Recap of Chapter 33:

It's the end of Janurary, where Bella was invited to head to downtown Seattle for the will reading of her late father Charlie. She is joined by Jacob and Billy, but when arriving she also finds the Cullen family awaiting there as well - without Alice as she was left back at the school. She's shocked to see them all, but even more confused since Carlisle and Esme know why they're there but would rather leave it unsaid. Soon, they meet Charlie's Executor - J. Jenks - who takes them into his office and begins the will reading; Renee isn't present for it, but that wasn't much of a surprise to Bella. It isn't long until the first bombshell is dropped on the group, where it's first revealed that Bella and Emmett are actually brother and sister. Emmett is understandably upset by this baffling set of news as Bella is left reeling from the truth. In the same moment it's revealed they're related, it's also discovered that Edward was adopted by his aunt and uncle after his parents had died; before long, the teens are told as to why Bella and Emmett never knew the truth of their relationship - Emmett had been separated from the Swans at a young age (where Bella wouldn't have been able to retain the memories of having a brother when she was only two years old) due to an injury that led to the discovery of him having a tumor in his head that needed to be treated immediately but at the risk of leaving Charlie and Renee broke. Charlie and Renee had made the heartbreaking decision to give Emmett up into the care of Carlisle Cullen who was more financially able to care for him than Charlie would ever be able to, but it was something that Charlie had lived with regret for the rest of his life until the day he was killed. Once this has been revealed, the group is in a tizzy unable to contain the building emotions within as Emmett lashes out at everyone around him. Then, another bombshell is revealed - Charlie made his will reading tapes with the knowledge that he was going to be killed within a short span of time after making them. And on top of that, he revealed he knew who would be the killer - or killers rather. None other than James and Joshua would be the culprits, which Bella is absolutely distraught over. As soon as Charlie reveals that Edward is involved with protecting Bella, Emmett turns his rage into incessant prodding of the two wondering why he's involved. Cracking, Bella revealed to all that in actuality Edward's involvement is because of their secret relationship - and before long she fled from the room leaving behind the shocked and dazed onlookers that was the Cullens and Blacks.

A/N: Lengthy recap but woo.

This chapter's going to continue right where 33 left off so let's get into it!


Chapter 34

~Bella~

I ran down the hallways and turned corners before finally I reached my stopping point near the fire exit, thinking I had been far enough from that tiny confining room. I leaned against the wall and took to inhaling deep breaths while trying to grasp what all just had happened.

Emmett is my brother.

Charlie and Renee gave him up when he was sick. I never remembered him because I was too young.

My own trauma clouded my mind.

My dad knew when he was dying and that he knew who would be killing him.

My stalkers are responsible for taking my father away from you.

Now they're coming for me, and for Edward.

I just revealed out loud in front of Emmett that we've been dating this whole time.

Edward is sure to hate me now after I let the secret out.

"Gah..." I gasped and slid down against the wall to the carpeted floor, one hand flying to rest against my forehead. I wasn't sure what I should try to focus on first and come to terms with. It was all too much. So much had been said in such a little amount of time and I'm supposed to take it in, accept it and move on? I don't know how I could.

Emmett is my brother and has been this whole time. How could I even be related to him? He was... so unlike the Swan mold. I mean sure, I only have just a small handful of examples so it's nothing to really pull from as a surefire way that this is how a Swan acts. Charlie and I were always alike in nature - reserved, awkward in expressing our emotions and stubborn as mules. Renee was the opposite; bubbly and outgoing personality with flawed logic in believing she was always right, but she was loud, louder than Charlie ever was. That was the only resemblance I could find in how Emmett was related, the fact he was more like Renee than he was like Charlie. Emmett was crude, brash, loud, intimidating and yet he liked to joke around - albeit all I could ever see of him in terms of joking was the fact that he was cruel with his jokes. Mostly it was always at my expense or the other girls' expense.

I wanted to scream into the void much like he wanted to do in that room when the truth was revealed to us. Emmett was beyond enraged that he never got to really meet his true his parents, and that Carlisle and Esme kept this secret to themselves. I knew he was beyond hurt that he never was told who his true parents were until today. I know I was hurt as well, not believing that both Renee and Charlie kept this from me. I could barely understand Charlie's reasoning that he kept it from both of us merely because Emmett was facing his recovery after dealing with a tumor in his head at such a young age; that in of itself is a trauma no child should ever have to go through. But that also doesn't even begin to account for the aftercare that it sounds like he went through. Therapy, medication after medication, and emotional damage, it all sounded like it took a toll on him over the years. Of course as well, I could also understand why my parents didn't tell me any sooner when I was also going through my own battles with Joshua. Being abused and raped, emotionally and mentally damaged from that ordeal, they likely didn't want to throw another curveball my way when I was trying to stabilize myself after it. I still have had breakdowns over time thanks to the fact that he and James moved to this school after somehow finding out I was going here.

But to be told now, that we were related, after Charlie's passing... It was so jarring and I could understand Emmett's breakdown now more than ever. And of course what perfect timing that Renee isn't here at this will reading either.

Even worse now, I know who killed my dad. The damn obsessed fuckers themselves - James and Joshua. They were doing everything and anything to still go after me. Anything to get to me, they'd break into my home, trash my room and steal whatever they had found in there, and then proceed to antagonize my dad after I had gone back to school after Thanksgiving. I couldn't understand how that would've been possible when they had school themselves, where I had seen them on campus time to time - and even more so had seen James seeing as he weaseled his way into our music group. They must've found time to sneak over to Charlie's home and try to find routes to break in or catch him off guard at the worst time to enact the horrible deed of murder. And my dad knew they were coming for him... He let his guard down just for one measly night and that's all it took for them to break in and kill him. He knew that if he was still alive, he'd be an obstacle for them to get to me still. Now that he was gone, it was one less person they had to go through. The only people left to protect me were Jacob and Edward.

Edward... Shit.

I revealed our relationship out loud in that room - to my brother, no less, who has had no idea this whole school year that we were dating. We were supposed to be at face value, hating each other's guts because of the shitty gender feud that we enacted at the start of the school year. And yet now, Emmett knows we're dating one another because I broke down after his persistence in questioning why Edward was mentioned in being involved with me with this whole situation. I broke our promise of working out together when we were supposed to tell everyone together that we were dating, which no doubt Edward was upset that I revealed it like I did. God I couldn't have been more stupid in letting the pressure get to me when I should've been better at keeping my composure and try to lie smoothly or push Emmett off when he kept pushing and pushing to know. I couldn't take it anymore though with everything that was being thrown my way. I was cracking at the seams when each bit of information was revealed and I couldn't take it any longer. But now it's likely cost me my relationship with him.

I sniffled loudly at the thought I'd be losing Edward over this, and I guess I was loud enough to be heard. In the next second Edward appeared from around a corner and looked down the hallway to see where I was sitting. He looked like he sighed - either with relief or contempt I wasn't sure - before he jogged over to where I was. "There you are." Edward murmured to me once he approached me. I tried to curl into myself more if that was remotely possible and looked away from him. "Bella, what's wrong?" he asked then, but I didn't look up to see his expression. Edward moved around to then sit beside me against the wall and yet I turned my head away as I didn't want to see his face.

I don't think I could bare to see him looking at me with disappointment or anger. I don't know if I was thinking with a rational brain at the moment with my emotions going haywire, but I was fearing the worst. He has to be angry or hurt that you revealed your secret out loud like that to Emmett. You two tried to hold it off as long as you could and had promised to reveal it together to the others so that both of you were in control and could work this out together. But you instead let the pressure get to you and you cracked, screaming it out for Emmett to hear that you're dating - and at such a great time too. He looked so hurt when I looked back at him. He's gonna break up with you for sure over this. I chastised myself internally, gnawing on my bottom lip in the process.

I felt a finger go under my chin and I let Edward turn my head but I closed my eyes, still refusing to make eye contact with him. "Bella..." Edward murmured again. "Please, look at me." he pleaded with me softly.

"I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"You hate me."

"What?!" Edward asked, sounding shocked. He even let out a quick sharp chuckle as if he thought I was joking.

