Twilight 1. Prologue

Even now, so close to death, she was beautiful.

Her heart shaped face littered with scrapes and wet with tears, her pink cracked lips- the upper slightly bigger than the lower, just like mine- in a perfect 'O'. Her cute button nose, leaking blood. Her eyes, big and warm brown and so expressive, looking at me in horror.

So beautiful, my Bells.

I hold her stare with my own blue eyes; cold and hard and not beautiful at all, not like Bella at all. I try to smile at her through the blood gurgling out of my mouth. I try to tell her I love her, to tell her I'm sorry I couldn't protect her. I try to reach for her hand and hold her close and never let go. I try to breath with my punctured lungs.

I try, and I fail.


	2. Chapter 1

Bella gazed forlornly out the open window as Renée drove us to the airport. The strong breeze blew her chestnut curls from her soft face. Her eyes were watering- not from the wind, though Renée wouldn't notice the difference. Her lips quivered, the lower protruding into a pout. She wore her favorite shirt, the one I bought for her birthday two years ago with the money I earned from odd jobs around the rich neighborhoods. It was a pretty white lace one, dainty and delicate, just like her.

She wore it as a silent goodbye, I knew, because the bulky parka in her lap was much more suited for where we were going.

Forks, Washington is gloomy at best, downright depressing at worst. Constantly covered by clouds, Forks very rarely saw any sun, unlike Phoenix. It was there Bells and I spent every summer with our father up until our fourteenth year, when she threw the mother of all tantrums to spend a few weeks in Cali instead.

Forks was where we were headed now. I'm okay with that, Bella isn't as okay with that as she likes to pretend.

"I _want_ to go," she falsely reassures our mother. I snort under my breath. She pinches my arm. I roll my eyes.

Renée looks at me with a hopeful expression.

"Dom?"

I look at her for a second, and I shrug.

What she hopes for isn't given, and she flinches.

Bella glares at me for my silent refusal of our mother, but I can't bring myself to care.

There is an awkward tension in the air until our flight is called and farewells are exchanged.

Renée clears her throat and speaks again, "I'll see you soon. I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

I mentally scoff. We've never needed her before. She needed us.

Bella, sweet as she is, ignores this and comforts our mother in a way that only she can.

"Don't worry about us. It'll be great," she purses her lips into a painful looking smile,"I love you, Mom." They hug.

Renée glances at me nervously. I crack a little bit.

"See you," I grumbled. I rest my arms on my mother's fragile shoulders in some semblance of a hug. She barely reaches my shoulder. I hold her just a little tighter.

When I pull back, she dabs at her baby blue eyes- so similar to mine, yet completely different- before smiling a watery smile.

"Love you."

Then we're on our way to a new life, and she's gone.

* * *

When we told Charlie we were planning on moving up to Forks with him, he was ecstatic.

Of course he didn't actually seem as if he was jumping for joy- the Swan family isn't really known for showing much sentimentality- but I knew he had always wanted us to stay with him longer than a mere month. I couldn't imagine how he felt when Renée ran off with us. He'd always had a solemn look on his face when he watched us, as if he knew we wouldn't ever be close to him. As if he knew we were all just strangers with the same blood.

I think that expression of his is what made me want to be more of a son to him.

It's raining when we land in Port Angeles. Bella heaves a melancholy sigh as I grab our bags. I peer at her from the corner of my eye.

"Look on the bright side, Bells. At least you won't get sunburned," I lamely joke. Bella looks at me incredulously before a reluctant grin spreads across her face.

"That was weak."

"I'll try to think of some new material."

Charlie is waiting by his cruiser, leaning awkwardly against the hood. He straightens when we reach him, the beginnings of a smile creeping up. When Bella stumbles, he catches and steadies her in an expert fashion.

"It's good to see you guys," Charlie says as he gives Bella an awkward side hug, "How's Renée?" He pats my back with a heavy hand.

"Mom's fine. And it's good to see you, too, Dad," Bella says earnestly. I smile at my father. I kinda missed him, too.

Charlie and I put the bags in the trunk. There weren't very many as most of our clothes back home were unfit for Washington weather. I had to pick up a few extra clients and shifts at the local convenience store I worked at to have enough money for both mine and Bella's new wardrobe. Even with the help of her and Renée, there wasn't much.

Charlie looks over at me and raises his brows.

"Bella hasn't changed much, but you definitely have. You're taller than me, now," he says.

