AN: Heyy, here it is! Sorry for the wait, this was REALLY hard to write. Don't worry- Bella's not super depressed, I actually have some jokes in this. We do have a major depressed character though. I'm sorry to all you Emmett fans for painting him as the villain sorta guy again. He's just so easy to use! I'm still waiting for you guys to attack me… anyhow, if you read on you'll understand why Emmett's like that. There's a lot of dialogue here, because remember, Bella has a family, she interacts with people, she's human. She's VERY different from the last one. Sorry for any anxiety you guys feel later on in the chapter. I had to do it, I saw no other way. That's all the apologies that you don't understand yet!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. That is owned by Stephenie Meyer. Therefore, I do not own it. As said before.

"Remind me why you needed two boxes alone for just your old stuff from high school?" Jake asked me, laughing as he handed over two cardboard cubes.

"Well… I have a lot of books!" I protested, tearing off the tape to the first of the boxes. He raised his eyebrow at me, clearly wondering how an 18 year old girl could have collected so many books. "Fine, I have some personal things here too!"

"I'll leave you to unpack then. I get the kids dinner, how's that?" I nodded gratefully, pleased that I would have dinner duty off and have some alone time. He left the room and I let my happy smile fade into nothing. It had been twenty years since the Cullens had left, and it was all because of me. No, another vampire didn't threaten them. No, they didn't get into a fight with the pack. They got chased away by me, a mere human that decided to date a werewolf. I had broken Edward's heart, and it killed me, but it is what it is!

Or not. I was constantly in pain, and Jake acknowledged it. He knew that I had a huge rip in my heart and he tried his hardest to ease it. I knew that I had no reason to be upset. I had two kids, a husband, and as of recently, a new, beautiful home just on the outskirts of La Push. Something was missing and I was aware of exactly what that thing was.

Edward. Sure, I missed all the Cullens and any would do, but the only one that could ease my pain completely was him. I silently stood from the pile of boxes and quietly closed the door. Everyone in the family knew that once the door was closed, never come in. Melanie, my oldest, had walked in on me a few years ago and was so shocked by the sight that nobody every dared to come close.

Unpacking the boxes was torture. Stacks and stack of memories were concealed in two boxes. Out of the first was the basics- yearbooks, graduation gown, diploma, and on. The second took a while for me even to get the courage to open.

One by one the items piled around me. The skirt Alice had gotten me for graduation. The ticket stubs from the trip to Florida Esme had gotten me. A chess piece from the time I actually won a game against Jasper (I still think he let me though). A maternity shirt I nearly killed Rosalie for giving me- she said that since I was going to stay human, I might as well have one. The now empty box of Band-Aides Carlisle had given me about a year before they left. The old radio that Emmett had tried to install into my car after I had ripped it out. My heart ached and my blood rushed to my ears as I looked calmly at the gifts.

Hands shaking, I pulled the box closer to my body. As soon as I peered inside to look at its contents, I burst into tears.

Water rolled down my face as I picked up the two precious items carefully. A CD with the words Bella's Lullaby scrawled in his perfect handwriting at the top and a small, diamond charm. I tried to make him take it back, but with no avail.

"It's yours now," he insisted over and over.

The doorbell rang and I heard Ephraim, the poor ten year old cursed with his ancestor's name, scurry to the door. Before long, I heard Jake's husky, rough voice joining his.

Neighbors, I thought. Bella, you need to stop crying or you'll look stupid.

I wiped away the tears and made sure my face wasn't red. I forced a grin on my face and walked slowly to the kitchen, where I was sure Jake had taken the guests.

He was sitting there at the table, fists clenched and eyes blazing. I hadn't seen him looking so vicious since… well, since twenty years before. His eyes widened even more when he saw me and his unmoving frown turned into a humongous grin.

"Bella! There you are!" he yelled cheerfully. "The kids are roaming the neighborhood, in case you're wondering."

"Jacob Black, why is the world would you send out a ten and thirteen year old out into a neighborhood they know nothing about, alone?" I scolded him, trying to show the guest that there was at least one responsible adult in the house.

