AN: Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts, and favorites! Special thanks to SpencerReidFan89, who was my first reviewer! Here is the next chapter, but that does not mean I will continue this story. Please read my Author's Note at the bottom; it's very important!

This is way early because I'm going out of town tomorrow. I was so motivated by your responses that I finished this chapter and posted it! Enjoy!

I don't have a playlist for this story yet, but I'll let you know if any particular songs inspire me. The theme song for this story is "Human" by Jon McLaughlin, if that helps…

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Previously…

I was just about to fling myself onto the bed when there was a resounding CRACK followed immediately by a loud boom. Instantly, the lights went out. I groaned. The snowstorm was apparently in full force, and a powerful gust of wind must have blown down a power line.

"Daddy!" came two frightened cries from the direction of the kids' bedroom.

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-Chapter Two: Let it Snow? I Don't Think So!-

I told Bella to stay put as I went to go comfort my children. As soon as I got to their room, I realized that with the power being out, we would be unable to have the heat on for the house. The kids would need to sleep in our bed to stay warm. I walked in, and both Masen and Libby were sitting up in their beds, with scared looks on their faces.

"Daddy? What was that?" Masen asked worriedly.

"Just the wind, buddy. I think it knocked down a pole. It's no big deal; it happens all the time." Was I trying to reassure him or my own self?

"Daddy!" Libby whimpered. In the darkness I could almost see the tears that were threatening to run down her face. She was the most frightened out of all my children of loud noises. She held up her arms, reaching for me, clasping and unclasping her little hands in a frenzy. I plucked Libby from her bed, and held her tightly to my chest. I slowly rocked her from side to side as she buried her face in my neck. There was a sudden dampness on the collar of my shirt- she was crying.

"Shh, Libby sweetheart, it was just the wind, shh, baby…Daddy's got you." I soothed, trying to downplay what had just occurred. This was the part of parenting that I loved and at the same time, found the most confusing- telling your child that things were going to be alright even though you were just as scared as they were. What happens when a parent needs a parent? I pondered this as I slowly walked over to Masen's bed and lifted him up, now holding one kid on each hip. Bella often joked that she didn't need to go to the gym because she was always "lifting weights"- by that, she meant the kids. I now understood, and made a mental note to make sure that the only 'weights' she was lifting were Ella and occasionally Libby. Masen was getting too big to be easily picked up, especially by someone petite like my wife.

I went back to the master bedroom, trying distractedly to answer my children's questions as I wondered if I could get the old generator to work. I set them in mine and Bella's bed and fumbled around in my nightstand drawer for the flashlight I kept there. I flicked it on, and could see Bella looking worriedly at me. Ella was in her lap, asleep, with Masen and Libby lying across her legs. She was gently stroking their hair in a soothing manner. I would be surprised if they were still awake by the time I came back from outside. I grabbed my jacket out of the closet, hastily donning it, and slipped my boots on.

"Edward?"

"It's alright, love, I'm just going to see if I can get the generator to work. I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll bring you a flashlight." I was against using candles in the house for obvious reasons.

"Be safe, honey."

"Isn't that my line?" I teased, and stepped out into the dark hallway. I made my way outside, shivering. I rounded the corner of the house and saw my arch nemesis, Ye Olde Generator. We had never gotten along, and the only reason why it hadn't been replaced was because I didn't have the money. Yet, I thought wickedly. I realized that it was colder than I thought and snow was falling heavily. I mentally chastised myself for not wearing a hat or gloves and prayed that the unreliable generator would decide to work, just this once. I fiddled with the darn thing for about ten minutes before I cursed at it, kicked it for good measure, and gave up. I would have to find another way to keep us warm, at least for tonight. I walked back into the house, blowing onto my hands to keep them from freezing. I noticed it was pretty cold inside and I was worried. I was sure that the five of us in one bed would be cozy enough, but I didn't want anyone to get sick, especially the baby. I remembered the fireplace in the living room, as well as the pull-out couch. I decided to light a fire, even though I hated flames inside the house (firefighter, remember?), and we would sleep on the pull-out tonight.

