[Edward]

I was disgusted with myself. The look in Elizabeth's eyes, the way I reacted… I shouldn't have done it. But those thoughts caught me completely by surprise… no, they weren't thoughts. More like memories, flashbacks of my time with Bella. I had no idea of how Elizabeth could see them, but every one of them was a stab to my heart. I just wanted to make the pain stop… and I ended up injuring an already injured girl.

I considered running some more and go hunting down some mountain lions – anything to stop thinking of the fear in her eyes, of the sound of her cast breaking – but I changed my mind at the last second. There was a place I had always wanted to see and I never got a chance to. Someone else there deserved to hear my apologies, even if they arrived more than forty years late.

***

Bella was buried next to her father. I couldn't even imagine what it had been like for Charlie to lose his beloved child when she was so young. But he never blamed my little sister for that, like Jacob did. Jacob… just thinking of him made my blood boil in the veins. He betrayed Bella, he had a child with another woman while he was still married to her, and treated his daughter like she meant nothing to him. I hoped not to face him during our stay there, or I wouldn't have responded of my actions.

"You deserved so much better, my love," I said, kneeling in front of her grave so to look directly at her smiling picture. "From me, from the father of your children, from everyone else. I thought I was protecting you… if just I had known how much pain my choices would cause to everyone… your amazing daughter brought happiness back to Jasper's life, and he doesn't blame me for Alice's death… but I do. I'll always feel responsible for your unhappiness and her death. I hope you'll forgive me, one day."

"I think she already did."

I turned my head. A few feet from me, there was Elizabeth.

[Elizabeth]

I couldn't stand to be in that house all by myself. Too much silence, and I had the impression every wall was silently judging me unworthy of living in the Swan residence. Not that I felt at home, anyway. I took my jacket and the camera before realizing that I was in no condition of taking pictures with my casted arm. Habits are hard to crack, I suppose.

I kept replaying in my head what had happened with Edward, and every time I felt guiltier than the time before. Once I even took my phone in the hand, ready to dial Mick's number.

My eyes filled with tears, and I let them flow down my face. My fault. My best friend. My grandmother. It was all my fault. If only Gabriel hadn't played with me and just killed me the night we met…

How I ended up near the graveyard, I don't know. Lost in my thoughts, I was walking without a clear direction, and every time I saw something I had already seen in my visions I turned my heels and went somewhere else. Funny, cause after what had happened , that was the only place I was actually dreading to find. Bella Swan's ultimate home.

And my curiosity kicked in again… I just didn't know I was going to get more than what I expected.

***

I was surprised to see Edward there. Then I chastised myself. Of course he was going to be there, you idiot girl. You just pushed your visions of Bella into his head!

I was going to leave, when I heard Edward speaking.

"You deserved so much better, my love. From me, from the father of your children, from everyone else. I thought I was protecting you… if just I had known how much pain my choices would cause to everyone… your amazing daughter brought happiness back to Jasper's life, and he doesn't blame me for Alice's death… but I do. I'll always feel responsible for your unhappiness and her death. I hope you'll forgive me, one day."

I felt thunderstruck. I spent months fighting Edward, certain that there was no way in hell he could understand me or what I had been through. Truth was that his armor was just one thousand times better than mine… and here in Forks, he was just as vulnerable and broken as I was.

"I think she already did," I whispered, knowing he would hear me anyway. Edward turned his head and looked straight at me. I lowered my eyes, even if I was sure he had already noticed they were swollen and red. Truth was… I didn't know what to expect now. I couldn't keep Edward at a distance, not after what I had heard.

I heard him getting up from the ground and coming closer. Oh God. I would've given anything to have the strength to turn and run away. No walls, nothing to shield me with… could I really do it?

"Why are you here?"

"No idea. I… got out of the house and started walking."

"You shouldn't have."

Usually I would've replied with a snarky comment, instead I just sighed and looked straight at him.

"You're right. I shouldn't have. I'm so sorry," I said, hoping he would realize I wasn't talking about my stroll in the woods. And he did.

"As am I," he replied, and the burden I felt on my heart disappeared. He was looking at my cast, and I immediately said that no, it wasn't a big deal, just a hairline fracture and that there was nothing to worry about.

"Are you sure of that? Maybe we should go to the hospital."

"No need. Besides… Plenty of experience with broken bones and casts, remember?"

"Anyway, we better go now… you didn't take your meds before coming out, right?"

"Didn't even cross my mind. I might need a painkiller or two now…" I said, massaging my sore shoulder.

I was feeling the burning desire to kill myself. That conversation was… embarrassing. We were both feeling guilty towards each other, and being a mind-reader and all he was probably very much aware of my musings about him. If I didn't know how to relate to him anymore, it was as clear as the sun that neither did he.

We both felt immensely relieved when Bella showed up there.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to rest?" she said to me with a smile. I exchanged a quick look with Edward. Bella didn't have to know what had happened between us.

