Hi again! Second update in a week! I'm on a roll, haha. So here we go.

I disclaim recognizable material.

Chapter Playlist: 'Superstar', 'Other Side of the Door', 'Jump then Fall' by Taylor Swift, 'Cowboy Casanova', 'Ever Ever After' by Carrie Underwood, 'Starstrukk', 'Don't Trust Me' by 3OH!3, and 'Open Arms', 'Any Way You Want It', 'Wheel In The Sky', and the always fabulous 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

Remember its rated "T"


Chapter 12

Homecoming

As she opened the door to the beautiful mansion, I registered a beautiful foyer with mahogany floors and trim, a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and long elegant stairs leading upwards, with a landing going both directions and then more stairs going up more. I watched Sophia shake off her jacket and slide it onto the chair by the door. I did the same, and she grabbed my hand.

"Are you ready?" she questioned, true worry coloring her tone. I nodded, lying. She laughed. "Thanks for lying." She could always see through me.

"Well are we doing this or not?" She laughed at my question.

"Of course we are. Follow me." And she dragged me to the right, through a large living room, with a grand piano in the corner.

"Who's is that?" She glanced over her shoulder.

"Edward's. He's the best in the family."

"Who else plays?"

"Pretty much everyone can play, but the only people who are really any good are him, Rosalie and well, everyone else says me."

"You can play?"

"To put it mildly, yes I can."

"So you play well?"

"Well I've had time to practice." I laughed at her modesty. "To be perfectly honest, I don't really like the piano. I'm better suited to the harp."

"You play the harp?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong with the harp?"

"No. I just would have pegged you as a violin person." She laughed at me now.

"Not quite. That would be Nessie's forte." I nodded slowly. "Shall we continue so that you can actually meet my family?" I nodded again, smiling this time.

As she pulled me along I heard laughter coming from the next room. Two deep and two high. I heard Sophia mutter "Of course they would." As she continued to walk, I saw Jacob, Emmett, Rosalie and Renesmee sitting in front of a TV. It was playing a movie that I had never seen, but it was on mute. Emmett and Jacob were adding their own words to the movie. Rosalie and Renesmee were laughing as the boys tried to keep straight faces as they added dialogue to the obviously conflicted characters on the screen. When we came into the room fully, their laughter died down slowly and they all stared at us. Emmett and Renesmee's eyes were sparkling, Rosalie's were guarded and Jacob looked at me with pure, well, anger.

Sophia cleared her throat. "Guys, this is Will." They continued to stare. "Will this is Emmett, Jacob, Rosalie, and Renesmee." I half waved. Renesmee smiled at me and Emmett did that guy head bob thing, ya know that make them look like chickens. Rosalie nodded at me and Jacob didn't acknowledge me at all, except for the staring.

Renesmee stood up and walked over to us, her bronze ringlets bouncing with the movement. "Hi." she smiled at me, her teeth startlingly white and straight.

"Hi." I breathed back. She giggled at me and over her shoulder I watched as Jacob shot up and out of the room. He was shaking furiously. I heard a door slam and saw him walk towards the woods, pulling off his shirt in the process. Renesmee rolled her eyes.

"Could he be anymore dramatic?" she laughed as she gestured to where Jacob had been sitting. "I guess I should go and get him. It was nice to meet you Will." And then she went out of the room. I heard murmurs of voices in the next room over, and then heard a door shut lightly. A few seconds later I saw Renesmee walking into the tree line, picking up the shirt that Jacob had shed. In a second she was gone.

"Hey, it's cool to meet you." Emmett had stood from his place and walked over. He held out a huge hand and I shook it. His grip was so tight that my fingers lost circulation. "Now Will, I must ask you one important question." Emmett's eyes were closed off and steely hard. His voice was heavy, and protective I raised one eyebrow and I felt Sophia tense beside me.

"Um ok. What is the question?" Sophia let out a small, almost unnoticeable, sigh, and I caught her rolling her eyes as Emmett asked the question.

"What... do Cheetos taste like? 'Cause ever since they've come out I've been all 'Man those look like they'd be good' and everybody else just rolls their eyes. Rose normally smacks me over the head when I think about it out loud, so I've refrained from speaking about them when she's around but-"

"The only reason I smack you is because you are the biggest moron to have graced the planet with your presence." Rosalie cut him off as I started laughing. Sophia took my hand again, calm again, and grinning. Rosalie walked over. "It's nice to meet you Will. Emmett, come on." And she started walking out of the room, back the way Sophia and I had come. Emmett opened his mouth again but right as he was starting to speak, Rose's voice fluttered about from around the corner, "And no more questions about stupid Cheetos." We all laughed as Emmett looked over the way she had walked and then shook his head.

