Hi! Here's the next chapter. I was planning to make it longer but I'm very sleepy and I really wanted to update today so here it is. I'll try to update again on Monday because it is a national holiday here in Portugal so I'm hoping to be able to write all day and update at night. I can barely open my eyes since I've been waking up early to go to school and I'm not used yet... Thanks to iminluvwithavampire for correcting some of my mistakes and to everyone that reads and reviews this story. Don't forget to REVIEW. It will make me happy in the morning. HUgs

Disclaimer: SM owns the Twilight series and its characters.

1/07/2010: This chapter is now beta'd. Thanks to my beta Adri1577 for her help.

Chapter 2

Scott's POV

I knew that Bella was not ready for this. I was actually relieved she had run away; this could be too much for her. I was able to read her thoughts before she left and know that she was heading to La Push. I snapped from my frozen state. I tried to reach Bella with my thoughts, but she was blocking me: I couldn't hear her nor 'talk' to her.

"Kurt." I turned to my brother, ignoring, for now, the surprised faces of the Cullens, who were still standing on the porch. Our sister was more important! "Follow her and make sure she finds Jake and stays with him, please." I asked. We needed to know she was with someone, especially if that someone was Jacob. He didn't need to be told twice.

"Sure." He answered taking off immediately.

"Maybe you should come in." Luke said to the Cullens.

"I am Carlisle Cullen and these are my kids: Alice and Emmett." Carlisle introduced.

"Yes, we know. It's nice to finally meet you." Luke said politely and sincerely to the Cullens' amazement.

"Do you mind if I ask how you know who we are? I don't think we have ever seen each other before." Carlisle asked while entering the house and seating in one of the white couches that were in the small living room.

"Bella has told us a lot about you. In fact, we feel like we know you as well as she does." I stated. Luke and I seated in the couch in front of the one where they were.

"Then it's really Bella!" Alice said excitedly to herself.

"There is something we need to know…" Luke started, hesitating.

"Is Edward in town with you?" I asked directly. I don't like to beat around the bush, and this information is important to Bella.

"Why would we tell you? We don't even know you!" Alice said defensive.

"You are right. I'm sorry. We should have introduced ourselves." Luke said calmly. "My name is Luke, and this is my brother Scott."

"Edward and Jasper aren't here yet. They'll be joining us in a few days." Carlisle answered. Good! That would give Bella some more time.

"Is any of you Bella's boyfriend?" Emmett asked. Luke and I laughed. Everyone always assumed that.

"No. We are her brothers." I quickly explained. Relief washed over their faces, and Alice relaxed right away.

"Oh… we thought… I…" Alice stuttered. It wasn't common to see a vampire stuttering. I chuckled.

"You thought that she didn't love Edward anymore and that's why she 'left'. Am I right?" I guessed.

"Well…"

"What happened then?" Emmett asked.

"Why doesn't she want us to understand? Doesn't she care about us anymore?" Alice asked.

"Kids!" Carlisle warned. "Is she okay?" He seemed worried. This was normal since he cared for Bella like a father. But I didn't know how Bella was.

"Bella was not ready for this… reunion." It was all I could say. Bella was still blocking me. I didn't know how she was reacting to this. The only thing that kept me from worrying more was knowing that she was with Jake.

"Please, answer my questions." Alice pleaded.

"Of course Bella cares about you. More than you know. But in order to understand something you have to go through it. What Bella meant was that she doesn't wish you to go through what she did."

"What happened to her? Did she run away?" Alice asked again.

"Bella did not run away! That much we can tell you." I said. "Why don't you first tell me how she 'died'?" Alice's eyes filled with sadness. I wanted to know how Aro had faked Bella's death. He never told us.

"I'm back! Did I miss something?" Kurt asked bursting through the front door and sitting in the couch next to Luke and I.

"No. The interesting part is just beginning. They are going to tell us how Bella 'died'" I explained. I knew that this was a hard subject for the Cullens, but I didn't just want to satiate my curiosity. I was also trying to decide whether I should tell the Cullens what happened to Bella or not.

"Awesome. It must have been one hell of an idea to fool seven vampires!" Kurt commented.

"How's Bella? Is she with Jake?" I asked.

"Yeah bro. Jacob is with her. He's trying to calm her." Kurt answered.

"Jacob Black? He's still alive?" Carlisle questioned surprised.