I shrug.

"Yeah, I think it was the steroids."

Charlie looks startled for a second before he let's out a chuckle.

"You have a dangerous sense of humor, Dominic."

I just smirk at him.

When we're all in the cruiser- I'm in the back seat, which is fitting I guess, because I am somewhat a criminal- Charlie says he's found us a car.

Bella was adamant that we get some other mode of transportation, her reason being 'nothing slows down traffic like a cop'.

"What kind of car?" She asks suspiciously. Charlie nervously taps the steering wheel, and I feel a bit bad for him.

"It's a truck, actually. A Chevy."

"Where did you find it?" Bella presses.

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" I perk up a bit. We used to go fishing with Billy Black down in the little Indian reservation of La Push.

"Yes." "No." Bella hates fishing.

Charlie tries to jog her memory. It doesn't work.

"Well," he continues undeterred,"he's in a wheelchair now, so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell his truck for cheap."

"What happened?" "What year is it?" I glare at Bella as she looks away sheepishly.

"Car accident," Charlie answers shortly, peeking at me through the rearview mirror. I nod.

"Oh."

I block out the rest of the conversation to look out the window and watch the world go by.

Charlie's house is a modest two-bedroom-one-bathroom that he bought with Renée in the beginning of their marriage. The only thing that was different was the behemoth of a vehicle in the driveway.

"Wow, Dad, I love it!" Bella's eyes were sparkling as she looked at our new car. It was a rusted red color, with huge rounded fenders and a bulging cab. I looked at Bella, and then back to the truck.

I guess I could let her drive it first.

"Thanks, Dad," I grin at him.

He coughs, embarrassed.

"Well, now, you're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

It didn't take long to bring up the bags to our shared bedroom. I looked around. Nothing had changed much, except instead of two cribs there was two twin beds, and a desk. I cringed at the thought of fitting my 6'4 frame onto the tiny mattress. The walls were light blue- although they used to be purple for Bella's sake, until I put my foot down when I was 12 and demanded a 'manlier' color. Bella retaliated by adding lace curtains, which were now slightly yellowed. The desk held a shitty secondhand computer, and the rocking chair, that was bought brand new nearly 18 years ago, sat in the corner.

After Bella and I finish unpacking, we sit in silence for a moment. She's looking out the window- but not seeing anything. A few tears drip down her face.

I don't say anything. I just walk up behind her and rest a hand on her shoulder. A silent comfort.

She reaches her hand back to rest on mine, and we stay like that for a few minutes.

Bella wipes her face quickly. "I'm gonna go shower real quick." I nod and sit on my bed, picking up one of her unpacked books. It says Wuthering Heights on the front. I scoff.

"Don't you own anything interesting, Bells? Like, porn, or something?"

A mysterious shoe is thrown at me from the closet. Bella pokes her head out afterwards.

"As if you would even read _straight _porn," She says cheekily, "and stop making me smile." I gasp in mock horror.

"How dare you bring my sexual orientation into this!"

She's already out the door, but I think I hear a giggle. I huff out a breath, but I have a smile on my face and so does she.

That's all that matters.

When Bella's out of the shower, I walk into the foggy bathroom. I quickly step under the spray of the showerhead, rushing to get myself clean without contracting hypothermia. She always uses up the hot water when she's sad.

I wipe down the mirror and look at my reflection.

I was handsome, and I knew it. Not in a conceited way, but just something I recognize. I had more of my father in me than Bella, despite being twins. I had his strong jaw and heavy brow, his dark brown, just shy of black hair. I had his sturdy build, helped by the fact I used to go to the gym, and his pale skin. The only part of my mother that I had was her blue eyes.

All of my clients said my eyes were the reason they bought me.

I shake my head roughly and try to get rid of the errant thought. After one last look in the mirror, I stalk back to the room.

I'm about to speak to Bella, because she makes it better, _easier to forget, _until I hear faint sniffling coming from the small lump under the purple comforter. I pause before closing the door behind me carefully. I walk to Bella's bed, kneel down in front of the lump, and pull the comforter back gently. Bella's red, tear-tracked face peers back at me.

"It's gonna be okay, Bells, I'm here," I whisper as I kiss her forehead,"Don't worry so much."

She lets a little sob out. I brush her hair back.

"Just go to sleep, sis. I'm right here."

