"Bella, I love you, but if you steal my shit one more time– I will challenge you to a duel." Emmett glared at her from the other couch and pressed the buttons on his wii remote menacingly. Or what she assumed was supposed to be menacing.
"Emmett–" Bella couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "You're the one who told me to be a thief! I didn't choose this life– you did!" Bella pressed the buttons as innocently as she could and tried very hard not smirk like the devil she was when the pointer landed on the six once again putting Emmett's character within her reach.
"I'm serious Bella– really think about where you are going to go– it's going to be a bloody duel. Mano e mano. Man to man– just you, me… and my guards!" He yelled the last word when she moved past him in the game and stole yet another thing off his character.
"Do you ever not quote Mel Brooks movies?" Alice was all but prone on the couch, her tiny feet in Emmet's lap, and rolling her eyes heavenward waiting for her turn.
"I will stop when I'm dead."
"Har, har, har." Alice was rolling her eyes and looking anything but annoyed.
"What is the cucumber for?" Bella was on her fifth juice box and three hours into the game they'd brought. Apparently, the Cullen & Hale clan as a whole did not prefer Radical Raspberry or Goldfish— or any of the snacks Charlie had left them. The only other person eating was Jasper.
Bella thought that maybe the cucumber was Emmett's snack. Except that he hadn't cracked into it.
"Oh—" Emmett handed off his controller to Alice and shot up to grab the cucumber off the coffee table. "It's for rest and relaxation— like humans do on tv. Tell me where the knives are and I'll slice it up to put over our eyes."
"Like a spa thing?" Bella tilted her head and watched as the giant wandered into the kitchen and then back out again with what had to be the biggest knife Charlie had.
"Yeah— it's supposed to be super relaxing." He was already slicing off chunks of the cucumber and handing them out.
The sound of a muffled electric drill from upstairs drew her attention once again and Bella couldn't help but stare towards the stairs where she knew Rosalie and Charlie were building… something. What exactly it was, she could not imagine.
Charlie had come home an hour and a half into their game carrying lots of bags and wood all of which he'd taken upstairs. He'd then come back downstairs to replenish their snack supply and grab his tool belt from the shed. Rosalie had forfeited her character to Edward, the only one who'd opted not to play initially, and followed her mustacheless father up the stairs. They'd been up there for well over an hour and half.
Bella was curious as to what the hell they were doing.
Emmett placed two room-temperature cucumber slices in her hand and plopped on the couch opposite her recliner.
"Okay— everybody got some cucumbers?" He looked around to verify he'd handed out the right amount and then flopped his head against the back of the sofa and placed the vegetable slices over his eyes.
Bella, feeling all kinds of awkward, followed suit. She watched Alice and Edward do the same as she angled her head back and put the wet things over her eyes as well.
She did not instantly feel better and she was pretty sure that none of them did either. Bella didn't want to be the only one not cucumber-ing so she sat there with the wet slices of veggies over her eyelids and waited for the rest and relaxation to kick in.
Cucumber juice couldn't be bad to get in the eyes– right?
Someone, she was assuming Alice– unless Jasper had a particularly feminine laugh, started giggling and Bella couldn't help but laugh too. Emmett's laugh rang out, boisterous and infectious. The veggies slid off her face and she watched as Emmett shook his head like a wet dog and the cucumbers went flying. Alice delicately removed hers as Jasper wiped juice off his face.
"What are you guys doing?" Charlie's voice was amused and startling. Bella hadn't heard him descend the stairs— she'd been too busy listening to Emmett's infectious laughter.
"Rest and relaxation," Emmett stated as if it were obvious. Rosalie took a seat next to the giant and smiled a breathtaking smile at her. How was this family so freaking gorgeous? It wasn't fair to the common folk.
"Ah, I see." Charlie smiled and turned to face her. "Bells would you mind coming upstairs with me real quick."
"Yeah, sure." Like she was going to say no to him. Pfft. She moved to get up but he was there and lifted her like she weighed nothing.
"I'm gonna order some pizzas here in just a second– be thinking about what kind you want so I get something y'all will actually want, okay?"
The Cullens and Hales nodded in unison and Alice smiled brightly up at Charlie.
"What kind do you want? I can order it while you and Bella are upstairs."
"Pepperoni– I believe that's Bella's favorite too if I'm not mistaken." Charlie arched an eyebrow at her and Bella nodded in affirmation. Even if it wasn't before, it was now– why he thought she'd ever contradict him was beyond her. "Give us just a minute."
Bella watched quietly as he trekked up the stairs and then maneuvered around his tool set to get to her door.
"Okay Bells," He sounded gruff and serious and Bella paid attention. "This is your new door handle– it's got a lock. It locks from the inside and there is only one key." He opened the door and displayed the shiny new knob and deadbolt.
Bella didn't know what to say. She was shocked and speechless.
"I put the key on a chain for you so you don't have to try and remember where it is if you are having a panic attack." He ventured further into the room and set her down in the rolly chair at her desk. "It's the same key that locks the closet door as well."
Bella was wheeled to the closet as she tried to fight back the hot tears in her eyes. She'd done enough crying. She didn't want to keep at it like it was some kind of contest.
"I installed padding on the floor and bought a new comforter for you to use in there– as well as a pillow, a sun lamp– for vitamin d cause that's what helps– or so says doctors and whatnot." He was being gruff and soft again and Bella watched him rub the back of his neck. "And I got you a little mini fridge in there 'cause I don't want you going thirsty when you are crying– Rose said it's overkill but I think it's a good idea– you expel water when you cry and could get dehydrated."
As if that would be the worst thing to happen.
Bella couldn't help but flash back to every worst thing that had happened to her. She'd survived. All of it and here he was thinking dehydration was going to do her in.
The laugh that tore out of her throat was half sob. Tears leaked down her cheeks and Bella reached over to hug her mustacheless father.
"Thank you." Was all she could get out between the sobs wracking her body.
How different he was from her mother. How terrifyingly blessedly opposite.