Wow! It's been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that. This is an incredibly long chapter (for my standards anyway) but I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around this long, you guys make it all worth it.

Thanks so much to my lovely beta TheTinyDancer – thank you for sticking through all my ridiculously long chapters!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Two Smiles

"He died quickly," Charlie said hollowly. "They reckon he was knocked off his feet during the blast and hit his head hard on the road. Blood clot to the brain, the doc said. Died within seconds."

That explained the lack of burns compared to the two fire fighters. I supposed it must be easier for his family to know that Deputy Mark died quickly. But nothing about this whole thing was easy.

"But Mattie Jay..." Charlie went on. He was close to tears, shaking under his blankets. "He wasn't even supposed to be near the accident. He was supposed to be back at the station rounding up as many volunteers as he could before the La Push and Port Angeles crews arrived!" I found my dad's hand under the blanket and squeezed it tightly.

"Don't think about it, Dad," I whispered. "You can't dwell on 'what if's. Mattie and Mark died heroes. They helped the EMT and John to safety before they were caught up in the blast. That's what they will be remembered for."

Edward had filled me in on what had gone on at the scene of the accident while we were on the other side of the minivan after the first explosion. Deputy Mark and Mattie Jay were out of the way of the first blast, had rushed to help one of their colleagues and an EMT before both being hit by the second blast from the gas that had leaked from the Beetle. Mattie Jay had been hit the worst but he had hung on the longest. Deputy Mark had died at the scene according to Charlie. Everyone was devastated; our small town was in shock. We lived in a place where everyone knew each other and one loss was sad for us all. Emily's mom was the principal of the elementary school. Her loss had shattered the pupils and teachers alike.

My heart had done a sickening flip when I'd found out what Emily's mom was to the town. I hadn't been in town long enough to know about all the changes since I had lived in Forks. Mrs. Coleman had replaced the old principal a year after I left for Phoenix with my mom. Pupils from all three schools had already begun laying down tributes to Mrs. Coleman and the others who died at the scene of the accident.

To think it was all caused initially by a deer.

I hoped that those who had passed away had more of a chance to think about what they wanted. I hoped that Vicky and the biker were less angry and were considering going into The Light. But all I could do was wait. I couldn't force a decision on them, but I knew that they would soon find out that earth was full of spirits who had not crossed over, and then it was possible that they'd never leave.

"You're right," Charlie said stiffly. "But I still can't get my head around it. Have you...have you seen them...or any of the victims?"

"Yes," I told my dad. "I have seen them all except Mattie Jay. He...he hadn't quite passed when I saw the others."

Charlie focused on his bed covers with a hard stare. "I am glad you can help them," he said. "It will help their families knowing they are safe. You're a good kid, Bells. And your gift is...I'm sorry if I have never supported what you could do over the years, but I am proud of you. You know that, right?"

My bottom lip shook, but I tried to pull myself together. "I do, Dad. I have always known you have supported me even when you acted like you didn't want to know about what I could do."

Charlie patted my hand, but didn't make eye contact. Nothing would ever change with him; he would always be uncomfortable when it came to talking about his feelings. "You are one special girl. You touch many people's lives. Even after your mom..." Charlie cleared his throat as he trailed off.

Charlie and I met eye contact for a brief second. A small look that told wonders. We both understood each other. We didn't need words to tell each other how we felt. We just knew.

While Charlie and I settled into comfortable silken, I realised that one other person was in the room. It had been the first time I had forgotten about Edward since I had met him. As I turned towards him, I realised that he was no longer by my side. If the door hadn't been in my eye line, I wouldn't have noticed Edward walk out of the door he had been quiet.

At the site of him leaving abruptly, my mind began to panic, running through the possible situations that could have made him up and leave without a word.

Charlie didn't seem to notice Edward's departure and my sudden panic.

Edward wouldn't have left without good reason.

My eyes flickered between the door and my father. My imagination was running wild, over thinking things as usual.

I stood up abruptly, making my legs of the chair make a horrid sound against the ground. Charlie turned at the noise, his eyes casting towards Edward's empty seat seconds later. He gave the vacant seat a quizzical look, no doubt trying to remember when Edward left, before he met my eyes.

Clearing my throat to get rid of the rising worry I said, "Do you mind if I leave for a little while? I left the house is a bit of a mess and I want to get it tidy for you getting discharged tomorrow." I glanced towards the door in hopes that Edward was lingering in the corridor, but I saw no flash of bronze.

"Sure," Charlie replied. "You didn't need to come in the first place."

Charlie's words distracted me for a moment. "Hey, of course I needed to come, dad. You were hurt. I am your daughter." I gave him a serious look. He has no idea how close it came to him being one of the spirits. "And I love you."

Our eyes lingered on one another for a long moment. I wanted to tell him about the vision. The conversation ran on my tongue, hesitant.

Then I sighed. There was no point. I smiled. "I will come back before visiting hours are over. Do you need anything?"

"No, I am good until tomorrow. Jacob stopped by earlier and brought me a bag full of sports and fishing magazines so I will be content with those and ESPN. You look exhausted too, Bells, you should get some rest." Charlie forced a smile. Guilt burned through me. I was a bad person leaving my father when he was in hospital. "I will see you later."

"If you're sure," I murmured. I kissed the top of his head. "I will be back later. Don't try and fill in your role as Chief while you are in bed, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Charlie saluted me as he pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes tightly shut to pretend he was going to sleep.

Still forcing a smile, I hurried across the room towards the door. As I pushed it open, I stopped dead and turned when Charlie called my name.

He stayed silent for a long moment. All drawn up in the hospital bed, seeming a lot paler than usual, with the gaze across his neck, a large lump formed in my own throat. He was all I had. And I almost lost him.

Don't think about it! It was just a vision!

"Yeah, dad?" I prompted before I began crying or something.

"I love you too, Bella," he said quietly before closing his eyes again.

Swallowing the tears, I nodded once and hurried towards the corridor.

The hall was quiet. The elevator was on the left and the nurses' station was on the right. I had no idea which direction Edward had gone in.

I bit my lip and dashed off to the left since it was more likely he left the ward than went further into it. I stood by the elevators and pressed the down button.

After the doors pinged open, I took a step forward, only to walk straight through a wandering spirit. I shivered inwardly as the ghost walked off muttering to himself.

"I hope he bites her face off," the young man said quietly without realising I was staring after him. "Derek would love this...Think he went to the fourth floor...Vampires, I tell ya! Knew they were real!"

"Crap!" I darted inside the elevator again and pressed all the numbers from this floor to the ground. I had no idea where Edward was, but I knew from what the ghost had said that he was with Maria. How the ghost knew Edward was a vampire I would never know because I wasn't stopping to ask him.

The elevator jolted after the doors closed and it proceeded down to the next floor. The doors opened, but no one else got in. I stood in the middle of the doors and strained my ears in case I heard raised voices.

But it was hopeless. I was in a hospital full of people. Granted it wasn't a busy hospital, but it was still full of various voices. I couldn't individually search each floor because I needed to find them now.

I got back in the elevator and it took me down to yet another level. I didn't move when the doors opened as someone else got in. The woman raised her eyebrow as she realised that all the buttons from five had been pushed, but she didn't say anything and stood quietly in the corner.

Where would Edward divert Maria to so he could have a word with her without anyone else hearing? One question still playing on my mind was how the spirit knew what Edward was. Was it common knowledge amongst the earth bound spirits that they weren't the only kind of dead...well, living amongst humans?

Maybe I shouldn't have told Edward everything about Maria. I didn't like her much, but I didn't want him to actually scare her off like he'd said he could. Whatever that had meant, I knew it wasn't going to be anything less than a threat, which would probably scare her witless.

Edward had said that Alice was already at the hospital, so my best bet was to look for her. Although I suspected she might already be with Edward.

Why did he just leave me? Maria wanted to speak to me and I had already resigned myself to that fact. Edward hadn't been sure what she had really come for and why she actually wanted to talk to me in particular, but there wasn't much she could want.

Unless she wanted me to go on a hunt for more possible spirits up and down the country. But she was out of luck because I had already decided I wasn't going to do that, no matter who it was. I hated the fact that she could tell the world about what I could do just by typing it in her stupid newspaper. By morning it would be all across the state that I was a freak who claimed to speak to dead people. I could see the headlines now:

Bella Swan: Ghost Whisperer
Local girl claims to see dead people...

