Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

BPOV

Today I finally graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor's degree in early education and a minor in business. My hope is to one day be able to open my own day care but for now I've been offered a teaching job at the elementary school in Forks where I lived since I was fourteen.

Let me tell you a little about myself before I go on. My name is Isabella Marie Swan but everyone has always called me Bella. I'm 5'2 very petite, I have long mahogany brown hair and brown eyes the color of chocolate. My parents had only been 16 when I was born. My mother wanted to give me up for adoption but my dad couldn't stand the idea of having a child somewhere in the world where he'd never know them. My mother's parents were all for her giving me up but my gran and gramps were also against the idea. Two days after I was born my dad Charlie came to the hospital to visit me and my mother only to find that her parents had signed her out of the hospital the night before and left legal papers signing away all her rights as a parent. After that my gran and gramps helped take care of me while my dad finished high school. My gramps passed away during my dads senior year of hospital and left just my gran to help my dad raise me. When my dad finished high school she fully supported his decision for him to go into the army so that he would be able to support his family even though my gran came from a wealthy family and he had a huge trust fund he could have used to support us. Some people would say my dad was crazy for joining the army when he had a several million dollar trust fund but he had grown up seeing my gramps working a job he loved. My gramps had owned and operated a logging company in Forks until he finally sold it when he retired. So my dad had decided to follow in his foot steps and show me that you should always work hard no matter how much money you have.

When I was four my dad had been transferred to Fort Hood military base in Killeen, TX where he was a MP (military police). Since my gran was worried about us trying to get by on our own she decided to rent out her house and moved with us to help my dad take care of me. Fort Hood is where I met my first real friend Alice Cullen. Her family moved in next door to us. Her father was a doctor in the army and her mother was a stay at home mom who took care of her and her two twin brothers Edward and Emmett who were 6. Even at four Alice was shorter then I was and my gran said she would be petite like her mother Esme. Alice had dark brown hair that she liked to wear short because she said she didn't like having to get the tangles brushed out. She had blue eyes like her dad. Of course at four I had no clue what petite was and when I told Alice what gran had said she'd run home crying because she thought it was something bad.

Flashback – Bella / Alice 4yrs old

"My gran says you petite like your mommy." I told Alice as we sat in my sand box playing with my toys.

"What petite?" She asked as she stopped playing.

I shrugged because I honestly didn't know what it was. Alice dropped her shovel and her lip started to quiver before she jumped up running through the gate in the fence that separated our houses. As soon as Alice was gone I ran into the house and hid in my dad's closet under his clothes and laundry basket because I thought I would get in trouble for making Alice cry. My gran had been in the basement doing laundry and didn't know that I had come in so when she'd come up and looked out the window in the back yard to check on us and neither of us was there she got scared and went to see if we'd gone to Alice's house without telling her. When She found out from Esme that I wasn't there she had come back home and looked around for me, I guess she hadn't thought to look in my dads closet because there was no reason I would be in there. I had fallen asleep under the clothes and basket and never heard her calling for me. When neither gran nor Esme could find me they called my dad home from work. While the other MP's along with Alice's dad Carlisle drove around the base looking for me my dad had started searching the house. When I heard my dad yelling for me as he got closer to his room I started crying because I knew I was in trouble. My dad had heard my muffled cries and found me moments later.

"Bella!" Dad called as he dropped to the floor and pulled me into his arms hugging me. "You scared me so bad I thought someone took you away why were you in the closet hiding?"

I sniffled and buried my face in his neck. "I didn't want to get in trouble for being bad." I said.

He sat back with his back against the bed and stroked my hair. "Why would you think you were in trouble baby?"

I bit my lip as I looked up at him. "I made Alice cry. I told her that gran said she was petite like her mommy and she got sad and ran home." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and looked up at him. "Am I in trouble?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Petite isn't something bad baby. It just means that she's going to be shorter and thin when she gets older like her mom is. Did you ever notice that Ms. Esme is smaller then some of the other mommies?"

I nodded my head as I snuggled into his chest.

"Well that's because she's petite. It's not anything bad." He kissed my head and sighed. "Now you're not in trouble for that but you are in trouble for hiding like you did. You made everyone worry that something happened to you. I think that you need to apologize to gran and Ms. Esme because you had them very worried. You also need to apologize to Dr. Carlisle because when he heard you were missing he left work early to help look for you." He tapped my nose with his finger. "From now on I don't care if you are in trouble you are not to hide okay?"

I nodded my head as he stood up and carried me over to Alice's house where everyone was waiting to hear whether the MP's found me. When we came into the house everyone was relieved that I was okay and I apologized to them for scaring them and for making Alice cry.

