Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the characters, original plot and creative inspiration.

Chapter 1: Home Coming

Edward pressed down on the gas and felt the car surge forward, seeming as impatient as he felt. Originally he planned to drive straight to Forks, straight to Bella's door. Straight to her arms and beg for her love. But something about Alice's message on his phone made his drive further north to Denali. She had mentioned that the rest of the family were desperate to see him and that they all wanted to go back to Forks with him.

He admitted to himself, when he heard Alice's matter of fact expectation, that he would drive to them first, that he had missed his little sister in the last few months. That he had missed all his family. But he missed Bella as well, maybe even more and was desperate to see her again.

As he neared the house, he noticed that there was only one mind inside, fluttering nervously about packing, and furnishing and the weather. The lack of chaos made him wonder where the rest of his family was, but Esme's thoughts told him they were all hunting and would return soon. He grinned as Esme's thoughts shouted joyfully when she heard the Volvo's engine. He quickly killed the engine, and in long strides was inside the front door. Esme stood in the doorway leading to the living room, her smile radiant.

"Hi," he said, suddenly nervous, feeling like the prodigal son he had been almost eighty years ago.

"Oh, Edward!" Esme exclaimed before flying at him and wrapping him in a hug. He could tell by her thoughts that she would be sobbing with happiness if she could cry.

"I'm so sorry, Mom, I never wanted to…" he started.

"No Edward, it's not important now." She interrupted him, "You're back, and we'll move back to Forks now. I don't doubt that things will work out somehow."

Hope surged through him, while he looked into her happy eyes. Finally he had done something right. The last few months had been a terrible mistake, but he would make it up to his family, and he would make it up to Bella, no matter what he had to do.

The last moments he had seen Esme before he had left, she was so disappointed, so sad. To see her happy now, he knew he was making the right choice.

A bombardment of thoughts alerted him to the arrival of the rest of the family, that they had seen his car and were just as ready as he was to get back to Forks.

Alice was the first through the door, throwing herself at Edward, squealing and rushing off into the back of the house.

Emmett and Jasper's greeting were just as excited, leading to a rumble which Esme hurried out the front door. Carlisle was waiting patiently next to the door, and hugged Esme while waiting for the boys to finish their tussle. Edward extracted himself from Emmett's grasp and stepped toward his father. Carlisle gripped Edward's hand in a firm handshake before pulling Edward into a hug.

I'm so glad that you came to the right decision on your own, Edward. Carlisle's thoughts were calm and happy. We all missed you.

Pulling away, Edward noticed Rosalie slip into the house, without meeting his eyes.

Rose…will just take time. Don't worry, I'll talk to her. Emmett looked meaningfully at Edward before following his wife.

Alice appeared suddenly in the door way with several luggage bags in her arms. And many more behind her.

"Ok," she said, breathlessly smiling, "we're all packed! Let's go home!"

In the car, driving to Forks, the excitement was infectious. Poor Jasper had a smile was almost as broad as Edward's. It took all of Edward's self control not to dump Jasper and Alice at the end of the drive to their house and head straight to Swan house. But it was early morning, and Edward thought it best to have a plan about how to confess what a fool he had been, about how sorry he was and how he could no longer live without his Bella.

Rosalie, in the car ahead, was all negative thoughts, creating doubts, like shadows through his mind. What if she, doing as he'd wanted, moved on? What if she was no longer 'his Bella'? The pain and jealousy at such an idea bubbled inside him, but he pushed those thoughts out of his mind trying to remain hopeful.

The white house was still the same, the meadow was slightly overgrown, but it was home. He sighed deeply, as he stopped the car and wandered up the stairs to his room. The entire house was filled with a dusty, uninhabited scent, but in his golden room, there was the slight difference, a scent lingered that he would always desire and never forget. Bella's scent seemed absorbed in the carpets and walls; he was grateful for that, but surprised that the smell of her wasn't in the whole house. Though Bella had spent most of the time at their house, in his room, so it seemed right that her scent could still be found in his room- even after all the time that had passed.

Edward sat on the carpet and leaned against the wall, watching the sky grow lighter and lighter outside his windows, and tried to plan such an important reunion. Questions filled his mind, some his own, some that his family were thinking as they settled back into the house.

What would Bella say when she saw him?
What would she do?
What would Edward have to say or do to convince her of his love?

A tap at the door drew him from his meditation like state.

"Alice?"

She slipped through the door and sat next to him. Her eyes worried. We should talk before you go out and find Bella.

Edward nodded, this was the other reason that he went to his family first. He had been waiting for Alice to talk about what was worrying her since they had left Denali, but she had only ever been excited and happy.

She sighed and opened her thoughts to him. He knew instantly that this was a vision.

Bella sat on her bedroom floor, looking down at something. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She sat back, kicking whatever was on the floor under her bed and clutched her middle, her sobs gaining sound and momentum. A soft knock on the door made her start, and she turned and looked at the opening door. A sad yet hopeful smile spread across her face, and the vision faded.

Waves of different emotions filled he as a thought about what had played through his mind. Why was Bella so sad? Who came through the door? He blurted out the only questions he thought Alice could answer.

"Why did the vision fade? Did you see who was at the door?"
She shook her head sadly. "No I didn't, and the vision faded like that the first time. That's the scary thing Edward, that's the last time I saw Bella. I know you didn't want me to look in on her, but that vision came naturally to me a few nights ago, and since then I've seen nothing."

"Can you look now?" Edward asked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

"Any time I try, it's just blank. It's like Bella has no future!" Alice wailed, slightly hysterical.

"No, Bella has a future; I'll make sure of that." Edward seemed determined.

"Are you going there today?"

"In a couple of hours"

"What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea," Edward grinned at her, "But I have to try, right?"

Edward stopped the Volvo, and looked at the house. It looked exactly the same. There was no difference to it, between how it was at that very moment and how it was at the last time he had been here. The last time he had seen her.

Self control prevented him from breaking down the front door and storming up the stairs to her room. Pride prevented him from throwing himself at her feet and begging her to take him back. Her truck sat in its place in the drive, so he was sure she was home. But would she want to see him?

Edward decided that the best way would be to have no plans. To respond to her reactions and hope for the best.

He got out of the car and walked to the door. He was moving practically at human pace. He knocked and waited. And waited. His mind screamed with impatience, but he still waited. Eventually his impatience got the better of him and he scaled the wall to her bedroom window. She wasn't in the room. The house was silent. Edward realized now that there was no one home, even though her truck sat in the drive. He tested the window, but it was locked. Frustrated, he slipped back down to the front door and opened it with the spare key. Savoring the wash of the scent as he stepped into the house, he slipped upstairs hoping to disturb nothing. Her room was neat, seemed uninhabited but filled with her scent.

He tapped the floorboard which covered his hidden treasures, for now those will remain concealed, and then he left, locking the house carefully.

Bella was still in Forks, the strength of her scent told him that. But where was she?