Thank you for your patience. I think about this story often, and as much as I wanted to finish and upload this chapter a long time ago, life momentarily took me in another direction. I hope you enjoy

As always, Stephenie Meyer owns Twlight, and I'm just borrowing her characters and not making any money from it.


BPOV

From Chapter 14:

"I looked up and saw that Edward's eyes were stormy and his face was red. I patted his hand and simply said, "Save your anger, it gets worse,"

I took a deep breath. Soon I would have to explain to Edward and how and why I'd almost died and then gave his children to another man. I only hoped that in the end, he'd realize that I had done it – and would have still done anything, to keep my children safe."

Chapter 15

"Dr. Aro had a lot of power in that town, but he didn't have nearly as much motivation as I did. He didn't know that I had listened in on his conversation, so he was oblivious to just how desperate I was to get out of there. On his part, he also had a huge financial and now legal motivation to keep me there. I wasn't sure how much that couple had offered for my babies, but it must have been a lot, because after I was returned to the home, I was treated like a criminal. Jane cut my hair off," I patted the back of my head, remembering the feeling of the locks of hair that hung jagged and uneven around me ears and the nape of my neck, "And I was locked room in which I was served meals. I wasn't allowed to see anyone, and I wasn't allowed to have writing paper or pens. All of my journals were confiscated, and I was left with just a change of clothes, pajamas and some other necessities.

"Even so, I spent my time scheming as to how to get out of there. I figured maybe the staff would be lazy one night and leave the door unlocked, or maybe I could begin to befriend one of the staff and they would be sympathetic to my story.

"It wasn't long after I ended up locked in that room, that your letter and the wedding invitation arrived. You can't imagine how I felt." I paused, and swallowed thickly to rid my throat of the thick lump that had formed there. I didn't want to admit how utterly heartbroken that letter had made me. I had to finish my story before opening any other cans of worms, Even though I didn't believe anyone could imagine what that time was like for me.

But Edward surprised me when he said, "I suppose I can. Perhaps it was like the day I thought you died." As his voice cracked at the end of that statement, a small piece of doubt in my heart was replaced by a bit of hope that perhaps Edward was sincere when he said he hadn't written that letter.

"Anyway, despite that new information, I was more determined than ever to get out of the Mother's Home. Time was not on my side, as I was growing bigger every day and it was getting harder to move around. I had to find an ally, and an employee named Miss Martha was my best bet. She seemed the most sympathetic, so one evening when she brought me my supper, I told her everything. She was hesitant at first, and even tried to convince me that perhaps giving my children to a good home with a married couple was better for them. But I showed her the ring you gave me, and I lied. I told her that I was engaged,-"

"That wasn't a lie, Bella!" I looked up to see a mixture of anger and desperation on Edward's face. I didn't know what to say to that. Clearly time had taken us both on different paths. Given the information I had held onto for more than a dozen years, what I had said at the time was not the truth. I nodded mutely and continued, neither confirming nor denying his proclamation.

"I told Miss Martha that if I could just get back to you, this "baby" would be born into a married home, and it would be loved. I didn't know if she knew about the twins, but I wasn't about to show her my cards.

"Eventually, Miss Martha decided to help. The next day she came back, told me she had prayed for me, and was told by God she needed to help me get out of there. I was never so happy to hear that God had spoken to someone. It turns that Martha had a cousin in Cleveland who I could go to. I told her about the train station incident, which she already knew about, but agreed to help me get to another train station about an hour in the other direction.

A couple days later Miss Martha showed up unexpectedly at my room around 2am. She wasn't able to know ahead of time when she'd be able to sneak me out, so she came and got me from my room the moment she was available. The house was completely silent, and apparently Jane was fast asleep. Dr. Voltura didn't live on the premises and for that reason we were able to sneak out. I had almost no belongings left so I wore two sets of clothes and stashed some food and a small amount of money in my pockets. Martha had also brought me a kerchief to cover my short hair, and a letter to give to her cousin. We didn't want the noise of driving, so we walked about 3 miles to where Martha had hidden some bicycles. As uncomfortable as I was on that thing, I was grateful for the speed it gave me as opposed to walking. I was also terrified. Until that point, I had never been so scared in my life. I was frightened that Aro would do what he'd done last time, or worse. But we did make it to the train station, and luckily no one was there waiting for me this time. Unfortunately, it was almost 4am, so I had to wait two hours until I could buy a ticket. I was usually brought my breakfast at 6:30, so as long as I could get on a train before they found me missing, I would be OK. Luckily for me, there was a train heading north at 6:15, so I was fairly sure that by the time they saw my empty bed, I would be long gone.

