Hello again!

I know its been a very long time and I'm really sorry its taken so long to write this chapter. I've have one of the hardest and most tiring school terms and I finish each day so exhausted it's hard to go home and write. I try to write every day, but this chapter came out in drips and drabs, 100 or so words at a a time. Very frustrating, if you ask me. I hope it doesn't feel clunky to read because of that!

I really hope you enjoy the chapter. School holidays arent too far away, so hopefully I can knock the whole next chapter in the 2 weeks I get off work!

EPOV

I knew I was dreaming because there was no possible way I could be running as fast as I was. My body moved with lithe agility I certainly wasn't capable of in reality. My feet beat into the ground ,and I could barely hear my breath over the rushing wind as I ran.

Something was calling out to me and I sped through the dense forest after it. I didn't know what it was but knew I had to get to it. The need was so encompassing, I barely thought about how to move, my body was working on instinct.

I felt weightless. Like I could fly. Like I was a lethal animal on the hunt, following the scent of something sweet. I may not have known what I was chasing, but I knew it was important.

I was jolted awake when the siren song abruptly morphed into a harsh ringing. I squinted against the bright light of my phone in the darkness of my bedroom. Fumbling to pick it up, I rubbed my sleep-covered eyes until I could see Bella's name flashing on the screen.

I cleared my throat and answered the call, pulling myself up against the pillows. "Hey," my sleepy voice croaked. Before I could say anything else, Bella already started talking.

"Hey!" she said enthusiastically. "Guess what?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.

A smile crept across my face as I pictured the light blush across her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"I don't know, what?" I said, still gravelly.

There was a small pause before Bella laughed. "Edward, were you asleep? Did I just wake you up?"

"Um… yes." It came out sounding a little like a question.

That made her laugh again. "Seriously? You do know it's like, ten o'clock, right?"

I huffed out a chuckle. "How would I know that? I was asleep, remember." I heard her giggle and I laughed again. "I have blackout curtains in my room," I explained. "And I was up kind of late last night, working on a composition."

I'd been working on the song I started writing a few months back. Over time it had morphed into a lullaby, which would often haunt me on the precipice of dreams, notes of music dancing along the ephemeral edge of my consciousness. The piece had sung me to sleep and kept me awake in equal measure.

"What time did you go to bed?" Bella asked, sounding like a scolding parent, but I could hear the smile on her lips.

"About one-thirty," I admitted, a little sheepishly.

"Geez! I hope you didn't keep anyone else up, playing on the piano."

"No, I was working on my keyboard with my headphones on. I'm not that cruel." The only time I'd played the piano that late was the night I'd come home incredibly drunk and told my parents about Bella.

Her sweet giggle drew me back to the conversation. "Anyway, guess who I got an email from."

My brain, which hadn't kicked fully into action after being woken up, drew a blank. "I don't know. Who emailed you?"

"Jenny Lloyd. My aunt."

That woke me up. I reached over and turned on the light by the bed. Sitting back against the headboard, I ran my hand through my chaotic hair.

"Oh," I said. "Um, okay. When? What did it say?"

"She sent it yesterday morning, but I didn't check my emails until today," Bella explained. She sounded upbeat, not like she was calling to deliver bleak tidings.

"You sound happy. She took the news well, then?"

There was a light sigh from the other end of the line. "Yes," she said, relieved and delighted. "She said she never expected to hear from her sister's child, but was overjoyed that I was able to find her. She wants to get to know me, Edward! She actually wants me to be a part of her life!"

Her joy was infectious, even over the phone. "That's amazing, Bella," I congratulated her. "I know you didn't want to hope for something like this, but it was what you wanted, deep down."

"It's surreal to think about; finally meeting a blood relative." I imagined Bella shaking her head in wonder. "I don't know if I ever thought it would actually happen."

"It's great that it's actually coming true."

"Would, um… would you like me to read you the email?" she asked, somewhat unsure.

Little did Bella know, but I would never say no to her. I wanted to know everything and would do anything for her.

