TGG Outtake - The Opera Outtake

TGG Outtake~
"Es, darling, are you all right?" Carlisle asked his wife when he wrapped an arm around her.

She dabbed at her eyes and then gave him a beautiful smile. "Yes, dear. I'm just very happy is all."

Carlisle patted her hand on the table knowingly. Watching Edward and Isabella obviously so much in love would make her exceptionally happy indeed. It did the same for him as well, he thought as he took a drink of his champagne.

Esme sighed again as she watched Edward and Isabella continue their meal, paying no attention whatsoever to the whispers and stares directed their way by everyone else in the room. Repeating the same sentiment in her head that everyone else seemed to share...she never thought she'd see the day. Edward was almost unrecognizable she noted when she heard his soft laugh float through the air.

Finally, she told herself and felt her heart swell with pride. It was also full of much gratitude for her daughter-in-law, because Esme had no doubt that if wasn't for Isabella, her son would still be the stoic, aloof man he'd been for years. There were still some fences to mend between herself, Carlisle, and Edward; she was well aware of that fact, but seeing the changes in him gave her hope.

Since the dinner at Emmett's those few weeks ago, she'd spent a good deal of time thinking about her sister and brother-in-law. She had no idea what they'd done to Edward before their deaths, and as a mother, it was painful to even think about. Esme knew her sister, better than anyone, so there were any number of possibilities. She didn't believe Edward had been abused, at least not physically, but she had no doubt that whatever trauma he'd gone through had been every bit as hurtful...and judging from Edward's behavior, she'd hazard to guess maybe even more so.

Sighing, she thought for the umpteenth time about all the ways she and Carlisle had failed Edward over the years. It started with allowing William to influence him and progressively got worse from there. As much as she would like to ease her conscience by placing all the blame at William's feet, she couldn't. She and Carlisle were Edward's parents and as such, it had been up to them to provide him with the tools he'd needed to get past whatever ordeal he'd lived through at the hands of her sister and Liam.

Her mind quickly went back to the long plane ride all those years ago from Ireland to Chicago. Edward sat stoically, staring out the window of the plane, and would go hours without speaking to either her or Carlisle. She tried to make conversation with him, asking about what kinds of food he liked, trying to describe their house, asked what his favorite subject in school was, but he just sat and stared out the window like she wasn't even there.

From the moment the nice woman at the Social Services office took her to the side, Esme had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Mrs. Cullen," the woman had spoken to her in a hushed voice when she had pulled her to the side.

She and Carlisle had arrived at the police station only to get a bare minimum of information before rushing to see Edward. As horrible it was to admit, even back then, her main concern had been Edward, and not her wayward sister. Maggie had made her choice long ago and Esme had tried to come to terms with the best way she knew how, and though she had known there would be plenty of guilt to work through, Edward had to be her focus.

"I just wanted you to be aware," the woman had begun, "that your nephew..."

"Son," Esme had corrected immediately and quite emphatically.

"I'm sorry?" the woman had questioned, sounding very confused.

Esme remembered explaining to the woman, "My husband and I are adopting Edward, the paperwork just needs to be finalized. As far as we're concerned, he's already a Cullen. We're taking him home with us as soon as we can; someplace where he'll be safe and cared for."

"That is...very good news. I'm sure you can tell he's been terribly traumatized. He hasn't spoken a word since he arrived and I know the police weren't able to get him to speak hardly at all," she had told her sadly. "I'm afraid it's not going to be easy for him when you get him back to the States. Do you have any other children?"

Esme recalled vividly smiling warmly at the kind woman and nodding at her. "Yes, our son Emmett is almost ten and is very, very excited at the prospect of having a new brother."

Excited was vastly understating how Emmett had reacted when he'd heard the news. Of course being so young, he didn't quite grasp the seriousness of Edward's situation or the effect Edward's ordeal would cause them. All he cared about was getting the brother he'd always wanted and asked for. Someone who would play baseball with him, watch cartoons on Saturday mornings together, and have camp outs in the backyard.

The woman turned and regarded Esme with a knowing look. "That is really good to hear. Edward has obviously been alone for far too long."

Esme could remember her stomach and heart both twisting painfully at that observation. She knew even back then that she was almost afraid to find out what Edward had endured.

