A/N: I still don't own Twilight, and I'm still not SM.
Sorry about the delay, but I completely forgot about Easter this past weekend. Both my beta and I had prior obligations so this was pushed to the back burner.
I'll see you all below since nobody ever reads these things-
The days that went by after Bella awoke were difficult. She was weak and had very little appetite, causing Edward additional worry. Tuesday, the day after she first woke, was spent just trying to maneuver around her room. Wednesday was spent moving about the floor. Thursday was spent conquering the other floors, albeit sitting down and taking a rest every fifty feet or so.
Edward was so happy Bella was out of danger, he didn't mind at all about staying with her every moment and making sure she was comfortable and resting. He enjoyed seeing her smiling face again and could feel the muscles that had been tense for two weeks prior, slowly starting to loosen.
Emmett, Aro and Jasper were continuing the hunt for Marcus and anyone who might know his whereabouts. Even with all their good work, he kept slipping right through their fingers. The first time Edward Senior asked for a progress report on the hunt for Marcus, Emmett - with a serious face - responded with a quote from his all time favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. "Nobody seems to know where he is. Man up and vanished like a fart in the wind."
Edward Senior referred his queries to Aro and Jasper after that.
With everyone's concern about Bella's health and Edward's obsessive worry over her, very few people in the house really paid attention to the calendar date. The only two who were watching the dates closely were Sculpicia and Elizabeth. The date to the Denali's return loomed closer and closer, and the two of them were ecstatic. Every day down was a day closer to Tanya and Edward's wedding and Elizabeth was going to do everything to make sure it was perfect. She'd change the weather herself if she had to. Everything would be perfect. The calls Elizabeth would take on her office phone, two doors down from Edward Senior's office on the seventh floor, steadily got longer and longer as she discussed arrangements. She wanted everything to be perfect. And come hell or high water, it would be perfect. She was not above beating people to get the desired results.
On the morning of the day all hell would break loose in the apartment, Edward and Bella made their way into the kitchen. Edward beseeched Bella not to over-work herself but Bella decided she needed to make cookies. She was tired of not being able to do anything and she needed to move around a little; making cookies and having fun with Edward seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
"How thick do you want the dough?" Edward asked as he rolled the sugar cookie dough out flat onto a floured surface.
Looking back and laughing at the flour streaks on his face and shirt along, with the light dusting of flour in his hair, she giggled out, "about a quarter of an inch. Make sure they're level though."
"Why are you laughing?" Edward asked playfully, brandishing the rolling pin at her like it was a sword. He was so glad that she was laughing again. It was a sight and sound he had missed over the past two weeks. He would do anything to keep that joyous, carefree look on her face. She looked stunning like that, even if she, herself, had streaks of flour over her face.
The giggles burst free again as she choked out, "You're completely covered in flour!"
"Me?" Edward exclaimed in a mock exaggerated tone, "Go look at yourself in the mirror!"
"No!" Bella gasped in the same playful tone, "Are you calling me ugly? You should never call a woman ugly, Edward. It's ungentlemanly to do so. I'm anything but ugly." She nodded her head once as if to agree with herself and prove a point to Edward.
"No," Edward agreed as he made his way over to Bella and wrapped his arms around her waist while she continued to flatten her own pile of dough with another rolling pin. His chin rested on her shoulder as he continued, "You're definitely not ugly. You're the furthest from ugly I have ever laid eyes on. You're perfect, even with your imperfections. Those are what make you perfect. Those are what make you, you and to tell you the truth, I wouldn't have it any other way. You're perfect for me and that's all that matters."
"Edward-" Bella started, ready to scold him but Edward wouldn't let her.
"No. I know you don't realize just how wonderful you are because of what your aunt and uncle did to you, but you are. Let me tell you that. Maybe if I keep saying it, you'll come to believe it one day. I know you're not good at this romantic, mushy stuff, either giving or receiving, but I like giving you compliments and I like you close. I like holding you, in a completely innocent way, and I'm hoping the more I do it, the more comfortable you'll be with the attention, and with me."
He squeezed her middle, gently, and continued softly. "It's just me, Bella. You know there's nothing to be afraid of. I won't hurt you. And I know you know that. You're just scared to open yourself to others for fear of getting hurt and being let down. Bella, I love you. I know you can't say those words yet, and I don't mind right now. It's okay. I would love it if you said them, but I know you'll say them when you're ready and when you do, you'll really mean them. I want you to know that no matter what happens and no matter what people say, I will always love you. You are it for me. You're my life now. I wouldn't survive without you by my side. You can take all the time in the world to come to terms of my love. You don't have to say anything right now, but you need to know, I do love you and I'll keep saying that, even after you realize I'm being completely honest with you."
Torn, not knowing what to do or say, Bella stood there trying to come up with something. Edward sighed against her shoulder and gripped her in his arms tighter. Looking down at his arms around her waist, she whispered brokenly, "Edward, I think there's something wrong with my head. I don't know how to do this. I never know what to say or what to do…"
His warm breath and soft lips tickled her neck as he whispered into her skin, "I hate what they've done to you, Little Love. I hate it, but I can't take it back. What I can do is make sure you feel completely loved and cherished for the rest of your life. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make up for all those years you went without. And no matter what you do or say, you can't stop me from lavishing you with attention and affection."
The sound of the front door closing and paper shopping bags rustling was all the announcement they needed to know Alice was home with her many new trinkets. They knew she was entering, but they didn't move from their positions. She glided into the room and came to an abrupt stop at seeing Edward and Bella standing so close in the kitchen. The smile on her face was blinding as she dropped the bags and skipped over to an amused Edward and a wary Bella. Alice quickly enveloped Bella in her arms for a hug, not an easy feet for someone so short, but backed away just as quickly. She didn't want to smother the poor, recovering girl.
"I'm so happy to see you up and moving around, Bella! It was so boring here without you!" she told Bella with a giddy tone to her voice. She glanced over to see what they were doing and squealed excitedly, "You're making Christmas cookies? I haven't had those in so long! Are you making the homemade butter cream frosting so we can frost those?"
"You want to help?" Bella asked with a smile on her face.
"Well, duh!" Alice replied as if Bella should have known better, "I haven't decorated cookies in at least three years; ever since I met Jasper. I spent most of my time here with him and you know how their mother is, no sweets at all. I like how, since you arrived, you've been doing things without even consulting her. She's not a nice person and very controlling. If she knew all that you make, the sweets and everything, I'm sure she would have a shit fit. But please keep making all these things. It smells nice and you don't know how much a cookie or truffle or something will brighten your day when you have to deal with your mother-in-law." Alice eyed her, seriously. "You're good for this place and the people here, Bella. You break us out of our shell and show us the good things in life don't always have to do with money and how much you have. Thank you for that."
