We have another country joining us: Welcome to Missing Piece of the Puzzle, Portugal! Okay, thank you for the reviews. I know the last chapter was sucky, but I felt Bella needed a little bit more support from Carlisle and more understanding about Alice's visions. It didn't work out so well.

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Thanks for enduring the horrible chapters in the beginning of my story and the last chapter. I appreciate your support. :) Over 800 reviews! And the ever amazing SimoneCullen-x, thank you!

Quotes from friends used in this chapter:

Beats me. –Pam

Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 23: Encounters

B.P.O.V.

Confused and uncertain about Dr- Carlisle's actions, I thought over my past encounters. How is it that every one of them – Edward, Esme, Emmett, Alice, Rose, Jasper…Carlisle – got so along with me? Even that, how come they didn't mind me, who I am? I'm younger, and as Carlisle pointed out, not much wiser. But his words did so much more than question myself and others. How could they all accept me? Welcome me with open arms as if I were a cute new puppy. If anything, I was a stray, lost dog.

Carlisle asked what I wanted to eat, but I suddenly lost my appetite. My stomach was turning for a whole different set of reasons. I can't comprehend how these kind strangers could care so much for me. I told him water was fine. Though his expression morphed into worry all of the sudden, he asked the willing worker – she was constantly batting her eyelashes, it seemed as if something was caught in both of her plain blue eyes – for a bottle of water.

I was chewing on my nail, elbow resting on the door handle, as he passed me the blue bottle. I believe I thanked him, but I couldn't be sure with the way I was sidetracked. Carlisle drove off, glancing at me through the edge of his eyes every now and then.

Was what Carlisle said true? Was Edward really too good for me? Of course I already knew that, but hearing it from someone who knows what's right for Edward is startling. Then again, Edward and I aren't a couple. I don't think we'll ever be. Thinking on that subject made me depressed. Even though I just took my pills, they haven't functioned correctly for this topic.

"Carlisle?" I called, still gazing through the thin glass.

"Yes?"

"Where's Edward?"

He didn't answer immediately, so I looked at him. Dr. Cullen's eyes were tight around the rim. My eyebrows scrunched together in response. "Edward is….He's probably where he always is when he needs time to think."

I was absorbed into the conversation. "Where's that?"

Dr. Cullen hesitated. "Isabella, I'm not sure if I should announce his own location to where he feels most comfortable in."

I became more impatient. "Please?" I tried to sound polite, but somehow my voice accented desperately.

Carlisle sighed. "I haven't distinguished exactly his area or how it is, but I've driven him there before when he was too young to drive. Perhaps…I could drop you off there..." He sounded unsure. I'm almost positive he's only doing this to let me see how nice he can be, but I'll take it. "Should you get lost along the way – as I proclaimed earlier, I'm not certain of where it's at – be sure to have your phone ready. He also might not be there. I'm here if you need anything, and so are the others."

Excited, I nodded and smiled at him. He returned the smile, looking like an older version of his son. If Carlisle sprouts bronze hair, I'm going to pinch myself – only to make an unflattering judgment of reality and insanity.

After a long wait, I was paid off my by having Dr. Cullen drop me off. Once again, I thanked him and got out. There were tress, bushes, logs on the ground, and the entire piece of nature in front of me. After a while of driving, the road turned into a pavement of dirt. So now the only part of ground my feet could touch was the grass and dirt – mud was also inevitable with all the pouring rain, but not here in Seattle. The sun always seems to shine here, serving as a halo of light and warmth over the cold covered forest. At least, I think this is a forest.

I heard the window being rolled down behind. "Isabella," Dr. Cullen's voice filled the calmness of nature. For some unknown reason, it sound right; it fit with my surroundings. I turned around and saw him peeking at me through the door, which once held the window. "Be careful and please, whatever it is that Edward's going through, comfort him as he did to you. That's all I ask."

"Of course," I replied.

Carlisle grinned, looking past behind me, to the trees, wilderness, and probably worried about Edward. He sighed and back away from the window, having it close up. I stumbled from the car as it came to life and sped the opposite direction of which it came from. Now I know where Edward gets his driving skills from, too. This is getting spooky.

Internally laughing at myself, I turned around and was met by the thick branches that lingered on tall trees. Watching my step, precisely stepping on leveled ground, I walked into the massive woods or forest or whatever lies ahead.