They would all make a mockery of it. I would be a laughing stock and it would put me off doing what I loved to do. I liked helping spirits who were earthbound. It made me feel like I was doing something purposeful. I liked knowing that families were comforted by the fact that their loved ones were at peace so they could move on. Only lately I was beginning to resent what I could do. Ever since I'd begun having the visions, I felt like I was even more of a freak than before. And I didn't know how to control them. I'd adapted to seeing people that no one else could, but I didn't want to deal with something else out of the ordinary.

I had enough on my plate without Maria Wells hanging around, but that didn't mean I actually wanted her frightened from threats that Edward could hold over her. Who knows what would happen if she got involved? Having my secret out in the open to Maria was nothing compared to what it would be like if she started investigating Edward and his family.

I was getting myself all worked up over what was probably nothing but my brain was working five times faster than its usual pace, thinking over everything possible.

The woman got out at the second floor and I waited until the door pinged open on the ground floor before getting out, too.

The emergency room was pretty packed, which I was sure was unusual for a small town such as Forks. There were a few people in white coats floating about, as well as several nurses in different coloured scrubs. It was noisier down here than anywhere else in the hospital, but it was the best place to start looking for Edward.

I hurried along the corridor and stopped just outside Carlisle's office. I knocked quickly, but got no reply. I tried the door and it pushed open but the office was empty much to my disappointment. I sighed and turned to scan the ER.

I chewed on my lip as I thought hard about where Edward would have gone. If he heard Maria's 'voice' then he would have been following her. But where would she go in a hospital? I had no idea what she wanted. If she was only here to report on the accident then she would be outside with the rest of the reporters and news crews.

I turned back towards the entrance and looked out through the glass doors where the reporters and news crews were camped out just beyond the ambulance drop off. They weren't paying much attention so I was free to observe them without getting my picture taken.

I spied the King 5 news van with three people standing outside it. Next to their van was a local news station from Port Angeles. There was one other van next to that, but out of all the people standing with their equipment one man standing alone stood out. He was in his late forties, early fifties, smoking a cigarette, standing slightly away from the other reporters.

I couldn't see Maria or Edward anywhere and I didn't know if she had come alone or not.

I was about to turn back to start my search elsewhere when the man with the cigarette glanced up and stared straight at me. A smile crept across his unshaven face as he took out a paper folder from his jacket and began flicking through it. He smiled to himself and flung the cigarette on the ground and began approaching the entrance.

A horrible feeling pitted my stomach as he walked towards the hospital doors, so I turned and walked quickly through the busy halls.

"Miss? Hey, Miss?" I heard him shout after me.

I skirted past several people, almost knocking over an elderly woman, and hurried towards the elevator. I pressed the button several times, but of course it made no difference. I scanned the corridor and tried to work out where the stair well was. Most stairs wells were at the end of the halls in hospitals so I headed in that direction.

"Hey, Miss!" the man yelled.

I screwed up my face in frustration and turned. "What?"

The man's eyes flared, but there was a hint of amusement behinds his piggy blue eyes. He was considerably over weight, his gut hanging over his pants line, his shirt hugging his body tightly. He was unshaven and the closer he got, the more I could smell the putrid cologne that was way too over powering.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry?" he wheezed, sweat beading on his brow.

"My father is sick. I was going to see him."

"Ah, and he would be..." He glanced down at the folder that he had been looking at outside. I glanced down at it, too, but all I could see was notes. "Ah, here we are. Charlie Swan. He was in the accident, too?"

"Chief Swan," I corrected. I didn't like his questions. How did he who my father was if I had just met him. "I'm sorry, you seem to know me, but I am not quite sure who you are...?"

"Gerald Hughes," he said holding out his hand. "Reporter for Seattle Times."

I knew there was a reason I hurried off when he approached me. He worked with Maria. I wondered what else was in his little folder. It wouldn't be a surprise if Maria had compiled a whole file on me. Although I didn't want Edward to hurt Maria, I wouldn't have minded if he were to get his hands on the folder and accidently drop it in a fire.

Out of politeness, I reluctantly shook the man's hand, but dropped it quickly. "Well, er, pleased to meet you, but I am anxious to see my father."

I turned back towards the elevator and pressed the button again since he had made me miss the first time it opened.

"I am sure you are, Miss Swan," Gerald said. "How is he doing? He is one of the only ones who was injured but survived...How does he feel about that?"

My eyes narrowed, my anger already beginning to flare. "Actually, you might want to get your facts right. My father was not the only injured survivor. There were a couple of EMT's that have been injured as well are two other fire-fighters." The elevator doors opened. "Now if you will excuse me, Mr. Hughes, I will be going to see my father!"

Gerald stepped in between the elevator doors to stop them closing after I had pressed a random number. "There is no need to be hostile, Miss Swan; I was only looking for a quote." His smile dropped. "I hear you were at the scene of the accident. Care to share what you saw with me? It would be good to get a witness account...And not a scratch on you either..." He looked me up and down.

My face hardened into stone and my lips clamped tight shut. A clear answer in itself. The reporter and I stared down each other, but I wasn't going to budge even a little bit. Eventually Mr. Hughes stepped out of the elevator and it closed on his face.

A frustrated sigh exhaled my lips as I leaned back against the wall.

I hated the press. If he hadn't worked for Maria then I wouldn't have been angry, but I knew he knew more about me than the other reporters would. I was sure he had a photo of me in his little file otherwise I was just another visitor at the hospital.

I just wanted this all to be over, Maria to go back to Seattle with her tail between her legs and for the spirits to cross over. I was exhausted with the amount of things that were happening in Forks. I didn't mind doing what I could to help spirits but these visions were causing more harm than good. I just wanted to go back to normal. But that would never happen.

The elevator doors pinged open on the fourth floor and I walked out slowly. I had no idea what the floor was for and I knew Edward wasn't going to be here. I stopped the first nurse I saw and tried to put on a smile.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where the...er, morgue is?" I asked.

The nurse frowned. It obviously wasn't a normal question she was asked by visitors, but she turned to a sign right behind me. "It's back on the first floor." She pointed to the information that I could have easily read for myself. I groaned inwardly. Maybe the loss of blood was taking its effect on my body.

"Once you get there, keep going as far as possible and it's through the double grey doors," she added as she walked way.

"Thank you," I called as she disappeared into a side room.

-x-

The grey doors were easily enough to find. They were right at the end of the hall as the nurse had said.

While my brain was unusually slow from exhaustion, it dawned on me that Maria was either inside the hospital looking for people to talk to about the accident, or she was with the victims' bodies - although I wasn't sure what she was hoping to find.

As I pushed my way through the grey doors, I instantly knew I was in the right place. It was already cold and it was the dullest place in the hospital with the walls a sickly grey on each side.

Keeping quiet I headed straight for the other set of grey doors, but instead of marching straight through, I stood outside for a few seconds to listen to the arguing from behind the doors.

The doors were too thick to hear anything solid. Only the odd word reached my ears, the rest just muffles.

My impatience getting the better of me, I cautiously opened a door and slipped inside. The arguing stopped immediately and everyone looked around to me.

"Bella!" Edward and Maria Wells said at the same time. Alice gave me a half smile as I walked further into the room.

Opposite the doors were dozens of metal drawers where I knew they kept the bodies. I tried not to look at them as I knew that they contained people from the accident.

I so did not want to be there.

"I had a feeling I would find you here," I said addressing them all. "But I am still wondering why you are down here?" I glanced at Edward then Maria. I couldn't decide who led whom here.

Maria looked different from when I had last seen her. She was thinner, her blonde hair was shorter, with flawless make-up covering up the stress lines underneath.

"I was actually looking for you," Mara said with a bright smile. "Mr. Cullen here startled me just as I was about to leave." Her eyes narrowed. "It seems that he has quite a bit of interest in you, Bella. He has warned me to stay away from you. But all I wanted to do was catch up, as I have been trying to explain to the determined young man." She raised her eyebrow at Edward before glancing back at me.

"Your colleague, Mr. Hughes, seemed to know who I was just by sight," I said slowly. "Have you been following me, Ms. Wells?"

The smile dropped from her face and she looked pissed off, but hid it quickly. "Bella, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I heard you were also at the accident. Can you tell me what you saw? And how was it that you happened to be at the right place at the wrong time... A ghost, perhaps?"

Edward opened his mouth, but I silenced him with a sharp look. "Actually, I had forgotten my gym clothes and Edward had offered to drive me home to retrieve them and Alice tagged along." There was no point in lying about Alice's involvement since Maria would have known anyway. "We came across the accident as we passed."

Maria nodded to herself. "Yes, I heard the two Cullen children were also at the accident. Just shortly before Dr. Cullen arrived... Did you all witness the explosions?"

"We haven't given our witness statements to the police yet, so you won't be the first person to hear our account of what we saw," Alice said dismissively.

