My Two Treasures

A/N: All things mentioned - cars, outfits, Bella's eyes - can be found on my LJ: http://magos186.livejournal.com/30267.html

My name is Emmett Matthew McCarty Cullen. I am 95 years old. 20 of those years I lived as a human, but then I was attacked one day while out hunting. I was saved from death by my beautiful wife Rosie. She found me dying and gave me new life as a vampire. They say that for vampires, human memories fade over time, but it's been 75 years now and a lot of my memories are as sharp as the day they happened.

It's true that I don't really remember my parents. Not shocking really, considering I never knew my father. I remember something about him being a traveling salesman, but that's about it. I don't think I ever saw him once, and if I did I was too young to remember. Mama said he came around once and awhile, but after BB…well…he just never came around again.

I was six years old, almost seven, the day my baby sister was born. She was the most beautiful baby. True enough I had never really spent time around babies, but my sister was gorgeous. She had a cute little nose, adorable little heart shaped face, beautiful brown hair that curled when it was wet, and the deepest brown eyes. The first time I held her, she looked up at me with those big brown eyes and I was a goner. It was love at first sight. I made it my mission in life to take care of little Isabella and there was nothing I wouldn't do for her.

When our father ditched Mama for the first time and disappeared for weeks, Mama took a job as a school teacher in town. That's about all I remember of my mother, save for the fact she disappeared eight years later. I always took care of my Izzy. I bathed her, I fed her, helped her learn to walk, to talk…She was such a smart little girl and as she got older she only grew smarter and prettier. No matter what happened, we always had each other. I would always be there for her and she was always there for me. She even tried to help me with my reading. Imagine that. A tiny little seven year old trying to teach her big, thirteen year old brother how to read. See, when my sister was born, I stopped going to school so I could stay home and take care of her while Mama was gone. I was never the smartest kid, so it didn't bother me much. Instead of reading to Iz, I would tell her stories, some made up, some fanciful versions of my hunting trips. I loved to hunt, but I hated leaving Izzy behind. I had nothing against women hunting. Hell one of the best hunters I knew was a girl…but she wasn't my baby sister. I knew how dangerous animals could be and I refused to let my sister get involved with that. So instead, I taught her how to fish.

The two of us were constantly having grand adventures. We were always having fun. She idolized me and I adored her. One day, we came back from a grand fishing trip to find our Mama gone. Everything she owned: her clothes, her knickknacks, her fancy hairbrushes…everything was gone. Including her. Maybe times were too rough and she just couldn't take it anymore. Who knows? I sure as hell don't. How she could abandon her own children is beyond me. I was fourteen years old when I went from being big brother to mother and father for my eight year old sister. Not much changed for us though. I sent Izzy off to school every morning and went to work in a lumber yard. I was at the school everyday when she got out to walk her home. It worked for us. We spent our nights cooking together while she told me about all the things she learned that day. It worked for us for six years.

I was twenty years old when a friend of mine from the lumber yard asked me to go hunting with him. He said he had a good line on the location of a group of grizzly bears. That was a surefire way to get me to go. I loved hunting grizzlies. We planned to go out early the next morning so we could be home (hopefully) in time for supper. Izzy woke up to see me off. She did this every time I went hunting. And she always gave me her necklace. It was something I had made for her after our mother left. It was a silver, oval locket. On the front, "I+E Forever" was engraved. Inside there were two pictures. On the left was a picture of us as kids. On the right was a current picture of us. We took it on Izzy's fourteenth birthday. It was her most treasured possession. Whenever I hunted, she always gave me the necklace and said, "Now you have extra motivation. Bring my two treasures home safely Papa Bear." That's what she called me. Well one of the things. We each had dozens of nicknames for the other. She called me Em, Emmy, Emmy Bear…but she only called me Papa Bear when she was afraid or when I left her to hunt. Just like I only called her Baby Bell when she was scared or when I left her. Then there was Bell, Bells, Bellsie, Izzy…Like I said lots of nicknames for each other.

Every single time I left my little sister, my Baby Bell, my BB, I always brought myself and her necklace, the two things she treasured most in the world, home safely to her. Until that day.

I remember every moment of my human life where my Izzy was involved. I remember our conversations, our special moments, every smile, every hug…but I don't remember how that damn bear got the drop on me that day. All I remembered was promising my sister I'd be home for supper and the next thing I knew, I was in Rosalie's arms. When I woke up, they told me what happened, what I was…but all I could think about was my Bell. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me find her. Not while I was still a newborn. It was for my sister that I tried so hard to control my thirst. When they finally let me go to her, with Edward and Carlisle for back up of course, she was gone. I could no longer smell her in our house…our house where another family was living. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I didn't understand why there was someone else in our house. Where was my Izzy? Was she dead? Did she move? I was so terrified to find out what happened to her. I didn't think I could survive if she was dead.

Edward pulled me into the trees, his hand on my shoulder, while Carlisle went to the house. I have no idea what was said. With my vampire hearing, I should have been able to listen, but the only thing I could hear in my head was my sister's laughter, like bells, and her asking me to come home safe.

When Carlisle returned to us, he told us that according to the family, Isabella McCarty left town the day she found out her brother died. They didn't know where she went. No one did. For years I tried to find her, but it was impossible. She had disappeared without a trace.

I never removed that locket. Not a day went by that I didn't look at the picture of my little Baby Bell. Not a day went by that I didn't wonder what happened to her. Not a day went by that I didn't think of her. Sure, when I was around the family I joked and laughed and smiled…but my smile was never true. It was never the full, deep dimpled, whole face lighting up smile that was reserved for my sister. At night, my Rosie would simply hold me, running her fingers through my hair as I told her stories of my BB. It's been nearly a century since I saw my baby sister and I have missed her every single day. And I will miss her for the rest of my life.