Hey! I'm being nice and I'm going to update with not one...but TWO chapters. That's because i lied earlier in saying you were only two chapters away from Twilight. You were really two and a third unknown chapter away. My bad. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

-Wish

Chapter 22: Another New Beginning

We moved into a house outside of town, a couple of miles off the highway. In Forks, everything seemed to be off the highway. Following it down the road from our house will take you right through the middle of town. The high school, a collection of worn buildings, was off the highway. The hospital I took a doctor/surgeon's job at was tiny and, off the highway. Logging trucks frequently drove down this highway, through Forks. Then again, Forks was supposed to be the logging capital of Washington!

The house was secluded and open. The entire back side was made of glass. It was slightly amusing actually, considering that all the old stories said vampires live in dark crypts and slept in coffins, and that the sun would burn them. According to the old stories, our house would be the worst place for a coven of vampires. Humans have such imaginations! We moved our things in and the entire family helped Esme decorate. We painted the house in neutral, yet light colors, much like the Denali coven's house had been. Our house would be our safe place, where we didn't have to keep up the façade. We didn't have to hide. If the sun shined through, we could stand in it without worry, letting our skin sparkle like a million facets. If something needed to be moved, we could just pick it up, rather then having to go get a hand trolley or a lifting partner. And most importantly, if we needed to sate our thirst, there was a ready expanse of forest with no humans and plenty of wildlife. The home was perfect!

As I said, the hospital I got a job at was incredibly small, like much of the places in Forks. They were overjoyed to have me on as a doctor and surgeon. The doctor who interviewed me said herself that I could get a job at a top-paying hospital in New York or LA in a minute. She was probably right, except New York was too tempting and LA was too sunny. I simply told her my wife preferred a small-town setting. She didn't question me.

The fourth day after moving in, we got a visit at our house. Emmett answered the door. I was sitting in the living room, watching a History Channel program on World War I. It was always interesting to hear the humans' take on events I'd witnessed.

"Can I help you?" Emmett asked. The distinct scent of human wafted through the door.

"Yes, my name is Charlie Swan; I'm the police chief here. Are you Dr. Carlisle Cullen?" The human sounded extremely uncertain. But Edward, Alice, and Jasper were out hunting. I couldn't find out what he thought, or was feeling.

"No," Emmett replied bluntly.

"Is he home?" Chief Swan asked.

"Yeah hang on a second." Emmett turned and bellowed from the door, too loud for even human hearing. "Carlisle! Police here for you!" He knew I was just in the next room, but Emmett was having too much fun intimidating the Chief.

I got up and walked to the front door at human speed, Esme following curiously. "There's no need to shout Emmett," I scolded, very "fatherly". "I'm right here."

Emmett shrugged and left, returning to the living room. I heard him switch on a football game. Redskins vs. Cardinals.

"What can I do for you Chief?" I asked.

"Do you have a moment Dr. Cullen? I'd like to talk in private."

"Sure." I nodded to Esme behind me, before stepping outside and closing the front door behind me. It was overcast today, but not raining yet.

"Do you have a concern officer?" I asked.

"No," Chief Swan replied. "I don't have a specific grievance. I just like to meet any new families that move into the area." I wondered how many families had moved into the area recently.

"It's a pleasure to meet you then," I told him.

"If you don't mind me saying, you seem very young to have five teenagers." Chief Swan seemed nervous, which was a normal human reaction around us.

I immediately went to our cover story. "Well my wife Esme, you saw her earlier, she can't have children. So we decided to adopt. Rosalie and Jasper, two of the older kids, are twins and Esme's niece and nephew. Their parents died years ago. Our other three, Emmett, who you've also met, Alice, and Edward are foster kids. They've been with us since they were little. We adopted them."

Chief Swan seemed to swallow the story easily enough, though it was a lot to explain. "Naturally you understand my concern with that many teenagers Dr. Cullen," he murmured.

"They are generally well-behaved," I assured Chief Swan, "We haven't had any major problems in the past."

"I'm sure they are," Chief Swan replied. "This is just part of my job, really."

"Of course," I answered, inclining my head. I liked Chief Swan. He seemed an honest man to me. He should be if he's police chief! Forks is too small of a town for crooked cops, though I met my fair share of them, especially in Prohibition times.

Charlie rambled for a bit, talking about Forks and asking about my family. I told him we just moved from Alaska, which was probably the truest part of the entire story, and that the kids were starting school the next day (it was Sunday and that Monday would be rainy). Edward and Alice were enrolled as freshmen and Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were sophomores.

"Emmett seems quite…big for a sophomore," Chief Swan commented.

"Emmett likes to weight-lift," I told him, "but they're all excellent students. I assure you, you will not have any problems with them." Chief Swan nodded and there was an awkward pause.

"Thank you for your time Dr. Cullen," Chief Swan finally said.

"It was nothing really. Anytime Chief." I shook his hand firmly. He flinched, probably from my cold skin, and then left with a nod.

I watched the police cruiser roll back down our driveway (it was probably a bit tricky for humans), before going back inside.

"You hear that? Don't make a liar of me," I joked with Emmett, poking his muscular chest with my index finger. Emmett just snorted and went back to his game.

