Here is the next installment of our story. The standard disclaimer applies, as always.
Bella's POV
I took a deep breath and let the disturbing conversation with Renee leave my mind. A second later I was walking out the door to greet my two favorite guys in the hotel living room. Jasper was setting the food out while Masen just chatted away. He was talking about everything he had seen in town so far. I couldn't blame my boy though – everything around here just looked so different from Austin. I don't think he's ever seen as much green before really.
"Mama!" Masen shouted upon seeing me.
"Hi there baby boy," I grabbed him and got in my morning snuggle before he giggled and pushed me away. "What have you gotten into this morning?"
"We got breakfast!" he exclaimed proudly as I set him back in his seat at the small table the room provided. We then settled into eating, the time spent listening to Masen babble more. Shortly after taking the last bite I heard a knock at the door. Few people knew I was here, let alone knew where I was, but I took a deep breath to brace myself. Jazz' eyes met mine, silently asking if I wanted him to deal with this. I shook my head slightly as I rose to answer the door. Pausing to take another deep breath, I opened the door to greet another piece of my past.
Alice's POV
I love living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else. Some people hate that fact, but it certainly comes in handy at times like this. All I had to do was sweet talk Mike Newton (a little flirting, a little outright lying) and he gave up Bella's room number without a hitch. With a few choice words and bats of my eyelashes Rose and I were walking down the hallway clutching onto each other's hand.
This was not going to be a fun meeting. I really need to keep myself calm, no matter what. I can't get the answers I need if I lose my temper right away. Yelling at her would only start a fight and then we would all be sidetracked, which is not what I want. I want the answers my ex-best friend owes me. And I also can't kick her ass from here to Texas before I get those answers…
Rose and I came to the door and we both took a deep breath and tightened our grip on the other's hand before I reached up and knocked on the door. Okay, it was more like pounding on it like a cop's knock, but what can I say? I was nervous… Stay calm… Stay calm… I kept telling myself as I heard someone approach the door. I heard the lock release and then the door was opening. There stood my old friend. Yet as I looked at her, all I felt was my anger and rage building. All it took was one word from her; a whispered "Ali…" and I snapped. Before I could control it my hand flew forward and I had slapped her – hard.
"Don't call me that. Only my friends call me that," as I snarled these words to her I saw the little boy from the diner (the one Rose said was Masen) cry out and run to Bella with tears already coursing down his little face. I saw anger and disapproval flash in the man's eyes as he came up to stand behind Bella. The message was quite clear: he had her back.
"Don't cry baby, Mama's okay," Bella cooed to the boy whose face was now buried in his mother's neck. She rocked him back and forth a bit while rubbing his back to calm him. I felt bad for causing my nephew distress but I just wasn't able to help that.
"But Mama, it's bad to hit. You told me that," the little boy insisted. "Why did that mean lady hit you?"
"Yes honey, it's not nice to hit. But I don't think she meant it. And she's not mean, she's just upset. I hurt her feelings and she's upset about it." Watching this interaction made me a little sad. There was my nephew (who was just adorable let me tell you) and his first impression of me is that I am mean because I hit his mother. I really should have managed to not do that in front of him. Then my attention was drawn back to Bella.
"Alright Alice I know that you hate me now. I get it. Hell, I hate myself right now. But this is not going to happen in front of my son. Also, I would rather not have this out in the hallway for the whole town to see and hear. Come in and sit for a minute while I get Masen ready to go out," and with that she turned her back on us and walked towards the bedroom.
"Alice?" Masen questioned his mom, making her stop her retreat to the bedroom. He looked at me with his eyes red from crying and I could tell the little one was appraising me. "You're the one mommy missed the most." That was the last thing I ever expected to hear. She had told him about me? And she had missed me? I felt my heart reach out a bit at this news but I managed to steel myself again. Regardless of what she's told him, I would not cave and welcome her back with open arms and a huge smile. This girl done us all wrong.
"Yes Masen this is Alice. And this other lady is your Aunt Rose. You remember me telling you about them, right?"
"Yes Mama. Alice is your fairy friend that likes to shop and Aunt Rose likes cars!" he said happily while smiling at Rose. I looked to Rose and her expression had softened upon looking at Masen. I could see the tears forming in her eyes. "But Alice, it's not nice to hit." He told me sternly.
