All of the wonderful Twilightness belongs to Stephenie Meyer

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Chapter Thirteen - Homecoming

We finally arrived in Ithaca as the afternoon sun descended from the sky. Rosalie had intentionally been driving slower than her normal bat out of hell velocity. I knew she was putting off the inevitable. As much as she wanted to be home and see Esme and Carlisle I knew that she was hesitant about the absence of our other brother. I knew this because it was playing in the back of my mind.

It was a feeling of complete hopelessness, and no matter how much Rosalie and Edward butted heads they were still brother and sister and had a love for one another. It was going to be difficult. Even more so when he eventually came home, his pain would be more evident and he would be a shadow of his former self and this concerned us. I believe even at this point Rosalie was ready to convince him to return and be with Bella. As much as she was against a human being a part of the family, she loved her brother enough to know that it would be the only thing to ease his heart.

Esme and Carlisle waited for us on the porch of the house, it was expected. Esme didn't hide the fact that she had missed us and we weren't about to hide the fact that we had missed her, our mother.

The reunion was joyful, each hug became tighter and I believe that if Esme could have cried she would have. Her children had returned and she would make sure to let each and every one of us know exactly just how much she loved us. She was excited at the gifts that Rosalie showered her with, it seemed that Rosalie and Emmett had done quite a lot of shopping whilst in Europe. I was hoping it would make her more willing to shop with me now that she'd acquired a taste for it.

After the initial greeting, came the questions. She asked me about the entire time we were away, it had been over eight weeks since we left so there was a lot to catch up on. I showed her the pictures of me that Angel had supplied before we left, her emotions were overwhelming and Jasper felt the need to hold me close, I knew that it was a reflection of Esme's emotions.

We supplied Carlisle with the medical files and he had taken to studying them, sounds of complete disgust could be heard from the corner he was sat in and I knew that he felt the same way that Jasper had on the first reading. Then I brought out the pictures of Angel. It was a shock to both Esme and Carlisle to see the similarities between us, it was something that they hadn't been prepared for.

We spoke well into the night and every detail was gone through, Esme was happy that she now had a history for me in her little baby book. Something as silly as that, had me beaming with pride, and I realized that my hunt for the truth was over. I didn't need to know anymore, I didn't need to keep hunting. I had my family and that was all that was important. Saying goodbye to my past had made me focused on the future. I would stay in touch with Angel, we had exchanged email addresses and I had given her my cell phone number. She had promised to update me on any new information that she found but I was just happy to have her in my life. I knew that the past was something I couldn't change and it had brought me to where I am.

Rosalie, of course had to mention the trip to New Orleans. Carlisle and Esme were not impressed that we had taken to playing with the locals, they thought we'd been taunting them unnecessarily. I stepped in and explained that we'd gone for the sole purpose of dancing and we had no intention of confrontation, but it had come about regardless and the whole mess had been unavoidable. This seemed to placate them. Rosalie and Emmett had giggled because I was the only one in the group that had gotten anywhere close to a fight.

Then we pulled out the pictures from Gatlinburg and we spent hours discussing the hunting and the serenity of the forests surrounding Emmett's home. The fulfillment of the hunt and the relaxation of the silent forest as we let our feasts settle.

Then the inevitable came, Esme asked me about Edward. I knew that she would and I had to be honest with her because she was so worried. He was their first son, she worried about him endlessly, she knew that Bella had been the most joyful thing in his life, and like us she knew he was being stubborn in his actions. She knew as well as we did that he couldn't live without her. Just like I could never survive without Jasper. Once we found our mate, there was no turning back, there was no distractions, every thought and action was in regards to them and nothing in an eternity would change that. We loved for an eternity.

I explained how I'd spoken to him, how I'd seen him and how I'd check on him regularly. She seemed disappointed. He hadn't called since he left and I knew how much that hurt her, I also knew that she understood the pain he was feeling and I could only hold her in my arms as she voiced her concerns.

He was on a plane heading back to South America, he'd lost Victoria's trail in Texas. I knew how frustrated he was but he seemed like he'd hunted, he had some color and his eyes were the light honey color that they should be after a good hunt and the dark circle under his eyes were faded. I checked ahead of schedule to give Esme a piece of mind. It didn't help as much as I hoped it would but it satisfied her curiosity.

Things went back to normal quickly, with Christmas rapidly approaching there was plenty of shopping to do, shopping that got more difficult every year. . . What do you buy for someone who has everything? I had absolutely no idea, but I knew it was going to be time consuming and fun to find out.

Jasper finally started at Cornell, he had missed quite a bit but it was easy for him to catch up because he threw himself into it with an astounding vigor, it's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't sleep.

Esme was still working on the house, it seemed that she was dragging it out as long as she possibly could to keep herself busy. Emmett and Rosalie spent most of their time hidden in their room, it seemed they had found a new appreciation for one another and were wasting no time. I kept my thoughts as far away from them as possible, I didn't want to see any decisions they made while they barricaded themselves in their love nest.

I spent most of my time shopping, it's what I did best and it relaxed me, I unfortunately found myself picking out things that would look great on Bella, it had become a terrible habit of mine. One that, it seemed, I couldn't break. I would pass over these items and fight with my urge to check on her. I promised myself four months and I knew I needed to wait, pain of her loss was evident and she would need that time to come back into herself. I had to believe that she would get better otherwise I would drive myself crazy. There was only two more months to wait.

