Hello my lovelies! I'm back and will be reposting stories slowly!

This story will be all Bella POV, you know me I'll probably throw an Edward POV in the mix eventually.

I don't own twilight...yeah I think that sucks too.

But Alex is mine, he is loosely based off my son, so happy reading!

Chapter One: My Life

You know the phrase, you're born, you pay taxes and then you die? Yeah, some days I've felt like this and today was one of those damn days. I was a well-known photographer; okay maybe I was exaggerating a little.

I was known.

I worked for Figure Magazine in Manhattan, New York. It was a high-class fashion magazine. Meaning, I took pictures of stuck up, toothpick models most of my day. Thankfully, the Editor and Chief of the Magazine loved me more than her models.

Meaning, if the little model bitch called me miss thang one more time while waving her well-done, manicured finger in my face, I was going to toss my three thousand dollar camera right into her fifty thousand dollar plastic face.

"Bella, you can't hit her. Alice really wanted her for the cover," my assistant Angela whispered into my ear. I groaned because while I knew my older sister Alice would have sided with me, I knew she would have been pissed if I lost her this model.

"Tanya, let's try this again okay? Look up as if you've seen something beautiful," I tried directing. She rolled her eyes at me as if I had insulted her or something.

I swear working with my five-year-old son Alex and my six-year-old niece Maria was easier than working with some of these models. Inhaling a deep breath I squatted down so that I could get a better angle. "If you ruin this picture it won't be me who has to find a job after," I yelled to her. She glared at me but instantly changed her pose.

Thankfully, I was able to finish the shoot quickly. Tanya rushed off the set and I handed my camera to Angela.

"Why do I do this again?" I asked no one in particular.

"Because you need the money," Angela said knowing damn well that wasn't the case at all. I could live off of the child support checks I received from Alex's father. Sam played for the NFL— the Seattle Seahawks to be exact.

He always said he hated living so far away from Alex, but he always loved football first. Don't get me wrong, he loved our son, but he was honestly more like a long-distance uncle rather than a father to Alex.

I guess I couldn't be too pissed off about it. Neither of us expected Alex, hell, we weren't even dating when I got pregnant. See Sam's brother is my best friend Jacob. Jacob and I have been best friends since we were playing in the sandbox. Anyway, Sam had come home after the season was over. Jake was so happy to have his brother home that we gave him a party. Well, one thing led to another and a month later I was in the bathroom with Alice, pissing on a stick. Yes, Alex was an oops baby. My mother tried yelling at me for being careless, but what am I supposed to do when not only the condom busts, but the birth control pills I had were defective? Let me just say it was the first and only time I got that drunk.

"Bella! Have you seen the cover of Atmosphere!" Alice yelled coming onto the set. Her heels clicking loud against the marble floor.

"No, I've been working all morning," I said with a duh look on my face. She rolled her eyes while tossing the magazine at me. Turning the magazine in my hand, I smiled when I saw the picture on the front.

It was mine.

"They used my picture," I said in excitement as I looked up at Alice and everyone else in the room.

"Yes! I told you, you could make a magazine cover that wasn't my magazine," she said with a huge smile on her face. I opened the magazine and groaned when I saw that they spelled my name wrong.

How in the world do you spell Isabella Swan wrong you ask, easy they spelled it Izzbella Swain.

"Alice, they spelled my name wrong," I told her. She snatched the magazine from my hand and looked at it.

"Those stupid shits! How the hell do you spell Isabella Swan wrong!" she yelled pulling out her cell phone.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked her.

"Fixing this right now, that's what," she said already placing the phone against her ear. Angela and I stood there as we listened to Alice tear into the Editor of Atmosphere magazine.

By the time she finished I received a full apology.

"They'll not only be fixing their mistake in the next issue, but they will also be using another one of your pictures for the cover," she told as she placed her phone back in her purse.

"Alice, I swear you missed your calling as my agent," I teased. She laughed shaking her head at me.

"Fashion was always my calling. Now come on, we have to meet Mom for lunch, and if we're late we'll have to listen to her say…

"…late birdies don't eat," we both said at the same time and then started laughing. I asked Angela to finish cleaning up the set for me and then grabbed my purse and followed Alice.

Thankfully, we arrived at the restaurant before our mother. We sat down and ordered ourselves a drink.

