Chapter 12

Catching-Up


I stood at the edge of the overhanging forest canopy, my mind reviewing the last few moments of conversation between Bella and Alice. Yes, there had been a definite change in Bella's expression and a change in her heartbeat when Alice made the comment 'we have plenty of time for me to prove myself to you.'

What was the significance of her reaction? What was it about Alice's statement that caused it?

Despite my superior mental capacity, I was not able to focus completely on the possibilities, as I was distracted by Bella's conversation with Alice which was still spirited. Alice was complimenting Bella on how great she looked, and how much better she was dressing, trying subtly to discover what prompted the change in attitude. But Bella artfully dodged her attempts, waving her hand dismissively, laughing lightly and repeating that she was simply 'trying new things.'

With a smooth touch that surprised Alice, Bella steered the conversation back to my family, and asked Alice about Jasper and the rest of the Cullen's. She pointedly avoided mentioning my name; this made me quite sad. But Alice dutifully told her about what the family had been doing since last September.

As Alice nattered on, I thought back to her words from before, and Bella's reaction to them. I quickly realized the only significant items that could have caused Bella's hesitation were the phrases 'enough time' or 'prove myself.'

I ran it back through my mind, thinking over the words, and deduced that the phrase 'enough time' was most likely the concept that caused Bella's heart to beat erratically and for her expression to change. I did not think that the phrase 'prove myself' had a high probability of causing her heart to stutter though I could not rule it out completely.

Time. Yes, whenever we talked about time, Bella would become anxious. She always worried about not having enough time with me, or my family. And she was especially wary about her aging, particularly relative to me and my family. She had a terrible fear of growing old and leaving me behind. So time was always something she wanted more of when she was with us.

Now that I was almost certain that 'enough time' was the phrase that made her anxious, my vampire mind ran in a dozen different directions, now paying only minimal attention to the conversation taking place in the house. To be absolutely certain I was on the right track, I ran through Alice's phrase very slowly, watching with my perfect recall the moment that Bella's heartbeat spiked.

I saw that I was correct: Bella hesitated and her heart did its customary flutter-dance when Alice mentioned having 'enough time'.

Without pause, my brain now ran down different paths. Now that I knew she was worried about time, the possible significance suddenly scared me.

What worried her? Was Bella reacting only because of her fear of aging again? Or was something else in her mind?

I knew there could be many reasons for her reaction. Perhaps, it meant Bella's time in Forks was limited, because she was leaving? Or was she afraid of Victoria and thought it likely she might be killed? Not knowing her thoughts, I could only guess.

Or was something else making her anxious? Why did she not think she had 'enough time'?

A buzzing in my head, like a swarm of bees at the edge of my consciousness, teased me with a bleaker possibility. Perhaps, the buzzing voice said to me, Bella had some sort of life-threatening condition that was going to take her away from me soon, and she would never get that full human lifetime I had always wanted for her.

The buzzing voice in my head grew louder, more insistent, and had to I steady myself against a close overhanging branch, as the possibility of Bella having some fatal disease rolled through me like a black wave. I felt it zapping my strength, almost causing my knees to buckle.

Was it possible she was ill? Was there something seriously wrong with Bella? Would she be taken from me before her time?

The rational part of my mind rejected this theory based on what I had seen. Surely, if she did have something that was immediately life threatening - and a wide range of illnesses sprung to my mind, such as cancer, heart disease, genetic problems - then she would either be undergoing treatment or showing some symptoms of illness. Right?

And as I ran through the last twenty-four hours in my mind, it didn't appear that she was suffering from anything except for some uncharacteristic teenage rebellion. She looked healthy, and was acting like a typical teenager did. She rode around on motorcycles, got drunk with boys in cars, and had no visible markers for any disease.

My relief was short-lived, as I realized that perhaps she had some long-term, chronic condition, which might not manifest for years. She could very well be disease or symptom free for decades.

