The Return

Cecily breathed deeply as soon as she got out of the car and looked around the clearing surrounding the Cullens' house.

"Home, sweet home," she said brightly, moving towards the trunk where Emmett was already unloading their luggage.

"You seem happy to be back," he said.

"Happy to get away from the Volturi. Those guys give me the creeps," she said.

"Didn't seem like Demetri gave you the creeps," he said, grinning at her. Cecily shot him a glare as she took the suitcase from him, grabbed another and marched up to the front door. "Come on, Cess! The chemistry was palpable!"

"No, the only thing palpable was my disdain for him," she shouted back, not bothering to look at him.

"You really shouldn't tease her," Rosalie said, smiling at Emmett.

"It's fun to see her all worked up," he replied, walking to the house with his and Rosalie's luggage. "Besides, she does like him. She just doesn't want to admit it yet."

"I don't like this," Edward said. "They're going to come after her…"

"Relax, Edward," Alice said. "It'll be fine."

"You keep saying that but you won't give me any specifics. Doesn't really put my mind at ease," he replied.

"Just going to have to trust me," Alice said with a wink as she and Jasper walked into the house.

"Suppose I should get to the cottage. Still need to go pick up Renesmee from Charlie's," Bella said with a sigh. "I miss her."

Edward just shook his head as he looked towards the house. He could make out Cecily moving up the stairs towards her room.

"Go ahead. I need to talk to Carlisle," he said. "I'll be over later."

"Edward," Bella said before turning to the car. "Go easy on her." Edward just rolled his eyes.

Later on, Cecily and Alice were out in the woods, hunting. Cecily was happy to allow her instincts take over, pushing out everything from her mind, including a certain, tall, dark-haired vampire with a smug grin.

She had just taken down an elk and drained it, barely getting any blood on her this time. She grinned as she turned and saw Alice skipping into the clearing, already finished with her own meal.

"It's good to be back," Cecily said, looking around the darkened woods.

"You seem more at ease," Alice replied.

"Like I said, that place and the Volturi give me the creeps," she replied, reaching out with her senses to find any other creatures around them. "Staying locked up all the time in that castle…"

"You know, Demetri might not be so bad if you give him a chance," Alice said. Cecily looked over at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cecily asked. "I thought you all hated him and the rest of the Volturi."

"Well… I don't hate everyone," Alice said. "And it's not like they are all there completely because they enjoy it. There's a vampire - Chelsea - she has a gift similar to Jasper's. She has the ability to influence emotional ties. Aro uses her to keep everyone there. And to get others to join…"

Cecily stared at Alice a moment, thinking the information over.

"You mean… they may not actually want to be there?" she asked. "They're there against their will? Why didn't they try it with me?"

"I wouldn't say that… but… let's just say that if given the choice to walk away without Chelsea, some of them probably would consider it," Alice said. "As for you… I'm not sure what was going on there…" Cecily shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. We're too different. He kills humans. To eat," she said. "I can't get on board with that - even if he swears he only goes after bad guys."

"I suppose that is unfortunate," Alice admitted. Cecily snorted.

"Unfortunate? He. Kills. People," Cecily said. "I could never do that. And even if he didn't do it around me, just the thought of it…"

"Maybe you could convince him to change his lifestyle," Alice said with a smile.

"Out with it, Alice," Cecily said.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, appearing innocent.

"You've seen something. Otherwise you wouldn't be pushing this," Cecily said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Well, I may have seen something," Alice admitted sheepishly. "But before you push me, I'm not telling you what it is. You need to figure it out on your own. Just… give him a chance." Cecily rolled her eyes.

"Right. When? I have no intention of ever going back to Volterra," Cecily replied. Alice started walking out of the clearing.

"Life has a funny way of bringing people together," she said, smiling.

"Alice," Cecily groaned.

"Come on! Rose said she wants to get started on investigating tonight," Alice called out. Cecily just shook her head and followed the spritely vampire back to the house.

Cecily sat on the sofa, typing away at a laptop. Rosalie was next to Emmett on her own laptop while Alice was at the table going through the copies of Cecily's files. Cecily glanced towards the shut door of Carlisle's office from where she sat on the sofa. She had been straining to hear what they were saying but wasn't having much luck over the game Emmett had on the TV. They had been locked in there since she came back in from hunting.

