AN: Thanks for all the awesome feedback, Folks! As promised, here is Chapter Two ;-*


Chapter Two

Bella's POV

Aunt Cecily and Uncle Richard's arrival, so far, has gone about as well as any of us could have expected. Mom was really anxious for the weeks leading up to their visit but her nerves hit an all-time high as soon as Dad left for the airport this morning to pick them up.

Pacing, checking out the window every five minutes...in all my years I have never before seen her acting like this.

I guess it isn't all that surprising for her to be this anxious, given that she hasn't seen her sister in twenty-five years. I think for me, it's the way she has been acting that seems...off.

Frantic house cleaning I would have expected. Wanting to make sure everything is absolutely perfect? Yes, fine.

But taking twelve hours yesterday to choose her outfit for today? Spending four hours on her hair and makeup this morning when she normally only spends half an hour? Going to the salon two days ago for a new haircut and a mani-pedi? Dragging Dad with her and making him get his own haircut and mani-pedi? Buying him a new suit just to wear to the airport?

Those behaviors are all very weird and they don't seem to fit the context. Especially since there has been much less concern on her part over how any of us kids are dressed or made up.

Don't get me wrong, Dad has been acting weird too. It hasn't just been Mom that seems to have lost her marbles. He's been walking around the house singing to himself for the past several days. Dad's a fun guy, but he doesn't usually sing.

And then, when Aunt Ces and Uncle Rick arrive? The way they all talk to each other...the way they talk about each other...I just really feel like I'm missing something here.

As a photojournalist, I've gotten very adept at observing people without them knowing they're being observed. Snapping candid pictures at just the right moments takes a certain…watchfulness.

And today, I'm definitely watching. I'm just not sure what I'm seeing, that's all.

I watch them all through brunch, as my siblings and cousins bicker playfully and chat about a multitude of things. I watch after brunch, as the four of them go upstairs together so Aunt Ces and Uncle Rick can get settled and change.

I watch as they all come back downstairs and traipse outside in their swimwear, and I watch as they climb into the hot tub on the back deck with Mom and Aunt Ces giggling like a couple of teenagers.

I watch the seating arrangement, too. That is probably the thing that confounds me the most.

When they climb into the hot tub, Mom sits down and Aunt Cecily takes the seat across from her. Next, Dad sits down between them, slightly closer to Aunt Ces. Then, Uncle Richard sits between Dad and Mom.

None of this is all that weird when they are all spread out around three sides of the hot tub like they are at the beginning. But as Dad and Uncle Richard converse, they seem to drift instinctively closer. Then Mom says something to Uncle Rick and he seems like he's having a hard time hearing her over the jets, so she moves in closer to him. Then the same thing happens with Aunt Ces and Dad.

After less than ten minutes, all four of them are huddled together, sharing one side of the hot tub.

I continue to nurse a cup of coffee, sitting at the kitchen island, watching subtly through the window in my periphery.

Ally comes over and sits beside me, filling her coffee cup from the carafe, and kisses me on the cheek. "You look lost in thought," she smiles softly, brushing a strand of my hair out of my face.

"I am. Something feels...off. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I ask, gesturing with my eyes out the window.

Alice, taking her cue from me, glances out of her peripheral vision and her eyes dart quickly back to me. "Okay, wow, that is odd."

"What's odd?" Jasper asks, coming into the kitchen. But one look out the window has him doing a double take all on his own. "What the…?"

"Right! It's weird, isn't it?" I nod emphatically. "Don't stare, they'll see!" I hiss.

"What's going on?" My brother Edward asks, making a beeline for the coffee.

"We're not sure what is going on," Ally says darting her eyes out the window. "But it's awfully straaange." She giggles in a sing-songy way.

"Oh! Hmmn…You know...that scene feels vaguely familiar," he muses.

"Yeahhh, I was kinda thinking the same thing," Jasper nods slowly.

"Really?" I puzzle, wondering what they mean.

"Yeah, I have some...I dunno what you'd call them. Half-memories? Glimpses? Fuzzy vague impressions. Things that don't exactly compute. From our early childhood," Jas admits.

