Hi! I know it's been months since my last update but I was very busy with school. It was the last term of my senior year in high school and I had a lot of things to do (it was a completely hectic). Not to mention that I also had two final exams and I had to study a lot. It was all worthy though because everything went great and I am, now, free to dedicate myself completely to my fanfiction. It was an amazing year: I made a lot of new friends and had great teachers and, even though, I had a lot of work I also had a lot of of fun.

A year ago, when I joined fanfiction and started publishing my stories I had no idea it would be like this. It's a huge pleasure to write for you because you are the best readers anyone could ever wish for. I had no idea that my stories would be so loved and that your reviews would bring me so much happiness. I've made friends and learned a lot in here so I can say , without a doubt,that joining this community was one of the best things I ever did. I can't thank you enough for your patience, comprehension and friendship and right now I feel really blessed for everything that fanfiction has brought me. You are the best! Love you! ;D

I hope you like this chapter. Thanks you much for all your reviews, alerts and favorites and for reading, of course. Please keep them coming!

A HUGE thank you to my beta Adri1577 that is patiently correcting my mistakes in the chapters that are already published and who got this chapter back to me so fast.

Don't forget to REVIEW! :D

Chapter 18

Bella's POV

"Bella? Can I?" Scott asked, as he knocked at my bedroom door.

"Sure." I replied, sealing another box. I had convinced Catherine to go to sleep, promising her that I would finish packing. I was almost done, so I was more than happy to make some time for my brother. He looked around the room, taking in all the boxes and suitcases scattered throughout it.

"You're really going to leave." He stated slightly disappointed while I sat on the end of my bed.

"Yes, I am, but I'll come back to visit you a bunch of times, and you can go to Forks too. I'm sure the Cullens won't mind a bit." I reassured him. In fact, I was absolutely sure that the Cullens would like that very much.

"It's strange to see you leave this house for an indefinite period of time..." He sounded like my father.

"I'm going to be happy, happier than I've been until now. And please, don't take this the wrong way!" I pleaded. "It's not your fault that I haven't been completely happy until now. In fact, you and the Jones are the only reason I haven't been entirely miserable. It's just... Edward is my life. I love him too much to be able to be happy without him. And I know one day you'll feel the same way about someone."

"It's just that ever since we've met Bella, we've never been apart. I like having you around, we all do, and it's hard to see you leave to be with someone that, to our eyes, still hasn't done anything to prove that he's good for you, that he won't hurt you again." He sighed and sat next to me.

"He shouldn't have to prove anything. My judgment should be enough for you." I argued, casting my eyes downward.

"We've grown so close to you that you might as well be our blood sister. We want to protect you. Even if you think it's not necessary, we want to do it because we don't want to see you suffer. We care so much about you!" He said reaching for my hands.

"I know that, you show me every day, and I care about you a lot too. You've been my family for the past seventy years, and you, specifically, have been with me since I woke up to this new life. I will never forget that, and I don't want to lose you. Any of you. You are as important to me as the Cullens. And I feel very lucky for that. I have two wonderful families, I have two places to call home, and I have Edward. That's more than I could have ever wished for, and every day I feel grateful for all that I've been given. Maybe one day these two families will be just one, and believe me nothing would make me happier, but I can understand how difficult this is for you, I can because I know you." I squeezed his hands.

"Oh Bella, Bella, Bella! What are we going to do without you here?" He asked, gathering me in his strong arms.

"You'll miss me terribly!" I joked, trying to lighten the mood and make him smile. He didn't disappoint me, as his lips twitched up, and the sound of his silent laughter surrounded me. It had been too long since I had seen him smile like this. His smile was beautiful. "If you keep that smile, I'm sure it will take no time for you to find a fine girl for you."

"I'm not so sure about that, you know? I've been in this world for over one hundred and thirty years, and I've never found anyone. I think I'm starting to lose hope..."

"Edward waited about a hundred years for me; Carlisle waited more than two hundred years for Esme; I'm sure you'll find the one who's meant for you when you least expect it. But don't think that you are unworthy of love, or that you'll never find her, just try to be patient."

"Sometimes I just wished I had a tiny bit of your strength, Bella, or your hope. Even after all these years you didn't give up. I know that you've always hoped that someday things could work out for you and Edward. I wish I could have that kind of faith."