They'd sped through some formalities signing paperwork and the like and then went to the hotel they would stay at for the next few days until they could see the judge and get permission to take Edward back home with them. The days they spent waiting were tense and difficult, but Esme found herself loving Edward more and more with each passing day, until finally the day came and they were allowed to leave with Edward and the missing piece of their family.

He'd still said next to nothing and when he did speak it was stilted and each word sounded like he expected to be chastised for saying anything. When they'd gone out to eat and Carlisle asked what he wanted to eat, Edward had looked so surprised it was like he'd never been asked that before. That was nothing compared to the way he'd looked when they'd taken him shopping for clothes and some books to take on the plane with him. What he'd brought with him from home was woefully out of date and at least one size if not closer to two, too small for him.

Every store they went in and every bag they filled, Edward would whisper "thank you" in a voice that pierced her heart. She found herself growing more and more angry with her sister and...well, herself, too. No one knew what had happened but she couldn't stop the guilt from beginning to take root.

"Es, dear, you couldn't possibly have known," Carlisle had told her softly as they walked back to their hotel.

"Car, she was my sister, but it's obvious she wasn't the same girl I knew before she came here...with him," Esme had said harshly, but tried to keep Edward from hearing her. "I don't know what she did to that boy, but whatever it was, there is no way he deserved it. Look at him," she remembered telling him as they both watched Edward stand in front of an ice cream parlor looking like he'd just found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. "He's fourteen, Carlisle, and he looks like he's never seen the inside of an ice cream shop. It's not normal and it breaks my heart," she finished with a catch in her voice.

Carlisle tried to placate her, but she wasn't having any of it. She knew, the moment they'd landed in Ireland, that if she would have only kept trying to reach Maggie, maybe none of this would have happened. Looking at Edward and how scarred and broken he was, there was nothing anyone could ever tell her that would lessen the amount of guilt she'd felt.

Guilt, Esme thought as she looked around the elegant dining room. When her eyes rested on Edward and Isabella again, she couldn't help but feel that burning sensation in her stomach. So much guilt it practically choked her, and it burned like acid. She was so damn tired of it, tired of watching Carlisle deal with it...or not as the case was, and tired of it keeping her from having the family she wanted.

She vowed right then and there that she would do whatever it took to make it happen.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Seth looked on, ecstatic, as his two favorite humans continued to talk softly and intimately with one another. He'd been shocked to say the least by the comment Isabella had made about CP. It probably shouldn't have, but it did. It was difficult at times to remember that not only was Isabella Edward's wife, she was also a brilliant businesswoman, too. He prided himself on knowing the two of them so well, but it seemed he'd been just as wrapped up in their love affair as they were and forgot, momentarily, that there were other things that needed to be addressed as well. He couldn't afford to make that mistake again, especially when he focused his attention on the odious Vincent Sinclair and his minions.

"Can you believe that asshole?" Vincent sneered when he looked at Brody. "Walking in here like he owns the whole damn place. Who the fuck does he think he is?"

"Don't know, Vince," Brody answered him.

He knew from years of this that when Vincent was going off on an Edward Cullen rant it was best not to interrupt. There was no telling what he'd go on about and there was no use trying to stop him or interject your opinion. Where Edward was concerned, Vincent wasn't rational. Never had been in all the years he'd known him and Brody didn't see that changing anytime soon. In fact it had only gotten worse over the past few months. Brody, Cameron, Josh, and Trent had all discussed Vincent's complete disregard for making sound business decisions lately. Ever since he'd decided to take on Cullen Publishing, foolishly in all their opinions, it seemed like things had gone from irrational to completely insane. Going after Deaton-Hall had been a gamble, even if it paid off in the end, though that was up for debate. Vincent had seriously put Sinclair Publishing in an extremely precarious position with his blind ambition to best Edward and if Vince wasn't careful, it was very likely it would come back to bite them all on the ass.

A prospect Brody and the others certainly didn't want nor need.

"Just look at her, hanging all over him like that," he said in a voice that dripped with bitterness and envy. "You've got to figure she's a tiger in bed." He licked his lips and his mind was instantly filled with lascivious thoughts.

Seth seethed as he watched Vincent's eyes turn black with lust...and malevolence.

