Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of it's properties.
A/N: I've been taking a little break from writing to get caught up on school work and life, but I had an inspiration for a story and I just couldn't resist =) I want to warn you that there a few songs thrown in here, and they're all pretty mainstream. I know they're not all amazing, but they fit the story too well to pass up, so I apologize in advance if you don't like some of them. I'm not sure how far I'm going to take this story, but it will be full-length, I promise. Let me know what you think!
EPOV
I stretched my stiff limbs, enjoying the ability to move again. The line out of the plane moved slowly, as usual, as the other passengers retrieved bags from the overhead, or struggled to pull themselves out of the cramped seats. The plane was pretty small, and I ducked my head to avoid hitting anything on my way out, returning the stewardess's flirtatious wink with a tight-lipped smile.
The flight had gone a lot faster than I had expected. I had pulled an all-nighter yesterday to finish packing all of my things, wanting to get the fuck out of Chicago as quickly as possible. With everything ready to ship, all I had to do was get on my plane and accept my boxes when my parents sent them out here at the end of the summer.
A small part of me was going to miss them. I really do love my parents, and I know that deep, deep down, they love me too. But I'm ready to start my life, and make my own decisions. It was getting harder and harder to breathe under their watchful eyes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. They weren't exactly thrilled when I told them that I wanted to transfer out of the University of Chicago, and attend the University of Washington with Ali and Em in Seattle. They were even less thrilled when I told them that I was chaning my major from Pre-Law to Music. They'll get over it someday. I hope.
I was barely out of the terminal when my body was thrown backwards, and I struggled to stay upright under the added weight of a tiny, black-haired missle. When my lungs re-expanded I chuckled softly, wrapping my arms around my youngest cousin and squeezing her tight.
"Oh my God, Edward! I'm sooo excited that you're here! We're going to have so much fun this summer, and you're going to love UW! Have you decided where you're going to stay yet? Do you want help picking an apartment? Mine and Jazzy's building has a few vacancies--"
"Alice!" I interrupted her, fearing that she may lose consciousness if she didn't take a breath soon. She sucked in a shaky breath, then tilted her head back to beam at me. I wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders and steered her toward the rest of the family, unable to keep the smile off my face at the sight of their matching grins. Something in my chest clicked into place, and every ounce of tension eased out of my body. This was my family. This was home.
"Eddie! I'm glad you made it, man!" Emmett boomed, pulling my away from Alice and into a tight hug, pounding on my back in the process. I coughed as the air whooshed out of my lungs, but hugged him back just as tight.
"Shit, Em," I wheezed. "It's good to see you man," I laughed when he released me. I turned to my Aunt Esme next, bending down to wrap my arms around her, lifting her off the ground as I inhaled the familiar scent. She laughed lightly, a sound that warmed me from my toes to my nose, and I set her back down on her feet. She reached up to cup my face in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Welcome back, Edward. We've missed you," she said softly, a gentle smile on her lips. She stepped back to give Uncle Carlisle some space, and he smiled a bright, perfect smile as he took his turn hugging me.
"We're happy you're here, son," he said quietly as we both held on tight. Carlisle and Esme had always seemed more like my parents than my own had. I knew my mom and dad cared about me, but the love that eminated from my aunt and uncle was almost staggering in its intensity. I even had Esme's odd bronze hair-color, though I had my mother's green eyes.
I looked around at my family, finally able to breathe for the first time in too damn long. Only ten minutes into my move to Washington, and I already knew that I had made the right decision. This is where I belonged, I could feel it.
Esme quickly ushered us all down to baggage claim where we picked up my things, then went out to their car. I settled happily into my seat, not at all upset about the long drive to their home in Forks. It felt great just to be with them again, and I listened quietly as Alice filled me in on the town and school, and all of the plans she had for the summer.
I used to spend every summer with them in Forks, until I was about eight years old. That was around the time that my parents decided that I needed to start preparing for the future. Summer became a chance to go into work with my dad, learn more about the trade, and take advantage of extra-credit assignments for school, just to make sure that I didn't lose anything over the break. I still got to spend some time with my cousins on occasion, when they would come visit for Christmas, or I would be allowed a few rare trips to go camping.
As we got older, our visits started to become limited to merely phone calls. We talked often, however, none of us wanting to lose touch. With my busy schedule I didn't have time for friends or dating, so they were my only link to normalcy. We talked on a daily basis, and once or twice Esme was able to convince my mother to send me out to them for the weekend. It would be nice to be around them again, with no limit to how much time we had together.
Alice hadn't changed much over the years. She was still a tiny little thing, only coming up to mid-chest, and thin in the extreme. Her inky black hair was cropped short, and stuck out in every direction, a perfect match to her electric personality. Her hazel eyes were swirls of brown, green, and gold, almost seeming to churn as you stared into them. Top it all off with her smooth white skin, and she strongly resembled a china doll.
Emmett was a huge motherfucker. He had definitely grown since I had last seen him. He was maybe 6'1", about an inch shorter than me, but he was built like a linebacker, solid muscle. His dimpled cheeks mocked his enormous size, accenting the short black hair and hazel eyes that he shared with his sister. The one difference between them, besides size, was their skin tone. Emmett had obviously taken advantage of every second of sun that the northwest offered, plus maybe a few sessions in a tanning bed, and had worked up a dark tan.
Carlisle and Esme looked exactly the same as I remembered them. Carlisle stood just a couple inches shorter than Emmett, but had a much leaner build. His cool blue eyes shone brightly against his pale skin, and his golden hair didn't show even a hint of grey. His wife had the same good fortune, with bronze hair just a shade lighter than my own. Her hazel eyes matched her childrens', as did her bright smile.