Maria gave Alice a calculating look, but evidently decided not to comment. "Fine. Bella, I was wondering if you saw the victims of the accident? In spirit form, I mean."

"I might have," I deadpanned.

Maria's smile grew. "And what are you doing to help them? Will they be going into The Light?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Alice answered for me.

"Look, Maria, what do you actually want with me? I am helping the spirits, but they need time to get used to the fact that they are actually dead. Is that all you wanted to know or...?" I glanced at Edward, but he was a stone wall.

"Yes, actually, but I wondered if I could be there when they, you know...cross over?" Maria asked hopefully.

This time I look at Edward to give me a sign of what she was actually thinking underneath her words. He shook his head a fraction.

"Why?" I questioned Maria.

Maria hesitated. "Well, your gift fascinates me. Since I found out what you could do I have been trying to compile research...learn the facts, that sort of thing. I even tracked down people you have helped..."

A rush of intense emotions hit me at once. "Excuse me?"

For once since I had known her, Maria looked genuinely sorry for her actions, but she made no notion to comment.

"That's what we were discussing before you came, Bella," Edward said. "And I was trying to explain to Ms. Wells that what you do is private and she shouldn't have invaded other people's lives to ask them about your gift and what they witnessed."

The seconds of remorse dropped from Maria's face instantly as threw up her hands. "I simply questioned a few people who may have had contact with you and you shared your gift with them. It is not a crime to ask questions!"

"But you are dragging up a touchy subject," I uttered. "You are going back into people's lives and asking them about their deceased loved ones. Why can't you just stick to reporting and stop hounding me every time I come under your radar!"

"I am only trying to learn more about your gift! Don't you find it fascinating that you can communicate with the dead? People have pretended to do so for centuries, but I have seen the proof that you actually can! What if I was to document it, film you doing what you do and then other people might start to believe you! We could make so much money off it!"

"'We'?"

Maria looked like she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar. "Well, I could represent you, Bella. We could tour the country and help people from all over the state. Think about what you could do for everyone! Think about how many people you could help...the spirits you could cross over!"

I shook my head. "Just stop right there," I warned. "I will say this only once, so listen carefully. I will never ask for money for what I can do. I will never work for you. And I never want to tell the world about my gift. Now please leave it and go back to your day job. I am going to help the spirits from the accident and I am going to continue to help the spirits that come across my path. But I will not go looking for them, okay?"

Maria's smile had faded completely. Her fingers were curled into firsts by her sides. "You have clearly made up your mind. Maybe I will be able to convince Emily Coleman that what she can do is very special and she could help more than just her parent's move on."

It was then I saw red. She was not going to manipulate a vulnerable girl into doing what she wanted just to make money.

"You go near Emily and I..." But I didn't know what I could do. Maria smirked, she knew it too.

Edward walked closer to Maria and bent down by her ear and whispered something to her quietly. I couldn't hear, but Maria's eyes flew open in shock before she went ridged.

Edward stepped back with a small smile before Maria turned to me. "I am sorry your father got hurt, Bella," Maria said stiffly. "I hope the victims will be okay. Sorry for bothering you." She turned on her heel and strode out of the cold room, her shoes echoing as she hurried away from the morgue.

"What did you say to her?" I wondered as I watched the doors swing shut.

Edward chuckled. "It seems that Maria's boss is as sick of her as you are. He wants to pawn her off to some other newspaper or just fire her altogether. He is looking for any excuse and Maria knows it." Edward wrapped his arm around my waist. "Ms. Wells is an alcoholic. She barely gets to the end of the day before she collapses into a bottle...but she has days when she can't get through work before she has a drink. I warned her that if she didn't leave you or Emily alone I would have a word with her boss."

"But she looked...Well, not like an alcoholic."

"Humans are good at deception," Alice said as we walked out of the creepy room. "If she looks good then people will think she is fine. She needs her job. Why do you think she was so desperate to court you to try and get you to work for her? In truth you could make quite a bit of money if you were to follow her."

I stared at Alice, but she shrugged. "Just stating facts. I know you would never do such a thing. But Maria is just looking for something that will pay more than her job will and secure her better, but also get her noticed. She was clutching at straws, but I think she really is fascinated with what you can do. She genuinely just wants to learn more...but she went entirely the wrong way about it."

"Will she stay away from Emily?" The last thing the poor girl needed was someone like Maria in her life. I would call her boss myself if she went anywhere near her. "How did she found out about Emily anyway?"

"The social worker," Edward answered grimly. "You remember the one that was dealing with Emily's case? She was there when you backed Emily up about her parents still being here."

"Oh." I suppose I should have seen that coming.

"But don't worry, Maria won't dare touch Emily. We will warn her off if she tries," Alice said reassuringly.

"Good." We walked back towards the elevator. "I don't suppose one of you could see what is in the file that Maria's partner had? I am guessing some of it has information about me."

Alice smiled brightly and turned away from us. "I will take care of that," she called as she disappeared around the corner.

-x-

Edward and I settled in Carlisle's office while we waited for Alice. She appeared within ten minutes with the folder tucked under her arm. She placed it down on the desk and Edward flicked through it.

Glancing over the desk I scanned the blown up pictures to see myself staring back at me in every one. Snatching them up, I sat back in the chair flicked through each one quickly. I had no idea where most of them had been taken, but they weren't recent.

"God, she has been stalking me," I uttered. "Most of these are from ages ago..." My eyes flashed and I dropped the pictures back on the table.

Staring up at me from the desk was a smiling Renee with me latched onto her hand as we walked down the street. The background was familiar; a park about a mile from our house in Phoenix. It was a bright sunny day as it mostly was in Arizona, and Renee and I both donned shorts and light tops.

Renee's hair was long which meant it was before she was diagnosed.

Edward scooped up the photos hastily and shoved them at the back of the file. "Maybe we should just get her fired anyway!" His voice was ice.

I shook my head. "No, she would know it was us. Which would mean she would keep on annoying me until she got something out of it. What else is in the folder?"

"Notes... Some about the accident, who she has spoken to already, what she has found out. Stuff about us being at the accident...Stuff about Emily...and your father..."

"Just burn it," I suggested. I didn't care anymore. As long as she stayed away from Emily and me from now on, I didn't care that she had followed me at some point. "Then can we go back to your place? I just want a break from all of this!"

Alice scraped up all the contents into the file. "Maybe we can have a camp fire tonight. These can be the first to burn!"

"Emmett will enjoy that. We have mounds of things to burn," Edward said. "You look exhausted, Bella. Maybe you can get a few hours sleep before we come back so you can say goodnight to your father."

With his words, my body finally caught up to my brain and I felt the strain of exhaustion. Edward moved around the best and opened his arms to me. Closing my eyes, I leaned in close and let him hug me tight for a moment before I pulled back. "I would prefer some us time since we were interrupted earlier."

Alice sniggered as she walked out of the office. Edward looked delighted as we followed her towards the back entrance of the hospital.

"I want to show you something first though," Edward said as he opened the passenger door for me. It had stopped raining, but the clouds where still thick and ominous looking in the sky.

"What?" I wondered curiosity. "You'll see." He closed the door and slid into the front seat. Alice sat in the back with her head resting on the shoulder of my seat.

"I am glad you came to Forks, Bella," Alice said thoughtfully as Edward glided the car through the lot. "There has never been a dull moment for us since you came into our lives. I am glad Edward has woken up and realised you should be with us forever."

"I'm glad, too," I said with a smile as I glanced at Edward. He was staring ahead, his face smooth, devoid of emotion. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I was sure this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have. I just wasn't sure why.

"But I am mad at Edward for proposing to you in such a shoddy way! I mean how unromantic was that?" Alice explained.

I tried not to chuckle as I blushed at the memory. This was what Edward did not want to talk about and Alice knew it because she winked at me.

I chose to change the subject and said, "Is the elementary school tidy? I mean if I was bleeding so much, I must have made a mess? Do you need me to clean it up? You guys shouldn't have to do it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella," Alice said. "And yes, it's all clean. Blood free at least. The boys went to work on the...er...repairs."

"Repairs?" What damage did I do?"

"Don't worry about it," Edward said. "And you had nothing to do with it. It was Alice and I. Vampire hazard."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he never did. We pulled into the Cullen drive way and Alice hopped out the car.

"Well, that was quick," Edward said as he opened my door and offered me his hand.

"What was?"

"Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle and the girls have already repaired the mess at the elementary," Edward told me. "They are all upstairs so we can have five minutes to ourselves. Come on, I will show what I have been working on."

