A|N:

I can't believe I forgot this portion on my last chapter. I was so nervous I was going to chicken out that I just needed to post it quickly before my nerves got the best of me. So, I lacked the proper etiquette.

I plan Lost Cause to be all BPOV. I expect to write a few extras in other POV's. But, there's more about that in my End Notes, if you're interested.

I must say that I did not expect anyone to even be interested in this little story! I am astonished that people are actually marking it as a favorite. Thanks for the reviews. I am new to this side of the fanfic process, so it is greatly appreciated. Although some of this has been written for months, actually posting anything is brand new to me. I hope you continue to enjoy this tale and that I don't disappoint anyone. I am terrified that my attempt at writing will be a letdown.

As always, thank you Project Team Beta. Your insight has helped me move beyond what I thought was possible in my writing. To Anyone thinking about using a beta, I strongly suggest you take advantage of their services (the link is in my profile). I can't praise them enough.

In addition, special thanks goes to Strider! You rock. Thank you for answering my bothersome lists of questions.

Thanks again to SaraiR88 she has helped boost my confidence in posting this story.

I do not own any of these characters, or the original plot to the Twilight Series. Everything publicly recognizable belongs to their owners. I am doing this only for the pleasure I gain from writing and I am not associated with anyone or anything to do with the Twilight Series. There is no financial benefit, whatsoever, though I may wish there were.

Without further interruption, I bring you Chapter 2:

2. First Sight

"Do you need to rest?" Carlisle inquired after we had been walking for some time.

The pace they kept had been extreme and I was amazed that I was the only one who seemed affected.

Too perfect, rang through my head again. I ignored the warning.

Even though no one else was even slightly winded, I realized I had neared my limit for the time being. I nodded an assent to relax for a moment; my feet were aching from rubbing against the inside of my sodden socks and shoes. "Yes, please. I'd appreciate that."

Alice decided that she didn't need to rest, so she trekked on ahead of us. I am sure she went to warn the others of my impending arrival. If the rest were anything like my impromptu rescuers, my haggard appearance would have probably been enough to cause alarm.

I rested for a few minutes, enough time to calm my rushing pulse. After I felt slightly better, we continued on the rest of our journey. It was only a short while until we reached a clearing that surrounded what I assumed to be their house, though the term house hardly did it justice.

An enormous estate, painted a soft, muted white, stood three stories high in the large field surrounded by the woods on the three visible sides. In the same clearing were several large trees that shaded the front yard. There was a large, inviting wrap-around porch encircling the first level. I could just imagine myself lounging there, enjoying a good book. This gorgeous home framed by the perfection of the forest was a setting you would only see in dreams, or a Hollywood movie.

Is everything about them so ideal? I felt like I had stepped into a real life incarnation of a Norman Rockwell painting?

As we neared, I noticed Alice sitting on one of the chairs that were scattered intentionally about the porch. I hadn't noticed her there on my first scan, but I guessed I had been too enthralled by the house.

"Welcome home," she chimed when we were within a few yards. For some reason, this greeting caused me to feel slightly uncomfortable, triggering a blush. It must have been because everyone was so accommodating thus far.

We climbed the stairs up to the porch and entered the house. Of course, I tripped in the doorway. Luckily, I actually caught myself and balanced before I slammed into the floor.

Way to make a first impression, Bella.

The shock of the beautiful front room took me by surprise; it wasn't like I had thought it would be ordinary, I knew it would be exceptional, but it was so different than the traditional exterior promised. It was enormous, airy and modern. Everything, including the furniture, was so light varying from white to softened beige. The open area looked like it took up most of the first floor, covering all the way to the back of the house. This room was so large that I could imagine it once had been multiple rooms. The unexpected part of the house was the back wall. It appeared to be one huge window from ceiling to floor. This allowed for exceptional views of the backyard. As I looked out, I saw a gorgeous garden that ended at a river. On the other side of the river, the forest encroached.

"Esme and I need to settle a few things. We'll be in the kitchen, should you need us," Carlisle informed me as the two of them made their way across the room. "Alice, please take Bella's coat and then introduce her to the rest of the family."

