Hello again!

It's certainly been a longer than I intended to go without posting, but this chapter has given me a run for my money. It took THREE! rewrites to get it to this point, and even then I could have spent another week fiddling with it! Some of the characters didn't sound or act right, so it took some finessing until I was happier.

The other reason it took so long to write was because halfway through, I had to get an important job application for next year written up and submitted. It took a lot of mental energy to put together, so I wasn't in top fanfiction form. I'm going to warn you, I have a few more jobs to get applications written for, so I don't know how quickly I'll be able to get the next chapter started.

ANYWAY! Without further adieu, here is the much anticipated meeting with the Di Nali's!!

BPOV

"Bella, I'd like to introduce you to Maria's parents, Carmen and Eleazar Di Nali."

~oOo~

"Eleazar, Carmen, this is Isabella Swan." Esme turned to her friends.

Both Mr and Mrs Di Nali looked astonished at the sight of me, but Mrs Di Nali couldn't contain the hurt and pain she felt radiating from her face. She didn't just look shocked; her eyes were guarded as if I had already found a way to make her dislike me.

I stepped out from behind Edward, who continued to stay frozen in the doorway, though I didn't move far. He provided a sense of security I was unwilling to give up yet. "Hello," I said awkwardly, with a small wave of my hand.

Neither of the Di Nali's moved, standing like statues, staring at me. It was like they had completely shut down. While I knew no more than a few seconds had passed, it was enough to make it feel like minutes. Esme cast concerned looks between both of her long-time friends, before her eyes flashed to me, as if in apology.

Obviously trying to engage someone else in the room who hadn't turned into a marble effigy, Esme turned to the other man at the table. "And this is my husband, Carlisle."

Carlisle Cullen stepped toward me and offered me his hand. His handshake was firm, yet gentle, and it was as if he was radiating comfort from his palms. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Miss Swan," he said, in a charming British accent. Edward had told me his father had lived in the U.S.A for nearly forty years, so it was surprising how much of his accent he retained.

I felt a blush stain my cheeks as Carlisle squeezed my hands before he released them. "Nice to meet you too, Dr Cullen," I replied, not really knowing how to respond. "And please, call me Bella."

His azure eyes crinkled with an affable smile, showing his good humor in the deep wrinkles. "Then I insist you call me Carlisle."

Behind me, I could feel Edward come back to life. Carlisle's eyes shifted to his son as he came up beside me.

"Hello, Son," Carlisle said to Edward as he stepped forward to embrace him in a gentle hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Dad," Edward murmured as they pulled away from each other. "And yourself?"

Carlisle's eyes shifted around the room as if taking in the tense atmosphere that hadn't shifted. "I have no complaints," he answered his son.

Their conversation was cut off when Eleazar followed Edward and returned to life. The reunion between father and son must have jolted him from his shock. I certainly can't blame either of the Di Nali's for their reaction. Neither Edward nor I handled the revelation well. Edward still seemed to be battling the emotions it had brought up for him. So far the only people who seemed to have handled this whole situation with any sort of equanimity were Esme and Carlisle. Thought I guess I don't know how they really handled it all when Edward first told them.

Eleazar Di Nali stepped around to the other side of his friend, closer to me, without taking his eyes off my face.

"I am sorry for our rudeness, Isabella," Mr Di Nali said with a still noticeable Italian accent. "You are… you are the spitting image of our Maria."

I felt incredibly awkward, unsure of how I should respond to him. Surely he had been told that we were, in fact, identical twins. "Um… yeah," I said, trying not to make my voice sound nervous.

Once again, the room fell under a strained silence. Eleazar had gone back to gawking at me, which felt even more uncomfortable at such a close distance. Maria's mother was still standing in the same spot, watching me as if I was some sort of alien or mythical creature. I wished Edward would break the ice, being the one with the most connection to both sides, and also being the one that started this whole journey. But he seemed to be just as anxious and apprehensive as I was, still next to his father with his brows knit almost together and a cautious look in his eyes.

Finally, it was Carlisle who broke the uneasy tension. "Shall we move this into the sitting room?" he asked, looking around the room as if trying to gauge if anyone was even listening to him. I gave him a small smile and nodded, just as I saw Edward nodding from the corner of my eye.

