Twilight's by Stephenie Meyer. All hers.

Chapter 37/Breakable

"Mom's planning to see her today," my sister whispered to me. We both looked at Esme and Bella preparing waffles for breakfast. "Have you told her?"

"Not yet," I muttered.

"Well? Now's the time."

I sighed, and pushed my chair away from the table, noisily. Bella looked up at me and I froze, gulping. Alice squeezed my hand in encouragement.

I cleared my throat.

"Mom, Alice will help you." I gave my sister a weak grin. "I need to talk to Bella."

My palms sweating, I turned to the patio door without checking if she was following me. I led her farther into the gardens, to the gazebo.

We haven't been back in the gazebo since the incredible sex we had here before. I smiled a little, remembering. My family was probably wondering why Bella always blushed deep pink whenever someone mentioned the gazebo. Or the library.

I opened the screen door for her. She sat in one of the wicker armchairs, studiously ignoring the day bed.

She was quiet and I could tell she was getting anxious. She wasn't looking at me.

I sat down next to her and took one of her hands in my own. I let out a sigh of resignation.

"Your mother's here, Bella."

She stiffened her body, her face freezing.

"It's alright, I saw her yesterday," I told her quickly.

I waited for her to say something, but she didn't speak.

"Bella," I said, nervous, not sure if I was doing the right thing. "Do you want to stay with your mom?"

Mute.

She tugged at her hand and I let her go.

She was breathing shallowly.

Finally, she looked over at me. It was more a glare than a gaze.

She ignored my question. She looked away, stood up, and she left me there in the gazebo.

That was the first time she had ever left my presence in a temper.

"Bella, open the door," I said. I followed her to our room after she had walked out on me.

Nothing, not even a sound behind the door.

"Bella, please …"

Five minutes passed. I slumped down on the floor in the hallway, waiting. I stared idly at the wall, examining the original paintings displayed there. And as I sat there, dimly aware of my family having breakfast downstairs, I came to a decision.

"Talk to me," I whispered.

There was a noise and I heard a thump on the other side of the door.

"Are you sending me away?" A muffled sob.

"No, baby." I tried to make my voice sound as convincing as I could.

"Do you promise?"

"Yes."

I heard a click as she unlocked the door. I stood up and pushed it opened slowly.

Bella was sitting on the bed, head down, gripping her fingers.

I sat down beside her, but avoiding touching her. Somehow I knew she would not be receptive to any physical contact right now.

Slowly, gauging her reaction with every word I told her, I recounted the meeting with her mother. She smiled a little when I mentioned my lamia quip and I was encouraged by that tiny smile.

"She asked you to ask me if I want to see her?" She frowned at that, as if doubting that Renee would ever even pause to ask her for an opinion.

"She did, Bella." I reached out and gently linked my fingers with hers, feeling her relaxing. "It's up to you. No pressure."

"Why?" She was genuinely baffled.

I lifted her hand and kissed it. "You're a grown-up. She no longer has any control over your life. You do know that, right?"

"But I'm …"

"You're what?"

"I'm unwell," she whispered.

I groaned inwardly, my insides suddenly tightening. How the hell would I answer that? I reply with a lie, tell her no, she was fine? Or, yes Bella, I agree with you you're clinically messed up but what do we do about it?

"Do you remember what you told me? When I brought you here?" I leaned down and kissed her cheek.

She shrugged, refusing to look at me.

"You promised that you would get well."

She turned to me and blinked. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. Then she nodded. "I told you I would get well for you," she said softly.

I waited two seconds then said, "Bella, you will get better for yourself, first."

Her cheeks blushed and I wondered why she looked embarrassed of a sudden. She nodded her head and seemed to sag unto herself.

"What's wrong, baby?" I wrapped an arm around her.

"I … I'd do it for y-you," she whispered so low I almost didn't hear it.

I felt it again, a longing really, for something I couldn't quite yet define. God knows I wanted her, needed her in my life and I was selfish enough to keep her, no matter what.

After a while she lay down on the bed and dragged me with her. She rested her head against my shoulder and I brought an arm around her, tucking her in closer.

"How … what?" She hesitated. "How did she look to you?"

"Your mom? Fine, I guess." I shrugged.

"Was she friendly?"

"Surprisingly, yes she was."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "She was really okay?"

I grinned at her, glad her mood has improved. "I'm actually looking forward to what you would look like in your 40s."

She laughed, poking my stomach. I dodged her tickling fingers and kissed the top of her head. I pulled her back to my side.

And then she fell silent, and I wondered if the implication of what I just told her had hit her.

"She's always beautiful," she whispered now, not ready to bring up the meaning of my comment yet.

"She is," I agreed.

"When she visits me … every time I see her she seemed prettier and prettier."