"You know me, I can't just lie in a bed and do nothing," I said with a smile, but Bella was Bella: reading between the lines was what she did best. I saw her eyeing suspiciously my cast, not fooled for a second by the lame excuse I tried to sell to justify the damage, but for some reason she didn't say a word. She was probably more interested in the place where she found the two of us.

"I wanted to visit my mother… seems like we all had the same idea at the same time."

Bella's smile vanished from her face while saying that, and both Edward and I knew there could be only a reason for that change.

"It didn't go well, right?"

Bella sighed. "I shouldn't ever come here. I thought I was over my father and what happened… but I'm not. A part of me never left this place."

I got closer to my friend and put one hand on her shoulder. "Bella, I can take care of myself. You're not obliged to…"

"Nice try, but you're not getting rid of me that easily. Besides… the 'problem' Dave mentioned to me is serious. People have died, and unless I don't find a way to make the ghost cross over, other people will die. I can't walk away from that."

I barely restrained myself from telling her – shouting, actually – that she was too selfless for her own good, and judging from Edward's expression, he was sharing my thoughts… in more ways than one.

He sighed.

"And there's nothing I could say or do to make you change your mind."

"Nope," Bella replied with a smile. "But you could make yourself useful and take Elizabeth home," she continued, looking straight at me. "Am I wrong or your meds have worn off by now?"

I was going to deny it, but unfortunately my head was killing me and so was my shoulder. The mere idea of getting painkillers sounded really, really nice… and funny, judging from Edward's giggle. I glared at him and hit Edward in the arm, but it was a just pale imitation of my usual behavior. Really, the wall went down so fast and so unexpectedly, I couldn't believe Bella hadn't already called off my bluff. Or Edward's. I couldn't even imagine how much upset she was, for not noticing something so clear.

I nodded, telling Bella that I needed painkillers and a little rest, and before I could protest Edward took me in his arms. He murmured a salute at Bella, and then he started to run at the speed of… well, I couldn't tell for sure, but he sure was running fast. I closed my eyes tightly and held onto him; before I realized it, we were already home.

At that point, I just wanted to go back to bed and sleep some more.

"In a moment, ok? You should first take your meds," Edward replied. I realized I didn't care anymore if he stayed out of my head or not. Whatever.

"No. Take me upstairs first. Please."

"As you wish," he said, carrying me on the stairs. He helped me lie down on the bed, and made sure I was comfortable before going downstairs to take the meds. We didn't say a word during all of this. We were trying desperately to ignore the elephant in the room, so I decided to bring up the only topic we could discuss to get out of that embarrassing situation.

"I don't care what she says. If the situation gets worse, you have to keep Bella from hurting herself."

"And you think she'll let me? Not even Jasper can do it, and he's her husband," he said, sitting on the bed.

"I hate being unable to do anything for her."

"Stay out of trouble, that'll do."

"Be grateful I'm just too bruised to hit you," I said, swallowing the pills with a big gulp of water. Edward chuckled.

"The elephant in the room, huh?"

Oh God.

"Please," I groaned. "I don't have the strength for this."

"I just wanted to say that is as every bit as weird for me as it is for you."

"I really don't think so."

I was used to being on my own, counting on myself and keeping everyone at a distance. I wasn't used to feeling so vulnerable and exposed…

"You're wrong," he said.

"Really? What do you know about that?"

"More than you think."

[Edward]

I sighed. Elizabeth was sure I couldn't understand what she was feeling, but she hadn't been the only one to hide behind a wall. Sure, I had Bella, and the rest of my family, but inside of me I thought that no one would've ever understood how I felt inside. Losing Bella, and knowing it had been entirely my fault, destroyed me. But leaving my family again... I couldn't do that to them again, could I? So I faked it, built thick walls between myself and the world, so that no one would keep worrying for me and my wellbeing. I wanted to be alone, but since I couldn't go away, I decided I would settle for the next best thing. They would let me be if they thought I was finally back to my old self, and so it happened.

And all it took for my armor to shatter was the look in Elizabeth's eyes when I met her at the graveyard. For the first time in years, I felt like someone could look inside of me, past the lies, the walls I built. For the first time in years, I couldn't lie or pretend to be something I wasn't.

And the shocking news was that Elizabeth was every bit as broken as I was. I could see it in her eyes, and hear it in the thoughts Elizabeth was no longer trying so fiercely to hide from me. She was confused and scared by that sudden revelation that could change everything. We had caught a glimpse of this after Gabriel's attack, but we managed to go back to our normality. Now… it was impossible. I had seen too much, and I couldn't watch Elizabeth the same way as before anymore.

Damn it.

"I'll let you rest now," I said, getting up from her bed. Elizabeth sank into her pillows and hugged herself, holding the covers tightly around her body. My mind couldn't conciliate yet the Elizabeth in that bed with the fiery half-gypsy teenager I fought against for months.

"Wait."

