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?”

Chapter 109

BPOV

“So let me get this straight”

Needing clarification, Emmett removed the casual arm he had across the back of Rose's chair, straighten in his seat and took on a a look of contemplation. His voice projected out across the kitchen table to address both Edward and I, however his focus was on his brother. Throughout the half hour or so we had been sitting there, Emmett had been unusually quiet. Like the rest of us, he 'd been intently listening to Edward weave a tale that was just, for a lack of better words – fucked up.

“Wait” he said pushing his chair away from the table “I need another beer to deal with this shit”

Edward tipped his bottle to show it was almost empty and Emmett nodded before scanning my empty wine glass and asked his wife “Do you need more juice babe?”

“No I'm good”

My sympathy went out to Rose, who due to being pregnant was forced to endure without the assistance of alcohol. I don't know how she was handling all the information with only Orange Juice but one things for sure, she was doing a whole hell of a lot better then me. I had already downed two glasses of wine and was beginning to stare longingly at the jars of Lahb. The topic of conversation was not exactly on my top ten list of favorites. Each time I thought it couldn't get any worse, Edward just kept talking and it fucking did – Get worse

Like on a scale of one to ten, on the fucked up worse shit-o-meter, we had just hit thirty-seven.

I knew from the moment we pulled into the driveway and saw that patrol car, the day Edward had tried to save for me had gone south. To be honest from the moment Claire reminded me of everyone converging on the house I was struck with a premeditation of impending calamity. The idea of having both Edward's family and mine get together for his birthday seemed like a good idea when I first thought of it. At the realization of only having a few short hours before my suggestion became a reality, pure unadulterated panic set in.

They were all going to be at the same place at the same time. All of them, the young and the old, the tall and the small. Every single one of them, including Billy and Edward's grandmother, all together, watching how the two of us interact with everyone. It was the first time they were going to see the dynamics associated with the relationships we shared. They were going to get to know each other, and each and every one of them was going to be making that all important first impression.

I must have been out of mind to suggest such an encounter.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my family, Sue has always treated me as one of her own and I knew she would help keep Charlie in line. Because lets face it, as a whole my father is not a talkative person, but every now and then he gets in the mood and when he does, there is a tendency to say things he shouldn't. Especially when Billy is around to act as his 'wingman' and there's jars of fresh brewed Lahb flowing to loosen his tongue. Dad was a stark fifth generation Democrat who praised Roosevelt's new deal as the greatest feat in American history and thought Ronald Reagan was the anti-christ. Give him three gulps of old Quil's home brew and Charlie's not only going to think it, he's going to say it.

Plus I had to contend with Leah, who spoke without thinking about what she was saying, often times to the point of being crude. The only saving grace I had was Jake, he'd help smooth things over and of course Seth, who had so much man-child magnetism, no one could resist his charm.

Having my family at the house would have been bad enough, mixing them with the Cullen clan, all of a sudden seemed like a recipe for disaster. So far Edward's parents were wonderful, Carlisle was warm and fatherly, stating straight out he considered me a daughter. My lunch with Esme had gone smoothly, she was friendly and even a bit territorially protective over me.

Yet I couldn't forget Carlisle's bewilder expression when I told him of my preference for collecting rocks rather then t-shirts. Or Esme's distasteful reaction at hearing the location of Leah's baby shower. They both had a bigger is better mentality, which was something I had never in my life aspired to attain. I have never been ashamed of how I was raised or where I came from, my father worked hard, we lived modest but we lived well. There was always food on the table, clothes on my back and a roof over my head. I was raised in simple surroundings that were far removed from the life the Cullen's lived and that fact was about to haul off and slap them in the face.

I could see that rude awaking producing the same look of revulsion on Esme and Carlisle as the one that was there when they happened upon us at the beach. Edward and I were on the patio, I was in my nighty, kneeling before him when they walked along the beach and caught us. It wasn't a shining moment and it was made worse by his parents clear disgust. Specifically Esme, who's disapproving glower made me feel like a derelict.

That look she gave me was forever etched in my mind along with Esme's low opinion of Jane. On the surface Edward's mother was cordial, almost to the point of forced benevolence, while underneath the hostility ran deep. Jane was the warmest, most honestly compassionate person I have ever met. I could not imagine her doing anything so heinous as to evoke that kind of malice from someone, especially family. Knowing Jane the way I did, it was safe to say, if she had commented a wrong, even unintentionally, she was the type of person who would walk through fire to make amends.

So the only conclusion to draw from the situation was that Esme clearly disapproved and detest her brother and his wife's choice of lifestyle. For that reason, because she couldn't openly reject Aro, Esme transfers the blame and therefor projects the aggression she feels unto the other participant - Jane.

It occurred to me, if Edward's mother could behave that way towards her sister-in-law, she could do the same thing to me. And I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind if the outward acceptance of me in Edward's life was nothing more then a show of latent disapproval. After all it would stand to reason, just as a sister couldn't openly scorn her brother, she surly wouldn't project her contempt onto her son either. Which since Jane bares the brunt of rejection, under the same circumstances, the target would be turned to me.

From the time their child is born, mothers start dreaming of the kind of person they will grow to be. Edward has not exactly lived up to that expectation, quitting medical school, twenty-eight and still unmarried with -as he put it – a propensity for all things kinky.

