DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction for which we will receive no compensation, especially since all characters belong to a different Stephenie. But this story helped save the babies, which we are all for.

Thanks as always to maplestyle.

Thanks to Random Rita for her awesome shout out this week!

Welcome to all our new readers! ladylibre will try to keep the fainting to a minimum, but she makes no promises ;)

Chapter 20

Edward awoke a few hours later, feeling pretty damn good all things considered. The situation with Bella could have taken a terrible turn last night – especially since he didn't believe her nightmare had been some random thing – but she seemed comforted by his presence and slept through the rest of the night.

And the kiss? That was better than anything he'd dreamed about before or afterwards.

He knew Bella was awake. He saw the light beneath the bathroom door and could hear the shower water running. And after the way she'd come alive in his arms, he wanted to open that door, pull back that shower curtain, and...

Edward jumped up before he could finish that thought and grabbed his suitcase from beside the couch. He pulled out some sweats and running shoes. He needed to use the bathroom, but he could take care of that somewhere in the woods... as long as his mother never found out.

He laced up his shoes just as the water shut off in the bathroom and bolted for the front door. Taking a deep whiff of New England air, he set off at a quick pace, trying to outrun the things Bella Swan was doing to him.

He'd probably have to run to Texas and back, but a few miles would be a good start.

Bella heard the front door shut and quickly wrapped a towel around her damp body. Rushing to the living room window, she saw Edward running up the path toward the street, and she sighed in surprising relief. She wasn't upset or trying to avoid him. But after the confusing events of last night, she needed some time to process things before seeing him again.

He had been so kind and compassionate after her nightmare, and she'd been touched by his concern. But it was the way he'd touched and kissed her afterwards that she couldn't stop thinking about. And with so much of Reunion Week still ahead of them, she needed to be smart about where things went from here.

Even if her body begged her to just fuck him already.

She walked into the bedroom and toweled off. Her phone sat on the nightstand, reminding her of a need more urgent than getting into Edward's pants. As she lotioned her legs, she dialed a number on speakerphone, preparing for an onslaught of profanity.

"Hello?" came an overly polite voice through the speaker.

"Rose?"

"Yes?"

"It's me, Bella."

"Bella... Bella..." Rose tried out the name uncertainly. "Uh, I'm sorry. I don't believe I know anyone by that name."

"Rose..."

"I did know a Bella once," she continues. "In fact, it seems like only yesterday she was here with me..."

"It was yesterday..."

"... but then she went off to the other side of the country with Satan's well-hung spawn and ignored all thirteen of my texts..."

"There were five..."

"... even though she promised to stay in touch so I wouldn't worry that he'd sacrificed her to his hell-dwelling leader in the wilds of New England during some psycho-sexual ritual. It's been nearly 24 hours, and I've lost all hope." Rose sighed. "I wonder what happened to her."

Bella waited a beat. "Are you finished?"

"Do you feel bad yet?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes."

"Can we start over?"

"Yes."

"Good." Bella shook her head in amusement. "Hey, Rose."

"Bella Swan, you old bastard! How's the foliage? Schmucked any clams yet?"

"The foliage is spectacular, it's 'schuck' not 'schmuck,' and Mrs. Cullen is smart enough not to let me anywhere near the kitchen." She opened the drawer, inspecting her clothes. "And I thank her for that."

"Seen any woodland creatures?"

"Not yet."

"Anybody give you shit?"

"None that I couldn't handle."

"And how's Dr. Turdward?

"Are you ever going to call him by his name?"

"If he ever manages to act like a human being outside of trying to get something from you, I'll consider it. Be glad I'm asking about his ass at all."

"He's fine." Bella kept the smile out of her voice. "Had some awkward moments with the family, but so far so good."

"So no controlling behavior?"

"No."

"No sneaking into your shower?"

Not that that would be unwelcome. "No."

"No 'follow me down this dark hallway and don't remove your blindfold'?"

"Also no."

"Huh. Well, it's only the first day. I'm sure he's trying to ease you in."

"You're relentless."

"And only eight hours away by plane. Five if I use the Chairman of the Board's jet, but I'm not flashing him my boobs again."

"What?"