"I know what you mean. I have them too. Always have. Like, I'll have what seems like a memory of walking up and seeing Mom and Dad sitting on a porch swing with their backs to me, and they share a passionate kiss, but her hair is chocolate brown, not caramel," Ed elaborates.

"Yeah, exactly. Stuff like that. I even have one of...nevermind. I'm sure it was just a dream." Jasper frowns his brow furrowing in thought.

"No, tell us, what was it?" Ally insists, encouraging him gently.

Jas sighs. "Dad and Uncle Carlisle, slow dancing."

"Fuuuck. I have the same one. I thought it was a dream," Edward admits.

"Where are Rose and Em?" I ask them. "I think we need to have a mini family meeting without the rents."

"Where are Rose and Em ever?" Jas laughs, rolling his eyes.

"One, two, three, not it!" Everyone but me exclaims.

"Ugh, fiiine, I'll go." I huff, standing up and taking the stairs two at a time.

I stand outside of Em's room and take a deep breath. "You'd better both be decent, I'm coming in!"

I turn the doorknob and it's unlocked so I push it open. Emmett throws a pillow at my head. "We're just watching a movie. See? Clothes on, hands above the covers, nothing to get all weird about, Kiddo."

"Yeah, yeah, tell that to three-headed babies you're gonna make," I tease. "Anyway, we need you downstairs. We're tryna solve a mystery."

"Can't it wait? The movie's almost over." Rose frowns.

"No, it can't. So put your panties back on, and get your butts downstairs." I insist. "You have five minutes or I'm coming back with reinforcements."

I turn to head back downstairs. "You know three-headed babies isn't a thing, right?" Rose calls over my shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I guess you'll find out in a few years!" I giggle and take off down the stairs before they can chuck another pillow at my head.

Ally shoots me a look as I return to my spot at the island. The rents are still out there, still looking just as cozy.

"Did you antagonize those two again?" she asks, pointing upstairs to where I just came from.

I shrug, stealing a banana from the fruit bowl. "I had to get them downstairs somehow."

"We don't actually think that's a thing, right?" Jasper questions.

"What, Em and Rose?" I confirm. He nods.

"Hmm...I mean…we don't not think it's a thing." I shrug, peeling my banana.

"We also think you're a thing though." Ally smirks. "Or at least, that you will be after escrow."

"For the last time, Alice. Jasper and I are not getting a house together so that we can boink," Edward defends, less heat in the statement than there usually would be.

Jasper raises an eyebrow. "Who the hell says 'boink'?" He snickers.

"Who's boinking? Alice and Bella?" Emmett smirks, coming down the stairs with Rose hot on his heels. "Saw that one coming a mile off." He grins.

"See? This is why we don't antagonize them." Ally reminds me, with an adorable pout.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? I got them downstairs," I state proudly. "Now back to the matter at hand...Rose, Em, take a discreet glance out that window and tell us what you see."

We give them a moment to do so. "Okay, so, I see Mom and Dad sitting with...wait, no, that's not Mom, that's Aunt Esme. Which means Mom is sitting with Uncle Carlisle? That doesn't seem right, does it?" Em puzzles.

"And Dad and Uncle Rick are sitting really close, too. Like, if they were any closer, they'd be in each other's laps," Rose points out, as she starts pulling out the ingredients we'll need for the lunch she has planned.

"You had such vivid memories earlier, when we were talking about Nelly, Rose...do either of you have any memories from New England of anything like this?" Edward asks as Rose puts him to work washing lettuce for the salmon salad.

"I mean, I have a 'memory' of Dad and Uncle Rick dancing together, but I thought it was a weird dream…" Rose ponders, preparing the salmon.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Alice giggles, stealing a bite of my banana. "There is no way all three of you dreamed that!"

"Wait, so, that was real?" Rose confirms, looking from Ed to Jas and back.

Jasper shrugs as he hands the tomatoes and cucumber to Edward to wash and sets up a cutting board to start chopping.

Edward mutters, "I guess so?"

"This explains, soooo much," Em says as Rose puts him to work assembling the roast beef sandwiches while the salmon poaches.