"Yeah. Of course," I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

"Okay. Let me put you on speakerphone so I can open my email." She was gone for a moment but then I could hear again, as well as the rustling of her clothes. "Alright. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

"So she starts - Dear Isabella. You are right in saying this is a surprise. I never, in my life, expected to hear from my sister's child. But I trust there is a reason for everything, and how can I argue when this is such a miracle.

"You are right to think I knew about you. I remember Bree being pregnant when she was kept at home, right before she ran away. I remember she got big pretty early on and couldn't hide it from Mom for very long. More than that, what happened with Bree was a huge upset in our community, so it was impossible to escape knowing about it."

"A 'huge upset'," I scoffed. "That's one way to put it."

"It is a bit of an oversimplification," Bella agreed. "But, it must be painful for her to bring up."

I wasn't completely appeased. "Maybe."

"Anyway - After Bree came home, she refused to talk about her baby. She didn't say where she'd been, or whether she'd had a boy or a girl. My family had very little hope that we would ever find the baby.

"Yet, here you are. You are a miracle, Isabella." She sounded a little uncomfortable reading that line out. "I am so happy to hear you had a good life growing up. A family that protects you is a gift meant to be cherished. You were truly blessed to have the family you did.

"I know you have no expectation of our relationship, but I hope I can be a part of your family in the future, and you a part of mine. Since my husband died, I have felt more and more alone. After my son left me to move to New York, I had no one for a long time. And now we have each other."

I was thankful Bella's aunt wanted to connect with her new niece but was also open to however that relationship may develop.

"I want to answer as many of your questions as I can about your mother. It has been a long time since I thought of her, so hopefully I remember correctly. In my memory, she was a pretty typical big sister. She was funny and bossy. She was always able to come up with the best games off the top of her head and she made up the best stories. She was quiet around strangers, but when she warmed up to you she showed her goofy side.

"After we moved to Idaho, though. She became more quiet and withdrawn, though she tried to be her old self around me. - That's all she said about that," Bella interrupted herself reading. "That she changed after they moved to Idaho. Like, yeah, of course, she changed. Being there sounded like a living hell for her!"

"Maybe she's trying to sugarcoat what they went through back then?" I suggested, attempting to find a justification that would make Bella feel better. "Or maybe she's erring on the side of caution and assuming you don't know much about what really happened. She could be trying to soften the blow of finding out.'

She was quiet momentarily, the speakerphone making it sound like there was nothing but dead air. "Yeah, maybe," Bella finally replied.

After a second, she let out a quick breath as if to center herself. "Okay. So, she goes on to write - Yes, she was kind. She always looked out for me but she was also the person many of the other kids ran to when they needed comforting. She did like to read, though I wouldn't say she read a whole lot. I can't remember if she had a favorite book or not, but if I do I'll let you know. Her favorite food was spaghetti and meatballs, closely followed by bacon. I don't think she was allergic to anything, and as far as I know, we don't have a family history of allergic reactions.

"I'm always happy to answer any questions you have about Bree. Since getting your letter I've been thinking about her more and more, and even went digging through the few things I have from back then. I actually found some old photographs of her, and I'd be more than happy to send them to you."

"She sent you a photo of Bree?" I cut in, intrigued to finally be able to see what the woman who created Bella and Maria looked like.

"No, she wasn't able to," Bella said, a little disappointed. "Her computer doesn't work and since her husband's death, she hasn't been able to pay the internet bill, so just hasn't bothered getting a new one. Luckily her church lets her use one of their computers when she's there, though she can't use it for too long because they're for church administration. She also said her phone is a basic, prepaid thing without a camera, so she can't take a photo and send it."

"So, what? She wants to mail you the photographs" I ask.

"Yeah," she said, her tone shifting slightly. "And, well… she asked if we could write letters instead of email from now on. That way she doesn't have to worry about using the computer at church to do something private."

"Emmett's not going to like that," I warned jokingly, though it must have struck a nerve with Bella.

