As Time Goes On

4

In the week following the Cullens' return, we all found ourselves adjusting back to being a family. I had forgotten that the Cullens don't sleep or eat and so I found myself often staying up into the early hours of the morning with them or not eating for days straight. They had eventually told me that I was not a cold one and that I functioned differently than they did, and I went back to my normal schedule of eating and sleeping.

Kol has refused to go and see his family in New Orleans per my request, but he did give them a call which made me feel better about keeping him away from them for a year. Finn promised he'd visit and that he'd bring Lucianna when they got the chance.

Jake had gone home as soon as the Cullen's settled back into the Mansion. He was more than happy to go back to his own bed for a few days, knowing that Ness was safe with us.

As for Renesmee, she was adjusting to being back in her old home without her parents. We had decided it would be better for the both of us if we didn't go live in the little Cottage my sister and her husband had lived in. She moved into Edwards old room, enjoying the familiar feeling of having her dad around.

It had been nice to be back in a familiar area, I enjoyed the familiar sounds of the distant town and the smell of the trees. It made me miss my old life, the life that Bella was apart of, before all of this madness.

Kol and I had been out in town, enjoying the movement of the people as opposed the stiff statue like movements of the Cullen's.

"Do you plan on going to see your siblings soon?"

Kol has avoided the subject of his siblings long enough and I was going to find out why he wasn't bringing it up or thinking about it.

His chocolate brown eyes left mine as he played with the straw in his cup. "I don't plan on going to see them. Not now, not ever."

"What happened?"

I knew something was wrong, in the last couple of years Kol had been talking nonstop about being able to see his siblings again and being able to enjoy New Orleans again, and now he had completely shut that part of him down.

"I can't tell you."

I rolled my eyes. "Kol stop being dramatic and tell me why you don't want to go see them."

"It'll only hurt you."

I scoffed. "Now your just saying things to avoid the subject."

"Piper, I mean it. It'll hurt you, and I don't want to see you hurt."

I let out a huff of annoyance as Kol continued to brush me off.

"Please tell me! It can't be that bad, I'm a tough girl, I can handle myself."

Kol shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. I could tell he was getting aggravated, but I wasn't going to leave him alone until he told me.

"Fine you really want to know?"

I nodded eagerly. I wanted to find out why Kol had been avoiding the subject of his siblings.

"After we left, Nik went back to Mystic Falls and met this female werewolf Hayley. They got really drunk one night and slept together. He didn't see her after that until he was dragged back to New Orleans. Piper, she was pregnant. Nik has a daughter."

I felt my heart break into a million tiny pieces. He had gotten another girl pregnant. He had a daughter. He had a family. And it was all because I had to protect my family from the Volturi.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I let the news process.

"I didn't want to tell you because I knew this was how you were going to react. I didn't want my brother's stupidity to break your heart."

I looked up into Kol's brown eyes as he spoke and let the tears fall. I had lost everything I had cared about in the last couple of years. My father, my sister, and now the man I loved.

And it was all because of the fucking Volturi.