Chapter 10: Family History
Bella remained silent. Emma was her parent's daughter? It didn't make sense.
"Is that why you came here," Emma asked. "You found out about me so you decided to come and check me out for yourself?"
"I don't even know what you're talking about," said Bella.
"You expect me to believe that? My last name is Swan and I just found out yours is too or at least it was before you got married."
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence."
"Come on, we both know there's no such thing."
Bella knew Emma was right. It seemed that nothing could be chalked up to coincidence. She had known that the moment she met Edward. Her moving to Forks wasn't an accident. Looking back, Bella saw it as fate. Maybe this was part of that, she couldn't be sure but she did know that there were no coincidences. Not when it came to a world of fantasy and magic.
"I really don't know what's going on Emma I swear."
Emma studied the woman for a moment. Though she was able to pick up on when a person was lying it was different with the Cullen's since they had gotten down lying perfectly. There were no tell-tale signs that a normal person would get when someone lied. Still Emma thought there was a glimpse in Bella's eyes that were telling the truth.
"You don't do you?" asked Emma. "You never found out."
"No, she didn't," Edward said from the back door. He was standing with Jacob and Renesmee.
"Edward," Bella said.
He looked to his friend, "Jacob, take Renesmee into town."
Jacob could sense the tension in the room.
"Come on Ness, mom and dad need to talk."
Edward shook his head, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"
Jacob just smirked and looked at Renesmee, "What do you say to some ice cream and then we'll hit the bookstore."
"But I don't need any new books," Renesmee replied.
"You don't but I do if I'm gonna keep up with you."
The adults remained silent as Jacob and Renesmee went through front door leaving the three of them.
"You know," Emma said sharply at Edward, "You know the truth."
"Edward," said Bella, "What's she talking about? What's going on?"
"I was just trying to protect you," he said to his wife. "You love your parents and I didn't want to ruin that."
"How would you ruin it?"
"By telling you the truth," he said. "For what it's worth it's not that I didn't want to, it just wasn't my story."
"Quit stalling," said Bella. "What's going on?"
"Emma's telling you the truth," said Edward.
Bella looked at Emma. "How is this even possible?"
"I'll get you a drink," Edward said to Emma. Before Emma could request what she wanted Edward answered, "MacCutcheon whiskey, got it," he said with a smile.
The two women walked to the study and took a seat across from each other.
"So how do you know Charlie," Bella asked.
"He adopted me, him and Renee."
Edward came back with Emma's drink.
"Thanks," she said to him. As he took a seat next to his wife she took a sip. "I'd only been in the foster system for a month after I was found on the freeway. That's when Charlie and Renee came."
"They'd only been married for a week," said Edward. "They were on their honeymoon in Maine when they heard Emma's story. It was still fresh in everyone's mind since they were still trying to locate the family. You know Renee. She'd save a dying cactus if she could."
"I think she did that once," said Bella.
She was starting to doubt her mother though and Charlie. Hearing Emma's story for the first time, she didn't know her parents at all.
Emma continued, "So she came running."
"But you didn't stay," said Bella. "I don't get it, why?"
Emma took another sip and swallowed letting the burn run down her throat. She knew she was in too deep and most likely Edward would tell Bella so she had to say it. She took another sip.
"Because of you," said Emma. "They sent me back to the foster home when I was three when Renee found out she was pregnant with you."
Bella's heart sank. For years she had accepted her parents, had loved them. She had come to distance herself from Renee for obvious reasons and Charlie had only known a few details of her new life but not the specifics. She had never imagined that the stories of her parent's pasts had all been lies. She had never considered them to have deep secrets of their own, not like this anyways.
Bella turned to Edward, "And this whole time you knew? Not since you met Emma but since you first moved to Forks and came across my father."
"Longer than that actually," said Edward.
"Longer," Bella repeated.
"Well I am slightly over a hundred years old. Let's just say Forks wasn't the only time I came across Charlie and Renee."
"Of course not," said Bella. "How could you not tell me?" she asked feeling betrayed even though it wasn't his story to tell.
"I wanted to but I couldn't."
Bella looked at him, "You couldn't? I'm your wife, you should have told me."
"Bella, I-,"
She looked away, "You should go find Renesmee. Make sure Jacob's not getting himself into trouble."
Edward only nodded and did as she asked. He excused himself from the room.
What she wouldn't give to have a drink right now. Bella thought back to the hazy memories of her human life. The only time she'd ever had a drink was a glass of wine when she was fifteen. It was her mother's idea, her way of getting it out of her daughter's system. She hadn't even had alcohol during her wedding.
Bella stood up and went to the large window that overlooked the woods. She envied Emma for being able to drown in a glass to help ease her nerves.
Maybe a hunting trip would be good later. The Canadian border wasn't that far, maybe a fight with a grizzly would do her some good. It would be easy for her to take it down but she would take it easy on him- "let the wookie win" so to speak and then after it got tired or about to give up she would go in for the kill. Bella agreed to her plan.
Emma looked down feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry, I really thought you knew."
Bella cleared her throat. "How did…how did you find out?"
"Regina," Emma admitted.
"Regina knows?"
Emma stood up and walked to the window keeping her distance. "With Henry being the exception, she hates my family and she hates outsiders. Does it really surprise you that she looked into yours?"