"I remember seeing myself in the reflection of the glass when I bought the ticket, and I became more relieved. I didn't look much like a pregnant lady anymore. With two sets of baggy dresses on, a kerchief on my head, and the bags under my eyes from my distress and exhaustion I looked more like a homely older woman. I couldn't have been happier about that

On the trip to Cleveland, I felt freer than I had in years. I felt like I could do anything, and a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Once I arrived there, I found Miss Martha's cousin, Charlotte."

Edward's face brightened in recognition, "So that's where…?"

"Yes," I answered, "That's where my-our- daughter Charlotte got her name. Charlotte immediately welcomed me into her home, even before she read the letter, and I stayed there for about two weeks before I was forced to move on."

Edward gave me a quizzical look, so I explained, "Somehow, Dr. Voltura found out my whereabouts. I'm not sure if I'd been seen, or he somehow found out that Martha had helped me. All I know is that one afternoon a big burly man knocked on Charlotte's door, and it just didn't feel right. Charlotte all but shoved me into a closet, and answered the door." I vividly remembered the feeling of that closet, as though it was etched on my brain. I was surrounded by pitch black, and the closet smelled like wool coats and mothballs. A few inches above my head was a hold in the door from a knot in the wood, so I stood on my toes to watch everything as it unfolded.

"When Charlotte opened the door, there was a large man with tanned skin and curly dark hair. The man asked about me, said he knew I was here, and claimed he was my husband, of all things. Charlotte faked an accent, maybe Italian? I'm not sure, and pretended to not understand a word he said, so he repeated himself louder. She even invited him in the home, and when he saw no trace of me, he left. I remember thinking at the time, that for as good as he was at following me, he wasn't very good at searching. I'm not sure why, but after not too long he seemed anxious to get out of there. When it was safe, Charlotte came and got me from the closet. I left that evening. I wasn't at Charlotte's home for very long I'll never forget it, or her hospitality. We still write each other quite often."

My mind wandered back to that time. Those two weeks at Charlotte's house were liberating, and when I think of home, I think of her little cottage on the Ohio River. In fact, many of the things in my home remind me of her place. My patchwork curtain to my bedroom I made myself, inspired by the memory of a painting on her wall. The cross stitch was similar to one in her room. Charlotte had taught me the basics of quilting, so all my quilts reminded me of her as well. When I smell black coffee and baking bread and fresh apples, I still think of those two weeks in Charlotte's home.

Returning from my daydream, I continued, "I had no money, but Charlotte suggested I try getting to Canada. That's how I ended up here, not really knowing what else to do. I was afraid of being watched or caught up with, and her and I both thought that travelling all the way to Chicago was simply too risky, even if I was able to get enough money to do so. Charlotte told me that twins often delivered sooner than single births, so I was also nervous that I would go into labour with no help.

"She gave me a bit of money that she had, which was enough for a couple of meals, so to get to Canada, I'd have to hitch a ride with someone. After speaking to a few drivers who were not headed in the direction of Canada at all, I became nervous that I would be found, and a little less picky as to where I was headed. I eventually found a driver that was going to Pennsylvania, and so I ended up in Allentown. Needing to eat and a place to sleep for the night, I spent most of my money there.

It didn't take but one day for the man that was searching for me to show up there, and I discovered that he didn't work alone. I had no idea how he found me, but I realized that I was underestimating their ability to follow me. I didn't know what to do at this point. I thought I would be running forever. I couldn't imagine how I was going to survive moving from city to city, on the run with newborn twins. I was close to giving up." I ended the last part in a whisper. I was so ashamed of those thoughts, but at the time I truly didn't know what else to do. Edward patted my hand gently, urging me to continue.

"I had one last chance, so I took it. I went to the train station, and in a last ditch effort, I begged. I told the station master that I was pregnant, and that I was on my way to upstate New York to see my husband, who was waiting for me. I didn't want to tell him I was going to Canada, as I thought that might look suspicious. I took the engagement ring you gave me and flipped it upside down and placed it on my finger, so it looked like a gold wedding band. I remember the dubious look the stationmaster gave me. I imagined at the time that he'd heard every story in the book, so I told him that I could give birth any day now, and that I really didn't want to give birth alone in this city, let alone on the platform of the Allentown train station.

"Well, fortunately he was squeamish enough, he offered me a ticket to Albany NY and I took it straight away. I boarded the train and took a seat right next to the ticket window. And then I saw the large man and that had been following me, and I saw that he wasn't alone. There was a smaller, more wiry man with me" My heart suddenly sped up, as I remembered the panic in seeing those men.

" I watched the gestures of the man and the station master, and I saw by the way he made a round shape over his belly that he was asking for me. The station master on his part looked furious, but the train was starting to pull away. Just then, the he got the train to stop to let the men on board, and I knew I had to leave.

