A/N: SM owns Twilight.

Chapter 11 - a long day

When Edward awoke he found himself alone in Bee's room. At first he was disappointed that she wasn't still cuddled up next to him but when he noticed his morning wood tenting the sheet he was grateful she wasn't there to witness it. Then he worried that perhaps she did and that was why she'd left the room.

He groaned into the pillow which carried his Busy Bee's beautiful scent which of course only exacerbated his problem. He dragged himself from the comfort of her bed, stumbled his way back to his bedroom and the privacy of his own bathroom where he planned to deal with his not so little problem in the shower.

Isabella had awoken much earlier and not wanting to wake Edward she snuck into her bathroom to change. When she threw her dirty pyjamas into to the hamper she realised it was full and decided it was time to do her laundry. She gathered up her dirty things, as well as her towels, and tiptoed past her bed where the deeply sleeping Edward lay sprawled on his stomach. She took a moment to admire his handsome features and marvelled at his ability to sleep in; she was in the habit of rising early and no matter how late she went to sleep she always seemed to wake early.

Edward stirred, hugging Bee's pillow close against his body, he muttered something about his busy bee, which made her giggle. She left the room quickly and headed downstairs to go in search of a washing machine.

"What are you up to this early, Miss Isabella?" Carlisle asked smiling at her from the kitchen bench nursing a very large mug of coffee.

"Good morning Carlisle," she said, surprised to see him up so early and so rambled on: "I need to do my laundry and I usually use the machine at the Church shelter or the laundromat if I have the money but given you have so many gadgets, I am guessing you probably have a washer of your own." She blushed a little, as of course they would have their own washer, they probably had their own dryer as well.

Carlisle chuckled at her flustered response but smiled kindly: "Follow me and i'll show you where the laundry is. It's a good thing you asked me and not Edward or Emmett as I am quite sure they have no idea we even have a laundry!" He laughed but Bee was shocked by his comment.

"How do they get their clothes so clean then?" She was genuinely perplexed.

Carlisle paused and turned to his adopted daughter: "I am ashamed to say, that neither of the boys have been taught to do their own washing; Esme has always spoiled her boys. Of course Mrs Biers comes over twice a week to help out with the house and she does most of the boys washing."

"Oh," was all Bee said. She couldn't help but wonder what on earth the boys were going to do when they moved out of their family home when they couldn't cook for themselves or even wash their own clothes.

Carlisle turned down another hallway and again Bee followed along behind him.

He opened the door to a large bright room which had no less that two large washing machines and two dryers, an ironing station, a TV mounted on the wall and a large table down the middle. A door on the other side of the room led to a small garden with an outside line but in their part of the world it rained more than it didn't so most clothes went in the dryer. Carlisle showed her a small inside line for hanging 'unmentionables' as he jokingly called them.

Bee dropped her clothes on the large table to sort them but when she went to the first machine she looked a little overwhelmed.

"Do you need me to show you how to use the machine?" Carlisle asked gently.

Bee laughed: "This is like a computer, there are so many options and screens on it."

"Esme always likes the latest thing. You sort your wash and then I'll show you how to make the machine go."

"Thanks Carlisle."

They chatted amiably while Bee sorted her wash. He told her about how the house was an old shambled run-down place when he and Esme had first bought it and how they'd renovated it room by room. He talked about the twin boys running around the yard covered in mud before Esme had established her garden. Bee laughed, easily able to imagine a young Emmett and a young Edward rough-housing in the backyard.

"Of course, that was before we moved to Chicago. When we decided to return, Esme had to complete the renovations long-distance so the house would be ready for twin teenage boys," Carlisle remembered.

"Okay, my clothes are all sorted," Bee declared as she lifted the lid on the machine and placed her clothes inside.

Carlisle showed her where the detergents were stored, which ones to use for each type of wash and how to add the softener. He smiled to himself as he watched Bee, who was always so serious when you were teaching her something new. He could easily imagine her as a young intern at a hospital, dutifully listening to her supervising Resident and taking everything so seriously. A swelling of pride overcame him as he imagined having two children follow his footsteps to become doctors, since it had been Edward's dream since he was a small boy.

Once Carlisle had shown her how to select the wash programs, she followed his instructions exactly and then pressed start. When she heard the wash begin she turned to Carlisle and gave him an enormous self-satisfied grin. He'd noticed in his short time getting to know Isabella that she loved to learn new things and was always genuinely pleased to master them.

"Well done, Isabella. Now you'll just have to teach Edward!"

She nodded: "I certainly will. What on earth will he do when he goes to College if he can't look after himself?"

