Plan B- it has so many meanings

At four Edward had to leave to go get ready for work. I hated that and I didn't want him to leave... at all. Ever. After breakfast, we made love again. For the third time. The shower was the second and by far the most playful of the three.

And slipperiest.

"You call me if you need anything," he said, pulling up my chin to look at me with a very serious expression. "Anything and I'll be here."

"I know," I smiled at him, turning my face to kiss his fingers. "I love you," I whispered to him.

"I love you," he said, bringing his forehead to mine. We smiled at each other, neither of wanting to end our time together.

Finally, though, he did have to leave.

I called Renee and we decided just to have a small exchanging of presents at my apartment. Phil and Charlie would be there, making the evening more interesting. We decided to make the event at six, so I could have another shower.

I needed it.

That and I needed to clean up.

I had just taken a shower when my phone rang. I considered ignoring it until I saw that it was Alice. I needed a friendly ear.

"Hey," I answered.

"Hey, babe..." Alice said cheerfully. "How is the family time going?"

"Awful," I sighed heavily.

"Oh, no. Tell me all about it."

So, I did. I didn't spare a single detail. Well, of the family part of the evening and the conversation with Renee. Not Edward and our lovemaking.

"Jesus. Sounds like your mom is taking a cue from my mom. That suck, honey. What are you going to do tonight?"

"Try not to kill anyone," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck. "I wish I had Edward here with me. I need a buffer."

"How about this? I have nothing to do tonight. I'll swing by the bakery and pick up a cake and a big bottle of wine and I'll hang out with you. Renee doesn't scare me. I won't be nearly as nice as Edward was if she gets drunk again."

I laughed, "that would be awesome. What would I do without you?"

"Who knows! Have a lot less fun?" She giggled.

"And probably have a lot less sex," I added in.

"Well, that's between you and Mr. Cullen, but if I helped you get laid... Well, that's just a job well done for me," she snickered. I could practically see her buffing her fingernails on her shirt like she was something.

I guess she was.

"Oh, I do have one more thing to ask. Um, Edward and I had an accident and I need to go to the pharmacy tomorrow to get the morning after pill. I forgot it was Saturday. I'm just going to make an appointment for Monday but I just want to be sure, you know?"

"Someone get a little too excited?" She laughed quietly and I felt a blush spread over my cheeks.

"I think it would have ruined the mood. We were just so intense. We are always intense but this was so much more. He didn't, you know, in me, but I want to be careful. I'm not ready for red-haired babies," I explained to her.

"Yet," she added in.

"Behave, will you? I've never done it before but I want some female support."

"Baby, I've got some at home. I'll bring you a dose and that'll do you until Monday."

I sat there quietly, shocked for a long moment. "Why do you have a supply of Plan B at your house?"

"Have you seen me with Bridget?"

There was a long silence before I said, "yup. Point taken. Alice, you are a lifesaver."

"A lime one. Maybe lemon. Because, you know, I'm a little tart. What kind of cake should I bring?"

"A big one," I answered with a laugh. "I want to binge tonight. It's been a while. And if you bring wine we're hiding it. I'm not sharing with Renee. They can drink water."

Alice snorted delicately, "got it. Big cake coming up. I'll see you in forty or so."

"I love you bunches," I told Alice seriously. "I'm so glad that you and Edward are in my life now. You are my best friend."

"Aw! Honey, I love you, too! Girl, don't worry. I will be there in a little while and after the nuts leave we'll indulge in cake therapy."

"The frosted kind. Not the smoking kind," I warned her.

"Just the frosting!" She said innocently. "I'm not dumb enough to bring weed around the chief."

We got off the phone quickly after that and I made a quick dash to clean up and get dressed. I wasn't going to wear anything really nice. Just jeans and a tee shirt. I had done fancy for my mom and she wasn't going to get it again. I threw my hair up in a ponytail just as Alice knocked on the door. I yelled for her to come in but I heard something slam against the door.

"OPEN UP!" She yelled. "WOMAN, HURRY!"

I ran to the door, freaking out. What was wrong?

I flung the door open and there Alice was standing with two cakes, one in either hand, one white and one chocolate. On top of the chocolate, one was a box with the words 'plan b' written on them. I yanked it from her, cake and all, and ushered her inside.

"Jasper sends his love and he said that he hopes chocolate helps make it all better."

"Remind me to kiss him next time I see him," I said, looking down at the beautiful cake. "I think with tongue if this tastes as good as it looks."

"I think Edward might mind," she giggled as she placed the other cake on my dinner table.

"And you won't?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, as long as I get to watch." She shrugged. Pulling a giant bottle, and I do mean giant, of wine of her purse, she waved it in my general direction. "Fridge?"

"Alice, you are a freak." I rolled my eyes, taking the bottle from her. While I was in there I made myself a glass of water.

