Chapter 110

EPOV

The door bell rang for what should have been the last time. Since everyone else had already arrived and been properly introduced by both name and title, I knew exactly who was on the other side of the door.

"Happy birthday uncle Eddie!" Five year old exuberance being thrust on me in the form of a shinny blue gift bag while his two year old sister chimed along “Happy Birthday Uncle Eddie!”

Taking the offered bag I chuckled at Mia's pronunciation as it sounded more like 'Happy Irthz-day Ankle E-dee” but I got the message, the kids were happy to be here as was Jasper who patted my back with a standard man-hug. My sister? She was looking a little...tired, that was a good word and I remembered Bella's suspicion of an unexpected pregnancy.

“Sorry we're running late” Alice said while giving me a hug “Mia slept longer then normal”

“So did you” Jasper added with a kiss to his wife's head and I had to bite my lip to keep from mentioning her possible pregnant condition when Jasper gave me a grin “Plus we had to pull over so Alice could fix her toenails”

Looking down at my sisters feet there didn't seem to be anything wrong them, no bandages, no blood, they looked perfectly manicured all decked out in dark red polish. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Nooo...” Jasper chuckled much to his wife's chagrin “The road was too bumpy so she made me pull over so she could touch up the polish”

"I didn't make you, all I said was it was hard to do while we were moving. You took it on yourself to stop."

"Are you complaining?"

"No...you take good care of me jazzy"

Oh geez...my brother in law was whipped

Yet I recognized and could appreciate the gleam in his eyes as Jasper looked at my sister, it was similar to the same one I shared with Bella. One that expressed an all encompassing, nothing is too much, can't get enough of you, deep, abiding, love. And although I couldn't ever seeing Bella making such a request, I was still absolutely certain, if my girl needed me to pull over so she could properly paint her toe nails, then by god, I'd be pulling the fuck over.

"Aunt Bella!" Vinny's yell followed his taking off at a full run with his sister following 'Ellla!'

“Hey guys” the plastered on smile Bella had been wearing became more real as she squatted down to let the kids maul her. Vinny hugging her neck tightly while she laughed and nearly fell backwards when Mia plowed into her “What are you doing here?”

“It's Uncle Eddie's birthday”

“It is?” Bella questioned Vinny while his sister gave her own reasons “I gonna zing and hab cake”

“Oh boy, that sounds like fun” Bella winced slightly as she picked Mia up before making her way over to us with the child perched on her hip “Hi Alice”

“Hey Bella”

The absence of normal female embracing hadn't escaped me and from the way my girls mouth dropped she too had noticed. Jasper broke the tension by putting his arm around Bella and giving a squeeze “How you doing darling?”

“I'm good...” a hint of dejection coming through before she jerked her head towards where all the noise was coming from “...but it's a mad house in there”

She wasn't lying, there were people everywhere, all yammering at the same time, women feeling each other out over food preparation. The men indulging in a beer while trying to stay out of the way and telling fish stories. In the middle of the whole thing, Seth had commandeered the kitchen table, designating it as 'new computer set up central.'

“The more the merrier” with his arm still draped over her shoulder, Jasper directed Bella and the kids towards the kitchen, leaving me with my sister. Shutting the door, I set the security to monitor just the front of the house before turning to see Alice curiously watching me “Why the alarm? Do you think someone would try to break in with everyone here?”

“We're going to be in the yard most of the day..” seeing she still didn't fully understand I added “...I don't want to take the chance of someone getting in while we're all distracted. It's better to be safe rather than take the risk.”

“It seems like a big pain in the ass to me...”

Not wanting to dredge up the animosity I cut her off “Let's not do this today today Alice, ok?”

“I'm not doing anything”

“You're making comments” I was going to call attention to the snub she gave Bella but decided it just wasn't worth he hassle.

Shaking her head she sighed heavily “whatever Edward...It's your life”

“That I'll agree with...”

“I'm hungry, so can you introduce me to the people of hick-ville, so I can eat”

Feeding into whatever nonsense was fueling my sisters opposition was not going to get me anywhere and frankly, I wasn't too sure there was enough control left in me to keep my cool. Hopefully Alice would remember to maintain that good breeding she seemed so damn proud of and keep her superior attitude to herself. Then again it might be a good thing for our parents to see the snotty little monster they created. The thought occurred to me that it might be a good thing for her to act up because then our mother could put Alice in her place and save me the trouble of having to do it. Just so long as there wasn't any added grief thrust towards Bella - my girl was already dealing with enough.

In a short time span she had gone from gleeful exhilaration on the back of my bike to one emotional turmoil after another. She was holding up under the pressure by pasting a smile on her face and probably doing what she always did - repressing the anxiety.

Worry over Karen's mental state was one thing, there wasn't much to be done about the girl except to remain in constant vigil of her approaching. It worried me more to know that Newton was picked up by the police. I was glad that chapter was behind us, but I was also highly suspicious that he was an important factor in keeping Karen in line. If, as I suspected, Newton truly cared for the girl, then I was sure he made certain she took her medications, kept herself in a clear frame of mind and remained as rational as possible. With him not around, it worried me to think how dependent Karen might have been on his presence and how desperate she might become with it gone.

Once the police had left and we had a chance to sit and discuss everything, I had voiced that concern. My brother who thought grounding Bella was the most hilarious thing he had ever heard of, sided with me and for once, so did Bella. There was no arguing, no hostility and no compromises made. It was decided Bella would not go anywhere outside of the safety of our home without my presence. I wasn't going to risk her safety to anyone but me – that was just the way it was going to be.

