A/N… You're all the best readers! I'm so glad this series makes you guys so happy! I'll let you get on with it.

~oOo~

Chapter 2

BELLA

Mountains loomed in the distance as we drove the SUV full of boxes. I gazed around Edward's newest toy. It fit him somehow, and really, I couldn't judge him. My own toy was parked in our garage from the last visit we'd made home. We'd decided to leave it until we came home permanently.

He'd forgone the Volvo this time, opting for the most expensive luxury Jeep I'd ever seen – Grand Wagoneer, a six-figure SUV. The stereo alone was probably worth more than the original Volvo he'd had when I met him. There were more bells and whistles in it than I probably wanted to know. It was gray with black accents and interior, and it totally suited him.

"Want to talk about that little Volvo of yours, sweet girl?" he asked teasingly, and I grinned over at him shaking my head, because he'd obviously been following my train of thoughts.

"Nope. I love her. She's beautiful."

Edward laughed. "It only took eighteen, almost nineteen years for you to finally indulge in some things."

"Maybe, but that was a fun day, buying that car," I admitted, turning in the seat so I could see him. "You kind of let me do it all – pick the color and interior and stuff."

He picked up my hand, kissing the back of it. "I want you happy, Bella. That's it. That's all. So if white exterior and black interior did that, then so be it."

"And the fact that the salesperson was a woman…" I trailed off, laughing at his overly amused face.

"Made my job a lot easier," he finished smoothly. "Plus, she really liked you. She got wrapped up in your excitement. Your shield pulled her in."

"It did."

My shield was interesting, and it had only gotten stronger since I'd been changed. It had gone from shielding mental assaults, like Edward's mind reading and Alice's visions, to physical assaults, like my brothers throwing things at me. I'd learned to manipulate it and push it out in offense as much as defense. Several years back, we discovered that it drew in people I liked or who needed me and shunned those who posed a threat. It also allowed me to keep my eyes brown.

My phone chimed, and I picked it up off my lap to see something that made me smile. "Rose and Emmett finished that classic BMW. They just posted the video online."

Edward chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Save it, baby. We'll watch it when we get home." He paused for a moment, coming to a stop at a red light. "Who knew when the world shut down that a whole new generation would learn how to monetize themselves on the internet?"

Laughing at the question, I shrugged. "Most people were stuck at home. Some people never got their jobs back. They had to survive somehow." I shrugged a shoulder. "It was interesting to see that the most popular videos were so damn satisfying – rug cleaning, movie and music reactions, pressure washing, car detailing, pimple popping."

"Most of those aren't pimples. They're sebaceous cysts," he argued like the doctor he was.

"And probably the most popular of all…" I held up my phone. "Kevin's idea for Rose and Em to film their refurbs has gone viral."

"True. I've watched their financials," he said, shaking his head a little. "What's fascinating is the music that's come out of this whole thing. Artists working remotely, collaborating on things they would've never done before, and then there's the average everyday person who can sing or write a song. It's suddenly everywhere, and it's pure and perfect. It's not synthesized or digital or autotune; it's real music – piano, guitar, those two cello guys."

I laughed because the two cello guys were hilarious and amazingly talented. "My favorite is the UPS guy who had a garage band, but now he's huge."

"They're really good."

Edward reached over and turned on the stereo to one of those very same talented people we'd just discussed. "Forever in My Mind" by Malinda was the perfect driving song, and it seemed to be something Edward needed to say, so I couldn't help but lean over and kiss his cheek.

"You're so cute," I simply whispered against his sweet-smelling skin, and that cheek lifted in a smile against my lips as we drew closer to Lincoln.

I sat back in my seat, letting the music fill my senses as home drew closer. I wondered if everyone would meet us; knowing Alice, the answer would be yes. And I wondered how it would feel to step back from this work we'd been doing and just play for a little while. I was ready for it.

