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Chapter 35: Harsh realities

The Isabella of five years ago would have withered from embarrassment. The Bella of today didn't like scenes but she didn't back down from bullies. Kate looked at me all smug, her perfect white blond hair like an evil halo. Her response had the desired effect with her grandparents. Mrs. Cullen gasped and Mr. Cullen's expression went from bland but polite to disgusted.

However, unfortunately for Kate and her grandparents, the days of me caring what they said was done.

I raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Kate. "Yes, I'm that Swan daughter but I stopped being Isabella Hunter after my divorce several years ago."

"That's right, like I said, her name is Bella Swan and the best thing that has ever happened to me," Edward said, pulling me to his side, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Yes, I'm sure," Mr. Cullen said sarcastically, his eyes boring into his grandson.

"We're being rude to our guest, I suggested we adjourn to the dining room before Bella thinks we have absolutely no manners," Carlisle said sternly.

"Sounds good to me – I'm starving," Garrett said, stroking his belly. He had a bit of a paunch but he seemed like a very jovial man. For some reason, I liked him, bitch wife and all.

Quietly, I walked to the dining table, knowing that we were going to have an interesting dinner. Edward pulled my chair out for me as the other men did. Kate and Mrs. Cullen were sitting across from me. Edward was next to me and his parents were on the opposite ends of the table.

"So Mrs. Hunter –" Mrs. Cullen started.

"Ms. Swan," I corrected her.

"My apologies Miss Swan," she said, being as condescending as possible.. I let it slide since being Miss. Swan was infinitely better than Mrs. Hunter.

"Yes?"

"What do you with your time?" she asked.

"I'm a student and I worked part-time in woman's shelter," I told her.

"Bella just graduated with her bachelor's degree in psychology," Edward said proudly, stroking my arm.

"Whatever for?" Mr. Cullen demanded. Even through his daughter-in-law had graduated from Barnard, I guessed the concept of woman going to college for anything other than husband hunting was foreign.

"I'm continuing in graduate school at Columbia for my master's degree. I'd like work in a family practice for counseling," I answered.

"Columbia huh? I had heard that they started letting women attend. I do not know what this country is coming to. Letting women and men mix in school together? I never thought I'd see the day that Harvard would allow that nonsense," Mr. Cullen answered shaking his head.

My graduate school plans obviously didn't impress Edward's grandparents.

"Well, Grayson times are changing," Esme replied annoyed, "I, for one thing it's marvelous that Bella is going to Columbia. It's a wonderful school and they're lucky to have her. Edward was telling me about her work at the women's shelter. Service is a wonderful occupation for young people."

"What did you do at this shelter?" Mrs. Cullen asked, since apparently service work was an alien concept. I supposed for her it was. My guess was that Edith Cullen's thoughts on charity and service began and ended with her writing out a check to whatever institution she was supporting.

"Well at the beginning I worked as a receptionist but as my experience and education grew I eventually start counseling some of the battered women who lived there," I explained, taking a sip of wine. "My personal experience helped a lot."

Mr. Cullen humphed again. "That's a lot of poppycock. Young people these days make vows and forsake them when it's inconvenient."

"I beg to differ Mr. Cullen," I retorted, thinking of my misfortune with James and some of the other women I had seen over the years. "Sometimes you think you're buying a Rolls Royce and you end up with a lemon."

Mr. Cullen sputtered for a moment. Garrett jumped in and started laughing. "You've got a real pistol here Edward. Bella, you're a wonderful step up from Irina."

"Garrett!" Kate retorted, "She is one of my best friends."

"From what I remember from school she was extremely friendly," I replied, thinking back to finishing school when she prey on the weaker girls and sleep with any boy who had a pedigree.

"You went to school with Irina?" Kate asked in surprised. I guess Kate didn't meet Irina until Edward started dating her.

"We were in the same finishing school. She hasn't changed much," I said looking the clock hoping time would go faster. This dinner was starting to remind me more of my parents' dinner parties from the old days with my in-laws.

"How did you and Edward meet?" Kate asked, after a moment.

"My brother's funeral last winter," I responded quietly.

"Oh, my condolences," Mrs. Cullen said, a note of true sympathy in her eyes. "I lost my brother during World War I in France."

"War is ghastly business," Mr. Cullen agreed and then pointed his fork at Edward, his earlier comments on spousal abuse traded for something almost as awful. "For the life of me I couldn't understand why this one wanted to enter this godforsaken war and in the infantry too! Honestly Edward, if you had to join the army why not as an officer!"

"Grandfather!" Kate exclaimed, the first decent emotion I had seen from her. "You

have beaten this to death! Edward had his reasons and it was an honorable thing that he did."

"Exactly like my brother," I retorted, looking at Edward who looked drained.