The clear distress over the new development was one thing, I understood it and Bella's anxiety made perfect sense. However her poignant distress over the loss of Phil was something I didn't see coming and at first didn't appreciate for what it was. Bella's strident effort to leave the table so she could clean the toilet was what I assumed to be nothing more then her need to 'make everything perfect for the in-laws' kick she had obsessed over earlier. Her response of yelling at me only strengthened my resolve that she sit down, relax with another glass of wine – hell have the whole damn bottle if she needed it. But I didn't want her to be so damn consumed with trying to please my family.

She was correct about comments having been made about the changes in the house. What she failed to see was none of them had been adverse. If anything my family had seen the conversion of my house becoming our home and other then Alice, the reviews have all been positive. The thing Bella didn't seem to get was, even if they weren't, even if my parents had been antagonistic, it wouldn't have made one bit of difference to me. I stopped needing my parents approval on the way I lived my life, a long time ago. I did whatever was needed to be happy and if that meant having ten pairs of Bella's shoes parked under the freaking coffee table, then so be it.

I could understand the human mindset that said the home a woman kept was a reflection on her. The personality and pride of the inhabitants comes through in how 'pretty' the visual aspect is and I wasn't disputing Bella's need to show that. Most of the time she still felt like an invited guest rather then an inhabitant who was entitled to feel comfortable. There didn't seem to be any easy way to change her perception, still I wasn't going to have her freaking out over a damn toilet, which was why I offered to clean it.

Turns out having a squeaky clean bathroom wasn't exactly the problem.

Much like she always does, my girl repressed and pushed all those feelings of loss and anger and regret of Phil's death to the back of her mind. Choosing to see only what she was willing to focus on while everything else just kind of festered. I have to admit at first I was at a loss as to where Bella's fervor was coming from. She had never really spoken of Phil to any great length, a passing word here, a comment there and usually only mentioning his name as an afterthought of association with her mother.

So it never dawned on me Bella had such a strong connection to the man

Bella called him daddy.

A term to her that wasn't to be causally said in the playroom or used in replacement of a title. To Bella the endearment was a representation of the man who was instrumentally important to her. Those early memories of the first man who made her feel safe and loved were the most precious things she carried from her childhood.

Without a doubt I knew exactly what she talking about, because Bella was correct, I had it. My whole entire life I've never had to live without the comfort, security and protection that accompanies the presence of unconditional love. The constant reassurance that someone was there to hold your hand and catch you when you fell. The one who through patience and loving guidance set you back on your feet so you could try again, knowing if you faltered they would be there to do it all over again.

It killed me to imagine Bella not having that kind of stability during those fundamental years of childhood. Worse was knowing the detrimental havoc that came as a consequence. I didn't know why Charlie hadn't stepped in to fill the void, perhaps he didn't know how or maybe he didn't see the need until it was too late. Then again judging from all Bella told me about when she first moved in with him after the death of her mother, it was highly doubtful she would have given him a chance to fill Phil's role in her life.

I had no doubt Bella knew her father loved her, but he wasn't daddy - he was Charlie

Right or wrong that was just the way it was.

Bella kept the memory of a dead man locked away in her heart and embedded in her subconscious to the point where she couldn't stand even the thought of anyone or anything disturbing it. While I listened to her heart wrenching pain bubble up to the surface I struggled with own needs; listening to the cry of a child basically calling out for comfort from the one person she was so sure would have given it to her and knowing she was never going to receive it, was heart breaking.

I was torn between wanting to hold her until it all went away and letting her continue until all the frustration was out. When she repeated the words Phil had said "you dream it baby and I'll make it happen', I about lost my fucking mind. It was in that moment I realized Phil had been her shield, the one saving grace in a world of nothingness. He had been her knight in shining armor, who protected her from monsters, made her feel like a princess and would have slayed the world to fulfill her dreams.

The man might be dead and gone, but his promises remained alive and well in Bella's memory.

So she could keep all the goodness buried inside her heart like a scared relic where she could worship it whenever the need arose. No one - not anyone was going to desecrate that holy ground with cheap insinuations. My girl had been through enough bullshit, I wasn't going to let someone the likes of Caius Salvatore destroy the reputation of a man who's been dead for nearly twenty years. Phil deserved to rest in peace and so did Bella.

The idea of peace was a fleeting wish, I knew Garrett calling to speak with Bella was not good news. Pappy had already mentioned Garrett couldn't join us for the ride because there was some kind of trouble at work. The man owned a restaurant so 'trouble' could be anything from an employee not showing for a shift to a fire in the storeroom.

Turns out this brand of trouble was in the for of an abusive ex-lover not getting it through his head that things were over. So instead of moving on, he decided it would be a good idea to terrorize a woman. The same woman who Bella had a vested interest in protecting, and that news sent my girl over the edge. She could try to hide the worry with a fake smile to everyone else, but she wasn't fooling me.

Garrett's phone call was the proverbial nail in the coffin that set my girl on the verge of losing it. I knew Bella well enough to know the last thing she wanted to do was entertain a house full of people. She'd do it, go through the motions for everyone else- including me- suffering in silence with that damn fake smile of hers. What she really wanted was a good long soak in a tub full of the hottest water she could stand, preferably surrounded by lots of bubbles and a glass of chilled wine.

What she needed however, was a trip to the woodshed.

Or in this case, the playroom.

In other words, Isabella needed some maintenance.

A good session with maybe a nice trip into subspace, would do wonders for helping to clear all the emotional turmoil and stress she's under. Plus I knew damn well the physical exertion required in providing Bella with relief would work it's therapeutic magic on me too.

But alas escaping down to the basement for an hour or two was not exactly conducive with having a house full of people. I didn't know how long everyone was staying and I wasn't sure how to put the possibility of a late night rendezvous into Bella's head. One thing was for certain, as I reentered the kitchen to be bombarded by all the people I sure was going to try.

