Charlie came to look in on Bella as he got ready for work the next morning. She was sound asleep in her bed with Edward sitting at the foot of it, keeping a respectable distance so he wouldn't think that they were being at all inappropriate.

He knew that Edward stayed, but was surprised to find him awake, noticing that he still looked just as sleep deprived and exhausted as the night before, though there seemed to be a little color back in his face too, like Bella. Perhaps it was just his gentle, contended smile, the opposite of the bleak expression he had worn on Charlie's doorstep.

"Let her rest. Don't worry about school. Do you need me to call your parents?" he offered again.

"I texted them." the boy replied, holding up the phone in his lap.

"How is she?"

"Terrified. She woke up a few times with nightmares. This is all my fault." he whispered.

"I don't believe so, at least not entirely." Charlie answered. Edward tensed as he saw flashbacks and brief glimpses of memories of Bella's mom in his thoughts. "I believe growing up with her mother probably had something to do with it too. You leaving just…reminded her of something. I don't know."

"I promise I'll take care of her. I really screwed up."

"Don't blame yourself too much." he said, finding himself liking the boy a little despite his reservations. He had stayed with Bella all night. From the looks of things, he hadn't slept or even tried to. He had tucked her neatly into bed and stayed close by in case she needed him at the risk of his own comfort. The whole leaving thing still didn't make sense to Charlie. "I'll be home after work. Call me at the station if she needs anything."

"I will. My family will be in this evening. Is it alright if I take her to see them?"

"Sure. Are they coming to visit?"

"They're coming home. My mom hated L.A. and when I came back to Forks without them, it was kind of the last straw for dad to agree to move back."

"I'm glad to hear it. See you later."

As soon as Charlie was outside, Edward snuggled back up to Bella, holding her in his arms as she slept. She was at least sleeping a little better after their talk. He caressed her cheek or ran his fingers up and down her arm almost constantly, usually earning her peaceful rest, but sometimes even a gentle smile. It was everything he needed.

A few hours later, her breathing sped up and she stretched out a little more. He started kissing her face gently, making sure she could feel him there when she woke up.

"Good morning, my love." he said quietly between kisses.

"Edward."

"I'm right here." He rested his hands on either side of her face and kissed her nose.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, touching his face as well. He closed his eyes and laid back down beside her, enjoying the way her soft hand felt against his skin.

"I'm sorry about last night. I'm so happy to see you." she said, smiling at him, though he could tell she was still suffering and panicking beneath the surface. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. You don't have to apologize for how you feel. You have no idea how much better I feel just being with you. I will make you believe me that I'm staying, no matter what it takes."

"Bite me." she teased, knowing that he wouldn't.

"Charlie wouldn't like that very much when he comes home looking for you this evening now, would he?"

"Guess not."

"How about a kiss?"

"A good start." she agreed. He kissed her lips softly, his body humming with pleasure at the taste and feel of her with him.

"I know something that might help convince you. The family is coming home tonight."

"They're moving back?"

"Yes. Carlisle should be calling ahead any minute now to ask for his old job back."

Bella sat up. Edward sat up too, putting his arms around her.

"This isn't…because of me is it?" she asked, worried they had heard about her condition and were taking pity on her.

"They left because of me. They're coming home because I asked them to and because they love Forks. They miss it here. And most importantly, they miss you."

"I doubt that."

"Tell Alice that later and see if you don't get pounced. Or Emmett. He might even wag his tail and slobber on you some."

"Be serious."

"Alright. They love you, Bella. We all love you. We left because we thought we were keeping you safe from us and our kind. They didn't want to go. We fought a lot. The family only went because I insisted nothing else was going to keep you safe and alive.

We all felt guilty over the incident at your birthday party, and it was easy to manipulate them by what I read in their thoughts. I made the single biggest mistake of my life by leaving you, and by lying to you. I will spend every single day trying to make that up to you."

"I love you." she said, speaking the only truth that came to her mind in that instant. It was exactly what Edward needed to hear. Her understanding. At least somewhat.

"As I love you." he smiled, admiring her hair between his fingers. He kissed her again and she happily enjoyed being in his arms as they kissed, not at all concerned with morning breath or the fact that she was incredibly late for school.

