TWILIGHT AND ALL IT'S CHARACTERS BELONG TO MS. MEYERS
We are just sooo incredibly sorry for the delay. But I think we have the fuckawesomest and most understanding readers ever.
Special thanks to larin20 for beta'ing this mess of a chapter. I love you Mistress L.
Ok..READ!
EDWARD
I cradled Bella in my arms wiping her tears away with the hundredth tissue. I just kept rubbing her back and trying to pretend everything was going to work out just fine; like I had a plan. Truth was, I had no fucking clue what we were going to do. I was pissed, I was anxious… I was scared.
At this very moment Charlie was probably taking the fastest mode of transportation to come fucking arrest my ass and send Bella away to Timbuktu. We had to leave and get a jump start and we had to do it now. I hated disappointing my grandparents, they were willing to bend over backwards for us, but I wasn't willing to risk us being torn apart again. Neither one of us could take being forced apart again. She hadn't fared much better than I did last time. Trust me; there was no way in fucking hell I was going to let her go through that again.
"We need to leave," I whispered into her hair. Bella grasped onto me a little tighter, burying her head in my chest.
"Wherever we go, Charlie will just keep looking for us. He won't stop." Her voice was breaking; it twisted my heart to hear her so terrified and of her own father at that.
"He won't take you from me again. I swear on my fucking life," I gently adjusted her so I could see her face. "I have family all over the world, Bella. Charlie's reach is only so far. I just need you to trust me."
"Edward, of course I trust you. It's Charlie I don't trust. If anything ever happened to you, I'd…."
"Then let's not wait any longer." I cut her off because I couldn't bear to hear her say the rest of that thought.
"What about your Grandparents? They've been so nice…." She trailed off, tears welling in her eyes again.
"I know, but I don't want your father to have any reason to fuck with them. It's not fair to have them punished for helping us." She nodded, wiping her new tears away with a swipe of her hand.
"I'll start packing." She wiggled out of my arms, getting up from the bed. I sat and watched her move swiftly around the room. I knew any offer to help would get shot the fuck down so I didn't bother. Bella liked to do busy work when she was faced with impending doom. As I sat and watched I contemplated where in the fuck we could go next. I really did have family all over the world, from both sides. I packed my passport in a last second stroke of clarity, but I wasn't sure if Bella had one. It took months to get one; she probably wouldn't even get it until after her birthday and then it wouldn't be needed. We'd be free.
For now, we had to choose someplace relatively close but not obvious to Charlie. There was family in Rochester, New York and we could be there in a day. After that, who knows? Maybe New York City; it was easy to hide out in NYC.
Bella repacked our bags and returned to her place next to me on the bed. "Ready?" She sounded like a prisoner about to take her death walk. Who knows, maybe we both were heading for damnation.
"Yeah." I took her hand and laced my fingers through hers. "Pop and Gran will try and convince us to stay. We'll go out the back stairs through the laundry room and hope they don't hear us. I figured we'd go to New York. It's only about a nine or ten hour drive. We'll be there sometime in the morning."
"That sounds fine," she said quietly. The distressed tone of her voice told me it wasn't fine. Even though we finally got a decent night's sleep, she still looked exhausted. The stress of the whole situation wore down on us more than I thought. I wasn't fucking taking care of her like I should be, and it was only going to get worse now that Charlie knew. I rested my hand on her cheek; she automatically turned into my touch.
"Bella…..we can stop running. We can go home right now if you want," I said softly. She looked at me like I was fucking nuts.
"My home is wherever you are, Edward." she stated simply.
I closed my eyes and smiled, she was my home too.
"I love you," she pleaded. "I'm not going to give up because it's difficult," she turned her head and gave the palm of my hand a chaste kiss.
"I love you Bella. I promise it won't always be like this."
"I know." Bella smiled up at me. It was a tired smile, a little forced, but her eyes sparkled at me and that was all that fucking mattered.
"Let's go." We got up, hand in hand and grabbed our bags. I led her to the back stairs that went down to the laundry room and out behind the garage. It was already starting to get dark and I hoped that would work in our favor. I hated just fucking bailing on my grandparents, but I knew they would understand.
I crawled into the passenger's side and Bella handed me the bags. Her face was still glistening from her tears; the sight of it making my stomach twist into knots. I knew Bella would follow me to the fucking ends of the earth if I asked her too; I would do the same, but was it fair to ask her to give up her whole fucking family for me? Now that we'd been found out, running again would be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. This would forever destroy her and her father's relationship.
She caught me watching her, and blew me a kiss. "Stop worrying. I go where you go and vice versa. If they won't accept that, then they aren't my real family," she reassured me. I smiled down at her, her lips forming into a smile that matched mine. Mirror images of each other. Always.
We had just finished shoving everything back into the back of the Jeep when Gran came running out the front door. "Shit," I mumbled. She was going to beg us to stay, and I was going to have to break my Gran's heart. Fucking Charlie.
"Edward, stop!" I scooted out of the car and walked towards her, Bella followed, stuck at my side.
"Gran, I'm sorry but…"
"Charlie's on the phone." Bella and I froze. I'm pretty fucking sure my heart stopped. Bella's hand tightened in mine.
"Charlie…my dad?" She shook her head, confused.
"Yes. He just called and he wants to talk to Edward."
"Hell fucking no," I shouted, probably a little too loudly.
Gran pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, "Edward, language."
"I'm not talking to that ass…"
"Zip it." She made a snapping motion across her lips and I wasn't sure if I should shut up or bust out laughing. She sorta reminded me of Dr. Evil in Austin Powers. "Your Pop and I agreed to help you, but you have to play along. Charlie has promised me he's going to be…respectful. I expect you to do the same."
"Gran!" I felt like a ten year old who just got in trouble for something he didn't do because the neighbor kid told on him. "That man would probably promise you the freakin' moon if it got him closer to arresting me." I rolled my eyes and out of nowhere my Gran reached up and grabbed my earlobe, pinching it hard between her thumb and forefinger. "Ouch, what the hell?"
"You want to get married and be adults, then start acting like it. You march your sarcastic butt in there Edward Anthony, and talk to your fiancé's father. You need to work this out; I refuse to have my grandson and future granddaughter-in-law living out of a Jeep. Now man-up. Go on, get in there." she finished.
