A/N: The characters and backstory all belong to the talented Stephenie Meyer. No infringement intended. Parts of this story are taken directly from New Moon continuity sake. The co-writer on this fic is bonniebelle1107. As always your reviews are welcome and encouraged. Enjoy!

Chapter Two - Homecoming

I pulled up outside of our new home, feeling my stomach lurch with the extravagance of it all. Carlisle had gone all out, buying a Victorian style mansion, not at all like the cozy home we had known in Forks.

"Edward!!" I could hear Alice shout as she made her way to the front door to greet me. Apprehensively, I stepped out of the car, and made my way to the front stair, not looking forward to what was waiting for me on the other side of the door. Before I had even stepped foot on the first step, the door flew open and Alice bounded out, nearly tackling me where I stood. Esme stood silently in the doorway, watching as I composed myself. I nodded in her direction and watched as she disappeared inside.

Alice had been beyond angry with me for denying her the opportunity to say goodbye to her friend, and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she had yet to forgive me. "What were you thinking, Edward? You didn't have to do that to her."

She had been watching. I knew that she wouldn't be able to tune out, despite my request for privacy. "I had no choice." She huffed and turned her back to me; not that it mattered. I didn't need to see the expression on her face to know that her anger was not subsiding. Despite her relative spunkiness, Alice was the last of the Cullen coven that you wanted to anger.

I looked around the estate, grateful for the high fence that surrounded the yard. How odd we would appear to passersby, standing here on the front lawn conversing this way.

"Honestly Alice, don't you think you are being just a tad bit dramatic? She will move on. She will...She will forget about me. This is for the best." She quickly spun on her heels to face me, her eyes glowing red.

"The best for whom? You have no idea what you have done to her."

I stepped towards her, placing my arm on her shoulder. "I don't want to know. Please, Alice. Please don't watch her. I promised her..."

Alice's face softened as she began to realize my pain. "Edward...I'm sorry."

I paused for a moment, closed my eyes and tried to pull myself back together. "Don't be. This is my fault and mine alone." I turned away from her and climbed the steps to the porch. This place didn't feel like home, and I found myself aching for our home in Forks. Esme met me at the door, her eyes sympathetic to the pain I was obviously experiencing. Without a word, she wrapped her arm around my waist, and walked me inside.

"Carlisle has been waiting for you, Edward." We stood in the hallway, just outside of the study, with it's heavy wooden doors pulled shut. "Don't worry. It will all work out." Esme would never know just how much she reminded me of my mortal mother, always looking out for every member of our coven, despite our many mistakes.

The anxiety that I felt as we stood outside of those doors was ridiculous, but real nonetheless. Over the years, Carlisle and I had developed a mutual respect for each other. In many ways, I thought of him as my surrogate father. The thought of having disappointed him was nearly unbearable.

Esme placed her hand on the doorknob, and giving me one last look, she slowly opened the door. "Go on." I stepped inside and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim light before I took a seat on the plush couch across from the chair where Carlisle sat. I tried to hear him, but he was cleverly keeping his mind free of thought. "Edward." I set my eyes to a space on the floor between us. "Thank you for joining me." His voice was as low and calm as always, still giving no clue as to what might be going on in the depths of his mind

"I'm sorry. I should have never let this get so far." I jumped the gun, anticipating his reaction. He raised his hand ever so slightly, instantly silencing me. Esme walked up behind him, and rested her hands on his shoulder. He continued to raise his hand until it rested atop Esme's.

"Edward, don't apologize. We loved her too." I raised my eyes to meet his as a smile crept across my face.

"That's Bella. You can't help but love her." Esme nodded in agreement, as she slowly walked around and took a seat next to Carlisle.

"With that said, we all need to move on. I know you understand." His voice was calming, and it put my frazzled nerves at ease. "You've made your decision. You've spared her life, but in return you must now go on without her."

I nodded acknowledging the awful truth. "I have and I may regret it for all eternity."

"You may, but you need to face the fact that you can never see her again. It's just too dangerous," he paused for a moment. "for all of us. Naturally she will move on. She will build a life for herself. You must do the same. Leave here, Edward. Go out and see the world. Continue doing the things that you loved before you loved her. Life will go on for both of you. How you live it is up to you."

He did not wait for my response. He patted Esme's hand and then stood, quickly leaving us behind. I was stunned by his reaction, and still visibly shaken. I lowered my head once again, letting the pain of the day wash over me. Esme quickly took to my side, patting my back and speaking soothingly. "He's right, you know. We loved her too. You need to listen to him, Edward. You need to try to put this all behind you. Go out and see the world, try to find a new love." She paused, knowing that the words were cutting through my granite skin as a razor would cut paper. "I know that's difficult for you now, but you'll see, and in the end if your heart brings you back to Bella, you must follow its lead."

