And so the updates quicken…slightly. Hopefully I can keep a good pace this time! (: Wish me luck, ya'll! Hahaha, well as usual, I hope/encourage you to review, you know how much I love 'em, so please keep 'em comin'! Oh! And by the way, I hope you all have a great summer!!! :DDDDD

-L-

Original story belongs to Stephanie Meyer, along with the original characters.

Edward

Fair enough to say that I had brought back memories Esme had hoped to forget. Fair enough to say I wasn't too fond of remembering them either. I knew I had killed other mortals in my lifetime, back when I had refused Carlisle. However I had previously limited myself and my tastes to sinners and those three lives were pure as the light of day. Sometimes, before my Bella had returned in my life, I would close my eyes and see their faces turn pale against my teeth, their skin and clothes tainted by their blood.

As soon as Arayano had heard of my crime, the leader of the vampire clan I joined at the time, he had to defend me from his men, specifically those who intended to rip me limb from limb. They succumbed to his will, but he too had to sacrifice; I ended up thrown out of the clan and Amazon Basin.

"It doesn't matter to me, you know," said a voice. It was quiet but stern. I glanced over at Bella.

"It doesn't. I don't know if you meant it to, if you expected to get everyone to hate you like you sometimes love to do, but it didn't work." She stated. There was sarcasm in her voice, enforcing the determination in her eyes as she spoke.

"She's got a point, Edward." This was Alice now.

"What were you thinking anyway; telling strangers about our affairs. Sheesh." She complained.

"I wasn't thinking. I apologize for that, it was a mistake on my part." He whispered, monotonously.

I think the silence that followed was a sign that no one wanted to say more on the subject. It seemed to me that for once, each member of my beloved family looked as old as they truly were. I wrapped my arms tightly around Edward.

Alice signed, looking guilty, "Well," she said, standing to her feet along with the others.

"Goodnight."

Jacob

"Hadn't you said you wanted to help?" I inquired.

"Yes." She replied, her blonde hair sticking to her lower lip where she bled a bit from her fall. "And I do want to help. But you are nothing like him." She stated firmly.

"Technically, I am. Besides, he's one of the 'good vampires,' as you had said. How's that too different from what I am? It's not like we go killing villagers, raping their women and sucking the life right out of the citizens." I replied. Never had I thought I would defend him, of all people.

"Besides, you shouldn't be too quick to talk, Amberie," I reminded her, using part of her true name. She froze, "Your kind aren't exactly rainbow colored angels either and are capable of far worse than any vampire has even though of. Don't even try to deny that."

"I wouldn't." she said. "Agh, I take it this means you want me to apologize, correct?" she questioned, slightly annoyed.

"Yes."

She picked up the coffee cup Edward had left behind, her lime green eyes ablaze, brown colored icicles springing out of the now frozen cup.

"And if I don't?" she asked, looking up at me from under her brows. I grimaced down at her.

"Amberie Fey Morisette, I order you to apologize." Her gaze turned to a frown and daggers from her eyes. I smirked, "In fact," I began, "I demand that you make a full apology to Edward Cullen at the first chance you get. And, be friendlier with him and his family." I grinned with power and glee as she continued to frown up at me.

"You are the epitome of evil." She stated, glaring at me pleasurably. I leaned over her, lips only inches from her throat.

"Hey," I laughed, grazing her neck lightly, "at least I didn't say I wanted you to kiss his ass all day." I joked. She threw me off her and onto the coffee table; it cracked down the middle where I landed and the glass was all over the ground. I didn't attempt to stand, just smiled at the blonde strands of hair falling over me as she sat over me, eyes grinning down at me evilly.

"For that, I thank you." She said, playfully, kissing my neck. I reached up for her hair, clenching it in my hand and rolling over with a growl.

"How thankful?" I inquired, my hand still clasped on her hair. She smiled up at me and I laughed.

Edward

We prepared for school again. Esme had been standing outside my room for about half an hour now, not saying anything to me. She'd blocked me out of her head, too. I waited patiently for her. I had already dressed, though I doubted she had taken so long out there to wait—she wasn't ready for whatever it was she wanted to say or do.

"Edward," she thought. I could hear the rustling of her skirt as she sat on the floor outside.

"Mother," I replied, letting her know I was listening. "Would you like to come in?" I asked. No reply.

"I love you, son." She said. "I love you for everything that you are. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or even what you may say: you are no monster. And if some day, you should be, you would still be my beloved son." She added. I stood, surprised. She slowly opened the door to my room.

"You'd still be my little monster, okay?" she added. I had a feeling she might be crying, were she human. It was strange to hear her call me little, but…it felt…nice. Somehow, I felt it would indeed be fine if I were as detestable as I could be, for I would still know at least one person loved me still. I walked over to her and put my arms around her.

"Thank you." I replied. I could not think of anything other that would be adequate enough.

She pulled away after a bit and walked out of my room. Shortly after, my Bella came in, smiling.

"Did you overhear us, love?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No, I felt her waiting though. I decided it would be intrusive of me to do so. Besides, I hardly enter someone's mind, I find it rude." She said.

