A/N: People, you do not know how sorry I am for leaving it this long between updates. I feel absolutely awful. I'm never going to let this happen again, and to try and show everyone how sorry I am, in future, I will not be waiting at all between updates, as soon as the latest chapter is up, it will be posted. Now, I think you need a reminder of what happened in College, Here I Come! because I know I did :P

Heyyy :) you probably don't know me, HOWEVER, you WILL! I am ihatejacob1, Izzy's beta. And I will work my hardest to make this story even more awesome than it already is (which is near impossible) :D

Previously:

Edward and Bella meet at Dartmouth after going to Forks High School together. After a bumpy start they hit it off, and sleep together soon after. Edward and Bella are both virgins, even though Edward has always been looked upon as something of a player. Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett join them at Dartmouth, and for two months things look amazing for the 3 couples. That is until Bella's dad Charlie passes away. Eventually, after much heartbreak, Bella recovers from her loss, only to receive a phone call from her mother ordering her home to Phoenix. Her reasoning over this is that Bella is only 16, and she needs a legal guardian. Bella doesn't know how to tell Edward that she's moving, but she knows that Edward would wait for her no matter what. So instead she breaks off the relationship using the ruse that she needs a commitment, so Edward proposes. Bella simply walks away. Tanya Denali, a fellow pupil at Dartmouth hears on the 'grapevine' that Edward is now single and kisses him in the middle of the cafeteria. Bella sees and thinks Edward is over her already. They stop talking, and Bella tells the others what's happened, and how she has to move away, she then makes them swear that they will not tell Edward. Alice, mindful of the promise that she's made, decides to set Edward up on a blind date, but have the girl stand him up. She would then organize a goodbye party for Bella in the same restaurant. Unfortunately, Tanya overhears Alice explaining the plan to Rosalie and decides to become Edward's blind date. On their date, Edward and Bella run into each other outside the toilets, and they kiss. Tanya walks up to them and says 'Edward, we just had hot passionate sex in the bathroom stall, and you're cheating on me already? Was it a lie when you told me that you only loved me and that I was your first?' Bella storms out of the restaurant. Later that night, Alice explains to Edward that Bella has to go home, and tells him that she's still in love with him completely. The next day, Bella is leaving for Phoenix, but just before they get on the plane, Edward shows up. He tells Bella that he would never love another and she is the only woman for him, he says that one day he wants to marry her, even if he has to wait an entire lifetime. Bella tells Edward to 'forget her' and gets on the plane without looking back.

Sorry that that was so crap, I'm really not good at summaries, please just go read my story if you can't remember, I promise you'll love it, and it's been so long it would basically be reading something new :P

So here goes: College, Here I Come might be over, but Home, Here I Come has only just begun…

Chapter 1: My homecoming

I turned on my heel and trekked determidly away from Edward, keeping my eyes fixated forward. I knew that the first glance into those eyes would make me break. From the glance that I got as I turned, it looked like his heart was breaking, like he was dying; and so was I.

I'd had my reasons for doing this, but faced with the consequences of my actions, the decision's brilliant light, seemed to dull. So instead of turning back, like my heart so desperately wanted to, I let my head take over, and repeating the four words that had become my mantra these past couple of months. Logic won over the heart, it absolutely had to. The heart made no sense; it was dangerous territory, but the brain, now that had reason. I began the monotonous boarding of the flight, sensing his eyes boring into my back, praying for him to just walk away.

For Edward, for Mom…

Repeating this over and over, those words became my shield, numbing my heart, protecting the sadness and despair from sinking in too deep. I was drowning in a pool of my own creation, and the more I struggled, the deeper I sunk. My heart was tearing, in a physically painful way. I felt as if I would hunch over in horrible gut wrenching pain.

I would have plenty of time to wallow later, and there would be no Alice, or no Rosie, to help me out of it this time. I was alone.

I was doing this for Edward because long-distance relationships were hard (this I knew), and two years of enforced celibacy were sure be torture for him. My other reason tied in with my mother, I could not enforce her on him. I could not drag Edward into my twisted messed up relationship with her. It just wasn't fair.

But my mother was a whole world apart. For years now she had been my everything, and then she flat-out left me for Phil. Even if she did throw me to the sharks over in Forks, I still owed her for all those years of love. Now, when she needed me again, to be a buffer against the real world, she ripped me out of my life and snatched me back into hers. She seemed to gaining a particular pattern of having me around when it was convenient for her.

Not only that, but she needed to be able to show me off, to lord me above all her 'friends.' These people only tolerated her because Phil is a major league baseball player, and she was his trophy wife. She needed to be able to say 'look at my daughter, she's clever, pretty and successful. What does your daughter do these days? Oh yeah, she's married to the Earl/Lord/Knight of wherever, with 17 kids, and another one on its way.' Ah how dear mom was.

So you can imagine, it was with a heavy heart that I boarded this plane, and I looked forward to my future of entertaining spoiled brats and persuading mother that it is NOT a good idea to host a surprise birthday party for Lord whatever of wherever because the surprise might just kill him. Yeah, he's that old.