He knew what he and Gideon had discussed before in regards to Vincent was correct. As much as he hated to say it, for angels never liked to lose, ever, Vincent was a lost cause. He'd turned his back on his true self long ago and succumbed to the dark that was inside of him. It had been Seth's worst fear in regards to Edward...that he would have done the same. The chances were always unlikely, given the good inside of him, not to mention Isabella and her absolute and unwavering faith and love in him, but it was always a possibility. At even a remote one, it was more than Seth was comfortable with.

The angel loved Isabella, a truth that surprised no one, but he loved Edward every bit as much, if not more. If he didn't, he never would have done all he had to ensure that Edward became his charge. It went even farther than the comparisons to himself when he was a human. Edward had such an incredible capacity to not only love, but to do amazing things with his life, and there was no way Seth could let him waste away because he was angry and scared.

"We need in on that deal with McMasters," Vincent hissed to his colleagues at the table around him. "There has to be something we can do."

Brody sighed, again. "Vince, man, we're trying but it's not looking good. We've already talked about this and old man McMasters is sticking to his guns."

"Fuck that," Vince stated emphatically. "I want that company, so make it happen."

Brody and the others knew better than to keep the conversation going, so they all ignored that comment.

Seth was about to move on when he heard Vincent begin again, "What do you think she sees in him?"

The unseen angel was very interested to hear what the others, and more specifically Vince had to say about the changes they'd seen in Edward for one and number two what they thought about Edward and Isabella as a couple. Out of the corner of his twinkling ice blue eyes he noticed that Anna was trying to pretend she wasn't interested in the discussion, but Seth knew better than to believe that.

Because he'd been watching over Edward for such a long time, he spent a good deal of time observing the behavior of Anna as well during their tumultuous time together. Humans were funny creatures he ruminated to himself and shook his head. The poor woman tried and tried to make everyone believe that Edward's behavior hadn't bothered her, but Seth knew better. Unless you were incapable of feeling, much like it seemed Vincent was, nobody - be it man or woman - could endure what she had without it affecting you. Oh, Seth was well aware that his young friend was as much to blame as Anna was for the mess they'd made of things. He had been privy to the damage Anna had wrought on Edward, up close and personal, and it was a wonder poor, sweet Sophie had been able to reach him at all. It wasn't enough, of course, but Gideon and Seth both knew immediately the chances of her doing so were slim to begin with. She wasn't meant for Edward...she never had been, but she tried so very hard to help him recover from Anna's hurtful behavior as best she could.

Anna, on the other hand, didn't have a Sophie to come along and let her know there were others that cared about her. She didn't have anyone who would remind her over and over again that she was worth loving and that she just hadn't found the right person yet. No, instead, Anna continued on her merry way, trying in vain to convince everyone, including herself, that she was better off without Edward and that she was glad to be rid of him. A lie he well knew, and in his infinite wisdom, understood that Anna knew it as well. If she hadn't, she never would have come back to Chicago and to her family. They might not have been the best role models for her, but they were still her family. Anna was no Isabella, no one was, Seth chuckled to himself, but she was no Vincent either. She was just a lost girl searching for who she was. She went about it completely wrong and hurt numerous people along the way, but there was hope for her.

Seth turned his attention to the others at the table, all of whom seemed to be a loss for words.

All except Anna it appeared. "She loves him," she stated simply and really it explained everything. Not that most of the people at their table would understand such a comment, but it was the simple truth.

Vincent snorted at her naïveté. "What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" he asked in an incredulous voice.

Seth could do nothing except shake his head at the poor, lost man. Well, he really kind of wanted to knee him between his legs but he figured Gideon would not be amused.

Anna rolled her eyes at Vincent and then shrugged her shoulders. Any fool could see that Edward and Isabella were obviously very much in love. She would never dare say anything out loud, but seeing him so evidently happy made her suddenly realize just how miserable he had been during their time together. She was self-aware enough to realize that she was and always had been, rather full of herself, it was just who she was, but she couldn't help but feel...a teensy bit guilty about treating him so terribly.

"You know what, Vincent, perhaps if you got that damn chip off your shoulder and pulled your head out of your ass, you might find that Edward isn't the man you think he is," Anna said surprising herself and the unseen being.

