Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and therefore I do not own anything that has to do with her characters. I just enjoy perverting the hell out of them.

Chapter 2

The brief brush of a hand over my shoulder caused me to pause even as I stared at the stack of presents on one of the tables which mom mad diligently set up. The table was divided into two sections. The first, a reasonable amount of maybe a dozen presents in a neat little square, all but two of which were wrapped in simple striped or plaid paper – also known as the side with my presents. Meanwhile, the other had to have at least three times the presents, stacked three high with a wide range of flamboyant pinks, yellows, and oranges – Alice's side.

I was sure Edward was seeing the same thing I was, the fine arrangement of presents wasn't exactly a new experience. In fact, I knew it was part of what had set him off on our eighth birthday. It was hard to share the spotlight with the baby of the family – funny thing was she no longer was the baby, but come birthdays, it still felt like it.

"That's because everybody loves me," Alice said lightly as she glanced back over her shoulder at me.

"I didn't say anything."

"But you almost did."

I rolled my eyes. Alice stuck her tongue out at me in response before she spun fully to face me and started walking backwards on the tips of her toes. "Don't be sore. The cake is your favorite," she said.

"It ought to be, I'm the one that baked it."

Alice stopped, blinking. "You did?"

"Some psychic you are." I stuck my tongue out at her this time.

She shrugged slightly. "So I don't see everything."

"Come on, we have cake and presents to get to," I mocked, mimicking her words back to her.

She narrowed her eyes slightly for a moment before sticking her tongue out again. Then she spun on her heel and marched to the table with all the gifts. I started to head over as well, but was waylaid by Bree and Sasha.

"She keeps scaring me with ghosts," Bree stated loudly, stomping her foot when she finished marching up to me.

I glanced around to make sure none of the numerous people who were in attendance had heard her. "You know not to talk about it where people can hear, Bree."

"But mom and dad don't believe me!"

"'Cause I not doing anything." Sasha stated, her lip pouting out.

I sighed. "Bree, you know mom and dad have talked about this with you."

She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "Why can't it be Sasha's doing?"

"It could. Just as it could be our parents or my doing. But it's not. And you know it."

Bree's pout grew more defined. She wasn't like Sasha and I, nor was she like Alice. Instead, Bree was special in an entirely different way. Occasionally, though it was rare, normal humans had the gift to sense, feel or sometimes even see the dead... actually, it wasn't all that rare. Of all the thousands of humans out there who pretended to be able to communicate with the dead for money, at least ten percent of them legitimately had some ability to sense them, and there were even more locked up in mental wards and the likes. But they were like Bree, they could feel them – possibly even see them – but they weren't able to hear or talk with them. The fact that Bree had been born a sensitive in our family though was more than a little ironic.

The thing was, she didn't want to be sensitive, she wanted to be a normal girl.

Not that I didn't get it. I'd wanted to be a normal girl too. While Edward had embraced our powers, I'd tried to avoid them, at least I had until I'd finally had enough of his constant bullying. We'd both been kids and neither of us had understood just how volatile our gifts made us...

It was why I was so hard on Bree now. "This complaining of yours was cute when you were six. You're ten now. It's time to grow up and accept that you are special. It isn't a curse and it's not something to be afraid of." I stared my little sister down as she looked away from me.

She nodded her head slightly after a moment.

"Come on, I'm sure there's a couple presents on my side that I can share with my two favorite kid sisters."

"We're your only kid sisters," Bree pointed out

I looked over my shoulder at Alice. "I don't know about that."

She turned and glared at me.

Bree and Sasha both giggle before following me the rest of the table with all the gifts.

I quickly put Alice's package from me on her side of the table just as one of my old friends from school came up and sat a package down on my side.

I'd grown up with the man in front of me, almost a year older than me. He and I had been friends for a long time, but things had gotten complicated for us about the time we entered high school. He was decent to look at with messy brown hair, bright brown eyes, and a sturdy build, but I'd never been able to see him the way he saw me.

"Changed your mind yet?"

"I don't know, Mike. Are the pigs flying yet?"

He scowled at me.

I smiled widely. "How's Jess anyways?"

"Pregnant again."

"You know, for a guy that claims not to like her, you sure seem to knock her up enough." In fact, it was Jess's fourth time being pregnant since she'd turned fifteen, though I'd always suspected her oldest kid was actually Tyler's and not his.

"I never said I didn't like her," he stated defensively.

"Then why do you keep asking me out?"

"It's not like I'm married to her!"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, Mike, you really are hopeless."

He huffed before finally muttering, "Happy birthday, Bells."

"Thanks."

"What about my happy birthday!" Alice demanded, finally speaking up.

He looked at her stack of presents. "I think you probably got enough already." He shook his head and then headed away from us.

"I really don't see what you see in the gigolo, sis."

