Twisted Fate

By Twilighter5

SUMMARY:

When Edward is called back to war he leaves Bella and his family again, including his two new born children, Sarah and Jacob. When something happens that once again throws Bella for yet another unexpected life turn will she be able to cope with the twist in her fate? On the side she's falling in love all over again. Will she be able to stay true to Edward or will she go for the new love that her kids are starting to call Daddy?

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ SOLDIER BABY YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE PLOT LINE IN THIS STORY!

Chapter 10 (Yeah! Double Digits!)

Previously:

"Edward!!!!!" I screamed through the fence when I noticed him looking through the crowds. Quickly he ran over the fence and smiled at me.

"I love you Bella." he whispered before closing our distance between us and the fence with a loving kiss.

"CULLEN!"

"I have to go... I love you Isabella Cullen. Remember that always." With that Edward was ripped from my arms, taking my heart with him.

BPOV

Like all things, time moves on. It never stops; never pauses. It breathes and runs laps around those sitting, waiting for the worst to end. For me, I think that this time around is going much easier. So far, it has been four hours since Edward left. Four hours since I was split into two. It's difficult to realize, but for now he's gone. There will always be the aching and longing in my heart when he is away from home, but this time I have Sarah and Jake to keep me together. Maybe, I'll hold on. Maybe we'll get through this—no, we WILL get through this. I will be strong for my children and for my family. I will support them... working my job and being a full time parent. I can do this. I can be the strong support that my children need. An besides—I have my family. They're there for me: Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Esme Carlisle, Mom & Dad. If I ever really needed them they would be there for me through thick and thin. I can do this. Who cares if Edward is in an unknown location with people who wish to kill him. Who cares if he's in constant danger and it's all because of me. Who cares if I don't where he is—if he's safe of buried in the bottom of a shared grave in the desert?

I can't do this... I can't do this at all! I can't raise my children by myself while holding a full time job. I can't support the three of us. With diapers and formula and all the necessities at an all time high, I don't think I'll be able to afford what I need. What if something happens to Edward again? I almost didn't pull through last time he was injured. What if he's injured again or worse... killed? My kids will not be able to grow up without a father. I can't teach my son how to play football, and I cannot just throw that responsibility on my brother in laws. I cannot teach my daughter how to shop or play dress up, or even let them have playmates if I'm working and cannot be home. I never wanted to send my children to an after school program where many kids go because there parents just don't care about them enough to stay home. I understand that many parents are like me, trying to support their family alone without a spouse by their side or both parents are working full time to make ends meet. Nanny's come with expensive price tags, and I never could ask Esme to stay home, pause her life and raise my children for me. Granted, at least I have a job—but, being a third grade teacher in this tiny town of forks wont really help the income crisis much. Maybe it will help me get by, but it wont be enough on its own to pay for the mortgage and the car insurance and any other bills that creep their way into my mail box.

I looked over at my kids, laying and sleeping in their car seats in front of me. So peaceful. So innocent. So un-affected by the craziness going around them. Jacob, looking like Edward today, lay there still. Sarah, who apparently looks like me, although I don't see it at all, stuck her fingers in her mouth and sucked. If only I could be as carefree as them. If only I could sleep all day and not have to work or cook or clean. Just stare at people in the room and make their hearts melt with your father's crooked smile. I didn't realize I was crying until I couldn't see my twins clearly anymore. I managed to get myself all worked up over this. I promised that this time would be better. I promised that this time would be simpler. I though I would be able to do this on my own, but I don't think that that is any bit a possibility anymore. Within minutes, I was in the Volvo, driving up the familiar path once again to Esme. Why do I always find myself running back to her in tears that her son creates? Why do I bother running when I know that it will always hurt. It's like when you break a bone and your mother tells you to ice it. When you ice the break, you feel like you're beginning to mend, but the minute you take the ice off and begin to move, you remember the searing pain that only comes back to haunt you. That's what it's like to be broken—broken in the heart. It's besides me how my entire family can hold themselves together. I wish that I was as strong as them. Maybe it's because I have no willpower. When we were younger Edward would always tease me when I would give up when he won. He would laugh and play, singing about how I was a baby and had no will-power. You'd think being the police chief's daughter that I'd be raised tougher. I was brought up around crime and death, constantly hearing about various shootings and robberies around the state of Washington. We live only a short distance from Seattle, so I'm accustomed to hearing stories about murder victims on the news every morning, so why am I here, crying and driving my car up the all too familiar path?