I looked at the box for a moment. I knew I wasn't pregnant. But it was kind of nice to think about it. I had never even thought it was possible for me to be pregnant before. When I was with Jacob I was always on the shot. I shrugged, knowing it was too early for all that and popped the pill into my mouth before swallowing deeply.

"What are you making for dinner?" Alice asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall of my kitchen.

"Pizza. I'm not going to much effort. I'm not happy with any of my family right now." I rolled my eyes. "I was going to order once everyone gets here. Charlie will be lucky if I let him eat anything after that little stunt with Edward."

"He really asked him if you two were having sex?" She said, pursing her lips together so she wouldn't laugh. I could tell she was trying really hard not to giggle. Her strained expression made me burst.

"Yes," I laughed. "Oh, god."

"And what did Edward say exactly?"

"Nothing. He looked like he was either going to throw up or die. One of the two. Poor thing. Charlie doesn't know when to stop."

"Aw! Gosh, not how you envisioned your boyfriend meeting your dad, huh?" She asked quietly.

"Not at all. I wanted to take them both out to lunch right before Christmas. You know, meat and potatoes, and let them talk and get to know each other. They are the two most important men in my life and I want them to get along," I sighed, rubbing my forehead gently.

"Well, you remember how Jasper met my dad, right?" Alice giggled.

"No," I looked at her curiously. I had never heard this story before.

"He caught us on the middle of my bedroom floor with Jasper's hands up my shirt and on my ass. We were like seventeen. My dad still hates him. He calls him the cake bastard underneath his breath every time he sees him," Alice giggled before shrugging. "Special, huh? So, see. It could be worse!"

Alice and I chatted while we waited for my parents to arrive. Charlie was right on time, of course, and he came in cheerfully with an armful of presents.

"Dad! Did you buy out the entire store?" I asked, surprised as I began to take things from him.

"Close to it," he grumbled before setting things down. "Well, my word! Mary Alice! I haven't seen you in ages. Bella said you two found each other again. It's so good to see you!"

Alice bounced over to him and gave him a big hug. "It's good to see you too, Chief Swan."

"Please, girl, call me Charlie. I'm thinking about retiring anyway."

I think my jaw hit the ground. "What?"

"Well, I've been doing this job for several years now. I wouldn't mind doing something else. I've worked my time and I can retire with full benefits in May of next year. Plus, I've got a good deal saved up." My father shrugged. "Got any Cokes, Birdie?"

"Diet," I said and he frowned slightly but shrugged. I went to the fridge and grabbed him one.

"I guess I should drink these. They are better for you," he said, popping the top. He did a hiss after tasting it. "I guess you have to get used to it."

"I didn't know you could retire so soon," I said, ignoring my father's attempts at changing the subject. "What are you going to do once you retire? I've never known you just to sit on your ass all day."

He chuckled, "I said I'd retire. I didn't say I wanted to sit on my ass. I was thinking about getting a pull trailer and a boat and travel around. Fish all around North America. Maybe try ice fishing or something."

"Aw, dad. That sounds awesome," I said, genuinely pleased for him. "Maybe I can come with you sometimes."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. And maybe we could bring your boy along too. Hell, Alice and your man can come too if you'd like," my dad offered before taking another drink of his diet Coke. "The more the merrier."

"Maybe one weekend we could take Bridget to Arkansas to the mountains. We could give Rosalie and Emmett a romantic weekend," I thought out loud to Alice. She did a little shrug, but she knew Edward and I would be the ones taking care of her. Not Alice.

"Who's Bridget?"

"My niece," Alice explained. "Edward's cousin. She's three."

"Aw! I love them at that age! They are just so much fun. If you want to do that next summer, I'd be more than willing. I'd love to have some young blood around," Charlie said wistfully.

Alice and I both looked at each other with raised eyebrows as Charlie walked into my living room. That was a not so small hint that he was ready to be a grandpa. He had just met Edward and he already wanted me to get knocked up.

Nice, Dad.

Alice, Charlie, and I had a pleasant conversation about all the places we would like to visit while we waited for Renee. Of course, she was fifteen minutes late. None of us were surprised. They brought an armful of presents as well to add into the pile. With mine and all of theirs, there was going to be a lot of wrapping paper on the floor.

Alice was a godsend as she kept Renee entertained by talking about art. By the time I ordered the pizza Renee had already asked Alice to paint her something. I wasn't sure how I felt about that but if Renee brought Alice in some money... I guess that was okay.

Phil and Charlie didn't say much to each other but it wasn't like they were ignoring each other. It didn't seem as if they were mad. They just didn't have anything to say.

Or it could have been the fact that Alice and Renee were filling in the air with pointless conversation. I didn't even have to say anything and this was supposed to be my Christmas with my parents.