Soon we were passing through Lincoln, aiming toward the large property we'd bought almost ten years prior. We turned at the estate that Carlisle and Esme still shared with Archie, Caroline, Adrian, and Kevin. The rest of us had our own homes. We'd needed to split up the way we did because we were now a big family. We were the largest coven of vampires to coexist together just outside of a newborn army.

The way we'd always done things before didn't work now. Marcus, the leader of the Volturi, had worried that we'd have to completely separate, but we'd come up with a plan to essentially create a property developer situation. We were close, but we weren't all in one spot.

The newest members of the family – Archie, Caroline, Adrian, and Kevin –had all wanted to live with Carlisle and Esme for a bit. They'd wanted to learn from them, so they now posed as the foster kids. Kevin and Adrian had attended UM with Edward, Alice, Jasper, and me. Kevin focused on theatre and film, while Adrian focused on architecture and design.

However, Archie and Caroline had to do things a little different.

Archie, who had been trapped for a hundred years in the house we'd bought in Caribou, Maine, had needed some real-world acclimation. He was as old as Edward, and he was extraordinarily powerful with that cloaking talent he had, but he needed to learn how to deal with humans, not to mention he needed decades of catching up with history and life in general. His mate, Caroline, was absolutely perfect for the job, because she was just outgoing and spunky enough to pull him along. They'd actually tried the high school thing for a year. Caroline had missed out on the end of her senior year, so she and Archie had gone to the local high school. He'd done really well. Oh, he was still all sorts of shy and quiet, but he didn't go invisible, he didn't hide, and he didn't run. They hadn't decided on college yet.

As we passed by the main house, I noticed there wasn't anyone home, which meant they were all at our house.

Edward chuckled, giving me a raised eyebrow. "Did you think they wouldn't be there?"

Giggling, I shook my head. "Not even for a second."

The closer we wound around toward our little house down the well-worn dirt road, the more excited I became, which made Edward chuckle softly. I was ready for his piano, our back deck, our tiny pond. He'd built the house with every little whim I'd wanted, and I loved that little house. It probably had taken over my very favorite place we'd ever lived.

It was a perfect blend of the two of us, with warm colors, large windows, and both old and new features. It was stone and glass and natural wood. It was a place we could be us – whether it was a day of nothing or a day that all of Edward's deliciously naughty personality types could roam free.

And at the moment, it was filled with family.

"I'll show you naughty, Isabella," he threatened, grinning at my laugh.

"Not right now, you won't." I pointed his way as he pressed the garage door button with a laugh. "You keep Dirty Edward in his cage until these crazy people aren't around."

"Yes, ma'am. Heaven forbid they win that bet, huh?"

"Hush, you. You know Archie and Caroline are in on it now? He says no, and she says yes. I think there's a car involved."

The family in its entirety had a bet that had been going on for years –whether or not Edward talked dirty, which he did deliciously so – and the bets were high. It was global trips, cars, homes, and a number of things to which I'd stopped paying attention.

He rolled his eyes and waved that away. "It's a useless bet, my love. They still have to all hear me." He shut off the engine and cupped my face.

"Yes, yes," I answered softly, glancing over at him. "They set themselves up for failure."

"Indeed," he said against my lips. "I'm glad you love this house, Bella. I'm even happier to see just how glad you are to be home."

I nodded, but before I could say anything, the car doors were opened, and we were pulled out of the car and into hugs.

"Oh my God, I missed you!" Alice squeaked, hugging me fiercely. "I'm so glad you're back for a bit!"

"A bit?" I asked laughingly.

"Well, you're both wavering on traveling for your anniversary," she said, shrugging.

"Ah, well… We'll see. I've missed you, too."

I was tugged into Jasper's embrace.

"Kiddo, it's good to see you," he said, and the feel of brotherly love wrapped around me like his hug.

Next was Rose, who hugged me, and Emmett, who swung me around.

When he set me down, he ruffled my hair, saying, "You're in for it now. There will be open mic nights, which yes, you'll damn well sing, and the new music game, and we all wanna know what it was like to work with Eddie. I've missed you, baby sis."

