A/N: I've already told you that these are my least favorite chapters...the Edward chapters, but they're necessary. MarinaNamaste is my beta and my Edward triggers her feminist sensibilities. So, that means I've written him the way I wanted...
As fascinating as they all found the bo-hunk's ability to fix up a heap of scraps, I was never so glad to get a phone call as I was in that moment. Plus, Charlie was hacking up a lung and I didn't want to be present for the spread of those germs. I hated hospitals. They reminded me too much of my father who'd I'd really like to forget.
"Excuse me, I have to take this. It's work," I said as I left the room. I gave a meaningful look at Jake so he'd understand that some of us actually have responsibilities. "Hello, Aro," I said and the door shut behind me.
"Having fun with the father-in-law?" he asked.
"You're not as funny as you think you are," I retorted. "I'm glad you take pleasure in my pain."
"How's Bella doing?" he asked with real concern in his voice.
"Oh, she's fine. Her father is set to have surgery the day after tomorrow. They're flying some surgeon up from Seattle to do the procedure. Who knows how they're going to pay for it. I'm pretty sure his government issued insurance isn't going to cover everything."
"Edward, tell me you're not this cheap," Aro said reprovingly. "You are going to pay for that procedure, whatever it takes, and that is that."
"Aro, they don't want any help. They made that very clear. Charlie said that this Jake person was going to take care of it. I'd really like to see him try. The loser is sitting there in ripped jeans and a faded community college shirt and he's in there bragging about is measly associate's degree in business." I paused as Billy Black exited the room.
"See ya, Edward!" he waved and smiled.
"Yes, soon I hope, Billy," I lied and rolled my eyes.
"Billy? That wouldn't be Billy Black, would it? How many people up there can be called Billy?" Aro asked excitedly.
"Aro, we're in BFE Washington. Billy could be the name of choice in this hospital for all I know," I replied and turned away from the nurse now giving me the stink eye. Obviously she overheard my comment. "But yes, that was Billy Black."
"Edward, you're telling me, that you are now in close contact with Billy Black? Seriously?" Aro asked totally changing gears.
"Yes, why? He's nobody," I said wondering why he was so interested.
"Edward, he's the man who controls the land you covet so much. My father ceded it to his father," he explained like I was an idiot. Which I was for not making that connection.
"So you're telling me that idiot man in the other room sitting next to my wife will inherit all that prime real estate?" I asked not truly believing my luck. "This may not be a waste of time after all!" I said. The nurse walked out of the room right as I said that and hoped she didn't understand what I was talking about. I needed to watch what I said now.
"Aro, hang on a sec," I said and poked my head back into the room. ""Isabella, this is going to take a few minutes. I have to go down where I get better reception." I didn't like how close that oaf was sitting next to her, but her father was asleep and I figured they were just trying to be quiet. Bella would never be attracted to someone so unrefined. I really didn't need to worry about it.
I looked around and realized that the ICU was on big, open room. Charlie had a private suite. I walked a ways down the hall to the waiting room.
"Okay, Aro, I'm back," I said now that I had a little bit of privacy.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you. You have a golden opportunity to get a sense of what is up there. Knowing now that your wife has close ties with the Blacks, well, you need to be charming Edward and not picky Edward," he chided.
"Picky Edward? What on earth are you taking about?" I asked indignantly.
"Edward, don't even try to pretend that you don't constantly belittle those who don't come up to your impossible standards. Most of the time I find it amusing, but here it is critical that you dial that back," he instructed. I had to stop and think about that for a moment.
"I don't know…" I stuttered a little bit, but I was thinking.
"I know there is some of my sister in there somewhere. I need to you tap into that," Aro said. My mother had died when I was young and I had a few good memories of her, but not many. My father had tried to keep her memory alive by having family movie nights and having large pictures hanging around. I just got to the point that I couldn't stand it. It was too painful to remember her. Add in the fact that we were so different.
