Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just sometimes play around with the fandom. I do own the plot I've devised about the Fey and the characters you do not associate as belonging to the Twilight Saga.

AN: I was supposed to post this on Good Friday but I forgot . and then I bought Assassin's Creed: Syndicate and well...now it's Tuesday. ~Hannah

Chapter Thirty-Two – A Welcomed Surprise

I didn't sleep well because I was worrying too much. Alice didn't give me much to go on and whereas I would usually trust her words, I didn't have her presence to reassure me. I didn't want to moan or harp on about the things in life that dragged me down and everyone that mattered knew how I was faring without the Cullen's in my life. Trying not to get myself overworked was a losing battle. I was worried for the supposed breakthrough and what it meant for the Cullen's. I knew they were Vampires but that didn't stop me from worrying that something had happened to them, something dangerous and something that would stop them from returning.

The brain was a fickle thing. It played on my insecurities and my worries. Like a vicious cold wind ripping through a forest, my thoughts terrorised me through the night and kept me in an unbearable state of awareness.

Of course, I was also thinking of what the surprise could be and I knew for a fact that it wouldn't be anything bad but my worry for the Cullen's proceeded any excitement for a coming surprise.

Dishevelled was the word I used when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that morning. Haystack hair, bloodshot eyes and black bags beneath them it was a wonder that I even managed to get out of bed in the morning. I was feeling the effects of not sleeping during the night and could already feel myself turning around to head back upstairs again.

"Ella what's wrong? You look terrible," said Bella.

"I…nothing is wrong I just had a bad sleep is all."

"No, it's more than that. You look like you've received the worst news. Ella, you can talk to me, tell me what has happened?"

Bella spoke with such concern in her voice that I found my bottom lip trembling with emotion. I knew not why I was having such an extreme reaction to this situation, only that I was having it and would have to get through it. The tears were leaking from my eyes as I turned back towards my sister and allowed her to see me bare.

"Oh Ella," she said.

Bella took my hand in hers and led us towards to sofa. As we sat in a jumble of limbs, she cradled my head in her lap, stroked my hair and hummed (off key) to comfort me.

It took more time than I would like to admit for me to calm myself down and for the tears to turn into sniffles. I wasn't proud of the breakdown but I was human and I recognised that things like this happened. I didn't feel I was weak to have showed my emotions, I just felt embarrassed that they had been so extreme.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Alice sent me an email. She said she couldn't talk long because something had happened. It was some breakthrough she said."

"Well that's good, isn't it? A breakthrough just means they're closer to returning."

"But what if it doesn't? What if the breakthrough means they're all in danger and will never return? They're running themselves ragged out there, I know they are. Alice says that Edward barely even functions past his obsession to hunt. I'm so worried for them."

"I understand your worry but the Cullen's can take care of themselves. They're Vampires and they're strong. They want to protect you so let them. There must have been more to Alice's email to make you this distressed."

"She mentioned there was a surprise coming for me."

"There you go, so it's not all doom and gloom."

"How can I think of a surprise when I'm worried about whether the Cullen's are dead or not?!"

"You can do it because Alice would have wanted you to be happy and excited. Whatever surprise she's sending your way is sure to be a good one and you sitting here moping is not a good way to thank her, now is it?"

I grumbled under my breath, between Bella's words and her 'Mum stare' I felt like I was in a battle I was deemed to lose. Yes, my anxiety was running rampant in my brain but honestly it had been there for a while, almost as-long-as the Cullen's had been gone. I guess I had pushed it to the back of my mind because I had nothing real to worry over, Alice's declaration of there being a 'breakthrough' had sent the anxiety spinning in a very real way.

"Did I worry you?" I asked.

"Well you definitely unnerved me. I haven't seen 'hysterical Ella' in quite some time. Let's keep it that way ok?"

I nodded. I hadn't been hysterical at least not in the way Bella had implied but I knew what she meant. Getting worked up about something that was out of my control was pointless. It didn't help stop the anxiety I felt but it did help to shift my thoughts onto different matters.

"How's Adrian?"

"Good all considering."

"You mean considering the Fey world is at war and people want him dead?"

"Yes…"

"You ever miss the boring days of existence back in Phoenix?"

