A/N: I do not own Twilight

Adjournment

Chapter 10: Getting to Know You

"Isabella Marie Cullen. Bella. My name is Bella Cullen." She kept repeating the name to herself trying to get used to it. With a good night of sleep had come the beginning of the acceptance of her parents. Her real parents. She had a family. An older sister and a twin. The thought made her smile a little.

Of course Johnny would always be her brother, blood related or not, but now she had the reality of normal parents. Well, maybe not completely normal. Esme was a talented surgeon and Carlisle was a federal agent. Director of the agency. Surreal or not, this was her life.

"You look better this morning." Esme peeked into the room, unsure of her welcome.

"I feel better this morning. Please, come in." A small grin enhanced her features. "I wanted to apologize for my outburst yesterday evening. I'm so sorry that you were the person I took my frustration out on. Do you think we can start over?"

Esme immediately felt as if a large weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Of course, "Esme reached out to shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Esme Cullen."

"Bella Cullen, apparently." She grinned with a roll of her eyes. "I don't know if I can call you guys Mom and Dad just yet. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You can call me anything you like. Esme would be fine. Maybe one day – I can be 'Mom'."

"She's really dead, huh?"

"Victoria? Yes." Esme confirmed.

"I don't really know how to feel about that. I mean, she wasn't the best mother figure, but she never hurt us or anything. That night, when Sebastian shot her, I just couldn't believe what was happening."

"Don't worry about Jamison. Your father will take care of him – keep you safe." Esme promised.

"How long has he – Carlisle been a federal agent?"

"Twenty-one years next month."

"So he's always been one of the good guys?"

"Always. Carlisle was a Navy SEAL before joining the agency. He wants to help people. You won't meet a more compassionate human being than my husband." She assured her daughter.

"Did...how long...why...?" Bella seemed to stumble over her words.

"We looked for you every day. Sometimes it may have been more intense than others. When you first went missing, it was days before your father slept. Weeks before he went back to work. The only lead we had was Victoria and she seemed to drop off of the planet."

"I'm sorry."

Esme chuckled, "Why are you sorry? Please don't feel badly for asking questions. I will answer anything you want to know. Any story you want to hear, I will share. There are things that I can't answer just yet. Things about Victoria and Jamison. But any knowledge I have is yours."

"What made you decide to become a surgeon?"

"Your grandfather was a doctor. I watched him go to work every day and he loved making people better. When I was seven, my best friend fell out of my tree house and broke her arm. I was there when he put the cast on. He was my hero, my Dad. I wanted to be just like him."

"How long ago did he die?"

"The spring after I graduated from medical school. He had a massive heart attack. There was nothing his doctors could do to save him. He was at the hospital when it happened." Esme took a moment to really study the young woman before her. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" At Bella's nod, she continued, "Last night you were so angry and determined that we were lying to you about who you really are. What changed?"

She seemed to carefully consider her words before answering. "My entire life, I've always felt like I really didn't fit – anywhere. Not really. I knew something was not right with Sebastian. We couldn't go to school, have friends. Truthfully, I think he was training me to become some sort of enforcer for his business. Johnny reminded me of how miserable we were. He said you were good people. And I'm hoping that since I didn't fit there, maybe I will fit – with your family."

"You are part of our family, my Bella. We already love you. But we will take this at your pace. I do have to warn you though, Alice can be a little enthusiastic. Are you sure that you're okay with this? Being Isabella. Our Bella. We could still call you Angela if you would like."

"That's sweet of you to offer, but Angela never really fit. Johnny started calling me Angel as soon as he could speak, and it sort of stuck. I think a new start is needed and with it a new name – the name my parents gave me." She smiled. "So, how long of a recovery period am I looking at here?"

Esme began examining the incision site, "I think you can start moving around a little starting today. You are looking at a couple of weeks until you start getting back to normal physically."

"So no running marathons right away?"

"Not right away. How about trying a short trip to the bathroom to shower and then we'll take it from there?"

"Deal." Bella grinned.

"Just be mentally preparing yourself. Rose and Alice will want to ask you a million questions before Carlisle kicks them out later today. Stand firm and rest when you need to." Esme advised.

Bella felt a warm sensation flow through her body at the statement. This is what it's like to be mothered. She liked it.

***adjournment***

"Do you know why your brother is an idiot?"

Emmett looked over at the short, dark-haired girl as if she had completely lost her mind. "There are many reasons. The first time I noticed that Edward was less than sane would have been the time when he pulled a bookshelf over onto himself. He was three years old and trying to reach a book. Three years old! Three year olds should be playing with toy cars, but not my little brother. The second time-"

"I mean in this instance." Alice snapped. "Rosalie, do you know why your boyfriend is such an idiot?"