"That's alright baby. Mommy still loves her and forgives her," I rolled my eyes at that. "Come on, let's get you ready to go play." She headed back to the bedroom and turned briefly to catch the attention of the man that was still staring at us with fire in his eyes. "Jazz, please…"
In the next minute Rose and I were left alone to enter the room and make ourselves as comfortable as possible. We sat there in complete silence waiting for their return. About ten minutes later I heard the bedroom door open and all three trooped back out. At the door Bella gave Masen a hug and kiss, told him to have fun and be good, and handed him over to that Jazz guy. It took a look from Bella that I couldn't interpret before the guy bent and brushed his lips over Bella's cheek before telling her that he wouldn't be far. Bella closed the door behind them, took a deep breath, then turned to face us.
"Thank you for that," she started, but I cut her off.
"I did it for that little boy, not for you," I spat at her. Wow, so not going well with the temper thing so far. Alright Alice, organize your thoughts and let's get this show started.
"So, what's his name?" I began
"I named him Masen Anthony Swan," she responded.
"Swan?" I asked, flabbergasted.
"Yes, Swan. You know, my last name," she sassed back.
"What you didn't think he deserved to have his father's last name?" this angered me.
"No. I didn't want to explain to a small boy why my name was different than his," she said calmly. "This isn't something that you can easily explain away Alice. You don't know how it was. How it is…"
"Then tell me how it is. Really. I would like to know what the hell the deal is because from where I am it doesn't look good. It looks like you slept with my brother, got pregnant, fled town and didn't have the decency to tell him, or the rest of us for that matter. For God's sake your own father and brother didn't know!" I had to pause to try to calm myself once again.
"It's not like that Alice. I didn't know I was pregnant when I left. I wouldn't just take off like that if I had known. You know me better than that."
"No, I don't think I know you at all. I could never imagine the person I had known doing something like this."
"Alice," and this is where I broke. All the thoughts running through my head starting spilling out in a word-vomit type, falling from my lips with little rhyme or reason.
"God you had us all fooled! Thinking you loved us all like family! My family accepted you like their own! How could you just take off like you did? Do you know what you did to them? What you did to me? My mom and I cried for days because of your sudden departure. You were like a sister to me and then one day you just take off, leaving behind a short note that told us nothing! In the beginning I would go crying to Em to hear about what you were up to and he would tell me all about this great life you had in Texas. Then I would go home and cry my eyes out again. I couldn't understand what any of us did to make you go like that. Finally I gave up. I stopped trying to call you; stopped asking about you. And then I started to hate you," I stopped here because my breath was coming in pants and I felt as though I was about to lose it and hit her again. After a moment I tried again.
"Every holiday your dad would be so hopeful that this time you would make it home, only to be shattered every time you called with some excuse. Then Em and Rose decided to get married, and everyone thought you would come home for sure. But no. You couldn't be bothered to make the trip home for your own brother's wedding. Do you know that he almost called it off? He wanted his baby sister to be there, but no. You were too busy living it up in Texas and apparently hiding what you had done. I want to know why! Why did you leave? Why did you hide? Why didn't you tell any of us we had a nephew; that Edward had a son? TELL ME WHY!" by this point I was standing in front of where she sat and screaming at her. She sat there with tears coursing down her cheeks and looking at me with this broken expression. The sight just pissed me off more. "TELL ME! Why the hell did you keep that boy from us?"
"I tried Alice! I called. I was scared out of my mind, but I knew I had to do it. I wanted Edward to be the first to know, so I worked up the courage to call your house. Remember Alice? Remember you screaming at me? Remember telling me you refused to have him call me? And that's when you told me about the accident," she trailed off at this point and I had to interject again.
"Once, Bella. You called one fucking time. That's all you tried!" I had to get out of here before I did something I might regret later on. As I got ready to leave I looked straight into her eyes. "And for your information, he got better you bitch!" And I strode out the door. I would just wait for Rose at the car. When I reached the parking lot I could see Masen running around the small playground across the street. He seemed to be having a blast. While I watched him play I remembered what he had said to me, "Mommy missed you the most."
Rosalie's POV
Alice stormed out the door and I was left alone with my sorry excuse for a sister-in-law. I guess it was now my turn to let the girl have it. I cleared my throat to bring her attention to me and then let it rip.