I hesitated, looking to Bella for assistance but she was still standing there, mouth open, in shock. Gran tugged hard on my ear, jerking my head. "Now!"
"Ok, ok! I'll talk to him but I'm not making any promises."
She released my ear and gestured for me to walk ahead of her. I rubbed my ear because, damn, that hurt. Gran still had some strong fingers. Arthritis my ass.
I looked back, "Bella?"
She didn't move. "Love? Come on. Let's get this over with," I prodded her gently, pulling slightly on her hand. Her cheeks were wet again but she followed me silently into the house.
The cordless phone was sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter. I eyed it like a bomb about ready to explode. Waiting for me on the other end of that phone was the only thing standing between us and freedom. That was Charlie Swan.
I felt a pair of lips against the back of my hand. Bella was encouraging me, comforting me. I peeked back at her, gaining the strength I needed from the love I saw in her eyes. I picked up the phone and brought it to my ear, half expecting Charlie to come through the phone and shoot me. "Yes?" I said cautiously.
"Edward. It's Charlie." I heard him say.
"I know who it is." I was being rather fucking snarky in my tone but seriously what did he expect?
"We need to talk…about you kids coming home."
I snorted. "Yeah, come home so you can throw my ass in jail and send Bella to a convent in Siberia? I don't think so. You're an asshole." He had no response for that one; Charlie just cleared his throat and continued.
"Ok. I guess I deserved that one," he said through what I assumed to be gritted teeth. He just had that tone about him.
"You fucking deserve a lot more than that. You sent Bella away. Like she was a fucking possession. You called her a slut; you just gave up on her. You'd be lucky if Bella ever spoke to you again, let alone come home. "
"Look you little shit. I didn't fucking call you to be verbally abused."
"Fine. This was a nice conversation, Charlie. We'll have to do it again sometime. Bye." I moved to put the phone down, but Charlie started yelling.
"Wait, wait!" he called.
I brought the phone back to my ear and waited. It was a very long minute before he spoke again. "I realize that what I did was….hasty," Charlie cleared his throat. "And it hurt Bella more than it helped but I'm not going to apologize for wanting to protect my daughter."
"You still don't fucking get it do you? I would never fucking hurt her!"
"Would you just shut up and let me finish!" Charlie yelled.
There was a brief moment of silence before Charlie let out a heavy sigh. "Your family and my ex-wife have…tried to convince me that you're worth my daughter's time. They haven't fully convinced me yet but they have made me realize that my hate for you is going to make me lose Bella. I don't want to miss out on her life. I've missed out on way too much of it already. If I have to put up with you and your bullshit to keep her around, then I guess I'll have to live with it."
"Wow Charlie, that just warms my fucking heart." I didn't trust him.
"How about you stop being a smartass punk for two minutes and think about Bella. Stop being selfish. You'll have your family no matter what, but are you really going to make Bella give up hers? You'll be exactly the person I assumed you to be. A selfish prick."
That hit a sour note with me. During this whole thing, what I worried about the most was Bella regretting the loss of her family. I knew she missed Charlie, the way he used to be at least. She talked in her sleep and, since we ran away, it usually centered around either me or Charlie and her mom.
I glanced over at my Bella. She was still clasping onto my hand, watching the conversation with wide eyes. No doubt she could hear Charlie's half. I squeezed her hand and she returned the gesture. "I want what Bella wants."
"Then let her come home." That little request just pissed me the fuck off. He was still assuming the worst about me.
"I'm not fucking stopping her from coming home! She's with me because she chooses to be. I've offered to take her home numerous times!" I stopped, raking my hand through my hair. I glanced down at Bella and she bit her lip. I used my free hand and gently released her lip with my thumb. I could see the strain in her eyes. I hated it. "Fuck, Charlie, you think you know what Bella wants and you have no fucking clue."
"I know she doesn't want to be running for the rest of her life." Charlie still couldn't admit the fact that he was the cause of all of this. He was still pinning it all on me.
"We wouldn't be running if you weren't such a fucking ass."
"Enough!" He screamed in my ear. "What do you want to hear? That I was a horrible father? Fine! I'm a sorry excuse for a dad. I never should have sent Bella away. I should have done more to help her when she needed me. I should have realized that you and your family were the ones helping her. I should be grateful that you turned her life around," he paused and in almost a whisper he continued. "I should have listened to her." There was an awkward pause and Charlie's breathing picked up. Was he fighting back tears? "I just want her safe at home, Edward. Please. I know you hate me and that's understandable, you aren't exactly an upstanding citizen in my eyes either but I just want my daughter back. I'll…I'll let you two be together."
Wait…what?
"Did you just say…?" I shot a confused look over to Bella. "I don't fucking believe you." Unless aliens brainwashed Charlie or ate him and stole his body to use as a host, there was no way in fucking hell he would agree to that.
"I'm telling you the truth. Believe me, I don't fucking like it but I won't stop you two from having a relationship."
"If you hate the idea of us being together so much then why are you doing it?"
"Because…because I don't want to lose her. If I have to deal with you to have my little girl then I will. Whether you want to admit it or not, Edward, I love Bella….as much, if not more, than you do," he admitted.
"How do I know this isn't some fucking trick? How do I know you aren't just going to arrest me as soon as we get there?"
"You don't," he paused. "Look, I'm not entirely convinced that you are this stand up guy that everyone else seems to think you are. I still think you're a jerk and that someday, you are going to break Bella's heart but until that day comes, I'll….accept your relationship."
I didn't know how to respond. My brain was warning me, telling me this was a fucking trap but my gut was telling me the sincerity in his voice was real. He didn't deny that fact that he fucking despised me, yet he was willing to let us be together.
"What's the catch?" I asked cautiously.
"There is no catch, as long as you understand there are expectations," he replied.
"And what are those?"
"One, Bella comes home. Two, she finishes school. Three, you guys don't get married or pregnant. Four, she goes to the college that she wants to go to. Finally, you both follow any other restrictions I come up with."
"Restrictions…" I repeated. God only knows what his definition of restrictions was. I was almost afraid to ask. "And what may those be?"
"I'd rather we discuss that face to face and with all parties present. You, me, Bella, Renee and your family. " I remained silent as I debated this in my head.
"It's simple really, either you come home and take responsibility for your actions or you run… and I chase your ass to the ends of the earth, basically making your life a living hell. Your choice." Charlie wasn't giving me much of a fucking choice, was he?