"Do you know why she wanted to meet with us for lunch?" I asked Alice knowing she knew. Alice shrugged her shoulders as she quickly drank from her glass. I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew she was lying, but I also knew I wasn't going to get it out of her if it was a secret.

"There are my beautiful daughters," I heard my mother say. We turned to her voice and watched her walk toward our table. She placed a kiss on both our cheeks and then sat down.

"You look nice today, Mom, hot date?" Alice teased with a smile.

"Please, your father couldn't leave the firehouse for a hot date," she replied wiggling her eyebrows. Alice groaned and I laughed.

"You walked right into that," I told her.

"How are my grandbabies?" my mother asked looking between us.

"The same way they were yesterday when you saw them at dinner," I said sitting back in my chair. "What is this lunch really about, Mom? And don't give me that I wanted to have lunch with my daughters' crap," I said and she looked at me as if I lost my mind. "I meant mess," I corrected.

My mother sat up straight in her chair and I knew I was about to get a Renee Swan speech. They were never fun and I promised you no one ever wanted to be on the wrong side of one.

"Bella, you need a husband," she said if it was life or death. Then again to my mother it was life or death.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. You're lonely," she continued. I groaned.

"Am I? Well, thank you for letting me know that, because I had no idea how I was feeling. Apparently, my emotions are in your body," I snapped causing Alice to laugh.

"There is no need to be rude, Bella."

"Mom, you just told me I need a husband and that I'm lonely. I'm sorry if I don't find those to be compliments," I whisper yelled.

"Your father and I worry about you and Alex, that's all. You need a man in your life and he needs a father," she continued, and now we were really getting to the root of this conversation.

"Alex has a father, his name is Sam Black."

"Sam is all right when he's around, but being in and out of Alex's life the way he is just isn't healthy on a young boy like Alex, and don't go saying you have Jacob around."

"But I do have Jacob around…"

"He's his uncle, not his father," she said with a roll of her eyes as if I forgot.

"I know that, because Alex has a father. His name is Sam," I said again in case she forgot.

"I don't like your tone, Isabella Swan," she spat. Obviously, she felt I did something wrong because she called me Isabella.

"Well, I don't like being told that I'm a lonely old cat lady," I spat back causing Alice to laugh again. My mom tried not to laugh but failed.

"I didn't say you were an old cat lady; you don't even have cats," she replied causing me to laugh even though I was still a little irritated. I swore we had this argument once a month.

"I'm sorry for getting nasty," I told her. She patted my hand rubbing her thumb over the back of it.

"It's fine, you're fiery like me. You just need a good fireman to put your fire out every once in a while like me," she said with a wink.

"Oh, eww Mom! Really," I said pulling my hand away from her. She laughed shrugging her shoulders. We ordered our lunch and left the argument to come up again next month. After lunch, I went to complete my last shoot for the day and then left work for the day. I had to pick Alex up from school in an hour, and Westchester was about forty minutes from Manhattan, and that was on a good day.

I may have broken the speed limit a little, but I made it just in time to catch Alex running out of school with his classmates. His teacher always took the kids to the playground while each of them waited to be picked up.

"Mommy!" he yelled running toward me as I entered the yard. I kneel down so that I could pick him up.

"Hey, cutie. How was school?" I asked kissing his cheek.

"Mom, not at school," he groaned. I laughed putting him down. I don't know when he started becoming embarrassed when I kissed him but I didn't like it.

"How was school?"

"Great! I got to erase the board today and be the paper collector," he said with excitement. I was going to assume that was a good thing.

"Ms. Swan," his teacher Ms. Stanley yelled as she walked over to me.

"Hi, Ms. Stanley, how are you today?" I asked pulling Alex to my side.

"Wonderful as always, I'm getting married next year," she practically yelled showing me her engagement ring.

"That's a beautiful ring, he's a lucky man," I said with a forced smile.

"I'm the lucky one. Anyway, I actually wanted to ask if you could be our photographer for the wedding. I know you sometimes do weddings because I remember you doing Lauren's. It would really mean a lot to me if you could do it," she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Um, take my card and give my assistant a call. Let her know when the wedding is and she'll let you know if I'm able to fit you into my schedule," I said pulling my business card out of my purse and handing it to her.

"Thank you," she said walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Alex," she said rubbing the top of his head. He groaned moving his head from under her hand. I laughed because if she kept that up she was going to get yelled at by a five-year-old. Alex hated when people rubbed the top of his head.

