Chapter Five: Your Eyes

Bella POV

I was officially moved into Alice and Jasper's house and had officially gotten the job at the school. The only thing missing was a personal life. I missed the friends I'd made in Chicago and the family I'd left behind. But, when I saw what a happy baby Aiden was around Alice and Jasper, I knew I'd made the right choice. I still had the nightmares, but I could get more than ten minutes of sleep without waking up in fear.

"Bells, Emmett's birthday is today and his aunt is throwing him a party and you should come." Jasper said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Emmett?" I asked. "Who's...oh. Emmett."

"Yeah." He smiled. "You don't know anyone in town yet so I thought this might be a good way to get the ball rolling."

"Get the ball rolling?" I asked, flicking him in the forehead. "You're such a dork."

"Yes, but a cute dork." Alice laughed as she came into the kitchen with Melody in her arms. "But he's right, Bells. Going to the party might be fun."

"I...I don't know." I sighed. "I think I'll just stay here with the babies."

"Nonsense." Jasper said, slapping his hand on the table. "We already have a baby sitter set up for both of them. You have ran out of excuses...you are going tonight.

"Jasper..."

"Bella...how are you going to bounce back...if you don't have any friends?"

"I have friends."

"Other than Alice and I?" He asked and I only shrugged. "I just want you to have the most normal life you can."

"Okay." I nodded after a long pause. "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Perfect." Alice squealed, clapping her hands together. I spent the rest of the afternoon, sorting things into drawers and picking something out to wear. I was never one for fashion, but I figured this was not a party I could just wear jeans to. Finally, I had settled on a polka dot skirt, and a white button down. I got the things the babysitter would need for Aiden together and headed downstairs.

I stopped in the middle of the stairs, when I saw Alice and Jasper tangled in each other's arms.

"You look beautiful, Alice." He whispered, kissing her forehead. "But, you always do."

"Well thank you, darling." She laughed. "You look pretty good yourself."

"You like? I thought the clothes you laid out on the bed for me would be a good choice." He laughed. I wiped away the tears that had fallen before walking downstairs and greeting them. "Hey."

"Hi." I sighed. "We taking the babies to the sitter or is she coming here?"

"She's coming here." Alice told me. "You okay?"

"What? Yeah, I think I got some dust in my eyes or something." I lied. Soon, the doorbell rang and the sitter was here. We piled up into the car, and headed towards the party. I took a deep breath as Jasper parked on the street and we walked inside. For an adults party, it sure was...bumping. I felt like I was a teenager again going to a sweet sixteen.

"Jasper!" A females voice called. "Alice!"

"Esme!" Jasper called back as a beautiful woman with dark brown hair came hurrying towards us. "Great party. As usual."

"Well, Emmett always has been on the...overdone side." She laughed. "And who's this?"

"Oh, this is Bella." Alice introduced. "She just moved here."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Bella." She smiled. "How's the baby?"

"Wonderful." Alice gushed as they walked away together.

"That was Dr. Platt." Jasper told me as he handed me a glass of punch.

"The...the person I'm going to be seeing?" I asked, nearly choking on my drink. "What?"

"Relax, Bella." Jasper whispered. "She keeps her work at work. She knows you're coming to see her Friday."

"I...I just wasn't expecting that."

"Well, don't worry. Esme is one of the nicest people you will ever meet." Jasper mused. "Get to know her and she'll be like a mother to you. Hell, I work with her and she's more of a mother than a coworker."

"That's...good to know." I gulped, taking another sip of my drinks. Just as Jasper was about to introduce me to some of his other friends, my phone buzzed. I looked at the Caller ID and it was Detective Stanley's number. "I gotta take this."

"Okay." Jasper called as I rushed outside onto a balcony. "Hello?"

"Bella?"

"Yeah, you have the right number."

"I'm sorry to bother you on a Saturday night but, we may have some information about Edward's murder."

"Oh?" I asked dryly, suddenly feeling sick. "What is it?"

