Chapter 2

2008

When I got home, all I wanted was to be alone, so I grabbed my schoolbooks and headed straight to my meadow. It was only a five-minute walk from my house, and once I was there I laid down in the grass, soggy from the previous day's snow. The meadow was beautiful in the spring, with flowering plants lined with lush green trees. Now it looked barren, with wet, brown grass and leafless trees. It was still I place I could be alone with my thoughts, so I as I took in the solitude, I rewound the day's events in my head.

I couldn't believe what a terrible impression I made of myself. The more I replayed the events in my mind, the more I realized how bad I must have looked in Bella's eyes. No wonder she told Alice that she thought I didn't like her much.

I finished my homework, which didn't take as long as I would have liked, then packed up and made my way back to my house. I set my bag at the foot of the stairs and walked to the kitchen to grab a soda, when I accidentally stepped right into a heated conversation between my mother and sister.

"Rosalie- I said no!" Esme exclaimed, frustration clearly evident in her tone of voice. They'd probably been going at it for a while. "I don't want that boy in my house, especially when I'm not going to be home."

She must have been talking about Rosalie's boyfriend of two years, Royce King. Esme never liked the fact that they were together, and all but forbid them dating.

"I don't get what you don't like about him! Why are you doing this to me?"

"I just don't trust him, Rosalie. He's bad news. Besides, you shouldn't be with a college guy anyway."

"We met when we were both in high school. I'm eighteen now, you can't tell me who I can and can't see!"

"That might be true, but I can tell you who I will have and not have inside my home. I'm sorry, Rosalie, the answer is no."

Rosalie let out an exasperated sigh then stormed out of the kitchen, brushing past me without seeming to notice I was there.

Esme sighed and put her head in her hands. "You okay, mom?" I asked, taking in the tortured expression on her face.

"Fine," she said quietly. "I just don't trust that boy. Maybe I'll just stay home tonight."

"I didn't realize you were going out."

"I wasn't, but Carlisle's shift got cancelled at the last minute. That almost never happens. We hardly get time to go out, just the two of us. I didn't want to cancel the party, but I think you are both grown up enough that I can trust you with the house. There will be ground rules of course. No drinking, and no Royce."

"Got it," I said, though I didn't know how I could really stop Royce King from coming inside if he tried to come over. I just hoped Rosalie would listen to Esme's decree and not invite him at all. However, since Royce had gone to Seattle for college, she hardly saw him anymore, and if he was going to be home this weekend, there was no way Rosalie would waste a minute not seeing him.

Rosalie thinks she's in love. I think he's a douche. So do my parents, and they haven't even tried to hide that fact. Royce King had a certifiable God complex. He was rich, and good looking, and knew he could have any girl he wanted. Of course he set his sights on my sister.

"You could always just push the party back a day," I thought out loud. "I mean, the new kids just got here yesterday, the party can wait."

Esme chuckled softly. "Rosalie and Alice have been planning this party since before they even knew Isabella and Emmett were coming. The new kids are just a convenient excuse. They didn't want to tell you until the last minute because they both know how much you hate parties. The plans have been in the works for weeks."

I simply shrugged. "I promised to make an appearance. I can't promise to have a good time."

She smiled sadly. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked, effectively changing the subject. I nodded. "Grab that box from the high shelf in the living room closet for me and put it in my bedroom. I'd like to sort through it this weekend. It's not heavy, but you got your height from your father, I'm afraid."

"Of course," I agreed, taking a sip and setting down my soda. Esme had a variety of hobbies, things she did to take up her time now that Rosalie and I were grown and didn't need her so much. Her latest project was scrapbooking, which was no small task for her. She had nearly twenty years worth of photos and mementos to go through, a box at a time.

She followed me to the living room, and as I was reaching up for the box, she asked, "So what did you think of the new kids?"

"I didn't really have the opportunity to meet either of them," I said, knowing full well that was a lie. I did have the opportunity to meet Bella, but I didn't feel like sharing with my mother the embarrassing details of our first encounter.