"Alright then," Esme said with false brightness, as she clapped her hands together. "Why don't you all go in and get settled while I make some coffee. Bella, dear," she turned to me. "Would you like some tea? I green tea, or chamomile, or mint. If there's something you'd like, I'm sure I have it."

I smiled at her kindness. She must have taken notice when I turned down coffee earlier and was trying to make me feel as comfortable as possible. Truth be told, the idea of having something to settle my nervous stomach sounded pretty good.

"A mint tea would be lovely. Thank you, Esme," I replied gratefully.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, you go with Edward, and I will be in in a moment." Esme reached up and pat my cheek in a familiar and affectionate gesture. My heart warmed and I turned away before she could see the tears that had begun to prick my eyes unexpectedly.

Edward was waiting by the archway that led to the large living room. When he saw that I was coming, he turned and made his way into the room. The Di Nali's had sat on one of the three lounges, while Carlisle took a seat on the one closest to the entryway. Edward made his way around to the lounge in the middle of the U and threw me a quick questioning glance to check if I was okay to sit next to him there. I gave him a timid smile and a small nod of my head to let him know that was what I wanted. He took the seat closest to the lounge where Eleazar and Carmen were seated.

"Edward, my boy," Eleazar greeted as Edward sat down, shaking his hand firmly.

"Eleazar," Edward nodded in recognition. "Carmen," he added in a softer tone. The woman smiled at him tightly, her eyes still looking guarded. It hadn't escaped my notice that Carmen had yet to say a single word.

The tension didn't dissipate, despite the change of rooms. The awkward silence only lasted a moment before Carlisle's voice cut through it again. "So, Edward showed you around didn't he, Bella?" he asked me, a calm and courteous look on his face. Despite asking to break the obvious unease in the room, he seemed to genuinely want to engage me in conversation.

"Yes, he did," I said with a polite smile. "You have such a beautiful house, and the gardens are gorgeous."

Carlisle laughed. "I can't take any of the credit, I'm afraid. I assure you; it has been all Esme's doing. She's extremely proud of this place. Did Edward give you the full tour?"

"Yes, Dad," Edward sighed good-naturedly. "The only things we didn't hit were the garage and the workshop. Neither of which are that impressive."

"And how would you know what I'd find impressive?" I asked Edward with a mock glare. "Not that you seem to notice, but everything about this place is impressive. So, I have no doubts that the garage and whatever the hell the 'workshop' is will be just as extraordinary."

"I'll put them on the tour schedule for your next visit," Edward said, rolling his eyes.

It was then that I noticed the Di Nali's' watching us. Carmen's eyes flitted back and forth between Edward and me, an odd look on her face. If I didn't know how upset she most likely still was, I'd have thought she was angry.

"Alright, here we go," Esme called in a sing-song voice, as she made her way into the room with a tray filled with cups, a small jug and sugar bowl, and a large French press. After setting the tray on the coffee table, Esme placed the mug steaming with a peppermint aroma down on a coaster in front of me, before sitting down next to Carlisle and starting to prepare a cup of coffee for everyone. She must have known how everyone took their drinks because she made up each cup differently before handing it to a specific person. Eleazar made a slight face when Esme poured a cup from the press but took it gratefully after she had added a spoon of sugar.

Having warm cups in our hands seemed to melt more of the tension that had frozen us rigid. After taking a sip from his drink, Eleazar turned to me with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry for our unreceptive welcome, Isabella. It is extremely unusual that I do not know how to proceed in asking the right questions to get the answers I need, but you have truly shocked me today." He seemed remorseful that was my first impression of him. "I thought we were prepared, but it seems we were not."

I felt the need to console the man but didn't know what would be too much for him. Anything I did could incidentally remind him of his daughter, sending us round and round in circles. "It's okay," I said lamely. "I mean, I understand. When Edward told me, I totally freaked out and ran straight to my brother's house and cried for, like, two days."

"You have a brother?" Carmen asked abruptly, speaking for the first time. Her brows were knit in an intense expression.

I shifted restlessly in my seat. "Yes. Well, I mean, we're sort of both adopted."

