The return happened quietly.
No announcement.
No explanation.
Just… normal.
By the time Mame and Bella arrived at Forks High School that morning, the parking lot looked the same as always—wet asphalt, scattered groups of students, the steady gray drizzle Forks seemed to specialize in.
Bella shut off the engine of the truck.
They stepped out.
And Bella stopped mid-step.
"They're back."
Mame followed her gaze.
Across the parking lot, the Cullen cars had returned.
Standing beside them were the familiar figures of the Cullen family.
Edward Cullen.
Edith Cullen.
Alice Cullen.
Jasper Hale.
Rosalie Hale.
Emmett Cullen.
They looked exactly the same as before.
Perfect posture.
Effortless stillness.
The same quiet separation from the rest of the school.
Except for one difference.
Edward was smiling.
Not the tight, controlled expression from before.
An actual polite smile.
Bella noticed it immediately.
"That's… new."
Mame studied them carefully.
Edward spotted Bella and walked over.
Bella froze slightly.
Mame stayed where he was, arms loosely folded.
Edward stopped a few feet away.
"Bella," he said calmly.
His voice was polite.
Friendly even.
"I wanted to apologize for the other day."
Bella blinked.
"Oh."
Edward's expression stayed relaxed.
"I wasn't feeling well. I shouldn't have left the class like that."
Bella shifted her weight slightly.
"It's… okay."
Edward nodded.
"Thank you."
The conversation felt strangely normal.
Too normal.
Edward gave one last polite nod and walked toward the building.
Bella watched him go.
"Well," she said slowly, "that was unexpected."
Mame didn't answer right away.
He was watching something else.
The eyes.
When Edward had first arrived in Forks, his eyes had been dark.
Not black exactly.
But deep.
Gold mixed with brown, like old bronze.
Now they were different.
Bright.
Golden.
Like sunlight hitting honey.
Mame's gaze moved across the rest of the family.
Same change.
Alice.
Jasper.
Rosalie.
Emmett.
Their eyes had all lightened.
Before: darker gold-brown.
Now: bright golden brown.
Like they had been polished.
He frowned slightly.
Bella glanced at him.
"What?"
Mame shook his head.
"Nothing."
But the observation stayed in his mind.
Eyes didn't just change color like that.
Not overnight.
Inside the school, the change continued.
Edward was polite to everyone.
Teachers.
Students.
Even Mike Newton.
Bella's Biology class went smoothly that day.
No desk gripping.
No sudden exits.
Edward sat calmly beside her and worked through the assignment like a perfectly normal student.
But Bella noticed something else too.
Edith Cullen had returned as well.
She moved with the same quiet grace as always.
But she kept her distance from Mame.
Not avoiding him entirely.
Just… space.
A few extra feet in the hallway.
Choosing different seats at lunch.
Mame noticed.
Of course he noticed.
At lunch he sat across from Alice again.
"So," he said, chewing his sandwich thoughtfully.
"Edweird's back."
Alice smiled.
"Yes."
"Family emergency solved?"
"Apparently."
Mame nodded slowly.
"Good."
Alice tilted her head.
"You sound suspicious."
Mame shrugged.
"I'm observant."
Alice laughed softly.
"That you are."
Mame leaned back slightly and glanced toward the rest of the Cullen table.
Edward and Bella were talking quietly.
Edith sat further down beside Jasper.
Mame's eyes narrowed just a little.
"…Also," he added casually.
Alice looked up.
"Hmm?"
Mame tapped his own eye.
"Your eyes changed."
Alice froze for a fraction of a second.
Then smiled again.
"Lighting."
Mame tilted his head.
"Lighting."
"Forks has weird lighting," she said cheerfully.
Mame looked at Jasper.
Jasper raised an eyebrow slightly.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Forks does have strange weather."
Mame stared at both of them for a moment.
Then leaned back again.
"…Alright."
He took another bite of his sandwich.
But the thought stayed in the back of his mind.
The dreams.
The speed in the forest.
The eyes.
And the strange certainty growing heavier in his chest.
Something about the Cullens didn't follow the same rules as everyone else.
And whatever those rules were…
He was getting closer to figuring them out.
That night, Mame woke again.
Not suddenly.
Not with the crushing headache from before.
Just… awake.
His eyes opened slowly as the darkness of the room settled around him. The clock on the bedside table glowed faintly in the corner.
2:18 AM.
"…Again," he muttered quietly.
For a moment he stayed still, staring at the ceiling.
The dreams had come again.
Fragments.
Bella running through trees.
Red eyes in the dark.
Wolves moving through snow.
And that same heavy feeling pressing against his chest like a quiet warning.
Something was getting closer.
Mame rubbed his face and sat up.
Sleep clearly wasn't happening.
Again.
He swung his legs off the bed and walked toward the window, pushing the curtain aside just enough to see outside.
The forest behind the Swan house stretched out into the misty darkness.
Tall trees.
Low fog drifting through the branches.
Moonlight barely breaking through the clouds.
For a moment everything looked completely normal.
Then he noticed it.
Someone was standing at the edge of the yard.
Right where the trees began.
Mame froze.
The figure stood perfectly still beneath the trees.
Watching the house.
Watching the window.
Even from this distance Mame could make out the outline clearly.
Tall.
Lean.
Still as stone.
The pale face caught the faint moonlight just enough for recognition to click.
"…Edward?" Mame whispered.
The figure didn't move.
Just stood there.
Looking up.
