A/N: Just a heads up, I am making Carlisle of Scottish descent, I know england etc, blah blah blah. But I wanted to make this Scottish trip a homecoming them pulling back to his first home, a place he really considers home, and somewhere they all have history. Now I could have made this England, yeah sure. But I am fascinated by Scotland, and this just came out of my head, so here you go, sorry if this story is going a little too alternate universe for you. Take care and I hope you enjoy. Also Are the disclaimers required? If so I have been forgetting the crap out of them. I don't own the characters blah blah blah. Buy the book and give it as a gift, support the writing of authors like Stephenie who gave us all this fun universe to play in.

We touched down in Scotland and I turned to Alice. "So, Alice I was wondering... Do you speak Scottish?" She began to correct me then she looked up and saw my smile and laughed. Not her normal happy bright laugh that made you feel like the sun was shining just for you, but it was at least something.

I was not arrogant enough to think I had cornered the market on guilt over what happened, and how this worked out, and I missed Alice, this whole flight I agonized over if things were ever going to be happy again. I realized that I was not suffering like Alice was. Carmen's comment about mates, made me realize that. I had lost Edward, but I lost him as a human, and those feelings were nothing compared to the strength of emotion Vampires felt, and the mating instinct in Vampires was the most powerful feelings and emotions they, well now we felt. So I pushed aside my grief to concentrate on my friend.

The door to the airplane opened, and Alice took my hand. "Come on Bella, they left a car for us in long term parking. Instead a scene in the airport Carlisle thought it would be best if we all met up at the estate where we can be open about everything."

I understood the sense in that we would draw way too much attention with the crying and sobbing that I knew at least I was going to be doing when I saw everyone. I thought of Emmett, and how his face was going to be the one that would probably make me saddest. I do not remember a time when I ever saw him without a smile, and a quick smart ass remark.

I just let Alice pull me along to the car. I was lost in my own thoughts. Alice however kept a steady narrative going. "This home has been in Carlisle's family since he was a human. Although he bought it from his relatives them not knowing they were related after world war two. He even has his own family color and pattern of plaid." Alice smiled at me when she told me that. I looked at her inquisitively and she continued. "He has a kilt Bella, imagine Carlisle in a skirt? But of course as handsome as he is he makes it look good. Emmett made fun of him for wearing a skirt once, and Carlisle made all the boys wear one..." She trailed off remembering Jasper obviously. I felt bad now for not just listening in. I was about to say something but Alice cut me off seeing what I was going to say before I said it. "No Bella, It hurts so much to remember, but I need to remember him, I need to remember so that once I am over the sadness of the loss, and have moved past this mis placed guilt that I will be able to remember him."

The car ride was mostly quiet. Alice pointed out the sights as we drove at her usual crazy speed, of course now I was not that bothered by it for some reason, with my new reflexes and senses I could see why it was no problem for her to drive like this. When we turned off onto a private road, Alice jumping out to open an impossibly heavy gate without any effort, then she pulled the car in and closed the gate. We followed the road for a few more minutes when we came over a hill and into a valley with a house, well it looked like a castle, but not a really old style one but the newer kind, with narrow windows and a wall surrounding it. I really can't describe it but it was huge, I would have guessed it had 50 rooms by looking at it. I found out later it had 45 rooms the dining hall and ballroom took up some space after all...

As soon as we pulled up, the rest of the Cullens came out, they were all smiling glad to see us, but the smiles did not reach their eyes. When I got out and came around the car, Rosalie and Esme came over to me and Alice and pulled us into a group hug. Carlisle and Emmett walked over too, and encircled us girls and joined in. We stood like that for several minutes, when we broke apart.

Esme spoke first "Bella, we are so sorry for your loss, and what you have gone through, of course you know we consider you a part of the family, and if you will forgive us for leaving you and allowing Victoria an opening to come and hurt you we would love it if you would stay with us?"

I was a little taken aback, I had not even considered they would blame themselves for this, and what I was going to do but in an instant I knew I wanted to stay with them. "Yes Esme, I would really like that. And I would like to say that Alice and I have already taken all of the blame for everything that has happened, so don't you guys all start too OK? I would like to request we have whatever memorial service we are going to have and then forgive and forget. I was so hurt when you guys all left, you have no idea how much my heart was torn into a million pieces. Then Victoria came and I, well you know I guess without me reliving it. But Alice explained to me how this was Edwards decision and why you all argued against it, but in the end, gave in because that is what a family does, it supports each other, even when they are being dumb. And his argument while it didn't work out that way, it might have, maybe being human would have worked out for me once I was over losing what I thought was the love of my life. But we will never know that. So I will say I love you all, and there is nothing to forgive in my book, it was just a really shitty thing that happened, and we can all grieve together over the two people we all loved who we have lost."

