DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight not me. I just love playing around with the characters we all know and love. :-)
Authors Notes:
***You all rock! Already 83 followers, 28 reviews, and 47 favorites.
***Sorry updates will most likely be coming slower as it's officially the holiday season and I'm very busy at work.
***Anyway 'Happy Halloween'. Please enjoy the newest update.
***Some excitement this chapter
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CHAPTER #4: The Law of Convergence
EPOV
"God Fucking Dammit, Tanya."
"Don't raise your voice to me, Edward."
"I can assure you that you haven't heard me raise my voice yet." I was so beyond pissed that I literally was seeing red. "I swear to God if Lizzie is even a little bit upset or God forbid crying, you will be beyond sorry."
"As usual you're over-reacting."
"Over-reacting!" NOW I was yelling. "MY daughter is fucking stranded at school all because you couldn't be pulled away from your god damn job to pick her up on her FIRST FUCKING DAY!"
"OUR daughter!" Good she was yelling back, that made it easier for me. "I sent over Irene. She's more then reliable." I swear to God, Tanya was lucky this was just a phone call, because I honestly thought I could strangle her from those words.
"Your PA is not Lizzie's mother!" I knew I needed to calm the fuck down but I was beyond reason... so much so that I could barely think.
"No I am and I know what's best for MY child." Oh she should NEVER refer to Lizzie as hers alone. Granted I called her mine all the time but I didn't give a shit. Lizzie WAS MINE.
"MY child." I felt the chill from my own voice as I seethed out the short sentence. I felt I could barely breathe through my anger. How the hell had I ever been married to this woman? How the fuck had I ever had a child with her... for Tanya to neglect. "Sending a complete God damn stranger to pick her up proves that what you 'know is best' is completely untrue, no mother does that."
"I've had Irene for almost 2 years. She's no stranger." Was she seriously defending her fucking assistant right now? I took a few deep ragged breaths at the stop light that I was actually grateful for at the moment. I noticed my hands were actually shaking through my anger.
When I got the phone call from Ms. Swan... Bella, telling me the situation I nearly had a meltdown in the middle of my office. I was working on propositions for the next board meeting involving just about every department at the firm and was deeply invested in what I'd been doing. I was already having a shitty day because Tanya had refused to let me pick Lizzie up from school today even-though I had begged her. Literally I had actually BEGGED Tanya to let me pick Lizzie up. The thought that I'd done that was still grating at my pride and self-loathing, but for Lizzie I would do anything. The first day of school happen to fall on Tanya's day with her and I hated it with a fiery passion. I wanted to know about Lizzie's day first. I didn't care if that was selfish or ridiculous. She was my little girl and I love her more then anything in the world.
I hadn't recognized the number when my phone rang and almost didn't answer it as a result because of how busy I was, but something made me do it. Thank God I had listen to that silent instinct. It was Bella and she was a bit worried. Apparently TANYA had sent her assistant to pick Lizzie up and Irene was not on the list I'd given for approved people allowed to take Lizzie from the school. To say I was pissed would be putting it mildly. Luckily Bella was able to quickly get out the only words at that moment that could keep me from completely losing my fucking mind. 'Lizzie's perfectly fine. She's in my classroom with me. Would you like to talk to her?' I had never been more grateful to someone for something so simple in my entire life. I needed to know Lizzie was okay. Bella put my baby girl on the phone and she seemed so happy, telling me about how much she loved school. GOD I wanted to listen to more of her sweet little voice but I needed more information so I had her return the phone to Bella.
Bella told me that when class let out, Irene was there and had said she was there to pick up Lizzie. She offered her ID and everything but Bella refused to give Lizzie to her as she wasn't on the approved list. Irene had called Tanya to speak to Bella but it didn't make a difference. As soon as Bella got the words out I had shot out of my office like a bat out of Hell. I didn't care about anything except Lizzie.
"I told you I would pick her up today, happily." It was so incredibly hard to speak through the hatred I felt right now.
"You set our custody schedule, not me. Our agreement is that Thursday this week is mine."
"Then why the fuck aren't you there right now?" Yes there went my raised voice again, along with the shaking.
"I got busy. Irene got there in plenty of time. Lizzie's teacher is being ridiculous."
"Do not fucking put this on Ms. Swan." I almost said Bella but the last thing I needed was Tanya turning this into me 'fucking Lizzie's teacher'. She'd already accused me of having relations with just about every woman in our lives. She was completely nuts. "She was doing exactly what she was supposed to do." I silently spoke the words 'unlike Lizzie's own mother'. "Looking out for our daughter's safety."
