This is the first chapter of my new story. I hope you all like it and look forward to reviews hopefully!

BPOV

I had made this drive numerous times in the past eleven years, but never when I didn't know when I was leaving again.

I was headed to my uncle's place in a last ditch attempt to rid myself of the shitfest that was my life.

Normally I'd come up here on breaks from high school and college, spend time with my Uncle Carlisle and just enjoy the peace and quiet. I had never been one for city life, not that my mother paid any notice. She dragged me to every major city in the US it seemed.

That part of my life was well over now. I was going to spend time with Uncle C, figure out what the hell I'm going to do with the rest of my life and take it from there. I certainly couldn't carry on with the way things were.

I pulled up in front of my uncle's little general store on one of two general stores in this little town, Forks, Washington to be exact. I got out of the car and stretched put my muscles from the long drive. I was just about to step inside when I heard a familiar voice.

"Well if it isn't the little Swan girl. How are you sweetie?" a deep gravelly voice asked.

I turned to see Billy Black sitting in his chair having just left the store.

"Hey Billy," I went over and bent down to give him a hug.

Billy had been in a chair since I had known him, the result of some sort of illness he had years ago.

"How are you? I haven't seen you in what, three years?" he asked.

"Four actually. I've been with my mom mostly. You know how she is. How's things here? Jacob still working his way through the phone book?" I asked with a laugh.

The last time I had been up here I was twenty two and hung out with Billy's son Jacob amongst others. He had just turned twenty and was with a different girl most nights. He was the biggest manwhore I had ever met. Thing was the girls all knew and still went with him anyway. It was weird to me but it worked for him.

"Nah, he got married last summer, has a little one on the way. You remember Leah Clearwater?" he said with a smile.

"I do. She calmed down any since being married and pregnant?"

It was no secret Leah didn't like me. She was best friends with Jacob when they were kids and when I came along and became friends with him when I was about seventeen she really didn't like it. She had a huge crush on him and he never seemed to notice. She thought I was going to steal him away from her.

"She has. She's like a different girl from the one you remember. You should get together with them while you're in town. How long do we have you for?" he asked.

"I'm not too sure yet but for the foreseeable. I'd better head in and see the old man. I'll talk to you later Billy."

"Sure, sure hun. I'll let Jake and Le know you're here."

I walked into the store and felt like I had been sucked into a time warp. Everything was the same. It had been the same since I was a child. I don't even think the place had been painted. I could hear Uncle C chatting away as I headed up front to where the register was.

"I'm telling you John, I will deliver it to you this afternoon. Once my little B gets here I'll head over. The truck is already loaded up. When I say I'm going to do something I will do it. Now scoot!"

A young guy walked towards me headed for the door muttering under his breath about a stubborn old man. He nodded at me on his way out and I walked up to the counter as Uncle C turned his back to me.

"Watch that heavy lifting now old man, don't want to put that back out now!" I called out to him.

"B! How's my girl?" he came around the counter and grabbed me in a big bear hug.

"How are you sweetie?"

"I'm fine Uncle C. How are you?" I asked against his chest as he'd still to let me go.

"I'm good. I'm so glad to see you. Now I don't need to know now why you're here but I am here if you want to talk. I had your mother on the phone this morning asking if you'd shown up. Care to tell me why she doesn't know where you are?" he asked and finally let me go.

"I told her I was leaving but not where I was going. And I don't want her to know so if she calls again tell her you haven't heard from me." I said firmly.

"Okay sweetie. We will get back to this conversation at some point. For now though, I just want to enjoy having you back. I'm closing early today but I have a couple of drop offs to make on the way back. You want to help me get the orders together?"

"Sure."

My uncle had always operated a delivery service. He was one of two general stores in town but he offered more of a personal service. There were quite a few elderly folk in town who couldn't get around as good as they used to so they could call in and he would deliver their groceries the same day. He did it for the little bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town too.

He gave me the lists and I started putting the orders into bags or boxes. Twenty minutes later we were on the road. We delivered Mrs Collins stuff first then we went to the Stanley's. After that we headed for the road out of town. A few miles along he pulled into what looked like a dirt road. The further we got down it opened up into a concrete road. At the end appeared a huge house made of stone and glass. It looked like a mansion. He pulled to a stop out in front and hopped out. He took a box up the front steps and rang the bell but no-one answered. After a few he went around the side and returned without the box.

"What did you do with the delivery?" I asked.

"Sometimes young Edward isn't in when I come out. I leave the stuff in the shed out back and he settles his account when he's in town next."

"Oh." I said, surprised that there was actually someone new in town.

We headed to his house. It looked exactly the same. Like the store he hadn't changed anything here either. We went inside and I went upstairs to the guest room to leave my bags. It was decorated exactly how I remembered. I chanced a peek into his room and it was the same. I went downstairs and all the little ornaments and stuff were still here. As was Aunt Mary's Elvis memorabilia. If you didn't know better by looking at the house you'd think she was still living.

"I see you still have 'The King' on display. I'd have thought you'd have gotten rid of all of this the first chance you got." I said quietly.

Aunt Mary had died five years ago at the age of fifty eight. She had breast cancer. It was a horrible time and my uncle was utterly devastated, as we all were. Renee, my mother, never made the funeral of course. She was too busy with whatever flavour of the month was hanging around then.

That was the last time I was out here. I met 'him' not long after and he didn't like me travelling without him.

"Yeah. I didn't have the heart to get rid of them. It makes me feel like she's still here somehow," he smiled sadly.

"You know that she'll always be here with you. Whether you have her things around or not. She wouldn't want you to be living in the past. She'd want you to live your life to the fullest."

"I do know that B. I just, … not now okay. Now how about dinner?" he swiftly changed the subject.

"Sure. You cooking?" I asked with a grin.

"Um, sure?" he said like a question.

"What do you have in the freezer?"

"Not much. I could run back to the store and pick up some stuff."

I opened the freezer and looked inside. It was full of microwave dinners. I looked in the fridge to find that was almost empty too. All he had was an almost empty carton of milk, two eggs and some butter.

"How do you eat Uncle C? There is nothing in the fridge and the freezer is full of crap! Do you live on frozen dinners?" I asked

"Um, how do I answer that without you going off on one?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh for crying out loud. Give me the truck and store keys." I held my hand out.

I'll be back in about twenty minutes. In ten minutes put the oven on to heat up." I ordered and went out to jump in his truck.

I had left my car parked in the lot outside the store. My uncle shared it with Newton's the outdoor store that opened during the summer months. Being that it was only March it was too early for it to be opened yet.

I went inside the store an picked up some chicken breast, some vegetables and fruit, basics that he probably didn't have in the cupboard like four and stuff. I got everything I needed for chicken and dumplings and then picked up what I needed to make cupcakes.

I headed home and made us dinner. I made coffee and cupcakes and we sat in the living room in front of he fire.

"So what happened B? I know I said I'd wait until you're ready but I need to know, are you okay? Do you need anything? I'm at a loss here." he said almost pleadingly.

I didn't know where to start.

"I'm not okay but I will be. All I need is to be here, be with my family, you know? I will tell you everything, it's just too raw just now." I answered.

"Okay honey. I'll be here when you need me."

"I know that Uncle C. you always are," I said as I put my head on his shoulder and started at the fire.

For the first time on months I felt at ease. I was home.

Characters not mine.

Next chapter up soon!