A/N Wow I can't believe somebody might actually be reading the third chapter. I don't care who you are or where you're from, but you're my hero!

Twilight doesn't belong to me, so excuse me while I go cry about it. In the meantime, enjoy the least sad addition to the story so far.

Chapter 3 – EPOV

I sat in my room until sun light began to seep out from the eastern horizon. I changed clothes and grabbed my latest style notebook bag for school. My notebook computer was significantly larger than the ones most students used now a days. I enjoyed the throwback look, and Alice scoffed at me. She hated when I wore clothes or used technology that was behind the times.

Jasper was more than happy to oblige her in using only the latest tools and gadgets. He had become such a technology buff, I doubted Chase Hilton himself, heir to the Hilton hotel chain and most prominent technological genius in the world, could match Jasper's computer wit.

I walked downstairs to find Alice and Jasper locked in one of their silent discussions, starring into each other's eyes with matching expressions of worry. They both seemed apprehensive, but they were each doing their best to hide their thoughts from me, never a good sign. Alice was translating a fashion magazine she had read this morning to Japanese. Translating was always an indicator that Alice was hiding something big. Jasper was focusing the workings of the latest Notebook XTP. The laser technology in this one would allow for full color holograms of the keyboard, mouse, and items from web searches. I was impressed, that was technology which wouldn't be made known to the public for another decade or two.

"Jasper, Alice?" I questioned. They seemed surprised to see me. "What's wrong, what have I missed?"

Jasper's mind remained preoccupied with computer details as he answered, "Nothing Edward, we're simply waiting for everyone else to come downstairs before we go to school."

Alice, however, slipped and I got a tiniest glimpse of what she was worrying about. It was a picture of Bella, again. She was in a hospital room, one that seemed much more modern than the ones which were around when she was alive. I groaned. Her memories of my love tormented me.

Jasper looked quizzically at Alice. She sheepishly apologized, "I'm sorry Edward. I'm trying not to think about it." I heard the pain in her voice and I knew I couldn't be mad at her.

"It's okay Alice, I understand." I said quietly. I felt a wave of calm and tranquility pass over my body and I tried again to smile at Jasper in gratitude. He was already holding Alice's tiny hand. It seemed as though Alice was the one in need of his talent today.

I meandered outside in the general direction of the garage. I wanted to give them a little privacy. I heard Emmett and Rosalie from the second floor getting ready for school. Emmett was finishing the final level of a new video game and he was thinking about challenging Jasper after school. It was a military strategy game, so Emmett had decided his only chance at beating Jasper would be to memorize all the tricks to the game anyway.

I heard Rosalie's silent approval of her outfit and hair before she turned to make sure Emmett was dressed up to her standards. "Emmett, honey, please tell me you are not wearing that to school," she scolded.

"What?" he asked innocently. I couldn't find anything wrong with his outfit either. "I thought this was in the approved category?"

"Emmett, that was nearly eight years ago. How do you still even have this outfit? I thought Alice got rid of all your old fashioned clothes. Do you want people to think we are from a different time period?"

Emmett laughed wickedly. "What Alice doesn't know won't hurt her."

From the first floor I heard Alice answer him, "There isn't too much Alice doesn't know, Emmett," she chuckled, "Now go change and get rid of those clothes before Rose burns them with you still wearing them!"

I saw Emmett scowl through Rosalie's mind, "You know for someone so small, she's awfully annoying." And now it was my turn to laugh, how often I had said those exact words I couldn't count, but it was just funny hearing Emmett say them in current context. It felt good to laugh. I hadn't laughed in such a long time I was surprised I even remembered how. The sound of my laugh shocked them all. It wasn't the most joyous, light-hearted laugh in the world, but it was a rarity from me. Soon all four of them were laughing and I ran the rest of the way to the garage and started up my brand new Volvo. Carlisle's car was already gone, so I assumed he and Esme must have left already for their shift at the hospital.

