Summary: Months after the rest of the Cullens' return, and during the her senior year, Bella finds herself content but wary. With her future to think about and Victoria out to get her- tension is no stranger. And what happens when Edward finally returns- but his presence only complicates things?

" We'll get through this Bella, because we have each other."

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer is the respective owner, I'm just fooling around with the characters.

" Welcome home Bella." Emmett stood beside Bella as he led her into the kitchen, where his mother was preparing dinner. Esme had stopped turning the wooden spoon in the giant pot at the stove and wiped her hands on the small apron that was tied around her waist. She quickly removed it from her torso and set it onto the counter, approaching Bella with a giant, warm smile.

They hugged, and Bella pulled away- inhaling. " It smells really good Esme." She complimented. "Thank you for having me over again."

Esme giggled, shooing with her hand affectionately. " Oh Bella, you're welcome here anytime." She grabbed either of her hands, and squeezed them gently.

" I'm just really glad.. that things are getting back to normal. We can finally be- a family again." She added, a smile on her lips- but Emmett could tell something had also been troubling her. Esme knew, just as much as Bella- as the others did, that their family wouldn't be completely together again, without a certain bronze-haired vampire, who as far as they were concerned, was long gone by now.

Though Emmett didn't particularly care for Edward at the moment- he knew it had to be hard on Esme more than anyone. Edward was someone she had raised since his transformation with Carlisle- brought him in as the son she never truly had- and now he was gone. A mother losing her own child is never something they can just let go- learn to accept and move on as the years passed.

Especially not for vampires- not when they had an eternity to grieve for their loved ones.

" Y-Yeah." Bella stammered, seemingly having read Emmett's thoughts. " Me too."

Carlisle appeared then, greeting Bella with a warm smile- to which Bella gave him a startled on. He gave Esme a kiss on the cheek- his briefcase in hand, and turned to Bella, and then Emmett, his smile seeming to have grown bigger each second. But he didn't say anything else, but rather give Esme a quick but affectionate hug and a peck on the lips.

" Looks like I'll be working another late shift tonight, so I better get a move on. Four women are due- one of them a couple of months earlier than she expected." He added with a slight chuckle, and Emmett smiled. Though Carlisle had a lot on his plate dealing with sick patients, meetings and pregnant women left and right, he always kept his cool. Never once did he snap under pressure, and he always knew exactly what to do- how a patient was to be treated and what medicine they were to receive.

I guess that's what made him the best doctor in this town.

Esme giggled. " It seems your hands will be plenty full tonight. Good luck honey." He nodded, after giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, and waved goodbye to Emmett and Bella. The front door closed, and Esme sighed, placing her hands on either of her hips, before deciding to make her way to the stove again to continue cooking.

" You're welcome to roam the house of course, if you'd like. Dinner should be ready fairly soon." She informed them, to which Bella nodded her head. Emmett gestured with his head for Bella to follow him, and they exited the kitchen towards the flight of stairs that led to the bedrooms. As they neared his bedroom, he could hear the brunette's heartbeat start to speed a little- but she didn't seem as nervous when they entered it.

" Your heartbeat is getting pretty fast Bella." He said, and she turned around, exhaling a breath it figured she didn't even know she was holding.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just... as much as Esme is still being kind to me.. I just know she's hurting." She swallowed, and Emmett approached her, holding out his hand in front of her. She took it and he led her to the bed where they sat beside each other. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist, and almost immediately she brought herself closer to him- relaxing her back against his gentle grip.

" Edward... h-he's like her own child.." She muttered sadly. " And we haven't heard anything from him in months."

" Yeah." Emmett replied, pressing his lips together. " Beneath her loving exterior, I could only imagine the pain she must be going though."

He cleared his throat then, turning to stare into her eyes. She blinked her eyes a little- confused. He sighed again.

Sure it was a little inappropriate, but he wanted to- no needed to know.

" Bella... you don't still have feelings for him do you?"

Her eyes softened, her arm reaching slowly towards him. He exhaled a little when her hand gently caressed his jaw. He swallowed. He didn't want to make a giant mistake- telling her he had fallen in love her with- and then overwhelm her with feelings she couldn't even return.

He didn't want that for her.

" Emmett... of course not." She replied sighing, and leaned up- towards his face. She kissed him softly on the lips, and he responded immediately, tightening his hold around her thin waist- the other hand reaching up to cup her cheek. She sighed into the kiss, and a growl erupted softly in his throat at the feeling of her soft hands tugging- gripping his hair.

