Bree POV

I could hear them talking to me, but I felt unable to respond.  The only thing registering in my mind was the fact that she hadn't abandoned me.  All those early years I’d spent hoping she would come back for me were in vain.  The subsequent years when I'd hated her for leaving me with my dad were also pointless.  She had been dead all that time.  I should have felt sad; I should have felt like I had lost something, but I couldn't.  She was gone and I couldn't mourn her because I couldn't even remember her.  I couldn't feel the loss because I had no idea what I had lost.  Was she a good mom?  Did she play with me and sing to me?  Did she read to me at night?  I would never know.  The person who took her from me would know, but he couldn't tell me.  I didn't care what happened to him.  He could rot in jail.

“Are you doing that?” Fred asked Jasper.

“No, she's actually quite calm right now,” he answered.  “I can't say if it will last.”

Everyone in the house had returned to the living room the minute Alice had made her startling revelation.  Rosalie pulled herself away from a protesting Emmett and came to sit beside me.  She linked her arm over Alice's and held my other shoulder.  I could tell Emmett and Jasper were concerned.  They weren’t crouching, but their posture was tense, and I knew they were waiting for the monster to re-emerge.

“Did you have to blurt it out like that?” Rosalie hissed.  “Why didn't you wait 'til I could be with her?”  She continued to admonish her sister.

“I didn't know she was going to ask,” Alice retorted.

“How could you not know?” Rosalie demanded.

“It's not an exact science; you know that.”  Alice reminded her, as they continued to talk in hushed tones over my head.

“Well you should have stalled until I got down here.  Look what you've done to her.”

“You can't blame Alice.”  Jasper defended his wife.  “Besides, she's fine.  I'm not sensing any alarm or distress at all.”

“Bree?”  Fred had crouched down in front of me.  “Can you nod if you’re okay?”

I inclined my head once reflexively.

“I'm so sorry, Bree.”  Fred expressed his sympathy.

“I can't remember her,” I whispered in an attempt to explain my lack of reaction.

“We have a photo,” Jasper said.  “It looks like it was taken in high school.  The local paper used it when the body was found.”

Jasper retrieved the photograph. I don't know how long I looked at it, trying to dredge up an old memory, but it didn't bring anything back.

“I can't remember her,” I repeated.

“We can try to get another picture,” Rosalie offered.  “A more recent one, if you’d like us to.”

“Thanks, but I don't think it would make any difference.  She's gone.  She's been gone a long time.”

“I'm so very sorry, Bree,” Rosalie said sincerely.

“Thanks.”  I felt I should reassure her, reassure all of them really.  “I'm okay, really I am.”

“Why don't you come upstairs with me and have some quiet time by yourself,” Rosalie suggested.

I nodded my agreement and let her lead me to her room.  Emmett followed.  I knew why; he was worried about his wife’s safety.  They were all still waiting for the explosion.  I knew it wouldn’t come.  I wasn’t upset or angry; I wasn’t anything really, just numb.

“Do you mind if I take a bath?” I asked.  I didn't usually like baths but I felt the need to be completely alone, and it was the one place I could guarantee that.  Rosalie ran a deep bath and added some scented foam.  It was quite hot when I got in, but my body soon cooled it down.  The temperature didn't make that much difference, so I rested my head on the small pillow, and attempted to get my head around the last twenty-four hours.  When I got tired of running everything in a loop in my mind, I tried to switch off completely.

I had limited success, as I could hear the hushed whispers coming from the bedroom and the conversation taking place in Carlisle’s study.

Rosalie was still mad at Alice for telling me about my mom and was trying to persuade Emmett to leave the two of us alone.

Carlisle had called the hospital to say he would be delayed.  He probably just wanted to be on hand if I had another one of my 'episodes'.  Fred had stopped him before he returned to his study to say he wanted to discuss something with him.

They hesitated as they passed Rosalie and Emmett's door, as if unsure if they should check up on me or not.  I guess they decided against it, as there was no knock and they continued onto Carlisle's study.

I heard Fred going over the experiment we had carried out while camping and Emmett's reaction to the reason he had trouble following our scent.  Carlisle confessed that he knew something about what had taken place but would be interested to know more.  When Fred told him he already suspected Edward had mentioned it, Alice admitted it was her who had told Carlisle.

“Alice is usually as discrete as Edward, and had your gift been a simple defensive weapon, she probably wouldn't have said anything.”

