Unfortunatly, none of the Twilight Saga or any works of Stephenie Meyer belong to me...so I guess I should give the credit of all my hard work and inspiration to her: My favorite author of all time. Enjoy!

Summery: What if Bella Swan never moved to Forks to live with Charlie? What would destiny find a way to bring the star-crossed lovers Edward and Bella together after two years? What could two years do to affect Edward's restraint and his flexability? Could the so-well-known forbidden love story turn into an easier, even more fufilling love? Alternating Edward and Bella POVs.

Prologue: Appearances

Edward Cullen

The worst part of being an immortal, is keeping up appearances.

Appearances, such as going to school time after time, the repetition almost painful—but necessary. It was the only way we could attempt to lead normal lives, to try to be human as we wished we were. For the past century, my family and I have been going to high school, then college, and repeating over and over. But it was the hardest for me, the only Cullen without a mate.

Carlisle and Esme, my parents for all intensive purposes, had each other. Then my siblings, Rosalie and Emmett, and of course weird little Alice and Jasper. They had each other for all eternity, to give them reason. For the moment, my only reason was to somehow atone for my sins, to try to have a shot at heaven—that is if Carlisle was correct and vampires do have souls.

But there's only so much hope a Cullen could have.

I sat in the driver's seat of my Volvo, hands tightly gripped to the steering wheel. The car was idling in the parking lot of Reed College, were I observed the humans as the trudged up the stairs, entering the school.

Of course I'd already graduated from college all too many times, but we were keeping up appearances. Alice and Jasper sat in the backseat, waiting for the right time to make our move inside the building. It wasn't easy for Jasper, who's new to the no-human-blood-drinking clause of being a Cullen. He'd handled it fairly well for the past few decades, but he was still very sensitive. I suggested to his, fiancé, that he handle all the human scents at once, rather than being pounded over and over again as the students entered the classroom. So we waited until most of them were inside.

I avoided looking in the rear view mirror, because it was almost painful to see Alice curdled in Jasper's arms, her fingers curled in his hair, his lips finding hers. But I couldn't escape their thoughts. Their overwhelming, but true feelings for each other; feelings I'd never have. I could see Alice planning her fancy wedding in her mind as she ran her fingers through his blond hair. It was going to be themed from the early nineties. Oh great. As she planned, the memories of her and Jasper's earlier weddings sprang up, the never ending picture of him in his tux. I thought I was going to be sick, if it was possible.

I always tried my best to keep their thoughts from controlling me, and I was getting better. But it was like turning off an intercom, especially since I was so attuned to their thoughts. It was easier to tune out the thousands of voices buzzing in my head, coming from the school.

"Can you please control your thoughts?" I begged them, digging my fingers into my temples.

"Sorry Edward," Alice muttered, as her thoughts moved from less sensual, to more wedding planning. Jasper was just attuning himself to her overflowing happiness.

I guess I could be grateful that Rosalie and Emmett were on their honeymoon in Europe. They'd graduated from Forks a year earlier than Alice, Jasper, and I, and I was glad that their thoughts were removed from my mind. Rosalie was so shallow, always is thinking about her reflection. Emmett, always…thinking…about Rosalie, He loved looking at her almost as much as she did. They were perfect for each other. But I couldn't get over the fact that I must have deserved finding someone for myself sooner than Rosalie did, for all she's put me through. Plus, I'd been a vampire longer. I mentally scoffed at her.

It didn't help that, two years ago, my junior year at Forks High School, Alice saw someone in my future—and got my hopes up. The funny thing is that, I'd seen the blurry face in my head, and she wasn't one of us—she was human. Alice told me for about a week, every time she used her uncanny psychic ability to search my future, all she saw was that blurry face. But for two years, I waited. And the mystery girl never came.

Now we moved to Portland, buying a house just outside the city, and Alice told me the visions were getting stronger. Her oddly pale, heart shaped face—her eyes dark brown like her hair, all repeated in my mind. They were all I saw. As the face weirdly became clearer and clearer to Alice, it did to me too.

The first time I'd seen the face, I'd became annoyed. The face that meant nothing, the face I'd never seen in person, was the only thing on my mind. Always. But the more I saw it, the more appealing it became to me. I couldn't believe I once thought she was plain; she was beautiful. But the first year it appeared, it disappeared as fast as it came. And it hurt me, not being able to refresh the image in my mind. Until after graduation.

After graduation, it became clearer than ever. Her wide milk chocolate eyes, her plump pink lips. Her skin almost as white as mine. And no fashion sense, Alice once commented. But that didn't matter. The face was all I saw, the face that gave me hope that one day; I'd find this girl who was supposedly a part of my future.

"Do you think we could go in now, it seems like most of the humans are mostly inside," Alice murmured. Edward, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. I don't see anything now.

"Anything?" I burst aloud.

Don't be silly, I always see that. She and I are going to be friends. Her thoughts were smug. Then she read Jasper's confusion almost as fast as I did. He didn't appreciate when Alice and I had conversations in my head, especially about him. "Oh, Jazz, we're not talking about you. We're talking about her," she assured him as she snuggled her face into his chest.

"Ah, I see. When to you think she'll show up?" Hopefully not too soon, I'd rather like to stay at this college. I grimaced. Jasper was over obsessed about exposure.

