Stephenie Meyer owns the Cullens, I own the original characters. This is just for entertainment reasons, no infringement or slander intended. Please review!

Chapter Fourteen:

"I'm sorry, Houston." If Carlisle apologized one more time, I was going to have to ask him to pull the car over so I could get sick and not ruin the upholstry of his black Mercedes. The most expensive car I'd ever climbed into.

My stuff easily fit into the spacious trunk of Carlisle's car. I had lost the battle as soon as I saw him out on the sidewalk and accepted his ride back to Forks with only one condition. I didn't want Edward to know I was coming back. I wasn't really sure why I was asking for this. After all, no one in the Cullen family could keep a secret from the mind-reading, bronze-haired vampire that enhabited their home. It was impossible.

But yet Carlisle had promised. He knew Edward better than anyone and had learned a few tricks over the years. A few ways to keep Edward from knowing exactly what he was thinking, or what he'd seen. Then there was the subject of Alice. Alice had undoubtedly forseen Carlisle coming to get me, then later my agreeing to return home with him. I could only imagine how he was going to field that landmine.

But as we made the drive back to Forks, I didn't think about it much. Edward would see me at school. That was unavoidable if Margie got her way. And so far, she was. It would be easy to get me enrolled back in school now that my newly-reinstated foster mother had the town's most beloved doctor on her side. But the one thing I wouldn't budge on was going to be my return to my medical lifestyle. I could already tell that my disease was much too advanced. I'd spent too much time hiding in Sequim for the damage I'd caused to be repaired. I was giving up, letting my body self-destruct from the inside.

"Don't worry about it." I finally remembered Carlisle's almost silent apology when we reached the Forks city limits. "I was going to be coming back eventually. I just had no idea that my social worker would track you down at work. Of all places."

"He means well." Carlisle was taking up for this guy?! Seriously?

I blinked and looked at him stupidly as I tried to remember how to speak without sounding like a mouse. "No he doesn't. The guy creeps me out." I shivered in my seat, even though a low blast of heat had been pelting into my body since we left Sequim. "The way he looks at me..."

Carlisle looked over in time to see me cringe again and raised a blonde eyebrow ever so slightly. "What do you mean, the way he looks at you?"

"Nothing I'm not used to already." I muttered darkly, hoping that Edward's father in so many ways, would let the subject drop. Thankfully he did, and I found myself not needing to say anything until he'd smoothly parked in front of Margie's house. The car I'd borrowed for school and my doctor's appointments still sat in the drive, along with Margie's beaten down Mercury Sable. I unclicked my seatbelt and slowly fed it back into the device behind my head and looked over at Carlisle again before I stepped out of the car. "Do you promise that he won't know I'm back?"

"I promise." He agreed with a small nod of his head and another of his gentle smiles. "I already talked to Alice too. But I don't think you have much to worry about, Houston. I'm sorry to say this but...Edward has finally stopped asking about you. Asking his sister if she has seen anything new in your future."

How could she? The impending doom of my 'future' was still very much unchanged. Why did a person need to waste their time making sure of that? I just nodded then sighed and carefully laid my hand on the arm of his long-sleeved shirt. "Thank you, again. For talking some sense into me."

"You're quite welcome." He smiled at me again then tilted his head toward the house. I looked over and watched as Margie anxiously walked out onto the front porch. With a sigh, I left the comforting warmth of Carlisle's car, grabbed my stuff out of the trunk then walked up to meet her as the oldest Cullen drove home.

"Hey Margie." I muttered and lifted my arms slightly from my body. "I'm back."

"I'm so glad!" She breathed and quickly wrapped her arms around my neck. While the action threw me enough for me to momentarily lose my balance, I was grateful that she hadn't gone for my drastically shrinking waist. "I've missed you, Houston. And I've been worried sick." Here came the lecture.

She held off on that though until we were inside and I was once again unpacked in the room that hadn't been touched since I left it now four months before. I kept my jeans and flannel shirt on as I rejoined Margie in the living room. She was waiting for me on the couch, still in the pajamas and bathrobe she'd worn out on the porch to greet me. "What made you leave, honey?"

Oxygen escaped me in a low whoosh and I shrugged. It was the only thing I could think to do. "I didn't want to ruin your life, Margie. Derrick's not the first boyfriend to want me out of the way and...yeah, okay I was a little worried that you would've chosen him over me."

Pain etched her features in a more defined way than I'd ever seen before. My words had really stung her, cut deep. The last thing I'd ever intended to do. "Houston, I agreed to take you in and give you some semblence of a family life until you're eighteen. Of course now, I'm sure I'll worry about you even after that, but you're never going to come second to a man. The love of my life is gone." She smiled sadly at me and molded the palm of her hand into my hollowed-out cheek. "You look so thin, honey. Have you been to the doctor since you left?"

I stubbornly shook my head, but not enough that it caused Margie to pull away from me. I'd missed her warm moments of motherhood more than I would have ever guessed. "And I don't want to. Margie, I'm tired of fighting this. I just...I can't do it anymore, please don't make me."

