A/N: Ending this makes me sad. But I know what's going to happen, and you can expect possibly two more chapters after this. :(
"Bella and I wish to hold a family meeting," Edward announced in the kitchen.
For the first time, no one groaned at the announcement. All of us were curious as to the intentions of the meeting. We wondered from our hiding places to the kitchen, where Edward and Bella sat on the island. Esme sat at the table.
Alice gaped in horror as she returned to us from a vision. "No!" she whined. "You can't do that!"
"Yes," Bella corrected, "we can."
Alice pouted.
Esme and Rosalie were the only ones to sit down at the table; the rest of us leaned against counters and doorways, expecting a short gathering. Cole draped an arm over my shoulder as we stood against the stove in confusion, deciphering Alice's vision for ourselves.
"Bella and I think that, with the upcoming move, this would be a good time for us to live on our own for a while." Edward held a controlled expression, no emotion visible.
"Very well." Carlisle sighed. "Where do the two of you intend to go?"
Edward smiled. "I was thinking about showing Bella the beauty of northern Europe. After that we'll probably settle somewhere close to you."
Just as Carlisle was about to speak again, Rosalie cleared her throat for attention. "I think Emmett and I might be moving out, as well. But we were thinking about buying a house a few towns over from wherever the family was thinking about going." She and Edward looked up at our father hopefully.
"I guess we're clearing out the nest, huh?" he asked Esme, laughing lightly. "Very well, then. Alice, I have to make a short stop in my office. You show some houses, okay?"
Alice pulled out the binder of houses from the wedding. The family sat in a circle in the middle of a cleared living room. Actually, all furniture had been covered and pushed against the wall, as we were in the middle of another week of packing.
The binder rested with a 'thud' on the hardwood flooring, and we all stared in wonder at the black cover, waiting for Carlisle to begin turning pages. Before he could join us from his office, though, Alice was flipping through the book at top speed, rationalizing her own conclusion.
"I like this one," she announced, pointing at a mountain home in Maryland.
I felt like I was sitting in a real estate agent's office as I looked at the page. Pictures of each room covered the page, each with a caption describing the photo above. The outside was nothing but gray—the siding, brick walkway, shutters, the sky in the background.
The kitchen was decked out in maple wood. The cabinets and kitchen table reflected one another with a tile floor of a similar color and black countertops. The yellow living room had four windows—a bright contrast to the exterior setting. Esme assured us that she had a white couch and two chairs that would elegantly match the room. The dining room was circular and painted red, a cherry table in the center, not that the room would be used often. The den in the basement had soft-looking olive green couches and chairs within when the picture had been taken; Esme informed us that the furniture still remained. A fireplace and a plasma screen television stared at one another from across the long room, and a small breakfast bar resided on the right wall, next to the door we were informed led to an indoor pool area.
What really got me, though, was the room Cole and I would be getting.
The room was in the shape of a pentagon. Green-gray paint coated the walls with natural white oak ceilings and floors. Along the same wall as the door was a marble bathtub, an entrance to the bathroom just beside it; spotlights shone down over the tub. On the other side of the bathroom door was a short wall—the bed pushed against it. Alice told me that the walkway on the other side of the bed led to the walk-in closet. Several chairs, a coffee table, a dresser, and a wardrobe were strewn across the space, each perfectly aligned. A fireplace was positioned directly across from the bed, a television sitting atop it.
Even better was the loft above our bed. It was the perfect place for all our musical equipment, as most of our room space here was acquired by our obsession. Alice and I squealed and discussed decorating options. Cole talked with Jasper about the loft and the guitars.
Carlisle came down shortly after. "Found a place, have we?" he asked as his foot landed on the last step. "What have we decided?"
Esme went to stand by her husband. "We've decided on Baltimore, apparently."
Carlisle perked at the announcement. "Yes! I was hoping for Baltimore! It's one of my favorite houses. And so very practical; it's a big city, so it's easier to be inconspicuous. And it's a little way outside the city, even better." He smiled with satisfaction and ran back up the stairs to pack the massive amount of books in his office.