Edward led me inside and my curiosity sparked. He pulled me over to their grand piano which was raised on a small platform at the left of the front room. He let go of my hand and indicated for me to sit down.

We sat on the bench together and I waited to see what he was going to play. Oddly he looked a little nervous, which wasn't a look I had ever seen on Edward's face.

"I have had this song in my head for a while," Edward said softly.

"Play it," I encouraged. He could play 'Three Blind Mice' and I would have loved it because it came from him.

With a toying smile, Edward turned to the piano.

The moment his fingers touched the keys I was entranced. It was beautiful. Each note flowing onto the next, soothing every part of me. His fingers danced over the ivory keys, brushing the bars lightly, effortlessly. The sound was something I wanted to savour forever.

I held back my tears, embarrassed that they had sprung to the corners of my eyes. When the last note rang softly through me, Edward held his finger on the note for a few seconds before he turned to me.

"It sounds even better than I had imagined," he whispered. His golden eyes were warm, swimming with happiness.

"You have never played that before?" I whispered back, shocked. "What is it called?"

Edward's lips broke into a crocked smile. It sent shivers down my spine. "I made it for you. I have been working on it in my head since I met you. It doesn't have a name. It's more of a lullaby, really. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Edward, it is beautiful. Absolutely stunning." I wiped the corner of my eyes. "You amaze me more and more each day."

"Not as much as you do me," Edward muttered. "I can play it again if you like?"

"Please," I said nodding encouragingly. Edward kissed away a fallen tear before he began playing again.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember every single note, etching the soothing sound onto my brain. I knew if I wasn't careful I would easily fall asleep, so I reluctantly opened my eyes and watched as Edward swept the keys for a second time. Once he had finished he started again. I rested my head on his shoulder gently and listened to the beautiful music fill the room.

After the third time the lullaby finished, Edward changed easily into another soft melody which I didn't recognise. It was as beautiful as the lullaby, but with a quicker tempo.

"This is Esme's favourite," Edward murmured by my ear. "This is her piece." I could hear the smile in his voice and I knew that somewhere in the house Esme was smiling, too.

I began to drift off into Edward's arm, the music pulling me under, when something made me jump awake with an alarming start. An uneasy feeling drifted through me. I straightened up and realised Edward had stopped playing abruptly, his eyes fixed on mine with worry creased between his eyebrows. It was a look that I was getting used to.

"What's wrong?" he asked me quickly, his eyes darting round the room to detect any sign of trouble. I glanced around the room, too, but it was empty apart from us.

I couldn't hear anything in the house either. It was deadly quiet. Or at least to my ears.

"I don't know," I said in barely a whisper, trying not to disrupt the silence. "The music was making me sleepy and I was drifting off. But then this horrible feeling jolted through me..."

"A ghost, perhaps?" Edward was on alert; his hand found mine and he squeezed tightly.

Edward led me off the bench and across the room to sit down on the smallest love seat. By that time Carlisle, Esme and Alice had already joined us in the living room.

"Everything okay?" Esme asked as she perched on the small arm chair.

"For now," Edward said cautiously, his eyes never leaving mine. I could tell he was waiting for me to slip into a vision, but I tried not to be too anxious. I knew that if I saw the woman again and she decided to project her last moments on earth again, I wasn't going to be able to stop it. Neither was Edward and that was what angered him. It worried me, yes, but what could I do if I didn't know how to control any type of vision or projection?

I didn't know if I was going to see things play out before they did, or if I was going to become part of the vision, re-live what the spirit wanted me to. Or if I was going to have a vision where I saw things for myself but be in the place where it would happen. My gift was going beyond anything I could ever have imagined, but it was out of my control. I had no idea what to do about it and it made me on edge.

I hated walking on egg shells. Julia needed to hurry up and show herself sometime soon. I couldn't live my life with Edward reacting to every odd thing and I hated living in the unknown, unsure if the spirit was going to put me through the hell that they had suffered.

"I'm sure it was nothing," I said dismissively trying to sound more positive than I felt. "I can't react to every little odd feeling I have. I am sure it was just like what happens with everyone else. Sometimes when you are falling asleep something startles you awake making you feel...odd. Or when people have dreams where they think they are falling and they awake abruptly with their heart racing, thinking it was real." I threw up my hand. "I don't see or hear anyone. We can relax."

I felt silly that it was being made a big deal of. It wasn't even anything. It was just an odd feeling. I was fine; I wasn't bleeding or being sick.

"I am not taking any chances," Edward said. "I meant it when I said that I wasn't going to leave your side. Who knows when it could happen again?"

"Oh, come on, Edward. You need to give the girl some room to breathe. You can't smother her forever. Are you going to follow her into the bathroom when she takes a shower...or..."

Alice's words faltered and we all stared at the piano. Another beautiful piece of music was flowing through the room but this time it wasn't Edward playing.

It was his brother.

"Henry," I whispered. It was a simple tune, but just as beautiful as the lullaby that Edward had composed for me. Edward stood, pulling me with him, and started to walk towards the piano.

"I know that song," he murmured in a trance as he stared fixedly at the piano. His eyes were flaring in shock as he walked slowly across the room, dragging me with him. "My brother...he's the one doing that?" he asked me but didn't gaze down.

"Yes," I whispered. "He is sitting on the bench."

Henry continued to play, his fingers gliding just above the keys. His eyes were squinting in concentration but each note was perfect, flowing gracefully just like Edward's had.

"My father taught us that song," Edward uttered suddenly as he halted to a stop a meter away from the piano. "I had forgotten it...all these years..."

The music stopped and Henry now stood off the platform from the piano.

With his eyes fixed on his brother, Edward looked as shocked as Edward. "He remembers," Henry said slowly. There was pleasure in his tone, but he still looked sad. "He plays the piano all the time...but he's never played this! He forgot this, too. Just like me."

The awaiting silence reminded me that I was the only one to hear Henry, so I repeated everything he had said out loud for everyone else to hear. The living room had filled with the rest of the family, everyone watching us cautiously.

To help everyone out, and for it to be a little less awkward for the unseeing eyes, I kept my eyes on Henry so everyone could at least try to look in his direction. Edward was staring at Henry as if he was seeing him, but in reality he was only seeing the spot on the piano bench.

Not for the first time I wished that I could share my gift.

"Edward, do you want to say anything to Henry?" I asked softly.

Running his free hand through his hair, Edward closed his eyes before nodding. "But there is just too much to say." He dropped my hand and walked over to the piano and began playing the same music that Henry had to catch our attention.

Henry turned to watch his brother, staring at him adoringly. A smile crept onto his pale face, his dark green eyes lighting up in admiration.

"He did remember," Henry said excitedly as he looked up to meet my eyes. "He can play it just as good as daddy could! He didn't forget."

"He is saying he is glad you remembered," I told Edward. "He says that you can play it just as well as your father could."

Esme came to stand by the piano next to me. I could tell that if it were possible she would be in tears.

"What's it called?" she asked quietly. "It's beautiful."

"Two Smiles," Henry and Edward said in unison.

"Our father composed it for the both of us," Edward said. He met Carlisle's eyes. "I remember now." Edward stopped playing and stood beside me, taking my hand again. "I remember everything. I have a brother. A twin brother."

Edward's smile mirrored Henry's, both their eyes lighting up, with memories dancing on their faces. Something warm inside me glowed. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

"Two Smiles," I whispered.

Henry came to stand to the left of me. He met my gaze, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. He held out his hand as if to high five me. I held out my own hand and placed it as close to his without going through him.

As our hands connected, electric flowed through me. I sucked in a breath and my eyes closed involuntarily.

Two little boys scuttled past me, running at full speed across the wooden floor. Their bronze hair ruffled behind them as they disappeared into the next room. I found myself wandering after them, edging nearer the door.

I eased it open just as the notes from a piano filled the room. I heard cheerful giggles erupt from the far end of the room. I pushed the door open further and stepped just a meter inside.

I saw a picture of love. A happy family.

A man, tall, with olive skin and dark hair, was creating the beautiful sound that filled the room. The piano sat by the window facing the bookcase on the opposite wall. His fingers glided across the keys in a familiar way.

On the small light green love seat in the middle of the room was a beautiful woman. She was much smaller than the man, thin, pale, with brilliant green eyes. Her hair matched that of the boys sitting opposite her, both of them copying the movements as their father played the piano, their fingers tinkering in the air as if playing, too.

Their father was smirking as he glanced at his family every so often. The mother beaming with pride and happiness while the boys, identical to the last freckle, were chuckling to themselves as if sharing a private joke.

It was heart warming to watch.