Finally, there was a knock at the door. We were going to open presents after pizza and the sooner they got there the sooner the evening would be over. Phil shoved a hundred dollar bill in my pocket as I passed, ignoring the fact that I said I already paid for it.

I actually did a little squeal of joy when I opened the door.

Edward was standing there, holding the pizzas.

"Edward!" I said, taking the pizzas from his arms and placing them on the coffee table before throwing myself into his arms. He chuckled at my enthusiastic reaction, kissing my neck lightly. "What are you doing here?"

"The, uh, the wedding didn't go exactly as planned. The groom passed out at the altar and hit his head, poor bastard. So, here I am. The pizza man was coming as I was trying to open the door so I signed for you. I hope you don't mind. I gave him a tip too," he explained and I just held on tighter.

"That's fine!" I said, finally letting go. He was wearing black jeans and a green sweater, his eyes much darker while wearing it. And he was wearing red converse to go with them. He was in the Christmas spirit and I knew it was just for me. "Come in. Are you hungry?"

"Starving." He smiled as he took my hand. "Hi, everyone. Alice, what are you doing here?"

"I'm the cake provider." She smiled wickedly at the private joke. Edward just rolled his eyes.

"You usually are, my dear," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I hope everyone is having a pleasant evening," he said in that charming voice of his. He could have melted butter with it.

"Oh yes." Renee smiled as she stood. "Can I help with anything?"

"No, Mom. I got it. I'll get some plates."

"I'll help with the drinks," Edward offered quickly, coming to my side in the kitchen. Before I could grab anything though he pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply. I giggled against his mouth. "I missed you," he muttered, kissing me again.

"It's only been a few hours," I teased him.

"Don't care," he mumbled in between kisses. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you, too."

I heard Alice squeal as she came into the kitchen, breaking up our moment. "Aw, you two finally said it. I wondered when that was going to happen. FINALLY," she said, dancing in her own little way. She went to the fridge and pulled out a bunch of sodas for everyone.

"Why do I have a feeling she knew before we did?" I asked him.

"Because she knows all," he said in a cheesy 'Jamaican' voice. "She sees all."

"Or at least she thinks she does," I snickered, grabbing the plates and some forks. Edward took them from my grip.

"I heard that!" I heard Alice shout from the dining room.

"And she hears all," Edward whispered, making me giggle softly.

The evening was looking a whole lot better now that he was there. He had no idea how grateful I was for that. Alice was great but Edward was my rock and I needed him by my side.

"So, Edward," Phil began as we sat around eating our pizza. "What happens when you don't play for the time you're hired for? I mean, do things like that happen a lot?"

"Ah, more than you know," Edward said, taking a bite of the salad that he retrieved from the refrigerator. I made one for myself as well. "I learned very quickly that I needed to have a solid contract."

I didn't know he had a contract. I honestly didn't even know how he set up his appointments. I remembered that he said once that he did it mainly through his email but I was sure at some point they had to meet in person.

I felt really stupid. I hadn't even really thought about it. We didn't talk much about work when we were together.

"That's smart," Phil said, nodding his head in agreement. "How is it set up?"

"Well, I have in writing that if you cancel a month or so before the event that you will receive the full amount paid in, including your deposit. Two weeks before, I can retrain the deposit but you will receive the rest back. After that, I keep the whole thing because I lose all possible profits for that time if you back out. It's impossible to rebook that quickly. I had a lawyer work the whole thing over with me so that it's ironclad. Quite nice actually."

"Your mom?" I asked. He nodded his head. She was in family law but I'm sure she could still help with that.

"You sound like a smart businessman," Charlie said. "You and Bella both."

"Thank you, sir," he said politely and shyly.

"Did you go to college?" Phil asked. Poor Edward was getting passed around. I knew he wasn't exactly great with the limelight and I hoped that he was okay. Thankfully, Alice decided to step in.

"Oh, yes! Edward is too smart for his own good! He finished high school a year early and then graduated magna cum laude in just under three years with a degree in music from the University of Texas in Austin."

"Very impressive." Renee smiled at him. She was trying her best to be on her best behavior.

"You know, normally I'd say that was a lazy ass degree but it seems that it has actually gotten you a job," Charlie chuckled. I flushed and covered my eyes. Sometimes my father was an idiot. "What? Don't look at me like that! I'm complimenting him."

Edward laughed, "it's okay. To this day Emmett calls it my 'fruity' degree. Then I politely remind him that he's a stay at home father and then I tell him to shut it."

I giggled and Edward smiled, winking in my direction. I felt myself relax knowing that he could handle this and that he wasn't going anywhere.

That was a lovely thought.

Alice bowed out after cake, claiming that she needed to get home to Jasper. I think she was just trying to let us have some family time. She knew I would be alright since Edward was there.

