March 31, 2000

Edward leaned forward on the same balcony rail, just as he had yesterday. Perhaps seeing how stormy the river had been then, should have given him a hint as to how chaotic the next day would be. His feelings then, as he spoke to his mother were the polar opposites of his feelings now. How can someone feel such hope and elation just hours before feeling, without exaggeration, the most dejected and depressed they have ever been in their life?

Edward heard the sliding door open behind him and he knew that Rosalie had come to get answers from him. Still looking out to the river as the sun began to sink, Edward saw Rosalie copy his position, leaning on the rail, in the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Edward. Your face has fallen as if we are already married! And by the way, the man is only supposed to look like that after at least one year!" Rosalie forced a laugh that died out, pausing before she started again. "Although, I suppose that is the problem: you don't want to marry me." She waited for a while, looking off at the river with Edward. "So, like I already asked, what's her name?"

"Rose…" Edward began, turning to face her, now.

"I wish that were the name Edward, but I guess we now both know it's not." Rosalie sighed.

"Rose, it's just…it's not that I didn't want to marry you…"

"Edward, shh, just let me say what I have to." Rosalie interrupted, her voice breaking with emotion. "Ever since I can remember, I have loved you. I don't mean to make you feel guilty, but I do love you so much. I understand, though, that it isn't your fault. Just because I dreamt of marrying you doesn't mean that you have to dream of the same. And if you're worried that I'll be miserable… well yeah I will be," she cried, sniffling a lot now. "And yeah, I will feel really bad," Rosalie tried to smile at her half-joking truths. Edward moved closer to hold her, but she waved him away. "It will hurt a lot, but life isn't perfect. I think, maybe, a few years from now, I'll be able to laugh at the fact that I loved a certain Edward who couldn't be mine… because, I now know that he was never really mine…and so my love story remained incomplete."

"Rose, I–"

"Edward, promise me one thing: please complete your love story. You will, won't you Edward? At least for my sake?" Rosalie wiped at her tears, hurriedly, and then laughed loudly, "Now say something quickly before I really start crying hard!"

"Rosie, can I get a hug, please?" Edward asked, his eyes filling up with tears, too, now.

"No." Rosalie sniffled, shaking her head.

"Please?" Edward begged, tears openly streaming down his face, his arms extended.

"No," Rosalie laughed through her sobs, shaking her head, before hugging him anyway.

~~O~~

Edward entered the unlit study with trepidation. The only source of light in the room was the tiny fire that was slowly dying out as it remained untended in the fireplace. He crossed the floor and knelt next to the leather wingback chair.

There Carlisle sat, staring ahead, unblinking, at the photograph of his sons: Edward with his arm slung lovingly across a young Jasper's shoulders.

"Cullen," Carlisle's voice broke the stifling silence that had filled the room. "That name and the respect that comes with it has been gifted to us by our ancestors. To honor and respect them is our foremost duty. And I will never tolerate some ordinary girl becoming a hurdle in performing that duty! Did you even think once about her background, her status, her upbringing… You didn't even give a thought as to whether she would be able to understand our family's traditions and values. Our rituals, rites, ethics, principles, I can go on! How can she adhere to our values when she is not someone like us? How did you even dare to think that she could be a part of our family? That she could be a part of MY family? How did you think –"

Edward who had been silent throughout Carlisle's cutting diatribe finally found his voice. "Where did I think dad?" he sobbed. "I didn't think at all. I just loved, just loved."

"Love?" Carlisle stated more than asked.

Holding back his tears, hoping that maybe, just maybe his father could understand this, Edward nodded, gripping Carlisle's knee as he stayed kneeling on the floor.

A very long silence followed Edward's nonverbal answer.

"It's such a pity that I made a mistake in knowing my own son. I thought he knew me…That he understood the traditions of the family…my emotions, every breath and thought of mine. I was wrong…so wrong."

Edward began to cry as his father continued. How can dad think I don't know him. It is only because of him that I am anyone today. Dad, you know me. We have always known each other. Don't hurt me like this! I can take your anger, but not your disappointment!

"I was really proud of you, Edward."

What…why are you using the past tense. No!

"You were my self-respect, my strength. You have taken all that away from me, everything. You have hurt me… So much pain. You have hurt me. So much." Carlisle rubbed his eyes in attempt to not betray his emotions to his son. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Edward still knelt frozen at his father's side. He could barely breathe as the words that his father had spoken sunk into his brain…and heart. Edward couldn't help but slip into the memories of his childhood.

I remember the day that mom and dad told me I was adopted. Dad told me the story of how he and mom had gone to the local orphanage to make their yearly donation to charity, and she went to the nursery. Everything was continuing there as usual, except when dad returned to pick up his wife, mom just stood there, unmoving, in the nursery, stationed by a crib in the corner, just staring at the baby laying inside. Dad had been worried about her, and he quickly strode over to her side. "Esme?" he had asked, worriedly, suddenly noticing her glassy eyes. He followed her stare down to the unassuming baby that was lying on its back in the crib. Me.