"Hopefully soon. I want to take her shopping. I swear, every time I see her she's either in sweats, or some ratty green sweater and you'd think…" I tuned her both of her voices out as I observed the remainder of the students walk up the stairs. I glanced at my watch; class was going to start in ten minutes.

A girl with long brown hair uneasily dragged her heavy book back up the stairs. It hung on her shoulders, seeming too big for her small body. I could tell what was about to happen, her uncoordinated wobble told me that much.

She tumbled down the stairs silently. Not going too far without reflexively catching her hand on a step. She got up, and brushed herself off. A boy, who was a couple steps behind her, rushed up and gave her his hand.

Man, she's clumsy—but so pretty, he thought as he pulled her up the steps. "Are you okay? That was a pretty harsh fall."

"Yes, thank you," she whispered back. But that was all I heard. I was tuning out the other voices, trying to match her thoughts up with her voice. Nothing. No cursing, no embarrassment—just nothing. I'd have to get closer later, try to hear her thoughts. But I couldn't even know her name.

"Hi, I'm Eric Yorkie." He held out his hand, she took it. Eric Yorkie, the valedictorian from my own high school. Did he have to come here as well?

"Bella, Bella Swan," he murmured. She was facing away from me, so I couldn't tell if she was truly thankful or just courteous. But I could sense no enthusiasm as his hand rattled hers.

"Oh, Swan! Would your father happen to be from Washington?" Now that he mentioned it, yes, Chief Swan…in Forks. He was very fond of Carlisle, Dr. Cullen to him. Could she be from Forks too? Maybe we could chat over coffee, he thought. But then his human mind wandered.

"Yes, from Forks. He's the chief of police," she said quietly, her voice unsure.

"I'm from Forks!" He said excitedly. I wonder where she's been all my life… I scoffed at his lustful thoughts, trying to tune them out. Human men. "Where are you from?"

"I lived in Phoenix most of my life, then we moved to Jacksonville."

"Florida? Wow, is it a big difference to move to a place that's so…"

"Rainy? Yes. But for some reason I got accepted here, and it's somewhat close to Charlie. He's missed out on a lot of my life." Did she feel guilty about not living with her father? Or better than that, did she think she didn't deserve to be accepted to Reed? Her decision to literally move across the country for her father was so selfless. How endearing.

"That's interesting," he went on. Then his thoughts wandered beyond what I wanted to hear. "What class do you have first?"

She hesitated, did she very much not want him to know, or did she not appreciate this boy's curiosity? "I have Ms. Gregory, for history."

"Oh me too," he said eagerly. "Would you mind if I escorted you?" Maybe after class, I could ask her on a date. I mean, who could resist a date with someone who helped her? I chuckled. Though the Swan girl was clumsy, she was doing just fine finding her way back up before he came out of nowhere.

"Sure," she muttered hesitantly. She only fed his confidence. He walked her through the school's front doors, leaving me with a picture in my mind.

The girl. The girl I'd anticipated for so long, the image of her stunning face saturated in innocence—was right there in his. I could have run up there with my abnormal speed, and helped her myself. I could have met the girl, who, in a way, was the girl of my dreams.

"Bella," I whispered. Alice's droning came to a halt as she heard my whisper.

"What is it Edward?" she demanded.

"The girl you see, I see…she's here. Her name is Bella." My hands loosened on the steering wheel, and I searched the voices hopelessly for hers. Nothing.

"Bella? And she's here?" Alice said animatedly hoping in Jasper's arms. I absently opened the door and started to go inside.

"Edward!" Jasper hissed, as he got out. Alice found her way to him, and tightly wound her arms around his waist. His eyes were dark, but he seemed under control

"I'm so sorry," Alice whispered to him. The sound of his voice made his thirst ease up. The reminder of his, made the flames in my throat erupt to the mixtures of human scents…all so delectable. But I was the eldest vegetarian vampire besides Carlisle, and I would never disappoint him.

"What was she thinking?" Jasper asked, his thoughts trying to wander away from killing innocent people.

"I don't know," I whispered, my mind still focused on the fresh face seen through Eric's eyes.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Jasper snarled.

"It's like her mind is immune to my…ability."

"She's not immune to mine," Alice whispered. "Ever since you whispered her name, she's becoming even clearer, if that's even possible. It's like just knowing who she is, is sending you down a path to find her." To find her? To be with her? No. I could not burden someone I cared about…even if I didn't know them—with me. My immortality, my curse. I could never bring it upon a human that echoed in my mind like she did.

"Alice, I am not going to interfere with her life. And neither are you. Her clumsiness shouldn't be added on to by our troubles. We are going to let her be. She gets to live a normal human life." How could I have waited so eagerly for her to come along, and then throw her existence away, like she wasn't real to me.

That's not what I see, Alice thought smugly. I growled through my teeth, as we walked up the stairs. Just then, I was overwhelmed by the sweetest smell…but as the sweet scent hit me, so did the pain. The unbelievable flames scorching my throat, it hit me like a wrecking ball. I had never smelt something so sweet in the air, nothing so irresistible. I held my breath, and let the flames die slowly.

"Edward, are you okay?" Jasper put his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I lied. "I got to get to class." I ran up the stairs, almost at an inhuman speed. Jasper wouldn't like that, but maybe the other students just assumed I was just fast if they even saw me. I sat down in psychology, and let the scent wash out of my system like a drug. A drug that if I ever smelt directly, our family would no longer secretly be vampires. The flames engulfed my throat, as I breathed the drug free air.