Bella rushed through the door of her home. The beautiful cottage had been a birthday gift to her from her new wonderful family. Her eyes burned with venom at the thought she may not be welcome here anymore. She knew from his scent that Edward was in Renesmee's room. Her beautiful daughter. Never had she dreamed in a million years she would be someone's mother. She'd never wanted to be a mother. That is until her "little nudger" surprised them all last year and irrevocably changed her mind.

Bella had fought so hard for her and Edward's child. She had sacrificed her human life and in return had received an eternity of bliss. Or so she had thought. Would Edward still want her for all eternity now? Was he so disgusted with her impatient actions as a human that he could discard her away? she wondered. All she could do now was continue to cling to the hope that she still had a future with him. She ignored her first instinct to run to him and waited as he made his way to the living room.

Edward knew when she had arrived and left quietly leaving Renesmee still asleep in her room. He closed the bedroom door and sat down on the sofa near the fireplace. He looked tired. Almost as if he really did have a need to sit down and rest. He hadn't looked at Bella once, but when she took a chance and sat down beside him, he did not move away from her.

"Edward, I am so sorry" she began in a quiet tone as to not wake up Ness.

"No" he interrupted just as quietly. "I am sorry" he said.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked with confusion.

"I'm sorry I drove you into the arms of another man just for sex" he said.

"Edward, I didn't have sex with Emmett" she said again.

"Fine, not sex but" he paused trying to find the right word "sexual release" he said finally making Bella cringe.

Bella exhaled slowly.

"Edward, I was a foolish human girl who had lost my patience with her very wise vampire boyfriend. I was a jerk. I'm the one that should be sorry, not you" she sighed.

He started to speak but she motioned with her hand for him to stop.

"Edward, please, let me finish telling you what I should have told you a year ago" she pleaded, again trying to remain quiet for her daughter's sake.

Edward's mouth formed a tight line, but he silently nodded for her to continue.

Bella closed her eyes in a silent prayer. 'Lord, I'm not sure I believe in you but I know Edward does. If you're up there, please help me. Please help me explain', she begged and opened her eyes to look at her husband who was patiently waiting for her. As usual.

"I am so sorry Edward" she began quietly. "You were always very direct with me that a physical relationship would not be possible for us when I was still human. I knew that going in and I thought it didn't matter. Eventually though, it did" Bella admitted.

"I was new to love, and it was overwhelming. I wanted you in every way and I just didn't know how to handle that aspect of our relationship. I put way too much importance on it frankly. You didn't want to change me, and I didn't think a human and a vampire could be together so I thought our love would always remain unfulfilled. Remain incomplete" she said softly.

Edward's brow creased and his mouth grew even tighter, but he did not interrupt his wife.

"You once told me that you had observed from the minds of others that love and lust don't always keep the same company. I'm afraid that is what happened that day between Emmett and I. We made a mistake and I desperately hope you will forgive me, but I don't regret the lesson I learned from that mistake. I learned that our love was complete just as it was, and I learned to trust that the rest would come someday. I loved you then Edward, as I love you now. As I always will. Forever".

Bella stopped speaking then and lowered her eyes to the floor.

Edward looked down at the floor as well at a loss for words.

Bella had dropped her shield sometime during the middle of her heartfelt apology and he could see that her thoughts were true and pure. The anger he felt against her and Emmett, and even himself, had diminished earlier as he watched his beautiful little girl sleeping soundly oblivious to the chaos that had ensued earlier. However, the ongoing internal debate over forgiving Bella and his brother continued in his head. He wasn't sure why it was so difficult to forgive them. He had forgiven her and Jacob when they kissed the second it happened, and she had even loved Jacob back then.

Maybe that was really the problem. For him love and lust did keep the same company and Bella had once told him that she had felt the same way. It was the one thing they had in common. She knew that. She also knew he was attractive to her in that way. He had always made that clear to her even from the beginning. He just couldn't afford to lose any kind of control with her, that's all. Even so, when she had asked he had told her he would try. After they were married. And he did, despite his fears. It hurt him deeply to know that his first and only love had doubted him. Had doubted their love. How was he ever going to move past this? he wondered.

Finally, Edward realized that Bella had turned to look at him and was waiting for him to speak.

"Bella, thank you for explaining to me what happened. I believe you, but I just can't…I mean, I just need some time" he said, the hurt still at the forefront of his mind.

Bella's eyes softened and she nodded once. If there was anything she had, it was time.

"Why don't you go sit with Renesmee. I'll stay out here while we wait for her to wake up" he added.

Bella didn't hesitate and stood simply glad that Edward had listened to her explanation and let her stay in the cottage. She looked back one more time as she turned to walk into Nessie's bedroom. Edward was standing in front of the fireplace staring at their wedding photo on the mantle. Bella wished, not for the first time either in their relationship, that she was the mind-reader and could hear his thoughts. However, since she couldn't, she did the best thing she could do. She fervently clung on to her hope.

Hope for tomorrow.

Hope for the future.

Hope for forever.


"Oh, come on Jazz, it will only take a moment" Alice whined trying to convince her husband to stop so she could procure some new clothes for Rose.

Jasper and Alice had located Rosalie early that morning walking quietly along the highway just like in Alice's vision. Her clothes were not only wet but torn and muddy. Alice hated that her beautiful sister was now forced to sit in such a state in the backseat of their car as they headed back to Forks.

Rose had yet to share any details of what had happened to her in the ocean but they both knew it must have been traumatic for her. Not to mention dealing with finding out about Emmett and Bella. Alice just wanted to help her in any small way she could.

"No Alice" Jasper repeated again. "It's too dangerous. We might be seen" he said with a sigh. He was exhausted not only by his wife's persistence but by the waves of utter sadness he was feeling from Rosalie.

