A/N: Wow. So much speculation as to what Edward's reaction will be. Let's find out, shall we?

Without further ado...

Betad by Michelle Renker Rhodes

Most characters belong to S. Meyer

Ch. 21 - One of these days these boots...

BPOV

Pero que puñeta.

Eli is standing right in front of my dad's trailer.

My steps falter at the sight of him, and I stand there silently cursing my shitty luck. The only thing that keeps me from tucking tail and jetting is the fact that Charlie's expecting me - though he's apparently sold me out so maybe he deserves to be stood up.

When my feet resume their stride, it's with heavy footsteps that sink into thick mud and piss me off even more. It's been a while since I've paid Charlie an on-site visit, and I'm starting to remember why; long, thin heels on boots are a definite no no around these parts

But then I look up and see Eli again, grinning my way, and my mind conjures up a pretty picture of a heel impaled deep in his onyx eye. That gets me grinning and strutting a whole lot more confidently.

"Bellita." Eli breathes my name in that way of his meant for seduction but which now just makes my skin crawl. "We having lunch, Beautiful?"

"First of all, I've told you not to call me by either of those names. Second, I'm here to have lunch with my father so I don't know who you think you're waiting for."

"I do miss that feistiness, but come on," he chuckles, reaching a hand out to me, "be nice."

"Vete pa'l carajo, Eli." At this point, I'm seriously considering both the heel impalement and leaving Charlie dateless. But then I see movement out of my periphery.

Charlie steps out of his trailer. When he sees me, he draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly. His ensuing smile holds a hint of apology because yeah, he's friggin' sold me out, and he knows it. And I really should leave, but besides looking guilty, Charlie also looks genuinely thrilled to see me. I've been staying away for a while, and he's felt it.

So with a sigh, I force myself to keep walking past Eli, ignoring him and taking the remaining steps to my father - though I give him a hard glare the whole way.

He pulls me into a tight hug. "Bells," he breathes, sounding relieved.

"Don't Bells me, Dad, I said no Eli," I hiss, and just as I'm about to ream into him for the blatant act of betrayal, I hear my name called out behind me.

It's not Eli.

It's a voice that I've come to recognize instantly, so well in fact that even with one spoken word, I catch something dark and angry simmering just underneath.

Confused, I turn my head slowly, arms still wrapped around my father because it can't be...

Hard, wary dark eyes meet mine. His face is streaked in black and brown. A yellow, hard hat sits low over his head. His dirty hands are clenched tightly at his sides.

"Edward? What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you that," he replies, mouth moving tightly around the words.

My brow furrows in total chaos, but the confusion only lasts another moment before it all becomes glaringly clear, and my heart starts pounding at jackhammer pace.

All the while, Edward's eyes dart between my dad, Eli and me.

I quickly untangle my arms from around Charlie and turn around.

Behind Edward, the work site teams with action: machines and tools blare. Somewhere in the distance, a real jackhammer pounds into the ground, and a siren whistles low while men in hard hats and tool belts mill about in different states of action.

But all I see are Edward's frenzied eyes moving tightly between the three of us. Long, heavy breaths make his chest rise and fall in a deep rhythm.

"Edward, I'm having lunch with my Dad."

His eyes flash back to Charlie, narrowed. He studies him, and I can practically see when he gets it. His eyes widen and his head jerks back.

I look up at my dad. Charlie's eyes are impassively on me.

"Dad…this is Edward, my boyfriend. I've told you about him."

I look down at Edward. Out of my periphery, I see Eli still standing just to the side. His groomed eyebrows have shot up high onto his forehead, mouth set in a tight, thin line. I want to tell him to leave, but I've got a feeling that right now, ignoring his presence might be the best course of action. If he says something stupid, he won't just have to deal with my mouth. Edward looks like a cornered lion about ready to lunge.

"Edward, this is my Dad, Charlie Swan. I…" - I look between both men again – "I'm not sure...have you two met?"

They both look at each other, muttered responses uttered almost simultaneously.

"Yes, we've met."

"Yeah, sort of."

"Oh." And as I watch the awkward exchange, it suddenly all clicks into place exactly like a puzzle fitting together:

Edward is part of one of the crews on this site.

My father is the head contractor on this site - on this site of which Eli is part owner.

Edward is one of my father's subcontractors.

Edward is working on Eli's new project.

Oh fuck.

I draw in a huge, shaky breath of air while Edward just keeps right on staring at me, clearly upset before, but now apparently too bewildered for words.

"Uh…Dad, give me a few."

