"Is there a reason your brother isn't here?" Natalia asked Emmett during last period as she waited for the bell to ring. Emmett glanced at her not answer though he looked slightly surprised.

"Look," Natalia sighs,"I know you probably got asked so many time, and I know I would hate. However, this is effecting my friend. I don't really care where Edward is just tell him when or if he comes back he better be nicer to Bella or i'll kick his but." Emmett let out a booming laugh looking at her in delight.

"You think you can take him?" He asks with a smile, but his eyes lit up in away as if he there was some inside joke.

"I could take him," Natalia says teasingly, but was unable to keep some bitterness from leaking in her voice. He opened his mouth his eyebrows furrowed, but she goes on changing the subject.

"Did your eyes change color?" Natalia asks suddenly looking closer at them. She remembered them vividly though not wanting to admit why she remembered them that well.  They where dark black, and the bags under his eyes where gone. So where the rest of the Cullen's as if they had all slept for a week.

"I don't know what your talking about Talia," Emmett says playfully but his voice was tense, and Natalia let it go. She would be a hypocrite if she tried to pry into his secrets with so many of her own. 

"Talia?" She chokes out her mind hurtling into a memory.

~~*~~

"Come on Talia," A red headed girl whines turning to Natalia.

"I said no," She says sharply pushing up her newly bought sunglasses.

"It's one party. Look I know you've been going through a hard time..." The girl, Wendy, started grabbing Natalia's wrist.

"Forget it!" Natalia yells her turning to her glasses falling of her face, and her pupils dilate energy coursing through her.

'No!' Her mind screamed, but it was too late. 

~~*~~

"It's a nickname," Emmett says his face becoming concerned, and quickly add,"I don't have to use it."

"No!" Natalia says way to quickly before taking a breath,"No, it's fine...I like it. It just remained me of an old friend."

"Well then, Talia it is," Emmett says with a smile, and with that the she turns back to the front a small slightly sad smile on her face as class started.

~~*~~

"Hello?" Natalia calls entering the shop. feeling a sense of Deja vu as the bell chimes on the door.

"Back here," The a voice calls from a staff room in the back. Walking over Natalia looks at odd's and ends. Despite having looking at the same things as before they still looked as if she had never sen them. The two women where at a table going through some books A locket lying on the table.

"Is that an 18th Century locket?" Natalia asks something pulling in her chest at a familiar sight.

"It is...how did you know?" Esme asks looking at her curiously.

"My mom had one," Natalia says softly  looking away from the locket  before turning back to the women.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Jennings," Natalia says with a smile placing her hands in her back pockets hoping she wouldn't have to shake anyone's hand the memory from last period still fresh in her mind.

"Please call me, Grace," The women says with a smile before joking,"I may be old, but I don't have to sound like it." If she noticed that Natalia didn't offer her hand the women, Grace, didn't mention it. Natalia nodded with a small smile before turning to Esme. 

"Nice to see you again, Mrs....." She trailed off realizing she never got the women last name.

"Cullen, but please call me Esme as well," The women says kindly.

"You're Emmett mom?" Natalia couldn't help but to ask, but it made perfect sense. She knew that the five teens seemed familiar. While Esme, like the others, looked nothing like her family, she shared the conman characteristics the rest of them did.

"You must be the girl Emmett's talked about!" Esme says happily.

"He's talked about me?" Natalia asks feeling slightly giddy at the thought. It was nice to know that the person that had been taken more of her thoughts then she cared to admit talked about her to his family.

"Mostly good things," The women says kindly with a teasing smile that Natalia jolted to recognize as the same one Emmett wore a lot. 

It made sense of course. Sure, they weren't actually related, but that didn't mean that they didn't gain anything from living with someone. Actions and habits can rub off if you live with someone long enough. It made Natalia smile a bit wider feeling some hope that maybe she did things he family did even if she didn't know what.

"What should I start with?" Natalia says quickly changing the topic a smile still on her face.

"We have a collection of silver where that need to be put on display. You can help me with that," Esme says," You can leave your bag in here." Natalia places the bag on the counter next another bag which Natalia guessed was on of the the two women's before following the Esme out.

~~*~~

"So what do your parents do?" Grace asks while they where going through books for research on a item.

"Oh," Natalia says a pit forming her stomach,"They aren't really in the picture...there was an accident...I became emancipated. No other family, and I drifted from my friends. There was nothing left for me, so I left Texas. Now i'm here."