"It's a small town, Alice, and he's a continual patron at my little coffee shop. Besides, it's hard not to be a friend with someone who I spent every weekday with since I was in kindergarten."

"And people wonder why I escaped this town."

"I don't think anyone has ever wondered that," our mom said as she came up to us and reached out to rough up Alice's hair. "You always were too lively for our simple life."

Alice ducked. "Not the hair! I spent almost hundred dollars on product to get this perfect do!"

"Since when is spiky and pink perfect?" I asked.

Alice spread her arms wide as she looked around the backyard party. "Isn't it obvious that pink loves me?"

"By the gods, you've only been in the same backyard for a few minutes and you two are already arguing," mom said in complete exasperation.

"We are siblings, mom," I pointed out as I picked up the small box Mike had sat down. It looked like a jewelry box – a necklace specifically – so my bet was it was going to be Bree's in about five more minutes.

"Aren't you going to mingle with the guests first? Get some food? Cut the cake?" mom asked, practically fretting as she shot off the questions.

"Gifts first," Alice and I said at the same time.

"JINX!" Sasha shouted.

I glared at Alice for a moment, before looking down at Sasha and pretending to zip my lips and throw away the keys.

Sasha giggled again.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye as mom shook her head. "Honestly, aren't you two too old for this game?"

We'd been raised playing it along with Slug Bug and many others. In my opinion we'd never be too old to play the games that brought up all the good memories.

"No," Alice stated loudly before slapping both hands over her mouth. "Ah, shit!"

I bit my tongue to keep from laughing before opening the present, finding a necklace case inside. I quickly lifted the lid, finding a necklace with what looked like a little aged-brass dolphin pendant on the end of a leather chain. I handed it to Bree.

"Pretty. Thanks, Bella," Bree practically squealed as she threw her arms around me.

I let out a relieved breath. "Now I can talk again."

"That isn't your full first name, Isabella."

"Whatever you say, Mary." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"EWWW!" Alice shrieked, promptly dropping the package she was holding as she slapped her hands over her ears.

The package fell to the ground.

To everyone, even our parents, Alice was just Alice. Though in truth, by birth, her name was actually Mary Alice Brandon Divinity Swan – that's right, our parents had given her a total of five names. I didn't know the full story, but understood that it had been the only way to get some spirit Mom and Dad had been communicating with to move on.

She was just lucky I hadn't called her Brandon because no one called me Isabella.

"Can we get back to our presents now?" I asked just as Sasha picked the wrapped package off the ground that Alice had dropped.

Alice's eyes widened slightly, snatching it out of our youngest sister's hands. "This isn't for you. You can have –" she looked over the packages before reaching over and plucking one from my meager section and handing it to her "– this one."

"Honestly, Alice, one of mine?"

"You were going to give it to her anyways."

I rubbed my fingers over my eyelids in exasperation before forcing it to roll off my back. "Okay, let's get to it."

…

Three hours, eleven gifts, food which had clearly been cooked by Rosalie – my parents couldn't cook that well – the cake I made, and far too much conversation later and the party was finally over. Alice's and my friends had all gone home, and all that was left were the goodbyes.

Alice, who'd spent the last hour sitting in Charlotte's lap – much to our parents' annoyance – headed over to me. She handed me a wrapped box. "Don't open it now. You'll know when you need to."

"I'm not the psychic, Alice. You are."

"Trust me, you'll know. Charlotte and I need to get going, but I'll see you again soon. Don't worry about me."

"It's my job to worry about my little sisters."

"No, that's Rosalie's job." She stuck out her tongue briefly as she scrunched up her nose before spinning away and returning to Charlotte.

I shook my head and stuffed the unopened present in my bag, then I went towards the door so I could get going. I'd stay and offer my mom help cleaning up, but I knew she'd be offended if I did. Besides, I needed to catch up to Rosalie before she left for the night.

I just managed to escape from the house before my dad reached me. He'd been looking at me suspiciously the entire party and I'd worried he'd sensed Edward near me – or technically someone as he wouldn't know who it was specifically. It had always been a problem, because though my dad wasn't a fifth generation like Sasha, Edward, and I, he was a guy. And men were more talented than women. My dad was easily twice as strong as my mother when it came to his gift, which was still nowhere near as strong as me.

I raced across the drive and quickly down the street to where Rosalie was just about to get in her car. "Rose!" I shouted to get her attention.

She scowled slightly at me as she stopped and turned to look at me. "What?"

"Are you going to accept Emmett's proposal?"

Her scowl grew more defined. "Perhaps if he was staying here. But he wants to go back to his family. My family's here."

"You should go with him, sis. You deserve a chance at happiness. Bree and Sasha will be fine with our parents and my help. Vicky, Angie, and Alice have moved on. It's past time you do it."

"And what about you? What about your future? You're still here running that little coffee shop and barely making ends meet. You've refused both Jacob and Mike's offers to even date. When is it your turn to be happy?"