She hesitantly eyed her bedroom door when they pulled away to breathe. Her heart rate sped up. He got the message. "Go take a few minutes to be human, love. I promise I won't go anywhere."

"I'm alright."

"No, you're not. You just woke up. I know you have a morning routine."

She blushed and looked down, hating that he could always hear all of her gross habits, like needing to use the bathroom first thing in the morning.

"You're human." he said. "It's normal. Don't be embarrassed." She still didn't move to get up. "You're afraid I won't be here when you get back."

"I know it's irrational. I believe you."

"Here." he said, handing her his phone. "Take this with you. Something of mine that I will need, so you know I won't leave without it. And should I try, you'll see phone numbers programmed in there for the entire family."

She smiled a little, still embarrassed, but accepted his offer and carried the small phone with her to the bathroom. Realizing that having things she could touch and feel seemed to help her, Edward got down on his knees in the floor and lifted up the loose floorboard where he had hidden her pictures of him, birthday gifts, and months' worth of love notes.

He arranged them in a neat stack on her nightstand and lounged on the bed, waiting for her return. He heard his phone sounding but didn't think anything of it. He assumed it was likely Carlisle or Esme with travel arrangements.

"I promise I wasn't trying to read your texts." she said nervously, walking back in the room. "It lit up on the screen and my name was the first word…."

"I don't have anything to hide from you. It's alright. Was it important?"

"It was Alice, apologizing. I guess she knew I would read it." she shyly looked around the room, but then spotted the small treasure trove on her nightstand. "I thought you destroyed these!" she exclaimed, happily grabbing the photo to admire. Her big smile melted Edward's heart.

"I couldn't bear to take them from you. I hid them under one of your floorboards."

"Edward…" she said, going to sit beside him and tracing under his eyes with her fingertips. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Not as handsome as my photo?" he teased.

"You haven't hunted."

"Not since I left, no."

"Since you left? That's been a few months." she finished quietly.

"I won't harm you."

"I know. That's not what I'm worried about."

"I'll take care of it soon." he promised. She wanted to press the issue but didn't really want him to leave to hunt either, so she just nodded in agreement.

"Oh crap, Charlie is going to wonder why I'm not at school today."

"It's alright." he kissed her forehead. "He told me to let you sleep. He knows."

"I've been so horrible to him."

"He's been worried about you. I saw some things in his thoughts this morning I would like to ask you about."

She froze, terrified that he was going to judge her for the months she spent crying and having nightmares. She knew that her attachment to him wasn't logical, that most girls would have moved on, but she couldn't. Her love for him was different.

"Hey, it's ok if you don't want to talk about them." He held her close to him. "I'm never going to make you do anything you don't want to."

"Then I'm never going to let you go."

"I'm amenable to that." he grinned. Edward chickened out, afraid of upsetting Bella when she had just finally started truly smiling a little. He quickly thought of an alternate topic. "You didn't really hang out with anyone while I was away? He kept thinking about Jacob Black for some reason."

"Dad loves Jacob. He wanted us to be friends, and he's friendly. I like him. I just haven't wanted to be around anyone lately. Charlie invited him for dinner one night and it was awkward. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I just didn't want to talk about anything."

"I understand. I've barely even spoke to my family since I left. In fact, the first time I really talked to any of them was when one of them texted me last night while you slept. I'm not even sure if it was Alice or Carlisle to be honest."

"Well, it seems that Alice likes to fill up half the screen with emojis."

"It was Carlisle then." he grinned. "My little sleuth."

Bella handed his phone back to him. "Will you let me buy you one?" he asked.

"A phone?"

"Yeah. That way you can always call or text me, even if you're just brushing your teeth."

"I always feel guilty when you spend your money on me."

"What's money for if not for spending?"

"I feel like I can never repay you." she confessed.

"Bella, you have no idea what you mean to me. Money is nothing." She sat quietly, so he continued trying to convince her. "Put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I was changed by Carlisle at seventeen years old.

In my time, most men were either married or going to be very soon at that age, but none of the girls my parents introduced me to had ever interested me beyond social politeness, not even a little. I woke up a vampire, and no matter how much I love Carlisle, it was incredibly lonely, having no one my age to share my life with.

