Chapter 36: Dust and Sand

I am not high on cold medication. Swears. I am, however, sick. I had my flu shot, too. *sigh*

Our music:

"Hound Dog," by Elvis Presley

When they said, you was high classed
Well, that was just a lie
You know, they said, you was high classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine

You ain't nothin but a hound dog
Cryin all the time
You ain't nothin but a hound dog
Cryin all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
You ain't no friend of mine

o~o~0~o~o

Tuesday, March 11, 2004:

420 Woodcroft Ave, Forks

It's essentially impossible to exceed the speed limit in a cube van. Even for us. The van just can't take the vibration caused by high velocity. By the time we'd slipped past Salt Lake City in the night, the brakes were grinding.

Regardless, we rumbled to a stop in front of our house at noon (under the perplexed glare of Rosalie) ahead of any schedule a human might devise. Titch was out of the vehicle before I'd even put it in park. I'd expected her and Jazz to disappear for a while, but the second I slid out from behind the wheel, I was surrounded by shrieking, back-slapping, overjoyed family members. Emmett the Megalophonous lifted me right off my feet.

The cat was, obviously, out of the bag. Bella didn't even notice the racket. She'd been stretched out with her legs across my lap and her head in Titch's arms for the past six hours. She was still asleep in the truck's cab.

"Baby Brother! You got married without me?" Emmett boomed.

"Emmett!" I hissed and drew my finger across my throat, cutting a look toward Bella. I switched to vampire pitch while everyone hung on my response. "Bella publicly acknowledged our bond, claimed me for her mate and said she wanted to love me forever, but she did not agree to a legal contract with me. It's not a proper marriage and you know it."

"It may not be a traditional Christian marriage," Carlisle said as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the temple, "but it's an everlasting commitment that would be recognized in most societies as one. Congratulations, Boy." They're a step closer to forever.

"Thanks." He passed me to Esme, who was as soggy as one might expect. Maybe more.

"Congratulations on your bonding."

"Thank you."

"Now, Bella is really our daughter. We are… so thrilled." Her lip trembled.

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, me too, but don't make a big deal of it, okay? It'll scare her away."

"Are we allowed to congratulate her?" Esme checked.

"As long as you congratulate her on our bonding, not on a marriage. She's a bit sensitive concerning the subject of marriage. After meeting her mother, I can see why."

Em asked what everyone was thinking. "What's your future mother-in-law like?"

"Honestly?"

They all urged me to answer.

"Bit of a train wreck."

"That's putting it mildly," Titch said.

"Edward?" Rosalie offered me her hand and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. "Congratulations."

"Y-you're not opposed?" I was gobsmacked. Rose wiped lipstick off my cheek.

"I think," she breathed, "I might be flogging a dead horse."

"I don't know how long I can keep Bella human," I admitted. "I had a slip. It was a close call, I almost changed her."

Rosalie's forehead creased. "Was she upset about it?"

"She told me she doesn't want to be a vampire right now, that she's too young. But she said if I had accidentally changed her that she would have forgiven me and that she'd love me anyway. And then, she let Elvis bind us together." I couldn't keep my smile from creeping back.

"But you'll give Bella the choice?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "To be honest, I don't know if there is a choice anymore. I want to honour her wishes, including her wish to remain human at this time, but it's… Sometimes, I just stop thinking."

Rosalie nodded, looking like she might cry. "That's what I thought."

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to learn to control myself so that I will never hurt her. But there's a very real possibility that I will fail."

"I understand. I can't imagine turning my back on Emmett; I could never have allowed him to die." Her lip trembled. "You love her, and she loves you back. So I'll love her, too."

My still heart threatened to bust wide open. "You will?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! We all understand that at the very least, you're betrothed. She's family now."

"Thanks." The door handle of the cube van clicked; Bella was about to join us.

Rose flung up her hand dismissively in the air. "All I can say is she'd better never hurt my brother."

"I love him," Bella said. "He's my mate."

Rose bit her bottom lip and nodded. She opened her arms, slowly wrapped them around Bella, and backed up quickly. Her nostrils flared and with gentle fingertips, she turned Bella's head to the side.

Everyone saw my mark and froze into stunned disbelief. The mental onslaught began.

"Why aren't you one of us?" Rose rasped.

Bella peeked at me and turned red. "I told him to stop. I'm not ready."

Rose looked at me as though she was utterly lost. "And you stopped?"

I couldn't look at her. She would be so disappointed in me if I admitted to everyone that I wouldn't have been able to stop on my own.

"I helped him stop," Titch said. "And then he ran off to feed and when he came back, he was fine."

"You left your mate, your Singer? To feed off an animal?" Jasper asked, eyes clouding from gold to black. I've never seen the like.

"She told me, 'no'."

