Chapter 3:

"What's this about?" Emmett wanted to know, seeing how his wife seethed. He crossed his arms and widened his stance.

"Our darling brother decided to act utterly foolish! Really Edward, breaking up with her in the woods? And the way you were going about it all was not the plan. You said that she did not feel safe with us, which we all should have understood was a lie! I was blind because I wanted her to see sense. I'm sure Jasper was all too happy with his guilt gnawing at him, and Alice, feeling guilty for not seeing, wanting to listen to you. You said she did not want any vampires in her life anymore, and it was best you told her we all left, on your own. At least Alice knew something didn't click and did not make all the arrangements despite the decision made. I don't care how much you were hurting from your own beliefs, but you were about to bring serious harm to a family member based on lies!" Rosalie yelled.

"None of you will ever understand!" Edward yelled back. "You all have mates who's turned and by your sides, and still, most of you all long for something in humanity. My beliefs mixed with all I hear convinced me that this was the only way to protect her. Don't forget, you, Jasper and Carlisle agreed with me at the time we talked about this." He felt like breaking down. The pain inside him threatening to tear him apart. He tried to apologize as Jasper grimaced and tried to send out waves of calm, but struggled by the harsh emotions around him.

"Edward, yes, we did talk about this. Yet, you lied," Carlisle said calmly. "We have always been open with each other, and I do not see how your need to protect your mate could change that. I can see how this tears you apart, and how wrong it was to even consider leaving. If this causes you so much pain, imagine what staying away for a longer amount of time would do. The bond to a mate is nothing to tamper with."

"Oh, Edward," Esme sighed.

"I never wanted to leave," Emmett muttered, glaring towards his brother. Rose was still furious, the few broken furniture pieces around them the proof of that.

"I told you it was a bad idea," Alice said towards them all, then, watching her mate worriedly, "Bella never blamed Jasper. None of us do," She kissed her mate's cheek.

"We have challenged our need to hunt a bit too far with a human being in this house," Esme said. "All our bloodlust affects you, Jasper, just as we spoke about after the party. It is no reason to dwell if we had hunted a bit more often if such an incident could have been prevented or not. We are vampires and we cannot change that. Sweet Bella still loves us."

"And this family has taken that for granted."

"Emmett's right," Jasper then said. "Bella was told she was in this family, yet she has to be included in all our family matters. Respecting Edward's wishes can only go this far. She's not fragile, except for her human nature body-wise. She has a strong mind. Going up against James was not for the faint of heart. She did, and she came out even stronger, and slightly pissed I might add as you did not let her change." He kept his eyes locked to Edward's.

"I will not damn her to this life!" Edward growled.

"Are you listening to yourself?!" Alice then hissed. "We have souls idiot, if that's what you're afraid of! That angel just confirmed it. She wants this, it's her choice and what she wants!"

"You need to get your head into this century, Edward," Rose said, her voice now calmer.

"Just because you're not the biggest fan of what you are now, doesn't mean everyone feel that way," Emmett pointed out.

"Please calm down." Carlisle could see that most of the steam had deflated for now. "If Bella still wishes to be a vampire by her graduation, I will change her after that. It will be her choice. Son, I cannot say how you managed to influence your own mating bond to make it fragile, but I suggest if you want happiness with her, that you make a big effort to connect with her again. That means truly listening to her. What she dreams and hopes. There will be no making her decisions. At family meetings she will be included, and for some reason if you refuse to bring her here to the house, one of your siblings will pick her up. You will listen to me as the coven leader, am I clear?"

"Yes, Carlisle," Edward muttered.

"And for the rest of you. There will be no steering Bella in either direction whether to be changed or not. Do not let your opinions known, I will not hear it. It will be completely up to her."

Muttered agreements went through the room.

"Alright, now that this is settled, the men may clean up this mess," Esme said and shook her head with a sigh. "Girls, please follow me." She kissed her husband's cheeks quickly before rushing up the stairs so they could prepare the rooms for their guests.

Bella whispered good night to Edward from the door. He was left in the hallway as she closed it. She had made it clear that he was not to come in. One part of her wanted to cave and let him lay beside her while she slept, but another part of her, the one that was still dealing with the whole day, won over. She turned her back on the door and breathed out. It felt strangely empty, this new turn that had restarted her heart. This was Carlisle's and Esme's room, as Lucas would be resting in Edward's.