As I let my mind race through the possibilities, I relaxed somewhat. Even though I had always counted on her living a long, healthy life, a chronic, slow-developing condition did not overly frighten me; surely there would be enough time to get her treatment and extend her lifespan into old-age.

One thing I resolved right there: if Bella was chronically ill, then she would get the best care possible on this planet, no matter the cost. I knew Bella was proud and stubborn and might refuse my help; but Charlie would accept the help from Carlisle if it meant keeping his daughter healthy; of that I had no doubt.

And, if the worst was true, if her condition could not be treated, then I would offer her the immortality I so foolishly denied her last year, without hesitation.

I slowly calmed down, and thought again of my supposition. The more I thought about it, the more other candidates - other than sudden death or chronic disease - seemed plausible.

Had I misinterpreted her pause and was looking for calamities where there were none? I was always prone to overreaction with Bella: I knew that.

Perhaps Bella planned on leaving Forks for college somewhere sunny, where my family could not venture. Or perhaps she was moving back with her mother.

Or, perhaps she was thinking about the Wolves, and how they would be very uneasy with my family spending time with her. That certainly seemed likely, and it would be just like Bella to worry herself about how she would split her time between two mythical monster groups. The thought made me smile.

I laughed as I realized that, indeed, this seemed a more likely possibility than some mysterious phantom illness. After all, Bella had been thoroughly checked-over last year in Phoenix when she was in the hospital and there was no sign of anything untoward in her tests and lab-work.

I decided that I would have to return to Bella's house later and snoop around - if Alice couldn't figure out what was going on from her conversation with her. It was distasteful for me now to do so - as I am sure that Bella would not appreciate it, unlike the last time she found out I had been in her room uninvited - but I was frustrated about those missing months, and I wanted answers.

I tuned back into their conversation, which had temporarily lulled, Alice having filled Bella in on the things my family - with the exception of myself - had been doing for the past 10 months. She had told her about Carlisle and Esme's time in Ithaca, and Rose and Emmett's travels in Europe.

And then Alice's voice grew somber as she told Bella about her trip to Biloxi, and about her discovery of her old patient records, detailing the time when Alice was a patient in the asylum. She told her about her date of admittance, and how it matched the date on her tombstone. Bella's face looked pained, and she reached out again to hold Alice's hand.

With her fingers wrapped in Bella's own, Alice's voice lightened when she told Bella that she actually found a living relative; that her younger sister Cynthia's great-great granddaughter was married and living with two children in Biloxi. "I couldn't believe it, Bella," Alice reflected, eyes bright. "I was an Aunt! And one of the children's names was Mary. I wonder if they named her in honor of me?" Alice trailed off, staring at nothing, her thoughts far away.

A quiet moment was shared between then, and a smile slowly formed on Bella's face. "Oh Alice, I am so glad you found your family! Do they seem happy?"

A wide grin split Alice's pixie face, and contentment radiated in her thoughts. "Yes, Bella. They did. They really looked happy," she said. And then Alice's smile turned mischievous. "And they will be extra happy come Christmas-time, when an 'anonymous do-gooder' will arrange for a truckload of toys and children's outfits to be delivered to their house!" Alice assured with a laugh.

Bella joined my sister in her laughter. The sound brought me joy, but also a slight taste of bittersweet, as I wanted to be the one to make her laugh; to be the one to fill her days with happiness and love. But I was being selfish. I would never deny Alice her connection with Bella ever again.

Alice calmed, and her story finishing as she brought Bella up to speed on our family's doings over the past few days. "We are finally all back in Forks, but honestly we don't know how long we are going to be staying. I think Carlisle will probably go back to the hospital, but we haven't made any long-term plans."

"Why," Bella asked, tilting her head.

Alice looked at her a moment before answering. "Because, Bella, our plans depend heavily on what you want."