I could see how his life choices might cause a mother concern, especially since Edward told me, Esme was holding out hope for he'd meet the woman who'd lure him away from the 'dark side'. Someone who would stand by him as he took his rightful place among peers and make a picture perfect family that included lots of pretty babies.

Not in anyway, shape or form, was that woman going to be me.

If the acceptance Edward's mother offers s based on her assumption that I was going to fulfill her dreams and the outward smile on her face is simply masking underlying disappointment, eventually the resentment would manifest. It would only be a matter of time before Esme realized her dream was dead and gone and it wouldn't take much effort for her to fall back on to the learned behavior she had thirty years to customize. I would be the loser in that situation and suffer the same fate as Jane, tolerated, yet always serving as constant reminder of life's greatest disappointment.

Claire's mention of changing the sheets brought all those thoughts to the forefront of my mind. I didn't want to be a disappointment to Edward's family. I didn't want to be shunned off as nothing but collateral damage brought on them by a wayward son or brother. Alice was already starting to act indifferent. I would like to believe her behavior was little more then mood enhancing pregnancy induced hormones, but something told me that just wasn't the case.

Call it woman's intuition, discernment or just a nagging suspicion, it doesn't really matter, because nothing changed the fact that there is a problem with Alice and according to what I could tell, her problem is with me. No one has actually come right out and said anything but the little hints made by people couldn't be denied. Things like Emmett's comment about her being upset over not having access to Edward's house. Or the look I sometimes got from Dougie whenever Alice's name was mentioned. The most tell all sign came from Edward's reluctance to let me acknowledge his sister's antagonism. At the mere mention of Alice's name, he'd immediate try dropping the subject, telling me he'll handle her, or worse saying he didn't give a shit about her deteriorating attitude. All his indifference was only serving to feed my skepticism.

Alice and I were never really close friends, I only knew her prior to meeting Edward for a brief time at college. She joined in a few study groups, not many because our intended majors were different, yet like any underclassman, the core group of courses are all the same. We never spent time together outside of school. Between keeping my grades up, working part-time and taking care of all that came with being married to James, I had very little time for socializing.

Once we re-connected, Alice seemed pleased I was with her brother. In fact it was her insistence I joined the family for lunch at her home that set up the first full day Edward and I spent together. She took it upon herself to design fetish garments for me, I was invited to her home for friendly lunches, expected to accompany the women on shopping trips, and generally treated with considerable friendliness. Somewhere over the course of two months, the beginnings of what I assumed to be a bonding closeness had changed. I didn't think it was me who caused the chasm and if it was, I wished to god someone would tell me what I did, so I could make it right. It just seemed to me that ever since we returned home from our trip to the beach in Oregon, things with Alice have been rather tense.

If I was a betting woman, I'd lay wager on the shift in our relationship starting to occur during our shopping trip. The men were off golfing while we hit the outlet malls and found that damn Gucci dress. The woman just could not understand my refusal to buy it, going on and on about what a steal it was, how no one in their right mind could let such a find go, how I'd be a fool to walk away from it. When all her bitching didn't work she resorted to bribery, then pouting, then out and out demanding that I – and I quote - 'get my head out of my ass.'

To which my reply was 'I had better things to do with eight hundred dollars then wear it on my back.'

It was a thirty minute stand off right there in the middle of the boutique which only ended because I got frustrated enough to tell her how embarrassing she was and walked out with Rose following me.

Not willing to let the whole thing go, Alice brought up the episode again while we all sat around the hotel pool, complete with a mini-repeat tantrum at her dismay about my lack of designer envy. I didn't want to continue listening to her talk about the stupid dress, that frankly I could have gotten similar at J.C. Penny for a tenth of the price. And I certainly was not going to continue sitting there listening to painful predictions about chubby cheeked, curly haired, little girls.

I knew Alice truly believed what she said, but that doesn't change how it rips my heart out every time I heard it. Nor does it make it easier to face the fact I will never be able to give the man a love a child of his own. I'll never sit across from him and celebrate a plus sign on a pregnancy test. I'll never be able to lie in bed with his hand covering my belly to feel his child move inside me. I'll never hold a newborn infant at my breast as it suckles nourishment from me. I'll never have any of those simple joys that so many women took for granted, and having someone know the truth, throw it in your face and give false hope, was just cruel.

Deciding not to get into another debate over my choice of clothing nor my hurt at the callousness, I instead went to the ladies room, with Alice soon following. She apologized, but as Edward told me “talk is cheap' and words meant nothing, it's a persons actions that count. Right after the 'I'm sorry' left Alice's mouth, she followed it by patting my arm saying “You know Bella if you need Edward's permission, to buy the dress, I could always ask him for you."

I suppose in Alice's narrow minded world view she would assume I'd need Edward's approval to do anything. After all, like the rest of the family, she too, witnessed my kneeling performance on the patio. Unlike her parents, Alice also had an intimate birds-eye-view of my interacting with Master. Or rather not interacting, because the night in question was the last one we were in Oregon.

It was a Wednesday night and Master used our 'usual' to instill his submissive with a rather eye opening lesson by refusing to acknowledge my offered service. It was more difficult then anything I could have imagined, cutting me to the core and bringing me to the point where I had an honest view of myself. Not liking what I saw, the only way to end the misery was to safe word, after saying 'red', I ran into Edward's open arms, and without thought of who was present, cried like a baby. That night Edward carried me to our own room and it was that night I told him what it meant to me to wear his collar.

