Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.
Old beefs and new beginnings.
"So how's the job going?" Rose asked, keeping a close watch on Libby who was slowly rocking Charlie back and forth on one of the swings.
"It's going great actually!" Starting this new job had been like a whirlwind. There was so much I had to learn and I had to learn it fast.
I may have been an experienced high school teacher but that held little significance when you made the transition to teaching a class of college freshmen.
Sure, students were students. They were mostly lazy and eager to find a loophole to get out of working too hard, but that's where comparisons ended.
My new students were smarter and more mature than my old ones which demanded a very different approach and extensive preparations before each class. Luckily I had had the full support of both Stefan Bell and Vladimir Tepes.
The only thing they had insisted on before hiring me was that they would be the ones who got to tell Aro. Something I had been all to happy to oblige them with. They had seemed almost giddy at the prospect and I don't think they had been disappointed when they finally got round to it. They had told me afterwards that Aro had reacted in the way that was to be expected of him: furious.
Jasper and Zafrina had told me later on that Aro had been in the foulest of moods all day. Zafrina even claimed she had heard him yelling at Stefan and Vladimir through the walls that separated his office from her classroom.
I would have loved to have seen that!
"Well......explain," Rose motioned, grinning at me. I realized I had once again been lost in my thought.
"It's just so different....so nice," I started, unsure of how to explain the feeling of finally having the full support of your superiors. "I feel like everybody just accepts me over there, not just out of charity."
Rose nodded. "I know how you feel. When I first started working as a model I was 'the girl that got raped' and everybody acted like I was made out of fucking glass or something. It took years for some of the people I worked with to come round and treat me like a normal person."
"Yes....well....it was a little bit easier for me." I could only imagine how hard it must have been for Rose to start out in the modeling industry after what happened. After all, being model meant being stared at and pawed by men.
"Still, I had the idea Aro was treating you more as some kind of rarity in a freak show than as Bella Swan, normal person."
"You're right about that!" I admitted. Sure, there were aspects of the school I missed. I missed Jasper and Zafrina, even though I saw them at least once a week. I missed some of my students – especially Demetri and his dry remarks – and I missed the comfort of being totally comfortable at the place you work.
I sure as hell didn't miss Aro. Or his evil spawn.
The first days at my new work had been daunting. There were so many new things to learn and new people to meet my head had been spinning 24/7. I knew some of the people and could find my way around the building, but that was about it.
When the time had come for me to teach my first class I had been so nervous I had spent the greater part of the hour I had designated for preparing myself meticulously for the class to come on the toilet throwing up. I had appeared in front of my students green and ill prepared and still they had accepted me.
They had even called me professor Swan.
I think I grew a few inches taller when they did that.
Stefan and Vladimir had been nothing if not ambitious in their plans for me. They had been almost ashamed when they offered me this job, since – as they put it – I would be nothing more than a glorified teaching assistant. I would teach some freshman courses and hold office hours but that was about it.
Their ambitions, however had gone much further and had included future tenures and I had even heard Stefan utter the term 'doctorate'. They wanted me to become a real professor even though I doubted I had the skills to ever make it there. I was in way over my head as it was.
"So you're enjoying yourself over there?" Rose asked cautiously.
"Very much," I smiled. "Though I'm glad it's summer now and I have a few weeks off to get my head around it all and prepare for next years classes."
"And get married," Rose chuckled.
"Yes, especially get married!" I laughed with her. That one was actually at the top of my list now.
The date that Alice had set for us had crept closer slowly but surely and Alice and Rosalie had decided we should meet this morning to discuss the last few details before we would be leaving for Chicago next week.
There really had been no stopping Alice once she had 'envisioned' the perfect date for Edward and I to get married. She had simply argued that she had never been wrong in these kind of things and that august 13th would be the perfect day for a wedding even though Edward and I had really wanted to get married as soon as possible.
"Ladies!" The little pixie yelled, walking into the playground, holding a big paper bag with the Starbucks logo printed on it. "I brought provisions!" At least you could always count on the pixie to keep you well fed while she tortured you.
Libby came back, holding Charlie in her little arms. Whenever it came to taking care of her little cousin there was no joking about for her. Even from the first time she got to hold him she had made sure he was well protected and well cared for.
Even now as she was walking back to us she was holding him with a look that held both her determination to do this right and the fact that she was simply loving spending time with him.
It made me wonder how it would be if Edward and I had more kids. I had been anxious about that at first. What if she would be jealous? It had been the two of us for five years, then Edward had come into our lives and two had become three. What if three became four? Or five? Or Six?
Would she be willing to share? She had asked us many times for a baby brother or sister but what would it be like when the moment arrived?
Seeing her now with Charlie made me realized that all my worries had been in vain. Of course. It would take some time getting used to it, but I was sure Libby would be an amazing big sister.