Bella's smile faded, and she again had that tight, pensive look on her face. Alice watched her without comment, waiting for her to speak. Despite her notorious bouncy nature and general impatience, Alice could outwait most people, when she had to.

Finally, Bella sighed, and stood up to put her plate in the sink. Alice watched without comment, as Bella cleaned and dried it, and placed it in the rack. She didn't turn back around, and stood facing the wall over the sink, her hands on the counter edge, supporting her weight as she leaned on it.

Alice was treading carefully, not wanting to upset Bella, but she needed to know what she wanted. I was nervous: would she send us away?

Alice also very much wanted to know what Bella was keeping back, but she was afraid of pressuring her, of testing their so recently repaired friendship. So she waited, impatient but quiet. But as the minutes dragged on, it soon became clear Bella was not going to speak first. She looked deep in thought, as if she was debating with herself about what to say.

Finally, Alice sighed. "Bella? Do you want us to stay?" she asked tentatively. "Please tell me what you are thinking." She spoke in a soft, undemanding tone, which was very unlike Alice when she wanted something.

Bella took a deep breath, and turned around, leaning back against the sink. She looked steadily at Alice, her stare unwavering. "Honestly, Alice, I am not sure," she eventually answered. Alice flinched in her thoughts at this declaration, but kept her expression blank, as Bella took another breath and continued. "I never expected to see any of you again, and am afraid of letting you all back into my life. It took me a very long time and a lot of pain to get to the point where I can even function without feeling like I was splitting into pieces. And Edward promised it would be like he never existed and that I would never see any of you ever again." She shook her head sadly at this, looking down at her feet.

Alice's thoughts turned angry, and I winced at the profanity and stream of curses she was hurling at me in her thoughts. 'Stupid, dumbass jerk! You goddamn idiot! How the hell could you say such things to her!'

Alice struggled to keep her face even, but she grimaced despite herself when Bella mumbled, too soft for human ears: "Of course, he broke every other promise he ever made to me too, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're back."

Alice swallowed the angry words she wanted to say about me, but my own guilt swelled again, filling me with disgust and self-loathing. She smiled sadly at Bella, and replied, "I won't speak for Edward, as I said before. We obviously came back, but we will only stay if you are going to be OK with that."

Alice stood up, walking over to her. "Bella, you are calling the shots now. I won't put you in any position that makes you uncomfortable. If you don't want us here, then we will leave as soon as Victoria is taken care of," she promised. I immediately knew I wouldn't abide by this, but kept my thoughts in check as Alice finished. "But I hope you want us to stay. We really do love you, Bella, and I know everyone would really enjoy seeing you again."

Bella chewed her lip for a minute, before looking up at Alice with a twinkle in her eye. "Even Rosalie?" Bella asked, smirking. I was glad to see her previous good mood returning.

Alice's face broke into a wry grin. "You'd be surprised by Rosalie. She might act like queen bitch all the time, but she knows that we functioned better as a family when you were there," Alice stated honestly.

Bella's beautiful brown eyes sparkled for a moment, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she giggled at Alice's quip about Rosalie; and suddenly, I was filled again with hope. I knew my Bella was still in there now. Trust Alice to get through her hardened shell.

Alice laughed back, and soon the two friends were laughing and giggling together, when Alice leaned forward and embraced Bella in a hug. I felt Alice's thoughts registering the warmth of Bella's skin, the smell of her shampoo, the scent of her blood: freesia and strawberries and spring rain.

Alice was surprised at the grip with which Bella held on to her, holding Alice with probably all the strength in her frail human body. Alice was pleased with the hard hug, and was in no rush to release Bella either, so she hugged her back firmly.

"I really missed you, Alice," Bella whispered as she hugged Alice close. "I am so glad you're home."

Tenderness and love flooded Alice's thoughts. "Me too, Bella. Me too."


