That day, the Blacks welcomed two healthy baby girls named Rachel Grace and Avery Rain into the world. Bella felt blessed to be one of the first people to see them. Their scrunched faces and fuzzy black hair made them look like little old ladies. They were beautiful.

She was there when Paul and Billy came in and watched Paul as he looked at the two little girls. When Jake told him their names, Paul fell to his knees in tears. His shoulders shook as he sobbed into his hands. Jake kneeled beside Paul and hugged him tight, letting his brother cry on his shoulder.

Bella didn't understand at first, wondering why he would react in such a way. Then, her own eyes filled with tears as realization dawned on her. Not wanting to intrude on their moment, she stepped out of the room and looked for the waiting room. Finding her dad, she cuddled into his side and tried to cry quietly.

"Bells? I thought the babies were fine?" Charlie's worry was heavy in voice and lined his already gaunt face.

"They are," she whispered into his shoulder. "But Daddy, I didn't know about…"

Bella's voice got choked off by a sob. She tried to regain control and said, "I didn't know Rachel…" She shook her head sadly as her voice trailed off again.

Charlie's brows furrowed in understanding. "Oh, baby girl. I'm so sorry. It never crossed my mind to tell you sooner." His fingers combed soothingly through her hair.

"We made sandcastles together. Rachel was always so nice." Her sobs broke her voice. "Paul didn't deserve it."

Then Bella realized that Paul was still alive even though the legends said he shouldn't be. She was thankful he was alive, but a whole new onslaught of tears washed over her as she thought about him facing such a profound loss and raising Sarah alone. As her shoulders shook, sobs renewed, she let herself grieve for a moment longer.

Then, with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and wiped her eyes. When Paul exited Angela's room, Bella immediately hugged him close. She tried to hold back tears and be strong for him, but one still trekked down her cheek.

Paul's confusion over her grief was evident in his expression, "What's up, Bells?"

"I didn't know, Paul. I'm so sorry. I should have been here for you. For all of you."

Paul put his hands on her shoulders and leaned back, "Silly girl. I always knew you would be here if you could be. None of us hold you responsible for anything."

He pulled her back into his arms and rested his cheek on her head. "I'm glad you're back now, Bella. But you have to forgive yourself and let go of the past. You can't move forward until you let it go. All of it. The pain from years ago, the guilt, and the disappointment you think we feel."

Bella heard him, but she tucked his words away for later. She needed to dissect them when she was alone.

Pulling back from Paul's embrace, she looked into his eyes and said, "Congratulations on your new nieces. They are beautiful." Turning to her dad, "I'll be waiting in the car. Take your time. It's nice out. I'll just roll down the windows. I need to clear my head."

Bella dropped her dad off at home and went to pick up salads and sandwiches at the diner for their dinner. When she returned and they sat down to eat, Charlie stayed quiet. He understood her need to work through her thoughts and issues.

Bella's mind was in chaos from her uncontrollable thoughts. If she didn't get it under control, she was going to have another episode of anxiety or depression. She didn't want Charlie to see her like that. She knew he would love her anyway, but she didn't want to add to his stress when he was already ill.

The many changes within her family troubled her. Bella should have been around to help them through these moments. She should have stayed. But she also knew that if she'd stayed, she'd have never met Klaus, and Bella would never trade those months. Still, part of her deeply regretted running away and leaving her family. Knowing they still had each other did nothing to soothe her guilt. It never had.

Sighing, she closed the takeout box, leaving it mostly uneaten. After shoving it in the fridge, she kissed her dad's cheek and assured him she would return later.

Bella drove where she had never planned to return in complete silence. The only sounds in the car were the road and nature that echoed around her. When she reached the turnoff, she took it slower than she ever had before as anxiety loomed.

Finally parking, she exited the car and, avoiding where Jessica died, walked to the dock where she once sat with Embry, Quil, and Paul.

What happened that night changed her life.

Sitting cross-legged at the end, she let the light breeze wash over. Under her breath, she said, "It's been fifteen years… I never meant for what happened here to happen."

