Chapter Fourteen: Leave the Winter

Emmett POV

Three Years Later

"And this one is from your aunt and I." Carlisle said, handing me a package. I rolled my eyes since I'd asked everyone to skip the presents this year, but no one seemed to listen to me and bought things anyway.

"I thought I said no presents?" I laughed as I opened the gift. I carefully opened the box, and stopped breathing. "How did you get these?"

"What are they?" Alice asked, looking over my shoulders, looking at the charred rings.

"My mom and dad's wedding bands." I said, letting the tears fall. I didn't want anything of theirs from that night. One of the reasons I ran was so I didn't have to deal with their will, or with getting anything that they'd recovered form the fire. I didn't want it if they couldn't have it. "Where did you get these?"

"Since you ran away, we were given the job of sorting though everything that was saved from the fire." Esme whispered. "We didn't think you were ready to have anything...until now."

"No!" I yelled, handing the box to Alice. "I don't want anything!"

"Emmett!" I heard Carlisle call after me as I slammed the door shut. I paced around the porch and didn't hear the door gently shut from behind me. I turned to see Bella, holding her hand out for me. I melted at the sight of her, and fell into her embrace, crying for reasons I didn't even know why.

"They aren't suppose to be dead, Bella."I cried. "I don't want their wedding rings...not because they're dead. Not yet."

"I know." She whispered. "It's okay."

"I was an ass." I sighed as I let go and we sat down on the swing. "They were trying to do something nice for me, and I...I yelled at them for it."

"They understand, Emmett." She soothed. "They thought you'd be ready after...eleven years?"

"Yeah, eleven years last June." I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"Wanna hear something worse?"

"Sure."

"I didn't want to see Aiden after he was born." She sighed, and I whipped my head to look at her in shock. "Yeah, it was the day of Edward's funeral and I refused to see him or hold him after he was born."

"How long did it take you?" I asked. "To hold him?"

"A few hours." She sighed. "I mean, I didn't have a choice. I was his mother and had to see him at some point. But, I didn't want to see him because he was Edward's. Edward helped conceive him, picked out his name, painted his nursery. He was Edward and I was afraid every time I saw him...I'd see Edward."

"And...do you?"

"Every single day." She whispered. "His eyes, hair...his smile. It all came from Edward."

"He got a lot from you too." I told her. "His compassion. His laugh. His willingness to love."

"Come on," She whispered, standing up and extending her hand to help me stand. "Let's go inside. Talk to them. Because Emmett? I don't think you've ever dealt with this before. And it's been eleven years."

"I'm...I'm afraid...to deal with it." I choked out, pulling her close to me. "I feel like if I deal with it...I'm accepting that they're gone and I don't want to accept that yet."

"The only way you're going to begin to heal from all the hurt, is by accepting what's happened, Emmett." She whispered, bringing her forehead to mine. "If I never accepted Edward was gone, I wouldn't love Aiden as much as I do, I wouldn't have moved to Forks to be with Jasper...and I wouldn't have met you or fell in love with you."

Those words. Those four words gave me the courage I've needed to accept my parents death. Bella was right, I've never dealt with it and I haven't even begun to heal from it. Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me inside where everyone was giving me their looks of pity. I pulled Carlisle and Esme into the kitchen and we sat in silence for a good five minutes before I said anything.

"I appreciate the rings." I whispered. "I do. It's just when I left Tennessee, I didn't want anything to do with that life."

"They wouldn't have wanted you to do that, Emmett." Esme whispered. "Caroline and Max...they would have wanted you to be who you would have been if they'd been there."

"I...I know." I whispered. "But, I just didn't want to accept that they were really gone. I thought it was easier to just...run."

"So, you ran." Carlisle nodded. "Emmett, I know you lose your parents that night in the fire. I know you felt like everyone you loved was gone and life would never be the same. But," He whispered, closing his eyes and looking pained. "I lost my sister that night. She was my best friend, Emmett. I spent my entire life trying to protect her. From boys. Your grandparents. And then that fire started and I couldn't protect her.

"I wasn't there that night to help her and your father get out safely. I wasn't there for you when you got home to see what had happened. Emmett, I needed you."

"Needed me?"

"Yes. I needed you that day of the funeral. I needed a part of her with me and you were the only thing I had left of her. You were everything to her, Emmett. Everything. Everything you were growing up, is because of her."

"I..."

"I know you don't want me dumping this on you, but I think you need to hear it."

"I've been selfish." I whispered, falling into a nearby chair. "All these years...I've only thought about how I lost my mom and dad. I'm so sorry."