Esme followed me upstairs to the room that was now my study. At the end of the upstairs hallway hung my father's cross. I remembered seeing it in the church so many lifetimes ago. It was one of my few, fuzzy human memories. I didn't have many. They fade with time. But the cross, which hung in every house I'd had since retrieving it, had been a constant reminder of some human memories.

My office, according to Emmett, looked like a "boring Headmaster's or Dean's" office. Personally, I liked it. I had a good collection of academic and pleasure books. The ceiling was tall, with towering windows facing towards where the sun would set, whenever it is visible through the thick clouds that seemed to constantly cover Forks. The walls Esme paneled in a dark wood. We'd also gotten a large, mahogany desk and a matching, comfortable-looking leather chair. On the wall across from my desk hung a collection of pictures. My history and the history of our family. Edward had looked at a few of them, the first day he'd joined my family. Since then I'd added more. The most recent was of our baseball clearing in Denali. Alice had taken it. It was a digital print, framed. I really loved my office. I could spend days in it.

Esme followed me inside, closing the door silently behind her.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" she asked. Esme and Emmett had both, of course, listened in on my conversation with Chief Swan. For that matter, Rosalie had probably listened from hers and Emmett's room.

"No," I told her. "I can't be sure without Edward, but Chief Swan seemed relatively trusting and amazingly honest. It was refreshing actually."

Esme nodded, but I knew she was still worried. Perhaps she was worried that we'd have to move before Edward met this girl in Alice's visions. I pulled her close to me, stroking her soft, caramel hair and breathing in her sweet scent. "Everything will be fine," I assured her. "Tomorrow the kids start school. Edward is sure to find this girl there."

"But Alice's visions are still hazy. If the police suspect us, we'll have to go before others begin to as well."

"He doesn't suspect a thing. You didn't see his face. He swallowed our cover story easily. We won't have to go anywhere for at least another four years."

Esme looked up at me with her rich golden eyes. She wasn't thirsty in the least, I noted. We'd gone hunting, just the two of us, the day after we'd moved in. I imagined my own eyes were much like hers.

I leaned down and kissed her hard and passionately, only stopping when we heard the arrival of Edward, Alice, and Jasper downstairs.

Esme sighed, echoing the disappointment I felt. With the Denalis, we'd had more time to ourselves. But now we were back in human society. In eight hours it would be time for another first day of school/work. Yet another new beginning.

When we came downstairs, the kids were smiling, obviously excited about something.

"What's going on?" I asked, curious.

"Well Carlisle," Alice said. "You know how you've always been a father to us and we ungrateful teenagers have never really expressed our gratitude for it."

"We know that you still drive around that old Mercedes 560SEC from the eighties," Emmett continued, snorting, "and we thought that, as a way of thanking you, we could maybe upgrade you to this millennia." He grinned and his expression was echoed in those of his siblings. I looked over at Esme, who was also smiling. She was in on it. I could tell. It'd probably been her job to distract me, which she'd done an excellent job at.

Alice skipped forward, laying her hands over my eyes. "Come on," she said. She steered me out the front door and around the side of the house to the garage.

"Ready?" she asked, though I don't think she was asking me. Someone nodded (I heard their clothing ruffle) and she removed her hands with a flourish. "Tah-dah!"

Sitting in the driveway, sleek and black and positively brand new, was another Mercedes. Except this one was definitely current.

"It's a Mercedes S55 AMG," Edward said. "Tinted windows of course, the ultimate luxury car with an engine to back it up."

"And I've done a few modifications too," Rosalie added. "You have the fastest car of all of us now." She smiled, obviously proud of her work.

Emmett tossed me the keys, which I caught deftly. The car looked amazing. It was sleek, classy, exactly my kind of car. The tinted windows would help if we had to go to a sunny place. Esme laid her hands on my shoulders and gave a soft squeeze.

"The kids wanted to do something special," she whispered.

"Thank you," I said, "to all of you. This is…wow!" I was at a loss for words.

"Enough talking," Emmett said. "You've got to try it out, and then let me have a go. Edward wouldn't let me drive it here." He scowled at Edward who shrugged.

"You might not have brought it back," Edward retorted.

I couldn't help but walk too fast around to the driver's side. I opened the door and climbed in. The interior was dark grey leather, roomy for a sedan. The console was a faux, deep wood that was polished to a high sheen.

I sat there for a moment, admiring the interior, before igniting the engine. The engine was a soft purr, extremely quiet, even from the outside of the car. It was almost nonexistent inside. The passenger side door opened and Esme climbed in. With a smile to her, I closed my door and buckled the seat belt over my chest. It wasn't necessary, but I like to obey human rules.

"Let's go," Esme whispered, flashing her perfectly white teeth.

I eased on the pedal and the car shot off, down the driveway. I navigated down the twisting drive with ease, pausing only to get on the highway. Then I took off, quickly reaching 120 mph, speeding away from Forks. This car was fast! I couldn't help but laugh at the thrill of the speed as we drove down the highway, away from Forks, leaving the speed limit in the dust. I liked this new beginning!