"Sort of?" Esme quired. My eyes bounced over to her, relieved to have a reason to look away from Carmen's probing gaze.

"Um, yeah. Emmett, my brother, is actually, technically my cousin. Well, he's my dad's biological nephew. He came to live with us when I was only two, so he's been my brother for as long as I can remember."

Emmett was five when Child Protective Services in Oregon contacted Dad and asked if he would be willing to take his young nephew in. Emmett's mom, Julia, is Dad's sister. After she'd moved to Portland to be with Emmett's father, Dad didn't hear much from her. When he did hear from her, it was by letter, where she painted a very different picture of the life they were actually living. In reality, Aunt Julia, and the man I only know as 'the weasel', were living practically in squalor, paying more attention to their drug habits than to their son. It all came to a head when 'the weasel' robbed a local convenience store, then skipped town after leaving enough evidence to lead police straight to their home. They arrested Aunt Julie for drug possession and child endangerment. She got out of prison briefly when Emmett was thirteen but was back inside after just two months. During that time, she didn't contact her son once, which pissed the pre-teen Emmett off profoundly. Between that and his deadbeat father, who had vanished into thin air after the robbery, Emmett decided he wanted to change his last name to Swan and started calling Charlie 'Dad'.

"And what about you?" Eleazar asked, one thick eyebrow cocked. He must have seen the confusion on my face as he added, "Are you also 'sort of' adopted?"

"Oh. No," I said, feeling a little stupid. "I am actually adopted." Though mentally I added "Now". I felt my ears pink, and I hoped that they were the only part of my body that blushed.

"And how did that adoption take place, if you don't mind me asking?" Eleazar studied me closely.

"That is quite a complicated story. And I didn't even know all of it until recently," I sighed, trying to think of the best way to tell the complicated tale. No one said or asked anything, so I assumed they wanted me to jump right in and explain my side of this incredibly unusual situation.

"My dad is a police officer out in Forks, where I grew up. He was on his way back from Tacoma one night when he saw a young woman by the side of the road. He stopped to see if she needed help, only to see it was a pregnant teenager. He drove her back to the hospital, asking if he could call anyone for her, but she said she'd run away from home and couldn't go back. He gave her his number and told her that she could get in touch if she needed anything."

I paused, knowing that I was getting to the part where things became more confusing. Neither of the Di Nali's had interrupted me so far. I'd assumed that Eleazar, being a lawyer, was going to have a lot of questions. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pushed on. "The next day, Dad got a call from a nurse at the hospital asking him to come out that day. When he got there, he found out that the young woman had disappeared, fleeing the hospital early in the morning, leaving me and a letter addressed to Officer Swan."

I opened the small purse I'd been wearing across my body all afternoon and pulled out the letter Bree had written to my father. Inside the envelope was now also the original birth certificate she had filled out with the names of the Swans. Since getting a more 'official' certificate and adoption papers sorted out after Dad and Renee had gotten divorced, my father had kept the invalid birth certificate folded up in a separate envelope, tucked into the same shoe box he kept on the top shelf in his closet.

I handed the letter over to Eleazar, who took it and opened it between him and his wife. I watched their faces for a moment but seeing the pain and confusion ripple through their expressions proved to be too much for me, so I turned away. Esme and Carlisle both looked to be in shock, though they showed it differently. While Carlisle was stoic, obviously used to processing information without becoming overwhelmed, Esme's eyes were brimmed with unshed tears and one of her delicate hands fidgeted with the small gold cross hanging from a thin chain around her neck.

When I turned to Edward, I found him watching me intently, a worried expression in his eyes. I wanted to reassure him I was doing okay, so I flashed him a small smile and tried to take a deep breath. It seemed to work, and Edward relaxed a small fraction, returning my timid smile. When we both looked away I saw that Esme was now watching us. My eyes darted away quickly, turning back to the Di Nali's as I blushed lightly.

Both Eleazar and Carmen seemed to be confused by what they'd read. What had their experience adopting Maria been like? I wanted to know their side of the story now. Carmen was still holding the letter, while Eleazar was deep in thought, his right hand cupped over his mouth and stroking his manicured beard.