"I ruined my future when I was eight, Rose. There's no normal man who will ever understand what I'm capable of."

"Jacob wasn't normal," she pointed out.

"You're right. Of any of the people who has ever expressed interest in me, if I was to consider dating one of them, he'd be the most realistic as he has a very personal knowledge of the supernatural. But I'm not his other half, and someday he will find that person. So there's no lasting relationship there for me even if I wanted it. But I don't. He isn't my other half anymore than I am his." What I couldn't explain to my big sister was how even I did want that relationship, I wouldn't be able to do it. With Edward always connected to me, the whole voyeur aspect it would lead to would be all kinds of uncomfortable.

"You're other half is dead and gone, Bella, if you truly believe in that necromancer relationship stuff. Personally, I find it to be disturbing bullshit."

She'd never been all that enthused by the fact that our necromancer ancestors had all married and bred within the family. But it was how our powers were passed on, as they'd been for as far back as we could trace. Besides, she was perfectly normal so I didn't see what right she had to complain.

I sighed. I couldn't tell her about Edward being with me still even if I wanted to, couldn't tell her my plans, because if I did I knew she definitely wouldn't leave. "I know he's dead. Perhaps it's for the best. Perhaps it's time necromancy died out."

"Just because the gene dies out, doesn't mean you can't have a normal life – marry some normal human and have normal babies. You can't honestly tell me you'd want to be strapped to him for the next fifty to sixty years, or however long you'll live. I remember how you two always got in fights."

"We were kids, Rose. And I didn't understand how important he was to me until after he was dead. But I've made my peace with it. I'm satisfied running my coffee shop, being a necromancer, and just living a simple day to day life. But I'm not you. You've never been small town, not really. You have huge dreams, Rose. You'll never be able to make them come to fruition in Forks. Plus, you love him. So go, be happy. Have the big brother-in-laws, the dream wedding, the silver platter. It's right in front of you. Don't let it pass you by... and certainly not for me."

"And what about mom and dad? Neither of them are spring chickens anymore. How many more years can dad be the chief of police? He's already forty-nine."

"Tyler is going to make a fine police chief when dad retires, you know that. And don't even consider suggesting you go into the business, dad would kill you. Besides, I'd make a better cop than you, anyways. At least I can shoot."

"I could learn," she muttered.

"Hand to eye coordination is not exactly a teachable skill, Rose. Tell me this, if Emmett leaves and you stay here, will there ever be another Emmett for you?"

Her foot scuffed against the ground as she looked away, not answering.

"Then you have your answer. The heart knows, even when the mind is being stubborn. Follow it and say yes to him. See my reality of the fact that I'll never have such an experience and learn from it, don't waste it."

"I'll go if you start dating someone, I don't care who."

I opened my mouth to tell her it wasn't ever going to happen, but felt the slightest pressure against the back of my neck. I shuddered slightly as I spoke without wanting to. "I'll think about it."

"Good, now I got to get home. We'll talk later, okay?" She got in her car before I could reply.

…

I dropped the bag of presents on the floor the instant I got to my little apartment situated above my coffee shop.

Closing my eyes, I centered myself, feeling the energy flowing around me. I pulled it to me and when my eyes snapped open my hands and arms were coated in a thin sheen of darkness – a shade so pure it was more like an abyss than what most considered when they thought of the color black. I lifted my hands, "Edward."

He was in front of me instantly. He was a couple inches taller than me with wavy golden-brown hair and bright green eyes. His body was covered in the wisps of shadows, making it appear almost as if he was wearing clothes, but I knew if I brought more power to bear he'd be as naked as the day he was born.

"What right do you have to manipulate my answers, Edward!"

"Your stubbornness would have made her be determined to stay. She needs to move on. We both know that." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Especially as long as you're determined to keep me a secret."

"We both know why our family can't know you're still here until I've managed to revive you. It'd be a little disturbing for them to realize you've grown up the same as me. You should still be eight."

"There's no guarantee I'm not, Bella. It's not exactly an exact science, after all."

"You latched yourself onto my life force, Edward, using my energy to grow along with me. You're twenty-one just like I am. And if our parents figure it out before I find out how to bring you back than their going to force me to sever this connection. We both know it."

"I heard what Ali said to you, she said doing it without a body would probably kill you. I don't want that."

"She's been wrong before."

"Not very often."

I didn't want to have this argument so I walked around him and over to my mirror, forcing myself not to flinch at my own reflection. I'd seen myself many times when I held onto the magic, but it got no less disturbing. My hair was coated in the same darkness as my hands and arms, shadowy tendrils reached up my legs practically to my waist, and my eyes were completely oblique. Edward walked up beside me.

"I wish I could touch you again. It can be amazingly lonely stuck in this in-between," he murmured, his voice more subdued.

"You will, Edward. We'll figure out how to bring you back. You'll have a chance to live, I promise."