He swore they were going to mess up his haircut.

"Ready to go, bud?" I asked looking down into this little face. It was scary how much he looked like Sam.

"Yeah," he said taking my hand. We walked to my car while he told me about the rest of his day and how he thought some of the kids were big doo-doo heads because they wouldn't listen when Ms. Stanley told them to quiet down.

Opening the car door I helped him up into the car and then buckled him into his booster seat. I climbed into the driver seat and started the car.

"Mommy, could we go see Bubba at the firehouse. He said he would let me see the new truck they got," he told me as if I wasn't sitting there yesterday when my father told him this.

Alex insisted on calling my father Bubba after he heard a few of my father's friends from the firehouse call him that. Charlie loved the idea of course because he wasn't big on being called grandpa.

"Sure, but no pressing any buttons this time okay?" I told him. He gave me his most adorable grin as he nodded. As I drove, my cell phone started to ring. I wasn't sure where it was, but I could tell by the ringtone it was my work phone.

Keeping my eyes on the road, I dug around into my purse hoping to get a hold of it before the person hung up. I pulled it out just as I hear a police siren. I groan pulling the car over to the side of the road.

"Mommy, did we do something wrong?" Alex asked looking worried.

"No, baby, the officer just wants to make sure we're safe," I sort of lied. That I knew of, I hadn't done anything wrong, but I knew he wasn't coming to check if were safe. I rolled my window down as the cop came up to the car.

"License, insurance and registration," he said glaring down at me. I groaned and leaned over to pull my license and registration out of my wallet. "Can I ask why am I being pulled over?" I asked handing the requested things to him.

"You can ask…" he replied back not telling me why I was being pulled over. He walked back to his car and I looked back at Alex.

"You okay back there?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said still looking worried. The cop came back to my window pulling his sunglasses off of his face.

"Are you aware that you have two unpaid parking tickets?" he asked me.

"What? No, I paid those," I said shaking my head.

"Computer doesn't lie," he said back as if that was true.

"I paid them, I have the receipts."

"Can I see them?"

"Well, I don't have them on me," I snapped back. He nodded as he looked back at my license.

"Says here you're twenty-eight," he said handing me my license, insurance and registration cards back. I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Yes."

"You don't look twenty-eight."

"Well I am," I replied trying to keep my temper.

He looked into the car and as if he just noticed Alex, he asks, "That your kid?"

"Yes."

"Husband waiting for you at home?" he continued. I looked at him to see if he was fucking serious.

"How is that any of your business?" I asked, forgetting that he was a cop. He looked pissed by my question.

"I'm going to give you a ticket for speeding; you make sure you pay this one and the other two or next time your car will be impounded," he said writing the ticket.

"I already paid those other tickets, and I wasn't speeding…"

"Five miles over the limit, ma'am. I would call that speeding," he replied handing me the ticket. I growled snatching it from him and stuffing it in my bag. "You have a nice day ma'am and follow the speed limit," he said before walking back to his car. I waited until he got in his car and pulled off.

"Stupid sonofabitch! Ugh!" I screamed causing Alex to start giggling from the backseat.

"You owe me two dollars Mommy, you said the s-word and the b-word," he reminded me. In our house using stupid was just as bad as using an actual curse word. I dug into my bag and pulled out two dollars giving them to Alex.

"I'm sorry," I told him. He nodded as he looked at his two dollars.

"That cop was a big douche anyway," he told me. I laughed shaking my head.

"Where did you learn the word douche?"

"Uncle Jake, he told me to use that instead of the s-word," he answered. I could definitely hear Jake telling him something like that. I pulled back onto the road for the firehouse. I pulled up outside the firehouse just as I saw the truck returning.

I climbed out of the car just as the guys started to get off the truck. I waved at them as I walked around to the passenger side to let Alex out of the car. He rushed toward the firehouse just as his feet hit the ground.

"Stop running!" I yelled walking behind him. He ran into the arms of one of the female fire fighters. Rosalie Hale. Alex was completely in love with her.

"Hey Rose," I greeted walking into the firehouse.

"Hey Bella, what you are feeding him, grow beans? He's grown over twenty feet since I saw him last," she joked tickling Alex's stomach. I shook my head watching her with him. The entire firehouse was like a second family.

