I can't thank you all enough for all of the reviews for chapter 9. Your encouraging words made my day! If I didn't have all of you at my back, helping me up this hill, I don't know what I would do. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I need to apologize for an error in the last chapter. Edward's therapist's first name is Felix not Alec or Alex. Edwardsfirstkiss told me to fix it and I thought I had. I'm very sorry to you and EFK for screwing that up. *face palm*

Warm sugar cookies and giant hugs to the talented and generous ladies who keep me on track and fix my glaring errors. They make TDP safe for public consumption. Sazzledazzled, Mullet86, Edwardsfirstkiss and 2brown-eyes, I LOVE YOU!

SM owns Twilight and I own a slightly damp Chow puppy who insists that just because it's snowing doesn't mean she shouldn't lay out on the deck for hours!

The Devil's Plan

Chapter 10

Forward Movement

"Dad, do you know where my mitt is!? I can't find it and I really need it!" Charlie grimaced at the screeching sound coming out of his daughter's mouth, his back molars ached at the shrillness of her voice. As the sounds of his only child tearing apart his house echoed loudly throughout his small home, Charlie shook his head in wonderment. As difficult as it had been to raise a child on his own, he had to admit that with his Bella around, there was never a dull moment.

He'd gotten Bella the mitt three years ago when she had found her puberty increasingly harder to contain. Like most teens, she'd found it difficult to speak to her father about the changes in her body. Not having any words of wisdom about the trials and tribulations of becoming a woman, he'd hoped that the mundane act of catching and throwing a ball would facilitate an atmosphere where she would feel at ease to talk to him. Unfortunately, all it did was cost him a new basement window, a baseball sized bruise to his right thigh, and an afternoon on the couch with an ice pack on his groin. After that, Bella's mitt was tossed into the sports equipment purgatory that was his coat closet, to spend the rest of its life alongside her rollerblades, tennis racket and soccer cleats. Chuckling at her increasing sounds of frustration, Charlie moved towards the closet.

"I already looked in there," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, impatiently tapping her foot. Ignoring her narrowed eyed glare, he calmly shifted her aside and opened the door. Coats, scarves, boots and all sorts of assorted outerwear pooled at his feet. He watched them fall with an amused chuckle. His girl had really done a number on this closet. Looking through the mess, he reached into the depths of the cupboard and got a hold of the nylon handle of his red sports bag. Pulling it out of the closet, he walked around his still foot tapping daughter and set the bag on the dining room table where he silently unzipped it and pulled out her stiff, barely used leather mitt. "Is this what you've been looking for?" He asked, setting the mitt down onto the table, smiling as her eyes lit up in delight.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Thanks, dad." Charlie was not prepared for her full-power hug, but he gratefully accepted it.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, tell me why you need it." She pulled back from the hug with a big smile on her face.

"I'm going over to play catch with Edward." She exclaimed happily, grabbing up the mitt and turning it over in her hands with observing eyes.

Charlie knew the time would come when a boy would take his place. In all honesty he was beginning to worry that one hadn't already come forward but he wouldn't go as far as to say he was happy about it. "Do you like this boy?"

"Um, duh." She said teasingly with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why would you pick an activity that's sure to leave him in pain, possibly permanently maimed?" Charlie laughed at her instant look of annoyance. "Look, I'm just saying that perhaps you and the boy should play cards or something instead." He rubbed his thigh in remembrance of their last game of catch.

"That was three years ago. I'm much more coordinated now." Her assurance was voided when she turned to leave, bumping her hip on the corner of the table.

Charlie shook his head as his daughter limped out the door to her car, rubbing her hip as she went. Thank goodness that boy's father is a doctor. If participating in sports was in their future, one or both of them was going to need some serious healthcare, he thought before proceeding to clean up the mess she'd left on the floor.

~~TDP~~

September

"I really wish you wouldn't go to any bother, Esme. It's really not a big deal." Bella pleaded to deaf ears.

"Don't you give it a second thought. I'll just throw together a quick dinner and bake a cake." As much as Bella didn't want Esme to go to any trouble for her birthday, she had to admit that the prospect of a home cooked meal complete with a cake was far more inviting than the usual spinach salad and cobbler meal at the diner. Her father always remembered to put a candle in her blueberry cobbler while the assorted diners sang to her, but as of late that tradition had become more of a duty than a treat. When she'd inadvertently let it slip that she'd be older than Edward once September thirteenth rolled around, she'd never dreamed that his mother would insist on throwing a dinner in her honor. Unbeknownst to Bella, Esme was willing to buy the girl a car, house, fund her college career… if it meant that she'd continue to be Edward's friend. Along with the pudgy puppy that was Edward's shadow, Bella's presence seemed to lighten the whole mood of the Cullen household. Bella's birthday came and went with as much fanfare as Esme was allowed to provide. While Edward and Bella had eaten their cherry-chocolate cake on the deck, laughing at Kodi's antics, Esme watched from the kitchen window with hope in her heart.

