It's Thursday again, and time to catch up with the continuing angst of the Encore gang.

The angst level is mild to moderate.

Big thanks to Katmom for her beta prowess, and a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Minna, whose b-day is on the weekend. I *heart* you fiercely, Minna, and can't thank you enough for all the time you spend reading, leaving snarky and wonderful comments, and making this story what it is.

Bella

Alice managed to wrangle together a crew for going shopping in Port Angeles and taking advantage of the sales. Even Carlisle agreed to go with them, which seemed a little odd—that is, until he winked at Edward and me before he retired the night before. I think maybe this is their way of giving us some space.

It was nice waking up to a quiet house. Well, it was sort of quiet; Edward was snoring beneath me. How he managed to sleep with my weight draped over him all night, I don't know, but he always pulled me back when I tried to disengage myself from him.

I watched fascinated as he groped blindly for me and frowned after I got up and out of the bed. Thankfully, he didn't wake; he looked so tired that I didn't have the heart to wake him up. As soon as I was able to get to my feet, I threw on some clothes and headed downstairs. My stomach was rumbling and the only thing I could think about was a day-after-Thanksgiving-turkey-and-stuffing sandwich. It was a tradition that Emmett had started years ago, and I had faithfully carried it on.

There was a note on the dark marble countertop with my name on it.

Bellabooger,

Open the fridge—you didn't think that I forgot, did you?

Love and junk,

Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen

I squealed when I saw what was waiting for me in the fridge. Lo and behold it was the mother lode—an original Emmett stuffing sandwich. My stomach gurgled and my mouth watered in anticipation of what was to come. Grabbing the plate and some milk from the fridge, I hip-checked it shut and moved to the counter. Plunking my butt down on a stool, I ripped the cellophane off the plate as fast as I possibly could, and marveled at the little piece of heaven on the pale green plate. Between two slices of bread was butter, turkey, stuffing, and ketchup—extra ketchup, actually. The damn thing was almost drowning in it, just the way I liked it.

My first bite was near orgasmic, which made me sad. Near-orgasmic seemed to be about as close as I could get. Maybe I should talk to Carlisle about that. God, I hope the happy spot in Cooterville wasn't broken.

Mm…stuffing. There is something ultimately satisfying and potentially morally wrong with this sandwich: it's bread, potato, and turkey squished between two more slices of bread. Hello, carbs!

"I can't understand how you can stand to eat that in the morning."

My mouth was full as I mumbled a good morning to Edward. He laughed at me before using his thumb to wipe some ketchup from the corner of my mouth.

I held up the sandwich. "Wanna bite?"

He shook his head. "No, God, no. I don't know how you can eat that monstrosity. I think I'll have more traditional breakfast fare." He moved to the fridge. "Yes, an omelet looks like a good idea to me."

"Last chance, Edward—I'm saving a bite for you."

"Nope, no thanks. I'm fine."

"You're such a breakfast prude," I teased, scrunching my nose at him and his omelet.

We were quiet for a while; I ate and read the paper while he cooked. It was nice, easy, even. He didn't speak again until he sat down.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Mm, I don't know. Maybe go for a drive? It's been four years since I've been here; I'm sure some things must have changed. Maybe we could take a drive to La Push?"

Edward smiled. "That sounds great."

We fell back into a comfortable silence as we finished our food. Edward would look up at me through his mop of bronze hair and grin, then look back down at his plate.

I couldn't help but laugh; this was MY Edward. This was the playful and shy boy I fell in love with so long ago. I smiled at him, batted my eyes a little and then turned back to the paper.

Next thing I knew, I could feel his foot rubbing gently up my leg. When I looked at him, his eyes weren't playful, they were lustful, and all I could think about was him laying me out on the smooth, cold marble of the countertop. I cocked an eyebrow at him and then looked down at the counter.

His mouth opened and his eyes grew huge. "Really?"

I nodded.

"We eat here!"

"We can sanitize it after."

He chuckled as he cleared his dishes. "That takes all the fun out of it."

"Not necessarily," I said, folding the paper and grabbing my plate to put it in the dishwasher. I looked over and found Edward rummaging around in the cupboard below the sink. "What're you doing?"

Edward stood up, holding a jug of bleach and a cloth. "Getting prepared for clean up. Now, drop your pants and hop up."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I actually think my undies hit the floor before he finished speaking. I tried to hop gracefully and seductively onto the countertop, but being me, I ended up looking like a spastic moron. Edward approached me, placed his hands on my bare hips and his lips on mine. We kissed deeply as he lifted me up and stood between my legs.

