Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Bella~

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel so I learned to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of song
With nothing on my lips, Hallelujah Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah

Emmett called to tell me that Edward Sr had passed away last weekend from a heart attack. I didn't ask if the prodigal son had come home or not. As far as I had ever heard Edward didn't call his parents on a regular basis and when he did he never had much to say. I knew he never contacted Alice, Rose, Jasper or Emmett. I unfolded myself from the arm chair in my fathers living room and stretched. I noticed what time it was and remembered I was supposed to pick up Alice on my way to walk Lilly home from school. I tightened my belted sweater around my waist and closed the gate to our yard behind me. I walked quickly passed Emmett Mccarty's childhood home and then turned the corner to pass Rose and Jasper Hale's childhood home. The leafs crunched under my shoes. I took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. I stopped at Alice's gate and before I could open it she bounded out of her house.

"Does Lilly know I'm coming with you to get her?" Alice asked me all chipper and bright as usual.

"No. I didn't get a chance to tell her. She's asking a lot of questions."

"About?" Alice wondered. We slowed our pace down a block away from the school.

"Why Mr. Masen's picture was in the paper." Everything was difficult to explain to a seven year old.

"He was a nice old fart." Alice smiled. He really was a nice guy. Even after Edward left he always checked on Lilly and I. He was at every birthday and always came to see her on Christmas day.

"I don't know what to tell her." I said. Alice leaned into me for a moment, "Just tell her that he passed away and leave it at that. She's to young to ask the sort of questions you're worried about." Alice was right of course. She was barely ever wrong. Not that I'd ever tell her that. We walked up the sidewalk to Forks Elementary and waited for the bell to sound.

"Are you going to the funeral?" Alice asked me. I had thought about it over and over but couldn't decide.

"I was thinking about it. I don't know if it's a good idea." I reasoned with myself that if Edward hadn't been home in seven years what were the odds he'd come home now. If I were him I'd be worried about the back lash from his best selling book. Since it's release the Fork's Senior High class of two thousand and one had been scandalized. Especially our closets friends. We all had some explaining to do when the book came out and Edward made all our teenage sins public knowledge. Like what really happened to the Hale's family van. Also I had to explain to my father that Edward didn't spend the night every night but a lot of nights. I was so lucky I was over eighteen and already a parent when Edward laid all our business on the table. I was more then sure that the character Stella Vaughn was a direct reflection of his memory of me.

"Will Jake mind if you go? He's weird about you being around the Masen's." Jake was my first and last attempt at dating since Edward. I didn't start dating until two years ago and now things with Jake were so comfortable I didn't see a reason to end it. It was just comfortable. I didn't feel fire on my skin when he touched me and I definitely didn't see a future with him.

"I don't know. We sent flowers from the coffee house. Isn't that enough?" I asked already knowing what her answer would be.

"No. we basically grew up in their house. It's almost rude if we don't go." Alice informed me. I looked up at the autumn sky and tried to ignore her reasoning.

"Are Jasper and Emmett going?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded her head, "Rose can't though because she's working. Black's is staying open so people can go get a beer after the service." I took a deep breath and blew it out.

"I don't have a sitter for Lilly." I informed her.

"You are going to have to do so much better then that. You know your dad will watch her for you."

"Fine. I'll go and I'll see if my dad will watch Lilly." I gave up. Alice always won and this was no exception. The bell rang and I straightened up into 'mommy mode' as Alice called it. It was something I had gotten so good at over the years. If Lilly was present I was almost always smiling. I never wanted to give her a reason to worry. When you're a parent you don't get the luxury of wallowing in self pity over trivial things. I promised myself when Lilly was born I would be the best mother I could be and to me that meant always putting her first. My baby ran out the doors, her reddish brown pigtails bouncing on the sides of her head. I had let her pick out her own clothes today so she went to school in a green cable knit sweater and a black and green plaid skirt with neon yellow tights.. I chuckled again at her bright green cowboy boots.

"Your kid has SO much style." Alice remarked. I elbowed her in the ribs. Alice squatted down and Lilly ran to her with a giant smile on her tiny face.

"Aunt Alice! Aunt Alice!" she cried.

"I love those boots kid. Where can we get some for me?" she asked Lilly. Alice tickled her a little bit and Lilly giggled. I stood patiently waiting for my daughters affection.

"You're little Aunt Alli, you can borrow mine!" she squealed with delight.

"Well that's good to know. One more pair of shoes I can keep off my credit card." Alice kissed her forehead gently and smiled. I couldn't of asked for a better god mother to my daughter. She had been right there with me through all of it. She even came in the delivery room with me when Charlie couldn't take it. Rose on my left, Alice on my right. The way it was supposed to be. The way I hoped it would be forever.

