Hey guys. Thanks for reading my story so far. I've had an amazing amount of hits and story visitors since I published the first two chapters on Sunday. Here's chapter three. Hope you enjoy! And please let me know what you think...chapter four will be uploaded by this weekend. :)

Copyright declaration: The Twilight series and its characters are the creation of and copyright of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing and this story is purely a not for profit work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter Three

– Resurgence –

Why did the Volturi kill Edward? It would have made more sense for them to kill me because I was human and knew about the existence of vampires. But they didn't. Carlisle said it was a punishment to the Cullens for breaking the rules and that it was easier for them to pounce on Edward when he was alone, hunting, than to fight their way to me, who was surrounded by the Cullens….but no amounting of reasoning could make the pain go away.

"New York, New York," Alice sang as she skipped into the room, jerking me from my memory of that horrendous day and the day after when….. I shuddered and forced myself to shove it out of my mind as much as I could.

"New York?"

"Bella," Alice said, sitting down beside me. "It's your twenty-first birthday in two weeks and you didn't think we were just going to ignore it, did you?"

"I suppose I was hoping you would," I replied, smiling.

"We were going to keep New York a surprise from you but we figured that it would be pretty difficult because you would only make it hard for us when we go to the airport."

Alice!" I interrupted. "You make me sound like a two-year-old!"

"Well, you would be bound to see the destination on the departure board anyway," she continued impatiently, "and I thought you would want some time to prepare yourself."

"Thanks," I muttered, pretending to be sulky but actually feeling quite excited. I have never been to New York before for the full city experience and while I am no stranger to cities, my years spent living in Phoenix don't exactly compare to New York.

"It was Edward's idea in the beginning," Alice said softly.

"Edward's idea?" I said, trying to keep back the tears from my already heightened emotional state. "What do you mean?"

"Before he…passed away, he had planned to whisk you away to New York. He was preparing it a couple of months before the wedding and it was going to be an extension of your honeymoon, but then of course the pregnancy changed that. But I know that Edward would like you to go and have a good time there, in memory of him, and what better time to do that than your twenty-first birthday? He wouldn't want you to be miserable, I know that for certain. So we're going to New York the day before your birthday and we're staying there for a week, just as Edward planned."

"Oh," I breathed. I really was crying now. It hurt me to think about all the things that had been left unfulfilled between Edward and I, but it was strangely comforting to think that the destination of this birthday trip was Edward's idea and had his endorsement. When I had composed myself and wiped the tears away, I was anxious to know who Alice had invited on this birthday trip, "Please don't say that you've invited the whole of Forks to witness me embarrass myself in New York, Alice."

"Oh don't be silly, Bella," Alice said, giving me a reproving look. "Unless you want to invite anyone else, the party is going to consist of all of us, your parents and Jacob."

"Jake?" I said, momentarily surprised.

"He is your closest friend so I thought it made sense to invite him," Alice said, looking at me uncertainly, as if she thought that she had done the wrong thing.

"No…yes," I said, momentarily flustered. "That's fine, absolutely fine."

"Okay then," Alice said briskly. "We're got two weeks to prepare your wardrobe."

"My wardrobe?" I said, inwardly groaning.

"Yes, of course. You can't turn twenty-one without having a proper party dress to celebrate in and as the party is going to last a week, we need to go shopping!"

Most of the following ten days involved preparation, some of which I was allowed to see, some of which I was not. The night before we were due to fly to NYC, I spent an hour in silent contemplation, sitting alone outside in the Cullens' garden. I had taken to doing that a lot and after Edward died my dad worried that I was slipping back into the dark murky waters of depression which had engulfed me before. But this time it was different. The same night terrors came back to haunt me and I still cry for Edward, but I have reached a tentative kind of acceptance during the past two years; a concurrence with something that is unchangeable. It doesn't make it any easier though, when I think of the life Edward and I had planned to lead together and all of our lost dreams.

"Bella? What are you doing out here?"

I turned my head, wiping the tear tracks away, "Jake?"

"Are you okay?"

He came and sat beside me and I was grateful for his raised body warmth – werewolves run at higher temperatures than humans – for the night was getting cold.

"I should go to bed. Busy day tomorrow," I said, trying to laugh.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And you're the star of it all."

"Ugh," I squirmed exaggeratedly. "I can't think of anything more terrifying than NYC, Alice and my twenty-first birthday combined! I'm bound to make some stupid mistake or show my klutziness off in front of everyone."

"Don't be silly, Bella," Jacob said, smiling. "You're going to have fun and I think that's what you need right now."

I lapsed into silence, thinking of what might have been, and Jacob said empathetically, "I know it's hard for you, but don't you think this is what…Edward would want for you? To lead a full, happy life and to enjoy yourself, in his memory?"

"That's what Alice said."

"And she's right," Jacob answered.

"Yeah," I nodded, taking a deep breath and inhaling the fresh night air.

"So," he asked casually. "What are your plans for the future? I mean, you can't stay here in Forks forever."

"I honestly have no idea, I'm thinking of applying to college next year."

"I was having the same thoughts," he replied.

"Jake, what?" I laughed. "You're not interested in the academic stuff."

"I don't want to lose you, Bella. I nearly lost you once already; it's not going to happen again."

"Jacob," I snapped at him suddenly, "I've made it clear to you that I'm not interested in you in that way…in anyone in that way right now. Can't you just give it a rest?"

"No, Bella. It's been over two years now since he died and you're still living in the past, wishing for something that's not going to happen."

"How dare you tell me what my feelings are?" I gasped, too angry at Jacob's domineering interference to say what I really felt.

"Because I know you, Bella, better than Edward ever did."

"Which gives you the right to tell me how I should feel?" I yelled.

"No, of course not, but…"

I interrupted before he could say anything else, "I need to go get some sleep before tomorrow."

"'Night, Bella," he said, his voice lingering on the words. "See you tomorrow, bright and early."

"Yeah, see you...or not," I muttered.

I watched as he vanished into the night, the darkness swallowing him up, and then walked slowly into the house to get some rest before the busy activity of tomorrow began.