"Well, Emmett will just have to get over himself!" she huffed.

"He's just trying to look out for you," I attempted to reason with her.

"Well, I'm a strong, independent woman who is actually capable of making her own decisions!" Bella practically growled down the phone line. "Yes, I've needed a lot more support the last few years. But, he has to come to terms with the fact that he can't wrap me up in cotton wool and protect me from everything."

I sighed to myself. I didn't want to make Bella upset, or worse, bring her wrath down on me. It wouldn't have done me any good to tell her that I understood Emmett's perspective a little.

Quickly, I steered the conversation back on track. "What else did your aunt write?"

"That was at the end, but before she finished she said - I am so thankful you reached out, Isabella. My mother used to say that God put people in your path when you most need them - That's what Bree wrote in her letter, too. That God puts people in your path."

"Their mother must have said it all the time."

Bella hummed, then continued to read. "The reason we were brought into each other's lives was so that we could finally be a family. I don't have to have met you to know I love you with all my heart. I'll pray for the day that I can hold you in my arms. With love and affection, Jenny Lloyd."

I sat for a moment, my phone hot against my ear, as I digested everything Bella had read to me. "Wow. That's…" I mumbled dumbly, rubbing my hand down my face in the hopes of clearing my thoughts. "You're right, it was a good letter."

"Yeah. It's more than I could have hoped for. I don't really know what to do," she said, trepidation seeping into her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Bella sighed. "I guess it's felt like there was never going to be any resolution to this whole situation. Finding out Bree was dead made me feel like I'd never get closure, but now that's not true, and I don't know… I don't think I've processed everything yet."

"That's understandable," I tried to reassure her. "So many things have changed in your life, in only a small amount of time. I think it's completely normal to not know what to do straight away when you've had yet another big change." I paused for a moment as a thought occurred to me. "Do you want to get in touch with her again? I know you reached out to her first, but it's okay to have second thoughts, you know."

"No. I'm not having second thoughts," she said with more conviction. "It's just… it's odd to think that I finally know someone in my biological family. I never thought I would."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time," I chuckled, pleased to hear she wasn't distressed at all. "I'm just glad you're happy, Bella. You deserve for something good to come from all the chaos."

"Thank you," she lightly said, and I could practically hear the grin on her lips. "Speaking of happiness and chaos, do you want to come over for dinner at Em and Rose's tonight?"

"Aren't you guys still in Forks?" I asked as there was a tap on my bedroom door, which then opened to reveal my sister.

"Is that Bella?" Alice asked from across the room, pointing to the phone in my hand.

I nodded and waved her off, hoping she'd leave me alone. But, she ignored me and came further into my room anyway.

"Yeah. But we're leaving after lunch and will probably get back into the city in the late afternoon. We were just going to order some pizzas or something if you want to come," Bella answered my question while I watched Alice get closer and plonk down on the bed next to me.

"Put it on speaker," Alice whispered, reaching over me like she was going to take the phone from my hand.

"No," I snapped at my sister as I dodged out of the way, fighting against her grabby hands.

"Oh," said Bella, obviously unaware of what was going on on my end of the call and thinking I had been talking to her. "Okay, then."

"No, Bella! I wasn't talking to you," I tried to explain quickly so she wouldn't hang up on me. "Alice just walked in and is trying to take my phone off me. Go away, Alice," I said to my sister, but she reached across me again.

"Put it on speaker, Deadward! I want to say hi to Bella," Alice ordered. "Hi, Bella," she called loudly over me.

Bella laughed then, hearing our argument. "Hey, Alice," she said happily as I huffed and turned on the speakerphone. "Do you want to come over for pizza tonight as well?"

"Oh my God! Yes!" Alice squealed, bouncing up and down and making the bed shake. I couldn't help but groan at my sister's exuberance, so soon after waking up. "I'd love to come! What time should we come over?" I rolled my eyes, knowing I would be the one chauffeuring her around tonight.

"Does around six work?"