Rosalie's jaw went slack, her expression tragic. You are such a good man. I know you will do right by her. You love her like Emmett loves me. Forgive me for doubting you. She pulled me close and released me, then kissed the tip of her finger and pressed it to Bella's cheek. "Welcome to the family," she said shakily. And then, she vanished into the house. Bella looked stunned.

"Whoa, Baby!" Emmett sang, his eyes twinkling. "I'll join you in a sec'. Proud of you, Honey!"

Up in her room, Rosalie blew out her breath.

Em picked Bella up and swung her in a circle. "You really are my sister now. I couldn't be happier. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Em. Can you put me down now, please?"

"I dunno, Kid. I kinda like carrying you around like a toddler."

Bella smiled dangerously. "If you put me down nicely, I'll tell you all about Elvis."

"Elvis?" He set her smartly on her feet.

"Now, you just hold up a minute, there, Bro," Jasper said. "I have not yet offered my congratulations to the lady." He stretched out his hand, palm up, and allowed Bella to grip the ends of his fingers.

"Thank you, Jasper."

He bowed rapidly and straightened, but left her fingers upon his. "Miss Bella, I am thrilled to present you and Edward with my heartfelt best wishes for a long, happy life together. Welcome to the family."

"Thanks."

"Awesome!" Emmett exclaimed. "Now, tell me about the King!" Bella gave me a warm smile and placed her hand on his arm. Emmett escorted her inside. Titch latched onto Carlisle and Esme and pulled them into the house, too, chattering the whole time.

Jasper set his hand on my shoulder and reflected my happiness back at me.

How'd you do it?

"What?"

Consummate. There's barely a mark on her. How'd you do it without killing her?

I shook my head with increasing vigour and he gripped my shoulder harder.

You didn't?

I shook my head forcefully. Jasper started to shake his head, too. His eyes began to bulge.

"It's impossible!" he declared quite loudly.

"I've barely touched her. I can't. I get carried away too easily. It's really hard, I don't know how long-"

He held up his hand to me and marshalled his thoughts. He licked his lip. Then, he reached out and caressed the air in front of my chest, and splayed his hand out in an arc toward the door as though he was running his hand along a railing.

"Can you See it?"

"See what?"

He touched my shoulder again, looking at me almost like he was angry. "Okay. You are going to think about how wonderful your mate is and I am going to try and add some colour to your connection."

I was stunned. "Do you mean to say that you can See my bond?"

"Naw, I can't See shit but I can feel it. Show me!"

I shut my eyes and imagined putting my hands on my mate's waist to guide her dance steps while the King crooned us a love song. Ribbons cascaded from her hair and roses bloomed upon her cheeks. Her eyes shone…

Jasper gasped. I Saw myself standing in the drive, adoration radiating toward my mate, and then, Jasper tried to imagine colour onto what he could feel. "Can you See it?"

"No."

He clapped his hand down on the back of my neck and pressed our foreheads together. A white and yellow column of light poured out of my chest and travelled toward the closed door and through it, toward Bella.

"What is that?"

"You know dang-well."

I opened my eyes and Saw myself rejoicing. "That, Brother, is your bond." And after the years of angst and depression with which you have tortured me, you can let me feed off this for a spell.

"That isn't it's true size, surely. It doesn't feel like that, it feels like a rope." It had to be almost a foot in circumference.

Jasper added his other hand to the back of my neck and glared at me intently. "I am not amplifying it at all." It's stronger than Rose and Em's. It's as strong as Esme and Carlisle's. It's nearly as strong as mine and Alice's.

"But… how can that be?"

"It has to be a talent. You!" He pointed a finger at me and then poked me in the chest. "Must transform your mate and fulfill this potential before it is lost."

Dread crept into my desiccated veins. "Lost?"

Jasper rested his forehead against mine with a sigh. Making this tangible for you is hard work. The white and yellow column became visible to me again. "Your bond is fragile. Extremely dependent upon emotions. Imagine her hugging that Jacob Black."

A handful of black spots bled into the whiteness of the bond.

"Jealousy. Doubt. Hurt feelings. Resentment. These things will destroy your bond over time, savvy?"

"I won't let them."

"Your emotions are stronger than those of many. Beware."

"I will."

Jasper gave me a slap on the back and slung his arm around my neck. We went inside and found Bella holding court in the family room, where Emmett was looking over the scarf Elvis had given her, and an autographed postcard.

"I shouldn't be the one getting presents," he said with a dazed expression. "I should be giving you a present."

"Ooh! Presents!" Titch shrieked, clapping her hands.

Bella ignored her. "I think Edward and I would both agree that you're the biggest Elvis fan around. I wouldn't appreciate that scarf nearly as much as you will. Now, I'm eager to know what you think it smells like because my sense of smell is pathetic."

Emmett brought the scarf up to his face. "Well, I can smell you, Edward and Alice. And sage, silk… gold, leather and cinnamon?"

"Wow." Bella nodded. "That's actually… not too different than Edward smells to me."