"This has created many more questions than answers," he muttered to himself. It was an echo of a thought I'd had many times since Edward had come into my life. Eleazar then turned his eyes to me. "This does not explain how you were adopted. The adoption agency we used only has a record of one child being born, Maria."

That confirmed what Edward had told me about Maria's parents knowing nothing about me. If the adoption agency didn't even have a record of Maria being a twin, then how would they have ever found out. Not that I had doubted Edward's assumption of the Di Nali's, but it was still nice to know they hadn't lied to my sister her whole life as I'd feared my father had lied to me.

I pulled the old birth certificate out of the envelope and unfurled it. "Bree signed the birth certificate with my adoptive parent's names," I explained, handing Eleazar the old, creased document.

"This was the document she mentioned in her letter?" he surmised.

I nodded. "Yes. The nurse that Dad had left Bree with the night before was waiting for him when he got to the hospital. She convinced him that taking me was the right thing to do, seeing as it was obviously what my birth mother had wanted, and the other option was that I would be declared abandoned and become a ward of the state. He could apply for guardianship or custody over me, though it might not have been approved, or he could sign the birth certificate and walk out of the hospital with his newborn daughter. My dad knew how fractured the system could be. He wasn't going to let something happen to me simply because I could simply fall through the cracks."

Carmen's eyes darkened. "If it was the same nurse from when Bree was admitted, would she not have known that there were, in fact, two children?" she asked firmly.

That had been one of the questions I'd asked Dad as we sat at the kitchen table early the morning after he had finally told me everything. "My dad thinks that she must have been helping Bree. He thinks it's improbable that she had no idea and was still willing to bend laws and hospital regulations simply to keep a newborn out of the foster system."

"I would have to agree with your father, Bella," Carlisle spoke up. "While it could be possible for the nurse to not know specifics about a birth - say if her shift finished right after your birth mother was admitted and her next shift didn't start until the following evening, or if the staff weren't properly communicating about patients. However, I would never think medical professional could risk their career in such a way."

"Dad now assumes Bree must have told the nurse why she'd run away and why she was too scared to go back," I continued as I turned back to the Di Nali's. "He thinks it must have been bad enough for the nurse to go to the length she did to keep the fact that there were two babies secret."

"It would have had to be terrible if she was willing to separate twins and lie to so many people," Eleazar added. "What she and your father did broke the law, no matter their rationale. And this certificate is in no way a valid form of adoption." He handed me back the wrinkled paper.

"My father made sure everything was done properly after he and Renee, my adopted 'mother', got divorced. He's old friends with a local lawyer, and they got everything sorted out privately when I was about three, apparently."

"I still don't understand," Esme chimed in suddenly. "How is it that the girls were adopted in completely separate ways? Couldn't the mother have just asked the adoption agency to have them adopted to different families? At least that way there would be some proof of everything."

"The lack of proof was probably the point, Mom," Edward answered her patiently. "It seems like their birth mother wanted there to be as little evidence connecting Maria and Bella as possible."

Esme didn't add or ask anything further, though her expression was still a little bewildered.

"What did the agency you used tell you about our birth mother?" I asked both of Maria's parents, hoping one of them could answer any of my burning questions.

"Not much, I am afraid," Eleazar said with a shake of his head. "We received a call from the agency just after lunchtime on the thirteenth, saying that a new mother had chosen our profile. Our case manager explained that the mother had already given birth to a baby girl, so if we were able to get out to Tacoma as soon as possible, we would be able to take our daughter home that evening. By the time we got to the hospital, we were told that the mother had left after signing the adoption papers. She had chosen a closed adoption, so the agent could not give us much information. The only thing we did know about her was that she was quite young.

"We contacted them recently to inform them of the discovery and to ask if they had any records regarding it. After a review of their documents, they assured us that they were completely ignorant of the fact that there was another child. The mother hadn't left any details from which they could attempt to contact her with either."

Everything Eleazar said reiterated what Edward had described in his letter and conversations we'd had since. However, I couldn't help feeling a little deflated that the Di Nali's hadn't been able to share any new pieces of the puzzle yet.

"It seems that neither twin was ever supposed to find out about the other," Carlisle remarked, leaving everyone unsure of how to follow that.

