I sat up in Bella's room and waited for her to finish dinner with her father. I couldn't help but listen to the conversation below as I waited.
"I just don't see why I should give you my blessing Bella." Charlie's voice said and I sighed. While Bella had finally agreed to marry me she didn't feel comfortable doing against her father's wishes neither did I in all honesty but if he didn't give it we were just going to have to do without.
"Because Dad it's your job to look after me and make sure I'm happy right?" she asked, I sat up a little bit wondering where she was going with this.
"Of course it is."
"Well the only way I can go on to lead a happy life is if it is with Edward. Dad I love him and I know you think I have no clue what love is and believe I know that it is how you think don't say otherwise I know that when he's gone I'm not right."
"You seem alright now."
"Because I know I'll talk to him before I go asleep tonight, Dad I know this isn't the ideal situation and believe me I never thought I would be getting the r added to my title before I graduated college at least but Edward and I talked about this in great detail, we've gone over every scenario possible and Dad I agree with him marriage is the best way forward for us." She said and my silent heart almost leapt out of my chest.
She agreed with me? She must have forgotten I was here.
"Bella do you even know him?"
"Of course I do."
"Fine tell me some things you know about Edward Cullen."
"He's adopted."
"Every in town knows that." Charlie began but Bella hushed him.
"No he was adopted a long time ago by Esme and Carlisle, his real surname is Masen but he uses it as a second middle name, the first one is Antony. He was named after his father Edward Snr and his mother's name was Elizabeth. He was an only child before he came to the Cullens and he is the oldest of their adopted children." Bella said and I smiled, attentive and managed to tell the real story without giving too much away. She didn't lie she just didn't elaborate.
Smart.
"Where's he originally from?" he asked.
"Chicago." Bella answered.
"I thought the Cullens came from Alaska."
"The Cullens do the Masen however were from Chicago." She said slowly.
I think Alice has been influencing her too much.
"What else?"
"Why do you wanna know?" she asked.
"Because I can't give you away to some guy I only know by face Bella. I know a few things about Edward and they are his surname, his family's names, he drives a Volvo and that he's always punctual. The rest is what I hear from people in the school and that's just he's well behaved. Bella when you walk out that door with him you walk out with a stranger to me."
"Dad..." Bella began but it was Charlie's turn to interrupt her.
"I don't know the boy and if you want my blessing that's gonna have to change." Charlie said and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Meaning?" Bella asked.
"Get him over here tomorrow and I'll spend the day with him and see what I think."
"I have a dress fitting tomorrow." Bella interjected.
"My point exactly." Charlie stated.
It was then I realised what Charlie wanted, he wanted to grill me, tomorrow alone. When Bella couldn't stop him.
So not going to be fun.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"Agh! I can't believe he's doing this." Bella fumed as she paced back and forth in my room. Alice had brought her over this morning and I was due in the Swan residence in the next half an hour.
"Bella it's alright." I said smiling.
"No it isn't he's doing this to get under my skin. If Alice doesn't see the wedding for one second I am going to kill him."
"Why wouldn't Alice see the wedding?" I asked.
"Because he'll say something that will get you thinking and Lord knows that's never good especially when I'm not there to tell you otherwise. It will have catastrophic repercussion let me tell you." She said ranting so I stood up and took hold of her shoulders.
"Nothing is going to happen." I said slowly.
"Don't make me get Alice in here to hit you." She warned and I chuckled.
"Everything's going to be fine." I said wrapping my arms around her.
"Fine but if he tries to shoot you play dead and I'll meet you at the state line." She said the seriousness in her voice had me sceptical for a moment. But just a moment.
"Will do Love." I told her before kissing, I let myself fall into the kiss a bit more than I should have but with the wedding approaching I was trying to let my guard down a little bit so it wouldn't come as much off a shock when we were together on our honeymoon. "I better get going." I told her and she sighed. "I'll see when Alice drops you back home later?"
"Sure." She said before leaning up to kiss me again.
"I love you Bella." I told her and she smiled.