It was a hard learned, equally laboriously taught lesson on my submission to a Master who was worthy of respect, trust and admiration. I learned something very important that night, looking back it would appear during all the turmoil, tears and testimony, Alice just might have learned something too.

“Here girl” Emmett refilled my empty glass from the bottle he brought took from the fridge “You looked like you could use another one”
“Thanks, but I'm not sure a glass is going to cut it...” taking a hard drink I told him “I'm thinking about downing the whole freaking bottle”

Handing a bottle of beer off to Edward he sat back down with a sigh “I don't blame you...this shits FUBAR”

That it was – Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

Twisting the top of the bottle, Edward nodded in agreement and gave a snap of his fingers sending the cap sailing across the room into the garbage.

“Three points baby” I muttered before taking a long drink and returning Edward's grin while Emmett got back to his original statement “So Caius wasn't just after some stocks, or at least that's not all he had in mind, because according to these emails...”

Emmett picked up the stack of copies Edward had printed from the file Eleazar had sent “...our little Bells is an heiress to his family fortune.”

“How did that happen?”

Rose's question had me taking another drink because I had already heard the story, twice, it didn't make any more sense the second time around and I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear it again. The whole thing was completely ludicrous, besides we had already figured out the connection with Caius Salvatore and it had absolutely nothing to do with Phil.

“I don't really know, looking over the paperwork Bella had, I don't see any connection”

Edward was talking about the stack of legal documents I had retrieved from where they were stashed in my room. Like I had told him, there wasn't much to see, only the last tax forms, the final disbursements of insurance payments, and a few closed bank account statements. The other papers didn't offer any more information then we already knew. Those were the official legal documents made out in the name of Philip Victor Dwyer.

The first saying on October fourteenth, in nineteen-sixty-six, in Cincinnati Ohio, twenty year old Marilyn Ann Dwyer, gave birth to him, the line for a father's name was blank. The second certificate, declared on April twelfth, nineteen ninety-three at the age of twenty-six, in Tallahassee Florida, he died from blunt force trauma as a result of a vehicular collision. The third was a Last Will and Testament, naming Isabella Marie Swan as beneficiary and sole heir of his estate.

Almost two decades had past since the estate was settled and to me, it was a substantial amount with the majority coming from the sale of the house along with Phil's signing bonus. Why would Caius all of a sudden be interested in anything that occurred nearly twenty years ago?

I had assumed his interest in me had been due to a vendetta against Aro for the stock purchases he supervised on my behalf. Even though his conjecture about Illegal trading was false, it was still very logical for a man such as Caius to think something shady was going on. After all, given the circumstances I could see how the motives of having me buy shares in a family owned business before they went public could be question. So it made sense for Caius to believe I was some kind of family, or at least someone who held a very close realtionship with him or Jane.

Once – thanks to Mike – Caius ascertained I was literally a nobody from nowhere, then a new conjecture began to form. Caius figured the only reason for Aro to be helping me must have beenfor illeict reasons. Either he was doing it as some sort of payoff to me in the form of hush money or possibly blackmail, which explained the rumors about me being a gold digger. Even worse was the second reason; I was being used as a front – possibly a paid one, hence the prostitute references - to purchase the holdings in my name while actually giving control of the votes associated with them over to Aro.

This theory, was covert, based on pure greed, feasible and given what I knew of the principle player – Caius – it was completely logical.

The man had been around long enough to know there is no love lost on Esme's part when it came to Jane. After the lengths he had gone to for answers I could Caius taking his notions to Esme in hopes of planting a seed of doubt about her brothers activities. Since the discord centered around Jane was already present, perhaps he hoped it wouldn't take much convincing on his part for Esme to believe her brother was being dishonest towards his siblings. In essence maneuvering his way into monopolizing the company by acquiring more shares then he was entitled to. Because of the already existing animosity, Caius could use the new betrayal as a power play to persuade Esme into changing her voting power in his favor.

Like I said the approach was underhanded, covetous, achievable and more important, completely believable. What made absolutely no sense – None, What So Ever – was the theoretical link between Phil and Caius. I didn't care how many copies of emails Eleazar sent or what they had to say about a seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar inheritance - that I knew nothing about. I would never, ever accept the possibility the two completely opposite men had anything in common with each other.

The more the three of them went over all the information – I might add – for the third time, the more pissed off I was getting. It was bad enough having Caius conniving his way into my personal business by getting information about me from the newly arrested, looking at life through iron bars, getting what he deserves, Mike Newton. But what really stuck in my crawl is that fucking bitch Tanya, sticking her god-damn nose into something she had no business being involved in. Then to top the whole thing off, the fucking whore takes it upon herself to open a whole new can of worms by contacting James.

What the fuck?

Downing the last half of the wine in one gulp, I gathered the attention of everyone sitting there by slamming the glass down and forcibly pushing away from the table. “I got a toilet to clean”

“Bella,” Edward reached out to grasp my wrist “...the bathroom is fine”

It was hard to tell if his underlying tone was meant to be persuasive or intimating, either way it didn't matter, Edward had his agenda and I had mine.

"The bathroom is not fine!" Wrenching my arm from his grasp "It hasn't been cleaned for days and there is no way I'm letting people use a dirty toilet!”

"Fine...I'll clean it" Edward said as he stood to glare at me "You sit down, take a few deep breaths and relax"

"I don't want you to clean it and I don't want to sit down and I don't want to fucking relax! What I want to do is clean the damn toilet!”

