DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. They are the property of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. (This goes for every chapter in this story!!!)

Chapter 9: Visit

B POV

Alice called and told me that they were coming to visit so when the black Mercedes pulled into the driveway, I wasn`t caught off-guard. Renee had heard that Edward would be coming today and was leaving to go home afterward but she had to work again so she couldn`t say goodbye. It was just him and I.

Alice knocked at the door and I rushed from the kitchen to answer it. When I opened the door, I was met by Alice, Esme, Jasper, and of course, Edward. "Come in," I said as I flattened myself against the wall so they could pass by.

I shut the door after them and followed everyone into the living room. "Please make your selves at home," I insisted. I heard Esme gasp as she looked at my painting on the wall. I took an art class at school two years previous and fell in love with painting. My favourite things to paint were people and angels across the blank white canvas.

Edward knew a little about my love of painting and bugged me to do a picture of him but of course, I didn't have any canvas. Renee only bought me canvas two or three times a year if I was lucky but not often so whatever I painted was well-planned out. Renee had liked one I had done of an angel holding a child and asked me to hang it on the wall a year ago and it had resided there since.

"It's beautiful," Esme breathed as she timidly reached to touch the angel's rosy lips.

"Thank you," I replied. "My mom, Renee liked it so she put it on the wall. She wanted to find a frame for it but the canvas dimensions are so uncommon that the frame would have to be made especially for it so we decided to just leave it be," I explained.

"I design homes and decorate them. I saw a painting similar to it once but I love the colours in this one. It has a warmer and richer feel to it, you know? Where did you get it?" Esme asked, turning to face me. I felt so humble in my faded jeans with the holes at the knees and old shirt. I felt the familiar warm flush on my cheeks as I blushed.

"Bella painted it a year ago," Edward piped in much to my embarrassment. Esme's eyes went from the painting to me and smiled.

I smiled back and turned to Edward. "If you want any of your things you can go upstairs and get them together if you want to," I told him.

Edward fought to keep his smile but I saw his dislike to the idea. Alice popped up from the couch then and said, "I'll help you," with a bit too much enthusiasm. "I'd love to see your room." Alice's pixie smile was infectious as the corners of my face moved into a smile.

Edward led Alice up the stairs and left me with Jasper and Esme. "So when do you all go home?" I asked. I didn't want to hear the answer but at the same time I didn't like the quiet.

"We're catching our flight tonight around 10 from Seattle," Jasper said from his sitting position on the couch. Wow, that was soon.

"Do either of you want any lemonade? I'm grabbing a glass if you'd like one," I asked.

Esme looked at me now, "Sure dear. I'll help you," she insisted. We walked into the kitchen and I pulled the glass pitcher out of the fridge. I had made the lemonade with half of the mixture store-bought and the other half was real lemons with water and sugar. I got two glasses out of the cupboard and set them on the counter.

"Esme, how old is Edward? He couldn't remember so we assumed he was the same age as me," I asked.

Esme laughed lightly as I handed her the freshly poured glass of lemonade. "He's seventeen. His birthday is in July and he'll be eighteen. How about you?" she replied.

"I turn eighteen in September."

I took a sip of the lemonade when Esme interrupted the silence. "I'm a bit worried about him," she said. I looked at her quizzically and she continued. "We don't know how this happened but know for a fact that someone did this to him. I'm wondering if he's safe back home.

"Not only that but I'm worried about his feelings. I safely venture to say that it might be overwhelming for him to go back especially when he depends on you so much." There was a sort silence. "He's going to miss you, I know it. I hope that we can come out here, or at least Edward, to visit you again sometime," she confided.

"Esme, what was he like in Florida?"

"Edward has a few close friends and plays piano. He has a girlfriend but she's... something else. I often wonder how she ended up with him. I think he could do better but I guess it's his choice in the end. Edward is more drawn back. He shares himself with people he puts trust in but doesn't get too close to many. He's a great son and I couldn't have asked for a better person in my life," Esme stopped talking but seemed to be thinking still.

"I hope he gets back to normal," I mumbled. Esme's eyes met mine and she gave me a questioning look. "He sounds like he has a promising future and a great family and I hope he gets back to where he's happy when he's in Florida." I took a drink out of my lemonade and set it down on the counter. "Can I be honest with you and not be judged for a moment?" I asked.

Esme nodded her head, "Of course, dear. Say what you'd like."

"I love Edward, probably more than I should. In all honesty, the selfish part of me doesn't want to leave him but I know that my place is not in his life." I let out a deep breath. "Edward has his entire future ahead of him, and me? I just gave up and got behind in two months of schooling and it's my only way out of this place.

"I'll probably never have the luxuries I'm sure that Edward has back home even if I do make it out. My parents left me, I was adopted, my new dad died and since then it's been my mom and I here with the roof collapsing in over our heads and we don't have two dimes to rub together to fix it. I think he deserves better than this. Better than me," I concluded as I picked up my glass again and drained the contents before rinsing it and filling it with water.

I looked back up to Esme. "Promise you won't say anything to him?" I asked with a hint of desperation that wasn't meant to be in my voice.

