AN: Hey so I am so so so sorry for the long wait. I have been busy and I will try and update this story again in the next couple months. I'm going to be realistic. It's been taking me a while to come up with stuff so it still may be a while but the next chapter is already started. I've had this chapter written out for a while now it's just been a matter of when I was going to type it up so I can post it. But anyway, just letting you know I'M NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY. IF I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A WHILE I STILL AM WORKING ON IT. I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THE STORY DESPITE LONG TIMES BETWEEN UPDATES. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter and read and review. Please let me know what you think! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or the characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Summary: Set after Edward left in New Moon. Bella's life started to fall apart when he left but then some surprises come her way and practically takes away her life in Forks. Edward and his family come back a year later to find out Bella had died about two weeks after they left. Edward and his family are heartbroken until Jasper gets a call from an old friend asking him and his family to be a part of her wedding. Tensions rise and some angers are tested. Secrets and pasts are revealed and some relationships are tested. It's time to see what all of them are made of.

Chapter Sixteen

Emmalie POV:

I was surprised when Dylan had first asked me out on a date. I had no idea he felt that way which is weird because normally I see this coming a mile away due to my ability. Have I been this oblivious to him? Have I been this consumed in my drama with Seth that I hadn't even recognized that he had feelings for me? What was wrong with me? And what do I do? I like Dylan, I really do. But I love Seth. How can I date Dylan when I feel something more for Seth? For the first time I had no idea what to say.

"Um…I…uh…" I was speechless, mumbling words, unsure as what I should say. He looked down a little embarrassed and absent mindedly rubbed the back of his neck.

"If you don't that's ok. It won't hurt my feelings." I shot him a look of disbelief. "Ok, maybe it will a little but I don't want you to feel obligated or anything." I smiled at him.

"You're sweet." He blushed modestly. "You are. And it's very sweet of you to ask me but I'm going to be honest with you. I like you, a lot but not…in…that…way. See…I…" I answered slowly.

"…like someone else? Someone like Seth?" he asked, smiling.

"Am I that obvious? Am I really that transparent?" I asked exasperated. He chuckled. You know for someone who just got his date request declined, he was easily amused.

"A little bit but I've seen the way you look at him. I just knew that if I never asked you, I would regret it for the rest of my life." explained Dylan.

"Well I appreciate it and I'm sorry I have to say 'no' to you. There's just…something between Seth and I and I need to figure that out first before going on any dates." I replied.

"It's ok and I understand. Can I offer you a piece of advice?" he asked. I nodded.

"Of course."

"Don't wait to tell him how you feel. Tell him how you feel soon. He won't wait forever you know. If the two of you don't settle this soon, one of you is going to end up hurt." advised Dylan. He wasn't looking at me anymore as he said this. He was looking behind me at his old crush Mandy.

Dylan may have developed some feelings for me but he and I both knew that the one he really, truly liked was Mandy. She was his best friend since they were toddlers. They grew up in this town together. Her parents had moved into the house next to his and when they were introduced, they immediately hit it off and they were best friends ever since. But as they grew older, she became more than a best friend in his eyes. When he realized what he felt he kept it to himself, leaving room for another to step in and sweep her off her feet. Afterwards, he became hurt and their friendship was lost. The rift was something they never recovered from and it didn't seem likely to change.

I knew however that if he just said something, he'd be the one with her for she felt the same way he felt about her. She still looked at him the same way he looked at her. Dylan just never saw that. Somehow they always managed to look at each other when the other wasn't looking. In reality, our situations were fairly similar. As I watched Dylan glance longingly at Mandy, I realized I had to tell Seth soon. I didn't want this to happen to us. Seth is my best friend and I can't imagine my life without him there. He'd always been there and I didn't want to risk losing him like Dylan lost Mandy. It was while I was thinking that I came up with a plan.

I grinned. Seth wouldn't even know what hit him.

E.J POV:

After the confrontation with Warren, gym went by without a hitch. My team did great. However my mind kept going back to Edward. I wasn't going to let him get away with what he said. Contrary to your belief, I actually care about her. I love her. Does that sound good enough for you? That had been what he had said when I asked why he defended my mother. Was he telling the truth? Did he really care about Mom? If you had asked me that question a few months ago, I would have said some spiteful remark at his expense and said that he never did, that he never would. But…now…now I'm not so sure.