“Are you done?”

Son of a bitch!

I hated when Edward stayed all calm, cool and collected while I was freaking out, and by that point I was on total melt down.

Narrowing my eyes I could feel the blood pounding in my chest “NO! I'm not done! How the hell do you expect me to be done when the is whole...” swinging my arm around in a wide dramatic circle “...damn thing is so totally fucked up?”

Nothing, Edward gave me nothing, which in my world meant I was free to speak my peace and that's what I did.

“If Caius Salvatore has a problem with me,” jabbing my finger at my chest “that's too fucking bad for him! I don't know anything about any money that I supposedly got, that he says belongs to him! So for all I care, he can shove it up his ass! I can tell you one thing for sure, that son of a bitch has nothing...” throwing my hand out to form a circle with my thumb pressed firmly against my forefinger I yelled “...ZILCH...to do with Phil. In fact, that ass-wipe doesn't deserve to the privilege of even speaking his name!”

Throughout my whole tirade Edward stayed completely impassive, he didn't move, he didn't twitch, he didn't even fucking blink. Which totally pissed me off more because it was no fun yelling at someone who refused to yell back. So I switched tactics, instead of anger, I channeled my inner advocate and pleaded my case.

“Don't you get it?” not even knowing what I was imploring him to understand I kept talking“You've had it your whole life, there's never been a day you didn't know it.”

I was still getting nothing but a blank stare from Edward. Then again it was getting hard to see straight through the tears welling in my eyes as the words just came out of my mouth. “The only time I ever had it...”

Not even sure myself where my thoughts were headed, I took a deep breath and words flowed out as fast as my tears did “He carried me to bed. He sat there listening to my mother read Green Eggs and Ham, night after night.” My tears became heavy as I patted my shoulders “Whenever he hit a homerun, he'd put me on his shoulders while he ran around the bases.”

Sniffling I continued on “He filled my world....with tickle belly contest. He kissed away m...my boo-boos and chased the monsters... from my closet. He...” my voice faltered as I sucked in a gasping breath “...was the first person...to ever tell me...I could do anything....be any-thing....I wanted to be. He'd say...'Bella b..b..ba..baby, You dream it....and I'll make it happen”

Sucking in a deep a much needed breath I admitted “He was my daddy...the only one I ever really had....And he's dead!” I said with finality before taking another deep breath to get myself under control so I could continue.

“And the only thing to prove he even existed is his name printed on a few scraps of paper, a bunch of money and my memories.”

Calming myself, I wiped my hand across my face to remove the tears and asked “Do you want to know something Edward?"

True to form, he still would not respond so I just forged on "I'd give it all back, Every, Single, Penny, of it...just” my voice broke over the sob “...just to have him back. That doesn't seem like too much does it?”

Sniffling I shook my head “But no matter how much I wanted it...or what I did, it was never going to happen. So I clung to the only thing I had, my memories...and I'll be damned if anyone is going to take them away from me too."

Leaving out a stuttering breath I suddenly found myself wrapped in the safety of Edward's arms. One strong hand pressing on the small of my back while the other twisted in my hair. Holding me immobile with my face planted flatly against his chest, letting me draw from his strength and control until it became my own.

Keeping me as I was, Edward tugged a hand full of hair, causing my head to tilt back until my vision was filled with only his captivating face. The emotion stirring in the depth of his green eyes was staggering. He might have been able to control his physical reaction to my venting yet that didn't mean he wasn't effected by what I said.

The fingers in my hair tightened and the twinge of pain caused me to suck in a quick gasp as Edward's face drew slowly closer to mine. My eyes widened in fear as my body shivered with a rush of desire and I thought for sure Edward was going to kiss me, Instead he came so close that I could feel the brush of his breath on my face as he spoke with a determined tone.

“You hold on to those memories Isabella, don't you let anything pollute them for you. I wish it was within my power to give you what you want, but it's out of my hands. What I can do is tell you I would die a thousand deaths before I ever allow the reputation of a good man to be tainted. Especially when that man means so very much to you"

not Meant, past tense – Edward said, Means, present tense.

“Do you understand what I am saying?”

I did, Edward loved me, so much, that he would defend a man he's never met, someone it was impossible for him to ever know. He didn't do this out of obligation or guilt, he would do it because Phil, meant – no, he means – so very much to me.

Tears refilled my eyes as I answered in a hushed whisper “Yes Sir”

“Good girl” his soft lips touched my forehead for the briefest of moments before the tension on my hair let up and his fingers threaded through the length.

“May I clean the toilet now?”

A smile lite up Edward's face and the memory of my first visit to him came back, that day we joked over it being my weekend chore to see the bathrooms remained cleaned. I wasn't sure if his mind had gone to the same place or not because his only reply was “Go ahead”

Stepping back Edward released me just in time for me to remember there were other people present during my melt down. Emmett still sat in the same spot next to his wife, there hands clasped together on the table top. His eyes slowly moved from where they were joined to my mine. Pursing his lip, Emmett gave me a sad almost sympathetic smile. Regret stabbed at my heart, I didn't want his pity, I didn't want to be seen as the little rich girl, or loss the only thing her money couldn't replace and she cried over it.

