Heyyyy. Long time no talk. :) I'm not even gonna try to make excuses this time. So I'm going to just talk about my trip. :) heh, heh…

Soo…Europe was ah-mazing. Like, it was absolutely epic, and I had the time of my life. I went to the Netherlands and tried super good cheese, went to Belgium and had some chocolate and waffles, went to France and climbed up the Eiffel Tower, went to London and rode on the London Eye, seeing of course the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. And lastly, I went to Ireland and saw the absolutely beautiful landscape. :) It was pretty epic.

Anyhoo, I know I left you guys a doozy of a cliff-hanger, and I feel bad. So without further ado, here she be!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Twilight. That right belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I do own, however, quite a few souvenirs from Europe, and some rockin' Irish sweatpants. :)

Previously:

My body slightly relaxed, but then immediately tensed up again, remembering the company I was with, and the predicament I was in. Steeling myself, I took a deep breath and slowly turned towards the very shell-shocked Cullen family.

"Bella? Is this… are you really… this isn't-" Carlisle stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"Yes." I interrupted him, my voice completely void of emotion. No matter what happens, I told myself, be professional. Do not do anything rash, Bella. "It's true. I am Isabella Carter. My parents are Adam and Eve Carter. I have been using my human appearance all this time, and I apologize for not telling you before."

They just stared at me, clearly not having any idea what to say. I knew I wouldn't know what to say either. I took a deep breath, and started again. "I didn't tell you who I was because it was incredibly dangerous for you and your family. Anyone who knows me, anyone I openly care about, is in extreme danger because of it. A lot of the people-" My voice broke, showing evidence of my emotions, but I gathered myself and continued, "A lot of the people I care about have been killed because they know me. Because my enemies knew it would devastate me if they were killed. You have to understand that I have many enemies who would do anything and use anyone to hurt me. Including the people I care about. I didn't want that to happen to you."

"But why?" Carlisle questioned. "Why would you even carry on the act as a human, and pretend you were completely defenseless and oblivious to what we are?"

My professionalism was breaking. I was falling apart. I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to do this. "Because, Carlisle. I fell in love, and the fact that I fell in love blinded me from how selfish and horrible this was. I'm so deeply sorry for that. But you have to understand, I had never felt this way before, and I didn't want to create a risk for your family by making my true self known."

Edward was clearly struggling to take this new piece of information in, to actually believe that Isabella Carter was in love with him. I mentally winced, but before I could dwell on it any longer Carlisle continued questioning me. "Alright, but then why were you in human form in the first place? Clearly you weren't in love before you even got here? And how exactly do Charlie and Renee fit into all of this?"

"We do something similar to you Cullen's. We enroll in the school system, so not to create unwanted gossip. Though, of course Tina, John, and Shawn didn't want to enroll this time around. And so Renee and Charlie, just some very helpful humans, acted as my mother and father."

Carlisle thought about this. "But surely you knew we were located here?" He asked.

"Yes, that is true. Carlisle, I had been very curious about you ever since you had been changed. I have kept tabs on you throughout your years of exploring. I was so proud when you killed your first deer; I knew you were going to be one of a kind. And you are, Carlisle. You are utterly one of a kind. You are the leader of the largest clan on this planet other than the Volturi," I growled out the filthy word. "And not only that, but it isn't a clan. You have created a family, who, as I have discovered, will go to any lengths to protect one another. That is something to be truly proud of."

Carlisle looked slightly dazed. "But…how had you known of my existence in the first place?" He questioned.

I smiled slightly. "Carlisle, your father may have been completely wrong about a number of his theories, but a slight bunch of them were true. He was getting too close, and creating too much of a problem for the Immortal world. I was relieved once he retired, but then you took his place. You were much wiser than your father, Carlisle. Much more calm and level-headed than him, and I was worried that with your strategies and well thought out plans, you would be able to find one of the more reckless of our kind. Unfortunately I was right. You did discover a crazed vampire, incidentally one we were keeping an eye on, and he acted too quickly. He was on you before I could move. I coaxed you, without your knowledge, of course, away from the mess over to that potato cellar. I was amazed at how quiet you were. Your change was the first I had ever experienced where someone was so…silent. I was quite stunning. By the time you discovered the existence of the Volturi, I was quite protective of you. I was absolutely relieved when you left them. I was absolutely shocked when I came to check on you and you were working at a hospital. A hospital! I never would have thought it possible. You were the essence of the Vampire world that I wanted, Carlisle. And I was so happy that you were. You still are, in fact."

"So…you stopped watching me after you found that I was working at the hospital?" Carlisle asked me, rightfully curious.

