Haha, whaddya know! I'm back, and healthy again too! Yay for the healthy, boo for not being able to waste away my whole day on ff! :( Oh, well, we'll all just have to deal! :)
A few questions/comments were asked in reviews, so I'm going to answer them now! (I'm too lazy to reply to every review that I get, so just imagine that I'm cheering whenever you press the little green review button...which I would like you to do when you're done with this chapter...Please? Pretty please, with Edward on top? Yumm! Why don't any ice cream places have Edward toppings? Ooh, that would be cool! Okay, okay. I get it. FOCUS!!!)
1) The Cullens aren't vampires. In my summary it said AH (All Human)...At least I think it did...Now I'm going to go check to make sure that it does!! :)
2) Even if the Cullens WERE vampires (which they aren't), Edward would still be able to have a kid! (Breaking Dawn, anyone?)
3) I know right! Thanks! I spent, like, forever finding out the perfect names for Bella/Edward's kids. (Don't get confused, they didn't have any kids together. That's just a faster way of saying it! But then again, if you're going to review to ask me about it and you wouldn't normally review...Go ahead! :))
4) I know I already replied to the reviewer who sent the review concerning this, but I wanted to say this to everybody, too. (I know! I know! I don't reply to reviews! But if they're uber long and AH-MAZING, I can't really help it, can I? Her's was! :)) Soo, I'm hoping that I'm doing a good job of portraying Bella and the boys' relationship. I wanted her to be like their friend, since she was so young when she had them (like, 17 or 18 for Xander). But I didn't want her to be like Renee, and be more of a best friend than a mother, but yet still a best friend. Does that make sense? Eh, whatever. You get the point. I wanted Bella to worry like most mothers do, but not be super overbearing and be super annoying. So, I came up with this Bella. Did I write her well enough? I like her, but of course I do. Her personality is mine! :)
If you have any suggestions for this story or for my writing, I would really appreciate it if you review or PM me about it! Thanks!
That's about it!
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!! (EXCEPT FOR XANDER, HAYDEN, AND WILLIE!! I LOVE THEM!!! THANK GOD THEY'RE MINE, OR I WOULD HAVE TO STEAL THEM!!)
Now I think I'm done! Wow I don't usually write long authors notes, so this is cool for me! (Don't get used to it...but if you send me a lot of reviews, then I might have to make them even longer...if you like long ANs. Okay, I get it. The review thing is kind of overkill. Whatever! :))
BPOV
We (Alice and me) drove separately. Xander and Hayden came with me, and Willie ran off to find his dad. (AKA The Spawn of Satan...hey! TSS!) Alice knew exactly where she was going (Duh! Edward was her brother!), so we just followed her in our van.
We pulled up outside of a beautiful home. It was old, but in wonderful shape. It was the house I had always dreamed of, right by the beach and spacious, but not too large. Another reason to hate TSS. He had my dream house!
"Whaddya think?" Alice asked, waggling her eyebrows and appearing at my window, scaring the living daylights out of me.
"Alice!" I gasped, putting a hand over my heart. "You scared me!"
"Isn't it gorgeous?" Alice sighed, gazing longingly at TSS's house. "It's so beautiful! I helped his wife pick it out, way back when."
He had a wife? I didn't know why that bothered me, but it did. I hadn't noticed a wedding band on his finger earlier, when we were yelling at each other...
"She died in labor with Mia, his three year old daughter," Alice went on, opening the doors to the backseats for Xander and Hayden to hop out. "Edward was distraught, but he got over it, since I sent him and Willie to this amazing therapist. Of course, Willie was too little to really understand what was happening, besides the fact that his mommy was gone. I came and helped out in their house a lot then. He realized that everything happens for a reason."
I nodded, wondering why she was telling me all this. I got out of the car and immediately the scent of the ocean filled my nostrils and I sighed in happiness. I loved the ocean.
Alice and the boys looked at me like I was loony. Here she was, telling me this heartbreaking story about how TSS's wife had died, and I was sighing in pleasure.
"Mom?" Xander asked. "Are you alright?"
I smiled at him. "Sure, bud. I just love the ocean."
"I know right?" Alice squealed. "So does Edward!"
Oh. Why did I hate the beach so much all of a sudden?
"XANDER!" a little voice shouted. "HAYDEN!"
We all turned to the house and saw Willie running towards us, with a little girl who was the spitting image of him and TSS following him, trying to keep up but not being able to keep up on her little legs. I smiled when I saw them and waved. Maybe this was Mia?