I wasn't entirely sure if it was because of how close to tears I was, or the expression of pain on my own face that got her. Either way, she just sniffled and nodded before wrapped her arms around my neck and pulling me against her. "I can't fight this for you, Houston. I wish that I could, but because I can't? I promise, we'll do this your way from now on. Besides," She sighed and pushed me back to arm's length again so she could clearly look at me. "It's time you were able to make the choice for yourself. Even if my faith won't entirely let me agree with or like it."

Nodding, my smile was less forced as I hugged her again then carefully rose to my feet. "Thank you, Margie. I'm never gonna be able to tell you that enough."

She finally laughed for the first time since I'd been driven back up to the house. But before our reunion could continue, an obnoxious knock sounded at the door. That was one person, and one person only. "Aaron." I sighed and let my head fall back as I crossed the small living room to get the door. Pulling it open, I let him inside and kept walking. "The sick one is tired and doesn't feel like listening to the grown-ups talk about her like she's not in the room. Taking a nap instead!" And with a quick flick of my wrist in a sort of half-wave, I disappeared into my bedroom.

Habit forced me to throw the lock as I kicked my shoes off and exchanged my clothes for my pajamas. They fit a little more loosely on my body now, but they were still so comfortable that I hadn't been able to negotiate that part of my wardrobe. Curling under the blankets, I just sighed quietly and closed my eyes. I could hear Margie and Aaron discussing me out in the hall, and I smiled inwardly when I heard Aaron's defiance when he was told that I wouldn't be continuing with treatments anymore. Margie was right. This was my life, I was growing up and I had to start taking responsibility for my life. Even if that responsibility completely entailed the end of my life.

It was Wednesday when I finally returned to school. The jeans I had bought in Sequim were looking more worn than usual, given all the trips through the washer and dryer that it'd seen. But Margie had let me know that morning that we were going to change that. I needed a splurge, she'd called it. I needed to do something for myself and apparently, that meant spending my hard-earned money on clothes that would actually fit me. So I set off to school in my faded, ripped blue jeans and a loose-fitting tee shirt. At least those wouldn't need to be replaced! My tops would only need replacing if I'd gained weight instead of lost it.

I didn't really pay attention as I walked to the front office to report to the secretary. Everything for re-enrollment had been handled by Carlisle, just as he'd told me he would. And I had no problems. My schedule was still the same as the listing I'd had before I abruptly left without warning. The teachers had agreed to give me a make-up test that would catch me back up, along with extra homework and tutoring sessions if I needed it. I was still excempt from Gym so that grade had already been taken care of. Thankfully.

The first set of classes passed in the same blur they'd had before I left. I even got used to the stares again by the time I walked into the crowded lunchroom. James, who was in one of my morning classes had kept his promise and waved me over when I went through the line to grab something small to eat. That was the one condition from Margie. If I got to quit treatment, I had to force myself to keep eating. I couldn't willingly let myself waste away. As if there was any fun in that!

Sliding into an empty seat at the table I'd been hijacked to when I first arrived, I shied away from any questions that dealt with where I'd been for the past four months and why I was suddenly back. I tried to keep the answer as obvious as possible. I'd been placed with another foster family, but Margie had missed me so much that she petitioned for me to come back and live with her again. That seemed to placate them. All but one girl. The girl that hadn't liked me since day one, Ashley Valmont.

I still didn't even know why she loathed me, but I was able to forget about it as everyone caught me up in the things that I'd missed. Even though I didn't care, I feigned interest as I force-fed myself a slice of pizza and a red apple. I only got through half of the food, and half of their stories when the bell rang and signaled next class. The class I had with Edward.

I wanted to groan aloud as I walked into the stuffy Physics room, but surpressed it as I made my way to the teacher's desk, instead of the seat that had been assigned to me before my disappearance. Mr. Varton looked happy enough to see me back, loaded me down with what I would need so that I could pass his class easily, then steered me back to my former seat. Complete with my former lab partner.

Edward was looking down at his notebook when I slowly approached. I kept my own movements quiet, even though I knew he could hear every single thing I did and every breath I took. "Looks like you have a lab partner again."

Edward's face was completely devoid of his human facade when he whipped his eyes up to look at me. Surprise melted into utter shock before it flashed into horror. No doubt, my appearance. I'd thought that I could hide it very well, but when it came to someone as painfully observant as Edward Cullen? Not possible. Easing into the chair, he continued to stare at me as I got comfortable and waited for class to start. Or the inquisition. Apparently the inquisition was coming first. "Where have you been?" He hissed, not even bothering to pretend that he wasn't angry. But at least the horror had faded from his face. Minus his eyes. His dark gold eyes were still as open as they had been.

"Sequim." I answered nonchalantly with a shrug of my shoulders and leaned my arms on the desk. Carefully since the bones in my elbows were more prominant now with my weightloss. "I'm sorry." I sighed and leaned over my arms, keeping my gaze locked sideways on him. "I know you meant well by...doing what you did. But I had to do that for myself, Edward. Haven't you ever wanted something so bad, and just...not cared what anyone thought? Couldn't let their thoughts or...their feelings into the equation?"

Every single line in his face screamed yes, but he just looked straight ahead a split second before Mr. Varton called the class to order. We weren't going to be able to talk about this anymore. I knew that, but curiosity was clawing at me like some savage, hungry beast. I couldn't help but wonder what could have made Edward as understanding of my questions as he'd been in those fleeting seconds before class started.