Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to...who was it again? OH! STEPHENIE MEYER!!!!

Sorry I took so long getting this out ;(

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Chapter 34 – Epilogue – Another Bad Turn

A month had passed before we heard any sign of the Volturi. Aro had sent a letter addressed to me, and after I read it, I let the rest of the Cullens look at it.

Dearest Bella,

I'm sorry that your short visit was unwelcoming and I'm sorry that it became such a catastrophe. I send you my deepest apologies. However, if you ever find your current lifestyle choice is not for you, there will always be a place here for you.

Regards,

Aro Volturi

Of course, none of us believed him. We were now just waiting for his next big plot to destroy us. But I had more pressing issues.

I was engaged to Edward and although Alice wanted to plan the wedding, I had refused to let her. She was, however, designing the bridesmaids' dresses. It was Esme and Renee who were organising the wedding, and it also gave my mother and Phil the chance to meet the future in-laws.

That brings me on to Charlie. When I returned he didn't half kick up a fuss. He grounded me but found it difficult to contain me as I could now jump out of my window every night and run to the Cullens' house. He also saw that there was a change in me, but I put it down to my 'holiday' in Italy with Edward and his family and Alice helped me with my 'human-looking' make-up every morning before Charlie woke up.

Of course, I wouldn't have to keep up the charade once I married Edward. We were planning to start college in the fall and he had purchased a place for us to stay.

Jane had gone to stay with the Denali's up in Alaska. There were less people and it gave her the time to learn how to become 'vegetarian'. My own first experience was quiet something. Edward thought I gave the animals a too easy death, whatever that meant. Sometimes, though, I did like to give chase, and I was hopeless at it. Ah well, you have to stick to what you're good at.

Emmett liked to come along on those occasions, just to laugh at the "Ass-kicking vampire fail at hunting". I think it was last week's highlight, which made me wonder if Rosalie was putting him through a dry spell.

Now that I was home, I had longer to think about all the events that had occurred since I moved to Forks and although most of my memories were blurry, some of them stuck out like creased pages in my already growing book. One of those creases belonged to Jacob Black. I hadn't seen him since I chose Edward over him. The only news I had now was that he had left La Push and gone off on his own. Billy was sure he would come back, and I hoped he would too. Edward called himself selfish, but I knew I was much more self-centred than he was at times and wanting Jacob to come back and be my friend after everything I had done to him seemed to qualify as one of those times.

Adele is still a firm friend and my human memories of her are like bright stars that are almost as prominent as those I have of Edward, and I realise now that that is because of what we went through together. The situation had caused our friendship bonds to form deeper than would be expected in such a short length of time. After what had happened with her and Max, they realised that their love for each other was deeper than even they knew, and now they are trying for a baby.

~*~

I was sat in the kitchen of the Cullens house, listening to the talking and taking in the warmth that seemed to be spreading around the house when the phone rang. I was answering it before I even had to think to move.

"Bella Swan speaking, at the Cullens residence," I said in a polite tone. I wasn't concerned with rumours being spread around at Forks High about me and Edward. They could spread all they liked, I was only concerned with what was really happening.

"I was hoping it would be you who answered," the deep voice said, and immediately I felt something curl inside my stomach, like a raging beast waiting for its moment.

"Felix," I hissed under my breath, feeling the venom rise in my throat like bile.

He breathed heavily down the phone, although he didn't even need to breath. I thought this was his way of causing me irritation and ire without him even being in the same room as me.

"I have something that might belong to you," he said, and if my heart was beating, it would have stopped.

My immediate thoughts ran to Charlie, but I knew he was fine. Esme and Alice were with him, they had gone to get him measured for the wedding, and he grudgingly went with them. Then I thought of Renee and Phil, who were miles away. Had Felix somehow found out where they were and kidnapped them? A growl elicited itself from deep inside my chest. I could already hear Edward coming down the stairs and Emmett and Rosalie enter the room.

"And what have you done with them?" I asked and clenched my teeth together so the anger I felt wouldn't flare out to everyone else who was now in the room.

"Them? I only have one person, not the whole pack."

Pack. It sent alarm bells ringing in my mind and my breathing hitched as an involuntary reaction. There was only one person I could think of that Felix had with him now. Jacob.

"If you touch him—"

"You're not in the position to make threats, Bella. Whilst I have Jacob Black, I think I will be in control of the situation, and I will call the shots." He had confirmed my thoughts, he did have Jacob. I growled again, more menacing this time.

"If he dies, I will kill you," I said, slowly and painfully, letting all of my hatred seep into my voice.

"I'm aware of that," he said. "But I think you would rather he live than die, would you not?"

"Yes," I whispered this time, feeling the anguish spread over me like an icy wave. I didn't expect myself to have such human emotions, not now that I was a vampire and certainly not over Jacob, who was now supposed to be a distant memory that didn't belong to me. That was what I was supposed to see my human life as, a memory. Choosing to live as a Cullen, however, and pretending to be human, had made me integrate into the human world, and therefore my human memories were to remain a part of me.

"Then you will listen very carefully."

His words sunk into my mind and were permanently etched into my memories. He wasn't working for Aro, as he had stated himself, but that didn't mean he had no one on his side. If he could betray Aro, then many others could too.

I felt Edward place his hand on my shoulder, and that one gentle touch calmed me like no one else would have been able to. It was useful at times, but right now I wanted to feel angry, so I refused to let myself look into his liquid topaz gaze. I did, however, wrap his arms around me and I breathed in his sweet scent as I wondered what I was going to do.

I realised now that every good turn was quickly followed by a bad one. It was as inevitable as the end of the day and the return of the night. But I knew we could turn this around because although the bad times were tough, just knowing that there could be light around the corner spurred me on to fight. And only by fighting for those I loved and for myself would I ever get out of the treacherous waters and into the shallow, peaceful ripples.

Felix thought he would have me where he wanted me, but he wouldn't. Aro thought he had had me on the stage of theatre, but he didn't. The only person that could control me was me and now I was going to prove that. This time, I couldn't just be on display like a delicate doll, this time I would be Center Stage and in control.

The end...for now...

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A/N: If you have any questions about what has happened in ANY of this story, don't hesitate to ask. Also, if your questions involve Jane, I'll answer them. Jane seems complex but when you know her reasons, you'll see it all as a simple concept.

Thank you for following this story with me. I've loved every minute of it.

Here's to hoping the sequel is just as good (if not better).

Teaser from le sequel:

~His pale hand reached out to mine and like magnets, our fingers were drawn to one another. But this time was unlike so many other times we had reached for each other. This time there was a sense of urgency to it. Time seemed to slow down and with this; the knowledge that I would be too late washed over me and stunned my senses. I felt a weight press down on me, and instinct took over as I ripped into the granite flesh of the vampire above me, but when I turned back, Edward was gone.~