"So," Alice started after we had finished our drinks. "What kind of lingerie were you planning on wearing during your wedding night?"
It was a good thing she had waited to ask this question after we had finished our coffees or she would have been rushing me to the Emegrengy Room right now.
"Alice!" I hissed. "We're in a freaking playground!" I looked around me to see if any of the other mothers were listening in on our conversation.
"So?" Alice shrugged. "It's not like we're discussing what the two of you will be doing during that night. We're merely discussing what you're going to be wearing."
"Alice!" I hissed.
"Come on Bella! It's just panties!" Rose added. "Ninety percent of the people in this playground are wearing them. Why not discuss them?"
I must have turned a vibrant red because a few of the children in the sandbox were looking at me in wonder. Libby – who had retreated to the sandbox after she had finished her juice and helped Rose put Charlie in his stroller – looked up once, concluded that nothing out of the ordinary was going on and continued building her sandcastle.
"So what is it going to be?"
"I didn't really think about that stuff yet...." I muttered. Truth was that I had thought about it and that I had even walked passed Agent Provocateur a few times but had never actually dared to venture inside.
For one because one of my new students worked there and secondly because I was afraid my head was going to explode even from looking at some of the things.
"Bella!" Rose scolded. I cringed, almost thinking she was going to slap me. "So you were really just going to jump out stark naked in front of Edward on your wedding night?"
"Why not?" I interjected, rather liking her suggestion. "It's not like I won't be ending up like that anyway."
"Bella," Alice groaned. "The nice thing about getting presents is the part where you unwrap them. You get all excited, trying to guess what's inside and stuff. It's not half as fun when you just shove the product in someone's face."
"I hate to disappoint you Alice," I chuckled. "But Edward's already seen inside."
"That doesn't mean you can't wrap up nicely anyway," Rose argued.
"It's a good thing I came prepared," Alice said, rolling her eyes at me. "The good thing about dealing with prudes is that they are totally reliable." She pushed a bag into my hand containing minimal amounts of midnight blue lace.
I was just getting to the part where I thanked her profusely for services rendered when the whole playground suddenly broke out in a state of uproar.
A mass of girls ran screaming and squealing towards the gates that secluded the playground from the rest of the park and started climbing the fences. Much to my horror one of them was Libby.
"What the hell is going on?" I growled, speeding over to the gate.
The girls – strangly enough they were all females, the boys had gone on playing like nothing special had happened – were all flushed with excitement and giggling like lunatics.
"Libby! Get back here immediately!" I yelled as soon as I was in hearing distance.
As soon as Libby heard me she leaped down from the fence and ran over to me.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked my flustered daughter.
"We were playing over there," she panted, pointing at the now nearly empty sandbox, "and suddenly Harry Potter walked by." She spoke the name almost reverently and I had to stifle a smile. Her eyes huge as she spoke the name.
"Honey, Harry Potter is a character from a book. He doesn't really exist."
"I know that mom!" Libby replied, rolling her eyes at my ignorance. "But the actor who plays Harry Potter does."
"So you're saying the actor who plays Harry Potter just walked into a playground? Why on earth would he do that, sweetie?" I sure hoped this kid wasn't some kind of sick pervert who got a rise out of watching kids playing in the sand.
Libby went on to explain to me that the actor had merely walked past the playground but had been spotted by some of the other kids. They all decided to run after him to get his autograph.
As soon as she was done explaining Libby tried to get back to her new friends who had now successfully scaled the fence and where stalking after the poor unsuspecting celebrity.
"Darcy Elizabeth Swan! There is no way you are going to run off after some actor to harass him in the streets!" I berated my daughter. "Not to mention the fact that it's dangerous to just go climbing fences. You might fall down and break something and you've seen mommy. You know how much that hurts!"
I seriously don't know what had gotten into her. She was too young to have even read the books or seen the movies, it must have been that the excitement of the older girls had brushed off on her.
"But mommy!" my daughter pleaded, "I've never seen someone famous before. Why can't I go after him?"
"For one because the poor guy doesn't deserve to be pounced on by a herd of screaming fan girls everywhere he goes and second because I'm not letting you run around in Central Park all by yourself. Now you can either go back to the sandbox and play or we are going home."
"Fine!" she huffed and turned her attention back to the sandcastle she was building.
"What is going on?" Alice and Rose asked as soon as I returned.
"Apparently some actor from the Harry Potter movies just walked by," I shrugged.
"You mean Daniel Radcliffe?" Alice's eyes rivaled Libby in size and she looked like she was going to leap off her bench and sprint after the little girls any minute.
"Aren't you a little old for him?" I grinned.
"Of course," she huffed indignantly. "It's not like I'm some pervert or a creepy stalker or something. I'm just a really big fan of the movies. And the books."
"That's strange...." While I scanned the playground to see if Libby was still there something else had drawn my attention. Or rather......someone else.