It seemed we were all ready to go, to each our own places.
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Bella and Edward intended to leave us sooner than we expected. We took a final shopping trip, just the girls, the following day—the day before their departure. Edward spent the day out with the guys; we're unsure what they chose to do.
Alice stocked Bella up on proper clothing for the traveling she would be doing, loading her down with mounds of outfit combinations and matching shoes, of course. Rosalie, Esme, and I went off on our own for a while to avoid the torture, and found a few new pairs of shoes each and spent an excessive amount of time in a jewelry store.
When the day was done, Carlisle proposed a final family hunting trip since we wouldn't see another until Thanksgiving. The evening took us to the Longfellow Mountains in Maine, and we each satiated our thirst quite well over the course of the evening. We spent the night—and early morning—by our traditional campfire.
"So, Bella, do you think you'll like Europe?" Alice asked. "I mean, you never really got to see Italy." They laughed together.
"You know," Bella said as she leaned against Edward, "I think I might like it."
Sadly, we had to leave early in order for the honeymooners to make their two o'clock flight. The run back to Rhode Island didn't seem to take long enough, and I was silently wishing for more time with my brother and sister before their departure.
Jasper and Cole carried two suitcases down the stairs. Apparently it was all they needed to take. Alice had still tried to convince Bella to take a trunk full of make-up with her.
"Oh, come on," she'd said, "you know you'll thank me if you do." Alice had smiled sweetly.
"No," Bella said sternly. "I do not need an entire trunk filled with make-up that I probably won't even wear, Alice."
The boys were thankful for Bella's sound decision.
Countless hugs and see-you-soons later, Edward and Bella were well on their way to the airport.
Cole and I finished our packing before any of the others. We loaded most of our things into one of the moving trucks, but our music equipment took up the trunk and backseat of our newly acquired BMW. Carlisle and Esme finished next, though it wasn't until dusk that they were loading their belongings. By morning, Emmett was pushing the final boxes Rose had packed into the truck. Two days and an entire closet later, Alice and Jasper were finished packing, and were placing their last belongings on the very edge of every truck with available space.
Then came the car discussion.
"Ok," Carlisle sighed. "The Volvo is locked up in the garage until they come back. Alice, you'll drive your car. Ayden, you'll drive yours. Rosalie will drive the Maserati, Esme will drive our Mercedes. Emmett, Cole, and I will drive the trucks. Emmett, be sure you drive the one with yours and Rose's stuff in it. You're going to Frederick, after all. And you'll be coming back for the jeep, won't you?" Emmett confirmed that he would. "Okay, Jasper, drive your car. And I guess we'll meet up at the house, then kick Rosalie and Emmett right on out." He sighed. "To the cars, kids."
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I cut the engine in our new driveway at 8 sharp. I was the first one there, having an unnatural love of speed like Edward. Alice and Rose sped in behind me a few minutes later. Alice pulled into the garage beside me, while Rose parked along the curb. Jasper showed up next, then Esme. Finally, after half an hour, the trucks showed up. Emmett parked on the curb behind Rosalie, and Carlisle and Cole parked at
the end of our driveway. We opted for leaving the unpacking until morning, and said goodbye to Rosalie and Emmett as they left for Frederick, Maryland.
It was always very convenient for the homes to be furnished upon arrival. There was never a need to move furniture, pack bedding, anything of the sort. And it was always my favorite part of owning multiple homes all over the country. We settled in immediately, and we weren't allowed to go see our rooms until we got the go-ahead from Carlisle. I had a feeling this meant we would be getting much more than we originally bargained for.
A/N: Yeah, this wasn't very good. Oh well. I've rethought things, and the next chapter will be the last. It should be up soon, and then I'm taking a short break from fanfiction. Probably a week. If you're reading my other story, though, don't worry. I'll finish it before my break. :) Review!