A/N… Okay…so let's see what the little bully did to piss off the Musketeers. ;)

~o~H&E~o~

Chapter 3

BELLA

School wasn't quite out yet when we pulled into the parking lot. Both men with me were quiet, and just knowing the two of them like I did, I was pretty sure neither were upset about being called to the school.

I wasn't mad, really, but I was a bit disappointed, considering I'd asked all the kids to let it go, to walk away from whatever this little troll decided to do. However, Bethy was the kind of kid who would only allow so much before snapping, a trait she received by pure, unadulterated genetics. It was years of playing games with her dad and uncles, years of being a big sister to a shy boy, and simply being her parents' daughter, because Edward and I had raised a strong, smart girl who saw through bullshit from a mile away. I should've expected this call way before now. I should've seen it coming when my daughter pointed out that her brother couldn't defend himself against this girl at school, simply because he was the wrong gender. It wasn't that he couldn't, it was that he shouldn't do anything, but Bethy was a lot like me, so I should've known she would take this into her own hands.

Edward opened the school's office door and held it open for me.

The woman behind the counter smiled our way, saying, "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Mr. Moretti. Come on back. Everyone's in Mrs. Perry's office."

I'd have laughed at the sight before me if this wasn't such a serious subject, because Abby, Sammy, and Bethy were sitting in chairs in a row alongside the principal's office wall. All three looked as mad as wet cats. My son's jeans were ripped at the knees, Abby's usually pulled back hair was in complete disarray, and my daughter had an icepack on her hand.

On the opposite side of the room in another row of chairs, I recognized Lainey Lancaster, holding an icepack to her elbow, and little Jonathan Boyer, who was in tears. Lastly, a rather small girl with blonde hair sat grumpily in the farthest seat from the principal's desk, and that child looked like she'd had better days, because she was a total mess.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Mr. Moretti," Principal Perry greeted us, gesturing to the seats in front of her desk. "Have a seat. We had a bit of a problem today."

"I see that," Edward said slowly, carefully, assessing his kids before he turned his attention back to the principal. "What happened?"

"Two teachers had to separate Elizabeth and Lindsey today just outside the cafeteria. It seemed Lindsey was in line behind Lainey and Samuel. Words were exchanged, but that didn't seem to be enough for Elizabeth. It took two teachers to pull her off Lindsey," she explained, and my eyes narrowed on my daughter, who was glaring daggers at the principal.

Edward followed my line of sight and sniffed a little. "Bethy, what happened?"

"Lindsey started pushing Lainey. When Sammy told her to stop, she started to shove him. He tried to walk away, telling her he was going to tell. She pushed him so hard, he fell." She pointed to Sammy's knees, where the jeans were ripped, and I could see scrapes there on the skin. "He can't push back, because he's a boy. But I can, because I'm not."

Dear Lord, if she wasn't her father made over in that moment, I didn't know a damn thing. I wanted to laugh, because she looked like she wasn't exactly done with the little blonde girl playing the victim on the other side of the room.

"Elizabeth, you went after Lindsey."

"You're right. I did. Because no one else was going to stop her from picking on them!"

"Bethy, that's enough," Edward chided gently, but I knew he'd come to the same conclusion I had, that Bethy was catching the blame for the fight when she really was defending three other people. He turned to the principal. "She was defending her brother and his friends. I'm not saying she was right in fighting in the first place, but you'd better ask the right questions if you're going to place blame."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Perry gasped.

"I said, ask the right questions," he stated firmly. Pointing to Lainey, he asked, "Lainey, how many times has she picked on you?"

"Every day, Mr. Edward."

"And how many times have you told someone?"

"I told Mr. Thomas today."

"Jonathan, did you tell someone?" I asked him, and he nodded, swiping at his face, because he was sensing a change in the room.

"Causa, what about you? Did you tell someone?" Alec asked Abby, and she nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

"I told Miss Delaney yesterday."

