It is more then an honor to have been added to your favorite story/ author's lists. Thanks!
If I haven't said it before, Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer not to me. I own Valerie/ Janet/and Ryan /and Nancy.
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Chapter 16

Minutes later the Volvo pulls up in front of a pretty yellow house. "He's still out… Let's go in and get my stuff." Janet says sadly. She lets us in and starts wandering the living-room. I watch her pick up an 8x10 picture frame. It's their wedding portrait. "Oh, Bella, how did things end up like this? How did it go from 'I love you and only you' to 'I want an open marriage'?"

I shake my head. "I wish I had answers for you, Janet… really I do. My marriage went from 'I love you' to 'I love her and I'm sorry to hurt you'…" I look at my Edward. "But truthfully, I just wasn't married to the right man… Come on… I'll help you pack your clothes."

"Bedroom is this way, Bells." She says with a sigh.

"Bella, I'll just walk around outside the house. Yell if you need me, love." Edward speaks into my ear.

I nod as Janet pulls out a suitcase and shows me what drawers to pull stuff out of. I neatly fold some of her clothes and place them into the case. She seems to be just stuffing it all in. I can see that she's scared. I hurry up and follow her lead. The front door opens and slams shut. Edward wouldn't slam a door…

"Edward, Ryan's home…"I whisper, knowing that he'll hear me. Janet is standing like a statue. She comes and stands next to me. We hear footsteps coming toward the bedroom. The door opens.

"What have we here, Janet… what's going on?" He stares at me. I see the lust in his eyes. It scares me, but I know Edward is nearby. "You said she's happy with the guy who sang to her in the bar that night. Did you ask her anyway? Did you decide to accept my offer of an open marriage?" He leers at me. "You're so hot, Bella. I've said as much to Janet a few times…"

I decide to interrupt him right there. "Actually Ryan, I'm only here to help Janet pack. She's decided something."

Janet stammers. "Ryan…I-I'm divorcing y-you. I love you b-but if you're g-going to be with… if you e-even want to be with someone other than me…then you d-don't want to be my one and only. I don't want an open marriage. I want to be one man's world. I think I deserve to have that. I have a meeting with a lawyer on Saturday. Please just do us both a favor and let this happen?"

I watch Edward approach silently from behind Ryan. He looks livid. I can't help but wonder what Ryan's thinking. Ryan stares at me. I'm totally creeped out. I shrink back and find myself in a corner. I shake my head and close my eyes for a second. Edward's low growl has me thinking he'll do something rash. Janet is on the floor and Ryan seems to be coming after me. He's got one hand reaching out to grab me and the other is in the air, as if to strike me.

I see Edward reach forward and grab the collar of Ryan's shirt. I breathe a sigh of relief. I help Janet get up as Edward pushes Ryan up against the wall and speaks in a stern but low voice. I can't hear more than the first few words. "I really can't stand men who hit women…"

I hug Janet and try to comfort her. "Come on Janet…let's finish up here so we can leave." She nods crying. Edward stares at Ryan, keeping him away from us.

"I can replace anything else, Bella. Just get me out of here?" I take her hand as Edward picks up the suitcase and hands her the picture frame. He follows us to the car and puts the bags down. He opens the door to the backseat. I get in with her and grab the tissue box for her. "Oh, my cat!" She cries. Edward makes a face but goes back into the house. He comes out with a small pet crate. The cat is hissing and meowing. I get into the front so she can have her pet with her… not to mention away from Edward. Janet cries the whole way back. Her car is still in front of my house. Edward and I get her stuff into her car.

"Edward, why don't I drive her car to her cousin's place and you follow to take me home?" I ask.

Alice comes running from the back yard. She flings her arms around my neck and whispers. "Thank heaven Edward was there!" Jasper calms Janet from a distance. I introduce them to her and I tell Janet the plan.

She nods. "I'll be ok to drive to my cousin's place if someone's in the car with me. I want to say thanks, Bells…and Edward. I couldn't do this without you. I'm ready to go now.

So we drive. I text Alice and carry on the conversation with Janet. She asks all sorts of wedding questions, so I answer the best I can and she's distracted anyway. We pull up in front of an old farmhouse a few towns away from ours. Her cousin comes running out and we get her all settled. Janet gives me a piece of paper with the address and several phone numbers, and then its time to say good-bye. She thanks us again and apologizes for accidentally placing me in danger. We agree to meet down at 'Murphy's' for lunch in a few days, and then I get into Edward's Volvo.

We sit quietly for most of the ride but Edward's voice breaks the silence. "What are you thinking, love?"

I take a breath and feel a tear roll down my cheek as I say, "I'm just so happy I have a man I can feel safe with. I know that you'll do your best to never physically hurt me, and I know that you'll try your hardest to never again inflict the kind of emotional pain that I felt before. I also know that you'll never want anyone but me. I just hope that she finds that too someday."