End Flashback

Alice and I were joined at the hip everyday after that and even when we started school. Luckily the classes were small enough that Alice and I were always in the same class. Since Edward and Emmett were older then we were they both looked out for us even though the other kids teased them for it. Edward was the most beautiful boy ever he had an odd reddish brown hair that my gran said was bronze, it was always sticking up all over even after he brushed it. He had my favorite colored eyes emerald green. The other kids at recess always laughed at me because I sometimes would fall because I was to busy staring at Edward even after Emmett would yell at them for being mean to me. Emmett was clearly going to be really big when he got older. He was already taller and bigger then the other kids and when he told them to leave me alone they listened at least when he was around. By the time Alice and I were nine Edward and Emmett had their own friends and didn't always play with us at school. They said they were too old to play on the playground. Since they had started to hang out with their friends at recess the other kids started to openly pick on me. Victoria and Riley Biers were the worst.

Flahsback – 9 yrs old

"Hey Riley you know why Bella doesn't have a mommy?" Victoria asked.

Riley grinned and shook his head as both he and Victoria circled around Alice and I while a group of kids watched on.

"Because she's so clumsy." She said before pushing me on the cement.

Alice started yelling at her while the other kids laughed at me. Emmett and Edward who heard their sister yelling turned to see what was going on. When Edward saw he fisted his hands and stomped over to us and pushed Riley away from me.

"Leave my girlfriend alone!" He yelled before punching Riley in the nose.

I blinked as I watched him being taken inside by a teacher. I couldn't believe Edward Cullen had said I was his girlfriend. I knew the other kids held hands and called themselves boyfriend and girlfriend so did that mean that Edward wanted to hold my hand?

End flashback

Edward and I never held hands but he and Emmett did start hanging out with us again. The four of us were always together until the fateful day at the age of ten when Dr. Carlisle came home and told them that he was being transferred to another base. They weren't sure yet which base he was going to yet so he and the family were supposed to go to Washington D.C. and would be told from there where he was needed. I was heart broke when my dad and Alice's mom and dad sat me down and told me they had to move. I was so sad that I locked myself in my room and refused to eat dinner. A week later the moving trucks were packed up and Alice was leaving.

Flashback – 10 yrs old (2001)

Alice, Emmett, Edward, and I stood in front of their parent's car. The four of us were all in embracing each other in a huge hug for a second before we finally broke apart.

Edward hugged me again before kissing my cheek. He handed me the book that we had been reading together Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. "I'll write to you once I finish the book and you can let me know what you think of the book when you write back." He grinned before he got into the car.

Emmett hugged me and kissed my cheek before giving me his favorite baseball cap. "I'll miss you belly." He climbed into the car next to Edward.

Alice wiped tears from her cheeks and grinned. "I promise I'll write as soon as we get to our new house wherever it is." She hugged me before getting into the car too.

Alice and I had made friendship bracelets for each other and promised to always be sisters the night before when she spent the night. I had given Edward and Emmett their presents the night before when they came for dinner at our house with their mom and dad. My dad had helped me pick out a baseball card that Emmett had been looking for. My dad had taken me to a collector and lent me the money to get the card and then he'd take it out of my allowance a little at a time. For Edward I'd got a book of music that he'd be able to play on the piano. My gran had helped me pick out a painting to give to Esme and Carlisle who had become like my mom and other dad. Esme and Carlisle had given my dad a gift card for me get some new books since that was favorite thing to do when I couldn't play with Alice, Emmett, or Edward.

"Be good for your dad." Carlisle said before kissing my forehead and giving me a hug.

"Be good and we'll try to work something out with your daddy to try to get together next summer." Esme said before hugging and kissing my cheek. "I love you."

I nodded and hugged my dad while they pulled away.

End Flashback

That was the last time I ever saw them. A week later my dad was promoted and we were transferred to Fort Lewis which is about 9 miles away from Tacoma, Washington. We lived there until I was fourteen and then my dad at the age of 32 decided that he was done with the military and decided not to reenlist. Since we were in Washington my gran and dad decided that we would move back to Forks because they had offered him a job as the Chief of Police because of all his experience he had as a MP. Gran moved back into her 2 bedroom house and dad ended up buying the house 2 doors down and had it completely renovated. Next door to us lived Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Rosalie was the same age as me and Jasper was 2 years older than us. Rosalie at the age of 14 was already taller than any girl I'd ever seen. She had blue eyes and long blond hair. She looked like a model. Her brother was already 6'0 and had a well toned muscular body at the age of 16. He had blue eyes and blond hair as well however his hair was a little darker then Rose's. Like his sister he was beautiful if you can call a guy that word. He was no Edward Cullen but he still made m heart beat a little faster whenever I saw him. Across the street from us lived Tanya Denali who was the same age as Rose and I. Tanya was just a little shorter then Rose with long strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. My dad quickly resumed his friend ship with Billy Black who he'd grown up with. Billy and his son Jake lived on the reservation nearby. Jake was the same age as Jasper and was already 6'2 and very muscular. Jake wore his black hair short and like me had dark brown eyes. The five of us have been best friends since we met. Tanya and Jake started dating when she turned fifteen and have been engaged for the last two years. Rose dated a jerk named Royce King off and on through high school until my dad arrested him for robbery and assault charges when Rose was a senior in high school. For me the only guy I've ever tried dating was Jasper. We dated my freshman and sophomore year but never got past kissing and holding hands. Really we were just best friends who held hands and occasionally kissed. Jasper did take me to my senior prom when I said there wasn't anyone at school that I would even consider going with. Jasper and Jake had already gone off to the University of Washington so they had both come back home just to take me and Tanya to the dance. Jasper's friend Peter had taken Rose but nothing ever blossomed between them. Peter had ended up a month later meeting his fiancée Charlotte.