After a short walk, I was completely isolated my green and brown. The trees were huge, taller than I examined, and were separated just enough for a group of three people to pass by. For me, I kept my distance form them – you never know when their huge roots could pop up and make you fall. Most of the trees were licked with green moss, crusted with dry mud from past storms. A thick fog started to build up around me; the only things that lead me on were the lights from above and ahead. Whatever was out there, I'm sure Edward was present.

I don't know where I got this courage from, but being part the gang helped me endure rough and unknown places. At least I received one good thing from being part them.

I was getting dizzy, partly because of my empty stomach, and a headache was coming on. I could feel it. I just wanted to rest for a second, but that mere second could become a whole hour. Finding the will to continue, I marched through the fog and into a vast, green-covered area. The light ahead was growing, getting larger with every step I took.

Why was Edward out here? Was he even out here? How is it not possible for him to not get lost or lose his track? But as Carlisle mentioned earlier, Edward came here even before he was able to drive. That makes it about four years ago. Four long years of practice and reciting the trail to get here. Trying to keep my heavy feet moving, I thought back on what Carlisle had said. So many questions were needed to be answered. There's only one person who can do that for me: Edward. I need him and, right now, he needs me. He comforted me when I was lost, scared and alone. I should – I am – going to return the favor and do whatever it is that needs to be done. Even if we'll never be together the way I hope and dream of, I owed him that much, and more.

The fog dissolved as I neared the beaming light in front of me. The beautiful smell entered my nose. I inhaled deeply and opened my eyes.

A meadow.

Filled with flowers, bright green grass, a waterfall heard not too far from here, and the smell. It was the best part. So many fragrances occupied this round circle of beauty, but only one caught my attention; the one I could smell from miles away. Why hadn't I caught it earlier? It was the most delicious smell in the world, and I knew it by heart. It was Edward's scent.

Looking throughout this massive plane of wonder, I searched for him. Under a tree, casting a shadow on him, was Edward on the ground. He had something in his hands, his face was down, and his hair was glistening, even under the dark shade. I slowly walked over to him, making sure he stays on my good side so he wouldn't be mad about me trespassing his 'territory', but I failed.

Snap.

Edward's head shot up after I tried to recover from stepping on the twig. Our eyes met for a split second before everything around me rested, frozen, and seemed utterly unimportant.

Edward's lips barely moved as he asked me, "What are you doing here?" He didn't sound upset, thank goodness.

I shrugged stiffly. "Carlisle brought me here."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Here?"

"Well, not here, here, but at the end of the road."

"You hiked all the way up here?" He asked, bewildered, but still remained seated.

"Yeah," I paused shortly. "I was worried about you, and Carlisle said you always came here when you needed time to think." Edward still gazed at me through narrow eyes. Narrow, gorgeous, eyes. "If you want, I don't have to be here, I could go." I turned around, my face a dangerous color red, and hurried to the beginning of the fog.

"Bella, wait!" Edward hollered. Still stiff from embarrassment, I turned around. He still had that thing – whatever it was – in his hand and he was still sitting down. Edward reviewed my nervous expression and lightened up. With an easier tone, he told me, "Come back. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just that nobody else has ever been here and I was wondering how you found it. Thank you for checking on me, but, really, I'm perfectly fine." He spun the twig – it looked like a twig, now that I think of it – in his hand and stared at it. "You can sit down if you want." Edward patted the space next to him.

Walking over there, I saw it wasn't a twig in his hand. It was a rose. Stunning red, thorns poking out, and a stem that made the grass look gray. It looked better with Edward holding it since they complemented each other – they're both perfect.

I sat down, pulling my legs under me, and waited for Edward to look at me. He didn't.

"Did you get hurt along the way?" He mused.

"What?" I asked, confused by his question.

Edward spoke louder, but his eyes were still fixed on the rose. "On your way up here, did you fall, trip, or get hurt?"

I shook my head slowly. "No."

He nodded. "Bella, just ask me."

My eyebrows met. "Huh?"

Edward looked at me seriously, the rose still in his hands, and repeated the question. But he didn't need to; I heard it perfectly the first time. "You have questions for me; I know you, Bella, so just ask."

I relaxed my back against the trunk of the tree. It was surprisingly comfortable. "You cared for Kelsey."