I could see why he felt the need to escape. The only people I liked here other than Edward were Esme and Carlisle. Garrett was okay and Kate's defense of her brother was only thing she'd said that made her remotely human.

"Kate is right, enough of this Father, we should be thankful that Edward is home safely," Carlisle said sternly.

Mr. Cullen humphed again and turned his attention to another subject that continued Edward's misery. "Edward, now that you're home you need to start thinking of law or business school. You need to get serious boy, you're going to be 30 in a few years."

"Grandfather, Edward just got back..." Kate started to say.

"No, Kate it's fine," Edward said speaking up, "You're right Grandfather. I've made some decisions about my future. I'm going to move to New York."

"New York, is it because of Miss. Swan?" Mrs. Cullen asked, frowning. She looked at my hand for a moment. I had to stifle a giggle. She probably thought Edward and I were engaged. She looked at my naked ring finger relieved and then frowned again, assuming her grandson was going to live in sin with a fallen woman.

"I won't deny that Bella is part of the reason but there are other considerations. Bella's sister-in-law has named me godfather of her baby so I would like to be there to help if she needs it. I also have the chance to attend graduate school."

"Oh, well great Edward, what are you going to study?" Mr. Cullen asked.

Edward took a deep breath. "Photography, I have a chance to join NYU's fine arts program."

"Photography," Mr. Cullen sputtered, "You mean you want to take pictures."

"Father!" Carlisle snapped.

"Dad," Edward shook his head, "Yes, I'm interested in photography and I'm pretty damn good at it."

"Edward, the Cullens have been lawyers, bankers, economists since the Mayflower. Professionals! Even your father has some sort of professional degree. Common as it is."

"Father, my degree is hardly common," Carlisle said putting his napkin down.

"As a Cullen myself," Esme said heated, "there is nothing wrong with arts and making a profession with it."

"Doing what exactly Esme? Acting like a bum? A beatnik or a hippie?" Mrs. Cullen said distastefully.

"Exactly," Kate replied, echoing her grandmother, "Edward, you need to find a future. You had a future when you were with Irina." She gave me a pointed glance with that one.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself..

"Actually there is a lot you can you do with MFA. You can work for a magazine or newspaper as a staff photographer. You can work in advertising or teach. Those are only a few things I can think of off the top of my head. My sister-in-law has a bachelors in fine arts and she works as assistant editor at Vogue. Vanessa submitted some of Edward's work to her boss and he has freelance work for Edward when we get settled in New York."

You would think the possibility of work would have been enough to satisfy these people but they only heard the part when I said "when we get settled in New York."

"Wait, what do you mean when "we get settled"?!" Kate exclaimed, "Are you getting married?"

"Nope," Edward smirking at his sister and shocked grandparents and then announced proudly, "We're going to live in sin! Bella is going to introduce me to a whole new group of marijuana smoking beatniks and hippies in the village."

The looks on their faces were priceless the whole situation was too much so I did the only logical thing I could think of, I laughed, loudly. Apparently, I wasn't the only one because Garrett joined me.

"You earned that one Kate," he said between chuckles.

"Garrett," Kate hissed.

"Katherine," Garrett retorted, his jolliness evaporating, "I think you should be thankful that your brother is back and in one piece. Hasn't that been your primary concern for the last few years?"

Kate became very quiet. I guess the idea that her husband wouldn't agree with her hadn't crossed her mind. I got the feeling that Kate wore the pants in their family but Garrett spoke up when he felt the need and she backed down.

"Well said Garrett," Esme said smiling at her son-in-law, "Let's eat."

Other than my graduation brunch that James and Felix crashed, this was the most awkward meal I had ever attended. I could not believe that Edward or his parents were related to these people.

I couldn't get over how shallow Kate was. I had to wonder if I was looking into a mirror. If I hadn't left New York when I did would I be like her? So disapproving? Would I have acted like this if James hadn't been such a bastard?

It was funny where fate took us. I would like to think that I would be different but who knew. If it wasn't for Nessie, I would probably be turning my car around and move back to the California. I knew that more of this behavior was waiting for me in New York.

Edward seemed to know my turmoil. He kept squeezing my hand during the meal. It didn't escape the attention of Kate or her grandmother who frowned every time that he showed me affection. Garrett and Mr. Cullen were oblivious to everything once we began eating in earnest..

Somehow I made it through that horrible dinner, thankful that we were leaving for New York the next day.

Edward had done his duty and it was obvious that the other Cullens were not going to be receptive to his new life. I understood better than ever why Edward wanted to get away from here. One meal with his whole family and I knew how claustrophobic he must have felt.

I was beginning to regret what I had said about giving his sister a chance. She was a grade A bitch. Here she sat with her brother's new girlfriend and she was shoving his ex-finance in his face at every turn. Who does that?