"I'm sure they know how to take care of themselves." The voice wasn't the one I had expected to hear. It was exactly what Jake would say, but it wasn't his voice. My husband glared angrily at the guest, who turned around slowly with his hands up in surrender.

"Bella, I'm offended! I would have thought you would have figured out who I was by now!" He cocked his head curiously, looking at me. I took a deep breath and stared back at him, my eyes (hopefully) boring holes through his head.

"I want nothing to do with vampires! Nothing!" I spat at him. I was shocked that I had said such a thing once his musical voice reached my ears again.

"I understand, I do, don't worry. But it's nice to see you again, honey! And look! You don't even have a cast or a brace on!"

Diamond Desire----------------

What in the world was Carlisle doing here? How had he found us? I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell, I wanted to tell him that I was with Jacob and that he should just leave me alone! Instead I flung myself at him, tripping on the way.

"That's the Bella I know!" he chuckled as I awkwardly tried to put my arms around his hard, cold body. I hadn't hugged anything this hard since I was eighteen! He just smiled and patted my back comfortingly before pulling away.

"Carlisle, how are you? Is everything okay? How's-" I cut off. I knew what I was going to say, but I couldn't let myself say it.

"Oh, sweetie, no, don't!" he begged as tears began to blur my vision. It was really funny to see a vampire beg. My tears cleared up immediately as I began to laugh.

"That's better," He turned back to Jake, who was glaring daggers.

"What do you bloodsuckers want? Why are you here?" he hissed through gritted teeth. Now, if seeing a vampire beg is funny, you haven't seen a werewolf hiss. I've seen vampires hiss and it seemed perfectly normal. Werewolves on the other hand…

Carlisle just smiled pleasantly and seemed to think for a moment.

"Well, there's really no reason other than the fact that we're resettling and it happens to be in this area. I just thought you would want to know. We moved here about a year ago, but you're the only one of the pack that didn't know." Jake seethed with anger at his pack. How had they never mentioned it? I mean, we moved out of the area for two years and they stop informing us of this stuff!

"Isn't it dangerous to be back so soon? I mean, it's only two decades!" I was curious about their location and timing.

"Yeah, it's plenty dangerous, but we're not exactly going out of the house when humans are around. They know we're here, but they are also taking the excuse we gave them for our isolation." Carlisle cheerful face fell for a moment, and my heart sank. I knew exactly what that reason was.

"Let me guess… it has something to do with my wife and your son?" Jake asked, amused.

"Yes, actually… Edward isn't too happy about that. He doesn't like pretending to be crazy."

"CRAZY? What exactly are you saying about him?" I was outraged. Had Edward really gone crazy, or was it just a cover?

"It's not exactly a lie. He does hear voices in his head! But officially, when you two broke up, he went insane with grief. He's just been taken out of a mental hospital and is still recovering. Nobody in the family really can go out because we're all caring for him." I scowled. Now the town was going to hate me! I supposedly caused a poor kids' mental disorder!

"Thanks, you know, for possibly rooting the whole town against me!" Jake and Carlisle exchanged looks before cracking up in hysterics.

"Actually, Bells, I was in town earlier," Jake informed me. "And most of people think he deserves it, after what he did to you!" Carlisle grinned, confirming his words. With a huff, he glanced around the room, picking up his coat and car keys.

"I'm just here to inform. The rest of the family was a little… cautious about entering a werewolf's home. Can't blame them though… you could probably rip me to bits." Jake smiled smugly at this comment. He did look bigger and stronger than the doctor. He left without another word and I watched longingly as the black Mercedes sped away.

Diamond Desire----------------

"That was… weird," was the only thing Jake could say after the encounter. Weird? How was that the only thing he could say after being visited by your wife's ex-fiancé's father? I had so much more to say on the matter- but I couldn't.

"I'm gonna go lay down," I said shakily and made my way to the bedroom. I flung myself onto the bed and cried. I hadn't cried much in years, but seeing Carlisle, seeing proof, was enough to set me off. The front door opened again and I curled into a little ball, hoping that nobody would come in to see me.

