Disclaimer; I don't own any of the original twilight characters. Only Ruby and the plot.

Ruby and Rosalie are NOT identical twins. When I imagined Ruby, I pictured her looking similar to Olivia Holt.


September 1931

"I heard a new family moved into town. The Cullens, I believe. Have you heard anything about them yet?"

Rosalie shook her head, "I only know of them from the editorial ran in the newspaper about Doctor Cullen."

"Apparently there's three of them. There's Doctor Carlisle Cullen, of course. Then there's his wife, Esme, and her little brother Edward Mason. He's close to our age! I heard he's a looker, too." Ruby's eyes were wide with excitement as she rambled on to her twin.

"And where, exactly, did you hear all this from?" Rose asked with a laugh. The sixteen year olds had their arms linked together as they walked down the street in Rochester.

"Connie told me."

"And you believed her? You know, just as much as I do, that Connie loves nothing more than to spread rumors."

"Scuttlebutt or not, I'd still love to meet them. They seem like they would be nice." The twins walked into their home, Rose taking off her hat and fixing her hair in a nearby mirror. Ruby skipped her way into the kitchen to see their mother, Nancy, cooking lunch and their father, Peter, reading yesterday's newspaper at the dining room table.

"Ruby, dear, where's your sister?"

Rose walked into the kitchen, "Right here, Dad." Rose walked over to hug their father, just as Ruby did with their mother. The twins and parents would never admit it but they liked to play favorites. Rose had plenty in common with their father, things such as being vain and self-absorbed. She took care of the way she appeared to others, always making sure to be proper and set a good example of what a Hale is. Ruby, on the other hand, favored their mother. She didn't care too much about how others saw her and didn't care about other's opinions of her. Rose wanted nothing more in life than to be a house wife to some rich guy, where as Ruby wanted nothing but happiness.

"Momma, I'm going to go over to see the Amy and the kids, if that's okay." Ruby smiled at her mother. They were both fond of the Hethingtons, a family of five children, a house wife, and a hardworking father. The Hales had been lucky and weren't effected by the Great Depression, unlike the Hethingtons. They had been hit hard and were only surviving by a thread. The twins' mother would send money with Ruby when she went to visit them to buy them groceries and help them pay their bills.

"That's fine, honey," Nancy reached on top of the fridge and grabbed a wad of cash out of the bread box. She handed it to Ruby with a smile, "Be back before dark, please. There is a little more cash there than usual. Take the kids to see Tony and get them some candy." Ruby smiled at the thought of going to Tony's toy store. She liked to say she worked there part time even though she, technically, didn't. She would often go after school a few days a week and help him clean and organize or just keep the man company. He tried to pay her often, only to have her refuse. He was hurting for the money more than her. She knew that he was sneaking money into her school bag when she wasn't looking and she would always sneak it back into his coat pocket.

"I bet they'll love that. Bye, Rose! Bye, Dad!" Ruby turned and walked back out of the house. The Hethingtons lived about a mile away from the Hales. The house was small since the family had to downgrade recently. The two oldest slept in one room, the three youngest slept in the other, and the parents slept on the pull out couch. As soon as Ruby began walking up the small walkway to the front door, it burst open. She braced herself as all five kids crashed into her. They all began to talk at once, as usual, and made Ruby's head swirl trying to listen to all of them.

"Kids, give her some space," The four oldest kids ran back inside, leaving three year old Andy at her feet. She hoisted him up to her hip and walked to join Amy Hethington on the front porch, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. How are you guys doing?" The women walked into the small living room with only Andy since the other kids scattered to their rooms.

"Busy. Jerry has been taking on more hours down at the factory but they cut his pay again. He works close to sixty hours a week and he's making the same as he did back when he only worked thirty-five. Molly, Rebecca, Wesley, and Phillip started school this last Monday. It was a daily fight with Phillip. Andy has been fussy because he hasn't been sleeping much at night."

Ruby held Andy on her lap, "This is Phillip's first year, isn't it? I'm sure he'll get used to it once he starts making friends."

"How have you and Nancy been?" Amy asked. She cared about Ruby and her mother, Nancy, almost as much as she cared about her own family.

"We've been good. I've been busy with school. I'm pretty lucky this year. It doesn't seem like there will be too much homework."

"Junior year is usually pretty easy. Senior year will be even easier." Ruby shrugged her shoulders. Amy was one person she discussed everything with. She had known Amy for over a decade and had adopted the woman as a second mother.

"I'm going to take the kids down to Tony's. That'll give you a little peace and quiet for a little while." Amy nodded and called for the other kids. Ruby got up and walked into the kitchen with Andy. She opened the pantry, cupboards, and fridge, making a mental note on various things the family needed. She walked back into the living room and saw all of the kids getting their shoes on. She made a mental note at the conditions of their shoes, deciding that she would save her allowance up to buy them all new ones.

"Everyone know the rules?" Amy asked with a stern expression.

