A/N: I wasn't going to put one of these in here. Oh well, no help for it. I said at the start it'd be all letters and diaries between Bella and Emmett. No longer true. Instead - whilst it will remain epistolary (which means it's all letter's, diaries, newspaper articles etc etc) other people are going to help tell this story, which means we have the advantage of actual dialogue and so on. If you've ever read Dracula by Bram Stoker (if you haven't, read it immediately, it's brilliant - watching the film doesn't count) you'll know what I mean.

Anyway, lets be getting on, not least because I have people after my blood what with Teaching and this story.

Bella's Diary - February 6th 2010

I was baking- just baking, like a normal day. I was getting the cookies out the oven when Esme dropped by. Already she's in the habit of walking right in the front door. I remember when Emmett used to pull a prank on me - park a little down the road, sneak up to the back door and throw it open with a crash. It used to scare the hell out of me.

Oh, Emmett, where are you?

"Hey, Bella, my darling."

"Auntie Bella!" Alice gurgles, wriggling to get down out of Esme's arms.

"Auntie Bella?" I ask, confused.

"She wanted to call you that. I can stop her -"

"No, it's sweet." I scoop her up and put her onto a counter where she screams happily and kicks her little legs.

"Me up too," Rose demands, reaching up. She promptly joins her sister on the counter, and stops her trying to climb into the microwave. She pats my tummy. "Bump?"

"I told her you were having a little baby, and she only really remembers me with a big bump, just before Alice was born."

"Not yet, Rosy-Posy. Soon."

"Boy," Alice says, around her thumb. "Auntie Bella have a boy."

"Too many girls around, huh?"

"Way too -"

There's a quiet but official sounding knock on the door. One single ice-cold bolt of fear goes through me. Esme glances out of the window as I leave the kitchen.

Esme's Diary - February 6th, 2010

I glanced up, still laughing a little, and my blood ran cold. Two men in uniform were waiting at the door. One younger, the other older. Bella went to answer it.

"Alice, Rosy, get down." They obey immediately, hearing the tension in my tone. Rose grips her sister's hand.

"Is Daddy back?"

"It's not Daddy, no, sweetie." Rose goes out into the hall.

"Auntie Bella, who are they?"

"Come in, gentlemen."

"Mrs. McCarty?"

"If we could hurry, please." I could see it in her eyes. She knew what they were there for. Alice clung closer to me, and I picked her up.

"I am Captain James Hardy - this is Corporal Laurent Jackson. I'm afraid we have bad news."

"Is he dead?" Her voice is very, very quiet. Her hand with the rings on it goes to her belly, and the Captain notices her movement. A spasm of pain crosses his face. Bella is twenty-three - is he going to tell her she is a widow, with a child to raise? "Captain, is he dead?" Her voice is hoarse with fear. Alice starts grizzling quietly. She can sense something's wrong. "Anything you say to me, you can say in front of Esme. Her husband is in the army too."

"He isn't dead, no, but he is badly hurt. There was a roadside bomb in the Helmand Province, near Camp Bastion. They're going to fly him to England."

"Why England?" I ask. Bella is well past speaking. Every now and then a funny little keening sound breaks out. Rose climbs into her lap.

"He needs to go to Headley Court. Ma'am, if we could speak to you privately." I follow them into the kitchen. Bella doesn't budge. Alice is full on crying now. Rose stays with Bella, curled up in her arms. "Sergeant McCarty has lost both legs and an arm in the blast."

"Oh my God."

"It's also likely that once at hospital in England, they may have to amputate the other arm. He may never walk again, and he also may never see again. They're taking him to England because Headley Court is one of the best rehabilitation centres in the world. If anyone can help him, they can." He exchanges a glance with the silent Corporal by his side, who seems to sense that his Captain is struggling.

"Are you, by any chance, Esme Cullen?"

"My husband?"

"No, no, Ma'am, Carlisle Cullen is fine. He was nowhere near the blast. However, we do have some news regarding your wards, Edward Masen and Jasper Whitlock. They're flying home. They've been diagnosed with Combat stress reaction - you might have heard it called shell-shock - and the company has made the decision that they will not complete their final term in Iraq. I don't like to think how much of what happened to McCarty they saw. They'll find their home with you?"

"Of course they will. I'll make all the arrangements for Bella to fly to England," I say, vaguely. I've read about shell-shock - when soldiers see such terrible things that they almost go insane with the pain of it, when they see indescribable things happen to friends, brothers, comrades. When they're so tired of fighting and killing, they can't do it any more, because their bodies shut down on them. And at the same time, there's no way to describe it. There's no way to describe how much a soldier changes with shell-shock, as it's different for everyone. My poor boys. I'm listed as their next of kin, but they need me now. I realise that if they come to me, they'll have to share a room. But I need to worry about Bella now.

