A/N: Okay, so you can blame College Criminal Justice homework, my term paper, the gym, school in general, and a little procrastination for the long wait. I just hope it's worth it!

Enjoy!

Permanent

EPOV

"Hey, honey," Esme said, walking down to Bella's truck as Bella opened my door. She had already gotten my chair out and Esme had just gotten over the shock of me coming home with someone other than the others. You could tell she was still unsure, but willing to play along.

"Who's your friend, Edward?" she asked as Bella helped me into my chair. I draped my arm across her shoulders and she put one arm around my waist while the other went under my knees. Alice popped out of nowhere and pushed my foot rests down, placing my feet on them just as Bella set me down. I turned to Esme at the same time she did.

I'm Isabella Swan, but you can just call me Bella, she signed. I heard Esme gasp as she finally caught sight of Bella's eyes. She collected herself just enough to shake Bella's outstretched hand.

"I'm Esme, Edward's mother. I'm afraid I haven't learned sign language, so I'm not sure what you just said, dear," she said looking like she could have blushed. I chuckled.

"She said her name is Isabella Swan, but you can just call her Bella," I said. Esme looked at me thankfully before turning back to Bella.

"Bella…That's a beautiful name, dear. Did you two meet at school today?" she asked. Both Bella and I nodded, causing her to laugh.

"Well, I guess I got my answer," she said, just as Carlisle came up and put a hand on her waist. I saw the calculating look in his eyes and gave him a look. He smiled sheepishly, knowing he was caught.

"Bella," Esme continued, not noticing our exchange, "this is my husband, Carlisle. This is Edward's new friend from school, Carlisle." Bella tilted her head in greeting before offering her hand to him. He shook it, but didn't let go.

"Bella, I hope you don't mind my asking-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"Carlisle, I'm sure Bella has somewhere to be instead of here satisfying your curiosity," I said sharply. Bella took one of my hands in her free one and squeezed it, effectively calming me slightly. She waved him on as I looked away, already thinking of the numerous questions he could ask that could offend her. I felt a wave of calm and glared at Jasper, who smirked and shrugged.

"As I was saying, it looks like you are partially blind. Is that the case?" He was still looking at her eyes in that usually uncomfortable way, with his face really close to hers, but she didn't seem to mind. Or she didn't realize it. She nodded and I watched as his eyes widened. He stood straight and slowly let go of her hand.

"And…what about the signing?" he said softly, apparently guessing that this might be a danger zone. She just smiled and signed with her free hand.

Ever since I changed, I haven't talked. Every time I tried, nothing would happen. So, I just sign now, she said. I translated for them and Esme gasped again. But it was Alice who broke the somber mood.

"Oh, my God! You haven't talked for that long? I couldn't go without talking for as long as I've been changed! It would be horrible!" she babbled.

"Alice!" I hissed. She abruptly stopped and threw her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. Bella just squeezes my hand again like it's no big deal.

She's right, it is hard. Not a lot of people take the time to learn sign language so they can talk to me, or know it already. They either talk to me like I'm an idiot, or don't talk to me at all, Bella signed. I repeated it and everyone's faces grew sad. She just shrugged it off and turned to me.

Are you all set? She asked.

"I just need my bag," I said. She leaned into the truck and grabbed my bag where it had somehow fallen behind her seat. I took it from her and set it on my lap. She moved towards the driver's side and waved at me.

"Where are you going, dear?" Esme asked. Bella looked at her and shrugged. I turned to translate, but she put a finger in my face, a slightly annoyed look in her eyes. I just smiled sheepishly and turned away.

"What do you mean, you don't know where you're going? Do you have somewhere?" she asked cocking her head to the side. Bella shrugged again, hesitantly shaking her head.

I just go into the woods. That's why there the cap over the bed of the truck. I keep all of my stuff in there, she signed. I blanched.

"You're living in your truck?" I asked. She looked down at her feet and nodded, one hand holding the driver's side door. Esme walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, that just won't do. I won't force you, but you can stay here, if you want. We have an extra bedroom that you can put your things in and you can come and go as you please. Doesn't that sound better, dear?" she said softly, trying to persuade her. It seemed like she got over her speculation.

Bella looked up at her, indecision on her face. I thought I saw something in her eyes, but it was a quick flash. Like something wild…

"It's completely up to you, dear. It would just make me feel better to know you had somewhere to go instead of being stuck outside all by yourself," Esme said, pulling out the caring-mother card.

Bella glanced at me and I shrugged, hoping she could tell what I did. I really didn't want to influence her in any way. She seemed happy living the way she was, but that might have just been from my point of view. If she was anything like me, more than I could tell already, she would be really good at hiding her feelings in public. My glitch was that they didn't stay hidden. She never seemed anything but happy, except for that time with Tanya today.