"Carlisle, it's my Edward." she had whispered. Having had several miscarriages, Esme and Carlisle knew the chances were very small that they would ever be able to have their own child.

As the baby in the crib blinked its eyes open a little, they said they had suddenly just felt inside that this was their baby…I was their baby.

"And when your father and I held you for the first time in that tiny nursery room that day, Edward, we just knew that we could never let you go," mom had told me. Dad nodded from where he was standing behind her.

"We felt that now that you are twelve years old, a mature young boy, it would be best to tell you the truth. But always know this Edward, just because you are not ours biologically does not mean that you aren't ours. We will always love you, no matter what. You have to understand that we have never considered you an outsider. You are our son, Edward. In fact, from this day on, this matter will never be brought up again. I will see to it that everyone understands this!"

"Thank you dad. Thank you mom. I love you both so much."

"Edward, you never have to thank us for this! If anything, we should be thanking you for bringing such light and joy to our lives. You have made all the difference in our lives, and you have brought us good luck, because you are soon going to have a baby brother! But remember, both of you will always be loved equally, no matter how you each came into our lives. You are truly ours, Edward, and I know that even if I had not seen you that day at the orphanage, you would have somehow made your way into our life. We love you so much, and we always will."

"I never wanted to hurt you dad! I only wanted to bring you happiness. What have I done? How could I bring tears to your eyes? How? How could I have done so? You don't even have to ever forgive me; please just don't say I have hurt you! Don't forgive me, even, but I will do as you say, I will," Edward cried, laying his head down on his father's knee.

From the top of the stairs that led into the library study room, Esme watched as tears rolled down the father and son's cheeks. The room stayed silent after that, with the exception of the men's muted sobs, the only movement when Carlisle finally placed his hand gently on his son's head.

~~O~~

April 1, 2000

Bella sat on her bed, stroking her sister's head, while Alice cried in to her lap.

"B, I just miss him so much! I thought I would hate that chubby kid. I thought he would be so spoiled! But then, he ended up being so sweet and nice and…and… I don't know, but it hurts in my chest when I think about how I won't see him for such a long time!" Alice wailed. "Four years is a terribly long time to go without seeing someone you really lo– I mean um like!" she corrected herself.

Bella smiled softly to herself, continuing to comfort Alice. She knew all too well how Alice felt. Those Cullen boys' charm was irresistible, and, when given the chance, they proved to be the most loyal, loving friends a person could have. That much was clear. It seemed that Alice, too, had fallen in love with Jasper, and although they were probably too young to really know what they felt, Bella did not deny that the feelings the two had were real. It was just a shame that Jasper had to leave for his military academy so soon after befriending Alice. She hoped that he would keep his promise to write to Alice, even if he wasn't able to return home until his schooling there was done.

As Alice's sobs quieted as she fell asleep, exhausted by her emotional catharsis, Bella's thoughts turned to her own dilemmas. Siobhan had called Maggie yesterday afternoon, excited to share the news that Edward had finally proposed to Rosalie Hale, his long-time girlfriend from college. Maggie had been quick to call Bella, and demand if she had already known about this. Bella had been shocked to say the least. After Maggie broke the news, Bella was unable to stay on the line and listen as Maggie began to analyze everything that she knew about Edward and Bella's interactions. Bella knew that her friend meant well, but she needed some time to herself, to think about everything that had changed in such a short period of time. Just the day before, Bella had been elated, figuring that Edward's cryptic words about bonds and love meant he had feelings for her that were stronger than those of just friendship. Now, Bella heard that he was already engaged to his girlfriend. A girlfriend whom he had been dating for years. Rosalie Hale, who had been the beautiful blonde who sang at Carlisle's birthday party. Bella sat in her room and cried all that afternoon, bewildering her father and sister who had no idea as to why she was so upset. Then, as if Bella had not already suffered enough emotional whiplash, Maggie barged through her bedroom door that same evening with unfettered excitement at Siobhan's latest 'news update' from the Cullen mansion. Edward Cullen had rescinded his proposal to Rosalie Hale.

It took quite some convincing to assure Bella that Maggie was not playing some sick joke on her. Bella couldn't understand why Edward would take back a proposal he offered to Rosalie. Later, Siobhan explained what the other employees of the household had pieced together. The proposal was nearly forced since Rosalie and Edward's union had been practically arranged marriage, planned by the Hale and Cullen families for years. It was a matter of coincidence that Edward and Rosalie met and fell in love at college. The plans had recently been finalized, and Edward had been surprised and pressured into proposing to Rosalie that night. However, the two being so close, Rosalie sensed Edward's discomfort, and they agreeably broke off the engagement. The families had apparently been quite enraged with their respective children, but somehow, all the friendships survived the drama. Siobhan told the girls that it seemed that Carlisle Cullen was quite upset with Edward, but by this morning, she had reported that the two men seemed to have worked out their problems together last night.

Bella was still processing the news after Siobhan finished catching the girls up on all the Cullen family drama. She didn't want to think about what may have prompted Edward's feeling about his long-time girlfriend to change. She certainly did not want to get her hopes up that this would change anything between her and Edward either. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Bella soon became too busy taking care of her own family to be worrying about the Cullens.

