Bella's POV

"How long?" I asked for the sixth time as I paced around the empty living room.

We'd cleaned up as best we could, including using some plywood from the garage to cover the window, but without the large coffee table and chair, the room felt empty. Jasper had even found some stuff somewhere to repair the dent in the wall from Edward's fist, so aside from the missing furniture and boarded-up window, everything seemed in order.

Alice made a noise of teasing frustration. "Three minutes, Bella," she said exasperatedly. "Why are you so nervous? You already know everyone!"

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my middle nervously, unable to vocalize how I was feeling. Would they still want me? Would Rosalie still hate me? All of my unanswered questions were making me as close to sick to my stomach as I probably could get now.

Edward was still at the piano, trying to keep me from going nuts by playing things to calm me. Jasper had tried using his vampire woo-woo calming ability on me, but I'd asked him not to. I needed to feel like I was in control of something—and however tenuous that control might be, my emotions were something I could handle on my own. Alice was flipping through a magazine, although I knew she'd read the entire thing at least three times already. In short, we were all playing a game of "not so patiently" waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.

Before I could worry any more about it, Alice was up and pulling me by the hand to the front door. "Come on, Bella," she ordered sweetly. "Let's meet them outside. Rose and Emmett are following them in the BMW and Jeep."

Edward was beside me before we reached the front door. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Alice?" he asked, concern coloring his tone.

"Oh, Edward," she groaned, shooting him a look I couldn't interpret. "Lighten up, brother mine. She'll be fine!"

I looked from one to the other, completely lost, and then looked over at Jasper, who'd come out onto the porch with us. "Do you understand them?" I asked waspishly.

He shrugged and shook his head. "Alice is putting out some pretty misch—"

"Come on, Jazzy," Alice said firmly. "Let's go wait over there for them."

I looked at Edward, who just gave me a tight smile and shrugged. Okay, then, I thought. Obviously, I wasn't in any danger, so I would try not to worry over one more thing I didn't have any control over. Of course, the pixie, Edward, and I would have to sit down at one point and talk about not keeping visions secret from me anymore.

"Of course, Bella," the pixie herself called from the end of the porch. "We'll talk about it, I promise."

I chuckled, shaking my head at her. My nerves returned full force, and I squeezed Edward's hand tighter as I watched Carlisle's Mercedes come around the curve of the long driveway.

"Relax, love," Edward murmured, brushing a kiss across the top of my head. "They love you almost as much as I do, remember?"

Yes, they'd loved human Bella, I thought to myself. But I wasn't that same person now as I was then. Would they love the new me?

The moment the Mercedes slid to a stop, the passenger door opened, and Esme flew out of the car. She took a few tentative steps my way, wringing her hands, and then moved around to Carlisle's door. When he stepped out, they paused, looking up at me. The expressions on their faces ranged from hope to worry, but the ones I saw expressed most were love and acceptance. When Esme held her arms open, I let go of Edward's hand and raced down to them, throwing myself into her embrace.

As much as being in Edward's arms was like coming home, Esme's hug was just as good, in a much different way. For all intents and purposes, Carlisle and Esme had become like second parents to me in the short time I'd known them. They'd always made me feel warm and safe, and I'd missed them terribly.

Esme wrapped me in a hug so hard, it almost hurt. Venom was stinging my eyes as I swallowed, holding her to me, and she was murmuring in a quiet tone, saying how sorry she was, but that she was so glad to see me. Carlisle wrapped an arm around his wife and put his other hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Hello, Bella," he said softly. "It's very good to see you, sweetheart."

I sniffled a few times and nodded. "It's good to see you both, too," I said. "I missed you."

"Let me look at you, Bella," Esme said finally, pulling away to cup my face in her hands. After looking me over, she said, "You're beautiful, darling. You always were, but this life suits you. I'm just sorry it had to happen this way."

Sniffling again, I agreed. "Me, too."

They gave me one last squeeze and then released me.

I heard a soft clearing of a throat, and I looked over to see Rosalie standing at the back of Carlisle's Mercedes, hands clasped in front of her and an almost embarrassed expression on her face.

"Rosalie," I murmured.

"Bella," she said, just as softly. "I'm so, so sorry."

After Alice and Jasper has returned from hunting, I'd asked Alice to call the rest of the family and give them my full story. I didn't feel like explaining it in detail again, but I knew they would need to know. In turn, Rosalie had asked Alice to tell me her story, so Alice had explained about Rose's fiancé and his friends brutally assaulting her one night as she walked home through the streets of Rochester, leaving her for dead. She'd told me that was where Carlisle had found her, and rather than leaving her to die there on the street, he'd brought her home and changed her, in the hopes of finding a mate for Edward.