"What is?" Rose asked.
"It can't be. She lives in Connecticut," I muttered to myself.
"Who?" Rose asked, a little more persistently.
I shook my head. "I just thought I saw someone I knew from a few years back but it can't be. And anyway she's gone now."
"WHO DID YOU SEE BELLA!" Rose yelled in my ear.
"It's just silly," I said shaking my head. There was no way it would really be her. At least....I hoped not. "I thought I saw Lauren Mallory."
"You mean evil bitch Lauren Mallory?" Rose and Alice shrieked in unison.
"It can't have been her," I said.
"You should go after her," Alice stated, tightening her eyes to slits. "Just to make sure. And if it is really her you should tell her what a total bitch she has been and preferably punch her in the face. This may be your only chance."
"There's no way I'm going to run after some woman in the odd chance she may be the person that ruined my life!" I yelled back.
"We'll all go," Rose stated, rising from her seat, pulling me up with her and striding towards the exit with me and the stroller lagging behind her, Alice and Libby hot on our heals.
"Wait a minute....."I tried. "I don't even know what I'm going to tell her if it's really her. Do you really think we should do this now?"
"There is no time like the present," Rose growled, increasing her pace. "Which way?" she barked as we neared a fork in the road.
"Left," I panted. I could just about spot the white coat of the woman I had seen before as she rounded a corner. "It's the woman in the white coat."
There really was no arguing with Rose when she was determined like this. Apart from that, I was kind of looking forward to the confrontation. I had been wondering what would happen if Lauren and I ever came face to face again, practicing my speech in my head. I just never thought I would have a chance to deliver it. Lauren's family lived in Connecticut and since Lauren loved the fame of being a Mallory I had never imagined she would leave the state.
When we rounded another corner we found her speaking to a woman I had seen with her earlier. It must be some friend of hers, if Lauren was ever able to actually have friends.
"Go speak to her," Rose said, pushing me in the right direction.
"Bella wait!" Alice yelled, running up towards me. She quickly straitened out my hair, pinched my cheeks, brushed her hands over my clothes and gave me some time to catch my breath. "Now you're ready," she said. "Go Bella!"
My heart was pounding in my throat as I walked up Lauren, who was just saying goodbye to her friend. There was no mistaking her now. I would remember that face everywhere. Huge blue eyes, blond hair and a malicious little smirk.
"Lauren?" I asked, acting like I only spotted her just now.
She turned at the sound of her name, her eyes glancing over my body. "Bella Swan," she finally acknowledged. The smugness in her voice meant to remind me of how inferior I was.
Bite me bitch!
"Fancy seeing you here!" she squealed with fake enthusiasm. "I never took you for a Manhattan kind of girl." The real meaning behind her words was that she thought I was too poor to be able to afford living in Manhattan. "Didn't you drop out of college when you found out you were pregnant?"
"I never dropped out," I stated, trying desperately to add as much fake charm to my words as she had, if only in an effort to control the murderous rage I felt. "I took a year off to give birth and continued after that. I actually graduated with honors." That sure was something the dumb bimbo would never be able to say.
"How good of you!" The way she enlarged her eyes told me academic achievement meant very little to her. Probably because her dad would be able to buy her everything she wanted anyway. "And the baby's father. Did you ever hear from him?"
She must have been so sure of herself. So sure she had driven Edward and me apart forever. This was going to be her big moment. The moment in which I would fall to pieces. She had seen me during those horrible horrible weeks. There was no mistake this was meant to be the death blow.
I felt elated. Almost giddy.
""Actually I did!" I said, my voice much more chipper than before. "We are getting married next week." I stuck out my hand, showing her the diamond engagement ring.
The evil bitch needed a few moments to recover from the shock.
"I don't believe you," she finally stated, her eyes tightening into tiny slits. "There's no way a guy like him would ever ask a lowlife little skank like you to marry him."
Well, the gloves were definitely off.
"You may be amazed how attractive honesty and sincerity is to men," I sneered back. "But then again you may never discover that since you'll always be too shallow to look past outward appearances. You wouldn't know love if it came up and bit you in the ass."
"Just wait until dear Edward leaves your sorry ass for someone more deserving of his affections," Lauren spat. "It's just a matter of time really."
Those statements would have made me flinch before but after everything that happened in the last few months I found that it didn't matter anymore. I trusted Edward. I trusted the love we had. I knew he would never leave me and certainly not for someone as vile as Lauren Mallory.
"There is nothing men like Edward find more unattractive than vile money obsessed creatures like you," I stated as calmly as I could. "You'll never be able to come between us. You never have."
"You'll find out soon enough," she smirked. "You and that filthy little bastard of yours."
I reacted without thinking, without hesitating. I just drew my hand back and punched her in the face as hard as I could. Not caring about where I hit the vile bitch or which bones I broke, though I silently hoped there were many.
