Un-betad

Characters aren't mine, that is all.

Word Prompt: Shuffle

Word Prompts: Shuffle

We both took a deep breath before getting out of the car. The tension rose slightly in Edward, and I could tell simply by his stance, but he was nowhere near as guarded as before. I sometimes wished there was a flip in my dad, where he could just hit a switch and be a soldier or be a dad, but it was never really that easy. I knew that, of course, because I'd watched it so many times, but Edward was still new and his family was clueless. Absolutely awesome and loving, but truly out of their element.

The door swung wide open before we even made it up the walkway. I wouldn't say the Cullen house was cookie cutter, but the neighborhood looked nice, and their house fit in with the rest. Carlisle had warned me that we'd have to figure out sleeping arrangements when I arrived because they only had a three bedroom. They moved Edward's room in tact from their old house, and I secretly wondered if their hope was for Edward not to re-enlist. If he didn't, he could go home to his old room.

"You're back," Esme cheered, though in a more mild tone than before.

"Of course, I'm back. I told you we wouldn't be too long," Edward half joked, half stated. He seemed serious, but then he smiled at the end, and I was sure his mom was suffering from whiplash.

"Well, come inside," she shooed us in, and I immediately smelled something baking. Even though we'd just eaten, the smell made my mouth water.

"My cookies?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow just in time for Alice to present him with a tray. You could practically see the steam rising from the top like they'd just come out. "I'm so not sharing these." I looked over at Edward with a pout, but he shook his head playfully and began backing away with his cookies. I looked over to see Esme and Alice laughing at me, as I stalked over to him one step at a time until he was up against a wall. Logically, I knew this may had been a bad idea, but, in the end, I got one of the cookies. A melt in your mouth, send you straight to the dentist, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar cookie. The most unconventional cookie in the world was what my boyfriend liked to gorge himself on…go figure.

"I'll need this recipe," I muttered though my mouth was still somewhat full.

"Well, I have it put away, but I can't give it to you yet," Esme claimed as my eyes shot up in disbelief…I didn't know what she thought, but I wasn't leaving Texas without that recipe.

"Mom? It's just a recipe, why can't Bella have it?" Edward asked curiously, and I was thankful for his intervention, otherwise what I was thinking may have sounded rude out loud.

"Do you remember what I told you when you asked for the recipe, Edward?" she asked with a smirk, and I watched as the lines on his forehead creased with concentration. It took a few seconds, but realization dawned on his face and his eyes widened.

"Um…" Edward stuttered, but was interrupted by Carlisle. He started talking about rooms and where to put us, as Esme pulled me aside and told me she swore she'd give it to me one day, but today was not that day. I let it drop when I realized Edward was more focused on our conversation than what Carlisle was saying.

"Bella, is that okay with you?" Carlisle asked suddenly causing me to blink.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked completely missing the question.

"Alice has offered us her room to you, if you're comfortable there, otherwise…" he attempted to explain again.

"She can just sleep in my room," Edward stated like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"And, you'll be where?" Carlisle asked, as Edward looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I don't know if I feel comfortable…"

"Dad, really?" Though Edward only spoke two words, watching the two of them stare down felt like I was on the outside of a mind battle. As if they were speaking through their thoughts and no one else had a clue. Esme hadn't said anything, and Alice seemed indifferent for the first time I'd known her.

"Fine, but…" Carlisle started to speak, before Edward rushed to cut him off, "It won't." They shared a nod before Edward picked up our bags and brought them down the hallway. Carlisle disappeared to help him, and I was left helplessly standing next to Esme and Alice.

"I think I missed something," I stated to no one in particular.

"They've always been like that," Alice commented as shuffled her feet back and forth restlessly.

"It's true, I may have carried him for nine months, but he is just like his father. Don't let it bother you, but if you're not comfortable with this, say so, and I'll put my foot down," Esme offered, but I shook my head no. It would be different, but I was okay with that. "Okay, then, I'll let you two get settled, since I need to start working on dinner."

Esme disappeared, while Alice gave me a quick tour of the house. She showed me the opposite side from the bedrooms first, and I had to admit, it was a nice house with a really easy layout; three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small den area, kitchen, living room, and dining room.

"Do you think we'll get to hang out?" Alice asked. "I don't mean away from my brother, but, well, I guess I do mean…"

"I'm sure Edward will need a break from me eventually, so yeah. I'm here to see everyone," I replied, and she nodded happily. Esme called her into the kitchen a few seconds later, and I told her I was just going to change out of my flight clothes.

I hadn't even realized neither Carlisle nor Edward had emerged from the back bedroom until I heard their voices in the hallway.

"You're sure you're okay, thought?" I heard Carlisle ask, and Edward brush off his concern.

"I'm fine," Edward stated casually. "It's just a different feeling being back, like I can finally breathe."

"Well, if it gets too much, just say the word. Bella seems to have a handle on it all," he commented, and I heard Edward chuckle.

"Yeah, you know she made me pull into an interstate rest area to talk for over an hour while sitting on a picnic table," Edward informed his father. "I thought she was nuts, but it helped. Just being around her helps, but the combination with the fresh air, well, it was nice."

