Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran made this pretty and Vickishy pre-read. Both of them make me smile.

Bella

In the kitchen, we are both quiet. I've handed her the salad fixings and a knife.

She works confidently, which shouldn't surprise me. She is probably the one who cooks and cleans at home.

I have so many questions … but I can only focus on the fact that she lives with my mother.

The woman I haven't seen since I was a child.

I wonder if she actually takes care of this girl or if the girl takes care of her.

"Grace," I say, quietly. "Are you okay? In that home, with those people, are you okay?"

It's the first thing that comes out of my mouth because out of all of the questions I have, I am a mother first, and if she's in a bad situation … we can't just let her stay there.

She shrugs and frowns.

"I mean, yeah. No one beats me, or anything. Michael pulled my hair yesterday when I talked back, and my head is a little sore, but they mostly leave me alone. Michael and his lackey are just jerks, and he hates me."

She shrugs again and continues cutting vegetables.

This is so uncomfortable.

"So have you been with Renee all of this time?" I ask.

I'm grilling chicken on the opposite side of the counter with my back towards her.

She nods, "I was in Italy for a long time. It was better there. I have always been …" she shakes her head and shoulders as if she's trying to find words, "shuffled around. So I'd spend time all over, and no one actually took to me, so to speak. I learned very quickly how to fend for myself and not cause trouble. I don't know when Renee actually came into the picture, but the family dislikes us both, so it made sense that they would stick us together."

"Is the man with you Renee's husband or …?"

"Angelo?" She asks, raised eyebrows.

I nod.

"No," she laughs. "He's just a babysitter; makes sure we don't get out of line or make any friends. He handles our locations, houses and what not. He's totally sucking up to Michael and the lackey right now."

I stay quiet, thinking this over.

They are pretty much isolated from everyone. The family won't allow for them to leave, but can't kill them either.

"I was just trying to hold out until I turn sixteen. My birthmother left me money. A little bit goes into a bank account every month. It's what I use to go shopping for clothes and stuff, but I've been saving most of it. I figure, when I turn sixteen, I'll at least be able to get around. I can get a license, buy a car," she trails off.

"Escape."

Her blue eyes are on mine, and I understand her completely.

"Where would you go? You're so young."

"Anywhere. Everywhere."

"They'd never stop looking for you."

"I know," she sighs. "But I have to try. Well," she laughs and shakes her head. "Being here pretty much signs my death certificate. Either Michael, or someone in this family will end me," she nods, and frowns. "But you know, I'm okay with it. I'm doing what's right, and I'm not actually living anyway, so what does it matter."

My heart is beating rapidly in my chest. I'm shocked at this girl.

"We aren't going to do anything to you," I say.

She's looking at me again, with confused, bright blue eyes.

"Why wouldn't you? I am putting your family in danger."

"You aren't doing anything. You could have been in the city for months, years, without us ever noticing. Michael Aro deciding he deserves some sort of … retribution is the problem here."

I am leaning against the counter, not breaking eye contact with her.

"That family thinks they are entitled to things that they aren't. Do you know anything about what happened to your mother?" I ask.

She shakes her head no, setting the knife down.

"I knew her, a little. I had done photo shoots for her," I say. "I am pretty sure I still have them on a hard drive if you want to see them."

She nods, her eyes wide and a little glassy.

"At first she was eager; very excited about everything, always happy. Her clothing designs were eccentric and cool … She was exceptionally talented. I went to her, actually, to design my wedding dress."

My mind winds back to that time.

It was scary and confusing. I had just come to grips with marrying Edward, and the wedding was already being planned. It was all so simple in the beginning.

Nodding at Grace to continue with the salad, I clear my throat and remove the chicken from the grill.

"Things were going well until Felix Aro showed up in town. He set a series of events into motion, which ultimately pulled Alice and her secrets into the open.

She was with Felix, in the beginning. I don't exactly remember what she told me, but something happened; someone had been injured; shot or stabbed. Felix took the person along with his crew, back to their apartment, totally surprising Alice.

She learned who and what he was that night and then Felix pretty much cut her off. He wouldn't go home, or talk to her," I wave my hand in the air.

"One evening, she was walking home and she saw Felix having dinner with another woman. It was a breaking point for her, but when she got home, Alec was sitting on the steps waiting for her."

I look over at Grace; she is frowning and shaking her head.

"She entered a contract with the devil at that point. He sent her here, to Chicago, with instructions to get close to our family. She ended up pregnant with you, pissed off a lot of people, and eventually Edward and I got to her."

She wipes away a tear and starts tossing the salad.

"Edward sent her away with instructions and money to stay hidden. We tried to spare you both by getting her out of the line of fire, so to speak. But somehow, she ended up back in Chicago and this time she was with Demetri and Gianna, Matteo's birth parents. I still don't understand why or how she ended up with them; I never asked. Anyhow, she caused a lot of chaos, and we never figured out why. She was playing all of us against each other, turning people against one another, starting rumors and spreading lies to anyone who would listen. I'm sure she was trying to save herself, get herself out, but it was too late.

Then a car bomb went off in front of our home, somehow Gianna held on long enough to give birth to Matteo. Alice went into labor," I pause and take a deep breath. "I delivered you."

Her eyes go wide, and she sways a little.

"Alice, Demetri and Gianna didn't make it that night and you and Matteo were the victims of a horrible vendetta."

I can hear the murmur of the men talking in the living room, but my eyes don't leave Grace.