"You hate me." I repeated, trying to stop the quiver that wanted to come out with my voice. "I screwed up. I shouldn't have let that burst come out, I shouldn't have snapped like I did. I couldn't take it anymore though... It was all too much in that room. Emmett's my brother... my goddamn brother! I thought I was an only child, and yet I'm even more angry that my parents never wanted to tell me the truth! They pushed the narrative that I was an only child, treated me like I was their only kid while I went through their separation and then all that I went through with Joshua... I never knew that Emmett and I were brother and sister. I never had memories of him when I was so young. It's so awful that I don't even remember him! How could I forget that I have a brother?" I began to ramble, pulling my head out from under his finger to cradle my head between my hands. "It's ludicrous! I should've remembered that he was my brother but I don't - I never had memories of him in my life. But that's only the tip of the iceberg! I find out that my dad knew he was going to die... I find out after he's dead that he knew was going to die. He knew when he'd be dying, he knew who his killers were going to be of all things! I knew he wasn't himself on the day I went on that trip - it nagged and nagged at me that something wasn't right with how he was acting and I didn't think to push him on it! I... I could've saved him Edward!" I began to sound hysterical the more and more I rambled, where I whipped my head up to stare at him in bewilderment. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks once more but I didn't stop them. Edward looked at me with a heartbroken face but didn't speak. "And finally to make it all worse wrapped up in a bow, I spilled our secret - to Emmett no less! I couldn't take it anymore after everything that's gone on today, I couldn't take it when he persisted in his questioning of why you're involved with all of this thanks to Charlie letting it out on the tapes. I've endangered everyone around me! Charlie died because of me! Those obsessed crazy stalkers of mine killed my dad to get to me - and they're going to come after you or Jacob - or worse both of you! But I told Emmett our secret that we were dating when I should've kept it in so you and I could tell everyone together - and I blew it!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella - stop!" Edward hissed and suddenly grabbed me, pulling me into his chest. I sobbed loudly into his shirt, letting the cries take over me. Edward stroked my hair or my back while remaining silent as he let me have my moment. I let everything out in that hallway, once again overcome with the heavy grief that I've had to face all over again. We sat there for who knows how long but Edward never stopped me from my crying, rather he held me against him, offering comfort the best he could while I sobbed. Eventually, my cries quieted where I was left the occasional hiccup here and there. When he could hear I was no longer heaving sobs, Edward took a deep breath and squeezed me briefly. "Better?"

"Not really." I mumbled in a hoarse voice. I pulled back from his chest, feeling guilty that I had soaked his shirt with my tears. Edward shifted us to where he held me comfortably to his side but refused to let me go. "How could you not hate me...?" I questioned, mostly to myself in hopes he didn't hear it. It baffled me that he wasn't angry with me for letting the secret out like I had, much less the fact I was endangering his safety as he was the last defense I had after Charlie's death against James and Joshua.

"As if I could ever hate you." Edward quickly replied to my quiet question, almost in a sharp tone. I turned my head to look up at him and saw his eyebrows were downturned and he was frowning at me. "Bella, please - stop beating yourself up. I don't hate you and I never will. I'm not upset with you in letting our secret out."

"You're not upset?" I parroted and Edward shook his head, a small smile coming onto his face.

"I'm not. I still love you to death you silly girl."

I leapt up then and tackled him, earning a quick chuckle before I planted my lips on his. He seemed taken aback by the sudden kiss but otherwise welcomed it. I was over the moon with this reassurance, and could care less that we were making out in this hallway of this law office. I was elated to hear that after I had spilled out our secret like I had, that Edward still loved me. He didn't hate me one bit. Edward cradled me in his arms and returned my fervor in the kiss, groaning when I pushed my hands into his hair scratching his scalp. I hummed to hearing the noise, tiling my head and deepening the kiss. I didn't care that I was quickly losing my breath against his lips, I'd happily pass out in his arms if that meant I didn't have to leave the spot. But Edward had more strength than I did and pulled away, leaving us gasping for air. I pressed my forehead against his, doing all I could to noisily suck in air to fill my lungs. Edward was in no better shape than I was yet he had a goofy smile on his face.

"I love you Bella, and that's never going to change." He whispered and I sniffled again, wiping at the back of my eyes to try and stop the tears that threatened to burst through again.

"I'm supposed to stop my crying, not keep going you jerk." I joked with a watery laugh and Edward joined me with his own. I pecked his lips and smiled up at him. "I love you too." I murmured then, nuzzling my nose against his, where his smile widened. "I'm just... I'm scared now. I'm so worried of going back into that room and facing everyone, but more so Emmett. I don't know how he's gonna truly react now that he knows about us after I spilled everything. It's bad enough as is that he's blowing up over being left in the dark about the fact that Charlie and Renee are his birth parents and that I'm his sister." I began again, biting my bottom lip in worry again.

"We'll face it together." Edward said, squeezing me again. "You two though have a lot to take in as is and really I think if you're both willing it's probably more important to focus on reintroducing yourselves to each other and getting to know one another as brother and sister." he continued, but his eyebrows furrowed again. "Although... I would understand too your reservations on it considering what all has gone down between you two during the school year."

"Tell me about it." I mumbled, frowning. After all of the cruel, nasty jokes, the jabs and insults, and every degrading piece of commentary Emmett had flung my way, he's been the biggest jerk I've ever met. It's not easy in the slightest that I'd be able to let that go - but now with this piece of information that we're related? I really doubt I could let it go easily.

"His behavior was inexcusable." Edward concluded, sighing. "So I won't force you to try and make friends with him. But I know that really you both need to heal from the loss of Charlie - and from the loss of both of your robbed childhoods." he added, looking over at me with concern then, his green eyes heavy with worry for me. After all that I've told him about what I faced, he understood that I still face that trauma still to this day. But he's also seen the brunt of Emmett growing up and dealing with him adjusting after his issues too.

"Was Emmett... bad?" I asked out loud suddenly, wondering now just how bad it could've been for Emmett. Edward looked a bit surprised that I was suddenly bringing this up, but otherwise he sighed and pursed his lips again.

"Bad? I guess so, maybe he was. But he was troubled rather. He had a lot of outbursts of tantrums here and there - and then like a switch was flipped and he'd either go back to being a happy kid or just... shutdown all of a sudden." he explained quietly, looking off up towards the ceiling as if reminiscing. "Esme at the time tried to get me to understand that sometimes Emmett wasn't himself and that I shouldn't do anything to treat him differently. She wanted me to be patient with him like they had been with him, but there'd be times that we'd fight each other as brothers would and tried her best to keep us from letting it blow out of proportion - she feared we'd go too far with each other." he continued, shrugging his shoulders as he recalled his memories of growing up with Emmett.

"How are you by the way?"

"I'm still trying to process it but it's nothing compared to what you and Emmett are going through." Edward tried to downplay his feelings and I frowned at him. "I always had felt a close bond with Carlisle and Esme when I was growing up. Maternal and paternal, even if at the time I believed that I wasn't related to them by blood I still loved them and still viewed them as like my parents even if my birth parents were gone. There'd often be times though that strangers would say Esme and I looked alike - not just because her hair is caramel auburn and mine copper so it's close-ish to a similar red variant. But, people would say we just looked alike; similar jaw structures, smiles more than anything." he paused where he suddenly frowned again.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking to myself again." he muttered, sighing. "It's been years and I can't really even remember what my parents look like. I was so young when I lost them and I hate that..." he paused, but when I kissed his nose to encourage him to continue, or at least to try and find the words, he took a deep breath before he continued to speak. "I hate that I'm losing what little memories I had of my parents. I don't remember really what they sound like anymore, I don't remember what they look like or anything. I wish I had more time with them or something to remember them by, like either pictures or old home videos if they ever took any when I was just a baby before they died."

"Maybe Carlisle and Esme received some stuff from them when you were adopted by them?" I supplied, hoping I was right and that there were some mementos for Edward to dig through that'd give him some insight of what his parents were like or what his earlier childhood was like before he was adopted by the Cullens.