"You do. You just need to realize that. Now, can you, please, give me a hand with these boxes and suitcases? I want to have them all loaded into the car as soon as possible; as big as this room is, it's almost impossible to move with this stuff spread around." I asked nicely.

"I have no choice, do I?" He asked, as Kurt came into the room.

"What happened to knocking at the door? Have you, in any case, forgotten your manners in Forks? Because if you want, I can find them and send them to you by mail."

"Don't worry, dear sister, I can find them myself."

"What do you mean, Kurt?" I questioned, hoping that he's not planning anything...

"I'm going with you the day after tomorrow." He stated matter-of-factly, interrupting my line of thought.

"And who, may I ask, decided that?" I questioned, putting the box I was holding back on the floor.

"I did. Please, let me go. I just want to help! How do you plan to fit all this luggage in one car?" He had a good point. Catherine had gone overboard with the clothing packing, and I had only allowed it because I was hoping it would save me some shopping sprees with Alice. I had some other boxes with books, CD's and some pictures and the rest was filled with files that I would need to work from Forks. "Besides, you promised I could give him the big brother talk, you know, just scare him a little..." I looked at him reprovingly.

"Fine. I'm not one to go back on my word, but you have to promise that you'll behave."

"Sure, Bells. I promise." He grabbed some suitcases that were closer to the door and went down.

"What are you going to do tomorrow? You're only going to leave at night, right?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, but I have to go to the company in the morning to work out the final details. Then I'll spend the afternoon with you and the Jones. Perhaps we can do something in the garden..." I suggested. He smiled at my idea, as I knew he would.

"Of course! I'll make sure everyone is there." He kissed my cheek and grabbed some boxes taking them to Kurt's Jeep. Since Kurt was going with me and taking his jeep, I wouldn't have to worry about taking a car where all my stuff would fit, so I decided to take my Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to Forks. Rosalie will get a kick out of it, I was sure. It was one of my fastest cars, especially after being taken care of by my favorite professional mechanic, Jack Erikson, one of the coolest vampires I've ever met.

I helped my brothers to get everything in the cars and then took a shower and got ready to head to the company, going over some of the most urgent files until it was time to go. At half past six Catherine knocked on my door, stating that she was ready. The other members of the Jones family that worked with us usually went a little later so they didn't come with us.

A few hours were enough for me to see the mountain of work that had piled up while I had been away. With Catz's help I was able to select the most important matters and urgent reports and permissions.

Soon it was time to go back to the house, and I was more than happy to do so. Spending my last day with my family, locked inside my office would be awful. Around midday Catherine and I wrapped up our work session and headed home once more.

Everybody was already in the garden when we arrived. Rosie was next to the barbecue, cooking for the Jones, and everyone else was either sitting at the garden tables or in our giant pool. Everybody was wearing swimwear, and I quickly discarded my dress to reveal my beautiful green bikini.

My brothers were jumping to the pool with the children while making sure they were safe. Even the little ones knew how to swim and drowning when five vampires were around was highly unlikely, but, still, we kept a close eye on them. I joined them in the pool, and the kids immediately came to me.

"What does a guy have to do to get some attention here?" Kurt bellowed to the air. "I mean, Bella enters the pool, and we're dumped just like that? How fair is that?" Everyone broke into fits of laughter. Kurt sure was something!

"Aunty Bella... Uncle Scott said you were going to leave again. He also said you didn't know when you would come back. Why?" Sylvie, the youngest of the Jones, asked.

"Remember when I told you that there was this beautiful and caring boy that I really liked, but that I couldn't be with him?" She nodded. "Well, during my trip to Forks I found him, and that's why I'm going to leave. I want to spend some time with him."

She looked secretive, as she leaned and whispered in my ear, "Is he your boyfriend?" I laughed at her cute expression.

"Yes, he is." She seemed pleased with my answer.

"You said you were sad because you couldn't see him, so... does that mean that you're happy now?"

"I'm very, very happy. Edward makes me very happy."

"But why do you have to go? Why can't he come here?" She whined.

"That's complicated, sweetheart, but I can promise that I'll come to visit you, and you can ask your parents to take you to Forks to see me. In fact, I'll be waiting for a visit, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled widely at me. "And I can meet him?"

"Of course."

"He's the boy with the orange hair that is in those pictures in your room, isn't he?" She asked.

"Yes, he is."