I drove my car around to the front of the house and silently waited for the four of them to pile in. Emmett was dressed in a new outfit, one which apparently blended better with the current fashion. I honestly couldn't see the difference, but I caught his eye with a smirk as he grabbed the front passenger seat.

School was as boring as ever at Glen Ellyn Hills High School. Nobody questioned our long absences from school anymore, and nobody even tried to talk to me. For that much I was glad, contact with humans still reminded me of Bella occasionally. There wasn't much that didn't, but I preferred being aloof and not having to listen to their trite thoughts.

The institution of school hadn't really made any dramatic changes in the last fifty years. We now each had to bring a laptop everyday instead of books and notebooks. Texts were downloaded onto our hard drives and lectures appeared on our screens from our teacher everyday. Sometimes we watched lectures from more qualified instructors or professors on our laptops in class instead of listening to clueless educators drone on about a subject they knew nothing about. I applauded the school's efforts to give students the best chance at learning something possible, but it was still incredibly boring to me because there was a one in a million chance that I would learn something new, something I had never heard before.

By the end of the school day, my slightly better than horrible mood had not lifted and I was not quite as incorrigible toward my siblings as I had been in the not so distant past. Because they are such supportive, caring siblings, they were delighted, and I was grateful to have them. "Let's go visit Carlisle and Esme today," I suggested, "We haven't done that in a while, I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

I was met with a chorus of agreement in all of my siblings' thoughts and words.

"That's a great idea!" trilled Alice, the ever excited pixie vampire, I'd love to see Esme working with the children, I bet she's so happy.

I don't see any harm that can come from visiting them. "Why not," said Rosalie, with almost a hint of enthusiasm.

Wow, your emotions are nearly tolerable today Edward, what's gotten in to you? "Best idea you've had in ages there Edward," said Jasper with a grin, Alice will enjoy seeing Esme with the children from the cancer ward.

Yes! A chance to embarrass Carlisle and Esme in their place of employment! "Yes a chance to embarrass Carlisle and Esme in their place of employment!" exclaimed Emmett happily. I'll have to wait until later to challenge Jasper with that game, but it's worth it. "Jasper I'm taking you down in a game of World Domination 3 when we get back to the house, just so it's known."

Jasper and I rolled our eyes in sync. As a Confederate army veteran, Jasper was a brilliant military strategist. To combine military strategy with technology in a way that can only be accomplished with a video game would be Jasper's specialty to an extreme. Emmett clearly had no idea what he was getting himself into.

I pulled into the hospital visitors section and parked in a spot near the back entrance to the building which housed Carlisle's office. I logged my information into the parking lot voice activated tracking system. We made our way to Carlisle's office, but were disappointed to find it empty. "Hey are you guys here to see Dr. Cullen?" called one of the nurses from across the hall. My, oh my, what do we have here? These must me his adopted children. So the whole family is made up of supermodels, figures I guess.

"Yes, ma'am," I said politely, "Maybe you can help us? Do you know where he is right now?"

Well, honey, I would be glad to help you with anything you could possibly need, for instance a back rub, or a date, or a—Maureen, get a hold of yourself girl, he's still in high school for crying out loud. The cliché thoughts she had didn't even faze me. This Maureen was almost thirty years old and I was old enough to be her ancient ancestor, I wondered what she would think about that age difference. "Dr. Cullen is actually in surgery at the moment, you're welcome to wait here until he comes back though if you'd like. There's a nurse's lounge right down the hall with coffee and a vending machine," and I would be glad to keep a close eye on you, she thought wryly.

"That's alright Ms. Lancaster," I read her nametag smoothly, "We'll just go visit our mother, she's a nurse in the cancer ward. Would you mind telling Dr. Cullen we stopped by if you run into him?"

"Sure, not a problem," she said sweetly anything to get a chance to talk with the gorgeous Dr. Cullen, "See you later!" hopefully, hopefully, hopefully she chanted to herself as we walked away. Rosalie looked utterly bored with the encounter. Female nurses were completely useless to her; the male ones however she found could be a little more entertaining. They were very useful in annoying Emmett, an ever intriguing endeavor. She always allowed them to flatter her and make them think they stood a chance while Emmett had to control his fury and not break the human into tiny pieces.

