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!

A/N: So based on your colorful reviews over the last two weeks, Tanya sucks, Peter is everything terrible, and Esme is a sorry excuse for a human being who doesn't deserve to draw breath let alone be someone's mother. Well, at least Edward and Bella are on better terms.

Right?

Chapter 23

Edward awoke a few hours later, the sunlight no longer streaming through the curtains. His back was stiff, and his arm was a little numb, but the most important consideration was the warm weight curled beside him. At some point, he must have turned onto his side and was now cradled behind Bella, his arm draped protectively around her waist. She sighed contentedly in her sleep, and Edward felt a flutter of pleasure at the sound. This wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd fantasized about getting her into bed, but this scenario did hold a certain appeal.

Though it would be nice if every sleeping adventure with Bella Swan didn't come with a drink-induced headache.

Edward carefully extricated himself from the bed so as not to wake her, needing to relieve himself and the throbbing in his head. He hadn't had as much vodka as he wanted, needing to be somewhat sober when his mother inevitably summoned him back to the main house for dinner. The thought sent a pulse of pain through his head, and he beelined to the kitchen to take some aspirin. He closed his eyes as the cool water soothed his parched throat, the images from earlier assaulting him once more.

Tanya.

Her very name made him twitch with anger, and it was all he could do not to throw the empty glass against the wall. He could not believe her nerve, that she had the audacity to show her face after what she did. He would deal with Kate's role in all of this later, but knowing Tanya, she had already planned to come to the reunion, and Kate's invitation only made it easier. He was furious with Tanya, shocked by Kate, and disappointed in his mother's muted response.

But most of all, he was pissed at himself.

How many times had he imagined what he'd say when he saw her again? He knew it was inevitable, that there were too many points of permanent connection for him to avoid her altogether. Tanya was not only Kate's best friend, but she was also godmother to Kate's twins, Lana and Laney. Edward had promised to keep his cool if their first meeting occurred in front of his nieces, but once he got her alone?

He was going to let her have it, "fire with both barrels" as a friend from college used to say. So many times, he'd gone over his speech – in the shower, in the car on the way to work, under his breath at the gym – rehearsing the exact words he'd use to make her feel as small and worthless as her betrayal had made him feel.

But when the moment came, when she was finally standing in front of him batting those fake lashes and saying things that made his blood boil, what did he do?

Nothing.

Sure, he told her not to use those terrible nicknames she loved and that she wasn't welcome in his family's home. But the epic teardown he'd crafted over the last fourteen months? Not a word of it came out. It was like he was too overwhelmed by the sight of her to speak and could only stand there, literally struck dumb. Leah and Rachel looked ready to kick her ass, which made him smile, and Bella...

He glanced toward the bedroom, a cauldron of emotions rolling through him. She had taken care of him, reminded him that he didn't need to dignify her presence with his own. Bella had made sure he could leave the room with his dignity intact and prevented him from being later embarrassed by his inaction in the moment. He didn't know what had happened after he left, but he knew he wasn't about to subject himself or Bella to Tanya's presence again.

Once in one day was plenty.

He entered the bathroom and nearly tripped over the bottle of vodka. After getting himself together, he returned the bottle to the cabinet and went hunting for his cell phone to call the house. His mother would be disappointed, but she would just have to understand that he refused to endure another—

The ring of the doorbell startled him, and he wondered who would be visiting. His shirt was wrinkled from his nap, so he quickly grabbed something fresh, just in case Tanya had decided to take a second crack at him. But after two more raps on the door, all was silent again. Edward opened the door and found a large picnic basket on the top step tied with a large ribbon. He recognized his mother's handwriting on the accompanying note which said, "I'm sorry. Enjoy."

"Sorry for what?" Edward mused as he brought the basket inside.

"Hey," came a sleepy voice from behind him. He turned to see Bella coming out of the bedroom. "What did Elizabeth send us?" she asked.

"Hey, yourself." He smiled at her and set the basket on the kitchen counter. "How'd you know this was from my mother?"

"She offered to send dinner when I told her we wouldn't be coming back to the house today."

"You what?"

"I figured you'd had enough family bonding for one day." At his stare, she got nervous. "Maybe I shouldn't have presumed to speak for you, but I thought..."

"No, I'm glad you did. I was going to make that call myself just now."

"Good, okay."

"So, uh... what happened after I left?"