Bella blushed and looked down at the cookies, giving them her full attention to try and deflect Alice and Edward's eyes. She glanced around the room to try and distract them and saw all the bags Alice had come in with and asked, "What did you buy today?"
Smiling brightly, Alice clapped her hands like an excited little girl and answered, "I got a whole bunch of Christmas decorations!"
With brows furrowed, Bella questioned, "Why don't you just use last year's decorations again?"
Alice's wide eyes snapped up to Bella as she gasped out, "blasphemous!"
"Oooookaaaaay," Bella answered slowly, not sure what major social taboo she had just partaken in. Her parents and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Henry used to recycle the Christmas decorations from one year to the next. What was the major issue with that? They were family ornaments handed down from generation to generation. They held sentimental value and it was an honor to put them on the tree when the time came around each year.
Seeing the confusion written all over Bella's face, Alice tried to explain, "Each year we go with a different colored theme. Last year, everything had to be red or green. This year I decided we're going to do a silver, blue and purple theme for Christmas. I tend to try not to reuse things, unless they're really cute or of some sentimental value to the family - like the tree star. We reuse the star every year."
Bella looked over at Edward for confirmation, and watched as he just nodded. "She does this every year," he replied.
"Yes I do!" Alice confirmed, "But usually everything is up and we're in the Christmas spirit by now. I feel like I'm running so behind this year."
Having no clue what Alice was talking about, Bella inquired, "why?"
"Because the bitch brigade didn't want to go Christmas shopping on Black Friday like we usually do and they were being so damn annoying while they were here. Everybody scattered to try and avoid them so I wasn't able to put everything up two days after Thanksgiving, like usual. And now it's the 17th of December and I still haven't put anything up. I feel very…behind schedule."
"Sorry," Bella whispered, knowing that the delay was partially her fault. Alice had been helping Bella get better these past three weeks, which cut into her decorating time. Edward had told her about the help Alice had bestowed upon her while she was unconscious those two weeks, and this week the little pixie has been a God-send.
Waving her hand like it was no big deal, Alice told her, "Don't worry about it. You were more important than some stupid decorations. Now that you're better, I can focus on the decorations to help everyone feel more Christmassy. I don't know about you, but some of the people around here need to be surrounded by the Christmas cheer for the month leading up to it before they get into the Christmas spirit. They're all Scrooges I tell you!"
Alice smiled at the giggles she managed to receive from Bella, and the appreciative smile from Edward, telling her she did good making Bella laugh. She started rummaging through some of the bags, looking for something in particular.
"What are you looking for Ali?"
"Something I picked up for Bella."
When Alice came up for air, she pulled out a little polar bear stuffed animal with a small Santa hat on his head and a collar of Christmas tree light bulbs. Alice grinned triumphantly and fiddled with the bear for a moment before she turned it back to Bella to show her. The white puff on the end of the hat lit up with a white bulb while the necklace of lights lit up with red and green bulbs. Bella smiled brightly at the present as Alice handed it over to her.
"I know you like your stuffed animals. I've seen the Batman duck on your bed each time I go into your room."
"Thank you," Bella whispered appreciatively.
"It was my pleasure, Babe. I like shopping so everything works out." Alice then turned to Edward and told him "I'll need help putting everything up around the house today so if you could gather the other cronies and help me, it would be greatly appreciated. That way everything can go up quickly and you won't be tied to decorating all day. The tree will be in its usual spot in the living room. But we also need to decorate seven other floors as well."
"How about we do that after we decorate the cookies?" Edward countered.
Her eyes narrowed into a playful glare as she replied, "You drive a hard bargain, but I accept your terms. I can use these to bribe the others. I'm sure they want some of Bella's cooking, no matter what it is."
Bella blushed a bright, fire truck red as she grabbed an icing bag and filled it full of the icing she had made. Edward's hand wrapped around the back of Bella's neck and started massaging the stiff muscles there to try and get her to relax some. It worked because Bella was quickly melting into his arms, feeling like nothing more than a pile of goo.
Being quicker and more experienced with the motions, Bella frosted more cookies than Alice and Edward. with more icing and sprinkles to boot. Those that Bella frosted looked more professional than the ones they made, but she didn't mind. They would all taste the same and with a little bit more practice, they would get better. Bella's first attempt had ended like theirs did; a mess.
When all the cookies were frosted and decorated, Bella stored some in air tight containers and hid them in the back of the refrigerator so Emmett wouldn't scarf them all down. When she turned back around, Edward was licking some frosting off his fingers and Alice was already eating one of the cookies she had frosted.
Edward looked over at her, ready to offer her a cookie when he asked, "Are you okay, Little Love? You look awfully tired."
Bella nodded, but they could clearly see the fatigue. The cookie making had taken a toll on her. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Then go get some rest. Take a nap. You need your rest to stay healthy. This is your body telling you that you're trying to do too much. You go rest," Edward told her sincerely, "and I'll decorate with Alice."
"Are you sure?" Bella asked biting her lower lip.
"Please. We'll be fine," Alice told her earnestly.
"I'm sorry I can't decorate with you, guys," Bella said apologetically.
Alice waved her off with her hand and replied, "Don't worry. I wasn't going to make you to begin with. I get a little bossy and pushy when I'm in decorating mood. I didn't want to alienate you again. I took your words to heart and I realized that I tend to be a little pushy sometimes, so I've been trying to tone that back a little."
Bella smiled at her friend and nodded, "Yeah, I've noticed a difference, even during the past hour or so."
Alice looked Bella in the eye and told her, "Thank you for pointing out how pushy I was. I didn't realize just how off putting it was to those around me. I know it was hard to say what you did, but I'd like to think that only true friends would do that for one another. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."
Looking at Alice as her brows furrowed, she asked, "Did you just go all Dumbledore on me?"
Giggling, Alice nodded, "I was wondering if you were going to know I stole that from somewhere. It's good though, huh?"
Nodding, Bella giggled in return and replied, "It truly is. And just so you know… we are. Friends, that is." It took strength she didn't know she had to say those words aloud. She had never before called a person a friend for fear that it gave them the power to hurt her in return. However, Bella was trying to move past the blocks in her mind and heart and let people in. Edward, Alice; who knew who was next.
"I'm glad. Now go get some rest. The boys will be help enough, as long as I bribe them with cookies after everything gets dealt with."
Bella sniggered again before looking over at Edward, "When you're done, come wake me up. I don't want to sleep too long."
"You can count on me, Little Love. I'll come get you once Alice is finished with me," he mumbled quietly to her before kissing her forehead and letting her go.
It took hours for Alice to supervise Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Edward in putting up the Christmas decorations. Emmett kept the shenanigans to a minimum because Alice threatened to withhold his promised cookies if he didn't knock it off. He was happy when the decorating was done and he got his reward. He walked off munching them like the Cookie Monster; shoving whole cookies in his mouth, not even bothered that the crumbs were falling everywhere.