Over the next hour they talked of mostly trivial things, with Bella telling Alice about the comings and goings of the kids from Forks; but whenever Alice asked about the Wolves or probed too deeply into Bella's personal life, Bella would steer the conversation to different waters. Alice allowed it without any difficulty, and didn't call Bella out on her tactic. 'Time enough for details later, Edward,' she thought at me.

And Bella seemed fascinated with every little detail she could get about what my family had done since we left last September, and Alice happily filled in the picture for her.

As they chatted like they had never been apart, I reflected on truly how selfish I had been to Alice; Bella was really the only friend Alice had, and I had ripped her away, not even allowing her to say goodbye.

It was true that Alice had good relationships with the Denali cousins. But Tanya and her coven were all older, both in physical years - as they were changed in their early to mid-twenties - and in vampire years, having been alive since the dark ages; and they were so different culturally from Alice that they often found it difficult to relate to one another. Their only common ground, really, was their enjoyment of shopping and their vegetarian diet. And I knew that, even though Bella despised shopping in general, Alice usually had more fun shopping with Bella than she did with the Denali sisters.

There were other people Alice claimed as friends; Charlotte, Peter's wife, and Siobhan and Maggie from the Irish coven being the most prominent. But truthfully, she wasn't really close with them, forging quasi-friendly relationships that didn't have any real depth.

The only other female, besides Esme - with whom she had more of a mother/daughter relationship – who Alice was close to was Rosalie; and that was mostly because they were sisters. Alice had never bonded with Rosalie the way she had with Bella, despite knowing Rose for fifty years and Bella for less than one. I knew this was another thing about Bella that Rosalie was jealous of, and unfortunately for Bella, Rosalie was very good at holding a grudge.

As I listened to their chatter, I saw once again how natural and easy Alice and Bella's relationship was. Their friendship was effortless; they seemed to always take such enjoyment from each other's company. I fondly remembered several occasions where Jasper, despite my admonishment's to keep his distance, would try to soak up as much of the bantering, sisterly atmosphere he could when Bella had visited our house.

I was glad Alice had such a friend, and I again promised myself to never interfere in their friendship.


It was nearing noon, when Bella's cell phone beeped twice, a soft chiming bell, interrupting her funny anecdote about a movie she had seen recently. Her easy smile suddenly vanished and she stopped talking mid-sentence. She grimaced for a moment, before smoothing her features. "Alice, would you excuse me for a second? I'll be right back," Bella said distractedly, looking upwards towards her room.

Without waiting for an answer or reply from Alice, Bella walked out of the kitchen, and Alice listened as she heard Bella run up the stairs and close her door. There was a click of a lock, and a few shuffling noises coming from the bedroom.

'What do you think is going on, Edward?' Alice asked me. I whispered to her, quietly enough that Bella wouldn't hear, that I had no idea. I ran around the front of the house, looking at Bella's window, but the window was down and the curtains were shut, and all I could see were dark shapes in the room. I knew that if I vaulted into the tree outside her window for a closer look, that there was a risk that in daylight she would be able to spot my shadow through the curtain. I couldn't chance it.

After a few seconds, Bella unlocked the door, calling out to Alice that she would be right down, and then walked quickly to the bathroom. I heard the lock click shut, and then the sound of running water blocked out all noise. Alice wondered if she had done this purposefully, and it bothered me that I couldn't hear anything. After about two minutes, the toilet flushed, the water shut off, and Bella emerged, walking slowly down the stairs and rejoining Alice in the kitchen.

"Sorry," Bella said, her cheeks filling with her customary blush. "Something I had to take care of."

She took her seat again at the table, avoiding Alice's gaze, tapping her fingers on the tabletop nervously as her cheeks slowly lost their color as her blush faded.

Both Alice and I were curious and concerned. What was she doing upstairs? Was there a message for her? A text? Clearly she had gotten-up in response to the phone call. Who had called her?

Speaking very softly and carefully, Alice asked, "Bella? Is everything all right?" The concern in Alice's voice was obvious, and Bella hunched down in her chair, a posture I had seen from her very often when I had first met her. "You know if you want to talk about something, I will listen," Alice assured her.