"Not much. I told Tanya she was lucky I wasn't going to beat her ass, Leah and Rachel offered to help, and your mother threw her out. Kate fled upstairs after Tanya left, and I called it an afternoon."

"Did Kate explain herself?"

"Apparently Tanya told her this was all a misunderstanding..."

"What?"

"Yeah. And that you'd be glad to see her." Bella shook her head. "But for what it's worth, I think she realizes how badly she messed up. And that you didn't deserve what happened today or back then."

Once again, Bella was defending him, and though Edward was grateful for the support, his conscience pricked him. He turned away from the dinner basket to face her. "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"I... I owe you an apology."

"Edward..."

"Please let me get this out." He could hardly meet her eyes. "I had no idea about your relationship with Peter. Or with your mother. When I think about how I've treated you, the things I've said..."

"Edward, stop." Bella sighed heavily. "I appreciate what you're about to do, and I thank you for it. But we've both said regrettable things and acted in horrible ways."

"You cannot compare your words or behavior with mine. You only insulted me when I provoked you into it..."

"And that was my choice. I don't hold you responsible for that."

"No, but you should hold me responsible for my conduct." He held her gaze. "And you should let me apologize for it, even if you can't accept it yet."

"Edward..."

"I am so sorry, Isabella." His use of her full name commanded her full attention. "I've been sorry for a while, but now, I... I hope someday you'll forgive me for who I've been."

Bella didn't say anything, her heart swelling with the sincerity of the moment. She wasn't confident and snarky like Rose or happy-go-lucky like Alice, so words had a tremendous effect on her. And no matter how provoked she'd been, every awful exchange she'd had with Edward filled her with shame and regret. His behavior was inexcusable, yes, but after what she saw today, she understood some of the reasons behind it. And that mattered too.

"I don't expect you to forgive me overnight," Edward was saying. "But I'm hope we can start over and put the anger and insults behind us."

"I'd like that," Bella said, meeting his eyes. "I'd like that a lot."

"Good." He smiled in relief then looked at the basket. "Any idea what's in here?"

"No." Bella took a deep whiff. "But I'm sure it's delicious."

Edward unpacked the basket while Bella set the dining room table. Elizabeth had sent more food than they could eat in a week, but that might have been her guilt talking. She shouldn't have let Tanya go on as long as she did, and maybe these heaping servings of roasted chicken and garlic mashed potatoes were supposed to make up for it.

There were worse apologies.

Dinner was a pleasant affair that steered clear of all heavy topics. Leah and Rachel had shared plenty of stories about young Edward in the last two days, so Bella thought it was only fair that he get the chance to retaliate. As the middle child, Edward had his fair share of tales about all four of his sisters, and Bella was all ears. Charlotte had always been quiet, but she was the only one who could sneak out of the house without getting caught. Rachel, on the other hand, was bold and outspoken, and spent most of her teen years being grounded for one thing or another.

"As a sophomore, she tried to throw a party while my mother was having a laparoscopic cholecystectomy," Edward said. "Mother had packed her overnight bag, so Rachel thought she'd be gone for at least one night, not realizing Mother always took her overnight bag to the hospital just in case."

"Oh, no," Bella said. "How much trouble did Rachel get in when she got caught?"

"Her life was basically over. Nothing but school and home for her. When the soph hop came around, her class actually submitted a petition to my mother with nearly 200 signatures begging for Rachel to go. Mother only relented because the principal, vice principal, and school board president had signed it."

Bella laughed with Edward. "That's insane."

"That's Rachel."

"But I bet Leah is your favorite."

Edward looked up, his eyes dancing. "Don't tell Rachel."

"I knew it. It's obvious you two have a special bond."

"Leah was my first baby sister. We're only four years apart, but I watched her take her first steps, heard her first word. I've always been protective of her."

"That goes both ways. She acts like she'd run through a wall for you."

"And Char and Rach would be right behind her."

His omission didn't go unnoticed, and Bella waited a good minute before asking about Kate.

"She was always spoiled," he said with a derisive snort. "Milked that 'baby of the family' thing for all it was worth. Father seldom denied her anything, and after he died, she only got worse."

"I can imagine," Bella said, surprised to feel sympathetic. "Grief can really change a person."

Edward sipped his beer. When he didn't say anything else, Bella asked, "What was that like for you?"

"What was what like?"

"Your father's death?"

