Chapter Two - Fancy Pants
A/N: Anything Twilight related belongs to SM. Thanks for the follows, faves and especially the reviews, it is wonderful to read each and every one. Thanks for the nudge Fran, when you read A/N at the end of the chapter you'll understand the delay... love the support hon'. *mwah*
Bee sighed and her head dropped the tiniest bit before she raised her chin, narrowed her eyes and stared straight at Edward.
"Listen Mister Fancy Pants, I have had a really long day. Do you think we could skip over the bit where you are really annoying so I can just go to bed and get some sleep?"
Still in shock and not really listening to her, Edward did notice that Bee's wrist was wrapped in a light brace: "What happened to your wrist?"
She sighed again: "Long story - that I am too tired to tell right now... and you don't really care anyway. So I am just going to say goodnight."
She walked around the boys who followed her movements, watching silently as Bee hugged their parents.
"Thanks again for letting me stay here with you. I don't know how I'll repay you but believe me when I say that I will," Bee almost whispered to Esme and Carlisle.
Esme pulled Bee back into a stronger hug, feeling sorry for the young, too thin girl and experiencing a small flicker of excitement at the possibility of having a daughter to care for, if only for a few months.
"You are very welcome Isabella, there is absolutely no need for repayment. As far as we're concerned you are overdue for a little TLC and we are more than happy to provide it," Esme said as she kissed the top of the young girl's head.
Carlisle added: "We are all very happy to have you here, Isabella. Isn't that right boys?"
He gave the boys a hard look and Emmett immediately picked up his cue: "Huh, oh right, sure Bee you're welcome to stay here with us, it'll be… awesome."
Edward was silent, staring blankly at Bee and wondering what the hell had happened that his world had been so turned upside down that his arch-nemesis was now in his kitchen, wearing teeny tiny shorts and hugging his parents. He seriously considered the possibility that he was in fact still asleep and this was all some strange nightmare.
When Edward made no attempt to assure her of a welcome, Bee's shoulders dropped. She really was very tired and seeing Edward's face clearly not happy with this situation just made her feel even more tired.
She slipped out of Esme's hug, whispered 'good night' so softly it would've been easy to miss, and made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the room that Esme had told her was now hers. Too tired to do anything more than walk to the bed and snuggle in under the covers, Bee dropped off to sleep almost as soon her head touched down on the soft pillow.
After watching Bee leave the kitchen the Cullens fell into a long, silence. The boys turned in unison towards their parents who were calmly sipping from mugs of warm milk and patiently waiting for the boys' inevitable questions.
Emmett couldn't take the silence any longer: "What the hell is going on here? Why is Bee roaming around our house, hugging our parents, wearing nothing but a teeny tank top and sexy ass short shorts, and why the f... hell are you calling her Isabella?"
Edward still didn't say anything; he simply crossed his arms over his chest, cocked his brow at his parents and waited for his parents to explain this horrific situation!
Carlisle released a small sigh, preparing to explain the situation to his sons but then Esme reached over and patted his hand to let him know that she would answer.
"Well, let's see if I can explain this to you. What is going on here is that we have arranged with social services to foster that sweet young lady until she turns eighteen and then on until she finishes school which is in just a few months."
"Sweet young lady! Are you kidding me? Hound from Hell more like!" Edward had found his voice; he was furious that his mother was speaking so affectionately about his enemy.
"Edward," Carlisle cautioned. He was confused by his son's reaction. Edward was always the level-headed twin, who rarely spoke ill of anyone; he just didn't seem to care enough. But here he was being passionate in his dislike of this tiny slip of a girl.
Esme was also confused by Edward's reaction: "Isabella is a sweet little thing, and she needs our help, Edward."
She looked at Edward with concern, she didn't think for one minute that he would react to them bringing Isabella home to live with them. This was quite a shock to her.
Carlisle put his mug down on the counter: "Why do you boys call her Bee? … or Busy Bee? I don't think she likes that name." Carlisle had noticed the girl's face wince when Edward had called her that.
"And why does she call you Mister Fancy Pants, Edward?" Esme added with a giggle.
Edward sighed, not really comfortable with the idea of explaining his childish name for Bee: "We call her Busy Bee because she's always rushing about. She doesn't socialise with anyone, she rushes into school late, spends her lunches in the library and rushes out the door as soon as the bell rings. Whenever anyone asks her to do anything on the weekend, she says she can't because she's "busy", so the name kind of stuck."
