A/N: Just an idea bubble I had. Please note the following:

Andrew is a thirteen year old boy the Cullens have adopted, but since Carlisle has patented a new method of changing into a vampire, Andrew is still slightly human. His full change won't be complete for a few years yet giving him time to grow (who wants to be thirteen forever?), so he still eats food and bathes and grows like a human.

Bella is not an only child. She has three sisters

Cari (age 20)

Evie (age 17 and Bella's twin sister)

Cece (age 13 and Andrew's bff)

Also: I DO NOT own Twilight! It is the wonderful creation on none other than Stephenie Meyer herself!

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Edward

I didn't expect to see Chief Swan when I dropped by the hospital to see Carlisle. He was sitting on the edge of one of the waiting room chairs with his head in his hands and it stopped me in my tracks. What was he doing here? Was Bella alright? She'd seemed fine when she'd left school…

"Here you go, Chief Swan," Carlisle suddenly appeared to hand him a medical report, shot me a humored glance with pointed thoughts.

Bella isn't here.

I nodded imperceptibly to show I understood, but then had to frown at the sudden mystery. What was the chief of police doing here, then?

"Oh, there you are Carlisle, Edward! What a lovely surprise!" Esme beamed as she strode over to us. "Hello, Chief Swan!"

"Hello," Bella's quiet father greeted Esme –and a bit dolefully at that. "Just getting a quick check up from the good doctor here."

"I'm sorry, Charlie," Carlisle corrected, "but there's nothing quick about this. The mold in your home has had a bit of an effect on you."

"Mold?" Esme looked concerned. "Oh, Chief Swan! I'm so sorry! Your house must be in an uproar right now!"

"Yeah, it is," Mr. Swan nodded in disappointment and ran a hand over his pallid face.

Carlisle was right, now that I really took time to examine the man. Charlie Swan was very sick.

"They've got tents and fumes all over the place," Charlie continued, "told me it wouldn't be inhabitable for a week. Can you believe that? I guess I could find a hotel or something…"

"Not for you," Carlisle again tried to get through to the man. "You are sick, Charlie. I'm going to have to admit you for overnight stay."

"Overnight!" Chief Swan exclaimed. "I can't stay here overnight, Dr. Cullen! What about my girls? My daughters are going to arrive in town at any moment and it's bad enough I've got no place for them to stay, but if I'm in the hospital…?"

Daughters? I thought to myself. I didn't know Bella wasn't an only child.

"Well," Esme quickly glanced at Carlisle with a look we both know to fear.

She had an idea.

"Esme," I tried to stop her as the tone of her thoughts reached me, but she was already plowing right ahead with an offer.

"We could keep your girls for the week."

Was she mad? I turned to my father, waiting for him to come up with a reason why we couldn't other than the devastating fact that if the Swan girls came into our home, there was a very likely chance they'd never come back out again!

"Carlisle," I called to him when seconds had ticked by and he still hadn't responded, but Esme had more pull than I did, and it was obvious by her stare that she wanted this, for some reason, and wouldn't be happy unless she got it.

"We have an extra bedroom if your daughters don't mind sharing," she told Chief Swan. "How many daughters do you have?"

"Four," he answered. "Listen, this is awfully nice of you, but I don't want to put you out at all. My girls are tough and can take care of themselves if they need to, and we've got family everywhere so I'm sure they could just take a train or something somewhere else."

"Nonsense!" Esme insisted. "Your daughters are coming to see you, and in a week they'll be back in your house. Until then Carlisle and I would be thrilled to have them around. Absolutely thrilled, wouldn't we Carlisle?"

Carlisle, don't let her do this!

She really wants this, Edward. I don't know why it's so important to her, but if it makes her happy…

Have you forgotten what nearly happened to me the first day I met Bella? Now you're going to let her and her three sisters stay at our house?

I don't know, Edward. I can't see how this is going to work, but I don't think Esme would go through with something like this unless she was sure she could trust you.

How could she be so sure she could trust me when I knew for a fact I couldn't trust myself? I was going to ruin this, I was sure. I'd either find a new home for a week or ruin this.

"Yes," Carlisle spoke openly to Charlie though his thoughts had told me a very different story. "It would be our pleasure to have your girls for the week, Chief Swan. Now, why don't you go on into the back and let the nurses take care of you."

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I sank even further into my depression when I got home to see Alice in the kitchen, excitedly preparing a dinner of sausage and ziti. She had pots simmering under the less than watchful eyes of Emmett and Jasper, and was scolding Andrew by the time I appeared for letting something sit in the oven for too long.

"Hi, Edward!" she chirped as I came through the doorway, frowning at everything around me.

"So, I see you know about the Swan girls," I mused just as Rosalie entered and angrily smashed a plate against the farthest wall.

