I don't own these characters. They are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. I only borrow them. No humans are permanently harmed through my actions, though I do confess to harassing, annoying, torturing, and exasperating them – just because it's fun. I make no money from my little stories, sad day. I only play in the sandbox, I didn't build it.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the awesome recommendations. I can't wait to start delving into all those stories. And yes, massage therapists get stressed too. I haven't had a massage in soooo long. Now that I've got co-workers, I'll trade them. I tried to teach my husband how to give a massage, but he never can go more than ten minutes before the whole thing degenerates into "Oh, she's naked! Let's have sex!" Not that I'm complaining, LOL! But yeah, I could use a massage too. :p

Chapter 14: Homecoming

Bella gazed around at her classroom with a deep sense of satisfaction. It finally felt finished; it finally felt like hers. Her stamp was all over it, from the colorful posters to the bulletin boards to the novels stacked up and ready to go into eager – and not so eager – hands. The new school year would start tomorrow and she was more than ready.

With the coming fall, Bella felt change in the air. It wasn't just a new school year or a fresh bunch of students; it was so much more. Her time in Japan had been good for her on so many different levels. She had gained confidence as a teacher, the students' deep respect for her had helped her find her footing as a disciplinarian. The rowdier American students had been different from her Japanese students, but no less endearing. She liked them all, the students who struggled, those who excelled, both the readers and those who despised the activity. They were all different, and as adolescents, they didn't have a clue. Bella remembered those painful years all too well.

When she had returned from Japan, she finally felt grown up, or close enough anyway. Her mother had never truly grown up and Bella wanted to be like her. Renee still found a naïve joy in life that was both admirable and sometimes confusing. Thinking of her mother brought to mind her partner in crime. Esme Cullen had become a close friend over the years. Now they were both women, not mother and practically adopted daughter. They were on a more equal footing, and their conversations reflected that fact. To Esme, Bella could confide those things that even her mother would never hear.

Esme was excited because Edward was going to move home. Bella was not yet quite sure how she felt about that, but her mother had given her some good advice. "Don't assume anything one way or the other. Let things play out just like you would if he was any other man. If he's the one for you, I suspect you'll discover that. If he's not, then you can move on and not wonder what might have been." As flighty as Renee sometimes seemed, beneath the façade there was a deep core of almost ancient wisdom.

Of course, Esme could not quite hide the hope in her eyes. Bella would say nothing to encourage or discourage it. She wanted to meet Edward again. She wanted to see if the thoughtless boy had become a different kind of man.

Bella locked up her classroom after one more look around. There was always something so hopeful about the start of a new school year. Possibilities always seemed endless, and the fresh, clean classroom was just an outward manifestation of it all. Of course, come Christmas, she knew she would be tired and harried and ready for a break. But that was okay too, she decided.

Something made her turn left instead of right and she found herself at the back edge of the Cullen property. There was the tree. In her mind, it would always be their tree. It was climbing that tree that she had fallen and broken her arm, and it was on that day that Edward Cullen had become a hero in her eyes. Later, he would tarnish that image, but it still remained.

Under the tree stood a lone figure. She would know him anywhere, no matter how long it had been since she saw him. She almost drove away. Almost. But something about the set of his shoulders, the way the wind blew his hair, that drew her to him. No matter what the future held, after all, they still shared a past. For that alone, she wanted to go to him. She wanted to see if they could take that past and forge it into a better friendship at least.

Silently, she walked to him and she knew he didn't sense her presence. She appreciated the moment to take him in, to center herself before he looked at her – before she looked at him.

"It hurt like hell you know," she said softly. He started and then turned, a welcoming smile on his face. It was the old Edward's smile, quick and unguarded. She liked seeing it on his face. It had been too long.

"What did?" he asked, his lips quirking.

"When I fell and broke my arm," Bella replied with a smile. She brushed back her hair because the wind was blowing it into her face. She noticed that his eyes followed the motion. "You ran and got help," she added. "You saved me."

"Hardly," Edward snorted. "I was scared shitless, if you must know."

"I know," she replied gently. "Even then I knew what made you tick."

They were silent for a moment and it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. The long years of friendship had created bonds that were not easily undone. The threads that intertwined their lives together were as strong and lasting as they were fragile. A dichotomy that was somehow eminently reasonable. It was as if the strands that bound them were somehow trying to mend themselves into something more cohesive.

"I hear you're thinking about relocating closer to home," she said.

"How'd you hear that?" he asked curiously. No one knew that except his family.

"Esme," Bella answered.

"You talk often?" He sounded surprised, but Bella knew that Esme had not revealed how close they had become. His mother had a sly streak that was hidden by her soccer mom façade. That sweet, ladylike smile hid secrets that no one would ever discover.

