𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘;
NEVER AGAIN

— REESE TAPPED HER FINGERS against the marble countertop, the noise echoing through the silent kitchen. Her golden green eyes were in slits, her jaw tightened enough that Emmett and Jasper had taken to standing right beside her, in case she made a move of aggression — not that she would. Her anger was warranted though, so no one said anything. Flynn was seated beside Elizabeth on the long sofa, the two watching some ridiculous Hallmark movie that Esme had put on; Flynn was practically crowing with laughter, smacking the couch as she wheezed and Reese was getting sick of it. Her irritation had only been enhanced with Flynn's presence, as the girl began to over stay her welcome in Reese's new home.

She ground her teeth together, the noise grating on her own ears but she couldn't help it, as she watched her aunt and Flynn. She hated that they were enjoying themselves when she was so miserable, and that misery only made way for more anger to take root. Jasper did his best to soothe her emotions, a poor attempt to make her more welcoming to Flynn's company, but she'd snapped at him as soon as she felt it. Reese had a right to be angry that her supposed best friend was able to be happy after she'd successfully ruined Reese's life. They'd been in the Cullen's home for nearly twelve hours now, and Reese wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

"Breathe, Reese," Emmett told her, his voice low enough that Elizabeth and Flynn wouldn't hear.

"I am," she hissed, but the tension in her shoulders said otherwise. The marble countertop groaned under the force of her fingers, and Reese balled her hand into a fist to stop herself from cracking Esme's counter. "Why is she still here? I want her gone."

"Carlisle and Jasper want to see how you respond to being around humans for long periods of time," Emmett explained, keeping his tone soft so that Reese wouldn't react poorly. "If you want to return to a semi normal life soon you'll have to be able to be around humans for hours at a time. This is important if you want to see Annmarie and Taylor again."

Reese resisted the urge to growl; Flynn and Elizabeth's long stay had been for two reasons, the first to check on Reese's magic and the other was to test her response to the scent of human blood. Elizabeth and Jasper had argued about letting Reese go home, especially after how she acted towards Flynn when she'd first seen her, and the only way the Cullens would let her see her siblings was if she passed their tests. That idea alone had nearly set Reese off into a rage; she would never hurt her little siblings. She had died for them for Christ's sake, why on earth would she harm them. But Carlisle didn't see it like that, so until Reese could prove that she had a basic sense of control, she would be locked away like the monster she was. The monster Flynn had her turned into.

"Well she isn't helping," Reese snarled, her lips curled back over her teeth. "Why couldn't it just be Elizabeth?"

"Because she makes you angry," Jasper said, breaking his silence. "Unfortunately, anger is a good test of your control. If you can compose yourself when feeling the rage you are right now, then we won't have to worry about you acting out over something small."

His logic made sense, but it didn't calm the storm inside of Reese. So she concentrated on her breathing, focusing on the in and out of oxygen she didn't really need, trying to relax despite the hate that was bubbling in her gut. Jasper let out a noise of approval, feeling the swing in Reese's emotions drop back close to normal. As she focused, Reese felt the tension is her shoulders lessen, her tightened jaw relaxed, and she unclenched her fist letting her hand rest calmly on the counter. With her eyes closed, and Flynn out of her vision, Reese began to feel okay. Not good, not even fine, just okay, but that was progress. She nearly felt back to normal when Flynn just had to open her mouth. Reese stiffened again as Flynn walked towards her. Her eyes shot open, narrowing as Flynn stepped into the kitchen.

"Can I talk to Reese?" She asked, not even looking at Reese which only made her anger begin to build up again.

"I'm right here," Reese snapped, but when she caught Elizabeth's warning stare she softened her tone. "What do you want to talk about?"

Flynn's gaze flickered to Jasper and Emmett, who didn't show signs of leaving, she sighed realizing that they wouldn't leave Reese alone with her when her emotions were so unstable. "I've been here for hours, and you've barely said a word to me."

"Maybe you should take the hint and leave then," Reese answered smartly, ignoring her aunt's chastising.

"I said I was sorry, Reese," Flynn reminded her of their earlier conversation during their chess match. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"

"Nothing," Reese said with a shrug. "There's absolutely nothing you can do."

Flynn's shoulders sagged in defeat at Reese's honesty. She should have felt bad over hurting her friend's feelings, but every time Reese looked at Flynn all she saw was the human life that had been taken from her. It was easier to blame Flynn too for what had happened to her; this girl was her supposed best friend and she still went against Reese's wishes despite the long conversations they'd had about her fate and that was what made her so angry. The only reason Reese even tolerated her at this point was because she wanted to see Annmarie and Taylor again.

