AN: So... after being out of state twice and out of the country once, I have finally came back. I'll spare the details of my own personal life, which has detained me from many commitments during this time, and I hope that you will all forgive me for making you wait for what felt like an eternity, even for me. Sadly, this is not my favorite chapter by far, but that's because there's so much explaining that needs to get done, trying to put everything together. Hopefully soon, though, it will all fall into order. Now I'm rambling and making no sense... but yes... thank you for your guys' commitment and devotion. If you guys have any questions at all, feel free to PM me. If you guys didn't read my last AN, I can't respond to everyone's reviews anymore for lack of time. As you guys can see, it's been rough trying to post up a chapter, let alone spending another 7 pages in response, though, had I had plenty of time to spare, I would definitely do it. But... summer is soon, so perhaps it might come back in the future. That has yet to be determined. Well, I am babbling yet again, so I will stop and allow this new chapter to begin...

38. Explanations

So watching the sun rise was not as dramatic as it might have been in some sunny area of the world. Gray clouds covered the sky, and as the dawn approached, only a dim light permeated above us before rain slowly drizzled on our heads. I clung to Edward, leaning against his chest, as I felt one of his fingers twirl a lock of my hair.

It was an amazing sensation, to feel the rain on my skin as I heard individual droplets fall upon the grass, concrete, and asphalt. It was as if nature had conducted and composed a symphony that was being played for our convenience. Each sway of breeze held a soft whisper of the blades of grass that sashayed back and forth like a chorus. I could hear the trees bending with the stronger gusts of wind, and it did not take long before the snow began to fall once more.

My robe quickly absorbed the water until I was soaked. I held out a hand, watching snow cover my palm. When I turned to look at Edward, snowflakes had gathered in his hair. I began to brush off the flakes, and he mimicked the same gesture. No words were said, and yet our eyes held so much. It seemed now that I was living in a sappy love story, but at least it was my own sappy love story I was experiencing.

"Bells?" I heard Charlie shift from where he had fallen asleep, and I stood immediately, Edward following only a second behind.

"Yes, dad?" I opened the front door and saw him rubbing his eyes drowsily until he saw me and smiled. "It's still early. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"It's going to be a busy day today," Charlie responded. "It would be better if I got up now and got started with everything."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You hungry?" Charlie asked. "I can… well, I'm not much of a cook."

"I know, dad." I laughed all the same.

"But, if you want, maybe we can go out to eat this morning…""

"Actually, I had something to eat in the middle of the night." I tried to banish the image from my head, hoping he did not ask me to explain what it was that I had eaten. "I was very quiet and cleaned it all up too."

"That's my girl." Charlie smiled and then I saw his eyes narrow. "Bella, why is he here?"

"He…" I stopped and saw that Edward had moved so that he was in Charlie's view. "Oh, Edward stopped by early this morning. He and I were outside watching the sun rise."

"You're soaking wet!" I watched as Charlie's mind woke up from the night's slumber and everything began to register in his head. "You could catch a cold! Get miserably sick. It's too early to be out…"

"We were just sitting by the front door, dad, watching the sun rise."

"You're grounded!" Charlie bellowed. "Don't you remember that?"

"Sorry, dad, I just thought…"

"Well, before you go thinking again…" I saw the blood rush to his face, turning it an unnatural shade of red. Now I knew where I had gotten it from. "…go take a shower. A HOT one. I'm not going to have my daughter come home and catch her death from being outside in just a bathrobe!"

"Oh…" I looked down at my bare feet and smiled. It's a bit too late to be worrying about that.

"And you…" Charlie's attention shifted to Edward. "While Bella is taking a shower, I want to talk to you."

I heard the edge in Charlie's tone, and yet when I looked at Edward, he seemed perfectly fine. He smiled, and some of Charlie's edge faded away. If I were to assume correctly, I would say that he was attempting to dazzle my dad. I never really thought vampires could dazzle the same sex, but it seemed logical. I concealed my laughter at how much of Charlie's temper seemed to vanish from just a smile from Edward. A brilliant smile, nonetheless.

I went to my room and dug through my closet. My old clothes seemed like a thing of the past, and it felt awkward, grabbing a pair of jeans when I had grown so accustomed to ball gowns and dresses these past months. Charlie had not really inquired as to where I had been, and I thought of what I could possibly say to explain such an absence.