Collapsing on the family room couch, Edward groaned at his poor, sore muscles, which would surely hurt even more in the morning. Even though he was fit and toned, decorating had nothing on a day at the gym. He was glad decorating didn't happen every day. He'd always be aching. He told himself he would only rest for a moment before he trailed upstairs to wake Bella up as eyes slipped closed and he leaned his head back for a moment, just to rest his eyes.
Seeing him sprawled out on the couch like he was when she came down from her nap hours later, Bella quickly moved over to him and gently sat down on the couch. She couldn't be upset with him, that he hadn't roused her from her nap, when he looked that exhausted. She didn't want to disturb him, but she knew he liked it when she was close. Without opening his eyes, his arms snaked around her torso and pulled her in close to his body. She lay her hand on his chest over his heart and laid her head down atop. Her eyes stayed open as she lay there on the couch with him. And only when his soft snores floated into the room, did she know he had passed out from all the excitement of the day.
Bella carefully rose from the couch so as not to wake him and made her way into the kitchen. She quickly put all the used dishes into one of the dishwashers and turned around to box up the unused frosting when Jasper walked into the kitchen to get something to drink.
He nodded in greeting to Bella, who smiled back at him. Until now, she hadn't really had any contact with this member of the family. Bella was nervous to try and change that because Jasper was just so quiet, she didn't know where she stood with him. He didn't show much and that unnerved Bella somewhat.
"May I ask you something Bella?" He inquired. She shrugged and nodded at him, letting him know it was all right. "Do you have an aversion to me?"
"What?" Bella asked. She was bewildered. She didn't have any problems with him. She always thought he had a problem with her and that's why he stayed away.
"Did I do something to upset you?" he asked again as he poured some milk into a glass.
"No," Bella started, shaking her head, "Why would you think that?"
"You seem to avoid me. I just wanted to know why…"
Bella looked at him and bit her lower lip before revealing, "truth be told, I just didn't try to get to know you better because you always seemed to want to avoid me."
Shaking his head, his eyes found a twinkle as he spoke, "I guess we've been avoiding each other because of some misguided notions, huh?"
Nodding, Bella smiled as Alice joined them. She smiled brightly when she saw Jasper and Bella speaking and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you clean up?"
"Could you start the dishwasher?" Bella asked, giving Alice the simplest task that had yet to be done.
"Sure," she giggled as she danced over to the machine.
Trying to sort the refrigerator out so she could find some room to store the excess frosting, Bella turned her back to Jasper, Alice and the dishwasher and so she was oblivious to the beginning of the chaos. When she turned back around to speak with Alice, her eyes grew wide as saucers as she took in the scene before her.
Jasper was frantically pressing buttons to get the machine to stop running while Alice was pulling towels off the cupboard handles, trying to stem the flow of suds. The dishwasher was foaming at the mouth, spewing bubbles all over the kitchen floor, causing Jasper and Alice to slip in their efforts.
Giggling, Bella slid over to them and quickly hit the stop button that Jasper hadn't been able to find in the mayhem. He sighed a breath of relief as Alice continued to scramble, looking for more towels. Bella took some of the towels and was about to start wiping the bubbles when her foot slipped out from under her causing her to reach out for anything to stabilize her, which turned out to be Jasper, and she toppled over backwards, hauling him with her, landing on her bottom while Jasper was able to land on his hands and knees.
The pain ricocheted up her spine and down her legs as she groaned and rolled onto her side. Her face fell into the bubbles on the floor and she choked and gasped for air without the soapy taste. The soap in her eyes stung and made her eyes water.
Everything seemed to freeze for a brief second as the situation sunk in. Before long, Bella was laughing uncontrollably, despite the pain in her butt bone and the embarrassment of the situation. Beside her, she could hear Jasper chuckling lowly to himself as well.
Alice dashed out of the kitchen and returned with some bath towels to clean up the mess. She looked frazzled and worried until she saw Bella and Jasper laughing hysterically. She cracked a smile as she laid the towels out to keep anyone else from slipping. She was gathering the suds in the middle of the ring of towels when a throat cleared from behind them.
All three of them turned to see the Denali's standing there. All but Kate and her husband, Garrett, had a scowl on their faces. Bella couldn't help but giggle again. They looked so ridiculous with their hair perfectly styled, flawless makeup, and dressed to the nines in designer wear right down to the scrunchies in their hair. Bella's giggling only caused Carmen's, Irina's and Tanya's sneers to deepen.
"Alice," Tanya said, surprised to see her in the mess. Tanya's sneer transformed into a fake smile as she told her, "Alice! I'm back! Now you can help me with the masterpiece that will be my wedding. You designed your own and I want that perfection in mine. And you love helping everyone with their parties, so I expect you to help me. Everything needs to be absolutely perfect. I already have lots of ideas to run past you. But let us go get settled into our rooms before we start the planning. It's been a long flight and I need to freshen up. Give me a couple of hours and I'll bring my binder with all my ideas down here and you, the others and I can sit down and start planning everything."
Biting her lower lip, Bella smirked over at Alice, knowing she had been recruited for a job she definitely didn't want. Alice quickly made a face at Bella and replied to Tanya, "Well, actually, Bella and I are going to go work on my dress that I've been working on since Thanksgiving." Tanya's eyes shot over to Bella and her fake smile turned back into the ugly sneer. "What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to be gone by the time I got back. If I were you, I'd take my shit and leave right now before I have to drag you out by your hair. I'm finally done with school and now I've come to take my rightful place by Eddie's side as his wife. Nobody wants you here. You may as well leave before you're embarrassed when they have to spell it out for you."
"Hi to you too, Tanya. Wow, have you gained weight? You're looking a bit chunkier. I thought you said at Thanksgiving that you were watching your figure?"
Tanya gasped and looked down at her figure, running her hands down her body to make sure she was still a twig with eyeballs. She ran her hand over her hair and asked, "Are you normally so stupid and vapid? Because this is getting ridiculous; you're just kidding yourself. Why are you still here? You're clearly not who my Eddie-Poo is looking for in a wife. He needs someone strong and intelligent and beautiful and able to please him. I can do all that. I am all that. You, on the other hand, aren't. You're lame and mousy. You'll never be what he needs, so quit deluding yourself and leave. Now. Before you're escorted out by security."
Bella couldn't help the chuckle as she stared at Tanya. "Are you on medication? Because you're clearly delusional."
Alice tucked her face into Jasper's shoulder to hide the chuckle, and masked her smile with a hand as she tried to hold in her howls of laughter. Jasper, feeling her petite body shake as she tried to hold it in against his tall, lithe frame, curled his arm around her to hold her closer to him. He nodded in greeting to the family and extricated himself from Alice's arms before he excused himself to the family room to usher Edward out of the area before Tanya got a hold of him.
