A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the awesome responses to the first chapter. I am so excited about this story! I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Hopefully, you all will take the time to leave me a review when you're finished reading this. I absolutely love reviews, and they help me get my updates out quickly. Thanks so much for all of your support!

And I don't hate Carlisle. It's impossible for anyone to hate him. This fic is totally OOC.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. All of it is Stephenie's.


Chapter 2- Closer

I walked into the giant dining room that looked just as big as I remembered. The long, cherry-colored table still had the random maple designs spread aimlessly through out the surface while the chairs had a creme-colored cushion attached to the wood. The table was set properly with the plate in the center while two forks were placed neatly to the left and the knives and spoons to my right. The napkin was wrapped into a design of some sort while it sat in the center of the dish. A fine, crystal wine glass was in front of the knives and spoons.

The same expensive, silver chandelier hung from the solid brass frame on the ceiling. It was dressed completely with cut and polished, sparkling crystals while a 24 karat gold finish fulfilled the finishing touches of the beautiful light.

On the pearl-colored walls were scattered painting that filled the room. I recognized them all, quickly. They were the same ones that were here when I was just a child. Like I said, nothing has changed.

Well, maybe some things have.

For starters, my forty-eight year old father was dating a twenty-two year old goddess-like woman by the name of Bella. That's pretty messed up if you ask me. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if the woman wasn't the same age as me or if I hadn't recently walked in on her completely naked. Things have definitely gone down hill when you find yourself randomly checking out your father's girlfriend.

Especially when she has the potential to become your possible step-mother.

Weird.

Creepy.

But I didn't dare say the words aloud. My father would instantly smash my face into little tiny specks of dust. One thing I knew better than to do, was judge the woman that he claimed as his girlfriends. It was kind of hard not to, though. She was beautiful, sexy, attractive, cute, pretty. The list could continue on forever.

I placed myself in one of the cherry-colored seats near the head of the table, where my father would most likely sit. And I was right. He slowly plopped himself onto the chair to the left of mine while we waited for Bella and Zafrina to arrive with dinner.

That was another strange thing. Normally, my father dated self-centered bitches with plastic surgery covering their bodies from head to toe. It wasn't hard to tell that Bella wasn't like them, especially when she decided to help Zafrina in the kitchen. My father objected, but she refused to let her get the dishes ready alone.

Bella was kind. It didn't take rocket science for me to figure that out. Her heart was made of pure gold.

But Bella was my age.

My father never had done something like this before, though. Usually, the woman he dated were somewhere around his age, not twenty-six years away. They were all attractive in an elderly way, but I had never found myself getting hard at the sight of their naked bodies. Better yet, I had never seen his other girlfriends with out clothing, but I was sure that I would have been scarred for life if I had. And not in a good way.

Just then, Bella strolled in with a steaming bowl of spaghetti in her hands while Zafrina was close behind with a plate of meatballs. A huge smile was planted across Bella's face for a reason that I was entirely unsure of until I looked at Zafrina. Zafrina seemed to like Bella which meant that Bella's intentions were pure and that she wasn't like the typical girls my father brought home.

Zafrina was someone who could tell if people were totally fake and phony or if they were true and wonderfully kind. I've known Zafrina my whole entire life and the grin that she wore was definitely not an act. It was real, and it was for Bella. That set me at ease knowing that Zafrina wasn't as miserable as I thought she was while I was away at college.

Normally, my father would nag her while I was away since he couldn't bug me the whole time. Zafrina didn't mind though, or at least she didn't show that it bothered her. She always put aside her feelings so that she could please the "master". Pfft, that was one thing that I would never call him.

But now she had Bella. My worry for Zafrina was assauged, knowing that she had treated her with kindness.

I watched as Bella set the bowl of spaghetti on our side of the table. Her hair was now pulled back, out of her face, most likely so that it wouldn't fall into the food while she served us. A small smile crept across her face when she noticed my staring. It was the most beautiful face I had ever seen.

Bella went to reach for the over sized silver fork and spoon to place in our dishes when Carlisle immediately grabbed her wrist. "Bella, please sit down. Zafrina can serve us. It's what she's paid to do," Carlisle said, his tone slightly angry.

