'We'll be back a few weeks before the wedding,' my Uncle Carlisle promised me, hugging me tightly to him.

The Cullen's were leaving and, although I had dreaded their arrival, I had, for the last few days, dreaded their departure from the castle back to Northern Canada, which they had moved too when living in Forks wasn't possible anymore and they were raising suspicions.

We were all standing in the throne room saying our goodbyes; I could hear Alec and Emmett laughing boisterously about something with Rosalie joining in with light laughs every once in a while and Jane being strange with Alice. Jasper was saying goodbye to some of the guard members with whom he had become good friends with during his families stay. While Edward, I rolled my eyes against my uncle's chest, was rather unwillingly talking to my father and other uncles. Aunt Esme stood at Uncle Carlisle's side.

'We haven't even set a date,' I laughed against Uncle's chest, my arms wrapped around his waist as though I could keep him here.

'Tell us when you do, dear,' my aunt said and, although I couldn't see her face, I could tell she was smiling. 'Then we'll be here a few weeks before, if not earlier. Plus the girls will have to come back before to visit you about your and their dresses.'

Squeezing my Uncle tightly once more, I dethatched myself from him before kissing his cheek and turning properly to Aunt Esme.

'I'm going to miss you,' my aunt sighed sadly, pressing a kiss to my hair and hugging me so tightly it almost rivalled my uncles.

'Me too,' I agreed, feeling my eyes well up with tears, which only happened, luckily, when I'm extremely sad in this form, instead of in my human form where I also cried when I was angry. 'Do you have to go?'

'Yes,' my uncle chuckled, brushing away a tear. 'Holidays are ending so that lot need to go back to school and I have to get back to work.'

That was one thing I liked about living here: I didn't have to keep repeating high school over and over again.

'Yes, how have you survived without the hospital?' I teased, knowing how much he loved his job there.

He wrinkled his nose at me while Aunt Esme laughed in agreement, 'I've wondered the same thing.'

'Carlisle, Esme,' my father's voice came from behind me as I laughed at my aunt's words and my Uncle made another face at us.

Sending a tearful smile to my aunt and uncle, I manoeuvred myself away from them so they could talk with my father and so I could say goodbye to everyone else.

'Rosalie,' I smiled, pulling her away from both our mates since she was beginning to look extremely bored with their conversation, which I doubted was on anything of interest to Rosalie or me.

'Thank you,' she laughed in relief as she shook her head at the two I had just pulled her away from. 'Boys. You okay?'

'Yeah,' I nodded, although my voice sounded off I still smiled. 'Yeah.'

'It's insane how much I'm going to miss you so much,' Rosalie said after a while and I knew she didn't mean those words harshly; she was just a bit rough around the edges despite her beauty.

'I know,' I agreed as we both laughed softly. 'God, this is crazy!' (I did a strange little hop) 'I'm probably see you lot in a few months anyway.'

'Probably,' Rosalie bit her lip before pulling me into a tight hug. 'Thank you for forgiving me and making me a bridesmaid.'

The last words were a whisper meant only for my ears as she pulled back and went off towards Jane. I smiled when she sent Alice my way.

Alice sprinted over to me, vampire speed, and tackled me in a tight hug, knocking us both to the hard ground and causing everyone else in the hall to look over at us since it had resulted in such a load noise. Alec was the first one to begin chuckling, besides Alice and me, and soon all the guards and my family were all laughing. Being closest, Alec and Emmett both offered Alice and me a hand up, which we both waved off as we clambered to our feet without their help, still giggling helplessly.

'We don't need you chivalry,' I said, trying to hold in my laughs and failing miserably as Alice and I brushed ourselves down.

'Thank you very much,' Alice added to my words, causing us both to laugh again and Alec and Emmet to give us odd looks before sharing a look that I knew was questioning Alice and my sanity but I ignored them in favour of saying goodbye to Alice.

'Anyway,' I tried to say around my giggles as chatter started up again around us, Alec going back to his conversation after sending me an amused, not to mention a bit worried, look.

'I'm going to miss you!' Alice squealed, wrapping her pixie arms around me.

'I know,' I agreed, hugging her back just as tightly.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Emmett walk away from Alec after they did a kind of handclasp-hug-thing and my Uncle Carlisle come over in his place. Still rocking in my hug with Alice, I heard my Uncle speak to my Fiancé.

'Take care of her,' he said, shaking Alec's hand with a smile as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

'Of course,' Alec grinned widely. 'I wouldn't do anything less.'

My uncle's smile widened at the answer, which he was obviously pleased with, as he clapped Alec on the shoulder, 'Good. Well, we'll see you … whenever the wedding is.'