See what I had expected when he came into town was him basically toying with Mom's feelings and then leaving her again. Personally, I haven't dropped the thought of him leaving quite yet but I am finally starting to see something in his eyes when he looks at Mom. He looks at her like she is the greatest thing in the world, like she's a miracle, like she's everything in the world to him. And he looks at Emma and Ness the same way too, like he couldn't believe his luck. It was all very confusing. He was confusing. Then there's Mom.

Mom has never looked happier and while I still don't necessarily like or forgive him, I like seeing how happy she is. For so long, Mom has been depressed. Suddenly, he's' back and it's like…it's like it never happened. It made me almost wish I could forgive him or even forget it ever happened. But I can't. I'll never be able to forget the nights Mom cried dried tears over him, how her heart broke every time she so much as looked at me. Her face back then will always be engraved in my memory. It was so sad, so heartbreaking. I still remembered when I was younger I sometimes caught her crying and sat next to her telling her that it was ok. It was moments like those that I really reminded Uncle Jase of Mom.

I got that from her, among other things. I had always been stubborn and caring. Aunt Anne actually told me that sometimes I even looked like the adult when I was with Mom. However, according to Mom, I got the protective gene from Edward which I have labeled as untrue. It wasn't even because I didn't like him that I deemed the statement false. It was because I knew my Mom. Mom was always the protective one. Even now when I'm reconsidering my thoughts and feeling about Edward, I still firmly believe Mom is the protective one. She's the one who never let anything hurt Ness, Emma, or me. She's the one who defended the ones she cared about without seven a millisecond of hesitation. She's the one who gave up her life in Forks just so she could protect us and the Cullens (despite the fact that they had left her). No, I knew exactly where my protective instinct came from. It came from the greatest protector I knew. Maybe that's why I have such a hard time accepting Edward. Maybe I'm just trying to protect my family from getting hurt again; maybe…maybe I'm even trying to protect myself.

My thoughts twisted and turned inside of my head, causing me to drop my head down abruptly on the piano I had been playing at home. Everyone else was out doing things with Drill Sargent Auntie Annie, who was trying to get things together for her wedding. I honestly couldn't wait until this nightmare was over, at least then I could escape her frantic thoughts. What should I wear? Those don't match. If they don't listen to what I say… It's only a few days away. Hm…we might need to do more shopping. Its times like these I wish I could turn off all the thoughts around me because if I hear these thoughts one more time I'm going to lose it and then Uncle Jase would not have a bride to marry in two days. She was driving me crazy! In the past three days, she's sent me on fifteen different shopping trips! It was all becoming very irritating.

My head remained on the piano until I heard a chuckle from behind me. I turned and saw my sister Nessie standing there, staring amusedly at the sight of my head on the piano.

"Comfortable?" she asked amused.

"Not really" I replied. She laughed.

"That doesn't really surprise me." she responded before coming over to the piano bench and sitting next to me. "So that was a pretty good sound."

"What? The song I was playing?" I asked. Nessie smirked.

"No, the sound of your head hitting the keys" she replied, grinning. I glared at her, something that seemed to have no effect on her mood whatsoever.

"Aren't you supposed to be with her highness?" I asked, annoyed.

"Nope. Auntie decided to do the rest of the shopping on her own."

"Then why isn't anyone else here?"

"Well, Emma is out planning something. I have no idea what. I think it has something to do with Seth. Anyway, Aunt Rose and Uncle Em are out on 'date'. Enough said there. Uncle Jazz and Uncle John are going hunting. Aunt Alice is with Auntie Killjoy. Jake is with the pack for the weekend and Mom is out with Dad." she explained cheerily. I looked down at the piano at the reminder of Edward, someone I had been hoping to forget about at least a few minutes. I felt Ness put her hand on my shoulder and saw my face in my mind. When I saw my face the way she saw it, I knew what she wanted. She wanted to know if I was ok. I put my hand on hers as a signal that I saw the image and looked at her and smiled.

"I'm fine, Ness." I replied. She looked at me, not believing a word I just said.

"No you're not. You're upset about something. Come on. Talk to me. You're my big brother, E.J. Let me help you." she pleaded.

"Nessie-" I started.

"No. Look, you haven't been talking to me very often since Dad came back and I want to talk. Emma's not your only sister you know" she replied angrily. I sighed, tiredly. I honestly wasn't trying to make her upset.

"I know she's not."