"Like what?" I puzzle, tossing my banana peel in the compost bin and starting to work on the honey-orange vinaigrette dressing for the salad.

"Like...the crying for starters." Emmett frowns, glancing out the window again.

"Oh my God, the crying! I'd nearly forgotten," Rose exhales, a note of awe in her voice.

"What crying? What are you two on about?" Alice huffs, not liking to be left out of the loop. She starts making a pitcher of sangria as the rest of us continue preparing lunch.

"When we first came west," Edward begins, "Mom and Aunt Ces would have their nightly phone calls to each other, and for the first few months, it was mostly just sobbing openly.

"And at some point, Mom would say 'put Rich on,' and then the crying always got worse, not better. Then eventually, Dad would take the phone and Mom would manage to compose herself, and after a while, we would inevitably hear him say something like, 'Don't cry, Baby.'. I guess I always just assumed he was talking to one of the kids, but…"

Jasper shakes his head. "It was the same at our house. But in reverse. I can't believe I'd forgotten about all that," He and Edward shake themselves out of their memories and finish tossing the salad.

"Okay so, wait...are we saying what I think we're saying here?" Alice confirms as she puts the finished pitcher in the fridge to chill.

"We could always go through the old photo albums and try to find proof…?" I suggest. "There was always one...a plain black one with a gold border, that Mom would always slam shut whenever I saw her looking at it. I've seen it, peeking out of the top shelf of their bedroom closet…" I admit, tucking the finished dressing into the fridge.

Rosalie and Emmett race upstairs so fast the walls shake. The rest of us trail behind more slowly.

By the time we get to the top, they've retrieved the album and taken it into Emmett's room. Once we all file in, Rose closes and locks the door.

We all pile onto the bed and circle in close to get a good look at the pages, as Em slowly opens the cover.

The first few pages of pictures are clearly from their teenage years. There are a few prom pictures. One of the four of them together, one of Dad and Aunt Ces dancing, and one of Mom and Uncle Rick dancing.

There are some casual shots taken around the mansion in New England. Dad is sprawled out on a bed in one picture, trying to read a book while Mom and Aunt Ces attempt to tickle him. Uncle Richard is sitting on a sofa in another, talking on the phone, with Mom and Aunt Ces cuddled into his sides.

There is a snap of Dad and Uncle Rick sitting on a loveseat in front of the hearth with a crackling fire in it. Their legs are stretched out in front of them and they are sharing a small ottoman. They are seated so close their sides are pressed together.

As we continue slowly flipping the pages, the pictures get more and more intimate. When we turn the page and find a picture of Dad and Uncle Rick kissing, I take the liberty of closing the book.

"Okay, I think we've invaded their privacy enough," I say quietly. I exit the room and return the book to its treasured place. The amount of times the pages have been flipped through over the years is a clear indicator of its importance.

We all head back downstairs so that Rose can pull the salmon out.

"Okay, so, what are we gonna do about this?" Alice asks, setting the large, round kitchen table with linens and china.

"Do? There's nothing we can do. Confronting them about this would just embarrass them. It's in the past. What good would dredging it up now do anybody?" Em insists, carrying the sandwich platter to the table.

Alice frowns. "Okay, no, I wasn't talking about confronting them. I meant, what can we do to help them? This is probably the most heartbreaking thing I've ever heard. After all, we've all heard the stories of why Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle moved out here.

"There just weren't enough jobs for young doctors back home. And Mom and Dad stayed because somebody would need to run the estate after Grandfather passed. But this? I always thought we all got the short end of the stick, not getting to grow up with our cousins.

"I can't even imagine having three people you were so irrevocably in love with and only getting to keep one. I can't imagine having to walk away from something as beautiful as what's in those pictures. And Em...you said it's in the past but is it? They Skype every night. Every. Single. Night.

"Those four people in that hot tub still look very much in love, to me. If we're right...they've basically been carrying out this long-distance relationship for twenty-five years. That's not very healthy. Not when they could be living here, together, full time," Alice reasons, setting out the silverware.

"No wonder it took her twelve freaking hours to decide what to wear," I mutter.

