I grabbed a handful of her fur coat. “What is the meaning of this?”

“And you think you have things bad?” She pointed and the macabre scene disappeared and was replaced by a man whistling as he strung up the last of his decorations. Tattoos swirled in various designs across his shaved head and when he turned in our direction, his head cocked like an animal as he listened intently for something, I noticed his crimson eyes. Worse, I noticed his crimson hands. They were dripping blood. So were the decorations.

“What the…?”

Jane stepped out from behind the only other building close by, her eyes narrowed on him, but he did not fall to the floor gasping in pain. With a snarl and a small salute he took off like a bat out of hell with the might of the Volturi following close behind.

“So, what now? Let’s see…” she tapped her nail against her chin in deep thought. She clapped her hands excitedly. “Let’s go visit Charlie.”

Charlie knelt in front of headstone using his thick gloved hands to wipe off the snow from its surface. “Merry Christmas, Bells,” he murmured as he set down a bundle of red poinsettias on the hardened ground at the base of the stone. His whole body shook as it was wracked with the silent tears of a man too proud to cry.

I walked forward knowing there was nothing I could do to lessen his pain, but still needing to. I placed my hand on his shoulder and stared down at Bella’s name. “I never wanted this…any of this. This was precisely why I left. Look at what my intrusion in her life has caused.”

The ghost pursed her lips at me. “My sister was right; you really do try one’s patience.”

Charlie got to his feet shakily. “Love you, Bells.”

“Listen up, buster. Knowing Bella’s penchant for attracting trouble and monsters, this was pretty much guaranteed. She replaced you with a werewolf and this still happened.” She motioned to the headstone that marked an empty piece of ground.

She took a long swill of mead. “Not ready to see truth yet, I see? Well,” she laughed heartily, “you will. One way or the other, Edward, you will.” She leaned in. “A word of advice, dearie. My other sister is a little…grumpy. Do try to not piss her off. She can be just a smidge unstable.”

“Wait,” I shouted. She’d almost blinked out of existence, but solidified in front of me again. “You said we’d save the little house for later.”

She winked at me. “Ah, so I did.” She closed her eyes for several minutes. “Yes, I do believe you should see what is happening in that small house right now. Shall we?”

And we did. Just like that I was in a homey living room that screamed Bella just as I knew it would. Jake paced back and forth his hand running through his hair every so often. “Just come out already so we can talk about this,” he yelled in frustration toward the back of the house.

I slipped by him and found Bella tucked away in the bottom of her closet a myriad of pictures and mementoes spread out before her. The pictures I’d placed under her floorboards along with the CD stared up at me from under her trembling hands. “You lied,” she choked out. “It never gets easier. Never goes away. I see you all the time. Hear your voice in my head incessantly.” She flung the CD aside.

“Bells!” Jake pounded on the door. “I swear to god I’m gonna break this damn door down if you don’t let me in.”

“Time to go now. I think we’ve intruded enough. Besides, I believe I might have been a smidge overzealous in my holiday eating.” She covered her mouth to muffle a burp. “Up you get. You don’t want to keep my sister waiting. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. No, that wouldn’t do you any good,” she muttered continuously as she took my hand and the next moment I was very much alone in my quiet apartment with Bella’s scent swimming all over me.