I don't own Twilight. I do own a deep and everlasting hatred for ice.

Chapter 20

Tyler was in love.

Enamoured.

Besotted.

Enchanted.

Smitten.

Entranced.

Bewitched by Bella's Turkey potpie.

He had watched and helped her prepare it but the magic of the recipe wasn't clear to him until the entire dish was in front of him. It had seemed so simple in the making. Onions and bacon joined with chopped cooked turkey, leftover glazed carrots, and the rest of the frenched green beans. Adding a cup or two of stuffing, a few tablespoons of cranberry sauce, a generous dollop of gravy and lashings of cream to moisten seemed like alchemy to Tyler. It was beyond his understanding how she could take all these simple easy ingredients and create a homey masterpiece. He had three servings and almost asked for a forth before his eyes caught up with his stomach.

Bella and Edward were amazed, and frankly a little frightened, watching Tyler consume his weight in dinner. Bella was very thankful that this year she had purchased a turkey that was much bigger than she had in previous years, knowing that she would have more mouths to feed than just her and Charlie. There was still enough left to make soup, but she had a feeling that if she told Tyler, he'd never leave her house.

In between bouts of watching Tyler eat and trying to eat himself, Edward thought over what he had heard when he was listening behind closed doors. He felt so guilty for so many different reasons. He hadn't known about her mother. He had never even thought to ask why Chief Swan was raising Bella by himself. He had never thought of the bravery it would have taken for Bella to bare her soul to him in such a way and at such a young age. He was at least four years older than her and he had no idea how to approach her with what he was feeling now. He didn't really understand the strength it took for her to go to school every day knowing that no one would be there for her. He didn't realize that his rejection of her would effect the way she saw herself and lower her self worth. He had no idea how to go about making it up to her. How to apologize for his actions and possibly earn her forgiveness.

The trio settled in to watch the last few movies. The tone of the last films were more dark and sad than the others. No one was interested in the candy as it would add an artificial joy to the sombre mood. Tyler sat in Charlie's chair, claiming the blanket that Edward had used during his nap. Bella and Edward sat stiffly near each other on the couch.

Bella knew that very soon, as the stories progressed, her emotions would run away with her and she would cry. No matter how many times she saw the films or read the books, the deaths that occurred during the finale always touched her. It was like a punch in the gut over and over again. And she didn't want Edward to see her cry. She never wanted Edward to see her cry again. She knew he already had a very low opinion of her and she didn't want it to get any lower.

But she knew it was inevitable. There was no way she would make it through the death toll without at least tearing up. She had stashed a box of tissues beside the couch just for this part of the evening.

Bella tried her best to control her feelings as she switched the discs to play part one of the last book. She let her hair fall over her face so that the boys would not see the tears running down her face. She quickly walked into the kitchen to make a pot of tea to help her soothe her nerves. She didn't hear Edward follow her into the kitchen.

Edward had noticed the tears when she had gotten up off the couch. After watching Harry's mentor die on screen he knew why she was crying. He also knew, thanks to his mother, that sometimes women just need a good cry to let it all out. He followed her into the kitchen and saw her standing in front of the kettle with her hands on the counter. She was dragging in deep breaths in a effort to calm herself. He was hesitant to disturb her but wanted to offer some comfort. He could only hope that she would take what he offered. He placed one hand on her shoulder and watched her jump slightly.

"Shhh, pretty girl." He tried to keep his tone soothing and gentle as he rubbed her shoulder.

She surprised the hell out of both of them when she turned and laid her head on his chest. He splayed one hand across her upper back and rested his other on her hair. His body reacted without his brain's permission as he tilted his head and kissed the top of her's. Feeling him kiss the top of her head shocked her out of her sadness and she pulled away from him quickly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It won't happen again." She admitted as she turned back to finish making the tea.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. That last part was really hard to watch and I noticed Tyler tearing up. I, um, are you? Okay, that is?" He was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's lots of sad stuff coming up and I got ahead of my self. I'm good now." Bella busied herself with the tea mugs.

Edward really wanted to comfort her again but it was like she had build a wall up to keep him out.

Bella picked up two of the tea mugs and nodded to Edward for him to grab the third. Bella passed one to Tyler and settled on the couch again. Edward sat directly beside her as the movie started.

The combination of the hot tea and the enormous amount of turkey in his system caused Tyler to pass out very early into the show. When Dobby the elf died in Harry's arms Bella gave up all pretences of reigning in her tears. Edward put in the last movie and sat down beside Bella again. He wrapped his arm around her and let her cry herself out on his chest.

AN: I know it may seem like an over the top reaction for Bella to have but after the stress of preparing a holiday meal, the excitement of the movie day with Tyler, the unexpected arrival of Edward and everything else that had been going on lately, I felt she needed a good cry. There is a particular movie I used to watch when I needed to expunge some emotion usually around the time I wished I had an automatic weapon and a few pounds of chocolate. But now I have a collection of stories that let me have my good cry. My sister used to watch SPCA info-mercials, so to each their own.

Sorry for the slight delay, Mother Nature dumped almost three feet of snow here while I was on vacation and I spent the last two days chipping ice out of the driveway. So, now I'm a little loopy on anti-inflamatories and muscle relaxants because I've sprained my wrist and discovered muscle groups that I've been missing since high school.

Thanks for reading. See you in three days.