A/N: A long awaited chapter has arrived!

Disclaimer: Anything resembling Twilight (this chapter runs parallel to the chapter in Twilight titled The Cullens) belongs to Stephenie Meyer. This is all for my own entertainment.

Bella picked at the tuna sandwich that sat amongst the assortment of food upon the tray, smiling – not at the tuna – but at the feel of Edward's cool breath blowing across her hair and neck, and his marble fingertips grazing absentmindedly down her forearm.

Ever since their come-to-Jesus meeting in Charlie's kitchen the week before, they had been inseparable, and their tearing down of the invisible wall of secrets had allowed Edward to move from the opposite side of the cafeteria table to Bella's side. As they were now in a romantic relationship, Bella also felt no qualms about eating the food that Edward bought each day as his prop, instead of bringing her own lunch.

"I swear, you could feed all of the starving children in Africa with as much food as you buy and throw away," she grumbled, looking at the tray laden with the tuna sandwich, chips, soda can, Caesar salad, fresh fruit mixture, and pudding cup. "I don't see why you can't just buy one thing since you're not going to eat it."

He laughed lightly, playing with a strand of her hair that had fallen out of the haphazard ponytail she had pulled it into that morning. "Because one thing on my tray not touched would be very obvious, Bella. If the tray is full, it's not as evident. Besides, you can eat anything on there you'd like."

"I plan on it," she said, although her stomach was flipping around so much, she was not sure if she would be able to eat anything. She did not know if she would ever become fully accustomed to Edward sitting so close to her.

He inhaled deeply, his nose buried in her hair, a small, satisfied smile blooming across his face. "It gets easier every time," he murmured, his eyes closed.

"Good," she replied, her voice a mere squeak. Every time he was within a five feet of her, her thoughts scattered and she behaved as if she were a pubescent schoolgirl again. Each time, she promised herself that the next time, she would behave with a little more sophistication; and each time, she managed to appear even more star struck.

"So, I've been thinking," Edward said, his voice low, causing goose bumps to erupt on her skin.

She simply nodded as she was unable to string two words together to produce a coherent thought at that moment.

"I'd like for you to come to my house and meet my family. You and Ben. They're all dying to meet you." He looked her in the eyes, honey melting into chocolate, again feeling unsure of himself.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Dying?" She was attempting to keep her voice steady as his golden eyes searched her own. Breathe, in and out, in and out.

He laughed lightly. "Okay, poor choice of words. But yes, they all really want to meet you and Ben. Esme and Rosalie will not leave me alone about it. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable—"

"Oh, no! Of course I do," she quickly interjected. "I'd love to meet your family. And I'm sure Ben would too." She was very curious about the rest of his family as Carlisle was the only member she had met so far. "But…"

"What?"

She bit her lip and looked down at the sandwich which was now torn into pieces. "What if they don't like me? I mean…do they approve of…me?" She had been wondering how Edward's family would react to her when she finally did meet them. Would they dislike her on principle because she was a human? Would they think she did not fit in with them as she was not beautiful, like they all were? Would they feel she was using Edward, as she was a single mother and he a rich doctor? Will they think you smell delicious too? She shook her head at that thought, thankful once again that her mind was blocked to Edward's strange talent.

Edward cupped her cheek, causing her to shiver, not only at his icy skin, but at the intense look he gave her. "They already adore you, Bella. Don't worry."

Yeah, easy for him to say.

***

Bella nervously twisted her fingers in her lap, watching the trees flying by through the window. Edward had picked her and Ben up from Charlie's house and they were going to meet his family. She was thankful in that moment that vampires did not eat; she thought that if she had to sit through a dinner, she would be sick, she was so nervous.

Edward took her hand and twined his fingers through hers. "Don't worry, love. Everything will be fine; they will love you," he said, softly.

She took a shuddering breath and exhaled slowly. "I hope you're right."

"I already know," he affirmed, grinning and pointing at his head with their entwined fingers.

