Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Anne of Green Gables belongs to L.M. Montgomery

Based loosely on Anne of Green Gables.

June, 1877. Eleven-year-old Isabella Swan has been sent to Avonlea, PEI, Canada, to live with her estranged father after the death of her mother. American, outspoken, and sweet, she immediately captures the hearts and imaginations of all her new classmates—but none so much as Edward Masen. However, in his haste to get the new girl's attention, an intense one-sided scorn is born. Having had very little upbringing in America, it may take take time for Bella to adapt to her new life and reclusive father...

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers
So, mothers, be good to your daughters, too

—"Daughters," John Mayer

Chapter One: A Surprise in Avonlea

Mrs. Sue Clearwater, widowed mother of two, had long ago fled her widow's retreat from society. She'd had to, for her late husband had left her with just a house, her very young twin children, and her name with not a cent to it. Luckily, an opportunity—honorable and discreet—had presented itself almost as soon as true need struck her family: the reclusive Charles Swan, living far back on the hill in his large, empty house, suddenly needed a housekeeper and cook.

What for, Mrs. Sue couldn't imagine, for Charles Swan had always gotten on by himself in that big house. It had been the talk of the town when his wife had left him ten years ago, taking their infant daughter with her. No one knew just why Renée Swan had gone, but it was certain that Mr. Swan had always been a strange man, stranger still after she left. Most folks thought she'd finally seen sense and gotten out while she could, but Mrs. Sue didn't put such stock in gossip.

Still, it was a steady income for work she would have had to do for her own household anyway—for Mr. Swan had graciously given her and her two small children a small side-house on his property, Green Gables, as part of her benefits.

This morning, a bright and beautiful day in late June, Mrs. Sue was dusting the sitting room when, to her shock, Charles Swan himself appeared. He rarely left his own room upstairs but when he did it was to go for one of his strange, ambling walks that seemed to bear no purpose, or to work himself ragged in his fields with his two hired hands, Tom and Jimmy. He most certainly did not come down to the sitting room to chat.

"Tom is running into town this afternoon, Mrs. Sue," he informed her brusquely, as was his wont. "I'll head take dinner in my room. But have the supper table set for two."

Then he was gone without a backward glance, off down the dirt road. As a Swan, he had inherited and made enough money from his vast land on the Island to have hired a driver, but with the rest of the Islanders living on rather slim means, he felt it too ostentatious and unnecessary for such niceties. So his hired hands usually did the running of errands for him, and if he felt so inclined, he occasionally went himself. That much of his statement was not out-of-the-ordinary.

But Mrs. Sue was clean flummoxed. Where was Tom going? Why did the table need to be set for two? Was he bringing back a woman for Mr. Swan? Had he secretly remarried and told no one?

A gossip Mrs. Sue was not, but even she could not resist this latest development. After setting said table for two and starting supper on the stove, she grabbed her secondhand baby carriage and bundled her twins into it, hustling down the street to the nearest house to spread her tale and seek suppositions.

The sun had just set when the Swan horse and buggy reappeared over the edge of the hill from Newbridge. Mrs. Sue had long since returned to her post, her children sleeping soundly in a bassinet she'd placed in the nearby pantry while she cooked supper for Mr. Swan and his mystery guest.

She peeked surreptitiously out the window as the buggy pulled into the yard, and watched as Tom's dark silhouetted figure clambered out, handed the reins off to Jimmy, and then reached back into the buggy to pull out a tiny second passenger.

Much to tiny to be a new wife, Mrs. Sue instantly determined. The little person was no bigger than a child, and looked very thin for its size. She pulled away from the window as Tom brought the new arrival in through the kitchen door.

"Mrs. Sue," he greeted with casual friendliness, smiling. Mrs. Sue smiled back but couldn't keep up the farce for long—she was far too caught up in the mystery of the new child.

She'd come traipsing in after Tom, a spry little thing, with a long braid of wavy brown hair over her shoulder. The hat over said hair was black, plain, but of very expensive quality, that much Mrs. Sue could detect. She wore a fine black dress with no shawl or travel coat, so it was dusty from the trip. The little girl's face was very pale, her large brown eyes sad but curious of her new surroundings.

