Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for several reasons.
Chpt 14 Big Bird
BPOV
Arthur and Charlie are driving me nuts, Billy isn't due for another half hour and the pair of them are behaving like toddlers, I swear one of them is going to ask me if he's nearly here yet.
Edward's already left, he's got inspiration on the piece he's composing and a few hours to focus on it are just what needs sometimes.
Me? I have a whole afternoon of beer fetching and snack provision to look forward to. Not that I mind that much, at least I like the three of them and I'm extremely curious as to how Arthur is going to win over Billy. He arrived with packages again, and his overnight bag. Good boy that he is.
Of course one of the down sides is that Jake brings Billy.
He manages to smile at Charlie, frown at Arthur and scowl at me before he departs in a cloud of tire smoke. Yes, it's dry in Cutlery.
"Nice boy." Arthur drawls. "Did you turn him down for a date once Bellski?"
"Billy." Charlie interrupts. "This idiot is Arthur, come in and talk to him about fishing before he says something really stupid."
"Ouch." I protest as two sets of wheels roll over my foot in rapid succession.
"Sorry Bella."
"Sorry Bells."
"Would you like me to step on it too?" Arthur asks solicitously as we turn to go inside.
"No. Fuck off."
...
I busy myself in the kitchen cleaning and descaling the fish Billy brought while they get rowdy next door. It's actually quite nice and Charlie's laughter makes it all the more so. Chore done I make myself comfortable at the kitchen table with a book I've been meaning to read for ages and the bottle of red Arthur brought me.
The only able bodied one at the moment its Arthur that treks back forth with the beer and salty snacks, not that he disturbs me, he just throws me a cheery wave and sorts himself out.
I've given up on Charlie and drinking and so has Sue, he's off all this meds and it's not like he's at it all the time. He likes a beer or two sometimes with his friends and his sports, what harm can that do when he's working so hard to regain his mobility and we're making sure he eats well.
The house phone rings and I snatch it up.
"Hello?"
"What time does Dad want picking up?"
"Why Jake, how lovely to talk to you."
Silence.
"Please, will you ask him?"
I lay the handset down on the counter, Charlie's so old fashioned, and traipse into the other room.
"Billy, Jake wants to know what time you want picking up."
"What time's dinner?"
"Half an hour."
"Nine then."
I shuffle back into the kitchen in my fluffy slippers.
"He says nine."
"Fine."
Click.
Charlie says we used to make mud pies together when we were little. Sweet. One of us would probably try and choke the other with them now.
...
"Um?" I ask as I go to call them for dinner.
"Arthur's gone for a 'fag' and Billy's gone with him."
"Please tell me you're never going to say that at the station."
"Have no fear of that Bells." He intones with a meaningful nod.
After ten minutes I decide to go in search, I'm not having dry fish blamed on my cooking, not in this house.
They're deep in conversation, nose to nose, when they spot me.
"You know you don't have disappear into the hinterlands to smoke, the back porch is more than far enough, dinner's ready."
"Sorry Bellski."
"Sorry Bella."
...
"Did you have a good day?" Arthur asks after he's helped me put Charlie to bed.
"Surprisingly yes. I finished my book."
"Well done you. I have another package."
"You do?"
"Champagne."
"Bubbles? Not such a good idea."
"Bellski, this is proper champagne, not the crap they serve in DC."
"Okay, but I don't need another hangover."
"Sure you do, you're a healthy young single woman aren't you? It's Saturday night."
"You are a very bad influence on me."
"I can but hope Ms Goody Two Shoes. Fire up a movie while I hunt for champagne flutes."
"You won't find any." I observe as he trots into the kitchen. "What sort of movie do you fancy?"
"I don't want to ruin the sanctity of Zombie Sunday, pick something different." His voice floats back through the arch.
"Rom-Com?"
"Please. I've been a good boy. Have mercy."
I flick through a few more channels.
"Vampires?"
"If we must." Is his only response before he reappears with two tall glassed full of pale yet glittery liquid.
"This is a beer glass."
"Yes, you colonials are woefully lacking in the social graces, it was the best I could do."
"Have you had your ass kicked many times since you've been here?"
"Once or twice Bellski, once or twice."
"And yet you still make jokes like that?"
"Alright, easy tiger, I'm sorry. Drink your champagne and watch the silly vampires."
"You don't like vampires?"
"Isn't the theme of these things always the strong immortal that's been alive for centuries getting staked in his sleep by some High School oik?"
"I guess."
"Then fictional vampires are silly."
...
We progress from vampires to terrorists attacking the White House talking the whole time while I make my way slowly down my champagne, the bubbles aren't so bad if you sip it and they do spread a warm rosy glow through your veins.
Or maybe that's Arthur, it's a long time since I've shared a movie marathon and a couch with anyone who wasn't cold.
"You're falling asleep." Arthur points out a little while later as I tip into him once again.
"Tired." I confirm with a sleepy smile.
"Want me to put you to bed?"
"No. Totally inappropriate. Will put myself to bed. Do you know where everything is?"
"In this tiny house? I think I've got a good grip on the basics."
"Rude." I huff, heaving myself upright.
"You're adorable when you're all sleepy." He chuckles.
"That's what Edward always says." I reply without thinking.