The bedroom door creaked open and I cringed. Somebody came and sat quietly at the edge of my bed. The rubbed their hands comfortingly over my back and I was relieved to feel that they weren't cold or hot. They were human heat.

Not too long later, a second pair of hands, a smaller pair, came and wrapped themselves tightly around my waist. I heard short breaths coming from the small figure hugged it back.

Sitting up carefully, as to not throw the two children off the bed, I wiped away the tears that were still coming hard. I gasped for air and sobbed. Just sobbed.

"Mom?" Melanie looked at me with solemn eyes, not quite understanding what was wrong. " Why are you crying?"

"You wouldn't get it, it's nothing to worry about, okay?" I gasped deep breaths before continuing. "It's just that I had an encounter with… an old friend's parent today."

"Was he your boyfriend?" Ephraim asked curiously. I turned to him shocked. How had he known? "Your friend I mean."

"Yes," I told him quickly. "He was. Where did you find this out?"

"Dad was muttering some thing like-"

"Oh, no, Ephraim, you always do it wrong! Lemme do it!"

"Melanie, you already got to say something!"

"So? I do it better!"

"No way, I can imitate Dad so much better than you!"

"Kids, stop, please! Melanie, let your brother do it!" I settled their fight calmly. Melanie sat back, arms crossed, as Ephraim leaned forward, excited to do his (usually horrible) impressions.

"He was saying stuff like 'He came back!' and 'Why is he doing this to her?' and then he said 'filthy bloodsucker.'" My eyes widened at the language Jake was using around the children. I minute later, I realized that I was shocked because Jake had insulted a vampire. That wasn't exactly uncommon in this house!

"What's a bloodsucker?" Melanie questioned me.

"Go ask your dad to tell you the story about the Cold Ones again. He'll enjoy that!"

"Oh, we know that story," Ephraim said proudly. "It's about vampires!"

"That was our signal to leave!" Melanie whispered harshly. I smiled, nodding towards the door. They got off the bed and made to the kitchen, where the smell of pizza was drifting from. Typical really, to buy pizza instead of making something. It was just like Charlie.

"Hey, kid, what's up?" It was Charlie. "Heard you were upset. The Cullens came back in town? I've heard rumors, but never actually seen them." I sat criss-cross on the bed while I waited for him to barge through the door. And that he did.

"Yeah, they're back," I sighed, leaning back onto the headboard.

"Did… did he come back?" Just the question I was expecting.

"No, it was Carlisle. Wanted to just say hi and stuff. The family's missed me, I guess. Edward won't be seeing me anytime soon."

"Why not? Please tell me you won't let him!"

"It's not that. I want to see him, but it might hurt him more. He's just recovering now."

"Really? I would have thought that he would have gotten over it by now. He always seemed pretty reasonable. I mean, didn't he figure out that you were never coming back to him?"

"Exactly. He went…nuts. Apparently just got back from the mental hospital and they're all too busy taking care of him so they can't come out very often." I recited the story wearily, as if the reason I was upset was because I had caused Edward to go crazy, not because I missed him.

"Oh. That's- well, that's must be upsetting."

"Yeah, Dad, generally when you drive a person to an asylum you end up feeling guilty." He took that as a cue to leave. Pausing before the door, he turned back and said,

"Hey, do yaw think Alice could stop by one day?"

"Dad… she and Edward are really close. I don't think anything like that will be happening." He nodded regretfully and backed out the door.

The doorbell rang. Again.

Diamond Desire----------------



Speak of the devil. Well, that's what he would think. Edward was standing at my front door, with Jacob staring back, mouth gaping. My diamond desire was standing at my front door.

"What are you doing here?" he growled. Edward smiled back nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another. He hadn't changed a bit. He looked like a kid that had been forced to meet the new neighbors by his parents.

"Um…" he stuttered. "My mom and dad… they said that they knew someone that lives here. They can't come over to say hello, and they sent me to do it instead. I hate when parents do that, don't you?" He wiped a lock of black hair out of his face and stared at the ground awkwardly. Wait- black hair. He had dyed it! But why?

