-=[Isabelle Higginbotham, the present ]=-

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The closer to the time of the agreed upon meetup they got, the more anxious Bella became. And she had waited nearly two and a half hours now… That's awful long time to wait, when you're already a bit on edge.

Sometimes things just don't happen at the snap of a finger or the drop of a pen.

As it turned out, Emmett had something work related he needed to sort out first and Rosalie had to take one of the girls to a follow up doctor's appointment… or wait, was it the other way around? Emmett was taking one of the girls to a doctor's appointment and Rosalie had to work. Either way, what it had boiled down to was that they both already had plans and couldn't get over to Edward's place until lunchtime. So, a lunch date it was… and Bella was nervous. No, not nervous. On edge. That's what she was. She was on edge about meeting yet another person from her past – Rosalie.

It wasn't like she disliked Rosalie or anything. They had been on pretty good terms - not bff or anything but definitely casual friends, or at the very least friendly acquaintances - at one time, but that felt like ages ago now.

One of the things she remembered about Rosalie was how intimidating and ruthless she'd been when obnoxious people and tiresome situations had tried her patience.

Rosalie was one of those persons that could be your worst enemy or best ally, depending on which side she chose to be on… So yeah, Bella was a bit on edge about meeting up with her again. No screw that, she was decisively nervous.

Not for the first time, she reminded herself that she'd decided not to care what people thought of her anymore. 'We're all grown ups now though, and with age comes wisdom and the ability to not give fucks.'

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Edward found her in front of the hallway mirror, fretting over her hair, checking her nonexistent makeup, fixing her clothes.

"At it again? It's just Rosalie… It's not like you have to worry about first impressions." He sighed. "Come on! She may be scary at times, but she's a gentle person as long as she's not provoked."

"Believe me, I have no intention of provoking anyone," Bella grumbled, giving him a brief glance before turning her attention back to the mirror, smoothing down the graphic tee to make sure her behind was covered.

"They'll totally know this is yours, wont they?" she said gesturing to the top half of her outfit.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"It matters to me."

He glanced down at his watch and sighed. "Want me to find you something else to wear? I might be able to find something deep inside my wardrobe that I haven't worn for years."

Bella was about to answer when the doorbell rang. They both turned to the door.

They had company.

This was it. Bella felt her heart skip a beat.

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Tall and thin, with shockingly blond hair and a model-beautiful face - Rosalie looked and sounded exactly the same and Bella didn't know why that surprised her.

"Can't believe it took over a year, to get me an invite into your home," the blonde said as she swept past her brother-in-law.

"Don't get me wrong Eddie, I'm glad this is FINALLY happening, but-..."

Her movements halted for a split second when she spotted Bella in the doorway to the kitchen. "Sorry. I should have started with 'Hi! I'm thrilled to have been invited and delighted to see you… both.'"

That last part was said with a bright smile that seemed a bit too wide and a bit too sharp.

Bella bowed her head wordlessly in a hello gesture, shooting Edward a questioning (and probably panicky looking) glance.

"Oh, come on. You've been here before," Edward protested, giving Bella a little shrug in return.

"At the door yes, but I've never actually gotten further inside than the end of this hallway," she insisted, shrugging out of her coat and looked for a spot to rest it.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You have never not been welcome inside."

Rosalie acted like she hadn't heard him and poked her head into the living room. "Look at this. All bright and white. Very crisp clean looking. I approve."

"Rosie darling, aren't you forgetting something?" Emmett asked, as he came through the front door balancing a takeout tray of disposable coffee cups in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.

"No. What would that be?"

Emmett gave a not so discreet nod towards Bella, and then followed up by letting out an overly loud and overly cheerful "Bella Swan, Hi, Hey, hello! What's up, how are you? Nice day, eh?"

Okay, that was … awkward.

Before Bella had a chance to even blink though, Edward reached over and slapped his brother at the back of his head.

"It was a nice day until you got here!"