Alice held out her hand and I removed my filthy coat. She grimaced at it and I felt guilty for making her handle the shabby thing. She then removed her immaculate jacket and placed both on a bench near the door. I noticed how she gingerly placed mine over the wooden arm, while hers was thrown on the back, obviously allowed near the off-white cushions.

"Follow me, Bella," Alice trilled, her excitement threatening to overtake her calm demeanor once again.

She led the way into a large sitting area, situated near a grand and commanding staircase. As we neared, I noticed a young couple in their late teens or early 20s sitting on one of the couches. They quickly glanced in our direction upon hearing our approach.

The girl was spectacular, or maybe majestic would be a better description. She was much more beautiful than anyone I'd ever seen. That was saying a lot after having been witness to the splendor of Alice, Carlisle and Esme. "Supermodel Barbie" looked like she had just come from modeling at a photo shoot or maybe from some sort of hair product commercial. It was hard to see how she could be real. Beauty like that was usually reserved for airbrushed photos in magazines. I mean, this girl was absolutely breathtaking with long, flowing, perfectly-styled blonde hair. I felt slightly self-conscious as I was sure I looked disheveled and my hair looked like a rat's nest in comparison, especially after my time in the forest. Her exquisite face and locks were matched only by the perfection of her figure. As she eyed me, her nose wrinkled, and her eyes turned hard, analyzing my presence. She scowled in a manner that stated "don't bother me; I can't be bothered with you," and turned away allowing her focus to return to whatever had held it previously. She was obviously someone you did not want to cross and from her reaction, my existence in her home appeared to have done just that.

Next to the Aphrodite sat an enormous young man.

Adonis, I presume? They seem cozy enough to be lovers. And, he is certainly handsome enough to carry the name.

As I examined him more closely, I noticed how humorous it was to see him near Alice, going from one extreme to the other. He was tremendously muscled, beyond what was usual for even a weight-lifter. He had short, dark, curly hair. Even with his overwhelming size, he had the kindest face, almost child-like. He reminded me of a large, over-stuffed teddy bear as he sat on the couch grinning slightly. He rose to his feet.

OK. Maybe a terrifying Grizzly Bear is more appropriate.

A huge, mischievous smirk appeared on his face.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Fresh meat?" he questioned with a chuckle.

I started to feel a little uncomfortable (OK, little isan understatement) when a tall, blonde boy made his presence known at the top of the stairs.

"Relax, Emmett, I believe that you're terrifying our new guest," he said as he descended the stairs towards us. He stopped at the bottom, eying me guardedly. Suddenly, I felt the oddest sensation, almost like a wave of calm crashing into me. That weird feeling, coupled with the exhaustion I was experiencing, caused me to relax so much that I nearly passed out. I started swaying in place, and grabbed Alice's icy arm to steady myself.

Whoa! She is way too cold. And her skin is hard. Not like muscle hard, but like she is made of stone. How weird!

I was about to question Alice about the texture of her arm, when I was cut off by a male voice that distracted me from the unusual feel.

"Hey, Jasper! Tone it down, man. You nearly knocked her out," replied the hulking man I took to be Emmett. He was still wearing that overexcited grin.

What did he mean by asking Jasper to tone it down? He was the one who was overbearing.

"I'm Emmett, by the way." He smiled wider at me. "And this" he gestured to the blonde beauty still looking away, "is my gorgeous wife, Rosalie." She made a scoffing noise and turned again to glare at me. It was completely obvious she did not welcome my company, though her companion did not seem to mind. I briefly wondered what I had done to offend her, but concluded that it couldn't be my presence. She didn't know me from Eve.

Wait! Did he just say wife? I must be a terrible judge of age as each one of them looks so much younger than they apparently are. Either that or their parents are way too lenient.

At that moment, my vision blurred, and an out-of-focus image appeared before me, though strangely I could still see the room around me. The flash that burned before my eyes seemed to be another shot of the very same room I was standing in viewed from a different angle. Everyone was positioned similarly to where they were now, but it was almost like I was another individual standing behind all of us observing the scene. I shifted my attention to the top of the stairs – for some reason, this appeared to be where I should look. But, that area was terribly unfocused. In fact, most of the vision was faintly unfocused, making everything vague. What appeared to be a male figure came into sight at the landing on the top. All of the sudden, he sprang down the stairs at an inhuman pace. He leapt on a brunette female figure, almost pouncing like a predator attacking its prey, bringing his face toward her neck.