"Actually, it's Bella's choice. You think this is solely about us wanting to be together, but it's also about how pissed off she is at you for treating her like shit and whether she's willing to forgive you."
Charlie breathed heavy into the phone, "That's between me and Bella. It doesn't concern you."
"Oh yes it fucking does. Everything in Bella's life concerns me. You know who is going to be there when you upset her again? Me." I was being such a smug asshole.
"Are you done intentionally trying to piss me off? Because I think I'm being pretty fucking reasonable right now." A frustrated growl escaped my lips. The fucker was right. He could've just shown up and drug my ass into his cruiser but instead he was trying to work something out.
"I'm…sorry." The sorry came out strangled and slightly pathetic. "Bella and I need to talk about this. We'll call you back."
"I'm trusting you to actually contact me. I'll give you an hour. If I don't hear from you guys by then, I'm coming to get Bella. Just call the station."
"Fine." I hung up the phone and turned to Bella. "Did you hear all of that?"
"Yes…" She absently chewed on her lip and averted her eyes.
"And?"
"Well, for starters it would be nice if you two didn't act like dogs fighting over the last bone. Me being the bone, of course." She glared at me and I started to chuckle.
"You're right. I'm sorry; your father just tends to bring out the worst in me." I pulled her into my arms and buried my face into her hair. Her scent calmed my nerves and allowed me to better process the fucking conversation I just had.
"We need to talk about this," I whispered.
"I know. Let's go somewhere private." I nodded in agreement with her, broke the embrace and grabbed her hand to guide her upstairs to our room. My grandparents were in the living room, quietly carrying on a conversation. They both stood as we passed by, worried looks overpowering their faces, but I held up my hand signaling them to stay put. Gran shot a sad smile and Pop nodded his head and sat down immediately. I guess he understood my need to make this decision alone with Bella.
We walked into the guest room and Bella closed the door behind us. We both curled up on the floor, leaning against the bed and each other. Our hands intertwined automatically. "Well, love….what do you want to do?"
Bella brushed some hair off her face before she spoke. "I want to…I think…fuck! I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do?" She found a loose carpet thread and started twirling it absently. "Do you think he was being honest? That he'll actually give us a break?"
"Well…" My mind replayed everything Charlie said. He fucking hated me and wasn't planning on changing anytime soon. However, I truly believe he was speaking from the heart. He admitted that what he did was wrong. I could understand his desperation to have Bella in his life. It was what made driving all the way to fucking Phoenix non-stop a reality.
"I believe he was telling the truth. For now anyway."
Bella continued to play with the carpet; her eyebrows scrunched together as she contemplated what I said. "It's up to you, love. Really. We can go home and deal with whatever fucked up restrictions your Dad comes up with, or we can keep running until your birthday. Either way, the Jeep is already packed."
"What do you want?" She took her eyes off the carpet and looked deep into my eyes. I could have gotten lost there, looking into her soulful eyes. I swear sometimes it's like looking at mother Earth herself. She is what grounded me; kept me tied to this life and the joys and trials of it. As long as I had her, everything else was trivial.
"You." I said in all honesty. "I'll deal with Charlie's fucking bullshit as long as I'm with you. As long as you want me that is."
"I'll always want you," she replied softly as she rested her head on my shoulder. "It would technically only be until my birthday…" she trailed off.
"Bella, I know you miss your Dad. You talk about him in your sleep. I've told you before…we can go home anytime you're ready."
Bella blinked and the tears spilled over her lashes for probably the millionth time today. God I hated seeing her cry. "I know my parents are fucked up, Edward, but….I do miss my Dad. I miss Alice and Emmett, Jasper and Rose. I miss Forks."
"So, that's a yes then? You want to go home?"
"Yes, I want to go home."
~*~
After a rather brief phone call to Charlie that basically consisted of me saying 'We'll be there in a few days', a lengthy phone call to Carlisle planning our return, and a mini celebration with the grandparents, Bella and I were cuddled up in bed. We were going to leave tomorrow but I, personally, was in no great rush. Carlisle and Esme made arrangements at two hotels along the way so that Bella and I could rest. I was going to take full advantage of the late checkout times. Charlie said he was going to let us be, but I'm sure our access to each other was going to be limited and supervised like we're a couple of fucking criminals. There defiantly wasn't going to be anymore sneaking in on the weekends. I wanted as much alone time with Bella as I could fucking get.
Bella had been relatively quiet since she agreed to go home. It was obvious she was nervous as fuck. Esme promised her that she would step in if Charlie tried to send her away again but I don't think it settled her unease.
I sang her to sleep and watched her toss and turn for most of the night. I had my doubts about this whole fucking thing but Carlisle had laid into me in his soft spoken way and I had to agree with him. Running had been fucking dumb and it was not the life Bella and I deserved. We had both worked very hard to change our lives around and it would be a fucking waste to throw it all away.
The next morning, Bella woke me up with a gentle kiss and a sad smile. "I love you," she whispered. There was something off in her voice; the words sounded more like a goodbye than a good morning.
"I love you too," I brushed my fingertips along her cheek. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. I know it's a lot to ask of you, Edward, but….he's my Dad," she raised her shoulders in a tiny shrug and continued. "He was a complete ass to me but I still love him. You, Alice and Emmett have been a wonderful family to me. Better than I could ever hope for…."
"But…you need to fix things with your actual family."
"Yes," she sighed, grateful that I understood. "That doesn't mean I don't still want you and the others as my family, you know that right?"
"Yes. Of course," I was confused by her sudden need to reassure me that I was still wanted. "You're kinda of freaking me the fuck out right now."
"Sorry. I…I don't want you to think that because I may agree to Charlie's restrictions that I'm giving up on us."
I pulled her face close to mine and looked deep into her eyes, "I would never think that, love."
"I'm nervous though, about the distance this might put between us."
"Bella, there was two thousand miles of distance between us before and it wasn't enough to keep us apart, now was it?"
"Yeah…I guess you're right," she agreed but didn't sound wholly convinced. I let the subject drop; we'd just deal with this one day at a time. It was about a day and a half drive back to Forks but with the reserved hotel stays, I estimated about three days.
I pulled Bella down for another kiss then we both got up to get dressed. Gran and Pop fixed us an enormous breakfast and packed a cooler full of food for the road. They were both proud that Bella and I decided to work things out with her father.