Then the muscles in his arm flexed at the same time I noticed his hand squeeze tightly over Rose's and my attention went to her tear filled eyes. "I lost a daddy too Bella, death didn't take him but he's gone just the same"

On so many levels Rose and I were one and the same, maybe that was why we got along so well. We both knew the world for the cold heartless place it could be yet amongst all the hell, somehow we both manged to persevere and find our own little piece of heaven.

Afraid speaking anything at all would bring on another round of crying all I could do was nod at my friend in understanding. That wasn't good enough for Rose, her hand slipped from under Emmett's and keeping her eyes on me, she stood to move around the table. The grace of her advancement was so deliberate she appeared to be in slow motion.

“You and me girl” was all she got out before the two of us were embracing each other.

I'm not sure which one of us initiated the hug, or if it came about through mutual compulsion, all I knew was at that moment, it was a relief to have someone who fully understood and I treasured Rose for that.

Of course I adored her even more when she said “I'm not cleaning your nasty bathroom, but I'll run the vacuum for you”

Oh yes, I truly loved Rose

The bathroom wasn't gross, still in the ten minutes it took me to make it sanitary enough for my own satisfaction I had hoped Edward and his brother would have moved onto a new topic for discussion. They did and they didn't - rather than focusing on Caius, the new area was Tanya. Now I know it's absolutely ridiculous to be jealous, yet I couldn't help it. My man was taking time and exerting energy on another woman. He wasn't actively fucking her but she sure was screwing him and that pissed me off.

Washing my hands I decided to ignore them by taking distracting myself with forming the burgers. Having finished in the living room, Rose saddled up along side me and without having to be asked she started slicing onions and tomatoes. The busy work along with the chit chatting worked wonders at freeing my mind. That is until I made the mistake of taking the two cold beers to the table for Edward and his brother.

That's when Edward said “I get the feeling Eleazar would prefer Tanya not be a part of his household."

I had gotten the same idea from Dougie, in fact he practically came right out and said as much, which made me kind of sorry for Eleazar. I didn't know the man very well, we had only spoken a handful of times, yet I liked him. Plus Dougie absolutely adored the man, called him uncle and if for that reason alone, I figured Eleazar was a man who deserved my respect. With admiration came loyalty and consideration. In the small amount of the conversation between the two brothers that I actually heard,there seemed to be something Edward hadn't considered.

Perhaps, it was my fault for not adequately expressing just how pathological my ex-husband was. I preferred to put it out of my mind, the omission wasn't in denial and it certainly wasn't ignorance. It was self preservation that kept everything in the deep recesses of my subconscious but if there was anybody who knew how James operated, it was me.

That knowledge was abruptly at the forefront of my mind and standing at the end of the table with Edward seated on one side and Emmett on the other, I wondered aloud. “Has anyone warned Eleazar”

“What do you mean...warned?”

“About James"

My answer to Edward's question had him giving me a perplexed look and I knew in that moment I had done him a great disservice in keeping quiet. Shaking my head a humorless laugh came out while I admitted “It's my fault, I.."

The gravity of the situation settle on me and I realized there was nothing at all to laugh about. "Oh my god...someone has got to tell Eleazar about the shit storm that is coming his way. James might not have answered Tanya's emails, but I can guarantee he's read them. Which means the only reason he's not replied yet, is to give him time to plan the best way to approach, and mark my word, he will approach."
Of that I was absolutely certain and I spoke my reasons aloud "Especially since Tanya made it sound like there was a payday in it for him. To James, the more wealthier the victim, the more excited he's going to be. Plus don't forget, James enjoys messing with me, so if he can vicariously get at me, while still appearing to be the beacon of law abiding citizen..." letting the words sink in I noted "...there's no way in hell he'll pass up that chance . I know James, all too well and right about now, he's salivating over the possibilities."

“You give him to much credit Bella”

“No, Edward, You don't give him enough, and that's my fault. I don't like to think about the kind of person James is, none the less talk about it. It makes me feel stupid and weak for ever falling into the traps he set. There's no excuse for my ignorance and that's my own cross to bare..."

Pausing, my eyes left Edward's for a moment to focus on the wood grain of the table top. So many memories flooding back to me, the fear, humiliation and shame James wrought in my life and the cowardliness way I handled it. Hiding, running, denying, excusing, condoning, the list could go on and on.

Admittedly I dealt with the situation badly but I did what I did to survive "...anyway I could."

Lifting my eyes to Edward's I admitted something else "Even as a young girl, I learned to take care of myself. So when I was older, if I chose go through life with my eyes wide shut, taking whatever rained down on me in stride, that was my choice. I knew what I was doing wasn't exactly the best thing, I understood the consequences of turning a blinds eye and pretending shit never happened. It was my decision. Mine alone. I'm the one who had to look in the mirror everyday and as long as the majority of the time I could live with the person staring back, then that's all on me. Sometimes it's a heavy load made worse by people who don't understand or agree. Right or wrong, I came to terms with my decisions, they were mine alone to make and mine alone to live with."

I could tell by his expression Edward didn't agree with me, reaching out to take my hand he gave a small squeeze "Baby, you're not alone in this, I have to live with your decisions too"

"I know darling..." tightening my grip on Edward's hand so he'd know "...I love having an us. From the moment you and me became a we, things have been different. We talk, we work it out and meet somewhere in the middle of the same page. Having an 'us' is the best thing to ever happen to me, but talking about a residual issue. It might not be fair to unbalance our seesaw by forcing you to live with something you had no say in. There's nothing I can do about things that occurred before you had a say in the way I chose to live with things. Only you can decide if you're willing to live with me...living with it"

Edward didn't like that either but before he could respond I pressed on.