Carlisle stepped up to me and said "Bella, being changed has obviously not taken away your kindness and loving nature. I will be happy to call you one of my daughters, and I speak for everyone when I say we are glad you will stay. And I promise we will never abandon you again. Now I have a video player set up inside Jasper and Edward have recorded some final good byes as we all have over the years. I thought we could watch them then take turns remembering our time with them, and try to focus on being grateful for the time we had with them instead of future time with them that is now denied us."

We gathered around the screen and watched as Edward and Jasper spoke about how grateful they were to have been a part of this family, and hoped that they went quickly and each said if we were watching this that they hoped they were the only ones lost. Most of Jaspers comments were directed at Alice begging her to go on, and while he knew she would never forget him that he hoped she would again open her heart to finding love because she made him feel so loved that he wished that someone else could share that joy and in turn she would be loved since he was not here any longer to show his love for her. Of course she sobbed so hard she cried venom tears, I held her, her head resting on my shoulder.

Carlisle stood up and started. "Edward was of course my first progeny, I changed him, for mainly selfish reasons, and was like a son to me, I raised him and taught him what it meant to be a man, and he made me proud. He was not perfect though, he was stubborn, and pedantic, but he was a good person at heart choosing in the end what he thought was the right thing to do. Jasper, what do I say about Jasper? Jasper was a person who I would not judge by how hard it was for him to refrain from drinking human blood, but that he chose to fight the thirst. I admired Jasper, he was very kind and compassionate, and never, ever refused anyone help. We benefited greatly having Jasper in our lives, and his death is such a tragedy.

Then Esme, Rose and Emmett gave their thoughts. Rosalie started to say something about this All being Edwards fault, and was cut off by Esme, then She just finished by saying the whole rest of her life was going to be easier because of the help Jasper gave her working through her anger issues.

Alice went next. She said that she would miss Edward, and their silent conversations, it gave them a bond she knows she will never have with anyone else, she really felt like he was her real brother, she didn't love him more than Emmett or Rose, but he felt like he was really her brother. But when she tried to speak about Jasper, no words came out. Just his name. She just kept looking around at us wringing her hands, saying "Jasper, Jasper," then finally "What am I going to do? I don't have him any more, he was everything to me!" And she broke down sobbing Esme and Rosalie moved in to hold her while she cried.

Finally it was my turn. Listening to everyone's thoughts I realized something so I started there. "I lost Edward when he left me in that forest, Rosalie started to say it, but it is true, this is all his fault, decisions he made, but for the right reasons, I suppose, except for the idea to go to Italy, he was so stubborn, so so very stubborn. But I can't hate him for what he did, I can't even find anger in my heart, there is nobody to blame for what we have lost. My heart is heavy, and listening to you all describe what you loved best, and how many years you have all been a family, I am humbled, being so young, so new, and made to feel so welcome. I hope in time to know you all so well, and to have you all know me. Jasper, I feel most cheated by not being able to have known him. Rosalie, you and I have not really had a chance to spend much time together, but we now HAVE time, something I don't have for Jasper, and I am so sorry about that. Alice mentioned a cottage a ways from here Carlisle where the two of them spent a lot of time. I have asked Alice to take me there so we can smell them, and she can tell me all about the brother I never got to know. If that is alright with you all?

Everyone agreed. I reached out and took Alice's hand and pulled her to me. And we cried together for another few hours with the whole family sobbing right there with us. Finally I paused to breath and said to Alice, "well without Jasper to help with emotions we are going to have to try to be strong on our own, will you show me that cottage now? I would like you to tell me about Jasper. "

Alice dried her eyes and took several calming breaths. "Alright Bella, let's go." She pulled away from me and hugged each of her family members individually then took off running yelling behind her "Race Ya!"