"This is so stupid!" she fumed. "What is Esme thinking? What are we all supposed to do-sit around and pretend to be human? And Alice where do you get off cooking dinner?"

"It's six p.m.!" Alice shrugged reasonably. "The girls will probably be hungry when they get here."

"So now I have to choke down some of this crap, too?" Rosalie grabbed a handful of baked ziti and threw it on the floor where she could stomp on it with those fatalistic heels of hers. "This is stupid!" she shrieked. "Why should I have to pretend to be something I'm not in my own home?"

"Then go upstairs, Rose!" Emmett suggested while he tried to do as Alice instructed and season the sausages. "God, sometimes I swear you're just unbelievable with these tantrums you throw!"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum!"

"You are having quite the hissy fit," Alice agreed, "and you have the least to complain about. I mean, Edward is the one who should be the most worried about all of this, and he's taking it very well. Good job, Edward."

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Rosalie," I murmured, "but this entire affair is a disaster."

"Thank you!" Rosalie triumphed. "Finally someone has some sense! We should all have a talk with Esme as soon as she gets home and tell her to send the humans back!"

"Hey!" Andrew looked a little wounded, but –as always –was quick to hide it. I always thought that was why he and Jasper got along so well; neither of them were too keen on gushing emotions and unnecessary words. The two of them could sit together for hours in total silence. "Humans aren't so bad."

"And where would you send the Swan girls, Rose?" Alice argued. "They have nowhere to go, and I for one think this is a great opportunity for all of us to get to know Bella. I mean, she will belong to our family one day."

"Stop it, Alice!" I couldn't help the growl in my throat. "That's not true! Things can still change."

"No, they can't, Edward. I told you-Bella only has two options."

"Right now the other option seems a little closer to home, if you ask me," Emmett snorted. "Alone in the house with us for a week? Whew! If you survive this, Edward, then you'll deserve an award!"

"Edward will not hurt Bella!" Alice spoke in her serious voice, the voice that had one foot in the "right now" and the other in the "not yet". "None of us will hurt Bella or make Esme feel badly about this decision, alright? So let's all do what we can to make this good, and Rosalie if you can't control yourself then maybe Emmett is right and you should wait upstairs."

"I'm leaving this house!" Rosalie stormed and whirled around to leave.

"Rose, don't be like that!" Emmett tried to reason with her, but she kept walking, heedless of him.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Jasper asked him, but he violently shook his head.

"And pass this up?" Emmett challenged. "Not a chance! I'm all for a big laugh, and seeing Edward choke down this food with Bella so close to him is going to be the most hilarious thing I may ever see. I'm staying right here. Rose will come around."

"You're sick, Emmett," I growled at him, but his laughter bubbled out in response.

He was in too good a mood.

Nice house! This might not be such a bad idea after all!

How does Charlie know these people? He hates people with money!

Bella, you look sick.

I don't think this is a good idea.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Alice asked me, stealing a glimpse at my face.

"The Swan girls are here," I announced, feeling the tension settling into my shoulders and fists, nevertheless I followed as my siblings all piled out of the kitchen to meet the girls where they now stood in the foyer.

I was surprised by the giddiness radiating off of Andrew as he scampered ahead of us all, eyes alight and overgrown blonde curls bouncing behind him. I'd never seen the boy emerge from his apathetic silences long enough to be happy about anything, not even all the things Esme bent over backward to do for him. Ever since Carlisle had rescued him from that terrible car wreck, we'd all known Andrew to be the silent Jasper type, and seeing him now smiling and eagerly going to meet our guests was nothing short of puzzling.

"What's that about?" Emmett posed the question to us.

"He met the youngest Swan girl earlier in the week," Alice explained. "I guess he really liked her."

I found that surprising, but it was business as usual when Bella's scent assaulted me without so much as a by-your-leave. I felt the flames begin to scorch my throat, the excess of venom in my mouth, the familiar ache in my body to spring at her, lunge across this narrow space and relish what I was smelling, sink my teeth into that hideously delicious scent I was smelling.

You're going to be fine, Edward, Alice told me as she easily fell in step with me, assuring me with the softness in her eyes. It's all going to work out just fine.

This is a mistake! I shook my head at her. Alice, everyone gives me too much credit! I have a hard enough time handling one class with her everyday; how am I supposed to handle smelling her in my own home?

Because the more you talk to her, the more you'll hate yourself if you ever hurt her. I know, she tapped her head wickedly, I saw it.

"Hey, Kids!" Esme greeted us the minute we rounded the corner. She and Carlisle were helping the four girls out of their jackets and pushing the bags into the far corner. "We brought some special visitors! These are Chief Swan's daughters –Carilyna, Evelyn, and Cecelia. Oh, and Edward? You remember Bella, don't you?"

"Sometimes the last thing you want comes in first."–Aqualung