"As you must know the wolves don't age until they stop phasing." I explained. "Please continue now." I encouraged.

"Edward was away hunting when we received a call from Charlie asking if Bella was with us. He was very worried. Apparently Bella wasn't at home when he returned from work and hadn't showed up yet. We waited until Edward returned and went to look for her. It had rained, so there was no way to trace her scent. After one day Charlie reported her missing. We looked for her night and day. We never stopped. Then four days later we found torn pieces of her clothes and blood... so much blood. Edward immediately recognized it as Bella's... Everyone assumed she had been attacked by an animal, even us. There were evidences." Alice told.

"Someone who lost so much blood couldn't survive." Carlisle stated.

"Brilliant! It was an amazing plan." Kurt observed.

"Excuse me? This killed us. Especially Edward! Do you think that Bella's disappearance one day before her wedding and her fake death is amazing?" Alice asked exalted. It was evident how much this hurt her.

"Of course not. But we have to admit that the way her death was faked was brilliant. Such a simple and effective plan. Something that could actually happen. No one, including you, especially you, would question." I clarified.

"Then... if Bella is alive, and she didn't run away, what happened to her?" Carlisle inquired calmly.

"Now that you know that there was something more, can't you figure out what happened? Who would want you to think that Bella was dead?" I wasn't sure if Bella allowed me to tell them... but what if they figured it out on their own? Then it wouldn't be our fault...

"The wolves." Alice answered immediately. We rolled our eyes.

"Bella is a vampire now." Luke stated.

"Just say it!" Emmett was growing impatient.

"Aro." Carlisle said after a few minutes of silence. Alice and Emmett looked at him as if what he was saying made no sense at all, but when they looked at us, they realized he was right. They waited anxiously for a more detailed explanation.

"Bella was kidnapped and changed by the Volturi. She stayed with them in Italy for ten years. That's where I met her." I informed them.

"And Aro just let her go?" Alice questioned suspiciously.

"Aro grew very fond of Bella. He looks at her as if she was his daughter. Eventually he realized that that wasn't a life for Bella. So, even though she was the Volturi's most precious member, he let her go. Her powers, her personality and the training she was submitted to turned her into the best and most powerful vampire you know, but Aro really cares about her, and he knew she wasn't happy." I spoke. They all wore expressions of astonishment and doubt. I understood them. It was very hard to believe that Aro actually cared about Bella's happiness but it was true.

"We can't tell you more. We still don't know what Bella is going to do about this situation and-" Luke stated.

"Wait! Do you mean that she may not... stay?" She sounded so vulnerable. As if she was about to start sobbing.

"Yes." I answered truthfully. "And Edward can't know about this. He can't know that Bella is alive. At least for now."

"Why not?" Alice shot back. "He loves her. He's been awful. He needs to know. Bella has to stay!"

"Bella has her reasons to stay away. Don't ever think it was easy! She suffered more than you can even begin to imagine. For eighty years Bella has done nothing more than merely survive, for you, for Edward, for us, for Jacob. For everyone she thinks she owes something to. When in reality we are the ones who owe her more than we will ever be able to pay." I said.

"You should know that Bella has done everything she can and even what she can't to help you." Luke finished.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emmett asked.

"Like I said before, we can't tell you anything else."

"When is Bella coming back?" Alice asked.

"We have no idea." Kurt answered. They got up from the couch and headed to the door.

"I would like to invite you over to our place tonight. If Bella is better, of course. My wife would love to see her again. Please, tell her that she never stopped belonging to our family." Carlisle pleaded. I nodded. "It was very nice to meet you all. At least we find some comfort in knowing that Bella has someone to take care of her."

"We will wait to see what Bella decides. It was very nice to meet you too. Bella talks a lot about you, and we are pleased to finally meet you." Luke replied politely. They disappeared into the forest, and Luke closed the door, leaning his back against it.

"What are we going to do?"

Bella's POV

It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb

It's so much easier to go

Than face all this pain here all alone.

Easier to run

Linkin Park

I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could. Because I knew that when I stopped, everything would come rushing to me. The pain would be unbearable. I had fought so hard to stay away. Every day was a struggle against the desire to go find them, and the pain that pierced my chest was constant. I lived with it every day since I was taken by the Volturi. Every second that passed I wished that I could be in Edward's arms. I wished I could kiss him. I wanted nothing more than run to him and tell him that I was alive and that I loved him. But I couldn't and that killed me inside.

