Letters To A Stranger
by Momma2fan
Chapter 1
Bella sat at her desk going over lesson plans. She had been going back and forth on a project for her English classes. Teaching freshmen in high school was a challenge, especially in the advanced program. She finished organizing her notes and then put everything in her bag. She had one more trip to make before heading home.
Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she walked to her car. When her late model Jeep Cherokee thundered to life, she cringed. She knew it was on its last legs, but she refused to let it go. It was the last thing her brother had given her before he left for Afghanistan. She hadn't heard from him in months. She shook off thoughts of Jasper and put her car in gear, heading to the local recruiting station.
She parked in the near empty lot and took a deep breath. Opening her door, she slowly exited the vehicle and headed toward the entrance. Upon walking in, she saw posters and a wall full of information. All screaming Join Us. She cringed when she thought of all the young men who had lost their lives, and the others who were fighting for our rights.
Thank God those SEALs had found and taken out Osama bin Laden. The only way she could think of to give back, other than the care packages she consistently sent to Jasper, was this project. She could only hope.
A voice broke her from her musings. "Can I help you, Ma’am?"
She looked toward the voice and met the eyes of the man in front of her. He was tall with brown hair and intense blue eyes that looked as though they had seen too much. She realized he probably had. She finally found her voice and responded. "Yes. I would like to speak with you, if you have a moment?"
"Are you from the press?" She shook her head. "Then what can I do for you Miss…?"
"I'm sorry,” Bella stepped forward and held out her hand. “I'm Isabella Swan."
He took it in his large one, "Sergeant Emmett Cullen.” He indicated a chair across from his desk. “Have a seat and tell me what I can do for you."
"I teach advanced placement English classes at San Bernardino High School. I’m currently working on a project and I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me," she explained.
Sgt. Cullen sat back in his chair and looked at the woman across from him. She was young and beautiful with brown hair and expressive brown eyes. Her full lips were cherry red and he watched as she bit on her bottom lip, blushing under his scrutiny. "Well, Miss Swan, what did you have in mind?"
"I would like for each of my students to write letters to someone overseas. I would be grading them of course, but I was hoping I could have them write to one specific unit. What I would need from you are addresses or contact information so I can mail them."
Emmett thought for a moment. He’d heard of schools doing this, but had never been approached before. "How many students do you have?"
"I have five classes of fifteen students."
"So you want me to find you a unit that contains seventy-five soldiers?"
"No, of course not. I would prefer if each class could write to a different unit. I would write a letter to each of the commanding officers explaining the project and letting them know that a return letter is not required. However, if the respective soldier chooses to write back, I am certainly not going to stop them. The original letters would be the only ones which would be graded." Bella finished her pitch, then held her breath and waited.
Emmett finally got his thoughts together and spoke. "Give me a couple of days to put together the information, find out what protocol is, and I’ll get back with you."
She let out a breath and smiled. "Thank you. Should I stop by here on, say, Friday? Will that give you enough time?"
"Certainly," He looked up as the bell rang. He rose, indicating that the conversation was over.
Bella stood, gathered her belongings, and shook Emmett’s offered hand before leaving the recruiting office and making her way back to her small home. It was located four blocks from the high school in a quiet neighborhood, with two bedrooms, one bath, a functional kitchen and a great yard.
Her phone was ringing when she stepped inside. Throwing her bag down, she rushed to answer it. "Hello?"
"Bella?"
"Hi, Mom," she sighed and slipped out of her heels.
"Where have you been? I’ve been calling for an hour," her mother whined.
"I had things to do after school, Mom. You could have called my cell if it was that important."
"Oh, well. I just wanted to see how things were going with Jacob. Has he proposed yet?"
Bella had been seeing her boyfriend Jake for a couple of years and knew that he wanted to settle down. She just felt something was missing in their relationship. "No."
"Well, let me know when he does. I’ve found the perfect wedding dress for you and I can't wait for you to see it."
"Mom!” Bella shouted, annoyance lacing her tone. “He hasn't proposed, and I don't know what I’ll say if he does."
"Well, of course you'll say yes, you and Jake are perfect for each other. You've been together this long. You’ll have a wonderful future and give me beautiful grandchildren." Renee sounded confident.
