Chapter 12

EPOV

Since Bella was going to show me around her childhood home town, we decided to rent a car from the airport instead of having her Uncle miss work to pick us up. The trial was being held in Seattle according to Bella but she was actually raised up about 3 hours north. We would be staying with her Uncle Marcus at his home in Seattle, he moved from Forks after Bella's family had been murdered. "How does it feel to be back here?" I asked Bella as we walked hand in hand towards the car rental counter.

"Unsettling." She murmured as she looked around the airport with wide eyes. "So much has changed since the last time I was here five years ago." She said as she squeezed my hand and gave me a small smile.

I simply squeezed her hand in return as I stepped up to the counter and got our rental car for the next five days since we were planning to leave Seattle and head for Atlanta on Friday. "You want to drive or just give directions?" I asked her as we loaded our suitcases into the trunk of the car.

"Drive. Maybe it will help keep me focused on the here and now." She told me softly as she took the keys from my hand.

Placing a gentle kiss to the side of her head, I headed for the passenger door without a single word. While we were here, she was the leader and I was the follower until she needed me to lead. Within thirty minutes of us leaving the busy airport we were pulling up to what looked like a marina for both boats, yachts, and house boats lining either side of a expansive wooden deck. "Your Uncle Marcus lives on a boat?" I asked softly as she parked the car.

"Apparently so. This is the address he gave me. I thought it was an apartment or condo building. The address says its Lot K." She told me as she showed me the address she had typed into the GPS system before leaving the airport.

Leaning across the seat I turned her face to mine for a soft kiss. "What do we do now?" I asked softly after a few minutes of us looking out at the marina.

"Let's go find the house. I have a housekey even though I've never been here before." She told me with a small smile. "Uncle Marcus told me to make myself at home until he gets off work around 5 which gives us a little bit of time to unpack and take in our surroundings."

With another small kiss, we hopped from the car and headed down the planked deck/dock that had posts with letters and mailboxes on either side. When we found the post that had the letter 'K' on it along with the name Marcus Volturi, we knew we were in the right spot. "This is impressive." I whispered as I stood behind Bella while we took in the impressive structure in front of us.

The house boat, or floating home as I think they were called now, was huge by normal standards. It was two stories tall with lots of windows on all sides, plants and trees stacked in planters around a massive deck that surrounded the house. "Yeah, it is. Shall we go in or go get our stuff first?" Bella asked as she leaned into my shoulder.

"Let's go find our rooms first and then we'll go get our stuff." She told me before grabbing my hand and tugging me to the front door.

We found a note on the island counter as we explored the bottom floor of the floating home.

Welcome home Izzy B!

Considering everything that you are going to go through this week I set up the room on the first level for you and Edward to both share. If that's a problem, there is an extra bedroom upstairs for whoever wants it.

P.S. You might want to go grocery shopping unless you want to eat out all week!

Love you girlie,

Uncle Marcus

Leaning back against the countertop I crossed my ankles and placed my hands on either side of my hips as I cocked my head towards Bella. "So…?"

She ducked her head as she fiddled with the note and cash laying beneath it while chewing on her bottom lip. "It was nice sleeping next to you last night." She mumbled so low I wouldn't have caught it if I wasn't really listening for her response.

"It was more like sleeping on top of me but I'm not complaining either way." I smirked in her direction which caused a beautiful blush to spread across her cheeks.

With a nod of her head and a deep breath she turned to face me with her head held high. "We'll share the downstairs room." She whispered with a small smile.

Reaching my hand out I tugged her against my body causing her to giggle which I smothered out as I slid my lips across hers. She had come so far since prom weekend and she always seemed to blow my socks off with how responsive she was to my touches. Like now, she took it upon herself to straddle my outstretched legs and place her hands on my hips with her fingers sliding beneath the t-shirt I wore. "Isabella…" I warned softly as I placed my hands on her hips, flexing my fingers gently.

"What?" She whispered huskily as she trailed kisses down my chin while her hands slid up my stomach.