Before I could say anything, Alice was already answering for the both of us. "Sounds good. I can't wait! I want to show you the sketches I've been doing in my new sketchbook. I seriously love it so much! Thank you again!"

Bella just laughed at my sister's mile-a-minute mouth. "You're welcome, Alice. I'm glad you like it. And I'd love to see what you've been working on."

"Amazing!" Alice beamed, though I was the only one that could see it. "We'll see you tonight. Six o'clock sharp."

"Okay, I'll see you then," Bella said happily.

There was an awkward moment when Alice didn't leave, but neither Bella nor I hung up and we sat in a weird expectant silence. I was obviously in the middle, my sister obviously wanted to talk to me and I was eager to continue my conversation with Bella in private.

Before I was forced to say something to my sister, Bella broke the silence. "Alright, well I'll see you guys tonight. Bye." And then she hung up.

Refusing to break and give her what she wanted, I stared at Alice mutely. She didn't say anything back for the longest time, staring back at me in a classic sibling Mexican standoff.

But Alice knew how to play this game, having mastered the art of getting the upper hand from a young age.

"You should tell Bella you like her," she stated simply, a knowing smirk on her face.

That got my annoyance to break, and I tried to push her off my bed. But she had already jumped up and was skipping toward the door. "God, Alice! Don't you ever let up?" I groaned.

"You should get up before you sleep the day away, lazy bones," she sang, pulling the door closed before the pillow I lobbed at her could hit it's mark.

While a big part of me wanted to stay in bed, just to spite my sister, my stomach rumbled uncomfortably. I tossed the blankets back and trudged after her, grumbling to myself about annoying, meddling pixies.

~oOo~

Hanging out with Bella's family had become more like hanging out with friends. Because we were three sets of siblings, there was always some kind of banter and teasing. It was unlike any sort of friendship group I'd ever had. Probably because my wife had been my best, and lately it had seemed the only friend I'd had most of my life.

I remember a few guys I used to hang out with in college because we had the same majors and consequently had a lot of the same classes. But we lost contact after I moved to Chicago with Maria so she could go to law school. And there were people from high school who I was friends with on Facebook, but it wasn't like we kept in touch either.

Most of the other people I'd hung out with in college, or the ones we spent time with in Chicago were friends Maria had made, dragging me out to be social and make friends. Without her, I was nothing but a loner.

Now, even though I'd only met Emmett, Rose, and Jasper because of Bella, I truly think I would want to be friends with them all regardless of that.

Emmett scared me and made me laugh in equal measure. Even though he came across as this big, burly bear of a dude, ready to throw you up against the wall and arrest you at the first sign of trouble, deep down he was one of the kindest, most loyal guys, who wanted to protect everyone in his life from any sort of harm.

Rose was a sarcastic bitch, which she was the first to admit. But I could tell that the cold and hard exterior was a shell to cover how deeply she cared about things. Her sharp tongue was a defence mechanism. Any time a nerve was struck, she'd spit out a barb, hoping to prick you back harder. Not that I'd been told, but I thought her mask was probably hiding some pretty ugly scars, left behind from something that had changed her forever.

Jasper was more reserved to start off with, but he still knew how to turn on his Southern charm. He had a wry sense of humor, frequently making off-hand comments that I found incredibly funny. At first, I'd thought it would bother me that he and Bella used to date. But after seeing how they acted around each other, like siblings or perhaps close cousins, I was to relax and truly enjoy Jasper's quick wit. He was also the only person I had ever met that could charm Alice speechless. It was incredibly amusing to watch my sister gap at Jasper, trying to think of a comeback to one of his quips.

They had all been incredibly welcoming of Alice and me. Well, after Emmett warmed up to me at least. They'd had us over for dinner a few times now, and it was always a good time. Emmett and Jasper had invited me out for drinks for the first time a couple weeks ago. We went to a sports bar to watch a football game because Rose had insisted he should go have a good time before they had the twins, who were due in about three months.

