Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight.

.:. BPOV .:.

I woke up the next day to the smell of cinnamon rolls. My eyes grew wide and I threw back the covers to run downstairs. I tripped on my feet while I was in the living room and I caught myself with my hands before I stumbled to the kitchen.

Esme was cooking scrambled eggs while the oven was on with the delicious looking cinnamon rolls I had smelled. A tray was already laid out where everyone had already taken their cinnamon rolls.

I looked around and noticed that Edward hadn't been beside me when I woke up, and he wasn't downstairs either.

"Where's Edward?" I signed to my mother when she looked up at me.

"He went to Seattle for a while." She spoke without looking at me. But I had a growing suspicion that she wasn't telling me the truth. When I didn't say anything she turned to look at me.

"So is it safe to talk?" I signed.

She glanced upstairs and nodded to me. I smiled and walked further into the kitchen. The oven's timer went off and she pulled out the tray with oven mitts. I grabbed the plate that was beside the tray, got a fork, and took a delicious looking cinnamon roll to eat.

Emmett was sitting on a stool and I joined him. He was reading the comics and I snatched them from his hands. "Hey! I was reading those!" he complained.

I sat on his lap so we could both look at them. "Well now we can both read them," I laughed as I turned the page to read the next comic. I finished my cinnamon roll rather quickly, in silence.

"So you're going to talk to Jasper, Esme, and I but you won't talk to anyone else?" Emmett asked as he put the paper down on the stool beside him.

"I would like to know the answer to the same question!" I heard a high singsong voice say behind me. I whirled around to see both Alice and Rose with their hands on their hips.

I was stunned to say the least. They weren't there a minute ago. How could they possibly get down her so fast without anyone seeing or hearing them?

"I-I didn't w-want to be rejected. I-I don't want to get h-hurt. I don't want to go through that again. You don't realize how much it's hurt me to be left alone without anyone to love me. I don't want that to happen again, even though I know it will," I said looking down at the floor.

Why had they even taken me in the first place? Wasn't I too old? People usually want young children to take care of.

"You will never be left alone ever again," I heard the soft, comforting tone of Carlisle say. I looked up to see Jasper and him standing behind Rosalie and Alice. "We won't let you go through that pain again, we promise." Agreements were made throughout the room.

"Why didn't you tell me you were able to hear?" Carlisle asked as he made his way over to me and gave me a hug.

"I feel like the more time I spend here, the sooner someone will push me away again. Why should I get attached to someone who I'll never see again?"

"But we'll always be with you and we'll always want you to stay as long as you want to stay. We won't push you away," Carlisle squeezed my shoulders. "Now the question is are you going to push Edward away?"

I looked at him in confusion. What did he mean was I going to push Edward away? Was he insane? What made him think that?

"What do you mean am I going to push Edward away?"

"Bella, he's the only one who doesn't know your dirty little secret. He has a right to know! Of all people to keep secrets from, it has to be Edward?" Carlisle stressed.

"But see, that's exactly why I won't tell him. It's because yes, he is Edward and what if he doesn't like me for who I really am? Does he like me for what I look like? Am I just a stupid easy target he can take a hit at? Does he really think I'm fun to be around?

"Will he hate me after I tell him I was able to hear him each and every time he tried to get my attention from the other side of the room? Or how about when he figures out everyone else knew before him? Won't he be mad?" I struggled to keep my voice from quaking or breaking with great difficulty.

"But that's why you need to tell him, to find out if he likes you for who you really are, inside here," Alice pointed to her heart. "Bella, believe me when I tell you this, Edward loves you very much. He has never loved someone in his life – which is saying something – and you just happen to be the one that has changed his life for the better.

"Will Edward hate you when you tell him? No, will he be upset? Of course he will, I mean sure, he will be very devastated when you tell him. He'll be hurt that you didn't trust him enough to have faith that he wouldn't break your heart. But he'll love you nonetheless. Believe me, he's the best thing that could ever happen to you.

"You gave Edward happiness when he didn't have any. He never used to be this happy and talkative; he used to ignore quite a few of us. Then you, Bella, turned his life upside down and he's had to snap out of his depression so he wouldn't fall flat on his face. You made him a better person, Bella, just think about how much better he'd be if you could only open your heart to him and show him who you really are," Alice crossed her arms as she scolded me.

"I'll think about it," I said as I pushed myself up off Emmett's lap and headed for my room.

"Oh, and Bella?" I turned around to Alice.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You have a beautiful voice," she tilted her head to the side and down a little to make me believe her words. I smiled and blushed.

"Thanks," I giggled. I turned around and went upstairs. I thought of all the reasons why I should tell Edward and all the reasons why I shouldn't. It turned out not telling him wasn't winning. There were too many things that I could benefit from if I told him and we started a relationship. I sighed in frustration and fell back on the bed. I covered my face in my palms and grunted angrily.

"What's the matter with you?" I heard Emmett fall onto the bed beside me.

"My pros and cons list isn't making me happy," I sighed.

"Let me guess, your pros list is a lot bigger than your cons list?"

"By a landslide!" Emmett grinned.

"Could I see the lists?" he asked. My eyes bugged out and I shook my head furiously. He raised his eyebrows and a grin broke out across his face. "Why are you blushing Bella?" He laughed. He reached out for the list I had in my lap but I put it in my pants. That's right, in my pants, not my pocket.

