A/N: I'm having a rough week. And reading reviews makes me happy. So, I'm posting another chapter, a night early, so I have something to be happy about. So, here's Jake's POV.

MarinaNamaste is my beta.


"I'm home!" I called as I strode in the door. "Anyone care?" I put my keys in the bowl, shrugged off my hoodie, and toed off my shoes.

"No," came the booming voice of my brother-in-law, "because my wife if FUCKING PREGNANT!" he came around the corner from the new wing bare chested and with a huge grin.

"That's so awesome, man," I called and clapped him on his bare shoulder.

"I'm going to be a dad!" he said again, both excitedly and a little stunned. Then his face dropped. "You told him you're pregnant already?" he twisted yelled down the hallway. "Fuck, Rachel! Did you tell everyone?"

"What?" my dad said entering from his hallway dressed in his pajama pants and a V-neck t-shirt.

"Well, I hadn't told my dad, so thanks for announcing it like the asshole that you are!" she yelled back down the hallway.

"I'm gonna be a grandpa?" he asked again with a very pleased look on his face. Rachel finally walked into the room.

"Are you happy?" she squealed. "I'm so happy I could pee!"

"Well you better hold it while you can," Paul jibed, "I hear kids ruin your bladder." He laughed, but stopped when he saw the terse look on Rachel's face.

"See?" Rachel said looking over at me. "Asshole!"

"You're the one who told your brother before your husband!" he fired back. My dad walked towards Rachel.

"She didn't tell me," I defended. "She told me I could take a bath in the new Jacuzzi tub." My dad placed his hand on Rachel's stomach and grinned and Rachel just smiled back.

"Same fuckin' thing!" Paul said, but he wasn't really upset.

"I'm ecstatic," my dad said and gave her a hug.

"So I am going to take a shower," I said. "I need to go to bed. My body is on Mississippi time and I have to get up and do a long run tomorrow."

No one was paying attention to me so I left. It was good to be home. I showered and went into my room and opened up my laptop. I was a little too wired from everything that had happened to day to fall asleep even though I was exhausted. It wasn't just Charlie, or the airlines losing my luggage. I'd seen Bella again. And she was even more beautiful than I remembered.

I decided to check up on the legalities of funneling money from one charity to another. The memory of her long hair hanging down her back almost to her butt distracted me, but I forced my mind back to the screen. The transfer was alright, but I just had to document it correctly. Her lips in the smirk after I asked if I could keep calling her Bells just to fuck with him was priceless. Fuck, I couldn't concentrate. But now that I knew what paperwork I had to do, I decided to tackle the rest tomorrow.

I closed the lid of my computer, crawled under the covers and was out like a light.

When my alarm woke up the next morning it was still dark. I remember in high school I hated mornings. I almost didn't graduate because of my inability to get to school on time. Of course, I was depressed, so there's that. I was glad that my phone adjusted my alarms no matter which time zone I was in. Flying from the east coast to the west coast meant I got more sleep. That was a plus.

I thought about that as I got dressed and pulled on my running shoes. Football is what saved me. That's when I discovered that exercise was a great way to release everything I felt. I was feeling quite a bit today so I was glad today was a twelve mile run. But, I needed to be back in time for my daily conference call with the guys.

We lived a little off the 110, our house set a good ways from the road. It was only two miles to the trail to Third Beach. I passed that in under thirteen minutes and decided to pick up the pace. I was wearing a head lamp so I could see the road and be seen by any passing cars, but the latter wasn't an issue, it was so early. I'd decided to run down the path we cut through to Second Beach.

I'd poured over the documents yesterday and I was a bit worried about the loopholes in the flimsy contract. If someone really wanted that land and was ruthless, they could get it. I had to figure out who was behind the inquiries. Quil said he was going to check into it yesterday. If he could find the name of the company, I could go from there. I crested the ridge and started the decent down to the beach and picked up the pace.