"I'm sure he does."
...
Once again for some reason Arthur borrows my truck to collect Ty from the airport, I'm not going to see them until the day after tomorrow since I'm determined to go to Seattle with Charlie, I just hope they don't kill each other while I'm gone.
Mike's given me another lecture on changing my shifts around and my therefore obvious lack of commitment to a career at Newton's.
A career? At Newton's? He does remember that I have a college degree? That I actually finished my course because I didn't get my girlfriend back home pregnant? That I'm only here for Charlie? I was so offended by his patronising tone I applied for a part time job at the Bowling Alley. The hours aren't so great for Edward and me but I figure he'll happily trade that off for not having to listen to whatever's going on in Mike's head while I'm at work.
...
The center in Seattle was every bit as amazing as its reputation suggested, and the other thing that was amazing about it is that I could go there, with Edward, like a normal person.
They are tough though, Charlie's Physio barks at him like an army drill instructor.
Not that you can argue with the results, it gets him walking, albeit between horizontal bars and before we leave for the day he's issued with a set of crutches and strict instructions on where and when to use them.
The day's exhausted Charlie so Edward and I get to enjoy a quiet dinner together in the hotel.
We talk about Charlie and the family for a while and then lapse into comfortable silence, holding hands across the table, content to just be.
...
"I don't fish."
"And? I need someone to bait my hook."
"Arthur, I quit doing that when I was seven."
"Please Bellski, come with us? Charlie and Billy are planning to out fish me and I need some moral support."
I groan.
I would quite like to go, they're having a cook out on the beach afterwards and I haven't been to one since I started dating Edward. But if I go I won't get to spend any time with Edward, again. And if I go I'll have man-wolves glaring at me all night and complaining about the stink.
"No Arthur, I can't, think of this as a day off for me, I've got stuff I need to do."
Which I have, including carrying my weight on this pitch, Arthur and Ty got a lot of work done while I was in Seattle. Not that either of them seemed to mind. Ty took me to dinner before he left and as well as telling me all about his Amazon trip he assured me, repeatedly, that I wasn't a slacker and they had in fact, incorporated quite a lot of the work I'd already done in the draft they'd prepared. Nevertheless Greg's coming to look over it next week and I don't want to disappoint him.
...
Since I trust Edward with my life and it won't take long I ask him to read over our draft while I take care of my human beauty regimen, I've been a bit lax on the exfoliation since Edward has retreated to over the clothes only action, but hope springs eternal . . . .
"It's very good." Is his verdict. "I can tell which bits are yours and which bits are Arthur's but the styles complement each other really well."
"Thanks. So, what's the plan for today?"
"If you dress up warm and don't mind riding on my back I thought we could go to Vancouver for the day, I could run us to Mt Vernon and we could pick up a car there."
"It works for me."
...
Ours is a happy house that night.
Edward and I had a great day in Vancouver, we hit most of the museums in Kitsilano and he took me to see some of the locations used in famous movies. And Charlie got himself down to La Push to fish and catch up with his friends.
Sunday night is my first shift at the Bowling Alley but apart from the smell of 'shoe' it's already shaping up better than Newton's and I will always treasure the look on Mike's face when I quit.
Edward's so relieved to have me away from Mike nefarious thoughts that our kissing tonight has included his long fingers sliding up under my top to caress my ribcage, filling me with elation and lust in equal measure . . . .
"Please, don't stop." I beg when they slide back down to my waist and he chuckles, shaking his head as he transfers his kisses to my neck.
I know better than to get my hopes up but they soar anyway when he slides them down over my butt and uses them to pull us against each other. If I keep completely still and completely quiet, then, just maybe, we might gain back some valuable ground . . . .
His cell starts to vibrate on the nightstand.
"Leave it." I practically whimper.
He sighs, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose as he climbs over me to retrieve it, oblivious to the fact that he's effectively flaunting his massive erection in my face. Down girl.
"I needed to stop anyway, I'm sorry Love." He says as he picks up his cell, smiling at the caller ID, and then his smile slips.
"Are you sure Alice?"
"What is it?" I ask, crawling up the bed to try and listen in.
"Alice says our futures have disappeared."
"Our future together?" I gasp, my one and only concern in life
"No." He says, giving me a funny look. "Both our futures, whatever the variations, they're gone, blanked out."
"What? What does that mean?" I ask, I can tell he's talking to Alice again but it's too fast for me to hear.
After another minute of leaving me stewing he ends the call.
"They're coming."
"Who?"
"The family. Alice is freaking out."
"So am I."
He shakes himself and then gathers me into a tight embrace.
"Don't worry Love, Alice's visions aren't a precise science, she's lost them around specific things before. Carlisle thinks there are some situations or types of people that interfere with them. Its only ever temporary but she always freaks out because she's so used to keeping tabs on the safety and happiness of the people she loves."
"And they're all coming here for that?" I ask sceptically, he knows I don't like being 'protected' from the facts, or at least he should do by now.
"She saw something first." He sighs.
"What?"
"Even Alice said it was crazy."
"What was crazy?"
"A golden eagle the size of a man."
"Nice try Edward. What was this giant ass eagle doing that was so scary?"
"It was sitting in the tree outside your bedroom. The one I used to sit in."