"You're not going to magically hear them if you keep looking at the door," Emmett said, glancing over at her.

"Maybe if you turned the volume down, I'd have better luck," she said, glancing over at him. She was pretty sure that he had the volume up loud on purpose.

"What are you guys even working on?" Emmett asked. "This is the first time I've seen the three of you this quiet."

"Just a little project," Cecily said breezily, turning her attention back to the screen.

"That involves all three of you?" Emmett asked.

"Yes," Rosalie replied. "Aha! Think I've found something." She hopped up and stepped over Emmett's legs, moving to sit next to Cecily.

"What's this?" Cecily asked, seeing a screen full of numbers.

"You were right. They have several overseas bank accounts," Rosalie said, grinning. "I tracked some down."

"You can do that?" Cecily asked, impressed. Rosalie shrugged.

"Picked up some skills over the years," she said. "But I can't seem to hack into them." Cecily turned back to her laptop.

"I know some folks who can help out there. Been reaching out to them," she said, typing again. "Covering my tracks, but I'm going to need a burner phone to get through some of the security checks. They have several before they'll work with us. Might need some money too."

"Done," Rosalie said, returning her attention to her laptop. Emmett looked over at the two.

"Seriously, what are you guys doing?" he asked. Cecily looked up at him. "And if you say just a pet project again, I'm grabbing that laptop and throwing it out the window."

"Well…"

"You're not listening to me!" Edward shouted as Carlisle opened the door and stepped out. Cecily's eyes widened as he came into the living room and stopped, his gaze settling on her. She wanted to squirm slightly. Should have known this was about her.

"I've told you, Edward. Cecily stays," Carlisle said, looking back at him.

"She's a walking target! At least send her to Denali for a few months or to one of more remote homes," he replied. Cecily frowned. Seemed all the hard work she had put in to win him over was for naught. He was back to his "Cecily is a danger" mind frame.

"The Volturi are not going to come after her while she's still a newborn," Carlisle said with a sigh. "Besides, she already turned them down. They won't push her on it."

"How do you know that? Seems like the perfect time to me," Edward said. "Especially if they send Chelsea." Carlisle looked over, meeting Alice's eyes as the rest of the group follow his gaze.

"They're coming after me?" Cecily asked, suddenly becoming worried. This was something different. If they were going to come after her, then she needed to get far away from the Cullens. She wouldn't have them hurt or worse because of her.

"We all know what they do when they find someone they want," Edward shot back.

"What do they do?" Cecily asked.

"It doesn't matter. They aren't coming after you," Carlisle said.

"Why do they even want me? I don't have any special gifts. I'm not-" Edward laughed harshly, cutting her off.

"They'll come after you because of him," he said. Demetri. Of course. They would try and get her to join them because he thought she was his mate.

"They aren't coming after you," Carlisle said again, sighing. "But… Alice saw them send a messenger."

"Who?" Cecily asked, looking at Alice, though part of her felt she already knew the answer. "Do not tell me they are sending Demetri."

"Technically they aren't sending him. I've been watching Aro and he hasn't thought about that… Demetri's coming on his own," Alice said. "Though to be honest, he hasn't exactly made up his mind. Goes back and forth. So, there is a chance he won't come at all. At least not anytime soon." Cecily groaned and flopped back against the sofa.

"Maybe I should go somewhere else," she said.

"Doesn't matter where you go, he can track you and will find you," Carlisle replied. "So, if you're planning to get away from him, you won't."

"I don't care! She needs to go!" Edward said firmly. "I won't have her put my family at risk!"

"She is our family," Alice said, jumping to her feet.

"Not mine. I didn't even get a say in it!" Edward shouted.

"She's not going to hurt us!" Alice shouted back.

"She won't, but how long before the Volturi come down on us? For her!" he said.

"They've wanted me for decades and still haven't done anything!" Alice shouted. "What makes you think they'll suddenly come in raining hellfire because of Cess?!"

"Because one of them is convinced that she's his mate!" Edward replied.

"That's not her fault!"

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle shouted, causing both to go silent. Cecily was staring at the computer screen, trying hard to keep her emotions in check. Edward was right in a way. She did put them at more risk by being there. But it still hurt to hear that he wanted her gone and didn't consider her part of the Cullen family. Granted, she had been with them less than a year.

