Where the Heart Lies

Chapter 9: WTH

Edward

The hardest thing I ever did for the first time in my life was letting the one woman I loved walk away. I tried the tactic with the Lawyer, but Bella was able to see right through that. I haven't been to my parents' house since she left, nor have I spoken to the family about it. I do though enjoy daily talks with the twins. I hate watching them grow from a far, but right now having them in my life is more important than screwing things up.

I loved hearing about the different things they were able to do in preschool or at the little kids' gym where they go. I will say that first face time almost threw me for a grave. The girls were so naïve in setting the phone on the counter. God, if I could have just reached through the screen to hold her. Bella was hardly wearing anything, but when she realized I could see her she pulled her robe tightly around herself.

"Edward, thank god you're still here," Jessica says all too sweetly.

"I am leaving, I have a standing appointment," I snap harshly.

"Oh, I rode here with a friend for the conference, but she left and I have no way of getting back home," he says half muttering.

"And," I say hoping she gets the point I don't care.

"Since you're heading back could I catch a lift with you," she turns slightly to show some cleavage. I do not want to do this.

"Fine, but it doesn't change things with us. I am not ever going out with you. I have a family," I say as her stare turns dark, but she just smiles.

Jessica was driving me insane as she was flipping through the stations when I pulled into a gas station. I got out and went in. She followed me inside as she grabbed something to drink.

"Do you want something to drink Edward," she asks as I pay the attendee.

"Yeah, a Pepsi from the fountain, lite ice," I say as she does so and I head out to pump the gas. I see her come back to the car and get in. I see her rummaging in her purse and the reach for a drink, but the beep of the pump causes me to look away.

We were half way home and I wasn't feeling too well. I was sweating and having a hard time focusing on the road. My vision was going blurry at times. I would look to Jessica who seemed unfazed by me. She was on her phone texting to someone.

"I think I am going to pull over," I mutter slurring my words slightly as I look to her once again, but before I can the headlights of another car hitting me causing me to lose focus.

"Is he alive," I hear her ask.

"Barely," the other voice says as I try to open my eyes.

"Hurry up," she demands as I go to move my arms, but don't feel them. I am beginning to panic.

"I'll get the cadaver in the car," she mutters as I am half tossed into another vehicle.

"Bella," I mumble as I try to find the words to send to her. I thought if I thought hard enough she might hear me. Help! I then close my eyes allowing the darkness to engulf me. If I knew Jessica this wasn't going to be easy.

***XOXOXOXO***

Bella

"What do you mean Edward is dead?" I yell when they told me he was gone, no I wouldn't believe them.

"There was a hit and run, he was pronounced dead at the scene," Carlisle says as he reaches for my hand but I jerk it away.

"I'm sorry but Edward isn't dead, I would know if he was," I snap as I proceed to demand they leave. Emmett leaves the details of the funeral and all for me on the counter. I just couldn't believe it.

"Mommy, why are we packing," Emmalin asks as I pass her a box the next morning.

"I think right now it would be best to go back to Forks, where our family lives," I say softly as I hear Carlie sigh. I had told them that their father was in an accident and everyone thought he was dead. I had to laugh because the first thing Carlie said was she didn't feel like he was. We cried together and I decided I was stupid for leaving.

I called my boss after our talk and told her that I wasn't going to be coming back. I had some family things to take care of, but she asked if it was my dad I said no. I explained to her the situation I was in, and she was sweet. She demanded I stay on full time and just send her the same amount of work as I usually do. We worked out a schedule and if I had to meet with someone we would Skype or Face time.

"Did you get all the things you would need?" I questioned Carlie when she came into the almost bare living room.

"Yes, mommy," she groans. The girls and I were going to be flying out to Forks while a moving company moved our belongings. They had left this morning, what was left would be sent later by a friend. I found a nice little house for sell near where my dad lived, but was also in the midst of the town. It was a nice two story with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a fully functioning basement. I was happy for that.

"Mommy can we go," Emmalin says as I pick up the bags we planned to take with us. Once we got through the security line at the airport and found our seat on the plan I was exhausted. I buckled the girls in and vaguely thought about how not too long ago we were headed out for a different reason.

When we got into Seattle my boss arranged for me to have a driver waiting for me. I might have played being an editor off as a writing job, but I worked for one of the biggest firms in Boston. I was in the arena if ever elected to take over, but I loved the reading of the manuscripts as an editor. I have worked hard to get where I am today.

"Ms. Swan," a man asks holding up a sign with my name on it.

"Yes," I say as I give him a small smile. He leads us to the baggage claim getting a baggage trolley, and begins loading out luggage on it. During the flight Emmalin fell asleep and I was currently carrying her while Carlie was walking beside me. Once the driver collects everything up he helps Carlie up on the bags. She thinks its fun riding on the trolley as I follow him to the car.

"Do you have the address?" I ask once the girls are buckled in, and he has finished loading our things in.

"Yes, Mrs. Parker sent the address to me. Do you need to stop anywhere or do anything before I take you to your home," he asks as I just shake my head. I slide into the back of the car in-between the girls as he get in the front. The drive to Forks was very long as time seemed to just pass by slowly as I thought of all the things I needed to do to get the house ready. As we were about half an hour out of the city limits I began to think about Edward.