Rose had gotten also closer to Alice over the last month or so. They'd gone out together to shop for more baby things, Alice volunteering to help with setting up and decorating the nursery for the babies. I knew Mom had even been helping them find a few things, so excited to be able to do something for Bella's family.

When Alice and I got to Emmett and Rose's townhouse, the four of them were already enjoying a beer. Bella rushed down the stairs to let us in, giving me a warm hug before we'd even come through the door. She was always more relaxed after a drink, the weight she always carried around with her easing enough for her to loosen up fully. It was how I imagined she'd been before all the tragedy she'd had to go through. Light and bubbly. She giggled a lot more, but that could have just been the alcohol.

"Back me up, Ed!" Emmett boomed at me as we came up into the living room. "This whole letter thing is a bad idea, right?!"

No matter how many times I, or Bella, had told him I didn't like being called Ed, he still did it at least once every time I saw him. He knew it annoyed me, which only made him want to do it more. I tried to let it go, rolling my eyes at his juvenile behavior.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a chuckle, taking off my jacket and sitting on the sofa beside where I assumed Bella had been sitting. She flopped down next to me, picked up the half-drunk bottle of beer from the coffee table, took another swig and rolled her eyes at me, obviously fed up with her brother.

"I'm talking about Bella giving her address to her aunt," Emmett clarified. "She could be a psycho cult member like the rest of her family was!"

"Oh my God, Emmett!" Bella cried out, exasperated. "What has she done to make you mistrust her so much?"

It seemed we had arrived in the middle of an argument between the siblings. I'd told Bella her brother wouldn't be happy with her writing to her aunt, but it didn't seem like the appropriate thing to point out in the moment.

"She hasn't done anything," Emmett grunted. "I just don't think you should trust her right away."

Bella scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest in an annoyed manner.

"What do you need from her, babe? A complete FBI profile?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"No," Emmett denied, though I thought that probably would be enough to make him calm down a little bit. "I just don't think she should trust her right away."

"Dude, it's not like she's flying out to meet the woman," Jasper said blithely, waving off his friend's overprotective nature.

"You sound like Dad," Bella accused her brother. "He kept this secret for thirty years and now it seems to be so ingrained, you can't even let go of it!"

The room was silent after Bella's outburst. Emmett looked upset at his sister's reaction, his shoulders slumped as Rose rubbed her hand on his back.

"Am I the only one who has no idea who or what we are talking about?" Alice piped up, her confused eyes bouncing between the rest of us.

It didn't take long to fill her in on what was going on. She ended up reading the email Jenny Lloyd had sent, instead of making Bella read it out loud again.

While Alice was reading, the pizzas arrived and the mood in the room lifted. If there was one thing that could mellow out Emmett, it was his food.

"So, what are you going to write to her?" I asked as I pulled a few slices of pizza onto my plate. I'd timed the question pretty well because Emmett had just bit off half a slice in one go and couldn't make any comment, besides a muffled grumble.

The crease between Bella's eyes appeared as she thought about it. "I don't know. I have so many more questions about my mother and I don't really know where to start. I want to know more about their life before they moved to Idaho. I also want to ask about after they moved, but I don't know if it would be too much too soon. She was really vague about their time in that community, so I don't want to push her away if it's really traumatic for her to bring up. I'll definitely tell her that I'd love to see the photos she's found, though."

"You don't have to rush it. Maybe pick the three questions you want answers to the most and ask them first," Alice shrugged, always a problem solver. "Just ask a few each time you right to her, then hopefully neither of you will get overwhelmed."

Jasper nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, B."

"And what happens if she decides that writing to you isn't enough and just shows up on your doorstep expecting a family reunion?" Emmett asked petulantly, finally swallowing the mouthful of pizza.

"Isn't a family reunion kind of the point?" Alice shot back with a raised eyebrow.

That pulled Emmett up short. "Ah, well…" he stammered as his eyes danced around the rest of us like he was hoping one of us would come to his rescue. "I mean, I guess. I just, I don't know… there should be trust before big steps like that." It was a lame finish, and we all knew Emmett was grasping at straws to justify his opposition.