"Thanks," I breathed against his cheek as I gasped for air. Between the heated kiss and the freezing cold marble under my ass, I was breathless.

"Lay back, love," he whispered as his teeth grazed my earlobe. "I'm not done with my breakfast."

All oxygen left my lungs as he moved down and pressed his face into me. His tongue ran lazily up and down my slit, barely getting beyond the silky surface of my lips, until finally he dove in, his tongue penetrating the gates of Cooterville as his nose brushed against my clit.

"Oh, Jesus, Edward," I cried out. "Keep going!"

His mouth moved up to suck on my fun button, while he toyed with me, using his fingers. He dipped them in and out, but just barely. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was paying more attention to his mouth, I might have yelled at him.

I felt the wave beginning to build as I panted harder and harder. I was almost afraid to hope that maybe this time I'd actually get to ride the surging tidal wave of pleasure to the shore after wiping out the last two tries. The turbulence increased as my eyes rolled back in my head at the delicious friction Edward was providing. I could feel his fingers stretching me, curling and twisting inside me, and yet he continued to ravage me with his mouth.

God bless my multitasking man.

Before I understood what was happening, I found myself blinded by the sweet pleasure of my long-lost orgasm. "Sweet merciful Jebus!" I cried out, or at least I think that's what I said.

The vibrations from Edward's chuckle between my legs sent me careening over again, and I know for a fact there's no way I said anything remotely coherent. I could have been speaking Swahili for all I knew or cared.

I may have drifted off to La La Land on the comedown because I didn't notice that Edward had pulled down his pants and was impaling me.

"God, Bella…I…I can't…"

When I looked at him, I smiled. "Then don't. Don't wait for me, I'm beyond good."

"Thank…" he grunted as he picked up his pace, "...you."

I squeezed my pelvic muscles, hoping to help him along and I am fairly certain it worked because four erratic thrusts and a long string of profanities later, he finally let out a cry and came deep inside me.

Is it weird that I love the feel of his cock pulsing in me? If I voiced this aloud, would people think ill of me? I'm not sure why I do, but I do. I think it's the intimacy of him pouring himself into me, the little flutters as he spills. Maybe I should talk to Alice and Rose about it.

"Bella?" Edward was looking at me, worriedly.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

My God, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that, I'd be even wealthier than I already am. "Um, you tell me, Edward—I had two mind-blowing orgasms; do you think I'm okay?"

He looked away and sighed. Shit, Snarkarella's back.

I reached a hand up to pull his face back to mine. I kissed him and smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so snarky. I'm great, sweetie. That was awesome. I, uh, guess we know that I'm not completely defective down there," I said, wiggling my hips beneath him.

Edward smiled a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So," he looked down at the counter, "we should probably clean this up. There's…there's a mess."

I groaned when he removed himself from me, and watched as he pulled up his pants from where they had pooled around his ankles. Like the gentleman he is, he helped me up and then down onto solid ground. I swayed a little, still somewhat out of sorts after my mind-blowing orgasms, but he caught me. I grabbed my pants and pulled them up as I surveyed the damage. Mess was right. When did I get so…sloppy?

"Sorry," I mumbled as I began wiping it up. Edward snickered beside me as he poured bleach on the countertop.

"So, after we shower and get dressed, do you want to go for that drive?"

I yawned loudly. "Maybe we can nap first?"

Edward finished cleaning things up, then motioned for me to hop onto his back. He piggybacked me up to our room and deposited me on the bed. I wasn't long falling into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Edward

Bella fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Although I worried that she tired so easily, my father and Dr. King both assured me that it was normal. I decided to shower while she slept so we'd be that much closer to being able to go out when she woke up.

Even after I washed up and changed into something clean, she remained out cold. Rather than wake her, I gathered up our dirty clothes and made my way downstairs to do some laundry and put something together for lunch.

It felt nice to putter around the house. This was one of the first times in years that I hadn't totally dreaded being here. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and spending time with them, it's just that there were too many ghosts here and it was hard. Now that one of my ghosts was actually among the living, it made it that much easier.

After putting the laundry in the dryer, I made coffee and went to sit out on the deck. It was pleasant outside, at least by Forks standards. It wasn't quite sunny and it wasn't raining, so really, it was perfect—for a sparkly vampire.

I snorted into my coffee as I thought about the movie Em had dragged me out to see about fangless, sparkly vampires. The premise was ridiculous, and the main guy was entirely too broody; I mean who is that possessive and overprotective? Really? I had to admit, though, that the leading lady was exceptionally beautiful and I was taken with the love story.

