Flashback

The little girl crouched, huddled in her big brother's arms.

"Emmy, what's going on? It's not the same this time, is it." She made it a statement rather than a question. For such a young girl, she was wise beyond her age.

Emmett shook his head. "No Bells. I don't think it is."

"What's gonna happen to us Emmy?"

"I don't know. But promise me something. No matter what happens, always remember that I love you Bells. Always and forever." He said gently.

"That's a silly promise. Of course I'll remember that. You tell me all the time!" she said with a grin.

The grin soon fell off her face, as they both heard their father stomping, angry and drunk once again, up the stairs. As he bellowed for them, they immediately raced out of the room and stood in front of him. As tough as she wanted to look for Emmy, Bella was trembling. They both knew what happened when Daddy was like this.

This time, Emmett took most of the hits. He normally did. He would do anything to help Bella, and he'd never let her get hurt if he could help it.

But sometimes, it wasn't up to him. And those were the times that worried him the most. Because he never knew what his father would do to Bella when he was in one of his drunken rages. He knew that Charlie wouldn't go easier on her just because she was little. And laying in bed that night, thinking about it, he came to the conclusion that he needed to end this as soon as he could. He didn't want Bella to have to grow up like this.

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The years passed, and Emmett's feelings grew stronger. Each day that passed, he knew he was coming closer to making a decision. Then, something happened that made up his mind for good.

Bella was seven. Emmett was ten. Charlie claimed that he needed someone home to help him take care of the house, and home schooled Bella. One day, Emmett came home from school and went to find Bella, to make sure she was okay, as he did every day. She was usually in the kitchen cleaning, or in the laundry room. But he couldn't find her anywhere downstairs, and Charlie was nowhere in sight. Emmett began to worry, and quickly climbed the stairs to the small bedroom he shared with Bella. It was there that he found her. But his sense of relief quickly turned to one of horror. He found Bella, unconscious, on the floor. She was badly bruised, and her lip was split open. Of course, he knew who had done this. He quickly woke Bella up ,and cared to her wounds. That night, he decided. He was going to save Bella, and he was going to do it now. No more waiting.

The next day in school, he took the biggest leap of faith he would ever take. He went up to his favorite teacher. He asked if he could talk to her after class. And she said yes. He spilled out the whole story, and as hard as he tried not to, by the end he was in tears. Mrs. Johnson gave him a big hug.

"Everything will be alright Emmett. I promise. You made the right decision coming to talk to me. I'm proud of you."

Emmett went home, and he explained to Bella carefully what he had done. e told her what this would mean for them, and the sad possibilities of what could happen. He was smart enough to know that there was a chance they'd be separated, but he hoped it wouldn't happen. They went to bed, each wondering how this would work out. They both had learned through careful research, when Charlie wasn't home, that even once they found you a foster home, there was no guarantee it would be better than the home they were coming from. And they both hoped fervently that this would not be the case for their sibling.

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The next morning, they were surprised to hear the doorbell ring. Emmett hadn't even left for school yet, and they were both worried that the doorbell would wake Charlie and they would get punished for it later. When the two of them looked out, they saw a policeman and a woman in a business suit on the porch. Glancing at each other in confusion, they opened the door.

"Good morning. Is this the Swan residence?"the woman asked kindly.

"Y-yes. Who are you?" Emmett replied.

"I'm Angela. I'm here from the Arizona Children's Welfare Department. Are you Emmett and Bella?"

The two children nodded. As they did, the woman noticed the bruises on Bella's face.

"Where did you get those bruises sweetie? They look like they hurt."

Bella glanced at Emmett nervously. "I-I fell. I'm very clumsy, right Emmett?"

Emmett grinned and nodded.

The woman said, "It's okay. Your brother already told us about everything, remember? Is your father home, Emmett?"

This time, Emmett hesitated before he nodded. The woman noticed this hesitation.

"It's alright. We've come to help you. We know what your father does, and we've come to take him away. He won't ever hurt you again."

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The policeman had come and dragged their father, kicking and screaming, out of the house. The woman had stood by, watching the children's faces. She decided it was time to go.

"Alright kids. We're going to be leaving in a few minutes. Take your time, and go inside and pack up anything you want to take. You probably won't ever be coming back here, so make sure you get everything."

Emmett and Bella slowly walked inside. Now that it was actually happening, they could hardly believe it. They were finally leaving, and their father was no longer going to be able to hurt them. The policeman had made sure to take enough statements and evidence that they didn't have to go to court and testify against Charlie. As happy as they were, they couldn't help but be afraid. Now that this step of the process was done, their thoughts moved on to what would happen to them now.

They knew that there was no guarantee they would be together for very long, even if they did start out in the same orphanage. They knew they would try everything to stay together, because in this scary new world the only things they had were each other.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, some things just can't be avoided.

A/N: I'll try to make this short and to the point: if you read the author's note, then you know it's my first fan fic. Because of this no flames please!!! Criticism is welcome though, so if you didn't like the way something was written go ahead and tell me. Also, I know there are other stories like this one. In fact, one of them is one of my favorite stories, although it's not where I got this idea. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review so I know whether or not to continue!!!!

Twilighter123