"So…let me get this straight…" I started, standing up from my chair. "Your teachers have been made aware that the trouble starts here"—I pointed to Lindsey—"and no one put a stop to it. Lainey, Jonathan, and Sammy all asked her to stop, but she didn't. Essentially, you've allowed Lindsey's behavior, and when someone defends themselves because no one else has put an end to it, they're the cause. No, ma'am. I don't think so."

"Bethy," Edward called our daughter. "Who swung first?"

"No one," she answered. "Lindsey pushed Sammy first, if that's what you mean."

Edward's jaw clenched, and he shook his head. "Little sweetness, c'mere," he instructed, and she walked to him. He pulled her between his legs and lifted her right hand, taking away the bag of ice. "This, Bethy. This is from a punch. Talk to me." He jerked his chin toward the angry little blonde across the room with the split lip I hadn't seen at first. "That is a busted lip. Who punched first, Bethy? I'm not kidding."

"She shoved me hard. I punched her back." Bethy's voice was soft, but she was still pissed off. "She made Sammy bleed. She made Lainey bleed. And no one would stop her. Someone had to, but she didn't stop; she jumped and landed on me, and that's when Jonathan and Abby tried to stop her."

"Mmm," Edward hummed, nodding once and patting his daughter's leg. "'Kay. Go sit back down."

"Abby?" Alec questioned his stepdaughter, and she nodded, giving Lindsey a sneer. He turned toward the principal. "You have one problem, Mrs. Perry. If all of us are aware of the same problem, and you didn't do anything about it, then this whole incident is on you. And that child over there."

I gazed over at the little girl in question, taking her in from head to toe. Aside from her appearance post scuffle, the little girl was small, almost too thin. She was still angry. If Rose had seen her, she'd have said the little thing was practically feral.

"Where are her parents?" I asked softly, and the question was completely out of the blue, so everyone in the room came to a standstill.

"It's just her father. We called him, but he's at work," Mrs. Perry replied. "Her mother…" She shook her head once. "Passed away earlier this year. Breast cancer."

My nostrils flared, and I shook my head in disbelief and sadness, because I knew that feeling. I knew what it was like to be eight years old and motherless, with only a father who worked too damn much. I glanced over at Edward, and I knew he'd caught up. He knew that same damn feeling of loss and anger.

"She needs counselling. She doesn't need to be ignored, or coddled, or…or this," I stated, pointing around the office we were in.

"Christ," I heard softly from my husband, and his hand gripped his hair as he shook his head. "Are we done here?" he asked the principal, who now looked uncomfortable.

"There's the matter of the fight," she stated obstinately.

Edward stood up, turning to Alec. "Would you take the kids to the car?"

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod. "Abby, Bethy, Sammy… Let's go."

Mrs. Perry turned to the other three kids. "You three can wait in the office lobby until your parents arrive."

Once her office was kid-free, Edward's harsh gaze landed on the elementary school principal, and for a split second, I pitied her, but it didn't last for long.

"Mrs. Perry, there is one more day of school left for the year. One." Edward held up one finger. "If you want to suspend them for fighting, I get it. I even understand it. We'd sat down with all of them and told them to walk away from this situation, to tell someone, so know that they have their own punishments coming when they get home. However, don't sit there and act like you didn't know shit about this situation. Every kid in this room tried to tell someone, but you did nothing. That's on you.

"But you're not doing that little girl any favors by ignoring her behavior. I've been there. I know what it's like to only have one parent and to be angry at the fucking world," he concluded harshly, and if his language offended her, she didn't show it.

Edward reached for his wallet, pulled out Esme's card, and tossed it down to the middle of her desk. "Give that to the father. She'll help him find a therapist, if she doesn't take her on herself. But I'm telling you, no one was right today. Kids, adults. No one."

"If you're going to punish, then punish them all," I added, folding my arms across my chest. "Mine are grounded, so you tell me. Are they suspended, or what?"