Rose just laughed, nudging him and saying, "Let her get settled before you start with that shit!"

Grinning, I shook my head, but I turned when Kevin called, "Goddess!"

"Kev, I've missed you!" I hugged him and then Adrian.

I got hugs from Archie and Caroline, but it was the last two hugs I probably needed most. Carlisle and Esme were watching all of us with smiles on their faces.

"There's my girl," Esme crooned, wrapping me up tightly. "We're so proud of you two, but you've been so missed around here."

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Bells," Carlisle said, pulling me into a hug. "I want to hear all about St. Patrick's."

"Definitely. I'd really like to tell you about it," I agreed, because he would probably always be our counselor.

With that many helping hands, all the boxes were inside in no time at all. We gathered around the living room and music room, where Edward and I were hit with question after question.

"Stop," Edward said with a shake of his head and a laugh as he took a seat on the piano bench. "I feel like I'm being harassed by the paparazzi."

I chuckled, squeezing in between Esme and Rose and asking, "What do you guys want to know?"

"Was it different this time?" Jasper asked Edward.

"Yes, very," he answered, gesturing to me. "Working together made a big difference. There wasn't a pull on our connection."

"Really?" Esme gasped, looking over at me.

"Yeah, definitely. We saw each other off and on throughout the day, we were essentially in the same end of the hospital, and we took the same breaks and days off together," I explained, shrugging a shoulder.

"Any nurse problems?" Rose asked with a chuckle, laughing even harder when I flipped her off.

"Oh, hell," Kevin groaned, sitting forward. "What happened, my goddess?"

"Summer," I said, rolling my eyes at Edward.

And he countered with: "Brent."

I cracked up, hiding my face in Esme's shoulder.

"I swear, if there's a colorfully fantasizing male mind within a five-mile radius, Bella is going to capture his attention," Edward said, grinning when the entire family exploded in laughter.

"Yeah? Well, guess who Summer's favorite author was," I barely got out without cracking up, because Edward's eyeroll and wry glare made the house fall apart again.

"Marie Anthony?" Caroline offered with a sweet giggle. "Well, you do look just like William."

Edward grinned, shaking his head. "Imagine that."

"Don't complain to me. You wanted that book published, baby," I teased him.

I'd written mine and Edward's story for him ages ago. Forever was published under the name Marie Anthony. It had gotten too popular, with inquiries about me, a possible movie, and sequels. We'd had to "kill" Marie in the eyes of the public.

"Anyway," I sang, waving Edward's smirk away. "Both Brent and Summer were nurses. But in reality, it helped that we walked into that hospital as a married couple."

"That part is true," Edward agreed with a nod, but he looked to Carlisle, seemingly answering a silent question. "If we did it again, we'd have to talk about it. It's not something I can handle much longer than we just did. It's the mental assault." He tapped his temple. "And I can hear it all over the hospital, not just pediatrics."

My nose wrinkled, but I nodded when everyone groaned. "Yeah, and some days, especially in the last year, most of the staff was beyond exhausted and emotionally drained." I glanced over to Carlisle. "You are a saint. After only doing it for two years, that's all I can say."

He grinned a little. "Well, even I am taking a break. I'm on leave for a bit. We'll see where I go next."

"Yeah, I get that," I told him. "I'm proud of us for doing it, but between the pull on my shield to just help, and everything that poor Edward gets bombarded with mentally, I can't see doing it all the time."

"That's very true," Edward agreed, gesturing my way, but his next statement was again to someone who asked a silent question. "There was only one time that blood was an issue, but Bella handled it brilliantly. She simply stepped away to the restroom."

It was apparently Archie who'd asked, and he smiled softly. "Impressive."

"No kidding," Caroline agreed, nodding fervently. "I had a moment in school. Algebra class, believe it or not. Nosebleed."