As the decades passed, I became more and more certain that I was damned and that I would never find my mate. I met plenty of single vampires, but I never felt anything beyond friendship for them. More and more decades passed, and our family kept growing in mated pairs. I just accepted that I was doomed to spend an eternity alone. Even Esme, my beloved optimist, was becoming convinced that Carlisle changed me too young, and I just wasn't interested in anyone.

Then, over eighty years total had passed, really imagine how long that is, especially for someone who doesn't sleep, when I first saw you.

And sure, the smell of your blood terrified me at first. But when I saw Tyler's van about to crush you, my mind didn't understand it, but my heart did. All of a sudden, you were everything to me and I had to do something. Suddenly, my entire existence reworked itself with you in the center of it. And the more time I spent with you, the more I fell in love with you.

That day in the meadow when you saw me for exactly what I am and still loved me, embraced me…there are no words. You are the most beautiful part of my world. You are the greatest gift. The one person who I'm always happy to see, no matter what.

Bella…you deserve a fair, completely honest explanation of why I left you. It crushed me to do it, but I felt like I didn't have a choice. Jasper had threatened your life, or at least your humanity, just months after James had done the same. He tortured you and wanted to kill you. He bit you, for God's sake.

All of this pain…the near-death experiences…it was because I interfered in your human life. If I would have pushed the van away and convinced you that you were crazy or something, you could have been happy without me. I wouldn't have doomed your soul as I have.

But don't you see, money is nothing to me. I would give my own happiness if it meant you were safe. I tried to do just that."

"But I'm not happy without you. It's impossible."

"I know that now."

"You could have been honest with me when you left." she said, still hurt that he had lied about his love for her.

"Would you have let me go?"

"No, but I couldn't have stopped you. You're so much faster than me. And stronger. You didn't have to do it…."

"I know. I am so, incredibly sorry. I thought a clean break would help you move on. I didn't want to leave any hope that I could possibly come back. I didn't want to risk you waiting and watching your life pass you by. I really did intend to stay away."

"I almost lost you forever." she sobbed, holding him close and trembling.

"I almost lost you forever." he added. "It nearly killed me. Us both. I won't dare do that again."

"I wasn't safe with you gone."

"What?"

"I tried to find our meadow. I needed to see it. Part of me even hoped I might find you there." she stopped to wipe her eyes and take a deep breath. "Laurent found me there. Some big wolves attacked him, and I ran home. I didn't see him again."

"Laurent was here?! Wolves? Large wolves? Like people sized?"

She nodded against his chest.

"Oh my-Bella! You are a danger magnet!" he held her so tightly it hurt a little, but she didn't protest. She noticed that he was trembling too. "Laurent and werewolves both. It seems I can't keep you safe no matter how hard I try!"

"It isn't your job to keep me safe, Edward. I just want you to be with me. To love me."

"I do love you, very much. I always have. I always will. But it would be nice if I wasn't always the source of your danger."

"Don't tell me you magically conjured the wolves?" she asked.

"No. But they aren't wolves. I'll explain that some other time. I need to warn the family about Laurent, though I'm sure he's long dead."

"You said they would be home later tonight?"

"I did. Would you like to go greet them with me in a few hours? I have your dad's permission if you'd like to come."

"Do you think they will want to see me? Well…besides Alice. She made her feelings very clear in her text, about me and you both." Bella said, laughing a little.

"Did she now? I suppose I deserve it."

"I'm pretty sure some of the names she called you weren't English."

"You're probably right. She prefers to insult me in French when I've really messed up. I'm buying you a phone." he insisted.

"I'm so glad you're here." she said without protest, admiring him properly, letting herself feel, though her heart hammered in her chest with the fear of feeling any emotion fully.

"You have no idea." he answered, leaning in for a kiss. They spent several hours snuggled in bed, content just to be together.

"The family should be home soon." he said, running his fingers down her spine and enjoying the little noises of relaxation she made. "Want to help me welcome them back?"

"I'm scared."

"I won't let them harm you."

"Not that."

"I know."

"I would really like to see Alice…and Esme…and….let's do it." she said, trailing off.