My father had been a fireman my entire life so, I knew everyone in Firehouse 62. The firemen were Seth, Aro, Liam, Marcus, Bree, James, Riley, Felix and Jacob. The paramedics were Jane, Alec, Maggie and Peter.

"How's my baby girl?" my father said coming into the garage where we still stood. Charlie was the chief here now. He was tough but to me and Alice, he was just our father. The man who used to play dress-up and tea party with us.

"I could be better," I said giving him a hug.

"The cops stopped us on our way here, Bubba," Alex told him. I groaned knowing my father was going to assume I was speeding. I'll admit I had a habit of doing so when Alex wasn't in the car, but never while he was in the car.

"I wasn't speeding, Dad."

"What's the ticket for?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Speeding, but I wasn't speeding. You know I wouldn't do that especially with Alex in the car with me," I defended. He nodded turning his attention to Alex.

"Ready to see the new truck?" he asked him.

"Oh yeah!" Alex yelled taking my father's hand. I watched them both go further into the firehouse. Rose stood up next to me nudging my shoulder.

"He worries about you," she told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, my mom told me that, too. Apparently, I'm lonely and I need a husband," I told her. She started laughing.

"Why didn't you say so, Bella," I heard James say from behind me. I turned around to see him lowering down onto one knee in front of me. "Will you marry me, Bella Swan?" he asked like the idiot he was.

"Get your stupid ass up, Jimmy," Jacob said coming up behind him and slapping the back of his head.

"I'm waiting for Bella to answer me."

"You're a dumb ass. Get up. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on the planet," I laughed pulling him up off his knee before Alex or my father saw him.

"You hurt a man's ego, Bella," he told me with a grin on his face. I shook my head as I laughed at him. He pulled me into a hug. "I'm just fucking around with you, Bells. I'm scared shitless of your father, so no marriage would ever work between us," he continued making everyone laugh.

I followed them to the cafeteria while I waited for my dad to finish giving Alex the tour of the new truck.

"I bet you guys are happy about the new truck," I said looking at all of them.

"We were until we found out why it was really here," Rose said kicking her feet up on the table. She acted just like the guys.

"Why is it here?" I asked looking at all of them.

"Another firehouse was shut down. We're getting three of their guys in two weeks," Jacob answered pulling out a chair and turning around for him to sit in.

"Another firehouse?" I asked in shock.

"Yup, budget cuts," James said with shake of his head. I shook my head worried that Firehouse 62 could be next.

"I mean, how great could these guys be if their firehouse was shut down," James continued.

"The best of the best," my father said coming into the room and scaring everyone but me. James, Jacob and Rose quickly changed the way they were sitting.

"Mommy, the new truck is awesome!" Alex said coming over to me with a huge grin on his face.

"I bet," I said wrapping my arms around him. I looked up at my father. "So, new guys coming in?" I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders running his hand over his head.

"Yeah, the commissioner said they were great firemen, and didn't want them to fall into the cracks."

"When do they arrive?"

"Monday after next."

"Okay, I'll come by and make dinner for everyone," I said. My mom, Alice and I did it every time the firehouse welcomed new guys. My father simply nodded because he already knew I was going to say that.

"Is that little Bella?" I heard my father's longtime friend Marcus yell as he came into the room. I shook my head because he still acted as if I was six.

"Hey, Marcus," I said greeting him.

"Charlie, she's getting more beautiful every day," Marcus said hugging me.

"Tell me about it," my father said with a grin. I talked to everyone for a little while and then my father asked me to come back to his office.

"Alex, stay up here with Uncle Jake, Aunt Rose and Uncle James, please," I told him. He nodded as he continued trying to win at thumb war against James. I followed my father back to his office.

"How are you?" he asked sitting down. I looked at him confused because he was asking me as if he hadn't just seen me yesterday.

"I'm good."

"Really, Bella?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Your mother and I worry about you," he said sitting back in his chair. "For different reasons, but we worry about you nonetheless," he told me. I groaned sitting down.

"Yes, Mom told me I need a husband," I replied. My father laughed.

"I told her to just leave you alone about that. You're a lot like your old man—stubborn and independent," he said with a grin on his face. "I worry that you aren't living your life, though, baby girl. Before you had Alex you traveled for your work," he reminded me. "You loved it. You went out more, did things for you."

"I have Alex, Dad. I can't travel the way I used to."