Mrs. Perry shook her head. "No. Tomorrow is…like you said, the last day. It'll be parties and packing up. Just…" She sighed deeply, holding up Esme's card. "I'll give it to him."

Edward nodded, reaching for my hand. He was still stiff in posture and pissed off by the time we made it to the SUV in the parking lot. And I snorted at the little gang of kids all talking to Colin.

"The boy with the stutter, right?" he asked, scowling.

"Oh my God, Edward. Colin," I hissed his way. "His name is Colin, for fuck's sake."

Edward smirked my way but shook his head. "Just checking," he said, and sarcasm was laced through his tone.

I knew Edward struggled daily with how fast the kids were growing up. I saw him grasp at straws trying to hold on to the little things that he'd always had with them. There was also a part of Edward who had threatened that his daughter couldn't date until she was thirty, but watching his face as Abby and Bethy spoke to Colin was a tiny bit heartbreaking. Even more heartbreaking was realizing she liked the boy because he sounded like her daddy.

"H-How m-much t-trouble are y-you in?" he asked the girls.

"My dad's so mad," Bethy groaned, lifting the bag of ice and checking her hand. She frowned down at her fingers which made me worry there was pain, but she shook her head. "That troll would've kept at it, though."

It seemed Edward caught that flinch, too. "Lemme see that hand, little sweetness."

Poor Colin just about jumped clean out of his own skin at the sound of his voice, but I had to give the boy credit because he faced Edward bravely. "M-Mr. C-C-Cullen, i-i-it w-w-wasn't B-Bethy's f-fault."

"No?" he asked him, focusing more on his daughter's hand than the fidgeting boy in front of him.

"N-N-No, s-s-s…" Colin sighed in frustration, and it was then that I saw the sympathy cross my husband's face. "W-We all t-tried t-to s-s-stop L-Lindsey."

"Yeah?" he asked him, still working on Bethy's hand. When Colin nodded, Edward gave him a small smile but looked to his daughter's face. "Bethy, wiggle your fingers for me," he told her, and she did, wincing a little. He felt along the bones and joints, gently bending them different ways. "Make a fist, pretty girl, because I don't think it's broken."

She did, and again, she winced. "I'm in trouble, right?"

Edward raised a deadly eyebrow at her, and then the battle of the pitiful eyes began. "Don't even start that with me, Bethy," he told her. "I think Mom specifically told you guys to walk away from this girl a few days ago."

"You also told us to tell someone, and we did." She pointed to her brother and Abby. "It didn't do no good!"

"Any good," I corrected her, walking to Sammy, who was sitting in the back seat of the Volvo. "Let me see your knees, buddy. Did anyone clean them?"

He nodded, mumbling, "Yeah, the nurse."

I opened the holes in his jeans just a bit more, seeing that it was basic scrapes, something he'd had more times than I could count.

I cupped his face. "I don't think we'll have to amputate."

He grinned, shaking his head. However, his grin fell, and he glanced around me to make sure that no one was paying us any attention. When he seemed satisfied that his dad was talking to Bethy and Alec and Abby were chatting with Colin, he faced me again, his eyes sad and dark.

"Lindsey… Her mom died?" he asked in a whisper, and when I nodded, he frowned down at his lap. "Is that why she's mad at us?"

"Probably, Sammy. Though, I don't think she's mad at you specifically. Just…mad…and sad at pretty much everything."

"Oh." He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "I think I'd be mad too."

I felt the sting of tears in my eyes, and I leaned in to press a long, slow kiss to the middle of his forehead. "Love you, kiddo."

"Love you, Mom."

"What about you, Sammy?" his dad asked behind me, and his brow furrowed at the tears I blinked away. "Will you live?"

"Mom says they don't have to be amputated."

He laughed. "Fair enough. Good to know, actually, so you'll still be able to do chores."

"But Dad!" Bethy said behind him.

"Little sweetness, I said I would talk to your mom, and I will. You'll know when I know." His patience was a bit thin, but she argued like me, so I could imagine she'd just run him through the ringer about just how deep in trouble she truly was. "Everyone load up," he commanded.