"They will all be thrilled to see us. I promise."

"Rosalie?"

"Well, maybe except for Rosalie, but what's a big family for if at least one of them doesn't get along with everyone?"

Bella nodded and stood up to look for something more appropriate to wear than her pajamas. Edward admired her, even as she did such simple things as brushing her hair. He had missed her, ached for her so much.

He owed his entire family an apology, and he was going to see that one was given. But first, he couldn't wait to see them. He especially couldn't wait for them to see Bella. She needed their love and reassurances perhaps more than he ever had.

She looked at him nervously, holding her chosen outfit. He took a hint that she didn't want to leave the room, or him, and lounged back on her bed, closing his eyes, and making it obvious that he wasn't watching.

When she was ready, she sat down beside him and then laid to rest her head on his chest. He happily ran his fingers through her hair. "I've missed this so much." he said.

"Me too. I feel a little bit like myself again."

"What do you mean?"

"While you were gone, it was like I couldn't breathe. Like even existing without you was a crushing emptiness. I don't ever want to feel that again."

"I will never do that to you again. I felt exactly the same."

They held each other in silence for a few minutes. Edward leaned down to kiss her forehead and he could see that she was fighting tears. He stroked her cheek with his fingers and waited for her to speak, but she didn't.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just so happy you're here. I don't want to let go of you."

"You don't have to."

"You'll need to hunt eventually."

"Eventually, but not tonight. One day at a time." he said with a small smile.

"I don't want you to suffer because of me."

"I'm not suffering. And if I did, it would be my own fault. I'm the happiest and most alive I've felt in months. A little thirst won't kill me."

She nodded and stood up, still keeping at least one of her hands on him at all times. "We should go?"

"We should. Come on, I'll drive."

Bella happily followed him downstairs and to his car, only letting go of his hand to take her seat as he held the door open for her. She had to fight tears again as the familiarity of the situation, them getting in his car, nearly overwhelmed her. It was hard to trust that it was real. That he was real.

They drove mostly in silence, but he held one of her hands in his and ran his thumb across the back of her hand the entire drive. Seeing the Cullen house peeking through the trees again, looking just as it always had, was nearly too much for her. She knew that it was real, but the little voice in her head that said it could all go away again gripped her with fear.

He helped her out of the car and led her inside. Everyone came to greet them, with only Jasper keeping his distance. He assumed that the fear she was feeling was due to him, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

"Bella!" Alice squealed, running up to hug her. Edward worried that it would be too much at once, but Bella genuinely smiled and threw her arms around his sister. Jasper felt most of her fears dissipate the second they touched. He stepped a little closer and offered a tentative smile over Alice's small shoulder.

"Hi Alice."

"I missed you so much!"

"So, you said in your text." Bella laughed quietly.

"It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too."

"Share the human, Alice." Emmett joked, grabbing her from Alice's arms and hugging her enthusiastically. "We suck. I'm sorry. If he tries to make us leave you again, I'll just kick his ass instead. I promise."

"Thanks Emmett."

"I'm not leaving her again." Edward said, mostly as an assurance for Bella. "That was the single dumbest thing I've ever done."

"You've got that right." Carlisle said, making her laugh a little bit again at him being scolded. "But I'm glad you came to your senses and came home."

"Me too."

"Bella, I'm really sorry." Jasper said. "I promise you I won't let that happen again. I feel so bad that this was all my fault."

"Don't. You only acted in the way that was natural for you. And I forgive you."

He smiled brilliantly at her before Esme distracted her with a giant hug and apology of her own. In a true motherly fashion, she also fussed over the loose fit of Bella's jeans and went to start her some dinner. Rosalie politely nodded from across the room, but it was the best anyone could hope for.

Edward led them to the couch and sat down, pulling Bella into his lap so he could hold her. Her anxieties seemed to bother her less the more they touched. Jasper noted as much in his thoughts too, her fear decreasing a little each time Edward held her more tightly or kissed the top of her head.

Though she was polite and friendly to anyone who spoke to her, Jasper felt the underlying panic still beneath the surface. He noticed how she would jump just slightly at unexpected noises, how she felt not just guilty but even ashamed any time someone mentioned to Edward that he should hunt, as if she were completely at fault for his choices and suffering.

