A/N #1: Thank you so so much! You guys are truly amazing. Not only are your reviews fantabulous, but with your votes, we made the #5 spot in the FOTW at The Lemonade Stand! That means Coming Home will be one of the featured stories in an upcoming week and will be reviewed, so hopefully we'll get even more new readers! We really can't tell you how much it means that you guys love the story so much. Your support means everything.

Saturday is coming up fast, and I know you're anxious for that...but please, enjoy the ride, because the next couple of chapters are worth it, we promise. Now, see what our little Bella has to tell Sarge today, huh?

~oOo~

From: Bella Swan
To: EAMasen
Date Sent: Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 7:12 A.M.
Date Received: Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 7:12 P.M.
Subject: Just a quick good morning!

Edward,

I'm off to the races – or school, you might call it – but wanted to email now because after your last email, I needed to give you a hug! I'll write more tonight, but for now...

*hug*

Bella

~oooOOOooo~

From: Bella Swan
To: EAMasen
Date Sent: Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 8:04 P.M.
Date Received: Thurs, Apr 22, 2010 at 8:04 A.M.
Subject: Santa isn't real?

Oh, Edward... Why must you break my heart like that? Now my belief in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy is on shaky ground, too! *sniffle* ;)

I totally get what you mean about it feeling right when you made different decisions and plans than was expected of you. If you've made your peace with it all, who am I to argue? Consider the subject closed. Although...being bad together sounds like it could be...mmm...a lot of fun...

*snort* Personality traits, my ass. So polite... LOL I do like where your mind went regarding the unmade bed, though. I've never thought of it that way. I've just always figured why make it if I'm just going to mess it up again later? Pure laziness on my part, I assure you.

Thank goodness for automatic coffee makers, hmm? I don't have one personally, but Rose and my dad both couldn't live without theirs. I'm assuming when you're home, you're like that, as well. And I suppose if I were tired out enough earlier in the evening, staying up most of the night wouldn't be quite as appealing. Been a damn long time since that was the case, though, unfortunately! LOL

You know... My dad used to tell me stories about being overseas, and that was always his biggest fear, as well – not being able to keep his men safe, not coming home to my mom and me. He said that was always the hardest thing for him, and my dad is the toughest guy I know.

You say fear can cause people to make mistakes. Maybe...if you let it paralyze you. From my perspective, a little fear is part of what makes for a good leader. If you always have that fear in the back of your mind, you will be more alert, as long as you can keep it in check. A little fear isn't a bad thing. Harness it, use it... Don't let it use you. If you weren't scared every time you went into something like the situations in Kandahar, then I'd worry. It's a scary place with scary, unknown situations. If you weren't scared, you'd be stupid, and stupid gets you killed. You can't always protect everyone – it's war, and there are going to be casualties, as much as that sucks. So use that fear to help propel you into giving it a hundred and ten percent and pulling that much from your squad, too. You aren't alone over there, Edward. You say you can't tell your men that you're afraid? I call bullshit. Ok, it might not be the best thing for everyone to hear their leader say they're scared, but I guarantee they are just as scared. Talk to Jasper and Emmett, sweetie. I know they are scared, too, and they certainly won't think any less of you for admitting it. Let them support you so you can support them.

You aren't alone anymore, Edward. Remember that.

As for my biggest fear? There's a couple, I suppose. The easiest answer to give (and one I'd give just any normal person that asked) would be spiders. Hate 'em. I know they have a purpose. I know most that I would normally come across aren't venomous or whatever. But I've always hated the suckers. I think my real fear of them, though, came into play when I was babysitting one weekend when I came home from college. I was watching this ten-year-old, and all of a sudden, these huge spiders came almost literally crawling out of the woodwork. They were coming out from under the couch and between the couch cushions, out from under the refrigerator...everywhere. It freaked me the fuck out. And they were really big. I swear, from leg to leg, they had to be like 3 inches or something. Of course, I couldn't let on how scared I was, because I didn't want to scare the little girl. So I very calmly hustled her out the door and drove her to my dad's house, where we waited out the rest of the time until her parents arrived. They called an exterminator, who said they did indeed have an infestation. No shit... Really? lol

Anyway, the answer I wouldn't give most people is that I probably fear losing Charlie, my dad, to the job. Like I mentioned before, he is the chief of police in Forks, and while there isn't THAT much crime there, that possibility is always in the back of my mind...that one day, I'll get a phone call and be told he was killed by some lunatic with a gun or whatever. He's happy and doing something he loves, though, so it's just something I have to live with.

On that same note, I now fear losing you, as well. Don't get me wrong... It's totally worth that risk and fear, but you asked and I wanted to be honest.

Oh, man... Anything I wanted? I'm almost (but not quite ;) ) embarrassed to admit it, but a night of balls-to-the-wall sex so hot that I can barely stand afterward. Like I mentioned earlier, it's been a while. I want someone who wants me so much, they barely let me inside before they have me pressed up against the door. They'll rip my clothes off as they attach their lips to my neck, before picking me up and... Well, you get the picture. *fans self*

Mmm, deep dish pizza. I'm glad you're not one of those thin crust lovers... That might have been a deal breaker. ;) Leave off black olives with the peppers, and I'm in. Not a fan of those bug looking vegetables.

Hell yes, I think you're sexy! Surely that's not news to you, that a woman finds you hot... lol I figure you probably get propositioned at least once a day when you're home. *grin* Thankfully, I'm learning quickly that behind the pretty face is a quick mind, sarcastic wit, and great sense of humor. As to your voice? I have a feeling I'll like it no matter what you sound like. My dance card? Eh. I get my fair share of attention, I suppose, but no one has caught my interest.

Until now...

Bella

P.S. You wouldn't happen to have any of your piano music recorded, would you? Ever since you mentioned that you play, it's something I've wanted to hear!

~oOo~

A/N #2: LOTS of stuff this chapter! Emotions are definitely starting to come into play, and Bella is beginning to share some private stuff with Edward, since he's opening up to her, as well.

Fears... Deb mentioned yesterday that her fear is clowns. For me, it's spiders & snakes not in glass enclosures...although I'm not nearly as bad as my mom! One time when I was 6yo and my brother was 4, we were on the front porch, and Mom came out the door to tell us to quit fighting or something, and when she opened the screen door, a snake that had climbed up to lay across the top fell down on her shoulders. My mom is deathly afraid of snakes (& worms... LOL), so she screamed, knocked it off to the ground, and then stepped back inside, leaving us out there with it! Oi! She swears she watched through the door to make sure it slithered away and left us alone... Now, mind you, we lived out in the country in Oklahoma, and there was a 99% chance that it was a harmless snake, but still!

But honestly, that spider story Bella told? A damn true story. I was home for the weekend during my first semester of college, so I was 18. My brother had a soccer tournament, so my parents were with him out of town. I was staying with my sister, who was 12 at the time...and she is worse about spiders than my mom is about snakes. I've never met anyone who is as scared as she is. Both of us remember that afternoon like it happened yesterday. I ended up taking her to my old babysitter's house, because I didn't really know anyone else I could leave her with, and then I went back to school. lol Those suckers were coming out from the couch cushions, from under the refrigerator, the pantry door in the kitchen...everywhere. Totally f'ed up! LOL

Ok, so that was way too much info about me. ;) Read on to hear from Sarge, who is much more interesting, I assure you! – Jen