"Damn," Seth muttered to no one. He was going to have get back on his game, he told himself. All the damn humans were surprising him left and right; a fact of which left him very unsettled. Not good, he reprimanded himself silently. An angel that couldn't stay one step ahead, at least, of his assignment was just begging for trouble. And hell, he was having a hard enough time with Edward as it was; he sure didn't need to add any fuel to the fire.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Vincent demanded harshly.

Anna scooted closer to him; she was tired of talking about and listening to talk about Edward and Isabella. Not to mention, she didn't like the uncomfortable thoughts about her own behavior in regards to Edward trying to worm their way to the forefront of her mind. "It means, baby," she said, using her pet name for him and the tone of voice she knew turned him on, "that you should concentrate on what's right in front of you." Beneath the table she trailed her fingers up and down his leg and then leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Or under or on top of you as the case may be when we get home." She slid her hand over his crotch and forced herself not to think about Edward or Isabella.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

"Man, do you see what I'm seeing?" Marcus chuckled at Alec as they looked in the direction of Bella and Edward.

"I do have eyes, Marcus. Of course I see it," Alec answered with a shake of his head, though if he wasn't actually looking with his own eyes, he was not sure he'd believe it.

Who the hell ever would have thought any of them would see the day when Edward laughed and smiled, and looked as downright blissfully happy as he looked tonight? He was a gambling man and he would be willing to bet that had anyone asked him the odds of that happening, he would have bet a shit-ton of money on never.

"Have you ever?" Marcus asked in an awed voice.

To which Alec immediately answered, "No."

Not that he had been around too many people as crazy in love as Bella and Edward obviously were mind you. Emmett and Rose and Jasper and Alice...maybe...but even they couldn't really hold a candle to his two friends. The other guys; Marcus, Emmett, and Jasper, along with a few other senior executives, liked to give him shit about Bella...out of Edward's presence of course...and were pretty relentless about it, too. He took it all in stride though, and took every bit of it with a smile.

He was an ass most of the time and never tried to say otherwise. He knew it, Em, Jasper and Marcus knew it...Edward and Bella knew it, too, but luckily for him, those select few, in addition to Rose and Alice, all accepted him for who he was. He made no apologies for it either; never had and never would. However, if he were ever lucky enough to find a woman like Bella, he'd happily agree to be whatever the hell she wanted. If said unnamed, fantasy woman wanted sweet and flirty, he'd do it. If she wanted intense and powerful, he'd do it. Hell, if she wanted romantic and sappy, he'd do that, too, though probably not as enthusiastically.

Hey, he wanted the love of a good woman as much as the next guy, but he wasn't a pansy ass.

All bets were off though if he ever found a woman like Bella, that was for damn sure. Lord help him but she was his idea of a perfect woman. As hard as it was for him to admit, he was extremely jealous of Edward and what he and Bella shared. Even before his come to Jesus meeting or whatever Edward was calling it, he was. He was well aware that Edward was a stubborn, difficult man most of the time, but even he could see through Edward's act when it came to Bella. Edward had never been comfortable letting anyone see how much Bella affected him, but he knew both of them well enough to see past all the pretended indifference on Edward's part. With Bella, he thought with a smile, it was never a question of how much she loved him...it was plain as day.

He glanced at his two friends again and thought, Holy hell what I wouldn't give to have someone look at me like that!

Isabella laughed softly at something Edward said to her; he could tell from where he sat that whatever it was had made her blush, and he sighed. He quickly looked around to make sure no one saw him acting like such a damn pussy and then hung his head. Just once, he thought, he'd love to have someone look at him the way Bella looked at Edward.

He reached for his martini and took a healthy swig before he looked to his left at his date for the evening. Amber was an extremely attractive woman, kind of tall, with long, wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes. She had legs that went on for days and a body that was perfect for a runway or a bathing suit...as long as you didn't like anything to fill out a top or a bottom. In all honesty, she looked pretty much like every other woman he ever went out with. The hair or eye color might change, but that was about it.

Bella teased him mercilessly about his choice in women whenever they were all the same function and he had no doubt that tonight wouldn't be any different. He kind of brought it on himself he thought with a rueful roll of his eyes. It was hard for people to understand his and Bella's close friendship and he supposed he could see where they were coming from. They were such different people with different personalities and whatnot. However, they both respected each other immensely and both did whatever was necessary to protect Edward. Alec knew that Jasper and Marcus had been friends with Edward longer than he had, having only come to work for CP shortly before Edward took over when William passed away, but that didn't make him any less loyal than the others. He was as tenacious as a dog with a bone when it came to protecting Edward; whether it was from outside forces like Vincent...or from inside ones like Carlisle and even, at times from Edward himself; he was always on guard. He worked diligently, probably to the extreme, to ensure that both Edward and CP weren't ever put in a vulnerable position.

