Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Lyrics in this chapter belong to:

In the Dark - flyleaf

I'm low on gas and you need a jacket – Pierce the Veil

Bulls in the Bronx – Pierce the Veil

Hand's down – Dashboard Confessional

I'd like to thank the two beta's who rewrote en corrected my errors in this chapter: angelnlove52 and Browneyedgirl825!Thank you guys for taking the time to rewrite this for me. I appreciate it and could not have done this without you.

oOoOoOoO

"I've written songs in the dark

I've felt inspired in the dark

I hide myself in the dark

Used to be afraid of the dark"

(In the Dark – Flyleaf)

Chapter Four – Surprises

BPOV

When I was pregnant, I thought of my bump as my little piece of Edward that nobody – not even him - could take away from me. I would always have something of Edward…something that shared the same DNA as him.

But when Tristan was born, I felt such a rush of love that I knew instantly that he was my reason for living. When I held him for the first time, I only felt love for him and at that moment, it was as if Edward never even existed – even though I cried for him a few minutes before giving birth to my son!

I should have left the decision to Edward whether he wanted to be a part of Tristan's life or not. And then dealt with his decision…I couldn't have cared less about Edward's feelings in all of this, but I would do anything for my son, and to see how hurt my son was over not seeing his father, killed me.

I never thought about the consequences of my decision to keep Edward away from Tristan…I never thought what it would do to my son or what the outcome would be once Tristan got older.

All too soon, he started asking questions. At first it was little things he picked up on…especially at school. But the real 'where is my daddy' question came when he was almost seven years old.

I rolled to my side in my bed and sighed.

I told Tristan that Edward lived far away and that he was a very busy man. I remember how Tristan looked at me without blinking for a few seconds before he sighed and said that he understood. I was such a bad fucking mother for not seeing the doubt in his eyes. I was so selfish that when he said he understood, I was all too happy that he dropped the subject, so I just carried on without ever bringing it up again. I never thought he actually believed I lied to him and that he believed his father was actually dead.

Seeing the hurt in my son's eyes tonight was enough to kill me. And to know I did that to him – his own mother – crippled me.

"Mom," my head shot up at his uncertain voice.

"Tris?"

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure." I sat up straight in my bed and held my arms out for him. It was at this moment the baby was still in my son as he almost tripped running toward my bed and jumped straight into my arms. I held him tightly, kissing his head over and over again. Tears pricked my eyes.

"I'm sorry about before," he whispered, not to wake his sister up.

I shook my head, cupping his beautiful face between my hands. I've never felt prouder of my son than at that moment when he apologized, even though he had every right to feel angry at me or hurt…he still apologized.

"You had every right to be hurt or angry, Tris."

"Can we talk about this now?" he asked carefully.

"Let's get some hot milk and we'll talk in the living room," I suggested. He nodded his head as he moved off my bed, waiting for me to follow him.

He patiently waited for me in the living room while I heated up some hot milk for the both of us.

He looked completely lost when I entered the living room. It broke my heart to know I was the reason for his sadness. I was the reason for the doubt and questions in his pretty green eyes.

I clasped his hand between mine as I took a seat next to him. He smiled sadly at me. My children were everything to me…the very fucking air I breathed.

"Will you tell me what happened?" He spoke so softly I had to listen very carefully to hear everything.

I elaborated on the things I had only touched on before, telling him that I left Edward when I was twenty one, not knowing I was pregnant. I admitted to him I was wrong and stumbled over my words when he asked why I did it.

How could I tell him Edward picked his band? How could I tell him Edward didn't believe in marriage back then and how could I tell him Edward wasn't sure if he wanted children ten years ago? How could I tell him these things without making Edward the bad guy? Because one thing was for sure, I'd never say anything bad about his father in front of him. No matter what happened between me and Edward, I wouldn't do that to my son. I wouldn't cause him any more heartache or suffering.

Plus, Tristan deserved a fair chance to get to know his father without me bad mouthing Edward.

"I made some terrible decisions, Tris. I was very young and when I walked away from Edward, I never imagined you were already growing inside of me. When I learned I was pregnant with you, you were my main concern." I smiled sadly at him. "All I wanted to think about was you, and I lost sight of everything else, even your father."