Em smirked at me. "Same haircut for how many years?"

I sat on the blue couch next to Bella. "Can it, smarta-" Junior ran out of my collar and puffed up his dewlap at Em, who exploded into laughter.

"Edward!" Esme huffed forbiddingly. Then she noticed Junior, recoiled and placed her hand on her chest. "Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson!"

"What the fuck is that?" Em pointed at Bella's pet.

"Emmett! Swears jar!" Esme snapped.

Titch bounced over and picked up the lizard. "It's Junior. He's Bella's pet."

"Junior?" Emmett gawped. "Do you have some competition in Phoenix, Bro?"

I gave Bella the hairy eyeball. "No, Emmett. Bella named the poor creature after me."

Half my family busted out laughing. Even Rosalie.

Bella tucked her face into my side. "Edward is a strong, fine name."

Emmett inspected Junior, who was swaying back and forth like a four inch long dragon on his toothpick legs with his dewlap stuck out. "Oh, yeah. I can see the resemblance, now."

Rosalie brought Emmett a Ziploc baggie, biting her lip so she wouldn't laugh, and he gently put Elvis' scarf in it. She smelled it tentatively, and zipped it shut. "Be nice to Edward, or I'll hide this for a week."

"Meanie." He kissed her knuckles and she sat down with him on the red couch. He looked at Bella, who was blinking sleepily. "So, Bella, I'm sure most of us would like to give you and Edward a gift for your w-bonding. Are you going to let us?"

"Actually," I said, "Bella needs some bookcases since Renee wouldn't let us bring hers. Would you be able to fix up those old ones in the basement?"

What ones? There aren't any… Oh. Ohh… "Sure. I'll slap some fresh paint or lacquer or whatever on them and we can bring them over in Bella's truck on Thursday."

"Thank you, Emmett," Bella said. "Maybe I can get some of my girlfriends over to help me unpack."

Titch sat up straight and gave Bella the puppy dog eyes.

"Oh. Would you like to come over on Thursday, Alice? And Rose?"

"Yes!" Titch squealed.

Rose smiled. "That would be very nice. Thank you, Bella."

"Jazzy," Titch asked, "did Bella's gift come in the mail?"

He raised a brow. "e-Bay? Extremely fragile?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Where is it?"

"Upstairs."

"Could you please put it in Bella's rrr-" Titch checked herself abruptly and peeked at Esme remorsefully. "Sorry."

They actually had managed to surprise me. Esme smiled a trifle nervously. I hope you won't mind, Edward. "Bella, I, that is, Carlisle and I-"

Carlisle took over. "-know how tired you get sometimes and how hard it is to find a spot to nap. Edward's couch isn't… We hope you won't be offended; we didn't want to make any assumptions. Esme and I have made a retreat for you, next to my office. It's not much, but-"

Bella's expression was hard to read. "You made me a room?"

Esme folded her hands together. "Well, we didn't want to alter Edward's space without permission, or make either of you uncomfortable, so we thought it best."

"Oh." Bella blinked back tears. "You guys are too good to me. Can I see it?"

"Certainly." Carlisle motioned to Bella and the four of us climbed the stairs. On the second floor, next to Carlisle and Esme's suite, there was a new door where there used to be a storage closet. Carlisle opened it and stepped aside.

Inside was a cozy nest hardly bigger than a college dorm room. A futon couch with a red cover nestled at the back, ready to be folded flat into a bed. A new electric blanket and bedding were prepared for use, and a heavy red velvet curtain eclipsed the glass wall.

"It's perfect," Bella murmured with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

Carlisle put his arm around Esme, who beamed. "You're welcome, Bella."

A narrow walnut bookcase used up the space at the end of the futon, and a floor lamp suitable for reading was tucked up in the opposite corner. Just inside the door was the tiniest bedside drawer unit I'd ever laid eyes upon, and on top was a charging unit for Bella's phone and iPod, along with a framed picture of the pair of us from Valentine's.

Tears spilled down Bella's cheeks. "I don't know what to say. This is… so me."

"You are our daughter, Bella," Carlisle said.

"Coming through!" Titch sang, toting Junior. Jasper angled himself inside awkwardly, carrying a large, curved reptile habitat made of glass. A big piece of driftwood dominated the tank and two of Bella's cacti provided ambiance. Jasper set the habitat down on the dark rug. There was just enough wall space between the bookcase and the wall backing onto the hallway to accommodate it.

Titch placed Junior on the driftwood and dropped in a small earthworm. Junior reared back and bit down on it, making all of us snicker. When it was gone and Junior was smacking his lizard lips, Titch switched on the heat lamp. Junior cocked an eye at the lamp, crawled all the way to the top of the driftwood and shut his eyes. Titch ran out and returned with a cat food dish filled with water. She carefully set it down in the bottom of the tank.

"Aw, our little baby has his own incubator," Bella cooed.