Esme and Carlisle shared a knowing look. This information was a sad confirmation of what they had already learned about Isabella.
Esme hoped the boys didn't know the real reason why this young girl was always so 'busy' but were still mean to her. She hoped her boys were better than that but she was starting to wonder if she was wrong about them.
Emmett chuckled gesturing with his thumb at Edward who moaned when he realised Emmett was going to explain Bee's nickname for him, to their parents: "She calls him Mister Fancy Pants after a little run-in they had at the diner about a week after she arrived in town. She was leaving the diner carrying a take-away coffee but she ran in to Edward as he was coming in through the door. The whole cup of black coffee spilled all over both of them and Edward cussed her out for getting coffee all over his new pants. She's called him Mister Fancy Pants ever since."
Esme couldn't believe what she was hearing and looked at Edward in shock: "You yelled at a young lady when you ran into her, spilling her coffee? … Did you at least offer to buy her a replacement coffee?" She couldn't believe her sweet Edward was revealing himself before her eyes to be an arrogant, spoiled bully.
Edward weakly attempted to defend himself but even he realised he sounded like a prick: "It wasn't my fault mom; she's the busy bee, always rushing around. She was burst through the door with the coffee. And what seventeen year old drinks black coffee at six at night anyway?"
"Someone going to work after a long day I suspect," Carlisle answered dismissively. He realised then that his boys were completely unaware what kind of life their schoolmate Isabella had been living and he felt even more sad for her.
He looked to Esme and she squeezed his hand.
AFter a few moments, Emmet asked: "So her name isn't Bee? I mean that's how she introduced herself when she started at school."
"Her name is Isabella Marie Swan. Perhaps she likes to be called Bee but …" Carlisle turned to Edward and gave him a very harsh warning look: " I am damn certain she does not like to be called BUSY Bee and I will be very extremely disappointed if I find out either of my sons refers to her that way again. Right?"
"Yes sir," the twins chimed in practiced perfection. When Carlisle put his foot down on something, he was serious; the boys knew that from experience.
Esme took their cups to the sink and began to wash them, and Edward grabbed a tea towel to dry them. They worked in silence side-by-side in a comfortable and familiar routine before Edward spoke quietly: "So ... Bee is going to be living here... with us?"
"Yes, Edward she has nowhere else to go. Why does this bother you so much?" She cupped his cheek and looked for some understanding for her son's uncharacteristic hostility.
Before he could answer his mother, Emmett jumped in: "She's kicking his ass at school. You know how he's always been top of the pops when it comes to schoolwork? Well, Bee wants pre-med too and she's in every single one of fancy pants' advanced program classes. And that 'sweet little girl' is besting him in at least four of their classes." Emmett whipped his brother's butt with a tea towel and roared with laughter.
Edward glared at his brother: "Shut the fuck up, Em."
"Language Edward!" Esme admonished although she was holding back a grin.
Carlisle puffed up proudly: "Isabella wants to go into medicine too, is that right? And she's giving you a run for your money at school?" He poked at Edward who gave him an embarrassed look. "Well that's a first."
Esme let the water out of the sink and dried her hands on a kitchen towel: "Oh Carlisle, for her to do so well from the situation she's been living in - it's amazing really."
Carlisle nodded in agreement, it was amazing. She needed a family to care for her and support her, and he now he was even more determined to give her.
"What situation?" Emmett asked.
"That's for another time. Let's all go to bed, it is late."
Emmett nodded and headed upstairs giving his brother a fist bump as they parted ways at the top of the stairs. Emmett went up the next flight of stairs to his room, two stairs at a time muttering to himself that Rosalie was never going to believe the news when he told her.
Edward was still unhappy at the situation and as he passed the door of what was now Isabella's room, he gave it a long thoughtful look before making his way to his own room down the hall.
He flopped down on his bed and as he drifted off to sleep he thought about how dramatically his life had just changed. He had no idea what to make of it, at all.
The next morning when Bee opened her eyes she stretched like a cat and smiled. She had slept better than she had for months. The bed was huge, incredibly comfortable with soft sheets and such a warm duvet.
She sat up and looked around the room Esme had said was now hers and shook her head in disbelief, unsure how her luck had changed so dramatically. She couldn't understand why Esme and Carlisle had been so kind to take her in when she was a complete stranger to them, but she was very grateful they had. The alternative was too horrible to contemplate.
