Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I merely play in the sandbox. I do however, lay claim to Ella, Adrian, the Master & anything associated with the Fey World.

AN: HNY! I know it's a week late but I was sick last week with a terrible cold and did nothing much but sleep and sneeze.

To the guest reviewer of chapter 61 - please PM me. Are you suggesting that you're up to the challenge of editing? Reviews with corrections is just going to confuse me. As I've said many a time, I don't have the time to go back through and edit, even if you point out my mistakes.

~Hannah.

Chapter Sixty-Two – What Did I Do?

How long I stood, stock still, staring numbly at my outstretched hands I couldn't say. How long I could feel the eyes of the others penetrating my very soul, I could not determine. How long I stood trying to move from the spot I couldn't gauge. The surprise and conflict I felt in the immediate aftermath of the black mist disappearing, reached levels previously unattained by me.

Had I become a monster? Or had it all be a trick of the eye?

Was this another plan of the Masters? An illusion to make us think I'd created something powerful enough to drive him away? Was I now going to be feared and controlled?

Laurent had been…exterminated and his army slaughtered but I did not feel like rejoicing in the aftermath. I knew this experience had changed me but it was doubtful that I'd come out of this situation unscathed. How many people willing walk into a battle field? Of course, I'd hoped for an easy ending, perhaps an instant surrender from Laurent but in my heart, I knew that that was never going to happen.

Regardless of how people now felt about me, I knew they were likewise suffering in the aftermath of what had happened. Vampires they had been, but they had been led by the lies of Laurent and had ultimately been innocent in the ordeal. Their wasted potential lay heavily upon my soul but I could do nothing to bring them back now. Their dismembered body parts littered the field and I knew that soon there would be a fire burning them and erasing them from existence. I wish we could have saved but one but they had been determined to carry out the mission set for them by Laurent. There had been no stopping them.

I wished I could have learnt more from Laurent. It was like I desperately needed to know the reasons behind his actions. Surely it was more than charm that made people follow the Master. What had been Laurent's motive? What terrible moment in his past had got him to this moment. Did he ever think he would die on this field today? I knew he was dead, even though there was no body because the Master wouldn't let someone who failed him live.

The Master had picked his name so that he would be in control. So that he would be Master to us all. He picked it to instil fear, to make people follow him, to hide his real persona. Just who was this Master? Would we ever find out? Or would we die without discovering who the man behind the title was?

"Ella, what did you do?"

Edward, sweet Edward.

He'd walked towards me while I'd been stuck in my internal monologue. Was this the moment they told me of their fear?

Edward looked as perfect as always, and I counted my lucky stars that he was mine. His hair, barely tousled by the battle, his clothes unstained and his eyes, boring into mine with intense concern. Concern for me or him?

"I don't know."

"What were you thinking? Putting yourself in danger like that?"

"We were sitting ducks. We would have stood in that darkness till he killed us. He needed to know that we wouldn't just stand there and take it."

"That doesn't mean you should put yourself in danger."

"No one else was doing anything Edward. I had to try. I couldn't let him hurt any of you."

I felt the panic rise before it was shown on my face. The adrenaline of facing the Master had finally worn off and in its place, I felt hysteria well up inside me. I knew I'd put myself in danger. I knew there had been a high percentage of me getting killed. I knew everyone was probably angry at my actions but I couldn't take them back. I would do them again and again if it meant keeping the people gathered on this field safe from harm.

"I didn't mean to shout at you Ella, I was just scared for you. It's alright, come here."

Edward enveloped me in the warmest hug imaginable. I know Vampires are cold to the touch but Edward's hugs had always been warm to me. Warm and safe. Edward cocooned me against him and I felt myself let go of all the emotions that had been swirling around inside of me. I let them all go and with it, a sob rose from my lungs and punctuated the still air with noise.

I wanted to stay in Edward's embrace forever more. Safe in the knowledge that I was protected and looked after but I knew it wasn't feasible. I needed to face the music, face what had happened, learn from it and move on. That was the way of the world.

"We should go, it's getting cold…I'm only human you know and the bodies need to be taken care of."

"Alright."

I had expected Edward to argue with me, to stall me from leaving but perhaps he noticed how tired I was becoming and how much I craved the warmth and the ability to relax.