"That's not a question." He snapped back, twisting the thorny rose in his hands again.

"I belong to that gang, you know."

Edward practically growled. "Bella, I don't want to talk about this right now, so just ask your questions!"

I pulled away from him, forgetting this side of Edward, and reminded myself he needs me. The way he's acting right now was how my behavior was when he helped me. I guess the student really has become the teacher.

I looked down and started plucking the long grass with my fingers. "How come….Why do all of you, you know, get along with me so well? Aren't you tired, or get annoyed?"

Tearing pieces of green from the Earth, I waited for Edward's response. It took a while, but being patient pays off. "I guess we're used to it."

"I know all that about Alice, but why are Rose, Jasper, and especially Emmett, handling it – handling me – so easily?" I didn't realize how frustrated I was about not understanding till I begged – pleaded – Edward to tell me so desperately. It was as if my mouth was moving while someone else was talking. Like a puppet.

Still pulling grass out, only with more force, I heard Edward talk. "You know why me, my mom, my dad and Alice have been so welcoming and understanding, but you don't know why Em, Rose and Jazz are being so helpful? I never told you?"

I shook my head. Apparently, there was a lot he wasn't telling me.

"Uh…you know Rose and Jasper's parents are divorced, right?" He checked.

I nodded, giving him the silent treatment for pay back on him not looking at me.

"Okay, so you know their mom brought them to live here in Forks when they were freshmen in high school." I nodded, confirming I already knew that. "But do you know their mom is in rehab?"

With wide, shocked, eyes, my head automatically snapped to Edward.

He nodded to himself. "Yeah, with that reaction, I guess I didn't mention it to you."

I scoffed. "It would've been nice to know earlier, that's for sure." I was appalled. What else hasn't he told me? No, Bella, you're here to help him and get your questions – much more, now – answered.

Edward went back to twisted the rose, exactly missing the sharp thorns – if it were me, I would be bleeding to death by now – with his fingers. "When Rosalie and Jasper came here with their mom, they fitted in perfectly. I was turning fourteen, Alice was fourteen, they were fourteen; we instantly connected. Their mother, though, she was very uncomfortable under the surroundings of clouds and rain. You could say it was depressing compared to the sun in Texas."

"Even worse for their mom, Rosalie didn't want to be a model or a cheerleader – you already know that story – like her mother wanted her to. Rosalie's mom only saw one thing when she looked at Rose: money. With the divorcement, their dad took most of it. And Jasper, he had to work part time at a gas station to get in college. Even with his scholarship, it wasn't enough. Feuds were going on; Rose and Jazz against their mom. But, around the end of sophomore and beginning of junior year, Jasper and Rosalie's mom found a way to deal with all the hardships – drinking. She became a hardcore alcoholic, and soon, my dad got involved. She wasn't taking care of the house, her kids, and she was a total wreck."

"Luckily, my dad was able to get her to rehab. She realized what she was and how she was affecting her kids, so she went in easy. My dad and the guys have told me she's doing great and getting better, but I don't know. Jasper used to tell me a lot of stuff during those times, and I was scared for him – my best friend. And when Em and I used to spend the night, their mom was never there and the house was a total mess. They would try to clean it, but every time they got home from school, or Jasper from work – he didn't let Rosalie get a job since he said he was the man of the house – it would go back to as if they never cleaned it in the first place. It was horrible back then, but…" Edward sighed. "Things are better now, and I hear Ms. Parker – her maiden name – should be out soon."

I was intrigued by their story. The gorgeous Rosalie and handsome Jasper Hale – who would've known?

"Okay," I spoke slowly. "I can see why they took to me so well; they knew what it was like having an alcoholic as a parent, but what about Em? He's so…" I shook my head, unable to come up with a word that described my Teddy Bear.

"Loving? Sensitive?" Edward offered.

I nodded early. "Yes! If Alice, you, Rose and Jasper take care of me with your pasts…I can't imagine what Emmett's gone through." I shuddered.

Edward, still studying the rose, smiled. "Actually, compared to our pasts – as you put it – Emmett's is the least painful to tell."

"Really?" I gasped. "But then why is he always-"

"Em has a good heart. He always has it opened and doesn't mind what, or who, gets stuck in there. Emmett's really just a big goof with a sweet side. That's why Rosalie fell in love with him, you know." Edward said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So," I prompted. "Does that mean Emmett has a good story?" I smiled hopefully.

