The Cannabean Betrothal by ItzMegan73.pdf

The Cannabean Betrothal by ItzMegan73

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5354724/1/

Prologue

Cannabean. A clannish society, often compared to Amish or Mennonite

communities. Although more accepting of modern conveniences such as

electricity, technology and the like, Cannabeans do not subscribe to the

mainstream ideals that plague modern marriage, nor do they believe in the

dissolution of marriage. Their daily living is centered on their faith, family and a

firm foundation in the Cannabean Way.

Spring was Carlisle Cullen's favorite time of the year. The trees were in bloom,

the animals were alert and all around him the essence of life made its presence

known. More importantly, it was the time of the annual Cullen family picnic. Each

year at the dawning of spring, the Cullen men would bring their families to the

meadow that was the apex of the family property. Carlisle never tired of seeing

his nieces, nephews and grandchildren as they laughed and played and enjoyed

one another's company.

However, this year, it was with a heavy heart that Carlisle looked out at the

grassy knoll, upon his offspring, his three sons. Division had settled upon the

Cullen clan, so palpable that it had a flavor all its own. Brothers, once tighter than

a stranded cord, now stood on opposite ends of the meadow. Emmett, the elder

brother, had grown weary of trying to be neutral and had settled for interacting

with only his wife and children. Jasper, the middle child, and his new bride, Alice,

dealt with a divergence of emotions: his defiance and hers, guilt.

But perhaps Carlisle's greatest source of sadness was his youngest son, Edward.

Even from a distance, he could feel Edward's despair as it rolled off of him.

"Carlisle, maybe you should try talking to him," Carlisle's wife, Esme, said quietly

as she came alongside him.

Carlisle shook his head. "At this point, all I'd be doing is reminding him of his

hurt. He knows we're here for him. If he wants to talk about it anymore, he'll

come to us."

Esme sighed aloud. "Of course. You're right."

However, there was no victory in Carlisle being right about the fact that his son

had suffered an emotional blow that was too painful to ponder. It was something

that Carlisle wouldn't wish upon his worst enemy.

"I just worry about him so much. He's going to be twenty-one in a few weeks and

he hasn't expressed any interest in being introduced to anyone." Esme continued.

"I know. The emotional…and physical…companionship that's lacking in his life…it's

got to be wearing on him." Carlisle agreed.

"I just wish there was something we could do to make things easier on him."

Esme stated softly.

And in that moment, Carlisle knew exactly what she was hinting at: the family

picnics. Aside from his much younger cousins, Edward was the only single male

that was of age to marry. All around him he was bombarded with the evidence of

physical love: children, swollen bellies, modest kisses, embraces…

"The picnics…" Carlisle whispered. It was his favorite event of the year, but it was

hardly a sacrifice for his dear son.

"Of course he'll feign disappointment when you tell him that you're going to

cancel it," Esme said in foresight.

"My next sabbatical from the hospital will be in February. It'll be snowy and cold.

Hardly the weather for a Cullen excursion."

Esme smiled at her husband's ingenious plan before looking back over at Edward.

He had shifted his position to lean against the grand oak tree in the back of the

yard. He wore a small smile as he watched his nieces and nephews play tag in

the dormant winter garden. He looked content. But his parents knew him well. He

was anything but.

There wouldn't be a Cullen family spring picnic for another four years.

~*~

Family. The element of family is essential to the Cannabean community. They are

a clannish society and it is uncommon for the families of sons and unmarried

daughters to stray far from the patriarch. The family patriarch makes all decisions

for his children until sons are of the age to marry and until daughters have been

given in marriage, regardless of age.

Charlie Swan looked down at the russet-colored newsletter he held in his hand.

The Cannabean Chronicle had shrunk over the years, to nearly half its original

size.

"Genson and Wilma's boy had their fourth," Charlie stated to his wife of nearly

twenty-five years, Renee Swan.

"Boy or girl?" Renee asked as she refilled the coffee cup to the left of her

husband's plate.

"Boy. Nine pounds." Charlie answered.

Renee read over his shoulder, purposely ignoring the obituary column. The

Cannabean culture was dwindling in their small town of Billings, Montana. She

didn't want to see evidence of it getting any smaller.

"Is there anything there about the church closing?" Renee asked quietly. She

knew it was a sore subject with her husband, but they had yet to discuss what its

implications were for their family.

The church was an integral part of the Cannabean society, its foundation and

roots. Without it, people began to interpret laws and ordinances to best suit their

own needs, resulting in a watered down version of what they were meant to be.

"We can't stay." Charlie finally said, looking his wife in the eye.

Renee looked down at the table with sad eyes. Billings, Montana was the only

home she'd ever known. Her grandparents and parents, God rest their souls, had

made a living as owners of the town's general store. And though Charlie and

Renee struggled to compete with the likes of Wal-mart and Target, they'd been

able to manage just fine once they'd taken the small store over nearly ten years

ago.

But Charlie was right. They couldn't ignore the fact that the Cannabean way was

becoming extinct. It had been occurring for some years now, but they could no

longer ignore it; not when they had a daughter that was now of marrying age.

Charlie and Renee could not overlook the fact that there was no one they found

suitable for their daughter, Isabella.

And now there wasn't even a church.

"Sam McCutchin said there was a small dwelling of Cannabean's in Forks,

Washington; a couple of families. There's no Cannabean Center, but there is a

church that aligns with the doctrine. There are about twenty-five or so

Cannabeans that fellowship there. It's better than what we have here."