Alice and I watched as Bella clearly debated with herself. She fidgeted, shifting her weight on the chair, and crossing and re-crossing her ankles. For the millionth time I cursed my inability to hear her thoughts and I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.

Finally, after what seemed an interminable amount of time but was probably under a minute, she finally answered. "I don't think I want to discuss it, Alice. But I will let you know if I change my mind."

Alice's thoughts ran in different directions, one part debating the wisdom of trying to pull the information from Bella, the other part thinking that baby steps were the right way to go. Visions of possible futures ran through her head, and she was frustrated that most of the ones involving Bella were so blurry.

So with no clear outcome to help her, Alice chose to err on the side of caution. "I understand, Bella. But please know that if you do want or need to talk, or need anything at all, I am here for you. OK?" Alice reached across and took her hand.

"OK, thanks Alice," Bella answered quietly.

An awkward silence descended, which was suddenly interrupted as Alice's eyes glazed over as a vision ran through her mind. I watched the vision play-out; I saw four vampires running through the outskirts of what looked to be Port Angeles. It was nighttime, and the town's waterfront lights could be seen on the horizon. They were running fast, sticking to the edge of the forest. One of them looked behind him, as if he was checking on pursuit, and they sped up and their strides lengthened. Suddenly, they emerged from the forest and ran straight into the water, quickly vanishing in the surf.

The vision ended, and Alice's attention focused back on Bella, who was looking at her with wide-eyes. "I forgot how weird that is," Bella mumbled. Then she asked, "Alice, what did you see?"

For a moment Alice debated telling her a lie, that it was nothing to worry about. She would have done this last year, she thought. But now, with their newfound trust still on very shaky ground, Alice resolved to tell Bella the truth. I tightened my fist at this decision, not wanting Bella to worry; but I knew that I had to put this kind of thinking behind me if I wanted a chance with Bella.

Alice took a deep breath, and then relayed her vision. "I saw four unknown vampires - all males - running quickly through a forest, at night. It looked like they were near the waterfront in Port Angeles, the lights looked familiar. They might have been running away from something, but they disappeared into the water and the vision went blank."

Bella looked away, chewing her lip as she considered Alice's words. "Do you know when the vision takes place?" she finally asked. This was a good question, and I had wondered the same thing.

Alice grimaced. "I can't tell exactly, but I generally can get a sense of how far-off in time a vision is. I think this will happen sometime in the next few nights. The angle wasn't right so I couldn't see the moon or anything that would give me a hint as to the timeframe. But I am pretty sure it's going to happen soon."

Alice looked away thoughtfully, nails drumming on the table. "To be prepared, I think I will talk to Jasper and Emmett about patrolling a little further out for the next couple of days, and to maybe take a few wolves with them. I don't want anyone being outnumbered."

Bella nodded, looking thankful that Alice was not editing and including her in the discussion. "Is everything going OK with the Wolves?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded her head. "So far, there have been no problems, except for the blank-spots in my vision. But I am learning to think around those; if I see a blank spot, I know now to look further ahead, in time, so see if I can get any insight after the Wolves have left the area. It's tricky, but I am starting to get a handle on it."

"I am glad it's working out. The Wolves really don't like you very much," Bella admitted, looking uncomfortable.

"I know, and the feeling is mutual. We are natural enemies, after all. But," Alice added, with cheer in her voice, "we all want to keep our favorite human safe, so it's worth putting up with their stink!"

Bella laughed, nodding her head. "Thanks for telling me the truth, Alice."

"You're welcome, Bella. And please, don't worry. We will get her." Alice scanned through visions of the future, looking for anything that looked like it could be a danger to Bella. Everything was still blurry.