The doorbell rang, saving her from any more assumptions on her mother's part. "Mom, someone's at the door. I have to go."
"Okay, call me soon."
Bella disconnected the call and walked to her front door. She smiled when she saw the person on the other side.
Alice bounced through the door and plopped down on the couch. "Did you just get home, B?"
"Yeah. Give me a second to change and then we can go." She walked to her bedroom and pulled out her jeans and a blue sweater. Once she was changed, she took her hair out of the clip and let it flow past her shoulders. She ran a brush through the silky locks and slid on some baby doll slippers. When she was ready, she walked to the living room and rejoined her friend.
When Alice had moved in next door the year before, she and Bella had quickly developed a close friendship. They had a standing date every Wednesday for dinner. Alice was single, and Jacob understood Bella's need for some girl time. They piled into Bella's car and were off to their normal destination. The Wooden Nickel Pub and Eatery was their favorite place. It was loud, entertaining, and they had even made a few friends there.
When they walked in, they smiled at people they knew and found a table. Paul saw them, so he came over with their usual bottles of beer and placed them in front of them. "Ladies, are we having the usual tonight?"
Alice giggled. "What else would we get?" Paul smiled and walked away to go place their food order. "So tell me, what's going on with you and Jacob?"
Bella sighed. "I don't know, Ali. My mom called and asked me if he’d proposed yet. I think he’s planning on it. What am I going to do?"
"Do you love him, B?"
Bella took a swallow from her bottle of Bud. "I care a great deal for him, but I don't love him. Don't get me wrong, the sex is great, but to me, that's all it is—sex. I want someone who lights me on fire. I want someone to make love to me. With Jake it's more…wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. I need more than that."
Alice took a moment, raising her beer up for a deep swallow. Before she could speak, Paul walked up with their food. After he was gone, Alice took a bite of her burger and moaned. She swallowed and finally spoke to her friend. "Bella, I think you need to tell him. There’s no point dragging things out when you could both be happy with other people."
"I know, you're right. I just hate to let go, you know? Other than you, he is the only person I can talk to. You guys are the only ones who know how worried I am about Jasper. I still haven't heard from him, Ali. What if something has happened to him?"
"Then I’m sure your parents would tell you. You can't keep worrying about him like this, honey, you'll go insane."
They finished their meals in silence and signaled to Paul for the check. Since Alice had paid last week, tonight was on Bella. After settling up, they rose and were walking out when Bella saw a familiar face.
Sgt. Emmett Cullen was seated at a table with a very pretty blonde woman. Bella tapped Alice's shoulder, "Doesn't that look like Rosalie?"
Alice followed the direction of Bella's finger and squealed. "Rosie!"
Bella and Alice soon found themselves wrapped in a tight hug with a friend they hadn't seen in several months. Rosalie had disappeared for a while when her relationship with Royce King had ended abruptly. No one knew the whole story, but there had been a lot of speculation.
"Rosie, we missed you. When did you get back?" Alice was off and running.
"I missed you guys, too. I've been back for about a month. Emmett got reassigned to the recruiting station here, so I came home with him." Bella's eyes shifted over to the hulking man that she had met with earlier.
"Nice to see you again, Sergeant," she greeted.
"You as well, Miss Swan," he replied politely.
"You two know each other?" Alice questioned.
Bella looked at her friend. "Sgt. Cullen is going to help me with my class' projects."
Alice just nodded her head. She was struck with an idea and turned to the man that had remained seated. "Is it possible for you to find out the whereabouts of soldiers?" she asked.
"Alice!" Bella hissed.
"The only thing I can find out, Ma'am, is if a person is deceased or MIA. Was there a specific soldier you were looking for?"
Bella was shaking her head at Alice, who ignored her and continued. "His name is Corporal Jasper Swan. He is Bella's brother and she hasn't heard from him for a few months."