“Holy Smokes” Skidding to a halt Alice took in the pact kitchen “she wasn't kidding, it is a mad house”

Judging from the round of handshakes taking place it seemed safe to say Jasper had already met everyone but other then the added people nothing much had changed. The women were still working, the men hovered close behind Seth who remained glued to his new toy at the table.

“There you are” Mom called out as she made her way over to kiss Alice on the cheek “I thought maybe Edward might have been showing off that beautiful picture in the dining room they bought.”

Mom had admired the three dimensional rendition of mother nature when she first arrived, staring at it for a few moments before glancing at Bella with a knowing smile; she had seen the same thing in the art work as I did.

“I was with them when Edward bought the picture”

Ignoring the way Alice emphasized my name mom pointed towards the sink “And doesn't the stained glass in the window make the kitchen so much warmer?”

“Bella bought that” the words were more for my sisters benefit however she made me no mind “Yeah I saw it earlier in the week when I dropped off Vinny for his sleepover”

“Well I think it's great that Bella is adding some ...color, to the house”

The tone of voice mom used wasn't so much enthusiasm as it was encouragement which made me wonder if she wasn't more aware of Alice's discord then I thought.

“Come say hello to everybody and met Bella's family” Not giving her a chance to say 'no', mom pulled Alice along, stopping to kiss my fathers cheek and then grams before starting the introductions with Billy.

Taking his hand my sister gave a wide smile as she said “We've actually already met Mr Black"

"Billy..." He corrected with a curious expression “...I'm sorry I don't remember, which is strange since I seldom forget meeting a beautiful woman”

Mom grinned “Isn't he a charmer?"

"I try...” Billy admitted as Bella stepped up next to me and asked him “Are you behaving yourself?”

“Always luh KAH” he said while his eyes followed the movement of my arm as it wrapped around Bella's back, snagging her hip and pulling her tight against my side. “Alice here was just saying we had already met”

“Ah...yeah” Alice replied with a glance to Bella “It was while we were at college...” shifting her focus back to Billy she went on “...Bella and I were on the quad going over an assignment and you came to pick her up”

“Gam-ma...Gam-ma...me wantz juice”

“Mia, it's rude to interrupt, say your sorry”

“Sorry...” she told her mother before saying again “I firstdy”

Bella started to break away from me saying she'd get Mia a drink but mom stopped her “No Bella you stay and talk, I'll take care her...” looking down at my niece mom said in that motherly tone “...and someone is going to get a talking to about the polite way to ask for something”

Excusing herself, mom took Mia by the hand and Alice apologized “Sorry about that, we're still working on manners”

“No worries, I had children Alice, their all the same...now you were saying, I came to pick Bella up”

“Yes...” she chuckled “In a really big dark blue pick up truck. Bella introduced us through your open window, we spoke briefly, then she got in and you left”

“Hmmm..." musing as he tapped a finger to his check before saying confidently ".,,,that was a Tuesday”

Alice laughed “You remember the day?”

“No...”chuckling out the word “they say the memory is the first thing to go, and I don't recall the day at all. But I'm positive it was a Tuesday because that's when I go for therapy. Bella would ride into Port Angels with me, she'd go to class, I'd do my thing and then afterwords we'd stop for Mexican.”

“Every Tuesday?”

“Yup,” giving my sister a nod before smiling at Bella and winking “It was the best day of the week, I had company for a long drive, hot spicy food and quality time with one of my favorite people”

“And don't forget the Sangeria”

Billy laughed at Bella's comment “that too lah KAH, that too”

“That's how Tuesday Night Tex Mex got started with Leah.” Bella told me “When I came home from Dartmouth, Billy came for a visit. Leah made Enchiladas for him and the following week I moved into the house so they came over and it just sort of...stuck”

“Yeah, What do you think about that?” Shifting his eyes between me and Alice to keep us mutually inclusive “I'm the whole reason for the tradition and now they leave me out in the cold”

We had just hosted dinner so the next turn would be at his sons, it wasn't really my place to invite him but I highly doubted Jacob or Leah would mind “Charlie said he wasn't leaving until Wednesday, so there's your chance to join us this week at Jacob's”

Billy pursed his lips as if in disappointment “Charlie and Susie are staying on, I'm going back with Loretta early Tuesday morning, she has an afternoon meeting that can't be missed”

“You have a lady friend?”

Bella took it upon herself to answer my sister's inquiry “He always has a lady friend. There were a few times when he was juggling more then one.”

Laughing Billy didn't seem at all ashamed “A man's gotta live Bella”

“You know I still didn't get the full story about what happened with Betty. You were together for almost six months, I thought you liked her and then next thing I know, I walk into your house and there's Lor-ret-ta”

It must have been in the way Bella said her name, emphasizing each syllable that caused Billy to ask “What's wrong with Loretta?”

“Nothing...she seems nice. It's just you were with Betty and then you weren't”

“hmmm...well Betty and I were ...incomparable” My smile caught Billy's eye grinning slightly he continued “But Loretta, well she's... a mighty fine woman. She's a charge nurse at the hospital and a widower like me, with four grown sons and six grandchildren. Loretta has a...zest for life, she likes dancing, watching old westerns and believe it or not she listens to Hank Williams more then I do. But best of all that woman can swallow...”

The slight pause in Billy's speech had me silently chuckling because unlike Bella I knew exactly why he found Betty incompatible. It wasn't even hearsay, the words came directly from Billy himself during our visit to Forks. The two of us were sitting in Charlie's living room with Jacob and his son had asked the same question Bella did, 'why the break up with Betty.' Billy didn't mix any words when he came right out and said 'after six months the woman still wouldn't smoosh the tip' and that, as the man said 'is very important for a woman to do from time to time, because sometimes you just want to lay back and enjoy.'