'I'm sure we'll get around to setting a date soon,' Alec chuckled, nodding and sending me an amused smile over Uncle Carlisle's shoulder, although I wasn't sure if he knew I was listening or not. 'We're just rather busy.'

'I've noticed,' my uncle smiled once again before he walked away after a few more words. 'Goodbye, Alec, it's been nice seeing you again.'

'You too. Goodbye, Carlisle.'

'Come on, Alice,' I said, tightening then releasing my hold on her, 'I need to say goodbye to the others.'

Laughing slightly, Alice let go of me and placed a kiss on my cheek. As I left I saw Alec walk up to her and him get tackled in a hug as well, although they managed to stay on their feet unlike me and Alice. Alec also looked a little uncomfortable with the affection.

'Jazz,' I called as I laughed at the scene I had just left, my voice causing Jasper to turn around from his conversation and smiling widely at me.

'See ya, cuz,' he said as I wrapped my arms around him.

Although we never got very close when I was with Edward, due to Jaspers desire for my blood, Jasper and I actually had a lot in common and we had become quite content to sit in my families overly large library in companionable silence either reading some books or discussing some crazy subject, which would never happen, when everyone else's craziness became too much. It was something I would miss.

'Yeah, bye,' I tried to smile, I hated goodbye's even if they were for the shortest time.

'Cheer up,' he chuckled as we separated causing me to give him an extremely hyperbolic smile which only made him laugh more and to ruffle my hair playfully. 'Go say goodbye to Emmett and Edward.'

I took a deep breathe, fixing my hair and tiara although I didn't really care about it.

'Yeah because that's not going to be awkward,' I spoke in a voice so quiet I was sure, or at least I hoped, no one else in the room would be able hear it.

'He'll get over it,' Jasper assured me.

'I hope so,' then giving him one more tearful smile I walked toward Emmett, who saw me coming and finished whatever he was saying to my Volturi uncles, meeting me halfway.

I soon as I stopped in front of him, he wrapped me in a massive typical-Emmett bear hug.

'At least I don't have to worry about breaking you anymore,' Emmett chuckled, swinging me around and causing me to shriek with laughter.

'Emmett!' I laughed before he put me down and I realized everyone had stopped talking again. 'I'm pretty sure you still could, plus you do need to worry about allowing me to breathe.'

'Maybe,' he snorted to the first part of my statement, grinning at a few people who were still looking at us. 'But I'd never kill my favorite cousin.'

I rolled my eyes at him but smiled all the same, 'right sure, Emmie, miss you.'

I disappeared before he could react to the name that I knew he hated and, without really meaning to, I ended up in front of Edward, the last person I needed to say goodbye too. Things were still extremely awkward between us and I really hated it but, then again, I knew it would be really hard to go back to the way we were before, without the whole dating thing of course. Maybe Edward and I could never be friends but I was sure, after time, we could at least be civil to each other without awkwardness floating around our every interaction.

'Hi,' I said as we just stood there, looking at each other.

'Hello,' Edward said in return, giving me a half smile while I kind of returned.

We appeared to have nothing more to say as we stood there in silence and it seemed to pain us both at how we couldn't even hold up a conversation anymore, without someone else there to keep it flowing. Growing a bit comfortable, I shifted my weight onto my other foot and sighed heavily before pursing my lip in thought. I was saved from continuing the strained encounter with Edward, when my father's voice rose over the chatter of our guards and guest and the other Cullens began to congregate by the main door.

'Goodbye, Edward,' I said the only thing I could think of before turning away to head towards my immediate family.

'Goodbye, Bella,' he replied causing me to spin in my walk.

'Izzy,' I corrected before continuing on my way towards my father.

'Right,' he called after me.

Once I freed myself of the milling crowd, I saw that my father and Volturi uncles were standing in a line facing the Cullens are there was a small space, no doubt meant for me, before Alec and Jane on the other side. Standing in the gap, I laced my fingers through Alec's, who smiled over at me and squeezed them gently.

Together, as a family, we watched the Cullen's give us waves, smiles and nods before they began to turn and leave the hall, with Felix and Demetri leading them, in case they got lost in the castle many hallways.

'And they're gone,' Jane sighed, smiling over at me from on Alec's other side as the doors closed behind them and the rest of the guards began to head back to their duties.

'Yep,' I agreed heavily before returning her smile and saying optimistically, 'but they'll be back before long,'

Well, what do you think? Not the greatest chapter in my opinion but one I felt I needed to do before I moved on.

Thank you for all the reviews, they're really great so please continue x