All publicly recognised characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer; I've just fiddled about with them a little bit. All songs referenced are the property of the original songwriters. So, surprise! I've not kept you waiting another 12 months for the latest updates. This is the second part of the mammoth chapter I mentioned in the previous update, so hopefully it brings our couple's time in Forks to a nice little close without too much drama *cough*!
Big love to Momma2fan who just completely rocks at sorting out my weird ramblings and making them look normal.
CHAPTER 21:
BPOV
Thankfully, June in Forks did yield some respite from the usually rainy climate and the sun was shining with just a wisp of cloud smattered across a crisp blue sky as we pulled into the diner's parking lot.
"Well, if it isn't the prodigal daughter back to visit her daddy!" Greeted Cora, the diner's illustrious owner, the chiming bell above the door alerting her to our entrance.
"And what do we have here?" she added with a wink to Edward before pulling me in for a bone crushing hug.
I smiled widely, at her overly friendly greeting before gently chiding her. "Cora, this is Edward, but I'm sure you already know about him given Charlie gossips worse than the old ladies down at the hair salon when you bribe him with slices of pie."
Looking slightly abashed at my teasing, Cora patted my arm gently. "Oh I'm just messing with you honey, but it sure is good to see you. Why don't you take one of the booths along the window and I'll send a waitress over in a few minutes."
The interior hadn't changed since high school. Red vinyl seats dog-eared from years of teenagers double dating, because there really wasn't anything else you could do in this town for fun. Tattered laminate tables, edged with metal that had started to peel, gave the place that retro vibe, although in reality most of the furniture had probably only been there since the eighties. Almost every Thursday night after I came back to live here was spent here under the pretence of dad taking his little girl out for a treat. In reality he just wanted a legitimate way of dodging the vegetables that I was prone to making him eat.
Spotting that the table in the furthest corner was free, I headed toward it, pulling Edward along gently by the hand. Taking a seat on the bench that was facing away from the entrance, he eased himself into the opposite side, never breaking the hold on my fingers. There were some people in this town that had no boundaries and if they made eye contact with me, there would be no escaping them. Not only did I not want to subject myself to their incessant nosiness, but I doubted that Edward would care for it either.
Reaching for a menu with my free hand and placing it on the table in front of Edward he gently squeezed my fingertips before releasing while he reviewed his options. "So what's good here, BBG, seeing as you have the inside track?"
I'd barely opened my mouth to respond when we were interrupted by the arrival of our waitress.
"Well, hello there, Handsome. Can I get you something to drink while you figure out what you want to eat?" Drawled the voice from behind me while completely ignoring my presence and the fact that we were clearly together given our clasped hands being visible across the table.
I didn't need to turn around to know that the owner of the poor attempt at flirting would be wearing an ill-fitting uniform and have overly bleached hair that had been permed one too many times in the vain hope that it looked naturally curly.
Katie Marshall.
The vindictive girl was the bane of my existence when I returned to Forks. A senior who had been held back due to failing her finals, although the rumour was that she'd actually been made to repeat her last year of high school several times. Katie seemed to have a massive chip on her shoulder for just about every conceivable reason. So, by default, being the shiny new toy made me cannon-fodder for her ego boosting spite. I hated being the centre of attention, but this only served to give her more ammunition to ridicule and put me down.
Clearing my throat, not even bothering to face her, I smirked at Edward, before responding in a polite, even tone. "We'll both have the pancakes, with bacon and eggs and two coffees, please."
The grin on Edward's face told me that Katie had registered who the owner of the voice was, so I was prepared for whatever hate filled rubbish she decided to fling in my direction.
"Well, well, well...if it isn't little Sparrow! I thought this town was too good for you now that you're some high powered career girl?" Came her oh-so-original response laced with amusement.
Turning slowly in my seat and extracting my hand from Edward's grasp, I took in the sight before me. It was actually worse than I'd anticipated. My expectation on her uniform and hair was spot on, in fact the hemline on her dress was so high, you could almost see what she'd had for breakfast.
I shuddered at that thought and wondered if perhaps Cora might have some bleach out back I could use to erase that thought from my mind.
"What's the matter Sparrow, cat got your beak?" She huffed at my lack of response.
