No copyright infringement is intended, and Twilight doesn't belong to me.
Thanks to LaPumuckl for her help talking out the story and catching issues. Thank you to the wonderful and talented Dowlingnana for again wielding her red pen, to shape me into a better writer.
Any and all mistakes are mine, I still dabble. Thanks for the story love, see you at bottom.
Etched Swan Chapter 18
Getting through security is not a fun task, ever. At least this was something Edward was accustomed to. Since Edward is taking his prosthetic as a carry-on, it had to be x-rayed and hand checked over by a TSA agent and sniffed by a drug and bomb dog. Even with all the extra stuff we had to endure, it wasn't as slow getting through as it had been for me in the past. Dealing with everything and everyone at the airport is overwhelming at best, but Edward reminds me it will be okay. Since Edward is still using crutches, we get priority boarding, which is nice. We are some of the first people to board, so we get settled into our seats before it gets crowded. Being in business class is nicer than being in coach, and thankfully no one is sitting in the other seat beside ours.
Edward's parents and all the Vasilli family are staying in Chicago now until we figure out what is going on. We did learn this morning that Edward doesn't have to submit DNA when we arrive. They already have it, as it is on file in the Federal Government database, due to him being in the armed services. Edward signed a release with Leah this morning, and the FBI is using that to do the DNA testing. Leah was also able to show us a photo of the child before we left for the airport. Seeing the little girl, left absolutely no doubt in my mind at all that she is Edward's child. We found out her name is Sasha Esme Cullen, after both of her grandmothers, and she just turned nine. As a baby and until she could attend a boarding school she lived at the home of Irina and Luca Diavol. She has attended boarding school since pre-kindergarten at a school located less than an hour from Chicago. She has had little to no actual contact with any of her family. She had nannies and caretakers, but Kate never visited with her. Irina paid for her schooling and care but did not see the child a lot. Where her life was well guarded, she never had parents. The more we were told the sadder I became. Edward too has been quiet, and we just keep reading through the information Leah gave us. It all seems surreal. There have been several nannies, who were with her for years, but no real family. One of the nannies named Maggie has been with her the most.
"I thought after talking to Paul that she lived with Irina," I say.
"Yeah, that was the impression I had as well. I just cannot believe that I have a child, and didn't know it."
"How were you to know, Edward? Kate was very clear to leave the impression that she aborted your child."
"A parent should know … feel it."
"That may be true in some cases, but you had never been given the chance to meet her. You never got to have that connection or bond. After seeing her picture, I don't doubt her paternity, but after it is proven, there will be a lot to do."
"I know my dad is already lining up stuff with one of the best child psychologists around. I just feel so overwhelmed right now. I have missed nine years of my child's life."
"It's not your fault. You remaining calm will be the only way this whole process will work. Things will be bumpy, but we will persevere."
"Thank you for everything. I'm not sure how or what I'd do without your support right now," Edward says and hugs me to his side.
"I know we both have a lot of questions, maybe we should make a list," I suggest.
"Wow, Bells, are you channeling your inner Rose right now?"
"Yep," I say and then stick out my tongue garnering a laugh.
We make our list, hugging close together in our seats. After we run out of things for the list, we talk over things we will need to do, and questions we have, making more lists. When we are done with that we relax for the rest of the flight. When we arrive at O'Hare airport, Carlisle and Esme are both there to meet us. After hugs, and tears a plenty we load into Carlisle's car and head for the Cullen's home.
It's late, so we just grab a small snack before heading to bed, since we have to be up very early in the morning.
The dawn rises, and Edward is awake and showered before I am for once, but back lying beside me in his boxers and undershirt.
"Good morning, did you sleep okay?" He asks as I cuddle close to his side.
"I did. How is your leg this morning?"
"The ulcer is gone, and I have it protected so that I can wear my prosthetic for the meetings we have. I will remove it as soon as we are back here this afternoon. I just don't want to potentially meet my daughter missing one of my legs."
"Edward, your daughter is going to be confused about a lot of things, I'm sure, but she will see what we all see. You are a loving, caring, and genuinely good guy. It will take her some time, but she will love you."
"You are the one who is genuinely a good person. I'd say you are the one who is the most loving and caring as well. I love you, Bella, thank you for being here for me. I'm not sure what I'd do without you."
"I love you too, Edward. There is no other place I'd rather be than by your side."
We hug and share a few moments of quiet cuddles before I get up to shower.
Once I've showered, and we are both dressed we make our way downstairs.
Esme and Carlisle are in the kitchen along with three people I've never met before.
Carlisle stands as we enter the room. "Edward, Bella, this is the attorney Aro sent. This is Mr. Randall Tang, and his wife Cora who is his assistant. This other gentleman is Dr. Waylon Forge, he is a good friend and renowned child psychotherapist. Waylon retired just a month ago but has agreed to help you with Sasha.