My father looks at me, his mouth pinched tight, and slowly nods. I walk towards Edward, passing Eli on the way and completely avoiding any contact with him because if this is what I think it is...oh God. I want to tell him to get the fuck out of here and stop standing around as if this is any of his business, but Edward is right here, and…oh God.

When I reach Edward, we just stand there looking at each other for a few moments. His eyes are guarded, shoulders tense and stiff, and I want to reach out to him, but he looks so tightly wound that I'm afraid the slightest touch may set him off. There's something in his expression too; an energy that looks barely controlled.

In the end, he's the first to initiate contact. He reaches around me and places his palm on the small of my back, guiding me away, and despite my bewilderment and his obvious agitation, his touch is still gentle, his thumb presses firmly and rubs soothing circles on my skin.

We stop when we're sufficiently far off from both my father and Eli.

"I…this is…crazy. I don't even know what to say. I had no idea." A small chuckle escapes me, but it's more out of nerves than out of the belief that there's anything remotely humorous about any of this.

Eyes firmly on mine, Edward removes his hard hat, turning it over and over in his hands before raking a hand through his hair.

"Your father…" he finally says, his voice low and thick. He drops his head, shaking it, chuckling though he sounds incredulous instead of amused. "Your father's Mr. S?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"S & D?" he breathes roughly.

"Swan and Daughter. He never had a son, so…" I shrug.

He looks back up and stares at me, blinking once, twice before dropping his head again and shutting his eyes tight.

"Your father…Mr. S…ah shit," he snorts, "your father's our head contractor, and that other asshole…" He presses his thumb and forefinger into his closed eyes.

I reach up and remove his hand from his face and weave our fingers tightly together, and though he doesn't pull away the way I feared he would, his fingers are stiff and cold.

"It doesn't…it makes no difference one way or the other, Edward. Edward?" I repeat when he doesn't respond.

With a slow, deep breath, Edward opens his eyes and meets my gaze again, though his usually brilliant green eyes are clouded darkly.

"Look," he says, holding my gaze steadily, "We can't get into this now. I need to get back to work, and your father is waiting for you."

"Edward, I-" I take a step towards him, but he takes a step back, releasing my hand, and my heart thumps painfully.

"Are you okay?" I mouth.

"I'm fine, Bella," he says coolly, and then someone calls his name, and he turns his head, looking behind him. I follow his gaze. A few of the workers on the site are looking at us, and another few feet away, a hugely muscular guy is watching us curiously.

Edward sucks his teeth loudly and then rotates his head back towards me.

"Who's that?" I ask.

"That's my boss. Well, one of my bosses," he snorts. "I've got to go," he adds quickly. "We'll talk tonight." And then he looks over my head and his already darkened eyes turn lethally black. "Just one thing. That asshole's not going with you and your father, is he?"

"No," I shake my head emphatically. "No, it's just my dad and me."

"Okay." He nods once stiffly. "Okay." And then he reaches out and wraps his hand around my arm, gently yet inflexibly, and walks with me back towards my Dad.

"I don't know how often you've visited your father at work in the past, Bella," he hisses while we walk past Eli, and though like me, Edward ignores him, I can feel the barely repressed fury rolling off of him in waves. "But you don't walk through a site full of construction workers and other pricks by yourself. Next time, make sure that either your father or I are waiting to meet you."

My heart is now in my throat now, so I can't respond. Either way, what would I tell him? I'm pretty sure that's what my dad sent out Eli to do, and I know Edward doesn't need to hear that right now.

"Edward…"

But we've reached my dad. Edward looks up at him and releases my arm, leaving the spot where his hand rested cold and shivery. He nods once at my father, holding his gaze steadily, and after a few seconds, Charlie nods back. Then Edward leans in and puts his mouth on mine firmly, yet his eyes never actually meet my eyes.

"I'll see you later, Bella." And he walks away.

OOOOOOOOOO

We sit by the window at a table for two, eating our respective sandwiches while our eyes dart all around studying our fellow patrons, visually inspecting the people walking around on the busy, Brooklyn sidewalk on an early Friday afternoon. A couple of cops from the local precinct walk in and greet my dad. Charlie's a quiet man, but he's lived and worked around here his entire life and is well respected in this hood.

"How's your fish sandwich?" I ask politely.

"Good. And your Reuben?"

"It's pretty good. A little too much mustard."

"You want me to have 'em change it?"

"No, it's fine."

"You need some more water?"

"No, I've got plenty. I'm almost done anyway."

"You don't eat enough."

"I eat just fine."

"You look thin."