To be honest, I was stunned into silence, trying to work out what had happened to her face since the last time I'd had the displeasure to be in the same room as her. My guess was there had been some back street Botox administered because her eyebrows looked ridiculously high on her forehead, making her look permanently shocked. Add to that, her make-up was caked on so heavily that you could probably peel it away from her face like the latex they use for special effects in the movies. The whole effect was borderline terrifying.
Trying to 'out bitch' her with personal insults would never be worth the effort, as whatever was said would somehow enable the 'victim card' to be played. Something that had there been an examination in, Katie would have passed with flying colours, considering it was her modus operandi.
Clearing my throat and schooling my expression, I countered. "No, there's nothing the matter with me. Although, there may be with your hearing seeing as I clearly remember giving you our order, yet for some reason you're still standing here."
My words were somewhat barbed, I knew that, but I hadn't said anything that wasn't warranted or insulting considering the levels that she was capable of stooping to. I also knew that there was no way she'd let it go, there had to be at least one more dig in there seeing as I'd indirectly dismissed her.
Letting out a short whistle, Katie eyeballed me, although those eyebrows didn't move once. "Oh, I heard you alright, I'm just trying to work out how the ordinary little bird walked in here with that fine looking piece of man. So come on Sparrow; just how much are his services costing you for the weekend?"
Stupefied into silence at her insinuation, Edward interjected in an eerily calm tone. "Miss, I sincerely hope that you didn't just suggest that I would be someone who makes my living by sleeping with women for money."
Katie shook her head mutely as he continued to shut her down, "Good, because not only is that illegal, but your accusation is slanderous. Something I know plenty about seeing as I'm a lawyer."
That would have been about the time that most normal people's faces would have had some kind of expressive reaction akin to shock or fear, but the only way to tell that Edward's words had actually achieved their desired effect was the barely audible intake of breath from Katie and the fact that she scurried away from our table.
Taking hold of my hand once more, Edward quirked an eyebrow. "Well, BBG, breakfast and a show. I'm impressed. That was like some weird low rent version of Tanya. What on earth was going on with her face?"
Before I could offer an explanation, Katie returned with two mugs of coffee which she set down without a single word, only an attempt at a pointed look in my direction before flouncing back to the counter.
Stifling the laugh that was threatening to burst forward, I grinned. "I'll tell you about it later. Let's just say she's the former high school bully and she doesn't appear to have changed much."
It didn't take long for the food to arrive after that.
While we ate, we chatted idly about our plans for the rest of the day. Edward wanted to see all of my old teenage haunts so that he could get a feel for what 'teenage Bella' was really like. I warned him that it would be a short tour, considering that I was a total bookworm with a chronically limited social circle.
By limited, I actually meant singular. Angela had been my one true friend during high school and also part of my decision to turn down the Dartmouth offer. I didn't make friends easily and I was reluctant to have to move clear across the country for university on my own. Most kids my age would have jumped at it, but it just added to the reasons in the 'cons' column when I was weighing my options. Turned out, it was the right decision because our friendship was still going strong almost 10 years later.
Katie had been rather conspicuous in her absence, not even bothering to check if our food was alright or whether we needed anything else. In fact, it was doubtful that she would even bother to bring over the bill now that we were finished with our meal.
Draining the last of my coffee, I pulled the cash that Charlie had left us from my pocket and nodded toward the counter. "I'm going to settle up with Cora and run to the bathroom before we head out."
Edward smirked, "Okay, Sweetheart, I'll just sit here and look pretty until you return to claim me!"
Moving to the cash register, Cora was just finishing up with a customer while in my periphery Katie was staring daggers in my direction while she wrapped cutlery at the end of the counter. It was looking like it might take a while to get the bill sorted as the other customer was engaging Cora in a lengthy chat about their newest grandchild, so I took myself off to the bathroom figuring she would probably be free by the time I was done.
The route involved walking past the murderous stare of my hateful school tormentor.
"You think you're so much better than me, Sparrow, but you're actually more pathetic than I had you pegged." Hissed the venomous wench as I was walking through the door.
The momentary pause in my momentum was all it took for her to finish her whispered vitriol with a sneer. "Whoring yourself for a meal ticket. No doubt he'll work it out for himself soon enough."