Alice took Bella's hand in hers and asked with an expectant look on her face, "You ready to work on the dress? You promised me last week you would help me with it?"
Realizing it was just a ploy to get out of the room, Bella nodded enthusiastically before glancing back at Tanya, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. Don't forget to say goodbye before you leave. I want to see the door hit you in the ass on the way out." Tanya growled as she opened her mouth to lay into Bella, but Alice yanked the poor girl out of the room and over to the elevator.
"Good lord, woman," Alice giggled as the elevator doors dinged closed on them, "you know how to press her buttons. I'm glad you don't take her shit, or anyone's shit for that matter. You're giving everybody around here hope that everything will turn out all right. I don't mean to put so much on your shoulders, but seriously, before you came, everything was depressing and people always thought she was going to get her claws into him somehow and force him to marry her. He would have been so depressed and trapped… let's just say I'm so glad you're here now. I haven't seen him smile so much since I met him."
They got off on the third floor and quickly made their way to the sewing room. Alice turned on the light and told Bella, "feel free to work on your quilt. I just wanted to get you out of there before you took one of Edward's guns and shot her."
Bella giggled. "Thank you. I probably would have. You just saved her life."
Alice pressed her hands over her heart and sighed dramatically. "How unfortunate."
Getting her things out of the small storage spot, Bella quickly got into the rhythm of working with the fabric and sewing machines. Alice joined her quietly with her own sewing materials on the next sewing machine over and they worked in silence together.
Edward had retreated to his bedroom after Jasper came to warn him the Denali's were here and that, to stay out of the warpath Tanya was sure to be on. Bella and Alice had both disappeared. He had to deal with some paperwork he had been neglecting for a couple of weeks. He knew Bella would be gone for a little while, but the longer he was away from her, the more agitated he became.
When he couldn't take the distance anymore, Edward stepped out of his bedroom and around the corner where he saw Bella's bedroom door was open and the light was pouring through the doorway into the darker hallway. He smiled to himself, thinking that she had gone in and passed out on the bed from exhaustion without closing the door or turning off the light. He took another step closer to the door, to see if he could find purchase on the bed next to her, when pairs of shoes were hurled out of the room into the hallway.
Edward stopped abruptly, taking a moment to figure out what was going on, when he heard the shrill, annoying voice mutter loudly, "The skanky bitch thinks she can take my things. This is my room. This is my space. This is my family. He is mine. After I'm done, everybody'll know it. She's just a mousy little bitch, how dare she think she can come between me and my husband." His blood ran cold when he realized who it was, just in time for a drawer full of clothes to be hurled through the doorway and land haphazardly on the floor.
He stood there, watching everything Bella owned be hurled through the doorway and into the hall with a thud as it landed. He didn't know what to do but he knew he needed to do something. In a spur of the moment decision, he planned his next course of action. He knew it would be risky and would probably set Bella back, not to mention cause Tanya to go after her, but he didn't care. He would deal with the consequences later. It felt right.
When he heard Tanya growl haughtily and stomp her way down the hall to the elevator, Edward hurriedly picked up an armload of clothes and took them into his room. He quickly made a number of trips back and forth, gathered as much of Bella's stuff as possible and hauled it into his room before Tanya came back with her own suitcases to lay claim to the room.
The slamming of the door down the hall told Edward that Tanya was back with her own clothes and designer items and would spend some time putting them away before she made an appearance. He made a few quick, last trips to gather the rest of the items on the floor in the hall and brought it into his room to put with the rest of everything he salvaged from her room. Edward spent the next hour trying to fold Bella's clothes and put them in the dressers and drawers in the closet he wasn't currently using. He hung up whatever he could, put her shoes on the shoe racks, and made sure to leave the Batman duck on the bed against the pillows. Hopefully Bella would start to feel like that was her room as well as his.
When everything was put away, he dialed Bella's cell number, hoping to explain what was going on before she discovered it for herself. Edward only had to wait two rings before Bella picked up and answered with a sweet, yet confused voice, "Hello? Edward?"
"Hey, Little Love," he replied nervously. "Do you think I could talk to you for a second?"
"Um… sure… but why didn't you just come down one floor to talk to me instead of calling?" She asked hesitantly.
"It's because the Denali's are here and Tanya seems to have done something stupid. I don't want her to know that I know she did it…"
Bella giggled adorably into the receiver, "Edward, I know they're here. And that didn't make any sense at all."
"Do you know where my bedroom door is? Next to my office? Not the door next to your old room, but the one on the other side?" Edward asked hopefully.
Bella sounded nervous when she answered. "Yeah, what's going on?"
"I'll tell you everything, I promise, but you need to come here right now." Edward beseeched her to do as he asked.
"I'll be right up."
"Thank you, Little Love," he said.
They both hung up and little more than three minutes later, Bella walked into the room with a small, suspicious, nervous smile on her face. It grew when she saw him standing there in the middle of the room looking lost, but it fell when she noticed her Batman Duck propped up on the bed between two of the pillows. "What's going on?"
"I thought I would tell you what's going on before you find out from Tanya," he mumbled, not looking forward to seeing her reaction to what he was about to tell her.
"O…kay… so tell me," she requested slowly.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his, before he watched her skeptically, wondering just how she would take it. "When you and Alice left Tanya to go sew, she came up to your room and threw all of your things out into the hallway. I managed to grab them and bring them in here…"
"Where are they now? What room am I going to be staying in from now on? Can you still visit me all the time?" She wondered aloud.
His tense shoulders relaxed a fraction. Her questions told him she wouldn't be completely opposed to the suggestion he was about to make her. "I have an idea I'd like to share with you, but you have to promise you won't interrupt before I'm done, okay?" Bella nodded quietly, allowing him to continue without interruption. "Okay, here's the thing, I brought your stuff in here. I propose you stay in here with me-" Bella opened her mouth to argue against it but Edward forged on. "Hear me out, please. You'll have your own closets and your own bathroom all to yourself. There's more room in here, room I don't need all to myself, so we can cohabitate in here and we're already sleeping in the same bed. I don't think I could sleep without you in my arms anymore. What good would it do to have you on another floor only to have to trek back and forth? There's more than enough room in here for both of us, all you have to do is say yes and we can rearrange everything, buy more things to make it feel like you live in her as well. Please, just tell me what you need to say yes."
Before Bella could answer, the door across the hall opened and shut loudly and shoes clapped against the hardwood floor down the hall from the elevator. They looked at one another until they heard the sound of the elevator doors dinging closed. As she looked at the hopeful, yet resigned face, Bella realized just how true his words rang. She couldn't fall asleep unless he was right there next to her, touching her skin, spooning her back, playing with her hair, something. She needed that as much as Edward did. She also needed to open herself up more and put herself out there.
With her answer in her mind, she looked at him and said, "If I agree to this, I only have one condition."
