I have finally arrived back from my very long trip. Tobago is a very beautiful island, mostly covered with rainforest, but it is very secluded from the outside world and it was the rainy season. I had to say goodbye to my luxurious life at home, but it was worth it. I did many dives and saw great corals (it is relatively undamaged, because of low tourism). By the way, Bella is now around fifteen years old.

The Spirits of Gaia

His love for her had always been sure, from the first moment he saw her until now, standing beside him proudly, her beauty intimidating as ever. His eyes wandered over her face, trying to assure him fully that she was really here, that she was still alive. Love had many faces and although his love had never faltered, he had been unsure of the form of love he held for her. He now knew exactly what he felt for her. His love had grown from one form to another and losing her had shown him how much he needed her. Nothing could ever separate him from her again, not even death. He would follow her wherever she went.

His epiphany about his feelings gave him a sudden need to tell her, to be honest to her. His decision came swift and certain and he smiled when he saw the vision of his plan come into Alice's mind immediately after. Finally there appeared to be a future for them and he pulled Bella closer. Alice smiled and gave him a quick wink.

'Bella.' He began slowly. 'Can I talk to you for a moment?'

She frowned and gave him a surprised look.

'You really think this is the best time?'

She pointed to the frozen vampires and Coraline. He didn't fully understand his urgency in sharing his feelings with her, but he couldn't stop himself. What if she would have died without ever knowing the truth?

'The only one Coraline can hurt is me and you have frozen the rest of them.' He gave her a meaningful smile. 'Time seems to be something that you will always have.'

Alice decided to help him.

'You can go, Bella, don't worry. We will wait for you and we won't let Coraline out of our sight.'

She took his hand and nodded. He led her into the forest, taking his time. Just walking with her, holding her hand was heaven for him. She was singing softly and it relieved them both of their stress. He knew he was unworthy of her. She was one of a kind, loving and sweet. She had never done a single thing wrong in her life. He had so much to answer for and had made so many wrong decisions he would never forgive himself. How little he deserved her though, didn't truly matter. Love had bounded his soul to hers and it would always be that way. A vampire's heart once lost was lost forever.

'Edward?' She interrupted his thoughts and stopped walking. 'Is something wrong?'

He turned towards her, taking a deep breath. Her eyes were staring at him and he saw a little bit of fear in them. He cursed himself for holding her in anticipation too long.

'I love you.' He whispered, passion in his voice.

The fear disappeared from her eyes and she smiled.

'I know and I love you too.'

The sparkle in her eyes took his breath away, but he knew she didn't fully grasp the meaning of his words. He placed his hand carefully on her cheek, looking straight in her eyes.

'No, I love you.'

She should understand this, having seen three in tune couples around her for almost her whole life. She did, he saw it in the way she looked at him. He placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

'I love you.' He repeated again.

His breathing was calm and sure. He desired her of course just as every male specimen walking on this earth did, but it was not about desire. He wanted to cherish her, to be there for her always and every step of her long and hopefully happy life, to make her as happy as she made him and then make her even happier. In his many years he had never felt this kind of love for anybody and it was a beautiful thing, although it frightened him at the same time. Losing her had shown him the power this love held over him. They were tied to each other now. One cannot survive without the other.

Suddenly his eyes flew open in shock. She had moved in his embrace and pressed her lips on his. Feelings overwhelmed him and his senses were filled with her intoxicating scent. Nothing could be compared to this, her lips on his, the warmth and the love he felt with it. He held her carefully, as if she could break from even the smallest blow of the wind. She responded to his overbearing carefulness with passion. She took a heated breath and pressed herself closer to him. Warmth filled even the coldest places of his soul. He let one of his hands slowly go through her curls, feeling the silky strands glide through his fingers. His breathing accelerated and his senses were filled even more with her scent.

It was most likely the reason he didn't notice they were not alone until the intruder was standing only a few yards from them. He stiffened and opened his eyes, when he saw the strange thoughts that came from this woman. It took him a moment to understand they were flashes from futures far away in time. Bella noticed his alarm and turned around, following his stare towards the woman. The woman smiled a mysterious, but joyful smile.