With a sigh, Eleazar shook his head. "If only our Bella Maria had been able to find any trace of this when she looked for her birth mother before the wedding."

Even though I tried to suppress it, I couldn't stop the surprised gasp and nervous giggle that escaped at hearing Maria's father's term of endearment for her.

"Is there something funny about that?" Carmen asked in a clipped tone.

"Carmen," Esme admonished softly, as I began to stutter out my apology.

"No, no, no. That's not what I meant. I didn't mean it like that." I stopped to take a calming breath, tucking my loose hair behind my ears so they could see the sincerity in my face. "I was just surprised because… well, it's just… though my full name is Isabella, I almost always go by Bella, and my middle name is Marie. You called her Bella Maria, and my name is actually Bella Marie." I could feel the temperature in my cheeks rise with another blush. "It's just weird how similar our names are, was all."

Neither of the occupants of the other lounges said anything at my odd revelation. I let the curtain of my hair fall back over my face, hiding my embarrassment.

Edward leaned toward me and bumped my shoulder lightly with his. "Tally," he whispered in a deep voice.

A huffed laugh escaped me as I peeked up at him from behind my hair. His smile was reassuring, and a feeling of warmth spread through my chest. I caught sight of Esme, who was watching us again keenly. Feeling my flush return, I looked away, only to see Carmen watching us this time also. While Esme looked curious, Carmen looked bothered.

Just then the front door opened, and a light female voice filled in from the entryway. "Hello, hello, hello!" A petite woman, wearing a sleeveless white turtle-necked top tucked into black, tapered ankle pants. In one arm she held a tan coat slung over it and the other held a large, expensive-looking handbag. She had delicate features and almost teal eyes. Her dark pixie cut added to the strong Audrey Hepburn look she was sporting, the tall high heels being the only un-Audrey part about her.

She looked familiar, not just from snooping through Edward's social media. I remembered her from the night Edward had told me everything. He'd also told me about the strained relationship he and his sister had had since before he'd moved back to Seattle. They had been doing much better lately, but Edward had warned me about how enthusiastic she could be and how it often caused friction between them

"OH MY GOD!" Alice yelled when she saw us all sitting in the living room. She dropped the items in her arms to the floor and ran to my side of the lounge I was sitting on. Leaning over, she hugged me while she started to talk a mile a minute. "I can't believe you're here already! How long have you been here? Mom told me to come for dinner and I've been at a photo shoot all day, but I so would have wrapped it up early if I knew you would be here before now. I'm Alice, by the way. I'm sure Edward has told you about me. Just know that only the good things are true. He can be such a stick in the mud! I've wanted to meet you for weeks, but he kept telling me I had to wait."

Alice didn't even seem to take a breath as she powered through as if entirely forgetting anyone else was in the room. I had never met someone so enthusiastic and, truth be told, it was a little overwhelming. Emmett was probably the most exuberant person I knew, but growing up as a big, hulky dude, he learnt to give others space so as not to intimidate them. Alice was a tiny woman, so she probably never had that problem.

Her over-familiarity also made me feel like she was expecting us to already be friends. I knew Alice and Maria had been very close. Edward said they all grew up together. They were, for all tense and purposes, more like sisters than Maria and I could ever be. Did she envision me taking that role now? I didn't even know Alice and I already felt the mountain of pressure from her expectations.

"ALICE," Edward interrupted firmly, cutting her off before she could say anything else.

"What?" she asked indignantly, her hands on her hips in a gesture that almost looked childish on her petite frame.

Edward raised an eyebrow at his sister, virtually daring her to keep up the attitude. "Would you let her breathe, for God's sake? You stormed in here and haven't let Bella get a word in edgewise. Chill out."

Just then, a timer went off in the kitchen, causing Esme to jump up out of her seat. I'd barely noticed the delicious aroma that had spread through the room, obviously coming from the roasting chicken in the oven.

After a quick glance toward her old friends, and a meaningful look at her husband, Esme turned to her children. "Alice, Edward, why don't you take Bella and go set the dining table. Dinner shouldn't be too long, everyone," she said with a smile, then excused herself and headed back into the kitchen.