His head was bowed a little. But I gave him a few minutes to take everything in. I watched my son turn into an adult in a matter of a few seconds. How could you expect a nine-year-old boy to completely understand a situation you created ten years ago? Practically begging his father to marry me? Fuck, the rejection was beyond what I was capable of feeling. The humiliation broke me….

Hooking my finger beneath his chin, I tilted his face up and waited till his eyes met mine before I spoke. "I'm sorry, Tris. I love you very much, but I made a mistake. A big mistake!" I swallowed when his eyes filled with tears. "I shouldn't have kept you away from your father."

He moved to wrap his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

That was when I realized I was crying.

"Don't cry, Mom," he croaked into my hair. I reveled in the feel of his arms around me and what it did to my broken heart.

I pulled him tighter into my arms, and he buried his face into the crook of my neck. "I'm okay," I whispered, even though I knew I wasn't.

"Do you think he would want to meet me?" he asked in the crook of my neck. I gently pulled him out of my arms and cupped his cheeks.

"I'm sure he will," I said and hoped in my heart that Edward wouldn't let this little boy down like he let me down. I hoped Edward would love Tristan unconditionally because I didn't know what I'd do if Edward didn't…it would kill me and I'd probably want to kill Edward.

"When will I meet my dad?"

I've been waiting for this question but it still surprised me.

"Tris," I said, "I'll have to make some calls and see what I can arrange." I smoothed his hair and cupped his cheek, tilting his head toward me so I could look into his deep green eyes that reminded me of open windows. His eyes were even deeper than Edward's and little spots of the color of my eyes - dark chocolate brown - were strewn around his green irises.

"I don't know what his life is like now and if he'll be able to take off work."

His frown deepened.

"What kind of work does he do?" he asked.

"He is in a band," I answered.

"Really?" His eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of band? Are they any good? What's the band's name?" he asked without taking a breath.

"Whoa." I chuckled. Guilt consumed me as I watched his eyes fill with pure hunger - hunger to learn more about his father….

"They are okay," I lied through my teeth because they were more than just good.

"What's the band's name, Mom?" he prompted in anticipation.

I chuckled again. "Eclipse-"

"What?" He jumped from the couch and started jumping up and down. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not,"

"Mom, they're not just okay they are pretty awesome," he exclaimed eagerly.

"Shh, baby." I clamped my hand over his mouth before his screams could wake Abbey. I chuckled.

"Again with the 'baby'?" His mood changed instantly as he scrunched his nose up and huffed. I stifled my laughter and cleared my throat.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry," I said seriously. "I'm just so used to calling you baby that it's pretty hard to remember I'm not supposed to call you that," I shrugged.

I asked him how he knew about Eclipse and he explained that he found some of their albums in my collection and listened to them a few times.

Edward's band didn't put pictures of themselves on the covers or even in the booklets, because if Tristan would have seen a picture of Edward, he would know it was his father.

I bought the albums to bury myself in my own misery, I guess. Whenever I used to listen to him sing, I would remember how he used to sing to me in the privacy of our room or in the bath, even the shower. Mostly, I remember how he would sing to me and proclaim his love after we made the most incredible love. Like I said, I buried myself in depression and misery for a while. To be honest, I completely forgot I had those albums of Edward.

"Mom?" My son's voice halted my thoughts which were rapidly getting out of control. Concern was now etched on his face. I gently ran my hand down his face and smiled.

"Hmmm?"

"Tell me about him," he asked.

"Can I ask you something first?" I asked and he nodded. "Why did you believe he was dead?"

He shrugged but I saw the hurt crawl into his eyes.

"I just thought it was easier for you to lie and tell me he lives far away then to be honest and tell me he's dead. That's why I never asked you about him again."

"I'm so sorry I made you believe he was dead." I swallowed the sob that was about to escape my mouth.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have created stories in my head and should have asked you about it."

He started asking me questions about Edward and I answered as honestly as I was capable of since I didn't know shit about Edward anymore. It'd been ten years and I had no idea what kind of man he was now.