"Do you have any idea what you have done to my husband and father-in-law? You have damn near broken them with your selfishness. Alice wasn't lying – Emmet almost called off our wedding because of you. Your dad had to take him out fishing and talk him into going through with it. No one else could convince him. When they got back Em said the wedding was still on, but he never said a word about what they talked about. You broke their hearts when you fled the state and they continued to crumble every time you wouldn't make it home for something. They couldn't understand what was so bad here that you didn't even want to come back home for a visit. Then what you did to my siblings. Alice cried herself to sleep every night that first summer. She only came back to herself when Edward had the accident. You can't imagine how awful it was when he woke up thinking it was December. He walked around with pain and confusion in his eyes every day. He couldn't understand why you wouldn't come to visit him. He asked why he did to make you hate him so much that you wouldn't come see him. So we told him you moved to Texas, and then he asked why you never called." She cut into my rant here.
"I didn't know Rose. I didn't know what had happened until I called Alice and then she told me to stay away. Why didn't you call and tell me? Or Emmet?"
"Why would I call you?" I asked incredulously. "It was obvious you didn't give a rat's ass about anyone but yourself. If you had, you would have fucking called or something. But no, you went four years forgetting all of us Cullens. I would question Em when you would call, trying to find out if you ever asked about any of us. But you never did. And I stopped asking, or caring really. Whatever your reasoning was or is, I don't care. No matter what, I will never forgive you for what you have done to my family," and with that I walked out the door and headed to the parking lot. Alice was sitting on the trunk of the car watching our nephew play across the street. I sat next to her and we started working out a plan.
"Do we tell Edward?" Alice asked.
"Maybe we should tell mom and dad first," I suggested. I really did not want to be the one to tell Edward about his son. I didn't want to see the look in his eyes when he found out, and I definitely did not want to be the one to put that look there.
"That's a good idea Rose. I really don't want to tell him, especially not while he's on his trip." Edward had gone to New York for a psychology seminar last week and was not due back until this weekend. "And if we wait to tell him, there is always the chance that she will run back to Texas with Masen."
"Then it's settled. We tell dad first. Come on Ali, you text him on the way to the hospital so he's expecting us." With that worked out, we got in the car and headed to tell our dad the news.
Carlisle's POV
I just finished up my morning rounds and was about to take my lunch break. Before doing that though I decided to check in on Chief Swan. Emmet was sitting next to the bed when I entered, and it looked like he was in some serious pain. I hadn't seen him look like this since Bella ran away after high school. I tried to get him to tell me the problem, but he just said he was fine, so I let it be for now and headed towards my office. After a brief stop in there I would go to the cafeteria, but my plans changed when I got a text from my Alice.
Hey dad Rose and I need to talk to you. Can we do lunch? R&A
For my girls, I always have time. Meet me in my office. Love, Dad
About five minutes later my girls showed up, each looking just as upset as Emmet had. I had no idea that Bella coming back would bother them all so much. The girl was family as far as I was concerned. She was around so much that Esme and I unofficially adopted her as one of our own kids. And we loved her as if she was ours. Her mom had taken off when she was so little and Charlie and Emmet were left to pick up the slack and take care of a small girl, something neither of them knew a thing about. At first Charlie was taking the kids down to the reservation every day, but all that changed after Bella met my Alice. Then the two girls were almost inseparable. So Charlie started bringing the kids to our house instead. They were there so much the Swan children practically had their own rooms.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of having lunch with two of my favorite women?" I asked hoping to get a smile. I did, but the smiles were small and short lived.
I spent the next hour holding onto my girls as Rosalie told me everything and they cried. Rose was crying for the pain her husband was in and the pain her brother and Charlie would soon face. Alice cried for the loss of her friend and the lies that had been told. I wanted to cry myself, but I had to be strong for my girls. I still had to go home and tell Esme we had a grandson and then we had to tell Edward he was a father. This was not going to be an easy task. Everyone was going to be hurt and upset. But part of me wanted to cry for Bella. For the little girl I had known and the pain she must be in. The poor girl must feel so lost…
I want to say thank you again to Dax. Life and work tend to get in the way of writing, but she is always supportive with her chapter ideas and thoughts and her encouragement to get me in gear. There truly would not be a story without her. So thanks Dax :D
Also, thank you to those readers who have stuck by us through the long waits and everything. And another thanks to those that review our chapters. Your words and thoughts are always appreciated. I am going to start working on the next chapter asap, so hopefully it will be up before too long.
Thanks again, Irish