Sgt. Cullen looked at the woman he’d met earlier this afternoon. Gone was the professional teacher, and in her place was a vulnerable young woman. He thought of his brother, Edward, and decided she would be perfect for him. He wondered if she was single. He would have to talk to Rose about it. He wasn't going to push since Edward still had two years left on his tour. He knew first hand how hard it was to have a loved one across the ocean, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Rosalie watched the exchange and knew where her boyfriend's mind had gone. He’d been in a relationship prior to theirs, and his girlfriend had cheated on him while he was serving his country in Afghanistan. He was risking his life every day and she didn't care.
She had reminded her of her ex, Royce. He had never cared about her either. If he had, he and his rich buddies wouldn't have gang raped her.
The last time Rosalie had talked to her, Bella had been dating someone. She just wasn't sure how serious it was, though, or if they were even still together.
Bella waited anxiously for the answer to Alice's question. She didn't want to get her hopes up that Sgt. Cullen could tell them anything, but she longed to hear how her brother was. Her parents wouldn't talk about it. It was like, as long as his name wasn't mentioned, then he was alive. Of course, Bella didn't know whether he was or not.
"I’ll see what I can do. I don't think I’ll be able to get any information for you, though, Miss Swan. If I’m able to find out anything, I’ll let you know on Friday."
"I appreciate that, thank you. See you on Friday. Rose, it was good to see you." Bella said goodbye to Rose, grabbed Alice's hand, and pulled her from the restaurant. Once they were safely in her car, Bella let her have it. "Alice, you are unbelievable! How could you do that? You know I have explored every avenue I could to find out about Jasper. That was so embarrassing."
"Chill out, Bella! If he doesn't find anything, then there’s no harm done. I only asked because he can make discreet inquiries and not have to go through all the red tape you do." Alice sat back in her seat, satisfied with her explanation.
Bella drove the rest of the way home in silence. After pulling into her driveway, she and Alice parted ways. As soon as she was inside, she sent Jake a text letting him know she was home and heading to bed. She had an early day ahead of her tomorrow and didn't want to be tired while dealing with her students. They were having a pop quiz, so she needed to get up early and get copies made. She crawled under the covers and hugged her pillow tight. She said a prayer for her brother and the other men and women who were serving before drifting to sleep.
Somewhere on the other side of the world, a lone figure was staring at a picture of a young brunette with expressive brown eyes.
Bella sat at her desk going over lesson plans. She had been going back and forth on a project for her English classes. Teaching freshmen in high school was a challenge, especially in the advanced program. She finished organizing her notes and then put everything in her bag. She had one more trip to make before heading home.
Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she walked to her car. When her late model Jeep Cherokee thundered to life, she cringed. She knew it was on its last legs, but she refused to let it go. It was the last thing her brother had given her before he left for Afghanistan. She hadn't heard from him in months. She shook off thoughts of Jasper and put her car in gear, heading to the local recruiting station.
She parked in the near empty lot and took a deep breath. Opening her door, she slowly exited the vehicle and headed toward the entrance. Upon walking in, she saw posters and a wall full of information. All screaming Join Us. She cringed when she thought of all the young men who had lost their lives, and the others who were fighting for our rights.
Thank God those SEALs had found and taken out Osama bin Laden. The only way she could think of to give back, other than the care packages she consistently sent to Jasper, was this project. She could only hope.
A voice broke her from her musings. "Can I help you, Ma’am?"
She looked toward the voice and met the eyes of the man in front of her. He was tall with brown hair and intense blue eyes that looked as though they had seen too much. She realized he probably had. She finally found her voice and responded. "Yes. I would like to speak with you, if you have a moment?"
"Are you from the press?" She shook her head. "Then what can I do for you Miss…?"
"I'm sorry,” Bella stepped forward and held out her hand. “I'm Isabella Swan."
He took it in his large one, "Sergeant Emmett Cullen.” He indicated a chair across from his desk. “Have a seat and tell me what I can do for you."
"I teach advanced placement English classes at San Bernardino High School. I’m currently working on a project and I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me," she explained.
Sgt. Cullen sat back in his chair and looked at the woman across from him. She was young and beautiful with brown hair and expressive brown eyes. Her full lips were cherry red and he watched as she bit on her bottom lip, blushing under his scrutiny. "Well, Miss Swan, what did you have in mind?"