Couldn't disagree with that and so in reality the incompatibility was Betty's aversion to putting his dick in her mouth. I highly doubted he was going to inform Bella of that, so Billy's next word was no surprise. “...Lahb like a champ”

“What's Lahb?” Alice wondered

Billy answered quickly “Literally it means plum juice but in actuality it can be made with any fruit. I myself, prefer apricot”

“It's not juice at all Alice” remembering the first time I tasted the so called 'plum juice' and nearly burned my insides out “it's two hundred proof grain alcohol”

“Two Hundred proof?” the astonishment in Alice”s voice was almost comical “What does it taste like?”

“It has a little kick, with the slight taste of whatever fruit was used in making it”

Billy could give my sister that load of shit all he wanted, I was telling the truth “Fire, Pure Fire. Damn near thought my insides were going to disintegrate the first time I had some”

Laughing at my side Bella reminded me “I tried to stop you...”

“You did baby...” kissing her head I added “...but everyone was taking big gulps of the stuff, so I wasn't expecting it to melt my taste buds off...”

“Was it that bad?”

Answering my sister I told her “Lets just say, it's an acquired taste that once you get used to, isn't so bad. The trick with Lahb is starting out with small sips and working up to chugging it back with the big boys. Now Bella here...” squeezing her tighter to my side “...she's like Loretta, she can swallow...”

I realized the implication of that statement a moment too late; Billy cleared his throat and even through I hadn't intended on implying anything lewd, the words were already out there so I finished “...Lahb like a champ. Which reminds me...” wishing to make up for my slip of the tongue I offered “there are two jars of Quil's grandfathers private stock out on the patio table”

“Old Quil's uh?”

“Yes, and he made me promise to make sure you knew where they came from”

“Yeah, that sounds just like the old coot” switching his attention to Alice he said “It's not as good as mine but you'll have to try some”

“Ahhh...” my sisters hand automatically went to her belly and Bella quickly changed the subject by saying “Edward can you get the grill started?”

“I'm on it baby, can you finish introducing Alice?” At her nod I gave Billy an offer he couldn't refuse “How would you like to help out by popping open some jars for me?”

“I thought you'd never ask” he said with a satisfied grin before addressing my sister “It was very nice to meet you Alice...again”

There's must be something about putting raw meat on an open fire that spoke to a man's inner caveman mentality, because all I said was 'I'm going to start the grill' and every available male joined me. Emmett passed around a fresh round of beer while Vinny ran around the yard with Seth – the dog- chasing tennis balls and four grown men gathered around to make sure I turned the knobs correctly and press a button. A small whiff of propane proceeded the sudden burst of heat and as the flame caught, I half expected them to begin grunting with excitement.

A moment later the screen patio door opened revealing a disgruntled teenage boy who was rather upset that he had been – and I quote – 'kicked out by a bunch of bossy women'

"You don't want to be in there anyway" Jacob assured him "they might put an apron on you again"

"Dude you let them put an apron on you?"

Seth didn't find the predicament as funny as Emmett did “I didn't let them...they tortured me”

Jacob laughed in agreement “They did”

“Seriously I had two older sisters and all their friends...they'd paint my nails, curl my hair, try out new lipstick on me.”

Seth took offense at our resounding laughter “It's not funny. You don't know what it was like growing up with them”

“I had older sisters” Jacob's declaration didn't carry much weight with Seth “Yeah...like a year older. That doesn't count...you still got all the benefits”

“What benefits?”

“Two words...” he declared while making a peace sign “Slum-ber Parties”

The chuckling only brought more teenage rational “I mean it...if I had sisters closer to my age, sleepovers would have been the greatest nights of my life. All those girls running around...I could have had my pick. Instead all I get is a bunch of my sisters friends telling me how cute my butt used to be. Now...” addressing my brothers he asked “...does that sound fair to you?”

Before they could respond, Charlie came out of the house, carrying a tray of burgers and various brats. Setting it down on the side table he pointed out "those are cheddar, those are hot. I'm suppose to tell you don't over cook them or they will dry out...” point his finger at me Charlie said “that was from your mother. Bella wants me to tell you to cook her a cheddar brat the way she likes it. In other words...burnt"

It wasn't the word that made me laugh, but the way Charlie had said it. Deepening his voice and expressing a mixture of disgust and disbelief yet total deference as if he just couldn't believe someone would actually request such a thing.

Apparently dad couldn't either or maybe he just never really paid much attention to my girls eating habits because he wondered "Bella wants her hotdog burnt?"

"She calls it crispy..." Charlie explained "...but its way beyond that. You couldn't even call it well done or charbroiled, it's just plain old burnt.” Seeing dads disbelief he held up hand “I don't ask, I stopped questioning Bella's eating habits twenty years ago. As long as she's going to eat it, then I burn em." Lowering his chin, Charlie gave me a resigned look "I suggest you do the same thing, else she won't eat or she'll just put the damn thing back on the grill and burn it herself"

"Got ya" I said putting the burgers on the grill and one cheddar brat for my girl so it'd be extra crispy

"Here Charlie, you look like you could use one of these" my brother playing bartender again by handing him a cold beer

"Can ya tell? You all left me in there to fend for myself." sighing while twisting off the cap grumbled "...and those women bout drove me crazy. A whole damn kitchen full of them, all blabbering at the same time. Even the little one got in on the act...” catching Jasper's eye Charlie asked a“...yours right?”