Flynn sniffled and then turned to Jasper, her eyes filled with more tears she was fighting back. "Look, she's put up with me all day and she's been fine, just let her go see her siblings. If she hasn't killed me yet there's no way she'll hurt the twins."

Reese glanced towards Jasper and Carlisle who seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes, waiting for either one of them to give a hint that she could return home. After a moment, Carlisle looked towards Reese and gave a slight nod. The anger that had been crushing Reese lifted and for the first time in months, pure joy ran through her. The ghost of a smile lifted across her lips and Reese jumped from her seat.

"You mean it? I can go home?"

"You've done well today," Carlisle told her, smiling at Reese's reaction. "I think that it would be good for you to see them."

"Aunt Elizabeth," Reese called, pushing past Flynn and rushing towards her aunt. "Did you hear that? I can go home!"

"Oh, Reese, that's great," Elizabeth grinned widely, pulling her niece into a hug. "They've missed you so much."

Reese was practically buzzing with joy, her body barely able to contain her excitement. She released her aunt and returned to Emmett who seemed just as happy as her, he opened his arms and Reese easily found her place in his embrace. It had been so long since he'd seen Reese genuinely happy about something, it was nice to see the light in her green eyes again. Her exhilaration was short lived though, as Carlisle spoke again.

"But," the Cullen patriarch began, and Reese nearly crumbled under the weight of the word. "One of us will go with you, just in case."

Reese should have figured that she wouldn't be allowed to go without a chaperone, of course they wouldn't let her out into the human world all on her own. She'd never needed anyone with her when she'd been around the twins before, and that was merely another painful reminder that she wasn't the Reese that she had once been. Her heart sank just a little bit at the thought, but Reese fought the sadness off. No, she wouldn't ruin this for herself. Her eyes caught Emmett's, asking him the silent question. He sent her a swift nod.

"I'll go, Reese," he said and Reese sighed in relief, the twins loved him and his presence wouldn't bother the twins.

"Thank you," she told him softly, and he smiled down her her. Reese then turned her attention to her aunt. "When can I go?"

"They're staying with a babysitter tonight," Elizabeth explained. "They'll be home at seven—"

"So we'll get there at six thirty," Emmett interrupted, watching as Reese calculated how many hours there were between then and the next morning. "Let you get comfortable in the new environment, and then you can surprise the twins."

Reese nearly beamed at his suggestion. She could practically envision the look on Annmarie and Taylor's faces when they opened the door and saw her; the last time she'd seen them she'd been inches from death, sick and in pain, they would be thrilled. Of course, she wasn't the same Reese they'd said goodbye to, but she would practice; she would spend all night working on her human mannerisms until she got it right. She would be absolutely perfect for them. Nothing would ruin this for her; absolutely nothing.

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— TRUE TO HER WORD, Reese had stayed up all night working on how to act more human. With Elizabeth and Emmett to guide her, Reese perfected the art of her usual slouch and the constant movements; she would flick her hair over her should and fix her clothes, she made a show of cracking her knuckles and twitching every so often. But now, in the passengers seat of Emmett's Jeep, Reese felt more like a statue than she ever had.

She was nervous, afraid of how they would react. What if they were angry at her? Reese didn't think that she could handle them being mad at her, not after what she'd gone through to see them again. What if they noticed that something was different about her? What if they could tell that she was less than human; what if, god forbid, she scared them. Her thoughts were beginning to weighed down on her, dragging her mood to the depths of her darkest parts. She was drowning in stress and fear.

"Hey," Emmett broke through to her, wrapping his large hand around her's. "Everything is gonna be okay."

Reese relaxed at his words, shedding her marble like stature and focusing on the human movements she'd practiced. Emmett squeezed her hand, a calming gesture that relaxed Reese even more. She let her fingers wind around his, the comfort her brought her clearing her thoughts. Everything was going to be okay she repeated in her mind like a mantra, and Reese had no choice but to believe it. She'd wanted this for so long that she wouldn't let anything — especially not herself — screw it up. She watched the sky as they drove, it was still dark out but lightening with every minute. By the time the twins got home, the sun would have finally tugged itself above the mountains and from the looks of it, it would be the first nice day they'd had in a while. The usual clouds that hung above Forks had broken apart during the night, as if this was the universe's way of telling her good luck; Reese appreciated it.