.

Fortunately, dinner was nearly over and we only had dessert and cocktails to get through and this evening would be over. The one good thing I could say about the Cullens was that they weren't drinking like a fish. An image of Mary ran through my mind as I remembered the confrontation we had after Jake's funeral.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom," I told Edward, getting up to the powder room. He nodded and I went to go fix my makeup.

I looked at the mirror, wondering what I was getting myself into. I left New York to get away from all of this and now it was smacking me in the face. The first guy I had felt any interest in for years was a part of the same social system.

What was the old saying? Birds of the same feather flock together, I thought.

Rose would have told me to get a grip. Then she would have reminded me that anything worth having took a lot of work. With my steel spine in place, I left the security of the power room and ran right into Kate.

"Isabellaaa," she drawled my name.

"Yes Kate?" I replied, not impressed.

"First, I want to thank you for bringing my brother home," she said.

Whoa, I thought, wasn't expecting that.

"But," she continued, "You need leave him alone. He spent three years in the army. He needs to be with his family and find a girl worthy of the Cullen name. Edward also needs find a respectable career."

And there it was, I thought, the crux of all of this. I'm divorcee and encouraging her brother into Bohemia.

"Kate, what exactly is your problem with me? I'm college educated, come from a good family. Frankly, I'm a great catch," I told her.

"You're divorced and you know as well as I do that in our world that makes you damaged goods," Kate replied as frankly.

That hurt because she was right. "Well that is for your brother to decide," I told her calmly, "And for the record, I know why he broke up with Irina. I don't see how me being divorced is any worse from Irina sleeping around on him."

Kate winced like I slapped her. "Edward was just confused and Irina had been very lonely," Kate explained like I was a child. She knew that Edward hadn't imagined that scene with Irina. "You openly walked out on your husband."

"Wrong, I left my husband because he was an abusive bastard, not because I had an urge to humiliate my family. You should try giving your brother the benefit of the doubt or you're going to lose him."

"How dare you say that! I know my brother better than anyone, including you. I'll have you know that the Cullens are a great family that spans back further than the Swans," she hissed.

"Kate, your family is about as old as mine. Maybe your ancestors stepped off the Mayflower first and my mine walked off second into Plymouth Rock but in the real world no one gives a damn about that!" I hissed back, having enough of this stuck-up girl's attitude. "And if Edward and I want to be together, we'll be together. You need to back off!"

"Bella is right because outside of Boston and maybe New York, no one cares if I become a stockbroker or if I marry hooker," Edward said coming into view.

Kate immediately paled. She knew that she was screwed and I was hurt for Edward. This entire evening his family had been treating him like a child and me like a tramp. He had reached his boiling point a while ago and I knew this scene probably made him snapped.

"Bella, can you please give me and my sister a moment alone?" Edward asked calmly. A little too calmly, he looked a little like he did with Lyle last night.

"Why don't we go for a walk babe," I told him, putting my arm on him. Last thing he needed to do was say something he was going to regret.

Apparently, I said the wrong thing or Kate was plain stupid because she freaked out.

"He's not your babe!" she screeched.

That got Esme, Carlisle, Garrett, and Mr. and Mrs. Cullen into the hallway. "Kate!" Esme exclaimed, when she caught sight of her daughter screaming at Edward

.

"Mother, how can you be so calm about this!" Kate yelled.

Garrett went over to calm his wife but she couldn't be stopped. It was like watching a train wreck.

"Kate you need to calm down, Edward is a grown man," Carlisle said, hoping to reason with her.

"Father how can you be so cavalier about this? What about our family name? How about my boys? Can you imagine what shame this going to bring? Edward becoming a professional bum, living with a divorced woman, whose sister is a drug addict!" Kate yelled, becoming more unhinged by the moment.

"Kate, you're being vulgar," Mrs. Cullen said to her granddaughter. That got Kate's attention and she started to calm down. But then that old bat turned her fangs to me.

"But you are right Kate. Carlisle, you can't be serious about allowing this to continue. It was one thing when you married Esme but at least she was pure." Esme snorted at that one.

"I'm sorry to break your perception, Edith, but neither Carlisle and I were pure when we got married," she said.

Mrs. Cullen continued unfazed. "Nevertheless, as you pointed out Esme, it was the perception and even with your obvious deficiencies you passed muster."

Carlisle turned bright red and looked like he was going to say something when Edward put his hand out to stop his father.

"For a group of people who like to say they're the cream of society, this has been to be the most disgraceful evening that I've ever been to. Listen up because I'm going to say this once, I love Bella. She makes me happy and I haven't felt that way in a long time," Edward told them firmly.

"Edward..."Kate started to say.