The nurse in the cancer ward informed us that Esme was on the floor below us just talking with a few of the patients. Of course she was, that was so typical Esme. I smiled to myself thinking about my loving mother. We made our way to the second floor and I heard the tenor of children's thoughts begin to fill my mind. Many of them were nervous about all the equipment surrounding their beds, and most of them were thinking about their parents if not talking with them. Esme was nowhere to be seen, but I picked up a few of her thoughts coming from the end of the hall. She was reading to a small boy while his parents were out of the hospital today. He knew they would be back in a few hours, but he was scared that the doctor might make him go through the loud machine without them there. The poor, poor dear, thought Esme kindly. Without warning, her thoughts turned to a scene eerily familiar to the one I saw in Alice's mind this morning, of Bella in a hospital room. I inhaled sharply and started walking toward the room where Esme sat reading to the small boy.

"She's down almost to the end of the hall, reading," I said remotely. Why did everyone in my family have to think about and imagine such painful things? The smell of blood and humans was a constant presence in a hospital; it hardly bothered me as I led my family toward Esme's room.

"Reading?" asked Rosalie finally, "Why?" Shouldn't she be taking care of the children or bringing them dinner?

"Rose, it's not even four o'clock. It's much too early for humans to eat dinner," I responded, still lost in other thoughts, "Esme's reading to a little boy who's lonely because his parents are not here right now."

"Oh," she said thoughtfully, That's sweet. So Esme. And then she was sad. Esme would've been a great mother. I wonder if I would've been as good a mother as Esme. I guess I'll never know.

"Rose?" asked Jasper, picking up on her sadness. "You okay?"

"Rosie, what is it?" asked Emmett, concern filling him completely. He loved Rosalie more than anything in the universe and sometimes it was really sweet to see how he cared.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about the children and," she paused as if deciding whether to admit this last part, "Their mothers." Her face fell a little, and Emmett had stopped and wrapped her in a bear hug.

"Aw Rosie, I'm so sorry." Emmett was well aware of Rosalie's desire to be a mother, and his heart broke because he knew he could never give her that gift.

"Emmett, stop. It's fine," she said firmly. I felt sad for Rosalie for once, rather than just sad for myself and my own situation. I had been so selfish these past fifty three years. My family needed me, and all I did was ignore them. I gave Rose a tentative smile which she returned and we began to continue our journey to the end of the hall at a maddeningly slow human pace. A young girl, probably about eleven or twelve peeked out one of the rooms close to the end. She looked at us conspiratorially.

"Have you seen Nurse Esme or Dr. Minor out here?" she asked. I gotta get back to my room on the fourth floor before anybody finds out I'm gone, she thought.

I smiled warmly at her, and her heart faltered. Wow he's so beautiful, and his bronze hair and golden eyes look like the boy Rachel described in her dream. Now that thought was rather interesting. I had heard a lot of thoughts and first impressions of me. Every word from "aloof" to "runway model" had been used to describe me on first sight, but never before had I been described as the subject of somebody's dream. I was dumbfounded and I couldn't remember that I was supposed to be answering a question. Luckily Alice responded quickly enough so that the girl didn't notice my pause.

"Nope, coast is clear!" she said with her birdlike voice.

"Cool, thanks!" said the little girl. She opened the door wider to run out toward the staircase, but as the air from the room flooded my face, I smelt the sweetest blood I had ever sensed in my entire life, again. There was almost a floral tinge to it, and strawberries. I froze and waited for the door to swing shut. I felt the shock of my family members as well, so they must have smelled it too. They were speechless, even in their own minds.

I tried to listen for thoughts coming out of the room the little girl had just left, but I heard nothing but silence. The name on the door read "Rachel Meyer". Rachel was the name of the girl who had dreams about somebody who looked like me. What if this Rachel girl was somehow connected to Bella? A distant relative maybe, but that didn't make any sense why would she have dreams about somebody who looked like me. My mind was whirling and before I could stop myself I had opened the door to Rachel's room and stepped inside. My family remained standing completely still just outside the door. None of them tried to stop me. Alice was revisiting the two memories which had caused me so much pain before, but I didn't care.