Her eyes were a little agitated, but with out a word, she obeyed him and took a seat directly across from mine. I glanced over at Zafrina who had watched the whole thing but said nothing about it. She served us with out a word, and I mumbled a quiet thank you to her. That smile that I knew so well plastered across her face when she said, "You're welcome."

Hastily, Zafrina went to exit the dining room with out looking back. "Call me if you need anything. I'll just be in the kitchen," she stated, sounding more cheerful than ever.

I watched her leave and was immediately pissed off that Carlisle wasn't letting her eat at the table with us. I just got home and already I wanted to rip his lungs out of his chest. "Why isn't she eating with us?" I asked, my tone harsh and angry.

Carlisle began to pick up his fork, but then stopped abruptly when I had spoken. "Because we're eating dinner as a family. Zafrina is not in this family, Edward," he stated as if it were childishly obvious.

My eyes sent a death glare in his direction at the words he had just spoken. "What the hell are you talking about? Zafrina is in this family just as much as I am. She's been here since before I was even born." I wanted to take his face and slam it in his spaghetti for his rude behavior. Why was he such an ass? "She-"

"Edward, that's enough! All we've done since you've arrived here was fight. Can we please just enjoy a peaceful dinner for once with out the battles?" he questioned, his eyes full of fury and impatience.

I glanced over at Bella who hadn't said a word. Her eyes were fixed on the spaghetti in her plate, but I knew she was listening to our argument. "Okay," I said, looking back at Carlisle. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just...it was just a really long drive back home. I guess I'm a little fidgety," I lied.

He nodded his head and then gave a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "I understand." He paused a moment before he continued speaking. "How was the Valedictory speech at graduation?" he asked, taking a bite of his meal.

Yep, it was only a matter of time before he brought up this damn subject. It was like he was looking for a fight. I wanted to scream at him and ask him why the hell he didn't go just because I wasn't number one in my class, but I chose a different route this time. "Angela did a great job. If anyone deserved to make the speech, it was definitely her. She's going to go far in life," I replied, knowing that my words were digging at him like a sharp shovel.

Carlisle smiled once. "I'll bet she will. It's too bad that you weren't Valedictorian and-"

"Dad," I interrupted abruptly, "Please, let's not talk about it because it's done and over with. There's nothing I can do to change the fact that I wasn't Valedictorian. Just let it go," I stated a bit rudely.

And he did. Just like that.

That was surprising.

There was an awkward silence lingering between the three of us, but honestly, I could care less. Maybe the quiet would keep me from wanting to rip my father's throat out whenever he spoke. If Bella weren't present, I'm sure I would have thrown my food in his direction. Childish, but true.

I looked up from my food to find Bella staring curiously at me. I smiled politely causing her to look away, slightly embarrassed. "So how long have you two been together?" I asked, breaking the silence, but knowing that the subject was still rather awkward and weird.

Carlisle grinned and reached to grab Bella's hand that rested on the table. She stared at him and laughed at his enthusiasm. Her laugh was like velvet and sounded musical. "A little over a year now, isn't that right, babe?" he asked.

Bella smirked and nodded her head. "Yeah."

A fucking year? Was he serious, right now? I kept looking around thinking that maybe Ashton Kutcher was going to come out from hiding somewhere letting me know that I was only on the TV show Punk'd, and this was all some crazy joke. But he never came, so I decided to let it go and just deal with it.

"That's nice," I replied, my tone not exactly matching my statement.

Carlisle picked up another forkful of spaghetti before he turned the attention to me. "What about you, Edward?" he began. "Do you have a special lady anywhere in your life?" he asked, trying to sound interested, but I knew that he could care less.

I shook my head from side to side. "No. No girl," I stated simply.

"Why the hell not? I mean look at you. Lord knows that you could have any girl you want, so how come you're not dating anyone?" he asked, taking me by surprise. Since when did he care if I dated or not? Normally, he loved the fact that I didn't find any girls particularly interesting. That way my attention was fixed on my studies.

My shoulders shrugged once before I looked back at him. His eyes were bored and uninterested, He didn't give two shits if I had a girlfriend or not. "I just haven't found anyone that I'm interested in, yet," I said truthfully.