The breeze was cool against my face, so I pulled up the neck of my cream-coloured fisherman knit sweater, and wrapped my hands around my coffee mug, lifting it so that I could feel its warmth and lose myself in the rich aroma.

Birds were chattering in the woods as the wind blew their roosts back and forth. The rustling leaves charmed me into a trance, and it felt amazing to lose myself in the sounds of nature. Seattle was okay, but nothing beat the natural symphony in Forks.

I'm not sure how long I was out there; I suppose time is irrelevant while on vacation. By the time I snapped out of my daze, my feet were freezing and my coffee was gone. It was Bella's worried voice that brought me back to the moment.

"Edward?"

She likely couldn't see me and was probably wondering where I was. I got up and walked back in. "Hi, love. Miss me?" I moved toward her and watched as her unease seemed to lift.

"Yeah. Why'd you let me sleep so long?"

"You were too cute, all curled up. I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Lunch is ready if you're hungry."

Bella stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss my nose. "Sounds good. What did you make?"

"I figured you were sick of turkey, so I made a couscous salad and found a couple of salmon steaks."

I watched as her eyes glazed over and then as she wiped her mouth. "I think I drooled a little," she said, smirking. "How did you do the salmon?"

"With lemon and dill. I hope it's okay. I was being presumptuous."

"No, no, it's perfect. Let's eat! I'm famished."

I chuckled as Bella moaned her approval around mouthfuls of food. "Oh, God, Edward, it's perfect. You have such a sensitive…what's the fancy word that they use for people who can…have advanced taste buds…palate! You have a great palate. Everything is seasoned perfectly. You, sir, are going to make a fat and happy woman of me yet."

My heart soared. I wanted nothing more than to have the chance to fatten my girl up.

"What're you smiling about?"

"You."

The blush I loved so much began creeping up her cheeks as she ducked her head down, pretending to focus on picking up a chick pea with her fork.

"Don't hide from me, Bella. Why are you blushing?"

Her head shook slightly. Very quietly, she uttered two words that made me laugh so hard I thought I would piss my pants. "R…repeat…repeat that pppplease!"

Bella looked up at me, pouting. "I'm shy, Edward. I said that I'm fucking shy. Why is that so funny?"

It took me a few minutes to compose myself. "I honestly struggle to think of many, if any, moments when you have been shy, especially around me. My God, I'm mayor of Cooterville! There's nothing to hide from me, I've seen, done, and tasted it all."

Her eyes grew huge, her mouth opened, and she gasped. I wondered if she was going to hit me, but instead she laughed. It was a long string of belly laughs and I couldn't help but join in.

"M…mayor of…Coo…Cooterville? Oh, baby…that's precious!" She stood up and walked over to me, planting herself in my lap. "You're just too precious for words."

I nuzzled her neck while she calmed down. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah, your Mayorship, let's go for a drive."

Bella

Mayor of Cooterville? Oh my lord, I thought I'd never stop laughing. That statement was so utterly un-Edward that I actually had to double-check my memory of the moment to be sure that he really said it. It was such an Emmett thing to say.

Even now as we drive through downtown Forks, I can't help but giggle. He keeps shooting strange looks at me but I'm pretty sure he knows what I'm laughing about.

"Slow down, Edward?" I asked as I looked out my window. The town hadn't changed all that much. The people, however, had. I spotted several familiar faces on the sidewalk, or at least they looked somewhat familiar.

"Edward? Is that Mr. Varner?" I said as I noticed a man walking slowly down the street with a familiar-looking woman. The man's limbs were twitching and jerking as they made their way down the sidewalk.

He looked and nodded. "Mr. Varner was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease two years ago. I guess it must be progressing quickly; he wasn't nearly as jerky last time I saw him."

"Is that Mrs. Cope with him?"

Edward smiled warmly before he responded. "Mrs. Cope and Mr. Varner have been friends for a long time and when Mr. Cope passed away three years ago, Mr. Varner stepped in and supported her. It's really quite sweet. They're inseparable."

"But Mrs. Cope is such an angel and he was always such a jerk. I don't understand—how?"

"I think Mrs. Cope opened him up. Can you imagine teaching biology to a group of horny, disrespectful teenagers when all you have to go home to is an empty house and TV dinners?"

"Can we please stop? I want to say hi."

"Sure."

He pulled into the first available parking spot and we walked back to where the couple was slowly making their way down the sidewalk.

"Hi, Mrs. Cope, Mr. Varner," I said nervously.