I stopped briefly on the beach to admire the sunrise. It was an unusually clear day with few clouds in the sky. The reds and yellows blending into fiery orange was too pretty to ignore. The waves pounded onto the shore and I could almost hear the fizzle of the white foam as it dissipated, but I couldn't linger. I had things to do. I eyed my Garmin to check my pace and picked it up on the way back. I was determined to shave a minute and a half off my return trip.

I shaved off two.

Back at the house I took a shower and when I came out I saw that there were three peanut butter and banana sandwiches on the counter for me. As irrational as Rachel could be at times, she really did take care of all of us. I smiled as I sat down and opened my laptop for our morning conference call.

"Jake!" Quill said, looking troubled. He was sitting at the desk today and not in bed.

"What's up?" I asked, picking up the first sandwich and taking a bite.

"Morning assholes," Embry said as he appeared.

"Guys, I've been up all night," Quil said, rubbing an eyebrow.

"Claire's still there?" Embry chuckled.

"No," Quil replied, "well, yes, she's still here, but that's not why I was up."

"What's wrong?" Embry and I said together. I swallowed my mouthful.

"I finally figured out which company has been snooping around Third Beach. Let me tell you, they have a complex organization. Jay Jenks and I finally tracked down the company. There's gonna be one hell of a bill for that," he said, dark circles under his eyes.

"So?" I asked a little impatiently taking another bite of my sandwich. Bad news only made me hungrier.

"Have either of you heard of Volturi & Sons?" he asked.

"No," I mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah," Embry said, vaguely. "They own all kinds of shit in Seattle and down the west coast." Putting my sandwich down, I pulled out my legal pad and began writing.

"Jenks and I sat up all night going over their history. No one ever writes about them, but their land grabs are extremely shady. They have a Board of Directors, but no one I've heard of. We haven't been able to find out anything from the internet. So I'm taking the plane back and gonna visit some people," Quil said.

"I'll meet you," Embry said. "What city are you starting in?"

"San Francisco. Claire is all excited because she hasn't been there and she wants to site see while I work," Quil explained.

"I can get there early evening," Embry said. I could tell that Embry was looking down at his phone and pricing flights.

"What can I do?" I asked picking up my sandwich again.

"Take care of Charlie and Billy," Embry said. "We got this, Jake. Let us do some dirt digging and we'll bring it back to you, okay?"

"Yeah, let Em and me gather some data and then we'll come back to La Push. When is Charlie's surgery?" Quil asked.

"Tomorrow," I answered. I know the guys were capable and they were right. I needed to take care of things here and let them take care of this. They were worried about Charlie, too, but they weren't as close to him as I was.

"So," Embry hedged, "did Bella show up?" My head shot up from looking at my notepad.

"I'll take that as a yes," Quil chuckled.

"What happened? Please tell me you didn't repeat history," Embry added.

"He did just fine," my dad said entering the room and popping his head over my shoulder so he could be seen on the screen to the guys. "I only had to step on his foot once."

"How's she look?" Quil asked with sly grin.

"Married," I fired back.

"She's beautiful," Billy added, "but I hope I see our Bella today."

"What does that mean?" Embry asked.

"It means that she's a painted version of herself. I'm pretty sure she's been urbanized," I clarified.

"Well, we'll see later. I invited them both for an early dinner," Billy said.

"You what?" I asked whipping around so fast Billy took a step back.

"I guess that's our cue to hang up," Embry said.

"Un-uh!" Quil exclaimed. "This is just getting good.

"Look, Edward called me after I left the hospital last night and apologized for being so rude on the phone when I called to tell Bella about Charlie. I want to see Bella again and thought it'd be a nice idea. Then we can get her back on familiar ground and find out what she's been doing for the past five years," Billy explained.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It would be nice to see her again. Hugging her last night was…so nice.

"See, nothing to see," Embry said to Quil. "I gotta pack and head out. We'll see you in a few days, okay, bro?" Quil looked a little disappointed when I looked back at the screen.

"Tai Chi works," laughed Billy at Quil's expression. He was referring to my breathing strategy to calm myself.

"See you both in a few days," I said and closed the lid of my laptop.

"Dad, I don't want that douchebag here. Did you see the way he looked at us? I don't mind that kind of shit in public, but I'll be damned if I'm going to invite someone into my home and have them do it here."

