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"Why are you over there? And not in this bed with me?"

Bella smiled and looked over at Alice, who was laying on her side, rubbing her hand on the bed next to her. "I couldn't sleep."

"Of course you couldn't. You're not lying here with me," Alice teased.

Rolling her eyes, Bella climbed off the floor and walked over to the bed, climbing onto the mattress, lying on her side so she was facing Alice. "Better?"

"Much." Alice slid her hand over Bella's hip, curving around to her ass. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Not really."

Bella shook her head. "It's stupid."

"No, it's not," she disagreed. "Change is always hard."

She nodded, scooting closer to Alice. "What if . . . what if they don't accept us? What if we leave and we find ourselves having to fight just to be together again? I can't . . . I can't do any of this again."

"I wish I could tell you that we'll never have to deal with homophobic assholes, but we probably will. But we got through Forks together, didn't we?"

"Barely," Bella whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, don't cry," Alice murmured, bringing her hand up to her face. "Please don't cry, beautiful."

"I can't help it," she whimpered, laughing through the moisture falling down her face. "I love you, Alice. I love you so much."

"Not as much as I love you," she said, leaning in and pressing her lips against hers. "We'd better get up. It's almost time to hit the road."

Bella nodded. Ready or not, they were starting fresh, leaving Forks.

—TNSPD—

By the time Bella and Alice dressed and made it downstairs, they found everyone already gathered in the kitchen. The table was covered in food, the living room filled with boxes, and a moving truck parked outside.

"Good morning," Esme greeted them with a hug, as she always did. "Sit and eat. We have a lot to do before the movers show up."

Alice and Bella sat on the far side of the table, next to Jasper and Edward. While Alice helped herself to some eggs and bacon, Bella leaned back in her chair, and just watched her family. It was odd, to her, how much the queer kids next door became hers in a heartbeat. They'd loved and accepted her, needed her, wanted her without question.

"So, um, a carrier dropped this off for you this morning," Carlisle said, tossing a manila envelope on top of her empty plate.

"What is it?" she asked, picking it up.

"Open it, sweetheart," he teased, and she did, finding the order of emancipation signed by Eleazar. "Congratulations, Bella. You're officially free."

"This is . . . this is great," she said, trying to sound happier than she felt.

"It's okay, you know?" Emmett said, causing her to look at him. "To be sad. It's okay to be sad about this."

"I just. . ." Bella took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying . . . again. "I'm so thankful that they can't hurt me anymore, but . . . It just feels like . . . like . . ."

"Like you're an orphan," Alice said, and when Bella looked at her and nodded. "I felt like that, too."

"Me too," Edward admitted.

"Same here," Jasper agreed. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"You grieve for a while, and then you live. You don't have to worry about . . . being called a faggot, or being told how worthless you are."

"Or pathetic," Edward added. "Or a disgrace to the Masen name."

"Or worry about them . . . them coming into your room again," Alice whispered, and Bella immediately pulled the love of her life into her arms. "I'm okay."

"You know," Carlisle said, reaching over and placing his hand on top of Bella's. "We all feel like that. My mom and dad . . . they don't get it. They wanted, I don't know, another Garrett. Get married, have a baby. Or two. And one day, the four of us will get married, and we'll have babies, but they won't be there because they can't understand how my heart can belong to all three of them. And most of the time, I'm okay, but there are times. . ." He shook his head. "When I miss them."

"Christmas," Emmett whispered. "Especially at Christmas. I grew up in the mountains, and every year we'd cut down our tree, go sledding down Deadman's Trail."

"But now, we have our own traditions," Rose said, placing her hand on Emmett's arm. "And we're so excited to be able to celebrate them with you, Bella. As a family."

"I am, too," she admitted, and she was.

For the first time in her life, she had a family who loved her.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't ashamed to be one of the queer kids next door.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! That's it for this little story. It's been quite the ride, hasn't it?