"His hair is very beautiful. Maybe I'll ask him why it has such a strange color when I meet him... Who would want to have orange hair?" She mused, as she wiggled out of my embrace to go play with her sisters and cousins. I just laughed; Sylvie was so funny and cute. I would miss them all, but I couldn't be without Edward, and, right now, the Cullens moving here wasn't really an option; I didn't even know if they would want to. Someday, though, I really hope that can happen.

"When are you leaving, Bella?" Lila asked while trying to convince her son to get out of the pool for awhile.

"Everything is ready so a little before dawn. After I help cleaning the remaining of this great party we're having." I answered.

"We're going to miss having you around here, you know...but we're happy that you're happy. I can't imagine how hard it'll be to get the kids to bed without you here to sing or tell them a story." She sighed exaggeratedly.

"That hurt!" I exclaimed mockingly. "Does that mean you just like to have me around because I can put the kids to sleep easier than you do?"

"You've got me, Swan!" She said before her husband came behind her and pushed her to the pool. Everybody laughed as she screamed surprised. "You are so dead, Gus! Just wait to see where you're going to sleep during the next month!"

I would miss these moments, but I couldn't keep thinking about what I was going to miss, I had to think about everything that I was going to gain, and if everything went okay, perhaps in a year or two we'd be here again with only one difference: the Cullens would be here too.

It was two in the morning when the adults went to their rooms; the kids being already asleep in their beds a long time ago. By three o'clock my brothers and I had everything cleaned and in place.

We settled beside the pool looking at the beautiful dark starry sky. It was an activity that we engaged often, and it felt good to know that even when things were shaky, we could still enjoy moments like these.

"How long before you leave?" Scott's voice sounded, breaking the silence we had immersed ourselves in.

"An hour or two." I answered shortly.

"Already?" David whispered. His tone of voice surprised me. In the past few days the only thing I had gotten used to receive from David was silence or furious screams; this heartfelt, quiet sound was something I didn't remembered hearing in a long time.

"You knew that I was leaving today. If you weren't so damn busy glaring, judging and punishing me with your silence, you could have made better use of your time with me." I felt bad for ruining this peaceful moment with such a bitter comment, but I would have liked to spend some time with him before I left, and he didn't give me the chance. I think I had the right to be mad.

"I thought you would give up. I thought that a few days without him would make you clear your head and realize that you're making a mistake." He got up suddenly and I did too.

"It's not a mistake! I love Edward, and he loves me. This is everything I ever wanted! Why can't you just be happy for me?" I asked frustrated.

"Because I can't be happy about something that I know is going to make you suffer!" He replied angrily.

"Could both of you stop?" Luke intervened. "Look, David, you've already made clear that you don't agree with Bella's choice, and you think she's making a mistake but, please, stop this. She's going to move in with the Cullens, and nothing you may say or do will change her decision, so why don't you try to enjoy your last moments with her before she goes? None of us likes the idea of her being away, but she's happy."

"She is happy now. What I don't know is if she's going to keep being happy! Edward Cullen has already showed what he can do, and I'm sorry if I'm not willing to let her go to him to have her back hurt or worse. All of you saw the immense power he has over her and her emotions, and you also know how much more sensitive she is because of her ability. She's putting all of herself into this, and I'm not sure the result is going to be a happy ever after."

"None of us know, David. But it's not our job to tell her what she can or can't do. Advice her, let her know our opinions, yes, but we can't make choices for her nor can we let our fears cloud her judgment. Bella knows Edward better than anyone else; she is the only one that can evaluate all the pros and cons of being with him." Luke tried to reason.

"She is in love..." David argued.

"That doesn't mean she can't think straight. She has made her decision, and we have to accept it, whether we like it or not. She has already heard all your arguments and thoughts on the subject, and she still thinks that she's doing the right thing. She's been waiting for this for years. Let her try to be happy."

"David." I called. "I don't want to leave like this. I don't want to go, knowing that you're still so mad at me."

"Then don't go!" He pleaded, grabbing my hands in his.

"You know I have to. As much as I love you, and I do with all of my heart, even more than if you were my blood brothers, Edward is my life. It's been hard enough to live all these years without him. I can't keep doing it anymore. I'm not strong enough to do it. And, now that we're not going to live all together anymore, I don't want to waste more time discussing something that is going to take us nowhere. I've made my decision, and I'm going to stick to it because it's what I've always wanted. Let's enjoy this last few minutes, okay? I'm tired of fighting and screaming. It seems like it has been all we've done since I came back from Forks." I sighed and hugged him.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" He breathed into my hair.

