AN: I'm a bit of a messy starter and this story is part of a series so I'm very sorry if you're confused.

Here's a quick summary: Edward left Bella pregnant. The meeting with Laurent also comes immediately after she finds out. She leaves Forks to save herself and her kids from Victoria. She meets Charles, has the kids and they think they'll live happily ever after until Victoria kills Renee and Phil. Bella goes back to Forks but Charlie dies as well. Victoria is eventually caught by the wolves so Bella can go back to Charles and her children. She meets an obstacle along the way and ends up staying away for almost two years. Finally she finds her way back and this is where this story starts. I hope this clears things up.

Moussaieff Red

"I need a consult," Charles poked his head into my office.

"You're not a doctor," I reminded him, "You haven't been one in a long time."

"Nothing to do with medicine," he came in and closed the door.

"I am not an organiser nor am I a stylist. If you want to know which flowers to use as the centre pices or what to wear to your engagement party ask mentioned professionals," I replied. He just put a little black box on top of my work. "It's beautiful." I said as I pushed it off.

"You know the ring is inside the box you haven't opened, right?" he sat down in front of him.

"I have x-ray vision," I said without looking up. He opened the box and put it under my nose. "A ruby. How original," I pushed it off my work again.

"It's not a ruby," I could see him lean back in his chair in my peripheral vision. I picked up the box and took a closer look at the ring. True to Charles' tastes, it was extravagant. A four or five carat stone, that I now assumed was a diamond, set among clear stones and between two bands that joined into one.

"Tell me this isn't what I think it is," I instructed.

"It isn't what you think it is," he droned, "Provided that you don't think it's the Moussaieff Red Diamond."

"You moron," I looked up at him, "You bought a 7 million dollar diamond for a fake marriage."

"It's not fake. It's just not conventional," he said with a smile.

"Fancy way to say fake," I told him, "Still going against the pre-nup?"

"It's not necessary. She has access to my money regardless," he reminded me of his infinite idiocy.

"And if she takes the money and runs," I asked.

"And leave her kids?" he retorted.

"Wouldn't be the first time." I mumbled looking down.

"That's not fair," he said looking as though I'd personally injured him. It's possible that I had. Isabella had left her kids but seeing as she was trying to protect them from a revenge obsessed blood thirsty vampire. I really wasn't being fair. Now that the vampire in question had been killed by werewolves (God that sounds insane) she probably had no reason to leave.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I came to brag about buying a rare, expensive stone. Can we get back to the point?" his smile returned.

"You're still a moron," I was glad I'd been forgiven so easily, "A rich, powerful moron but a moron nonetheless."

"Thank you," he picked the box and put it in his pocket. "I'm going to go play with my kids and give their mother a ring. Have fun with your paperwork." Charles could really annoy me sometimes.

"Those of us who make a lousy $2 million a year need to earn our keep." I said. It would be useless to make a face when his back is turned.

"We billionaires, or entitled bastards as you so eloquently put it, get to play," he turned and walked backwards to the door. There's no use in wearing a smug smile unless it can be seen.

"Oh get out," I said and waved him and his smugness out of the room.

There was something very different about Isabella and it wasn't a change for the better but, having been divorced three times, this was Charles' best shot at forever after. Not marrying for love eliminated most causes of divorce. No jealousy, insecurity, falling out of love and all other bullshit associated with falling in love. And it isn't cheating if the rules allow it. This way they got to have their cake and eat it too.

CPV

"Can we come?" the boys were waiting at the door when I got home.

"No," I said gently. I didn't want to overwhelm her.

"Good point," Anthony said and dragged his brother towards the door. Telepathy was useful when it wasn't annoying.

"I agree," Eli gave a meaningful look to his brother. These two got on each other's nerves in an angry brotherly sense.

"Go wrestle outside," I opened the door and they disappeared. I closed the door and headed up the stairs. I heard a groan come from her room. When I walked into the room she was under the covers. The next sound out of her throat went straight to my dick. I thought I'd better give her some privacy but I turned right into the door and announced my presence.

"Charles," she emerged.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I heard…" I couldn't bring myself to finish that sentence.

"I was just riding your sheets," she laughed. "That's not as dirty as it sounds. What's the thread count on these babies?" she asked. I wasn't sure if I was meant to answer. I grabbed the part of my anatomy that was misbehaving and turned around.

"I bought a ring," I announced. She just held out her hand. I placed the box in it and sat down. She sat up but didn't bother pulling the covers. She was in her underwear. I guess modesty is not a quality she possesses anymore. I monitored her reaction in order to distract myself from her mostly exposed breasts. They were not helping the situation in my pants. She looked distraught.

"A ruby?" she exclaimed.