"No!" Alice's scream brought me back to reality, and I looked around, trying to gain my bearings from what I had just seen. From where I was standing, I realized that I was the brunette woman from the image I had just seen.

I shook my head, dazed. From her outburst, I knew Alice had been privy to the odd things I had just witnessed, so I turned to her and asked, "What was that, Alice?" For some reason, fear I guess, my voice was barely able to make it above a whisper. "Did you see it, too?" I felt like I was going to faint right there on the spot.

"What'd you see?" She answered my question with a question, just as shocked as I was. I briefly wondered if she doing that as a diversion, but that flicker could not take root as I was still so stunned from what had just happened.

I tried to describe what I had just seen. "I think it was this room? I'm really confused. It was all blurry around the edges, and unfocused where the action was, but I think I got the gist of it. We were all in this room when someone – I don't know who - jumped a woman . . . was it me?" I heard Esme gasp. I didn't even realize that she had come back in the room. "Who was the guy? And, what was he doing?"

"That . . . was Edward." Alice replied. Another few gasps escaped around me.

At her statement, a tall, lean boy appeared at the top of the stairs. He was downright gorgeous; his beauty rivaling, and probably surpassing, that of the blonde woman still sitting apathetically on the couch. He was slender, but not too thin as I could make out a slightly muscular chest under his fitted shirt, just perfect. Perfection - that was the word that could be used to describe everything about him. His face could make angels cry, and his untidy mane was a color I had never seen before, almost brown but with a red tint, maybe bronze would adequately describe it. His hair was disheveled, but not in a contrived way. I wanted to go up to him, and muss it up some more as it could only add to his flawlessness. Most boys would not be able to get away with the "bed head," but it fit him to a tee.

Had I thought the other men were attractive? They absolutely pale in comparison – no pun intended. They aren't even in the same universe as him. I'm sorry, Emmett, but there's no way you're Adonis; he's standing at the top of those stairs.

I stood transfixed at the image before me, as the realization hit that this was the exact beginning of the images I had just perceived. But, it wasn't only fear from witnessing that scene that had me glued to the spot. I was also unable to move because of this odd sensation I felt coursing through my veins. As soon as I saw his glorious form grace the landing above, I felt my lungs empty of air; he literally took my breath away. And, although my body was fighting to inhale, no matter how I tried I could not extract the necessary oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere. It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out, and up the stairs to the angelic creature above; his mere presence had me mesmerized.

How pathetic am I? He looks to be about half my age. Talk about robbing the cradle. Thank God no one can read my thoughts, -- right now, they would think I was a dirty old lady.

"Go! Get fresh air," Alice bellowed, glowering at Edward, "Take a walk . . . now." She pointed toward the kitchen.

At her scream, Emmett placed himself in front of me like a bodyguard. All the while Edward stood, tensed as still as a statue at the top of the stairs. His extremely dark eyes were filled with what I can only assume was revulsion and his was nose wrinkled as he looked at me.

First, the golden goddess and now him. What did I do to deserve his ire? So, I guess the gorgeous guy isn't too friendly.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, muttering something but I could only understand the phrases about "the girl" and "stupidity," and left the room with a loud, forced sigh.

After Emmett pulled me near the front door, Alice made her way toward Edward, grabbing Jasper along the way. They both worked to half coerce, half drag Edward away. When they grabbed him, he let out an unusual sound. It was almost an animalistic growl. I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move even my head in fear of both the vision and the strange reactions everyone had, so I was not sure where they had taken him. I realized I was standing transfixed, my mouth alternating between gaping wide and closing. I tried to quickly halt what must have looked like an impersonation of a fish, but I wasn't quick enough, as I heard a chuckle from someone.

Gradually, the realization of the odd and somehow dangerous situation I had just been in overtook my senses and I could feel my heart beating faster. I could actually sense my adrenaline-spiked blood racing through my veins, so I attempted to calm myself. But, as I began to analyze the situation, I realized that it wasn't just the fear that had kept me immobilized; it was attraction, as well.