"Can we play now, daddy?" one of the boys asked, turning slightly on the sofa. The man stopped playing, walked over to the boys then threw them both over his shoulder and carried them to the piano.

"You have both been practising the other songs I taught you?" he questioned them as he placed them on opposite ends of the music bench.

He stepped in the middle and sat down between his boys.

"Yes," replied the boy nearest the window. "Five times a day. We can play Beethoover."

The father chuckled and glanced at his wife adoringly. "Did you hear that, Elizabeth? Henry says they can play Beethoover."

Elizabeth laughed softly as she glided towards the piano, placing her hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"It's pronounced 'Bay-toe-vuhn', Henry," she told the twin by the window. "EJ, Henry, show daddy the start of Two Smiles that you can play." She beamed. "They have been practising every morning," she told her husband.

The man looked shocked, but deeply proud. "But I haven't taught them our song yet. How did you boys know?"

"By memory," the young Edward told his father proudly. "We listened to it every night and practised by what we heard."

"You play by ear," the man said shocked. He smiled brightly, his dark eyes sparkling. "Well, let's hear then. One at a time. Who wants' to go first?"

"Me!" the boys shouted together.

Elizabeth and her husband chuckled. "We have the next Beethoven's on our hands, Edward." She and her husband couldn't have looked any prouder.

"Okay, you both have a go," Edward Senior said.

And they did. Both Henry and Edward played their song together. They were a little slow, each note being played carefully and with more thought than their father played, but all the same it was soothing to listen to.

The boys got half way through before they both stumbled on the same note. Annoyance creased both their tiny faces, their little noses screwed up in frustration.

"Daddy!" Henry said annoyed.

"We can't finish the next part," Edward said as he fisted the keys making the piano sound like it was groaning.

Edward Sr. smirked. "You'll get it, boys. Don't worry. You did perfectly and you have barely turned five. The key is patience and it will come naturally. Don't ever give up, you'll both get it." He ruffled Edward's hair. "Don't ever bang the keys like that again," he added to his son in a mocking threat. "Come on, I will show you the last part and you can practice tomorrow."

Edward Sr. started to play the music from where his sons had stumbled and they both watched happily, concentrating on each key.

Elizabeth smiled before she wandered off and slipped out of the room, humming the music that was being played. The twins were smiling identically as they listened to their father playing their song.

Two Smiles.

"Bella?" A voice brought me back into the present. Rocketing on my feet slightly, my balanced thwarted at shock, I blinked and gazed around the room to bring myself back to the present. Although I felt like I had been in the memory for a good few minutes, I was still standing; Edward's cool arm was wrapped around me securely.

"What happened? You blacked out!" Edward sounded anxious, on edge like he was expecting something more dramatic to happen.

"Nothing, I'm okay," I said quickly in reassurance. As reality faded back into my mind, I began more aware that everyone in the room was staring at me. Henry stare was the only one to make me less unconformable since he knew what I had seen.

"What happened?" Edward probed again.

"A vision," I told him. "But it was one of the better ones. Nothing happened. It was a memory."

Edward's body relaxed and his grip on me became lighter. "What did you see?"

"You...you and Henry," I told him. "You were about Henry's age now. I think it was at your human house. You mom was there...and your dad, too."

Edward stiffened. "You saw my parents?"

Determined not to cry in front of everyone, I took a deep breath to steady my emotions. "I did," I told him. "You look very much like your mom. And Henry, too, of course. Elizabeth was her name?"

From the corner of my eye I saw movement. I turned to see Carlisle smiling to himself. "You really did see her," he said, astonished.

"Yes, that was her name," Edward confirmed. "If you saw our father then it was before he died. We would have just turned five. What were we doing?"

"Playing the piano," I told him. "Your father was playing your song and one of you asked if you could have a turn..." I recalled everything from the vision, trying to word everything the best I could.

Henry was beaming once I had finished, while Edward looked frozen.

"Henry could never get Beethoven's name right," Edward whispered after a moment. He chuckled softly. "In the end we both called him 'Beethoover'."

Chuckles erupted from Henry who was standing by the foot of the stairs. "Mommy thought it was hilarious!"

"Is Henry still here?" Alice asked from the sofa. Everyone was watching us warily. I guessed they were all aware of how much my gift had advanced since I had originally told them what I could do.

"He's been here the whole time." I didn't want to suggest that Henry should start to be at peace and move on into The Light. Edward was only just remembering, it seemed cruel that he had to say goodbye now. But on the other hand, I knew Henry had to go because he needed to leave earth since he didn't belong here as a spirit.

"I just wish I could see him," Edward said solemnly.

"What if Ryan possessed you like he did with Alice. That way you could see and him say goodbye," Carlisle suggested. "What do you think, Bella?"

It was not something I would have suggested myself. It was not something I would even think of. As I thought it out, I turned slowly, my eyes catching an eager Carlisle, but I turned to Edward. With one look I realised that this is what Edward wanted. It would be his way of saying goodbye.

I couldn't say no to that. Where was Ryan when I needed him?

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "Maybe. It's just that I don't know where Ryan is..."

"Alice said Ryan is much more powerful than I imagined," Jasper spoke from some corner in the room. I had forgotten we had an audience they had been so quiet. Alice nodded in contraction with Jasper's statement.

This was all knew to them, but ghost possession wasn't something I was overly familiar with either. To me it was frightening. To the Cullen's, it was fascinating.

"You should have seen the way Alice flew into the air when she got closer to all the blood," Carlisle said. "Ryan seems pretty powerful. Powerful enough to handle Edward."

. "And he even lifted Edward off his feet, smashing the wall," Alice chimed in with a smirk towards her brother.

A low chuckled rumbled through the room. I turned to Edward with my eyebrow raised.

"You forgot that part when you were telling me what happened at the school," I said with an eye roll. Now wasn't the time to get into details of the time I almost bled to death? But it left the question, was Ryan really that powerful. I wished I had been conscious at the time he managed to lift Edward and Alice off their feet. "Ryan really did that? He managed to use all that energy to pick you both up?"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe it one second," Carlisle said. "It was so….weird!"
Everyone laughed. It must be odd to witness something happen that was being controlled by unseen forces.

They all had excellent points as to why it would work. But I was scared. Scared for Edward, for Ryan. For Henry. I wanted Edward to see his brother, possibly for the last time. But…what if it wasn't enough. Would they ever let each other go?

It could be bad for both Henry and Edward. It would be heart-breaking.

"You think it's a bad idea," Jasper said quietly. I bit my lip in answer. "Why?"

All of a sudden I was put on the spot. Jasper could read my emotions, but Edward couldn't interpret them. Which was something the family must have been used to. Seven pairs of golden eyes and one pair of small green eyes were watching me carefully.

"It's not that I don't want Edward to see Henry because I do," I said directly to Edward. "I really do. You have no idea how much I wish that everyone I help can see their loved on. It would make my job…well non-existent. It's just…"

"You're scared," Esme said. I blinked in surprise, thinking it was Jasper that spoke.

"Of what?" Edward whispered, taking my hand softly in his. He began rubbing the back of my hand soothingly with his thumb, his cool touch sparking the familiar electricity that ran through my body.

The room was still. My breath sounded like it was being projected by a microphone, it was that quiet. "That it will hurt too much," I whispered as I gazed only towards Edward. "I know that's not my decision to make. But I don't want you to hurt when you have to say goodbye."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jasper shift. And I knew then that I was right. "I will be fine," Edward said determinedly. I wasn't sure if he was speaking to me, or to Jasper's unspoken words. Probaly the latter, I assumed.

"Will you though?" Rosalie spoke for the first time. "It can't be easy knowing that you have a little…have a twin brother, one who you…"

"I'll be fine," Edward said loudly, cutting his sister off. Edward let go of my hand and cradled my face gentle. "I can handle seeing my brother. I need to see him. I need to say goodbye."

Of course he did. I would never have denied him that possibly. But I still couldn't help but worry for him. I just needed my worries to be heard. "I am sure Ryan is strong enough," I whispered. "It will be up to Ryan from now on." I softly pried Edward's hands from my face. Looking toward Henry, he met my eye and I knew what I wanted of him.

"I will go and find him," he said. "Ryan is the strongest, he can do it."

"He can do what?" said a voice from behind us. Henry and I simultaneously glanced towards the sofa's. In front of Rosalie and Emmett, Ryan had materialised right on time.

"It seems Ryan has excellent timing," I told everyone else, but didn't look back to see their reactions.

"What am I the strongest at?" Ryan questioned with an air of curiosity. "This seems to be a cozy gathering. What did I miss?" With a cheeky grin, Ryan turned back around and walked straight through Emmett before appearing by Henry's side.

