A/N: You all have no idea how guilty I feel for not uploading chapters recently. Not sure how many of you will see this, but think of this new story as an apology. Feel free to hate me for it later.

Chapter 1

1925 Gatlinburg, Tennessee

"Bells! I'm home!" Emmett McCarthy shouted as he kicked open the door, a wide, naturally mischievous grin on his face. He threw his backpack to the side, where it thumped against the wall, and ran to where he knew his older sister would be waiting for him.

There Isabelle was; in the kitchen, washing the dishes from where she had just finished making Emmett a snack. Her grin matched Emmett's as the over exuberant child threw his arms around her middle, giving her a hug that squeezed the air out of Isabelle's lungs. She hugged him back, making sure to ruffle his hair with her sudsy hands. Before Emmett could open his mouth to complain, however, their father clearing his throat interrupted.

"Emmett, how many times must I tell you? You need to act as a man of this household and cease those childish greetings." At his father's stern words, Emmett's shoulders slouched, and he couldn't hide his frown. What was wrong with being excited to see his sister?

"Father, he still is a child," Isabelle dared to speak, putting her hands on Emmett's shoulders and giving them a squeeze in solidarity. "What is wrong with him acting like one?"

The slap their father gave Isabelle echoed through the room before Emmett even realized what was happening. He looked up at his father in disbelief, then back at Isabelle, who was trying hard not to react or even cup her quickly reddening cheek. Not for the first time, Emmett felt rage welling up in him. He wanted his father to pay for hitting his sister, wanted him to feel the pain she felt at least once.

"You should know better than to talk back, Isabelle."

Isabelle clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to reply with a retort as it would only get her in more trouble. Which she truly wouldn't have minded, if Emmett hadn't been watching. She knew how tortured her little brother felt every time she would end up hurt by their parents.

"Yes, Father." With Isabelle's words, their father relaxed. As if on cue, their mother swept into the room with a wide smile. She had to have heard what happened, however it was clear that she wasn't about to say anything. Did she even care? Probably not.

"Welcome home Emmett," their mother said, bending down to give the sullen boy on the cheek. "How was school?"

"Fine."

Despite Emmett's clearly upset tone, their mother's smile widened. "Wonderful!" She gave Isabelle a kiss on her injured cheek, and Isabelle couldn't help but wince in pain. Again, their mother didn't care or acknowledge it. "Remember, children. You two are going to have to watch the house tonight while your father and I are at the movies."

"No shenanigans while we're gone, Isabelle," their father added, fixing Isabelle with a pointed look while ignoring Emmett. "I expect all of your chores to be done, and this house to be immaculate when we return. Your brothers will not be returning tonight, so you need not cook for them."

"Yes, Father," Isabelle and Emmett chorused. Despite the early hour, their parents were gone without another word.

"But I'm the one who gets into trouble, not you!" Emmett complained once he was sure they wouldn't be coming back. "Why do they act like you're the one who always does bad things?"

"It is a woman's responsibility to watch the children, after all." While the idea left a bad taste in her mouth, she did love her brother, and would never regret being left with him. She couldn't help but grin and tickle his sides, leaving him a giggling mess. "Besides, what is to say I do not get into mischief as well?"

Still giggling, Emmett tried to protest. "I've never seen you get into mischief, Bells!"

"That is because I'm better at hiding it." Secret revealed, Isabelle half tackled her little brother from behind in a hug of her own, swinging him back and forth. "Now that you know the truth, what say we get into some mischief now? Perhaps a wrestling match? Tag in the forest?"

"But Bells, I don't want you to get into more trouble!"

"You say that because you know I will win," Isabelle teased. "Besides, our parents don't have to know so long as everything is taken care of before they get back. Am I right?"

"Yeah!" Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Emmett grabbed Isabelle's hand and dragged her towards the forest.


Hours later, Emmett woke from his bed with a start and a hand clapped over his mouth. Eyes wide with terror, Emmett started to flail, only for his hand to be caught and a familiar voice to hiss in his ear.

"Quiet, Emmett. I believe I heard something."

