A/N: Here's my weekend chapter!! I was amazed at the response I got to my last chapter. Over 5,000 hits and tied with two other chapters for the most reviews (at 21). Wow! I hope for a similar amount this time!
Edward and Bella are going to go visit Esme and Carlisle over spring break. Both points of view.
Chapter 29- I'll Cover You
Bella
It was Tuesday evening, and, like every other Tuesday evening, I was sitting in the library. Edward was due to walk in soon, and I was reading one of my textbooks, taking notes in neat handwriting on a piece of lined paper. I despised it when teachers said notes had to be handwritten.
I looked up at a thump. Edward had set his books down on the table.
"Hi Bella."
"Hi Edward."
He pointed to the hand that held my pencil. "You're left handed?"
I nodded. "Yeah. You didn't notice?"
"No. You're always typing."
"True. So what do you want to work on today?"
"I was thinking you could help me with an article I have to read? It's pretty complicated and hard to understand."
"Sure. Medical Journal stuff?"
"Yeah." He made a face.
I grinned. "I completely agree."
An hour later, we had finished wading through the article, and I was pretty sure Edward had understood. I wasn't completely sure I had understood what it was trying to say. It was that sort of article.
I resumed my note taking, and Edward shuffled papers around for a little bit.
"Bella?"
"Yeah?" Internally, I was worried he was going to ask- well, something I wasn't ready to answer. He did look nervous…
"I was wondering- well, whether-" He stopped.
"Whether what, Edward?"
"Whether you'd like to visit my parents with me over spring break?"
I laughed. "Yeah! Sure. I haven't got anything else to do. And it will be nice to see them again. It has been a while."
He grinned. "Okay good. I was thinking I'd go up that Monday and come back down that Friday?"
I nodded. "Sounds fine. Can Abra come?"
"Of course. And you don't mind if I drive, do you?"
I shook my head. "No. Of course not!"
"Good. See you next week!"
"Bye Edward."
And with that, he picked up his books and left. I wondered internally what he had brought all of them for.
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Two weeks later, on Monday morning, I sat in my room, with a suitcase, a car seat, and a restless Abra, waiting for Edward to knock. Abra had woken up early, before sunrise, and had made so much noise that I had had to get her up and entertain her, as I could no longer sleep, and she wouldn't stop.
I had read to her, played with her, talked to her, fed her, tried to put her back to bed, and so much more, but she was still restless. I usually took her out for a walk when she was like this, but I didn't want to risk missing Edward. The definition of polite was not Saying you'll be at home ready to be picked up and taken on a trip, and going out on a walk with your two-year-old daughter, instead. At least, last time I checked it wasn't.
I picked Abra up and started bouncing her on my knee as I waited.
Finally, after what seemed to have been an eternity, but was really only about ten or fifteen minutes, Edward knocked. I gathered all of my stuff and pulled it over to the door. I opened it, and he smiled at me.
"Hey Bella. Hi Abra.'
Abra waved up to him. "Hi Eddard."
He grinned, and then turned to me. "You want me to take some of this stuff?"
"Sure. Could you take suitcase, and I'll take Abra and the car seat?"
He reached for the suitcase and the car seat. "I'll take the car seat."
I shook my head. "No, it's fine. Abra can walk down the stairs by herself."
He nodded. "Okay." Then he turned to Abra. "Abra?'
"Yeah?"
"Can you walk down the stairs all by yourself?"
"Yeah!" She grinned up at him. She loved the stairs, for some odd reason.
"Good for you!" He smiled at her, and picked up my suitcase, leading the way down the stairs. I picked up Abra's car seat and followed him. Abra followed me slowly, holding the handrail, though it was high above her head. The stairs certainly were not meant for toddlers.
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Edward
It took a few minutes, but we finally got settled in to my Volvo. Bella sat in the back to take care of Abra, although I wished she had sat in the passenger seat, where I could see her. Oh well.
We drove in silence, even Abra was quiet, completely the opposite of her normal wriggly self. I wondered, as I often did, what Bella thought of during these silent times.
I was usually able to read people well, and I could often guess at what people were thinking, and be reasonably close to actuality. But Bella was a totally different story. She was impossible to read, her mind closed away. Did she think about me? About Abra? About her past? About school? I wondered what it was like to be a parent. To have grown up the way she had. I wondered especially what Bella thought of me. My thoughts were interrupted as she spoke.
"Are Esme and Carlisle expecting us?"
"Of course. When I called they asked if I was inviting you. I had already planned on inviting you, so I said yes."
"Okay good. I don't want to show up uninvited."
She was so polite. So guarded, so mysterious, so talented, and so beautiful. Wait- was that the sign for Alton and Gilmanton Ironworks? I woke my brain up, and remembered that I was supposed to be driving, and not lost in my thoughts.
A little while later, we parked in front of my parents' house.
I unpacked the suitcases from the trunk while Bella got Abra out her car seat. We walked into the house together, the kitchen; warm from the woodstove a relief after the cold outside.
Esme came running out of the living room to greet us, giving both Bella and me a hug, and Carlisle, probably having heard the car arriving, came down a few minutes later.
"Hello Edward, Bella, Abra."
Abra waved. "Hi C- Cu- Ce- Car!"
He smiled at her. "Carlisle."
"Car!"
Bella shrugged at him, and he grinned back. "It's fine."
Esme smiled at all of us. "Welcome home." And I'm pretty sure she meant it- to every single one of us.
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A/N: That was satisfying. I hope all of you guys found it the same way. To all of you who thought it was a bit early to be thinking about proposals and weddings, it is! This is Alice we're talking about, people!
Thanks for reading, and special thanks to ilovemclife, truemidnight, jhardy, IKD, sleepthroughthestatic (who reviewed all of my stories!!), Sprig, Synthia Van Dan, Hellisntthatbadwhenuhavanangel (x4), WolfGirl15, roughneck1, SparklingTopazEyes, CharlieHyuga75, Shelly J88, babylopez2008, TaylorxCullen, bluebaby3296 (x7), .twilightxx, Leon McFrenchington, vikaaaaaa, bloodredeclipse, and SamBee44 for reviewing!!
