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.

Alright stop, collaborate and listen. BitterLady is back with a brand new edition... er... chapter.

This is what happens when ladylibre lets BitterHarpy be in charge of the AN.

Anyway, thanks to maplestyle and to the readers.

Chapter 26

The rest of the meal passed in lively fashion, peppered with lingering laughter at Bella and Edward's prank. Once the food came out, everyone happily dug in and most were willing to share their wares. While Bella focused on her pappardelle ai funghi, Edward's sisters couldn't help but focus on her.

"You make me sick," Leah said in mock disgust.

"What?" Bella asked.

"How do you eat that much and stay so thin?" Leah cried.

"It's witchcraft, I tell ya," Rachel said. "Witchcraft."

"That's one way of putting it," Bella said. "This mushroom ragu is putting a spell on me."

"Seriously though," Leah said. "You've had like five plates today..."

"Damn, Leah," Edward said, shifting uncomfortably. "What are you, the food police?"

"No. I was just saying it's kind of..."

"I mean, can't a woman enjoy a good meal if she wants to?" he continued. "It's almost like you're fat-shaming her."

"Except she's not fat." Rachel sipped her wine. "Which is kind of the point."

"What's your problem, Eddie?" Leah asked. "I'm just asking a question. You're not offended, are you, Bella?"

"No, it's fine." Bella patted Edward's hand, smiling at Leah. "Just blame my problematic metabolism."

"Lucky you," Charlotte muttered.

"Right?" Leah said. "With all these kids, that would be a good problem to have!"

Everyone laughed, and the conversation turned to weight gain during pregnancy, the kids themselves, and other things. Bella squeezed Edward's hand and mouthed, "It's okay," but he couldn't shake the reminder of their awkward past.

They finished lunch and headed back to the house, everyone too full to do anything other than nap or do something quiet. Edward headed to the study with Charlotte to discuss a research project she'd been working on, and Bella ducked out to the backyard, plopping on a chaise lounge near the fire pit in the backyard, admiring the leaves.

"Needed a break from the crazy, huh?" Leah asked, joining her a few minutes later.

"This was actually on my short list of things to do this week." Bella looked out over the trees lining the back fence. "The colors are breathtaking."

"If you like that sort of the thing." Leah took the chair beside her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"When?"

"At the restaurant, when I teased you about how much you eat. Edward got more upset about it than you did."

"Yeah." Bella pulled the blanket over her legs. "It's a sensitive subject."

"Why? Does he have an eating disorder I don't know about?"

"No, it's..." Bella hesitated. "If I tell you something, you have to promise not to mention it to Edward or tell anyone else."

"I swear on my love for Lelani." When Bella looked at her, Leah shrugged. "She's my favorite."

"I have a metabolic disorder requiring me to eat at least 3,000 calories a day. But once, when I was working for your brother, I ran myself ragged and didn't eat enough. And while in surgery together, I passed out on his OR floor. Hit my head and everything."

"I had no idea." Leah shook her head. "I guess seeing you passed out on the floor really affected him."

"It did," Bella said. "Especially because he thinks the accident was his fault."

"Was it?"

"We both were at fault: he was working me too hard out of sheer assholery, and I was being insecure and not standing up for myself. That accident taught us both of us a lesson. In a way, I'm glad it happened."

Leah nodded to herself. "So... can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"After experiencing his assholery, which is a word I'm totally stealing, how did you find yourself in a relationship with him?" Bella looked surprised, and Leah added, "I'm not trying to pry. I'm just honestly curious."

"It's a fair question. You're his sister and worried about his heart." Bella turned to face her. "I'm a fairly private person and so is Edward, which is partly why our relationship works. But I can tell you that before we met, I was drowning, and I think he was too. Now we're able to tread water because we have each other. I don't know how long or far we'll go, but I'm happy with where we are now."

Leah didn't say anything, and Bella hoped she hadn't revealed too much. But when she looked over, Leah was wiping her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

"Nothing. I just can't believe how right you are for him, how much sense the two of you make. And how ironic and kind of beautiful it is that an accident brought you together."

"What do you mean?"

"Because an accident changed his life."

"I don't understand."

Leah looked around, making sure they were alone. "How much has he told you about our father?"

"Other than the fact that he died when Edward was nineteen, he hasn't told me anything."

"I don't want to speak out of turn, but I... I think this is something you should know." Leah looked at her. "And maybe you shouldn't tell him I told you."

Bella frowned. "I don't like secrets."

"It's not a secret; he just doesn't like to talk about it. Besides, if you're important enough to bring to his family reunion, I think you're important enough to know what happened to Dad, right?"

"I can't argue with that, but I'm still going to tell him you told me."

"Fine. I can take him if it comes to that." Leah smiled but briefly, lowering her voice. "During Edward's sophomore year at Columbia, he was coming home to help Daddy clean up the yard but changed his mind at the last minute. It started raining here Tuesday night and didn't stop for a week, so in a way, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Thursday morning, Daddy went outside to cover this fire pit and slipped on some leaves. Nobody saw it, but he came in with stains on the back of his clothes, holding his head. He laughed it off, saying that was God's way of telling him to stay in the house, and insisted he was fine. And he seemed fine all weekend long."