Carlisle chuckled: "Good luck with that, my dear." He patted her shoulder as he passed her to head back to the kitchen.

With the washing machine busily engaged, Bee went back to her room to see if Edward was still sleeping, she wanted to kick him out of her bed as planned to clean her sheets as well. When she arrived back in her room she was a little disappointed to find that he was no longer there.

"Looking for me, love?" Edward whispered in her ear as he walked up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. Bee giggled and turned to face him, he looked gorgeous in casual jeans and t-shirt, his hair still damp from showering and his body still warm from a prolonged stay under the water jets.

"Actually," she said. "I was going to kick you out of my bed since I want to wash my sheets today."

He kissed the tip of her nose: "You don't have to do that. You can just put them in your hamper."

Bee leaned back, giving him a queer look: "It's not a magic hamper, Edward. If you don't do your own laundry, your mother or someone named Mrs Biers will have to do it, and I am sure they have other work to do."

He released her and she went over to her bed stripping off the sheets, pillowcases and quilt cover. He brushed his hand through his hair and shuffled awkwardly on his feet: "I never thought of it that way."

"C'mon, fancy pants, let's go to your room. We'll gather your washing and your sheets and I'll show you how to use the washing machine." She giggled as she poked him in the ribs gently: "It's like a spacecraft or something, it has so many blinking lights and the touchscreen is amazing."

She gathered her linens and then headed out the door with Edward trailing behind her. They went to his room gathered his washing and dirty linens before going downstairs to the laundry.

Bee placed a small kiss on his cheek: "Once we get this sorted and the first load through, we'll have breakfast, I promise." She then proceeded to show him how to separate his clothes into separate wash groups. They loaded the second machine with Edward's clothes and set it to wash following Carlisle's instructions to the letter before heading up to the kitchen.

Emmett greeted them excitedly: "Just in time, Mom's making waffles this morning." Bee laughed because Emmett was like a small child when it came to food. She'd had waffles once with her Nanna Swan and she had to admit to being almost as excited as Emmett about reliving the experience.

She rushed over to where Esme was just gathering items on the bench in the kitchen: "Esme, can you teach me how to make waffles?"

"Of course, Isabella, wash your hands, put on an apron and we'll get started. Where have you two been anyway?"

Edward piped up proudly: "We were doing our washing."

Esme dropped her recipe book on the counter with a thud: "You were doing what?"

"My little Busy Bee here thinks I should learn to do my own washing before I go to College, so she's been showing me how," Edward stated.

Esme gave Isabella a huge hug: "Well, now I've seen everything."

The two women went about mixing up waffle batter and Edward joined his brother to set the table.

Emmett had held off on teasing as long as he could but finally he just had to let it out before he hurt himself: "Virginward you are so pussy-whipped."

Edward rolled his eyes: "Emmett you are such a neanderthal. How can you accuse me of being virginward and pussy-whipped in the same sentence? And explain to me how learning to do my own washing is being 'pussy-whipped' anyway."

"My dear brother, it is because you are a virgin that you are so pussy-whipped. You're like her trained monkey, doing whatever she asks because your boy wants in to her pu..."

Edward cut him off angrily: "Do. Not. Ever. Talk. About. MY. Girl's. Pu... My girl like that. Okay?"

Emmett laughed even harder: "Oh yeah, you want her alright."

Esme called from the kitchen: "What are you boys fighting about?"

"Nothing Mom, Edward was just telling about the best way to keep whites bright."

Edward punched his brother's arm: "Shit head."

Emmett punched him back chuckling: "Pussy."

Once the waffles were made, they all sat down to breakfast and the table was once again filled with conversation and laughter.

After all the waffles were gone, the second round of coffees had been consumed and they had cleaned the kitchen, Bee and Edward went down to put their washing in the dryers and to wash their linens. This time they'd taken their study books downstairs with them and they spent the next few hours, studying, talking, washing, ironing and folding. Bee loved it and Edward was surprised how satisfying it was but mostly he realised he just enjoyed being with Bee.

Before dinner Carlisle gave Bee a once-over to be sure she was fine to go back to school on Monday and Esme showed her again how to cover the bruise on her face with make-up so she could look after it herself the next day.

It was just Carlisle, Esme, Edward and Bee for dinner that night since Emmett had gone to Rosalie's house. Esme taught Bee how to make spaghetti with meatballs with a large side salad for dinner which they all thoroughly enjoyed. After cleaning the kitchen with his Dad, Edward joined Bee upstairs in her room.