"There was a few fingerprints on Edward that night." She explained. "We had to go through all of them...testing yours, his, and anyone in the family he saw that day."

"Yeah?"

"And, there was one finger print that didn't match anyone we tested."

"And that's the killer?"

"We don't know if it was the man who shot him, but he was involved."

"So...we're closer to finding him?"

"Possibly." She sighed. "But, the thing that baffled the Medical Examiner was...their mitochondrial DNA was similar." She explained and I lost all the feeling in my body. Mitochondrial DNA comes from the mother, meaning whoever was with the shooter than night...was Edward's brother.

"They're...they're..." I slurred. "They're...brothers?"

"Half brothers." She corrected. "The man you know to be Edward's father...is not his father at all."

"Can you tell who the half brother's father is?" I asked.

"No." She sighed. "There is no record of a match in the records. I'm sorry." I didn't know how to respond and I just ended up hanging up on the woman. All this time I thought Nathan Masen was Edward's father, when in reality...he had no relation to him at all. I slumped down into a deck chair and just placed my face in my hands, not even knowing how to feel. Soon, the confused feeling turned into anger and I dialed the Masen's number.

"Hello?" Elizabeth answered sweetly. "Hello?"

"Hi, Elizabeth." I said dryly. "You have another son?" I spat at her.

"Oh...god." She cried, and I heard her breath hitch. "Who told you?"

"Detective Stanley." I told her. "Whoever was with the shooter last night...has the same mitochondrial DNA as Edward...and that's something they get from you."

"I...I don't have another son." She told me. "But, Nathan is not Edward's father."

"Did Edward know this?" I seethed. What she did was completely wrong. "Did he?"

"Yes." She whispered. "We told him when he was six and asked why Nathan didn't look like him at all."

"I...I just..." I couldn't even form words at that point, and I ended up just hanging up the phone. I took a few more deep breaths before standing up and attempting to go back inside. I was here to meet knew people, and have fun but my world had just been turned upside down again, and I wasn't sure how long I could pretend. As I walked deeper inside the house, the nausea worsened and I felt my breathing becoming shallow.

"Hey!" A voice boomed as a tall figure walked towards me. "Bella, right?"

"Yeah." I sighed, trying to catch my breath. "Emmett?"

"Thats me." He laughed, pointing to himself. I felt my neck becoming warm and sweaty, and had to hold onto a nearby chair to stand upright. "Hey, you okay?"

"What?" I asked, trying to regain composure. "So, happy birthday."

"Thanks." He smiled as a blonde man came up from behind him and slapped his back so hard I could hear it. "And, thanks for coming."

"Yeah...I...I wouldn't..." I stumbled over my words, trying to catch my breath. I saw the blonde mans face drop from happiness to complete concern. He walked away from Emmett and took my free hand, checking my pulse.

"You're Bella, right?" He asked and I only nodded. "Well, your pulse is fast, but very weak. I'm going to take you into my office to get a closer look, alright?"

"Sure." I whispered. He turned around to say something to Emmett as I pulled myself upright, taking my hand off the chair. The minute I tried standing on my own, I began to fall forward. Everything was all a blur.

"She's in shock!" I heard someone yell. "Someone, call the hospital. Tell them we'll be there soon."

"Bella?" I heard Jasper's voice call as he raced through the crowd. "Bella!" I heard him call before I saw blackness.

BOOM!

"NO!" Edward's voice yelled as I raced towards him. I got to the top of the steps, and saw someone hovering over him. The man lifted his head, and he was identical to Edward, only a few years younger.

"Edward?" I asked, rushing over to him as the other man disappeared into the night. "EDWARD!"

"NO! NO! DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

"Bella!" I heard Jasper yell as I shot up in the bed, and into his arms. "You're okay. Everything is okay."

"He has a brother, Jasper." I sobbed into his t-shirt. "He has...a half brother. Elizabeth had another husband or something and had Edward with him. Nathan isn't his father. It's someone else."

