AN: I am so sorry for the delay in updating! I don't want to post a lot of excuses, but I know some of you know that my dad has ALS. In the past few months he has really deteriorated quickly, and it has understandably put a huge strain on our family. So I haven't been writing as much. Sorry! Thanks for sticking with me!

North of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Garrett found his family a home in the tiny community of Bakerstown, Pennsylvania. It was large enough to have its own school, but small enough that Edward hopefully wouldn't be overwhelmed with a lot of students.

He set up his workshop in an abandoned storefront at the end of town, quickly making a name for himself with his quality furniture and friendly demeanor. His porch became the place to gather for gossip as they watched him sand and finish the larger pieces he brought in from his workshop in the back.

School was set to start in a week, once the local harvest was completed. Bella and the boys had been staying at home for the most part. Bella wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She had to work to alter her appearance some when she went into town, since in reality she looked only a year or so older than her boys. However, she didn't feel like playing as their sister and going to school either.

For the most part, she stayed home and out of sight. This was pretty much a trial run for the boys, anyway, to see if they could live among humans without raising suspicion. If not, they might not be staying that long.

The closer the time came for school to start, the more nervous Edward became. He barely spoke a word aloud to anyone, and only spoke using his gift when someone asked him something directly. He was very much caught up in his own convoluted thoughts.

Jasper, on the other hand, was literally bouncing off the walls. He stayed home with his mom and brother for a day or two when they first moved, but after that he followed Garrett to work and became his assistant. He charmed the customers and the loiterers alike. Everyone who met him loved him. It was just as good as he'd imagined, and he hadn't even started school yet!

"So, Jasper, are you excited for school to start Monday?" The man asking was the mail carrier, and he couldn't stop his smile at Jasper's eager grin.

"Yes, sir!" he exclaimed, slapping his hat against his knee as he had seen the other men do. "I can't wait to meet all the other kids!"

The men around him chuckled at his enthusiasm. Garrett smiled fondly and shook his head, explaining, "Sorry, boys, my wife has been schooling them at home before now. Jasper is more eager for the social interaction than the actual schooling I'm afraid."

Hearing the opportunity to sate his curiosity, the mail carrier pounced on the opening. "Where is your pretty young wife, Garrett? She doesn't come to town much, does she?"

Garrett pushed down his instincts to destroy anyone interested in his mate, but he couldn't keep his eyes from darkening instantly. Only a few of the men noticed the way Jasper tensed as well—he didn't like anyone looking at his momma other than his daddy.

Forcing what he hoped was a natural sounding laugh out, Garrett looked down at the table he was sanding as he answered, "My Bella loves being at home. She's a little shy, but she keeps the house nicely. She takes really good care of me and my boys."

Feeling the uncomfortable atmosphere, the oldest gentleman cleared his throat and asked for someone to light his pipe. He rubbed his gnarled hands down his dirty overalls but kept his sharp gaze on Garrett's face. There was something about the man that made him nervous. He'd been around a long time but he'd never seen someone look quite like Garrett did—or someone with eyes quite that color.

The longer he thought about Garrett and his suspicions, the more relaxed he became, until he was almost drifting off there in his chair. He jolted awake and looked around, wondering if anyone noticed, but the only one looking his way was Garrett's boy, Jasper. The blue-eyed youngster was uncharacteristically solemn as he stared at the older man, but then he slowly smiled, making the man feel comfortable again.

~oOo~

The first day of school dawned bright and sunny, presenting a problem for Garrett and Bella. Garrett could easily get to his shop at any time, despite the weather, since he had a back door that opened to the shade of the woods. Getting down the street to the school was another issue.

After much discussion, it was agreed that Bella and Garrett would go as far as the shop, and then Jasper would take Edward to the school. Of course Jasper was familiar with the way there, as he had been running all over town the past few weeks. He had even met (and charmed) the schoolmarm already.

Back at their house, Bella had finished packing the boys' lunches and stood there in the kitchen watching them finish getting ready. Garrett had helped them slick their hair back and made sure they were dressed smartly.

Once they were ready, Jasper bounced over and grabbed his lunch pail and slate from his mother with a quick kiss to her cheek, before bouncing out the door with a hollered, "Come on! Let's go!"

Edward followed more slowly, wringing his hands and biting his lip as he made his way across the small cabin. Bella pulled him into her arms as soon as he got close, seeing that he was so incredibly nervous about this new endeavor. He dropped his head to her shoulder, wishing he was still small enough to climb up in her lap and snuggle like he used to.

Garrett walked over and put his arms around his wife and youngest son, just sitting quietly and giving Edward a chance to gather himself. He knew his boy tended to internalize most of his worries and blow them into bigger issues than they should be, but it was also true that he was venturing into something completely unknown and therefore intimidating.

When they really needed to get going or risk the boys being late, Garrett squeezed Edward's shoulder and ran his hand through his wife's hair. Bella kissed Edward on the forehead and reached for his hand to lead him outside. He still hadn't spoken a word, and she honestly doubted if he would.

Outside, Jasper was standing in the yard, holding Thunder's lead. The boys would ride him into town, and leave him tied at Garrett's shop, where he had room to graze. While the boys could run long distances without tiring, they didn't want to push them too hard with school as well. And both boys agreed they were much too big to be carried by either of their parents.

On the way to town, Edward sat silently behind his brother, arms looped loosely around his waist while Jasper chattered ceaselessly about everything from the lady in the general store who always slipped him candy, to the birds building a nest in that tree they just passed—did you see?

