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Cassandra

I started walking again after a while. I wanted to get home. I knew who would be waiting and I had so much explaining to do. I owed Edward an explanation and owed my family and explanation.

I stopped playing around and the closer I got to the house, the more excited I felt. I hadn't seen Carlisle and Esme in 50 years. I hadn't beat Emmett in an arm wrestling match in too long and I hadn't out predicted Alice. I missed them so much it hurt.

But, when I got to the house I couldn't do anything. I stood outside waiting. I didn't wait long. Before I knew it, the entire house was in the front yard. I saw Alice in the lead and then I was crushed in between so many people I couldn't tell the exact number. When they pulled away I looked at them. I knew that if tears were possible, they would have tears in their eyes. I know I did. I looked at them all.

My mind hadn't done them justice. Rosalie was as pretty as ever. Alice smaller than I remembered her stood next to Jasper who hadn't seemed so sad the last time I saw him. I saw Carlisle and Esme and knew that I was home at last. Emmett came to me and lifted me into his arms.

"Little sister! Where have you been all this time?"

"Let her go Emmett. She needs time to get her story straight." Esme scolded gently.

Emmett let me go reluctantly and I grinned at them.

I looked around and heard Alice answer my question.

He's not here.

I looked at her and she just shook her head, but she was no good at keeping her thoughts to herself. I saw a girl, a human girl who was probably only 17. She was a child, but she was pretty. I knew right away why this particular girl would appeal to Edward. He was always looking to help others and she looked like she needed all the protecting she could get.

I smiled. "He's with her isn't he?"

"Yes." Esme answered me. "He says he wants to marry her. He's changed so much. When you left he was devastated. He hasn't been so lively since she came along. He loves her."

I smiled again. This was easier than I thought it was going to be.

"Let's go inside and you can tell us what happened." Carlisle said.

I was lead inside with a guard around me. They seemed to think that if they didn't stay close to me I would disappear. I heard Alice wondering how long I'd stay, but it as Jasper who gave me courage. He was happy that I was back. He wanted me to help him with some fighting move he was working on.

"I'm here to stay." I said once we were inside. "That is, if you want me to stay."

"Of course we want you to stay. This is your home. This has been your home longer than it has been anyone else's." Rosalie said.

I smiled at my sister and looked at them.

"I have bad news and good news. I didn't leave. Aro came."

I stopped and heard them all process the information.

"He came one night and asked me to go with him. I told him no, but he knew what I was thinking. I believed him when he said he would leave if I just let him see that I had been thinking about him all these years. He said he wanted to make sure I hadn't forgotten him. I let him, because I had been thinking about him. I never stopped thinking about him. I had to think about him. He was my first love."

"He took my hand and saw how happy I was with Edward. He was angry, angrier than I had ever seen him. He swore that he would kill Edward and then each and every one of those that I had come to love. I knew he wasn't lying. I saw that he was already planning different ways of killing Edward."

I stopped and looked at them.

"I did what I had to do. I didn't want any of you hurt because of me." I pleaded.

Carlisle and Esme came to me and took my hands, the rest of them crowded around me.

"We know." They all said together.

I took a deep breath. "I went with him. He took me back to Italy with him. He treated me like a princess. He told me he loved me every day. He said he had all the power he could possibly want, but it meant nothing if I wasn't with him. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that the Aro I knew was still there. But, he kept me locked away in a room. He came to see me everyday and I knew I had to stay. I stayed because I didn't want him to do anything to hurt you."

"He came to me everyday. He talked to me. He told me about what was going on. He laughed with me and he made me laugh. I felt like I had my Aro back. I stopped fighting it after a while. I was happy. And then one day, there came news that there was an interesting power in France. Aro went crazy with want. He wanted the tracker from France. He talked about nothing else."

"I wanted to think that I was enough, but I wasn't. He wasn't happy with me because I wasn't what he wanted. I was in his way again. He left me in the room. He started coming less and less. There came a point when I only saw him maybe once a month at most. And then it became once a year. I missed him."

"But, my time alone made me think. It was cruel. I thought of all the time he had spent with me. I remembered what he was like as a human. I loved that Aro and this Aro was not my Aro. I was heartbroken. I felt like my sun had been taken from me. And even my moon was gone."

I stopped and looked at Alice. She was thinking about Jasper and how much it would hurt her to have him stop loving her.

I looked away from her and hid my tears. "He never stopped loving me."

"Then why did he leave?" Alice asked.

"He loves me. It's just not enough." I whispered.

"How did you get away?" Jasper asked.

"Jealousy. Jane started wondering what could possibly be so interesting to keep her master so occupied. She came to my room one day when Aro was off chasing his tracker. She was pissed, so angry. I heard her wanting to hurt me. I saw what she planned to do and I fell on her. I took her power and I had Jane under my control. She has a brutal power. She took me out of the room and we ran into her twin."