He shrugged. "It sucked, but I got through it."

Edward took another sip of beer, and Bella decided not to pursue it. They'd talked about enough heavy stuff for one day, and she didn't want to ruin the mood. Instead she told him a few happy stories about her time at UMass, surprised to smile as she recalled them.

They cleaned up together, Bella putting away the leftovers while Edward loaded the dishwasher. It was too early for bed, and as Bella put away the rest of the chicken, she realized she didn't want their night to end. But she didn't know if he felt the same.

"Should I leave out the pie?" she asked.

"Not unless you want me to eat the whole thing."

She chuckled. "I think you can control yourself better than that."

"I think you overestimate my self-control." He closed the dishwasher. "And underestimate how good that pecan pie is."

Bella cut two thick slices and set them in plastic containers, handing Edward the rest of the pie to put away. He closed the door and turned to Bella, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Sleepy?" he asked.

"No. I mean, we just took that nap so..."

"Right! Right." He looked around. "What do you want to do?"

She shrugged. "I'm game for just about anything."

"Anything, huh?" Edward rubbed his chin. "I'm going to make you sorry you said that, Swan."

***STYB***

"Are you serious?" Bella cried, grabbing her dwindling stack of bills. "I think these dice are loaded."

"The dice aren't loaded."

"Then you're cheating somehow."

"You're the banker!"

"That's not a denial."

"Don't hate the player, Swan." Edward grinned. "Hate the game."

"I do hate this game." She frowned at the Monopoly board. "I don't know why I let you talk me into this."

"I offered you a choice." He shook the dice rigorously. "Chess, checkers, Candy Land, or this. You chose this."

"Because I don't know how to play chess or checkers and am not a six-year-old."

"I'll bet you were an adorable six-year-old," he said, moving the dog around the board. He stopped just before the one developed property she owned and looked up. "Probably pouted just like that."

"I am not pouting."

"You should tell your face that."

She grabbed the dice from the board. "I hate this game."

Edward chuckled as she rolled doubles twice in a row and each time managed to land on something he owned. She handed him the money with a groan, though she was actually having a great time. Her only memory of playing games was sneaking some poker with her father when Esme was at work. Candy Land looked interesting, but she didn't want to tell Edward that she'd never played it before. That confession usually caused people to look at her with pity, and she didn't want Edward to ever look at her like that.

They played until Bella forfeited, claiming her ass was starting to hurt from sitting on the living room floor so long. Edward offered to massage it for her, which she promptly declined, and he put away the game with another laugh.

"Let me make it up to you," he said.

"I don't want an ass massage."

"You would if you knew how great they were, but that's not what I meant." He walked over to the entertainment cabinet and opened the large double doors, revealing a television with DVD hookup. Bella watched as he opened the surrounding drawers to reveal a massive collection of DVDs. "Take your pick. I'll grab the pie."

"And the whipped cream." Edward raised an eyebrow, and she smirked. "For the pie, Dr. Freakward."

"Dr. Freakward, huh? I might get that stitched on my next lab coat."

Edward went to the kitchen while Bella picked out a classic comedy. Edward turned off the overhead lights and turned on the lamp on the end table. Bella sat at one end of the couch, sliding the smaller slice of pie toward herself. Edward shook the can of whipped cream and shot a fat cloud of it into his mouth, looking down at her sheepishly. "Just wanted to make sure it works."

"Now who's six years old?"

He gave her a generous dollop on top of her pie then settled at the other end of the couch. Between bites of pie, they laughed their way through Airplane!, Edward pausing the movie a few times when Bella couldn't catch her breath for all her giggling. The sequel was less funny, but they watched it just the same. Bella didn't really care about the movie – after the day she'd had, she was just happy to spend some quality time with her boyfriend.

Fake! Her fake boyfriend!

Bella sat up and gasped at her thoughts, gaping at Edward who grinned at her. "I know!" he said. "That scene was crazy, right?"

"Yeah." She collapsed back on the couch, forcing a laugh to cover her nerves. "That was absolutely insane."

I too have laughed myself breathless while watching Airplane! I've never gotten confused about whether my boyfriend was real or fake though... must be a Bella thing.

Story rec: "A Good Bargain" by FlamingMaple. ladylibre is blessed enough to preread this story which just started posting, and it is super unique and very well done.

Thanks for all your thoughts and hilarious comments. See you next week! XO