She smiled faintly and swallowed hard when the huge, white house came into view; she suddenly felt very insignificant. "It's beautiful," she whispered, awe apparent in her voice.

"You live there?" Ben asked in a hushed voice from the backseat. His eyes were wide in amazement at the three-story house that looked as if it belonged on a Southern plantation as opposed to the Olympic Peninsula. "That's a mansion!"

Edward parked in front of the house and appeared at Bella's door before she had time to unbuckle her seatbelt. That will take some getting used to. He helped her out of the car, then pulled Ben out of the back and easily lifted him in his arms.

"Yes, kiddo, that's where I live, with my family. You ready to meet them?"

Ben nodded enthusiastically, but Bella swallowed hard and bit her lip. Looking up at the exquisite house and knowing that inside were six of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, she suddenly felt as if she were completely out of her element. She nervously smoothed her sweater and her hair.

"You look beautiful," Edward whispered in her ear, causing her face to flush. He turned his golden eyes on her and gave her a soft smile as reassurance. "Come on."

She nodded and linked her fingers with his, automatically feeling better at the connection. "Let's go."

Edward opened the door, releasing Bella's hand just long enough to turn the knob, then ushered her inside. He smiled at her gasp of surprise. "Not what you expected?"

Bella looked around the foyer which opened into a huge living and family room that she thought must have been several rooms at one time. The entire south wall was nothing but glass overlooking the lawn framed by the river and forest. A large, curving staircase led up to the second floor and Bella could almost see the Southern belles coming down that staircase in their gowns to meet their beaus. She suddenly felt a prick of fear for the first time. Everything was decorated in varying shades of white; the walls, the furniture…the carpet. Oh, God. Shit! Ben's going to destroy this place in 0.9 seconds flat! She groaned to herself, already imagining muddy footprints and sticky fingerprints covering the Cullen's pristine home.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly, afraid she was finally in fear for her or her son's life. Maybe she was actually beginning to respond appropriately, so why did the thought of it make his chest feel tight?

"Oh, Edward," she groaned, "Ben could destroy this place in no time at all. Everything's white! Your mother will hate me!" Her eyes were wide in horror.

"Nuh-uh," Ben disagreed, his bottom lip stuck out.

Edward shook his head, smiling, before turning her around to where suddenly Carlisle and Esme were standing, waiting to greet her. He had strongly suggested to Esme and Rosalie that they not descend on Bella and Ben all at once and, instead, give them a chance to adjust to the family. "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to, for all intents and purposes, my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Carlisle, Esme, this is Bella and Benjamin Swan."

"Bella," Carlisle spoke, a pleasant smile on his face, "it's a pleasure to see you again, especially outside of the hospital. You are most welcome."

"Thank you for inviting me." Bella's voice wavered slightly, confirming her nervousness, although she was sure they could hear her pounding heart.

Esme stepped forward, reaching slowly for Bella's hand. "Bella, it is so wonderful to finally meet you. Edward has told us so many wonderful things about you. And this must be Ben," she said softly, a look of longing on her beautiful features.

Ben nodded then hid his face in Edward's shoulder.

Bella watched as Esme's expression fell; Edward had told her how excited she and Rosalie were about meeting her son. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cullen. Your home is so beautiful."

Esme forced a smile, devastated that the scene she had imagined had not played out just so. "Thank you, dear. And please, call me Esme."

Bella smiled, suddenly feeling much more comfortable. Maybe it was that Carlisle and Esme seemed to accept her as part of Edward's life. Maybe it was that Esme was excited to have Ben in her pristine home. Most likely, however, she felt she could identify with Esme in that moment when her hopes had been dashed. "Esme, don't worry. Ben can be very shy when he's around new people. But he'll come around quickly. He's done nothing but talk about coming to Edward's house and meeting his 'mom' and 'dad' for days."

Esme's face brightened considerably. "Really?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah. It took him a bit to warm up to me too, so don't worry." He thought back to those silent sessions and grimaced.

