A/N: Hope you all find this chapter pleasing and not a disappointment. I want to offer my apologies for the delay in posting. I have been grieving the sudden loss of one of my closest friends…battling kidney stones…and running from tornados. Yep, I live in the south east but I am still standing and so is my home. My heart goes out to all those who were not so fortunate and have been devastatingly affected by the tornados.

I want to send huge thank you's and special blessings to a few of my twitter and fic babes coachlady12, stillwaters_ca, PlzFangMe and K Ray Cullen, for their caring spirits and for being there for me throughout this past month. Love you girls. Muah

So I hope everyone gets a chance to go see Water for Elephants. I give it two thumbs up. Love Rob in those suspenders *fans self* and Rosie…awe she is adorable. Very entertaining and intense movie.

Disclaimer: Stephenie owns Twilight. I do not. Yada yada yada…

Chapter 21: Unsteady

BPOV

Edward was shocked to say the least. All he could do was open and close his mouth while searching for words that ended up sounding more like grunts and sighs.

"Bella?" Emmett acknowledged me with a dip of his head. "You guys okay?"

Jacob had now appeared and I crawled out of the tent as quick as I could to get to him. "Jacob." I threw my arms around him and holding on for dear life.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He stepped back to take a look causing my arm to fall from his shoulder.

"Arghh!" I cried in pain.

"Bella, your shoulder."

I know. That bitch was starting to hurt.

I listened for the fighting and didn't hear anything. "Is everyone…okay?"

Jacob nodded. "It's over. They chased the others away but Emmett and I," He grinned, "killed those two male vamps."

There were more of them? How many more?

Just then several of the pack members came rushing out of the woods and towards us. "Jacob man I'm glad to see you are okay."

"Where's Sam?" Jacob asked them.

"Oh he's coming. He uh…is making peace with the…uh the others. If it wouldn't have been for them Seth wouldn't have made it." Embry explained.

Jacob was now eyeing a shocked Edward who had now made his way out of the tent. "So I heard."

I walked slowly towards Edward. He was starring at Emmett like he was afraid he would vanish at any moment. "Edward?" I touched his waist gently.

"What? No hello, lil' bro?" Emmett chuckled.

"Where…where have you… been?" Edward's voice was quiet and his eyes wide in horror.

"Well…" Emmett started but Edward cut him off with back to back questions.

"Where's Mom? Where's Dad? Are they alive too? How did you know I was here? Is this some kind of sick joke? Do you have any idea what I have been through? How I've searched high and low…" Edward's voice was escalating into a scream with each question he asked.

I inwardly cringed. I was waiting for it. Waiting for Edward to realize his brother was a vampire. I closed my eyes and listened to Edward yell at his brother in an array of different emotions. One minute he sounded relieved, almost happy, and the next minute he sounded angry as hell like he was ready to take his brothers head off.

All conversation ceased and it became eerily quite throughout the meadow. I feared he had realized. I opened one eye waiting for the explosion to happen but it never came. What I did notice though was that Edward had spotted what I assumed were his parents.

Sam was walking across the meadow with four unfamiliar faces accompanying him. I knew they weren't wolves so they must have been vampires as well. I felt my adrenaline start to pump again. Vampires? My boyfriend's family are vampires. I had my speculations about them to be true but now that I know they are…I'm a little beside myself.

Here I was standing in a meadow full of mythical creatures. I was so overwhelmed, I wanted to run…I wanted to scream but on the other hand I wanted to reach out and touch one of them. My excitement played tug-a-war with my fear. It was only minutes ago that a vampire was trying to kill me after all.

My palms were sweaty and I blew a long puff of air between my cheeks preparing myself for this reunion of Edward and the rest of his family. His parents approached him cautiously and without a word. I heard rather than saw the breathe of air leave Edward that he had apparently been holding. He threw himself at his parents and began to weep. My heart was broke but overjoyed at the same time as I watched his parents comfort him. I couldn't hold back my tears as he hugged them back.

"I can't believe you are here. I can't believe you are alive!" He laughed and shouted through his tears.

I can't believe his family is really vampires. I studied their features and they didn't look as scary as the other three vampires I just saw. They looked calmer and their eyes were different, not wild and intimidating. They looked…they looked perfectly normal, like humans, not monsters.

It occurred to me, the longer I watched them interact with Edward, that they were normal. When I met Emmett in the diner, I never suspected he was anything different than a normal human being. Well…except the axe murderer thing.

Edwards crying began to die down as he searched for words. He tried to ask questions but found it hard to form a coherent sentence apparently because all he could sound out were grunts and half words.

"Calm down son. We will explain everything." His dad gripped his shoulder. "But first we need to get you and Bella treated for injuries.

