I do not own Twilight any more than I did before...
Okay, so here's the longest chapter I've ever attempted. Thank you so much for all of your patience. Enjoy!BPOV
When I was a little girl, Sunday was my favorite day of the week. My parents and I would attend Clallam Bay Presbyterian Church in the morning, and then go home to a huge dinner that Mom would prepare for us. After that, we would play board games and watch movies all afternoon. Those days were long gone now. Charlie and I still attended church, but he had turned to Catholicism since Renee had left. It was more uncomfortable and tedious than enjoyable now.
As we approached St. Anne's Church, I took a moment to observe its appearance. The structure was white with beautiful stained-glass windows, the largest church in the town. There was a ridiculously tall cross on top of the structure, which managed to draw everyone's attention as they drove by. It was quite a remarkable sight, but I missed our old church more than ever. It was much smaller than this one, not nearly as glamorous, but it was home to me. I missed its pointed steeple, royal blue plush pews, and antique light fixtures that were the backdrop of my childhood.
I waited patiently for my dad to finish his polite mechanical greetings to his fellow church friends as we made our way inside. We took our seats and I struggled to get comfortable in the lightly padded wooden pew, while waiting for the service to start. I quickly became impatient and began looking around the room for some distraction, dreading the fact that I would be sitting in this spot for the next hour. That's when I noticed an all-too-familiar figure making his way up the aisle and over toward us.
No freaking way!
I stared in disbelief, unsure whether I was seeing this correctly or if my eyes had in fact betrayed me. After blinking several times I realized there was no mistaking the sight before me. Edward was walking right towards us, Bible in hand and flashing a dazzling smile that made me begin to think the most scandalous thoughts I had ever experienced in a church before.
Almost immediately after experiencing those thoughts, I quickly felt the panic sink in and I couldn't quite figure it out: what the hell was he doing here?
I had never seen him at my church before, so I knew this was not his place of worship. Worst of all, he was coming over now, leaving me no time to prepare Charlie. I gaped at him, my mouth hanging open in a state of shock. I had no choice but to try to calm down and hope he had a plan. I silently prayed that Charlie would refrain from making a scene; this was Church after all.
"Hello," Edward said as he approached Charlie and respectfully held out his hand. "My name is Edward Cullen. I was wondering if you would permit me to sit with you and your daughter this morning?"
Who are you and what have you done with Edward?
"Bella, do you know this guy?" Charlie demanded, his eyes darting back and forth between Edward and me, finally settling on me.
"Yeah, Dad, he's…my friend," I replied, attempting to settle him down before people started looking.
Charlie turned back toward Edward. "Oh yeah? Exactly what kind of friend would that be?"
Edward lowered his hand as he held Charlie's stare and calmly replied, "Well, Mr. Swan, I met Bella at school, through Alice. I've heard her mention how great this church is several times, so I decided to come see for myself."
Charlie looked back at me and slowly stood to his feet. His face was a mixture of emotions, although which ones I could not quite distinguish. Finally, his expression softened and he reached out to shake Edward's extended hand. "Okay, well, I hope it lives up to your expectations." As if that wasn't a major triumph in itself, he permitted Edward to pass by him and take a seat beside me.
"Good morning Bella. You look nice today," Edward said with a voice so sincere I felt like I would melt into a puddle.
I couldn't decide if I was in heaven or in hell. By the constipated look on my dad's face, I felt certain we were about to find ourselves in one of those places any minute now.
"Hey Edward," I said softly, before leaning over and whispering, "What are you doing here?"
"Alice," he whispered back with a wink as he laid his Bible gently in his lap.
He subtly reached for my hand, but I shook my head. I didn't want to push Charlie any more right now; no need to make Edward the sacrificial lamb today. Of course, I was denying much more than just his hand now. His presence here beside me was almost too much for me to bear, and my thoughts were anything but holy.
EPOV
Okay, just relax and breathe. This is going to work.
As I made my way up the steps that led to the doors of Bella's church, I couldn't recall a time when I had ever felt this uncomfortable in my entire life. I had to be out of my mind to put myself out there like this. Still, I would do anything to be with my girl.
Does this make me a stalker? I wondered as I made my way through the oversized doors, clutching my mom's worn mahogany-colored Bible against my side. She hadn't exactly invited me to come and join her and her dad today. In fact, she was very adamant about not seeing me today when I had tried to bring it up at the mall. Besides that, she wasn't officially my girl either. We had been spending a lot of time together, doing all of the things that couples do, but her dad was the one last hurdle standing in our way.
