Ryan Hale

Bella and Edward were both waiting when I got home.

In fact, everyone was there. Carlisle and Esme were present, which was a surprise because they had been staying in a nearby town to avoid drawing attention to our large number. Alice and Jasper had also come, although they had been living in Europe in the months prior. The presence of all of these older, more superior vampires worried me. Bella was obviously worried, and although the kind hearted person she was inside would never do it, I worried that Edward would use this as a show of power they had over me. Carefully, I examined the expressions of everyone in the room, trying to detect what was wrong, what had scared Bella.

Carlisle had his diplomatic face on, hinting that we might have to discuss something. Carlisle's eyes betrayed some mild surprise, but it was more than under control. Carlisle also looked particularly welcoming to me, which I took as a sign that he was trying to convince me that he wouldn't turn on me. Esme looked concerned, and although she was looking at me, she seemed focused on Bella and Edward. Her concern was directed at all three of us.

Emmett and Rosalie were both sitting down around the kitchen table, watching me like hawks did their prey. Emmett looked confused, for the most part. I wondered if he knew anything more about what was going on than I did. Rosalie, on the other hand, obviously had very strong emotions about what had happened. Her face was twisted into a scowl, and it reminded me of her reaction when I had first joined the family. I hoped that her words were not as harsh as they had been on that night.

Jasper and Alice were sitting on the couch in the conjoined living room. Jasper's face was carefully expressionless, and he was sending out calming waves. They seemed concentrated on Bella. Alice was a bit easier to read, looking anxious, and the only one not looking at me, instead focusing all of her energy on Bella. Doubtlessly, she was worried for her best friend. She was doing the same thing as Esme, but their expressions were very different.

Finally, there was Bella and Edward. Bella looked as worried as she had on the phone, if not more worried. If she were still human, I wouldn't have been surprised to see her faint. Her eyes were on me, but I couldn't detect any strong emotions in my direction. Anxiety filled her familiarly butterscotch eyes, and it made me wonder even more why I was there. Edward, on the other hand, was staring at me furiously. I wasn't sure if it was for doing something wrong, or simply because Bella was upset.

"What were you thinking!" Rosalie yelled, shattering the tense silence that had taken hold of the room. In the middle of speaking the words, she jumped from her chair, coming up to meet me at the door. A human would have had trouble seeing her movements, while I saw her perfectly. The anger in her eyes flared even stronger than before, and the scowl only grew more pronounced as the seconds after her outburst passed. No one spoke, to come to my rescue or to agree with Rosalie.

"Lets get the story straight first," Carlisle said after a few moments, and I felt Jasper's calming waves become stronger. To my good fortune, Rosalie seemed more affected by Jasper than I was, considering I still felt as tense as before, if not worse. Turning her scowl on Jasper, she made Rosalie way back to the kitchen table, sitting beside Emmett. I saw Emmett try to comfort her, but it didn't bother me that he seemed to be having very little success. Carlisle seemed ready to explain the whole thing to me.

"As I understand it, you have no idea what's going on here, Ryan." At my nod, Carlisle continued. "You are the only one here who did not know Bella as a human, so I would like to review a few things. Bella lived in Phoenix until she was seventeen, when she made the decision to come to Forks and live with her father, Charlie. In Phoenix, her mother, Renee Dwyer, and her husband and Bella's stepfather, Phil Dwyer. Renee and Phil were unaware of Bella's transformation into a vampire, and before she could successfully cover her tracks, Renee made a surprise visit to the university Bella was meant to be attending. When she was unable to find Bella, she realized that her daughter was gone, and there was nothing to do to stop the spread of information from there. The disappearance of Isabella Cullen remains unsolved to this day, but thankfully the search has stopped.

"A few days ago, Bella tried to look in on her mother, and make sure that she was still all right. However, Bella found the house she had once lived in empty, and asked Rosalie and Emmett to help her find out where Renee and Phil had gone. It was then that we discovered Renee's life after Bella's disappearance, and that she had in fact had a second daughter with Phil, Lily. Subsequently, we found out that Renee passed away recently, and that Phil had been committed to an asylum. When Rosalie and Emmett heard the name of the second daughter, even before finding that she had been sent to live in Forks, they realized she had been sent to live in Forks."

I cursed myself under my breath, realizing the stupidity of the mistake I had made. Of course Rosalie had told Bella and Edward that I had almost killed Bella's sister! That was why Bella, who barely knew me, reacting so anxiously when around me. That was why Edward was acting even more protective of Bella than usual, and obviously furious with me. That was why Rosalie had nearly attacked me when I had first arrived. I had done the unthinkable; I had come close to murdering Bella's family, and by extension I had come close to murdering my own family.

"I had no idea that she was your sister…" I said meekly to Bella, pleading with my heart that she would some day forgive me. "I never would have taken that risk if I didn't think she was in trouble. She had just had a run in with some jerks at school, and I didn't want to see her walk home alone in the rain while she was still recovering. It didn't occur to me that the air flow would be so cut off, that I might even be the slightest bit tempted—"

"That doesn't matter," Rosalie snapped, cutting me short. Anger still flared in her eyes, and once again I was shocked to think that she and Bella often spoke of a time where they dislike one another. Rosalie was defending Bella and her family just as fiercely as she would defend Emmett if she had to. This was the true bond of a family; one that I could never hope to be a part of. "You're already too well acquainted with Lily Dwyer, and we can't risk you hurting her. We're going to have to leave Forks once and for all."

Guilt washed over me at the thought of that. This was the town where Edward and Bella had first met, the place where Bella had finally become a part of their family. It was unfair for a stupid mistake on my part to take away all the pleasure that came from spending time there. "You shouldn't have to leave… I could stay away from her. Tell her to leave me alone. We would barely see each other, maybe an idle passing in the hallway. She'd be completely safe."

"Yes, because ignoring the girl worked so well last time," Emmett grumbled quietly, but Rosalie quickly elbowed him in the ribs, silencing him. Even for a vampire, a hit that hard would cause some effect.

"There is one alternative," Edward said, speaking for the first time. His voice was carefully controlled, and I could see in his eyes that he in no way wanted to be speaking to me right then. "I spoke it over with Bella before we arrived, and she agreed that she would feel that Lily's safety wouldn't be in question if there were only two vampires in the area."

"So I would have to leave," I said quietly.

Edward nodded, and Bella whispered a quiet apology. I ignored them for a few moments, thinking it over. Then, finally, I nodded. "That would be best, I think, for all of us."