Authors Note:

I had been working on a Post-Breaking Dawn fan fic (my first) when this AH popped into my head. I couldn't get it out, so have paused the other one to get this purged from my imagination. Blame it on the excessive amount of Pop Music that I listen to. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: These are Stephenie Meyer's characters. I own nothing but a beat up couch and a microwave that doesn't work.

One of the Boys?

"BELLA!OMGYoulooksodifferent!IcantbelieveIhaven'tseenyouinTWOMONTHS!EEEEEK!!!!!!!"

Ladies and Gentlemen… Alice Cullen.

Alice has been my best friend ever since my brother and I moved to Forks to live with our Dad when I was 10. We've spent the last two months staying with our Mum, back in our old home – Sydney, Australia.

Our parents split up when I was a baby and our Mum moved us to Sydney wanting a fresh start. I think she just wanted to get as far away from Dad as possible. She had fallen out of love with him and thought the distance would do him good. And then, 8 years later, she remarried a travelling musician by the name of Phil and we moved back to live with our Dad. Although I will always be an Aussie girl at heart, I am glad we came back to Forks. If we hadn't, we never would have met our amazing friends, or been able to get to know our father Charlie.

"Ease up Pixie, give the girl some air!" My brother, Emmett, obviously thought the little black haired tyrant currently strangling me was hilarious. He missed her too.

It was great to be back, but being in Sydney had been as easy as breathing. No-one made fun of my accent, it was completely normal for me to live in shorts and a singlet top, it was expected that a girl know how to surf and handle her beer. I was normal. Funny how being back there, fitting in again, things started to change.

The first thing that changed was my 'look'. My mother decided it was time to change things up. Not drastically mind you, just enough to start showing off my newly acquired curves and adding a little feminism to my attire. She knew what I was comfortable with and didn't push it, but her excitement in the changes started to rub off on me. I became used to wearing skirts, liking it even. I had travelled back to Forks in a pale, distressed denim mini and a white wife-beater. Still casual enough to be me, but now it came across as less of a tomboy thing. My trademark plait had replaced with a myriad of hair styles. I was now sporting one of my favourites – half of my hair was braided messily to the side, with the rest falling loosely in natural curls. I was even wearing a little make-up. I think the new look is what now had Alice speechless.

"Alice, if you keep your mouth open like that, you are going to start catching flies."

Edward. My other best friend. He and Alice were siblings, almost as close to me as my own brother. Edward was a senior, like Emmett, both less than a year older than Alice and I. I threw myself at my brother from another mother, causing a mass of tangled brown and bronze hair. As I hugged him, I realised just how much I had missed him.

"I missed you too, kid." Edward's response to my bone-crushing hug was muffled, as his head was currently residing in the hair on my neck.

I pulled back to see them both. It was good to be home.

Emmett was obviously feeling a little left out and pulled us all in for a group hug – Dad included. "Ah, family, it is good to be back."

___________________________________________________

Alice was bouncing up and down in the backseat of Charlie's car on the way back from the airport. Edward and I looked at each other over her head in the middle and laughed. It was amazing how easily we had all immediately slipped back into our little group again.

"Oh Bella, please promise me you will never leave me like that again? Summer was so BORING with only Edward to entertain me."

Edward immediately became defensive towards his sister's accusations.

"Hey – I am not the one who disappeared constantly. I have no idea where you were half the time, Alice!"

Alice winked at me and chuckled. "All in good time, brother dearest."

"You have been saying that all Summer and it has not become any less cryptic or annoying."

Charlie and Emmett had been laughing along with me at the Cullen sibling exchange.

"Bells, Emm, believe it or not, but your old man missed you too. Will you both be home tonight?"

"Wouldn't dream of being anywhere else, Dad. I am sure that Carlotta missed me as much as I did her."

"Emmett, do you have any idea how weird it is that you have named your bed? Seriously, Dad, I think we need to take him to see someone."

"Yeah Dad, whilst I am talking to someone, maybe we should speak with them about Bella's lovely new habit of tal-"

"Emmett, if you know what is good for you, you will shut the hell up right about now."

The whole car fell silent. I don't think the others had ever heard me talking to my brother-slash-best friend like that before.

"Aww, didn't Alice tell you? They will be finding out soon enough. Esme and Carlisle are letting them stay over at ours tonight – we are having a sleepover!"

I audibly groaned at the thought. Over the Summer, my look isn't the only thing that had changed. Sure, I had become more confident and dressed a little better, but had also developed an extremely embarrassing habit. I now talked in my sleep.

"What is he talking about, Bella? You both have us intrigued…" Edward's curiosity and amusement dripped from every word.

"Don't worry Edward, if you are staying over, you will find out soon enough.

___________________________________________________

As Charlie pulled the car up to the house, I realised that I hadn't been able to say a proper 'hello' to him. After we carried all of the bags into the house, I pulled him aside into a big hug. I had missed him so much.

Charlie wasn't usually good with affection, which is why it surprised me that he hugged me back just as hard. I couldn't imaging what it was like for him in the house alone for two months and was glad to be back and fill the space again.

"Missed you Dad"

"Missed you too Bells"

As we pulled away, he held onto my arms, taking in the changes in me that were plain to see.

"Looks like Sydney agreed with you"

"It always does" I smiled at him, hoping I wouldn't make him feel bad for me having to leave there again. When we first arrived in Forks I wasn't so pleased, and made it known to the world.

"You know what I mean, honey, you look so different. It is like you grew up more in the two months you spent with your Mum then you have in the last six years you have lived here." His voice started to choke up a little. I didn't like that.

I pulled him back into a hug again, before pulling away and continuing.

"I had to grow up sometime, Charlie. Renee just gave me a little push in the right direction to get it kick-started. I am still the same Bella. Don't worry! I will be up, bright and early tomorrow, ready to go to the beach so you can fish and I can surf. You'll see. I even have a new wetsuit to help against the cold water in La Push!"

He smiled, obviously placated by my assurance that our Sunday morning ritual wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Good. You know, I have been catching way to many fish lately – no hoons on board chasing the fish away"

Emmett, of course, caught this last comment as he came bounding into the room.

"What is that about hoons on boards Dad? Haven't you got a nicer term to describe your favourite offspring. The fruit of your loins, oh loin fruit that we are? Apples from yo-"

"Emmett, seriously, if you make any more fruit references, I am going to gag"

Charlie was glowing now. It was so good to see how happy he was to have us back.

"Yes, well, loin fruit, I am out of here. There is no way I am going to sit through an Alice Cullen sleep over party. I am going to go down and crash at Billy's. Meet you at the beach at 6."

He grabbed his bag as he walked out the door, not bothering to wait for a response. He knew that we would be there bright and early – that is when the best waves were around and before any annoying grommets turned up to start pissing us off.

"Did he just say SIX?"

Uh-oh. Alice stood in the doorway to the living room where she and Edward had been setting up the sleeping arrangements.

"Yes Alice, he did. You know we always go to the beach with Dad on a Sunday morning."

"But Bel-la, I thought that your new sexy wardrobe change may have inspired you to find better things to do with your time! Like shopping! Why would you want to go to the beach and spend hours getting your fingers all pruny and your hair all mussed up?" Her patented pout was out in full force.

"Just because I learnt how to wear a skirt, doesn't mean I am not still a surfer girl Alice. Sorry to disappoint."

"Well I, for one, am glad to see that some things haven't changed" I couldn't help but smile as his laughing green eyes met me over the top of Alice's head.

It was good to be back.

A/N

I hope you liked the first chapter. I already have the next three written and they will be posted over the next couple of days.

Please review – I promise to reply!