My shower reminded me of the rain. I watched the steam roll and rise like fog, and closed my eyes at the pleasure of the warmth against my skin. I lost track of all time and emerged with my mirrors covered in a thick coat of steam. When I had departed from my bathroom, I could hear Charlie and Edward still conversing below, though both of their voices were far from angry.

"So what you are saying is that Bella is still going to get a college education?" Charlie's voice seemed slightly skeptical, but I could hear that he was pleased as well. "How is that going to happen?"

"Well, like I said, Mr. Swan…"

"Charlie is fine, Edward."

"Thank you, Charlie. Well, like I said, Carlisle has many degrees. In addition, he is qualified to teach. While we are away after our marriage, Carlisle has volunteered to take Bella under his wing." His words were news to me, and I felt my mouth drop at this plan. "It will be almost like an internship. Carlisle will teach Bella medicine first hand, and he knows many professors at some of the nation's best medical schools. If he is able to pull some strings and, depending on how well Bella studies, she might not even have to take the typical path to get her medical degree."

"So, Bella wants to be a doctor?"

"It's a possibility." Edward answered. "She's great in science. I remember in biology last year, she was way ahead of the entire class. If she continues to thrive as she does, and if she allows for Carlisle to train her for the next few years, she might be able to practice medicine in the next ten years, maybe sooner."

Medicine? I imagined how nauseating it was to even have people get tested for blood last year. Was this just something Edward was saying to win Charlie's favor, or did he honestly believe that I might someday stand beside Carlisle in the halls of some hospital? The thought troubled me. I was not exactly sure what it was that I wanted in the future, besides a future with Edward, but Edward's proposition seemed to be reasonable…

"What kind of connections are we talking about, Edward?" Again, Charlie's skepticism took over. "I know Dr. Cullen is great. Possibly one of the best in the country. But how is he going to be able to help Bella in the way that you propose?"

"Like I said, Carlisle has attended some of the best medical schools in the country. Not even just once, either." Edward began to explain. "Were he to contact these universities, he might be able to implement the same medical practices taught in a medical school to Bella, without the college experience."

"And what about you?" Charlie asked. "Do you have plans for college?"

"The same program could be implemented for me, as well." I smiled, knowing Edward had already done the medical school experience.

"Being a doctor takes a lot of work and time…"

"The same could be said about being a police officer." I heard Charlie chuckle at the reference. "But it's rewarding, nonetheless."

"Does Dr. Cullen and everyone know about this whole arrangement?"

"They have been with Bella and me, so they are aware of everything that has been going on with us."

"And are you feeling better?" Charlie almost took up the tone of concern he would use with me.

"With Bella there, it did not take long to feel better." My confusion settled in as I tried to figure out what they meant. "She is very adamant that she wants to stay by my side."

"Yes, I can picture Bella doing something like that. She can be stubborn when she wants."

"But it's alright, because I want to stay by her side as well." Edward told Charlie. "I love her, and I plan on being devoted to her for all of time."

"Just no more stunts like that again." Charlie warned. "I'm the police chief for a reason. There are consequences behind shenanigans like that. But, in this case, I'll let it slide."

"Thank you, Mr. Swan… Charlie."

I listened as the front door opened, and I heard Edward head outside. My attention went back to Charlie, who I heard had sat on the couch with a heavy sigh, possibly from relief. I grabbed a jacket and headed downstairs.

"Dad?" I saw Charlie look up slowly and he smiled at me.

"You ready to go out today?"

"Out?"

"I need to get you enrolled back in school later today."

"Oh…" I saw how he smiled at me as if he held a secret. "What did you and Edward talk about?"

"Just a bit of what had been going on with you both." Charlie gave me a wink. "That boy sure has it all figured out…"

"Yeah, Edward's good like that." I smiled weakly, still trying to figure out what transpired between the two of them. "So, you don't mind the wedding so much?"

"Well, it seems like he has it all figured out." Charlie replied. "Now, whether or not it actually happens is an entirely different case. But, if it doesn't, well then I guess I'll worry about it."

"So you aren't as skeptical as before?"

"I never knew you wanted to be a doctor, Bells."

"Oh." I really wish I knew what Edward had said so I did not seem so clueless. "I had never really thought about it before, but it seems like a reasonable way to go."

"I thought you couldn't stand blood."