I stumbled my way into the kitchen, and rummaged around in one of the drawers for another flashlight to give to Bella. I also pulled out a box of matches (I didn't have any lighters around because Masen had accidentally learned to use one and I didn't want him to set the house on fire. That would be quite the story for the papers- Son of Fireman Burns down House- yeah, no). I went into the living room and squatted down to the fireplace. I pulled open the gate the covered it, and stacked up the wood that was in there as best I could. I opened the small box and proceeded to light the first match. Six matches and two burnt fingers later, I had a nice fire going. I stood up and replaced the gate. I moved the coffee table to the side, and took the cushions off of the sofa. I quickly pulled out the bed, wincing as loud squeaks emitted from the metal frame. I went back to the bedroom and quietly explained my plan to Bella. She quickly gathered up the blankets that were on our bed, as well as the quilts that were in the kids' room. I scooped up Libby and Ella, chuckling at their soft snores, with Masen trailing sleepily behind me, and we went into the warm living room. I explained to Masen that the fire in the fireplace was dangerous and that he could not go near it, while Bella made up the bed on the couch. A few minutes later, the bed was ready.

"Alright Edward, let's get them in. It's freezing." My wife gently picked Libby up and laid her in the makeshift bed. Libby instantly curled up into a little ball, her thumb in her mouth. I put Ella next to her on the left, incase she needed Bella during the night. I helped a yawning Masen beside Libby, and I slipped in next to him. The bed was slightly crowded, but the kids were small, and it was pretty warm. I looked over the heads of our sleeping children at Bella. Her beautiful face was illuminated by the firelight, and I was reminded again of how blessed I was. I leaned over, and pressed my lips to her neck. She was so warm. Bella shivered in delight, and we gently kissed and touched until we turned red with embarrassment that we were making out in front of our children, sleeping or not. Bella soon joined them in slumber, and I quickly followed, thinking of the snow that was whirling outside.

I woke sometime later in the dark, slightly startled. The first thing I noticed was that neither Bella nor Ella was in bed. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. Then I heard a small crash. It sounded like it had come from the kitchen. I got up, willing my eyes to stay open as I made my way to the kitchen in the blackness that surrounded me. I sleepily grabbed the fire poker from beside the fireplace to use as a weapon incase the person who was in the kitchen was not who I thought it was. Like a fire poker was really going to hold off an intruder. An intruder who would break into a house in the middle of a snowstorm- right. I think I was going slightly insane from the lack of sleep. I found Bella standing by the sink, a whimpering Ella cradled on her hip. Ella was squirming in her arms, wanting to be put down. One of Bella's small white hands was digging around in the drawer next to her. She was obviously trying to find something. A few plastic cups and utensils had fallen to the floor and they must have caused the crash I had heard. Bless my wife and her clumsiness. I heard her soft voice coo, "Shh, Ella darling, you'll wake Daddy. He's very tired and doesn't need to wake up to your crying. Please, baby, shh…"

"Bella, what are you looking for?" I asked, stepping towards her and picking up the plastic items, all while carefully ridding myself of my 'weapon'. I didn't want Bella to think I was losing my mind.

"The baby Tylenol. Edward, have you seen it?" She didn't look up as she continued her search.

"Love, go back to bed. Is it her teeth?"

"Yes, and she's running a fever. Edward, I'm sure she'll calm down in a minute. You need your rest. We're fine. Just as soon as I find the medicine…"