Faking a coughing fit, I moved back several cars to the back of the train. I found a door that was not being monitored, slipped out the other side so I was on the tracks. There were some train cars standing on another track, and somehow by the grace of God I managed to get underneath one of those. I hid for hours."

I looked up suddenly at Edward. His face was tight and his eyes were cast downward. I was worried that I was being too detailed with my description, "I'm sorry, I'm rambling I can skip over some –"

Edward looked up at me with a strange fire in his eyes, "You will do no such thing. I want to hear every word. I have to ask though, that's the train, isn't it?"

I looked up at Edward in realization, "Yes, that's...well that's the train I didn't die on. My name had remained on the passenger list even though I got off, so when they listed the missing passengers, well my body was never recovered."

Edward surprised me by embracing me, and then leaning back and placing his hands on my shoulders. "For what it's worth," he started, "I'm sorry this happened to you. But you have to know how brave I think you were – no, how brave I think you are. You did all of this for our children. I think this is probably one of the most heroic stories I've ever heard. And I have to say that I am so, so happy that you were run off that train, or else..." His voice cracked, and I knew what he was thinking, because I had thought it many times. If I hadn't run off the train, I wouldn't have survived the crash. Edward gently kissed my forehead, possibly to try and hide the look of pain that had taken over his face. Edward then sat back into his seat. The place where he had kissed me burned and tingled, and I couldn't deny that my heart had started to race. Edward sat a respectable distance from me again, only this time, he reached across the distance and clasped both my hands as I continued.

"It got darker out. The train I was on had long since departed, and I had no idea if the men had gotten on the train, and if they had, whether they had ever gotten off. I hadn't heard any voices searching for me, and my best assumption was that if they thought I had gotten off the train, the two men and the station master would be after me. After all, I had lied to him, and I was no better than a free loader in his eyes.

"When it was dark enough, I slipped out from under the car and headed toward a road. Eventually, I found a ride that was headed to Bennington Vermont, and I knew I had to take what I could get.

"When I arrived in Bennington, the sky turned dark and rain started to fall heavily, and once more I was faced with having to choose the lesser of two evils. I headed to a hotel downtown and asked about accommodations, hoping for something and not really expecting anything. I had no idea what I was going to do. I had no job, no family there, no doctor, and I was nearing the end of my pregnancy. I probably looked like a big pregnant wet rat. I hadn't showered; My hair was a mess..."

I recalled that moment in a bittersweetly to Edward, "I had gone into the hotel and explained that I would do anything for a job, and a man named Billy Black was there. He told me he was neighbors with a doctor, he offered me a lift back to his place, and a bed for the night." I felt Edward tense beside me, so I reassured him, "It was one of the only strokes of luck that I'd had in a long time. Suddenly someone was there, telling me I might find accommodation, a doctor, a meal –"

"So you just took it?" Edward asked me, incredulous, "Isabella, he could have been anything, he could have hurt you, or-"

"But he didn't," I told Edward bluntly. I was irritated by his sudden concern for me. I just told him about hiding under railroad cars and hitching rides across the country, and now he worries? Although admittedly, I had the same thoughts when I accepted Billy's offer, but I knew that I didn't really have any other options.

"There was no other choice." I told Edward gently, but firmly, "It was either that or hope that the hotel would give me a free place to sleep, that this little town where I knew no one would give a pregnant woman a job, and that my babies would survive without a doctor. I had to take the risk. It was that or nothing.

"Anyhow, it turned out that Billy was telling the truth. He was also an honourable man, and gave me a bed and a meal."

I paused, because I was afraid that I was getting to the part of the story which Edward would not like very much.

"Billy was Jacob's father. That's how I met Jake and ended up on this farm." I paused for a reaction, and instead only felt a thick silence fall between us, so I carried on.

"The morning after I arrived, Billy took me to Dr Cullen's house, where I was given a room. Billy hadn't forgotten me, and soon after he arrived to visit and make sure that I was settled, and he brought Jacob with him. Jacob was very polite to me, and even offered his help in any way,"

"I'm sure he did," I heard Edward grumble, but I decided to ignore the comment. I had to finish this story, and I knew that If I said anything to defend Jacob, it would only start an argument that I wasn't ready to have.

"Jacob and Billy visited almost every day, and soon Jacob was visiting on his own and we became very good friends. I began to trust him, and told him my story, and he was the one who first brought me the news of my "death" on the train. It's strange to say, but it was such a relief. I knew that Aro would stop looking for me, and I could build a life without having to always look over my shoulder.

I still had the problem however, that I was destined to be a single mother with twins, with nowhere to go. I was nameless; I had no documents, and no one to support me - not even distant relatives.

