Authors note; beta'd by Frannie. Remaining errors mine.
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The meeting between Charles Swan and his long-lost daughter was planned for the following day. Charles had been adamant that he see her as soon as possible, even though Edward had cautioned him to wait at least until the following day, feeling he should prepare Bella for the shock of seeing her father again. Finally, Charles had relented and agreed to wait until the following morning.
Bella had spent the rest of her day with Esme, and rather than making her feel inferior, Esme had gone out of her way to make Bella feel comfortable with her. Carlisle had been charming and tried his best to put the girl his son was infatuated with at ease, he even made her laugh several times. They had had lunch on the decking overlooking the lake, the gorgeous day had beckoned them outdoors with soft, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. Josh had joined them after his lessons to run around on the lawn playing with his new toys.
Edward had been curiously absent after breakfast, and Bella had missed him dreadfully. Each time the door opened, she turned expectantly, only to be disappointed.
Esme took notice of these small signs that this young woman was more than a little in love with Edward, not that she could blame her. Edward had inherited his father's charm and good looks, and God knew just how susceptible Esme herself had been to him when she had been not much older than Bella.
Edward eventually appeared towards dinner time, his face strained.
He took Bella with him to his study and explained to her what had happened with her father. Bella was silent as she digested what Edward told her, her face ashen, her eyes dark with painful memories and something which looked like hope.
Her father was not only alive, but he wanted her.
He wanted to see her.
Memories flashed through her mind, of things she had forgotten.
A tall man with dark hair, warm brown eyes, and a gentle smile. Loving arms around her, safety.
Daddy.
Suddenly Bella found herself enveloped in Edward's arms, her face against his chest, it was only then that she realised she was crying.
Edward held her, stroking her long hair, his lips against her forehead. He simply breathed her in while she sobbed out all her pent-up emotions.
Eventually, the tears stopped, and Bella reached up to kiss Edward, taking comfort from him. Her soft lips touched his, it was innocent at first and then it wasn't, as they both deepened the kiss at the same moment.
Edward turned Bella around until she was pressed up against his desk before lifting her onto the shiny surface. Soon she was wrapped around him, her arms around his neck and her supple thighs around his hips. Bella was trying to lose herself in their kiss, pleasurable sensations replacing fear and uncertainty. Edward held her impossibly close, her arms around his neck until there was no space between them.
They were oblivious to the world until there was a polite knock on the door, which broke them apart guiltily.
"Yes?" Edward called out more harshly than he'd intended.
"Dinner is almost ready." Mrs Potts declared through the door.
"We'll be right there."
Bella sighed but didn't jump away from Edward as she usually did; instead, she pulled his face down to hers again.
She kissed him until he groaned.
"I think we had better go to dinner," Edward told her with a smile, as he raked an unsteady hand through his unruly hair.
"What time will my...father be here tomorrow?" Bella asked, her voice trembling slightly as she pushed away from Edward's desk and took his outstretched hand.
"First thing in the morning, I think, he wasn't really happy to wait until then. He would have come tonight if I'd let him. But I wanted to tell you first to prepare you."
Bella shook her head, disbelievingly, "I can't believe he is alive, Edward. For so long, I thought I was alone with just Aro for family. I thought Charles was dead, this all feels so strange. Like I'm going to wake up and it will have been a dream."
Edward lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers lingeringly, causing her heart to miss a beat.
"You deserve this, Bella, you deserve to find your family."
She smiled at him shyly. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you. You saved me."
Edward grinned at her. "I hit you with a car! I don't think you have to thank me, Bella." He said teasingly.
Bella smiled at him sweetly. "That doesn't change the fact that you saved me, Edward. If you hadn't hit me, I would never have met you and if it wasn't for you rescuing Josh and I, we'd still be in that disgusting place, with Aro."
They went to the dining room together, and just as they were about to enter, Bella tried to withdraw her hand from Edward's.
Edward didn't let her.
She gaped at him in shock, her belly doing nervous flips as he calmly took her with him into the brightly lit room, their hands clasped, fingers intertwined. It was too late to tug her hand away and not make a scene.
Esme and Carlisle immediately noticed their son holding Bella's hand but said nothing as they all sat down to eat.
Carlisle helped Esme to sit, holding her chair out for her and Edward did the same for Bella.
Esme hid a smile at Bella's shocked and nervous expression. Clearly, something had changed in her son's mind. He had come to a decision not to hide his relationship with Bella, and as young as she was, Esme could only approve of her son's choice. Bella was absolutely lovely, inside and out and Esme heartily approved of their budding relationship. Although their living arrangements left a lot to be desired at Bella's tender age.
Edward made small talk with his parents throughout the meal, forcing Bella to join in by asking her opinion on nearly everything. Bella was shy at first, but by the end of the meal, she was speaking freely and smiling. Edward felt his heart swell with pure happiness, Bella fitted into his life perfectly.
Carlisle was a doctor, and he regaled them with funny, harmless stories about his more eccentric patients, while Esme watched him with a soft smile. Carlisle absentmindedly reached towards Esme and took her hand in his while he spoke.
Bella liked that they were still so obviously in love with each other, their connection gave her a warm feeling in her heart. Edward's parents were perfect, she decided.
Edward told them he had postponed filming for a few days much to the dismay of his director, Jared. He wanted to figure things out with Bella before he went on set again. Truth be told, he was having difficulty concentrating at all, so there was very little point in trying to film anything.
Esme shared a loaded look with Carlisle, this new development was not a good thing. Because, as much as they both liked Bella, she was beginning to interfere with Edward's career. They would have to have a word with Edward a little later, when they were alone.
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Charles Swan was nervous, he hadn't seen his daughter in seven years, and every one of those years had been filled with anguish and guilt. He spent the night reliving every significant moment from the last twenty years of his life.