With Emmett's cussing in the background, I explained to Ryan what we had been discussing. The Cullen's waited patiently while I explained Carlisle's suggestion.

"Do you think you can?" I asked finally. "Do you have the energy to possess Edward long enough for him to say goodbye?"

Ryan looked more than hesitant that I thought he would be. My heart was starting to sink before he had even said a word. "A few days ago, I managed to control Alice's body. I was able to communicate with her, let her see Henry through my eyes…so to speak." Ryan was gazing at Alice with a lot of curiosity. "Alice was able to remember everything. Something that doesn't happen to other possessed people. She is a psychic." Ryan appeared in front of an obvious Alice. "I wonder if she was one when she was human," he mused thoughtfully to himself. Ryan disappeared way from Alice and moved back to stand beside Henry.

I was awear that the rest of the room was following my eyes like a tennis match. It was their only indication of where Ryan was standing.

"Ryan?" I interrupted Ryan's own internal musings.

"Right," Ryan said distractly. "Anyway. I have been thinking about Alice remembering my poessions. I would imagine that it would also be true if I were to do what you said, to possess Edward. He has some pychic ability, therefore I am sure that if I were to possess him he would remember every detail."

"But it wouldn't be the same for the others?" I was catching up to his theory, but I didn't see why it was a problem. It was a good thing if Edward remembered. It was what we wanted.

"Right," Ryan went on. "I doubt that say, I was to possess the beuty queen over thre," Ryan pointed to Rosalie, "she would remember anything….she has no brain…" Ryan smirked. "I mean…no psychic ability."

I tried not to show any emotions. I was just glad that it was Edward with the mind reading gift. Not that he could hear me anyway. "So, what's your point?"

"Yes, I can possess Edward. Yes he would remember it. But where would it leave me? I would be able to connect with him, but it would take a lot out of both of us to do so. I was only connected with Alice for, what? Less than two minutes." Ryan appeared back in front of Alice. Everyone in the room followed my eyes again, staring at Alice guardedly. Alice herself had frozen, aware that Ryan must be infront of her.

"This is creepy," she whispered.

Ryan tried not to laugh. "Trust me, it was creepier being inside you," he said to Alice who couldn't see or hear him. "But here is my point," he said turning to me. "Possession takes a lot of energy. Yes I did those things back at the school, but they ran off my heightened emotions. You know how strong we can be when our emotions are running high." I nodded. "I was able to throw Edward across the room, communicate with Alice, even hold the door shut. But I did it because was worried about you…"

"What is the ghost saying?" Alice said impatiently.. "I don't like the thought of him being around me and I can't see him."

Ryan stood firmly where he was in front of Alice. His smile said it all, he enjoyed being the invisible man.

"I'm not sure," I answered. "Ryan, are you saying you can't possess Edward?"

"Not can't," Ryan replied. "Won't."

My shoulders slumped. Half in relief, half in disappointment. Edward didn't need to see Ryan to know the basis of Ryan's answer. He hissed in Alice's direction with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Why not?" he demanded. "He did it to Alice."

I gave Ryan a pleading, look but he was staring at Edward. "Bella, tell your boyfriend to hold his God damn horses." He glanced at me with a smirk, daring me to relay his exact words.

"Um, Edward? Ryan says...he's not finished yet." I glared at Ryan. "Go on," I urged.

"I probably won't successfully possess Edward...no matter how similar his brain is wired to Alice's. What if I try and fail? It wouldn't be worth it for either of us. However," he pressed with a small smile. "I believe that Miss Psychic here might have some ability to see us dead folk."

My mouth fell open on its own accord. "Alice did see you this morning at the school...How is that even possible. She is psychic, but..."

"Wait what?" Alice said wide eyed. "I didsee Ryan in the refection on the door? How could I have...? I have never seen a ghost before Henry...and that was because Ryan helped me out..."

"Ahh...Well apparently that was my doing," Ryan said with a guilty expression. "Like your visions, Bella, they were always meant to come to you. The accident triggered them. I triggered a deep connection within Alice. She probably won't be able to see us like you or Emily can, but she may have enough ability to see us on occasion like this morning. But with your help she might be able to share your gift with a controlled connection to the spirit world..."

"And you know this how...?" I questioned, my eyes narrowed. I groaned. "Julia?"

Ryan looked pissed off. He moved away from Alice and stood back by Henry. "That woman knows more than she has let on to you...to all of us," Ryan said grumpily. "She uses me as the go-between, but only finding important things out at the last minute."

"Maybe this was what you have stuck around for," I joked lightly. "That's what you said, wasn't it? That you felt your purpose on earth had something to do with me?" It wasn't a thought I relished, but I could now see it made sense. Julia's doing, of course.

"Well, fat lot of good it's doing if the stupid gypsy is so evasive. She tells me very little, but then fills me in when it's already happened. Like when Alice saw me, she told me what it meant. And your visions...what happened this morning...she told me what I needed to let Alice know, but no more than that!"

A flicker of the lights alerted everyone to Ryan's rising emotions. "Hey, calm down, Ryan. You will cause a storm inside if you're not careful." I glanced back at everyone before meeting Edward's anxious eyes. The room was unusually calm considering what was going on.

"Ryan is learning more about everything as time goes on," I said to fill everyone in since they were still in the dark. Figuratively. "He believes that despite what he said a few days ago, he probably won't be able to possess Edward and get the same effect it had with Alice. However..." I glanced cautiously at Alice. "He thinks that when he possessed Alice a few days ago, it awoke a connection inside her that is similar to mine." I turned only to Alice. "You did see him, Alice. And he thinks that with my help I could help you see Henry by yourself. That way Edward can see him through your mind since mine is still closed off to him."

Everyone seemed as confused as I felt. I didn't understand it either, but over the years I just accepted everything that I didn't really understand. If Ryan thought Alice could see spirits with my help then I believed him.

"So Alice can see ghosts as well as the future?" Emmett asked breaking the silence.

"Um..." I shrugged. "I don't know...Yes? No..." I glanced at Ryan.

"Both," Ryan said. "Yes and no. She has the ability to see spirits. But that doesn't mean she will be able to see them everyday like you or Emily."

"Why didn't you spell it out like that in the first place?" I grumbled. That made a bit more sense. "Ryan said that Alice has the ability to see ghosts," I told everyone. "But it doesn't mean she will see them everyday like me or Emily."

"What do you mean 'ability'?" Alice asked. "I saw Ryan this morning...I was sure I had, but the more I thought about it afterward the less likely it seemed."

"How were you feeling at the moment you saw Ryan?" I asked.

I would have put a wager on Alice being able to see Ryan on her own because of the emotions she was feeling at the time. Emotions heightened everything, like Ryan said.

"What wasn't I feeling is a better question," Alice said. "Anger, fear...bloodlust..." A guilty expression crept onto her face. "So, what does Ryan say that I should do?"

"I say that you should first talk to Henry," Ryan said pointing towards the south window. I hadn't realised that Henry had moved out of my eye line. He was staring outside the large glass wall with his back to everyone.

I felt guilty that we had been talking about this without asking Henry what he thought. I wasn't sure he would even go into The Light no matter if Edward was able to see him or not.

"Henry?" He turned. "I know you have been listening and I'm sorry for not including you. Have you ever seen a bright shiny light?"

Henry appeared suddenly in front of both Edward and I. I glanced down at him, Edward following my eyes.

"Uh huh," Henry said nodding. "Many times. But I never wanted to go into it."

"What about now? Do you feel differently now?"

Henry glanced at his brother as he nodded slowly. "I feel better now. No more anger. He remembers me. I feel good about that."

Edward glanced at me, his eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes, he feels differently now," I explained. "You remember he exists and that makes him feel good."

Edward smiled and glanced back to where Henry was. "I do remember you and I am so sorry it took me all this time to do it. I think, though, that maybe it's time to leave. Bella says the light brings lots of happiness and she thinks you will see mommy and daddy again." He glanced at Alice with a hopeful look and nodded once.

Without hesitation, Alice quickly walked to my side and offered me her hand. "There is only one way to see if this works," she said.

I glanced at Ryan.

"Julia is a pain in the butt, but she has never been wrong."

Staring at Alice's waiting hand my heart played the drums against my chest in anticipation. Something like this would have freaked even me out a few years ago. Now all things supernatural was just something as normal as feeding myself every day. Still, it was nerve wracking. This would affect Edward more than it would me.