"So, we have a surprise for you guys," Pop started. "Your Gran and I talked about it...and…if you guys do decided to attend school in Chicago, we'll remodel the basement for you." We didn't know how to respond. We both just stood there dumbfounded. "When we first bought this place, the basement was originally an apartment that the owner rented out for extra income. We'd be happy to change it back and let you stay for as long as you need. It's…uh….relatively soundproof." He looked a bit uncomfortable and Gran started giggling at him.
"You'd really do that for us?" Bella asked, astonished.
"Of course honey. We think you two deserve it. Of course, Alice mentioned something about her and Jasper going wherever you guys go, so you might have roommates. It would be wonderful to have some family in the area again." Bella gave them each an impulsive hug and made Pop blush when she kissed his cheek.
We must have thanked them both a million times before we drove away. They made us promise to call whenever we stopped and when we arrived in Forks. I think deep down they were afraid we'd bolt again. Bella was definitely tense; she didn't sleep at all during the first leg of the drive. I sang along with the radio as we drove, in hopes to relax her. It didn't work, but she did keep a hint of a smile on her lips.
The first hotel stop was uneventful. We ate, watched TV and slept. We contacted my family to let them know how the trip was going, but still hadn't spoken to Charlie. Bella wanted to save that until we were all face to face. Carlisle promised to keep him updated though.
The second night, however, was very fucking enjoyable. We were both desperate for a distraction and it came in the form of her walking out of the bathroom wearing my tattered Ramones shirt and nothing else. I'm pretty sure it developed a few new holes that night. I treated her like the fucking goddess she was and made love to her the way she deserved. Not possessively, not fast and awkward with a gearshift touching places never before touched, but slow and tender and passionate. I wanted it to last forever. I honestly had no idea when it would happen again. I was fucking sure Charlie was going to make a "no sex" rule. I would be happy just as long as Bella was by my side, but the sex….the sex was a powerful connection that only we shared…heart, soul AND body.
I held her afterwards and once she was asleep I did nothing but fucking caress her silky skin and breathe in her scent for the longest time. Honey and jasmine. I knew it, fucking felt it down to the marrow in my bones, no matter what Charlie, or anyone else for that matter threw at us; we would be together… always.
We would survive any test, succeed in any challenge that we were faced with. We simply could not fucking live without each other. I saw our future as I laid there. Surrounded by family, children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. I pictured us old and fucking wrinkled, still together and just as in love as we are right now. We would be one of those sickeningly sweet old couples that matched their sweat suits and finished each other's sentences. I fell asleep and had really fucking corny, lovey-dovey images dancing in my dreams. I even had a really creepy one of us in our nineties, sharing each other's dentures.
The next morning went too fucking fast, and before I knew it, we were only a few short hours from Forks. I could feel the tension rolling off Bella. I know I was emitting some pretty heavy tension myself.
This could still be a trap.
We could pull up in front of Bella's house and a dozen fucking squad cars could come screeching around the corner ready to hogtie my ass. Carlisle and Esme promised to be there, along with everyone else, but could they really stop Charlie from going on a power trip? I wasn't sure; I had to put my faith in the fact that he regretted hurting Bella the first time.
Neither one of us spoke as we made our way through Washington. As we got closer to the Forks city limit, Bella laid her hand over mine on the gearshift and locked our fingers together. The ever present electricity flowed with our touch and gave us both the courage to keep driving. As soon as I pulled onto her street she started trembling; there was a tiny catch in her breath that I almost missed. "It'll be alright, love. We can do this." She only nodded.
Her driveway and front yard were filled with cars. Thankfully the only cruiser there was Charlie's. My whole family was waiting and there was one fucking mess of a rental car that I was sure was Bella's mom. I saw the curtains in the kitchen window sway. "They know we're here. It's now or fucking never."
"Ok..." The fear in her voice almost made me put the Jeep back in drive. But my desire for Bella's happiness made me open the door instead. I hopped out of the Jeep and walked around to open Bella's door. She hesitantly climbed out of the car and into my arms.
"It'll be alright," I assured her, though I wasn't completely convinced myself. Bella nodded weakly and I turned us towards the front door.
One second Bella was following slightly behind me, her hand in mine; the next my hand was empty and a rush of wind went passed me. It felt like a fucking Mac Truck just barely missed mowing me down. I was fucking terrified that maybe Charlie had tried to shoot me and hit Bella by mistake.
My fear quickly dissolved once I heard squeals of laughter from behind me. I turned to find Emmett swinging Bella around in circles. That goofy fuck, I should've figured he would be the first person to greet us.
"You're back!" he yelled. He swung her one more time before pulling her in close; enveloping her in a typical Emmett style hug. "I fucking missed the shit out of my blushing Jelly Belly."
"I missed you too Em. Now…um...can you let me go? Cutting…off… oxygen."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. It's just that swinging Jasper around just isn't as much fun. He squeals like a bitch and last time he threw a little hissy-fit and scratched the shit out of my chest." He sat Bella back down on her feet and mimicked the kitty scratch moves he always teases Jasper about. Seeing that big fucker clawing at the air while hissing in a high-pitched bitch voice completely removed the big fucking cloud that had been sitting over us.
"Don't lie, Emmett. Rosalie had you screaming like a bitch the other day. You got that battle scar after you accidentally broke her fingernail. I told you to knock it off but did you listen? Nope," Jasper and Alice walked up. I damn near got teary eyed myself when I saw my sister, of course the moisture in her eyes didn't help any. Jasper came over and we reconnected in the simplest yet most complete way…the slap-grab-pump-bump-chest thump handshake. We said everything without saying a word. It was beautiful.
Jasper moved on to give Bella a hug and Alice ran into my arms. "I missed you so much," she whispered in my ear through a strained voice.
"Yeah, me too," was all I could get out. We stood there hugging each other having one of our silent conversations; communicating all of our anxiety, hope, suspicions and wishes and both of us understanding the other without question.
Alice shimmed out of my arms and ran into Bella's. Their greeting was just as fucking emotional as ours was. They were two peas in a fucking pod. Any trait that Bella wasn't able to find in me, she found in Alice. She had missed Bella almost as much as I had.