They'd reached her house a little after six-thirty, and Reese realized how much she'd missed it. She remembered how she felt the first time she'd pulled into the driveway, less than a week after the death of her parents, and how unhappy she had been to be there; now looking at the faded blue paint and snowy front porch, Reese couldn't have been more thrilled to be back. As Emmett parked behind Elizabeth's car, Reese took in all of the sounds and scents around her; she could hear Elizabeth walking around the house, floorboards creaking under her feat and Poppy's nails clicking against the kitchen tiles as she ate her breakfast. She had to resist the urge to kick open the car door and rush up to the house, she wanted to take everything in slowly.

"You ready?" Emmett asked her, pulling Reese's attention away from the house.

"Yeah," Reese breathed out, releasing his hand and jumping out of the Jeep — ignoring the fact that that wouldn't have been as easy a few weeks ago, because nothing would damper her mood that morning. "Let's do this."

Emmett returned to her side as soon as he was out, like a magnet to metal. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her as a form of reassurance as they walked up the sidewalk to the front door. Reese felt odd knocking at her own home, but she felt a little like a stranger. She could hear Poppy barking and Elizabeth walking towards them, Reese sucked in a nervous breath as her aunt pulled the door open, smiling when she spotted Reese and Emmett.

"Morning," Emmett greeted, returning a smile. "Hope we're not too early. Reese got impatient."

Reese elbowed him softly. "No I didn't."

"You were pacing all morning," Emmett laughed, pairing his comment with a dramatic eye roll. "If we didn't leave when we did you would have wore a hole in Esme's carpet."

"Whatever," Reese grumbled.

"Come on in you two," Elizabeth opened the door wider, allowing them to pass by her. "It's freezing out here."

When she stepped into the foyer, Reese was hit with the memories of her death; her eyes zeroed in on the couch that she had passed away on and she shivered uncontrollably despite the fact that the chilly weather no longer affected her. Emmett followed her gaze and squeezed her tighter, whispering words of encouragement under his breath. Reese breathed in deeply, forcing herself to relax; this was her home, she didn't have to be afraid of this place. Forcing her attention away from the living room, Reese continued her survey of the house. With her enhanced vision, Reese could see every little thing. She saw the thin layer of dust collection on the top of the fridge, the finger prints from the twins decorating the lower cabinets and the slight crack in the wood by the windows due to the weather. She felt her shoulders relax at the sight, all of that made her more comfortable.

A low whine brought her attention towards the floor, Poppy was standing behind Elizabeth watching Reese with curious eyes. In the week that she had been gone, Reese could tell that her puppy had grown. Her soft fur was beginning to grow longer as she reached adolescence and her legs were at the funny stage of too big for her body. Reese squatted down to Poppy's level, sticking out her hand for her dog to sniff. Poppy cautiously stepped towards her, looking back and forth between Reese's face and her hand, before eventually rubbing her head against Reese.

"I know," Reese told the dog, scratching behind her ear. "I'm a little different now."

"Annmarie and Taylor will be here soon," Elizabeth said, checking her watch. "Why don't you look around, Reese. Get comfortable."

Reese pulled away from Poppy, the puppy whining at the lack of attention, and moved towards the stairs, knowing that Emmett would follow. She took each step slowly, forcing herself not to remember the last time she'd walked down them. As she reached the landing, Reese took in a deep breath before continuing. She stopped at the twins' room, glancing in and noticing that nothing had really changed; their toys still littered the far corner near there toy box and the pictures she'd given them their first day there were still in frames on their bed side table. Seeing their room only made her more excited, she couldn't wait to see them again. Her room, however, Reese was less than thrilled to see. When Reese pushed open her door the memories hit her like a truck; all of the nightmares she'd endured in that bed, the hallucination of Morgana she'd seen in that bathroom, the dirt she'd coughed up on that carpet. It was nearly too much, but Emmett right behind her forced her forward.

Reese took a shaky step inside, her eyes flickering around the place nervously as if she expected the nightmares to come back to haunt her. She let her finger run over her dresser, the familiar scent of home helping her to relax. As she pawed through the clothes she'd left abandoned on her bed the last time she'd been home Reese's nose wrinkled in disgust; with her sense of smell being as strong as it was, the scent of cigarette smoke hit her in the face like a punch.

"Ugh," Reese gagged, plugging her nose in an attempt to block the smell. "That's horrible."

"What is?" Emmett asked, looking around for whatever was setting her off.

Reese pointed to her clothes. "They smell like smoke, how did you stand being so close to me?"

"Honestly," Emmett shrugged. "I didn't really notice it too much."

"Well it's terrible," Reese kicked the clothing towards her closet and opened her window to let in some fresh air.

"You doing okay, Reese?" He asked, his golden eyes swimming with sincerity.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's weird being back after everything that happened here, but I'm glad I'm home. I wish I could stay."