They spent the evening sprawled over her bed, touching each other gently while they read quietly. Soon the gentle touches and small kisses became more, and they were in a heated make-out session.

They were both happy with just kissing and feeling each other over their clothes. There was no pressure for more, although both their bodies were clearly reacting to the other's touch. Finally they slowed things down and brought their breathing back to normal.

Edward smiled at her: "I love kissing you Bee. I keep thinking of all those times we've been fighting when we could've been kissing." He kissed her deeply again and then gently stroked her bruised cheek: "Are you okay about going back to school tomorrow? You don't have to go, you can always stay home."

She shook her head slowly: "No, I want to go. I hate to miss school and it doesn't hurt so much anymore. You'll be with me anyway so I know I'll be fine."

He kissed her deeply before pulling away again: "I should go before I lose myself in you altogether." He kissed her nose and then climbed off the bed. He tried to adjust himself discreetly but she gave him a cheeky smile which told him she was fully aware of his uncomfortable condition. He gave her that shy smile again that was just for her: "Good night love, I'll see you in the morning."

The next day Edward, Bee and Emmett went to school in Emmett's truck picking up Rosalie along the way. Rose turned to Bee as they arrived in the school parking lot to quietly offer her support: "I'll help you touch up your makeup at lunch time, Bee."

Bee whispered her thanks and turned to Edward who reached in to lift her down from the truck. He gave her a devilish grin as he slid her down his body: "Mmmm, you look lovely today my little Busy Bee."

She bit his ear lobe as she passed down his body: "Don't be such a tease, Fancy Pants."

He chuckled and took her hand. As they turned to move into the school building, Edward pulled Bee closer to his body while Emmett moved to the other side of her and that's how they walked into the school. Everyone moved to make way for them to pass. Bee held her head high while the other students stared and whispered; they'd obviously heard all about Jacob and the attack.

"Well done love," Edward encouraged. She leaned into his body a little more and he squeezed her waist just a little tighter.

All through the school day, Bee had someone close to her and was never left alone. Edward sat with her in all the classes they had together and where she was in another classroom either Emmett or Rosalie were with her. Rosalie was as good as her word, taking Bee to the ladies room before lunch to touch up her make-up to cover the worst of the bruises.

"Rosalie," Bee had to ask. "Why are you being so nice to me? We've never been friends before."

Rose stopped fiddling with the make-up and gave Bee a long look: "I'm sorry I've never been friendly to you before. Please don't take it personally, I tend to be cool with new people."

She started patting the small make-up sponge on Bee's face again. It seemed she had more to say so Bee kept quiet and waited.

"I cannot abide violence of any kind and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, and I'm sorry that you were hurt this way. I would like to be friends, if you'd like?"

Bee gave her a smile and that was enough, no more needed to be said. They were now friends. Rose didn't make friends easily but when she did her loyalty was fierce. Bee hadn't had a real friend since preschool and wasn't really sure what it would mean but like her decision to have a relationship with Edward, she decided that if Rose was prepared to offer her friendship then she would return it ten-fold.

Over the course of the day there were all sorts of rumours flying around the school. Some said that Bee and Jacob had been lovers and it was a lovers' tiff. Some said that Jacob was jealous of Bee's new relationship with Edward and Jacob had tried to kidnap her. Bee didn't care what they thought, she just wanted them to stop talking about her; she wasn't used to being the centre of attention and she was uncomfortable under the spotlight.

Finally the school day was drawing to a close. They were packing their bags at their lockers before Edward was to head to the library to study and wait for his brother to finish his training session.

Edward banged his locker closed. He was frustrated because Esme was picking up Bee to take her to the Judge's rooms to hear her grandmother's will and he was not allowed to go along.

"I don't fucking care what the judge thinks about our relationship," he moaned. "Fuck, I am 18 and you will be soon. It's not like we're sleeping together."

She leaned into him essentially pressing him against the lockers. He snaked his arms around her to hold her closer to him.

"Please don't be angry, fancy pants. Esme is just worried that if the Judge sees us together she'll feel uncomfortable with me living your family, knowing we are a couple. Please, baby. I love living with you and your family. I couldn't stand being separated from you. Please?"

He nodded. He knew she was right; he wanted to be there to support her but he couldn't think of anything worse than if she was taken away from him so he walked her to his mother's waiting car. He opened the door and helped her settle into the car before turning to his mother: "Take care of my girl, okay?"

"She's my girl, too Edward." Esme gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded, kissed Bee's temple and whispered to her: "Call me if you need me, love."