"I want a deeper measure of this man. His apology seemed genuine, but I feel an Eddie Haskell in him. Besides, you get to see Bella again. Let her see what you've helped do to the place," Billy urged.

"Dad," I started, rubbing my eyes, "she is married. I don't want to fuck with that."

"That's not what I was suggesting at all," Billy said, startled.

"Then what good would come from her growing fond of this place or me?" I asked. Just saying it wrenched my heart a little bit. It really was great to see her again and not fight.

"I see what you're sayin', son. I do. It's just nice that she's here again."

I couldn't disagree with that. I really didn't know how to play this. I knew my issues with women grew out of my unresolved feelings for Bella. Maybe this was the key. Get back on good terms with her so I could move on. She had, it was time for me to move on, too. Emmett was right.

"You better tell Rachel she's cooking for two extra people soon. But don't do it until I'm gone. I don't want to hear it," I grinned.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"Back up to the hospital to make sure all the arrangements are made and all the details are set. Check on Charlie if he doesn't have any visitors," I answered.

"Only if he doesn't have any visitors?" he eyed me.

"Yes. I've got to mentally prepare to have dinner with Bells and the douche." I was half joking and half not.

I was able to put Volturi and Sons out of my mind knowing that Quil and Embry were researching it. Quil was still a goofball, but he'd grown up. And as much as I complained about Claire always being with him, and she was always with him, she kept him on track. Our assistant called Claire more than she called Quil, but it worked so no one minded too much.

I called Angela, our assistant, while I drove to the hospital. We'd known her since high school and when her mom fell ill with cancer, Angela came home from college to take care of her. It was right around the time we bought the little La Push motel and we hired her. Her organization skills and unwillingness to put up with our shit made her a great assistant. And if Embry ever grew any balls, he'd ask her out. Angela was in control of everything, as usual. So I took care of business, satisfied that everything was set and the surgeon would be in later this afternoon.

My knee bobbed up and down. It was five minutes to three and if I knew Bella she'd be two minutes early. I was right about leaving before dad told Rachel he'd invited people for dinner. She had a hissy fit because she and Paul had plans with Emily and Sam that day. Dad told her not to worry about it, they'd just order pizza, but Rachel put together one of her famous lasagnas and shoved it in the oven before they left. I made a salad and Dad was in the kitchen finishing up the garlic bread. It really was like old times.

There was a tentative knock on the door. I looked down at my watch. 2:58. Right on time, for Bella. I stood up and walked to the door. I took a deep breath before I turned the knob. As I pulled the door open it took all I had in me not to gasp. Bells was back.

Standing before me was Bella in yoga pants—to replace her ratty old sweatpants—and that old bowling shirt we bought the day we went thrifting for her college clothes. That day was the last perfect day we had before I went and fucked everything up.

She still had that shirt.

It was purple and yellow, her favorite combination, and had the name "Arnold" emblazoned across the left breast pocket. She loved that shirt. Her long, dark locks were pulled back in a braid that hung down the front over her shoulder and there wasn't a speck of make up on her beautiful face. She was holding a pie plate covered in foil. I couldn't suppress my grin.

"Hey Bells!" I said. "Whatcha got?" Her eyes skimmed over me and she smiled back. My luggage still hadn't arrived so I was wearing an old pair of athletic shorts and my La Push Athletics t-shirt that was a size too small.

"Cherry pie," she replied with a smirk.

Oh, my God. She made my favorite pie. I stepped back so they could enter.

"Hello, Edward," I said affably. He nodded and looked pleasant, but that was it. His eyes scanned the room as they came in. Let him make his appraisals. Whatever. I liked our house. He walked over to the wall and was looking at the family photos.

"Jake, what is up with wearing all your old clothes?" Bella giggled. "I know you've bought new clothes over the past ten years." I shut the door and turned towards the kitchen. She waited for me I motioned for her to walk ahead of me. I didn't wait for Edward.

"Fucking airlines lost my luggage," I replied.