"Don't leave Ruby's side, listen to her, and don't ask her to buy anything." They all recited together. The six of them were soon out the door and down the street, heading towards Tony's Toys for Tots. Ruby would often take the kids there simply to give Amy a break from all the ruckus. Tony Sutherland was an old man of sixty-four who never had kids after his wife died young. He loved kids and enjoyed seeing how happy the toys made them. He would often sing a tune and dance a jig simply to hear the squealing laughter fill his store.

The group of six walked into the store that was surprisingly empty for a Saturday. The bell above the door chimed and they all stepped in. Tony appeared from behind one of the various displays, a look of confusion on his face.

"Why, do my eyes deceive me," Ruby smiled as the old man threw on his glasses, "Golly, lookie there! I haven't seen you kiddos in ages!"

Molly, the oldest of the kids, laughed as they all rushed forward to hug Tony, "It's only been a few weeks, Mr. Tony."

"And what a long few weeks those have been! Come in, make yourself at home!" He shot Ruby a wink as he pulled the plate of cookies off the counter and held it out to the kids. They all looked to Ruby who nodded her head. That was all the permission they needed as they each grabbed a cookie. Tony held the plate out to Ruby who took one for Andy and one for herself.

"Chocolate chip, my favorite!"

Tony turned towards Rebecca, the second oldest, "Did you just read my mind? Chocolate chip is my favorite, too! Let me show you kids this new toy that just came in." Tony walked behind his counter and bent down. He rummaged through a few boxes before popping back up with a bright blue recorder. He played a short song and took a bow when the kids clapped.

"Can we get one, Ruby? Please, please, please?"

Ruby laughed, "Your mother would kill me if I let you all come home with something so noisy. You can each pick out a book instead, I'm sure Tony has quite the selection." Tony led the kids over to the bookshelf and they all sat down.

"Down, down, down!" Andy wiggled his feet and Ruby set him down, watching him skip over and sit down with his siblings. When she knew Tony had the kids under control, Ruby began to walk around the store, straightening and tidying displays. She surveyed the various toys, knowing that Wesley's eighth birthday was coming up in October along with Rose and her's. Ruby jumped a foot in the air when the bell over the door chimed. She glanced at the man and decided that he seemed around her age. His dark eyes scanned the store before he looked in her direction.

"Welcome to Tony's. If you need any help you can ask me or that old man in the front."

"I heard that!" Tony hollered causing the two teens to laugh.

The boy smiled at her, "Thank you. I'm just trying to familiarize myself with the town. My family and I recently moved here." Ruby's memory of her conversation with Connie flashed through her head causing her to smile.

"Then you must be Edward. Doctor Cullen's brother-in-law."

"That would be me," Edward smiled.

She stuck her hand out, "I'm Ruby Hale. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"She's single. You'll never find a sweet patootie like her, either." Ruby jumped as Tony spoke from behind her. She elbowed him in the ribs and turned back towards her new friend.

"Sorry about him. He's a little loose in the lips."

Edward nodded, laughing lightly, "I must say, a few people have mentioned the Hale twins but I didn't expect to meet one so quickly."

"You'll see me more often than Rosalie. She tends to keep to herself and her girlfriends."

A charming smile appeared on Edward's face, "I can't say I'm displeased by that. I have heard nothing but good things about you, Miss Hale." Ruby blushed lightly and gasped as a force knocked into her knees from behind. Edward caught her and Ruby turned when she heard Andy crying behind her. In the next instant, she scooped him into her arms, attempting to calm him down. She glanced towards the shelf to her left and grabbed the plush bear that resided on it. She held it towards the little boy who snatched it and held it to his chest. His tears stopped and he glanced up at Ruby.

"I've never getting that bear away from you, am I?" Ruby laughed as Andy shook his head and wiggled his legs. She set him back down and he darted off, almost bumping into Edward if he hadn't moved his leg, "My apologies, he hasn't been sleeping through the night so he's been a little fussy."

"No worries. I was unaware there was more Hale children than just Rosalie and yourself."

"Oh, there isn't! These are the Hethingtons. There's Molly, who's twelve, Rebecca is ten, Wesley is seven, Phillip is five, and Andy is three." Ruby pointed out each kid as she said their name.

"Seems like a full house."

Ruby nodded sadly, an image of their house springing up in her head, "It is. I take them out on Saturdays and sometimes during the week. It gives their mother a little time to herself and I love taking care of them. It's weird watching them together. It was always just Rose and I and we got along perfectly. Do you have any other siblings?"

"Just Esme. She became my legal guardian when our parents died a few years back."

Ruby smiled sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"We got books!" Both teens turned and looked at Rebecca as she bounded up to them with a book in her hand.

Ruby nodded towards the girl, "Go give them to Tony so he can get a bill ready," Ruby smiled as the girl skipped her way towards the front counter.

"Well, I would hate to keep your attention from them any longer. I hope to see you around, Miss Hale."

"I come here pretty much everyday after school so I'm sure you'll see plenty of me." The two shared a smile before Edward ducked back out of the door.