After high school Rose, Tanya, and I all got accepted to the University of Washington. Rose had decided to major in business, Tanya decided on nursing, and I had decided to major in early education and minor in business. Jasper had already completed 2 years towards his bachelors in History and Jake was 2 years away from getting his bachelors in business. My dad and gran were thrilled that we all had decided to go to college. Over the years my dad had adopted all of my friends and treated them like they were his own. Rose practically lived with us after Jasper went to college and Tanya had moved in when she was 17 because her parents had decided that they wanted to go back to Italy and since she was 17 she could get a job and take care of herself. My dad was pissed to say the least and filed charges against her parents for abandoning a still minor who was not emancipated. Since she was already 17 children's services granted my dad permission to become her guardian until she was 18. When Tanya got accepted to UW she had problems because financial aid wanted information on her parent's income. Since they had taken off and no one knew where they went my father tried to explain to them that they weren't part of her life. They made him and gran so mad that they decided to just pay for our education along with Rose's. My father also went as far as to pay off Jake and Jasper's student loans and finished paying for their schooling. Over the years gran and dad had been investing their money and several millions had grown and grown. You'd never guess that my family was rich because we didn't flaunt it. My dad did put his foot down when I said he could just buy me a used car when the girls and I moved to Seattle to go to college. My dad said there was no way he was going to be worrying about us being stranded somewhere because we had a used car that we had no way of knowing if it would continue to run. Dad ended up buying a 2009 Nissan Rogue for the three of us to share. My dad also helped us find a house we could rent that was big enough for us and Jasper and Jake.

Flashback – 2009 Seattle, WA

My dad pulled into the drive way behind the realtor; we had already looked at 4 houses that just didn't fit what we were looking for. The house was a two story red brick and off white siding home with lots of windows and black shutters.

I grinned over at Rose and Tanya. "Looks like Jasper and Jake are going to have a lot of outdoor work if we get this place."

They smirked and nodded while Jake and Jasper rolled their eyes. We had agreed that the girls and I would cook and clean the kitchen if the guys took care of cutting the lawn and washing the windows and spraying dirt off the outside of the house and off the drive way.

The realtor stood in front of the door and turned to us. "This house is a 4 bedroom, 4 bath, and 2 half bath Colonial that was built in 2003. The house comes fully furnished. The house is 2 stories with an open foyer. The living room has a nice fireplace. It has a gourmet eat-in kitchen loaded with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. Each room has its own private bathroom complete with a walk in shower, soaker tub, and a dual sink vanity. The house has hardwood floors throughout both floors. It has a completely finished basement as well as a den that you can use for a computer and study area. Out back it has a patio, a hot tub, and a pool."

"Does it have a garden?" I asked.

"No but I did speak with the owner who said that he has no problem with you adding one off to the side of the back yard and that you can put in a flower garden in the front if you like." She said as she opened the door and led us inside.

The foyer led either up the stairs to the top floor, to the first half bath that had cream colored walls as well as a toilet and a nice sink, or through a pair of French doors into the living room. The walls were painted a nice cream color and the French doors framing was painted white. The first thing I noticed as we walked into the living room was that the cream colored walls carried on into the room and that there was a huge beautiful brick fireplace. The room had a nice sized light tan leather couch with a few pillows, in front of the couch was a light wood colored coffee table, the room also had a small book shelf and a few other leather chairs spread throughout the room. Off the living room was the kitchen eat in area. There was just a half wall that left it open so that if you were in the kitchen you could completely see into the living room. The kitchen was huge and beautiful. The cream walls seemed to run throughout the entire bottom floor. It had huge windows trimmed in white that gave a great view of the back yard. The cabinets were a dark wood with black granite counters. In the middle of the kitchen was an eat at island on one side and the stove built into the other side so that someone could sit right at the island and face you as you as they cooked. The kitchen had a huge double sink, dish washer, fridge, built in wine cooler which held up to 34 bottles. The kitchen opened into the dining room which had a wooden table with wood chairs that sat two on each side and one at each end. Off the dining room was a set of white French doors that led out to the back yard. The yard was completely fenced in since the land lord allowed dogs. The pool was a nice curved pool. We would need to get some lounge chairs. One surprise that she hadn't mentioned was that there was a fire pit in the back yard as well. The fire pit was made of different colored bricks and had a nice brick bench that you could sit on. The patio also had a built in grilling area that was made of the same brick as the fire pit. Pushed into the openings in the brick was a grill and small fridge. It had granite counters between the grill and fridge where you could prep food and then also had a small brick island to sit at as well as a small round table with chairs. The entire patio was enclosed.