"Esme had hinted that I did receive some stuff from my parents after they died but they were holding onto it for me whenever I felt like asking for them. I never really sought it out before because I was just content living the life I had grown up into, and just accepting myself as a Cullen rather than a Masen." he murmured, shrugging his shoulders. I reached out to touch his cheek with my hand and he leaned into my touch. "But after everything that's happened to you, you losing your father and all, it's made me think about them again. And now after hearing the news that in reality Esme is actually my aunt and Carlisle's my uncle... it wasn't random chance they adopted me out of nowhere but rather I was being passed onto my godparents this whole time." he continued to quietly speak, looking deep in thought. "Now I think I should start looking into seeing whatever they left behind for me."

"Of course." I agreed with him and gave him a small smile. "You know I'm right here if you need me too. I'll be with you whenever you need me, as support. Just as much as you've been here for me this whole time." I promised him, and touched his forehead with mine again. Edward gave me his signature half smirk that I loved so much, and his eyes sparkled at hearing my promise.

"I'd love that, thank you baby."

"Anytime."

"Ahem." Edward and I gasped at the sudden throat clearing, proceeding to knock our foreheads together in the process from the shock. I could hear a deep chuckling behind me as Edward and I groaned in unison from the pain that action had caused, before I twisted myself around to glare at the one that interrupted us. Jacob was standing a small distance away from me, hand over his mouth to try and stifle his laughter.

"Jake!" I hissed, rubbing my forehead.

"You two are just always in your own damn bubble every single time I catch you two." Jacob teased, snickering and shaking his head. I growled under my breath before I disentangled myself from my boyfriend. Edward stood up once I was off of him, and offered a hand to pull me up. Soon after we were both standing, we shuffled over to Jacob who still had that snarky smirk on his face.

"Wipe that grin off you dick." I growled, unable to stop the blush that was coming onto my face. This was the second time Jacob caught us in one of our intimate moments and every time it felt like my big brother was catching me doing something I shouldn't be doing.

"Oh calm down and get the twist out of your undies." Jacob continued to tease me, rolling his brown eyes while chuckling. Edward's face was just as flushed, but he reached out and punched Jacob in the arm.

"Man it's not funny when you sneak up on us like that. I don't get many moments with her like that as is so cut a guy a break." Edward grumbled to him, which set Jacob off into another fit of laughter at us. I huffed and began to tap my foot impatiently, wondering when he was going to actually tell us what he needed from us after he found us. But he was having too much fun at our expense. "You probably should knock it off now man, Bella's going to either sock you or kick you where the sun don't shine." Edward warned him then, his lips now twitching as if to hold back his own smirks at seeing Jacob dying from laughter.

Finally Jacob calmed down with a shaking of his head and his laughter turning into snickers again. "Alright alright sorry, not trying to poke the bear that is B anyways. Just wanted to check up on her after she ran out of the room like that, and seeing as you took off after her and didn't come back with her anytime soon, I figured I had to go find you two. Jenks isn't proceeding with the rest of the hearing anyways until you two come back." Jacob informed us.

"I don't know how much more I can sit through it..." I murmured, already feeling the nerves start to kick back in at the mention of going back to the holding room and continuing the hearing. I had at least calmed down enough after most of the information overload I had taken in anyways as it was still a lot for me to take in, but now especially after my outburst I was unsure I could be in the same room with Emmett. I didn't know how he would react fully to us being the room now knowing we were dating each other this whole time. It's bad enough he was having a hard time accepting the fact that I was his sister, or at least he was having a hard time coming to terms with it and trying to process it all. Now that he knows his adoptive brother and his now newly acquired sister by blood were actually dating ever since the school year had started and that we were lying to everyone about hating one another, it was a complete mystery of what we'd come back to in dealing with him. He's likely already texted Jasper the news and once we head back to the school we were going to be hounded and cornered by everyone, antagonized left and right, treated like social pariahs.

"Bella." Edward turned me to have me face him fully, and I looked up at him with my eyes likely wide in fright. "First of all, breathe." he coached me and I inhaled before exhaling loudly. I didn't even realize I had stopped breathing. "Good. Second of all, get out of your own headspace. I know right now you're thinking a million miles a minute over everything that just went down. Focus on the here and now. You have to finish this hearing as this may likely help you gain closure over losing Charlie. This is what you need - it's opening old wounds after losing him, but you know Charlie is taking care of things after it all and you have to press on without him. Don't focus on the fact that Emmett knows now. Focus on the fact that you have to get through this, that we likely have the bigger mess at hand to deal with - that's something that's bound to be more pressing than the fact that Emmett knows we've been dating this whole time." Edward said then, gripping onto my shoulders. "What matters is that you need to stay safe. I'm going to make sure that I keep Charlie's promise and I'm going to keep you safe from those fucking stalkers of yours that wanted to murder Charlie. You can sure as hell bet that even after everything, I'm not going anywhere. But part of that involves that we get through today."

"You've got me here too Bells." Jacob cut in where I looked over to see him smiling down at me warmly.

I knew that I would always have these two standing behind me to protect me and keep me safe from Joshua and James. They loved me, and I loved them back in the respective ways they had my heart. I just hated that they were in danger because of me. "I know that... I just hate that through it all, you two are in danger because of me." I grumbled, frowning. "All because two fucking guys can't get it through their heads I don't want them near me, that I never will like them and that they think they have some weird stake on me - you two are in danger because of that." I murmured, but Edward shook his head.

"You matter more than anything to me my love. I would do this over again and again with no hesitation." Edward spoke with conviction, leaning down to kiss me. It was a passionate kiss that he poured all his love into and it made my toes curl. I threw my arms around his neck then and matched his passion with my own, whimpering when it seemed that I couldn't get close enough to him. My hands found purchase once again in his hair while his arms wound themselves around my waist easily, holding me tightly to his chest.

"Alright alright! I get it you two love each other - but god I don't need to see you two making out some more!" Jacob cried in exasperation which had us pulling apart from one another. I knew my face was flushed once again and Edward's cheeks were pink as well, but we both threw glares over our shoulders to Jacob who was childishly covering his eyes with his hands and cowering away from us.

"Jacob fuck you." Edward grumbled, and that elicited a laugh from my hulking friend. I couldn't help but let loose a giggle at their bickering but was content that Edward didn't let me go from our embrace. I turned back to him and saw him looking down at me once again. "Please trust me baby, I'll be right there with you, supporting you, protecting you and just being there for you. You don't have to be afraid of going back in there as I'll be right there with you - we'll get through this. But you have to take that step."

"Okay." I agreed then, nodding my head and taking another deep breath before exhaling. "Thank you Edward." I murmured, leaning up to peck his lips for a chaste kiss. He pouted at the briefness of it and I giggled at his expression. "I know, trust me I'd love to give you more - but we've already exhausted our time away from this hearing and I don't think I can stand Jacob's whining anymore."

"He doesn't have to be our babysitter, we could just send him away..."

"Someone's got to be the responsible one around here and I know you two aren't going to be that." Jacob countered with a wink and I rolled my eyes at him while Edward stuck his tongue out at him. "Calling me childish when he does that shit?"

"Oh shut up, you baby." I huffed, but laughed at my two boys who gave into laughing with me. "Alright, let's get this show back on the road." I surmised and gave in. Jacob led the two of us back to the office then, letting Edward and I hang in the back where he kept his arm around my waist tightly. It felt like we were walking ourselves back into the lion's den with each step we took, but I did my best to keep the fears down since I had my two rocks with me - my boyfriend and my childhood best friend who's always been like a brother. Each were going to be there for me, protecting me and giving me the courage to keep going. It didn't take us long to return to the holding room where everyone was awaiting our return. Jenks had remained at the desk, Billy still at his position next to the armchair where Jacob had been previously. Carlisle and Esme were standing now from the couch and turned to look at us when we entered the room again, and Emmett was now off by the windows, staring out of it aimlessly.