"Oh well, I guess you'll meet them tonight, then."

She followed me up the stairs, and as I made to set the box on the foot of the bed, the bottom broke free, scattering pictures and loose papers all over the bed and floor.

"Shit!" I muttered quietly. "I'm sorry. I'll help you clean it up."

"It's not your fault, dear. I believe that box is quite old. I can't even remember everything that's in it," she said, bending down to gather pictures.

We chatted idly as we picked up pictures and placed them in piles. I had to ask every now and then where a picture went. Some of them were from before I was even born. I stopped short when I picked up a picture of myself, probably about a year old, in the arms of a man I didn't recognize.

"Hey, mom? Who is that with me in this picture?" I asked her curiously.

Esme paled as she looked at the photograph. "Oh, Edward," she whispered. "That isn't a picture of you. That little boy is named Henry. The man in the photo is his father."

"I don't understand. He looks just like me." The boy in the picture had the exact same shade of red hair as I did, and the same bright green eyes. He looked exactly as I did in baby pictures.

"Edward… Henry was your half brother. I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I always meant to tell you and your sister about him, but the timing just never seemed right."

"You said he was my half-brother," I said, shocked at the revelation. "What happened to him?"

"He died," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "I think you need to hear the whole story."

"I'm listening," I said softly. The pain so evident on my mother's face made me not even sure I wanted to hear the story.

"I was married before I married your father. His name was Charles Evanson, the man in the picture. He was a family friend, and our parents all but pushed us together. After the vows were said, though, he became a very different man than the one I knew as a child. He beat me, Edward."

"Oh, Mom," I started, but she held up a hand to silence me.

"Please, let me finish," she said, taking a shuddering breath. "After the beatings started, I told my parents; I begged them to let me move back home, but they refused. They said I was exaggerating. When Charles got wind of the fact that I tried to return home, the beatings just became worse.

"Eventually, after a year or so of this, I became pregnant. I thought that Charles would be happy, and that things would be better if we could try to be a family. They were for a while. He didn't lay a hand on me while I was pregnant. After Henry was born, that changed. I was afraid to leave him, because I knew that he would find us. I was scared and had no place else to go, so I stayed… I'm so ashamed."

I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it, giving her the silent encouragement she needed to go on.

"I didn't realize it at the time. I should have seen the signs. I never should have left Henry alone with Charles," she cried, tears running freely down her face. "One day, when Henry was just over a year old, I was out grocery shopping, and I came home and Henry was blue. He'd been dead for some time. I called 911, but it was too late. He'd been crying a lot- he had terrible colic- and Charles had enough, and he shook him… to death.

"The police wouldn't even arrest him. They said they couldn't prove any wrongdoing, that babies died of SIDS all the time. I knew it wasn't the case. I was so distraught, that I drove straight from the hospital to the cliffs at La Push and I threw myself over the edge. I survived, obviously, not without several broken bones. Carlisle was my doctor. What an awful first time to meet. But he saved me, Edward. In more ways than one. Last I heard, Charles died of liver failure from his excessive drinking. Good riddance."

"Jesus," I muttered, pulling my mother into my arms. I wasn't mad that she never told me. On the contrary, I was sorry I even asked. I loved my mother, and the fact that this photo had dredged up such painful memories for her tore at my heart. "I'm so sorry, Mom," I said, trying to keep my voice soothing. "I would take it all away for you if I could. If I could go back in time, I'd kill that bastard."

"Oh, Edward, no," she said, pulling away and hastily brushing her tears. "You can't change the past, but even if you could, I'm not so sure I would change anything."

"What?" I asked, confused. Why wouldn't she want to erase the thing that caused her so much pain?

"Because," she said, forcing a smile. "If I never met Charles, I wouldn't have had Henry, and I wouldn't have had the blessing of witnessing the first year of his life. Had I not attempted suicide, I probably never would have met Carlisle. If I hadn't met Carlisle, I never would have been blessed with you and Rosalie. Don't you see, son? Everything must happen for a reason. Erasing the bad things would erase all the good things in my life too. You have to take the good and the bad."