"Hi, guys," Willie panted when he finally reached us.
"Wassup?" Xander asked.
Willie shrugged. "Nothing. Guys, this is my sister, Mia. Mia, this is Xander and Hayden."
"Hey, Mia," Hayden and Xander said together, smiling at her sweetly. I smiled to myself. I had raised them so well, even without the presence their asshole father...
-Flashback-
"Bella, I don't give a crap that it's their open house or whatever tonight," Jake yelled at me. "I'm staying at home!"
"Don't you care about our children's lives? Don't you care about their education?" I shrieked back at him, knowing immediately afterward that I shouldn't have lost my temper and said anything like that to him. The consequences were going to be huge later, when the boys were asleep and wouldn't know what was going on.
"I didn't fucking want kids!" Jake snarled. "It's your fucking fault that we have those fucking kids, who are taking up all of our fucking time!"
"They adore you!" I pleaded with him.
Jake grabbed a vase and threw it on the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. "Damn it, Bella! I don't fucking care about those kids! Now stop bitching at me and fucking leave already!"
"Jake..." I pleaded.
Suddenly Jake grabbed a book and hurled it at my head, where it connected with a low thunk. I gasped when I felt the slow, warm trickle of blood rolling down my face.
"Now maybe you'll learn your lesson," Jake sneared at me. "Now get out of my house, bitch."
With a quiet sob, I grabbed my purse and ran out the door.
-End Flashback-
"Bella?" Alice asked. "Are you alright?"
My eyes snapped up to her face and I realized that I had been rubbing the light scar on my temple from the book that Jake had thrown at me. I smiled at Alice slightly, but I knew that it came out more like a grimace. I impatiently pulled my hair out of my face, but the wind was determined to keep blowing, so I finally gave up.
"Bella?" Willie asked. "This is my little sister, Mia. Mia, this is Hayden and Xander's mom, Bella."
"Hey, sweetheart," I said, smiling down at her and kneeling down so we were eye level. "I'm Bella."
"Hi," she said shyly, hiding behind her beautiful bronze curls. Her voice was surprisingly clear for that of a three year old, not at all the like voices of most children her age, whose you could barely hear, let alone understand.
"It's nice to meet you," I continued. "My son, Xander, is on your brother's baseball team this year."
"Daddy's his coach?" Mia asked, her eyes snapping up to my face.
I nodded, careful to keep my expression clear, as not to give away my feelings on TSS.
Mia smiled and reached her tiny out to trace my scar. "What's that?"
I jumped slightly. No one had noticed my scar before. I was always careful to wear a hat or to style my hair so that the scar wouldn't show.
"A scar," I answered truthfully.
"What happened?" she asked curiously, still tracing the line of the scar.
"I--ahem--got in an, er, accident," I told her. It was the truth; living with that ass for so long had been an accident. A mistake.
"Oh," Mia said, her forehead wrinkling in adorable confusion. "I get in accidents, too."
"Do you?" I asked her.
She nodded seriously. "That's how I got this." She rolled up her little dress so show me a light bruise on her knee.
"Oh, no," I said, settling down on the sand so I could sit next to her. "How did that happen?"
"I tripped on the stairs," she told me.
"Ouchy," I said sympathetically.
"Mom does that a lot," Xander snickered.
Hayden, Willie, and Alice laughed along with him.
"Betrayal!" I gasped dramatically.
Hayden sat down next to me, on the opposite side of Mia. "Don't worry, Momma," he said reassuringly. "I won't betray you."
I smiled at him and Alice 'aww'ed.
"Thanks, bud," I said, ruffling his hair. Hmm, I think it was time for a haircut... "Hey, Alice?"
"Yeah?" she asked, plopping down on the sand on Mia's other side.
"Do you know of a place where I can get the boys' hair cut?" I asked.
"No!" Hayden squeaked, his hands automatically coming up to his hair, fear in his eyes.
"Betrayal!" Xander gasped, backing away form me. "Don't tell her anything, Alice!"
Alice giggled and I rolled my eyes.
"We can't have you looking like cavemen, can we?" I asked. "No matter how adorable you two would be as cavemen."
"Oh, Bella," Alice said. "They look adorable with longish hair!"
"I can't have them going to school looking uncivilized," I argued.
"Bella," Alice scolded. "That hairstyle is soo in right now. It's the biggest thing! They totally have Justin Bieber hair!"
"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!" Willie said dramatically.