"What's your name and who are you looking for?" Jake asked kindly. The two of them were really great actors- that much I had to admit.

"I'm Edmond."

"Lucky." Ephraim was suddenly behind Jake, looking up at the teenager with a look of awe. "My parents named me Ephraim. At least your name is a little more normal!" Edward chuckled before turning back to my son, laughter in his gold eyes.

"My uncle Emmett wanted me to be called Eduardo. So, I can't say I'm that lucky!"

"That sounds kinda like Edward." Melanie was next to Ephraim in a flash. I definitely needed to pay more attention!

"My other uncle's name is Edward. Aunt Rosalie thought it would be nice to name me after him. Grandma was supportive of that. Grandpa apparently left the room when the naming fights started. And Dad wanted to keep up with all the "E" names for the guys. Dad and Grandpa are the only ones without it!" Edward grimaced at the story of his "naming." I understood now, with the black hair and new name. He was posing as Jasper and Alice's son! His hair was the same exact color as Alice and it sounded just like Jasper to insist that they keep him with an E name.

"Who is it that you know?" Charlie asked him with a gentle face. It was to be expected- he was supposedly Alice's son.

"One second…" he glanced at a scrap of paper in his hand. "It says… man, it's smudged. Um, it's Bella Swan, I think. Yeah, that's it!"

"She's not Bella Swan anymore. She's Bella Black." Jake spit out at him.

"Oh." He looked embarrassed. "Sorry, but they never mentioned that part. I knew she was married, but Uncle Edward always calls her Bella Swan. Does she live here?"

"Yes," I stepped out from my bedroom, where I had been hiding. "I'm Bella. Who are you?"

"I'm Edmond. Alice and Jasper's son. They said you would understand what I meant if I said that."

"Alice and Jasper? Wow, they're parents! I can't picture Alice as a mom, can you, Jake?" I played the part. And he used to say I was a bad actor!

"Nope, not at all," Jake smirked.

"Here, Edwa- Edmond, I have stuff your family left with me a while ago, I feel guilty for keeping it. Come in here, I'll give it to you." I led him into my half-unpacked bedroom, where the piles of "Cullen stuff" still sat, and closed the door.

Diamond Desire----------------



"Ugh, you mother forced me to wear this skirt a couple years ago!" I acted along, waiting for the others to leave. I heard the feet scuffle away and felt it safe to talk.

"They gone?" I asked him.

"Yep. Charlie seems to take it. I never thought I would see that look on his face while I was the reason!" He chuckled quietly, scanning the stuff. "You really kept this all?"

"Why not? I did feel guilt, but the shirt Rosalie gave me went to good use, as you can see," I gestured to the pictures piled on the ground of my children.

"They seem really sweet, your kids. Especially that Ephraim. What in the world convinced you to name your kid Ephraim?"

"Hey, without him you would probably be fighting werewolves right now!"

"True, true. I guess I have something to owe for that name. The original was smart. This kid- he's a genius!"

"Why, what was he thinking?"

"He was practically screaming 'Why is a vampire in my house? What is WRONG with my parents? And- wow this kid is a pretty good actor. Hm, I wonder if I could get some tips for when I blame Melanie on stuff…' It was amusing, to say the least."

"You made that last part up!"

"No, I swear on my soul, I didn't!"

"You don't believe you have a soul!"

"Things change." I felt my eyebrows crinkle in confusion. What did he mean?

"I know that if I didn't have a soul, it wouldn't hurt like this. That's where my proof it. Granted, my soul will go to hell, but all the more reason to stay away from the Volturi this time."

"Edward- I am so sorry." I was broken. He was hurt and it was my fault. "Really, really sorry. I didn't have a choice! I didn't want to hurt anybody! Please, Edward, please, I'm sorry! I'm not going to ask for forgiveness because you have no reason to forgive. But I am so sorry."

"Shh! Don't say my name so loud! And you have every reason to ask for forgiveness, I really shouldn't have dumped that on you, it's just been so frustrating lately. I needed to dump on someone!"

"Why not Jasper? Isn't he the one with emotions?" He smiled wryly at this.