Getting a nod of conformation he continued talking “Well she's a beauty and smart...she was going on and on about her dress and hair and the new baby that's coming”

Jasper nearly choked on his tongue “Mia told you that?”

“Oh yeah” Charlie perked up like it was Christmas morning “...she told the whole room...I don't think she was suppose to”

“No she wasn't” Jasper said assuredly while Emmett questioned “So it's true? You knocked up my sister...again”

“No I impregnated my wife...and what do you mean by 'it's true'...” glancing toward dad Jasper wondered “someone already told you?”

Defending himself Dad quickly assured him “don't look at me” and before any more accusations could be made I explained how Bella came to the conclusion Alice was pregnant. The crying jags, the doctor appointment, the blood test, and the moodiness all pointing to the possibility. Flipping the burgers I added with a grin “Bella's very intuitive”

“She is at that” Billy agreed and Charlie picked right back up “She has her moments, that's for sure and that little Alice was not none to happy about the little one spilling the beans.”

“We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while”

“Well...little ones don't understand keeping secrets, so the best way to keep their mouths shut is by not telling them in the first place.”

Daddy laughed “that's very true” then just to bring he subject to a close Charlie tipped his beer bottle in Jasper's direction “Anyway, congratulations on the new addition. I hope it all goes well for you and with any luck, it'll be a boy.”

You had to love Charlie, he wasn't a man of many words but what he did say was always directly to the point. Amongst the congratulatory back pats and well wishes Bella came out with a food platter tucked under her arm. “How are those burgers coming Edward?”

“Almost done babe” Nodding to me my girl turned her attention to Jasper, staring at him with a big shit eating grin which he returned “Go ahead darling...say it”

“You're going to be a daddy again” the excitement in Bella's voice came out loud and clear

“I know” Jasper's tone mimicking hers “and apparently you did too”

“No...” Bella's face turned grave “I didn't know...I just kind of...thought maybe...anyway Alice is...” unable to think of the correct word Bella took a cue from her father by come right out and asking “Is she alright, she doesn't seem herself”

“She's good. We were both a little surprised but don't worry, after the initial shock wore off, we could appreciate the blessing.”

“Well for what it's worth, I think it's great!”

“Thanks Bella”

Her smile remained as she spoke to me “So I can give an ETA on the food of about...five minutes?Because they're getting hungry in there”

“Cooking them as fast as I can babe, I got some hungry men out here too”

“Edward, my kitchen full of pregnant women trumps your group of men, any day so...hurry it up”

And then the gesture Bella made had me standing there with my mouth hanging open in total shock as I watched her replace the dirty food platter with the one she brought out and marched – yes she MARCHED - back into the house.

Blinking a few times I turned to the person next to me - who just so happened to be Jacob - and asked in disbelief “Did she... just...snap her fingers at me?”

“Yup she sure did.” his chuckle was drowned out by all the other snickers along with dad's clear enjoyment of Bella's chutzpa as he patted my shoulder “You better get cooking son”

“Yeah or Bella's going to come back out here” my bother's comment was expanded upon by Seth “Then you'll be in big trouble”

More snickers at my expense were exchanged as I turned off the grill and loaded up the clean tray with food; knowing damn well someone was going to find themselves in trouble, and it sure as fuck wasn't me.

“Four minutes” I announced proudly while setting the tray down and pointed to the blackened brat “that crispy enough for you nâhtötse?”

“Perfect” the kiss I received almost made me forget about the snapping fingers. Instead I tucked it to the back of my mind for later reexamination.

The center island was covered with food, admittedly most of it was remnants from the previous day yet Bella had created quite the feast. There was everything from basic picnic salads, baked beans and dirty rice to trays of baked ziti, scalloped corn casserole and some kind of stuffed cabbage dish that surprisingly smelled so good it made my mouth water.

I wasn't the only one who thought so because no sooner had I stepped away when the line started forming. Everyone was filling up their plates like they hadn't had a decent meal in a week. Bella made her way out to the patio with a plate of food which I had mistakenly assumed was for her. Then again had I looked more closely it would have been obvious it wasn't. A few minutes later she was back in the kitchen, filling up drinks and getting juice boxes for the kids before returning back out the patio door.

When Bella came back she went to the sink, squirted soap in the basin and started filling it with water as if she was going to do the dishes. Seeing as it didn't appear like she was going to be getting her food anytime soon, I figured it was time to step in.

“You going to eat babe”

There really wasn't much she could say, mostly because I wasn't really asking, yet keeping her eyes on the sink she muttered “Ahhhh...I need to...”

What she needed to do was sit her ass down next to me and eat with everyone else. Stepping up beside her I reminded her “You didn't eat breakfast”

I ate...” she said while snapping her head in my direction but I wasn't going to let think she could bullshit me “Pushing food from one side of the plate to the other does not constitute eating.”

“I didn't push...”

Raising my eyes at the defensiveness I quickly cut her off “You most certainly did and you haven't had anything else all day.”

“Edward, I'm...”

I knew damn well what she was going to say and frankly I didn't want to hear it, tipping her chin up with my index finger I warned “Don't tell me you're fine...because I know your not. There is a lot on your mind that's causing you to be...off balance”

That was more true then she might have wanted to admit, however until we were alone there was nothing to be done about it. In the mean time, Bella was just going to have to do the same as I was 'grin and bare it'. During times of stress, it was her nature to shut down whatever is bothering her by focusing on more repetitive, familiar task such as cleaning. It was in my nature to see that while she was unsettled that my girl still take care of her basic needs and I wasn't exactly a man who took 'no' for an answer.

Just to make sure I had her undivided attention my finger pressed up on her chin, lifting it a little higher “...you still need to eat. So dry your hands, get yourself a plate of food, sit down next to me and be with our families, who came here to spend the day with us”

Taking a deep breath Bella resigned herself “OK...”