I frowned, taking all this in. I wasn't one to normally believe in fate, but the woman did make a good point.

Huh. I'd have to think about this.

~C.O.T.~

"Edward Cullen, what did you do to Bella Swan to make her think you don't like her?" Alice demanded, glaring at me.

"Nothing. I was just shy. I didn't talk to her, that's all."

"Oh, Edward," she sighed. "I'm going to have to work overtime to fix this. Anyway, I set out your outfit and I expect you downstairs, ready to party, in one hour."

"Yes, Drill Sergeant," I answered in my best Forrest Gump impression, as she fluttered out of the room.

"She means well," Rosalie said, laughing. "I know you don't really care for her, but you're a good sport for putting up with her."

"She's just a little overbearing. I wish she wasn't so determined to have me at the party."

"She likes you. She just wants you to hang out with her friends. Royce is coming, by the way," she told me. "Please don't say anything to mom or dad."

"Please," I scoffed. "I may be a geek, but I'm not a narc. I don't care what you do."

"You're not a geek," Rosalie said. "I wish you didn't put yourself down all the time. You're a good person. You're just… Edward."

"…the geek," I finished for her and she laughed.

"You're my favorite brother ever," she said very seriously, giving me a hug. I was about to respond that I was her only brother ever, but realized that wasn't true. I was pretty sure mom had never told her about Henry, so I kept my mouth shut.

True to Alice's word, she had gone shopping for me. As soon as I entered my room, I noticed the brand new clothes spread out on the bed. It wasn't an awful ensemble, but it just wasn't me. Even worse, that evil pixie had found my contact case in my medicine cabinet, and put them front and center on the bed with the clothes. As if. I'd wear the clothes, but the contacts weren't going in.

I put on the black jeans and the snug fitting black tee-shirt. What was she thinking? It wasn't like I had the muscle mass in my chest to pull that off. When I put on the short sleeved button down over it, I felt a little more like myself.

"You're not supposed to button it!" Alice yelled through my closed bedroom door. I sighed and unbuttoned the shirt. She always knew.

The party had already started by the time I got downstairs. The music was blaring so loud I could hardly hear myself think. I was miserable already. Even worse, it seemed there was no way I could get Bella alone to apologize.

I watched her as she hung close to her brother, always surrounded by a swarm of people, all wanting to meet the new kids. She looked oddly uncomfortable, as if she wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

She wore a blue hoodie, some fitted dark jeans and brown boots. I don't think she could have looked more beautiful. Surrounding her were Mike Newton, Tyler Crowley, and Eric Yorkie, three of the more "popular" kids in school that hung out with Rose and Alice's crowd.

Who was I kidding? I sighed to myself. Bella was way out of my league.

Dejected, after only fifteen minutes of quietly watching her, I decided I'd had enough of the party already, so I escaped to my music room. It was really a formal dining room with a baby grand piano in the corner, but we hardly ever used the room for its intended purpose, so it had always been dubbed my music room. It was the place I liked to be alone.

I'd been playing the piano since I was just three years old. My mother said I was a natural, a virtuoso. I never played competitively, though Esme tried. I just liked to play and compose for myself. It was a great stress reliever. And right now, I was stressed.

I'd been lost in the new composition I'd been writing, the one in which I could never seem to find an ending. It had sad undertones, that was for sure, but I could only get through a few minutes before my brain would freeze and I couldn't figure out the notes to play next. It frustrated me to no end.

I sighed and stretched, and as I did so, I saw movement in my periphery. Startled, I whipped my head around, and there was Bella, flushed bright red, standing in the doorway of my sanctuary.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I heard music and came to see who was playing."

"It's alright," I said, my voice quiet. "I don't mind at all."

"I should go," she said, taking a step out the door.