I could only hope that Bella would see this as the grand, romantic gesture Alice had insisted this would be. I wasn't entirely sure whether or not she had any idea what she was talking about though. She had informed me that the answer had become clear to her during her daily meditation ritual. As weird as her whole "Zen" thing was to me, I was willing to try just about anything to get in good with Charlie.
"Good morning, sir," a friendly looking man greeted me as I entered the sanctuary.
"Morning," I replied absently, scanning the room in search of Bella. It only took me a minute to spot her luscious, brown hair swaying against the back of a pew as she fidgeted in her seat.
I paused to take a deep breath, before making my way up the aisle. It was then that Bella turned around, coming face to face with me, her eyes wide with shock. I gave her a sure smile and came to a stop in front of a man-I'm assuming was her dad-who was standing beside the pew.
He didn't look scary. In fact, he looked very friendly as he reached out and shook hands with everyone who passed by.
"Hello," I greeted, extending my hand to him. "I'm Edward Cullen. I was wondering if you would permit me to sit with you and your daughter this morning?"
The friendliness melted off his face and he quickly turned to Bella, leaving me standing there feeling like an idiot with my hand held out to him.
"Bella, do you know this guy?" Charlie demanded, his eyes darting back and forth between Bella and I, finally settling on her.
"Yeah, Dad, he's…my friend," she replied, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh yeah? Exactly what kind of friend would that be?" Charlie asked as he turned and eyed me suspiciously.
Think, Edward! What could I say to make this better? "Well, Mr. Swan, I know Bella through Alice. I've heard her mention how great this church is several times, so I decided to come see for myself."
I was ready to turn around and run, when Charlie stood extended his hand out to me. "Okay, well, I hope it lives up to your expectations," he said with a friendly tone, as he moved aside to let me pass. Relief washed over me as I took a seat beside Bella. She still appeared to be in a state of shock, but at least she didn't look angry.
"Good morning Bella. You look nice today," I said sincerely, trying to not to look her up and down like a pervert; it was a difficult task to achieve. Catholic school uniforms be damned, Bella in a dress was fucking hot as well! It was a deep blue color and it clung to her in a way that showed off all of her curves to perfection. Thank God, she wasn't wearing heels or I would no longer be able to keep my body from giving myself away.
"Hey Edward," she hesitated, before leaning over and whispering in my ear, "What are you doing here?"
"Alice," I replied with a wink. I instinctively reached for her hand, but she quickly shook her head to let me know it was not a good idea. I should have known as much, but the rest of the world ceased to exist when I was with her.
That was the extent of our conversation, because the choir soon emerged from the back and began singing, signaling the start of the service.
BPOV
An hour later, I breathed a huge breath of relief as the service ended. I wasn't exactly sure what I thought was going to happen, but everything went along just fine. We sat in the uncomfortable seats like good little girls and boys, maintaining an impression of innocence in every way except with our minds.
"So, Edward, what did you think of today's service?" Charlie questioned as we made our way out of the church. I could only hope he had been paying attention, because I certainly had not.
I didn't know how anyone could be expected to focus on a sermon with that sitting beside you. I'd spent the entire time praying that God wouldn't strike me down for the explicit images my mind had conjured up.
I looked up at Edward nervously, and he gave me a knowing smile as he opened his mouth to answer. "Well, Mr. Swan, the story of Samson and Delilah has always been one of my favorites."
Oh, so that's what the service had been about.
I was beaming with pride at Edward's answer; Charlie looked deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "Yes, there is a good lesson to be learned from Samson's fall."
Yeah, don't cut off all your hair!
While we made our way to the parking lot behind the church, I decided to make myself useful and give Edward a little help. "Dad, can Edward come over for dinner?" I asked, holding my breath while I awaited an answer.
"Bella, I'm sure Edward's parents are probably missing him by now," Charlie stated, trying to dismiss him. However, Edward was determined not to go away so easily.
"It's okay, sir," Edward responded, turning on the charm. "My parents are out visiting a friend's church today, which is why I decided to come here instead."
"I'm sure," Charlie mumbled under his breath.
"So, Dad, can he come over then?" I asked impatiently as we stood in front of my dad's truck. I did not intend to give up; we had come too far to give up this soon.
Charlie paused, rubbed his forehead, and let out a defeated sigh. "I suppose everyone deserves a good meal after a morning of worshipping our Lord."
"Thank you very much, sir," Edward grinned wildly. "I'd love to."
