I do not own twilight – Stephenie Meyer does!

Okay, this is a pretty long chapter for me and it was truly an absolute surprise to me. I actually had different plans for everyone, but my plot basically vanished as soon as my fingers touched the keyboard.

Strange how these things happen. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Bella's POV

I woke to harsh whispers, not at all disorientated. I kept my eyes closed, listening to my kidnappers talk.

"I don't think we should kill her," the man announced. "She is young, and harmless. Threatening to hurt her little Edward is all that would keep her at bay."

A short silence, and then, "It's risky, James!" The female cried.

James sounded tired, irritated. "Go talk to your little Edward, Victoria, make him fall in love with you. Whatever." He said and I bit back an agonized cry. What had I gotten my poor beloved into this time? "I am exasperated with your childish games, and I have better things to do than tease the Cullen boy. Be gone with yuh."

There was another silence, this time long and then a slap.

"You filthy rich bastard!" Victoria screamed. "You said you'd help me!"

There was a low chuckle and a gunshot, "See that hole in the wall this state of the art gun caused, Victoria? Yes, you do?" James murmured. "Be gone, or ye're Edward will have no bride at all."

Silence. Again. And then, "You wouldn't do that to me, brother."
BROTHER?!!

Hold on, WHAT?

I'm sorry; I think I'm in the wrong place. I didn't sign up for this family reunion.

There was a grunt and a muffled cry, "Do not call me your brother. I am not your brother. You are not my sister. I think mama decided a long time ago that you are not her daughter, dear. So, therefore, one more sly comment and ye will get what ye deserve." James threatened. "You said I am cruel. You kidnapped a girl, who is clearly harmless and innocent, because you were jealous of her. Pathetic!"

"You wouldn't dare end my life, James."

A gunshot burned my ears and my eyes flew open in shock and … relief?

I was relieved that somebody had been murdered. How pleasant.

But, it was my murderer, after all. So surely I could be let off, right?

Blood stained my silk baby pink dress that Alice had put on me the morning when Mother had come and I'd shoved on for bed that dreadful night.

I didn't care, though. Because, right at that moment, the door was practically blown off its hinges and Edward, Emmett and Jasper flew into the room.

Edward took one look at the gun, his face crumbled as he surveyed my dress and the blood spread across it, and he produced a gun from his belt, pressing it roughly to James' head. He was seemingly oblivious to Victoria.

I saw Edward's fingers draw back, and somehow summoned the strength to push myself off the floor, and threw myself at him.

The bullet pierced the wall in front of us, just half an inch from James' head. I sighed in relief.

Edward jumped up, I fell off him in surprise.

"What's wrong with you, Bella?!" He cried. "Have they drugged you? Why didn't you let me kill him?"

James stared at me, his eyes questioning and – grateful, extremely grateful.

"He was going to let me go, Edward," I said quietly. "That blood – it doesn't belong to me, it's not mine, it's Victoria's." I motioned to her pale, motionless corpse, splayed across the stone floor. "She was going to kill me."

James stared at me for a long, long time. So long that I began to wonder whether the bullet actually had hit him.

But then, he said the most shocking thing I have ever and probably will ever hear.

"I've missed you so much, my daughter."

I flew back against the wall in surprise and my hands dug into the gravel as I analysed his soft brown eyes, and pale, slightly translucent skin…

This really was a family reunion. And I still hadn't signed up for it.

"What?" Was all I managed to say. "What about Charlie?"

He laughed without humour, "Are joking me? That was that idiots cover name. My real name is Charlie, James is just my cover name." He glanced out the window. "He stole you from me, they told you that bastard died from that disease, but I killed him."

"But- my mother? How could he steal me from you…?"

I was completely and utterly lost.

"Renee, oh yes, dear, dear Renee," he said longingly. "I went out to work one day, when I got back they said that you'd moved to Chicago. That man pretended to be me. Renee bought it, and you weren't even alive to say anything."

He shuddered, "Renee was still pregnant with you, you know," he said quietly. "She uncovered her heart, her soul, her body to that man."

"What was his name?" I whispered.

He shrugged, "James."

I threw myself across the unbearably far feet in between us and collapsed into his arms. We stayed like that for a log time.

Rose and Alice walked in slowly, silently. Rose's face was sombre, she wept tears, tears of sorrow, but it was clear that they were not for me. Alice's face was calm, content.

They did not hug me. They did not do anything. They just stared at me.

Alice turned to Edward, and he stared into her eyes, tears brimming in his own, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She nodded, "Don't worry, it's not your fault," she said and then smiled softly. "It was time for her, if she didn't go then, it would have been in the next week. She had influenza, but didn't want to tell us."

I stared at Alice and Rose, their unmoving forms and comprehension dawned on me sharply. I didn't want to face it, but it was practically thrown in my face.

I fell to my knees with a cry.

Astonishing, I win one parent just to lose another.

Edward walked slowly to me, "Its okay, Bella," he whispered to me, his head bowed and he fell to his knees next to me.

"No, it's not okay, Edward!" I cried, my voice breaking with each syllable. "You don't know, you just don't know."

Edward's tears fell onto my cheeks as he lifted my chin with a large, gentle hand, "I do know, Bella." He whispered, his voice breaking.

And then I remembered.

Of course he knew. And that just made me feel even worse.

But he cried tears, and they were not for his past. They were for me, for my pain.

I saw it so clear now. Like somebody had just replaced the murky water I'd been squinting into with crystal clear liquid.

So I cried tears, too, but all the time, even as Edward bundled me up and took me to the carriage, I was comforted.

Even as we went into Edward's room instead of mine, and I began to kiss him hungrily, I was calmed and content.

I did not even lose my relaxation as Edward's strong hands tugged off my baby pink dress and I kicked off my shoes.

I understood him. I understood Edward, my lover, my life.

And then, as we came together and cried together, I remained content.

Because the tears that fell from Edward's emerald eyes and splashed my face, mixing with my own, were tears that heal.

Now, only the epilogue to go! I'm sorry, I know this chapter is sorta kinda confusing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to review or PM me.