"You're getting awfully brazen here, sweetheart. And I won't allow this to go any further than what we were doing at home. Which isn't this." I explained as I slid my hands up to catch her wrists and pull them from underneath my shirt much to my dismay but I didn't want the next step of our relationship to be taken because she was trying to escape the situation we would soon be facing.

With a heavy sigh she leaned her forehead against my chest as she wrapped her arms around my waist tightly. "Sorry." She mumbled against the fabric of my t-shirt.

Tipping her head back by cupping my palms around her cheeks I placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Don't be sorry, just don't use me to forget about what we're here to do. Now, shall we find our room before going to get the groceries your uncle suggested?"

BPOV

Grocery shopping with Edward was NOT something we had done before and was a whole new experience. As I was picking out things to cook meals for the next couple of days Edward kept picking things he wanted off the shelves and tossing them in the cart. "Would you stop that?" I asked as I put the box of swiss rolls back onto the shelf he had just removed it from.

"What's wrong with swiss rolls?" He asked as he put the box back into the cart with a smile.

Shaking my head at him I pushed the cart forwards to the dairy section of the grocery store. "Are you planning to eat that whole box of swiss rolls in the few days that we are here?" I asked as I selected a half gallon of milk, butter, cheese, and sour cream.

"I'm sure you are going to need some comfort foods during the next few days." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And I know you like chocolate." Then he had the audacity to wink at me before tossing a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough into the basket too.

It took us another half hour to get enough stuff for at least two healthy meals a day for the next four days plus tonight. "Just so you know, if we move in together in Atlanta, the junk food will be kept to a minimum. I have lived on my own since I was 14 and you don't see a lot of junk food and quick fix stuff around my kitchen at home." I told him with a mock glare as we stood in the checkout line as the numerous amount of 'comfort foods' rolled down the conveyor belt.

"Yes ma'am." He mock saluted me causing us both to chuckle as we stepped up to the cashier to pay for our groceries.

Once we were back at the marina we made several trips to the house boat to get our groceries and suitcases inside. I was just placing the cooked shrimp into the skillet with the broccoli while Edward sat on a bar stool keeping me company when the front door opened and the alarm started beeping. Whirling around I spotted the impeccably dressed man that had saved me from my own demons. "Uncle Marcus!" I squealed as I rounded the island and ran into his outstretched arms.

As he hugged me so tightly my feet came off the ground. "You look fantastic, sweet girl." He whispered in my ear. "Is that your guy over there attempting to give us privacy while watching you like a hawk?"

I chuckled as he sat me back on my feet. "It is. He's pretty fantastic. Please don't go all macho overprotective guardian on him. He means a lot to me." I begged softly.

He nodded as he cupped my cheeks. "You love him. He passes. With flying colors." He ended our heart-warming embrace with a peck to my cheek before stepping around me towards my boyfriend who slid from his barstool where he had been keeping watch.

"You must be Edward." Uncle Marcus said as he extended a hand out for Edward to shake, which he did.

"I am indeed Edward and you must be the infamous Uncle Marcus that Bella has told me so much about." I told him as I stood from my bar stool and gave his hand a firm handshake. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person." I told him because we had talked a few times over the phone when he would call Bella and she would put it on speakerphone.

He smiled at me as he let my hand drop. "It's nice to finally meet the man that pulled my sweet girl from her self-imposed shell." With a pat on the shoulder before disappearing up the stairs. "Dinner smells delicious, by the way." He called over the railing as he stepped into his room.

I placed a kiss to Edward's cheek as I headed back towards the kitchen to finish our simple dinner of shrimp and broccoli stir-fry with a sweet and sour sauce to dip. "You passed the test." I said with a wink as I gave my sweet and sour sauce a stir.

"What test? I didn't know about any test." He said in a quick high pitched voice that let me on to the anxiety he was feeling all of a sudden.

"The parent test." I told him with a shrug of my shoulders. "He told me he would let me know the results once he met you in person and he just told me that you passed with flying colors." I explained as I began plating dinner onto the three plates I had sat out earlier.