From what I saw at the club, he had changed a lot and it was not in a good way. The bitterness and hatred in his eyes was scary and even changed their color to a cold grey. It left his face with hard lines and a rigid jaw. The old Edward, the beautiful Edward, was gone and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell happened in his life, because he was engaged for crying out loud. Wasn't he supposed to be happy? More so, what changed for him? If he's engaged to her, does that mean he never loved me? Does it mean he loves her more than he ever loved me?

Eventually, Tristan's tiredness became more urgent than his curiosity and he struggled to stifle his yawns.

"Let's continue this in the morning," I suggested. At first he wanted to fight against his exhaustion but as another yawn escaped, he reluctantly agreed, only after I promised him that I would tell him more in the morning.

The thought of losing my son, crippled me. I didn't know what Edward would do on Sunday when I told him the truth about Tristan. I didn't know if he'd want Tristan for himself and if he'd take me to court….

My phone vibrated after I put my son to bed and was surprised to see it was Jake. I quietly left my room to answer the phone, not to wake my daughter.

"You're calling late?" I smiled.

"Hey, beautiful," he said lazily and I closed my eyes at the calmness in his voice. I took it in and let it fill my heart where storms were brewing the entire day.

"I really miss you," I sighed.

"I can be there in five minutes-"

"No, that's not necessary," I interrupted him. Even though I needed him and would kill to have him here right now, he'd ask too many questions.

"That's a pity," he sighed, "I came all this way-"

"What? Are you here?" I asked in shock. I rushed to the door and looked through the peephole where I saw his beautiful smiling face. I pulled the door open and jumped into his arms.

I only realized I was sobbing when Jake carried me into the apartment, rubbing soothing circles on my back and whispered soothingly into my ear.

After I cried my heart out, Jake wanted to know what was wrong. I started to tell him about everything that happened since I saw Edward at the club. He listened patiently, rubbing the back of my hand soothingly.

"Are you sure that you want to tell Edward about Tristan?" he asked softly.

I nodded.

"I have to, Jake. You should have seen the look on Tristan's face when he learned his father isn't dead and I've deliberately kept him away from Edward."

"Babe, that's not your fault-"

"I kept them apart. I did that," I argued.

"You know I'll stand by you, no matter what you decide," he whispered. "I just can't help but wonder," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" I prompted.

"Babe, you saw Edward again and look at you, you're falling apart again. I don't want him to have this effect on you…I fucking hate that he still has this effect on you," he hissed.

I clasped his hands between mine and planted a soft kiss on them.

"It's been ten years, Jake. I was shocked to see him back in Seattle and the fact I have a hidden son in this city pretty much freaked me out," I explained. "My heart is broken over my son's anger and hurt. I've never seen Tristan so lost and hurt and it fucking killed me to see him like that. You know how much I love my kids."

"I know, I know," he kissed my hands repeatedly, "I just don't want that fucker to come back into your life."

"I know. I feel the same way. But there's Tristan to think about and I'll have to keep the peace, for Tristan's sake."

"I understand and I meant what I said, I'll support any decision you make."

"I know, and I love you for that."

"Love you too, beautiful," he whispered, tilting my chin with his index finger before he cradled my face in his large hands. His face came closer to mine and my breathing caught in my throat as my lips parted almost imperceptibly before he captured them with his own. The kiss was slow, gentle, and sweet. My eyes slid closed and I snaked my arms around his neck, revelling myself in the familiarity and safety that was Jake.

While we kissed, he continually cradled my face in his large hands as if I were a china doll that could break at any moment. I completely lost myself in that kiss but only for a moment before Edward's cold, grey eyes danced in front of my eyes. I slowed our kiss down and saw disappointment in Jake's eyes.

"Just know that I'll protect you with my life," he said seriously, "I won't let Cullen break your heart again," he promised me.

I smiled back at him.

If only he knew my heart hadn't been whole in ten years. Not even Jake and his love could have fixed my fucked up heart.

Jake had the power to still the storms, but my heart was a big fucking wound that refused to heal. The moment I stitched it up, something happened and the stitches tore open. And every fucking time, the wound got bigger and bigger. I didn't know how much more of this shit I could take.