“OK” I repeated before taking advantage of the position her mouth was in by kissing it, then removing my hand from her chin I smiled “Good, because somebody has to eat that extra crispy brat”

She did as I asked, filling a plate with not only the blackened brat but also a small serving of each item. Drizzling baked beans over her potato salad, adding an extra spoonful of coleslaw and finishing off with a big glob of ketchup. While she pour us each a glass of iced tea, Seth came in to ask about putting music on. Bella already had her Ipod in the dock, and I showed him how to switch the sound so the to the outside speakers. Reminding him to keep the volume at a level that wouldn't obscure conversation, I got my own plate and we joined everyone else on the patio.

We had set collapsible tables on each side of patio set with folding chairs, to provide enough seating for everyone. It worked out well except that along with the wicker set the covered patio was rather full. Bella described it as cozy, whatever it was, the layout was working. The Cullen's and the Swan's had intermingled themselves and were getting to know each other by holding simultaneous easy going conversations.

The two empty spots left for us were at the center of the original table. Bella took the seat next to my grandmother while I sat to her left by my brother who was talking with Charlie across from him. From the gust of what I caught as I sat down they were discussing Emmett's upcoming football season.

“So you have mostly upperclassmen?”

“Yes...” my brother nodded while wiping his mouth “Eight seniors and twelve juniors”

“That's a good set up for next year, how about the underclassmen, do they show promise?”

“Some, another year of weight training and working with them should bring them right along”

“Well that will be something to look forward to. I like going to the state playoffs, it would be even better if I knew someone in them”

While Charlie was talking I watched Bella mixing a bunch of coleslaw into the rice before she started cutting up the blacked cheese brat into tiny pieces and started string it all together while still listening to her father say. “The Spartan's made it to states twice”

“Spartans?” mom interrupted by leaning forward around Billy.

“Forks High School are the fighting Spartan's”

“Isn't that funny...” mom smiled warmly “Bainbridge High School are the Spartan's too”

It was true my high school was the Spartans and mom seemed to find it even more fascinating as she glanced towards Bella and I “One more thing the two of you have in common”

“I'm sure there are a lot of schools with that mascot dear. But unlike Forks our football team never made it past playoffs”

“Well Forks did, two years running. The first time we made it to the third round, the following season one of the lineman missed a block. Jimmy got sacked in the backfield, tore his knee up but good and that was the end of us.” Beside me Bella's breath hitched while Charlie shook his head. “I'll say one thing for that kid, he had one hell of an arm”

“Yeah ask Bella how good of an arm he had” Leah's muttered words had Bella's head snapping in her direction with a glare at her sister that plainly said 'shut up' and the action caused Emmett to quickly catch on “Jimmy? Is that Bella's...?”

There was no need for him to finish as Charlie nodded and my brother asked “He played football?”

“He sure did, was pretty good at it too, UW offered him a full ride but once he got injured...” Leah scoffed “He was never given any scholarship Charlie”

“He sure was, Maggie told me”

“Maggie is full of bologna”

While they were debating, Rose wondered who Maggie was and as Sue answered by saying 'Bella's ex-mother-in-law' Leah leaned over at ask “Bella did UW or any other college try to recruit James?”

She had remained quiet throughout the whole exchange, focused on her food as if it was the only thing in her world. Given she had been asked a direct question Bella had no choice but to answer, shaking her head she spoke without looking up “No”

Staring at his seemingly disinterested daughter a long moment, Charlie grunted “Uh...are you sure?”

Lifting her head Bella told her father “Positive”

“Now why would she tell me he did?”

Bella shrugged while Jacob wondered when this conversation had taken place and after a moments thought Charlie recalled “It was soon after Bella left for Dartmouth”

Humorless laughter came from the end of the table where Leah came to her own conclusion “That's why...the witch was jealous. Bella was getting a chance to live her dream and it was flipping killing her”

“If he was that good” Emmett thought out loud “it's a wonder that even a smaller college didn't pick him up”

“Not really his GPA totally sucked what was it Bella like a one-point-two?” Bella corrected her sister “Two-point-three”

“Ohhhh...” Emmett hummed in understanding while Charlie said “So that's like what a 'C'...you can get into college with that”

“Not a good one, he probably would have needed a few semesters of community college under his belt and then applied. It's easier to get into a four year school as a transfer student then an incoming freshman”

“Yeah just like how Bella got into Dartmouth”

All eyes went to Alice but it was Leah who stared down to the other end of the table at my sister “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing...just, like Emmett said transfer students are considered more favorably...it's easier for them to get in”

“I think Dartmouth would be rather difficult to get into no matter what year you apply”

“Absolutely” my father agreed with his mother then wondered “Why Dartmouth Bella?”

It was the way dad said the word why that made Bella defensive “What do you mean?”

“Don't get me wrong it's a wonderful school and I was proud of both boys for going there. However Dartmouth wasn't Emmett's first choice,”

Mom spoke up telling everyone “He wanted to go to Notre Dame”

“Couldn't get in”at Emmett's admission dad explained why “Notre Dame has a policy for admission that requires a letter of recommendation from a family member who's a graduated alumni. Without one the applicant won't even be considered.”

“Really?” Sue questioned “That sounds really...stringent”

“It sounds incestuous”

“You know it Plastic Man” Emmett bellowed as he jabbed a finger in Jasper's direction “Who wants to be stuck in the middle of Indiana anyway”

In hind sight Emmett was able to say it didn't matter, as a seventeen year old boy he had been so disappointed there was practically no living with him. He whined and moped around, threatening to change his last name because if he couldn't be one of the Fighting Irish, then he didn't want to be Irish at all.