"Edward, quit thinking about your father," Aro's voice rang through the phone. "I mentioned your mother. I need you to tap into that."
"How do you do it?" I asked, truly perplexed. I knew how Aro felt about most things, but he acted magnanimous and affable most of the time.
"It's called acting or salesmanship. You need to get better at it. And this is the perfect opportunity to hone your skills. But you have to be perfect. You can't make any visible mistakes. Do you hear me?"
He was giving me a task. That is how his tutelage began that night I left my father's house and moved in with Aro. I'd had a month before I went off to college.
"How do I begin?" I asked.
"First of all, you need to call Billy Black and apologize for how you spoke to him on the phone when he called to tell Bella about her father. I just realized that's who you were speaking to. Tell him that you were worried by how your wife reacted and that you appreciate his phone call so you could get her up here," he said. I gritted my teeth because that is the last thing I wanted to do. He made it out like I didn't know how to take care of my wife and then I remembered that he was, actually, correct.
"Okay, I know what I can say there. What else?" I asked.
"Well, after her father's surgery—and make sure you express how much you hope it goes well—offer to take her out. To go see some of the sights from her childhood. Tell her that as much as you hate Forks—a fact you have never concealed much to your detriment—you want to know about her and what makes her wonderful."
"Aro, seriously?" I asked. He was asking a lot with that last request.
"You're going to be looking at the properties you silly boy! But Bella doesn't need to know that. Marriage is constant wooing, and you have ceased to woo. You've grown too comfortable and you need to remind her how important she is to you. And, if you can get some business done at the same time, you can kill two birds with one stone, no?" he asked.
"Bella is in no need of wooing," I tried to assert, but then I remembered how irritable she'd been today. She had cursed several times. Maybe I did need to turn it up a little.
"Edward, the nicer you are to her, the more her family and family friends will see it. They all know about your disgust for her origins. Change that perception. We need to find out who owns the B.A.C. Incorporated because they control the land that the tribe doesn't. Poke around, but discreetly."
"Okay, Aro. You've never steered me wrong yet," I agreed. He liked to take credit for my marriage all together because he gave me my best lines and even the idea for my proposal.
"Now, call Billy Black, I've sent you his number, and go woo your wife!"
"Alright, Aro. I'll call you soon with any information I gather."
I checked my messages and thumbed the number Aro had sent me.
"Mr. Black, it's Edward Cullen," I said when he answered the phone. I could tell I was on speaker phone and he was driving. Could he have Bluetooth in his car? That surprised me.
"Yes, Edward! I just saw you. What can I do for you?" The background noise was loud so I wanted to make this quick.
"I just wanted to apologize for how terse I was on the phone with you earlier today. You were trying to look out for Bella and I got a little defensive. I was just so worried about her and wanted to get off the phone. But she did exactly what you said a little later and your words helped me comfort her," I said. And it was easy to say because it was true.
"Okay, well, good. I'm glad it helped. Say, do you want to bring Bella over for dinner tomorrow? I know that she'd be excited to see some familiar things. We could do it early so she could get back up to see her father a little later," he suggested.
This was perfect. I'm sure that Bella would be more than happy to have dinner there and I could begin my survey of the area.
"That sounds great, Mr. Black. What time should we say?" I asked. This was going to be much easier than I thought.
"Let's say around 3:00 p. m. and then she can get another visit in before bed. She'll know where to go," he added. I was headed back to the room where they were keeping Charlie.
"Great, see you tomorrow," I said.
"Bye, Edward," he said and the sound cut off. I pushed open the door and found Jake and Bella were still sitting talking quietly to each other.
"Bella, can we head out. I'm awfully tired and I'm sure you want to be back up here bright and early. Do you mind?"
"Yeah, let's get going. Dad will be out for a few hours. I'll come back in the morning," she said standing. She walked over to her father and placed a sweet kiss on his forehead. The big guy stood up too. He waited for Bella to come towards him and as they hugged I had to crush the jealousy I felt. This guy hadn't even been important enough to show up to our wedding, so the feeling was superfluous. I had to make nice with the guy. He would inherit the land that should have been mine.