Breaking into her speculation, Jimmy came in after the two carrying several bags over his shoulder and in his hands. "Where ya want 'em, Mrs. Sue?"

"What?" she asked blankly. "Why, Tom Sloane, who is this?"

"Isabella Swan," he replied, shaking his head with sympathetic shock. "Arrived off the midday train in Bright River, back to live with her father, I reckon."

The child herself said nothing, but her eyes followed the conversation closely.

"Oh, my," exclaimed poor Mrs. Sue faintly. "Well, put her things in the gable room, I suppose, thank you, Jimmy. You, too, Tom, for getting her."

"Of course, ma'am. Good night, ladies."

The two men departed to complete their tasks and head home for the evening. The girl, Isabella Swan apparently, and Mrs. Sue stared at each other awkwardly.

"Well," Mrs. Sue finally tried, "are you hungry? Eight miles is a long journey for a little girl, I'd imagine."

"I'm not so very little, madam, and I quite enjoyed the trip. Prince Edward Island is even more beautiful than I'd imagined it to be. But, yes, I am a little hungry."

Despite the pleasantry of her words, the child's eyes were inexpressive, her face emotionless. She spoke eloquently for a child of eleven, and Mrs. Sue was hard-pressed to find anything to say to her.

"Supper will be in a few moments," she answered uncertainly. "I'm Mrs. Sue, the housekeeper and cook. I suppose your father hired me to look after you."

"Then..." the little girl hesitated, her eyes dimming a bit, "would you call me 'Bella' instead of 'Isabella'? My... my mother called me that. She always said 'Isabella' was a mouthful."

"Of course, dear, if that's what you'd prefer." Mrs. Sue hesitated before asking, "Do you know why your father's brought you here?"

Bella blinked in surprise. "But he hasn't brought me here at all," she declared, her tone blank. "After Mother passed last month, I was sent here. No one back home could afford to keep me."

"A-Ah," replied the older woman awkwardly. She had no idea how to follow that blunt statement. "Well, as I said, supp—"

She was interrupted by one of her children's mewls, which she knew always precipitated the bawling, which would then set the other one off.

"Oh, would you wait right here for a moment? Make yourself right at home, I'll be right back."

Sure enough, as soon as she reached the pantry where the bassinet was standing, the other baby started to sound off. She picked up her boy, who she could tell from his cries was hungry, and was just about to struggle to lift her daughter when:

"Oh, how darling!" came a delighted cry from behind her. She turned in surprise to see that Bella, despite her request, had followed her. "Are they yours?"

Mrs. Sue nodded, blushing in embarrassment. "Yes, I'm sorry if they're a bother."

"Oh, no!" the little girl demurred, laughing. "I love babies. I'm actually very good with them. I used to play with the servants' children back home. May I?"

She extended her little white hands towards her daughter, still shrieking indignantly in her bassinet at not being immediately attended.

Mrs. Sue gave her permission reluctantly, wary of a child holding a child. But it seemed Bella had not exaggerated her abilities: she picked up and cradled her daughter expertly, calming her down with soft murmurs and hums within moments.

"What are their names?" she asked in a cooing voice for the baby's benefit.

"You have my daughter, Leah," Mrs. Sue responded, a note of pride creeping into her voice, "and this is my boy, Seth."

"Hi, Leah," Bella cooed, large brown eyes focused intently on the baby. For the first time, Mrs. Sue saw not a single note of sadness in them. They were bright and interested—not happy, but it was better than before. No child should be so sad.

The baby gurgled back at her before sticking her fist in her mouth. Giggling, Bella inquired, "How old are they? I assume they're twins?"

"Yes, bless them, and twice the work," Mrs. Sue laughed forcedly. "They came shortly after my husband passed on. They're almost six months old."

Suddenly, the Swan girl's intense brown eyes were focused on her own with a serious, speculative look that was quite foreign in a child's face. Finally, in a small, trembling voice as though trying to fight back tears, she asked, "So you have lost someone, too?"