Edward looked bewildered. His eyes were starting to glaze over and he was starting to sway a little on his feet. Poor Edward. I get unstable on my feet when I cry to.

"Yeah someone really needs to fucking do something about that blood too."

"Emmett, watch your mouth!" The woman that I assumed was Edward's mom scolded. She was a beautiful woman; that was the only way I could describe her. Her hair was perfectly groomed, her skin was flawless and she radiated nothing but love with her sweet smile even while scolding Emmett.

The other two vampires moved speedily towards us. If I would have blinked I would have missed their swift movement all together.

It took me a long second to realize that something was wrong with Edward. Yeah he had been crying but his eyes looked glossy for another reason I feared.

"Carlisle…I think he has a concussion." Edward's assumed mom started to touch his head but was careful not too. "His pupils are dilated and he is unsteady on his feet. I am worried about him."

"Jasper we need to get him out of here." His dad quipped with concern to the other male vampire.

"Edward? Edward can you hear me?" The vampire named Jasper stepped directly in front of Edward and started waving his hands in front of Edward's face.

I stepped closer to Edward and gripped his arm trying to elicit some sort of response from his now speechless form. He merely looked around at all of us in confusion. Oh shit. He does have a concussion.

Without so much as a word the male vampire named Jasper scooped Edward up into his arm and was gone in a flash with Edward's mom and dad following close behind.

My heart began to beat wildly in my chest. Where are they going? Where are they taking him?

"It's okay Bella…we are going to take him to our home and you are coming too." The female vampire linked her arm in mine in a friendly manner. I gasped when she touched me. She was so cold. "My name is Alice." She hummed sweetly. "Alice Whitlock. Jasper, the other vampire you just saw, he is my husband." She explained in a whisper.

"Have the Cullen's been with you this whole time?" I blurted out blatantly. I didn't mean to sound so rude. She seemed nice and all but she was a vampire, a vampire that had possibly kept Edward's family from returning to him all this time.

"Why yes…they have." She let her arm fall beside of her and in a way I was kind of glad I was rude with her. Maybe I intimidated her and that could be a good thing. Her eyes narrowed at me and we stood there staring at each other for a brief but tense moment. Or was it?

Emmett interrupted us when he tapped me on the shoulder. "You coming with me, lil' sis?"

"Emmett." Alice crinkled her nose and shook her head.

"What?" He carefully wrapped his arm around my neck. "I might as well call her what she is destined to be. Isn't that the way you see it? He stood tall beside of me with a shit eating grin plastered on his face awaiting Alice's answer.

"I don't like what I see." Her expression was that of gloom.

"Oh." Emmett's face fell but he kept his arm around my neck.

Alice turned to walk away and Emmett called out for her. "So what do you see?"

"I see that Edward will not be happy that you have your paws on his girl." She called over her shoulder.

Emmett pursed his lips in a line and dropped his arm from around my shoulder. "Wait up." He chased after Alice. "Tell me."

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply wishing like hell that my life would just return to normal. Yes…a normal life, a normal life that didn't include vampires and werewolves and…

Jacob touched my shoulder bringing me out of my thoughts. "Hey, you okay?"

I gave him a weak smile and a small nod. He pulled me against his bare chest. "Mmm…I know that look. It's going to be okay Bells. Everything is going to be just fine."

I wondered why Edward hadn't questioned why Jacob was here let alone any of the other six shirtless men standing around. He only focused on his family and the emotions that came along with seeing them again. Maybe it was because of his head injury or maybe he was in too much shock to notice. However, I knew I had some explaining to do too. Before leaving the meadow with Emmett and Alice, Jacob and Sam both assured me that it was near impossible to keep their existence a secret any longer from Edward. So it was time to do what I had to do and tell Edward myself.

Walking was a task because it was becoming more and more difficult to move. The whole left side of my body felt like it had been ran over by a huge fucking truck and the pain was starting to radiate all over. Jacob had insisted he was coming too. "There's no way I was going to let you leave with five vampires." He whispered as we followed behind Emmett and Alice through the woods.

Alice glanced over her shoulder. "And there is no way you are coming in my house. You smell of wet dog." She smiled at Jacob then turned back towards Emmett. "Shall we?" Emmett nodded and they took off like bullets, running so fast I felt the wind off of them.

"I guess I need to work on my whisper." Jacob scooped me up into his arms and started running after them. They stayed way ahead of us but Jacob ran fast enough to keep them in sight.

Wow! I can't believe this is happening. Edward's family really is vampires and Jacob really was…well I knew he was a werewolf but he was…well he was running with vampires.

My mind wondered once again back to what Grandma Leah had said but now I had a new fear to couple with my un- be- known- to- me disappearance, Alice's words…"I don't like what I see."

