had we known he was the one you'd been seeking, we never would have allowed him in but I see that you are a firm believer of what 'is done, is done.' If you can find it in your heart to forgive us for our wrongdoings then maybe we can find it in ourselves to forgive for the mistakes made."

I had never imagined that my first meeting of the Denali covent would have ended in such a serious discussion. In my attempt to talk about the past in a way that would not plunge me back into the nightmare, I'd taken on a serious and cold tone of voice that was so unlike me that it made me shiver in discomfort. However, it was my seriousness that shone through in that moment, for I could see the emotion displayed upon everyone's faces and there was no pity in sight. Just determination for justice and concern for family members. Had I hoped that Laurent would have disappeared forever? Yes. Was this an inconvenience? Absolutely. Was I going to allow this hiccup to sway my life away from the normalcy I'd just found again? Hell no!

In the new state of mind, I found myself appreciating the small things and questioning myself at every turn. Meeting the Denali's had been an experience of serious attitudes and guilt that I'd prefer to erase from my mind. Not because I disliked the Denali coven but because I thought they deserved better. They deserved to be remembered favourably and not with the stigma of a past deed.

It was Irina, who spoke to me. I just knew how much she was feeling in this moment. Not only was it reflected in her body language but I could see it in her eyes. Here was a woman who had never fancied herself the type to settle down with 'the one'. Here was a woman who was the odd one out among her friends. Here was a woman who had longed to find her other half but had given up hope of that becoming true. Though her sister's Kate and Tanya were also unattached didn't seem to ease her mind. I could clearly see her becoming enamoured with the first male to show her attention and it didn't sit right with me that she'd been so unfairly treated.

Of course, those with ulterior intentions rarely play by rules that are fair but to mess with the strings of one's heart, were, in my opinion, some of the worst actions. Irina was not, however, a damsel in distress and that is not just because of her being a vampire. I could see a spark inside Irina, a passion and a fiery streak. Like me, she had a strong fighting spirit and would not be brought down by this experience.

Our stories were not similar but we shared the experience of being abused by a man. That the man in question was a vampire didn't weigh into the situation at all. Emotional abuse was every bit as disgusting as physical abuse.

A squeeze of my shoulder bought me back from the deep caesium I'd wandered into. Edward looked at me with a frown upon his face and concern within his eyes. Kissing him gently on the lips did nothing to diminish his concern for me but it let him know I was still with him and hadn't disappeared into the darkness.

My mind was a funny thing at the moment and needed to be constantly worked so as not to be reminded of what had happened. Why couldn't there be a shop that humans could go to and be repaired? Why has no one invented that yet?

"I wouldn't entertain those feelings for long Irina, for I see your mate waiting for you at the edge of the horizon," said Alice.

Smiling at the giddy expression on Irina's face was like looking at a child about to meet Santa Claus. I wanted to preserve the feeling of happiness I had for her in a jar, so I could return to it on days when I wasn't feeling so good.

It was the icing on an otherwise displeasing issue. An issue that I thought nothing more of until Adrian arrived.

Bad things come in three's, don't they? That Laurent infiltrated the Denali covent was number one. Adrian's arrival and news was number two, so I was left thinking what number three would be.

The anger I knew that people were feeling over the resurface of Laurent was tempered by their abilities to now control their tempers and their worry over upsetting me. The muted outbursts were only a blessing to me, for their childish outcries of arguments gone past were bloody annoying. At least now, we could have more civilised discussions.

I could understand the emotions running through the rooms. The Denali's were still anxious about the impact their news had on us, despite my reassurances. The Cullen's were angry and bitter, troubled by the news. I couldn't blame them really, for how many months had they hunted Laurent only for the trail to go cold? To know now that he was hiding with those they considered family was a strike too far for them to comprehend.

I would have rather been a witness to Lauren's introduction to the supernatural world and subsequent anger at the secrets I'd kept, than being where I was when all hell broke loose.

"Laurent is working with the 'Master,'" said Adrian.

Why did the world hate me so much? To pit yet more enemies upon my shoulders when they were so heavily weighed down as it was. Did this mean I was in more danger? Or had the danger now stretched to those I considered family? Were none of us to life trouble free lives? Would the nightmare ever end?

"Bollocks!"

"My sentiments exactly Emmett."