"How are we supposed to build that trust with her if I'm not allowed to get to know her?" asked Bella, dumbfounded at her brother's logic. "The only way she's able to communicate at the moment is via post, but you're saying that's a bad idea. That's basically saying I can't get to know her, Emmett!"

I could tell Bella was frustrated and probably a little angry by the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. She told me that whenever her emotions were high, no matter what kind of emotions they were, they usually came out of her eyes. It was something that annoyed her because she felt like it undermined her authority in confrontations.

The wounded look returned to Emmett's face when he saw how upset his sister was. He reached out to her and took her hand. "Bells, I'm sorry! I'm not trying to stop you from getting to know your aunt, I swear. I just don't like the idea of you giving out your address to a woman, who is essentially a stranger, after only one email. You don't really know who she is yet and I just want you to be safe."

Bella softened as her brother showed the vulnerability at the heart of his concern.

"Why not use a P.O. box?" I suggested, wondering if anyone had already thought of that yet. "That way, the most her aunt knows is that Bella lives in Seattle."

"That's actually a pretty great idea, babe!" said Rose enthusiastically, patting Emmett on the shoulder.

"I guess…" he said, still sounding somewhat unconvinced.

But Bella nodded and smiled at the idea. "I think that's a fair compromise, Em."

I wanted to back her up as much as possible, so I made another suggestion. "I even have a P.O. box you can put down as the address."

"You do?" Bella asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah. I use it for work. Mostly just for when I get sent physical contacts," I explained. "I may work from home, but I don't want to give out my home address to my clients."

"Mom does that, too," Alice laughed. "Though she says it's because it's harder for lawyers to serve you if a disgruntled client decides to sue."

The anecdote made us all laugh along with her, lightening the tension that had been between Bella and Emmett since we arrived.

"Are you sure you don't mind me using your work address?" Bella asked, turning to look at me straight on.

"No, of course not," I reassured her with a smile. "I'm happy to help."

Bella leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you," she said, squeezing my neck as my hands found their way around her waist to splay across her back.

"Yeah, man. That's a really generous offer. Thank you," Emmett said, finally resigned to the situation.

I pulled away from Bella and tried to discreetly clear my throat so it wouldn't catch. "You're welcome."

Thankfully, the conversation moved on to happier topics and the atmosphere lightened. Alice asked how the nursery was coming along, and the girls all went to have a look at the progress. I asked Emmett and Jasper about their trip home and the guys proceeded to regale me with the epic tale of getting drunk and lost in the woods with Seth on Christmas Eve.

We had started another round of beer by the time the girl returned. Emmett had started to try and get information about the new game, which I'd just finished working on, but I had so far been able to deflect his persistent questions.

"Enough boring video game talk," Alice commanded as she flopped back down next to Jasper. "I want to know what we're doing for New Year's Eve."

"What, you want to do something together?" Emmett questioned, amused at her.

"Sure! It would be really fun!" Alice bounced a little, though she was obviously holding back a lot of her eagerness.

"What do you think we should do, Sugar?" Jasper asked her. He seemed to understand that my sister was already three plans ahead of us.

"Well, we could go to a nice bar, or even to a club. I know of a couple with some awesome events planned. There's this one place that is throwing a Techno-Swing, where the D.J. is mixing Rockabilly and Dance music. You're meant to get dressed up in 1940's style costumes and everything."

"Ah. Just one problem with that, Alice," Rose cut in, interrupting my sister's pitch. "I can't really go out clubbing with this beach ball under my top." She pointed to her already large belly.

It didn't look like Alice had thought about how Rosalie's pregnancy might affect her plan. "Oh, right. Damn, I'm sorry. I should have thought of something else."

"No, it's okay," Rose began to placate her. Alice always kind of had that effect on people. They always felt bad for ruining her good intentions, even when she was imposing on them somehow. "It really does sound like a great party. Maybe you should all go without me," she proposed, shaking her head at her husband's protests. "You probably won't get another chase to go to a club for a very, very long time, Babe. If not forever. You should go out and enjoy New Year's Eve before our lives change forever."