"I know. I'm going to miss all of you too, but you can call whenever you want, and there's Internet, and I promise to visit."

"Still, you're not going to be here every day. It'll take some time to get used to that." He replied sadly.

Sooner than I wanted, it was time to say goodbye and head to Forks. As eager as I was to be with Edward again, it was very difficult to leave my brothers. They had been with me for years and supported me when I needed the most. They were always there and, even though I was extremely happy about moving in with the Cullens, a part of me felt like I was leaving my brothers behind. But I wasn't. This separation was, I hoped, temporary, and we would stay in touch.

Each one of my brothers, except Kurt, that would be accompanying me, held me for an insurmountable amount of time and told me how much they were going to miss me.

"You ready, Bells?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I am." I answered as I let go of David.

"Remember, Bella, if something goes wrong, this is your house. You're welcome whenever you want." Scott murmured.

"I know. I'll call you tomorrow." I promised before getting in the car and following Kurt's jeep through the long path that lead to the gates of our property.

The trip back to Forks was calm. Kurt and I raced against each other when we were in roads where we knew we wouldn't find any humans, especially the police. I won, but my car was much better than Kurt's jeep where racing was concerned, so it really wasn't a fair race. We shared some thoughts, and, as we neared Forks, I could notice he was becoming more nervous.

I just hoped that my decision to let him come had been a good one. His previous anger for Edward came back, but he managed to calm himself down and swore to me that he wouldn't hurt him.

Halfway through the journey I texted Edward to let him know that we were on our way, and he replied with an excited call, telling me how much he loved and missed me. I texted him again when we were about half an hour away and, just after I did it, Kurt called me with his thoughts.

Bella!

Yes?

Are you sure you want to do this?

I am absolutely positive, Kurt. You're not going to attempt anything against Edward, are you?

No, I'm not. His thoughts were slightly mischievous, and I wondered why.

What are you going to do?

Nothing, I've already told you.

Thank you. I sighed

Don't thank me just yet. His answer troubled me, but he had already promised he wouldn't hurt Edward, so I didn't worry a lot about it.

When we went down the Cullen's driveway, I saw Edward sitting on the porch and, while we parked, the rest of the family came outside. Edward immediately got up to open my car's door for me.

As soon as I was in his arms he kissed me. I noticed Kurt making a face, closing his mind to me and going to greet Carlisle and the rest of the family. Then I completely lost myself in the feel of Edward.

His lips were smooth and passionate as they moved against mine, but there was something strange about the way he was holding me. It was too strong, as if he was afraid I'd vanish. I could feel the tension in his body and see the fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, as I ran my hand from his temple to his chin, caressing his face.

"Nothing. I'm just happy you're here." I could sense him calming down under my touch, but I still wanted to know what troubled him.

"Don't hide things from me. I know there's something bothering you, and I want to know what it is." I pressed.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just a bit on the edge because of a little trip to the past I did the day before yesterday." He attempted to smile, but it was nowhere near the smile I loved so much.

"The day I disappeared?" I murmured, as he hugged me once more and placed his lips on my neck, just under my ear.

"Yeah."

"Was it because of that that you didn't answer your phone and left me worried sick?"

"I was so deep in my memories, I didn't hear the phone. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm here, and I won't go anywhere. I love you!"

"Love you too." He replied. His eyes shone, and his embrace wasn't so tight anymore. Our lips were mere inches apart, and I quickly closed the gap, basking in his smell, his taste and letting go of everything that wasn't him.

"Enough, you two! You'll have plenty of time for that later." Alice spoke, grabbing my arms and pulling me from Edward's embrace and into her arms. Then she turned to Edward. "Don't think you're going to keep Bella all to yourself, dear brother. There's a very nice thing called sharing that you'll have to learn how to do." I laughed at Alice's business air and Edward's crooked grin before greeting the other Cullens.

"So Bella... why did you bring Kurt with you? To cut Edward into little pieces?" Emmett joked, and a small smile appeared on Kurt's face, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"No." Not that he lacked the will, I thought to myself. "He came because I couldn't make him stay at home, and I needed help to bring my things."

"How long will you be staying, Kurt?" Esme asked.