"You bitch!" she shrieked, holding her nose.
"Don't. Ever. Talk. Shit. About. My. Kid," I hissed at her. I really wanted to hit her again, it had felt so good to finally do it. To finally get all my anger out there. I wanted to do it again.
"I'm going to sue the shit out of you, you little trailer park whore!" Lauren yelled, blood spilling in between her hands.
I looked away, not wanting to be affected by the blood. Fainting would really ruin the moment.
The first thing I saw Lauren was spinning on her feet like a basketball as Rose towering over her in all her 5'9" of passive – though not so right now – aggressiveness.
"No one calls my girl a whore!" she yelled. "Do it again and I break both your legs!"
"While I claw out your pretty little blue eyes!" Alice added, standing next to Rose with her hand on her hip. They were rocking the 'tough chick Charlie's Angels pose' to the max.
Unfortunately for me – I really wanted to hit the bitch again, or at least yell at her some more – Lauren chose to retreat, obviously not liking the odds.
"And a happy day to you too!" Alice yelled after her.
Now that the bitch had left and I had come down again from my adrenaline kick I was painfully reminded of why fighting was not a good idea.
"Ouch!" I yelled, shaking my hand in front of me. It felt like a truck had run over it.
"Sore?" Rose grinned, clutching her hand in a similar fashion.
"Happy, but……Ouch!"
"Mommy, did you punch that scary lady in the face?" Libby asked, running over to me.
"Sorry sweetheart," I apologized. I hoped my actions did't scare her, or cause her to have nightmares.
"You looked really cool," she said, her eyes huge with awe and sincerity.
"You know that violence is always bad, do you honey?" I tried desperately to be a responsible parent, trying to fight the huge shit eating grin that was dying to creep onto my face.
"Yeah, but sometimes it feels pretty damn good," Rose chuckled.
"Remind me never to pick a fight with you," I grinned back.
"You already did, remember?" she said, slapping me lightly on the back.
"But you didn't fight back that time." I was still clutching my hand. It hurt like hell and it was starting to swell.
"Do you want me to kiss and make it better?" Libby offered.
"Sure honey." I doubted it was going to help, but at least it wouldn't make it hurt more.
"You better not have broken you hand," Alice growled, inspecting the damage. "I'll kill you if you have to wear a cast with your wedding dress next week."
Damn! Why didn't I think of that?
"Come on," she continued. "I'm having Edward take a look at it."
Before I could protest she had dragged Rose, Libby and me out of the park and over to her Porsche which was sparked somewhere nearby. Somehow the four of us managed to pile into the swanky automobile and managed to hold on for dear life as she sped through the city, meanwhile phoning the hospital to notify Edward of our arrival.
"Back so soon?" Garrett grinned as he met us at the entrance.
"Don't start," I growled. The pain had changed from a fierce stabbing pain to a dull aching throb. I knew that kind of pain. It could go on for ages.
"Someone's a bit cranky!" Garrett teased.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Alice chuckled. "She's got a mean left hook!"
"You're saying she didn't bump into something this time?" Garrett asked incredulously.
"Nope, unless you count the face of an evil backstabbing bitch as 'something'," Alice grinned.
"Way to go Bella!" Garrett praised. "I didn't think you had it in you!" He wanted to hi five me but thought better of it on the last moment. "Erm….well, let's go find you a doctor."
Rose raised an eyebrow, letting her eyes travel over Garrett's lab coat.
"Believe me, if I start examining Bella right now half the ER will throw a complete hissy fit," Garrett explained, rolling his eyes.
I remembered the last time that happened. Kate had checked me up after my fall a few months ago. Later on Edward had explained that event had turned into a Shakespearean drama in five acts when the ER-staff had complained to the Chief of Surgery about arrogant cowboy residents overstepping their boundaries and stuff. The whole thing had only just about calmed down and I could understand why Garrett didn't want to stir it all up again.
"Garrett!" Libby cheered, spotting him as soon as she was done talking to the nice lady at the reception.
"Why miss Elizabeth! What a pleasure to see you here on this fine afternoon," Garrett crooned in his best Rhett Butler imitation.
"Showoff," Kate smirked, coming up behind him. It was funny how much their relationship resembled that of Rose and Emmett. They were obviously very much in love with each other but showed it mostly by making snide remarks.
"You know me,' Garrett replied, bowing down to kiss her hand. "I'm anything if not courteous."
"Courteous my ass," Kate growled. "You just want to make another trip to the on call room."
"If my chivalry is not appreciated I might take it elsewhere." Garrett knew of no defeat, turning back to Libby. "Lovely lady, if you and your party would follow me into one of our finest sickly green curtain area's? I'll go find the most competent doctor in the house to check out your darling mother's hand."
"I swear I'd dump his sorry ass tomorrow if he weren't so talented 'elsewhere'," I heard Kate whisper to Rose behind me.