"I have first hand experience at being fully indoctrinated with anything that has to do with James. Right or wrong, I've gone through it with eyes wide shut. I clearly saw James for the person he is, yet still made the conscious decision to shut my eyes to the madness. Eleazar on the other hand is coming into an ongoing situation completely blind. He has no idea what's going to come a knocking on his door and he needs his eyes opened. Then, once he's been fully warned, if he chooses to shut them again, the fault will lie with him, not us."

"Jesus...Bella” Rose muttered from behind Emmett who wondered “What kind of a person is he?"

Shifting my attention to Emmett I regarded the big man for a moment then gave the most honest answer I could "James is a methodical, sadistic, psychopath."

Much as Edward stayed impassive during my breakdown over Phil, Emmett did the same thing while contemplating my assessment. Because of his lack of emotion it was hard for me to tell if he was seeking any exaggeration on my part or if he was processing my words for the truth they held. Once he reached whatever conclusion he'd been searching for, Emmett eyes transferred to Edward's and so did mine.

Unlike his brother, my man knew all to well what James was capable of yet because he hadn't taken it upon himself to inform Eleazar, I figured it best to lay it out.

“If this was just about Tanya...I'd say, the bitch brought it on herself. James come looking for her, she gets caught up in more then she bargained for, ends up regretting ever hearing his name...hey" sounding flippant "...not my problem. In fact, if it was just her involved...after what she did? I'd say it would be nothing but poetic justice...she wanted him so badly...well the bitch got him...good for her...I wish her luck...because she's going to need it.”

My tone was emotionless, just stating facts as if reading the directions for a recipe. Which I suppose made me a cold hearted shrew. As a victims advocate I should have been appalled by my own thirst for vengeance, yet I just couldn't seem to drum up any sympathy.

Karma was a bitch, what comes around goes around, life comes full circle, reap what you sow or any other philosophical jargon used to explain the consequences Tanya should have to face. The two other people she's unwittingly brought into the mess was a different story.

Eleazar and his wife..." I couldn't think of her name and at my pause Rose promoted “Carmen”

"Carmen” I repeated with a smile before looking back to Edward “They're a different story. The only thing they did was make a poor decision on who they associate with. Personally I don't understand the attraction, but having poor taste in women...”

Edward's brows rose at the insult and I remembered his taste had gone down the same path. To bad – to sad for him, I was on a roll and calling it as I seen it.

Shrugging it off I continued “...isn't a crime and they shouldn't be punished for it. I would hate for anything to happen to either Eleazar or Carmen because of a nosy...”

Throughout the whole conversaton I had remained calm, it was so important for Edward to understand I wasn't simply over reacting. Had I at anytime lost my composure his attention would have been on how I was behaving rather then what I was saying. Since I had gotten my point across and my focus was no longer on the wellfare of innocent but rather on the vile wicked witch who brought this on them.

“...god-damn, Skanky ass, Motherfucking...” each insult being spewd with more venom until I spit out " toe-Tae”

"Alright Trace..." my brothers excited voice sounded from behind me "...we got here just in time.." he continued while walking to the opposite end of the table and setting a box on it he asked me "...who's the toe-Tae?"

Emmett had his own question "What's a toe-Tae"

"Whore" Edward answered incorrectly while Seth enlightened them "Actually..it means, Cunt"

Edward's eyes widened as they went to me and I knew what he was thinking. I had stressed how much I disliked the 'C' word. James used the word all the time, for everything. It was degrading and vulgar and I hated it with a passion that made my skin crawl. Yet when push came to shove and I need a word to describe a woman such as Tanya, 'cunt' seemed to fit the bill.

There's yet another reason for me to hate Tanya – just the thought of her brought out a side of me I didn't like. It was bad enough when I was hoping James would beat her with a belt, lock her in a box and ass fucking her until she bleds. But despising the bitch so damn much I was calling her a 'cunt' seemed like crossing the line, yet I couldn't sum up an ounce of remorse.

She was a CUNT with a capital C, that rhymes with 'T' that stands for TRAMP.

Oh this is fun

I was actually starting to enjoy myself and was fairly possitive if I asked her to, Rose would have joined in. The only problem was Edward, he was staring at me with an amused expectation, to which I answered with a smug smile that clearly said – that's right baby, I called that bitch a 'cunt'

“Soooo" The glee in Seth voice telling me he was enjoying himself "Who's the cunt? Wait...” holding his hands up “not just a plain old run of the mill, everyday cunt. This héva...” pointing a finger at Edward “...that's a whore...” looking back at me with a smile “...is so bad, that she got the sweet wonderful sister to call her a motherfucking cunt"

Not wanting to continue entertaining my brother I switched subjects by pointing to the box “What ya get?”

Seth's smile widened “Who's the cunt?”

Ok, lets try something else

Remembering my manors I made the introductions by looking to Emmett “In case you haven't guessed, this is my little brother...Seth and...” swinging my hand in her direction “...his girlfriend Tracy”

When I introduced them, Rose gave a wave and said 'hi' while Emmett half stood and leaned over the table to shake Seth's hand. Instead of saying hello, hi, or pleased to meet you, my brother had something to say “You're that really big guy from New Moon”

“Excuse me” Emmett said while getting to his full height but Seth wasn't intimidated “Me and my friends went there one night, you wouldn't let us in.”