He did look cute and happy in there. "Thank you, Alice. Thanks, Jazz."

"You're welcome," my sister said. "Bella, maybe you should have a nap now. Once Charlie gets you back, he's going to want to chat for a while."

I gaped. "Charlie?" Why?

Titch blinked at me. "Renee has decided to call him and tell him how great you are, and that he shouldn't be a stick in the mud, he should let you sleep over."

I pinched between my eyes. "Renee's going to get me shot, yet!"

Bella blew out her breath. "Okay, nap first, deal with over protective men with guns later."

"Are you hungry, Bella?" Esme asked softly. "I could make you a grilled cheese."

"Thank you, Esme. And would it be okay if I had a show-"

"No!" Titch yelped. "No shower! Same goes for you, Edward and don't change clothes or Charlie's going to go off his nut!"

Both Bella and I shut our eyes and groaned. Six months and three days until her birthday? How were we going to get through it?

"We'll just leave you to it," Carlisle said with a smirk. Time to adjust my wager with Emmett and Jasper. You are never going to make it past September.

I folded my arms. "It is not very gentlemanly of the three of you to-"

"Be a sport." Carlisle said from downstairs.

Bella looked up at me. "What are they…? Oh." She blended into the scarlet draperies.

I shut the door as the last of my family members exited the room. I didn't want to turn to face my mate.

"So," she said conversationally. "About that."

Venom flooded my mouth and I gulped it down. "No."

"Edward, I promised you forever."

I walked to Bella, took her hand and ran my thumb over her knuckles. "Are you willing to announce to your friends and family that we eloped? Charlie?"

My mate turned six kinds of pale.

"That's what I thought."

Bella shook her head rapidly. "Edward, I don't want to hurt you!"

I patted her hand. "Love, I wouldn't expect you to actually marry me at this time. You wouldn't even be allowed to marry me legally without parental consent and if we were to run away, Charlie would never give up looking for you. The only reason I've continued to ask you is that I was hoping you'd agree to make a long-term commitment to me."

Bella peeked at me from under her lashes. "You have that now. You don't need to be afraid to lose me."

I cupped her cheek in my hand. "I will always be afraid to lose you. I'd even be afraid of that if you became a vampire. But you aren't ready to leave your human life and, as we found out in Phoenix, I can't get that close to you without risking an injury. And if you're not prepared to be turned without warning…"

"We can't get giggedy."

"No. Moral issues aside, it's too dangerous. I'm sorry."

"What's more tempting, my body or my blood?"

Tell her that swallowing her squirt would make you euphoric! Dammit, Emmett! Grr! Would it?

"I can't say." No, I really can't.

"Were you tempted to kill me?"

I winced. "Do you really want that answer?"

Bella grimaced. "I think I'd better know."

I ran my hand through my hair. "Consciously? No. But that slight smear of blood on my teeth? I must admit it was very difficult not to run back to you and finish what I started."

"You intended to turn me."

"Yes, but the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. And I was so," excited, "agitated that I probably would have hurt you. Bitten too hard, held you too tightly."

"How are you ever going to turn me if you're afraid to hurt me?"

"I've been thinking about that. Assuming the event is planned out and not a dire emergency, I'll extract my venom and inject it."

Bella blanched. "A needle? I'd rather you used your teeth."

I shook my head. "Silly Bella." I walked to the futon and released the mechanism so that the mattress lay flat, then cautioned my mate to stay out of the way while I made up the bed at vampire speed. Sighing, Bella slipped out of her shoes and crawled under the covers.

"How is it?" I asked.

"It's great. Are you coming?"

Apparently not, Em thought. Sucks to be you. I marked an ass-whipping down in my internal calendar, crawled over Bella and spooned up behind her. Heaven.

Before I could credit it, Bella was asleep in my arms. I let my thoughts wander. In fifteen months, we would graduate, pack up our stuff and move to a modest but well-appointed house in Hanover. There would be plenty of wild game for me and assuming Bella was still human, I'd be able to cook all kinds of delicacies for her. Esme and I were starting to watch the Food Network; by the time Bella and I lived together, I would be able to produce anything she liked. I would prepare lots of bite-sized morsels for her so that she'd eat with her fingers. Perhaps she'd let me feed her and she'd nibble her repasts off my fingers! What a splendid idea!

My daydreams were unintentionally interrupted by Jasper, who was sitting out in the hall attempting to soak up some good vibes. I called him at vampire pitch.

"Yeah?" He was embarrassed. Sorry, but…

"If you don't make this weird, you can come in."

The door swung silently on its hinges and Jasper eased inside and shut it. He sank down at the side of the bed and looked at us sheepishly. You're so happy.

I nodded.

Lissy and I have been worried about you. I hope we can… well, I just hope your current mood lasts a spell, that's all.

I rolled my eyes. Both of us knew I was a moody-

Because you're such an Emo son of a bitch.