~~O~~

April 13, 2000

It had been nearly two weeks since Edward had seen or heard from Bella. He realized that she must have heard by now the story of his broken engagement with Rosalie from Siobhan. At first, he was confused and hurt that she didn't try to get in touch with him soon afterwards. He later found out that Bella was struggling to take care of her father whose hypertension was no longer under control by the medications. He wanted to reach out to her and offer his help, but he knew that if Bella truly needed him, she would ask. In the end, he convinced himself that perhaps it was best that he move on with his life as it seemed Bella was moving on with hers.

Esme watched as her son continued to mope around the house. It was so silent now with her youngest gone and with Edward moving about like a ghost. She worried whether Edward was doing the right thing, listening to Carlisle in this one instance. It wasn't usual for Edward to stay upset this long, and Esme worried that perhaps he could no longer be happy without the crazy Bella in his life. Deciding it might be best for Edward to leave the house and get away from everything for a bit, she assigned him a mundane errand hoping he might return in a less melancholy mood.

Edward drove into the city, idly thinking how well the gloomy rain matched his mood. He had a feeling that his mother sent him to buy a new waffle maker at 11am just to get him out of the house for a bit. Though Edward welcomed the idea of a distraction, nothing seemed to really get his mind off of the fact that he felt lost without Bella. He had only known the crazy girl for two months, and yet she already meant everything to him. Having bought the waffle iron from a random store and stashing it in his car, Edward began to roam the streets of Austin, ignoring the sidelong looks people gave him as he wandered along without an umbrella in the downpour.

After some time, Edward glanced up and noticed he had somehow made his way to the north end of the city. This must be near where Bella lives. Damnit, why can't I stop thinking about her! As Edward kept walking, he noticed a mass of umbrellas gathering near the entrance to the Fiskville Cemetery. He could hear the murmurs of the people attending the funeral and was about to cross to the other side of the street when he heard the cries of a familiar voice coming from the front of the procession.

Bella!

Pushing his way through the crowd of people, he reached the front where he saw Bella and Alice being held by Maggie and Siobhan as they followed a dark coffin up the hill. Each wail from the girls caused pain to lance through his heart, and Edward winced when he heard Bella cry out for her father. He saw her run up to the coffin, grasping at the slick wood, begging for her father to come back.

"Please don't leave us and go, papa. Please, please! You can't leave us!"

Alice started towards her sister, but Siobhan held her back.

"It's not fair…" Edward heard Alice whimper.

Edward realized then, that Bella truly had no one left to look out for her. Without her mother and father, Bella was solely responsible for herself and Alice. There was only so much that Siobhan could do when she was working for the Cullens and taking care of her own family. Edward made his way up to Bella, and pulled her away from the coffin, allowing the procession to continue. Edward held Bella close to his chest as she shivered and sobbed. He whispered words of comfort in his attempt to calm Bella down, all the while internally berating himself for not being aware of how serious Charles Swan's condition had been. He wondered why he and his parents had not been informed of the funeral, before realizing that his family had most likely been asked and had declined, thinking that was most prudent considering the situation.

Despite the echoes of his father's words, Edward knew that he had to make a decision.

Furious with himself for neglecting Bella when she had needed him most, he vowed then and there to stay by her side from then on.

~~O~~

April 17, 2000

Esme was worried. No, she had passed the point of being 'worried' when Edward had not come home on Thursday night. By Friday, she and Carlisle had been ready to call the police, but they heard from Siobhan that Edward had attended Bella's father's funeral on Thursday. Carlisle seemed to be in denial, but Esme knew what it meant that Edward's disappearance coincided with the date of Charles Swan's funeral.

Carlisle was now pacing in front of the fireplace and hadn't said a word in the past hour. Esme sat on the sofa, twisting her rings worriedly around her finger as she waited to hear the doorbell. Edward had called an hour ago and informed her that he was coming home. He apologized for his unexplained absence but promised to explain everything when he returned home.

Esme had a feeling that she knew what had taken Edward three days before he decided to return home. Although she knew that once Edward's explained actions Carlisle would likely become even more enraged, she couldn't blame her son for following his heart and doing what was needed to make him happy.

Carlisle froze as the chimes of the doorbell rang throughout the house. Esme sighed heavily, and went to let her son in.

Carlisle waited as three sets of footsteps neared him where he waited in the living room. When he heard them pause a few feet behind him, he began to speak, without once taking his eyes off the fire or turning around.

"Today. Today you have proved that you are not my blood."

He waited and he heard a woman's stifled sob and another's gasp. He waited and heard the sharp intake of breath as his son fell to his knees behind him.

"You are not my blood. You have proved that you are not mine." Slowly Carlisle turned around, taking in the scene before him.

At his feet, a small distance away, knelt Edward and crouched next to him, holding him protectively, was Bella.

A/N 2/18/11:

Yeah so I know it's been a really long time... I promise I will be better about updating. I am committed to finishing this. Thanks for reading. Please review if you can!