"That will never happen, Esme. I don't have a heart." I rested my head in the palm of my hands, crushed by the weight of my decisions.

"You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known, Edward. You will find love again." With that said, she stood and walked across the room before bidding me goodnight, leaving me alone in this dark room of shadows to face the consequences of my decisions.

Esme had told me to follow my heart. "Stupid cliches!" I sighed. Any fool could see that I had left my heart with Bella. I sank back into the comfort of the sofa and closed my eyes, contemplating where my future may lead me, when a voice in my head startled me.

"Stupid human! I can't believe that we had to up and leave because of HER. Damn you Edward and damn you Bella." Rosalie's thought tore into my head with a vengeance and took me by surprise. I sat up, thinking that I must have misunderstood, but it was all but confirmed as she continued.

"She's probably crying her poor little brown eyes out. Serves her right. She deserves every bit of pain that she's feeling." My fists clenched, I jumped up from the couch and quickly felt waves of anger wash over my body as I lost all measure of self control. Without thinking I sought out my "sister" and decided that we were going to have it out once and for all.

I did not have to look far. She was lying in Emmett's arms in the parlor. I approached her with caution, not wanting to provoke Emmett. "What did you say?" I asked, through clenched teeth. She smiled, knowing I had heard every word loud and clear.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Edward. I haven't said a single word, have I honey?" She turned to Emmett, who nodded in agreement.

"I heard you, Rosalie. Why don't you just come out once and scream it? Stop hiding behind your doe eyes and show us all just how ugly you can be."

Without a word of warning, she jumped up from the sofa, landing directly in front of me. It was a move I had admired during our "camping trips". It did not lose any of its effectiveness in this confined space. Unable to control the anger, I met her stare, both of us refusing to back down. Emmett jumped up and tried to reason with her, but we both were beyond reason as we circled one another. "What's wrong, Edward? Miss your little pet project in self control? I can't believe you lasted as long as you did. Oh, sweet Bella. Alas, it was not to be."

The sound of her name spoken with such contempt took my anger to levels I had yet to experience. Before I knew it, I had thrown Rosalie to the floor, and fought to keep myself from ripping her limb for limb. "Hmmm, Bella, Bella, Bella. What would she think if she were to walk in here right now, Hmmm? She might get the wrong idea." She knew that just the sound of her name was enough to crush me, and she knew she had the upper hand. She flipped me over and pinned me to the floor. After the ordeal I had been through, I had no strength left to fight her. She threw her head back and laughed. Her blonde hair whipped around her face, creating a halo effect as I looked up at her, but angel she was not.

Emmett sat back watching with wonder, not fully understanding what had brought this on. The sound of her laughter echoed around the empty room, and bounced off the rafters, bringing Jasper out from wherever it was he had been hiding.

"What the..." Without wasting a single moment, Jasper went to work to defuse the situation. I could feel the anger begin to drain from my body. Emmett helped Rosalie up from the floor and then turned to speak to Jasper for a moment. Rosalie, still standing above me, extended her hand to help me up. "Need some help, brother?" She smirked at me, still every bit as contentious as she had been before Jasper's arrival. I accepted her hand, and allowed her to help me up from the floor. Once again standing on my own two feet, her hand still in mine, I pulled her close and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Beauty may be skin deep, but ugly cuts right to the bone, sis."

I released her hand and calmly left the room, listening as their minds searched for some sort of reason for this, the answer that only Rosalie and I knew.

Dearest Esme:

It pains me to do this, but I must go. There's nothing for me here anymore. Please give my love to Alice. I regret not speaking to her before leaving, but I couldn't stay here a moment longer. I can hear them, all of them. But even if I couldn't hear them, I would still know. I see it in the way they look at me, the way that they turn from me as I walk into the room. They blame me for this, and even worse, they blame Bella. She did not ask for any of this. Please make them understand. This is not her fault.

Just as I promised Bella, you will not see or hear from me again. Perhaps I am taking the coward's way out by writing this letter, but I just can't stand to see pain reflected in the eyes of one more person that I love.

I will be forever grateful to the kindess you and Carlisle have shown me through the years.

Love, Edward

I placed the note on the counter where I knew that she would find it, and threw my bag over my shoulder. Without allowing myself a moment to change my mind, I headed out the door and into the night.