As I slid the plates over to Edward he carried them to the table for me. "Well I guess that's a good thing since I'm crazy about you."

"Mhmm."

That evening was spent in laughter and excitement as Edward and Uncle Marcus really got to know one another and I soaked up all the good energy they were pushing out. But now it was nearing time for us all to turn in for the night and that meant it was time to discuss the plans for tomorrow. "What time am I needed in court tomorrow?" I asked during a lull in the conversation between the two men.

Uncle Marcus sat forward then with his hands clasped between his knees and a serious look on his face. "About that…" He started but paused to reach over and grasp one of my hands. "My attempt at getting his line of sight of you blocked was denied as was my attempt to allow you to testify in an empty court room and have the recording played back for the jurors. I've tried everything I can to keep you from facing that sick bastard but since your testimony is what this whole appeal is about the judge has held steadfast. Her opinion is that while you were a minor at the time of the tragic event, you are now a legal adult with no immediate threat to your livelihood. With that being said…" He said with a shake of his head before looking at me and continuing. "…the actual appeal trial starts at 9 a.m. and you are the first witness on the defense docket so you will need to be there a little early so you can be shown to the private room I have secured for you because I know how draining and tiring this is going to be for you." He explained softly while squeezing my hand in his steadfast support while Edward squeezed the other.

I nodded in understanding before squeezing both of their hands back. "Okay. Any particular way I need to dress? How long do you think this will take?" I asked softly.

"You dress however you feel comfortable but please take into consideration this is a very public trial." Uncle Marcus told me with a smile. "As for how long your part will take…I really couldn't tell you. I wouldn't make any plans for tomorrow because his lawyer is probably going to cover every single word of your previous testimony. It won't be as simple as a retelling of the events, like last time."

"Simple? You call going over the murder of my entire family, simple!?" I lashed out in irritation.

Uncle Marcus quickly shook his head before placing his hands on my knees while Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Hey now, don't start that bullshit because you know I don't think it was simple or easy at all but compared to what is about to happen it was. You weren't cross examined last time because of your mental state and the fact that you were a minor. This time you will be. As a matter-of-fact, most of the questions will most likely come from their team, not yours."

Taking a deep breath I leaned forward to pull Marcus into a hug. "I'm sorry. Is Candace going to be there tomorrow?" I asked softly of my therapist that helped me come somewhat to terms with what had happened that night and had helped me through the dark and fuzzy times that came after.

Uncle Marcus pulled back and leaned back in his seat. "She's been retired for a few years now but has agreed to be there through this whole thing. Just for you." He told me with a wink.

"Good. I want to take a trip to Forks before we leave on Friday to introduce Edward to the family and show him around." I explained softly.

"You going to go by the house? Pastor Webber and his wife have been keeping an eye on the place and go in twice a month to air it out and give it a quick wipe down." He explained with a small smile.

Sinking back onto the couch and into the crook of Edward's shoulder I heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that but then again maybe that's what I need to do."

"I'll pull the keys out of the safe just in case you want to stop and if you don't it's no big deal." He explained as he stood from the chair he had been occupying since we settled in the living room. "It's time for this old man to his the sack. We've got a busy hard day tomorrow, Izzy B." He whispered against the top of my head as he placed a gentle kiss there before clapping Edward on the shoulder and disappearing upstairs.

After a few minutes of Edward and I just sitting there in silence he pulled my legs over his so that I was stretched across his lap. "You okay?" He asked me softly as he fiddled with my fingers.

I shook my head because there was no point in hiding how tough this was on me from this man who seemed to have a sixth sense about when I was lying or trying to hide something. "No but I have to do this. For my parents, brother, and Josie. They deserve this justice and so do I." I told him firmly.

He leaned over to place a kiss to my forehead before pulling back. "Yes, you do. If it helps tomorrow, just look at me and kind of ground yourself. When this hellish few days is over we are going back to Georgia to start our lives together. When we have kids one day, they deserve to know what kind of people raised their mother to be such an amazing, kind, and strong person."

"Kids?" I asked as I looked up at his face with wide twinkling eyes.