An over-nice flight attendant glided past me, but by then I already had my earphones securely implanted in my ears, my arms folded and a scowl placed prominently on my face. I might as well have had a big sign saying 'WARNING: I bite.'

I closed my eyes and almost immediately I found myself replaying Edward and my final farewells. I knew that the memories would haunt me until they took centre stage, so I closed my eyes and let it wash over me. I wasn't quite sure where the memories morphed into imagination, but the next thing I knew, I was asleep.

***

I woke to sunlight glaring through the open shutter on the airplane window. I quickly slammed it shut, only to receive fowl-tempered glares from my fellow passengers.

The flight stewardess then proceeded to give out instructions for landing I ignored these, in the hopes that it would all just go away, until an extremely put-up looking woman informed me that under no circumstances were iPods allowed on planes and would I be so kind as to return my seat and tray to their original positions. Also, if I could be so kind as to stop kicking the seat in front, it would be much appreciated.

After meekly obeying the matronly flight attendant, I departed the plane to a chorus of thank you for flying with American Airways, we hope to see you again in the future; I soon came face to face with the woman I had been dreading seeing after so many years, and burst into tears.

This was not my mother; this is the 'new and improved version.' Her pretty auburn hair that had once flowed gently down her back was now cut into a short, sharp bob. I appraised her figure, and to my horror, I realized that she's had another boob job, and what looked like several rounds of liposuction. Focusing again on her face, I could clearly see the results of Botox and what could have possibly been a nose job. Her outfit was completely different then before too, instead of her usual long skirt and frilly blouse, she was wearing a pencil skirt that stopped way to far above her knees, and a business suit buttoned up over her now ample cleavage.

Suddenly through the tears, I burst into horrified giggles. My mother's size 11 feet had been crammed into vivid pink high-heels, on which she was now tottering along.

"So what do you think, Isabella?" She had obviously noticed my appraisal of her new body; her eyes were excited and expectant. I settled for a mumbled, "You look different", thinking that I wasn't technically lying to her, and that was the version of the truth least likely to piss her off.

She did a quick spin for me, almost falling over in the process. I wanted to groan.

"Oh just a few nips and tucks here and there, now do come along, we can't stand here yapping all day!" She happily gripped my hand, with shiny and polished nails.

As I followed dutifully behind my mother, she started blathering on, obviously assuming that I was listening, when in reality, my mind was miles and miles away with Edward.

"Isabella, concentrate! Now as I was saying, you will address me as 'mother' at all times, none of this 'mom' business. Mom is for poor people, and we most certainly are not poor. I am not impressed with your outfit that will need to be rectified immediately. I can't let you out into society wearingconverses. We will make a trip to the stores to get you some more appropriate clothing as soon as possible. Until then, you can wear some of my things. They may be a little small though, you seem to have gained a little weight recently; we shall have to think about putting you on a diet…" She blabbed on and on, her high pitched voice becoming static in the background.

I sighed inwardly; I was at least three sizes smaller then my mother.

"Oh and your breasts, they're like little tee-pees. Well at least that's easy to rectify. I'll phone the doctor today. What do you think about getting your hair cut as well? Bob's are all the rage in Paris," (she said Paris with the most ridiculous French accent) "at the moment, and your hair looks so long and straggly now.'

"No mother you can change what I wear, but you will not be changing any aspects of my genetic makeup. Nor will I go on a diet. And as for cutting my hair, you will have to do that over my dead body. So you can get all thoughts of boob jobs and liposuction out of your head immediately." I was surprised with my own rebellion.

My mother's hands can up to her face and she became frantic, flapping at her face. "This is an outrage, how dare you speak to me like that! I am your mother and I deserve to be treated with respect."

"I am your daughter; you should respect me for who I am flaws and all!" I exclaimed.

My mother gasped and the car came to a sudden halt. I looked out the window at the huge manor house that was now my 'home.' A single solitary tear rolled down my face.

Mother came round to open the door for me, and noticed my wet cheek.

"Oh honey," she bent awkwardly to hug me from my sitting-down position. "I knew that you were glad to be home really!"

Slightly confused, I answered my mom with a short, sharp. "What?" The tears trickled down my cheeks, I missed mom. So dearly. Where was she? Who was this…playboy bunny?

"Your tears, tears of happiness. I can tell. I mean you know what they say, home is where the heard is!'

"Edward is where my heart is and always will be." I declared, feeling myself fall into the stereotype of an angsty, whiny teenager.

My mom's facial expression changed instantly, a cold hard mask forming in its place

She dropped any trace of fake accent, and said, in a voice too menacing to have come from my own mother. "Stop being so melodramatic and get out the damn car, Isabella."

I shouldn't have come here, I realized that now. This was a stranger, who could snap at any moment. My mother didn't need me as a buffer from the real world, like I had thought for so many years; the real world needed me as buffer from her.

A/N: Review?

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