Once he'd started the car, he sighed, rolling his eyes my way. "Damn, now I remember how much I hated school."

~oOo~

EDWARD

"I guess we need to start getting ready to pack up for Seattle," Bella muttered as we pulled into the driveway of the house. "Laundry, suitcases, equipment, the chopper. It all needs…"

"We'll get it done, sweetness," I assured her, picking up her hand and kissing the back of it.

"I'm gonna take Abby home," Alec stated from the back seat. "If you need me back, just call."

"I think we're good for the night," Bella told him. "I was going to let everyone go home. Tomorrow we've got to go over everything for next week for this Cho job. We've also got to decide whether the info team is working from here or Twi Tech."

"Here," Alec and I said together as we all got out of the car.

"Alice, Mack, and Rose work more efficiently with IGOR from here," I added, shrugging a shoulder.

"You're probably right." Bella sighed, turning to the kids. "Guys…play clothes, no TV, and bring your laundry baskets to the laundry room. Go!" She pointed toward the house. She raised an eyebrow at me when neither even grumbled.

I smirked, waiting until both quiet kids had made it into the house after waving goodbye to Abby and Alec as they got in their car. "Bethy's terrified as to how grounded she actually is."

Bella's beautiful eyes rolled up to meet my gaze. "I don't even know at this point." She shook her head slowly. "A part of me gets it. Honestly, Edward, she's just like us with her need to protect her friends and family. I'd have snapped, too."

"No shit." I laughed, shrugging a shoulder, but I wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders and led her to the porch swing. Pushing gently with my foot, I kept my voice low. "This was a clusterfuck. I mean, you've got kids trying to do the right thing by telling the grownups, but the grownups feel sorry for the one who's stirring up the shit. Maybe I'm biased, but it seems justifiable for Bethy having to step in. I mean, no one else was going to do it."

Bella grimaced, her nose wrinkling adorably. "And Sammy… He's so perceptive," she said, keeping her voice low, too. "When he put two and two together about Lindsey's mother, he said he'd be angry too."

"Yeah," I murmured against her temple, because that would've explained the tears I'd seen back at the school. "He's quiet, but he doesn't miss much."

"He's so like you, Edward," she whispered, her brow wrinkling as she turned my way. "He reminds me of you when we first met. He's just pure and sweet and kind."

Smiling, I kissed the middle of her forehead. "Well, he certainly looks the part, right?"

Bella giggled, nodding a little. "Oh God, identical."

We were quiet for a few minutes, just curled up together on the swing. We listened to the kids inside. Bethy was telling Sammy to hurry up with his laundry basket.

"So…grounded?" I asked her.

"No," Bella grumped, shaking her head. "I'm not happy with her, but I can't say she had much of a choice. And I can't punish her for something I'd have probably done, too."

Laughing, I tilted my wife's chin up so I could kiss her. "I agree," I whispered against her lips. "But we can still scare her."

"Maybe." Bella giggled a bit. "How's that hand of hers?"

Grinning, I said, "It's not broken. It's scraped, and it'll be bruised, for sure, but not broken. All those self-defense lessons you gave her came in handy."

"Shut up, Edward," she said through a laugh.

When we walked into the house, the looks of worry and guilt that met us from the living room almost made me laugh. Sammy was on the floor with his drone and Load. Lock was curled up on the sofa with Bethy.

Bella sat down on the coffee table in front of our daughter. "Lemme see that hand."

Bethy sat forward, giving her mother a worried yet pitiful gaze. To me, she looked just like Bella, nervous and worried, and she was growing up to be a beautiful girl. The older she got, the more she was starting to develop a look all her own, a distinct blend of Bella and me, but more. But there were certain expressions, attitudes, and character traits that she truly received from the two of us. And I couldn't be mad at any of them.

"You're gonna need more ice, pretty girl," Bella said softly. "Maybe a Band-Aid." She let go of Bethy's hand and cupped her face. "Did I or did I not tell you to walk away from this girl?"

