Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Distortion.
Chapter One: Escape
Emmett's POV.
~One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope. ~
"You stupid fucker!"
"Moronic asshole!"
"Even a blind man could have seen that one coming!" I exclaimed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day during my impromptu vacation get-away.
Well truly it had nothing to do with vacationing. It was just a get-the-hell-away road trip that was apparently ten years in the make which strangely enough, was the duration of my marriage; my very much failed marriage to one Rosalie Hale-Cullen who very soon was going to become Rosalie Hale once more.
"My own brother! My own fucking brother!" I ranted pounding against the steering wheel in utter frustration as I was again forced to stop at yet another stop light.
"Daddy." I heard my darling angel whimper from the back seat where she and her twin brother were situated.
"I'm here princess. You alright there?" I said softly not wanting her to be more terrified than she already was.
"I'm otay, papa. How much long 'till we reach Uncle Jazzy?" She asked with her slight lisp.
"A couple more hours." I said looking at her in the rear view mirror and took in how her face lit up at the mention of spending time with her uncle; her mother's brother and the only one in my entire family who had his head on straight when the shit storm hit.
Who knew I had such family?
Who knew that my wife; the woman who I held in the highest regard and the woman who I had given my heart to who turn around and cheat on me?
Who knew that after ten years of marriage I would watch as the foundation that I built a home on crumble when my brother by blood and name confessed to me the adulterous life he shared with my wife in a drunken stupor?
Who knew that after all I had done for my family, for my wife and for my children that I Emmett Dale Cullen, renounced attorney and former Wing Commander attached to the American Navy Force would be petitioning the courts for not only a divorce but sole permanent custody for my five year old twins?
"Daddy, I'm hungry!" I heard my son loudly exclaim from his car seat causing me to jump slightly.
"Buddy! Jeez! You just frightened daddy!" I replied appearing to be most distraught and terrified causing him and his sister to laugh loudly; filling the car with the only music that seemed to sooth my bleeding heart.
"I frighten daddy!" My son, Eljah exclaimed loudly to his sister while Edeva giggled and clapped appreciatively as her brother entertained her.
"We should see about getting some food in those tummies. I'm sure they're pretty empty." I said to my children as I started to look for some fast food outlet which was not very difficult since we had just entered into the hustle and bustle that was Seattle, Washington.
After settling the twins back into their seats after distributing a Mc Donald happy meal each and putting on the every annoying but greatly comical duo of SpongeBob and Patrick, I pulled my Escalade back onto the road and sped off hoping to reach Jasper home by early evening.
I drove on with a heavy mind and a broken heart. Call me a pussy if you would, like my father had done but what happened over the space of twenty-four hours was enough to send me over the edge because not only had my family been torn apart but it had been done by my own brother.
"Daddy, when we seeing mama 'gain?" My son asked from his booster seat with his mouth filled with fries.
"No for a while, bud. Remember how I told you that this was daddy's special time with you and your sister because I missed you?" I said softly looking at my son through my rearview mirror.
"I know but me miss her." He said softly looking down at his fires with a small sigh.
"I know bud and I'm sure she misses you. How about we give her a call later? Does that sound okay?" I asked softly hating the drawn look on my son's face.
"Yup, papa. That be fine." He said before picking up one of his chicken nuggets, chewing it up then promptly turning to show his sister his chewed up food causing her to shriek and scrunch her face up in disgust before she threw one of her fries at him.
.
.
.
After the fry throwing incident, the rest of the trip passed in relative silence. Not long after their meals, both twins nodded off again causing me to cringe at how active they would be tonight while I desired nothing but sleep. Soon enough two hours later, I found myself pulling up in front the gates to the house of my one true friend, Jasper Whitlock Hale, the third.
With a small laugh, I rolled down my window and pressed the bottom to the intercom system positioned outside the gates.
"Good afternoon and welcome to Hale Manor, how may I assist you?" A robotic voice resounded through the speakers.
"Good afternoon. Emmett McCarty Cullen here to see Jasper Hale, please." I responded.
"One moment, sir while I buzz you in." The voice responded and before I could say thank you, the heavy metal gates clanged up with a resounding groan.
Rolling my glass back up, I shifted my car into gear and made my way up the driveway. Truly it was not a long driveway but like everything else done or owed by the Cullens and Hale, this creation oozed grandeur and wealth.
He had only shifted the car into park when the front door of the stately manor swung open to reveal the ever causal and brilliant doctor, Jasper Whitlock Hale…..the third.
"Em bro, what the fu…!" Jasper started to say concern lacing every word before he was interrupted by two identical squeals.
"Uncle Jazz!"
"Frisbee?" He finished lamely, living up to his promise of not swearing in front of the twins.
"Sorry bro." I said sympathetically as I moved to take the twins out the back. "I had to bring them." I said softly after unbuckling Edeva from her seat and after placing her onto the ground she promptly threw herself at Jasper, who with a big smile on his face, caught her mid leap.
"What happened in Chicago, Emmett?" Jasper asked sternly as Edeva latched onto his neck.
"The world crumbled, Jazz. The world crumbled." Was all I said before Edeva and Eljah monopolized his attention.
.
.
.
At was well after twelve that night when I had finally settled the twins into their respective bedrooms which Jasper insisted on having remodeled every year saying that he made way too much money and that it was his duty as Uncle to spoil my children as if they were his own and spoilt they were.