I knew I was stronger on the inside. I'd overcome so many obstacles and heartache I could actually laugh at some of my circumstances, but – and this was a big but – Edward was my weakness. I had proved that to myself when I saw him at Twilight.

I'd have to prepare myself for Sunday because there was no fucking way I'd break before him…I wouldn't let him have the satisfaction over my heartache.

Emmett's POV

My hopes are so high,

that your kiss might kill me.

So won't you kill me,

so I die happy.

(Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional)

It was the day of the Fundraiser and even though the band had waited - what seemed like forever - for this day, I could only think of one thing; or rather one person.

I'd been pacing up and down my living room for almost an hour; pulling and tugging on my hair, which was giving me a motherfucking headache. I'd been chewing the inside of my cheek – which had become a seriously bad fucking habit – raw, to the point of being able to taste the blood in the pits and crevasses I'd just bitten.

All this, out of frustration because of a woman named, Rosalie Hale!

And after seeing her last night at Twilight, I was even more lost than before.

I had no clue that she knew Bella. Now everything made sense why the fuck she blew me off.

My face pulled into a grimace at the thought of Bella.

After ten years of nothing but suffering—no phone calls, no emails…nothing, she turned around and served us our drinks. Even though Edward was putting up a good front, Bella, showing up and not offering any explanation for her behavior, shook him to his core and only intensified what he was feeling.

To have found out that Rosalie and Bella were roommates, fuck me! That was something all right. Now, I understand why Rosalie refused to see me again after she found out I was once a member of Eclipse and Edward Cullen was my brother.

I didn't even know why this girl was bothering me – haunting was a better word. I couldn't seem to think straight or even get through a second of the day without thinking about her - how her smile would light up my entire day, how her eyes sparkled whenever she spoke about something important or something ridiculously funny, or how her lips felt against mine the first and only time we kissed.

After Irina, I was a wreck. Pfft, a bit of an understatement there…Irina's infidelity damn near killed me and I'd had a hard time trusting woman. It took me years to get where I was today; to feel what I was feeling for Rosalie, was impossible and I thought I would never feel this way again.

Again, my heart was being crushed by a woman…this time felt so much worse, though. Ridiculous, right? That was what I was thinking; I didn't know shit about this girl and I've known her for such a short amount of time.

I sighed as I continued to pace up and down my living room, still tugging on my short, curly hair.

Couldn't help what I was feeling. She had made a permanent residence inside my heart and it hurt like shit to think I wouldn't ever get a chance with her…just because of Bella and Edward's shit.

Well, fuck that!

I stopped pacing – thank goodness – and grabbed my cellphone and car keys, and rushed out of my house.

My Jeep sped through the streets of Seattle – exceeding more than one speed limit – as I rushed to Rose's apartment. I dropped her off after one of our dates – thank fuck for that, or else I wouldn't have any idea where she lived.

After about thirty minutes of driving like a maniac, I stopped in front of her building. It was not a fancy place and I didn't like the idea of her – or Bella – living in this place, but I hadn't known their circumstances and should just stay the fuck out of their business.

I jumped out of my car and rushed to the entrance but froze in my steps, raking my hands through my hair and cussing loudly. An old lady huffed as she walked past me and quickened her pace. I chuckled.

What if she rejects me again?

Fuck that, I thought to myself.

I skipped the elevator and ran up the stairs. I hoped she was home…I hoped she'd at least hear me out.

Hear me out? I didn't even know what I was going to say.

I came to a stop in front of her door and raised my hand to knock, which froze mid-air. I let my hand fall and exhaled loudly.

What if…

Get a grip Cullen! I chastised myself.

Again, I raised my hand to knock, and allowed myself to follow through. I knocked and took a step back while I waited for the door to open.

My heart stilled when I heard footsteps. I looked down to the floor and held my breath in when the door opened up. My eyes saw two bare feet with red nail polish covering the toenails. I'd never seen Rose's feet so I wouldn't know if this was her. I slowly raised my head and scanned her endless long legs – now these I knew belonged to Rose, as I've seen her in a little black dress before. I wanted to explore more of her sexy body but her clearing her throat, caught my attention.

