Well hello, lovelies! I have finally decided to post this little piece fiction, but before you read, I have a short AN I would like to share.

This story has a bit of the paranormal to it, with ghosts and past lives and such. I had originally written it as an original story, but after reading a ton of Twilight fanfiction, decided to change the names and post this as my first full length fanfic. I don't have a beta at the moment, so if you come across names like "Kate, Daniel, Lizzie," or any other name that seems out of place, please forgive my typo.

Also-I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. I do however, own a pretty pink Dell laptop with which I love to read and write fanfiction!

Now without further ado...

BPOV:

For as long as Bella could remember, her Grandma Swan had been a spinner of yarns, a teller of tales. She loved to tell stories about her family's history. She told her grandchildren about her own grandparents meeting on the ship as they emigrated from Wales to America in the 1800's. About Grandpa's ancestor coming to the new world in 1640, and fighting with the Indians when they tried to burn down his barn. She told about the three brothers, Oliver, William, and Jake who bought 500 wild acres in Washington State in 1792 for fifty cents an acre. They cleared it themselves and built three houses, two large and majestic, each with its own barn and big enough for two families each, at least. Both homes had wide, wrap around porches and thick, luscious yards. The third house was a tiny little home, humble and modest. It only had a little kitchen that opened up into a cozy living area with a fireplace, and two bedrooms. It had been Bella's home since she was born. Grandma lived in one of the big houses and although the barns were long since gone and the farmland had been sold to real estate developers, her greatest pride was that her family still lived in these two house. She was almost as knowledgeable as any history teacher, and twice as entertaining. She encouraged Bella's love of history and vivid imagination and Bella turned them into a career as a writer.

Grandma Swan and Bella spent hours together in Gram's warm, little kitchen while she told about adventures she and her late brother, Kenneth, would share. Sledding down a two-mile long hill, but only doing it once a day because then they had to walk two miles up the hill to get home. Walking three miles to school in such freezing temperatures that Kenneth's hands were frost bitten and bleeding by the time they got there. Bella heard them all by the time she was a teenager.

There were stories that she was hesitant to share, though, and those were the ones Bella heard from her own father, Charlie. Stories from Grandma's teenage years about her sneaking out to see a boy that she wasn't allowed to date, or another one about her going on a date with one boy in the afternoon, changing her clothes and going out with a different boy that evening.

"Yes, the one in the evening was Grandpa," she told Bella's cousin, Rosalie when she had asked if one of the suitors was her grandfather.

A favorite amongst all of the grandkids was a tale about her son, Garrett, Rose's father. He and a group of friends decided to grease the neighbor's window screens with oil one Halloween when they were kids, and the parents of the boys had to clean the screens.

"He was never allowed to go out on Halloween again, after that. Richard from down the road came up to spend the evening with him every year because he wasn't allowed to go out, either," Grandma finished.

"But I thought he didn't do anything, Gram, you said he was just with those other boys," Bella asked, as she cleared Grandma's lunch plate. She still used the formica topped kitchen table that her mother had used. Today she sat with her cold, wrinkled hands wrapped around a plastic tea mug. It was warm for early November, but she caught a chill easily.

She nodded, "yes, but he knew they were causing trouble, and he stayed with them. And I had to help clean up his mess."

Bella smiled, "I see. Was he mad about having to miss every Halloween?"

"Well if he was, he never showed it. He knew it wouldn't have done any good to complain. He could have complained till he was blue in the face, he still would have been staying home."

Bella laughed and Gram smiled a tiny fragile smile. Gram was eighty-one years old and although her body seemed to be growing more fragile by the day, her mind was still sharp as a tack. At that moment they heard footsteps in the woodshed that was attached to the kitchen, "Oh, Rosie must be home. That you, Rosie?" Grandma called to her still closed door.

Bella's cousin pushed her way in the door, her long, blond hair whipping across her face from the ever present wind, and her arms filled with shopping bags, "yeah, it's me. The grocery store was busy today. They were out of that bread you like, Gram, so I got you this," she held up a loaf of wheat bread in a green bag, "is that okay?"

"Yes, that's okay," Grandma wouldn't want to be disagreeable, even if it wasn't okay. She was always thankful when Rose, or anyone else went out to get her groceries.