"Sadly I know just how you feel," Rose replied.
"Bella, are you alright?" For the third time in a time span that was much too short Edward came running into the ER.
"I'm fine honey," I said, giving him a chaste kiss. "I just hurt my hand."
"We'll leave the two of you to be," Kate said, linking her arm with Garrett's. "And don't even ask, we'll cover for you. And I do mean for the rest of your shift."
"Thanks! I owe you one," Edward said as they walked away. "So what happened?" he asked, turning to me.
"Mommy punched someone," Libby, sitting next to me, added. She made it look like it was quite the achievement.
"She did?" Edward flashed me one of his lopsided grins.
"Yes, there was a woman and she was very mean to me and mommy and then mommy hit her and the lady was still very mean to mommy and then aunt Rose hit her as well," Libby took a deep breath after her long explanation. "And then aunt Alice wanted to hit her as well but she never did. And we saw Harry Potter."
"It sounds like you had quite the morning sweetheart," Edward said, giving her a hug while he shot me an amused grin. "So…..mommy hurt her hand because she hit someone?"
"It was Lauren," I defended myself as Edward lifted the icepack off my hand to inspect the damage. "And you might want to hold off on examining me. We wouldn't want to anger any more ER docs would we?"
Fortunately the doctor in question came in right that moment, cutting short all clandestine examinations for the moment. I felt Edward tense up beside me as he spotted the man in the lab coat, a growl rising in his chest.
This was going to get ugly.
"I see you've taken your whole family with you!" The rather young doctor joked as he entered the curtained off section where we had been ushered into.
"Is that a bad thing?" Edward growled.
"Doctor Cullen." The doctor went into a state of shock when he spotted Edward standing next to me. "I didn't know you were an acquaintance of the patient."
"She's my fiancé," Edward barked back.
"Ah, I see," the poor doctor took a few steps back, almost hiding in a corner. "W-well I'm doctor Morris," he stammered.
"Nice to meet you," I offered trying to comfort him a little though Edward did nothing to help me. "I'd shake your hand but as you see that's quite impossible at the moment." I nudged Edward in the ribs to get him to quit glaring at the poor doctor.
"W-well, I'll just get some s-s-stuff to check your hand and we'll be good to go." He almost sprinted out of the room after he had finished his sentence.
"Stuff," Edward hissed.
"What the hell is all that about?" I asked, turning to face him.
"Daddy's in trouble," Libby sang.
"I believe he is," Alice grinned. The three others had been awfully quiet during the whole exchange.
"Alice, why don't you take Rose and Libby to our house?" I asked. "The doctor was right. It is a bit crowded in here and I don't want to expose Libby to hospitals too much," I added. "No offense of course."
"None taken,' Edward chuckled. "And I agree. It's best to take Libby home. I'll take Bella home after we're done here."
"Kay," Alice chirped. "We need to discuss some super secret stuff anyway."
"You'd better not be planning me a bachelorette party," I huffed. I had seen enough male strippers to last a life time.
"Don't be such a party pooper Bella," Alice scoffed, walking out of the room as the – still nervous – doctor Morris came shuffling back in.
"Let's just get this over with," he sighed, more to himself than to anyone else.
"Edward," I scowled as he practically growled at the poor man when I winced after he assessed the damage to my hand.
"I'm sorry," doctor Morris said, looking shyly at Edward.
"Just do your job," Edward sneered. So much for a pleasant working environment.
The poor ER-doc and Edward both agreed that – probably much to Alice's relief – no bones were broken and that some rest and more ice would suffice to have my hand back to some sort of normal by next week.
"So what was all that about?" I asked, as soon as I had been given the all clear.
"Doctor Morris is and incompetent ass," Edward growled. "I can't believe they even let him loose down here."
"It can't be that bad," I said, rolling my eyes. "He did managed to get his license after all."
"I don't know who he bribed to come this far," Edward moped. "But I don't like the thought of him getting anywhere near my family."
I rolled my eyes at him. As much as I hated it when Edward would go all caveman on me and talk about 'his girl' and 'his family', I also had to admit it was kind of a turn on.
"I'll just get my 'stuff'," Edward said, rolling his eyes as he used the word 'stuff', "and we'll get out of here."
--
EPOV
--
"Any messages for me?" I asked the nurse over at the reception as I straightened my lab coat. I had just come out of a complicated heart surgery which had taken up most of my shift.
"Doctor Denali left you a message," the nurse said, handing me a folded sheet of paper. "I think it's about your fiancé."
I quickly unfolded the paper and glanced over it on my way downstairs. I wondered what might have happened this time as Kate's note said that Bella had been brought into the ER with a possible fracture in her hand.
The look on Bella's face when Libby explained what happened was priceless. She blushed a lovely shade of red, trying to hide behind her hair while Libby spoke.