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "I don't mind… if you stay." She cocked her head a little in clear confusion, and I continued. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, in class. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Bella?"

"Umm… yeah."

There was an awkward silence then.

"I'm sorry… I don't do this often… talk to people," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Bella gave me a small smile. "Me neither. I'm a little… socially awkward."

"Me too. We must be perfect for each other," I said, then wanted to slap myself for saying it.

"Maybe…" she said quietly, shuffling her feet nervously.

"Of course, you could have any guy here you wanted anyway," I continued, correcting myself. I can't believe I'd have the gall to insinuate we were perfect for each other. For one thing, we didn't even know each other, and for another, she was too good for me. I was sure of it.

She chuckled. "Yeah. Right."

"Really. I saw Newton and Crowley and Yorkie swarming around you. They seem to have taken quite a liking to you."

"Yeah, I'm just the shiny new toy. They'll get over it. I know how it is. Emmett was always the popular one. I just live in his shadow."

I stared at her intently, as if her words were speaking directly to my soul. "I know exactly what you mean," I answered, thinking of my strange relationship with Rosalie. Maybe Bella and I were more alike than I thought.

She shifted her feet again. "You do?"

I nodded. "I'm sort of like that with my sister. She was always the popular one. Would you like to sit down?" I offered, scooting over on the piano bench to give her room.

"Um… sure," she said, though she didn't seem totally convinced it was a good idea. I needed to work harder.

She hadn't been able to take a step towards the bench before we were both startled by a loud thud upstairs. We were both quiet for a moment, and then heard the unmistakable sound of shouting coming from above us. Then I heard a woman's scream, and it sounded like Rosalie.

I jumped to action, vacating my seat quickly and running up the stairs. I didn't realize Bella was behind me until she tripped on the top step, falling onto her knees on the landing. I quickly helped her up, and then pinpointed the commotion to Rosalie's room.

"Rose?" I asked in panic, seeing that her bedroom door was splintered, as if it had been kicked open.

The scene in Rosalie's bedroom could only have been concocted in my worst nightmares. Rosalie was sprawled on the bed, her nose bleeding and blouse ripped open. Emmett was there, wild eyed in the corner on top of Royce, struggling against him, holding him to the floor.

"Oh my God!" Bella gasped. "Emmett?"

"Rose?" I asked at the same time.

"Help her," Emmett grunted, motioning with his head towards Rosalie's trembling form. I was at her side instantly, checking her for injuries. Her face had been horribly bruised, blood pouring from her nose, and she was trembling violently, as if in shock. Maybe she was. I was frozen as I took her in, my heart breaking at the sight. Had Royce done this to her?

"I called 911," Bella cried.

"Thanks," I said in barely a whisper, pulling a still trembling Rosalie into my arms. "It's going to be okay," I soothed.

"Eddie," Rosalie sobbed, grabbing my shirt tightly. She was the only one I ever tolerated calling me that, and she only did when she was in distress.

"Shh…" I soothed, stroking her hair. "An ambulance is coming. You're going to be okay."

"Emmett didn't do anything wrong," she said, desperately trying to explain the situation. "He saved me."

"I know, sweetie, I know."

It felt like hours as I held Rosalie, the only sounds in the room coming from Emmett grunting every now and then as he struggled to hold Royce down, and Bella crying softly. By the time the ambulance arrived, Rosalie was glassy-eyed and barely responsive.

As they loaded her onto the ambulance, Rosalie came to, and started to sob again. "Eddie!" she cried. After a nod from the paramedic, I climbed into the back with her, holding her hand while they started an IV. As the doors closed, I saw Bella staring into the ambulance, tears running down her face. I wanted to comfort her- what a horrible scene to witness. Hell, I wanted to cry too. But for now, I had to be strong for my sister.

"Please be okay, Rose. Please," I whispered, as the ambulance pulled away, lights on and siren blaring.

She had to be okay…

A/N- There will be one more chapter from the past, and then we'll catch up with Edward in the prologue. Please review!