"Dad, how could you-"

"You didn't tell me he worked at the site."

"Because I didn't know."

"How could you not know? Didn't you know what he does for a living?"

"Of course I know what he does for a living. But the whole god damn borough is under construction. How was I supposed to know he was working with you and on Eli's…"

A wave of nausea hits me. I close my eyes and exhale deeply, dropping the rest of my sandwich over my plate.

"Does he know about the relationship you used to have with Eli?"

"Of course he does," I snap, eyes still shut tight, and then I pop them open. "And I asked you not to tell Eli I was coming to see you for lunch."

"I just happened to mention it to him."

"Yeah," I smirk, "you just happened to mention it."

Charlie stares at his sandwich guiltily and takes a huge bite, overstuffing his mouth.

I sigh and just…sit there, sweeping my eyes around the restaurant again, seeing yet unseeing while all the implications just tumble around.

My father is Edward's boss, technically, and technically, so is Eli.

Edward and Eli's worlds are so much more connected than I could've ever imagined.

And there's something else that just tickles at my periphery. I'm chewing my lip and trying to grasp it, but I feel Charlie's eyes on me, and the scent of the damn sandwich is making me want to vomit so badly I can't think.

"I'm just saying that it's a coincidence," Charlie says, like we were in the middle of something.

"What's a coincidence?" I question, eyes narrowed because I already don't like the tone he's got going.

He stares at me, chewing methodically, swallowing.

"We've got a really big job coming up. An office building. Really big, long-term project. I'm head contractor."

"Yeah, I've heard of the project." From Edward. Really, I should've put two and two together a while ago.

"Well, I'm going to be picking subs soon; the RFP's already out on the street. I happen to know for a fact that his crew will be bidding to work on it."

"And?"

He doesn't answer, just keeps staring.

"Seriously, Dad? You're not actually suggesting that Edward would try to use our relationship to up his chances at winning that bid," I snort, "because that would just be…epic," I laugh bitterly. "First, it would make him almost comically devious," I say, my voice rising with ire. "Second, it wouldn't paint me in any better light because then I'd be both too worthless to attract him on my own merit without his ultra-shady ulterior motives, and too god damn stupid-"

"Hey, watch your language."

I ignore him and continue my tirade.

"-to realize what he was really up to. And while I'll admit to having been a fucking jerk in the past, I think by now I can tell the difference between a man who just wants to use me and one who feels just as much for me as-"

"Alright, alright. Calm down. I'm just saying," Charlie says, "it's a coincidence."

I glare at him, my throat so tight it physically hurts to speak.

"That is the most ridiculous…Dad, I'm not sixteen anymore. I'm not a kid, and you can't keep me locked up and give me another variation on the "guys just want you for one thing" speech for the rest of my life!"

He stares down at his plate.

"You want to know the funniest thing?" I grin, my lips trembling in frustration. "I took that damn lesson to heart for years. I kept myself nice and pure, and then the one guy you finally approved of turned out to be a-"

I stop myself before I can finish and tell him everything.

Because I can't. Even now, Charlie looks at me with so much love, like I'm something so precious to him, and that's why he acts this way. That's why he's always acted this way, and I can't hurt him. Not like this.

"If Eli did something to you, Isabella, tell me," Charlie insists.

I stare at him, but the words won't come. "You don't want to know," I say shakily.

"I do want to know, Bells." He takes my hand over the table and wraps it up tightly in his. "I know that the past few months have been…rough for you. You've been…different and withdrawn. You won't talk to me, and so the only info I have on what happened comes from him, and he tells me that he misses you."

I pull my hand away from him and snort, cradling my head in my hands. "Oh God, Dad, stop. Just stop. I'm a grown woman, and you don't need to know. You don't know."

"Then tell me what I'm missing here because from where I was standing, he took good care of you. He helped you with your career. He gave you whatever you wanted and needed."

"Then you were standing in the wrong place," I chuckle bitterly.

Charlie studies me. "Maybe I was, Bella, but this guy, Edward, he's a hard worker, yeah. I've seen his work, and it's good, but I've seen his temper flare up at work a couple of times, and today."

"Don't judge him, Dad. You don't know him to be judging him."

"Then what's his story?"

"What do you want to hear, Charlie?" I look up at him and grin tiredly. "You want to hear that he's loaded, that he's got the right connections, that he'll throw money around all over the place to make my life easier?"

"Is it so wrong of me to want the best for you, Bella? Am I such a bad father because I don't want to see you struggling the way we did when you were a little girl? I know that you deserve so much more."