He nods as we pull into my driveway. I watch him walk around the car and as soon as he opens my door, I find myself in his arms. His lips move along my jaw and onto my mouth. Our embrace is so tender. I feel him carry me into the house and find Jasper and Alice are still there. "Go away, guys."

"Not happening, Bella, sorry." My pixie friend says. "We've got things to do…"

Edward grins at his sister as he puts me on my own feet. "That's a great idea, Alice."

"What's a 'great idea', Edward?" I ask.

"My sisters and mother have a suggestion…Oh, very well, Alice, you tell her." He growls.

"We think you should make a list, Bella… A list of what you want to do before Edward changes you. Things you can only do as a human." She says.

The whole family shows up as I go into my office and come back with a pad and pen. Alice has her wedding planning stuff out and laid across my kitchen table, so I set up in the living-room. They all look at me. "I have a question for you all… What can't you do as vampires?"

They all look around at each other. Carlisle is first to answer. "Well, I guess I'll say the medical things. We can't give blood, or donate organs… We can't reproduce …not traditionally, anyway."

Emmett makes a joke as per usual. "Yeah, and we can't get tattoos or piercings, either…but I'm not complaining, at least I get to be indestructible." He flexes his muscles.

We all laugh and I make a note before looking to Esme. "I guess I'd say it's not just 'having children' that I miss." She smiles gently at me. "It's also the different foods we miss out on."

I make another note as Em says, very seriously, "I miss looking at the animals. I chase and hunt them, all the time, but I can't just enjoy the majesty of them any-more…" We all stare at him. "What… I always wanted things like a puppy and to go horseback riding. I always wanted to be a cowboy… like Jasper!"

Everyone laughs, but I make another note on my pad. Rosalie sits next to me. "I miss all of those things… the children most of all… but also consider things like basic sunlight. I'd like to just lay out in the yard and enjoy the sun or go to a friend's pool or out to a beach."

Jasper is next to offer me advice. "When I became a vampire…I missed my family …my mother, especially. You should visit her in person at least once before you become unable to go to Florida."

"I don't recall any of my human life, Bella…Make some memories. We'll videotape special moments and take plenty of pictures… Rose and I will help put them into an album or scrapbook." Alice whispers.

Edward speaks softly into my ear. "The weddings, love. You get to be a bridesmaid and a bride all in one year."

I chime in with my own idea. "Oh, Edward…you'll never be able to go into the LaPush Reservation again… We should see and do whatever they'll let us before we're both permanently banned." I grin thinking about how Jake and Seth and the others would probably join us. I promised my best friend that I'd live this year and so I will. "Ok, guys, you've given me lots to think about. I'll be in my office for a bit… I need some time alone with my thoughts." I kiss Edward lightly on the lips and walk to my desk. I turn on the Microsoft Word program and begin to type:

Bella Black's Bucket List

(Things I want to do before I become a vampire)

1) There are lots of different foods I want to try. Maybe Alice can make the wedding meal be an international feast?

Alice yells in, "I can do that! It'll be fabulous!

I giggle and shake my head as I continue.

2) Get my belly-button pierced.

I countdown to myself… *3…2…1…*

Edward appears next to me… I knew he would. "You're always surprising me. You really want that? Your belly is already lovely…"

"I know you love me the way I am, but I've actually been thinking about this for a while. I really do want it… It's cute and not too crazy… I mean, it's not a tattoo or something…"

Edward nods thoughtfully. "A belly-ring would be incredibly sexy on you… Would you like me to take you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to? There may be blood… I could have Valerie or Leah take me…"

His arms close around me and he whispers. "Sweet, silly, beautiful Bella, I've never been more confident in my ability to resist the call of your blood than I have since I started living with you."

Alice flits into the room, singing at us. "He's taking you and everything will be fine…!"

I stare after her and laugh out loud. "Ok, then…that's settled…moving on…By the way Edward, I want to finish out this semester and then I can resign honorably. I know I won't be working after I change, but I want this to end well…"

He nods. "Back to the list…"

"I've thought about the animal options… I'd like to combine them with other things, like I want to visit my mom and Phil maybe a few times. The first time I'd like to go to Disney World. The second time, maybe Universal Studios would be cool to visit and I've never been to Sea World either." I'm sure I sound like a 5 year old and to make matters worse he smirks at me. "When we visit LaPush, I'd like to see if I can ride a horse… It doesn't look much different than when you or Jake took me piggy-back. Maybe on our year long honeymoon, before I change, I can swim with the dolphins or scuba dive?"

He smiles at me. "Those are wonderful ideas, Bella-love. Why don't I fix you some dinner as you think on this more fully?" I nod absentmindedly. "How about some spaghetti and meatballs?" I smile and nod.