"Then you have a funny way of showing it! I know you're still mad at me for giving Dad a chance but this is getting ridiculous, E.J! I know he's not your favorite person in the world but you shouldn't cut me out just because I want my Dad!" she yelled. How dare she accuse me of that? I'm not mad at her for that anymore; I haven't been in a while.

"I'm not trying to cut you out!" I yelled back, feeling my temper rising.

"Well for someone doing it unintentionally, you are doing a good job!" Nessie shouted. I glared at her and clenched my jaw.

"Hey, it's not like you have been trying to talk to me either! It works both ways, Ness!" I spat. "You've been ignoring me a heck of a lot longer than I've been ignored you!"

"What are you talking about? That's not true!"

"The heck it isn't! You haven't really talked to me since the day Jake told you he imprinted on you!" I yelled furiously, finally saying the words I had thought I had buried deep down inside years ago. She stood there, shocked and looking slightly hurt. If I had not been so angry, I would have most likely backed down. I hated seeing her upset. When she looked sad, she really reminded me of Mom when she was upset because of Dad.

"That's not true." Nessie said softly, denying my claim.

"You're it is! Ever since Jake told you, all you have talked about was Jake, how sweet Jake is. How strong Jake is. How great Jake is. All you talk about is Jake! All you care about is Jake!" I vented. I saw her sad expression turn to fury.

"That's not true and where do you get off talking to me about always talking about Jake? You are the one who only talks about Taylor! How pretty she is! How smart she is! How perfect she is! You honestly haven't been much better, Edward Jacob!" she yelled before I attacked her and her doing the same to me. We fought for what seemed like hours before finally we both stood up, waiting for the other to calm down. "If you've had this many issues, why haven't you just talked to me about them! E.J, it's been four years since Jake told me he imprinted on me! Why did you wait until now to talk to me?" she asked seeming to calm down the more and more she talked.

"You should have realized it yourself! Ness, we used to know everything about each other. You used to always know when I was upset. You just stopped paying attention to me! And just when things were finally getting back to normal, Dad comes into the picture and all of the sudden you start shutting me out and paying more attention to him! You know it wouldn't kill you to spend your time with other people, Ness!" I yelled, still trying to get out all the words I had bitten back on several occasions over the years. Nessie looked down, a little ashamed.

"You're right" she said, looking at me with tears in her eyes. "You're right. I haven't been paying very much attention to you. I'm sorry that it seems that way. I guess I've just been so focused on spending time with Jake because I'm afraid that one day he'll do what Dad did and leave. As for Dad…E.J, I've wanted to know him for so long and now…now I've got that chance to know him and I…I don't want to let it go. I really am sorry, E.J" she cried. As tears fell down her cheeks, I felt my anger at her suddenly vanish in into nonexistence. My gaze softened and I pulled her into a hug as she cried into my shoulder. We sat back on the piano bench.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you and I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I honestly hadn't realized I was still mad at you for that and I'm sorry that I took all my frustration out on you. And you are right too. I had been doing the same thing with Taylor and for that I am truly sorry." I apologized, still hugging her close to me. "Will you forgive me?" She moved her head from my shoulder and looked up at me and nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, just don't wait another four years to say something next time ok? I'm not the mind reader so I don't have any idea what's going on in your head with is good because your mind would be one of two possibilities: mind numbingly dull or just plain scary" Ness teased. I chuckled.

"Well yours isn't much a picnic either." We both laughed and she put her head on my shoulder. This was honestly the closest we have been in a few years. It's now that it is here I realize how much I had missed this, being close like we used to be. This was more like it. This was what we had been like before Jake had told her he imprinted on her. We sat in comfortable silence with her leaning on me before she stiffened and pulled away quickly. She looked at me, shocked. I looked at her a little confused. What had surprised her?

"E.J" she asked stunned.

"Yeah?" I inquired confused.

"Did you just…I mean did you…earlier when you were yelling at me…did you…did you call Edward… 'Dad'?" she asked, shocked. I sat there for a minute frozen. I was stunned too. Had I said that? I reflected for a moment. Eventually, after sifting through our argument I heard my own voice say And just when things were getting back to normal, Dad comes into the picture… I had called him 'Dad'. Why did I do that? I looked at Nessie with my own expression of surprise. What does this mean? Did it mean anything? Was I subconsciously forgiving him? Was it a habit after hearing Emma and Ness say it? Man, this somehow got more confusing. I groaned and let my head fall back on the piano again. This sucked!