I couldn't help but tense up as I heard the name of the person she had attacked.
Lauren.
The arrival of an ER doctor, coming to take care of Bella's wounded hand cut short any deliberations of what happened.
I had to fight hard to suppress a growl as I recognize the face of doctor Morris. Was this their way of getting back at me for overstepping my boundaries before? Sending me the most incompetent ass that worked in this dumping ground for incompetent asses?
If he thought he could get within a two feet radius of my Bella he had another thing coming.
Right before I could move to push him away I felt Bella's hand come up to restrain me. She looked at me with a mix of confusion and amusement as the idiot started speaking.
He wasted no time in proofing just how much of an idiot he really was. Stumbling over every word and even his own two feet as he hastily withdrew from the room in search for supplies. Or 'stuff' as he called it.
Stuff.
Really?
It was the equipment used by us to make people better. I'm sure the venerable doctor Alexander Fleming would have been moved to hear his lifesaving invention being called 'stuff'.
Then of course he also had to make the inexcusable mistake of hurting my Bella. Really. How hard could it be to assess the damage? I had managed to do so in under five minutes and without making her flinch. How incompetent does someone have to be to mess up like this?
The only good thing about this was that no bones were broken. Bella's hand was just bruised and swollen from the impact with Lauren's face. She would be okay in a few days when it had had time to heal. The bruises would last for a while longer though.
"I'll just get my 'stuff'," I groaned again at the mention of the word, "and we'll get out of here."
I actually couldn't wait to get Bella home again, not just to have her within a safe distance of the incompetent ass brigade, but also because I was dying to spend some time with her. Preferably alone. Preferably in bed.
The thought of my Bella, my sweet innocent – okay, sometimes not so innocent – Bella getting into a fistfight with her arch nemesis was actually quite the turn on. I could only imagine the things Lauren would have had to say to evoke such a strong reaction out of Bella. She had never been a violent kind of person, not even when her mother and her had been fighting, so this would probably have been pretty bad.
"So you ran into Lauren?" I asked as we drove back home.
"I did," Bella said, plucking at the sleeves of her jacket. I glanced sideways to see the blush had made a reappearance.
"What happened?"
"We talked," Bella shrugged. "Or rather, I talked while she sneered."
"And….?"
"And then she called Libby a little bastard." Bella's voice took on a fierce tone as she said it. "So I hit her."
"Good," I stated. I was this close to turning the car around in search for that vile bitch.
"What?"
"It was a good thing you hit her," I replied, looking at her confused expression. "she sure as hell deserved it. The only thing negative thing about all this is that you were hurt doing so."
"Yeah," she sighed. "Emmett will never let me live that one down."
"Why not?" I mean, all things considered she had done pretty well. She had landed a good punch on the bitch and came out of it reasonably unscathed.
"Emmett always taught me to not tuck my thumb into my fist when I punched someone," Bella explained. "The only time I put his instructions to good use I forget and end up with a swollen hand."
"You would have ended up with a swollen hand anyway," I chuckled. "Believe me, I know."
"I never took you for a violent man," she grinned.
"You never met me during those first years at college," I sighed. I had gotten into my fair share of fights back then, most of them under the influence of alcohol or worse. "And even now……I would never hesitate to hurt someone who poses a threat to my family."
"Yeah, I saw that," she giggled.
"Admit it Bella," I laughed with her. "I know you like it." She could complain all she liked about me being protective of her and Libby, but I knew it also turned her on. Her eyes and face simply gave her away.
"Don't let it get to your head," she scolded, exiting the car before I could open the door for her. It was her way of re-establishing our natural order.
"Did you get a cast mommy?" Libby yelled as she ran out of the house barefooted, Alice running after her with a pair of slippers.
"Darcy Elizabeth Cullen!" Bella scolded. All three of us stopping death in our tracks at the tone of her voice. "Did I not teach you any manners?"
Libby's face dropped, as she padded back into the house.
"First you go running after a boy you don't even know and now you come running out of the house like some crazy Neanderthal."
Libby ran after a boy? She was far too young to do that! What boy? How did she know him?
"Sorry mom," Libby said in a tiny voice, still looking at her bare feet.
"That's better," Bella stated. "Now be a good girl and follow your aunt upstairs to finish dressing and I'll tell you all about what happened after you left when you get back downstairs."
"What boy," I growled the moment Libby and Alice were out of sight.
"That actor from Harry Potter," she said, rolling her eyes at my reaction. I could not believe how cavalier she was about all of this. Our daughter should not be running after boys at her age. Or at any age,come to think of it. "Some girls at the playground spotted him and Libby thought it would be a good idea to follow them as they ran after him."
"And you allowed that?" I said, my tone perhaps a little more agitated then it should be,
"Of course not," Bella spat back. "What the hell do you think of me?"