I ran until I found myself in La Push's beach. The sea spread in front of me until the horizon line. When my feet hit the sand I stopped running and let myself fall on my knees. As I had predicted, pain flooded through me, and my breathing became heavier. I started crying tearlessly, and sobs racked through my body uncontrollably.

"Bella! Bella, what happened?" A familiar voice called from behind me. Then I felt myself being pulled into a strong and warm embrace. I still hadn't stopped sobbing. "Bella, please tell me what happened! Kurt just told me that I had to find you!"

"They found me! You have to help me, Jake. I don't know what to do! They're here. They found me!"

"Calm down, Bella, please! Who found you?" I looked at Jacob's face.

"The Cullens." I sobbed. "They're here Jake."

"What? How?"

"I don't know. They just showed up at my father's old house... I..."

"All of them?"

"No. Just Carlisle, Emmett and Alice. But... I can't..."

"Shhh Bells. Everything will be okay." He sat by my side in the sand, not removing his arms from around me. I felt better with him. Calmer. I managed to stop sobbing.

We sat still for a few minutes. The calming sound of the waves and Jacob's warm embrace were keeping me calm.

"So... They found out you're alive... are you sure that's bad? Maybe it's a sign! Haven't you suffered enough?" Jacob started.

"You know my reasons! You know why I stayed away!"

"Yes and I also know that now those reasons are just excuses."

"I'm protecting them!"

"No, you're not, Bella. Not anymore. Don't give up on your happiness! Don't torture yourself!" Jake pleaded. "Don't you want to be happy?"

"I want Jake! I really want, but I can't. If I have to give up on my happiness to keep the Cullens safe and happy, I'll do it! Without hesitating. Just like I would do for you or for my brothers."

"Seriously, Bella! I know you are afraid of his reaction, but if you don't try, you'll be always wondering what if. Besides, I have already told you that they won't be happy without you. And you won't be happy without them."

"I don't know if I deserve to be happy. I've already hurt so many people. I've hurt you, Edward and the rest of the Cullens with my fake death. I hurt my brothers every day because I suffer so much. I do my best to hide it, but I know that sometimes I can't avoid it. For some reason all the people around me end up hurt. I can't risk Edward's happiness. Not again." Despair took over me.

"That's not truth, Bella. You are wonderful. Everyone around you loves you and wants you to be happy. We all know that you deserve it. You've already suffered too much."

"I can't help thinking that he may not forgive me. I wouldn't be able to handle that."

"If he doesn't forgive you is because he doesn't deserve you, Bella. Your brothers, I and all your friends will always be by your side. We will never leave you."

"Thanks Jake. I don't know what I would do without you." I hugged him.

The beach was so peaceful that we decided to stay until sunset. Maybe Jake was right and this was my chance to be happy.

Talking to Jake had helped me a lot, but I still wanted to listen to my brothers' opinion. I headed home. I was still hurting, but the calming beach scenario and Jake's words had made it more bearable.

When I arrived, they were all sitting in the living room with anxious looks in their eyes and tense positions.

"Bella!" Kurt sighed hugging me. I felt so good in his big arms. I felt protected, as if nothing could get past him.

"I'm better. I just freaked out! I wasn't expecting to see them." I tried to justify. "Jake helped me a lot, but I still haven't made any decisions. I wanted to hear your opinions." Kurt pulled me down to the couch, making me sit next to him.

"What do you want us to say, Bells? I think you already know our opinion. Besides it's your life." Scott said.

"No, it's not! We are a family. It's our lives. I need your support and your advice."

"Bella, you know we will support you no matter what you choose, right? But as we have been telling you in the past seventy years, we think you should talk to them. Tell them what happened and at least try to be happy. I'm sure they will understand. They love you, and they have missed you. That much we could see." Luke stated sincerely.

"Edward is not in town with them. That gives you a little more time to decide what you want to do about him, but maybe you should visit the rest of the Cullens."

"He's not?" I asked confused.

"No. He and Jasper are coming in a few days. Don't you think that if he was, he would have been here looking for you?"

"I don't know. I'm so confused!" I mumbled.