"No I guess not. We should have seen this coming. We've been so content at living our lives that we've let our guard down. Edward should have been able to read her."
Bella thought for a moment. Now that she really allowed herself to think, Edward hadn't been able to read Regina or Gold for that matter. She promised to look into it.
"For what it's worth," said Emma, "I don't think anyone can read Regina. She always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else."
That didn't make Bella feel better. They were vampires. They were always ahead of everyone else. Maybe if Alice had had been here she could have foreseen it. She hadn't talked to her sister in over a week, the whole family even. The Cullen's in the west had been giving the Cullen's in the east some space to live their separate lives for a while.
They were vampires sure but then Regina had magic and so did Gold. They weren't exactly two worlds that collided unless you counted Dr. Frankenstein who wasn't from the Enchanted Forest at all.
"This must be hard on you too," Bella said.
It had only taken her less than a second to think so Emma wasn't left waiting.
"We both got screwed didn't we? Your parents lied to you and they abandoned me." Emma shrugged. "I know I was just a toddler but still."
Bella looked at Emma and gave her a sympathetic smile. "You mattered to them. They did give you a home for three years when you didn't have one and they mattered to you too otherwise you would have changed the 'Swan' name the second you got the chance."
"Yeah I guess."
"So what happens now?"
"I don't know," Emma said looking out the window. It was starting to get dark. "But regardless of how we feel about the situation or each other we are sisters."
Bella looked at Emma, "Sisters?"
Emma shrugged and slightly smiled, "Well I was a Swan before you were born so technically-."
Sisters. That was weird for the both of them. Just saying it out loud was strange let alone thinking the word.
Emma had hated the life she led. Most of it had not been by choice until she was old enough to make her own decisions so for the first fourteen years it had mostly been circumstance. She remembered Charlie and Renee and remembered being excited that Renee was pregnant and then she remembered hating them for years even recently. One of her first thoughts after being sent back into the system was that if they didn't want her no one would and she had been right until she met Neal but even that was short lived for a time until he came back. The only people that had ever wanted her was Henry and Mary Margaret, David too once the curse broke.
But she never forgot. She had read some of the books, how the first three years of a child's life were crucial. She believed that to be true.
She glanced at Bella. She wanted to hate her. Hate her for being the child Charlie and Renee had traded in for even though she was theirs biologically however she couldn't. Bella was just as much a victim in this mixed up game as she was. She had been lied to and had no clue as to who her parents really were.
It was strange for Bella too. All her life she had grown up thinking she was an only child. And though Emma wasn't related biologically, Bella knew for a fact, having become part of the Cullen's and even Jacob's family that biology didn't matter. There had been a time when her parents, feeling like strangers now, had adopted Emma, not just fostered her but actually adopted her, took care of her, gave her the Swan family name. Emma was family.
"We'll figure this out," Emma said breaking the silence.
"Yeah, it's not just about us. Henry and Renesmee are practically joined at the hip."
Emma let out a small laugh, "Who knew all this time they were actually cousins." She looked at Bella. "So how exactly does that work anyways? I mean she's not really ten, I know that unless you had her when you were what, eight?"
Bella laughed, "I had her when I was eighteen, when I was still human. She had a rapid growth rate at the beginning but then it slowed to a normal human speed so she's the size of a ten year old. It's why Edward and I say we're twenty-eight."
Emma nodded. "Makes sense I guess. Hell I'm the same age as my parents so normal timing kind of gets thrown out. Henry's going to love eating this one up that's for sure."
"Renesmee too."
Emma swirled her now empty cup. It was pitch black outside.
"I should probably go. This took longer than I thought."
"I'll walk you out."
Which Bella did.
They both stood at the open door, both thankful for the fresh air.
"So," said Emma, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure if that's what you want?"
Emma took a deep breath. "This isn't easy that's for sure, it's not our fault so I'm willing to work something out."
"Me too," Bella answered.
Emma let out a small smile and nodded as she reached for the keys to her yellow bug.
Bella watched as Emma got in her car and drove off, taking a much needed though unnecessary breath.
"You can come out now," she said to the boys and Renesmee.
They emerged from the woods.
"Well that was interesting," Jacob said holding a sleeping Renesmee in his arms.
Edward walked toward his wife and took her by the waist.
"You okay?"
Bella just nodded.
"I'll give you two a minute," said Jacob, "And put Ness to bed."
Neither Edward nor Bella said anything. They just waited until Jacob made his way inside and waited a little longer till he was upstairs.
Bella held Edward by the shirt.
"I'm still mad at you," she said to him.
"I figured as much. What can I do to make it up to you?"
"You can start by not lying to me ever even if you're trying to protect me. I can handle things. I'm not some damsel you have to rescue anymore."
Edward smiled, "I can do that. Anything else?"
Bella brought Edward down so she could whisper in his ear. He laughed.
"Well then Mrs. Cullen, it's a good thing I thought to buy that second house. Looks like we're going to need it." Edward tilted his head. Sure enough Jacob was snoring. "All the kids are asleep." He took her hand. "Shall we?"
Bella took Edward's hand and they raced through the forest to their second home, her face off with the grizzly almost forgotten. Tomorrow she, Emma, and their families would sort things out but tonight it belonged to them.
~END~