"Not long. I was actually thinking about going back today."

"Well, you're welcome here for as long as you want."

"Thanks, Esme. I'll come back soon to visit Bella..." My cell phone rang, and I retrieved it from the car. "Is it David?" Kurt asked me and then continued before I could answer. "You can tell him that I still haven't killed anyone, your heart is still in one piece, and we managed to arrive without getting ticked. Conclusion, everything is great, and he can calm down." David was a worrier and because of that, a huge pain in the ass, most of the times. He didn't just worry about me, he worried about all of us and that infuriated Kurt. In Kurt's words: 'Why does he treat us like fragile little humans instead of the big badass vampires we are?'.

This time, though, Kurt's guess was wrong. The name that flashed on my mobile's screen wasn't David. "It's Ian." I told him surprised. Ian was a member of my personal guard at the Volturi, and he almost never called me; we usually talked through the internet, or he would visit.

"Ian?" Kurt questioned, taking the mobile from me to check. "That's strange. It must be nothing. If it was something important, Henry would be the one to call."

"Henry is surely furious because I'm back with Edward. I don't think he's going to talk to me any time soon." I pointed out.

"He may be mad at you as your best friend, but he's your second in command, he wouldn't let that get before his job." Kurt rationalized.

"I'm not so sure. You know how he is."

"What if you answered the phone?" Emmett suggested. "The music is nice and all, but I think it would be more useful to pick up than to discuss the most likely scenarios." Obviously he was right.

"Hi, Ian. To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked happily.

"Hello, Bella. It's nice to hear you so happy, tough the reason isn't exactly..."

"You don't agree with this either, do you?"

"I can't agree with something that can make you suffer. But that's not why I called. We have a situation." His voice was grave, and I could tell right away that nothing good was coming.

"What kind of situation?" Since we were all vampires and could perfectly hear what was being said, I decided to put the phone on loudspeaker so that the others didn't feel like they were listening in.

"The kind of situation we've been trying to put our hands on practically since you arrived to the Volturi. We've found him again. It's worse this time, though." I knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Worse? What could be worse than torturing humans and creating immortal children?" I asked, terrified of what was coming.

"He's started attacking vampires now. He's killed three of the guards that were with us the last time we tried to catch him, even though they had already left the Volturi. Also, it's being too easy to know the area where he is, even though it changes all the time. He's never been this... sloppy, which makes me think that he's not just being careless, he wants us to follow him, to know where he is. He's trying to lure us." He was right, and this only freaked me out more. This guy was smart and sneaky, and he had already proved that to us before. I also had to think about the Cullens now; I had to protect them. They would be a target if this turned into something more.

"What's going on, love?" Edward got closer to me and put his arms around my waist, pressing my back to his chest. I wished I had an answer for him. Unfortunately, it only seemed that I was far from having the peace that I wished for so much in my life.

"Nothing good, nothing good." I sighed, leaning my head against his shoulder and inhaling his scent deeply. He was my home and I was his. If there was something coming for us, I would protect him from it.

"There's a storm looming, Bells." Kurt commented seriously, and I knew he wasn't talking about the weather.

While I stood, no one would touch those I held dear. And no heartless vampire would throw me down because I had too many good reasons to fight, and I wasn't going to do it alone. I looked him right in the eyes, allowing him to see the determination I felt growing inside me, before I answered him.

"Let it come..." A rumble was heard and, a few seconds later, a lightning illuminated the morning, dark sky, as little drops of water started falling down on us. "I'll shield us from the rain."

So... Did you like it? Please REVIEW and let me know! I'm looking forward to hear from all of you!

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Also, I've posted summaries for some stories I'm writing, they're in my website: http:/browneyedcullengirl(dot)webs(dot)com/mystories(dot)htm. If you want to, take a look and tell me what you think of my ideas. I'm not sure if I'm going to start publishing them before I finish 'In the Shadows of Forever', but probably not. 'In the Shadows of Forever' isn't as close to the end as some of you think but when I have the ideas swimming in my head I have to put them down on paper or I'll go crazy.

I have already went to see Eclipse and I liked it. The fighting scenes were great and the tent scene was also good. I really liked the sex talk between Charlie and Bella, it was so funny. Anyway if any of you wants to discuss the movie just pm me. I'd love to hear your opinions and share my own.

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REVIEW! I'll be waiting for your opinions.

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