They were both rewarded with a dazzling smile.

"Rose," Edward called, "you can come down now." He did not wish to cause his sister any undue stress by making her wait any longer. He could now understand her yearning as he had finally been confronted with someone he cared about more than himself.

She was at Carlisle's side before Bella could blink, a large, muscular man with dark hair beside her.

"Bella, this is my sister, Rosalie, and her husband, Emmett."

Rosalie's golden eyes had never strayed from Ben, who remained tucked into Edward's embrace. "Hello, Bella. Nice to meet you. Hi, Ben," she whispered, joy shining from her face at the mention of Ben's name.

"Hello," Bella replied, slightly miffed that Rosalie could not even be bothered to look at her when she addressed her. She remembered Edward's explanation earlier of how both Esme and Rosalie were changed right when their biological clocks were going haywire, so she tried to sympathize. Still, surely good manners dictated at least eye contact before one monopolized another's child for the day, right?

"'Sup," Emmett said, raising his chin in greeting, a wide smile plastered on his face. He could already imagine the fun he could have with Bella; she looked as if she could take his teasing better than most humans.

Her eyebrows raised in greeting, shock evident at the apparent openness with which he greeted her. She was still on her guard, images of Rosalie snatching Ben from Edward's arms then running away invading her mind. Again, she was grateful that Edward was blocked from her mental horror film. "Hey."

Suddenly, a small, graceful woman pranced into the room and Bella had difficulty keeping her lower jaw from dropping to the floor. She had believed the others moved with a beauty most dancers would kill for, but this girl practically glided with an otherworldly grace with every step she took. She was beautiful; not in a Rosalie-type of way, but in a breath-of-fresh-air way, her dark hair cut short and styled in a controlled mess, her topaz eyes shining in a small, heart-shaped face. Bella gasped in shock when she glided right over to her and wrapped her stone arms around her, hugging her to her marble chest. "Hi, Bella! I'm Alice. I'm so glad Edward finally brought you over!" She released her and stared back at her, a big smile on her face.

"Uh…thanks," Bella stammered and was even more surprised when Edward spoke harshly.

"Alice, you're going to scare her!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush, Edward. She's dating you, isn't she? She's tough. And besides, Bella and I are going to be best friends!" She reached behind her and suddenly, a tall, blonde-haired man was standing there, catching Bella by surprise again. "This is Jasper, Bella."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, his words clipped, eyes tight.

She nodded and felt Edward's free hand wind around her waist. Ben was peeking at the Cullens with one eye, the rest of his face pressed tight into Edward's shirt.

Carlisle let out a small laugh, attempting to break the tension. "Jasper is our newest vegetarian, please don't take offense."

Bella attempted to smile in reassurance, but felt her face contort into something that she was sure resembled more of a grimace. This was not going at all as she had hoped. They all probably think I'm a total idiot!

"Hey, Ben," Emmett said, walking over to Edward and leaning down so he was able to look at Ben on eye level. Ben's exposed eye grew wider in response.

Rosalie huffed. "Don't bother, Em. Edward's already said he's shy and we all know he's not going to pick you over me or Esme. You're too scary for a little kid."

He glared at her and turned his attention back onto Ben again. "You like Star Wars?"

Ben turned his face so he was able to look at Emmett with both eyes. He nodded then stuck his index finger in his mouth.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes.

Emmett grinned at him. "You wanna play a Star Wars video game with me? You get a real light saber…"

Ben stared at him for a moment before wiggling and sliding down out of Edward's grasp. "'Kay."

Everyone watched in shock as he followed Emmett toward the large-screen television and waited patiently for his Wii remote.

Rosalie growled which caused Edward to laugh. "Rose, I don't think he'll want to play with you if you sound like a rabid dog."

"Shut up, Edward."

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to help. And remember, he'll be here all day and he'll be back. You have plenty of time to play with him."