I turned, and I saw Elizabeth looking extremely conflicted. She wanted me to go… but she also wanted me to stay.

"Listen… I'm sorry. I don't know how to deal with this. The only one I ever let in was Mick. And Bella…but she was a total surprise. I'm not ready for trusting someone else at that level, Edward, not now."

Even if I know I should, she completed in her mind.

"I'll wait, them," I said with a little smile. I wasn't ready to be that open with someone either. But we certainly did a step forward that day. Who would've ever thought, judging from the way we met and related to each other since day one.

I made sure she had everything she needed, and then I went downstairs. I was trying not to go all crazy overprotective brother on Bella (that was usually Emmett's role, and he was really good at that), but I ended up calling her anyway.

"Edward, stop worrying!"

I chuckled and sat on the couch.

"Sorry, still one of your big brothers, I suppose. Where are you?"

"In the forest, I'm coming home."

"What happened at the reservation? The truth, little girl."

I could hear her grumbling from the other end of the line. She hated to be called that.

"The truth? In a nutshell: Dave's eight-month-pregnant girlfriend committed suicide when she discovered he had imprinted on another girl, no one other than her best friend. My brother sort of went crazy after my father remarried, confessed to Jacob he had really tried to kill me and set our house in the forest in fire for some reason. He died in the fire. Jacob is the new Alpha, and now he's all sorry about the way he treated me when I was alive. I basically told him to go scr…"

"Stop right there, I get the idea."

"Listen… I mean it. I wanna do this. The way I left Dave… I owe it to him. Besides…"

"Besides what?"

"I have a little sister. Faith. She's ungifted, no wolf gene or other crazy stuff. She reminds me of me. Just… happier."

I felt something in her voice that made me desire to be right next to her, and give her a hug. Jacob had another daughter, a daughter he loved and cared about. That had to be the hardest part for Bella to see.

"Listen, I'm not coming home right now, I feel like hunting a couple of deer. Or a mountain lion, maybe… I'll be quick, promise. Then you can go hunting too, if you like."

"Ok. Take care, sis."

I was going to end the call, when I realized Bella didn't hang up. She was perfectly silent, but still there.

"Bella?"

"What? No 'Oh my God, Elizabeth's a bitch, I can't stand her anymore'? No begging me to come home? What did I miss? I've been away less than two hours!"

"You missed nothing."

"Like hell I didn't. What happened?"

"Good hunting, Bella," I said and ended the call. Not the smartest move when Bella was involved, but I honestly didn't know what to tell her.

[Bella]

I stared at the phone in my hand with an outraged expression on my face. Did my brother just hang up on me? Without giving me a proper answer? Oh, I was so going to get him for that!

But after my brain would start connecting again. Elizabeth and Edward on friendly speaking terms? Really? How did that happen? And why the world wasn't ending?

I chuckled. Everything was so crazy at the moment!

Anyway, I got on with my plan and began running in the woods, trying to stay away from the border as much as I could. Too many bad memories there. Maybe it was because of that, that I ended up to the old Cullen mansion… or at least to what was left of it. It was painful to look at, and I was grateful Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Emmett would never see it. I didn't hope to keep Edward from coming here, but I could try.

To everyone else, it was a mystery why Charlie set the house in fire, but not to me. Taking away everything I loved was the thing he did best. He had started with my father, and ended up with the house where I lived the happiest moment of my life.

"Well, well, well. Look at what has decided to make a comeback."

I looked at my right without turning. That voice, the tone… just one person in the world talked to me like that.

"And hello to you too, big brother. People who die when dominated by anger and hate tend to remain attached to the place where they died. Guess you weren't expecting that."

Charlie vanished, just to reappear in front of me, all dark and menacing. Maybe he was trying to frighten me… but it was definitely not working.

"Please. I've seen scarier ghosts than you."

"You shouldn't have come back."

"Dave asked nicely. I'm looking at the troublemaker in this very moment, right? No need to keep looking."

Charlie laughed at me. "Oh, if the mighty ghost whisperer says so, it must be true!"

"Why all those men? Why now? Why the woods and First Beach?"

"It's for me to know and for you to find out. I would never spoil your fun..."

"Go to Hell."

"I don't want to. I don't want to go anywhere! I'm bulletproof now. I can do whatever I want. I'm a god."

"I will find the truth, Charlie. And once the cause of your staying behind disappears… you'll be forced to move on. Tell me everything now, or things will get ugly. I promise."

He laughed at my face.

"You should've stayed dead," Charlie said, and he disappeared in front of my eyes.

I hid my face in my hands. Of all things that could've happened… Really, I wasn't expecting Charlie, even if now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense. But his hate was focused on the tribe that had banned him and on his family. There was no link with the dead men, or First Beach… Maybe I was wrong, the ghosts were more than one. So, who was the other? Who had enough reasons to stay behind and cause so much pain, beside my brother?

Charlie was right, it was for him to know and for me to find out.

I just hoped no one else would end up dead in the meanwhile.