"I know," Emmett said sadly. "Not much longer and I'm sure Carlisle will let you come home for real."

Reese hoped his words were true, even though she'd grown to appreciate the occupants of the Cullen household they weren't her real family. Reese gravitated towards her own nightstand where she kept a framed picture of her parents, she let her fingers trace the image of her smiling mother and father. Emmett looked at the photo over her shoulder, and Reese realized he had never seen her parents before.

"You're mom was beautiful," he told her. "You look just like her."

"Yeah," Reese agreed, not voicing the not anymore that rested on the tip of her tongue.

They stood there for a while, taking in Mallory and Paul's smiling faces, before the sound of a car door shutting jerked Reese out of her thoughts. She nearly crushed the glass from the sound; her siblings were home. Anxiety flooded Reese and the world became unsteady (or maybe that was just her) but Emmett pulled her back to reality with a firm grip on her shoulders. Reese blinked away the dizziness and nodded to assure him that she was fine, she placed the frame gently back down in it's place and then moved towards the door. She could hear Annmarie and Taylor's voices and her heart soared, Reese moved on shaky feet towards the stairs, focusing on her breathing as she got closer to them.

From what she could tell, they were in the kitchen and would see her the second she reached the landing. Reese took a calming breath and pushed on, taking each step slowly. Their chatter grew louder the closer she got, Reese could hear them telling Elizabeth how their night had gone; how they watched Looney Tunes and ate popcorn and played with an orange cat that reminded them of Garfield from home. Tears pricked at her eyes as she listened; she was finally home. Finally with her siblings again.

Reese's feet touched the tiled floors of the kitchen and she saw them. Annmarie with her brown hair curling around her chubby cheeks, her dark eyes crinkled as she laughed. She was talking with a bit of a lisp, and Reese realized that she'd lost a tooth while she had been gone. Taylor was chasing after Poppy who had gotten a hold of one of his socks, his hair sticking up every which way as he likely hadn't let the babysitter brush it before he got home. Reese nearly fell to her knees at the sight of them. Elizabeth spotted her first, her green eyes twinkling at Reese's reaction.

"There's someone here to see you," Elizabeth told the twins who looked at her in confusion. Elizabeth then pointed in Reese's direction, Annmarie and Taylor following her finger towards their sister.

They stood still for a moment, looking at her with their tired, bleary eyes. For a second, Reese thought that they didn't recognize her; that her transformation had made unrecognizable to them. Tears burned her eyes at the thought, but then smiles broke out onto their faces and they rushed towards her, their little arms wide open.

"Reesey!" They chorused, and Reese dropped to her knees allowing them to throw their arms around her neck.

Reese openly wept as she held them in her arms, feeling them squeeze her tightly. She had thought about this moment since she'd woken up to her new life, but the thoughts were nothing like the reality; reality was much better. As she held them to her, rocking them back and forth, a smile formed on her lips. The first real one she'd had since the fateful fire that had burned down her old home. It hurt her cheeks, the muscles out of practice, but Reese couldn't stop it.

"I've missed you two so much," Reese cried, pressing soft kisses to their foreheads.

"Auntie Elizabeth said you were sick," Taylor told her, tightening his grip around her neck. "She said you went to the doctor."

"Are you better now, Reese?" Annmarie asked, resting her head on Reese's chest. "You're not sick anymore?"

"I'm all better," Reese said, refusing to let them go.

"We were sad," Annmarie whispered, and Reese felt her little sister's tears soak through her shirt. "We thought you were gonna leave us like mommy and daddy."

"I will never leave you," Reese promised, and this time she would keep it. "Never again."

As Reese clung to them, the world around her faded away until it was just the three of them. Holding the two little beings that meant the world to her, having them so close to her again, Reese felt like herself again. For the first time in over a week, Reese felt normal; like nothing bad had happened to her. As long as the twins were in her arms, Reese would be okay — she was sure of it.

authors note:

long time no see i guess //: so i've been in a rut for writing reese but i finally got myself out of it !!!! i'm not super happy with this chapter,,but writing reese being with her siblings again made me so genuinely happy, i love them all so much ! i have so much in store for reese and her siblings are a big part of her story and i love them,,yes i know reese is still mean to flynn but she has a right to be angry she trusted her friend to keep her promise and is heart broken and betrayed that flynn didn't,, but don't worry they are on their way to being bffs again ((: also we got some good emmett and reese interaction with them both being soft . . . also this is the first time reese has actually smiled this whole book (we're only 30 chapters in) so this is a big moment for her and just proves how much the twins mean to her. thank you all so much for your love on this book and your support of reese and her story, it means so much to me that you all love her as much as i do !!!!!