"Cecily stays with us," Carlisle said firmly, looking at Edward. "We are in no more danger from the Volturi than we were before she came around. As long as we keep following the rules, stick to ourselves, and not draw any attention, they will leave us in peace."

"But-" Edward started.

"We don't even know for sure if Demetri is Cecily's mate," Carlisle said. Rosalie lifted her eyebrows and looked back at Alice, who was now suddenly very interested in a piece of paper in front of her on the table.

"He seems pretty convinced," Edward replied.

"But Cecily isn't," Carlisle countered. Cecily could feel Edward's eyes on her. She looked up, meeting them. Before Carlisle could say another word, she was on her feet, the laptop shut on the coffee table in front of her.

"It's fine, Carlisle. Edward's right," she said hollowly. "Once we can figure out arrangements, I'll be gone." She then ran off, going upstairs to her room.

"Seriously, Edward?" Rosalie said, frowning at him.

"You were suspicious of her too!" Edward retorted.

"We JUST got her to open up more and now she's probably gone and shut down again because of you," Alice said.

"She's been here about eight months and we still don't know much about her," Edward said.

"No, you don't know much about her! She's opened up to me," Alice retorted. "But maybe if you stopped being such a jerk, she'd feel more comfortable about telling you things." She then left the room, going to find Cecily. Rosalie stood and made to follow her.

"You're seriously on her side?" Edward asked.

"Yes, I am," Rosalie said. "She didn't choose this life - just like the rest of us. But unlike most of us, she's been alone almost her entire human life. She needs us." She then left the room.

"I'm not discussing this anymore. Cecily stays and we will do everything we can to protect her," Carlisle said before leaving as well. Edward sighed as he walked over and fell onto the sofa next to Emmett.

"Am I being ridiculous?" he asked, looking over at the burly man.

"I think you know the answer to that," Emmett said. "You've seen some of what's in her head, Edward. And you still think we should send her away?" Edward frowned, looking over at him.

"Why is it that everyone in this house can't seem to take our safety seriously? First it was the humans who killed her. Now it's the Volturi," Edward said, though the bit about seeing what was in her head got lodged in his thoughts. The sight of a young Cecily being slapped.

"No one is going to come after Cess," Emmett said. "Not right now, anyway. And even if Demetri came trying to sweep her off her feet, he's only coming for her. Not the rest of us." Edward sat still, thinking it over. "Though truth be told, I hope she chooses to stick around. Even if he is her mate, I don't see her leaving easily."

"How bad was it for her?" Edward asked. Emmett was silent. "I know Rose has talked to you about it. And if you don't say it, I'll just read your mind."

"You know her parents died when she was young," Emmett finally said. "Rose said that she was shuffled around in the foster care system. No one from her extended family even tried to take her in." Edward nodded slowly. "It's true… she didn't have much of a family. Not like any of us did before... Suppose that's why Alice understands her the most. She still won't say much of what happened to her, but she's hinted at it enough…"

The two were silent a few moments, the only sound the game on the TV.

"I am being an ass," Edward finally said.

"You think?" Emmett asked, smiling. Edward sighed and pushed up from the sofa.

"I should apologize," he said.

"If she'll talk to you," Emmett replied.

"Come on, Cess! Open the door!" Alice shouted.

"Leave me alone!" came through the door. Alice looked over at Rosalie.

"Keep trying," Rosalie said. Alice banged on the door again.

"Let me try," Edward said. Both women looked over at him.

"No. You'll upset her again," Alice said, frowning.

"I'm here to apologize," he said. Alice studied him a moment and then stepped back. "Cecily?"

"What do you want?" she shouted.

"Can I come in to talk?" he asked. There was silence. "Please? I'll be civil."

The door flew open as Cecily stared at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just… let me in. Please?" he said. She rolled her eyes and stepped back, letting him in. She then shut the door behind him, leaning against it.

"So, talk," she said. Edward walked to the window and looked out for a moment before turning to face her.

"What happened to you before you were turned?" he asked bluntly. Cecily just stared at him. "Emmett told me about the whole foster care thing." Cecily rolled her eyes.

"Seriously are no secrets," she replied.

"That's how this family tends to be," he said. "Don't forget… I've seen some of it."

"You know the basics. My parents died when I was six. Car accident," she said. "I had - well, have - family in Scotland. My parents immigrated to the US a few years before I was born. But… no one was willing to take me in. That's how I ended up in foster care."