By the time that I pulled up to the Cullen house, I was drowning in my own tears. In the back, my children continued to babble and talk—completely oblivious to the chaos around them. They don't understand that Mommy is falling apart at the seams and it's all because Daddy had to prove that he loved me by saving me.

"Hey baby," I cooed, picking up Jacob's car seat from the back of the car.

"Hey Princess," I said, doing the same with Sarah. This time when I walked up the porch, I didn't even bother to ring the doorbell. I walked right in. The most noticeable thing in the house was the profound silence. It rang throughout the house just as a church bell would during Christmas mass.

"Mom? Dad?" I called walking towards the kitchen where I saw that the light was on and radiating through the halls.

"I don't know how she's going to do it." I heard someone whisper. Their shaking voice gave away the sadness in their tone.

"Hello?" I said as I walked into the kitchen. It smelled like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies... the way that Esme's kitchen always felt warm and welcoming.

"Hello dear." Esme stated looking at me. Her eyes were rimmed with red and she looked like she's been through hell. I didn't notice that there were others in the room until Rosalie came and took both the car seats from me and placed them on the table. With one glace at all my friends and family sitting around the kitchen tables, burrowed in despair, I lost it, holding onto the counter and just letting all my emotions loose. I hate that every time I'm the first one to lose their cool, but I know what they were all thinking and it just set me off. I can't hold it in any longer. Soon, everyone was crying along with me and we just stayed that way for minutes.

"Mom, I'm scared." I whispered looking up.

"I know honey. I know. We all are." she replied, wrapping her motherly arms protectively around me. We all calmed down, although I would let loose a racked sob every few minutes. I didn't realize that my family was so deeply affected by my husband as well.

"Why'd he leave me?" I suddenly asked. "He promised he would never go back. He PROMISED mom, he never lied to me ever." I said, starting another round of rough tears. This time not of sadness or love, but of anger.

"Last Christmas he promised. Remember?"

"You guys know that I have to go back, it's my job..." he whispered. Everyone froze and Esme began to cry.

"But..." Alice whispered.

"So many people have been injured over seas guys. They can't send everyone that gets hurt home.... honestly if I could I would do everything in my power to stay... but I can't...." Everyone looked at him as if he was insane. They were all hurt and upset, and overall confused. Suddenly a small high pitched sob escaped from between my lips. I opened and closed my mouth trying to find words that weren't there. I wrapped my arms around his neck and just hung on for dear life

"Please do-do-don't go." I cried. He pulled me into his lap and started to rub soothing circles into my palm. That began to calm me down a bit.

"I'm not going anywhere love... I promise I'm staying right here." He said. I looked at him through puffy eyes. What was he talking about?

"I was kidding guys. I'm here for good and I'm never going back." he exclaimed. I launched myself at him and kissed him long and hard. Everyone smiled knowing that we were once again a complete clan—one big family.

"Bella, dear, it's his job. It's his duty to protect his country. Everything happens for a reason. I want you to remember that Bella. We'll be behind you a hundred percent the entire way. I promise. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we'll be there."

"I know, it's just I don't want to ask too much of you guys. You all have been able to make it through your lives without much support and I don't want to be the charity case of the family."

"You're not the 'charity case' Bella, you're family—it's what we do for each other." Emmett said flatly.