Mrs. Sue knew better than to reply flippantly. She nodded with a solemn look and answered, "Indeed I have, dear. The pain will stay, for you will never stop missing your loved one, but I can promise you, you'll feel better in time." She balanced her son on one shoulder and extended her free hand to gently touch the child's face. "And I'll be here for you, if you like."

Bella cleared her throat and said in a determinedly detached tone, "I would like that very much, thank you." Then, looking around pointedly, she offered, "I can watch the babies while you finish supper, if you like? I noticed you were just setting the table when we arrived."

"Oh, gracious me!" Mrs. Sue cried, alarmed. She'd completely forgotten supper. "Yes, my dear, if you please. You can set out the blanket in their bassinet on the floor and lay them down on that if you don't mind. I'll be done in just a few minutes."

And so said, she set Seth down in the crib and bustled out of the room, hurrying to finish her task before Mr. Swan came downstairs to a meal unready. She'd never had that happen before, and she wasn't eager to experience it.

But unbeknownst to Mrs. Sue, Mr. Charles Swan had already come downstairs several minutes prior. Finding the table partially set with no food ready, he'd entered the kitchen and been drawn towards the voices in the pantry.

At first, he'd frozen at the sight of his daughter, so like her mother—so like himself. He had no idea what to say to a little girl, much less his own. She'd been taken from him when she wasn't even a month old, without his knowledge. He didn't know what stories Renée had been filling her head with, but he couldn't be sure they were flattering depictions of himself.

He'd barely rounded the corner to hide when Mrs. Sue waddled out of the room to make his supper. Avonlea was a small town, so of course he'd known Mrs. Sue most of his life. She'd never been a small woman; on the tall side and curvy, but after the birth of her children she'd become much more rounded in every way.

Isabella Marie. Bella, she wanted to be called.

As if she heard his thoughts or sensed his gaze, his daughter suddenly looked up from the blanket on which she lay with Mrs. Sue's babies. She stared at him curiously, obviously wondering who he was. Charles couldn't bear to look at her. Her eyes were his own in color, but they were the exact size and shape of his late, estranged wife's. She'd also inherited her mother's large mouth and high cheekbones. Entirely too like Renée.

Without a word, he turned and walked away.

"Your father sends his greetings, but he's simply too busy to leave his office for supper tonight," Mrs. Sue announced regretfully to Bella, who had been patiently waiting for said person before beginning to eat.

"What does my father look like?" Bella asked curiously, bending over her meal of roast beef and russet potatoes, some of her favorites though Mrs. Sue could have had no way of knowing that. It was hard to eat thus, for she had happy, bouncing Seth on her lap, and he was determined to grab anything that passed him by on the way to her lips. Giggling, she gave him a small, mashed up bite of her potatoes before popping a bite of beef into her own mouth.

"Mm-mmm!" Seth cheered, waving pudgy little fists about to express his liking of this new food.

"Well, rather like you," Mrs. Sue answered, chuckling at her son's antics. She had a sleepy Leah lounging against a shoulder and looked rather tired herself. Bella supposed it must be hard work to raise two such young children and keep such a large house. "He's tall, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. You'll probably not see him often, Bella. He's a very hardworking man. The livestock and farmlands of Green Gables put out some of the best products the Island knows.

"I think I already have seen him," Bella said quietly, quite at odds with the baby on her lap, who made his desires known quite clearly by lunging face-forward into her potatoes. Bella quickly caught him before he slammed his chin on her plate and reeled him back, laughing as he simultaneously spluttered and blinked in surprise at having caught so much potatoes, before licking his face delightedly. Wiping the rest of the mess off his face as she spoke, Bella continued, "There was a man standing outside the pantry when you left to finish supper. He was halfway 'round the corner, like he was hiding, but he was watching me. I thought he might be my father."

"I think you're right about that." Mrs. Sue hesitated, readjusting her daughter in her arms. "Bella, your father's been alone for a long time. It may take him some time to... get used to having a child again. You'll have to be very patient with him."

Bella smiled at the older woman pleasantly. "I'm not used to having a father or being in this town. He'll have to be very patient with me, too."