"Lighten up Alice. Things are tense enough around here as it is. I don't think Mom has ever been this uptight about anything." Rosalie sighed.

"Edward needs to let it go." Alice stated.

"Truer words have never been spoken. I really thought that when Mom died and we cut ties with Dad that he would move on. Instead of letting go, he's just been angry." Emmett confirmed. "I know that things didn't go down the way that Dad said the night that Mom died. We both knew it when it happened. I really thought that Edward would try to put it behind him, you know? Instead, it's just been eating away at him for years."

"How did you deal with it, Em?" Rose questioned.

"For me it wasn't such a big deal, I mean with Dad. He was never really there when we were growing up. It was almost like Mom was a single parent most of the time. Of course there were a few happy memories, from when we were little, but I'm telling you he wasn't there for a single holiday or event after I turned twelve. Of course I miss my Mom. She was the sweetest lady and she always made a bad day better. After she died, it was easy to separate from Senior. He was a stranger to us anyway."

"Edward won't let go. Why?" Alice prompted.

"Mom encouraged him in everything. She's the one he always looked to for approval and when she was gone, I think he felt a little lost. For him I think it wasn't as easy to kick Dad out of our lives as he would have you think. He would never admit this to anyone, but I really think that Edward believed that if he did everything right, he could make Dad proud too. I think that's why he followed me into the agency."

"So, Edward became a federal agent seeking Daddy's approval," Rosalie confirmed. "Why did you become a federal agent?"

"Me? Sweetheart, I just like to carry a gun, drive fast cars -" Emmett started but was interrupted by his boss.

"And do mountains of paperwork, right Masen?" Carlisle raised a dangerous eyebrow in Emmett's direction.

"Yes, sir. Love the paperwork sir."

"I'm sure you do and I will be more than happy to arrange more torture for you when you are back in the office. However, your current assignment is a protection detail for Johnathan and Bella. Esme will be staying here with you for two weeks and then we will move them to another location. I know what the two of you are going to say and for now, I need you both back at home. We need to keep the illusion of normal as much as possible. I don't want Jamison to suspect we know where they are."

Rosalie nodded, but Alice appeared mutinous. Before she could argue Carlisle continued, "Two weeks. I promise to get you quality time with your sister soon. Right now her safety is more important."

"Has Jamison been picked up yet on murder charges?" Emmett questioned.

"The warrant has been issued for his arrest but Jamison himself has yet to be located. Hopefully we take him down soon and then your sister can come home." The last statement had been directed at Alice and Rose.

"Emmett, Edward is waiting for you in the library. The two of you should discuss funeral arrangements for your father. We can wait at least the two weeks you are on protection detail. Or if you need to take time now, I can get two more agents here to watch over them. It's just that I trust you both implicitly."

"No need for that boss. You know how I felt about the old man. I'm sure waiting is the best thing for everyone right now. I do need to kick my little brother's ass for ditching us to go back to Seattle yesterday though."

Carlisle smile was a touch sad when he replied, "I think he needed to be there last night. Don't be too hard on him. We all have a tendency to seek our parents approval no matter how old we are or how angry we are at them."

"Do we have anything on the shooter. I know he had enemies, but do we know who shot my father?"

"Security cameras didn't catch anything at the time of the attack. I do have a meeting with an expert on snipers at the office first thing tomorrow."

"Anybody I know?"

"Alice seems to know him really well. I asked for an expert in the field and he came highly recommended. Jasper Whitlock."

"I'm sorry I will miss that particular meeting and I'm never sorry to miss a meeting." Emmett laughed but it turned into a sigh. "Right. Time to check on Edward."

***adjournment***

"Boss." Felix acknowledged as he stepped into a private room at the back of the small Italian restaurant.

Jamison had just finished a plate of carbonara and was pouring another glass of wine as Felix sat down at the table with him. "Tell me you have found them."

"There's nothing, boss. No trace of either one. I have Alec checking the morgue twice a day for the girl's body. There's no way she survived without medical attention and she has not been to any hospital or medical facility within a hundred miles of the city. Johnathan's car and both of their cell phones were recovered, all wiped clean. We haven't been able to recover anything."

"Felix, we have known each other for many years. I have complete faith in your loyalty to me." Jamison gave his most charming smile, "However, if you don't bring me either those kids or their bodies within forty-eight hours, I will turn you as a corpse instead," He promised.

"Yes, sir." Felix turned to leave.

"And just as an added incentive, I will be keeping you sister company until your time is up."