With that thought, I took a breath and clasped onto it as we locked fingers. I watched Alice carefully. I had expected something like what Henry made me feel like earlier, electricity running through me. Instead I got a fog in my brain and I felt a little dizzy. To get full focus I had to blink a few times, clearing my vision back to normal. I was able to see better, but the fog was still heavily in my brain.

"Holy..." Alice muttered as she stared right at Henry. His green eyes were as wide as mine, both of us mirroring surprise.

"It worked?" Carlisle asked as he stood closer to our small group.

"Can you see him, Edward?" Jasper asked.

Everyone automatically turned to Edward. Jasper's answer was clear on Edward's face.

He was staring at his brother in awe. His mouth opening and closing as if he couldn't decide what to say first. Henry stared at Edward, blinked forcefully then took a step closer.

"You can see me!" Henry uttered as he stared up at Edward.

I was shaking inside, all my emotions rattling through me. I couldn't have been happier seeing Henry's little face all lit up in amazement. It took such an effort not to burst into tears. I had to control myself so I didn't let go of Alice's hand.

"It actually worked," Ryan said as he stood behind Henry, glancing from Alice to Edward who was both staring at him. It was an amazing sight to see someone else being able to see spirits that didn't have the same gift as I did.

"Thank you," Edward said sincerely. "You have done so much for Bella!"

"I've done nothing," Ryan said shrugged. He started to look uncomfortable which reminded me of Charlie. "Henry, you think you are ready to say goodbye, mate?"

Henry glanced at Ryan before meeting my eyes. "Will mommy and daddy really be in the light thingy?"

Alice seemed in sync with my motions. When I went to bend to Henry's level, she followed my motion and crouched with me. "People have told me they see the people they love that have already walked through The Light, so yes, I think you will. You have been in earth for such a long time, Henry, I think that maybe it's time to say goodbye to your brother. What do you think?"

Henry looked up at Edward sadly. "I just wanted you to remember me. And now you do...I didn't mean to hurt Bella, I couldn't help it."

"But it wasn't your fault, Henry," I reassured him. "It's all part of my gift."

Henry looked at me sadly, shaking his head back and forth slowly. "No, I did it. I was angry at you. He loved you more than me."

I stared up at Ryan narrowing my eyes in question – was it really Henry after all? Ryan shrugged, but didn't answer. I waved my thoughts on.

"Are you okay, Edward?" I asked softly. This was a now or never situation. Edward was staring at his brother. So many emotions filtered through his face.

"I'm ready," Edward whispered almost to himself. He crouched down to Henry's height so they were looking at each other's eye level.

I could tell this was hard for Edward. He had just begun to remember that he had a twin brother. But his brother died when he was five and had been with Edward his whole existence, probably seeing things that Edward wouldn't have wanted his brother to witness. I couldn't imagine what Edward was feeling and there was nothing I could have said that would comfort him.

Edward needed to say goodbye, but he was only just saying hello.

Knowing it was a private moment, the others had left us alone, leaving the room subtly without a sound between them.

It was quiet for a moment while Edward collected his words. I wouldn't know what to say to my mom if she appeared if front me of after being gone for such a long time. I was proud of Edward for keeping calm. It might have freaked other people out but he was acting like it was an everyday occurrence like it was for me.

"Henry," Edward spoke gently. "I am not sure what I am supposed to feel. Everything inside me is jumbled. I feel guilty for forgetting you. I am so sorry that all these years I didn't remember you. I can't make it up to you in any way but just know that I love you so much. But I remember now. I remember our song that father composed for us. I remember our games before lessons. I remember hiding behind the curtains in the drawing room when we were supposed to be getting ready for bed time. I remember when you got trodden on by mother's horse. I remember I stayed up all night because you said your arm hurt." Edward and Henry shared an identical watery smile. They were twins, yet they were different ages. Both had stopped aging but years apart. Only time hadn't separated their identical quirks. They way their lips curved into the same smile, the way they both reacted to the same memories, their eyes widening as they both remembered.

"I can't make up for lost time. And I feel dreadful that I had forgotten about you. You are my brother...my twin...we were born just two minutes apart and you died without me. But know that you will always be in my thoughts and you will always have a special place in my heart." Edward touched his chest and Henry mimicked his brother. "I love you so much. I hope that you can forgive me and be at peace so you can finally, after one hundred and five years, leave this world to move onto the next with our parents."

Henry silently walked over to Edward. They faced each other eye to eye. I wasn't sure how clearly Edward was seeing Henry through Alice's mind but he looked straight into his brother's green eyes.

Henry smiled as he raised his hand up to Edward's face. He placed his tiny palm millimetres from Edward's pale cheek.

Edward drew in a breath and closed his eyes.

"I can feel you," he whispered. "I can see us. I can see mom...dad...is that Nanny?"

"She died a year after mom," Henry whispered. "She moved on to care for her sister's children but she got sick too and left them so they wouldn't get sick..."

Edward gasped and stood up away from his brother. "No," he whispered. "No, you didn't watch!"

Henry nodded sadly. "I was waiting on you. I was waiting on you both...Mommy told your new father to save you...She told him to do whatever he could to make sure you would be okay." Henry turned towards the door where the other Cullens must have disappeared to then stared at the floor by Edward's feet. "I waited on you, Edward. But you didn't come. And mommy didn't see me either...I stood hidden in the room where you were being treated. Mommy left her body and stayed with you until your father took you away. She followed and we watched as he bit your neck. Mommy kissed you when you were alone and told you goodbye." Henry backed away from Edward. He looked angry again. My heart flew in my chest. This might not be the goodbye I had hoped for.

"Then she left," Henry finished. "She didn't even see me...She forgot about me, too."

I could tell Edward didn't know what to say. He looked stricken, almost sick at the thought of what Henry had just said. I knew the worst memory Edward would ever have was being turned and I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to for his brother to witness. But to hear that Henry thought that not only did he forget him, but so did their mother.

How could he convince his brother that it simply wasn't true? It was unfortunate Henry had thought a certain way over the years. He felt abandoned. I could understand that but I didn't know how to help him see things from a different perspective, one where he would be able to understand that he wasn't abandoned or forgotten about all these years, and he was loved.

"Henry," I said softly. "Henry, your mom did love you. And I know from your memories that you know that, too. You mommy didn't leave you on purpose the night she died, the night Edward changed. She just didn't know you were there. If she had known that you were still there she would have waited for you. She stayed to say goodbye to Edward but she had already said goodbye to you. That's why she left, that's why she didn't look for you...because she already thought you were gone. She left Edward's side because she knew he was going to be okay. You saw her go into The Light. She was going to find you and your daddy because that's where she belongs. She loves you very much. She loves both her boys and I am very sure she is still waiting on you."

"But...but..." Henry stammered. I was hopeful he was beginning to see the truth behind what we were saying.

"No, no buts, Henry," Edward said. "Bella is right. She was there that night and she did say goodbye to me. But she left to be with you beyond The Light because she loves you too. She knew I would be okay; she made sure that Carlisle was doing what was best for me. And I am glad he did. But earth isn't for you, Henry. You have to walk into The Light, find mom and dad and you will know how much they love you, and you will see that they didn't forget about you...they just couldn't get to you. You have been lost...stranded here for so many years but I can see you now and The Light will give you mommy and daddy back. You can be happy again."

I gave up trying to hold it together. Tears blurred my vision, but I kept quiet. I knew that the connection between Alice and I was strong, yet I felt the effects of it within me. The dull fog in my brain was wearing me out, but I refused to let go. I held onto Alice tighter, wiping my eyes to clear my vision.

"Mommy didn't leave me?" Henry asked, hope bubbling in his tone. Edward shook his head. "I was scared to move from where I hid. I was worried she would be angry that I lost daddy too. I looked for him but I could never find him. Will they really be waiting for me behind the pretty light?"

"They will be," I assured him.

"But I have been here so long...what if they don't recognise me?" Henry's lip trembled.

"No matter how much time has passed they will never forget you," Edward whispered.

"I feel happier now," Henry said. He looked unsure though. Happiness wasn't a feeling he was used to since he died. "I am going to miss you, Edward. I now feel happy you found a new mommy and daddy. And I am sorry for breaking your shiny toys...the ones that play music. Do you really like that stuff, Edward? It's noisy!"

Edward smirked. "You broke my CDs?" He glanced at Alice guilty. "I was blaming it on you guys all these years! And yes, I know it's just noise. But some of it is okay. However, I won't ever stop loving the classical things. It will always be my favourite kind of music, just like when we were kids!"

Henry smiled widely. "You play the piano even better than daddy did! Oh, Edward, I wish I could stay with you!"

Edward's face crumbled. He looked utterly heartbroken. "I wish you could stay too, buddy. But you have to go. Mommy and daddy will be waiting, you belong with them and I belong here."