Rosalie wasn't impressed ether. "We've already said our hellos, slow husband of mine," she said, taking the coffee tray from him. "We're all caught up here. She's good, I'm good, we're all good. I'd offer her a hug, but thanks to you she looks like she'd rather have the floor swallow her up whole, at the moment."

"What? No hugging?" Emmett pouted. "I can still go for a hug, can't I?" he asked, looking at Bella.

"No!" Three voices responded as one.

"Alright, we'll save that for later." He winked and then set off towards the kitchen.

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Bella thought for sure that hug was coming, half an hour... something... later, when she found herself cornered in the kitchen.

"Hey Swanster, you're awfully quiet," Emmett commented. Rather than going in for a hug, he gave her shoulder a gentle nudge though, which was fine. She knew he was a very tactile person.

"Just thinking," she shrugged, dumping her cold coffee into the sink.

"About anything in particular?" Emmett asked lightly, leaning against the fridge door, closing it with his weight.

She shook her head, no. Honestly, she wasn't sure where to start. She was in a contemplative mood for sure. It had definitely been an intense experience -having listened to Emmett's 14 minutes long monologue, outlining his less than stellar childhood and his abusive father. It had brought up many old hurts and scars.

"If you got questions, ask away," he added after a quick glance through the doorway into the hallway and the living room beyond that.

Bella followed his line of vision and realized Edward was trying to distract Rosalie by asking her about some car issue he'd had with a 'check brake system warning' message, or something like that. Bella was fairly sure he was just trying to keep Rosalie from snooping through his personal belongings.

Turning her attention back to Emmett, Bella asked the first question that popped into her head. "Does Rosalie really work at an auto repair shop?"

"That's what you want to know? Of all things?" he didn't wait for her to answer as he continued, "It's okay. No one know what to say after I share my life story with them."

"What? That's not-... I mean, I kind of already knew, Emmett. You've hinted at it a few times before, like back in high school… when Rosalie and Jasper was complaining about their parents hooking up and being selfish and ruining everyone's life… You remember that, don't you?"

"Oh, right," he nodded, but it didn't actually look like he knew what she was talking about.

"I'm sure it sucked, being a teenager and dealing with divorced parents and complex living arrangements, but honestly, they didn't know how good they had it." Bella said, looking down at her hands. "I… Obviously, I cant even imagine what you've been trough. I mean, I wasn't beaten or physically abused on a regular basis… I was shoved around a bit... got my hair pulled and my face slapped a few times, those sort of things. Honestly though, I actually found the physically abuse easier to handle than the tongue lashings and mind games…."she trailed off, lost in memories for a few seconds, then realized Emmett was staring at her. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know what it's like to sleep with one eye open, to live like you're walking on egg shells, to not feel safe in your own home."

"You're talking about your stepdad, what's-his-name, Phil, right?"

Bella gave a wordless nod, not trusting her voice.

"I suppose we have a few things in common, you and me," he started slowly, "I suppose, this is one of those things that unless you have lived it, you can even begin to comprehend."

She nodded again, glancing up briefly.

They stood in silence for a moment, and then Emmett cleared his throat and said, "To answer your question about Rosalie… Yes, she actually do work in a full service auto shop. That woman loves cars and bikes almost as much as I love beer and food, and that's a lot. They mostly have her sweep floors and doing receptionist duties, because, well… she's pretty much been pregnant back to back for the past five years. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised, if like ten years from now, she's the one running that place. She's smart, mechanically inclined and good with engines."

"And if I understood her right, her workplace is in the building that's across the street from the tire shop I visited the other day to get my flat fixed? Correct?"

"Yep. And before you ask - yes, she did see and recognize you. I actually had her on the phone the moment she first realized it was you."

"She was watching me-..."

"From across the street and without any intention of actually approaching or harassing you."

"I'm sorry, it wasn't an accusation—"

"It's cool, don't worry about it. To be honest, it's very likely she would have marched across the street to confront you that afternoon, had it not been for the fact that I was calling her to let her know we had a pretty bad pink eye situation on our hands, one that warranted a trip to our pediatrician's office. She's fine now, by the way... Gracie, I mean. They gave her eye drops that have already made a huge difference."