"Never mind. You sound like everything's okay, so I'll lower the threat level to green."

"Good girl. How are things there?"

"There's a Dr. Call here, arrived last night. He's checking out the Peds department since Dr. Berty is about to retire."

"Wait. Dr. Call from The Cleveland Clinic?"

"No."

"Dr. Call who published that groundbreaking study about childhood obesity?"

"No."

Bella pulled a thick sweater out of the drawer. "I give up."

"That's probably best. This Dr. Call has the world's most boring voice but looks like Chief Carlisle's hot and rugged younger brother."

"Which means Alice is all over him."

"Exactly."

"Poor thing." Bella chuckled and glanced at the clock. "I should go get ready."

"Fine. But don't ever..."

"...ignore that many texts from you again. I won't, promise."

"And remember..."

"...to lock my bedroom door at night." Bella looked at the broken door and smiled. "Got it."

"And if you get a strong urge to jump his bones..."

"... you slipped something special in my suitcase."

"It has twelve speeds, a silent motor, and a USB cord. Just in case there's overtime."

"You really thought of everything."

"Somebody's got to take care of you, Swan. And it's not like we can trust Dr. Fucktard to do it."

Bella ended the call with Rose, stuck on the last thing she said. As far as most people saw, there was only side to Edward: the assholish, obnoxious, makes-you-wanna-knee-him-in-the-nads side.

But there was another side, a softer, kinder side that only Bella seemed to see: the one that brought her breakfast after she collapsed. The one from their date at his trailer. The one from the plane and last night. That Edward could take care of her, could make her feel better. Maybe even make her happy.

Was that Edward the real him and the asshat was an imposter? Or was he really a douche-monkey and his occasional kindness was a fraud?

"I don't know," Bella muttered as she reached for a pair of stretchy jeans. "But I really want to find out."

***STYB***

When Edward and Bella arrived at the main house, Bella almost had a full-out panic attack. There were at least 30 people inside, not including the dozens of kids running around out back. Edward tried to pull her toward the door, but Bella was frozen in place. He squeezed her hand lightly and leaned in.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "You're gorgeous, and they're drunk. Just smile, and they'll think they love you."

Bella flushed at the compliment. "Thank you."

"I'm only telling the truth." He caressed her hand with his thumb. "Let's go."

They stayed together as long as possible, Edward introducing her as his girlfriend with a proud smile. She didn't bother trying to keep any of the names straight, just nodded along with whatever they said. Thankfully, Leah and Rachel stole her away and kept her highly entertained with all the dirt on which relatives weren't speaking to each other and which children were rumored to be the product of extramarital activities. Outside of meeting the interns at Olympic Med, it was the only time in her life Bella felt like she belonged.

Too bad it wasn't real, right?

"Right hand, green!" Lila called out from the sidelines.

When Elizabeth corralled her daughters into helping her with lunch, Luna and Lelani had asked Bella to play games in the den. She conquered jacks and Simon Says, so they upped the ante and brought out Twister, thinking they had her.

"No problem," Bella said, taking her fifth turn. She twisted to the side and placed her right hand on the green circle.

"Dang it," Luna muttered.

Lila flicked the spinner again. "Left foot, red!"

One of the cousins fell over, and Bella chuckled, planting her foot with ease. Lelani set down her foot next, but Luna struggled to keep her balance, barely managing as she scowled playfully at Bella.

"Laugh now." Luna panted. "But you're going down!"

"If you say so," Bella said. What the snarky teenager didn't know was that Bella had the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast. God bless yoga.

Edward was coming upstairs from the basement, having beaten Peter twice in tennis on the Wii. His four brothers-in-law were nursing beers in the hall, so Edward joined them. As the five men approached the den, Edward noticed his nephews huddled together and snickering in the doorway.

"What in the world is going on?" Peter mused.

Suddenly the boys let out a muted whoop, high-fiving each other with hearty grins. And as Edward stopped at the threshold of the den, all he could do was stare with them. He was just in time to watch Bella twist her body to plant her right foot on a yellow circle, sticking her ass in the air in the process.

And every man beside Edward tilted their heads to watch her do it.