~~October~~

"Have you given any thought as to what you want to do for Halloween?" Bella lightly tapped Edward's hand, trying to lure his attention away from the football game playing on the Cullen's much too large flat screen.

"Huh?" He murmured absently, not moving his eyes from the television.

"Halloween. It's two weeks away. Do you want to do anything?"

"You mean like dress up and beg for candy?" Halloween was one of those holidays where people ran in packs.

Edward had never been part of a pack.

"No, we're much too old to go trick or treating." Bella rolled her eyes at his question. "Maybe we could find a party to go to? We could get dressed up, carve pumpkins, bob for apples dance the Monster Mash..." Unlike Edward, Bella loved Halloween. It was one of the few holidays that Charlie enjoyed. Every year they would put up orange and black lights on the front porch and place Styrofoam grave markers in the front yard. He also took both Alice and Bella to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins and then the three of them would set up a carving station on the dining table as classic horror movies played in the background.

"Um, I don't know if a party is a good idea. I'm not really a party guy and I still don't know a lot of people at school." Edward left out the fact that he had never been invited to a Halloween party or any kind of party for that matter.

Bella frowned at his lack of enthusiasm for her favorite holiday. She had hoped that by suggesting they dress up as a couple, it might spur Edward to take another step forward in their relationship. They hadn't yet used the words boyfriend or girlfriend to define their relationship, despite spending nearly all of their spare time over the last month together.

There had been a few good-night kisses on the cheek and there was the occasional hand holding during a movie, which screamed to Bella that they were a couple, yet he was still hesitant. In fact, his hesitancy had begun to make her think that perhaps he was just looking for a buddy and not a girlfriend.

Bella had waited eighteen years to find a boy that she wanted to kiss.

Damn it, Edward was that boy!

Suddenly an idea came to her.

"What would you think about having a party here?" She motioned to the Cullen family room. Its ample space and myriad of electronic amusements complete with a popcorn maker, pool table, seventy-two inch big screen and foosball table was the ideal party room.

"Here?" He asked quizzically, looking around the room and shrugging his shoulders. He didn't see anything that screamed party room. To him it was just a normal family room.

"Yes. Why not? It would be a great way for you to meet people and you'd be on your own turf, no pressure."

Edward eyed Bell warily. She was smiling widely and her bright eyes belied her excitement over the prospect of a party and as much as he wanted to give her anything she desired, the thought of having a bunch of people in his house made his skin crawl. The situation with his family had improved but as history had shown, when you threw new people into the mix, the underlying tension could come back.

"Bella,I…" He paused as the anticipation of his probable denial dimmed the light in her eyes. Edward instantly felt terrible. Could he put his feelings aside to make her happy? Could he rely on the newfound goodwill he'd been experiencing with his father and Emmett to last long enough for a party? The fact that it had lasted on and off for the last month was remarkable on its own. Maybe he could give this to her? She'd certainly made the last month of his life happier than he could remember being in the last six months.

"If, um, if you really want to have a party, I guess I could ask my mom. But you have to do all of the planning and stuff because I don't know how to do any of that." He pursed his lips as he spoke making her believe that he wasn't fully on board with the idea but she was delighted that he was willing to even offer.

"Seriously? You would do that for me?" He smiled and nodded sincerely, albeit a bit worried that she didn't already understand he would do anything for her. "That would be wonderful! We could invite Angela, Ben, Tyler, Jessica…" She proceeded to happily list off the names of students in their class. The names blended into background noise for Edward as he concentrated on her smiling face. Suddenly, her smile dropped.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

Her eyes met his, profound sadness visible in their deep brown depths. "I can't believe I'll be having a party and Alice won't be there."

Edward's arm came around her shoulders, giving her a supportive squeeze when she began to sniff back tears.

Bella gave in to him and leaned into his comforting embrace. "I miss Alice," she said softly looking to the ground. "And I don't know what to do about it." Bella and Edward were both silent, lost in their thoughts. In reality they knew what needed to be done, but their new relationship had been a distraction from the unresolved conflict. In Bella's case, having Edward more of a permanent part of her daily routine had helped fill the hole of Alice's absence, yet there were many times she sorely missed not having a close girlfriend to confide in.

For Edward the key word was avoidance. He hadn't yet figured out why Jasper had sought him out that day or what exactly his comments had meant. There's no way Jasper could have known how his words would affect Edward or how close to the truth he was. Edward had decided to push it all back inside and avoid Jasper like the plague; a plan that so far had worked.