"Anything," Edward breathed, hopeful that she would want to move into his room with him. It would be one step closer to being near her all the time. He could come into their room at the end of a long, hard day and see her sitting in bed, reading a book or playing on the computer and just watch her with a small, peaceful smile on his face. He could wake up to her in his arms every morning. He could sit there during one of his days off and watch her stretch as she woke up. He liked the idea of sharing his personal space with her on a daily basis, even more than they already were.
Eyeing him critically, Bella named her condition. "My only stipulation is that if, at any point in time, I want to move into another room, I can, without any arguing whatsoever."
Gulping audibly with wide eyes, Edward nodded, agreeing to her provision. If that was the only thing keeping her from moving into his room permanently, he would make sure that once she did fully move in, she never wanted to leave. He would make sure she loved every moment she spent in his room so she never even entertained the thought of moving back out. He was determined to do that for the both of them.
Bella smiled at Edward shyly and nodded before telling him, "Then yes, I'll stay in here with you."
"Oh, thank God," Edward let out a relieved breath as his entire body loosened when the stress and tension fled his body on hearing her answer. "You won't regret it. I promise I'll make sure of that, every single day."
Smiling at his intense reaction, Bella moved closer to him and quietly asked, "I guess you wanted me to say yes?"
Edward nodded enthusiastically and emphatically as he scooped her up tightly in his arms, buried his nose in her hair and revealed, "Absolutely. I didn't know what I would do if you had said no."
"Sneak into my room to get to sleep every night?" she joked back.
He chuckled against her and nodded. "Probably, yeah. I can't seem to stay away from you. And I don't think I want to."
"I guess we have Tanya to thank for something after all, huh?" Bella asked looking up at Edward's face to read his expression.
His face turned sour as he answered, "I guess we have to thank her on this occasion for being a self centered bitch."
Bella giggled adorably as she tugged Edward's arm over to the bed and curled up on the left side. He climbed on the tall, yet extremely comfortable bed behind Bella and sighed as he curled around her small body protectively. He would never become accustomed to how right it felt to have her close to him, no matter how many times it happened.
The obstacle Tanya had put in their way had been dealt with. Granted, if it were up to them, it would have been handled differently, but they both realized they just needed a little push. Even though Tanya's tricks were questionable, they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. They both secretly hoped, though they knew it was highly unlikely, that her conduct would be a little bit more adult-like for the rest of her stay in Chicago. Having her here would cause some problems with the rest of the family, they were sure, and probably between the two of them, but they silently made the same promise of not allowing her to come between them. Only time would tell if that was a promise they each could keep.
"I love you, Little Love," he whispered as they settled down to take a quick nap before dealing with the She Devil and her antics.
Bella felt protected and cared for in his arms. Edward always made sure she had everything she needed and even some things she didn't. He always thought of her first and tried to make sure her life was better than before with her aunt and uncle. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she belonged somewhere. Here. With this man and his family. With Edward.
How did she get to be this lucky? Was it chance? Was it fate? Or was it some higher deity intervening to help her for some reason? She didn't know and she didn't quite want to ask for fear it would all come crashing down around her like a house of cards. She was happy just to be out of the abusive place she used to call her house, and in a home that wanted her there and appreciated her talents while not focusing on her shortcomings, though there were many. It had been years since she felt this happy and in the back of her mind, the part she desperately tried to quash, something was telling her it was all just going to be short-lived, because nothing this good could last much longer.
Before she finally closed her eyes, Bella carefully slipped the ring from the chain around her neck onto her finger. "Ditto," Bella mumbled sleepily as they slipped off to sleep.
Having expected Esme, Alice, and Rosalie to join as well, Tanya joined Sculpicia, Elizabeth and Carmen in the tea room with her gigantic binder. She was disappointed they couldn't take ten minutes out of their busy schedule for their soon to be sister-in-law, but she understood they probably had things to do with their husbands and would help later on with the wedding planning when it was crunch time. She daintily sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of Earl Grey tea and added a lump of sugar, then another and stirred, tapping her tea spoon on the edge of the teacup with a tinkling noise before Elizabeth pulled out her own binder and pen and asked, "So, I think we should get started. After all, it's going to be a long couple of months."
Tanya beamed brightly at the thought of being Mrs. Edward Cullen in just a few short months. She opened her binder as Elizabeth mimicked her actions with her own. Her pen poised to write, Elizabeth asked, "All right, I just want to go over some of the details we already covered to make sure I have them correct."
"Oh, please, Elizabeth," Tanya gushed, "We wouldn't want anything to mess up my wedding day, would we?" They all giggled like a gaggle of freshman year high school cheerleaders who just heard their first dirty joke.
Elizabeth cleared her throat after a moment and asked, "You wanted the wedding to be on June 15th, correct?"
"Correct. We'll be on our honeymoon for Edward's birthday," she simpered proudly as she fixed some of her hair, making sure every strand was in its place so she looked perfect. After throwing everything out of her room, she had to make sure she didn't look flustered and heaven forbid if she was sweating. She had specifically told that…mousy…child to have been gone by the time she got back, but she didn't listen. She was still there and still clinging to Tanya's future husband. Tanya went in and claimed what was rightfully hers. That room was hers. Just like the man who slept just down the hall from her room. In time the little girl would understand not to cross her because the consequences would be dire. And she best not mess with Tanya's things, her man included. Her hand smoothed back her hair one last time to make sure there were no fly-aways. Heaven forbid one strand of hair be out of place.
"Where are you going to go on your honeymoon?" Carmen asked. "I hope it's somewhere romantic."
Taking a sip of her tea, Tanya responded, "If he knows what's good for him, he'll take me to Paris."
Sculpicia and Carmen sighed happily and simultaneously cooed, "The city of love." Tanya giggled and nodded happily.
"I already have my hair style picked out," Tanya revealed to them as she turned back to her binder and flipped through to a picture of a messy up-do bun with curled tendrils hanging down strategically in the girl's face. "Wouldn't that just be perfect on me?" She asked the girls.
"Oh, absolutely. It was made just for you," Sculpicia praised, studying the picture.
Elizabeth sat forward, looking at the binder and asked Tanya, "What other things have you already picked out in there?"
"Oh, Elizabeth," the woman gushed, "You know me too well. I'm so glad you're going to be family in a few short months!" She clapped happily before getting down to business, "Just like the other girls, I'm going to have it in the church, because that's the only place big enough to hold all the guests I've decided to invite so far. I haven't decided on the reception venue as of yet. But I'm sure we have a little bit of time to pick something elegant and large. You three can come help me pick something out this weekend."
"Of course!" Sculpicia agreed wholeheartedly.