"No Kate, you need to listen," Edward snapped, "You didn't listen to me when I left back in May and I told you Irina was fucking around on me. You better be glad that Bella and I ran into each other because I was one way trip away from getting baked and bumming my way around California down to Mexico. She's saved me in ways that you can't even imagine and if you or grandmother call her damaged goods again this will be the last you see of me."

"Edward son," Mr. Cullen said, glaring at me.

"Grandfather, I'm being serious. If you want to cut me off, fine, don't worry. The things that I have seen are a lot worse than being cut off from an inheritance. I'm moving to New York, I'm going to study photography and if she'll continue to have me, I'll be with Bella."

Mr. Cullen opened his mouth to speak but he didn't couldn't seem to form works. Finally, Carlisle spoke up.

"And he'll have his mother's and my support. Don't test this Father. This didn't work when I came home with Esme and it won't with Edward. He's my son after all."

Mr. Cullen just stuttered. "Well – well, I never…" he said.

"Yes you have Grayson. Both you and Edith did when Carlisle announced our engagement. You couldn't control us and you can't control our son. Unfortunately, you seem to control Kate and for that I'm truly sad. Kate, I raised you better than this,' Esme said.

"Mother," Kate said appalled at her mother's words.

"No, you listen to me Kate. Edith and Grayson, I'm including you two in this as well. I'm not ashamed of my roots. Being hardworking and blue collar doesn't make you common, it makes you tough like steel. My father made me tough and I'm proud to his daughter," Esme said not bending, and then directed this to her daughter,

"Acting like a bigot makes you common Kate. Ignoring your heritage or choosing to forget where you come from makes you a hypocrite. And making someone feel two inches tall for making a difficult decision when you've had a cushiony life makes you a snob. All three of you owe Bella and Edward an apology."

Three in question looked at Esme like she had grown a second head. Mrs. Cullen looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't get the words. Mr. Cullen looked like a tomato but Kate looked sickly. Garrett looked furious and turned to me and Edward. For a moment, I thought he was going say something in her defense. Kate looked relieved until Garrett opened his mouth.

"Bella, it was a delight to meet you this evening. I'm sorry for the way you were treated tonight. Best of luck to you and your new nephew or niece. Please give my best to Nessie, she and your brother were always gracious to me and my family. I'm sorry we couldn't return the favor to you this evening. Jake was very good friend of mine too. Please send our regards to your parents.," Garrett said, "Edward my apologies tonight. For what it's worth, I think you're making the right decision. In all aspects of your life. Kate, we're leaving now."

"Thanks Garrett, when you're on business in New York next, please look me up," Edward said extending a hand to him.

"Will do – forward me your number once you're settled. Maybe next time you're in town, we'll take the boys fishing." With that Garrett took his wife by the elbow and marched out of there. I half expected Carlisle to say something but he stayed quiet, shocked by his daughter's behavior.

"Edward?" Kate called as she left the room. He just shook his head as his sister left.

"Mother and Father you know the way out," Carlisle told his parents, take his wife's arm.

"Now see here Carlisle..." Mr. Cullen started to say.

"See what Father? You and Mother made it very clear how you feel about my wife and my son. You should have been grateful that Esme bailed you all those years ago, against my judgement. For you to even imply that Esme is less than worthy because she was born to a coal miner, after all she's done for this family, is insulting. I'm not going to stand by and let your bigotry pollute my home that my wife and I built. It's bad enough that you've managed to program Kate to be shallow. I'm just sorry that Bella had to witness this disgraceful behavior."

I felt myself go beet red as all eyes were now on me. "If it's just the same, I'm going upstairs. We've got a long drive tomorrow. Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," I told them, as politely as I could. Wishing them a good night or saying it was nice to meet them was clearly hypocritical.

"I'll walk up with you," Edward replied, "Grandmother, Grandfather. Mom, Dad, we'll see you in the morning."

"Edward, you don't have to leave you could stay until school begins for you," Mrs. Cullen pleaded, finally finding her voice, obviously not believing the reality unfolding around her.

"No Grandmother. Like I said earlier, Bella is a part of my life and is going to stay for as long she was wants to be. If you were listening this evening you'd know that she's saved me in the all the ways that matter. You should be thanking her that I'm here making plans for the future and not getting high in the desert somewhere."

And with that, Edward took my arm and we went upstairs together and stronger.

AN: Again special thanks to LSU for your fabulous beta skills. So how did Edward do? I know some people were concerned that he was going to be a wallflower. How about Carlisle? Anyone think that Kate is redeemable? Hmmm – time will tell.

Next up – back to New York. Renee, Mary Alice, Nessie, Charles. Nessie and Jake's baby. Much to cover.

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to read/review/favorite/follow this story. It's been a busy few months – hope to update more regularly soon. Hope everyone has a happy holiday!