“What difference does this development make?”  Fred sounded wary.

“To us?  Not much really.  You are both free to leave at any time, and we would not follow you if you did not wish us to,” Carlisle answered.

“So, I guess that leaves the Volturi,” Fred surmised.

“Aro, their leader, is a bit of a collector.  He would dearly love to have Edward and Alice's gifts at his disposal.  He already has Jane and Alec to render any offenders helpless, so his desire to acquire Jasper’s talents is less urgent.  Your gift in its original manifestation, being somewhat similar to Jasper's, would have been of little interest to him.  Projecting your power though your scent is something I've never come across before.  I’m sure Aro would be intrigued, and no doubt keen to add you to his collection.”

There was a pause in the conversation, but Fred didn't make a verbal response and Carlisle continued.  “You may wish to pursue an alliance with the Volturi.  You are free to make that choice, of course.  However, I would like you to have a word with a friend of mine in Denali before you make any decisions about that.”

What did this friend of his do exactly?  Carlisle seemed very keen for Fred to meet him.

“On the other hand, if you don't wish the Volturi to know about you, I would advise that you keep a low profile and only use your gift when absolutely necessary.”

I don’t know how long I stayed in the bath.  Fred and Carlisle had moved on to discussing the article Fred had read the other day.  I listened for a bit, but I didn’t understand half of what they were saying.  Fred must have been really clever when he was human because he couldn’t have learned all that stuff he talked about in Riley’s basements.  Even though my brain now had an overwhelming capacity, I didn’t feel any smarter, and I wondered if going back to my studies would make a difference.  At least I’d be able to remember everything I learned this time.  Eventually I decided it was time for me to get out of the tub.  I entered the bedroom to find Emmett and Rosalie sitting on their bed waiting for me.  Emmett had a firm grip on her, or I'm sure she would have rushed across the room at me.

“I'm fine.”  I reassured them again.  “I feel I should be grieving for her, but I don't know if I can.”  I told them the one thing that I kept coming back to while lying in the bath.

“When the authorities have sorted everything out, we'll find out about the funeral arrangements.  Emmett and I can take you to the grave after, if you'd like.”  Rosalie offered.

“I don't know, maybe,” I shrugged. 

“We're here for you, Bree.  Me, Emmett, all of us.  We will all help you through this.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.  I didn't know what else to say.

“What would you like to do now?”  Rosalie's voice took on a forced cheerfulness.

“I don't know.  Can I just watch TV for a bit?”  In all honesty I didn't want to do anything, and that seemed like the best option.

“Sure you can,” Emmett said, his voice unusually quiet.  He pulled me into his massive arms and kissed the top of my head.  When he released me, he put a hand on each of my upper arms and looked me over.  I was waiting for him to either say something trite or profound, but he scooped me up, threw me over his shoulder and proceeded to jog down the stairs.  We reached the bottom before I could form any sort of protest.

“Do you think that was wise?” Jasper asked.

“She's fine,” Emmett insisted while setting me on my feet.  I half heartedly pushed him away, making sure to give him a small smile to let him know I wasn't mad at him.

“I just want to watch TV for a bit, if that's okay,” I said to no one in particular.

“Of course it is dear,” Esme said.  “Just call if you need us.”  It was her way of telling everyone to leave me alone.

They all left the room, and I grabbed the remote and started flicking thought the channels not really knowing what I was looking for.  Two minutes later, Fred came out of Carlisle's study and made his way down to join me on the large couch.  He didn't say anything; he just took my free hand and held it while I continued to mindlessly press the buttons.  I eventually settled on the cartoon channel.  I watched the brightly coloured animated antics for almost three hours.  Fred sat by my side un-moving, silent, holding my hand the whole time.

Eventually I took pity on him.  He hated cartoons, so I switched off the TV, and Rosalie appeared within seconds. 

“Would you like to come for a walk with me?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, a walk would be good right now.”  It was mid morning and it had been light for hours.  The last few days had been glorious, and the sun had broken through the forest canopy on occasion.  It was not as sunny, but it was still warm, so I could enjoy the temperate air on my skin without creating a spectacle.  I was sure there wouldn’t be anyone around to see the freaky glitter show, because Alice would not have let us leave the house.   

“Sounds like a plan,” Emmett agreed.

“No, Em, this is girl time,” Rosalie insisted.  Ignoring the sulky look on Emmett's face, we made our way to the back door.

