"Edward! That's not fair! You can't have beaten me again!"

I had to laugh at this outburst. I really didn't understand why Jasper continued to play chess with Edward long after the rest of the family, except Alice but they were pretty much evenly matched in that respect, had given up.

"Well Jasper, see I have your king and..."

"Oh shut up you cheater!" Jasper growled.

I stuck my head in the door. "Come on boys. Play nicely."

"He keeps cheating!" Japer accused.

"I know her cheats Jasper; just stop playing chess with him." I laughed. "Play a non-strategic game."

"He'll still cheat." Jasper grumbled. I chuckled softly and headed upstairs.

"OK, hold still Bella."

"Alice just go away already!"

Ah, there was nothing like the sound of various groups of children arguing to warm a mother's heart. It appeared Alice had become engaged in her new favourite game, Bella Barbie. I felt sorry for Bella, she wasn't a fan of this game and I knew how she was feeling, before Bella came along I'd fallen victim to many of Alice's makeover sessions myself and, whilst I loved my tiny pixie like daughter, I hadn't appreciated it much.

I knocked gently on the bathroom door.

"Come in!" Alice called.

As I went to open the door I heard Bella squeal.

"No Alice! I don't want anyone seeing me like this."

"Oh relax Bella. It's only Esme, she won't laugh."

"Will you laugh Esme?" Bella asked.

"Of course not dear." I replied.

"Fine."

I entered the bathroom and, I must admit, I had great difficulty keeping my promise. Alice had really out done herself this time; Bella looked like some crazy punk girl. Her eyes were coated thickly in bright blue eye shadow and outlined in heavy blue kohl pencil, her face was so pale she could have passed for one of us and her lips were blood red.

She wore a black corset style top with blue ribbons, a black skirt with netting and what looked like a black and blue tie in the belt loops and a pair of Alice's skyscraper blue and black high heels. The whole thing was rounded off with a bright blue wig that I recognised as something Alice had bought in the 80's when she had gone through a brief punk-y phase herself.

"That's...very nice."

Bella looked at me sceptically. "Right. I look like an idiot."

Alice glared at her, "No one dressed by me ever looks like an idiot!"

I sighed. "I think you're over using that phrase Alice."

"And you're judging idiocy on your standards rather than those of the sane population of this planet." Added a voice from behind me.

"Shut up Rosalie." Alice hissed.

Sensing this could soon become unpleasant I began ushering Rosalie out of the door. "We'll just leave you girls to it." I called over my shoulder.

Having made sure Rosalie was ,um, occupied, in her room with Emmett and wouldn't be bothering Alice and Bella in the near future I headed out to the garden. After a few minutes I felt Carlisle's arms wrap around my waist. I stood up and, turning round in his embrace, began kissing him passionately.

"How is everyone?" He asked.

"Edward beat Jasper at chess, again, Alice has made Bella look like a punk and Rosalie and Emmett are going at it like rabbits."

"Just an average day in the Cullen house." He said with a chuckle, as we lay down on the soft earth.

"Get a room!" Six voices yelled simultaneously. As usual, my kids had all come to the windows at exactly the same, wrong, moment.

"It's a shame," Carlisle mused. "We never get to do it in the garden anymore. I mean before we..."

"Ewww!"

"Gross!"

"Did not want to hear that!"

I chuckled at their reactions, teenagers in so many ways.

"What do you say we take their advice and, 'get a room' Mrs. Cullen?"

"I'd like that ." I replied with a slight giggle.

"Just do it quietly!" Rosalie called down, banging her bedroom window shut.

I laughed at the irony in that, Rosalie and Emmett were the noisiest of all of us.

Carlisle and I ran, vampire speed, up to our bedroom and he kicked the door shut as he began to unbutton my blouse. I heard Edward's music turn on, loud, and the distinctive bang of the front door as Alice and Jasper vacated the premises.

Yes, it was just an average day in the Cullen house.