Everyone groaned, because it wasn't exactly something that could be predicted. Some poor student with allergies, and it was all over.

Edward huffed a light laugh, a sweet, beautiful grin spread across his face. "Yes, we can play a few rounds."

I laughed, glancing over at Emmett. He was practically bouncing out of his own skin with energy and happy excitement.

He hopped up with a hissed, "Yes!" He took a seat at his drum kit. "Who'd we leave off with last time?"

Caroline piped up. "Me! And I call Bella."

~oOo~

EDWARD

Chuckling, I glanced at my girl as I got up to arrange keyboards close to the piano. This game of Emmett's had become everyone's favorite. Not everyone could sing, but it was all in fun. While it centered around those of us who played music, everyone had a chance to either sing or pick something they wanted to hear.

Truth, Dare, or Duet. That's what he'd named it. If Bella chose truth, then Caroline would ask for a song that meant something or answered a question or represented an emotion. If my angel chose dare, then our newest baby sister could pick any song, any genre, any year to sing. However, if Bella chose duet, then Caroline picked the song, but she had to sing, too. Everyone had a chance to play, and everyone had to try, even if we all laughed through every note. And no one cared if the singer pulled in someone else to sing with them, and there weren't any real hard and fast rules.

Bella stood up from her spot between Rose and Esme, eyeing Caroline. I grinned down at my piano because she was debating on a duet just for making her first of the day.

"Truth," Bella finally said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Sing a song that's opposite of what you feel about love," Caroline stated, tilting her head at Bella.

My girl grinned, gesturing to me. "Okay, but I'm pulling in the maestro over there."

Laughing, I waved her over, but her thoughts were already telling me the song she'd picked.

"Oh! Good choice, sweet girl. I'll sing with you. We'll do the Amy Lee version."

Bella nodded, leaning against the piano, but I turned to the keyboards. This was one of those collaborations we'd been talking about on the drive home. Amy Lee from Evanescence and Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics covered "Love Hurts," and it was a really good version. It was definitely going to fit my wife's voice.

I started with deep notes and a deeper voice.

Love hurts, love scars, love wounds

And mars, any heart
Not tough not strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holding the rain
Love hurts... ooh, ooh love hurts

Emmett came in with a steady beat, and Kevin added bass guitar. But it was Bella who could truly pull off the lead on this one. I was merely her harmony.

I'm young, I know, but even so

I know a thing or two

I learned from you

I really learned a lot, really learned a lot

Love is like a stove

It burns you when it's hot

Love hurts... ooh, ooh love hurts

Some fools rave of happiness

Blissfulness, togetherness

Some fools fool themselves I guess

They're not foolin' me

I smiled as we sang that together, because Bella thought those words were utter bullshit. I even broke a little trying to sing with her, which made her smile my way before really opening up that voice of hers.

I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true

Love is just a lie

Made to make you blue

Love hurts... ooh, ooh love hurts

Ooh, ooh love hurts

The family cheered and whistled, which made Bella laugh, but she already had her victim in mind.

"Jasper," she called, pointing at him. "You're next."

Jasper studied her, his eyes narrowing on her smug stance. "Hmm," he hummed, shrugging a shoulder. "Okay, Bells. Dare. What you got?"

Bella grinned, rubbing her hands together, and I fell in love with her all over again. Her song choice was interesting.

"'Imagine' by John Lennon," she told him, sitting with me on the piano bench, and I wrapped my arms around her, setting my chin on her shoulder.

Jasper huffed a laugh, nodding a little. He got up from his seat, switching from one guitar on the wall to another one. He didn't ask for accompaniment; he simply played an electric acoustic. Bella's mind thought his voice would wrap around this song perfectly, and she was right. He sang it beautifully, with a hint of soul and a splash of rock and roll toward the end.

Again, cheers and whistles rang out, and he laughed lightly. "Good choice, kiddo," he praised Bella, but he looked to me. "Edward, you're up, dude."