Edward's small smile dropped, and so did mine. "I said his story was the least painful to tell, not that it didn't hurt."

I bit my lip anxiously as I waited for him to abide.

"Emmett's mom…she died soon after giving birth to him. So he never knew his mom – that's why he and my mom are so close. She's practically his mother for all purposes. And his dad's always traveling. He's this big lawyer and always goes from place to place. When Em was little, he would constantly stay at other people's houses and occupied his time with football. But being such a big – well, huge – guy, people felt intimidated by him. When we met him, he seemed cool and we found ourselves another member of our clan. Actually, after meeting me and Jazz, he would always spend the night with Jasper. Sure, he mostly enjoyed watching Rosalie's sleep, but he never like being along in a big house."

"And his dad?" I asked wearily, trying not to picture Emmett all along throughout middle school – in class and at home.

Edward shrugged and shook his head. "We haven't heard from him since graduation. Can you believe that idiot missed out on his own son being valedictorian?" Edward spat out the question with such hatred. "He only called Emmett and talked to him on the phone for five seconds before saying he had to get ready for another case."

"Is that why Emmett is studying to be a lawyer? To be like his father?"

Edward shrugged again. "Beats me."

I stared intently at the flower in Edward's hand. The thorny rose reminded me so much of my friends. It was radiant, gorgeous, beautiful, stunning and completely perfect on the outside – not a single flaw. But really, it's gone through so much. It resembles their lives. Each pointed thorn was for all the pain and loss they went through. And it hurt just as bad if you cut yourself open with one. Every time they think back on their life, mainly their parents, it's cutting them with another thorn that's been added to the stem. They're beautiful, but filled with such pain.

I can't believe it. It's almost impossible.

If they act so mature, with their heads held up high, now, after all that they've gone through…it's admiring, really. They didn't cut themselves, they didn't whine like a baby; they weren't like me. In better words: I wasn't like them.

They're proud of who they are and stay true to themselves. I should be able to do the same thing. Be able to make choices that made me happy, because you know what? I deserve it. I deserve it as much as they do.

Edward smiled curiously at me. "What are you thinking?"

I smiled back. "Gee, you actually looked at me without a murdering glare on your face."

Edward chuckled sadly and looked back down. "I'm sorry. I was being foolish with my behavior, but I want to thank you."

"Why?"

"If it weren't for you, I would've never met Kelsey."

I shook my head. "No, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Bella, I really need to thank you. You open up my eyes more and more everyday, proving to me, and to yourself, you can do better. You're as every bit as strong as Kelsey was. And without your questions, I wouldn't have realized how dumb I'm being. Emmett lost his mom, Jasper and Rose lost their dad; you and Alice lost both you're parents and me…I've just lost a little girl I wasn't even related to"

"You're not being dumb." I protested.

Edward smiled hopefully at me. "Bella, I've answered your questions, and they weren't easy to reply." He laughed quietly. Edward stopped and looked at me deeply. "But, now can you answer just one question for me?"

No interruptions, no ringing cell phones… "Yes,"

He scooted closer to me. As he spoke, I felt his warm, sweet scented breath on my face. "Bella, would you honor me with being my girlfriend?"

I almost fainted. Honor me? Who says that?

I'm sure I looked dazzled, I was, and my voice broke when I spoke, but I finally answered, "Yes,"

Edward smiled the crooked grin I loved so much – my smile – and handed me the rose. And finally, for once, I didn't get poked or bleed.

I was safe with him.

End of chapter

As much as I love you all, if you want to send me a message on MySpace (link on my profile), you'll have to add me as a friend first. I changed me settings when I got this weird message from a creep I don't even know: Shut the fuck up! Who the hell are you! You dont know what a slut is! ONE GUY! i've had sex with one guy and i am NO FUCKING WAY a slut!
ok thank you very much. you are an 8th grader. ok i'm 17, well, guess what? idk you...and YOUR A FUCKING SLUT! go ahead call me a stalker. who would want to stalk an ugly bitch like you? you'll never be in a relationship. thats why. your fucking jealous. your stupid.
bye (Notice she has the worst grammar in the world)

Yeah, so who liked the chapter!? :) Come on? You have to be happy! …A little bit?

Love, Mayface!