She gave him a small smile and he closed the door before heading back into the library after watching them drive away. He really hated not being there for her but he could be patient. He'd just have to be.

When Bee and Esme arrived at Judge Meadow's office, the court appointed social worker, as well as Chief Dawson and Carlisle were all waiting for them.

The Judge's assistant led them into a conference room and they all took a seat. Bee sat with Esme and Carlisle on either side of her. The social worker sat at the other end of the table chatting with Chief Dawson but they all went silent when Judge Meadows walked in.

"Thank you all for joining me. Isabella, how are you doing dear? I heard about the incident at school last week, are you recovering well?"

"Yes, thank you. Esme and Carlisle have looked after me so well." She gave a smile to Esme who squeezed her hand.

"Good. I am glad to hear it. We're not here to talk about that of course. We're here to talk about your grandmother, Siobhan Swan."

Bee nodded.

"I must tell you that I have read the Will; it has been authenticated and it is valid. So without further ado, I must tell you that you are the sole beneficiary of your grandmother's estate; basically she left you everything she owned which includes: an apartment in New York and its contents; some jewellery; $20,000 cash; a bank balance of $850,000: the house in Forks; and some personal letters which were in the safety deposit box."

"Letters?" Bee asked.

"Yes, my dear. She left one letter for you and another letter for you to be caretaker of, in case your paternal grandfather should find you."

"My paternal grandfather?" Bee asked astounded to hear that she may have a grandfather.

"Your father was Charles Swan and his birth certificate is amongst the possessions Siobhan left for you. Your grandfather is not listed on your father's birth certificate and they were not married."

The Judge passed the envelope to Isabella who turned it over several times in her hands. The envelope was sealed but had a message written on the front. Isabella read it aloud: "Dear Isabella, This letter is for your grandfather, Charles' father - 'M'aingeal. If he should find you please give him this letter from me. I love you. Nanna Swan.''

Bee looked to Esme and spoke very quietly, her voice full of emotion: "M'aingeal, means 'my angel' in gaelic. I know because Nanna used to say it a lot."

Esme smiled realising that Isabella had again unconsciously shared another morsel of information from her past .

Bee continued: "I didn't know I had a grandfather. Do you think he might still be alive?"

"I don't know dear but we'll do our best to find out." Esme squeezed her adopted daughter's hand. She was truly amazed by this young woman. After having lived in poverty for what seems to have been quite some time, Isabella had just been told she had inherited a considerable amount of money and property, yet all she wanted to know about was a possible grandfather who may or may not be alive.

Esme realised in that moment that Isabella valued love and affection more than anything else and she also now fully understood how this young girl had succeeded in capturing Edward's heart, where so many others had tried and failed. Esme knew her son's heart was safe in Isabella's hands and could only hope her son understood just how lucky he was.

The judge brought their attention back to the Will: "Now Isabella. All of this comes into effect when you turn 18 which as I understand is in two weeks time. Congratulations, my dear, it seems your Grandmother has ensured that you can achieve your dream of going to College and becoming a doctor. I won't say you are lucky because I know for a fact that life has been difficult for you, but I will say that you now have an opportunity to turn your life around, and I know that the Cullens are good people who will help you through the decisions ahead."

"Thank you Judge. None of this has really sunk in yet and I know I am probably reacting strangely. I agree with you that I have not been lucky, but with the Cullens and now my Grandmother's help I will say that I have been blessed.

"You are also right in that I do want to go to College, Judge Meadows. I want to become a paediatric specialist so I can look after sick children."

A tear rolled down Bee's cheek: "And now with what my Grandmother has left me, I know that the only thing to stop me from achieving my dream... is me."

Judge Meadows stood and everyone else followed her lead: "From what I hear your grades are excellent, I'm sure you won't have any problems getting into a good college." She turned to Esme and Carlisle: "There's paperwork to be completed but I believe your lawyer is going to look after Isabella's affairs so all this will be settled and ready for her when she turns 18, is that right?"

Carlisle nodded.

Bee turned to him and gave him a small smile: "Thank you."

While Bee and their parents were with the Judge, Edward and Emmett had gone home as usual after Emmett finished his workout session.

Edward was checking his phone every few minutes to see if Bee had texted him.

Emmett rolled his eyes: "Ed man, she doesn't even know how to use her new phone, so stop expecting her to send you a message. Quit obsessing and come watch some sports with me, it'll get your mind off things."

Edward sighed but followed his brother to the informal lounge where they usually hung out when it was just the two of them.

"She's so fragile, Em. I don't want her to be hurt."