"I love you too Edward."
"Yes we all love each other dearly now come on Bella get you little human butt into my room." Alice said coming into my room.
"If I didn't know you any better Alice I'd ask what you intentions are. Taking my fiancée locking her in your room and taking her clothes off after you just commented on her butt." I laughed while Bella shook her head.
"I'll leave that scenario to you perverted 108 year old virgin brain. Now come on Bella we're picking your underwear for the wedding night." She said pulling Bella out of my arms and I groaned.
"See I don't think you two realise that while it's hilarious watching you torture each other it's a bit embarrassing for me." Bella stated and Alice and I laughed. "Laugh it up Alice you won't be so happy when I refuse to play Bella Barbie with you and you." She said pointing at me "Well you've got to go spend the day with Charlie so I suppose that's punishment enough." She said before disappearing with Alice from the room.
Still laughing I walked downstairs and got into the Volvo. I took my time getting to Charlie's, I was a bit nervous about today but I wasn't going to let on to Bella about that now was I?
As I pulled up outside the Swan residence I parked behind Bella's truck. The cruiser was in the drive way so I knew he was home. Pulling my hood up like any normal teenager would do in the rain I got out of the car and jogged up the front steps of the house. I knocked on the door and waited for Charlie to answer.
When he did he had his game face on. Oh the joys of being in love with the Police Chief's daughter. Only daughter at that.
"Hello Chief Swan, Bella told me you wanted to see me today?" I asked, be polite and breathe Edward this should be a walk in the park.
"Yeah come on in." He said opening the door wider. I stepped into the familiar house but without Bella's heartbeat which had become my personal metronome I was lost. "You can hang your coat up there. I know Bella and Alice would kill me if you got the flu or something before the... upcoming weeks." Charlie said and I nodded.
"Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked as I sat down across from him.
"Well Edward to be honest I want to know a bit more about the guy my daughter is getting married to. I know you've asked me for my blessing but I can't give it to a complete stranger."
"I understand that completely, what would you like to know?" I asked.
"Anything, really. I know you're a good kid. I do. You and Bella have made some mistakes which is only human but maybe if I knew you a bit more I would be only to understand this desire you have to get married at such a young age I might add. So Bella tells me you were born in Chicago?"
"Yes, my parents and I lived just outside the city." I said.
Again not lying, just not elaborating.
"And you're really Edward Jr?" He asked.
"Yes Edward is a name that goes back a long way in my family on my father's side so he and my mother felt it was only natural to name their first born who was a boy Edward." I explained. Still not lying.
"How old were you when they died?" he asked.
"Two." I explained. Lie number one.
"Do you mind if I ask of what?"
"Trying to find out if there are any hereditary diseases Sir?" I asked trying to put in some humour.
"I need to know these things. If I know young marriages I know babies follow soon after, if there's not already one on the way that is." Charlie stated and I felt my throat close.
"There isn't." I said and he nodded. "And there probably won't be." I didn't want to say most definitely there won't be, he would probably have a fit.
"So what did they die of?"
"Car crash."
"Were you in the car?"
"Yes. I was in hospital for a long time. Carlisle was my doctor but the state wouldn't let him adopt me as he wasn't married. But once he met Esme he came back for me." I explained.
"What did you mean by 'there probably won't be.'?" He asked and I sighed. "I need to know Edward. I have to look after Bella's well being and if there's anything that will hurt her I need to know."
Trying to come up with a valid excuse in my head for why I wouldn't be able to give Bella a child I could only come up with one. "Unfortunately Sir, do to some exposure to radiation after my accident with my parents I am sterile." I said just more and more lies.
"Does Bella know?" he asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"And she still accepted?" he asked.
"She knew before I asked her." I explained and Charlie nodded. "Sir did you bring me here today to interrogate me or to get to know me, because as of now it feels like an interrogation." I said and Charlie nodded.
"Sorry I was just curious." He said.
"It's okay I just wanted to know."