"Come on," Edward said gently. As he moved to stand, he tugged on my sleeve to get me to follow him. Standing, I smiled gingerly at Carlisle and the Di Nali's before following Edward and Alice in the same direction as their mother. All the way, I could feel the pricking of eyes on my back as they watched me leave the room.

~oOo~

Dinner was an interesting experience. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the lack through the glass wall, the dwindling light cast a magical glow across the sloping lawn. I sat between Edward and Esme on the side of the table facing the glass. Carlisle sat at the head of the table, next to Esme, with Eleazar on his other side. Carmen was next to her husband, then Alice on her other side. The view behind them was serene, but inside, the atmosphere was stilted.

It's not that there hadn't been any conversation. But the majority of the conversation was directed by the Cullen's. Esme, Alice, and Carlisle asked me questions about my life growing up, adding on anecdotes or stories about Maria when something I said caught their attention. Eleazar and Carmen didn't ask me many questions, but they did share many of their memories of their beloved daughter.

I learnt that as a baby, Maria had been a terrible sleeper. The only time she truly slept soundly was when she was in the crib with Edward. Or with Alice, after she'd been born. Alice made sure to point that out.

Maria had been very competitive, even from a very young age. Edward had been the first to walk, but Maria pushed herself as soon as she'd seen he could do it. That competitive drive had apparently driven her to be the best, even from that young age. Eleazar said he'd known she would make a fantastic lawyer someday.

They were all surprised to find out I had also driven a motorcycle at a young age, though Carlisle and Esme were both pleased to hear I hadn't done it for many years. It turned out that Maria had learnt to not only drive a motorcycle during her summers in Italy, but she'd also first learnt how to drive a car there, too. Apparently, she turned out to be a bit of a demon on the road. Alice laughed that even she had felt the fear of death in the car with Maria. Her comment hit a little close to home, reckless driving being a little bit of a sore spot for me, and I hated to think of my sister being foolhardy.

Another side effect of her summers in the Tuscan town Eleazar grew up in, was Maria's sheer love of food and cooking. It had been a stress relief for her, often spending time in the kitchen when she should have been studying. It was both a form of procrastination and a way to clear her mind enough to let it focus. Edward had laughed that it had become a little bit of a problem after he started working from home, with a ready supply of delicious meals in the refrigerator at all times. A few of them were surprised to hear it was the exact same for me when I was baking, Carlisle saying he was eager to try the apple pie I'd brought for dessert.

We had almost finished dinner when the conversation turned more uncomfortable.

"Did you say that your adopted parents divorced, Bella?" Esme asked gentle, the inquisitive look unable to be hidden in her eyes.

My knife and fork paused as they cut through a roasted potato. Putting down my utensils, I reached for my glass of water to clear my mouth and give myself a moment to collect my thoughts.

"Mom," Edward hissed, though everyone could clearly hear him as all other conversation had stopped in anticipation of my answer.

I put on a brave face and looked up at Esme. This was ancient history for me, and there was no reason to let it affect me. "Yes. They divorced just before I turned three, not long after Emmett came to live with us."

"What happened?" Alice interrupted before I had a chance to continue.

"Renee had apparently come to a realization that she didn't truly want to be a mother when she and my dad were having fertility problems for years. She'd come to terms with it and was quite happy to keep having a child-free life. When Dad brought me home she was completely taken by surprise but knew that having a child was always something my dad had wanted.

"She 'stuck it out' for a few years, basically going through the motherhood motions. But when Emmett came to stay, it was more than she could take. So, she took off. Dad got divorce papers in the mail, with a document waiving all legal parental rights she had to me."

Esme was shocked, her face twisted in a mixture of disgust and outrage. Her hand had made its way back to the cross around her neck. "Oh, my dear. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Esme," I tried to comfort her. It was a little bit ridiculous that I was consoling her over my childhood traumas.

"But to grow up without a mother." I could see her eyes welling again.

Falling back on one of my usual tactics, I tried to deflect with humor. "You can't miss what you've never had," I shrugged. Instead of averting an awkward situation, we had walked smack-bang into one.

"You haven't told me that before," Edward comments quietly. He stared at me; compassion radiating off him.

"It's something I dealt with a long time ago, so I don't really think about it much," I explained. "And it's never been relevant to anything that's come up in our group meetings."