"Emmett, I understand." He sighed, sitting down next to me. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if I came home to find my house had burnt down and my family was gone. But, you also have to understand accepting something is the only way you can begin to heal."

"How long did it take you to accept it?" I asked. "Their death?"

"A few months." He whispered. "It wasn't until we were handed those rings by a lawyer who was helping us deal with their death that I accepted it."

"I still haven't." I confessed. "I still have accepted the fact that they're really gone. I keep hoping that they're going to walk in that door...and wish me happy birthday."

"You know what?" Esme finally asked. "Me too."

The three of us finished talking in the kitchen and once we were cleaned up, walked into the living room where Bella was putting the candles on the cake.

"Make a wish, birthday boy." She whispered into my ear once the singing had finished. I looked into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled before bending down to blow out the candles. I wished for something I knew I would never have, but I couldn't help the hope that welled up inside of me when Bella was next to me. After another hour, we all called it a night and I took Bella's hand and led her to my car.

"Do you wanna stay over tonight?" She asked as I backed out of the driveway.

"Of course." I smiled. "Do I get my present?"

"I thought you said no presents?"

"Well, I did...from everyone else." I winked and turned onto the road that would take me to her house. "Want me to come get Aiden with you?"

"That'd be great." She smiled as we got out of the car and walked across the lawn to the neighbors house who were watching Aiden. But, when we stepped onto the porch and saw the door cracked open, we both grew anxious. She gave me a look of terror and knocked on the door, getting no answer.

"Mariah?" She called through the house once she opened the door a stepped inside. "Mariah?"

"Maybe she's asleep." I suggested as we walked further into the house.

"With the door opened?" She asked as she ran into the kitchen. We checked every room downstairs and when we saw nothing, we ran upstairs. "Aiden?"

"MOMMY!" I heard him cry from behind doors. We ran into the room where the sound was coming from and found him in a small bathroom in the tub under blankets. "MOMMY!" He cried, jumping into her arms.

"Aiden! Where's Mariah?" She cried after his sobs had died down.

"I don't know." He sobbed. "There was a loud bang, mommy. I didn't know what was happening."

"A loud bang?" I asked. Bella took Aiden downstairs to call the police and I stayed upstairs to try and find Mariah. After opening every door and finding her no where in sight, I opened the other bathroom door, looking behind the shower curtain. There, Mariah was lying in a tub full of water in blood, not breathing.

"Oh...god." I whispered, kneeling down beside the tub. This poor girl had just moved here from Pittsburgh and was living here alone while she got on her feet. She'd just started working at the middle school a few months ago. "Oh..no."

"Emmett, did you find..." I heard Bella begin to ask as she came into the bathroom. I heard her breathing become labored as she stared down at the lifeless body. "Oh god. He was here? That creep?"

"I think so, yes." I sighed as I stood and wiped my hands off.

"He's never been so close before." She sobbed. "He was here? What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." I sighed as I led her downstairs. The police and Medical Examiner arrived not long after and since there wasn't much we could do since we weren't there when it happened, we went home. Aiden fell asleep in Bella's arms that night and she refused to let him go.

It had been a month since Mariah had been killed and Bella was still a nervous wreck. She wouldn't let Aiden out of her sight except for when he was with Jasper. It was also driving me insane too. I knew who it was, and so did Bella but we were both afraid for our lives if he would find out and didn't tell anyone. Things had also been tense between us as well.

Not telling the police was riding her with guilt. She wanted to put him in jail, and so did I...but I couldn't say anything without it all falling apart. I loved her and I wasn't ready to let her go yet. However, the last three years we'd spent together was based off lies and I couldn't confess. Not now. Not ever. I was selfish for doing this to her, but I loved her. I couldn't destroy her.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie asked as her and Royce walked into the apartment we still shared with each other. After a year od seeing each other, she finally decided to come clean and tell everyone about Royce. He was a good guy, and I was glad she found someone. But, in a month they'd be moving in together and Rosalie and I wouldn't be living together anymore.

"Nothing." I lied. As more time passed, the more scarred I got something would happen to Bella and I. There was too much to just come out and tell her, so I decided writing a letter would be best. "I'm gonna get going. I promised Jasper I'd help pack up the car."

"Oh yeah, I forgot they're going skiing." She sighed as they sat down on the couch. "Where are they going exactly?"

"Somewhere in Canada." I said, rolling my eyes. "Jasper said it was cheapest there. I'll see you later at the barbecue.