"Thank you, Dr. Forge," Edward says, shaking his hand.
"Please, call me Waylon," he responds before reaching to shake my hand.
Edward reaches out to shake the hand of his attorney, and I do the same.
"Please call us Randall and Cora," the attorney says.
Once we have all taken a seat, I notice that the table is full of different breakfast foods.
"Esme, you should have come and got me, I would have helped cook," I say.
"Oh, no worries, Dear. Carmen and I made a bunch of things yesterday and all I had to do was start the oven. Shall we eat and discuss things?" Esme asks, directing her attention to the people surrounding the table.
"Yes, sounds good," Carlisle says and begins passing things around the table.
Soon we all have something to eat in front of us, and coffees and juices have been poured.
"Well, shall we get down to brass tacks?" Randall says.
"Yes, please," Edward states, and Esme, Carlisle, and I all nod.
"There is DNA proof by Ninety-nine-point-seven percent that Sasha Esme Cullen is indeed the biological child of Edward Anthony Cullen. The State and FBI worked together to fast-track all of the information needed, so that is all taken care of. We will be in court at two o'clock this afternoon, and the petition for full custody has already been filed. It is being heard as a closed-door emergency hearing. I have no doubts that the child will be relinquished to your custody and care. There should be no need for any further proceedings, but if so, those will be transferred to the State of Washington since that is where you reside."
"Are there any things we will need to do besides court?" Edward asks from the list of questions we compiled together on the plane.
"The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services will likely ask that you have the State of Washington's Department of Children, Youth and Families do visits for a short time to be sure the child settles in well. My wife and I met Sasha yesterday afternoon, and she already knows who you are, Edward."
"What? How?" Edward asks.
"She has photographs of you and her mother with her, she also had a photograph of you in your army fatigues."
"Does she think that I was away in the Army all this time?" Edward asks.
"It is my understanding from viewing the interrogation of Irina Diavol that Sasha believes that her mom is dead and has been since she was born. She knows Irina is her aunt. She thinks she lives at the school because her Aunt Irina's husband doesn't like children. She thinks her father is overseas and is a soldier."
"This is an interesting situation," Waylon states. "The child may be easier to integrate into your daily life than we thought. However, I will hold that complete judgment until we can meet and see her interactions with Edward and Bella.
"That leads me to the next question we had," I say.
"Since Edward and I currently live together, should we change that?"
"I see no legal reason to change that, but I will cautiously say that if Waylon suggests otherwise, we should address that as it arises," Randall says.
"I will give you an answer to that question as soon as I am able to make that judgment," Waylon states.
We discuss a bunch of things over the next hour, and soon it is time to leave to go and meet Sasha for the first time.
Edward holds my hand, and I lean my head on his shoulder. It seems to take forever to get to the office where we will meet Sasha, but it has only been thirty minutes.
When we enter the building at nine o'clock, we go into a conference room first where we meet with a social worker and her supervisor. They introduce us to Maggie O'Malley, she is the nanny who was hired to care for Sasha. We learn that Maggie actually lived with Sasha at the school, and is the one person who has always been a constant in Sasha's life. They go over all of the history of Sasha's life, which is very detailed and Maggie has a lot of pictures to share. Paul from the FBI arrives, and we are allowed to read the statements that Irina made in reference to Sasha. Maggie leaves us with her contact information because during the meeting we have all decided it is best to keep contact with Maggie. Maggie has agreed to move to Washington, as Waylon feels it would be best to not completely change all aspects of Sasha's life at once.
By eleven o'clock we are getting ready to go meet Sasha. First, Edward goes into a room with Waylon and the social worker. The rest of us are sitting in a side room that gives us a full view and audio inside the room they are in.
The supervisor knocks on the door and then opens it. When Sasha comes in, she gasps and puts her hand over her mouth.
No one says anything, as Waylon had advised Edward to let her talk to him first.
"You're my Daddy," Sasha says, after coming to stand right in front of him.
"I am," Edward responds.
"Is the war over now?" Sasha asks.
"No, but I am home now. I am so glad to see you, Sasha."
"Aunt Irina told me that someday you would come home and I would get to see you. Are you planning to stay or go back to the war?"
"I was planning to come back for good, and have you live with me. Would you like that?" Edward asks.
"Yes. My mommy died, and I have always hoped you would come and live with me. We don't have a room for you and Mags both at school though. Where will we live?" she asks.
"Well, I live in Seattle Washington, and I was hoping that you might be willing to come and live there. What do you think about that?"
"Really?" Sasha asks.
"Yeah, really," Edward answers.
"What about Mags?" she asks.
