A/N: I own nothing. Any quotes from either the book or movie go to whoever they belong too. Sm and the Twilight saga script writer.

Chapter Twenty One

We both watch as Edward walked to Alice's hallway bathroom to wash his hands.

"So what are you doing for thanksgiving?" Alice asked as she was putting the plates on the table.

"Nothing." I answered bitterly. I wasn't over the fact that this was going to be my first holiday alone.

"Aren't you going home?" It sounded like she was smiling when she said that but I couldn't tell as her back was to me.

"Not anymore, My dad's going on a cruise with his girlfriend and my mom is going to South Carolina with Phil."

"Why aren't you going with them?"

"You obviously have never met his family. They're sweet people and all but I don't think I will live through that again." I shuddered at the memory of the whole roasted pig they had cooked two years ago.

"Why don't you come home with me then?" she glanced over at me.

My jaw fell open at her request. Was Alice crazy? Well I had my suspisions but really? How could she even ask me something like that. Did she not understand the delicate relationship her brother and I had.

"Uh," I was frozen. Going home with Alice meant going home with Edward. And I wasn't sure that would be okay. No I wasn't sure that I was going to be okay. I was already feeling sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I began.

"Why? It's not like you have any plans." She grinned. "Plus my parents are dying to meet you,"

"I have plans!" I lied. I had nothing. I probably wasn't going to taste a bit a turkey this weekend but going to the Cullen house was out of the question. I could already see myself a nervous wreck standing in the front door. My face heated up at the thought.

"Like what?" she eyed me.

"Like… like…" I racked my brain to come up with an excuse and came up empty.

"That's what I thought." Alice muttered. Letting out a long breath, I sunk into the couch on the wall.

"Why don't you want to come?"

I touched my head. " It's not that I don't want to come it's just-" I sturggled to find the words because of course I did. I wanted to see the small town that both Edward and Alice called home. I wanted to meet the man and women who they called mom and dad. I wanted to go, how could I not? I was just a little bit more concerned about losing more of myself to the man that I could never have.

"Because my brother is your boss."

"Exactly," I lied again getting to my feet. I was getting better at it. Or maybe Alice didn't beleive me from the beginning.

"Bella," She turned back around. "I think it's time you got over that. You and Eddie are friends now."

"Easy for you to say," I mumbled to myself as I began to chew on the inside of my mouth out of habit.

"Outside of Cullen Corp, he's just Edward okay?" Like I said, easier said than done.

"Yeah but," I took a seat again.

"No but's..." She stated. I groaned. I hated it when she belittled me however I couldn't let this one go.

I got up and crossed the room. " But it'll be weird." It was the only excuse I could come up with, one that didn't involve me making some type of confession.

She let out a deep sigh as if I had worn her out somehow. Maybe I had. "Has it been awkward since you found out we were related?"

"No, but,"

"Then it won't be weird." I also hated it when Alice knew she was right, and that was 99.9% of the time.

"What won't be weird?" Edward voiced from the hallway.

"If Bella came home with us for Thanksgiving." The blood drained from my face as I sat stone cold where I was. Why was she doing this to me? Did she get so much joy out of seeing me suffer?

"Why would it be weird?" He asked me crossing the room.

I couldn't answer. The same answer wouldn't work on him. There was no way I could tell him that I was scared. So this meant I was stuck.

Alice stopped and turned fully to me. "Look Bella, you're coming. And you can't talk your way out of this."

I gave up. I had nothing left. Not against the two of them. Edward would make it seem as if Alice was the only one that could manipulate people but it was very hard to say no to him, even outside of work.

"Fine," I sighed. I didn't have much of a choice now.

"I'm serious. You can't talk your way out of it, because I already told my parents you were coming."

I gasped.

Alice fluttered away giggling and Edward smiled in the back ground.

"Alice!" I growled and chased after the little demon child.

I talked to Jacob as I packed my stuff for tomorrow. We were leaving in the late morning around ten. I had to admit that just the thought of tommorow had made me squimish for the past week. I was trying to understand how it had come to this.

"This really sucks. I was really looking forward to seeing you this weekend." Jacob moaned.

"I know Jake, but Christmas isn't that far away." I tried to sound encouraging.

"Yeah,yeah."

"I miss you too Jake but you're going to have to be a big boy about this." I laughed.

I heard him scowl over the phone.

"Don't play with me Bells,"

I stared at the check list that Alice had given me. It was almost as if it was some cryptic code because I was having a hard dechipering the piece of paper. Knowing Alice this was exactly what she wanted.