"You don't know what I deserve, Dad."

"Yes, I do."

We're both quiet, just…staring at each other, and part of me wills him to see…to really see the way I'd hoped Edward would've seen last weekend, so I wouldn't have had to say it.

But Charlie just sees what he wants to. To him, I'm a pristine, immaculate ballerina; like one of those wind-up dancers on a porcelain music box that must be treated so carefully. And because on the surface that's how Eli treated me, he doesn't understand.

"I've got to get back to the Studio. I've got a class in twenty minutes."

Charlie sighs. "You're coming to dinner tomorrow, right? Sue's waiting for you."

"I don't know, Dad." I breathe in deeply through my nostrils. "I invited Edward and his niece, and right now I'm not sure that you can be civil or fair to him, and I won't put him through that. Edward and his niece mean the world to me, and if you're not willing to give him a chance-"

"Bella, I can be civil and fair. You know that."

"Do I?"

"Bella…" – my dad reaches out and pushes a few strands of my hair behind my ear and then rests his palm on my cheek. "I just want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you. I know sometimes I…forget you're a grown woman now, but I just want you to be happy."

And despite everything, I know it's true. So I place my hand over his and smile at him, a genuine smile this time.

"Then trust me when I say that I've never been happier than I've been these past couple of weeks – until today."

He searches my eyes, and though he still doesn't seem satisfied, he nods and gives me a tight smile.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Diantre, no jodas," Angie says when I fill her in back at the studio. We're on a short, fifteen-minute break right before Hip Hop class. Mel will be here at any moment, but we've been so busy that I hadn't had time to tell Angie sooner.

"So you're telling me that Papi Chulo works for Charlie, and hold up," she puts a palm out to me, jerking her head back, "on the new site that el huelebicho de Eli and his partners are developing?"

I nod my head, cupping my cheeks in my hands.

"Oh, fuck," she breathes, staring at me wide-eyed. "Boy, it's never a slow day with you two, is it? Fuck."

"You said that already."

"It bears repeating."

I simply nod again because she's right, it does bear repeating, and I've been doing so myself over and over since early this afternoon.

"Pero que jodienda. Of all the fucking construction sites in this city…"

"The universe apparently hates me," I say, closing my eyes.

Angie wraps an arm around my shoulder. "Come on, Bellita, it's not that bad."

I give her a side-long glance, quirking a brow.

"Alright, alright, so it's pretty fucked up. But as long as Papi Chulo keeps his cool, it should be fine. So he works for your Dad, so what? And fuck Eli. Papi Chulo just has to do his job and ignore that hijo e puta." She shrugs.

I bite my lip. Angie is my best friend, and I trust her with my life, but I haven't told her about Edward's alcoholism – not because I'm ashamed of him, but because that's Edward's business to tell or not tell.

"Hey, things are going good between you two, right?"

"They've been going…great," I sigh, "'til today."

Angie smiles. "Then don't let this bullshit get you down. You and Papito Chulo got such a good thing going. Charlie just needs to cut that umbilical cord, and Eli needs to disappear into a hole full of quick-drying cement. Hey, maybe I should have a talk with Edward. There might be benefits to those two working so close together after all…hmmm…" She taps her lips with her forefinger.

"Don't you dare," I hiss.

She chuckles.

Just then the front door opens, and Mel walks in. A group of girls that have apparently been waiting for her immediately crowd her, and she looks so...normal, like any other preteen. I sigh unevenly, watching her laughing and giggling with her friends. She's been like this all week; it's as if she's floating on the same cloud that her uncle and I have been floating on.

Her eyes suddenly meet mine, and she gives me a wide grin and waves, holding my gaze for a few seconds before returning to her friends.

The thing is, if our ride on Cloud Nine affects her like this, what happens to Mel if Edward and I stumble off the cloud even for a little bit?

OOOOOOOOOO

Since it's Friday, Mel and I wait for Edward to get home to eat dinner.

Not that it makes much difference because brooding, confusing Uncle Edward is back. I know he's been thrown by the events of this afternoon; therefore, factor in the drinking problem, and I'm worried as hell now. I have no idea what to expect. Yes, I've done some research on-line, but I don't know what his breaking point would be, what would set him off, what he's like when he's drinking, and I have no clue as to how to approach the subject without making things worse. Would I even recognize it if Edward fell off the wagon? What would I do? What would be my job as the woman who cares for both him and the young girl that seems to depend on both of us now?