"Once upon a time…" I answered, my smile grim. "I've grown up now, dad."

"What time would you like to head out?" Charlie asked as he went to retrieve his coat from where he had draped it over a chair. "I need to head to the station for a bit, but when I get back, we can go down to administration to get you enrolled again."

"If you'd like, I can just head there by myself."

"What makes you think I trust that you'll come back?"

His question threw me off. I stared at him. My breathing stopped abruptly. For a second, I was ready to question when Charlie had suddenly became so sharp, but I held my tongue. Instead, I opened my eyes wide and gazed at him with an intensity that no doubt threw him off just as well. I watched his stern face relax, and he gave a lopsided, awkward smile as he reached out, pulling me into an embrace.

"Maybe it's just me, Bells, but you look like a supermodel." Charlie ruffled my hair a bit and smiled down at me. "It's still hard to believe you're back. You seem to have changed so much since I last saw you. Almost like my lil' girl has completely grown up."

"Well, I did say that I've grown up now." Though this was as grown up as I would ever be, I could not quite say yet. "I won't leave you, dad. Now that I'm back, I think I'm going to stay around for awhile."

"Just awhile?" Charlie began putting on his boots. "You've been here for less than a day, and you're ready to leave me again, Bells?"

"No, it's just that… I haven't really been out for awhile in Forks. It would be nice to see what I've been missing…"

"Here." Charlie reached into his pocket and extracted a beeper. "I'll give you a buzz when I'm done with everything."

"I'll go to the school thing." I offered.

"Alright, but when I'm done, I'm doing something with my girl."

"Okay, dad." It sounded like a fair enough exchange. "It's a deal."

I leaned against the front door as Charlie went into his car and drove away. Long after the sound of his tires and the car's engine had faded away, I remained where I was, afraid of what was to greet me beyond this door. I had thought that coming home would be the hardest part… confronting Charlie and Renee and trying to explain everything to them… and I had forgotten about my other life… the one that involves Jessica and Mike and everyone else from Forks.

"What if they see me for what I am?" I sucked on my bottom lip, thinking to the point that my head was spinning. "How will I explain this all to them? Will they even believe it?"

Again, I felt a pang in my chest. My heart ached, and I clutched my chest, wishing I could figure out its cause once more. I let out a ragged breath and a sigh, and felt some of my tension leave. Holding the doorknob, I slowly opened the front door and took in the sight of the dimly lit outdoors, still covered in snow, where Edward and I had been about an hour before.

My apprehension faced with the first step forward into the snow. Instead of my worries, I smiled at how the harsh winds and the chill of the snow played no effect on me anymore. There would be no red-faced sniffling any more.

Each step forward allowed for memories to fill in. My sense of direction quickly came back as my speed picked up, as each accelerating stride would allow it all to come rushing back even faster. Trees passed by in a blur, and yet I had a sense of knowing exactly where to step to avoid the disaster of knocking a tree down with a collision. Concealed in the trees, I darted between trunks and felt even more exhilarated at the fact that there were no moments of clumsiness, besides when I had ran into a bush. I was almost ready to shout out in excitement of my super-human speed running experience, until I realized that Forks High stood in front of me, just beyond a few more trees.

For a few minutes, I lurked in the alcove of the forest, just staring at the school in wonder, trying to picture me walking through the halls again. Would people look at me differently? Explaining things to Charlie had not gone like I had expected, but what would be my luck that the same kind of thing would happen again? One wrong word or look might have Jessica ready to pry anything loose from me. And if she were to ever find out the whole truth… her own life would end up just as unreal as my own.

My eyes followed across the campus, as images of my past flooded back of a year as a new student. Again, I would emerge anew again, having to face the scrutiny of my small school once more. At least this time I wouldn't be alone.

"You're so beautiful when you're deep in thought."

Again, I had found myself so lost in my thoughts that I had lost all sense of my surroundings. For having vampire senses, I had a great skill in tuning them out when I was thinking deeply, which seemed to be the closest thing to a power as I have gotten so far. Unless you counted my unusual pangs of pain.

During my contemplations, I must have held my hand outstretched because I saw it before me now, clasping Edward's as he brought it to his lips, making me shiver from such a tender gesture. He had changed since I had last saw him, in a simple black sweater that contrasted with his translucent skin and the white scenery around us. I smiled and stepped forward, wrapping my arms around him and letting out a contented sigh.