Somewhat stunned by her completely unfounded accusations, I ducked into the bathroom and hurried about my business, not wanting to be near such toxicity for any longer than necessary. How she'd managed to jump to those twisted conclusions was completely beyond comprehension. The woman knew nothing about me as a person or my relationship, yet somehow there was this firm belief that I was a person of such loose integrity. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and focussed on the fact that her words meant nothing to me, she was nothing to me and as such it couldn't hurt me like it did back in high school. Perspective as they say was everything.
Re-entering the main part of the restaurant and darting for the till. Cora tried to keep me talking once I'd paid what was owed, but my attention was focussed firmly on the booth in the corner where Edward was being molested.
Shaking my head, I brought the conversation abruptly to an end with a garbled apology. "Sorry, Cora, I need to rescue Edward from your viper of a waitress!"
"Oh goodness, what has that girl done now?" she questioned with an exasperated tone.
Looking in the same direction as me as she continued. "I swear the only reason she still has a job is because she's family...on David's side, I might add. We should have fired her a long time ago, so maybe this will be her last strike."
Offering a sympathetic smile, I turned on my heel, striding purposefully so that I might be able to prevent the need for having to get my boyfriend counselling for having to listen to whatever nasty offer she was making him.
Nearing the booth, Katie hadn't heard my approach which afforded me the perverse luxury of overhearing whatever it was she was pedalling.
"Listen, Handsome, you can do much better than Sparrow. Desperate isn't a good look on any woman, especially one as ordinary as her." She drawled while running a fake finger nail up and down Edward's forearm, her wonky cleavage thrust firmly toward his face.
Confusion, gave way to relief as my angel realised I was standing behind Katie, just waiting for an opportunity to shut her down. Gesturing for him to not give me away, it was clear that the moment would appear soon enough.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow your meaning." Edward questioned evenly, clearly setting her up to make a complete idiot of herself.
Giggling in what was no doubt meant to be a coquettish manner, not that Katie would even know how to spell the word, never mind understand the meaning; she was too wrapped up in her own slutty behaviour to figure out that she had an audience.
"Oh, Sugar, I'm sure she's meeting your needs right now, but you and I both know you've got no future. I mean, can you imagine what she's going to look like at thirty five? Not exactly arm candy if you catch my drift"
The ironic ignorance of her commentary was the stuff that comedians could dine out on for years.
Unable to help myself, the most unladylike snort erupted from me as the words spilled out, startling Edward's tormentor. "Seriously, Katie? You have the nerve to call me desperate, when it's practically dripping from every pore with you. Why don't you take your trashy, fake nails off my boyfriend and go harass someone who actually wants your attention...like the couple over there who've been trying to get your attention for a refill."
Turning abruptly in my direction, a sneer etched across her face, clearly ready for a battle, I cut her off before she even had a chance to speak. "It doesn't matter what your opinion of me is or whether you think I'm worthy of that man sitting there. The only thing that truly counts is whether HE thinks I'm worthy!"
Unfolding himself from his seated position, Edward reached for my hand. "For the record, Miss, it is I that needs to be worthy of Bella."
Tugging me toward the exit, he casually threw a parting shot in her direction, "And 'honey', my girlfriend is far too polite to say this, but you might want to see a doctor about whatever is going on with your face!"
Outside the diner, neither one of us could contain our laughter as we strode toward Edward's car.
"Oh jeez, I never knew you could be such a bitch!" I giggled.
True to Forks' weather pattern, the sun had now disappeared from the sky, replaced with ominous looking clouds. As a low rumble from the sky signalled that our departure had been well timed.
"What can I say, Baby? She brought out the worst in me! Now where can we get some bleach? I feel all kinds of nasty after she touched me." He huffed dramatically as we climbed into the vehicle.
After assuring Edward that we'd get the skank thoroughly cleaned off him when we got back to the house, I proceeded to direct him around town, showing him the highlights of my final years of compulsory education. Our journey took us past Forks Public Library, where many hours were spent either studying or just hiding from the world in a corner with a dog eared copy of a classic British romance novel.
Driving along the edge of the community play area, I pointed out a large tree that I would sit under and read on the rare days that the sun shone consistently. Sometimes Angela would join me and we'd make our plans for college and beyond based on our shared love of the written word and our desperation to escape the suffocating nature of small town living.