I thought as I took off after her, how it was not a fair race since I did not know where the finish line was, but I was hot on her heels the whole time. After we had run a few miles we came upon another little valley with a cottage it was very story book. Alice opened the door and walked in and inhaled a deep breath through her nose. "Good I can still smell him"

We sat for days while Alice told me all about Jasper, how kind, and self sacrificing he was and things he had done for her, and how he had helped her learn about her past after James made that video about her past, but the more she talked about Jasper the more I realized he was like me. We would have been great friends. We went hunting a couple of times, and slowly as the days past more and more of Alice came back. She was still missing Jasper, but I could see it was her in there more. She was spending more time with her outfit and make up each new day. And began talking about the shops in London every once in a while, and in between memories of Jasper would talk about the future, and how I needed a new wardrobe, and soon we were laughing together and after one hunting trip when she had let me have the larger of the two stags we had found. I gave her a hug and went to give her a kiss on the cheek when at the same time she turned her head and it accidentally became a kiss on the lips.

I felt a spark! No not like a static electricity spark, but a wow, I wouldn't mind that happening again kind of spark. I looked at her wide eyed and saw her looking back at me wide eyed.

"NO!" She said but she didn't break the hug. "Not you Bella, you are my friend, I never thought of you that way...

I said "Me neither, you are Alice, Edward's sister, not..." I paused trying to get my scrambled brain to work again. "But that felt nice right? I mean I am not sorry I kissed you, you know I love you right Allie?" I didn't know where I got the idea to give Alice a nickname all of a sudden but something has changed, and I don't know what.

"No, Bella, I mean yes, that felt nice, but I have only felt that feeling with one other person, I don't understand how could we, I mean,"

At least I took comfort in the fact that Alice seemed to be as tongue tied as I was over our kiss. But I decided that right now, I was never going to ever let someone else dictate what I was and was not going to have. Edward left me because he decided for me without even taking my feelings into account that I was better off without him. So I leaned forward and said to Alice "Alice I am going to kiss you now, I know you just lost a mate, and it is too soon really but I want to know says who? Edward decided for me what was right and wrong, and I am never letting anyone decide that for me again. So pucker up and give me a kiss. If we both feel what we just did when we kissed accidentally, then we can talk about what it means, and I am not going anywhere, we can take it slow, I will give you as much time as you need." I leaned in and taking her face gently in my hands I kissed her. I was in some kind of shock, I was kissing a girl, I had never done that before, and had never had a kiss as a vampire, kissing Alice felt, a lot different than kissing Edward when I was human.

We broke apart after only a few seconds, but I looked into Alice's eyes to gauge her reaction and she was smiling at me, a smile that was all the way in her eyes. "Bella, do you know why I turned my head the first time when we accidentally kissed?" Alice asked me but not pausing for an answer "I caught a strong whiff of Jaspers scent and followed it with my nose turning my head, into you. Is it crazy to think?"

I laughed. "Well the timing sure was perfect, but the timing is sure bad I don't understand but I do know I love you Alice, you are my best friend, and I don't want us to be a rebound relationship for each other hurting our friendship."

Alice looked off into nothing as she did when she was getting a vision, and she smiled, and while she was getting her vision her smile kept growing and she snapped out of it and looked at me. "Well, unless we are going to be the kind of friends who take bubble bath's together and kiss each other all the time, then my vision is telling me I have just found a new mate, and it also showed me you are going to make Esme very angry in a few days time."

I was still thinking about the bubble bath, picturing That in my head when I heard the part about Esme. "What am I going to do? Does she not approve of, well you know US?" I asked worried, considering Esme was born a while ago, and gay rights were not even an idea, people who were gay lived in secret.

"No Bella, but unfortunately Emmett is going to have a hard time controlling his wisecracks around you about how we both switched teams, and every-time we hold hands or kiss he is going to make some crack about "That's hot" or "Whoo Hoo hot girl on girl action" You love Emmett and his sense of humor, but one time you wait a little too long to hunt and are cranky and Emmett gets to see the newborn rage that you have apparently had little trouble controlling up to this point. And you are going to do structural damage to one wall when you throw Emmett through it." But don't worry Bella, I will be right there when you lose it and will remind you to aim for a window, Esme won't be mad at you then, she will blame Emmett, and he will have to fix it!"

We laughed together at that idea, then decided that we would just agree on how we felt, and being honest was the best thing. We would go over at sunset and talk to the rest of the family and do our coming out. Hopefully this would help everyone to heal, they would not have 2 widows around reminding them of our loss, but a happy couple?

Next Chapter: Coming Out, and Emmett learns the lyrics to "I Believe I can Fly"

A/N: Well, I made myself sad writing this chapter, so I had to turn it around. I had Bella and Alice couple up pretty quickly, hope that wasn't too quick for you all. Instead of a slow process, I was just too bummed out by the memorial service and Alice crying...

Review? Please, You know I write faster when I get reviews, even if you just tell me "MOAR!"