Like the end of a Church gathering, we were followed by the rest of our party as we left the field, well those that didn't stay behind to deal with the remains of Laurent's army. The best way to describe the trek back to the Cullen's residence was 'total blur'. So, unfocused were my eyes and so bunged up was my mind that I could barely tell you how I was putting one foot in front of the other, let along tell you anything that made sense. I desperately wanted something to make sense so that I had something to ground myself but I couldn't make heads or tails out of what had happened today. My fear of being rejected simmered close to the surface but was somewhat placated by the comforting smiles I could see all around me.

Praying to whoever lay above in the sky, I hoped for an explanation, a normal life and safety for my family. I did not want to be the hero in this story. I didn't want to be in a story. I wanted to live my life as safely as possible and as dull as possible. At least, I think I did…

[x]

"Stop poking her Jepford, you'll wake her up."

"Isn't that the point Minerva? We didn't bring her here to sleep."

"She'll wake in her own time."

"Honestly Minerva, stop being so cryptic, we can all tell she's waking up. Look at her eyelids, they're practically dancing off on their own."

"Come on child, all is well. You need not fear us."

"Sorry, but I have heard that phrase all too much recently. You may say you are not to be feared but I do not know whether that is true or not."

I had spoken with clear authority and confidence but I felt like a little child inside. I did not know where I was or why I was surrounded by four unknown people. The last thing I remembered was Edward laying me down for a nap and promising to stay with me while I slept.

I needed to rationalise what was happening, if that meant looking like a gormless fish as I assessed those before me then so be it.

The for unknown people that stood before me were dressed in cream togas. There were two men and two women. The men had crowns of fresh leaves upon their heads. The woman's togas had sparkle laid within and upon their heads, flower crowns lay. The men both had dark brown hair, while of the two women, one had blonde hair while the other had black. They looked kind and inviting but I knew looks could be deceiving.

"Hello child," said the woman with blonde hair.

"Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?"

"Such confidence! Such curiosity! We picked a good one here."

"Picked a good one? What are you talking about?"

"Jepford, must you speak without thinking?" asked the other man.

"I'm sorry, what kind of name is Jepford?" I asked.

"A very respectable name I'll have you know."

"It's a weird name and you know it."

Jepford, one of the two men, who I noticed had a little bit of a moustache, crossed his arms and sulked in the presence of the other three.

"My name is Minerva," said the blonde-haired woman.

"I'm Miranda and this is Jacobi," said the black-haired woman as she pointed to herself and the other man.

"But who are you? Where am I? And why am I here?"

"Well it's rather hard to put what we are into words, I suppose you could call us the 'Ethereals'."

"The Ethereals? That's not pretentious at all."

"I suppose to you it would be. We were, once, viewed upon as Gods to humans, but like every civilisation, they outgrew us. Now we serve as higher beings."

"We don't usually interfere with the lives of humans, so really you should count yourself lucky," said Jepford.

"Me, lucky?"

"Yes, lucky. We were chosen to become your guardians of sorts. To protect you in the dangerous world you now find yourself in."

"You made the light appear from me?"

"No Ella, that light was all you but we helped it along," said Minerva.

"Why?"

"We did not want you to suffer more than necessary. You are a special human being Ella, who has been thrown into extraordinary situation. To let you continue on blindly would have been cruel."

"So, you have given me a power to help?"

"Simply put, yes," said Jacobi.

"But what is it? How do I use it? How do I control it?"

"That, my dear, is up to you," said Miranda.

"Why?"

"We can't be seen to meddle more than necessary. There are…others who are monitoring. We were elected to speak to you but you are of great importance to many that reside with us. There are rules for meddling in the world of humans, even for one chosen as our vessel."

"I'm your vessel? Doesn't that mean you're going to possess me?"

"Oh Ella, no. It just means you have been chosen to be our champion if you will."

"What if I don't want to be your champion?"

"It is not something you can run away from I'm afraid," said Jepford.

"So, I am stuck with it."

"I know it may seem like a burden now, but with time I think you will begin to understand what this means."

"How will I understand if you refuse to tell me?"

"Oh dear! I fear we shall go around in circles if we continue on this line for much longer," said Minerva.

"What? Did you think I would just take what you've said blindly? That I wouldn't have any questions for you?"

"I'll admit we thought things would be smoother than they are."

"We simply forgot how high spirited you are."

"Are you insulting me?"

"No, merely realising our own mistakes," said Jacobi.

"Where are we?"

"The dream realm. We were going to visit you in our realm but it was argued that perhaps that would be too much for you to handle, so here we are."

"So, this is all a dream?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, this is a dream but it is also real."

"I don't understand."

"Yet you will, in time."

"We have to go now child," said Jacobi.