"Rosalie," I gave her a head nod as she stood there looking at me. I didn't know whether she was going to punch me or lay into me for interrupting her Zumba class or something. What she did do caught me completely off guard. She cried. She had actual tears coming out of her eyes. Now, she wasn't sobbing but for Rose to even muster moisture in her eyes over me was quite startling. I did the only thing I could do. I hugged her.
It seemed Rose and I had a new understanding. I know she wouldn't be able to function without Emmett and I think her picturing herself in my shoes, being forced to be without the one you love, melted that fucking ice cube in her chest a little. She composed herself quickly and the average person probably never would have noticed the lone tears that escaped the corner of her eyes but I did, and Emmett did too.
He came over and put his arm around Rosalie's shoulder. She turned her face into him and I knew she understood…and so did he.
"Well, let's get the show on the road, I guess."
I wasn't in a big fucking hurry to see Charlie's ass but I wasn't going to stay out here dreading it either. Time to face the music. I reached out for Bella's hand again and she gladly accepted.
I noticed the others didn't follow us up the porch steps. "We were told to wait out here," Alice explained. "Don't worry. Renee is on our side and boy, has she been giving Charlie a piece of her mind over the last few days," She shot both of us a hopeful look. Thank you sis.
As soon as we walked through the front door, we were both wrapped in Esme's embrace. I took in the scent of fresh baking and clean linen and was immediately calmed. No doubt that was her intention. It had only been a short time that I had been gone, but it felt good to be home.
"I'm so happy to have you both safe and at home," Esme whispered. We hugged her back and she pulled away, a very uncharacteristically dark expression formed on her face. "If you two ever pull a stunt like that again, it won't be Charlie you'll have to worry about. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am." We both spouted out. I, for one, was a little terrified of my Aunt.
"Ok then." Her expression softened, returning to the Esme I know and love. "Everyone is waiting in the living room. Carlisle and I are here to mediate, as well as give our opinions. Charlie has been very quiet the past few days; he hasn't said anything to us or Renee about his plans." She patted us both on the shoulder and gestured for to move into the living room.
I honed in on Charlie first. He was sitting on the couch, trying to appear casual and fucking failing miserably. Carlisle was sitting on the loveseat in the corner. There also was a face I didn't recognize. Renee. She and Bella looked so much alike. She was clearly stressed and frazzled, but the way her face lit up when she saw Bella made her look ten years younger.
"Bella!" Renee cried as she jumped up and practically launched herself at us.
"Hi, Mom," Bella allowed herself to be hugged, though I could see on her face she was a bit uncomfortable. Renee seemed to pick up on it and quickly cut off the hug.
"You're Edward I take it?"
"Yes," She sized me up for a brief moment and then smiled.
"All I care about is that Bella is home safely. You and I will talk later. For now, it's nice to finally meet you."
"Umm...it's nice to meet you too," She patted me on a cheek and returned to her seat next to Charlie.
Charlie. He was stone-faced. No emotions at all. I knew from experience that it was not a good fucking sign. Renee motioned for us to take a seat. There were two chairs from the kitchen in the center of the living room. Like a fucking interrogation room or some shit. We took our seats and waited for the fucking beat down to begin.
An awkward moment passed as all they all looked to see who would start first. Bella was chewing on her bottom lip. I wanted to comfort her but Charlie's eyes were following my every move. I opened my mouth to say…well…just to say something.
"Don't speak," Charlie interrupted. "I've kept my mouth shut for days; let everyone else speak their mind about this situation. I'm done." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. Renee tried to stop him but he shook her off. "You two are incredibly stupid. Running away to get married when you aren't even legal yet. What the hell were you thinking?" Once again, I attempted to add my two cents and was shot down. "Shut up. You don't' get to defend yourselves. I don't want to hear any lame excuses."
"Charlie, that's a bit harsh, don't you think? You asked them a question, so let them answer," Carlisle asserted.
"I really don't give a damn what their answer is. They need to understand the severity of this."
"Fuck, Dad, you think we don't know?" Bella piped up. "You think we don't know that what we did was rash and a tad irresponsible? We do. We came home on the promise that you would be understanding. I'm not going to fight. In fact, if this is going to turn into a freaking screaming match, I'm going to march my happy ass right out the door. Now get on with it: the punishment, the rules, the restrictions…" Bella made sassy little air quotes around the word restrictions. I thought it was fucking hilarious but managed to keep a straight face. "…because I'm tired and I need to shower."
Everyone stared in wonder at Bella's little outburst. It was a little out of character for her but I think my personality traits were beginning to rub off on her. Scary fucking thought.
Charlie cleared his throat and continued. "Uh…right. The punishment…we've all agreed on this, correct?" Carlisle nodded. "You are both grounded until the end of the school year. No after school activities, no prom. You may travel back and forth to school with each other and you will be permitted to see each other for two hours every day, under my supervision. Don't even think about sneaking in or out because I'm installing an alarm system. No marriage talk, no skipping school, no sex, no all night phone conversations. Bella, you'll make up for all the classes you've missed and keep your grades up or I'm enrolling you in summer school." Charlie turned to look at Edward, "Edward, you will respect me in my home and abide by my rules. No fights, no drinking, no drug use. I see one tiny mark on Bella and it's over for you, got it?"
I fought the urge to spout out the oh-so-fucking-snarky comment that was on the tip of my tongue but managed to stay respectful. "Yes, sir." After all, this was for Bella, not for me. I was going to have to learn to keep my fucking mouth shut.
Charlie looked to Bella, expecting some sort of submission to his restrictions. "Well?"
"I'll agree, if you agree to be less of an ass."
"Excuse me?"
"Respect is earned, Dad. Just because you have a badge and a nice title doesn't mean you're entitled respect from either one if us," Bella paused, squeezing my hand. I squeezed back, knowing it was giving her the confidence she needed. "I realize that it was wrong to lie to you about my relationship with Edward. It was wrong to be sneaking him in the house and I'm sorry for those things, but your reaction was fucking ridiculous. You said horrible things to me. Things I cannot just forgive and forget." Charlie looked away and it was clear he was remembering the things he said.
"Bells, I think that's something we need to discuss in private," He was still avoiding meeting her eyes.
"I think you can apologize to me in front of everyone," His jaw tensed. Clearly he did not want to air his and Bella's father-daughter issues out in front of us. Bella was getting irritated. "I apologized to you. I admitted I was wrong. It's the least you could do."