"What meetings are these?" Eleazar asked, his eyes bouncing between Edward and me. That was apparently something the Di Nali's' weren't told about.

I tried to formulate an answer in my head, but for some reason, I felt like a deer in the headlights. Was I embarrassed for Maria's parents to know how much time I'd really been spending with their son-in-law?

"Bella has motivated Edward to begin attending a grief counselling group run through the University," Carlisle stepped in and enlightened his friend. "We've seen many positive changes in Edward since he began attending these sessions."

Across from me, I could see Carmen's eyes harden. "Why would you be attending the meetings with him? You didn't even know Maria," she sneered at me.

I was so taken aback, I couldn't respond. I just say there with my mouth gaped open like a fish struggling to breathe. I didn't know how to respond to Carmen's bitterness, and part of me was mortified to discover she didn't approve of my spending time with Edward.

"Carmen!" a few voices around the table yelled back at her, but it was Edward's voice that scolded her the loudest.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Carmen," he said crossly. "You should seriously apologize. Bella didn't start going because of me. I started going because of her."

I could feel that he had a lot more to say to her in my defence, so I gently placed my hand on his arm to calm him before he could share anything he might regret. "It's okay, Edward." Taking a deep breath, I tried to get my nerves under control. As I turned back to Carmen, I hoped my voice would be strong, and not show how much her words had affected me. "I actually started going to grief counselling over two years ago after I lost my son late term. Then a year ago my fiancé passed when we were in a car accident. I started going to the meetings at the University after I moved back to the city and started putting my life back together."

Around the table, everyone had fallen so silent you could hear a pin drop. Carmen's countenance had completely changed, from contempt to contrition. From the array of aghast expressions on everyone's faces, it seemed that Edward hadn't shared that part of my story with his family.

From her seat next to me, Esme turned and pulled me into a firm embrace, taking me a little by surprise. "Oh, Bella," she practically whimpered. "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. I'm here for you if you ever need someone."

Feeling touched, I returned her hug. I didn't really know what to do with her maternal nurturing. "Thank you," I whispered through my tight throat.

As we released each other, I glanced around over at the Di Nali's again. They both still looked uncomfortable as they sat in silence. Though whether that was because of Carmen's insensitive comments or my revelation, I couldn't tell. Neither of them looked up at me, so I wasn't able to get a read on their faces.

"Shall we have some of that delicious-looking apple pie?" Esme asked suddenly, butting through a lot of the tension that had settled over the table. Reaching over, she started stacking mine and Carlisle's forgotten plates on top of hers.

Working together, the four Cullen's quickly cleared the plates and dishes while also getting out everything that was needed for apple pie à la mode. It seemed Esme had put the pie dish in the cooling oven after she had taken the roasted chicken and vegetables out earlier, resulting in a perfectly warmed-through pie. The table remained quiet as we watched her serve everyone a slice of the dessert and a generous scoop of creamy French vanilla ice cream.

"Mmmmm," Esme hummed as she took her first bite. "This is heavenly, Bella." Edward, Carlisle, and Alice nodded in agreement with her compliment, filling me with pride and bringing a light blush back to my cheeks.

It was only after a few minutes when the comforting effect of baked goods had begun to take hold, that the strain eased enough for me to feel more relaxed. Baking, and sharing my creations, always made me feel more centered.

"So, Bella," Alice piped up in a chirpy voice. "We should totally hang out sometime soon. It would be so much fun!"

I didn't want to be rude, but I was still a little apprehensive about Alice. I got the feeling that spending time with her would require setting up some clear boundaries. "Oh, um, sure. I guess we could do that sometime."

"Yay!" Alice clapped her hands and bounced in her seat. "We could go out for lunch, or dinner, or something. Oh! We could go to the coffee shop you tag all the time on Instagram. I started following you when I helped Edward find you and they do such good foam art."

She was off again on another one-sided conversation. I had seriously never met anyone who had the propensity to talk incessantly like Alice did. Even the elementary students I ran into occasionally around the school were probably more concise.

