sparks fly~ paul lahote

intro

Diana Elizabeth Masen approached the door to her apartment with a heavy heart, which was not unusual. She unlocked the door, keys jingling and stepped inside. After dropping her purse and keys on the table in the hall, she began turning on the lights as she made her way to the living room, eager to continue her reading, eager to find peace.

Diana had had a long day at the pub she worked at, and was horribly disappointed when she had reached her armchair to find her book was missing from its usual perch on the coffee table. She looked around for a moment, unsure whether she had simply dropped it or not, then, she heard pages flutter and a book snapped shut. She froze in her place.

As a vampire, she was usually very alert, but someone was in her home, someone who had escaped her notice. At first, she didn't know who. Then, he spoke... in calm tones, but a pained voice. Still, it warmed her heart to hear from him. She hadn't heard from him in years.

"Diana?" He asked, almost uncertain. Indeed, he had hardly recognized her.

She turned around to face the kitchenette, where the voice had come from. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing her brother was a complete shock, after all, she hadn't seen him in decades.

"Edward." She whispered like she was scared he'd vanish into thin air. Her mind was racing with possible reasons for him to be here, none made enough sense, though.

Her brother blinked and took a step forward like he was exiting a trance. Then, he told his sister why he decided to visit her, "I've come to ask you a favor."

Diana didn't say anything, still shocked by the sight of her only living family member. After all, the last time they had met, he told her that he hated her and she would never see him again.

"I know, we haven't quite..." he trailed off trying to seem genuine, "-seen eye to eye the past few years... but you, you'll understand, you always have."

Unable to do much else, Diana nodded, slowly, and sat down. She gestured, uncertainly, for him to do the same, and he obliged, sitting down on the couch opposite her. There was a moment of silence, and the siblings seemed to just appreciate being so near to each other, after so much time apart.

"I met someone," Edward began. And after an encouraging nod from his sister, he spilled the story of him and his mate's brief happiness, and the downfalls that came with it. After finishing with the recounting of Isabella's failed birthday party, he paused and waited for his sister to communicate her thoughts.

Diana let out a breath and bit her lip. She understood that this wasn't a social visit, but she still wasn't sure how to behave in his presence, after so many years without it. She stared at him, studying his movements to replicate his behavior. Slowly, she took in a deep breath, and spoke, careful to avoid confrontation.

"So, Jasper lost control, and now what?" She asked.

Edward hadn't told her that he was planning on leaving. He didn't know why, but saying the words, out loud, to his sister, seemed to finalize things, it finalized things he wasn't even one-hundred percent sure about.

"I'm leaving her, Diana."

That was all he needed to say for it to click in the girl's mind; he was leaving his mate for good, leaving Washington, disappearing from her life... to protect her from his.

"Well that's not smart," she stated, bluntly. Edward was momentarily offended, then he remembered who he was talking to and why.

"It's what's best for Bella and I know her better than you do. She can have a normal human life now, a safer life. She'll be happy without me, she'll move on. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to her," he stopped talking, abruptly. He could go on forever about Bella and her safety, but that's not the only reason he was here.

"Look, I want you to move to Forks. Just for a while, just to keep an eye on her- make sure she moves on."

When Diana raised a brow at his request his anger sparked, but he didn't act on it. He remained calm and his tone was even while he spoke. But, although he was a good actor, his sister knew immediately that she had struck a nerve.

"I think I have a right to ask this of you. You owe me this much, Diana."

The girl's eyes fell to the floor. She didn't want to get involved in any of her brother's affairs, but he was right. She owed him, big time, and all he was asking of her, was to protect his mate and make sure she was okay. What was so wrong with that?

Diana let out a sigh, as she looked up to meet her brother's pleading gaze. He had swallowed his hatred of her and decided to trust her with this. Who was she to say no? She ran her tongue over her teeth, something she did while thinking, and nodded to herself than to him.

"Okay," she said.