"Yeah, but you all have your own lives to run; it's not up to make sure that I have my life on track. If anything, I should be able to survive on my own, you know?"

"Bella, how much money do you make per payday?" Carlisle asked me.

"That's irrelevant to the conversation! I can take care of both the twins and myself perectly fine without support of other money." I said back, ignoring Carlisle.

"Bella, it's not irreverent! Do you know how much money formula and diapers and basics cost me and Emmett throughout the first year? And that was only Tyler—multiply that by two and you have a mess of numbers on your hands!" Rosalie countered. Everyone was gaining up on me and I knew it.

"I know, but I get money from Edward's service and I get money from working! I can cover the costs—I'll just cut back on some things that I don't really need." I said back.

"Like what Bella, food? Milk? Heat? Water? What can you really cut back on? You and Edward have always been very conservative people, even before the twins. You both are very short on spending money on things you don't need, so what you have now you really do need," Jasper stated.

"Really? Do I need HDTV? What about high-speed internet? I have twin seven month olds, not teenagers. The only one watching and using those services is me, and I'm going to be barely home enough to use them to their full potential!" I yelled getting frustrated now.

"I have a major question dear, what are you going to do with the twins when you're at work? Daycare gets quite expensive." Esme said soothingly, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know. I was thinking of putting them in daycare. I really don't know. " I cried dropping my head in my hands.

"Bella, let us help you. It's the least we can do. We're family—we're here for you." Suddenly I saw Carlisle digging through drawers in the kitchen before pulling out a leather book and a black pen.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping." He said easily, filling out a check on the counter. With the swift movement of his hand, his name was signed and the piece of paper was passed to me.

Isabella M. Cullen

Amount: One-thousand dollars

$1000.00

Carlisle Cullen, M.D.

"Carlisle, I can't accept this." I said thrusting the paper back at him.

"Nope, I want nothing to do with that check. Bella, that's for you and the twins. Actually, it's for the twins. I want to make sure that my grandchildren get the things they need when they need them. So, just save the check for if you need it. If you don't then great, but keep it with you in case you're running low on cash."

"Bella, why don't you go get some rest—it's been a long day. Edward's room in all made up and the two basinets are still in there from last time. Night."

"Night, and thanks."

"No problem" they all muttered as I walked up the stairs with the twins. One-Thousand dollars... I can't take that... I just cant.

EsmePOV

"We need to do something. She's stubborn and she isn't going to cash that check if her life depended on it—you've all known her forever." I said quietly trying to think of ways to help the poor girl.

"I don't know what we could do, but we need to help. She's not going to make it through the month if she keeps buying what she does." Alice said thinking. Suddenly something clicked.

"Does everyone have one of Bella and Edward's house keys?" I asked slyly. Everyone nodded yes, interested.

"Bella, being Bella, will only go shopping when she's running low on certain things. Now, if every once and a while we come and like, bring her some milk and eggs and stuff she won't really care. But, the thing is, I think that we can all help with the baby situation." I said.

"What are you getting at mom?" Emmett asked genuinely interested.

"I'm saying, every once and a while we can all pitch in to help Bella. Maybe one week one of us could pick up a couple cans of formula or a pack of diapers for the twins and put it in Bella's house when she's at work. She wont notice... if you just re-fill the diaper bin and stuff like that it would seem normal."

"That's a good idea; We'll be helping her without her knowing that we're helping her." Rose said.

"I know how expensive the baby business can be, so if we can help out in any way possible, the that's a plus for us. She'll send the kids to day care and then the costs for other things will be cut down because she wont run out of diapers and formula as fast or never."

"Yea, I think we should. I'll come up with a schedule and stuff and e-mail it to all of you guys. You can trade off and what not if you must, but try to keep it organized?" I asked looking over my children. As a mother it is in my power to help my "daughter" when she needs it most and that is exactly what I intend to do.

**Besides reading, I love to sing and play the guitar. I've never played for anyone else though so I doubt that I'm good.***