"That makes sense," she said as she entered the kitchen. I took that opportunity to admire the way her yoga pants hugged her legs. Bella was short, but she was all legs and I could see that she'd toned a little bit. She was always a slight build, but I could tell her yoga pants weren't just for show—she practiced.

"Hey, Billy!" she called when she saw him bent over the oven. "I brought dessert."

"Well, Isabella Swan, I've missed those pies of yours," he said looking down at the dish in her hands. "Cherry?" he asked and his eyes flicked to me. "Hello Edward," he smiled at the man who'd just entered behind me.

"I love what you've done to the place!" she gasped.

"It's mostly Rachel," Dad said. "She's sorry she couldn't be here. I didn't know she already had plans when I invited Edward. But she made her mom's lasagna for us." He pointed at the large, Pyrex pan cooling on the stove top. "Just gotta finish up the bread and we'll be ready."

"What can I get everyone to drink?" I asked. "We've got just about anything. Edward, would you like beer? I've got a pretty good selection."

"I do like a fine ale," Edward said, looking skeptical.

"Good!" I said. "It'd be shame to live in Seattle and not enjoy IPAs. They have some of the best in the country. Do you prefer light or dark?" I asked. He seemed to look a little shocked at my knowledge. Of course he was.

"He prefers light, but his favorite is Global Mutt," Bella answered for him. Edward looked from me to Bella. He seemed to be expressing his doubt that I'd have something like that. Little did he know that I had almost every brand of Seattle IPA because they all wanted me to use them in my Casinos out east.

"Sure, sure. I've got that. Would you like one too, or do you want a diet Coke?" I asked Bella. She smirked back at me.

"Do you have The Seer?" she asked. "That's my favorite." She pulled on her braid a little nervously.

"Of course you do. You always did like lavender," I chuckled. "I'll be back. I gotta go out to the shed. They're in the refrigerator out there. You stickin' with vitamin R old man?" I asked, looking at my dad.

"You know me. I like to taste you're bougie beer, but I like the classics," my dad replied, cutting up the bread he'd prepared and placing it in a decorative basket.

"What can I do to help?" Bella asked, looking around and seeing the table set.

"Nothing," Billy answered. "Just have a seat."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I called, headed towards the back door. "Edward, want to come with me?"

"No, thank you," he replied. "I'll just stay here and talk with your father."

"Suit yourself," I smiled politely. I had to say, he was trying very hard to conceal his thoughts, but it wasn't totally working. I worked with people like him all the time. He thought our house small and provincial and was making judgments about our lifestyle. I'd always found that underplaying my hand was the best strategy. Having people underestimate you was the best defense. Minoring in history taught me that.

I walked out the back door listening to Bella insist getting the salad dressings out of the fridge. I walked past the helipad and into the shed. Back when Bella was here it was a pre-fabricated metal structure that I replaced when the rust ate a hole big enough in the side for raccoons to get in. Now it was a little building that matched the siding we'd put on the house.

I had to rifle through the industrial sized refrigerator to find the one Bella wanted. I'd tasted it a few times, but never drank one when a company rep wasn't in front of me. I grabbed one for myself, too, and The Global Mutt was in front because that was actually Paul's favorite. The Vitamin R was in the house. Dad had two every night. He'd gotten good about not overindulging since he started walking again, so I didn't have to hide them in the shed.

I walked back up to the house and took another deep breath. This was going to be difficult because the Bella I had known and loved was here tonight. And I knew I had never stopped loving her. But she was married. One more breath.

They were all seated at the table waiting for me when I walked back in to the kitchen. Dad was telling them he was going to be a grandfather. Bella looked happy for him and content. Edward was just watching. I went to the cupboard and pulled down three Pilsner glasses and poured Bella's walking towards the table. I was careful to tip the glass to keep the head small.

"You look like you've had practice at that," Bella smiled as she thanked me for her glass. Dad had already opened his and was drinking it straight from the can.