“I'll miss this place when we leave,” she sighed.  “I usually prefer to stay in one place for longer.  I hate having to move every couple of years.”  Her mood lifted when she added.  “This time it's different though.  I'm looking forward to Em and me having our own place again.  I love my family dearly, but sometimes it's good to get a break from them.”

“Well, I think Carlisle wants me to stay in the main house, so you're going to get your wish.”  I didn't think Carlisle had spoken to Rosalie before he had told us of his concerns at the cottage.

“Nonsense, you and Fred will stay with us like we discussed.”

“I think Carlisle's worried about my behavior.” 

“That will be water under the bridge in a couple of weeks.”  She dismissed her father's concerns.  “Carlisle tends to be cautious.  But I'm not the least bit worried.  I'm here with you now aren't I?”

My shoulders slumped and I told her.  “Fred doesn't want to stay.”

“What does he plan to do?”  Her voice held more than a hint of panic.  “I over-heard his chat with Jasper, but when he has satisfied himself that his dad's okay, what then?”

“He wants to travel and explore the world.”

“Well, I'm sure that would be a wonderful adventure for him, but I don't know if that life would be right for you just now.”  The panic was no longer there but she still seemed to be on edge.

“He doesn't think so either.  He thinks I should stay with you and finish school.”  She attempted to cover up her sigh of relief with a forced smile.

“He cares about you, so of course he wants what's best for you.  I'm sure he'll keep in touch, and he's welcome to visit any time.”  It would seem that their new found friendship was easy for her to let go of.  With Fred's imminent departure dismissed, she continued.  “We can start to look at subject options when we get back.  You'll probably find things easier now, but you will still have to work at it.”

“It will be strange to be without him.  I know we haven't known each other very long, but I feel so connected to him.”  I stressed, wanting her to know how hard this would be for me.

“Well that's understandable.  Your experience in this life so far has been similar.  Once you have more control, Emmett and I could take you travelling; you'll love Paris.  Emmett loves Africa; Botswana is probably his favourite country there.  Perhaps Fred would like to join us on our trips.”

It all sounded very exciting.  Would she really take me to Paris?  I didn't think Fred would like Paris very much, but he might like that other place in Africa she mentioned.  I had a sneaky suspicion that the hunting might be the reason for Emmett's love of Africa.  That was something we hadn't really talked about.  It hadn’t even been two days, and my throat was starting to itch already.

“I'm not sure if I can stick with the hunting,” I admitted.

“It will be difficult,” she agreed.  “You will need to feed more often at first, but we'll all help you.”

“But what if I can't help myself, and I attack a human?”  I felt sure Carlisle would punish me for that.  He was very fond of humans, and if I was officially part of this family he could punish me if he wanted to.

“We won’t expect you to be perfect.  We’ve all slipped at some point.”

“You haven't.”  I pointed out.  She was so much stronger than me.

“No, but none of us judge each other for our nature.  We are designed to drink human blood.  It calls to us.”  She was talking in earnest now.  “Resisting it will be the hardest thing you will do in this life.  There's no point pretending it will be easy, but you will have a lot of people supporting you, and we will hunt with you whenever you need to go.  Every day if necessary.” 

“Do you really think Carlisle will let me stay with you and Emmett?”

“It might take some convincing, and you will have to try and keep better control over the next few weeks.”  She all but wagged a finger in my face.  “But I think I'll be able to persuade him.”  She concluded with confidence.

We talked some more about the house, about my new room, and about shopping with Alice.  I didn't think that it would be possible, but she was sure that once I changed my diet, I would eventually be able to start making contact with humans without killing them.

This new life sounded wonderful, and I wanted it so much, but I couldn't shake an odd feeling that something wasn't right.  I tried to ignore it and focus on our plans, but it was still there nagging away at me the whole time.  When we got back, I wasn't ready to face any more sympathetic glances, so I told Rosalie I wanted to sit by the river for a bit.  She gave me a quick hug before she sprinted off towards the house in search of Emmett.

I'd been sitting there for an hour before Emmett came out.  He hesitated before he came up beside me.

“This seat taken?” he asked.

I patted the ground, inviting him to take a seat, and he eased his huge frame to the ground in a surprisingly graceful movement.

“He will keep in touch you know,” he said staring straight ahead.  “If he doesn't I'll hunt him down like a dog.  I may even team up with your doggy friend, and we'll hunt him down together,” he added with a laugh.