Tears cascaded from her eyes. She was tired of crying, but she was also tired of fighting her emotions. For too long, she'd refused to allow herself to grieve, to let herself drown in the memories of that night and how panicked she was despite remaining in that rushing, overwhelmed state ever since. So, she wallowed in them, allowing the sadness to overwhelm her with gut-wrenching sobs.

She stood after she'd calmed down, her eyes and nose swollen from crying as she sniffled, wiping tears and snot away. Slowly, she walked to the area where she'd waited with Angela after the guys had gone to sniff out the vampires. Bella turned in a circle and perfectly pictured the scene from that night; The guys playing keep away, Lauren shaking her ass, and the acute lack of one specific friend.

As she looked toward the treeline, a circle of red made her gasp. Surely, that had to be in her mind. There couldn't be another murder. As she walked closer to the edge of the woods, her heart beating erratically, she realized the red was a grouping of amaranth flowers. They had spread throughout the forested area at the far edge of the lake and made a place of grief and heartache look beautiful, albeit haunting, considering what had transpired here. But beautiful all the same.

Bella kneeled in the same place where Paul had held her, rocks biting into her knees the same way they'd done before. She dug her fingers into the pebbled earth and lifted a handful, letting it sift through her fingers as the wind carried it away. The soil underneath was darker than the surface, as though stained by Jessica's very life essence after soaking up her blood.

Hoarse and raw after so much crying, Bella whispered, "I'm so sorry, Jess. I should never have been at that party. I'm sorry I got involved with the Cullens. You would probably still be alive if I had just avoided Edward entirely, as he advised from the beginning."

Sitting in the dirt, she let memories of Jessica flow through her mind. Because of Jessica's jealousy issues, they hadn't started as the best of friends. But, once she'd realized Bella wasn't interested in the spotlight, her attitude changed entirely. Soon after, she'd become a great friend. They had gone shopping, watched movies together, and genuinely had good times. And when Lauren tried to make fun of Bella, instead of joining in, Jess defended Bella, putting Lauren in her place. Bella genuinely missed her. She was sad that Jessica was no longer with them.

On some level, Bella knew that she wasn't really to blame for the actions of an enraged, psychotic vampire, but she still felt responsible. If she hadn't dragged Jessica into her life, or if she had stayed home that night… She should have done so many things differently.

But Bella couldn't keep living her life with what-ifs. So she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wish you were here. I hope you'll forgive me. I hope that you'll watch over us and help us find peace. I pray you found your peace, Jess." Bella sighed as the breeze carried her whispered prayer away.

Standing, she turned and took two steps, her eyes on the ground so she didn't trip. When she glanced up, she yelped in shock. A figure she hadn't seen in far too long stood nearby, wearing a sad, sympathetic smile as he waited for her to find her closure.

When their eyes connected, he spread his arms out in invitation, and Bella ran to him.

He caught her soundly, barely budging as she flung herself into his arms. She clung to him, soaking in his strength. Combing his fingers through her hair to comfort her, he whispered, "Hush, love, it's alright. I'm here now, Isa."

The sound of his voice, his strength, and his simple presence soothed something in her soul.

Bella looked up at him, and impulsively, she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Sighing in contentment when he returned the kiss, she parted her lips for him, losing herself in his embrace.

A rustling in the leaves pulled Klaus's attention, and she hated the way he stiffened and turned, placing her behind him. She wanted to be in his arms–she had longed for this reunion for nearly a decade.

Bella stiffened in alarm as Klaus inhaled deeply, and his irises became ringed with gold. She had always known he was supernatural. He had to be, or he'd never have destroyed Edward so quickly. She had just refused to ask questions.

She squinted her eyes and peered around Klaus, trying to determine what was in the woods. It could be the wolves. With the Cullens gone, they patrolled the entire peninsula and then some. It could also be Damon and Bonnie. She wouldn't put it past him to have followed her to the lake, though she couldn't fathom why he would want to. It could be a vampire - Cold Ones or Traditional… Both had enemies. Bella curled herself into Klaus's back while he held himself rigidly in front of her.

