And we meet again. I know it's been like...well forever really since I updated, but as much as I hate to admit it, RL kinda stepped in and left no room for anything else. But as RL has been a bitch this time around, I desperately need to escape it and so here we are...Chapter 13. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

I am dedicating this chapter to my life saving ninja (no really...she saved my life last week), Michelle. I lover you!

Hanging by threads of palest silver
I could have stayed that way forever
Bad blood and ghosts wrapped tight around me
Nothing could ever seem to touch me

I lose what I love most
Did you know I was lost until you found me?

A stroke of luck or a gift from God?
The hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above?
You came to me

"What's your favorite color?" Edward asked. I lifted my head upwards to look at him. We had been playing this game for a few hours now, and at some point during the afternoon I had found myself perched between Edward's legs, my back resting against his chest.

"Uhh…Red. You?" I asked. Edward smiled as he looked down at me.

"Brown," he answered.

"Brown? Ugh, why brown? What a horrid favorite color choice, Edward," I said, scrunching up my nose in distaste.

"Well I happen to disagree. Brown is a wonderful color. It's rich, it's earthy, is complex, and it's the color of your eyes…so yes, brown is definitely my favorite color."

"Suck up," I muttered, causing Edward to laugh. The sound vibrated through his chest and I smiled, reveling in the fact that I was close enough to him to be able to feel it.

"Favorite smell?" he asked.

"You…definitely you," I answered, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"Now who's the suck up?" he said.

We continued on for awhile more, content to just be together and learn about each other. Eventually the sun melted behind the tree-line, painting the sky in reds, oranges and purples.

"I can't believe I haven't seen a sunset here before now. It's so different from Arizona." I sat up, wrapping my arms around my legs and lifting my face to the sky. "Every night I would make a cup of coffee and sit out on the deck…sometimes by myself, sometimes with my mom. Some days we would talk, and some days we just sat in silence. Either way, I never missed a sunset. At least, I didn't until she died. After that…I…I just couldn't bring myself to sit out there."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. And the police…they had no leads?" Edward asked, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.

"No. They…wait. How did you…I never told you about my mother…" I quickly shifted around to look at him. There were only two people who knew what happened…knew the full story. "Alice…" I whispered. Edward looked down, embarrassment clear on his face.

"She tried to hide it, Bella. But you can only keep your thoughts hidden for so long…and my gift isn't something that I can just turn on and off. She really did try…" he answered. I nodded and turned back around. I couldn't image having someone else privy to my private thoughts, or being the one who had to hear them. I could only assume how invasive that must feel…to both parties.

"We should head back. It's getting dark and as you know…the woods can be a very dangerous place at night," Edward suggested, standing up and reaching his hand down for mine.

I reached out and placed my hand in his, pulling myself up. "For some reason…I'm not all that concerned about it," I answered, winking and pulling his towards the edge of the forest.

As we entered into the dense forest, Edward spun me around and instantly I was perched securely against his back as he took off running towards the house.

"Did you two have fun?" Alice asked as we entered the living room. Her eyes traveled down to our joined hands and a soft smile graced her face.

Her question threw me for a moment. Why is she asking? Wasn't she watching? Then the answer hit me. Alice couldn't see me in her visions. My earlier fears about everything Edward and I doing being broadcast across her psychic channel were pointless. God. It must be so hard for her not to see…

"Yes, Alice, we did. Thank you for asking." I smiled softly at her.

"Edward?"

"Yes, Love?"

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked, placing my free hand on his upper arm. If I was going to do what I had been thinking about doing, the time was now.

"Rosalie? Why?" he questioned.

"Please…"

He hesitated a moment before he answered. "She's in the garage, Love."

"Thank you. I'll be right back," I said, slipping my hand from his. Edward leaned down and placed a small kiss on my forehead. I noticed Alice watching the exchange and I gave her a small smile before I turned and headed through the kitchen to the garage.

I stopped at the door that led into the garage and took a deep breath. Slowly twisting the knob, I opened the door and stepped in. The garage was much bigger than I had expected it to be, though I wasn't really surprised. Everything about the Cullen home was larger than expected.

The entire back wall was filled with workbenches, cabinets and toolboxes of varying shapes and sizes. Opposite that wall were double sized bay doors leading out to the driveway. All of the Cullen's cars sat perfectly parked in formation, like soldiers ready for the march. Carlisle's Mercedes was closest to me, followed by Edward's Volvo. An obnoxiously bright yellow Porsche was parked next to the Volvo and somehow I was sure that belonged to Alice. Rosalie's Candy Apple red BMW sat towards the end of the garage, dwarfed in size by a massive sized Jeep. I smirked, knowing that based on size it could only belong to an equally massive sized Cullen; Emmett.