Bella hopped up to help Rose with the groceries. Even though Rosalie and Bella were cousins, they were very close, almost like sisters. Bella could tell Rose anything and vice versa. It helped that she lived just a half mile away, here in the big house. She lived upstairs and helped take care of Gram, who lived downstairs.

"Hey, Bella. Oh, Jasper wants me to ask you how Fred is?"

Bella made a face, then laughed, "Fred has been quiet lately."

Gram furrowed her eyebrows condescendingly, "did you name that man Fred?" she tsk'd at her girls.

"Well I couldn't just keep calling him 'my ghost'," Bella reasoned.

"Oh, no," Rose joked, "people might think she's crazy."

Bella laughed. She had grown up in the little red house with her parents, Charlie and Renee. Her parents separated when she was ten, her mom moving across town. When Bella was twenty, her mother remarried and moved to Phoenix. Her father remarried a year later and bought his wife a new house closer to her children in La Push. That left Bella alone in her house, but that was okay. It was paid for, so she had no mortgage or rent. Bella liked being alone, too. There was no one except Fred to interrupt her while she was writing, and she could come and go as she pleased.

Growing up, Bella was the only one in the house who believed that it might be haunted. Her parents were far too busy with their own dramas to encourage her stories of footsteps and whispers, but Bella would set something down only to find it someplace she didn't put it, like the bathtub. Shadows would move, but only out of the corner of her eye. Bella once saw a special on "Unsolved Mysteries" that said that writers, artists, and children are more sensitive and therefore more aware of ghosts than most people. No one believed her when she mentioned that, either.

But with all of that activity, she had never seen a ghost, until about a year ago. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop in frontt of her, the same position she always had when she writes. Bella had just looked around because out of nowhere she got goose bumps and the feeling that someone was watching her. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, which was normal for her house. But this time, for the first time, when she looked toward the movement, there was a man. He was standing in the doorway to the spare bedroom, just to the left of the fireplace in the living room. It had been Bella's bedroom when she was young. She froze, surprised to realize that it was not really out of fear, but out of shock. She stared at him and he stared back for the shortest of seconds, then his transparent figure disappeared. The man had been tall, but not outrageously so. Built like a laborer or someone who was used to hard work, his frame had looked imposing in the narrow doorway. After that, she saw him a handful of times, always dressed the same, standing in the same place. The only thing Bella ever had time to register before he evaporated like a puff of smoke was his blue baseball cap that was pushed back onto his forehead revealing big, dazzling green eyes. She didn't know why those green eyes stood out so much or why she stupidly found herself thinking about those eyes in quiet moments when she was alone. Immediately, she had told Rosalie and Grandma about him, and called him 'Fred' so she wouldn't have to see the rest of her logical family roll their eyes, if they happened to be around.

"I haven't even heard any footsteps outside my bedroom at night, like I used to," Bella told them now, "he must be tired."

Rose laughed as they continued to put away Gram's groceries, but Grandma looked thoughtful, her delicate brow wrinkling over her ancient eyes, "I wonder who that man is," she mused, "he must be a relative, or someone who knew our relatives." Bella wondered briefly if she wanted it to be Bella's grandfather.

Grandma looked into the distance for a moment as if she were seeing Fred in the air, "what else did you say he was wearing?"

"I don't know. He disappeared too quickly, but I remember his clothes were dark colored. Black or navy blue, maybe."

"Who lived there before Bella's family, Gram?" Asked Rose as she opened a can of soda and sat down at the table with them. She reached behind her and took a large shoebox from the counter as she spoke. It was a light greenish color with black silhouettes on the sides. It looked like it was from the 1950's. Knowing Gram, Bella thought, it probably was.

"Well, it sat empty for a few years, but before that, my cousins lived there a short time. My mother's sister, my Aunt Marie lived there with her husband for a little while after they was married, but that was when I was real young," she concentrated, "I don't remember who was there before that."

They all considered for a few minutes, but as usual, no one had an answer. Rose broke the short silence, "Bella, do you want to look at these old pictures with me? I was helping Gram clean out her closet yesterday and we found this box, look at these," she said excitedly. She too inherited a passion for the family's history from their grandmother. As she spoke, she pushed the box toward Bella and scooted her chair closer.

"I hadn't seen this box in years. It belonged to my mother, Grandma Prescott," said Grandma, "I would have thought it was gone for good."