From there it was on to Forks Outfitters, where I'd been employed for all of four disastrous weeks, which had culminated in an unfortunate incident involving the owner's wife and a crossbow. As I explained to Edward, it was definitely the owner's fault for putting up a display weapon, complete with arrow set ready to fire, which in a bout of clumsiness I'd tripped into.
Mrs. Crowley just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and took the ricocheting arrow to her butt. It was only a superficial wound, but it didn't stop me having to explain it to Charlie when he received a call from Mr. Crowley demanding that he come and arrest me for attempting to murder his wife!
The irony was, Mr. Crowley was issued a fine for having a loaded weapon on display in a public area that could cause injury to a person. I, however, was unceremoniously sacked and told never to set foot in their store ever again, which suited me fine.
With tears streaming down his face, Edward had to pull over for a few moments to compose himself. "I'm sorry, Baby, I'm not laughing at you, but at the whole situation. What fucking idiot runs a sporting goods store and doesn't realise the potential risk that something like that might pose to the public? He's lucky it was just his wife that caught it in the ass and not a kid in the eye or something!"
Grinning at his mirth, I was in total agreement.
Once composed and back on the road again, I directed him toward the supermarket, which would be our final stop so that we could pick up the ingredients for dinner.
Having planned to make a large lasagne so that I could freeze the leftovers for Charlie, my shopping list was short and committed to memory. So, true to form, after just ten minutes in the store I was headed toward the checkout with my basket filled to the brim with everything I needed, while Edward went in search of a bottle of wine and some beer.
Loading the conveyor belt with the contents of the basket, the cashier's eyes kept darting to me while he served the customer in front. He had to be eighteen years old at best, but there was something about him that made me feel on edge under his intense gaze, which might have had something to do with it being firmly fixed upon my chest.
Praying that Edward would make it back to me before it was my turn to be served proved to be futile, as the customer in front of me took their change and departed with a brief, 'thank you'.
As he started to scan the items, he interrupted my attempts at putting things into bags. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be packing groceries, I'll do it for you as I go." The wink he threw in my direction looked more like some kind of nervous tick and just creeped me the hell out, but I couldn't bring myself to be rude to a complete stranger, so I just nodded and let him get on with it.
"So, I've not seen you around town before, have you just moved here?" he questioned, while staring even harder.
Before I had a chance to offer any kind of response, a strong arm curved around me to place the missing alcohol in front of the pervy assistant, before then bringing it back to wrap protectively around my middle, as Edward dipped to gently press his lips against the top of my head.
Pulling me securely against his firm torso, he purred just loud enough to be sure that he was heard. "So, sweet girl, do you reckon we'll have time to make that shower a communal event when we get back?"
Giggling lasciviously, I played along. "I'm sure in the interests of water conservation we can work something out."
The echo of a disgruntled cough resonated from the direction of the checkout, no doubt attempting to interrupt our little exchange, but merely signalling that the desired effect had been achieved. Paying for our goods, we exited the store, Edward insisting on carrying the bags while the young man at the till was, no doubt, scowling in our direction.
A few hours later, having taken time to ensure both of us were squeaky clean with no visible scars from either of our bizarre encounters with the weird folk of Forks, Charlie walked through the door.
"Catch a big one, Dad?" I smirked while sliding the lasagne into the oven, knowing full well what his answer was going to be.
Shaking his head with a mock scowl, he chuckled. "As always Bells, the fish seem to have it out for me."
Shooing him from the kitchen to wash up, I called for Edward to set the table for me while I prepared a salad in the vain attempt to get my father to consume something a little healthier with the mountain of meat, cheese and pasta he was about to put away. By the time dinner was ready to dish up, both men had already migrated to the dining table, with hunger laced expressions as the scent of garlic and oregano floated through the house.
With full plates, they tucked in eagerly at my behest, and it filled me with immeasurable joy to see the two most important people to me sitting together, enjoying a meal.
"So, Edward, I hear you had a baptism of fire at the diner?" Charlie snorted after taking a sip of his beer.
Edward paled at the mention of this morning's encounter. "Um, you could say that, Charlie."