I took the baby from her arms. "Bella, go. I've got this." I all but growled at her. Those deep violet circles under her eyes were never going to go away if she kept wearing herself out. Thankfully, she didn't fight me, and slipped out of the kitchen. Ella wriggled in my arms. I put the palm of my hand on her forehead, and she whimpered in discomfort. She did have a fever. I rifled through the contents of the drawer, finally finding the magical medicine that would relieve the pain Ella was feeling. I had heard that the pain that comes from teething is hard for even adults to stand. I twisted the bottle open, and filled the little medicine dropper to the appropriate level with the pink liquid inside. Now came the hard part. All of my children balked at taking medicine. I understood why- the stuff was nasty, but did they really have to be so difficult when I tried to get them to take it? I held Ella up with one arm and readied the dropper with my other hand. She was still wailing. I waited for the opportune moment, and when she opened her mouth particularly wide, in went the dropper. She choked for a second on the medicine, before reluctantly swallowing most of it. I smiled in triumph. Mission completed. I had gotten lucky this time; often times more medicine ended up on me or the floor than it did in her mouth. I rinsed off the dropper and dried it, then placed it back in the bottle. I put it away and sighed. Ella still continued to cry, the little tears streaking down her cheeks making her a pitiful sight. I jiggled her in my arms, and tried to get her to shush. I snuck a glance at the microwave clock- 3:17 a.m. Good grief. I had to get this baby back to sleep. She had to be tired- but what did she want so badly that it kept her from sleeping? She wasn't hungry, I checked her diaper- it was clean, and I had just given her medicine- what was the matter?

"Ella Renesmee, what do you want?" I whisper-yelled in desperation.

Someone decided to take pity on me, and I heard a small voice inside my head say, what did you give her medicine for, Edward? Oh. Pain. From her teeth. I touched my finger to Ella's lips, and she grabbed it and stuck it in her mouth, gently biting it. She cooed happily and I understood what she wanted. She wanted something to chew on. I let her bite on my finger as I made my way to the freezer. I knew Bella kept frozen washcloths in there for just such an occasion. I grabbed one, and gently placed it in her mouth while freeing my finger. Problem solved. The tears stopped, and only my exhaustion was stopping me from dancing around and singing the Hallelujah chorus. I stood in the kitchen, my lower back pressing into the counter behind me as I rocked her to sleep. She sighed contentedly and I did too, as her eyes slowly drooped shut. I took the washcloth out of her mouth and set it by the sink. It was now 3:34 a.m. I slowly walked back into the living room and sat on the bed. The moment I tried to set Ella down, she whimpered and her eyes fluttered open. I quickly cradled her to my chest, and her eyes closed. I tried to lay her down a few more times, but it was no use. Every time, her eyes would open and one of her small fists would grasp my shirt. She did not want me to let her go. I carefully lay down on the bed and put the baby on my chest. I groaned at feeling the lumpy mattress that was prodding my back but exhaustion quickly won out over discomfort and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I awakened later in the morning, blinking at the sunlight that flooded the living room. I gazed down at Ella who was sleeping peacefully on my chest, her unruly hair tickling my chin. I looked to my left, and saw that Masen, Libby, and Bella were still asleep. I lifted up my wrist and checked my watch. It was a little after seven. I shivered, and realized that the fire from last night had gone out. I slowly got up and placed the baby in the warm spot I had just vacated. I stumbled over to the fireplace, and reached for the box of matches on the coffee table. I lit one of the matches and threw it into the charred wood. A small fire started instantly, and I hoped that this little bit of luck would be the start to a good day, unlike the stressing events of last night. I scrubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and rubbed my jaw, feeling the light stubble that had grown during the night, since I had been too tired to shave after I showered. I was a mess, and probably still had deep purple shadows under my eyes.

My hopes for a better today were instantly dashed when I looked out one of the windows. The snow was probably three feet deep and still falling, despite the bright sunlight. There was no way we were getting out of this house today. I felt two warm arms wrap around my waist, and Bella rested her head on my back.

"How bad is it?" she murmured sleepily.

"It's pretty deep. We're not going anywhere today." I sighed, evading the seriousness of the situation. We were stranded in a house with no power, a possibly sick baby, and…oh my word. We had hardly any food in the house. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. We could be stuck for days! I immediately went into my "Daddy-Panic Mode", as Bella had so lovingly dubbed it. But I knew that she was a worrier, and I wanted to break the grave news to her without scaring her. I turned to her and gently gave her warm little kisses on her nose, eyelids, and soft ruby lips. I also flashed her my crooked smile that she loved so much, but she wasn't buying it. If anything, motherhood had made Bella as sharp as a tack. Her brown eyes flew open and she glared at me.