"And I wasn't?!" The silence after she spoke that question spoke louder then any words I'd shouted this entire phone call. Tanya always looked out for herself and did what was for the betterment of Tanya. She was so blind to it that there was little point in even saying anything. What good would it do? Clearly she got the message though, as she hung up on me. I pulled into the school and went to the front office as fast as my feet could carry me. I told them the class I needed to get to and I was given a visitor badge.
"Daddy!" Lizzie ran to me immediately as soon as I was in the classroom. I saw only her as I bent down and pulled her to my chest tightly. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and I could finally breathe as I held her to my chest. I swear my little girl just made my whole universe right again. I had entered this school with singular focus, Lizzie. Now that she was safe in my arms I was able to pay attention to the rest of the world. I heard some quiet arguing and looked up to see Bella and Irene arguing. Or rather Irene was arguing and Bella was looking uncomfortable, VERY uncomfortable. Oh HELL no. I wasn't going to allow anyone to attack Bella. She had protected my daughter when I couldn't. Over my dead body would anyone be upsetting my daughter's protector.
"Baby, wait for me in the hall. DO NOT go past the door." I gave her a playfully narrow eyed expression and she nodded while taking her bag and stepping outside the door. It was still opened and I was happy to be able to see her. She would NOT be leaving my eye-sight any time soon. I strode over to Irene with determined steps. Since my ex-wife wasn't here it was very possible that Irene would be on the receiving end of my anger. I couldn't even bring myself to care, because I was far to pissed.
"You may leave now Irene." I strategically stepped in front of Bella, who I noticed was looking increasingly uncomfortable as Irene complained at her.
"Ms. Cullen asked me..."
"Ms. DENALI!" I corrected her name through clenched teeth. Despite Tanya legally having to change her name from Cullen in our divorce she tried to keep it as an alias. Irene actually had the decency to look a little scolded as she looked down at her phone then back up at me.
"Ms. Denali told me to get Lizzie from you after you got here." I laughed with absolutely no humor at the ridiculousness of that statement. It would be a cold day in Hell before I gave my daughter to her.
"I can guarantee you this... that will happen over my dead body." My words were so smooth but at the same time direct and deadly. I meant every syllable.
"The custody agreement..." I held up my hand to silence her moronic words.
"Do you know who wrote that custody agreement?" She went to speak, apparently she didn't know what a rhetorical question was. "I did, just as I wrote up the divorce settlement, pre-nump, and every other contract I entered into with MS. DENALI." I felt the need to really emphasize her name as I did not want to have to correct her again. "By contract I do not have to release my daughter to anyone that is not Tanya herself." Irene looked both annoyed and embarrassed as she fidgeted while holding her phone like it was her safety net in this situation. "Also by contract Tanya is supposed to hand Lizzie to me not the school because Tanya chose to NOT SHOW UP." If I was being to subtle with that statement I would be happy to get blunt. Luckily Irene seemed to realize where I was going involving Tanya having violated the contract, not me.
"I guess I'll leave then." She tried to make a quick get away but I couldn't resist laying in a bit more, knowing Irene would tell Tanya everything.
"Tanya will see our daughter again on her NEXT scheduled day. If she has a problem with me taking Lizzie today I would be happy to see her in court." The unspoken words were again quite clear. If we went to court again it would not be pretty for Tanya, I would make sure of it.
She made a quick escape and I took in a few jagged breaths, trying to collect myself. To think I had never planned on being a father. When I was younger I had never fantasized about it, never wondered what it would be like. I had simply dismissed it as not for me, it had held no appeal. My mother hated it with every fiber of her being but I was adamant that it wouldn't happen for me. I was career driven and so was my wife. We were content with our own lives, if not always the happiest, we were at least okay. Then when Tanya had found out she was pregnant, everything changed. The decision was made for us and surprisingly I wasn't upset, though not as excited as most would have been. It felt like the pregnancy happened in the blink of an eye and then I was meeting Elizabeth Macy Cullen for the first time and I instantly became a VERY different man. I was still the hard, calculating, and determined person I had been before, but now my whole world revolved around this tiny 6 pound little girl, not my narrow life.