Garrett responded to Jasper when needed, but Bella kept her eyes on Edward. She was really worried about her not-so-little boy. They had worked on the boys' gifts some as they grew, but most of the time Bella kept Garrett under her shield so the only thoughts Edward heard were Jasper's. And since there wasn't much that crossed Jasper's mind that didn't come out of his mouth there wasn't much stress on Edward that way.

Bella worried that putting him in a room with twenty or more children would overwhelm her sensitive boy. While Jasper tended to feed off the emotional climate whenever they were in a crowd, Edward would withdraw and only speak through his gift if he could.

In Garrett's shop, Bella took the time to give her boys one last hug. "I will be here with your dad the whole time, okay? You come to me if you need me."

Jasper grinned and waved her off, but Edward looked at her shyly and nodded. Hugging her tightly, he finally whispered against her hair, "I love you, Momma."

When they heard the school bell ringing, the boys headed out into the street to walk to school. The townspeople peeked out the door to get a glimpse of Garrett's other son—the one who hadn't been around meeting people like his brother, Jasper. Edward cringed as he heard their suspicious thoughts, ducking his head against their nosey gazes.

Jasper kept his arm around his twin's shoulders for the whole walk, his lunch pail swinging freely in his other hand. He didn't chatter out loud, instead keeping up a steady conversation with his thoughts as he told Edward his impressions of the people they passed and any funny anecdotes he could think of to add.

Edward relaxed a bit as they drew closer to the school and found they were the first two pupils to arrive. The teacher was a beautiful young woman, who didn't look too much older than their momma. She greeted them as they walked up the steps. "Hello, Jasper! And this must be your brother. I'm Miss Jones."

She held a dainty hand out to Edward and he shook it quickly after a brief hesitation. Jasper knew he wasn't ready to speak so he introduced his twin. "Hi Miss Jones, this is my brother, Edward."

The teacher smiled at him encouragingly but Edward still couldn't bring himself to speak. He could hear her thoughts—clear with admiration for Jasper and a bit of worry for Edward. She wondered if he was so quiet because Jasper did all the speaking for them both. It startled him a bit how clearly she was able to see them.

She waved the boys into the room as she saw more students approaching. "You know where to sit, Jasper. Just show your brother—you can share a desk."

"You're doing good, E. You don't have to talk if you don't wanna. I can talk for the both of us until you get more comfortable, okay?" Jasper led Edward to a seat on the right side of the room almost at the back. "This is where she told me kids our age would sit. There are three other kids—two boys and a girl in the same grade as us."

They sat at their desk and watched the other students slowly file in. They put a collection of battered lunch pails on the shelf where the McCarty boys' pails stood out as shiny and new. Edward had an odd moment when he realized the youngest kids sitting in the front row were actually all the same age as he and Jasper. They looked so small and their thoughts were so different from his and Jasper's.

Jasper nudged him when he had stared a little too long at a small boy with messy brown hair and a dirt-smudged face. He knew he had looked like that around their first birthday, but it seemed so long ago with as fast and as large as they had grown. They were already taller than their momma now, even if it felt like she should be able to still cradle them in her arms.

Seeing the size they were supposed to be—if they were fully human—was jarring to Edward. He felt another stab of hatred toward his birth father. If he hadn't been a monster, then Jasper and Edward wouldn't be these fast-growing freaks. Everything bad came from that man. It wasn't the first time he wished that Garrett was their real father.

It didn't matter how true it was, Edward had this picture in his mind. If Garrett was their birth father, he and his brother would be normal human boys and so would his momma. She could grow up like they were, not stay eternally young like she was. He knew it bothered her that they were looking like they were the same age instead of younger than her. She wanted to stay their momma, just like they wanted her to stay their momma.

"Edward!"

He jerked quickly from his thoughts when Jasper pinched his leg and whispered harshly. He looked at his brother to see what the problem was. As he turned his head, he realized that the classroom was full and Miss Jones was making her way to the front of the room.

He looked back towards the front where the teacher was currently writing her name and the date on the chalkboard. He appreciated her smooth looping writing, very similar to the way his momma wrote. It startled him when he realized she might be around the same human age as his momma should be.

Once the school day got started, Edward found it easier to tune out the thoughts of those around him. He focused on what Miss Jones was saying, rather than what she was thinking, and then only concentrated on Jasper when they were writing out their lessons.

Of course when someone thought directly about him or Jasper, he couldn't keep from honing in on those thoughts. The girls in the class, even the oldest ones, were all fascinated with him and his brother. They thought the McCarty boys were the cutest boys they had ever seen.

What really shocked Edward were the thoughts of a quiet boy in the year ahead of them. He sat at a desk with another boy who seemed to pay him no attention at all. What drew Edward's focus was the way the boy's thoughts were completely absorbed with Jasper's hair and how it curled so perfectly and the way the sun hit the golden strands…

Something in his emotions must have tipped Jasper off because he turned around and caught the boy's eye, nearly making his heart stop when he smiled and winked at him. It was Edward's turn to nudge his brother when the teacher began to look their way. By the time she focused on their desk, both boys were staring at her attentively.

When it was time for lunch, Edward wanted nothing more than to take his lunch pail down the street to eat with his parents. Jasper seemed to know this, but he pulled Edward outside to eat with the rest of the class. It was time to test their ability to be human.