Chapter 2: Eleven Years Later
Bella was in her room zipping her suitcase when she heard a light knocking on the door. "Bella, sweetheart, are you ready to go?" her mother called on the other side.
"Yeah mom, coming," Bella replied as she slung her duffel over her shoulder.
Exiting the room, she saw Renee standing there. "You don't have to go back just for my sake sweetie, I can stay here in Phoenix with you while Phil's traveling," Renee told her daughter, stroking her hair lightly.
"Mom, I'll be fine. Besides you should spend some time with Phil, you two just got married and it's not right for me to stand in your way," she answered.
Renee sighed, kissing her daughter's forehead softly. "Alright, so do you have everything?" Renee asked.
"Yep, I've got it all," Bella replied.
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she and her mother left to get her to the airport on time.
When Bella arrived in Seattle, she smiled when she saw Charlie there waiting for her. "Hey kiddo," Charlie greeted.
"Hey dad," she answered, hugging him with her free arm.
He kissed the side of her head once he let her go. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied as they went to get the rest of her things from the baggage claim.
As they were driving home, Charlie glanced at his daughter. "So…the Hales are back," he informed.
"Really? So now everyone is back?" she asked.
"Yeah, its nice to have everyone back," Charlie answered.
Bella nodded as she played with her old charm bracelet on her wrist. "How's…Mrs. Cullen?" she asked. Charlie sighed.
"The same as she has been all these years," he replied.
Biting her lower lip she looked out the window with a sigh.
After arriving at the house, Bella got out of the car and looked around. She noticed that everything was the same as it was when she lived in Forks years ago. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she let out a sigh as she followed Charlie into the house.
After unpacking, Bella walked down the stairs, tripping on the bottom step as she did so. Charlie caught her before she hit the hardwood floor. "Eleven years later you still trip on that last step," he quipped. Bella laughed a little, clearing her throat.
"Yeah, I guess some things never change," she answered.
Setting her back on he feet, Charlie nodded his head slowly. "So I'm about to order a pizza, that alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, sounds good…um…I'm going to go walk around a little. You know, see if anything's change," she told him.
"Just be careful please," Charlie answered.
He reached into his duffel that was sitting by the front door, pulling out a can of pepper spray. "Use this if you have to," he told her. Nodding her head slowly, she put the spray into her pocket before she left the house.
Walking down the sidewalk from her dad's house, she looked around to see that the neighborhood was just as she had remembered it when she left eleven years ago. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she continued on her trek when she suddenly had a feeling she was being followed.
She stopped suddenly and spun around with her pepper spray in her hand. "Whoa! Whoa! Hey I'm unarmed," the person insisted. Bella's eyes widened when she immediately recognized who was in front of her.
"Emmett?" she exclaimed.
Emmett grinned as he hugged her tight, swinging her around. "Heard you were back in town, just had to see it for myself," he told her.
"Yeah, I just got back," she replied.
"Hey Bella," another familiar voice greeted as Emmett set her back down on the ground.
Bella looked around Emmett to see Rosalie standing there. "Wow, Rosalie hi," she greeted. Rosalie smiled, hugging her.
"Hey, welcome back to Forks," Rosalie told her.
"Yeah, same to you," Bella answered.
Rosalie let her go when Bella suddenly fell forward to someone tackling her from behind. "Bella! You're back!" Alice exclaimed. Unable to grab a hold of her balance again, Bella fell face first into the grass. "Whoops, sorry," Alice told her, getting back up.
"And here you guys thought I would crush her," Emmett quipped as he wrapped his arm around Rosalie's shoulders.
Bella laughed as she got up with Jasper's help. "Hey Alice, Jasper," she greeted the two of them smiling.
"Hey Bella," Jasper answered, wrapping his arm around Alice's waist.
"I heard you and Rosalie were back in town," she commented.
"We finally talked mom into letting us come back," Jasper answered.
"Well, it was easier when we got together," Rosalie put in as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emmett's waist.
Bella stared at the two couples in front of her. "I knew you guys would get together. When did this happen?" she asked.
"Rosie and I got together at Rosalie's sweet sixteen," Emmett replied.
"Christmas last year for Alice and me," Jasper told her.
Smiling, Bella put her hands in her back pockets. "That's great, really great," she told them.
"So you wanna come back to our house with us? Mom's making a roast tonight and you know she'd love to see you again," Emmett commented.
"Thanks…but Charlie's ordering pizza and it's the first night back in town," she answered.
"Invite him along, come on my parents like your dad," Emmett insisted.
"Emmett, she said she can't," Rosalie told him.
They laughed at the pouting expression he wore on his face. "Here maybe I'll check to see if dad ordered it yet," she told them as she pulled out her phone to call Charlie.
Instead of having the pizza like they had planned, Charlie and Bella pulled up to the Cullen house. "This should be interesting," Charlie commented.
"We didn't have to come," Bella answered.
"No it's fine, Bells," Charlie assured her with a half-grin.
They got out of the car as the door opened and Carlisle was the first to walk out. "I heard the Chief's daughter was back," he quipped.
"Hi, Dr. Cullen," she greeted.
"Bella, you know you can call me Carlisle and hello," he answered as he hugged her.
She hugged him back with a smile. "Welcome back to Forks," he told her.
"Thanks," she answered, smiling.
"This can't be little Bella," Esme insisted as she walked out.
Bella smiled as she also embraced the woman she always considered as her second mother. "Hi, Esme," she answered.
"Hello sweetheart. Let me look at you," Esme insisted.
Pulling back, she placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders. "Oh look how beautiful you have grown," she said softly. Her compliments made Bella blush and bite her lower lip. "Come in, come in. Dinner is almost ready and we're all happy to have you," Esme told them.
"Very kind of you to invite us to dinner," Charlie answered as he climbed the stairs.
"You and Bella are always welcome to our home," Carlisle told him.
Bella smiled as she followed them inside.
(Chicago)
Sitting in his room was a young man with messy bronze colored hair, green eyes, wearing sneakers, blue jeans, an d a light blue button down long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows. He was sitting at his desk doing homework when he heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at the clock, he furrowed his eyebrow as he got up from his chair. It was odd for anyone to be at the house around this time.
Walking out of his room, he saw his sister exit the room. She had long dark brown hair that ended in the middle of her back and deep brown eyes. She was wearing black tennis shoes, blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a long sleeved flannel shirt that had the buttons undone.
The young man leaned over the rail as his parents walked over to the door. "Dad, who is it?" he asked as he walked down the stairs.
"Just stay up there kids," his father answered.
The girl stood next to her brother as the door opened. "Mr. Masen?" the officer at the door asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Sir, ma'am, could you step out here please? My deputy and I would like to ask you a few questions pertaining to a disturbance in your neighborhood," the officer informed.
The young man watched as his parents stepped out of the house. "What's going on?" Mr. Masen asked. The officer then pulled out his handcuffs.
"Sir, I'm placing you and your wife under arrest for kidnapping and false imprisonment," the officer informed.
The young man watched with a shocked expression as his parents were getting arrested right in front of him. Before they could react, two people from child protective services were in front of them. "You're coming with me, Edward," the woman told him as the man she was with grabbed the young girl.
"Get your hands off my sister!" the boy "Anthony" exclaimed as they pulled him and his sister out the door.
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he was put into a van with the social service people and drove off before he could even see what was happening to his parents or what other car his sister was put into.
