(A/N) I'm so sorry for posting this like 2 days late. And it's not that good of a chapter either. I attempted to characterize some of my characters better, but I think I failed miserably. I have another history paper due in about a week, and I am way behind schedule on that. I also have a piano "test" thing that I had to prepare for as well as a half-science-fair project that I have to collect results for and write the report up in 2 weeks.

That is in addition to 3 more papers in gym class, a final test in Literature, and a end-of-the-year project for my German class. Do I even need to say anything about my plans for inquiry project next year due in like 3 weeks and various applications about certain summer activities and fall clubs that I wanted to be in? Life has been hectic, and my schedules are crazy. Sighs...I wish I had more time to edit this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight/New Moon any more than a cow does.

Chapter 22:

The palace was bustling with activity. Well…as much activity as possible when you have seven vampires around practically flying through the castle. Most of the time, I never heard them: only the occasional breeze when one of the Cullens ran past me or when they murmured in their low tones that was still audible to my very human ears. My six-month stay in Austria was nearing to its end. The Cullens will take me home tomorrow, and that was the cause of this quiet busy-ness within the castle.

Trying to stay out of everyone's way, I walked into the magnificent library. It was my friend ever since the day Edward showed it to me almost two months ago. Whenever one of his siblings had to borrow him for a day, I would usually come here and pick out a book to read. It was amazing how many old volumes of stories this library had. The books were categorized first by their genre, then by title in alphabetical order. Some kind soul also made a card catalogue of all the books stored here by author name, so the volumes could be more easily found.

Not even realizing it, my feet took me over to the fairytale section, and my hands found a particular worn-out volume of "Sleeping Beauty and other Classics". Deciding that I had nothing better to do, I walked to the pile of pillows by the fireplace, and started reading.

I did not know how long I was there reading the stories. I only knew that although none were truly sad, I was tearing up at all the childhood memories I had of them. I remembered when Sophie and I would play dress-up, pretending to be the different characters in these fairytales and acting them out. Most of the time, we never made it to the ending because we were giggling too hard at our multiple roles. I had believed in them then. Most of the girls were princesses in some way, and they were all married to their respective princes out of love.

When Edward walked in and saw me tearing up over a book, he quietly sat beside me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck, pressing butterfly kisses up and down any exposed skin their. My heart went wild and my mind blanked out. Successfully distracting me, he pulled the book away, reading the cover. I watched him closely, trying to even out my erratic heart beat and uneven breathing. By the time he looked back at me, his eyes were full of some hidden emotion.

"I had promised," he whispered, "and I intend to keep that promise." He pressed his lips to my forehead, using his cold thumb to brush away the tears. My skin still tingling where he touched me, he carried me away to dinner.

-----

Early next morning, Edward had a most improper way of waking me up. The air was still very chilly for a March morning, and I was only in my dressing gown. The mischievous vampire who knew not of coldness had forcibly pulled off my warm blankets and then laid himself next to me, successfully waking me up with a start.

"Edward, there has to be a better way to wake me up than stealing my blankets," I told him.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his golden eyes brightening with mischief. "You're right. There is…" He slowly leaned in, his beautiful eyes looming closer and closer as I fell deeper and deeper into their depths. Gently, he brushed his cold lips against mine. The room was all quiet except for the fast thumping of my heart. Heat flowed into my cheeks, when he abruptly broke away, his eyes dark with desire.

The awkwardness of the situation was saved by Sophie, who miraculously appeared right at the time. Oblivious to the scene in front of her, she practically shooed Edward out of the room before proceeding to dress me. Her eyes danced, and she seemed to be in a very happy mood.

"Are you happy that we're going back?" I asked.

"Of course, Bella," she answered. "You know my secret, so it's not that hard to guess the reason for my happiness, is it?"

I just nodded in answer, thoughtful. "Have you ever told him?"

The brightness in her eyes dimmed a little. "Well…we…sort of…um…" she mumbled, blushing. She took a deep breath. "Yes, I did, and before you ask, he said he liked me too." Her blush deepened and she refused to look at me in the eye.

-----

Snow still covered much of the ground, although much of it had melted. Before leaving with the carriages and the rest of the Cullens (and Sophie), he led me to the meadow again. The frozen waterfall had melted, and most of the ice on the river was gone. The sparkling meadow was still snow-covered and shining more than ever under the rays of the sun. Edward was beside me in his sparkling glory, outshining anything. His skin glittered as if a thousand diamonds were embedded in his skin, and his light cast away the small dark shadows that James had left in his wake.