"With Bella? She has magic eyes. I heard someone talk about it. I came to find her. She helped me, Edward. You love her very much."

"I do love her," Edward said with reverence. "I love her very much." Edward looked towards me and I could see the love and admiration in his eyes. I felt a tug on my heart and I knew that I felt the exact same way.

"I love him, too," I whispered to Henry. "I will be there for him for the rest of our lives. For once I am glad I have magic eyes. You have made me realise it, Henry. Thank you!"

I knew that I would do whatever it took to manage the visions. I wished to be free of any gift but now I knew I couldn't get rid of it. Helping Edward and Henry was an eye opener. I had never helped someone who had been away from their loved one for over a hundred years and it made me glow inside knowing that I was a part of it. Anything I suffered was always going to be second to the fact that I was able to help someone move on and find peace. I wasn't angry towards Julia for not telling me everything at once because I now realised I was supposed to work it all out for myself.

If it hadn't been for Henry, then I would still be on edge about the visions. Now I knew I had to embrace them. No matter what they were going to cause.

Henry smiled at me, his cheeks like little apples. "Edward wouldn't have remembered if it weren't for you. I didn't like you because he loved you more. Now...I love you too. Maybe I will see your mommy when I go into The Light."

I blinked. Did every spirit know that my mom had died? Was there some sort of radar they had where they could tell when someone had suffered a loss? I tried to catch Ryan's eyes but he was staring at Henry. He had been almost invisible throughout everything that had been said. I wondered what he was thinking. Hopefully this was helping him so he could at least think about The Light, too.

"Yeah, maybe you will. She will be very happy to meet you," I uttered, too shocked to think of anything else to say.

"Henry, how do you know Bella's mom is in The Light?" Alice asked echoing my thoughts.

Henry glanced at Alice for the first time since we had connected giving her the ability to see him. He shrugged lightly and said, "I saw her one time. But she didn't see me and when you got better she walked back into The Light."

I was glad Alice had a hold of me because I almost lost the feeling in my legs and sank to the floor. She gripped my hand tighter, holding me as much as she could without letting go of my hand.

Everyone was staring at Henry who was watching us innocently. He had no idea what he had just said.

"Henry," I whispered slowly. "What do you mean? She was here...on earth? When?"

"When I made you sick the first time. I was so mad at you that I wanted to you suffer. I'm sorry," he added.

"At the hospital?" Edward asked.

Henry screwed up his face, staring at the ceiling as if trying to figure out when it was. "Yes," he said nodding. "I saw her at the hospital. Bella, you were feeling what I did. Then Edward and his daddy were going crazy, pushing on your chest and I saw your mommy. She was talking to you. Do you not remember?"

I shook my head slowly. I stared at Ryan who looked as blank as I was.

"Are you sure, Henry? Because I was there at the hospital, too," Ryan said. "Did you see me, too? I didn't see Bella's mom at all."

Henry folded his arms across his chest. "But I did see her! I did, I did!"

Edward held up his hands. "Okay, we believe you," he said loudly.

"Don't worry about it," I murmured. It was only going to anger Henry and that was what we were trying to stay away from. I would figure it out later. I nodded to Edward; he needed to say goodbye before Henry lost his temper and disappeared again.

"Henry? Do you see The Light yet?" Edward asked softly.

Henry pointed to the south window. "It's been there for ages! Do you not see it?"

We all glanced at the window but The Light wasn't for us. "No, sweetie, only you and other spirits can see it. It's a special light and we won't see it until it's our turn."

"But it's never going to be your turn," Henry said sadly.

I gawped at him. "What do you mean?"

I wasn't going to get an answer. Henry shrugged and turned to face his brother. "I think I am ready now, Edward." Tears glistened in his eyes but he sniffed them away. "I will miss you. I will tell mommy and daddy you love them. Will you visit my headstone? It's in our secret garden. Do you remember?"

Edward closed his eyes. "I remember. I will visit it soon. I will never forget you again, little brother."

Henry chuckled. "Hey, mommy said that just because you are two minutes older doesn't mean you are older!"

Edward opened his eyes and chuckled, too. "Oh yes it does! I am the oldest!"

"No, you are the biggest," Henry said smiling, "but not older!"

"Not older," Edward agreed. The smile on Edward and Henry's face faded.

"Ryan, do you see The Light, too?" Henry asked suddenly.

Ryan glanced back to the south window and nodded. "I can."

Excitement lit up Henry's face. "Then you can come with me!"

My heart sank. Ryan smiled sadly at Henry and placed his hand over his shoulder. "Sorry, bud, but that Light is for you. I have to stay for a bit longer."

Henry pouted. "But why? If you can see if then it's for you as well! Come with me, please?" His lip trembled making my heart break at the sound of fear in his voice.

"Don't be afraid," Ryan whispered. "And I will see you there one day but for now I need to stay here."

Henry nodded; the subject disappeared within his eyes, the excitement and fear gone. "Edward, will you play our song? I want to hear it again."

"Of course," Edward said. He glided to the piano and began playing their song without another word. Edward kept his eyes on his brother. Alice and I stood just off the platform next to Henry who was smiling radiantly at Edward.

Once the last note had finished, Henry's pale complexion gained colour. His cheeks turned pink, his lips rosy; no dark bruise like colours underneath his eyes.

He was ready.

Alice and Edward's eyes were wide as they noticed the change but they didn't comment. Edward played 'Two Smiles' for a second time, his eyes never leaving Henry.

When the song finished for the second time, Henry walked over to Edward and took his hand. Edward stood abruptly; his eyes drew to their adjoined hands.

"I can feel you," Edward muttered. He glanced at me, but I smiled through my tears to tell him it was okay.

Henry grabbed Edward towards me. He took Edward's hand and placed it in my free one. He smiled brightly up to us, his green eyes almost glowing now he had colour in his cheeks. Even his soft bronze hair had shine in it. He looked fresh as a daisy, much more like the little boy in my vision.

"Never let go," Henry told Edward pointing to our joined hands.

"I don't intend to," Edward assured him.

Henry smiled at me. "Don't worry about her. She will be fine. Trust what your heart says. She is going to be special like you."

"Wh...Who?" I asked. "Emily?"

Henry laughed, a delighted sound. "You will see!" He blinked away from my stunned gaze and glanced back towards where The Light must have been. I always wanted to see it, just to see what it was like, but I knew I would only see it when I died and became a spirit.

"Bye, Edward," Henry said softly his voice choked with tears.

"Bye, Henry," Edward replied, his voice cracking.

Henry started to walk across the living room. Edward held onto my hand tightly, almost too tight, but I gripped onto him in support. Alice was watching silently, her eyes following Henry with sadness. The fog in my brain was making me groggy, but Edward's presence was keeping my eyes open and my legs stable.

When Henry reached the column before the window, he turned with a thoughtful smile. "They haven't found our treasures," he told Edward. "They are still there in our secret place. You left them after I went. Will you find them again?"

Edward squeezed my hand even tighter to the point it was painful. "I will," Edward said. "The first chance I get I will go back home. I will go visit you, mom and dad. Just be happy, brother. I will always be thinking of you."

"I will be watching from the stars. Mommy said that was where daddy watched us from. I will go to find them and we can watch together. I love you, Edward!" Henry held up his hand to wave goodbye.

And then he was gone.

The room was still for a long moment. We all stared at the place where Henry had disappeared, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Slowly the others came back in the room but didn't break the silence.

"I think you can let her hands go now," Ryan whispered. "Bella is going to collapse soon and Edward you are going to break her hand."

Both Alice and Edward glanced behind them before turning to me. I nodded weakly and they simultaneously let go of my hands. When I was free, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Edward pulled me into a comforting hug and laid his head on my hair. "Thank you so much," he whispered.

I wiped my tears on his shirt as he rubbed my back. "My gift is worth something after all," I murmured. "I am glad you got to say goodbye."

"That was amazing," Alice muttered. "Heartbreakingly sad...but amazing."

"I couldn't have asked for a more perfect good bye," Edward said quietly as he squeezed my back gently. "You are incredible," he whispered as he pulled my chin up to meet his eyes. "I am never letting you go."

If you are reading this then you guys made it through to the end! How was it? I was sad to say goodbye to our first ghost but it needed to happen at one point.

Just to let you know that I have been struggling with the next chapter! If you follow me on twitter you will know how much of an idiot I am. But I will get it finished, I promise. But because I haven't got a lot, reviewers won't get as much of a preview as the other times, but you will get something if you review for this chapter. You don't have to though :P

Bye for now :)