Klaus's voice was quiet when he taunted, "Come out and play puppies."

It surprised Bella to find the trio from the dock emerging from the taller amaranth flowers where Jess had died. She felt a little betrayed that they imposed themselves on her moment to gain some semblance of peace, but she was also grateful for their willingness to keep her safe.

"Quil? Embry? Paul?" Bella's voice was quiet in the still night, "Can you guys phase back? We can talk easier that way."

Paul, stubborn as ever, shook his head no and dropped to his haunches. Embry and Quil went just inside the trees and phased. The duo emerged, pulling up their basketball shorts.

"Thanks, guys. Paul, I wish you would phase back. Klaus won't hurt you guys. He definitely won't hurt me."

Bella stepped from behind Klaus, tucking herself into his side while he wound an arm around her, pulling her even closer to him. Even in wolf form, Paul was very expressive, and she could have sworn he was raising his eyebrow at her skeptically.

"Fine, stay a wolf, but you can't attack or fight with him. Promise?"

Paul made a groaning noise and rolled his eyes. But he never let his guard down. Embry and Quil moved closer to Klaus and Bella, and she could tell they were trying not to curl their noses up.

She supposed that answered her question. Klaus must be a Traditional - but she didn't care. He wasn't a Cold One and had amazing self-control. Never once had he tried to dictate to her how she needed to dress, act, what to eat, or anything of the sort. Klaus encouraged her to be herself and grow as a person. He showed her how cherished she was with every look, touch, and smile.

Growling low in his throat, Paul warned Quil and Embry to stay back.

"Listen, mate, I will not hurt your friends. I needed to see Isa. I've no intention of hurting anyone."

Bella had forgotten how sexy she found Klaus's voice. The timbre of it quaked through her body, making her stomach tighten as desire went straight to her core. Klaus's next inhale caused him to smirk while Paul whined low in his throat.

When Klaus whispered, "Soon love," in her ear, Paul ran as fast as he could toward them. Quil tugged Bella out of the way, and Paul shifted into a bear in midair, landing directly on top of Klaus.

Bella screamed at them to stop before someone got seriously hurt, but it was useless. Furious that they ignored her warning, Bella swung her arm into Quil's crotch, making him release her, and charged into the middle of Klaus and Paul.

She had too much faith in people sometimes. She'd believed they would stop fighting to keep themselves from wounding her. Luckily, Embry put himself in front of Paul to keep Bella safe. Paul's claws caught Embry's back instead, slashing the skin open and creating long, oozing wounds.

Bella had never wanted to hit two people more in her life. She had told them not to fight! But Paul never could back down from one - or anything he perceived as a threat. It simply wasn't in his nature.

As soon as Klaus and Paul smelled Embry's blood, they finally stopped and separated. Embry had passed out momentarily from the pain, and despite his temper, Paul was immediately concerned. In truth, he appeared ashamed.

Bella ordered Quil to get her bottle of water from her car so she could clean the wounds. She instructed the others to help her hold the skin together so that it would heal faster.

As they held pressure to Embry's wounds, Bella yelled, "Paul, I directly said, 'Don't attack each other!' And you just couldn't control your temper. For your information, sir, I've known Klaus for nearly a decade. He saved my life and took care of me for months!"

At Klaus's snickering, she turned her attention to him, "And you! I told you no fighting, too. You could have defended yourself and moved out of the way. I know you are faster than that. And what if all three had attacked you? I know you're different, Klaus, but those aren't exactly great odds!"

"Isa, love, I haven't had a good fight since I took out your ex. And that fight was too short-lived."

Paul glared into Klaus's eyes and asked, "You killed the mind-raper?"

"If you are referring to the Glittering Richard, then yes. I destroyed him in Texas."

The wolves laughed at his description, and then, surprisingly, Paul slapped Klaus on the back. "You must be alright if you took out Dickward."

Klaus met Paul's gaze head-on. "I'd do anything for Isa."

Paul turned to Bella and grinned. "Yeah. Us, too."