I held the door open for Bella and she walked under my arm.
"Goodbye, Jacob. I'm sure we'll see you tomorrow," I said. I left him looking confused. It looked so natural on him.
We made it to the elevator and I pressed the button. Now was a good a time as any to implement Aro's plan.
"Bella, I'm so sorry about all of this," taking her hand. "I'm sorry I was sort of an ass the whole way up here. It's important that you're here. It's important that I'm here with you," I said. The elevator dinged and we entered. Bella pushed the button for the lobby.
"I'm glad Aro was able to talk some sense into you," she said. She didn't look at me. I was shocked by her words. She'd been much more combative today than ever before. Maybe Aro was right, and I hadn't been "wooing" her enough.
"Bella, sometimes I have a thick skull and it takes my uncle to get through to me." The elevator doors opened and we both walked through the lobby and out the front doors into the parking lot. When we got to the car I followed her to the driver's side.
"Bella, please listen," I pleaded and she looked up at me with those brown eyes made up just how I like them. "I'm sorry I talk about how much I hate this place. I don't understand it and I know that makes it very difficult for you. So, why don't you, after your father's surgery and he's on the mend, take me around to all your old haunts and help me see why you love it so much. Maybe if I see it through your eyes I can grow to love it, too."
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away. "Really, Edward? You'd want to learn about this place? Because I feel so lost right now," she said. That hit me hard. I pulled her in for a hug.
"I'm so sorry, baby," I shushed her. "Why do you feel lost? Don't I take care of you?"
"Yes, Edward, you take very good care of me," she said into my shirt. "But being back here, I realize that I have not been myself. And I think I've lost track of who I am." I hugged her tighter.
"I know who you are, Bella. And I love you. If you feel lost, let's go find you, together." I wasn't play acting here. This was so out of the scope of what Aro had described, but it seemed to be helping.
"Really, Edward?" Her voice cracked and was full of emotion.
"Really. I don't like seeing you unhappy. I'll do anything to make you happy again," I promised. She looked up at me again, her eyes searching mine. She was exquisite.
"Okay," she said with a heavy breath. "Thank you! Let's go home."
"You mean to Charlie's, right?" I asked.
"Edward, I need you to accept that Charlie's was my home before yours was. When I say 'home' I mean both places," she said. I pulled back to look at her earnest eyes.
"I can accept that, Bella. And I'm not threatened by it. This is where you're from. This is the place that helped create you. I will try to find the beauty in that," I said. I even meant it.
"Okay, then. Let's go home," she said with that glint in her eye. I knew what that meant and I'd be lying if I said it didn't please me. She gave me another hug and her hand dropped to my butt.
"Are you driving?" I asked. She smirked and gave my butt a squeeze.
"You better believe it," she purred. I ran to the other side of the car and she was already in and starting the engine. She'd already started mine. "Seat belt!" she called and I laughed. That was my line.
Her father's house wasn't too far from the hospital. Nothing in Forks was too far from anything else. She parked the Volvo next to the police cruiser.
"He's got a new cruiser! It looks nice!" she squealed. She literally squealed. "It's a Dodge Charger!" She got out of the car and walked around her father's police car.
"Is that good?" I asked. I really didn't care much about cars, but I thought it was cute that she did.
"It's his dream car. He's wanted one for years, but he'd never buy it. Not even after I got a full scholarship to U-dub. I guess he finally decided he could treat himself. Nice one Charlie!" she exclaimed and ran a finger along the side panel and over the lettering that stated it was the Forks Police Department.
"Hey!" she said abruptly and turning to me. "You get the bags while I put a fresh set of sheets on the bed." She winked before she turned and ran up the front steps. "I'll leave the door open, lock it before you come upstairs!" she called.