"God no," chuckled Bella.

I smiled, she shared the same opinion as me of course. Life had certainly got a lot better since we'd moved in with Dad. I'm sure that Bella missed Renee but for me it was like I was living a dream I'd been having for most of my childhood. You know, a place where I was normal, treated with love and respect and lead a normal life. Of course, nothing about my friends could be considered normal but that didn't matter.

"Why don't you go to the bookshop in Port Angeles? If you stop by the grocery shop, and pick up some pancake mix, I'll make us pancakes for dinner."

Mmmm pancakes.

"Deal!"

I felt like I was up dressed and out of the house faster than roadrunner but it took me a solid forty-five minutes to get everything together enough to leave the house and make the drive over to Port Angeles.

Feeling a little like a kid in a sweet shop, I entered the bookshop and tried to remind myself that I couldn't afford to buy the entire shop. One or two books only! I was terrible when it came to impulse buying books and without Bella here to control me, it was hard to remember that once I spent my money, it was gone!

Satisfied but not overly so with the purchases I made in the bookshop, I walked the short distance to the grocery shop. Getting Bella to cook on any given day was a plus for what she lacked in walking without tripping, she more than made up for in her ability to cook. Getting her to willingly cook pancakes when it wasn't pancake day and you weren't feeling down in the dumps or sick was some enormous feet. I suppose pancakes being relegated to pancake day or being under the weather was one of Bella's charms. Wouldn't have her any other way really.

I walked around with my basket because walking around with a trolley was asking for trouble. I had enough trouble trying not to impulse buy in the bookshop but trying not to impulse buy in the grocery shop was a step too far for me, hence the basket.

Having said that, chocolate bars and a packet of 'sharing crisps' that I was definitely going to eat alone. I did get the pancake mix and some fresh fruit, syrup and cream. If Bella had promised to make me pancakes, then she was going to go all out and make me proper pancakes. That included, fresh fruit, syrup and cream.

Ok, I get it. I'm being a little sassy and demanding today. Funny how my mood can just shift so dramatically from one thing to another. Maybe it's a gift?

I'd very unhealthily lodged myself firmly in the sweets and biscuit isle, trying to convince myself that I didn't need to stuff myself with the goodness on the shelf, when a trolley bashed the back of my leg.

Trolley bashing hurts bad! Whether it be intentional or an accident, take it from someone who knows…you don't want to be rammed by a trolley.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"Sophie?" I asked, the voice had sounded vaguely familiar. If it wasn't Sophie, I'd look like an idiot at any rate.

"Ella? What are you doing here?"

"Came for the bookshop, just picking up some supplies here. How about you?"

"I came for the girls in my hut, special permission and all that."

"What for?"

She blushed, "lady products."

I laughed, loudly, which probably wasn't what she wanted but I just couldn't help myself.

"Sorry, but you have to admit that's funny."

"Embarrassing really. I didn't want to come but since no one else did, I didn't really have a choice."

"Well at least you got to come out of the camp? Just think of it like that I guess."

"I'm sorry, I'm being melodramatic and there's no reason for it. I just don't like doing things that I don't want to but I guess that most people are like that."

"Yeah, you got that right. Me and my twin Bella are quite stubborn but she wins hands down, if she doesn't want to do something then it doesn't happen."

"You mentioned your sister before but I didn't realise she was your twin."

"Yeah but we aren't identical so I don't really feel the need to bring it up."

"I can understand that."

I nodded, glad that I didn't have to field questions about what it was like to be a twin. Not that I thought Sophie was the type of person to be like that but one did always wonder.

"I was wondering, since I've bumped into you—"

"Yes?"

"You and Marco…is it always going to be high tension and bickering between the two of you?"

I tried to smile but we both knew it came out more like a sneer.

"I can't help it. When we first met, he seemed like a nice guy but he just rubs me up the wrong way. It's like he deliberately pushes all my buttons just to get a rise out of me."

"You ever think that perhaps he fancies you?"

"Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind but even if he does fancy me, I'm taken. I have a boyfriend that I'm very much in love with. Just because he's away for the summer does not give other guys free range to come sniffing."

"Have you told him this?"

"Yes but it didn't' seem to filter into his brain."