"I never got the chance to say how amazing you look today."

His lips brushed my ear, and I heard him suck in a breath, taking in my scent. Suddenly, I found myself doing the same. I allowed my fingers to trace the contours along his back before stepping back from our embrace, though our hands were still joined.

"We might have an eternity left together, but I think I will never stop being amazed at how beautiful you are." Edward pulled me to his side and I leaned my head against his chest as we both gazed at the school. "Do you think they're ready for us again?"

"I'm not sure how we're going to pull this off." I admitted. "What kind of story can we possibly come up with that people will believe?"

"The truth."

I stiffened at how simple he had said it, as if it might actually be an option. Already, I could picture people laughing in disbelief, saying that we must have forgotten our brains during our absence. Yet, that seemed far more appealing to me than the thought of them believing our every word and allowing what is probably the greatest secret of Forks to be known to everyone.

"What do you mean?" I looked up at him now, but no expression was shown on his flawless face. "Edward, we can't do that."

"We don't have to give them all the details." Edward responded, just as nonchalantly as before. "Zane tried to have you run away with him. I went after you, since I can't go on without you, and won you over. We worked out our differences and now we're engaged and happier than ever, with Zane a thing of the past."

"You just want to say that to antagonize him." I laughed at how he now smiled at me, his whole face lighting up. "But I guess it's the closest thing to the truth that we can really say, and I am tired of all this lying. Is that what you told Charlie?"

"It was a bit longer of an explanation, but I think that's all he heard." Edward answered. "He seemed kind of stunned…."

"Oh…" I interrupted and fell silent for a minute, embarrassed by my outburst, but quickly recovering and continued. "I can't believe that you went and dazzled my dad!"

"Dazzled?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "No, I think…"

"No, I saw the way he was looking at you." I shook my head, trying desperately not to be possessed by uncontrollable laughter. "He was looking at you like a deer in the headlights, like…"

"…like you did?" Edward seemed amused.

"Like I do." I corrected, raising myself up on my toes to kiss him firmly on the mouth. "You probably could have told Charlie that you had murdered a town of villagers and ransacked their homes, and he probably would have nodded his head in approval."

"It wasn't that bad." He protested, but I cut him off.

"No, it wasn't, but what you did say seemed reasonable."

"Someone was eavesdropping?"

"Edward, do you really think I am cut out to be a doctor?"

"You're cut out to do anything you want, but I'm never going to force you into something that you don't want to do. It's an option. That's all."

"I mean, medical school? It's going to be hard catching up and keeping up with just high school right now. The work I missed…"

"It's all taken care of."

"What?"

"I guess Carlisle and Esme are ahead of us in our plans." Edward said. "They already stopped by administration and got us all enrolled back to school. And apparently all our missing work has been completed, by us, and been turned in, so we're already caught up."

"But we haven't touched- at least I haven't touched a textbook in months…"

"Alice and everyone had a lot of spare time during our absence." Edward shrugged. "I was surprised to find out all about this today too. I'm surprised I hadn't caught them earlier on. It must have been on their minds."

"Well, with my disappearance, your guys' relocating, and the whole transformation and weddings, I think there were probably other things on their minds than our homework."

"They've already moved back. Carlisle just went over to the hospital to explain our own sudden disappearance, and Esme is cleaning up everything around the house."

"It really is going to go back to normal." I shook my head in disbelief. "At least, as normal as it can get for vampires."

"Did you hear that?" Edward asked, as the silence was startled by the old bells, followed by a mass of students exiting buildings. "School is still in session."

"I might zone out, but I am a vampire and notice these things." I replied. "You know, I even heard the school bell when I was human…"

"Are you teasing me?"

"Well, if we're going to spend eternity together, we need to have some sense of humor to keep us entertained."

"I can think of ways to keep us entertained…"

I shivered as he ran a finger up my cheek, cupping the side of my face in his hand. His statement surprised me, and I half expected my cheeks to be set aflame. Instead, I only shuddered as he lowered his head, bringing his lips to my own. Our lives were still in need to be set in motion and join the world once more, but I could not stop smiling. There was even laughter around us, and I had been far too enraptured in Edward's kiss to realize that it did not belong to either of us.

"Is it just me, or has lover boy gotten bolder since last we met?"