By some random miracle, the twins were so taken up with Jasper that they did not even want to talk to their mother that night. I was silently very thankful of that since I had no idea how that conversation would have gone over. However, I was not so lucky when it came to Jasper. The man was persistent but I knew I owed him an explanation as to why I called him at five this morning and told him to except me later some time today and then begged him not to inform anyone from the family, be it mine or his, that I would be staying with him.
"Talk to me, Em." Jasper said as he walked out onto the balcony while holding out a chilled beer to me.
"Thanks, Jazz." I said appreciatively. After taking a long pull, I continued.
"Rosalie was cheating on me man." I said softly.
"Seriously?" He asked in a calm voice which was a dead give away that he was in a blind rage.
"Yeah. I caught them two days ago but I had to get some things cleared up."
"What things and who is that other person Em? Do I know him?" Jasper said sitting down next to me.
"Yeah you know him." I said lowering my head. "It was Edward. He got drunk three days ago and Matthew from Pulse, remember the bartender from the club on 21st Street? Yeah well he called me to come get Edward. So I get my ass up out of bed at three-thirty in the night to get my shit- faced brother and when I got there and hauled his ass into my car he broke down and confessed that he and Rosalie have been having an affair with each other since I started working on my Master. That was why he was drinking so much lately. The guilt was killing him and according to him, he was trying desperately to stop what he and Rosalie were doing but he couldn't. He said something about her being his drug or some shit like that."
"The little shit!" Jasper exclaimed causing me to laugh bitterly.
"Yeah but it gets worst. As I said already, I would have been up here sooner but I got held back and in the past two days so much has happened that I just don't know."
"Just go at your own pace, Em." Jasper said soothingly seeing that I was very close to loosing it.
"By the time I got Edward home, mum and dad were at my house along with your parents. Apparently Rosalie had planned an early morning breakfast with the families before we left for work. Mind you that it was seven in the morning and I had a passed out Edward with me. When I walked in that house, I was numb. I did not know what to do. I just walked like always. My movements were robotic. I kissed our mothers on their cheeks. I shook our fathers' hands and gave them a hug and then I found myself standing in front of Rosalie. As always she was dressed from head to toe in some designer outfit. Diamonds were glistering from everywhere and I don't know what happened, Jasper, but it was like I was looking at a hold new person. Directly above her was a picture of the twins and before I caught on to what I was doing I heard myself asking if they were even mine."
"Way to ease into that one Emmett." Jasper snorted.
"I know but Jasper, you may or may not agree with me but, I put your sister on a pedestal. I worshipped her. I did everything for her but her betrayal; their betrayal was too much to forgive."
"So how did that play out for you bro."
"Not well at all. She did not know I knew about her and Edward. She thought I was just making assumptions and throwing about accusations so she threw a hissy fit. Before we knew it, vases were flying. Pictures were thrown. Rosalie, the self-rightoeus whore, asking me if I had to confess something. You know; typical Rosalie style."
"But off course and then, let me guess, she broke down crying and Daddy Hale and Daddy Cullen started on you."
"Yup and did they run my ass over. I listened to these two men; the men I looked up to as my idols and inspiration and for more than two hours, I listened to them berate and belittle me. Everything I ever did was suddenly unacceptable and deplorable. I was suddenly a vile man; a monster of the highest grade and that I was an unfit father for questioning the mother of my children."
"Did you not defend yourself?" Jasper asked and waited for a response and when I shock my head indicating that I had not defended myself he groaned and palmed his face. "God, you are an idiot."
"What was I supposed to do Jasper? Yell and scream and act like the monster that they had already labeled me as? I could not do it. I just couldn't. I was already emotionally drained by the time I reached home and the lack of support from our parents just seemed to sap the life out of me."
"So when did it stop? Surely this had an end." Jasper said a bit sarcastically.
"Yeah it stopped alright; when Grandfather Aro and Grandfather Marcus showed up."
"Holy shit! Not the big guns. How the hell did they find out?" Jasper exclaimed in utter disbelief.
"Rosalie called, actually but yeah they showed up and it was only then did the truth come out."
"How?"
"Grandfather Marcus pulled me into a room by myself and I told him what I had learnt. He then left me on my own and told me to get some rest and that he would send some food in. He then went and found Edward who was sleeping of his late night pity party. Apparently he still had a lot of alcohol in his system so he confessed quite easily but what he failed to realize was that Aro had made our parents go into the room after Marcus and stood by them; silently forcing them to hear every words from Edward's mouth."
"Wow."
"I know. After that they all confronted Rosalie and she denied it saying that Edward was lying but Caroline Hale and Esme Cullen were brutal and out for blood and by that evening they had both Rosalie and a sober Edward confessing in front of the entire family."
"Where were the twins?" Jasper asked.
"Staying over at their Godparents, Angela and Ben."
"Thank God. So anything of interest after that or did you just round up the twins and bring them here?
"There is one more thing Jasper. After the entire fiasco, I demanded a paternity test even though no matter what Eljah and Edeva would always be mine but I had to know."
"That was not a good idea." Jasper said with a shake of his head.
"You think." I spat out in anger.
"So I am thinking that from that reaction that things got ugly?"
"Inconclusive. That was the test results because Edward and I share DNA the test was not able to determine the biological father.
"I'm sorry Em." Jasper said. "I just don't know what to say."
"There isn't much to say. What do you say to a man who got screwed over by his brother? I love my children Jasper." I said with so much passion that Jasper's eyes widened slightly. "And now everyday I have to wonder if I help bring them into the world or if they are Edward's"
"What did Edward say?"
"That they are mine."
"Well then they are." Jasper said with finality and with that we both fell silent thinking about we had learnt.