I turned to Lizzie and she was sitting by the door doodling on something in her binder. I couldn't help but smile at her as she hummed to herself blissfully. She truly was my everything and I couldn't believe the old me had ever existed. What would I do without my child? Who would I be?
"I'm so sorry." Bella's soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned around to look at her as she was still shielded slightly behind me. It briefly caught me off guard how small she was as I looked down at her. She was standing pretty close to me as neither of us had shifted from the minor confrontation with Irene a few moments earlier. She was looking down and was fiddling with her hands uncomfortably. God she was cute.
I took her hands in mine, having no clue as to why I was being so bold with her but she was upset and I had an irrational need to comfort her. What was this girl doing to me? I was not exactly a tender man, but something about her seemed to call to me. "Hey." She looked up from our hands to my face and I smiled at her before letting her hands go and playfully tapping her chin from below to remove her frown. "You have NOTHING to be sorry about." She really didn't. She did absolutely everything properly, and the fact that she notified me personally as quickly as she did, despite it being Tanya's day was comforting.
"I didn't know what to do exactly. When I saw Irene I thought she was Lizzie's mom, since I hadn't seen her yet, but when she introduced herself I knew her name wasn't on the list and..."
I cut off her rambling... who would have thought this small, quiet woman could talk so fast? "How did you know her name wasn't on the approved list?" I knew she had quite a few students and even if most parents were still together how could Bella possibly have all the approved people memorized? She immediately turned beet red and I knew I really wanted to know the answer now, far more then a moment ago. She kept her face down but glanced toward Lizzie. I really loved that she was always aware of where Lizzie was, always watching out for her. She shrugged unconvincingly and I laughed at her discomfort. I had no idea what about the answer was embarrassing but I AM a lawyer. I'm good at getting the answers people don't want to give. I brought my fingers back to her chin and brought her face up to mine, giving her my best smile. "Well, Ms. Swan?" My voice was both playful and demanding.
"I had just been looking at Lizzie's file earlier." I nodded but didn't let her go. My eyes urged her to continue. Why was she looking at Lizzie's file? She definitely got my silent question as her blush continued and she tried to look away, not that I was really letting her.
"Why was that Ms. Swan?" I couldn't hide my smile as she flushed further, whether it was from the answer she was attempting to hide or me calling her 'Ms. Swan', who was to know. If it was the latter I would have to remember this for the future.
"I didn't know who was going to be picking up Lizzie today and I didn't know if it was in there." I smirked at the REAL answer she didn't want to give. She wanted to know if she would see ME today. For the first time today I allowed myself to really look at her, to see Bella. She was wearing a flowing yellow and brown dress that was both simple and breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was down just like the first time we met and she looked natural and beautiful, just like before.
"Well now you know." I smirked as she nodded discreetly while brushing her hair behind her ears nervously.
"I really am sorry about everything today." She was trying to change the subject and I really wish she wasn't. I much preferred flirting with her then thinking of how easily my ex wife could piss me off... Call me crazy, I thought sarcastically. "I tried to talk to Lizzie and when she saw Irene she got so upset because she didn't know who she was." I tensed hearing that Lizzie had been upset. My PA, Carmen, knew Lizzie well but Tanya had NEVER brought our daughter to her office as she liked to keep her 'professional' image firmly intact. As a result no one in her office knew Lizzie and she sure as hell didn't know them. It was polar opposite from my office. My PA, my 2 secretaries, and everyone else in the same vicinity of my office knew my daughter. I didn't bring her there all the time but on occasion she wanted to 'see where daddy works' so I would bring her in. Who the hell was going to stop me? I had nothing to hide with Lizzie. I was proud to be her father, now if only her mother felt the same way. "She was crying and it took me a little while to calm her down. Even Irene calling Tanya for her did nothing to calm her down, but as soon as I offered to call you... she got so happy." Bella gave me a small smile as I took a deep breath.
I looked over towards my biggest fan as she continued to draw, completely unaware of our conversation. The idea that she had gotten so upset was bringing back some of the rage I'd felt earlier, but seeing her happy now, thanks to Bella, was keeping me calm at the same time. Lizzie glanced up at me as I watched her and she waved her picture of a playground for me to see. I gave her a soft smile before looking back at Bella. She was watching Lizzie too, seeming just as concerned for her as I was. Bella seemed to be trying to hide her eyes and as I glimpsed them I realized that they were misty. Was she crying? It was very obvious that her students meant the world to Bella but the idea that them upset could make her cry was beyond anything I'd ever heard of from a teacher. She'd met my daughter twice and already seeing her upset could cause HER to get equally upset. She sniffled quietly and despite wanting to comfort her desperately right now I didn't want her to feel embarrassed, so I changed the subject.