Mrs. Cope stopped in her tracks, thus halting Mr. Varner with her. "Isabella? Is that…? Oh my word! Look, Doug, it's Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen!"

Before I knew what was happening, she had embraced me and I was suffocating in her ample bosom. "Oh, Bella, dear, it's so good to see you after…" She choked up, cleared her throat, then stood back to look me over. "You look amazing, sweetie. Are you home for long?"

Home. Hm…is Forks my home? "We're here for a week, Mrs. Cope. And speaking of looking wonderful, you look amazing! Are you still at the school? Still pulling penises out of zipper teeth?"

"Hey, now," Edward protested. "We weren't going to discuss that."

Mrs. Cope moved to hug Edward. "Oh, quit it, Edward. Yours wasn't the first one I've had to free from the metal teeth of a pair of Levis."

Mr. Varner extended a hand to me. It jerked and twitched until I grabbed it and held it.

"Thanks, Ms. Swan," he said, blushing, "I'm a little…"

I smiled warmly at him and moved in closer to speak quietly to him. "If anyone understands what it's like to lose control, sir, it's me. Don't ever apologize or make excuses, at least not to me."

He smiled and squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Ms. Swan."

"Call me Bella, sir. School's out."

"So, Bella, how're things going? What have you been up to? You sort of…disappeared," Mrs. Cope asked as she moved back to Mr. Varner's side.

"Well, I went to UW and completed my BA, and I'm doing my graduate studies now."

"Oh, what's your area of specialty, dear?"

I looked at Mr. Varner and chuckled. "I can assure you, Mr. Varner, that it's not biology. We both know that it wasn't my forte."

We all laughed before I continued. "I'm doing creative writing."

I waited for them to tut-tut and tell me that I should pursue something more lucrative, but they didn't. Mr. Varner smiled and raised a shaky hand at me. "Good for you, Bella. Never settle for anything that doesn't make you happy. I'm sure that people give you grief over your choice, don't they?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell them to sod off, dear. It's nobody's business but your own. And you, Mr. Cullen, your father mentioned that you were studying music education."

"Yes, sir," Edward said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I couldn't help but notice Mrs. Cope wiping a tear from her eye.

"You'll be a good teacher, Son. How do I know this? Because you were a good student-most of the time—and you understand the meaning of respect."

I saw Mr. Varner's body began to seize and twitch and it wasn't hard to see that he was in great discomfort. "I hate to end this reunion so abruptly, but I need to sit. Best of luck to you both, and Bella, it is truly wonderful to see you thriving. You are by and far a lot stronger than you appear."

Hugs and handshakes were exchanged before we left them to continue on to their destination. Edward took my hand in his and smiled over at me. "That was nice."

"Mm…yeah. Poor Mr. Varner, though. I'm surprised at his attitude; he'd been such a grouch when we were in his class. He seems…human now." I ran my hands through my hair and sighed at the memory of seeing him like that.

"Well, love, like you, he had to make a decision; let his situation break him or build him up. He chose the latter. Dad told me that he tutors kids at the hospital and at a group home, not to mention he is also running a reading program at the nursing home."

"Mr. Varner?"

"Yes, love."

I hugged Edward before we got to the car. "That's truly amazing."

He leaned down to kiss my nose. "And so are you. So, where to next?"

"I'd like to stop by the police station and see if any of the guys still work there."

"Really?"

I opened my door and spoke before taking my seat. "Yes, really. Why?"

He shrugged. "I thought it might be too hard."

We sat in the car and closed the doors before I replied. "If Mr. Varner can read to old folks without making them quake in fear, and if he can live a better life with the hand he was dealt, I can face the boys at the station."

He smiled as he started the car. "Okay, then, let's go see the boys in blue."

Edward

As hard as it was for me to agree to the visit to the station, I knew I had to really start listening to her, trusting her to know what she can and can't handle. I knew she was nervous, I could feel it in her hand as she gripped mine snugly. I kissed it before we got out of the car and walked hand-in-hand toward the station. I released her reluctantly as the first of her father's former co-workers approached her. It didn't take long for the men, friends of her father's, and by extension, a band of father figures for her, to rush forward and embrace her.

I decided to stand back and let her visit with them. The three men on duty all knew her well, and were beyond happy to see her.

The last time I had seen them was probably at the funeral or maybe at the hospital before I left for Alaska. Bella would have been moved at the show for the funeral. Officers from as far away as Seattle were in attendance, and offered Charlie a full hero's burial, even though he wasn't on duty at the time of his death. They even gave an honour guard for Renee and Emma. I can still see the four uniformed officers carrying my baby's tiny casket into the church, and then to the cemetery.