I stay until she falls into a peaceful sleep, and quietly walk over to my own bed.

I'm almost asleep until I hear Bella mumble something under her breath.

"Love you, Dom."

I smile tiredly. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.

* * *

"Dom, wake up."

I grumble something ineligible into my blue pillowcase.

"Dom. Wake up, we have to go to school."

_Ignore her, Dominic, just go back to sleep, _says the blue pillow. _Okay._

Then a shoe is thrown at my head.

I shoot up so quickly that I fall off my miniscule bed.

"Damn you, woman! Stop throwing your fucking shoes at me!" Bella frowns at me.

"Watch your mouth." I immediately deflate.

"Sorry."

She snorts. "Come downstairs so we can eat breakfast, and get ready for school."

"Yes, mom," I mumble.

Breakfast is a quiet affair. We eat the bacon and eggs that Charlie prepared-the only dish he really knows how to make- and he wishes us good luck at school before he's off to do whatever it is that a Chief of Police does. I observe our new humble abode. The yellow paint of the kitchen cabinets is chipping; the paint being an attempt to bring a little light in by Renée. The fireplace in the small family room has photos resting on top of it, only one containing all four of us- Charlie, Renée, Bella and I. We were only about three months old when it was taken. No one would have guessed that we would be gone a few weeks later, considering that Renée looked so happy in the picture. But Renée has always been fickle.

I quickly got dressed, putting on a long sleeved shirt with my worn jeans- which is basically what Bella and I's entire wardrobe consisted of, just in different colors. I grabbed a thick hoodie from my side of the closet and headed out.

Bella was already out by the truck, looking miserable in her plastic looking raincoat and rubberized boots. I let out a short laugh. She glared at me.

"Just get in the damn car, Dominic," she growled. I raised my hands in surrender, "I'm driving."

"Yes, ma'am."

The cab of the truck is warm inside, and I see Bella's spirits lifting a bit. Then she starts the engine, and the truck roars to life. And it keeps roaring.

Bella sighs,"Well, something this old is bound to have some flaws."

I curiously try to turn on the antique radio. It surprisingly works, and I grin over at Bella.

"At least there's this!"

She shakes her head and laughs at my childishness as she pulls out the driveway.

We find the school easily enough, although it doesn't look much like a school at all. Without all the metal detectors and chain link fences, the buildings just looked like a bunch of small houses clustered together. Bella parks in front of the first building, which has a sign that reads 'Front Office'. We jump out of the truck and walk over to the door. Bella takes a deep breath, and I look over at her worriedly.

"We don't have to do this today, Bells," I tell her. She shakes her head.

"Might as well get it over with now," she says bravely. I nod, and we walk in.

The office is small and cluttered; the orange speckled carpet, plastic plants, and padded folding chairs making it look tacky. There's a large counter that divides the room in half, and behind the counter there are three desks, one which contains a heavyset redheaded woman. I pull Bella along as I walk up to her. The woman looks slightly startled as she looks up at us.

"Excuse me, Miss," I begin smoothly,"I'm Dominic Swan, and this is my sister Isabella. We're here to pick up our schedule?" I flash her a megawatt smile, and she blushes.

Bella pinches my side, which roughly translates to 'stop being so charming before the poor woman has a heart attack'. I hide my wince as well as I can.

"Of- of course!" The woman says as a look of recognition passes behind her glasses, "I have your schedules right here, and I have a map of the school for you, too."

She lays out our schedules, and shows us the easiest routes to our classes. I frown at the papers- I only have one class with Bella, and it's Gym. Bella notices it, too.

"Miss? We've already taken Gym,", Bella informs the woman. She looks back at us confusedly before realizing something.

"Sorry, dear, physical education is mandatory all four years here," she says quite unapologetically. Bella barely holds back a groan.

"Right."

We leave the office when the woman gives us a slip to bring back at the end of the day. When we reach the truck, other students are arriving. Bella's eyes flash nervously around the parking lot as she follows the traffic, before relaxing into the seat and letting out a breath of relief. She answers my questioning with a dopey grin.

"At least we're not the only people with a crappy vehicle." I roll my eyes at her.

Despite that, Bella quickly cuts the engine once we find a parking spot as to not draw attention to ourselves. She grips the steering wheel with white knuckles, and gives a resolute nod to herself. I watch her silently.

"Ready, Bells?"

She takes another breath.

"Yeah...yes I'm ready."