Hell, I knew that I was good looking and that I could have my pick of any girl that I wanted. People often told me that I looked better than any male model on the planet, with my bronze-colored hair and emerald green eyes. But the truth was that I didn't really want any of the girls that wanted me.

The rest of dinner was silent after that. Occasionally, I would steal glances at Bella but would look away quickly whenever she caught me staring. The meal was delicious as usual. Zafrina was an amazing cook and no one could make spaghetti and meatballs like she could.

I ended up excusing myself from the table so that I could help Zafrina with the dishes and thank her for such an exquisite meal. She always came through with wonderful dinners whenever I was coming home. I hastily walked to the kitchen area and pushed the door open.

Zafrina stood in front of the sink scrubbing away the mess that the dishes had. Her arms were covered with soap suds while water dripped down to her elbows. I decided to take advantage of my unnoticed presence as I tip-toed behind her. This used to work all the time when I was a kid. Just a little bit closer...

"I know you're there, Edward," she said, her back still facing away from me.

I sighed loudly and went to lean against the side of the counter next to her. "How do you do that?" I asked.

She tore her eyes away from the plates and laughed. "You don't think I'm used to the fact that you always try to do scare me whenever I'm washing the dishes?" Zafrina's deep voice questioned.

Of course, I knew that she was good at that. There was no way that you could ever take her by surprise. She was always prepared and ready for whatever was to come her way. Especially when it involved me. It was like she had some Edward radar sixth sense of some sort that let her know whenever I was near.

"The question is," she began, "what is it that you need?" Zafrina asked while raising her eyebrows.

I smiled genuinely. "I don't need anything. I just thought I'd come in here to help you finish these faster, and thank you for the amazing dinner. You're still the best cook out there, Zafrina," I said patting her shoulder once before I rolled up the sleeves of my black button-up.

A smirk tugged at her lips before she spoke again. "Well, you're welcome and thank you." Zafrina placed one of the dishes in my hand and passed me a dish towel. "I'll wash the plates. You can dry them," she suggested.

"Deal," I said.

I had so many questions floating around in my head about my father and his new girlfriend. I was sure that Zafrina would answer them as best as she could so I decided to ask them to her. She was the only one that would give me honest responses around here. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that no one was coming to the kitchen. I was sure that no one would, but it was just for precaution.

"So what's the deal with Bella and my dad?" I asked while I continued to dry the wet dishes. "How the hell did that happen?"

Zafrina laughed and then, she, too checked the door to the kitchen. "I knew that it was only a matter of time before you wanted to know about his young, hot girlfriend." She paused a second to giggle her deep laugh. I waited patiently for her to continue. "Well, it all started a year ago at one of his get togethers. Bella was there with her father, Charlie, who's one of Carlisle's clients. You remember him, don't you?" she asked.

Of course, I did. "Yeah, Charlie was the one who was accused of murder for that little boys death, but Carlisle got him out of it by manipulating the jury," I answered. How could I forget something like that? I knew that Charlie was innocent, but the detectives had all the proof they needed. If it wasn't for Carlisle, Charlie would be rotting away in some jail cell.

Zafrina nodded her head and continued to wash the filthy dishes. "Yes, so, Bella was here with her father, and she was talking with Carlisle for a really long time, even after everyone had gone home. Before I knew it, she's coming back everyday. Now, normally, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but I was going to clean Carlisle's room, and there she was. No clothes on, lying in the sheets that I had just changed."

A disgusted look crept across Zafrina's face while she handed me another plate to dry. "Anyway, I just considered her another one of his stupid, brainless bimbos, at first, because you know how Carlisle is; always has to bring home the sick prostitutes."

I laughed at Zafrina's objective face as she continued with the story. "But she's not like that at all, Edward. She's kind, sweet, and is extremely helpful. Whenever she gets the chance, she's working with me in here. I don't know how someone so tenderhearted could end up with a snake like Carlisle."

"He must really be good in bed," I suggested.

Zafrina smacked my chest playfully before she continued on. "I'm surprised she hasn't come in here yet. Normally, she'll get up from the table and be at my side right when she's finished."

"Carlisle probably demanded that she remain seated. He looked like he was going to bite her head off when she wanted to help you serve us at dinner," I reminded her.

A smile tugged at Zafrina's lips as she spoke. "Yeah, and you looked like you wanted to bite her in a couple of places, too."