Emma POV:

I drove down the familiar road in my Ferrari. I saw the familiar town of Forks. I saw people my mom and Aunt Angela had been friends with including Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. Apparently, they had gotten married about a year ago and were both doing pretty well in a college near Forks. And before you ask, yes I have seen my grandfather police Chief Charlie Swan once. About a year ago, I came to Forks and was going over the speed limit and didn't realize Chief Swan saw me. He had pulled me over and stared at me like he recognized me. I mentally panicked when I saw the way he looked at me but whatever conclusion he came up with, he dismissed it. I actually got off with a warning so I was lucky. Ever since then, I've been driving the speed limit in Forks when E.J wasn't there to my lookout. As much as I loved seeing Grandpa Charlie for myself, I couldn't risk him finding out about me or vampires in general. Also, Mom would kill me and if you've never seen Mom mad, you've lucky and I envy you for that. She was truly frightening when she was angry. That was the whole reason behind my driving at a normal speed though I itched to make the car go faster.

I drove and parked outside a small, white paneled house. The shutters were dark green. The driveway was not paved but simply dirt. The house didn't look like much but it was a good starting home, one for a couple who just recently gotten married. I got out of my car and walked up to the front door. I knocked and the door opened, showing a familiar man in the door.

He had tan skin and blue eyes. His sandy blonde hair was slightly curly and very messy. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed, which he probably was based on the fact that he was also shirtless. He looked at me and smiled before pulling me into a hug.

"Emma!" he yelled. I laughed.

"Ethan!" I yelled back. We pulled away. "How's the wife?" I asked. He grinned.

"She's good, a little crabby like always but good." he answered with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Gotten tired of your family again?" he asked.

See here's the thing: I don't typically go to Forks unless I'm hanging out with the pack and/or Seth or I'm having issues with my family and don't feel like talking to Seth about it. I usually come here when I want to talk to Ethan's wife. She's one of my best friends and she always understood the family stuff because she got tired of hers too. We've been friends since I was little. As I got closer to her age, the more we related. She and I both talked about our boy troubles and everything. She however got lucky and four years ago met Ethan. Ethan turned out to be the kindest guy I have ever known and immediately hit it off which wasn't surprising considering she, a werewolf, imprinted on him. It turned out to be a good math for them. They were as different as two people could be, but they regardless, loved each other. It gave me a little hope that someone's out there for me.

"Well, why don't you come in? I can go get wifey and be back in a jiffy." He responded cheerily. He's actually one of the happiest guys I know; even Uncle Jase and Uncle Em have nothing on him. He's not hyper like Aunt Alice which I have recently felt was a good thing. I like Aunt Alice but if I had to choose between hanging out with her or Aunt Rose, I'd choose Aunt Rose. At least Aunt Rose doesn't look like just drank 100 gallons of caffeine. I swear Aunt Alice scares me sometimes. I shuttered. "What's the matter?" he asked, smirking. He, like E.J, also loved embarrassing me so there was absolutely no way I was going to tell him I was scared of my psychotically hyper aunt.

"It's just a little cold that's all." I lied. He grinned, mischievously.

"Ems? It's 50 degrees out and you're wearing one of your heavier jackets, plus you don't get cold that easily so come up with a better excuse next time." Ethan said, laughing. I glared and stuck my tongue out at him, which encouraged him to laugh some more.

"Ethan Jacobs, stop being a jerk. I'm supposed to be the mean one, not you." responded a familiar voice from inside the house. I soon saw her approaching the front door. She looked the same as always. She was wearing that same fierce look she always had on her face but when she saw me she smiled and gave me a hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I have a proposition for you." I answered.

"Oh?" she replied, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm getting tired of waiting for him to say something. I need to know if I'm waiting for nothing."

"Why does that bring you here?"

"I have a plan and I would like your help." I said with a grin.

"Anything to make an idiot out of my fool brother." replied a grinning Leah, Seth's older sister and Ethan's wife. I flashed my own evil grin and went inside with the couple. Oh this was going to be fun!

AN: BTW, for those of you who may not like Leah, I felt I needed to add her in there at least briefly because she's Seth's sister. But she is not one of the main characters and will probably only pop up on occasion so no need to worry. But if you all do want her to show up a little more often let me know. Thank you and let me know what you think!