"Yeah, I was a bartender for a while in college," I replied. "It was good money for a college kid and I always had cash." I poured Edward's and sat it in front of him. He thanked me and I sat to pour my own. Bella was standing and dishing out large squares of lasagna to everyone, while Billy described how Rachel had been systematically redoing the house. Bella smiled at me as she placed an extra piece of lasagna on my plate, knowing my voracious appetite.

"Well, the place looks great. It's always been homey, and I can still feel Sarah here," she said.

Billy just looked at her all glassy eyed. Edward looked confused.

"Sarah is my mom," I explained. "She died from cancer when I was twelve."

"Oh," he replied. "Mine passed when I was ten," he said quietly, looking down at his plate. I almost felt sorry for him, but then he opened his mouth again. "And my dad did nothing to save her."

"Edward," Bella said, calmly. "He's a doctor, not a miracle worker."

"You haven't met him," Edward grumbled. That surprised me. They' been married for five years and she'd never met his father. "He has time for everyone but his family," he said again.

I saw Bella take a breath, but then she didn't say anything. Apparently this was a touchy subject and she decided to drop it.

"Billy," she changed directions, "where is Rebekkah now?"

"She's still in Hawaii," he answered happily and turned to Edward. "She is my other daughter—Rachel's twin—who married a professional surfer. She runs our—"

I cut him off.

"She runs a non-profit there helping the Polynesians with all kinds of social and educational programs. She works closely with the Mormon Church and their Polynesian Cultural Center and BYU Hawaii," I interjected. I didn't want to tip my hand. Edward didn't need to know that we owned it. Something told me to downplay things for a while.

"Wow, how exciting!" Bella said, digging into her lasagna.

"Rachel runs a branch of the program here," Billy bragged. "She's responsible for over a hundred students getting into college in the past three years."

Forks clinked on plates while Billy told Bella all about the scholarship programs that Rachel and Rebekkah ran.

"Bella, do you remember that time you and Jake 'baked' mud pies out back in the rare summer sun?" Billy asked with a chuckle.

"Yes," she giggled. "I was so disappointed they never dried. That's when Sarah taught me how to make real pies. The first one we ever made was…"

"Cherry," I finished. That's why it was my favorite. My mom made it and then she passed her recipe onto Bella. Tonight was just as much a celebration of my mom as it was a reunion. I sighed contentedly.

"What about the time we took the motorcycles out and you ran into a tree?" I asked with a smirk. Bella's eyes met mine.

"What is this?" Billy asked with a laugh. "You guys rode motorcycles?"

"Yeah," Bella confessed. "We rebuilt them down in the shed knowing you couldn't get down there in your chair. It was in my reckless phase." Bella looked me dead in the eye. I knew where she was going.

"She spilt her head open and I had to take her to Sue's to get stitched up," I added. "She absolutely refused to go to the hospital knowing they'd call her father and then she'd be dead for sure."

That was the day I kissed her for the first time. She was worried about the scar and what it would do to her face. I'd told her that her face was beautiful no matter what. She didn't believe me, so I planted one on her.

"That's where you got that thing above your eye?" Edward asked. "Such a shame to mar such a beautiful face with recklessness." He smiled at her. Did he think that was a compliment? I think he did. I saw him reach under the table to squeeze her hand. "It's usually covered with make up so you can't see it," he added. Bella pulled her hand away and picked up her fork again.

"Marred?" Billy asked with a chuckle. "I think it adds character. Bella shouldn't cover it up. But I think I won't tell Charlie about that. Let him continue to think you tripped in the garage. He'd kill you even now if he thought you were riding motorcycles."

"Agreed," Bella said with a forced smile. I let my eyes shift between Bella and Edward and she caught me doing it. She pulled her shoulder up to her ear as she took another bite. She wasn't happy. She dressed up for him. She wore make up for him. I wondered what parts of herself she kept secret from him for fear that he wouldn't like her. I dropped my gaze. She was already feeling uncomfortable, I didn't want to make it worse.

"This is so good!" Bella groaned as she finished the last of her plate. "Be sure to tell Rachel that." I looked at Edward's plate and he'd hardly touched anything. His loss, I thought.

"So what do you do, Jacob?" Edward asked, a knowing look in his eyes. I saw my father's eyes harden at the assumption.