Bella and Rose both dug through the box, passing on each picture to Grandma for her inspection. The deeper into the box they dug, the older the pictures became. Right on top, were baby pictures of both Bella and Rose on color film, then the photos turned black and white. There were pictures of both Charlie and Garrett when they were young. Seeing their fathers in footie pajamas holding toy guns in front of a white Christmas tree made them laugh. And they exclaimed at the picture of their Grandfather with a pet monkey! Who has a monkey for a pet, anyway, Rose wanted to know. Deeper they dug. They found a wedding picture of a pretty young woman with glasses and a dashing young man with black, wavy hair. They both knew without asking that it was their grandparents. They had seen that one many times. Gram still had one like it framed on her dresser.

Grandma made a comment after each picture she looked at, "there's Charlie and Garrett," she noted. Or, "oh, there's my father with his milking stool on. I don't know who took a picture in the barn." She had said disgustedly, but Bella peeked at her as she gazed at the picture of her late husband, and saw her eyes grow moist at some memory she didn't share.

Soon, they began to see pictures of people they didn't recognize. "Who's this Gram?" Bella asked, handing her a picture of a pretty young woman. She was standing outside by a tree, one hand resting on the trunk. The wind was blowing her long skirt tight against one of her legs and little wisps of hair had escaped the bun on the top of her head and blew across her face, "She looks nice." she noted. In most older pictures, you don't see a lot of smiling people, but this young woman was pressing her lips together in a mischievous grin, almost like she was trying not to smile and failing miserably. She was not looking at the camera, but at someone just to the photographer's left side. All in all it was a very casual photograph for a time when most photographs were a special occasion, and therefore very formal.

Grandma looked at the picture for a moment, "Oh, that's my Aunt Marie, Mother's sister."

Bella frowned, "I've never heard of her. Did she live near here?"

"Why yes, she's the aunt who lived there in your house, she passed away when I was about four or five," she remembered.

Rose held her hand out to see the picture, and Grandma handed it back to her, continuing on with her memory, "she was very nice, I can remember that. She was happy and funny. All of us kids always wanted to be around her. All the boys around here had crushes on her, but most of them were too shy to speak to her. Except for Uncle Jake…" she trailed off into another memory of her own.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Rose look from the picture she was holding to Bella's face and back again, "Bells, she kind of looks like you."

Bella wrinkled her nose, "what?" She asked, skeptically. She took the picture from Rose and examined it more closely. There was something there in the shape of the eyes and lips that might have been similar, "huh, I guess a little bit," she conceded, but then added, "she's skinnier than I am."

Gram reached for the photo again, and agreed with Rosalie, "I never noticed before, but I guess you do."

"Here, does this help?" Bella asked as she pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail and twisted it up to the top of her head, "I don't wear my hair up very often." As she said this, they both started.

"Bell, when you put your hair up, you looked just like her!" Rose exclaimed. Gram nodded her head in agreement, "and your middle name is Marie, too," she muttered, "that's weird." She was looking at another picture and handed it to Bella. This one was of the entire family, Marie's parents, sister and herself. The young woman that she assumed was Helen, Grandma Swan's mother, bore a strong resemblance to Grandma. The family was situated in an unfamiliar room with the three women sitting down, and the father standing behind his wife with his tall top hat in one hand and one hand on his wife's shoulder. He had a stern looking face, but upon examining the photo a little closer, Bella thought she could see a kindness and a sort of humor there in the twinkle of his eyes. He reminded her of her father. The mother was sitting tall and straight, looking very proper. The two teenage girls sat near their mother and Helen looked appropriately grim, as was the custom of photographs in their day. Marie, however, had a smile playing on the corners of her lips, amusement evident in her eyes, just the same as her father, probably much to the dismay of her proper mother. She was a pretty young girl with dark brown hair that was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, a few little hairs escaping near her temples, as in the other picture. Bella imagined that if she took her hair down, it would cascade down her back in thick waves. Her smiling eyes were bright and wide open. She had a slim build that made her look graceful, even in the stillness of the picture. Bella could instantly see how boys were intimidated by her, as Gram had suggested, and she wondered how Jake had found the courage to speak to her. Was he possessed with uncommon self-confidence? Or perhaps he knew from the first glance that they belonged together.