'Isabella, child of time, we meet at last.'

Edward's first thought was that this was Bella's real mother, but he studied her further and knew it couldn't be so. The woman standing in front of them seemed to be a vampire, a very old vampire and immortals didn't have children. Bella hadn't moved and Edward suddenly felt protective of her. Another vampire stood before them and his instincts told him to protect his love against any possible threat. He took a step forward and covered her partly with his body. Bella's eyes didn't falter from their sudden guest. She took a deep breath.

'I know you.' Her voice trembled slightly.

The woman nodded.

She must have seen me, the way I saw her.

'Do not fear me, daughter of my sister. I came to talk to you and to warn you.'

Bella took a step forward, ignoring Edward's attempt to protect her.

'Daughter of my sister?' Bella asked, clearly confused.

'Yes, although I lost the right to call her that many ages ago.'

Bella was not the only one who was confused. Edward didn't understand any of it. Bella's birth family could in no way be of the vampire race.

'Who are you?' He asked.

'My name is Alana and I am the first of the race of vampires.'

Edward felt his mouth drop open. She must be thousands of years old.

'There is much to be said, are you willing to listen?' Alana asked in a formal voice.

Bella took another step closer.

'I am.' She answered.

Edward wondered if he should leave Bella to hear this private story on her own, although it would hurt him extremely to leave her alone with another vampire close to her.

Stay, young one. Your life is bound to hers, so you have as much right to hear this as she does.

Edward stiffened again, not only had she guessed his struggles correctly, she also knew he heard her thoughts. A smile played on her lips before she turned serious again.

'Before we go any further, I must ask for your forgiveness.'

'What?!' Bella asked stunned.

'Everything you went through until now, is my fault. It is all because of a mistake I made many years ago.'

She stopped, thinking back on this specific mistake and Edward saw a very young Aro, meeting her and tricking her in giving away the future.

'I have seen what happened in the past and I don't blame you. It was not your fault.' Bella offered generously.

'I know you, child and I know the kindness of your heart, but it was my fault. I let a young immortal trick me so easily. I forgot that the gift of the future can hold extreme consequences for many. In punishment of your suffering I disappeared to make sure I would never make such a mistake again.'

'Then why are you here now?' Edward asked.

A sad smile touched her lips.

'Even though my sister and I are not sisters for so long now, I am the only one who can still communicate with her. She asked me to warn you and to tell you who you are, Isabella.'

'To warn me for what?' Bella asked.

'For killing Coraline. But before I can explain why you can't kill her, you must first understand where you come from.'

Edward checked Bella's face. It held a concentrated frown with a hint of nervousness. He understood her. She would finally get the answers she wanted so desperately for so long now.

'It was many hundreds of thousands years ago when this earth was created and life had not yet erupted. The atmosphere of this earth was filled with energy and since there was no life, this energy had nowhere to go, nothing to feed, there was no circle of life. To provide for this need the energy made the very first life form to ever walk on this earth. They were beings of perfection and because there were only a few of them, they held all the power of this world. They held power over time, over the laws of physics and even over death itself, immortal as they were. They could take any form they wanted and they celebrated their lives by living free and careless. There exists no name for this first life form. It was the only form at the time and therefore there was no need to distinguish this life form from another one by giving it a name. Over time I did name them. I am one of the few who knows who they were, so I named them the Spirits of Gaia, because of the Gaia-theory and because their energy-based life form can be best compared to spirits. The individuals of the Spirits did name each other.'

She stopped for a moment, letting them process what they had heard.

'I was one of them and so was Yvane.'

'My mother.' Bella said breathless.

'Yes, my sister, born from the same energy. Ages passed by and their everlasting careless lives went on. The earth and its only life form did not change and some of the Spirits began to feel restless. There was no danger, no excitement, no reason to learn or to evolve, no reason for reproduction and they were alone with their kind. The wild and untamed nature of some of them became too much and for a few of the Spirits it even turned to destruction. Some of them, including your mother and I, feared the end of the earth if nothing would change. There was a meeting, a once in a lifetime event, where all the Spirits came together in one place. They discussed the problems and after much debate came to a solution. Other life forms besides them had to exist in the world. They would live and die together and the world would change, evolve. Each of the Spirits made a choice. They could stay who they were or they could change into another life form to stay that way forever. I chose to change and became the first of the race of vampires. Your mother chose to stay who she was. She was content with her life and she was very powerful, holding power over time, just like me and you.'