"I wish I knew what to tell you," he said quietly. Despite being sad, Bella smiled at his words, thankful for his concern.

Over the past month Edward felt as if he were making some progress with Dr. Tanner. Through their weekly meetings Edward had been slowly coming to accept that what had happened wasn't completely his fault. While he still harbored immense guilt, he now also began to place overdue blame on Tanya's shoulders. It had been her decision that had brought their affair crashing down around them. Not his.

He'd also begun to accept that if he wanted to have a future, he needed to begin forgiving himself for the past. The realization that he did indeed want a future was new to him as he'd pretty much written off all hopes of happiness when Tanya's actions had brought his world to a grinding halt. And as they spent more time together it was clear to him that he wanted the girl sitting beside him to be in that future. Perhaps, he thought, he needed to branch out a little with the forgiveness? If he could look past the words that Jasper had said to him it might facilitate the healing between Alice and Bella.

"Hey, why don't you invite her? What better way to start the ball rolling on getting past conflict than a party?" Bella's eyes widened at his suggestion.

"Really? You'd be okay with that? I mean, she'll bring Jasper with her." She knew that Edward went out of his way to avoid any interaction with the disturbing boy.

"Yes. I'm sure." Bella searched his face for any sing of uneasiness. Edward steeled himself for her scrutiny and presented her with a heartfelt smile. "I'm sure. Really." He assured her.

"Oh wow! That would be wonderful. There's so much to do. Decorations, food, invitations, music, food, decorations…" Edward held in his chuckle of amusement as she excitedly repeated herself.

"What?" She asked, noticing his barely concealed giggle.

"It's nothing. You just seem happy."

"I am. Thank you for this. What are you thinking about wearing?" Edward shook his head slightly before shrugging his shoulders.

"I really don't have any idea. Um, I'm really not much of a costume guy." He admitted. He tried to remember the last time he'd dressed up and the only thing that came to him had been his knight costume from the second-grade trip to the local Renaissance fair. He doubted that his shiny, silver knight costume would still fit.

"Maybe a trip to the costume store might help? I don't have a costume either. We could come up with something together." Bella offered, hoping he would take the thinly veiled hint.

"You know what? I think that sounds like a great idea," he said with true happiness in his voice.

~~ TDP~~

"We're losing him." Ba'al glanced towards the whining Astarte.

"Cease your bleating, woman." He ordered sternly, before returning his attention to the papers in front of him. "I have not the patience for you today."

Normally Astarte wouldn't allow him to speak to her in such a manner. Though she generally allowed him to dominate their sexual interludes, the appendage between his legs did not make him her superior. Her future was just as tied to this scheme as his and she would have his respect.

"I care not what you may or may not have the patience for, Ba'al. I care about what that monster will do to us if we do not produce a willing vessel and a ripe womb!"

Astarte's statement hung over Ba'al like heavy rain cloud waiting to release a barrage of bricks. He knew what they were indebted to deliver to Satan and he knew that thus far they had failed miserably. He also knew that whining about it wasn't going to help.

"I hear your concerns. What pray tell do you suggest we do?" he asked, spreading his arms out in invitation. He knew that she spoke out of frustration but he was no less frustrated. "I have lost what footing I had with Bella, she no longer speaks to Alice and the boy scurries away every time I come across him."

Astarte considered his statement for a moment. A month ago she'd considered her assignment a full success. Every time Emmett appeared to soften towards his brother, she'd been able to turn him around. But it was becoming more difficult. Much to her dismay, college football scouts were still interested in Emmett and were making the trek to Forks in order to watch him play. In doing so the pressure to allow him to play was getting to his coach and after he'd earned the starting position, there was no way to stop it. Therefore, he was blaming his brother less for causing the move, thus shrinking her sphere of influence. Lately, she was acting every inch of a manipulative, overbearing girlfriend having only his need for sex as a bargaining chip. Emmett's need for food was only outweighed by his need for sex. So far, she'd been able to placate him though she knew he was growing tired of coming in her mouth. Soon she would have to allow him to properly fuck her. In spite of the circumstances, Astarte's lips curled into a smile and her eyes grew dark with lust. After all, fucking Emmett wouldn't be torture. He didn't compare to a demigod but he was quite handsome for a human.

"What has you leering so?" Ba'al asked, noticing the change in her expression. "I believe being in this plane has eaten away your brain. You've become just as insipid and transparent as the other sex starved hussies of this time." He snapped, irritated that she was contemplating sex with another.

At his words, anger replaced lust in her eyes. "How dare you compare me to a whore!" She accused, striding closer to the chair where he sat, leaning in so that she was directly in front of him. "You have done nothing to further our cause. If anything you have caused our progress immeasurable damage! I'm the only one serving our master's directive. If I must allow Emmett to worship my body in order to keep him under my direction then I will do it!" Astarte's breasts heaved with her conviction,

Ba'al moved his hands to her elbows, pulling her closer, and her nostrils flared as his breath fluttered across her cheek.