"But, we won't, I can tell, if we just…" she began.

"It's alright Alice. I'm fine" Rosalie interrupted her.

"Are you sure Rose?" Alice asked concerned. She just felt so awful for her sister.

Even though she had hated to do it, she had shared with Rose verbatim what Emmett and Bella had revealed to the family when Rose had begged her to tell her. Alice didn't understand how Emmett nor Bella could do such a thing. She could only imagine what Rose must be feeling. What if it had been Jasper home alone that day instead of Emmett, she wondered. She would be devastated if her husband had tried to "help Bella" as Emmett had. Of course, Jasper probably would have killed her so... her thoughts trailed off.

She might be a little more understanding towards Bella, who had been nothing but a young naive human at the time, but Emmett? He knew better. Oh, he tried to put on a happy-go-lucky dumb neanderthal attitude all the time, but Alice knew how truly smart he was. No, he knew there would be terrible consequences for his actions and even though she couldn't see any substantial changes in their futures, she knew it too.

"I just want to go home" Rose answered Alice's question hoping her statement would make her sister happy even though she wasn't sure it was entirely truthful.

Rosalie did want to go home to see Carlisle. Not just to tell him about what happened to her in the ocean but to tell him about her epiphany. To finally thank him for saving her all of those years ago. She also wanted to see Emmett. Mated vampires were generally inseparable and being away from him, no matter what he had done, had almost caused her physical pain. Rose had no idea what she would say to him when she saw him but at least she wouldn't be running away from their problems. She had always been a fighter and she was not going to stop fighting now.

She had fought to save Emmett when he was human. She had fought to overcome her tragic past to be with him. She had fought her very nature as a monster to value human life and live in peace with him. She knew she would fight for her mate even if she wasn't sure she would ever find peace with him again.

No one spoke again and the car ride remained eerily silent all the way home.


Everyone, save Renesmee, tensed when they heard them arrive home later that day.

She and Jacob were engaged in another discussion about early American history with Carlisle. It seemed for some reason the youngest Cullen had a fascination with the Revolutionary War (Bella blamed her interaction with Garrett for that one) and Carlisle was more than happy to provide her with any details he knew about the time, having been there himself.

Bella and Edward had been putting on a happy facade all day for the sake of their daughter. They continued to speak with each other and go about their normal activities but they never once touched each other nor had even been alone with each other. The tension between them was high especially when they had to make up an explanation to Nessie about the damage to the house and the absence of the others. An out of control family football game and extended hunting trip seemed the least far-fetched alibi.

Edward and Emmett were trying to put on the same happy facade but had not spoken more than a few words to each other since their fight last night. At least they had something to keep them occupied, both too busy repairing the damage they had done to Esme's crawl space to start fighting again. The missing bedroom wall, hole in the first floor and even the staircase had been easy enough to fix with vampire speed last night, but they were still waiting for the cement to set for the crawl space. Some things couldn't be rushed.

Emmett stopped working though when he heard Rosalie arrive. He rushed upstairs to wash and change and then rushed back outside all in less than a minute ready to greet her. He gasped when he saw her emerge from Jasper's car. She was dirty, the clothes she had left in last night were now torn and muddy. And she looked uncharacteristically sad and vulnerable. And he knew he was the cause.

"Rose" he said, his voice coming out gruffer than he had intended. All Emmett wanted to do was run to her and envelop her in his strong embrace. He knew, without a doubt, she was the most beautiful creature on this earth and far more superior than he could ever hope to be. He knew she could be with any man she wanted, vampire, human, hell even wolf, but for some bizarre reason, she had chosen him as her mate. A poor stupid backwoods nobody. He had been so damn lucky that she had found him. That she had chosen to save him from the bear that took his human life. He hoped beyond hope she would choose him again now.

"Em" she said simply, refusing to even look at him. Her earlier assessment of her being a fighter seemed very childish and naive right about now. Rose had no idea how she could possibly fight these kind of emotions. She couldn't look at Emmett because all she saw was hurt and betrayal. She couldn't look at Bella because all she saw was anger and rage. Her resolve to stay with the family flew out the window and all she really wanted to do was run away again.

"Aunt Rose, what happened are you okay?" Renesmee asked with concern.

Every dead heart in the room broke at the innocent child's question. Even Jacob looked concerned.

Edward placed a comforting hand on his daughter's back and looked towards his sister. Rosalie looked into his reassuring gaze and then put on her bravest face and smiled. No, she would not run she decided. She did have a family here who loved her. Who needed her. And she loved and needed them. She would some how have to come to terms with her feelings about Emmett and Bella but for now, she would remain strong. If nothing else, she would be strong for this sweet little girl in front of her.

"I'm okay sweetie. Just need to go get cleaned up and change. I'll be back down soon" she answered lightly and turned to head up the stairs.

Emmett immediately began to follow her.

"I said I would be back soon" Rose said sternly her intentions clear stopping him in his tracks.

Before she went up the new staircase; however, she came to stand in front of Carlisle. He looked deeply into the eyes of his oldest daughter and dirt and mud be damned, pulled her into a tight embrace. Rose hugged him tightly and whispered frantically to him too quickly for the others to catch most of what she said, but words like "thank you", "sorry", and "forgive" ruminated through the air.

After a moment, father and daughter stood back to face each other. Carlisle raised his hand to Rosalie's cheek and with a simple nod, conveyed forgiveness for everything she had ever put him through in this life. They smiled, released each other and she started up the stairs.

Esme put a comforting arm around Emmett as Rose went into the bathroom.

"Don't worry dear, she'll come around. Just give her time" she reassured him softly.

Emmett nodded. He would give her as long as it took. He would give her forever.