Charlie ignored Edward's thanks and proceeded to open the passenger door for me. I was marveling in our victory, feeling bold enough to push him a bit further. "Oh, um…would it be alright if I rode with Edward so I can show him the way to our home."
Charlie frowned, closing the passenger door with slight force. "I suppose, but come straight to the house."
"Yes sir!" I chirped as I turned and followed Edward quickly before my dad could change his mind. I managed to suppress my excitement until we put some distance between Charlie and ourselves.
"Edward Cullen! What the hell was all of that?" I demanded once we reached the Volvo.
"Well, I'd rather hoped you'd be pleased by my behavior," he teased as he opened the door for me.
"I'm…I'm just surprised to say the least. Did you plan all of this?"
"Well, it was more Alice who did the planning. I was just her faithful pawn. She said if I wanted to ever have a chance in hell of dating you properly I would have to work my ass off to win Charlie over."
"You got that right, but church?" I asked incredulously as I we made our way into his car. "That's was…wait…you want to date me?" I had been so focused on his gesture I had almost missed the deeper implications of today's events.
Edward turned to me and smiled. My brain felt overrun with a million thoughts, but my body reacted completely on its own accord. I reached out my hands and latched onto his shirt, pulling his body to mine as I smashed my lips into his. I moved my hands to grip his hair as I ravaged him mercilessly with my mouth, releasing all of the emotion that I had been trying to suppress since the night of the football game. Edward's behavior had varied daily from hot to cold, leaving me always unsure of his intentions. However, there was no misunderstanding where we stood now. He was here-facing Charlie head on and staking his claim on me, and I was ready to be his.
Edward cupped his hands around my face, sending shivers throughout my body as our tongues battled for dominance. My bliss was short lived, though, when the hot suddenly ran cold again. I whimpered, as he broke free from our kiss, gently pushing my face away from his.
"Damn, you're going to be the death of me!" Edward teased as he traced his thumb over my lips. "You seem to have forgotten where we are right now."
"I'm sorry," I said as I ran my hands through his hair, attempting to tame the mess I had caused by my lack of self-control. "I just had to kiss you."
Edward grinned as we straightened ourselves in our seats. "Bella, you look absolutely incredible in that dress right now. However, I went through a lot of trouble to get on Charlie's good side today, and it would be quite a waste if he killed me now, don't you think?
"I suppose so," I pouted as he started the car. I had forgotten all about Charlie as soon as he was out of my sight. "Edward, are you sure you can handle this?"
Edward put the car in reverse and paused to look at me once more. "Handle your dad? Compared to mine this will be a walk in the park," he said with confidence.
EPOV
As I drove towards the Swan house, I concluded that this girl really was just as dangerous as I was. I had gone to her church expecting to see the angelic Bella, but had met the devil in a blue dress instead. I really needed a cigarette, but we were almost at Bella's house so that was out of the question.
"I just hope you can win him over," Bella stated with a hint of unease.
"Of course I can," I said confidently. "Alice won him over, how hard could it be?"
She giggled. "Yes, but Alice is also really cute."
"Oh, so you don't think I'm cute?" I teased, turning onto her street.
Bella blushed. "No, I think you're very cute; all the more reason for Charlie to dislike you."
Neither did I. "Well, then, do you have any suggestions?"
"Umm…try not to be too polite; he might think your being a smartass," she said with a serious voice. "Don't mention anything about your dad's 'issues' either. Oh, and don't mention anything about music."
No music. Hmm, that put a damper on things. Still, I knew it was a sensitive subject for Charlie, so I was willing to comply for Bella. "Anything else?"
"No, Other than that, you should do just fine," she said as we pulled into her driveway.
We'll soon find out.
I parked the car in her driveway, and turned to face her as I shut off the engine. "Bella, I want to be with you-I need to be with you. For that reason, I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."
She stared at me thoughtfully for a moment before exiting the car. I followed Bella into the house and took a seat on the couch across from Charlie, who was pretending to be engrossed in a magazine. Bella remained standing and looked at me apologetically.
"It's going to be a few minutes while I make the potatoes, so you two enjoy talking about the weather."
Many minutes of uncomfortable silence followed, with Charlie sitting perfectly still across from me in his recliner. I ran my fingers through my hair repeatedly, searching for some way to ease the tension. Finally, he put down the magazine to acknowledge me.
"Tell me, Edward, how well do you know my daughter?"
"Well, sir," I began, hoping my answer would suffice. "We met at school a few weeks ago through some mutual friends."
"Go on," he urged, his face hard as stone. He was determined to make me squirm, but I was determined not to let give in.