I shook my head at her silliness. She was being silly. She seemed much lighter than this morning. Even before she found out about her father. I walked back to the trunk and opened it up. It was going to take a few trips to get all this in, but that would give her time to make up the bed.
I took the cooler she'd packed, first. I opened it up to see if there was anything that needed to go into the refrigerator and placed the items there. I went back out to the car and got both of our computer bags and placed them in the front room with the giant television. I was impressed. Charlie had set up his bachelor pad. I noticed the large picture of Bella on the mantle that had to be from her senior year in high school. Next to it was a smaller frame with Bella in her cap and gown with the Blacks and some other boys that had to be Jake's friends. They all looked very similar.
My last trip I was able to handle Bella's big bag with mine slung on my shoulder and my garment bag over my arm. I climbed the stairs and I didn't know where to go.
"Bella?" I called out.
"Follow the trail," she answered and I looked at the floor. Her shoes were the first things I saw, followed by her lovely blue dress. The hallway wasn't very long so I knew what I could expect to find. I dropped the bags as the door and saw my vision in blue perched upon a freshly made bed.
Her creamy white skin looked lovely against the deep blue of her delicate lingerie. She knew how much I loved that color and I felt myself grow instantly hard. She'd already begun the process in the parking lot, but this solidified it.
"Bella," I breathed out, "you are a vision." I moved to her quickly and pulled her into an embrace. Her legs wrapped around me as I crushed my lips to hers. My fingers fumbled with the clasp of her bra while hers deftly undid my shirt. I backed away as I removed my tie and shoes and she moved back on the bed, her breasts jiggling with every move.
She lay on her back on the bed while I removed my shoes and pants, leaving them in a heap on the floor. I almost died when I saw her fingers dip into her panties and begin a steady rhythm. I climbed up and hovered over her, leaning down to kiss each one of her pink, perfect nipples.
"Edward, I want you inside me," she breathed out while she simultaneously shuddered. I didn't need any more foreplay. I removed her panties carefully, but flung them on the heap of clothes already littering the floor and then plunged right in.
I loved her little mewls and sighs. I picked up the pace as I felt my need build in between her hot, tight walls. I pushed faster to stoke the fire and it didn't take long before I came with a series of grunts and groans. I looked down at my angel who smiled back up at me. I kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose.
"You're so amazing, my love," I sighed in between my ragged breaths. I rolled over on my back in order to catch my breath.
"I should clean up," she said as she got up. I smiled and agreed. She picked up the clothes from the floor and I rolled over to watch her unpack. She didn't get redressed and I liked watching her do things naked. She pulled the zipper open of her suitcase and began piling her clothes into the dresser drawer she must have used as a child. I saw her pull out her toiletries bag, but it was a small one. I wondered if she had another for her make up.
"Would you like me to hang up your suits?" she asked.
"Only if you keep doing it naked," I smiled at her. She smiled back and she did just that.
"You go to sleep. I'm going to take a shower and organize things in the kitchen. I also want to make a list for the grocery store tomorrow," she said pulling some things together in a pile.
"Oh, that reminds me. I talked to Billy Black and he's invited us for an early dinner tomorrow at his house. He said you'd know the way."
"Dinner at Billy's?" she asked, excitement bright in her eyes.
"Yes, he said if we did it early, you could still go see your dad in the evening," I answered.
"And you said yes?" she asked, still excited.
"I told you, Bella, I want to see this place through your eyes. Billy's part of your childhood, right?" It was so good to see her giddy like this.
"Yes," she gushed. "That sounds great! You get to sleep. I'll get stuff ready."
"You need sleep, too, Love," I reminded her.
"This is actually very soothing for me. Once I get this house in order, I'll be much more at ease. I promise."
"Okay," I said and stood up to get under the blankets. I figured I'd shower in the morning. "Love you," I said.
"Love you, too," she said, but she was already down the hall.
Thoughts? Marina had plenty for me, not may were nice. ;)