"Hey I'll see you later. Good to meet you Will." He shook my hand again and then made a face at Sophia. Her smile dropped and she hissed at him. He only laughed and said, "You wish you could take me, sista." He walked out of the room, humming to himself.

I looked over at Sophia and she shrugged. "So that's part of the family." I laughed.

"The normal half, right?" She smiled.

"Right, save the freaks for last."

A new voice trickled from the room that Jacob and Renesmee had disappeared through. "I'm not sure who you're calling a freak, Sophia. I'm almost positive you fit into the category as much as the rest of us." The voice was light and tinkling, like bells or a birds. Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Alice." She called back. She turned to look at me. "Remember the other day when I told you that I talked to a clairvoyant?" I nodded. "Well Alice is that clairvoyant. She can see the future, depending on what decisions people make." I nodded again.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Um, Bella can create a shield around anyone or thing, if she projects it from herself. If she doesn't then it's just around her own mind. She's silent like you."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Ya, Jasper can manipulate people's feelings. Like he could rile up a group of protestors or calm an angry mob. And Renesmee can put her thoughts or memories into your head, if she tries she can do it by pure thought but mostly she has to touch you. When she does it, she normally puts her feelings into it, so it has a certain feel to it. Like if she were to show you a memory of just now, you would probably get a feeling of annoyance and mild affection towards Jacob. You can sometimes feel a question in the memory or thought but recently she just voices questions and thoughts. She'll normally just use her gift to show you a special memory or something that reminded her of one. Oh and Edward can read minds like me."

"Wow, ok lots to take in." She smiled shyly at me. "I think I've got it though."

"Alright, lets go meet the other freaks."

She dragged me through the doorway, into a large kitchen. I saw Bella and Alice sitting at the table. Edward was at the window, and a small but, or course, beautiful woman was standing at the stove. Alice and Bella looked up and both smiled. Edward glanced over his shoulder, grinned, and looked back out the window. The woman at the stove walked over to me and smiled, "Hello Will. I'm Esme, Sophia's mother figure." I smiled back at her.

"Nice to meet you Esme. Your home is very beautiful." She nodded and smiled.

"Thank you." I heard a light disturbance from behind us and saw Dr. Cullen had come into the room. He walked over to Esme and smiled at me.

"Good to see you again, Will."

"You too, Dr. Cullen."

"Carlisle."

"Um Carlisle."

Everyone in the room smiled. Alice stood up from the table, walked over and hugged me. "I'm Alice. It's great to meet you, officially." She looked at Sophia pointedly when she said the last word. Sophia shrugged and ignored the jibe. Edward nodded over his shoulder at me, and I nodded back. Bella smiled from the table.

"Hi Will. I'm Bella, but you already know that." She grinned as I nodded. She looked back down at the book on the table but Alice grabbed it away from her so quickly I missed it. One second it was on the table, the next it was in Alice's hand. Bella groaned at her. "Alice give it back." She shook her head like an obstinate child.

"Not until you promise-"

Edward cut her off from the window. "Alice cut it out, they're coming back." Alice dropped the book and stuck out her tongue at Bella as she caught it wordlessly. As Alice backed away from the table, Bella stood and walked over to the door and unlocked it. I barely glanced through the glass, and I saw Renesmee and Jacob walking back from the woods, hand in hand. Renesmee was rolling her eyes at something he was saying. He stopped walking and gave her a look that resembled one of a parent to a misbehaving child. I watched as the others in the room chuckled at whatever they can hear that I couldn't. I watched Renesmee turn away from the window facing Jacob. I didn't have to have hearing to register the fact that he was getting told off.

I looked down at Sophia, "What's going on?" She smiled and shook her head, but Alice replied instead.

"Jacob wants Ness to stay away from the two of you, for 'safety' reasons. Not that he is any more dangerous than you two, but of course the mutt thinks he's the greatest protector of all."

"Mutt? What is you talking about-" but Sophia grabbed my hand as Jacob and Renesmee walked through the door, Renesmee looking triumphant and Jacob looking like he was just told off by a parent. But when he saw me his eyes flared up again. Sophia stepped in front of me, as Jacob took one step forward. Renesmee's hand flashed out, grabbing his arm.

