A/N: Oh, man. I was so busy writing my other little ditty that I am officially out of cushion here. Wish me luck with the weekly posting!

Balanced on her crutches, having hobbled there from the bus stop down the block, Bella stopped to catch her breath and look at the building in front of her.

"Baby steps," Jessica had said.

It had been two weeks since her life had imploded. She had lost everything in such a small period of time —her brother, her home, the clothes off her back, and yes, when she was injured, she'd even lost the crap part-time job she'd taken. That first week had been pure chaos—as though she was in one of those video games with stones suspended in the sky that fell from beneath you instantly. Almost the second she landed, she had to leap again.

But injuring her foot and losing her job seemed to have been rock bottom. She'd had nothing more to lose, and she'd finally been able to stop, breathe, and really take in the damage.

The system was a train wreck, but once Bella had calmed down enough to see past her anger, she could recognize that Jessica Stanley genuinely wanted to help. Bella knew enough about the system to understand how easy it would have been for the woman to leave her to her own devices.

Instead, Jessica worked hard to help Bella recognize the resources she had and help link her to others. After she was hurt, she let Jessica find her a bed in a women's shelter where she wouldn't have to think about where she was going to sleep that night or if she was going to be kicked out. There were rules, of course, but they were rules Bella could live with. Some of the others there were surly, but she could handle that.

Jessica had also been the one to tell Bella she had a right to her belongings, regardless of who had purchased them. Bella had called the woman in the morning after she'd been attacked by Tyler and his friends. She was planning to file a police report, and she wanted to tell Jessica the story up front, just in case the police tried to take it as proof she really was involved in whatever Mike was up to. Jessica had told her to ask the police to escort her to Mike's to collect her and Emmett's things.

Unfortunately, Mike had had enough time to get rid of a lot of Bella's possessions. But leaving his apartment with one bag of her stuff and one bag of Emmett's, Bella had firmly shut the door on her past. It was time to start to rebuild.

It was great to have a few more changes of clothes, but what she really needed was interview clothes. A job—a day job she could use to support herself and her little brother—was number one on her list.

"Baby steps," Jessica had said.

To get the job, she needed more clothes.

Living in a shelter with people from so many walks of life had its upsides. These people knew how to survive. They had tips and tricks that weren't so obvious.

And that was how Bella found herself standing in front of the Public Defender's office. One of the others at the shelter let Bella know the Public Defender had homeless services too. They had a small clothes closet and would also provide Goodwill vouchers on request, no questions asked.

Fifteen minutes later, she was downstairs, face still as red as a beet. By some miracle, they'd had a decent pair of dress shoes in her size. The voucher would take care of the rest.

It was a start. A step.

By the time Edward drove up a few minutes later, the anxiety she'd felt over the whole situation—needing charity in the first place, and thinking they would ask her questions, even though she'd been assured they wouldn't—had faded enough that she was thinking clearly again.

Why the hell had she let Edward pick her up from in front of the Public Defender's office? Would he think she was in some kind of legal trouble after all? Or maybe that she was there to help Mike? Edward had no way of knowing Mike had a private attorney—he had not been appointed a public defender. Would he think she was getting back with him?

What would this whole situation look like to his judgmental eyes?

"Sissy, Sissy," Emmett said excitedly the second she had the car door open. "Guess what? We passed by this place? It was a food fair. A food fair, Sissy. I love food. Food is my favorite. And they had a bounce house too. And other stuff. Can we go? Please, can we go? Mr. Edward said it was up to you. We can go, right?"

"Uh." Bella glanced at Edward and away quickly. His eyes were not on her but on the sign identifying what offices could be found in the building.

"Sissy?"

Bella's eyes snapped back to her brother, and she tried to concentrate. Right. Food fair. And her brother, for being a small child, could really put the food away.

For the millionth time today alone, Bella lamented that she'd gotten herself in so deep with Mike. She'd become so dependent on him, and that had never been what she'd wanted. It had happened gradually, and, at the time, she thought giving up a few years of being financially independent was worth it in the long run.