The room, her room, was painted a delicate lavender colour, the bed linen was also in a mix of soft lavender, purple and a very pale green. There was a set of comfy looking chairs she couldn't wait to sit in, set near a fireplace. Against the other wall was a small desk with a single armchair - a perfect spot to study.
Bee reached under the bed to grab her backpack and pulled out her poor worn out laptop. It was ancient and clunky but it was hers. When she opened it she realised there was wifi in the house, she'd have to ask Esme for the password. It was going to come in handy for study times instead of having to spend her evenings in the Forks Library.
She made the bed back to the way she found it last night and then headed to her own bathroom. Desperate for a really hot shower, she figured the Cullens were the kind of people to have plenty of hot water no matter what time of year.
At first she just poked her head in the bathroom and then stepped in with her mouth open in amazement. The room was beautiful, all marble bench tops and shiny tap fittings. There was a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste still in their packets on the bench next to a small basket of pretty toiletries with a small note, 'Help yourself'.
"Oh. My. Word."
Bee picked up the basket and breathed in deeply, the smell was heavenly. All flowery and sweet. She did a little happy dance and then excitedly stripped out of her clothes throwing them into the hamper in the corner of the bathroom. There was even a plastic bag and tape to wrap around her wrist brace.
Turning on the water she groaned when she felt the hot water on her skin. It had been so long since she'd had a really hot shower where she didn't have a timer making sure she didn't stay too long. She was thrilled to wash and condition her hair and just as thrilled to find a brand new lady-razor in amongst the shower products.
When Bee finally emerged from the shower she felt truly clean and groomed for the first time in what felt like forever. She dried herself with the thick fluffy towel which was warm from being over the heated towel rod. She wrapped her hair in the towel and then wrapped herself in the cute little silky lavender wrap that was hanging on the hook behind the bathroom door.
When she went back into the bedroom she realised she had no clean underwear to put on and she really hated wearing dirty panties. Actually, she didn't have any clean clothes at all.
Just then Emmett knocked on her door: "Hey Is-a-bella, Mom sent me up with a cup of coffee for you and said to tell you that she's got your breakfast ready whenever you want to come down."
Bee went over to the door, opening it just enough to reach out to take the coffee from Emmett. He was so huge, she felt like ridiculously small and a bit nervous when she was around him.
"Thank you Emmett," she whispered and then closed the door.
Taking a sip of the delicious hazelnut flavoured coffee, Bee slumped back against the door as she considered this conundrum. She was very hungry and really wanted to go have some breakfast but there was no way she was going out of her room in nothing but a skimpy wrap. Not with Emmett and Fancy Pants in the house, and of course Dr Cullen. She was chewing her lip trying to figure out what to do.
Emmett was still waiting on the other side of the closed door waiting for a further response from Bee: "Anyway, Dad, Ed and I are heading out and Mom wants to take you shopping or some shit. So, um... see you round Bee.. I mean Isabella."
Emmett waited for a few moments to hear if Bee would respond but with no sound from her room he headed downstairs and on to the garage. He, his dad and Edward were going to play golf. Em was determined to beat his Dad and had the feeling that this was going to be his day.
Bee decided the wrap was long enough for modesty so it would be fine to just go without panties, especially now that she knew all the menfolk were out of the house. So she tied the sash on the wrap around as tightly as she could manage and headed out to find Esme.
As she opened the door and walked out into the hallway she crashed into something large and hard. Her coffee went flying and she fell down landing on her butt with a hard thump.
"Oh, c'mon, not again!" Edward shouted as he looked down at his trousers which were now coated in black coffee. He looked up ready to give Bee hell when he caught sight of her long, strong, beautiful legs as she desperately tried to get up off the floor without flashing Edward.
When she finally got to her feet she awkwardly fell forward so Edward reached out to stop her from falling. The towel around her hair unravelled with her long mahogany locks falling down her back and over her shoulders.
Edward felt Bee's tiny body under the silken wrap and combined with the smell of her freshly washed hair, he whimpered out an almost inaudible: "Fuck."
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in this update. My life has been a bit of a soap opera lately. My hubby broke his leg, I lost my wallet with credit cards - remarkably someone handed it in, we adopted an eight year old rescue 'puppy' and have been settling her in to our family (she's doing really well) and tonight we were hit by a massive storm which actually flooded my dining room as apparently there's a leak in my roof! LOL. Well at least life isn't boring. So what did you think of the chapter? worth the wait? I hope so.