I shook my head. "I kept tabs on you, Carlisle. I was happy for you when you found Ed-Edward," I stumbled over his name, still fearing his anger towards me. "You were so lonely. I was actually considering revealing myself, just so you would have someone. But you found him, and it just got better from there. When you found Esme, I couldn't have been more joyful. Then there was Rosalie, and then Emmett, and then Alice and Jasper came along. I was so glad that you got out of that vile Maria's clutches, Jasper, she was a force to be reckoned with. And Alice, you need to know that your sister, Cynthia, she's safe. I made sure she was safe. What those people did to you, Alice, was horrible. I was so terribly relieved when I knew that Robert was looking after you, protecting you from James. I still owe him that."

"Wait, what?" Alice asked. "What do you mean, you still owe him that? The vampire who changed me is dead. And my sister…she died too."

"No, Alice." I said. "I would have never let Robert die. He is far too close to my heart for me to have permitted that. And Alice, you should have known this quite a long time ago, but your sister…she isn't dead, Alice. Well, in one sense she is, but she is still living on this earth."

She stared at me, her eyes wide with shock. I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. "I changed her. Your parents, they were being horrible to her. Cynthia kept pestering them about you, Alice. She kept questioning and demanding and wanting to know what happened to you. You two were quite close, and she was dying to know the truth. They abused her, and I couldn't stand it. So I took her away from that place, moved her somewhere else, with a wonderful and gentle family. I thought things were going to be alright with her. But someone who wasn't very…pleased with me at the time found out about me moving her, and attacked her. She was almost dead by the time I got to her, and the venom was already running through her veins. There was nothing I could do. She has a gift similar to you, you know. Only instead of seeing the future, she sees someone's past." I opened my eyes, afraid of what her reaction might be, but surprisingly her eyes were full of joy.

"So she's alive? Cynthia is alive?" She asked me with a voice full of hope.

"Yes, of course she is." I told her. "Would you like to talk to her? I told her she couldn't talk to you yet, but when the time came I would call her immediately. Do you want this to be the time?" I asked.

"Please." She said simply. I nodded my head, and took out my phone.

I dialed the number, and it started ringing. All eyes were on me. I fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for Cynthia's voice to come through.

"Isabella? What is it? Is everything alright? Are you alright? Where are you? I'll come to you right away. Just give me a moment. Darling, where are you?" Cynthia's panicked voice came through. She always was quite a worrier. Although, the only times I have ever called her were under unfortunate circumstances.

I rolled my eyes. "Everything is absolutely fine, Cynthia. Take a breath, would you, dear?" I said, trying to calm her. I faintly heard a heavy sigh through the receiver. "Very good. Now, as to why I was calling. Cynthia, the Cullen's have found out. They know who I am, and they know you are alive. In fact, I'm with them at this precise moment."

All was quiet on the other end for quite a long period of time. "Is Alice there?" She finally said in a quiet voice.

"Yes, she's right here." I said gently. "But you have to remember, Cynthia, she doesn't remember anything from her past life."

"Oh, yes, I know that," She assured me quickly. "Just…does she know that I am her, you know…"

"Her sister?" I questioned. "Yes, she does indeed know of that. Now, Cynthia, you can come down here. We are located in Forks, Washington. In the forest, north of the town. You'll catch the scents. There are plenty. I have no doubt you will find your way here quite easily." I told her, talking briskly.

"What about you, though?" She asked me, catching on quite quickly. I took a breath.

"I'm leaving soon. As soon as John, Shawn, and Tina get back we are departing from here. If you are ever in danger though, Cynthia, you know what to do, alright?" I told her.

She was silent for a moment, then asked me hesitantly, "Are you sure that is a wise choice, Bella?"

I shook my head, but then I remembered she couldn't see me. "Yes. It is the best choice for all of us." I assured her.

I heard her sigh, and then she said, "Alright. I'm on my way. Should I bring Robert and Lucy as well?" She asked me.

"Rob and Lucy are with you?" I chuckled quietly. "Yes, bring them along. I'm sure Alice would like to meet him as well. And tell them they should keep their phones handy, we could have used their aid a little while ago." I smiled.

She laughed. "Alright then, Bella. Good luck to you, I hope I will see you again soon."

I smiled gently. "I'm hoping so as well, my friend. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Isabella." And she hung up.

I looked up and noticed all of the vampires except for Joshua and the Cullen's were gone. Josh was looking at me, seemingly puzzled.

"You're leaving? Why would you leave?" He asked me.

I sighed. "Joshua, why wouldn't I leave? I was already creating quite a risk for the Cullen's being with them when they didn't know who I was; could you imagine what would happen if word got out?" I questioned, knowing that he knew the answer.

"But Bella, you're happy here. Why don't you just-" I cut him off harshly.

"It doesn't matter if I'm happy, Josh." I growled. "What matters is that they are all safe, and that they are not being killed because of me."

He bowed his head, knowing that he wouldn't win this fight. Once my mind was made up, it took quite a bit to change my mind. And he knew that I was right. Their safety was much more important than my happiness.

"So you're just going to leave?" I turned toward the voice, and Edward was there, an incredulous look on his face.