But now, there she was—a paltry sum in her checking account and no money coming in. What little money she did have was being monitored by the shelter's financial team. It was hers, of course it was, but if she blew a sizable portion of it, even on her little brother, she would have to answer to them later. Part of their goal was to help her save a healthy sum so that, when Jessica eventually found housing for them, Bella and Emmett would be on stable financial ground. Whatever housing Jessica got them into would probably be significantly reduced, but not free.

Still. Her brother had been through a lot. More than her, in many ways. And he was looking at her with those big, chocolate brown eyes.

"Fine."

"Yes!" Emmett did a fist pump wiggle in his seat.

Bella got into the car, pulling the door shut. "But there are rules."

They spent some minutes negotiating terms. They finally agreed on one full meal and two snacks. One of the snacks could be jam-packed with sugar, but the other had to be not-sugar, even if it was fried.

And then, as they drove around looking for parking, the weight of his unspoken judgment got the better of her.

"I wasn't there to see a lawyer, you know," she said.

"What?" Edward said.

"The Public Defender's office. I wasn't there for those services. Not for me and not for anyone else."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking it." An uncomfortable beat passed. The feeling she was being foolish tugged at the edge of her consciousness. "Right?"

He glanced at her as he pulled into a parking spot. "Is this you giving me a break? Don't worry. Knowing me, I'm sure I'll put my foot in my mouth soon. No need to make my own mistakes for me."

He gave her a small smile so she knew he was teasing. His self-deprecation disarmed her defensiveness.

She blew out a breath. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

And just like that, she was irritated again, glaring at his back as he got out of the car. Everything he said came off as condescending. She couldn't shake the feeling he was judging her. But she couldn't tell if she was being hypersensitive at that point, or if he really was just placating her, as if she was a silly child who needed to be calmed before the grown-ups could get on with their lives.

Bella sighed to herself as she opened the door to let eager Emmett out.

Or, maybe she just felt too much like a silly child these days.

Four streets had been sectioned off in a one-block radius around a circle at the center of the city. Each street had booths—food and crafts from around the world. At the center, there were a few simple rides and a bounce house as well as a stage.

Just the walk there from where they parked a couple blocks away had been daunting. Bella was already flushed, her bandaged foot throbbing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard her doctor's voice lecturing her on the care and upkeep of a badly sprained ankle.

"Rest, rest, and more rest is the best thing you can do. Avoid a lot of activity. A lot of walking is going to cause swelling, and that's not going to help you heal."

"Whoa," Emmett said, pausing right before the booths began and peering all the way down the block. He turned slowly to face Bella, his eyes wide and his grin about-wrapped around his face. "I want…all the things."

The smell, Bella had to admit, was amazing. And Emmett looked so happy.

Well. Her foot wasn't going to fall off anyway.

"Let's get one of those!" Emmett ran to the nearest booth, pointing at a vendor bent over a portable stovetop.

"That is…literally the first thing you've seen," Bella said, bemused.

"But look at it, Sissy. Look." Emmett gestured. It was a Greek booth, and there was some kind of honeyed ball of dough drawing Emmett's interest.

"I see it, kiddo, and it's very pretty, but you can't just go out with the first pretty dessert you've seen. There are other fish in the sea. Play the field a bit."

Emmett wrinkled his nose. "What? I don't even like fish."

Edward cleared his throat. "Can I make a suggestion?" he asked Bella.

Wary, she nodded. She could see a tantrum brewing in Emmett's dark eyes, and if he wanted to handle that, he was welcome.

"Listen, bud." Edward squatted so he was on Emmett's level. "You know football, right? You know on TV when the coach and the players do a huddle like this, right? It's because they're going over the game plan. A place like this? You need a game plan."

With a suddenness that made both Emmett and Bella squeak, Edward scooped the little boy up. He held him out at arm's length, facing the fair. "First, we're going to run a slant down this street. We're going to hit this booth. Fade right. Hit that booth." As he narrated, he flew Emmett left and right as if hitting booths like a football player knocking over the opposing team.