Everything was beautiful and perfect as I engraved the image into my mind. This may be the last time I shall see it. Edward wrapped his arms around me as I looked upon the flowing stream and the waterfall. Without another word, he ran with me back to the carriage where everyone waited. Sophie was still oblivious to the fact that she had lived six months with a family of vampires, but she had no need to find out until it was necessary. When we were within range of the waiting carriages, Edward slowed to a human pace and carried me the rest of the way.

That first day of travel was uneventful. We the carriages passed through the Northern Mountain Pass, I shuddered at the memory it held for me. The dark valleys and hidden passages gave me a scary feeling that I had not felt the last time I traveled by. I could still see how those imbeciles had cornered me into a dead end vividly in my mind and those images caused me to shudder nonstop the entire time we were in the Pass.

As if reading my mind, Edward knew what was bothering me. He held me close to his body, allowing me to lean on him for support. He even asked the driver to drive faster so we could get out of here faster.

By mid-afternoon, the stallions, each with a coat of sweat, broke out of the narrow Pass. Edward said that his family was at least a few miles behind – he could hear none of their thoughts. In fact, he had not heard their thoughts for some time.

The horses were slowed to a trot, and for the first time since we left this morning, I was able to actually enjoy the scenery without fear. We had crossed the border into Italy again, though I saw nothing too familiar. The lazy snow-covered scenery was so very different from what I had seen in late September before the snows. They were complete opposites – one was pure white and sparkling, the other dark, damp, but colorful.

The driver stopped in front of the inn about an hour later; dropped us off; and proceeded to stable and groom the horses. We were left alone to admire the bleak scenery and the far away Alps with their snowcapped tops glistened in the afternoon sun.

Just as Edward was about to lead me inside to escape the chill of the wind, a whirl of dust and grey fumes started billowing toward our right. A moment later, Victoria stepped through. Edward shifted immediately to place him between me and the faerie.

Only, she was not the Victoria I had seen. Her once-fiery hair was no limp and pale. Her purple robes, once so beautiful and magnificent, now hung loosely about her frame without any sign of their previous splendor. Her already-pale skin now looked sickly; and her once-bright red eyes now were dark, gloomy, and lifeless. The difference was almost as if she suddenly aged over fifty years.

The wind had stopped, and her movements were almost dead and automatic. Slowly, her eyes settled on me. A flare of anger, despair, and pure hatred crossed those lifeless depths. She stretched out a long pale hand and pointed a finger at me as if to cast a spell. Even her magic seemed weak – only a slight breeze stirred the air around us. Her hand dropped as if in defeat, but she kept her head up.

"You…you little wench!" she shouted. "You killed my love…my one and only love…James…" her voice faltered for a moment. She took a shuddering breath. "Do not think that you will get away lightly. I do remember you, Isabella von Swan, and I do remember the curse I set upon you." Edward growled, the sound rumbling through his chest. "I may be weak now, but I am not so weak as to not swear revenge. One day…my dear…when the day comes to take your life from you on your birthday, I shall take sweet pleasure in you. And then, it's only fair that your vampire boyfriend be left as I am now, wandering the world empty and worthless."

She smiled, her eyes suddenly glinting with an unknown evil. "And my revenge shall start with a simple word: verschärfen!"

As soon as she said the word, I felt a thick layer of doom descend upon me. I gasped in shock, and because I felt I could not breathe. Something was gently squeezing the air out of me, and I collapsed from the lack of air. Edward heard my gasp, and just barely caught me. I tried to take deep breaths, but all I managed were shallow wheezes that did no good. In the background, I heard Victoria laughing hysterically. A swift wind picked up, and the laughter suddenly ended. I could suddenly breathe again.

"What happened?" I asked. Edward's eyes were black as coal. "What did she say?"

"German – verschärfen – to make worse, to make everything worse," Edward whispered, holding me tightly. He suddenly lifted his head, looking off into the distance. I followed his gaze, but could see nothing for another ten minutes before I saw the light dust haze at the edge of the horizon. The rest of the Cullens were coming at full speed.