Repressing a snort, I chuckled silently and Bella wiggled and frowned. She opened one eye and stared at Jasper.

"Sorry, Baby Bee," he murmured. "Edward and I were talking."

Bella carefully stretched out her hand and patted Jasper on the head. "Go 'head."

"Yes'm. Thank you."

She turned, tucked her face under my chin with a small sigh and went back to sleep.

Jasper wrapped his arms around his knees and leaned against the side of the futon. He shut his eyes. A wave of enhanced contentment poured over me. Bella hummed and pulled herself up to my chest. It took me a while to realize I was purring and when I did, I stopped abruptly, mortified. My eyes snapped open and locked with Jasper's; he looked quite gray.

"Sorry," I mouthed. "I didn't mean to dominate you."

Jasper let his hair fall over his face so his expression was hidden from me. I'm not offended. Don't stop on my account. You surprise me, that's all. You make me feel like the world is full of endless possibilities and you've already discovered so many more of them than I have. How can that be? You are so young. His thoughts began to wander as he attempted to assemble new ideas. At the same time, he absorbed my positive feelings, amplified them and returned them to me. I surrendered my self-consciousness. After all, it wasn't unusual for Jasper to hone in on the positive emotions of others. Without over-thinking it, I resumed purring.

My brother's thoughts wouldn't gel; he wasn't at a point where he could comprehend why he was reassured more by my positive emotions than he normally was by those of Carlisle. Or Em. But I began to piece together fleeting fragments of a bigger picture.

Quicksilver laughter darted through the house. Alice. Murky images… a two second long reel blurred by Sight: Jasper, kneeling, my hand resting on his head in benediction.

Oh, right! The youngest major in the Confederate Army, the Master at Combat of Maria's forces, the cold-blooded killer and consummate warrior was going to submit to my leadership? Like that was ever going to happen! No wonder the vision was so vague. It had a snowball's chance in hell of playing out in reality. Not that I wanted to be responsible for Jasper.

Nevertheless, I replayed the short scene in my head, for one reason only: to examine my hand. There was a band on my finger of plain gold, its surface gently curved. How long had it been there at the time of the vision? How long until it would be there in reality? Would an inscription lie secret between my skin and the band? What would it say?

That had to be it: the reason for Alice's joy. In her vision, I was most definitely married.

At three in the afternoon, Titch invited herself in and nudged Jasper out. "Bella?" she murmured gently, her face still split in a Cheshire Cat grin.

"Mmph?"

"You guys need to be getting over to Charlie's."

"Oh, Alice. Can't I just stay here tonight?"

"Sorry, Sis. We have to have the U-Haul back to the Business Park by five. That's only two hours from now and it's going to take us twenty minutes to drive the thing to Charlie's."

Bella sat up so fast she made me flinch. "Isn't the U-haul on La Push Road?"

"Yep, which is why we need to get a move on."

"It's in their territory!"

"Just barely. So, you can drive it in the last few hundred feet, and then walk back to Edward on the other side of the boundary."

Bella hopped out of bed. "Jeez, Louise, Alice! Why didn't you get me up sooner?"

Titch, Bella and I piled back into the cube van, leaving Junior at my place. Jasper, Rose and Em tailed us in my Volvo. Bella was tense all the way to Charlie's. "Just relax, Bella!" Titch chided her. "You're going to set off Charlie's alarm bells if you keep biting your lip like that."

I pulled into the driveway and beeped the horn. Charlie peeked out the front window and practically skipped out the door to meet us.

"Bells! I didn't think you'd be home today!" Eyes crinkled up, he gave her a quick hug then stepped back, cleared his throat and smoothed his palms over his thighs.

"Yeah, we made good time," Bella said. She sounded exhausted.

"Hi, Charlie!" Titch, naturally, did not sound the least bit tired.

"Hello, Alice! Hey, Edward."

I feigned weariness. "Hey, Chief."

"Long drive, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So, how was the trip?" he wanted to know.

Bella smiled a bit and waved her hand dismissively. "Parts of it were great. Other parts… not quite so hot. But we have to get the truck back to the rental place by five, so can we tell you about it after?"

Charlie frowned at his watch. "That only gives you an hour and a half."

I opened the back hatch as Rose, Em and Jazz piled out of the Volvo. "We can do it."

Stroking his moustache, Charlie peered into the back of the truck. "Where's the furniture?"

"It wasn't worth fighting over." Bella grabbed a box. Em picked up the cedar chest all by himself and followed her.

"Where we heading, Baby Sister?"

Subtle as an atom bomb, I tell you. I snuck a look at Charlie; his moustache barely twitched.

"Upstairs," Bella directed. "Are you sure you can manage that by yourself?"

"Pssht!"

"Okay."

I pulled the big potted cacti out and set them temporarily in the driveway. Titch and Rose grabbed a couple of the black trash bags containing Bella's clothes. "Have you met Rosalie and Jasper?" Titch asked Charlie.