"Was it her fault that Matteo's parents were killed?"

I shake my head, "I don't know. I know she had been trying to make contact with someone, asking them to help her. Who knows if that is what lead to the bombing. Both families lost a lot by the time it was all said and done."

I move around the kitchen grabbing the ingredients to make the vinaigrette, and start assembling the salads, placing the now sliced chicken over the top.

"Can you take this through that door into the dining room, please?"

I hand her a tray with bowls of extras, and a dish with the vinaigrette.

When she is out of the kitchen, I collapse against the counter. I want to cry, and I feel the anger from that time of our lives bubbling up inside of me.

I am so biased here, my family is my priority, and from my point of view, we are right and justified.

But I had to keep it neutral, I didn't want to speak badly of the mother she never had the chance to meet.

I take a deep breath and make my way into the living room.

"Lunch is ready," I say, quietly.

Matteo is missing, but everyone else nods and moves toward the dining room.

Edward wraps me in his arms, and I place a kiss over his heart.

Grace

I walk into the dining room and look around.

A huge table in a dark wood with white, fabric colored chairs. There is an intricate candelabra- type fixture hanging from the ceiling.

A buffet with the same dark wood sits opposite the windows, with a decorative mirror just behind it reflecting the sunlight from the outside. There is also a fireplace at the end of the room with a family photograph sitting above the mantle.

I place the tray in the middle of the table and make my way over to the fireplace.

The Cullen Family is staring down at me, all with smiles on their faces. The photograph is … lovely. They aren't posed, not really. Mrs. Cullen is sitting on Mr. Cullen's lap; Matteo and Luca are standing next to Mrs. Cullen. Matteo is holding his mother's hand, and Luca has an arm wrapped around Matteo's shoulder. Giuliana and Annabelle are next to Mr. Cullen, Giuliana has her head resting on his head and Annabelle is kneeling, resting against her father's legs. There is a little boy, probably two years old that is sitting on Mr. Cullen's feet, and Mrs. Cullen has her hand in his hair.

They look so happy. They look as if they all love each other.

I'm so jealous that I never had that in my life.

Matteo undoubtedly got the better end of the deal, being born into the Cullen family.

I hear a throat clear, and I turn around to find Matteo standing in the archway on the opposite side of the room.

I wipe my face and look at the ground.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

I shrug, nodding and following him out of the room.

The kitchen is empty when we walk in, and he opens the patio door, allowing me to walk past him.

He gestures toward a bistro chair, and I sit.

He's sitting across from me, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

I don't know what to say. After the story I had just heard, how could he not hate me? My birth mother brought the Aros into his family's life causing a chain of events that left him an orphan before he was even born.

"Look," he says, sighing and sitting back in his chair. "This is … fucked up. I don't actually know what to feel right now. I'm," he takes a deep breath. "I'm really pissed off that you disappeared on me."

I open my mouth, but he holds his hand up.

"I get why you did it, but it doesn't stop me from being angry. And then, to find out that you are a part of that family. That you and I share the same story, but on opposite sides of the game."

"I … your mom told me; the story," I wave my hand between the two of us. "I'd never heard it before. I'm sorry that your parents were killed, I'm sorry that the family took them away from you."

He frowns and looks at the ground. His hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"I'm sorry that you lost your mom," he says, quietly. "I don't know how your life has been, but I lucked out in the parent department. I have siblings that accept me unconditionally, even though ..." He trails off.

He sits forward again, leaning toward me.

"I don't know if I can trust you and it's killing me. Two weeks ago, I would have believed pretty much anything you would have told me, but now," he shakes his head. "There are too many questions, too many variables."

My heart sinks. I knew this was going to happen, but it still hurts.

"For now, let's just … try to be friends, okay? I want you to be safe, and I want to trust you."

I must look like an idiot because I'm utterly shocked by his words.

"What?" I ask, stupidly.

"We have a plan," he waves his hand toward the house. "I'm sure it will be discussed over lunch, but it will mean we have to trust each other. If we bring you into our circle, you can't run again or hide things from us."

"That wasn't what I was expecting," I whisper.

"This whole situation is pretty unexpected."

"Yeah," I say, and look closely at the boy, man, in front of me.

"Really? You're going to help me?"

He nods, and an odd look comes over his face.

"I really like you," he says so quietly, it's almost a whisper. "But I'm not sure how we'll … be, when this is all over … if we can be anything."

"I know," I say, sadly. "But we are going to try, right, friends, at the very least?"

He nods and looks toward the kitchen.

"Let's go have lunch," he stands and holds a hand out to me.

I take his hand, and I can feel the hope bubble in my chest, even though I know it's stupid.

One way or the other, I know in my heart that this is going to end badly for me.

But I'm going to take what I can get from this boy in front of me, even if friendship is all it can be.

I will enjoy the kindness of this family, until everything catches up with me.

a/n: Hi! Happy weekend! For those of you that have children, Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you like this one. Things are moving back to Edward next time. I really appreciate all of the reviews. Thanks so much for the encouragement and interest in the story. I've signed up for two Fandom Gives events. Fandom4LLS and Fandom Gives for disaster relief with Mina Rivera. Please go and and take a look. Any type of help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. :) I also wanted to sign up for Ruggedward but I just didn't have the time to work on it to get it where it needed to be for Fran to do her magic. (sigh). Next time. I am pretty excited to read the stories that are submitted though. Yep...

See you next weekend! Have a lovely week and stop FB to say hello. :)