Edward was absolutely and unbelievably beautiful, literally breathtaking as I had just found out, but there appeared to be something beyond that; something intangible that I could not quite put my finger on.

What's that? Am I enamored with this person already? How's that even possible? I don't even know him.

I did not allow myself to deliberate this, though; I was sure nothing good could come of dwelling on such thoughts.

"Would you like something to eat or drink, Bella?" Esme's sweet, calm voice reverberated in the now silent room. I could feel some of the tension that I hadn't realized permeated the room with Alice's absence, ease.

For as excitable as Alice is, she has such a soothing influence. What an odd combination.

"You've had a stressful day and I'm sure you must be quite hungry." Esme brought me back to reality with her soothing nature once again.

I turned to face her, quickly trying to rearrange my face to appear comfortable with the situation I had been presented. As I rotated, I tripped over my own two feet, tumbling towards the ground, which earned a guffaw from Emmett. Esme quickly caught me, and I flushed looking at the floor while I answered her question. "Yes . . . yes that would be very nice. Um . . . th-thank you," I replied, my voice breaking twice.

I followed her across the large room and into an almost equally disproportionate kitchen. I was wondering what kind of food they had when Esme guided me to a huge, walk-in pantry.

"Everyone else has already eaten. So, it'll be just you tonight. We're currently limited on options for you. We only have non-perishables, as I've made our weekly donation to the Forks Community Food Bank. But, I plan to take you on a shopping trip tomorrow. That way, you can choose what foods you like. Meantime, you're welcome to anything you find in here." She motioned into the pantry. "Unfortunately, I don't cook very well, so you'll need to fend for yourself, at least tonight. Though, I've meant to start watching The Food Network," she added with a chuckle.

I examined the contents of the pantry and found it amazingly well-stocked considering what Esme has just said. There was enough food to feed an army. I grabbed a box of pasta and a jar of spaghetti sauce. Obviously, I can't remember being much of a cook, but this seemed fairly simple, and the instructions were written on the labels. So, there did not appear to be much to mess up there. I quickly followed the steps written on the packages, and soon had something resembling a meal. I am sure it wasn't the best or healthiest spaghetti I'd ever had. But given my famished state, it tasted better than I could have ever imagined. I didn't think I could survive on pasta constantly, so I knew I would need to find a recipe book or something. Maybe tomorrow when we went food shopping, we could hit a bookstore. The excitement of possibly going to a bookstore lightened my mood.

After I finished eating, another need made itself known, "Esme, do you have a bathroom? I really need to . . . get cleaned up."

"She can use mine," chirped Alice as she danced through the kitchen door, returning from her spontaneous excursion with Jasper and Edward.

I was grateful to Alice for her kindness. She had been so sympathetic to me, and she seemed like someone I could have as a true friend. "That'd be wonderful, Alice. Thank you so much for being so good to me. You all barely know me and yet, you've taken me in and treated me like a family member."

She responded with an odd little smile, and led me towards her room.

We made our way up the beautiful, yet imposing, staircase and onto the second floor. Alice took me down the hallway and motioned broadly towards a door, "This is my room," she stated while opening the door. She pulled me in and pointed to another door across the room. "My bathroom's through there. There're plenty of items to choose from in the cabinets, and more than enough towels in the linen closet. I'll go grab an outfit for you. I'm sure that I have something that will fit you," she added an enigmatic giggle. "I'll leave the clothes on my bed, here."

I felt off put by the way she mentioned having clothes that would fit me. I knew any clothes that the women in this house possessed would never fit me. Alice was too tiny, Rosalie too tall, and Esme too thin. What would they be doing with clothes that fit me? I also felt off balance whenever I thought about what happened when I first arrived at the house. It seemed that maybe Alice's little hint about knowing she needed to get me clothes had something to do with the images that flitted before me downstairs. They had seemed to broadcast from Alice, but I could not imagine what that would mean. I was too exhausted to be able to put anything even as simple as two and two together, so I did not try hard to piece together the puzzle. It seemed I was missing something obvious, though. I shook my head to rid it of the mysteries floating around. I decided to ignore the feeling that was beginning to eat away at my stomach, intent on enjoying the shower I was about to have, and made my way to the bathroom.