"All right, now, I've already picked out the colors for my wedding - white and baby pink. I think it's a classic color scheme, yet can still be flirty and sexy and that's exactly what I am - flirty and sexy. Everything's going to be either white or pale pink. I've already bought my garter for the big day," Tanya said as she pulled out a picture of a garter in a medium shade pink with white polka dots and thin white ribbon -in the middle, tied into a bow. "Isn't it just adorable? Eddie's going to flip when he sees it. I can't wait to surprise him with it."
"Tanya," Carmen whispered in happiness as she looked over the item in the picture carefully, "It's perfect!"
"I already ordered the invitations too," Tanya revealed as she pulled an item from her binder. This time it wasn't a picture of an invitation - it was a real invitation. "I have five thousand of these at home. I hope I made enough for all the guests. If we need to, I can always order more. The man I spoke to about the invitations gave me a really good deal and said he would give me another discount if I needed to go back. He was very nice, very accommodating to fill such a large order on short notice."
The invitation consisted of a white cardstock framed by a bottom-layered light grey heavy cardstock, wrapped with a one inch wide pastel, baby pink ribbon around the lower section of the card, with a white, satin ribbon bow centered on the pink ribbon and a fleur-de-lie at the bottom of the card stock, under the ribbons. The words were written in a beautifully elegant calligraphy in black that inscribed:
You are cordially invited to the wedding of:
Tanya Dolores Denali
With
Edward Anthony Masen Cullen
On Saturday June 15th, 2013
At one o'clock
At the Grand Central Cathedral on 15th Street
Chicago, Illinois
R.S.V.P. by April 1st, 2013
To: (555)555-0110
"It's absolutely stunning. Very elegantly crafted and the colors are perfect for your color scheme. How many people are on your guest list so far?" Elizabeth asked, writing some things down in her own binder.
"Just over two and a half thousand. I figured I'm not done with my list just yet, by the time I am, it'll be just under three thousand or so, so you and my Snookie-poo will have two thousand seats to fill, if you want them. Otherwise I can always use the extra seats if you don't use them all," Tanya responded to Elizabeth. Tanya had many friends and sorority sisters, not to mention people she wanted to gloat at or show off to that she was the future Mrs. Cullen. She wanted everybody to envy her and her beauty, prestige, fortune, and influence.
"I don't know if that'll be enough," Elizabeth mumbled to herself as she wrote something down. "What else do you have in there?"
"Well, I've decided that in the church, I want the pews decorated with white and pink roses along with matching ribbons to make a walk way down the center aisle. And I want a dark pink carpet like I'm either royalty or a movie star and I want a flower girl, who's old enough to know not to screw up, to spread pink and white petals all over the walk way. Then in the reception room, I want the chairs to be draped in white cloth and then a pink sash to adorn each, that wraps around the back part and then ties into a big bow in the back to unify the colors."
"That sounds so magical," Carmen sighed as she pictured it all in her head.
"Thank you. I already have the veil. It's at home. It covers the back with my hair but not my face. I want my Eddie to see me shining like the sun on my wedding day. It's three feet long and around the edges it's adorned with a shiny pink ribbon. It's almost opaque, but still slightly translucent. It's perfect to show off my body and hair."
"All right," Elizabeth stated, needing to get the big items for the wedding out of the way early so they could focus on the small details to make everything spectacular. "What about the attire? Have you put much thought into that?"
"Of course I have, Elizabeth," Tanya replied as she turned the page and handed a picture to Elizabeth. "That's going to be my wedding dress. I already have it on hold. I went in for my first fitting last week and my last fitting is in a few months time. I wanted to get a jump start on it. I wanted something that showcases my legs, they're super long going for miles as some people say- and I wanted them to shine that day."
Elizabeth looked down at the photograph and saw Tanya standing on a mending pedestal wearing an ivory white gown. The neckline was a V neck that went down to the middle of her cleavage, with the straps about half an inch wide. Over the bodice, instead of opaque fabric, it was almost translucent, only showing the whalebone supports throughout the garment. There was a fancy design all over the bodice. Just at the hips, the skirt started with the opaque fabric again. The front of the skirt landed mid thigh, in all its ruffled glory, while it turned into a long train in the back. The ruffles were all over the place so the dress looked like a gigantic marshmallow puff, but none of the girls even thought that.
"I saw it and I knew that was the dress I was going to wear on my wedding day. It's sexy and flirty and showcases all my different, perfect attributes while still being appropriate for the church and the stuffy priest that'll be doing the ceremony. Isn't it just perfect? I bet Eddie's not going to know what hit him. He'll be completely speechless and maybe even forget his vows!" she gushed excitedly at having and holding Edward's attention.
"It is perfect. I can't wait to see you in it in person, Tanya," Sculpicia murmured looking at the picture of her best friend beaming in the photograph, wearing the perfect dress for the occasion. It emanated Tanya's personality completely and Sculpicia was pleased that her best friend had found her dress so quickly.
"As for the bridesmaid dresses, I chose this one," Tanya pulled out another picture and showed it to the other girls, "I figured since it was going to be summer and hot, I went with something short and breezy."
The strapless dresses were almost neon pink with soft, floaty skirts that stopped just past the knees, and gathered bodices. Just under the chest area, the fabric pulled together and looked like it clipped with three rhinestones.
"Who are your bridesmaids going to be?" Carmen asked, curiously. She knew it wouldn't be her; Elazear and Carmen were going to walk Tanya down the aisle since her parents couldn't do it themselves. She was looking forward to giving her friend and sister-in-law away to the man she loved the most in the world.
"Scully, Irina and Maria," Tanya answered with a roll of her eyes like it was a stupid question to ask. At hearing her nickname, Sculpicia squealed and wrapped her arms around Tanya's shoulders in a tight hug.
"Thank you!" Sculpicia squealed again in happiness. She knew Tanya would probably choose her because she was Tanya's best friend but it still was such an honor to be chosen as one of her bridesmaids. She was so happy she could be a part of Tanya's big day.
"Don't mention it," Tanya said as she waved her hand as if it were nothing. "I've already determined what I want my Eddie-bear to wear." She pulled another picture out and showed it to Elizabeth.
"The pink of his tie and the vest will compliment the color scheme very nicely. And with the darker pink of the rose that will be pinned to his lapel, it's sure to will stand out against the black suit properly; brightly. The vest and tie will show just a hint of the pink in the lights of the church. The bouquet I'll be carrying down the aisle is already ordered. It has white and pink roses with just a touch of greenery. It has almost two dozen pink flowers and two dozen white ones arranged in a teardrop. It's large and elegant and perfect for me."
"Oh, it all sounds so beautiful, Tanya. I can't wait to see how perfect it all looks when it's put together. It's going to be the wedding of the century. Everybody's going to be talking about it for years and years to come," Elizabeth crowed, pleased with the decisions her future daughter-in-law had taken upon herself to make.