Leah paused, and Bella took her hand on instinct. "It's okay."

Leah squeezed Bella's hand then cleared her throat. "Sunday afternoon, he was in his favorite chair watching football when he started seizing. We thought he was overreacting to something in the game when we realized something serious was happening. The ambulance was here within minutes and rushed him to the hospital where doctors discovered a brain bleed."

Bella gasped. "From when he slipped on the leaves."

"Apparently, it had been much worse than Daddy thought. They think he blacked out for a minute and just didn't share that part with us." Leah cleared her throat. "They didn't know how much damage had been done and had to operate right away. The surgery was supposed to take at least four hours, but the doctor came out after 45 minutes. He died on the table."

"I am so sorry." Bella rubbed the back of Leah's hand. "Were you there?"

"I was home, waiting for Kate to come home from cheerleading practice. Charlotte was with Mother, and Rachel was on her way home from Swarthmore. Her fall break started that Monday."

"And Edward?"

"Mother started calling him the moment Daddy fell, but he didn't answer. Rachel and I called, and he ignored us too. But when Charlotte called, he picked up. But by then..."

"Oh, god." Tears pricked Bella's eyes, but she ignored them. "The guilt he must have felt."

"Especially since he was drunk and had skipped coming home to go on a five-day bar crawl as part of a dare. None of us blame him, but he blames himself." Leah sighed. "When he got off the plane the next day, he was like a different person."

Bella wiped her face with her sleeve. "I can't imagine."

"He made a typical college guy decision, and his life changed forever. I honestly think that's why he married Tanya."

"What do you mean?"

"She was a high school friend of Kate's but a few years older. She came to Daddy's funeral, supposedly to support Kate, but spent the whole time with Edward. She happened to be a freshman at Columbia, so they went back to school together. She was so understanding about the loss he'd suffered, and Edward needed that, needed someone to be there for him because we couldn't be. I think she was the first person who made him feel something other than guilt and anger."

Bella swallowed hard, the words hitting her in a strange place. "You don't think he really loved her?"

Leah shrugged. "Love can feel like different things at different times. I'm sure he felt gratitude, attraction, and camaraderie, and those things together could be mistaken for love. They could also mean love, though, so who the hell knows anything, right?"

"What are you two hens clucking about?" Edward called out from the back door. Bella discreetly wiped her face and put on her sunglasses to hide her eyes.

Leah did the same, turning to face her brother with a cheeky grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Edward made his way to them, sitting on the edge of Bella's chair. "Sharing secrets, are you?"

Bella mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key, and Edward laughed. The sound made her smile, but inside, Bella was reeling. Leah's story had given her much more to think about than she expected.

***STYB***

"That's a foul!" Nick cried, gesturing at the TV.

Jackson laughed. "Not if they don't call it!"

"Laugh now," Nick said. "But it won't be so funny come playoff time."

"Playoffs?" Jackson asked. "You're dreaming if you think you're making the playoffs this year."

Back and forth their exchange went, and Edward watched them from his chair, amused by their animation. He'd never been into sports, unless you counted beer pong, but he knew enough to get by if he were ever asked his opinion. It was the same reason he'd studied the fine points of wine, cigars, and muscle cars and could name every Playboy centerfold from the last three years: influential men often made big decisions in casual settings, and to have a say in the decision, you needed to be in on the conversation.

This conversation was tradition, Nick and Jackson being avid fans of rival basketball teams, so Edward could tune it out. It was just as well because he had important things on his mind.

Not things. People.

One person, really.

Edward hadn't had much time to think about it before now, but as he sat in his father's study-slash-man cave, he allowed himself to dwell on the most significant thing that had happened this week.

He'd finally slept with Bella.

The memory was enough to get him uncomfortably riled up, so he tried to keep the imagery to a minimum. But he couldn't deny how fucking psyched he was that they'd finally crossed that line. Even better, she initiated it, so he knew she'd wanted it as much as he did.

Yet he also knew women and how fickle they could be, especially when the heat of the moment fades and regret rears its cock-blocking head. They didn't use or discuss protection the first time, and Edward thought they'd have to talk about that at least. But after she'd come alive then come apart in his arms the first time, he'd hoped she wouldn't shy away or say it was a one-time thing.

But if the double encore was any indication, that wall between them was down and never going back up. And as she had an IUD and neither of them had been with anyone since their terrible exes, their first time without using anything wasn't their last.

He'd hit the fucking jackpot. Literally.

"A better rebounder? You can't be serious!" Nick turned to Edward. "Ed, would you tell this man how wrong he is?"

"I've got one name for both of you," Edward said. He hadn't been listening, but there were a few names that could shut down most of their arguments. "Wilt Chamberlain."

Nick and Jackson looked at each other. "Can't argue with that," Jackson said.

"No, he's untouchable," Nick said. "But if we're talking about second-best all-time, you can't tell me this bum is even in the conversation!"