"Sleep peacefully and full," said Minerva.

"We shall watch over you and keep you safe," added Jepford.

"All will be revealed, don't you worry," said Miranda.

[x]

The refurbishments on Dad's house were finally complete. What had originally been planned had changed numerous times and the house that now stood before us looked remarkably different from the two-story house with the white picket fence that had existed for a long as I could remember. Dad hadn't wanted to take charity when it came to doing up the house but Esme had insisted they were soon to be family and that it would be her pleasure to arrange the refurbishment for him. It helped that Christine approved of the arrangement and that Esme had a talent for renovations.

I had always loved Dad's house but this newer version showed the changes to Dad's life and the new turn it had taken. The kitchen had been redone, but was still simple to reflect Dad's style. A downstairs bathroom and conservatory had been added as well as a garage for all Dad's fishing equipment. On the second floor, another bedroom had been added over the new garage, which would become Angela's room, complete with an ensuite bathroom. Both Bella and Dad's bedrooms had been updated. The attic had been transformed into a better bedroom for me, complete with a nook for reading. All the floors and walls had been redone. The house was now light and open and reflected those that lived in it.

I had recovered from the ordeal of the battle, I was calmer but I noticed that I looked at things in more detail before offering my own opinions and that I couldn't face going into the forest alone. The dream, if you could call it that, where I'd met the four Ethereals, still weighed heavily on my mind. I was beginning to feel like the main protagonist in a fantasy novel and it was something I wasn't coming to terms with.

However, today was not a day to dwell on the mess that was my life. Today was the day to officially move Christine and Angela into our home. It was a day of celebration and joy. I loved watching the expressions on my Dad's face. He looked so happy, so in love and so genuine about everything that was going on around him. Dad deserved this, I knew that. He was one of the kindest people I had ever met in my life, he gave selflessly and he never asked for anything in return. He worked long hours as Chief of Police, not because he was married to his job but because he wanted to help others. It was a trait that I always tried to emulate though I knew I had slip ups. Dad was a good role model for me to have. He showed that life never gave you more than you could handle and that there was always a silver lining to a bad result, if you looked hard enough. He was proof that everyone got what they were looking for, even if you had to wait a fair while.

"I'm so glad you're finally moving in," I heard Bella say to Angela.

I had been too busy gazing at Dad to realise that Christine had moved from his side and made her way to mine.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"How happy Dad is. He deserves this, he deserves you."

"Your Dad makes me very happy."

"I'm glad."

"I think I won the potluck with you and Bella."

"How so?"

"Well, I doubt most remarriages go smoothly with the children."

"I'm not Cinderella you know, however much you try to fit my name to that namesake."

Christine laughed, "Cinderella you are not but I am glad that we can all get along."

"You're a good person Christine."

"You know, if you ever need a…Mother figure to talk to, I'm here."

"You don't have to be nervous Christine, though I think you'll have to fight Esme and Rose for the spot of official 'Mum'."

"You collect people like moths to a flame."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"For you? No. You do not abuse those that seek you out."

"Yet, others would abuse the power they had, right?"

"You're a very smart girl."

"I was raised right."

"He's a good man isn't he, you're Dad."

"Yep, welcome to the family."

[x]

"What's with all the long faces?" I asked.

It had been a lovely few days of just the Swan family, plus Christine and Angela and I'd forgotten just how much I loved the little things in life. It had been relaxing to get back to basics and just chill as a family. Not, that the Cullen's weren't family or anything but I needed the time with just my immediate family. I didn't realise how serious Christine had been in wanting to offer Motherly advice and be a Mother figure to me. I admit, I hadn't really expected much from her statement, I'd just been happy that my Dad was happy and that everyone was getting along great.

It had taken a while to let Esme into my life without waiting for the other shoe to drop. Similarly, it had taken longer for me to grant Rose the same status. Rose was different though, she was like a Mum, an Aunt and a sister all rolled in one. She had always wanted a daughter and I had always wanted a Mum who accepted me, so we filled each other's missing pieces.

To now have three people who wanted to be my Mum, was a little daunting but knowing that there were three strong women in my life who wanted to help me, was incredibly honouring. It made me very grateful to know them all. We had become each other's family and it wasn't something I was in a rush to ever grow out of.

"We were just updating the Volturi Kings on what has happened here," said Jane.

"Oh? Why has that made everyone pale?"

"The Kings want to meet you," said Edward.

"Great, then we're going to Italy? I've always wanted to go."