"You and Bella, you're still serious. I won't say I'm shocked, but I guess I'm a little surprised," Carlisle mentioned. "Don't look at me like that. I like Bella, I like her a lot, but you're in a very unconventional situation. Your mom was reading this website, or blog, or whatever you call it, and a bunch of soldiers were writing about Dear John letters they'd received while overseas, your mom was terrified."

"I don't have to worry about that," Edward replied back, and I could hear the confidence in his voice. It made me smile. "I mean, we're young, but, yeah, it's serious. Would I have fought you if it wasn't? Bella is perfect, she is my future, as unconventional or untraditional as this all may be, she's it."

"Does she know that?" Carlisle asked next, and I had to admit I was a bit shocked. I knew that it was the end result I wanted and had thought about, and thought Edward felt the same, but to hear him say it so proudly definitely put it all into perspective.

"I hope so, but it's hard to talk about anything serious when I'm over there. You know how unreliable those phones are, and it's something I've wanted to do face-to-face. Next weekend, we're going away for a few days, just to be alone and give us a chance to talk," Edward explained, and I decided then would be a good idea to make my presence known.

"Knock, knock," I said a little louder than was needed.

"Oh, hey," Edward answered with a bright smile.

"Sorry to steal him away, we were just finishing up," Carlisle tried to excuse, but I shrugged my shoulders. He was his father after all. "I'm going to go find Esme and see if she needs any help." Carlisle left quietly, but not before another nod was shared between father and son.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone out there, I didn't expect…" Edward trailed on, but instead of letting him speak, I stepped forward and kissed him.

"It's okay," I whispered back. "Alice gave me a tour, I just feel gross in these clothes from flying."

"Hmmmm." I felt Edward hum against my forehead. He pulled back a second later and went to excuse himself from the room. Before he could reach the doorknob though, I was already calling out his name. He looked up a bit confused, but I told him I loved him. There would never be enough minutes on the clock to tell him how much I loved him, but I didn't want another second going by without him hearing it, as often as I could possibly get away with saying it.

Edward walked back up to me, effectively tucked the stray strands of hair back behind my ears, and kissed my forehead. "I will never know exactly how I got so lucky, but I did the moment I met you." He walked out without another word effectively leaving me only to my thoughts.

I ended up pulling out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Texas was blazing hot, and I was more than a little sweaty from sitting outside for over an hour. I figured a shower was out of the question, so I sprayed more body spray on and walked out to find everyone. Edward and Alice were sitting at the bar talking to Esme as she cooked. It was such a cute moment for them as a family, but I suddenly felt like I was intruding. So, instead of walking into the kitchen, I walked into the living room and started to look at the pictures on the wall.

There had to have been at last twenty or so pictures littered around the room. Everything from Esme and Carlisle's wedding to Edward's Army picture. Each one displayed proudly on the walls, mantels, and spare shelves. I was too busy staring to notice Carlisle when walked in, and it caused me to jump a little when I saw him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay, it was my fault for not paying attention," I replied as I looked up at his face. I could tell he wanted to say something, but I just wasn't sure what it was.

"You're good for Edward," Carlisle stated, and it felt like a compliment so I simply nodded. "You know all about this, I mean, his life now, you know how to act. We know about Emmett," he went on, and a pang of sadness hit my heart at the mention of Edward's fallen best-friend, "I guess what I'm asking is, do you think he'll be okay, long-term?"

I sighed, as I thought about his question.

"Edward is strong," I practically whispered. I didn't want Edward to hear this. "But war changes everybody; no one comes back the same. He's adjusting fine, and that's hopeful, so, yeah, I think he'll be fine. It's rare that a deployment makes a soldier completely fall apart, it just takes a bit of an adjustment period, and everyone has a different time. Some come back like they'd never left and other take weeks; we just have to give him space when he needs it."

"I'm glad he has you, and I'm glad you came to Texas," Carlisle muttered, and I smiled as I felt the tension slowly leave the room. I knew Carlisle was coming to me as a concerned father, but really, he just needed to have more faith in Edward. He was a soldier, this is what they trained for, and if he did need help, it would be provided without question.

"So, you wanna clue me in to the great big cookie secret?" I asked casually, though my tone was a bit teasing.

"Ah, yes," Carlisle commented back with a weird smirk on his face. "I do recall a bit of that story. Edward was eight or so when he had his first girlfriend, though it was nothing more than a schoolyard crush, but he came home and told Esme that she needed to give him the recipe to give to her so she could make them for him. Esme said no, and Edward sulked for a while. He whined a bit, but finally after about five minutes, Esme offered to make him a batch. Well, she started cooking, and once they were done, Edward asked why he wouldn't let him have it. Esme swore to Edward that her wedding gift to his wife would be that recipe, and it's been under lock and key since."

"Huh." I continued to stare at the photo of Edward in his Class A uniform even after Carlisle finished his story. My response wasn't eloquent or well thought out, but I wasn't sure what else to say. Then I remembered Esme told me she'd give it to me eventually, and I wondered how serious she was by that. Did they see us together forever? Did I see us together forever? Did I really want to be an Army wife?

I'm way too tired for an A/N...I did PT this morning with my husband, and yeah...I'm dead. Good night!