Chapter 4

Twilight and New Moon characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

"Edward," Bella breathed. "I can't believe it's you." Her eyes shone with tears.

I didn't know what to say. "I...I'm...oh, I really don't know what to say, Bella."

She understood. "It's okay, I don't either."

"Umm..." I heard the girl who had attacked me interject. "Can I ask something?"

"What is it, Lace?" Bella's eyes never left mine.

"Who the hell is this?" Obviously the shock of her mother's reunion with a complete stranger was still fresh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," Bella reached from her chair at the kitchen table and pulled her daughter over to stand next to her. "Lacey, this is Edward. He's a...friend from a long time ago. Edward, this is my daughter Lacey."

"It's very nice to meet you, Lacey," I smiled at her. Genuinely it was. She was just as beautiful as her mother. I tried to read her thoughts, but expectantly failed. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My mind chided.

"The pleasure's all mine," She said with a sarcastic smile. Something wasn't right. For some reason, she didn't like me very much.

"Mom?" A voice said coming from the stairwell. What are they doing? I'm trying to get some sleep here. For a moment, I actually thought Rosalie had followed me here.

Another girl appeared at the foot of the stairs and froze when she saw me. Oh my gosh! He is gorgeous!

It never fazed me at what I heard women think about me. I had heard comments so many times, I actually began to expect it. Though, I didn't let the comments get to my head. I knew the reason for their compliments and thoughts...it came with being a monster like me. I only appeared beautiful to them, to lure them. Prey and predator.

"Hi, Tina," Bella smiled at the other girl. "My other daughter." She whispered to me.

"Who is this?" The girl gave me a seductive smile and played with her hair. She had the same facial features as Bella, but had wavy golden hair that came down just below her ears, and was slightly tanner.

I wonder if he's an exchange student. Wait until the girls see this.

"This is Edward, an old friend. Edward, this is my second daughter Tina." Bella waited for my reaction to her overly welcoming daughter. He's as old as mom?! No, he must have been a baby when she knew him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I smiled slightly. She reached for my hand and shook it.

"The pleasure is mine," She purred. It most certainly is.

"Why don't you two go back to bed," I suddenly realized my estimate had been wrong. It wasn't seven, but ten.

"Goodnight," Tina giggled at me.

"Night," Lacey pushed her up the stairs.

I watched the stairs as they left.

"I didn't think you'd come back," Bella said to the table. "I mean, I did for the first few years...alright, maybe I waited more than a few...until I realized you really weren't coming back."

"Did I cause you any pain?" I didn't want to hurt Bella, I only wanted to give her the opportunity to live a normal life.

"It hurt the first few years...but after a while, I sort of expected the pain. It still didn't fully leave though." Her voice was filled with sadness. I touched her hand, resting on the table. She immediately looked up.

"I'm sorry," I didn't know that she would take it as hard as I did. Selfish creature that I am, only caring about how much pain I was in. "I only wanted you to be able to do the things that I wouldn't have been able to give you. A family...security..."

"I had everything with you...I had love and that was all I needed." There was a long pause. "It's not that I don't love my girls though. They're what keeps me going these days. Always on my toes," She forced a laugh.

"Where is your husband?" I had to ask the question sometime or other.

"You have to know that I was very hesitant to marry him at first," She thought it would upset me that I married someone else. It did a little, but he made her happy. "I wondered what would happen if you ever came back and saw me with another man...but after about a year, yes a year, I married him. Two years later I had Lacey and following her a few months after was Tina." She smiled at the memories.

"Where is your husband now?" I repeated.

"He left me after having an affair with a groupie," She sighed. "But, times were tough for us anyway. So, I left our home in New York, to come live back in Forks. I stayed with Charlie in this house for a few years, but he got older and I moved him to an old folk's home. With a lot of struggle, I have to say, the old coot." We laughed.

"Then Lacey decided she wanted to come live with me, and the girl's dad, Peter, made Tina go with her. He 'couldn't' take care of them anymore. He never gave me a full explanation, and I never expected one from that cheating bastard. So, here they are." She shrugged. "I don't know if they're happy. I do hope they are though," She gave a mother's worried look. "Tina immediately took hold to the boys and found many friends in the popular crowd. Lacey chose to hang with the 'drama geeks' as Tina likes to call them.

"She acts?" I wondered where that came from.

"Yes," She saw the puzzled look on my face. "Her father was in a band...the stage was his home. I met him at one of his concerts actually. He was so much...sweeter back then. He wrote me a song..." She began to hum it. "I think I might have took to him because he reminded me so much of--" She broke off.

I played with her fingers. How could anyone leave Bella like that...and then I remembered.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I whispered.

She sort of chuckled. "I had a million and one things to say to you if you ever came back, and they seemed to have all disappeared. I always thought that if you returned, things would go back to normal, but in these circumstances...I hardly think that's a possibility."

"Why not?" I leaned in closer and smelled her delicious scent. Her blood sings for me. My mouth lingered a few centimeters from hers before I leaned in to kiss her. My lips were only on hers for a moment before she pulled away.

"Because I've grown up, Edward." Her words stung. "You were sort of like...Peter Pan. After you decided that I could never go back to Never-Never land, you left. And after years of not going back, I moved on. I'm old now. A forty-three year old woman and a seventeen year old boy? I don't think so."

You see what you messed up? My thoughts taunted me.

"I still do consider you as a friend, of course," She offered. "But, it just can't be the same as it was years ago. Wendy has grown up, Peter. She can't go back to Never land."

I thought about her analogy. Of course I'd read and seen Peter Pan, and it seemed to fit. Peter had left Wendy for a while, and when he came back, she could no longer come back to Wendy and take her back to his world. She was an adult...his child antics were no longer for her.

"Well, actually, I'm over ninety, but we'll let that slide," I tried to make a joke, but my voice sounded coarse.

She laughed a little.

"I guess...there's nothing really left to do except--" I was cut off.

"Don't leave," She pleaded. Her eyes were full of need. "I want you to stay. Please."

I couldn't leave her again. "Alright, but only for a little while longer. I don't want to be a burden,"

"Don't be silly," She playfully hit my arm. "You can sleep...er, stay in the living room. Help yourself to anything in the...oh forget it. Make yourself at home." She smiled and turned to go back upstairs. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bella," I smiled and she was gone.