"What?" Was all Jasper could ask. "How do you know this?"

"One of the other guys who was in the house that night...was Edward's half brother. They have the same mom."

"Are you sure..."

"Elizabeth confessed Edward wasn't Nathan's son to me last night." I sighed as I calmed down and let go of Edward. "I called her."

"Is that what got you so worked up?" He asked as he rubbed my back. I only nodded, and he just brought me into a closer hug.

"How long have I been out?"

"Not very long." He told me. "It's a good thing Carlisle was there."

"Carlisle?"

"Emmett's uncle." He told me. "Esme's husband."

"Oh." I nodded as there was a knock on the door. The same blonde man from the party walked in, looking far less casual and in a white lab coat.

"Good, you're awake." He smiled down at me. "I'm Dr. Cullen."

"Cullen?" I asked. "I thought it was Platt?"

"My wife uses her maiden name with her patients." He told me as he lifted my wrist to take my pulse. "Your pulse has improved greatly. You took quite a spill, how do you feel?"

"Good." I told him honestly. I just wanted to get home, and hold my kid. "Really, I'm fine."

"Well, we're going to watch you overnight, but you should be able to go home tomorrow morning." He told me and then left the room. Jasper stayed up with me through the night because even he knew I would just continue to wake up screaming and in tears. We played cards, watched terrible cable TV, and just talked. He continually reassured me I would be okay and someday, everything would be normal again.

When morning came, she was never so glad to be riding in the car again. We pulled into the house and I ran inside, just wanting to be with Aiden. I walked inside, and was shocked to see Emmett and Esme sitting at the table.

"Bella!" Alice gushed, rushing up to me. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better." I smiled. "Thanks to your uncle."

"Well, if Emmett hadn't been there, you would have hit your head pretty hard."Alice mused as she took a sip of coffee.

"You're the one who caught me?" I asked, looking deep into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Yeah." He laughed. "I wasn't going to let you fall."

It had been five months since Edward had died, and I was losing hope that they would ever catch the son of a bitch who took him from me. Although my life would never be the same, I was beginning to heal and love the life I'd made for myself in Forks. Alice, Japer and I had recreated the friendship we had in high school, the job I began in October was amazing and the kids were the sweetest things, and Aiden was happy here.

I had also developed a friendship with Esme and her family. Jasper had been right. She kept her work at work, and never brought up what we talked about in our sessions outside of the building. Her husband, Carlisle, also became a friend of mine and he had to be the most compassionate person I'd ever talked to. Then, there was Emmett...who seemed to only get better looking with time. Each time I saw him...he was more muscular than the day before.

I knew I wasn't ready to date yet, and I didn't know when I would be...but I was having fun getting to know him...and sometimes flirting with him. It was harmless, and nothing would come out of it but it was fun while it lasted.

But, not even Jasper could take away the pain that Christmas brought on. This was supposed to be our first Christmas with our son, and he wasn't there. We had so many plans...dreams for his first Christmas and they were taken from us in the blink of an eye. And, each day that went by was another day that Aiden didn't have a father. As he grew up, the day would come where I would have to explain what happened to Edward and that his father was never coming home.

"This is for you, Bells." Alice smiled as she handed me a small box. I carefully unwrapped it, and the tears came immediately. Since he was killed, I'd put away all the pictures I had of him, and us together...knowing when I saw it I would only cry. But, Esme was continually telling me that it wasn't the right way to deal with it and I needed to put those pictures up for Aiden's sake.

"I know that you don't really want pictures of him out...and you don't have to put that up right away..."

"It's perfect, Alice." I said, gently placing my fingertips over the glass of the frame. "Really. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled, going back to helping Melody open her presents. I looked down at Aiden who was in his seat, chewing at the paper and gently took it out of his hands. I bent down, and put the frame in front of his face.

"This is your daddy, Aiden." I whispered in his ears. His tiny hands reached out in front of him and touched the glass before turning to look at Jasper who was rustling the wrapping paper. "He loves you very, very much."

