Chapter Three

Emmett shifted on the couch. "Hey, how come they aren't here yet?"

"Emmett!" moaned Bella, "That's the umpteenth time already! They'll be here!"

"But what if he's kidnapped her," he protested, "What if you thought this William was her brother when really he's an imposter!"

Edward laughed, rolling his eyes. "I'm pretty sure Rosalie acknowledged him as her brother before we left. Do you think we'd leave our sister in the hands of a complete stranger? Just relax! It's been a while since I've seen you so… fidgety."

At this Bella snickered and even Carlisle stifled a laugh from the kitchen.

"Hey, do you have something you want to tell me?" Emmett threatened, cracking his knuckles.

Edward lifted his hands in defense, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin, "No thanks, brother. I'm just saying…"

It was only a few minutes later that Emmett said, "How about you do me a favor, Ed?"

Edward threw him a warning glance. "Say that nickname once and—"

"And what? You'll throw me out the window?" Emmett snickered. "I don't mean to be impolite, but I don't think you have that sort of advantage. So, do something for me and the nickname disappears for eternity. And I won't even mention it to Rosalie. Whaddya say, Ed?"

"What's wrong with 'Ed'? Just let it go, Edward" muttered Bella, but Edward stood up, sighing.

"Fine. I'll do it. What is it, exactly? A dare?"

Emmett's mouth stretched into a huge grin. "Ever eavesdropped before, Eddie?"

Edward's eyes widened in realization. "No," he protested at once, "No, no, no. I am not doing that. Come on, Emmett! They're brother and sister! It's a happy reunion! If you had a beloved sister who you thought had died thousands of years ago, wouldn't you want to spend time catching up? In private?" When Emmett's grin didn't disappear, Edward sighed, muttered, "You have no decency," and frowned in concentration.

After a few seconds he broke the silence: "I can't do it. They're too far."

Emmett frowned. "You've done that distance before," he pointed out stubbornly.

Sighing, Edward tried again.

Suddenly William's mind was everywhere. Thoughts, so many thoughts that overwhelmed him. Why was this happening? Edward tried to pull himself out but the thoughts were everywhere, and with them, emotions. Sadness, despair, anger. The waves surged over him with a vengeance, pulling him under. He felt like choking.

And then a voice, a voice in Edward's head, a voice so calm and sorrowful and patient, murmured, "Please get out. I need to be alone. Please."

Edward's eyes shot open. He gasped.

"Edward?" said Bella quickly. Emmett's grin vanished.

And then Edward began to laugh. "Unbelievable! He talked to me. I heard him. As clear as a cell phone. Perhaps even more."

Emmett grunted uneasily.

"He told me to go away, and then I felt pushed out of his mind. Amazing. He's just like you, Bella, except that he can also communicate telepathically."

"Oh great," snorted Emmett. "Are you sure you're alright, Eddie? Hearing voices in your head is never a good sign."

Edward was about to retort when the sound of swift, silent footsteps reached the door. All four vampires in the house stiffened as the door swung open.

It was Esme.

Emmett sighed. "I thought you were Rosalie."

"Rosalie? Why? Where is she?"

Without a word, Emmett pointed out the window to the tall, looming pines on the opposite side of the river.

"We have a visitor," Edward explained. "Rosalie's brother."

"Remember how infatuated you were with yourself?" murmured William, smiling at the memory and stretching himself out on the soft grass. Rosalie sat down beside him, sighing happily. He laughed. "You'd spend hours just looking at the mirror. A real Narcissus in the making."

"No, I was trying out new clothes that Papa'd bought me. And besides, you forget that you admired me just like the rest of them. Admit it. Whenever a boy came around asking for me, you'd say he wasn't even good enough to lick my feet."

"Well, look who's talking now. Narcissus is back!" William laughed and then let out a long sigh. "You don't have to worry about that anymore."

"About what?"

He looked at her. "Rose, your looks are enough for any man to get crazy about you."

"That doesn't sound much like a compliment."

"I'm sorry, sis. I'm ruining this, aren't I?"

Rosalie laughed softly. "Well, you could be a bit less melancholy."

"I really am sorry. It's just I can't get used to this. Us being vampires, I mean."

"Well, you have plenty of time to adjust."

"What do you mean?" asked William, surprised.

"You're going to live with us, aren't you? You're my brother! If the Cullens accepted me, they'll accept you. So don't worry. I'm sure they wouldn't mind an addition." She laughed. "Even though we are getting to be a pretty big coven."

"Rosalie, I can't stay," murmured William.

She stood up, looking him in the eye. "What?! What do you mean you can't stay? Of course you can! You have to stay! If you didn't plan to, why'd you even come here?"

"I missed you," William mumbled. "I wanted to see you. Just one time."

"If you miss me, then why can't you stay?" she demanded. Then, seeing that her anger wasn't working, she switched to pleading. "Please, Will? For me? Don't you care anymore? What about family?"

He looked up quickly when he heard the word. "Family," he muttered. "Rose, our family's been dead for a long time now."

"You can always make a new one," insisted Rosalie. "Look, you want me to beg? Hey, look at me! Look at me! Tell me straight in the eye that you don't want to stay."

He sighed. "Rosalie—"

"TELL ME."

His eyes, sorrowful yet determined, met hers as he said slowly, "I don't want to stay."

She stumbled back, clenching her fists. "You don't want to stay," she whispered.

"Rosalie!" William stepped forward, his hands reaching out to her, but she refused to look at him. "Rose, please! I can't stay."

She faced him, her eyes narrowing. "And why not?"

"Please, let's just forget about it. I'm ruining our day. Look, we have about eleven more hours of fun, and then I gotta go. So let's make this worth it! What do you say?"

"One night, Will. Just one night. Please?"

He sighed, running his hand through his blond hair. His face was torn with indecision. At last he relented. "One night, okay? And then I'm gone."

She nodded, grinning. "C'mon. Let's go meet my family. Okay, so Carlisle is nice. Easy to get along with. So's Esme. Except she'll probably worry you to death, but don't mind it. She just gets anxious about pretty much everybody. You already met Edward and Bella. Alice and Jasper aren't here… oh and Emmett! He's…" as she talked, William nodded, smiling and laughing at some points. But at times his eyes wandered anxiously, searching the forest for any signs of danger.

At the doorsteps, Rosalie noticed William looking behind him anxiously. "Anything wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, no." He smiled assuringly, and with that, they entered the house.