EmmettPOV
"So, Bella, how'd Scotland go for you?"
"Better than I thought it would."
"Going to elaborate any further?"
"No, not yet."
"Want to watch Torchwood with me later? I got the box set of series one."
"What an offer. Maybe. I'll consider it during Biology."
"We're dissecting frogs. You're going to think of me while you dissect a frog? I'm insulted."
"Don't be, it's quite a compliment. I hate dissection, thinking about your dazzling offer will take my mind off his spleen."
"Thanks, I think. Come on, lets go along. The frogs are calling us, Bella."
"You're weird, Emmett."
"Made you laugh though. Worth it to see you laugh." She shakes her head at me, but I still spot a smile as we start walking off. Edward jumps me when I sit down.
"What have you been doing to our Bella?"
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"Alright, I asked her to watch Torchwood with me."
"What did she say?"
"You're such a girl, Edward. My sister rubbing off on you?"
"Ask Alice how much of a "girl" I am, I'm fairly certain she can vouch for my masculinity. I believe she has commented on it in the past."
"Don't want to know," I say, pulling a face. "That's my sister."
"So, what did Bella say?"
"That she'd think about to take her mind off the frog's spleen."
She doesn't look like she's thinking about it. She looks like she's chatting to Angela Weber about something. Neither of them has touched their frog. Mr Banner is winding his way towards them. Mike is threatening Jessica with what looks like a bit of intestine. Edward is humming next to me.
"Edward, are you humming while you slice into a frog's belly?"
"Yep."
"Dude, that is sick and twisted."
I nab her before she slopes off home with Edward. She's half in her rucksack, rummaging for something.
"If you emptied it out at the end of every day, you wouldn't lose things so often."
"I haven't lost anything, Edward, I just can't find it."
"Yes, because it's buried, under days and days of junk."
"It's not junk, it's work."
"Learn to file or something. Mum brought you folders."
"I'll lose it."
"You've already lost it!"
"Lost what, Bella?" I ask.
"Doesn't matter!"
"She's lost her phone."
"I haven't lost anything, it is temporarily misplaced."
"Checked your pockets?" I ask.
"Of course I have!"
"You haven't, have you?" Edward asks, raising his eyebrows. She hits him in the knees with her rucksack, which makes a fairly solid connection with him, and he winces.
"I hope it hurt."
"It's not my fault."
"I know."
"Bella, do you want to watch that box set with me?"
"I'll have to ask Esme and Carlisle, I don't want to just disappear off on them."
"You don't have to do that. Alice will come home with me, and I can tell Mum where you are. It's alright, her and Aunt Jayne are good friends."
"Am I coming home with you?" queries Alice, to whom this is clearly news.
"You are now." I snatch him aside before he starts waltzing off with her. I feel that I should make a couple of things clear after his earlier "joke".
"Edward, take my word for this, you like everything where it is, she comes home tonight without a hair out of place." He grins, but nods anyway.
"Point made and taken."
She's not much for talking, and I quite like the comfortable silence. Silence for Bella must be hard to come by.
"You don't talk much, when you're with all of us."
"I talk enough in my psychiatric sessions. I say enough in an hour, and what I say is all I want to say all day. When it's over, all I want to do is sleep and then listen to the quiet. Or TV. Something that isn't real."
"We need reality, Bella."
"I have enough reality, Emmett. I'll have the scars for the rest of my life. If I can see something that isn't real, I can pretend it didn't ever happen. And maybe that is unhealthy or risky or whatever, but it helps me sleep a little bit at night."
"Can I just give you a hug?"
BPOV
I stare at him, wide-eyed.
"What do you want to hug me for?"
"Because you're brave."
"Everyone says that now. Don't know why."
"Because you are. Because you're still standing and living and fighting. Know what I think?" I stop on the pavement, and he looks down at me.
"What?"
"I think your parents would be proud."
"Yeah," I say quietly. "Yeah, I guess they would." He holds his arms out to me, and I look at him for a long time.
"Going to leave me hanging here looking silly?"
"Couldn't have that," I murmur. I step into his arms, and he warps them round me, holding me close. I put my arms around his waist, and he pulls me onto my toes. One hand strokes my hair, and the other holds my waist. I feel safe here. Stable.
"Lets go back to mine. I think there might be cake." He makes me smile again. I can't help smiling when Emmett is around, I defy anyone to be sad when Emmett is around.
"Cake and Torchwood. You'll make someone very happy some day."
"Guess so."
EdwardPOV
She comes home smiling, right in time for dinner. Esme gives her a glance, but turns back to her pot without saying a word, without commenting on the smile. But I see the smile spread across her face as she stirs the casserole one last time.
"Bella, honey, will you set the table for me? And Alice, do you want to stay for dinner?"
"No thanks, Auntie. Mum is expecting me home, I'm sure. See you later though."
"Indeed. Can you tell Jayne to come over and see me tomorrow? Anytime will be good, I have the day off."
"Sure thing. Bye Edward, bye Bella." She hugs me, and then Bella. She looks startled. She and Alice have been cautiously making steps, but they haven't really been friendly. But she hugs her back, and smiles at her. Alice positively beams at me as she skips out. I grin back, then help Bella finish setting the table. Mum serves out, then sends me to go and get Dad. I drag him out of some medical journal, and he joins us.
"Bella, when did you get back? You weren't home earlier were you?"
"No, I was round at Emmett's. Edward said he'd tell you," she says, looking worried and biting her lip.
"Oh, don't worry, Bella, as long as one of us knew," Mum says, smiling at her. "You can go over to Emmett's any time, just make sure you let us know, either through Edward or by phone. What did you two do together?"
"We watched Torchwood, and he gave me a bit of Mrs McCarty's chocolate cake. I brought it home with me. There's enough for everyone."
"Jayne's homemade cake?" Dad says, visibly brightening.
"Yes, I think so."
"Lovely," he says, looking very pleased.
Bella pokes her head out of her door when I go past on my way to bed, and calls me inside. She shows me a mobile message.
"Yes?" I say, bemused.
"Who's it from? I don't have their number saved."
"It's Alice's."
"Oh right. She wants me to go to lunch with her on Saturday, in the Vintage Teas. Where is that?"
"In town. Oh, it's nice in there, they do this fantastic cheesecake. Don't worry, you can walk there together."
"OK. Thanks," she says, smiling.
"You've been smiling an awful lot today."
"I know," she says, shooing me out. "Thanks for helping. I want to go to bed now."
"OK, night."
It's too early for anything. But maybe, just maybe, Bella will have reason to smile more and more over the coming months.