"What about work?" Renee asked.

"That's my concern, not yours." Charlie told her, not sternly, but firmly.

Renee quietly nodded before looking out the kitchen window at her daughter.

Isabella, or Bella as they'd nicknamed her, was sitting on a petrified log with one

of the local homeschool families. As an Education Specialist, it was her job to

make sure the families that utilized state funding for education were adhering to

the mandated curriculum. She often met with them once a month to go over their

lesson plans, test scores and answer any questions. All of her findings were then

typed up into report form that she accumulated for student cumulative files.

When Bella and her father had discussed the idea of college, he'd given her only

two career options: teacher or nurse. To her friends, this seemed like the most

barbaric and ancient concept imaginable, but not to Bella. She had grown up

aspiring to be a wife and a mother, and according to her father, while she was

waiting for the most suitable man to do that with, a profession as a teacher or

nurse would only enhance that lifelong calling.

Now, a recent college graduate, Bella loved her job and often spoke highly of it to

her parents. For this reason, Renee knew her daughter would be sad to leave it,

but she also knew it wasn't her place to argue with her husband.

"When will you tell Bella?" Renee asked, her eyes still staring out the window.

Charlie shook his head as he swallowed a sip of his coffee. "Not until I know what

my plan is. Until then, let's just keep this between us."

Months passed and Charlie made no mention of Forks or moving in general. In

fact, work had even picked up and a young Cannabean family had moved into the

area. Renee was hopeful for the first time in years that there would be a revival

of their culture in the city of Billings. She was sure her husband saw the positive

changes as well, so she was floored at his after dinner announcement that came

one January evening.

"We're moving," he simply stated. "Sam McCutchin was able to set me up with a

job as a rural mail carrier, since I've done it before. It doesn't pay much, but

from what we get from the sale of the store, it should tide us over until I find

something else."

Renee Swan grew pale right before her husband's eyes. "You're…selling the

store?" she asked softly.

Charlie reached across the table and took his wife's hand. "Hon, we talked about

this. We can't stay here. Our way of life is diminishing right in front of our eyes,"

Charlie softened his voice as he spoke.

Renee simply nodded, her eyes focused on the tablecloth. "I thought…things had

gotten better…" she trailed off.

Charlie sat up straight and shook his head. "Temporary. We saw an increase in

business because the Target out on 87 shut down for renovations. As soon as

that's up and running again, business will fall off again. And they put those stores

up overnight almost, so it won't be long before we're barely making it again.

Besides, it's great to put it up for sale now, while business is good. It'll be much

easier to secure financing."

Renee nodded. "You're right."

"Renee, I told you not to worry. Alright? I've always taken care of you. I'm not

going to stop now."

"Of course," Renee offered her husband a shallow smile before looking over at

their daughter.

Up until this point, Bella had been extremely quiet, and when her mother

examined her expression closely, it appeared as though Bella was in favor of the

idea. She certainly didn't look upset.

"Should I put in for a job transfer?" Bella asked her father. "They have a

homeschooling association there."

Charlie nodded. "But we're leaving as soon as the store sells, whether you have a

job or not."

Six weeks later, the store had sold. No one was more shocked than Renee Swan,

as the economy was not good in the area and competition was fierce. Charlie,

however, was convinced that the quick sale was a sign that the decision to move

to Forks was the right one.

And so, four weeks later, the Swan family arrived in Forks, Washington.

~*~

A Broken Betrothal. A offense much more serious than a broken engagement, a

broken betrothal is the public breaking of a moral contract – an assurance of

matrimony. The family of the departing party can be legally held responsible for

all costs associated with the abandoned wedding as well as shunned from the

community.

Edward Cullen sat behind the desk of his small office and looked over the

commodities exchange that was open on the Internet before him. The import-

export business was booming and Edward's business was growing faster than

he'd expected.

Just out of habit, Edward looked up the statistics for the grape industry, just to

see if he saw any negative trends, for his family's sake. He was happy that he

didn't.

The Cullen family was known throughout the Pacific Northwest for its small family

owned and operated vineyard. Edward's mother, Esme had inherited the vineyard

from her parents when Edward and his brothers were young. They had always

gone to their grandparents' home and helped cultivate grapes and make

preserves with their grandmother. So when it came time to take over, there was

more than enough know-how in the family to provide the labor force.

Even though Carlisle already had a solid medical practice, he supported his wife

and sons in their endeavor in agriculture. However, because Carlisle, himself had

separate ambitions, he didn't deny Edward when Edward requested to set out on

his own and start up his own venture.

Initially, it was never Edward's intention to branch out from his family. He'd

studied business at the University of Washington with the expectation of handling

the business side of the vineyard: marketing, accounting, human resources, etc.

After he graduated, Edward had been ready to start the next phase of his life,

settling down and starting a family. But before he could do that, he needed a

place to have a family dwell. He'd hired a contractor, with the help of his family,

and was set to begin building his home in what the family jokingly called 'Cullen

Estates'.

Each male of the Cullen clan owned a two-acre parcel of land that surrounded the

vineyard. Jasper's home was there, as was Emmett's. Edward had been happily

looking forward to aligning his address with his brothers' by placing his home on

a nearby plot.

But things had taken a turn in an unexpected direction and Edward's life was

flipped upside down. The only remedy for the blow he'd experienced was time

and space. The building project was abandoned, and an unfinished foundation lay

as a symbol of its broken owner. Edward had withdrawn into himself, and though

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