"Okay three pair of jeans," I uttered to myself having figured out what the three shapes were. I knew for a fact that Alice could draw better than this. I turned to my closet. It had surprised me when she handed me the paper without inviting herself over to do it for me and I would have let her because I hated packing, even if it was only for four days. Probably both the best and worst four days of my life. I was leaning more towards embrassing.

"So tell me again why you're not going?" I asked Jacob.

He huffed. "Yeah right, as if I could survive a five day cruise with a bunch of old folks. No harm intentioned. I mean Charlie's cool."

"None taken, believe me," I voiced placing the three pairs of folded jeans in the suitcase. I glanced at the next item on the list and set out to retrieve it. It was an easy one, at least the easiest so far. Socks.

"Are you sure you're okay going to this place tomorrow though. You sounded a little freaked out when you called me last week."

"Yeah I think I'll be fine. I'm just visiting my friends house." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince.

"Okay but try not to break anything." He laughed. It was sound that I missed.

"I think I can handle myself." I noted.

"Sure sure,"

Talking to Jacob helped me forget how neverous I was for tomorrow, I hadn't realized how much I had missed him and how disappointed I was that I wasn't going to see him over the holidays. It was late before I hung up the phone.

I groaned at the sunlight that was beaming in my eyes and I rolled over to block it out. I didn't want to wake up just yet. Unknowingly I glanced at my clock.

9:54

I closed my eyes to go back to sleep and it was about five seconds before I opened them again, staring at the luminating numbers for a moment trying to make sure that my mind wasn't playnig tricks on me. It was a moment before I acknowlegded that it wasn't.

Shit!

I threw my covers off and jumped from my bed. Well I would have if my foot hadn't gotten caught in the sheet, sending me tumbling out of the bed. It hurt, my knees would be bruised but right now I was late. I can't believe I had over slept. I was so late for work.

I rushed to the bathroom and then stopped. Work?

No, I didn't have work today because I was going to Alice's house this week end.

I breathed a sigh of relief but then I remembered Alice's call that had woken me up briefly after I had fallen asleep.

"Be ready by 10:30 kay,"

Shit. I thought. I was still late. I wasn't really finished packing and I needed to take a shower. I decided to do that first and after I got dressed in a simple brown sweater and jeans, and packed the remaining items. It was about 10:23 when I stood back going over the list I had making sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

"Okay, that's everything." I stated as I zippered the small luggage case and placed it by the door. I skipped breakfast, I didn't have time only grabing a capri sun and draining it. Alice was never late, even though I was never so lucky. I think this was first time I was ready for anything.

I heard a car approaching and I peeked out of the window. That was them alright, no one else owned something so shiny and expensive around here like the silver car that pulled up in front of my building. I smiled. I was actually pretty excited to be meeting Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. I couldn't deny that I was alittle excited to see were Edward Cullen grew up too.

I locked my door behind me and headed outside. Edward emerged from the drivers seat wearing a brown sweater over a tan shirt and dark jeans. He looked like a movie star, slow motion and all. I chuckled to myself.

"What?" he asked as he moved around to the back side of the car.

"We match," I pointed out. He glanced down at himself then back up at me before grinning.

"Yeah I guess we do."

I stopped at the curb, something was different. Wrong, I might say. Quiet. Too quiet.

"Let me get that for you," He stated eyeing my suitcase. I nodded to distracted by what was missing.

He popped the truck and lifted my bag with ease.

That's when it came to me. Why it been so quiet since now. Something wasn't missing. It was someone.

"Where's Alice and Jasper." I asked. He closed the trunk with a thud.

"They drove up last night. Didn't Alice tell you?"

I sighed at the devil. "No she forgot to mention that." I could see her laughing to herself in my head, horns and all. I walked over and opened the front side passenger door.

"I guess it's just you and me," He grinned from the other side. It was getting to be alot of 'just you and me's'

"I guess so," I added more to myself before getting in.

It was dark in the car, even though the sun had decided to show its self today and the soft melody of classical music played in the back ground.

"I hope you don't mind," he stated pulling off.

"No, I like it. Claire de Lune, right?" I looked up at him.

He looked at me surprised. "You know Debussy?"

I smiled shyly. " I only know my favorites. You seem surprised that I know what this is,"

He stared at the road, but I was looking at him.

"Not many people today listen this, it's just very rare that you find someone that does," I nodded and turned away. Of course it was, rare that is but then again I had never been a normal person. I never had fit into the norm. I was always slightly different.

With Edward driving it only took us fours hours to get the small but cute little town of Cazenovia when it should have taken five. Cazenovia was about twenty minutes east of Syracuse. I was in awe at the amount of gorgeous lakes we'd pasted on the way in.