"Of course, Bella," she said as she moved forward and embraced me. "I owe you so much for taking care of my son and I would do almost anything for you. Thank you so much," her voice said into my ear.

Alice could be heard then skipping down the stairs, "Jasper, could you help me get everything downstairs?" she called into the living room in her tinkling voice. The old couch springs groaned as the weight was lifted from them and I heard Jasper's fluid walk as he strode up the stairs behind Alice's light steps.

"About that painting," Esme said pulling me out of my reverie. "If you ever decide to paint another one like that one in the other room, I'd like to buy it from you for my decorating. It's absolutely beautiful and I love it," she complimented.

"I'll let you know if I ever do," I replied as we walked into the other room. I sat down on the couch when the heavy footfalls that I recognized as Edward's were heard coming down the stairs. I looked back and an automatic smile flitted across my face involuntarily as his bronze hair came into view. His green eyes came to mine and he grinned crookedly at me as he made a beeline for the space next to me on the couch.

"How'd it go up there?" I joked as he put his arm around me and sighed, rolling his eyes at the ceiling.

"You don't even want to know. I cannot wait to get these casts off my arms," he breathed in my ear. "Life is so stressful," he whispered and I laughed.

"You're telling me that your life is stressful? How bad could you have it besides your memory?" I countered his comment. Edward's mouth opened to say something but just closed after a few second's silent thought.

"You win," he muttered and Esme laughed with me.

Hours later Jasper, Alice, Esme, Edward and I were laughing at Esme's recounts of her children's past happenings. She had told us a story about Alice losing her voice for a week and we all laughed, including Alice, at the hilarity of the situation.

Jasper put his hand in his jeans pocket and produced his cell phone. He flipped the silver phone open and his laugh sobered. "We have to get going. Alice, oddly enough, didn't pack yet and we need to get back so we can catch our flight." Jasper's quiet voice was accompanied by a ringing silence.

Esme stood up followed by me in an attempt to stop the silence from becoming awkward. "I need to pack too," she said kindly. I smiled at her as everyone else stood.

"Hold on a second," Edward said. "I forgot something upstairs." He met my eyes for a millisecond before continuing to the stairs. "I'll be out to the car in a minute," he said over his shoulder.

Alice came forward and enveloped me in a hug and kissed my cheek lightly. "It was great to meet you Bella."

"You too, Alice," I responded, returning her infectious smile.

Jasper held out his hand and I took it in a handshake. Evidently he was a man of few words all the time. He nodded towards me in a silent 'goodbye' before turning out the door with Alice and Edward's bag.

Esme hugged me yet again and whispered another thanks to me before releasing me and walking out the door. I turned and walked up the stairs to see what Edward was doing.

I walked into our room to see him, a gorgeous God in human form, holding a framed picture of him and I hugging that Renee took. That reminded me. "I have a copy of that for you. I almost forgot to give it to you," I said as I walked over to my dresser and pulled open the top drawer that was filled with clean t-shirts. I pushed the left row of shirts to the side and pulled out a white package of pictures with a few copies for Edward.

The framed one was of Edward kissing my cheek and I was laughing and another one held Edward, Renee and I together on the couch while others were just Edward and I playing around for the camera.

I pulled out my copies when his forehead rested on my shoulder and his arms encircled my waist. My shoulder felt damp and I looked at Edward's face to see his ear-stained eyes closed against my shirt. He sniffled and I set down the package of pictures on top of my shirts in the drawer.

I turned in Edward's embrace and faced his chest. I rubbed his back in circles and hugged his shoulders to me with the other arm. "It's okay. Relax," I whispered calmly into the crook of his neck. "What's wrong?"

Edward took a few deep breaths and let out a deep rush of air. His tears ceased and he pulled back to let me brush away the tears with my hands. I held his cheeks between my palms and he stared into my eyes.

"I'm going to miss you. I kind of always thought that my family would live nearby, not across the country so I could still hang out with you. It's, upsetting that I..." he broke off his sentence for lack of words.

"You can come and visit or call or email or anything anytime you want to. You know I'll always be your friend and I'll be here if you ever need me. How about you call me after you get home once you remember, alright? Don't worry about the time, just call, okay?" Edward nodded and hugged me tightly again.

I was still fighting back the feeling of hurt and the threatening tears that begged to flood forth with the other emotion dammed back behind my calm façade. My current feelings were just a smokescreen, an illusion for Edward's sake. Once he left, I'm sure I'd cry like no tomorrow. I resumed my previous act of dislodging my photos from the package and closed the envelope back up.

"So what did you forget up here?"

"I wanted to ask you something. I kind of forgot to last time," he explained as he pulled me towards the door and down the stairs with his envelope in my hand.

"What exactly was it that you wanted to ask me?"

Edward smiled and shook his head. "I'm not sure if you want to know," he said lightly, trying to brush it off as nothing.

"Try me," I replied.

Edward sighed, "Can I kiss you?" his voice came out in a shy tone.

"You already have," I responded more quietly now that we were in closer proximity.

"Is that a yes?" I only nodded.


Okay, so I have Chapter 10 half-way done and just thought I'd put this one out there because of all of the awesome people who keep reviewing. I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapters and what you think will happen...

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