"Very much."I heard a familiar voice say, but when I looked up...no one was there."

"You okay, Bella?" Jasper asked when he saw my confused face.

"Yeah...I thought I heard..." I began to say...but then I realized it was only in my head. "Nothing. Never mind."

"Okay." He smiled back at me. "Next time thought, I think a roll of wrapping paper will suffice for Aiden."

"Probably." I laughed, taking another piece out of his hands. "You really like it, don't ya?" I asked and he only erupted into giggles.

Christmas seemed to pass more slowly with Edward gone, and I was actually relieved to go to bed that night. The next morning, I woke up sleepy and groggy but I knew I had to get up and live the day. I dressed, fed Aiden and brought him into the living room where the three of them were watching Baby Einstein.

"Hey, I'm gonna go out." I said, causing them to gasp. "Can you watch him for a few hours?"

"Sure," Alice smiled. "Where you going?"

"Edward and I were planning to see a movie together...and...I have to go for him." I said, causing them to grow giddy. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Drive safe!" Jasper cautioned. I jumped in my car, took a deep breath, and started it. The drive to Port Angeles wasn't very long, and I'd made good time since it was the day after Christmas. I bought my ticket, and headed into the movie theater, choosing mine and Edward's favorite seats in the back middle.

"Bella?" I heard a familiar voice ask and I shot my head up from my phone, and smiled up at Emmett.

"Emmett?" I asked, surprised he'd want to see a movie like this. "What are you doing here?"

"Les Mis was one of my mom's favorite musicals." He said, trying to hide his sadness. "I thought I'd come and see why."

"It's supposed to be one of the best musicals of all time." I mused as he sat down next to me. "It was Edward's favorite...one of the reasons he got into composing."

"He ever compose a musical?"

"No." I shook my head. "But, it was one of things he'd planned on doing after...after Aiden was born."

Soon enough, the lights began to dim and the screen turned on. We endured ten minutes of commercials before the loud music of the movie came on. I smiled as they focused in on a shit yard, and brought my knees up to my chest in excitement. I didn't know this musical like Edward had, but I knew enough and was captivated when he showed me bits and pieces of the tenth anniversary concert.

Look down and see the beggars at your feet
Look down and show some mercy if you can

I was captivated from the first note they sung, and so was Emmett. I glanced over and his hand was over his chin, looking like he was concentrating hard. When I Dreamed a Dream began to play, I clenched my fists and tried to hold back tears. This was the first song Edward had me listen to, and I knew that if I was with Edward, my dream would always be coming true.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

I went to grab a tissue out of my purse, but Emmett held me back, handing me a tissue. I looked at him, and he just seemed to understand what I was feeling. He gave me a soft smile as I took the tissue from him, and wiped my eyes. I tried pulling my hands out of his, but he wouldn't give up. I looked over at him again, and he was just starring at the screen, pretending he didn't see me looking at him.

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

Emmett squeezed my hand tighter as the last note was sung, and once the moment had past, let go of my hand. The movie passed by the same, there would be sad scenes, I'd cry like a baby, and Emmett would provide me with tissues and hold my hand as I cried it out. When it was finally done, I clapped my hands in awe, knowing exactly why Edward loved it so much.

"Wow." I heard Emmett sigh as he sat up straight. "That was...fucking depressing."

"Yeah." I laughed, wiping my face one last time. "But...now I know why Edward loved it so much."

"Would...would you like to go get something to eat?" He asked as I threw away my popcorn and was headed outside.

"Oh...I...I should get back to Aiden." I sighed. Half telling the truth, half lying.

"He's with Jasper and Alice." He reminded me. "He'll be fine for another hour or so."

"Sure." I finally sighed, knowing he was right. "Where to?"

"There's a great pizza down the street." He offered as I unlocked my car.

I knew I wasn't ready for anything, but this might be exactly what Jasper was telling that I needed. Fun and normalcy.