hello again, guys. Finally- BELLA!!

a/n at the end. Check it out and as always, REVIEW!

DISCLAIMER: it's all stephenie meyer's, I'm just playing with them.

CHAPTER THREE

"Renesmee, you have got to hurry up! I called Gina's mom and she said she can drive you to school early if I drop you off on my way to work," Bella yelled down the hallway, watching as her sister's door slowly swung open and Nessie emerged, rubbing her eyes and dragging her backpack behind her. "Here," Bella shoved a bagel smeared with cream cheese and wrapped in a paper towel into the girl's hands.

"I thought you didn't work until this afternoon," Nessie grumbled, glaring at the bagel sitting in her hands. "I wanted to sleep in a little more. It's 4:30 in the morning, Bella!"

"Yes it is, and if you want to be at school for that early morning book club at 5:45 the only way to get there is if I drop you off at Gina's before work," she calmly explained, tucking a piece of hair behind her sister's ear. "I'm sorry, ok? I'm the worst big sister ever."

"Why can't mom just take me?" Nessie whined, reaching for a coffee mug on the table.

Bella knocked it out of her hand, placing it back on the table as she tried desperately to hang on to her temper. It's not Renesmee's fault, she reminded herself as she turned back around to face her sister. "You're sixteen, Ness. You don't drink coffee. And do you want to try and wake mom to get her to drive you? She still wasn't home when I got in from closing last night." She watched as her sister slowly shook her head, dropping her eyes to the floor as she nibbled on her bagel. Feeling the anger and frustration quickly drain from her system, Bella put an arm around her sister's waist and drew her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, squeezing Nessie's waist a little tighter. "But I'm the best you've got right now. I promise we'll do something fun tomorrow to make up for it, okay? Like a movie. I'll even spring for popcorn."

She watched as a small smile tugged at Nessie's lips and grinned in response. It was easy for her to forget that her sister, already two inches taller than her, was still just a kid.

"Come on," Bella said, dropping an envelope with money and a note for her mother underneath Renee's keys before guiding Nessie out the front door. "I'll even let you pick the music in the car."

Bella and Nessie got into her beaten up old Camry that Bella had saved up for for months, and pulled out of the driveway. The car ride in the dark of the early morning was silent, and Bella sang softly along with Nessie's favorite radio station as her sister fought to stay awake in the passenger seat.

"Do you know what today is?" The soft voice cut through the car, and Bella's fingers gripped the steering wheel a lot tighter than was absolutely necessary. Of course Bella knew what today was. Hell, all of Forks and the surrounding towns knew, and Bella had been dreading the 2nd of June ever since she had seen the date printed in the local paper.

"Renesmee," she said through gritted teeth, "don't." The word, spat out in obvious pain, was issued as a warning to her sister, who knew full well that this was a forbidden topic.

"Why not?" she snapped, her arms crossed as her tired eyes took in Bella's tense posture. "I just don't get it. Don't you think it's common courtesy to at least show your face at the funeral? Who in this town knows that family better than you?"

"It's none of your business, Nessie. Just drop it," Bella snapped, her voice cold as she fought to control her rapidly accelerating breathing. She would not have an anxiety attack in front of her sister, she thought. She absolutely would not.

"Why won't you just tell me what happened," Nessie whined, taking up a plea Bella had heard so often before. Her sisterly instincts began demanding that she stop the car and kick Nessie's annoying teenage angsty ass to the curb. Instead, Bella took a few deep breaths and sped the last half a mile to Nessie's friend's house, pulling into the driveway and slamming on the brakes.

She stared straight ahead and refused to acknowledge her sister's pointed gaze until Nessie gave in, huffing and opening the door.

"Just so you know," Nessie began, her voice haughty and touched with a hint of malice, "I heard they were coming back. Both of them." With her piece said, she stepped out of the car and slammed the door, not bothering to turn around and see the agonizing state she'd undoubtedly left her older sister in with her parting words.

Bella waited until Renesmee dissappeared into the house, giving Gina's mom a quick wave as she opened the front door before backing down the driveway and heading back down the familiar route to Momma T's.

Bella tried her hardest to block the memories that her sister's words had created, choosing instead to blast the music as loud as it would go, the loud screech of the guitar and crashing of the drums chasing away any coherent thoughts left in her mind.

**

She stepped through the bright red door of the diner, smiling at the soft chimes as she flipped on the neon OPEN sign, watching as the lights blinked out the window into the slowly lightening sky.

"Get that tiny behind of yours out of my diner and into bed!" Bella turned at the commanding voice and smiled at Momma T, walking over to the counter and dropping a kiss on top of the scowling woman's hair.

"No can do, Momma T," Bella responded, tying her hair up in a loose bun and tying the small black apron around her waist. "Rose called me early this morning. Her and Emmett's boy is sick, and since Em's back in that kitchen now I'm here to pick up her shift, too."

"But you closed last night, sugar," Momma T said, patting a hand on the open stool next to where she was sitting.

"Yes, I did. And I got home by 2:30 and got a good hour and a half of sleep in before my phone went off this morning. So hand me that mug of coffee!"

"You're gonna wear yourself out doing this, Bella. You close tonight again."