I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. She looked amused, yet, pissed off.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and I could have sworn I saw a hint of fear in her crystal blue eyes.

"I need to talk to you," I simply said.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"No way, Rosalie." I blocked the door that was about to be slammed in my face. "I want to talk now," I said.

I knew I sounded rude but I wasn't able to sleep because of this girl. There was no way in hell I was going through another night without knowing why Bella was the cause of me, not seeing this girl.

"Who said you could come in?" she asked rudely but I ignored her completely.

I found my way to the living room and I couldn't help the disgusted look on my face when I looked around. Everything was neat and tidy but the furniture was old and ragged and torn. There was no TV in the room and I wondered if they even had one. There was a small portable CD-player on a table and a few frames with photos.

"Seen enough?" she hissed furiously. I slowly turned around to face her. I couldn't keep the sadness and pity out of my eyes.

"Don't you dare pity me," she stuttered, "or Bella," she added quickly.

"I'm not-"

"We're coping and that's what's important," she explained, interrupting me.

"Rose, I'm sorry," I whispered and took a step in her direction but she took a step back as soon as I did this, so I froze, tucked my hands into my pants' pockets and clenched my jaw tight.

"I thought I've made myself perfectly clear the other night," she said.

"Why? Why can't we be together? Because of Bella? Edward? Why Rose?" I swallowed thickly.

"You leave Bella out of this-"

"Aunty Rose?"

Both our heads shot to the left and then back to each other; confusion filled my eyes while fear filled Rose's. I gasped when I turned back to the little girl that entered the room. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Bella's little girl, as she was the spitting image of Bella even though her skin tone was a tad bit darker.

"What's wrong, Abs?" Rose replied as she rushed to the girl's side. The little girl's eyes were on me, eyeing me carefully, yet, curiously.

"Who is this?" she asked curiously and I chuckled. Her brown eyes widened but then the cutest smile spread across her face. I gasped again. The resemblances between Bella and her daughter were so precise.

"Urm…this is Emmett," Rose answered her.

"Hello," she said and bounced to my side, "My name is Abbey," she introduced herself. I looked to Rose and frowned when she kept looking to where the little girl came from, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"That's a beautiful name," I said back to Abbey but wondered what the hell was going on here? Rose looked terrified off something. I frowned again.

Had Bella gotten married? Moved on? Come on Emmett, it's been ten years.

This was going to kill my brother!

"You look like a grizzly bear."

"Abbey!" Rose chastised with widened eyes and her mouth opening and closing like a fish's.

"Sorry," Abbey sighed, "but it's true," she added quickly. I laughed out loud while I crouched down and poked her softly in her tummy. She giggled sweetly and it was like a sweet melody.

"I get that all the time," I chuckled.

"Really?" she pouted.

I nodded my head, "Sure," I smiled. "My brother reminds me everyday."

"You have a brother?" she asked.

"Yup." I popped the 'p'. Her mouth opened to say something but then we were interrupted by Rose coming to stand next to Abbey. She placed her hand on Abbey's shoulder while looking down to me.

"Abbey, why don't you go and play," Rose suggested. Abbey pouted but reluctantly agreed.

Rose watched her leave and then, when she made sure she was out of hearing distance, turned back to me. She looked furious.

"Bella's married?" I asked the first thing that sprung to mind.

Rose's entire face pulled in disgust while she huffed.

"No, she's not married," she plopped down on the ragged couch, "not that it's any business of yours," she added quickly.

"Look," I said in irritation, "I love Bella as a sister and it broke my heart when she left. I'm sorry things didn't work out between her and Edward, but honestly," I pinched the bridge of my nose, "it has nothing to do with me."

"Bella's going to freak out about you being here," she whispered terrified. I frowned again.

"Why? I don't understand." I stated.

"Because of Edward-"

"Rosy, Abbey said there's a bear in our house," a young boy came running into the room. I looked up from Rose to where the voice came from and almost fell on my back. I looked to Rose again but she only shook her head, warning me with her eyes.