"I didn't ask you how deep the snow was, Edward Anthony, I asked you how bad the situation was that we're in. Quit trying to dazzle me and answer the question!" She hissed.

I sighed. "I don't know, love. I don't think they'll send out the snow blowers and such until the snow stops. I'll go out and check the generator again, but I doubt it will work. The only thing that bothers me is that we might be eating peanut butter and jelly for the next few days."

If Bella was worried, she didn't show it. "It'll be okay, I know it. I'm just worried about our parents. They must know by now that we've been in a pretty bad storm, I hope they know we're alright."

I mentally slapped myself. I knew that Carlisle and Esme were probably wondering about our condition and Charlie must have been concerned about his only daughter and grandchildren. I didn't even think about calling them last night. I turned away from Bella and walked into our bedroom. I found my black cell phone in the bathroom and turned it on. Holding it up, I noted that I had only one wireless bar. I hoped that it would be enough to call our parents with. I dialed Charlie's number and held the phone out to Bella, who had followed me. We listened to it ring a few times before he picked up.

"Hey, Edward. How are you holding up?"

Bella bit her lip. "Hi Dad, it's me."

"Bells! Honey, are you guys alright? I heard there was a big snowstorm up there. You guys didn't lose power, did you?"

Bella looked up at me, clearly torn between telling her father the truth and worrying him unnecessarily. I nodded at her encouragingly.

"Uh, well, yeah, we did, but we're okay. Edward built a fire in the fireplace and we had the kids in bed with us. We were pretty warm."

"Why didn't he just turn on the generator?" Bella winced.

"It doesn't…exactly…work, Dad."

Total silence on Charlie's end. I was in for it. Charlie had made it clear over the years that I was not his favorite person, which was mostly due to my breaking Bella's heart early on in our relationship, and I was still subjected to his criticisms every so often.

"Why doesn't it work, Bells? I would think Edward would make sure something as important as that was fixed, honey." He said it nicely, but his words still stung. Way to make me feel like a bad husband and father. Bella always got upset when Charlie pointed out my shortcomings, no matter how accurate they were.

"The generator is temperamental, Char- Dad. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. It's not Edward's fault. Look, we just called to say that we're fine, and we'll come and visit you and Sue in Forks as soon as the storm blows over, alright?" Sue was Charlie's girlfriend from La Push that he had been seeing for about a year. It was strange to think that my father in law had a girlfriend. Not that he was too old; it was just weird… and funny. At least he had his own relationship to worry about- before he had met Sue, he had wanted to know about all the little things Bella and I did together, and it had been annoying, to say the least. I was glad he cared, but sometimes…he had been a little too caring.

"Sorry Bells, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure Edward's taking good care of you and the kids. See you soon, honey."

"Bye, Dad."

Bella ended the call and handed the phone to me. "Call your mom. She's probably worried sick." I dialed my parents' number and the phone was answered on the first ring.

"Edward! Thank god! Are you guys all right?" my mother's worried voice floated through the line.

"We're fine, Esme. We've lost power, and we'll probably be stuck here for a few days, but we're staying dry and warm, and the kids are fine."

"Oh, I'm sorry about the power, sweetheart, but I'm glad to hear you're alright. Your father and I were worried. I talked to Emmett this morning and he said that Seattle got three and a half feet of snow last night! I almost thought he was pranking me until I checked the weather myself. Well, I know you've probably go things to do, so I'll let you go. Say hi to Bella and give the kids a kiss from us. We'll see you at Thanksgiving."

"I will, mom. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Bye." I closed the phone and looked at Bella. Her eyes were filled with an unknown emotion. She stepped up to me and buried her face in my neck. I bent down and rested my head on top of hers, my arms encircling her figure. I kissed her soft hair, breathing in its scent. It had a strangely calming effect on me.

