Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, and i also apoligise before hand, because the next wait is going to be even longer! My computer has broken, i just managed to get on now while my dad was backing stuff up, and then he is going to take it into work to fix! :( Review!!!

The Denali's

Edward's Point of View

It took just over a day to reach the Denali's. It was early when we arrived, three or four am, and the sun was just coming up.

As we stepped out of the shadows of the trees that had been our neighbours for the past day, our skin startled to sparkle like a thousand diamonds. Blood diamonds. Bella had once called me beautiful as I'd sat, bathed in the rare sun in Forks, in front of her. How wrong she had been. I had often wondered, as I looked back, that if she'd known what I would be doing to her less than a year later- would she still be sitting next to me at such ease? Would she still be smiling at me with those soft chocolate brown eyes? The answer was clear.

No.

She would be running, screaming, in the opposite direction.

What are you thinking?

I looked up at the sound of Jasper's voice, to find him watching me intently. I realised that I must have been sending off waves on waves of depression.

I met his gaze for a moment, then shook my head sharply.

Bella? He guessed.

I nodded curtly.

I understand, Edward. I know what you are going through. I-

"You don't." I said, and when I spoke my voice was cold and expressionless. I remembered my promise to Carlisle, that I would try to stop being so angry, and made a conscious effort to calm myself.

The others looked up, obviously wondering what Jasper could have thought to make me sound so detached.

Do you hate me, Edward?

I carefully considered my answer before replying slowly and stiffly, "No. You are my brother."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at me, and absentmindedly ran a hand through his tangled hair. I wish I'd never hurt her. Even through his thoughts, the words were tortured.

I turned and looked at him fully for the first time. My eyes searched his face, looking for something, even though I wasn't sure what. Finally, I dropped my eyes, then whispered, "Me too. Me too, Jasper."

Then I stepped away from him, stepped away from them all, and started to walk quickly towards the Denali's home. It was a big house, even bigger than the one we'd had in Forks, with a grand wall running all the way around it, and a huge garden. I could hear the families quizzical thoughts as they heard us approach.

The Cullen's? Eleazer wondered.

There was a big padlock on the huge front gate, but I broke it away with a small twist of my fingers.

Carlisle tutted when he caught up with me and looking at the ruins which I turned to dust with no effort at all. "We are guests here, Edward. Please remember that." He reminded me in a low voice, then walked past me, up the drive, to knock on the black door.

Less than a second later, the it swung open, and Eleazer stood on the threshold, his expression curious. "Ah! Carlisle!" He crowed, stepping forward to hug his old friend briefly, then peering past him, at the rest of us. "I see you brought your family." There was a definite curiosity behind his words now.

"Well let them in then!" Carmen's voice floated forward as she reached past her husband and pulled open the door, smiling at us all. "Welcome to our home."

I didn't think that welcome was the right word. The house was dark and shadowed inside, nothing like the bright whites that Esme normally chose to decorate our own home with.

Carmen and Eleazer stood back to let us all gather inside, then hesitated.

Carlisle smiled ruefully. "You are wondering why we are here?"

Carmen bit her lip. "Not that we are not pleased to see you, it's just a…surprise, that's all." She looked up. "It's been so long."

Carlisle smiled at her reassuringly. "And so naturally you are curious to why we have just turned up so out of the blue." He said lightly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Naturally." Eleazer agreed gruffly.

"It's a long story." Carlisle warned.

"Lucky we have plenty of time, then." Carmen joked, and we all laughed politely, though the same vampire we-have-eternity joke had been said so many times that I don't think anyone found it the slightest bit funny anymore.

"Would you care to come through to our main room?" Eleazer offered, and Esme muttered thanks, then filed us through. I barely took in the large, but dark room, so similar to the hallway. There was a window in the corner, and I strode straight over to it, peering out.

I never said I knew what time she would be coming. Alice warned me with her thoughts, but I didn't answer her, keeping my eyes fixed on the track leading up to the house outside.

Suddenly, a pair of thin white arms wound around my waist, and cool breath flittered across my cheek as the words, "Looking for me, Eddie?" were whispered silkily into my ear.

My muscles stiffened and my hands clenched as I turned stiffly, and glared down at the beaming person beside me.

"Hello again, Tanya," I said.

Be nice, Edward. Esme thought, and the word sweet flickered across her mind as she smiled at Tanya.

I couldn't help growling a little. Tanya's face lit up as she linked my arm through hers, and flashed a crooked smile in Emmett's direction. "Oooo! Feisty, isn't he? Just the way I like them."