"I tried. He slapped me really, really hard. I overwhelmed him a little."

"A little?"

"He went as close to passing out as vampires can."

"That can't be good, can it?" I laughed at my own comment. It was just so nice to hear weird, crazy stuff about the family again! "Emmett really wanted you to pose as an Eduardo, didn't he?" He grimaced and nodded.

"Ouch. Anyhow, Edward, I do want you to take some things back." I walked over to the box that still held my Edward stuff and picked up the little diamond charm.

"Oh, no, Bella, I told you, that's yours now!" he protested, shaking his head.

"It was your mother's! Don't you want it?" He shook his head some more.

"I have stuff from my mom. I want you to keep it. Honestly, I just came here to give you this and check up on you." He handed me a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He smiled sorrowfully before walking through the door, picking up the act again.

"Honestly, Mrs. Black, everyone in my family said that they wouldn't take anything back. Especially my mom. She said if you even tried to give back that skirt she would ditch my uncle, whether he was mental or not, and come force you into a full makeover." He laughed at his little joke, that nobody except us and Jake knew about (maybe Ephraim as well).

"That's not very funny, your uncle being crazy. It worries me, actually. Tell him I say hi, okay? We used to be really good friends, I haven't seen him in ages."

"Alright," he said, resigned. He got my message- I was worried about his health. "I will. I think my uncle's pretty cool anyways. It's not every guy that has a family member that can read minds. Well, that's what he claims anyways!"

"Bye, Edmond!" Charlie called from the kitchen. Ephraim and Melanie sped through the halls to get a last look at the vampire. Edward smirked and I knew he was amused by his thoughts.

" Hey, wait! Bloodsucker, can you teach me how to act like that?" I was shocked and Edward was too. He turned to face me, eyes wide. What did you say to him? he mouthed.

"Ephraim!" I snapped. "That's not very nice to say to a guest! Apologize!"

"Dad said it before," he accused. I fumed. Leave it to Jake to teach our ten year old something like that. "And he is one!"

"It is a legend, Ephraim! How many times do I have to tell you that those stories aren't real?"

"They are, I know it! He's cold, he's pale, and his eyes are GOLD for crying out loud! He's got to be! You know him, vampires can't have kids! You know this guy, Mom! Why do you know vampires?" The kids were persistent.

"Honey, you're being ridiculous!"

"Bella, stop it. He's not giving up, this one. Told you he was a genius. Smarter than the original Ephraim. Well, I would hope so, seeing as that one hadn't destroyed us on the spot. If I had been in that place… we probably wouldn't be in the mess we're in."

"So you're saying you'd rather die?"

"Better than having to smell your blood. I had gotten used to it before, but now… I better get going. They'll be worrying about me. I'm really not supposed to go off on my own, but after I nearly tore up the new floor Esme put down, they changed their minds."

I was taken aback. He was hurting, not just because I broke his heart, but because he was suffering from the thirst? I wanted to go up and hug him so hard for all his pain. So I did. It was something about the werewolves, I knew it- I was getting more reckless by the year!

"Bella, please, do you mind if you get off me? I'm having some difficulties, and I'm sure you don't want another situation like your eighteenth birthday. I don't know much about them, but I don't think stitches feel very good." I backed away, quickly. I had never exactly revealed to the pack about what had happened to make the Cullens leave.

"One of them attacked you?" Jake was shaking now. I nodded, fearful he would morph, right there in front of my father. Oh no, my father! He knew about Edward! I was speechless, just frozen, about to burst into tears. All these years of secrecy, blown out the window!

"Which. One. Did. It?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean?" I was going to play dumb. It would work, I was sure it would.

"Oh, Bella, don't play stupid, I know you well enough. Which injury, the stitches from before we left, or her scar of her hand?" Edward turned, his awkward teenager act abandoned.

"Both."

"Well, on her hand isn't our fault. That was another guy, he came and bit her. We got the venom out before it could change her, so we're lucky there. The stitches… they weren't directly from a vampire, but we did kind of knock her into a table with a glass bowl. I remember those days. Those were the days when Jasper was the emotional wreck."

