An update? Yay!

I apologize ahead of time for mistakes, still need a beta. Interested? (:

Let's see where these two left off, shall we?

Chapter 8

When life seemed remarkably brighter, she grew worse. Days passed by, time accounted for as nothing more than a short breath. The closer we grew, the farther apart we became. We continued endlessly in circles, starting afresh only to continue through the same motions as before.

I was increasingly aware of her condition. I knew she struggled trying to adapt after many years of a different lifestyle, one that outnumbered her original. I was not quite naive enough to believe we would bounce straight back into the people we were. It would be difficult; it would take time. But Bella remained stone beyond her lively brown eyes. I knew they contained stories I was more than willing to listen and understand to, but she was mute. She simply begged for me to speak of our family, and most of all, Nessie. She was captivated by the lives she had missed and wanted every second and every detail of each of them. It surprised me that she had nothing to ask of my life; perhaps she didn't care. I told her nothing of myself unless asked, and that rarely occurred.

Whereas she wanted no detail of mine, I yearned for everything of hers. I was constantly on edge.

"Edward?"

"Hm?" I hummed. It had been hours since I had heard her speak. I grew more fond of her voice by the second.

I watched her carefully. Her chest rose and fell in seven successions. Her face paled.

Bella's eyes met mine before darting away quickly. "Never mind."

That incident had occurred four times since yesterday when it happened. Carlisle had warned me not to pursue her. He told me she would tell me everything when she was ready.

The first day, when she had awoken, turned out to truly be a rare exception. I had not been given the pleasure of hearing anything else about her life the past twenty four years nor had I even been within arms length of her. She was more skittish than our confrontation with the Volturi.
For the first time in years, I had no possible clue what to do. I could listen to Carlisle and let her tell me everything on her ti

ming. But the dominant inner monster craved everything about her down to her thoughts. It was becoming harder to contain.

However back on topic, Bella had changed. I consoled Carlisle over the phone, I observed her wearily. Separation anxiety greatly fatigued her. She panicked when I would leave the room or talk of going to hunt. I would have never left her alone by any means, but her emotions confused me. She wanted me with her yet refused to talk. She truly was only a blank portrayal of forced smiles and fear.

Progress remained dormant. I did not know what to do. She was desperate to meet her daughter, and I had no right in preventing such. She was mentally stable and caused no problems. Of course, I had never expected her to.

Taking her home was my only option. I didn't believe she was happy here and making amends over the past didn't seem to be a bright prospect.
"Hey." I entered the den where Bella sat watching television. She hadn't been watching it anyways due to the vacant stare covering her face before I interrupted. Earlier, I excused myself from the room to discuss with Carlisle her return.

"Hi." Her voice was soft as she bit her lip. "Is something wrong?"

I thought I had been covering my distress quite well. I masked a crooked smile. "No, everything is well, Bella. I was wondering... What are your thoughts on going home?"

Her jaw dropped open before snapping it shut quickly. Her lips trembled as she responded. "Home, as in-"

"Our family," I cut her off. The silly girl still left room for double meanings, as if I would allow her to return to the Volturi. "They were unhappy that I brought you here in the first place."

Instead of answering, she asked, "Why did you bring me here?" Her hand flew to her mouth as she apologized numerous times. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that, I was just wondering... I didn't understand why- Never mind."

I shuffled my feet awkwardly, pursuing a hand through the mess of hair. "I did not want you to be overwhelmed. I figured you already had been through enough and deserved a peaceful awakening rather than having everything thrown into your face at once. Unless you would have rather been elsewhere, I apologize. It wasn't my intention to keep you away from your family."

I suppose that was only partly the truth. Every ounce of my monster wanted to steal her away from the world and never be bothered by anyone or anything. But I couldn't keep her away from Nessie or the family; they -deserved- her. It seemed I did not get my way.

She stood up, walking over to me. "Hey, don't think that. You've done everything perfectly. It was above and beyond than what I expected."

I smiled slightly. "And what did you expect?"

Her eyes lowered submissively in the sudden silence. "For you to hate me."

"Isabella. I could never hate you, especially for something that isn't your fault," I said softly.

"But it is my fault. I could have prevented so much from happening, and we could have been a family, and I would have been there for my baby. It's not fair!" Bella's short outburst left her fidgeting nervously.

"There's no way you could have prevented any if this from happening. Granted, things could have been different had we made different decisions, but we didn't and everything is okay. That's all that really matters, right?" When she didn't respond, I attempted to comfort her. "For what it matters, I just hope you know that I don't blame you for anything that happened."

She walked past me to stare out the window. She spent a lot of time sitting there, for whatever reason captivated by the endless amount of snow falling. "You should. I should have been able to prevent so much."

"Such as?"

Her hand swiped across her cheek. I sighed quietly, but she heard it. "It doesn't matter. Anyways, why was everyone upset that you brought me here? Did they not... want me?"