"That's about it, really," I replied, keeping my answers brief.
"What I want to know is what your intentions are with her."
Way to get right to the point. Still, I was already prepared to answer this one.
"Well sir, Bella is an extraordinary young lady and I was hoping that you might consider allowing me to date her."
Charlie let out a low grunt and stroked his mustache as he stared at me intensely. I was starting to think this whole thing was a bad idea when Bella stuck her head out of the kitchen.
"Okay guys, dinner is served!" She called from the doorway. The sight of her smiling face was enough to snap my thoughts back into place.
We made our way to the kitchen table, Charlie sitting at the head of the table with Bella and me each taking a side. I was amazed at the spread of food in front of me; there was pot roast, mashed potatoes, rolls, and some kind of cake.
"Wow, Bella, this looks wonderful!" I complimented, inhaling the smells as my mouth watered in anticipation. Bella looked at me, taking in my reaction, and winked.
"Thank you," she blushed. "I'm not as good of a cook as my mom, but I do okay."
I noticed her smile fade immediately upon her mention of her mother. It occurred to me that I had no clue what the story was there. I thought it best not to ask at that moment, due to her expression, and made a mental note to ask about it later.
"So, Bella, Edward has just informed me that he would like to date you," Charlie said bluntly. Although this would take some getting used to, it was actually a nice change from my dad's personality.
I looked over at Bella who began choking on her bread, and watched her cheeks turn to a deep crimson as she quickly grabbed her glass and gulped down its contents. Apparently, she had not yet become accustomed to her dad's bluntness. Once I saw that she was okay, I let my eyes linger on her flushed cheeks. I loved to see her blush.
"That's assuming, of course, that you would like to date him," Charlie added, causing Bella to react by smiling and nodding profusely as she finished off her drink.
I glanced back at Charlie and noticed that he did not appear to be pleased at Bella's reaction to me. I decided he was definitely going to kill me. Maybe not today-perhaps not tomorrow-but someday, of this much I was sure. I knew it was nothing personal; he would likely kill any prick that touched Bella. I was just the lucky asshole who came along and took the bait.
BPOV
We finished the remainder of the meal in silence with no sounds except for our chewing and the occasional scrape of a fork against the surface of a plate. We were patiently waiting for Charlie to make up his mind about Edward and ultimately my future, so no other topics seemed important enough to bring up at that point.
I stood up from the table and began clearing the dishes. Edward stood up and was instantly by my side.
"Here, let me help you," he said politely as he took the dishes from my hands and made his way over to the sink. My dad excused himself from the table and made his way back into the living room. I gathered up the rest of the dishes and joined Edward at the sink. I gasped as I felt the tingling sensation as our hips brushed against one another. Edward must have felt it too; he immediately away turned from the plate he was rinsing in the sink, and I felt his hot breath against my ear.
"How do you think it's going with your dad?"
I wanted to kiss him more than anything at that moment, but I knew it would be unwise with Charlie only a few feet away from us. If I wanted time alone with Edward, I was going to have to follow his plan.
"You're doing great," I replied calmly as I pulled open the door to the dishwasher. "Let's get back in there and you can dazzle him some more."
"After you," Edward said as he followed me into the living room.
We sat down on the couch and prepared for the next phase of the plan to unfold. Charlie had to television on, watching a football game. Football was not one of my areas of expertise, but I knew it was something my dad really enjoyed.
"So, Edward, do you watch a lot of football?" Charlie asked, turning away from the game to further interrogate him.
"I'm actually a big Mariners fan, but I don't get to watch it as much as I would like," Edward replied with a shrug.
"Oh? Why is that?" Charlie asked, looking over at me and raising an eyebrow.
"Well, sir, I'm taking some difficult classes at school this year and I have to focus a lot of attention on my homework so that I can graduate early."
It did not escape my notice how quickly Charlie's demeanor changed when he heard this. He seemed overjoyed at the prospect of me dating such an intellectual. I wasn't sure, but he was probably thinking this would mean Edward would have less time for me as well.
"That sounds good, Edward," Charlie replied cheerfully. "Bella, can you cut me a slice of that cake?"
"Sure, Dad," I replied as I rose from the couch and made my way to the kitchen, leaving Edward alone with my dad.
EPOV
"Edward, you seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders," Charlie began as soon as Bella was out of earshot. "I'm afraid that my daughter may not be the right kind of girl for you."
"I'm not sure what you mean," I replied, feeling a bit confused by his last statement.
Charlie sighed. "It's just that Bella is very headstrong. She's going through some sort of rebellious stage right now."