"Thou-Shalt-Not-Utter-The-Devil's-Spawn!" Xander agreed.
"Curse his soul!" Hayden giggled.
"Hayden!" I said, surprised. When did he learn that? Oh, I guess I should have made sure that the boys weren't listening to what I was saying about their dad...
Alice giggled. "Stop it, Bella. It's cute! And Justin Bieber is the hottest thing with the girls right now."
"Shawna abandoned me for him!" Willie moaned.
"Who's Shawna?" Xander and Hayden asked together.
"His girlfriend," Mia said helpfully.
"Oooh!" the boys and I said together.
"His ex-girlfriend," Alice corrected.
"She broke up with you?" Xander asked. "That's the worst, man! And for another guy, too!"
I laughed. "What are you talking about? How would you know?"
"I, uh..." Xander stuttered.
"The girls at school said he had a cute butt," Hayden supplied.
"Dude!" Xander howled.
"And he's had um--" He counted out eight fingers on his hand, as though he was thinking each girls name. "Eight girlfriends."
Oh my Lord.
"Dude!" Xander said, looking even more appalled.
"Eight girlfriends?" Alice, Willie, and I asked together, Willie sounding impressed and Alice and me confused.
"A cute butt?" Willie snickered. "How is that even possible?"
"Oh, it's possible alright," Xander said, before clamping a hand over his mouth and looking at me guiltily.
"Alrighty, I think that's enough for one night," I said, raising my eyebrows at Xander.
Xander smiled back at me gratefully.
"Go play, and me and Alice are going to talk hair dressers," I said, shooing them away.
"Aunt Alice, please!" Hayden said, giving her his best puppy dog face.
"Have mercy!" Xander begged.
"Suck it up, you wussies," Willie said.
"Don't worry, I'll convince her to change her mind," Alice told them.
"Yay!" they cheered. "Thanks, Aunt Alice!" Aunt Alice? Since when was she their aunt? They ran off to play.
"Don't terrorize the guests!" I called after my boys, knowing that it would be just like them to grab a bag up chips and sit at the top of the staircase, throwing the chips at guests. I know from experience. Their father wasn't the best role model, I guess. I know.
"Whatever, Mom!" Xander yelled back.
I sighed and turned back to Alice and Mia. "Boys." I shrugged.
Mia giggled and Alice smiled down at her.
"Let's go introduce Bella to some people, alright, Mia?" she suggested.
"Okay!" Mia said, bouncing up and down.
We got up and they led me inside, giving me a mini tour while introducing me to a bunch of parents on the team, whose names I forgot right away. I got to meet Alice's husband and Hayden's coach, Jasper Hale, who immediately made me feel comfortable by making several jokes. He was really sweet, and I could tell that he and Alice loved each other very much. They were perfect for each other, balancing each other out. He was laid back and calm, while Alice was always bouncing up and down and bossing people around.
"So your son is Hayden?" Jasper asked me.
"Yeah," I said.
"He's a great player," Jasper said and I could tell that he wasn't just making small talk. He really meant what he was saying.
"Thanks," I said, grinning. "Taught him everything he knows."
Jasper raised his eyebrows. "Really? In that case, do you want to be an assistant coach?"
"His old one bailed," Alice supplied. "She's on bed rest. Pfft! Can you believe it? The team needs her! I cannot believe that she would just abandon them when they need her!"
"Alice," Jasper said. "She's due in a month. I wouldn't expect her to coach when she's eight months pregnant. Would you coach a baseball team while you're eight months pregnant?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "I don't even know how to play baseball! Of course not!"
I giggled. They were too cute together. It made me want someone like that for me...
"Hey, look!" Alice squealed. "It's Edward!" Quick! Hide! "EDWARD! OVER HERE!" Shit. Too late.
TSS weaved his way through the crowd over to us, smiling and greeting everyone he passed.
"Hello, Alice. Jas--" He saw me and he frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Edward!" Alice gasped, appalled.
"My son just happens to be on your team," I told him icily.
TSS frowned. He looked adorable when he was confused...WAIT! Where did that come from?
"You have a son?" he asked.
"Two," I replied, taking a sip of my water.
He raised his eyebrows and I saw his eyes flicker to my left hand. I smirked at him until he noticed that he had been caught.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No," he murmured.
"Am I missing something?" Jasper asked, looking between the two of us.