"You're back." Jenks surmised out loud in welcoming, nodding his head and trying to offer a sympathetic smile. Jacob sat back down beside his dad while Edward and I wandered over back to our couch. Esme came over to me and gave me a sudden tight hug which caught me off guard. Edward gave us space while Carlisle reached over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright dear?" Esme murmured to me, pulling back some to gaze down at me worriedly, her eyes shining with motherly concern. I welcomed her hug, as much as there was still a sting deep within from the previous reveal that they knew everything behind the curtains that was about my relationship with Emmett. It was nice to have a motherly figure here trying to comfort me, or comfort us all, as this was so much to try to take in all in a single day. Especially considering my own mother - one who also knew the real truth - was absent and chose to be absent on purpose versus actually being here, Esme still acted like that mother that I really needed in this time. I don't think I could truly ever fault her or Carlisle for the fact they kept this secret from us all. I was hurt, that much was true, that the adults in our life that knew about all of this decided to keep this away from us and thought it would be better to continue to keep us in the dark about it. But I also was trying to understand their own reasoning behind that fact. I guess I could understand they really had no idea of when we'd be ready to hear it. It's hard for a parent I guess to really try and decide if they could break such groundbreaking news like this to them out of the blue, and expect them to be hunky dory after it all. I think it just stung more that Emmett and I were finding out the truth about us being related after Charlie had died - and we were hearing it from him posthumously. Not even our own mother could face us to tell us herself.

I gave Esme a small nod and a smile in thanks for her concern; she returned one of her own before she stepped back and sat back down on the sofa with Carlisle. Edward came back over to me and we sat down together on our couch. I glanced slightly over my shoulder to Emmett's figure who was still turned away from us all.

"Well with Ms. Swan and Mr. Cullen back, I feel we should continue with this will reading. Mr. Emmett, will you join us?" Jenks announced before turning his attention to my hulking brother - god that was going to take a lot to getting used to. I could see everyone also glanced over at Emmett who looked like he wanted to ignore the rest of this meeting. Eventually, Emmett turned around and skulked back over to his previous spot on the couch with his adoptive parents. He kept his eyes focused on anything but us, whether that be the floor or refocusing back on the TV. A permanent frown took hold on his face, eyebrows furrowed where it seemed he was deep in thought, Emmett merely nodded to Jenks to show he was willing to sit through the rest of this hearing finally. Jenks nodded back to the gesture and after picking up the remote once more, he pressed play.

The video continued where Jenks had left it off on, with Charlie's reveal of Edward's involvement with protecting me from my crazy stalkers. Charlie had shifted in the video after revealing this and cleared his throat. "Now, I figure I'd get through at least the rest of this visual will reading, seeing as I have talked about a lot of things that's likely left the kids upset. I briefly went over all of what I wanted the Blacks to have of my possessions, but now I think it's as good of a time as any to get into what all is going to be divvied up amongst the kids. Bells, Emmett, I know it isn't much but I'm leaving that little white house that I've called a home, to you two - do whatever you would like with it; sell it, renovate it and keep it, it doesn't matter. It's all that I can leave to you two beyond the money that will also be going to you. The paperwork I've left with Mr. Jenks on the matters of your financial aid will detail further what all you will receive. Along with it, are the more personal belongings I'd like to give to you two. Emmett, I own two guns that are now yours - a shotgun and a pistol. The rest of the firearms I may have inside my home will be going back to the Forks Police Department to manage, but those two are yours should you want them. They're sitting in a safety deposit box which Jenks will give you the keys to and you may hold onto them. Amongst the rest of the house, every bit of furniture that's inside the home will also belong to you two - but more importantly I'm leaving some home videos for you two. There might not be much of Emmett at first, but together I thought that at least two could watch them, share some memories and bond over it. And I had already talked with Carlisle and Esme Cullen - they have their own home videos that they'd like to include in the bunch for you two, of ones they were able to capture of Emmett growing up. You two can watch them together whenever you're ready but they'll remain in another safety deposit box that Jenks will give to you when you'd like them. Just schedule an appointment whenever." Charlie explained in the video, before he shifted and a cold look came across his face. I was puzzled by his sudden shift in emotion but I couldn't have been prepared for what he said next. "As for Renee... I'm leaving Renee Dwyer nothing." I gasped when he said this which had Jenks pausing the video soon after.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Swan?" Jenks asked me carefully, looking over at me with concern on his face.

"Bella?" Edward murmured beside me, rubbing my back for reassurance. I could feel all eyes on me but I shook my head, looking down at my lap.

"Nothing's... wrong per say. It's just..." I began, biting my bottom lip. "I'm shocked really. Shocked that Charlie is leaving my mother nothing. I know that they're divorced, so he honestly doesn't have to leave her something but I had always thought that they were at least on okay terms. I never fully knew if they remained friends - at the least, they were cordial and still would come together for my sake. But now he's acting so cold all of a sudden." I rambled out loud, mostly letting my errant thoughts out. It was true though, I had inclinations that perhaps my parents were at least on amicable terms with one another. I knew they'd never get back together, even if my dad might've had some feelings for her under the surface. They would still at least come together if it was for my sake; they came together for my birthday dinner date that I had brought Edward along to said dinner, and she would come over for the Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas, of which there was no bickering amongst them. But Charlie's suddenly flipping the switch and leaving Renee nothing, not even just some money or a small possession of an item. It was jarring to hear.

Jenks nodded his head, uncertainty evident on his face. "I knew of your parents' separation - and part of Charlie's resentment towards Renee was tied with the fact that she had forced his hand in giving up your brother for adoption. It is likely your father still held that grudge for his ex-wife, your mother in this respect." Jenks surmised quietly, and I nodded slightly to acknowledge the suggestion. Jenks hit play once more on the tape and we continued.

Charlie all but answered my questions once he had been un-paused. "I tried to keep things as cordial as I could with Renee for the sake of our daughter, but I will never get over the fact that she had forced my hand in giving up on our son in his hour of need... She wasn't in the right mind when she pushed me to give up Emmett, and after he had been adopted by the Cullens, she shut down and acted as if he never existed. She tried to forget about him and forced our daughter on medication as an extra measure in hopes she will never find out about him - but she never thought that I would one day tell Bella about him. I could never understand how she could coldly forget about her own child, acting as if she never carried him for nine months, raised him for three years before giving him up to someone else. Renee was always flighty, but as soon as something tough came her way she would rather pass off the responsibility to someone else rather than persevering through the hardship and working things out. And anytime I had tried discussing this matter with her because Bella and Emmett deserved to know the truth, Renee would fight against it or ignore me. So for that, my ex-wife will receive nothing from me once I am gone." Charlie explained with a gruffness in his voice. I had never heard him speak as cold as he did in the video - save maybe for the times I'd hear of him talking badly about my abusive ex-boyfriend, Charlie never really talked poorly about anyone. To hear the scathing tone in his voice as he talked about Renee, it was foreign to hear.

I glanced over briefly at Emmett after I had heard Charlie talk about Renee and her behavior towards the whole matter, and could see that Emmett kept a blank expression on his face. It was definitely hard to get a reading on Emmett and what all he was feeling, but I could only guess that it had to be something aligned with hurt, betrayal, and rage still after how he reacted from the initial news. I likely threw him through a loop after revealing the fact that his adoptive brother and I were dating in secret, but he had to be more confused about the fact that we were related to one another. But beyond all of that, I have no clue as to what he could actually be feeling deep down. He was doing a great job of keeping up this wall to hide his emotions but I could only imagine that he was bound to have another outburst.

After Charlie had finished discussing about what we'd receive and how Renee would be receiving nothing from her ex-husband, the screen went black while Jenks pressed a button on his remote which turned the TV off. "That was all Charlie had compiled into a visual will for us to listen through, and essentially I have some paperwork that we could go through. More than anything this paperwork just details with more information of what all each of you would be receiving from Charlie." Jenks stated then, standing with some manila folders in his hands; likely that was all the paperwork he's had on his desk this whole time while we've been watching the videos Charlie left us. He walked over to us and began handing out folders for us; Emmett's and my folders were thicker than the rest. It was a no brainer however on why ours were bigger than the others'. Jenks went to sit back down at his desk while some of us began looking through our folders. Edward sat next to me quietly while I began opening mine and glanced through what was inside. "Charlie took some time writing each of you personalized letters, but for the most part for those that were mentioned to receive certain items from Charlie, there is also official paperwork that states as much inside these folders. I also hold the keys to the safety deposit boxes of some of those items Charlie had stated in his visual will reading, so whenever you'd like to collect those items you may pay me a visit and I'll hand over those keys." Jenks added, looking specifically to Emmett and I when he said this. "Beyond that however, that concludes the bulk of the will reading. If you have any questions you're welcome to come up and we can discuss the matter." he concluded.