Emmett relaxed as he realized it was his sister, only to jump when he heard a loud thud coming from downstairs.

"Isabelle, what's going on? Is that Mother and Father?" Emmett asked once he removed Isabelle's hand from his mouth, remembering to keep his voice down only after Isabelle shushed him again.

"I'm afraid not." The sound of wood splintering made them clutch each other closer. Despite how terrified Emmett was, he was also aware of how much Isabelle was shaking. He knew he had to protect his sister somehow.

Isabelle was thinking the same about her brother. "Emmett, the gun Father uses for hunting. Where does Father keep it?" Isabelle asked.

"In his study. He keeps it mounted on the wall behind his chair." Realizing how much the gun could protect them and that Isabelle wasn't allowed in that room, he started to rise from his bed. "I'll go get it."

"No Emmett, you will stay here and hide." Before Emmett could try to fight her on it, Isabelle covered his mouth with her hand. "It's the woman's duty to care for the children, after all." She gave him a reassuring smile, determined even through her fear. She would do anything to protect her brother. "Everything will be alright."

Emmett wanted to argue, but as he heard heavy footsteps, he knew time was of the essence. He let Isabelle corral him into his closet, and could do nothing but hope for Isabelle's quick return.

Keeping as quiet as possible, Isabelle hurried down the hall to her father's study. She unlocked the door with her hair pin and hurried inside, all while repeatedly glancing over her shoulder. Despite all of the banging and crashing going on downstairs, she was terrified that whoever was in their house would get to Emmett and hurt him. It was a true relief to get her hands on the gun. With this, she would be able to protect herself and her brother, even if she didn't know how to use it.

Isabelle turned around to hurry back to Emmett, only to come face to face with a muzzle. How…? But the sounds were still coming from downstairs...oh no, there was more than one of them!

"Hold it right there girl," a man jeered in a heavy southern drawl. "Don't you know guns are dangerous? They aren't meant for delicate little things like you. Now hand it over."

Isabelle's mind raced, but she couldn't think of a proper solution that would end with both her and her little brother safe. So she did something stupid; she lunged at the man, swinging the gun like a bat. The man cursed in surprise and stumbled back as Isabelle hit him hard in the head, however he didn't fall. He righted himself and aimed his pistol at Isabelle as she went in for another desperate swing. However, before he could fire, Emmett came out of nowhere, tackling the man from behind. Despite his age, he was a big kid, and was able to wrestle the man to the ground. From there, Isabelle repeatedly bashed the man's head in with her gun until he was at the very least unconscious, possibly even dead.

Emmett grinned up at his sister in triumph and relief, seeing his sister unharmed and the bad guy taken care of.

Then he heard the gunshot.

Isabelle's body moved out of pure desperation to save her brother. She shoved her little brother out of the way, shielding him as best as she was able to at the same time. She felt the bullet pierce her, saw the look of horror on Emmett's face, but couldn't focus on that for long. Instead, she raised the rifle in her hands. Despite her blurry vision, despite the burning pain in her chest, she was able to aim and fire. The bullet struck true, the other intruder fell. With that, Isabelle felt her strength leave her as she collapsed.

"Bells? Bells no!" Emmett screamed. He pulled his limp sister into his arms, tears already streaming down his face as he realized just what was happening. That his sister was dying. He tried to put pressure on Isabelle's wound, but there was so much blood. "Hang in there Bells, you can't leave me!"

"I'm sorry, Em," Isabelle whispered. She felt tears sting her own eyes as she realized she would have to leave her brother. However, there was nothing she could do about it. She had protected Emmett from dying, but she couldn't protect him from her own death. "I'm just so happy you're safe. You need to live happily for me."

"Bells, please, no. I need you. What am I supposed to do without my sister?" Emmett couldn't control his sobs. "I can't live a happy life without you in it! You just need to hang on for a little bit longer...help is coming for sure!"

Despite Emmett's pleas, despite Isabelle's own desires to stay with her brother, Isabelle couldn't do it.

That night, Isabelle died in her little brother's arms.