I walked slowly and purposefully towards the end of the garage. I assumed Rose had to be working on either her or Emmett's car. I used the few seconds it took to reach her to gather my thoughts, and my courage.

A jean clad pair of long, thin legs peeked out from underneath the chassis of the Beamer. I watched in awe as Rose fluidly moved underneath the car, the sound of tools clinking and echoing around the garage.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that two more vehicles were hidden behind Emmett's Jeep, both covered with a black cloth cover. One was significantly smaller than the other and I knew instantly it was a motorcycle, though I could not determine who that would belong to as none of the Cullens had ever mentioned owning a bike.

Though the other vehicle was covered as well, I could make out sleek lines and the fact that it sat low to the ground. It had to be some type of sports car and my fingers twitched, itching to peek under the cover. Before I could do so though, a cold, hard voice rang out across the garage.

"Well? What do you want?" Rosalie asked, gently rolling the creeper she was laying on out from under the car. She stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans, looking at me expectantly.

"What are those?" I asked, tilting my head in the direction of the covered vehicles. She looked at me a moment before she sighed.

"The one is Edward's Aston Martin. The other is Jasper's Hayabusa," she answered. "I'm pretty sure you didn't come out here just to chit chat, Bella, so I'll ask again…what do you want?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, desperately wishing I had thought through a little more exactly what it was I had wanted to say. I decided to just be honest and hope for the best. I opened my eyes and inhaled deeply. Here goes nothing, Swan.

"Listen…Rosalie, I um, I wanted to thank you…for what you did for me. I'm sure you felt somewhat obligated to do so, but nevertheless I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you were there," I said sincerely. Rosalie appraised me for a moment; her eyes traveling down my body and back up to meet my eyes.

"Well for the record, I didn't do it for you. I could care less what happens to you, but had I let you die the family and I would have been subjected to Edward's incessant moping and brooding and I really couldn't stand to live with that again. Not to mention that we would be forced to move again, and I'm not ready to pack it up just yet," she answered, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

I had expected her to be cold. I had expected her to brush off my thanks and respond with some backhanded insult. But I had not expected her words to sting as badly as they did. I was well aware that Rosalie wasn't my biggest fan, but to hear just how little my life meant to her hurt. I bit the inside of my lip, hoping that the hurt wasn't evident on my face.

"Well whatever the reason, Rosalie, thank you," I answered tightly. I spun on my heel and made my way back towards the door leading to the house.

"Bella…" Rosalie called, just as my fingers wrapped around the knob. I shifted my body slightly and looked at her from over my shoulder. "You're welcome," she finished, her tone slightly softer than it had been previously.

I gave her a quick nod and opened the door, stepping into the kitchen. As soon as I had pulled the door shut behind me, I leaned my back against it and sighed. Pushing off the door I made my way back into the living room. Alice and Jasper were cuddled in the corner of one of the couches and Edward sat tucked into the corner of the other, running his hand through his hair repeatedly. I walked around the back of the couch and settled myself into the cushion beside him.

"How did it go?" he asked, looking down at me. His eyes were soft and filled with worry. I looked over at Alice and Jasper who both wore matching sympathetic smiles. It was obvious all of them had heard the conversation between Rose and me.

"Just peachy," I answered sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Love," Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I tucked my feet up under me and leaned further into his chest.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I thanked her and now we can move on." I looked up at Edward and smiled.

"Just give it time, Bells," Jasper said.

Edward and I walked hand and hand up the stairs to the bedroom I was staying in. The moon was full and bright and lit the room on its own. We had spent the remainder of the evening playing Twister, which I now knew was a terrible idea when played with a family of vampires. I had been hesitant when Alice had suggested it, given my inability to stay upright on two feet, let alone bent in awkward positions, but yet again my resolve broke when up against Alice's pleading. Surprisingly I had held my own, but was still no match for the unnatural agility and balance of the rest of them.

I walked across the room to my bag and pulled out a pair of short, a tank top and my overnight bag.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and get ready for bed. Will you still be here when I get out?" I asked Edward, clutching my clothes tightly to my chest.

"Do you want me to still be here?" he asked, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him bathed in the moonlight, his eyes dancing. "I'll take that as a yes…"

"Oh shut the hell up," I answered, laughing. "I swear you do that shit on purpose…just to see my reaction." Edward laughed and shrugged.

I turned and entered into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. As I placed my clothes and my bag on the counter, I caught site of my reflection in the mirror. Staring back at me was the same girl; the same chestnut hair, dark eyes and pale skin. Except…she looked happier somehow. The sadness and anger that had once marred my features was softer, less visible. It was still there, permanently etched in my eyes, but just less intense.

Being with Cullens, being with Edward, it had already changed me. Even in such a short time. I could only hope that over time the pain and anger would fade entirely.