"I wasn't being untruthful, love, we'll be fine. We've got each other, and the kids. That's all that matters." I said quietly. She nodded in assent, placing tender kisses on my neck. All too soon, I heard the children stirring in the living room.

"We should go check on them." I pulled Bella into the living room, holding tightly to her hand. Sure enough, all three of our children were in various stages of waking up.

"Mama, mama, mama," Ella was sitting up and held out her little arms to Bella, wanting to be picked up. Bella scooped her up and they nuzzled noses. Ella giggled happily, kicking her little feet, her small fist wedged tightly in her mouth. "I'm glad someone's in a good mood this morning," Bella cooed at her. She pressed a hand to Ella's temple and frowned.

"Feels like she's still got that fever."

"Maybe so. However, a person's body heat rises while they sleep. We'll take her temperature after breakfast and see if she's got a fever."

"Mommy, my tummy is hungwy." Libby was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her thick curls that fell almost to her shoulders were in an adorable disarray.

"My tummy too, Mommy." added Masen. His brown locks were sticking up all over his head. It was a funny sight to behold and I hoped that my own hair wasn't that bad. I looked in the mirror that hung over the couch- it was worse.

"Well, then, let's go eat." I was surprised by how cheerful my wife sounded and was thankful for it. I didn't want the kids to think anything was wrong. For all Libby knew, we had slept on the couch and lit a fire in the fireplace just for the heck of it. I was pretty sure that Masen knew something was up, but he didn't comment on our unique situation.

We went into the kitchen and I peeked into the pantry. It was pretty empty in there, but I returned with a half- consumed box of chocolate Pop Tarts. I didn't really know why they were in our pantry, and normally I would have thrown a fit at their presence, but man does not live on PB & J alone, that much I had found out last night. One unhealthy breakfast would not kill us. I grabbed a few bananas out of the fruit basket before I came to the table. I sat down, and ripped open one of the silver packages. I gave one Pop Tart to Masen and the other to Libby. I opened a second package and repeated the process with me and Bella, who had Ella nestled in her arms nursing happily away under a pink blanket that was thrown over her shoulder. I then divvied up the bananas, reminding Masen to take small bites. We solemnly ate our cold breakfasts, one of us occasionally getting up to refill a water glass. The nice thing about our house was that our water came from a filtered well deep in the ground. If all else failed, we would still have drinking water.

After breakfast, we got dressed and Bella and I lounged on the couch, debating on what to do with the rest of our day. We had nowhere to go and there wasn't much we could do with the power being out. We had checked Ella's temperature and she still had a very slight fever, but that was to be expected if her teeth were coming in. It was only nine o'clock in the morning and already we were bored out of our minds. Ella was in my arms, and I tossed her high above my head, again and again, relishing the sound of her baby giggles. Bella did not appreciate our game and would occasionally gasp, "Edward!" and put a hand on my forearm to still my movements. I glanced at Libby and Masen, who had their little noses pressed against the frosty glass of the living room window, enthralled with watching the snow fall. It was rare that we got this much snow, and I knew that they were dying to play in it.

"Daddy? We play, in snow?" Libby chirped timidly, turning her face towards me.

"Yeah! Can we? I wanna use my sled, please Daddy?!" Masen chimed in, looking at me expectantly.

Bella looked at me, her eyebrows raised, waiting for my answer. I considered it for a moment before slowly nodding my head. Libby squealed, and Masen made a beeline for the front door. Bella immediately leaped form the couch and gently pulled on the back of his shirt.

"Slow down there, kiddo. You need to get some warmer clothes on before you even think about going outside."

"But Mommy-"

"No buts, Masen, let's go in your room and get out your snowsuit. C'mon, Libby honey."