"You don't know what it's like until you have one Edward. I know you and Bella may not have kids the 'normal' way." He said putting air quotes around normal "But if you adopt or foster or artificial whatever... you'll know. Your world changes."
"I don't know if my world could take another change." I laughed.
"What changes have you gone through you're what eighteen, nineteen?"
"Nineteen." I said thinking back to what it said on my driver's license. "But Sir your daughter has changed my world significantly."
"Really?" he asked "How so?"
"Most people don't get this." I explained but he looked like he wanted to know "She's got this aura around her that just... I don't know... it meshes with mine."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Like from day one when we were paired together in Biology class..."
"Who was your teacher?" he asked.
"Mr. Banner." I said.
"He's on my people to kill list now." Charlie said with a chuckle "I'm kidding, but since you were in Biology class..."
"It just worked. I know it's a teenage cliché to think no one understands you but truly I never opened up before I met Bella. She bring out the best in people even though she doesn't realise it."
"You talk about her like she's a religious icon or something..." Charlie said with a chuckle.
"Not as much reverence as that." I said with a smirk. "But the devotion for her is there along with the adoration."
"Hm." Charlie said "I'm beginning to like you." He said.
"Thank you Sir." I said.
"Call me Charlie Son." He said and I nodded. "So if memory serves me correct you like baseball right?"
"Yeah, my family and I play from time to time."
"What position?" he asked.
"Pitcher sometimes but most of the time I'm out field. My brother's have hard hits so if you got the speed you sent after the ball." I explained.
"I can see that. What's your team?"
"Sometimes I play homage to my home state but I suppose when in this house the answer in the answers is the Mariners?" I answered and Charlie nodded.
"Good answer. So what else do you do beside from lurk around outside until I let you in here?"
"Camping is a big thing for my family. My brother's thought it was great when Bella started working at Newton's because whenever we needed new equipment it was always 'Send Edward he won't mind."
"Did you?"
"Mike is a bit of a pain but who am I to pass up an opportunity to spend time with your daughter Charlie." I said and he nodded.
"True. I say being with Bella you've got to read something along the classic lines right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I enjoy reading. If I could get Bella to read something that wasn't Bronte or Shakespeare I would be very happy with myself." I said to which Charlie laughed.
"I know how you feel the amount of times I've found her asleep on top of her copy of Wuthering Heights... She'll kill me for saying this but that thing is probably held together by drool at this stage."
"My point exactly. It's like fine I will read two pages of Heathcliff's rambling to you if you would please just something else."
"You read to each other."
"When she's tired." I explained. "Sometimes my brother and I will get back from camping early and the girls will be recovering from their girlie night and it's all I can do to keep her awake."
It was then Charlie's phone went off.
"Just one second Edward." He said before talking into the phone.
"Hey Hon." He said and I could hear Bella's voice in the background.
"He still there or have you sent him running?" Bella asked and Charlie chuckled.
"Nah he's still here." Charlie said and I laughed knowing I was only supposed to hear his side of the conversation
"Right do you want me home for dinner later?"
"Sure. Edward are you gonna stay for dinner?""
"Dad I'm sure you will have wore him out by then." Bella's voice said quickly.
"I'm not torturing the poor boy; he can stay for dinner right Son?"
"Um... sure why not?" I asked realising I wasn't getting out of this.
"See Bells, he might as well find out if he likes your cooking or not now."
"I'm warning you Swan." Bella teased and Charlie laughed.
"Get back to trying on your dress and tell Esme Edward won't be home until later." Charlie said.
"Right Dad. Love you."
"Love you too Hon." He said before hanging up. "You'd think I was roasting you over a spit." He said laughing.
"She does have the tendency to over think." I said.
"Tell me about it." He shrugged "Get's it from my mother I'm convinced. Nothing could ever just happen it had to be planned meticulously until you couldn't plan it no more."
"Interesting." I said.
"Edward are you any good at fixing cars?" Charlie asked and I nodded.
"I'm not the best mechanic but I know my way around the engine." I said and he nodded.