The Christmas season always brought a tranquility with it, the humans would become frenzied in their shopping habits and I felt normal. The season brought a happiness, people seemed happy and excited, there was so much love and light as they decided what they would get for the people that meant the most to them. It was a joy to watch as they pondered over the best gift that they could get for that special person.

The decorations were bright and extravagant, the snow brought the children out to play. Snowmen littered the yards and snowball fights were astounding. It brought back the memories of Edward, the last snowball fight we'd had was in Forks. The memories were painful. I hoped that it would get better and I found myself checking the future less, I wanted the optimism people had when they didn't know what would happen. It made things easier. It made the future seem more positive.

Esme was beginning to get in the spirit of Christmas, she decorated the house and the yard with the tradition Christmas decorations, she enjoyed the season and it also helped us fit in a little more. It also brightened the mood around the house. Esme had hoped that the season would bring Edward home, but there was no new information from him, I continued to check weekly. He hadn't been able to catch up with Victoria again and it was beginning to worry him a little.

Angel had called and invited me to a Christmas party with her family, she had told them about me and were interested in meeting me, I had emailed her the pictures from our first meeting and she had explained that the whole family was intrigued. I politely declined and explained that my family were expecting me for Christmas. She seemed a little disappointed but she understood.

Spirits soared on Christmas eve, Edward called to wish us all a merry Christmas and apologized for his absence. It had been a nice long conversation as each of us took a turn to speak with him. He sounded unhappy but he made an effort to sound upbeat as he spoke with each of us. I didn't push anything with him or make any reference to our time in Forks, I knew it would push him away and cause him to end the conversation all too quickly. I tried, instead to tempt him to come home.

"Edward?" I asked as I picked up the phone, Emmett had handed me.

"Hey, Alice, Merry Christmas."

"Same to you, how is everything going?"

"Well as can be expected, I'm sure you already know I lost Victoria's trail, any clues for me?"

"No I haven't really seen anything in weeks."

"That's alright, I'll figure it out." he said trying to keep the hope in his voice.

"You coming home anytime soon?" I asked, I missed him but I knew that Esme was almost pining for him.

"I can't promise anything, Alice."

"Well, your present is here waiting for you." I said trying to distract him from sadness that filled his voice.

He laughed into the phone. "Typical, Alice, you never could resist shopping at Christmas."

"I can never resist shopping."

This comment received another laugh from Edward, I could tell it wasn't a genuine happy laugh, it was empty and hollow, but it was the best I could have hoped for at this point. It was another emotion.

"Well, Jasper wants to talk to you so I'm going to say Merry Christmas and I love you Edward."

"I love you too, Alice. Look after everyone for me."

"Edward,"

"Yeah?"

"Please look after yourself."

There was a pause at the end of the line. "I will, Alice."

"Promise me." I said stubbornly.

"I promise."

"Merry Christmas."

"Bye, Alice."

I handed the phone to Jasper and headed towards Esme. I leaned my head on her shoulder, she seemed so relaxed now that she'd heard Edwards voice. I was glad t hat is appeased her, but I only felt utterly hopeless, I could hear the sadness in his voice and I knew how much he was hurting. It was a feeling I couldn't shift.

Carlisle lit a fire in the main room and we sat together at midnight opening presents. Rosalie and Emmett had gone above and beyond what I had expected, she'd ordered the entire Gucci spring collection for me. I was amazed, it was all beautiful and fit perfectly. I had no idea how she pulled it off but it was a wonderful surprise. Esme and Carlisle had bought me tickets to the New York fashion week and tickets and plane tickets to the Fashion weeks in Paris and Milan. I was floored. It was such a generous gift and so well thought out, I had an emotional moment.

Jasper I knew had struggled he always thought so much about my gifts that he would drive himself to distraction. This year had been a perfect opportunity for him to surprise me because I had taken a vow of optimism, except where Edward was concerned.

I knew that he'd put a lot of thought into it, I opened the box and found what had him so proud. At first I was confused and then I realized what it was. Jasper had contacted Phillipe, and had spoken to him about me designing a something for his collection that would be shown in the New York fashion week. In the box was a letter from Phillipe inviting me to design something for his Spring collection. I was speechless.

Jasper had known about this secret little desire of mine and I was sure that he had been biding his time until he could surprise me with it. I threw my arms around his neck and showered his face with kisses, I couldn't help myself it was one of the most thoughtful presents I had ever received. He then handed me a sketch pad. I had until the middle of January to submit four sketches for approval. I was ecstatic.

The gifts I had bought seemed to go over well, but shop-a-holic-ism seemed to have over done it again, it took each of them three hours to unwrap the gifts I had given them and that was a full speed. It was all in all a successful Christmas, we spent time with one another and laughed as we recalled the history of the last fifty or so years worth of Christmas'.

A/N: shorter than most and probably seemed like a filler, I wanted to get a feel for the family aspect of them, before they met Bella they were a family unit and I want to emphasize that point and show the effect it had on them not having Edward around.

Now it's on to fashion week, which is where I hope you will understand where I'm going with this fashion thing. It probably won't be a huge chapter:).

So I hope you enjoy. As Always my reviews are fantastic, I can't thank them enough for their kind words and introspect. It really means a lot to me and as ALWAYS YOU ROCK HARDCORE!! Big hugs.