"Was Forks always this boring?" Bella grumbled as she sat around her magnificent glass house overlooking the river in Forks, Washington.
"Yes, love. It has always been dull. Well, before you got here it was," Edward smiled as he kissed Bella's forehead while he nestled next to her on the couch.
"I remember the rain and the cold and you. That's all that I remember really happening here," Bella thought aloud.
"Maybe because after you met me, your life was filled with vampirey goodness," he laughed. "I remember running away to Phoenix and fighting a nomad in a ballet studio within the first three months after I met you. Then that summer was amazing. But then we both went through our darkest hours when I left. Which I am so sorry I ever thought of, much less doing." He cringed as he remembered seeing Sam's memory of Bella in the forest that night. This made him suddenly tighten his grip on Bella's waist slightly. Simultaneously Bella clutched at her bloodless heart as if she were afraid it would begin beating again.
"Edward, this whole 'I'm sorry for leaving you' bit is getting old. You're here now, that's what matters. Not to mention you're mine until the end of time," Bella smirked as she ran her finger along the sharp angels of Edward's collarbone.
"Then there was also running away to Italy and fighting the vampire royal family and fighting a vampire army within mere months of each other. Then we got married. And on our wedding night I got pregnant with Renesmee," she smiled at her daughter's voice echoing through the house as she was being picked up by Emmett and tickled.
"Yes, but then she almost killed you, and that almost killed me. But you were changed. You got your single wish from the moment you knew I was certainly a vampire. Unlike your other theories of superhero identities," Edward gave Bella his crooked little grin.
"And now we're back to where it all started. It's been so many years, Edward. There are so many memories around here. I don't know how it's going to go. We have so much history here – I have so much history here," Bella sighed as she remembered Charlie, Jacob, and her few friends from high school.
"Well, I am here for you. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and even Rosalie are all here for you. Besides, we have to help Nessie out with high school here. She's been to school in Alaska and Canada, but she's never been here. She doesn't know how special it is," Edward reminded.
"You're right. Tomorrow we have to go register for classes. I hate it. We've taken class after class. Edward I've gotten my Ph.D. in Literature, Philosophy, and English so many times it's sickening. And I get to go back to high school as a fifteen year old sophomore – again. I hate this part," she groaned to her husband.
"I told you so. I still don't understand why you would want to become one of us by choice. It's been nearly a hundred years and I still can't understand what goes on in that head of yours," Edward sighed. Even though Bella was able to stretch her mind shield for long period of time now, she didn't do it often because she liked having privacy from Edward. He still wanted to know everything she was thinking. That never did change.
"I did it because I love you. That's all you need to know," Bella smirked as she kissed his electric glass lips.
Bella did little more than get the words out of her mouth and give Edward a passionate, breathless kiss, than did the couple hear a loud splintering noise from downstairs.
"What happened now?" Edward complained. "Let's go see who did what this time."
Bella and Edward whisked down the staircase to see that Emmett had tossed Renesmee to Jasper. Simple enough, right? No. Emmett threw her so hard that Jasper caught her and then went sailing through the air into the recliner that shattered with the force of the combined impact.
"Emmett! What did you do! I told you not to throw her! You are such an idiot!" Rosalie screeched as she slapped him on the back of the head.
"I am so sorry, I thought I had a good hold on the ground. I didn't think Emmett was going to throw her so hard. I know Esme loved that recliner," Jasper apologized to anyone, yet, no one in particular as he stood up and started to pull the pieces of the recliner into a pile.
Alice flitted over and picked up Jasper and Nessie off the ground. "Well, let's get this cleaned up. I know Bella and Edward will -, " Alice looked up to see that Bella and Edward were already at the bottom of the staircase. Edward was leaned against the banister with a crooked smile on his pearlescent face. Bella was running over to see if Nessie was alright.
"Emmett, why did you throw her so hard?" Bella whined as she inspected every visible inch of Renesmee's body.
"I'm sorry. I guess I just don't know my own strength," he laughed so hard it nearly shook the entire house.
"Hello! Didn't anyone think to ask how I am? I mean, I'm the one who was hurtled through the air you know!" Renesmee exclaimed.
"Renesmee, you are fine. You are unbreakable. Nothing bad will ever happen to you, at least as long as your mother and I are around," Edward said as the stroked his daughter's cheek.
"Yeah, well I got hurt when Jacob died and I had nearly a WORLD of people around then! Why couldn't you stop that Dad?" Renesmee said as tears started to come through her eyes and down her face. She never liked to talk about Jacob much. Edward heard her thinking about him sometimes, but since returning to Forks, and this house specifically, he had been on her mind more often.
"Renesmee, sweetheart. You know that there was nothing any vampire in the world could do to change Jacob. He was a shape-shifter. They are immune to our venom. You two loved each other very much. And I am sorry that you had to be hurt so badly. I know how it feels to loose someone so close to your heart. Well, I almost lost someone so close to my heart," Edward implored with her to calm down as he hugged her in tight to his chest. Nessie squirmed to escape and he knew that he had to let her go. Nessie was one that the longer she was tied down, the longer she'll be away.
"No, Dad. You don't understand! He was mine from birth. I never knew a life without him. You had nearly a hundred years before you met Mom. You knew that there was life out there," Renesmee blubbered loudly before running outside and jumping over the river.
She was going hunting. Her eyes were the same chocolate brown color that Bella's had been before she had been changed. Nobody in the family could tell when she was hungry except for Edward. But that was only because he could hear her thoughts. She went hunting even when she wasn't particularly thirsty. She liked the anger release of killing.
"No, Bella, let her go," Edward said as he grabbed Bella's arm when she turned to go out of the south entrance. "I know you love her and want to help her, but she needs time to cool down."
"Is it okay if I go after her? I got the feeling that this time it was going to be rough on her. We've let her grieve for so long now. I just want to help her, just once. I think this is the worst it's been in a couple years," Jasper spoke up from his pile of wood and leather remains of the recliner. He had been respecting Renesmee's right to grieve for the past few decades, but he hadn't seen it this bad in a while. He felt that he had to intervene this time.
"Yes, Jasper, you can go. But try not to erase her pain totally, just calm her down enough for the next couple of days. We need her in reasonable shape in order to start school next week," Edward nodded towards the statutory young man.
"Thank you, I'll be hunting while I'm out as well. So we may not be back until later. But I will have her home in time to go to bed," Jasper replied politely before stepping out of the room and into the back yard.
"I understand why he gets to go, but I am her mother, I don't understand why I don't get to go," Bella sighed at Alice. It was hard for her to let her daughter feel so much pain when there was no way she could help.
"It's going to be alright, Bella. Jasper is amazing. He loves his niece very much and wants to help her out as much as you and Edward do. She'll be fine," Alice chimed as she attempted to comfort Bella by holding her face.
"I know, I just wish my daughter was never in pain," Bella said with vampire tears in her eyes.
"I do to love. Let's just go back upstairs. I'll make everything feel better. And tomorrow we have an interesting day while we return to Forks High. Come on," Edward said as he clasped his wife's hand in his and led her up the stairs to their room.