"I told Bella I would get her truck looked at." He said shaking his head.
"It's dead isn't it?"
"As a doornail." Charlie said shaking his head. "But I need to make it looked like I tried, Do you have any clue why she is so stubborn over that thing."
"Emmett and Jasper make fun of it; I think it's her pride." I answered standing up. We walked out to the truck and I lifted the hood. "I know Jacob built this himself but I think there's gum holding a part of it together." I said frowning at it.
"I'll pay you fifty bucks if you get in a small accident in it."
"Then I'll be the one blamed." I said shaking my head. "I should take the stereo out though." I said hoping into the front seat.
"Does it still work?" Charlie asked as looked into the cab of the truck.
"It's only a year old." I told him flicking it on. Turns out Bella had the c.d player on when she turned off the truck last, the sounds of her lullaby filled the cab and I smiled.
"I'll give her one thing she's got a great taste in music." Charlie said and my smile got bigger "You look like you ate the canary."
"I'm just surprised you've never heard this before." I said.
"Should I have?" He asked.
"I don't know."
"What's it called?" he asked.
"Bella's Lullaby." I said as I reached into the glove compartment to find the c.d case.
"You wrote this?" he asked pointing to the stereo.
"Yeah. Bella told me she was having trouble sleeping and she liked to listen to music before she went to bed. According to Alice it puts her out like a light." I shrugged as I ejected the c.d.
"So you wrote it, who's playing it?"
"That would be me." I said as I got the screwdriver and began dismantling the stereo.
"You play piano."
"Since I was seven." I told him getting annoyed that I had to do this slowly.
"So you're a musician?" he asked.
"Just the piano and the guitar Charlie. I grabbed the wrong one could you get me a Phillips?" I asked realising my mistake.
"Here." Charlie said handing me the Phillips "When did you write her the lullaby?" he asked.
"Um when we first started hanging out."
"So before you liked her?"
"I've always liked her Charlie it was more before I knew I love her." I said pulling the stereo out of the space with ease before careful detaching the wires.
"You're something else Son I can tell you that much."
"Is that a good thing?" I asked unsure.
"Yeah. It's a good thing." Charlie said as we walked back inside. As we did Alice's Porsche pulled up in the driveway.
"Look Bella I told you he was still alive." Alice laughed as they got out of the car. "Charlie Swan you better have gotten that suit for me."
"I'm getting it." Charlie said "Just give me a second Son."
"Sure thing Charlie." I said as Bella walked up the steps. Alice and she looked sideways at each other.
"What happened?" Bella asked.
"Nothing. I told you it would be fine." I said rolling my eyes, before realising I still had the stereo in my hands.
"The trucks dead isn't?" Alice asked a gleam in her eye.
"Yeah." I said trying to keep the smirk off my face.
"You took a part the truck?" Bella asked looking over her shoulder.
"No, just the stereo. You're not going to be able to sell it."
"Maybe the Chevy museum would buy it." Alice said and I smirked.
"Here you go Alice." Charlie said coming down the stairs. He saw Bella pouting and rolled his eyes. "It's dead Bells."
"A couple of hours together and you turn my own father against me?" She said towards me with a scoff and I laughed.
"Charlie was already a member of the cause before I got here." I told her as she took the stereo out of my hands she peered into the c.d slot and I held out the c.d case to her. "I ejected it before I took it out of the car."
"Thanks." She said taking it.
"So does the dress fit?" Charlie asked.
"Charlie she looks like an angel in it." Alice said while belting out the lyrics of I'm A Little Tea Pot in her head. Touché Alice touché.
"She always does." Charlie said smiling at her daughter. "You staying for dinner Alice?"
"Wish I could, believe me I do," She said her thoughts now away from the dress smug "But Jasper is taking me out to get something tonight." She said. There's a bit of mountain lion population explosion.
Something to look forward to.
"Oh well some other time then." Charlie said.
"Sure. Bye guys." Alice said before walking away. Bella walked in ahead of us and went up to her room.