"Gram, why haven't you told us any stories about Aunt Marie?"

Grandma thought for a moment, "Well now, I don't know. I do know all about her. When I was little, my mother would tell me stories about her. She loved her sister, and missed her terribly after she passed."

Beside Bella, Rose quietly sucked in a breath, "look at these!" She said breathlessly. In her hand was thin stack of small papers, each one folded in half. The top one had an M- written in an old style of handwriting. Rose opened the first letter and read.

M-

Since Robert and James left, I have been so much busier that I have not had as much time to talk to you throughout the day. I just wanted to remind you that I love you, and that all day long while I am working you are always in my thoughts.

Yours forever,

J-

Both of the younger women sighed, "awe…" they looked at their grandmother who sat there a tiny, knowing smile on her face, and Bella could sense that she was gathering her thoughts in preparation of another tale. Rose handed that note to Bella for her inspection as she read the next one out loud,

M-

I wish I could help you to see that five years is not so very long when you compare it with the span of a man's life. We have to wait for a little while to be married, but we will be married for thirty or forty or maybe fifty years. Think of it as a small price to pay for all the happiness we will have. For now, I get to see you every day and that is good enough for me. I trust your father. His reputation for being honest is known throughout the county. Just trust me, everything will be fine.

I am always so happy that your sweet face is the first thing I see before work in the morning. I can never have a bad day when that is the case.

All my love forever,

J-

Rose pouted slightly, "why aren't there any men like that anymore?" she asked.

"Just because you haven't met one doesn't mean there aren't any," Bella told her.

"Have you ever met any?" She asked, knowingly.

Bella shook her head with a smile on her face. They had both had bad luck in love. Bella's thoughts drifted to Mike. They had been together for three years and Bella left him six weeks before their wedding. Her mother had cried. "They don't get any more perfect than that," she had admonished, "he's good looking and rich and he loves you." Bella had tried telling her that yes, he was a great guy, but she didn't think that she could spend the rest of her life with him. Renee then accused her of spending too much time writing fairy tales, that she would not ever see a man and realize immediately that he was the love of her life. She also told Bella that she had to spend more time in the real world. Bella was only able to roll her eyes.

"Don't read any more, I'll just get depressed!" Bella jokingly complained.

Rose ignored her and prepared to read a third, "this must be one of the first."

M-

Thank you for your letter. I must admit that when you knocked on my window last night, you startled me quite a bit. I just couldn't imagine who would be trying to get my attention at that time of the night. You are bold and brave, and unlike any young woman I have ever known and that is one of the reasons that you have captured my heart, but please be careful, my love. If your father catches you writing notes or sneaking out of the house in your robe at night, he will surely not allow us to be together, because he will think I am a bad influence, as if anyone could influence you!

That being said, I also must tell you that you look beautiful in the moonlight. Do you know that I have never seen you with your hair down? When I first saw you standing outside my window, I though you were an angel come to take me to heaven.

Please try to be good and act as your mother and sister say you should, in front of polite company (However, I hope that you would feel free to be yourself around me). I will give you this note as I come in to work in the morning. I am always glad to see you sitting on the porch, your eyes look especially lovely after a night of sleep.

All my love forever,

J-

Bella smiled to herself and Grandma cocked her head to one side curiously as she looked at her, "I know that look Bell, that's the look you get when you get an idea for a book."

Nodding, she answered, "this one is writing itself."

Rose was sitting forward in her chair rereading that third note with her chin in one hand and a wistful smile on her face and Grandma must've seen this as an opening, because she abruptly began, "As a young woman, Marie was quite pretty. Not a beautiful girl, like Eleanor Wilcox, down the road, but pretty enough in her own way. Mother says that she was happy and bright, and I remember myself always wanting to be near her. When she smiled at me, it made me feel like we had a secret, just the two of…" She broke off and looked at Bella, "I just can't get over how much you look like her. Your smile is just the same. I can't believe I never noticed it before. Anyway, she was quite opinionated too. Not a good quality in a time when women and girls were supposed to be seen and not heard. But when she had something she wanted to say, she would say it. She was punished often for it, but Mother said that her father loved his girls more than anything, and she wasn't punished as much as she perhaps should have been.