"Not officially."

"Good to meet you, Chief Swan." Jazz inclined his head respectfully.

Charlie jerked up his chin. "Jasper. And this is your twin sister, right?"

"Yessir." He smirked and slid a playful look toward Rosalie. "And I am older than she is, therefore, I am in charge."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Hah! Bless your heart, Jay. Nice to meet you, Charlie." Not waiting for a response, she followed Alice inside.

Charlie helped himself to a box of books and grunted. I held out my hands.

"I'll take it, Chief."

"No need, Kid." … thinks I'm old. I'll show him!

"Okay." I thought it expedient to get the job finished. Facing away, I called my brothers at vampire pitch. "Please get this done before Charlie can slip a disk or herniate himself." I dragged two boxes to the edge of the truck, scooped one under each arm and hurried into the house before he could block the stairs.

Titch and Rose filed outside and each grabbed a box. Jasper took two. Then, Em picked up four. By the time Charlie had transported his box to Bella's room, half the job was done. It began to rain and the girls' noses wrinkled.

Soon, we had everything piled, floor to ceiling, along the north wall of Bella's room. The cacti took up all the floor space between the rocking chair and the window. Charlie barely had time to shut his mouth before all of us were climbing back into the Volvo and the truck. Once out of his sight, Titch got out of the truck and Jasper and Rose got out of the Volvo, leaving Em to follow me and Bella into dangerous territory.

K Street became 7th Ave and I turned right onto Bogachiel Way. Then I started praying that we wouldn't run into any Wolves. Two more turns put us on WA 110, also known as La Push Road. "Alice says it's clear," Em called to me. He parked the Volvo on the shoulder.

I nodded, gripped the wheel and drove as quickly as I dared. Only a mile and a half to go.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Bella murmured.

"Almost there."

Half a mile distant from the Business Park, the mutts stepped out into the road. Fuck my fucking unlife.

I stopped the truck. Bella put her hands on the handle and let herself out before I could so much as yelp.

"Hi, Sam!" she said breezily with a wave. "Edward rented this truck to help me move and we have to return it to the Business Park before five."

"The boundary line was five hundred feet back that way," he said coldly.

I exited the vehicle and held up my hands. "I didn't want Bella to have to walk the last two miles. I was going to let her drive the last 486 feet while I waited behind." Rain water trickled down the back of my neck. "Please, she's so tired. She hasn't had a proper sleep since Sunday."

Sam didn't take his eyes off me as he addressed Bella. "Why are you moving out of Charlie's house?"

Bella gulped, eyeing me with alarm. "I'm not. My mother is moving to Florida. Edward took me down to Arizona to get my things because she didn't want to move them all the way to Florida."

Sam nodded at me. "Okay, this is what's going to happen. You give me the key and I'll return the truck. You take Bella and my brothers will escort you back to the boundary line."

"Thank you, Sam." I reached into the truck, extracted the papers from the glove box and set them on the bench seat. "Key's in the ignition."

I walked around the truck and bent my knees so Bella could hop on my back. I started to walk back down the road, flanked by Quil, Embry, Jared and Paul. All my hackles went up.

"Cullen!" Sam snapped. I stopped walking and suppressed the urge to run.

"Yes, Sam?"

"If Bella or Charlie ever need anything within our territory again, we will take care of it. Don't set foot in here again."

"Thank you." I started walking again, looking straight ahead. The wolf boys kept pace with us.

"Jeez, leech, can't you move any faster?" Embry razzed me. "I want to get out of the wet."

"Too scared," Hudson jeered, thinking about how much fun it would be to chase me. Biting my tongue so I wouldn't growl, I hastened into a steady jog. I knew the Kwoli wouldn't be able to match my top running speed without phasing, and the last thing I wanted them to do was let go of their inhibitions.

Ahead, Em stood next to the open door of my car, pale as a ghost. The wolf boys, excepting Hudson, bade Bella goodbye and ran back the way they'd come. Hudson remained uncomfortably close.

If I touch its mate, I wonder if it will defend her or let me get away with it. Either way, I win.

As he reached to cop a feel of Bella's privates, I jumped forward out of his reach, set her down and shifted her to carry her against my stomach. I looked daggers at Hudson while he snickered at me.

"Can't take a joke."

"Touching a lady inappropriately, against her will, is never a joke."

Bella turned white to the lips. "If you ever try anything that again, I'll tell Rachael."

Maybe she wanted me to touch her. She doesn't know what a real man's touch is like. "Whatever, race traitor. My mate has a sense of humour." He backed up a few steps. "Enjoy her while you can, bloodsucker." When you bite her, I'll take personal delight in killing you both. Hudson turned his back on us and jogged after his pack brothers.

I stared at him until he was out of sight. Emmett stepped up beside me.

"What was he thinking?"