Sophia very coolly and softly said, "Say what you have to say, and keep your temper under control." He snorted at her and she growled, deep and guttural. It made my stomach clench. "I mean it, dog."

"I get it, don't hurt the human's feelings." He responded, and rolled his eyes. Bella stood up, and walked over to him. She opened her mouth, but he beat her. "Don't even start Bells." She rolled her own eyes, and walked back to the table. He looked back at Sophia, "Just remember Soph, that the whole family will be annihilated if this turns out less than perfect." She scoffed at him and he growled at her. "I mean it Sophia, not only will you be taken care of, but so will the rest of your family."

"Wait, badly?" I said. I was utterly confused. "What do you mean by 'badly'?"

Sophia responded tensely, from in front of me. "Jacob is merely reminding me that if I lose one ounce of the self control it's taken me a century to gain, then the family will suffer." She was trying to speak in code, but I caught it.

"Oh, so if she should decide that I am better off being a snack, rather than her boyfriend, then the whole family would suffer-"

"Will that will never happen." Sophia said point blankly. She had turned from Jacob's rolling eyes and looked up at me. "Don't worry."

"I wasn't." She blinked confused and then turned around to look back at Jacob and smiled.

"Toldja, mutt." Jacob sneered at her and pushed by. Renesmee watched him leave and then looked at Bella.

"Do you want this, or should I?" Bella rolled her eyes as Edward laughed from the window.

He smoothly replied, "How about you just let him let off the steam. I don't want him phasing in front of either of you, especially-" he raised his voice as both women threatened to interrupt, "especially in front of you Ness. He can actually cut through your skin, without having to try." She rolled her eyes at him.

Her reply was smooth and gentle. She looked up at him through her long eyelashes and said, "Just because he got a little excited and bit me hard enough last week to leave a bruise, doesn't mean he can actually hurt me." She swiftly walked over and up the back stairs, leaving Edward staring at the spot she had just left. Bella, Alice, and Sophia all snorted into their hands and Carlisle and Esme smiled into each other, as Edward registered what she had said.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen, you get back here right now! You better be able to explain yourself!" he roared. All you heard was a tinkling laugh, as she climbed up into the house. Bella stood and wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't worry, love. Its not as if you can see the bruise, anyways." Alice laughed out loud as Bella released Edward and walked away smiling. Edward looked horrified.

"Jacob!" he screamed as he took off up the stairs. Bella, Alice and Sophia all started laughing hysterically.

Bella shook her head and said, still laughing, "I'll make sure he doesn't kill Jacob." She stood from the chair she had been sitting in, and went up the stairs. Alice smiled at Sophia and said, "Do you want to take him or can I?"

Sophia smiled, "How about we both go."

"Perfect!" Alice jumped up and was at my side. She grabbed the arm that Sophia wasn't holding and pulled me back through the house. We came back to the foyer, and she started to pull me up the stairs. We climbed the first level, to the landing, and then she and Sophia both pulled me to the rest of the stairs. As we climbed Alice pointed out everyone's special areas and bedrooms. Sophia just held onto my hand and smiled. Adorning the walls were strange kinds of memorabilia, a large wooden cross, old paintings, new paintings, and the most interesting of all was a large shadow box of different colors. When we reached it, I saw what it was made out of.

"Graduation caps?" I had stopped at the box. Sophia and Alice looked at them, melancholy looks brushing across their faces.

"Yeah we move quite often. It's kind of a little inside joke." Sophia replied softly.

"That has got to be some kind of hell, I mean high school is bad enough. It would be terrible repeating it over and over again."

"But the earlier we go to a place the longer we can stay." Bella had appeared at the top of the stairs, and I saw Rosalie was close behind her. "It's not like we particularly like moving around, but if we stay too long, people notice that Carlisle looks to young to be however old he's pretending to be." I nodded looking back at the caps.

"Well come on then, lets stop being all moody and finish the tour." Alice's voice rang through the stairwell. Everyone either giggled or smiled at her. I watched as Rosalie disappeared back down the hallway and shut a door. Bella and Alice rolled their eyes.

As we climbed one more floor, I heard music playing from down the left side of the hallway. I stopped as Bella, and Alice both continued to climb the stairs. Sophia was slightly behind me.

"What is that?" I asked. It was beautiful. A soft piano piece, growing in intensity, and then dropping down to a sickly sweet melody, then building and dropping in false crescendos, finally climaxing and then softly playing, until the final chord was released. The magic of the song still hung in the air.