"I felt nothing. I was gone. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see. I couldn't move. It was the worst thing I have ever felt in my life. But, they had to touch me to take me back to the room and I got his power. When I used it, they were not only useless, but they did whatever I wanted. And they knew, they knew they were my puppets. I was almost out when Aro came back."

"He was furious. He sent half the court after me, but I am strong. I am stronger than he gives me credit for. I made him promise to let me go. Aro may be whatever you want him to be, but he knows how to keep his word. He let me go. He had no choice. I was stronger…I am stronger than he is. I hurt the man I loved. I made him let me go. And when I came back, I realized that I was not good for anyone."

"I am not good enough for love. I am not good enough for Edward. I do not know how this sounds, but I made a mistake when I agreed to be with Edward. I was drowning and I took hold of the closest thing there. And I am not drowning anymore. I am floating. I am heartbroken, but I am not drowning anymore."

I stopped. It was true. I had walls now. I could not be hurt. I was what I had to be to be able to lie in a world with Aro. I loved him, but I could live without him. I didn't need him anymore. And it was because I was tired, so tired of being second.

"You assumed too much. You are not unfit for love, dear. You just have to find the right person. Edward found his. You can find yours. He was like you are now when you left. He was lost, heartbroken. And it took Bella to turn him back into the Edward we all know and love. You just need your own version of a Bella." Esme said kindly.

I laughed. "What? Should I go look for a human? Or would you suggest a wolf?"

They roared with laughter, all but Carlisle and Esme.

I stopped laughing. "You must be kidding me. A wolf?"

"Why not? Edward found a human." Carlisle said.

"Wolves stink." Rosalie said wrinkling her nose delicately.

I didn't answer. I had met a wolf in the forest. He didn't smell.

"But, Cassandra does not smell the way we do. She is more human in many ways than we are. The wolves aren't her enemies." Carlisle said. "They aren't our enemies either. They smell the way they do to us because we are full vampires. Cassandra is more like a vampire-like human."

"I'm stronger than Emmett." I said because I couldn't help myself.

The look on Emmett's face told me it was worth it. He stood and leaned over me, scowling. I laughed.

"Don't make me hurt you Emmy." I said slipping over to the piano.

I sat down and tried to remember one of the songs I used to play with Edward. I settled on a happy melody. I touched the keys, impossibly fast. I finished that song and started a new one. I don't know how long I played. It must have been a long time, because when I looked up the sun was up. The sunlight fell on my family and me. They sparkled in the new sunlight. I knew that I would not sparkle, but I closed my eyes and let myself feel the warmth.

They were all watching me. All their thoughts told me to play another one. I looked back at the keys. I remembered all the time I had spent with Aro. I remembered all the love I had bestowed on him. I remembered all the indifference he had bestowed on me. And I played a song, a song that came from my heart. I finished. There were tears in my eyes.

"That was beautiful."

The voice that spoke was one that I hadn't heard in 50 years. It was still soft and caring, just like I remembered. I looked up.

Edward's copper hair was redder in the morning sunlight. He stood by the door. His arms were crossed across his chest. He looked beautiful. I smiled despite myself. I had missed him. I had missed him because he was the closest thing to me. He was like me in many ways. He was waiting for the right one. But, unlike me, he had found his other half. He had his Bella. I had no one.

"You have me." He said.

I smiled. "You have Bella."

"Why did you leave?"

I was surprised. He must have heard what the others were thinking. I looked at him and saw that he was having trouble hearing what the others were thinking. Alice was playing a song over and over in her head. Jasper was going over his new fighting move. Emmett was thinking of Rosalie and Rosalie was thinking of Emmett. Carlisle was going over his patient list and Emse was thinking of flowers. I wanted to laugh. They were so kind.

I looked back at Edward who was smiling at my amusement. We looked at each other, communicating the way we had so long ago. He read my thoughts and I read his. We stood there, just looking at each other, until my story was told.

I looked at Edward and knew that if tears were possible he would be crying. His pain hurt me. I did not want to cause more pain.

"I am just sorry that you had to go through that. I am sorry that you no longer believe in love."

I smiled. "There is nothing you can do."

He looked at me, a decided look in his eyes.

I wanted to back away, but I didn't. The look in his eyes was enough to keep me rooted to the spot. I kept my face poker blank, but he could read my thoughts. He could read them because I would never hide them from him, not unless my thoughts would hurt him.

He was so close. I didn't move and he put his arms around me. I heard the disbelief in the thoughts of the others and then Edward kissed me.

THUM THUM THUM...I can already hear your thoughts already. What about Bella???? What about Bella you ask. Read the next two chapters and you will know. Read and Review.