"You're brother attacked her?" Jake was seething now. I stepped out to calm him, but he just brushed me aside.

"By accident. It was just a little slip of control. We got him outside as quickly as possible, and he felt super guilty, even though he didn't really do anything. Bella got a paper cut on wrapping paper. We really should have been more careful, I'll admit that. But any more cautious and she would have broken her hand by slapping me." Edward smirked over at Jake, whose face was filled with rage. "Then again, I think you filled that requirement."

"You filthy leech! Get out of my house this moment!" Jake was loosing his cool. He was shaking harder than ever and next thing we know, there's a wolf in my living room.

Diamond Desire----------------


I pulled back my dad and kids, watching in horror as Jake morphed. Edward assumed the defensive position- crouched down low, snarling at my husband. Then he leaped.

"YOU WENT OUT WITH THIS MONSTER" Charlie screamed as I watched speechless, as my husband and ex-boyfriend battled. I couldn't hold the tears much longer and I burst out. The animals took no notice.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that, Bells!" Charlie came over and hugged me tight. "Really, I'm just… shocked. I never liked the kid much, but a vampire? I thought Ephraim was making up stories, but when your son-in-law turns into a canine, it's not that hard to believe."

The front door slammed open, and there stood the Cullen family. Jasper and Carlisle stood in front, barking out orders.

"Alice, Rosalie- protect Charlie, Bella, and her kids! Emmett- try and restrain Edward, and no, you can not join in the fight! Esme, um…" Carlisle stuttered as he ran out of things to do.

"Esme, you can go find clothes for Jacob. He's ripped his, and I'm sure he'll want a fresh set when this is over. Carlisle, help me get Edward back!" They struggled uselessly against Edward's bulk. He was lean, but fierce.

"Bella! You need to calm Jacob! Please, Edward won't calm down until he does!" Carlisle yelled at me, giving up on the fight against the teenager.

"No, I can't! He might lose control!" I was terrified. Wolves had lost control before and people had gotten hurt. What was I supposed to do?

"Do something, Bella, please! I can't lose my brother," Rosalie turned to me with a pleading look. I looked over her shoulder at the fight. Jacob was winning. Edward was pinned to the ground. Jacob's teeth were inches from his neck and I knew he wouldn't stop until Edward stopped struggling.

My memory flashed back to the newborn battle- to the battle with Victoria.

"The third wife," I whispered hoarsely. Melanie looked at me strangely. She knew the stories just as well as Jacob did. "I need to be the third wife again." I grabbed Rosalie by the collar and held her dangerously close.

"Stop! Stop fighting or she'll bite me!" In unison, the two men turned their heads to look at me in wonder.

"Rosalie," I muttered. "Help me out here!" She crumpled her nose, disgusted.

"No way, you smell like wolf! Ugh, I can't even breathe right now!" I glared at her, and she just smiled sweetly back.

"Fine, I'll just get Jasper then."

"Bella, you don't need to get me at all," the blonde vampire told me, pulling Edward out of Jacob's now loosened grip. He pinned him down and motioned over Carlisle over to calm him down. Once Edward realized that I was in no danger, he struggled again.

"Let- go! Carlisle, stop holding me back! Let me go!" he begged.

"OW! Edward, you bit me!" Jasper called out, grasping his shoulder in pain.

"Sorry," he muttered, calming down again.

"No problem. What's one more scar?" Jasper smiled and bent over to check for injury. He winced as he bent his leg. "I think you got me on the leg, too. Man, you bite hard."

"Jacob, turn back. Go to the bedroom, Esme has clothes for you, she found some in one of the boxes. They're in the first floor bathroom," Edward said pleasantly to Jake as he sat on the floor, his arms held behind his back by Alice while Jasper examined his neck.

Jake growled, but turned around and headed down the hall. I wiped away the tears I hadn't realized were falling and walked into my bedroom. I grabbed the CD and ran back out to a stereo that we had unpacked (though I had no idea why it had been unpacked before our bathroom supplies). I pushed the disc into the play and slammed on PLAY. A sweet melody drifted out and I calmed instantly.