With Emmett's reason for choosing Dartmouth out of the way dad got to mine “And Edward went there just to prove his brother couldn't outshine him.”

While dad snickered in my direction I muttered “That's not why I went”

“Yeah it is, the little twit was always following me around...then again” Emmett surmised “when you got the best as an example”

Everyone chuckled while I muttered under my breath 'the best my ass' and dad wondered “Then why didn't you pick one of the other colleges that had accepted you?”

He had me there.

Truth be told, at the time I was still not over the death of my cousin and there was no way I would have been emotionally stable enough to be on my own. Even though New Hampshire was all the way on the other side of the country, it felt safe because I knew Emmett would be there. I certainly wasn't going to admit that so instead I answered with a half truth “They had the best pre-med curriculum”

“ A lot of good that did” the words were said under his breath however I still heard them along with everyone else. Before I could respond dad got back to his original point “So why Dartmouth Bella?”

Leaning over Charlie said “I can answer that”

Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out his wallet and flipped through the pictures, removing one from between the protective plastic. Handing it to mom who let out an 'awwww' as she shared it with my father.

“Adorable...” looking up from the picture he gazed across at Bella, who must have known what they were seeing as she was turning beet red when dad asked “What were you...four? Five?”

“It was my forth birthday. Phil and my mom had been seeing each other for a month or so...he gave me the big teddy bear, it was wearing the shirt.”

Mom held the photo a second longer before she realized that the ends had been folded over, opening it up she gasped “OH My...” her eyes shifted across to Bella then to the picture she as holding a few times before saying “Wow, the resemblance to your mother is...”

"I know she looks just like Renee"

Billy added to Sue's assessment "Renee was a beauty"

"No wonder you whisked her off to get married so quickly" unaware my mom knew the particulars of his love life Charlie turned red in the face. “Someone telling you stories Esme”

"Bella telling you stories?"

"A little birdie might have mentioned it" Mom said with a grin in Bella's direction as she passed off the photo into my grandmother's waiting hands. Studying it for a moment before saying "I'm assuming this handsome young man is Phil?”

Bella only nodded as she stared at the photo in my grandmother's hands and spoke almost robotically “Phil went to Dartmouth”

Phil went to Dartmouth?

It shouldn't have surprised me, after all, his mother had been a student there. Bella told me Phil was raised by his grandmother, who lived very close to the college. So it would have made sense, perhaps he came from generations of alumni.

While those thoughts roamed through my mind Bella continued with an emotionless tone “He played baseball...was really good at it...”

Holy Hell...Philip Dwyer...why didn't I recognize the name?

“...he held a bunch of records for home runs and stuff like that...” I literally felt my mouth drop open as Bella's next words sunk into my brain “by the time I got there someone else had broken most of them”

Emmett's dry laughter came from over my shoulder “Do you know who that someone was?”

Bella's head started shaking before the word 'no' left her mouth and Emmett laughed harder as he clapped my shoulder “It's the same someone you sleep with every night”

Across the table Charlie cleared his throat but all I could focus on was the shocked expression coming from my girl “You? Edward, you were the one who broke all Phil's records?”

Yup...I sure did

Oddly I started feeling guilty, like my achievements were somehow causing sorrow for the woman I loved. “I'm sorry baby”

“I don't care about that...but...” tilting her head she asked “wh...why didn't you tell me?”

Tell her what? What was I suppose to tell her?

“Honest babe...the thought never crossed my mind and until you said he played baseball for Dartmouth...I never put the two together.”

The picture was handed to me and I stared at the most adorable little girl standing on a chair in front of a huge brown teddy bear. Bella said the sweatshirt had been on the stuffed animal but at the taking of the picture she was the one wearing the oversized dark green Dartmouth shirt. She was proud as could be, with pink ribbons holding the ends of her long braids and sporting a big smile that lite up her whole face.

The woman sitting on the left was obviously her mother, just as Sue had said, Bella's resemblance to her mother was uncanny. Billy had also been right, she was beautiful; leaning into her daughter as if to protect her from falling or perhaps keep her from jumping in excitement. On the opposite side, Phil smiled for the camera. He looked very much relaxed with a supporting arm around Bella's back and the other resting on the table next to a half eaten birthday cake.

Seeing the happy little family it came to me “That's why going to Dartmouth was so important to you...." looking into her forlorn face I questioned “...because of Phil?”

“No...I wanted to go because of me. He might have woken the dream up, but it was still all mine.”

Taking the picture from my hand Emmett asked “So you never told us which res hall you lived in”

“um...three-fourteen Wheeler”

I completely understood Emmett's show of distaste, Wheeler was the oldest residence hall and although I never had to live there, I knew some who have.

“What about the second year?”

“Same place...that was my room”

“You drew the same crappy room in the lottery two years in a row?”

“I didn't draw anything” I was glad to see even with James and Phil being the topic of conversations Bella had returned to eating as she talked. Using her fork she picked up a hunk of baked bean covered potato salad, wrapped a sliver of tomato sauce covered cabbage around it. Then rolled the whole thing around in the rice and coleslaw mixture she had made before topping the whole thing off with a slice of sweet pickle. Holding the loaded fork a few inches from her mouth while she finished talking.

“When I got my award letter, the room assignment had already been given to me. So that was my room”

Scrunching her face she added “...and it wasn't crappy” before shoving the fork in her mouth and chewing with a dissatisfied expression.

“It was an old building, but really the whole campus had been around for like...two hundred years or something like that so what do you expect.” Jacob added to the discussion “The room was huge, it was like a little apartment with a sitting room that came with a fridge, TV and Microwave...”