"Old man, have you been gossiping with Cora this afternoon?" I chided. He at least had the decency to look contrite, knowing that he'd been busted.
"I may have popped in for a coffee on my way back from dropping Billy back home. It's thirsty work being out on the boat for most of the day, you know." He countered.
I knew full well just how my father and Billy spent their Saturdays. They did little to no fishing, spent their time putting the world to rights and there was often a snifter of brandy involved. His trip to the diner would have served a couple of purposes; one, to kill time before coming back for his dinner and two, to get some coffee inside him so that I wouldn't smell the hint of booze. Not that I would have said anything to him. As Chief of Police, he always stayed below the limit not just because of the need to be able to drive, but a deeply ingrained sense of civic duty. I don't think the town had ever seen Charlie Swan drunk since he'd been appointed to the position.
Taking a sip of his own beer, Edward proceeded to regale my father with his tale of woe, making sure to let him know just how spitefully Katie had behaved.
"Sadly, it's the drawback of small town life, Edward. People think that they have a right to hold an opinion on anyone and everything that goes on. Katie Marshall is well on her way to being the next town harpy, once Monica Crowley hangs up her hat." Dad groused with a shake of his head.
Agreeing with his words, I added. "And one of the reasons I stayed in Seattle."
"I know, Bells. Your old man might not like you being so far away, but I do understand why you needed to keep some distance." He capitulated with a pat to my hand.
Edward nodded in agreement while holding my gaze. "I'm pleased that she did stay, as it very much worked in my favour, Sir. Something I will be thankful for from now until the end of time."
My cheeks flamed at the sincere declaration, but the truth of his words struck deep within me. Despite all of the bad stuff that I'd endured since going to college; with Paul, my mom and now James, I couldn't bring myself to feel bitter about any of it because it had ultimately led me to Edward. Like a shining beacon amidst all the negativity. He was my hope, my love, my safety.
Once our plates were cleared, I found myself unceremoniously ushered from the kitchen on the basis that seeing as I had cooked, I was neither wanted, nor needed for dish washing duty. It wasn't until my body sank into the comfortable couch that the exhaustion hit me like a freight train. The events of the past few weeks, coupled with the struggle I'd had sleeping and the long drive from Seattle had really taken it out of me.
Curling myself into a tight little ball around one of the overstuffed pillows, the flat screen played a rerun of an old crime drama in the background. There was a vague awareness of gentle chatter drifting from the other room, but the battle to keep my eyes open got harder and harder with each blink.
Gentle shaking roused me from my slumber some time later. "Come on, Sweetheart, I think we need to get you to bed." I nestled into Edward's embrace as he lifted me effortlessly from the couch, allowing him to transport me up the stairs, this time avoiding the creaky step.
Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I'm certain that my father could be heard calling, "Night, Bells."
I didn't respond though, I was out like a light.
Departing the next morning was bittersweet. Whilst there had only been a small amount of time actually spent with my father, being immersed into his habitual ways once again had provided an additional layer of security that I hadn't been aware was needed.
Hugging me tightly while Edward loaded the bags into the trunk, Charlie was uncharacteristically emotional. "Sweetheart, you've got yourself a true champion in that man over there." He nodded in the direction of the car, while pulling me into a bear hug.
"I think he might be a keeper." I smiled against his shoulder.
Squeezing me even tighter, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "I don't doubt that, baby girl. He certainly gets my approval, not that you need it. Hopefully, I have instilled enough strength in you to have faith in your own decisions."
"You did, but sometimes a girl still needs her Daddy in her corner." I assured him as Edward returned to where we were standing.
Both of us promised to keep Dad updated on the progress with the case and to let him know if anything else happened. With nothing else left to do but hit the road, Charlie shook Edward's hand firmly, adding a strong pat to the shoulder, just as he had done when we arrived. As the car pulled away from the house, I thought about the week ahead. Alistair had given me the option of working from home on Monday, however, I was feeling so much lighter at the prospect of being back in the office.
A/N
Remember reviews = love, and I'm always interested to hear what you think about my writing, but please do keep it constructive, cos crying only leads to interruptions with my writing! Lol
It shouldn't be too long for the next update as I seem to be getting back into the
Until next time, much love to you all.
Lou xx