I want to talk to him about it, but having an ever-curious twelve-almost-thirteen-year-old around makes that difficult. Thankfully, Mel is too caught up in the excitement of having had such a good week to notice her uncle's sudden, sullen mood. She helps me keep complete silence at bay with her stories about school and dance.

"I'll set up the movie," Edward mumbles after dinner when we're done cleaning up.

Then the three of us sit on the long, black sectional. Mel claims a corner for herself and I sit in the middle while Edward sits next to me, stiff and straight and absolutely no sound coming from him other than his even breaths.

When Mel falls asleep three-quarters of the way through the movie, I stand up and reach for Edward's hand. He looks up and just watches me for a few moments and when I start thinking that maybe he's just going to leave me hanging, he draws in a deep breath and reaches up, wrapping his palm around my hand, weaving our fingers together tightly and stands up.

Silently, I lead him towards my bedroom, and he follows wordlessly.

We stand by the balcony doors. The lights from the city skyline illuminate the red in his hair as well as a few streaks of white compound. I did offer him the use of my shower, but he declined and said he'd just wait until he got home.

In the background, the voices from the TV drone on. The city lights and TV lights stave off complete darkness while Edward stares off at a spot just over my head. And as the silence wears on, I know I'm going to have to start it.

"Talk to me," I breathe anxiously. "Don't shut me out again."

"What do you want me to say?" he smiles wryly, still staring at the spot over me. "It's…" – he rakes his free hand through his hair. "It's a fucking mess."

"It doesn't have to be such a mess."

Now he does drop his gaze to me, narrowing his eyes as if I've just said something totally inane.

"Bella, your father is my boss."

"Not really."

"Yes, really."

"Fine," I sigh. "So technically, you work for him. So what?"

"That bid I was talking to you about, it's another one of his jobs, a really big one."

"I know. He told me."

"What did he say?" he asks, eyes narrowed.

"Look that has nothing to do with me, Edward. Your work with my father…it's separate from me, from us."

He snorts and shakes his head, and when his nostrils flare, his eyes darken.

"You do realize that the site I'm currently working on is partly owned by your ex," he sneers.

I swallow thickly, unsure as to what to say.

"Look, I get that there are things that you're not ready to say, and I'm not going to push you, Bella. And I get that he's part owner of your studio, but I can't fucking stand him," he hisses fiercely, his gaze now searing mine. "I know he fucked you over somehow, and every time I remember how he touched you that day, like he was claiming you," he sneers. "And today, he was the one waiting for you out there when it should've been me," he says, furiously digging his thumb into his chest, "not him." He jerks his thumb towards the balcony, as if Eli is standing right there. "Why was he waiting for you out there?"

I close my eyes. "My father…told him I was coming."

Silence.

"So he and your father…they're friends."

"Edward…" I drop my head. "That's because my father doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what, Bella?"

I look up at him and swallow thickly while he holds my gaze demandingly.

And with a snort, he throws his head back and stares up at the ceiling, chuckling.

"I promised I'd wait," he mutters more to himself than to me.

My heart pounds so hard my ribs hurt, and I want to tell him, but he's already so worked up, and they fucking work in the same place, in the same goddamned place, and the best I can hope for right now is that their paths don't cross anymore because I can't risk Edward's temper jeopardizing his health or his job or his chances at that bid with my father.

Oh Jesus.

So I fist his hair in my hands and guide his angry eyes back to mine. "Edward, he doesn't affect us in any way, okay? Just remember that."

He studies me carefully, nostrils flared, and I slide my hands down to his rough cheeks, cupping his face carefully. "He doesn't affect us." I instill the words with as much fierceness as I can, because I won't let him affect us.

Edward's eyes bore into mine, reaching into my soul. I bare it for him as much as I can. When he shuts his eyes tightly, I press my mouth to his hard, over and over, dragging my hands over his stiff shoulders until they begin to loosen, and his hands find my hips, gripping possessively, fingers digging into my skin, and he leans against the glass doors, bringing me with him and holding on like he'll never let go. And I welcome it. I crave it because I'm his - only his.

I pull away my mouth from his just long enough to hold his gaze.

"He doesn't affect us," I breathe.

He searches my eyes…and nods before pulling me to him once more.

A/N: Thoughts?

Translations (aka Bella and Angie's Puerto Rican curse phrases):

Pero que puñeta – what is this shit

Vete pa'l carajo – go to hell

Diantre, no jodas – Wow, no way

Pero que jodienda – That's some shit

Hijo e puta – son of a bitch

Huelebicho – cock sniffer

Readers want to know what's going to happen, where this is all leading. All I can say is, read on my lovelies. :)

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Have a great weekend!