"Of course they did! They wanted you all to themselves actually. Especially Jacob, I had to compromise with him just to make him stay behind," I joked.
She gasped, turning to face me. "Jacob? My Jacob?"

It proved difficult to hide my grimace at her sudden excitement. "Yes."

A smile filtered across her face. "I can't believe he still remembers me."

"Of course he still remembers you," I gritted through my teeth. "You hard to forget apparently."

She looked at me oddly, but chose not to comment further. "How old is he now? Is he married?" she gushed.

"Well you can ask him yourself if you would like to return home," I chuckled. I did not dare to mention the fact to her at any point that Jacob had imprinted on Nessie. If she wanted her golden vision of the Jacob she knew before they took her, then I would give her that. She could deal with Jacob later.

"Of course I do, as long as everyone else is okay with it," she responded meekly.

"They are," I reassured.

Her smile faltered. "Are you?"

"I am happy with whatever choice you make." The words troubled her; she had heard them before. The decisions she had been forced to make as a teenager altered her life forever. Had she chosen Jacob, she would have never endured years of unhappiness. It sickened me to no avail that I was constantly the cause of her sufferings. I had taken away the best years of her life.

"That isn't what I asked, Edward," she said.

How was I to answer a question of such extremes?

"I am okay with you going home. I will support you in any decision you make," I said. The words were probably a lie. I would have refused to allow her to leave. I would have refused if she had chosen the Volturi over family.

I refused to accept the fact that she was truly here. At any moment, I was deeply convinced she would disappear within the blink of an eye. But I did indeed hold faith in the life she possessed, as well as the vivacious spirit ensconced by fear.

Bella's lips pursed in thought. I stood beside her, in wonder of her new self.

A half-vampire seemed absolutely astounding. When touching her skin, it did seem more durable. She was not as frail in comparison as to when she was merely 19. Years of different conditions could have toughened her as well, for I was not well informed of any of the matters. Her hair reached further down her back and basked in the smallest amount of light. As for her skin, it did not "sparkle" as she once worded it. It glowed like Renesmee's. I desperately wanted to see her in sunlight to further my findings of Bella, but it seemed to be an odd request.

She suddenly turned to me with a small smile playing her face. "When can we leave?"

"Whenever you want to leave," I said.

"Would it be terrible to ask to leave now?" Bella asked.

"Of course not. We have nothing to pack, and I'm sure Alice will have planned for this." At the exact moment, the phone rang. In fact, Alice had foreseen this particular event and the tickets would be ready at the port.

Hours later while we boarded our second flight, Bella seemed hesitant.

"Edward," she began. "What ever happened to Charlie?"

When Bella died, Charlie sank into a deep depression. He worked longer hours, he became thinner; many thought he would work himself to death. Renee tried to help, but she had Phil to worry about already. But one woman with a similar situation stepped forward; Sue Clearwater. Since she had lost her husband, she soon began to be the caretaker of Charlie. He became happy again. He is still alive and well, now married to Sue.

As I explained this to Bella, her eyes flooded with tears. She turned away to face the window, unwilling to listen to any words of comfort I had to offer.
"I can't believe what I've done to him."

Again, the conversation fell short, and we each cycled. Circles.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

It was the seventeenth time since we landed from the plane that she had asked. I opened the car door for her, sighing.

"Yes, Bella."

Her doe-like eyes widened, suddenly apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to annoy you. I just-"

"You're perfectly fine."

She quieted. Her bottom lip fell victim to her teeth.

She was quiet until we were a minutes away. Her fingers began drumming against the window and her knee bounced to an unknown rhythm. Humanity overpowered her vampire tenfold, expressing itself heavily in times such as this.

"What's on your mind?" I finally found courage to ask.

Her response wasn't immediate. "A little bit of everything, I guess."

I cooed in recognition, signaling for her to continue. She obeyed.

"I'm really scared," she whispered. "The family, they could hate me for I did. They could hate what I've become and the choices I made. Oh, and my daughter. I haven't been around for any of her life? I can't just waltz in and... destroy the life you guys have made."

I grabbed her hand firmly in a friendly squeeze. "If they hated you, then they would have made that clear. You were still family when deceased, and for however long you choose to stay or leave, you will be family. Nessie, well, she was excited from day one. Remember, she is no longer a child. She understands everything that has happened clearly. I know in her heart there has always been plenty of room for her mother."

Bella smiled at me brightly, returning the squeeze. Her calamity lasted until we pulled into the driveway. I watched in slight amusement and concern as her face turned ghastly white.

I laughed as she turned to me incredulously. "Oh, Bella. You can face the Volturi for years and be undoubtedly courageous, but the idea of facing the people you know so well frightens you?"

"Not exactly," she murmured. I parked the car outside of the garage, killing the engine. The family was already heading our way in excitement. Jacob had taken Nessie out for a while, hoping to surprise her once Bella had a chance to catch up with everyone else.