"Yes," Bella answered. "Quite often." Even when she had been in Japan, she and Esme had exchanged frequent emails. It was Esme who had made those first lonely days in a foreign country bearable. Later there had been friends and even a man. She missed them all.

"So what are you up to now?" Edward asked.

"I'm a teacher, middle school English," she replied. He looked horrified.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," Edward laughed. "You know they're nothing more than walking hormones at that age, don't you?"

"Yeah, I sort of got that when I started teaching," Bella teased. "But I like it. It's rewarding…and most of they are really great. They just need to figure some things out. That's all."

"Yeah," he said softly. "I know how they feel."

Bella smiled at that and nodded. The thoughtless boy had grown up, but how much? "It takes some longer than others," she observed.

"How was Japan?" he asked, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"It was an experience I'll never forget," she said. "The people, the culture, the country...everything. It changed me, in a good way." She moved to the tree and traced her fingers over the rough bark. "I'm so glad I went."

"I was surprised to hear about it," Edward admitted. "You never seemed like the type to leave Forks."

"No one else was surprised," she said with a shrug. "But I guess they knew me better than you did."

"Ouch," he said, putting a hand over his heart. Then he nodded. "But point taken and acknowledged."

Her lips pulled up in a crooked smile. "It's good to see you," she said. "Very good."

"It's really good to see you too," he told her and came to a halt right in front of her. She could feel his body heat radiating out to her, warming her.

"I guess we'll be seeing more of each other since you're moving here now," she said and tore her eyes away from him. There were still too many words left unsaid to fall into the old, easy ways again. She had learned a lot in the last few years. She had learned about honesty and communication, and she had loved and been loved. There were different kinds of love, she admitted. Sometimes it was difficult to figure out just what kind of love you shared with someone.

Edward cleared his throat. "I...uh...I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner sometime. When I move back, I mean."

She paused just long enough to make his heart thump unevenly in his chest. Then she nodded. "I suppose so," she said. A frown briefly pulled her eyebrows together, making the line he knew so well. "When you move back, call me. Your mother has my number. It will be nice to have my friend back." She had to make it clear that friendship was all it could be – for now. They had too much left unspoken between them to dive into anything romantic. Besides, that might not be what he wanted, and she wasn't even sure what she wanted yet.

"All right," he said, though there was a note of disappointment that she reluctantly admitted warmed her heart. "I'd like to be your friend again." He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I think I'll be better at it now."

"Good, and I think I can manage it a little bit better myself," she said. She stood on her toes and pressed a brief, chaste kiss to his cheek. "Welcome home, Edward."

She walked away, her hips gently swaying and he stared after her, his hand touching the place on his flesh where her kiss still tingled.

~~This Much~~

Edward was not surprised when his mother was working in the kitchen. "Did you have a nice walk?" she asked, still intent on rolling out the dough for a pie. She insisted on making a key lime pie for him every time he visited. He knew she felt she hadn't made enough of them over the years.

"Yeah...uh yeah..." he muttered. "It was good."

"That's nice," she murmured, obviously distracted.

"I ran into Bella."

Her hands stilled on the dough and there was a pause before she turned around. Casually, she wiped her hands off and studied him. "Really?"

He nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "She looks good," he said.

"She grew up to be a beautiful woman," Esme agreed.

"So yeah..."

Esme smiled and came up and brushed her fingers over his cheek. "Yes," she agreed. Then she turned away and walked back to the counter, where she resumed making her pie crust. When Edward walked out of the kitchen, she was humming a tune under her breath.

~~This Much~~

Bella put her keys on the small table in her foyer. She had rented the old house for next to nothing with the understanding that she would repaint the interior to suit her and make some small minor repairs. The owners were elderly and found it difficult to maintain. For major repairs, they sent a handy man. For the minor stuff, Bella had called her father at first. Now, she took care of most of it herself. She enjoyed the manual labor, found it soothing to her sometimes overly active mind. She had learned a lot from the do-it-yourself channels and YouTube videos. They knew her by first name at the hardware store. She could even replace a toilet now, something of which she was very proud.

Turning to her laptop, she fired it up and made her way into the kitchen. The almost autumn air was beautifully crisp in the evenings, not cold enough yet to warrant hot cocoa, but it wouldn't be long. She settled for a vitamin water and then sat down to read her emails.

Some of her friends from Japan had written her. Not only had Bella bonded with her students, she remained in touch with several of the teachers. She quickly typed up a response to everyone, apologizing for the brevity of her reply and explaining that the new school year would start tomorrow for her.

Then she shut off her laptop and poured herself a glass of wine and settled down with a good book. The book was so good that she only looked up a few times, distracted by the thought that Edward was coming home.

Edward was coming home.

Edward was coming home...