"Do I get some snuggles too?" I asked in a mock whine. Lilly leaned over out of Alice's arms and let me take her. I held my baby close and listened intently while she told us all about her day.

The next morning I checked myself in the mirror one more time. I was thinner then I was seven years ago. I hadn't gotten my hair trimmed or done anything to it in years. I decided I looked worse for the wear and put on some extra cover up and foundation.

"Mommy? Why are you dressed all pretty?" Lilly asked me from my bed. I looked down at my sensible black dress and black heels. If my kid thought this was pretty then maybe she didn't have as much style as Alice claimed.

"I have to go to a grown up thing today. You're going to stay with Grandpa." I informed her. Lilly's eyes looked sad instead of happy. Usually if I told her she got to stay home alone with my dad she was over the moon.

"Mommy I know Mr. Masen died. It's sad." I walked over to my bed and pulled her up into my lap. I kissed her temple running my fingers into her soft hair.

"I know it's sad. He's in a better place though. We just have to remember he was a nice man and he loved you very much." I told her. It was the best that I could do.

"He loved us very much. Remember, you and me is a package deal." I stroked her hair gently and smiled. She really was my whole world. Nothing could compare to being with her.

"You and me for always baby." I reminded her. Charlie called her down to breakfast and I grimaced hoping he had made her toaster waffles and not tried to cook her something himself.

Edward~

Well, maybe there's a God above
But all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
And it's no complaint you hear tonight
It's not some pilgrim who's seen the light
It's a cold and broken Hallelujah- Hallelujah Jeff Buckley

People weren't trying to make conversation with me and for that I was grateful. Mostly it was a muffled I'm sorry or other condolences. My mother was doing so much better then I ever expected. Her eyes were swollen and red but she was doing her best to hold her head up and greet people as they arrived. I knew it shouldn't of felt weird for me to be there but it was. I hadn't set foot in this town until my father was dieing and everyone knew it. I felt their eyes on me when they greeted my mother. I knew what they were thinking. They all thought I was a selfish bastard and I was inclined to agree with them. I hadn't seen any of my old friends yet. I wasn't even sure they would come. I was half scared to go out into town for fear of running into one of them. In a town this small it was bound to happen eventually. "Edward? Edward Masen?" the voice was low and rough. I turned immediately and recognized Emmett Mccarty.

"Emmett. Oh my god you haven't changed a bit." it was cliché but it was all I had. I stuck out my hand, he shook it. I had to smile when he smiled because you couldn't not smile at Emmett. No matter what the situation his smile was infectious.

"I'm really sorry about your dad." He said.

"Thank you for coming." I noticed his left hand ring finger while I was staring at my shoes.

"You got married?" I asked him. He beamed with pride and looked down at his left hand.

"Yeah Rosie and I got hitched six months ago. She's sorry she couldn't make it. She had to work." I wanted to ask him about Bella. Why did my father say her name on his death bed? What did he want to tell me?

"Well I'm very glad you came and I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk under better circumstances."

I told him.

"How long are you staying?" Emmett wondered.

"Just until after the burial. I have to start a book tour in a week." I sounded like a pompous ass. Yes a book tour was more important than helping my mother sort out my fathers affairs.

"Some one found their way home." her voice was high and sickly sweet. It could only be one person.

"Alice. Thank you for coming." She nodded curtly and went to go sit down. She was still so tiny. The word petite didn't cover it. What she lacked in size she always made up for in enthusiasm or spite. It depended on the situation.

"She wasn't happy about the book.....and well the other thing." he advised me.

"I gathered a lot of people aren't happy with the book. What was the other thing?" Emmett's mouth gaped,

"You are seriously asking me that?" What else could he be talking about?

"How about the way you rode out of town on your white fucking horse and never thought about who you were destroying?" I whipped around and saw Jasper Whitlock. I stuck my hand out to him but he brushed past me to greet my mother. He took a seat next to Alice and put his arm over the back of her chair. Growing up Jasper was my right hand man. So many times we had covered one another's asses. We had dreams of becoming doctors and opening a medical practice here in town. When I left and never came back I didn't think about what it was doing to him. I didn't think about what it was doing to anyone.

"God I really did a number around here didn't I?" I said to myself.

"Hey a books a book right? I appreciate you letting me off easy man. Bella and Jasper had it way worse then I did." He slapped my shoulder and sat down with my old friends. I wanted to go sit with them. I wanted it to be seven years ago, I wanted to play chess with my dad again and eat my mom's horrible tasting tuna noodle casserole on Friday night so I could go to the football game after dinner. I had to accept that those days were gone. I walked sheepishly over to my mother and helped her to her seat. It was time to say goodbye to dad.