The finer details of that day were lost to me, I was too lost in my grief, and you know, I'm just as glad—I don't want to remember everything. Hell, I didn't want to remember anything.

"Edward?"

I blinked hard and came back to the moment. "Yes, love?"

"You okay? You're looking a little lost," she said, smiling at me though there was a glint of worry in her eyes.

I pulled her to me for a hug. "Just processing memories, that's all. I'm okay."

"Want to head out?"

"Are you done visiting?"

She nodded. "I'm thirsty. Want to hit the diner? Grab a coffee?"

"Sure. I hate to say it, since we ate not that long ago, but I'm kind of hungry."

We waved bye to the men and made our way to the diner, where people stared at us like they were seeing a couple of ghosts. Bella shrugged it off and pulled me toward our usual table—the corner booth.

As soon as we were seated, a familiar face approached the table. "Oh my God, Bella, sweetie, is that really you?"

A huge grin lit up Bella's face. "Beverly! Oh my…I'm so happy to see you!" She jumped up from her seat and hugged the waitress.

Beverly began to cry. "I'm so happy to see you, dear. We've missed you so much—we've missed EVERYONE so much."

Tears began to roll down Bella's cheeks and soon both women were crying. In fact, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Bella was the town's daughter, everyone knew her because of her dad, or knew of her because of the accident.

One by one, the other patrons and staff approached her for a hug or a hello. It was really touching. The cook brought over coffees and Bella's favourite, which had also been her father's—berry cobbler.

"We named it Charlie's Cobbler, after, uh…you know."

Bella threw her arms around the portly man's waist. "Thanks, Larry, he'd be proud."

After the hubbub died down, we sat down to eat our cobbler, and drink our lukewarm coffee. Beverly came back a couple of times to top up our cups.

"So?" I asked, watching as she savoured her cobbler. "Whatcha thinking?"

She set her spoon down, looked around the small homey old diner and smiled until she spotted something. When I looked behind me, I noticed a photograph on the wall by the counter. "Oh…" she said, standing up and walking over to it. She stopped just in front and stood there, looking at it. I watched as she raised a hand and touched it gently.

I got up and moved to stand behind her. It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. "Wow, when was this taken?"

Beverly spoke up. "It was the day…the day it happened. They stopped in to pick up some coffee, sandwiches, and…"

Bella finished her sentence. "…a cookie for Emma."

There they were, all sitting on the stools by the counter: Renee and Bella, both laughing at Charlie, who was holding Emma, and it looked as if she was trying to shove her cookie up his nose.

My chest tightened up when I looked at my sweet baby girl. I watched as my hand lifted up to touch the photo and I smiled a little.

"She was an amazing angel, kids," Beverly said softly. "We all feel the loss."

"Excuse me," I mumbled as I walked toward the washroom. I knew I was about to fall apart and I didn't want to do it in front of the grizzled old gossipy men sitting around the diner.

I locked myself into the tiny washroom and slid down the wall until I was seated on the floor. My breathing hitched, my chest turned to stone, and I struggled to control it.

"Edward?" Bella called from the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"

"No," I croaked.

"Unlock the door, baby. Please? Let me help."

Poor Edward...he was doing so well with holding it together. Hopefully Bella will calm him down.

Sigh, something downright rotten happened to 107yearoldvirgin...some douchenozzle stole her one-shot Good Vibrations, renamed it, changed the characters names, and claimed it as her own on another website. THIS IS WRONG! Come on! How can anyone think this is possibly a cool thing to do? IT'S NOT!

So, please, while it might be construed as flattering to have your hard work copied and claimed as someone else's, it's not! Virgy put a lot of hard work into that, and to boot, it was written for the Haiti Compilation...it was written for charity! That's almost as rotten as stealing a donation box from a convenience store counter!

Thankfully the h00rs gathered 'round her, and we managed to get something done about it. Just the same, it's not cool, so kids, remember this:
STEALING SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU AND PUTTING YOUR NAME ON IT MAKES YOU A DOUCHE NOZZLE SCUM BUCKET and Emmett is gonna come after you and kick your ass. He hates thieves. So do the h00rs, and you don't want to mess with a group of angry h00rs.

Now, onto less nasty things. This week's recs are:

Dream in Darkness by shellebean (this is a JxB fic)
Ithaca is Gorges by Giselle-lx (I know, I know...I'm really behind on reading this one)

As always, I love to hear from you guys, and sneak peeks come to those who review.