The small town was hidden behind a stream of forest currently wearing the colors of fall, yellow, red and brown. Well some of them. Most of the leaves already covered the ground so it wouldn't be long before they too were gone and snow covered the ground. I found it amazingly romantic in a non romantic way as we drove through a long winding road under a canopy of trees. We'd already passed through the town and were heading to the Cullen house just outside of Cazenovia. Even the town had a romantic name. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a white house, flashing in between the trees and realized that the long road we'd turned down had been the drive way.

It was beautiful house, amazing in fact. It had to be the work of Esme because I had never seen a house made of white stone before. It was designed after a castle, Edward had stated on our drive up. Esme had visited England's country side nine years ago and fell in love with a mansion that once belonged to a very powerful nobleman back in the Victorian era. It took one year to complete.

It was well worth it, I noted as Edward stopped and parked the car in the driveway that circled a large fountain in the front. The front door flew open just as I pulled myself out of the car. Edward was getting our things from the trunk and Alice was running towards me.

"Bella," She yelled just before she dove into my arms. She knocked me back against the car.

"Oof," That would buise too.

"You're finally here. I've been waiting for you," She turned her big eyes up at me. She'd seen me just yesterday. But I smiled. Then frowned.

"Why did you leave without telling me," I asked. The light in her eyes died and she stepped back.

"Sorry about that. I was just ready to get here that 's all." For some reason I didn't believe her. That may have been the truth but it wasn't the whole truth. But I couldn't be upset for ever, especially when I wasn't upset at all. I sighed and straightened.

"Why didn't you just say so," I stated shifting my purse from the crook of my elbow, to my shoulder where I tucked it under my arm. Alice smiled and turned back toward the house. I watched as a women not much taller than me leaned up to hug Edward. It was safe to say that by the back pat and kiss to the forehead that was Esme, Edward's mother for all intents and purposes. I smiled at them. I was oddly reassuring that this man, this perfect man was human, that was he was actually real and not a figment of my wild imagination.

"Come," Alice called taking my hand. She lead me forward to where Esme turned to me.

"Bella," her eyes brightened. I smiled.

"Hello," I stated shyly.

She pulled me into hug. "It so nice to finally meet you," She pulled back. "I've heard so many things about you."

"All good I hope," I chuckled.

"Most of them," She winked and I felt as if she was trying to hint something to me.

"Bella, this Carlisle. My father." Edward stated from beside me now.

I turned and froze.

This man was no father. Much too beautiful. Nothing like any father I had ever seen. He made it worst when he smiled. I understood now that every single one of them was gorgeous in their own way. They made up the perfect family. I wondered what highschool had been like for them.

"Bella, it's trully is a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand. I blinked and finally began to breathe again. Blood rushed to my face, surely I was caught staring.

I gave a hesitated laugh as I shook his hand and nodded. I couldn't speak.

"You were right," I heard Esme whisper up to her son. "She is cute when she does that," My head snapped over to Edward and he was grinning childishly. My face heated up again.

"Okay why don't we finish up the introductions inside. It's quite chilly out here," Carlisle stated and moved aside to let us by. I followed Alice into the large house which was even prettier on the inside. It literally thought my breath away.

Just the foyer was large enough to fit another room inside, but the first thing you noticed was the chandelier of crystals right handing from the high roof that was also the roof to the second floor. It hung over a round stone table that held fresh cut roses in a crystal vase. You could tell they were fresh but the sweet aroma they produced.

There was a winding stairs case to the right, next to an arch way that led to what appeared to be a dining room but it was much too large to be sure. The table could fit at least fifteen persons.

To my right was the den, or living room. I wasn't sure. It looked like a picture of a magazine. The floors in every room was a deep cherry wood and it went amazingly with white color of the couches.

"Amazing," I whispered.

I turned to Esme. "It's beautiful."

She smiled. She glanced around. "I guess I chould take the credit for this." Her eyes resettled on me. "Thank you."

"I know that it was a long drive and you would like sometime to freshen up." Carlisle added. I nodded.

"Edward would you?" Edward nodded at his father and turned to me. He grabbed our stuff and the two bags seemed weightless in his arms. I followed him up the stairs, and wondered if I should remove my shoes so that I didn't dirty up the white carpet that lined the staircase but I realized that Edward hadn't bothered. He led me down two hall ways and I hadn't imagined that house was this big. He took me on a mini tour, naming what was being each door as we went along. Carlisle's Office, Esme's studio, Alice's room, the music room, and the library. We went full circle and stopped at the last room on one hall. I'd lost count.

He opened the door and dropped his stuff near the door.

Can we say cliff hanger? lol. I have to admit that I love Alice in this chapter more than usual. Not really sure why when she's just a devious as she's been but hey, what can I say? Anyways I hoped you liked it. Review please.