A/N: I do not own the copyright on Twilight.
The story is my take on pre-Twilight/Bella Edward.
Enjoy.

The open view of the Buddhist temple in Sangwan was a magnificent one. Edward sat down on the rickety wooden bench to admire the scenery in the same way that one would sit in an art gallery to admire a painting. Depending on where you cast your eye, the view could be boiled down to three basic elements; trees; mountain; sky.

The serenity of it all amazed him. The monks in the temple lived a simple existence that was in harmony with their surroundings. They grew their own vegetables, kept the temple clean and spent long hours in meditation. The temple resided on a steep hillside away from the rest of the civilisation.

Edward closed his eyes and inhaled a long cleansing breath. He concentrated on his hearing and smell. He could smell soil that had been freshly raked by one of the monks, ready for planting potato crops. He heard the clip-clop of a mountain goat making its way over the rocky inclines of the hillside. He could hear the hurried footfalls of one of the younger monks as he joined a congregation that was already deep in meditation inside the temple.

He could not hear a single thought. He exhaled with a sense of satisfaction. 'Finally,' he thought wryly to himself, 'a still mind to match a still heart.'

Edward had been given the task of sweeping inside the temple. It was humble work and he set about it with an enthusiasm that pleased his Teacher. He was alone while the other monks performed the outdoor chores; tending to the garden, sweeping the grounds and hanging out the laundry.

The Teacher had taught him the correct motions for sweeping the floor. Everything had to be done in a particular way even if Edward didn't quite understand why.

Sweeping was sweeping, right?

Edward chastised himself immediately for thinking that way. It was the kind of uncultured thing he would expect Emmett to say. He had noticed that the elder monks moved gracefully; every action was humble from their bowed heads to their quiet footsteps.

Edward prided himself on his physical restraint, he had mastered the art of playing human, but he realised that he carried himself with an undeserved arrogance that needed to be stripped away. Even with a century's worth of experience, he still had plenty to learn.

He was tidying the Holy Scriptures away when he heard someone ringing the outside bell. The person was ringing it loudly. Persistently. Annoyingly.

"Damn foreigners," Edward muttered under his breath as he went to the entrance to greet whoever it was.

"Duuuuuuude. Long time, no see," Emmett beamed at Edward, hugging him with a force that could crush a boulder.

"I should have known it was you."

One of the elder monks was scurrying towards the pair with a stern, frightful look. He looked to Edward for an explanation. Before he could even say anything Emmett put his hands together and bowed deeply, conveying his sincere apologies in fluent Mandarin. The monk looked surprised at first but graciously returned the bow and satisfied with Emmett's apology, retreated to his overseeing of the garden chores.

"Since when did you speak Mandarin?"

"Smooth motherfucker, ain't I?"

Edward groaned. "Get inside," he gestured towards the temple.

Emmett looked around the bare room, surveying it with his golden eyes. "Nice digs." He nodded appreciatively. "Where do they keep the flatscreen?"

Edward chuckled. He knew that Emmett was much smarter than the dumb frat boy he liked to portray. "It's a temple, Emmett. Not a place to settle in your Lay-Z Boy recliner and watch the big game."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." he shrugged. "Anyway, that's not what I'm here to talk to you about."

Edward began sweeping. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You've been gone for almost three years, bro. I'm starting to take it personally."

"I made my reasons clear when I left. I thought it was understood."

He remembered the long talks with Carlisle in his study. Carlisle had a strong sense of purpose in how he led his life. He said vampires were a part of nature, an evolved predator that had the human qualities to exercise restraint from human blood.

Edward thought they were an abomination.

He felt rootless and disconnected with the world and it scared him just how little he cared. He decided to travel the globe, to find the elusive answer that would finally give his life meaning. The Buddhist temple had been the nearest thing to tranquillity that he had found so far. But it wasn't enough.

"What have these monks got that we haven't?"

"They meditate. Empty their minds of trivial thoughts. You should try it sometime."

Emmett scoffed. "Meditating is just sleeping with your eyes open."

Edward scowled at him. "With that attitude you'll never reach nirvana."

"Oh, I've found it. It's located directly between Rosalie's –"

"– for the love of God, do not finish that sentence." Edward interrupted harshly. "Anyway, I like it here. I enjoy the silence."

"Huh." Emmett cocked his head to one side. "So do they teach you martial arts? 'Cos I've seen those Shaolin monks and they have mad fighting skills, dude. Like crazy back flips and shit. So awesome." He grinned.

"No." Edward shook his head. "And mind your language. You're in a holy place."

Emmett's grin fell. "Oh, sorry."

Emmett watched Edward sweep the stone floor with a feeling of confusion. He didn't understand Edward's problem but he dearly wanted to.

'We miss you, buddy.'

Edward replied to Emmett's unspoken words. "I know."

"Then come home."

It was time for Edward to leave behind the silence and solitude of Sangwan. It comforted him to know that he would never truly be alone. Emmett said a prayer before they left the temple. It was a simple expression of gratitude.

"Thank you for giving me my brother back."