"Sorry," I sighed, knowing I had gone too far. "I just don't like the idea of Libby and boys."
"What are you going to do when she brings home her first boyfriend?" she smirked. "Wave a gun at him?"
"That's not an idea am entirely opposed to," I admitted. I wondered if Emmett had kept their dad's old gun. It might come in handy one day.
"Men," Bella groaned.
"Aren't you scared our little girl is going to bring home some random guy one day?" I asked.
"Sure," Bella admitted, still laughing at me. "But I know we can't keep her locked up indoors forever. It's going to happen anyway and I think we should trust Libby's judgment when that day comes."
"I know how teen aged boys think," I scowled. "I don't want any of them sniffing around my daughter with their filthy little minds."
"Men," Bella muttered under her breath as she walked into the living room, rolling her eyes at me one last time.
"So I hear you punched a girl in the face!" Emmett yelled as soon as Bella had set foot in the room. "Good on ya sis!"
"You're acting like I won a title match or something!" I heard Bella say.
"You stood up for yourself, that's all a big brother could wish for!" Even from outside the room I could hear the pride in Emmett's voice.
When I entered the room I saw that Emmett was studying Bella's hand, scrutinizing her bruises. "You didn't pull your thumb out of your fist," he said disappointedly.
"I forgot," Bella said in a tiny voice. "Sorry."
"Doesn't matter squirt," Emmett replied, ruffling her hair. "It would have hurt, like hell even if you would have stuck your thumb in your nose," he added. "Or hers."
"All that matters is that you finally stood up for yourself," Rose added, wrapping one of her arms around Bella.
"I'm proud of you squirt," Emmett said, "just remember to pull your thumb out of your fist next time."
"Will do," Bella chuckled., "Though I hope you won't be disappointed if that won't be for a little while."
"We'll have to buy you a pair of gloves," Alice glowered, looking at Bella's bruised hand. "There's no way the bruises will have faded in time for the wedding."
"I'm sure you'll find the perfect pair for me," Bella soothed. She had gotten much better at dealing with the fashionista side of my pixie sister lately.
We ended up ordering Chinese and hanging out with the whole family, talking about earlier fist fights we had gotten into and the best way to deck someone with minimal damage to your own body.
I found out that Emmett, though he looked like he could take care of himself rather well, actually had very little experience with hand to hand combat. According to him his physique scared anyone looking for a fight off. He'd just have to glare at someone to make them run for safety.
"Did you know no guy in highschool dared to approach me – well apart from Jacob – because of Emmett?" Bella giggled as we made our way upstairs after the rest of the family had left.
"I'm not surprised," I chuckled. "Not that I would have let Emmett scare me off, of course."
"Of course not," she laughed back, rolling her eyes at me.
"How is your hand?" I had been ensuring Bella kept her hand wrapped in an icepack all evening, even though she started to complain of hypothermia after a few hours.
"Still a little sore," she admitted. "Though it's getting better now."
"Can I have a look at it?"
"Sure," she chuckled at my concern. "Anything else you'd want to check out doctor Cullen?" She purred, brushing her fingers over my chest and down to my hips.
Damn! How was I ever going to be a responsible doctor and treat my girl right when she was acting like this?
Not that I minded of course.
"Well, now that you mention it," I replied after ensuring her hand was going to be fine, "I did want to make sure the rest of you was unscathed."
"Then tell me.....doctor," the sound of her voice, low and seductive, send a shiver down my spine and made my pants suddenly feel awfully tight, "what do you want me to do?"
Hmmmm. Dilemma, dilemma. What did I want her to do most?
"Let's get you out of those clothes for starters," I suggested, lifting my hands to help her.
"I'm not so much of an invalid that I can't undress myself," he said, playfully swatting my hands away. "So why don't you sit back and....just enjoy the show?"
I swallowed hard, sitting down in the seat in front of her vanity as Bella started to undress herself in front of me.
Excruciatingly slow.
Remaining seated, a few feet away from her., not touching her, was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I struggled a few times, especially when Bella struggled with the buttons on her blouse and jeans since she had only one hand to work with. One look from her made me sit down again though. I might have fooled myself into thinking I was in charge, I never really stood a chance against her.
She reached behind her, undoing the clasps of her bra and letting the fabric fall away from her body, the straps slowly inching down over her arms. The minute her nipples were exposed to the chilly air of our bedroom they started to react, hardening, beckoning me to run my fingers over them.
This was my undoing.
Before Bella could protest I had scooped her up, placed her on the bed and hovered over her, keeping my weight supported on one of my hands while the other traveled over her body, enveloping her breast as my thumb rubbed over her pebbled peak.
She reached her good hand behind my head, pulling it towards her as her lips found mine. She fisted her hand in my hair as our tongued tangled, caressing each other, until we had to break apart, gasping for air.