She gave Bella a soft smile.

'There was one condition though, one they all agreed on. If one of them chose to stay one of the Spirits he or she had to swear to never use his or hers powers to control the others species. They were all-powerful and everlasting and would be Gods among men. It would not be fair towards the new life forms, which would lose some or all of its power by making the change. One by one new life forms entered the earth and the Spirits' wishes came true. The earth changed and evolved and the life forms reproduced, learning from each previous life stage. The Spirits that were left became watchers, not really part of this world anymore. Their oath forbade them to interfere with life on earth and that is why you are so special, sweet child. You are the daughter of Yvane, one of the Spirits and you are the only one of your kind living truly in this world.'

Bella was silent and Edward was overwhelmed, but he had to admit it all fit. Her extraordinary beauty, her powers, her strange scent. The Spirits were creatures of perfection and Bella was the only one on this world who gave real meaning to that word. It was strange to grasp that she was a part of a species that was almost as old as the earth itself.

'You are also special, because you are the only known child born from your kind. As I told you, the Spirits had no reason to reproduce and they never did until you.'

Bella shook her head and Edward saw tears on her cheeks. He wanted to console her, but she took a step away from him, not letting him near her.

'They didn't want me. They tried to destroy me.' Bella's voice held the bitter taste of rejection.

'They were afraid of you. They didn't understand you. Like your mother you held so much power and you didn't have to uphold any oath, since you were never sworn to one. You were a child and your intelligence had to grow, like any other child. They couldn't predict your actions or how you would turn out to be.'

New tears streamed Bella's cheeks.

'They said I held good and evil.'

Alana nodded.

'The Spirits are neutral, neither good nor evil, but somehow the sides were distinguishable inside you, in the form of your powers. It made them fear you even more. Yvane made the only choice that was left for her. She had to let you go.'

Alana walked forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

'Your mother loved you. I felt a part of her pain when she realized she would lose you forever, it was unbearable.'

Bella calmed down a little bit, although her face was still wet with tears.

'Why can't we kill Coraline?' She asked.

'When Yvane sent you to live among the other species she took a part of your energy and turned it into Coraline, giving her the evil side of your powers. Her body contains this energy. If you kill her, the energy will not die and potentially it could be far more lethal than Coraline is now. I do not know exactly what will happen, but I think we should not take that risk.'

'The only way to destroy Coraline is for you to take her back, Isabella, to take her energy back into your body.'

'No,' Bella said confused, 'that is what they want, what they believe will turn me towards evil.'

'It is because you are still young. You are not ready yet to carry that burden. You might lose your soul in power if Coraline's are joined with your own. It would be catastrophic for this earth. It is better to wait until we are sure you are ready.'

Edward nodded, thinking of another way to contain Coraline. He came up with nothing.

'Don't worry.' Alana interrupted his intense thinking. 'I will take care of Coraline. From now on she will be under my constant supervision. I will keep our world safe from her for as long as is necessary.'

It will be my way of redeeming myself.

Edward could understand that. He was happy for this solution. The burden of Coraline was lifted from Bella's and his family's shoulders. They began to walk back to Coraline and the other vampires. Edward watched Bella concerned, but she seemed to be alright, although deep in thought. Alana was looking at him.

A word of advice, young one. I know you and your family want to kill every enemy that is on that field, but I have seen the future and don't kill Aro and his minions yet if you don't want to have to control the vampire world yourself. They are not ready to live without law. A lot of people will be killed if you let the law die.

Edward didn't like that advice. She was probably right about the law and the consequences, but his desire to tear Aro, Jane and Felix apart was extremely large. He would discuss this with his family. At least they could kill Maria. The scent of burning that entered his senses told him that his family had already begun with destroying the vampires.

He couldn't wait to join them.