A/N: Hmm… just realized that I haven't been writing any disclaimers. Well, anybody who reads this can tell that I'm not Stephanie Meyer, and so there fore I don't own any of the characters. What a shame.

Chapter 6 – Family Talks

Bella's POV

"I'm so glad you're home again!" Alice squealed for the twenty-seventh time that day as I drove home.

"I've heard you're so glad, Alice," I muttered. "I've heard quite a few times."

"I mean, I didn't see when you'd be back, I didn't even know that you'd be back at all! And then just last night, there you are!"

"There I was…" I growled.

"Yay! I just can't get over it. We have to go shopping…"

"Alice…" I warned.

"Okay, fine, not right away. But eventually. Rose absolutely refused to. And then Jasper got really mad at me, too, because I made him come along and…"

"Alice…" I warned, louder this time.

"Okay, okay," she sighed. We were quite for a moment.

"I'm still glad to have you home, though," she said as we pulled into the driveway.

"I'm glad to be home," I relented. As soon as I stepped out of my car, Emmett came sprinting out of the house, trailed by a scowling Rosalie.

"Bella!" He yelled, tackling me to the ground. "You're back! You didn't run away during school again!"

"I was back last night, Emmett. It's not my fault you weren't here," I growled as I struggled to get up.

"Sure, sure," Emmett laughed, letting me get up. Rosalie glared at him from the front porch. Emmett ran up to her and slipped his arm around her waist.

"Sorry, Rose," he apologized, kissing the top of her head. She pursed her lips and then smiled.

"It's okay, Emmett. Nice to see you, Bella," she added. I nodded in acknowledgment and bent to brush the dirt of my knees. When I looked back up, Emmett and Rosalie had already gone inside. Alice was leaning against the hood of my car, waiting for me.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go inside," she said, standing up. I followed her inside and to the living room, then threw myself on one of the couches. Alice sat down delicately on a chair across from me.

"So what exactly did happen?" she prodded. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly.

"Didn't you see?" I asked. Alice shook her head.

"I only saw what could have happened. I didn't see why," she explained.

"I don't even really know why, Alice," I admitted. "It was just… him."

"Edward?"

"Yeah. I have no idea why, but it was his blood. It was different than any that I had ever... smelled before," I told her.

"Good different?" Jasper asked as he walked into the room. I looked up.

"Really good different," I said as Jasper sat down next to Alice on the arm of her chair. "It took all the strength that I had not to kill him right there, in front of all those people. So I had to get away. I was so certain that I wouldn't be able to handle it again, so I just split."

"But you decided to come back." I looked up to see Emmett standing in the doorway. "I heard you talking," he added.

"Tanya convinced me that I could do it," I said. "It took me two weeks to get up my courage, but I finally did and decided to come back." We were quiet for a moment.

"I've never heard of anything like that," Alice finally announced.

"I have," Jasper whispered. I stared at him.

"What?" Alice hissed. Jasper nodded.

"It was a long, long time ago. Before I met you, Alice. After I had just left Maria," he confessed.

"What happened?" I whispered, my eyes wide.

"I… killed her." He shook his head. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"What am I going to do?" I muttered.

"Bella, it was different for me," Jasper said. "I didn't have any self control, like you do. You've been doing this for what, 50 years?"

"57," I choked out.

"Exactly," Jasper continued. "So therefore you have a way better chance of controlling yourself."

"That makes sense," Emmett agreed. I glared at him.

"You don't have to try to make me feel better," I growled. Emmett laughed.

"Well, you're so depressed all the time, somebody has to," he claimed. I scowled.

"Maybe you just need to be around him more," Alice suggested.

"And that will help me how?" I asked scaldingly.

"You can… de-sensitize yourself. Like Carlisle did, except with Edward," Alice explained.

"It would be really hard…" I trailed off.

"I could help!" Emmett offered.

"No," I said.

"Fine," he pouted.

"I'll try it," I decided. Alice perked up.

"No more running off?" She asked.

"No more running off," I confirmed.

"Good," she said. "Because for a minute there I saw you leaving again. Don't want to lose my shopping partner again!" I opened my mouth to argue that, but was interrupted by her. "Come on, Jas. Let's go!" She exclaimed quickly, then disappeared upstairs. I looked at Emmett.

"I'm gonna go, too," he said. "Rose is still upstairs."

"Go ahead," I replied. "I guess I'll just go hunting or something." Emmett was gone in a second.

I stood up and walked outside. The night was clear, something extremely rare in Forks. I could see every constellation that I had known ever since I was a little girl, over 70 years ago. The cold night breeze blew across my face, tugging some of my hair out of my ponytail.

Maybe I'll go see Edward… I thought, watching a wispy cloud drift across the moon. Go and start to de-sensitize myself…

I took a deep breath and started to run through the woods.

A/N: Hope everybody liked it! I got a little bit (okay, that's a lie. I got a LOT) of writers block at the beginning. But it's mostly over now, so I think that the next chapter will go pretty smoothly. Thanks to everybody who reviewed!