"Bum? He's been a first-team All Star for the last three seasons!"

"For scoring, not defense!"

Edward tuned them out again, returning to his new favorite subject: Sex with Bella.

He'd briefly wondered if she'd ever had it that good before, if that fucktard Peter had been a solid lover at least. Edward had been with enough women to know the difference between good sex and bad sex. And though he'd probably never tell Bella this, last night with her was the best sex he'd ever had.

By far.

Not because she was flexible or game for anything. Not because of that thing she did with her tongue or the throaty way she grunted his name when he kissed her in the right spot. It was something else he couldn't define, something unique to her that made it so good and made him want it to be better than good.

Made him want to be better.

"Hey, Ed." Peter poked his head in after helping the younger boys build a pillow fort in the den. "We've been recruited for trash duty."

Edward blinked out of his thoughts, grateful for the reprieve. He set down his beer and followed Peter out of the room. In the kitchen, Elizabeth and Charlotte were tying up bags and stacking flattened cardboard boxes. "And this is just the first floor," Charlotte said as the boys entered.

"Yay," Peter deadpanned.

Edward grabbed three large bags and headed out, shivering against the frosty air.

"Shit!" Peter hissed as he came down the stairs. "Was it this cold earlier?"

"No. A cold front is moving in from the west, causing temperatures to dip below freezing at night." Peter looked at him, and Edward shrugged. "I had a peek at the ten-day forecast."

"Geek," Peter said.

It took a few trips, including one to the hall closet to get their coats, but Edward and Peter got everything out and organized. They were headed back inside when a peal of laughter rang out from the other end of the house. They grinned at each other as they about-faced to head in that direction, finding the source of the shriek in the sunroom.

Bella, Leah, Rachel, Laney, and Lianne were sitting around a card table, and Edward was shocked to see Kate there too. The stacks of colorful chips indicated the game, and the guys watched as the hand played out.

Leah and Laney folded immediately, and Kate bowed out after Rachel raised the pot. Lianne and Bella called, and Kate dealt three cards to Rachel, two to Lianne, and one to Bella. Bella kept her eyes on her hand, swaying slowly in her seat. Rachel and Lianne looked at each other and threw down their cards, causing the table to erupt as Bella claimed the pot.

Edward could hardly hear through the glass, but from all the gesturing, it seemed Bella had a tell when her cards were good. She blushed, seeming to deny it, but when everyone at the table mimicked her swaying, all she could do was laugh and join in.

"I never thought Tanya was right for you," Peter said as they watched the ladies through the window. "Even though she was close to Kate, she never quite fit in."

"No, she didn't," Edward said, watching Bella get along better with his family than he usually did.

Peter clapped Edward on the back. "She really is something."

Peter walked away, but Edward just stood there, lost in thought. "Yes, she is."

***STYB***

Edward and Bella entered the cottage that night in tense silence. Between what Bella had heard and Edward had witnessed, their minds were full of each other and the desire to be closer. Edward didn't turn on the living room lights or worry about closing the curtains.

Let them look if they wanted to.

He took Bella by the hand and led her to the bedroom, and he thought he heard her sigh in relief. Wordlessly they faced each other and undressed, speeding up with each item of clothing removed. When they were finally naked, she kissed him, wasting no time showing him how much she wanted him. They climbed back onto the bed together, and he filled his hands with every inch of her he could reach, getting high off her lusty sighs. He bent to taste her, lapping and licking as she writhed against his mouth. She came hard and loud, unashamed of how he made her feel, and the sight of her release only aroused him more.

Licking his lips, he slid off the bed and stood up, grabbing her by the ankles. He dragged her to the edge of the bed and entered her swiftly, enjoying her wide-eyed reaction. He was a man on a mission, holding her hips as he drove into her. Her body was sweaty, her breasts bouncing, and seeing her like this made him feel powerful, almost godlike. He did this to her. He made her feel this way, and it made him feel useful, as if this was the only way he could express his gratitude for all she'd done for him.

He slowed his pace and climbed on top of her, cradling her body as he moved inside her. She ran her hands up and down his back and brought their lips together, moaning in his mouth as he swirled his hips. She felt him everywhere, every sense flooded with his scent and touch, and when he brought them both to orgasm, she felt tears spill down her face.

Edward bent down and kissed her wet cheeks, touched by his effect on her. He raised his head, and she looked up, lost in his eyes. Her heart swelled at the emotion she saw reflected back at her, and she just wanted to stay in this moment and never come out.

"Edward?"

He brushed hair back from her face. "Hmm?"

"I think I lov..." The words burned on her tongue, but her conversation with Leah came to mind, and she looked down. "I think I left a mark on your back."

Edward held her gaze, hoping she couldn't see the fear behind his own. "I think I can let it slide."

So there's that. Thoughts?

Also "Scars" is up for "WIP of the Year" over at the Golden Onion Awards! Thanks to all who nominated us! We're honored to be amongst such wonderful writers - Be sure to vote for your favorites!

See you in two weeks! XO