His wife added “It had a separate bedroom and she had her own bathroom”

“Half of bath”

“You had a two room apartment in Wheeler?” the disbelief in my brother's voice changed to extreme curiosity “What do you mean by award letter?”

While I explained to my brother about Bella's scholarship, from the corner of my eye, I was watching her reload the fork and taking notice that she changed things around. A piece of Ziti noodle became the base used to wrap the cabbage around. Next was a piece of the hamburger and rice that was used to stuff the cabbage with. Smearing ketchup over the top she then added some corn casserole, a broken piece of potato chip and of course a pickle.

“I didn't know Dartmouth gave full scholarships” Mom added to the conversation while eying Bella as my brother assured her “They don't”

“Well I got one” Bella said before popping the masterpiece in her mouth.

As she chewed a look of complete satisfaction came over her and a moan reverberated from deep inside her chest that made my dick swell. “Nailed that one uh babe?”

“Mmmm um” she purred liked a contented kitten and in spite of the the painful pressure in my lower region I just had to chuckle while Jasper questioned from the other end of the table “Was that Bella?”

Across the table dad laughed “I see what you mean Charlie”

“Told you. I don't ask, I don't watch and I don't listen”

“What happened?” Bella's question was answered by her sister “Your making love to your food again...knock it off...” she giggled “...there's children present”

A deep crimson red flushed over her cheeks but Emmett seemed to be onto something and wasn't about to give up “Wheeler doesn't have two room apartments and you say they just assigned you the room...you didn't have to put your name into the lottery?”

“No, when I got the acceptance letter, it came in a big thick envelope with everything in there. The packet was filled with course schedules, maps of the campus and the name of my adviser. It also contained my award letter, saying I was the recipient of a SANZ scholarship.”

Sands?...Sands?

For some reason the name sounded familiar yet I was still listening to Bella “It provided two years of full tuition, housing, meals and a small allowance for books or other necessary supplies. And in that packet was a letter from housing with my room assignment.”

“That was a very generous award.” Dad commented “Did you apply for the Sands Scholarship? Was it an award for psychology majors? Or perhaps given to young women to further their education?”

“I didn't specifically apply for it...” Bella went on to explain how her adviser at community college helped her fill out the application. “He made sure that I dotted the 'I's' and crossed all the 'T's' before I sent it in for early consideration and he's the one who had me fill out a general scholarship form.”

“The one that says you'd be open to receiving a scholarship?”

Nodding at my question Bella said “That's the one”

Everyone fills those out, they are standard forms used by the financial aide office to allow them access into a students account. It's basically nothing more then an arbitrary consent to keep them from having to continually contact the student anytime funds are transferred.

“And from that one form, you received this Sands...S-A-N-D-S...” my father's tone was full of skepticism and Bella corrected him “No...not sands like at the beach ...it's S-A-N-Z...” spelling it out before saying “SANZ”

Dad quantified “But it was a private scholarship not one awarded directly from the school”

“I ..I, don't know”

“And this SANZ...” Dad saying the word brought on the same feeling of familiarity, like I had heard it before “...did you know where it came from?”

“Do you think there was something shady going on?” the police man in Charlie started jumping to conclusions which my father quickly put to rest “No...I'm sure since the college accepted the payments from the benefactor, then it was a legitimate scholarship award. It's just a rather large endowment that makes me think you were either a very lucky young woman or...”

Bella finished dads words “...someone did it on purpose”

Dad's lips came together in a thin line as his eye brows rose “I can't say but it sure seems like you had a guardian angel”

“Hey Bella what year did you go to Dartmouth?” I was so enthralled with the conversation occurring that I hadn't seen Seth retrieve his computer. Yet he must have since there he was with it sitting open in front of him”

“Why?”

“Well you said your room was in Wheeler three-fourteen...right?” at her nod he looked back to the screen “that's listed as a two room triple, I was just wondering if it was different when you were there.”

Bella told him the two years she spent in New Hampshire and after a few minutes he searching, his findings didn't make any more sense “Ummm...both years that room is listed as privately occupied and unavailable”

Letting that information process in my mind, I couldn't get rid of the nagging thought that I was missing something “Seth look up the SANZ scholarship, see if there's anything listed about it”

“Already have it” Looking at the screen he began reading.

“The SANZ Scholarship program was established in nineteen-ninety-four by the family of Professor Victor Salvatore as a memorial to alumni. The ten thousand dollar a year endowment was created to provide financial aide to highly motivated junior and senior men who have committed themselves to both their education and the sport of baseball.”

Baseball?

“Oh my God, that's where I heard it” every eye landed on me, they all seemed highly interested in what I had to say but my priority was Bella so that's where I turned my attention. “When you said SANZ, I knew I'd heard of it, I just couldn't remember when. Now I do, one of the guys on the team was a recipient of the scholarship. I remember him talking about how he had to keep a rather high GPA, do community service and remain a member of the team in order to keep it.”

“That's right...it says all that right here” Seth continued “Recipient's are required to perform a minimum of ten hours community service per month. They are to remain in good standing with the coaching staff as well as their fellow team mates. They are to maintain a GPA of three-point-five or above, with a focus of study in the arts, humanities or social services. They are to have a very clear intent of furthering their education to the graduate level with aspiring goals of achieving their doctorate degree or PhD.”

As Seth finished talking, it was completely quiet for ten whole seconds until my father asked what was most important to him “Do you have aspirations of getting your doctorate Bella?”

Charlie wondered “How comes if it's only a ten thousand dollar scholarship, they paid your whole bill? Which for two years of school, was right around a hundred grand.”

However it was Emmett who had the best question of them all “How the hell did you get a baseball scholarship?”