"I'll walk you to class, okay?"

Bella looked as if she were about to protest, before meekly nodding her head.

We walk out into the small sea of raincoats, my hand resting lightly on Bella's back as I accompanied her to her first class of the day. When we reached it, I stop her in front of the door. She was looking down at her small feet, which were scuffing the linoleum floor nervously. I ignore the curious glances, and I raise her chin.

"I'll see you during lunch, alright?"

She nods.

"Do you want me to walk you to all of your classes?"

At this, she looks affronted.

"I'm not a baby, Dominic," she pouts. I chuckle.

"Okay, okay, jeez. Good luck... Baby Bells," I ruffle her soft chestnut hair.

I think I hear her growl a little before running off to my own class.

* * *

The day passes at a snail's pace, full of pointless introductions, redundant questions, and starstruck girls. The first two were tolerable, but the _girls, _gosh were they annoying. The impish giggles behind his back, the fluttering lashes, the disgusting, groping hands- these were exactly the type of girls who would've been my clients back in Phoenix.

There was one in my English III class who was particularly troublesome. Lauren.

She was relentless. She sat in the desk behind mine, and as soon as I set foot in the classroom, she 'staked her claim'. Constantly giggling behind me in her nasally, grating voice, 'accidentally' grazing her body by my shoulder every time she _just absolutely had to _sharpen her pencil. This continued until our teacher, an old harpy named Mrs. Pearson (bless her heart) scolded her.

"Lauren Mallory, if you are too simple to correctly use a pencil, I suggest you use a pen instead."

And everything was well and good until she started passing little slips of paper to me, and out of curiosity I opened one. Worst mistake ever.

_I want to sit on your face._

After swallowing some bile, I stood from my seat and threw away the rest of the notes. She stopped bothering me after that.

I let out a loud yawn as I shuffled to the cafeteria. I look around the spacious room, before spotting Bella's dark auburn head sitting by a girl with huge curly hair. I start over to the table, pausing when I saw something equal parts terrifying and irritating. Lauren. Before I can run in the other direction, Bella calls out to me.

"Dom! Over here," she waves her arm,"I saved you a seat!"

God, she's adorable.

Not one to refuse her, I continue to walk over to the table, plopping down next to Bella when I reach it. Thankfully, Lauren seems angry for my earlier stint, so she ignores me for the most part. I put my arm over Bella's chair, trying to ignore the stares of my other tablemates.

"Hey, Bells, how was your day?"

"Good so far. How was yours?"

"Absolute hell."

Before Bella can ask why, we're interrupted by the girl with curly hair.

"Aww, you guys are so cuuute! I wish I had a brother like yours, Bella," she purrs. I feel a chill creep down my spine. Gross.

Luckily, the curly haired girl-Jessica- eased up on her flirting after she introduced the others sitting at the table, although I forgot their names promptly. Everything was surprisingly smooth after that, the probing questions tapering off into idle conversation. Then I heard Bella suck in a breath of air.

"Who are _they_?"

Jessica and I looked up to see who she meant, although Jessica seemed as if she already knew who Bella was asking about.

_Woah. _

They were beautiful.

There were two girls, complete opposites, yet both equally beautiful. One had long, cascading blonde waves, and had a body most would kill for. She was tall and statuesque, the epitome of a Victora's Secret runway model. The shorter on was almost waif-like, but not in a disturbing way, more ethereal than anything. Her hair was cut in a peculiar way, short and choppy-but it fit her elvish features and made her look...magical, I guess. My eyes followed her as she left the table, threw away her-untouched- food, and disappeared out the back door of the cafeteria. I looked back to the three boys. One was burly, like a serious bodybuilder, with dark hair curled tightly to his scalp. The one with messy bronze hair was lean, more boyish looking. And then there was another blond.

_Well hello, handsome._

I snapped out of my trance when I heard Jessica giggle. I wiped my chin discreetly to make sure there wasn't any drool leaking out of my mouth.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She says lowly, as if it were some incriminating secret.

"They are...very nice looking," Bella says awkwardly. I snort. She pinches my thigh.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though — Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." She says, sounding as if she were personally offended by it.

I pout a little bit. Bella looks back at me questioningly.

"The blond is hot," I say to explain. Jessica looks a bit ticked off.

"Yeah, Rosalie is pretty," she says, the compliment sounding more like an insult. Bella smirks at me, because we both know I didn't mean that particular blond. Jessica continues on.