Because of that, he and Bella had much in common. She was always very guarded when it came to discussing her relationship with Edward, but there were times she'd open up, even if it was only a bit. He supposed it was because he maybe wasn't quite as close to Edward as the others were. He wasn't the best friend; he wasn't the brother; he didn't know him from college. He was just a guy that clicked with Edward and their friendship grew from there. Same went for himself and Bella. They just...clicked and he was more grateful for that than he could say. They didn't gossip like teenage girls but they did spend time talking about other things. Her volunteer work, which he greatly respected, her faith, which he respected even more, and her family. In turn he talked to her about the books he read, not that anyone would believe he liked to read, but he did. They talked sports because he was a huge soccer fan, and they talked about silly things like movies they liked and whether the Cubs or the White Sox were better.

He was incredibly honored, he guessed that was the right word, that he had that kind of relationship with Bella because he knew not many did. He didn't have a lot of friends either, but he considered Bella and Edward among his closest. As he looked at the two of them again, he vowed to make sure they always looked that happy. No way was he letting anyone, especially Vincent, do anything to hurt either one of them.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

"Em, would you stop staring at Edward and Bella? You're going to make them self-conscious," Rosalie whispered to her husband while they were eating.

"Babe, are you kidding me? A bomb could go off in this joint and I'd be willing to bet neither one of them would even notice," Emmett answered his wife with a chuckle.

Rose shook her head at him, though she couldn't really disagree with him. She'd been so afraid of Emmett getting hurt again by Edward but she was thrilled to see, at least from the looks of it, it had been for naught. She didn't doubt that Bella was the main reason for Edward's about face and she had to really give her sister-in-law credit. While Rose didn't know all the ins and outs of what Edward and Bella's marriage had been like previously, she could hazard a pretty damn good guess. For a lesser woman, they would have kicked Edward's ass and then him to the curb, but Bella was no regular woman.

She laughed softly and glanced in the direction of Edward and Bella again. "I imagine you're probably right," she agreed. "Bella looks beautiful. Remind me to ask her where she got her dress," Rose remarked and then took a sip of her champagne.

Emmett snorted and when she raised her eyebrows at him he leaned in close and whispered, "Won't do you any good, babe. Edward bought it for her, the shoes, and the earrings and bracelet, too."

"No way," Rose said incredulously.

Emmett raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes way. Ed doesn't do anything half-assed that is for sure; he never has."

Emmett was quite frankly in awe of his brother, not that that was really anything new. He'd always been right from the very beginning. He could remember like it was yesterday the first time he'd ever seen Edward. His parents had called to tell their housekeeper, Helen, that they would be home soon and Emmett chuckled softly to himself when he thought about how excited he'd been, waiting for them to arrive. He paced back and forth across their front porch, stood in the front yard tossing a baseball in the air, just watching and waiting. He recalled his grandfather even peeking out the front window from behind the curtain, too.

When his parents' car drove up their long, winding driveway, Emmett couldn't help but race across the lawn to meet the car. He remembered bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, more excited than he'd ever been in all of his nine and a half, almost ten years. The car finally came to a stop and he pushed past his parents when they got out of the car, barely even waving in their direction. He had a new brother and he wanted to see him...and he just knew, with all the fervor of an almost ten-year-old...that they would be best friends.

He yanked the back door of the car open in his excitement, and he could recall vividly how scared and unsure Edward looked sitting in the backseat with a backpack clutched tightly in his hands.

"I'm Emmett, you're my big brother now," Emmett remembered telling him as he helped, but more like pulled, Edward out of the car.

Edward had gotten out of the car and looked from their parents and then to their huge house and then back to Emmett before he quietly said, "Okay."

Emmett led Edward quickly through the house and up the stairs, not even giving Helen or William time to say hello the newest member of the family. With a flourish Emmett flung open the door to the room that was going to be Edward's. He had helped Helen pick out most everything in there so that the room would be ready when his mom and dad got back with Edward.