Bella~

I was late. So freaking late. The breakfast Dad had cooked for Lilly wasn't even close to edible. So I made them both something which had made me incredibly late. I ran as gracefully as I could into the funeral home scanning the room for my friends. Bless them for sitting in the back row! I quietly walked over to them and took my seat between Jasper and Alice.

"Where the hell were you?" Alice whispered.

"Charlie tried to cook. I couldn't let Lilly eat it." I pulled my sunglasses off and shoved them in my purse. Reverend Webber was speaking about Edward Sr.'s many virtues and what he had given to the community. I tried to listen and not scan the room for his only son. I told myself over and over on the drive that this wasn't about Edward. It was about a sweet old man that was good to my daughter.

"As a special tribute to Edward Sr. Edward Jr and Elizabeth have created a tribute to him in pictures." the lights dimmed. Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah' started to play. Edward had to have picked this song. He always had fantastic taste in music. We watched the pictures with teary eyes. I held Alice's hand tight. Jasper put his arm around me. The ending picture was the last one they had taken as a family. It was the day Edward graduated from High school. I knew the picture well, I had taken it. The song ended, so did the pictures. I blotted my eyes with the matted woad of tissues from the bottom of my purse. I saw Edward the first time as he stood to help his mother up. He was still beautiful. The word handsome could never be used to describe him. He was beautiful. Like an angel dressed in a very expensive looking suit. It was black and his shirt was white, no tie and the top two buttons on the collar undone. For a moment I forgot how breath. His hair was still bronze. Not brown or red. Bronze. It was still thick and wild. When I dreamed of Edward in the past it was always one feature that made me weak in the knees, his strong jaw line. How many hours had I spent kissing, memorizing that perfect jaw line?My stomach knotted up inside me. I quickly decided I didn't want him to see me. I didn't want him to know I had been there. I shoved my over sized oval sunglasses on before he could see me. The paul bearers lifted the casket on to their hands. Edward led his sobbing mother down the isle. When they reached the end there was a pause while the casket was turned to navigate the corner. They were stopped right next to us. Edward wasn't more then two folding chairs away. I could of reached out and touched him. As if Alice knew what I was thinking she gripped both of my hands in hers. I turned my face to her instead of looking at him.

"Just breath." she mouthed to me. I nodded reluctantly. A moment later they were gone. The other mourners filed out, Jasper and Emmett included. Alice and I sat there for a long time just staring in silence.

"He never even looked my way, did he?" Alice put her arm around me. I laid my head on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." She kissed my forehead.

"Alice?" I said in between sobs.

"Yeah honey?"

"Being an adult fucking sucks." I stood up.

"You've got that one right sister." she put her arm around me and instead of going to the burial we went to go get my kid and then to open the coffee house for the rest of the day.

Edward~

When everyone had left I went up to my room to pack. I had a flight to make and I was running out of time. Signing dates and press stops on the book tour filled my head. Anything to drown out the grief and the unanswered questions.

"Edward....You're leaving?" My mothers voice was sad in the doorway of my childhood bedroom.

"Yeah mom. I told you I have a book tour and a signing." I shoved some clothes in my bag more roughly then necessary.

"Ah yes, the book. I always wondered how much of that was true life." she took a seat at the head of my bed pulling a pillow into her lap.

"You read it?" I looked up at her with wide eyes.

"My son wrote a book! Of course I read it." she threw her hands in the air. I smiled at her. Her hair was out of it's usual bun, it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her eyes...our eyes were sad but questioning.

"How much of it was true honey?" I blushed at her question. There were a lot of things I had never intended my mother to find out. I suppose looking back on it, it wasn't the best idea to put it in print.

"Give me an example." I turned my back to gather my things off the dresser.

"Plastic wrapping Mrs. Cope's car on graduation day?" that one was easy.

"True. It wasn't all my fault though. Jasper and Emmett helped."

"The underage drinking at first beach?" I winced.

"Yeah. It's true. We weren't drunks or anything."

"Sneaking out of this house nightly to sleep in Bella's bed with her chief of police father down the hall?" I turned around keeping my eyes down. The memory of spooning Bella in her double bed was a rush of unfamiliar emotion.

"It's true. Sorry mom. You can ground me if you want." my attempt at a joke was lost on the moment. She stood in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest.

"And the hero of your story leaves the poor small town girl crying in her yard the morning he leaves town. Is that true too?" she asked. Yes, it was really stupid to put this all in print.

"Yeah, Mom. It's true." I was suddenly extremely ashamed of the promises I'd broken. Jasper was right. I did ride out of town on my white horse and I was a selfish prick that didn't think of the lives he ruined.

"I wish you could stay." she murmured.

"You could come to New York. It's nice there. You'd like it." I cocked my head to the side, knowing she'd never take my offer.