I hated the fact that I was coming back home, really coming home but Edward wasn't there. I just knew deep down in my heart he wasn't dead. I would be here the next few days for moral support for the Cullen's, but I would know that the person they would be burying wasn't Edward.

As the car began going through town all the familiar haunts became very uninviting to me. I saw the diner where my dad and I use to eat at a lot before I decided to take over the cooking. Newton's hardware store was off to the left as I looked to the right at the grocery store. It was just like it looked a few months ago when I was here last.

"Here we are Ms. Swan," he says as he pulls into the driveway. I see the moving van already there, as well as my Land Rover from Boston. I get out of the car and walk up to the house. I see the front door is open as the movers are moving the furniture around in the house. I go back to the car to get the girls. When I get back to the car both girls are awake and already unbuckled.

"Pretty house," Carlie says as she gets out of the car.

"Nice," is all Emmalin says laughing as she points to the deer in the yard just beyond the tree line.

"Yes, it is nice," I say smiling as I take a deep breath of all the fresh air. I smell all pine trees and feel at home. I finally feel like I am really at home. It makes me wonder what that says about me. I ran away, only to come back to the one place I felt wasn't right for me to only realize it is where I belonged all along.

Once the movers had unloaded the truck and placed everything in the proper rooms, and left the boxes in the correct rooms as well they left. Our nice driver was gone as well; he took his leave once he was sure that the movers knew what to do. It was finally just the twins and me. I had unloaded the boxes for the kitchen so that I would be able to actually use the kitchen if I wanted to.

"Mommy can we get pizza?" Carlie says as I enter their bedroom. I see both girls lying on their beds with have empty boxes and their toys all over the place. I smile because I knew eventually Emmalin would put everything away because she liked having things where they go. Edward was like that I knew she had gotten that tendency from him. Carlie is more like me; I put things away when I am in a rut. I clean as I coping mechanism.

"Sure, why don't you two pick up the items on the floor and tomorrow we can actually tackle putting everything where it goes," I say as Carlie whines a little, but Emmalin gets up and begins putting the toys in their bins. I walk into my room and see the boxes everywhere and just shake my head. I pick up the phone to order pizza, but decide against it.

"Would you two like to go to the diner for dinner instead?" I ask as I reenter their room. Carlie was actually picking up a handful of things off the floor when she looked up.

"Yes," they both say as I help them pick up the items thrown around. I knew even though their beds were made the fact would be tonight they would both be in my bed because of it being a new house. I got their jackets on them and loaded up in the Land Rover and headed to the diner. I saw a cruiser in the lot and knew it was either my dad or Emmett, but either way by coming to the diner us being back would spread like wild fire. Before morning the whole town would know the exclusive Isabella Swan was back.

"Is that grandpa's car?" Carlie asks when I help her out of the car.

"Maybe or one of the other guys," I half say as I hope it was my dad's even though I would have liked not running into anyone. We enter the diner only to get several people to turn to look at us. I always hated people looking at me.

"How many dear?" the hostess says before looking up.

"Three," I say as I see both my dad and Emmett in a corner booth.

"Alright honey, Isabella," she finally looks at me as I give her a small smile. "Well I'm sorry dear," she says as I nod.

"I'll just sit with my dad if that's alright," I say as she leads us back to where he was seated. As we are almost to the table he looks up.

"Bella," he says as he gets up. The twins both enter the booth sliding into the middle as I follow.

"Dad, Emmett," I say as I reach for a fry off of my dad's plate.

"I didn't know you guys were coming for the funeral," Emmett says a little snappy. I guess I deserved it since I did actually throw him out of my house last time he saw me.

"We moved here," Emmalin says as she reaches for a fry that Carlie had in her hand.

"You what," he almost chokes on his drink.

"We moved back," I say softly as I wait for the food my dad ordered for us.

"You couldn't have done so before my brother died," he snaps at me. I look over to where he was.

"There are a lot of things I regret, but not moving back when he wanted me to isn't one of them," I snap back at him. "I came home because this is where I belong. It might not be the best timing, but that's all I have to say. You can dislike me or hate me if you want, but I know in my heart like I said before Edward is not dead," I say as the food is arriving. I no longer had an appetite. If it wasn't for the fact that I was in the middle of the booth I would have gotten up and took the food to go, but I couldn't do that.

The girls eat their food without waiting to be told to. I assumed it was because we hadn't had a lot to eat today due to the fact we were moving around a lot from flying to unpacking and just not eating. Once the girls were done, I laid done some money to pay for my share of the dinner and asked to be excused. My dad just shrugged and let us out. When we got home, I helped both girls take their bath and get ready for bed. I was taking my shower when I heard the two of them talking. I knew they were now in my bed.

I took my time finishing up even blow drying my hair. I braided it, and pulled on my night gown. As I was putting on my sock I had this feeling come over me, it was like a cry for help. I turned around to face the mirror when I thought I saw Edward behind me, when I turned around I heard his voice clear as day; 'Help me Bella.' I then felt a cold air come over me and made me shudder. Yes, it was absolutely sure to me that Edward was alive somewhere waiting to be found.

"Awe, both of my babies here," I say as they look at me as I climb into the bed. I pull both of them to me and it felt right to have them with me. I close my eyes and set it in my mind that I was going to find Edward, but as sleep began to take me I wondered where one would look to find him.