Belonging
by Momma2fan
Chapter 2
The flight from Phoenix to Washington was uneventful. They caught a smaller flight into a place called Port Angeles, where Charlie had a car waiting to drive them to LaPush. Billy had called the elders and council from the airport, requesting a meeting at his home in two hours. The two men wanted to have support in place when they introduced Bella to her parents. Old Quil had agreed to keep Jacob away from the house as well.
Once they landed and grabbed all of her bags, the three of them piled into the SUV and drove off. Bella was noticeably quiet, nerves running rampant in her belly. She took in the scenery as they drove by, noticing how green everything was, something she wasn’t used to.
“Is it always so green and rainy here?”
Both men chuckled. “Bella, dear, you are now in the Olympic Peninsula. It’s known as the cloudiest and rainiest place in Washington.”
“Oh,” Bella smiled. “That’ll be something to get used to.”
The drive to Billy’s was over before she knew it and soon they were pulling up to a red, clapboard house. Turning to look at the young woman, Billy smiled softly.
“There are going to be some people inside who we wanted you to meet first, one of them is the tribal Shaman, like a medicine man. Sweetheart, you are the spitting image of your birth mother, so be prepared for some shock when they see you.”
Bella nodded and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I’m ready.”
The three of them got out of the car and the two men flanked her as they walked toward Billy’s front door. Bella got the feeling she was being watched and looked around, but saw nothing but trees surrounding her.
With his palm on her lower back, Charlie led Bella into Billy’s house. “What is the meaning of this, Billy? We all had to leave our jobs to be here. And why isn’t Joshua here?”
“Relax, Harry. I have someone you all need to meet.” Billy moved out of the way and revealed the young woman behind him. Gasps of shock reverberated around the room.
“This is Isabella. She contacted Charlie at the station after the death of the woman she believed was her mother. Turns out, Bella was kidnapped seventeen years ago, from the hospital in Forks.” Another collective gasp went around the room.
Old Quil stepped forward and smiled at the girl before him, holding out his hand. “My child?” Looking at Billy for an okay, she placed her hand in his only after receiving a nod. The older man looked over her skin, even raising her wrist to his nose as if trying to capture her scent. Finally, he raised his eyes and looked at her. “Welcome home.”
“Call Josh, Charlie.” Billy smiled at his friend. “It’s time.”
**B**
“Can you tell me what’s going on, Charlie?” Joshua asked on the other end of the line.
“No, Josh. All I can tell you is Billy and I will be there in ten minutes.” Charlie hated not revealing the news, but it was better to be done in person rather than over the phone.
“Alright. And you want the boys here as well?”
“Yes. See you soon.”
Josh hung up the phone and hollered up the stairs for his son. When he appeared at the top of the steps, “I need you to go find your brother and tell him to come home now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once his son left, Josh walked out into the garden to get his wife. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but hoped it was news which could bring his family some peace. They hadn’t been the same for the last seventeen years.
“Sweetheart?”
“Hmm?” She didn’t turn, just continued pulling the weeds away from her flowers.
“Charlie and Billy are on their way here. Charlie said he had some news for us.”
Alison Uley brushed her hands off on her apron and stood up. “Okay.”
Joshua sighed and followed her inside, just as both of their boys walked in the back gate.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
“I hope we’ll know soon. All I know is Charlie Swan and the Chief are on their way here. They’ve requested all of us be present.”
The Uley’s had just gotten settled in the living room when there was a knock on the door. Josh went to open it, still curious as to what they needed to be told.
“Charlie, Billy, come in.” Once everyone was settled, Josh looked at his friends. “What’s going on?”
“A week ago, I got a phone call from a young woman in Phoenix, Arizona whose mother had just passed away. Or at least the person she thought was her mother.” Charlie went on to explain everything Bella had told him. By the time he was done, Alison had tears running down her face.
“I want to meet her,” Alison told them. Billy nodded and went outside to get the girl.