I hugged my mother good bye one more time and backed out of her drive way. I leaned back in the drivers seat and sighed. My eyes burned from lack of sleep and rush of emotion. The events of the last few days had left me tired and drained. The sun was going down as I drove slowly through town. I had just enough time to stop and get a cup of coffee on my way out of town. I quickly turned down main and over to fifth. I parked infront of the small coffee house.

"Spoons. Cute." I said out loud to no one. I walked into the coffee house causing the bell over the door to ring.

"Welcome to Spoons. What can I get for you?" she was leaning over a laptop. Her shiny brown hair was wound up in a pencil, her skin was still pale as cream but her hips were rounder then I'd remembered. She was sexier then my memory gave her credit for.

"Bella." I breathed. Her back and stiffened. She looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Edward. I uh...wow what are you doing here?" she said. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans, her arms were paper thin. Much thinner then before.

"Coffee." my voice sounded weak. I cleared my throat and tried again, "Coffee. I came in for a cup of coffee. You work here?" I tried not to let my eyes roam.

"Black ok?" she avoided my question about her working status.

"Blacks fine. How long have you worked here?" I asked again.

"I own it." she mumbled while she poured.

"That's awesome. It's a great little place. I really liked the name." she handed me a to go cup of hot liquid. She didn't smile or make eye contact with me.

"Are you staying long?" she asked. I ran my hand through my hair.

"I'm on my way out of town actually." I nodded to the rental car parked outside. From the back of the dining room ran a little girl. Her skin was pale like Bella's.

"Mommy. I cant make Pinkies dress go on. Make it go on please?" her voice was like music. She called Bella Mommy. Bella knelt down to her and smiled brightly.

"Of course Angel. Why don't you go over to Aunt Alice's store and see if she has some ribbon for her ear." the little girl ran off yelling for Alice. The door she went through must of connected Bella's cafe to Alice's store.

"You're a mom? I didn't know. I mean no one..." I stammered. My mind was working the numbers. The little girl couldn't of been more then seven. Her hair was an exact cross between my families signature bronze and Bella's brown.

"No one told you? How could they have told you? You don't call. You don't write." her voice was like ice. I looked down at the floor.

"I deserve that." I took a deep breath and let it out, "How old is she?" I asked.

"She turned seven in July." her reply was short, it came through her teeth like it was hurting her to answer me.

"Is she...I mean is there any way she could be...." I heard her laugh and talk to Alice across the way. Her voice pierced something in me. It hurt me to not be the one talking to her and I didn't even know her name.

"Are you asking me if she's yours?" she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head.

"Yes. I suppose that's the simple question." I stood there my heart pounding while she deliberated over an answer.

"A lot has happened since you disappeared." was her reply.

"You didn't answer my question." I narrowed my eyes at her. She was being evasive and I couldn't decide why.

"Oh. I have seven years of unanswered questions for you. I think it's best if everyone's questions just stay unanswered." she stepped around the counter and opened the door for me.

"Have a nice flight." She looked up at the ceiling. Her lips formed a tight line. I walked back to my car.

I sat in the passenger seat a moment, looking into the store front window. Bella smiled brightly at her little girl. She dressed the ratty pink bear for her tying a length of ribbon around the ear. She walked back behind the counter. The little girl caught me looking and waved. I waved back and she came closer to the glass. I noticed her smile first, it was Bella's. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail. Her jaw was strong but feminine. What caught me last were her emerald green eyes. I knew those eyes. I started the engine and pulled away. I turned up the radio trying to drown out my own thoughts but they wouldn't stop. It was a muddy heap of questions with no answers. At the city limits there was a fork in the road. Right would take me back to the residential neighborhood of Forks. Left would take me out to the high way and the airport. Right were possible answers to the questions I had. Left was freedom. I slammed on the brakes at the fork. I cut the engine off and just sat there. Right or left. Left or right. Answers or blissful ignorance.

"Fuck!" I screamed hitting the steering wheel with my fists. I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and turned the car back on. I pulled over to the side of the road. I got out and dialed my agent.

"Marcus, this is Edward Masen." I pinched the bridge of my nose. I couldn't believe I was about to do this.

"Edward. How can I help you?" he was going to kill me.

"I have to cancel the tour. I am staying in Forks." he laughed out loud.

"Is this a joke?" he said. I slammed my hand into my forehead.

"It's not a joke. I am staying here for a while. I'll let you know when I am back in the city."

"Edward! This is career ending move. I know this must be hard for you but you can't go home again."

I let out a strangled laugh, "Oh Marcus, it turns out you can go home again but sometimes it's just not the way you left it." I closed my phone and got back in the car. I drove back to my mothers feeling like I had lost my damn mind.

A/N I wasn't planning to post this soon but after all the wonderful reviews I couldn't keep anyone waiting. Trust me, it only gets better from here. Review review review!