"Aw, yeah. Here we go now. Let's kill it, Heavy E," Kevin said, looking excited.

I couldn't hear Jasper's thoughts because he was singing something in his mind to cover them up, so I sighed, saying, "Fine. Duet. Pick your poison, Jazz."

"Hell yeah. Damn Yankees, Ed. 'Come Again.'"

My eyebrows shot up, and I nodded and patted Bella's leg to let me up. I got up to grab the electric guitar that Bella had bought me about the time we got married. It seemed fitting to play this song for her, and it wasn't exactly an easy song to play.

Jasper stayed with the electric acoustic, and Kevin readied his bass. Emmett was really ready for something heavy, something rock, and this song built up into exactly that. Damn Yankees was an old supergroup from the 80s. They didn't last long, but they did have an amazing sound.

Bella, however, didn't know the song, and I smiled her way because she was probably going to like this one. Jasper started us off, and I sang.

I was a loner crusin' with the wind

I wasn't lookin' when you pulled me in

I had to leave you like I always did

You knew damn well I'd come again

I grinned at Bella; she already loved the words. Jasper sang with me on the next part.

Now I'm falling where I've never been

My resistance is wearing thin

Somewhere in the distance

like a long lost friend

Whoa oh oh oh, yeah—

Lord, here I come again

Come again

This was where the song built up, and I started with the guitar, heavy and loud, and Jasper was my harmony.

Yeah

Been so long since I've seen you girl

Swear I've been around the world

Every room is an empty space

In the darkness I see your face

Whoa Whoa Whoa

Whoa Whoa Whoa

Whoa Whoa Whoa

When I finally get my hands on you

Tell you what I'm gonna do

Lay you down, strip you bare

Make love to you till the morning comes around

I gave a wink to Bella, whose mouth hung open when the whole family sang out catcalls and cheers at those lyrics, but I focused on the guitar solo. My voice cracked in a laugh when Rose playfully shoved Bella a little on the sofa.

The next few rounds were fun. I picked Archie, who picked dare, and he had to sing a boyband song, which ended up being "Bye, Bye, Bye" by N'SYNC. We were all in hysterics, barely making it to the end of the song.

Archie then picked Carlisle. He picked truth, so he had to sing a song to Esme. He picked "Come Fly with Me" by Frank Sinatra, and I accompanied him on the piano. When he was done, he picked Adrian, who barely got through a Metallica song without cracking up, and when he was done, he picked Alice. She giggled her way through "Jolene." Her next pick was Rose, and as revenge, she picked duet, but the two of them dragged Bella into a Wilson Philips song.

"Okay, last one," Rose said, shaking her head. "Then we'll let Edward and Bella settle back in."

Bella laughed, leaning against me, and I simply pressed a kiss to her shoulder when my girl's thoughts were grateful.

"Bella," Rose called, smirking a little.

Bella sighed but nodded, because this whole game seemed to be a fun and easy reunion. They'd missed us; that was a fact. And it came across in the songs and who was picked.

"Okay, Rose. Dare," Bella chose.

Rose gasped. "Really? Dare?"

I laughed at her, because she truly thought Bella would pick truth.

Bella smiled at Rose's evil grin. "Oh, hell."

Rose nodded, still wearing that grin. "Oh, then I've always wanted to hear your voice and Edward's piano with 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now.'"

"Celine Dion?" Bella squeaked, glancing over at me. "They're trying to kill me today. First Amy Lee, and now this?"

Chuckling, I kissed her lips. "No, they just know you can knock it out of the park, my love."

You're so biased, Edward. Her smirk made me laugh again, but I shrugged and nodded at the same time just to hear her giggle.

That's kind of a sad song, Esme thought, and I met her gaze but looked to Bella.

"Baby, that's a harsh topic, though."

It was Bella's turn to chuckle. It was on my iPod when you came back to me, she thought to me, raising an eyebrow my way. It's kind of the feelings I went through when you first showed back up.

"Yeah?" I asked, a smile curling up my lips.