"It's a diamond," I said weakly. What did she have against red stones? Now that I think of it, it was stupid to pick out a ring by myself.

"Oh thank God," she sighed. Looks like it's just against rubies. "I thought you'd blown money on an expensive ring but a red diamond is synthetic, right?" she looked at me like she'd just realised that might actually be true.

"Yeah," I responded. That wasn't a word I frequently used. I was baffled. Why would she want a fake ring?

"It's perfect," she slipped it onto her finger and hugged me, "I thought you'd make me feel guilty by buying me an expensive ring for this fraud of a marriage I've talked you into."

"This isn't a fraud. It's different, yes," I held her closer, almost too close, "And I'd never make you feel guilty." Which is why I won't tell you that your ring cost over seven million. "I'll let you get dressed." I found an escape. I had to tell Aaron to keep his mouth shut.

"It's beautiful," she said before slipping back under the covers and 'riding my sheets'. God I need to get my brain out of this haze. I bumped into Aaron after I closed her door.

"What did you do?" he asked me in an accusatory tone. "You've got an erection," he elaborated when I raised my brows.

"That's a sign that I didn't do anything" I couldn't help but remark, "She's half-naked and moaning. I'm a red-blooded man.

"Don't shit where you eat," he said. I dragged him away from her room, "You're going to spend the rest of your life with her, even if it's not romantic. If you start sleeping with her now pretty soon it's gonna end with one of you guilty and the other mad as hell. I've never known you to be anything other than the guilty party."

"I'm not going to sleep with her so I don't need this lecture," I said. We stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "What I do need is a confirmation from you that you won't tell her about the ring."

"You want it to be a surprise?" he frowned.

"I want her to never know. She thinks the diamond is synthetic and she's happy believing that," I explained.

"You brought a stone worth $7 mil and a setting that cost at least a fifth of a million and you don't want her to know that?" his frown deepened.

"I think you've got it," I patted his shoulder patronizingly.

"Why?" he was thoroughly confused.

"She doesn't want an expensive ring. Don't ask me to explain her preferences," I said looking over my shoulder. I wanted this conversation over.

"Now you look like a cheap moron," he said as I dragged him outside.

"I feel like a deceitful moron," I replied. We got outside and I called to the boys.

"Mom's strange," Anthony appeared at my side.

Eli, Aaron and I made sounds of agreement.

"Let's go roll in the grass," Eli, who was a child in more ways than his brother, suggested.

"I remember too vividly how badly I itched the last time," Aaron responded.

"You're such a baby," Anthony rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Let's go help your mother and the stylist pick out a dress for the engagement party." I said with too much cheer. There was no stopping a superhuman fistfight once it started.

"The stylist won't be here for fifteen minutes," Anthony pointed out.

"Then we'll sit out here and talk," I said sitting down.

"Mom's new ID doesn't have her real age or her real last name," Eli looked questioningly at me.

"I'm an old man."

"Thirty six is hardly old," Eli interrupted.

"It is when you compare it to almost twenty," I replied.

"The number your father is avoiding mentioning is nineteen," Aaron contributed.

"She's closer to twenty than to nineteen," I said, "Anyway society will frown upon my marrying such a young person so she raised her age by four years and her last name to cover up the irregularity," I explained.

"Is that legal?" Anthony asked.

"All women lie about their age," I deflected. "Stylist's here." Then the longest hour of my life began. We sat and watched the dress parade.

"It's too cheeky," the stylist shook his head at one dress.

"He means I look like a prostitute," Bella explained to my puzzled expression. "It's not playful enough," he said at another.

"I'm twenty four," her lying skills had improved greatly, "Anymore playful and I'll be in grade school." She had a point there. "I'm done," she said after an hour of not finding the perfect dress. "I can't do this anymore today." She left the room.

"I'm going to go talk to your irritated mother," I said to the boys.

"We'll go play chess," they went to their room. Aaron went home, luckily without a comment.

"Bella," I said to warn her of my approach.

"Please don't call me that," she said from the couch.

"It's your name," I said, perplexed.

"Not anymore," she replied.

"Isabella," I tried.

"Yes," she peeked at me from behind a cushion.

"I know it's tiring," was all I had the chance to say.

"Did you try on twenty dresses without success?" she put her head back.

"I assume it's tiring. We can do it another time." I sat down beside her.

"I'm being difficult and ungrateful," she sighed.

"You're tired," I wrapped my arms around her shoulder. "Can you sleep on the new bed?"

"Sure," she replied, her head dropping into my chest. It was too early in our marriage for me to know when she said sure she meant no. she fell asleep on my chest. I lay back and pulled her on top of me. I was breathing in the wonderful smell of her hair and admiring how perfectly the ring suited her when sleep overtook me. That's how I started sleeping with Isabella. It was perfectly innocent then.

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