"Hey, look at me." I waited until her eyes met mine. "Everything is fine. Everything will go fine. If you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, I'll make them back off and we can go somewhere else. I told you I would protect you from anything; I still mean that."

She thanked me quietly, and I raced to her side of the car. We pursued the front door warily as I noted she shook from head to toe. I led her, my hand on the small of her back. I saw it clearly, that look the possessed her eyes. She was like a deer in headlights, ready to bolt as soon as she came to her senses.
Before we were granted the opportunity of entering the house, Carlisle and Esme smiled warmly from the open doorway. Bella's sight, once trained on her footing, returned theirs in relief. They walked over to greet us.

Carlisle, obviously, knew most of the extent to Bella's fears. He successfully warned the family to not overreact and frighten her. It was like the very first time she visited our late home in Forks.

"Hello Bella," Carlisle smiled, reaching out to embrace her. She stiffened momentarily before returning the hug. "You look very well."

Esme seemed a bit speechless and instead drew her in for another hug. I knew very well that at this moment if Esme could have cried, she would have. "I've missed you so much, sweetie. I am so glad you're home."

Carlisle insisted bringing Bella in from the cold. Esme turned to me, Bella merely a foot in front of us.

"Thank you," she whispered closely into my ear.

"For what?"

Esme's eyes flickered to read my face momentarily. "Bringing our family together again."

I released Esme from a short embrace, choosing to follow closer behind Bella. Carlisle had made everyone wait in the den, and it was where they stood as soon as we entered the room. Grinning brightly, every last one of them made excitement fill the air entirely. The only one to hesitate was the human beside me.

Alice was the first to come forward, the epitome of happiness as she hugged Bella. Jasper eyed Bella warily, unsure of her new self now that they were almost one-on-one. He proceeded to greet her, sending a thought in my direction.

I can't manipulate her emotions, but I can read them.

As soon as I thought she had almost been figured out, the puzzle became more complex. Surely the Volturi had kept her around for some sort of power; Aro loved precious gifts. While I couldn't pinpoint it now, I was sure Carlisle would have some ideas.

By the time all of the family had greeted her, we sat at the remaining couch. Everyone had questions they wanted to ask or time they wanted to spend with Bella. She seemed scared, to say the least.

We all knew she wouldn't be the same awkward teenager from so many years ago and we didn't expect her to be. In whatever ways she may have changed, we were ready to accept it. After years of trying to protect our family, it was our duty to make her comfortable and happy.

"Is Renesmee here?" Bella asked.

"No," I said quietly into her ears to where the others couldn't hear. "They wanted it to be a surprise, so Jacob took her out for the evening."
I cursed myself mentally. I hadn't bothered to explain their relationship.

"Bella, please. The floor is yours." Carlisle smiled warmly, interest gleaming in his golden eyes.

"I-uh... don't know where to begin," she said.

Rosalie turned to her motherly side, instantly feeling she had to defend her. Jasper, once again, sent calming waves throughout the room. This time, oddly enough, they seemed to affect her.

"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, Bella. We understand," Rosalie spoke to her.

Bella shook her head. "No, no. I need to."

So she did.

In fact, in this go around, she told more than the story she had told me. The same areas where I assumed she was hiding something were still kept in the dark, by this time she moved the story further than with me. Carlisle occasionally prodded her along with questions when she found herself at a loss for words.

"We are all still utterly mystified by Aro's obsession with you. What exact advantage did he gain from keeping you around when you aren't even a vampire?" Carlisle asked.

Although she had opened up most of her story to this point, she suddenly drew herself into her shy, quiet shell. "There was something he wanted me for, other than 'uniqueness," she admitted warily.

It seemed everyone in the room shifted forward in their seats the tiniest bit; it seemed everyone waited with bated breath for the final conclusion of her chapter to be written.

"You know how Alice can predict the future, and Jasper manipulates emotions, and Edward can read minds?" She quieted, her voice meek as if she were embarrassed. "Well, I have an... ability too."

"What exactly would that be, Bella?" Carlisle asked, genuinely intrigued.

Isabella shifted towards me, closed her eyes and concentrated hard on whatever task she was trying to accomplish. When suddenly, it happened. It was as if the one door that had been closed for oh, so long, creaked open to reveal it's hidden treasures. Every thought, every emotion, every memory rushed towards me in the blink of an eye, too quickly for even my comprehension. There was however, one strong thought that danced above all the others.

Hi Edward.

I gasped; as soon as it had begun, it was over. The family's eyes were wide, unsure of what had just happened. I grinned, turning to them with an explanation that riveted me to the very core; an explanation worthy of connecting the pieces.

"She's a shield."

So... What'dyathink? Too rushed? Love it? Hate it?

If you're still reading, drop a review and let me know you're still there. I love all of you and I appreciate you guys more than anything.

Much, much, much love! I'm very excited for the next chapters, can you guess what's going to happen next? Cool, neither can I! Kidding.

Love, Tayler