"Yeah," she echoed back with a giggle, and that sound made everyone chuckle, but she switched back to thoughts. Play, Edward. It's the last song. If you want to talk about it when they all leave, we can.

I nodded, turning toward the piano.

Kevin piped up behind me. "I got your backup, Goddess. I have a feeling you're about to blow us away."

"Okay," Bella said through another laugh, but she poked me. "Hit it, piano man. She's right about your playing. It'll be perfect."

"Who's biased now, pretty girl?"

Bella grinned at the chuckles around the room. "Just play, silly."

Smirking her way, I started with just piano, but our brothers were getting ready because this song did build up a little. However, Bella's voice was perfection, and I followed her timing.

There were nights when the wind was so cold

That my body froze in bed

If I just listened to it right outside the window

There were days when the sun was so cruel

That all the tears turned to dust

And I just knew my eyes were drying up forever

Kevin and Emmett were her echoing back up, wearing silly grins because they loved when Bella truly unleashed that voice of hers.

I finished crying in the instant that you left

And I can't remember where or when or how

And I banished every memory you and I had ever made

Bella's finger traced my nose, jaw, and chin with a grin.

But when you touch me like this

And you hold me like that

I just have to admit

That it's all coming back to me

When I touch you like this

And I hold you like that

It's so hard to believe but

It's all coming back to me

It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now

There were moments of gold

And there were flashes of light

There were things I'd never do again

But then they'd always seemed right

There were nights of endless pleasure

It was more than any laws allow

Baby, baby

The whole family watched her in awe, and I shook my head. Bella meant these words, and I had a feeling Rose must've known that at some point. And that didn't shock me. Bella was a calm middle ground between Rose, who used to be rather bitter and guarded, and Alice, who found excitement in everything. Bella was somewhere between those two personalities. Add in Caroline, who was happy and sweet and outgoing, and it seemed that Bella grounded them.

I raised an eyebrow at Rose, and she cracked up, hiding her face in Esme's shoulder. Shut up, brother. She's killing it.

Bella finished the song with a whisper of lyrics giving and asking for forgiveness. And I could see how this song wasn't sad; it was about finding love after a separation. It was about blending new memories with old ones. It was about how real love never really ended, no matter if it was thrown away at some point.

"That was badass," Emmett boomed, getting up from his drum kit. "We'll have to find an open mic night somewhere. A game of pool at Dad's for song choices."

Bella giggled, shaking her head and glancing at me. "He's just asking for trouble."

"Mm, yes, ma'am."

We said goodbye to everyone. The girls, Kevin, and Adrian made plans for shopping and movies. The guys wanted a hunting trip. However, Carlisle wanted to sit down with Bella and me, just to see how we were doing with our work and connection, and he'd probably see what our future plans were.

Once the house was empty, I chuckled when Bella walked to me on the piano bench and straddled my lap.

"They all want to know our plans, huh?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't care about what they want."

Bella grinned, leaned in, and kissed my lips. "What do you care about, Edward?"

"Only what you want."

She pressed her forehead to mine. "I want a bath in that glorious tub you installed. I've missed it."

I stood up without even saying a word, which made my girl crack up.

"Done, and then maybe we'll talk."

Bella giggled again. "I sincerely doubt it."

Grinning, I shrugged. "Yeah, probably not."

~oOo~

A/N… Just a fun bit of time with the family, a reunion, really.

I want to thank all of you for the love you showed with the first chapter. I think I've driven my pre-readers crazy with this one. LOL

Lots of music in this one. Added to the playlist:

"Forever in My Mind" by Malinda
"Love Hurts" by Amy Lee and Dave Stewart (orig. by Nazareth)
"Imagine" by Chris Kläfford (orig. by John Lennon)
"Come Again" by Damn Yankees
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion

Okay, so Mondays seem to work for the update for everyone, so I'll probably keep it that way. Until next Monday… Mooches, Deb ;)