I glanced through the paperwork while he was saying this, noting the special envelope addressed to me in Charlie's chicken-scratch. I bit my lip when I saw his handwriting, feeling the pang in my heart. This was likely the last personal piece of writing I have of my dad, and seeing the sloppy handwriting on the envelope, it gave me emotions that I didn't think I'd have other letters writing on paper. I don't think I could read his letter, at least not right now - but probably I would have to try reading over it another time when I was alone. Sifting through, I could see the paperwork that was more official in detailing what all Charlie had written in his will to give to me. I could see the list on the official papers that looked professional and full of business, seeing that he wrote me down as half the owner to his property - aka the house - as well as every item within the house. I could also see the bit of money he set aside to give me which I was shocked by the amount written before me.

My dad wasn't a wealthy man, but he was hard working as the police chief of our little town. Still, to see that much was gonna be given over to me is shocking. I thought to myself as I stared back at the number. Edward could see I was going bug-eyed and I could feel him lean over to stare down with me. He gave a low whistle which had me turning to look over at him. "Wow. That's generous and surprising to see." he murmured and I nodded my head back to him numbly.

"I had no idea my dad had this kind of money." I muttered.

"Life insurance stuff? I don't know, your dad was probably just smart in saving up his funds but I wasn't expecting to see that number." Edward suggested, shrugging a shoulder. I again nodded whilst glancing briefly up to see what the others were doing. Jacob and his dad were going over their paperwork and talking with one another quietly, giving me space to process everything. Meanwhile Carlisle and Esme had gotten up from their seats to chat quietly with Jenks, which left Emmett by himself on the couch. I could see him going through his own paperwork where he was ignoring everyone around him.

"Maybe..."

"I'm not sure what he left me or why he would leave me anything since I'm just your boyfriend," Edward started again, where looking over at him I could see him shaking his folder slightly. "But I'll look over it later."

"Not even curious?" I asked him, slightly teasing. Edward smirked but shook his head.

"I am, but it can wait. I'm more concerned about you and your reaction to this. Especially since now you're loaded - and I know you, you don't like the idea of money."

"Shut up I'm not rich." I grumbled, blushing at his mention of money and the implications that I was suddenly rich after my dad died. I wouldn't say I was rich really - Edward and his family had way more money that I ever would in my lifetime. Carlisle was after all the head doctor of Forks Hospital, and practically the only one, but more so the best doctor in the area which is why he makes so much money to provide for his family. I was at least expecting that my dad would leave me a little bit of funds after he had passed but I couldn't have ever expected the amount he actually passed onto me. It's shocking that I'm suddenly fifty-grand richer, but how on earth did Charlie get this kind of money? He didn't have a fabulous job that paid this much. Maybe Edward's right as it's got to do something with life insurance policy stuff. I thought again to myself. "Even if I have this kind of money now, it's nothing compared to your kind of rich."

"Well..." Edward grumbled back, shrugging again to which I snickered at his reaction. "I'll admit, no it's not. I did receive at least a lump sum of money from my birth parents when they had passed - but those funds are off limits to me until I go to college." Edward surmised, and then a sad look passed over his face at the mention of his parents again, especially in light of today over the bit of news he had received for himself. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, not even caring that Emmett had looked up sharply when he saw our interaction. We were in our own bubble anyways and I wasn't going to worry about his reaction to now knowing about our secret - at least not yet that is. Edward's cheeks turned a slight pink at my peck, but he gave me a smile in return.

"I guess for now the meeting's adjourned but if you have any questions left over from the matter, feel free to give me a call." Jenks' voice spoke up then which burst the small bubble over us. I turned to see Jenks standing from his desk and his gaze was specifically fixated on Emmett and I when he said this out loud. "Bella, Emmett, we can get together whenever you are ready to fully receive your items from your inheritance from Charlie. I know within those folders are the official documents of sorting out the financial inheritance and whenever you'd like to fully receive the money, that can become readily available once all is signed and handed over to me which I can take care of the rest. Along with it, should you want access to the items within the safety deposit boxes, I have the keys ready to hand over to you as well. Above all else should there be anything else you wish to discuss over the matters of today or what you two have inherited, never be afraid to schedule an appointment with me and we can go over those details." He concluded, giving us tender smiles like that of an uncle to his niece and nephew to show he was here for us. I gave a small nod of acknowledgement to his statement, and glanced over at Emmett. His expression was still that of stone but his grey eyes were still stormy and hardened; otherwise, he gave a short nod to Jenks.

We all stood then and filed out of Jenks' office, starting to head to the elevator. Edward walked with me, holding onto my hand while we carried our paperwork in our free hands. Jacob was in front of me wheeling his father to the elevators, whilst Carlisle, Esme and Emmett were behind Edward and I. Just as our large party arrived to the elevators, Emmett cleared his throat. I glanced behind me as did the others, and soon all eyes were on him.

"Can I talk to Bella and Edward for a second? We'll meet you guys down in the parking garage in a bit." Emmett requested, to which my stomach started doing backflips at his specific request for a private chat. I knew it had to be about the fact he found out about us dating, and he wanted to start prying answers from us. It wasn't going to be a nice chat for sure. I looked up to Edward fleetingly, and noticed he had tensed upon hearing him ask for us to stay behind. His green eyes flickered down to me briefly, lips tightened to show his uncertainty if we should have our chat here or if it would've been better to try and push it off.

But, I think resolve came to him in what he searched for in my face - that or he realized there was no hope in ignoring him as it probably is better for us to hash this out now while we can; Edward relented and spoke for the two of us with a simple, "Sure."

"I can take your paperwork with us down to the truck Bells." Jacob offered, and I willingly handed my stuff to him. Billy gave me a small nod of encouragement to take this opportunity to try and talk things out with Emmett - even if I could see in his eyes, he didn't have hope that this would end perfectly. I nodded to the both of them, noticing that Esme was taking the folders Edward and Emmett held in their hands as well. The doors to the elevator dinged then, and the three of us shuffled away from the group, heading away from the narrow space and walking towards an open waiting area. Emmett once again went to the window to stare aimlessly out at the city skyline, while Edward and I stood a distance away from him. Edward wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand rubbing my hip in means to try and offer some comfort while we let the silence sit there heavily in the air.

Emmett finally decided to break it though when he turned and sighed noisily. "So. You two have been dating this whole time."

I bit my lip as Edward coughed into his hand. "Yes." Edward stated blankly.

"How long?"

Edward gazed down at me, wondering if we really should be divulging every detail, but I shrugged my shoulders and decided I couldn't keep quiet the whole time. So I spoke up then. "After the first month of school, there was... an incident." I started, clearing my throat when I remembered our first true encounter and how cruel it was. Edward looked away in shame, forever regretting the cruel stunt he pulled on me in that hallway, having no idea of the trauma I had been through; but now that he knows what all I have been through, he feels resounding shame every single day for it no matter how many times I have accepted his apologies and tried to have him move on from it. I further leaned into his side and with the hand that was wrapped around his waist, I squeezed his side to show I wasn't upset anymore over it. "That incident was the reason we had originally pushed for the feud but... on the day we had agreed to start up the Gender Split War, he sought me out and we had a chat where he apologized to me for his behavior. And he made the first move in wanting us to be friends."

"We kept it a secret from you all though considering we both knew that neither of you would be all that willing to put your differences aside and try to be civil with one another." Edward cut in then. "So we kept our friendship to ourselves and talked in private or snuck away to spend time together to get to know each other better. And one night I... I asked her out for a dinner." he continued, which I couldn't help smirking at that memories of that night. We were terribly awkward with one another from the repressed romantic tension that was between us, but it was also a night I wouldn't forget.

"And then the next day you two were sick." Emmett recalled and I looked up at him, surprise and shock probably evident on my features. Edward had tilted his head in shock as well from hearing him connect the dots. Emmett merely shrugged. "I only remember that night considering Edward was a bumbling mess in our room getting dressed in such a rush, and wouldn't answer any of our questions before he booked it. I heard him come back into the dorm late after it had been raining some time that night - and then the next day he had the plague which we dropped him off at the nurse's office which is where we ran into you ladies." Emmett pointed out the memory of that day.

"Uh..." Edward could only utter that sound from the shock that was still affecting him.