"Oh my God!" she continued, completely oblivious to the fact that I hadn't responded to anything she'd said so far. "We could go shopping! Maria and I used to go shopping all the time and we always found stuff she loved! You guys don't have the exact same style, but I'm an expert shopper and I can already think of a bunch of places for you to get the best pieces for your wardrobe. You know, there are a few styles that I thought would look fire on Maria, but she always refused to try on that I could put you in! She was never really a skirt girl, and she hated anything flowy. I'll have to show you this picture of a dress we were photographing today…"

The abrupt noise of Carmen pushing her chair back as she jumped up and rushed from the room interrupted Alice's monologue and left everyone bewildered. After a moment of stunned silence, Eleazar politely excused himself and hurried after his wife. Looking up at Edward and his family, it was clear to see that they were just as taken aback by Carmen's sudden departure as I was.

"No, it's too much!" we heard Carmen's agitated voice travel down the hallway from the smaller sitting room at the front of the house. "I can't sit there and look at her."

At hearing that, Esme gently pushed her own chair back and went to go after her long-time friends.

"I know, my love," came Eleazar's soothing tone in response. "Looking at her is like looking at our little girl but knowing that we will never get her back."

"It's not just that, El." It sounded like Carmen had started crying. "Seeing them with her - Edward and Alice - it's like they can just substitute our daughter with a replacement."

"Carmen! You know that's not true at all," Esme admonished. Her tone was still compassionate, but I could also hear the frustration that had started to leak into it. "They only want to get to know her and make her feel welcome. I hope you see that Edward and Bella are just friends."

A guilty knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I'd caught Esme watching us a few times throughout the afternoon and evening with an inquisitive look in her eyes, but there was no way for her to know how attracted I was to her son, or how often I found myself fantasizing about him. Perhaps Carmen could read it on my face?

"Looking at her, I don't see Maria's twin. I see a changeling!" Carmen spat. "All it looks like to me is an imposter trying to step into my daughter's life."

The silence that fell over the entire house was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Edward, Carlisle, and Alice were all staring at me, gauging my reaction to hearing something so hurtful. I had no idea what kind of reaction I was having, as it felt like my brain had entirely shut down.

With that comment, Carmen had confirmed all the fears I'd had about becoming friends with Edward. If Maria's own mother saw me as a threat, simply because I was becoming friends with my sister's widower, what would the rest of the world think when they found out? Thinking about it turned the food in my stomach to lead. I cast my eyes down to my half-eaten apple pie and melted ice cream as they welled up.

There was no other sound from the front room but before much more time had passed, Eleazar walked through the arch from the hallway. His face was drawn and distressed, and as he came into the room his eyes immediately sought mine out.

"I must apologize, everyone. Tonight has been quite overwhelming and we are going to take our leave," he said in a calm voice that belied his defeated expression. "Isabella, it was truly an honor to make your acquaintance. If you should need anything, or if you discover any new developments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Edward can provide you with my cellphone number, I am sure."

After a bow to me and a nod to Edward and Carlisle, Eleazar bid us good night and strode back down the hall to where his wife must have been waiting.

When Esme came back from seeing the Di Nali's off, she tried to rectify the mood that had turned so sour. Unfortunately, I no longer had the energy to be pleasant, suddenly feeling drained and more emotionally tender. Edward must have seen me begin to retreat in on myself, as he quickly made our excuses and said he would be back after driving me home.

As we left, Esme handed me back my pie dish, which had somehow already been wiped clean, as well as a large container. She told me that it was the cheesecake she had made for this evening and that she wanted me to take it home with me.

"Think of it as a delicious peace offering," Esme had tried to smile. "You can freeze it or take it to your brother's and share it. I only hope it will make telling them about tonight a little easier."

Even after Edward and I were once again in his car, heading back to the safety of my apartment, I couldn't shake the feeling of shame that had bubbled up. Carmen's accusations ate away at me like acid, burning away any of the equilibrium I had finally started to feel regarding the whole tangled mess that was my current reality.

Well there you go! What did you think? Who was shocked at Carmen going off? We have to keep in mind that people process their grief different and at different rates. Carmen is still pretty entrenched in the anger phase, I think.

Please leave a review! I love hearing what you all think, and if you've got any theories about the many mysteries Bella Edward are still facing.

Until next time, Lovelies!! xoxo