Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight, but I do own a HOT new phone!

Hey y'all. Sorry it's been so long but college has crept up behing me and bitten me on the ass! Plus, I keep getting distracted by New Moon!!! Plus, I'm all a quiver, going to see Remember Me next week WOOOO!

Chapter 9 - Acceptance BPOV

I was actually really nervous as Edward held open the gate to the playground for me. He had been like a totally different person today. I couldn't see the Edward that was constantly in trouble with the police, instead I saw a genuinely nice guy. I followed him over to a group of people sat round a picnic table watching a little girl being pushed on a swing by the biggest man I have ever seen.

"Hey guys. This is Bella." Everyone looked at me in shock apart from the gorgeous blonde woman who should have been on the catwalks in Milan. "Bella, this is Jasper." A tall guy with dirty blonde hair shook my hand shyly. "Alice." A tiny, black haired girl jumped up and hugged me.

"Jeans aren't bad, but that top has to go." She looked me up and down. I glanced at Edward who had an 'I told you so' look on his face.

"This is Rose." He indicated the statuesque woman who was looking at me intently. "Emmett's over there with Morgan." The huge guy waved at me childishly.

"Nice to meet you all." My American accent sounded alien, even to me. "Edward's told me about you." I sat down and watched them interact with each other in silence. I could see that Emmett doted on Morgan and was completely smitten with her mother, who seemed to have a soft spot for him, but was very guarded. Alice and Jasper spent most of their time with each other. Theirs seemed to be a new relationship a they constantly had to be in physical contact with each other, almost subconsciously. My eyes strayed often to Edward as he ran around chasing Morgan with Emmett. He seemed so carefree. He didn't need to act in front of these people, his family. I turned as I felt a presence beside me.

"Thank you." Rose's voice was almost musical.

"What for?" I was confused.

"Getting him to think about someone else other than himself for the first time in three years."

"I don't understand."

"He came to see me after you'd been to see his mum. He was really angry." I must have flinched. "Not so much at you, but at the fact that his mum had to rehash the whole thing with his dad. It made him realise just how much he had put her through, especially after his dad dropping her like a heavy bag of bricks." Rose looked over at Edward and Emmett who seemed to be having a sword fight with sticks for the honour of Rose's beautiful daughter.

"I didn't realise." I bit down on my bottom lip.

"It was the best thing you could have done, even if you didn't mean it to happen. I've known this lot a long time, and Edward was always the quiet one, then overnight he changed. He became an annoying little twat who thought he was the big 'I am'. You've helped bring a bit of the old Edward back to us. For that we will always be grateful."

"Plus it helps that you're hot!" Rose slapped the back of Emmett's head as he sat down with us, panting. "What? Not as hot as you Rose, obviously. Seriously, Bella. I know him, and before all the criminal shit, he went for ladies just like you. You are so his type." I got a case of the giggles listening to this huge, muscle-bound man talking to me about types.

"Er…I don't know what to say to that. Rose, you are very welcome, but I didn't really do anything. I just want to make a difference, and hopefully stop him becoming a crime statistic." I could feel myself blushing, so I reached down into the bag at my feet for a cigarette.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of banter and laughter. Alice and Jasper had left us earlier in the day as they had other plans. Rose, Emmett, Edward and I took Morgan to Burger King for something to eat. Emmett had continuously teased me about my blushing and the fact that he's caught me looking at Edward when I thought no-one was looking.

"So, you like our Ed then?" Emmett squeezed in next to me. I was surprised by the fact that he managed to speak quietly enough for the others not to hear as they played with Morgan.

"He's a nice guy." I evaded the question.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" He looked me straight in the eye.

"Look, I'm his case worker, nothing like that can ever happen. Plus, I'm going back to the states soon."

"You can't go away." Emmett looked at me as if I'd told him I was dying. "Edward will miss you. He needs a good woman in his life, a good seeing to." He waggled his eyebrows at me. I just rolled my eyes at him and didn't answer. He hunkered his huge frame down in the chair which looked close to collapse. "I'm serious Bella. I haven't seen Ed so calm in a long time."

"What do you mean calm?" I was intrigued and went into New Directions mode slightly.

"Just that over the last few days he's been more like the old Edward, before all the police shit. I think you've had a major part in that! Thank you." He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I blushed when I realised Edward had seen.

When it was time for Edward and I to make our way back to the hostel, Rosalie made sure I took her number and she took mine so we could keep in touch.

"I want to thank you again for giving us part of Edward back." She whispered in my ear as she hugged me."

"Everyone keeps thanking me for something I didn't know I'd done. Thanks for including me today. Morgan is beautiful, a real credit it to you." I looked sideways at Emmett who had Rose's daughter curled in his arms, tucked against his chest like an American football. "He's a keeper." I indicated.

"Yeah." Rose's face had a wistful look as she watched the two of them. "Take care of yourself and our boy."

"I'll try." Edward and I left them to take Morgan home.

The walk back was quiet. I could see Edward watching me out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" He jumped as my voice cut through the silence.

"Sorry?"

"You look like you keep trying to say something but then change your mind." He smiled slightly.

"I just wanted to thank you for today." Everyone was thanking me. It was astounding.

"What for? Everyone keeps thanking me. I haven't doe anything." I could feel the heat in my face so I rooted in my bag for my cigarettes.

"I want to thank you for helping me realise what's important, and for accepting my friends."

"Why wouldn't I? They're great. They care a lot about you, did you know that?" He stopped walking and turned to look at me. I felt a jolt somewhere by my naval as his bottomless eyes latched onto mine.

"I do know, but it only really hit me today how much I care for them. You going to my mum and making me rehash stuff did that." I didn't know what to say. "I know it wasn't what you had planned, but it wasn't what I had planned either. I was the 'bad boy'. I was gonna make money using my own wiles. Obviously I wasn't cut out for that life. I hated the world. Everything reminded me of how it felt when my dad left, how it broke my mum. I didn't feel like I had a right to be happy in a world that does that to families." I was gob smacked. It was the most I'd heard Edward say, even with his friends.

"It's never too late to change your outlook in life. The people close to you love you for who you are, not for how much money you have. Keep them close and they will help you through the most important change you'll ever go through."

"I will. Will you be around to help too?" I gulped as my heart nearly leapt out of my mouth and smacked him in the eye.

"I'm here for another couple of months, so if you want me to, I'll be there for you as you take you're life back."

"I think I do. Want you be around I mean." His eyes bored into my own until I saw nothing but an emerald green haze all around me.