"I'm sure that Satan will commend your sacrifice." He taunted before bolting out of his seat and pushing her to the bed. Astarte wasn't prepared for his body to crash down onto hers. She struggled in his grasp, until he immobilized her, placing his knee firmly at the juncture of her thighs and pinning her wrists above her head. "I however, will not. Dally with the human if you must, but know this, when that boy struggles to pleasure you, it will be my cock, the cock of a god that you'll yearn for." Chilled air hit her body as Ba'al bolted from the bed, leaving Astarte stunned and writhing in provoked lust. Did he really care if she slept with Emmett Cullen? In truth, it did irk him to think that he would be compared to the thick-necked human, but his most pressing worry was that if she were somehow to develop feelings for the boy, he might begin to lose his hold on her. And if that were to occur, failure would be his burden to bear alone. He couldn't let that happen.

"Perhaps I will also consider tasting the nectar of a human for the first time." His words hit their intended mark. Daggers were flying from her eyes, as they narrowed in anger.

Suddenly her form calmed and a smirk appeared on her lips. "Taste all you want. I'm sure you will find your little girl sweet," she said, leaning in to gently nip at his earlobe before whispering, "When you're done with the appetizer, you know where I'll be." With the tables turned, Astarte strode out of the room.

Ba'al smiled, her jealousy was oddly comforting. As of late his pronounced failure at gaining Bella's friendship and Edward's announced aversion to him was causing him great distress. If he and Astarte failed in their mission, they would burn in the fires of Hell for eternity. The fact that he could evoke jealousy in her spoke to the hold he still had over her, albeit tenuous, yet in it was something and right now he was willing to take what he could get.

Shaking himself from his thoughts of what might become his future, he returned his attention to the prophecy in front of him. It was now October; the veil that separated this world from the unholiest of existences would begin to weaken starting on All Hallow's Eve. It would continue to grow weaker until the date of Christ's birth, at that time the doors would be firmly sealed thus keeping his master tied to his dark realm for another 100 years. When the last of the Swan line ended her existence on this plane, so would all hope for Satan's rule on Earth. The Swan Prophecy would cease to exist.

Ba'al must have everything in place for Satan's final arrival by midnight on December twenty-fourth, the Dark Lord must be able to possesses his vessel and begin gaining the girl's heart in order to fulfill the prophecy before the date of Christ's Ascension.

Rubbing a hand over the tight muscles in his neck, silently cursing the relentless aches and pains that affected humans, he returned to the prophecy.

"As the hour of the savior's birth nears, the Dark One's power will grow as weariness and desperation weighs heavily on the souls of the lost. If all hope and faith are removed, the Dark may find a vessel willing to barter his soul for relief. Should the Dark one gain such a soul, he will walk among man."

Ba'al had been going over this passage for the last hour. Much to his displeasure Edward and Bella's new relationship was putting a smile on the boy's face. Ba'al could feel Edward's soul fighting its way out of the dark. A happy Edward Cullen was not conducive to the plan. Ba'al groaned out loud in frustration. Standing up from the desk, he began pacing the large bedroom, his harried footfalls softened by the plush carpet. As he paced, his mind searched for ways to cause the boy pain. If he were allowed the use of his powers, it would be an easy task to just beat the boy into submission. However, his powers had been stripped from him when his original sentence was handed down. Now, he was left to only rely on his natural charisma and aptitude for influencing people. So far those talents had gained him the trust of the teachers and administrators of the school as well as keeping the nearly comatose Hale's under the delusion that he and Astarte were their niece and nephew. His meager skills had also added Alice to his collection. He sighed once again as the thought of the little human filled his mind. She was so far under his spell that he feared she may not be able to recover her full mind when this scheme was over. Not that it mattered much he thought. If Satan were to succeed, no one on earth would be left completely sane anyway. Still, she was a sweet thing. His earlier conversation with Astarte came to mind. He'd never before considered using Alice to slake his sexual hunger, but now he figured why not? He should be able to gain some enjoyment from his time here, besides when they were successful; his reward was to live out his remaining years on earth. He should get used to having sex with humans. But first, he had to figure out how to make Edward Cullen fall back into despair.

A/N So, Edward is happy. That's good, right? I've been getting a lot of worries about something sinister happening to the puppy. I cry at every ASPCA commercial and can't watch ANY movie where I think an animal might get hurt. (No Disney, Black Beauty, Benji…movies for this girl.) I will NEVER kill off an animal, except for snakes. They rate right up there with clowns for me. *shudders*

Until next time, be happy and safe!

ruinedbyrob