"You did," Bethy said through a groan.

"Both of you," Bella verified, looking over to Sammy, who looked like he'd cry.

"Yeah," he answered in his slow, soft way.

"I'm telling both of you," she started. "That girl Lindsey is dealing with big things, grown-up things, so you gotta look beyond her outward attitude. You've got to let it go with her. She's dealing with some hefty sad stuff, okay?" When they both nodded, she added, "Promise me. Both of you."

"I promise," they both vowed.

I sat down on the edge of the recliner. "Guys, you have one more day of school. If we get called tomorrow for this same sh…crap," I said, catching myself, but my kids cracked a smile because I owed the swear jar a shit-ton of money. "If we get a call tomorrow, there will be nothing this summer. I'm not kidding. No Aunt Kate's, no soccer, no Gamma and Poppy's…and you'll tell them why. Are we clear?"

"Yes," they both answered.

I nodded. "Okay, you're free to go. Bethy, let's get another icepack on that hand."

I practically frog-marched my daughter into the kitchen, lifting her up onto the counter. Grabbing an icepack from the freezer, I set it gently on her hand.

"Dad?" she asked, and I placed my hands on either side of her legs to look at her eye-to-eye. "Thanks."

Smirking her way, I asked, "For what, little sweetness?"

"For today…at school. No one listened, but they listened to you."

I cupped her face and gave her forehead a kiss. "Adults can be really blind sometimes, Bethy. I see it all the time at work. It's human error. And I just wanted the truth, not some generic story that sounded good. If the truth had revealed that you had started the fight, then you'd be in serious trouble, little sweetness, but it would've at least been the truth. Understand? Never just accept what someone tells you. Fight for the truth. Find out for yourself. If I've learned anything from your mother, it's that."

Bethy grinned, placing her unhurt hand on my face. "Okay, Daddy."

I grunted but gave her a raised eyebrow. "And this Colin boy… Watch out for the shy, stuttering ones," I teased her.

"He's actually gotten better, Dad, but you scared him!"

"Good," I told her, lifting her back down to the kitchen floor. "A healthy fear of me is good."

~oOo~

The house was quiet the next morning. I'd already made the kids' breakfasts and lunches, taken them to school, and gone with Lock and Load for a run. Bella had stayed up a bit later the night before with laundry so that packing later today would be easier, so she'd slept in a bit.

However, I could hear her stirring around in the back of the house, so I stood up and poured another cup of coffee, because I knew she'd steal that shit as soon as she set eyes on it. I sat back down at the counter, turning the page of the newspaper in front of me, something Alice teased me about endlessly because she said no one actually read the paper anymore, not when information was instantly attainable online.

Rolling my eyes at that, I turned another page, seeing there had been another shooting in some small area of Paris.I wondered if Alice had gotten any further in her research of those. I needed to ask her once everyone got into the office.

Fighting my smile when a hand slowly reached for my coffee cup out of the corner of my eye, I said, "Woman…there's a whole pot made. Why mine?!"

The giggle I received was my favorite morning sound, and I turned to watch her sip the coffee. She was bleary eyed and beautiful. Her hair was down around her shoulders, looking sleep-messy. And she was only wearing one of my white T-shirts. God, I loved her in my clothes.

"Do you have any idea how badly I'd make a mess should I attempt to make a cup when I just woke up?" she countered, and I chuckled, patting the stool next to mine.

When she sat down, I pulled her stool closer so she was between my legs. Tucking her hair behind her ear, I leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"The kids wanted oatmeal this morning, so if you want breakfast, I'll make you something," I told her.

She smiled, shaking her head. "Not yet. Maybe I'll follow their lead and keep it simple."

"Whatever you want, sweetness. Let me know."

She nodded against my lips when I pressed another kiss to her skin, and she sipped the coffee.

"You think we'll get a call from school today?" she asked softly, smirking up at me.