"Bella, that is so unfair!" I giggled and suddenly his eyes grew big. "Edward's coming," he ducked out of the room and I put away the pad of paper and pin. I sat back down on the bed and curled into a ball resting my head on my folded arms that were on my knees.

Edward came in my room a few minutes later. I looked up when the door closed. Edward's beautiful features soon turned worried and he walked over to the bed and sat down beside me.

"Are you okay? What's the matter?" Are you hurt?" Edward said as I was looking at him.

I signed to him that I was okay and I wasn't hurt. Edward looked at me expectantly.

"What's the matter?" he repeated. He scooted closer to me and rubbed my back with his left hand and placed his right hand on my right knee. "Hey, it's okay, don't cry," he said and signed. I hadn't realized I was crying but with his actions it made the tears like a waterfall.

I couldn't believe I had lied to him for so long. I felt guilty, sad, lonely, and so many more emotions. I leaned into his chest and bawled like I'd never cried before. The only other time I might have cried this hard was when my parents died.

Edward rubbed circles on my back shushing me even though he thought I couldn't hear. He trusted me and I let him down. I couldn't even believe myself. What kind of person was I? He was throwing all his emotions to me, and I couldn't even tell him that I could hear every single thing he was saying.

I thought back to my first day here when I got dressed for bed and he was behind me talking to himself. I giggled and Edward tilted my head up.

"Why are you laughing?" Edward asked confused. I shook my head. I wouldn't tell him right now.

I pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. His golden eyes took my breath away and I realized that I needed to tell him the truth now. I couldn't let him think I was deaf forever as much as I wanted to; he had to know the truth.

"I have to tell you something, promise not to get too upset," I signed.

"I'll try," he said looking curious, nervous, and scared.

I took a deep breath, let it out and took another before I belted out the truth.

"Edward," I spoke, I looked up to see him shocked. "I'm not deaf, never have been, hopefully never will be," He looked at me incredulously. I looked down at my hands waiting for what I knew would come.

"Bella, how could you do this to me, to us, my family? Why did you play that game? Was it funny to you? Did you get pleasure out of all of us trying to make you feel at home, acting as if you were deaf?" tears built up in my eyes again. I had to explain myself. I just had to. "So basically everything I said, every time I wanted your attention and I talked to you, you could actually hear me?" he yelled and I cringed. "I trusted you, Bella, I trusted you," he whispered. "I haven't trusted anyone for a long time, I was actually happy because of you," he got up and started walking towards the door. "I can't believe I ever let my guard down for you," he said angrily. He opened the door and had one foot in the hallway before I could respond.

"Edward, wait!" I yelled. He paused and his shoulders sagged as if he were defeated. He slowly turned around to face me, still in the middle of the doorway. I patted the bed beside me. "Please come here, just listen to me," I begged. He sat down as far away from me as the bed would allow. I folded up into my previous position since I had somehow unraveled myself in the process of his speech.

"You have to understand that I didn't have anyone. My parents were gone and they were the only ones I could talk to, the only ones I could trust. When they died, it tore my heart to pieces. I no longer had my mother's warm hugs and kisses; I could no longer talk to her about my boy problems or how to do my hair or what to wear. I surely couldn't tell my dad about boys, he'd freak out.

"I didn't have my dad to support me with all the things I liked to do and I didn't have his comforting shoulder to cry on when I thought of mom. I just didn't want to be hurt again. I took on my life as a deaf person so I could sit in silence and not have to worry about people trying to talk to me about my parents and how sorry they were. They didn't know me, I didn't need their pity, and I got enough of that from myself.

"I didn't want someone to adopt me and get my hopes up and be shot down by the rejections. I became 'deaf' because people would just look the other way and I wouldn't have to feel so bad about anything.

"I feel vulnerable when people know I'm not deaf and they try to tell me 'it's ok' or 'everything will be alright' because no, everything won't be all right. I will never have my parent's back. I will never get to see their smiles, or hear them laugh or cry. I'll never get to feel their touch when they would hug me. I'll never hear their voice or have their company, I'll never feel whole again," I repeated what I said to Esme.

"I didn't mean to hurt any of your feelings. I was just trying to protect mine. None of the things I did were a game. Everything I ever told you was completely true. Everything I did was real. I just never told you I could hear you. Of course I could hear you, every time you'd talk to me or wanted to get my attention. I just couldn't tell anyone or they'd be mad at me. Of course, everyone somehow found out anyway," I sighed. I had stopped wiping my eyes long ago and just let my tears flow freely down my face.

I had my head in my folded arms on my lap and Edward lifted my head and tilted it towards him. I saw his concerned expression and it made my heart ache.

"Bella, I would never hurt you. I hope you know that. I want to make you as happy as possible. Believe me when I tell you this, every person in this house loves you. We care about you so much; we would do anything for you. I want you to desperately understand that although we can't be your biological parents, we can try to be the best family you could ever have after what happened to yours. If you don't want to talk about them anymore I understand, but know that I am always here for you when you need me."

"Are you mad at me?" I questioned, looking down at my toes.

"No, but I am a little upset that you couldn't trust me and that you wouldn't tell me you could hear me. You're a good little actress," he smiled as he poked me in my stomach.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Forget about it. We can all start fresh. We could even reenact your arrival again, minus the social worker of course," he smiled.

I wiped my face clearing it of all the leftover tears. I sniffled and wrapped my arms around his hips.