Chapter 10: An Epiphany

Edward POV

I've been up here in Alaska for the past few days. I haven't talked to anyone, I haven't hunted; all I've been doing is trying to figure out how I can get my Bella back. I don't know how she could have left me for Peter. She was obviously made for me: I can't hear her mind and the smell of her blood is divine, and…and…

'Oh my, what have I done?' I asked myself. It was as if the entire world opened up in front of my eyes for the very first time. Almost as soon as I had the thought, the sun briefly broke through the clouds, causing me to shimmer like thousands of tiny diamonds.

'I'm not in love with Bella; I'm just in lust with her scent and her ever-quiet mind!' I exclaimed internally. I sat on the ground and buried my head in my hands. I had hurt that beautiful, kind, compassionate girl! It was bad enough when I was hurting her when I felt like I had a reason; now that I have no reason, it's a million times worse.

I have to go back to the family, but how will they react? Will they let me speak without interruption so that I can explain myself and my epiphany or will Emmett, Jasper and Peter rip me to shreds without a second thought? All three of them possessed a 'kick ass now, ask questions later' attitude.

'I know, I'll call Alice first!' I thought to myself. As soon as I pulled my cell from my pocket, it started to vibrate and 'I Hope You Dance' started playing through the speaker. Of course, Alice would know I was going to call her as soon as I made the decision. I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear.

"Sissy, what have I done? I'm so sorry! I don't know what was wrong with me, it was as if I was possessed or something! Please, please, please tell me that the family will at least allow me to explain myself before throwing me into the pyre if I come home," I said hopefully.

I could hear her tinkling laughter on the other end and I could hear the entire family as well, Bella included. They all seemed to be playing some kind of board game or another. I smiled as well, happy to hear their voices, even if it was only through a poor cell phone line. I heard Alice excuse herself; then, the whistling of wind was all I heard for about a minute and a half before she stopped and spoke:

"Edward, come home. We all miss you. I haven't told anyone about your plans to come home yet. I've seen many different outcomes but they are always the best when I don't tell them you're on your way. I don't know what's settled into that brain of yours but I know it's a good thing. I hope that you've figured out some things about yourself. We'll discuss things more in private when you get here but, please, come home. I need my brother back. I love Emmett with all my heart but I need someone to be serious with sometimes too."

"Thanks sister, I'll see you in the morning," I said as I ended the call, put the phone in my pocket, and started running home. I stopped an hour later to hunt big game since it had been so long since I'd had anything to drink. After a couple of mountain lions and a grizzly, I continued the trek home at top speed. Not only was I anxious to get this out of the way, I wanted to know what everyone else at the house knew.

Alice POV

Edward was on his way home and would be here at 7:17:33 in the morning. Thank goodness that Carlisle had gotten an excuse for Bella and sent it into the school for the week; we had a lot to discuss as a family and she needed to be here to hear it as well since she was a part of the family. She may not be with Edward any longer but she was still my sister, my best friend, my Bella-Barbie. I know she hates being "Bella-Barbie" but it means the world to me and I know that's why she goes along with it.

Honestly, I missed my brother. Don't get me wrong, I love Emmett to pieces, but Edward was the one that I could talk to and get a brother's standpoint when it was something serious and I didn't want to trouble Jasper. Although, with Peter here now, I may have two brothers that can help me in that sense; also, they were perfect for helping with pranks.

Charlotte had stayed with us since she showed up. I really enjoy having her here; she's quite the firecracker. She and Rose had gotten into quite a few tiffs since she showed up and she never backed down once. I was quite impressed.

Rose has been trying her best to get to know Bella and, slowly but surely, Bella is opening up to her. It takes a lot for Rosalie to admit that she's wrong but, if she does, she does everything in her power to make it right. That's one of the good things about her: it takes forever to get on her good side but, once you do, she loves you unconditionally and will do anything in her power to make sure that you're protected and that you have what you need.

Carlisle and Esme are as happy as they can be at the moment; they're ecstatic to have Bella back in the family. However, they miss Edward terribly. I know they'll be happy to have him back home tomorrow. Carlisle already has his lecture in mind and everything.

Emmett is, well, Emmett. He's been working in overdrive trying to make everyone smile and laugh. He always finds the light in everything and makes jokes about it to help everyone feel better. I'm just glad he's so good at it.

Jasper is doing extremely well. He's taken the time to get to know Bella now that she's not around Edward all the time. Peter knows that Jasper would never hurt her if he could help it and, as he trusts Jasper with his own life, he trusts him with the life of his mate as well. Jazz has always looked at Bella as a sister but, since he's been able to get to know her, it's only helped to solidify that bond.

With Peter and Bella, things are going slowly. If they keep going at this snail's pace, Bella will be in her eighties before Peter changes her. I only hope that, since Peter told her about his time with Maria, Bella will open up about her time with Edward and they'll be able to move along with their relationship a bit quicker.

I'm also banking on Edward coming home tomorrow to help speed up the process. I think that with him here it will give her full closure. Nobody in the family has a clue as to what's going to happen tomorrow, although Jasper knows something's going on because of my emotions. I can't help the overabundance of excitement that's threatening to spill over at any moment. Bella's lucky that she's asleep or I'd be playing Bella Barbie to the max with her right now just to take my mind off things.

Edward POV

Slowing my pace as I near the house, I casually walk onto the grounds. 'Should I knock when I get to the door or should I just walk right in as if I've been there the entire time?' I wonder to myself. My phone buzzed and I opened it to see a text from Alice.

Don't fret, you won't have to worry about either option. See you in a few minutes. Be prepared for something life-altering in 15 secs. –A

I cocked my head to the side and decided not to question it. I kept walking towards the house and, exactly 14 seconds after reading the text, I saw a blur of movement ahead of me. I ran in the direction it was headed and caught up rather quickly. I grabbed the arm of the strange female that was on our property and, as soon as I spun her around, I knew what Alice meant: I'd found my mate. The only question was: who is this person and why are they on our land to begin with?

A/N: I know, I know, it's a cliffie! I'm going to start working on Chapter 11 as soon as I get this one posted; I'd start it now but, alas, I have a ton of homework I've been slacking on because I haven't been feeling well.

Thanks to all of my reviewers! You're all amazing and I read each and every one of them!

Thanks a million to 01katie for pre-reading this for me. You rock chica!

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue. It's that easy.