"I would like for each of my students to write letters to someone overseas. I would be grading them of course, but I was hoping I could have them write to one specific unit. What I would need from you are addresses or contact information so I can mail them."
Emmett thought for a moment. He’d heard of schools doing this, but had never been approached before. "How many students do you have?"
"I have five classes of fifteen students."
"So you want me to find you a unit that contains seventy-five soldiers?"
"No, of course not. I would prefer if each class could write to a different unit. I would write a letter to each of the commanding officers explaining the project and letting them know that a return letter is not required. However, if the respective soldier chooses to write back, I am certainly not going to stop them. The original letters would be the only ones which would be graded." Bella finished her pitch, then held her breath and waited.
Emmett finally got his thoughts together and spoke. "Give me a couple of days to put together the information, find out what protocol is, and I’ll get back with you."
She let out a breath and smiled. "Thank you. Should I stop by here on, say, Friday? Will that give you enough time?"
"Certainly," He looked up as the bell rang. He rose, indicating that the conversation was over.
Bella stood, gathered her belongings, and shook Emmett’s offered hand before leaving the recruiting office and making her way back to her small home. It was located four blocks from the high school in a quiet neighborhood, with two bedrooms, one bath, a functional kitchen and a great yard.
Her phone was ringing when she stepped inside. Throwing her bag down, she rushed to answer it. "Hello?"
"Bella?"
"Hi, Mom," she sighed and slipped out of her heels.
"Where have you been? I’ve been calling for an hour," her mother whined.
"I had things to do after school, Mom. You could have called my cell if it was that important."
"Oh, well. I just wanted to see how things were going with Jacob. Has he proposed yet?"
Bella had been seeing her boyfriend Jake for a couple of years and knew that he wanted to settle down. She just felt something was missing in their relationship. "No."
"Well, let me know when he does. I’ve found the perfect wedding dress for you and I can't wait for you to see it."
"Mom!” Bella shouted, annoyance lacing her tone. “He hasn't proposed, and I don't know what I’ll say if he does."
"Well, of course you'll say yes, you and Jake are perfect for each other. You've been together this long. You’ll have a wonderful future and give me beautiful grandchildren." Renee sounded confident.
The doorbell rang, saving her from any more assumptions on her mother's part. "Mom, someone's at the door. I have to go."
"Okay, call me soon."
Bella disconnected the call and walked to her front door. She smiled when she saw the person on the other side.
Alice bounced through the door and plopped down on the couch. "Did you just get home, B?"
"Yeah. Give me a second to change and then we can go." She walked to her bedroom and pulled out her jeans and a blue sweater. Once she was changed, she took her hair out of the clip and let it flow past her shoulders. She ran a brush through the silky locks and slid on some baby doll slippers. When she was ready, she walked to the living room and rejoined her friend.
When Alice had moved in next door the year before, she and Bella had quickly developed a close friendship. They had a standing date every Wednesday for dinner. Alice was single, and Jacob understood Bella's need for some girl time. They piled into Bella's car and were off to their normal destination. The Wooden Nickel Pub and Eatery was their favorite place. It was loud, entertaining, and they had even made a few friends there.
When they walked in, they smiled at people they knew and found a table. Paul saw them, so he came over with their usual bottles of beer and placed them in front of them. "Ladies, are we having the usual tonight?"
Alice giggled. "What else would we get?" Paul smiled and walked away to go place their food order. "So tell me, what's going on with you and Jacob?"
Bella sighed. "I don't know, Ali. My mom called and asked me if he’d proposed yet. I think he’s planning on it. What am I going to do?"
"Do you love him, B?"
Bella took a swallow from her bottle of Bud. "I care a great deal for him, but I don't love him. Don't get me wrong, the sex is great, but to me, that's all it is—sex. I want someone who lights me on fire. I want someone to make love to me. With Jake it's more…wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. I need more than that."
Alice took a moment, raising her beer up for a deep swallow. Before she could speak, Paul walked up with their food. After he was gone, Alice took a bite of her burger and moaned. She swallowed and finally spoke to her friend. "Bella, I think you need to tell him. There’s no point dragging things out when you could both be happy with other people."