"You know Mom and I would watch him, so would Alice and Jasper. Hell, Jake would be more than happy to do it," he told me. I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Alex isn't any of your responsibility. He's mine and—"

"You're my daughter and he's my grandson, Bella. Look, I just don't want you to lose yourself, okay? It was different when Alex was younger, but he's getting older. You can start making small trips, really get back into your work," he said. I shook my head.

"I'm happy, Dad, really," I told him. He didn't looked convinced, but I could see that he was going to drop it.

"Mom used to want to be an artist. She quit when she got pregnant with Alice, then you soon followed and then CJ," he said with a shake of his head. CJ was my and Alice's little brother, Charlie Jr. He was currently away in the service. Gave my parents a serious heart attack when he enlisted. My father often thought he ruined Mom's life by getting her knocked up with us.

"Mom, doesn't regret any of it."

"Yeah, she says that but…"

"...you should believe her, Dad. She still paints, it might not be professional like she dreamed but she does. And she says all the time that her greatest masterpiece was marrying you and having the three of us," I reminded him. He smiled at me.

"I just want you to remember that life doesn't wait for anyone. I don't want you to have any regrets later down the road," he told me.

"I don't have any now. Seriously, Dad, I'm happy," I told him. After we finished talking, Alex and I left for home. When I turned onto our street there was a large ass U-Haul truck blocking my way.

I didn't see anyone in the driver's seat and from where I was, I couldn't see anyone. I pushed down on the car horn until I saw a guy walk around the car.

"What the hell, lady!" he yelled at me.

"What the hell with you! Can you please move your damn truck? You know other people do live on this block," I yelled back at him.

"Can't you just go around? I'm moving in right here," he said waving to the house that was directly across the street from mine.

"No, because I live right there," I said pointing to my house.

"What's wrong, Paul?" I heard someone yell.

"This lady wants us to move the truck!" Paul yelled back to whoever was talking to him. Another guy appeared, this one was huge. Like I mean he looked like he could probably lift my car off the street.

"Look lady…"

"The name is Bella," I snapped at him getting sick and tired of them calling me lady.

"Bella, we only have a few more things to move in and…"

"…and I want to pull into my driveway, get my son in the house so that I can make him dinner, and move on with my life. You can move the truck, trust me, it won't kill you," I said cutting him off. The big one looked at the other one who was just called Paul and started laughing.

"Your husband must have trouble with you," the big one said and I glared at him. Why the hell was everyone assuming I was fucking married?

I didn't need a man!

"My mommy doesn't have a husband, she's lonely," Alex said from the backseat. Paul and the big one started laughing again.

"The correct term is single, Alex. And, if the two of you don't move, you'll have a problem with me."

"Really, what are you going to do?" Paul asked with a grin on his face. Inhaling a deep breath I reminded myself that Alex was in the car.

"What the hell, you two? We need to get this shit out of the truck so I can get it back," I heard another guy yell from behind the truck.

"Apparently, our new neighbor wants us to move the truck," the big one yelled.

"Why?" the invisible guy yelled back.

"Because she lives across the street from us," Paul replied back with a stupid grin on his face.

"She can either drive around like everyone else or wait, because I'm not moving the damn truck until we're done unloading," the invisible guy yelled back. I inhaled an irritated breath and seriously considered ramming the damn truck.

"Mommy, I just want to go home. I'm hungry," Alex said from the backseat as he rubbed his stomach. I placed the car in reverse.

"Having this truck blocking the street is not only a traffic violation but a fire hazard. You'll be hearing from my father, trust me," I told them as I pulled back. They laughed at me again and I decided right then. I hated my new neighbors and probably Mr. Invisible the most, because he didn't even have the fucking balls to come speak to me directly.

I went around the block to take the other road that led to my street. It was honestly out of my way, but my son was hungry, and I didn't have the time or patience to argue with idiots any further.

When I finally made it back to my house, I pulled into my driveway and let Alex out. I looked across the street and saw Paul and the big one entering the house as they carried a huge ass television into the house.

A third guy came out of the house and I had a feeling he was Mr. Invisible. He was cute, from what I could see anyway. Then the bastard waved at me with a stupid grin on his face.

Fucker.

Well, there goes the neighborhood.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading whether you were a new comer or rereading for pleasure! Review if your heart desires!

Love, Emotion