"But they're not all related. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins — the blondes — and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children." Bella says.

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

I block out the rest of the conversation to observe the blond more closely. His body is lean and muscular, similar to mine. Although he's sitting down, it's obvious he's quite tall. His hair is more of a honey blond than the girl's-Rosalie's- hair, and it curls gently around his chiseled jaw. I couldn't see his face very clearly, as he was looking down at his hands, fidgeting. I watched his hands...it was odd how his hands moved, forced almost, as if playing with his fingers required conscious thought. I squint my eyes. I thought I saw a scar on the inside of his wrist...

I'm startled when the four of them leave the table together, roused out of my careful observation of Jasper Hale. When I turn back to Bella and Jessica, they're finishing up their conversation. Everyone's leaving the cafeteria, so I pack up my stuff and speak to Bella.

"Can you make it to your next class on your own, Baby Bells?" I ask.

She glowers at me, but before she can angrily retort, Jessica interrupts her.

"Don't worry Dominic, I'll walk her," she says sugar-sweetly, batting her eyes at me. I inwardly groan.

"Okay, cool. See ya in last hour, Bella." I flash a quick smile at Jessica, just to be nice, and run out of there before I hear her ear piercing squeal.

* * *

When it's finally time for Gym, I wait by the doors for Bella. I see her, but not without a baby-faced blonde boy in tow. I quickly checked him out. Not bad, for a small town.

But of course, as an older (by six minutes) brother, I have to intimidate potential suitors, so that's what I do.

Bella has already noticed me, looking immediately apprehensive when she sees the mischievous expression on my face.

"If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you." The boy says. This is when I step in.

"Oh really?" I cross my arms on my chest as I look down at the cute boy. He instantly looks as if he's about to piss his pants.

"O-oh, you must be Bella's brother," he stutters," W-well I should go dress out now, by Bella!" He scurries to the locker room.

I'm laughing as I look back at Bella, but I stop as soon as I see the frown on her face.

"Bells? I'm sorry about that, it was just a joke."

She sighs, "It wasn't that. Just something that happened in Biology."

I'm about to ask whose ass I gotta kick, but Coach Clapp cuts in.

"Dominic, Isabella! To the locker rooms!" He blows unnecessarily on his whistle. I glare at his back, and turn to Bella again.

'Later' I mouth. She just nods reluctantly, still looking angry.

Luckily we don't have to participate, and I sit next to Bella on the bleachers. I cut to the chase.

"Who was the idiot who pissed you off, Bells?"

"Nobody important. Just leave it alone, Dominic." I glare at her warningly.

"Isabe-" "Just leave it alone!"

A few heads turn our way, but I ignore them. Bella blushes in embarrassment.

"Please," she whispers wearily,"just leave it."

I nod obediently and put my arm around her.

We leave Gym together and head out to the car.

"Oh, shoot," Bella mumbles, "give me your paperwork and I'll turn it in."

I give her my forms and lean against the cab of our truck absentmindedly and watch the other cars in the lot leave the school. I almost don't notice when Bella rushes to the truck, tripping on her feet.

"Woah, Bells, try not to trip on air so much," I joke. When I steady her I look at her face, and my smile drops.

A tear drips from her eye.

Without a word I gather her into my arms, just as she starts to whimper.

"Tell me who did this." I demand. I feel her shake her head against my chest.

"Damn it, Bells," I say,"now is not the time to be stubborn."

Silence.

I sigh, take the keys to the truck from her hand, and gently push her back from my chest. I look into her eyes.

"Get in the truck, sis. I'm driving."

As we make our way home, I feel my blood begin to boil. I've never seen my sister, the sweetest girl you could ever meet, so angry. So afraid.

I growled low my throat.

The bastard who dared to upset my Bells better watch his ass, because I'll find out who he is sooner or later and when I do...

_I'll kill 'im._

* * *

**Hey, whomever is reading this. It's 2:04 a.m. and I just finished typing this...whatever this is. Just let it be known that this is my first attempt at writing fan fiction (and a story in general)(also this was written on my phone soo...) and I love constructive criticism. Even as I read over what I just wrote I find flaws, and it'd be cool if you helped me out and...stuff.**

**I want to write more but I'm ridiculously tired.**

**So leave a review if you'd like...please.*pleads pathetically***

**Kbyeall.**


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Twilight, Family