"Ah," I began, "So, am I rude?" I joked. She smiled, "Perhaps." My eyebrows quirked up, but she only stuck her tongue out at me in response. She was wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans today. The shirt seemed extremely familiar.

"It's the one you gave me; the one you liked best." She began, "I've kept it all along. Still in good shape, no?" she inquired, passing it as an attempt to deviate my attention from the years I hadn't been with her.

"Very good shape." I replied, reaching out for her hand, pulling her closer to me.

Well, should I ever decide to become an idiot monster…at least I know I'll have two who still would love me. I suppose that's what I had wanted to hear.

Jacob

"Mmmmph," I groaned, spreading my arms on the bed. Amber lay across my chest, playing Bejeweled on my cell phone.

"Mornin' sunshine," she greeted me, pausing the game. There were tiny glints of scars on her back from the glass last night and I smiled as they shone off her skin, like little stars resting on her back. I pulled myself up to her and kissed her shoulderblade, moving her hair out of my way.

"Good morning, honey bunches." I said, trying to scare her off me. It worked and I laughed.

"C'mon, babe, hurry up. We have about 30 minutes till school starts." She said. I honestly could barely concentrate on her words; she was bare naked and walking out of the room to her closet…and I kind of didn't want her to get dressed. Knowing this, she lifted up her hair, showing off the patterns of her back…and again the scars stood out, reminding me of last night…

"Can we skip?" I breathed. She turned around, facing me and leaning on the door frame.

"No. God, you're such an animal." She sighed, heading to her room once again.

I pouted. "Never stopped us before!" I called after her. She threw me a futon from the living room. I fell back onto the bed, still pouting and sighed. Oh well. Jumping up to my feet, I prepared for school too, grabbing a pair of denim jeans and a plain black shirt I'd gotten at Academy Deluxe (it's still Academy, only it had been passed over to new owners about 50 years ago). Going into the kitchen I grabbed one of the 10 cartons of milk she bought me and chugged it down, followed by two apples. When I turned around, she had been standing watch and now laughed openly as she walked up towards me and reached for her yoghurt in her jeans and red blouse. Her hair was in a messy French braid.

"I will never get over how you eat. It's cute," she paused, laughing some more, "In a creepy, inner-wolf-guy-hunger type way."

"Haha, yeah, I'll bet it's funny to you." I replied, tossing my napkin at her face. She bent over to pick it up then joined me in the living room for our backpacks. As I opened the door, we paused, in surprise. The Cullens were here again, all leaning against their fancy cars while Bella stood right in front of us, hand outstretched to knock on the door.

Bella

"Oh!" I exclaimed as Jake opened the door just as I had reached to knock.

"Um," I began, at a loss for words, "Hi."

Amber scoffed behind him.

"Yeah, definitely." She laughed. She stepped out from inside, Jake following her and locking the door after him. She looked across at my family, holding an outstretched hand to Jake; she was holding keys, which he took shortly after.

"Be right back." Jake announced, heading in through the garage door.

"So," Amber began, "What brings you here?" she asked, finally. I looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

"We didn't exactly end on a friendly note last night," Emmett began. "We're making sure Bella and Edward apologize for being such sourpusses yesterday: partly to make sure they actually do it," he paused, but Rosalie finished for him.

"And partly 'cause we'll get a kick out of it." I groaned.

"I am terribly sorry for throwing you out of your window and into a tree last night; it was extremely rude of me and I promise to pay for the damages." I stated, noticing that she looked as though she were refraining from a laugh. Jake pulled up the garage door, coming out with a black motorcycle. He looked at us.

"What'd I miss?" he asked. Amber giggled a bit, to my surprise.

"Bella's apologizing." She stated. He glared at her.

"And what did I tell you last night?" he inquired. She sighed, turning back to me.

"Where's Edward?" she asked. He stepped away from his family and closer to us. She met him halfway.

"I'm sorry for insulting you last night, though I doubt you heard, and I am sorry," she added, facing me, "for angering you last night; what I said was completely uncalled for and will never happen again." She spoke every word as though she were repeating orders. From behind her, I saw Jake nod in approval. I quirked an eyebrow, as did a very surprised Edward.

"Well…we wanted to make up for it by seeing if we could start over and go to school together." Edward replied. I suppose it was too awkward for him to take her apology seriously, so he ended up changing the subject.

"Ah, well, we could always do what I wanted to do," Jake suggested, his joy almost seeping out of him. "Let's skip. We can go to the woods and just hang out. Or maybe go up to one of the cities for some fun."

Amber rolled her eyes at him while Emmett looked around to see if anyone other than him was convinced. At last, everyone turned back to him with the same devilish smile.

"Sweet," he and Emmett said the word simultaneously while everyone got into their cars, ready to cruise around. I sighed, turning back to Edward's and my car, smiling a bit as I opened the car door and slid into the seat.

"Tell everyone to follow us, we'll start the day off at Jake's playhouse." Amber thought teasingly.

"Playhouse?" I scoffed, out loud too. I could hear her laugh in my head.

"You'll see."