I kissed my way along her jaw to her neck and further down to her peaks, letting my tongue encircle her nipples as my hand lavished attention on her other mound. She squirmed underneath me, her legs rubbing against each other in search of friction.
"Edward please," she begged. "I need you."
"Then take me,"I panted, looking into her hooded, lust filled eyes.
She sat up, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth as she started working on the buttons of my shirt, kissing any skin she exposed.
"You know I could do that a lot faster, don't you?" I offered, getting a little impatient at her slow progress.
"But would it be as much fun?" she grinned mischievously, brushing the fabric of my shirt of my shoulders.
He hands trailed back up over my arms and shoulders to latch themselves in my hair after she had discarded it. I pulled her into my lap, needing her close to me so that I could kiss her, touch her, claim her.
"You're right about that," I grunted out in between kisses. The way she was grinding against me brought me to the brink of insanity and I knew I wasn't going to last long if she kept this up.
So I took charge again, pushing her back softly so she was lying on the bed again while I made quick work of my pants and boxers.
"Hey, I wanted to do that!" she said disappointedly.
"I'm sorry love," I chuckled. "But at the rate you were going the show would have been over before it started." She blushed at my words. "And by the way, I thought you were done playing?"
"True," she stated, her eyes glistening with a combination of lust and love. "Make love to me Edward."
I slowly slid into her, reveling in her warmth as she enveloped me, took me in, welcomed me home. We both moaned at the sensation as I started to slowly move in and out of her. "God Bella, you feel so amazing," I panted as she wrapped her legs around me, pulling me even deeper inside of her.
"Edward," she moaned. I could hear she was close. I was close. We were close.
I lowered my head to her breasts, kissing and nipping at her peaks as I increased my pace.
"Yes! Edward! Faster!" she panted, fisting her hands in my pair and pulling me upwards again as she kissed me with all the passion she felt.
"Bella," I moaned. I was so close. So close. But I wanted her to fall over the edge first. I wanted to see my Bella's face as I brought her to her climax. "Please, come for me."
"I'm so close," she panted and I could see her face twisting in anticipation of her release. "Oh God!"
He back arched away from the bed and into my chest as she exploded around me, pulling me over the edge with her as we crashed onto the mattress together, panting for air. I tried to keep most of my weight off her, afraid I was going to crush her underneath me, but found myself unable to even support myself.
I finally rolled over, our slick body's whimpering in discontent at the loss of contact as I left her warmth.
"I love you my angel," I sighed, pulling her into my arms.
"I can't wait to get married to you," she said, kissing a trail over my chest. "And expand our family."
I could almost hear her blush through her voice even though she had nothing to be embarrassed about. "Are you sure?" I asked.
"What?" she asked tensing up beside me. "Don't you want any more children?"
"Of course I want more children," I chuckled, leaning in for a quick kiss. "And I can't wait to start trying. It's just, I thought you might want to wait since you just started your new job at the university."
"I'm tired of waiting," she sighed, snuggling further into my embrace. "I've waited over five years for you and now that I have you I kind of want it all."
"Then you shall have all you want, my love," I replied, the huge grin that spread over my face showing in my voice.
We stayed silent for a little while, both wrapped up in the thought that perhaps a year from now on we would be holding another one of our children in our arms. I couldn't wait to be a father again. To experience the whole pregnancy, everything I had missed before.
"So when do you want to start trying?" I asked cautiously, brushing my fingers over Bella's back. I didn't want to scare her with my eagerness to start as soon as we had said our 'I do's '
"How about next week? After the wedding?" She must have read my mind yest again.
"Next week sounds fabulous," I whispered, kissing the top of her head.
So Bella and Edward will be working on expanding their little family soon...
The thing with Daniel Radcliffe kind of happened to me when I was in NY last summer. Me and my friend were sitting on a bench when all hell broke loose around us. Turns out the guy had been walking right behind us, even stopping to ask for directions, and we had completely missed it. Just my luck.
The thing about the thumbs is also something I found out the hard way. Don't ask.
Nbau12 has written a story based on my take on Stepehnie Meyers characters. The story in itself is completely seperate from mine it just uses the characters and settings of my story. It's called Spin off: my mistakes were made for you and from what I understand it's going to be a bit darker than this story. Go check it out!
I hope to have the next chapter up on Friday but I can't make any promises. I'll be working on the next chapter of Carlisle's Angels and my entry for KittenMischief's Who's line is it anyway contest (It's called 'Control' and it's going to be a Jasper x Rosalie fic based on the song "She's lost control" by Joy Division) until Wednesday and I'm away on an excursion all Thursday. The chapter is as good as done but it is rather long (11,000 + words!) so it's going to take me a lot of time to revise it. Since it's the wedding chapter I want it to be really good so I'll have to take my time checking it over and whipping it into shape. I'll try my hardest to get it done though.
Do you know what will make me work even harder? Reviews!