"Um... yeah." I muttered, my face blushing. He was much more observant than I was anticipating.

Emmett then made a gesture with his hand, and Edward coughed again. "Well... yeah. We were both sick that day and well uh... That's when we kind of confessed we had deeper feelings for one another and..." he trailed off, looking down at me then. I could see through his eyes the memories of that day - how we suddenly realized the attraction we had for one another and that we likely couldn't have remained friends for long before one of us would've made the move. We were obviously physically attracted to one another at the start of the school year, even if Edward had to have that front that he was a schmoozer and was going to be a jackass to us girls when we arrived. Considering the school was strictly an all boys school before I came into the picture and changed that, the boys likely had no real experience being near girls or had any idea on how to talk to them much less interact properly. It didn't help that Emmett was just... well, Emmett. So Edward had to join in on the shitty game in order to avoid any teasing from his adoptive brother. Edward had told me as much in the past that he never wanted to behave like he did when we first met each other.

I gave him a small smile, and Edward returned the favor. "Ever since that day, we've been dating each other." I eventually spoke up again to conclude what Edward had tried to explain to Emmett. We both looked back to Emmett where I noticed his expression was still stony while he looked over at us, watching our intimate interactions with scrutiny. "We had to keep up the ruse for you all that we didn't like each other, but the whole time we've secretly been finding time to see each other." I continued. "We thought you all weren't really all that observant in what was going on and it seems like you were caught off guard as is when I let our secret slip out today - so safe to say we did good." I muttered.

"More or less." Emmett muttered then, crossing his arms. "It didn't help that for this past month since our ski trip, I had my suspicions peaked considering Ed here lashed out at me back at that Lodge. It was weird hearing my adoptive brother standing up for a girl that I had inclinations that the two of them should've despised one another; why would my brother want to rip me a new one and defend this girl who I thought was nobody to him, when her girlfriends wanted to gossip about her potentially liking some other guy? I never expected to receive such treatment from him." he continued, raising a dark eyebrow up at Edward; his tone by the end of it almost dripped with reignited malice as he recalled that day in the snow.

"And it was a well deserved lashing." Edward quipped tightly then, ignoring Emmett's rambling while his arm tensed around my waist. "Especially after today, now it's even more deserved on top of the fact you've been completely cruel to Bella in such an unjustified manner. Now in light of finding out the truth, don't you feel like shit you've treated her like utter crap from every insult, every degrading comment or cruel joke you've said in regards to her?" Edward asked heatedly, his green eyes darkening with a renewed fire in favor of protecting me and my honor. It was hot in some way seeing him defending me, but that didn't overshadow the worry I had as I didn't want the two of them fighting it out again in this office especially since I was by myself with them. I wouldn't be able to hold either of them back if they were to get physical.

Emmett's eyes tightened at the reminder of his actions towards me, but he just as quickly cast his eyes down to the ground.

"Edward please." I murmured, and Edward turned to look down at me in shock then. "Let's not discuss that right now please." I whispered, shaking my head. I didn't need a reminder about the history that's been between Emmett and I. The two of us were still reeling from the revelation today as is, but I didn't want to get even more upset from the cruel treatment I had received from him over these past few months. I don't think I'd easily forgive him for it, but it's not something I wanted to think about at the moment anyways. It was a heavier topic honestly that deserved another day to think over. I looked back up Emmett then, and noticed the somber expression that had came across his face when Edward mentioned the events of today, was replaced with that same blank look he had before. "We've answered at least the basic question you had about us and how long this has been going on. Anything else?"

"Not really." Emmett answered flatly, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I find that hard to believe." I murmured, knowing he had a million more questions burning through his mind.

"Trust me, I have a lot I'd love to bombard the two of you with." Emmett grumbled, scowling. "You realize the amount of hurt and betrayal this honestly poses. This whole time, the two of you have been sneaking behind all of our backs dating each other yet stringing us along with this stupid feud -"

"As if we wanted to keep up with it." Edward snapped back, his scowl relentless. "We couldn't come outright with the truth either at any given point since you all made it abundantly clear that you couldn't stand one another - and our stupid speeches we had days prior to us coming together and forming our friendship, you all were impassioned to keep up with the feud with no signs of giving up." Edward continued to argue. "If we came out with the truth that we were actually dating each other, we knew you'd blow up on us."

"Of course." Emmett stated shortly, shrugging his shoulders. Edward scoffed, shaking his head.

"We knew none of you would be on our side or try to rationalize our feelings and would ostracize us as pariahs." I mumbled.

"How else should we react then? No one knows about this beyond me at this point. You two have been lying to us this whole time. That's deceiving, so of course we'd be upset and would hate you two." Emmett countered, rolling his eyes. "It's a little misplaced thinking that we'd overlook the deception and be just all hunky-dory." Emmett added. Edward shifted visibly then, looking like he wanted to sock Emmett in the jaw, but I gripped the back of his jacket in a weak attempt to hold him back. "You know it too that is how we'd all react. I'm not going to ignore the elephant in the room. You two lied to all of us with this whole relationship you had going on, keeping it a secret from us - and you what? Expected sunshine and rainbows as if I'd immediately see your side of things and ignore the whole thing?" the hulking behemoth that was Emmett leaned away from the window to glare at us.

"No." Edward said flatly. "We didn't expect any of that."

"And today is no different considering the fact the cat's out of the bag now." Emmett grumbled.

"And you're going to tell the others about it as well once we return to the school." I pointed out that obviously was going to be his plans now that he knows. I could already see the plan formulating behind his eyes that once we arrive back at the school, he was going to seek out the others and let our secret out. Or worse just announce it out in the open to the school.

"Probably." that blunt answer was all I needed for confirmation.

"Alright."

"Huh, expected you to plead with me to keep it hidden." Emmett grumbled and Edward shook his head in disbelief at the reply he gave me.

"What's the point in trying to talk with you to keep it between us? You've already made up your mind." Edward sighed at his adoptive brother, looking defeated. "We didn't want to keep this a secret forever either. We didn't like keeping this hidden from you all, and we were going to plan a day to tell you all the truth. We knew how you'd all still react too - hurt and betrayed. We weren't expecting a welcoming response or gracious understanding. We knew there would be fallout from us letting you all know about us, and yet we knew that at some point this secrecy thing would have to end." Edward defended us, shrugging his shoulders at him. "We just... didn't think today would be as cataclysmic as it was and that you'd find out the way you did."

Emmett scoffed, but turned his head to look away from us. There was an awkward silence afterwards for a few moments before suddenly he changed directions with his questioning and spoke up again. "Who are James and Joshua?"

I audibly winced and whipped my head to look down at the ground, not wanting to talk about that subject. Edward heard my wincing and cuddled me back into his side to offer comfort. I knew Emmett would be wanting to probe that subject; all three of us are now in the know of what really happened to Charlie. Edward knew who the two of them were, and knew how dangerous, crazy and evil they were, but Emmett had no true clue. I vaguely recall that morning in the snow before class I had let it slip that Joshua was my ex-boyfriend and that he was a shit-bag, but that was about as much I let slip before I reeled it back in. I figured Emmett had also connected some dots from the will reading in how I reacted when we heard the news, but he was still mostly in the dark about the true extent of who they were and what they were capable of.

Emmett watched our interaction from when he asked the seemingly innocuous question, and spoke up again. "What?"

"I uh..." I began to stutter out a short answer, shoving my palms into my eyes to push the tears back as they threatened to spill. "I'm not comfortable... talking about that right now."

"Why not? I think I deserve to know who they fuck they are considering they murdered -"

"Emmett." Edward growled, cutting him off. "Bella's not comfortable in talking about them. Drop it."

"No, I'm not going to. I deserve to fucking know." Emmett growled back, and I shook my head.

"Fucking Christ." Edward muttered under his breath angrily, looking down at me then with worry. "Bella, you don't have to talk about it right now if you really don't want to. Ignore him."

"No." I sniffled, taking a shaky intake of breath. "He does deserve to know Edward, but you know how I am about them." I murmured, sighing. Emmett was right that he did deserve to know, just simply because yes he knows now they murdered our father. It might shed some light for him too considering I compared Joshua and Emmett with one another on and off throughout the school year. Did I expect him to be caring and understanding of my past? No honestly I didn't. But at least if I were to tell him, maybe he'd understand just how serious it is in just how dangerous they really were. "After all, you're in danger now because of me." I added meekly, and Edward rapidly shook his head in denial, his bronze hair flopping back and forth from the force he put into it.