"Bella and Edward had an accident," Alice giggled, proceeding to tell him the whole story. "...And then Bella was all 'Suck it up, you jackass' and Edward was like 'no way, lady. Leave me alone' and I was all 'Edward! It's not her fault!' and Edward was like 'Shut up, Alice,' and I was like 'It's not her fault that you get into a fight with every single cute woman that you meet'..."
Once Alice was done telling Jasper our whole life stories, Jasper raised his eyebrows at Edward and said teasingly, "Edward, you're usually such a gentleman! I'm surprised! What happened to you? Or have you just been putting on an act this whole time?"
Edward scowled at Jasper's teasing. "Fuck off, Jasper. I was in a hurry! I had to get Mia a hot dog and get back to tryouts 'cause I was missing watching the boys play, so then I might not get a good team! It was her fault!" he finished, pointing in my direction.
"Ex-cuse me?" Alice and I asked incredulously.
"You--you ass!" I sputtered, my mouth doing its best imitation of a fish out of water. "How was it my fault?"
"I cannot believe that I am related to such an inconsiderate person!" Alice wailed. "Look at the example you're setting for your kids!"
TSS rolled his eyes. "They're not even here right now, Alice. Why don't you let me worry about my kids and you mind your own business? Can't you see that we're fine without you trying to control every single minute of our lives!?"
Alice's eyes welled with tears. "I can't believe you just said that!" She hopped out of her seat and ran towards the stairs, wiping her eyes.
Jasper glared at TSS. "What were you thinking, yelling at her like that? All she ever tries to do is help you, and you never thank her or acknowledge her help!" Jasper ran off after Alice, calling her name and following the path that she had taken.
TSS and I were left at the table by ourselves and an awkward silence fell between us. After a couple minutes of avoiding each others' eyes, TSS finally caved. He buried his face in his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry. I was really rude to you and Alice," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "I'm just stressing out about tryouts and work and the kids. I realize that that isn't an excuse for what I said to you two, but it's really hard to be a single parent, ya' know?"
I knew he was right, but his excuses didn't make up for his awful attitude toward me and his sister. I looked at him and absentmindedly fiddled with my hair. "I know what it's like," I admitted. Okay, not what I was planning on saying... "I guess you have a reason to be so stressed out, but you still shouldn't act like that. Alice was right, you're not being a very good example for your kids. And since you're their only parent left, they're going to automatically think that whatever you do is right." Sooo not what I was planning on saying.
Edward looked up from his hands and nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly."
I smiled slightly, opening my mouth to continue, but then I heard shouts coming from outside.
"Listen, you little brats! You don't do that! It's RUDE!" a man's voice bellowed.
I sighed. "That's my sons."
Edward raised his eyebrows at me. "What?" He looked confused again. Oh, God, yummy...BELLA!
"Anytime there's trouble, it's always my sons," I explained, getting up from my chair anxiously. "It's always them, no matter what."
Edward (When had he become Edward instead of TSS? Beats me...) laughed. "That's Willie, also."
We walked quickly outside, where we found a very angry man who looked like he was seven months pregnant yelling at Hayden, Xander, and Willie. The man was sopping wet and looked like a drowned rat. A very, very, very fat drowned rat.
"Sir," I asked tentatively. "What happened?"
"These boys set up a device to throw someone into the pool when they stepped onto a fake hose type of thing," he told me, glaring at me like I had suggested that they did it in the first place. God, I hated these kinds of parents! "Whoever their parents are should be watching these brats. They're lowly, idiotic, stupid scum!"
Oh no he didn't. You did not insult my boys, no matter what they did. And Xander had such low self esteem, too, after what Jake had done to them...
I glared right back at him. Hello, Mama Bear! "Those are my boys that you're talking about," I growled at him. I noticed Willie swell with pride when he heard me call him my own. "And you mess with them, you mess with me."
The man's eyes widened. Humph, like I would ever really hurt him. But, then again, he didn't know that...The advantages of moving to a town where nobody had ever heard of you, where no one knew anything about you! "O-oh, ma'am, I didn't mean it like that..."
"Then how did you mean it?" I demanded, my hands balling into fists at my sides.
"Bella..." Edward cautioned me.
I ignored him, true me fashion. "Listen, you old man. They're just kids! They can have some fun sometimes! And I think it's funny as hell what they did to you." I grinned at the boys. "You picked a good target, kids."
The man's mouth dropped open.
"Bella," Edward said, more firmly this time, pulling me away from the man. "Sir, I'm so sorry--"
"Well, I never!" the man huffed. "I cannot believe this! You can kiss my son goodbye, since he won't be on your team anymore."