My reward for making it through the rest of the night was going to be eating cake off of Edward. Or maybe it was his reward. It depended on how the night went.

"Okay! It's time for presents!" Charlie exclaimed like a little kid. "Mine first."

"It's not a competition." Renee rolled her eyes.

I kept my mouth tightly shut at that comment.

I opened the first box that my father got me. I gasped softly at what was inside. It was a pretty little silver pocket watch. It was very feminine with my name etched on the inside. "Oh, Daddy! It's lovely! Thank you!"

"Okay, our turn!" Renee said quickly, pretty much canceling out the last thing she said. She slid a big box my way. Inside was a large and rather artistic looking blue and white handspun glass vase. It wasn't exactly my taste but it would look good with my furniture.

"Thanks, Mom. Phil."

"No, your mom got you that," Phil chuckled. "I got you this. We had a disagreement on what we thought you'd like. I said that was too girlie. I hope you like this. I hope it fits too."

He got me a leather jacket that went past my bottom. It was a little big but very comfortable. There were also a pair of leather gloves.

"This is awesome! Thank you."

After we finished exchanging gifts, where I also received a whole bunch of mismatched socks from Charlie as a gag gift and some fancy nail polishes from my mother, it was time for Renee and Phil to say goodbye. They had been playing nice but as soon as they left the tension left the room. Well, mostly.

Charlie and Edward sat and watched a football game on the television as I straightened up a little bit. Edward wanted to help but I told him to sit and that he had done enough for the night. I heard little bits of their conversation as I passed by them but it was nothing more than about sports.

"I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back," I informed them. Edward gave me a soft smile and Charlie was too engrossed in the game to notice. But my father hadn't been as oblivious as I had originally thought.

"I want to thank you," I heard him say as I moved around my bedroom for a moment. When I heard him speak, I stopped to listen more closely.

"Why, sir?" Edward asked softly.

"For not running on Bella after last night. Renee hasn't grown up a lick since we were kids and I know Bella has a lot of issues because of that. Because of her mama leaving like that she always thought she wasn't worthy of love for some damn reason. Even with Jake, she was closed off. Seems different with you."

"I love your daughter very much," Edward said quietly, making me smile brightly. "I love her and I will support her no matter what. She needed me last night and I wouldn't have been anywhere else in this world."

"Good answer, son." I could almost hear the smile in my father's voice. Then he began to chuckle. "You know, I was just fucking with you when I asked you about you and her last night. I honestly don't care, as long as you don't hurt her."

"I won't."

"Good, because if you do, I'll cut off your balls and bury them out in a cow pasture somewhere."

"Noted," Edward chuckled. I was glad my dad wasn't scaring him off with his crazy bullshit.

"Are you boys behaving in here?" I asked as I came back into the living room. My wonderful boyfriend held out his hand to me and I instantly came to sit by his side.

"Always," he whispered in my hair. Charlie smiled at me before clearing his throat.

"Well kids, I've got to get up early in the morning. I'm going to head out. Bella, thank you so much for the gifts. The hat is awesome and I needed some new socks."

"Welcome, Dad," I giggled. "I'll see you later."

As soon as the door shut behind him, I crawled onto Edward's lap and gave him a deep kiss. "Well, 'ello to you too," he chuckled, his arms going around my waist tightly.

"Thank you so much for coming here tonight. It was exactly what I needed."

He nuzzled my neck gently. "All my pleasure, I assure you."

"Edward, I have a Christmas present for you," I said quietly. "I was hoping to just show you on Christmas itself but after listening to you tonight it made me realize that I will need your help."

"Honey, you don't have to get me anything..." He began but trailed off when he saw my serious expression. "Your love is enough."

"Well, I need to express my love so shut it," I said, swatting his shoulder and getting up quickly. I went over to my laptop and flipped it open. "Come here."

When I brought what I was working on up, Edward's mouth dropped open. "What's this?"

"A website for your music. I've only done some basic things right now. I've worked on backgrounds, formatting, and such. I was hoping that maybe we could work together now and we could maybe put some samples of you playing. Maybe some pictures. I could put up your contract. Your rates."

"Bella, this is too much," he said quietly.

"No, it's not. It's something I can do for you with very little effort. The website itself cost me very little. You're an amazing artist with great talent. I want everyone to know that."

"This is beautiful," he mumbled, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"It's not finished yet," I said, blushing slightly. "I need to do some refinements once I get everything done. I was also hoping to get you some business cards with the website on it."

"This will bring me in so much more business," he said. Slowly he turned my chair around so that I was facing him. "Thank you so much. This is the best."

I didn't know what to say so I simply continued to blush as I worried my bottom lip. He brought his hand underneath my chin and forced me to look into his beautiful green eyes.

"I love you," I whispered softly, unable to pull my eyes away from his.

"I love you too, my darling."

Aw, fluffy sweet chapter.

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