"She's pouting." Charlie said and I shrugged.
"The trucks a bit of a sore spot between the two of us."
"Oh really?" he asked leaning against the door frame "Is it because Jake made it?"
"No, believe me I have bigger things to be caring about then who built the thing. I just think she would benefit from something that goes the speed limit."
"True." Charlie said as Bella came back down the stairs.
"Whoever broke it fixes it." She said.
"It's dead." I told her and she shook her head.
"It's not over until the fat lady sings." Bella said.
"She sang earlier." Charlie said as I followed Bella into the kitchen.
"Fine." Bella said with a sigh "But you can get that smug smile off your face."
"Who?" Charlie asked.
"Edward." She said and I looked at her innocently.
"I have no clue what you're talking about love?" I said.
"Really?" she asked.
"What did you do?" Charlie asked.
"He made me promise him that once Old Red died he got to buy me a new car."
"Got to?"
"Yes." She huffed as she began to pull the stuff out for the meal. She was going her revenge through this I could tell.
"You're going to buy her a car? The cruiser's looking a little dead, wanna make me promise anything?" Charlie asked with a smile.
"Just a wedding gift I want to give her." I told him and Bella watched the interaction between the two of us. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at our exchange.
"What Bells?" Charlie asked.
"I'm not a big conspircist." She said and I internally scoffed, yeah right "But I want to know which one the aliens took. My vote is on you Dad." She said.
"Why me?"
"Because he just said wedding and you didn't cringe." She said and Charlie shrugged.
"Ah he's not so bad Bells." Charlie said as he got a beer from the fridge. "Games on." Charlie said "You coming?"
"Be in a minute." I said before he walked out of the room.
"Mind control isn't it." Bella stated once he was out of an earshot.
"What is?" I asked.
"How are you doing this? I couldn't even get him to agree to go to a suit fitting the other week and now he's talking about the wedding like it's going fishing next week." She said. "You can tell me if it is."
"I love you, you insane woman." I said kissing her quickly.
"So it is mind control." She said and I laughed.
"What are you cooking?"
"You're favourite." She said with an evil smile.
"Who was the one who advised you on this 'favourite'?"
"Emmett." She said smirking and I paled.
"Remember when I said I love you." I told her.
"Go watch the game I'll call you both when it's ready." She said her evil smile getting bigger.
I sighed giving up and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.
"Everything alright?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, your daughter though likes to remind me who's really in charge sometimes." I said.
"What did she do?" he asked with a smirk.
"Her and Emmett apparently had sharing time this afternoon. That's never good. Payback for the truck."
"She still think it's a big conspiracy?" he asked.
"Yeah." I said.
"Let her. She's her mother's daughter."
"Renee a conspircist?" I asked out of curiosity.
"You've met Renee right?" he asked a suttle laugh behind his question.
"Suppose." I answered before we quieted down to watch the baseball game. "I've changed my mind I'm going back to the Cubs." I said after watching the horrible first half.
"Right behind you." Charlie said shaking his head. Bella came into the living room holding a new beer for Charlie must be a routine.
"Who's winning?" she asked looking between Charlie and I.
"Not us." Charlie said and she nodded.
"By a lot?"
"Yeah." I answered and again she nodded.
"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour or so."
"Okay Hon." Charlie said taking a swig out of his beer. "Oh come. How did he miss that?"
I sighed and shook my head "All pretty boys these days whoever can buy their way in the most. Makes you long for the old days." I said and Bella hit my arm before Charlie gave me an odd look.
"Old days?" and I realised what I had said.
"I used to watch the old games with my Grandpa before he died." I said, not entirely a lie. My grandpa took me to a game or two before his death. "Recording of them like."
"Of course." Charlie said before turning his attention back to the screen while I mouthed thank you to Bella who smiled before heading back into the kitchen.
Charlie and I discussed player stats and made comments at the poor playing until Bella came into the room again.
"Guys dinners ready." She said and I stood up following her into the kitchen.