"Well Maggie was just here, and she has agreed to come to Seattle until you get settled into your new home," Edward says.
Sasha looks like she is unsure about it, and Waylon gets her attention.
"Hi, Sasha, my name is Waylon. I am also going to be in Seattle with you, and I promise you that nobody is going to take Maggie away from you, okay?"
"Okay," Sasha sighs before turning back to Edward. "Can I hug you, Daddy?"
"Of course," Edward says, opening his arms.
I can tell he is barely holding back a sob as she wraps her arms around his neck. He buries his face in her shoulder and hugs her back. They stay that way for quite a while, whispering to each other. Waylon looks over to where he knows we are and gives a thumbs-up.
Esme and I both have tears running down our cheeks, and even Carlisle is wiping his eyes. I smile knowing that Randall and Cora are a perfect fit for us, as they both are showing emotion as well.
Waylon calls Esme and Carlisle into the room, and I watch as Sasha seems to immediately bond with them. I am hopeful that this means she will be okay with me too.
After about ten minutes Waylon motions for me to come into the room. I enter the room with what I hope is a relaxing smile on my face.
"Sasha," Edward says. "I would like for you to meet someone very important to me. She is my girlfriend, and she's a very kind and sweet person. I think you will like her a lot, her name is Bella, and together we have a home in Seattle, Washington."
Sasha looks at me and smiles at me. "Hello, Bella, I am Sasha," she says and smiles.
"Hello, Sasha, I have heard so much about you. I am so excited to meet you."
"You are?" Sasha asks.
"Of course I am," I tell her.
We visit for about ten minutes, and things are going well.
Randall and Cora come in, and the social worker suggests that we go ahead and go to lunch.
The social worker and supervisor are going to go over to the courthouse with us, but first, we are all going to have lunch together.
At lunch, we all have a good time with Sasha telling us all about her school and Maggie.
"Daddy, Bella, I am happy I get to come to Seattle, but where will Maggie live?"
"Well, we know that Maggie has been with you a long time, and we have a lot to discuss. We know at the very least Maggie will be in Seattle with us for a while," Edward says.
"But where will she live?" Sasha asks.
"We will call her later today, and she can come over to your grandparent's house and we can talk about it then. Is that okay?" Edward says.
"Yeah. Will I have my stuff?" Sasha asks.
Having already been told by Maggie that she has it all packed up and currently it is in a storage unit, Edward tells her she will have it later today.
We go to the Courthouse, and Esme, Carlisle, and the Supervisor sit in a closed conference room, while the rest of us enter the closed chamber hearing.
There is a court reporter there, and Randall had already informed us that this was a hearing but it was being held more like a meeting.
The judge enters the room and asks us to all take a seat. After introducing himself, he speaks to the case worker and Waylon. The judge then reads over some papers and looks at Edward.
"Mr. Cullen, it is my understanding that you knew nothing of this child, is that correct?"
"Yes and no, your honor. Yes, I knew that at one time my ex-fiancée, Katherine Denali was pregnant. However, I was left to believe that she had aborted my child, and I was devastated. I broke off contact with her and my other friends before enlisting in the Army. I moved away and only learned of the child yesterday."
"This is certainly an interesting case, Mr. Cullen, but I see no reason to continue to keep you from your child. The DNA proves you are the father, and the statements from Irina Diavol prove you had no prior knowledge. I'm glad to see that you have already enlisted Dr. Forge to make sure the child is okay with the transition, and I see that the State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has noted that you intend to continue contact with Maggie O'Mally. DCFS has recommended to the court that you have at least a few scheduled visits with Washington's Youth and Family Services and therefore I will forward this case file to the King County Court in Seattle Washington, and request that they check on this case in six months. The case is noted to be closed at that time, as long as there are no other opposing recommendations from the State of Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Considering the actions of DCFS, and FBI, and the fact you have implemented such a renowned children's therapist, I am sure you will have no issues. Do you have any further questions?"
"No, your Honor," Edward states.
"It is so Ordered, Adjudicated, and Decreed that the minor child, Sasha Esme Cullen, be relinquished to the full custody of her biological father, Edward Cullen. No further proceedings to follow in the Illinois State Court system, but there will be court dates and visits scheduled in Washington State, and your attorney Randall Tang will be in charge of informing you of those dates. This case is closed," the Judge states before hitting the gavel on his desk.
A/N: So, as I said last chapter, my mind took me to a place I never intended it to go, but this is where it took me. Lots of changes in Bella and Edward's life, but I think they can handle it. So, tell me what you think? How would you handle it if the child you thought to be aborted was in fact alive and well? Things are coming together in my mind, but remember I am a HEA kind of person. (I have to be since real life kicks my a$$ so much, I need my fiction to be happy.) Let me know what you think, I am working on the next chapter now.