As Emmet boomed a laugh and winked at me, the door was pushed back open, and Irina and Kate appeared, their arms linked through each others. They both waggled their fingers in our direction, seeming not surprised by our sudden presence. They must have heard our voices coming back from wherever they had been.

"The story?" Eleazer said eagerly. Carlisle, by force of habit, sat down on the low sofa and locked his hands together before beginning to speak. He kept the story simple, just saying that I had lost someone very important to me, and had been told that they would be passing by near here. Everybody else seemed to buy the story, and shrugged, but Tanya's eyes narrowed.

"So, Eddie lost somebody…"

"Actually," I cut in loudly, "It's Edward."

Tanya threw me a smile over her shoulder. "Whatever, Eddie. But let me get this straight. He looses somebody, and you all have to come to retrieve her?" She raised her eyebrows and flicked her hair. "I mean, don't get me wrong or anything- it's sweet, but Eddie's a big boy. Surely he could manage this trip on his own?"

There was a long silence following her words. Carlisle looked impressed. He nodded at her, then said calmly. "I see you have spotted the rather major hole in our story, Tanya. Well done." He praised.

There was along silence.

"Well?" Eleazer said, a little rudely. "What is it that you feel you can't tell us, Carlisle."

Carlisle turned, and I felt his eyes on me as he spoke to me through his mind.

Do you want to tell them about Bella?

I sighed and pulled my arm smartly out of Tanya's clinging grasp. "Carlisle told it wrong." I said brusquely. "Bella isn't just someone. She's…she's everything. She's the reason the sun comes out, the reason I was ever born, the reason I was every turned into a vampire. I was, still am, meant to be with her."

"And she left you?" Tanya said, sounding amused.

Never hit a women, never hit a women. I chanted inside of my head. I guess that rule applied to everyone- even stupid, stuck up, arrogant vampires who were practically indestructible anyway.

"What did you do, run over her cat?" Carmen joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"No. I…I broke her heart." I whispered.

"How?" Kate said eagerly.

"I left her."

A long silence followed my words.

"What?" Irina said blankly. "But I thought you just spent about an hour telling us all just how great she was!"

"I know, I know." I groaned. "But it wasn't safe. I wasn't safe."

"How can a vampire not be safe?" Carmen laughed. "What a ridiculous idea!"

The silence tensed at her words. There was another beat of pure silence, then Tanya gasped as her hand dashed to her mouth and she turned to grin wildly at me.

"You fell for a HUMAN!" She screamed, then bent over, gripping her stomach as she laughed.

I stared at her coolly.

"Yes." I said, in as much of a dignified tone that I could muster. "Yes- Bella was a human. And I loved her. And…now she's in trouble."

Everyone fell silent again as they stared at me.

"Do you know of a vampire named Victoria?" Carlisle asked quietly. I growled loudly at her name.

Eleazer frowned. "Yes, I think so. Part of the American Nomads? Sweet girl with lots of red hair?"

Sweet? Did he just say SWEET? Jasper felt the rolls of anger washing off me, and sent me an alarmed look.

Want me to clam you down?

"I'm good." I growled as I stalked towards Eleazer. "That bitch is the person after Bella." I hesitated. "Well, Bella and her daughter."

That cracked Tanya up again. "Wait, wait- hold on here." She grinned, gasping for air. "Your true love, who you left to protect- has a daughter?"

I glared coolly at her, but she wasn't done yet.

"What else does that girl have hidden up her sleeve? A husband?" She joked.

"Well…" I said awkwardly. "Not after the divorce comes through."

Tanya screamed with laughter. "Oh my God, Eddie!" She cried. "I totally underestimated you! Everyone said you were a right bore, but you are so funny! Ha- a husband and a kid!" She thumped me hard on the arm in what I think was supposed to be a reassuring manner. "Good luck with that then, Eddie!"

Suddenly her mood changed as her stance became inviting. She leant into me, her breath fluttering across my face. "Well if it turns out that Bella had another couple of hundred kids and a few more husbands- you know that my offer will always stand."

I grimaced. "Thanks."

"Pleasure." Tanya replied as she ran her hand down the length of my arm. I felt sick. Had I just not told her how in love with Bella I was? It if wasn't for the fact that I was hoping to stay in her home, I would have ripped her arm off right then.

Instead, I stepped smartly away from her. "I'm going out for a hunt." I muttered, then pushed open the window and leapt out of it, deciding the door was too far away. With Tanya around, anything could happen in that short stretch of hall.

Come soon, Bella love. I thought to myself as I threw one last look down the empty track, then set off at a run straight back into the woods.

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