Levi elbowed Edward, wiggling his eyebrows. "How smart am I?"

Leo fist-bumped Levi. "Pretty freakin' smart, little brother."

Edward knew he should have reprimanded them, but he was having a familiar problem, and he shifted uncomfortably. He'd done a pretty good job of keeping his racy thoughts of Bella to a minimum, but watching her contort her body like that was turning him into a hormonal teenage boy.

Thank goodness his Aunt Ida wasn't nearby. The prudish old hen would have scolded him for sure.

Suddenly the men around him groaned, and Edward realized the game had come to an end. A smattering of applause rang out, and Bella popped up with a laugh and took a bow. She spotted Edward and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm having the best time!"

"I can see that," he chuckled, resting his hands on her waist.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she whispered, pushing up on her tiptoes and kissing him deeply. Edward heard the catcalls and whistles but couldn't bring himself to care as he drank in her scent and softness.

Why did she have to feel so right in his arms?

"What is all the commotion about?" Leah asked as she entered the room with Rachel. "My, my, my!"

"Ew, ew, ew!" Rachel said dramatically. "I think I'm about to barf up breakfast."

Bella extracted herself from Edward and smiled at Rachel. "You missed my triumph over your nieces."

Rachel noticed the mat on the floor. "You played Twister?"

"Yep! Luna invited me to play with her and Lelani and... and... some other people you're related to."

"Oh, really?" Leah marched over to Levi and slapped the back of his head. "How much?"

"Ow, Ma!" He rubbed the tender spot. "Really?"

"How much did you pay her?" Levi muttered something, and Leah raised her hand again. "What?"

"Twenty!"

Rachel turned to her daughter. "Luna!"

"What? I made twenty bucks playing Twister. What's wrong with..." She glanced at Bella whose lips were clamped together. "Oh, shit. I mean, shoot."

"Everyone out!" Leah yelled. The males all grumbled as they filed out, Leo earning a pinch on the arm as he passed his mother. "That's for enjoying the show." Leah turned to Bella with a sigh. "I am so sorry."

"Wait. Your son bribed his cousin to ask me to play Twister so he and his brother could stare at my ass?"

"That pretty much sums it up," Rachel said.

"He's our resident horndog," Leah said. "We're so very proud."

"Hey, no harm, no foul." Bella patted Leah on her shoulder. "Besides, it's the most fun I've had in ages."

"You turned in quite the performance," Edward said, nuzzling Bella's ear. "I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up."

"As long as you're not offended, Bella," Leah said.

"Please. Your brother does more offensive shit than that."

Edward looked surprised then shrugged. "She's not wrong."

"No, she's not, but I think we need to calm things down a bit." Leah walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a deck of cards. "How about a harmless game of Uno?"

Bella, Edward, and three of his sisters went from Uno to Old Maid to a surprisingly competitive game of Go Fish. Elizabeth interrupted them for a hearty lunch – and made her enterprising grandsons clean up alone – then gathered the five of them in a large room in the back of the house.

"This has been a great day, Mom," Edward said sincerely. "Thank you."

Elizabeth waved him off. "It's my pleasure. I'm just glad you came."

"I wasn't going to." He looked up at Bella who was perched on the arm of his chair. "But someone gave me a good reason."

"Ugh, are y'all gonna kiss again?" Rachel asked. "Cuz I don't need to see that."

Edward flipped off Rachel, and they both laughed.

"So what's next on the agenda?" Bella asked. "Movie marathon? Family talent show?"

"Actually..." Everyone turned to see Kate enter the room. "It's time to make introductions!"

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked. "Everyone here knows everyone else here."

"Not true!" Kate sang as she twirled into the room. "Bella doesn't know everyone."

"She knows enough of us," Leah said.

"She may know you guys," Kate said. "But I think there's someone else she needs to meet."

Kate stepped dramatically aside, and a beautiful blonde entered the room.

"Bella?" Kate said brightly. "I'd like you to meet Tanya Cullen, Edward's wife."

Dun-dun-dunnnnnn...

Story rec: Dear Bella by FallinginloveinDecember. It's not your normal touchy feeling E/B story so grab the tissues.

Thanks for reading - see you in a week! XO