Emmett shook his head at her proposition. "I don't care about that shit, Rosie. I want to ring in the New Year with you by my side so I can get my kiss at midnight." He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her smirk at his goofiness.

"We could just hang out here," Bella shrugged. "We could stuff our faces, have a few drinks, and watch the ball drop and the fireworks on tv."

"That's boring," Alice complained. "That's what we're doing now, and New Year's Eve should be special, magical. Not just any night in, sprawled out on the sofa."

"Well then, do you have any other ideas?" I urged her. She was usually meticulous, with several contingencies ready and waiting.

"What about a bonfire down at the boathouse? You know Mom and Dad won't mind."

"Hold up!" Emmett threw his hands up. "You guys have a boat? Way to go, Richy Rich."

Bella and I both laughed, remembering her similar reaction when I showed her around my parent's estate.

"No, we don't have a boat. It's just a small building on the water with a jetty, which you could moor a boat to. But we mainly used it to jump off when we were kids."

"Don't listen to him," Bella waved my words off. "It's not just a small building on the water. It's beautiful. It has a huge deck and this really great outdoor kitchen and a fire pit."

"That sounds amazing," said Rose. She now looked more enthusiastic at the prospect of going out to celebrate the new year.

Her excitement couldn't match my sister's, though. Alice was in a full-blown bounce, even making Jasper next to her bob up and down with the force of her movements. "We could fire up the pizza oven and cover the counters with different toppings and have a Make your own pizza party!"

"You guys have a boat house and pizza oven?!" Emmett asked amazed.

Bella laughed at her brother's astonishment. "You have no idea, Em. You name it and the Cullen's probably have it."

"We do not," I huffed as I scowled at Bella playfully. She winked back at me and poked out her tongue, which broke my frown and made me chuckle.

"It's settled then!" Alice clapped. "I'm so excited! I'm going to get some props and fish out my Polaroid camera so we can take a whole lot of photos to memorialize the first New Year's Eve we all spend together!"

Alice started rattling off all the different pizza toppings she thought we should have and asking each of us for a request for the night. Rose vetoed some of Alice's suggestions, blaming her more sensitive stomach since being pregnant. None of us objected when she refused to consider oysters as appropriate pizza toppings.

Emmett chuckled deeply. "I can't believe you have to deal with her all the time," he said to me quietly, pointing at my sister. "She must have been a handful to grow up with."

I laughed with him. "You have no idea," I mumbled back, hopeful Alice hadn't heard us. If Emmett thought she was a lot now, he would hate to see her annoyed.

The rest of the night was spent in friendly conversation. We didn't stay too late because Rose started to get after the long car ride and went up to bed at around nine-thirty. After that, Emmett practically kicked us out, saying we didn't have to go home, but we couldn't stay there. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd rather spend time with Rose, no matter what she was doing, than hang out with other people.

I offered to drive Bella home, which she gratefully accepted. Though she refused to sit in the front seat next to me because she was getting dropped off first. To make up for it, I insisted on helping carry her bags upstairs to her apartment.

As I said goodbye to her at her door, I wished I could lean down and kiss her plump lips goodnight. It was getting harder and harder to fight the urges I had whenever I was near Bella. I wanted to be close to her all the time, but I didn't want to scare her away, either.

I didn't know how I would resist the temptation of her lips on New Year's Eve, but I would have to find the strength somewhere.

So there you go! I hope it was ok to read and that you liked it. Dialogue heavy scenes with lots of characters always take a lot of energy to write, getting the balance of everyone there right. I really do steive to have as natural a converted as possible while trying to get them where thy need to go.

Im trying to decide if I should stick qith Edward's POV or switch back to Bella for New Years. If you have a preference of who you think it should be, let me know.

I also love hearing all your thoughts, so leave me a comment if youve got something to say :D

Until next time, lovelies!