She stripped out of the pajama to her underwear and crept under the covers. All of this came back to one thing. A new start.

Lucas laid back on the couch in Edward's room and let his eyes remain open as he went deep within his own mind to rest. He was still slightly aware as the vampires moved about in the house, as well when Edward walked in and stared at him with a conflicted emotion on his face by the window. Startled, probably, that the angel rested with his eyes open. He did not blink as he revisited parts of his past. The old images filled his mind, as he then was taken to the angel plains and saw several of his siblings that too were resting. While that happened, he saw Edward leave, and his gaze kept going straight out the large windows and to the nature there.

He greeted a few of his brothers and sisters, until Talia came over. "You really did it this time," she told him and kissed his cheeks. Strands of her long black hair fell forward, and she used a hand to move it out of the way.

"I'm not sure where you want with this," he responded, and sat down in the lush grass by a clear stream.

"The meddling you decided to do. I don't blame you though, but now you have woven your own fate in with the Cullen vampires and the human," Talia said as she sat down beside him.

"I suspected as much. There is something that draws me in towards Bella and her vampire family," he admitted.

"Yes. Have you considered that she could be your mate when or if you sever her bond to Edward? Her own would search out to the closest possibility and tie itself to that myth or human, including you," Talia mused.

Lucas thought it over. It could be a possibility, but as of now it seemed an impossibility, and not something he wanted to dwell at. He could not possibly feel out a relationship with her unless a possible bond actually existed between them, and if so, it would manifest when cutting hers off to Edward. And then, if it was nothing there, he would still be without a mate, unable to have any sort of relationship as it was not in his nature as an angel. He could only be close and intimate with a soulmate. Even the thought of flirting was unfamiliar, even after millenniums – the same for all his siblings.

"Talia, you won't do anything foolish, will you?" he asked warily.

"Depends what you mean by foolish," she responded and shrugged her shoulders. Her wings, fluffing out from their hidden place and her white feathers ruffled out as she stood. "I can see some of your paths now that you have taken on that human form. And you have several possibilities as well. And as more human, I can influence your path, and some of our other siblings can influence you otherwise." She grinned.

"If you are referring to Erlos and his supposedly secret skill, then please stay out of it. All of you. I want Bella to make her own decision regarding her future." His voice sounded a bit gruff and he noticed that his body observed the early signs of dawn over the forest.

"It will help her to also see that she can have other options, and deep connections." She stared at him pointedly, her forest green eyes piercing.

"I don't want to be your test subject. Choose another myth."

"You were already chosen, you just never knew it," Talia then said with hands on her hips. "I'm sorry, brother dearest, you won't remember all of this when you come out of your rest," she said with a smirk.

"Talia," he said with warning.

"Brother, it is time you gave your own happiness a chance."

Lucas blinked, knowing he was annoyed with Talia for some reason, but could not grasp what the conversation had been about. He growled as he sat up, knowing that Ariel would be that reason.

Shaking his head, he stood and stretched. Clean clothes were laid out for him and he changed his clothes before making his way down the stairs. The family seemed to be spread around the house. Esme was in the kitchen, fixing food and baking cakes. It smelled delicious. He accepted a muffin before making his way further. Carlisle was in his study. Edward sat by the piano, his fingers hovering over the keys, but not moving. Emmett and Rose were in their own room, just as Alice was in her and Jasper's. Jasper sat in one of the spared chairs in the living room with a book. Bella was still asleep.

"Do you often sleep with your eyes open?" Edward then asked, loud enough for the angel's supernatural hearing. He noticed his family listen in, their own curiosity getting the better of them.

Lucas took a turn and went to lean against the piano. "It's how we rest. I don't really sleep in case I need to return within a moment's notice. I visit the angel plains where my other siblings rest."

"You never sleep? At all?" Jasper then wondered from where he sat.

"Never."

"Interesting," Carlisle muttered from the study and made his way down to be more present.

"Anything else?" Lucas wanted to know; he was in a sharing mood.

"Is there anything else you can share about your angel traits?" Carlisle wanted to know.

"We don't need to rest every day. If we use our powers a lot, we need more rest. We cannot lie, but we can refuse to answer or deflect. We eat, but do not need much as long as we visit the angel plains when we rest. We cannot have children unless we find our soulmate and give up our wings to become human and live out our life with our mate – which means we cannot be romantically involved, we don't have the feelings for it unless there is a bond. The human mate must accept us first – we as part of myths do not make that decision, whether or not we want to." He touched the back of his neck with a smile, thinking. "Ah, our bodies are strong to defeat demons, both for females and males. We have enhanced hearing, enhanced smell to sniff out the demons, better eyesight. I would say these three are quite similar to a vampire's natural skill, except that human food does not bother us."