"What did you do?" I asked as I smelled the air in the room.
"I told you your favourite." She said evilly as she pointed to a plate of... she didn't... she wouldn't... no.
There it sat in front of me.
Lasagne.
We meet again.
An ill fated dinner party we were forced to go to for the benefit of a hospital where Esme, Carlisle and myself didn't end so well when we were forced to choke down some of this nasty stuff. It was a combination of all things wrong with human meals.
"Is this your Nana Meyer's recipe?" Charlie asked.
"Yup." Bella said "Everybody got enough?" she asked.
"Yes thank you." I said as she sat down beside me and picked up her fork. "Is that your mother's side?"
"Yeah, Isabella gives the hint that there's some Italian in me somewhere right?" she asked and I laughed. Charlie watched us very discreetly I'll give him that but he watched us.
"So when is your Mom flying in?" I asked eating another mouthful.
"Next week. She's gonna stay in the hotel but from the way her and Esme have been yapping on the phone to each other she'll end up crashing in your living room probably. Were you aware of the new relationship between the two?"
"I was." I said "I tend to leave the room when those conversations are going on though. There's so much talk about flowers I can take Love." I said.
"I know how you feel. I picked the cake out."
"Without him?" Charlie asked.
"Nah I put my choices in to Alice last night when they first arrived." I said covering quickly. Bella knew she could pick whatever she wanted when it came to the food the rest of us in my house didn't really care.
"Oh right."
"Which one did you pick?"
"The white one that had the chocolate cake in on the inside."
"They were all white."
"So I thought. Apparently the others were off white or cream." Bella said. "I love your sister. I really do but she's nuts."
"I've been telling you this for awhile but you've refused to see it any other way." I said and Charlie had a smile spread across his lips.
"What Dad?" Bella asked as she reached over to my plate and pulled some food over to her plate while he was partially distracted. His thoughts made me smile.
"Nothing. You were hungry." He said gesturing to the plate.
"It was great." I said shrugging, his eyes then drifted to Bella's plate.
"You feeling okay?"
"They've been force feeding me cake all day." Bella said patting her stomach. "You're lucky I haven't thrown up yet.
"Right." He said he then looked at his watch. "I better get going Bells. Gonna go down to La Push for an hour or two." He said.
"Sure Dad." Bella said nodding.
"Nice seeing you Edward." He said. "Don't hesitate in coming over."
"Mariners play the Cubs next week." I said and he laughed.
"You're on."
"Seeya Charlie." I said as he walked out the door. Once he was gone I turned and looked at Bella.
"It was Emmett." She said holding hands in up in surrender.
I shook my head.
"You want to go empty it?" she asked and I nodded.
"I'll be back down in a minute." I said before heading up to the bathroom.
Once I was finish with my bulimic activities I walked back downstairs to find Bella cleaning up. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder. "I say if I was human I'd really appreciate your cooking." I laughed and she giggled.
"Well at least I got my payback." She said pulling her ring off and leaving it on the windowsill. "I don't want it to fall down the drain. I've lost more than enough things that way." She explained and I nodded. "What were you smiling at all the way through dinner?"
"You caught that?" I asked and she nodded.
"Come on tell me." She said as she scrubbed the dishes.
"Charlie's thoughts."
"What about them?" she asked.
"He saw us making it." I told her.
"Huh?"
"Most people don't think we'll last because we're meaning you are so young but seeing it in Charlie's mind was something else."
"So does that mean...?" she asked and I nodded.
"I got Charlie's blessing."
"Oh thank God. I was afraid I was going to have to get you, Jasper and Emmett to tie him into the back of the Jeep to get him to the wedding." She said leaning against my chest. "I love you." She said leaning up and kissing me.
"I love you too." I said.
And just like that all the pieces fell into places.
For it to all almost fall apart.
So what did you think?
This is a two shot.
Part One – Before Breaking Dawn.
Part Two – After Breaking Dawn.
Let me know what you think of Part One.
Review please?
Love The Irish Cullen.