Edward winced and I felt a little bit bad for him. But then I remembered the ketchup incident. Haha, what goes around comes around! Sucks for you, Edward dearest!
The man called his wife and son, and he waddled out of the house, trying to keep as much of his dignity as he could. Ah, who was I kidding? He had no dignity left over! We had no shame!
As soon as the man and his family were gone, the Hayden, Xander, and Willie started laughing and high-fiving each other. Edward and I rounded on them.
"Good work, Mom!" Xander said. But then he noticed my face, and they all stopped laughing pretty fast. I guess I was scarier than I thought...
"Alexander Jacob Black and Hayden Morgan Black. Get inside," I said, my voice bordering yelling. Xander and Hayden winced. "NOW!"
They hurried through the doors and inside.
"William," Edward said. "Follow your friends. Bella and I will be having a talk with you."
Willie groaned and trudged in after Xander and Hayden.
"Don't groan at me, mister," Edward said sharply. Sigh...he was hott when he was angry...BELLA! Snap out of it!
"Is there a place where we can yell at them?" I asked Edward as we closed the doors to the backyard behind us.
"This way," he said, leading the boys and me through a hallway and into what looked like a spare bedroom. I looked around our surroundings curiously, since I was a firm believer that how someone decorated their house was a huge reflection on their personality. The bedroom walls were a light blue and the bedspread was various shades of blue. There was a book shelf on one wall, along with a desk. There was a closet and a door that I guessed led to a bathroom. There was a dresser and a few pictures of random places; the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge...you get the idea. "Sit," Edward said sharply, pointing to the bed.
Xander, Hayden, and Willie sat down on the bed obediently. How come Xander and Hayden didn't listen to me that well? I realized that they were all looking at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat. "What were you thinking?" I asked softly.
Hayden burst into tears and Xander looked terrified. They both knew that when I talked this softly they were in huge trouble. Like, grounded for a month trouble. It had happened before, but I would rather not talk about that.
Willie and Edward looked at us, confused. I just shook my head at them. "What did I tell you before the party?" I asked, my voice quivering and showing how angry I really was with them. Those little shits. I had told them not to get into any trouble before the party, and what had they done? They had gone and done the opposite of what I had said. I loved my boys and was generally pretty lenient with them, but if there was one thing that really irked me, it was when they completely ignored what I said.
Xander and Hayden remained silent.
"Alexander. Hayden. Answer me," I commanded them sharply, putting my hands on my hips.
"We were bored," Xander said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. I sighed. Really?
"Really?" I asked, trying hard not to giggle.
"There was nothing else to do," Xander continued, seemingly finding confidence in my tone of voice, which wasn't as soft as it had been. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked up at me earnestly. Oh, no. The look. The look that I was sucker for; the look that got them out of trouble every single time. Be strong, Bella, be strong.
"Nothing else to do?" I asked. "There was tons of things to do!" I threw my hands up into the air. "Am I not being clear enough in what I want or can you two just not follow directions at all?"
"You're being clear, Mama," Hayden said, sniffling and wiping the tears away. My little man. "I'm sorry, Mama."
I sighed. "Thank you. You really embarrassed me today, and I don't want that to happen ever again, do you understand me?"
Xander and Hayden nodded quickly.
"We'll try, Mom," Xander said sweetly.
"That's all I want," I said, opening my arms. They leaped into them, Xander for once not too cool for a hug from his dear old mom.
Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "The same goes for me, bud," he told Willie. "But you're grounded for a couple weeks, alright?"
Willie nodded quickly.
"You're both grounded, too," I told Hayden and Xander, releasing them from the hug and looking them in the face.
"Aww, man!" they both groaned, shoving away from me. I frowned. What, suddenly I wasn't cool enough to get a hug from them?
"You know you deserve it," I told them seriously.
"I guess we do," Xander admitted.
"He agreed with me!" I gasped dramatically. "Call the news stations! Who would've thought!?"
Hayden, Willie, and Edward laughed.
"Shut up, Mom," Xander said, grinning but blushing scarlet.
"I love you, too, sweetheart," I teased him. "Now what do you say we go join the party?"
Whew! That was a LONG chapter! Yeesh!
So, what do you think? Favorite line/part?
Omigod, can you believe Sandra Bullock's husband? WHAT. AN. ASS! I swear to God, if I ever meet him in a dark alley...
On a happier note...IT'S THE WEEKEND!!! There is a God!
Reviews = Happy Author = Update!
Love ya,
Phoebe