I stepped into the room and let the door close behind me. What I saw almost sent an electric shot through my heart. It was a teenage girl, perhaps sixteen or seventeen with long brown hair and a heart shaped face. Her eyes were closed but her breathing was not steady enough for her to be asleep. As if the heavens were answering my prayer to hear her voice, she spoke. "Christy, I told you already. You have to go back to your room, I have some testing tonight and I'm going to have to get some sleep. We can hang out more tomorrow when I'm done. Besides your mom is going to be looking for you if she gets back before you."

She didn't even open her eyes once during her whole little speech. My heart felt like it had started beating again. Now all that was left were the eyes, I had to see them to know for sure, so I spoke, the only thing that made sense in the world, "Bella?"

That worked, her eyes shot open almost faster than a vampire's. And there they were. Those warm chocolate eyes, deeper than any brown eyes in the world. I probably would have passed out if it was possible, but what was happening now was even less possible than a vampire losing consciousness. Bella was here, she was alive! But why was she in a Chicago hospital? She looked confused to say the least and her confusion turned to recognition, which faded back to confusion once again. "What did you call me?" she asked softly.

I chuckled, Bella was nothing if not curious, and she always had an infinite number of questions. "Your name," I answered automatically, "Bella, Isabella Marie Swan." I searched in vain for her thoughts. I could hear nothing and the prospect was somewhat exciting to me, reaffirming the fact that this was Bella sitting in front of me.

"Oh," she looked disappointed, "I think you have me confused with somebody else, my name is Rachel, Rachel Meyer."

Now it was my turn to be confused. How could this not be Bella? It looked just like her, it smelled just like her, it sounded just like her, especially since I couldn't hear her mind, and I had to assume the girl in front of me would feel just like her as well. I decided against testing that last one, I didn't want to scare the poor girl.

"Oh," I repeated, trying to hide my own disappointment, "Maybe you're right, it's been a long time since I last saw Bella, I could have sworn it was you." I turned to leave, the turmoil I was feeling right now threatened to overtake my entire being. Could this be Bella? She said she wasn't, but physically she is. How can this be happening?

"Wait," she called, a little desperately. I spun around as slowly as I could stand so I wouldn't frighten her further, and looked into her eyes once again, like a blind man receiving a one day opportunity to see the world. She held my gaze, and I saw the questions in her eyes, but I also saw recognition. She knew me, I was sure of it.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

She considered for a moment then finally replied, "No, I have no idea," my dead heart fell a little, and I turned for the door again, "But I dream about you almost every night!" she continued, "And I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure that if you left me right now, and I never saw you again, my heart would be broken."

With those words, my world was turned upside down yet again. I didn't know whether this was Bella or not, but I knew one thing for sure. There was no way I was going to take the chance at breaking Bella's heart, again.

"I'll never leave you again," I said softly, and she smiled. It was one of the happiest smiles I had ever seen, and I wore one to match. At that moment, Esme burst through the door to the room with a tortured expression on her face. "Rachel, honey, try to get some sleep, your tests begin in a few hours. I'll show your visitor out." Oh Edward, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for you to find out this way. She just got here yesterday from some hospital in downtown Chicago. I don't know what to say!

"Thanks Esme," said Rachel, or Bella, or whoever she was, "I'll try to get some sleep," now she turned to me, the recognition on her face the dominant feature "Don't forget about me, Edward" she stated so calmly, adding the name I hadn't yet disclosed to her, as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"I couldn't if I tried, Bella," I said her name too quietly for human ears, and Esme was flabbergasted.

"Come on Edward, let me show you out," Edward I think we need to talk.

I followed her out with the most blissful smile on my face I had worn in over fifty years. If I died right then, the most physically painful death known to mankind, I would still be one of the happiest creatures, man or monster in the world. My love was alive, sort of, and she remembered my name!