She turned back to Esme, decision in her eyes. She nodded and Esme's face broke out into a huge smile. She wrapped her arms around Bella, whose eyes widened slightly before she relaxed into Esme's embrace. I smiled at her and she smiled back, resting her head on Esme's shoulder.

She leaned back after a few moments and took a single step back, still facing Esme. She put both of her hands on her chest, one over the other, and then, in one fluid motion, moved her hands so her palms were facing up and her hands moved out towards Esme.

Thank you.

She smiled softly, tears filling her eyes. Esme smiled back, not needing my translation. She hugged her again, not letting go as quickly as before. Bella buried her face in Esme's shoulder as silent sobs wracked her body. Esme turned her head, not letting go of her.

"Emmett, Jasper, will you bring her things to the guest room, please?" she asked. They nodded and Bella pulled away slightly, looking at me.

It's just my stuff in the back and my backpack. That's all I have, she signed, her hand shaking slightly.

I told them what she said and they nodded, Jasper taking her pack and Emmett opening the back of the truck. Carlisle opened the driver's side door and slowly set Bella down on the side so she could compose herself. She sat there shaking her head and laughing uncomfortably, sniffing and swiping at her eyes.

I'm sorry, I usually don't break down like this, she said.

I just shook my head and stopped right in front of her, my knees lightly bumping into hers. She smiled, but didn't meet my gaze. I placed my hand on her knee and squeezed. She took my hand and kept it in hers, playing with my fingers as she continued to sniff. She took a deep breath before looking at me, smiling slightly.

Thank you, Edward, she signed with one hand.

"No problem, Bella. Come on. I'll show you your room," I said, gently tugging as I turned myself around with my free hand. She smiled again and nodded.

I put her hand on the handle of my chair just behind my left shoulder and slowly moved forward, letting her know I was moving. We followed the rest of my family into the house, me moving up the three step ramp while Bella pushed me up from behind. I could tell she was trying not to be too obvious that she was helping, but I could tell. I still appreciated the gesture, though.

We went down the hall, going past the closed door to my room, and entered the guest room. The walls were a bright sky blue, Esme deciding to make it themed. The wall behind the headboard had a mural of a sunny meadow, the only trees located far off in the distance. The grass seemed to wave in an invisible breeze as I stared at the painting, imagining whether a place like that could really exist. The bedspread was a soft blue, just a shade darker than the walls. The ceiling had been painted with different shades of blue, silver-lined clouds randomly showing here and there.

Bella walked in front of me, her eyes searching for something they couldn't see. She would stare at some piece of furniture, trying to find out what it was, but would quickly move on to the next, slowly making her way around the room.

Can you tell me what these are? She signed, pointing to something on top of her dresser. I wheeled over, not being able to see what it was. I stopped beside her to find that she was pointing to some knick knacks Esme had recently bought, announcing that the room was finally finished with their addition. They were three small figurines, a different kind of creature on a small glass orb.

"They're just some figurines Esme bought, trying to finish her decorating," I said. She turned to me, waiting for me to continue, with one of them gently resting in her palm.

"This one," I said, reaching up to the top of the dresser, "is a fox." She waved for me to continue.

"It's got a red tint to it, and it's sitting down with its tail draped over its feet. In the ridge of its back, there's a small red stone. It shows on both sides," I said, putting it back. I took down the next one, turning it over in my hands.

"This one has a dragon on it. It's standing up, but all four of its feet are on the glass. There's small spikes lining its back, and they're gold. It looks like it has armor on because of the gold on it. The wings have holes in them, and they have a violet coloring to them. It's got a small purple stone right in the middle of its chest. It's tail loops around and the tip almost touches the glass." I put that one back before turning myself towards her.

"And then this one," I said motioning towards her hands. "This is a wolf. It's standing in an attack position with its teeth bared. The hair on its back is standing up and they tinted it a soft blue. Its tail is arched up over its back, and," I paused, bringing her hands down to where I could see, "there's a blue stone in this one's back, too." She moved the figure to her right hand and signed with her left.

What about its eyes? She asked. I took it from her and turned it so I could see the face.

"There's nothing there. Just black, like they couldn't get a brush to paint in there." I saw her face fall. "It's a really small hole, Bella. I'm sure they would have painted it if they could," I said, not knowing if that was what was even bothering her. She shook her head.

It's not that, she signed again. Don't worry about it. It's nothing.

I wasn't convinced, but I didn't press her. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when I moved away. I heard her put the figure back down, but I didn't notice her come up behind me until she put her hand on my shoulder.