I swallowed thickly. "It's the best thing for you and your family, so yes."

He shook his head. "No, Bella. You can't just leave. You're part of this family, whether you like it or not. And I still love you, that isn't going to change anytime soon."

Tears pricked in my eyes. "Edward, I can't. This is for your safety. I can't let my feelings get in the way of my duty as a Carter; as a Savior."

I heard someone snort from behind me, and I whipped my head around, seeing Tina with John and Shawn on either side of her. I didn't hear them get back. "Come on, Bells. You never do anything for yourself, you're so freaking selfless. Don't act so generous for once. You, more than anyone on this earth, deserves happiness. And I can guarantee hundreds, if not thousands, would agree with me."

I glared at her. "Tina, don't. You know exactly why I can't do this." I harassed her in my mind, throwing countless reasons at her, countless thoughts that both her and I had had before about what could go wrong.

She winced. "Okay, okay, I get it, knock it off. You're giving me a headache."

I nodded, and then turned my glare to the boys. "Do you two have anything to say about it?" I asked. They both shook their heads. "Good. Well, since you're back, we might as well get going."

"Isabella, wait." Carlisle said, walking over to me and grabbing my wrists. "What if I said that we didn't care if we were in danger? What if I said that we were willing to take that risk if it meant you being in our life?" He asked me.

I stared at him, and after a moment a tear slowly trickled down my cheek. "You would really willingly risk your life just so I could be part of it?" I whispered.

"Of course, Bells. You're part of our family. And we would do anything for you." Emmett said softly. I looked over at him, and then at Rosalie, who was at his arm. She smiled slightly and nodded her head in agreement.

I stared. I had never experienced this before. I didn't know what to do, what the right choice to make actually was. I needed my parents. I needed my dad and his guidance. "Tina, were they alright? Did you check on them?"

She shook her head. "Yeah, they were okay. It looks like another ten years or so, though." She said, referring to how much longer they would be 'asleep'. I sighed in disappointment.

"I need you, Papa." I whispered nearly silently, although everyone in the clearing heard me. I felt Shawn's hand rest on my shoulder, and I turned towards him, burying my face into his chest. He held me, rubbing my back in a steady rhythm. "It's alright, Bellsy. It's going to be okay." He soothed.

I shook my head against him, and I pulled away to wipe away my tears. Without turning towards them, I addressed the Cullen's. "That is so, so kind and generous of you, but I would never allow it. I'm sorry, but I have to do what is right for you, not me." I turned towards the gang. "Let's go." I said quietly to them, and we started walking towards the mass of trees.

I suddenly got yanked back, and half a second later found myself in Edward's arms. I looked up and his smoldering amber eyes immediately burnt into my ice blue ones. "You are not going to leave me." He whispered ferociously. "You are mine, and I'm not going to let you leave me. I can't lose you, Bella. I cannot survive without you."

I turned my head away from him and squeezed my eyes shut. "Don't do that, Edward. Don't do it. I have no choice; it's for your own good."

"You do have a choice, Bella. You can choose to stay here, with me." He hissed, still infuriated.

"No, Edward! I'm not staying! And there's nothing you can do to change my-" He cut me off, furiously pressing his lips hard onto mine, and I automatically melted against him. His lips pressed onto mine again and again, and once he had finished my head was clouded with dizziness.

"Please." He murmured against my lips. "Stay with me."

All was silent around me. No one spoke, no one even dared to breathe. Every single person was waiting for me to talk, waiting to hear my final decision. I took a deep breath, and then said "No, Edward. I can't. I'm sorry."

His shoulders slumped in defeat, and if I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he was about to cry. I looked away, knowing I was very close to letting my feelings get the better of me and changing my mind.

I pulled back from him, and looked at my newfound family. Alice was bundled up in Jaspers arms, her shoulders heaving. Jasper was attempting to comfort her, rubbing her back. Esme looked absolutely heartbroken, and Carlisle had his arm wrapped around her, his face looking distraught as well. Rosalie was staring sadly at me, leaning into Emmett for support. Emmett…he had an expression that looked like a lost puppy. I forced my eyes away from him and they landed on the last person I wanted to look at.

His face was broken. That's the only way I could describe it. And when I saw that broken face, my heart broke right along with it. I turned abruptly, not being able to face my new family, and looked at the people who had always been there for me. "Let's go." I said to them, and they nodded their heads sadly.

We slowly started walking towards the edge of the forest, and just before I passed the line of trees, I looked back at my family for the last time. Then I turned around and walked further into the darkness, fighting tears the whole way, disappearing from the population of this earth once again.

The End

I really hope you guys liked the story! It's been really close to my heart for a long time, and I hope it's close to yours, too. :) Ooooh, hey guys, guess what? We're almost to 100 reviews. 6 MORE. Can you believe that crap? It would mean the world to me if I had my story make 100+ reviews! :)

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