Emmett glanced at me before smirking “Sorry dude, you turn twenty-one...”

“I know, I know...already heard that” the dejection on my brothers face only lasted long enough for him to ask me “So about this cunt?”

“UGH!” I groaned while Rose laughed “Maybe when your twenty-one you'll get to met her.”

That seemed to excite Seth “Oh yeah, the motherfucking cunt hangs out at New Moon?”

OK, enough was enough

"If you say the 'C' word one more time, I'm going to put soap in your mouth"

Rolling his eyes at me he didn't look to worried when he addressed Emmett "She's been telling me that since I was ten, still hasn't done it"

"There's always a first time...but it's your mouth”

Seth rolled his eyes at me, still, it was good to note, what he didn't do was repeat the vile word. Glad cunt-gate seemed to be put to rest, I once again pointed to the box “What did you get?”

“My new laptop”

I was surprised he hadn't already purchased one with the gift cards he received for graduation “You just getting it now?”

“Yeah...” Seth said opening the lid “Port Angels didn't have one in the store for me to try out and a computer is like a girl.” putting the packing material on the table he wiggled his fingers as if playing a piano “...you have to get your hands on it to make sure she's right”

My mouth dropped open, while everyone - except poor Tracy who looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock – laughed just as the door bell rang. Still kind of laughing Edward stood, leaned in to kiss my still stunned face and whispered “He's a mini-Emmett” before going to see who was there.

Seth, being born only a six weeks after the death of my mother, was the first baby I ever held. I remember being nervous because he was so small and always cried for Leah. Sue put him in my arms and when he stayed quiet, she gave me a big smile saying 'see he loves you Bella', in that one moment, I loved him too and I always have. He breastfed until her was three, and a year later, clung to his mother's leg at Harry's death ritual. Even with the loss of his father, Seth was a happy kid who had a gift of making those around him happy as well. He grew to be a fun loving wise cracker, with a big heart and a strong sense of loyalty. He was indeed like Emmett and in every sense of the word, he was my baby brother and I loved him.

What I didn't exactly appreciate - since any minute the house was going to be overrun with people - was the mess he was making.

“Hey...” I said pointing to the packing material, cellophane and papers spread all over the table “...get rid of all that junk”

I got the standard teenage answer of 'in a minute' which had Emmett not taken the initiative to start gathering the debris; would have been irritating. Plus Seth's butt was saved from a beat down by Tracy when she reminded me there were things to do when she asked if I needed any help. Before I could take her up on the offer, Edward returned with a box in his hands covered in brown packaging paper and wrapped in blue ribbon.

“Your sister say's this is not a birthday present and I can't open it in front of Charlie”

Who'd have thought Edward would be so excited about presents, I swear he was like a two year old on Christmas morning. Eyes sparkling, happiness in his cheeks, it was kind of nice to see and a good thing to know. It was also hard to refuse but I tried.

“Sure she did”

“She did” he pleaded and from behind him Leah agreed “I did, but...”seeing Seth Leah added “...maybe you'll want to save it for later when you're alone”

Smirking at Edward I moved towards my sister, kissed her cheek and said 'hi' to Jake who, standing behind her was holding a similarly dress package as Edward while Seth jumped to conclusions “How comes I can't I see it?”

“How comes you've been in town all weekend and didn't tell me?” Leah countered as she moved to hug Rose 'hello'.

“Excuse me for not wanting to ruin your surprise”

Moving on to Emmett she gave him a hello cheek kiss before turning to Seth “Well what about last night? You didn't even call me.”

“I was busy”

Standing at his side she said “Too busy to call your sister and say 'hey, how are you'?”

“Hey...” Seth smirked “how are you?”

The smart ass reply was accompanied by a tight hug that caused Leah to gasp “I'm good...where you staying tonight”

Leah's question was directed to Seth however it was Tracy who was receiving the embrace as he answered. “We're going home later. Tracy has to be at work early tomorrow morning”

Jake had wormed his way into mix, shaking hand's with Emmett, taking the offered beer from Edward, he was his normal self, it was Leah's behavior I found so bizarre. She was in an exceptionally good mood, smiling at everyone, passing out hugs, and surprising the crap out of me when she replied “Oh, ok”

Normally, Seth making plans to accommodate Tracy would have brought – at the very least - a facial expression from Leah to say she was thinking something unpleasant. Leah's simple response was so completely out of character it made Tracy's eyes narrow and jaw drop and put my spiddy senses on high alert. She wasn't only in a good mood, Leah was down right happy...wearing eye shadow?

Yes-sir-re Bob, she had on eye shadow, and she was kind of glowing, she looked like...like

“OH MY GOD! You did Kim's move!”

 

Yup, just like that, it came right out of my mouth and in matter of two seconds my sister's face turned three different shades of red until she exclaimed “Bella!”

There was no anger in her tone and I confirmed “YOU DID!...it's about freaking time...” laughing as I turned to Jake “Did you remember how?”

“Shut up Bella”

But there was no way I was keeping quiet “Damn Kim should patented that shit...if this is what it does to you”

Leah still wasn't angry so when Rose asked 'what move' I freely advised while still laughing “Ask Leah for a demonstration...in about two months...you're going to need it...” Leah looked like her face was going to pop from chagrin but I had to know “...did he keep his leg up?”