"Now this place I can see us living in." Jake said.

I rolled my eyes since we hadn't even been upstairs yet. Just because the downstairs and outside was nice didn't mean the upstairs wasn't tiny. The realtor led us back inside and up the stairs. The same cream colored walls and hardwood floors were throughout the upstairs as well. Each room was big enough for a king size bed, a desk, and a built in walk in closet. Each bathroom was just as the realtor had described. Once we'd finished with the upstairs she took us down into the finished bathroom. To the left of the stairs there was a door that led into the laundry room that had a washer and dryer. To the right of the stairs it opened up to a small kitchen area with a fridge and built in bar. Past the kitchen area was a large area with a huge couch and a huge 70" LED 1080p 3D HD television. Jasper, Jake, and my dad practically drooled over the television. Best part of the basement was that it had its own entrance from the side of the house so if we didn't want anyone upstairs. There was also a half bathroom just like the one on the first floor.

"How much is the rent?" My dad asked.

"7500.00 a month." She responded.

"Is the owner willing to sell?" He asked.

"I'm not sure let me call and find out." She answered as she walked back upstairs and stepped out letting us look around the house.

"Dad why are you asking about buying it, we may not even live in Seattle after college." I said.

He nodded. "Yes but think about it if you guys do move out after college then we'll rent it out."

The realtor came back and nodded her head. "He is willing to sell. Based on this area the houses are going for about $600,000."

Charlie nodded his head and pulled out his phone. Jake's dad Billy was in construction so he asked Billy to come out with his companies building inspector and check the property out. (A/N: In my story Billy isn't in a wheel chair)

"My friend owns a construction company and has an inspector on his crew so that there are no surprises when the cities building inspectors come out. They are going to come check the house over tomorrow. If everything checks out then I'll be ready to make an offer on the spot. Could you ask the owner to be present?" Dad said.

She nodded her head and followed us out of the house vowing to call the home owner.

End Flashback.

The home had ended up being in great condition and my dad ended up buying it for $585,000. Since all of us were moving back to Forks he already had a family who was interested in renting the home. Jake and Jasper had already moved back to Forks when they graduated two years ago. Jake had always been fiddling around with fixing up cars and had taken an automotive class along with Rosalie over the last two years. The classes had been weekend classes and both were now certified and could work on cars if they wanted. Jake and Rose had agreed that since they both loved cars and both would have bachelor degrees in business that the logical thing to do was to start up their own auto garage. My dad had helped them get a loan for half the money they needed and he and gran had gone in as silent partners with them making it possible for them to open two garages one in Port Angeles and one in Forks. Jasper had been working for the last two years teaching 5th grade history. He had helped me get a job as a student teacher last semester which was the last step that I needed to get my bachelors degree. At the end of last year the 1st grade teacher had decided to retire and the school offered me a job in the fall as long as I could pass the tests and got my certifications to teach. I was scheduled to take the test as soon as we got back from our trip to Las Vegas. Gran and dad had paid for a 2 week vacation for all of us. Jake and Jasper had saved their trip so that they could go with us when we graduated. Dad, gran, and Billy were coming for a couple days because Jake and Tanya were getting married while we were there.

I blinked as the girl next to me nudged me and brought me out of my thoughts. We were lining up and when I didn't get up she realized I wasn't paying attention. I got into line with the others ready to walk across the stage. My family cheered as first Tanya's name was called and she walked across the stage receiving her diploma. I didn't pay much attention as names were called until Rose's name was called. I watched her walk across the stage and heard my family cheering. When it was finally my turn I saw my dad and gran along with Billy, Jake, and Jasper standing up cheering for me. I managed to some how make it across the stage without falling and took my seat waiting for the Dean to announce that we were finished. When the last name was called we were told to move our tassels to the other side showing that we were now graduates. At that moment I wondered where Alice was and if she had spent the last 4 years similar to mine going to classes, doing homework, and finally graduating.

A/N - Here's a link where you can keep up with any pictures that I use for the each chapter.