Mame's eyes narrowed.
"Well that's not creepy at all."
He stepped away from the window and grabbed the metal bat leaning against the wall.
If Edward Cullen was standing outside Bella's window at two in the morning, they were definitely having a conversation.
Mame slipped quietly into the hallway.
The house remained silent.
Charlie's faint snoring drifted up from downstairs.
Bella's room stayed dark.
Good.
He moved down the stairs carefully, avoiding the worst creaky boards, and stepped through the back door into the cold night air.
The bat rested loosely against his shoulder.
Not raised.
Just ready.
He walked across the damp grass toward the edge of the yard.
"…Edward," he called quietly.
No answer.
Mame reached the spot where the figure had been standing.
The trees loomed silently around him.
Empty.
The yard was clear.
No one stood there.
Mame frowned and stepped closer to the tree line, scanning the darkness between the trunks.
Nothing.
No movement.
No footsteps.
No sound.
He crouched slightly and checked the ground.
Soft soil.
No footprints.
He straightened slowly.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The road behind him remained empty.
The forest ahead stayed silent.
Whoever had been standing there—
Was gone.
And they had vanished far too quickly for someone walking away normally.
Mame rested the bat against his shoulder again and stared into the trees.
"…Alright."
He stayed there another minute.
Watching.
Listening.
But nothing returned.
Eventually he exhaled and turned back toward the house.
When he reached the porch, he glanced once more toward the tree line.
Still empty.
Still quiet.
Mame pushed the door open and stepped back inside.
"…If that was you, Edweird," he muttered under his breath, locking the door behind him, "we're definitely having a talk tomorrow."
Upstairs, Bella slept peacefully, completely unaware that someone had been standing outside the house watching only minutes earlier.
And deep in the forest beyond the road…
Something moved silently through the trees.
Morning came gray and quiet.
The Swan house smelled faintly of coffee and toast, the usual sounds of breakfast filling the kitchen. Rain tapped lightly against the windows while the day slowly woke outside.
But something felt different.
Charlie noticed it first.
Mame was already sitting at the table when he came downstairs, plate half-finished, posture straight but tense. His movements were slower than usual, deliberate in a way that felt controlled rather than relaxed.
Charlie poured himself coffee and glanced at him.
"You alright?"
Mame didn't look up.
"Yeah."
Charlie frowned slightly.
"You don't sound alright."
Mame shrugged faintly.
"Just a headache."
That answer came too quickly.
Charlie had been a cop long enough to recognize when someone was dodging a question.
Before he could press further, footsteps came down the stairs.
Bella appeared in the doorway, still waking up but dressed for school.
She stopped when she saw Mame.
"…You look like someone kicked your dog."
Mame blinked once.
"I don't have a dog."
"You know what I mean," Bella replied, sitting down.
She studied him carefully.
"You're upset."
"I'm fine."
Bella narrowed her eyes.
"You're terrible at lying."
Mame took a sip of water.
"Headache."
Charlie snorted softly.
Bella didn't buy it either.
But after a moment she sighed and picked up her fork.
"Fine."
Neither of them believed him.
But they let it go.
For now.
The drive to Forks High School was quiet.
Mame stared out the window most of the way there, watching the forest blur past in shades of green and gray.
His mind kept returning to the same image.
Edward standing beneath Bella's window.
Watching.
Waiting.
That wasn't normal.
Not even close.
When Bella parked the truck, Mame stepped out immediately.
Bella grabbed her bag and followed.
"You're still mad," she said.
"I'm not mad."
"You look mad."
"I look thoughtful."
Bella raised an eyebrow.
"That's a polite word for mad."
Mame smirked faintly.
"Go to class, Bells."
She paused.
"…Try not to start a fight."
"No promises."
Bella sighed.
"Fantastic."
They split near the front doors.
Bella headed toward the hallway.
Mame walked straight across the courtyard.
Toward the Cullen cars.
The entire Cullen family stood there.
Edward Cullen.
Alice Cullen.
Jasper Hale.
Rosalie Hale.
Emmett Cullen.
Edith Cullen.
Alice noticed him first.
Her smile appeared automatically.
"Morning, Bean—"
Mame stopped in front of Edward.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"Edward," he said.
Edward looked at him, polite as always.
"Mame."
"We need to talk."
The words were quiet.
But the tone behind them wasn't a request.
It was a decision.
Edward's expression shifted slightly.
"About what?"
"Alone."
Alice stepped forward immediately.
"Mame—"
He glanced at her briefly.
"I'm fine."
She studied him carefully.
"You don't look fine."
Mame's gaze returned to Edward.
"But he won't be," he said calmly, "if he doesn't explain a few things after school."
Edward went completely still.
Around them, the rest of the Cullens watched carefully.
Mame didn't raise his voice.
He didn't threaten.
But something about the way he spoke made the conversation feel inevitable.
Edward nodded slowly.
"…After school."
Alice spoke again quickly.
"We can talk at our house."
Mame glanced at her.
"You sure?"
She nodded.
"You and I still need to work on the joint painting."
That was technically true.
Mame considered it for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"Alright."
He turned and started walking toward the school building.
Alice watched him go.
"…He's really angry," she said quietly.
Edward stared after Mame, expression thoughtful.
"Yes," he said.
"He is."
And for the first time since returning to Forks, Edward Cullen realized something uncomfortable.
Mame Swan had seen something the night before.
And now a conversation was coming that Edward wasn't sure he could avoid.