It had the same effect to Edward. He went limp in his siblings' grasp.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I lost control, I went into protective mode! He could have hurt you and I didn't want to witness it."

"You could have hurt me, you idiot! There's a better chance that you would have killed me!" I felt guilty, but that guilt was washed away as Jake came limping out of the bathroom. "Did you get hurt?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. I'll be better in no time." As he spoke, his limp turned into a neat stride. "See?"

"Yeah…" I turned to the vampires. "Get out. I'm sorry I have to do this to all of you, I really don't want to, but I want him out of my house." I pointed to Edward while I said this. Fresh tears fell as I turned and yelled at him specifically, but I didn't care anymore. I was moving on- I had to.

"You could have hurt my family! You could have killed us! And you know what?" I said as realization dawned on me. "You pretty much have! What's going to happen when you bump into the Volturi in a few years? My family KNOWS that vampires are in existence! I'm not supposed to be alive myself, but now my children and father are in danger! So, I want you to get out before you put us in any more danger. I want you to get out and make sure you don't have an encounter with the Volturi until my children's' children have gravestones in that cemetery! That's something I'm sure you'll never have."

The Cullens got up and left quietly. They all stopped and hugged me good-bye, Alice even crying some dry tears, before walked out the door. I heard snippets of conversation, most of them involving moving and the Volturi.

"I have an idea! Let's just destroy Edward before he gets us in any more trouble!" Emmett had commented as he walked out the door. "Why do we even bother anymore? We should have kicked him out ages ago!" Esme hushed him quickly and by Edward's hurt face I could tell it was a popular topic in the Cullen household.

Then it was only my family, Carlisle, and Edward left.

"Say good-bye Edward," Carlisle told him sternly, looking very disappointed in his son. Edward couldn't even look him in the face. He just stared at the floor, apparently ashamed. He stepped forward silently- close, but not too close.

"Hey, Tanya?" I heard in Esme's kind voice from outside. "Can you make your way down here or do want us to come up? It's about Edward." He sighed again and turned to me, grimacing.

"Great, Tanya is coming. And they're gonna make me share my room again! I don't care if you're married or not, I don't care if I need to move on, I don't care whether I had even met you or not, and I know it's shallow, but I really do prefer brunettes. Strawberry blonde… makes me think of strawberries, which makes me think of food, which reminds me of the life I lost."

"How bad is it? Is it like… me?" I was scared for him. I didn't want him to feel pain, even if I wanted him away. I barely registered that Jake was standing in the corner, glaring.

"I may have been the first vampire for a lot of things. First vampire to fall in love with a human, first vampire to beg the Volturi to kill them, first vampire to fight over a girl with a werewolf- and firsts usually happen more than once. Especially the suicide part. I really would rather be dead. I meant it before."

"Oh." I was quiet. I just stared up at his tortured eyes and didn't know what to say.

"Looks like Romeo lost, but just can't kill himself," Jake smirked from his spot. Edward turned to him and shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much. Nice seeing you again, I suppose. Bye Charlie, bye… Melanie, right? Bye Ephraim- you really are a smart kid, it took your mother forever to figure it out, and the rest of the town never did! Bye Jacob- hope your work never brings you near again. Bye-" his voice broke off. "Bye Bella. Good luck, with wherever life takes you. Don't give it up to quickly, okay?"

I just nodded in response. He back away towards Carlisle, who gave a wave before leading him out the door.

Diamond Desire----------------

I crumpled to the floor, sobbing my heart out. Never before had I felt this much pain. Not since I Edward had left me after my birthday. Warm hands came and picked me up. I was carried swiftly to the couch, where my Jake just sat and hugged me close. Charlie was the too. He muttered incoherently, mulling over the fact that I had been in love with a vampire. I don't know how long I sat there. I did hear a few shouts and screams from a house back in the woods, concealed by trees. It was no doubt the Cullens, since I distinctly heard someone screaming "Get over already! She's going to die soon anyhow!" I was shocked when I heard it was Alice. My sister had just said I was going to die like it was nothing!