"What number did you call me from? I programmed the school number into my phone and my office but I didn't recognize the number when you called. I almost didn't answer."
"I'm sorry about that." Her voice picked up at the subject change and I was grateful for that. I didn't want either of my girls upset... Wait MY GIRLS? Christ what's wrong with me? "I was going to call from my desk phone..." She gestured to her desk before glancing at me, then back at Lizzie. "...but Lizzie was so upset and I was holding her at her desk. Instead I used my cell phone, because I had it on me. Lizzie gave me the number." I had made sure Lizzie had my phone number memorized since she was 4, so that she could always get through to me if she needed anything.
"Thank-you for staying with her."
"Of course." She nodded determinedly and I chuckled.
"Baby girl." I called over to Lizzie and she ran over to us with her drawing. "Say good-bye to Ms. Swan, Lizzie." She did better then that as Bella got down on her knees to say good-bye. Lizzie gave her a big hug which Bella happily returned. I was a little surprised by the action. Lizzie wasn't exactly shy but she never hugged anyone other then family.
"Bye Lizzie. I had so much fun with you today." Bella smiled at Lizzie as she pulled back and shifted Lizzie's blonde hair behind her ear.
"Bye Ms. Swan. Sorry for making you cry." Bella's eyes flashed to me and I smirked but tried to look busy as I glanced at my phone. So she HAD cried earlier when Lizzie did. I didn't know if I should feel bad that she had been so upset or if I should feel comforted that she cared that much.
"You didn't make me cry Lizzie. I'm just a little overly sensitive."
"What does that mean?"
"Sensitive?"
"Yeah." Lizzie starred at Bella with eager eyes, always happy to learn. Bella flashed her eyes to me and I gave her my complete focus, through my smirk of course. This caused an easy blush from Bella before she looked back at Lizzie.
"Sensitive means you FEEL things a lot more." She placed her hand over Lizzie's heart. "You get happy easier but also sad, lonely,... things like that." Lizzie nodded before giving Bella another hug.
"I promise to make you extra happy tomorrow." Bella laughed and held Lizzie close for a moment before letting go and standing up. "Here Ms. Swan." Lizzie held up her picture for Bella, who took it with a smile.
"You sure you don't want to give it to your dad?" She gestured to me as she spoke but kept her eyes on Lizzie's happy face.
"No. I want to make you smile." I glanced at Bella who immediately got tears in her eyes, but happy ones this time. Bella leaned down again and hugged Lizzie tightly, making me smile.
"Thank you Lizzie. I love it."
"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow." Lizzie smiled while waving and running back to the door where her bag was. Bella was starring at the picture in her hand and I watched in amusement. It was quite clear that the simple gift had made Bella feel much better.
"I suppose I'll see you tomorrow as well." She looked up at me with a bright smile and a nod. Leave it to my little girl to make someone THAT happy.
"So..." I spoke slowly to be sure to get Bella's attention on me. "...you called me from your personal cell phone?" It was more of a statement then a question as I couldn't resist the urge to flirt with Bella a bit before leaving. She looked at me hesitantly but nodded. "That means I have your number now and you have mine." I smirked as she flushed a bit.
"Yeah?" Clearly there was a question in her tone and I shrugged easily.
"I guess I find that interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Yes. I wonder what we're going to do about it."
END NOTES:
-PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW
-I LOVE my Edward chapters so very much. I hope everyone loved this one as much as I do.
-This is not overly soft stuff from my Lizzie character. This is the type of stuff my 3 and 5 year old say to me all the time. I swear kids can make your whole crappy day feel amazing with the smallest thing.
-I'm aware that in most situations where a parent is running late or a problem with scheduled pick up occurs, the teacher would give the student to the office to deal with, but that's not my story or my Bella character. LOL
-Sorry it's so short of a chapter. Remember more comments fuels faster updates. :-) *WINK WINK*
-The next chapter is my favorite BPOV chapter thus far. I laughed hard while writing it. It still needs finesse but I think everyone will enjoy it.
-Remember updates will probably be slower due to the season. That plus the fact that I REALLY need to work on 'The Royal Imprint' chapter #11. I have the ideas and just need to write them down. LOL