"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing it up, dear," Grace says as Esme says,"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Well, it's not, but i'm good," Natalia says with surprising honesty a small sad smile on her face.

"Loosing family is the hardest thing that can happen," Esme says, but something in her voice made it sound as she understood.

"Yeah," Natalia agrees wondering who she had lost.

"You know my son, Jasper is from Texas," Esme says changing the heavy topic.

"Emmett, said something about that," Natalia says, and the topic strayed to safer conversation. 

~~*~~

"Esme?" Natalia says a few hours later to Esme as she swept.

"Yes, dear?" Esme prompts.

"What happened to the white violin?" She asks quickly adding,"I, uh, didn't see it when I was cleaning."

"Oh, that!" Esme says,"Follow me." Natalia follows the women to the staff room confused. Bending down Esme open's a box pulling the old white violin out.

"I was saving it in case you wanted it," Esme says handing it to the girl with a smile.

"How much is it?" She asks hopefully.

"Free," A voice says from the door. Natalia turns to find Grace leaning against the door.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly," Natalia starts, but Grace puts a hand up.

" I  myself, acquired a harp a few months back...call in an advance," Grace says,"It's been collecting dust anyway." Natalia looks over at Esme as if hoping she would find reason, but she simply smiled.

"I play the cello," Esme says with a smile,"And my son, Edward, plays the piano." After a few moments Natalia smiles gratefully at the women.

"Maybe would could start a band," Natalia says teasingly and the two women laugh.

~~*~~

"Hello?" A voice gruff voice a gruff voice answers the phone a few day's later.

"Hi. Is this the Swan house?" Natalia asks biting her lip.

"It is," The man agrees, and Natalia concluded that she was talking to Chief Swan.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Bella? I'm a friend," Natalia says.

"Yeah...let me get her," He says and Natalia waited impatiently her foot taping.

"Nat?" Bella's voice came through the phone. A nick name that Bella had started using a few days ago.

"Hey," Natalia says becoming nervous,"So I got off of work, and since it was a weekend I was wondering if you wanted to have a sleep over." There was silence.

"It's okay if you say no," Natalia adds quickly," Never mind this was a stupid idea..."

"No!" Bella interrupts,"No, i'll come over...it sound like fun. I have to finish a few things first, but i'll drive over...in about an hour? Is that okay?"

"Of course," Natalia assures,"I'll see you in an hour. Bye, Bella."

~~*~~

"So I have pizza, a crap ton of candy, two pints of ice cream, and a bunch of crappy romance movies. Along with tissues when for the sad movies I have," Natalia says pointing to the pile of newly bought items.

"Is this normal for a sleepover?" Bella asked.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been to one in a long time," Natalia says with a shrug.

"Why not?" Bella wonders.

"There was an accident with my family," Natalia reveals to the girl,"After that I drifted from the only friend I had, and then as soon as I became emancipated, I left." Natalia shrugs. It wasn't the whole truth, but like with Esme and Grace, it was the closets she had gotten to the truth with anyone. 

"I didn't really have friend either," Bella reveals,"I don't I just was never popular. I was just different some how." The girl admits this, and Natalia could tell this was a big admission for Bella. Natalia felt smiled sympathy.

"Yeah...I know how that feels," She says with a wistful smile.

"So what movies do you have?" Bella asks changing the topic, and the rest of the night was spent watching movies, eating junk, and talking about anything and everything.

"I think your my best friend, Bella," Natalia says suddenly a few hours later realizing what she was saying was true. She had no idea how this kind, clumsy teen wormed her way into Natalia's heart so fats, but she had. Natalia found that she didn't mind much.

"I think your mine," Bella says before adding l playfully," Does this mean I get to see your eyes?" Natalia freezes.

"Never mind...that was a bad joke," Bella says quickly biting her lip.

"No," Natalia assures,"It's okay. I just haven't taken them off in front of people since I got them." 

"You don't have to, Nat. I understand," Bella says when Natalia put her hand to her glasses.

"I want to," Natalia says,"I can't always hide behind them." With a deep breath Natalia pulled her glasses off revealing light blueish green eyes. She only lasted five seconds before quickly putting her glasses on.

"Your eye's are beautiful, Nat," Bella compliments.

"Thanks," Natalia says with a blush with a wide smile,"Moving on want watch another crappy movie."

"Duh," Bella agrees playfully, and they went back into a playful banter leaving behind any tension that had come the previous conversation.