"Mom, what's in your pocket?" Melanie asked sometime in early morning, pointing to a bulge in my pants. Jacob had left me with the kids a few hours ago so he could clean up the fight.

I pulled out the note that Edward had handed me before. I unfolded the creased paper and began to read it out loud.


Diamond Desire----------------


Dear Bella,

I'm sorry for any pain I have caused you or will cause you. I think you should know some things about the last few years in the vampire world. You can update your husband if you wish- it might actually be a good idea.

1) Aro is dead. They overthrew the three of them. Vampire rulers are much kinder now… well as kind as filthy blood sucking creatures can be.

2) The family wants me to be kicked out- or destroyed. Just a little bit of notice if you hear some fighting or yells or something from my house. It would most likely be about me. I've been a pretty big burden lately. Honestly, I don't see why they haven't done it yet. It's really all Carlisle. Even Esme's giving up her fight for me. Alice- she's fading fast. The guys are gone, they have no patience for me anymore. They lost it years ago. Rosalie lost hers really shortly after Emmett lost his. I actually hear Carlisle's mind wavering right now. And Alice keeps seeing big fights, most of them ending with ash- mine. But please don't be upset! I'm just giving fair warning.

3) I miss you. Maybe that's not vampire news, but it's true. I'm Romeo without a Juliet- but honestly, if that Juliet has to be Tanya, I'd rather be single!

4) My family hates me, but love me. It's weird, one minute they want to kick me out, the next they want to set me up with someone so I'll be happy. And Jasper gets annoyed when emotions run high- he should try and be in my place!

That's all to say really. Just know that I love you whether or not you're with a werewolf or not. I'll love you to my grave- in vampire world, that means forever.

Love,

Edward

Fresh tears were falling as I read this. I loved the Cullens, and I knew that once they started to want to kick Edward out, he was really bad.

The house in the woods quieted and the roar of a car zoomed past. The yelling resumed as soon as the engine cut.

"I told you to send her back!"

"Edward, stop arguing, fix up your room for Tanya."

"But- she- UGH!"

Diamond Desire----------------

"Bella?" Charlie asked me after a few moments of silence from the fighting.

"Yeah?" I had cried myself dry and I was able to talk steadily again.

"I just want you to know… I'm sorry I blew up about you dating Edward before. He's a good kid, he's got good intentions. Just a pretty bad past, you know? I pity him." Charlie trailed off and I knew that he was okay with the vampires. He wouldn't share the secret. Everything was okay.

The kids grew up and we were a happy family. Edward- well, he did fall in love again. He wasn't destroyed, he wasn't kicked out. In fact, I was invited to the wedding. Emmett told me that they had locked the two of them in a closet for four days straight, just to get them to stop fighting. Edward finally began to give in to his family's pleads and tried a relationship. I guess he likes strawberry blondes more than he thought.

When dawn came, I finished unpacking our things. I taped up the box of my Cullen stuff and set it in the attic, not to be opened for at least a few years. I didn't care about the CD much- I had memorized the tune. I didn't plan on having more kids, so the shirt from Rosalie was unneeded. I didn't fit in the skirt from Alice anymore. I did keep one thing in my pocket at all times, cutting through the fabric and into my lag, to remind me of the love I had lost.

My diamond charm, from my diamond desire.

Diamond Desire----------------

AN: There it is! I know, it's more centered on Edward's depression than Bella's but that's because she has a family now and things to occupy her life. As you can see, she does break down later on, when Edward shows up. I put a lot more humor here cuz, well, when Edward is depressed, he tries to make Bella better by joking. Sounds like him in my opinion! I know, the whole Charlie and the vampire thing is a little OOC, but I needed for him to accept it. I don't think it's written as well as the last, but it's the best I could do. Read and give feedback if you want! (I do like feedback)

Thanks to my reviewers! It really gave me the inspiration to trudge through this chapter!

Next up- Bella/OC. This should be fun… You may also have another short wait. I have trouble writing Bella without Jake, let alone Bella without Edward! Now I need to write her without both!