"When Mother and Aunt Marie were young girls, 15 or 16 years old, or so, Oliver Cooke asked for mother's hand. I see the look on your face, but that's how it was in their day…girls married young, and not always for love. But my parents were in love. She had always had a crush on my father, and every Sunday at church, they would sneak peeks at each other when they thought no one was looking. Of course, my grandfather was a very smart man, and he saw everything. He approved of my father because his family owned a very successful farm in a nearby county.

"Now, Aunt Marie had her own opinions on the subject. She was not in love with anyone, and would not marry anyone just because she was supposed to. She would just as soon stay in this house as an old maid, than marry for convention's sake. Grandfather had simply asked her if she had anyone in mind for a husband, he was joking I think. Mother said he was a jolly type of man. Well she told my grandfather what she thought, standing right here on this porch. The farm hands were just heading out for the second milking. I guess it was about 6 in the evening. Even though Grandfather loved his daughters, he was a proper man and was not happy to have his employees hear his daughter speak this way to him and my mother tried to get her to calm down and go inside, at least for the time being.

"But mother said that Marie just stood her ground, 'I don't care if your men hear me,' she argued, 'I'm not just going to go off and spend the rest of my life with some man that I don't even care about, and have his children, just because I'm supposed to. It's all ridiculous!' Mother said the hired men were peeking looks at the situation out of the corners of their eyes, trying not to smile. They all knew how she was, and a good many of the boys around here wished they could be the one to tame her. But although she was polite to everyone, she had had no interest in any of them, yet." She paused to catch her breath. Then she looked at Bella and chuckled. Bella's eyes were wide, and she was so caught up in the story that she was leaning forward in her chair.

"I'm starting to think it would make a very good book." she was already picturing the characters and the plot.

"Well, we'll see what you think at the end. Let's see. Mother says that this evening, after Aunt Marie received a whipping for her behavior, you know, raising her voice to her father, especially in the presence of other adults, she was sitting on a tree swing that used to hang from that tree down yonder, reading a book for her lessons, the smaller tree, closest to the driveway. It was just a dirt path then, of course. The girls went to school until they were 14, but then grandmother taught them at home. She told mother later on that she was humming to herself as she read, and didn't hear anyone walking near her until he spoke.

" 'You know. You could probably save yourself a few whippings if you kept your thoughts to yourself.'

"Marie looked up and frowned at the man who had spoken to her. She recognized him as one of the newer laborers to help on the farm. He must have been on his way home. He lived with two of the other farm hands in the same house that you're living in now, dear. That's right. Now I remember." She nodded to herself, satisfied. Then continued on with the story.

" 'Keeping quiet doesn't help anyone,' Marie replied. 'If a person doesn't like what I have to say, he should just not talk to me. It's as easy as that!' She put her nose in the air, and supposed that this ended the conversation.

"Marie told Mother that she was surprised when the man just sat himself down on the ground next to her swing, and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Who did this man think he was, anyway? She didn't invite him to sit down next to her! 'I'm just saying,' he went on, 'you know, to keep the peace.' She said that he smiled an amused smile at her now, and even though it was dusk, she said that she could see that it was a nice smile, that his whole face smiled, just not his mouth.

"She couldn't help smiling back. And she sighed and shook her head. 'Helen is his favorite, she's always been a good girl. And if she can talk to him for me, he'll listen to her.'" Grandma paused to remind her granddaughters that Helen was her mother.

"This man laughed loudly, and Marie said she noticed how it echoed through the valley, back to her. She joined in. 'I think you are a very dangerous young woman!' he told her, 'do you always get your way?'

" 'Usually,' she smiled, smugly. And then Marie told mother that he looked at her, right in her eyes, and she looked back at him. Their laughter had died away, and it was silent outside as they stared at each other. She said that her heart began to thump loudly. Marie didn't know how long she sat there looking at this man she had never talked to, but when he cleared his throat, she suddenly realized that twilight had given way to darkness.

" 'Well, I guess I had better get back inside. My folks will be looking for me,' Marie started to get up, but this man had jumped up and was holding his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her up, off the swing, 'Thank you,' she said, and for the first time in her life, mother said, Marie felt shy.

" 'Would you like me to walk you back to the house?' The man asked.

"Marie laughed, a little bit offended, 'I think I am quite capable of finding it myself, even in the dark.'