To my surprise, though it should not have been, the room was enormous. I think it would be double or triple the size of most Master Bedrooms. I was sure you could fit multiple King-sized beds in there and still have room for a game of Twister. When I opened the bathroom cabinet, I saw that Alice hadn't lied when she mentioned having whatever I could need, there were more products than would normally be available in a Bath and Body store. I picked out a body wash and lotion, and saw shampoo and conditioner that caught my eye. I opened the shampoo, and smelled it. I recognized this scent – like strawberries; it seemed comforting and so familiar, so I decided to use that brand. I walked over to the linen closet and grabbed two enormously fluffy towels, one for my hair and one for my body. As I pulled the band from my ponytail, I noticed my hair was much longer than I thought it should be. It now fell to somewhere around my lower back, just about waist length. I passed it off as nothing – just another quirk in an increasingly peculiar day - and hopped in the shower. I repeated my mantra for the day: I will worry about that later.

I let the warm water soothe me and relax my aching muscles. As I felt the grime run off my body, I wondered how long I could have been outside in the woods. I came to the conclusion that it must have been the better part of a day, if not longer. I felt exhausted and tense. The heat of the shower and the rhythmic pulse from the shower head massaged most of that stress away, and I felt grateful to the family – the Cullen family, I reminded myself – that had been so kind to take me in. I stayed in the shower as long as I thought was respectable. It was very long and yet the hot water did not wane. How large was their hot water tank? I exited through the glass doors, dried off and decided to use the hairdryer I saw on Alice's bathroom counter. I looked at my fuzzy image in the condensation-covered mirror. There was no way I could dry my hair without seeing myself. As I cleared off the fog from the enormous mirror, I beheld a strange, horrifying and confusing sight.

I heard someone release a blood-curdling scream, the kind you only hear in horror movies, before I hit the floor, collapsing in a ball. With a shock, I realized that I was the one screaming.

End Notes:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed. If you're still interested, there's more to come soon . . . I expect.

So . . . now they've seen each other. I know Edward was only here briefly but I promise, he will become a MUCH larger part of the story. I just have to set up a few things before that can happen. Please bear with me as the exposition continues. I hope I didn't dissatisfy and you all felt I adequately described him.

I have a timeline written for this, so I know mostly where it's going. Sometimes ideas pop in my head and I need to add 'em in; it's a compulsion.

A little information on why the Adonis legend:

So, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty (perfect for Rosalie). She saw Adonis' birth and found him beautiful. She became a maternal figure/lover for him. Adonis loved hunting and on one trip, his prey gored him. As he lay dying, Aphrodite heard his cries and came to him. She kissed him and he died in her arms. I found much of this a parallel to the Emmett/Rosalie relationship, so I included it. However, since Adonis is considered to represent handsome young men, Bella quickly changed her mind on who it described.

I know I went with a lot of clichés here. I will try to keep them to a minimum. But I am writing this as close to Canon as my story allows, so some things must be said.

Also, as I mentioned in my novel-length "notes" above, I have written an APOV of the first two chapters. I think am going to post that as a separate story that will contain only extras. I want to keep Lost Cause all BPOV. Please read it, if you'd like. It is linger than my Bella Chapters as my Alice likes to talk and she took over my PC for a while, almost literally. This may help you get a tiny peek into of the back story prior to Bella's arrival. I really enjoyed writing from Alice's POV. It was so much fun. I warn you now; she jumps around a lot in her thoughts, much like I do. Being inside her head sometimes feels like being on a thrill ride, complete with loops and sheer drops.

Here is a teeny tiny preview:

All in all, it was a lot to think about. I knew her presence in my family's lives was imperative and this overruled all worries, though it could not stop a small part of my brain from chanting: What will this cost her? What will this cost us?

I plan on writing some other extras, and I would love suggestions for those or for this story. I'm up for almost anything! So, please review and let me know your thoughts, questions or even your suggestions. Also, I need a title for the APOV outtake. I have an idea what I want to use, but would welcome others.

Another question before I leave: I am actually compiling a list of songs for some chapters that I feel may "set the mood." Do you guys like when someone posts things like that?

Thanks again!!

B. S.