Charlie laid his face in his hands and drew in a long, deep breath. "I'm sorry, Bella. I regret the things I said, my actions. I'm…just…sorry. I only wanted to protect you."
"I don't need protection from Edward," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. I almost fucking forgot the seriousness of the current situation and laughed my ass off. She was definitely starting to pick up on my fucking traits. "I accept your apology but I'm not quite ready to forgive you yet. Yes, I agree to follow your rules as long as you agree to not to go on another power trip and jump to conclusions."
"I will do my best," he promised. The tension in the air lifted and everyone visibly relaxed. It seemed they were all at a loss for words. I don't think they were expecting us to give in so fucking easily. I didn't see it as giving in though. Bella and I saw it as playing along. Just jumping through the fucking hoops we needed to jump through in order to stay together and keep our families too.
"Well, you kids must be starving. Charlie, do you mind if we make lunch?" Esme asked. Charlie motioned for her to go ahead and Esme moved to the kitchen. Bella soon followed, her need to be cooking in her own kitchen overpowering her. I was fucking stuck in the living room with Carlisle, Charlie and Renee.
I didn't try to hide my unease and Renee became my savior. "Edward, talk a walk with me," She politely commanded. I looked to Carlisle and he gestured for me to go with her. I stood up after her and she took my arm, guiding me outside to her car. I saw the rest of my family was sitting around the small table in the side yard. I gave a tiny thumbs up and a strained smile. Alice smiled back and I didn't miss the fucking giggle afterward.
"I'm not mad at you. Hell, I'm not even mad at Bella," she began out of nowhere. "I think what you guys did was stupid but that's beside the point now. I can see, feel the connection you have with my daughter. You two move like you are one body, one brain. I don't even think you realize it. I know now that I never should have agreed to Charlie's insanity. Can you forgive me?"
"Wha…huh?" She was asking me for fucking forgiveness? "Umm, O.K., yes, I forgive you." I said with an awkward shrug.
"I really am sorry about the whole thing," I offered. She waved it off like it was nothing. Strange woman.
She leaned against her car and I followed suit. "I just need Bella to forgive me. I honestly don't deserve it but it's the thing I want most in this world."
"Bella loves you; she talks about you all the time...well in her sleep anyway. I'm fairly certain she's going to forgive you. Charlie is another story though."
"Fuck Charlie." she muttered and I chuckled.
"Yeah. He's not exactly number one on my favorites list either." She smiled and stared out into the woods behind the house. I decided to go out on a limb with her. "You know I would never hurt Bella, right? I'd do anything for her."
"I know. I'm so glad that she has you," The conversation died after that. I was still a tiny bit uncomfortable. I had expected something completely fucking different; yelling, screaming, a few profanities thrown around. This was all too easy; I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Esme and Bella called us all in to eat; everyone eased into a reasonably comfortable conversation. Emmett had Renee fucking rolling with his jokes. The only one not having a good time was Charlie, he fucking sulked in the corner like a bitch.
After we finished, Em, Jazz and I unpacked Bella's things from the Jeep and Charlie announced it was time for us to leave. "You can come back tomorrow for two hours." He stomped up the stairs and practically slammed his door.
"Don't worry; he'll get over it eventually," Renee assured us. I was beginning to really like her and Bella seemed eager to mend their broken relationship. Only time would tell.
My family herded out of the small kitchen and to their cars, Renee mumbled something about giving us privacy for our goodbye and she went upstairs to start unpacking Bella's things. Bella and I stood in the hallway just inside the front door. It was time to say the words we fucking hated. Our bodies molded together. "It's not technically a goodbye, not like before. We get to see each other tomorrow," I tried to sound somewhat positive.
"I know but I'm still going to miss you."
"We can always change our minds. Take off tomorrow and never fucking come back," I offered.
"We could but I need to fix things here. It should be easy with mom….Charlie is…." I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss to show her I understood.
"I love you." There was not a truer fact in the world.
"I love you too."
"Until tomorrow?" I was hoping she would catch onto the omission of the word 'goodbye'.
"Yes, until tomorrow."
~*~
Renee stayed for about a week and gave Charlie a verbal bitch slap every time he said anything that could be construed as a nasty comment. She and Bella started to mend their relationship. It would be a long process but both were hopeful. Renee loved Emmett and was always begging for Bella to have him come over.
Bella and I returned to school and didn't even fucking bother playing rumor control. Let them say what they wanted; we could finally walk down the halls, hand in hand, not having to hide shit. Jessica was no longer an issue and we had Rosalie to thank for that. Without Jessica, all her little cronies lost their fucking balls. Even Mike and Tyler kept their fucking mouths shut and later Em and Jazz showed me exactly why Mike Newton stopped trying to piss me off every day. I laughed so hard at that fucking DVD; I almost pissed myself.
Every morning I picked Bella up for school and every morning Charlie stood on the porch until we drove away. He had the principal call him as soon as we arrived at school. He fucking timed that shit. We both caught up on all our classes, though we really didn't miss much. I think all our teachers were just happy that their best students were back.
We tried to follow all Charlie's 'restrictions'. He watched over us like a fucking hawk for two hours every day. Our time together usually consisted of us doing homework and me watching Bella cook dinner. Which I was never allowed to stay and eat. That stupid fuck Charlie always called 'times up' just as she set the food on the table. She always packed leftovers and gave them to me for lunch the next day. That made Em insanely jealous and he whined and cried until Bella started bringing him lunch too. After about a month, she was bringing leftovers for the whole table.
Though we were finally allowed to be public, we both missed our nightly phone call. I hated not being able to be the last thing she heard before she went to sleep. I fixed that real quick and bought her a prepaid cell phone that she kept hidden from Charlie. He did stay true to his word and installed an alarm system, but he never took the time to search her things.
Charlie never fucking warmed up to me. No matter how good I got at faking politeness, he still treated me like the scum off his shoes. He never really forgave Alice or Em for keeping our secret either. They weren't allowed to come over to Bella's house anymore after Renee left. It pissed them both off that Charlie just fucking wrote them off. Carlisle and Esme weren't too pleased that Charlie was still being a dick but what could they do?
As for my grounding, my aunt and uncle got tired of me being in the house and let my off the hook after only two months. I ended up buying back my guitars; Jesse saved them like he said I would. I wanted to start giving Bella lessons again but Charlie, of fucking course, said no.
"She needs to focus on her school work, not be distracted," Charlie grumbled.