"The man just kind of smirked, 'I have the feeling, Miss Woods, that you are quite capable of many things.' He looked right at her as he said this, and she realized that he hadn't let go of her hand. It felt warm and surprisingly gentle wrapped around hers.

"Marie was speechless. She just smiled and turned to walk toward the house, reluctantly pulling her hand from his. She managed to walk normally into the house, but as soon as she was through the door, she rushed up the stairs, ignoring her mother, who was trying to remind her to walk demurely, like a lady. She threw the front upstairs window open and stuck her head out, trying to see this man who had made her heart race and her palms sweat just by smiling at her. The moon was bright that night, and she could see a solitary figure moving down the lane, and hear a tune being whistled in the quiet night.

" 'Helen! Where are you?' My mother came out of her bedroom, already in her nightclothes. Mother said that Marie grabbed both of her hands and pulled her back into her bedroom and sat her on the bed.

" 'Helen, you know all the farm hands, don't you? You listen to father when he talks.' Mother said that Aunt Marie laughed and the sound was kind of hectic and crazy. Marie's eyes were wide and excited and she was smiling so much, it looked like her face was going to break."

Bella had her eyes closed, picturing this excited girl and her crush on her father's employee. She could almost see it in her head, almost like a memory of her own. Grandma continued.

" 'Yes, most of them, why?' Mother answered, 'Marie, what is going on? What's wrong?'

" 'Who is the newest one? The one who whistles all the time?'

" 'I'm not sure, Marie, Jake, maybe?' my mother wasn't sure, 'I haven't noticed.'

"Marie rolled her eyes, 'that's because all you ever notice is Oliver.'

"Mother said that Marie didn't sleep well that night. That she kept tossing and turning, keeping mother awake as well. And early the next morning, Marie was awake and dressed, even before anyone else was awake. She pulled a shawl around her shoulders to keep warm, since it was still spring, and sat out on the porch. She was just settling into a chair when the workers from your house," Gram nodded at Bella, "came walking into the yard. She could hear the one named Jake whistling again. She watched them stroll up the front lawn. Robert and James were looking at the ground. They lagged a bit behind Jake, who already had a spring in his step at this early hour. He smiled when he saw her sitting there on the porch, and when he got closer, he spoke, 'Morning Miss, you're awake early.'

"Marie couldn't resist rolling her eyes, 'the early bird catches the worm, Jake' she replied, dryly. Jake laughed his booming laugh, and Marie told mother that just the sound of it set her heart racing. She smiled in response."

Rose was still going through the box with the pictures and notes. She handed one to Grandma when she had stopped to catch her breath again.

"Gram, who's this?" she asked.

"Oh, that's Uncle Jake."

Bella frowned and held her hand out for the photograph, "Marie's Jake? The Jake in the story?"

"Mm hmm," she answered.

As Bella looked at the picture her breath stopped. She touched the man in the picture. He was a handsome man with crazy hair sticking out from under his hat, and wide, almond shaped, light-colored eyes. It was difficult to tell what color they were in the black and white picture, but they were definitely not dark. "Those eyes" she muttered to herself. Then her finger moved to trace the wide brim of the hat he wore.

Rose and Grandma looked at each other, a bit of confusion on their faces. Looking up, Bella handed the picture back to Grandma, "this is kind of what Fred looks like," she thought her voice sounded weak, but no one else seemed to notice. She didn't tell them about the eyes.

Rose was looking at another photograph and was reading the back, "Marie and Jake, on their wedding, June, 1922." She looked at the young couple in the photo again and said, "this Jake is good looking." Then she laughed, delightedly, "Bella, your ghost is a hottie!"

Chuckling, Bella rolled her eyes at her cousin. She had a one track mind, "why would you assume that Fred is Jake?"

"Well, you said they look the same. And he used to live in that house, right Gram?"

"That's right. I suppose it is possible."

"So then what happened, Gram?" Bella changed the subject from her green-eyed ghost.

She continued, "Well, he tipped his hat as he walked past her toward the barn and told her, 'have a good morning, ma'am. Maybe I'll see you at dinner.' Grandmother cooked a big afternoon meal every day for everyone on the farm, family and farm hands alike.