Before long, the thundering sound of power horses' hooves could be heard. The line of carriages stopped by the inn with a screech. Alice and Jasper were the first out of their coach. They stared in shock at where Edward and I sat. I was still shuddering from the faerie's arrival, and Edward was holding me tightly, trying to console me.

"I guess it already happened, then," Alice stated simply, she had numerous unreadable emotions crossing her eyes. Edward nodded in reply.

"What's with the hurry?" Emmett had emerged with Rosalie at his side. He seemed very confused, as if ready to make an argument. When he next opened his mouth to speak, Rosalie shushed him, pointing to us on the ground.

Carlisle and Esme were the last to exit their carriage. Their faces had the same confusion as Emmett and Rosalie had until they saw us. Esme gasped as Carlisle held her.

"What happened?" she asked.

" Victoria decided to pay a visit," Alice whispered. "She made Bella's curse worse than she originally had planned over fifteen years ago." She shook her head, as if to free herself from many bad images her mind was conjuring. "Edward…you must…"

"No!" he interrupted, his voice with such emotion and strength that it startled me. "I will not."

"But you know that it's the only way to save her from her curse…and from herself."

"I still have time. It will be a while until it breaks loose. She shouldn't have to…"

"Can't you see? Her curse will be harder for her, and everyone, to keep her safe! Victoria grasped the fact that she still holds the other end of her curse, and that thread will be tightening ever so slowly until the day comes! Do you really think you can keep her safe when her worst threat is herself?" Alice practically screeched. Jasper laid a calming hand on her should. She took a deep breath, sent a glare at Edward, and stomped inside with Jasper at her heels. The other Cullens followed.

Edward sighed and took me up in his arms before carrying me inside. He laid me on the king-sized bed in the suite, stroking my face gently.

"What was that?" I asked, barely whispering, though I knew he heard.

"Nothing," he replied. His eyes betrayed him. He was struggling with something, and this seemed to be killing him slowly. I raised my hand to cup his cheek, reveling in his coldness. He sighed, relaxing, and leaned in to my touch.

"Tell me what's wrong"

"No. I can't," he whispered softly. His hand reached up to hold my hand to his cheek as he turned slightly. He pressed a light kiss to my palm, leaving my palm tingling, before placing it on the bed. He left before I could say anything else.

-----

The next night, I was home. Mother and Father had held a private ball for our reception in which only private friends and family were invited. Even my uncles and aunts from Mother's side of the family were invited, but they had all declined the invitation since they had "naught to wear." Privately, I was very happy. I personally had nothing against big parties except for the fact that 'public' appearances made be very queasy.

I wore a casual formal ivory dress to the party where only a few ladies and noblemen were dancing to the music. And Sophie had 'crowned' me with a silver flowered tiara that matched the embroideries on my dress (AN: Pictures in profile). I cannot say that I looked my best that evening, being that I was very tired from the trip, but I did look better than how I normally looked.

The true ball itself lasted only for two hours. The Cullens were 'tired' and I was exhausted beyond relief. By the second hour, I was practically dead on my feet and tripping with every step I took.

When it was time to wave goodbye to the guests, I had to lean heavily on Edward so I did not fall and make a fool of myself. As the last guest slipped past the door, Edward scooped me into his arms, said a brief good night to my parents, and made his way into my bedroom. It was nice to feel the soft familiar bed beneath me. He softly hummed my lullaby as I slipped into the fantasy land that is called dreams.

-----

The first two months that I was back, life was normal. Edward stayed while the other Cullens had left just a few days later. I guess the only thing that was out of normal was the fact that Rosalie – the charming and beautiful Rosalie – said sorry to me for her unfriendliness and actually treated me as a sister. Edward still had not told me what his argument with Alice was, but I rarely even remembered that.

The meeting with Victoria was nearly forgotten. My curse had not gotten any worse than it already was, and Edward was always there to save me from my accidents. Mother and Father were not told of my escapade with Victoria. We decided that since there seemed to be nothing happening, there was no need to worry them. Victoria's word was bluff, I decided, and it was just something she hoped we would be anxious about. How wrong I was.

As I said, I think its pretty bad. It's just not really me to skip through all those times like that...but I somehow managed it terribly. I also think that I'm probably loosing a lot of people's interests in my story, seeing how my writing has probably declined in quality instead of getting better. Sighs... It would be really nice if you guys can drop in a review. Constructive criticisms are welcomed, as always.

Thanks, -- Cathy