Emmett scoffed: "Fragile? Are you fucking kidding me? Bee is tough as nails. From what I've gathered she's been abused, abandoned and generally left to raise herself and rather than being a sour, angry juvenile delinquent whining about how crap her life's been, she's coped; she's survived it all and amazingly she's a total sweetheart. She's also smart as hell, giving you a run for your money academically which is saying something because you, my brother, are freakishly smart. Bee - fragile? Fuck, I should be so fragile."

"You know Em, I don't give a flying fuck that she's 'survived' and she's 'coped'," he used his fingers to exaggerate the words which were so offensive to him. "I only know that I don't ever want her to be hurt again. I want her to be happy. I want to protect her from whatever shit storm comes our way. I love her, Em."

Just then they heard the garage door opening. Realising Bee and his parents were finally home Edward smiled, and patted his brother's back in passing as he ran towards the kitchen.

"Busy Bee!" he shouted and grabbed her up in his arms.

"Hey Fancy Pants," she said quietly into his chest.

"Is everything alright, love? Did it go well?" He leaned back so he could see into her eyes and was relieved to see that she seemed calm.

She nodded: "Everything is wonderful. I have a grandfather I didn't know about. Esme's going to help me find him."

Emmett came into the room and pulled Bee out of Edward's arms and swung her around. "What about the money, Bee? Are you filthy rich now?"

"Emmy, put me down!" Bee was giggling and playfully beating Emmett's chest to get him to put her down.

Emmett plopped her down and Edward quickly took her back into his arms while she giggled at their antics. Although Emmett was huge, he didn't frighten her at all anymore, she found she actually enjoyed his exuberance and playfulness, he was like a big cuddly bear.

Esme and Carlisle had stayed in the car after they arrived home; it had been a hell of a day and they felt the need to regroup before going in to the house.

Esme turned to her husband: "How did things go in Port Angeles?"

He turned towards her as well: "Jacob Black has admitted to his attack on Isabella. We all in the Judge's rooms at 1 o'clock to discuss the case. The boy's father has apparently been very cooperative and forthcoming with information. He said that he's worried about his son, and told the judge that Jacob's been getting into more and more trouble down on the reservation, not so much in fights with other boys but more with aggression towards young women.

"Demetri spoke to the judge about some incidents at the school that he and his Officers have uncovered in the past few days which Coach Clapp has been apparently downplaying and covering up to protect his new star footballer. It's going to backfire on him though, he's not only going to lose his player but Clapp's going to lose his job over this too."

"Good," was all that Esme said. She was furious that Coach Clapp would put the football team's success before the safety of the female students in the school.

Carlisle continued: "Jacob's father had done some investigating of his own down at the Res and that's when he discovered his son's terrible reputation with the local young women. He called Demetri to share his concerns and to also share that he'd also found out that Jacob's been taking steroids, which in addition to making him huge also seem to have brought out his most aggressive tendencies.

"Mr Black has asked that Jacob have a psych assessment prior to sentencing. The Judge has agreed but he made it clear to Jacob's father that no matter the outcome of the assessment, Jacob will either be in a treatment facility or in a juvenile detention for quite some time.

"The Judge was very concerned about the premeditated nature and the excessive force of the attack. This wasn't just an argument that got out of hand, Jacob stalked Isabella and waited until she was alone before he viciously attacked her.

"The Judge said that from the evidence and what he'd read of Jacob's behaviour that he felt that Isabella was very lucky that Jacob stopped when he did, that it could've been even worse. Surprisingly, Jacob's father agreed and seemed almost relieved that his son would be getting help of some kind.

"There'll be another meeting next week to hear the results of the psych assessment and Demetri will let us know the outcome."

Esme was quiet for a while but then reached for her husband's hand: "Well, I hope that young man gets some help but at the end of the day all I really care about is that he is punished for he did to our Isabella and that he is kept away from her."

Carlisle nodded: "Hmm, yes. I doubt he'll be a problem for some time. I think Isabella's safe from Jacob Black now but we'll have to keep an eye on the case and keep tabs on him."

Esme blew out a breath and looked over to her handsome husband: "It's been a long day."

He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss: "Come along sweetheart, let's feed these hungry teenagers and then tonight we'll have a long, hot aromatic bath." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled: "That sounds soooo good."

A/N: Well hello my lovelies. I loved her teaching Edward to do his own laundry... lol. and now she wants to find her grandfather! and Jacob's steroid abuse ... Altogether, that was a long day wasn't it! I hope you liked it; I'd love to hear your thoughts... see you soon.