"It just makes me a little uncomfortable."

"Look, I promise to work on the tension between Marco and I but I'm not making any promises. We're like chalk and cheese so expect some outbursts now and again. I recognise however, that we all must work together for the big project so I'll try and help it not be so awkward."

"I guess that could work. I did try having this talk with Marco but he just brushed me aside."

"Not surprised but I must be getting home now, I'll see you on Monday Sophie."

On the drive home, all I could think about were pancakes and how annoyed I was by Sophie's admission that she was uncomfortable. I don't know why it bothered me so but I made me view Sophie as a selfish person who only looked out for her needs. She wasn't concerned with why Marco and I didn't get on or interested in how we could get on better. All she was interested in was the fact that our bickering made her uncomfortable. Sure, I was making unfair assumptions but I was annoyed.

Bella's car was in the driveway along with Dad's. Bella's, I wasn't surprised about, she was making me pancakes after all but Dad's I was confused about. I had thought he was going to be out all day fishing so it confused me that that was not the case. Of course, Bella could have told him that she was making pancakes, that was sure to have got him running.

I swung open the front door, carrying the groceries and humming my made-up pancake song that was just a repetition of the word 'pancake' sung on a basic line, and suddenly felt the paper bag drop from my hands.

Bella was standing there grinning like a maniac and Dad beside her looked equally as happy. I had to glance towards my family to reassure myself that I wasn't hallucinating. They had nodded in assurance which was all I needed to confirm that this was happening.

I turned to look before me, unsurprised that the bag of groceries I'd dropped had been caught before it hit the ground. Standing before me, looking impeccably dressed were Rosalie and Emmett. I could scarcely believe that they were here. That empty Cullen shaped hole in my heart felt just a little bit full.

"Surprise," shouted Emmett.

"Are you pleased?" added Rosalie.

All I could do was nod like one of those ridiculous nodding dogs you got. I felt like my heart had stopped beating at that there was no oxygen available for me to breathe.

"You're here."

They nodded.

"For good?"

I didn't particularly like the raspy quality my voice had taken but I couldn't help the emotion that ran through my body at seeing two of the Cullen's before my eyes.

"I wanted to come back ages ago but we had to be there for Edward. It was only when Alice said it was safe for us to return to Forks that we came running back. It wasn't fair for us to all leave you alone here. Your part of our family now and we missed you."

"Yeah and you won't believe how much Rose here moaned about how she missed you."

"Emmett!" yelled Rose as she hit his arm.

"True story," he said while grinning.

The tension of their arrival broken, I giggled at their banter. I couldn't believe that they were here but they said there were here for good and I believed them.

"Are you opening the house back up again?"

Rose nodded "and you're welcome any time as well you know."

Again, I nodded. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to overcome my emotions. I felt like I was one step away from bursting into tears and two seconds away from bursting out in excited giggles.

"Are the others alright?"

"As can be expected. Alice and Jazz are helping to keep Edward grounded and Carlisle and Esme look out for everyone."

"What about the breakthrough? Alice said there was one."

"Don't worry yourself about that," said Emmett.

"I haven't been—"

"Don't lie. Even if Alice hadn't have warned up, Bella told us before you arrived AND we know you. It's a good breakthrough we promise. We wouldn't have left if the situation hadn't been under control."

"So it's all good?"

"Yes."

"Do you think the others will come back soon? Will Edward?"

They shared an uneasy glance.

"That's a no then," I muttered.

"It's not a no, it's just that we don't want to give you unnecessary hopes. Honestly, we don't know when they'll be back. We hope it'll be soon but we can't make any promises."

"I know, I just miss him…them."

"We know," said Rose.

"What's this we hear about you getting into some super-duper art and music camp? Do they only allow prodigies in or something?" asked Emmett.

Though I knew that was what he was expecting, I launched into what the camp was like and just how I got in. Just like that the more serious topics of conversation had disappeared and I delighted in bringing Rose and Emmett up to speed with what had been happening. Sometimes words in an email just aren't as good as real-life.

I felt as if maybe they were hiding something from me but the happiness as seeing the two of them here outweighed my desire to know all…for now.

So, I sat on the sofa and chatted the afternoon away and Bella, well, Bella made pancakes!