I show them out, and then Bella's phone rings. She doesn't move to answer it, so I do it for her. Alice is calmer, but still sobbing. Bella's scaring her. Rose is stroking Bella's face, trying to get a reaction, I think.

"Esme!" I nearly collapse when I hear Carlisle's voice.

"Oh, my God, you're alright!"

"Never mind me, darling, I've just seen Edward and Jasper on to their flight home. Civilian airline, landing in Seattle. I don't have much time. Listen to me, sweetheart. Bella must go to England, Emmett's been asking for her. Edward and Jasper are in a bad way, and you'll have to be very patient with them. Don't ask them any questions. Did they tell you how bad Emmett was?"

"Yes, they told me. I'll tell Bella. I think she's in shock."

"Is that Alice I can hear crying?"

"Yes - Bella's scaring her a bit, I think. She can sense there's something wrong. I'll pick the boys up from the airport. How much do I tell Bella?"

"At this point, just that he's injured, but alive - and as far as I can see, he'll stay alive. Tell her when she's calmed down a bit. I told the boys you would meet them. Take Bella, it'll help convince her he's OK, if his boys are. You know what she's like. I have to go. It's mania here. I love you."

"I love you," I whisper, and the line goes dead.

Esme's Diary - February 7th 2010

Neither of them had shaved. They came through arrivals, and Jasper was noticeably different. He was coiled tight as a spring, eyes darting everywhere, never still, not even whilst we waited for the bags on the carousel.

When they came through arrivals, Jasper came to me, but Edward went straight to Bella. She grabbed him by the arms.

"Are you alright?" she demanded, her voice hoarse. He nodded but didn't speak. He let her hug him, and then hovered beside her - like he had no other mission in life than to protect her and keep her safe. Jasper prowled around the carousel, seizing both bags the instant he saw them and then marching ahead, head up, eyes always moving. He hadn't spoken. He didn't even seem to register we were there. Edward had the common sense to wait for Bella to go to bed - she was flying to England the next day - before he spoke to me.

"Jasper cannot be questioned about Iraq in any way. He'll flip."

"Edward, it's good to have you home."

"It's good to be home." He take s a deep breath. "They sent me home because I couldn't even look at a gun without crying. I couldn't have picked it up to save my life. I cowered in terror whenever I heard one go off, or if I saw it in someone's hands." He glances up to the ceiling, and lowers his voice. "I will stay with you - Jasper will be better off here. He can't hear loud nose - he'd be unable to cope with crying."

"Bella asked me to offer you both this house whilst she is in England with Emmett. It'll be quieter. We can disconnect the telephone."

"I assume you haven't told Bella about Emmett?"

"No, I -"

"Tell her - Esme, tell her, as soon as you can. Before she gets on the plane. She needs time to react that isn't in front of him. I'd go with her, but I don't think I can handle seeing the soldiers. She has to know before she sees him. Is everything OK here? My god-daughters? If she has the reaction in front of him, it'll upset them both. Jasper will be fine. Emmett will be OK, she needs to know that, he's a fighter, Esme -"

"Edward," I interrupt gently. His head snaps up. He looks confused. "We'll go on home now. Let Jasper know. You need some sleep."

"I can't sleep," he whispers. "I haven't slept since the blast. Can't sleep. See the bits of Emmett. See it all again and again when I close my eyes. He didn't run fast enough."

I take her aside in departures the next day. She's very pale, but resolute. I don't think she slept much. She woke up at one point, and tried to get downstairs to get water - before she realised Jasper was asleep outside her door. She didn't wake him, and just slipped back into bed, leaving the door open so he could see she was OK if he woke up at any point. Jasper is now standing behind us, eyes sweeping the area again and again.

"Bella, before you see Emmett, you need to know how badly hurt he was." I take a deep breath. How do you put this into words? How do you tell somebody that the man they love has lost both legs, and arm, possibly the other arm too, and maybe his sight? How do I say that? "The bomb has changed him - he mightn't see again, honey, and there's more. He lost both legs and an arm. He's going to look very different."

"What?" She seems dazed, upset. She doesn't look like she understands. She looks afraid. "He's got no legs? And he's lost an arm? Maybe his sight?"

"I'm so sorry Bella -" but she cuts me off.

"No, Esme. Don't say that. He's still my Emmett. No matter what, he's still my Emmett, my brave and handsome hero. My angel, and I don't care if I have to take care of him. I love him - and if all that was left of him was his smile, and his eyes, I'd still love him. He's always going to be my hero."

Bella's diary, 8th February 2010

Emmett, I'm coming. Hold on, Emmett, I'm coming…