"Oh, that's...good"

"Speaking of Gracie… Edward says you're aware of the situation – where she's at and why- but that you're not ready to talk about it, or her, yet. "

"I-..."

He shushed her when she put her hands up defensively.

"No, it's okay. I just wanted to say take all the time you need. This is most definitely not a conversation or a decision that needs to be, or should be rushed. If anyone tells you differently, don't listen to them."

Bella wasn't sure it was that simple, but bowed to his wisdom. With an awkward "thanks", she wiped her hands on her jeans and motioned that she was about to leave the kitchen.

"Bella, wait! One more thing," Emmett rushes out quickly.

"What?"

"There is something else you should probably know about my father. Something I held back earlier," gestured with his chin in the general direction of the living room. "I only have one family, as far as I'm concerned. And everything I am, I owe to them – Edward in particular. I have never seen siblings that close, or loyal to one another... or whatever, before. Not even other twins. I don't want to say too much; don't want to rock the boat… or get anyone in trouble... but…." He trailed off and glanced over his shoulder, as if expecting someone sneaking up on them.

"But what?"

"Listen, my standard answer that I always give to anyone that asks about how my father died, is that I don't know. I wasn't there when it happened and therefore I don't know anything, except for the official cause of death, which I'm guessing is about as much as you know about this matter as well? Right?"

"Aortic rupture?" Bella checked. "Charlie told me years ago. He also told me Edward and Alice was there to witness it."

Emmett nodded. "My father did have an underlying artery disease, yes. But he died after he was hit by, and trapped underneath, his own car. His death was instant. There was no immediate help. No 911. No ambulance. No flashing lights. No neighbors. Not that it matters, there was nothing anyone could have done. He bleed out in a matter of minutes. And yes, the only two people that know exactly how it happened are Eddie and Alice, because they are the only two people that were there to witness it -..."

Just then, a throat was cleared quite loudly behind them, and they turned to see Edward frowning disapprovingly at them.

"You know, I think we've had enough truth bombs from you today, Emmett. Don't want to overdo it."

The air abruptly thickened with tension as the two brothers stared at each other.

"Come on, you didn't invite me here to talk about the weather," Emmett stated, one eyebrow raising as if in challenge. "If you really want to be free of the crap in your head that is holding you back and is destroying your life, then you have have to open up and talk about it… talk about everything everything. The good. The bad. The ugly."

"If I wanted to be psychoanalyzed, I would have invited mom."

"Don't play dumb, Edward. If you wanted Bella to only hear the watered-down, wishy-washy, bullshit version of this, you would have invited mom here today. But you didn't, you invited me."

Bella caught a glint of something flashing across Edward's eyes.

But rather than taking the bait, he simply shook his head. "Your wife is getting bored, she sent me to tell you she wants to leave."

"Alright, happy wife, happy life," Emmett quipped with a half smile as if their previous conversation was forgotten as quickly as it had started. However, as he walked past Bella he mouthed 'ask him 'bout it'.

Now, this is where things turned strange… and not because of Emmett's attempt at meddling, or because Edward was blowing a fuse over it. No, it turned strange because this was when Rosalie appeared in the doorway with an odd look on her face. "Yo, there is a teenager at the front door asking for a Ms. Swan."

"What?" Edward and Bella said in unison.

Sure, Bella's whereabouts wasn't exactly a closely-guarded secret, but it wasn't common knowledge either.

"Yeah, that's what I said too," Rosalie agreed. "It's a girl. She showed me a note with 'Call me' and a phone number written on it. It's signed with Swan / Higginbotham."

"What's her name?" Bella asked at the same time as Edward moved towards the kitchen window to check who the visitor was.

"She said her name is Jane," answered Rosalie. "I know her, she works at-...

"Newton's," Edward cut in, turning back from the window. "That's Jane Pagan."

Oh… right THAT Jane - Bree's friend and coworker from Newton's Outfitters. The very same Jane, that Bella had been trying to get a hold of for days.

And just like that the day turned in an unexpected direction again.

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