With Alice's constant chatter, the drive to their home went by much faster than I expected. We turned off onto the obscured gravel path, winding through a maze of trees before pulling up in front of the large white house. I sighed in contentment as I stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the damp air that surrounded us.
My bags were put in my room upstairs, and we were all gathered in the living room in no time, interrupted shortly by the chime of the doorbell. Alice squeeled excitedly and launched herself off the couch and toward the door, causing us all to chuckle. She came back moments later with two blonde-haired, blue-eyed guests.
"Edward, this is Jazzy!" she exclaimed excitedly, pushing one of our guests toward me. He was a couple inches taller than me at 6'4", with long, lanky limbs. His honey-colored hair hung in curls to brush the tops of his ears, and crystal blue eyes shone out of a pale face as he reached forward to shake my hand.
"Jasper Hale," he chuckled with an amused glance to Alice. "It's a pleasure to meet you." His voice held a thick southern accent and I couldn't help but feel at ease around him.
"Edward Masen," I responded. Alice and I hadn't had a single conversation in the last seven years without his name coming up. He and his family had moved to Forks from Texas, and Alice had immediately claimed him as hers. They'd been together ever since.
"This is my Rosie," Emmett anounced, beeming at the blonde supermodel that was draped over his arm. She rolled her eyes at the exuberance in his voice, but it was obvious that she adored him. She stepped forward and extended a perfectly tanned and manicured hand out to shake mine.
"Rosalie Hale," she introduced yourself, "but you can call me Rose." Her hair was the same honey-blonde as her brother's, but hung in loose curls down to the middle of her back. She had the same crystal blue eyes, but her accent was much softer, almost unnoticable.
"They're twins!" Alice explained quickly, grinning widely, completely unaware of the eye rolls going on around her.
"Yeah, I caught that," I chuckled at her. Carlisle and Esme took this moment to say their goodnights, heading upstairs to allow all of us to get caught up.
"So, Rose," I started, "Emmett tells me you're a mechanic?" I asked, intrigued. She was gorgeous, swimsuit model material. I couldn't picture her covered in grease under the hood of a car. Well, maybe I could, but I'm sure Emmett wouldn't be too happy about that. She smirked at my expression, probably used to the stereotype.
"Absolutely," she replied, looking up at Emmett who was grinning proudly. "We just got Cullen Auto Repair up and running a couple months ago," she continued. "Emmett's the brains of the operation, and I do the grunt work," she laughed.
"Someday we'll have our own car lot attached to that shop, and my baby won't have to work another day in her life if I have any say in the matter," Emmett added sternly. We all chuckled at his seriousness, and Rose placed a kiss on his cheek.
The two of them started dating just a few months after Alice and Jasper. Apparently Rose was a massive bitch to him right of the bat, and he just couldn't resist the challenge. They were practically inseparable now. With Rose's degree in mechanical engineering and Emmett's in business management, they were a perfect duo. He proposed just after he graduated college, and they started their repair shop a year later when Rose received her own diploma.
"So, what about you two?" I asked, turning to Jasper and Alice. Alice beamed up at him, and I marveled at how quiet she had been since he arrived. I must not be the only one he has a calming effect on.
"Well, I'm a photographer, so when Alice here finishes with her fashion merchandising degree, we're gonna start our own line." He kept eye contact with her the entire time he spoke, the two of them just dripping with affection. I squirmed a little, feeling out of place with the two couples in front of me, both obviously in love. I had never had a chance to even meet a girl, let alone fall in love with her. It had never really bothered me, but seeing how happy these four were, and how perfect they all were together, I couldn't help but want that for myself.
"We better get some sleep, so we can start showing Edward around town tomorrow," Alice finally sighed. "I mean, there's not much to show; it hasn't really changed since the last time you were here," she giggled, before her face fell a little. "I really wish Bella was here already; you would just love her," she pouted.
Bella was Alice's best friend. I had never met her, since she didn't live in Forks at the same time as me, but Alice had mentioned her from time to time. Ever since I told Alice about my plans to transfer, she's started bringing up her friend more and more. I had some suspicions about her intentions, but I figured, fuck it; it couldn't hurt to just meet the girl.
"Where is she?" I asked. Alice rolled her eyes and crossed her arms angrily across her chest, and Jasper just chuckled and put a comforting arm around her little shoulders.
"She's being dumb, spending her summer working instead of hanging out with me," Alice continued to pout. I couldn't help but chuckle at the way she said 'working', like it was a dirty word.
"Bells got an internship with a publishing company over the summer," Emmett explained for her. "She's been working for them freelance for awhile now, but they offered her an internship as a junior editor to see if she'd be interested in a permanent spot with the company when she graduates this year."
"Yeah, but she's gonna be gone all summer!" Alice whined, her eyes welling up with tears at the thought of not being able to see her best friend. I felt the urge to comfort my little cousin, but Jasper was already taking care of that.
"Ali, you know this is a good opportunity for her, baby," Jasper soothed. "She's only gonna be up in Seattle for two more months, then she'll come down her for a month with us." Alice's tears began to dry as he spoke, and she sucked her bottom lip back in.
"I know," she sighed, "I'm so proud of her, really. I just miss her." She leaned her head on Jasper's shoulder, and he kissed her forehead softly. I averted my eyes, feeling like I was intruding on an intimate moment, and couldn't help but feel like I wanted that again.
We called it a night just a few minutes later, and I followed the two couples up the stairs before heading to my room. It felt good to spread out on the bed, allowing my eyes to drift shut with exhaustion. I had a long summer ahead of me, but I was looking forward to every moment of it. My thoughts slipped away, as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Sooooo? What did ya think? I'll bring Bella in probably in chapter 4. Edward needs to get settled in first, so enjoy him for the time being =)