"He runs…" but I cut him off again.

"I'm in the hotel business," I answered. "My buddies and I bought the local motel after college and we've upgraded it a bit. Sam and Emily do most of the work there," I said looking at Bella who would know the names. "Emily's a great cook and locals go there just to eat. We're thinking about expanding the restaurant."

"Wow," Bella said and turned to Edward. "We may have to go by and try it. You know how much I love food." He just smiled a placating smile back at her. "You promised, Edward," her look turned stern.

"Of course," he complied. I looked between them again and this time when Bella caught me she looked a little happier.

"He promised what?" Dad asked.

"To try to see Forks through my eyes," she beamed. This time she reached over and took his hand and he really seemed to like that. My inner dog growled. I shut that shit down. I hadn't felt jealous until that moment. I think his mention of her covering up her scar woke the beast.

"So what do you do?" I asked. I knew he was in real estate, but I didn't want him to know I knew. Bella answered for him.

"He's the Executive Vice-president of Operations at Volturi and Sons down in Seattle," she bragged. My dad dropped his fork, having overheard my conference call with Quil and Embry this morning. I stepped on his foot under the table while I attempted to mask my expression.

"And what does Volturi and Sons do?" I asked.

"We do property development and urban revitalization," he replied succinctly. I'd have to tell Quil and Embry check those things out. "But that's boring stuff. We've heard all about your sisters. What about you."

"I've told you," I replied, truly not understanding what he was talking about.

"Is there no one special in your life?" he asked, a crooked smile painted across his face. It didn't match his formal demeanor and clothing. The man wore a three piece suit to a dinner with friends, including a vest and silk tie.

"Oh, ho!" Billy chortled. "The ladies like my son, but no one has quite been able to hold his attention for very long." I just out right kicked him under the table. I didn't want him spilling about me and Bells. I was certain that a man with such blatant control issues would not allow his wife to have a cozy dinner with her ex even if his father was present.

"Ow!" Dad cried and Bella looked over at him. Thankfully, Edward's cell phone rang.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom," Billy said, giving me a dirty look. Edward pulled his phone out of his suit pocket and looked at it.

"I need to take this," he said, looking a little apologetic. "I'll just go outside."

"Sure, man. Just through that door," I said and pointed to the back door. Billy got up and headed out of the kitchen. I looked at Bella who looked back at me. There were a few seconds of awkward silence.

"That was weird," she said. "Did you kick him?"

"Yes. I didn't think you'd want him telling Edward stories about coming home and finding us making out on the couch?" I asked. I loved how the blush bloomed up her neck.

"Good point. Thanks." She wiped her last bite of bread through the sauce on my plate and then popped it in her mouth. "So? A ladies man, huh?" she asked. I grabbed the cherry tomato she'd left in her salad bowl and popped it in my mouth.

"Well, not lately," I said, a little uncomfortably.

"Why, what changed?" she asked. I looked at her, my eyes finding the scar right above her left eye.

"It's meaningless. I realized that my 'type'," I looked at her to see if she understood and she nodded, "well, I realized was just…well, the anti-you. Blonde and tall."

"Oh," she said, looking down at her empty plate. It was silent for a few moments and I realized now was the time to apologize. I'd started last night, but didn't get to say everything I needed to say.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." She looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry I broke up with you like I did. I'm even sorrier for that Thanksgiving fiasco. I was actually going to tell you then, and see if we could rekindle anything, but I just got so jealous of your new life, I didn't think I would have a place in it. I was just a young, dumb kid. And the women, well, that was me trying something different. But it didn't work."

"I get that," she said, softly. "The trying something different part." She was still looking at me and I knew what she understood. I understood that Edward was different from me. The anti-me.

"Nothing compares to you, Bella. I gave you away, and now nothing compares. I think I…" I stopped. I was going to tell her that I'd fucked up my love life forever but she snorted with laughter. "What are you laughing at?" I said a little shocked and maybe a little hurt.