"Have fun!" Rosalie called out as I shut the door. Bella and Aiden were there by the time I got there and the car was mostly already packed. I helped Jasper bring out the rest of their bags along with the cooler. Once the trunk was closed, and the three little ones were strapped in, it was time for them to go. Since Melody and Aiden were so close, she begged them to let Aiden go with them. Bella was letting him go as long as he wasn't let out of their sight.

"Have fun." I whispered to Alice as I hugged her tight. "I just can't believe you're missing the annual barbecue at the Cullen's" I laughed since my aunt and uncle had this cook out every year on the very last day of summer.

"Yeah, well...skiing is pretty cheap this time of year." Alice laughed as they got into the car.

"Ready to go help Esme out?" I asked Bella as we got into my car. Esme wasn't home yet when we arrived and we let ourselves inside and headed up to the room where I used to occupy when I lived here.

"I feel like I'm like...in your childhood room." She giggled. "Waiting to get caught by our parents."

"Well, what if we are?" I asked, pulling her into me and kissing her deeply. I heard her moan into my mouth as she tightly wrapped her arms around my neck as I picked her up. I carried her over to my old bed and put her down and crawled on top of her. Suddenly, I felt us being flipped and looked up to see her devious smile.

"You're always on top." She laughed, as she unbuttoned by shirt and slid it off my shoulders. It didn't take us long to get one another naked and moaning as she rode me. I smiled up at her as I watched her face squint in pleasure and we were both coming within minutes. She fell on top of me, and I could feel her heartbeat racing as fast as ever.

"Damn, babe." I laughed as I lifted her off of me and placed her by my side. "That was..."

"Fucking incredible?" She asked once she was able to breath again. "Isn't it always?"

"Good point." I laughed, kissing the top of her head. I heard the front door open and neither of us could stifle out giggles. It did feel too much like bring a girl home and messing around her while my parents were out...even though we were both twenty-nine.

"Emmett! Bells! You two here?" I heard Esme call up the stairs.

"Yeah!" I called. "We'll be right down!" I yelled as Bella pulled her jeans up over her hips. We finished getting dressed and she helped me make the bed. But, as we were finishing up, I saw her bend down and pick up papers. I gasped when I realized what papers those were, and I felt my palms begin to sweat.

"Bella! No!" I shouted as she took a closer look at the papers she was holding. It was everything that had happened when I first arrived. I had to get it off my chest, but I was stupid and didn't get rid of it when I was finished it. It was everything. Edward being my brother. James killing Edward. Knowing exactly who Bella was. She looked up at me, her eyes full of tears and just held up the papers.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, holding up the birth announcement of Edward's and his obituary. "Why do you have this?"

"Bella,"

"Edward Anthony McCarty was born just after five P.M. Sunday night to the proud parents Elizabeth Johnson and Max McCarty?" She read from the birth announcement. "Edward McCarty? Please tell me this is a freaky coincidence. Please tell me you haven't been lying to me for the past five years!"

"I...I can't." I cried, feeling the tears stream down my cheeks.

"You're the half brother?" She cried, throwing the papers on the ground. "You were there? You were there the night Edward was killed?"

"Yes." I whispered, and she broke down completely. "I'm sorry, I just..."

"Wait!" She stopped me. "How long have you known? Who I was?"

"Since...since Aiden was a baby."

"You've known the entire time we've known each other?" She shouted. "You've known...and you let me fall in love with you?"

"I..I was trying to protect you."

"From what?" She cried.

"From getting hurt."

"So...so you've been lying to me this entire time? You've been lying about EVERYTHING!" She shouted. "I trusted you! I loved you!"

"I love you too,"

"NO! YOU DON'T! If you loved me...you would have been honest with me! You wouldn't have let Aiden get attached to you! You wouldn't have let me...get attached to you."

"I wanted to tell you." I told her. "I did...but I was so scared Bella. I was so afraid I'd lose you forever."

"Yeah, well you just did." She sighed as she put her jacket on and began walking towards the door. I just stood there, in complete shock. She had just found out everything I hoped she never would. I had just lost the most important girl in my life. And I fucking deserved it.

"Hello?" I heard Esme greet as she answered the door once my bedroom door was open.

"Yes, is Emmett here?" I heard the familiar voice asked, and I ran across the room to Bella, covering her mouth with my hands, praying to God nothing was about to happen.

Not only did Bella know everything that I'd been hiding from her, but James was right downstairs.

Author's Note! I hate doing these, but I just wanted to tell everyone the next chapter is going to be written in THIRD person just so no one is confused! Please review!