I was shocked by her statement but couldn't help but laugh. Zafrina hardly ever talked in a sexual manner around me, but I always found it hilarious whenever she did. I shook my head and looked away from her while she passed another plate into my hands.

"Don't try to deny it, Edward. I know you better than anyone, even your father. He may not have seen the way you were looking at her, but I sure did," Zafrina concluded.

She was right. I couldn't deny it. Bella was unbelievably beautiful, and it was hard for anyone not to be attracted to her perfection. Just thinking about her caused my body to betray me. I glanced down and tried to shake the feeling away so that Zafrina wouldn't notice.

"I think it would be better for her to be your girlfriend, than your fathers. It's just a little strange for me to think that someone like her wants an old man," she said.

My eyes looked up to hers and she smirked. "You're something else, you know that?" I asked.

She nodded her head. "Yes, I know." Zafrina passed me another dish as she examined my face for a long moment.

I cleared my throat once before I spoke. "So what does Bella do for a living?" I asked curiously.

Zafrina picked up another bowl and scrubbed it vigorously as she spoke. "I believe she's an elementary school teacher for third graders. Bella just started the job recently," Zafrina replied.

"Oh," was all I said before our conversation ended.

Out of the blue, Zafrina chuckled half-heartedly as we continued to finish the dishes together. How was it be possible that Bella could have fallen in love with my father of all people? She was kind and sexy and everything in between. Bella could have any man of her choice, but yet she chose him...


I couldn't sleep that night despite how tired my body was and how it begged for me to drift into my slumber. I just couldn't get my eyes to close and stay that way. I tried counting sheep, soft music, and other things but nothing seemed to work. My eyes caught sight of the infra red numbers that flashed on the clock. 3:42 a.m. This was ridiculous.

Throwing my brown comforter off my body, I sat up and pushed my legs out so they were touching the maple wood of the floor. I rubbed my eyes sleepily as the cold air hit my bare chest. I shivered slightly and walked to my drawer to retrieve a pair of grey sweat pants. I couldn't walk around in my boxers knowing that Bella lived here now. Hastily, I threw them on before I tip-toed out of my room.

Hopefully, Carlisle didn't have the motion sensors on or else the alarm would surely set off as soon as I touched the main floor. Cautiously, I walked quietly down the spiralled staircase so that I didn't wake anyone. I strolled silently across the marble of the first floor until I reached the kitchen.

Glancing over my shoulder once, I pushed the door open and went to the fridge to retrieve a late night snack. Perhaps, some food would help me with my sleeping issues. I sifted through the items in the fridge, retrieving an apple from the back.

It wasn't until I noticed the kitchen light flick on that I gasped and jumped a mile.

My heart stopped beating for a moment when I noticed Bella's alarmed face staring back at mine. "Oh, I'm sorry. I..I didn't mean to scare you," Bella apologized.

I took in her appearance and smiled inwardly at the sight of her. Her hair was slightly messed but didn't take anything away from her beauty while fuzzy black slippers were attached to her feet. The familiar silk, short white robe clung to her body, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was obvious that she wore nothing underneath it while some of her cleavage poked out of the top of the robe. I tried my hardest to look away from her perfectly outlined curves, but it was next to impossible.

I shook my head once, tearing my eyes away from her body. "No, it's okay. I was just getting something to eat. I can't sleep, I guess," I stated before I took a quick bite out of my red apple.

Bella nodded her head once before she, too, made her way to the fridge. "Yeah, same here."

My body leaned against the granite counter behind me as I watched her bend over to reach for something on the lower level of the fridge. I admired her round butt for a short while before she turned back around to face me. Bella also had reached for an apple.

She took a small chunk out of the side of it with her pearly white teeth and stared curiously in my direction. Unable to help myself, I stared back. There was something so wonderful and captivating about her, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Perhaps, it was her gorgeous features that fanned across her face. Maybe, it was her small and fragile frame that held the curves of an angel.

Bella cleared her throat once before she spoke. "So, why can't you sleep, tonight?" she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders once and shook my head. "I don't know. Maybe, I'm just so used to sleeping in my dorm and my uncomfortable mattress. And now, I have my giant bed made for ten people, and it doesn't feel right, I guess."