"That's not true!" Edward interjected, "You had me!" I looked up at him with fire in my eyes at his comment. I didn't want to do this now. I didn't want to explain what his letters, whether false or not, had done to me. A little part of me had died when I read the letter proclaiming his engagement, when he cut ties with me. But I would defend all my choices, including Jacob, if Edward pushed me to do it at that moment.

Edward must have seen the flash in my eyes, and his features softened, "I know how it must have seemed, but I just want you to remember, that I never forgot about you."

"In your eyes, Edward, I was dead," Pain slashed through his features, so let go of the harsh tone in my voice, "Even if I had believed that you would take me back when you found out, I had no way of doing so. I couldn't just telegram you and tell you that I wasn't really dead and that I was in fact 8 months pregnant with your twins. A trip was out of the question at that time, even with the money. And, as hard as this is to hear, I thought you were already happily married to someone else." I ended the last part in a whisper, and I heard Edward take a shaky breath.

Before he spoke I had to continue, I had to let him know that no one forced me to marry Jacob, "I chose, of my own volition to marry Jacob. If I had chosen to stay single I am sure that Dr and Mrs. Cullen would have let me stay on here as long as I wanted. But you need to understand that I felt like a burden here. Even after the children were grown, what could a single mother offer to an already established family? And..." I continued hesitantly, "I saw possibility with Jacob. As far as I knew, the only man I'd ever loved had moved on, and here I had a good friend who accepted me for who I was. He was willing to take me on, even though I was burden, and was agreeing to raise another man's children as though they were his own. Chances like that don't come around often, Edward."

I could tell by his face that my words were hurting him, but I also saw understanding when he looked in my eyes. I didn't run away from Edward, I ran from awful circumstances, and Jacob was my saviour.

"I accepted his proposal gratefully. Jacob was only 17 at the time, so with his father's permission we married the next week, and I moved to the farm we live at now. Jacob was a good husband, and a good father. "

I saw Edward look away, and I was fairly certain he was blinking back tears. I knew this would be hard for him to hear after what he told me. I can't imagine what it was like for him to hear all of this, but I knew it must be at least as overwhelming as when I was told that he was never engaged to Lauren, and that he didn't write the letter that broke my heart all those years ago.

After that, the room was silent for a small spell. I felt drained. I had nothing left to give after telling my story. There were still twelve years of memories unspoken between us, but I didn't have it in me to give. I chose instead to let the silence reign between us.

But Edward had other ideas. "I want to meet my children," He said simply. I sucked in a big breath. I was expecting this. As much as it frightened me to take this step, I had to remind myself that this was the reason I had told Edward who I was; It was the reason I was sitting here telling him everything.

I had no grand illusions that Edward and I would ever be anything more than acquaintances. He still made my heart race, and I still saw the young man I loved in his features, but I had to be realistic. I wasn't born or raised in Edward's world. I was a farmer and a homemaker. I was the cook, the maid, the nurse, and the teacher in my own house. I was plain in my clothing and my lifestyle. Edward's world was completely different. Edward's world wouldn't have even hired someone like me to serve them their meal. We may as well have lived on different planets, because lives like his and lives like mine, simply never intersected.

This was what scared me. How would he react to seeing our children? I could not, would not let them be hurt, and they couldn't be out in public with him. They would never be able to go to the city lest they be identified, and even if they were, I would insist on being with them, which was not possible. All it would take would be for one photograph, a newspaper column, or socialite gossip to make its way back to Elizabeth. As much as I believe Edward that he wouldn't try to change our lives, I also believed that he would do just about anything for his mother, and I couldn't trust the power she had over him.

Although Edward was truthful when he said he'd never take the children, I had no doubt that intentionally or not, his meeting them would mean that things might change a great deal. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that change. Unfortunately for me, I was out of time. As much as I wanted to delay Edward meeting them, I would never be able to look my children in the eye if I didn't give them a chance to know their father.

"Very well," I said, clearing my throat to try and mask the uncertainty that lay there, "I need to tell them first though. So I will need a chance to speak to them before you meet them. Come to my house tonight, at 7pm, and you can be introduced"

"Thank you, Isabella," Edward said with a small smile. He gave my hands a final squeeze and slowly pulled his away. They felt cold and alone without a connection to him, but I chose to ignore the feeling that stirred within me.

"You're welcome Edward, so long as you remember the promise you made to me."

"Absolutely, I can promise you I would never, ever take them from you. That is something you'll never have to worry about."

Foolish or not, I believed Edward when he said he wouldn't take them from me. It was other things that could happen that scared me. I didn't know what all of this meant, but I knew my life was about to change again, and I wasn't ready for it in the least.