"Dad, it's just a fucking guitar lesson," Bella rolled her eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. She had taken to dropping a lot of f-bombs around Charlie. He blamed me.
"I said no," Bella opened her mouth to start yet another fight with her father. This was almost a daily fucking occurrence.
"Bella, it's alright," I always attempted to stop their fights before they happened. You know, try to show Charlie I could be the fucking good guy. It never worked. I stopped trying to bring the guitars over. Eventually, I just stopped talking when he was in the room. Our time together was so limited, I hated when it was interrupted by Bella and Charlie's on-edge relationship.
The remaining months of school fucking dragged. Bella and I were both looking forward to summer because that meant the end of her punishment but it also meant saying goodbye to Emmett and Rose. Rose had been accepted into the New York School of Design and Emmett was following her. I was going to miss that big fucking goofball. Bella cried at their graduation; they were leaving shortly after. Rose wanted to have a summer in the city to explore and since Em was her fucking lap-dog he was going too.
"I'm going to fucking miss you Jelly Belly," Em said after the humongous grad party Alice threw for them was over. Bella was officially off her fucking grounding but we still had to follow some insane restrictions. She was only allowed to attend the party because Esme recruited Renee into bitching at Charlie until he relented.
"I'm going to miss you too Em. Who's going to embarrass me now?" Bella tried to smile through the tears that were running down her cheeks and dripping her chin. Em picked her up into a bear hug and squeezed her tight. "Thank you, for everything, Emmett."
"Anytime. I would have done anything to make Edward less of an emo bitch," Em released Bella and Rose stepped up.
"Bella, I really am going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Rose. Thanks for…you know…taking care of Jessica."
"Oh, no no no. Thank you for giving me a fucking reason to take that bitch down for good," Rose gave Bella an awkward hug and went back to Emmett's side. "We'll see you on break, ok?" Bella nodded and gave her final goodbyes before I took her home. The next few weeks were subdued. Everyone missed them but Esme took it the hardest. Bella cheered her up by inventing new recipes and bring them over to cook for us all.
Over the course of the summer, Bella and I took to bending more and more of the restrictions. We couldn't fucking stand not touching each other. We craved that fucking connection of us being one. We got ballsy and had sex on her couch while Charlie was upstairs taking a shower. I was sure Charlie knew what we were doing but he never caught us, so there wasn't shit he could do.
He already looked like an irrational ass. Bella refused to take off the engagement ring and that infuriated him. We still referred to each other as fiancé; we continued to plan our life together. We said we wouldn't get married as soon as she turned eighteen and we had every intention of keeping that promise. Every plan we made was respectful of Charlie's wishes, yet he shot down everything.
"You're not going to Chicago for school!"
"Why the hell not? I can get financial aid; Edward's grandparents are going to let us stay there. I won't have to pay for housing!"
"You need to stay close to home. You can go to U of W and live in a dorm like a normal person. You aren't shacking up with some guy so you can get a discount on your education."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"I've had about enough of that language!"
"Fine!" Bella stormed out of the kitchen and out the door, slamming it in the process. I hated being around for these fights. They were getting progressively worse. After we came home, we all figured Charlie would eventually just get over it. That was a huge fucking misconception. He seemed to hate me more every day. I was pretty sure that he thought that I would get tired of Bella and leave. I was continuously proving him wrong. Bella and I never fucking wavered from each other.
"This is all your fault," He growled at me. I was so fucking tired of trying to defend myself.
"Whatever, Charlie. You should be happy that she wants to go to school at all. She wasn't planning on it before I came around you know," I stood up and followed Bella outside before this turned into a full scale screaming match. "Are you alright?" I asked as I sat on the porch step next to her.
"Why can't he just accept that you are what I want?"
"I don't know, love. It's only for a little bit longer."
We decided that as soon as we graduated she would move into my house until we left for school. We had already cleared it with Carlisle and Esme. They knew just exactly how much of a dick Charlie was being.
By the time senior year started, our relationship was old fucking news at school. No one cared anymore. Plus the first week of school Mike got caught in the locker room with Eric's dick in his mouth, so we were the last thing people wanted to talk about. Jazz was actually the one to catch them and he spread it around the school so fucking fast, Mike didn't even have the chance to wipe his chin off before everyone knew. I thought Em was going to have a fucking heart attack from laughing so hard when I called and told him.
"I always knew his obsession with fucking girls in the ass had a deeper meaning," Em choked out between fits of laughter. "The Eric thing was a surprise though; I always figured it would be Tyler."
I still worried about when the other shoe was going to fucking drop and eventually it did. It was shortly after Bella's birthday. She and Charlie got into the fight to end all fights. I suppose it was my fault, technically, but Charlie completely fucking lost it for no reason.
Jazz and I were waiting for our girls to finish with their last class when an impromptu soccer game started behind the gym. We were bored and it was a reasonably nice day out. Just as Bella and Alice walked onto the field I kicked the ball as hard as I fucking could for what was supposed to be a winning goal. Ben blocked it with his hands and it flew straight into Bella's face. She ended up having to get stitches on her eyebrow and she sported a nasty fucking black eye. Charlie blew up in the middle of the ER. He told me I was fucking banned from seeing her. That it was only a matter of time before I hurt her. Everyone looked at him like he was on drugs. Ben was even there, trying to explain that it was an accident and it was just as much his fault. He just wouldn't listen; he dragged Bella home, swearing that if I can within fifty feet of her that he was going to throw my ass in jail.
I felt the fear that I'd lost her again creep into my heart. I was already beginning to plan. Alice and Jazz prevented me from speeding over to Bella's house and just fucking taking her. Carlisle said to give it a few days, Charlie would hopefully calm down. I reluctantly agreed; no sense in making it worse. I tried Bella's cell about a million times but she never picked up. I was pacing my room when someone started ringing the door like a fucking maniac.
We all raced downstairs to answer it, though by the time I reached the door I felt that it was my Bella. I beat everyone, swinging the door open and taking her into my arms. She dropped the bags she was holding and cried into my shoulder. "What happened, love?"
"It was horrible. We just couldn't stop screaming at each other. I just packed my shit and drove here. I'm not going back," She looked over at my aunt and uncle with pleading eyes. "Please, can I move in now?"