Bella was staring in amazement as Ben and Emmett began their game, lighted plastic tubes swishing through the air. Ben did not know how to play, he was just enjoying waving his light saber around and Emmett allowed him to believe he was winning.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the house," Edward whispered in her ear, while the rest of the family wandered over to watch the slaughter of the virtual clone army.

She shivered in response to his nearness. "Sure."

***

Edward had guided her through the house, pointing out various objects of interest he thought she might find interesting. He had led her into Carlisle's office, where he had also proceeded to captivate her with Carlisle's history, complete with visual depictions through the assistance of the canvases lining the walls. He did not need to be able to hear her thoughts to know she was dumbfounded at what he was telling her.

"And so, Carlisle was working in a hospital in Chicago when the Spanish Influenza epidemic hit in 1918, and that's where he found me…in a ward for the dying. He knew that both of my parents were dead, and so – averse as he was to create yet another creature such as he was – he decided to try with me." Edward looked down into her face, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"What do you mean, decided to try? Obviously, it worked."

He nodded. "Yes, it did, but you see, Carlisle was working on his own theories. He was not completely sure how his own creation took place and he had never been present for the transformation of another vampire. But he was so lonely and had been unable to find another of our kind who embraced his way of life…so he was desperate to attempt it."

She looked full into his honey gaze and willed herself to ask the next question before he stole all of her breath. "And have you ever resented him for it?"

He stared up at the ceiling in thought. "I don't think I could ever resent Carlisle for anything, because everything he does, every decision he makes, he does so with the best of intentions and the purest of hearts. I've never come across another being, vampire or human, who was as good as Carlisle. And I even have an unfair advantage, as I can see what really motivates a person."

She nodded, understanding. "So, you've always lived with Carlisle then? Ever since he changed you?"

Edward pulled her out of the office, softly closing the door behind them. He had hoped to never have to reveal this part of his past to her; she had seemed so accepting of who he really was, he was afraid that when she discovered his "rebellious" phase, she would run screaming for the hills, finally realizing what he was capable of. But he could not lie to her. He began leading her up the stairs, stalling for a few more moments. Yes, he had told her that he had killed before, but now came the details. Finally, he spoke. "Just about."

She raised her eyebrows, encouraging him to continue.

He sighed and mentally crossed his fingers. "There were a few years that I wanted to go off on my own. I guess you would call it rebellion, the I-know-more-than-my-parents-stage, whatever you'd like to call it. I felt that I was being denied the one thing I was created to do, so I left Carlisle and Esme and lived on my own for a while."

"And what did you do?"

Well, fuck! He had hoped that vague explanation would be enough to satisfy Bella's curiosity, but, as always, she was way more perceptive than he gave her credit for. "I hunted humans, but I always chose the evil ones, the ones whose thoughts were vile."

She tightened her grip on his hand, suddenly afraid he would run away after disclosing such a candid secret. "Seriously?"

"You're not bothered by that?" He looked down at her, a strange mixture of emotions crossing his face. He was not sure what he expected her reaction to be; he should not have been surprised, however, that she continued to shock him.

"No. Why would I be?" She looked at him as if he were crazy. "You already told me you had…killed people before and that it was a long time ago. Who am I to judge you? It's what you are."

He shook his head before pointing out the door that now stood before them. "I don't understand you sometimes." He pushed the door open. "This is my room."

She walked in and looked around, trying not to stare. The entire room was larger than Charlie's whole upstairs, and the south wall was made of glass which overlooked the same view as the living room. One wall was nothing but shelves that had a massive collection of CDs and on the opposite wall sat an expensive-looking sound system. She knew that Ben could demolish it in seconds, so she wanted to keep him out of Edward's room at all costs. She looked around, slightly bewildered. "Where's your bed?" she blurted, feeling her face flush immediately, hoping he did not think her mind had wandered to more risqué things than what a normal bedroom would look like.

Edward laughed lightly. "I don't need one. I can't sleep."

"Ever?"

He shook his head.

"So you're up for 24 hours a day, all the time?"

He nodded, wondering where she was headed with this line of questioning.