“What’s her name?” Josh wanted to know.
“Her name is Isabella, but she prefers Bella.”
Hearing Billy come back in the door, the five of them stood, with Alison and Josh stepping forward to see the stranger who could be their daughter. When Josh saw her for the first time, he thought he was looking at the high school version of his wife.
“Oh, my...” Alison gasped and rushed forward, pulling the girl into her arms. “Oh, my sweet baby girl.”
Bella held on to the woman who had wrapped her up in the warmest hug she’d ever received. She was stunned when she saw her for the first time, she was looking at an older version of herself.
Sam stood back and watched as his mother hugged the strange girl, praying that this was actually the sister who never got to come home. Embry stared at the woman who had raised him when she didn’t have to, happy to see her holding the missing piece of herself.
Alison stood back and placed her hands on the girl's cheeks. “You look so much like I did when I was your age. I would know you anywhere, my daughter.”
“How?” Josh wanted to know as he stared in shock at his long lost little girl.
Bella swallowed and grasped the hands of her mother. “I can explain how I found out.”
Alison led her to the living room and sat beside her clutching her hand as Bella explained everything that led to her arrival in LaPush. When she was finished, Alison had tears pouring from her eyes.
“Was she...this Renee...was she good to you?”
Bella smiled softly, “I wasn’t abused or mistreated in any way. I had to grow up faster than most because Renee was very immature, but she treated me well.”
“Are you in school?”
Turning to look at the man she now knew to be her father, she smiled. “No, I skipped a grade and graduated last year.”
“She told us she was the valedictorian.” Charlie commented.
Bella looked at Charlie then. “We need to give them the proof from the fingerprint tests.” He nodded and walked out to the waiting car to get the file which contained the results they needed.
While they waited, Bella stared at the two young men on the opposite couch. Alison noticed and wiped the tears from her face, “I’m sorry, Bella. Let me introduce you. This is Sam,” she pointed at the larger of the two boys. “And this is Embry. They’re...well, if we’re right, they’re your brothers.”
The flight from Phoenix to Washington was uneventful. They caught a smaller flight into a place called Port Angeles, where Charlie had a car waiting to drive them to LaPush. Billy had called the elders and council from the airport, requesting a meeting at his home in two hours. The two men wanted to have support in place when they introduced Bella to her parents. Old Quil had agreed to keep Jacob away from the house as well.
Once they landed and grabbed all of her bags, the three of them piled into the SUV and drove off. Bella was noticeably quiet, nerves running rampant in her belly. She took in the scenery as they drove by, noticing how green everything was, something she wasn’t used to.
“Is it always so green and rainy here?”
Both men chuckled. “Bella, dear, you are now in the Olympic Peninsula. It’s known as the cloudiest and rainiest place in Washington.”
“Oh,” Bella smiled. “That’ll be something to get used to.”
The drive to Billy’s was over before she knew it and soon they were pulling up to a red, clapboard house. Turning to look at the young woman, Billy smiled softly.
“There are going to be some people inside who we wanted you to meet first, one of them is the tribal Shaman, like a medicine man. Sweetheart, you are the spitting image of your birth mother, so be prepared for some shock when they see you.”
Bella nodded and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I’m ready.”
The three of them got out of the car and the two men flanked her as they walked toward Billy’s front door. Bella got the feeling she was being watched and looked around, but saw nothing but trees surrounding her.
With his palm on her lower back, Charlie led Bella into Billy’s house. “What is the meaning of this, Billy? We all had to leave our jobs to be here. And why isn’t Joshua here?”
“Relax, Harry. I have someone you all need to meet.” Billy moved out of the way and revealed the young woman behind him. Gasps of shock reverberated around the room.
“This is Isabella. She contacted Charlie at the station after the death of the woman she believed was her mother. Turns out, Bella was kidnapped seventeen years ago, from the hospital in Forks.” Another collective gasp went around the room.