"Because I now have a Sinad O'Connor song going through my head. 'Nothing compares. NoTHING compares, to yoooooooou!" Her voice went high the second time she sang 'nothing', totally out of tune by the way, and she held out 'you' until both Dad and Edward simultaneously came back into the kitchen.

"What is going on here?" Dad asked with a grin. Edward looked confused.

"Bella was serenading me with bad songs from the 90s," I said, finally smiling. She gave me a knowing smile. She was telling me that I was forgiven, but keeping it light so we didn't head down dangerous territory. I admired her for that.

"Um, I have some bad news," Edward said, sheepishly. Bella looked up at him, the amusement draining from her face. Then, her expression hardened to lightly masked anger.

"I'm not going back with you if you're about to say you need to go back to Seattle," Bella said in a cold voice.

"Love, be reasonable," he started, taking a few steps towards her and sitting down in his chair. She stood up.

"My father is going to have a triple by-pass tomorrow, Edward. You be reasonable. I can't even believe you'd ask this of me." She turned around and walked over to the sink. She was counting again. "What is so important, that they can't possibly do without you for a few days?"

"There's been some surprising developments on an important project that we need to deal with as soon as possible. It could totally make the deal sink," he explained. "Isabella," he started, but she whipped around so fast we all got whiplash.

"Don't you dare tell me to be reasonable," she hissed. "And here, in this place, I am Bella. I am staying until I know my father is out of surgery and on the mend. I don't care what you do. I have people here who can take care of me if I need it." I saw her stand up straighter, like she was aligning her spine. Or using it. She'd told me last night that it was just easier just to go along with him. She was taking a stand on this.

Dad and I sat in complete silence as this argument played out in front of us. Edward looked completely shocked at her words and behavior. It was like he'd never seen this side of Bella before, and maybe he hadn't. This was the Bella I knew. If she, like me, had tried something new in order to forget the old, maybe she'd never shown him this side of her.

"I'll need to take the car and how would you get around? You can't drive your dad's police car," he tried to explain.

"I can solve that," I interjected. Bella turned around and Edward looked at me. "You're old truck is in our garage, down the hill."

"What?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face, replacing the anger. I did that. I made her smile after her husband made her angry. Shit. I had to stop thinking like that.

"Yeah, Charlie sold it back to me after you bought that little Subaru. I've been restoring it. It's almost finished. I'm just missing a few of its original knobs." She was giving me a look of sheer joy.

"Looks like problem solved," Dad said with a clap of his hands in an effort to clear away the contention. "Bella, I am sure that Edward will get back up here as soon as possible when his business is concluded." Dad gave Edward a pointed look.

"Of course I will," he said taking a step towards her. But he looked uncertain about allowing her to stay without him.

"Then you better go. Mustn't keep Aro waiting," Bella said stiffly but flinging her little hand dismissively in a very sarcastic gesture. "The key to Charlie's house is in the potted plant next to the door. You can go pack your stuff and head back straight away while I go out and get the truck." And she walked to the table and began clearing up the dinner dishes. She took them over to the sink and turned on the hot water. The plates clunked against the marble basin as she roughly rinsed them and cringed at the thought of Rachel seeing any chips in them.

"Bella," Edward began, "I'm sure you don't have to do their dishes."

"You better let her do it. It's the only thing that calms her down," I said.

He looked at me with a scathing expression that told me exactly what he thought of me and my advice. He did not like being told how to handle his wife.

"Go, Edward. Text me and let me know you're home safely. I want to stay and have some pie with my friends before I go back and visit my father," she said as she opened the dishwasher and began loading the rinsed dishes into it. He took a step towards her, like he was going to hug or kiss her goodbye, but with a confused look on his face, he finally turned and left through the front door.

"You should go say good bye to him," I said gently. "Seriously, Bella. Don't let him leave like that." She stopped and took a deep breath. She looked up at me, her chocolate browns glassy with angry tears.

"You're right," she whispered. "I'll be right back." And she left quietly.

"Well, I'm going to cut this pie," my dad said, sitting back down after retrieving the pie cutter from the drawer. "Bring over some dessert plates, will ya?"


Thoughts?