A silent minute passed, until Bella finally forced a smile, which didn't fully reach her eyes. She was worried about something, and I wasn't surprised. Bella was always worrying about something or someone. It was one of the things I loved most about her; but I sometimes wished she worried more about herself.

Bella cleared her throat, getting Alice's attention again. "Alice? Um, I have somewhere I need to go," she blurted out, dropping her eyes. "But really, thank you for coming. It's been really good to see you." It was an abrupt and obvious dismissal, and Alice and I were very surprised by it.

Caught off-guard - an unusual situation for Alice - she blurted, "You want me to go? Do you have plans, Bella?" Alice again wondered what that mysterious call on her cell phone was about.

"Well, I do, yes. I promised Quill... oh, he's one of my friend's from La Push," she said at Alice's raised eyebrow," ...that I would babysit Claire with him today," Bella replied, blushing again.

Bella was babysitting? Despite the smile I was sporting, I was very surprised by this revelation, and apparently so was Alice. "Babysitting? Really? When did you start?" Alice squealed, the excitement at hearing about this lifting her spirits again.

Bella stood-up from the table, a wide smile on her face, as she turned towards the exit of the kitchen. She looked pleased at Alice's enthusiasm. "For about a month now," she replied. "See, Quil - he's, umm, he's one of the Werewolves, and is...umm...shit, how do I say it...um, he's connected to Claire, I guess?" she stuttered, frowning as if trying to find the right words to explain a difficult puzzle.

She shook her head, and continued, ignoring Alice's questioning look. "Claire's mother won't let Quil babysit alone, as he is really clueless when it comes to babies. So I offered to help," she added, a small smile on her face. "You know, in thanks for everything they've done for me." Bella finished shyly, her blush flaming her cheeks and her voice trailing off at the end.

Despite only understanding about half of what Bella just said, I fumed at this news. Apparently, Bella was, as I feared, very closely involved with the Wolves. 'Of course she was!' my conscience screamed at me. Trust Bella to befriend the first monsters she could when the vampires leave town! Young Werewolves were notoriously unstable, and very, very dangerous. I vividly remembered meeting the pack when we came to Forks in the 1930's, and seeing the memory of scarred faces and torn bodies in the Wolve's memories, all as a result of careless accidents and unstable tempers. I knew that Wolves couldn't always keep their shapes, and would often explode into their wolf-form at the slightest provocation. And if an innocent person was standing too close, they would usually end-up maimed or dead.

To further infuriate me, I also did not understand Bella's reference to this Quil being 'connected' to the little girl who Bella was babysitting. What the hell did that mean? There were too many mysteries here.

The same confusing thoughts ran through Alice's head, and she too felt real trepidation at the thought of Bella's visiting the Reservation - a place where we could not see her in Alice's visions, or get to her if she needed us in an emergency.

"What do you mean their 'connected', Bella?" Alice asked pointedly, her earlier reticence waning quickly. She wanted to warn Bella against going to La Push, but she anticipated that Bella would not respond kindly to such advice. Knowing how stubborn and reckless Bella was, I tended to agree. I ground my teeth in frustration.

Bella's eyes hardened, and she shook her beautiful head. "I can't explain it. You need to ask Sam or one of the Wolves about it. It's a pack thing, that's all I can say," Bella answered, her jaw firming up. Clearly, she was willing to keep their secrets. I wondered if she had kept ours as closely guarded as she kept theirs?

I berated myself for my petty jealousy, knowing that I really had no right to question what Bella did or not do with the Wolves. I had abandoned her, and they were the only ones who could protect her from Victoria. Quite simply, they were there, and I wasn't. Now I was paying the price for my actions.

Alice didn't like Bella's answer, but didn't pursue it as Bella was clearly showing her out. So she stood up from the table, and followed Bella to the door. But Alice couldn't help herself, despite knowing she was on thin ice, and issued a warning to her." Bella, please be careful when you are there. I know the Wolves are your friends, and I know you trust them. But please, just be careful," she ended, imploring her with her expression.

