Mail Order Bride

A/N: Hi! Thank you SO much for all the alerts and favs. 21 reviews so far! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Reviews make me smile! Longest one yet!

Chapter 7

A month had past since Bella had sent the letter to Chicago. It was now late September and was starting to turn a bit colder. Her 18th birthday came and went with little fanfare. Her family knew of her aversion for celebrations and presents. Still, her brothers had all thrown in and bought Bella a new cookbook. (Translation- If not for Bella's cooking, the brothers would starve, as their wives could not cook or bake)

Everyday, Bella would make the trip to the post to see if she had received a response yet. As of yet, she had not. Had she been too late? Did someone else reply sooner? Bella hadn't yet made any mention to her family about the advertisement. If nothing came of it, she felt them not knowing was better than them having yet another thing to pick on her about.

Bella did, however, have a backup plan. She had been saving money for the past 2 years, having done odd jobs for the neighbors to earn it. Bella was frugal, only spending what was necessary. If this didn't happen, she still had a chance at freedom. Now that she was 18, she would be able to travel alone, without a chaperone. That thought alone made her giddy. Freedom, in one form or another, was close at hand.

After yet another disappointing run to the post, Bella entered her home to see a bustle of activity within. Neighbor women were cleaning every possible surface that was visible. Rugs were being beaten and cleaned. Bella was shocked. She was always the one to do all of these chores. What was going on?

"What is going on here?" she asked Rosalie, who was standing a couple feet away, watching everything as well.

"I don't know for sure. Emmett and I came in to find this," she swept her hand out to encompass the room, "going on. Your father sent a message, telling us to come here. Something about an announcement of some sort."

"An announcement? Why have I not heard about this before now? I live here!" Bella exclaimed.

"I'm not sure. He summoned Jacob and Leah as well. They arrived a few moments after we did."

Just then, Charlie came flying through the room. He stopped when he saw Bella standing there. "Ah, Bells. Good, you're back. Stay here for awhile. I have an announcement later, and I want the whole family to hear it." Before Bella could reply, Charlie took off running up the stairs.

Bella felt like she had just entered a hurricane, and could no longer see the ground. What was happening here?

A few hours later, Charlie called everyone into the Living area. Bella sat on one couch, between Jacob and Mike. Emmett, Rosalie and Leah sat on the opposite couch. Charlie stood in front of everyone, a quiet Sue at his side.

"Well," Charlie began, clearing his throat, "I asked you all here, because I have an announcement to make." Looking at Sue with a smile, he took her hand in his. "I have asked Sue to marry me, and she has graciously accepted."

Everyone clapped, except Bella. She couldn't remember making a conscious decision to move. All she knew was, she was on the couch one second, the next she was running up the stairs, sobbing. The slamming of her bedroom door echoed throughout the house.

Several moments later, there was a quiet knocking on her door. Sitting up on the bed, Bella dried her eyes quickly.

"Belly?" Emmett's voice came through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," she said simply.

Emmett opened the door and peeked his head around. Seeing she was on her bed, he stepped inside. Pulling her vanity chair over to the bed, Emmett sat down next to Bella. He took her hand in his.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Bella almost laughed out loud. This couldn't be her brother. Her brother was loud, obnoxious and rude. He cared about no one but his wife and son. He certainly didn't care about her. He enjoyed ruining her life to much to love her.

"No, I'm not," she told him honestly.

"Bells, do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything," Emmett said encouragingly.

Should I tell him? Would he understand? "Why now? Why are you being nice to me now? You never have before. You and the others enjoy ruining my life too much."

Emmett sat back a little and sighed. "Bella, all of us love you very much. You're our baby sister. We've just been protecting you."

"Protecting me? You call chasing off every man I could possibly share a life with, Protecting me?"

"Bella, none of those fools deserved you. You are much better than all of them. They can't give you what you need," Emmett said, sounding sincere for once.

"What do I need, Emmett? Tell me," Bella said, curious now.

"You need a man who, instead of trying to tame you, embraces you as unique. You need someone who treats you as an equal, not as a doll that is made of glass. You need someone who can love you for the rest of your life and still see you as being beautiful, no matter how many years have past. You need a man who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. A man who will love you for the rest of your days with the same passion and strength as the day you fell in love. A man who will always protect you from harm."

Bella was shocked. She had never heard her brother sound so smart before. Maybe she had underestimated Emmett. Maybe he really did care. Should I tell him?

"Emmett, can I tell you something that no one else knows? It has to be kept a secret though. You can't even tell Rose about it."

Emmett eyed her strangely. "Okay, Bells. I can keep it a secret."

Rather than telling him, Bella got up and grabbed the Post from under her bed. Turning to the last page, she pointed out the advertisement and handed the paper to Emmett. He read it and looked up.

"An advertisement for a wife? What does this have to do with you?"

Okay, so maybe he's not as smart as I gave him credit for. "I answered it," Bella said simply.

"Ha, ha, ha! That's a good one, Bells! You had me going there for a second," Emmett chuckled.

Bella was pissed. "I'm not joking. I really did answer it."

Realizing she wasn't joking, Emmett sobered up. "You're serious, aren't you?" At her nod, he continued. "Why, Bella? Why would you want to marry a man you've never even met before?" Emmett was clearly judging her sanity.

"Because, I see all of you so happy in your lives and I want that for myself. I want all those things you described earlier to me. I want someone to love me," Bella said with conviction.

"Have you gotten a response?"

Bella's face fell. "No, not yet."

"Then how do you know that this will even happen?" Emmett asked.

"I just feel it. In my heart. This is the answer to what I've always searched for. This is my chance at freedom."

Emmett thought on it a moment. "Okay."

Bella was confused. "Okay, what?"

"Okay, you talked me into it. Rose and Jackson and I will come with you to Chicago," Emmett said matter of factly.

This was not what I had in mind! "Emmett, no! I can't ask you to do that," Bella said urgently.

"You didn't. I will not allow my baby sister to go to a huge city like Chicago all alone. Rose and I are coming, no arguments!"

Doubts started creeping in. "What if I don't get a response?" Bella asked quietly.

Emmett shook his head. "It will happen. You have to believe it will happen."

Bella threw her arms around Emmett. "I love you, brother. Thank you!"

Returning the hug, Emmett said, "Love you too, sis."

One week later, Bella got the answer to her letter. Running to Emmett's house, she knocked on the door. When Emmett opened it, she waved the letter at him.

"We're going to Chicago!"

A/N HHMMMMM...Wonder what Alice wrote back?