Aww, I love Bella’s story of having found the meadow, where she could get some peace.

Love this image: ‘she immediately noted how tired he looked with his glasses slightly skewed, shirt rumpled, butterscotch eyes and the shadows beneath them far darker than she remembered.’
Messy Edward – who knew?

Ha ha, it’s great that these are the words that come out of her mouth: "You're in my meadow."

Interesting response about this being Bella’s “secret place” in high school:
‘He tilted his head and his eyes widened just the slightest bit in surprise. "What would you need a secret place for?"’
So (a) he’s obviously never been a teenage girl if he could ask that question, and
(b) the level of hiding a telepathic vampire would need trumps even that!

Huh, I never thought about it this way: “I found it easier to spend my time with fictional people rather than real ones. … Mr Darcy would never let me down.”

It’s fun to know what he means by this: “…there are only so many times you can witness teenage angst and be around raging hormones before it becomes unbearable.”
That’s one thing I especially like about your story, that Edward has decided NOT to put up with it any more.

Smile: ‘She had been putting in much more of an effort to regain weight since her hospital visit and she refused to think about why.’

‘…it looked as though he'd simply taken off his lab coat, rolled his sleeves up and then walked to the meadow.’ Um, yeah! I like that you added this though: ‘Something in the back of her mind told her not to bring it up…’

Oh my gosh, Edward wasn’t at Forks High to save her from Tyler’s van, and it nearly killed her! I wonder what, if anything, Alice saw about that. Would she have even seen Bella then? I also wonder if Edward thinks about where he was during that time and whether he could have intervened.

Groan, Mrs. Cope thinking Bella might just be the one to salvage her lame son.
Lovely: ‘He did something then that took her breath away, completely and utterly; he leaned his head back and laughed.’

Oh, ugh: ‘…Mike Newton had taken her to a restaurant in Port Angeles before prom. A decision they'd both regretted as soon as it became apparent that he wasn't actually interested in anything Bella had to say and she wasn't interested in sleeping with him.’
A sad (and frequently heard) commentary on dating, wrapped up in a few clever phrases.

Alice – bravo on the cast decoration! Pages from an Austen novel – perfect.

Your telling does a great job at showing the irrational abruptness of Edward’s judgment that they shouldn’t be friends, after that lovely afternoon in the meadow. It had so little context in canon.
And go Bella, great answer! Although as she thinks, that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Sigh.

Reading this story is "as easy as breathing"! So sweet and calm!

Just so you know, I LOVE THIS STORY! It works so well with them being "grown-ups" already, and the story flows so well! Thank you for your time and effort in making this story very enjoyable!

Ha ha: ‘Doctor Cullen had raised an eyebrow when she'd told him [that Alice was in charge of her cast décor]…’
Yeah, I bet.

Good phrase: ‘…struggling not to buckle under the heavy weight of his gaze.’

A nice start to the ache in her chest ‘like an itch she couldn't scratch’. WE know it’s because she doesn’t want to be away from him, but of course she doesn’t.

Whoa! The ache in her chest ‘didn't go away, not for hours or days, but when it did, it was because she was standing in her meadow, looking at him.’
I like this twist: HER meadow!

Smirk: ‘…what could possibly be keeping the doctor so long, it was Forks for crying out loud and the only person bad things happened to in Forks was herself.’

Nice: ‘…a voice that almost physically shocked her. It was soft and masculine and unlike anything Bella had ever heard before.’

Smile: ‘By then Bella had looked up, but as her eyes met him, she almost wished that she hadn't.
He was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.’

Very observant, Bella: ‘ He was tall and appeared almost lanky, like some of the seniors she taught who hadn't quite filled out yet.’

I LOVE an Edward with glasses for some reason!

How nasty, that Bella felt this way about the nurses that treated her in high school: ‘She knew they thought that she had deliberately gotten into accidents for attention and how they joked that someday she'd die from doing it.’ Not funny.

Ouch: ‘"I need your assistance, yes, Miss Howard," Dr Cullen said, his voice colder to the nurse than it had been even to Bella.’

I can just see this: ‘"Get out," he ordered, not even needing to raise his voice to emphasi[ze] his point.’

Nice use of the canon line: ‘"Don't worry Dr Cullen," she told him, "My number's been up for a long time."’

It’s such fun reading these simple interactions, knowing Edward can hear the nurse’s thoughts.

Awwww... I'm glad Edward is not whining about her soul. Where they seemed to have missed all the problems that they would have had if they met in high school it didn't stop Bella from having her own set of serious problems on her own. I'm going to assume Edward realizes staying away didn't help her any.

I’m getting the impression that you have been a teacher yourself (I haven’t). It’s hard to imagine that anyone would be able to paint such a clear picture of Bella's first day without having been there.

Snicker: ‘Fourteen year olds had never seemed more terrifying than they did in that moment.’
Not since you were one, anyway.

Laughing out loud – I can’t imagine any of my teachers having been this honest: "I know you've had a lot of teacher turnover recently and I know that while it must have sucked, it can't have been any worse than having Mr Berty.”
A nice bridge to her students, having been in their exact shoes.

Nicely done different view of Alice: ‘…a girl who looked so far out of place that Bella was surprised she didn't flinch from the shock.’

I love Alice’s question: "What's your favourite [quote] right now? What one do you feel like encapsulates how you're feeling at this exact point in your life?"

As it happens, I just read “Persuasion” for the first time this spring, a four-Saturday adult ed class on Jane Austen. Of course rereading P&P was pure pleasure, but it was nice to discover Persuasion as well.

Chuckle, Alice is most definitely “an Emma girl”!

It's lovely to see Bella feeling optimistic! Funny story about Charlie and the meat loaf.

Yes! Fist pumps!

I'm loving the more mature version of Twilight you've come up with! Such a beautiful story and I'm sorry to have come upon it near the end, but happy too. It's nice not having to wait too long for updates!

I liked your view of how Charlie and Bella’s relationship developed. How sweet that she took the chance to reach out and tell him about what her life in Chicago had really been like. It’s safe to do that now when it’s over and she’s home!
Yaay: ‘He talked too, after she'd finished. He told her how he'd been worried…’

Good insight: ‘Between both her roommates and her job, it had been easy to shut down to everything around her, even her parents who loved and worried about her, she thought sadly.’

She’s not the only one growing up: ‘And he talked about his divorce to Renee and how, by talking to her on the phone, he realised he'd been romanticising her in his head so long he hadn't allowed time for anyone else to get in.’

Aww, ‘her heart full of hope’. A promising start!

Wow, you’ve had a lot of reviews for a vamp fic – well done!

I like the idea that the “network” in small-town Forks is responsible for Bella’s job offer. She’ll be terrific, of course.

Aww: "Dad?" she said with a smile when he answered in his usual gruff voice. "I'm coming home."

Delightful switch to Alice.

Yay...I feel a "change" in the air. *Giggles* I'm thrilled about his reason for quitting. That job in Port Angeles is amazing and perfect for him. Things are going well with their families too. They are finally on the way to their happily FOREVER after! *Sighs*
This was such a turning point chapter for them, and I absolutely loved it. Brilliant writing as always. Excited about the next time you can update. Love you, sweet girl! {GIANT GRANMA HUGS AND SMOOCHES!}
- FangirlinGranma Dee

I am loving this story! Please update soon!

Awe