"Of course, dear. Let's get you set up," Esme guided Bella to the guest room that they had already planned on giving her the following summer. Alice and I unpacked her truck and helped her set up her room. Carlisle gave us some basic ground rules, which we didn't exactly follow but we weren't disrespectful either. We never slept alone again. I sang her to sleep every fucking night. It was perfect.
Rose and Em came to visit over Christmas break and we also invited Renee and Phil. The house was full on Christmas morning and even though she clearly missed Charlie, it was the happiest I'd seen her since the fight. She and Renee weren't one hundred percent yet, but they were definitely on their way. Renee stood by Bella's decision to move into our house and she admitted she hadn't spoken to Charlie since.
Bella never told me any of the details of the fight. "He just said things a father should never say to his daughter."
"You should talk about it, love."
"No…I don't want to you drive over there and kill him. It doesn't matter, I'm here now and you're stuck with me."
"I wouldn't have it any other fucking way."
In February, we all came home to Esme and Carlisle holding three large white envelopes. They turned out to be acceptance letters. We were all going to Chicago; including Jazz who showed up later waving his own letter around. We called the grandparents and told them to get moving on that basement apartment.
The rest of the school year fucking dragged and dragged. Carlisle and Esme wanted to throw us all a huge graduation party; Alice convinced them to let her handle everything and she started planning in March. She wanted it to be the party to end all parties, a goodbye to Forks that everyone would remember. She kept all her plans secret except to Carlisle who only knew because he was footing the fucking bill.
By the time graduation rolled around it was the most talked about party in school and it hadn't even fucking happened yet. I had my own plans for making it special. I wanted to propose to Bella again. She deserved to have it done properly; fully clothed and in front of our family. I convinced Bella to give me the ring so I could have it "cleaned". I was really having it engraved with our initials.
The grad ceremony went off without a hitch. Renee, Phil, Em and Rose were all there. Charlie showed up as well but he stood in the back, barely noticeable. He didn't speak to any of us and as soon as Bella walked across the stage he slipped out the gym doors. I knew it broke her heart to lose her father but she tried not to let it ruin her day. "I have you, Renee, Alice…everyone else. I miss him but you guys more than make up for it."
The whole school showed up at our house for the party. Alice went overboard on the decorations, the food; she even had a live band from Seattle. My family knew what I was planning and Renee gave her official blessing. I knew Bella was going to be completely fucking embarrassed, so I waited until most of the people had left the party.
I got up on the little stage cleared my throat. "Bella, could you come up here please?" Her eyes widened and she shook her head no, but Alice gave her a not so little nudge forward and she stumbled up onto the stage.
"What are you doing?" she whispered through her fake smile. I didn't answer her; I dropped down onto one knee and pulled out the newly engraved ring. She started shaking; I took her left hand in mine and kissed it.
"I know we already consider ourselves to be engaged but this should've been done the right way. I love you so fucking much, Bella. You are my whole life. I never want to be without you. I want to take care of you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"
Bella was fighting back tears. "Yes," she whispered.
We both let out a little chuckle; she still hated to be the center of attention. She cleared her throat and tried again, much louder. "Yes. Of course I will. I love you." My heart swelled as she showed her pride in our relationship, in me.
I slipped the ring back onto her finger where it belonged and stood up to kiss her. Everyone clapped, Em and Jazz let out a few catcalls, Renee and Esme were hugging. We walked off the stage hand in hand and everyone ran in for a rather comical group hug, started by Em, of course.
We were congratulated numerous times and though Bella was fucking beaming, I could tell she was upset about something. I pulled her aside as soon as I got the chance. "You alright?"
"Yeah…" she trailed off. She was silent for a few moments before she continued. "Charlie probably won't be walking me down the aisle."
"Well, it's going to be a few years before we get married, maybe you guys can work it out."
Bella shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Not this time."
"You could ask Phil. Or even Carlisle, I'm sure he would be willing."
"Actually…I was thinking of maybe...asking Emmett…" I busted out laughing and she giggled along with me. "You don't mind do you?"
"Fuck no. Em will love it."
We stayed downstairs until the last person left. Esme hired a professional cleaning crew to come handle the mess the next day.
"I guess since you two are officially engaged now, you can quit sneaking and just share Edward's bedroom. Just...you know…keep it quiet." Carlisle informed us as we said our goodnights. Bella surprised him by throwing her arms around him and hugging him.
"Thank you so much for everything. You and Esme both." She kissed him softly on the cheek and he actually fucking blushed.
"You're welcome, Bella." He mumbled as he returned the hug. We repeated our goodnights and walked up the stairs to our room. Alice and Jazz were close behind, moving into her room. Jazz was given permission to regularly spend the night in Alice's room as well. I was pretty sure that Esme agreed to all this because she was going to hate the empty house when we all left for school. She wanted it as full as possible for now.
Bella and I got ready for bed, having a perfectly timed method for our nighttime routines. We both finished at the same time and crawled into bed, snuggling up close to each other. We were both fucking exhausted. Bella's eyelids were drooping. "I love you, Bella. Forever."
"I love you too, Edward. Forever and ever." I kissed her and sang her favorite song as she drifted off to sleep. We would be leaving soon, starting another chapter of our lives together. I nestled my face into her hair, taking in my favorite scent in the world one last time before I fell asleep. I had that feeling again, the overwhelming sensation that we would grow old together, no matter what, and I couldn't fucking wait.
A/N: *sniffles* i hope you liked the ending. There is still the Epilogue and then...it's...done...*sniffles*
Ok..so..admit it...y'all were PISSED when we totally skimmed over the Jessica stuff weren't you? Don't worry, we know you guys are chomping at the bit for that..so all reviwers get an outtake from Emmett POV telling exactly what Rose did to make Jessica disappear.
So, mine and Miss Snazzy's Halloween Contest went AWESOME and the voting is now going on. Link on my profile! Please try and review all the one shots, us authors live for reviews and they make us happy to be authors.
Stripped was also nominated for a Sparkle Award AND a Moonlight Award. Voting is going on now, so check out my profile for links and info.
Ok..one last thing and I'm done. There is a VERY important cause being promoted within the fandom. Alex's Lemonade. It's a charity that deals with childhood cancer. The Twilight fandom has decided to take part in raising money for this charity. Cancer is an issue that is very close to my heart. Please check out the website for more information :
www (dot) thefandomgivesback (dot) blogspot (dot) com
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