Tanya giggled and nodded enthusiastically, "I know. Every bride to come is going to be comparing themselves to my beauty, and their pitiful wedding to my perfect one! I can just see it all now. It's going to be a story-book wedding and an even better 'happily ever after,' you'll see. Eddie and I are going to be perfect. I just know it. Nothing is going to ruin our day, the day we've been waiting for, for so long."
"Have you already decided on a cake? The style, type of ingredients and the flavoring?" Sculpicia asked inquisitively.
"Of course. I went to a professional cake maker and decided on a white cake with strawberry whipped cream filling with a white butter cream and fondant decoration. There are four different cakes all connected to the central one. The four outer ones are four tiers tall with fancy, classic icing details while the middle one is going to be nine tiers with the same detailing. There's going to be pink sugar flowers around the cakes to pull in the color scheme while still being classic. And on the very top, I've already bought the cake topper," she pulled out a picture and showed the others. "Everything else is classic and perfect and everything, but I wanted something flirty and fun added into my wedding and reception, so I got this one."
The picture was of a small male sculpture in a black suit with a pink tie and copper hair, standing, while the female sculpture had her legs wrapped around the man's waist as the back of her dress touched the floor. Her arms were around his neck and they were kissing. The woman had strawberry blonde hair and the veil went down to the middle of her back. His hands were on her butt to hold her up and they looked so happy and cute together.
"That's perfect!" Carmen crowed excitedly, taking the picture from her sister-in-law to study it closer. "And they even look like you and Edward!"
"I know," Tanya responded smugly to the others. She gloated to them about how resourceful she was and how well she thought things through, not to mention how well she managed to talk people into doing things for her. "I had someone change the hair color to match so everybody would know that we're meant to be together."
"That's a wonderful idea," Elizabeth mentioned.
"Isn't it?" Tanya stated. "And for the reception tables, I already have the pastel pink napkins that will hold the menus and we can always go get the silverware and glasses if the reception hall doesn't cover that. I have the little votive candle holders, they're bright pink and beautifully compliment the other décor I'm planning to put as the centerpieces. I bought these beautiful tea light glass pillars that are very versatile. If I decide to, I can put some fresh pink and white roses in before the reception and then put the candles in and light them or I can put other decorations and customize them to my wedding. There's elegance to the idea that I wanted in my wedding reception. It's all going to come together perfectly. Then around the pillars, I can put some rose petals to make it more timeless and whimsical. I even have some more clear tea light holders to put around the center. I have a silver plated picture frame that I'm going to have engraved with the table number and the picture will be one of either my Snookie-Bear and me, or just me."
"Have you come up with a menu already, or are you still coming up with it?" Carmen asked looking at a paper in her binder.
"I have. The menus that will be placed on the pink napkins I already told you about, well, I decided what I wanted for the menu and had them all made up, all five thousand of them and we can always print up more. Here," Tanya declared happily as she pulled out the menu she had already designed.
The menu was printed on white cardstock to match the invitations, with a medium shade of pink border around the edge that matched the invitation's pink ribbon on the lower half and the words:
Mr. Edward Cullen and Mrs. Tanya Cullen invite you to dine tonight from the following menu choices:
Drinks:
Champagne
De La Grand Cru Cote Nuit Romanee Conti Vosne Burgundy- 1973
Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru Le Puligny Cote DeBeaune Burgundy- 2000
Open Bar
Sparkling Water
Mint Tea
Main Dishes:
Seafood Tower
Lobster
Crab
Scallops
Prime Rib
Chicken
Side Dishes:
Rice
Shrimp Salad
Baked Potato
Steamed Vegetables
Cut Fruit
Caviar
Desserts:
Baked Alaska
Crepes
Ice Cream
Bread Pudding
Cherry Flambé
Tiramisu
"This wine you've mentioned," Elizabeth asked pointing to the two specific drinks, "What is it? I've never heard of them before."
"Well, I've already bought a hundred and fifty of each kind. The first one, the 1975 one, is a Pinot Noir and is supposed to be one of the best tasting wines in the world. It's $8,502.13 per bottle. The second one, the 2000 one is a Chardonnay and is the best white wine in the world. It goes for $72,000 a bottle. I'm going to make sure the waiters know that only certain people, the important people, get that wine. I want everyone to be impressed, but the lesser people won't know the difference. Everyone who attends will be in awe of how wonderful everything is, including the wine that most people overlook. I can't wait to see everyone's face when they see we spared absolutely no expenses on anything."
"I think everyone will appreciate that. Most people try and save wherever they can on weddings, but if you're going all out, then people will really see that. Especially with the food and wine, it's all so lavish," Carmen agreed, looking forward to having some expensive wine. Her palate had always run high, so when her sister-in-law decided to buy lavish things for her, she didn't complain at all.
Elizabeth marked something off on the checklist in her binder and asked, "Have you made a decision on which ring you were going to go with for your engagement ring and wedding rings from the pictures that I sent you? They're from Edward's inheritance from his grandparents and great grandparents. They're all heirlooms and have been in the family for generations. They're all stored in his vault."
"Really?" the others asked, surprised. Carmen and Tanya didn't know the extent of the jewelry that Edward had in the vault. The pictures that Elizabeth had sent them were of just the rings. Tanya immediately started to wonder what other kinds of diamond encrusted jewelry Edward had that he would adorn her with once they were married.
"Well, at first I narrowed it down to white diamond, because the colored stones simply cannot be as expensive as diamond and I deserve the best. Then the three that I saw, I narrowed down to two, because one of them, the main diamond just looked too…small. Finally I decided I want the square cut diamond that's fifteen karats, with the smaller diamonds all around with the platinum setting. It's simply stunning and it was the biggest diamond within the choices. I must have the best with everything; anything less is not an option."
As they were flipping through some of the other pictures of items Tanya had bought or wanted for the wedding, Edward and Bella walked in looking rumpled and sleepy as if they had just woken from a nap. The women all looked up and smiled at Edward, but when their eyes caught sight of Bella, the little girl trying to steal the man of one of their own, their faces turned sour, trying to intimidate her into leaving the room so they could sink their claws into Edward and never let go.
Tanya could instantly tell this mousy girl that was attached to Edward would be a problem. The girl would create issues and stand between Tanya and her man. Tanya determined she needed to deal with the insignificant, delusional girl quickly and once and for all. The stink she put up at Thanksgiving was pathetic at best. One more day and she wouldn't want to be here with the way she would be treated. Tanya was going to make sure of that if it was the last thing she ever did.
Tanya turned her calculating gaze back to Edward and smiled brightly, "Snookiepoo!" she simpered as she batted her eyelashes. "I was just going over the different things I've already ordered for my wedding. They're all so perfect, everyone thinks so!"
With a stoic face, Edward turned to her and asked, "That's great, Tanya. Who's the groom?"