I had stopped right in front of the antique hope chest Esme had bought, looking at the delicate carvings in the wood. Small animals, flowers, and trees adorned all of the sides, creating a scene that could be found in the meadow her room created. I ran my hand along the lid, but didn't open it, instead explaining what it was to Bella.

"Esme found this chest at an antique store. It's got all these carvings on it, animals and trees and flowers. She thought it matched the mural on your wall, so she bought it." I looked up at her and she nodded, her head tilted slightly to one side, her gaze locked on the lid.

What's in it? She asked with the hand that wasn't perched on my shoulder. I shrugged, knowing she would feel it.

Can we open it? I shrugged again.

"I don't see why not. Esme never said anything, but none of us really came in here," I said, reaching under the lid to lift it up. Bella's hand left my shoulder as she moved to help me.

"Edward? Bella?" Esme called. Her head peaked around into the room and both Bella and I took our hands away, like children caught doing something wrong. She just smiled softly and came in, kneeling down next to me and facing the chest.

"I was wondering when you would get curious about this," she sighed.

"I- I didn't- You didn't- We just-" I babbled. She laughed softly, shaking her head.

"It's okay, Edward. It's not a secret. Just something I was waiting on you to find before I brought it up," she said, her hand moving slowly over the lid, caressing it.

"This has something to do with me?" I asked, hesitating. She nodded. I saw Bella shift from foot to foot uncomfortably and turned to her.

I'm going to have a look around outside, okay? She said.

"Bella, you don't have to go-" She shook her head rapidly, and I stopped.

No, this is none of my business. I'll be back later. I looked at her questioningly, forgetting she couldn't see me. I took her hand and squeezed it.

Don't worry, she signed with her free hand. I'll come back. She smiled before gently pulling her hand from my grasp. She walked out the door, just barely missing running her shoulder into it. I felt Esme's hand rest on my shoulder and turned back to her.

"Don't worry about her, dear. From what I can tell, this is all very new to her. It doesn't seem like she's been with anyone of her own kind for quite a while, or at all since she's changed. Just give her some time," she said softly. I nodded slowly.

"She just told me not to worry about her, too." Esme laughed.

"Well, back to the mysterious contents of this chest. I have to warn you, though, dear, it's going to bring up some things you may not want to think about just yet. And I don't want you thinking anything bad about us. We just thought they would be nice to have once you healed somewhat," she said, looking at me pleadingly.

I nodded once, but wasn't sure what it was she was talking about. She nodded back, looking like she was trying to convince herself of something, but I didn't comment. She turned around and sighed, opening the chest but moving herself so she was right in my line of sight. She turned to look at me before bowing her head and scooting over. I leaned over the side and felt my eyes widen and flood with old tears.

They must have gone to my house after the accident, because this chest was filled with things I remembered from my home. Covering much of the items was my baby blanket. My mother had been obsessed with anything that concerned me, since I was her only son. She had kept it in her pillow case as soon as I stopped needing it. I picked it up and held it in my hands like it would either disappear or fall apart if I did something wrong. I brought it to my face to find that it still smelled like her.

I carefully laid it across my lap and looked in the chest again. There were a whole bunch of little things, ornaments that had been in my room or the living room. Even my parent's bedroom. There were photos all over in there, like they had been carefully arranged with the items they were related to being right next to, or under them. The envelopes had years on them, but only significant ones. Every single birthday was in that chest, ten or more photos showing just how much I changed from one year to the next. I moved some of them aside, trying to see what was near the bottom, and let out an almost silent whimper of pain.

My parent's wedding picture was in there, capturing one of the two happiest moments of their lives. My mother's brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, stray curls falling on her arm. Her green eyes sparkled with life and happiness, mirroring the same feeling in my father's brown ones. His bronze mop, similar to my own, had managed to fall just above his eyes, threatening to cover them. They were holding hands and looked to be on the verge of breaking out in hysterics at how formal they were supposed to be. That was something Edward and Elizabeth never were my entire life. They were never serious unless they had to be, letting me do what I wanted so I would earn not to do it again if it was bad.

I felt something wet land on my arm and jerked. I hadn't even felt the tears falling down my face. Esme placed her arms around me, letting me lean into her shoulder. I shook my head once before leaning over the side again, and picking up a frame. My chest convulsed as I looked upon my smiling family.

The picture had been taken right before the crash. My dad had put me in a headlock right before the camera took the picture. Mom had set it up on the table on the porch so that it would take the picture after a certain amount of time. She was laughing as my dad rubbed his knuckles on my head and I tried to twist myself from his grasp. I was glaring at him as he looked down at me fully concentrating on not letting me go. My mom was clutching her sides as she tried not to fall over laughing. We had been so excited about the trip to Port Angeles. We just never ended up there.