" 'Yes, I'm sure I'll be there,' she smiled. She said Jake smiled too, and continued out to the barn. Mother told me that she could see this whole exchange from the upstairs window, and that the other two workers just stared at the whole conversation with wide, unbelieving eyes. They had both been here for a couple of years now, and had never had the nerve to talk so casually to the pretty girl.

"Mother said that she wasn't sure if this would end well. Her father was kind, but would he approve of Jake for his daughter? She tried to tell Marie that as they prepared breakfast, speaking in whispers so their mother wouldn't overhear. Marie had just frowned and told her sister to mind her own business, that everything would be fine.

"At noontime that day, my grandmother was putting dinner onto the long kitchen table. Grandfather and the other men were just walking in the house, having washed their hands and faces at the pump that used to stand out in the yard. As Marie turned to set a bowl of some vegetable, maybe corn, on the table, Jake caught her eye and winked. Mother said she had never seen Marie blush such a deep red.

"They all sat and grandfather said grace, of course. I don't know why people don't say grace anymore," Grandma began, then caught herself before she could get sidetracked, "the women ate quietly and listened to the men talk about business, and the barn, and all the things that used to bore Mother and Marie. On this day, though, Marie paid attention to every word. And when Jake had been silent for too long, Marie wouldn't stand for it.

"During a break in the conversations, she spoke up, 'So, Jake, how long have you been working for my father? I can't seem to remember when you were hired on.' She smiled pleasantly.

"Mother said that she almost choked on her mashed potatoes. Grandmother and Grandfather looked at her sharply, and the other two farm hands were absolutely stunned that Marie was voluntarily asking questions of the new guy.

"Jake grinned widely, and he looked directly at her as he answered. Mother said that was odd, because none of the others were brave enough to look her in the eye. 'Well, miss, I was hired on at the end of March, so I guess it would be almost 2 months, now.'

"Grandfather started to speak, to turn the conversation back to business, but Marie was quicker, 'and what did you do before you came here?' Mother coughed to hide a giggle, and Marie kicked her under the table. No one else noticed, but Jake seemed to, because his eyes danced and he seemed amused.

" 'Well, I finished school almost 6 years ago, when I was sixteen, and my father wanted me to go on to college, to be a doctor like himself, but it wasn't for me. I didn't like being cooped up inside all day. I'd prefer to work outdoors in the fresh air.' Marie watched him attentively as he spoke, nodding politely now and then.

"Grandfather noticed, so he cleared his throat and nodded in agreement with Jake, 'a man's got to go his own way. Never could stand to be inside for any length of time, myself.' He changed the subject back to business, 'how about heading out to the auction with me next Tuesday, Jake?'

" 'Sure thing, Mr. Woods, I'd be happy to.' Jake spoke simply, and mother noticed that even being educated, he didn't feel the need to use an excessive amount of words. She liked that.

"Mother and Marie looked at each other, puzzled. Their father didn't need help choosing livestock. When he went to the auction, he either went alone or with Mr. Prescott who owned another farm nearby and was your grandpa's father. While the women busied themselves cleaning up after dinner, Marie tried to casually ask her mother why her father would do that. She smiled at Marie and said 'well, I supposed it's because he's a good, honest man and a hard worker.' Marie nodded, but didn't say anything."

Gram stopped for a moment and Rose refilled her teacup. As she dipped her teabag in the warm water, Bella noticed that she looked tired. She had told Bella earlier that she hadn't slept well last night, so Bella didn't press her for any more details on Marie and Jake just then, although she was itching to know more. Instead she helped her to the living room and into her favorite chair, where Bella was sure that Grandma would doze for a couple of hours.

Bella helped Rose clean up their lunch, told her that she'd be back tomorrow, and set off for home. She stepped lightly off the porch and walked down the driveway toward the road. Autumn was her favorite time of year. The air was crisp and cool but she was warm in her sweatshirt. The foliage on the trees had already turned yellow, orange, and a deep red, but now most of the leaves were lying on the ground. When she breathed deeply, she could smell the smell of rotting leaves mixed with cool air. Someone not far away had a fire going in a fireplace or a wood stove. Bella lingered for a long moment under the smallest tree next to the driveway and imagined Marie sitting here on a wooden swing, talking to Jake for the first time. She thought that she might know what the young girl was feeling, how her stomach did flips when he held her hand to help her up, how her skin tingled all over when he didn't let go right away, her anxiety as she waited to see him again. How long that night seemed to her!