Tanya giggled annoyingly and swatted at his side, "Don't be silly, Pookie! You are, obviously! I deserve the best and you're the best." She turned to Elizabeth and gushed, "Always such a joker with me. I swear, he's the funniest person I've ever met." The other girls giggled at Tanya like the annoying cheerleaders every high school has.
"We've already come up with most of the bigger items, son," Elizabeth told her youngest as she flipped through the design binder Tanya had brought with her. All Edward and Bella could see was varying shades of pink.
"Ungh!" Bella said making a disgusted face at the pictures that caught her eyes, "Did Barbie throw up or something? It looks like a bunch of Pepto Bismol was thrown all over the place. You might not want to use that with the cake, it might make people sick... you know."
Everyone at the table turned to Bella, in unison, like the girl in The Exorcist, minus the vomit, and glared as if looks could kill. If they were able to put people in the ground, Bella would be six feet under by now. Edward tried to hide his chuckle as Bella looked around at the girls and asked, "What? It does. And really? Who would ever need a menu like that? Talk about hoity toity snooty."
Tanya growled lowly in her throat and asked in a threatening tone, "what are you still doing here? I thought I told you to be gone?"
"Yeah," Bella nodded looking completely at ease, "You did, but apparently I don't listen to design whores like you. Who knew?"
Edward's chuckles escaped and Elizabeth turned her shrewd eyes on her son before asking, "Is there something funny about this inconsiderate, lowly, white trash girl speaking ill of your fiancé, Edward?"
Turning his gaze to his mother, Edward's smile never faded when he told his mother, "the fact that you think Tanya, here, is my fiancé's pretty funny."
"I beg your pardon? You all but announced your engagement at Thanksgiving when we sat down to eat. The engagement announcement and picture go to the papers tomorrow to be printed in Monday morning's Chicago Tribune. Don't be stupid, Edward."
The smile fell from Edward's lips as he stared right back at his mother. This time she wasn't going to get her way. He was staying with Bella no matter what games she pulled. He wasn't going to give up the best thing that ever happened to him for his mother. And he wasn't going to give up the best thing that had ever happened to him for the shrew his mother expected him to marry. There was no way in hell that was going to happen in this lifetime.
"Mother," Edward enunciated clearly to get it across to his mother, "I am not, nor will I ever marry Tanya. I do not like her. I do not love her. No matter what you say or do, you will never get me to do that. It would be worse than death. Marrying Tanya would be cruel and unusual punishment and I am not about to bow down to you just because you think you can control my choices like you have been all my life. It's never going to happen."
Straightening her spine and narrowing her eyes into a malicious glare, Elizabeth responded in a slow, but angry voice, "Yes, Son, you will marry Tanya. You and she have been promised to one another since you were in high school. You are expected to marry her and you will do on so June fifteenth of next year."
"No, Mother, I won't," Edward argued.
"Yes, you will," Elizabeth replied as she turned back to the design book and asked Tanya in a friendly voice, "so, what about the music? Have you thought about the music you want at the reception yet?"
"No, not yet, but I was thinking some Miley Cyrus and some Britney Spears-" Tanya responded enthusiastically, ignoring the brief altercation.
"I'm not marrying Tanya, Mother. Plain and simple," Edward interrupted, growling at his mother.
Bella stood back, eager not to get in the middle of a mother and son spat. She wanted to be in the background where nobody would try and attack her, either verbally or physically. She was there to support Edward, but only get involved if need be. Elizabeth was scary when she didn't get what she wanted and right now was a perfect example. She wanted her son to marry the gold digging ho, but Edward wasn't about to cave in to those demands. Bella was scared of what Elizabeth would do when she found out about her and her son. It is not going to be pretty. Bella was prepared for it to get ugly, she just didn't know if she should plan for bloodshed or not.
"Yes, you will Edward. I have done everything in my power to get you the best of the best every single step of the way. Tanya is beautiful and is going to make sure you're never unhappy. I have given you years of my life, making sure you were taken care of; making sure you had clothes on your back and food in your stomach. The least you can do is marry Tanya and make me happy. She's perfect for you and she'll make the perfect wife for you."
"No, Mother," Edward countered. "She's vapid and shallow and I've heard she spreads her legs for anyone that has two legs, including women; she'll give it up to anyone who can give her what she wants. All she wants is for someone to take care of her. She wants to sit at home while I go make money so she can spend it on frivolous crap she doesn't need, only to impress others with what she bought. She wants someone to make her happy, influential, important, and wealthy. She wants the name. She's a gold digger and I refuse to marry her. I want someone smart; she's clearly not if she thinks I'm going to marry her. I want someone I love. I want someone who loves me. She doesn't, she just loves the money, the name and the prestige. She'd be out, the day of our wedding, cheating on me. I neither want, nor need someone like that as my wife.
"I won't throw my life away for the whiney, two year old witch you think would be perfect for me. I will not marry the woman, Mother, out of principle and the law. The authorities are already down my throat. I will not practice bigamy, nor do I want two wives."
Edward stopped short as he realized what he'd just revealed.
A/N: THE ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! (Well, to date). I decided to split it into two parts, so the good news is, you'll be getting the other half relatively soon. Be on the lookout in the next couple of days.
Sorry for the cliffy, the next part is already written and sent to my beta's so it should be out in the next couple of days. I've never written a cliffy before.
A gazillion thanks to TwiSNFan for being my beta and working with my flaws to make something coherent that people can understand. You really don't know how great you are. None of this would be possible if it weren't for you. TwiSNFan is the reason why this story is on here. She and Debbie S. In Florida are the only reasons I was finally able to get past my fears of bad reviews, writers block and horrible writing and post something. Thank you! Go thank them if you like this story. They're the reason for it.
I know I said I would get it out within a few days of chapter 9, but I completely forgot it was Easter this past Sunday and I figured I'd let my beta have the weekend off. A happy, well rested beta is essential. Besides, I wanted to be mice since she was off to visit the family.
The reviews I got for chapter 9 were absolutely hilarious. I never realized just how…connected a person could be with a character until I put Tartya (to quote Clancy Jane) into the story. I am still so amazed by how big of a response to this story I've gotten. Thank you, all who review, you don't know just how much it means to the author.
Leave a review if possible and let me know how I'm doing. What resonated with you during the chapter? I want to know what you think about the chapters because they give me an idea of where to take this. None of it was written before hand so I'm muddling through it as I go. Who knows, with your permission, I may use some of the suggestions you leave in a review later on during the story. I thank everyone who has reviewed. You're amazing.
Please keep in mind, constructive criticism is most welcomed, even encouraged, but don't just leave a nasty review to be mean. That helps no one and nobody learns from anything. Thank you!
I hope you stay safe and stay happy. Don't worry… Be Happy. Don't worry, be happy now… (Talking fish! Heheh, now that song's going to be stuck in your head the rest of the day).
Jo.