"I'm not in danger, don't think like that sweetheart."

"You are though." I muttered, not caring now that the tears were starting to spill over onto my cheeks. As much as he wanted to deny it every time, Edward really was in danger because of me. Two obsessed stalkers of mine who will stop at nothing to get to me, they really were psychotic and would go as far as murdering my father. He was one bastion of hope in protecting me from the two of them - and now he was gone because of me. At times my despair would get the best of me whenever I'd recall back to Charlie's death. I always thought of the what-ifs; what if I had stayed home instead of going on that ski trip? What if I had asked Jacob and Billy to take Charlie in at the reservation or asked them to go on a fishing trip out of state? Would things have ended differently? Would Charlie still be alive? Or would the terrible fate still find him? The fact that Charlie knew it was the two of them antagonizing him in his own home, yet didn't do anything to truly stop them or remove himself the danger he was in - it's haunted me. I worried that he let himself get killed, but I knew too that wasn't right as he knew that he was in danger and yet he believed he could take the two of them on by himself if he stood his ground. He couldn't have predicted the suddenness though of them ambushing him that night, so there was no real way Charlie could've known that would be his last day here on earth. Everything revolving around that night ate away at me, and I don't think I'd really get over it. But now, with the knowledge we know now that it was indeed the two of them who killed them, I knew they would be targeting Edward next. They've likely seen him with his interactions throughout the school year so far. They had seen how Edward would insert himself between us to whisk me away from them. They could've easily been under the guise that Edward truly hated me but didn't like dudes that were obviously creeps preying on me.

The trouble now lies within the fact that since Emmett knows our secret now, the truth will eventually be leaked out at school - and if James and Joshua are still attending school, they would find out then. I hadn't truly seen the two of them for most of the month, it's as if they disappeared or left town. I would say the last time I had actually seen them was at the Christmas Party that was held before we went on our winter break. Since then returning to school after break was over, however, I hadn't really seen either of them. But that still didn't mean fully that they were actually gone. For all I know they could be hiding in the shadows still watching me and waiting for the right time to strike to get to me. If they find out the truth of Edward and I once our secret inevitably slips into being the new gossip in the school halls, then Edward would truly be in danger.

"Shhh, baby." Edward hushed me, raising a hand to wipe my tears away with gentle ease.

"Ahem." Emmett coughed then, and we whipped our gazes back to him; our bubble was once again broken when Emmett brought us back to the chat at hand. He had a dark brow raised in question, likely wanting to focus back on the current question. "If you could shed some light on this still, I'd like to be clued in on it." he stated plainly.

Edward scowled at his adoptive brother, but otherwise brought his arm back around my waist in comfort and squeezed my side to encourage me to speak when I wanted to. I took another deep breath to push back the tears and wet my lips before speaking up again. "You're right, you deserve to know at least who they are. I let it slip just a bit in the room during our hearing, that they're stalkers. Joshua is my ex-boyfriend, and James is a creepy friend of his." I began, pressing myself further into Edward's side. He was my anchor for this hard subject and I needed to keep myself grounded to him. "Joshua at first was a childhood friend of mine who stood up for me against some bullies when Renee and I had left Forks, to live in Arizona. I appreciated him at the time when we grew up together and eventually he made it known to me that he liked me more than just a friend. We were two young kids and I never knew what it was like to have a boy pay attention to me like he did, so in my hastiness for seeking that attention I agreed we'd be perfect as boyfriend and girlfriend. We lasted until near the end of Freshman year. Leading up to the night where everything went wrong, Joshua had changed over the years I had known him; he became abusive towards me - physically, verbally, you name it. I never felt so alone and isolated before, and its all thanks to him. He also liked to keep trying to force me to have... have s-sex with h-him." I began to stutter the more I talked about my past out loud, taking shuddering breaths as memories of that nightmare of a night returned to me.

Emmett remained quiet so far as I began to divulge my past with him, and Edward kept himself in check while continuing to rub my side or squeeze me every now and then to remind me that he was here for me.

Eventually I found my voice again after I had taken a few minutes to reign in my emotions. "Freshman year, there was a party one of the students was throwing; pretty much everyone that was anyone was there. Freshmen were there mostly, but there were also a lot of Junior and Senior students. Someone snuck in alcohol of course, and Joshua was quick to get himself shit-faced. I tried to steer myself away from the drinking and had mostly stuck with my friends at the time. Joshua didn't like that though, considering the still abusive nature he had. That night I was planning on dumping him and getting myself out of the relationship, and having my friends there as a form of encouragement helped me. But I made that stupid mistake of separating myself from them when I had enough courage in me to find Joshua and dump him. He was so beyond drunk yet when he heard me wanting to talk to him in private he agreed; he likely thought I had decided to give in and let him have sex with me..." I muttered, trailing off. The flashbacks of that night slammed into me, and every single image of recalling that night came back to bite me in the ass. If I had the ability to go back in time and save myself, or change something to have it play out differently, I would do so in a heartbeat. "Joshua had more strength than I ever did, since he was an athlete at the time with the football team. So when I wanted to remain within the house, Joshua had strong armed me and dragged me outside of the house, down the street and towards some abandoned houses that were in the neighborhood. I was thoroughly pissed but getting scared the more we distanced ourselves from the party crowd. I knew something bad was going to happen and I was planning to scream but Joshua was quick to silence me and dragged me into a house. In his drunken state he was pleased and slurred out that he was ready to... To..." I hiccupped, hissing as the tears fell faster.

Edward hushed me again and hugged me then, smoothing my hair down. Emmett still stood silently by the window, waiting for me to continue. "I'm here Bella, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Edward murmured lovingly.

We stood with one another for another few minutes as Edward tried his best to calm me down. It took a bit but eventually I had stopped my sobs and took some more deep breaths. I began again, wringing my hands. "Joshua raped me in that house. We were too far away from the party that no one could hear my screams for help. Once he was finished, he passed out. I managed to get dressed and stumble home; it was early in the morning and thankfully I didn't live too far from where the party was being held. But when I arrived home, Renee was awake and noticed the state I was in before she began demanding answers as to what the hell happened. I let it all out for her to hear, since she didn't even know that Joshua had been abusing me prior to that awful night; I was and still have such a terrible reputation as a klutz so she never thought twice to the bruises I'd come home with sometimes..." I muttered, almost bitingly as I remembered the times Renee had noticed the bruises but I played it off for her saying I had fallen down some stairs or bumped into something hard that would cause the bruising. But I never could blame her either fully to being oblivious to the truth. I kept her in the dark back then because of the emotional abuse I had endured and that I felt like not even Renee could save me - Joshua made sure to beat that into my head everyday to make sure he had control over me. "Once I let the whole truth out, Renee sprung into action and did everything in her power to take care of me. Took me to the hospital while calling the police and Charlie, where I had the rape kit done on me as I gave my statement to the police. Charlie was there within hours and both of my parents were ready to hunt him down... But Renee thought it would be better to move us out of Arizona to come back here to Forks. Charlie was more than happy to the deal. The police were happy with the statement I had given and were willing to let me move out while they went and booked Joshua. I only had heard that after Renee and I moved to Seattle, that he was slapped with a minimal sentence and probation but that he wouldn't be serving time for long in juvie. Both Charlie and Renee were livid but they cared about the fact I was away from him and we had hopes that I wouldn't be found out in where I had moved after Joshua got out."

"And yet he did find out." Emmett muttered suddenly, speaking up finally. I glanced up to see him looking away angrily. Brief memories of that day when I had first seen him talking with my abusive ex in that cafeteria had came to me; along with it were the memories of when I had stood up for myself against Emmett and his shitty behavior, only to result in being thrown around by him and when I had snapped into my terrified state as Emmett acted exactly like Joshua when he was angry. I was hit with ptsd all over again that day.

"Yes." I answered shortly to answer his obvious statement.

"And James?" he probed again.