"I promise I won't get her into any trouble." I quickly assured him, mentally crossing my fingers.
"Edward, let me finish," Charlie said warmly. "What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't want her to lead you astray. I love her very much, but sometimes I fear her rebellious spirit."
At this point, I was finding it extremely hard to hide the amusement from my face. I knew I was doing okay with him, but I had no idea I had made such a good impression already. Instead of being worried about what I might do to his daughter, he was worried about what she might do to me! I couldn't wait to tell Emmett and Jasper about this turn of events.
Now for the finishing touches. "Mr. Swan, have you considered that I might be the kind of positive influence she needs right now?" I asked with most angelic voice I could muster.
Before he could reply, Bella returned from the kitchen. "Are you boys having fun in here?" She asked as she handed her dad his dessert.
"Oh, just talking about the game," Charlie said before taking a bite of his cake.
"Did you want a piece, Edward?" Bella asked as she joined me on the couch. "I cut some extra just in case."
Oh, I wanted a 'piece' alright. In fact, I was beginning to think I should quit while I was ahead, before Charlie saw through my façade.
"Actually, Bella, could I possibly take it home with me?" I asked sweetly. "I need to be going soon."
"Sure," Bella said, eyeing me suspiciously as she rose from the couch.
"Leaving so soon, Edward?" Charlie asked as he held out his empty plate to Bella.
"Yes sir, my parents will be home soon and probably wonder where I am," I replied, as I stood to follow Bella into the kitchen.
"Yes, it's never good to leave your parents worrying," he said, nodding his head in approval. "Perhaps you should arrange for them to meet Bella sometime soon, especially if you two are going to be dating."
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face him. "Thank you, sir. I think that can be arranged."
BPOV
Holy crap! Did I just hear what I think I heard? If so, Dad had just given him his blessing to date me.
I took one look at Edward's face as he joined me in the kitchen, and knew that my ears hadn't deceived me. He picked me up and swung me around in a circle. "Did you hear the news? Charlie gave me the green light!"
"Oh don't worry, I heard your little performance, Altar Boy!" I giggled as he held me close.
"I think I'm going to quit while I'm ahead," he said as he set me gently back on my feet.
I formed my lips into a put. "Do you really have to go?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid I'll blow my cover if I stay any longer," he said with a wink.
"Okay then," I replied as I turned to walk him out. He made his was out of the kitchen and over to the front of Charlie's recliner, extending his hand to my dad.
"Mr. Swan, I want to thank you for your hospitality," he said cordially. "It was very nice to meet you."
"Yes, well I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon," Charlie said as he returned the handshake.
"Okay, I'll walk you out," I urged as I led Edward toward the door. He followed happily, neither of us saying a word until we had made it safely to his car. I forgot all about being subtle, and threw myself into his arms.
"I still can't believe you pulled this off!" I teased as Edward chuckled at me. He managed to pry me off of him, and lifted my right hand to his lips for a chaste kiss.
"All part of the plan," he said smugly as he opened the door to his car and climbed inside.
I wanted him to kiss me for real, but we had no way of knowing if Charlie was watching us or not. Somehow, despite my constantly attacking Edward throughout the day, he had managed to win over my dad. Well, as much as it was possible for one person to win over that man. "Yeah, I'll have to give Alice a big hug in the morning."
"So, I guess I'll see you around 7:30 tomorrow?" Edward asked as he started the Volvo.
"No, you know my bus won't be there that early," I said, confused at how he could forget our morning routine.
"Oh no, my girl shouldn't have to ride the bus," He clarified, winking at me through the car window. "What I meant is that I'll be here to pick you up at 7:30."
"Oh, okay then. See you tomorrow!" I waved, missing him already as he backed out of the driveway. I walked back to the house slowly, trying to wipe the big goofy grin off my face.
He came to church for me, hung out with my dad for me, and now he was picking me up for school in the morning as well. Not to mention the fact that he had referred to me as 'his girl.'
I walked into the house and went straight to where my dad was sitting. I leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Dad."
He looked at me with a worried smile. "Just don't make me regret it."
So, do you think Charlie's going to regret it? How did you like Edward's performance at church?
I want to take a moment and pimp out a totally awesome fic called A Matter of Time, by my friend, Dusckwatcher. It's a post-BD fic, which I normally shy away from. This one, however, is much different from the others I've read. This story actually FEELS like the next addition to the Twilight series itself. It's packed with action and some steamy moments as well. I urge you all to go check it out!
.net/s/5046393/1/A_Matter_of_Time