For a moment both Alice and I thought an angry rebuke was coming. Bella's eyes grew hard again, but then they grew calm, and she waved her hand dismissively. "Sure sure, no problem Alice." And that was all we were going to get, as the subject was clearly closed.

With a sigh, Alice nodded. "Ok, Bella, I will talk to you soon," Alice said, somewhat forlornly. She was thrilled to have Bella back in her life, but there were still questions that Alice didn't get answers to. She turned to go, but before she stepped out, Bella surprised her.

"Alice? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, Bella," Alice replied, happy to be asked. "What do you need?"

Bella grinned at her, the same, mature, sexy grin I had seen on her yesterday. "Well, I could use your help getting ready for tonight. Let's say, at seven o'clock," she said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Ready for what?" Alice questioned, confused at Bella's game, and not used to her being so teasing.

Bella's smile grew wide. "Tonight, I am going to a party."


A/N - Edward/Bella and the party next. Then the pace will pick up dramatically as we enter the second story arc. Sorry if this chapter was a bit slow, but it was transitional and I needed to wrap-up the Alice/Bella re-bond. It will be very important later.

I am not sure what the proper (or best) protocol for addressing reviews and/or PM's are, so I will try and answer some here.

CullenLvredBell, psychovampirefreak, Vampswols4l, KCClaughs, ded1, partypoppergirl, yuiop, EMGJ, natashar, racerxfangirl, Kimme16, nicole. , NicoleTijuana, and Hallowed Nancy - Thanks for the feedback!

Yeddi - I agree. He should have changed her. He was a fool, and he will pay for his foolishness. I always hated that Bella forgave him so easily - she could have taken a page out of Rose's book and got a better compromise from him! he was willing to beg after all ...

PsychoNancy66 - Thanks for the thought. Yes, I do try and pay close attention to dialogue, and try not to overuse the verb replacements like 'questioned inquired pondered responded debated intoned clarified replied answered etc'; imho these replacement verbs are too often used instead of the simple verbs 'said' or 'asked.' I generally was taught that the sentence itself should try and make clear what the dialogue speaker is trying to convey, though I often need to fallback on this type of verb usage. Read a great article (replace the HHHH with http ) /2013/04/07/verbs-for-carrying-dialogue-said-versu s-the-rest/

TrevvorTrinJ - yes there will be some action, though this story is essentially a 'coming to terms' story about the journey that E and B have taken and have to take in order to see if a future is possible for them. There are 3 story arcs, and the first one is nearing its end. the second one will not have as much 'backward looking' dialogue and will see the characters dealing with the fallout from Edwards choice and the repercussions of the first story arc, which we havent gotten to yet.

SpyderLady745 - I honestly dont know how the story will end; I have 2 endings in mind, and might decide to do one as the 'ending' and the other as an 'alternative' ending. Dont want to say too much more about that right now, but this is unusual for me. Generally, when I write, I know the beginning and the end of the story; the rest of it is the journey from point A to point B, and I try to not plot it out too much. I like my writing to feel spontaneous and fresh (to me and to the reader, hopefully), and when I overplan or overplot I lose interest quickly.

ViceroyChancellor- You are right! (he asked if I liked Edward or not; he said from reading the story he couldn't tell). I sometimes don't know either! When I read newmoon, I tend to despise him (and parts of Eclipse and the honeymoon in BD) and its only when I read certain fics that redeem Edward in my eyes. He was a terrible boyfriend in many ways. Controlling, always criticizing her choices, threatening to kill himself when she died, putting his own opinions above her own, shutting her down when she talked about things that he didn't want to discuss, physically limiting who she could see, etc. If you read about 'psychological abuse' on-line, as it relates to couples therapy, you will see that those traits all fall under the category of 'spousal abuse.' So, yes, I sometimes cannot stand Edward. Bella was too enabling after book1, and SM wrote them both as a couple with some serious emotional problems.