"Same as always." I Saw through Em's eyes how pale and hollow-eyed I looked.

Em patted my shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to either of you." Bella's eyes flared wide.

I nodded, although it was ultimately an empty promise. All Paul Hudson had to do in order to destroy my entire family was to catch Bella alone and… "Bella, promise me you will never ever go to La Push."

She fluttered her lashes. "Not that I have any plans to do so, but sometimes Billy and the Clearwaters ask me to go over for a birthday dinner or something."

I swayed her in my arms. "I suppose occasions like that would be acceptable. As a sign of our good faith."

"I promise to stay away from Paul Hudson."

"Thank you."

Em smoothed back his hair. "Let me drive, Little Brother."

"Yeah."

He never lets me drive. "Sweet. Why don't you two hop in the back and pretend I'm not here?"

Bella uncrossed her ankles and slid down the front of my body. I crawled into the back seat after her and Em flipped the driver's seat back into place while I was still kneeling on the floor. Bella looked at me and did a double take.

"You don't have to be scared," she told me.

"That's not fear, it's rage," Em informed her, performing a neat U-turn. "If you know any tricks for calming him down, I suggest you use them now. In six minutes, we'll be back at your place."

Bella placed her warm palms on my cheeks and I realized I was shaking. She licked her lips.

"He ain't nothin' but a hound dog," she squawked, "Cryin' all the time!" My eyes squeezed shut and I stopped breathing. "He ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time!" Laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me. I rested my head on Bella's stomach and slayed myself as Em found the song on my iPod and blasted it through the speakers. "He ain't never caught a rabbit and he ain't no friend of mine!" they both sang.

By the time we reached Charlie's house, I had myself in hand. Figuratively. I kicked off my Skechers and started to lead Em into the sitting room, but diverted to the kitchen. Something was burning.

Charlie was stirring something on the stove, his forehead creased. Know if I just… Oh. "Hey, kids. Dinner's almost ready. Bella, set another place for Emmett."

"Uh…" Em said. "No, thanks! Rosie's expecting me. Thanks, anyway, gotta run, goodbye!" He was out of the house so fast that the door slammed shut before Charlie could turn around.

"Dad, what are you making?" Bella asked, nose crinkling.

"It's a surprise," he said, stirring the foul concoction. I cursed myself for not bringing a takeout. There were three places set at the small square table. It was not turning into a good evening. Charlie drained water from his pot and carried it over to the table, elbows akimbo. "Come on, you both must be hungry after such a long day." Bella sat down in her usual place and I reluctantly sat in the chair opposite. Charlie banged down a large spoonful of food onto my plate with a big grin. Spaghetti: all clumped together like a brick, gelatinous on top and burned black on the bottom. Charlie served a similar portion to himself and about half a portion to Bella.

I winced. "Uh, thank you, Chief, but I'm not sure I can eat this much."

Charlie returned to the table with a steaming saucepan full of shit-coloured, gooey meat sauce. "Nonsense, Kid. You're still growing." He started to tip the pan onto my dish. I threw out my hand.

"No thank you! I'm allergic."

Bella's father nodded as he slopped sauce onto her spaghetti. "That must be tough."

"Sometimes."

"Dig in!" Charlie encouraged us happily, putting the hot saucepan in the middle of the table. Mmm… Mom's Stroganoff. My favourite!

Bella reached over the table and cut my spaghetti brick in half. She forked half of the lump into the sauce pot and it burbled and splashed. She took her knife, whisked it through the butter dish and put a dab of butter on my spaghetti. Then she handed me a cardboard shaker of dried sprinkle cheese. I swallowed hard. "Thank you, Bella."

"You're welcome." Bella cut through her spaghetti with difficulty, scraped the scorched part off the bottom and set it aside. She took a mouthful of the remainder and froze. Then, she chewed it up and forced it down.

Dear lord, it didn't even taste good to humans. Well, to Bella. Charlie was packing it in with gusto.

I picked up my knife and fork and managed to separate a small bite's worth of something that actually resembled spaghetti from the mess. I put it in my mouth and tried not to gag. There was no freaking way I could swallow it. If I were to take a month old deer carcass, beat it to a slimy pulp, set it on fire and eat the charred remains, it would probably taste better than Charlie's slop. I took a paper towel off the roll in the middle of the table and spit the salty glue-mash into it. Using sleight of hand, I managed to hide about half of the food in the paper towel on my lap, pretending to chew while holding a conversation.

"So, your mom called me this afternoon," Charlie said.

Bella pushed Stroganoff around on her plate. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She seems to really like you, Edward." Probably was thinking something inappropriate… cougar.

I cleared my throat. "That's nice."

"She, uh, seems to think you guys are pretty serious."

"Yes," I took a fresh paper towel, wiped my mouth and covered up the lump of pasta in my lap. "I gathered that. She made some rather inappropriate suggestions."

Charlie narrowed his eyes. "Such as?"