She laughed quietly at my statement.

"What?" I asked.

"That's exactly how I felt when I first moved here. I went to Washington State, and I had the most uncomfortable bed ever, but I grew used to it. And then, I moved here, with Carlisle, and suddenly, I'm sleeping in a huge bed that's unbelievably comfortable." She paused a minute to smile in spite of herself. "I used to just walk around the house at night with nothing to do, but eventually, I got used to it."

I looked at her, my expression confused. "So why are you awake right now?" I asked, curiously.

Absentmindedly, she crossed her small arms across her chest and sighed loudly. "Carlisle and I were fighting up until an hour ago, and I just don't feel like sleeping near him right now," Bella replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What were you two fighting about?" I asked, regretting the fact that I was acting like a nosey teenager. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I added quickly.

Bella seemed slightly torn, but she spoke anyway. "We just...I told him that he needed to lay off you a little with everything, and he got really angry and told me not to tell him how to raise you. I guess it was kind of my fault, but I saw how irritated you were at dinner, so I thought that I'd do you a favor. Carlisle took it the wrong way and wouldn't speak to me after that."

I nodded my head once. "Thanks, but you don't need to get yourself in trouble just so he'll leave me alone. I can handle Carlisle despite his jackass moves. I've been doing it my whole life," I reminded her while running a hand through my bronze hair.

She looked around the kitchen for a second before her eyes locked with mine once again. I felt a surge of chills run through my entire body when her chocolate orbs stayed fixed on mine. "I know. I just thought that maybe he'd leave you alone for a little while. You looked so stressed and pissed off...I don't know..I guess it was stupid."

I hoisted myself up on top of the counter while I took another quick bite of my apple. "It wasn't stupid of you to want to help me. It was just stupid of you to get yourself in trouble for me. Carlisle has mood swings and always wants it his way or no way at all."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I always seem to have to learn things the hard way with him." She paused a second before continuing. "But he has a good heart underneath all the layers he wears."

Unexpectedly, a loud chuckled escaped my mouth while she looked at me with confusion. "I wish I could say the same," I clarified. "I love my dad, I do. But he just wants to relive his life through me, and I don't want that."

"I can tell," she stated, taking a big bite out of her fruit. I raised one eyebrow at her and she continued on. "Well, you just seem so independent and so sure. Almost like...like you grew up before you're time, you know?" she asked while she too hoisted her body on the other counter across from me.

Shamelessly, I watched as her smooth legs began to open and close when she folded them together. Quickly, I lifted my eyes from her legs before she could notice. "Believe me. I know."

Bella looked at me curiously, obviously waiting for me to continue on with my life story. But I didn't. I wasn't really in the mood to have to explain my past right now. My apple was gone and the only thing left was the core. I lifted my hands and shot the stem into the garbage can as if it were a basketball. I tore my eyes away from the can to catch Bella smiling in my direction.

"Nice shot. I'll bet I can make it too," she stated matter-of-factly.

I waited for her to shoot the core, but instead she hopped off the counter and giggled. She strolled over to the garbage so that she was directly in front of it before she tossed the apple inside of it. I laughed as she turned to me and smiled. "Nice shot," I mimicked.

She stared back at me and laughed. "Thanks." She stopped for a moment and then spoke again. "It was good talking to you, but I'm going to head to bed now. I guess I'll see you in the morning," she said.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you too. See ya."

With that, she strolled out of the kitchen and back up to the room she shared with my father. I was grateful to have Bella around. She barely knew me and yet she was ready to put her ass on the line just so Carlisle would ease up on me. It ended in a fight where she didn't even want to be near him which was code name for "it was too bad to get into detail about".

Slowly, I tip-toed back to my room where I instantly fell asleep as soon as my body hit my bed. It was a relief to finally have my eyes closed and my body resting from the long and peculiar day. But, finally, my heavy lids gave into the exhaustion that began to take over my entire form. I drifted into a dreamless sleep.


So what did you think of it? Let me know by clicking the little button down there! You don't have to be a member to leave reviews! My next update will be out as soon as I can.

Some people were asking, "Why Zafrina?" Well, the way she was described in the book made me instantly love her. And the way she seemed so intimidating was awesome. Zafrina is definitely one of my favorites.

Thanks again!