Home

Before anything else. I noticed Bella's truck in the driveway.

Then I could hear Emmet and Rosalie, oddly arguing over the correct way to use Bella's oven.

I helped Bella from my car, she paused looking at the truck. A slight curl of her lip.

She didn't question how it found its way back from the reservation. She knew already.

I opened the door and was met with Rosalie, hurrying into the living room. Gripping a damp cloth.

Bella, wide eyes, looked around. Taking in the perfect arrangement of every single thing. Everything in its place.

"You cleaned?" She questioned.

Rosalie smiled awkwardly, ringing the rag in her hands. "I just thought that…"

She didn't finish. She didn't know how to.

At first Rosalie hadn't understood why she was cleaning Bella's house. Removing every bit of dust. Scrubbing at stains that had set long ago.

She just knew she needed to do something.

She'd told Emmett to get the truck back. She didn't care how.

Ultimately it had been Leah who had brought it to the border for him. Then he had returned to Rosalie, ever the soldier, waiting for his next order.

She had walked out of the house silently, Emmett following without question. Eager to do something for Bella. Anything.

He just hadn't quite expected this.

Rosalie had thought back to when she was human. She had liked her home clean, she loved fresh sheets on her bed and a warm meal ready in the kitchen.

They were small things. But she remembered the comfort they'd brought her. A comfort she missed.

Bellas's attack had triggered something inside of her.

Having someone you trust, betray you. That what something she understood.

I knew then, that if given the go ahead, she would kill Jacob gladly, no doubt with Emmett following closely behind her.

She didn't like feeling like this. Helpless. It made her even more angry.

"Lasagnas in the oven. It should be ready soon" she told Bella quickly, clearly uncomfortable.

"You cooked" I questioned, with clear concern in my voice.

"God, No!" Emmett laughed as he appeared from the kitchen. "She just got out of hospital. We didn't want to put her back in" he told Bella as he approached her with a genuine smile.

Her appearance angered him. It infuriated him.

But she could never tell by his casual demeanour. He held himself as always had, never so much as flinching at the sight.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. His smile growing as he drew back and looked her over. "Welcome home, Bella."

It was warm and inviting. She seemed to relax at his words.

She attempted to thank him for what he'd done but was quickly brushed off.

Looking back to Rosalie, he nodded toward the door. "We gotta go".

He walked out without another word leaving Rosalie, still unsure as how to proceed. Still unable to process her feelings.

"Thanks Rosalie." Bella told her, a serious edge to her tone. Assuring Rosalie knew what the effort had meant to her.

Rosalie nodded, forcing something of a smile that she couldn't quite commit to.

Never much for pleasantries, she left the room silently, shoving the dish rag at me as she passed by.

Slowly I moved Bella to the couch and took care, helping her to sit down.

I could see the straining in her face as she adjusted herself, trying to get into the right position. I held onto her until she nodded, letting me know that she was as comfortable as she was ever going be.

I stood up, looking around the house for a moment. Unsure of what to do.

"You hungry?" I asked, standing over her.

She shook her head, frowning. I knew what was coming.

"Maybe we could watch a movie or-" I tried.

"Where is she Edward." She demanded, cutting me off, looking around the empty house, as though to illustrate her point.

I didn't want to do this right now. But I had to.

"She was supposed to be here." I explained.

Her eyes grew wide with frustration. "But she's not."

It had been two weeks since Bella was attacked and, in that time, I had managed to brush off one simple question, time and time again.

Where is Alice?

But I could see that my excuses weren't going to work anymore.

I sat down beside her and let out a tired sigh. Because I was tired. I was more exhausted than I had any memory of ever being.

She waited. Watching me as though she could read my thoughts, and I wished she could. It broke me a little bit more having to say it out aloud. Still failing her.

"She left. She needed to find something out". I told her, leaning into my knees.

She nodded impatiently. "About what?"

"When Carlisle asked Doctor Harbour to come, she had a vision. She saw the meeting you had with him. She saw you here, at home. Asking me a question."

I saw the recognition come over her, even when she tried to shield me from it.

She swallowed. Her eyes cast down. "About what?"

I leaned in closer to her. "I think you know."

It was the million-dollar question. We'd all asked it of each other over the past few weeks. They'd researched relentlessly. They'd talked to everyone. Searching for an answer to a question no one had ever asked. Until now.

"She wanted you to have an answer, Bella. She's been searching for one. She travelled halfway across the world trying to find it for you." I told her with regret flooding my voice. And I knew she could see it in my face. I didn't have the strength to hide it.

"You don't know." She whispered, realising that I had nothing to offer her.

And I didn't.

What we knew, was that nothing could heal the scars that were brought on by our kind. Jasper was riddled with them. All of us could point to our own marks and show her exactly where this life began.

We could lead with hope and pray that turning her would relieve her of the damage.

But if we were wrong?

There would be consequences that Bella would have to live with for an eternity.

What would that mean for her?

I'd seen her face, heard her voice, when she found out she would have to live with them for a year.

I'd seen her face again, when they told her that it would only be the beginning. It wasn't just one surgery. It could be as many as three, with healing time in between.

She was looking at at least three years.

She hadn't been able to accept that.

That was when she started looking for a way out of this. I had seen her mind ticking over, laying awake at night, searching for an escape.

And as much as I didn't want to change Bella, I would do it.l in a heartbeat. If I thought, it would save her from this.

But I didn't know if the wounds left from the wolves were the same as those from us.

I had nothing to offer her.