She approached the boy and ran her fingers through his hair, unruly bronze hair, just like Edward's.

"Tris, we're kind of in the middle of something," she said.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Will you call me when you're done, because I'd like to meet this bear," he chuckled. He had the same velvety tone to his voice, although his were still young and raspy, not as fluently as Edward's.

"I'll call you, I promise," she said.

I stood frozen in the middle of the room. What the fuck was happening here? Bella…two children? How the hell did this happen?

"What the hell was that?" I almost yelled when he left the room. I clenched my jaw rigidly and swallowed hard.

"Keep your damn voice down," she hissed and pulled me by my wrist to the kitchen.

"He is Edward's son," I stated.

She sighed and clasped her hands in front of her face. Tears filled her eyes but at this moment, they left me cold.

"How the fuck could Bella do this to him?" I asked bitterly. Rose's head snapped up and gave me a death glare.

"Don't you dare judge Bella," she argued, "what about your brother? How could he have done what he did to Bella?"

"It didn't give her the right to keep his son away from him," I defended my brother.

Never in a million years would I have imagined by coming here tonight, I would find my brother's son. A son he didn't even know existed.

"That's why you can't date me," I gasped, "because I would have figured out that Bella's been keeping Edward's son away from him." I frowned furiously as everything started to make sense.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "but I can't betray my friend. Please understand," she pleaded.

"Of course I understand," I nodded my head, "because you'll understand that I can't betray my brother," I said through clenched teeth.

I turned around to leave but she grabbed me by my wrist. I looked at her and sighed.

"Please, don't tell him," she begged.

"The hell I won't," I hissed and pulled my arm out of her grip.

"He needs to hear it from Bella."

"HA! She had ten years to tell him, why now?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked to the floor, gnawing on her bottom lip again. And everything started making sense…

"Because he found her last night," I answered my own question.

"No, that's not the only reason. She knows that it's the right thing to do-"

"Bull-fucking-shit," I interrupted her. "She had ten years to tell him…ten fucking years, Rose, and now it's the right thing to do!" I ran my hands over my face and exhaled loudly, the pounding inside my chest increased.

I looked at Rose, really looked at her, and blew out a long breath.

"We could've been great together," I said sadly, feeling my heart crush as I said the words. Her lips quivered from keeping her tears at bay.

"I liked you, Rose, maybe even loved you." I raked my fingers roughly through my hair. "I don't know what the feelings are that I have for you." I closed my eyes as my throat swelled and threatened to choke me, "I guess we'll never know now, will we?" I opened my eyes slowly to look at her one last time.

She was so beautiful, so perfectly beautiful.

I rushed out of the kitchen and made my way to the door but she ran after me and grabbed me by my wrist.

"Em, please. I'm begging you to not tell Edward," she cried.

"You don't get to ask me that, Rose!" I yelled furiously. "You don't get to ask me anything."

"Don't go, please."

"This is what you wanted," I laughed bitterly. "What really bugs the crap out of me, is that you had a chance to tell me about Bella and her situation, but you chose to lie along with her and kick me out of your life," I grinned. "So, this is me, gone!"

I reached for the doorknob and viciously opened the door.

"Goodbye, Rosalie," I whispered with my back toward her. I closed my eyes when her raw sobs cut straight through my heart, damn near killing me.

Well, fuck, what am I supposed to be impressed?

You're just another set of bones to lay to rest.

I guess it's time to say goodnight.

Hope you had a really good time.

I will soon forget the color of your eyes,

and you will forget mine.

Back in my Jeep, I slammed on the steering wheel while groaning loudly.

I didn't know what the fuck to do.

I owed it to Edward to tell him about Bella's betrayal. Again, I couldn't believe that Bella did this to him…the Bella I knew – or thought I knew – wouldn't have done this to him. I knew he was young back then and he wasn't sure about the whole marriage thing, but come on, who would be sure at the age of twenty one?

I sighed as I started the engine…

I was telling my brother about this…before Bella disappeared again!

I've been having this dream that we can fly,

So darling, close your eyes.

Cause you're about to miss everything

(Bulls in the Bronx – Pierce the Veil)

oOoOoOoO