We were at Chicago now. It was honestly incredibly surreal to be here. We had travelled from Hawaii to Japan, but after it all we ended up here, in this place of birth. I felt Edward release my hand and angle himself away from me, and I smiled sadly. His hands were clenched tightly. I knew it was probably unbelievably hard for him to be here right now.

"Everything's...changed...so much," Edward whispered, staring straight ahead. We were in front of the Willis Tower now, and I instinctively looked back to see the tallest building in the United States towering behind me.

"Edward, the last time you were here was in 1918. This tower hadn't even been built then," I mumbled, moving closer to him. "Of course things would change."

He sighed, dragging one hand over his forehead as though to wipe off invisible sweat. "Come on. I can't be here. It feels wrong."

I hesitated, standing my ground as he grabbed hold of my hand. "Wait, Edward. I...want to show you something."

.xXx.

"Graceland Cemetery," Edward murmured as we stood in front of the little marker. I pulled Edward in, finding my way through the scattered headstones while reciting the directions Alice had given me in my head. In five minutes we were looking down at one of the most beautiful pair of headstones in the place.

"Carlisle paid for the graves," I said to Edward quietly. "He never told you. He thought it was best to leave painful memories behind."

I wasn't sure Edward heard me or not. He had fallen to his knees, staring at the weathered headstones on which were marked Elizabeth Masen and Edward Masen. There were probably more words carved into the pristine white stone, but they were too weathered to read. Only the names were visible.

I looked around, feeling as though I should give Edward his moment of privacy. Graceland Cemetery was a beautiful place, with stunning architecture. I could see why Carlisle opted to bury Edward's parents here. It was beautiful but simplistic.

Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned to hours. As the clock ticked on my wristwatch the sun slowly slipped down until all that could be seen was an orange ribbon across the horizon, setting the sky aflame with the multiple colours of orange and brilliant red that faded into pink, to baby blue, and finally to the deep blue of the night sky where the first stars were showing.

"Edward," I murmured, touching Edward's shoulder lightly. He looked at me, snapping out from his reverie, and smiled apologetically. He got up and brushed his jeans, looking down at the stones once more with a wistful, tortured expression on his face that wished for the days long gone.

"I wish I had thought of flowers," he muttered. I smiled, turning to look at a nestle of beautiful white flowers growing in clumps under a giant oak tree, not too far off. Edward followed my look and smiled. In two seconds he was back with four flowers in his hand, leaving the snapping sound to echo a second too late.

He handed two of the flowers to me, and I bent down to place them on both the graves. Edward hesitated a fraction of a second before following suit. Reluctantly he turned with a questioning look in his eyes. I shook my head, understanding his wordless question.

"There's something else I want to show you."

Honestly, I wasn't too sure this was a good idea, but Alice had assured me otherwise. I had learnt long ago not to bet against Alice, even when all the odds said otherwise. I brought Edward along another curve, to a grave not too far away from Elizabeth and Edward's. This one was situated in a somewhat calmer area, without too many graves cluttering the area around it.

Edward Anthony MasenI grimaced at the sight of the grave. Of course I knew that wasn't really Edward in there, but it was hard all the same. I should have asked Alice what my reaction would me. I hadn't anticipated it to be so painful.

Edward smiled weakly. My heart brightened at that smile. It was a feeble shadow of his usual cocky grin but it was genuine all the same. "I wonder what Carlisle put under there," he joked. I giggled.

"Probably an empty coffin," I said, shrugging.

Edward snorted. "Knowing him, he'd probably had placed a scrap of paper with a smiley face on it with fangs."

I laughed at that. It was nice to know Carlisle had a sense of humour. I slipped my hand into my pocket and frowned. "Edward, I'll be right back. I must have dropped something just now."

"I'll come with you," Edward said immediately, although I didn't miss the flash of reluctance in his eyes. I shook my head firmly.

"It's just around the corner, Edward. You can see me from here. I'll be right back," I said, tiptoeing to give him a quick peck on the cheek and darting off. Once I was sure he wasn't looking I sighed softly. My lie had worked better than I had thought. Okay, so maybe I had some reservations on Alice's ability.

I pulled out the tiny scrap of lilac scented paper and placed it gently on the mound of dirt, carefully brushing some soil over it and gently placing a flower over that so it wasn't glaringly obvious. I bit my lip. It seemed such a mundane gesture. I wished I had something better to use, but it wasn't like I had a whole variety of options.

"Bella? Did you find it?" Edward's voice called, floating from around the corner. I looked up, catching sight of his bronze mop of hair, barely visible.

I smiled down at my parents-in-law's graves, wishing whole-heartedly they could have seen Edward right now. Faith. I had to have faith.

"Yes," I answered. "I found it."

So this is just...well, not really pointless, but randomness. It's kind of depressing now, but I promise it gets better. This is a two shot, so the next chapter will be the last. Just something I cooked up on the spot, so don't get mad if it isn't good.