"If we do, they're in serious trouble, because I reminded them on the way that their entire summer depended on their behavior," I told her, rolling my eyes at it. "This parenting shit… I swear, I feel like a hypocrite."

Bella snorted into a sweet laugh. "I know. Just wait, Edward. Remember sneaking out of your house in your teens? We've now got to prevent that shit."

Grinning, I nodded. "I do. I remember why, too. So…I'll be installing locks on the windows ASAP. Maybe bars. We'll see."

"You've got a few years. Slow down," she muttered, smiling at my chuckle as she set down the coffee mug. "We'd have stayed in trouble, Edward."

"God, don't I know it," I whispered, leaning in to kiss her. "It would've been impossible to stay away from you, baby."

This conversation popped up all the time. We'd met when we were just twelve and thirteen, but we'd lost contact as we'd moved from middle school into high school. Had I known her later on, I was damned certain that my life would've turned out completely different. It was a regret, but then…it wasn't, because getting to know Bella had been one of the most scary and difficult and amazing times of my life. The only regret I had was that I hadn't found her prior to Miller's basement. I'd love to be able to erase that from her memories, because despite how strong and loving and powerful my wife was, she still carried scars – both emotional and physical – from what she'd been through in that goddamn basement. But we loved to tease each other with the what-ifs of our youth.

That thought caused me to reach out and touch. Bare legs were in between mine, but my fingers sought out the long scar up her thigh. I caressed that patch of skin with the pad of my thumb, remembering the day I literally fell at her feet and offered up my heart to the brunette who drove me fucking crazy, who changed my life, and who accepted me wholeheartedly – flaws, past, and idiot stutter. It was that scar, the deepest and darkest of all her scars, that seemed to be the catalyst for me. Rain had poured down around us at my mother's mountain cabin as I told this beautiful woman I was hers and there was no going back.

"I-I l-love y-you, s-sweetness," I sputtered, feeling a tiny bit nostalgic as I glanced down at her thigh.

Warm hands cupped either side of my face, and Bella lifted my gaze to hers. "Love you, too, Edward."

When I tugged her a little, she got the hint and came to me willingly, straddling my lap. My hands skimmed softly up those thighs and around to her sweet ass, and I chuckled when I found plump cheeks and bare skin.

"Ah, Mrs. Cullen. I think you're trying to seduce me," I teased her, grinning at her falsely innocent expression, which she'd unknowingly passed on to our children.

"Whatever gave you that impression?"

"Hmm," I hummed, squeezing her bottom and pulling her closer. Fuck, she felt like heaven. "I think I recall the very first time you ever stayed in this house, sweetness. You came out of my bedroom in just my shirt. Sound familiar?"

Bella nodded, and those dark-brown eyes warmed a bit. "I do remember something like that."

"I'm sure. I remember not coming up for air for hours, Isabella. I was held captive."

Bella grinned, pulling my lips to hers with her hands on either side of my face. "Yeah, you hated it. I could tell."

"Every torturous minute," I whispered against her mouth. "A beautiful brunette all kinds of naked in my bed, she told me she loved me, made me satisfy some sort of list."

"You mean the list you made up of all the deliciously naughty things you were capable of? That list?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I breathed against the skin of her neck. "But what I do know is that wasn't the last time you've tried to seduce me right here."

Bella laughed, her head falling back, and I nibbled the spot just below her ear with a soft chuckle. "Edward Cullen, if you bring up syrup, I swear…"

Wrapping my arms all the way around her, I stood up with her, setting her on the kitchen counter. "You were ruthless. I didn't stand a chance."

"You are shameless," she countered, still giggling at me. But her legs wrapped around my waist and pulled me close.

"And you're so beautiful," I said through a deep sigh, cupping her face after brushing her hair back. "How's a man to resist?"

"The same man who once told me he had 'no fucking clue about relationships'?"

I shrugged a shoulder, grinning at her air quotes and deepened voice to mock me. "Yeah, still fucking clueless."