What does that mean anyway? What she sees? Pfft. What is she some kind of fortune teller or something? Maybe she was. Maybe she was like Grandma Leah and had some kind of sixth sense. I played with that idea for a moment.

I hate not knowing. I wanted to know what was going to happen to me or if anything was even going to happen to me at all. Maybe this was all in my head. Maybe I am delusion and a little freaked out by today's events. Yeah…that's it. This is all so much for me to take in and I am probably going skip the country and act as if I know nothing and have never seen anything such as vampires and werewolves. Intriguing idea but…

Edward.

I couldn't imagine skipping the country without him. Would he choose his family over me? I couldn't ask him to choose…could I? How do you act normal around people when your Dad is missing, your best friend is a werewolf and your boyfriend's family is all vampires?

My brain was exhausted by the time we reached our destination and by the way Jacob was panting and sweating…he was exhausted too. Emmett and Alice pranced up the steps to the huge house, that seemed to appear out of nowhere, like they had never been out of breath a day in there life.

Jacob sat me down and I took off toward the house leaving him panting and hunched over with his hands resting on his thighs. I knew Jacob would be okay. I had to check on Edward.

The front door was left open for me. I rested my hand on the door and cautiously peered into the quiet house. The door creaked into the silence as I entered through the doorway. Looking around I gasped at the size. This house was really fucking huge.

"Hello?" My voiced echoed throughout the foyer. "Edward? Emmett?"

"I'm sorry." A face appeared out of know where and once my vision stopped blurring I realized it was Edward's father. "You will have to excuse my son, Emmett. He shouldn't have left you out side like that."

"I…I understand."

"He's just worried about his brother." We both said in unison then smiling at each other.

"Well, I am worried about you." He tugged on my elbow. "Come…let me take a look at your shoulder."

I should have been scared walking beside of a vampire and having no clue where he was taking me. But for some reason I wasn't scared at all. He seemed very kind and passionate about helping others and I couldn't help but to trust him. He led me into a library full of books and sat me down on a huge wooden desk.

"How long have you been staying in this huge house?" I tried asking questions to distract myself from the pain of him touching my shoulder.

His eyes met mine. "Since the day Alice and Jasper saved us three years ago."

Saved you? But I thought Jacob and the pack saved you?

My head couldn't handle complicated answers right now so I shot for an easier question. "How's Edward?"

"He's resting dear." Esme's voice rang out from behind me. I didn't hear her enter the room.

"Bella…I need to put your shoulder back in place." His dad informed me of what I had already concluded.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip waiting for the excruciating pain to take place. I heard and felt my shoulder pop as he corrected its dislocation and I couldn't help the embarrassing cry of pain that escaped me. I opened my moist eyes to find Edward's mom rubbing circles on my back for comfort.

"All better kid. You may be sore for a while though."

The tears slipped freely down my face as I began sobbing helplessly. Edward's dad calling me kid only reminded me of Charlie calling me kid. It used to annoy me but now I only wished I could hear him call me that again.

"Are you in much pain?" He asked, dipping his head lower to catch my eye.

"Carlisle," I noticed Edward's mom shaking her head at him in warning. It was like she knew. She knew why I was suddenly crying. "She's heartbroken…not in pain."

Carlisle stepped away and Edward's mom embraced me in her arms and soothed me. "It's okay dear." Her hand slid easily through my hair and down my back. "He is going to be just fine. Shh." She comforted as my tears began to flow full force.

I welcomed the comfort she was freely offering me. My own Mother was no where to be found to comfort me but yet here is…Edward's mom…a vampire…holding me and telling me everything was going to be okay. I felt relieved that she was here with me right now. I felt close to her even though I had just met her only hours ago. So I let it all out in tears, the tension of today's events, the weight of carrying the burden of secrets from Edward, the nagging gut feeling that Charlie wasn't coming back, everything…even the unresolved hurt from Renee.

I don't know how long I cried but Edward's mom held me until I was finished.

"I'm ss…sorry." I sniffled when I saw the tear stains on her shirt.

"Now, don't you go apologizing for crying. I've missed comforting a child just as much as you have missed being comforted." She smiled. "Makes me feel needed." She winked and took my hands in hers.

How could she possibly know that? I knew right then there was no hiding anything from this woman. She seemed to already know all about me.

A/N: Okay I am stopping here. I'm trying to keep my chapters the same length which is a little hard to do but works better for me.

Huge thank you to my beta, PlzFangMe, for her vampire speed in editing. She never ceases to amaze me. Please check out her WIP story "Writer's Block". It's just a small way I can thank her and support her for all that she does for me at random hours through the night. xoxo

As always thank you for reading and please leave a review.

XOXO~SAVRAV