Several of the others snicker though it isn't really funny, it's sad. Ally is right. I really can't imagine being separated from the people you love like that.

"So, what do you propose we do?" Rose questions, lifting the salmon onto the salad and bringing it to the table.

Ally speaks as I grab the dressing and sangria from the fridge. "I think we need to find a way to get Mom and Dad to move out here. Mom can teach anywhere and Dad could surely find plenty of therapy clients in California. Maybe once all four of them are retired, they could split their time between the east and west coasts, since the estate is beautiful in the autumn and I know they want it to stay in the family.

"But for now, I think we need to focus on getting Mom and Dad interested in staying here. I mean, they clearly have personal reasons they would want to, so that's half the battle, right? So we should maybe try to find them some professional and social reasons to stay as well.

"I could give mom a tour of the Stratford School, Em could show her Bishop O'Dowd, and Jas could take her to Berkeley. That way she thinks of it as just getting to see where her kids work, but it would also show her there are plenty of great teaching opportunities out here," Ally offers, putting together a game plan.

"Yeah, and Mom and Dad have a great social network, between Mom's book club and her crafting group, and Dad's golf buddies and their work colleagues. If they could have a little get together with some of their friends here at the house where we'd have a controlled environment, we could make sure Aunt Ces and Uncle Rick see all that San Francisco has to offer," Rose adds, getting into the spirit as she brings the parmesan grater to the table.

"Precisely!" Alice beams, laying out the cloth napkins.

"Maybe we also need to find ways to remind them of what they mean to each other?" Edward suggests, taking a seat at the table. "Like, those songs Dad has been singing around the house all week. They probably have some significance here. Maybe we could make a playlist of that stuff and play it on the home system?

"And I have a hookup that could get them access to a box at the opera for a night. I know they all used to love going to the opera back in New England," Eddie continues, getting as excited as the rest of us now.

"I imagine we could come up with a few other fun dates like that for them where they would have some semblance of privacy and be able to be a bit freer with their affections," Jasper supposes, taking a seat beside Edward.

"Like mini-golf or bowling, where each group kind of just does their own thing and no one else is watching all that closely?" Emmett suggests as he and Rose take seats to one side of them, leaving space for the four parents on the end closest to the French doors that lead out to the deck.

They must have noticed us all beginning to gather at the table because they appear to have climbed out of the hot tub and are toweling off now.

"Yes, exactly. Maybe a concert or the movies or something dimly lit like that would be a good idea too!" Alice interjects again as she and I grab seats on the other side of Rose and Emmett.

"Would it be too obvious if we got them a hotel for a night?" I wonder as the rents stroll across the deck toward the house.

"Maybe not, if we package it as being a spa weekend. A suite at the Fairmont wouldn't be too pricey if we divide the cost six ways. We could make sure to book them one that has two king beds but only one bedroom. That won't seem too obvious but it puts all four of them in a shared space," Rose plots mischievously as Mom, Dad, Uncle Rick, and Aunt Ces enter the kitchen.

"Great, it's decided then." I nod to the others with a look that means we all need to shut up about it now. "We were just about to come and get you, but it looked like you were coming in anyway." I smile at our parents.

"Thank you, Kids. You didn't have to go to all this trouble but we sure do appreciate it! We're just going to finish drying off and get into some warmer clothing and then we'll come and join you. But don't feel like you need to wait for us to start. Dig in! We'll catch up." Mom beams, looking happier than she has in a long time as they all head upstairs.

I notice that as they ascend the staircase, Uncle Richard's hand is on the small of Mom's back as she leads the group upstairs.

"Maybe we won't have to pull too many strings to get them back together." I muse, watching them walk away.

"Maybe not. But I don't think that will be the hard part," Ed continues. "We have exactly two weeks before Aunt Ces and Uncle Rick fly back to New England and they all resume this ridiculous long-distance thing. That's two weeks to convince two people who have lived on the east coast their entire lives to leave everything they've ever known behind and move about as far away from home as they can fathom."

"Yeah, but, aren't we forgetting one thing?" Jasper smiles softly.

"What's that?" Ed asks.

"Home is where the heart is."