"I don't know either, Bella." Kurt started. "I just want you to be happy. I'm tired of watching you suffer. You don't deserve it. I can't predict Edward's reaction, but whatever you decide, I'll support you. I will always be here for you." I leaned against his chest.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"Kurt's right, Bells. We will always be here for you, no matter what happens. You can always count on us." Luke spoke for all of them, and I couldn't do anything else besides thank God for the great brothers I have.

"Carlisle invited us over to their place tonight. It's up to you." Scott informed me.

"We'll go." I decided. "I need to see them. I miss them. I still don't know what I will do about Edward, but even if I decide not to meet him, I wouldn't be able to leave without seeing my long lost family again." My brothers smiled at my decision. "Let me just change my clothes and we'll be on our way."

I hurried upstairs and changed into a pair of blue skinny jeans and a white tank top with my white converse. I also grabbed the cloak Aro had given me. It was a symbol of the Volturi, but I used it regularly. It was very useful to run near humans without being noticed, and it was also a good protection from rain.

"I'm ready." I announced when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I noticed that my brothers also had their cloaks. Even though only Scott and I had been with the Volturi, Luke, David and Kurt also had Volturi's cloaks. As I said, they are very useful.

We left the house and started running towards the Cullens' mansion. As we approached the beautiful house, I could feel my nerves building up. I was terrified. If my brothers weren't with me, I would have never stuck to my decision. I would have turned around as soon as I reached half the way.

In spite of my fear I was perfectly aware that this decision could change my life drastically. Or maybe that's why I was so fearful.

Alice's POV

"Wonderful! Bella is coming! They are on their way here." I was so happy and excited. I had been hoping for this vision since we left Bella's house.

"You haven't told me anything about her yet." Esme complained. "I'm worried."

"We don't know much either. We barely got to look at her before she ran away! But she's gorgeous! I guess immortality suits her. Her green eyes are incredibly beautiful, but they held too much sadness and pain." I sighed.

"And who are the boys who were with her?"

"They said they were her brothers. They are gorgeous too."

"Jasper would love to hear you say that, Alice." Rosalie teased.

"Shut up! Just wait until you see them. They'll be here in two minutes." Maybe we would finally learn Bella's story. I just hoped she decided to stay. I couldn't wait to have my best friend and my sister back. That was all I could hope for.

Bella's POV

Are you ready? Scott thought to me as we approached the Cullens' house.

I don't think I'll ever be. I answered truthfully. I'm scared.

You don't have to be scared, Bells. We're here with you! Kurt reminded me. I couldn't help but smile. We came to a stop at the Cullens' porch, and Luke, who was in the front, knocked at the door. The door opened a second later revealing Carlisle.

"Welcome to our house. I'm very delighted that you decided to come. Please, come in." He stepped away to let us through. He seemed a bit surprised, as he looked at our cloaks. I guess I would have to explain that later.

Esme and Alice appeared to be extremely excited and anxious judging by their constant fidgeting. My brothers were in front of me, but I made no move to step in front of them. I was still insecure about this, but I could barely contain the happiness that invaded me, as I thought of seeing the Cullens again.

"It was our pleasure to accept." Scott replied. "You must be Esme and Rosalie. Right?" He said taking a step forward.

"Yes, you are correct." Esme answered. I couldn't wait anymore, so I put my hand on Scott's shoulder letting him know that I was ready. He immediately stepped aside, so that the Cullens could see me. I let the hood of my cloak fall and looked at them.

"Hi!" I said shyly.

"Oh!" Esme squealed running to me and hugging me. "Oh my dear! I'm so glad you're alive. In my heart I knew that you weren't dead. I felt it. A mother's heart is never wrong." I felt like crying. I hugged Esme back with as much strength as I had. She still saw me as her daughter.

"Thanks, mom." I whispered in her ear so that only she could hear. Her hold on me strengthened before she released me. Then it was Alice and Emmett's turn to hug me. I had missed them so much. Emmett not only hugged me but also spun me around, while we both laughed. Carlisle also came to hug me. Rosalie was the only one who just stood there quiet and still.

We had never been best friends, but I knew she had also suffered when they thought I was dead. Maybe now things would be different.

So what did you think? Let me know! I really need to go to bed. Please REVIEW and I'll make my best to update on Monday. I also have some Portuguese and Math homework to do but I'll do my best. Don't forget to REVIEW! I'll write faster if you do. HUgs