"Well, let's just say she isn't the best advocate for abstinence before marriage."

Bella darted a shifty look between me and Charlie. The chief set down his fork and impaled me on his customary sharp pin. I braced myself for evisceration.

"Renee told me you promised her that when you pop Bella's cherry you'll be very careful with her."

Bella choked, sprayed Stroganoff all over me, turned blue and pounded on the table.

"Jeez Louise!" As I reached out to help her, I accidentally upset the remainder of my plate, filling my lap with buttery noodles. I rushed to her aid, slipped on the noodles, smashed the plate and dropped bits of food everywhere. Praying I wouldn't break Bella's ribs, I gave her the Heimlich. On the third go, she hacked up a chunk of sour noodles and beef sauce all over her dad's blue lumberjack shirt.

It was even more disgusting coming up than it was going down!

Served him right, too!

My mate sucked down air in a manner reminiscent of an expiring Darth Vader, the colour returning to her face. I grasped her wrists and held her hands over her head to expand her lungs. When her chest stopped heaving, I glared at Charlie.

"Will you please stop doing that?" I started to brush bits of noodle off my shirt and chinos, but all that did was smear the goo. "Ulk."

"Do you deny saying it?" Charlie asked blithely, as though everything was normal.

With a huff, I got a tumbler out of the cupboard and poured a glass of water for Bella, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. "I would never say anything so coarse about Bella. You and I have already discussed my position on the matter. Repeatedly."

Bella waved at us and gasped out, "You know my mother wants me to be a gypsy when I grow up, right?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Still."

Bella flapped out her arms. "Aargh! Geez! I can't believe this! This sort of thing only happens to me! My boyfriend and my father are discussing the likelihood of-of-of imminence of my deflower…ment, based on the opinion of the thoroughly bat shit crazy Flower Child Renee, in a kitchen, covered in the most horrible Stroganoff I've ever eaten in my life!" She tangled her fingers in her hair. "Holy crap, people!"

I lowered my gaze. "Sorry."

Bella whirled and pointed at me. "Don't you dare apologise! You win the boyfriend of the year award just for eating that toxic slop."

"Hey!" Charlie protested. I did my best!

"Edward, do you have spare clothes in the car?"

I shrugged. "Emmett took my car."

Bella pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out her breath. "Okay. Charlie, go and get Edward a track suit or something. Edward, go and take a shower."

"Let me clean up the kitchen first, please, Bella?"

"Fine! You can help me. Charlie, you go and change and don't forget the track suit."

"All right," he said, waggling a finger. "As long as you two remember that I expect you to behave yourselves while Bella is living under my roof."

"Charlie!" Bella roared. "I am not Renee! And if you keep accusing us of slutting around I'm going to throw this pot of Stroganoff at your head."

I sincerely hoped, if she were to throw it, she would do it before we washed the floor, not after.

"Yeah, because Renee never did anything like that, did she?" he sneered.

I picked my mate out of the air before she could do something to her father that she would regret.

An hour later, the kitchen and the three of us were spic and span, Charlie was pouting in his recliner watching the Mariners, and I was sinking into the cushions of the old teal couch closest to the fireplace –wearing a tight, dark blue track suit with the words Police Academy flaking off the back. Bella sat down beside me and sipped at an icy Coke. She still looked pissed.

"So, how was your trip?" Charlie asked, regretting that his delivery of the Third Degree had spoiled our dinner. He tipped back his bottle and took a gulp of Ranier.

Bella crossed her legs and arms and glared at him. "It was fun. Edward and I got married in Vegas."

Charlie spat beer all over his flat screen.

Oh. My. Word.

"Bella!" I yelped as Charlie leaped up, intent on getting his gun. "Tell him you're joshing before he shoots me!"

Bella scooted up and blocked Charlie's path to the front hall. "Are you serious, Charlie?"

I'm going to get to the bottom of this! He pointed back at me. "Did you marry him?"

Bella became mute. Had I been human, I'd have been sweating rivers.

Charlie threw his hands in the air. "Bella!"

"Threatening to shoot my mate! I ought to turn you in!" she hissed.

"Answer me!"

"Think about it, Charlie!" Bella yelled. "I'm seventeen years old. I'm under age, right? I can't get married without your stinking permission, duh!"

Charlie relaxed. "So you're just being a teenaged brat, yanking my chain?"

Bella rubbed her temples and stomped upstairs. "Aw, nuts!"

Charlie looked up at me helplessly. I decided it was safe to help him out. "Bella and I pretended to get married in Vegas. Elvis was there. Who can resist Elvis?"

Charlie nodded twice. "Elvis was there, so you decided to have a fake wedding? For fun?"

"Exactly!" I beamed. "It was awesome."

Blowing out his breath, Charlie walked back to his Lazy Boy chair, put up his feet and pressed his cold beer bottle to his forehead. "Teenagers suck."