"I know, you're right. I just hate to let go, you know? Other than you, he is the only person I can talk to. You guys are the only ones who know how worried I am about Jasper. I still haven't heard from him, Ali. What if something has happened to him?"
"Then I’m sure your parents would tell you. You can't keep worrying about him like this, honey, you'll go insane."
They finished their meals in silence and signaled to Paul for the check. Since Alice had paid last week, tonight was on Bella. After settling up, they rose and were walking out when Bella saw a familiar face.
Sgt. Emmett Cullen was seated at a table with a very pretty blonde woman. Bella tapped Alice's shoulder, "Doesn't that look like Rosalie?"
Alice followed the direction of Bella's finger and squealed. "Rosie!"
Bella and Alice soon found themselves wrapped in a tight hug with a friend they hadn't seen in several months. Rosalie had disappeared for a while when her relationship with Royce King had ended abruptly. No one knew the whole story, but there had been a lot of speculation.
"Rosie, we missed you. When did you get back?" Alice was off and running.
"I missed you guys, too. I've been back for about a month. Emmett got reassigned to the recruiting station here, so I came home with him." Bella's eyes shifted over to the hulking man that she had met with earlier.
"Nice to see you again, Sergeant," she greeted.
"You as well, Miss Swan," he replied politely.
"You two know each other?" Alice questioned.
Bella looked at her friend. "Sgt. Cullen is going to help me with my class' projects."
Alice just nodded her head. She was struck with an idea and turned to the man that had remained seated. "Is it possible for you to find out the whereabouts of soldiers?" she asked.
"Alice!" Bella hissed.
"The only thing I can find out, Ma'am, is if a person is deceased or MIA. Was there a specific soldier you were looking for?"
Bella was shaking her head at Alice, who ignored her and continued. "His name is Corporal Jasper Swan. He is Bella's brother and she hasn't heard from him for a few months."
Sgt. Cullen looked at the woman he’d met earlier this afternoon. Gone was the professional teacher, and in her place was a vulnerable young woman. He thought of his brother, Edward, and decided she would be perfect for him. He wondered if she was single. He would have to talk to Rose about it. He wasn't going to push since Edward still had two years left on his tour. He knew first hand how hard it was to have a loved one across the ocean, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Rosalie watched the exchange and knew where her boyfriend's mind had gone. He’d been in a relationship prior to theirs, and his girlfriend had cheated on him while he was serving his country in Afghanistan. He was risking his life every day and she didn't care.
She had reminded her of her ex, Royce. He had never cared about her either. If he had, he and his rich buddies wouldn't have gang raped her.
The last time Rosalie had talked to her, Bella had been dating someone. She just wasn't sure how serious it was, though, or if they were even still together.
Bella waited anxiously for the answer to Alice's question. She didn't want to get her hopes up that Sgt. Cullen could tell them anything, but she longed to hear how her brother was. Her parents wouldn't talk about it. It was like, as long as his name wasn't mentioned, then he was alive. Of course, Bella didn't know whether he was or not.
"I’ll see what I can do. I don't think I’ll be able to get any information for you, though, Miss Swan. If I’m able to find out anything, I’ll let you know on Friday."
"I appreciate that, thank you. See you on Friday. Rose, it was good to see you." Bella said goodbye to Rose, grabbed Alice's hand, and pulled her from the restaurant. Once they were safely in her car, Bella let her have it. "Alice, you are unbelievable! How could you do that? You know I have explored every avenue I could to find out about Jasper. That was so embarrassing."
"Chill out, Bella! If he doesn't find anything, then there’s no harm done. I only asked because he can make discreet inquiries and not have to go through all the red tape you do." Alice sat back in her seat, satisfied with her explanation.
Bella drove the rest of the way home in silence. After pulling into her driveway, she and Alice parted ways. As soon as she was inside, she sent Jake a text letting him know she was home and heading to bed. She had an early day ahead of her tomorrow and didn't want to be tired while dealing with her students. They were having a pop quiz, so she needed to get up early and get copies made. She crawled under the covers and hugged her pillow tight. She said a prayer for her brother and the other men and women who were serving before drifting to sleep.
Somewhere on the other side of the world, a lone figure was staring at a picture of a young brunette with expressive brown eyes.