"My room is right across the hall," Emmett had told him as he pointed.

Edward had nodded at him and then hesitantly entered the bedroom. Emmett chuckled again when he thought about how shocked Edward had seemed about how the room was decorated. He walked to the desk that the furniture movers had put together and ran his hand across the top. He looked at the books that he and Helen had picked out on the shelf. His eyes had gotten as big as saucers when he saw the television and stereo set up on the entertainment center, complete with a bean bag chair on the floor. Emmett got an uneasy feeling when Edward narrowed his eyes as he stared at the posters on the wall and then felt really bad when his face twisted in anger when he saw the baseball glove on the bottom bunk bed.

"What's that?" Edward had asked in a shaky voice.

Emmett, being only almost ten didn't really understand what the problem was and had looked at Edward like he was stupid and said freely, "Um...a baseball glove. I thought you could play catch with me."

"I don't play baseball," Edward had told him.

Emmett recalled, even all these years later, how angry and adamantly Edward had said that and how heartbroken he had felt the next morning, when he looked up on the walls and all the baseball posters he'd picked out with such care had been ripped down.

Of course after that, Emmett never asked Edward to play baseball again, which was why now it surprised him so much to see Edward enjoying watching Jack play ball.

"Son of a bitch," Emmett muttered just loud enough for Rose to hear him.

"Em, what is it?" she asked immediately.

Emmett picked his head up and once again looked at Edward and Bella. “All this time and I've never even found out why he didn't like baseball as a kid,” Emmett said almost to himself.

Rosalie sucked in a sharp breath and then laid her hand lovingly on his arm. “Babe, I have no idea what you're talking about,” she told him. She heard how distressed his voice just sounded and she didn't like it...at all.

Emmett quickly told Rose what he'd just been thinking about and when he was finished he said, “Rose, how could I have gone all this time and not talked to him about his parents, his birth one's I mean?”

Emmett had always, right from the start, always considered Edward his brother and always referred to Carlisle and Esme as their parents. “I know I was just a little kid when he came to live with us and I can imagine I was a pain in the ass, but other than a few times, I can't really remember pressing him to tell me what happened to him. Some fucking brother I am,” Emmett admitted painfully.

"Emmett Jackson Cullen, stop that right fucking now," Rose said vehemently. "You are not going to sit there and beat yourself up about something that happened more than twenty damn years ago. You're just...not."

Emmett reached over and picked up his wife's hand and rubbed soothing circles on her palm until she calmed down. "Rosie, I love you, but you don't have any idea how...broken," Emmett said after a moment while he searched for the right word, "Edward was when he came to live with us."

"Emmett you were ten...ten," she emphasized, "When Carlisle and Esme brought him back from Ireland. How much could you have done? If anyone is to blame for turning Edward into the man he's been up until recently, it's your parents and your grandfather. Not to mention the she-bitch over there," Rose spat out when she turned to glare at Anna.

He had to laugh at her, "Easy, babe. Glad to see you still hate her as much as ever," he said with a wink.

"And why shouldn't I? Em, you remember what he was like when that all went down. It's a wonder he even spoke to Bella when she first came to CP, much less had the balls to ask her on a date," she said with a shake of her head. "He'd been such a mess. I know he didn't really have any feelings for the skank, but to be treated that way, I don't know how he even managed to get past that when Bella came along."

"He got past it because she's Bella, Rosie. If it wasn't for her, none of us would have Edward now. I know he's given us all the same speech about a scary plane ride and his life flashing before his eyes, but really, without Bella, it wouldn't have made a difference. I know he loves me and you and the kids, and I know, even though he's got a lot of shit to work through with Mom and Dad, he loves them, too, but without her and her unconditional love, it would have been too little, too late," he told her honestly.

Rosalie sighed and then nodded her head. "You're right. I know I haven't always been fair to Edward, but that is only because he hurt you. I suppose when I stop to think about it, I can understand why Bella has always acted the way she has about Edward. She loves him and its obvious he loves her, too, and I'm sure she's seen a side of him none of us have...though he's beginning to let us in. I only hope that when the time comes for him to tell us all about what happened to him, we can finally be a real family."

"We can only hope," Emmett agreed wholeheartedly.