"Like a blood-sucking vampire who never gets old," I said, mock-biting the soft pad of her forefinger.

She giggled, and sucked on her abused finger. I snatched it from her mouth and licked it. She sighed and smiled.

"What do you think I should do?" She tapped her index finger against my cheek and brought my face near hers. She kissed my mouth, lightly running the tip of her tongue along the inside of my bottom lip. "What do you want me to do, Edward?"

Was it so much to wish that her mother would magically decide I was the answer to her daughter's dilemma all along, and then she would drop off the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again?

The last thing I wanted was to find myself as controlling as Renee seemed to have been all throughout Bella's life. I told her the same thing I told her mother.

"I can't tell you what to do, or how to deal with your mom," I said quietly.

She looked as if she wanted to argue with me then thought better of it.

"But," I continued when she didn't interrupt. "I'll be here, with you, always." And I had to ask, "Are we together, Bella?"

"Always …" She sighed the one word, and I guaranteed her promise with a kiss. She gripped my hair, pulling hard, and I rolled over on top of her, deepening the contact.

"Edward," she gasped. She broke off the kiss and cupped my face in her hands, her thumb stroking my jaw line. I instinctively pressed harder on her, wondering if I had locked the door.

She bit her lower lip and looked down, hiding her eyes from me.

"What is it?"

Her eyes slid slightly to the side and she peeked at me. I was starting to get nervous.

"Bella …"

"I-I think I'd like to see her," she said in a rush.

I nodded grimly and was glad she couldn't see my expression. I sat up, bringing her with me. She immediately slipped her arms around my waist and I hugged her back.

"It's going to be alright," I assured her.

It better be, I thought, resolved. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was going to regret this meeting with her mother.

I raked my hand in my hair and wound one arm around her tightly.

I debated telling her about Esme's own plans with Renee today. I didn't even know when and where, and suddenly I had to know. This talk between the mothers would be very crucial to our setup.

"Stay here, Bella." I kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back with brunch."

My mother was still in the kitchen and Carlisle, thank god, has gone off to work.

"How's Bella?" she asked me as soon as I sat down. She placed a tray on the table. She guessed correctly that I would prefer breakfast in bed with my girl today.

"Cautiously eager. Confused. Torn. Missing her mom." I practically growled the last three words.

"Honey, she's all she's got."

"I'm here," I ground out.

"Not the same." She ruffled my already disheveled hair. "You could be her whole life, but a mother has her own special place in every child's heart. Don't you agree?"

I sighed and managed a very wobbly smile.

"Mom, you know I love you."

"Would you say you love Bella more?"

"Not the same," I said, defeated.

"It's only natural for Bella to miss her mom and more so, in this case, since she's hardly ever present in her life," she said.

She has finished placing plates of thick blueberry waffles, bacon and cheese omelets, and bread sticks on the tray. I got up and poured hot cocoa in mugs and added marshmallows for Bella.

"What are you going to tell her, Mom?"

I had asked her last night to act as my representative, to lobby for me, to convince Bella's mom to let her remain in this house.

"I wish I have all the answers for you, Edward," she said gently.

"Please don't make me beg again, Mom." It wasn't what I had told Bella earlier, but fuck, what I wanted was her and only her, and that means living together in this house. And what was I supposed to say to her? When she asked me what I think she should do? Be a fucking caveman about all this?

Mom hesitated. I could see mixed emotions warring in her eyes.

She did want to help me, to help us – Bella and I – but she was my mother and I could see that she was worried about how attached I had become to the girl now lying in my bed, in so short a time.

Mothers operate in some mysterious maternal code of conduct and as a psychiatrist, her gainful perspective would not allow her to compromise.

"Don't over-think this, honey." She kissed my forehead and pushed the tray towards me. "And yes, I will help you. But do me this one favor."

I let out a relieved sigh and fixed a bright grin on my face.

"Convince her to see her mom," she said.

And I choked off a laugh.

"Done."

Two hours later I received a call from Renee.

"You're a sneaky one, aren't you?" She said the words in a light tone. She was obviously striving to sound teasing, but I heard the steel in her voice.

And I knew. "You said no to my mother."

"What I told your mother is that I will think about it."

She was saying a lot of things here and I wished I wasn't being too paranoid about all of this. I felt numbed and heavy, and I briefly fantasized about wrapping the phone cords around her neck.

"What's there to consider, Renee? Bella loved it here, with us." I tried to make my voice sound calm but it was starting to become a real effort to be friendly.

She was quiet for too long that I thought the line was cut off. Then she said, "I want to see her tonight."

"I'll ask her."

"Edward," she started in a sharp tone. "Tonight. Bring my daughter to my apartment."

When I didn't reply immediately, she added a hasty, "Please."

Oh, she was a piece of work! Bella wouldn't be able to handle her mother, at all. I knew that now.