He frowned at his brother, reading the analysis in his thoughts. Jasper wasn't entirely sure how to help, but he started by stepping in the kitchen to help Esme finish making dinner, making sure she took Bella a tray to sit on a table in the living room, not at the dining room where she would have to reduce the physical contact with her other half.

Alice waited until Bella finished eating and then handed her a small, pink phone.

"How did you get that so fast? We just talked about it a couple of hours ago."

Alice giggled. "It's always a good thing to keep extras of breakable items where vampires are concerned."

"Pink?"

"It's cute. It matches your…well…it's feminine." she smiled. Bella looked as if she might want to protest, but settled for hugging and sincerely thanking her instead, knowing it would help her talk to Edward when they eventually would have to be parted, even briefly.

When Edward left the house to take Bella home, Jasper resolved that he would do whatever it took to reduce the harm that he had caused by starting the disastrous chain of events at her party. He grabbed his computer and ordered a dozen textbooks and eBooks on psychology and trauma.

While he started to read, settling in for a quiet evening at home, Bella fought back tears at the thoughts of letting go of her beloved, even for a few minutes. Though Edward tried not to make her uncomfortable by bringing it up, he noticed.

"Let me walk you in." he said softly. "I won't go far."

"You need to hunt."

"That's not important."

"It is. I know you're uncomfortable. I don't want you to put it off any longer because of me."

"I don't want to part from you either."

"Charlie will probably be awake a few more hours. And I have my phone." she said, holding up the pink gadget with a sad smile. "I can text you and you can answer me when you're done."

"I'm still going to walk you inside. And I'll be back in your window the first second possible once done. I'm only going because you want me to. If you don't-"

"Go." she insisted. "Walk me in and then go hunt so you can come back sooner."

"Would you rather I wait until you're asleep?"

"I'd rather not wake up without you."

He remembered her nightmares from the night before. "Oh, right…I love you." He looked into her eyes and dazzled her a little before kissing her in a way that he definitely wouldn't do in front of her father.

"I love you too." she said with a smile once he was done. Her heart raced, but in a more pleasant way now that she was thoroughly dazzled. He smiled and got out of the car, getting her door, and leading her inside as well.

Charlie was happy to see them, especially Bella smiling and holding conversation properly for the first time in many months. He feared when Edward had to leave, but he simply kissed her on the head and promised to pick her up for school in the morning.

Bella smiled at her father and sat with him a few minutes, telling him about her evening with the Cullens before getting ready for bed. Charlie went to sleep hopeful for the second night in a row. Things were going to be alright.

Author's Note: I'm going to try to update Home about once a week. I'm not sure yet how many chapters there will be.

Thank you all for such sweet reviews on the last chapter! It means so much that several of you thought to check on me and offer an ear and your love. I am doing well for the most part these days but struggled a lot with my C-PTSD when I was younger, especially before I knew what it was. I still have nightmares sometimes or get jumpy at certain situations/loud noises.

C-PTSD is a newer diagnosis and it's so much more common than people realize. It's usually caused by childhood or domestic abuse and can leave you in a constant state of fight or flight, unable to relax for years on end, which is what I experienced. In my case, I grew up in an unstable home with a lot of yelling/screaming, threats, living condition issues and at one point risking homelessness briefly, though thankfully that didn't happen, and I was able to escape and grow a life that I'm happy with and my own safe home that I own.

My introduction to Twilight was a gifted copy of New Moon at perhaps one of the worst times of my life as a teen and I instantly connected with Bella's sorrow and loss at Edward's leaving, though I had only known him for a few short chapters at that point not having read/seen Twilight. When they reunited in Volterra, I remember actually crying with relief.

The chapter "The Truth" towards the end is my favorite part of the entire series. I spent many nights crying so hard that I could barely see straight from things going on at home, reading this particular chapter over and over because it would always calm me down and let me drift into a happy place for a few minutes. If Edward and Bella were together, all was right in my world.

This is why most of my stories focus on New Moon and on Edward & Bella reuniting. In my mind, they just have to be together. Thanks for reading!