Bella sighed. "That was Edward. He's apologizing for the outburst."

"Edward played that?" She nodded at me, smiling to herself.

Sophia scoffed at her, "Come on Bella. Brag about your husband every once and a while." Bella turned her eyes away, embarrassed. Sophia looked at me. "Edward wrote that."

I felt my eyes bug out of my head. "He did?" Sophia nodded back at me. "Wow." She nodded again. The door at the end of the hallway, opened and Edward leaned against the door frame.

"Now who's the one who's being modest?" He looked right at Sophia. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on guys, lets finish the tour." She tried to start up the stairs, but Edward spoke again.

"Come on Sophie, tell Will the truth." He looked at her, a strange light in his eyes. She glared at him for a nano-second and then looked back at me.

"Fine. I co-wrote the song." I smiled at her.

"You did?" She nodded simply.

"I helped, barely. I just wrote the other part to it after he had written the piece." Edward laughed from the doorframe, and shook his head at her. "Fine, I wrote most of it and Edward tweaked it to the perfection you just heard."

Bella softly said, "It's not perfect without your part, Soph." Sophia glared at her.

"It's fine." She tried to move up the stairs again, but I grabbed her hand.

"I would like to hear it, the right way." She looked at me slightly angry. "If it isn't too much trouble."

She rolled her eyes, snatched her hand back and stalked down the hall. Everyone else followed. I came to the room, and saw beautiful, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass. In the middle of the room, were two pianos, one a beautiful, white grand, and one a small, black, baby grand. In the corner stood a magnificent, full sized harp. Sophia marched over to it and sat down in the chair beside it. She pulled it, back and looked at Edward who was sitting at the Grand Piano. He started playing the keys, the beginning of the song we had just heard. But it was different this time. The soft strumming of the harp weaved in and out of the melody, adding an extra sense of harmony and love to the song. It was the same piece, only stronger than before. When the crescendos and decrescendos happened in the middle of the song, the harp added a sense of darkness to the piece that hadn't been there before hand. At the end, when the final cord played, the soft strumming of the harp continued, as the chord reverberated in the air. As the chord died out so did the hard, perfectly timed together.

I had been standing by the door with Bella and Alice. They both had small smiles on their faces. I was in awe. Sophia had said that she could play, and I believed her but that was beyond playing. That had been stunning, perfect. She opened her eyes as she set the harp down. I had watched her close them halfway through the song, getting lost in the music.

"Can I please be done showing off?" Bella and Alice just laughed as they left the doorway. I watched them go down the stairs, jumping over the sliding down the banister. Edward followed them, patting me on the arm as he passed.

Sophia came over to me and pulled me down the hallway, and then up the stairs to, I assume, finish the tour. "They like you, you know." I looked up at her as she sat at the top of the stairs. Apparently the house ended at the fourth floor. I sat a few stairs beneath her.

"Not all of them." I remembered Jacob.

"Jacob doesn't count." She replied. "He is so blinded by his emotions that he can't see clearly."

"Then why did he-"

"He doesn't want another Bella."

"What?" She looked down at her hands and then back up at me.

"Do you remember the story that Layla White told you at the beach?" I nodded. "Well, it's true. All of it. The wolves, obviously the vampires, and the story about the girl and vampire and the werewolf. The girl was Bella, ninety years ago. You know the story, so I won't tell you again, but ever since Bella's turning, Jacob's been a little funny. Once his and Bella's family members died, and the friends they had died too, Jacob petitioned, yes petitioned, the family to stop all human relationships that weren't crucial for survival. Pretty much everyone agreed with him. This happened after I was turned, and most of my family was gone anyway so I had no reason to argue with him." She stopped her story, and looked at the cream colored wall in front of her. "I remember when I was turned. He was already against turning any more humans that didn't need to be turned. But Bella believed, well she still does believe, that everyone deserves a second chance. She saved me when I was a heartbeat away from death."

I moved up to sit beside her on the top step. She looked me in the eyes as I asked, "When was that?" Sophia looked down and then at the wall. I put my hand on her cheek and pulled her face towards me. "Please, tell me." She looked at me and took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. She spoke softly, but with an edge I had never heard before.

"I was born in Philadelphia in 1994."


Haha! Sorry, but I had to cut it there. I didn't want to make this chapter 20 pages long (in word doc form) and it was pushing it so I cut it the best I could. I know my sister is going to kill me when she reads this, but I like it. Please review! It makes writing so much more fun!!