"Then, we're going to do quick outs on the next street. Bam. Bam. Bam. Sack all those booths before anyone even realizes we're there." He set Emmett down and pointed far in the distance, motioning with a hand held out. "And when we've hit them all. Boom. We return the punt straight down the field and right into the bounce house for the touchdown!" He made the sound of a crowd cheering. "You get your bounce on. Get good and hungry, and then we make a choice." He put his hands on his knees, leaning close to Emmett. "So, what do you think? Good play?"

By that point, Emmett was amped, no trace of the irritation that had begun to creep on his face. His eyes were bright, and he bounced up and down. "Yeah. Yeah. Let's get 'em. Break!" He clapped his hands and made a beeline for the second booth.

As Emmett didn't immediately run far, Bella took the time to adjust her crutches, wanting to pace herself as much as she could. Edward fell into step beside her, and she glanced at him. "Wow."

"Wow?"

"Yeah, I'm shocked." Shocked was actually not the word. She was charmed. That had been cute as hell. "I didn't know you could be fun."

His smirk was wry, but he didn't respond. By that time, they'd gotten to the booth where Emmett was peering at the mouth-watering teriyaki skewers. No sooner had Bella caught up than her brother jetted off again.

Edward's plan worked like a charm. Emmett stopped at each booth, lingering more on some than others, but didn't beg. He even stopped at the businesses that popped up here and there—a real estate agent, a sunglasses company, etc. He collected a few pens, a water bottle, and a pair of cheesy sunglasses, shoving all of those into Edward's hands before moving on to the next booth. Edward stayed mostly back, giving them space since this was their time together, but Emmett recognized that Bella's hands were full.

It was, for Bella and her bum foot, exhausting. And a little heartbreaking. Emmett expressed interest in several ridiculous toys and many of the craft tables set up here and there. She hadn't thought about setting up rules for anything that wasn't food.

There were some no's in her future, and she was already dreading them.

By the time they made their way over to the games and rides, Bella's stomach was twisted in a gentle knot. She hadn't budgeted for rides, and she knew it was unlikely Emmett was going to feel satisfied with only one trip through the bounce house.

"I got this one," Edward said as they approached the ticket booth.

Bella was about to protest. All things being equal, Emmett didn't belong to Edward. Foster parents got a stipend to spend specifically on the child, but these kinds of things weren't included. As it was, it grated on her that Edward had to have spent his own money supplementing Emmett's wardrobe and school supplies when he had been dumped on his doorstep with nothing. Bella had worked so hard all of Emmett's life to make sure he had what he needed, to make sure neither of them was anyone's burden.

But Edward locked eyes with her, his face impassive. "I committed to the bounce house without asking. It's only fair."

It didn't escape Bella's notice that Edward bought not only enough tickets for a ride but a booklet.

"It's cheaper per ticket that way," Edward said with a casual shrug.

Bella just nodded. Her brother would have fun, and maybe she and her throbbing ankle could have a nice, long break. To that end, she found an empty picnic table with a good view of the cluster of rides. She sat, stretching her leg out on the bench.

Edward sat across from her. "So," he said after a moment.

Her shoulders tensed, but she let out a slow breath, trying to pull down her automatic defenses as she turned toward him. "So."

"How's school going?" he asked, voice casual. "Closing in on the end of the semester with all this chaos can't be easy."

Bella scoffed, her eyes tracking her brother's progress in the short line for the bounce house. "No, it hasn't been easy. Though I guess I have more time since I don't have a job, a boyfriend, or my brother." She grimaced, rubbing absently at the ache in her chest. She gave him a look. "Though my college professors are a lot more understanding than some of my high school teachers were, so that's helped."

He flinched as if struck, and she groaned, running her hands over her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I was trying to give you crap, but not in a mean way." She shook her head. "Sorry. Today's been really nice. I didn't mean to take it there."

To her surprise, he chuckled. "That's all right. I don't think I'm anyone's favorite teacher. The tough but fair thing doesn't go over well with teenagers."