The late afternoon was chillier than she thought, and she eagerly stepped through her front door, anxious to warm up. Bella frowned. The house seemed cold. She didn't want to have to turn on the heat, but it was supposed to get colder this week.

Bella thought of Jake as she walked to the thermostat to see what the furnace was set on. She was hesitant to turn up the heat, it was a waste of money to turn the heat on when she could just put on a sweater. Her father had taught her that. She turned up the thermostat slightly, but kept it low. Instead of turning it up high, she decided to light a fire in the fireplace, wondering how long ago it was that Jake had last lit a fire in this house.

Bella's mind was preoccupied with Marie and Jake, so she didn't bother to turn on the television. Instead she sat on the couch and pulled the blanket from the back of the chair around her shoulders. She sat still, listening to the fire crack and pop, and let her mind wander.

Who was this Jake? Where did he come from? Had he always lived in this area? Marie's history was easy to figure out, but Jake was a mystery. What happened with them? Were they able to be together?

Bella had warmed up now and was feeling drowsy. She wasn't sure when her musings had turned into dreams, but eventually, she was sitting up in front of the same fireplace. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a long, ankle length skirt with black boots, tightly laced up the front. She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, but it was already pulled back into a tight bun on the top of her head. She looked around, confused, and that was when she noticed him standing next to the fireplace looking at her.

"What's wrong, Marie?" he asked, "you look confused." As he spoke, he walked to the couch, sat next to Bella and took her hand. Just his touch made her feel warm all over.

"I'm not Marie, my name is Bella," she said the words, but she was suddenly unsure.

He laughed, "of course you're Marie!"

As Bella looked in his green eyes a sudden realization hit her, "Jake?"

Jake' eyes went from amused to concerned, "yes. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Her eyes became misty, and suddenly she was speaking before she could even think about the words, "I'm sorry, it's just that I've missed you so much!" Her voice cracked, and she leaned her face against his shoulder and started to sob.

Jake' arms were around her in a second, "I know, I know. I've missed you too. But it's all right now, we're together."

It didn't make any sense, Bella didn't think she knew this man, but somehow, she did know him. She knew him and loved him with ever fiber of her being. She threw her arms around him and wept miserably into his neck while he whispered comforting words into her ear. Finally, her tears ran dry. When she thought she could speak again, she pulled back slightly so she could look at him. His eyes were still anxious, but he smiled slightly. Part of her screamed that this was crazy, that she did not know this man, but there was another part that knew him and remembered him.

"Where have you been?" Bella asked him.

"I've been here…of course. Where else would I be?"

She frowned, "I'm confused. What's going on?"

Jake was smiling again, "you don't remember now, but you will. Don't worry, love."

Bella rested there on his shoulder with his arms around her. She didn't know how long she sat there with him, when she woke up. She was lying on the couch still wrapped in her old blanket, but the fire had burned down and she was cold again. Apparently she hadn't turned the furnace up enough. The house was dark, so she must have slept for several hours. Bella looked around, trying to see into the darkness. She felt like there was someone in the room with her, watching her and she shivered. What a strange dream, she thought, as she got up and turned on the light. A writer's mind trying to make sense of an old woman's stories, no doubt, and she laughed out loud at herself. Her laughing was cut short when she tried to walk into the bathroom. Just as she walked through the bathroom door, she felt a blast of cold air. Cursing under her breath, Bella rushed to close the window. But when she reached the window, she looked around in confusion. It was already closed. She spun around in a complete circle, confused.

"That was weird," Bella muttered out loud, and she made a mental note to ask Charlie to come down and check the seals on the windows before winter hit.

She had no idea what time it was, but it was dark outside, and she was still tired, so she figured she would just go to bed. She chuckled at herself again as she said out loud, "'night Jake, see you tomorrow." She heard a slight breeze whisper by her ear. Yes, she would have to get those windows checked.

Thanks for reading and please review. I would love to know what you think, either good or bad...well, mostly good! :)

Here is something that I have been looking forward to...Recommendations:

Anything by CaraNo just owns me right now. She doesn't do angst very often and there is never any Bella/Edward cheating. She is also lemon royalty...I mean...why else do we read fanfiction? If you're looking for a great fanfic, check her out on my favorites list.

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