Bella grimaced as she slowly sipped the scalding coffee, thinking of the long day she had ahead of her. She set the mug back on the counter, absently fiddling with the empty packets of sugar from Momma's coffee. Bella knew the amount of hours she'd been putting in lately wasn't healthy, but it's not like anyone else was doing the work at her house. "I really need the money, Momma," she whispered, propping her head up on her hands and turning her head towards the woman next to her. "Everything from the last week or so went to the utilities bill this morning. I left it for my mom to drop off whenever she wakes up. Thank God Mrs. Stanley showed some pity and gave me an extra two days to pay the overdue notice before they disconnected us again."

The kitchen door swinging open caught Bella's eye, and she smiled at the head cook, Emmett, as he slid a plate of buttered white toast in front of her. He gave a quick salute with his spatula before heading back to the kitchen, leaving the two ladies behind him silent for a moment as Bella nibbled on the toast, watching Momma out of the corner of her eye.

The two of them had had this conversation more times than Bella could remember in the three years since her dad had left. And each time it became a little harder for Bella to turn down the offer she knew was coming her way.

"The rooms are still available, honey. You know a lonely old woman like me could do with two young girls to liven up my house."

The girl sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to hold back the tears she could feel pushing at her eyelids. Bella wasn't sure exactly why she never took the woman up on her offer; she was more a mother to her than her own ever was. But Bella could take care of herself. She always had, and Nessie was her little sister and responsibility, not Momma T's.

"You already know my answer, Momma. Besides, you're not that old, or lonely. Remember that grandson of yours who's been living with you for the last couple of months?"

"Nonsense," Momma said, waving her hand absently in the air. "My hair is gray enough to tell you my age, and that boy is more trouble than he's worth. You know I'd kick Jasper out for you any day. And we both know there's more than enough room for all four of us in that big ol' house of mine. It just hasn't been as cozy since James passed, dear."

"Don't even try to guilt me into this," Bella said, leaning her head on Momma's shoulder, humming in approval as her hand automatically came up to absentmindedly rub Bella's scalp. "I've almost got enough saved up to rent one of those little apartments just a block from here. I'm looking at them next week, and if I can convince Ness, we should be out of that house soon." Bella simply couldn't afford to pay her mother's bills anymore, and covering up for her drunken behavior and neglect was becoming harder and harder. She wasn't about to let Nessie grow up the same way that she had.

"Good to hear. But couldn't that money be better spent on something like tuition?" Momma prodded, her hand continuing to move through Bella's hair, hoping to soothe the agitation Momma knew would spring up in the girl at her question. And true to Momma's prediction, Bella's body tensed, and the small girl heaved a sigh, letting her eyes droop closed. "We both know you're too damn smart to spend the rest of your life working as a waitress in this dead end town."

"I know, Momma," Bella answered, reaching her hand up and squeezing Momma's. "Trust me, I I still have all that money saved up from high school that I've done nothing but add to since. As soon as I know Nessie's ok, I'll be gone faster than that door can slam shut on my ass on the way out."

Bella could feel the vibrations from Momma's laughter pass into her own body, and she let a lazy grin spread across her lip. "There's hope for you yet, sugar," she said, pulling away from the girl as their first customer walked through the door. "Now get to work."

**

okBella had managed to stay busy as the breakfast crowd slowly began to filter in. Waiting tables had become second nature to her in the past six or seven years she'd been doing it, and she was good at it. She knew how to flash that sweet smile and flirt just enough with the retired men to insure the large tips left behind on her tables.

The steady flow of customers had kept her mind off of the conversation she'd had with her sister earlier that morning, and excluding an odd phone call Momma had answered and almost dropped, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. For that, Bella had been thankful. The steady buzz of gossip about that day's event only increased with the customers who entered dressed in dark dress clothes, a slightly somber air about them. Bella took and delivered those orders as fast as possible, desperately hoping to avoid being dragged into the conversations. After all, it wasn't often you heard the name Cullen in this town without hers following close behind.

She had just come out of the kitchen and passed by Momma at the counter, sliding a piece of pie in a to-go box, and was on her way to a table full of nurses from the town's only doctor's office when the chimes over the door began to tinkle. Ignoring them, Bella continued to ask the boisterous ladies how their families were doing. But before she could concentrate on their responses, Bella took notice of the slight hush that had fallen over the normally noisy diner. She was just about to let her curiousity get the better of her and turn to see what the cause was when she heard the booming voice of Momma T's grandson cut across the large room.

"Damn, Grandmomma T, don't you ever send that girl home? I think these lovely folks are gettin' sick of that mug delivering their food every morning."

Bella let an impish grin spread across her face as the giggles of the nurses in front of her blended in to the low chuckles from the rest of the diners, used to the playful banter constantly being exchanged between their favorite waitress and the owner's visiting grandson. With her hand propped on her hip and a spitfire retort on the tip of her tongue, Bella pivoted around towards the door, her eyes zeroing in on the large form of Jasper, grinning at her from the counter.

But her voice died in her throat as she saw the two familiar figures in front of the counter, and whatever she had planned on saying to Jasper never made it out of her mouth.

ok, no promises that we'll finally get to the bella/edward reunion we're waiting for next chapter, but it'll be coming soon, trust me! And just a warning, there's a possibility that this story might move up to M. I'm not sure yet, so I'll just see how this goes. Just in case, though, you might want to put this story on your alerts so you don't lose track. Another chapter will be up later tonight or tomorrow.