That stoked her irritation again. "See, there you go. Like we were all just snot-nosed kids and you're the grown-up who knows better." Bella rolled her eyes, anger getting the better of her. "There was nothing fair about the way you were. There was no reason for you to be a hardass for the sake of being a hardass."

"Are you referring to the fact I don't see a point in entertaining excuses? Rules are rules."

"You made the rules. You can bend the rules. And don't give me that line about preparing dumbass teenagers for real life like they aren't living real life." Bitterness crept into her tone. "That's the point. You have no clue what kind of real life anyone is living, and you don't care about listening. My college professors have rules, too. The school has rules. But they're flexible at their own discretion. They didn't have to give me a break, tell me I could take my time and turn in a few assignments late because I have so much else to deal with, but they did."

Edward glared at her, his eyes hard. She glared right back. Fuck the hell out of him, anyway. He wasn't her teacher anymore. They were equals, and he wasn't going to override her viewpoint just because he could.

After a heavy pause, he swallowed hard and nodded. "There were some assignments I didn't let you turn in, right?"

Bella blew out a breath, anger spent for the moment. "It doesn't matter."

"Clearly, it does to you." He ran a hand through his hair, his face slightly flushed. "Look, Bella, I'm not above considering I could be wrong. That was my first year teaching, and I'm still a new teacher. I have my opinions about boundaries and teenagers…" He waved a hand, making a face that was more helpless than severe. "Teenagers are full of excuses and dramatics. I mean, you have to give me that."

"So that means they don't deserve a voice?"

"No. That's not…" He rubbed the back of his neck and appeared to consider his words before he spoke. "Okay. I'm going to guess, knowing what I know now, that you were having trouble at home."

"Trouble at home," Bella repeated, the words scathing. "No, there was no trouble at home. Not unless you count how often my mother took off and left me with the baby. Emmett wasn't the kind of toddler who you could take your eyes off." A small smile tugged at her lips at that. "And when I wasn't babysitting, I was working. Though, I'm sure you'd tell me I was stupid. My mother wasn't that kind of negligent. She kept a roof over our heads. She kept him in diapers and we had food. But there were other things. Babysitters, for when I had to go to school and my mother just had to take a daytrip with her latest boyfriend." Bella rolled her eyes. "Someone had to buy the extras. The things that kept Emmett busy and let him explore his interests. A little toddler climber, to get all that energy out when Mom couldn't be bothered to take him to the park."

She rubbed her temples, suddenly exhausted. "And I know what you're probably going to say. He didn't need any of that. Even the babysitter… If I had put my foot down, Mom would have figured it out. Probably. Or asked me to help her figure it out. She just assumed I'd jump at the chance to miss school."

They were both quiet. Bella didn't look at him. Hindsight was a hell of a thing. After she'd gotten a little distance from her mother, she'd begun to realize just how much she enabled the woman. Her mother depended on her for so much; Bella was always on the phone or over at her house even after she'd moved out with Mike.

"I really failed you, didn't I?" Edward said so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

"What?" Bella looked over at him, confused.

"Fostering isn't just a side job for me." He nodded in Emmett's direction. "I got into this because I wanted to help children like Emmett. Kids who, for whatever reason, needed a soft, safe place to land. You were a child like Emmett, and you're right. I didn't listen long enough to notice."

Bella wrapped her arms around herself, self-conscious. "I was fine. I mean, I wasn't even a kid anymore when you were my teacher. I just could have used a break."

"You could have used a lot more than that, Bella." He reached across the table, touching her arm lightly so she looked up. "I'm sorry. I should have listened."

"I…" Bella was too stunned to speak. She stared at him for a full five seconds before she remembered how to word again. "Thanks."

He gave her a small smile. "I guess that explains why none of my students like me."

"Well…that and the whole talking like you're from a different time when you're five minutes older than them."

"It's been a few years since you were in school. Surely, I'm seven minutes older by now."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at that.

Somehow, the air between them was lighter and easier.

A/N: Many thanks to Nolebucgrl who made it seem like I actually know something about sportsball.