Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Twilight or the Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and LJ Smith. I do own the original characters created for this storyline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Welcome to Three Brothers! This is a special story requested from a dear friend of mine. Happy Anniversary Des! Hope you enjoy!
Life doesn't always turn out how you want it to be. Dreams don't always come true. Fairytale endings are just that… fairytales.
The trees were different in Mystic Falls than Forks, Washington. Bella looked out the window of the Subaru Forester her mother drove. Her dark hair was down and went past her shoulders a little bit. Her blue-green eyes stared, watching the trees as they passed by. Everything they owned was packed into the mid-sized SUV. It was the only thing that Renee Swan had in her name from her marriage to Charles Swan. Bella was quiet, not uttering a single word. Her mother had forced her to come with her. She didn't want to leave. What if he came back? How would he find her now? A chill ran down Bella's spine as she thought about never being able to see him again. She pulled the end of her sleeves tighter around her fingers. Long sleeves in summer. She didn't have a choice. The discoloration of her skin would be very noticeable in short sleeves. Her skin was pale and smooth. The bruises… weren't easy to disguise. So long sleeves it was. But the bruises were just… accidents. Bella glanced ahead when Renee slowed the Subaru down. They were pulling up at an estate there in Mystic Falls. Lockwood Manor. Bella had no memory of ever visiting this place, though Renee had told her that she had visited several summers before when she was just a girl. She had a cousin, Tyler, that she would play with. Renee was a Lockwood by blood. She had two older brothers. Richard and Mason.
"We're here honey. I promise you; it's going to be much better here in Mystic Falls. Senior year is going to be special." Renee was optimistic. Bella always saw her mother as the weak type. She watched for years as her father drank himself to sleep every night. Some nights, there was a lot of yelling and Bella would just put her headphones on to block out all the noise. Growing up in the Swan household wasn't easy. Her childhood was filled with angry parents. Her mother stayed for her own reasons, but now she was ripped away from Forks with little say. She was about to be eighteen, but that didn't matter. Her life changed at the end of sophomore year. When the Cullens moved to town.
Renee parked and got out of the Subaru. Two men came out from the large house. It was plantation style, with large white columns in the front. There was a garden and the driveway they were parked in, was circular with a large fountain in the middle. There was plenty of land, green and beautiful. There were other buildings around, a couple larger house looking structures then there seemed to be some storage facilities and of course a large multicar garage.
The two men that welcomed Renee and Bella was about the same height. The oldest, Richard had greying hair, but he was still handsome. His face was square, strong. His eyes matched Renee's, a brilliant green color. Mason was the middle child, and he was the most handsome. His cheekbones were higher, his eyes slanted slightly and he was beautiful to look at. His eyes were more grey blue than blue green. His hair was blond with some reddish tints in and it curled slightly on his head. He seemed to be stronger, his shoulders wide and there was a clear definition of muscles across his chest. He was tanner than Renee and Richard, indicative of his time spent outside more. Mason hugged Renee first in a crushing bear hug. Renee was smaller than her brothers, but Mason was by far the larger of the siblings.
"I missed you little sister." Mason said, his voice was even, not too deep, but not high pitched either. He lacked an accent that Bella would assume came with the Virginia territory, but it wasn't there.
Renee hugged Mason back before she hugged Richard. Richard was more uptight than Mason was, Bella could see that. But he hugged his sister.
"Rooms have been prepared in the guest house. Camma will get your things unpacked and put away. Bella has been registered at Mystic Falls High and we have a vehicle for her to drive herself to school." Richard said as they walked inside the main house. Bella was quiet, just listening. She was awkward, hugging her arms around her body. She was carrying her small backpack that held her laptop, notebooks and just her personal hygiene things.
Richard went on to talk to Renee about a few things, while Mason hung back and looked at Bella. He studied her. Her face was too thin, like she wasn't eating well. Renee had mentioned on the phone that Bella was having a hard time with a bad breakup.
"Everything is going to be okay now." Mason said to Bella, his tone was gentle.
Bella nodded. "Thanks." Her voice was quiet, meek and she didn't look up at Mason.
Mason took note of this. "I remember when you were a little girl. We still have that fort built in the woods. Any time you want to be alone…"
Bella didn't have a memory of it. "Um. I don't remember you. Or… or this place." She managed to say.
Mason nodded. He understood that. The last time Bella visited was when she was six or seven, so memories would be foggy. "That's okay. I'll show you sometime. Hey, everything it going to be okay. I know divorced parents aren't easy."
Bella just nodded, not looking at Mason still. She shifted a little nervously, awkwardly standing there with Mason in the foyer.
Renee returned with Richard. Richard had keys with him and he handed them to Bella.
Bella took the keys and looked at the symbol on it. "BMW?"
"Yes. It's one of the many cars we own. This one is yours. It's in the fourth garage bay. School starts next week, so you'll be able to get to and from school. Tyler will show you around the school and be your guide then he will show you around Mystic Falls." Richard said and then pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled at credit card out and handed it to Bella. "This is yours. It's in your name. Anything you need, use that card. There is no limit. I expect you will need clothing for school and school supplies. Tyler can help you find what you need." He said and looked at Renee. "I have a meeting to get to. Camma will get you settled."
Renee smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Richard." She said and watched him walk away.
Bella looked at the keys and the credit card. "Mom, I don't know."
"It's okay sweetie." Renee said and looked to Mason. "Dinner. We're sort of hungry. The Grille is still open right?"
Mason nodded with a smile. "Yes. Still kicking it. Let's go get some food. Tyler will likely be there now with his friends." He said and fished his own keys out of his pocket. "We'll take my truck."
Bella just put the card in her wallet and the keys in her backpack, following her mom and Uncle outside towards the garages as they went into the fifth bay and they got in Mason's truck. It was large, burgundy in color and it had all the fancy gadgets on the inside, like a touchscreen and a backup camera. Bella was quiet as Mason pulled out of the garage and headed towards the Mystic Grille.