"James was a long time friend of Joshua's and one that I think had a negative influence on him over the years. He encourage Joshua to act like a huge douche, and often joined in on the verbal abuse towards me. But he made many sexual advances on me too when Joshua was dating me - he liked to keep pointing out that the two of them made a pact that once Joshua was done with me, James could have whatever was left of me." I muttered, and Edward growled under his breath at hearing this.

"Mm." was all Emmett could muster up as a response.

We stood there then in silence as Emmett took time to process this information he was given. I don't know how long we stood there but suddenly Edward's phone chirped. I jumped from the sound whilst Edward dug through his pockets for his phone. He glanced down at it, his eyes scanning the screen before he sighed. "Mom and Dad are wondering where we're at." Edward murmured to me, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Emmett huffed and leaned away from the window. He lumbered towards us, eyes burning down at me small frame. I cowered slightly into Edward when he approached us, with Edward twisting us slightly to try and move me away from the hulking behemoth. I don't know what Emmett would do to me since Edward was right here; I doubt he'd do anything to physically hurt me, but there was still apprehension heavy in the air since we were all tense after this conversation. But what I didn't expect was Emmett lifting a hand to suddenly rest upon my shoulder. I was taken aback by the gesture yet didn't know what he'd do next. I was further startled by the size difference between the two of us; his hulking hand swallowed my slender shoulder easily, and I almost began to feel a strain on my muscles from the weight behind his hand. I looked up at him through my bleary eyes, seeing that his face had twisted almost into an expression of... worry, concern, and maybe even a bit of compassion? I thought I was imagining it but after blinking up at him a couple of times, his expression didn't change. I wasn't dreaming. Edward stood next to me, tense as he watched the silent exchange between us.

Emmett opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by his own phone chirping then. He closed his mouth and dug through his pockets to pull it out, reading his screen. He then gave a heavy sigh, letting his hand fall off my shoulder. "Let's get going." he muttered, starting to stride for the elevators. "Thanks... for letting me know." I heard him also say quietly, just before he walked away fully from the waiting area.

Edward and I stood there for a second, trying to process the last interaction we had with him. I turned to look up at him and he nodded his head briefly. "I think that went better than I could've expected." he stated shortly and I puffed out my cheeks for an exhale of a breath.

"I guess?" my answer sounded more like a question.

"Come on." Edward motioned for us to go to the elevators. We kept our loved ones waiting long enough and we needed to leave.

"So..." I trailed off while we waited for the next elevator to arrive; Emmett had taken one by himself instead of waiting for us. Edward looked down at me as I trailed off with my starter for the next conversation we're about to have. "What do we do now?"

"We... We wait. We already knew that at some point we'd have to let our secret out and prepare for the ultimate backlash. We just have to adjust the time we thought we'd have in waiting out to tell the others and just be prepared a bit sooner than planned." Edward began then, shrugging his strong shoulders. "Nothing is going to change though and we already knew still what reactions we had to be ready for. If Emmett is going to tell the others what all he found out today, then we just need to be ready for their confrontation and just discuss it like we had tried today with Emmett. Eventually word is going to get out to the rest of the school, and we just need to be ready for the backlash as it comes our way." he continued. Soon the next elevator arrived with a greeting of a ding, doors sliding up to reveal an empty elevator for us. We walked in together, with Edward pressing the button for the car garage and reached out for my hand as the doors slid close.

I squeezed his hand with mine, and bit my bottom lip. "I guess that's all we can do."

"I'll be right there by your side the whole time babe. You won't be facing this alone." Edward murmured and I nodded my head.

"And you know what the others had said too. Angela, Jessica, Mike and Ben are going to stand with us and basically face the same backlash as we will."

"I know, so really it'll be us against the school." Edward surmised, pulling me closer to him. I gazed up at him and saw his green eyes sparkling. "Even under the shitty circumstances, I'm excited that now we're going public. No more hiding or sneaking away to see each other. No more hiding us being openly affectionate either." Edward pointed out and I felt my cheeks flame.

"You're such a boy."

"Guilty." Edward chuckled which I couldn't help but giggle at. Edward kissed my forehead, hugging me to his chest. Just before we reached the garage, he murmured, "I love you Bella. So much. Nothing is going to change that and I'll be with you every step of the way as we face this new hurdle. No matter what, I'm going nowhere. No crazy, murderous, obsessed stalkers of yours will tear you away from me, and neither will the crowds at school. I don't care if we're going to be treated like public enemy number one - you're mine and I'm not letting you go for anything."

I sniffled at his heartfelt promise and Edward squeezed me in response. "I love you too Edward. Thank you so much for being here, for being you. I might've not been able to face today if you weren't here in some way - I'm so beyond happy I have you and forever grateful I got to meet you, the real you. Those first few days of school led me to believe you'd just be another douche, but I'm so happy to be proven wrong." I told him in earnest, and Edward smiled warmly down at me. "I don't care what the rest of the school will say about us either - I'm done hiding us, done hiding our relationship from them. I know we're going to likely lose the others and they'll hate us, but I'm hoping they'll eventually get over themselves and realize our relationship is nothing to be ashamed of. I'll be devastated if they choose to keep up with the hate - but I'll still have you in the end."

Edward hummed in agreement just as the doors dinged open. We reached the garage. Together, we walked out of that elevator into the new unknown. We didn't know how bad it was going to be from here on out, nor did we know what we'll face when we get back to the school. Our secret was out and I had no doubt Emmett would eventually tell the others about us. I knew we'd be facing harsh backlash from the rest of the school once the secret is out fully to everyone, but none of that mattered to me anymore. After facing this will hearing and the trials set before us, I was beyond exhausted mentally and physically. The only thing that kept me going was Edward being there and showing his support every way he could. I felt the love behind every touch, hug, squeeze, smile and kiss that he provided - Edward was there for me and always be. Even as we're about to face the school and become the enemies to everyone, he was there and would not be going anywhere.

It was all I needed to keep going. Charlie was and still is my father and I thank him for his visual style of the hearing; it brought me comfort seeing him fully one last time. But with everything he spoke about today, I had so much information to absorb. I lost a father, but gained a brother in the process. Wherever that would take me next I do not know. I had bigger fish to fry and worry about at the moment, and didn't know where to start or what to focus on first.

All I know was that it was time to go back to the school and face the most imminent task at hand - facing the students once our secret is spread amongst the others.

We were about to be in for a wild ride, that is for sure.


A/N: Another lengthy chapter, maybe turning a bit filler-y? Not sure. But I love how it turned out in some parts as I did the best I could to explain characters' emotions/likely reactions to some of the news. If it went a bit unhinged at some points, well eh. I liked how it turned out regardless.

I might've tweaked Bella's past with Joshua just a bit, only because it makes a bit more sense in my eyes. Previously I had rolled with the story I put together for her past with him - but looking back logistically it doesn't fit. Bella had explained that when she was visiting over the summer with Charlie she met Joshua yet later on in story she said they had went to school together. How would that work if I had decided later on Bella had moved to Arizona after she had been raped? So I fixed it up a bit: Bella and Joshua met in Arizona when Renee and Charlie had divorced, Renee taking her to the desert in the process of the divorce and split-custody the two of them had over her. During that time Bella met Joshua, they became friends, grew up together and dated one another. The rest of it is still roughly the same however - they dated until Freshman year when ultimately Bella was raped by him and she 'broke up' with him when she filed charges against him for the rape and abuse, with Renee then fleeing back to Washington with her as Joshua was charged with minimal sentencing for the crime. Bella still went to a different school for sophomore year yet had been indifferent with the school's education there and over the summer when she went to see Charlie, that's when she found out about FSA, wanted to go there but with the previous 'all-boys' policy preventing her is when she tackled it headon with Renee and in the short campaign over the summer, the school was changed up. Eventually though yes, Joshua and James found out about where Bella had ran to considering she made news of her revolution against FSA's old policy - and thus sought her out where they snuck their way into the school with Joshua hiding his criminal past from the school officials which allowed him to attend the school.

It slightly works better with that tweak, more or less roughly. At least to me it does.

Any critique/feedback is always appreciated! And apologies for any grammar/spelling mistakes. I'm human and try my best to proof-read as I go but some stuff is bound to slip past me.

Until next time,

~LadyEleanora~