“You don't have to do that,” I said quietly.

“Is there a reason I don't have to do that?”  He knew.  I could tell he knew.

“Because I'm going with him.”  The moment the words came out, the nagging feeling was gone, and I knew I'd made the right decision.  “I really appreciate all you’ve done for me, for both of us.  But I belong with Fred.”

I heard a quiet sob followed by a low growl.  “Let me go,” Rosalie snapped, and she was on my other side within seconds.  Emmett reached behind me to rest his hand on her shoulder.

“I don't understand.  I thought you wanted to come with us, and be part of our family.”

Rosalie was fighting to hold on to some semblance of control.  Emmett dropped his hand, and moving behind her, he knelt on the grass and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug as if he was trying to hold her together. 

“I do want a family.  It's all I’ve ever wanted my whole life, and I have that now.  Fred's my family.  I know you think he will abandon me at some point, because we're not mated, but I'm his family; he won’t.”  The more I spoke the clearer everything became.  Fred was right when he said we didn't have to define our relationship.  Others vampires may call us a coven if that's what they believed us to be.  But I knew we were more than that.  There may only be two of us but Fred and I were a family in every sense that mattered, and we would find our way in this life together.

I was sad to think of leaving the Cullen's.  They were good people.  They were a wonderful family, and I was honored that they wanted me to be a part of that.  But when I thought of leaving them, I didn't feel the same sense of loss that I did when I thought about parting from Fred.

I knew Rosalie was hurting.  She was a beautiful, strong, caring woman, and no one could wish for a better mother.  But I couldn't be her daughter; I couldn't be what she needed me to be. 

“But I don't understand.”  Rosalie's bewilderment was heartbreaking.

“I don't fully understand it either, but it feels right.”  I wish I could have explained it to her better.  

“Emmett, say something,” she pleaded.

“It's her choice, Rosie,” he said softly.  There was no trace of anger or accusation in his voice.

The simple statement made me feel so guilty.  I was not only hurting Rosalie I was hurting Emmett too.  The only way to make the hurt go away would be to stay with them, but I couldn’t do that.

I left them, in their world of anguish, on the lawn and returned to the house. 

I felt awkward as I entered and was met by four pairs of eyes.  Surprisingly none of them bared any hostility.  I knew they had heard our conversation.  Esme confirmed it when she kindly said.  “We will miss you, dear, and you are welcome to stay with us any time.”

Alice pouted slightly before pulling me into her slender arms.  “You would have loved Paris, you know,” she advised me.  She paused for a moment.  “Mmm never say never,” she added with a wink.

Jasper's face gave nothing away.  Was he pleased I was going?  He could certainly do with a break from my mood swings.  Then it dawned on me.  Rosalie and Emmett would not be the only ones in pain.  I gave him a sympathetic smile and he responded in kind.  “I guess things are going to be a bit quiet around here,” he joked.

“Well, let's hope Bella keeps you busy.  Maybe then you'll remember me as the quiet one,” I retorted.

“Maybe,” he agreed.

Then I looked at Fred and there it was, the beautiful smile I loved.  Even though there were other people in the room, he still gave me that smile.  

We left the following evening.  Alice insisted we kept the phones, the music players and the clothes.  We couldn't take them all of course, but Fred happily let me put some of my jeans in his back pack.  Then it was time to say goodbye.  Bella had called earlier and we had given her our best wishes for the wedding.  I had tried to get hold of Seth, but I couldn’t reach him, so Edward promised he would pass on my farewell.  It was a little awkward and formal as they all wished us well, until Alice hugged me, and then launched herself at Fred.  The look on his face was priceless.  Emmett pulled me to him and kissed my forehead before releasing me and rearranging the hair on top of my head.  He clapped Fred heartily on his back, but no words were exchanged.  Rosalie was the hardest.  She held onto me for the longest time.  I held her back, not wanting to be the one to break the hug.  She was shaking slightly and she almost collapsed when Emmett eased her away.  Jasper must have been over doing it.

As we jumped the river for the last time, I was happy.  The only gray cloud was Rosalie.  I knew Emmett would take care of her, but I still wished I could have avoided upsetting her.

The life I was born to was not a good one.  Becoming a vampire wasn't what I wanted either.  But being with Fred was my choice, and I knew it was the right choice for me.