She led them into their bedroom and I followed behind, bouncing Ella in my arms. She seemed to be over her crying jag and I was relieved. I laid Ella out on the changing table, and put some little white socks on her feet. I pulled a pair of flannel pajamas over her head, completely covering the outfit she had on, following with the purple down snowsuit Bella handed to me. I found a little knit hat in the closet that had snowflakes embroidered on it and I put it on Ella's head, ignoring her attempts to pull it off. I tied it securely under her chin and kissed her nose. I put on her purple mittens and her tiny snow boots. I set her on the floor to crawl around (more like roll around, she had so many clothes on) and turned to help Masen put on his snowsuit.

"Daddy, my foot's stuck! Ugh!" I chuckled. I gently held his leg and deftly slipped it through the leg of his orange snowsuit. I zipped his suit up tightly; making sure that snow would not be able to leak past the suit and into his clothing underneath. He held up his boots for me to put on, and I put them on his feet, making sure the laces were tight. I handed him his hat and told him not to take it off once we got outside. Bella had finished with Libby and we told her and Masen to go sit on the living room couch and wait for us while we changed. I scooped Ella off the floor and went into the bedroom, shutting the door after Bella came in. I laid Ella carefully on the bed, and she amused herself by staring at the ceiling fan and sucking her thumb. I had on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, plus socks, so there was no need to break out the flannels. Thank goodness. They itched like crazy. I put on my warmest coat, as well as my black snow pants. Bella was dressed similarly to me, except her ensemble was a deep ruby red. She was tying up her hair and I was rifling through our dresser, looking for my gloves, when I heard a muffled thump and a loud "Ow!" come from the living room. Not two seconds later, Libby barged into our bedroom with a scared look on her face.

"Masen owie! Masen owie!" She said breathlessly.

I exchanged a worried glance with Bella and raced out of the room. There, by the coffee table, Masen was sitting on the floor, tears streaking down his face. He was cradling his right forearm to his chest…like it was broken.

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Author's Note: Uh oh! Does Masen have a broken arm? Review and find out!

1. Once again, thank you all for reviewing and adding my story to your alerts and favorites. I am so touched by it. As of right now, over 110 people have read the first chapter and I have 11 reviews for it. However, I need to know that the people who read my story actually like it. If 110 people read my story, but I only get 11 reviews, that tells me that only 11 people like my story. Please tell me that is not the case! I cannot write for only 11 people, sorry. I have a lot of demands on my time and I need you guys to make this story worth my while. I love this story, and I would hate to not continue it. So, no new chapter until I get at LEAST 30+ reviews FOR THIS CHAPTER. I need a continuous stream of reviews and alerts, too. I promise I will not be like this in the future; I just want to know if what I write is worth continuing and making new stories out of. Please. It's all up to you guys. The third chapter could be up next week or never- you decide. I'm really sorry to be mean, but it's something I have to do. It only takes a minute to review and you don't even need an account to do it. Just tell me if you liked this chapter or hated it, please. Thank you. If I get my desired number of reviews, you'll see a new chapter next week, since I'm going out of town for an extended weekend. Don't let this be the last chapter!!

2. As you may have noticed, I am having trouble writing Masen/Edward moments. I haven't been around a 4 year old boy in a while and I really like doing Edward and his girls. If you think of it, please PM me if you have something I could use in a scene. I will give you full props for it.

3. Please tell me if this story is boring. It is meant to be just pointless fluff, but I don't want it to be boring. If I write more stories, they will be full of drama and angst, but not this one. I also hope I didn't make Charlie too much of a bad guy- I tried to match his attitude to the one he has in the books. He's accepted Edward, but still has his moments.

4. Does anyone want any of this from Bella's point of view? She's harder to write, but if a lot of you really want it, I can do it. I like hearing from Edward. It's like you can never get enough :)

5. *Please vote on the poll I created! It's on my profile and will determine if there will be another story after this one is done!*

Thank you all so very much and my apologies for the huge AN, yourbrowneyedgirl

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30 reviews? I tell you what: review and I'll send you your very own virtual housecleaning, firefighting, peanut butter and jelly making Edward :)