Her cheeks were still tight as she raised her chin, swept her hand through the air and said smoothly “The whole time”

And the two of us burst out laughing

“You guys are gross” Seth uttered with a repulsed expression which only served to make us laugh harder

“So what's this move?” Rose asked again and Leah glancing towards Seth waved her off “I'll tell you later”

Oh, she was in a good mood – thank you Kim

Rose accepted the answer by saying “That's a great shirt”

It was just a long black maternity t-shirt with the saying 'Look What Daddy Did' written in white block lettering across the belly.

“Not as great as Bella's”

What?

Leah's smug reply had me looking down to see my chest proclaiming I had a bad mouth, that I could do great things with Seth cursed “Damn Leah! You shouldn't have said anything, I wanted to see Charlie's face”

He what?

“You...you...” My little brother was setting me up, he was a mini-Emmett, who at the moment was saved by my inability to form a coherent sentence.

“Can't do such great things with it now, can you?”

Again Seth was saved, only this time it was by the door bell, whoever was on the other side was not someone who should see my oral skills being proclaimed across my boobs. Edward got the door and I raced up the stairs to change. I wasn't particular about what shirt to wear, grabbing a light blue sleeveless waist length that clung to my body. The whole thing took only a few minutes but as I flung open the door to leave, Edward was standing on the other side with his phone to his ear.

“Here she is”

It was unusual for me to get calls on his phone, so I tenativily took it from him and spoke a questionably “Hello?”

“Isabella?” the strange male voice responded “This is Garrett, I have a situation here”

My eyes went to Edward and between his grave expression along with the word situation I suddenly felt weak. Backking into the room I sat on the bed while Garrett continued “I know it's against the rules to contact you but Peggy is really upset and I didn't know what else to do. Can you talk to her”

Shit!

“Umm...sure”

A moment later Peggy's small quiet voice came over the line “Bella?”

It was obvious she'd been crying and it worried me “What happened?”

“Oh Bella, Rick came and he started saying...oh god, he was so angry...then he”

“Wait” last I had heard Rick had been arrested for breaking the restraining order “How did he get out of jail?”

“I don't know, maybe he posted bond or is out on ROR”

ROR meant Released on own Recognizance, no bail money required, just the person's own signature saying they would return for a hearing. These were usually granted in cases that were not considered to be serious crimes.

“When did he get out?”

“I don't know that either. He just showed up here at the restaurant this morning. He was standing in the parking lot...I didn't see him until it was too late. And he started...talking stupid. Saying he couldn't live without me and then he was going on...”

My heart was beating so fast I could literally feel it pounding in my chest as she went on “...he said, if I wasn't going to be with him...” her voice broke “...he said I won't be with anyone”

Oh Jesus

“He started talking really stupid and threw a rock at me, smashed a window in the kitchen, he was going nuts”

“Where is he now?”

“I don't know”

“Did you call the police?”

“Garrett did, they are looking for Rick but they can't find him”

“Where are you?”

Peggy was obviously with Garrett, yet I had no idea where and I didn't think it was safe for her to go back to her apartment. My mind started coming up with options on how to get her to the safety of The Center. I had a house full of people so I couldn't just leave and besides Carol chewed my ass out but good when I went to get Sally, so that was out of the question.

“I'm at the Tanner's.”

They were her landlords, the parents of her roommate and the Cullen's next door neighbors “The three of us are staying here tonight and Mr Tanner said he'd take me on the ferry in the morning and make sure I get in a cab.”

“Ok” that was a good plan just so long as “Peggy, please...I'm begging you. Do not leave the house. And Do Not...please sweety promise me you won't go on that ferry alone”

“I promise Bella...I feel so stupid, causing all this trouble”

Typical, victims always harbored the blame, it was ingrained in us.

“Peggy you didn't do anything wrong”

“I know but...” she started crying “Garrett has been so nice...and now he got a broken window...I'll pay for it..I will”

I assumed Peggy was speaking to Garrett as I heard him mutter 'girl you'll do no such thing' so I knew he must have been close and I hoped giving her a small bit of comfort as she continued on “The Tanners...they are letting us...stay and they...they shouldn't have to...”

“Stop it...they care about you Peggy, they want you to be safe and they don't blame you.”

“Why doesn't Rick just leave me alone?”

That was a question for the ages

“Are you scared?”

“No” there were no more tears “I'm mad”

Anger was a mixed blessing, it took away the power the abuser had to control with fear. However it also had a tenacity to instil the victim with a false sense of bravado. Being brave with determination was one thing, being bold with recklessness could get you dead.

“Good.” I told her “Be good and mad, just channel that anger in the right direction. Don't go off half cocked thinking you're going to prove something to him or anyone else. You need to be smart, so stop, think about what you're doing, re-think it and for god's sakes girl please...please for me, for yourself, for all the people who care about you...please, be safe”

“I will Bella...see you in the morning”

Tears filled my eyes and I realized there was nothing I could do to protect her. Garrett came back on the phone, assuring me Peggy was indeed safe. He said the following morning, Mr. Tanner would accompany her to the city, get her into a cab and was going to use his lawyer status to repeal Rick's continued freedom from jail. I had a heavy heart, but it was out of my control.

Handing the phone back to Edward, he spoke briefly with his friend while I silently wondered 'what else could possibly go wrong?'