A couple chapters more. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A Guiding Heart

Family Ties

Chapter 24

I sent a quick text to Jess from the driveway of Justin's house, as he prepared himself to see his family.

Hey Jess. It's Bella. Long time no talk.

No immediate response.

Meeting Justin's parents went much differently than I imagined when I was younger. They were consumed with the fact that their son was home and relatively safe. He had phoned them and told them to expect him. Their house was an oversized ranch with bedrooms at both ends of the home, the garage having been converted. Before we entered, though, I had presented Justin with gloves and colored contacts to wear that Alice had provided me. I looked at his eyes and knew the contacts didn't truly represent how beautiful his eyes used to be. I went over a few ground rules for not giving himself away that he was a vampire now.

"This is Bella," Justin introduced me. I shook hands leaving my black leather gloves on before sitting in their family room that boasted a country flair accented by mounted deer heads on the wall. I nodded quickly to Justin at the wall, and he gave me a secret smile referring to our lunch today. There was something spacious about the way the furniture was arranged, and there were markings against the hardwood floor.

"Hello?" Alicia called out from behind one of the entry doors. "We're back," she followed up with.

"Come in Alicia! Your brother is home," her mom replied enthusiastically.

From the garage area came a small motorized black wheelchair with a small girl in it with Alicia following behind. Justin's face lit up at the sight. "Sis!" he exclaimed, going to Alicia and hugging her tightly.

"Oh my God! Justin, I've missed you!" Alicia cried.

"And look at you," Justin said to the little girl. "So grown up while I was gone."

The little girl smiled and told him that she knew he was mommy's brother. "And I'm your uncle. Do you want to meet a nice friend of mine?" Justin asked her. "This is Bella. Bella, this is Katie."

"Nice to meet you," I said, going to her side and crouching down beside her. "I love your shirt."

Alicia asked Katie to move into the family room, and she did, controlling her wheelchair. I moved against the wall and watched things unfold. It was subtle, but I could see how Justin guarded himself against revealing his new life. He laughed lightly as he slapped his father on the shoulder calling him, "Pop." Alicia and Justin traded jabs like normal siblings, but Alicia's heart melted when Justin gave Katie the gifts we had bought.

I could tell Justin was showing a great deal of restraint at first with his family and working hard at it, but it was effortless by the time we left. He had explained to his Mom that we had already eaten, and she didn't push the food on us. We did both take glasses of lemonade that we dumped in a potted plant when no one was looking. Justin had done well answering their questions of where he had been, lying like the smooth predator he was. He was almost too good at the story he sold, which made me wonder about him. Every once and awhile I would scratch my head or rub my eye as a reminder to him to do similar in keeping up the human pretenses.

At first I wasn't sure that Justin would ever want to leave the visit with his family. I could tell he was having that good of a time. That was until his father held out a set of keys to him. The look that flashed through his eyes definitely leaned toward more human than vampire.

"Can I, Pop?" Justin asked.

"Sure. Been looking after her for you," he smiled proudly. "Go on, say goodbye to your mother before you leave to go visit her."

With heartfelt sentiments, goodbyes for now were exchanged between Justin and his family. But there must have been another female he needed to visit. A grandmother maybe? Or a dear aunt?

~AGH~

I let Justin drive the cherry bomb after he asked nicely. I should have known when we pulled up to Leo's Garage what was going on. I stood looking at the sign and felt inexplicably connected to Edward. Like I was walking in his shoes. Why of all places had Edward come here that day?

"So this is it," Justin said matter-of-factly. "This is my legacy. While you were going to be out saving lives, I was going to be here, fixing up cars."

"It's not like it was a bad option," I said to him, sensing somewhat of embarrassment in his revelation to me. "At least you already had the experience. At least you were going to do something you loved," I said to reassure him.

"Liked," he corrected me, leading me to the back. "Not loved. Now this beauty..." he said, pulling a sheet back revealing his old motorcycle before tossing the sheet aside, "I loved."

Justin's hand smoothed over the shiny curves of the bike, parked inside the back of the garage.

"Here it is. Do you remember it?" he asked, patting the back of the seat.

"It was the first and only time I was ever on a motorcycle. Not something you forget." I laughed. "Unless you go through a vampire transformation."

Justin gave me an easy, knowing smile. His sunglasses rested on his head, the mirrored lens catching the light from the shop and reflecting it. "Turn around," he commanded me.

"What? Why?"

"My bike and I need to have a moment."

I laughed, incredulous to the notion. "A moment?" I asked with a chuckle. "Oh please let me watch. Do you two need your own room?"

"Okay then, fine. Know my secrets! Some people have pets they are attached to….I have my bike." He laid his head down against the seat. "I've missed you."

"Wow!" I laughed again. "I don't know what I'm witnessing. I mean I thought you were tender with your niece but this? This can only be described as true love."

"That's right," Justin confirmed, taking a cloth out from a drawer and using it to buff his motorcycle. "Pop took good care of you for me."

"Just look at it shine," I commented, teasing him. "Oh I'm not interrupting a private moment between you two, am I?" I laughed.

Justin grinned. "Didn't I already let you in on our private moments?" he asked as he continued smooth circular motions over his bike.

I thought back to sitting on his bike after the pizza place. How he sat facing me and murmured words that escaped me in that moment. I could remember his mouth moving to speak the words but my ears went cloudy - matching my dizzy head- before he leaned in and kissed me for the first time.

Justin's hand reached out to take mine, gently caressing my fingers. He stood in front of me, looking back and forth between me and his bike, before leaning against me. With his lips against my hair, he held me loosely.

"I gave you a ride home. I remember it, too," he whispered, pressing his lips to my hair and then releasing me to get back to his bike. "I think it's ready. Will you ride with me?"

I wanted to. I imagined my heart lurching as I heard him ask. "I don't want to leave the cherry bomb here."

"It will be perfectly safe here," he grinned.

I shook my head, looking into his now amber eyes, realizing he had already discarded the contacts.

He leaned his head to one side. "But you will take a ride with me?"

"Yes," I answered simply and quietly through the dust that leisurely polluted the air in the shop.

"Then how about if we drive back to the park, and you leave your car there?" With his request he reached out to take my hand. As a small vibration ran through my chest, I nodded a yes to him.

He locked up the shop and followed me on his bike all the way to the SSA. After we reached the parking lot, I parked the cherry bomb under a light and hopped on the back of his motorcycle.

"Ready just-Bella?" he asked as I awkwardly tried to place my hands on the sides of the bike. It's not like I was a meek little girl who needed to anchor myself to him. I told him yes but he called me out. "Hold on to me if you want to."

I did want to. Slipping my arms around him, I ran them across his chest under his leather coat before settling them on his torso. I rested my head on his back, closing my eyes and feeling the wind toss through my hair as we zoomed into the approaching evening.

"Can this never end?" I sighed and whispered into the air that rushed by me.

Somewhere in between time and space, past and present, humanity and vampirism-this magical space was occurring again with just the two of us on his bike.

~AGH~

~AGH~

A/N: *vroom, vroom*

Look at Bella-getting a second chance with a guy she was crazy about as a teen! Edward left her, so why not, right? And Justin's so swoony...how could Bella resist?

Thanks to my friend who edited this! I will update again in less than a week. And boy is it a doozy of a next chapter!