He was definitely happy- knowing that Bella's feeling for Edward weren't there anymore. Maybe he shouldn't have been as much as he was- but overall he felt that she deserved better. But it would be incredibly hard to let her go, if she had confessed otherwise. The girl drove him completely crazy- and when she kissed him, he just felt... pure bliss.

" Bella." He groaned.

His hand trailed up and down her back as she tugged the front of his shirt to pull him closer, and she moaned instantly. His eyelids heavy as she slowly but reluctantly pulled away for air- the sound of his voice forced hers to open, and she almost looked disappointed. He chuckled huskily, his hand still cupping her cheek, and his thumb began to trace the outer corner of her lips.

" Hmm?"

" Dinner's ready."

" You're watching me eat."

The way Bella said it wasn't a statement, but more of a question. Emmett had taken a seat across from her, his arms folded against the table as he watched the brunette gobble away at the spaghetti Esme had prepared for her. His mother was currently in the backyard taking care of the garden she had planted there since they first took up the residence a while ago. And since they were gone for a while after that, she felt the need to spend more time with the it- nurture it more frequently than usual.

Rosalie still wasn't back from her hunting trip, but would be soon. And Alice and Jasper were currently away also, but he expected he would hear from them eventually. They said that they wouldn't go far, so it would only be a matter of minutes before they returned.

Emmett raised his brows in amusement. " Is that a crime?"

" No." Bella replied after rolling her eyes. " It just makes me.. uncomfortable."

He leaned forward, smirking. " So I make you uncomfortable huh?"

She blushed, swallowing a forkful, and pointed the fork at him- both serious but playful at the same time. " You know exactly what I mean."

He laughed, just as Alice, Jasper, and apparently Rosalie arrived through the front door.

" Anything?" He asked, and all three of them shook their heads.

" No." Alice answered frustratedly, and she blinked, placing her hands on her hips. " Still nothing. I-I've even tried to see him, but nothing's given me information on his whereabouts, or if he's even okay. The last Carlisle and Esme's been aware of his presence, he was just along the Gulf of Mexico- so we've been searching around there and a little past it since earlier.. but so far.. still nothing." Her voice cracked a little for the first time towards the end, and Jasper wrapped an arm around her waist- his eyebrows furrowing in both anger and confusion.

" I just don't get why he's running. What could possibly be out there that is so important that he's not here with his own family? Despite the circumstances, we all stuck together, no matter what happened." He expressed.

" That's what I would like to know." Rosalie said. " But seeing as everything turned to shit once most of us left Alaska, I highly doubt that was on his mind."

" Well then you clearly don't know me as well as I thought you did." Came a bitter voice.

Emmett immediately rose from his seat to stand protectively in front of Bella, who had frozen at the sound of his voice. He appeared from the front door that seemed to have been opened from the group's return-his arms folding over his chest as he took in the vampires in the kitchen at that moment. Alice gasped, her eyes wide with shock, and she took a step back. Jasper's eyes softened a little but kept a watchful eye- and Rosalie's all but softened at just who decided to show up.

His bronze-colored hair was particularly unruly, and he even looked a little paler than usual. His lips were red, and pressed into a thin, and almost irritated line as he glanced around- his eyes resting on Emmett's last. They flickered to the brunette next to him though for a brief second, before averting to his again. They narrowed with anger, cold as ice, and Emmett felt his hands grip into tight fists.

His eyes, Emmett noted- weren't as topaz as they used to be, but more of a black than anything, and almost had an eerie look to them as they stared unblinkingly into his.

As calm as his tone was though, he didn't seem calm in the slightest.

No, he was definitely pissed off- but his passive demeanor would never allow it.

Emmett smirked at that, his eyes growing darker each second that passed- each second that Edward was allowed to look at the girl he had once called his.

" Well look who it fucking is."

Author's Note: Alright, so as you can see, to spare the confusion and make this story a little neater- I have decided to post this sequel under a new story document!

And now.. onto this chapter.

Surprised yet?

No?

SURPRISED NOW?

I think your reviews will speak for themselves what you thought of this chapter. And thanks a bunch for reviewing the last chapter.

I feel an intense, rising plot coming on.

Beware, a dark Edward has emerged.

And reviews. They make me so very happy.