"Right…and look at us now." Her disbelieving scoff, her loving touch to my skin as she pushed at my T-shirt.

Smiling, I tilted my head at her. "Jesus, Bella… I-I w-want… I-I n-need… Tell me we have time."

"We're kind of the bosses, so…we can do what we want, right?"

"Fuck, yes," I hissed against her mouth, pulling back briefly to grab a fistful of my shirt at the back and tug it off over my head. "Here? Or bedroom?"

"Don't care, Edward."

It was rare we had an empty house and an empty office, though the latter would be filling up soon because we needed to get ready for this protection job for my dad. Today would be busy, packing up, testing equipment, and narrowing down schedules. But fuck, if I didn't want her, didn't want to take a moment of selfish time with Bella.

From the look she was giving me, we were on the same page.

The heels of her feet dug into my ass, pushing at my basketball shorts and pulling me tighter between her legs at the same time. I loved that we never stopped flirting. I loved that this part of our relationship never, ever waned. I loved that ten years of marriage, working together every day, and two amazing kids didn't slow this part of us down at all.

Bending her back just a little, I pushed her shirt up, pressing kisses to scars and skin and stomach. "How do you want me, baby?"

"Right here," she breathed, letting out a sexy groan as I cupped her breasts and continued to kiss all the way down to where she was aching for me. "No, right there."

Grinning, I nipped at the inside of her thigh, opening my mouth to her sensitive skin, finally giving in and spreading her open on that counter so I could feast on her. It was apparent she'd woken up needy, and I took advantage of that, driving her to the brink of insanity, only to back off.

"Stop teasing, Edward," she panted, writhing on the countertop. "Please?" she begged.

"You want to come, sweetness?" I asked her, adding my fingers to the mix, and when she nodded, I wrapped my lips around her swollen clit once more, knowing she was damned close.

Fingers grappled for my hat, pulling it off and then threading into my hair so she could hold me where she wanted me. She fell over the edge with a sensual grunt and groan, my name in there somewhere, and everything about her squeezed me close.

Rubbing her stomach to soothe her, I stood up straight, licking my lips, and she sat up to kiss the absolute shit out of me while her hands and feet worked together to shove my shorts down. I hissed against her lips when her warm hands wrapped around my hard cock, and I squeezed my eyes closed at how good she felt.

Pressing my forehead to hers, I begged her with my eyes, and she nodded, guiding me to her entrance. The sound that we made together as I slid inside her was so damned familiar yet so perfectly sexy that I almost came. It was combination of a sigh of relief, a grunt for more, and gasp of need.

"So good, so good," I chanted against her neck as I started to move.

There was nothing like it. She was, by definition, pure heaven. She smelled like sex and soap and fruity-flowery stuff she used all the time. She was warm and wet and so reactive to everything I did. But more than all of that, she was my home, my comfort, and the one thing I simply couldn't live without.

She was close again, and I was about to explode, so with a deep kiss and a swirl of my finger around her clit, we both lost it at the same time.

Stars exploded behind my eyes, and my forehead hit her shoulder as I panted for air. "Fuck, that was…"

"Yeah," she said through her own heavy breathing. "We'd better…"

She nudged me a little, and I glanced out the window to see Alice and Jasper pulling into the yard, and right behind them was Alec.

"Yeah, yeah… No more seducing for you, Mrs. Cullen. You'd think you'd have had enough by now."

Bella laughed softly, pressing kisses to my cheek and then my lips. "Nope. Never."

Grinning, I nodded. "Yeah, me either. But we have to go be responsible bosses, sweetness. Shower together?"

She wrapped her arms around my neck as I pulled her gently off the counter and into my arms. "Definitely."

~o~H&E~o~

A/N… I'm fairly certain a lazy elementary school principal is no match for three parents whose job it is to root out the truth in all situations.

I'm so very happy that the return of these characters has been so well received. I thank you for that. I'll see you guys Thursday or Friday for the teaser and then again next Sunday. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)