He had never recovered from losing Bella, and his dearest wish, other than finding his daughter, was to make Renee pay for letting their daughter be kidnapped.
Charles had never forgiven her for neglecting Bella, but worse still was the knowledge that he had not done anything about it. If the truth were told, he had not realised the full extent of her disinterest in their daughter until it was too late.
Renee had left Bella alone and vulnerable that fateful night, only to be stolen away, out of her own home. She had seemed devastated by their daughter's kidnapping, but something had not sat right with Charles. Renee had moved on with her life too quickly after Bella's disappearance, while he had been tormented, unable to eat, sleep or function properly.
He had searched, for what seemed like an eternity, for any sign of their daughter.
Charles had been like a man possessed. He had haunted the police stations in whatever town he happened to be working in at the time. He paid for Bella's picture to be on every milk carton and streetlight in the continental U.S. But like millions of other missing children, she had never been found, and they had been forced to close the case.
Police told him he had best accept that he may never know what had become of his little girl, and Charles Swan had died inside. Knowing that Bella was somewhere, probably terrified and abused, drove daggers into his heart every time he thought of it.
Charles had always known that Renee was not the most loving mother. She had always been too featherbrained and wrapped up in her own fame.
In the early days, their marriage had proven to be a sham. Almost from the beginning, Renee had indulged in what she called harmless flirtations. Charles ignored them, telling himself it was just a phase. Renee was young and beautiful, so he indulged her ego by overlooking her minor indiscretions.
Besides acting, Charles had dabbled in business from a young age. Orchestrating takeovers and mergers often made him happier and left him more satisfied than Hollywood ever could, for he liked to use his intellect.
Charles met a man by the name of Aro Volturi through a business acquaintance. He was a handsome man who possessed a personality that made snakes look warm-hearted. Charles had hated him on sight, but Renee, on the other hand, had found his rather dubious charm a pleasant distraction.
Aro had flaunted their affair in Charles's face, practically from the first day.
But, buried in his business ventures and filming regularly, he had no time for Renee and her dramatics.
Then one day, Renee told him she was pregnant.
Charles was not overjoyed, for he had been on the verge of divorcing her. He was not even sure the child she carried was his.
The day that Bella came into the world was one Charles would never forget. She had wrapped him around her tiny finger from the first moment he had held her small body against his heart.
As she grew, it became apparent that as well as having her father's colouring and eyes, she also possessed his personality, and this debunked the theory that she might not be his daughter. It was obvious to all who saw them that they were two peas in a pod.
Charles was hooked, and for the next eleven years, Bella was everything to him.
And then it had all ended in tragedy.
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Later that night, Bella was unable to sleep. Nervous and desperate for company, she left her room to find Edward.
He was in the library, sipping a glass of whiskey while he examined countless papers spread across his desk.
Bella knocked softly and then pushed the heavy door open slowly. She stood in the doorway, just staring at Edward in a way that tore out his heart. She looked so lost and alone, her face was expressionless, except for her burning dark gaze.
Bella's hair was free and wild around her face and body, she was wearing next to nothing. She wore a barely-there sleep set of cobalt lace, which left every inch of her firm, toned legs on display and a plunged deeply between her pert breasts.
Edward swallowed hard and slowly set aside his glass. Feeling as though he were moving in slow motion, he went to her, his heart thundering in his ears. Now was not the time for a lapse in control, he had to comfort her, not seduce her.
They said nothing as Edward drew her into the library gently and shut the door.
The ever-present electric current, which existed between them, pulled Bella into his arms feeling every curve of her body against his, like a white-hot brand.
Still, no words were spoken, as Bella pulled back from their embrace slightly to look at him.
Bella felt as though she was drowning in his gaze, it was dark and laden with need.
Edward cradled her face between his hands, his fingers buried in her hair on either temple. His body was hard against her as he lifted her lips to his.
This was what she had wanted since their pre-dinner kiss. Bella wanted to forget all her troubles and just exist inside of Edward.
Three weeks ago, she hadn't known he existed, but now he was everything.
Their kisses were a little desperate, slow, and sensual.
Edward took her to the velvet chaise lounge, which stood beside the roaring fire. He sat, before pulling her on top of him their body pressing against each other in all the right places, their lips joined in an endless earth-shattering kiss.
This felt so right.
Despite what everyone else might think, together, they were perfect.
Finally, at dawn, they slept.
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Edward stood with Bella, waiting for her father to arrive. Her face was pale and tense. She stood close to him, drawing comfort from his presence.
The doorbell rang, and Bella tensed even more, her breath stuck in her throat and she reached for Edward blindly. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. Her fingers trembled in his, her gaze glued to the door.
Charles walked in rather warily, looking just as nervous as Bella, his face drawn and tired, every sleepless hour etched into his features.
Bella stared at him, her eyes wide, heart pounding. Charles froze at the sight of his daughter, older, but undoubtedly, Bella.
He just stood there; his eyes filled with tears. Charles was swamped with profound relief and happiness, it really was her. His baby girl, safe and here. So close he could touch her.
He waited for her to react, not wanting to scare her by just going over there and hugging her, like he wanted to. Maybe she didn't remember him, God only knew what she might have been through.
Charles pushed those thought away for the moment. It wasn't important. All that mattered was that Bella was alive.
Bella let go of Edward's hand and slowly took a step towards the man she remembered so well.
She was openly crying as she went towards Charles hesitantly.
"Daddy." she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're here."
Charles nodded slowly, his face filled with so much pain and joy it hurt to watch.
He simply held his arms open, and Bella walked into them willingly.
Edward found his own eyes were filled with tears. It was the most moving thing he'd ever witnessed in his life.
Bella had finally come home.
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