Looking at Rosalie now, she was even more beautiful than I remembered her being when I was human, but my vampire eyes could pick up the underlying sadness that was present in her gaze.

I held my ground as she walked up to me now, holding her hand out. I took it, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Hello, Bella," she said, giving me a small smile. "Please call me Rose. It's very nice to meet you."

At first, I was confused, but then I realized she was giving me what should have been her greeting all those months ago, when we'd first met. Yes, we had a lot to talk about, but if the past eighteen months had taught me anything, it was to not sweat the small stuff.

I laughed a little and smiled back, shaking her hand once. "Hi, Rose. It's good to meet you, too."

She smiled, looking relieved that I had understood.

Just as I released her hand, I felt a strong grip on my shoulder. Without thinking it through, I pivoted slightly, reached up with both hands, grasped the arm attached to the hand on my shoulder, and flung my would-be attacker over my shoulder, onto the grass beside the driveway.

Emmett looked up at me from on his back at my feet and burst out laughing.

My hands flew to my mouth, and I gasped, worried I'd hurt him. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Emmett? Did I hurt you?"

The idea that I had been able to not only lift Emmett, but fling him over my shoulder, made me giggle, so when he shook his head no and laughed even harder, I couldn't help but join in. I offered him a hand, and he took it, springing to his feet and enveloping me in a bear hug.

"Damn, Bella-boo!" he cackled. "That's some strength you've got there! Bet you can't do that again, though!"

I laughed and shook my head. "It's good to see you, Emmett."

"You, too, B," he agreed. "You, too."

~*~*~FC~*~*~

Edward's POV

Watching Bella greet my family was both fantastic...and awful. All of them—including Rose—were thrilled to see her, but their thoughts were all filled with sorrow at the knowledge that our leaving had brought her to this point.

Esme just kept repeating, Oh, my poor Bella. My daughter. How happy I am to see you. You poor, poor girl. What you've been through!

Carlisle's thoughts were much the same as Esme's, although he also couldn't help but think how happy his wife looked. He hadn't seen Esme look that happy since before we'd left Forks. That thought pierced my heart, knowing it was my fault we'd left—no matter how good the intention—and he must have known, because he looked at me and apologized in his head. I gave a nod to let him know I'd heard and no apology was necessary.

When Bella made her way to Rose, I tensed. Before we left Forks, and for a long time after, Rose was nothing but bitter and condescending about Bella. But as I listened carefully to her thoughts, I was pleased to hear nothing negative about the woman I planned to spend the rest of my existence with.

Poor Bella, she thought, watching her hug Carlisle and Esme one last time. She looks so nervous. She shouldn't. She's stronger than I ever gave her credit for. I'm sorry for that, Edward. She didn't look at me when she directed the thought to me; her gaze was focused on Bella as she turned to look at Rose.

"Rosalie," Bella said tentatively.

Even as Rose spoke, her thoughts went by at a million miles an hour. "Bella," Rose said in response. "I'm so, so sorry." I'm sorry for treating you like you unworthy. I'm sorry for treating you like you were wrong for wanting to be with your mate. I'm sorry for so many things. I hope you can forgive me. Most of all, I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. No one deserves that—especially not my sister. I should've been there for you. We should've been there for you. But we're here now, and we're not leaving. We're never leaving you again. You need to know that. You need to know you're my sister now, just as much as Alice. We need to start over.

I watched as she walked to my Bella and held out her hand.

"Hello, Bella," she said, giving her a small smile. "Please call me Rose. It's very nice to meet you."

So caught up in watching the two of them, I didn't hear Emmett's thoughts until just before he moved up behind Bella. I knew it wasn't going to end well, so I took a step forward, but Alice stopped me with a hand to my arm.

Just wait, Edward, she thought to me. This will be good for both of them.

I nodded and then watched as Emmett went flying over Bella when she flipped him in an almost perfect wrestling move. The two of them laughed and hugged, saying hello in the only way my brother could.

"She looks good," Carlisle said, startling me out of my thoughts.

"She does," I agreed.

How's she holding up? he asked in his thoughts.

I gave him a look that clearly said not well. "She forgave me," I said so quietly that the others across the yard would've had to strain to hear.

I imagine so, he thought. That's the type of person she is—that she's always been.

"It's more than that," I told him. "She is worried about the baby and is sure she's going to have to leave to keep her safe."

He nodded. I spoke with Alice. We have a lot to talk about, son. The rest of us need to hunt, and then we'll sit down and talk, all right?

I smiled at him in response and then held out my hand as Bella walked lightly up the steps to me, passing Carlisle, who was on his way back to Esme's side. "Come on, love. They're going to hunt, and then we'll talk."