"And do you possess extra gifts?" Carlisle wanted to know, putting all the information to the back of his head, wanting to write it down later – not that he would forget.

"I don't. But some of my siblings have an extra ability. It's not many. My brother, Erlos, has a similar gift to Jasper's. He can affect other angels and humans, but he mostly uses it on us. The few abilities displayed amongst us are highly unusual. My sister Ariel can make other angels forget that we had certain conversations while we are at the angel plains. Talia can change a fated tapestry of life, although she rarely does." Lucas shrugged. They were the ones he knew of. There had been others in the past, but most of those had found their soulmates and ended their life as humans or been killed by demons. "So, three that are sort of known. And I have plenty of siblings." He laughed.

"How many are you?" Jasper asked, coming into the room as well.

"Enough. There is no exact number. We don't even know all the siblings we have. We mostly know the ones we are closest to. If you have been around as long as I have, you would have known many siblings. Many have been lost to the demons. Others have found their soulmate. While new ones are created often enough and appearing in the plains."

"I get snippets of your mind, just as Jasper can now influence you," Edward started, staring at the angel. "Why is that? Earlier you were completely silent."

"That's because I'm more human now than angel. I will still be partially shielded since I'm still considered myth, even if in human form."

Carlisle shifted a bit. "These creators you speak of, is there something you can tell us about them?"

Edward shook his head. "He doesn't know much."

"Let the man speak," Jasper said, feeling the surprise that was rolling off Lucas. Apparently Edward got more from the man – angel – than he admitted.

"Edward is right. I only have the knowledge that all angels have been programmed in with. There are several creators, and we do not know how many there are. Despite this, there's for sure a different creator for any different myth and human, and where they decide all of this no one knows. Who created the animals and plants and the planet itself or the universe we have no recollection of. We're not supposed to know, I guess. There has been processes through history with try and fail, reasons to myths and the deaths of them. Reasons of extinctions. All we know is that contemplating it too much does no good. Therefore, I recommend, enjoy the lives you have." His grin widened.

Edward was met with blankness from Lucas again and narrowed his eyes as something about his sister Ariel slipped through, a small reason of annoyance echoing in his mind still. Listening to Jasper he knew that his carefree demeanor was mostly a front as his emotions were quite conflicted. Carlisle would easily let it go, as he wanted their guest to be comfortable. Edward had no such qualms as this was the being that could sever the last part of his bond to Bella. Would it not be for the best?

His mind wandered as Jasper and Lucas started to talk about the past. A part of him listened, while his mind kept going. After what he had tried to pull, would it not be better for Bella if she could actually and truly live without him? If their bond was severed, she still had a chance at true happiness and love. A part of him loathed that thought as he wanted – now that he realized what he was about to lose – to be by her side, and only him. Imagining her with someone else was a hard pill to swallow, when that had been what he had first aimed for when he was about to leave.

He did realize how stupid he'd been when he acted out because of his fears and because of the ghosts that haunted him from his past. It came a bit too late though, as the damage had been done and judgment was about to be passed. No matter how many months it would take Bella to make her final decision. He had nothing against Lucas either, except that he came carrying out the law regarding soulmates. A real-life angel. How his life had changed in the matter of days. The ultimate scare when Bella got hurt at her birthday-party. The aftermath, and not to forget everything that happened after the woods. Fate was a funny and cruel thing. Apparently, he had chosen the paths that would lead him further and further away from Bella. Her reluctance to have him close after everything, proving that. What had he expected? That she would run into his arms again and forgive him at once? Even entertaining such thoughts darkened him more. If he had begged her and promised to change her in the end, maybe she would have. She always forgave them, no matter what – had so far. It would take so little. And yet, he knew that if he did so, he would hate himself even more.

Jasper's gaze flickered towards Edward as he picked up on his brother's emotions. They seemed to resemble more the stage he was at before he met Bella. The touch of his depression was there, and that he even did not pick up on his train of thoughts, proved how far he was digging himself down. "Could you walk with me, Lucas?" he then asked.

Lucas briefly followed Jasper's concerned gaze. "Certainly."