"And what do you do at night? You don't work night shift and no place is open around here. So, what do you do?" she asked, curious.

Edward knew that if he was capable of blushing, his face would be tomato red in that moment. Spy on you through your window every night… He swallowed hard, attempting to come up with a way out of this situation. But he had vowed not to lie to her. Oh, to hell with it! "Bella, I usually either spend my nights hunting or…sitting outside your house, just to make sure you and Ben are safe." He finished so swiftly, she was barely able to make out the last part.

Again, she shocked him with her response. "Well, next time, just knock on the window and I'll let you in. No sense in you sitting out in the cold all night."

Edward was actually speechless. She wants a vampire to stay in her room all night? What the hell is wrong with her?

"You're still expecting me to panic and scream in terror, aren't you?"

Edward gave her a small smile and nodded. "I just don't understand…"

"Well, you can wait all you want, but it's not going to happen. In fact, you don't scare me at all," Bella said flippantly, knowing her racing heart was giving her away. Being alone with Edward in this confined space was doing strange things to her ability to breathe.

He stared at her, disbelief clearly etched on his beautiful face. "Really?" he asked in a low, seductive voice.

She shook her head, unable to speak, knowing that if she did, the squeak in her voice would defy what her words said. She was afraid of him, but only of what he could make her feel; no one person should have this much power over another. Her heart thundered in her chest and pounded in her ears. She knew her charade would be over in a moment.

He smiled a wide smile at her, all of his teeth exposed, before he was suddenly crouched into a hunting position, ready to pounce at a given moment.

For one brief moment, she was actually afraid. Instead of showing any fear, however, she narrowed her eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare."

And suddenly she was on the couch, Edward's arms wrapped tightly around her, his heaving breaths loud in her ear. She wiggled so that she was able to see his face and she suddenly felt her stomach drop at the position she was in. If he decided he could not control his thirst…

Then he grinned at her before lightly pressing his mouth to hers and all thoughts of death and torment rapidly evaporated from her mind as he kissed her senseless. He could have been luring her to her death and she would have gladly followed him.

"Ahem," he prompted her when he pulled his face back from hers. She knew her heart rate had given her away long before he had kissed her, so she could not use that defense.

"Fine," she said, sarcasm dripping from her falsely monotone voice. "I am terrified, you are so scary, someone please save me, oh please, oh please." She tried to slow her breathing down to make more of an impression, but as he was still hovering over her, she found it rather difficult.

"That's what I thought." He pulled her up, a huge smile lighting his face.

She playfully glared at him as she tried to straighten her clothes. "What are you so damn happy about?"

He smiled even wider. "Just that you're here…that you know everything. And that you're still here."

Suddenly, the sounds of a crash outside drew both of their attention to the window. Ben was sitting inside of a Power Wheels Jeep and he had crashed it into a tree in the backyard.

"Oh, no," Bella whispered.

Emmett looked up and saw them at the window before giving a wave. "No worries! He's fine!"

But Bella and Edward were already on their way out to the backyard, Bella slightly dizzy at the sensation of Edward running at full speed down the stairs with her in his arms. They were outside before Emmett was able to pull Ben out of the Jeep.

Edward glared at Emmett, upset at his lack of babysitting skills. "What happened, Emmett?"

"Geez, guys, he's fine, just a small crash. See?" He pulled Ben out of the Jeep and set him on his feet while Jasper pulled the Jeep away from the tree and fixed the dent in the front. Rosalie was on the sidelines, shaking her head in disgust.

Ben took a few unsteady steps toward Bella, but the crash into the tree had startled him and he tripped over a rock on the ground. He landed with an "oomph" on the hard surface, before standing up, his pudgy knees scraped and bleeding.

Bella saw it all in slow motion and she knew what was going to happen before it did. "Edward…" She called out to him, not knowing what she expected him to do.

Suddenly, the yard was full of the sounds of snarling vampires and she and her son were right in their midst.

End Notes: Thanks for reading!