"You were never adopted?" he asked softly. Cecily shook her head.

"Nope. Got moved around quite a bit," she said. "I was… every bit as mouthy back then as I am now." Edward frowned, thinking back to what he saw those months ago.

"What I saw… was that in a foster home?" he asked. Cecily went silent, staring at him. She was trying hard to control her thoughts but knew that he could see them anyway.

"Yea… I ended staying at that place the longest… then once I was old enough, they shipped me off to a group home," she said. "I saw a lot of shit in the system… and it wasn't fair. We were just kids. We couldn't protect ourselves… As I got older, I did what I could to look out for the younger ones, but…"

"You were just a kid," Edward said.

"Yea, but I had to do something," she replied.

"That's why you became an investigative journalist," he said. "Going after the bad guys in power."

"Pretty much," she said. "No one should get away with what they did."

"To you," Edward added.

"What happened to me doesn't matter," she said quickly, her brow furrowed.

"But it does, Cecily," Edward said. "Why haven't you told us about this?"

"Because that's not who I am anymore," she said, her voice rising. "I'm not a helpless little kid." Edward nodded, not speaking for a few moments.

"Why did you never… try to make your own family?" he asked. Cecily stared at him a moment before chuckling.

"Make my own family? I didn't have time," she said. "After high school, it was all about getting my degree. I worked a lot of jobs to get by. And after that… all I had was my work. I learned the only person I could rely on was myself."

Edward was quiet, letting everything she said sink in.

"You don't have to leave," he said, looking up at her. Cecily raised an eyebrow.

"Thought you felt it was too dangerous to have me around," she said. "You're not completely wrong." Edward sighed.

"But… we look out for each other. Protect each other. That's what family does," he said. "And, like it or not, you're part of ours."

Cecily stared at him a few moments, stunned.

"Why the sudden turn around?" she asked.

"I was reminded that we all need family," he said. Cecily stared at him, not quite believing what he was saying. "I'm sorry. For what I said before."

"I forgive you," she said finally, not believing the words coming from her mouth. But deep down, Cecily knew that she needed this. His acceptance. Edward smiled. "So, what do we do next? Hug it out? I'm not so good at these things…" Edward chuckled.

"Suppose we could," he said, walking over to her. Cecily put her hand up, stopping him.

"Not sure I'm ready for that yet," she said. Edward nodded.

"I understand," he said. Cecily pushed off from the door and moved away, opening it for him. Before Edward could step out, Alice bounded in and hugged Cecily.

"You're going to have to get used to this," she said, grinning over Cecily's shoulder at Edward. Cecily just shook her head, meeting Rosalie's eyes as she smiled at her.

"She's right, you know," Rosalie said. Alice let go of Cecily and looked up at her.

"You're staying," she said. Cecily sighed.

"Fine, I guess I am," she said.

"Good. Come on, let's get back to work," Alice said, turning and pulling Cecily out of the room.

"Just what are you three working on?" Edward asked, following them.

"Um, well," Cecily said.

"We're picking up Cess' investigation," Rosalie said. Edward stopped.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

"Relax. Cess isn't going to write the story. We're just going to send whatever we find to her editor anonymously," Alice said. "Let them write it, even though I'm sure it's killing Cess."

"Seriously, Alice. What if someone finds out it's Cess," he said.

"They won't!" Alice sang.

"Alice," Edward said.

"Stop worrying so much. It'll give you wrinkles," Alice replied, grinning over her shoulder at him.

"We can't get wrinkles," Cecily replied.

"You understand what I mean," Alice said.

"We're being careful," Rosalie said. "Cess isn't going out anywhere. Alice and I will take care of that part until she's able to be around humans. And even then, we won't let her near anyone she's already met or interviewed and she'll wear a disguise."

"I'm mostly stuck here, doing research and imparting my wisdom," Cecily said, glancing back at him. Edward sighed and nodded.

"Alright then," he said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Alice stopped and looked back at him.

"You want to help?" she asked.

"Just thought I'd offer," he said.

"We'll let you know," Rosalie said. "Now, just who is it you're talking to about hacking into those financials…"

Got a break in work so decided to post a chapter since I finally finished another one. Not sure when I'll get the next up since I hope to keep to my "write one, post one" thing.

angeldelights - Keep reading and you'll see! ^_^

Thanks for reading and following!