When I exited the bathroom a half hour later, Edward was perched on the bed reading. He closed the book softly as I stepped into the room.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Mmm. Much. What are you reading?"

"Oh…um…it's called 'The Social Contract'," he answered, placing the book on the nightstand.

"Ahh…nothing puts you to sleep better than Rousseau." I walked around the foot of the bed and lay down in the empty spot next to him. "Too bad you don't need to sleep though," I added, nudging his shoulder with mine.

He looked over at me incredulously, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to form a sentence.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Just…you…I can't believe…," he stuttered.

"Just spit it out, Cullen. Some of us here aren't mind readers you know," I answered, laughing at the bewildered expression on his face.

"I just… I wouldn't have thought that you would know…or have read Rousseau," he answered, cocking his head to the side as he looked at me.

"Ah, well…I took a Philosophy course at the local college in Phoenix for summer credit," I explained. "You know…it's an interesting read for someone like you," I added, reaching over him to grab the book off the stand. As I did, my chest gently grazed against his and I felt that electric spark flare up. My eyes caught his dark, lustful ones, letting me know he felt it too. I grabbed the book quickly and ungracefully threw myself back onto my side of the bed.

"Someone like me?" Edward asked, breaking the awkward tension.

"Yeah..," I started, flipping quickly through the book until I found the chapter I was looking for. "Someone who believes that he is a soulless, vile monster. Someone who has trouble accepting himself for who he is…as nature made him. Someone who feels he lacks morality simply because of his basic, natural instinct."

"Bella…," he began, but I cut him off, placing my finger over his lips. I quickly looked down at the page and began to read the passage I had been searching for.

"The passage from the state of nature to the civil state produces a very remarkable change in man, by substituting justice for instinct in his conduct, and giving his actions the morality they had formerly lacked. Then only, when the voice of duty takes the place of physical impulses and right of appetite, does man, who so far had considered only himself, find that he is forced to act on different principles, and to consult his reason before listening to his inclinations.

"Although, in this state, he deprives himself of some advantages which he got from nature, he gains in return others so great, his faculties are so stimulated and developed, his ideas so extended, his feelings so ennobled, and his whole soul so uplifted, that, did not the abuses of this new condition often degrade him below that which he left, he would be bound to bless continually the happy moment which took him from it forever, and, instead of a stupid and unimaginative animal, made him an intelligent being and a man."

I closed the book and gently removed my finger from his lips. "So see, Edward. Instead of looking at yourself as a morally corrupt animal, you should see yourself how I see you…a beautiful, compassionate man," I whispered, my gaze locked with his sad, tortured one.

"Except that Rousseau's ideas and philosophies are subjective, Bella. I doubt he took into consideration the nature of vampires when he wrote that," he argued.

I sighed. "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But the underlying point is something you'd be wise to consider, Edward. The self-hatred and torture you inflict upon yourself only serves one purpose…it makes for a very long, very unhappy existence. At least be open to the idea…" I laid the book on the nightstand and leaned back into the pillow.

Silence overwhelmed the room for a few minutes before Edward's soft, sweet voice broke through. "Who knew you could be so smart," he joked, nudging my shoulder the way I had his earlier.

"I have my moments," I answered, smiling as my fingers found their way to clasp my cross. Suddenly a thought hit me and I sat up straight, turning on the light perched on the nightstand. I flipped the cross over and studied the pattern etched in the back, holding it under the lamp and turning it in different directions, trying to see what they saw. Nothing stood out. Nothing there except random etched lines, crisscrossing in insignificant patterns.

"What's the matter?" Edward questioned, his face leaning over my shoulder.

"Earlier…you and Carlisle saw something on my cross. What was it?" I asked, turning my head so I could look at him.

He leaned back into the bed and after a few moment of silence finally asked, "The design for your ankh tattoo…where did you find it? It's not the standard design that most people ink into their flesh. The lines are too complex, the design too intricate."

I stared at him for a moment, confused by his line of questioning. What did my tattoo have to do with my necklace? Finally I decided that the only way to follow his thought process was to answer his question.

"This may sound strange, or maybe not considering I'm sitting here with a mind reading vampire, but….I saw it in a dream. In the dream, it was a tattoo I had on my wrist. So when I woke up the next morning, I sat down to draw it. Which is also strange considering I'm a terrible artist, but when I was done…it was perfect. It looked exactly like it had in my dream. I just knew that I had to get it inked, so I went out that same day and had it done. But…I don't understand what this has to do with my necklace."

"Because, Bella…that ankh? The one you dreamt of, the one you drew…it's exactly identical to the one etched into the back of your cross…"

Chapter title and lyrics courtesy of Garbage (oh yeah...I went old school on this one!)