Old Quil stepped forward and smiled at the girl before him, holding out his hand. “My child?” Looking at Billy for an okay, she placed her hand in his only after receiving a nod. The older man looked over her skin, even raising her wrist to his nose as if trying to capture her scent. Finally, he raised his eyes and looked at her. “Welcome home.”
“Call Josh, Charlie.” Billy smiled at his friend. “It’s time.”
**B**
“Can you tell me what’s going on, Charlie?” Joshua asked on the other end of the line.
“No, Josh. All I can tell you is Billy and I will be there in ten minutes.” Charlie hated not revealing the news, but it was better to be done in person rather than over the phone.
“Alright. And you want the boys here as well?”
“Yes. See you soon.”
Josh hung up the phone and hollered up the stairs for his son. When he appeared at the top of the steps, “I need you to go find your brother and tell him to come home now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once his son left, Josh walked out into the garden to get his wife. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but hoped it was news which could bring his family some peace. They hadn’t been the same for the last seventeen years.
“Sweetheart?”
“Hmm?” She didn’t turn, just continued pulling the weeds away from her flowers.
“Charlie and Billy are on their way here. Charlie said he had some news for us.”
Alison Uley brushed her hands off on her apron and stood up. “Okay.”
Joshua sighed and followed her inside, just as both of their boys walked in the back gate.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
“I hope we’ll know soon. All I know is Charlie Swan and the Chief are on their way here. They’ve requested all of us be present.”
The Uley’s had just gotten settled in the living room when there was a knock on the door. Josh went to open it, still curious as to what they needed to be told.
“Charlie, Billy, come in.” Once everyone was settled, Josh looked at his friends. “What’s going on?”
“A week ago, I got a phone call from a young woman in Phoenix, Arizona whose mother had just passed away. Or at least the person she thought was her mother.” Charlie went on to explain everything Bella had told him. By the time he was done, Alison had tears running down her face.
“I want to meet her,” Alison told them. Billy nodded and went outside to get the girl.
“What’s her name?” Josh wanted to know.
“Her name is Isabella, but she prefers Bella.”
Hearing Billy come back in the door, the five of them stood, with Alison and Josh stepping forward to see the stranger who could be their daughter. When Josh saw her for the first time, he thought he was looking at the high school version of his wife.
“Oh, my...” Alison gasped and rushed forward, pulling the girl into her arms. “Oh, my sweet baby girl.”
Bella held on to the woman who had wrapped her up in the warmest hug she’d ever received. She was stunned when she saw her for the first time, she was looking at an older version of herself.
Sam stood back and watched as his mother hugged the strange girl, praying that this was actually the sister who never got to come home. Embry stared at the woman who had raised him when she didn’t have to, happy to see her holding the missing piece of herself.
Alison stood back and placed her hands on the girl's cheeks. “You look so much like I did when I was your age. I would know you anywhere, my daughter.”
“How?” Josh wanted to know as he stared in shock at his long lost little girl.
Bella swallowed and grasped the hands of her mother. “I can explain how I found out.”
Alison led her to the living room and sat beside her clutching her hand as Bella explained everything that led to her arrival in LaPush. When she was finished, Alison had tears pouring from her eyes.
“Was she...this Renee...was she good to you?”
Bella smiled softly, “I wasn’t abused or mistreated in any way. I had to grow up faster than most because Renee was very immature, but she treated me well.”
“Are you in school?”
Turning to look at the man she now knew to be her father, she smiled. “No, I skipped a grade and graduated last year.”
“She told us she was the valedictorian.” Charlie commented.
Bella looked at Charlie then. “We need to give them the proof from the fingerprint tests.” He nodded and walked out to the waiting car to get the file which contained the results they needed.
While they waited, Bella stared at the two young men on the opposite couch. Alison noticed and wiped the tears from her face, “I’m sorry, Bella. Let me introduce you. This is Sam,” she pointed at the larger of the two boys. “And this is Embry. They’re...well, if we’re right, they’re your brothers.”