"We'll be there." It was best to get this meeting out of the way, now than later. The sooner Bella realize what she wanted, and where she wants to be, the better for us. I was confident enough to know that she would prefer to stay with me.

And having gotten her way, Renee poured on the charm again. She dictated the address and then acted as if she wasn't almost snarling at me a while ago.

"I'll see you soon, Edward!" She was practically gushing and I find it extremely irritating.

Bella was quiet during the drive to her mother's place. I reached out and clasped her cold hand, bringing it to my lap. She glanced at me for a brief moment, gave me a tight smile, and stared out of the window the rest of the way.

Renee's apartment was on the 10th floor of a new a building. I had been here before so I was familiar with the place. I opted for a valet service instead of parking across the street.

The doorman was expecting us and led us directly to the elevators.

Bella grabbed my hand when the elevator doors closed and she held it all the way up to Renee's. I leaned down and kissed her cheek before I rang the bell.

"Bella!"

Renee was already crying and she moved to embrace her daughter. Bella was stunned and she held her arms stiffly to her sides while her mother was sobbing against her shoulder.

She let go of Bella finally and sniffing, reached up to kiss my cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

I tried, I really did. But I wasn't buying it. I would admit that she did have affection for her one and only child but I couldn't help my sarcastic thoughts.

She led us into her apartment. It was mid-sized with two bedrooms and a study, she said. From the doorway, one could see everything – the living room, dining room and the kitchen. It was the kitchen's view that held Bella's attention.

"It's breathtaking, isn't?" Renee noticed her fascination.

The kitchen was perhaps the biggest area in the condo, it was well-lighted, very modern, and to someone who liked cooking, it would be perfect. I smirked at the thought. So it begins …

Bella has yet to speak, but I could see that she wasn't resisting the lure that was her mother.

"Do you still love cooking, Bella?"

She nodded. She walked slowly around the kitchen, touching steel, white panels and maple stained wood.

I stayed in the living room, watching mother and daughter together. My heart was pounding. What the fuck was going on now?

"Would you like to see the bedrooms?"

That stopped Bella's wandering. She paused and looked at me. She walked over to where I stood and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Alright," she told her mom.

She smiled up at me and took my hand while Renee toured us around the apartment. She prattled on excitedly about the smaller room she was probably envisioning as Bella's. This one has the best view of all the rooms.

Finally, we sat down to dinner.

"I don't cook so these are all take out," she said apologetically.

"Your choices looked delicious," I said, civil and courteous like Esme taught me to be. After a few bites of the chicken parmesan, Renee and I tried to plug the hole of silence with small talk.

"I do public relations for a multinational company," she said when I asked her about her work.

"Based in Europe?" I asked.

"New York," she said, and before I could mull the idea of her relocating to New York soon, she dashed my hopes. "But we have an office here in Chicago."

Fucking great.

Then she turned to her daughter, who was still silent. "Do you like this place, Bella?"

Bella froze and under the table, I placed my hand on her thigh, an attempt to soothe her.

"I do," she said quietly.

I stared at Renee who refused to meet my eyes.

Her mother did her own starting at Bella for several moments, then her lips spread into a slow, satisfied smile.

"I'm so happy you're here, Bella."

After the short dinner, Renee managed an "alone" time with her daughter in one of the rooms. She practically dragged her in there and firmly shut the door.

I stood facing the huge French windows in the living area. I had made my proverbial bed and I was lying on it now. And I wasn't pleased with how this entire encounter was progressing.

For what seemed like a half hour, or more, they finally emerged from the bedroom. I felt an invisible kick in my stomach when I saw Bella smiling.

It was time to go.

Renee embraced her awkwardly again and when she turned to me, her smile of goodbye was a little smug.

The next day, Bella made a decision.

"One month," she said, gnawing at her bottom lip anxiously, looking at me from across the room.

I was staring at her in surprise, in dismay.

"She said ... she said she wanted to get to know me," she stammered when I remained silent. "She … she pleaded with me, Edward. She said to give her just one month."

I sat on my sofa, motionless, staring at her in blank disbelief. She was pacing the room, her hands pulling on her fingers in her agitation and in her excitement.

"She wants to be with me!" she exclaimed, throwing herself onto my lap.

I slowly pulled her face out of its position on my neck and tried to smile at her.

"Is this what you really want?" I asked, in what I hoped was a neutral tone.

"Just one month, Edward," she whispered.

"One month."

"Yes, one month," she insisted.

I looked at the woman who had so unexpectedly fallen into my life. Her pretty chestnut hair was shiny and the sunlight was picking up red tinges in the tangles. And her eyes … her eyes sparkled with optimism like a little orphan whose long lost mother has come for her at last.

God, I hoped not.