I felt the frame start sliding from my grasp, but I couldn't get my hand to close around it. I just sat there as it fell to the floor, Esme catching it before it broke. She was about to set it back in the chest, but I unconsciously made a noise of protest, causing her to stop. She looked at me before setting it on top of my blanket in my lap. She closed the chest, putting everything but the blanket and the two pictures back inside.

"Alice had a vision after Carlisle became your doctor. It was you living here with us. We thought it might be good for you to have a few things from before, but we can get rid of them if you want," she said softly. I shook my head slowly, the tears still streaming down my face. She nodded and put her hand on my knee.

"You want to go back to your room?" she asked. I nodded, my constricted throat not allowing me to speak, my body tense and convulsing from the sobs I was holding in.

She moved behind my chair and pushed me to my room. She stopped, not knowing where I wanted to go. I pushed myself over to my bed, my arms shaking and making it harder to go straight. I lined myself up with my nightstand and set the frames up on it, doing it slowly so they wouldn't fall off. I put my blanket on my bed before trying to push myself up on it, failing as my arms gave out under my weight. Esme went to lift me, and I didn't protest. She set me down and I rolled over so I was facing the wall, the blanket clutched to my chest. I heard her close my door before my sobs ripped from my chest.

BPOV

Is this the moment where I look you in the eye?

Forgive my broken promise

That you'll never see me cry.

I knew Edward had wanted me to stay with him, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that it was something he needed to see on his own. That it had to do with something I knew nothing about, so it was none of my business.

I was running back to the house when I felt it. Someone's overwhelming grief. I opened the door slowly, not wanted to alert anyone to what I was feeling. I walked down the hall to my room when I heard him, my heart feeling like it was being pulled out of my chest.

And everything, it will surely change,

Even if I tell you I won't go away today,

Will you think that you're all alone

When no one's there to hold your hand?

Edward was crying.

His cries shook my very soul, bringing out the same level of grief I had once experienced. And I came to one conclusion as I stood outside his door.

And all you know seems so far away,

And everything is temporary,

Rest your head,

I'm permanent

I wouldn't leave him alone like I was. I would comfort him, give him what I needed when I felt loss.

I opened his door, not bothering to be quiet even though the door was silent. I closed it behind me and walked over to where his form was, just barely visible to me in the dusk of his room.

I know he's living in hell every single day

And so I ask oh God is there some way for me to take his place?

And when they say it's all touch and go,

I wish I could make it go away,

But still you say,

I saw just enough of him to watch as he convulsed as he lay there, his sobs becoming silent as they grew worse. A loud wail ripped from his chest and he wrapped his arms around himself unable to draw his legs up. He was trying to keep himself together…

Will you think that you're all alone

When no one's there to hold your hand?

When all you know seems so far away,

And everything is temporary,

Rest your head,

I'm permanent.

I'm permanent.

I brushed the back of my hand along his forehead soothingly. His body reduced itself to trembling until I moved my hand away. His shot out and caught my wrist, the lighting of his room slowing down my reaction.

Is this the moment I look you in the eye?

I paused, but he didn't let go. I took a step closer to the head of the bed and he moved with me, keeping my arm so I could only walk closer unless I pulled myself from his grasp. I glanced over to the couch I had been planning on pulling over next to the bed, but knew he would start up again if I made him let go. I knew I would have.

Forgive my promise,

That you'll never see me cry…

I climbed up on his bed and lay down on my back next to him. He immediately turned over and buried his face in my shirt, wrapping his arms around me. I felt his tears soak into my shirt, but I didn't complain. I ran my fingers through his hair and his trembling slowed, as did his breathing.

He fell asleep with his face in my chest, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and a tear in his hair, not of his own making…

A/N: So? Was it worth the extremely long wait? I CANNOT apologize enough for that…

If you read closely at the end, you'll see a little info about Bella. Not about her past, just something she can do even as a vampire. Her powers will be exposed soon enough, but not in this chapter! Maybe one in the next one…I'll have to see how everything falls…

Oh! Anyone who has a Facebook account, look me up! The link is in my profile! Don't be shy! Just tell me you're from Fanfiction, and I'll know.

I think that's about it. Thank you to the whopping 6 people who voted on my poll. And the song is Permanent by David Cook. Really sad…

Please review! I love getting alerts, but reviews are even better! I have a day off Tuesday, so if I get…8 reviews before then, I'll work on a chapter and try to get it up then.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!